Vierailijaluento: Did the Fertilizer Cartel Cause the Food Crisis?
« Takaisin13.9.2016 12:00–14:00
Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland organizes a guest lecture to be given by Dr. Hinnerk Gnutzmann on 13 September 2016 at 12–14 in the Arctic Centre, Thule Meeting Room (Arktikum house, 2nd Floor, Pohjoisranta 4, Rovaniemi). In his lecture “Did the Fertilizer Cartel Cause the Food Crisis?” Dr. Gnutzmann will elaborate the severity and sudden emergence of food crisis and suggest avenues to prevent its repetition. The guest lecture is open for all interested, and no registration is required.
Food commodity prices escalated during the 2007/2008 food crisis, and have scarcely fallen since. The research shows that high fertilizer prices, driven by the formation of an international export cartel for minerals, as well as high energy prices, explain the majority of the recent price spikes. In particular, the author estimates the pure fertilizer cartel effect explains more than 60% of crisis food price increases. While population growth, biofuels, high energy prices and financial speculation doubtlessly put stress on food markets, and the results help to understand the severity and sudden emergence of the crisis and suggest avenues to prevent its repetition.
Dr. Gnutzmann is an economist at the Leibniz University of Hannover, working in industrial organization and international economics, and Principal Investigator of the project "Financial Speculation, Export Cartels and Commodity Crises" (FINEXCA).
More information:
Kamrul Hossain
Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law
Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
Email: Kamrul.hossain (at) ulapland.fi
LaY/AK/KH&JW