From 19-21 May 2026, the Southeast Asia Climate and Clean Air Initiative (SEACAI) implemented by GIZ Thailand, supported the Pollution Control Department in partnership with the Thailand Environmental Institute (TEI) in co-hosting ‘Thailand-Myanmar Cooperation Meeting for Cross-Border Measures under the Clear Sky Strategy Framework and Workshop on the Implementation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) on Zero Burning and Traceability Systems’. The event brought together government officials, agricultural experts and policymakers from Thailand and Myanmar to strengthen cooperation on zero-burning standards and traceability systems.
The meeting occurred within the framework of the Clear Sky Strategy (2024-2030), a multilateral commitment to address transboundary haze in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. It reflects a critical shift in how the region approaches agricultural sustainability by treating crop residue management – not as an isolated farming issue, but an issue affecting air quality, public health and economic resilience across borders.
The workshop started from national policy dialogue, going on to technical knowledge sharing and finally to hands-on field learning. On the opening day, Dr Wijarn Simachaya, President of the TEI gave the welcoming remarks, while Dr Surin Worakijthamrong, Director-General of the PCD, and Dr San Oo, Director-General of the ECD Myanmar, gave opening remarks highlighting shared commitment to sustained bilateral cooperation on transboundary haze through knowledge exchange and institutional trust.
Additionally, Dr San also emphasised that Myanmar recognises transboundary haze as a complex, multisectoral challenge requiring learning from regional partners, for example on Thailand’s GAP standards translating into agricultural certification and trade policy implementation, particularly for high-value export products.
The PCD presented Thailand’s second National Action Plan on PM2.5 Prevention and Action (2025-2027), outlining dual targets: maintaining 24-hour PM2.5 concentrations below 37.5 µg/m³ and reducing burnt agricultural area by 50% against historical averages. Rather than relying on prohibition alone, both countries emphasised enabling solutions.
Myanmar’s Department of Agriculture (DOA) detailed the ‘3R Model’ – Replace with High Value Crops, Replace with Alternate crops, and Re-habit – as a framework for transforming what farmers traditionally burned into inputs for soil health, animal feed and renewable energy. Thailand’s National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS) also presented the TAS 4402-2025 standard, the newly gazetted standard for Good Agricultural Practices with Zero Burning for Maize, which specifies requirements from land preparation through storage and transportation.
The Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) outlined the country’s import measures on zero-burning animal feed maize. Beginning January 2026, importers must register with Thai customs and provide either a government-issued zero-burning certificate or a self-declaration from the exporting country, verified by Thailand’s Department of Agriculture. This mechanism transforms trade regulation into a practical lever for environmental compliance, sending market signals to producers across the region.
Traceability emerged as the connective thread. The workshop examined how polygon mapping of cultivation plots, satellite hotspot monitoring, and detailed farmer-level data could create accountability at every point in the supply chain – from field to processor to market. Certification bodies and verification mechanisms featured prominently, with discussions on how Myanmar might establish its own competent authority to issue zero-burning certificates that meet Thailand’s import requirements.
A recurring point was the differences between the farmers’ immediate needs and long-term sustainability. Crop burning is the fastest method: it clears land quickly, kills weeds and pests, and requires a minimal outlay. Alternative practices, such as composting, mulching, in-situ incorporation, biochar production and animal feed utilisation, demand more time, knowledge and upfront investment. The workshop addressed honestly that without financial incentives training, and market access for farmers adopting zero-burning methods, it would not be successful, since standards alone would not shift practice at scale.
SEACAI project teams also engaged directly with local stakeholders in Chiang Mai such as the Highland Research and Development Institute (HRDI), Chiang Mai Breath Council, and AirGradient, to co-design a technical pilot on zero-burning implementation. Detailed consultations with agricultural research and development institutes, data and technology solution providers, and civil society organisations identified priority areas for scaling zero-burning practices in specific crop systems.
The insights will inform SEACAI’s pilot implementation progress in northern Thailand, while the project also plans further consultations with local stakeholders in other regions, particularly the Northeast, to seize opportunities for sustainable agricultural transitions to Short-Lived Climate Pollutants reduction across the Mekong region.
The Southeast Asia Climate & Clean Air Initiative (SEACAI) works to reduce short-lived climate pollutants across ASEAN, with focused action in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Through regional cooperation, local demonstrations in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, and knowledge exchange, SEACAI addresses transboundary haze from agricultural burning, forest fires, and waste combustion – pollutants that affect health, agriculture and economies across borders.
SEACAI is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), implemented by GIZ in partnership with Pollution Control Departments in participating countries. Running from 2025 to 2028, the project builds solutions with relevant agencies from both public and private sectors.
Further Information: Southeast Asia Climate & Clean Air Initiative (SEACAI) – Thai-German Cooperation
