World food stocks dwindling rapidly, UN warns

[babylonsister]

World food stocks dwindling rapidly, UN warns
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
Published: December 17, 2007


ROME: In an "unforeseen and unprecedented" shift, the world food supply is dwindling rapidly and food prices are soaring to historic levels, the top food and agriculture official of the United Nations warned Monday.

The changes created "a very serious risk that fewer people will be able to get food," particularly in the developing world, said Jacques Diouf, head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

The agency's food price index rose by more than 40 percent this year, compared with 9 percent the year before - a rate that was already unacceptable, he said. New figures show that the total cost of foodstuffs imported by the neediest countries rose 25 percent, to $107 million, in the last year.

At the same time, reserves of cereals are severely depleted, FAO records show. World wheat stores declined 11 percent this year, to the lowest level since 1980. That corresponds to 12 weeks of the world's total consumption - much less than the average of 18 weeks consumption in storage during the period 2000-2005. There are only 8 weeks of corn left, down from 11 weeks in the earlier period.

more...

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/17/europe/food.php

[rodeodance]

1. AND corn= GAS

[Deja Q]

2. Why are we developing that world when the same corporations that do so

whine about the levels of piracy and other illegal deeds coming from there?

Never mind product quality.

And since what's said is being said by a media source, why should I blindly believe what anyone says? I'll wait for what Charles Gibson says tonight. :)