Author : Sulaiman, Jamalludin

Summary : This paper attempts to look at the dynamics and perhaps the complexities of agro-food marketing in Asia. It is based on my observations and readings on the topic. As such, it is not strictly a scientific paper. It ends with my impressions on the potentials of agro-food marketing and some possible policy directions that can be inferred from the discussion.

A little caveat before I proceed. This paper cannot really do much justice on the topic of Asian agro-food because Asia is a big continent, comprising 44 countries and stretching over 10 time zones. The region speaks five major languages: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, and Javanese, although English is widely spoken in many parts. No one country can represent Asia; all countries have little in common except their geographic proximity. Perhaps, the commonalities depend on how each Asian country relates to the various phenomena observable vis-a-vis their own agro-food marketing practices.