Rice Shortage Threatens Asia

UPI Asia Online ^ | 4-22-2008 | Hari Sud

[RayChuang88]

The problem with growing rice in Asia is that their hanging on to traditional farming methods is slowing down rice production. They're nothing like American rice growing, where modern farming methods with special machines designed to work in muddy rice fields, modern use of fertilizers and modern irrigation methods ensures very high yields on a per farmer basis.

In fact, many specialty rice sold in Japan are starting to come from Arkansas and Texas, where such specialty rice could be grown on a large scale and still sell at a nice profit in Japan even after import duties.

[RegulatorCountry]

the conversion of good cultivable land in the United States to biofuel producing corn

Feed corn shortages due to biofuels I can understand. But, I have yet to see any indication that corn is being grown in former rice paddies in the United States.

[Post Toasties]

‘All the rice in China’ just ain’t what it used to be, it seems.

[Post Toasties]

‘All the rice in China’ just ain’t what it used to be, it seems.

[montag813]

Perhaps the Philippines should import American bread. Time to find a new staple.

[bill1952]

> the negative impact of climatic changes;

Sure.

>Until the world refocuses on increasing its food grain output and controlling the population

Red flags up...

[montag813]

Wheat prices continue to drop since the blowoff top last month...

[steve86]

Good availability in Mumbai, where my wife called her relatives last night to check. No problems at all. Also, a record wheat harvest.

[CarrotAndStick]

Yes, the ones suffering are the net food importers- Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Arab “world” mainly, and not China or India.

India and China are massive wheat AND rice growers, so the only problems that happen are when these two cut down exports, causing importing nations to take the hit.

[blam]

I wonder why flour users are continuing to complain about rising prices.

Also, I've heard/read that a virus/fungus is attacking wheat plants through out the Middle-East and is now moving to India.

[indcons]

Good point but Mumbai is not the best place in India to check on rice availability/consumption (most people in that region consume wheat and millet). I would look at cities in the south or the east to find out what’s happening to the rice prices at retail stores.

[Verloona Ti]

Crop failures in a particular year exasperate the situation, which occurred this year with lower-than-expected crops in Australia and the United States.

I just love living in a post literate world, where words like "exacerbate" are too exotic for familiarity....Shouls this latest bit of newspaper dumbassery be blamed on SpellCheck or upon uneducated writers and /or editors?

[Verloona Ti]

Crop failures in a particular year exasperate the situation, which occurred this year with lower-than-expected crops in Australia and the United States.

I just love living in a post literate world, where words like "exacerbate" are too exotic for familiarity....Should this latest bit of newspaper dumbassery be blamed on SpellCheck or upon uneducated writers and /or editors?

[rabidralph]

Poop faster!

[count-your-change]

So true! Most of the world gets about half the yield per acre that the U.S. produces. I don’t have up to date figures but in the southeast U.S. perhaps 3 to 3.5 tons per acre while world ave.is close to 1 to 1.5 tons per acre.

[djf]

It is very exasperating, is it not?

[djf]

Enuff to exacerbate my exasperation.

[djf]

Sorry.

Couldn’t resist...

[steve86]

Unfortunately I have no say on where the relatives live :)