Increasing food prices-whose fault is it?

"We are not murderers! We are farmers and we are doing our job." This statement, heard for the first time at a conference on food prices, can be heard increasingly often. Growers, producers and sellers of food are defending themselves against growing attacks. And the complaints are not only coming from customers but also from governments, managers of world humanitarian organisations and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.

The reason: increasing food prices. What Slovak customers perceive as an unpleasant experience at shops is a matter of life and death in many parts of the world. Millions of people who managed to get enough food even six months ago, are now starving. In many countries the situation has resulted in civil unrest. The most influential people in the world are holding meetings to find a solution. But it will take some time.

Today, they are only trying to find the causes and the impact of individual factors of the situation. The world faces the task of differentiating the serious reasons from the less serious ones. Even those who usually do not pay attention to the press have noticed a steep price increase of many staple foods since the autumn of the previous year. Price increases in shops reflects the global increase in the cost of basic commodities, such as rice, milk or cereals. Although prices seem to be high, the most frequently traded food commodities were for many decades more expensive than today. In the 1970s food cost twice as much. (source: eTrend)