Ricejacking
Director Boris Jean-Pierre, Crépu Jean
Countries Switzerland, France, Mali, Philippines, Senegal, Thailand
Duration 84 min
Synopsis
Rice figures in the equation of the planet's food-balance. No other crop meets the needs of so many people, or is so essential to poor countries. But in spring 2008, the prices of all basic foodstuffs rocketed, and that of rice was multiplied by six in just a few months. So what really happened in spring 2008 ? Who set off this panic, and who benefited from it? What lessons were learnt from this crisis, and what decisions were made? Tying in with current affairs and in particular with the explosion of prices in 2008, this documentary is an inquiry into those parts of the globe where the rice battle is fought. The film fits together the pieces of the puzzle, from Bangkok, where the largest rice producers and exporters are found, via Geneva, where part of the ricetrade’s negotiations are carried out, to Africa where the population consumes it. This triptych serves as a springboard from which to explore the cogs of this market, the reasons for the food crisis, and the major criteria for the near future, including “landgrabbing”, the monopolising of agricultural land. Is this a kind of agrarian neo-colonialism or a real alternative that could provide a way out from the food crisis?
Rice figures in the equation of the planet's food-balance. No other crop meets the needs of so many people, or is so essential to poor countries. But in spring 2008, the prices of all basic foodstuffs rocketed, and that of rice was multiplied by six in just a few months. So what really happened in spring 2008 ? Who set off this panic, and who benefited from it? What lessons were learnt from this crisis, and what decisions were made? Tying in with current affairs and in particular with the explosion of prices in 2008, this documentary is an inquiry into those parts of the globe where the rice battle is fought. The film fits together the pieces of the puzzle, from Bangkok, where the largest rice producers and exporters are found, via Geneva, where part of the ricetrade’s negotiations are carried out, to Africa where the population consumes it. This triptych serves as a springboard from which to explore the cogs of this market, the reasons for the food crisis, and the major criteria for the near future, including “landgrabbing”, the monopolising of agricultural land. Is this a kind of agrarian neo-colonialism or a real alternative that could provide a way out from the food crisis?