United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to "act now" to deal with the food price crisis that has caused hunger and riots across the globe.

"Today's problem will only grow larger tomorrow unless we act now today. I call on you to take bold and urgent steps to address the root causes of this global food crisis. We want the firm commitment to moving ahead."

The secretary-general told the Rome summit that nations must join hands to minimize  export  restrictions （export restriction 出口限制） and import tariffs during the food price crisis and quickly resolve world trade talks.

"Only by acting together, in partnership can we overcome this crisis today and for tomorrow. Nothing is more degrading than hunger, especially when it is man made."

Ban Ki-moon warned that world food production must rise by 50 percent by 2030 to meet increasing demand.

He added that a UN task force set to deal with the crisis was recommending that nations improve vulnerable people's access to food and take action to increase food availability in communities.

The Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organization is hosting the three-day summit to try to solve the short-term emergency of increased hunger caused by  soaring  prices（物价飞涨） .