Grain prices soar globally (Governments Curb Exports, Fight Theft)

CS Monitor ^ | 03/27/08 | Daniel Ten Kate

[TigerLikesRooster]

Grain prices soar globally

Rice shortages are appearing across Asia. In Egypt, the Army is now baking bread to curb food riots.

By Daniel Ten Kate | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor from the March 27, 2008 edition

Bangkok, Thailand - - Rice farmers here are staying awake in shifts at night to guard their fields from thieves. In Peru, shortages of wheat flour are prompting the military to make bread with potato flour, a native crop. In Egypt, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso food riots have broken out in the past week.

Around the world, governments and aid groups are grappling with the escalating cost of basic grains. In December, 37 countries faced a food crisis, reports the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), and 20 nations had imposed some form of food-price controls.

In Asia, where rice is on every plate, prices are shooting up almost daily. Premium Thai fragrant rice now costs $900 per ton, a nearly 30 percent rise from a month ago.

Exporters say the price could eclipse $1,000 per ton by June. Similarly, prices of white rice have climbed about 50 percent since January to $600 per ton and are projected to jump another 40 percent to $800 per ton in April.

[Obadiah]

And, sadly, the sheeple will demand it...

Exactly what will happen. If this country elects Obama, or Hillary, we will get exactly what the majority have begged for. We will have sold our birth right for a bowl of lentils.

[gunnyg]

The hops shortage wasn’t bad enough—here’s another opportunity to crank up the beer prices again/yet!!!!!

[tbw2]

We should end both the farm subsidies (that drive up prices and government spending) and ethanol subsidies (drive up prices).

[Farmer Dean]

So exports will be down then?400 thousand tons equals 15.7 million bushels.We expect to export 24.5 million bushels this year if the USDA figures hold up.

[montag813]

Wheat has continued lower since the double-top a few weeks ago.

As has Soybeans...

While corn has rebounded...

Essentially, because of crude linkages from the madness of Ethanol...

Note: The above are all live data

[M. Espinola]

On Tuesday (April 1st, 2008) a number of interstate/instate truck drivers, who are paying far more for fuel than motorists, have stated they will stage a one day strike and that's just for starters.

In addition to soaring grain commodity prices, supermarket prices could get a lot more expensive contingent on truckers strikes expanding.

Even if the Fed continues printing billions & trillions of inflated dollars, it will not resolve mounting food prices.

[headstamp 2]

“A truckers’ strike would be serious, in the short-term — the reports I’ve been seeing about independent owner-operators parking their trucks and going out of business might have catastrophic long-term implications......”

We’ll just get the Mexican truckers to do it.......

[Free Vulcan]

I didn’t realize we used the whole kernel of corn to make ethanol. I thought only the sugars in corn were needed.

[Western Phil]

Here are today’s prices paid to the farmer in Nebraska - don’t know who gets the CBD prices.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/WH_GR111.txt

[mamelukesabre]

Yeah, you left out the massive crop failures in europe and elsewhere last year. I think I read china had some major crop failures too, due to cold weather. But those were more recent. It’s kind of a sick twisted logic, but pushing massive ethanol production might be the best way to get people to overthrow oppressive governments. When they’ve been hungry for awhile, they might get grumpy enough to tell their leaders to stuff it.

[Dust in the Wind]

"BTW, despite record commodity prices, the House and Senate last week approved a record $26 billion dollar five year farm bill."

Have you looked at the bill close enough to know the percentage which is FOOD STAMPS ?