(Adds FDA comment on private sector in paragraph 8)

WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has targeted five regions around the world where it would like to establish a greater presence to monitor the safety of exported food, drugs and other goods, the top FDA official said on Thursday.

FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach told reporters at a briefing on food safety that it would like to establish offices in Asia, especially in China and India, Europe, Central and South America and the Middle East.

"There are a variety of things that I envision could come from this that will be a multiplier of our ability to achieve our mission from building quality in on the front end to inspecting and certifying," said von Eschenbach.

FDA officials, as part of their goal to become more proactive in safeguarding imports, have pushed to move the agency's borders beyond the United States to countries where many imported goods are manufactured.

The volume of goods imported into the United States has grown to about $2 trillion from 825,000 separate importers. The Bush administration is projecting that import volumes could triple by 2015.

FDA has not established a timetable for setting up greater oversight abroad, or estimated its cost, but von Eschenbach said "it will have to require resources."

Von Eschenbach said FDA would have offices with FDA personal that would work with other government regulatory agencies and companies responsible for producing and shipping products. He said FDA is in the early stages of working with other counties, but so far the response has been positive.

Already, FDA said it has seen U.S. companies, including spice maker McCormick & Co Inc <MKC.N>, implementing tougher rules on foreign suppliers by requiring some plants and growers to meet certain standards before they will allow the product into the United States.

The move to bolster import protections comes after several product recalls that have raised consumer fears about items such as tainted toothpaste, seafood, tires and toys with lead paint. Many of the items came from China.

Last November, the Bush administration proposed tougher inspection rules meant to keep dangerous food and other products out of the United States.

Among the recommendations were allowing the FDA to have the authority to reach agreements with some countries to require certain high-risk foods meet specific standards before they can be exported. (Reporting by Christopher Doering; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

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