Rising food costs discussed at summit

Soaring food prices are being discussed at a global summit in Rome.The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has urged wealthy countries to use the summit to agree "urgent and concrete actions" to address rising malnutrition rates sparked by the crisis.It will tell world leaders and ministers that emergency aid combined with investment in local agriculture and rural communities was required quickly to prevent the situation worsening.The World Bank has told the summit there has been an 83 per cent increase in prices in the last three years and on Monday UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said world food production must rise by 50 per cent by 2030 to meet increasing demand.Debt campaigners called for affected countries to be granted a moratorium on repayments and for Haiti, which has been hit by food riots, to have its £1.3 billion debt cancelled.Christian Aid and Jubilee Debt Campaign said an emergency World Bank grant to Haiti, announced on Friday, was a "sticking plaster" that would only cover ten weeks of debt repayments.Jubilee director Nick Dearden said: "It is shocking that while many millions of people in the world are going short of food, their government are still being forced to shell out millions of pounds a week to rich countries and banks."A European food safety chief suggested another solution - lifting the ban on feeding animal remains to pigs and chickens, imposed to prevent the spread of BSE to allow grain to be sent to suffering countries.International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander is representing the British Government at the summit which so far has been dominated by coverage of controversial Zimbabwean President Robert Muagabe's arrival.Mr Mugabe, blamed for wrecking his own country's economy and leaving starving millions dependent on food aid, can attend despite an EU travel ban as it is a UN-organised event.Mr Alexander will snub Mr Mugabe after saying it was "obscene" he was allowed to take part in the meeting.

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ITN | June 3, 2008

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