Is Castro Right?

After months of silence, Cuban leader Fidel Castro has reemerged to challenge America’s renewable fuels industry.  Specifically, Castro is charging that the US ethanol industry will be responsible for starving millions of people around the globe.

Castro’s claims are just plain false, says Thomaz Almeida, a Brazilian research associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs.  In an interview with United Press International appearing April 5, Almeida said of Castro’s accusations, “It`s just not true. That`s not a major problem.”

Later in the article, Almeida claims the real impact will be felt in the size of profits made by the beef and chicken industries. 

“While the beef and chicken industries already expect to have a smaller profit for 2007 due to ethanol, ‘it will not lead people to starve; it will just lead to those industries having a smaller profit,’ he said.”