Posted on 02/26/2012 7:55:56 AM PST by MBT ARJUN
DAYTON, Texas - The talk of the day among Ray Stoesser and other rice farmers is Iraq's decision not to buy U.S. rice, a stinging move that adds to a stressful year punctuated by everything from drought to unusual heat. Stoesser and other farmers know Iraqis struggled during the U.S. invasion and subsequent occupation. They know most countries , and people , buy based on price. But at the moment, with production costs rising, export markets shrinking and rice prices dropping, it's difficult to be rational and suppress emotions so intimately intertwined with their land and livelihood. "That's just not right," the 63-year-old Stoesser fumed. "If we've got some rice to sell, they ought to pay a premium for it just because this is the country that freed them." Iraq imports most of its rice, about 1 million metric tons per year, making it a significant player in the global market. In the past decade, about 10 percent to 15 percent of that total came from the United States. But Iraq hasn't bought any U.S. rice since late 2010. "You would think with all that we've done over there, there would be a way to get them to do business with us," said Ronald Gertson, who grows rice in Lissie, Texas. Iraq has been buying instead from Asia and South America, and it recently lowered its quality standards so it would be able to buy rice from India, something that was impossible under the Iraqi Grain Board's old rules, said Andy Aaronson, chairman of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rice Interagency Commodity Estimate Committee. It also recently bought rice from Uruguay, which grows a variety similar to the American one but sold for less.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
It sounds like these farmers, much like other manufacturers/suppliers of American war goods, got used to the largess of the US government and now they think it's their right.
Agreed 100%.
For Americans to complain about this is rich, for coming from a country which is the biggest buyer and enabler of the lowest common denominator-based pricing seller - China.
If Americans didn’t think just as the Iraqis did, they wouldn’t be buying Chinese junk by the trillions, at all.
More complaints against vestiges of a free market from the bipartisan, socialist political class in our US debt regime. The teachers and regulators in his family are probably also complaining in roundabout ways about their perceptions of shortfalls in federal government intervention/contributions.
You’d think that more of the real, enlisted combat soldiers he’s taking the credit for would be allowed to do jobs and live in homes with whole families but not in this politically correct, socialist debt regime administered by born regulators.
Gee Mr Subsidized Agribiz ! We are so surprised that the Iraqis stabbed you in the back, ...Now give the “little man” farmers and his heirs their family farms back to lighten up your “Karma”
Yes.... I remember such as well. Stay safe T !
LOL! That's not how a free market works!
There so much stupidity in the comments here.. tell me, how many of you red-blooded Americans dont buy Chinese good cos its cheaper? How many of you drive Japanese cars??
Would you pay $10 for a kilo of rice or $2 for the same but different origin if you were the buyer and save $8??
At times freepers talk no sense..
"Whitey owes me" goes international. :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.