ADB senior official says era of cheap food over

A senior official of the Asian Development Bank said Tuesday that high food prices will be a long-term trend.

"We all have to reconcile with the fact that the era of cheap food is over," ADB Managing Director General Rajat Nag was quoted by Kyodo as telling reporters in Singapore.

"Prices are definitely high in real terms, compared to the 70s and 80s, and

those trends will continue," he said. "The trend is toward upwards pressure

on land and cost of production."

He said the impact of the skyrocketing price of rice on Asia, where rice is a

staple, is "very very serious."