This is the other oil shock. From India to Indiana, shortages and soaring prices for palm oil, soybean oil and many other types of vegetable oils are the latest, most striking example of a developing global problem: costly food.
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The food price index of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, based on export prices for 60 internationally traded foodstuffs, climbed 37 percent last year. That was on top of a 14 percent increase in 2006, and the trend has accelerated this winter.
In some poor countries, desperation is taking hold. Just in the last week, protests have erupted in Pakistan over wheat shortages, and in Indonesia over soybean shortages. Egypt has banned rice exports to keep food at home, and China has put price controls on cooking oil, grain, meat, milk and eggs.
According to the F.A.O., food riots have erupted in recent months in Guinea, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Senegal, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
“The urban poor, the rural landless and small and marginal farmers stand to lose,” said He Changchui, the agency’s chief representative for Asia and the Pacific
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2 comments:
Hi Deep,
I am encouraged to remember that we are only on the very beginning of the learning curve on bio-fuel. With the new information on switch grass, the new 15 billion dollar grant foundation in Dubai (?)to promote hydrogen power and solar power I believe things will turn around...in the meanwhile of course there will be tremendous hardship on those who have already suffered the most in this world.
Steve Ing
Re: Dubai--it is amazing that alternative energy research of this magnitude is coming out of the Middle East!
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