Climate change ups hunger risks in poor states-FAO

MILAN, Aug 8 (Reuters) Climate change with frequent droughts and floods is likely to cut food output and increase hunger risk in developing countries, the UN food agency said, adding its voice to global warming concerns.

Even small global temperature rises would trigger crop declines and raise the risk of hunger at lower latitudes, especially in the seasonally dry tropics, said Jacques Diouf, director general of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

''Rain-fed agriculture in marginal areas in semi-arid and sub-humid regions is mostly at risk,'' Diouf said in a statement after a conference in India.

''India could lose 125 million tonnes of its rain-fed cereal production -- equivalent to 18 per cent of its total production,'' he said.

Climate change has already hit forest areas and people leaving there as forest fires and outbreaks of forest pests and diseases have increased, FAO said.

Development of new biotechnologies can boost food output and reduce hunger risks in poor countries, but genetically modified crops ''with traits valuable for poor farmers... -- such as resistance to drought, extreme temperatures, soil acidity and salinity -- were not yet a reality,'' Diouf said.

On the contrary, industrialised countries may boost food output as crop yield potential was likely to increase at higher latitudes if global average temperature increased by to 1 to 3 degrees Celsius, he said.

Reuters SG DB0954