Worry for Bush: Indians spend $20m on pet food

[struggle4progress]

Amit Baruah, Hindustan Times
Email Author
New Delhi, May 06, 2008

First Published: 00:27 IST(6/5/2008)
Last Updated: 10:58 IST(6/5/2008)

US President George W Bush has reason to be a worried man. Not only are some Indians eating more and better, and driving up food prices, even their dogs and cats are doing better. Indians spent $20 million in feeding their pets in 2004 – a figure that went up to $29 million in 2007.

By comparison, Americans spent $15.2 billion in feeding their cats and dogs last year as opposed to $13.8 billion in 2004, euromonitor.com said. But, the worrying factor for President Bush could be that Indians are joining the race to buy packaged pet food.

More entrants to the Indian middle class have pets – all this might push up the prices of dog and cat food in the US ...

Speaking in Missouri on May 2, President Bush had said there was increasing demand for food worldwide, which caused a spike in prices. “There are 350 million people in India who are classified as middle class. That’s bigger than America…and when you start getting wealth, you start demanding better nutrition and better food.”

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=d6699fe2-f8c5-411d-b97d-1d832d92d1a6&ParentID=e337b9d0-2a9f-469d-8154-ae8daf865bf6&&Headline=Worry+for+Bush%3a+Indians+spend+%2420m+on+pet+food

[ingac70]

1. I don't think...

the Pres. could give two shits if I can afford to feed my dog and cats.

[aquart]

2. They are middle class because we gave them our industries and our technology.

Now they are more innovative than we are.

[readyforreason]

3. uh...

Are you serious???