The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says food prices in Asia remain high despite a brief drop in April.
联合国粮农组织说，亚洲粮食价格4月间一度短暂下跌后，又是居高不下。

According to the FAO, the retail cost of wheat and rice in Asia declined slightly last month, the first drop in nine months.
联合国粮农组织说，亚洲小麦和大米的零售价格4月份一度小幅下降。那是九个月来的第一次粮价下跌。

The price of rice, Asia’s staple, dropped two percent in Cambodia and Sri Lanka, and about half a percent in Bangladesh, it says. In India, the price of wheat declined seven percent.
粮农组织说，那次，亚洲人的主食大米的价格在柬埔寨和斯里兰卡下降了两个百分点。而在孟加拉只跌了大约半个百分点。印度的小麦价格曾下跌百分之七。

The oil factor
But the FAO attributed the fall in food costs to a brief, sharp drop in the price of crude oil. 　
粮农组织将那次粮价下跌，归因于原油价格短暂而直线的跌落。

Despite the price drop in some places, the cost of rice from one year ago is still higher by 29 percent in Bangladesh, 25 percent in China and 40 percent in Vietnam and Laos.
尽管有些地区价格下跌，但是和一年前相比，各地米价都有上涨。孟加拉的米价比一年前高出百分之29，中国的米价高出百分之25，而越南和老挝的米价则涨了百分之40。

The FAO's representative for the Asia-Pacific region, Hiroyuki Konuma, told reporters Wednesday that food prices across the region remain high and are hurting the poor most.
联合国粮农组织驻亚太地区代表小沼弘之星期三告诉记者，这个地区的粮价居高不下，对穷人伤害最大。

“So, negative impact of the retail price hike of food commodities, particularly of staple food like rice and wheat, it’s affecting the poor households which spend as much as 70 percent of their income for food,” Konuma said.
小沼弘之说：“食品零售价格高涨，特别是作为主食的大米和小麦，影响了贫困家庭。他们收入的百分之70要花在食物上。”

World food prices hit a record high in February as the cost of crude oil was driven up by political instability in the Middle East and North Africa.
今年2月，由于中东及北非政局不稳，原油价格升高，导致粮食价格又破高峰纪录。

The price of oil is closely linked to the price of food through transportation and processing costs.
由于运输和生产过程必需的成本，油价和粮价的关系紧紧相扣。

Precautions
Konuma says countries need to take urgent precautions to prevent a repeat of the 2008 food price crisis when costs of some staples doubled in a matter of months. He recommends countries establish social security nets for the poor and emergency food reserves.
小沼弘之说，各国都需要采取紧急的谨慎态度，避免2008年的粮食危机再次出现。那时，一些主食粮价在几个月之间，翻了一倍。他建议各国建立紧急粮食储备，并为贫困家庭建立社会安全网。

“And, improving the availability of food security and market information. This is one of the factors that create unnecessary speculation and also panic buying,” he said.
他说：“还要加强食品安全和市场信息。这些都是造成不必要的市场投机和抢购的因素之一。”

The FAO expects about a two percent increase in rice production in 2011 but a slight decline in wheat production.
联合国粮农组织预期，2011年的大米生产大约会增加百分之二。但是小麦产量会减少一些。

Despite rising prices, Konuma said food production is expected to meet global market demand but is still falling short of the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goal of halving the hunger rate by 2015.
小沼弘之说，虽然价格上涨，粮食产量仍然足以应付全球市场的需求，但是目前的粮食产量无法达成联合国的千禧年发展目标。这个目标要在2015年将全世界饥饿率减少一半。

The World Bank says since October rising food prices have pushed more than 40 million people into extreme poverty.
世界银行说，去年10月份以来，已经有四千多万人因粮价上涨而陷入极度贫穷之中。