Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Indonesia, Brazil and the Philippines warned of possible shortages
The costs of staple foods and vegetables have reached their highest levels in two years, and rising food prices and shortages could cause instability in many regions, the Guardian reports. This instability, though, may simply reflect volatility in global commodity markets as countries climb out of recession. “Prices are volatile and there is a lot of nervousness in the market. There are big differences between now and 2008 [when riots over food shortages broke out in 25 countries]. Harvests are generally better, global food stocks are better,” said Chris Leather, Oxfam’s food policy adviser. “We may not get to the prices of 2008 but this time they could stay high much longer, “said Abdolreza Abbassian of the UN food and agriculture organization.