On 18 April 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries of Malaysia,
the host country for the 22nd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting on 11-12 June 2024 and AFSIS Secretariat convened the meeting to discuss the organization of the 22nd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting in 2024. The objective of this meeting was to provide information on the steps needed to prepare for the upcoming AFSIS Focal Point Meeting.
On occasion, Mr. Shahril Faizal Abdul Jani Undersecretary, and Mr. Mahdir Bin Bahar Principal Assistant Secretary, Policy and Strategic Planning Division Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Malaysia met with Mr.Chantanon Wannakejohn Secretary-General of the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE) before meeting with AFSIS Secretariat. During the meeting, Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, AFSIS manager, presented the summary from the previous and updated the process of work we were done with. This included reviewing the checklist of discussions from the initial meeting and also the tentative agenda.
Following the meeting, AFSIS will send the invitation letters with registration forms,
and tentative agenda to other member countries for further consideration and registration of attendees.
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.
