Drought crisis sees sticky rice price double amid widespread shortages

[PerkinsCuthbert]

My lunchtime wrap (ห่อ) went up this week from 7B to 10B, a 40% rise. The meh kah claims I get more for my money but I'm happy to pay anyway; farmers need all the support they can get, although most of the money goes, as ever, to the traders and wholesalers.

[Brunolem]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Rice farmers who keep what they have managed to grow for themselves will have no income this year. Not only will there be little of no rice for export, but I can see the government having to import rice and heavily subsidise it for the population. That should eat (pun) into the cash reserves very nicely and maybe the baht might return to a reasonable level.

One may wonder where have the mountains of rice stored in giant warehouses gone. 

 

This huge stock was the result of the rice scheme implemented by Yingluck and previous administrations. 

 

Certainly it was not all exported, since there is not enough demand for that. 

 

I cannot imagine how the small farmers who rely for more than 50% on their rice crop to feed themselves, are going to manage the coming crisis... 

[Jean Marie]

Well up North East, Lao border way we have plenty of rain. Paddies are full of water. No worries there. My in laws have three ponds chock o’block of green shoots, their year’s worth of sticky rice. For their own consumption. Bangkok has been treating Isaan people like dung for too long, so they can crawl for their sticky rice as far as I’m concerned. Whatever grows in Isaan stays in Isaan.. 

[Fred white]

1 hour ago, BimBoon said:

What drought? It's been overcast for months raining almost daily and we live in the north. 

Your lucky my niece lives in kong luk ( probably spellt wrong) close to kapangpet and they haven't had rain in months their even running out of water for house hold use????

[bluepeter]

4 hours ago, moutamine said:

Time to switch to bread then... rice is overated anyway, empty calories...

White rice has little nutritional value, so eating it just adds empty calories to your diet.  Many people throughout the world are eating more and more processed foods like white rice that contain empty calories.  As a result, there is a rising population of people who are actually nutritionally deficient but also overweight or obese. Obesity is the new face of malnutrition and it is a huge problem.

https://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/2017/11/02/5-reasons-brown-rice-is-better-than-white/

Absolutely.When I go to a restaurant I always take some riceberry rice from 7/11.Much better for you.

[Enki]

9 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

It's those bad, bad farmers again who dare sustaining themselves on their own produce. It's not like these straight-as-a-die millers or "agents" would be hoarding any sticky rice in order to drive up the price even higher. The price mentioned in the article is the wholesale price that millers and "agents" charge... the farmers receive only a small fraction of that, hardly enough to make a living. 

The price mentioned is the lowest price, as it is the price guaranteed by the government to the farm. No Thai would sell to a local mill for less when he can get the price by simply delivering the rice to the "boss village".

[Enki]

5 hours ago, moutamine said:

Time to switch to bread then... rice is overated anyway, empty calories...

White rice has little nutritional value, so eating it just adds empty calories to your diet.  Many people throughout the world are eating more and more processed foods like white rice that contain empty calories.  As a result, there is a rising population of people who are actually nutritionally deficient but also overweight or obese. Obesity is the new face of malnutrition and it is a huge problem.

https://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/2017/11/02/5-reasons-brown-rice-is-better-than-white/

White rice is the rice in the USA where the outer skin is removed.

Neither sticky rice, nor non sticky nor fragrant rice is white rice.

[HeyHeyHey]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

19,000 baht a ton in 2018 to around 38,000 baht a ton this August - a 98% rise. 

tomorrow news - Thailand inflation 0.8% a year

[Enki]

3 hours ago, BimBoon said:

What drought? It's been overcast for months raining almost daily and we live in the north. 

The drought 1: it started raining 2 month to late

The drought 2: it is raining only a little bit

The drought 3: it is not raining everywhere (where it used to, e.g. Khon Kaen on water rations and the fields dying)

 

Is that enough drought?

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, Brunolem said:

One may wonder where have the mountains of rice stored in giant warehouses gone. 

 

This huge stock was the result of the rice scheme implemented by Yingluck and previous administrations. 

 

Certainly it was not all exported, since there is not enough demand for that. 

 

I cannot imagine how the small farmers who rely for more than 50% on their rice crop to feed themselves, are going to manage the coming crisis... 

 

A lot of that rice was left to rot as Thailand charged too much for the export market, and much of it was sub-standard. I pass by a place that has huge warehouses for storing rice and they are all empty. This is a major crisis that the government and media are playing down (heads in the sand).

[the guest]

Again, all down to bad water management. When will these idiots learn?

[Damrongsak]

13 hours ago, Tayaout said:

What about non-sticky rice? 

If you don't have water, it doesn't get sticky.

[impulse]

15 hours ago, Fred white said:

And next April during songkran they'll waist millions of gallons of water throwing on people cars and motorcycles

 

I just love that old chestnut.  Rates right up there with the horrible waste of electricity playing Christmas songs every year.  Bah Humbug!

 

It takes 2500 liters of water to grow 1 kg of rice.  So the average kid on Songkran probably "wastes" enough water to raise half a teaspoon of rice.  Such a waste...  So much so, that every Songkran, I do without rice for a week- just so all the kids in my neighborhood can throw all the water they want.

 

There's a lot of reasons people here on TVF hate Songkran.  Wasting water isn't a valid one.  Admit it...you'll feel better.  Kids having fun grates on your nerves, just like listening to "Jingle Bell Rock" grates on your nerves.  It ain't about the wasted electricity.  Or the wasted water.

[Grumpy John]

What drought???  Sure wet season was a late starter and the early rice planters came unstuck but it's been bucketing down regularly here so much that both our dams are overflowing! Some things never seem to change.  Come December and everyone will be shocked by the cold weather and lack of blankets to keep people warm.....

 

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Domestic trade representatives have warned people not to engage in profiteering. 

 

In a widely shared article across Thai social media Thai Rath said that the price of sticky rice had increased from over 19,000 baht a ton in 2018 to around 38,000 baht a ton this August - a 98% rise.

Obviously the message didn't get through .

[trainman34014]

6 hours ago, the guest said:

Again, all down to bad water management. When will these idiots learn?

They won't; because 'Thai's know best ' !

[trainman34014]

9 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

A lot of that rice was left to rot as Thailand charged too much for the export market, and much of it was sub-standard. I pass by a place that has huge warehouses for storing rice and they are all empty. This is a major crisis that the government and media are playing down (heads in the sand).

Huge amounts of it went to Animal Feed and Land Fill.

[JAG]

15 hours ago, Brunolem said:

The government should already prepare for the crisis to come... 

 

[Enki]

On top of that, Songkran used to be the start of the rain season, or a few weeks before it, now rain season starts 6 weeks after Songkran.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed. 

[Brunolem]

4 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

What drought???  Sure wet season was a late starter and the early rice planters came unstuck but it's been bucketing down regularly here so much that both our dams are overflowing! Some things never seem to change.  Come December and everyone will be shocked by the cold weather and lack of blankets to keep people warm.....

 

Well Grumpy, where are you living exactly? 

 

It seems you haven't got the message: people are not complaining because things remain the same, but because they don't! 

 

No water in rain season and no fresh air in cool season... in my area, in eastern Isaan, nobody has been complaining about the cold in December for years, because it has disappeared, and now the rain has also disappeared. 

 

And for the local people, this is a matter of life and death, not some complaining for lack of comfort

 

Imagine that your income was suddenly reduced by more than half, wouldn't you complain? 

 

[Tayaout]

16 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

Imagine that your income was suddenly reduced by more than half, wouldn't you complain? 

 

Most members don't even need to lose 5% on forex to complain all the time! 

[elcaro]

Yeah in chiang rai bag of 45kg now cost 1950 and at the start of the year cost like 1100 or so. About two weeks ago it was 1500

[faraday]

19 hours ago, moutamine said:

Time to switch to bread then... rice is overated anyway, empty calories...

White rice has little nutritional value, so eating it just adds empty calories to your diet.  Many people throughout the world are eating more and more processed foods like white rice that contain empty calories.  As a result, there is a rising population of people who are actually nutritionally deficient but also overweight or obese. Obesity is the new face of malnutrition and it is a huge problem.

https://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/2017/11/02/5-reasons-brown-rice-is-better-than-white/

Or Cake.

 

????

 

Either way, they shouldn't have to. It's a basic food.

[Fred white]

8 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I just love that old chestnut.  Rates right up there with the horrible waste of electricity playing Christmas songs every year.  Bah Humbug!

 

It takes 2500 liters of water to grow 1 kg of rice.  So the average kid on Songkran probably "wastes" enough water to raise half a teaspoon of rice.  Such a waste...  So much so, that every Songkran, I do without rice for a week- just so all the kids in my neighborhood can throw all the water they want.

 

There's a lot of reasons people here on TVF hate Songkran.  Wasting water isn't a valid one.  Admit it...you'll feel better.  Kids having fun grates on your nerves, just like listening to "Jingle Bell Rock" grates on your nerves.  It ain't about the wasted electricity.  Or the wasted water.

These weren't kids with squirt guns these were adults with 55 gallon barrels and the big 300 gallon totes on the back of trucks not to mention fire hoses for 3 days. Now their under water restrictions ????

[impulse]

8 hours ago, Fred white said:

These weren't kids with squirt guns these were adults with 55 gallon barrels and the big 300 gallon totes on the back of trucks not to mention fire hoses for 3 days. Now their under water restrictions 

 

Songkran in Thailand is like Christmas back home...  It's a chance for everyone's inner child to come out and act like a kid.  Like the guys who put up a world class light show on their front lawn every Christmas season.  Overkill?  Probably.  Does it irritate some of the grumpy neighbors?  Of course.  But when the spirit grabs you, go with it.

 

Or not. 

 

But that's kind of sad.