Climate Change Effect On Agriculture, Biofuel Production Included In World Food Summit Agenda

May 27, 2008 1:59 p.m. EST

Rome, Italy (AHN) - Heads of state and national food ministers will gather June 3 to 5 in Rome to tackle ways to prevent millions from dying from hunger due to skyrocketing food prices.

Hosted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the Conference on World Food Security and Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy will also discuss the effect of climate changes on agriculture and how the sector could help reduce climate change.

Because of the unprecedented rise in food prices across the globe there had been calls to set up an international food fund and to draw global guidelines on biofuel production.

Since January the price of rice has doubled, while other vital food items such as dairy products, soya beans, wheat and sugar had also major price hikes. The soaring food prices resulted to food riots in 37 countries such as Cameroon, Niger, Egypt and Haiti.

According to a FAO report the food import bill of Low Income Food Deficit Countries is expected to tip $169 billion this year, 40 percent higher than last year's food bill. Because of the rising food prices, the yearly food import basket of LIFDCs would quadruple by the end of 2008 compared to its 2000 basket.

Hafex Ghanem, assistant director general of FAO said in a statement, "Food is no longer the cheap commodity that it once was. rising food prices are bound to worsen the already unacceptable level of food deprivation suffered by 854 million people."

"We are facing the risk that the number of hungry will increase by many more millions of people," Ghanem warned.