Public Stockpiling of Rice in Asia Pacific

Abstract

Public stockpiling is considered a strategy for domestic food security and an alternative to tradebased policies for food. This trend is particularly noticeable in countries in the region with large populations like India, China, and Indonesia, as well as among countries which have relied heavily on food imports in the recent past such as the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Malaysia, among others. The public stockpiling of rice is not new and is gaining interest and fast becoming an important aspect of national food policies. Stockpiling of food, particularly staple grains like rice, has been used as a method to ensure stability of food supply throughout human history at both the individual/household level as well as collectively by governments. Maintaining public stocks helps to mitigate a number of risks faced by food insecure and food vulnerable people. Countries with food stockpiles can help its populations weather (i) global food price shocks; (ii) local supply shocks (failed harvests); (iii) income shocks (from economic downturns or exchange rate shocks); (iv) disruptions in trade (export bans), and (v) emergencies and calamities.