Lula Dismisses Claims
Bio-Fuel Production
Raises Food Prices
Brazil's President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva has
dismissed as a
"shameless lie" claims
that the production of
ethanol increases food
prices, saying the
criticism showed the
fact that developed
countries fear Brazil's
growth.
"When Brazil starts to
compete with them, what
happens is that in some
countries in the world
the (following)
propaganda is released:
'sugar cane is being
grown in the Amazon
forest; ethanol
increases the price of
food because the land in
Brazil is being used
only to produce
ethanol.' Those are
shameless lies," Lula
said Friday.
The debate on the
effects of bio-fuel
production, in which
Brazil is a world
leader, became more
heated this month due to
serious social conflicts
mounting in poor
countries caused by
surging food prices.
Important international
organizations, such as
the European Commission
and the International
Monetary Fund (IMF),
pointed out that the
price rise was a
consequence of the use
of land to produce corn
or sugar cane for
ethanol production,
instead of food
production.
"We will prove that it
is possible to produce
ethanol and bio-diesel.
We will prove that it is
possible to produce food
to fill our bellies,"
President Lula
highlighted.
The president also
questioned the reason
why tariffs are charged
on bio-fuels but not on
oil.
"Why do they not charge
a tariff to import oil,
which is polluting, and
charge a tariff to buy
our ethanol, which is
not polluting?" he said. |
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