Speech adressing the 25th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry

摘要

It is a real pleasure for me to be here in Kuala Lumpur for the 25th Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry. On behalf of the Director-General of FAO, Mr Jacques Diouf, I wish to sincerely thank the Chairperson of the Senior Officials Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry and the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry for inviting me to discuss the International Year of Rice 2004 today. The year 2004 was declared the International Year of Rice because rice is the staple food for more than half of the world's population. Rice is grown on all the continents of the world, with the exception of Antarctica. In Asia alone, more than 2 billion people obtain 60 to 70 percent of their food energy from rice and its derived products. Rice has a large influence on human nutrition and the fight against hunger all over the world.