The 14th Meeting of ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) Council, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Cambodia, was successfully held on 5 - 6 March 2026 in Siem Reap with productive outcomes and proactive discussions to enhance APTERR’s efficiency and effectiveness in achieving food security across the region.
The meeting opened with remarks from Dr. Sar Chetra, Secretary General of MAFF. and was co-chaired by Mr. Che Savun, Deputy Secretary General of MAFF, together with Mr. Park Juyong, Deputy Director for Food Grain Policy Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) of the Republic of Korea. Delegates from the APTERR member countries attended this meeting, along with the representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Food Security Reserve Board (AFSRB) Secretariat, and the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) Secretariat. The representative from Timor-Leste also participated in the meeting as an observer. In addition, representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and OH MY GENIE Inc. were present at this significant meeting.
During the meeting, the meeting took note on the update on the status of the APTERR Fund, as well as the report of implementation of work plan and budget plan for fiscal year 2025. Meanwhile, the APTERR Secretariat also presented the proposed work plan and annual operational budget for fiscal year 2026 for the APTERR Council’s consideration.
Representatives from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand shared the successful Tier 3 implementation and provided updates on the progress of ongoing programme.
In addition, the representative from the AFSIS Secretariat presented its project implementation in 2025 and works related to APTERR. The ADB consultant provided on the update on the small-scale technical assistance on APTERR and future cooperation, while the representative from WFP presented its collaboration with APTERR under Tier 3 programme for the Rice Fortification Pilot Project. The ASEAN Secretariat also shared its review of APTERR and procedures related to the accession of Timor-Leste, as the new ASEAN member, to join APTERR. Furthermore, the representative from OH MY GENIE INC. introduced its Ready-to-Eat Food Mechanism.
Apart from the meeting programme, the host organised a cultural visit for delegates on the afternoon of 6 March 2026 to the Angkor Wat and the Angkor National Museum, providing participants with a deep understanding of Cambodia’s history and cultural heritages.
The 15th Meeting of the APTERR Council is scheduled to be held in Indonesia in 2027.
Photo credit: APTERR Secretariat and MAFF of Cambodia
