Recent spikes in staple food prices resulting from the invasion of Ukraine have once again highlighted the difficulty faced by low-income countries that rely on imports for a substantial portion of their
North Korea faces a looming food and humanitarian crisis after a poor harvest that has caused food prices to skyrocket and supplies to dwindle, the United Nations World Food Programme said on Wednesday. Agricultural experts in Seoul have said the shortfall, the result of flood damage last year, high commodity prices and political wrangling with major food donor South Korea, may be one of the worst since famine hit North Korea in the 1990s.
Allaying fears of possible food riots, Union Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said there was no shortage of food grains in the country and claimed that the prices of essential commodities had shown a stabilising trend in the past one month.
The nations that taught us that state meddling in economic matters was blasphemy are now nationalising banks, bailing out brigands, and pouring in funds to stop factories from closing down.
A day after senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders held a demonstration here in protest against inflation, the Rajasthan Government on Wednesday decided to continue procurement of wheat and prevent hoarding of essential commodities to check escalation in prices. State Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ghanshyam Tiwari issued instructions at a review meeting here to ensure distribution of the full quota of foodgrain allocated to the families living below and above the poverty line with complete transparency. The State Government would strengthen the PDS for meeting the targets, he said.
Congress has said controlling inflation is top priority. Opposition BJP wants to make inflation the main poll issue in Karnataka. The "Third Front' or UNPA has organized rallies on the issue while the Left has accused the UPA government of letting the "common man' down. But on Wednesday, when a discussion on price rise took place in Parliament
"The food crisis that the country is now witnessing is not a sudden emergence but a creation of deliberate policies and laws that have over a period of time practically taken away the country's food security,' said Navdanya founder-director Vandana Shiva here on Wednesday, adding that "the Government cannot now wash its hands off the food crisis that the country finds itself in'.
Under attack over rising prices, the government on Wednesday announced a slew of measures, including Rs 15-a litre subsidy on edible oil. The Prime Minister is also contemplating calling a meeting of Chief Ministers to discuss steps to tackle the rising prices.
Amid mounting worries that rising prices might singe Congress and its UPA partners in the coming elections, government on Wednesday vowed to crack down on cement and steel cartels and announced imports of one million tonnes of edible oil and 15 lakh tonnes of pulses. The announcements were made during the day-long discussion in Parliament on price spiral, with the Opposition and Left savaging government.
Faced with growing pressure from the Left parties and the Opposition on rising prices of essential commodities, the government on Wednesday said it would not hesitate to take tough measures to control inflation. Intervening during a discussion in the Lok Sabha on price rise, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said the government was even ready to sacrifice revenue for controlling inflation. However, his intervention saw members of the Left parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party staging a walk-out.
The state election commission is yet to decide on the change of last date for withdrawal of candidates from 21 April to 22 April following the Bangla bandh jointly called by Trinamul Congress and Suci. Miss Mamata Banerjee, Trinamul Congress chief today took out a rally from Mominpore to Hyde Road to protest against the price increase of essential commodities and imposition of water tax.
