.START 

A man from the Bush administration came before the House Agriculture Committee yesterday to talk about the U.S.'s intention to send some $100 million in food aid to Poland, with more to come from the EC.
The committee's members are worried what all this free food might do to the economic prospects of Poland's own farmers.
Rep. Gary Ackerman noted that past food aid had harmed farmers in El Salvador and Egypt.
However well intentioned, food transfers have the habit of growing larger and wrecking the market incentives for the recipient country's own farmers.
The First World has for some time had the bad habit of smothering other people's economies with this kind of unfocused kindness.
It should be constantly stressed that Poland's farmers mostly need a real market for their products. 

