While the Bush Administration claims that its offer of food aid to Africa is motivated by altruism, the USAID website is a little more candid. It states: "The principal beneficiary of America's foreign assistance programs has always been the United States. Close to 80% of the USAID contracts and grants go directly to American firms. Foreign assistance programs have helped create major markets for agricultural goods, created new markets for American industrial exports and meant hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans."
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Aside from the US GM corporations which will benefit from the creation of "major markets for agricultural goods,"
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and US agriculture which benefits from this deliberate subsidy, specified beneficiaries of USAID relief in the USA include:
- Tuskegee University, home of high-profile GM advocate Professor CS Prakash - benefited to the tune of over $5.5 million from USAID contracts.
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- Cargill Technical Services (CTS) - received $231,824 grant from USAID. 38
CTS are a consultancy subsidiary of Cargill, offering management services to farmers. They have been involved in various USAID-sponsored projects in countries such as the Philippines and Egypt.
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Footnotes:
- Direct economic benefits of US assistance by State. USAID, 2002
http://www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/states/
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http://www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/states/al.html
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http://www.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/states/dc.html
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http://www.ard-raise.com/html/consortium/CTS.html
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