Walmart CEO talks of upcoming food prices

[foweler]

Quote:
Don't forget the fact that more people in China and India are gaining more purchasing power.
Something we forget to consider when we wish to bring the entire world out of poverty is that as that happens the new purchasing power of those people bids up the price of everything. Not that I would want to keep people in poverty, it's just something to keep in mind when trying to find out who to "blame" for rising prices.

 

[Wifezilla]

"The World Bank has warned that rising food prices, driven partly by rising fuel costs, are pushing millions of people into extreme poverty.

World food prices are 36% above levels of a year ago, driven by problems in the Middle East and North Africa, and remain volatile, the bank said.

That has pushed 44 million people into poverty since last June.

A further 10% rise would push 10m more below the extreme poverty line of $1.25 (76p) a day, the bank said.

And it warned that a 30% cost hike in the price of staples could lead to 34 million more poor.

'Protect the poor'
The World Bank estimates there are about 1.2 billion people living on less than $1.25 a day.

"More poor people are suffering and more people could become poor because of high and volatile food prices," said World Bank president Robert Zoellick.

Food price changes Q1 2010 to Q1 2011
SOURCE: WORLD BANK DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS GROUP
Maize 74%
Wheat 69%
Palm oil 55%
Soybeans 36%
Beef 30%
Rice -2%
"We have to put food first and protect the poor and vulnerable, who spend most of their money on food."

Mr Zoellick was speaking before IMF and World Bank spring meetings later this week.

The gatherings will be attended by finance ministers and central bankers including Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, and Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King.

Nutrition
The World Bank says prices of basic commodities remain close to their 2008 peak, with the prices of wheat, maize and soya all rocketing.

The only exception is rice, which has fallen slightly in price in the past year.

The bank suggests a number of measures to help alleviate the impact of high food prices on the poor.

They include encouraging food-producing countries to ease export controls, and to divert production away from biofuels production when food prices exceed certain limits..

Other recommendations include targeting social assistance and nutritional programmes to the poorest, better weather forecasting, more investments in agriculture, the adoption of new technologies - such as rice fortification to make it more nutritious, and efforts to address climate change.

It also said financial measures were needed to prevent poor countries being subject to food price volatility."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13086979

 

[foweler]

Just an idea....maybe we could stop paying farmers not to grow?
Maybe we drop tariffs allowing prices to come down and encourage an international price reduction.
Maybe we could stop viewing deflation as some kind of evil and see it as poor people do......a blessing.

 

[Wifezilla]

Just an idea....maybe we could stop paying farmers not to grow?

Radical

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Sounds like a good thing for the small local growers.. Its hard to compete with food that is artificially under inflated.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

deleted

 

[GhostRider65]

Quote:
Don't forget the fact that more people in China and India are gaining more purchasing power.
Something we forget to consider when we wish to bring the entire world out of poverty is that as that happens the new purchasing power of those people bids up the price of everything. Not that I would want to keep people in poverty, it's just something to keep in mind when trying to find out who to "blame" for rising prices.

I keep hearing that about the people in China and India causing the prices to rise. For the life of me I don't get it, the price of gas in those countries is way less than a 1/4 what we pay. How can that be? The people that spawn that nonsense expect me to believe that. It's simple supply and demand folks, they charge more because we will pay for it. Don't buy it and watch what the price does.

Steve

Agrreed 110%

 

[Katy]

Quote:
We haven't had a set-aside program for many years if that's what you're referring to. If you're referring to the CRP program that is more than likely going to be on the way out too. Most of the ground that is in it should never have been broken out of grass in the first place and often times is very poor producing ground.

 

[Wifezilla]

"just five crops -- corn, cotton, rice wheat and soybeans -- account for 90 percent of all farm subsidies. Sixty-two percent of American farmers do not receive any direct payments from the federal farm subsidy system, and that group includes most livestock producers and fruit and vegetable growers.

Among the members of the 112th Congress who collect payments from USDA are six Democrats and 17 Republicans. The disparity between the parties is even greater in terms of dollar amounts: $489,856 went to Democrats, but more than 10 times as much, $5,334,565, to Republicans.

One reason for the disproportionate number of Republican lawmakers benefiting from farm subsidy programs is the current scarcity of rural Democrats in Congress -- casualties of the Tea Party wave that swept into office in November of 2010. (This was despite the Democrats' decision to bow to the wishes of the subsidy lobby by passing a status quo 2008 farm bill in a misguided bid to hang on to those seats.)

Several new members of Congress who won with tea party support have been less than eager to talk about farm subsidies ever since the news broke last year that they, or their families, personally benefit from those very taxpayer dollars."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/donald-carr/farm-subsidies-paid-to-112-congress_b_842704.html

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
and if properly packaged, it can last 30 years safely.

The price hikes I were looking at are 20% across the board to start..

By putting dried beans and rice in the freezer?

Mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and the such

Rice/grains (wheat berries for example) beans, dried foods etc will keep extremely long this way. I am wanting to lay into a couple 50# bags of dehydrated milk to put up also. Moo juice is already 4$/gal here where gasoline is 3.89$/gal....