Rice Action Plan for SEA Nations

Ministers of agriculture of the ten-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) unanimously endorsed a seven-point action plan presented by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Dr. Robert S. Zeigler, IRRI’s director general, presented a comprehensive food security strategy for the region during the 30th annual meeting of the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Zeigler said that “We have the scientific expertise, knowledge, and partnerships to grow the rice Asia needs and now—with this endorsement by these nations—we have strong political support. The only thing missing are the financial resources needed to implement this.” The Action Plan includes the following measures:

• Bring about an agronomic revolution to reduce existing yield gaps.
• Accelerate the delivery of new postharvest technologies to reduce losses.
• Accelerate the introduction and adoption of higher-yielding rice varieties.
• Strengthen and upgrade breeding pipelines for developing new varieties and hybrids.
• Accelerate research on the world’s thousands of rice varieties so scientists can use the vast reservoir of untapped genetic resources they contain.
• Develop a new generation of rice scientists and researchers for the public and private sectors.
• Provide rice policy support.