Phenomenal Rising of Prices - # of hungry ones exceed 1 bn!

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Topic started by app_engine on Mon Apr 21 9:59:06 2008. [Full View]

Of late, it looks like this is one of the topics focussed in Indian media. Many reasons are cited - inflation, salary increases, traders' usual pathukkal gimmicks, on-line trading (speculative pricing being one aspect) and why, even the use of ethanol for fuel in NA. We also read about the helplessness of political powers and often attempts to divert the attention of the public from where really the problem lies. Some politicians even went on record to state that increase in prices won't hurt if there's corresponding increase in wages as well:-)

What are the facts? Are prices escalating? If so, what are the reasons and whether it's good or bad for the country's economy? Where it will lead to?

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From: app_engine on Tue Aug 12 12:21:17 2008. [Full View]

http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2899

While there are some efforts like this to provide urgent aids, there are disturbing reports of hunger around the world:-(

I read in an article that people have nothing else but 'mud cakes' (yes made of kaLi maN + salt + some vegetable extract) and these are being eaten in Haiti by many:-(
http://www.dinamalar.com/piraidhalgal/ananthavikadan/piraithal_ananthavikadan6.asp
(pasikkudhA, indhA maN)

'thani oruvanukkuNavillai enil jagaththinai azhiththiduvOm' - Bharathiyar.
From: pavalamani pragasam on Tue Aug 12 23:45:49 2008. [Full View]

Sad reminder of Sivaji's old vasanam:'kallaiththaan maNNaithaan thinnaththaan solliththaan...' KaNNan maN thinRaal annai YasOthai thittinaaL, inRu annaiyE maNNai thinna solkiRaaL.
From: wrap07 on Wed Aug 13 6:28:43 2008. [Full View]

it is quite painful to read that.
From: wrap07 on Wed Aug 13 6:38:44 2008. [Full View]

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/015200808131401.htm

Plant mutation an answer to global food crisis: UN expert

New York (PTI): Plant mutation, a scientific technique that considerably improves crop productivity, could provide an answer to the current global food and energy crisis, a UN expert said.

"At a time when the world is facing a food and energy crisis of unprecedented proportions, plant mutation breeding can be a catalyst in developing improved, higher-yield, saline-resistant, sturdier crop varieties," Werner Burkart, Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told a four-day conference beginning August 12.

The International Symposium on Induced Mutations in Plants, hosted by IAEA, brings together over 600 scientists, researchers and plant breeders from around the world to discuss the latest innovations and how they can improve crop varieties in the future.

Plant mutation, an 80 year-old method, with mutagens such as X-rays, gamma radiation and chemicals is used to produce plant varieties that are disease-resistant or best suited to conditions such as high altitude or saline soil.

One success story is mutant barley varieties that thrive at altitudes of up to 5,000 meters in the highlands of Peru and which led to a 52 per cent increase in yields between 1978 and 2002.

Burkart, who is Head of the Agencys Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, said 2008 will be remembered as the year in which the world understood the realities of climate change and the food and energy crisis.

"These big issues are intimately interlinked, and translate in the agronomy field into a competition between food, feed and fuel for soil, water, human and financial resources," he noted.

again suggestions galore
From: app_engine on Mon Jun 22 11:37:01 2009. [Full View]

http://dailythanthi.com/article.asp?NewsID=495652&disdate=6/22/2009

This news report talks about hungry ones exceeding 1 bn worldwide

Most of us tend to dismiss that this is probably due "poor countries in Africa". However, those from Africa alone won't make up this terrible number. A huge percentage is also from India, a country supposedly self-sufficient in food supplies

Whenever I see people wasting food, these billion people come to mind and I get angry / frustrated.

At the minimum, we should pledge not to waste any food / food material.
From: app_engine on Mon Jun 22 11:46:53 2009. [Full View]

An important thing to learn from the "affluent" Americans is "not-wasting-the-leftovers".

Well, I never had the habit of "over-ordering" in restaurants, as right from childhood, my parents trained us to place only necessary amount on plate and the plate has to be clean before we get up.

Still, while in India, when we go to restaurant with family / relatives, often there'll be excess ordering and so much food will be wasted and thrown away. That of packing some leftover-food-for-home was a rarity / exception.

Here, even small amounts of leftovers are meticulously packed and taken home (whatever be the occasion, get-togethers or dining out), despite the plentiful supply of food in this country.

(Ofcourse, US people are huge-huge consumers of anything and according to one report, we need 5 earths if everyone in the globe consumes resources like the people in US. Still there are some things like this).

One of the good things to learn from them!
From: app_engine on Mon Jun 22 13:45:02 2009. [Full View]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8109698.stm

This report says more than 60% of those affected by hunger live in Asia-Pacific Obviously, the வல்லரசு இந்தியா hosts a big share of them, while wasting tons of money on the protection of 1000's of useless politicians with machine-gun bearing guards etc.
From: app_engine on Mon Aug 24 15:22:04 2009. [Full View]

http://www.dinamalar.com/fpnnews.asp?News_id=4730

Milk to cost 17.75 per litre in TN.

Recently, I've been seeing Detroit area prices for a number of items either same as or less than their prices in India (i.e. even after converting $ into Rs).

e.g.
This month the ALDI stores here sell a gallon milk (3.8 litres) for $1 (stores like Kroger sell for $1.5 on and off and the regular price in most stores is $2). (Interestingly, during summer of 2008, when gas prices rose to $4, a gallon, milk was $3.29 and $2.5 was considered "sale" and this year milk price is almost half of that.)

If one visits vegetable and fruit stores in the metro area (Joe Randazzo's run by Mexicans and certain others run by mid-east people like Greenland / Eastborn etc), they are priced so low as well. Simple example is cilantro (koththumalli ilai, not necessarily a local produce), you could get 3 big bunches for a $ on certain days.

Agreed U.S. has recession and India always has inflation, but have anyone ever seen milk price coming down in India, despite the country reaching the #1 producer in the world status, overtaking AU?
From: app_engine on Fri Sep 18 10:09:12 2009. [Full View]

http://dailythanthi.com/article.asp?NewsID=514889&disdate=9/18/2009

India gets 25th spot (Pak 11th) in vaRumai / pattini
From: app_engine on Tue Nov 3 11:10:34 2009. [Full View]

http://www.dailythanthi.com/article.asp?NewsID=524483&disdate=11/3/2009

TN raises ration price of toor dAL (thuvaram paruppu) to 40 / kg (it seems their purchase price has gone up to 80 and hence the revision).

Does it mean the open market price of this is > 80? That's quite shocking, considering the fact that stores sell in a place like Michigan (where it's not a local crop and hence imported, with associated freight / duty ; also low volume consumption - I've not seen non-Indians using this lentil at all, middle easterns use a lot of other lentils - and no subsidy etc) 4 pounds (i.e. 1.808 kg) for $2.99.

Something is wrong somewhere

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