When Shri Bush and Kumari Condoleezza Rice talk about rising prices of food and pass the buck of their failure to grow enough food for the American people onto the growing middle classes of what were once-upon-a-time third world countries, they merely endorse the fact that India and China are no longer dependent but instead, economically powerful and making a strong, determined impact on the rich Western world led by the United States of America. The Iraq war has debilitated America and exposed its many warts
Even as the world faces an unprecedented shortage in items of staple food and the consequent rise in global prices, President George W Bush has brewed up another storm in a tea-cup by holding India responsible. According to his logic, growing prosperity amongst the Indian middle-class has led to demand on its part for better food, causing prices to sky-rocket. The latest Bushism is just a take-off from what his Secretary of State had asserted earlier.
I refer to the FPJ report about Bush blaming India for world's food shortage. Bush & Rice have accused India along with some other countries, of overconsuming the food products such as rice & wheat which has brought a shortage to the rest of the world.
Bush food talks India has unanimously condemned the remarks attributed to the outgoing US President, George W Bush, that rising prosperity of Indians was one of the causes of spiraling food prices all over the world. Days earlier the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, had spoken on similar lines. Their views are not just ill-informed and highly objectionable but betray a mindset that should be worrying.
The development of two high-yielding varieties of Boro rice by scientists of Assam Agricultural University (AAU) is heartening for the State's beleaguered agriculture sector. Recurring damages by floods apart, a noticeable decline in productivity of paddy has emerged as a disturbing trend in recent years. With the entire country going through a phase of food shortage, it is only through enhanced productivity that we can hope to meet the challenge. For achieving this, it is imperative that agricultural research is accorded top priority.
India's concerns relating to grains, in general, and wheat, in particular, are becoming more serious. While demand continues to expand rapidly, output has turned unsteady in the last six or seven years, as much because of water stress and declining soil health as the effects of global warming. Wheat prices have doubled from what they were in early 2007. G. Chandrashekhar
THE PERPETUALLY outraged in the political spectrum on Tuesday got fresh ammunition for their anti-US rhetoric when the White House faulted India and China for the surge in oil prices. The statement comes three days after politicians here interpreted a statement of President Bush
The US favours higher standards of living in developing countries, the White House said on Monday, while sticking to its proposition that increased demand for food in these countries is the principle driver of higher prices across the world.
A preachy America and a prickly India are both mouthing off over the world food crisis. Some of India's political leadership was foaming at the mouth on Saturday after misconstruing US President George Bush's remark that increasing prosperity in India had led to better diets, greater demand, and increasing prices, all of which had contributed to the global food crisis.
Inflation continues unabated. In the last week of March it stopped at 7.14 per cent and swinging in April it reached up to 7.33 per cent. Government adopted several measures but it did not make any difference. Inflation lowered a little and again it started rising. Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday might take some steps in this direction. But only through mechanism it can not be checked. Because finding its root cause and effort to remove it necessary. Prices of daily consumable items are going up continuously and even after sufficient availability of food grains they are becoming dearer.
