Long-term hunger looms large for millions of people in Asia, unless governments invest heavily in agricultural production and put more money in the hands of the poor, says this report. The region is failing to deal with hunger because of an overemphasis on economic growth, it says. The UN estimates that 61 percent or 615 million of the world’s 923 million undernourished people are in Asian and Pacific nations, a staggering figure when considered against the robust growth rates seen in countries such as India and China. Over 50 percent of the world’s undernourished children are in South Asia, predominantly in rural areas. Asian policies of relentlessly pursuing high growth rates have failed to trickle down to the poorest, it seems.