By Prensa Latina,
Manila : Philippine Minister of Agriculture Arthur Yap said that his country is in favor of an Asian meeting on the rice crisis and rising food prices.
A declaration of the International Rice Research Institute includes the call of the Philippine minister for a ministerial meeting to discuss the issue.
The forum would also study provisional assistance to the most affected populations due to the lack of rice and the increase in prices, said IRRI as backing the proposal.
Philippines is one of the world”s main rice importers and makes great efforts to guarantee the supply to its 90 million inhabitants.
The price of a ton of rice ton on the international market has risen from 400 to 750 US dollars from January to March.
“We are in a world food crisis,” said in this capital the vice president of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development, Kevin Cleaver.
Other countries of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), such as Cambodia and Indonesia, joined the Philippine call, also considering urgent the need to hold a meeting which includes China, South Korea, and Japan.