UN Food Summit

The UN Secretary General has spoken out on food production

1.What measures have some countries taken to deal with rising food prices?

2.True or false? The UN Secretary General has praised these measures.

3.What is happening with regard to government subsidies for food production?

4.True or false? Most developing countries need to import food from other countries.

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UN Food Summit 联合国食品高峰会

Background:联合国秘书长潘基文呼吁采取紧急行动来对付全球高昂食品价格问题，他在今年六月罗马高峰会议上呼吁采取措施来解决食品这一国际贸易问题。

A number of countries have responded to the high cost of food by imposingexport restrictions 出口限制, or even bans, or by seeking to control prices.

The UN Secretary General said such measures onlydistort markets 扭曲/误导市场and force prices even higher. These policies are generally intended todivert supplies 改变供应路线to local markets and to alleviate price rises for local consumers.

Many observers see them as understandable but ultimatelycounter-productive 事倍功半because if farmers do not get the full benefit of increased prices, theincentive 动力for them to increase production is weakened.

Those incentives are sure to be a key element in the global response to the current food problem. Already, the prices of manyfood crops 粮食作物- although still high - have come down from theirpeaks 高峰期in the expectation ofsubstantial supply increases 实质性地增加供应 for some crops in the coming season.

The shape of the global food business is also affected bygovernment subsidies, 政府补贴notably in the United States and Europe.

Cuts in those subsidies are a key part ofglobal negotiations 全球磋商underway in theWorld Trade Organisation 世界贸易组织, and Mr Ban called for a rapid resolution of those talks.

But even if the talks do end soon, and there has been some sign of progress at WTO headquarters in recent weeks, the significance ofsubsidy cuts 削减补贴would be longer term.

Lower subsidies in the rich countries world might make it a little easier for less subsidised farmers to compete and develop the capacity to feed their own countries.

Manydeveloping countries 发展中国家, including most in Africa, do not currently produce enough to meet their own needs.

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Answers

1.What measures have some countries taken to deal with rising food prices?
They have limited exports of food and attempted to control prices.

2.True or false? The UN Secretary General has praised these measures.
False. Ban Ki Moon criticised these practices, saying they push food prices up and distort markets.

3.What is happening with regard to government subsidies for food production?
Talks are taking place at the WTO to cut government subsidies especially in the US and Europe.

4.True or false? Most developing countries need to import food from other countries.
True. Many such countries do not produce enough food to feed their people.