ID :
167309
Fri, 03/11/2011 - 05:35
Auther :

Thailand urged to boost rice production

BANGKOK, March 11 (TNA) - The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called on Thailand and other Asian Nations to boost their rice production to prevent global food shortages amid growing world population.

FAO Assistant Director-General Hiroyuki Konuma was quoted as saying by international media on Thursday that Asia is the world's "food basket," as nearly two-thirds of rice on the world market comes from Asia--with Thailand and Vietnam alone sharing nearly 50 per cent of the basket.

To prevent a global food price crisis and to reduce poverty in Asia, Konuma insisted that Asian nations, including Thailand, should support their farmers to boost production of grains to ensure global food security.

FAO has suggested that world food production will have to increase by some 70 per cent by 2050 to meet expanding global demand, with developing countries alone having to double their grain production during the same period.

The Rome-based UN agency recently reported that world food prices hit the highest level in February 2011 since FAO began monitoring the prices in 1990, warning that any new global oil price surge could further shoot up the world food prices in the coming months. (TNA)

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