This is the headline in the Daytona Beach News-Journal of March 25, 2008 page 11A. This should be required reading for all Guyanese to offset the lies and misinformation of the Opposition Parties. A few extracts are: Freak weather, higher oil prices, lower food reserves, growing demand in China and India. Clashes over food caused the deaths of people in Egypt, Burkino Faso, Cameroon, etc. Food prices have surged in all countries due in part to petroleum prices, cost of fertilizers, transportation, etc. As of December, 37 countries faced food crises. The UN’s World Food Program says it is facing a $500 million shortfall in funding this year to feed 89 million needy people. Instead of concentrating on overthrowing the duly elected government, the PNC and others should be galvanising the population to grow more food.

Guyana is in an enviable position to not only feed its inhabitants, but also to gain hard currency by exporting food to other countries. One letter writer mentioned the Guyanese population in Queens, NY and Toronto. There are also large populations of Guyanese and West Indians in New Jersey, California, Atlanta, Central and South Florida who search the grocery shelves in vain for foods from home. Perhaps the Government could switch over to Daylight Saving Time to give the people time to develop “kitchen gardens”. The Government should press ahead with its agricultural diversity program to put the country in a position to take advantage of the food crises in the rest of the world.
P.KHAN
Fl. USA