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The Global Food Crisis & Guyana
As the UN World Food Programme (WPF) identifies the scarcity of food as “the biggest crisis looming for the world'', the World Bank has released figures showing that global food prices have risen by 75% since 2000, while wheat prices have increased by 200%! The UN further states that the increasing cost of grains is leading to an increase in the price of meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. And there is no indication that food prices will stabilize anytime soon.
The shortage of food does not discriminate as it is affecting persons in both rural and urban communities for the first time. Food prices are predicted to become so prohibitive that certain food items will become unaffordable or they will disappear from supermarket shelves requiring a reliance on seasonal indigenous vegetables.
World Bank President Robert Zoellick calls tackling hunger a "forgotten" UN millennium development goal and cautions that “increased food prices and their threat - not only to people but also to political stability - have made it a matter of urgency".
Food Crisis in Guyana
The crisis is already being experienced in Guyana as we see the prices of basic items like rice, flour, milk and meat going up almost daily. In fact since the introduction of VAT in January 2007, Guyanese have been grappling with the rising cost of living. Between January, 2007 to January, 2008, the average cost of food in Guyana has risen astronomically. The global food shortage is making an already bad situation worse. More recently there have been street protests in Georgetown and Berbice over the rising cost of living.
An analysis by national women’s organization “Red Thread” published in a letter to the Stabroek News on April 27, 2008, shows that it now costs over G$2000.00 a day to feed a family of four (2 adults, 2 children). This cost was calculated based on a breakfast of tea, bread and an egg each, lunch of a pound of chicken with bora and rice, a snack of fruit and biscuits for the children at school and bread and tea in the evening. To feed a family this menu for a month would cost G$60,000. Other costs such as rent, electricity, water and transportation costs have not yet been included.
With a minimum wage of between G$18,000 (private sector) and G$28,000 (public sector) per month it is increasingly difficult for many families to make ends meet. Many families are in crisis and find themselves facing, poverty, hunger and malnutrition.
It has become clear that easing the burden of food prices to ordinary people must become an immediate priority. What can we do?
Seeds of Change
The AFC has long advocated for easing the financial burden on Guyanese by lowering the VAT rate and restructuring the personal and corporate tax systems and will continue to be vocal on these and other issues of importance to our citizens. However, while we wait for the government to respond to the voices of the poor, we cannot sit idly by and do nothing. In the short-term the plight of ordinary people struggling to feed their families and make ends meet cannot be ignored. The initiative of the AFC will be to support families in lowering their food costs and improving nutrition by offering practical assistance to allow them to grow their own vegetables and legumes. Working with farmers who have committed to supplying plants and seeds at a minimal cost, the AFC will arrange for their distribution to needy families. We believe that this initiative will stimulate every Guyanese to appreciate the value of our blessed country by returning to the land for sustenance. We hold dear to the Chinese proverb which says “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
In this venture, the AFC will partner with organizations that share a similar vision and strong desire to bring relief to people in need. These partners include the Guyana Action Party (GAP), Pastors and members of the Full Gospel Fellowship of Guyana (with a network of hundreds of churches throughout Guyana), and Guyanese in the Diaspora. In the long-term, the project is expected to raise the standard of living of the poorest of the poor and restore a sense of pride in Guyana and being Guyanese.
Objective
To deliver a minimum of 25,000 vegetable plants and seeds to needy households throughout the length and breadth of the country.
Time Frame
May - August 2008.
Methodology
The AFC’s Regional administrative structures and those of its partners will ensure the timely and smooth distribution of the plants. Executive members of the AFC will be actively involved in the distribution exercise.
Project Management & Implementation
The project will require a minimum of supervision as the plants will be grown on site at established plant nurseries. Central plant nurseries will be set up in the most populous Regions and distribution will be carried out by the AFC and its partners.
CO-ORDINATOR- MR. DESMOND MOSES
Interested persons and communities can contact Desmond Moses on 693-5131 or 227-5202 for Arrangements to be made for Delivery.
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