UN warns on soaring food prices

New York, 18 Jun-(ANA)-Global prices of food could climb by as much as 40 per cent in the coming decade, as the global population continues to surge, a new United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization  report has warned.

The Agriculture Outlook 2010-19 anticipates that wheat and coarse grain prices could jump to levels of between 15 and 40 per cent higher than they were between 1997 and 2006, while vegetable oil and dairy prices are also projected to rise by more than 40 per cent. Spikes in livestock prices are not expected to be as marked, even in the face rising global demand for meat which is set to outpace demand for other commodities as some segments of the population in emerging economies alter their dietary habits due to increased wealth.

The report, jointly published with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), notes that global agricultural output will ease in the next decade, but food production will meet the demand generated by surging population growth by 2050.(ANA)

FA/ANA/18 June 2010-----