THE EDITOR, Sir:

WITH THE First World industria-lised countries pushing globalisation and genetically modified seeds, we have created a food system that leaves the people hungry instead of fed. Whereas starvation and mal-nutrition were confined to Africa in the last few decades, they are now spreading to India and some parts of South-East Asian countries, such as Indonesia.

Some of the causes of the looming crisis are:

The growth of the middle class in China and India, thus leading to increased demand for rice and other commodities. China and India, two of the world's most populous countries, each with population sizes of 1.5 billion, have been purchasing in large quantities some of the foodstuff that would normally be sold to the less developed countries.

With the need to find alternative energy sources because of the rising cost of fuel, scientists have been turning to food supplies to help create this alternative source of energy. Sugar cane is being used to create ethanol supplemented by the use of grapes and even corn. All the food is going into the gas tanks of cars. Therefore, in the future, it will not be uncommon to see people driving from place to place looking for food, when the truth is, their vehicle's gas tanks contain the food they are looking for.

Serious investment needed

Climate change, like global warming, contributes to the mass failure of crops.

Jamaica needs to respond in a positive way to the challenge by removing any tax on locally produced food and encourage greater investments in agriculture and growing of our indigenous crops.

I am, etc.,

DERRICK CLARKE

vladimirz1@yahoo.com

Meadowbrook Estates