Shops ration sales of rice as US buyers panic

[pajomife]

This is any pronouncer of the coming days ?
This is more serious than we though.If they start to rationalize food in a rich country like the USA,what's happens in the rest of world?
I hope this is a problem for quick resolution,or this will be a begining of the end.
Is scandalous,but now we produce cereals,not for eat but, for oil. Biodisel they call.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...pr/24/food.usa

[danzig]

Your thread title vs the article:

Retail experts said there was little evidence of panic hoarding by the public but that restaurants and smaller retailers were buying up stocks at wholesalers in the expectation that the cost would go even higher.

Most of this comes from self-fulfilling nonsense. As the article states most of it is from restaurants buying rice that caused the two retail "clubs" to limit rice. No shortage or limits anywhere around here at supermarkets. So its not shortage (US produces 88% of its own rice) but rather fear of cost going up given shortages elsewhere. So no sorry this isnt the coming of end of the world or any other nonsense Ive seen some people try and use this as

Is scandalous,but now we produce cereals,not for eat but, for oil. Biodisel they call.

And how scandalous would it be if there wasnt enough fuel to actually farm, transport the food rendering actually growing of it moot? A balance needs to be achieved. Somewhere along the line oil has become the enemy, its like a non sentient Hitler...damn that oil! Yet without energy, without fuel everything else society depends on falls apart.

[pajomife]

Your thread title vs the article:



Most of this comes from self-fulfilling nonsense. As the article states most of it is from restaurants buying rice that caused the two retail "clubs" to limit rice. No shortage or limits anywhere around here at supermarkets. So its not shortage (US produces 88% of its own rice) but rather fear of cost going up given shortages elsewhere. So no sorry this isnt the coming of end of the world or any other nonsense Ive seen some people try and use this as



And how scandalous would it be if there wasnt enough fuel to actually farm, transport the food rendering actually growing of it moot? A balance needs to be achieved. Somewhere along the line oil has become the enemy, its like a non sentient Hitler...damn that oil! Yet without energy, without fuel everything else society depends on falls apart.

You just don't want to see the evidence,there are a world shortage of food ,and those argument pro biodiesel is funny,we need biodiesel to transport what?
Food?To where?As always the US way of life above all.Who cares if die some people ,starving,to a good American could drive his 3000 c.c car.
Just be optimist.but if in a country like the US are panic ,just imagine in other parts of the world.
And if the Americans "eat" Diesel,i think they do,many peoples around world spent 80% of their gains in alimentary products,and any raise of prices could be catastrophic.

From Guardian:

Empty shelves in Caracas. Food riots in West Bengal and Mexico. Warnings of hunger in Jamaica, Nepal, the Philippines and sub-Saharan Africa. Soaring prices for basic foods are beginning to lead to political instability, with governments being forced to step in to artificially control the cost of bread, maize, rice and dairy products.

Record world prices for most staple foods have led to 18% food price inflation in China, 13% in Indonesia and Pakistan, and 10% or more in Latin America, Russia and India, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). Wheat has doubled in price, maize is nearly 50% higher than a year ago and rice is 20% more expensive, says the UN. Next week the FAO is expected to say that global food reserves are at their lowest in 25 years and that prices will remain high for years.

Last week the Kremlin forced Russian companies to freeze the price of milk, bread and other foods until January 31, for fear of a public backlash with a parliamentary election looming. "The price of goods has risen sharply and that has hit the poor particularly hard," said Oleg Savelyev, of the Levada Centre polling institute.

India, Yemen, Mexico, Burkina Faso and several other countries have had, or been close to, food riots in the last year, something not seen in decades of low global food commodity prices. Meanwhile, there are shortages of beef, chicken and milk in Venezuela and other countries as governments try to keep a lid on food price inflation.

Boycotts have become commonplace. Argentinians shunned tomatoes during the recent presidential election campaign when they became more expensive than meat. Italians organised a one-day boycott of pasta in protest at rising prices. German leftwing politicians have called for an increase in welfare benefits so that people can cope with price rises.

"If you combine the increase of the oil prices and the increase of food prices then you have the elements of a very serious [social] crisis in the future," said Jacques Diouf, head of the FAO, in London last week.

The price rises are a result of record oil prices, US farmers switching out of cereals to grow biofuel crops, extreme weather and growing demand from countries India and China, the UN said yesterday.

"There is no one cause but a lot of things are coming together to lead to this. It's hard to separate out the factors," said Ali Gurkan, head of the FAO's Food Outlook programme, yesterday.

He said cereal stocks had been declining for more than a decade but now stood at around 57 days, which made global food supplies vulnerable to an international crisis or big natural disaster such as a drought or flood.

"Any unforeseen flood or crisis can make prices rise very quickly. I do not think we should panic but we should be very careful about what may happen," he warned.

Lester Brown, founder of the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute thinktank, said: "The competition for grain between the world's 800 million motorists, who want to maintain their mobility, and its 2 billion poorest people, who are simply trying to survive, is emerging as an epic issue."

Last year, he said, US farmers distorted the world market for cereals by growing 14m tonnes, or 20% of the whole maize crop, for ethanol for vehicles. This took millions of hectares of land out of food production and nearly doubled the price of maize. Mr Bush this year called for steep rises in ethanol production as part of plans to reduce petrol demand by 20% by 2017.

Maize is a staple food in many countries which import from the US, including Japan, Egypt, and Mexico. US exports are 70% of the world total, and are used widely for animal feed. The shortages have disrupted livestock and poultry industries worldwide.

"The use of food as a source of fuel may have serious implications for the demand for food if the expansion of biofuels continues," said a spokesman for the International Monetary Fund last week.

The outlook is widely expected to worsen as agro-industries prepare to switch to highly profitable biofuels. according to Grain, a Barcelona-based food resources group. Its research suggests that the Indian government is committed to planting 14m hectares (35m acres) of land with jatropha, an exotic bush from which biodiesel can be manufactured. Brazil intends to grow 120m hectares for biofuels, and Africa as much as 400m hectares in the next few years. Much of the growth, the countries say, would be on unproductive land, but many millions of people are expected to be forced off the land.

This week Oxfam warned the EU that its policy of substituting 10% of all car fuel with biofuels threatened to displace poor farmers.

The food crisis is being compounded by growing populations, extreme weather and ecological stress, according to a number of recent reports. This week the UN Environment Programme said the planet's water, land, air, plants, animals and fish stocks were all in "inexorable decline". According to the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) 57 countries, including 29 in Africa, 19 in Asia and nine in Latin America, have been hit by catastrophic floods. Harvests have been affected by drought and heatwaves in south Asia, Europe, China, Sudan, Mozambique and Uruguay.

This week the Australian government said drought had slashed predictions of winter harvests by nearly 40%, or 4m tonnes. "It is likely to be even smaller than the disastrous drought-ravaged 2006-07 harvest and the worst in more than a decade," said the Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

According to Josette Sheeran, director of the WFP, "There are 854 million hungry people in the world and 4 million more join their ranks every year. We are facing the tightest food supplies in recent history. For the world's most vulnerable, food is simply being priced out of their reach."

Food for thought Possible scenarios

Experts describe various scenarios for the precarious food supply balance in coming years. An optimistic version would see markets automatically readjust to shortages, as higher prices make it more profitable once again to grow crops for people rather than cars.

There are hopes that new crop varieties and technologies will help crops adapt to capricious climactic conditions. And if people move on to a path of eating less meat, more land can be freed up for human food rather than animal feed.

A slowdown in population growth would naturally ease pressures on the food market, while the cultivation of hitherto unproductive land could also help supply.

But fears for even tighter conditions revolve around deepening climate change, which generates worsening floods and droughts, diminishing food supplies. If the price of oil rises further it will make fertilisers and transport more expensive, and at the same time make it more profitable to grow biofuel crops.

Supply will be further restricted if fish stocks continue to decline due to overfishing, and if soils become exhausted and erosion decreases the arable area.

· This article was amended on Saturday November 10 2007. In the article above we referred to Lester Brown as president of the Worldwatch Institute. He is the founder; Christopher Flavin is president of the thinktank. This has been corrected.

http://www.reuters.com/article/world...Name=worldNews
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7331921.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen....climatechange

[danzig]

You just don't want to see the evidence,there are a world shortage of food ,and those argument pro biodiesel is funny,we need biodiesel to transport what?
Food?To where?

Where did I argue there wasnt a problem? I simply said there needs to be a balance between land used for biofuels and for food production. Nothing more nothing less. Im not the type of person who gives into paranoia as you attempted to do with the article link despite the fact the article doesnt even support your panic claims in the US. I dont know what part of food and energy are both equally important to society you seem to be missing. Without food yes people starve without energy people starve....see the pattern here? Balance, balance, balance and going off in paranoia does nothing to actually address the problem.

Just be optimist.but if in a country like the US are panic ,just imagine in other parts of the world.

Sigh there is no panic sheesh.

[Pontifex Maximus]

Of course people are going to panic and stockpile. It happens every time it snows in Atlanta for two days stright. I perosnally don't understand the motives behind it. I guess people just get scared. I'm confident that rice will soon be in good supply again. There's a killing to be made by suppling it now. So a couple restaurants won't be able to serve some meals, I think we should be more concerned with what people in poorer countries in say Latin America and Africa are going to eat. It seems rice goes with every dish.

[danzig]

Of course people are going to panic and stockpile. It happens every time it snows in Atlanta for two days stright. I perosnally don't understand the motives behind it. I guess people just get scared. I'm confident that rice will soon be in good supply again. There's a killing to be made by suppling it now. So a couple restaurants won't be able to serve some meals, I think we should be more concerned with what people in poorer countries in say Latin America and Africa are going to eat. It seems rice goes with every dish.

Right on the mark I love how oh no can only buy 4 bags of 10 lb rice is something to worry about when news article about Haitian making bread with dirt. Ill never understand the panic that westerns feel at the slightest things...mention snow in the winter and supermarkets fill up as if its going to snow 30 feet and people are going to be snowed in for months.

[Pontifex Maximus]

Right on the mark I love how oh no can only buy 4 bags of 10 lb rice is something to worry about when news article about Haitian making bread with dirt. Ill never understand the panic that westerns feel at the slightest things...mention snow in the winter and supermarkets fill up as if its going to snow 30 feet and people are going to be snowed in for months.

I'll be the forst to admit it. We are spoiled. We expect everything we want to be available as soon as we want it, and when that mentality is threatened, people lose it. Whenever it snows here for example, bread is SOLD OUT everywhere. Not even 30 feet of snow. We're talking two inches. One of the downsides of being one of the most sucessful nations in the world, we can't cope with a little discomfort.

[danzig]

I'll be the forst to admit it. We are spoiled. We expect everything we want to be available as soon as we want it, and when that mentality is threatened, people lose it. Whenever it snows here for example, bread is SOLD OUT everywhere. Not even 30 feet of snow. We're talking two inches. One of the downsides of being one of the most sucessful nations in the world, we can't cope with a little discomfort.

Sadly true. I "love" the media coverage of this interview people about it and they are like "this isnt right I should be able to buy what I need what am i going to do!". I want to slap them and yell what you are going to do is stop whining and eat something else and stop crying, hell of alot people in the world who have virtually nothing and your whining about rice.

[humvee2800]

This is why Winnipeg rocks, we have to endure -40 to -50 degress outside in winter and high 30s in summer.

We have to keep ourselves alive only with slurpees, my god the humanity

[James Cook]

US produces 88% of its own rice

what the hell you got a source

I find it hard to belive that

[danzig]

what the hell you got a source

I find it hard to belive that

Look and you shall find!

http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/24/news...ion=2008042418

"There is no supply crunch for rice in the United States," Coia said. According to Coia, domestically produced rice makes up 88% of the U.S. market. And that's only half the crop - the other half is exported.

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

I don't trust CNN, I mean everything there smells like... like...

SCAM



I didn't know you had so much rice.

[danzig]

I don't trust CNN, I mean everything there smells like... like...

SCAM



I didn't know you had so much rice.

Honestly neither did I and damn its only half of it the rest is exported! I guess the remaining 12% that US uses are import items specifically a home brand from asia some immigrant grew up on or is use to...the shortage is probably there since the shortage in general is an asia thing. Guess those people will have to sit down and be happy with a nice bowl of Uncle Ben's rice!

Btw take a look at this article from WSJ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120881517227532621.html disgusting journalism there. That's right try and scare people into hording and stockpiling so it drives up the cost and actually does cause shortages. Responsible journalism there!

[Hunter Makoy]

yeah, did u see the Colbert Report about him not being able to buy over 80 lbs of rice?

if anyone in a grocery store needs more then 4 10 lb. bags,.....guess wat? they NEED to be rationed even if there isn't a shortage!

[pajomife]

You read this part of article?
" The outlook is widely expected to worsen as agro-industries prepare to switch to highly profitable biofuels. according to Grain, a Barcelona-based food resources group. Its research suggests that the Indian government is committed to planting 14m hectares (35m acres) of land with jatropha, an exotic bush from which biodiesel can be manufactured. Brazil intends to grow 120m hectares for biofuels, and Africa as much as 400m hectares in the next few years. Much of the growth, the countries say, would be on unproductive land, but many millions of people are expected to be forced off the land."

This mean,and my english is not to good,that some country's with lacks of arable soil,replace human feed cereals, not alimentary cereals,but more lucrative,and in a market economies,this mean that fuel is more lucrative than food.
As i work in animal food industry ,i note ,the last two years ,a enormous rise of "noble cereals",corn,wheat,rye,prices.So the rations have to rize,then the meat,the milk,and all products to.
Until now there are supportable prices,but if what happens in US with rice,happens more times ,could provoke, a inflation spiral unstoppable.
I just think that the biodiesel aren't a solution for energy lack. We may have to use nuke,but not food,for sure.

[danzig]

You read this part of article?
" The outlook is widely expected to worsen as agro-industries prepare to switch to highly profitable biofuels. according to Grain, a Barcelona-based food resources group. Its research suggests that the Indian government is committed to planting 14m hectares (35m acres) of land with jatropha, an exotic bush from which biodiesel can be manufactured. Brazil intends to grow 120m hectares for biofuels, and Africa as much as 400m hectares in the next few years. Much of the growth, the countries say, would be on unproductive land, but many millions of people are expected to be forced off the land."

This mean,and my english is not to good,that some country's with lacks of arable soil,replace human feed cereals, not alimentary cereals,but more lucrative,and in a market economies,this mean that fuel is more lucrative than food.
As i work in animal food industry ,i note ,the last two years ,a enormous rise of "noble cereals",corn,wheat,rye,prices.So the rations have to rize,then the meat,the milk,and all products to.
Until now there are supportable prices,but if what happens in US with rice,happens more times ,could provoke, a inflation spiral unstoppable.
I just think that the biodiesel aren't a solution for energy lack. We may have to use nuke,but not food,for sure.

That isnt the type of fuel being produced from biodiesel, we arent about to produce nuclear powered cars, trucks, airplanes after all. And yes I read the article and again I didnt say there wasnt a problem what I said was sky is falling paranoia is not helpful.

[Erik]

The problem isn't todays "high" food prices, but the extremely low food prices of the previous decades caused by EU and US subsidizing of farmers (=taking money from other industries so EU/US farmers can sell their products for less than what it costs them to produce it)

Many farmers in 3rd world countries were pushed out of business because the EU and US sells food at dump prices on the world market.
And those who continued to farm could not afford to use fertilizers, so their productivity per acre dropped dramatically.

The rising food prices are bad for consumers on the short term, but if the prices stay this high they are great for farmers and the economy, especially in most of todays poorest countries.

There is enough farmland in the world to support about 20 billion people on a Western diet. (=twice as much as the predicted world population by 2050).
So even if 50% of the farmland gets converted to bio-diesel production, we still have more than enough farmland left.
Especially Africa has a huge growth potential for food/bio-diesel production, they could easily support themselves for food and sell bio-diesel to the West if the long therm world food prices allow it.

[Chaigidel]

sadly world shortage of food will not bother america too much, considering we produce so much produce , so there is enough farmland if you deforest every single tree on goddamn earth.