Food crisis warnings issued
Updated on 14 April 2008
Hundreds of thousands of people face hunger and starvation as the cost of food rises, the World Bank has warned.
Senior officials said the rapid rise in the price of staples like wheat and rice could also spark global unrest and push millions of people into poverty.
The crisis has been debated at a meeting of leaders of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington.
The World Bank is granting millions of dollars in aid to countries like Haiti where the problem has already led to hunger and violence.
World Bank president Robert Zoellick said: "I came into these meetings underscoring the vital importance of launching a new deal for global food policy.
"Part of the new deal is meeting the immediate crisis and the needs of those who are now facing hunger, malnutrition, and even starvation across the world.
"Throughout the weekend, we've heard again and again from ministers in developing countries and emerging economies that this is a priority issue.
"We at the World Bank are granting an additional ten million dollars to Haiti for feeding programmes, and I understand that others are looking to help.
"We're also responding to a number of other countries with conditional cash transfer programmes, food for work, planning for a new season, and we're looking at how we can step up that support as part of short term and medium-term action.
"Hunger, malnutrition and food policy have formed a recurrent theme at this weekend's meetings and I believe we've made some progress, but it'll be important to continue to retain this focus as we leave Washington."
The IMF also sounded the alarm, saying that if food prices don't fall there will be dire consequences for those living in developing countries like Africa.
The calls are now on the international community to take action to help increase food productivity in low income countries.
The World Bank says it is time "to put our money where our mouth is".
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