Did you know that the same amount of corn that produces enough ethanol to fill the fuel tank of an SUV would feed a Mexican for a year?
Or that the price of tortillas, Mexico’s staple food, has tripled and even quadrupled in some parts of that country because the price of white corn, which is indexed to the international price of yellow corn used for ethanol production, has risen dramatically?
In other words, there are people around the world who are starving because more and more land is being dedicated to cash-rich fuel crops like corn instead of food.
These were some of the points raised at a recent forum, Connecting the dots on the food crisis, sponsored by Kairos, the Canadian ecumenical justice organization, of which the Anglican Church of Canada is a member. The forum explored the root causes of the food crisis in the Global South, including the push for agro-fuels in rich countries like Canada and the U.S., the decades-long liberalization policies of governments, and the growth of agri-business transnational corporations.
That’s why the goverment should stay out of mandating anything about fuel make-up. If it’s efficient, the free market should take care of it. Instead, we have Congress mandating fuel make-up without any thought to other consequences.
“Did you know that the same amount of corn that produces enough ethanol to fill the fuel tank of an SUV would feed a Mexican for a year?”
Do you know, I don’t care. The Mexican Government doesn’t seem to care that around 20,000,000 of their citizens have crossed our borders illegally and are using our schools and hospitals without paying while driving down wages and stealing jobs from Americans. When we don’t have a problem with illegal migrants from Mexico, I will care about the cost of a corn tortillas in Mexico.
By the way, if the poor of the world are concerned about the U.S. using corn for fuel rather than food, let them talk to Venezuela and the other members of OPEC. The U.S. isn’t using corn for fuel on a whim. Our economy has been whip-sawed by OPEC for the last 3 years and if people aren’t happy about our solutions, take it up with those jerking our chain.
crop based bio fuels need to head the way of the 8 track tape. #2, Americans need that corn too, not so much for the actual corn but we need more reasonable dairy prices, which have just gone crazy with the corn prices farmers must pay to feed their cows…..
Corn does not yield enough ethanol to make it cost effective. Lets call it what it is — a farm subsidy. Other material such as switchgrass is easier to grow, more drought resistant and yields far more ethanol than corn.
Who was it who said the road to hell is paved with good intentions? Food for fuel just isn’t a good idea, and once again the government has caused unintended consequences by interfering in markets. The whole structure of American agricultural subsidies needs to be taken down, and most especially the subsidies and requirements calling for good food to be grown and then burned up.
Sick & Tired, I understand your frustrations, but I can’t go as far as not caring whether Mexican villagers starve.
I am my Brothers Keeper, think about that the next time you select some one for office who would rather burn food than drill for oil, tax our businesses out of the country instead of incouraging business and would rather have cheape labor come to our country instead of developing the economies of our neighbors.