Food prices require Doha deal - minister

Rising international food prices highlight the need to reform a "highly distorted" global agricultural system, a South African minister said on Tuesday.

The Doha Round of global trade negotiations, which was launched in 2001 to boost the global economy and ease poverty, has recently seemed closer to finalisation after stalling over disagreements on farm subsidies and import tariffs, but a breakthrough in agricultural talks on Tuesday proved elusive.

"We recognise the urgency of significantly reforming a highly distorted global agricultural trading system as a measure to respond to the threat to the poor of rising food prices everywhere," South African Deputy Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said.

Davies was speaking in Cape Town at the 118th Inter-Parliamentary Union assembly, due to discuss a range of topics under the theme of poverty alleviation.

Davies said momentum was building to conclude the Doha agreements, with a meeting scheduled next month to deal with the outstanding issue of modalities in the negotiations, but that more effort was needed.

Analysts say trade distortions have amplified the effect of rising global food prices on poorer developing countries.

"People are under pressure. Working class (people) particularly are paying the price of energy, food (increases), not the rich and the upper classes," said economist and Pan African Advisory Services chief executive Iraj Abedian.

South African unions have warned of food riots as other African and Asian countries experience violent protests over rising food prices.

Last week, five people died in food-related rioting in Haiti.

Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Kevin Liffey - Reuters