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 of food and agriculture around 10:30 hours that same day, followed by a press conference at 11:30 hours.

The FAO conference is taking place at a time when the world is undergoing a financial and economic crisis, preceded by a food crisis last year.

In Asia and the Pacific, the crisis of 2007 plunged an additional 41 million people into chronic hunger.

"Facing multiple global crises, we should not forget that hunger and poverty remain major global concerns as they threaten social stability in several parts of the world, including in this region" says He Changchui, FAO’s Assistant Director-General.

Courageous steps are urgently required on the part of concerned governments and international organizations to help unlock untapped agricultural production potential, and rapidly boost production and investment in infrastructure in the most affected countries in order to improve food availability and access to alleviate the combined effects of high food prices and economic crisis on poor and vulnerable groups.

"Climate change and bioenergy have helped move farming to the political and economic centre stage, as agriculture, fisheries, forestry and livestock have a significant role to play as a solution provider to a new green economy," added Mr He.

It is in the agricultural sector that problems must be addressed – such as non-sustainable production, poor use and management of natural resources, and deforestation, habitat exploitation and loss of bio-diversity as well as inadequate institutional support, an FAO statement said.

The senior officers' segment of this FAO conference will open on Thursday 26 March with a statement by the Thai minister of agriculture.

Main technical agenda items are coping with water scarcity, agribusiness and competitive agro-industries in the context of globalization and free trade, food safety and trade, and transboundary animal diseases in the region.

The conference is held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok from Thursday 26 to Tuesday 31 March 2009.

Media are invited to attend the meeting. For more information on media attendance, please see http://www.fao.org/world/regional/rap/news_detail.asp?event_id=38927

or contact Diderik de Vleeschauwer, FAO information officer, email [email protected] or phone +66 (0)81 899 7354.