Sugar Giants Threaten WHO

[Alistar7]

San, the EU nor the US sets the world market price though, they rely on a few third world nations to do this and then follow their lead. I understand how EU practices with "favourable and preferable " exemptions have caused damage in a country like Guyana, I don't see the same policy by the US though. We only come close to matching the world market price, and do not pull some of the 3rd party raping they do, nor do we interfere so much in their markets, other than making our product available.

If the US had never grown a grain of rice this still would have happened, but they would be spending a few pennies less for EU rice right now instead of the higer price US rice commands.

Is anything being done to restore their domestic market and industry? How hard or expensive could it be to update their technology, it is a small island. Making sure they have enough to eat is great, making sure they can feed and support themselves would be better.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Alistar7
San, the EU nor the US sets the world market price though, they rely on a few third world nations to do this and then follow their lead. I understand how EU practices with "favourable and preferable " exemptions have caused damage in a country like Guyana, I don't see the same policy by the US though. We only come close to matching the world market price, and do not pull some of the 3rd party raping they do, nor do we interfere so much in their markets, other than making our product available.

If the US had never grown a grain of rice this still would have happened, but they would be spending a few pennies less for EU rice right now instead of the higer price US rice commands.

Is anything being done to restore their domestic market and industry? How hard or expensive could it be to update their technology, it is a small island. Making sure they have enough to eat is great, making sure they can feed and support themselves would be better.

They don't set the price, but they effect the price. Agricultural subsidies increase production, increased production increases supply, increased supply lowers the world price.

 

[Fencer128]

If you read the last article I linked you will see that their is no "world" price for rice.

Cheers,

Andy

BTW, Alistar7, I thoguht you wanted to leave the rice thing alone? Also, if you do want to drag this out (I'm not exactly eager to myself) - with respect to the report I linked and the sections/comments I highlighted - how do you see their analysis and conclusions and if you differ why? Cheers.

 

[Alistar7]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: Alistar7
San, the EU nor the US sets the world market price though, they rely on a few third world nations to do this and then follow their lead. I understand how EU practices with "favourable and preferable " exemptions have caused damage in a country like Guyana, I don't see the same policy by the US though. We only come close to matching the world market price, and do not pull some of the 3rd party raping they do, nor do we interfere so much in their markets, other than making our product available.

If the US had never grown a grain of rice this still would have happened, but they would be spending a few pennies less for EU rice right now instead of the higer price US rice commands.

Is anything being done to restore their domestic market and industry? How hard or expensive could it be to update their technology, it is a small island. Making sure they have enough to eat is great, making sure they can feed and support themselves would be better.

They don't set the price, but they effect the price. Agricultural subsidies increase production, increased production increases supply, increased supply lowers the world price.

congrats, there is one way that I can see the effect, thanks....

no andy, he took care of it, and if you looked at what I linked and spent some time researching, the US sets their price going off two other small countries...

 

[Fencer128]

no andy, he took care of it, and if you looked at what I linked and spent some time researching, the US sets their price going off two other small countries...

You are very rude in your replies sometimes! I wasn't directing my comment to you. I was directing it to Sandorski's statement:

They don't set the price, but they effect the price. Agricultural subsidies increase production, increased production increases supply, increased supply lowers the world price.

which he was making in regard to your previous comments that mentioned the "world market" price. I just wanted to point out there there is no world market price.

Secondly. You keep mentioning how US rice is more expensive than the average market price for other exported rice. I guess you got that from this (which incidentally is the US rice producer's association):

The United States, also one of the world's largest rice exporters, tends to sell its rice above this standard rate.

Tends. In the other Oxfam report I mentioned it says that local market prices vary by as much as 30% off the world average price. If you couple those 2 statements together - then I don't see how (and I also have seen no evidence, nor do the facts I've read about suggest it is the case) that US rice is actually more expensive than Haitian. I mean one of the poorest countries in the world is choosing to spend extra money above rice it could buy, to buy US rice? I don't see that.

I'm willing to bet US rice is cheaper - it certainly has been until recently (see my second link posted in this thread).

1995:

Imported rice 3.7 gourdes/pound, local 5.8 gourdes/pound

1998:

Imported rice 5.6 gourdes/pound, local 6.2 gourdes/pound. I cannot find later prices than these.

Furthermore - if the US rice was cheaper, who says people are buying it because it's better quality? Maybe it's because its highly prevalent and that it's increasingly difficult to get hold of the Haitian rice.

But besides all of that, what do you think of the conclusions/arguments of Section 2.1 (Page 19/20) and Section 4.2.2 (page 48)?

Andy

EDIT: Guess I'll catch you after your trip. Have a good one. Andy.