On 17–18 June 2025, the 23rd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting was successfully convened in Yangon, Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation (MOALI) of Myanmar hosted the meeting in collaboration with the AFSIS Secretariat.
The members of the AFSIS Focal Points and delegates from ASEAN Plus Three countries attended the Meeting. In addition, representatives from the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Secretariat, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA),
The ASEAN Secretariat and the AFSIS Secretariat also participated in the meeting.
The main objectives of the Meeting were to inform the ASEAN Plus Three member countries of the overall outcomes and achievements of AFSIS activities in 2024-2025 (Q2) and to present the future work plan for 2025. Moreover, the Meeting provided a forum for participants to offer comments and suggestions on the future direction of AFSIS and the progress of transformation into a permanent mechanism to ensure the sustainability of AFSIS.
On this occasion, Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, AFSIS Manager, informed the Meeting about the endorsement of the Joint Understanding of the 22nd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting for the Sustainability of AFSIS by ASEAN Plus Three member countries and acknowledged at the 24th ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three (AMAF+3) Meeting in October 2024.
The 23rd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting also acknowledged the progress and work plan of the Strengthening ASEAN Food Security Information System Function for Emergency (SAFER) Project activities. Moreover, welcome to the new Japan project: Project for AFSIS Geospatial Informatization Support (AFSIS-GIS) and the joint proposal AFSIS publication of INAHOR estimation results served as an important platform for fostering collaboration and strengthening the commitment to sustainable food security in the ASEAN region.
The Meeting expressed appreciation for the roles of the AFSIS in strengthening food security and vowed to cooperate and support the projects under AFSIS implementation continually. It successfully ended with great collaboration from all participants. The next 24th AFSIS Focal Point Meeting will take place in Manila, the Philippines, on 17-18 June 2026.
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On 5–6 March 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the 14th Meeting of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Council via video conference, hosted by the Kingdom of Cambodia. The meeting brought together representatives from ASEAN Plus Three countries, the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Food Security Reserve Board (AFSRB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the APTERR Secretariat, and the AFSIS Secretariat to discuss key issues related to regional food security and emergency rice reserves.
On 18 February 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the international event Google’s “Impact of AI on Global Agriculture,” organized by Google.org at Roseate House, Aerocity, New Delhi, India.
On 12-13 February 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat, in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Japan and the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), Ministry of Agriculture Cooperatives (MOAC), conducted a workshop conducted a workshop The Promoting Rice Planted Area and Production Estimation Using INAHOR and Space-based Technologies in Thailand at the Meeting Room 2, Innovation Building, 3rd FL, Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE)
The In-Country Workshop on Promoting Rice Planted Area and Production Estimation Using Space-based Technologies in Lao PDR was jointly organized by AFSIS Secretariat, JAXA, MAFF Japan, and MAE Lao PDR under the AFSIS-GIS and SAFE projects. The event was held in Vientiane with hands-on training on 9 February 2026 and a workshop on 10 February 2026.
