Dr. Choomjet Karnjanakesorn, General Manager (GM) of the APTERR Secretariat, attended the ‘Asia and the Pacific Food Systems Forum 2026: Feeding the Future, Sustaining the Planet,’ hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in Metro Manila, the Philippines on 19 March 2026 to share APTERR’s experiences and insight in addressing the risks and strenghtening resilience as a regional food security safety net.
During the Session 8.1: ‘Risk, Resilience, and Institutional Readiness for Food Security: The APTERR Experience,’ distinguished speakers from various countries and organisations joined the APTERR Secretariat to provide comprehensive perspectives on enhancing food security resilience amid emerging challenges, such as climate change, geopolitics conflicts and trade restrictions.
The session opened with remarks by Dato Dr. Abdul Manaf Metussin, Brunei Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism. Then, Dr. Choomjet highlighted APTERR’s roles and operation in managing risks and strengthening regional food security resilience. Mr. Nuriddin Kushnazarov, Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture on International Cooperation of Uzbekistan, provided an overview of food security framework in Central Asia and explored potential inter-regional cooperation with APTERR and Central Asian on regional food reserves. Mr. Junichiro Yamakuchi, Director-General of Crop Production Policy Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan, presented Japan’s support and initiatives, such as pre-cooked rice, the School Distribution Programme, and the pilot project on rice fortification,’ to enhance APTERR’s operational effectiveness and efficiency.
Strengthening APTERR as a regional backstop for food security requires robust data management for risk preparedness. In this regard, Mr. Boubaker Ben-Belhassen, Director of the Markets and Trade Division and Secretary of the Committee on Commodity Problems of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) , Dr. Alisher Mirzabaev, Senior Scientist for Policy Analysis and Climate Change of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Dr. Sumanya Ngandee, Manager of the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS), shared insighted from the global, regional and national perspectives on this matter. The session concluded with remarks by Mr. Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Community.
Amid the increasingly uncertain and unpredictable global environment, Dr. Choomjet emphasised the significance of such forums to serve as vital platforms for dialogue, enabling stakeholders to exchange insights, enhance clarity, and collectively navigate emerging challenges.
“APTERR stands ready to share its experiences as a regional emergency rice reserve mechanism and to contribute to the development of similar initiatives, including the potential expansion to other commodities, to further strengthen regional food security,” he stated.
