By Robin Pomeroy
ROME (Reuters) - It has been described as a global crisispushing 100 million people into hunger, threatening to stokesocial and political turmoil and set the fight against worldpoverty back by seven years.
Now, the food price crisis will be tackled by world leaderswho meet in Rome next week to seek ways of reducing thesuffering for the world's poorest people and ensure the Earthcan produce more food to sustain an ever growing population.
"It's time for action," said Jacques Diouf, the head of theUnited Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) whocalled the summit late last year before the full extent of thefood price crisis was clear.
World Bank President Robert Zoellick underlined the urgencyof the problem, announcing $1.2 billion (609 million pounds) inloans and grant financing for countries struggling with foodand fuel costs.
"It is crucial that we focus on specific action," he said."This is not an issue like HIV/AIDS where you need someresearch breakthrough. People know what to do."
A combination of factors, including poor harvests, lowstocks and rising demand, have collided over the last one totwo years to cause massive, sudden rises in many food commodityprices which very few people saw coming.
Food prices will remain high over the next decade even ifthey fall from current records, the FAO said in a report.
Diouf said he expected some 40 heads of state or governmentat the meeting on Tuesday to Thursday next week.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has set up his owntask force, will attend, as will the leaders of France, Spain,Japan, Brazil, Argentina and some African nations.
Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is also expected for his firsttrip to Western Europe as president and first major appearancein the West since addressing the U.N. in New York last year.
Delegates from 151 countries can be expected to make worthystatements on beating poverty, but the talks may revealdivisions on several underlying food and hunger-related issues:free trade, biofuels and genetically modified organisms.
PLAGUE
"World problems are much more complex than saying somethingis bad and something is good," Diouf told Reuters when askedwhether he expected the summit to criticise the rise ofbio-fuels -- usually energy made from foodstuffs -- in theUnited States and Europe for contributing to food price spikes.
"What is sure is that diverting around 100 million tonnesof cereals to biofuel has had an impact on food prices," headded.
Diouf has said he wants to get emergency aid to those worstaffected, seeds and fertilisers to farmers who can no longerafford them and plough investment into agriculture to ensurepoor countries can feed themselves in the future.
Josette Sheeran, head of another Rome-based food agency,the World Food Programme, had to appeal for an extra $755million to cover the additional cost of food aid caused by theprice hikes.
With that shortfall now covered by donor countries, Sheeransaid the crisis should be seen as "a wake up call to act now todefeat the plague of hunger once and for all".
Future rules on trade in agricultural products are seen asa key part of a long-term strategy to reduce poverty andhunger.
Developing countries have long complained about heavilysubsidised food from Europe and North America being dumped ontheir markets, damaging their own farmers.
The summit's timing, as the "Doha" world trade talksapproach a critical phase, will ensure trade is a hot topic inRome and the summit may serve to remind trade negotiators ofwhat is at stake in the so-called "development round".
(Editing by Ralph Boulton)
