Riots, instability spread as food prices skyrocket

(CNN) -- Riots from Haiti to Bangladesh to Egypt over the soaring costs of basic foods have brought the issue to a boiling point and catapulted it to the forefront of the world's attention, the head of an agency focused on global development said Monday.
Bangladeshi demonstrators chant slogans against high food prices during weekend protests.

"This is the world's big story," said Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute.
"The finance ministers were in shock, almost in panic this weekend," he said on CNN's "American Morning," in a reference to top economic officials who gathered in Washington. "There are riots all over the world in the poor countries ... and, of course, our own poor are feeling it in the United States."

The price of wheat has jumped 120 percent in the past year, he said -- meaning that the price of a loaf of bread has more than doubled in places where the poor spend as much as 75 percent of their income on food.
"This is not just about meals forgone today or about increasing social unrest. This is about lost learning potential for children and adults in the future, stunted intellectual and physical growth," Zoellick said.

In Haiti, the prime minister was kicked out of office Saturday, and hospital beds are filled with wounded following riots sparked by food prices.

In Egypt, rioters have burned cars and destroyed windows of numerous buildings as police in riot gear have tried to quell protests.
Images from Bangladesh and Mozambique tell a similar story.
In the United States and other Western nations, more and more poor families are feeling the pinch. In recent days, presidential candidates have paid increasing attention to the cost of food, often citing it on the stump.

"We've been putting our food into the gas tank -- this corn-to-ethanol subsidy which our government is doing really makes little sense," said Columbia University's Sachs.
Former President Clinton, at a campaign stop for his wife in Pennsylvania over the weekend, said, "Corn is the single most inefficient way to produce ethanol because it uses a lot of energy and because it drives up the price of food."

Analysts agree the cost of fuel is among the reasons for the skyrocketing prices.

Another major reason is rising demand, particularly in places in the midst of a population boom, such as China and India.
Also, said Sachs, "climate shocks" are damaging food supply in parts of the world. "You add it all together: Demand is soaring, supply has been cut back, food has been diverted into the gas tank. It's added up to a price explosion."

Yea, getting bad all over the world. American's sucking corn up through their SUVs (Ethanol) sure can't be helping. Yes, true, look at how many people are in China...they procreate like fruit flies man...and they all have to eat. I heard somewhere that China's estimated population now is around 2 - 3 BILLION! The USA is estimated at 300 million...that is one hell of a difference!

When it comes to Africa, we need to do a "Berlin-style" airlift with millions of condoms, birth control means, and pamphlets on how to "pull it out" and stop having KIDS!!! How can ANY human being sit there watching their 10 kids starve...flies in their eyes, nothing but bones and start screwing again for yet another one! SHHHHEEEEESHHH. Animals even know better than that!

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I agree Kevin.
food prices here have went sky high this year alone. a year or so ago i could buy a dozen egg's for $0.89.
now it's $2.39 per dozen!!
why can't we make ethanol from sugar cane like other countries?

Yea, no kidding. Corn is a STAPLE more so than sugar cane is. Corn is used to feed cattle as well. Yea, mile went up from $1.88/gal. not long ago to right at $5/gal. now, sigh. I LOVE the idea of using algae for Biodiesel...algae is a great resource and it practically inexhaustible...I am really into checking that out!

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...take that $13 bucks and shove it up their butts!


Hillary For President
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Educate me here guys, why is it that some of these countries don't do more to help themselves? Couldn't some of these places being doing more to grow some of there own food?

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"We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located among the millions and millions of cows in America, but we haven't got a clue as to where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of immigration."

Its called Globalization there Mastertech...The Gov wants countries to concentrate on growing one or two products. They are controlling the planet!

MONSANTO'S EXPANDING MONOPOLIES

By Vandana Shiva

Over the past few years, Monsanto, a chemical firm, has positioned
itself as an agricultural company through control over seed - the
first link in the food chain. Monsanto now wants to control water, the
very basis of life.

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To a certain point this is true. BUT, if I was in Africa, watching my kids starve...I would try and plant something (if I could get the seeds of course). Heck, I would be willing to buy seeds for them, but not just give handouts of food that only last so long. Remember that old saying, "give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime." We've got plenty of seeds in America...instead of dropping off a bag of wheat, let's drop off bags of seeds and teach them how to irrigate, etc., eh?

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Reform Government
...take that $13 bucks and shove it up their butts!


Hillary For President
...do YOU want Hillary For President?


Truck Forum
...making sense of the trucking industry


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Mar 4 2008
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