ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve
ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve
The ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) is a regional cooperation established under the APTERR Agreement signed by the Ministers of the Agriculture and Forestry of the ASEAN Plus Three at the 11th Meeting of the ASEAN Minister on Agriculture and Forestry Plus Three (AMAF+3) on 7 October 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The APTERR was officially established itself as a permanent mechanism and also marked the official launch of the APTERR Secretariat office in Bangkok in 2013.
We are keen to strengthen food security, poverty alleviation, and malnourishment eradication among its members without distorting normal trade, while the common goal of the APTERR Parties is the assurance of food security in the ASEAN+3 region.
400 MT
300 MT
3,000 MT
Total :3,700 MT
500 MT
3,000 MT
Total :3,500 MT
322 MT
4,000 MT
Total :4,322 MT
Natural Disasters
WEEKLY UPDATE ON NATURAL DISASTERS
IN ASEAN PLUS THREE
No. 436 
24 – 30 September 2025
Strong earthquake claimed over 60 lives in the Philippines. A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck west of Palompon and near the city of Bogo in Cebu province, in the central Philippines late at night on 30 September 2025, killing more than 60 people and injuring over 150. The quakes also damaged schools and churches, and triggered temporary power outages. Several aftershocks were recorded near the epicentre in the hours following the initial tremor, while tsunami alerts for Leyte, Biliran and Cebu provinces were lifted early the next morning.
Source: CNN. (2025, Oct 1).6.9 magnitude earthquake kills more than 60 in central Philippines.
Storm Bualoi brought severe flooding in many provinces of Thailand. As of 30 September 2025, tropical depression Bualoi was downgraded to an active low-pressure system. It was expected to strengthen the strong monsoon over northern Thailand while moderate to rather strong southwest monsoon prevailed over the Andaman Sea, the South, Central region, the East and the Gulf of Thailand. Torrential rain was expected nationwide, with accumulated rainfall likely to cause flash floods and river overflows, especially near foothills and low-lying areas. The storm had already triggered widespread flooding affecting 269,351 people in 17 provinces, with seven confirmed deaths as of 29 September 2025. Several houses and bridges were damaged and became impassible. Local authorities quickly provided disaster reliefs to those affected and closely monitored the situation.
Source: The Nation. (2025, Sep 30). Tropical low-pressure system and monsoon trigger heavy rain and flash floods in northern Thailand; The Nation. (2025, Sep 29). Storm Bualoi leaves 17 provinces flooded, 269,351 affected, 7 dead.
Typhoon Bualoi relentlessly lashed Viet Nam. Typhoon Bualoi triggered severe flooding and landslides in Viet Nam. Death toll rose to 27, with 21 people still missing and 112 others injured across 17 northern and central provinces as of 30 September 2025. More than 158,000 houses and 26,600 hectares of rice and other crops were submerged. Widespread power outages, road blockages, and embankment collapses were also reported. Flight operations in both the Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City Flight Information Regions (FIRs) were disrupted between 26–29 September 2025, leading to several flights rerouting or cancellation although four airports in the central region reopened after one day of closure.
Source: Xinhua. (2025, Sep 30). Typhoon Bualoi leaves 27 dead, 21 missing in Vietnam; Vietnam News. (2025, Sep 30). Several flights affected by harsh weather conditions in aftermath of typhoon Bualoi.
Rice Situation
WEEKLY UPDATE ON ASEAN PLUS THREE
RICE SITUATIONS
No. 436
24 – 30 September 2025
Malaysia to strengthen Rice Self-Sufficiency level (SSL) via AI-Enabled SMART Large-Scale Paddy Field (SMART SBB) Programme. Malaysia’s state rice agency Bernas is strengthening its initiative to elevate the country’s SSL to 80 percent by 2030 using its SMART SBB programme. The programme employs digital transformation and AI to centralise farm operations such as fertilisation, pest control, and harvesting, aiming for higher yields, lower costs, and better coordination among farmers. Furthermore, Bernas also allocates about 4 million MYR (0.95 million USD) annually to provide machinery to lead farmers, and offers an interest-free farm operation cost advance.
*1 USD = 4.21 MYR
Source: Bernama. (2025, September 26). Bernas To Strengthen 80 Pct Rice SSL Mission Through Smart SBB.
Thailand's rice exports declined 23.9 percent in the first eight months due to a strong baht. According to the Department of Foreign Trade (DFT), Thailand’s exports between January and August 2025 totalled 5.04 million tonnes, a decline of 23.98 percent from 6.63 million tonnes in the same period of 2024. The export value decreased by 30.58 percent to 2.98 billion USD (99.06 billion THB), compared to 4.30 billion USD (153.91 billion THB) in 2024. The Decline was driven by global surplus, weak demand, strong baht. Despite the decline, Thailand expanded its market for premium rice, including jasmine rice, parboiled rice, sticky rice, and brown rice, to major markets such as China, the United States, South Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
*1 USD = 33.24 THB
Source: Nation Thailand. (2025, September 29). Thai rice exports slump 23.9% in first eight months on strong baht, global glut.
Vietnam’s Rice Exports Reach 6.6 million tonnes, Value Falls. Due to global rice oversupply, world rice export prices have decreased, including in Viet Nam. Viet Nam exported 6.6 million tonnes of rice worth nearly 3.4 billion USD as of September 15, an increase of 1.5 percent in volume but a fall of 17 percent in value compared to the same period in 2024, according to customs data. The Viet Nam Food Association said that export prices remain stable, with 5 percent broken fragrant rice price at 440 – 465 USD (11.61 – 12.27 million VND) per tonne and jasmine rice at 496–500 USD (13.09 – 13.19 million VND) per tonne. Meanwhile, rice prices in the domestic market increased by 90–164 VND (0.003 – 0.006) per kilogramme due to limited supply. Exporters explained that world rice export prices have decreased due to increasing global supply. Although Vietnamese rice has its own market segment, it is also affected by the general trend, so rice prices in the last months of the year are unlikely to increase sharply again.
*1 USD = 26382.51 VND
Source: VietnamPlus. (2025, September 29). Vietnamese rice remains steadfast amid world market fluctuations.
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