Here comes as a shocker bomb from the US: It seems two Asian emerging giants are responsible for the food crisis all over the globe. First, it was Condoleeza Rice, the US secretary of state and now, it is Bush all over media toeing the same line. So, let us celebrate we have the power to starve the world!! Whatever be the context, the new paranoia of US for the two emerging Asian giants is beginning to show. But are India and China really the missing pieces of current food crisis puzzle which is worrying everyone? Also, why fingers are pointing towards Asia?

The logic behind this statement is; India and China have to feed more than a third population of this world. With growing economy and high GDP growth rate, people are consuming more and hence they are able to export less food. Also, with decline in production these countries are importing food grains as well. Thus all food is locked in Asia and the world is starving.

Everyone suspects everyone else to be part of the problem and thus we end up with no solution. This blame game will make true picture more fuzzy, maybe that’s what is intended. US has dominated the world for decades. It has gone to all corners of the world to feed its citizens, to get oil for their cars, to get cheap labour for their MNCs, to house their production units, to carry out vaccine trials, etc, etc and has almost turned all small countries into guinea pigs to experiment upon. Now that India and China are growing and can no longer be forced to toe US line, they are becoming threats. It has already burnt it fingers with nuclear deal issue as far as India is concerned.

On the contrary, it has been mainly India and China, which are basically agricultural countries, who have fed the world. The new market economy which was born in the US was thrust upon the world by US. The basic crop pattern all over the globe changed with globalization. US turned agricultural lands in many parts of the world as grounds for growing maize and oil seeds only for generating bio-fuels. Fuel has been sole obsession of western countries. They even went to war and hanged Saddam to get control over oil reserves. So, before its own citizens grill them for food crisis and slam them for making things worse by continuing war in Iraq and Afghanistan, US President and Secretary of State were quick to point fingers towards Asia.

Now, India and China need to be careful. They should not let US corporatize the agriculture here. They’ll end up growing food grains which interest only the west. Asia has done a great job of feeding the world without any subsidy so far. Now may be by helping the poor farmer to get on with farming, instead of turning farmlands into SEZs, we can still fill our coffers by exporting food grains and feeding huge population of our own. Focus should be shift to agriculture for good all over the world. Also, who knows the next war may be for FOOD and not OIL!

source: commodityonline