USABC Leads a Mission to the 47th AMAF in the Philippines

From September 30 to October 3, the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) successfully led a delegation of six prominent U.S. food and agriculture companies for a series of bilateral meetings with key ASEAN officials in Pasay City, Philippines, during the 47th Meeting of ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (47th AMAF). During the plenary session, USABC presented key recommendations on Sustainable Inputs & Climate-Smart Agriculture, Digital Innovation & Agri-Tech Access, Resilient & Integrated Supply Chains, Animal Health & One Health Integration. The bilateral meetings with ministries included USDA Foreign Agricultural Service / U.S. Embassy Manila, Philippines’ Department of Agriculture, Singapore Food Agency under the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Laos’ Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, and Brunei’s Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism. The mission also held bilateral meetings with the ASEAN Secretariat and the Economic Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).  

The 47^th AMAF reaffirmed ASEAN’s strong commitment to advancing collaboration in the food, agriculture, and forestry sectors as key elements of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. Building on the ASEAN Action Plan for Sustainable Agriculture introduced in October 2024, the meeting reinforced its priorities on regenerative agriculture, decarbonization, food security, trade connectivity, digital innovation, and sustainable forest management through the adoption of the ASEAN FAF Sectoral Plan (2026-2030), supporting the ASEAN FAF Vision 2045. It highlighted regenerative agriculture as a vital strategy for improving soil health, restoring ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity, and increasing resilience to climate change. ASEAN ministers also acknowledged the valuable contributions of USABC’s members in promoting private sector engagement and investment.  

Following the success of the 47^th AMAF, the Council and the Embassy of the Philippines co-hosted a timely roundtable with ASEAN agriculture attachés in Washington, D.C. on October 8 to discuss a readout of the AMAF and look at steps forward to continue building on the momentum of cooperation. The fruitful discussion reaffirmed the strengthening relationships of the Council’s food and agriculture members and ASEAN agriculture attachés in the region and the United States.