A Bite Of Truth

The Organization of the United Nations has alerted that more than 1000 million people are suffering hunger, many bordering on starvation in the world, and the problem will become more serious if the prices of basic food continues to go up in such alarming pace, as it had done during just one year. We are all paying more than double in most places for the same amount of food now compared with prices paid a year ago. I don't really know how it affect other people in other countries, but in Spain, in Catalunya anyway, some basic food has gone up indeed more than double, certain things close to triple since about April last year. The crises we face now calls up the memory for many of the Great Depression era.

Scientists, economists and politicians have been debating on creating energy resources and, in theory, plausible solution . They came up with bio-combustible but, unfortunately, it proved to be not only polemic, but the cause of a whole series of problems: increase of prices of cereals, shortage of food worldwide, and necessity of huge areas for cultivation. Alternative is necessary and urgent.

The analysis: - of the International Evaluation of Science and Agricultural Technology Group, 65% of the increase of prices are due to increased transport costs. Food is not produced for the national but for the world economy. Decisions are not made by governments but by the multinationals. The problem is not because there's shortage of food products but excessive costs, linked to the price of petroleum, for ocean transportation, the voracious demands from the Asian countries and the extreme climactical conditions occurred in some countries.

The explanation: - by Willie Reimer, Director of ONG America, of Food, Disaster and Material Resources: - "The alimentary inflation multiplies the number of starving people and globalises the crises. 70% of these hungry people are in Africa, and the rest of the 4000 million are made up of those in 58 poor countries." Well It affects also the western countries where the 500 million better off people live, as they too now pay more than double for the basic food purchase. The difference being, that they can still manage to pay for it.

My opinion, as layman in politics and finance: - In this high tech world, millions now find themselves all of a sudden so helplessly facing starvation, just like in the worst period of the bygone years. Something has not been done right or has gone terribly wrong. The index of production seems to indicate satisfactory figures, but such a lot of it is now produced not for feeding the hungry people but to turn it into fuel, the so-called bio-combustible. For instance the corn, a basic stable food for many countries and diverse cultures, as are soya beans and some others, have been cultivated to be transformed into fuel instead of feeding people. Shouldn't people be of the foremost consideration before all else? No country can be strong if it's people are weak, hungry and desperate.

Starving people in favour of gaining fuel is to me far too high a price to pay and totally inhumane and illogical. What are your opinions or views?

Tags:Biocombustible,WorldHunger

Current Mood: Anxious