The effects of food shortages in Asia – from riots to rising prices – have made many of the headlines in Asia over the past few months, and given fresh encouragement to investment managers in the region to sell products based on the theme of food.
从社会骚乱到价格飞涨，在过去的几个月里，食品短缺在亚洲产生的影响已经成为万众瞩目的焦点，并且也让该地区的投资经理们大受鼓舞，全力销售粮食相关投资产品。
The price of basic foods, including grains, meat, dairy products and sugar, has surged in the past year. A basket of 55 such items, monitored by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation, was 53 per cent more expensive in April than a year previously.
Cereals and vegetable oils nearly doubled in price in that time. Rice prices have hit all-time highs in the past few weeks as governments of some of the world's biggest producers – China, Vietnam and India – curbed exports to make sure there was enough for customers at home.
There are many causes, says Paul Schulte, regional strategist at Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong. China's rapid economic growth is one of them. “When economic output reaches $2,000 per head, then protein consumption doubles. There's a very dramatic increase in demand for meat, and for grain to feed cattle. This is exactly what happened in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan when they were developing quickly and now it's happening before our eyes in China.”
包括谷物、肉类、乳制品和糖在内，基础食品价格在过去一年飞速上升。截至4月份，联合国粮农组织(FAO)监控的包含55种基础食品的一篮子粮食价格比上年同期上涨了53%。
