World food crisis alarms media

Filipinos protest against spiralling price increases

As food prices rise across the world and fears of a shortage of essential grain crops rise with them, newspapers in vulnerable areas warn of civil unrest or revolution if a solution is not found soon.

Several Asian papers suggest that the answer is to increase food production. One Arab daily urges the region's oil-rich states to fund investment in agriculture.

But not everyone is worried by the situation. A Thai paper and a Brazilian analyst predict good opportunities for their countries to make money.

ASUMAN BISIIKA in UGANDA'S NEW VISION

Africa's culture of bad governance and lack of strategic planning compounds food shortages. That is why there are fears that the now-incessant food shortages could lead to civil unrest; for is it not said that "a hungry man is an angry man"?

FRANCOIS OUEDRAOGO in BURKINA FASO'S LE PAYS

The rising cost of living... is feeding social disaffection and tensions which have led populations to march and to break things in order to be heard.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO'S LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR

The food crisis that is currently affecting the world and that the experts have compared to a real tsunami should set the authorities in DR Congo thinking... Empty stomachs do not have ears. Hungry people cannot take part effectively in the process of developing our country.

ALI ABU-AL-RISH in UNITED ARAB EMIRATES' AL-ITTIHAD

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for an agriculture revolution to face the global food crisis... What takes place on the global food market was caused by hidden trade companies, and the crisis will not be solved unless countries intervene and take the initiative.

ALI QASIM in SYRIA'S AL-THAWRAH

Hunger is the other face of the tragedy facing humanity. It poses a new challenge to the established world order... What is more dangerous is that major countries attribute responsibility for this crisis to policies and countries that have been for decades victims of the greed of these powerful countries.

YASIR AL-ZA'ATRAH in JORDAN'S AL-DUSTUR

The revolution of the hungry is in store for many countries... In our Arab countries in particular and the third world in general, if these countries do not... protect the poor from the gloomy economic future awaiting them, the patience of the people will run out gradually and they could revolt against their regimes.

BADR ABD-AL-MALIK in UAE'S AL-BAYAN

The Arab countries should respond very quickly to the crisis... we have oil-rich countries that are capable of investing in this field and making considerable gains.

FATHI KHATTAB in EGYPT'S AL-AHRAR

There is more than one face to the current reality, namely "the food crisis"... I believe that the right explanation is the one which takes into consideration the new dimensions of the rise of oil prices and the weakness of the dollar... The fate of millions of hungry people hinges on the new US president.

AMINE LOFTI in ALGERIA'S EL WATAN

Food security is a matter of survival for a number of countries around the world. Algeria does not yet figure among the number... The threat is therefore not immediate and pressing. But it is a real concern for future generations.

THAILAND'S THE BANGKOK POST

Thailand stands to make a lot of money in the coming days from the suddenly rising prices of food worldwide... So far, the government deserves credit for its handling of what some call a crisis... In no way has the country contributed to a rice emergency.

BANGLADESH'S THE DAILY STAR

Bangladesh has no other way but to go all out for increasing food production at optimum level to evade the threat of global hunger.

ZHOU YONGPING in CHINA'S RENMIN RIBAO

The root of these problems lies in the poor food circulation system which is insufficient to support the actual consumption demand.

HONG KONG'S CHINA DAILY

To address growing concerns over long-term grain prices, the authorities should encourage farmers to increase production with more fiscal incentives.

MIRIAM LEITAO on BRAZIL'S GLOBO TV

This is Brazil's hour. The country can increase production by taking the right decisions - valuing and protecting workers and respecting the environment.

BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.