Senior agriculture officials from ASEAN Member States (AMS) convened to discuss priority issues for the 47th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in Manila.
During the Preparatory Senior Officials’ Meeting (Prep-SOM), the Philippines—through the Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Policy and Regulations Atty. Paz Benavidez II —reaffirmed its commitment to advancing sustainable, nature-positive, and climate-resilient food systems.
She expressed appreciation for the continued cooperation among the AMS in promoting regional agricultural development.
Senior officials reviewed updates from the recently concluded ASEAN Working Group meetings, including the 21st ASEAN Working Group on Halal Food, the 45th ASEAN Food Security Reserve Board Meeting, and the 24th ASEAN Task Force on Codex.
The Philippines expressed support for the ASEAN Food, Agriculture and Forestry Sectoral Plan (FAF-SP) for 2026–2030, along with the ASEAN Leaders’ Vision 2045 agenda. It underscored the importance of integrating halal food development into these ASEAN policy frameworksas part of strengthening food security, enhancing intra-ASEAN trade, and developing the growing global halal market. The Philippines also reaffirmed its strong support for the continued development of the ASEAN Plus Three Rice Reserve (APTERR) Mechanism, having benefitted from substantial rice donations from dependable APTERR Parties which enabled timely assistance to victims of calamities and emergencies in the PH.
Myanmar, as outgoing chair of the 46th SOM-AMAF, officially opened the session. The Philippines and Singapore were elected Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the 47th SOM-AMAF.
The meeting concluded with AMS endorsing the draft Joint Press Statement for AMAF, which
declares ASEAN’s commitment to building a resilient, innovative, and people-centered community under the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
Singapore, which will host the 48th Prep-SOM in 2026, presented updates on the ongoing ASEAN study on climate change and its impact on agriculture. Member States highlighted the urgency of addressing food insecurity and aligning efforts with regional environmental initiatives such as the ASEAN One Billion Trees project, one of the Priority Economic Deliverable (PED) of the Philippines.
The meeting also featured presentations from ASEAN’s development and institutional partners, including the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC), Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Asian Development Bank (ADB), CropLife Asia, EU–ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) , Trust Transparency Traceability (TRST01), and the ASEAN-UK Green Transition Fund (GTF). These partners showcased initiatives aimed at supporting the transformation of food systems across the region.
AMAF is ASEAN’s highest decision-making body on agriculture and forestry, convening annually with ministers and senior officials from all 10 Member States to set the strategic directions for the sector.
