Japan leads the turnover of 560 metric tons of rice under the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR)

   
    On September 16, 2019 at the NFA-NCR office in Paco, Manila, 560 metric tons of rice donated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan was officially turned over to the National Food Authority (NFA) under the framework of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR). Mr. Tetsuharu Mori, First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, Mr. Takashi Amo, Director General for Crop Production Bureau of MAFF, APTERR Secretariat General Manager Chanpithya Shimphalee, and NFA Administrator Judy Carol L. Dansal led the ceremonial turnover. The rice will be distributed to families affected by Typhoon Ineng (international name Bailu) in Ilocos Norte and Typhoon Jenny (international name Podul) in Pangasinan.
 
    APTERR is a regional cooperation among ASEAN+3 countries, geared towards strengthening food security, poverty alleviation and malnourishment eradication. It started in 2002 during the ASEAN + 3 Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF+3).  In 2018, Japan provided 225 metric tons of rice under the APTERR to displaced people from Marawi City.