Putrajaya, Malaysia | March 5, 2025 – ASEAN Member States (AMS), development partners, and technical experts came together to mark a significant milestone in strengthening agricultural resilience and financial risk management under the “Project on Promoting Crop Insurance in ASEAN.” In the project’s wrap-up event, stakeholders reviewed key achievements, finalized knowledge products, and outlined the next steps for advancing crop insurance across the region. These discussions were held alongside the Knowledge Sharing Event on Crop Burning and Biochar, providing an integrated platform to address key agricultural challenges.
Co-organized by the Sanyu Consultants Inc. (SCI) and the Mekong Institute (MI), with financial support from the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), the event brought together around 50 participants, including representatives from ASEAN’s Senior Officials Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AMAF), ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Crops (ASWGC), and crop insurance technical officers. Partner organizations, private sector representatives, and experts from ASEAN and beyond contributed insights, reinforcing the collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach needed to advance agricultural insurance solutions.
A key highlight was the official presentation by SCI of three key knowledge products developed under the project. These knowledge products are aimed at providing AMS with references and resources to enhance crop insurance frameworks. The Stock-Taking Survey Report on Crop Insurance in ASEAN provides the most comprehensive regional assessment to date, mapping out existing initiatives, challenges, and opportunities for expanding coverage. The Practical Guide To Introducing and Scaling Up Agricultural Insurance in ASEAN Member States offers policymakers and practitioners actionable insights, case studies, and step-by-step guidance for developing and scaling insurance schemes. Meanwhile, the Case Studies from Regional and International Experiences on Public-Private Partnership and Index-based Crop Insurance Programs present best practices and lessons learned from both ASEAN and non-ASEAN countries, serving as valuable references for policy and program development.
Discussions highlighted the complex landscape of crop insurance implementation across ASEAN, given the region’s diverse agro-climatic conditions, economic structures, and varying levels of policy and institutional readiness. While some AMS have scaled-up national crop insurance programs, others are still in the exploratory or pilot phase, facing regulatory, financial, and technical barriers. Participants emphasized that public-private partnerships (PPPs) are essential in expanding coverage, ensuring financial sustainability, and enhancing product innovation.
Additionally, the event underscored the need for stronger financial sector engagement, particularly in leveraging digital solutions, data-driven risk assessment models, and innovative insurance schemes such as weather index-based products to enhance accessibility, affordability, and long-term viability for smallholder farmers.
Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, MI Executive Director, moderated the discussions, emphasizing a key challenge: while there are many technological innovations and methods available to help farmers, the absence of solid shock-absorbing systems and risk management tools, like crop insurance, leaves them more exposed to the impacts of climate change. He pointed out that expanding insurance programs is difficult due to differences in national policies and how they are put into action. However, he also emphasized that the project’s knowledge products provide a strong foundation for ongoing collaboration and progress in addressing these issues.
Dr. Pham Quang Minh, Assistant Director and Head of the Food, Agriculture, and Forestry Division at the ASEAN Secretariat, highlighted that this event was not the conclusion, but the beginning of a strengthened regional collaboration aimed at ensuring sustainable, inclusive, and scalable agricultural insurance solutions for the future. He acknowledged the challenges ahead, including low farmer participation, data limitations, and the need for stronger financial sector engagement, but emphasized that ASEAN’s Post-2025 Vision will integrate crop insurance and climate risk financing.
The event reaffirmed the role of crop insurance in ASEAN’s broader strategy for agricultural resilience and climate adaptation. It also set the stage for continued dialogue and cooperation between AMS and stakeholders to refine and expand existing models, integrate technological innovations, and ensure that farmers, especially smallholders, are equipped with adequate risk protection mechanisms.
