Singapore  - Rice researchers Monday called on Asian governments to invest more in agricultural infrastructure and development to prevent another rice crisis in the region due to dwindling supplies and rising prices.

"We have to be vigilant, we have to be cautious," said Robert Zeigler, director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in Singapore.

The Manila-based institute signed an agreement with Swiss company Syngenta, one of the world leaders in crop protection and seed products, to collaborate in rice research and building scientific capacity.

Governments had to recognize that they need to make longer-term investments in agricultural infrastructure and capacity building now to secure the future rice supply and take a lot of pressure from the market, Zeigler said.

"But it is extremely important that governments don't panic," he warned, noting that some problems of the "rice price panic" in 2008 were caused by overreaction.

"There was pressure on the market, but there was also a paramount of panic," said Zeigler.

Last year, the international price of rice doubled within 12 months, causing food shortages especially among the poor population in Asia.

The crisis, Zeigler said, was a result of a structural problem due to reduced investments in agricultural research and development over a period of 10 to 15 years.

"Until those structural problems are reversed, we are not going to expect the pressure on rice supplies and rice prices to go away," he warned.

"There are indications that there is a reversal in that trend," said Zeigler. "But (the problem) is not going to be solved overnight." (dpa)