Mastodawn

Daniel Howe Jul 31, 2023

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼

Not sure if folks are aware but India has stopped exporting rice to other countries and other asian countries are following suit. Basmati and Sona Masoori rice is really hard to find now.

For asians, not having rice is something unfathomable. Our cultures depend on it. There is no bigger wake up call than seeing rice being restricted thanks to climate change.

Bruce Mirken Jul 30, 2023

@sri You mean #Republicans saying,"Hey, it's summer, get over it," might be mistaken?

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 30, 2023

@BruceMirken that will be harder when the southern and Midwest states suddenly have problems because of inclinate weather.

It's not something a tax cut can fix.

Bruce Mirken Jul 30, 2023

@sri You would think they'd start to figure that out.

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 30, 2023

@BruceMirken you'd think but we aren't talking about rational actors or perhaps actors who do not have a realistic view outside of their news bubble

Bruce Mirken Jul 30, 2023

@sri I know. And these idiots could doom us all.

Syulang Jul 30, 2023

@BruceMirken @sri - Republicans: Fearlessly fighting the good fight against reality.

artisanrox Jul 31, 2023

@Syulang @BruceMirken @sri

we can't be possibly dealing with all this reality, there's bathrooms to police!

Pete Alex Harris🦡🕸️🌲/∞🪐∫Jul 31, 2023

@Syulang @BruceMirken @sri

Bear in mind there'a a powerful faction of the GOP who think this is the end times, it's God's work to hasten Armageddon, think it's good if billions of people die in ways they can link to the Book of Revelations (especially brown people) and believe they themselves will be not only spared but rewarded.

They aren't just in denial or callous, they have the same kind of antichrist religiosity that has driven serial killers.

They won't stop until they're stopped

HighlandHen Jul 31, 2023

@petealexharris @Syulang @BruceMirken @sri Exactly. The idea of 'The Rapture' is very appealing to a certain segment of American Christians. Many of them delight in the idea of the end of the world and would be happy to see it hastened. Like a cult, they are convinced THEY would be fine and the bad people will be the only ones punished. These folks are being used to further the aims of politicians and hyper capitalists but, like cults, it's nearly impossible to get through to them.

Marcus Marcius Marcellus Jul 30, 2023

@sri My understanding is that basmati is exempt, as a huge proportion of the harvest is anyway exported.

Many westerners think basmati is the only rice cultivar in India, whereas I believe it’s used mostly for special festive dishes, not everyday cooking — so it’s the one type of rice whose export would least affect domestic supply. Personally? I’m more worried that I won’t be able to find patna rice. But my personal worries are not important compared to domestic supply.

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 30, 2023

@marcas if the parboiled rice gets hard to find then things like idli would be difficult to make.

knapjack Jul 30, 2023

@kimlockhartga @sri This is both frightening and hopeful.

We were living in northern Washington around the turn of the millennium when California had rolling blackouts, and used to listen to a lot of Canadian radio. I remember a series of blackouts that rolled all the way up the coast to us, and the newscasters in BC we're getting questions about whether they would also get rolling blackouts and the answer was no.

"The power companies in the US sell their power to the highest bidder. We're only allowed to sell the surplus."

This is such an excellent model for critical industries like, oh, power and food. It would be trivial for those countries to sell their rice to the highest bidder and they aren't. That will likely have other ramifications on their economy, but at least it won't come at the expense of its people.

Kim Possible Jul 30, 2023

@knapjack @sri Well said. I believe that lots of products and services should be publicly owned, starting with utilities and transportation. Food is a great idea. I feel for countries who import most of their food.

NaoVeure Jul 31, 2023

@kimlockhartga @knapjack @sri food is precisely the one product where of there were a regulated, fair but free market globally, there wouldn't be this kind of thing occuring. Instead though Big Agri worldwide, but particularly in developed countries, formed interest groups to ensure we live in a "benign mercantilist" food market, that is as a result Extremely fragile facing a shock like climate change. I'm all in favour of public ownership of natural monopolies but food isn't one.

Benny Powers 🇨🇦️🇮🇱️Jul 30, 2023

@sri When was the last time something similar happened?

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 30, 2023

@bp last year I believe India banned exports of wheat. This is the first time for rice.

India had torrential rains, monsoons was more this year with cities deluged in flooding.

Peter Lee Jul 30, 2023

@sri I read about this yesterday and the article was clear that Basmati IS still being exported, it was the 50-odd other varieties (may be more, I can’t remember the exact number) that won’t be exported as there’s not enough harvest to go round.

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 30, 2023

@peteralee yep sona masoori is one of them which is what we south Indians eat. But because of panic buying .. basmati is also difficult to get.

Steve Sawczyn Jul 30, 2023

@sri @ke7zum Wow, I am glad you posted this as I had no idea. This is very sad.

Fan of Shared Truth & Empathy Jul 30, 2023

@sri @thepoliticalcat Can America imagine not just raising the price of wheat, corn, or soy - but just ending exports? Just wait for it. We’ll all be soon battling in riots on Tuesdays for delicious new Soylent Green - “made from the plankton of the seas” - and most will look away even though we already know what it’s truthfully made of because our self induced reality was so extremely profitable for the wealthiest corporate global citizens.

the hatter Jul 31, 2023

@JohnSullivan @sri @thepoliticalcat Those farmers would be angry, being forced to sell at local prices. American policy would just be to let poor americans starve and the corporations carry on making their profits on exports.

Paul Chernoff Jul 30, 2023

@sri This surprises me because I thought this last crop was so large that India wasn’t able to store all of it, so selling it was necessary to not waste rice. @sarahtaber any insights?

Watchcat 🐈Jul 30, 2023

@sri I read today that India has only stopped exporting non-basmati rice varieties. I didn't look for what other countries are doing.

the hatter Jul 31, 2023

@Cat_Toots @sri That's what I'd seen in the plans too. Obviously there will be some knock-on effect from people buying basmati because supply of others is restricted, and it will allow india to charge more for the basmati that is exported.

Reshmi Aravind Jul 30, 2023

@sri
Even in Germany it is hard to find Sona masoori rice now a days..Past few days I'm sticking on to Jasmine rice .Online also seems very difficult in getting.As a South Indian you know how I'm feeling 😔...

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 30, 2023

@reshmi why wife managed to get two bags of rice even though she wasn't looking for it. We have been following a low carb diet so we don't depend on rice so much.

Reshmi Aravind Jul 30, 2023

@sri
Yeah! I eat one time a day.Feeling void since we are used to it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 30, 2023

@reshmi yeah.. it's going to create a lot of pressure .. apparently UAE is no longer re-exporting rice elsewhere. So a lot of disruption

Reshmi Aravind Jul 30, 2023

@sri
I read it as a temporary ban something like 3/4 months?

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 30, 2023

@reshmi yeah it's temporary.. but we don't know what will happen next monsoon

Nick's world Jul 30, 2023

@ke7zum @sri Uh-oh, that's not good. My grandmother on my Dad's side is Philippina and Rice is super important to those in the Philippines.

Patricia Kayden Jul 30, 2023

@sri Oh no!! That’s rough to hear. I love Basmati rice.

Scott D. Strader 😐Jul 30, 2023

@sri This thread, sadly, is such a confusing mix of conflicting information with no consensus.

It is. It isn't. Other rice is hard to find but not basmati. Basmati is not the most exported rice. There was actually a surplus.

I'm sure truth is in there somewhere, it's just... elusive.

[email protected] 💛💙Jul 30, 2023

@sri
Thanks for the info. That's sad.

Syulang Jul 30, 2023

@sri Rice and wheat both being hoarded by countries. We haven't had "normal" global trade flows for almost five years. It's unlikely they'll be coming back any time soon - if at all. This will hit countries that rely on importing food and with weak relationships the most. Places like the UK, Taiwan, N. Korea and Egypt are at real risk. Places like Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, Russia, Argentina, Brazil and Australia are safer - as they produce a large enough surplus that they can take a significant hit to their ability to grow crops and still produce enough to feed themselves if they cut exports. They will be under a lot of pressure and threats, however - especially smaller countries like NZ, and while the EU protects Ireland, it can cut both ways - if push comes to shove, hungry friends can become hostile if they pecieve Ireland to be "hoarding".

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 31, 2023

@Syulang Yep. We are used to having global markets but climate change is going to reset everything. Countries that heavily import is going to have problems. I'm sure there will be retaliatory things like folks like Saudi Arabia willl do will do if they don't get imports.

It's going to get nasty out there unless we all pull together and start laser focusing on green energy, and putting the brakes on things that generate green house gases.

Syulang Jul 31, 2023

@sri Forgot about the gulf states. But very very true. Dubai is well on the pipeline from dystopian future hellscape to uh.... Well, a different kind of dystopian future hellscape.

peteo Jul 30, 2023

@sri
Surprised there has been so little media visibility of this 🤔

SpeakerToManagers Jul 31, 2023

@sri @ttpphd
I’m glad I have a lot of Basmati left from my last 25 lb bag. And I’ve just been put on a low-carb diet so I’ll have to ration it anyway.

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 31, 2023

@SpeakerToManagers @ttpphd basmati rice is ok - mostly. But indians that normally eat non-basmati will buy basmati as a replacement.

natriumchloride Jul 31, 2023

@sri nooo i love rice. Small life joys are being taken from us constantly and it's far from the worst part of climate warming 😭 but since youth i've been continuously so pessimistic about this all to the point i would straight-up panic when the topic would come up. I can't but not hope that somehow we'll find a way to make this better.

MemphisDaPlaya 🎲🎲Jul 31, 2023

Arkansas has a large supply of rice. #Riceland

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 31, 2023

@GoatRoper Yes, but the soni masoori rice - it's so amazingly flavorable. If people only knew.. it's not basmati but it's pretty damn good rice

MemphisDaPlaya 🎲🎲Jul 31, 2023

@sri Absolutely 💯%.

Benjamin Kwiecień 🇵🇸Jul 31, 2023

@sri It's good to refrain from making generalizations about Asia or Asians. I live in a part of Asia where rice is not consumed that much. (It is popular, but less popular than bread.)

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 31, 2023

@ben I am talking about rice from a cultural point of view. There are parts of India that eats more bread than rice. It's still important to them.
Most Asians understand where I am coming from and its cultural importance.

Benjamin Kwiecień 🇵🇸Jul 31, 2023

@sri please don't make generalizations about Asia, though. It is a vast and diverse continent with many cultures

Aral Balkan Jul 31, 2023

@ben Please don’t be the white guy telling an Asian person what they can or cannot do when sharing their lived experience.

Benjamin Kwiecień 🇵🇸Jul 31, 2023

@aral @sri Aral, they do not represent all of Asia. There are lots of white people from Asia. You're just piling more falsehood on top of falsehood, but sure let's make a vague racialized judgment of an entire continent. They're all the same to you, aren't they

Aral Balkan Jul 31, 2023

@ben Dude, stay in your lane. I might be white passing but I’m from the Middle East and I grew up in Malaysia. So, no, “they’re” not all the same to me. (And how very dare you?)

Have you ever stopped to consider that a Polish expat in Asia shouldn’t be telling an Asian person that they’re being racist against Asians?

Actually, no need to answer. We’re done here.

Lulu Powerful Jul 31, 2023

@sri @ben I don't normally get involved in these things, but...

I'm from a place in South Asia where more bread tends to be consumed than rice - but I'm totally comfortable with the generalisation about rice. :)

And now if you'll indulge me while I contribute another generalisation: Most Asians already know how vast and diverse Asia is. I'm going out on a limb here and assuming Sri is among them hehe.

https://www.sbs.com.au/food/the-cook-up-with-adam-liaw/article/the-many-meanings-of-rice-in-asian-culture/bh7lpre0h

The many meanings of rice in Asian culture

Rice plays such an important role in Asian culture that it takes a variety of names and is even used in greetings.

SBS Food

Benjamin Kwiecień 🇵🇸Jul 31, 2023

@lulu_powerful @sri it's just wrong, that's all. Some people love wrong things, so I'm not surprised about this

HFM Jul 31, 2023

@sri where is it hard to find?

Sriram "sri" Ramkrishna - 😼Jul 31, 2023

@hfentonmudd likely places at least in the U.S. that have large Indian populations especially south Indian people.

HFM Jul 31, 2023

@sri That makes sense!

Nicole Parsons Jul 31, 2023

These aren't the only commercial crops under threat.

Bananas (fungus). Oranges (virus) Coffee. Cacao.

Extreme heat lowers the nutritional value of several grains and vegetables.

Petrostate despots are interfering in the elections of democracies to thwart climate action & corrupting the courts to thwart environmental agencies.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-07-04/saudi-russia-oil-curbs-signal-a-special-relationship

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/19/false-solutions-scepticism-over-saudi-carbon-capture-plan

https://theintercept.com/2019/09/18/saudi-arabia-aramco-oil-climate-change/

https://theintercept.com/2022/06/30/supreme-court-epa-climate-charles-koch/

Saudi-Russia Oil Curbs Signal a Special Relationship

The two nations coordinate cuts even though Moscow has so far given little evidence of holding up its side of the bargain.

Bloomberg

ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jul 31, 2023

@sri Thanks for posting this. I fear Western countries are not taking enough notice of how weather extremes are affecting countries outside their "bubble".

Barbara E Bj Jul 31, 2023

@sri I agree with you, but in the meantime, find (or move to) very diverse areas where there are a lot of Indian ex-pats and shop their stores, Indian-run and self-owned stores. A lot of diversity exists in the vicinity of big universities. That is also where there is the most access to seminars, research, and people interested in climate change and what we can do about it.

ProScience 🇪🇺Jul 31, 2023

I'm aware and would be interested in stats from a reliable source about export/import p.a. - just in case you'd know one.

Pēteris Krišjānis Jul 31, 2023

@sri but people will argue that this should not have happened for 10 years or so.
While there might be ebbs and flows in food production, situation is slowly getting more dire. And that is just a fact.