LONDON : Some countries may have to implement retail price controls on food in the near future because of rising prices for consumers, the UN's food chief said in an interview published Monday.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Jacques Diouf also said that he would not be surprised if the rising food prices sparked riots in parts of the world, adding that food price inflation had become an "even more serious problem" in recent weeks as the rises have started to hit consumers.

"Many (countries) will have to take hard decisions because of the impact of food prices," Diouf told the business daily.

"In some countries there will be price controls, some will scrap import tariffs on food to minimise the impact of rising costs and others will increase food subsidies."

Diouf added that if "prices continue to rise, I would not be surprised if we began to see food riots."

The UN special rapporteur on the Right to Food sought to drum up support Friday for his proposal for a five-year UN moratorium on converting arable land for food to the production of biofuels.

The International Monetary Fund last week warned that an increasing global reliance on grain as a source of fuel could drive up food prices in poor countries with "serious implications". - AFP/ch