Crude oil price’s crude effect on rice production

Researchers have mapped crude oil, rice and soybean oil prices between 1970 and 2008 and demonstrate the implications of world crude oil prices on the agriculture sector, in particular on rice production.

The paper, in the Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (JSSH), also suggests that soybean oil producers do not face the same problem and should not worry about the fluctuation of crude oil prices.

The study used the data of the world crude oil prices and the prices of rice in Malaysia and soybean oil in the Rotterdam market from 1970-2008. An Autoregressive Distribution Lag method was used, which allowed the team to investigate both short and long term dynamics.

Their findings show that there is a long-term relationship between the world crude oil price and the agriculture sector, with high production costs cutting into profit margins. The authors warn that these: 'situations will become worse if they do not receive any subsidies or incentives from the government'.

For more information, please contact:

A. S. Abdul-Rahim
Department of Economics
Faculty of Economics and Management
Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
E-mail: abrahim(at)econ.upm.edu.my
Tel: +603-8946 7630 | +603-8948 6188.
Mob: +6019-209 0970.
About Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities (JSSH):
JSSH is published by Universiti Putra Malaysia in English and is open to authors around the world regardless of nationality. It is currently published twice a year in March and September. Other Pertanika series include Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science (JTAS) and Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology (JST).