Food crisis

Business Leaders Highlight Role of Governments in Food Price Hikes

By admin - Posted on June 16th, 2008

Government actions behind two-thirds of food price increase

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 16 June 2008 – Business leaders at the World Economic Forum on East Asia highlighted the role of government in food price increases, warning of mounting unrest and protectionism if urgent actions are not taken. » read more »

Levin: Close the London Loophole Act Gives CFTC Clear Authority Over U.S. Commodities Traded on Foreign Exchanges

By admin - Posted on June 13th, 2008

Senators push to put a ‘cop on the beat’ to crack down on manipulation and excessive speculation

June 12, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) today introduced, along with Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), the Close the London Loophole Act, [PDF] which would ensure that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has the same authority to detect, prevent, and punish manipulation and excessive speculation for traders in the United States who trade crude U.S. oil or other energy commodities on foreign commodity exchanges as the CFTC has for traders who trade on U.S. exchanges. » read more »

Support for Smallholders Key to Addressing Food Crisis

By admin - Posted on June 10th, 2008

Farmers need resources for next planting season; Experts are optimistic about solving the problem

Cape Town, South Africa, 5 June 2008 – Governments, multilateral organizations and aid agencies should ensure that African smallholders receive the inputs they need for the next planting season and create the conditions for sustained growth in agriculture to defuse what Jacob G. Zuma, President of the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa, called a “time bomb” of food prices that could lead to an “uprising” should the poor be “cut out from buying food”. » read more »