12/11/06 Threat from China

I don't know about you but I when I happened to come across the article from agriculture specialists at Rabobank citing how China now produces over half of the worlds produce, buried midst other mundane business news, I became a bit hot under the collar ! This isn't some mere filler story; it's a wake up call! The fact that China is expected within the next three years to become the third largest fresh produce exporter should scare us to death. (Currently China at 7.19 per cent of the global trade sits right behind the Netherlands, US and Spain.) Yet it doesn't, neither does the fact that China's status as a key exporter of pears and asparagus, (both northwest crops) isn't even worthy of bold print. Isn't that sad! While our farmers struggle to find a labor force to pick their produce, a behemoth who exploits humans to achieve cheap labor, stands poised to wipe them out. Meanwhile, the majority of Americans continue to scarf down a jumbo meal at the nearest fast food restaurant oblivious of where their food comes from. Apathy is poisoning our nation; we see it regarding terrorism, so I guess it's shouldn't surprise us when it comes to the sanctity of our food supply.