JTO: Stop turning cheap food into expensive fuel

[Clark Kent]

Stop turning cheap food into expensive fuel
By - 02-16-2010 04:11 PM
Originally Posted at: The Japan Times Online
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LONDON — U.S. Department of Agriculture figures reveal that a quarter of U.S. cereals grown in 2009 went to biofuel, turning cheap food into expensive fuel. This pushes up food prices and damages the environment, yet President Barack Obama promised "continued investment in advanced biofuels" in his recent State of the Union address.
A paper on the 2007-2008 food crisis by the World Bank Development Prospect Group, leaked in 2008, said U.S. and European Union biofuel production was responsible for 70 to 75 percent of the price rises — against 3 percent admitted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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The Japan Times Online

 

[David43515]

I`m not suprised.Here in Japan we actually import about 95% of our soybeans used for Tofu, miso, soy sauce, soybean oil, various snacks, etc. More than 50% comes from the US. When Bush passed the biofuel subsidies, more and more US farmers switched to growing corn for the biofuels market and simple suplly and demand made grocery prices here jump through the roof. That was the same season Australia suffered a huge drought that drove food costs across Asia and the Middle East up.

 

[girlbug2]

I wish the darn biofuel scam would just die already. When is the president or somebody fergawdsakes just going to admit it's BS and put a stop to all the waste of time and agriculture?

 

[mj_lover]

its simple, need fuel to survive, our whole culture is based on that need fuel for cars, need fuel for electricity, need fuel to produce stuff, and we need it now.

really...is food that important? we can always buy more