We were grocery shopping at See Woo yesterday. When I noticed a sign restricting rice sales to a maximum of six bags per customer, I assumed they'd been let down by a supplier. We're less than half-way through a 10kg bag so didn't buy any. While surfing the net at work today I found this story: Costco limit rice purchases as prices rise which suggests future supplies may be in doubt.

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At Bangkok Center Grocery, one of the main suppliers of Thai food products in New York City, manager Tom Pongsopon said the price of a 25-pound bag of Jasmine rice at his Chinatown store has gone up from $15 to $20 in a matter of months.

Relentless demand from developing countries and poor crop yields have pushed rice prices up 70 percent so far this year, raising concerns of severe shortages of the staple food consumed by almost half the world's population.

Thaiboi and I have just been talking about stockpiling some rice here at home. We've decided that we're going to buy an extra three 10kg bags of rice to store at the bottom of a cupboard in case there is a shortage. That's about six months supply. It looks like any shortage will only be temporary, but the price of increased supplies may rise sharply. Having a few extra bags in the house will give some us peace of mind that we're not going to go hungry. My mashed potatoes are not very popular around here.

Here's another related story:

Global food crisis looms as Asia's rice bowl empties and world price soars

Same here......... had to pop down our local wholesaler's today and pick up some sticky rice for Su....

Usually £4.50 for 2 Kg bag
Today £6.90

Lidl still have 1kg bags of Thai Jasmine rice at 79p .... well they had yesterday when I replenished our supplies.

Prior to Lidl stocking this rice, we used to buy 10kg bags from Wing Yip, for nearly £10 per bag. But this rice from Lidl is cheaper, and is good quality!

What happended to the food mountain? I'm sure it's still out there and it's just people that can exploiting situations (exagerating situations) for a good reason to boost the coffers for people that have (not lost) had share values decrease due to over speculation. bad investment and ruthless expolitation. A return on a few million these days is not what it used to be.

Fuel, wheat, rice prices all increasing, in these days of technology and knowledge it's a wonder we are not all starving and lacking in essentials. Might stop driving next week and with the money save by myself a plasma TV. Amazing when luxuries are more affordable than essentials!

India, last month cut back on its rice export but Thailand has assured world Trade that it will not be joining suit, however the price has risen greatly, this is forcast to drop again when the grain harvests come on line. Australia and India are expecting good grain (Wheat) harvests.

Reported in the International Herald Tribune

The collapse of Australia's rice production is one of several factors contributing to a doubling of rice prices in the last three months — increases that have led the world's largest exporters to restrict exports severely, spurred panicked hoarding in Hong Kong and the Philippines, and set off violent protests in countries including Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, the Philippines, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

Obviously they missed Reading Berkshire off the list

Reported in the Bangkok Post

A sharp increase in rice prices has caused a shortage of the staple in some southern provinces because stockpiles have bypassed local millers and been bought up by big mill from the central provinces at higher prices.
This way, middlemen will enjoy a huge profit of about 5,000 baht per tonne,

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Mingkwan Sangsuwan said on Friday that if the present trend continued, the price of Thai Hom Mali rice could exceed 30,000 baht per tonne in the next few months, up from 15,000. The world is experiencing a food crisis.

Farmers in Phatthalung, sold 70% of their paddy two months ago when paddy prices were only between 6,000 and 8,500 baht per tonne. At the moment, paddy prices are over 10,000 baht per tonne.

Food shortages are only going to get worse! I saw a TV programme recently that mentioned that the average Chinese person eats just one egg per week at the moment. But the Chinese government estimates this will increase to two eggs per week in the foreseeable future.

OK, nothing wrong with that, at first glance, except in order to feed all those extra chickens, laying all those extra eggs, it will take the equivalent to the whole of the Canadian grain harvest to feed them!

I fear we are getting close to the point where the capacity of the world to produce food is going to limit future population growth. Or put it another way, people starving to death or being malnourished, will stop them reproducing so much. That is, whilst the world's population is estimated to double again by 2050, in fact that will just not happen.

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whilst the world's population is estimated to double again by 2050, in fact that will just not happen.

Are you sure?

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Or put it another way, people starving to death or being malnourished, will stop them reproducing so much.

A Mathusian prophecy of doom John? I'm sure others of a different political bent to yourself will latch on to it

But back on topic-maybe Cliff will start hoarding petrol too

There's no real signs of any shortage here on a day to day basis. All the food vendors are still at the same prices they were when I arrived.

25Baht for pork fried rice from the best one.....

Gordon Brown will save us.

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Originally posted by rolyshark:
But back on topic-maybe Cliff will start hoarding petrol too

Don't be ridiculous, Steve. I've converted my car to run on oyster sauce.

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Don't be ridiculous, Steve. I've converted my car to run on oyster sauce.

It must be a Hoyundai then...

Ho ho ho! Back to rice and here's a video I found on You Tube about the rice shortage:

Specter of Food Rationing Hits US Supermarkets

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I fear we are getting close to the point where the capacity of the world to produce food is going to limit future population growth. Or put it another way, people starving to death or being malnourished, will stop them reproducing so much. That is, whilst the world's population is estimated to double again by 2050, in fact that will just not happen

You've hit the nail on the head John. The only way out of this for future generations is to reduce our numbers on the planet. It's the obvious solution to food shortages, global warming etc., but you won't won't see many of these useless poll-watching politicians talking about it.
For my part, if I am around in 2050, I'll be 98, and all I'll need is a nice nurse and a pack of extra large nappies !

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Originally posted by John:
Lidl still have 1kg bags of Thai Jasmine rice at 79p .... well they had yesterday when I replenished our supplies.

Prior to Lidl stocking this rice, we used to buy 10kg bags from Wing Yip, for nearly £10 per bag. But this rice from Lidl is cheaper, and is good quality!

Yes Lidl in Rugby yesterday, had 79p bags still.....well until we arrived anyway...Panee bought it all

I got a couple of bags of rice at Lidl during the week. At 79p a kg, it's half the price See Woo are charging. Thaiboi has given the Lidl rice his official nod of approval so I'll be back on Tuesday to buy some more! Meanwhile, See Woo has increased the price since I started this thread: a 10kg bag of 3 Elephant Thai Hom Mali (Jasmine) rice has gone up to £14.00 (£1.40 per kg). A yellow 10kg bag of Phoenix Thai Hom Mali is currently £17.00. The maximum bags per customer have been reduced to three each. How long can Lidl keep their price at 79p?

Looks like Lidl is the cheapest then.

Popped into Costco in Derby the other day and checked the rice situation for rationing and price.
Thai Jasmin rice (Peacock Brand new crop) was available at £1.05 per kilo in 10kg sacks. There was a limit imposed as follows-
"Subject to availability rice purchases are limited to one pallet per membership and not per card until further notice".

I estimated one pallet to be around 90 sacks ie 900 kilos! If I put the back seat down, I could just about get one in the Clio

The price in Sainsburys seemed to be £3.98 per kilo.

We went to Thai Smile near Hammersmith today. They wanted £19.95 for 10 kilos

I don't think I would be smiling if I had to pay £19.95.

We bought a 10 Kg bag of Tilda fragrant rice in the Woo Sang supermarket in Manchester china town for £12.95 on Sunday.

Lee

What happened to the food mountains that we had in Europe because of the CAP. Are they still their?
I find all these food shortage scare stories very interesting, why the sudden announcements, has the planet doubled in size all of a sudden? Maybe another way for Governments and large multinationals (Monsanto) to frighten people to finally accept GM crops. Problem , \reaction , solution