The international food crisis

Welfare agencies report national food shortage

A new survey of Australian welfare agencies shows they are struggling to meet the demand for food relief.

ABC,

21 August, 2012

The chief executive of Foodbank New South Wales, John Webster, says the End Hunger report is being released today at Federal Parliament.

He says it shows there is a hidden problem with hunger in Australia.

About 2,500 welfare agencies were surveyed and Mr Webster says the figures are worrying.

"Demand for food relief is rising, so 70 per cent of the agencies actually have more people coming in looking for food relief," he said.

"(The) second clear message is the most common group of people coming in now for food relief are actually low income households and the third and really worrying point is actually 90 per cent of the agencies just don't have enough food to meet the demand."

Mr Webster says most of the need is coming from where it is least expected.

"The most common group of people coming in now for food relief are actually low income households it's not unemployed, it's not homeless, its actually low income households," he said.

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Zimbabwe faces maize shortage, likely to import

NewsDay,

21 August, 2012

Zimbabwe becomes the most recent country to join the long line of countries being affected by drought. The ongoing dry spell has reduced its supply of maize, which is its staple food.

Once Zimbabwe not only had enough maize to feed its own country, it also had surplus to export to other countries.

But now, the country hardly has enough to feed itself.

This season, the demand of two million tonnes of maize is not likely to be met, unless the country imports maize grains. The domestic output is likely to be less than half the annual demand.

Zimbabwe usually imports maize from other Southern African countries in case of shortage. Unfortunately, this time neighbours Malawi and Zambia may not have enough surplus to meet the requirements of Zimbabwe.

Moreover, South Africa cannot export maize to Zimbabwe as it grows genetically modified (GM) maize. Zimbabwe has a strict no-GM food policy.

For article GO HERE 

 

Russia harvest forecasts cut as drought hits crop in east

Planet Ark,

21 August, 2012

Two leading Russian agricultural analysts cut their forecasts for Russia's grain harvest on Monday after harvest data from two drought-stricken eastern growing regions reduced the outlook for the overall crop.

SovEcon narrowed their grain forecast to 71-72.5 million metric tons (78.3- 79.9 million tons)from a previous 70-74 million tonnes after the start of harvesting campaign in Urals and Siberia regions showed weak crop prospects. It has also cut wheat harvest forecast to 39-41 million tonnes from earlier 40.5-42.5 million tonnes.

The Institute for Agricultural Market Studies (IKAR) has cut its 2012 grain crop forecast to 73 million tonnes from a previously expected 75.4 million tonnes, its chief executive, Dmitry Rylko, said. It has not yet estimated wheat harvest.

"I see the possibility of further downgrading," Rylko said.

The government's official grain harvest forecast is 75-80 million tonnes, of which 45 million tonnes could be wheat. The government has put this season's exportable surplus at 10-12 million tonnes, a level seen by traders as an informal cap on exports.

For article GO HERE 

 

Farmers hunt far and wide for hay for their animals

Farmers are resorting to pleas on Facebook, Craigslist and other online sites to track down hay to feed their cattle, horses, sheep and goats now and through the winter.

USA Today,

21 August, 2012

The drought that's affecting most of the country has hurt alfalfa and grass, the main types of hay, forcing livestock producers to pay more and travel farther. If they can't find enough, some will liquidate their herds.

Gary Hanz, who raises cattle near Hastings, Neb., and grinds hay for feedlots, says dry conditions are making hay scarce. "Nobody's letting go of anything they've got because they're not going to have enough to support their own livestock," he says. "For what little there is, there's such a high price."

Hanz, who has "looked all over the Internet" for sellers and posted on a Facebook page that links sellers and buyers, says a ton of alfalfa hay typically costs $80-$100 in his area. "This year you're going to give probably double that," he says.

For article GO HERE 

 

Soybeans Soar on Fears of Small Crop

24/7 Wall Street,

21 August, 2012

The drought that has put a severe dent in the US corn crop is now threatening to do the same kind of damage to the soybean crop. Corn, which is planted and harvested earlier than soybeans, has been in the spotlight for months now, while there was still hope that soybeans might escape.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has lowered the soybean crop estimate by 13% from last year’s average, and according to MarketWatch, at a private analysts’ tour yesterday there was additional confirmation that the soybean crop is going to be small. The latest USDA estimate calls for production of about 2.7 billion bushels.

For article GO HERE