Paris: The head of the International Monetary Fund has warned that soaring world food prices can have dire consequences, such as toppling governments and even triggering wars.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn told France's Europe-1 radio that the price rises that set off rioting in Haiti, Egypt and elsewhere were an ''extremely serious'' problem. ''The planet must tackle it,'' he said.
The IMF chief said the problem could also threaten democracies, even in countries where governments have done all they could to help the local population. Asked whether the crisis could lead to wars, Strauss-Kahn responded that it was possible.
''When the tension goes above and beyond putting democracy into question, there are risks of war,'' he said. ''History is full of wars that started because of this kind of problem.''
Strauss-Kahn was appointed last year to head the IMF. He was a finance minister in the late 1990s in France.
Also on Friday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested a global partnership among financial institutions, governments and the private sector to tackle the reasons for rising food prices. He also said France is doubling its food aid Budget this year to about $60 million because 37 countries are experiencing ''serious food crises.''
Globally, food prices have risen 40 percent since mid-2007. The increases hit poor people hardest, as food represents as much as 60-80 percent of consumer spending in developing nations, compared to about 10-20 percent in industrialized countries, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization has said.
Low food prices are thing of the past
Amid rising commodity prices worldwide, UK-based strategic think-tank IISS ton has said that the era of cheap food and low-priced crude oil is a thing of the past and the world will have to learn to deal with the situation.
"It is difficult to envisage any way back to the era of cheap food and 10 dollar a barrel oil ... and this poses a significant challenge. There are no easy answers," PTI quoted Director of Transnational Threats and Political Risks Nigel Inkster at the opening press conference of the IISS-CITO Indian Global Forum.
He said rising food prices is a bigger challenge as it affects a large section of poor people in the world.
Replying to questions about India-Pakistan relationship, Consulting Senior Fellow Hilary Synnott said there has been "tremendous development in thinking and action" of both the countries in terms of safety and protection of nuclear arsenal.
He further said it is imperative for all countries possessing nuclear weapons to guard against accidental use.
Referring to the emergence of Communist Party in Nepal, Senior Fellow for South Asia Rahul Roy-Chaudhury said, "it is too early to make assessment on the nature of relationship that could develop, but there have been encouraging signals from Kathmandu".
The experts said India would have to take along its neighbours as it emerges as a rising power on the world scene.
The three-day Forum being organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), beginning today, will see participation of experts from Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, US and Pakistan.
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