On 19-20 February 2025, the AFSIS Secretariat attended the 13th Meeting of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Council held in Tokyo, Japan. The meeting brought together key stakeholders from the APTERR Council, ASEAN Plus Three countries, ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Food Security Reserve Board (AFSRB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the APTERR Secretariat, and the AFSIS Secretariat to discuss crucial topics related to food security and rice reserves.
The objectives of the meeting were to report the implementation of APTERR activities in 2023-2024, discuss and propose the work plan and budget proposal for the fiscal year 2025, and terminal report of the financial contribution to the APTERR Fund. Also, the Meeting was updated on the implementation under the Rice Discharge Mechanism, the Implementation of Tier 1 programme between the Philippines and Japan, which is now in its third phase (2024-2027), to strengthen food security amid the unforeseen calamities and Implementation of Tier 3 programme to ensure timely rice assistance during emergencies for immediate responses to the future disasters and also the Food Emergency Monitoring and Information (FEMI) that is the decision-support tool for a release of emergency rice reserves by monitoring and assessing food security situation in ASEAN Plus Three (APT) countries.
On this occasion, Mr.Charapon Chantorn, Deputy AFSIS Manager, had an opportunity to present the AFSIS Implementation in 2024, a future work plan in 2025, and works related to APTERR. AFSIS provides data on the demand and supply of rice for annual reports and the analysis of monitoring and evaluating food emergencies FEMI. This emphasizes the importance of AFSIS in collecting, analyzing, and disseminating ASEAN food security information.
Furthermore, this meeting provided all participants with the great opportunity to visit Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai and Sona Area Tokyo for the Disaster Prevention Experience Learning Facility
The successful exchange of ideas and cooperation during the meeting underscored the importance of regional collaboration in strengthening food security and ensuring a prompt and coordinated response to emergencies in the ASEAN Plus Three region.
On 18 February 2026, the AFSIS Secretariat participated in the international event Google’s “Impact of AI on Global Agriculture,” organized by Google.org at Roseate House, Aerocity, New Delhi, India.
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)
The In-Country Workshop on Promoting Rice Planted Area and Production Estimation Using Space-based Technologies in Lao PDR was jointly organized by AFSIS Secretariat, JAXA, MAFF Japan, and MAE Lao PDR under the AFSIS-GIS and SAFE projects. The event was held in Vientiane with hands-on training on 9 February 2026 and a workshop on 10 February 2026.
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On 13–15 January 2026, the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE), Thailand, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan, and the AFSIS Secretariat, conducted the 1st Meeting of Japan–Thailand Expert Dialogue on Agricultural Statistics. The meeting was held at the Office of Agricultural Economics and field survey activities in Chonburi Province.
