China |
THE FIRST-EVER CONGRESS FOR THE FOOD THAT FEEDS ALMOST HALF THE WORLD |
31-May-2002 IRRI Press Release |
Beijing,
China - An unprecedented gathering of international leaders in science,
business and government will take place in China in September. The meeting
will focus on sustainable ways to keep some of the world's most populous
countries well fed and stable. The
International Rice Congress will be held in Beijing at the China
International Hi-Tech Convention and Exhibition Center on September 16-20.
At the top of the agenda for the first-ever meeting of the
international rice industry will be the effort to help farmers both
improve their incomes and protect the environment through sustainable use
of natural resources, while continuing to ensure reliable supplies of the
food that feeds almost half the planet every day. "Equally
important as the food security issue at the congress will be renewed
efforts to improve the livelihoods of the world's hundreds of millions of
poor rice farmers," said Song Jian, vice chairman of the Chinese
People's Political Consultative Council (CPPCC) and honorary chairman of
the International Rice Congress Organizing Committee. "For too long,
many rice farmers have been trapped in poverty and deprived of
technologies that most farmers who grow other crops take for
granted." The
congress is co-organized by the Philippines-based International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI), the State Development Planning Commission (SDPC)
of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese Academy of Engineering
(CAE), and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). Under the
theme "Innovation, Impact and Livelihoods," it aims to bring
together for the first time all aspects of rice production - one of the
world's oldest and most fundamental economic activities - with a focus on
four main areas. * Research.
The congress will feature the 24th International Rice Research Conference
(IRRC) on September 16-19. Organized every two years by IRRI, the IRRC is
the world's premier rice research event. More information is available at
the following website: <http://www.irri.org/>. * Trade
and economics. The congress will include the World Rice Commerce
Conference, an annual event focusing on authoritative commercial
information and analysis regarding the rice trade, on September 17-18. Organized
by the Singapore-based company IBC Asia Limited, this conference will
bring together most of the world's leading rice traders, as well as
government policy makers and economists. More information is available at
the following website: <http://www.ibc-asia.com/WorldRice/WorldRiceIntro.htm>. * Technology
and impact. Another event tied to the congress will be the International
Rice Technology and Cultural Exhibition (IRTCE), on September 16-18. The
exhibition, organized by the China Agricultural Machinery Distribution
Association (CAMDA), will include the latest technologies from the
developing world's national agricultural research systems and
nongovernmental organizations, as well as from international agricultural
research institutes such as IRRI and institutes and companies based in the
developed world. More information is available at the following website:
<http://www.camtf.com.cn>. * Culture.
Through activities organized by the Philippines-based Asia Rice Foundation
(ARF), the congress will focus on rice as the commonality that defines
Asia and highlight the central role it plays in many different cultures. A
rice culture exhibit organized by the ARF will be held as part of the
IRTCE. More information is available at the following website: <http://www.asiarice.org>. "The
congress is being held at an especially important time for the
international rice industry," explained Dr. Song, who is also a
member of IRRI's Board of Trustees and the president of the CAE. "Not
only have we had the recent breakthrough in decoding the rice genome, but
we also have other significant developments in rice research, such as the
work on Golden Rice - or rice biofortified with provitamin A - and the
increasing role of the private sector." Other
crucial developments that will be discussed at the congress include the
impact of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the international rice
trade, especially in the context of China's recent admission to the WTO.
Today, only six percent of world rice production is traded
internationally, but with continuing trade liberalization this figure is
expected to grow and may affect the ability of some countries to achieve
or maintain self-sufficiency in rice. The
cultural role of rice is another interesting question to be raised at the
congress. As many of the world's oldest rice cultures - such as Japan,
China, India, Thailand and Indonesia - continue to develop, what on-going
role will rice play in their societies? The question becomes ever more
multifaceted when asked in the context of rice as the key element that the
nations of Asia share in their cultural and historical legacies. Fascinating
as these questions are, by far the most vital issues confronting the
congress focus on food security, poverty and the sustainable use of
natural resources. "The world's rice farmers face enormous
challenges," said Ronald P. Cantrell, the director general of IRRI.
"We must be ready to help them overcome these challenges, or some of
the biggest nations on the planet could face instability and
upheaval." Among
the many issues facing farmers today are the crucial questions that
address how they will grow the additional rice the world will need in the
future while using less land, water, labor and chemical support.
"Clearly, rice farmers in many countries face a worsening crisis over
limited water supplies," Dr. Cantrell said. "They are also
losing some of their most productive land to other uses and the farm labor
they need to other industries. "Considering
that rice production must be one of the most important economic activities
undertaken by any society anywhere, it's extraordinary that so little
international attention and resources are dedicated to ensuring that we
can maintain the production levels needed to feed the billions of people
who rely on rice each day," Dr. Cantrell said. What's
so special about rice production? Put simply, no other single economic
activity feeds as many people, supports as many families, is as crucial to
the development of as many nations, or impinges on as much of our
environment. Rice production feeds almost half the planet each day
(approximately 2.6 billion people) and provides the core income of
hundreds of millions of poor rural households. Where farmers receive fair
prices and consumers are assured adequate supplies at affordable prices,
rice production provides the political stability and economic foundation
necessary for development. Globally, rice covers 11 percent of the world's
arable area. #
# # For more information on the International Rice Congress and
the organizations taking part, visit the following websites: # # # For additional information, please contact: The
International Rice Congress The
International Rice Research Conference The
World Rice Commerce Conference The
International Rice Technology and Cultural Exhibition Rice
Culture Exhibit and Activities |
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