The Special Senior Officials Meeting of the 43rd Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SSOM-43rd AMAF) and the Special Senior Officials Meeting of the 21st Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three (SSOM-21st AMAF+3) were held during 23-24 August 2022, hosted by the Republic of Indonesia as the virtual meeting.
For the SSOM-43rd AMAF on 23 August 2022, the attendants were SOM AMAF Leaders, ASEAN secretariat and AFSIS Secretariat on agenda 5.1 regarding the ASEAN Plus Three agenda.
The representatives of AFSIS Secretariat were Dr. Waraporn Saelee, AFSIS Manager, Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, Deputy AFSIS Manager, Mr. NIIMI Tomohiro, Japanese Expert, Mr. Tanabodee Kheosipalard, Statistician, and Ms. Prodpran Lomthong, Project Coordinator.
While the SSOM-21st AMAF+3 on 24 August 2022, the attendants were SOM AMAF Leaders, SOM Leaders Plus Three Countries, ASEAN Secretariat, APTERR Secretariat, and AFSIS Secretariat representatives which were Dr. Waraporn Saelee, Mr. NIIMI Tomohiro, Mr. Tanabodee Kheosipalard, and Ms. Prodpran Lomthong.
In this regard, Dr. Waraporn reported the meeting of the outcomes, and achievements of the AFSIS implementation in the 2021-2022: Q2 and future Workplan. Furthermore, the summary result of the discussion on the future of AFSIS from the 20th AFSIS Focal Point Meeting and the proposal on the future of AFSIS were presented in the aforesaid meetings.
After the presentation, the Meeting acknowledged the sincere gratitude from Lao PDR toward the progress of AFSIS’ activities in human resource development and food security information development that assist the improvement of agriculture in ASEAN Member States (AMS).
The Meeting also noted the comments from Thailand and Japan in accordance with proposed options for the future of AFSIS to support the option for setting up AFSIS to be the Intergovernmental Organization and to seek support and consultation from ASEAN Secretariat for further actions with respect to the current laws and regulations of member countries.
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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.
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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.
