On 3–4 December 2025, the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) Secretariat participated in the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Table Top Exercise (TTX) held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam.
The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism of Brunei Darussalam, and the APTERR Secretariat. The meeting was attended by representatives from ASEAN+3 member countries, the APTERR Council, as well as observers from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and ASEAN Secretariat.
The main objective of the TTX was to assess the overall readiness and effectiveness of the APTERR mechanism in responding to food crises across all three (3) Tiers. The exercise aimed to strengthen coordination among relevant agencies, clarify crisis activation procedures, and enhance understanding of emergency response mechanisms. It also sought to identify gaps in operational plans, promote the use of digital tools for early warning and information sharing, and improve efficiency, coordination, and the overall responsiveness of APTERR during emergencies.
On this occasion, Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, AFSIS Manager, delivered a presentation titled “AFSIS: Towards Credible, Reliable, Up-to-date, and Early Warning Food Security Information.” She also participated in group discussions focused on strengthening APTERR operations and advancing collaboration between AFSIS and APTERR under the FEMI Project.
The workshop also provided an opportunity for ASEAN+3 representatives to exchange views on the implementation of APTERR operations, including progress and future directions under the APTERR Tier 1 mechanism.
The event concluded on a positive note, with all member states expressing strong commitment to continued cooperation and enhanced collaboration between AFSIS and APTERR moving forward.
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On 23 April 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the Ad-Hoc Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AMAF), held via a virtual platform, to discuss the implications of recent developments in the Middle East on regional food security and to identify coordinated measures to enhance ASEAN’s food resilience, in preparation for the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) Meeting.
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.
