North Korean Radio Reports Worldwide "Food Crisis"
Posted on: Wednesday, 14 May 2008, 06:00 CDT
Text of report by state-run North Korean radio on 7 May
Nowadays, the food issue is being raised as a serious and tough issue worldwide.
In particular, the price for white rice, wheat, and corn, which are used as the staple food in many countries, has increased rapidly; and this is stirring great concerns.
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO] revealed that the worldwide food price increased by about 20 per cent during the period of January to the end of March compared with the same period last year.
Due to the rapid increase in the worldwide food prices, 37 countries are now faced with a food crisis. Currently, 10 million people are dieing every year due to malnutrition in the world, and this number is expected to increase continuously in the future.
Due to the food price increase, even social chaos is reportedly being created in certain countries.
Foreign news agencies are regarding that the cause of rapid increase in food prices lies in the reduction of agricultural production due to repeated natural disasters, a vast amount of grain consumption for biological fuel production, and the measure to ban export in grain exporting countries.
Agricultural production was remarkably reduced due to severe natural disasters, such as draught and flood, in many world countries during the recent years. 57 countries suffered from great damages in the agricultural sector last year only.
According to a survey result which was announced recently, the total stock of grain in the world is expected to decrease by 21 million tonnes this year compared with last year, and this will record the lowest amount in the past 25 years.
On the other hand, the production of biological fuel, which is expanding in western countries including the United States, is further aggravating the food crisis.
Grain exporting countries are taking measures on export ban and limitation, and this is another cause [of the food crisis]. The United States and western countries are regarding the food price increase as an opportunity to earn a big fortune, and they are heading towards the direction of limiting grain export to the maximum degree.
In addition, Asian countries, which used to be major white rice exporting countries, are reducing or banning white rice export in order to guarantee the stability of domestic food supply. Consequently, grain circulation amount in international markets was reduced on a large scale. Amid such a situation, many countries are taking active measures to increase grain production in a bid to restrain the increase in food prices. At the same time, they are asserting on the suspension of biological fuel production that is wasting huge amount of grains.
The international food situation, which is becoming worse rapidly, is more desperately demanding all the countries to resolve the food issue by themselves.
Originally published by Central Broadcasting Station, Pyongyang, in Korean 0100 7 May 08.
(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific
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