A total of 1,002.71 tons of reserve rice will be provided to four regions inclusive of Yangon Region under the Asean Plus Three Emergency Reserve Rice (APTERR) , said the paddy crop division of the Agricultural Department.
The remaining three regions are: Mandalay; Bago; and Ayeyawady. The donation arrangement will be launched at the end of this month.
“To be able to implement this arrangement, sanction is to be sought via the ASEAN Secretariat where the approval is to be sought from all ASEAN members. The host nation must have reserve rice, and the donation is to be made to those member nations afflicted by natural disasters or in emergency situation. As known to all, ASEAN has 10 member nations, and the plus three are : China; Korea; and Japan,” said an official from the Agricultural Department to Popular News.
Currently, 30,000 tons of rice from South Korea and 500 tons of rice from China are already in store, it is learnt.
Arrangements are under way to distribute the reserve rice to the regions/states affected by the floods by making contact with the relevant organizations, and Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Dr Tin Htut has given instructions for all those concerned to ensure faster distribution to the areas in urgen need.