food rationing?

[bugimike]

it's the same hysteria that grips people around here with the advent of a hurricane approaching. If you have taken some basic precautions there is just no need to (over)stock up with the stuff that people get into a shopping frenzy over!

 

[DrEntropy]

I love watchin' th' "newbies" scramble about when there's a blow forecast... I imagine a lot of merchants LOVE hurricane season.

 

[AweMan]

Rice shortages? I don`t get it! What! There turning Rice into "Green Fuel" now? {where did all the rice go?}
Sounds to me like OVER EDUCATED IDIOTS trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents.
The sad part of that is ..... it is at the average persons expense!

 

[NutmegCT]

Well, far as I can tell, the rice "shortage" has nothing directly to do with "green fuel". There have been severe droughts in many of the world's rice production centers.

So the combination of short supply and speculation is leading to the food riots around the world, mostly where rice is the main food.

PS - there's is no rice shortage in the USA. But amazingly when folks hear there's a shortage, they scoop up what they can find ... and magically there's a shortage on the store shelves (at least for a while).

T.

 

[DrEntropy]

Tempest-teapot.

feh.

 

[aeronca65t]

.....There turning Rice into "Green Fuel" now?.....

???
Who's doing that?

 

[NutmegCT]

This adds a grain of pain to the rice price issue:

https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSBKK24257120080424

drought + cartels + speculation = big problems.

T.

 

[Basil]

.....There turning Rice into "Green Fuel" now?.....

???
Who's doing that?

Uncle Ben?

 

[lawguy]

I've heard of rice burners...but... Seriously- this is a cross pollination of issues which have little to no relation.

The rice "shortage" is enough to raise prices- significantly- based on food prices historically (which have fallen, and fallen and fallen for generations as a percentage of income), but the level of the shortage does not rise to the level of an actual shortage of food where none can be had at any price. Where that may be the case (outside the U.S.), it is due to political issues, not agricultural. Do droughts come and bad years, sometimes several in a row occur? Of course they do and they always have and always will.

As for the fuel issue- I've said it before, I'll say it again: to abort the bio-fuel industry at this stage based only upon present technology and present shortcomings (real or perceived based on biased “studies”) would be a huge mistake. Corn is not the only thing which can be made into ethanol. As one example, cellulosic ethanol from perennial grasses has the potential to be very effective and efficient. There are also other technologies on the horizon.

 

[AweMan]

I didn`t insinuate fuel was bieng made out of rice, I only asked a question. I suspect world commodity speculators have a lot to do with the price increase.

Americas falling dollar value has more to do with increasing prices on everything from food to fuel here than anyone wants to admit. If we have any shortages of grain it is because other countries are buying it up because thier money goes further here than elsewhere right now.

Corn used to make ethanol is only a small piece of the whole picture.

I tend to agree with aeronca65t, at least some are thinking of ways to supplement {Hopefuly someday come to a full solution} Americas fuel needs. Ethanol may not be cost effective and it may not be ecologicaly sound either, but if technology is gained that results in future solutions, in my opinion it will all have been well worth the effort.

 

[RonMacPherson]

nope, just quit using corn, switch to Sugar beets.

 

[GregW]

If you can only get one harvest per year, I'd need about 8½ acres of corn for my driving alone.

 

[angelfj1]

One of our neighbors manages the local BJ's. He said their management is concerned because folks in the past have purchased pallet loads of certain food products (like rice)on speculation. Apparently they hope to sit back and watch the price of rice go through the roof , then start selling it at extreme profit. Don't know if this is accurate info, but I wouldn't be surprized!

 

[angelfj1]

Don't know if Dale is on line, but I recall that he mentioned that when a storm is expected to hit PR, it is against the law to raise the prices on critical items, water, etc.

 

[DrEntropy]

Here as well. If a store owner raises the price of *candy* in a hurricane circumstance, he's gonna hear about it.

 

[NutmegCT]

only if he survives the hurricane :laugh:

 

[DrEntropy]

point, Tom.

 

[tony barnhill]

One of our neighbors manages the local BJ's. He said their management is concerned because folks in the past have purchased pallet loads of certain food products (like rice)on speculation. Apparently they hope to sit back and watch the price of rice go through the roof , then start selling it at extreme profit. Don't know if this is accurate info, but I wouldn't be surprized!

Nothing wrong with that! Free trade at its best...sorta like oil futures!!

 

[bugimike]

The only question I have about this is what effect is this going to have on the price of sake?

 

[GregW]

I'm with you Mike, that's how I like my rice. Mix some Chambord in and I'm in for the night!