Food Shortages

[Christina]

White House: Bush concerned about food shortages Mon Apr 14, 12:05 PM ET President George W. Bush is very concerned about global food shortages and has asked senior aides to look into how the United States can help alleviate the problem, the White House said on Monday.Top finance and development officials from around the world called on Sunday for urgent action to stem rising food prices, warning that social unrest would spread unless the cost of basic staples was contained.White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush discussed the issue at length with Cabinet members on Monday and "is very concerned and believes that (developed) nations have a responsibility to help those that are in need.""We are going through a process right now at looking at ways to meet some of the ongoing food needs of certain countries beyond what has already been provided," Perino said, noting that Washington had provided $2.1 billion in international food aid in fiscal 2007."The president's raised the issue with his national security advisers and he's asked State (Department) and USAID to look at what can be done in the near term," she told reporters.Perino, while providing few specifics, said one proposal under consideration would be to buy more of the food used in assistance programs from suppliers closer to needy countries, which would cut transportation costs. U.S. agricultural interests have resisted the idea.Perino spoke after a weekend meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's Development Committee in Washington where some attendees called for the rising food prices to be addressed at the highest political levels.Concerns about food costs took on new urgency as senators in Haiti ousted the prime minister after a week of food-related rioting in which at least five people died. There have also been protests in Cameroon, Niger and Burkina Faso in Africa, and in Indonesia and the Philippines.(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; editing by David Wiessler)

 

[Christina]

This is the big story the last couple Days food Shortages around the World riots in Pakistan, Eygpt, Africa,Indonesia, Phillippines today because of Food Shortages this starting to show up everywhere food costs have risen 40%.

 

[Christina]

North Korea's food shortage may worsen, U.N. agency saysThe World Food Program warns that the country will need massive aid to prevent widespread hunger.By Bruce WallaceLos Angeles Times Staff WriterApril 17, 2008TOKYO — The ravages of floods and soured diplomacy have turned North Korea's chronic food shortages into an imminent humanitarian crisis, the World Food Program warned Wednesday, declaring that the secretive dictatorship will require massive food aid in the coming months if it is to avert widespread hunger.The United Nations agency projects that North Korea's food shortages will be double last year's deficit. Prices on food items including rice, potatoes and pork have soared 25% over the last three weeks in the capital, Pyongyang, a bastion for the regime's loyalists."Local officials are openly asking us for support, something we've never seen before," said the head of the World Food Program's North Korea operation, Jean-Pierre de Margerie, in a telephone interview from Pyongyang. "They are telling us that they are going to have to suspend distribution in some places because there simply is not enough food in the system."The North Korean government has made no request to widen the U.N. agency's existing effort, which is feeding or supplementing the nutrition of about 1 million people in the country of 23 million.The shriveling food stocks come after massive flooding last summer that washed away soil and crops in the rice- and maize-producing lowlands known as the Cereal Bowl. North Korea's own statistics show that the rice harvest fell by a quarter and maize production was off by a third.The U.N. agency says it has no reports of people starving, though it has been barred since 2006 from northeastern regions where shortages are usually most severe. De Margerie added that high fuel costs had severely curbed North Korea's ability to truck food supplies to non-food-producing regions of the country.Human rights organizations say sources in North Korea report increasing absenteeism from factory jobs in some provinces, with workers no longer able to survive on government handouts and scrambling to earn money elsewhere.

 

[Christina]

Food Shortage: More Bad News From Chinaby John E. Carey | April 17, 2008 at 07:34 am | 176 views | 4 comments China's Growth And Bio-Fuels Too Blame For...by apocalyptichybrid Added by Jarrett Martineauupdated 1 hr ago | 9 views China food prices rise rapidlyby bbcworldnews Added by Jarrett Martineauupdated 1 hr ago | 83 viewsslideshowview all 2Upload Photos, Videos and Audio China announced Thursday huge tariffs on fertilizer exports and said agricultural land was in rapid decline due to industrialization.China's official communist news agency Xinhua News announced that export tariffs on fertilizer would increase by 100%. This will cause a virtual shutdown in the export of fertilizer from China. This is necessary to preserve fertilizer for suffering Chinese agriculture.The fertilizer is widely used in rice, corn and wheat growing which is essential to feed the 1.3 billion Chinese. China also hopes to control rapidly rising domestic agricultural costs and inflation."Agricultural costs [in China] are going through the roof. Land prices, the cost of money, the relative cost of labor, fertilizer, a shortage of seeds," said Paul Schulte, of Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong. "Yet rising agricultural prices can be a windfall for those with economies of scale."The China News agency also said the amount of farmland has decreased to crisis levels.Western observers said the two announcements on the same day are an effort to prepare the world for a food shortage crisis in China.

 

[Christina]

Food prices have risen more than 40% in the past 12 months. And the sharp rise has, in part, led to food shortages that have prompted massive riots in Egypt, Haiti and China. And now the UN is forecasting more food shortages. With about 40% of the world's agricultural land seriously degraded and oil prices at record levels, prices of feed poultry and dairy cows are causing prices of wheat, soybean and maize to skyrocket. With overall crop outputs lagging demand, desperate farmers who wish to capitalize off record prices are now using a wide array of organic and inorganic fertilizers to help boost production.http://news.google.com/news?q=Food%20ShortageThe strain on ocean supplies of food mirrors that on land, as our report on declining Aegean fisheries demonstrates .

 

[bullfighter]

(kriss;45938)
White House: Bush concerned about food shortages Mon Apr 14, 12:05 PM ET President George W. Bush is very concerned about global food shortages and has asked senior aides to look into how the United States can help alleviate the problem, the White House said on Monday.Top finance and development officials from around the world called on Sunday for urgent action to stem rising food prices, warning that social unrest would spread unless the cost of basic staples was contained.White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush discussed the issue at length with Cabinet members on Monday and "is very concerned and believes that (developed) nations have a responsibility to help those that are in need.""We are going through a process right now at looking at ways to meet some of the ongoing food needs of certain countries beyond what has already been provided," Perino said, noting that Washington had provided $2.1 billion in international food aid in fiscal 2007."The president's raised the issue with his national security advisers and he's asked State (Department) and USAID to look at what can be done in the near term," she told reporters.Perino, while providing few specifics, said one proposal under consideration would be to buy more of the food used in assistance programs from suppliers closer to needy countries, which would cut transportation costs. U.S. agricultural interests have resisted the idea.Perino spoke after a weekend meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's Development Committee in Washington where some attendees called for the rising food prices to be addressed at the highest political levels.Concerns about food costs took on new urgency as senators in Haiti ousted the prime minister after a week of food-related rioting in which at least five people died. There have also been protests in Cameroon, Niger and Burkina Faso in Africa, and in Indonesia and the Philippines.(Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; editing by David Wiessler)
if you all fall for that you are blind leading the blind...bush is using this thing that could of been solved with 1 tenth of irac bull..and the yanks stoped the canadians from going into stop a slaughter in africa...you believe any thing bush says [you are like the dum getting dummer]except the civil structure in your own control....you think i am out of order in my poor english see what is comming next .100 percent garinted by the head minister of defence 7 years ago

 

[Christina]

I serouisly do get your problem most of us dislike Bush and dont believe much of anything he says you are being judgemental about things you do not even understand our government doesnt listen to us they do as they please We can not stop them nor they listen when we tell them I getting tired of these judgemental posts of yours I ask you again what would you have us do. If you have no answers stop with the judgements

 

[Letsgofishing]

Hey Kriss could you get me the link to the article on your first post.

 

[Christina]

Sorry LGFhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080414/pl_nm/usa_food_dc_1

 

[Letsgofishing]

(kriss;45958)
Sorry LGFhttp://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080414/pl_nm/usa_food_dc_1
Thanks Kriss I broke this story to my brother a couple months ago and would like to follow up. But he would probably call the article a fake if I took it off this site.

 

[Jerusalem Junkie]

Its only going to get worse.......

 

[i love god]

guys no mater what you guys say hes a good president and hes a lot beter president than obamah whos a raieciest or hilary whos a democrat he went threw some rughf times during presidancy . hes our brother in christ and you guys dont like him i dont know if i like this forum any more !!!

 

[Jerusalem Junkie]

obamah whos a raieciest or hilary whos a democrat
They have not had a chance to screw the country up yet either. Good President huh, soaring gas prices, rising unemployment, a war thats unjustified, lets see I know theres more. Yeah and I can complain cause I was one of the dummies who voted for him....bad idea.

 

[followerofchrist]

I have been reading about the same things going on but I have also read this from news in other countries. Not just from Bush

 

[bullfighter]

(kriss;45945)
I serouisly do get your problem most of us dislike Bush and dont believe much of anything he says you are being judgemental about things you do not even understand our government doesnt listen to us they do as they please We can not stop them nor they listen when we tell them I getting tired of these judgemental posts of yours I ask you again what would you have us do. If you have no answers stop with the judgements
i do get hot in some things ,yes i will relax and treat you guys like the family in christ you are[my problem is i see to much death and pain,i see the woman and the childern...i forget that most people do not see this..i will think hard pray and listen to what god wants me to say....

 

[Christina]

(i love god;46018)
guys no mater what you guys say hes a good president and hes a lot beter president than obamah whos a raieciest or hilary whos a democrat he went threw some rughf times during presidancy . hes our brother in christ and you guys dont like him i dont know if i like this forum any more !!!
The day he said all religions are right and all follow the same god is the day he blew it with me he has just gone down hill from there.

 

[bullfighter]

(i love god;46018)
guys no mater what you guys say hes a good president and hes a lot beter president than obamah whos a raieciest or hilary whos a democrat he went threw some rughf times during presidancy . hes our brother in christ and you guys dont like him i dont know if i like this forum any more !!!
and you should get used to that ...he plays with powers that has no jesus in there heart

 

[jamesrage]

Apparently ethanol is not the miracle fuel the eco-nuts had hoped it would be.It isn't even as fuel efficient as regular gas.

 

[transparent_opacity]

(jamesrage;46106)
Apparently ethanol is not the miracle fuel the eco-nuts had hoped it would be.It isn't even as fuel efficient as regular gas.
Ethanol is possibly one of the worst fuel alternatives to regular old petrol there is. It takes more energy to make it then it produces, And the big reason is that by using so much of the corn produce to make ethanol, it causes the price of all corn based products to rise, as there's not enough corn. And that causes most peoples bank accounts to take a larger hit every time they buy groceries.My opinion: We should stop producing ethanol.

 

[RaddSpencer]

AWW MAN, and I was going to go out and buy a SUV that runs on methanol... Thanks for ruining my fun waaah waaah :'(.