Mr Phat made the appeal at in a press briefing on November 9 after the ministerial roundtable on rice and food security within the framework of the third International Rice Congress hosted by Vietnam.

The roundtable, attended by all agricultural ministers of Asia, focused on challenges faced by the rice industry and measures to address them in each particular country and to boost international cooperation on a global scale.

Asia currently has the highest growth rate and produces the largest amount of rice in the world but makes up two thirds of the poor worldwide. Investment in agriculture and in rice production remains low due to high risks. Epidemics have also appeared more frequently and on a higher scale.

Asian countries are aware of the need to take advantage of new varieties and techniques to increase rice output globally.

The Director General of the International Rice Research Institute, Robert S. Zeigler, said climate change has become increasingly serious, causing negative impacts on many nations. However, he stressed that with 10-20 years ahead, countries still have sufficient time to work out suitable measures to combat the effects of climate change, to manage crops better, and to minimize losses that disasters inflict on rice production.