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We must do more to secure the food situation
2008-05-04 09:55:13
By Editor
A quick survey carried out by this paper this week shows that retail prices for most food items have gone up, worrying consumers who have been reading about a looming world food crisis.
Prices of staples such as maize and rice have increased almost by half in most retail shops. A couple of months ago, a kilo of maize flour was selling at 350/- but now it has jumped to 800/-.
The worry by consumers is understandable, for not only has the situation destabilised their food budgets, but they are not sure they can handle the situation, especially when viewed against rising oil prices.
Analysts are optimistic that the food situation in the country is a short-lived problem and that the approaching harvest season would soon see the country`s markets packed with adequate food at affordable prices.
It is sometimes comforting to look at the short term solutions and console ourselves that we are not that badly off.
But food security is more than a year`s problem. Together with oil it is a global strategic peace and stability issue.
A hungry people are an angry people and a sure disruption to peace and stability as shown by the spate of riots in the countries facing food shortages around the world which U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has termed a ``global crisis``.
The present food situation should tackled with more seriousness and long term stability in mind instead of the annual self sufficiencies we have been focusing on.
Indeed the world must ensure that food security is not compromised for fuel security, as more resources are diverted to produicing bio-fuels.
As pointed out by Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan agricultural production worldwide must be revamped over time but poor farmers in Africa and elsewhere need help now to meet the spiralling costs of fertiliser, which has prevented them from planting more crops.
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