Biofuel boom may mean more people go hungry

Using plants to feed our fuel needs may be a great idea, and the biofuel goldrush could be a moneyspinner for several poor countries, but some experts warn people may go hungry as food prices rise.
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Even though the biofuel boom is only just beginning, it has already pushed up the cost of staples in places like Mexico where rocketing tortilla prices have sparked angry protests.

Some experts foresee a permanent change in food economics if farmers scent higher profit in fuel crops than in growing plants to feed people.

"We're into a new structure of markets," said British food aid expert Edward Clay. "It could have profound implications on poor people."
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Farmers in the United States are raising production of maize, now a lucrative material for biofuel production. Soaring U.S. demand for ethanol—produced from crops like maize and sugar cane—has sent maize prices to their highest level in a decade.

Mexicans are feeling the impact. Tens of thousands took to the streets in January when the price of tortillas tripled to 15 pesos ($1.36) a kilogram. There are about 35 of the flat maize patties that are Mexico's staple food in a kilogram.

Since half of Mexico lives on $5 a day or less, that's no small jump…