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President to wage war on food crisis
President Mahinda Rajapaksa was to chair a high level
conference yesterday evening to discuss ways and means of converting the
food production drive into a war against scarcity. This is in the backdrop
of soaring food prices in the world market and warnings from international
organizations that soon many a country could face famine if immediate
steps were not taken to step up food production, Trade, Consumer and
Cooperative Affairs Minister Bandula Gunwardena said yesterday.
He said the Government has taken heed of the warnings of the Food and Agricultural Organization last year and had acted swiftly in 2007 to prevent a local food shortage by starting the food production programme. This programme gave Sri Lanka a good Maha paddy harvest despite a small percentage being destroyed by floods.
Worldwide grain shortage and restrictions on exports had almost doubled the prices of wheat, rice, maize and other staple foods of several countries. According to a report by the Food and Agricultural Organization countries like Philippines, Indonesia and Senegal experienced food riots. Senegal reported a 65 per cent rise in food prices, Ethiopia 42 per cent, Philippines 50 per cent, Sri Lanka almost 100 per cent, Bangladesh 60 per cent and Haiti 50 to 100 per cent.
In a number of developing countries prices of bread, rice, maize products, milk, oil, soy beans and a variety of other basic foods registered considerable increase despite policy measures like restriction on exports, subsidies, tariff reductions and price controls, the Minister said.
FAO said that food represents about 10 to 20 per cent of consumer spending in industrialized nations but as much as 60 to 80 per cent in developing countries which are net food importers.
