On 12 July 2024, the AFSIS Secretariat convened an online meeting to discuss the draft Joint Understanding of the 22nd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting, marking a significant step towards ensuring the sustainability of the Agricultural and Food Security Information System (AFSIS). They were chaired by Datuk Azah Hanim Ahmad, Deputy Secretary General (Policy) Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia. The meeting gathered AFSIS Focal Points from ASEAN plus Three countries along with representatives from the ASEAN secretariat and AFSIS secretariat.
This Meeting was a continuous session from the 22nd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on 11-12 June 2024, for deliberations on the draft of the Joint Understanding of the 22nd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting for the Sustainability of AFSIS, The Meeting aimed to discuss and consider the Joint Understanding document.
The meeting reached a consensus on the Joint Understanding document as a working principle of AFSIS.
The outcomes led ASEAN member states towards the next phase in establishing AFSIS as a sustainable organization, furthering our efforts to enhance food security in the ASEAN region in the near future.
AFSIS secretariat will present this outcome to the Senior Officials' Meeting of the 23rd Special ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (Special SOM-23rd AMAF Plus Three), scheduled for 6-8 August 2024. This presentation marks the critical role and functions of AFSIS, which are very valuable for moving AFSIS and its activities toward sustainability in the future.
The AFSIS Secretariat remains committed to fostering collaboration among member states and stakeholders, ensuring robust support for sustainable agricultural development across the ASEAN plus Three regions.
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On 23 April 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the Ad-Hoc Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AMAF), held via a virtual platform, to discuss the implications of recent developments in the Middle East on regional food security and to identify coordinated measures to enhance ASEAN’s food resilience, in preparation for the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) Meeting.
The agricultural sector plays a vital role in supporting food security and livelihoods across ASEAN, where diverse production capacities shape the availability of major agricultural commodities such as rice, maize, sugarcane, soybean, and cassava. This report examines the SSR patterns across ASEAN to emphasize regional strengths, structural imbalances, and the implications for food security and agricultural policy in the region.
The self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) is a key indicator of food security. It shows how well Southeast Asian countries can meet rice demand through domestic production, with the region overall remaining increasingly self-sufficient despite ongoing challenges.
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On 19 March 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the Asia and the Pacific Food Systems Forum 2026 under the theme “Feeding the Future, Sustaining the Planet” in Manila, the Philippines, organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) . The forum aimed to promote food security policies, review ADB’s related initiatives, and support long-term food systems transformation.
