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India’s ban on rice exports raises fear of global food price rises
- pphysch 3y agoI assume basmati is omitted because it is a higher margin crop sold mainly to wealthy Western countries?
- dilawar 3y agoYes and mostly no. Its definitely a costlier rice but not unaffordable. My dad grow rice and he doesnt prefer the taste of basmati. Basmati is softer and longer but not as sweet as his favorite "sharbati" or IR24. It tastes bland with vegetables and curries. It has aroma but no flavor. Most farmers dont prefer basmati for daily usage even when they grow it. Also,per acre, basmati has not significant advantage over other varieties which can grow upto 2x basmati. I live in city and now I prefer basmati because its less sweeter and softer. Weight gain has been a concern for me (not to my dad, he likes doing labor). Basmati also doesnt fit well with many traditional dishes, except for biryani I guess. Cashew has become unaffordable locally because of high export demand. I find is mildly irritating. On the other hand, I earn quite well because of service export.
- tyfon 3y agoBasmati rice has generally lower arsenic content than the other rice types, at least those they sell here. That's the main reason I buy it, not really for the taste.
- mrguyorama 3y agoIf you are concerned about arsenic in rice, then you should just wash your rice. It's quite effective
- pphysch 3y agoFascinating, thanks for the info!
- filereaper 3y agoThis is so true! There's many different varieties of rice. The various regions of India use different varieites based on the type of food they cook. I found this site that describes it if anyone's interested: https://sproutmonk.com/types-of-rice-in-india/ https://sproutmonk.com/types-of-rice-in-india/
- lacy_tinpot 3y agoThere's an insane amount of rice varieties in India.
- mullen 3y agoThere are an insane amount of rice varieties everywhere.
- OJFord 3y agoThere's an insane amount of everything varieties, you just don't often get much (or at least not explicit) choice at the point of purchase. Potatoes are the biggest exception I can think of in the UK. Largely grown here! Could believe it's similar for retail rice in India for similar reasons. (That doesn't work for say wheat flour though. A lot grown here, but best you can do is pick your protein %. I'm also not sure if you should care about more than that though - milling aside.)
- rustedspoon 3y agoAt which point of sale? If you mean in some chain grocery store then I would agree with you, but if you go to any local rice merchant they have tons of varieties.
- OJFord 3y agoWell what I mean is that a lot of people don't have a 'local rice merchant' or aren't going there - so it's not 'often' much of a choice, i.e. across all points of sale. I'm not talking about just India (nor just rice) if that's the confusion - I don't know where I'd personally go for a choice of basmati cultivars, but there's probably things (potatoes?) I have more choice of in the UK than there generally is in India.
- rustedspoon 3y agoAh thanks for clarifying
- 3y ago
- manishsharan 3y agoI like making Kichdi once in a while and Basmati is awful for this dish. I have discovered the japanese Sushi rice takes my khichdi so much more wonderful. It is not good for the waistline but it is an indulgence for whenever I get sick.
- OJFord 3y agoHa, it's so funny to me khichdi is a sick dish - I thought that was just my fiancée's family at first. She made some for me which I kept eating in good health, but she couldn't/wouldn't eat it herself, put off by that association. The British kedgeree (which has its origin in khichdi but frankly is quite different - like a breakfast biryani of smoked haddock & boiled egg; generally no daal) doesn't at all share that.
- geodel 3y agoYeah, I think Khichri for sick is at least north Indian thing if not all Indian. In southern parts they make fancier khichri like pongal and stuff. Also we used to cook Tehri/Tahari vegetables/ rice(non-basmati), heavy spices in pressure cooker. Though nowadays Biryani/Pulao has taken prominence.
- OJFord 3y agoThat is unfortunate about cashews, but I'm jealous to read of the choice of rice varieties - it's a funny world! In the UK I think I'd have a hard time getting anything other than generic 'basmati' (which afaict just means Oryza sativa indica - it could be IR24, what you're calling basmati, anything else in the subspecies, or some blend with the yield & shelf-life & availability properties they wanted) that would be at all suitable for (my attempt at/interpretation of) 'Indian' food. Whatever it is I suppose I subconsciously agree it's bland - I tend to cook it with some rai/jeera/ilaayachi/laung depending. (Edit -) It just occurred to me that the cashew issue is probably not helped that they're hardly cheap here, largely eaten as a snack (roasted & salted) on their own - which supports a higher price, I suppose, than more common use as more of an ingredient (e.g. kaju katri, ground up in creamy dishes) in India.
- brmgb 3y ago> In the UK I think I'd have a hard time getting anything other than generic 'basmati' It’s relatively easy to find any kind of rice in countries with significant East Asian diaspora like England provided you are ready to buy largish quantity (10kg). It’s highly likely there is an Asian market near you with a surprisingly large selection of rices (not necessarily on display) and which can get you other kinds if you order. It definitely is more involved than going to Tesco but far from impossible.
- OJFord 3y agoI do buy in 5-10kg bags (but admittedly takes me much longer to work through than it would an East Asian family) I've just never seen it specify a variety. Just different brands of 'basmati' (which as I said I think is used more generically here than it is up thread).
- irrational 3y agoTIL that not only are there different kinds of rice, but people use certain types of rice with certain dishes. I just thought that rice is rice.
- tehwebguy 3y agoLPT if you’ve tried making fried rice at home, and it sucked, try medium grain. If you tried making sushi and it sucked try short grain.
- lotsofpulp 3y agoThere are even different ways to cook the same rice for use with different dishes. Sometimes you want sticky, sometimes you want mushy, sometimes you want the grains to stay individual, sometimes you want them to have a little bite…
- dilawar 3y agoLol. Yesterday, I was making fun of my friend. He likes drinking and like to talk about various kind of drinks. I don't drink and wanted to change the topic: "alcohol is just alcohol!". He rolled his eyes.
- rustedspoon 3y agoThe article says basmati accounts for 1/4th of the exports, yes it’s a higher yield crop, but basmati is consumed at a much much lower rate than let’s say sona masoori (at least in the south)
- rramadass 3y agoYes and No. There are many varieties of Rice and Basmati is just one of them. In India it is used only for special dishes like Biryani/Pulao/etc. and not as a all purpose everyday use Rice. And it is also a higher margin crop well-suited for exports.
- gsky 3y ago[flagged]
- Retric 3y agoOcean shipping is really efficient. Local farmers market food can easily result in more CO2 emissions than shipping from another country. 20 miles in a pickup truck is worse than 2,000 miles by massive cargo ship. This is why carbon taxes are so efficient, they optimize for actual emissions vs what people think are the problems.
- gsky 3y agoLast mile delivery is necessary even for imported food.
- whimsicalism 3y agolast mile delivery is necessary for local food too and local food is typically more emission heavy per unit
- phanimahesh 3y agoIt depends on the local and the food as well.
- CameronNemo 3y agoIn what world is local food typically more emission heavy than imported food?
- dukeyukey 3y agoThis one. For example, imported New Zealand lamb is significantly less carbon intensive than Welsh lamb (when consumed in the UK), because of country size and climate. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/nz-lambs-better-environment-2240702 https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/nz-lambs-bette...
- brink 3y ago[flagged]
- jwineinger 3y agoI hope we've learned by now that Putin often lies
- whimsicalism 3y agoi am pretty sure this one has been confirmed, as i heard it from the western side, hadn’t heard Purim’s statement until right now
- nkskalyan 3y agoPutin can stop whenever he wants by not annexing Ukraine. Its surprising that people spin that west is responsible for a war started by Russia. The article says "We can stop the war by the west stopping supply to Ukraine". This is literally the way Russia wins the war and annexes Ukraine. Stop being an apologist for the aggressor
- seabird 3y ago[flagged]
- whimsicalism 3y ago[flagged]
- tchalla 3y ago[flagged]
- mrguyorama 3y agoSure, the US has absolutely worked with despotic regimes to do bad things. Providing token aid to a sovereign country being invaded by an objective enemy aggressor is not that.
- perfopt 3y agoIndia had a scorching summer and now heavy rains in many parts of the country. The government is just being prudent and ensuring sufficient local stock.
- enraged_camel 3y ago[flagged]
- askafriend 3y agoI appreciated the summary so I don't have to click in and read paragraphs of fluff.
- refulgentis 3y agoIt's not a summary of the article, it is repetition of a lead-in. In anticipation of getting downvoted to invisible and flagged like the original remark, I am sharing this to clarify and having been here 16 years, it is helpful to gently point out when the conversation becomes the object of engagement rather than the article.
- enraged_camel 3y agoRight. It is generally expected that comments are substantive and add value, which the original post doesn't. But pointing that out is what got flagged, which I guess does have some entertainment value by way of irony!
- xbmcuser 3y agoWith the amount of rice and wheat stockpile India has on books it should not be affected. But elections are so close ruling government can't afford to take the risk of a shortage revealing half empty silo's.
- eloq 3y ago[flagged]
- pastage 3y agoThis is not good reasoning nothing good has ever come from making other peoples life miserable. I know lots of people wanted to do the same during the energy crisis in Europe. It is short sighted.
- taylorfinley 3y agoThis sounded like GPT generated content to me, I ran it through a detector tool and the comment scored as 100% GPT-generated.
- shriek 3y agoIf so then it's just sad to see people go this route. I don't even know what the incentive of doing this would be. Engage people? Farm points? I was vaguely aware that in reddit you can sell your profile. But does that even exist in HN?
- mrguyorama 3y agoAbsolutely HN has astroturfing going on. This community is chock full of people who are gullible but think they are the smartest in the room, and most of the people here have more money than average. It's a marketer's wet dream.
- supriyo-biswas 3y agoThis person’s entire comment history seems to be written using ChatGPT, given the “while X, it’s also important to Y” style.
- loopdoend 3y agoAlways with the disclaimers... makes it super easy to spot
- dumpster_fire 3y agoI'll only actually worry when Thailand bans hom mali rice exports.
- taneq 3y agoAnd after that happens, how long from the point where you worried to the point where a whole bunch of people starve?
- dumpster_fire 3y agoOkay I'm properly worrying now. I'll throw in a couple more thoughts and prayers to change the mind of Modi while at it.
- taneq 3y agoWelcome to the group, we meet alternate Thursdays and worry the rest of the time. For most of us that's as far as at goes. Some of us get all hyperfixated and might save the world, though.
- xbmcuser 3y agoIndia ban of rice export is partly because Thailand and nearby countries are also expected to have a bad crop this year which will put pressure on Indian rice prices. The first year probably should not be a problem but if it carries on to the next year then it could be bad in term of prices.
- unmole 3y agoJust last harvest states like Telangana had a glut of rice with no buyers. And now we have this. The whole procurement and storage chain is hopelessly mismanaged in India.
- distortionfield 3y agoIt’s not just India. Trying to grow the right amount of any crop is insanely difficult for all farmers, no matter the region.
- lotsofpulp 3y agoHence the futures markets.
- carlmr 3y agoThe more markets worldwide connect to balance out local weather issues the more predictable the outcome. The problem however is international cooperation when there's global shortages.
- unmole 3y agoThe problem is as old as agriculture itself and we've known the solution too for millinea: Store surpluses that can be used in lean years. But in India procurement, storage and sale of agricultural produce are all wrapped up in a maze of Byzantine laws. As a result, availability of financing and infrastructure is abysmal. The first modern rice silos in the country are only expected to start operations in the next month or so.
- 7373737373 3y agoQuestion: Would it be possible to store foodstuffs at close to 0 Kelvin at scale, indefinitely? Cryopreservation for food instead of people? Which foodstuffs "survive" long-term freezing? How large and economical could large-scale food cryopreservation be?
- tstrimple 3y agoDepends entirely on the foodstuffs in question. Rice can be kept for around 10 years at 70f if you control moisture. If you can control for oxygen, it can last even longer at temps well above freezing. Corn and soybeans are more sensitive to temperature than rice, but the major factor is still moisture and oxygen exposure. It reminds me a bit of the game Oxygen Not Included where early food storage techniques involve keeping it stored in an area saturated with CO2 to reduce the rate at which it rots before you have access to refrigeration.
- spywaregorilla 3y agoIt seems like a no brainer that western powers should defend the transport of Ukrainian grain. The shortage of food is going to cause such an immense problem in states like in Africa. Europe is going to have a terrible time with this.
- lock-the-spock 3y agoAfrica is not a state but a huge continent with many countries and diverse situations.
- LordShredda 3y ago[flagged]
- dang 3y agoPlease don't do this here.
- spywaregorilla 3y agoThanks for the grammar check.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- petre 3y agoWhat do you propose, NATO escorting ships bound for Odessa and getting in an open armed conflict with Russia so that South Africa and other friends of Russia, avoid food shortages? Sorry, that ain't happening. Best outcome would be if our man Erdogan can convince Putin to sign another grain deal in any other form, but I doubt it, because the latter made some outrageous requests to do so. Or if the West arms Ukraine with ground launched Harpoon missiles, so that the Kremlin chicken out and avoid exposing their Black Sea fleet to the same fate as Moskva's. There is also the solution of sending the ships through Romania and Bulgaria's territorial waters. Then the Russians can bitch about hidden weapons as much as they like.
- altcognito 3y agoWouldn't it be great if their buddies the Russians weren't actively destroying grain shipments of the Ukrainians. Nice job guys.
- onetimeacc777 3y ago[flagged]
- gamblor956 3y agoRussian forces have been attacking civilian targets since the start of the war. We don't need newly-created sock puppet accounts on HN trying to justify their war crimes.
- dang 3y ago"Don't feed egregious comments by replying; flag them instead." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- onetimeacc777 3y ago[dead]
- subtra3t 3y ago[flagged]
- alsetmusic 3y ago> Yes, its India's fault that Russia is destroying grain shipments to Ukraine, right? I don't think they said anything remotely like this.
- subtra3t 3y agoThat is what they implied. Otherwise there is no point in them villifying India.
- chaostheory 3y agoWith global warming hitting hard, many countries can no longer afford to export food for various reasons. This is true given the US’s case where we still export animal feed that was grown in the desert.
- brmgb 3y agoI expect the trend to continue and get worse. India is on the verge of having serious issue with its food supply. To keep its share of importation stable, given the current population growth, the country needs its production to grow by 20% (by weight) in the next 25 years. That’s basically a bit more than 1% a year. The potential is definitely there but as far as I know the growth has been slightly under target for the past few years. I fully expect imports to rise and exports to be banned more and more often for the foreseeable future. Famine is unlikely but definitely a risk.
- JumpCrisscross 3y agoIndian agriculture is run as a jobs programme. If it modernised production, there is plenty of room for efficiency gains.
- mrguyorama 3y agoA lot of farming indians are extremely untrustworthy of "modernization" of farming because it means near total reliance on American megacorps that already abuse american farmers, let alone people in an entirely separate country with even lower means.
- JumpCrisscross 3y agoOne, that’s totally untrue. Tractors, for instance, have nothing to do with American mega corps. Two, whatever, the reasons manufactured to keep productivity low are irrelevant. The sector is being run inefficiently to keep a surplus of farmers employed. High food costs are a political choice.
- rowanG077 3y agoThis comment is so funny it's almost satire. Look at John deere to see how fun tractors can be.
- 3y ago
- olliej 3y agoI hope the irony of a UK newspaper complaining about India not exporting food is not lost on anyone.
- rajnathani 3y agoFor all those saying that this due to the climatic conditions, you’ll are only semi-wrong (/jk), as it has to do with political climate instead with the upcoming elections next year (those in power want to appease their electorate base with lower rice prices). This is also the second time this has occurred, the previous time it was from the other ruling party, and them by enacting the rice export ban then, put a lot of rice factories out of business due to the ensuing demand shock (I know someone whose entire family business of multiple factories had to shut down for good due to this).