On 30 June 2025, the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) Secretariat, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF-Japan), successfully organized the Online Workshop on the Maize Growing Outlook (MGO) Preparation Guideline under the Project for Strengthening ASEAN Food Security Information System Function for Emergency (SAFER) via Zoom Meeting.
The workshop was officially opened with welcoming remarks from Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, AFSIS Manager, who emphasized the importance of enhancing regional collaboration and capacity building in the Growing Outlook Reports.
A total of 35 participants from ASEAN Plus Three Countries joined the session, including representatives directly involved in the development of the Growing Outlook Reports.
This interactive workshop aimed to strengthen the participants’ understanding of the key components and recommended steps in preparing the MGO report. Topics included Maize basic crop science and MGO definition, Relationship between maize growth and weather conditions, Crop situation index of maizeand example of MGO writing structure
The event also served as a vital preparatory step for the upcoming on-the-job training (OJT) activities scheduled between July and September 2025, which will further support the development of national outlooks across the region.
The workshop concluded successfully and is expected to contribute significantly to enhancing food security information systems in the region.
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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.
