Food shortages

[Shammu]

Wheat shortage sends bread, pasta prices soaring
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 | 12:13 PM ET
CBC News

Soaring wheat prices have Canadian bakeries struggling, farmers rejoicing and customers digging deeper at the till to pay for their bread and pasta purchases.

The price of flour has doubled in the past two months as weather problems, including two years of droughts in Australia, have depleted wheat stocks to lows not seen since the 1970s.

Also contributing to the shortage is the flux of grain farmers switching to other crops, such as canola or corn, that produce biofuels.

"It's a very, very tight situation," said Canadian Wheat Board analyst Bruce Burnett. "World production has been under consumption in the last couple of years, so we have been drawing stocks down … and we've finally hit levels that have made the market very, very concerned about supplies and rightly so."

Burnett said the prices are likely to remain high for at least another 18 months, as it could take up to three years of strong harvests to rebuild the worldwide stocks.
Bakers rising prices

The pricing crunch is affecting bakeries, and their customers, across the country. In Winnipeg, KUB Bakery said its prices need to go up to help cover the rising costs.

"We're not going to gouge anyone, we're going to take what we need to stay afloat. Bread is going to have to go up, any product with wheat in it will go up, that's a certainty," Ross Einfeld, the bakery's manager, told CBC News.

"I'm sure all bakeries across the board have the same problem. Their flour price has doubled, their ingredient price has doubled. So you're going to see prices increase."

Calabria Bakery, in Scarborough, Ont., is also finding rising flour prices a challenge.

The bakery's Sam Cuzzolino said they use roughly 15 tonnes of flour a month for bread and pizza dough and "as far as the bread side goes, if we're breaking even I'd be amazed at this point."

He said if the profits in the 50-year-old business continue to decline, he'll have to consider stopping baking bread altogether.

"It's such a labour intensive thing and really, when you see the cost going up …to pass it on to the customer, it's a very big increase for them to swallow," he said, adding that his customers would be upset if he raised his prices from $1.75 to $2.50 a loaf to help cover the costs.

The rising costs are also shrinking the bottom line at Coleman's grocery store in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland.

"From what we were paying a year ago to what we're paying now, it's actually phenomenal," said Tom Bennett, bakery manager.

"You wouldn't really think all these different things going on would affect the price of flour here in Mount Pearl, but it has."
Soaring prices have farmers 'optimistic'

While bakeries are struggling, the high prices are encouraging for farmers.

Doug Chorney, a wheat farmer near Winnipeg and a member of farmers' group Keystone Agricultural Producers, says he and his colleagues are "very optimistic."

"These are the best prices for wheat we've seen in many farming careers, perhaps ever. Everyone is optimistic this is going to be a good year, providing we can produce the crop that hasn't grown yet," he said.

Chorney, who said he has already decided to plant more wheat this year, also said the expected profits may help keep some farmers in the industry.

It "may encourage some young farmers to stay on the land and take up farming as a career," he said.

Wheat shortage sends bread, pasta prices soaring

[Shammu]

America's grain stocks running short

By Robert Pore

Global demand for grain and oilseeds is at record levels, causing the nation's grain stocks to reach critically low levels, according to Purdue University agricultural economist Chris Hurt.

With a weak U.S. dollar and global demand so high, foreign buyers are outbidding domestic buyers for American grain, Hurt said.

"Food consumers worldwide are going to have to pay more," Hurt said. "We ended 2007 with our monthly inflation rate on food nearly 5 percent higher. I think we'll see times in 2008 where the food inflation rate might be as much as 6 percent."

Increasing food costs will ignite the debate on food security this year, Hurt said.

"We'll have discussions about whether we should allow the foreign sector to buy our food," he said. "Is food a strategic item that we need to keep in our country?"

The USDA recently released a revised forecast for agricultural exports, predicting a record of $101 billion for fiscal year 2008.

According to the U.S. Grains Council, a significant increase in feed grain exports buoyed the forecasts. Specifically, the forecast for coarse grain exports is raised to 70 million tons, up 2 million tons since November. Corn and sorghum exports are up $2.4 billion from November. Coarse grain exports are forecast at $14.1 billion, $4.3 billion above last year's level.

Hurt said the 2007 U.S. wheat crop is virtually sold out, while domestic soybean stocks soon will fall below a 20-day supply. Corn inventories are stronger, but with demand from export markets, the livestock industry and ethanol plants, supplies also could be just as scarce for the 2008 crop.

More than 70 percent of Nebraska corn crop this year could go to ethanol production.

But what concerns Hurt the most is weather. Adverse weather could trim crop yields this year and cause crop prices to skyrocket even further.

Last year, Nebraska had a record corn crop of nearly 1.5 billion bushels. But rainfall was exceptional last year, especially during the growing season, which helped increase crop yields.

He said recent cash prices for wheat, soybeans and corn are up dramatically from two years ago. Wheat prices have been near $10 a bushel, more than $6 a bushel higher. Cash prices for soybeans are about $13 a bushel, up more than $7 a bushel. Corn is pricing at almost $5 a bushel, an increase of greater than $3 a bushel.

America's grain stocks running short

[Shammu]

U.S. producer prices soared in January
New data show prices rising at fastest pace in over 26 years
The Associated Press
updated 3:34 p.m. MT, Tues., Feb. 26, 2008

WASHINGTON - In more bad economic news, consumer confidence and home prices posted sharp declines while higher costs for such basics as food and energy left wholesale inflation rising at the fastest pace in a quarter-century.

The new reports Tuesday raised the threat of a return of "stagflation," the economic curse of the 1970s in which economic growth stagnates at the same time that inflation continues racing ahead.

The 1 percent January jump in wholesale prices was led by a surge in the prices of energy, food and prescription drugs and followed a report last week that consumer prices had risen by a bigger-than-expected 0.4 percent because of price pressures in the same areas.

Over the past 12 months, wholesale prices rose by 7.4 percent, the largest yearly gain since late 1981. Analysts warned consumers to brace for more bad inflation news with crude oil prices rising to records above $100 per barrel and with more evidence that the prolonged jump in energy prices is starting to break out into more widespread price problems.

Meanwhile, the New York-based Conference Board reported that its confidence index fell to 75.0 in February, down from a revised January reading of 87.3. The drop was far below what analysts had forecast and put the index at its lowest level since February 2003, a period that reflected anxiety in the leadup to the Iraq war.

A third report showed that home prices, measured by the S&P/Case-Shiller Index, dropped by 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, compared with the same period in 2006, the steepest decline in the 20-year history of the index.

"Home prices across the nation and in most metro areas are significantly lower than where they were a year ago," said Yale University professor Robert Shiller, one of the index's creators. "Wherever you look, things look bleak."

Analysts said rising inflation, slumping home prices, a turbulent stock market and an economy flirting with a recession were all combining to rattle consumers' nerves.

"There is no evidence that the recent collapse in consumer confidence is going to turn around any time soon," said Brian Bethune, senior economist at Global Insight. He said the drop in confidence will lead to a cutback in consumer spending that will trigger a brief recession in the first half of this year. And he cautioned that "severe negative dynamics" at present could make the forecast of a mild recession too optimistic.

However, Wall Street was able to shake off the spate of bad economic news Tuesday, focusing instead on an announcement by IBM of a $15 billion stock buyback program designed to boost its 2008 earnings. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 114.70 points to close at 12,684.92.

Private economists predicted further declines in housing prices in the months ahead as the two-year housing slump continues with no signs of a turnaround. The demand for homes is being constrained by tighter lending standards imposed by financial institutions suffering multibillion-dollar losses from soaring mortgage foreclosures. Those foreclosures are dumping more homes back onto an already glutted market.

RealtyTrac Inc., based in Irvine, Calif., reported that the number of homes facing foreclosure climbed 57 percent in January from the previous year and more lenders are being forced to take possession of homes they can't unload at auctions.

The Bush administration insisted that the recently passed $168 billion economic stimulus bill, which will provide rebate checks to millions of families and tax breaks to encourage business investment, should stabilize the economy.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said President Bush had been briefed on all the economic figures released Tuesday and was closely following developments. "We're in a softening period," she said. "And the question is, how soft is it going to be and how steep is the downturn going to be?"

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is scheduled to deliver the central bank's twice-a-year economic report to Congress on Wednesday, testimony that will be closely followed to see whether the uptick in inflation will divert the Fed from what became in January an aggressive rate-cutting campaign to combat a possible recession.

Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn, in a speech Tuesday, said the Fed remained concerned about the weak economy, signaling the possibility of further rate cuts. While noting recent "disappointing" news on inflation, he said, "I do not expect the recent elevated inflation rates to persist," in part because the slowing economy should ease pressure on wages.

The 1 percent jump in wholesale prices in January followed a 0.3 percent decline in December and a 2.6 percent spike in November.

The wholesale report said energy prices jumped 1.5 percent, as gasoline prices rose by 2.9 percent and the cost of home heating oil soared by 8.5 percent. Food costs jumped by 1.7 percent, the biggest monthly increase in three years.

Core wholesale inflation, which excludes food and energy, posted a 0.4 percent increase, the biggest increase in 11 months and double what analysts had expected. This gain was led by a 1.5 percent spike in the cost of prescription and nonprescription drugs as well as higher costs for books, autos and plastic products.

U.S. producer prices soared in January

[Shammu]

It is easy to see, why Revelations 6:6 will be the way it will be........

Revelation 6:6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice from the midst of the four living creatures, saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius [a whole day's wages], and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm the oil and the wine!

I'm also adding Deuteronomy 28:33, for just a measure........

Deuteronomy 28:33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:

[Shammu]

'Doomsday' seed vault to open in Norway
February 26, 2008

A vast underground vault storing millions of seeds from around the world is scheduled to open this week in a mountain on a remote island near the Arctic Ocean.

Dubbed the "Doomsday Vault," the seed bank is considered the ultimate safety net for the world's seed collections, protecting them from a wide range of threats including war, natural disasters, lack of funding or simply poor agricultural management. The Norwegian government paid to build the vault in a mountainside near Longyearbyen, in the remote Svalbard islands between Norway and the North Pole. Building began last year, and the vault is scheduled to open officially Tuesday.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, as it is officially known, can hold as many as 4.5 million seed samples and will eventually house almost every variety of most important food crops in the world, according to the Global Crop Diversity Trust, which is paying to collect and maintain the seeds.

 The United Nations founded the trust in 2004 to support the long-term conservation of crop diversity, and countries and foundations provide the funding.

"The seed vault is the perfect place for keeping seeds safe for centuries," said Cary Fowler, executive director of the trust. "At these temperatures, seeds for important crops like wheat, barley and peas can last for up to 10,000 years."

The vault's location deep inside a mountain in the frozen north ensures the seeds can be stored safely no matter what happens outside.

"We believe the design of the facility will ensure that the seeds will stay well-preserved even if such forces as global warming raise temperatures outside the facility," said Magnus Bredeli Tveiten, project manager for the Norwegian government.

 The vault sits at the end of a 120-meter (131-yard) tunnel blasted inside the mountain. Workers used a refrigeration system to bring the vault to -18 degrees Celsius (just below 0 degrees Fahrenheit), and a smaller refrigeration system plus the area's natural permafrost and the mountain's thick rock will keep the vault at least -4 C (25 F).

The vault at Svalbard is similar to an existing seed bank in Sussex, England, about an hour outside London. The British vault, called the Millennium Seed Bank, is part of an scientific project that works with wild plants, as opposed to the seeds of crops.

Paul Smith, the leader of the Millennium Seed Bank project, said preserving the seeds of wild plants is just as important as preserving the seeds of vital crops.

"We must give ourselves every option in the future to use the whole array of plant diversity that is available to us," Smith told CNN.

The idea for the Arctic seed bank dates to the 1980s but only became a possibility after the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources came into force in 2004, the Norwegian government said. The treaty provided an international framework for conserving and accessing crop diversity.
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Svalbard is designed to store duplicates of seeds from seed collections around the world.

The Norwegian government says it has paid 50 million Norwegian Kroner ($9.4 million) to build the seed vault.

'Doomsday' seed vault to open in Norway

[Shammu]

Warning over world food shortages
MARCH 12, 2008

The UN secretary general has warned that millions of people are at risk of starvation as global food stocks have fallen to their lowest levels for decades.
 
In a letter to a US newspaper Ban Ki Moon warned that shortages are forcing prices to rise which may have devastating consequences for the world's most vulnerable communities
   
The most acute effects have been seen in Egypt, where thousands of people have resorted to violence due to shortages of basic food commodities and rising food prices.
 
At least 10 people have died over the past two weeks, in riots that erupted at government subsidised bakeries.
   
The unavailability of basic food products such as bread, rice, sugar and cooking oil, coupled with high food prices has led many to protest against the Egyptian government and resort to violent tactics.
 
National crisis
 
An Egyptian man said: "People are fighting. Killing for bread, some are even pulling out knives. What is happening? What is this? Famine? "

Another woman, waiting at a government bakery said: "I've been standing here from 7am. Its now 2pm and I can't get hold of even one loaf of bread."

"I have five children. What am I supposed to do? You now need to bribe someone to get bread, if you do not want to get trampled on."

Egypt is one of the world's largest importers of wheat and this year alone spent $2.6 billion on its wheat-import.

However, soaring food prices has driven many Egyptians to the brink of starvation.

Al Jazeera's Jamal El Shayyal reported from Cairo, that people were demanding  drastic measures to be taken and wanted the military to be called in, to solve the food crisis.

An Egyptian waiting in a queue for bread, said: "The army is the only power capable to plant the people's wheat. We want the government to distribute the wheat fairly amongst the poor."

Meanwhile, the Egyptian government has added an additonal 15 million names to the register of people who are eligible to receive subsidies on basic products such as sugar, rice and oil, which has compounded the problem.

Egyptians are demanding for the regular availability of basic food products and a cut in the price of essential commodities.

Global phenomena

The shortage of food has now assumed a global dimension; some 73 million people in 78 countries depend on the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP).

According to their figures, 1 out of every 80 person relies on somebody else to provide for basic food requirements.

Most of these handouts are taking place in Africa, Asia and Central America, but developed countries are feeling the impact for the first time as well.

Rice, corn, dairy and poultry products are the worst affected commodities,around the globe.

Multiple factors

Marcus Prior, spokesman for the World Food Programme in East Africa said, that there were multiple factors contributing to this global crisis.

"There are a number of elements that have all come together at the same time," he told Al Jazeera.

"Perhaps, the most important is the rise in global fuel prices, which is having a chain-reaction effect through the food production system. Right from the cost of input such as fertiliser and seeds, through the harvesting and the storage and delivery process."

Prior said that there has been an enormous increase in the demand from booming economies such as India and China.

"People there are eating a lot more meat than they used to," he said.

The UNWFP said another key factor contributing in the global decrease of productivity was weather irregularities all across the world.

Warning over world food shortages

[Soldier4Christ]

hmmm  ..... things don't jive here. World food stockpiles are actually much higher right now due to the warmer weather we have seen world wide in recent years. Food prices for consumers has increased as much as 75% since 2005 but it is not due to any lack of supply. It is due to the flailing economy. It sounds like more of that global warming type of ideology.

[Shammu]

hmmm  ..... things don't jive here. World food stockpiles are actually much higher right now due to the warmer weather we have seen world wide in recent years. Food prices for consumers has increased as much as 75% since 2005 but it is not due to any lack of supply. It is due to the flailing economy. It sounds like more of that global warming type of ideology.

To me is sounds like murder of those, that don't have enough eat. This  is a deep issue and most of it involved greed and a desire to kill off the worlds population!! But this is only my opinion.

[Soldier4Christ]

To me is sounds like murder of those, that don't have enough eat. This  is a deep issue and most of it involved greed and a desire to kill off the worlds population!! But this is only my opinion.

That is an agenda of many environmentalists/global warming advocates and the desire of those governments mentioned to control people.

[Shammu]

Million face famine after plague of rats devastates rice crop in Mizoram, India
March 18, 2008

SATEEK About a million people are facing famine in India's northeastern state of Mizoram after rats ate the region's entire paddy crop.

The rats swept through the forests, feasting on the fruits of wild bamboo, which flowers every 48 years. When they finished the bamboo, they turned to the farmers' crops. The last time the bamboo flowered was in 1959 when a similar influx led to severe food shortages.

Aid agencies have said that most villagers are surviving on wild roots, yam and sweet potatoes. “Conditions of widespread food shortage and hunger prevail in all eight districts of Mizoram,” said a report by the international aid agency Actionaid. “The Government is reluctant to accept that the situation is rapidly slipping out of its control.” Mizoram needs about 15 million kilos (16,500 tons) of rice a month, but only about a fifth of that is available.

Local people call the famine that follows bamboo flowering mautum, which means bamboo death. In 1959 the famine led to the birth of the Mizo National Famine Front, which ended up fighting the Indian Government for independence. After 20 years of war and 3,000 deaths, the rebel group won recognition for Mizoram as a separate state but not independence.

Million face famine after plague of rats devastates rice crop in Mizoram, India

[Shammu]

Global food riots turn deadly


April 10, 2008

Video: Haitian leader's pleas fail to stop riots

By David R. Sands - Anger over spiraling world food prices is becoming increasingly violent.

Deadly clashes over higher costs for staple foods have broken out in Egypt, Haiti and several African states, and an international food expert yesterday warned of more clashes with no short-term relief in sight.

"World food prices have risen 45 percent in the last nine months and there are serious shortages of rice, wheat and [corn]," Jacques Diouf, head of the Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said at a major conference in New Delhi yesterday.

"There is a risk that this unrest will spread in countries where 50 to 60 percent of income goes to food," he said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a personal appeal for calm in Haiti yesterday. U.N. peacekeepers were called to protect the residence of President Rene Preval from rioters protesting sharp increases in the prices of food and fuel. At least five people have been reported killed in disturbances since last week after the cost of rice doubled and gas prices rose a third time since February.

A supermarket, several gas station marts and a government rice warehouse were looted, the Associated Press reported.

Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif this week promised concessions to workers in the industrial city of Mahalla al-Kobra after two days of rioting over rising food prices left one protester dead.

The clashes were described as the most serious anti-government demonstrations since 1977 riots erupted over soaring bread prices.

The FAO has reported popular unrest over rising food prices in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambique, Bolivia and Uzbekistan, among other countries.

The Philippines, the world's biggest rice importer, moved to head off protests after global prices doubled in a year. Financial giant Credit Suisse yesterday reported that higher rice prices would cut the country's gross domestic product this year by at least 1 percent.

The government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo tightened controls of domestic rice sales and strengthened security at government storehouses to prevent hoarding. Anyone convicted of "stealing rice from the people" will be thrown in jail, she warned.

U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney yesterday said the Bush administration would offset any rice shortfall with cuts from other exporters.

World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick said earlier this month that nearly three dozen countries face social unrest because of surging food and fuel prices. For the countries most at risk, "there is no margin for survival," he said.

Josette Sheeran, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, was in Washington last month making an urgent appeal for funds to compensate for rising prices.

"We're asking for the world to really think through how we meet the emergency needs of the hungry," Ms. Sheeran told The Washington Times.

Even the most repressive regimes are not immune to popular unrest. The spark for rioting against the military junta in Burma last year was a rise in food and fuel prices after the government abruptly removed subsidies.

International agricultural analysts have seen the crisis building for months, spurred by an unusual combination of forces that John Holmes, the chief U.N. humanitarian official, this week called a "perfect storm" of trends fueling demand, cutting supply and producing higher global grocery bills.

Among them: higher fuel prices that make transporting food more expensive and encourage farmers to shift from crop production to biofuels; rising food demand as China, India and other Asian countries grow wealthier; drought in major producers such as Australia; and speculation on major commodities markets that staple prices will stay high.

Mr. Holmes predicted at a conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that the situation will spill into the political arena.

"The security implications [of the food crisis] should not be underestimated, as food riots are already being reported across the globe," he said. "Current food prices are likely to increase sharply both the incidence and depth of food insecurity."

Ms. Sheeran told The Times that her agency was $500 million short for the current fiscal year in meeting needs to relieve the global food and fuel crises.

"We don't have the buffering space" to cover such sharp increases in the cost of basic staples, she said.

Analysts say the price increases are across the board, not focused on one crop or market as in past commodity patterns.

A survey released by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute found that the price of staple food has risen by 80 percent since 2005, including a 40 percent surge last year alone. The real price of rice is at a 19-year high and the price of wheat on world markets is at a 28-year high.

"The realities of demography, changing diets, energy prices and biofuels, and climate change suggest that high — and volatile — food prices will be with us for years to come," said study author Joachim von Braun.

It is not just the poor who have taken to the streets over rising food prices.

Workers at the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in Jordan staged a one-day strike Monday to demand higher pay to cover rising food and gas prices. The action closed 177 schools for Palestinian refugees.

The U.N. staffers say they are prepared to walk off the job again next week if they do not get a pay raise.

Surging prices have led to food riots and protests around the globe.

EGYPT — Violent protests this week over soaring food prices left one dead and 15 injured.

HAITI — Five people were killed and about 20 injured in a week of protests, including an attack on U.N. peacekeepers.

CAMEROON — Violent food riots in February claimed 40 lives, and protests continue this month.

BURKINA FASO — A general strike is called this week over rising food prices, after protests earlier this year led to hundreds of arrests.

PHILIPPINES — The government beefs up security at rice warehouses to prevent theft and hoarding.

JORDAN — U.N. aid workers stage a one-day strike for more pay to cover food and fuel price increases.

BURMA — Cuts in fuel and food subsidies sparked massive anti-government protests last summer.

Global food riots turn deadly

[Shammu]

More;

Haiti Food Protests

Haitians Riot, Loot Over Food Prices

Haitians riot over food prices

Senators demand Haiti PM resign over food riots

[Shammu]

Demand for rice threatens global food supplies

Last Updated: 1:31am BST 08/04/2008

The run on rice is threatening to disrupt world food supplies as much as banks' lack of confidence in each other has seen global credit markets dry up.

China, Egypt, Vietnam and India, representing more than a third of global rice exports, curbed sales this year, and Indonesia says it may do the same.

The price of rice, the staple food for half the world, rose 2pc to a record $20.910 per 100lbs in Chicago, double the price a year ago and a fivefold increase from 2001.

"Rice will gain substantially over the next two years," said Roland Jansen, chief executive of Switzerland-based Mother Earth Investments, which holds 4pc of its $100m funds in the grain.

He believes governments will maintain curbs on exports as they "want to be able to continue to feed their own populations".

The World Bank in Washington says 33 nations from Mexico to Yemen may face "social unrest" as food and energy costs have risen for six straight years.

"High and volatile food prices will be with us for years to come," according to World Bank president Robert Zoellick, who urged wealthy nations to cut agricultural subsidies and open markets for food imports.

Rice-growing nations are driving up prices for producers that want to sell abroad. The Vietnam Food Association last week asked members to stop signing export contracts in June, following China, which has imposed a 5pc tax on exports. Egypt banned rice shipments until October.

Record grain prices are stoking inflation. Wholesale costs in India rose 7pc in the week ending March 22, the fastest pace in more than three years, underscoring the threat from rising food costs, the ministry of commerce and industry in New Delhi said.

The increase may boost profits for suppliers. Shares in Padiberas Nasional, Malaysia's only licensed rice supplier, rose the most in seven years on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange last week.

Goldman Sachs forecasts that all agricultural commodities it covers, except sugar, will rise during the next six months.

Global cereal demand will expand 2.6pc this year, 1.6 percentage points above the 10-year average, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome.

The UBS Bloomberg Constant Maturity Commodity Index of 26 raw materials has gained for six consecutive years and advanced 15pc this year.

"We have some very serious problems developing globally for food and energy," said Greg Smith, executive director of Global Commodities in Adelaide, Australia.

World rice stockpiles are at their lowest levels since the 1980s, and the UN forecasts that exports will drop 3.5pc this year.

"A constant price rise of rice can't be viewed as sustainable," said Abah Ofon, a commodities analyst with Standard Chartered in Dubai. "As with any staple commodity, there's a risk of social tension when prices begin to rise."

Demand for rice threatens global food supplies

More:

Farmers in Thailand grapple with theft of rice crops

THAILAND: Fear of shortages as rice prices keep rising

Phillipines: ‘Bad timing’, Nograles says on NFA rice price hike

SINGAPORE: Rice output set to rise this year

ASIA: Fear of shortages as rice prices keep rising

Riots in Egypt:
http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2008/04/09/egypt_rushes_to_calm_workers_amid_riots/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Riots_shake_Egypts_rulers/articleshow/2939031.cms

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=211886&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17

Riots in Africa:

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/&articleid=336367

http://euobserver.com/9/25947?rss_rk=1

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080406/wl_africa_afp/inflationpovertyafrica_080406153007

It is easy to see why famine will be one of the horses of Revelations.

Revelation 6:5-6 When He broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, Come and look ! And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and in his hand the rider had a pair of scales (a balance).  6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice from the midst of the four living creatures, saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius [a whole day's wages], and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm the oil and the wine!

[HisDaughter]

Revelation 6:5-6 When He broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, Come and look ! And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and in his hand the rider had a pair of scales (a balance).  6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice from the midst of the four living creatures, saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius [a whole day's wages], and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm the oil and the wine!

That was my thought exactly!

[Shammu]

23 People in 14 States Sickened From Recalled Breakfast Cereal

Saturday , April 12, 2008

MINNEAPOLIS —
At least 23 people in 14 states have been sickened by the same strain of salmonella found in two breakfast cereals recalled by Malt-O-Meal, the federal Food and Drug Administration said Saturday.

Officials in Minnesota are investigating whether a case in that state might be linked to the cereals produced by the Minneapolis-based company, the state health department said.

Malt-O-Meal voluntarily recalled its unsweetened Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat cereals April 5 after finding salmonella contamination during routine testing. The affected bags were produced in the past 12 months in Northfield.

"The Malt-O-Meal company has been extremely cooperative in this investigation and has done the right thing to protect the public's health," Heidi Kassenborg, director of the dairy and food inspection division at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, said in a statement.

Three people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Symptoms of salmonella infection include nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. It can be life-threatening for people with poor health or weakened immune systems, including young children and the elderly.

The FDA said people who experience such symptoms after eating a puffed wheat or puffed rice cereal made by Malt-O-Meal should contact their doctors and report the illness to state or local health authorities.

The FDA said the recalled products were distributed nationally under the Malt-O-Meal brand name, as well as private labels including Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw's, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality. The cereal bags have "best if used by" dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as APR0808), through March 18, 2009 (coded as MAR1809).

Consumers with products from the recalled lots are advised to throw them out, and retailers have been told to remove the cereals from their shelves.

The CDC said that as of Friday it had received reports of 21 people ill with the same salmonella strain in 13 states. California reported 1; Colorado, 1; Delaware, 1; Maine, 3; Massachusetts, 2; Minnesota, 1; North Dakota, 1; New Hampshire, 2; New Jersey, 3; New York, 3; Pennsylvania, 1; Rhode Island, 1; and Vermont, 1.

It wasn't clear Saturday what the 14th state was or whether the two additional cases were from there.

23 People in 14 States Sickened From Recalled Breakfast Cereal