Arroyo, Thai PM tackle food crisisThe problem of rising food costs will be on top of the agenda when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo meets with visiting Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej in Malacañang Thursday.
The Thai premier, who came into power only last January, arrives Thursday for a two-day visit as part of his traditional visit to all member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Samak will be given arrival honors in Malacañang at 4:55 p.m. Thursday. He will meet with President Arroyo at 5:20 p.m.
The President will host a state dinner for Samak, who in his three decades in politics had been deputy prime minister three times, minister of transportation twice, interior minister and deputy agriculture minister, according to Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye.
Celebrity chef“The Prime Minister is also a known celebrity chef in Thailand, having hosted a popular cooking show in Thailand called ‘Tasting, Grumbling,’†said Bunye.
Bunye said President Arroyo and the Thai premier were expected to take up the current worldwide problem of rising food costs, particularly rice.
The two leaders are expected to discuss cooperation on food security; improving the supply and distribution of rice; improving rice productivity through research and development, using the latest technique in crop establishment as well as rice breeding, he said.
Bunye said the two leaders would also talk about the humanitarian assistance to Burma, which was severely hit by a powerful cyclone last week that killed thousands of Burmese.
They will also discuss cooperation in tourism and trade and investment as well as issues about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Biggest exporterThailand is the world’s biggest rice exporter, and is one of the main suppliers of rice to the Philippines along with Vietnam.
On Wednesday, the government confirmed that it had requested a consignment of rice from Thailand.
“We have asked them to supply us with a certain volume of rice,†Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap told reporters, adding that an answer was awaited. He said the request was made some months ago.
The Philippines, the world’s largest rice importer this year, has already contracted 1.7 million tons of rice from abroad at a cost of about $1 billion. It is likely to import around 2.1 million tons more this year.
The government paid an average of about $1,136 per ton of rice at its last successful tender in April, up 60 percent from the previous month.
Bad policiesBut a leading a economist said Wednesday the rice crisis affecting the Philippines is not caused by a shortage of rice but due to bad policies that have hurt the agriculture sector.
“The so-called rice crisis is really an income crisis,†said Rolando Dy, executive director of the food division of the University of Asia and the Pacific.
He blamed “under-investment in agriculture and infrastructure, a poor record in eliminating poverty (and) poor infrastructure quality,†for the crisis which has forced thousands of poor Filipinos to line up for hours for subsidized rice.( With Reuters and Agence France-Presse reports)
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