World Food Programme head urges urgent action over spiralling prices

by Rich Bowden - Apr 23 2008, 01:19

The head of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has urged immediate action to stimulate the production of food and help the poor cope with spiralling food prices.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of food producers, retailers and consumers in London, WFP head Josette Sheeran told reporters that recent food riots experienced in Haiti and other developing countries were an indication that food security was not just important for the malnourished but vital for peace and security.

"Those living on less than a dollar a day or 50 cents a day have no place to retreat in the face of food prices that have increased and often doubled during the past six months," Sheeran said.  "The World Food Programme is literally able to procure dramatically less food than it was even last June, for the same contribution."

In an interview with the BBC, Sheeran told the broadcaster of the urgency of stabilising food prices.

"We find that people are being thrown into the urgent category and we really want to make the point that the clock is ticking and we need to help people now meet their nutritional needs," she said.

"We're seeing about 100 million people... who maybe didn't need assistance six months ago but today simply can't afford enough food for their family."

As an example of the emergency she cited the price of rice in Asia, which had risen from $460 a ton on 3 March to more than $1,000 seven weeks later. She added the global prices of wheat, rice and maize have nearly doubled in the past year.

Sheeran described the increases as equivalent to a "global tsunami".

Earlier U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is hosting the London meeting, called for action and said in a statement that the breakdown in food price security was a danger to world prosperity.

"Tackling hunger is a moral challenge to each of us and it is also a threat to the political and economic stability of nations," Mr Brown said.
 

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