Dear readers,
In the March 2013 issue of the Asia Pacific Food Situation Update (APFSU), government officials in Thailand admit their rice support programme will incur huge losses. Analysts are divided over an organic growing method that produced a record rice crop in a district in India. Indonesia’s government has been advised to end import quotas.
The Global Food Price Index was unchanged in February, and overall average prices are 2.5 percent lower than one year ago. In Viet Nam rice prices showed mixed trends, rising in Hanoi but falling in the Mekong Delta. Cambodia’s rice prices were rising as the country stepped up exports to its Asian neighbors.
Economic, Social and Policy Assistance Group (ESP)
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Bangkok
Thailand