Worldbank Report blames Biofuels for Global Food Price Crisis

Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75 percent -- far more than previously estimated -- according to a confidential World Bank report published in a British newspaper Friday.

The figure contradicts U.S. government estimates that plant-derived fuels have contributed less than 3 percent to food-price increases, the newspaper said.

It will add to pressure on governments in Washington and Europe, which have turned to biofuels to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and reduce their dependence on imported oil.

The Guardian said senior development sources believed the report, completed in April, had not been published to avoid embarrassing President Bush. "It would put the World Bank in a political hot-spot with the White House,"said one source.