VIENNA, April 25 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday rising food prices had developed into a global crisis.

"This steeply rising price of food has developed into a real global crisis," he told journalists in Vienna.

"The United Nations is very much concerned as all members of the international community (are)," he said, adding that the international community needed to take immediate action.

Asian rice prices have almost trebled this year and anger over high food and fuel costs in recent months has sparked protests in several countries.

National governments of several grower countries, worried about domestic shortages, have implemented export curbs, spooking markets at a time when world inventories are down sharply from recent years. (Reporting by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Matthew Jones)

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