I came upon this rather bewildering post in Time Magazine while googling for the current rice crisis. This write-up was datelined Monday, Jul. 02, 1973!!! amazing to know that today’s “rice crisis” has happened before.
Rice is life itself in Southeast Asia, and this year there is not enough to go around. Freakishly bad weather last year has turned the region’s usual bare sufficiency into severe shortage. The result: smuggling, hoarding, soaring prices and hungry people.
Thailand, a traditional supplier, has left her rice-buying neighbors in panic by halting exports to fill her own needs. China, usually an exporter, has also cut back sales because of a poor harvest last year. Because of the war, South Viet Nam must still rely heavily on buying U.S. rice.
