The concept of holding stocks of grain that can be used during times of need has a nice humanitarian ring to it. It only becomes a good deal less appealing when one begins to sort out the realities of what this actually involves.In yesterday’s (11 May) Ag Perspectives, Gary Blumenthal remarked about the WTO ministerial decision to craft a rule that would allow national governments to accumulate and hold stocks of grain for purposes of food security. He noted that some countries that export agricultural commodities were open to consideration of such a rule as long as the accumulated grain stocks did not contribute to exports. Those comments started us thinking about stockholding and food security, an old concept that re-emerges in different...

TAGS – Feed Grains, Soy & Oilseeds, Wheat