The world is presently suffering at the hands of record high food and oil prices, the developing nations bearing the brunt of the problem.

In some countries, it is argued that the price of such food items like corn has risen owing to its utilization for the purpose of producing ethanol as a substitute to oil and the consequent reduction of its usage for food aid or supply. Other countries, however, are of the belief that the amount of corn needed for ethanol production is insignificant and as such not responsible for driving up its price. They contend that it is the failure to accord due attention to food policy, drought, the hike in transport costs etc which are to blame for the problem.

The US Department of Agriculture recently said that the number of countries which produce ethanol with a view to substituting fuel is small and that the volume they produce is small. Quoting 2007 figures, it indicates that the US, Brazil, EU, China and India account for 43, 32, 15, 3 and 1 percent of global ethanol production respectively, adding that the level of production does not have a meaningful impact on the supply and price of corn used in food consumption.

Likewise, the EU's agriculture representative recently remarked that even if EU member countries were to use surplus arable land to produce biogas, the area of land devoted for this purpose would be small in comparison to that being used for food production.

On his part, the Saudi oil minister was heard saying that ethanol and bio-fuel can neither solve the world's energy crisis nor the environmental pollution caused by oil. His motto is "Long live oil!"

Brazil's president Luis Enacio Lula da Silva rejects the idea that ethanol and bio-fuel account for the food shortage that the world is experiencing. He says that the shortage is attributable to the failure to predict the rise in food consumption by the likes of China, India and Brazil as well as to make preparations to cope with the demand.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice links the global food shortage partly to monopolistic trade. But she attributes the problem largely to the hike in the prices of oil, fertilizer and transport.

Whatever theories are forwarded to explain the problem of food shortage, there is no arguing that the problem has become a global phenomenon. Although the rural and agriculture-based economic policy Africa pursues is instrumental in attaining food self-sufficiency, and increasing number of African countries, including Ethiopia, are experiencing an alarming rise in food prices.

Countries like India and Pakistan have enacted laws banning the export of rice with a view to first satisfying local demand. On the other hand, due to the shift by the farmers of the US and Canada from producing corn for food consumption to ethanol production, they are not producing surplus product that was previously destined to some countries at a time they faced food shortage. Therefore, we can no longer afford to be dependent on them when the rains fail to come or are delayed.

While the world is debating on whether corn should be used to solve the world's energy-related problems or to the global food shortage, the developing nations find themselves in the clutches of a dire food shortage/price increase. The world should attach importance to this sad fact. The developed world may argue that ethanol is preferable to oil in terms of its being environmentally friendly and less costly. But for the likes of us, it is a matter of survival to use corn and similar other grains for food consumption; environmental concerns or powering vehicles at a lesser cost are not presently agendas to which we give priority.

 The developed nations should understand the kind of predicament Africa is in. They have the obligation to assist Africa. This obligation is not confined to sending shipments of food aid.

They have the obligation to lend whatever support is necessary to aid Africa's overall economic growth, in particular the agriculture sector, and to enable it to become self-supporting. This support is mainly needed due to the low income level of the vast majority of Africans, which makes it difficult for them to cover their basic food needs. This is what poverty is about. And if poverty is to be reduced, this problem must be solved first.

Satisfying one's food need is an agenda which comes before all others as it is the top most agenda for billions of human beings living in developing countries. This can be affected through international help aimed at bringing about the sustainable economic growth of these countries and their capacity to buy food. They would find it difficult to buy food if they perennially face a heavy debt burden.

This said, however, it is the importance our government attaches to the problem and its policies which are the critical factors in addressing the problem, a pressing problem affecting eighty million Ethiopians. It is high time that the government puts in place the necessary laws, policies and procedures to deal with the problem decisively. The sooner the better!