Jasmine rice shortage is hitting home, while price rising

[webfact]

Jasmine rice shortage is hitting home, while price rising

By Thai PBS

 

 

Thailand is now running shortage of jasmine rice as latest survey in 23 rice cultivation provinces in the North and Northeast showed rice production is over two million tons below target.

 

The survey was conducted by the Department of Rice and the Thai Rice Miller’s Association in 20 northeastern provinces and three northern provinces since November last year.

 

Rice millers association president Hasdin Suwatanapongches disclosed yesterday that the survey showed jasmine rice production fell to 7.1 million tons, or lower than what the Ministry of Agriculture has earlier projected at 9.9 million tons.

 

Full story:  http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/jasmine-rice-shortage-hitting-home-price-rising/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-02-28

[Eric Loh]

Prayut’s call to the farmers to grow less rice is working like a charm. Those who are smart and chose to ignore him are rubbing their hands with glee now that prices have gone up. Morale of the story is ignore that idiot. 

[KhunBENQ]

And when I lookout I rarely see rice.

Sugarcane, sugarcane ... mono cropping at it's worst.

After burning and shlashing looks like moonscape .

Sugar price falling like a stone.

They will never learn.

 

[robblok]

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

Prayut’s call to the farmers to grow less rice is working like a charm. Those who are smart and chose to ignore him are rubbing their hands with glee now that prices have gone up. Morale of the story is ignore that idiot. 

I am not so sure because if they all ignored him the prices would stay down. Its a fact that if there is too much rice prices will go down. Farmers could ignore him but then should also not complain when prices are low. (you can't have it both ways). Anyway I think farmers should diversify (if possible) because being dependent on one crop is dangerous.

[thaiguzzi]

1 hour ago, robblok said:

I am not so sure because if they all ignored him the prices would stay down. Its a fact that if there is too much rice prices will go down. Farmers could ignore him but then should also not complain when prices are low. (you can't have it both ways). Anyway I think farmers should diversify (if possible) because being dependent on one crop is dangerous.

"If possible" was wisely written in your reply. If it wasn't i would have had a good go. So i won't. A lot of small holders in the NE just do not have the soil or access to irrigation to do anything but rice, and worse, only one crop of year.

 There was a reason that the NE was the poorest region in this country for decades....

[robblok]

2 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

"If possible" was wisely written in your reply. If it wasn't i would have had a good go. So i won't. A lot of small holders in the NE just do not have the soil or access to irrigation to do anything but rice, and worse, only one crop of year.

 There was a reason that the NE was the poorest region in this country for decades....

Of course i put there if possible.. its not always possible. It might look as if I don't like farmers (partly true) but that is because i grew up in a farming community and know how militant they can be and often wanted to be bailed out by the government. Just like here in Thailand. I rather have farmers that are doing well so they are not pawns to anyone who offers them the best benefits. 

 

I prefer that they were taught to be self reliant instead dependent on handouts. I of course understand its not always possible but there are also a lot of farmers that are to set in their ways and hate to change. 

[jak2002003]

I have a theory.  Shortage is rice is due to all the rice fields being sold off to developers here in Chiang Mai.

 

Everywhere I go I see more and more fields filled in with red earth awaiting housing developments to be built on them.

 

In my area they have messed up the irrigation ditches so much though poor building planning that they have had problems flooding the fields also, so they converted to other crops instead.

 

It would be interesting to see a satellite image of the area of rice fields in Chiang Mai 10 years ago and then compare it to now.  

Edited February 28, 2018 by jak2002003

[Eric Loh]

31 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

I have a theory.  Shortage is rice is due to all the rice fields being sold off to developers here in Chiang Mai.

 

Everywhere I go I see more and more fields filled in with red earth awaiting housing developments to be built on them.

 

In my area they have messed up the irrigation ditches so much though poor building planning that they have had problems flooding the fields also, so they converted to other crops instead.

 

It would be interesting to see a satellite image of the area of rice fields in Chiang Mai 10 years ago and then compare it to now.  

Jasmine rice price has been rising since early last year. More a demand from middle eastern countries that have stopped buying Basmati rice due to higher price. Supply in Thailand has dwindled down from previous years adding to the price increase on the supply side. I am surprised that the government didn't pick up the price trend and encourage more production. 

[cookieqw]

4 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

And when I lookout I rarely see rice.

Sugarcane, sugarcane ... mono cropping at it's worst.

After burning and shlashing looks like moonscape .

Sugar price falling like a stone.

They will never learn.

 

same same rubber, lots went for it now too much 555

[cookieqw]

2 hours ago, robblok said:

Of course i put there if possible.. its not always possible. It might look as if I don't like farmers (partly true) but that is because i grew up in a farming community and know how militant they can be and often wanted to be bailed out by the government. Just like here in Thailand. I rather have farmers that are doing well so they are not pawns to anyone who offers them the best benefits. 

 

I prefer that they were taught to be self reliant instead dependent on handouts. I of course understand its not always possible but there are also a lot of farmers that are to set in their ways and hate to change. 

you're not French are you ?

[trainman34014]

In the 11 years i've lived here i've seen countless Paddy's filled in and later built on as the young people don't want to take to Farming like their Forefathers did.   Around our way, as  soon as a Farmer dies or wants to retire through ill health etc the younger members of the family take the opportunity to sell for whatever they can get to the greedy developers who gobble up the land to build row after row of Shophouse's or giant Moo Bahn's of 500 Houses plus.    Over development of concrete jungles abounds and it will only get worse.  

 

Rice growing is going right out of fashion in large area's of the country and the chances are Thailand will be importing rice to feed its own people within 10-15 years.

[robblok]

13 minutes ago, cookieqw said:

you're not French are you ?

Hey don't curse. No I am Dutch and they are indeed less militant then the French farmers. 

[ujayujay]

5 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Prayut’s call to the farmers to grow less rice is working like a charm. Those who are smart and chose to ignore him are rubbing their hands with glee now that prices have gone up. Morale of the story is ignore that idiot. 

...and if all ignore him, the price fall to Hell. You are a Economy Genius

[KMartinHandyman]

Where’s that rice pledging scheme when you need it?

[Eric Loh]

13 minutes ago, ujayujay said:

...and if all ignore him, the price fall to Hell. You are a Economy Genius

Read post #8. Learn something. Not too late. 

[farmerjo]

3 hours ago, robblok said:

Of course i put there if possible.. its not always possible. It might look as if I don't like farmers (partly true) but that is because i grew up in a farming community and know how militant they can be and often wanted to be bailed out by the government. Just like here in Thailand. I rather have farmers that are doing well so they are not pawns to anyone who offers them the best benefits. 

 

I prefer that they were taught to be self reliant instead dependent on handouts. I of course understand its not always possible but there are also a lot of farmers that are to set in their ways and hate to change. 

It's a pretty important job growing food for a nation.

[robblok]

1 minute ago, farmerjo said:

It's a pretty important job growing food for a nation.

Guess your a farmer.. not bias or anything.

 

Food you can buy from other countries if you need too. Prices will go up... farmers will start growing food and prices come down again. Nothing special about it. Its just a job like any other and people are in it for the money not to feed a nation. 

 

Example.. no food grown... all is imported.. shortage.. prices go up.. farmers step in and start farming it at home. Its not as if food can't be bought from other countries.. sometimes its even cheaper to do so. Farmers will automatically start farming when prices go up and they think they can make a profit..worst that can happen is that prices go up a lot and a season or a few seasons have to wait for the local market to pick up the slack. 

[farmerjo]

That's a city mentality approach.

No farmers,no food.

[Chang_paarp]

So will the PM and his crew sell some of the stockpile?

[kickstart]

41 minutes ago, robblok said:

Hey don't curse. No I am Dutch and they are indeed less militant then the French farmers. 

So you are Dutch, and Duch dairy farmers, are some of the best in the EU , but what percent of total EU income gets paid to farmers in the form of CAP ,the Common  Agriculture  Policy ,now known as the single farm payment.

Last figures I could find from 2013 39% of EU  budget went on CAP, back in 1984 it was 71% of EU budget.

So sometimes you were living in Holland your farmers where receiving handouts just like our Thai farmers.                     KhunBENQ                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sugarcane price is on the up Thai  friend is getting 900 baht plus a ton, that is if the sugar content is good, and why is they so much sugar cane, the bi-product is molasses ,and now most of that is fermented to make alcohol, which goes on to make gasohol for all our cars and bikes ,we all what cheap fule so we have to put up with the moonscape

Farmers get paid less money per ton for sending burnt cane to the mill ,it is normally burnt as it makes it easier to cut, and the cutters get paid  per bundle of cane cut,  so the cutters make more money, cutters are getting difficult to find ,and if the growers can  make they life easy, and keep them, they will . 

[Justfine]

Don't eat rice or sugar. Humans are more healthy without them. No crisis here.

[Justfine]

1 hour ago, farmerjo said:

It's a pretty important job growing food for a nation.

Yes it is but they keep farming junk like rice and sugarcane which makes people fat and diabetes.

[jak2002003]

13 hours ago, Justfine said:

Don't eat rice or sugar. Humans are more healthy without them. No crisis here.

You are right we are healthier without them.  But the population does need rice and sugar etc to feed the masses.  The rice / sugar is cheap and a provides the basis to the diets of many people because they would not be able to afford to get other more expensive foods.

 

 

[kolkolkol]

Those monies the Shinawatra have been dispensing to the rice farmers are working out for them eventually. Great foresight.

[rickudon]

Here around Udon Thani, half the rice fields are now derelict. Farmers to old to work them, field sizes too small for mechanisation (which they cannot afford) and if you do grow rice, cannot find anyone to harvest it even at 500 baht a day plus food. Only good for filling in and building a house .....

 

My father-in-law gave up last year, well he is 77 years old. His son isn't interested. Anyway, it used to cost as much to till, plant, harvest and thresh as to buy it by the sack anyway.