Darrell Castle talks about food by asking the question is there a worldwide food shortage or one inevitably coming and if so, is the cause deliberate sabotage of humanity or just the incompetence of the world's leaders.

Transcription / Notes

FOOD SHORTAGE—INTENTIONAL OR JUST INCOMPETENCE?

Hello this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. This is Friday the 20th day of May in the year of our Lord 2022 and on this Report, I will once again be talking about food and asking the questions is there a worldwide food shortage or one inevitably coming and if so, is the cause deliberate sabotage of humanity or just the incompetence of the world’s leaders.

I don’t know the future only God knows it for certain, but I can look up at the sky and see the dark clouds rolling in and make a reasonable assumption that rain is coming and soon. The price inflation and empty grocery store shelves are similar in that they tell me that a food shortage is on its way. It is hard to imagine a food shortage any where in the Western World let alone here in America, but when there is a crises like the COVID virus or even a sudden snowstorm, we get a glimpse of empty shelves. Without the panic of a crisis what could cause such a thing?

It seems that there are many causes some of which are war, sanctions, inflation, reactions to COVID, and supply chain disruptions caused by a combination of all those things. Looking at sanctions placed on Russia is to the food supply as the dark clouds are to rain. When we hear the West’s politicians talk sanctions, we know we are going to be hungry. For example, the German Foreign Minister declared recently that sanctions against Russia will only be lifted after a complete withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. Well now, Foreign Minister, let me think, yes, I remember now that Germans killed about 27 million Russians during WWll and isn’t that enough.  Maybe you should consider sitting this one out, but I guess you must sit at the feet of your master.

Crimea has been a part of Russia for hundreds of years with only a gap between 1991 until 2014. It is Russia’s only Black Sea port and only warm water port and only entry into the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf. Now, Putin has it with a land bridge to it as well and I seriously doubt that he will give it up while he has thousands of nuclear weapons. What that means is that the sanctions will never be lifted and food problems resulting are obvious. The truth is that the supply chain problems preceded the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but the war has intensified the problems and made them far more intractable.

We in America, for the most part can live with prices and supply as they are now. Even though the shelves are depleted, and the items still there cost a lot more, we can get by so the question is will it get worse? If so, how much worse, and what would that mean for the American people. I’m afraid the answer to will it get worse is yes. Prices for gasoline are over $4.00 per gallon on average nationwide now, however the critical price affecting food is not gasoline but diesel because that is what affects the price and availability of food. The supply system we have in America now is so globalized and so dependent on trucking and rail deliveries that the slightest rise causes problems and increased prices.

Grocery stores have no storage capacity and are therefore dependent on daily deliveries. When the deliveries miss even one day there are shortages and soon nothing. The price of diesel has doubled in the last year and some suppliers report critical shortages both of which have a corresponding effect on food. Large trucking companies and large food distributors are warning that we are on the precipice right now and unless something is quickly done much of the world faces a food disaster.

Russia and Ukraine together produce about 29% of all the wheat exports in the world.