Thursday, March 24, 2011

Unrest In The Middle East Reflects Worries Over Wheat And Other Food Production

Continuing Turmoil in the Middle East Reflects Global Anxiety Over Wheat Production -- New York Times

Underlying the wave of unrest across North Africa and the Middle East is the fact that some of the cries for democracy are coming from mouths in need of food. Media outlets around the world were quick to make the link between food and the protests in Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, pointing to one specific grain: wheat.

Egypt is the largest importer of wheat in the world, with Algeria not far behind. Together, they import more of the grain than all of South America. Even Pharaoh Ramses III's tomb was found with engravings depicting his royal bakery.

Read more ....

My Comment: A rather good analysis on the impact of wheat and food production on the political turmoil that is occurring in the Middle East. Couple this with the tsunami/nuclear disasters in Japan and its impact on global food supplies .... much of the world appears to be entering even more difficult times.

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