|
To avoid
unrealistic solutions to the on-going
food security crisis, public education
becomes important. As economic power
shifts from the developed world to China
and other emerging giants, they have
begun to consume over half of the
world’s energy and have accounted for
four-fifths of the growth in oil demand
in the past five years. The emerging
economies account for 45 percent of the
world’s total export and sit on 75
percent of global foreign exchange
reserves.
Unless
alternative energy sources quickly come
to the rescue, the near future is one of
higher prices beyond the current US$100
+ per barrel of oil. As the total stock
of reserves diminishes what is left will
command prices well beyond the reach of
that part of the world economy which is
not sufficiently dynamic. This includes
the tri-island state of Grenada.
Add to this
the fact that ethanol has become the
fuel of choice since it can be derived
from cereal crops, such as corn, wheat
and soya or sugar cane, which have been
traditionally grown on a massive scale.
Food prices are spiralling upwards as a
consequence of corn being diverted to
produce ethanol and other crops shifting
to replace the shortfalls in the
production cycle. The 30 million tons of
extra maze going to ethanol this year
amounts to half the fall in the world’s
overall grain stock. As every Grenadian
knows only too well, prices are moving
rapidly and as a consequence the food
price index of the Economist of London
is higher today than at any time since
1845.
Our urban
and rural poor will continue in the
short-term to experience the bad effects
of higher prices for imported food since
as a country we are not in a position to
produce the exportable cereals which the
higher cost will encourage. We do not
have the vast land areas or a surplus of
cheap labour like countries such as
Brazil, China, India and Argentina to
produce corn, wheat, soya, sugar cane,
etc. and become beneficiaries of higher
food prices.
Within this
framework, our paradigm shift of energy
and food resources see us encouraging
self-reliant measures so as to maximize
our capability of survival and
prosperity. With the right mix of
economic and fiscal policies, the NNP
Administration have embarked on an
“Eat-what-you-grow and grow-what
you-eat” tri-island campaign. We are
encouraging in practical ways backyard
farming/gardening to reduce the
country’s dependence on imports. Given
the richness of our soil successful
backyard gardening is assured and will
assist with feeding the family as goods
produced can offset the cost of
supermarket purchases. Our farmers are
being encouraged to increase production
for the local consumer market and
tourism sector of the economy. And
consumer advocacy is geared towards
highlighting positive changes in
consumer and dietary habits.
Fanciful
rhetoric cannot solve our food security
and energy crisis. Neither can the
disingenuous claim by the opposition NDC
that the crisis is the work of the NNP
and that they have the solution to it.
They do not. From all indication, the
National Dance Company (oops!), we mean
the National Democratic Congress have no
clue as to the nature of the problem. On
this score, they are simply hoping to
play upon the current hardships being
experienced by some of our people in the
hope of getting a free ride back into
power.
Let the
progress continue with positive change
under the NNP
NNP
Perspective week ending April 11th, 2008 |
