The most common slander thrown at communism, or the degenerated Soviet Union, are that there were perpetual famines. There is also the myth that Soviet citizens only ate potatoes, despite the CIA reporting the Soviet Union enjoyed a richer diet than the US in the 1970s.
Yet capitalism in Europe is facing a potato shortage. A brutal heatwave over the summer wiped out 3 million tonnes of spuds worth £525 million as fields baked and stunted growth. This is in addition to the 3.6 million spuds that weren’t grown last year, making Europe dependant on imports for food, and harming agriculture industries in Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Germany.
It’s so bad that potato processor plants have began relaxing restrictions, resulting in smaller chips. In addition, most farmers had their prices agreed before the drought.
While experts are quick to point out that there will be enough potatoes for Christmas, they’re only postponing the squeeze as markets respond to some areas raise their prices to £200-£225 a ton in some parts of Europe, this is in comparison to £25 a ton last year!
With the Strait of Hormuz closure in the Middle East driving prices of fertiliser up, and with limited amounts available, it’s becoming unprofitable for many to plant new crops, only adding to the chaos that Europe is experiencing.
Farmers and workers will get screwed as the big supermarkets will just push import costs onto it’s customers, pushing more into poverty or into struggle against the bosses and the governments responsible for this.
The world produces more than enough food for everyone, yet the free market can’t feed everyone, let alone handle all these repeated crises brought on by the instability caused by the global crisis of capitalism. Rising prices will compound an already bad situation.
Climate change draws out and compounds the contradictions of capitalism. Massive investment is needed to insulate society from the effects, as well as move the world away from Co2 producing fossil fuels, but it won’t get returns, so it won’t be done without a massive movement by the working class against the bosses destroying our future.
Luckily, we are seeing the beginnings of that across Europe now.
