"Japan is interested in improving food security and setting up an emergency rice reserve center. This will be important when countries are affected by harvest failure," Noriyuki said at the Media Center of the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC) here on Friday.
He said Japan would team up with China and South Korea to establish the center. "Each of the center`s members will contribute rice to build a rice reserves and we have already negotiated with them," he said.
The presence of the center would be useful to help countries affected by harvest failure such as Thailand, he said.
Floods have been inundating large areas of Thailand since July 2011, causing almost 72 percent of the country`s farm land to face harvest failure.
The Thai floods, the worst in more than 50 years, had dealt a blow not only to the agricultural sector but also to the manufacturing industry with negative effects on other ASEAN member states.
At an ASEAN finance ministers meeting held in Jakarta on Nov 8, all ASEAN member states admitted they were feeling the impact of the Thai floods, including declines in food imports from Thailand.
At least 562 people perished in the first three months of the Thai floods, according to the Thai ministry of disaster mitigation.
(Uu.S012/HAJM/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
