At the recent GCAP Asia face to face meeting in Bangkok, GCAP Asia members expressed concern for the growing food crisis and called for protecting the poor who are now at a greater risk of hunger.                      

Bangkok, April 21, 2008 -- An urgent structural shift in the global economic food system is needed to stem the effects of the growing food crisis, according to the members of GCAP coalitions in Asia who met in Bangkok recently.

GCAP Asia members are calling on their governments and international financial institutions like the IMF, World Bank and Asian Development Bank to immediately:

·        Monitor prices in a transparent and accountable way

·        Increase food distribution to vulnerable communities, particularly to pregnant women, small children and sick people.

·        Increase public investment in food production and agriculture, ensuring land rights, credit and technical support for small-hold women farmers.

·        Re-think the global fuel supply and need for energy sustainability, whilst in the meantime ensuring food for people has priority over food for cars.

·        Overhaul the current system of unequal global trade, ensuring that developing countries can invest in their own agriculture and small enterprises, protecting them from dumping.

·        End trade-distorting subsidies for export products from Western countries.

"In the developed world, rich people spend a tiny fraction of their income on food compared to those in developing countries. In South Asia, many people are already spending 60-70% of their monthly income on food – and that was before the price hikes. How can they survive now?" said Amitabh Behar, Executive Director of the India-based National Centre for Advocacy Studies (NCAS) and Co-Convener of GCAP Asia Facilitating Group.

GCAP continues to call for an overhaul of current international trade and economic mechanisms, with an emphasis on gender justice, strengthened cooperatives and local associations and sustainable agro-industrial development. Action to reduce the impact of climate change on developing-country food production is also a necessity.

“Our collective right to food is being undermined and this is rapidly forcing people into destitution. Too little is being done too slowly to stop a potentially disastrous situation undermining years of progress across Asia, preventing countries from attaining the Millennium Development Goals and destabilizing the political environment as well.” said Nur Amalia, coordinator of GCAP Indonesia.

Last week, civil society representatives met officials in Kyoto ahead of July’s Japanese G8 Summit to ensure these issues that underpin the food crisis are on their agenda, alongside climate change, aid and health, and that the voices of millions of Asians are carried to the G8 decision makers.

“The magnitude of the food crisis is being echoed by GCAP in Africa and Latin America so we call on the G8 to fulfill their aid commitments once and for all and to take a longer term structural approach to guarantee food for all.” said Irfan Mufti, GCAP Campaign Manager.

GCAP, which has coalitions in over 100 rich and poor countries, simultaneously campaigns for domestic accountability across the developing world. The GCAP Asia members who attended the Bangkok meeting came from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.#

For further information or to book an interview contact:

Ciara O’Sullivan, Media Coordinator, GCAP, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it    Cell: + 34 679 594 809

RICE FACTS

·        Basic facts

The price of rice has been increasing in the last six years (2001 – present)

Rice is the staple food in Asia and thus its availability and affordability is a major concern for many countries.

The surge in rice prices may not abate in the near future.       

Emerging economies like China and India that are experiencing rapid economic growth also have increasing demand for meat and dairy.  This therefore increases demand for feed-grains, threatening increased rice production in some countries. 

 ·        Rice Availability

Global rice production does not meet rising global consumption

Declining rice stocks- current stocks are at the lowest since 1988.

Reduced stocks amidst production shortfalls lead to a volatile market, with sharp spikes in prices.

Rice is a thinly traded commodity (6-7% of total global production).

 Oil Price Hikes lead to rising cost of production and distribution.

 Demand for industrial agricultural products, such as feed-grains from increased demand for meat threatens other food production.  Sugar, cassava, along with other agricultural products raised for bio-fuels, threaten subsistence agricultural products.