Food crisis: [Condoleezza] Rice blames it on better diet in India, China

PTI via The Economic Times ^ | 30 April, 2008 | PTI

[CarrotAndStick]

WASHINGTON: The "improvement in the diets of people in India and China", which is forcing the governments there to keep food "inside" is a cause for the current global supply shortage, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said.

In an interactive session at the Peace Corps 2008 Country Directors Conference, Rice said the ongoing food crisis was mainly due to "four causes", even as she specifically pointed out the exchange rate and the simple "inability" of getting food to the people.

"There are, kind of, four causes that we really have to look at. Weve got to understand better what is happening in some conflict areas in terms of the distribution of food. Its obvious that there are places like Sudan, where weve had a sudden uptick in the inability to distribute food," Rice said.

The top Bush administration official said: "We obviously have to look at places where production seems to be declining and declining to the point that people are actually putting export caps on the amount of food.

"Now, some of that is not so much declining production as apparently improvement in the diets of people, for instance, in China and India, and then pressures to keep food inside the country. So, thats another element that we have to look at," she said.

The "incredible cost" that fuel prices, everything from fertilizer to transportation costs, was bringing on the ability to distribute or to get food to people, was identified as another factor by Rice.

The fourth factor was the one relating to "biofuels", which was "not a large part of the problem, but it may, in fact, be a part of the problem," she added.

[kenavi]

Poorly written, but points out the underlying linkages that affect food distribution.

[NoKoolAidforMe]

It’s official. Condi has drank the kool-aid.

[The Great RJ]

The US used to be able to almost feed the world with our farm exports. Now corn is being diverted into ethanol production and has produced global increases in food prices. Sorry Condi, this diet improvement excuse doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.

[Xenophon450]

Silly me, and here I thought it was due to our using vast tracts of fertile land to grow fuel.

[marron]

Farming, world wide, runs on diesel. The food and grocery industries, world wide, run on diesel. Raise the price of diesel, and you raise the price of everything. Its direct and immediate.

There is no way you can see the price of oil double, without that price rise rippling through everything else, and most especially anything dependent upon diesel, which in this world is almost everything. And of that, most immediately, food.

[Abathar]

There is always a low man on the totem pole.

The Chinese and Indians have climbed their way up so now someone else has to take their place and they don’t like it.

It’s just terrible that some people finally get enough to eat so they don’t have to sell what they grow themselves for cash to others.

No one ever said life was fair when it comes to taking acre of your own people and letting others deal with their own problems.

[cake_crumb]

I guess that partly explains the shortage of fertilizer....BUT....biofuel is adding to teh problems. There are now FIVE major areas we need to look at.

[353FMG]

“Sorry Condi, this diet improvement excuse doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.”

Be careful before you make that statement. I heard from European friends that in Holland and Denmark, countries long known for their extensive diary industries, the price of dairy products has increased substantially because of long-term dairy contracts with India and China.

Because of their improving economies these countries are now wealthy enough to import products that heretofore were economically beyond their reach.

[ljco]

The fourth factor was the one relating to "biofuels", which was "not a large part of the problem, but it may, in fact, be a part of the problem," she added.

Of course, no civilization in history has survived by burning its food supplies, but in the name of Al Gore we must continue to subsidize corn fuel!!!!! Respect her authority!!!!

[9YearLurker]

That’s right, people in the financial world attribute a fair amount of the rise in demand to the wealthier Chinese in particular adopting more of a meat-based diet, with meat requiring more grains for production.

[Mr. Lucky]

Actually, every advanced civilization in history has used food as a transportation fuel.

[mc6809e]

It’s official. Condi has drank the kool-aid.

I don't think so.

The Chinese and Indian really are eating more food, especially more meat than they used to.

They can do that because they've earned a certain amount of buying power that they didn't have before. In the past the lack of economic productivity created deflationary pressures that kept food prices down.

What we're seeing is the sometimes brutal, but just hand of capitalism directing more resources to those that are more productive.

Let's hope the USA starts producing again.

[cake_crumb]

"Actually, every advanced civilization in history has used food as a transportation fuel"

We didn't light it on FIRE. And if the "transportation" kicked the bucket, it became food again.

[Mr. Lucky]

...and, of course, the spent distillers grains continue to be available as animal feed.

[SJackson]

if the "transportation" kicked the bucket, it became food again.

An old tradition. There's that old standby, Cossack Roast, made with 4-5 pounds beef roast or horse

, but my favorite, A Recipe for Trout Cooked in Horse Manure, lets you keep your transportation and eat it too.

INGREDIENTS: THE COMPOST PILE

Approximately 300 lbs. of fresh horse manure. (Appaloosa mare manure preferred, but any will do in a pinch. Try to avoid using cow manure as it will not heat up as well as horse and you may undercook the trout.)

One large bale of clean straw (50 to 100 lbs.).

Several cups of dolomitic limestone (to enhance the pHlavours).

A 20' x 20' area for mixing with access to plenty of fresh water.

THE TROUT

Three (3) speckled trout (preferably poached using a dry fly such as a Blue Dunn or a Dark Montreal, but you can substitute a wet fly (Mickey Finn), if necessary. Under no circumstances should you use trout caught with worms or hardware. You have to enter into the spirit of this dish.)

Fresh herbs of your choice (whatever is fresh in the garden -- I used tarragon, dill and chive flowers).

Piment d'Espelette (a dried red pepper, similar to paprika, from le pays Basque in northern Spain by the Pyrnees).

Coarse sea salt (preferably "Fleur de Sel de Camargue" which is gathered by hand from the salt marshes at the mouth of the Rhone in southern France).

Fresh, coarsely ground black pepper.

Plastic wrap, plastic bags and aluminum foil.

THE COMPOST HEAP

Preheat your compost pile to between 140 to 160 degrees F. This could take several weeks so you must plan ahead.

To build your compost pile, gather together the horse manure, straw, and limestone. Starting on the bare earth, layer the ingredients never more than six inches thick.

Begin with a layer of manure, then a sprinkle of lime, a layer of straw and then a sprinkle of earth to introduce the bacteria that will cause the pile to heat. Dampen this thoroughly, then start again until you have used up all the compost ingredients.

You should start to see results within 24 to 36 hours. Vapors will begin to rise and a wonderful aroma will waft amongst the garden rows. This is best experienced at sunrise (or at sunset with an Irish whiskey in hand).

After one week or so, you may want to turn and mix the compost pile placing the outside layers in the heart of the new pile. Be sure to water daily.

Once the internal temperature of the pile has reached 140 to 160 degrees F. you can proceed to the next step.

Clean the trout and place on a cutting board. Score the outside of the trout every inch or so and rub with coarse salt. Sprinkle with the black pepper and the Piment d'Espelette inside and out. Set aside.

Wash and dry the herbs. Stuff the cavities of the trout with your herbs and sprinkle with chive flowers.

Wrap each trout in plastic wrap. Place all three together in one plastic bag and seal.

Wrap this plastic bag in aluminium foil. Place this foil package in another plastic bag.

Wrap this second bag in foil and then place once again in another plastic bag.

All these layers will prevent the juices from seeping out into your compost pile and contaminating it.

THE LONG, SLOW COOKING

Proceed to the pre-heated compost pile and dig down to the centre. You will probably need gloves as it will be much too hot to touch with your bare hands.

Place the plastic/foil wrapped fish in the centre of the pile and cover with active compost.

Pour yourself a glass of rosé and wait eighteen hours.

LE DÉNOUEMENT

Prepare a bed of fresh spinach to receive the trout. At the appointed meal time, gather your friends and proceed to the composting area to retrieve your "repas."

Open several more bottles of rosé and enjoy. [EDITOR'S NOTE: A small glass or three of iced Polish vodka, taken neat, is an added treat and keeps your taste buds freshened and the spirit willing.]

And don't forget to raise a glass in honour of Grampa Ray who made this all possible.

[cake_crumb]

Lotta work for VERY little return. At least they specified CLEAN straw **rolling eyes**

[MARKUSPRIME]

They are way to much overpopulation in both these countries.

[Dagny&Hank]

All four she got correct.
The declining productivity in some areas is still due to the stupid, repressive, primitive governments which turned breadbaskets into basketcases. Even the Ukraine is still backward due to decades of Soviet rule. It’ll take all the old communist countries decades to recover.
And then there is China — the friend of Bill and Hill.