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The Economic Times, Mumbai edition of Mon. 09th Jun 2008 on page-13 has a very important analysis by Shri Arun Firodia of the two wheeler fame. The very obvious conclusion that any intelligent reader will make is that it is time for a global move to vegetarianism. (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/View_Point/Rising_food_prices_
The_blame_game/articleshow/3112207.cms)
It is the right of all humans to get an opportunity to fulfill basic desires. Given the need for security in food, water, safety and a fair opportunity for growth, shortages of various commodities is a given. Instead of fighting wars for food, water, resources and energy, it will be worthwhile for the global think tanks to motivate their respective governments to force a change in habits of food and resource consumption. This must be highest priority in view the demands of the populations of the developing world, whose averages on all these parameters is so much lower than that of the OECD countries. Now read and ponder ...
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P E R S P E CT I V E S
Rising food prices: The blame gameThe_blame_game/articleshow/3112207.cms)
It is the right of all humans to get an opportunity to fulfill basic desires. Given the need for security in food, water, safety and a fair opportunity for growth, shortages of various commodities is a given. Instead of fighting wars for food, water, resources and energy, it will be worthwhile for the global think tanks to motivate their respective governments to force a change in habits of food and resource consumption. This must be highest priority in view the demands of the populations of the developing world, whose averages on all these parameters is so much lower than that of the OECD countries. Now read and ponder ...
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P E R S P E CT I V E S
FOOD prices are going up. There is a serious shortage of food all over the world. Even in America there is talk of 'rationing'.
Who is to blame? Fingers are pointed to ethanol — a petrol substitute. It is said that American farmers are diverting corn to making ethanol and hence the rise in world food prices. There is also a serious debate whether it is wise to use land for production of ethanol. Voices have been raised to say that land should be reserved for foodgrains and not for ethanol.
Well said. But who exactly is consuming the foodgrains? Over 70% of the foodgrains produced in America are consumed by cows and pigs for producing meat. Unfortunately, animals are very inefficient converters of foodgrains to meat. A cow takes in 16 kg of foodgrains to develop one kg of beef. Obviously, grain is used more efficiently when consumed directly by humans. If humans were to directly consume grains rather than cycle them through animals to eat their meat, there would be enough food to feed the world and there would be no 'food shortage'.
An average American eats 125 kg of meat every year and all Americans put together consume, hold your breath, 35,000,000 tonnes of meat every year. Chinese situation is even more alarming. An average Chinese (whose diet used to consist of plenty of vegetables) now consumes 70 kg of meat every year. Mostly pork but increasingly beef too. All Chinese put together eat 100,000,000 tonnes of meat every year. World meat consumption has surged five-fold in the past 50 years, forcing diversion of foodgrains to feed the animals. Even in countries like Thailand the proportion of foodgrains diverted to animals has jumped from 1% to 30%. Since demand for foodgrains is racing ahead of supply the price of foodgrains is rising.
For countries like China or the US, meat is food. Foodgrain is not food. They don't care if foodgrain prices rise. As long as meat prices are under control they are not bothered. China even maintains a 'strategic reserve' of hundreds of thousands of live pigs whom they release in the market to keep pork prices under check.
Why do they feed their animals with grains? Why don't they just let them graze in the rangelands and consume grass? Well, the number of animals raised for meat production is 50,000 million, eight times the human population. There isn't enough rangeland to let so many animals roam around and graze. Secondly, animals would grow faster if fed with foodgrains and other nutrients rather than grass. Naturally, meat factories would like to feed the animals (or let us say overfeed them) with foodgrains.
Who is to blame? Fingers are pointed to ethanol — a petrol substitute. It is said that American farmers are diverting corn to making ethanol and hence the rise in world food prices. There is also a serious debate whether it is wise to use land for production of ethanol. Voices have been raised to say that land should be reserved for foodgrains and not for ethanol.
Well said. But who exactly is consuming the foodgrains? Over 70% of the foodgrains produced in America are consumed by cows and pigs for producing meat. Unfortunately, animals are very inefficient converters of foodgrains to meat. A cow takes in 16 kg of foodgrains to develop one kg of beef. Obviously, grain is used more efficiently when consumed directly by humans. If humans were to directly consume grains rather than cycle them through animals to eat their meat, there would be enough food to feed the world and there would be no 'food shortage'.
An average American eats 125 kg of meat every year and all Americans put together consume, hold your breath, 35,000,000 tonnes of meat every year. Chinese situation is even more alarming. An average Chinese (whose diet used to consist of plenty of vegetables) now consumes 70 kg of meat every year. Mostly pork but increasingly beef too. All Chinese put together eat 100,000,000 tonnes of meat every year. World meat consumption has surged five-fold in the past 50 years, forcing diversion of foodgrains to feed the animals. Even in countries like Thailand the proportion of foodgrains diverted to animals has jumped from 1% to 30%. Since demand for foodgrains is racing ahead of supply the price of foodgrains is rising.
For countries like China or the US, meat is food. Foodgrain is not food. They don't care if foodgrain prices rise. As long as meat prices are under control they are not bothered. China even maintains a 'strategic reserve' of hundreds of thousands of live pigs whom they release in the market to keep pork prices under check.
Why do they feed their animals with grains? Why don't they just let them graze in the rangelands and consume grass? Well, the number of animals raised for meat production is 50,000 million, eight times the human population. There isn't enough rangeland to let so many animals roam around and graze. Secondly, animals would grow faster if fed with foodgrains and other nutrients rather than grass. Naturally, meat factories would like to feed the animals (or let us say overfeed them) with foodgrains.
Meat is an inefficient energy provider. Would you believe that a beef-eater needs more energy walking one kilometre than a car travelling one kilometre? An example would prove this point. The beef eater would spend 70 kcalories in walking one kilometre. Let us say he gets this energy back by eating a piece of beef containing 70 kcalories. The beef-cow would have eaten foodgrains containing 1,120 kcalories to produce this piece of beef. The meat supply chain would necessitate further 1,120 calories in the meat processing factory, chilled storage during transportation, warehousing, retailing and at beef-eater's domestic refrigerator totalling 2,240 kcalories. What quantity of petrol would contain 2,240 kcalories? 70 mls of petrol! And a car would go more than one kilometre in that 70 ml petrol!
Present Indian meat consumption is 3 kg per capita per year and all Indians put together consume 3 million tonnes of meat every year. As and when India becomes rich, Indians may start consuming meat at Chinese levels. India would then need 100,000,000 tonnes of meat since India's population would reach present Chinese population figures. Presently Indian cows feed on grass and Indian pigs feed on garbage but large meat factories would have to be set up by well experienced MNCs to yield such high meat output. These factories will feed their animals on foodgrains. Imagine the pressure on food prices when over 70% of India's foodgrains will go to feed the animals producing meat. There isn't enough land in India or even the entire world to produce foodgrains to support such gigantic animal population.
And what about water? 10,000 litres of water are needed to produce 1 kg of beef. Where is the water to produce so many million million tonnes of meat? An animal generates 100 times more waste than a human being. How to dispose off the waste generated by 50,000 million animals? Raising the animals, meat processing, chilled storage, transportation, retailing and storing the meat in deep freezer at home all require huge amount of energy. A significant portion of fossil fuels is needed to power the meat industry. Surely earth's limited resources cannot sustain two burgeoning populations — human beings and animals. Very soon groundwater will dry up and forests will give way to grazing lands. One billion cows and one billion pigs of rich countries will compete with world's poor for food and water. As their population is rising faster than human population one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to know who is winning. And to know why food prices are rising.
(The author is chairman, Kinetic Group) Present Indian meat consumption is 3 kg per capita per year and all Indians put together consume 3 million tonnes of meat every year. As and when India becomes rich, Indians may start consuming meat at Chinese levels. India would then need 100,000,000 tonnes of meat since India's population would reach present Chinese population figures. Presently Indian cows feed on grass and Indian pigs feed on garbage but large meat factories would have to be set up by well experienced MNCs to yield such high meat output. These factories will feed their animals on foodgrains. Imagine the pressure on food prices when over 70% of India's foodgrains will go to feed the animals producing meat. There isn't enough land in India or even the entire world to produce foodgrains to support such gigantic animal population.
And what about water? 10,000 litres of water are needed to produce 1 kg of beef. Where is the water to produce so many million million tonnes of meat? An animal generates 100 times more waste than a human being. How to dispose off the waste generated by 50,000 million animals? Raising the animals, meat processing, chilled storage, transportation, retailing and storing the meat in deep freezer at home all require huge amount of energy. A significant portion of fossil fuels is needed to power the meat industry. Surely earth's limited resources cannot sustain two burgeoning populations — human beings and animals. Very soon groundwater will dry up and forests will give way to grazing lands. One billion cows and one billion pigs of rich countries will compete with world's poor for food and water. As their population is rising faster than human population one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to know who is winning. And to know why food prices are rising.
Arun Firodia
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Please pass this on to your friends, colleagues, social groups / networks and discuss how all can benefit from this knowledge for the greater public good and preserving of earth resources for future generations.
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Please pass this on to your friends, colleagues, social groups / networks and discuss how all can benefit from this knowledge for the greater public good and preserving of earth resources for future generations.
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