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Brazil develops tropical wheat and predicts self-sufficiency in 5 years

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Re: Brazil develops tropical wheat and predicts self-sufficiency in 5 years

#41

Post by siftrics »

marcosdumay wrote: post #39
marcodiego wrote: post #26

There are a few things that would make Brazil a lot more stable economically (and even socially and politically) if we achieved self-sufficiency: Fossil fuels: Currently, Brazil is self-sufficient in oil, but we export petrol to buy back refined fuels (gasoline and diesel). If we were self-sufficient in fossil fuels we would be much more immune to inflation every time OPEC decides to reduce oil output. Wheat: We are…

Hum... Nope, Brazil is not really self-sufficient in oil. It was for a while, but the production did not keep up with the domestic consumption. Anyway, Brazil exports its oil and imports some slightly more expensive one because the existing refineries weren't built to process the relatively recently discovered kind of it that consists on most of the production. And there is little sense in upgrading them. About wheat…

The commenter is not claiming Brazil is already self-sufficient in those three things.

Re: Brazil develops tropical wheat and predicts self-sufficiency in 5 years

#42

Post by jasmer »

marcodiego wrote: post #26

There are a few things that would make Brazil a lot more stable economically (and even socially and politically) if we achieved self-sufficiency: Fossil fuels: Currently, Brazil is self-sufficient in oil, but we export petrol to buy back refined fuels (gasoline and diesel). If we were self-sufficient in fossil fuels we would be much more immune to inflation every time OPEC decides to reduce oil output. Wheat: We are…

"would make Brazil a lot more stable economically (and even socially and politically) "

It's the other way around.

Brazil and Argentina especially should be rich, what's lacking is coherent social organization from top to bottom. Obviously it matters more at the top, but it has to be borne by regular people as well.

Same could be said of other Central/South American nations, but geographic factors and natural resources do give a material advantage that can be leveraged into a lot.

Consider that Canada, unlike most other so called 'advanced nations' - does not actually have lot of advanced industry. Research, yes, but 'applied' - no. And yet, because it has a 'free export card' with natural resources, it can import the equipment and materials necessary to support the rest of the regular domestic economy, which benefits from ultra boring politics, 'functional' bureaucracy, low levels of corruption.

Innovations can only be leveraged by organizations that have the coherent ability to make use if them.

The 'low hanging fruit' in Brazil is governance, though I hope this Wheat helps.

Re: Brazil develops tropical wheat and predicts self-sufficiency in 5 years

#43

Post by SamBam »

randomdata wrote: post #34
marcodiego wrote: post #26

There are a few things that would make Brazil a lot more stable economically (and even socially and politically) if we achieved self-sufficiency: Fossil fuels: Currently, Brazil is self-sufficient in oil, but we export petrol to buy back refined fuels (gasoline and diesel). If we were self-sufficient in fossil fuels we would be much more immune to inflation every time OPEC decides to reduce oil output. Wheat: We are…

> Nevertheless, we still need imported wheat. Ukraine war and dollar variations literary affect our bread. This would happen imports or not. So long as wheat exports are allowed, the local price will settle on the world price as the product is able to flow to the highest bidder. An event like the Ukraine war will impact someone and that will drive the world price up.

Only under a perfectly free market system. A great many countries have export controls in place specifically for wheat and other vital commodities. States can also set price ceilings and floors. The US, for instance, passed the temporary Wheat Price Guarantee Act during WWI.

Re: Brazil develops tropical wheat and predicts self-sufficiency in 5 years

#45

Post by doctor_eval »

mxkopy wrote: post #38
lostlogin wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How well has that worked with meth? A better analogy with the drug war would be to copy a country that manages meth by managing addiction. Offer better alternative and employment to the farmers and loggers. Obviously this isn’t easy.

I don't think it's mutually exclusive. You can deny chainsaws to bad actors while also trying to reduce the number of bad actors compassionately and nonviolently. In the drug war analogy, maybe decriminalize possession but heavily regulate production/sales.

Terms like “bad actors” are part of the problem.

Most people with chainsaws are trying to feed their family. They may be “bad actors” at one scale, but they are “good actors” to the people whose opinion matters to them.

It is this kind of language, and indeed this kind of problem, that makes resolving it so complicated.

Re: Brazil develops tropical wheat and predicts self-sufficiency in 5 years

#46

Post by doctor_eval »

lostlogin wrote: post #35
ClumsyPilot wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you learnt no lessons from over-reliance on Russian gas, which has caused widespread misery in Europe. What do you think will happen if there is major crop failure and food shortages? These free-market extremists don't know when to stop, they have caused more damage than the Taliban.

> Russian gas, which has caused widespread misery in Europe. I agree with you cynicism about the free market, but the situation with Russian gas turned out way better than was feared. Party this was due to a mild winter but the forecasts were very grim for a while there.

In matters like this, it’s not what actually happened, but what might have happened, that is important.

Re: Brazil develops tropical wheat and predicts self-sufficiency in 5 years

#48

Post by vitorgrs »

In the 80's, Embrapa (same research agency) discovered a way to grow Soy in the Midwest/cerrado... And that's how today Brazil is the largest soy exporter in the world. Before the 80's, soy was only grown in the South of Brazil (and Brazil imported soy at the time as I recall).

Currently, wheat is also only grown in the South as well.

Now, things are not simple. The wheat prices will need to be competitive to make farmers plant wheat instead of only soy. Soy currently totally dominates Brazilian farming. Everywhere you look you only see soy.

PS: Embrapa is also developing several varieties of grapes for Cerrado/Midwest region. Currently it's basically only grown in the South as well.

Re: Brazil develops tropical wheat and predicts self-sufficiency in 5 years

#49

Post by mkoubaa »

lostlogin wrote: post #31
marcodiego wrote: post #26

There are a few things that would make Brazil a lot more stable economically (and even socially and politically) if we achieved self-sufficiency: Fossil fuels: Currently, Brazil is self-sufficient in oil, but we export petrol to buy back refined fuels (gasoline and diesel). If we were self-sufficient in fossil fuels we would be much more immune to inflation every time OPEC decides to reduce oil output. Wheat: We are…

> Fertilizers: The largest world food producer needs imported fertilizers. The irony: our main supplier is Russia. This basically prevents Brazil taking any side in the conflict and affects our (and our buyers) food prices as much as wheat. No, it means you can’t take a position without paying a cost. A lot of countries used to depend on Russia for various things, and they have paid a price to change this.

If Brazil exports less food it isn't Brazil alone that would pay the price

Re: Brazil develops tropical wheat and predicts self-sufficiency in 5 years

#50

Post by diego_moita »

morkalork wrote: post #17
diego_moita wrote: post #8

Auto-sufficiency in 5 years and back to dependency in 25 years, after global warming decimates their agriculture.

What do you propose, just sit down and wait for starvation to set in?

No, there are 2 solutions for Brazil's problems: Guarulhos and Galeão.

I took Guarulhos, 10 years ago. Couldn't be happier.

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