And Now For Something Completly Different

[AdamSmith]

Start wheat farms, says Maharaj
Tuesday, December 11, 2007

THE Ministry of Agriculture should look at growing wheat in Fiji to replace expensive imports from Australia, says the Fiji Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber president Swani Maharaj made the comment in response to the increase in price for flour and sharps as a result of the jump in price of imported wheat.

"We cannot do much this time because the price of flour and sharps has increased because of global warming," he said.

On Sunday, the Prices and Incomes Board said the drought and floods in Australia had pushed the price of wheat up to record levels on the global commodity markets.

As of yesterday, a kilogram of flour cost $1.14 from the old price of a $1.07.

A 10kg bag of flour costs $11.58, up from $10.81.

A kilogram of sharps costs $1.15, up from $1.07.

The PIB said exports from the big five wheat producers European Union, United States, Australia, Canada and Argentina to global wheat markets had halved in the last three years.

Mr Maharaj said the Ministry of Agriculture should carry out a survey to see if wheat could be grown in Fiji.

He said the Ministry of Finance had put in place provisions for the agricultural sector and the Ministry of Agriculture should look into it.

"There are chunks of land that are lying vacant which can be used for agricultural purposes," he said.

"I think it is time the agricultural sector in Fiji started doing some aggressive marketing in order to get commercial farming done in Fiji."

Consumer Council of Fiji CEO Premila Kumar said climate change was having an impact on food production.

"Since Fiji imports wheat, there is very little that can be done to curb increases in price of wheat," she said.

"However consumers can start planting root crops to avoid reliance on flour and sharps.

"Backyard gardening or urban agriculture should be encouraged to enable consumers to save rather than relying on imports."

[AdamSmith]

High grain prices set to continue
By Declan O'Brien
Tuesday December 11 2007
http://www.independent.ie/farming/high-grain-prices-set-to-continue-1243898.html

Grain prices rose sharply again last week, recovering much of the ground lost in the previous month and undermining any lingering hope of a reduction in feed costs in the new year.


Stronger demand on world markets pushed the spot price for both wheat and barley to €235-€236/t. The forward price for January has moved to €237-€238/t.

The cost of Irish grain appears to be lagging imported stocks by around €7/t, though the general view is tha supplies on world markets are tight.

Record prices were paid for wheat and barley in September, but the market slowed through October and November, leading to suggestions that the increases had been a once-off spike.

Nevertheless, feed industry commentators argue that the latest resurgence in grain markets shows that the factors which drove prices through the harvest -- increased demand and reduced supply -- are influencing the trade once more.

As a consequence, many traders expect grain prices to remain close to current levels through the winter.

However, there is significant resistance in the feed sector to the latest increases and very little trade is being carried out at current prices.

Compounders are actively seeking alternatives to grain and where they have to buy, they are understood to be purchasing in a piecemeal and restricted fashion. No forward deals are being agreed.

Meanwhile, the head of the Canadian Wheat Board, Greg Arason, has predicted that wheat prices will stay high into 2008.

Mr Arason said that prices are unlikely to ease until the US winter wheat crop comes on the market next summer.

Plantings of winter wheat in the US have risen on the back of the record wheat prices. However, Mr Arason predicted that Canadian growers will increase planting of durum for pasta next year, but the acreage for other wheat varieties will be unchanged.

He said the acreage of durum will rise from 4.7m acres to 6.1m acres. The acreage of wheat will be around 14.7m acres, while barley plantings will be around 9.1m acres.

[AdamSmith]

So Fiji, that up and coming breadbasket to the world is urging it's people to consider growing wheat, because of the huge increase in the price of wheat,

YET, here in the land of the Invisible Price Signal, a land that actually CAN produce wheat, the great and powerful borg predicts, at best, no change in non-durum wheat plantings.

Is this not telling?

Logic dictates that high prices will cause producers to produce more, it's only natural, yet with the borg admiting to zero change in plantings in 2008, are they not also admiting at the same time that the price they offer western canadian farmers are NOT attractive enough to encourage an increase in plantings?

Is this not an admission of the systems failings?

Is this not an admission of the pathetic prices western farmers recieve for wheat from the cwb?

Arason might as well say to the world,

"Yeah, sure world prices are at record highs for wheat. But we're so pathetic at what we do here at the cwb that we can't even encourage addition wheat plantings next year."

"Sure people want Guitar Hero III, it's Ok and all, but were standing by what we have to offer, PONG!"

"We think it has more to offer the high energy gamers of today than the Etch-a-Sketch we've been selling recently"

"And look forward to a new and exciting game coming next year from us, it called ..... drum roll.....RUBICS CUBE"

But you know I think the dorks at the borg are so dim witted they can't even see what a zero change in wheat plantings says about the cwb.

More embarrassing yet would be lower wheat plantings.

[kamichel]

You say it like it is.

[wilagro]

The Fijian would be better off if they were to forget wheat and concentrate on their traditional taro. The climate and the soil in Fiji are not conducive to wheat growing as we know it, from what I have read.

[AdamSmith]

So Willy, that's your comment on Fiji's planting intentions.

What's your comment on Western Canada's planting intentions, Hmmm?

[wilagro]

AdamSmith: Well it wouldn't be taro for you as it wouldn't thrive where you live. Tah.

[Kodiak]

All right Wilagro. It's time to put up or shut up. Say something intelligent or bring a perspective, backed-up with evidence, that adds to the discussion. It's easy to be sarcastic and take cheap shots at everyone else. It's not so easy, at least for you it seems, to add something of value or significance to the discussion. Come on though - give it a try.