VOA慢速英语:Rice Production Grows, but Not Everywhere

The United Nations is expecting the world to harvest more rice in twenty twelve than was produced last year. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization says the world rice harvest should rise almost two percent, mainly because of increased production in Asia. Large gains are expected for Bangladesh, Burma, China, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand.
联合国预计2012年全球的大米产量比去年高，联合国食物与农业组织(FAO)称，全球大米产量会增长近2%，主要是因为亚洲的增产。孟加拉国、缅甸、中国、印度、巴基斯坦、菲律宾和泰国都有望丰收。

The FAO also is predicting a recovery for rice harvests in Africa. It expects increased production from Mali, Nigeria and Senegal.
FAO还预计非洲的大米产量会恢复，马里、尼日利亚和塞内加尔都会增产。

But the UN agency says harvests will be lower in the European Union and the United States. Two reasons for this are unusually dry weather and falling rice prices, which have led some farmers to plant other crops. Smaller rice harvests also are expected in Latin America and the Caribbean.
但这家联合国机构称，欧盟和美国的产量会少些，两大原因是不同寻常的干旱和大米价格的下降，这样一些农场主就会改种别的作物。拉美和加勒比的产量也会降低。

Concepcion Calpe is an economist with the FAO. She says good harvests in Asia will lead to reduced demand for rice this year. Demand is expected to fall nine hundred thousand tons to about thirty-four million metric tons.
Concepcion Calpe是FAO的一位经济学家，她说亚洲的大丰收会导致今年的大米需求量减少，预计需求量将下降90万吨，减少到大约3400万吨。

Ms. Calpe says one reason for the expected drop is better than expected production by some major importers, like Indonesia and Bangladesh. Other countries have set limits on how much rice they are willing to import.
Calpe说，需求量减少的原因之一，是由于诸如印尼和孟加拉国这样的主要进口国的产量比预计的高。其他国家对进口大米量进行了限制。

The FAO says rice prices have stayed high for many reasons. They include higher costs for fuel, fertilizer and, in some areas, labor. One country where rice prices remain high is China. Concepcion Calpe says the high prices appear to be in disagreement with official Chinese reports of record harvests.
FAO称，大米价格居高有多种原因，包括燃油、肥料和一些地区劳动力成本的升高。中国就是大米价格维持高位的国家之一，Concepcion Calpe说，高价格显然与中国官方报道的创纪录收成不相符。

In Thailand, a government price-support program has led rice exports to fall by twenty percent, to less than eight million tons. The program keeps Thai rice export prices above market prices. As a result, the FAO says, exporters like Australia, India and Vietnam have captured a larger market share.
在泰国，由于政府实施了一项价格支持方案，导致大米出口量减少了20%，出口量不到800万吨。该项目使泰国大米出口价高于市场价。FAO说，结果像澳洲、印度和越南这样的出口商就取得更大的市场份额。

Ms. Calpe notes that Burma could become a major exporter of rice. Many Western governments have eased trade restrictions on Burma recently because of its efforts at political and economic reform. Foreign investment and increased productivity in Cambodia also might help that country export more rice.
Calpe特别指出，缅甸可能会成为大米的主要出口地。由于缅甸实施了政治和经济改革，许多西方国家最近放松了对缅甸的贸易限制。柬埔寨外国投资和增产也会使该国出口更多大米。