T

he 10 ASEAN members plus the three nations of Japan, China and South Korea have committed to finance the soon-to-be signed ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) agreement.

The pact will be signed during the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) Meeting on Friday in Jakarta.

The AMAF Meeting organizing committee chairman, Achmad Suryana, said on Wednesday after a Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) that each country would make different a contribution to finance APTERR.

ASEAN members and China, Japan and South Korea will disburse US$1 million respectively for an endowment fund. Seven ASEAN members — Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam — will contribute $107,500 respectively while Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will contribute $83,000 each.

“The contribution is different for several countries due to their financial capacity,” he said.

The members of ASEAN Plus Three have also agreed to prepare $300,000 to finance APTERR’s office, he added. ASEAN members, China, Japan and Korea will disburse $75,000 respectively.

“Indonesia will contribute $8,000 for the operational fund,” he said.

A country had yet to be appointed to host the APTERR secretariat, he added.

Under the APTERR agreement, 13 countries should provide a rice stock of 787,000 tons to anticipate sudden instabilities in supply and production caused by natural disasters.

China, Japan and Korea will
prepare 300,000 tons, 250,000 tons and 150,000 tons of rice respectively, while ASEAN countries will prepare 87,000 tons.

“Thailand is the biggest contributor with 15,000 tons. Vietnam and Myanmar will each contribute 14,000 tons, while Indonesia and the Philippines contribute 12,000 tons each,” he said.

Brunei, Laos and Cambodia will provide 3,000 tons respectively, while Malaysia and Singapore provide 6,000 tons and 5,000 tons.

“The rice will be disbursed only if a natural disaster occurs.”

Previously, Agriculture Minister Suswono said that the pact was originally to be signed at the AMAF Meeting in 2010 but Singapore requested a delay.

“In this year’s meeting, I have been told that all countries have agreed,” he said.

This year’s AMAF Meeting, scheduled to be opened by Vice President Boediono, will focus on food security strategies among ASEAN members, as well as China, Japan, Korea and India.

The ministerial meeting among ASEAN members is scheduled to take place on Thursday. The ASEAN Plus Three ministerial meeting is scheduled to take place on Friday while the ASEAN ministers meeting with India’s agriculture minister will take place on Oct. 8,” Suryana said.