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Bangkok, 27 and 28 May 2009Bangkok − Taken together, the 10 country ASEAN group has been a net exporter of several food commodities, including rice, and has sufficient amounts of food for its people. However, the sharp increase in food prices as well as recent devastating natural disasters, have raised serious concerns to the ASEAN member states and calls for urgent actions to revisit food security issues and cooperation, including...

Alofi – In the face of a serious economic and financial crisis that is compromizig the world’s food insecurity, Jacques Diouf, director-general of FAO, today appealed on the Pacific Island Forum countries to improve food security and income earning opportunities.Dr Diouf was speaking at the opening session of the 8th Meeting of the FAO South West Pacific Minister of Agriculture, hosted by Niue from 20 to 22 May in Alofi.Pacific...

$370 000 FAO support to fisheries departmentBangkok (Food and Agriculture Organization) ©¤ The UN¡¯s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Thai ministry of agriculture and cooperatives today signed a project agreement dealing with certification for small-scale aquaculture. Under an agreement signed with the Royal Thai Department of Fisheries today, the world food agency will offer its expertise to ensure the future competitiveness of small-scale aquaculture farmers in Thailand for...

600 million hungry people in Asia-PacificBangkok – In the face of a serious economic and financial crisis that is compounding the world's food insecurity, Jacques Diouf, director-general of FAO, today appealed on agricultural ministers of over 30 Asia-Pacific countries to "help unlock untapped agricultural production potential, and rapidly boost production in the most affected countries.""The precarious food situation tells us that reviving agricultural production in the developing world is the...

Programmes and technical cooperation in agriculture – focus on south-south cooperationBangkok – The Republic of Indonesia will provide experts and technicians as well as inputs, tools and equipment to improve productivity of small-scale farmers in developing countries, in cooperation with FAO. A Letter of Intent to this effect was signed today in Bangkok by the Indonesian minister of agriculture Anton Apriyantono and FAO director-general Jacques Diouf.Under the agreement, Indonesia will...

Calls for a new world agricultural orderBangkok – From tomorrow to 31 March, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf will visit Bangkok, meet with Thailand's leaders, and attend the 29th session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific. FAO insists that "a new system of governance of world food security must be established" following the failure of the current system.As guest of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Dr...

Bangkok – Volatile food prices and market uncertainties are on the menu of an FAO conference which will be attended by agriculture ministers and senior officials from forty-three Asia-Pacific countries in Bangkok next week.On Monday 30 March, the Thai Prime Minister will open the ministerial segment of the 29th session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific. The FAO Director-General will deliver a statement on the state...

First national Lao PDR rice survey to be released in JulyVientiane -- The first statistics-based assessment of the situation and outlook of rice in Lao PDR will be finalized by July, resulting in a better understanding of the rice situation in the country and increased capacity to plan for agricultural (rice) production development and environmental or economic change.Funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and supported by funds from...

Bangkok -- The 29th FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific is held at the United National Conference Centre (UNCC/ESCAP), in Bangkok from 26 to 31 March 2009. This major biennial event is convened by FAO to review and make recommendations on key food and agricultural issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region.The conference brings together 43 Asia-Pacific FAO member nations and a wide range of observers such as United Nations...

Thimphu – Policy and decision-makers as well as local development officials in Bhutan now have access to comprehensive and updated statistical agriculture information.Bhutan's minister of agriculture, His Excellency Dr Pema Gyamtsho launched CountrySTAT-Bhutan on March 10 in the presence of representatives of international organizations and the media at a function at the ministry in Thimphu.Developed over the past year and a half with financial and technical support from the FAO-Netherlands...