Why is there a rice shortage?

Question

what caused the rice shortage and what countries is it affecting? what caused it all anyway?

Answer 1

chinese people are eating it all.

Answer 2

Hording and Speculators figuring to make a quick profit if the price rises.

From an India Newspaper  

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News...

...He said the United Nations has confirmed two days ago that the rise in food prices, besides being due to decline in production in some parts of the world, is essentially due to speculation trade.

"And the people making profit from this speculation are mostly companies from the United States of America. So they are the ones who are responsible for the rise in prices of foodgrains," Yechury said.

From an Australian Newspaper

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/17/b...

The collapse of Australia's rice production is one of several factors contributing to a doubling of rice prices in the last three months — increases that have led the world's largest exporters to restrict exports severely, spurred panicked hoarding in Hong Kong and the Philippines, and set off violent protests in countries including Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, the Philippines, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

Answer 3

there is no rice shortage - just like there is no oil shortage