euro|topics - Eating at what cost?

02/12/2008

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Main focus of Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Eating at what cost?

Staple food prices continue to soar, inciting concerns and riots around the world. Is a food shock inevitable, or are there solutions to alleviate the crisis?

Le Temps - Switzerland

Ram Etwareea reacts in an editorial to "hunger riots" in several countries, provoked by the rising price of staples. "At present, speculation and poor harvests are creating the crisis. But, in the long term, it's through a reinvestment in agriculture that the Earth will be able to feed nine billion mouths, of which the majority will be found in cities. ... The poor policies in Asia, Africa and South America are without a doubt responsible for the crisis. For example, Madagascar or Zimbabwe, hitherto the granaries of Africa, are today reduced to begging for food supplies. The food catastrophe is also the result of an American and European agricultural policy that unjustly imposes its interests on the rest of the world. Protectionism and unfair competition have killed farming in poor countries. ... The soaring prices create a new dynamic. Europe and the United States are reducing their agricultural subsidies." (09/04/2008)

Les Echos - France

Bruno Parmentier is the director of ESA in Angers (an agricultural university). He writes that, in terms of agriculture, "we are faced with a real turn of events. The 21st Century has only just begun and everything has changed in the last year. We thought that we were producing too much and European policies encouraged reducing surpluses, ... while debates raged over the ethical and economic foundations of our exports. Today we are entering into a world of shortages! The planet lacks cereals, but also milk and cooking oils... Increased production ability is the only solution. ... Since we know that our countries' and the planet's resources are limited, and that needs are incessantly growing, a new agricultural revolution is necessary. ... We need to learn how to produce ever more, but with much less, and better." (09/04/2008)

Jyllands-Posten - Denmark

The worldwide rise in food prices is in part attributable to the growth of crops for biofuels, the paper maintains, recommending both reducing taxes on bread and bringing WTO talks to a rapid conclusion. "Since 2001 the World Trade Organisation has been negotiating a freer global trade in food and agricultural produce. But the unbearable doggedness of the talks has continued to push back a deal. A quicker and more successful conclusion to WTO negotiations is a vital step towards solving the shock caused by the rise in food prices. Moreover, international agreements should only permit the production of biofuels where it can be guaranteed that good-quality agricultural crops do not end up as fuel." (09/04/2008)

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