Exclusive - China may become top wheat importer after crops ruined

[5.56NATO]

(Reuters) - China's wheat crop has suffered more severely than previously thought from frost in the growing period and rain during the harvest, and import demand to compensate for the damage could see the country eclipse Egypt as the world's top buyer.

Interviews with farmers and new estimates from analysts have revealed weather damage in China's northern grain belt could have made as much as 20 million tonnes of the wheat crop, or 16 percent, unfit for human consumption. That would be double the volume previously reported as damaged.





http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/07/17/uk-china-wheat-idUKBRE96G00020130717

[stinker]

unfit for human consumption.

Ancient Chinese wiseass once say, always try to find good in bad shit.

Upside, their livestock feed is going to be dirt cheap.

[studmuffin]

Man who go through airport turnstile sideways go to bancock.

Man who stuff money under mattrass come into money.

Man who milk bull have friend for life.

[Dr. Gonzo GED]

Upside, their livestock feed is going to be dirt cheap.

Heck yeah. The stuff would still be suitable for ethanol production too. Can't eat it, but not a total wash. Maybe we make a couple bucks out of the deal too?

[studmuffin]

Ethanol production is a total waste of money, a fraud that favors certain greeding agro corporations and corporate farming. It does nothing the save the environment and only gums up your engine. Worse it helps drive up food prices and causes starvation in poorer parts of the world. Stop supporting ethanol and save money and lives.

[rci2950]

Ethanol production is a total waste of money, a fraud that favors certain greeding agro corporations and corporate farming. It does nothing the save the environment and only gums up your engine. Worse it helps drive up food prices and causes starvation in poorer parts of the world. Stop supporting ethanol and save money and lives.


Bingo

[Kadmos]

Ethanol production is a total waste of money, a fraud that favors certain greeding agro corporations and corporate farming. It does nothing the save the environment and only gums up your engine. Worse it helps drive up food prices and causes starvation in poorer parts of the world. Stop supporting ethanol and save money and lives.

The difference here being the crop is already planted, tended, harvested and ruined. Gonzo is right, use it for whatever you can.



I think the thing that shocked me most was this...


eclipse Egypt as the world's top buyer

I had no idea Egypt was the top buyer, Egypt was considered the "bread basket of the ancient world" shipping millions of tons of grain to the Roman empire for centuries.


My other thought was "Frosted mini wheat"...which I admit is a bad joke, but well ya know ;)

[studmuffin]

That was 2000 years ago. North africa was also the breadbasket to the roman world. Look at north africa today.

[stinker]

Ethanol production is a total waste of money, a fraud that favors certain greeding agro corporations and corporate farming. It does nothing the save the environment and only gums up your engine. Worse it helps drive up food prices and causes starvation in poorer parts of the world. Stop supporting ethanol and save money and lives.

Unless you plan to DRINK said ethanol, preferably in copious amounts...:naughty::anim_beer-1:

[Kadmos]

That was 2000 years ago. North africa was also the breadbasket to the roman world. Look at north africa today.

Yeah, Egypt had the Nile though, the yearly flooding left extremely fertile black earth on both banks, probably 10,000 years of great agriculture before the Aswan dam put a halt to that yearly cycle.

I always figured they kept that land fertile with irrigation after the dam went up, but I guess not.

[Dr. Gonzo GED]

Ethanol production is a total waste of money, a fraud that favors certain greeding agro corporations and corporate farming. It does nothing the save the environment and only gums up your engine. Worse it helps drive up food prices and causes starvation in poorer parts of the world. Stop supporting ethanol and save money and lives.

Who said I "support" ethanol? I was simply pointing out that there are still industrial uses for the ruined food crop. Hell, even mixing it with mud and poop to make bricks would be a better plan than simply throwing it all away.


Unless you plan to DRINK said ethanol, preferably in copious amounts...:naughty::anim_beer-1:
Believe me, mash was the first thing that came to my mind but the wheat is already rotten. I doubt it would produce a palatable liquor.

It would produce industrial hooch just fine though!

[studmuffin]

Greedy assholes have been pushing ethanol since the 1920's. Brazil is held up as this great ethanol giant. Brazil is lucky, having a huge sugar cane crop that leaves much waste behind. Either burn the waste or ferment it and turn it into ethanol. He do not have such luxury here and have to take away good crop fields to grow corn for it. A tremendous waste overall but a boon for a few fat cats at public expense.

[JTHunter]

How about a "barter" arrangement with the Chicoms? They want our wheat, we want their "rare earth" ores that they have raised prices on to stratopheric levels.
Say, 1 ton of wheat for 100 pounds of refined and purified rare earths.

Or, they can eat "ore". :naughty:

[studmuffin]

Not accusing anyone of anything oh thin skinned ones. Just making a general statement.

[5.56NATO]

How about a "barter" arrangement with the Chicoms? They want our wheat, we want their "rare earth" ores that they have raised prices on to stratopheric levels.
Say, 1 ton of wheat for 100 pounds of refined and purified rare earths.

Or, they can eat "ore". :naughty:

That rare earth stuff is why they're in Africa right now trying to buy up everything.