MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican farmers are setting ablaze fields of blue agave, the cactus-like plant used to make the fiery spirit tequila, and resowing the land with corn as soaring U.S. ethanol demand pushes up prices.
The switch to corn will contribute to an expected scarcity of agave in coming years, with officials predicting that farmers will plant between 25 percent and 35 percent less agave this year to turn the land over to corn.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Ok, this biofuels thing has gone too far
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3 comments:
Great. Tequila prices are going to be higher than they already are.
Kidding aside, this shows how we're just now learning the trickle-down effects of devoting more of our crop production to fuel. With the global trade in agricultural good, decisions made in the US can devastate other countries. This old dispatch tells of how the expansion of soybeans here collapsed the coconut market in Fiji, causing many small islands to turn to tourism for income.
Oh my god that's awful! As if it's not hard enough getting through grad school at the current prices, and, well, without it there is no getting through... Something has to be done!
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