By Prensa Latina
Cairo : The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has suggested to invest oil profits to develop agriculture in poor countries in the Middle East.
The proposal was made by FAO Director General Jacques Diouf at the 29th Conference of that UN agency, which was held in this capital.
Diouf explained that as in rich countries like Saudi Arabia most land is desert, poor states with fertile land lack the necessary means to invest in agriculture and palliate food shortages.
This and other issues were discussed by the ministers of Agriculture from 22 countries of the region who met over the past five days to study the negative effects of climate change on agriculture and regional food security.
According to the FAO official, regional agriculture will be affected by great losses over the next few years, due to high temperatures, drought, floods and soil degradation.
Other negative factors, such as high prices and increased world demand, will cause food shortages, Diouf pointed out.