Anbody Want a Soybean Cutlet?

Have you ever tried a nice soybean cutlet and imagined, just for a fleeting instant, that you had had a relapse to your meat eating youth?     Well, the little bean has not yet become a big deal on the menu in Argentina or in most of what used to be euphemistically called the West. But there are millions in Asia that gobble up the beans--after transformation into many different nutritional products.     And if you are an Argentine you most certainly are happy that a fast moving market does exist for the not-so-tasty but highly nutricious bean......because soybean production is rapidly becoming one of the country's leading export items.     According to the Buenos Aires "Bolsa de Cereales" (Clarín, Jan. 4,2007) more than 16 million hectares have been planted for this harvest season and those in the know are talking about reaping some 43 or 44 million tons of soybean.     There's a good reason why farmers have gone flip-flop over soybeans: prices over the past year have zoomed ahead by 20%.     Just a word of caution for those who tend to look a little bit further into the future or who still have a soft spot somewhere for good old Mother Nature.     º Most of the new areas under cultivation have been snatched from regions housing valuable native species or wilderness areas that will now go under extensive cultivation. What effect will this have on the soil and the climate?     º Lot's of multinational firms, though still questioning the not-so-orthodox economic policies of President Néstor Kirschner, have begun to grab up cheap and rich agricultural lands.     º Oddities of the market. China is perhaps the world's biggest consumer of soybeans but prefers to manufacture its own   products. Argentina also has many factories dedicated to manufacturing soybean oils, crushed soybeans, soybean flower, etc. so...it is having a bit of difficulty providing China with the raw materials it seeks. Solution? Argentina imports soybeans from neighboring countries, such as Paraguay, and re-exports to China.     º Oh, now that we are on the subject of cereals, what about corn? Due to the fuel crisis, a number of alternative energy possibilities have emerged. One is the use of corn to produce a less contaminating fuel. That means that corn farmers in the U.S. are literally speaking having a "hey day." But it also means that the price of corn is going up and up. Well....might not some wise investors also cast their eyes on Argentina, where land is, well, dirt cheap.     Once again, progress and the preservation of good old Mother Nature's natural reserves seem to be on the rocks.

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