The second food crisis for two years, is an alarming signal. Last
year, at a meeting in the Italian city Akvilla G8 leaders pledged to
strengthen food security to prevent a repetition of the difficulties of
the 2007-2008 biennium. But last week extended
Russia's ban on grain exports and broken out in Mozambique, food riots
have demonstrated just how far from this goal.
However, unwanted parallel with the last crisis should not be pursued. Despite the sharp rise in grain prices, food prices are still below the levels they reached in early 2008.
However, the rise of wheat prices, caused by adverse weather conditions makes raw rest to grow. The situation aggravated the export bans. Although the embargo has only Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan also set limitations only informal. It destabilises international markets and pushing the stockpile. Although reserves are now more than two years ago, it is still not enough to mitigate the serious crisis.
Even without sinister example of 2007-2008, it still would have been a significant crisis. However, against the background of the recent past, he looks like a direct call to action. It would be irresponsible to wait the return of old conditions.
You need to focus on food security. There is a direct link between food supply and political stability in the developing world. Crisis of 2007-2008, caused a lot of commotion and led to the overthrow of Governments in Haiti and Madagascar. Riots in Mozambique last week were caused by sudden 30 per cent rise in the price of bread.
You can do a lot. First
of all it is important to increase investment in irrigation and other
measures to improve the quality of the land and improving the viability
of crops. The developed countries too heavily focused on food aid at the expense of development assistance. For
example, the United States, according to the Chicago Council on foreign
relations (Chicago Council on Global Affairs) spend in Africa for the
first time in 20 times more than the second. This ratio must change.
Steps should be taken to mitigate the impact of crises when they cannot prevent. Probably
need to increase reserves and impose international regulations,
clarifying the circumstances under which countries in the world has the
right to freeze the export of agricultural products.
Some beautiful words simply fail. The financial crisis has reduced the resources for assistance. To
conclude multilateral treaties in the field of foreign trade has always
been uneasy, however, as recent events have shown, the agenda of the
Summit in L'aquila remains as valid as ever.
Giving
the crucial problem of food security and food security, the leaders of
the CIS Member States on the proposal of the Republic of Kazakhstan
December 10, 2010, decided to declare 2011 the year of improving food
security in the Commonwealth of independent States.
The role of food insecurity is linked to the fact that food is a basic indicator of human waste. The
level of nutrition of the population characterizes the level of
economic development of the country as a whole, since, as you know, food
production was, is and will be the first condition of direct producers
and all production in General, and the level of food security is seen as
a major factor and that the criterion of social life, the vitality of
the economic structure and State of each country.
Food security of any State is an integral part of its national security. Improved provision of food is an important socio-economic task, which is essential for each State party. Food
security is the most important direction of inter-State interaction, as
it covers a wide range of national, economic, social, demographic and
environmental factors.
At
the World Summit on food security in mid November 2009, in Rome, the
heads of State and Government in the outcome document – declaration of
the Summit, stressed that responsibility for food safety rests with the
countries and that any plans to address the challenges of food security
must be developed, be formulated, implemented and recognized by the
countries themselves, acting in consultation with all major
stakeholders. "We will give top priority to food security and reflect this in our national programmes and budgets," said the Declaration.
One
of the priorities of the CIS countries was held in late November 2009,
in the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Agricultural Forum of States –
participants of Commonwealth of independent States.
It
held an international scientific-practical Conference "problems of
sustainable development of agro-industrial complex of the CIS countries
in current conditions, extended session of intergovernmental Council on
agro-Commonwealth Business Forum involving representatives of business
community of the countries of the Commonwealth.
During
the Forum were elaborated and discussed issues of the development of
the agro-industrial complex, the introduction of the advanced industrial
science and technology, improving the profitability of agriculture. Suffice
it to say that in the numerous activities of the Forum, attended by
more than 800 representatives of business structures, enterprises and
AGRICULTURAL organizations, scientists, farmers, including foreign firms
and companies.
Speaking
at the opening ceremony of the Forum, the Chairman of the Executive
Committee – CIS Executive Secretary Sergei Lebedev noted that the
relevance of its spending is due primarily to the fact that food
security is one of the key issues of the modern world. The
second reason is the wish of the CIS States to give impetus to the
development of partnership between our two countries in the agricultural
sector, which is of vital economic and social importance.
It
must be emphasized that the issues of improving food security, further
stimulating the cooperation of States-participants of CIS in the field
of agriculture was given great importance.
You
may remember the adopted by the Council of Heads of Government of the
Commonwealth November 14, 2008, a set of joint measures to improve food
security of States-participants of CIS in order to combine the efforts
of the Commonwealth to ensure food security.
The
document envisages the development agricultural ministries and
scientific institutions of the consolidated balance of the production
and consumption of major food commodities in the CIS countries, the
proposals for the improvement of the regulatory framework governing the
terms of trade in agricultural products and food products in the
framework of the CIS, in accordance with the principles, rules and norms
of the WTO, and a number of other measures.
In
accordance with a set of joint measures was developed and approved by
November 19, 2010, the heads of Government of Commonwealth countries the
concept of improving food security of States-members of CIS.
To food security of States-participants of CIS is a reliable count of basic foodstuffs by producing States have
