RoK and ASEAN flags (Photo: aseanvietnam.vn) Seoul (VNA) – The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) has announced that the country is taking the lead in food security cooperation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
MAFRA revealed that the country plans to supply 2,000 tonnes of rice for three ASEAN member states, including Philippines (750 tonnes), Myanmar (750 tonnes) and Laos (500 tonnes) through the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) agreement.
The joint rice reserve among ASEAN member states and the RoK, China and Japan aims to ensure food security and provide emergency support in a time of food shortage or natural disaster events. Each member country agrees to reserve an amount of rice in advance. It is a public reserve system that provides sales, lending, and donation in times of emergency.
The RoK is doubling the amount of rice aid to strengthen food security in the ASEAN region and providing 2,500 tonnes of rice to Myanmar, which was seriously affected by the typhoon in May.
After joining the APTERR in 2017, the country has provided a total of 19,000 tonnes of rice to APTERR members, becoming the biggest donor, accounting for 60% of the total rice reserve (32,000 tonnes)./.
