WTO deal among keys for food security - UK government

from Reuters


Even prosperous countries are growing more food due to food secuirity concerns. As this Reuters article explains, the British government has a new report on ways to tackle the global food crisis. - Kale

By Nigel Hunt

LONDON - More fertiliser in Africa, a global trade pact and maybe even genetically modified crops could help tackle global food security as rising prices drive millions into poverty, Britain's farm ministry said on Thursday.

Britons are increasingly growing their own food as prices rise and fears mount about future supplies, the ministry said in a report launching a debate on food security.

"High energy prices, poor harvests, rising demand from a growing population, use of biofuels and export bans have all pushed up prices and ... have sparked riots and instability in a number of countries around the world," the report said.

"The effects of these price increases are pushing millions of people in developing countries further into poverty and hunger," it added.

The ministry said global stability depended on there being enough food in the world to feed everyone and for it to be distributed in a way that was fair to all, criticising farm subsidies in the European Union and the United States.

"EU and U.S. tariffs and subsidies hinder the development of the agricultural sector in poorer economies," the report said, adding a world trade pact could lift millions out of poverty.

"They offer unfair incentives to farmers in developed countries to produce food, they deny poorer countries access to markets through protecting tariff barriers and they undermine local production in poorer countries."

Trade ministers from around the world are due to meet at the World Trade Organisation from next Monday as they seek to make a breakthough in the Doha round of negotiations.

The report said average the tariff on non-agricultural goods was 4 percent but tariffs of 70 percent were not uncommon for commodities such as sugar and beef under the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy.

AFRICAN FERTILISER

It said increasing productivity in developing countries would require more fertiliser. Fertiliser use in Africa was the world's lowest at 8 kg per hectare, against 311 kg in Britain.

Genetically modified (GM) crops could also have a role in helping meet future demand for food.

"It is possible that GM crops may be able to make an important contribution to improving crop yields and resilience. We need to see how the technology develops but we must not compromise safety or harm the environment," the report said.

The ministry said there was some evidence that growing demand for biofuels had contributed to rising food prices although the extent of the contribution was unclear.

Britain now produces 60 percent of its food, down from about 80 percent in the mid-1980s when output was boosted by European Union subsidies and trade barriers.

Link to full article. May expire in future.