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4k tons of potatoes to be given away for free in Berlin

the-berliner.com

31–40 of 154 posts

Re: 4k tons of potatoes to be given away for free in Berlin

#31
post #4

This is an interesting example of what happens when the supply and demand curve goes into the extreme ends of the chart: The price of "selling" your product goes negative. It costs money to get rid of it. Negative prices occur from time to time in the electricity market because some types of power plants are slow to ramp up and down. So if demand falls too rapidly, spot electricity prices can negative.

> The price of "selling" your product goes negative. It costs money to get rid of it.

But there also has to be a cost (or other liability) to keeping it, or you could just wait for demand to arise. (There generally is some kind of inventory/warehousing cost. But just saying.)

Re: 4k tons of potatoes to be given away for free in Berlin

#32
post #22
post #19

In America, we just let people go hungry while grinding the excess crop back into fertilizer.

We let people go hungry? This is really not a problem today.

Still a problem in the US. School lunch is the only meal of the day for a surprising number of kids.

Re: 4k tons of potatoes to be given away for free in Berlin

#33
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oil briefly went negative a couple years ago too which was shocking. I thought about “buying” some, but then realized I’d have to set up for the oil to be picked up (or try to sell the contract before it expired).

> a couple years ago It was near the beginning of the pandemic, due to the demand shock of everything shutting down. There were probably practical ways to profit off the low prices (assuming the risk of them not recovering), but I never did figure out something that would work for a retail investor.

The only way to profit was too have a large storage tank.

Re: 4k tons of potatoes to be given away for free in Berlin

#34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess you're quoting it because it is EXACTLY four million kilograms?

Probably for our freedom unit loving friends, they have a different ton (because why not).

Our freedom tons are built for our particularly large trucks.

Re: 4k tons of potatoes to be given away for free in Berlin

#36

"4,000 tons is almost four million kilograms"

I guess you're quoting it because it is EXACTLY four million kilograms?

They only reported one significant figure, could be as little as 3500. kg or as much as 4499.99999... kg

Re: 4k tons of potatoes to be given away for free in Berlin

#37
post #22
post #19

In America, we just let people go hungry while grinding the excess crop back into fertilizer.

We let people go hungry? This is really not a problem today.

yes, it very much is. plenty of school age children go hungry, and the school district I used to work for had a major program to make sure poor kids and "Children in transition" (i.e. homeless) were fed at least a good breakfast and lunch.

Given the direction of public school funding, and the sentiment of MAGA shitheels, I expect the problem to worsen.

Re: 4k tons of potatoes to be given away for free in Berlin

#38
post #22
post #19

In America, we just let people go hungry while grinding the excess crop back into fertilizer.

We let people go hungry? This is really not a problem today.

Just google for Household Food Security in the US. You might get surprised.

Re: 4k tons of potatoes to be given away for free in Berlin

#39

These particular potatoes won't be wasted. But other potatoes likely will be. It's not like people are suddenly going to want more potatoes.

Lots of people are price-sensitive to groceries, and will eat more potatoes if some of them are free.

Re: 4k tons of potatoes to be given away for free in Berlin

#40
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a couple years ago It was near the beginning of the pandemic, due to the demand shock of everything shutting down. There were probably practical ways to profit off the low prices (assuming the risk of them not recovering), but I never did figure out something that would work for a retail investor.

The only way to profit was too have a large storage tank.

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