Indonesia hopes Asean to agree on rice reserve plan soon

Antara 19 Jan 11;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia hopes members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would agree at ASEAN meetings this year on an Emergency Rice Reserve procurement plan.

"The discussion last year did not produce any agreement but e hope it will be reached this year," Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said at a press conference on Indonesia`s leadership in ASEAN for 2011 at her office here on Tuesday.

The director general for international trade cooperation of the ministry of trade, Gusmardi Bustami, meanwhile said ASEAN agriculture ministers had already discussed the plan to procure a rice reserve for emergency use by ASEAN member countries at a meeting in Cambodia last year.

He said among the issues on which they had not yet reached agreement at the meeting in Cambodia were the procurement mechanism and rice procurement sources, amount of stocks and the funding for the implementation of the common reserve procurement system.

The system was aimed at stabilizing the rice price in the region and helping other ASEAN countries form a rice reserve.

"In 2011 as the ASEAN chair Indonesia had an obligation to continue what was done at the meeting in Cambodia in 2010. Hopefully it can be accomplished," he said.

Vice Trade Minister Mahendra Siregar said the issue of food and commodity price movements would indeed become one of the focuses in the ASEAN meetings this year.

"Food and commodity price movement will become the main topic of discussion in the international forums in 2011. So it is normal for ASEAN to also be able to make significant achievement in this case," he said. (*)