VOA常速英语2008年-Asia Battles Hike in Rice Prices

By Naomi Martig
Hong Kong
04 April 2008

Grocery stores in Hong Kong have replenished¹ rice supplies after panic buying nearly cleared the shelves. As Naomi Martig reports from Hong Kong, concern is growing among Asian consumers that the region's staple² food will no longer be affordable³ for low-income families.

The rush for rice in Hong Kong began after wholesale⁴ prices spiked⁵ in Thailand.

At the end of February, Thailand's benchmark rice was trading at more than $500  a ton, an increase of more than $100 from a month earlier. And in recent days, the price has risen further - more than 30 percent.

Hong Kong imports 90 percent of its rice from Thailand, and relies on imports for most of its food. Consumers, expecting sharp price rises, in the past several days have loaded up on rice, clearing the shelves of some stores.

Jasmine Hui is spokeswoman for Park-n-Shop, one of Hong Kong's largest food retailers⁷. She says the chain has increased delivery volume for rice to meet consumer demand. Hui says shoppers in Hong Kong should not be concerned just yet that they will have to pay more for rice.

"Although we are really facing much pressure as a result of the increase in cost price for rice recently, and we do try our best to stabilize⁸ the retail⁶ price and up till now we have not adjusted the retail price for all our rice products," she said.

Smaller crops and other factors such as higher fuel costs have contributed to rising prices for rice. Analysts⁹ are concerned about what that means for social stability. Some of the region's poorer nations, with inefficient¹⁰ markets and distribution systems, could face shortages, and millions of households could struggle to pay for basic food.

This week's rush on rice shows that even wealthy cities such as Hong Kong, where markets are efficient and most people can afford alternative foods, are vulnerable to fears about shortages and inflation.

Robert Broadfoot is director of the Political and Economic Rick Consultancy in Hong Kong. He says the actual increase in food prices is only a part of the problem when looking at how social unrest and food stability are connected. He says it is just as important to look at how governments control distribution.

"In a number of places they've imposed subsidies¹¹ so that there are shortages in some countries that have run out, where the food is too cheap," he said. "In other countries like the Philippines, government's in charge of doing most of the imports of the rice, so the government is blamed since it's really part of the industry when things go wrong."

Broadfoot says in poorer countries soaring prices and rice shortages could hit the urban poor hard.

"And urban poor are a group of people that in a lot of countries will demonstrate," he said. "And when they demonstrate, what does that do to the social and political situation of that country?"

To avoid public discontent, many Asian governments have taken steps to make sure their citizens have enough rice. Some, such as the Philippines, are rushing to sign contracts for rice imports, and others, including Vietnam and India, have moved to restrict exports.

1 replenished   

补充( replenish的过去式和过去分词 )； 重新装满

参考例句：

• She replenished her wardrobe. 她添置了衣服。
• She has replenished a leather [fur] coat recently. 她最近添置了一件皮袄。

2 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

3 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

4 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。

5 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

6 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

7 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

8 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 inefficient   

adj.效率低的，无效的

参考例句：

• The inefficient operation cost the firm a lot of money.低效率的运作使该公司损失了许多钱。
• Their communication systems are inefficient in the extreme.他们的通讯系统效率非常差。

11 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》