UN Sets Up ’special Taskforce’ to Tackle Rocketing Food Prices

After weeks of warnings about the growing food crisis sweeping across the developing world, mostly Africa, the United Nations has on Tuesday, officially inaugurated a special ‘taskforce’ on food prices; aimed at helping the poor nations cope with the worsening food crisis.

In a live broadcast from a meeting of UN agency heads in the Swiss capital, Berne. monitored by the media in London, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, described the food crisis evidence gathered so far as “appalling” and called for urgent action.

Mr Ban had in recent months been sounding warnings about rocketing food prices, saying the problem had developed into a ‘real global crisis.’

His latest warning over the weekend dwelt extensively on rocketing food prices, adding that the UN was really concerned as were all members of the international community.

The food crisis has already generated riots in countries such as Egypt, Burkina Faso and other parts of Africa, and with millions of Nigerians threatening to take to the streets to protest the effect of the rising food price on the life of ordinary Nigerians.

The food crisis had already inspired an emergency conference in Ghana with more meetings expected within and outside the continent.

The tensions persist as the World Food Programme made an urgent appeal for US$755 million to fill the missing gap, so it can carry out its humanitarian task.

WFP says that the UN was facing 40% of food price increase and requests for food aid for countries unable to cope with the prices.

Jacques Diouf, Chief of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), suggested that giving farmers in the developing countries immediate help to grow more crops should be the focus of efforts to deal with the growing crisis.

The World Bank estimated that food prices had hit 83% in three years.

The UN boss in Tuesday’s emergency call urged world leaders to sit down together to discuss how to improve economic distribution system as well as improve promotion of agriculture production.

The cause of the growing shortages has been blamed on ‘drought and huge swathes of land being turned over to biofuel production.

There have been worldwide fears that 430 million tonnes a year production of rice will be drastically reduced, unless stakeholders act urgently.

All the UN agencies hope that an international meeting to be held in Rome on June 3-5, will provide the world an opportunity to review its policies with action.

Source African Press Agency

Net News Publisher