Food is a priority for the world A secret World Bank report has nailed the lie that the biofuels policy of the developed countries led by the US and the UK has not contributed to the international food crisis. Most of the world, including India, is convinced that the policy, which mandates that a percentage of all fuel used should be a biofuel like ethanol, has contributed to soaring food prices across the globe. India made out a strong case for regulation at the emergency UN meeting in May in Rome, but no consensus emerged, and US pressure ensured that only a watered-down resolution for "more studies' was all that was passed. The unpublished World Bank study, reported in The Guardian, a noted British newspaper, has found that biofuels were responsible for pushing up food prices by as much as 75 per cent, as against the paltry 3 per cent claimed by the US. Even biofuel critics were conservatively talking about a 15 per cent figure, which is bad enough. But at 75 per cent, it is amply clear that international restrictions on using prime agricultural land for growing biofuel crops must be placed urgently. Both the US and Europe must rethink their biofuels policy. After all, all nations have a stake in food prices, and unchecked, these can cause malnutrition and in some countries hunger. The economy of many countries can be put to great harm. The World Bank report also disputes the oft-repeated claim that the rising demand from India and China has contributed to the food crisis. This is a theory that US President George Bush touted as well, but the report is definitive in pointing out that the rising income levels in these countries have "not led to large increases in global grain consumption.' The biofuels policy has diverted food crops like corn towards fuel, encouraging farmers to grow biofuel crops, and by increased speculation in foodgrain markets. Experts also believe that they will do little to alleviate climate change, as their carbon footprint is by itself quite large. And it is doubtful that they can do much to help countries reduce their dependence on oil. Given this scenario, the movement against biofuels needs to be intensified to make the rich countries rethink their policy.