On November 10 and 13, 2025, the AJFVC Output 2 organized two online seminar sessions focused on biostimulants and laboratory management, aimed at sharing insights to a broader international audience. Each session was attended by more than 100 participants from all ASEAN Member States, including Timor-Leste, as well as representatives from Japan and Australia.

The first seminar focused on the growing significance of biostimulants, highlighting their potential as environmentally sustainable solutions for enhancing crop production. However, as a relatively new field, standards and regulations remain under development. To address this, the AJFVC team organized a seminar featuring experts from Australia, the Philippines, and Japan. Dr. Simon Law, Research Scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), provided an overview of biostimulant research progress and regulatory developments in Australia. Kristel Aborido, Science Research Specialist II at the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS), and Marlo B. Deblois, Supervising Agriculturist at the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) of the Philippines, presented the current regulatory framework in the Philippines. Dr. Yasuhiko Muramatsu of CTI Engineering International, Japan, discussed the regulatory landscape in Japan.

The second seminar, focusing on laboratory management, was designed to complement the earlier two-week training on pesticide residue analysis conducted in various ASEAN countries, with the intention of extending this knowledge to countries not included in the initial training. Soumeexay Kingsavanh, Deputy Head of the Pesticide Laboratory at the Plant Protection Center (PPC) of Lao PDR, and Socheata Lorn, Chief Officer at the National Agricultural Laboratory (NAL) of Cambodia, shared updates on the status, planned improvements, and challenges facing national pesticide residue laboratories in their respective countries. Dr. Wu Yuan Sheng, Senior Principal Scientist at the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), presented on the evolution of analytical techniques for pesticide residue testing and the development of “fit-for-purpose” testing systems.

These online seminar sessions were organized as part of AJFVC’s efforts to strengthen sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures across the region.