Tequila, pork and orangutans: new victims of the biofuel boom

A looming shortage of tequila wouldn’t usually be an AlertNet crisis, but in this case it could be a sign of hungry times ahead.

Mexican farmers are torching fields of blue agave, the cactus-like plant used to make the fiery spirit, and resowing the land with maize as soaring U.S. ethanol demand pushes up prices.
The spiky-leaved agave plant can take eight years to reach maturity, so cutting them down and burning out the roots isn’t something that can be turned around easily.

Troubled farmers are hoping to cash in on the biofuels boom, but there have been protests over rocketing food prices in Mexico, where maize is the staple food.

In China, gas stations in some provinces already mix 10-percent ethanol into the gasoline they sell. The problem is that the increasing use of maize for industrial purposes in ethanol production is driving up the cost of corn for agricultural use, mainly to feed pigs. The knock-on effect is a dramatic rise in the price of pork, one of China’s most widely consumed food staples.

The Christian Science Monitor quotes Chinese political analysts who say the government is afraid that rising food costs could affect social stability. Inflation was an important factor in sparking the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square 18 years ago.

AlertNet