The human race is now residing in the 21st century and most of

us would not give a thought as to where our daily rations come

from, knowing that the supermarkets, grocery stores, eateries,
convenience shops and fast food restaurants that're all around
us just simply have more items than we could ever possibly eat.

This situation has arisen because we have been making very big
advances in food technologies since the start of the previous
century and as a result, the present global food industry has
become a really big business industry. Food is being processed
and transported and sold almost everywhere in the world without
even a single moment's pause, day after day.

Before all this, our great grandparents and their families had
to be very concerned with how and where the food for their next
meal was going to come from. They had to be very good and smart
in growing, harvesting, collecting, preparing, preserving, and
storing all kinds of edible items.

They had to do so simply because there were no supermarkets or

convenience stores or refrigerators during their time. Now, we
are not so concerned with such mundane tasks.

But it must always be remembered that food does not appear on

supermarket shelves and racks magically. It has to come from
somewhere. Where, most people are not bothered to know at all.
Therefore, governments and bigshots like the UN boss should be
highly concerned about issues that are related to our world's
food supply. Are agricultural farmers getting the necessary aid,
are the unversities producing enough food scientists, are arable
lands protected by local authorities and many, many other similar
issues need answers and attention all the time. Therefore, it is
prudent for governments and the UN boss to be much less occupied
by unproductive political matters and be more concerned about
food for the benefit of all even today in our fully globalised
environment. Much of the world's food or at least, the primary
crops and cereals are produced only by a handful of countries,
with most of the rest only interested in producing just enough
for their own needs. This situation could easily lead to mass
starvation and famines happening across the world should unusual
disasters and calamities ever decide to pay us a visit.

The countries of the world must depend less on others for their
food supplies and all countries should establish their own food
granaries and maintain their own emergency food reserves. Dried
and preserved items should be kept in safe underground vaults in
sufficient quantities, enough to feed the general population for
a short period of time in case of wars or natural disasters.

Below are some relevant details of the world's present food

staples and sources of supply.

World food staples and their top producers

______________________________________________________________________
| | 1.US 2.PRC 3.Brazil 4.Mexico 5.Argentina 6.India |
| corn | 7.France 8.Indonesia 9.Canada 10.Italy |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | 1.EU 2.PRC 3.India 4.US 5.Russia 6.Canada |
| wheat | 7.Pakistan 8.Turkey 9.Argentina 10.Iran |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | 1.Russia 2.PRC 3.Ukraine 4.France 5.Poland |
| buckwheat | 6.Kazakhstan 7.US 8.Brazil 9.Japan 10.Lithuania |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | 1.Russia 2.Poland 3.Germany 4.Belarus 5.Ukraine |

| rye | 6.PRC 7.Canada 8.Turkey 9.US 10.Austria |

|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | 1.Poland 2.Germany 3.France 4.PRC 5.Belgium |
| triticale | 6.Australia 7.Hungary 8.Czech 9.Sweden 10.Denmark |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | 1.Russia 2.Canada 3.Germany 4.France 5.Ukraine |
| barley | 6.Turkey 7.Australia 8.UK 9.US 10.Spain |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | 1.India 2.Nigeria 3.Niger 4.PRC 5.Burkina Faso |
| millet | 6.Mali 7.Sudan 8.Uganda 9.Chad 10.Ethiopia |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | 1.Russia 2.Canada 3.US 4.Poland 5.Finland |
| oats | 6.Australia 7.Germany 8.Belarus 9.PRC 10.Ukraine |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | 1.US 2.Brazil 3.Argentina 4.PRC 5.India |
| soybean | 6.Paraguay 7.Canada 8.Bolivia |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | 1.PRC 2.India 3.Indonesia 4.Vietnam 5.Thailand |
| rice | 6.Japan 7.Brazil 8.US 9.Pakistan 10.Iran |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| sunflower | 1.Russia 2.Ukraine 3.Argentina 4.PRC 5.India |
| seeds | 6.US 7.Turkey 8.Bulgaria 9.S.Africa 10.Serbia |
|____________|_______________________________________________________|

Only a relatively small number of countries are producing excess food

for the whole world. Others, however are busily producing an excess of
people instead. A few of them are even 'exporting' them to earn their
much needed foreign exchange. It's certainly 'food' for thought. Hope
the UN boss might understand all of it. Don't be too busy indulging
in the constant playing of political games, please.