ASEAN Rice Diplomacy Reaches Flood-hit Rural Lao Villages

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, Sept 30 (Bernama) --  ASEAN diplomacy is transcending beyond its traditional contours of trade and politics, with the bloc’s “rice diplomacy” extending support to thousands of flood-affected victims across the Philippines, Laos, and Myanmar.

The ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve, or APTERR, is mobilising humanitarian support for flood-affected countries in Southeast Asia as rough weather continues to batter the region. 

Its latest assistance was to Laos, which has been suffering from back-to-back natural disasters this year. 

“APTERR is ready to support Laos and we are working hand in hand to safeguard food security and build greater resilience against the growing challenges of climate change,” APTERR General Manager Dr Choomjet Karnjanakesorn told Bernama from Bangkok on Monday.

The rice handover ceremony was held in Vientiane on Sept 16.

Thousands of villagers in remote Laos are grappling with floods this year, especially after two major tropical cyclones – Wutip in June, followed by Tropical Storm Wipha in July – hit the tiny nation.

In late August, Tropical Storm Kajiki caused flash floods in several provinces in the tourist nation. 

The Laotian Times reported that Typhoons Wutip and Wipha damaged 527 villages, 24,500 hectares of agricultural land, and 14 schools, while 19 people perished in the floods.

Under the APTERR pre-position arrangement, the Plus Three countries – China, Japan and South Korea – collectively contributed 1,050 metric tonnes of rice to Laos. 

According to APTERR, South Korea contributed 750 metric tonnes, while China and Japan provided 150 metric tonnes each – aid expected to help nearly 170,000 people affected by severe floods and landslides.

APTERR was established in 2011 as part of ASEAN’s initiative to ensure food security and alleviate poverty during emergencies among member countries.

“The total amount of rice donation is fixed around 11,620 metric tonnes of milled rice annually, which will be allocated to four recipient countries, namely Myanmar,  Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines. 

“Even though there is more demand, APTERR rice is limited based on the amount of contributions,” said Choomjet.

The humanitarian information portal ReliefWeb, in its regional summary posted on Monday, stated that 29 disasters were reported across the ASEAN region so far this year. 

Tropical cyclones, floods, landslides, storms, and wind-related events affected Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Tropical Cyclones Mitag, Ragasa and Bualoi have been hammering the region in recent days. 

“The world is facing extreme weather events and the growing impacts of climate change, which bring seasonal fluctuations and unpredictable calamities. Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and more destructive, threatening our livelihoods and food systems,” said Dr Choomjet.

-- BERNAMA