CLIMATE CHANGE - HEADLINES
Food riots to worsen without global action: U.N.
Food riots in developing countries will spread unless world
leaders take major steps to reduce prices for the poor, the head
of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
said on Friday.
Despite a forecast 2.6 percent hike in global cereal output this
year, record prices are unlikely to fall, forcing poorer countries'
food import bills up 56 percent and hungry people on to the
streets, FAO Director General Jacques Diouf said.
"The reality is that people are dying already in the riots," Diouf
told a news conference.
"They are dying because of their reaction to the situation and if
we don't take the necessary action there is certainly the
possibility that they might die of starvation. Naturally people
won't be sitting dying of starvation, they will react."
Food riots have broken out in several African countries,
Indonesia, the Philippines and Haiti, the FAO said. Thirty-seven
countries face food crises, it said in its latest World Food
Situation report.
"I am surprised that I have not been summoned to the U.N.
Security Council as many of the problems being discussed there
would not have the same consequences on peace, security and
human rights (without the food crisis)," Diouf said.
Increased food demand from rapidly developing countries such
as China and India, the use of crops for biofuels, global stocks at
25-year lows and market speculation are all blamed for pushing
prices of staples like wheat, maize and rice to record highs.
While people in richer countries have noticed higher supermarket
prices, the effect is far more pronounced in developing countries
where 50-60 percent of income goes to food compared with just
10-20 percent in the developed world.
FOOD CRISIS SUMMIT
Diouf called on heads of state and government to attend a food
crisis summit at FAO headquarters in Rome on June 3-5.
He said the priority was a "massive seed transfer" -- to ensure
farmers in poor countries could buy seeds, fertilizer and feed at
prices they could afford.
Other necessary measures include creating financial mechanisms
to ensure poorer food importing countries could continue to buy
the food they need and give a larger proportion of aid budgets to
agriculture, Diouf said.
The comments echoed those of British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown, who called this week for a coordinated response to the
food crisis which would include reaching a deal on the Doha
trade talks and the possible use of market-based risk
management instruments to avert food price volatility.
Diouf said it was normal to expect developing countries to put
controls on food exports, even if that exacerbated global food
prices. The price of rice jumped 40 percent in three days
recently when India and Vietnam banned exports, an FAO
official said.
"Export bans are a normal reaction for any government that has
a prime responsibility to its people," he said.
Expanded crop plantings this year should mean a 2.6 percent
increase in cereal output, with wheat up 6.8 percent on last year,
FAO has forecast. But with only a small proportion of that
reaching the open market, the effect on prices will be negligible
as other prices pressure remain, it said.
(Editing by Chris Johnson)
(c) Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Republication or
redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing
or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written
consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are
registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of
companies around the world.
Food riots in developing countries will spread unless world
leaders take major steps to reduce prices for the poor, the head
of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
said on Friday.
Despite a forecast 2.6 percent hike in global cereal output this
year, record prices are unlikely to fall, forcing poorer countries'
food import bills up 56 percent and hungry people on to the
streets, FAO Director General Jacques Diouf said.
"The reality is that people are dying already in the riots," Diouf
told a news conference.
"They are dying because of their reaction to the situation and if
we don't take the necessary action there is certainly the
possibility that they might die of starvation. Naturally people
won't be sitting dying of starvation, they will react."
Food riots have broken out in several African countries,
Indonesia, the Philippines and Haiti, the FAO said. Thirty-seven
countries face food crises, it said in its latest World Food
Situation report.
"I am surprised that I have not been summoned to the U.N.
Security Council as many of the problems being discussed there
would not have the same consequences on peace, security and
human rights (without the food crisis)," Diouf said.
Increased food demand from rapidly developing countries such
as China and India, the use of crops for biofuels, global stocks at
25-year lows and market speculation are all blamed for pushing
prices of staples like wheat, maize and rice to record highs.
While people in richer countries have noticed higher supermarket
prices, the effect is far more pronounced in developing countries
where 50-60 percent of income goes to food compared with just
10-20 percent in the developed world.
FOOD CRISIS SUMMIT
Diouf called on heads of state and government to attend a food
crisis summit at FAO headquarters in Rome on June 3-5.
He said the priority was a "massive seed transfer" -- to ensure
farmers in poor countries could buy seeds, fertilizer and feed at
prices they could afford.
Other necessary measures include creating financial mechanisms
to ensure poorer food importing countries could continue to buy
the food they need and give a larger proportion of aid budgets to
agriculture, Diouf said.
The comments echoed those of British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown, who called this week for a coordinated response to the
food crisis which would include reaching a deal on the Doha
trade talks and the possible use of market-based risk
management instruments to avert food price volatility.
Diouf said it was normal to expect developing countries to put
controls on food exports, even if that exacerbated global food
prices. The price of rice jumped 40 percent in three days
recently when India and Vietnam banned exports, an FAO
official said.
"Export bans are a normal reaction for any government that has
a prime responsibility to its people," he said.
Expanded crop plantings this year should mean a 2.6 percent
increase in cereal output, with wheat up 6.8 percent on last year,
FAO has forecast. But with only a small proportion of that
reaching the open market, the effect on prices will be negligible
as other prices pressure remain, it said.
(Editing by Chris Johnson)
(c) Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Republication or
redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing
or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written
consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are
registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of
companies around the world.
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