The Regional Office for the Near East of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will hold Regional Seminar on “Policy and Programmatic Actions to Address High Food Prices in the Near East Region” in Amman, Jordan during the period 9 – 10 May 2011.

The meeting aims to help the governments of the member countries in the region in taking immediate and long range steps to face the current increase of food prices, in addition to introducing the latest developments of current prices and the experiences of countries in confrontation with the prices crisis in 2008.The meeting will be organized in consultative atmosphere and in presence of high ranking officials of agricultural policies in the member countries in the region and experts from FAO, World Bank and regional specialized organizations in addition to civil society and private sector organizations.

Dr. Saad AlOtaibi, FAO ADG/Regional Representative for the Near East stated that the meeting will discuss the current situation of food prices soaring and the compared with the situation in 2007/2008, in light of the harvest of 2010 which comes favourable and above average in many imported countries of food especially in Africa. Consequently, the prices in these countries were steady or at least were not increased as recorded in the international markets. He added that it is worth noting that cereals index was high of about 62% of its average in June 2010 but it was still less than recorded in April 2008 with 11%, whereas rice prices did not exceed half of its recorded increase in 2008. 

Dr. AlOtaibi mentioned that the consultative meeting will discuss also the potential increase in the prices and its extreme fluctuations during this current year 2011 with special focus on the first half of the year because of the quantity and quality of the expected harvest in the main producing countries during upcoming months are still unknown. The high prices of food commodities represent a great concern for the low income-food deficit countries which may face problems in financing its food imports. This could serious destruction for the poor resource families who spend large amount of its income on food. The high prices in the period 2007-2008 resulted in adding 80 million persons to hungry people in the world.