Where have all the local rice bags gone? 

I am still in Europe. I take the opportunity of conveying to you an item from the newspaper Bendré. For some of you this will be a chance to discover the paper. As the journalist makes reference to some of my newsletters, I have added a few links. You will see that today’s situation, and in particular the discouragement of rice growers, was already foreseeable back in 2002. Don’t forget to take a look at “L’Eléphant d’Afrique”!

“The rising price of essential food is triggered by external events, beyond our national borders. But it is also the consequence of twenty years of bad policy”. This statement does not come from any of the demonstrators, but was made on April 9th  by the President of Haïti, René Préval: It just as much describes the situation of West African countries, where demonstrations against the high cost of living have taken place. I would like to show that his judgement applies as much to Burkina Faso as to Haïti. We will mainly be looking at the situation of rice.