Pacific Islands hit by high world food prices
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
WELLINGTON, June 17 (AFP): While leaders from around the world argued about how to blunt the impact of soaring food prices in Rome earlier this month, Pacific Islanders were wondering how they would feed their families.
In the Northern Mariana Islands, Lili George, a cook from the Philippines, said she was contemplating going home after 14 years in the capital Saipan.
"Food prices had gone up by over 50 per cent recently," she said. "I am planning to go home if things don't get better in the next few months."
Janet Gogue, 31, a mother of four on the island of Guam, says she cannot keep up with the speed of price rises.
"In the last couple of months, food prices continue to go up and it seems like it never stops," Gogue said.
"The last time I bought a 50-pound (22.7-kilogram) bag of rice, it was just a little over 20 US dollars," she said. "I went shopping Monday and found that the same bag now costs almost 30 dollars."
In the Marshall Islands, government power utility worker Ambi Amram is supporting a household of eight and used to bring home two 20-pound (9.1-kilogram) bags of rice every fortnight.
In the Northern Mariana Islands, Lili George, a cook from the Philippines, said she was contemplating going home after 14 years in the capital Saipan.
"Food prices had gone up by over 50 per cent recently," she said. "I am planning to go home if things don't get better in the next few months."
Janet Gogue, 31, a mother of four on the island of Guam, says she cannot keep up with the speed of price rises.
"In the last couple of months, food prices continue to go up and it seems like it never stops," Gogue said.
"The last time I bought a 50-pound (22.7-kilogram) bag of rice, it was just a little over 20 US dollars," she said. "I went shopping Monday and found that the same bag now costs almost 30 dollars."
In the Marshall Islands, government power utility worker Ambi Amram is supporting a household of eight and used to bring home two 20-pound (9.1-kilogram) bags of rice every fortnight.