Paris Backs Halt in Biofuel Use to Avert Food Shortages
(EurActiv) A French plan to fight food price volatility took further shape yesterday (12 September) with a call to pause global development of biofuels, just a day after President François Hollande pushed for creation of strategic food stocks.
A government spokeswoman, speaking after a cabinet meeting, said France would “push for a pause in the development of biofuels competing with food.”
The plan is forming in response to the third global food price spike in four years, this time sparked by the worst US drought in over half a century and persistent dry conditions in other key cereal producing areas that revived memories of unrest from 2007/08′s food emergency.
Hollande earlier said he was in talks with other heads of state to launch strategic stockpiles of agricultural commodities, one of the boldest measures yet to tame volatile food prices.
Although it was unclear whether Hollande would succeed in convincing major players such as the United States or China to agree on strategic food stocks, potentially a difficult and costly challenge, Italy has already backed the French initiative. READ MORE and MORE (Reuters)
