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Despite climatic shifts and natural disasters plaguing some rice producing countries, the 2013 season has produced more rice than expected, adding to the ninth straight year of rice surplus or ‘carry over,’ the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported today.   As farmers in many countries, particularly in Asia, begin the last harvests of the 2013 season, several countries have raised their 2013 production estimates above those reported in...

Small scale coconut farmers in the Philippines will soon receive assistance to restore their livelihoods severely affected by last year’s Typhoon Haiyan, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said today. It is estimated that in Region VIII alone, some 33 million coconut trees were either damaged or destroyed, affecting  the livelihoods of more than one million coconut farmers. Given that coconut trees take six to eight years to reach productivity, small-scale coconut...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) urges people to stay alert for influenza A(H7N9), especially in light of the upcoming Qingming festival on 5 April 2014, which is celebrated in China and some of its neighbouring countries and will last approximately three days. The festival, which is a yearly family event for honouring ancestors, is predicted to correspond to an increase in the purchase, slaughter and...

The FAO Food Price Index rose sharply in March, up 4.8 points, or 2.3 percent, to an average of 212.8, the highest level since May 2013. "The Index was influenced, as expected, by unfavourable weather conditions in the US and Brazil and geopolitical tensions in the Black Sea region," said Abdolreza Abbassian, FAO Senior Economist. These and other influences are reviewed in greater detail in the AMIS Market Monitor report, the monthly...

Mr Hiroyuki Konuma, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from 22 to 25 March 2014. By all accounts the visit was highly successful. The Mission proved to be encouraging and positive, both for the visibility of the in-country response programme as well as for FAO DPRK team spirit. The FAO team in DPRK gained a greater understanding of the importance of FAO’s guidance...

Irish Minister for Trade and Development Joe Costello visited an FAO rice seed project funded by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and witnessed the positive impact of Ireland’s financial support on the livelihoods of typhoon-affected farmers in Barangay Olotan, municipality of Jaro, Leyte. Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) damaged 600 000 hectares of agricultural land and destroyed 1.1 million tonnes of crops as it swept across...

While it’s well recognized that forests are our future, the time needed to restore and manage them more sustainably is running short, an FAO convened meeting in Bangkok heard today. The 21st of March is International Day of Forests, and the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific has marked the day by convening a forestry debate: “Forestry in a changing world!” The debate was co-organized by FAO, RECOFTC –...

Forests and grasslands combined cover more than 57 percent of Asia-Pacific’s landmass, yet forests alone account for only 20 percent – and they are under threat, the FAO warns. Forests cover one third of the Earth's landmass, performing vital functions. Around 1.6 billion people - including indigenous cultures - depend on forests for their livelihoods. Forests are the most biologically-diverse ecosystems on land, home to more than half of the terrestrial...

Initiatives being adopted in the Asia-Pacific region to improve the environmental sustainability of agricultural activity must include ways and means to reduce the gap between wealthy urban areas and the poorer countryside, the FAO has stressed. In many cases, the failure to address the question of lower farm incomes is at the heart of a decline in smaller farms and may results in increased urbanization and social upheaval. As countries attempt to...

Governments from 41 countries across Asia and the Pacific today concluded a five day regional conference on improving their responses to future food security challenges and moves to put an end to hunger. At its conclusion, the Ministers and Heads of Delegations of the Thirty-Second FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC), with some 164 delegates, endorsed four FAO regional initiatives. The conference was hosted by the Ministry of Industry...