With the global rice production coming under threats of diminishing resources and climate change, “…as the world’s number one rice exporter, Thailand has a strong interest in safeguarding the rice trade and global food security,” declared Prime Minister General Surayudh Chulanond today in the opening ceremony of Thailand Rice Convention 2007.
Addressing more than 300 delegates and honorary guests from rice trading countries around the world, he invited all partners to “work closer together in the future to ensure the availability of quality rice to meet national and global demands.”
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that the world population will grow to approximately 8.3 billion in the next 30 years and a food production increase of 60 percent will be necessary to feed the world.
In view of the growing challenges, the Prime Minister also urged Thai farmers to “not only adopt new technologies and modern farming techniques, but also make use of our traditional knowledge and ensure sustainable production through [His Majesty the King’s] sufficiency economy philosophy.”
In reference to yesterday’s Royal Ploughing Ceremony (May 10, 2007) in which the convention’s delegates and honorary guests also took part, PM Surayudh explained, “The involvement of His Majesty the King and members of the royal family at that ancient ceremony is a clear testimony to the great importance that His Majesty attaches to His farming subjects, particularly rice farmers and to rice cultivation in Thailand.”
“His Majesty’s interest in rice is as great as in anything that happens in the country,” added Dr Sumet Tantivejkul, Chairman of the Thai Rice Foundation under Royal Patronage. “In the palace there is a paddy field where the rice sown in the Royal Ploughing Ceremony is grown. His Majesty conducts experiments to gain new insights before disseminating the information to the farmers.”
In accordance with His Majesty’s New Farming Theory, Dr Sumet advocates self-sufficiency and respect to nature as the key to food security. “Sometimes we forget native species, but His Majesty pays a lot of attention to the diversity of indigenous varieties.”
To honor His Majesty’s 80th birthday anniversary, 81 indigenous rice varieties have been selected for genetic mapping. Furthermore, following His Majesty’s initiatives, Thai scientists are conducting cutting-edge researches on rice.
“There are more than a hundred kinds of antioxidant compounds in rice. One of them, Gamma Orizanol, works ten times better than vitamin C and E,” revealed Dr Somwong Tragoonrung of DNA Technology Laboratory, National Agency of Science and Technology. Therefore the agency is working on antioxidant-rich rice to help protect consumers from cancer and other degenerative diseases. Varieties of iron-rich rice for those with iron-deficiency anemia are also in development.
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