The world is crying foul over the raising food prices and falling grain stocks. To divert the public attention from this grave crisis, blame game has been played. The fault finding tribe has been led by none other than the President of United States. George Bush who is well-known for his slippery talks and below standard behaviors which is ironical to his presidential position had held Third World countries responsible for the mess. What a clever ploy to escape from the local ire? This is nothing new for the American establishment. In the case of global warming case also, the white house lobby has abused developing countries as responsible for the problem. Whenever there is a complex trouble, the American government has found an easy scapegoat to divert the boiling public opinion.
Contradictory to the Bushism, Americans eat five times more than Indians. According to the U.S Department of Agriculture that Indians consume only 178 Kgs of food per year, whereas an average American eats 1046 Kgs of food annually. The irresponsible statement of George Bush and his secretary of State, Condeleezza Rice that the increasing wealth and high eating capacity in Third World countries have led to the short supply and higher food prices is totally self-contradictory. In 2003 per capita food consumption was 946 Kgs. In the last four year this has increased to 1046Kgs. This fact tells exposes the over eating people in the world.
A deep introspection into this problem will reveal that the current problem has its roots which date back to fifties. The liberal American spectrum has been radically advocating faster conversion from agricultural to industrial mode of production. They were proclaiming that the industrial age is the right solution to all the woes. Full participation of the private sector in industrial development can replace the government. In the urge to kick out state government, the liberal economists have forced to adopt industrial mode. As the fever liberal fever was crossing all the limits, the United States government has accepted their voice as the sane advice. Unfortunately these sily advisors did not stop with the America. In the name of promotion of liberal ideas they have penetrated around the world. They advocated the conversion of agriculture areas into industrial plots. Third World countries which have its roots in agriculture too had fallen victim to this false propaganda. In the neo liberal times and WTO regime signal for the collapse of agriculture was clear.
The industrial and business lobbies of the First World vigorously pushed by their political masters have succeeded in seducing the poor countries to follow their method of industrialization. In the Western world, hi breed and bio technology seeds were used to produce quick crops. While converting barren lands into industrial plots, agriculture has been given complete patronage. On the other hand, Third World countries were not allowed to given any protection to agriculture.
Despite rapid conversion of fertile agricultural lands into industrial estates, any little subsidy to farmers attracts wide condemnation from the First World leaders. This voice of malevolence has been supplemented by Brettonwood institutions like World Bank, IMF and WTO. The developing countries agriculture faces attack from the multiple angles one, erratic monsoons and natural unrest has devastated the production. Two, WTO regime has made it mandatory to buy seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides from developed countries at a higher price. These products are highly detrimental to the environment and community health of the Third World. By devastating agriculture, the entire social spectrum of the traditional countries has undergone a worst trauma. Three, frequent pressures and temptations to convert fertile lands into industrial parks and Special Economic Zones has reduced the productivity of food grains. There are only 15 percent of the available land in India are fit for food grain production. Out of this meager amount of land, half has been grabbed by industrial and real estate lobbies.
One can collect ample evidence against those responsible for the ongoing crisis. In fact the present situation is not the worst crisis of food shortage ever faced in the human history. It is just the panic. The worst is yet to come. If the mad economists try to change their thoughts and start pitching in for the protection of agriculture, things will be under control in the coming days. Otherwise the entire world will be doomed to death due to starvation.
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