January 17, 2008 (LPAC)--Three South Asia countries have been hit by food-price demonstrations this week, as a hyperinflationary wave of food prices rolls across the world. Since mid-December, there has been a leap of 55% in the prices of a major index of agricultural products, in just four months. In Indonesia on Jan. 14 and 15, there were demonstrations of 10,000 in Jakarta protesting a 90% increase in the price of soya beans, a basic source of protein and a staple of the Indonesian diet. The government is trying emergency measures to increase local production, but the head of the national farmers' union says he expects the problem to get worse, not better.

There were also demonstrations in Pakistani cities this week because of wheat shortages, where very high prices are causing wheat needed in Pakistan to be exported to Afghanistan instead; and in Egypt, due to the sharp rise in the price of rice. Superinflation of foodstuffs is being reported across Eurasia; these are the first instances of it triggering major unrest.