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If no action is taken, food
prices will continue to soar
A few days
ago, at the CORAM grocery store in Koudougou, a lady turned to me
and asked: ”Father, how could it possibly be that the price
of one litre of cooking oil has gone up from 800 CFA francs to
1200 in just a couple of months?”
Good question ! The
escalation of food prices (cereal, milk, vegetable oil) is
staggering and world-wide. The three main reasons for this are:
1. Bad
weather conditions in some regions have resulted in scarce
harvests.
2. Arable
land is increasingly used for bio-fuel production.
3. World
population continues to increase. Urbanisation and higher living
standards in India and China have accelerated the demand for
quality food.
In the light of this situation,
what do European leaders do? They have adopted three important
emergency measures:
1.
Abolition of the milk quotas, which means taking away the limits
that had been enforced in milk production.
2.
Abolition of the set aside rules to leave land on fallow and
instead reopening all farm land for cultivation.
3.
Reduction of import duties on products in shortage.
These measures will put a break on
rising food prices in Europe.
What
about this part of the world?
1.
Since the Government divested itself of the agricultural sector,
the country continues to produce crops not being used here
(cotton) and to consume food grown elsewhere (discarded Thai rice,
fit for the garbage bin only ,and the like). At the present state
of play in the world, this choice of production line and the
dependence on food from abroad will lead us into ruin! Let
us wake up!
2.
Moreover, in growing Bt cotton (genetically modified), we shall
become entirely dependent on one single multinational for seeds
and inputs. The difficult negotiations under way at present to
decide the price for these, show the extent to which
the American Monsanto is determined to squeeze a maximum profit
out of Bt cotton in Burkina.
Thus, with Bt cotton we are
growing something which we do not use and we are also producing it
at our own risk, for the benefit of a foreign multinational.
Let
us wake up!
3.
The Ministry of Agriculture has just signed a contract with a
company called AgroEd stating “The AgroEd company is
to receive support from the Government in the acquisition of land
for the setting up of an industrial unit for bio-fuel production.”
The land will therefore no longer be available for food crops, but
will fall into the hands of business companies for the sole aim of
profit … and, on top of it all, bearing the rubber stamp of
“fight against poverty” on it! Let
us wake up!
We must urgently demand of our
political leaders that they put
into practice a resolute and genuine agricultural policy.
We must grow more
cereals (millet, maize) and make more milk products. We must find
alternative crops for the cotton fields … farmers are
prepared to grow sesame, soy, fruit and vegetables, which sell
well. We must ensure food sovereignty. And not just by mentioning
it in ceremonial speeches or promising it during election
campaigns. Only with this in mind can we hope to come out
less painfully of the storms and gales that are looming over
the world prices on food markets.
Otherwise, as I said to the
lady at the grocery store, “if nothing is done, food
will go up even more and quite a lot, because when there is a
shortage, there is no limit to price levels.”
Koudougou, January 29th,
2007
Father Jacques Lacour
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