ASEAN PLUS THREE STRENGTHENS RICE RESERVES FOR POTENTIAL CLIMATE CRISIS

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, June 8 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN multilateral emergency rice reserve agency is gearing up to address potential climate change-triggered disasters that could threaten Southeast Asia’s food security this year.

The ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) — a multilateral cooperation comprising the 10-member grouping, China, Japan and South Korea — is on alert after a barrage of powerful typhoons hit the region last year.  

Rice-dependent nations from the Philippines to Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have been suffering from the vagaries of extreme weather hazards that harm food production.  

The Bangkok-based APTERR’s General Manager Choomjet Karnjanakesorn said the erratic weather patterns coupled with geo-political challenges could have a profound impact on rice production and distribution in the region.

“The unpredictable climate change is impacting food security. The Philippines suffered badly last year with strong typhoons and rice production in Laos is insufficient because of its mountainous geographical terrain.

“The war in Ukraine has caused the price of gas and fertilisers to rise and logistics costs to go up, all of these impacting rice production,” Choomjet told Bernama in Phnom Penh on Tuesday. 

According to Relief Web, six tropical cyclones hit the Philippines in 30 days last year, affecting over 15 million people across 17 regions.

On average 20 typhoons disrupt the archipelago every year.

Since its establishment in 2011, the ASEAN-linked agency has assisted nearly five million people by distributing about 42 million metric tonnes of rice to Southeast Asian communities affected by disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic, according to APTERR.

APTERR members established stocks of Earmarked Emergency Rice Reserves contributed by each country to face food adversities.

Choomjet said the current earmarked stocks total 787,000 tonnes, comprising 87,000 tonnes from the ASEAN member countries and 700,000 tonnes from the Plus Three countries. This includes China's pledge of 300,000 metric tonnes, Japan's offer of 250,000 metric tonnes, and South Korea's contribution of 150,000 metric tonnes. 

Currently, 7,522 metric tonnes of rice are pre-positioned in Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines to support disaster response efforts.

The emergency distribution programme is structured into three tiers. Tier 1 focuses on forward trading, where rice is delivered from the supplying country to the recipient during an emergency. Payment is based on the prevailing international market price at the time of delivery.

Under Tier 2, delivery occurs through an on-the-spot agreement between the supplying and recipient countries, with payment made in cash or through a long-term loan or grant based on mutual agreement of the involved countries.

In Tier 3, the rice stockpile is released immediately during emergencies like Typhoon Yagi which made landfall in September last year. 

For the Tier 3 programme, Japan donated 600 metric tonnes of milled rice, and 20 metric tonnes of pre-cooked rice while South Korea offered 2,500 metric tonnes of milled rice, and an additional 10,000 metric tonnes of milled rice in 2024.

Meanwhile, China has donated RM18 million (US$4 million) in cash to purchase local rice, which will be spread over five years (2023-2027). This donation is equivalent to about RM3.6 million (US$800,000) annually or about 1,000 metric tonnes of milled rice each year, said Choomjet.

“We are only implementing Tier 3 now. This is to fill short-term gaps during a crisis. Every year, the governments have to make an advance request for the amount they may need during an emergency and the rice will be allocated to them. 

“In case there is no disaster within the 12 months, the rice will then be distributed for poverty reduction in that particular country,” he said. 

APTERR's mission is to strengthen food security, poverty alleviation and malnourishment eradication among its members without distorting normal trade.

--  BERNAMA