PIP: At the threshold of 1994 at least 20 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Near East were familiar with severe food shortages which threaten millions of persons with hunger and malnutrition. Existing food products exist in enough quantity to feed 5.4 millions of persons worldwide, but the problem comes with distributing them to persons who are famished and malnourished, according to the Director General of the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). War, civil strife, and economic chaos exacerbate the situation in eight countries that are in danger of food shortages. FAO estimates that there are almost 790 million persons with chronic malnutrition in the developing world, of which 190 million are children suffering from protein energy malnutrition. Some 190 million persons suffer from hidden hunger, diseases due to dietary micronutrient deficiency which can slow mental and physical growth and lead to blindness and other serious disorders. In 1993, global production of cereals fell dramatically by 4% (1.88 billion tons), putting stress on the serious regional food shortages and imposing higher prices on international markets. The harvest decline also means that global cereal stocks will be reduced in 1994. General stocks are going to stay in the order of 17-18% of annual consumption, the minimum percentage to guarantee global food security. To avoid a larger puncture in the safety net that represents global cereal stocks for global food security, a minimum increase of about 65 million tons, or 3% of global cereal production, is necessary in 1994. This depends largely on 1994 atmospheric conditions. A blow to an increase in cereal production would have serious effects on international cereal prices which are already high in response to the restructuring of supplies in 1993-1994 and on food security perspectives, particularly for countries with food shortages. FAO has estimated differences in the world supply of various cereals.