By Xinhua,
Hanoi : The rice exporting countries should well implement the existing regional cooperation mechanism, and coordination on information exchange and technical assistance, a Vietnamese spokesman said here on Thursday.
Amid the current global rice crisis, the rice exporting countries will continue to cooperate with one another to ensure sufficient food supply in their own market and fulfill their responsibility for the international community, Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung told reporters.
“We support and are ready to join efforts of the international community in stabilizing the world food price, ensuring interests of rice producers, exporters and consumers, especially those in developing countries,” he said.
There are some bilateral and regional cooperation mechanisms on rice export, including one between Vietnam and Thailand, and one among five major rice exporting countries, namely Thailand, Vietnam, India, China and Pakistan.
Members of the Ayeyawady – Chao Phraya – Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), a cooperation framework amongst Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to utilize their diverse strengths and promote balanced development in the sub-region, “are discussing ACMECS rice cooperation, mainly information exchange and technical assistance,” the spokesman said.
On May 6, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama withdraw an initiative about the establishment of an organization of rice exporting countries with the participation of some key rice exporting countries in Asia, he said.