12 April 2008
No Hoarding
Posted by Terrie Soberg under: Emergency Preparation; Health; What's News; World Economy .
I am continually seeing more and more articles about wheat and rice, food shortages, rioting, and price increases. Unfortunately, the articles are coming from news sources outside of the United States. I found the article below on the UK’s BBC website. There are also reports that in addition to banning exports, some in Asian countries like the Philippines are also beginning to hoard food. The response to this is to charge those individuals with economic sabotage. I also read in another story that there have been riots over food in Argentina as well as the many countries we’ve already discussed.
How do these things affect us? We see that they are getting closer and closer to home. We have a chance now to store essential food items, but the time is coming, probably much sooner than we realize, where it will become illegal to purchase large amounts of food. Once the anti-hoarding laws are in place it won’t matter how much money a person has. There is no time to waste. We need to carefully figure out what the needs for our families are and move forward. I knew several years ago that Sam’s Club was required to turn in the names of anyone buying more than $500 of food 
at one time. I don’t know what the current regulation is.
I am very concerned that so many of our family, friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens are unaware of what is coming down the pike. Our blog has a large readership, but there are still so many people that don’t have a clue. I’m not sure how to reach out to a larger population, especially because of the tendency of some to believe that if it is not in the mainstream media news, it can’t possibly be true. Another problem is that many people just don’t want to hear bad news. It’s much easier to bury their heads in the sand. That solution is not going to work very well once their stomachs start grumbling.
We see the signs that we are in a dangerous position. The fig tree’s branches are starting to put forth leaves and summer is almost here. How will we respond?
Rice prices are set to keep rising as demand for the staple is outstripping production, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has said.
The Philippines-based body said in its Rice Today publication that more research was needed in how to increase rice productivity.
The price of rice has risen by as much as 70% during the past year, with increases accelerating in recent weeks.
Several rice-producing countries have put curbs on exports in recent weeks.
‘Research needed’
“Longer term demand-supply imbalance is clearly indicated by depletion of stock that has been going on for several years,” said Sushil Pandey, agricultural economist at the IRRI.
“We have been consuming more than what we have been producing and research to increase rice productivity is needed to address this imbalance.”
The institute said several factors were behind the rise in rice prices.
Land for producing rice and irrigation water is being lost to industrialisation and urbanisation.
The growing appetite among Asia’s burgeoning urban middle class, especially in India and China, for meat and dairy products is also leading to less land for rice production.
Factors such as the flooding in Indonesia and Bangladesh and recent cold weather in Vietnam and China have also hurt production, it said.
Export restrictions are in place in major rice producing countries such as India, China, Vietnam and Egypt.
Rice is the staple food for about three billion people worldwide.
The prices of soybeans, corn and wheat are also near historic highs.
14 Comments so far...
Anon88 Says:
12 April 2008 at 10:24 am.
It used to be considered practical to set aside food. Now most of the people I associate with think it is wrong. I haven’t been able to figure out that mindset. It’s almost a badge of courage to show that you aren’t fanatical enough to think the boat will ever rock. What surprises me is that many of these people are historians who should know nothing is ever static, change is inevitable. The Romans came to have the same mindset.
Terrie, I actually hadn’t stopped to think that hoarding laws could become a factor. They are in other countries and since events are snowballing so rapidly, I could easily see that happening here. Thank you for the heads up. Since it is Saturday, I think my wife and I will do a little extra shopping today. No sense in putting it off and if we can put aside a little extra each week then it shouldn’t take long to feel more secure. There are many inexpensive foods that will store well and sustain life.
Cameron Says:
12 April 2008 at 10:36 am.
See you at the store Professor.
E.E. Says:
12 April 2008 at 11:25 am.
Great blog, Terrie. I hadn’t thought of this either but if it is happening in other countries, we would have to be pretty narrow minded to think it wouldn’t happen here. Especially with the soaring cost of grains. Already it is very hard to get wheat and there are usually limits. My in-laws are very wealthy and whenever I suggest they put away some food like we have been counseled to do, they tell me if they ever see a need, they will sell off some of their investments and buy what they need. I don’t think they ever imagined a scenario when they couldn’t buy what they needed when they wanted it. I am wondering if I could get them to listen to this scenario. I doubt they believe hoarding laws would ever actually be enforced in America. Sometimes I wonder if they believe in the scriptural prophecies. I kind of doubt it though it would shock them to hear me say that. Glad I only use my initials and glad they don’t read blogs.
E.E. Says:
12 April 2008 at 11:40 am.
I notice Cameron is also getting some of his stories from outside the US. That makes me sad but I want to get the real story so I have no choice.
The other global crisis: rush to biofuels is driving up price of food
The world’s most powerful finance ministers and central bankers are meeting in Washington tomorrow; but as they preoccupy themselves with the global credit crunch, another crisis, far more grave, is facing the world’s poorest people.
A dramatic rise in the worldwide cost of food is provoking riots throughout the Third World where millions more of the world’s most vulnerable people are facing starvation as food shortages grow and cereal prices soar. It threatens to become the biggest crisis of the 21st century.
There have been riots in Niger, Senegal, Cameroon and Burkina Faso and protests in Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Egypt and Morocco. Mexico has had “tortilla riots” and, in Yemen, children have marched to draw attention to their hunger.
The global price of wheat has risen by 130 per cent in the past year. Rice has rocketed by 74 per cent in the same period. It went up by more than 10 per cent in a single day last Friday – to an all-time high as African and Asian importers competed for the diminishing supply on international markets in an attempt to head off the mounting social unrest. The International Rice Research Institute warned yesterday that prices will keep going up.
The buffers stocks of staple foods that governments once held are being steadily exhausted.
Rising prices have triggered a food crisis in 36 countries, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. The hike in prices means the World Food Programme is cutting food handout rations to some 73 million people in 78 countries. The threat of malnutrition on a massive scale is looming.
The impact is beginning to be felt in the rich world, too. More expensive wheat has caused large rises in the cost of pasta and bread in Italy where consumer groups staged a one-day strike that brought pasta consumption down 5 per cent. The price of miso, a fermented rice and barley mixture, is up in Japan. France and Australia have launched national inquiries into rising food prices and are pressing food producers and supermarkets to absorb price rises. In Britain, the price of bread is rising in line with the cost of wheat.
Cameron Says:
12 April 2008 at 11:46 am.
So True E.E.
Nasty article. I really am planning on some extra shopping today. I don’t think we should panic but I don’t think we should procrastinate either.
Mac Says:
12 April 2008 at 2:35 pm.
That makes me want some figs. I was trying to stay detached because I don’t want to go overboard. I wanted to believe those who say things will probably get better soon. Then Terrie writes about the figs. I believe my Bible and that makes to much sense to ignore.
Then E.E. shares her article and it is like a second witness. I actually prayed some about this after reading here and I have a strong feeling I need to go and buy some staples for my family. I bought a little last month but it isn’t enough.
Peter Says:
12 April 2008 at 3:01 pm.
You guys talk about faith but I’m not seeing any now. Personally I have decided not to let fear rule me. I have faith that America will pull through this just fine. I guarantee that by fall the housing market will rebound. I have read a few articles by respected economists that say that. I am very patriotic and I believe in the Constitution. Rome didn’t have what we have.
Jan W. Says:
12 April 2008 at 3:10 pm.
Peter, okay you put your faith in the arm of flesh. At least you will have something to chew on when this happens:
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places,
All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Matthew 24: 7-8
Since we know nation shall rise against nation, we shouldn’t be trying to have a One World Order and outsourcing our manufacturing and food production.
Jesse Says:
12 April 2008 at 3:58 pm.
Peter, it is great that you are so patriotic. I hope you don’t mind me reminding you about what patriots went through during the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, and the 1918 pandemic and the Great Depression and a lot of other things I could mention. There was starvation and hardship beyond anything modern day Americans understand. I really don’t think those people were less patriotic than us and I assume there may have been more since that was before the big liberal hate America push. Looking straight at the facts and not wishful thinking, I do believe we are moving into the end times and Jan W. got it right. I don’t want you to suffer any more than you need to Peter, so I hope you change your mind. Even if you have money, down the road that may not taste very good.
Roy Bischoff Says:
12 April 2008 at 8:18 pm.
Trusting in our country is a scary thing sometimes. Look at the regional disaster from several years ago in New Orleans and the surrounding area. People were told by the government to go to the Superdome and those that did found no preparations for basic necessities such as water had been made. Our country’s laws are not being made by wise and altruistic people for the most part. They will react eventually but if their cure for the food problem is anything like their cure for the economy (give everyone some money to spend and tell them everything is fine) it won’t help our country or the world in the long term.
Ghost Says:
12 April 2008 at 8:47 pm.
So what is the deal with Peter? Does anyone know if he is for real or just pulling our leg?
BTW, good blog.
Matt Says:
12 April 2008 at 9:05 pm.
Ghost, my take on Peter is that he likes some of what we do here but other stuff really scares him and he kind of lashes out and tries to make us seem like nut cases to make himself feel better. I feel bad for him.
More on the food problem:
Haiti PM ousted over soaring food prices
PORT-AU-PRINCE (AFP) - Haiti’s prime minister was ousted Saturday in a no confidence vote after more than a week of violent demonstrations over rocketing food and fuel prices.
Just as President Rene Preval unveiled a plan to cut the price of rice by 15 percent, 16 senators in the upper house of parliament voted unanimously to censure Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis over the crisis, costing him his job leading the government
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080413/wl_afp/haitiunrest_080413012617
Benjamin Says:
13 April 2008 at 9:35 am.
I just watched a video from the front page of Yahoo that was about food riots around the world. I looked around a few other news sources to see if there was any more but I couldn’t find anything. At least a little of it is getting here.
Nalvy Says:
13 April 2008 at 4:50 pm.
Well now this makes me wish I was a chipmunk or a squirrel.
I could hoard as much food as I wanted without anyone telling me otherwise!! HAHAHA
But seriously I didnt even know there was such things as hoarding laws! What a ridiculous notion! If people want food let them have it! Geez louise! But I do understand the food shortages and am devastated by the fact that we in America are being kept in a little nutshell of ignorance. BLEGH!
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