The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum has drafted a report painting a cautiously optimistic picture of the region's food situation for the medium- and long-term, despite increasing demand due to rising per capita incomes and population growth.
The report, a copy of which was obtained Sept. 10 by The Japan Times, will be presented at the ninth annual meeting of the APEC ministers, scheduled for Nov. 21 and 22 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The talks will be followed by an informal summit of top APEC leaders.
At an Osaka summit in 1995, the leaders pointed out that the Asia-Pacific region's population and rapid economic growth are expected to sharply increase food and energy demands and put pressure on the environment. They agreed to put the related issues on their long-term agenda and to consult further on ways to initiate joint actions to ensure the region's economic prosperity will be sustainable.