On 21–22 May 2025, the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) Secretariat, with support from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), convened The Regional Workshop on Emergency Information Sharing and Additional Commodity under the SAFER Project (Strengthening ASEAN Food Security Information System Function for Emergency). The workshop was held at the Pattaya Discovery Beach Hotel in Chonburi, Thailand.
The event was honored by the presence of Mr. Vinit Atisook, Deputy Secretary General of the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC), Thailand, and Mr. Masahiro Hosaka, Deputy Director of the Statistics Planning Division, Statistics Department, MAFF, Japan, who delivered the opening remarks. Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, AFSIS Manager, also welcomed participants with a keynote address.
A total of 28 participants from ASEAN Plus Three countries, along with representatives from the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Secretariat, attended the workshop in person.
The workshop focused on two critical outputs:
1. Strengthening Emergency Information-Sharing Mechanisms: Discussions aimed to establish a structured, unified protocol for the timely and accurate sharing of agricultural disaster impact data.
2. Expanding the Scope of Target Commodities: Participants explored standardized definitions and methodologies for new target commodities, such as laying hens, to be included in AFSIS’s core reports and statistical databases.
These efforts are not only technical necessities—they form the foundation of a robust, credible, and integrated food security information system that meets the evolving needs of the region.
Additionally, participants had the opportunity to learn about the procedures of emergency information sharing and an overview of the disaster platform and crop drought monitoring operated by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), Thailand. Moreover, this meeting got the honor from the Chonburi Provincial Agricultural Extension Office to present "The Overview of Disaster Data Collection Procedures in Thailand"
The workshop concluded with a field visit to GISTDA’s facility in Sriracha, Chonburi Province, where participants gained valuable insights into disaster reporting and practical knowledge. This workshop concluded successfully, with participants expressing gratitude to the AFSIS Secretariat and MAFF of Japan for their organization and support in strengthening food security information systems.
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.
