London, March 2011

Food prices are at their highest levels ever, serving to commit a greater number of people into poverty and stoking unrest. The recent spike in global food prices has been triggered by supply shocks resulting from extreme weather events in major food producing countries. Since last year, the breadbaskets in Russia, Australia, Argentina, the US, China, and Brazil have been struck by heat waves, storms, flooding, droughts or cold weather.

The question for leaders, planners and traders is, where does the food crisis go from here; and what kind of global operating conditions does it imply for businesses? Is the Arab revolt the extent of it, or are we to be rocked by deeper global social upheaval or, indeed, real famine?

By Guy Isherwood

http://www.commodities-now.com/cn-march-2011.html