January 19, 2007 (LPAC)--Hyperinflation and shortages in supplies of edible oils which are being diverted from food stocks to feed the Western craze for biodiesel fuels is wreaking havoc in poorer nations, especially in Southeast Asia, where such oils are a major source of dietary protein, according to a report in today's New York Times. The food price index of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization rose 37 percent in 2007, after a 14 percent increase in 2006, and prices on some commodities have increased much faster, with palm oil jumping more than 70 percent last year. Protests and food riots have erupted in many countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia, Guinea, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Senegal, Uzbekistan and Yemen, and China and Egypt have taken measures to stop food exports and control prices.
