Rising food prices limiting UN food programme's reach: WFP chief

LONDON (AFP) - Rising food prices around the world are limiting the World Food Programme's ability to continue feeding the 90 million people who rely on its aid in each of the past five years, the organisation's chief said in an interview published Monday.

Speaking to the Financial Times, the WFP's Executive Director Josette Sheeran said that rising food prices were "already having an impact on WFP operations."

"There is a realisation we are facing a new level of challenge."

Food prices have been on the rise in recent months because of the increasing usage of crops for biofuels and because of growing demand from India and China.

"In a world where our contributions are holding fairly steady, this (the cost increase) means we are able to reach far less people."

She said that the WFP's purchasing costs had risen "almost 50 percent in the last five years."

"We face the tightest agricultural markets in decades and, in some cases, on record."

The WFP, an agency of the United Nations, feeds people in countries such as Chad and Uganda, but only reaches a small portion of the 850 million people it estimates suffer from hunger.

It spent about 600 million dollars (435 million euros) buying food last year.