From The Guardian–Food-producing countries must relax export controls and divert production away from biofuels to prevent millions more people being driven into poverty by higher food prices, the head of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, said on Thursday in Washington.

Without action to increase the supply of food, an extra 10 million people could fall below the extreme poverty line of $1.25 (76p) a day over the next few months, in addition to the 44 million pushed into poverty by soaring food prices over the past year, he warned.

A report by the World Bank found prices had jumped by 36% since April 2010, driven in part by higher fuel costs connected to events in the Middle East and north Africa,

Higher transport and fertiliser costs have sent the price of wheat, maize and soya back to levels last seen in the price boom of 2008.

“More poor people are suffering and more people could become poor because of high and volatile food prices,” said Zoellick. “We have to put food first and protect the poor and vulnerable, who spend most of their money on food.”

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