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 TapwaterJ rated 6 months ago -
Empty Bowls, Stomachs and Pockets
Disquiet over the soaring rice price.
The Economist
"The soaring price of rice and dwindling stockpiles of Asia's staple food are causing anxiety across the continent. In particular the Philippines, a big, hungry country which cannot...
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4 Reviews
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- gavinski rated 6 months ago
- You've heard of race riots, but now there may be 'rice riots' in the Phillipines, with people taking to the streets due to rice shortages. The main cause is poor government as Asian countries have rushed to industrialise, and the danger is that people who previously escaped poverty will fall back into it because of escalating prices for such a basic commodity.
"Robert Zeigler of the International Rice Research Institute, one of the driving forces behind Asia's 1960s "green revolution" in farming, says that governments are now reaping the results of years of neglecting agricultural research, irrigation and other means to aid farmers. They have lost much prime land, water supplies and labour in the rush to industrialise."
Thanks FeedbackLoop
- Klassy rated 6 months ago
- Growing up in the Philippines, we were taught to value every grain.
- darxon rated 6 months ago
- I think it's time for a marketing campaign across Asia that touts the value (health and economic) of brown rice. There's no need to strip away the nutrients from this food staple.
From the page: "THE soaring price of rice and dwindling stockpiles of Asia's staple food are causing anxiety across the continent. In particular the Philippines, a big, hungry country which cannot grow enough to feed itself, could be in trouble. The front pages of Manila's newspapers scream about a 'rice crisis', as politicians float drastic solutions, such as forcing the country's top 100 companies to take up rice farming. Farmers in Thailand, the world's largest rice exporter, are delighted with the price surge, although some were this week said to be hiring guards to protect their valuable crops against 'rice bandits'."
- TapwaterJ rated 6 months ago
-
Empty Bowls, Stomachs and Pockets
Disquiet over the soaring rice price.
The Economist
"The soaring price of rice and dwindling stockpiles of Asia's staple food are causing anxiety across the continent. In particular the Philippines, a big, hungry country which cannot grow enough to feed itself, could be in trouble. The front pages of Manila's newspapers scream about a "rice crisis", as politicians float drastic solutions, such as forcing the country's top 100 companies to take up rice farming. Farmers in Thailand, the world's largest rice exporter, are delighted with the price surge, although some were this week said to be hiring guards to protect their valuable crops against "rice bandits".
The president of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, last month pleaded publicly with neighbouring Vietnam, the second-largest exporter, to guarantee supplies. The two countries signed an agreement on Wednesday March 26th apparently to do just that. But the various escape clauses that Vietnam insisted upon suggest it was more of a face-saving measure than a firm pledge. Vietnam and India, another big rice exporter, have recently announced export restrictions to try to curb soaring food prices at home. This will make it tough for poor, rice-importing countries, in Africa as well as Asia, to secure supplies."
The Rhythm of Rice Production
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