LiveBroadcast

IN THE last five months Jamaicans have struggled with a spike in price of basic food items, which the government has blamed on the rise in world oil prices.

However, singer Livebroadcast (given name Canute Parkes) is not buying that argument. He believes the demand for biofuel is behind the jump in prices and lets his views be known on his latest production, Biofuel Song.

"The government needs to do itself a favour and tell the people the truth behind these price increases. This song is to really educate the masses," Parkes said.

The cost of rice and flour has gone up since the start of the year, raising concern mainly among low-income earners. Those items are produced from wheat, a major source for alternative fuel such as ethanol.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding and his predecessor Portia Simpson Miller has said Jamaica must follow world trends and look to revolutionary sources if the country's energy bill is to fall.

Biofuel can also be produced from corn and sugar cane.

Parkes does not agree with the politicians and takes the price hike with a grain of salt. He said he wrote Biofuel Song in December and began production one month later at Kingston's Grafton Studio; it was released locally in April.

Challenges

The singer's disgust is not limited to Jamaica. He says many countries looking to biofuel as an alternative are facing similar challenges with food production and there have been several anti-biofuel protests throughout Europe.

On April 15, Biofuel Song got its best publicity to date when it was played at the Biofuel Watch march in London.