With much of the world in the grip ofan economic crisis, little is heard about the food crisis, which was the centerof attention earlier this year. Nevertheless, the UN Food and Agriculture Organizationsays the crisis continues and could get worse in 2009.
AbdolrezaAbbassian, secretary for the FAO's Inter-Governmental Group on Grains in Rome,told VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua that Africa is stillfeeling the effects of the food crisis.
"Africancountries are on the frontline of having major problem. Aside from NorthAfrica, prices are basically, if not higher? remaining at high levels. Theyhaven't really come down. So, those countries are actually?suffering from theelevated price levels. So, the situation in Africa is particularly of concernand for them the food crisis is far from being over," he says.
Butwhat about elsewhere? Abbassian says, "The thing is that what was going on forso many months ? all the way from the middle of 2006 up until a few months ago? was a continuous surge in international prices of basic food commodities.This created?so many problems for importing countries and some fragilecountries even faced riots and political instability?. To the extent that theinternational markets have really made a sharp downturn, partly because of, infact, the financial crisis, but partly also because of a recovery inproduction, one may say that (for) the international markets, at least?thecrisis is over," he says.
However,that doesn't tell the whole story. "Unfortunately, though, at the nationallevel this is not taking place?. It is a bit unfortunate that too much emphasison the financial crisis is taking the attention away from what's happeningactually in the markets. In domestic markets of many countries, especiallypoorer ones, prices not only haven't come down, but they have actuallycontinued to increase. And this was expected because many countries importedwhen prices were extremely high and now they are basically transferring thoseprices into the domestic markets. And their population is still facing veryhigh?prices for basic food," he says.
InJune, world leaders held an emergency summit in Rome to address the food crisisand pledged $22 billion. But most of what was pledged has not been forthcoming.Abbassian says, "As much as the international community seemed committed tocome to the rescue of world agriculture ? and with all the promises made?only avery small amount of that money seems to be coming through, perhaps somethingfar less than even a billion. And even that is not very clear?. So far, theresults have been extreme disappointing."
Heblames that on all the attention given the financial crisis, which has resultedin bailout packages far exceeding the $22 billion pledged in Rome.
TheFAO official says experts did not believe the food crisis would simply end dueto a one-year food production increase. It's more complex. "The attention dulypaid to the situation was simply to raise awareness that we need to invest inagriculture in the long term. That is where the solution lies. One year ofproduction and another year down is not really the issue. The issue was that wedon't have stability in the system, that any shortfall here and there wouldalways result in a price surge. So, those sort of investments were what we werelooking to see and we haven't got. What we have received is really completelyunrelated to pledges made or help to the agriculture (sector). It had a lot todo with Mother Nature, especially in countries which had problems in 2007. Theyactually had a major recovery in 2008 and also to a huge response by manyfarmers, but not in developing or poor countries, but actually farmers indeveloped countries, especially in the US, but also in the European Union andother developed regions," he says.
Respondingto higher world prices, these farmers expanded planting. But in poorercountries, this didn't happen, in part because many farmers were not expectingto see benefits if they did expand production.
Abbassiansays that the outlook for 2009 remains unclear, despite some increase inproduction and improved weather in certain areas.