AgroPages-29 countries cut food exports-Agricultural news

Recent high food prices have caused at least 29 countries to sharply curb food exports, reports the New York Times. In recent months, India, Vietnam, China, and 11 other countries have limited or banned rice exports, while Pakistan, Bolivia, and 13 other nations have reduced or completely stopped wheat exports. More than a dozen have limited corn exports, and Kazakhstan has restricted exports of sunflower seeds.

"The restrictions are making it harder for impoverished importing countries to afford the food they need. The export limits are forcing some of the most vulnerable people, those who rely on relief agencies, to go hungry,” reports the Times.

The export bans have been implemented to ensure that citizens in these countries will have enough to eat at affordable prices; however, national and human disasters such as Australia’s drought and Argentina’s strikes are causing countries used to exports from these nations to depend upon those still exporting large amounts – such as Thailand, Brazil, Canada, and the US.

"'It's obvious that these export restrictions fuel the fire of price increases,' said Pascal Lamy, the director general of the World Trade Organization."