The new year has brought a wave of food riots and  protests over soaring food prices. Governments are nervous. They are reminded of what the Roman philosopher Seneca said, “A hungry people listens not to reason nor cares for justice, nor is bent by any prayers”.  

After Friday prayers last week, protestors in Tunisia took to the streets to decry rising food prices made worse by increasing unemployment. The food protests left 14 people dead. In neighbouring Algeria, riots over rising food prices saw several people dead, 800 injured and authorities arrested around 1,000 protestors.

There have been frequent public protests about the prices of food, like wheat in Egypt, Serbia, India, Pakistan and the Philippines, too.

manmohan singh Food prices are on the top of the political agenda in many countries. A few days ago, India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ( left ) called for a special meeting of his senior ministers to explore ways to halt the astronomical rise in food prices, particularly vegetables like onions.  In the last fifteen years ruling governments in India have fallen twice due to a surge in the price of foods, particularly onions.

In December, India had no choice but to import onions from Pakistan. This is a reversal of roles for India, which used to export onions to Pakistan. In January truckloads of the commodity arrived in India from Pakistan to ease the domestic political tension caused by the high price of onions. India also banned the export of onions. This caused prices of onions to increase in Malaysia.

Rise of consumer power

The onion is a key ingredient in Indian cuisine  throughout the subcontinent. A surge in the prices of onions has not only seen governments being toppled in India but also the rise of consumer power. Women in India  have taken to the streets to protest against the unaffordable prices of onions.

In the 1960s, middle class housewives in then Bombay (now Mumbai), unable to purchase onions, mounted large-scale anti-government protests. The women soon recognised their power and rights as consumers and the need for collective action. These women mobilised themselves to form the Consumer Guidance Society of India, one of the earliest consumer groups to be established in India.

When there is a food crisis, the responses of politicians and think-tanks are telling.

Chilli prices have tripled in the last few months. This could have serious consequences for Asian governments as chilli pepper is widely used  in many Asian cuisines. In Indonesia, no meal is complete without the sambal , and the main ingredient for this mouth-watering accompaniment is chilli. But the chilli is now beyond the reach of most Indonesians.

A kilogramme of chillies cost a whopping US$11. Indonesians are showing withdrawal symptoms, many are suffering from headaches without chillies in their soups and fried rice. In many cultures where chilli is consumed, it has been observed that the fiery vegetable gives physical and emotional satisfaction.  

‘Grow chillies in homes’

The Indonesian government is concerned over the food inflation. In 1998, soaring food prices were a key factor in the fall of the Suharto government. To reduce Indonesia’s exposure to volatile chilli prices, NONE President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ( left ) has appealed to the creative streak in Indonesians. He has appealed to them to find ways to grow chillies in their homes.

The Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu is telling Indonesians that she has 200 hundred chilli plants.

This reminds me of the advice of politicians to Malaysians when the price of rice and vegetables surged a few years ago. Some cabinet ministers were featured on TV in their Putrajaya home gardens lush with vegetables and fruits, urging Malaysians to start growing vegetables in their homes. The dwellers in flats and land-squeezed link houses were peeved by the advice as sometimes there was no space even for potted plants.

While in Seoul several years ago, I  learnt that chillies and cabbages could determine the fate of a government. The traditional Korean pickle kimchi is made from red hot chillies, cabbages, radish and garlic. When prices of the high-quality long-leaved cabbage reached unsustainable levels in 2010, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said he would eat only the cheap round-headed cabbage. This was indeed a strategic decision politically.    

After wiping out the Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009, Sri Lanka is now using its excess troops to run a string of low-cost vegetable stands by buying directly from farmers and doing away with middlemen.

According to the government, this also solves the overcapacity problem, by redeploying the large military force to do civil and development work. The number of troops doubled in the last phase of the war against the Tamil Tigers in the 25-year-long conflict in Sri Lanka.

Agricultural commodity prices have surged due to various factors such as climate change and unjust economic systems. Drought and floods have led to a series of crop failures. The situation has been aggravated when producers have imposed export restrictions, prompting importers to hoard supplies.

In an unjust economic system, global commodity speculators continue to treat food as if it were the same as television sets. The World Development Movement has described the situation as “gambling on hunger in financial markets”.

Bill Clinton, in commenting on the humanitarian situation in Haiti, said that “food is not a commodity like others… it is crazy for us to think we can develop a lot of these countries [by] treating food like it was a colour television set.”

Politicians need to look at long-term sustainable solutions to ensure national food security as increasing food prices will have serious consequences for people and governments. For example, in 2006, the number of undernourished people was 854 million. In 2009, it was 1.02 billion - the highest level since records began. The hardest-hit by these price rises are often the households headed by females.

The lack of social safety nets to prevent hunger compounds the situation.

We need to reform the international food trade architecture to ensure basic justice for the poor. Chillies and onions may appear to be humble vegetables, but they can pack a punch far beyond their daily uses.

 

JOSIE M FERNANDEZ is currently an Asian Public Intellectual Fellow, director of Philanthropy Asia, consultant and researcher. Working on sustainability, philanthropy and anti-corruption actions are some of her current passions besides writing.