guns guarding crops, food riots - it has begun

[ensho]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080327/wl_csm/oricetheft;_ylt=An6DrKwwQbUfGxAaYzhuFaGs0NUE


Grain prices soar globally


Rice farmers here are staying awake in shifts at night to guard their fields from thieves. In Peru, shortages of wheat flour are prompting the military to make bread with potato flour, a native crop. In Egypt, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso food riots have broken out in the past week.

Around the world, governments and aid groups are grappling with the escalating cost of basic grains. In December, 37 countries faced a food crisis, reports the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), and 20 nations had imposed some form of food-price controls.

In Asia, where rice is on every plate, prices are shooting up almost daily. Premium Thai fragrant rice now costs $900 per ton, a nearly 30 percent rise from a month ago.

Exporters say the price could eclipse $1,000 per ton by June. Similarly, prices of white rice have climbed about 50 percent since January to $600 per ton and are projected to jump another 40 percent to $800 per ton in April.

The skyrocketing prices have prompted millers to default on rice supply contracts and bandits to steal rice as they aim to hoard the crop, and sell it later, as prices continue to rise.

-long snip-

In the Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has vowed to crack down on rice hoarders. The government has ordered police to stake out warehouses and follow trucks to see where the rice was going, she said.
-snip-
------------------------------------

and it will only get worse - we americans will not be immune

[tuckessee]

1. A word of advice to city folks.....

You may want to make friends with a farmer or two.

[NMDemDist2]

2. take out that bright green lawn and plant some food! n/t

[kestrel91316]

6. I have a friend of some means up in Agua Dulce (has 4 horses and a

5-acre sandlot) - their house has the usual green English lawn out front (in the DESERT!!!) and birch trees and roses. I was having Easter dinner with them and she complained to me about a water bill over $500 one time last year. And her electricity and gas for the 3-BR, 2-BA house are going through the roof. I suggested that, since her brand new barn has rain gutters, she might want to put rain barrels or even a cistern in to catch the rainfall for watering her plants. And the same for the house. It was like a light went on in her head, and I am thinking they will do it.

I also said she was going to have to rip out the front lawn sooner or later. Better to do it sooner and put in a nice native perennial landscape at her leisure than have to let things die some day. She can have a tiny patch of grass at the back patio if she HAS to.

She than brought up how she is seriously considering solar panels for the roof, and I suggested a wind generator, too. Then there is her plan to eventually upgrade all the windows (the house is 20 yrs old or so).

They were given a Prius a few years ago by her mom (a former TV star), and I think owning it has caused them to start thinking about these things..........waking up and smelling the coffee, so to speak. Oh, and they need to keep the horses (all mares, 3 breeding-age) - 'cause you just never know..........

[OhioChick]

35. City Ordinanace...

Not allowed. Some woman dug out her lawn and replaced it with flowers of all kinds and was fined and had to replace the grass.

[L. Coyote]

3. For farmers, this is great news. After years hovering near bankrupt for many

this has saved their farms and their lifestyles.

We all depend on farmers. But, we seem to prefer they go bankrupt
instead of paying the extra 1/10th of one cent for a loaf of bread!

Old-hat doom and gloom like "it has begun" seems paranoid.
Adjustments are a common feature of economic systems. If not,
we would all still be hunting and gathering.

[NNN0LHI]

44. I live in farm country and I have never known of a poor farmer

All the ones around here are millionaires many times over. You can spot them at the local diner drinking coffee for two hours and then they leave the waitress a dime tip.

I see it every day.

Don

[46and2]

4. It was real hell this AM

at the local Whole Foods, a range rover and a hummer got into a dispute over the last parking space in the lot and blocked the driveway which made me miss out on the fresh baked french bread that had just come out of the oven!! Ruined my whole day!

[ensho]

5. you are boasting?

nt

[Vickers]

7. Why weren't you working?

:shrug:

[46and2]

8. I work the night shift...

I was on the way home.

[Vickers]

11. Where do you work? Most night-shifters I know can't afford

to shop at Whole Foods.

Oh, and welcome to DU yadda yadda yadda...

[46and2]

14. Thanks...

I'm a nurse. We do ok.

[kestrel91316]

16. People like you work in nursing? What are things coming to?

It is one of the CARING professions, after all.....

[46and2]

18. Not sure you know

ANYTHING about me or my compassion...

[kestrel91316]

23. See my post above. About your missing sarcasm smilie!

[Ghost in the Machine]

20. Why aren't *you* working now, instead of posting here?

Do you realize how dumb your question was now?

[Vickers]

25. I don't have to work...I trust in Jayzus to provide for me.

How do you know I ain't posting from work, Sooper Jeenyus? :crazy:

[Ghost in the Machine]

26. "How do you know I ain't posting from work, Sooper Jeenyus?"

If you *are* posting from work, why are you stealing money from your boss by reading and posting here insteading of concentrating on your work that needs to be done? You should figure up how much time you spend reading and posting here while at work, then repay all of that stolen money to your company... :silly:

[Vickers]

27. I'm self-employed, Mr. (or Ms.!) Jump-To-Conclusions!

:spank:

[Ghost in the Machine]

30. As am I ...

I meant to say something to the effect of "if you're self employed, disregard this", but I got busy for a few (taking care of my daughter who just had surgery earlier this week) and just hit the "Post" button so I could get away from the computer....

What kind of business, if you don't mind me asking? I had a restaurant, but had to shut it down recently... I'm trying to build on online business up now, since no one will hire me anywhere else..


:hi:

BTW, I'm a guy... just turned 45 and still don't like to be called "Mr." or "sir"....

[Lex]

10. Welcome to DU.

Enjoy your stay.

[kestrel91316]

15. So what you are saying is, let the folks in the Third World eat cake, right?

Silly us, to care about what happens to other people.

[46and2]

17. Actually I was being sarcastic in my first post

I guess that part got lost.... Sorry!

[ensho]

19. ok - your sarcasm was well done - howdy

nt

[kestrel91316]

22. Well, then, sorry for jumping on you. Use that sarcasm smilie!

[Vickers]

28. Seriously? In that case, my apologies.

I just thought you were being a dick.

Sometimes it's hard (har!) to tell here...

[nadinbrzezinski]

38. I suggest the sarcasm smiley, and welcome to DU

yes, it gets lost here

[LeftHander]

9. Good thing we burn our food.....nt

[ensho]

12. took me awhile to get it - good one

nt

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

13. And stop voting for people who insist on turning food into auto fuel.

[Hannah Bell]

21. 2007 = record rice harvest.

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5539

It's what we're eating now.

Yet your report says people going hungry, hoarding. Why?

Speculation (starting at the top) = rising prices = food being exported to the highest bidder or hoarded in anticipation of rising prices.

Ireland was exporting food during the potato famine.

It's a POLITICAL phenomenon, not a natural one.

Scare-mongering just makes it worse = more hoarding = higher prices = more people dead.

[ensho]

40. and extreme weather has ruined rice/wheat/etc. crops around the world

way, way more then usual.

drought, floods, severe hail, etc. destroying crops. many crops take a yr. to produce, if all goes well. so it will be a long time before the lost crops are replaced.

in the meantime food must be brought to the area via oil/gasoline.

and on and on it ripples.

[Zynx]

41. This increase has more to do with speculation than fundamentals.

[Hannah Bell]

42. If weathe destroyed more (rice) crop than usual, how could it be a record harvest?

It was. Therefore, your statement is in error.

[trof]

45. Rice harvest down in LA due to salt water infiltration.

Miz t.'s late uncle was a rice farmer south of Lake Charles.
He had to quit growing rice about 4 years before his death.
Brackish water is infiltrating the water table according to him.

[opihimoimoi]

24. Food or Fuel?? To Live or to Drive??? That is the question....

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

31. It's not one or the other

gotta burn fuel to move food around the country.

At some point, global famine may be inevitable.

:scared:

[opihimoimoi]

33. Is it?? Avoidable??? I don't think so....our backs are to the WALL Time...

Like the Trapped Rats of History...either we look for the "Hole"...or we suffer....

Our Present Leaders show no sign of solving anything but their own self interest....

Maybe Obama can pull it off? Who Knows what Goodness is in the Man??? Lets HOPE PRAY WISH Think of ways to pull it outta him....

His signs show Promise...but then we have been let down before....

Pray the Democrats WIN...else we suffer even worse than Bush2.....

Opi

[KamaAina]

37. Corn is far from the most efficient crop for conversion to ethanol

Another crop with which you may possibly be familiar has it beat by a mile: sugarcane! It's at least twice as efficient as corn. It's what's used to make most of Brazil's ethanol. Brazil is one of the world leaders in ethanol fuel, and has even talked about exporting some up here.

Now picture all those acres of former cane land lying fallow, or built up into sprawling, car-dependent suburbs...

[otherlander]

29. This is the kind of thing

that started the French revolution, isn't it?

That didn't end well, as I recall.
:scared:

[Javaman]

32. Here's my advice for today: plant a garden now. You will be thankful come fall. nt

[opihimoimoi]

34. The Townies have no place to plant gardens of food....only the Burbinites

Our Gov't is the answer...the DEM Gov't that is.....

[Javaman]

43. If you wait for this current admin* to help you, you are waiting on gadot...

You can do container gardening...

http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/containerindoor/container.asp

[NNN0LHI]

46. Problem is if I plant a garden about the time my stuff comes in tomatoes are ten cents a pound here

All you want. Everything is cheap about that time. Its so cheap all the farm stands around here go to self service and on the honor system for paying. Make your own change and everything. Its not worth the expense and effort unless one cans the stuff and I ain't about to start going through all that mess.

Don

[Xenotime]

36. It's only a matter of time before this crisis reaches here.

[knight_of_the_star]

39. Yet we have an obesity crisis in our country

That's kind of brutal irony that.

[roamer65]

47. Time for a "Victory" garden this year.

That's what they called them in WW1 and WW2.