The Korean Ministry of Agriculture proposes entry into the FAC, the agreement for assistance to countries crippled by hunger. In 2017 South Korea expects to overproduce rice by 200,000 tons. This year the FAC engagement is mainly aimed at South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Nigeria.
Seoul (AsiaNews) - South Korea plans to deliver over 50,000 tons of excess rice to developing countries next year. This will stabilize the supply of rice - and prices - in the country and will help poor nations at risk of hunger in the world.
The Ministry for agriculture’s proposal is linked to the entry into the Food Assistance Convention (FAC), an international association of 14 countries, under the auspices of the UN. The ministry expects the approval of the Korean parliament to become a member of the FAC by the end of the year.
Last year, South Korea had about 300,000 tonnes of excess rice, with 4.2 million tonnes of production and 3,9 million tonnes of rice consumed. It is expected that for 2017 there will be overproduction of 200,000 tonnes.
Overproduction is emerging because a growing number of South Koreans have reduced the amount of rice in their diet. At the same time, they have diversified their foods with alternatives such as wheat, barley, beans, maize.
FAC is a convention between 14 nations that promotes humanitarian food assistance to developing nations, following the UN guidelines. Among its members are the USA, the European Union, Canada, Japan and Australia. This year the FAC engagement is mainly aimed at South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Nigeria.