Distressing comment about the relationship between food and fuel
I have been trying to learn more about Africa, its people, its markets, and the concerns that face that large continent. One of my current information sources is the MBendi web site and its weekly newsletters.
In their 17 November 2006 newsletter, there was a disturbing paragraph that should cause biofuels developers to pause and think:
Changing the subject, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the US Department of Agriculture estimate that the 2006 world harvest won’t be enough to feed everyone for the sixth time in seven years. The move to bio-fuels exacerbates the problem while increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Food production dropped from 2.6 billion tons in 1994 to under 2 billion tons in 2006, while food stocks dropped from enough to feed the world for 116 days in 1999 to 57 days in 2006. The US Department of Agriculture also reports world wheat stockpiles at lowest level in 25 years, largely because of drought in Australia. Global wheat production is expected to drop causing stock levels to drop further to 20% below 2005. This could have a serious impact on food aid to Africa in the year ahead.
Here is a supporting link: Stockpile of wheat lowest in 25 years
