From 10-14 February 2025, the AFSIS Secretariat, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion, and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (EPIS), successfully hosted the Invitational Workshop on the Project for Establishing a Real-Time ASEAN Food Security Information System and Development of Human Resources. The event took place in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, bringing together representatives from 5 target countries Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
The Meeting aims to share the progress of the Real-Time AFSIS Project (Phase 3) and field visit to learn how to use agricultural statistics, ICT, and spatial information more effectively in Korea.
During the opening session, Mr. Sangjun LEE, Director of the Global Agricultural Development Team at MAFRA, delivered an inspiring address emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation for food security. Mr. Jae-rok AN, Vice President of EPIS, also welcomed participants, emphasizing the significance of this collaboration for strengthening the ASEAN food security framework.
On this occasion, Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, AFSIS Manager, gave a congratulatory message to all participants and a presentation on the current status and Progress of AFSIS, including the future work plan for 2025.
In addition to the informative sessions, the workshop provided participants with the opportunity to visit key agricultural and technological sites in Korea. These included:
These field trips allowed participants to witness firsthand how agricultural statistics, ICT, and spatial information are used effectively in South Korea’s food security and agricultural strategies.
The meeting concluded with the participants presenting the action plan, aligned with Agricultural country policy and the utilization of the National Agri-Food Information System (NAIS). The event ended on a positive note, with all participants expressing appreciation for the valuable experiences and knowledge gained during the sessions. AFSIS Secretariat remains committed to fostering collaboration and supporting ASEAN countries in developing human resources and enhancing food security across the region.
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.
