AFSIS

The 14th Meeting of the APTERR Council, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Update by Webadmin 2026-03-13 09:34:06

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.

The meeting reported on the implementation of APTERR activities during 2025 and considered the proposed work plan and budget for the fiscal year 2026, as well as the financial status of the APTERR Fund. Participants were also updated on the implementation of the Rice Discharge Mechanism, including the Tier 1 Programme between the Philippines and Japan, which aims to strengthen food security preparedness in response to unforeseen disasters. In addition,the meeting discussed the implementation of the Tier 3 Programme to facilitate the timely provision of rice assistance during emergencies and received updates on the Food Emergency Monitoring and Information (FEMI) system, a decision-support tool for monitoring and assessing food security situations across ASEAN Plus Three countries to support timely decisions on the release of emergency rice reserves. The meeting also welcomed Timor-Leste as a new member country.

On this occasion, Mr. Charapon Chantorn, Deputy Manager of the AFSIS Secretariat, presented the AFSIS implementation progress for 2025 and its 2026 work plan, including cooperation with APTERR. He highlighted the role of AFSIS in collecting, analyzing, and disseminating food security information across ASEAN, including rice supply and demand data for the APTERR Quarterly Report and key analytical publications such as the Early Warning Information (EWI), Rice Growing Outlook (RGO), and the Food Emergency Monitoring and Information (FEMI) system.

Furthermore, Mr. Charapon emphasized the continued collaboration between AFSIS and APTERR under the ASEAN Food, Agriculture and Forestry Sectoral Plan 2026–2030 (FAF-SP 2026–2030), as well as ongoing efforts to strengthen the sustainability of the AFSIS Secretariat.

Through these initiatives, AFSIS continues to support evidence-based decision-making and contribute to strengthening food security across the ASEAN region.

ASEAN Food Security Information on the Self-Sufficiency Ratio (SSR) for Rice

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.

Asia and the Pacific Food Systems Forum 2026

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.

The Workshop on Promoting Rice Planted Area and Production Estimation Using INAHOR and Space-based Technologies in Thailand

On 12-13 February 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat, in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC), Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Japan and the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), Ministry of Agriculture Cooperatives (MOAC), conducted a workshop conducted a workshop The Promoting Rice Planted Area and Production Estimation Using INAHOR and Space-based Technologies in Thailand at the Meeting Room 2, Innovation Building, 3rd FL, Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE)