ROYAL SOCIETY FOOD SHORTAGE REPORT UNDERESTIMATES PROBLEM - WILLIAMS

4.24.18pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 21st Oct 2009

Commenting today on a report by the Royal Society that world food production would need to increase by 50% to meet the requirements of an estimated global population of 9 billion people, Roger Williams, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire and Liberal Democrat Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson, has welcomed the study but claimed that the report has underestimated the problem.

Mr Williams said:

"Whilst I welcome the report by the Royal Society, I believe that they have underestimated the situation.

"The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, recently stated that, whilst the population would indeed increase to 9bn by 2050, food production would need to increase by 100% to meet changing dietary habits and the increase in disposable income to spend on food, particularly in countries such as China.

"Whilst climate change may in fact benefit British producers in terms of their ability to increase yields, many other nations will struggle to meet their food requirements and therefore we as a nation have a duty not only to feed ourselves but to assist in supplying food to those nations that are unable to do so through domestic production.

"DEFRA must direct money towards improving the efficiency of farming, by investing in research and then exporting that research to other parts of the world so that other nations can apply the same technology to improve their own food production.

"I welcome the report by the Royal Society and would urge the Government to take on board the proposals and then go even further than recommended by the Society."