The International Finance Corporation, the World Bank's private sector arm, will boost lending to agribusiness by up to 30 per cent in the next three years, as it promotes the role of the private sector in the fight against hunger.
The move comes as the IFC reports today that it lent agribusiness a record $2bn in its 2009 fiscal year, which ended in June 30, up from $400m five years ago. It said the huge increase in lending was a response to “the global food price hike.”
World leaders meeting at last month's Group of Eight summit of rich countries in L'Aquila, Italy, agreed to put an “emphasis on private sector growth” to tackle global hunger.