IDB opens discussion on food prices shock, inflation and protecting the urban poor

Monday, May 9th 2011 - 06:09 UTC

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Rising international food prices could trigger an acceleration of inflation in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean this year, highlighting the need for policies to protect the urban poor, according to a new study by the Inter-American Development Bank, (IDB). Read full article

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GeoffWard
I view this food issue simplitically (over-simplistically?).

If too much food is exported - or too little is produced or imported - this means insufficient for home markets.
Prices at home go up, people can't afford the new prices, leading to hunger/starvation and 'disturbances' in the streets.

Is it not the primary duty of a Government to ensure that staple foods *at the 'right' price* are available to people in all parts of the nation at all times?

This is possible if there is a minimum of sophistication in food export trade agreements, if there is an infrastructure for internal food distributions and if there is a political will to distribute foodstocks equitably - both in the cities and in the sertão.

There will always be rich and poor parts/nations of Latin America, but governments across these two continents can come together via Unasur, etc, to address food/trade relationships *with this anti-starvation provision in mind*.
May 09th, 2011 - 01:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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