Rice Bucket

Yes, had always been a 'rice bucket' 饭桶 since young. I love my rice. And I always find it bliss to sit down with a fragrant bowl of rice for dinner after a hard day's work.

As part of a surge in global food costs and prices of daily commodities, rice prices are rocketing. And analysis are blaming rising fuel and fertilizer expenses as well as crops curtailed by disease, pests and climate change.

This April '08 marks an end to the era of cheap rice.

Today, I was startled to realize that our favourite brand of rice, the Golden Phoenix has risen to a price of $26.30/10kg! It was an over 40% increase compared to my last purchase on 6 April at price of $18+, all within a month's time!

There was already a rush to stock up on rice grains in early April despite Singapore government officials assuring the public that local rice supply was adequate and our abundance stockpile of rice on the island will never face shortages.

But the concern was not of rice shortages but on the rising rice prices. Right now, we have a price crisis, not a supply crisis.

The only positive aspect i wish to see in this mess was that everybody would stop wasting food and finally learned to appreciate and cherish food resources, irregardless of its price.