Skip Nav | Home | Mobile | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Security | Support Us

World

For the deaf who won't listen...

posted by F Espinoza | 24.05.2007 13:35 | Analysis | Globalisation | Health | World

World cereal production is on track to reach a record level in 2007. In spite of this, supplies will be barely adequate to meet increased demand, boosted by the development of the biofuels industry...




REFLECTIONS BY THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF


For the deaf who won't listen


A summary of the FAO declaration from its headquarters in Rome, on May 16, 2007.
World cereal production is on track to reach a record level in 2007. In spite of this, supplies will be barely adequate to meet increased demand, boosted by the development of the biofuels industry.
International prices for most cereals have risen significantly in 2006-07 and the current forecast shows that prices will stay high in 2007-08, according to the relevant report "Crop Perspectives and Food Situation". It is forecast that the cereal import bill of the low-income food deficit countries will increase by about 25 percent in the current season.
The rapid growth of the demand for maize-based ethanol is expected to increase by 9 percent the use of that grain in 2007-08.
Expectations for the world wheat harvest are down slightly since the April forecast.
In North Africa, a sharp decline is expected in 2007 cereal production, reflecting dry conditions in Morocco that are anticipated to halve the country’s wheat production this year.
In Southern Africa, a reduced cereal harvest is expected for the second consecutive year. In Zimbabwe, a huge rise in the price of maize, a basic staple for millions, is anticipated as a result of the drought.
In Malawi, an ample exportable surplus will be available following a bumper harvest.
Emergency assistance is required for large numbers of vulnerable farmers in Bolivia affected by serious crop and livestock losses following drought and floods during the 2007 main cropping season.
The flare up of conflict in southern Somalia has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and is likely to reduce the area planted.
A first provisional FAO forecast for world production of rice in 2007 points to a slightly improved harvest with some 422 millions of tons, thus matching the 2005 record.
Except for China and India –the main producers– the cereal harvest totals in the rest of the countries will drop slightly.
FAO recognizes the consequences of producing food-based fuels. That is something.
But it is also remarkable to see the news that the United States Congress decided to replace 23 thousand incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent throughout its offices. It is said that American families, on their own volition, have decided to replace 37 million incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent. In just a few months, the 37 million replaced light bulbs will save the equivalent cost of gasoline for 260,000 automobiles. Calculate the savings when billions of incandescent light bulbs are replaced.

I shall digress now to tackle a topic which deals with my person, and I ask for your indulgence.
The news dispatches talk of an operation. My compatriots were not too happy that I explained on more than one occasion that my recovery would not be without its risks. Generally speaking, there was talk about a date when I would make a public appearance, dressed in my olive green fatigues as usual. Well then, it was not just one operation but several. Initially, it was not successful and this implicated a prolonged recovery period.
For many months, I relied on intravenous procedures and catheters for the greater part of my nutrition, and I wanted to spare our people an unpleasant disappointment. Today I receive everything required by my recovery orally. There is no danger greater than that related to age and to a state of health which I abused during some of the hazardous times I lived through. Nowadays I do what I should be doing, especially reflecting and writing about issues which, to my mind, have some importance and transcendence. I have a lot pending. For the present, I do not have time for films and photos that require me to constantly trim my hair, beard and moustache, and to get dressed up every day. Moreover, such presentations multiply requests for interviews. Let me simply say to everyone that my health has been improving and my weight is stable at around 80 kilos.
I try to keep the reflections as brief as possible so as not to take much space from the press and television news programs. The rest of the time I am reading, receiving information, talking on the phone with many much comrades and carrying out the rehab exercises that are necessary for my recovery. I cannot say or criticize everything that I know, because if I did so, human and international relations would be impossible, and our country cannot do without them. But I shall be true to the motto of never writing a lie.

Fidel Castro Ruz

May 23, 2007.

5:06 p.m.


TODAY: ESTA tarde, sintonice la Mesa Redonda Informativa:


"Cereales, biocombustibles y la bochornosa tragedia del hambre"



24 de mayo de 2007

Cubavisión, el Canal Educativo, Cubavisión Internacional, Radio Rebelde y Radio Habana Cuba transmitirán HOY desde las 6:30 p.m.(horario de CUBA), la Mesa Redonda Informativa "Cereales, biocombustibles y la bochornosa tragedia del hambre", en la que se analizarán las nuevas Reflexiones del Comandante en Jefe publicadas en el día de hoy.

Sintonizar en:

 http://www.rrebelde.cu

 http://www.radioprogreso.cu

 http://www.radiohc.cu

 http://www.rhc.cu/

 http://www.cubavision.cubaweb.cu

 http://www.mesaredonda.cu

 http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/tv/

 http://www.cubainformacion.tv/


(All of them with daily programation)




Other Websites:


 http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/secciones/reflexiones/esp-007.html (The complete Serie of Fidel's Reflections)

 http://www.antiterroristas.cu

 http://www.freethefive.org




* To sign the "FIGHT FOR JUSTICE CAMPAIGN":

 edhcuba@cubarte.cult.cu

 http://www.porlajusticia.cu

 http://www.porlajusticia.net

 http://www.porlajusticia.org

 http://www.porlajusticia.info

 http://www.porlajusticia.com

 http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/english/index.html


posted by F Espinoza

Comments

Display the following comment

  1. for the hearing who don't sign — is what I think you mean

Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

/regional publish include --> /regional search include -->

World Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Server Appeal Radio Page Video Page Indymedia Cinema Offline Newsheet

secure Encrypted Page

You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.

If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech