Nations Clash at U.N. Food Summit in Rome

ROME — Only a sixth of the money needed to eradicate world hunger has been raised at the U.N. food summit in Rome as nations descended into bickering yesterday.

Although the 40 heads-of-state attending the summit agreed that it was vital to combat the global food crisis, there were huge divides on how that should be achieved and no obvious framework for action.

A call by the head of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, Jacques Diouf, for $30 billion to feed the world's 862 million hungry was broadly ignored.

His spokesman said: "Mr. Diouf just wanted to put the figure into perspective: it is only 10% of what the First World hands out in farm subsidies."

The number of people suffering from malnutrition has fluctuated around the 850 million mark for the past 20 years. However, rising food prices have this year triggered widespread riots, propelling the issue into the foreground.

The Islamic Bank pledged $300 million a year over the next five years, while the World Bank and the African Development Bank said they would make $1.2 billion and $1 billion available, respectively. The World Food Program pledged $1.2 billion.

The scene in Rome was fraught with disagreement over almost every issue. Mr. Diouf's comment that the West was grossly over-feeding obese people was criticized by the American agriculture secretary, Ed Schafer.

"I'm not sure why he was attacking obesity-challenged people about taking food out of other people's mouths," he said. "I thought it could have been handled in a calmer, nicer manner."

China rejected claims that a growing appetite among its 1.3 billion people for meat and milk has contributed to the crisis. Its agriculture minister, Zhengcai Sun, pointed out that China is self-sufficient and a net exporter of grain.