ABSTRACT
Since the 1960s food and agricultural production in Asia has increased at a faster rate than that of population, with variations among individual countries; in many instances, the growth rate of production was higher than that of demand of cereals and resulted in reducing the food gap, i.e., a reduced dependence on cereal imports in the face of an increasing domestic food demand. The rates of growth of production of food in Asia (excluding China) were 2.5 per cent, 3.2 per cent and 4.0 per cent during 1961-70,1970-80 and 1980-85 respectively.1 The rates of growth in per capita food production in Asia (excluding China) were 0.1 per cent, 0.91 per cent and 1.8 per cent during these three sub-periods. If China was included in the Asian aggregate figures, all the corresponding rates of growth were even higher. India reached self-sufficiency in cereals whereas Indonesia and Philippines achieved selfsufficiency in their predominant cereal crop, i.e., rice. Pakistan and Thailand expanded their rice exports.
