By Laura MacInnis
BERNE (Reuters) - U.N. agencies and the World Bank will setup a task force on food to deal with the unprecedented rise inglobal food prices, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
"We consider that the dramatic escalation in food pricesworldwide has evolved into an unprecedented challenge of globalproportions that has become a crisis for the world's mostvulnerable, including the urban poor," the U.N. said.
"The challenge is having multiple effects with its mostserious impact unfolding as a crisis for the most vulnerable,"it said in a statement after a meeting of U.N. agency heads inthe Swiss capital, Berne, to chart a solution to food pricerises that have caused hunger, riots and hoarding in poorcountries.
Higher costs of wheat, rice, and other staples have putextreme pressure on aid providers such as the World FoodProgramme, a U.N. agency aiming to feed 73 million people thisyear.
The World Bank said in statement it was considering settingup a rapid financing facility to help poor and fragilecountries in particular and provide quicker, more flexiblefinancing for others.
The bank will double its lending for agriculture in Africaover the next year to $800 million (404 million pounds), itsaid.
"Though we have seen wheat prices fall over the last fewdays, rice and corn prices are likely to remain high, and wheatrelatively so," World Bank President Robert Zoellick told ajournalists.
Zoellick and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called oncountries not to ban food exports, since this would make theproblem worse.
"We are urging countries not to use export bans. Thesecontrols encourage hoarding, drive up prices and hurt thepoorest people around the world who are struggling to feedthemselves," Zoellick said.
Besides the short-term emergency response, theinternational community must focus on longer-term solutionsincluding efforts to bolster the world trading system, Zoellicksaid.
"The emergency is critical, but we can't stop there. Wehave to work with these other pieces," he said.
World Trade Organisation Director-General Pascal Lamy saidthe crisis was another urgent reason to conclude the Doha roundof trade talks to open up world trade.
The round, launched in 2001, is liberalise trade in foodand other goods and services by cutting tariffs and subsidies.
"I believe that today's call for action under the auspicesof the U.N. secretary-general can help WTO members gather thenecessary political energy in order to help developingcountries to increase their food production capacity," Lamysaid.
(Editing by Jonathan Lynn)