NSW Farmers’ Association president Charles Armstrong issued this warning on Friday.

“The global population is expected to boom by almost 40 per cent by 2050, and food production will need to increase in order to be able to meet this demand,” Mr Armstrong said.

“Recent studies have found that global food production will need to grow by 70 per cent in this time to keep up with population growth and food demand.

“Given Australia’s potential capacity, we are one of the best placed nations to supply food to the developing world.

"However in order to do so, food production must be at the forefront of the government’s policy setting agenda.

“Government policy should support these initiatives, including maximising food production from available land, significantly ramping up research and development and increasing water productivity.

"This would allow Australia to become a leader in food production.

“The addition of Government support for infrastructure development, the reduction of trade distorting barriers and increase of competition in domestic markets would ensure food security, not only for Australia but also for much of the world.

“Our farmers are among the best in the world at producing clean, green and safe food in environmentally sustainable ways, which is why the Association continues to lobby Government for policy that promotes our ability to supply global food markets,” Mr Armstrong said.

“Despite the global food crisis, which came to a head in 2008, the underlying issues have not been addressed.

"There remain serious questions about the reliability of international markets to deliver sufficient quantities of food at affordable prices to the world’s population."

Mr Armstrong’s comments come following the Hawkesbury Conference ‘Feeding Sydney,’ focusing on food security and production, in Richmond, NSW, yesterday.