ASEAN common rice stock urged

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or PCCI, proposed that members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN should establish rules for a regional rice buffer to prevent food insecurity amid the effects of climate change.

"This will help the ASEAN members strengthen relationships as we face climate change which is reducing rice production of its most vulnerable members. This amplifies the spirit of unity and cooperation in the ASEAN," PCCI President George Barcelon told the Daily Tribune in a phone interview on Wednesday.

His statements came after the opening of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday.

The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said the rice yield per hectare for the past 30 years was decreasing in six out of 10 ASEAN states: Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, Indonesia and the region's top rice exporters Thailand and Vietnam.

Declining yield

Thailand saw a lower rice yield from 12 metric tons per hectare to 10 metric tons, while Vietnam posted a rice yield from nearly 8 metric tons per hectare to 7 metric tons. The Philippines and Cambodia recorded less than 4 metric tons per hectare each year.

"While we have regional trade agreements, these cannot fully prepare the ASEAN against the food impact of heavy rains and extreme drought caused by climate change. We've seen this happening already," Barcelon said.

The United Nations forecasted rice consumption in Southeast Asia can expand by 30 percent over the next two decades.

Without effective climate change mitigation measures, the World Bank said the Philippines can see 35 percent more agricultural and infrastructure damage from stronger typhoons, while 20 percent more from drought.