Food prices on the rise

(Vatican Radio) A new United Nations index published this week found that food prices around the world have risen sharply.The increase is being blamed on extreme global weather conditions.
The UN, the Food and Agriculture Organization, found heavy rain in Brazil, severe drought in the US and production problems in Russia drove prices up by 6% last month.


The rise has sparked fears of a repeat of the 2007-08 food crisis which hit some of the world's poorest.


Lydia O’Kane spoke to Abdolreza Abbassian, FAO Senior Economist who says hopefully this time the price rise will not be as bad as four and five years ago. But he adds, one always has to be very careful. “The transmission of these high prices in international markets to the domestic markets, especially in vulnerable always puts those countries at risk.” Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s full interview with Abdolreza Abbassian