agricultural commodities market

Since 13 January 2011, the US administration has demanded the limitation and the transparency of the positions taken by the financial funds on the agricultural commodities markets.

Speculations on the agricultural commodities markets no longer concern foodstuffs but are now almost exclusively concerned with financial market activities and transactions, which have a direct effect on food prices.

We must catch up as quickly as possible on the lead gained by countries outside Europe from the introduction of biotechnology so that the agricultural commodities market is not lost to world wide competition.

Even US experts warned that full-blown liberalisation would threaten international agricultural commodities markets with the same fate as that of US farmers - a loss of income of 16 % - and advocated market stabilisation measures.

It seems to me that the drama of the hunger riots of 2008 has still made too little impression on the minds and hearts of those with political and economic power and also of those who are unscrupulously speculating on the agricultural commodities markets.