Regional Food Security and Trade Policy in Southeast Asia: The Role of ASEAN

This report examines the conflict between ASEAN's open trade aspirations and the protectionist food policies adopted by member states during the 2007/08 food crisis. It identifies threats to regional solidarity, such as the proposed Organization for Rice Exporting Countries (OREC), and advocates for a coordinated regional approach to food security utilizing existing frameworks like AIFS and AFSIS.

• The 2007/08 food crisis exposed a contradiction between ASEAN's aspiration for open regional economics and the tendency of member states to protect their own food markets, with some rice-producing nations prioritizing global supply over the needs of other ASEAN members.
• The proposed creation of the Organization for Rice Exporting Countries (OREC) by some rice-exporting nations was perceived as a political threat and a potential agricultural cartel that could undermine cooperation and solidarity within ASEAN.
• To tackle food insecurity as a regional problem ahead of the 2015 ASEAN Community goal, the document recommends enhancing existing mechanisms including the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS), the Strategic Plan of Action for Food Security (SPA-FS), the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS), and the East Asian Emergency Rice Reserve (EAERR).

APA

Lontoh,, A. C. C. A. (2010). Regional Food Security and Trade Policy in Southeast Asia: The Role of ASEAN. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/regional-food-security-and-trade-policy-southeast-asia-role-asean

Chicago

Lontoh,, Alexander C. Chandra,Lucky A. Regional Food Security and Trade Policy in Southeast Asia: The Role of ASEAN. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/regional-food-security-and-trade-policy-southeast-asia-role-asean.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lontoh, |first1=Alexander C. Chandra,Lucky A. |title=Regional Food Security and Trade Policy in Southeast Asia: The Role of ASEAN |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=25 June 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/regional-food-security-and-trade-policy-southeast-asia-role-asean |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lontoh2010regional, author = {Lontoh,, Alexander C. Chandra,Lucky A.}, title = {{Regional Food Security and Trade Policy in Southeast Asia: The Role of ASEAN}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/regional-food-security-and-trade-policy-southeast-asia-role-asean}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }