Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Mekong nations to form Opec-style rice cartel: Thai PM

April 30, 2008
AFP

BANGKOK - THAILAND'S prime minister said on Wednesday his country had agreed in principle to form a rice price-fixing cartel with Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia as costs of the staple grain rocket.

The grouping of Mekong nations would be similar to the oil cartel Opec, and would be called the Organisation of Rice Exporting Countries (Orec).

'I have talked with Myanmar and invited them to join the rice exporting countries cartel, which will include Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, to fix the price,' Premier Samak Sundaravej told reporters.

He said Myanmar's Prime Minister General Thein Sein, in Thailand for an official visit, had agreed to join, even through the military-ruled nation was not currently a large rice exporter.

'Thailand will help them in terms of technical support to improve their production for export,' Mr Samak said.

Mr Samak said Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia had also agreed to join, and Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said Orec should begin meeting soon.

Thailand is the world's largest rice exporter, and shipped an estimated 9.5 million tonnes of rice overseas last year.

World rice prices have soared this year, a trend blamed on higher energy and fertiliser costs, greater global demand, droughts, the loss of rice farmland to biofuel plantations, and price speculation.

International demand for Thai rice has soared after other top exporters Vietnam and India imposed limits on exports to ensure domestic supply.

Thailand has repeatedly insisted it will not limit exports, but on Tuesday the government announced it was releasing its stockpile of 2.1 million tonnes into the domestic market to keep prices stable.

The benchmark Thai variety, Pathumthani fragrant rice, was priced last Wednesday at 998 dollars (S$1,358) per tonne for export, up from 512 dollars a tonne in January this year, the Thai Rice Exporters Association said in a price survey.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I cannot wait to see how this will work. The devil is in the detail! If there is an over supplies, will these governments pay the farmers not to cultivate?

Anonymous said...

not a bad idea, if it's going to help these countries as one to be strong in the competition market out there.

Anonymous said...

i guess thailand can lead the way as they are more experienced in the international businesses sectors. however, keep in mind that all these new asean countries will benefit as well, not just thailand, then, i think it will be ok for thailand to do so. it's called proactive. this is better than trying to be too self-greedy or too nationalistic. when people see that thailand is also trying to help other less fortunate countries, due to war or lack behind or what have you, then everyone will be happy. maybe one day, all asean countries will form a large community of nations to help one another, instead of just thinking for the benefit of only their own country, everyone ought to help other less fortunate countries to catch up. this is a good thing to have.

Anonymous said...

It's a good idea and Cambodia should be participated in if it happens.

Thailand is still the leading country in the world in exporting rice. They have some system in place where their government guarantees and protects their farmers on good and bad time, such as buying/relief funds and stock piles when commodities price are dropped.

RGC shall also look into a way how to motivate and incentive for our farmers.

Anonymous said...

Fuck all the Thaicong initiative in leading the Organization of Rice Exporting Countries (Orec).

If Cambodian leaders don't learn to take a risk and learn how to do things by themselves and they will never learn to do anything!

Make no doubt about it! The Thaicong and the Vietcong are in competition with Cambodia since the beginning of time and they still do today!

Fuck the OPEC style piece of the fucken shit when dirt poor Cambodian people live on $1 dollar a day and they have to pay such a high gas price!

Cambodia can go alone just fine and the Thaicong needs to make the fucken way!

It is time to stop the Thaicong and the Vietcong from riding on the back of Cambodian success!

Anonymous said...

Join or not join does not matter. But one thing that Cambodia has to do is to learn quick in order to benefit from this rise in price of rice. The quicker we learn the more we will benefit. Whether it is about price negotiation, quality, quantity, efficiency, meeting demand quotas and dateline, networking etc... Cambodia must learn and carefully and professionally invest a huge way. The government has a huge responsibility to get this going...It is a perfect timing to invest in our agriculture.

Anonymous said...

The fucken opportunity is never lost! If only dirt poor Cambodian population received correct information put out by AH HUN SEN government over the years and dirt poor dirt Cambodian population would be facing such problem as they do today!

To many fucken propaganda, too many fucken politic, too many Vietcong and Thaicong influence, too many fucken special interest especially the big business in evicting dirt poor Cambodian people off their land, too many fucken bullshit on everyday news spread misinformation which Cambodian population found it to be garbage in and garbage out!

Everything is just fucking and fucks! And that is why Cambodia as a country continues to have the same fucken third world mentality!

Anonymous said...

This is a very stupid idea. It seems that all thai can do, copy, copy and copy. Can anyone find anything thai, originally? They are good at put thai name in front of all the thing borrowing from other people.

But this one idea is very stupid, indeed. These people begged during the aftermath of the sunamee.

I hope the world opinion see how greedy the thai are.

Anonymous said...

The world has seen the Viet's true color already...By the same token, the Thai's true color may not be that far behind either!!!

Keep speaking out my very dear Cambodian...

One Cambodian Kid

Anonymous said...

I am agree with this idea. I have heard this initial idea by Hun Sen a few month a go before the price up to confront with oil price which is higher everyday since the war in Iraq started. Now Thai want to take this advantage from this situation.
This show the foreign policies of Hun Sen is not strong enought. I will wait to see the Preah Vihar issue also.If his government is strong, Cambodia will register Preah Vihar Temple smoothly

Anonymous said...

Dirt poor Cambodian farmers are living in a dream world! Ahhahhaha

Why dirt poor Cambodian farmers always need to jump when AH HUN SEN is talking about chicken shit!

Here is the logic!

If the price of rice go up and the cost of land to produce rice will also go up! Now that not even including the high gas price use to move machinery and the high cost fertilizer!

So where is the profit for dirt poor Cambodian farmers? Show me the beef!

Anonymous said...

No problem, the OREC will take care of all farmers issues.

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