Posted on 01/09/2013 12:04:19 PM PST by Errant
United Nations agricultural experts are reporting confusion, after figures show that China imported 2.6 million tons of rice in 2012, substantially more than a four-fold increase over the 575,000 tons imported in 2011.
The confusion stems from the fact that there is no obvious reason for vastly increased imports, since there has been no rice shortage in China. The speculation is that Chinese importers are taking advantage of low international prices, but all that means is that China’s own vast supplies of domestically grown rice are being stockpiled.
Why would China suddenly be stockpiling millions of tons of rice for no apparent reason?
Perhaps it’s related to China’s aggressive military buildup and war preparations in the Pacific and in central Asia.
(Excerpt) Read more at shtfplan.com ...
fyi
Ping
what kind of rice?
Making state-subsidized rice ethanol?
Lots of upcoming weddings?
They are in the middle stage of the 2011-2015 plan.
>>The plan is representative of China’s efforts to rebalance its economy, shifting emphasis from investment towards consumption and development from urban and coastal areas toward rural and inland areas - initially by developing small cities and greenfield districts to absorb coastal migration.<<
Central planners stockpile, meet quotas then sit on the couch. If they are planning for a migration back to the interior, they need to feed the masses.
One wonders if our government purchase of 1.5B hollow point rounds is in lieu of rice.
The drought. BTW, when China has drought so does North America. Could be the Chinese see a continuation into 2013 and we should know by late February how bad it will be. Right now it looks really really really really bad. http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/seasonal_drought.html
This isnt likely a 400% jump in stockpile though. Several years ago already we had had a discussion here on FR promted by another large import year. During that period China was claiming to already have enough stockpile for everyone in their country for 7 years. Them being socialists that of course means that there is enough food for those they want to feed and they will let the other 50%+ starve but, that still means they must have a ridiculously large stockpile on hand.
Yea mate, to round-eyed women... I hear there is shortage of Chinese brides due to their one-child policy.
I’m not saying those nice Chinese couldn’t be aggressive, but...
If I were a completely peaceful national leader watching the world’s breadbasket (the USA) doing whatever it could to drive food prices up because ethanol is so, so awesome, I’d be stockpiling basics, too. Makes economic sense. And if the food riots start and the USA can’t cope and you can send food to the starving masses...PR coup, and cheap influence purchased with foreign governments.
So what are we stockpiling? Seems that Obama is drawing down all our stockpiles and reserves, while putting our industry in the gutter. Also making Americans dependent on food handouts. This can’t end well for us. China will be our new overlords, and we’ll learn to love rice (I like the stuff but not if it is all we’ll find to eat when TSHTF).
I wouldn't think so, unless no access to petroleum stocks, which they've already taken steps to ensure doesn't happen.
Well the IRS and DHS, and other federal agencies see to be stockpiling hollow point ammunition. The real question is why?
Maybe they’re building a Budweiser brewery.
Maybe, but that doesn't fully explain the stockpiling of precious metals, iron ore, and other commodities. As the article says, one possibility is the exchange of fiat currencies for things of real value while the prices are low.
Well they’ve been stockpiling this stuff for years, they used a lot of it for the Olympics so it’s been get back time.
Plus all the things you mention they don’t have so it makes perfect sense that they do that. In addition they have been securing oil routes and trying to buy up Australian producers to mitigate supply disruptions.
Not saying this isn’t a concern, but they don’t do anything off plan so it’s not a ‘new’ event.
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