(PARIS) - France's agriculture minister on Monday called for action to boost food production after soaring prices of basic foodstuffs sparked unrest in developing countries.

France is to present a proposal for a European food security initiative at a meeting of European farm ministers in Luxembourg later Monday, said Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier.

Barnier told BFM radio that "there should be recognition worldwide that the priority is agricultural food production."

"We can look at other things than food, for example bio-fuels, but the priority must be food," said Barnier.

The UN special rapporteur for the right to food, Jean Ziegler, has recently warned against production of biofuels on land that could be put to use for crops.

Basic foodstuff prices have all risen sharply in recent months, sparking violent protests in many countries, including Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Barnier said subsidies and development aid should be revamped to encourage agricultural production, which he said had been neglected over the past years by international institutions and donor organisations.

He also cited "too much liberalism, too much trust in the free market, with international speculation on commodities that are new and worrisome" as factors in the food crisis.

"We must not leave the vital issue of feeding people to the mercy of market laws and international speculation," he said.

Rising food prices and their threat to political stability gained prominence during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Washington over the weekend.

World Bank president Robert Zoellick said millions of people could be at greater risk because of soaring food costs and urged governments to act now so that a bigger price would not have to be paid later.

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

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