Philippine president calls for Southeast Asian cooperation to ensure rice supply
Oliver Teves
May 21, 2008 - 12:09 a.m.
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called Wednesday for cooperation among Southeast Asian countries to ensure adequate rice supplies and stable prices.
Addressing a meeting of farmers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in southern Cagayan de Oro city, Arroyo urged the regional bloc to work on improving productivity through research and development of new high-yielding varieties.
The Philippines is the world's top rice importer while Thailand and Vietnam are among the biggest exporters. All are members of ASEAN, along with some of the world's other top rice-consuming nations — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore.
