500 mln Starving in the World, Says fao Director

An estimated 500 million people, or about 10 pct of the world’s population, are living in critical condition, starving, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) director Edouard Saouma said.

Saouma, in Brazil for talks with agriculture officials, said he invited President Jose Sarney to make the opening speech at the International Day of Food in Rome October 16.

He also said he offered to send a technical mission to Brazil to help the government’s land reform campaign.

During his stay at the federal capital, Saouma said he signed three accords for development of technical projects by the FAO in Brazil, the largest of which calls for a 57 mln dlrs investment for irrigation of areas in the drought- stricken Brazilian northeast.