India to USA - “Shut up, Fatty!”
May 14th, 2008
Had to laugh at reading this one. So there’s a global food crisis going on, and President Bush recently put out a statement attributing a bunch of the problem to developing nations like China and India experiencing economic growth, and basically finding themselves with a middle class:
During a news conference in Missouri, Bush mentioned India’s growing middle class, and said “when you start getting wealth, you start demanding better nutrition and better food, and so demand is high, and that causes the price to go up.” This came on the heels of a similar statement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that had already upset many in India. (Source: International Herald Tribune)
So the Indians got a little bit peturbed at being blamed for the global crisis, and told George exactly what they think is going on:
“George Bush has never been known for his knowledge of economics,” Jairam Ramesh, the minister of state for commerce, told The Press Trust of India after Bush’s remarks, which he said proved again how “comprehensively wrong” Bush is.
“To say that demand for food in India is causing increase in global food prices is completely wrong,” Ramesh said.
Politicians and academics in India cite various other reasons: diversion of arable land in the United States and Europe into ethanol production; trade subsidies by the United States and Europe; and the dollar’s decline. (Source: International Herald Tribune)
Issues like this are the reason it’s impossible not to wince when you hear comments from politicians (American or Australian) that talk about the importance of “protecting the American/Australian way of life”. Because while there’s a bunch of values tied up in our “way of life”, and probably some values that are worth keeping, it also encompasses a presumption of standard of living which is completely unsustainable if applied to the global population. We’ve got to recognise that the standard of living we have taken for granted in countries like our own are way beyond the resources of the world, and that any effort to “make poverty history” requires a violent reduction in western affluence).
So well done to India for telling the Yanks where they can shove it.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Certainly, the US and other developed nation’s demand for food affects the price, but growing demand in the developing world affects it as well. Corn is affected by demand for ethanol (in the US primarily) but sugar prices are affected by Brazilian demand (primarily) as well. In a free market, prices will rise and people will look for substitutes for one type of food. One thing that Europe is doing is promoting the use of diesel autos. I suggest that soybean or rapeseed oil powered cars would reduce oil demand and ameliorate some of the current problems. As the price of food rises, farmers now see increased profits and are induced to produce more crops and plant land that might have gone fallow before. I do not discount the problem of MNCs and their control of food and food products. This is a severe issue that must be addressed.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
What will we do when he’s no longer president?
I heard someone talking about the incredible demand on the world if everyone in China ate an extra kilogram of chicken a year.
Something needs to be done and hopefully there are smarter people than me working it out.