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CSPR expresses concern over rising food prices

CSPR expresses concern over rising food prices
By Maluba Jere and Masuzyo Chakwe
Friday April 11, 2008 [04:00]

CIVIL Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) has said the rising food prices are threatening efforts against hunger and poverty reduction. And United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres has expressed concern about the impact of global food shortages on the world’s most impoverished people.

In an interview, CSPR executive director, Mulima Akapelwa, said her organisation was concerned about the rise in food prices and called on the government to put in place stringent measures that would address the effects of the increments.

“As an organisation that advocates poverty reduction, we are very concerned about the food prices because they have a negative impact on meeting the MDG goal number one of fighting poverty and hunger,” she said.

Akapelwa said food was a basic human need and that lack of access to it would lead to more deaths in children under the age of five.
“This will also have an impact on the health of mothers and under five children,” she said. “And that impact on health will have an effect on the goal of reducing infant mortality.”

She further advised farmers to seriously consider practising irrigation farming and that the government should help to strengthen production.

“In dealing with the effects of these high prices, the government should put in place measures to strengthen productivity in the agriculture sector,” Akapelwa said. “It’s sad enough that the budgetary allocation to the agriculture sector has been reduced this year, but more action is needed and off season crops must be encouraged. Small scale farmers especially should be encouraged to get into irrigation.”

And Guterres urged world leaders to support the World Food Programme (WFP) call for critical funds to address soaring food and fuel prices.

“I ask you to respond positively to the dramatic appeal of the UN’s WFP,” Guterres declared last Saturday at a meeting, gathering 12 centre-left world leaders and eight other key figures from the European Union and major international organisations.

WFP issued an extraordinary emergency appeal to government donors on March 20, saying due to soaring food and fuel prices, it was facing a shortfall of some US$500 million in its efforts to feed 70 million people this year.

Guterres called on former US President Bill Clinton, World Trade Organisation director general, Pascal Lamy and International Monetary Fund managing director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, to bear in mind the impact of rising energy prices and economic uncertainly on developing countries.

“The biggest threat to progressive governments in the developing world today is the rise of food prices for urban populations and the danger of public opinion triggering social unrest,” said Guterres.

Labels: CSPR, FOOD, INFLATION

posted by MrK @ 3:24 AM