The United Nations (UN) agencies
have called for swift and coordinated international actions in a bid to maintain
stable prices for food stocks.
In a press statement jointly
prepared by three UN agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FOA), the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food
Programme (WFP) made available to NaijaAgroNet, revealed the need to maintain food
price so that it does not turn to a catastrophe.
This, the agencies said, could hurt
tens of millions over the coming months, and that the problems of some high
food prices must be solved as well as the long-term issue of how we produce and
consume.
Also, the agencies, disclosed that
the food price hike does not affect every country in same way that the urban,
rural poor and those in food import-dependent countries are most vulnerable to
the international increase in prices as the listed categories spent a larger
part of their incomes on food.
Findings by the bodies affirmed
that although some smallholder farmers fall into the category of poor and food
insecure that they can powered to take the food price hike advantages by
becoming part of the solution and improve the overall food security.
NaijaAgroNet learnt that part of initiatives
employed by the UN agencies comprise the UN High-Level Task Force on Global
Food Security and Agricultural Markets Information System (AMIS), to improve
transparency in the global food market.
Also part of the initiative, the
Rapid Response Forum was set up to facilitate coordinated policy responses by
the major world producers and traders of key cereals and soybeans.
WFP made an estimation of extra
$200 million, about N31.6 billion per year for food assistance for every 10 per
cent increase in food price; everyone is vulnerable as global grain production
in a good year is not enough to meet the growing demand for food.
Yinka Awosanya/LS
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