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Very few of us are prepared to live in a world without coffee, chocolate, and corn, but the jury is still out on bananas, at least for TheBlaze Radio host Mike Opelka.
On today's "Pure Opelka," Mike discussed the threats the coffee borer beetle and a fungus called coffee rust pose to one of the world's most precious beverages. He was less concerned about a looming banana pathogen, possibly spread by boats, although many who depend on a banana or two per day for their potassium boost might take a different view.
Opelka was more troubled by threats to corn now that "we've started burning our food for fuel," a reference to the growing demand for ethanol: gasoline which is derived from corn.
But most upsetting to taste buds of all ages is any threat to the world's chocolate supply. Mike pointed out that "a powerful fungus known as witch's broom" was responsible for a 75% production loss of cacao in the 1980s, causing Brazil, as an example, to now import more than it exports.
What's worse is the possibility that this might be an act of bioterriorism. Mike noted that "the left-leaning populist Workers Party had brought the fungus to Brazil. ...in order to undermine the people who were behind the fortunes - the chocolate barons." Mike then ominously asked "How many more crops could you destroy with a rogue virus?"
To see more from Mike, visit his channel on TheBlaze and listen live to “Pure Opelka” weekdays 12-3 p.m. ET, 7–10 p.m. ET & Saturdays 6–9 a.m. ET, only on TheBlaze Radio Network.
