ROME, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Nations should cooperate to boost agricultural production in face of soaring food prices, the Chinese agriculture minister said here late Tuesday, calling for more assistance to developing countries.

    "Efforts should be made to intensify international cooperation in food and agriculture at all levels," Sun Zhengcai said at a world summit on food security hosted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

    Outlining priorities in global efforts to ensure food security amid price hikes, Sun said all countries in the world should in the first place attach greater importance to agricultural production.

    "Major grain producing countries shall redouble their efforts while developing countries shall adopt effective policy measures to boost inputs in food production and agriculture," he said.

    The summit, which kicked off Tuesday, was called at a time when the world is experiencing a dramatic increase in food prices.

    Agricultural commodity prices rose sharply in the past two years and continued to rise even more sharply in the first three months of 2008, with foodstuff such as rice, corn and wheat all reaching record highs, sparking riots in many countries and hitting poor countries the hardest.

    Sun urged the international community to take immediate and concerted actions to increase food assistance and to effectively respond to food emergencies.

    "International organizations and the developed countries should take more concrete actions to provide the developing countries with technical, financial and input support and help them raise food and agricultural productivities and ensure food security," he said.

    On biofuels, the most contentious issue at the summit, Sun said scientific guidance shall be given to the development of the bio-energy sector.

    A FAO report said the growth of biofuel production in face of record-high oil prices is a factor contributing to higher food prices.

    Sun also called for enhanced global cooperation in response to climate change, which is threatening long-term outlook of poor nations' food security.

    In an opening address to the summit earlier Tuesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged developed countries to open markets for agriculture products from developing countries and eliminate subsidies to farmers, a thorny issue hindering the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round negotiations.

    Developing countries have long complained about heavily subsidized food from Europe and the United States being dumped on their markets, damaging their own farmers.

    Sun said efforts should be made to improve food trade and achieve a win-win solution through cooperation, calling for an early conclusion of the Doha Round.

    "We shall renew our efforts to further improve the environment and establish a fair and equitable order for international agricultural trade and protect the initiatives of farmers for production in developing countries," he said.