The meeting focused on food security, farmer livelihoods and agricultural innovation priorities.
The 9th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AIMMAF) was held in New Delhi on 9 September 2026, focusing on food security, sustainable agriculture and resilient food and agricultural systems. The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Secretary of the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture, representing the Chair of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry, and H.E. Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, India’s Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
The ministers discussed challenges affecting food, agriculture and forestry, including climate change, extreme weather, geopolitical and economic tensions, fluctuations in energy, fertiliser and other agricultural input markets, trade and logistics disruptions, and plant and animal health. They stressed the need to maintain supplies of food and essential agricultural inputs, improve regional monitoring and early-warning systems, diversify supply sources and support smallholders and vulnerable groups.
The meeting reviewed progress under the ASEAN-India Medium-Term Plan of Action for Cooperation in Agriculture and Forestry 2021-2025. The achievements from the cooperation period includes the ASEAN-India Millets Festivals held in Jakarta and New Delhi in 2023, and the 2024 launch of the ASEAN-India Fellowship for Higher Education in Agriculture and Allied Sciences, which provides 50 Master’s fellowships over five years for students from ASEAN Member States. The discussion further noted progress on smart farming, soil health, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, machine learning for precision agriculture and farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange.
The ministers also looked towards the ASEAN-India Medium-Term Plan of Action for Cooperation in Agriculture and Forestry 2026-2030. The new plan will focus on food security, trade and investment, resilient value chains, digital innovation, joint research, technology cooperation, farmer exchanges and rural enterprise. The areas identified for future cooperation include low-emission rice, water productivity, digital agriculture, soil health, climate-resilient crops, food safety, post-harvest management, reducing food loss and waste, and sustainable forest management.
The meeting also agreed to improve market connectivity, value-added processing, preservation technologies and agricultural and forestry logistics. Senior officials and relevant working mechanisms were tasked with translating the new plan into a rolling work programme with clear priorities, timelines and expected outputs. The 10th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry is scheduled for 2028.
Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)
