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First national from Japan to head RAPBangkok --- FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf announced the appointment of Hiroyuki Konuma as Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) effective 1 March 2010.Mr Konuma is the first national from Japan to head RAP since its establishment 62 years ago. One of five FAO regional offices across the world, the Bangkok-based office covers 43 member countries, together housing close...

Gopalganj - Integrated planning of water and agriculture is fundamental for scaling up farm production, advocated Ad Spijkers, FAO Representative in Bangladesh during a three day field mission to the south and south west of Bangladesh. He led the mission that included visiting FAO expert Benoist Veillerette and other officials from FAO and relevant government agencies.Water development"The Gorai river is the main source of water for the south and agriculture,...

Rome - South-South Cooperation accord signed at FAOVietnamese experts will help Chad implement a series of activities aimed at improving the African country's food security under a tripartite South-South Cooperation agreement signed here today.The activities, which involve irrigation for rice growing and horticulture, increased cereals production, artisanal fishing, bee-keeping and food processing, are part of Chad's five-year, $200 million National Programme for Food Security, which FAO helped design.Fifteen Vietnamese experts...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are co-organizing the first regional forum on food security to showcase Asia and the Pacific as an attractive region for increased public and private sector investments on food security related initiatives.The forum will be held at ADB Headquarters in Manila, Philippines from 7 to 9 July 2010.CALL...

Manila - GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN ALLOCATES 2.5 MILLION USD FOR INTER-AGENCY PROGRAMMEThe International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations will launch a new project to help fishers, farmers and workers in a Philippine province affected by conflict and natural disasters, in partnership with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).The "Inter-agency Programme to Nurture Peace, Security and Decent...

As part of a joint UN appeal, FAO and partners are calling for US$23.6 million to support over 200 000 people to resettle in the North of Sri Lanka. This emergency response plan aims to promote self sufficiency and prevent further dependency on food aid for some 50 000 rural families.Nearly 130 000 people have returned to their places of origin in the North of Sri Lanka as of December...

21 000 families risk food insecurity and povertyBeijing/Ulaanbaatar, 2 February 2010 – Temperatures plunging to -50C have killed 1.7 million heads of livestock in Mongolia, threatening the livelihoods of 21 000 most seriously affected herder families and putting them at risk of food insecurity, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today.An FAO rapid needs assessment on the impact of the disaster has found that urgent external assistance of some...

Dhaka – FAO is committed to support southern agricultural development and broad interventions in the south for long and medium term agricultural and livelihood development for cyclone Sidr victims with support from the World Bank, FAO Representative Ad Spijkers said today while signing an agreement with the government for Sidr rehabilitation. The signing ceremony was attended by Minister for Planning Air Vice Marshal (Rtd.) A. K. Khandker, Planning Secretary Habib...

Apia - A Pacific Food Summit will be convened from 21 to 23 April in Port Vila, Vanuatu. The summit is expected to provide an opportunity for high level officials from agriculture, health, trade and other government ministries representing Pacific island countries to discuss and finalise the content of a Pacific Declaration on Food Security and a related Framework for Action. Other stakeholders - such as industries that supply and...

Viet Nam increases share in export marketBangkok - Rice production over the 2009 season is now estimated at 678 million tonnes, 2 percent below 2008’s crop, but still the second highest production on record. Over the year, Viet Nam stood out as a major source of trade supplies with its export share estimated to have risen from 16 to 20 percent, FAO said today.The present outlook for rice harvests reflects...