Rome - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday told a United Nations food summit in Rome that international sanctions are hampering his country's agricultural reforms and harming its farmers.

He also accused "our neo-colonialist enemies" of wishing to see his southern African nation dependent on food imports.

Mugabe ended his speech wih an appeal: "May Western countries please remove their illegal and inhuman sanctions on my country and its people."

Mugabe is circumventing a travel ban imposed by the European Union because the three-day summit which began Monday is being held under the auspices of a UN agency, the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In his last visit to Rome in 2007, also to attend a FAO conference, the 85-year-old Zimbabwe leader attacked Britain, his country's former colonial ruler who he accused instigating an international campaign against him.

He also staunchly defended his confiscating of agricultural land from mostly white commercial farmers for redistribution to black farmers.

Critics have condemned the policy as a land grab to reward Mugabe's cronies and supporters in the military and police, while triggering a plunge in agricultural production and an increase in food scarcity.

On Tuesday, Mugabe briefly touched on "the equity and justice of our land reforms," but his words were more subdued, perhaps reflecting the current detente in Zimbabwe's power-sharing government.

In his speech he referred to Zimbabwe's problems, its efforts to ensure food security and fight against HIV/AIDS.

The country had experienced a "dramatic" 75 per cent increase in maize production in 1979, also thanks to support from the regionally-based Southern African Development Community.

Zimbabwe would attempt to build on this success, but needed more international support in measures to extend irrigation from the present 153,000 hectares to 453,000, Mugabe said.

In recent months the EU officials have signalled a willingness to reopen talks with Mugabe but have made full economic re-engagement with Zimbabwe and the lifting of travel sanctions targeted against Mugabe and his inner circle would dependent on the introduction of democratic reforms. (dpa)