Good news for Africa, if true
Contrary to American foreign policy, it's not the lack of acceptance of Frankenfoods that hurt Africa's economy. It's the system of U.S. and European farm subsidies that depress the market for African foodstuffs, plus an overall economic policy that treats foreign economies as a capacitor for Western economies.
Romano Prodi Pledges "Revolution" in Subsidy SystemAgencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
July 12, 2003
Maputo
The President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, insisted in Maputo on Friday that the European Union is dismantling its system of agricultural subsidies.
Addressing the heads of state of the African Union (AU), Prodi said that last month European agricultural ministers adopted "a far reaching reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The reform will revolutionise the way the Union supports its farmers and will make the CAP more trade- and development- friendly".
However, details of the CAP reform are so far very sketchy.
The subsidies have been bitterly attacked for distorting agricultural markets, depressing prices, and ruining farmers in the third world.
All that was in the past, Prodi claimed. The CAP reform "spells the end to the old subsidy system, which significantly distorted international trade and harmed developing countries".
posted by Prometheus 6 at 7/13/2003 09:35:48 PM |
Posted by P6 at July 13, 2003 09:35 PM
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