Arroyo orders crackdown on rice hoarders

I.
Arroyo orders crackdown on rice hoarders. International Herald Tribune. 3/25/08.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/25/asia/phil.php



II.
President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines ordered a crackdown on rice hoarders in an effort to maintain public order by blunting the impact of shortages. Rice, the country’s staple food, has risen in price nearly 50 percent since January. Along with this, Filipinos have been facing rising prices for household goods and oil. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap was ordered to ensure that cheap government rice ends up on the tables of the poor. The National Food Authority buys rice from farmers here and abroad and sells it at a cheaper price to the public. The problem is that some traders have bought the cheap rice and stockpiled it to sell months later at a higher price. This practice has heightened the severity of shortages as demand grows. By 2010, the population of the country will go from 85 million to 94 million. The Philippines was once Asia’s leading producer of rice, but is now its leading importer. Arroyo asked the Prime Minister of Vietnam to export 1.5 million tons to the Philippines, but he only pledged a million tons. 25,000 bags of rice are wasted daily in the Philippines. The estimated 1.8 million metric tons of rice output this year will only last for 55 days. Shortages are partly a result of the conversion of agricultural land for commercial development , along with the promotion of export crops at the expense of rice and corn.

III.
a) This article relates to the AP World History theme "creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems" because the situation involves rice trading and commerce, agricultural production, and industrialization. The Philippines needs to import more rice because of its lower production rate due to fields being converted to land for commercial development and traders stockpiling rice.
b) It was inevitable that rice shortages would occur due to the fact that an estimated 25,000 bags of rice are wasted everyday, industrialization is occurring, and prices have begun to soar. Public unrest will develop if the country's poor do not receive enough food.
c) Carlos H. Conde is a male reporter for the International Herald Tribune, and based on the fact that he is educated and has a good job, he is an outsider.
d) Little bias is shown by the reporter, but it is evident that he agrees with the severity of the situation based on the amount of information he gives and word choice he uses such as "crackdown," "hoarders," and "exacerbated."
e) The point of view missing from the article is someone that will be greatly affected by the rice shortage. This person could describe how much he expects to eat in any given day and what public unrest could lead to.
f) I think that Arroyo is doing a good job by doing everything she can to make sure enough food is supplied for her country. It is a shame that a country that is industrializing has to suffer the consequence of losing food. It is very important that rice hoarders are stopped from stockpiling rice just to sell it at a higher price later on.