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China smugglers disguise rice as road chips

by JeffHuang | June 19, 2008 at 02:19 pm | 318 views | 2 comments | 5 recommendations

Bags of arborio rice to throw over the newly weds

In relation to the asian rice crisis story: http://www.nowpublic.com/health/asian-rice-crisis people in China are trying to smuggle rice into other countries. 280 tonnes of sumuggled grains have been blocked so far. If the rice crisis happens to hold true, I wonder what Asia will be like when there are billions of unhappy people angered by the increase price of rice.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Relatively cheap Chinese prices have encouraged creative schemes to smuggle rice and wheat flour out of the country, local media reported on Thursday, adding that one port blocked seven such attempts in one month.

One firm declared 92 tonnes of rice bound for Thailand as "marble road chips," the Guangzhou Daily said.

Customs in Huangpu port also seized 45 tonnes of flour described as "water purification powder" destined for Indonesia, the paper said.

Huangpu authorities blocked a total of 280 tonnes of smuggled grains, in seven attempts in the month, after rice prices in Thailand, the world's largest exporter, hit historic highs. Thai prices peaked at nearly four times the price in China at that time.

China, concerned over its own supply and inflation hovering near 12-year highs, halted most exports of rice and flour through quotas and taxes and has been releasing state reserves to pressure grain prices at home.

China's policy worked so well it tempted passengers at the southern port of Gongbei to carry some extra kg of grain when they booked passage to Vietnam.

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ljcole

at 17:29 on June 21st, 2008

This is the land of a farmer I visited in Fengdu. They have to be relocated due to the damn project, and about half of his rice paddies will be submerged when the project is finished.

ljcole has contributed a photo to this story.