BRAZIL: Brazil defends its biofuels programme at a time of rising food prices

Record ID: 829683

  • Title: BRAZIL: Brazil defends its biofuels programme at a time of rising food prices
  • Date: 17th April 2008
  • Summary: POSTER IN VARIOUS LANGUAGES READING: 'HIDDEN TREASURE' VARIOUS OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANISATION (FAO) DIRECTOR-GENERAL JACQUES DIOUF ARRIVING FOR MEETING CLOSE OF FAO DIRECTOR-GENERAL JACQUES DIOUF CLOSE OF BRAZIL'S AGRICULTURE MINISTER, REINHOLD STEPHANES PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANISATION DIRECTOR-GENERAL JACQUES DIOUF, TELLING DEL
  • Embargoed: 2nd May 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Industry
  • Reuters ID: LVA1M5ZO7QJ7IDPP964ZUVREHIFV
  • Story Text: Brazil's Agriculture Minister, Reinhold Stephanes, on Wednesday (April 16) defended the country's biofuels programme, saying that it does not affect food production.
    The increase in global food prices is a priority on the agenda of a Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) conference on Latin America and the Caribbean which began on Monday in Brasilia.
    On Tuesday, FAO officials said Latin American governments had to act quickly to prevent high global food prices from increasing malnutrition in the region.
    Across the globe, bread, milk and other foods have become more expensive, fuelling inflation in some countries.
    Food riots in Haiti over high prices for rice, beans and other food staples led to the removal of the government on Saturday.
    FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said in Brasilia on Wednesday that it was vital to find a balance between economics and agriculture.

    "It is important to observe the impact, the importance of agriculture for life, for the living conditions of worldwide populations and the social and political impact, beyond the economic impact," he said.
    Experts have blamed price rises on strong demand by Asian emerging markets, adverse climate in some producer countries, and the increased use of corn to produce ethanol in the United States.
    But Stephanes said Brazil's biofuels programme was not risking food production in the country.

    "We can maintain our biofuels production programne effectively, especially the ethanol. It is possible to administer this correctly, without risking the basic necessities of our people and the need for surpluses,"
    he said.
    The agriculture minister said Brazil has the world's fastest-growing food surplus stocks and that sugar cane, which is used in biofuel, represents less than one percent of the country's total production.
    Argentina's representative at the FAO meeting, Gabriel Fuchs, said: "Argentina is currently just within the zone of prices of food which is currently going through a crisis which is related to whether or not there should be subsidies."
    Brazil is a global agricultural powerhouse and leading exporter of several foodstuffs.
    The FAO is expected to recommend that countries strengthen production on smaller family plots to boost food supply and self-sufficiency. In some countries, these account for as much as 40 percent of foodstuff production.
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