Global rice production outlook still hazy, says FAO

摘要

Hazy products for the 1996 paddy harvest and depleted reserves stoke today's stubbornly high rise prices in a still-volatile market. "The next harvest is crucial and preliminary data indicate there could be an expansion of rice and other cereal production in 1996," says Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Representative A.Z.M. Obaidullah Khan. "But for the moment, the market remains volatile, despite modest improvements in some Asian importing countries, among them China," the United Nations official told reporters. "Prospects for the 1996 crops are impacting on levels."