From Food Security to AI: ASEAN-India Sets a New Course for Agricultural Cooperation

11 September 2026, New Delhi: ASEAN and India have agreed to strengthen cooperation on digital agriculture, climate-resilient farming and agricultural value chains as they seek to make regional food systems more resilient to climate, trade and supply-chain disruptions.

The priorities emerged from the Ninth ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (9th AIMMAF), held in New Delhi on 9 September 2026.

The meeting identified artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, machine learning, soil health, bio-inputs, climate-resilient crops and low-emission rice production among the areas where ASEAN and India could expand practical cooperation.

The countries are also looking to strengthen the movement of agricultural products and inputs across the region, with greater emphasis on post-harvest management, value-added processing, food-loss reduction and agricultural logistics.

New Plan to Drive Cooperation

The discussions set the stage for the ASEAN-India Medium-Term Plan of Action for Cooperation in Agriculture and Forestry 2026-2030, which will guide the next phase of collaboration.

The plan is structured around four broad priorities: food security and resilient value chains; digital innovation and information exchange; technology cooperation and joint research; and capacity building, farmer exchanges and inclusive rural enterprises.

The shift comes as agriculture across the region faces a combination of climate risks, extreme weather, geopolitical tensions, volatile fertiliser and energy prices, trade disruptions and threats from plant pests and animal diseases.

ASEAN and India said stronger regional cooperation will be needed to maintain the flow of food and critical agricultural inputs, including fertilisers, seeds and pesticides.

The countries also called for greater diversification of supply sources and stronger regional monitoring and early-warning systems.

AI Moves Higher on Agriculture Agenda

Digital technologies are emerging as a key component of the next phase of ASEAN-India agricultural cooperation.

The proposed areas include the use of AI, IoT and machine learning for precision agriculture, alongside digital agriculture and forestry applications.

The meeting also stressed that technology development must be better connected with farmers and agricultural extension systems. Research institutions, technology providers, private companies and farmers’ organisations will need to work more closely to move innovations from laboratories and pilot projects into wider farm-level adoption.

The focus on practical deployment is intended to address one of the persistent challenges in agricultural technology: turning new digital and scientific tools into solutions that farmers can use at scale.

Climate-Resilient Production in Focus

Climate adaptation and lower-emission production will also feature prominently in the new cooperation agenda.

Potential areas include low-emission rice production, improved water productivity, climate-resilient and nutritious crops, sustainable soil management and bio-inputs.

ASEAN and India are also looking to expand cooperation on alternatives to open crop-residue burning and circular bioeconomy solutions, linking agricultural productivity with environmental goals.

The countries’ earlier cooperation included the ASEAN-India Millets Festivals in Jakarta and New Delhi in 2023, which promoted millets for their nutritional and climate-resilience benefits.

Stronger Food and Agricultural Value Chains

Beyond production, ASEAN and India are putting greater emphasis on what happens after crops leave the farm.

The meeting called for stronger cooperation in post-harvest management, preservation technologies, value-added processing and food-loss and waste reduction.

Improved logistics and market connectivity are also expected to support more efficient movement and distribution of agricultural and forestry products.

The agenda extends to forestry, including sustainable forest management, landscape restoration, agroforestry, forest monitoring and responsible forest-based value chains.

From Policy Dialogue to Implementation

The meeting said the next step will be to translate the 2026-2030 plan into a results-oriented work programme with clear priorities, responsible agencies, expected outputs and timelines.

Research and education institutions, farmer organisations, cooperatives, MSMEs, private companies, financial institutions and development partners are expected to play a role in implementation.

ASEAN and India have already built cooperation through the previous 2021-2025 action plan, which covered food security, sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture, soil management, digitalisation, science and technology and institutional exchanges.

The ASEAN-India Fellowship for Higher Education in Agriculture and Allied Sciences, launched in 2024, provides 50 Master’s fellowships over five years for students from ASEAN Member States.

The ninth ministerial meeting concluded with an agreement to convene the 10th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry in 2028, giving the two sides a new milestone to assess progress on their expanded agriculture agenda.

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