The IMF today said that policymakers in Asia need to be prepared for possible shocks arising out of increased downside risks to global growth. The International Monetary Fund, IMF, howevr added that rapid growth has made the Asian region a global economic powerhouse. IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said that many Asian economies are already unwinding stimulus measures. He said, increase in downside risks to global growth, includingthe ones from the recent turmoil in Europe, means that policymakers need to remain attuned to further possible shocks to global growth and financial markets, which include capital inflows that can be a threat to fast-growing countries.He was speaking at a two-day international conference on Asia, which began at Daejeon in South Korea today. Last week, the IMF had upgraded Asia's 2010 growth forecast to around 7.5 per cent from the April projection of 7 per cent.