Dear Readers,
We are pleased to share the third issue of our monthly publication, the Asia Pacific Food Price and Policy Monitor, which aims to provide up-to-date information on price and policy developments in the Asia-Pacific region.
Highlights of the October 2013 issue are:
· Strong food and general price rises in Indonesia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka contributed to food inflation of 7.3 percent and general inflation of 5.9 percent in the Asia-Pacific region.
· Falling rice prices in Thailand and Vietnam, two of the world’s three largest rice producers, drove a 1.7 percent decline in the regional rice price index compared to the same month during the previous year, offsetting increases in East Asia (4.9 percent) and South Asia (9.6 percent).
· The regional wheat price index rose 2.9 percent compared to the same month last year, reflecting higher prices in East Asia (1.2 percent) and South Asia (9 percent).
· China's rice imports are likely to reach 3.4 million tonnes in 2013, making the country the world’s largest rice importer.
· Thailand started its 2013/14 rice pledging programme on 1 October, ensuring farmers high prices for their main crop (October-February), with new measures to manage the scheme more efficiently and prevent corruption.
For further details please refer to the attachment.
The Asia Pacific Food Price and Policy Monitor and other previous publications on food price information can be found at: http://www.fao.org/asiapacific/rap/home/apfppm/en/.
For readers who may have questions on the publication, please contact us at [log in to unmask].
Best regards,
Economic, Social and Policy Assistance Group (ESP)
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Bangkok
Thailand
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