Read at : Google Alert - drought
http://worldfocus.org/blog/2008/10/08/farmers-drought-and-taxes-cripple-argentina/1704/
Farmers, drought and taxes cripple Argentina
Argentina is one of the world’s top exporters of beef, corn, soybeans and wheat. But the country finds itself trapped by food inflation, a slumping economy and one of the worst droughts in almost 50 years. On Friday, Argentina’s farmers declared a six-day strike, demanding government action in reducing export taxes. Riots and protests over export prices, however, are not new. Last March, thousands of farmers went on a 128-day strike when President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner raised taxes on soy and cereals to encourage farmers to sell more food at home, stabilizing domestic food prices. The export tax hike – with some taxes as high as 50 percent — was ultimately killed, sending food prices back up again. Producers Bryan Myers and Megan Thompson and correspondent Edie Magnus report on the food crisis from the grocery aisle to the countryside in Buenos Aires.
