The Hindu Business Line : Why are food prices going up?

Not just because of the population explosion, but also because farm production is, percentage-wise, actually declining as soils are squeezed of all nutrition and input costs increase, in part due to Green Revolution practices.

In fact agriculture, deforestation, monoculture , livestock gases and wetland rice cultivation are main causes for greenhouse emmisions.

Transport accounts for about 14 per cent of emissions. To reduce global warming, biofuel is being touted as the answer. While it has its benefits, there is also a flip side.

It is the cause for rise in food prices. Palm oil is cheap and easily imported from Malaysia.

Now, nearly 41 per cent of the oil palm producing area is under transnational companies for biofuel manufacture.

In the last 12 months corn prices are up 60 per cent wheat 53 per cent and soya 40 per cent and all food products used in biofuel. India has to evolve its own policy.

It must encourage farmers to go organic by providing subsidy to produce composts, vermiculture and honeybee keeping and cut fertiliser subsidy. Agriculture will flourish and gas emssions will be reduced.

K. K. Lakshmanan Coimbatore