Record-shattering heatwaves all over the world, massive wildfires in Russia, truly historic flooding in Pakistan and China and devastating droughts in many other areas are playing havoc with harvests all over the globe. This is leading many analysts to predict a sharp rise in food prices for the rest of 2010, and there are even whispers that 2011 could see the outbreak of global food riots that are even worse than what we witnessed back in 2008. The truth is that things are starting to get more than a bit frightening out there. One quarter of Russia’s grain crops have already been wiped out by the unprecedented heatwave and the massive wildfires that have been ravaging that nation. In fact, the Russian government has announced that they have banned all grain exports for the rest of this year. This has caused a dramatic surge in the price of wheat on world markets. Unfortunately, Russia is far from alone in dealing with bad harvests this year. So what happens when global food prices go so high that the hundreds of millions of people existing on the edge of poverty around the world can’t afford to buy food any longer?
That is a very sobering question.
The truth is that due to rampant greed and corruption, humanity barely grows enough food to feed itself, and major crop disasters can change the global landscape very quickly.
In fact, the price of barley has already more than doubled over the past six weeks due to concerns about what is going on in Russia.
Not only that, but Germany, Europe’s second biggest grain producer after France, has announced that its harvest will decline by 12% or more in 2010.
There are even media reports that food prices in Russia may jump 100 percent by the end of this week. That seems a bit far-fetched, but as you can see from the video posted below, the situation in Russia is becoming very, very serious….
But it is not just Europe that is experiencing problems. In Australia, farmers are bracing for what is being called the worst locust plague in a generation.
In other areas of the world, intense flooding has created a crisis that is so immense that it is almost impossible to put into words. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani says that as many as 20 million people have been affected by the horrific flooding in his nation. In fact, at one point approximately one-fifth of Pakistan was reportedly under water. Entire villages and towns were turned into vast lakes.
Take a moment to think about that.
Could you imagine one-fifth of the United States under water?
The United Nations has already named the flooding in Pakistan as the greatest humanitarian crisis in recent history.
Yes, you read that correctly.
The UN says that the flooding in Pakistan is worse than the earthquake in Haiti, worse than Hurricane Katrina and worse than the massive tsunami which devastated southeast Asia a number of years ago.
Needless to say, all of this flooding has absolutely destroyed crops and food supplies in Pakistan. The misery that all of this flooding has caused in incalculable.
But most Americans don’t care much about what is happening on the other side of the world.
Most Americans only care about what affects their wallets and their stomachs.
Well, all of this global chaos is going to have a big impact on Americans as well. For example, it is being reported that Wal-Mart has already hiked food prices substantially in response to these global events.
Are you ready to pay more for food at the supermarket?
But the reality is that this is just the beginning.
It is being projected that global demand for food will more than double over the next 50 years.
So where in the world will twice as much food come from?
Even now, there are areas in Africa that are experiencing horrific starvation….
But you think that this can never happen in the United States of America?
Think again.
For most of the past decade, the U.S. government has only had enough grain stored up to provide half a loaf of bread for every man, woman and child in the country.
In the event of a true food emergency, exactly how long do you think that our “strategic grain reserve” is going to last?
Each year, world food supplies continue to get tighter and tighter and tighter. One day, we will reach the breaking point.
Will you be prepared when that day arrives?