LISBON, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Agriculture Minister Jaime Silva said Tuesday that the international community should extend effective "structural aid" to poor countries hit by hunger.

    Silva also proposed special cooperation between Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries to face the international food shortage.

    It is necessary an answer to the hunger problem instead of a theoretical discussion of the problem, Silva told the press after meeting with fishermen.

    Silva made these remarks before traveling to Italy to participate in the extraordinary meeting of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which began on Monday and ends Thursday in Rome, Italy.

    "The FAO and its members must give an answer today because hunger has already come," Silva said.

    Silva said world hunger has been aggravated due to the price hike of fuels and raw materials.

    Portugal proposes "structural aid for the countries where there is hunger," Silva said.

    "We have to transfer knowledge, to cooperate with every country, particularly developing countries, to fulfill their food need or at least their basic needs," Silva said.

    The FAO conference in Rome is discussing immediate measures to attenuate the impact of the international food shortage in the poorest countries.