Philippine activists warn about pos-sible riots. Aid agencies across Asia worry how they will feed the hungry. Governments dig deeper every day to fund subsidies.

菲律賓激進分子警告，可能發生暴動。亞洲各地援助機構也擔心，他們將如何餵飽饑民。各國政府每天更深入研究如何籌募糧食補貼基金。

A sharp rise in the price of rice is hitting consumer pocketbooks and raising fears of public turmoil in the many parts of Asia where rice is a sta-ple.

稻米價格飆漲，使消費者的荷包相對縮水，並使亞洲很多以稻米為主食的地方憂心會引起群眾暴動。

Part of a surge in global food costs, rice prices on world markets have jumped 50 percent in the past two months and at least doubled since 2004. Experts blame rising fuel and fertilizer expenses as well as crops curtailed by disease, pests and climate change. There are concerns prices could rise a further 40 percent in coming months.

全球糧價暴漲，部分是因世界市場米價過去2個月來跳漲了50%，而自2004年以來至少增加一倍。專家指罪魁禍首是燃料和肥料支出上漲，及榖物收成因疾病、病蟲害和氣候變遷而減少。有人擔心，米價可能在未來數月再暴漲40%。

The higher prices have already sparked protests in the Philippines, where a government official has asked the public to save leftover rice. In Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered a ban on rice exports to curb rising prices at home. Vietnamese ex-porters and farmers are stockpiling rice in expectation of further price increases. Prestoline Suyat of the May One Labor Movement, a left-wing workers group in the Philippines, warned that "hunger and poverty may eventually lead to riots."

價格上揚已經引爆菲律賓抗爭行動，當地一位政府官員要求民眾，要留下吃剩的米飯。柬埔寨總理韓先並下令禁止稻米出口，以遏阻國內糧價漲勢。越南出口商和農民由於預期價格會進一步上漲，也在屯積稻米。菲律賓左翼勞工團體「五一工聯」的蘇亞特警告說，「饑餓和貧窮終將引發暴動。」

The neediest are hit hardest.

最窮的人受創最重。

Rodolfo de Lima, a 42-year-old parking lot attendant in Manila, said "my family will go hungry if prices continue to rise, but I won't do any-thing bad." Others might not be so restrained, said Domingo Casarte, 41, a street vendor. "There are people who are hotheaded," he said. "When people get trapped, I can't say what they will do."

馬尼拉42歲的停車場管理員利瑪說：「如果價格繼續上漲，我的家人恐怕就得挨餓，但我不會鋌而走險。」41歲的街頭小販卡沙特說，其他人可能不會這麼自制。他說：「有些人性情暴躁，當他們陷入困境時，很難說他們會做出什麼事來。」

The U.S. Department of Agricul-ture forecasts global rice stocks for 2007-08 at 72 million tons, the low-est since 1983-84 and about half of the peak in 2000-01.

美國農業部預估，2007-08年全球稻米庫存量約7千2百萬噸，是自1983-84年以來新低，大約只有2000-01年最高庫存量的一半。

The higher prices are stretching the budgets of aid agencies providing rice to North Korea and other countries, particularly with donations already falling.

米價居高不下，使援助機構在提供稻米給北韓和其他國家時預算左支右絀，在捐款不斷減少時尤其如此。

China is among several countries in Asia that subsidize rice prices, an in-creasingly expensive proposition.

中國是亞洲幾個補貼米價的國家之一，但這種行動所付出的代價愈來愈昂貴。

Rice prices have almost doubled in Bangladesh in just a year, sparking re-sentment but no unrest yet. Repeated floods and a severe cyclone last year have cut production, forcing the government to increase imports.

孟加拉米價一年內幾乎漲了一倍，引發民怨，幸好尚未引起社會動盪不安。洪澇不斷，去年又出現一次嚴重的氣旋，使稻米產量減少，迫使政府提高進口額。

In Vietnam, a major rice exporter, the crop has been hit by a virus called tungro and infestations of the brown planthopper insect. Farmers there say they are not benefiting from the higher prices. "The rice price has gone up 50 percent over the past three months, but I'm not making any more money because I have to pay double for fertilizer, insecticides and labor costs," said a farmer in Ha Tay province, just outside Hanoi.

越南是主要稻米出口國，但水稻被一種衰退桿狀病毒和稻褐飛蝨寄生而受創慘重。農民也抱怨，米價高，他們並未受惠。「過去3個月來，米價漲了50%，但我並沒有多賺什麼錢，因為肥料、殺蟲劑和工錢都漲了一倍，」河內市郊河西省一名稻農說。

Philippine President Gloria Maca-pagal Arroyo, worried about anything that could spark a "people power" re-volt against her, is assuring the public that rice won't run out or skyrocket in price during the traditionally lean months of July to September. This week, she arranged the purchase of up to 1.5 million tons from Vietnam. She also has ordered a crackdown on price manipulation, hoarding and profi-teering on subsidized rice, and will hold a food summit April 4.

菲律賓總統艾若育擔心會發生任何可能引發「人民力量」起來反抗她的事件，她向民眾保證，7月到9月傳統上收成較差的月份，稻米不會吃光或漲到天價。本周，她安排向越南買進150萬噸稻米。她也下令掃蕩價格操控、屯積居奇及在補貼稻米上牟取暴利，大發不義之財，她並在4月4日開糧食高峰會。

The Philippines is facing "a perfect storm," said Sen. Mar Roxas, presi-dent of the Liberal Party. Problems coping with rising rice prices are compounded by higher oil prices and a U.S. economic downturn, which could reduce the money sent home to families by Filipinos working in the United States. Such remittances un-derpin the economy.

菲律賓參議員兼自由黨總裁羅哈斯說，菲國正面臨「完美風暴」：米價上揚、石油價格大漲，加上美國經濟不景氣使問題雪上加霜，並使在美國的菲勞送回家的錢減少。而外匯是菲國經濟支柱。

Philippine farmers say the country, which has become the world's largest importer of rice after being an ex-porter in the early 1970s, has shot it-self in the foot by developing some former rice paddies for housing and golf courses and planting more lucra-tive crops on others.

菲律賓農民抱怨說，1970年代初期，菲國原本是稻米出口國，但在政府開發一些稻田改建房屋和高爾夫球場及轉作其他更有利可圖的作物後，等於搬石頭砸自己的腳，成為全球最大稻米進口國。

（取材自美聯社）