[Assam] Food Crisis: Bush, Rice and eating rice etc, ; produce less population

Sun May 4 20:48:31 IST 2008

My Dear Friends

  I'm really intrigued by the statements made by the US Administration through Mr. G.W. Bush and Ms.C. Rice that citizens of India and China are eating up the food leading to the present shortage.

  They could have as well stated that increase in world population is leading to the crisis (following good old Malthus). No, they did not do it. They found specific class of persons in India and China as responsible for the catastrophe. 

  At one time when more Indians or Chinese could not afford proper food, wallowed in undernourishment or hunger, in spite of abundant food available in the US, and the disincentives & subsidy to its farmers not to produce more food in the US, the US administration never blamed itself for the resultant disease and death. Also, the vaunted desired goal of the said administration is  food security in the world for peace and stability. So if the burgeoning Indian and Chinese middle class population are eating better, let them. The world markets and producers should respond accordingly by producing more food, as the increased demand should make investment in food and agriculture more profitable. That should be the way a neo-liberal economic advocate should talk. 

  But why have Bush-Rice done it? They have thereby knowingly created ill-will towards themselves in person and for the US admn. in general.India is no longer in the bad books of the US and in fact quite a docile partner. So we have to understand that they have to take this risk to avert a bigger backlash.

   I'm not in touch with the prevalent economy and public psyche in the US. Nor am I close to the corridors of power in India to know for sure. I must confess, I'm not sufficiently well-read. So I will just make a guess:

  1. The US administration does not want to change the present structure of diverting  corn for bio-fuel production, and thus insure its interests by saving its oil reserve or for maintaining the oil prices at its desired level. Republican Bush & Rice may even have a personal stake in such a view. They do not want any structural  change in agriculture So they had to tell this lie and repeat it over time to make it sink, so that they do not have to bend to pressure at home and world-wide for cutting down on agricultural produces diverted for bio-fuel production.

  2.  The US  presidential election is just round the corner, and they do not want to give grounds to the Democrats ,who may have a strong support base in the food lobby.   

   It would  be great if the members in the group come up with the data in support or refutation of these probable reasons, or supply further reasons supported by data. Then we would be in a position to discuss/ dissect/ go to the root of this ominous problem in a systematic manner. This knowledge may help us put forward a solution to appropriate forum through proper channel. 

  P.S. If the potato produced in Barpeta have not yet been sold at throw away prices, the designs of the vegetable mafia would be foiled for a factor that they could not have imagined! May be potato-producers or their financiers would be able to get a wind-fall after all.

Ram Dhar <ramdhar at hotmail.com> wrote:

Dada,
couple of things

a.Bush just explained to an audience in MO whats causing world energy food prices to go up ..nothing wrong there ...China-India are a factor now...americans including Dubya are getting a reality bite these days.......if u have listened to him he explained further that indian middle class -350 million are good for american business..whats wrong there ? It works for both parties...
b. Indian spineless netas should be matured enuf to understand the new reality....instead of blaming america ...should find ways so that country can continue to prosper ( inclusive growth carrying 70%of rural India)....... ................we cannot shy away from energy crisis looming for the entire world ......ethanol-nuclear and all other sources must be explored ...
Indian media and some netas are still behaving like we did during cold war days ......waste of time ...

America is not Indias enemy these days ...instead we should be partners ...***do business** ..win win situation for both .....i am not saying coz i have made america my adopted country nor coz I am Dubya fan ! and i am not voting for republicans either !!! .... 

Ram

> Date: Sun, 4 May 2008 09:55:13 +0100> From: biku006 at yahoo.co.in> To: umesh.sh05 at post.harvard.edu; assam at assamnet.org> Subject: Re: [Assam] Food Crisis: Bush, Rice and eating rice etc, ; produce less population> > Friends,> When George W Bush found no bush around him to creat another war between India and Iran, India and China, Indian and Pakistan- he now started abusing INdia in al way till he can.This time India was taugh enough to say that Iran and India are two existing oldest civilizations, so he had no way other than to cold down. Same way China and India has historic relations as we all migrated more than thousand years ago from Mongolia.Hieu En Tchang came to India for knowledge.Not like americans to loot.Bush might have poor knowledge in this part.> He wanted to control Indian military misile programme finally to declare US as super power.But failed.His father the other Bush Sr. created Iraq war just to increase cost of living around the world.India increaed
 petrol/ fuel hike like anything to cover up the cost to trasport the Malayalees from Kuwait etc.But the scene made all to kep increasing fuel hike and this made everuthing to hike.> Now he feels bad that we Indian are growing with our own brain and will power.So he has nothing much to say like talking bluff. Beter he reire soon and relax in Hawai.What way we Indian trouble him is yet to know.> Indian food problem is created by the Govt of India- thus allowing to vacate the cultivating villagers in the name of SEZ. cultivating lands are made SEZ andshopping malls,new 8 lane highways, apartments etc.........Remaining are into IT sector. Now finally India wil not have cultivator category people to produce, Good scientist to produce misiles, or other things....... even teachers will get reduced soon.> God save India now. Dnt think TATAs mono car will feed Indian.> > Bikash> > umesh sharma
 wrote:http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Rising-food-prices-After-Rice-Bush-blames-India/304902/> > > > ---------------------------------> Explore your hobbies and interests. Click here to begin.> _______________________________________________> assam mailing list> assam at assamnet.org> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
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