Oxfam response to latest FAO food price index

Urgent action needed by governments to tackle root causes of crisis at next week's UN Committee for World Food Security

Oxfam’s GROW campaign policy adviser Luca Chinotti said:

“Cereal food prices remain 18% higher than a year ago and future prospects confirm that food prices are set to remain high and volatile. The poorest who spend up to 80 percent of their income on food are and will continue to be worst affected. When the food price crisis first hit the headlines in 2007/08 governments rightly put it at the top of the international agenda but so far we have just had unfulfilled promises and a clear failure to take the bold actions needed to tackle the root causes of the crisis.

“Next week’s UN’s Committee on World Food Security meeting in Rome is where the major decisions to tackle hunger must be made. Governments must agree on urgent and ambitious responses to address the causes of hunger and reduce food price volatility by scrapping harmful biofuels targets which are turning food into fuel, regulate commodities markets to curb excessive speculation and increase food reserves in poor countries so they can cope with shocks and extremes in prices.

“At the same time, a massive increase in public investment in small scale sustainable agriculture is needed along with regulation of land investment to stop land grabs and a commitment to increase gender equality to ensure that everybody has enough to eat today and in the future.”