From: kvt@druwy.ATT.COM (KimV.Tran)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.vietnamese
Subject: Re: [MISC] Rice Production
Date: 20 Aug 92 19:16:47 GMT
Reply-To: kvt@druwy.ATT.COM (KimV.Tran)

In article <1992Aug19.171917.23418@news.media.mit.edu> Cuong_M._Nguyen.OSBU_North@xerox.com writes:
# 
# From:	"HOANG NGUYEN (PAUL) 765-9447/PAGER 237-3542 M/S
# RN2-18"<HNGUYEN@libra.intel.com>
# >>Anh Hoa`ng nghi~ la` ne^'u na(ng sua^'t lu'a ta(ng le^n mu+o+`i la^`n
# >>no^ng da^n cu~ng kho^ng chi.u la`m ha? ?
# >
# >	Kho^ng.  V/-d kho^ng pha?i o*? cho^~ ta(ng le^n 10,100,1000 la^`n
# >	ma` no^ng da^n la`m hay kho^ng la`m.  La`m cho*' sao kho^ng, kho^ng
# >	la`m ma` -du*o*.c vo*'i co^ng an a`! Tuy nhie^n, vi' du. ca^'y lu'a,
# >	thay vi` ca('m -di't ma. xuo^'ng cho lu'a mo.c le^n thi` no^ng da^n
# >	cho*i ca('m ngu*o*.c -di't le^n tro*`i thi` lu'a mo.c sao -du*o*.c
# >	cho*'!  Ly' do nhu* -da~ no'i tha` pha' bo? co`n ho*n la` la`m cho
# >	co^' ma.ng ro^`i cu~ng Xe^'p Ha`ng Ca? Nga`y -de^? -du*o*.c bo^'
# >	thi' cho va`i ba ky' ga.o ho^i, trong khi ga.o ngon mi`nh tro^`ng
# >	thi` cha con "-Da^`y To*' Nha^n Da^n" -do*'p he^'t.  -Do' la` chu*a
# >	ke^? mo^.t so^' lo*'n no^ng da^n mie^`n Nam ga(.t lu'a xong da^u -de^?
# >	la`m ru*o*.u ba'n la^.u hay ....xi?n cho que^n ma^'y ca'i ba?n ma(.t
# >	che^'t ba^`m cu?a tu.i co^ng an lu'c na`o cu~ng la~ng va?ng do`m ngo'
# >	-de^? ho^'i lo^..
# 
# If peasants kept destroying young rice-plants or refused to harvest rice then
# how could we explain the fact that VN is currently third in rice exporter? I
# don't think "co^ng an" could forcibly make South Vietnam peasants to work and
# produce. However I think what Hoang mentioned was true, especially right after
# April-1975 until around 1985. And I think around 1985, CSVN had implemented
# some kinds of incentives in order to have South Vietnam peasants seriously
# worked in the rice fields. H.O. people should be able to tell us.
# 
# /cuong

Being the third largest rice exporter doesn't say much about the
increase/decrease in VN rice production. Recent ODP people told me
VN people has less and less rice to eat because most of it is used
for export. That could mean that even the rice production decreases,
VN can still be the third largest rice exporter.  How? simply taking 
rice supply away from domestic consumers and use it for export. One 
thing to remember that, contrary to pre-85 period, the rice planters
are not hurt. THis is because the regime probably pays a decent price
for the rice as the consumers would. However, the farmers may not
be able to satisfy both domestic demand and export. Some of the
reasons are: there's not enough fertilizers, tractors; government 
red-tapes; insecure about getting rich in a socialist state, etc...
The end result is that the farmers get their money and aids selling 
rice to the regime, the regime gets its hard currency by exporting 
the rice, and the general consumers have less rice to eat. The farmers
are content; the regime is happy; but the general people suffers.

The same ODP people told me that the regime prohibits the farmers to
plant "na`ng hu+o+ng" rice because it requires more care and longer 
cycles. So the question about whether we should eat Thai rice or
Vietnamese rice over here seems moot.

Along the same line applied with rice, good sized shrimps are no longer
available to the domestic market. They are for export only. These
people told me it gets so bad that only shrimp heads are sold in
the market. Shrimps are becoming a delicacy in VN. Here again, the
fishermen are content; the rgime is happy; and the common people
suffers.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.vietnamese