WASHINGTON, April 18: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has joined other world leaders in warning that the current food crisis can lead to social instability across the globe.

“The rapid rise in global food prices is an urgent concern,” said Ms Rice. “Those who are hit hardest are the poorest people.”

A transcript provided by the US State Department on Friday quoted her as pointing out that the international community needs to work together to overcome this crisis.

“Rising food prices are a source of social instability, as we are seeing in a number of places around the globe,” she said.

“This is a matter of social justice because no one should have to spend all of their daily wages just to buy their daily bread.”

Ms Rice warned that this current emergency has long-term challenges and needs a long-term approach. She blamed a number of causes for this emergency, ranging from fast-growing global demand to devastating droughts to record high fuel costs. The US administration is seeking $350 million from Congress for emergency food assistance and an additional $200 million for unanticipated needs.

The US administration also has asked Congress for the authority to provide more of food assistance through locally purchased agriculture to support farmers in the poor regions of the world.

Leading economists and finance ministers from across the globe, who met in Washington last week, have warned that the world is moving towards a food crisis that may lead to wars and riots.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick noted that in many developing countries, the poor spend up to 75 per cent of their income on food.

The price of wheat had risen 120 per cent over the past year. Over the past three years, food prices overall have risen 83 per cent, the World Bank estimates.