The Special Senior Officials Meeting of the 40th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SSOM-40th AMAF) and the Special Senior Officials Meeting of the 18th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three (SSOM-18th AMAF+3) were held on 5 - 7 August 2019 in Hue, Viet Nam.
The representatives from the AFSIS Secretariat led by AFSIS Manager Mr. Vinit Atisook attended the said meetings to report the progress on AFSIS activities during 2018-2019 and the future work plan for 2019-2020.
The Meeting took note the progress report on AFSIS, focusing on the food security information development, human resources development and improving statistical data on food processing and distribution of 5 agricultural crops in ASEAN, as well as the future work plan on seeking possibility to link with some database or data related to food security, e.g. annual disaster situation in ASEAN, soil database from Asian Soil Partnership (ASP).
The Meeting acknowledged that the new project proposal on Supporting Agricultural Survey in Promoting Sustainable Agriculture in ASEAN Region, which aims to develop new appropriate survey methods to collect data using the estimation of specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicator and conduct a pilot survey in target countries has been circulated to AFSIS Focal Points for endorsement.
The Meeting noted that Japan’s commitment to continue supporting the activities of AFSIS.
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.
