 Foundation to publish this book. So I'd now like to invite Dr. Prabhu Bengali, the Deputy Director of Agriculture Development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to share some remarks with us. Thank you. That one, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, let me also offer my congratulations to Social Fund Day and the hundred dollars that contributed to this book. We've been delighted to be sponsors of this book, although if I knew what Bob just told you, and they thought about it again, because Bob just revealed that he was ready to sign the tax. So that's a very dangerous thing to say when you have a donor sitting next to you. And we shall remember that next time he will support us. There won't be a next time, but we'll put more in sitting right here. I did get an advance copy from Social Fund Day ago and I took the opportunity last night after dinner and early this morning to go through the book very quickly to be able to make a few comments on it beyond the congratulations itself. And let me take a couple of minutes to reflect on the book itself. First of all, it certainly follows in the tradition of the other theory books that have been put forward, but it adds enormous value to what's been done before. And the way it adds enormous value is the way in which several dozens of people got together and contributed to this book. So it's not the views of one or two or three individuals, it's the views of an entire community. And I think that's important. And because it's the views of an entire community, it is quite a comprehensive volume and it is future looking. And it does provide an agenda for both for looking at R&D, looking at policy analysis, but it also provides a policy agenda as we look towards sustainable growth of the rice economy into the future. I think what I liked about the book was the way it provided a balanced picture of the role of technology, the role of policy, the role of institutions and the role of infrastructure necessary for ensuring sustainable productive growth. And I think it's it's a lesson that we keep talking about and I don't think we should ever get tired of continuing to emphasize the need for bringing all these elements together when we are trying to to focus on improving the lives of small world and rural producers across the world. As I look through the book, there were several areas where I thought there was new thinking and there was breakthroughs and paradigms that were taking place. Let me give you a few of those areas where I think the book has made some breakthroughs. The chapter on structural transformation is certainly a very new way of looking at rice systems. Rice systems have traditionally been seen in a relatively static sense so subsystems oriented rice systems which then eventually become commercialized and that's about it. But the way in which rice as an engine of growth leads to the transformation of the rural economy and the way that leads to the overall economic growth and development of a country is something that hasn't really been articulated in as clear terms as it has in this book. And the challenge that Asia has faced, which is very different from other parts of the world, is being seen over time with economic growth that the share of agriculture and GDP has fallen. But the share of labor in the agriculture sector has continued to be less, hasn't declined as fast as the share of agriculture and GDP. The number of people that are in agriculture continues to be very high and because of that poverty levels in Asian economies have continued to be high despite rapid growth in these economies. India is a particular case of point but you see this across the region and I think this book provides some distinct ways in which you can address that problem and look at ways in which you can gradually start moving the surplus labor out of the agriculture sector and for that it's worth looking at this book in close detail. The second area is something that Bob already mentioned which is the whole issue of trade liberalization and the role of trade in stabilizing markets and reducing volatility in the rice market itself. And this is a really tricky chapter because while it's easy to think about trade and in the context of a commodity such as wheat or maize which is traded in download volumes, rice is such a thin international market. And trade helps but trade doesn't really address sudden shocks to the system and I think that this chapter tries to find ways in which it shows promotion and liberalization of trade to be extremely important for rice but shows the ways in which you need to look at certain points where other measures need to also be placed to reduce volatility, sudden volatility. The third area that I found very interesting to look at is the climate change chapter because the climate change chapter brings together a whole set of interventions around adaptation and mitigation. It looks at crop management technologies such as better water management and its ability to manage increasing drought incidents etc. And at the same time it looks at ways in which you can reduce greenhouse gas emissions with better breeding technologies, better back crop management technologies etc. And the role of policies in climate and acquisition and mitigation. So really interesting chapter on climate. The chapter on Africa, I found also very interesting to read because it does lay out the overall scope for rice in Africa. And you know the earlier books that came out really on rice were very age-centric and having a solid chapter on Africa was certainly extremely useful. And for many of us who spend a lot of time in Africa this is going to be a good reference to go back to. One thing that this book emphasizes, which we always talk about, but we don't really put enough evidence into it, is the role of partnerships. And this room reflects the role of partnerships for sectors such as even. And what's important relative to the previous words that took place is that today in Asia you've got world-class partners doing rice research. India's, China's, Thailand's, Philippines and so many countries, Vietnam etc. And the capacity that the national program to the private sector in these countries have for high quality rice R&D. And the way in which the international system needs to work more closely with these national partners is something that's absolutely crucial. As we look ahead and I think this, the chapter on partnerships provides a starting point for thinking about that. I don't want to talk too much, but let me make one final comment. This book is a global book and it provides a global analysis of rice and the rice economy. But in the end what happens to rice depends on what happens at the national level in terms of investments and policies and R&D that takes place at the national level. And for national level policies to be put in place you need national level analysis which is comparable to the global analysis that this book has done. So what you need as you look forward is for various countries represented here to be able to take this book and say how do we create a book on the rice economy of India or the rice economy of Ghana or the rice economy of Brazil. And it's only by getting to that level that you then are able to identify distinct areas where particular countries need to make policy change in order to improve the rice sectors. So my hope is that what this book will result in is a cascading effect of dozens of national level books that come out that address the broader sector of rice and their economy. And that then leads to the changes necessary for the sustainable growth in the sector. Now look at those insightful comments and it leads very well into our next...