Hunger on the Rise Worldwide; Biofuels to Blame

Cinnamon Stillwell's Blog ^ | 4/18/8 | Cinnamon Stillwell

[SmithL]

As I noted in a recent column on the perils of ethanol and other biofuels, using food for fuel is wrought with difficulties. One of them is hunger, which is on the rise throughout the Third World, largely due to biofuel production. As a result, discontent is brewing, food riots and hoarding are becoming the norm, and governments are finding themselves facing an increasingly hostile and hungry populace.

An International Herald Tribune article (linked at Drudge) spells out the
looming disaster in startling detail (emphasis added):

"It's the worst crisis of its kind in more than 30 years," said Jeffrey Sachs, the economist and special adviser to the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki Moon. "It's a big deal, and it's obviously threatening a lot of governments. There are a number of governments on the ropes and I think there's more political fallout to come."

Indeed, as it roils developing nations, the spike in commodity prices - the biggest since the administration of Richard Nixon - has pitted the globe's poorer south against the relatively wealthy north, adding to demands for reform of rich nations' farm and environmental policies.

[SmithL]

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[popdonnelly]

High commodity prices are a result of a number of factors, including government policies. For example, environmental requirements result in an increase in the price of diesel fuel used by tractors and trucks the World over.

As for biofuels, they can be made out of leaves and grass clippings. There’s no requirement that they be made out of grains. Tobacco farmers should go into the biofuel business.

[pepsionice]

Perhaps an odd perception...but the “surge” to bio-fuels hasn’t really occurred. There are about the same amount of folks doing the bio-fuels game and resources...as last year....so I don’t buy this scheme. I know in Alabama...there a huge number of farmers growing soybeans in the coming spring...and the prices are way off the chart...but that doesn’t equal bio-fuels. I also know alot of farmers are growing corn...but selling big parts of their crop to folks who have dumped natural gas and central heat...for the ‘pillet’ type system. I think there is a bigger story to this whole mess than what the media is telling.

[poobear]

Bottom line they don’t want us to use energy period. We need to all die so the rest of the world can eat.

Oh wait, then they really would starve.

[Reeses]

"I have been preparing for this crisis my whole life."

[RegulatorCountry]

One of them is hunger, which is on the rise throughout the Third World, largely due to biofuel production. As a result, discontent is brewing, food riots and hoarding are becoming the norm, and governments are finding themselves facing an increasingly hostile and hungry populace.

Thus far, the food riots and hoarding that I've read about pertain to rice. To my knowledge, rice is not being used to create biofuels. That is not to say that there aren't problems looming with other grains such as wheat, since one of the larger wheat producers has banned exports.

And here we sit, the world's largest agricultural producer, with a devalued currency. There will be a great deal of pressure to export more US ag products for the higher profit that exchange rates have created, meaning that we will not be immune to large upswings in price and even potential shortages, ourselves.