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UN DAILY NEWS from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
12 May, 2008 =========================================================================
RESPONSE TO CYCLONE IN MYANMAR ‘UNACCEPTABLY SLOW’ – BAN KI-MOON
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today registered his “immense frustration” with the pace of relief efforts following the cyclone in Myanmar last week, and called on the Government to do everything it could to prevent the disaster from becoming even more serious.
“I want to register my deep concern – and immense frustration – at the unacceptably slow response to this grave humanitarian crisis,” Mr. Ban said today, speaking at a press conference in New York. “Unless more aid gets into the country – very quickly – we face an outbreak of infectious diseases that could dwarf today’s crisis,” he added. “I therefore call, in the most strenuous terms, on the Government of Myanmar to put its people’s lives first. It must do all that it can to prevent the disaster from becoming even more serious.”
International relief agencies estimate that around 1.5 million people are at severe risk following Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar on 2 May, while the official death toll reported by the Government has reached almost 32,000, with over 34,000 others missing.
Last week the UN called on the Government to allow aid workers to enter the country more speedily and said that some international relief supplies were being held up at Myanmar’s main airport. Today, Mr. Ban said there were “encouraging signs” that the Government had “made some initial moves to ease access restrictions.” He said many aid airlifts had arrived over the weekend and today, but added that, “much more is needed.”
While the UN and international aid agencies were “well positioned” to help tackle the emergency, Mr. Ban said that staff on the ground “were grievously overstretched and the Government continues to deny visas to most foreign aid workers.”
The Secretary-General said that the UN has been able to reach less than a third of the people at risk – about 270,000 people. He said that the UN World Food Programme (WFP) estimated that the amount of food allowed into the country so far was less than one-tenth of what is needed, while rice stocks within Myanmar were close to exhaustion.
Mr. Ban said he had tried repeatedly over the weekend and last week to telephone Myanmar’s senior General Than Shwe, but had not been able to reach him, so he had delivered a second letter to him through diplomatic channels. The Secretary-General called on the Government to set up major logistics operations to deliver supplies to the most affected areas. He said that “this required the specialized expertise of the major international relief agencies. Myanmar cannot do it alone.”
On Friday, the UN launched a flash appeal asking for $187 to provide urgently needed relief though key UN and other aid agencies. Mr. Ban added that the UN was planning to set up a logistics base in the area, probably in Thailand, to make sure that aid would be “channelled into Myanmar in a systematic and orderly way.”
The UN has identified food, water purification supplies, sanitation facilities, shelter, fuel and essential medical supplies as crucial needs for Myanmar following the disaster. With heavy rain forecast for the near future, aid officials are concerned that exposed populations will face a worsening situation in the days to come.
Speaking about his appeal for a speedier response, Mr. Ban said, “I emphasize that this is not about politics. It is about saving people’s lives. There is absolutely no time to lose.”
Speaking at the same press conference, the UN’s top relief official said that reports from Myanmar indicate that people in the flooded Irrawaddy delta region, which was struck hardest by Cyclone Nargis, had now concentrated in towns and villages on higher ground.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said this would make it easier for agencies to deliver aid to large numbers of people, but that it also increased the risk of infectious disease.
Mr. Holmes said that an increasing number of flights delivering aid were now entering the country, and other relief had begun arriving by sea and land. He said that 34 new visas were now being granted for UN international relief workers, but he added that, while this was welcome, it was “clearly nothing like enough for the scale of the problem we’re trying to deal with.”
At another briefing with journalists held today in Bangkok, Thailand, Richard Horsey, spokesperson for the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, (OCHA) said it was “a major logistical challenge to get goods out to the delta” and that there was an “important bottleneck” at Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, which was making it difficult to move relief supplies out into the field.
Despite the difficulties, UN agencies report that they have been active on the ground. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says it has begun setting up “child-friendly spaces” in camps where people are sheltering, to ensure that children receive care and protection. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is using boats and vehicles to provide immediate assistance to people in 19 locations in the affected area. The World Food Programme (WFP) has reached 27,000 people in the Irrawaddy delta with crucial food supplies and the World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed experts to support Government relief efforts and to supply emergency health kits.
Meanwhile 20 tons of shelter supplies – plastic sheets and tents – have arrived in Yangon on two trucks sent from the Thai-Myanmar border by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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UN OFFICIALS EXPRESS SORROW AND PLEDGE HELP AFTER DEADLY EARTHQUAKE HITS CHINA
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim have voiced their sorrow and sympathy for the victims of the earthquake that struck south-western China today, killing thousands of people, and pledged the support of the United Nations in any humanitarian efforts following the disaster.
“We do not yet know the extent of the tragedy,” Mr. Ban told journalists at a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York. “But you have seen the reports of the hundreds of students trapped at a local university, and potentially many others are dead. My thoughts are very much with them and their families.”
In a separate statement issued by his spokesperson, the Secretary-General said he was deeply saddened by the loss of life and destruction of property, and extended his condolences to the families of the victims.
“The United Nations stands ready to support the Government of China in its efforts to respond to the humanitarian needs caused by the disaster,” the statement added.
Media reports said the earthquake, measuring about 7.8 on the Richter scale, was centred in Sichuan Province and struck early in the afternoon local time. Local authorities have reported that thousands of people are dead and the toll is expected to keep rising.
In a separate statement released by his spokesperson, Mr. Kerim extended his support to Chinese authorities as they attempt to mitigate the after-effects of the earthquake.
He “welcomes the readiness of the international community – including and especially on the part of the United Nations system – to assist the country and the people of China to overcome the immediate humanitarian as well as longer-term infrastructural effects of the devastation of this natural catastrophe.”
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SECRETARY-GENERAL CONVENES INAUGURAL MEETING OF FOOD CRISIS TASK FORCE
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today convened the inaugural meeting of a high-level task force of senior United Nations officials aimed at addressing the food crisis, noting that there was an urgent need to help the millions of people already suffering.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said that he recognizes that skyrocketing prices of basic food commodities “is essentially linked to the global demand for food exceeding supply,” but cautioned that “the drivers of the crisis are complex and the consequences are varied.”
The task force – which brings together the heads of many of members of the UN family, as well as leaders of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund – seeks to “promote a unified response to the global food price challenge in support of governments and affected populations.”
Today’s gathering centred on creating a comprehensive plan to tackle the soaring food prices. This strategy will encompass both short and longer-term measures – including food aid and social protection – to alleviate the impact of the crisis on the hardest hit.
The elements of the task force’s plan will be presented at next month’s high-level meeting in Rome hosted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on global food security.
Last week, the Secretary-General appealed to world leaders to join him at that meeting. “Please come with fresh ideas. It is time for real commitment and real action,” he said.
Task force members today urged countries to not to take actions that would aggravate the current surge in food prices, and stressed that nations need to allow in food supplies, from such organizations as the UN World Food Programme (WFP), for humanitarian purposes without obstructions.
Over the coming weeks, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, the task force’s coordinator, and Assistant Secretary-General David Nabarro will consult with Member States as required, while the task force itself will meet as needed.
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UN MARKS ENTRY INTO FORCE OF GLOBAL PACT ON DISABILITY RIGHTS
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today hailed the entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as “a new dawn in the fight for the well-being of people with disabilities,” at a special commemorative event held in the hall of the United Nations General Assembly.
In his address, Mr. Ban called for “concrete steps to transform the vision of the Convention into real victories on the ground. We must address the glaring inequalities experienced by persons with disabilities. We must counter discrimination and prejudice. We must deliver development that is truly for all.”
In a message to the same gathering, Assembly President Srgjan Kerim said the international community had ignored the rights of disabled people for far too long.
“The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a key measure of our civilization. The rights and opportunities that people with disabilities are able to enjoy reflect directly on our common humanity,” Mr. Kerim said in his message, which was delivered in his absence by acting Assembly President Hjalmar W. Hannesson, the Permanent Representative for Iceland.
Today’s commemorative event was organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). It brought together many of the individuals from governments, the disability community and the UN System who worked to negotiate the treaty, and paid tribute to the resolute and dedicated global efforts to ensure that the rights of the world’s estimated 650 million persons with disabilities are guaranteed and protected.
The commemoration was one of several events and briefings held at UN Headquarters in New York today, to mark the Convention’s entry into force on 3 May. The CRPD does not create new rights for the estimated 650 million people around the world with disabilities, but aims to ensure that the benefits of existing rights are fully extended and guaranteed. By ratifying the Convention, States commit themselves to enact laws and other measures to improve disability rights, and to abolish legislation, customs and practices that discriminate against persons with disabilities.
The UN Children’s Fund and the non-profit organization, the Victor Pineda Foundation, launched a child-friendly text to explain the Convention to young people, UNICEF said in a statement.
“The document aims to educate, empower and motivate all children, but particularly those with disabilities, to claim their rights and to actively participate in challenging discrimination, as well as promoting the Convention,” the statement noted.
UNICEF’s Director of Programmes, Nicholas Alipui, said: “The inclusion of children with disabilities is not a charitable act but a matter of rights. Empowering and enabling children makes them less vulnerable to violence, abuse and exploitation.”
The UN Human Settlements Programme, known as UN-HABITAT, also welcomed today’s milestone.
“I am proud to state that we are already moving to the implementation stage of the Convention by giving special attention to Persons with Disabilities in all our projects, particularly in slums and deprived urban neighbourhoods,” Under-Secretary-General and UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka said in a statement.
Ms. Tibaijuka added that UN-HABITAT “constantly finds itself reminding policymakers at every level of the need for proper access to public transport, for alternative access to buildings, for special seating in public places, and proper care benefits.”
Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development Jomo Kwame Sundaram told a press briefing in New York that the pact’s entry into force was a “historic moment” for the UN, the international community and people with disabilities worldwide.
Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kyung-wha Kang told the same briefing that the Convention was the first which clearly recognized and aimed to protect all the rights of persons with disabilities, many of whom remained “totally invisible in many societies,” due to negative attitudes and physical obstacles.
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT HOLDS TALKS WITH EGYPTIAN LEADERS
The global food crisis, Security Council reform and the most recent developments in the Middle East have topped the agenda during talks in Cairo between General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Mr. Kerim and Mr. Mubarak held talks yesterday, the first day of the Assembly President’s two-day visit to Egypt, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson. Today Mr. Kerim met with Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and also delivered a lecture last night to the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs.
During their talks Mr. Mubarak informed Mr. Kerim he plans to attend the upcoming Rome summit on the food crisis that is being organized by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). The prices of many everyday items, such as wheat, rice and corn, have soared in recent months, placing them out of reach of many consumers in developing countries.
Mr. Kerim stressed the need for the task force recently formed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to work speedily to both assess the situation and propose solutions to the crisis.
Aside from the food crisis, UN reform and the Middle East situation, Mr. Kerim and the Egyptian leaders also discussed the progress so far towards achieving the internationally agreed anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Assembly President now travels to Israel for scheduled talks with that country’s President Shimon Peres and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and to attend the conference “Facing Tomorrow,” which is being held in Jerusalem. He is also expected to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas tomorrow afternoon in Ramallah.
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LEBANESE PARTIES MUST RESUME DIALOGUE, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS
Deploring the violence that has engulfed Lebanon over the past week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on all parties in the fractured country to resume dialogue as part of a process that should culminate in the election of a president and a solution to the prolonged political crisis.
Mr. Ban “strongly condemns those responsible for the violence… and urges calm and restraint and an immediate stop” to the fighting, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.
The capital, Beirut, and other areas have been rocked by deadly clashes between pro- and anti-government militias in recent days in what UN Special Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen has described as Lebanon’s worst crisis since the end in 1990 of the long-running civil war.
On Friday both the Security Council and Mr. Ban’s spokesperson issued statements to the press in which they stressed the need to uphold Lebanon’s sovereignty and put an end to the violence.
In today’s statement Mr. Ban voiced “his solidarity with the people and Government of Lebanon, and other legitimate Lebanese institutions, including the Lebanese Armed Forces. The Secretary-General firmly supports the initiative of the League of Arab States aimed at finding a solution.”
He emphasized that Lebanon needs a political process that will lead to the election of a president. The country’s parliament has not been able to agree on a candidate for months, despite the office having been vacant since last November and repeated scheduled plans to conduct a vote.
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SECURITY COUNCIL HEARS CALL FOR MORE COHERENT APPROACH TO SECURITY SECTOR REFORM
United Nations support for security sector reform in countries attempting to rebuild after suffering through conflicts must become more coherent and streamlined if it is to be successful, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council today.
Addressing a debate on the issue, Mr. Ban said that while the Organization “has rich and varied experience” in helping countries – from El Salvador and Colombia in the past to Liberia and Sierra Leone today – reform their armed forces, police and other segments of the security sector, too often the UN has “remained an ad hoc partner” to other national or international bodies in this process.
“What has been lacking is a common framework and a coherent system-wide approach,” he said. “Despite our hands-on record, we have only limited institutional structures to guide engagement on the ground.
“We need to strengthen our ability to provide consistent, well-coordinate and high-quality technical advice, during peace processes and in peacekeeping, peacebuilding and development. We need to make our approach less piecemeal and more holistic.”
Mr. Ban called for the UN to work in collaboration with key international partners and ensure its approach in any individual country is flexible and tailored to that nation’s needs.
“States and societies define and pursue security according to their particular context, history, culture and needs. There can be no rigid one-size-fits-all” approach, he said.
The Secretary-General stressed that Member States remain the primary providers of security and national ownership must be the cornerstone of the UN’s approach on the issue.
He also called on policymakers devising reform of the security sector in countries emerging from conflict to place an emphasis on preventing and reducing sexual and gender-based violence, which he noted “has become the common aftermath of conflict.”
Later, in a presidential statement, Ambassador John Sawers of the United Kingdom – which holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member body this month – said the Council backed the UN’s efforts to “develop an holistic and coherent” approach in consultation with Member States.
Mr. Sawers also stressed that the UN Peacebuilding Commission plays a vital role in the process, as do many regional, sub-regional and other intergovernmental organizations, especially in ensuring ongoing international support to countries struggling to implement the needed reforms.
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THOUSANDS GATHER FOR MEETING ON UN-BACKED TREATY ON BIOSAFETY
More than 3000 participants from 147 countries have assembled in Bonn, the former German capital, for the start of a week-long meeting on how to improve their commitments to ensuring the safe use of modern biotechnology as outlined under a United Nations-backed treaty.
The fourth meeting of the parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, itself a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity, began today in Bonn, according to a news release issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The agency said that one of the priorities of this week’s meeting will be to try to reach agreement on international rules on liability and redress for potential damages caused by the movements of living modified organisms (LMOs), often known as genetically modified organisms.
Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary to the Convention, urged the delegates at the meeting to “seize the moment” and reach agreement.
“You are mandated to fulfil the requirement, set out in Article 27 in 2000, when the Protocol was signed,” he said. “In doing this, you will ensure the effective implementation of the Protocol.”
Participants at the conference in Bonn will also discuss other issues, including finding ways to finance the continued work of the Protocol and assessing the socio-economic impact that LMOs have on biodiversity.
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UN AGENCY SUSPENDS RETURNS OF AFGHAN REFUGEES
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has temporarily suspended the repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan through Peshawar because of concerns over security.
A spokesperson for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Nilab Mobarez, told a news conference in Kabul today that the UNHCR-assisted voluntary return operation had been suspended because of security considerations in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar.
Mr. Mobarez said these concerns had compelled UNHCR to close down the encashment Centre in Jalalabad that assists Afghans returning from Pakistan. He added that UNHCR hoped to reopen the voluntary repatriation centre soon.
There are some two million registered Afghans in Pakistan and approximately one million in Iran. UNHCR says it expects between 150,000 and 200,000 Afghans to return from Pakistan this year – similar to the amount of people who returned in 2005 and 2006.
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AFRICA FASTEST GROWING MARKET IN COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, SAYS UN
Africa has been the fastest growing market worldwide in communication technology over the past three years and will continue to emerge as an important market for the industry, according to the head of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Speaking at the opening of a major trade fair for the African telecommunications industry today in Cairo, Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the ITU, said the African information and communication technologies industry “is an exciting place to be. Market liberalization continues and most countries have established regulatory bodies to ensure a fair, competitive and enabling environment.” The trade fair, called “ITU Telecom Africa,” was inaugurated by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
A report released today by the ITU said that growth in Africa’s mobile telephone sector had “defied all predictions.” Africa had 65 million new subscribers in 2007 alone and mobile phone penetration has risen from just one in 50 people in 2000 to one third of the population today. Mobile phone use is now more evenly distributed across the continent. At the beginning of the century South Africa accounted for over half of all Africa’s subscribers, but by last year almost 85 per cent were in other countries.
But the report also says that growth in Internet access has not kept pace. In 2007 it is estimated there were some 50 million Internet users in Africa, about one person in 20. In sub-Saharan Africa only 3 per cent of the population is online. The average monthly Internet subscription is almost $50, close to 70 per cent of average per capita income.
Around 200 companies from 45 countries are exhibiting products at the trade fair which has attracted some 70 heads of international companies and 50 government ministers. ITU Telecom Africa runs until Wednesday.
The ITU coordinates global use of the radio spectrum, promotes international cooperation on assigning satellite orbits, works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world and establishes worldwide standards to foster seamless interconnection between a wide range of communications systems.
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TALKS BEGIN BETWEEN SOMALI GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION GROUP – UN
Talks between the Somali Government and an opposition group began today, and the top United Nations envoy to the war-torn Horn of Africa nation said that he was pleased that leaders have made the well-being and safety of their people their priority.
“Many, especially the young people, told me that this is a new and important first step towards stability in their own country,” said Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, said after the opening ceremony for the discussion held in neighbouring Djibouti.
The talks are bringing together the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia.
“I call on them to think of the terrible political, security and humanitarian crisis in their country and put all their efforts into resolving it,” Mr. Ould-Abdallah said.
Today’s ceremony heard addresses from the Special Representative, the TFG, the Alliance and Djibouti’s Minister of Muslim Affairs, as well as statements by the African Union (AU), the League of Arab States and the European Union (EU).
In a statement last week, Mr. Ould-Abdallah said that this meeting is “a clear indication that Somalis are willing to respect their commitments when they believe in what they are doing.”
He said that all Somalis, including those in the diaspora, want to work towards peace and security for their country, which has not had a functioning government since 1991.
“The overall objective of this meeting is to prepare the ground for a peaceful and brotherly relationship between Somalis and to initiate the first step towards real stability, true peace and sincere reconciliation based on forgiveness,” the Special Representative said, adding that progress in these areas should pave the way for concrete UN assistance for durable stability in Somalia.
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MARSHALL ISLANDS ACCEDES TO FIVE UN TREATIES ON MARINE POLLUTION AND SAFETY
The Marshall Islands, one of the world’s major shipping nations, has acceded to five important International Maritime Organization (IMO) conventions that aim to discourage environmental pollution and promote safety on the high seas, the United Nations agency announced today.
The Pacific island nation has acceded to the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships 2001 (known as the AFS Convention) and to the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage 2001 (Bunkers Convention).
The AFS Convention requires parties to the pact to ban or restrict the use of harmful anti-fouling systems on ships flying their flag, operating under their authority or entering their ports, shipyards and offshore terminals. The Marshall Islands’ accession means 30 States comprising 49.17 per cent of the world’s fleet in tonnage have now ratified the treaty, which will enter into force on 17 September.
The Bunkers Convention aims to ensure that prompt and adequate compensation is available to people who suffer damage caused by oil spills when carried as fuel in ships’ bunkers. That pact enters into force on 21 November.
The Marshall Islands has also acceded to the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972 (1996 London Convention Protocol).
This protocol, which entered into force in March 2006, bans the export of wastes to non-parties for the purpose of dumping or incineration at sea, except for emergencies. It has now been ratified by 35 States that collectively control 29.73 per cent of the world’s fleet.
In addition, the Marshall Islands is now a party to the Protocol of 2005 to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation 1998 (2005 SUA Convention) and the Protocol of 2005 for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf (2005 SUA Protocol).
Neither the convention nor the protocol is yet in force, but they are aimed at broadening the list of offences at sea to include terrorist offences and at introducing measures for the boarding of ships when there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the ship or someone on board has or is about to be involved in an offence.
IMO, which is based in London, is the UN agency with the responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.
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UN-BACKED SUMMIT TO SPOTLIGHT PRIVATE SECTOR’S ROLE IN TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE
The United Nations will take part in a global meeting next year to assess how a new global climate change policy can also address the needs of the business community, it was announced today.
The World Business Summit on Climate Change, which will take place next May in Copenhagen, Denmark, seeks to ensure that the successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol will provide the right incentives to slash greenhouse gas emissions.
Along with the UN Global Compact – the world body’s voluntary corporate citizen initiative – the gathering will be convened by the Copenhagen Climate Council, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
Organizers expect hundreds of top executives, government officials, leading experts and heads of civil society to attend to assess how the private sector can play a role in addressing global warming through innovative business approaches, new joint ventures and the development of low-carbon technologies.
The World Business Summit is expected to produce recommendations to be forwarded onto world leaders negotiating a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol, expiring in 2012. Those talks are scheduled to wrap up at a key UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2009, also to take place in Copenhagen.
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RICE PRODUCTION TO REACH RECORD HIGH IN 2008, BUT PRICES TO CONTINUE CLIMBING – UN
Rice production in Asia, Africa and Latin America will reach record highs in 2008, but prices could also continue to soar in the short term, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported today.
The agency’s preliminary forecasts show harvests surging by 2.3 per cent and reaching an all-time high of over 600 million tons, but prices will remain high in the immediate future because a large portion of this year’s crop will only be harvested at the end of 2008.
However, FAO warned that the destruction of Myanmar’s food basket by the devastating Cyclone Nargis which struck the South-East Asian nation last week could lead to a worsening of the global rice production outlook.
The cyclone – which flooded rice-growing areas and destroyed several warehouses and stocks – hit Myanmar as paddy farmers were harvesting their dry season crops, which accounts for 20 per cent of annual rice production.
Prices of rice in Rangoon have skyrocketed by 50 per cent, and if the country turns to neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Viet Nam for imports, this could lead to a further upwards pressure on global prices. According to the FAO Rice Price Index, international prices soared by 76 per cent between December 2007 and April 2008.
“Prices are expected to remain extremely firm, at least until the third quarter of 2008, unless restrictions on exports are eased in the coming months,” said FAO rice expert Concepcion Calpe.
In a bid to prevent shortages in their own countries, major rice exporters have recently set export bans, taxes or ceilings.
“These measures further restricted the availability of rice supplies on international markets, triggering yet more price rises and tighter supply conditions,” Ms. Calpe said, noting that Thailand, Pakistan and the untied States are the only leading exporters selling rice overseas without any constraints.
The rising price of fertilizer, pesticides and fuel are also contributing to the soaring prices, and favourable weather conditions are needed for them to fall from their current levels.
Average rice consumption worldwide is predicted to rise by 0.5 per cent to 57.3 kilos per year, and despite the rising prices, consumers have been seen to shift away from more expensive foods, such as meat and meat products.
The skyrocketing of prices has revealed other medium-term limitations, including the low level of investment in agriculture, limited funding for agricultural research and environmental problems.
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