Posted on 02/07/2013 8:07:42 AM PST by Fennie
United Nations agricultural experts are reporting confusion, after figures show that China imported 2.6 million tons of rice in 2012, substantially more than a four-fold increase over the 575,000 tons imported in 2011.
The confusion stems from the fact that there is no obvious reason for vastly increased imports, since there has been no rice shortage in China. The speculation is that Chinese importers are taking advantage of low international prices, but all that means is that China's own vast supplies of domestically grown rice are being stockpiled.
Why would China suddenly be stockpiling millions of tons of rice for no apparent reason?
Perhaps it's related to China's aggressive military buildup and war preparations in the Pacific and in central Asia.
(Excerpt) Read more at shtfplan.com ...
If you were going to war with Japan and might either be embargoed or have your freighters sunk, youd get ready.
Let’s watch American Idol and post pictures of our plush toy collection on Facebook!
Maybe spending your dollars before they become worthless or are replaced 1000 to 1 with the “new dollar”?
The Chinese have never been famous at sea, but they historically do very well on land.
"Golden Horde" anyone?
Chinese Army MREs (Meals ready to Eat), rice and dried fish.
No need for expensive and bulky MREs. A pound of rice can go a long way. More room for ammo.
Stockpiling gold and rice. If TSHTF I would rather have the rice.
IIRC the Chinese went to a lot of trouble to keep the Golden Horde out - but I take your point.
Where may the greatest supply or relatively accessible natural gas and petroleum be found? Eastern Siberia and Kazakhstan, both of which are a relatively short march from China’s own borders.
Of course, if we see a great deal of activity moving various heavy transport to these points, it would be pretty indicative of something.
Maybe the Chinese want to be Santa Claus and bring some cheer to the children in these provinces.
How long can you stockpile rice?
I think China is preparing for the day when they bring out a gold-backed Renmimbi.
Things will get sketchy in the US for several months after that happens (riots, price controls, misallocation of Government force etc) and food exports will suffer. The Chinese want to be able to weather volatile food prices when that happens.
9 years for white rice, 6 months for brown rice (unless you freeze it).
Vladimir Putin may think he and the Chinese are buddies, but he could be in for the surprise of a lifetime.
Interesting that he worries about his western borders like the Germans will come streaming in, but is not paying much attention to the eastern side of the Urals.
We’re at close to 15 years for some white rice packed in buckets; wife is Asian and says it’s fine — uses it frequently. I do believe there has to be some nutritional degradation by now but it would be minor and unimportant.
One of the dumbest things done by the Free Trader Communists was to let Communist China become the big agricultural supplier to the world ....even though Com China has 6% arable land and its main crop area is subject to natural disasters. Com China is preparing in case their crops are destroyed. The rest of the world will starve but not the Chi Coms
That’s about 4 or 5 pounds of rice per person.
If they’re planning to feed only their One Percent, then they don’t need to invade anything.
How about corrupt Chinese rice speculators?
Vlad would nuke them.
In the mean time, our government has been stocking up on ammo while trying to take ours, beefing up surveillance on us while opening the borders to foreign invaders and suing states that try to enforce border law and prosecute them and writing policy "law" that says it's okay for obama to drone strike Americans if he feels like it while the one stream media gurgles and coos obama's name.
I don't know how long the big event we're heading for will last or what the world will look like on the other side of it, but the slow motion deception mosey we're walking to get to there is fascinating and quite unnerving.
Meanwhile we are keeping our carriers home so we can issue Obama phones.
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