|
Ten reasons why...
Governments should free their food industries
By Syed Kamall
- Wealth is created when farmers from poorer countries sell their produce into richer countries. This wealth can be invested in new jobs and buy new technology to create yet more wealth.
- Farmers should be free to grow crops that people want to eat, not what governments want them to eat.
- Consumers all over the world benefit from lower prices and greater choice.
- It is a waste to give taxpayers' money to farmers to produce food that people do not want to eat.
- It is a waste to spend taxpayers' money on farmers NOT to produce any food.
- It is a wasteful to create food mountains which are never eaten.
- When exporters from developed countries dump subsidised exports in developing countries, they depress prices and threaten local production of food and livelihoods.
- Food is a basic necessity of life. All people should be free to grow and eat the food that they want without hindrance from their own government, let alone foreign governments.
- Governments which subsidise food exports contribute to a dependency culture in the countries to which the food is exported.
- The risk of famine and food shortages is dramatically reduced if governments do not try to manipulate the food sector.
Dr Syed Kamall is the Program Director of the GBRI. You can email him at:syed@gbri.org.
Adrian Pepper is the editor of this series. If you have any comments or would like to submit your own list, please email him at: adrian@gbri.org.
Click here for previous articles in this series.
|
|
