| Feeding the World |
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 In recent months the issue of increasing food prices has rarely been out of the news and three weeks ago a major conference took place in Brussels with the title “Who will feed the world?”. Speakers at the conference included the Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries in a number of EU states and also the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mariann Fischer Boel. It was revealed that the European Union has decided to give €1billion in unused agricultural subsidies to farmers in the developing world to fight food shortages. Mariann Fischer Boel said that the Commission was confident that the proposals would overcome any opposition from the farm ministers of Member States. The proposal is that a fund will be established with a sum of €750million available this year and €250million next year. The fund will be procured from money which had been allocated to buy up unsold EU crops, and which is now not needed because of surging food demand. Normally this sum of money would be returned to national governments, but ministers at the conference said that it was vital for the EU to play its part in helping those in danger of starvation due to recent food price rises. The proposal put forward by ministers states that an extra €18billion will be needed this year and next to help the 59 worst affected countries through the current crisis. It is proposed that the EU should provide 10% of the aid needed, although only €800million has been committed through the aid programme. According to the draft plan, the bulk of the monies to be provided will be used on buying fertilisers and seeds to increase production. It is suggested that up to 15% of the funds available might be spent on food aid. The money may be given to international organisations, directly to farmers, companies or charities, to governments or to regional projects. The French Agriculture Minister put forward a proposal that poorer countries should club together to jointly manage water resources and to maintain emergency stock piles as the EU does through its Common Agricultural Policy. Provided that governments and the European Parliament agree the plan then the first monies are likely to be distributed as early as next year. It is quite clear that within a setting of food crisis, agriculture is now identified as the most effective driver for reducing poverty and guaranteeing growth. As a result, it has returned to the fore as a leading global concern.
Andrew Nicholson |
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