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Recently, number of places around the world are facing the problem of rice shortage. Even our neighbouring countries, Thailand which is known as the kingdom of rice, faces the same dilemma.
Previously, the most common lesson our old folks teach us is: “each grain in your dish is a fruit of hard labour”. Now, it should be changed in to “each grain in your dish is precious”. In Malaysia, the people have probably been able to feel the pressure of rising rice prices. Living will become more and more bitter, and we need to be more thrifty in the future. Grains are staple food for half of the world population, but they have gradually become the supporting food on our dining table in the past. “It is alright if you can't finish the rice. Just finish the vegetables and meat”. Such talk is so common in our daily lives. As grains are cheaper than vegetables and fish, they have often been wasted. | "To solve the immediate crisis, we must quickly restore the natural balances, or quickly create a new balance." | The rice prices of this year has risen 150%, and rice will soon become the food only the rich can afford. In the latest issue of British "Economist" magazine, it has done such investigation: in poor countries, in order to guarantee three meals a day, the middle class don't see doctor or eat meat. For those poor people with an average daily revenue of US$2, they are forced to sacrifice their children's education expenses for rice. They don't even dare to eat vegetables. The people who earn US$1 a day, they can only eat a bowl of rice. Vegetables and fish are simply out of their imagination. It is a doom for those who earn only US$0.50. How come the prices of rice has suddenly shot up? Ultimately, it is caused by excessive efforts in promoting industrial and commercial development over the past half century and neglected the agriculture industry. Over the past half-century, as the trade industry is flourishing, agricultural is considered as “no future”. Many farmers have left the rural areas to cities for work. As a result, farm lands are unused. Some countries are committed to promoting urbanisation and massively expropriating agricultural lands. In come backward countries in Africa, some lands are left behind because of frequent wars. In addition, as the recent oil prices is increasing, many advanced countries encourage farmers to plant crops, such as corns and sugar cane, that can be manufactured into bio-fuel, in a bid to solve the problem of shortage of natural resources. To gain more profits, many farmers abandon traditional crops and go after bio-fuel crops. As a result, we face the rice shortage dilemma. At the moment, the greenhouse effects are still alarming and the food crisis is worsening. Famine is no longer the matter of the African refugees. It could happen to our neighbouring countries such as the Philippines, Bangladesh and so on. One day, maybe it will happen in our country. The United Nations World Food Programme warned that the world is facing the “quiet tsunami” of increasing food prices. The population that cannot afford food has increased by 100 million. If the government does not take any action, the ordinary people like us are likely to be “swallowed” by the tsunami. Of course, our government is prepared to grant RM4 billion to increase food production, in hope to achieve self-sufficiency of rice supply. This is a positive response measures, but it must be careful in the implementation and avoid too much interference. In fact, there are signs to go by from the global warming issue to the recent food shortages. They are even interrelated. The natural biological chain has maintained the balance between supply and demand over the years. However, when human beings constantly start their development since the last century, imbalances are getting more and more serious. To solve the immediate crisis, we must quickly restore the natural balances, or quickly create a new balance. (By CHUA SZE CHIH/ Translated by LEE MEI NYEE/ Sin Chew Daily)
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Rice and grains, vegetables, fruits, flowers and aqua culture are the way to go for Malaysia. They better create 50,000 felda-like ten hectare small farms, and spread it around the various communities rather than shackling malays further in agriculture.