United Nations Radio

World food production must rise by 50 percent by 2030 to meet increasing demand.

That's what UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the opening of the High-Level Conference on World Food Security Tuesday in Rome.

The Secretary-General says countries have "an historic opportunity to revitalize agriculture, especially in countries where productivity gains have been low in recent years."

"Governments have already begun to respond. Some countries are helping farmers pay for basic agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilizers, the price of which has been so significantly affected by the rise in oil prices."

The Secretary-General says there's an urgent need "to find ways to support these initiatives politically and financially."

He says a task force set up to deal with the crisis has recommended that nations improve vulnerable people's access to food and take immediate steps to increase food availability in their communities."

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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