VOA常速英语2008年-India Limits Rice Exports to Boost Local Stocks
时间：2019-01-12 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2008年（三月）
New Delhi
31 March 2008
India has taken steps to drastically limit rice exports in a bid to cool prices and ensure sufficient food stocks for its more than one billion people. As Anjana Pasricha reports, India is battling inflation and a spike 1 in food prices.
The Indian trade ministry 2 has steeply raised the minimum prices at which all except the most expensive grades of rice can be exported.
The price of rice, a staple 3 in many Asian diets, has nearly doubled in international markets during the past three months.
Farm analyst 4 Devender Sharma, with the New Delhi-based Forum 5 for Biotechnology and Food Security, says looming 6 rice shortages in the world have prompted the government to virtually block exports.
He says the government wants to boost local supplies in order to stabilize 7 rising prices in the domestic market.
"I think the message is very obvious, because if you look at the tightening 8 of rice position globally, Vietnam has banned exports and Thailand has imposed restrictions," he said. "India knows very well if at this juncture 9 it allows rice exports to go, there is a clamor for rice from many developing countries. So India has ensured that its own domestic supplies are maintained."
India is the world's second-largest producer of rice and a major rice exporter.
But in keeping with a worldwide trend, India too is coping with a steep hike in prices of staples 10 such as wheat, rice and lentils. Inflation last week climbed to nearly six-point-seven percent - its highest level in the past year. Spiraling food prices are the main culprit.
That has prompted pledges from the government that it will do all it can to stem the rise. The government has already banned the export of cooking oil, and cut some food import taxes to contain prices.
Food prices are a politically sensitive issue in India, where poor rural and urban masses make up more than two-thirds of the country's one billion plus population. The government faces elections next year, and is concerned that runaway 11 food prices could anger voters.
Other South Asian countries are also facing a problem. Neighboring Bangladesh faces a massive hike in prices of rice after a cyclone 12 last August wiped out half its rice harvest.
Agencies like the Food and Agriculture Organization have warned that food prices will continue to climb steeply in the coming year.
- The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
- They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。
- They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
- We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。
- Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
- Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。
- What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
- The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。
- They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
- The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。
- The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望
- They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
- His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。
- Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
- It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。
- The project is situated at the juncture of the new and old urban districts.该项目位于新老城区交界处。
- It is very difficult at this juncture to predict the company's future.此时很难预料公司的前景。
- The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
- I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句
- The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
- He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。