Purpose : Despite demographic differences, agriculture is a major source of socioeconomic stability among APO member economies. This report highlights potential risks faced by their agri-food sectors due to the COVID-19 pandemic and outlines the responses and policy actions each member is taking to address threats to food security and prevent hunger.Research Method : Publicly available information was synthesized, and insights from 19 individuals working in agriculture or agri-food-related areas in the public or private sectors or academia in APO member countries were obtained. Findings : Imminent, medium- and long-term food security challenges due to COVID-19 vary among APO member countries. However, through the implementation of key policies, many stress the need for critical agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers and safe, quality seeds, to meet seasonal crop calendars. The longer COVID-19 containment measures stay in place, the more challenging the recovery process will be for ensuring smooth food production, accessibility to staple food and nutrition and trade among countries.Originality / Value : Provides consolidated insight into policies and actions taken by APO member economies to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on food security and the agri-food sector.

The feasibility of the rice-duck system of rice production, practiced in some East Asian countries, is studied in Bangladesh as a sub-project of the Poverty Elimination Through Rice Research Assistance (PETRRA). The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) implements the sub-project in collaboration with two NGOs, FIVDB and BDS, in the northeastern (greater Sylhet) and southern (Barisal) regions of the country. Each demonstration trial, conducted in the field of the farmers, is treated as a replication. In these trials, the rice-duck system is compared with the methods of growing rice solely, as traditionally practiced by the farmers in Bangladesh. Evaluation of the activities carried out under the PETRRA sub-project shows that the rice-duck system is not only feasible, but also economically rewarding for the farmers. The yield of rice is, on average, 20% higher in the rice-duck system than the traditional rice system (sole rice), thereby ensuring about 50% higher net return and rice-provisioning ability. The ducks in the rice-duck fields control weeds and insects very effectively; as a consequence, labor and pesticide costs for controlling weeds and insects are minimized and the soil health is improved. The ducks provide another source of added income for the farmers. In view of the favorable results obtained in the study, it might be suggested that the rice-duck system be spread throughout the country as an income-generating activity for the resource-poor farmers.

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The study was undertaken to assess the comparative advantage of production and export of vegetables from Bangladesh. Fifty four kinds of different vegetables were exported from Bangladesh. The importing countries were mostly in the Middle East. The demand for summer vegetables was found higher than those of winter vegetables. Total export quantity was found 6046 metric tons of vegetables and earned foreign exchange of Tk. 1120 million, which was only 1.18 percent of total value of vegetable production in Bangladesh. Among the export marketing cost items, air freights charges was found highest. For all the vegetables, DRCs were observed to be less than unity implying that Bangladesh had comparative advantage in vegetable production.   Keywords: Export potential; vegetables; foreign exchange earnings DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v36i1.9232 BJAR 2011; 36(1): 89-95

Direct sowing with non-woven fabric mulch is the new organic rice cultivation system. We studied the effect of topdressing on individual leaf photosynthesis at different position and grain yield in rice plants cultivated by this system. Leaf photosynthetic rate at the different leaf position per plant (P N-LP ) of the third and fourth to lower leaves was higher when the topdressing amount was increased. Without topdressing or in no-fertilizers plots, the P N-LP values of lower leaves were very low. The leaf photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area (P N-LA ) decreased gradually as the leaf position became lower. Again, the P N-LA values of the top-dressed plots at the lower leaves were higher than that of plots without topdressing or without fertilizers. The lower leaves maintained a higher P N because of a higher rate of nitrogen accumulation due to topdressing. The higher rate of photosynthesis in these leaves resulted in better root activity, which contributed to a better ripening percentage and ultimately higher rice grain yield.