In response to the request of countries in the region for help in building up their strategic food reserves, Japan has extended an agreement to provide a standby rice supply for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

The memorandum of cooperation (MoC) between Japan and the Philippines for the Tier 1 program under the framework of the Asean Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) will be extended for another three years.

First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, Akasaka Hidenori, attended the signing ceremony for the extension of the MoC until October 2027 to maintain a rice stock and agree on allocations following natural disasters.

The extended MoC was signed by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Director Hirano Kenichi and National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Larry Lacson. APTERR General Manager Choomjet Karnjanakesorn witnessed the event.

Stakeholders of the program later visited the NFA-owned warehouse where Japanese rice is stockpiled.

The grains would be a buffer against a shortage due to typhoons. This will be delivered to regions needing assistance.

Several hundred tons of stockpiled rice from Japan under APTERR were distributed to thousands of Filipino victims affected by such disasters as typhoon “Odette” in 2022 and the Mt. Mayon eruption in 2023.

In 2023, Japan donated 20 metric tons of rice to an elementary school in the town of Pateros for the nutritional well-being of the students.

Marcos lauds extension

Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the recent ASEAN summit in Laos called for the boosting of staple grains reserve to be better prepared for the crises threatening food security.

Marcos cited the 2024 World Risk Index where the Philippines was named among the countries with the highest risk of experiencing the adverse impacts of climate change.

He has been advocating support for the APTERR agreement since his first participation in the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit.

“Thus, I continue to urge APTERR Working Groups to seek ways to strengthen its mechanisms as well as to boost its rice and other staple food reserves to better prepare for emergencies that threaten food security in the region,” he said.

The President also commended the extension of the Tier 1 APTERR program for another three years.

The extension “will help ensure food security in the Philippines by diversifying supply sources and enhance Filipinos’ resilience to potential adverse situations or calamities,” he said.

The Philippines also welcomed the APT Leaders Statement on Strengthening the Connectivity of Regional Supply Chains, highlighting its benefits such as reducing transportation costs, responding faster to changes in demand, enhancing resilience to global disruptions, facilitating trade, enhancing collaboration and innovation, and encouraging regulatory alignments.