AN independent United Nations (UN) human-rights expert warned poor and developing countries, including the Philippines, that converting crops such as maize, wheat and sugar into biofuels would drive up the prices of food, land and water. 

UN special rapporteur on the right to food Jean Ziegler called for a five-year moratorium on biofuels. He said that if the prices of food crops continued to rise, the poorest countries would not be able to import enough food.

“It is a crime against humanity to convert agricultural productive soil into soil which produces foodstuff that will be burned into biofuel,” Ziegler said in a statement.

He said that while the arguments for biofuels are legitimate in terms of energy efficiency and in the fight against climate change, the effects of converting food crops such as wheat and maize into biofuels would be “absolutely catastrophic,” particularly for poor and developing countries.

Ziegler also argued that biofuels will only lead to further hunger in a world where an estimated 854 million people—one out of six—already suffer from the scourge; 100,000 people die from hunger or its immediate consequences every day; and every five seconds, a child dies from hunger.

“All causes of hunger are man-made, it’s a problem of access, not overpopulation or underproduction, and can be changed by human decision,” he said.

Ziegler said all of this takes place in a world that already produces enough food to feed every child, woman and man and could feed 12 billion people, double the current world population, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The FAO earlier said international wheat prices have hit record highs, pushing the domestic price of bread and other basic foods in poor countries beyond the reach of many locals.

The October issue of the FAO Crop Prospects and Food Situation report found that wheat prices have risen sharply since June because of tightening global supplies, historically low levels of stocks and sustained demand.

The same report said maize prices have also increased despite this year’s bumper crop in North, Central and South America because of continuing strong demand from the biofuels industry.

He called on the UN Human Rights Council “to declare a new human right” to protect those who flee from hunger. “This human right is gravely violated in many, many parts of the world,” Ziegler said.

THE president of the French chamber of commerce in the Philippines said businessmen from the European country are now starting to see Cebu not just as a tourism destination, but as a place or investment.

AGGRESSIVELY positioning itself to contribute to the government’s Biofuels Act of 2006, Eastern Petroleum Corp. (EPC) is set to sign a joint-venture agreement with Guanxi Estate Group for its first phase of project development before the end of the month.

AN independent United Nations (UN) human-rights expert warned poor and developing countries, including the Philippines, that converting crops such as maize, wheat and sugar into biofuels would drive up the prices of food, land and water. 

MORE than 4 million foreigners, mostly tourists, have entered the country during the first nine months of the year, up 6 percent from those who arrived in the same period last year, the Bureau of Immigration said.

THE peso will likely soar to fresh multiyear highs against the US dollar once the Federal Reserve—the American central bank—slashes its key rate by either one-fourth or one-half a percentage point this Wednesday, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said.

THE National Competitiveness Council (NCC) is conducting its own study to determine if the Philippine economy could generate significant benefits from possible reduction in power costs for industries despite revenue loss.

BOCAUE, Bulacan—After palay prices reached a new high, hitting P17 a kilo early inSeptember, it started to drop after the first week of September as the harvest season started and hit P11 a kilo some 10 days ago.