Officials with the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) say a letter criticizing biofuels sent to British Prime Minister David Cameron by a group led by two of the world’s largest multinational food companies is “biased and misleading.” “Nestlé Chairman, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe who co-authored this misguided attack on biofuels has no credibility on this issue,” said Bliss Baker, spokesperson for the …
World Bank: Crude Oil Biggest Driver of Food Prices
According to a recent study by the World Bank, “Long-Term Drivers of Food Prices,” oil prices are the biggest driver of higher food prices. The study, using data from 1960-2012, applied an economic model to five internationally-traded food commodities (maize/corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and palm oil) and studied the impact of several food-price drivers. These included energy prices, exchange rates, …
Most Entertaining Panels at Ethanol Conference
As always, the Global Perspectives and Washington Insiders panels at the National Ethanol Conference were as entertaining as ever. The panels routinely feature representatives from other organizations that may not share the same viewpoint of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), allowing the opportunity for some interesting dialogue. Global Renewable Fuels Alliance spokesperson Bliss Baker served as the moderator/referee for the …
Thankful for Ethanol at the Pump
As motorists head over the roads to visit friends and family for the holiday, they can be thankful for ethanol helping to lower gas prices and make our nation less dependent on foreign oil. The Renewable Fuels Association notes that ethanol is actually helping reduce the cost of the Thanksgiving holiday for the average American family. More than 39 million …
Global Corn Crop to Break Records
According to a recent World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, global farmers will harvest the second largest corn crop on record in 2012. In response to the news, the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) criticized Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Senior Counsellor, Carmel Cahill for making unsubstantiated comments blaming biofuel mandates for increasing the cost of …
Ethanol Not to Blame for Higher Turkey Prices
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the retail cost of menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings increased about 13 percent this year. That’s still less than $50 to feed ten people – not even $5 per person. The turkey itself is what gobbled up most of …
Reports Blame Speculators for Higher Prices
Two reports released earlier this week concluded that commodity market speculation is largely to blame for increasing prices of food and energy. The reports were issued in advance of the October 18 meeting of the Commodities Futures and Trading Commission (CFTC) which placed limits on speculation in a variety of commodities including oil, corn, gold and natural gas. One report …
Global Biofuels Group Calls Qatar Comments “Self-Serving”
The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) is calling comments made this week by a Qatari government advisor about biofuels contributing to world hunger “self-serving.” At a global grains summit in Turkey on Monday, Quatari food security program advisor Mahendra Shah was quoted as saying, “Biofuels will trigger an increase in agricultural prices. Biofuels will result in another 120 million people …
Report Finds “No Strict Food Versus Fuel Tradeoff”
A new report from Informa Economics released today concludes that ethanol production is not causing a “strict food-versus-fuel tradeoff” that automatically drives consumer food prices higher. The report, which was prepared for the Renewable Fuels Foundation, is an historical analysis of corn, commodity and consumer prices from 1985-2010. One of the key findings of the study was that no single …
US Ag Secretary to Defend Biofuels at G20 Meeting
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he intends to defend biofuels at the G-20 Summit of Agricultural Ministers in Paris this week, stressing their importance to the economy and the environment. “America is working on developing new feedstocks that don’t pit food versus fuel but that create new rural economic opportunities and allow us to continue to expand on our efforts …