To meet the needs of ever growing population in Asia and Africa, food production needs to be raised at a rate significantly higher than what has been achieved so far. While scientists feel that necessary technology for quantum jump in production already exists, whether producing sufficient food, without enabling the poverty ridden population in some of the under developed and least developed countries of the world to access it, will really solve the emerging crisis is a matter of concern. It is scary to note claims by some experts that food prices are bound to go up phenomenally in future, making them beyond the reach of even the middle income group of population
"Within 20 years, the cost of staple foods will rise by over 4.5 times that of normal inflation, unless rich nations mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture, a report by the green pressure group Friends of the Earth (FoE) warns. In the report Climate change, food, poverty and the price of failure to the UK, author Ray Hammond predicts the prices of staple foods such as bread, rice and oil in 2030. Hammond's projections (based on previous price hikes recorded by the World Bank and projections by the International Food Policy Research Institute) suggests that by 2030, we would pay £6.48 ($10.63) for an 800 g loaf of bread (now 72p, would be £1.44 with normal inflation), £15.21/kg for basmati rice (now £1.69), and £17.91/l for corn oil".
If such dire predictions come true, what will happen to people who are going to be denied access to staple foods because of high prices?. Are we going to see the emergence of a population with stunted growth, reduced economic productivity and higher vulnerability to nutrient deficient diseases? What will be the future of food industry which may shrink in size for want of demand from a debilitated consumer?. One can only hope that such a catastrophic scenario will not materialize.
V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com
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