Thailand must make big choices to remain top rice exporter in world
By Jon Fernquest
The
urgent
rice
policy decisions that Thailand must make if the country wishes to maintain
its position
as the top rice exporter in the world was the subject of this week's Asia Focus section in the Bangkok Post
on Monday. Today's article is an extract from a larger article which can be found here. It begins following the vocabulary list below.
(Photo on right: "Farmers pick rice saplings to transplant them to a field in the northern Vietnamese province of Bac Ninh on Wednesday. Although Vietnam is a leading rice exporter, farmers still use century-old traditional farming techniques. But that might not be the case for long." AFP)
urgent - must be
done quickly
maintain Y - make situation Y continue into the future
maintain position - continue in the same position into the future
extract - a small part taken from a larger text
saplings - young trees ต้นอ่อน
transplant - move something from one place to another (examples: transplant rice by moving rice stalks from one field to another, a heart transplant takes the heart from a person who has died recently and puts it in the body of a living person who needs a new heart)
century - a period of one hundred years ศตวรรษ
traditional - things (clothes, music, customs, etc.) that have been part of a country or society for a long time
techniques - methods of doing a task or activity เทคนิค
be the case - be the situation, be true
might not be the case for long - the situation may not continue for a long period of time
maintain Y - make situation Y continue into the future
maintain position - continue in the same position into the future
extract - a small part taken from a larger text
saplings - young trees ต้นอ่อน
transplant - move something from one place to another (examples: transplant rice by moving rice stalks from one field to another, a heart transplant takes the heart from a person who has died recently and puts it in the body of a living person who needs a new heart)
century - a period of one hundred years ศตวรรษ
traditional - things (clothes, music, customs, etc.) that have been part of a country or society for a long time
techniques - methods of doing a task or activity เทคนิค
be the case - be the situation, be true
might not be the case for long - the situation may not continue for a long period of time
Economics
ASIA FOCUS
Filling the rice bowl
8/03/2010Walailak Keeratipipatpong
Concern about a food crisis has put Thailand at a crossroads, where it must choose whether to be the top global exporter by volume or the market leader in premium grain.
The 2008 food crisis has led to significant developments and expansion in Asia's rice industry but Thailand, as the leading exporter, has stressed its determination to maintain its leadership position by implementing various measures.
crisis
- an urgent, difficult or dangerous situation วิกฤต
crossroads - where two roads meet (must choose one to follow)
at a crossroads - when a person is in a situation where they must make an important decision in their life or business
global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก
volume - the quantity or amount of something ปริมาณ
leader - being the first in a group that guides and shows the way for others ผู้นำ
leadership - being in control of and guiding a group of people, making the important decisions that affect their life ความเป็นผู้นำ
market leader - being the first company in a market that guides and shows the way for others ผู้นำตลาด
premium - special features or service that you pay extra for
grain - the seed from cereal crops such as rice, wheat, or corn เมล็ดพืช
significant - important สำคัญ
expansion - when something increases in size, number or importance การขยายออก
stressed Y - stated that Y is important
determination - when a person has decided to do something and won't let anything stop them
maintain Y - make situation Y continue into the future
implementing - turning a plan into a functioning system นำมาใช้จริง
measures - actions that are intended to achieve or deal with something มาตราการ
crossroads - where two roads meet (must choose one to follow)
at a crossroads - when a person is in a situation where they must make an important decision in their life or business
global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก
volume - the quantity or amount of something ปริมาณ
leader - being the first in a group that guides and shows the way for others ผู้นำ
leadership - being in control of and guiding a group of people, making the important decisions that affect their life ความเป็นผู้นำ
market leader - being the first company in a market that guides and shows the way for others ผู้นำตลาด
premium - special features or service that you pay extra for
grain - the seed from cereal crops such as rice, wheat, or corn เมล็ดพืช
significant - important สำคัญ
expansion - when something increases in size, number or importance การขยายออก
stressed Y - stated that Y is important
determination - when a person has decided to do something and won't let anything stop them
maintain Y - make situation Y continue into the future
implementing - turning a plan into a functioning system นำมาใช้จริง
measures - actions that are intended to achieve or deal with something มาตราการ
One such measure that Thailand implemented last year was to guarantee farmers' incomes, and the government remains optimistic about maintaining its export leadership position with expected exports of about 10 million tonnes this year.
The food crisis of 2008 has inspired various countries in Asia to vie for status as the world's "rice bowl" and many hope to be able to dethrone Thailand.
implemented
- when a plan is put into action, actually doing the things in a plan
guarantee - a promise that something will be done or will happen คำรับรอง, การประกัน (See glossary)
optimistic - hopeful about the future and expecting that good things will happen (opposite of pessimistic) ซึ่งมองในแง่ดี,ซึ่งมองโลกในแง่ดี
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
food crisis of 2008 - "The years 2007–2008 saw dramatic increases in world food prices, creating a global crisis and causing political and economical instability and social unrest in both poor and developed nations." (See Wikipedia)
status - the state of affairs at a particular time สถานะ
dethrone - replace another as the leader or the first in some activity (example: dethrone Thailand as the top rice exporter in the world)
guarantee - a promise that something will be done or will happen คำรับรอง, การประกัน (See glossary)
optimistic - hopeful about the future and expecting that good things will happen (opposite of pessimistic) ซึ่งมองในแง่ดี,ซึ่งมองโลกในแง่ดี
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
food crisis of 2008 - "The years 2007–2008 saw dramatic increases in world food prices, creating a global crisis and causing political and economical instability and social unrest in both poor and developed nations." (See Wikipedia)
status - the state of affairs at a particular time สถานะ
dethrone - replace another as the leader or the first in some activity (example: dethrone Thailand as the top rice exporter in the world)
Among the key members in the region, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Burma, and Cambodia continue to dominate the rice trade, with 21.32 million tonnes of the total global trade of 29.3 million in 2009. Their share is expected to rise to 23.4 million tonnes of the total of 30.84 million this year
Local investment in the rice industry - from grading to advanced silos and storage units - boomed in 2008 and 2009, when the oil crisis drove up the prices of many grains including rice, which sold at a record high of $1,222 per tonne for the Hom Mali variety.
key
- important คนสำคัญ
dominate - to be the most powerful or most important thing in an area or situation มีอิทธิพลเหนือ, มีอำนาจเหนือ
trade - the buying and selling of goods การค้าขาย
share - part (part of something larger that many people share)
investment - taking your money and putting it into projects to make a profit or earn interest (buying stock shares, bonds, real estate)
silos - tall structures for storing large amounts of agricultural products (rice, grain) (See Wikipedia)
storage - the putting and keeping of things in a special place for use in the future การเก็บ
record - the best or most ever achieved สถิติ
variety - many different types of things or people ความหลากหลาย
dominate - to be the most powerful or most important thing in an area or situation มีอิทธิพลเหนือ, มีอำนาจเหนือ
trade - the buying and selling of goods การค้าขาย
share - part (part of something larger that many people share)
investment - taking your money and putting it into projects to make a profit or earn interest (buying stock shares, bonds, real estate)
silos - tall structures for storing large amounts of agricultural products (rice, grain) (See Wikipedia)
storage - the putting and keeping of things in a special place for use in the future การเก็บ
record - the best or most ever achieved สถิติ
variety - many different types of things or people ความหลากหลาย
On the other hand Vietnam, the world's second largest rice exporter, has set aside a fund of US$6 million (195.8 million baht) to improve rice quality. Farm co-operatives are also able to obtain soft loans to build facilities such as milling plants, processing units, and warehouses.
Cambodia-Vietnam Foods Company has also been formed by the Vietnamese state enterprise Vinafood, Investment and Development Joint Stock Co (IDCC) and Green Trade Co of Cambodia to strengthen co-operation between the two countries in raising their production and export profiles.
fund
- to provide money for something เงินทุน กองทุน
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
co-operative - a business owned and operated by a group of individuals (not stockholders) for their mutual benefit, for example: farmers running an agricultural cooperative (See Wikipedia)
soft loans - loans with easier terms (interest rates, payback period) than normally given
facilities - the buildings, equipment and services provided for a particular purpose สิ่งอำนวยความสะดวก
plants, processing units - factories
state - government รัฐ
enterprise - an organization, especially a business กิจการ, บริษัท,อุตสาหกิจ,วิสาหกิจ
co-operation - working together to achieve shared goals
profile of Y - how well-known Y is by other people
raise profiles - make more well-known by others
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
co-operative - a business owned and operated by a group of individuals (not stockholders) for their mutual benefit, for example: farmers running an agricultural cooperative (See Wikipedia)
soft loans - loans with easier terms (interest rates, payback period) than normally given
facilities - the buildings, equipment and services provided for a particular purpose สิ่งอำนวยความสะดวก
plants, processing units - factories
state - government รัฐ
enterprise - an organization, especially a business กิจการ, บริษัท,อุตสาหกิจ,วิสาหกิจ
co-operation - working together to achieve shared goals
profile of Y - how well-known Y is by other people
raise profiles - make more well-known by others
Burma has placed more importance on its rice industry in the past decade by allowing freer trade with the aim of promoting the grain as the major export item.
Official statistics show that Burma's rice exports in the first nine months of the 2009-10 fiscal year (April to December) have already exceeded 1.2 million tonnes against a target of 1.5 million. The figures are a huge improvement over the totals of recent years, when the country's rice exports had dwindled below 100,000 tonnes.
It also plans to expand markets to more countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Australia, and North Korea, as well as increase exports of high-grade rice to countries in the Middle East and Europe
decade
- a period of ten years ทศวรรษ, ระยะเวลา 10 ปี
aim - purpose; goal เป้าหมาย จุดมุ่งหมาย
fiscal - connected with the government budget, i.e., public money เกี่ยวกับงบประมาณ
fiscal year - the period of time during which money is budgeted and spent in the government (not always same as calendar year)
target - goal, the amount you are planning to achieve เป้าหมาย
figures - statistics, numbers
improvement - when something gets better or when you make it better การปรับปรุง, การทำให้ดีขึ้น
dwindled - decreased
expand - to become larger ขายตัวออกไป
aim - purpose; goal เป้าหมาย จุดมุ่งหมาย
fiscal - connected with the government budget, i.e., public money เกี่ยวกับงบประมาณ
fiscal year - the period of time during which money is budgeted and spent in the government (not always same as calendar year)
target - goal, the amount you are planning to achieve เป้าหมาย
figures - statistics, numbers
improvement - when something gets better or when you make it better การปรับปรุง, การทำให้ดีขึ้น
dwindled - decreased
expand - to become larger ขายตัวออกไป
(Source: Economics, ASIA FOCUS, Filling the rice bowl, 8/03/2010, Walailak Keeratipipatpong, link)
