Agri-food systems are facing 'perfect storm' says FAO's Martina

(ANSA) - ROME, 21 OTT - The world's agri-food systems are currently "at the centre of a perfect storm", Maurizio Martina, the Deputy Director-General of the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said on Thursday, citing the effects of the El Niño climate phenomenon and the problems conflicts are causing for shipping, from the Strait of Hormuz to the Black Sea. "We need to diversify trade routes and ensure that they remain safe, secure and open," former Italian agriculture minister Martina told ANSA on the sidelines of a Rome forum organized by farmers' association Coldiretti. "Food logistics will increasingly become a strategic priority, including for the FAO. "We must strengthen systems for monitoring food and agricultural flows and develop new tools to anticipate shocks, an area where FAO can play a key role. "At the same time, we must continue to reaffirm a fundamental principle: food and agricultural commodities should always remain outside conflict". In February Premier Giorgia Meloni's government named Martina as its candidate to become the new director general of FAO. (ANSA).
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