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OAPEC: Biofuel production has dangerous effects on food security

- Mohamed Tamer

Wednesday, 16 September 2009 20:17

The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) on Wednesday warned of the effects of the production of bio-fuels and developing its resources on global food security and efforts for sustainable development, particularly in third-world and developing nations.

In the introduction to its August-September monthly bulletin, OAPEC mentioned that major consuming countries of petroleum are putting increasing significance on the uses of bio-fuels for transportation as a future substitute for fossil fuels and this increases the fears of negative effects on food security and sustainable development.

It added that the significance put by these nations on bio-fuel strikes a wide-scale scientific controversy of supporters, opposers and doubters over the real economic feasibility and geopolitical dimensions of such an emphasis, which has been a leading topic in many global conferences and summits.

It also said that many observers have accused entities carrying out campaigns to produce bio-fuel of exaggeration, for political and election campaign purposes, under the false pretense that the move would help stabilize the security of global energy and lessen effects on climate change, and increase development in agricultural areas amid opposing views.

As an example, it mentioned the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), which aims to increase its production of bio-fuel for the transportation sector to 1.5-8 percent in 2020, while India and China are both working to boost this average to 6 percent.

OAPEC explained that what must be taken into consideration is the consequences of the use of a huge portion of biomass for the production of bio-fuel, particularly in developing nations which have witnessed an unprecedented rise in the prices of the same agricultural products it uses to produce the first generation of the fuel, between 2002-2007.

If developed nations succeed in their plans, in 2020 this would lead to a 30-50 percent increase in food products around the world, it warned quoting a study conducted by its broader international counterpart, OPEC's Fund for International Development (OFID).

According to OFID, this would also lead to the loss of around 30-45 million hectares of agricultural land intended for food production, as well as forests, which limit the effects of climate change.

Globally, the UN secretary general has in many occasions called for further assurances that policies encouraging the use of bio-fuel meet eye-to-eye with efforts to maintain food security and the aims of sustainable development.(KUNA)

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