UN told to set up food stockpile program

clipped from www.sunstar.com.ph Sunday, July 27, 2008 UN told to set up food stockpile program AGRICULTURE Secretary Arthur Yap has asked the United Nations (UN) to set up either a regional or a global food stockpile program to help avert soaring food prices in the global landscape. The program will also prevent violent incidents especially in impoverished countries affected by the rising prices of basic commodities. Yap said the UN's World Food Program (WFP) should put up a "scheme" that would stabilize the world food supply, saying that the UN agency has the credibility and the track record to manage such program. "WFP should set up a food stockpile. They should be given a shot at managing food stock piles all over the world," he said during last Friday's media forum in Greenhills, San Juan. The agriculture chief said it is about time to put in place global food stockpiles where "we can draw food steadily" especially in time of food crisis.