THE weekend press portrayed a grim scenario of starvation in parts of Africa and Asia through a shortage of cereal crops, due partly to climate change, and droughts in Australia which has been unable to produce anything near its usual wheat quota. The shortages of wheat and rice have meant a lot of Asians are down to one meal a day.

Also, increased demand by Chinese for foodstuffs cuts down on supply. It is to be hoped that a current meeting of world leaders will try to decide who produces biofuels and who produces wheat, and how the distribution can be fairly shared out, if at all possible.

There have already been riots in poorer countries, so this has to be worked out somehow.

Fred M Atkinson, Shincliffe, Durham.