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Originally Posted by antimony
Professor Cowen probably does not realise that the average farmer he is talking about does not have any other option but to continue farming rice, regardless of the price that he would get. There would be many factors to this, such as lack of alternatives (the only alterative for rice cultivation in many of those areas would probably be jute), land holding type, irrigaton. Many of these factors are not directly influenced by any government policy. Factor like rainfall would have an exponentially greater impact in any loss of cultivation area than any government policy.
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If I can export my rice, I will receive more money. If I receive more money, I can save to purchase irrigation and/or pumps. I am now less susceptible to the vagaries of nature. My ability to save is absolutely tied to government policy.
Also, faced with lower prices, my best option may be to decrease output. I get more free time and I can potentially increase prices as well. It is not just a choice between rice or something else.
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Originally Posted by antimony
Another thing, every country absolutely has the right to regard its own food security above the needs of others and take any measure necessary...
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It's seems to be working, doesn't it? Ask North Korea how self-sufficiency works in the extreme . . .