United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says that rocketing food prices has become a global crisis.

Speaking at the United Nations offices in Austria, Ban urged all nations to take immediate action to solve the crisis.

"This steeply rising price of food it has developed into a real global crisis. The United Nations is very much concerned, as are all other members of the international community. We must take immediate action in a concerted way all throughout the international community."

Ban estimated that about 100 million of poorest people in the world who previously did not require help now can not afford to buy food.

"In a short time we must address all humanitarian crisis which has been impacting the poorest of the poor."

He added that the World Food Programme has made an urgent appeal for an additional 750 million US dollars to fill the gap.
The World Bank estimates that food prices have risen by more than 80 percent in three years.

The UN chief will host a meeting of key agencies next week in the Swiss capital Bern to discuss the growing global food crisis.