Nicaragua's Ortega and
Colombia Quarrel Over
Biofuels
Nicaragua President
Daniel Ortega and
Colombia's agriculture
minister sparred over
whether the region
should grow more crops
to be used in biofuels
or boost food production
to feed the poor.
"For Nicaragua, it's a
mortal sin to talk about
biofuels,'' Ortega said
today at a summit of
regional leaders in
Villahermosa, Mexico.
"Food is what lacks in
our region.''
Ortega rejected
Colombian Agriculture
Minister Andres Felipe
Arias's comment that
"even the smallest
Central American
countries have land to
plant sugar cane.''
Arias said Guatemala had
1 million hectares it
could use to produce
biofuels without
jeopardizing food
output, while Honduras
had 200,000 hectares to
devote to such crops.
Nicaragua's annual
inflation rate
accelerated to 21.7
percent in May on higher
costs for basic foods.
Wheat, corn and rice
have risen to records on
global markets this year
because of shrinking
stockpiles and more
demand. World food
imports will cost a
record us$1.04 trillion
this year, us$215
billion more than in
2007, the United
Nations' Food and
Agriculture Organization
says.
Ortega also urged the
U.S. to stop devoting
farmland to biofuel
crops, saying using corn
to produce ethanol
instead of food raised
prices for the poorest
families.
Colombian President
Alvaro Uribe responded
to Ortega by saying
Colombia promoted
policies to boost food
output as well as
increased biofuel
production.
His government has
wrangled with Ortega
this year, criticizing
him for "offensive''
comments in favor of the
Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia, the
country's largest rebel
group. |
