lollipop

High food prices linked to India's prosperity: Bush


Prosperity in countries like India is "good" but it triggers increased demand for "better nutrition" which in turn leads to higher food prices, US President George W Bush said.

The comments come close on the heels of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's controversial statement that "apparent improvement" in the diets of people in India and China and consequent food export caps is among the causes of the current global food crisis.

At an interactive session on economy in Missouri, Bush argued that there are many factors for the present crisis, only one of which was investment on biofuels like ethanol.

"Worldwide there is increasing demand. There turns out to be prosperity in developing world, which is good. It's going to be good for you because you'll be selling products in the countries, you know, big countries perhaps, and it's hard to sell products into countries that aren't prosperous. In other words, the more prosperous the world is, the more opportunity there is," the US President said.

"It also, however, increases demand. So, for example, just as an interesting thought for you, there are 350 million people in India who are classified as middle class. That's bigger than America. Their middle class is larger than our entire population.

"And when you start getting wealth, you start demanding better nutrition and better food, and so demand is high, and that causes the price to go up," he said.

Bush also listed change in weather patterns and increase in basic costs like that of energy as factors contributing to higher food prices.



Several international experts have in recent days held biofuels, until recently cast as a miracle alternative to polluting fossil fuels, for being responsible for usurping arable land and distorting world food prices.

"Actually, the reason why food prices are high now is because, one, energy costs are high, and if you're a farmer, you're going to pass on your cost of energy in the products you sell, otherwise you'd go broke.

"And when you're paying more for your diesel, paying more for your fertiliser because it's got a lot of, you know, natural gas in it, in other words, when your basic costs are going up, so does the cost of food," Bush said.

He said there are two aspects of rising food prices -- its effect on US citizens and the fact that there is a food scarcity in the world.

"We don't have a scarcity issue in America...We got a price issue. Our shelves aren't going empty, it's just costing more money," Bush said.

"There is scarcity in the world, and I happen to believe when we find people who can't find food we ought to help them find it," he said adding, "America is by far the most generous nation when it comes to helping the hungry."

"We're an unbelievably compassionate nation," he said.

"I think we ought to change our food policy in Africa and other developing countries...buying food directly from farmers as opposed to giving people food. I think we ought to be saying, 'Why don't we help you be able to deal with scarcity by encouraging your farmers to grow and be efficient growers? Otherwise, we're going to be in this cycle forever."

"No question that ethanol has had a part of it. But I simply do not subscribe to the notion that it is the main cost driver for your food going up," Bush said.

Deccan Herald - High food prices linked to India's prosperity: Bush

cheapseats

George Bush is a noted liar. As a President, presumably as a man, he is NOT straightforward and he is OFTEN duplicitous. He is. It is important to bear that in mind every time he opens his mouth.

Not to say that global demand for food is not a factor, but all these people didn't go on a nutrition kick in the last year either.

When I was in the Midwest last December and January, I spoke with a couple of farmers who had been going...partly for travel and partly as their personal activism...to Cuba, among other places, to take seeds and teach people how to farm.

George Bush won't let them go to Cuba.

Agricultural equipment is heavily reliant upon oil-based products. Their energy costs are through the fucking roof, at the same time that our BRAIN DEAD GOVERNMENT continues to contrive, at exorbitant taxpayer expense, the illegality of marijuana and hemp...which ALL of them could be growing at hefty profits, at least until Monsanto and a couple of others do their absorption thing.

Too, herbicide/fungicide/fertilizer AND seed Money Men...read that Big Pharmaceuticals...are fucking with farmers just like they're fucking with everyone else.

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Malkavian

Wow, Bush started reading newspapers. Bravo!

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Looks like i picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue

Rigged

You know how girls strip to pay for college....


It would be great if I could sell weed to pay for law school..

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It is what they want, after all: "a god to punish, not a man of their infirmity."

lollipop

You know, at first I fell for the Bush is dumb act too but now more and more I think about it, I'm positive it's all an act. He's pretending to be stupid on purpose because it's so much easier to get away with.

Think about it. Bush's administration has royally fucked up for 8 years and everyone just chalks it up to as Bush is stupid.

The part I put in bold is probably one of the most intelligent comments he's made.

Malkavian

You too?
Why not? That it's illegal just makes it more expensive, more money for you Plus, if you get busted, you save money on attorney...

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Looks like i picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue

Malkavian

Well, i think it's the most intelligent comment his speech writer ever made...



Seriously, he failed in a lot of enterprises, so i don't think he is acting. He has Cheney though, and Cheney is not stupid.

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Looks like i picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue

Shake

Note that he does not mention China, whose meat consumption has skyrocketed. A good number of Indians do not eat meat, which means there is not the call for feed as in China. However, cheap Chinese crap will keep our populace shopping at Wal-Mart. India just has those 'Haddjis' on customer service lines, so Bush's loyal subjects already hate them.

Rigged

Psh...man I live in mass there ain't no good weed here...all they smoke is schawagityschwag (with twigs and seeds included)

Harhar...my friend works in the DA maybe she can pulls some strings lol (already corrupt and haven't even passed the bar yet....sniff... they would be proud)

__________________
It is what they want, after all: "a god to punish, not a man of their infirmity."

lollipop

Oh believe me, I don't think he's a genius by any stretch of the imagination but I don't think he's as stupid as he pretends to be. Cheney and company are the true masterminds.

I was thinking the same thing and China's population is double of India's as well. Why do think he failed to mention China? I would venture to say that the poverty rate in both countries is still fairly high.

At any rate, he is all over the place. First he blames India, then the weather, then the higher energy cost and then he starts talking about Africa.