The AFSIS Secretariat led by Dr.Waraporn Saelee, AFSIS Manager, and Mr.NIIMI Tomohiro, AFSIS Japanese Expert, had opportunities to respectively visit Mr.Rapibhat Chandarasrivongs, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mr.Chantanon Wannakejohn, Secretary General of Office of Agricultural Economics and Mr.Pollachet Tracho, Duputy Secretary General of Office of Agricultural Economics.
In the occasions, Dr.Waraporn has introduced Mr.NIIMI Tomohiro, AFSIS Expert, who is in kind cooperation with AFSIS Secretariat to assist and implement the Project for Supporting Agricultural Survey on Promoting Sustainable Agriculture in ASEAN Region (SAS-PSA) from 24 September 2020 to 23 November 2022.
In this regard, Mr.NIIMI Tomohiro expressed his sincere gratitude to have a chance to work and cooperate with Thai government as a bridge to connect Japan and Thailand, and hopefully Thailand and Japan will have a good support and well cooperation not only the present but also in the future.
The conversation also highlighted the appreciation of Thai government towards Japanese government for continuously supporting AFSIS activities and the continued cooperation between Thai and Japanese governments for strengthening food security in ASEAN 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.
