5 replies to this topic

[Rogerdodger]

Article Link
Mexico is in the grip of the worst tortilla crisis in its modern history.
Dramatically rising international corn prices, spurred by demand for the grain-based fuel ethanol, have led to expensive tortillas. Tortilla prices have tripled or quadrupled in some parts of Mexico since last summer.

With a minimum wage of $4.60 a day, Mexican families with one wage earner have been faced in recent months with the choice of having to spend as much as a third of their income on tortillas.

Edited by Rogerdodger, 27 January 2007 - 03:19 PM.

[dcengr]

Its worse than you think. I've actually been following this tortilla crisis.. corn can be substituted with wheat flour tortillas, except wheat prices have also increased dramatically. The only carbohydrate staple that hasn't increased largely as of late has been rice, beans and potatoes, I believe. This corn craze is going to get every farmer growing corn instead of everything else.. naturally making the cost of soybeans, etc grow more expensive... then there'll be a gigantic glut of corn, and the market will crash. It won't happen until harvest time, ofcourse. Also reminds me of the great potato famine in ireland.. when everyone was planting one crop that failed when disease hit it.. spread like wildfire.

[James Quillian]

Article Link
Mexico is in the grip of the worst tortilla crisis in its modern history.
Dramatically rising international corn prices, spurred by demand for the grain-based fuel ethanol, have led to expensive tortillas. Tortilla prices have tripled or quadrupled in some parts of Mexico since last summer.

With a minimum wage of $4.60 a day, Mexican families with one wage earner have been faced in recent months with the choice of having to spend as much as a third of their income on tortillas.

There is a lot going on that we don't necessarily notice.
Inflation, for example, is pretty tame only in areas in which we are familiar.

[TradeMark]

The rising price of corn is just so typical of our elected officials at work. We take a technology for producting fuel that uses more fuel than it produces (or is as best barely break even). We masively subsides the activity with your tax dollars. Drive up the cost of inputs for production of not only tortillas, but of beef, chickens, sweeteners, and coca cola. By definitin,. producing inflation. Further we pay the BLS to tell us there is little inlfation, and the Fed to tell us it is under control, but the're vigilant. I suppose the next thing the cost of this burbon will go up, which I suddenly feel compelled to increase the consumption thereof. TM

[mbradley]

You mean I STILL can't get something for nothing? The envirochondriacs never explained it that way.

[Rogerdodger]

next thing the cost of this burbon will go up,

I doubt if burbon prices will rise.
Politicians never do anything that will cost them money.