Food Security - Global Trends and Region Perspective with Reference to East Asia

The sharp increase in global food prices during 2007-2008 has triggered the awareness of food insecurity problems and their impacts on the low income, food-deficit countries many of which are located in the East Asian countries. The food-security situation was good in relative terms given that the percentage of carbohydrates consumed is slightly lower than the world average while proteins and fats consumption are higher than that of other regions. The food security in East Asia is largely driven by domestic production performance, and despite the doubling of import volume during the last decade, Asia remains the least dependent of all regions on food imports. Nevertheless, the rising energy costs and grain prices induced by the increasing demand of grains for bio-fuel exacerbate the undernourishment of the poor households in the region. While most of the government interventions focus on short-term measures such as reducing domestic food prices through trade or price control, the risk of facing a long-term food insecurity still exists which may render national action inadequate and require multilateral cooperation.