Agriculture ministers from the G20 nations are meeting in Paris, in an attempt to tackle volatile¹ food prices.

来自20国集团的农业部长将汇聚巴黎，试图解决疯涨的食品物价问题。

The meeting comes a day after the World Bank unveiled a new measure to provide protection from volatile food prices in developing countries.

The new measure will allow food producers and consumers to hedge against（避免损失的措施） volatile prices.

Rising food prices have become a threat to the global economic recovery.

Robert Zoellick, the president of the World Bank called volatile food prices "the single gravest threat" the developing nations were facing.

"People are hungry for food and for action on a global level," he added.

'Sensible financial engineering'

The World Bank said that since June last year, rising and volatile food prices have led to an estimated 44 million more people living in poverty, under $1.25 (£0.77) a day.

It estimated that there are close to one billion hungry people worldwide.

Looking at the threat posed by volatile food prices, the World Bank has introduced a new risk management tool for the developing nations called the Agriculture Price Risk Management (APRM).

The organisation² said, its new tool will allow better access to hedging and thus shield consumers and producers of agricultural commodities from price volatility³.

It will protect buyers from price rises in food-related commodities such as wheat, sugar, cocoa, milk, live cattle, corn, soybean, and rice, the bank said.

"With this new tool, we can help farmers, food producers, and consumers protect themselves against price swings, strengthen their credit position, and increase their access to finance," said Mr Zoellick.

"This tool shows what sensible financial engineering can do: make lives better for the poor," he added.