650,000 tons of stockpiled Thai rice declared rotten, to be used as fuel

[graft]

Put into proper perspective, I am not suprised that 4% of the 17 million tons of stored rice spoiled. Even modern grocery markets expect 1%-3% spoilage under ideal storage and monitoring conditions.

The spoliage still should have been lower. The warehouse owners failed their obligation to the government to provide for adequate security of the grains from exposure and infestation. Prayut should sue those owners for the 650,000-690,000 tons of spoiled rice grains. But then he needs them to store new government rice inventories.

This is just the first of many rotten rice disposals

Why would it be the first of many? There is a total of 650,000 tons of stockpiled rice that has been declared rotten, end of story.

However, in October 2014, Prayuth was saying this

Gen. Prayuth told reporters on Tuesday that only about 10% of the 18 million tons of rice he inherited from the administration of former leader Yingluck Shinawatra is in good condition.

About 70% of the stock is of low quality because of poor storage, he said, and about 5% of the rice is so poor that it can’t be sold for consumption. He said about 100,000 tons of rice are missing.

So in June 2015, four to five per cent of the total rice in storage is so poor it can't be used for consumption, 300,000 tons are an 80/20 mix of good rice and Grade C rice and the remaining 54,000 tons are mislabelled, altogether 1,000,000 tons of "inferior" rice.

Yet Prayuth was saying last October that 70% of the stored rice, that's 12,600,000 tons, was of poor quality. Something doesn't add up.........................

[IsaanUSA]

depending on its quality it may not be suitable for fuel either. that is wishful thinking to gain some profit from all this corruption and incompetance

What causes the rice to be not suitable for distilling? I don't understand why they can't make ethanol from the rotten rice.

[sfokevin]

One down... 15 million more to go in the trash heap...

[halloween]

Good news but please burn it id a state electricity generation facility instead of putting it in our petrol. PS I was haranguing on this site over a year ago for exactly this step and I agree with the other poster who said they may find more that cannot be sold and needs the same treatment.

Fuels ain't fuels Sol. Trying to burn this in many power stations will cause nothing but grief, it will have to go to a plant capable of handling it. And I hate to say it, but sometimes the cost of transport makes it a waste or resources, unless there is some political motive.

In the 1990s under pressure from the green lobby, tress knocked down for highway building were chipped and trucked to Bayswater PS (Hunter valley) rather than burnt on-site. Green woodchips were a totally unsuitable fuel for a PF plant even at tiny percentages, blocking classifiers (sizing grids) and the high moisture content dropping transport air temperatures with resultant fuel line jams. An expensive fiasco ordered by a politician to appease even more ignorant busybodies.

[Peterbkk7]

650,000 tons of stockpiled rice declared rotten

What a huge mess. The PTP leaders should be held accountable for this. the thai people who voted for them really got the leaders they deserved.

Funny that even today, this political party run by crooks and liars still has some supporters. Unbelieveable.

Tolerance is a crime when applied to evil. Prayudh had to step in

[rubl]

depending on its quality it may not be suitable for fuel either. that is wishful thinking to gain some profit from all this corruption and incompetance

What causes the rice to be not suitable for distilling? I don't understand why they can't make ethanol from the rotten rice.

When rotten the 'mash' may not contain enough sugars to ferment into ethanol. Also the 'rotten stuff' may be toxic to the yeast normally used for fermentation. That might mean the 'rotten rice' must be 'cleaned' first to leave a mash one could work with.

Depending on the work involved this may not be worthwhile as in costing more than it produces.

At least my understanding, but I never even tried to make moonshine. Maybe we have Kentucky members who know more

[bander]

Well done the Shins!!

Bankrupted Thailand and now food, that could have fed many people, are going to waste.

Hope you sleep well in your ivory-towers!!

How mush was the net profit to the Shins on the rice scheme? Anybody knows?

How is it possible that Thai farmers still worship the Shinawatra clan? Are they all brainwashed?

Did the farmers finally get payed for the rice they delivered or will the get the rotten rice in return as a compensation instead of payment?

Just curious.

[JOC]

Well done the Shins!!

Bankrupted Thailand and now food, that could have fed many people, are going to waste.

Hope you sleep well in your ivory-towers!!

How mush was the net profit to the Shins on the rice scheme? Anybody knows?

How is it possible that Thai farmers still worship the Shinawatra clan? Are they all brainwashed?

Did the farmers finally get payed for the rice they delivered or will the get the rotten rice in return as a compensation instead of payment?

Just curious.

I don't think, that either YL or Thaksin made a single baht personally.

But

They left the till open for their hardcore supporters (lackeys) to help themselves!!

Easier to pay with taxpayer-money than touching your own accounts..............

The real winners within the family were the sister from CM and her appendix Somchai. Owner of a rice-trading business and a listed transport company (WIN).

As far as I know, Prayut & Co have now paid the farmers.

[Thai at Heart]

Put into proper perspective, I am not suprised that 4% of the 17 million tons of stored rice spoiled. Even modern grocery markets expect 1%-3% spoilage under ideal storage and monitoring conditions.

The spoliage still should have been lower. The warehouse owners failed their obligation to the government to provide for adequate security of the grains from exposure and infestation. Prayut should sue those owners for the 650,000-690,000 tons of spoiled rice grains. But then he needs them to store new government rice inventories.

Oh, come on now. Where is the fun in that. Everyone knows that Yingluck should have been out there turning and airing these 20,000,000 tonnes of rice by hand herself. Surely, you can't expect everyone here to think that by owning a warehouse and being paid to warehouse rice, should entail that you do all you can to do the best job you can or be held responsible, since, we all know that Yingluck must be held personally responible for this.

If someone pays you to warehouse something, and it goes mouldy in storage, of course the entity paying the storage is responsible, right????/

[phoenixdoglover]

I just read an article in Reuters from August 2014.

Two points:

1) At that time, the estimated quantity of rotted rice was "nearly 3 million tons" (today 650,000 tons...quite a drop).

2) Ethanol production from rice may not be economically feasible, as current ethanol factories are not designed to use rice (they use molasses and cassava), and with an oversupply of ethanol in Thailand, there is little need for additional production.

So, any other ideas?

Edited June 15, 2015 by phoenixdoglover

[cooked]

Put into proper perspective, I am not suprised that 4% of the 17 million tons of stored rice spoiled. Even modern grocery markets expect 1%-3% spoilage under ideal storage and monitoring conditions.

The spoliage still should have been lower. The warehouse owners failed their obligation to the government to provide for adequate security of the grains from exposure and infestation. Prayut should sue those owners for the 650,000-690,000 tons of spoiled rice grains. But then he needs them to store new government rice inventories.

Oh, come on now. Where is the fun in that. Everyone knows that Yingluck should have been out there turning and airing these 20,000,000 tonnes of rice by hand herself. Surely, you can't expect everyone here to think that by owning a warehouse and being paid to warehouse rice, should entail that you do all you can to do the best job you can or be held responsible, since, we all know that Yingluck must be held personally responible for this.

If someone pays you to warehouse something, and it goes mouldy in storage, of course the entity paying the storage is responsible, right????/

Many of the rice storage facilities were forced to participate in this scheme against their will. I have seen smaller storage places that are completely unsuitable for storing rice from my point of view (and illegally built on public land but that's another story). 4% ? Probably normal for Thailand. 650 000 tons of rice comes to about 10 gm each for the entire population of Thailand.

[geriatrickid]

Well done the Shins!!

Bankrupted Thailand and now food, that could have fed many people, are going to waste.

Hope you sleep well in your ivory-towers!!

Please explain why this is the "shins" fault.

Are you aware that rice and other grains has a high spoilage rate in hot and humid countries? Thailand has always had a problem with its rice storage. You are carrying on as if Thailand never had losses previously. What is being lamented, reflects the typical storage losses.

Did you know that if the moisture content of rice is not reduced to less than 13% and the storage temperature kept at a temperature of less than 15C, rice will go bad? Even at those conditions, it can only be stored for 1 year. Know what else? Much of the rice currently in storage has been harvested within the past year, despite the attempts by some to convince everyone that it goes back years.

Know what else is a problem in Thailand? The warehouses have a tough time keeping the temperature down. Also, much of the damaged rice was stored in a damaged state. Some rice millers didn't declare and sort their damaged rice. Other warehouses accepted rice that wasn't fully dried.

Did you know that rice that has a moisture content greater than 15% and that isn't stored properly goes bad fast. For example if you leave 15% rice in a storage shed with the standard Thai temperature of 30C, that rice is as good as gone in 3 weeks.

How do I know all this trivia? Because rice is one of those grains that holds fungus that grows quickly even when cooked. It's a public health risk that no one wants tot talk about in Thailand. Bet you didn't know that this characteristic is why one should not eat leftover rice that's 48+ hours old. In people with immune system diseases, old rice can cause some serious illness.

It's convenient to blame the previous government for its recycling of a program that was successful when used in 2001. It didn't wok this time. fine, I don't argue against that. However, what I do know is that much of the rice the warehouses and millers are pointing at is rice they processed recently.

I have the feeling that some people are trying to stick the taxpayers with additional losses that are easier to pass as belong to previous harvests than the current deficient milling and storage practices.

Bottom line is that while it is easy to blame the previous government, the millers and warehouse sector have used that blame game to escape their responsibility and to cover up their own questionable business practices.

[tbthailand]

yes, but "lots" of rotten rice makes for great flaming. ....

[Thai at Heart]

Put into proper perspective, I am not suprised that 4% of the 17 million tons of stored rice spoiled. Even modern grocery markets expect 1%-3% spoilage under ideal storage and monitoring conditions.

The spoliage still should have been lower. The warehouse owners failed their obligation to the government to provide for adequate security of the grains from exposure and infestation. Prayut should sue those owners for the 650,000-690,000 tons of spoiled rice grains. But then he needs them to store new government rice inventories.

Oh, come on now. Where is the fun in that. Everyone knows that Yingluck should have been out there turning and airing these 20,000,000 tonnes of rice by hand herself. Surely, you can't expect everyone here to think that by owning a warehouse and being paid to warehouse rice, should entail that you do all you can to do the best job you can or be held responsible, since, we all know that Yingluck must be held personally responible for this.

If someone pays you to warehouse something, and it goes mouldy in storage, of course the entity paying the storage is responsible, right????/

Many of the rice storage facilities were forced to participate in this scheme against their will. I have seen smaller storage places that are completely unsuitable for storing rice from my point of view (and illegally built on public land but that's another story). 4% ? Probably normal for Thailand. 650 000 tons of rice comes to about 10 gm each for the entire population of Thailand.

Forced against their will? I presume their will extended to refusing payment for the storage?

I know there are hundreds of thousands of warehouses in Thailand that have no place storing rice for extended periods. But do you honestly buy the line they were forced against their will to put stuff in their warehouse for a fee. I said all along that the wastage would be massive just because of the climate, so 650,000 MT out of what is left is actually a very small amount after 4 years of the scheme.

[cooked]

Put into proper perspective, I am not suprised that 4% of the 17 million tons of stored rice spoiled. Even modern grocery markets expect 1%-3% spoilage under ideal storage and monitoring conditions.

The spoliage still should have been lower. The warehouse owners failed their obligation to the government to provide for adequate security of the grains from exposure and infestation. Prayut should sue those owners for the 650,000-690,000 tons of spoiled rice grains. But then he needs them to store new government rice inventories.

Oh, come on now. Where is the fun in that. Everyone knows that Yingluck should have been out there turning and airing these 20,000,000 tonnes of rice by hand herself. Surely, you can't expect everyone here to think that by owning a warehouse and being paid to warehouse rice, should entail that you do all you can to do the best job you can or be held responsible, since, we all know that Yingluck must be held personally responible for this.

If someone pays you to warehouse something, and it goes mouldy in storage, of course the entity paying the storage is responsible, right????/

Many of the rice storage facilities were forced to participate in this scheme against their will. I have seen smaller storage places that are completely unsuitable for storing rice from my point of view (and illegally built on public land but that's another story). 4% ? Probably normal for Thailand. 650 000 tons of rice comes to about 10 gm each for the entire population of Thailand.

Forced against their will? I presume their will extended to refusing payment for the storage?

I know there are hundreds of thousands of warehouses in Thailand that have no place storing rice for extended periods. But do you honestly buy the line they were forced against their will to put stuff in their warehouse for a fee. I said all along that the wastage would be massive just because of the climate, so 650,000 MT out of what is left is actually a very small amount after 4 years of the scheme.

You sound a bit out of touch. Many of these smaller semi-illegal storage facilities were making tons of money before having to submit to the bureaucracy of this scheme. They knew that they were going to make less money under this scheme which is why so much corruption and working around of the rules took place. Yes they accepted the fees for storage and they sometimes 'stored' three times the amount that a simple calculation would show that they could store. There is one such place in our village and nothing has gone in there or out of there for three years. God knows what the condition of the rice is, maybe there is nothing in there at all.

[Thai at Heart]

You sound a bit out of touch. Many of these smaller semi-illegal storage facilities were making tons of money before having to submit to the bureaucracy of this scheme. They knew that they were going to make less money under this scheme which is why so much corruption and working around of the rules took place. Yes they accepted the fees for storage and they sometimes 'stored' three times the amount that a simple calculation would show that they could store. There is one such place in our village and nothing has gone in there or out of there for three years. God knows what the condition of the rice is, maybe there is nothing in there at all.

How would they know they were going to make less money? As in comparison with carrying out what type of business?

They have had a full building for 3 or 4 years, and have billed accordingly.

[Robby nz]

Put into proper perspective, I am not suprised that 4% of the 17 million tons of stored rice spoiled. Even modern grocery markets expect 1%-3% spoilage under ideal storage and monitoring conditions.

The spoliage still should have been lower. The warehouse owners failed their obligation to the government to provide for adequate security of the grains from exposure and infestation. Prayut should sue those owners for the 650,000-690,000 tons of spoiled rice grains. But then he needs them to store new government rice inventories.

This is just the first of many rotten rice disposals

Why would it be the first of many? There is a total of 650,000 tons of stockpiled rice that has been declared rotten, end of story.

However, in October 2014, Prayuth was saying this

Gen. Prayuth told reporters on Tuesday that only about 10% of the 18 million tons of rice he inherited from the administration of former leader Yingluck Shinawatra is in good condition.

About 70% of the stock is of low quality because of poor storage, he said, and about 5% of the rice is so poor that it can’t be sold for consumption. He said about 100,000 tons of rice are missing.

So in June 2015, four to five per cent of the total rice in storage is so poor it can't be used for consumption, 300,000 tons are an 80/20 mix of good rice and Grade C rice and the remaining 54,000 tons are mislabelled, altogether 1,000,000 tons of "inferior" rice.

Yet Prayuth was saying last October that 70% of the stored rice, that's 12,600,000 tons, was of poor quality. Something doesn't add up.........................

Perhaps what doesn't add up is your lack of understanding that "Poor quality" and "Rotten" are different things.

[mmh8]

 

Well done the Shins!!

Bankrupted Thailand and now food, that could have fed many people, are going to waste.

Hope you sleep well in your ivory-towers!!

Please explain why this is the "shins" fault.

Are you aware that rice and other grains has a high spoilage rate in hot and humid countries? Thailand has always had a problem with its rice storage. You are carrying on as if Thailand never had losses previously. What is being lamented, reflects the typical storage losses.

Did you know that if the moisture content of rice is not reduced to less than 13% and the storage temperature kept at a temperature of less than 15C, rice will go bad? Even at those conditions, it can only be stored for 1 year. Know what else? Much of the rice currently in storage has been harvested within the past year, despite the attempts by some to convince everyone that it goes back years.

Know what else is a problem in Thailand? The warehouses have a tough time keeping the temperature down. Also, much of the damaged rice was stored in a damaged state. Some rice millers didn't declare and sort their damaged rice. Other warehouses accepted rice that wasn't fully dried.

Did you know that rice that has a moisture content greater than 15% and that isn't stored properly goes bad fast. For example if you leave 15% rice in a storage shed with the standard Thai temperature of 30C, that rice is as good as gone in 3 weeks.

How do I know all this trivia? Because rice is one of those grains that holds fungus that grows quickly even when cooked. It's a public health risk that no one wants tot talk about in Thailand. Bet you didn't know that this characteristic is why one should not eat leftover rice that's 48+ hours old. In people with immune system diseases, old rice can cause some serious illness.

It's convenient to blame the previous government for its recycling of a program that was successful when used in 2001. It didn't wok this time. fine, I don't argue against that. However, what I do know is that much of the rice the warehouses and millers are pointing at is rice they processed recently.

I have the feeling that some people are trying to stick the taxpayers with additional losses that are easier to pass as belong to previous harvests than the current deficient milling and storage practices.

Bottom line is that while it is easy to blame the previous government, the millers and warehouse sector have used that blame game to escape their responsibility and to cover up their own questionable business practices.

 

I can help here, the shins fault since this rice could have been sold as normal through normal channels , i.e. through middle men to beg grain polishers / exporters etc, instead it got sold multiple times, it was often inferior rice before it was stockpiled, not always thai rice, stocks from previous years that the holders wre unsure of what to do with.

There is little more that could have been done to further damage the Thai rice trade other than a newspoaper report to state Thai rice found to be packed with anthrax, borax, or name your toxin to increase weight in latest money making scheme by rich family the shinnies

[SABloke]

Put into proper perspective, I am not suprised that 4% of the 17 million tons of stored rice spoiled. Even modern grocery markets expect 1%-3% spoilage under ideal storage and monitoring conditions.

The spoliage still should have been lower. The warehouse owners failed their obligation to the government to provide for adequate security of the grains from exposure and infestation. Prayut should sue those owners for the 650,000-690,000 tons of spoiled rice grains. But then he needs them to store new government rice inventories.

IF there was 17 million tonnes Remember all the 'hollow' rice stacks that were discovered after the coup. Sure, we paid for 17 million tonnes...and...well that's all the Yingluck government ever told us

[Pimay1]

depending on its quality it may not be suitable for fuel either. that is wishful thinking to gain some profit from all this corruption and incompetance

What causes the rice to be not suitable for distilling? I don't understand why they can't make ethanol from the rotten rice.

When rotten the 'mash' may not contain enough sugars to ferment into ethanol. Also the 'rotten stuff' may be toxic to the yeast normally used for fermentation. That might mean the 'rotten rice' must be 'cleaned' first to leave a mash one could work with.

Depending on the work involved this may not be worthwhile as in costing more than it produces.

At least my understanding, but I never even tried to make moonshine. Maybe we have Kentucky members who know more

You are close rubl. As rice is a starch it can be converted to sugar and used to make moonshine. The issue with rotten rice is that when rice rots the starch turns into sulfide. If you tried to use it I suppose the worst case scenario is you might end up with some form of sulfur mustard (mustard gas).

On that thought I might send my ex-wife an email asking her to make up a batch and see what happens

Edited June 16, 2015 by Pimay1

[samuibeachcomber]

Send a bill for the losses to the camel herder in Dubai.

For sure,pheu thai rice pledgeing scheme has done this.

[halloween]

Please explain why this is the "shins" fault.

Are you aware that rice and other grains has a high spoilage rate in hot and humid countries? Thailand has always had a problem with its rice storage. You are carrying on as if Thailand never had losses previously. What is being lamented, reflects the typical storage losses.

Did you know that if the moisture content of rice is not reduced to less than 13% and the storage temperature kept at a temperature of less than 15C, rice will go bad? Even at those conditions, it can only be stored for 1 year. Know what else? Much of the rice currently in storage has been harvested within the past year, despite the attempts by some to convince everyone that it goes back years.

Know what else is a problem in Thailand? The warehouses have a tough time keeping the temperature down. Also, much of the damaged rice was stored in a damaged state. Some rice millers didn't declare and sort their damaged rice. Other warehouses accepted rice that wasn't fully dried.

Did you know that rice that has a moisture content greater than 15% and that isn't stored properly goes bad fast. For example if you leave 15% rice in a storage shed with the standard Thai temperature of 30C, that rice is as good as gone in 3 weeks.

How do I know all this trivia? Because rice is one of those grains that holds fungus that grows quickly even when cooked. It's a public health risk that no one wants tot talk about in Thailand. Bet you didn't know that this characteristic is why one should not eat leftover rice that's 48+ hours old. In people with immune system diseases, old rice can cause some serious illness.

It's convenient to blame the previous government for its recycling of a program that was successful when used in 2001. It didn't wok this time. fine, I don't argue against that. However, what I do know is that much of the rice the warehouses and millers are pointing at is rice they processed recently.

I have the feeling that some people are trying to stick the taxpayers with additional losses that are easier to pass as belong to previous harvests than the current deficient milling and storage practices.

Bottom line is that while it is easy to blame the previous government, the millers and warehouse sector have used that blame game to escape their responsibility and to cover up their own questionable business practices.

Gladly!

Total volume of spoiled rice = spoilage rate (has anything changed lately) x volume of rice (17,000,000 tonnes)

The next bit is harder - whose fault is it that there are 17,000,000 tonnes of rice in storage? Who paid above market price during a world glut, encouraging farmers to plant low quality crops and to use marginal land?

[dickyknee]

"300,000 tons are an 80:20 mix of good quality rice and Grade C rice, and the remaining 54,000 tons are white rice mislabeled as jasmine and sticky rice."

Mislabelled? Now why would it be mislabelled?

Edited June 16, 2015 by dickyknee

[ginjag]

Well done the Shins!!

Bankrupted Thailand and now food, that could have fed many people, are going to waste.

Hope you sleep well in your ivory-towers!!

Please explain why this is the "shins" fault.

Are you aware that rice and other grains has a high spoilage rate in hot and humid countries? Thailand has always had a problem with its rice storage. You are carrying on as if Thailand never had losses previously. What is being lamented, reflects the typical storage losses.

Did you know that if the moisture content of rice is not reduced to less than 13% and the storage temperature kept at a temperature of less than 15C, rice will go bad? Even at those conditions, it can only be stored for 1 year. Know what else? Much of the rice currently in storage has been harvested within the past year, despite the attempts by some to convince everyone that it goes back years.

Know what else is a problem in Thailand? The warehouses have a tough time keeping the temperature down. Also, much of the damaged rice was stored in a damaged state. Some rice millers didn't declare and sort their damaged rice. Other warehouses accepted rice that wasn't fully dried.

Did you know that rice that has a moisture content greater than 15% and that isn't stored properly goes bad fast. For example if you leave 15% rice in a storage shed with the standard Thai temperature of 30C, that rice is as good as gone in 3 weeks.

How do I know all this trivia? Because rice is one of those grains that holds fungus that grows quickly even when cooked. It's a public health risk that no one wants tot talk about in Thailand. Bet you didn't know that this characteristic is why one should not eat leftover rice that's 48+ hours old. In people with immune system diseases, old rice can cause some serious illness.

It's convenient to blame the previous government for its recycling of a program that was successful when used in 2001. It didn't wok this time. fine, I don't argue against that. However, what I do know is that much of the rice the warehouses and millers are pointing at is rice they processed recently.

I have the feeling that some people are trying to stick the taxpayers with additional losses that are easier to pass as belong to previous harvests than the current deficient milling and storage practices.

Bottom line is that while it is easy to blame the previous government, the millers and warehouse sector have used that blame game to escape their responsibility and to cover up their own questionable business practices.

6 Paragraphs of complete denial. Party in power--PTP coalition ---PM. Yingluck---Shin operated. Rice chairperson Yingluck.

Are you trying to throw the posters off track with your normal B/S. it doe's not work now--it's old hat--now even Thailand knows what happened. So are your posts just for new posters hoping to win their support ??? outdated rubbish now are your thoughts on the ex government and it's non governing.

[rubl]

Well, I guess bottom line is that the Government failed to implement safeguards, failed to listen to warnings, failed in this and that. Sure millers and warehouse owners get some of the blame and those caught some of the penalty. Any info on the large number of new warehouses the government were offered for use when the normal ones were stuffed? How much rice was actually stored in Don Muang Airport on governments advise, if any that is?

[Valentine]

Put into proper perspective, I am not suprised that 4% of the 17 million tons of stored rice spoiled. Even modern grocery markets expect 1%-3% spoilage under ideal storage and monitoring conditions.

The spoliage still should have been lower. The warehouse owners failed their obligation to the government to provide for adequate security of the grains from exposure and infestation. Prayut should sue those owners for the 650,000-690,000 tons of spoiled rice grains. But then he needs them to store new government rice inventories.

It is only rice stored by the PWO. There must be many other private storage facilities with rotten rice as well. Another newspaper reported that government will make a decision on selling 13 million tons of rice for industrial use.

[Thai at Heart]

Please explain why this is the "shins" fault.

Are you aware that rice and other grains has a high spoilage rate in hot and humid countries? Thailand has always had a problem with its rice storage. You are carrying on as if Thailand never had losses previously. What is being lamented, reflects the typical storage losses.

Did you know that if the moisture content of rice is not reduced to less than 13% and the storage temperature kept at a temperature of less than 15C, rice will go bad? Even at those conditions, it can only be stored for 1 year. Know what else? Much of the rice currently in storage has been harvested within the past year, despite the attempts by some to convince everyone that it goes back years.

Know what else is a problem in Thailand? The warehouses have a tough time keeping the temperature down. Also, much of the damaged rice was stored in a damaged state. Some rice millers didn't declare and sort their damaged rice. Other warehouses accepted rice that wasn't fully dried.

Did you know that rice that has a moisture content greater than 15% and that isn't stored properly goes bad fast. For example if you leave 15% rice in a storage shed with the standard Thai temperature of 30C, that rice is as good as gone in 3 weeks.

How do I know all this trivia? Because rice is one of those grains that holds fungus that grows quickly even when cooked. It's a public health risk that no one wants tot talk about in Thailand. Bet you didn't know that this characteristic is why one should not eat leftover rice that's 48+ hours old. In people with immune system diseases, old rice can cause some serious illness.

It's convenient to blame the previous government for its recycling of a program that was successful when used in 2001. It didn't wok this time. fine, I don't argue against that. However, what I do know is that much of the rice the warehouses and millers are pointing at is rice they processed recently.

I have the feeling that some people are trying to stick the taxpayers with additional losses that are easier to pass as belong to previous harvests than the current deficient milling and storage practices.

Bottom line is that while it is easy to blame the previous government, the millers and warehouse sector have used that blame game to escape their responsibility and to cover up their own questionable business practices.

Gladly!

Total volume of spoiled rice = spoilage rate (has anything changed lately) x volume of rice (17,000,000 tonnes)

The next bit is harder - whose fault is it that there are 17,000,000 tonnes of rice in storage? Who paid above market price during a world glut, encouraging farmers to plant low quality crops and to use marginal land?

That is what they have on hand now. The total scheme lasted 3 crops I believe, and the total volume was above 70mn tonnes unprocessed, if I remember correctly.

Basically, all the good stuff must have gone by now and they are down to the dregs.

[rubl]

Please explain why this is the "shins" fault.

Are you aware that rice and other grains has a high spoilage rate in hot and humid countries? Thailand has always had a problem with its rice storage. You are carrying on as if Thailand never had losses previously. What is being lamented, reflects the typical storage losses.

Did you know that if the moisture content of rice is not reduced to less than 13% and the storage temperature kept at a temperature of less than 15C, rice will go bad? Even at those conditions, it can only be stored for 1 year. Know what else? Much of the rice currently in storage has been harvested within the past year, despite the attempts by some to convince everyone that it goes back years.

Know what else is a problem in Thailand? The warehouses have a tough time keeping the temperature down. Also, much of the damaged rice was stored in a damaged state. Some rice millers didn't declare and sort their damaged rice. Other warehouses accepted rice that wasn't fully dried.

Did you know that rice that has a moisture content greater than 15% and that isn't stored properly goes bad fast. For example if you leave 15% rice in a storage shed with the standard Thai temperature of 30C, that rice is as good as gone in 3 weeks.

How do I know all this trivia? Because rice is one of those grains that holds fungus that grows quickly even when cooked. It's a public health risk that no one wants tot talk about in Thailand. Bet you didn't know that this characteristic is why one should not eat leftover rice that's 48+ hours old. In people with immune system diseases, old rice can cause some serious illness.

It's convenient to blame the previous government for its recycling of a program that was successful when used in 2001. It didn't wok this time. fine, I don't argue against that. However, what I do know is that much of the rice the warehouses and millers are pointing at is rice they processed recently.

I have the feeling that some people are trying to stick the taxpayers with additional losses that are easier to pass as belong to previous harvests than the current deficient milling and storage practices.

Bottom line is that while it is easy to blame the previous government, the millers and warehouse sector have used that blame game to escape their responsibility and to cover up their own questionable business practices.

Gladly!

Total volume of spoiled rice = spoilage rate (has anything changed lately) x volume of rice (17,000,000 tonnes)

The next bit is harder - whose fault is it that there are 17,000,000 tonnes of rice in storage? Who paid above market price during a world glut, encouraging farmers to plant low quality crops and to use marginal land?

That is what they have on hand now. The total scheme lasted 3 crops I believe, and the total volume was above 70mn tonnes unprocessed, if I remember correctly.

Basically, all the good stuff must have gone by now and they are down to the dregs.

The scheme lasted from 2011-10-07 till 'begin' of 2014. That would be about six crops. Final figures unclear, but I also remember about 65 or so million tonnes around mid-2013. Total would be 70++ million tonnes.

Like you I would also assume the 'good' stuff has been sold already. Remaining is the 'tainted' stuff, the less than documented quality stuff and even some normal stuff which might be difficult to sell because government official are reluctant to sell at a loss fearing to be taken to account personally.

[willyumiii]

" 54,000 tons are white rice mislabeled as jasmine and sticky rice."

​Mislabeled?

How does that happen?

An interesting tidbit of information...

Maybe not food for people or livestock...

But definitely food for thought!

Edited June 19, 2015 by willyumiii