Ministers from the APEC members are scheduled to discuss issues including the sustainable development of agriculture to ensure long-term food security, local media reported Tuesday.

The ministerial meeting on food security of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) will be kicked off on Saturday in Niigata, a port city in northern Japan.

An action plan aimed at preventing food shortages would be drawn up in the meeting, the public broadcaster NHK reported on Tuesday.

The Asia-Pacific region is a focal point in the world concerning grain production and trade, but it is also susceptible to natural disasters like earthquakes and floods which threaten agriculture. An estimated 200 million people in the region are reported to be insufficiently fed, accounting for about seven percent of the population.

The two-day conference is one of the APEC meetings ahead of the upcoming annual APEC summit in the coastal city of Yokohama in November.

APEC involves such members as Australia, China, Japan and the United States.