BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Developing countries risk causing a "spiral of protectionism" and aggravating food shortages when they try to combat soaring food prices by blocking their own exports, Europe's trade chief said on Thursday.
Several developing countries have introduced measures suchas export duties to keep more of their agricultural productionin national markets and cool strong food price inflation.
"By chasing an illusion of food security these policiesthrottle domestic production, choke off supplies to others andrisk leading to a spiral of protectionism and dwindlingproduction," European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelsonsaid.
The rise in prices of basic staples has been linked togrowing demand from countries such as China and the growing useof crops to provide fuel.
Kazakhstan this week suspended wheat exports untilSeptember and Russia and Ukraine have limited exports of wheatand barley. Argentina has extended the closure of its wheatexports.
Mandelson, speaking at a trade seminar in the EuropeanParliament, said governments in developing countries facedpolitical pressure to tackle food price growth.
"But as a general rule export taxes, quotas or bans do notmake economic or development sense. In the case of basicagricultural commodities, they make even less sense," he said.
Mandelson also questioned the long-term logic of richcountries subsidising their farm production and exports.
France -- the biggest single beneficiary of the EU's 44billion euros (35 billion pounds) a year paid in farm subsidies-- and other European countries accuse Mandelson of making toomany farm concessions to secure a new World Trade Organisationdeal.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy in March suggestedspurring domestic production and making Europe less dependenton imports.
Mandelson said settling the WTO's long-delayed Doha roundof negotiations for a global trade deal -- launched in 2001 --was the best long-term option for helping developing countriesas it would open up markets and reduce rich-country farmsubsidies.
Ministers are expected to meet at the WTO in Geneva in amonth's time for a potentially last-gasp attempt at a Doha dealbefore changes in the U.S. administration and at the EuropeanCommission next year set the process back yet further.
(Reporting by William Schomberg)