And now we have The Great Rice Panic of 2023

[WLJ]

Let them eat Sriracha

After the rice crops got ruined, by too much rain the north and not enough rain in the south, the Indian govt banned the export of rice triggering panic buying.

India's rice export ban has triggered panic buying at some U.S. supermarkets, causing the price of a 20-pound bag to surge from $16 to almost $50 in some stores.

The south Asian county, which accounts for 40 percent of world rice exports, ordered a halt to its largest rice export category, non-basmati rice, on Thursday to calm domestic prices, sparking concerns about global food price hikes and inflation

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12331565/Indias-rice-export-ban-triggers-panic-buying-supermarkets-sparking-costs-20-pound-bag-soar-16-50.html

Global rice shortage is set to be the biggest in 20 years
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/19/global-rice-shortage-is-set-to-be-the-largest-in-20-years-heres-why.html

Let the panic begin!

[Ben]

I've got 50lbs stored in mylar bags with O2 absorbers and another 15lbs or so in the pantry, so I should be good. 

[K Frame]

I love rice, but I've cut back on it considerably in the last couple of years.

[230RN]

Allegory.

"Hey, Government, we raise schnignorfpungles.  Is there any way we can create a shortage of schnignorfpungles to generate panic buying and boosting our bottom lines?  Especially for our spotted yellow schnignorfpungles?"

"Well, it's been a little bit windy in your area lately.  How about windstorms blowing the schnignorfpungle seeds away?"

"That'll do, we'll call a press conference Thursday.  Can you send someone official out to confirm the disaster?"

"Sure, no problem.  You want us to call out the State Guardians to control things? They were incorporated into the regular Army a while ago. And we've got pictures of tornado damage up north, you want us to bring those along?"

I'm not signing this one so nobody will know who posted it.

[AZRedhawk44]

I eat rice.

I posted in this thread.

[HankB]

Does this mean there's a potential saké shortage in our future? Or does Japan just use domestic rice for that?

[Brad Johnson]

I've got 50lbs stored in mylar bags with O2 absorbers and another 15lbs or so in the pantry, so I should be good. 

Same. We keep five or so pounds in the pantry with the rest frozen in gallon bags. Pinto beans the same way. Also keep 10 lbs of quinoa - quart bag in the pantry and the rest frozen.

Brad

[AZRedhawk44]

Does this mean there's a potential saké shortage in our future? Or does Japan just use domestic rice for that?

Japan has always had their nose in the air in regards to rice.  They regularly ban foreign imports of rice outright.  Xenophobic about it, you might say.

[K Frame]

Japan imports nearly 700,000 tons of rice every year, with the majority of it coming from the United States.

[Hawkmoon]

Rice --> Couscous

Problem solved.

[AZRedhawk44]

Japan imports nearly 700,000 tons of rice every year, with the majority of it coming from the United States.

There's been times US Congress has had to get involved in order to stiff-arm the door open for California rice crops to be allowed.  Tariff threats and such.

It's been an issue for at least 30 years.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/04/24fd4210f1f4-ustr-report-cites-japans-high-tariffs-on-rice-dairy-products.html

Even better:

https://dashboard.lira.bc.edu/downloads/f91d1ebb-8e2a-4333-aeae-697a83da6b77

Abstract: The Japanese government has failed to contribute meaningfully
to agricultural trade negotiations. Japan’s extreme negotiation posture
primarily stems from a disinclination to make concessions in its domestic
rice market. It is also a result of the ability of Japan, and other developed
nations, to take advantage of the rule structure outlined by the Agree-
ment on Agriculture. Under current agricultural laws, Japan is able to
maintain many domestic measures that provide support for rice farmers
while also charging prohibitively high tariffs. Japan’s reluctance to limit its
support for domestic rice farmers is based on the premise that rice plays a
central role in Japanese culture, and without protection, the industry
would collapse. What Japan has failed to realize, however, is that the bases
of its arguments have little merit today. Perhaps more importantly, Japa-
nese resistance to agricultural trade reform seriously undermines the le-
gitimacy of the WTO.

[K Frame]

I know the dynamics. Just wanted to make certain that we understand just how much US rice Japan does import each year.

[AZRedhawk44]

Found one article from 2015 where Japan was charging a 778% tariff on imported rice.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-JRTB-20901

[JTHunter]

  The only rice I get is from the Chinese take-out place.  I never fix it myself despite having eaten a LOT of "Rice-A-Roni" as a kid & teen.  I prefer noodles of various kinds (lomein, egg, spaghetti, etc.)

[HankB]

Japan imports nearly 700,000 tons of rice every year, with the majority of it coming from the United States.

IIRC, when Jap car imports to the USA were increasing, Japan was still keeping foreign (i.e., U.S.) rice out since rice was "traditional" to Japan, and thus, different from cars.

Our trade negotiator supposedly replied "Tradition? Okay. Henry Ford."

Japan opened their rice market. But oddly, we're importing considerably more rice from Japan than they're importing from us.

[Bogie]

I have Three Ladies in my chest freezer. About 20# or so of their Jasmine variety.
 
I'll pick up more tomorrow.

[HeroHog]

Wh

Japan opened their rice market. But oddly, we're importing considerably more rice from Japan than they're importing from us.

Wait, WHAT? WTH are we cross importing each others rice???

[K Frame]

"Japan opened their rice market. But oddly, we're importing considerably more rice from Japan than they're importing from us."

Uhm... I'm not finding anything at all to support that.

According to what I'm finding, the US imports about 1.3 million tons of rice every year, and most of that comes from China and India.

I can't find raw tonnage numbers, but Japan doesn't even make the top 5 in rice exports to the US.

According to this, in 2021 Japan imported $280 million+ in rice from the US, but the US imported less than $6 million in Japanese rice.

https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-product/rice/reporter/jpn#:~:text=Exports%20In%202021%2C%20Japan%20exported%20%2475.4M%20in%20Rice%2C,%28%246.76M%29%2C%20United%20States%20%28%245.87M%29%2C%20and%20Chinese%20Taipei%20%28%245.17M%29.


Yes, the Japanese have been quick to slap huge tariffs on some imported goods. A lot of nations are.

[Ben]

I have Three Ladies in my chest freezer.
 
I'll pick up more tomorrow.

Yikes.

[HankB]

"Japan opened their rice market. But oddly, we're importing considerably more rice from Japan than they're importing from us."

Uhm... I'm not finding anything at all to support that.

Point taken.

https://www.agfax.com/2022/03/11/rice-market-japan-eyes-new-export-markets-including-u-s/

At the end of the article:  "U.S. rice imports from Japan over the last five years remain steady, between 1,500 and 2,370 MT annually."

If MT means megatons - the usual US usage - that's a lot. If on the other hand it means metric tons, that's a little.

Another source listed the value of U.S. rice imports from Japan as $5.8 million dollars.  The source above priced Japanese rice at $2/kg, so we're looking at about 2,900,000 kg, or about 2900 metric tons.

So it seems we're not importing that much Japanese rice after all.

[K Frame]

The MT in that usage is metric tons.

1 megaton is 1,000,000 tons.

1,500 megatons would be 1,500,000,000... 1.5 BILLION tons...

USDA estimates total worldwide rice production for this growing year at 503 million metric tons.

Virtually everything that the US exports to Japan is Japonic rice, which is the primary food rice is most of Asia.

[French G.]

They get a little squirrely when the US starts measuring in megatons.

[WLJ]

They get a little squirrely when the US starts measuring in megatons.

Freedomtons

[Bogie]

All I know is that this is the shiznit...
 
And it isn't from here, China, Japan or India...
 
https://shop.islandpacificmarket.com/shop/grocery_dry/rice/rice/3_ladies_jasmine_rice_50_lb/p/1564405684711560611

[WLJ]

I like Basmati myself

Edit:

India accounted for 65% of the international trade in basmati rice, while Pakistan accounted for the remaining 35%

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basmati

Hmm
Better check prices.