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Sticky rice smuggler arrested, seeds seized


snoop1130

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Sticky rice smuggler arrested, seeds seized

By Thanapat Kijjakosol
THE NATION

 

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A total of 30 tonnes of glutinous rice seeds smuggled into Thailand from Cambodia has been seized in the eastern province of Sa Kaew.

 

The local customs office acted on a directive from the military to monitor smuggling of crops from three neighbouring countries, which has become prevalent as a result of ongoing drought in Thailand coupled with oversupply in those countries.

 

The driver of the truck carrying the cargo was identified as Wichai Kon-ngern. He is now in custody and will be prosecuted. 

 

The prices of sticky rice seeds and other crops grown in Thailand are increasing because of the wide-reaching drought while those of crops in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar are much lower, regardless of the state of supply and demand in the three countries.

 

Many areas are facing drought in spite of the ongoing wet season.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30375135

 

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-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-08-21
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"Sticky rice smuggler arrested"

 

This has to be the weirdest dream ever. I dreamed I was living in Thailand..and cannabis was legal, but people were getting busted for sticky rice...and they weren't even vaping it. 

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54 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The driver of the truck carrying the cargo was identified as Wichai Kon-ngern. He is now in custody and will be prosecuted.

Like the driver was doing anything other than driving a truck full of cargo.

 

Why is buying something that's in short supply from another country illegal? Who makes up these rules?

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I believe every country has laws about bringing uninspected agricultural products across their borders, and those laws make sense to me as the risk of contamination, likely from insect infestations, etc. seems real. Perhaps we're being bamboozled, and such close scrutiny isn't actually necessary, but I'd go along with the idea of being overly cautious about it rather than lackadaisical.  

 

In Thailand's situation where they suffer a shortage of sticky rice and their neighbours are sitting on surpluses, somebody in an appropriate office in gov't should be brokering deals to bring in legitimate and inspected supplies to make up for this temporary shortage situation. But I can't help feel that with Thailand's attitude of looking down their noses at their neighbours, that could never happen -- Thailand could never admit to needing help from those lowly nations around them. Unfortunately, that attitude of superiority causes the masses to suffer

and people like this driver to pay an unfair penalty for his actions. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Emeraldisle said:

Should Thailand not be happy to be able to import rice given that they have a shortage? Same as other countries

Not if you are making huge profits from selling it to desperate people this is Thailand and this is where those that get to be in control get to rake in as much money as they can before they get kicked out.

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There is something  wrong  with the  picture ! Unless I am  mistaken and have missed some crucial  factor.

There is a shortfall in the  availability of glutinous rice. Therefore the  price  has risen dramatically.  A market driven eventuality. But !

Justification  is  being put on the reduction in the current years  production. Yet this  years  harvest has not happened  yet! Was glutinous  rice production  in deficit  last year?

So am I wrong to suspect  that perhaps  a  cartel has  foreseen an actual upcoming shortfall and has "cornered the market" on existing stocks?

Such  manipulations have repeatedly occurred  with  many agricultural products around the  world.

Such as  with  coffee  beans. With  major  financial  backing  offer a  little  above  average market price  to  buy on several  years  ahead production, warehouse it and  not  on sell until the  false  creation of a shortage  drives  prices  way  up. Thus  driving  up  ongoing  distribution  prices at a huge  profit against the investment period and establishing a  new higher average price  into the future  while  paying the primary producer a relative  pittance in increased value  while  binding  them to a  contract.

With  legislative  backing  by  those  implicit  in the  manipulation that  provide a protectionist  "closed  shop " environment  that  barrs   import  from a cheaper priced source would be  easily applied  to  such an item as  glutinous  rice .

I concede that I am probably   mistaken.

But I  hope those  fortunate  enough  to  have  has success in growing  it this  year will  name their own  price   or  feed it  to chickens if declined !

 

 

 

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31 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

There is something  wrong  with the  picture ! Unless I am  mistaken and have missed some crucial  factor.

There is a shortfall in the  availability of glutinous rice. Therefore the  price  has risen dramatically.  A market driven eventuality. But !

Justification  is  being put on the reduction in the current years  production. Yet this  years  harvest has not happened  yet! Was glutinous  rice production  in deficit  last year?

So am I wrong to suspect  that perhaps  a  cartel has  foreseen an actual upcoming shortfall and has "cornered the market" on existing stocks?

Such  manipulations have repeatedly occurred  with  many agricultural products around the  world.

Such as  with  coffee  beans. With  major  financial  backing  offer a  little  above  average market price  to  buy on several  years  ahead production, warehouse it and  not  on sell until the  false  creation of a shortage  drives  prices  way  up. Thus  driving  up  ongoing  distribution  prices at a huge  profit against the investment period and establishing a  new higher average price  into the future  while  paying the primary producer a relative  pittance in increased value  while  binding  them to a  contract.

With  legislative  backing  by  those  implicit  in the  manipulation that  provide a protectionist  "closed  shop " environment  that  barrs   import  from a cheaper priced source would be  easily applied  to  such an item as  glutinous  rice .

I concede that I am probably   mistaken.

But I  hope those  fortunate  enough  to  have  has success in growing  it this  year will  name their own  price   or  feed it  to chickens if declined !

 

 

 

I agree there is something smelling like Isaan "old fish" sauce here and I don't think you are wrong and you explained it much better than my feeble attempt.

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3 hours ago, ukrules said:

Like the driver was doing anything other than driving a truck full of cargo.

 

Why is buying something that's in short supply from another country illegal? Who makes up these rules?

Buying and selling is not illegal.

Smuggling is.

He simply could have declared it at the border and paid the import tax ... wow, that was so easy again.

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2 hours ago, mok199 said:

I wonder if Thailand would have this much drama with potatoes ?

Potatoes would not survive the rain season. No idea if you could plant them end of rain season and if they would be able to harvest them after dry season.

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Beats me how anybody can eat this glutinous muck, low on nutrition and a notorious bowel clogger.

 

Now the price has rocketed, maybe more folk will be switch to to healthier (and much tastier) brown and red rice.

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19 hours ago, tweedledee2 said:

 If all the bags on the truck contain what the officials are holding in their hands, then it is not seed rice. This rice has already been milled and is ready to be cooked. Only rice that has an intact outer hull will germinate. 

Milled rice usually has an intact outer hull (in Thailand). The rice we seeded definitely is milled.

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