World Food Crisis: Ki-moon Says Production Must Rise By 50%

World food production must rise by 50% by 2030 to meet increasing demand, the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, told the UN food summit today.

He urged a quick resolution of world trade talks and said nations must minimize export restrictions and import tariffs to alleviate the food price crisis.

The Rome summit was organized by the UN's food and agricultural organization to address the global food crisis, which has made 100 million more people hungry over the last year.

However, the summit has been overshadowed by the Zimbabwe president, Robert Mugabe, who made a surprise appearance yesterday. It was his first official trip since his country's contested presidential elections in March.

The foreign office minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Mark Malloch Brown, said Mugabe's attendance was "like inviting Pol Pot to a human rights conference".

He said: "Zimbabwe is one of the few countries whose food crisis is not due to climate change or global prices, but due to the disastrous policies pursued by Mugabe."

Pope Benedict XVI today told the summit hunger and malnutrition were "unacceptable" in a world that had enough resources.

He said millions of people were looking to the leaders present for solutions, while their very survival and security were at risk. He urged nations to make "indispensable" structural reforms to aid development.