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January, 2008
The true price of rice
by Sushil Pandey, International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) program leader, Rice Policy
and Impact
Rising rice prices will negate
progress in poverty reduction
Of the world’s 1.1 billion poor
people, almost 700 million people with income of less than a
dollar a day reside in
rice-growing countries of Asia. Rice is a staple food in Asia
and accounts for more than 40% of the calorie
consumption of most Asians. Poor people spend a large proportion
of their income for buying rice. The level of rice production
and prices is thus an important factor in determining the
progress that can be made in reducing poverty in Asia. Keeping
the price of rice low and affordable to the poor is crucial to
poverty reduction. Given this, the current sustained upward
trend in rice price is a major cause for concern.
Full paper:
http://www.irri.org/publications/today/pdfs/7-1/36-37.pdf
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