These are among the scariest words to a Filipina: rice shortage. For those who don't know, true blue Filipinos must have rice with every meal. I'm so true blue. I'm midnight blue! Rice shortage is scary!Where did all the rice go? What happened? Where are the rice growers? Can't we just plant more? What about back in the Philippines? Are they gonna be okay? Holy smokes, somebody do something!
5 comments:
It is pretty scary because we live on rice.
i know!!!
i bought a sack of rice last night even though we still have an unopened sack and i'm the only one who requires rice at every meal.
It's sad to think that the country once thought of as the rice bowl of the world is now in a crisis over the very staple of their diet.
I'm stilling wondering how this happened. I have my ideas but I'll keep them to myself until I see proof positive that I'm correct.
I don't know how other Americans in Fil-Am relationships feel about this but I personally couldn't let my GF, who's still in the Philippines, and her family do without...
I sent her enough money to buy 50 kilos of rice last weekend. I'll continue doing that until things return to normal...
IF they return to normal...
To say it's sad might be an understatement...
I have not read anything that can pinpoint the problem of the shortage, but I too have observations. Some is due to hoarding and speculation on rice "futures". Why sell it now, when you can make more later? The same thing is happening with gas. It is traded on the commodities market. Speculation is driving up the prices.
One other thing I noticed while living in the Philippines, the average farmer is content with the "status quo". They are very stubborn for change that may be beneficial. I showed my sister-in-law, that she could increase the yield from her farm by 50%, with some cost effective farming practices & methods. She did it one year, she saw the results, and all her farmer neighbors also. Did she continue with those practices? NO, she said she was happy just doing it the old way.
Who to blame? Well, I would say the farmer, then the government, and lastly the entire food supply system. It boils down to greed.
thank you for your very insightfl comments, don and lloyd. it's very nice to know that you care about your friends and loved ones in the Philippines.
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