Something’s Rotten

Written by Asinus Asinum Fricat on May 25, 2008 – 12:33 pm -

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Outlook report published a couple of days ago confirms that wheat prices should decline in the new season. I thought to myself: Wow! That’s great news! I promptly logged onto the FAO site (I’m a regular there) and I got this: International prices of most agricultural commodities have started to decline, but they are unlikely to return to the low price levels of previous years, Food Outlook reports. The FAO food price index has remained stable since February 2008, but the average of the first four months of 2008 is still 53 percent higher when compared to the same period a year ago. And this: Increased hunger likely in some poor countries.

I smell a rat! Some financial entities (read speculators), like the oil producers, are making a killing. Somewhere. Read more »


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Alternative Wheat: the Humble Potato. Our Future?

Written by Asinus Asinum Fricat on April 2, 2008 – 8:49 am -

A new and virulent wheat fungus, previously found in East Africa and Yemen, has moved to major wheat growing areas in Iran, as reported from the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization. The fungus is capable of wreaking havoc to wheat production by destroying entire fields. Bad news seem to be coming at us from every angle. The wheat fungus first emerged in Uganda in 1999 and is therefore called Ug99. The wind-borne transboundary pest subsequently spread to Kenya and Ethiopia. If it reaches eastern Europe, North America and Australia, it’s curtains.

I’ve been searching high and wide for a drought & pest resistant wheat and although CSIRO of Australia are coming close to produce toughened, water use efficiency crops, the end result is nevertheless genetic engineering coupled with old fashioned know-how of breeding salt-tolerant wheat varieties techniques.
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