Controlling crops goes against the grain

To describe it as opportunistic doesn’t do justice to the Thai Prime Minister’s proposal: a rice cartel as food riots erupt over West Africa and the Philippines, another Asean nation, goes begging for supplies.

Still, it is nothing new. Eight years ago a similar idea was floated and came to nothing.

Plans for cartels among commodity food producers are made and abandoned with regularity.

Price strength gives confidence; Opec is acquiring new members (Angola and Ecuador) as oil hits new record prices while gas-exporting nations, including Algeria, Iran, Qatar and Russia are now mulling over the notion of an Ogec.

Times of London