India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held the 9th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AIMMAF) on 9 September 2026 in New Delhi. The meeting was co-chaired by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Secretary of Agriculture of the Philippines. Its central focus was practical cooperation for climate-resilient farming, especially low-emission methods of growing rice.
What Is the ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry?
The ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AIMMAF) is the top policy meeting for farm and forest cooperation between India and ASEAN. It brings together agriculture ministers from India and ASEAN member countries to set priorities, review past work and approve new joint programmes. The 9th edition was held on 9 September 2026 in New Delhi and was organised by the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
The meeting was co-chaired by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture of the Philippines. The Philippines represented the Chair of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in 2026. This co-chair system reflects equal partnership, with India on one side and the rotating ASEAN chair on the other.
The 9th AIMMAF described farm cooperation as a practical part of the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This partnership is the highest level of political relationship between the two sides, agreed in 2022 to mark 30 years of dialogue ties. In farming, it means moving beyond statements to farmer-centred action on food security, better incomes, research links and stable supply chains.
Why Low-Emission Rice Topped the Agenda
Low-emission rice means growing paddy in ways that release less greenhouse gas, mainly methane, while keeping yields stable. Rice grown in continuously flooded fields creates oxygen-free mud. In that mud, tiny organisms break down organic matter and release methane (CH4), a gas that traps far more heat than carbon dioxide over a short period. Flooded rice also uses large amounts of water and heavy nitrogen fertiliser can release another heat-trapping gas called nitrous oxide (N2O).
The 9th AIMMAF identified climate-resilient agriculture as the main area for joint work, with low-emission rice as the lead example. Climate-resilient farming simply means farming methods that continue to give good harvests despite heat, floods, droughts and new pests. For rice, the ministers discussed water-saving methods such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD). In AWD, farmers let the field dry for a few days before flooding it again, instead of keeping it under water all the time. Field studies in India have shown that AWD can cut methane by about 35 to 60 percent, save 14 to 37 percent of irrigation water and keep yields steady.
The agenda went beyond rice. Ministers listed water productivity, soil health, food safety, post-harvest management, agroforestry and resilient value chains as priority areas. They also agreed to work on AI-enabled digital agriculture, including artificial intelligence, Internet of Things sensors and machine learning for weather advice, pest warning and precise use of water and fertiliser. Other ideas included bio-inputs that replace chemicals, nutritious and hardy crops like millets, ways to reduce food loss and waste, alternatives to open burning of crop stubble and circular bioeconomy solutions that turn farm waste into compost, energy or new products.
ASEAN 2045 and the Food, Agriculture and Forestry Plan 2026-2030
Ministers welcomed two long-term roadmaps as guides for future work. The first is ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future, adopted at the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur in May 2025. Its full vision is a Resilient, Innovative, Dynamic and People-Centred ASEAN by 2045. It is ASEAN’s first 20-year plan and replaces the earlier ASEAN 2025 framework. It covers political security, economy, society, culture and connectivity.
The second is the ASEAN Food, Agriculture and Forestry Sectoral Plan 2026-2030, often shortened to FAF-SP. ASEAN farm ministers adopted this plan at the 47th AMAF meeting in October 2025 in the Philippines. It is the working blueprint to turn the 2045 vision into action for farms, livestock, fisheries and forests. Its stated goal is a sustainable, inclusive, resilient and secure food and farm sector that protects farmer incomes, keeps the environment safe, cuts climate risk and keeps ASEAN strong in global trade.
The plan is built around six strategic thrusts. These are broad goals that group many smaller programmes together.
| Strategic Thrust | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Sustainable and regenerative measures | Responsible investment, soil and water care, sustainable fisheries |
| Decarbonisation and climate resilience | Climate-smart methods, lower greenhouse gas release, better adaptation |
| Food security and nutrition | Safe and nutritious food for all, support for small farmers, women and youth |
| Trade and market connectivity | Common food safety standards, better supply chains, easier market access |
| Partnerships and digital innovation | Public-private ties, cooperatives, smart farming tools |
| Sustainable forest management | Forest protection, community forests, restoration of degraded land |
The 9th AIMMAF also looked ahead to the ASEAN-India Medium-Term Plan of Action for Cooperation in Agriculture and Forestry 2026-2030. This is the separate India-ASEAN work plan for the next five years. It will focus on four linked areas, which are policy dialogue, food security with trade and value chains, technology cooperation with joint research, and training with farmer exchanges. Senior officials were asked to turn it into a rolling work programme with clear leads, timelines and funding sources. Ministers reviewed the previous plan for 2021-2025 and noted results such as the joint statement on food security, the ASEAN-India Millets Festivals in 2023 in Jakarta and New Delhi, and the ASEAN-India Fellowship for Higher Education in Agriculture and Allied Sciences launched in 2024 to give 50 masters fellowships over five years to ASEAN students.
What Is ASEAN and Why It Matters for India?
ASEAN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It was formed on 8 August 1967 through the Bangkok Declaration signed by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Today it has 11 members after Timor-Leste joined as the newest member. The other ten are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Its secretariat, which is its main office, is in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Philippines holds the ASEAN chair in 2026, which is why its agriculture secretary co-chaired the New Delhi meeting.
ASEAN works by discussion and agreement, often called the ASEAN Way, which stresses non-interference and decisions by consensus. For food and farming, the main ministerial body is AMAF and officials meet under SOM-AMAF, which stands for Senior Officials Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry.
For India, ASEAN matters for three clear reasons. First, food security is shared. About 14 percent of people in ASEAN face food insecurity and nearly 228 million people cannot afford a healthy diet, so stable rice, pulses, edible oil and fertiliser supply matters to both sides. Second, supply chains are linked. Both sides face the same shocks from climate change, extreme weather, volatile energy and fertiliser prices, trade disruptions and cross-border plant and animal diseases. Ministers stressed the need to keep food, seeds, fertilisers and pesticides moving, improve early warning systems and support small farmers. Third, technology and markets are complementary. India offers research strength, digital tools and large demand, while ASEAN offers diversity of crops, fisheries and forestry products and growing markets.
On the sidelines, Chouhan held separate talks with ministers from Malaysia, Timor-Leste and Myanmar. With Malaysia, the focus was joint research, technology and a proposed memorandum of understanding, along with germplasm exchange and market access. Germplasm means seeds and plant material used for breeding. With Timor-Leste, India offered scientist exchanges and training to build farm research capacity. With Myanmar, both sides said a farm cooperation agreement is close to final and discussed trade in pulses, cotton, dairy and farm education.
From Working Group to Field Visit: How the 9th Meeting Unfolded
The ministerial meeting was preceded by the 10th ASEAN-India Agriculture Working Group Meeting on 8 September 2026 in New Delhi. About 45 delegates from 11 ASEAN member states took part. It was co-chaired by M. L. Jat, Secretary of DARE and Director General of ICAR, on the Indian side. The group finalised technical inputs for the ministers.
A highlight of the 9th AIMMAF was the unveiling of the India-ASEAN Friendship Spike for Agriculture and Forestry. A spike here refers to the grain-bearing head of crops such as rice and wheat, a symbol of harvest and plenty. The structure was presented as a mark of shared commitment to farm and forest cooperation.
Delegates also visited the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) at Pusa in New Delhi. ICAR, or the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, is India’s apex body for farm research and works under DARE in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The team saw the Centre of Protected Cultivation, pearl millet and rice fields, the Nanaji Deshmukh Plant Phenomics Facility and the gene bank of the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR). A gene bank stores seeds and plant material to protect crop diversity for future breeding. An exhibition showed tools such as Kisan Sarathi, a digital advisory system that supports over 3.03 crore registered farmers in more than 3.5 lakh villages in 13 languages, along with work on soil health, animal vaccines, fisheries and horticulture. Ministers agreed to meet again at the 10th AIMMAF in 2028.
Key Takeaways
- The 9th AIMMAF was held on 9 September 2026 in New Delhi and was co-chaired by Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Francisco P. Tiu Laurel of the Philippines.
- The central theme was climate-resilient farming with focus on low-emission rice to cut methane from flooded paddy fields.
- Ministers endorsed ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future and the ASEAN Food, Agriculture and Forestry Sectoral Plan 2026-2030 as guiding frameworks.
- The India-ASEAN Friendship Spike for Agriculture and Forestry was unveiled as a symbol of farm cooperation.
- ASEAN was founded on 8 August 1967 by the Bangkok Declaration and its secretariat is in Jakarta, Indonesia.
- The 10th AIMMAF will be convened in 2028.
