AS YOU grab a handful of peanuts this festive season consider this. A decision by Washington bankers has wrecked plans to search for the ultimate peanut, reputedly hiding somewhere deep within a remote Bolivian forest. Without it, the future of the world’s most ubiquitous nut looks bleak.
Last week, the Inter-American Development Bank approved a $132-million loan for a natural gas pipeline through the Chaco forest on the border between Bolivia and Paraguay. The pipeline’s promoter is the Bolivian national gas carrier Transrede, which is controlled by Shell and US energy giant Enron.
The forest is home to many rare…
