Build It and They Will Come: Commitment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ rice policy mechanisms

The paper examines the politicized nature of the rice sector in Southeast Asia, where domestic priorities and protectionism often lead to market volatility. It highlights how the 2007–2008 food price crisis drove countries toward insular strategies and 'rice sovereignty'. The authors propose that ASEAN can improve food security by enhancing the ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS) for better transparency and fully actuating the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve. The document suggests that these cooperative mechanisms can build trust and stability in the international market, providing a more effective alternative to myopic domestic focuses.

• Rice is highly politicized in Southeast Asia, with governments prioritizing domestic supply security and price stability through tariffs, subsidies, and farmer assistance programs, often at the expense of the broader regional economy.
• The 2007–2008 food price crisis, triggered in part by India's export ban, led to panic buying and a shift toward insular rice policy strategies and 'rice sovereignty' despite a lack of actual global rice shortages.
• The international rice market is characterized by low trade volume—only 7% of world production crosses borders—which increases volatility and makes small, poor economies particularly vulnerable.
• The ASEAN Food Security Information System (AFSIS), established under the 2009 ASEAN Integrated Food Security Framework (AIFS), is a critical but underutilized tool for improving market transparency and predictability.
• The ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve is a collaborative effort where China, Japan, and South Korea provide the bulk of the volume (300,000, 250,000, and 150,000 tonnes respectively), supplemented by 87,000 tonnes from ASEAN members.
• A proposed international rice futures market in Singapore could improve transparency, but it would require stringent regulation to prevent outside speculators from driving price volatility.

APA

Trethewie, S., & Ewing, J. J. (2012). Build It and They Will Come: Commitment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ rice policy mechanisms. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd_tkn_perspectives_may_2012.pdf

Chicago

Trethewie, Sally, and J. Jackson Ewing. Build It and They Will Come: Commitment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ rice policy mechanisms. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2012. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd_tkn_perspectives_may_2012.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Trethewie |first1=Sally |last2=Ewing |first2=J. Jackson |title=Build It and They Will Come: Commitment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ rice policy mechanisms |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2012 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd_tkn_perspectives_may_2012.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{trethewie2012build, author = {Trethewie, Sally and Ewing, J. Jackson}, title = {{Build It and They Will Come: Commitment to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ rice policy mechanisms}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2012}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd_tkn_perspectives_may_2012.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }