On 17–18 June 2025, the 23rd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting was successfully convened in Yangon, Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation (MOALI) of Myanmar hosted the meeting in collaboration with the AFSIS Secretariat.
The members of the AFSIS Focal Points and delegates from ASEAN Plus Three countries attended the Meeting. In addition, representatives from the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Secretariat, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA),
The ASEAN Secretariat and the AFSIS Secretariat also participated in the meeting.
The main objectives of the Meeting were to inform the ASEAN Plus Three member countries of the overall outcomes and achievements of AFSIS activities in 2024-2025 (Q2) and to present the future work plan for 2025. Moreover, the Meeting provided a forum for participants to offer comments and suggestions on the future direction of AFSIS and the progress of transformation into a permanent mechanism to ensure the sustainability of AFSIS.
On this occasion, Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, AFSIS Manager, informed the Meeting about the endorsement of the Joint Understanding of the 22nd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting for the Sustainability of AFSIS by ASEAN Plus Three member countries and acknowledged at the 24th ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three (AMAF+3) Meeting in October 2024.
The 23rd AFSIS Focal Point Meeting also acknowledged the progress and work plan of the Strengthening ASEAN Food Security Information System Function for Emergency (SAFER) Project activities. Moreover, welcome to the new Japan project: Project for AFSIS Geospatial Informatization Support (AFSIS-GIS) and the joint proposal AFSIS publication of INAHOR estimation results served as an important platform for fostering collaboration and strengthening the commitment to sustainable food security in the ASEAN region.
The Meeting expressed appreciation for the roles of the AFSIS in strengthening food security and vowed to cooperate and support the projects under AFSIS implementation continually. It successfully ended with great collaboration from all participants. The next 24th AFSIS Focal Point Meeting will take place in Manila, the Philippines, on 17-18 June 2026.
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.
.jpg)
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.
.JPG)
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.
