Posted on 04/23/2008 3:39:19 PM PDT by chessplayer
NEW YORK, April 23 (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc's (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Sam's Club warehouse division said on Wednesday it is limiting sales of several types of rice, the latest sign that fears of a rice shortage are rippling around the world.
Sam's Club, the No. 2 U.S. warehouse club operator, is limiting sales of the 20-pound (9 kg), bulk bags of rice to four bags per customer per visit, and is working with suppliers to ensure the products remain in stock.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I just bought a 10 pound bag of Thai rice called “Elephant Brand.” Gonna buy several more. It’s cheaper to buy the big bags, but the thing I liked about this brand is that it was vacuum packed. Should stay fresh and dry for a very long time.
More media crap!
The average American eats 9 kg (just under 20 lbs.) of rice per year. That means that America consumes about 3 million tons of rice per year. However, America PRODUCES OVER 8 MILLION TONS PER YEAR.
Unless Americans TRIPLE their rice consumption, there will NEVER be a rice shortage.
http://www.irri.org/science/cnyinfo/united%20states.asp
1. Raise the price of a product
2. Announce you are limiting the amount a person can buy of that product
3. Make $$$$
But the beer industry uses 5 million tons. Now we're talking about a SERIOUS problem.
We EXPORT more rice than we eat.
No Rice Wine?
Bummer - it’s kinda’ fun sippin’ them small china cups.
There’s a sucker born every minute.
I think everyone needs to stock up on Green Chile. It is good for you and will season the rice quite well and I happen to grow it too.
I had the same thought. We do eat a lot of rice, but I buy one bag at a time at Costco and it takes a loooong time to get through it. Four bags of rice is SO MUCH rice. The only people who would be realistically affected by this are people who own small restaurants.
Well, if you claim there’s a shortage, double the price and limit each person to a mere 200 pounds of green chile, you will make a fortune.
We switched to sticky rice, and I freeze the leftovers as onigiri. They nuke up in a minute and taste great. We go through a lot less rice that way.
A news report yesterday said what’s really going on is a rice shortage in Asia. People with relatives in southeast Asia are buying pallets of rice and shipping it to their relatives. It doesn’t really affect the average American.
As a senior, I can remember this fun from the 70s.
First gas lines formed because of the Arab Oil embargo and govt price controls on gas.
Next it was toilet paper (totally bogus shortage).
Now we have the internet where any half baked idea can be spread in a matter of hours.
I don’t care if you drill through his head or through his n*ts, just let him shut up about things he knows nothing about.
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.