"Negotiators at a UN food summit in Rome struck a compromise Wednesday night over the control of food exports, marking an effective agreement on all contentious issues for a declaration to be released at the summit's closing on the following day.

The negotiators at the three-day summit, sponsored by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), agreed on the second day to adopt wording that, without a direct reference to export controls, stresses the importance for governments to reduce measures that could harm stability in world food supply, said sources close to the conference. ...

The latest agreement followed a compromise the negotiators struck earlier in the day over the proposed control of biofuel output, the sources said. ...On the biofuel issue, a summit working group agreed to promote international dialogue and thorough research as part of their compromise, said the sources. ..." [Kyodo News (Japan)/Factiva]

AP adds that "...A copy of the draft obtained by AP ends with a pledge to alleviate the suffering caused by the crisis, to stimulate food production, to increase investment in agriculture, to address obstacles to food access and to use the planet's resources in a sustainable way. ...

The draft appeared to seek a balance between contrasting positions on biofuels that were highlighted during the summit. It said it was 'essential' to address the 'challenges and opportunities' posed by biofuels. ..." [The Associated Press/Factiva]

FT notes that "...The dispute over biofuels overshadowed a consensus reached yesterday to boost investment in agriculture to tackle the slowdown in farming productivity and announcements of multi-million dollar contributions to food aid and farm projects.

France promised $1 billion, Spain $500 million and the Islamic Development Bank $1.5 billion for food aid and agricultural development over the next five years. Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, said that higher levels of investment were critical to address rising global demand for food to meet population growth. ..." [The Financial Times (UK)/Factiva]

WSJ adds that "Governments at a global food conference pledged new financial aid to mitigate the effect of rising food prices in poor countries, but the promises fell far short of the $30 billion a year in extra spending the UN says is needed to halve world hunger. ... [The Wall Street Journal/Factiva]