Dietmar Friedhoff, December 14, 2023, Food, Africa and the AfD

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/144, pp. 18370-18371. 

Herr President. Valued colleagues. 

Germany is stuck in a budget crisis, the people in Germany become poorer and the government distributes ever more money ever further to all the world. And the CDU now sets out to strengthen the worldwide food security, yet in that regard seemingly does not entirely grasp the realpolitischen facts. 

I first want to state that the 17 sustainability goals also apply for Germany. 

Deborah Düring (Green): Hä? You nevertheless normally do not want it. Be a bit congruent! 

Meaning: It is a top priority duty of the German government to also directly and successfully implement the 17 goals in Germany. Thus in this case: No hunger also in Germany. In Germany are presently six million people, of whom two million children, affected by nutrition poverty. According to the association of child and youth doctors, in Germany far over 500,000 children regularly suffer unallayed hunger – here, in Germany. Inflation, rising rent, benzine and energy prices, an ideological trucking fee and CO₂ duties will further intensify this situation. Germany becomes more and more a problem child and even a developing country. 

Question: If a country does not fulfill its own sustainability goals, how can it then set out wanting to fulfill them elsewhere? It sounds like the “You’ll never walk alone” of our Chancellor. It sounds like weitere Häme. It sounds like Doppel-Wumms and “change of times” [Zeitenwende]. 

Yet where are now the most starved? In Ethiopia, for example, the former development policy exhibit country. Here will be built with assistance of the United Arab Emirates a palace on a grounds of 500 hectares; cost, 15 billion euros, which corresponds to the Ethiopian state budget. 

            Wolfgang Stefinger (CDU/CSU): Yet not with development monies! Mein Gott!

The UN presently investigates in Ethiopia because assistance deliveries have vanished into obscure channels and have been converted to money. Finally: In the last 20 years in Ethiopia, a man-made de-forestation of over 60 percent has taken place as a result of the high increase of population. That and not climate change is the principal problem in regards dried-out ground, water scarcity and the decrease of agricultural area. 

            Deborah Düring (Green): Ach Gottchen! 

            Marianne Schieder (SPD): Oje, oje!

How now is this challenge to be solved? Solution: An end to the classic development policy, into an economic cooperation guided by German interests for a sustainable strengthening of the African continent. To that pertains: Who says A, needs also say fD. AfD is the solution. 

Industrialization of Africa for A: Value-creating, sustainable work and training places. Which is concerned with f: Financial Freiheit, Fortschritt und Förderung [freedom, progress and promotion] of African industry and infrastructure. Which ultimately has positive effects on D: Democratic processes, demographic challenges and Durchhaltefähighkeit [perseverance], thus the countries’ resilience. 

            Vice-president Wolfgang Kubicki: Come to a conclusion, please. 

Exactly this provides for food security also in Germany. 

            Vice-president Wolfgang Kubicki: Herr colleague. 

Sustainable, stable and effective – plainly AfD. 

Thank you. 

 

[trans: tem]

Dietmar Friedhoff, May 12, 2022, Seed Variety and Food Security

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 30/34, p. 3202.

Herr President. Valued colleagues.

It is about food security and the fight against hunger in the world, with the thereto combined maintenance of the urgently required seed variety. So that the seed of my speech falls on fruitful ground and we recognize that the theme is essentially complex, let us begin for once from the front.

Stephan Brandner (AfD): That is a good idea!

In the Bible is reported that in Eden a stream sprang forth. This stream divides into four rivers, one of which is the Euphrates, another the Tigris. In Iraq and Syria, these form the so-called Zweistromland, the Garden of Eden. Here, in the Mesopotamian flood plain is a well-watered realm. Here, the grain culture was cultivated, from here stem the oldest types of grain. All of this now unfortunately in a very brief time changes extremely.

What has happened? In the course of the Iraq War, Iraq’s existing seed bank in Abu Ghraib was destroyed. Thus in Iraq there are injunctions, proceeding from the victorious powers, which forbid the farmers to re-use the seeds. Thus hybrid plants must be used which they need to purchase from large, Western concerns, inclusive of fertilizer and pesticide. This brings the peasants to a maximum dependency and makes it too expensive for them to be able to work profitably, especially since ever more grain imports arrive in the country which are essentially cheaper. Beyond that, the water supply also is not well arranged, since in upper Iraq there are ever more reservoirs, one of which is the contested Ilisu reservoir in Turkey.

As you see, nothing in our ever faster, global world can be considered in isolation. That leads to false outcomes. On that account, it can truly be said, dear Union, that your motion is planted somewhat too short. Yet the intention is correct and sensible; on that account, we support your motion. We need to protect and strengthen the seed banks; they are after all likewise security, protection and freedom.

The fact is, 60 percent of our food stems from hybrid corn, wheat and rice plants; thus from plants which allow no seed reproduction. Meanwhile, three great concerns with their seed patents dictate the world’s food. We thus feed ourselves from the ever fewer seed holdings of ever fewer firms, which is actually fatal; since the local, domestic samenfest [pure line, open pollination] cultures are essentially more resilient against, for example, viruses and invasive species of plants. The more ur-seeds, wild seeds we have, the less becomes the likelihood of a thoroughly possible total harvest failure.

If we want to live durably and soundly, if we want to make our food system more resilient, and if we want to let the farmers and thereby the peoples of the world more freely act and organize [gestalten], then we need to not only protect and strengthen the world’s seed banks, but also actively commit to and implement the knowledge and possibilities locally. 

Thank you.

 

[trans: tem]