Oxfam reaction to FAO Food Price Index announcement

The Food and Agricultural Organisation's Food Price Index has today revealed that global food prices have remained at peak levels. In response, Oxfam’s head of advocacy for the GROW campaign Colin Roche said:

“Food prices remain at peak levels and governments cannot turn their backs on the need to take action. The G20 wants to wait for US crop results before acting when it’s clear that prices remain high and millions of people cannot afford to eat.

“Today’s FAO announcement comes a week after a World Bank report that the price of maize and soybeans peaked in July, two days after UN food agencies called for action, and a day after Oxfam released a report showing how extreme weather events like the US drought can cause prices to skyrocket.

"It's time for the G20 to call a meeting of its new Rapid Response Forum. Governments should end the biofuels mandates which convert food into fuel, act to ensure no export restrictions are imposed by the major food exporting countries, and provide assistance to poor people at risk.

“Long-term, government action is needed to prevent food crises by insisting on better regulation and more transparency in commodity markets, increasing investment in small holder agriculture and supporting poor countries to set up food reserves."

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FAO Food Price Index holds steady