Rome (ANTARA News) - Vice President Boediono proposed on Wednesday global food reserves to assist countries which are in dire need of food in emergency.

"Such initiative has been implemented in our region. We have adopted the ASEAN Integrated Food Security (AIFS) framework and the Strategic Plan of Action on ASEAN Food Security (SPA-FS)," he said at the world food summit here.

Under the framework, ASEAN member states plus three countries were in the process of building rice reserves for several purposes, he said.

ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) groups Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Boediono said ASEAN member states also had been implementing a number of joint projects in the fields of food, agriculture and forestry.

"We also strengthen ASEAN cooperation to ensure food security through sustainable food production, better post-harvest practices, and marketing support and trade regulations in the region," he said.

He said food security was aimed not only at increasing food supplies but also improving people`s access to food.

As one of the world`s most populous countries, Indonesia endowed with abundant agricultural resources could and must play an important role in addressing global food problems, he said.

"Our demand for food can influence global food prices," he said.

Luckily, Indonesia had been self-sufficient in rice since last year so that it could deal with pressure on global demand for the staple, he said.

"Our challenge is how to maintain this," he said.(*)