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People's first need

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-10 07:32

As an old Chinese saying goes, food is heaven for the masses.

This thinking explains why Chinese president Hu Jintao has strongly pleaded for special attention to rising food prices at the summit of Group of Eight.

However, there is a more fundamental reason that all countries should recognize the very importance of grain production from a strategic perspective. The issue of food not only concerns the economy and people's well-being of each country but also has its bearing on the development and security of the whole world.

At a global meeting, major leaders from both developed and developing countries certainly should not miss the opportunity to build a consensus and coordinate efforts to safeguard world food security.

The negative impacts of the current food price pressure are all too obvious.

On the one hand, while there are more than 800 million people around the world living under the threat of starvation, surging food prices will only swell the total of poverty-stricken population against the UN Millennium Development Goals.

On the other hand, together with record oil prices, food price hikes have contributed significantly to inflation, balance of payment deficits and budget pressures in many developing nations.

The present situation of the world economy, buffeted by food, fuel and financial crises, has made it extremely hard to stabilize food prices and help the developing countries tide over the difficulties as quickly as possible.

It is a crucial moment when the international community should give priority to developing agriculture and formulate a long-term food cooperation strategy.

But some people from developed countries have wrongfully blamed rapid growth in developing countries like China and India as a major factor responsible for the large food price increases.

Such talks fly in the face of the fact China is basically able to meet its food demand on its own production.

In fact, evidences are emerging that developed countries' increasing use of biofuels has forced global food prices up more than any other factor. A World Bank report indicates that biofuels have been responsible for a 75 percent jump of a basket of food prices which rose by 140 percent between 2002 and this February.

Clearly, soaring food prices are the result of a combination of factors. As President Hu noted, it is necessary to take into full account the issue of food security in tackling the challenges in energy, climate change and other fields.

It is definitely ill-advised to do one thing at the expense of the other, especially when the latter involves the first necessity of the people.

(China Daily 07/10/2008 page8)