Xinhua
Accra, April 20 (Xinhua) The United Nations trade and development body has called on governments to take urgent action to increase food productions and not count on the market alone to adjust the food crisis. “For years we have been told that the market balances in everything, we think price can determine the best production structure, now we know that because of the huge demand, the weather conditions, energy prices, we just cannot leave the food production to the market alone,” Supachai Panitchpakdi, chief of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said here Saturday.

He was speaking to reporters in the Ghanaian capital Accra a day before the UNCTAD’s 12th session to be convened Sunday.

He urged developed countries to pledge substantial support for the least developed countries, which suffer the biggest strike from the food crisis, and reduce agricultural subsidies.

Supachai said the worldwide food crisis is mainly a result of rapid increase of population, climate change, production of milk and bio fuels, which costs large amount of crops and increase of energy prices.

The food prices have increasingly risen since 2002. World wheat prices had soared 181 percent and overall food prices had shot up 83 percent over the past three years by the end of February, according to a World Bank report.

Meanwhile, the global food reserve has dropped to the lowest level since 1980, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Xinhua