HANOI: Rising prices and a growing fear of scarcity have prompted some of the world's largest rice producers to announce drastic limits on the amount of rice they export. The price of rice, a staple in the diets of nearly half the world's population, has almost doubled on international markets in the last three months. That has pinched the budgets of millions of poor Asians and raised fears of civil unrest.

On the heels of fixing a higher minimum export price (MEP) on basmati and non-basmati rice on March 5, 2008, the Government on Thursday night hiked the MEP on basmati rice further to $1,100 per tonne

Philippine fast-food chains are to begin offering half servings of rice in a move to help the government ease demand for the staple and avert a possible shortage with global rice inventories sitting at 25-year lows. Jollibee Foods, the country's biggest restaurant chain, with more than 600 stores, said its operations managers were planning how to implement the plan.Its Chinese fast-food unit, Chowking, is set to offer half portions of rice from April 1. McDonald's is also considering serving half portions in more than 250 stores.

In what is reportedly the biggest raid ever conducted in the capital by the Food and Civil Supplies department, 11,600 bags of rice, each weighing 50 kg, were uncovered from a godown in Alipur.