Global food price crisis

One of the hot topics here is the food price crisis. There are a number of things driving the rise in global food prices including the demand for cereals for use as agro fuels in cars.

Here in Ghana the concern about high food prices has focussed attention on the impact of the liberalisation of agricultural products and the subsequent reduction of subsidies and tariffs. For example Ghana has moved from a position of self sufficiency in rice to now where 65% of rice is imported. The headline in one of the local papers is ‘we must grow the food we eat’ and ActionAid Ghana ran a workshop this afternoon that I attended.

This morning we interviewed Tony Turan from IBON a research and education NGO. This interview will be edited when we get back and we’ll put it on the website. His argument is that conditions set by the Asian Development Bank on loans to the Phillipines meant that they went from being self sufficient to being the world’s largest importer of rice. It was an unprecedented order from the Philippines that then led to the rapid increase in the price of rice. The Phillipines has sneezed and Ghana and others have caught a cold.

As you’d expect discussions here in the workshops tend to be serious, evidence based and focussed on problem solving. Once in a while a speaker slips in a phrase showing their passionate frustration with individuals from the Global North. My favourites so far:

Peter Mandelson ‘has no sympathy or mercy. He will not budge”

Tony Blair has …..well maybe we’ll let that one go for now.