BioFuel Backlash: Mexico's Poor Riot Over Tortilla Shortage

National Geographic News:

Tortilla maker Leticia Balino gathers a pile of the flatbreads in her shop in México City on January 10, 2007.

The skyrocketing cost of corn--and therefore, tortillas--has become a central issue for Mexico's poor, who spent a large portion of their income on food even before the price increases.

Read the whole story: National Geographic News

Comments

[noneIn2008]

06:43 PM on 06/05/2008

A decade ago, we were warned biofuels would create food and environmental problems. Typical of government intervention, damage is done to the poor and the special interests are enriched. Imagine the damage to be done by other ill considered government programs like Kyoto and the CO2 taxes.

Five years ago, there were already reports in SE Asia that food stuffs were being diverted to biofuels, increasing prices and removing higher quality food ingredients, forcing people to less healthy alternatives. Also, the reports showed strong environmental damage from expansion of the farms to grow the biofuels. Yet we continue.

[gevan]

12:24 PM on 06/05/2008

I suppose it to be an important adjunct that in the time that the world's population has increased from 4 billion to 6 billion persons the planet's resources have also increased by 50%.

[ibsteve2u]

12:02 PM on 06/05/2008

In the story:
[bq]
The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, a U.S. lobbyist group, for example, says harvest issues are responsible for Mexico's current corn woes.

"The true story is rising tortilla prices in Mexico are due to a supply issue in that country—not increased ethanol production or U.S. corn prices," the group said in a statement. "Last year there was lower corn production in Mexico, [which] caused a white corn shortage."
[eq]

Cool, huh?

Increased consumption in one area plays absolutely no role because reduced supply is the only significant factor...

lolll...Amazing, how greed can warp your morality enough to allow you to toss the rules of supply and demand - and even basic arithmetic - out the window.

Reminds me of how the government only quotes the "core inflation rate" nowadays - which excludes the price of food and energy.