Bangkok - This week a new e-newsletter was launched by FAO aimed at providing facts and information on soaring food prices in Asia and the Pacific.
Food markets in the region have been volatile for close to a year now, and stakeholders are closely monitoring the dynamic changes, in particular policy actions and price movements.

Timely and sound information on food markets and trade trends are needed for policy making and decision on food production and utilization.

Allowing for a balanced and judicious appraisal of competing views, the FAO electronic newsletter – Asia-Pacific food situation update – provides the most relevant facts and information, as well as short analyses of selected policy issues.

“Soaring food prices in Asia – in particular of rice – have created a stressful situation, and FAO is eager to bring updated analysis to those involved in policy decisions so that we can better assist the poor people in the region,” emphasizes He Changchui, FAO’s regional representative for Asia and the Pacific.
The present regime of low food stocks and high food prices poses a serious risk to food security. The challenge of managing this crisis over the coming years is daunting.

“The first issue of the electronic newsletter frames the regional food security situation in a global context – summarizing the factors behind soaring food prices and recent policy responses by Asian nations,” said Jairo Castano, FAO senior regional statistician in Bangkok.

Asia-Pacific food situation update is available from the Internet at http://www.fao.org/world/regional/rap/update_may_2008.pdf

To subscribe send an e-mail to [email protected] leaving the subject blank and entering in the first line of the message the following: subscribe Food-Asia-L .