World Rice Shortage - is our Gov prepared ?
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A world rice shortage has been looming for the last 24 months, and the situation has not improved up till today.
Rice producing countries are reducing export quantities, and not renewing current rice export contracts, or reducing the volume of existing export contracts - so as to ensure their own domestic supplies and to maintain social and political stabiliy within their own countries.
The last time that Singapore experienced a similar situation was during the 1970s, when Singaporeans were encouraged to switch to wheat products and reduce rice consumption.
Unfortunately for Singaporeans, wheat prices will be as high as the prices for rice, and the world is similarly facing shortages in wheat supply as well.
Is the Government preparing Singaporeans towards the storm that is brewing ?
Vietnam next to cut rice exportsVietnam has become the latest rice-producing nation to limit exports of the grain against a backdrop of soaring global prices and demand.Vietnam, the world's second-biggest rice exporter, said it would cut exports by 22% this year, following similar moves by India and Egypt.
Analysts said the Vietnam government wanted to stabilise domestic prices.
Global rice prices have soared by 50% in the past two months raising supply concerns across Asia.
Thailand is the world's largest rice exporter.
China subsidies
While rice prices have risen primarily because of increasing demand from population growth, they have also been lifted by poor recent crops in Vietnam.
Neighbouring Cambodia has also recently introduced limits on rice exports.
China is the world's biggest rice producer, but almost all of its crop is kept for the domestic market.
With the world's largest population to feed, Beijing keeps rice prices subsidised.
It said on Friday that it would now pay farmers more for both rice and wheat in an attempt to boost crop production and cool surging inflation.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7317989.stm
See also:
South-Asia hit by food shortage - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7178876.stm
Counting the cost of wheat price hikes - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7004409.stm
Australia slashes wheat forecast - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7000113.stm
Wheat prices reach record levels - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6962211.stm
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so what you want them to do? build granaries to store grains like what they did for sands? build a padi field in Pulau Tekong?
anyway, this is a worldwide trend so money makes the world go round. pay a higher price to buy them lah
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Eh they can build big munitions dump but not grain silo? We eat bullets for the PAP ok.
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Originally posted by 淋雨:
so what you want them to do? build granaries to store grains like what they did for sands? build a padi field in Pulau Tekong?
anyway, this is a worldwide trend so money makes the world go round. pay a higher price to buy them lah
The Ministers are paid million dollar salaries from Singaporean tax payer's money - should you not expect a minimum standard of performance to prevent the worst falling onto Singaporeans ?The writings are already on the wall and this government has a track record of ignoring the clear signs of impending storm, and making public response only when the storm has broken out,
As matters stand, money may not even buy you the rice or wheat - when the producing countries will not sell what little that they have, as they form the staple food for all of us.
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Yes in view of this GST will be increased.
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Originally posted by Uncle Ver SG:
Eh they can build big munitions dump but not grain silo? We eat bullets for the PAP ok.
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Doom Day Started.
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The Ministers are paid million dollar salaries from Singaporean tax payer's money - should you not expect a minimum standard of performance to prevent the worst falling onto Singaporeans ?
The writings are already on the wall and this government has a track record of ignoring the clear signs of impending storm, and making public response only when the storm has broken out,
As matters stand, money may not even buy you the rice or wheat - when the producing countries will not sell what little that they have, as they form the staple food for all of us.
Like you say money may not even buy you the rice or wheat. So it already to the point of not really within the control of the goverment. What they can do is to find alternative source or try to curb the increasing of price to the best that they can.
Else eat potatoes loh since so many people always like to compare Singapore with western country, so might as well follow their eating habit too.
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Originally posted by Uncle Ver SG:
Eh they can build big munitions dump but not grain silo? We eat bullets for the PAP ok.
they can keep the ammo for a decade but they will keeping wevils in 3 months time. furthermore, this is a world wide storage, not like vegetables because of heavy rainfall in Genting, and we can bring in vegetable from China -
Besides, hoarding of rice by importers and curbing exports will only drive prices higher. Anyway, it's only an increase of price in rice, not world famine.
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As long as Vietnam and Thailand are still nett exporter of rice, I dont think there will be much problem for us. Those who will suffer are the poorer developing countries because the price of rice will be out of reach.
But then again, at least we still have noodles as a substitute.
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"they can keep the ammo for a decade"
Try eating bullets for just one day and tell me how they taste like. Dont need to be rice grain can be stockpile rice rations. I am sure there are advanced storage technologies to deter/destroy weevils etc. for grain though. Wait a second, don't tell me SAF have 3 days worth of rations for every soldier for any war.
Or maybe there is an arms shortage one day and Singapore can sell for much higher profit.
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"Besides, hoarding of rice by importers and curbing exports will only drive prices higher."
Which is exactly what is happening right now for exporters. They can all form Rice consortium like OPEC in the future. Its pretty inelastic demand, for Asia anyway.
Here comes +% inflation.
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Hmm..perhaps its time to eat less rice haha...less carbo also good. Then again its only a $3 increase on a 10kg packet of rice. Not like we are peasants.
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Originally posted by Atobe:
The Ministers are paid million dollar salaries from Singaporean tax payer's money - should you not expect a minimum standard of performance to prevent the worst falling onto Singaporeans ?The writings are already on the wall and this government has a track record of ignoring the clear signs of impending storm, and making public response only when the storm has broken out,
As matters stand, money may not even buy you the rice or wheat - when the producing countries will not sell what little that they have, as they form the staple food for all of us.
Let's put that scandalous salaries thing aside.Like what you have mentioned, "money may not buy you rice or wheat - when the the producing countries will not sell what little they have".So what can they do. Even if they will to give up their million dollars salaries, the problems will not go away.
If you insist on a milliion dollars salaried suggestion. let this "assumed million dollars salaried person" give you a solution. You you want to eat, just pay whatever price they demand or go for cheaper brand of rice, afterall rice is rice. Mind you, this work for you to obtain the rice you need. You you accept this answer as a solution?
Do come out with constructive suggestions if you have and don't opposed for the sake of opposing.
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a lesson in history here...ntuc was once called 'silo', the purpose? to stockpile food and it's supposed to do the same today, from what i understand, they are to hold 6 months worth of essential goods....if the crisis goes beyond 6 months...hmm i guess we have to eat grass.... this is what sci-fi writers had been writing since decades ago ya....food shortages, climate changes, natural disasters & etc....dooms day scenario countdown, the only thing now is to wait for the impending asteroid or for bush or some other nut to trigger nukes and begin the nuclear winter scenario...perhaps it's time to get a religion....lol....
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"Even if they will to give up their million dollars salaries, the problems will not go away."
If these people are paid to provide solutions, they are not doing a good job, thus undeserving of the salary. Same thing applies to CEOs of free market companies.
NTUC got so many warehouses meh; they can store 6 MONTHS worth of food. in Singapore. Yeah right. 3 million + 1.
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i didn't say 6 months worth of all types of food, staple stuff like rice, flour and whatever else, perhaps they may have bought 6 months worth of rice from thailand and have some stocked there...it's a first in first out system...logistics management....
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Originally posted by Uncle Ver SG:
"Even if they will to give up their million dollars salaries, the problems will not go away."
If these people are paid to provide solutions, they are not doing a good job, thus undeserving of the salary. Same thing applies to CEOs of free market companies.
NTUC got so many warehouses meh; they can store 6 MONTHS worth of food. in Singapore. Yeah right. 3 million + 1.
there is such a thing call commodities trading or tading of futures. not necessary for you to keep a cow for milk
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If these people are paid to provide solutions, they are not doing a good job, thus undeserving of the salary. Same thing applies to CEOs of free market companies.
NTUC got so many warehouses meh; they can store 6 MONTHS worth of food. in Singapore. Yeah right. 3 million + 1
Please bear in mind that not everything is within their control and if they can provide you with a solution like cheaper brand rice, genetically modified rice etc can you accept it as a solution?
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"if they can provide you with a solution like cheaper brand rice, genetically modified rice etc can you accept it as a solution?"
actually yes i can. Me not a problem.
"not everything is within their control"
then ask them to stop trying to control everything.
"there is such a thing call commodities trading or tading of futures. not necessary for you to keep a cow for milk"
but does NTUC or Temasek do this? or had the foresight.
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Originally posted by Uncle Ver SG:
"if they can provide you with a solution like cheaper brand rice, genetically modified rice etc can you accept it as a solution?"
actually yes i can. Me not a problem.
"not everything is within their control"
then ask them to stop trying to control everything.
"there is such a thing call commodities trading or tading of futures. not necessary for you to keep a cow for milk"
but does NTUC or Temasek do this? or had the foresight.
Actually, most commodity merchants and traders will not have that kind of foresight as well.
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Rice once landed in Singapore will be fumigated with Methyl Bromide and that will last at most 3 months before wevils start appearing again. A second fumigation is never recommended so far, not sure if it is effective and not sure if there is any health impact.
Strategically I know it is mandatory for Singapore rice importers to keep a minimum of 3 months stock, which means all rice we eat now are at least 5 months old, from harvest, to shipping, to storage, to packaging, then to the shelves, then to your house, and another 2 weeks, until you cook the last grain.
What other food can you keep for long? if you want to buy processed food, there are plenty, from instant noodle to cereal.
Combat ration is a priviledge only for soldiers. It would be stupid to store processed food like combat ration to fight a world wide food shortage.
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then ask them to stop trying to control everything.
Can't control everything doesn't mean they must stop control everything. I do agree that some of their policies suck, but just ask yourself can you do a better job then them? Anyway politic is a dirty game and it more like choosing the lesser evil.
Before they come into power they will look like angels to make ppl like them. But once in power their devil horns n tail all come out and ppl will hate them. It a normal cycle.
Even if Singaporeans vote for Opposition and they come into power, don't say few years, maybe after 1 year, the same ppl that is crying for the present goverment heads will be crying for their heads too.
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"perhaps they may have bought 6 months worth of rice from thailand and have some stocked there"
Not likely. One day 1 person consume 250g of rice. Lets say 3 million in total (including children and women consumption). 0.75 million per day. * 180 days = 135 million kg of rice. 13.5 million bags of 10 kg bags of rice. Lets be cautious and round down to 10 million bags of 10kg rice.
And its not transparent as to WHAT they are doing.
Not to say famine but increased inflation. As Singaporeans can afford it what.