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Tanzania: Annan to Speak On Food Crisis
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The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
29 April 2008
Posted to the web 30 April 2008
Bernard Missoke
Dar es Salaam
Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan is on May 2 this year, scheduled to address a global meeting on food crisis amid growing concerns over worldwide shortages.
Mr Annan, who is also the board chairman of the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa, is expected to present a paper on immediate and long-term measures to contain the situation, a statement released yesterday by the alliance said.
Several agricultural and economic experts are also expected to attend and make presentations on food crisis at the meeting that will be held in Salzburg, Austria.
The meeting comes at a time when food prices have doubled in the last three years, and the cereal bill for low-income food-deficit countries in Africa is projected to increase by another 74 per cent this year.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, 33 million young children are malnourished, even as food riots have broken out in more than half a dozen African countries. With Africa's own food production tragically low, the continent remains dependent on food imports and food aid.
In his speech, Annan will present "an ambitious programme for African green revolution geared towards doubling or tripling productivity of smallholder farmers on the continent as well as progress in boosting sustainable food production and reduction of food insecurity."
The statement said experts have been gathering at the Salzburg global meeting entitled 'Towards Green Revolution in Africa', which highlighted new opportunities and critical challenges to foster uniquely African green revolution.
Addressing a UN high-level meeting in Switzerland on Monday UN secretary-general Ban Ki moon underlined the growing global food crisis calling for immediate and long tem measures to tackle it.
Mr Ki moon called for the building of consensus around measures on development financing that would lead to stable and predictable long-term resource flow to developing countries.
"The rapidly escalating crisis of food availability around the world has reached emergence proportions," said Mr Ki moon.
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The UN chief also said the international community should take urgent concerted action in order to avert larger political and security implication of the crisis.
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