Dear Editor,
Recently I listened to a programme on world food shortages. I was amazed that here in Guyana, those with authority to plan for the future are wasting time and money.
The price of food is going up around the world because of three major factors; the global weather conditions, the rising oil prices and the large growth in populations worldwide.
In 2007, American farmers faced drought conditions when they began to prepare their farms for wheat in early spring. This resulted in less than 50% of the lands being prepared for wheat and corn.
When harvesting time came, they experienced thunderstorms. This resulted in the Americans producing a greatly reduced amount of those grains. The result was that prices went up over 50%. They could not supply the world markets. Prices are still going up.
Argentina later followed with an industrial issue with their farmers. The result again prices went up for wheat and meat.
The second largest exporter of rice on the world market is India where rice is sold for about $600 per gallon. They banned the export of all rice. Vietnam, China and the Philippines did the same thing. What have we done? Nothing.
The large industralised farms globally will produce wheat and rice at the expense of the small farmers. The small farmers will fail and millions of poor farmers around the world will starve.
In 1990, the World Bank withdrew from lending loans to small farmers.
There are 1.3 billion small farmers around the world in need of help. Here in Guyana, our leaders withdrew the duties on diesel but our small farmers buy less than 10% of the diesel consumed here. Is this not a wasteful measure?
Our farmers need loans at low interest, cheap tractors and bulldozers. In general, cheap credits will help as with vital farming inputs, pumps, fertilisers etc.
We also need the state to review our entire drainage and irrigation programme.
Yours faithfully,
James R. Singh
