April 2008 Press Release

Rice prices continue to climb:

Anxiety grows for governments, traders, and consumers

The latest from Rice Today, the magazine of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

Los Baños, Philippines – The upward spiral of rice prices is causing anxiety, if not panic, for governments of both importing and exporting countries. Exporters, such as Vietnam and India, are restricting exports to ensure domestic supplies and stabilize prices. Importers, such as the Philippines, are scrambling to secure supplies and assure their populations that there’s enough rice to go around. The latest issue of Rice Today examines this burning issue, including an exclusive report on trade troubles in Thailand. The magazine also reports on a recent rice policy forum at IRRI, which examined key policy issues, including responses to rising prices.

In February, IRRI deposited more than 70,000 samples of traditional and modern rice varieties in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, dubbed the “doomsday vault” by the world’s media. Rice Today looks at why Svalbard is needed and how a vault in the ice of a mountain inside the Arctic Circle might help rice farmers in the tropics.

Last year was a tough one for Bangladeshi farmers. Major floods devastated rice crops—and farm families—across the country. In November, Cyclone Sidr smashed into southern Bangladesh, killing thousands and affecting millions. Rice Today joined IRRI scientists in December 2007 on a visit to the stricken area to examine the damage and see how rice research could help. The magazine also looks at technologies that are helping Bangladeshi farmers avoid the hungry months of monga, the period when one season’s rice has run out and before the next season’s harvest.

In the Philippines, water-saving technologies are not only improving rice farmers’ productivity—they’re also helping to ease social tensions. The magazine visited the country’s Central Luzon region to talk to the local experts who are championing the cause.

The April–June issue investigates rice yellow mottle virus—called “rice AIDS” by the African farmers who suffer from it—and, in the Maps section, looks at how irrigation affects agricultural production across the globe. Readers can also learn how the new science of metabolomics is helping researchers link rice genes to rice quality traits such as taste and texture. The IRRI pioneer interview features “rice widow” Carolyn Moomaw Wilhelm, wife of IRRI’s first agronomist, the late James Moomaw.

Rice facts looks at how good research must inform good policy, using a Philippine campaign for safer and more effective pesticide use as an example. Grain of truth argues that the Asian Green Revolution, which began in the 1960s, has produced long-term benefits much greater than previously thought.

All of this, plus the latest news, views, and books, is available now in the April–June 2008 issue of Rice Today. Magazines are now in the mail to subscribers. To subscribe to Rice Today’s electronic newsletter, which offers links to the full content of the magazine, contact Chris Quintana and copy your request to publisher Duncan Macintosh. Send editorial inquiries to Adam Barclay.

To access the PDF files in the above links, you need Adobe® Reader®, available free at www.adobe.com.

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The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is the world’s leading rice research and training center. Based in the Philippines, with offices in 13 other countries, IRRI is an autonomous, nonprofit institution focused on improving the well-being of present and future generations of rice farmers and consumers, particularly those with low incomes, while preserving natural resources. IRRI is one of 15 centers funded through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of public and private donor agencies (www.cgiar.org).

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For information, contact Duncan Macintosh, IRRI, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines;

tel +63-2-580-5600; fax: +63-2-580-5699; email irrimedia@cgiar.org.

Web sites: IRRI Home (www.irri.org), IRRI Library (http://ricelib.irri.cgiar.org), Rice Knowledge Bank (www.knowledgebank.irri.org)

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