The World Bank is to offer immediate financial help to countries worst hit by sharp rises in food prices as part of a $1.2bn (£608m) assistance package.

Grants worth a total of $200m are being set aside for "high priority" countries most at risk from acute hunger.

Haiti and Liberia will get $10m each to feed their most vulnerable people while Djibouti will receive $5m.

The World Bank says 100 million people could be impoverished by the rising cost and scarcer availability of food.

It has also identified Togo, Yemen and Tajikistan as being in need of immediate assistance following recent needs assessments.

‘Immediate danger’

"It is crucial that we focus on specific action," said World Bank president Robert Zoellick.

"These initiatives will help address the immediate danger of hunger and malnutrition for the two billion people struggling to survive in the face of rising food prices."

Countries will be able to access money to provide food for schools and other core services as well as to buy essential items such as seeds and fertilizer.

The World Bank will also devote an additional $2bn next year to funding agricultural projects, including crop insurance schemes.

A United Nations report published on Thursday warned that prices for key staples such as wheat and beef could remain inflated for many years.

Source: BBC News