Thailand to benefit from growing world rice demand, market monitors say

[Thai at Heart]

It appears that Thailand is selling the 2013 crop in 2014 in combinatio with 2014 crops to mitigate storage costs for the 2014 stock.

While still having to pay the storage costs for the 2012 crop.

And 2011.

And if what I read is correct from Thaksins time, although this is stored correctly in purpose built silos which will limit deterioration, that these facilities are full is why the pledged crops had to be stored in warehouses.

Should also be remembered that it is normal for countries to keep a stockpile of (in this case rice) staple crops for the countries own use in case of crop failure, this stockpile can be up to a full year local consumption although mostly less. Hence the silos.

That emergency store will be over and above the stockpiled pledged rice.

Nothing on this volume could be stored.in silos.

[realenglish1]

Why is everyone buying into this story. I twas created as propaganda to take some of the pressure off the government

Common people get real

[Thai at Heart]

All I believe is the middle man never makes a loss

.

[tim armstrong]

From what I understand by reading as much as possible on the rice scheme and markets Thailand is now selling the new seasons crop instead of storing it as they have done in the last 2 years.

It is this sale of new seasons rice that has elevated Thailand back to second largest exporter.

In the past rice was sold season by season with most of the surplus (not consumed locally) sold each year, this selling of the annual crop was what kept Thailand in the number one position and ensured a reputation of quality.

Even if Thailand does sell enough each season to bring it back to the past position of quantity and quality it still does not address the stockpiles of old seasons rice for production per season will be enough to satisfy demand.

Yes agree Robbie. I think there will be a quiet but large dumping of stored rice somewhere soon. But as only happens in Thailand I see more humungus storage facilities being built in our area. I guess the reasoning is out of sight out of mind. Maybe someone could come up with the technology to turn the rice into a 'rice block' for building houses ? My BIL still has not been paid for last year's rice .

[soalbundy]

What is needed is a few young uni students from the poor rice growing areas to get their heads together, study the marketing side of the industry. Then form a co-op and move in on the market, killing off the fat cats . Thus getting a good return for their families. But i do not think this will ever happen in Thailand, where its 'every man for himself'

doing things like that can shorten ones life considerably, fat cats have sharp caws.

[caughtintheact]

Understandably, in the main article the FAO is most interested in talking about food volume, not prices.

Rice pledging schemes are unfair to poor consumers, as well as to poor and wealthy farmers. In fact, if the price pledging had been successful, poor people all over the world whose countries import rice as a staple would have paid a higher price, a tax in fact. Is that “fair”? The scheme was not fair to Thai farmers either, except the ones that got paid early, and it would be nice to see a breakdown of where those farmers are located. So it turns out that the attempted price manipulation ended up screwing the Thai farmers it was alleged to help, while not punishing poor rice consumers around the world, because the scheme failed.

If the scheme had worked, would it have been “fair” to help Thai farmers at the expense of millions or billions of the world’s poorest people?

[peterquixote]

yes and the rice is rotten when stored with wet fungus, and rats and filth, buy this won't you

[hawker9000]

Ferment it and make rice wine or some kind of liquor out of it... Or maybe biofuel (even the rotting stuff might be usable). Start a new industry in Thailand!

[louse1953]

Whose going to plant the rice in another 10 years,the kids aren't coming home to do that very hard job.Haven't been paid for the last crop yet,so rice is subsistence crop only for many.

[ableguy]

One hopes that the good rice farmers lot improves and they vote accordingly at the next Thai general elections , (When ever that is) although alarming stats have over a period of time seen some Asian countries coming up to speed with westernized food and are dropping the rice factor and going more towards meats and western junk food, I have seen a general trend over the past twenty years in Thailand of a much more dumpier population, this has side effects in the medical area and with Asian bone structure , is not a good look.

Agree 100 per cent.

[Anon999]

One hopes that the good rice farmers lot improves and they vote accordingly at the next Thai general elections , (When ever that is) although alarming stats have over a period of time seen some Asian countries coming up to speed with westernized food and are dropping the rice factor and going more towards meats and western junk food, I have seen a general trend over the past twenty years in Thailand of a much more dumpier population, this has side effects in the medical area and with Asian bone structure , is not a good look.

Totally agree with you. Whereas tall, fat and obese Thais were pretty rare in the 90's they're becoming more common by the week. A sad reflection on the junk food diet, not to mention Thai sweets of one description or another. Tall is obviously not a problem as everyone gains height over generations as their diet improves.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Anon999

[a99az]

Only if the farmers get the money so they can buy the seed!!!

[Thai at Heart]

One hopes that the good rice farmers lot improves and they vote accordingly at the next Thai general elections , (When ever that is) although alarming stats have over a period of time seen some Asian countries coming up to speed with westernized food and are dropping the rice factor and going more towards meats and western junk food, I have seen a general trend over the past twenty years in Thailand of a much more dumpier population, this has side effects in the medical area and with Asian bone structure , is not a good look.

Agree 100 per cent.

They voted this way hoping it would be better than under the other lot.

Under the other lot, you could lose an arm and a leg. Under this lot, they were promised they might only lose a leg, but it turned out to be an arm and a leg.

If they had a choice they would probably not produce rice at all.

[Thai at Heart]

One hopes that the good rice farmers lot improves and they vote accordingly at the next Thai general elections , (When ever that is) although alarming stats have over a period of time seen some Asian countries coming up to speed with westernized food and are dropping the rice factor and going more towards meats and western junk food, I have seen a general trend over the past twenty years in Thailand of a much more dumpier population, this has side effects in the medical area and with Asian bone structure , is not a good look.

Totally agree with you. Whereas tall, fat and obese Thais were pretty rare in the 90's they're becoming more common by the week. A sad reflection on the junk food diet, not to mention Thai sweets of one description or another. Tall is obviously not a problem as everyone gains height over generations as their diet improves.

Go read the latest literature. It is sugar that is the devil.

And Thailand, chooses rather ironically, to subsidise it. Government sponsored obesity and diabetes. Only in Thailand.

[JRSoul]

Why is everyone buying into this story. I twas created as propaganda to take some of the pressure off the government

Common people get real

A 1.1% increase based on estimates with a much wider margin of error is simply BS to feed the gullible.

[belg]

thailand, the country where farmers are promised almost double the value of the world market, but have to wait many many months to get paid by the governement they voted in as promise that everyone will be rich...

well the rich got seriously richer and the poor are killing themselves as no other way out, apparently