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Hard Hitting Is Harsh Reality at our Doorsteps? | Is Harsh Reality at our Doorsteps? |
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| Written by Omar Silva | ||||
| Thursday, 10 April 2008 | ||||
 The consistent rising cost of just about every food item
coupled with the scarcity of others has uncertainty knocking at our doorsteps.
The increasing global price of crude oil and the prolongation of the Iraq war have set off all the indicators that signal devastating consequences for small economies such as Belize’s. This has impacted severely on inflated prices of acquiring agro raw materials used for food preparation across the globe and consumers around the world including the United States are feeling the domino effect that is already causing alarm in smaller states such as ours. This is no longer malicious speculation, the harsh reality is evident and Belizeans are not in any position to absorb what is heading down our path with regards to an unbearable cost of living. We have already started to see the crisis in the availability of flour. This is because the global price of raw wheat, corn, cereals and rice have sky rocketed on the international market by 32% hitting hard with repercussions to the most vulnerable sectors. Gold has pushed upwards to $1,000 dollars per ounce while platinum has elevated to a whopping 41%. Copper, sheet metal and even natural gas have escalated to 30%. Carbon, the highest in recent times, is still moving upwards of 59%. Café grain is seeing the highest increase in 10 years, while cacao has pushed upwards with a major increase of 38% in the last twenty four years.All these increases are shaking up the global economic momentum and bringing about a complex situation that is creating an atmosphere of uncertainty if government doesn’t come up with and implement drastic measures. We could see the markers in the eve of an announced recession in the United State and signs that the US dollar is getting weaker is really a bad indicator. The green back is getting scarcer and every time we have to find more of it in order to import the basic of goods from any part of the world. As a developing nation with a small population, it is time for Government to revisit our agricultural policy with the view of prioritizing and securing the future of our basic food basket. Modernizing and mechanizing our agro production and encourage more Belizeans to go into the farming of more and more food products. It is time that we grow what we eat. Reality, however, shows that there seems to be no hurry by the UDP government to show us their worthiness in this area, although they promised it would be their number one priority. Remember, that it was the UDP and Dean Barrow that used the term: “Life Haad out Ya” and the promise to nationalize the Oil Industry, bring down the cost of living and institute a no-nonsense Consumer Protection Agency upon being elected to Government. They blamed the PUP for just about every thing that took a wrong turn at home despite that they were as a result of global trends. The people fell head over heels for these UDP promises or lies, to be more accurate. They hoped that the UDP were ready to govern from day one but it seems that the UDP is in no hurry to fix what they thought was “bad”. They are still celebrating their victory, drunk with power, still on a familiarization tour or on an administration crash course. I don’t want to think that they have forgotten what they promised. No bold vision in sight and for sure no perspective. How many months more will this honeymoon last? Are we going to take all this heading our way just sitting down? Or, are we going to sit down and wait for the next five years hoping for the better? Some great person said a people get the government they deserve. Is this it?  Add as favourites (10) | Views: 252 | Print | E-mail
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 April 2008 ) | ||||
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