Major investments in agrofuel development should be put on hold unless they met stringent criteria, a UN expert said in a report Tuesday, warning that pushing ahead could lead to food shortages.
Efforts should be made to reach an international consensus on biofuels and agrofuel development to avoid skewed development in producer countries, said Oliver de Schutter, the UN's Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.
"The conclusion that emerges... is that the current path in the development of agrofuels for transport is not sustainable, and that if such development goes unchecked, further violations of the right to food will result," he said in the report published on Tuesday.
Before an international consensus was formed on the issue, any major new investment in agrofuel development should be allowed only if assessments were "positive in terms of its implications, both at the domestic and international levels," he added.
The development of biofuels has accelerated as major fuel-consuming countries such as the United States promoted the use of the fuel as a greener alternative to fossil fuels.
Higher oil prices have meanwhile encouraged consumers to embrace biofuels.