Pakistan,
Malaysia urged to increase trade volume
August 06, 2015
RECORDER REPORT
not focus on agriculture based products in trade with Malaysia as
the two countries have the potential to increase the volume of the trade from
current level of $1.43 billion. According to an assessment of the
Malaysia-Pakistan Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (MPCEPA) which came
into effect in 2008, Malaysian exports to Pakistan remain $1.2 billion while
Pakistani exports to Malaysia stands at $233 million, which shows the balance
of trade totally is in favour of Malaysia. The
assessment report compiled by Pakistan Business Council (PBC) said that the MPCEPA
was aimed at promoting bilateral trade between the two countries by giving
tariff reductions on various commodities.
The agreement is one of the most comprehensive agreements Pakistan
is a part of, covering trade in goods, trade in services, investment and
economic co-operation. Though not
exceeding 1.5% of Pakistan's overall exports, Pakistan's exports to Malaysia
have been on a rise since 2004 with total exports to Malaysia in 2014 amounting
to $233 million. Comparatively Malaysia's exports to Pakistan amounted to only
0.52% of its total world exports while total exports from Malaysia to Pakistan
amounted to around $1.2 billion in 2014. The
top 10 exports accounted for 86% of Pakistan's total exports to Malaysia in
2014. These top items consisted mainly of Cereals (Rice), Cotton, textiles and
articles of apparel and Fish.
Meanwhile, out of the 80 product categories exported to Pakistan
by Malaysia, the top 10 accounted for 85% of the total export value. These
majorly consisted of Palm Oil (52% of total exports), Machinery and Mineral
fuels. The study conducted at the
HS 6 level shows that Pakistan's top potential trade commodities continue to be
largely agriculture based. While Pakistan faces 0% tariffs in 71 of the 100 top
potential items, a comparison of Malaysia's free trade agreements with India
and China shows them to have a lower overall duty structure than Pakistan on
most of the items of Pakistan's interest.
This study makes the following recommendations: (i) The Pakistani
business community need to be involved in the negotiation of any future trade
agreements. (ii) None of the major trade agreements Pakistan has signed, have
seen a significant increase in its exports. Imports however have shown a
healthy increase post all major FTAs signed by Pakistan. (iii)The Government of
Pakistan needs to ensure that the focus is not only on concessions for
agriculture based exports but that value added manufacturing sector has access
to markets that allow it to develop critical mass. And Pakistan still needs to
focus on the following sectors while creating awareness or while negotiating
future concessions; Salt; Sulphur; earths and stone for the export of portland
cement to Malaysia, sugars and sugar confectionery for the export of sugar
confectionary and Glucose & glucose syrup, Articles of apparel and clothing
accessories and Machinery, Mechanical Appliances and Electrical Appliances.
The study said Pakistan's world exports have mostly been focused
on agriculture based commodities, a trend that is reflected in Pakistan's
exports to Malaysia with rice being the top exported commodity in 2014,
contributing 45.5% of Pakistan's total exports to Malaysia. This is a
significant rise from 2008 when rice exports amounted to only 28.23% of total
exports to Malaysia. Pakistani rice however enjoys no preferential treatment
under the FTA. Pakistan's
dependence on a few major agro based exports leaves it with little room to
compensate for years where the recurring conditions of boom and slump may
heavily affect overall exports. While Pakistan aims to increase its share of
rice exports to Malaysia, Malaysia's claim that it aims to be self-sufficient
in the production of rice by 2020 becomes a matter of concern, specifically
since 45.5% of all Pakistani exports to Malaysia in 2014 were rice.
Rice has been given no concession, with exporters having to face a
tariff of 40% on all Pakistani exports of rice. While Malaysia has maintained
this trend in all its other free trade agreements as well, India is the only
country with whom Malaysia has a trade agreement where tariffs for rice are at
20%, resulting in Indian exports increasing from $8 Million to $18 Million from
2011-2014. Comparatively when
looking at Malaysia's exports to Pakistan, exports are based more on
commodities manufactured within the country, along with a focus on Palm Oil and
Organic Chemicals. This indicates a more diversified economy with a divided
focus on both agro based and manufactured commodities for export.
While Malaysian exports to Pakistan continue to be heavily focused
on Palm oil, a 2008-2014 comparison shows a diversification in these exports,
with Palm oil dropping from 69.96% to 52.06%, while Machinery shows an increase
to 7.82% from 0.26%' hence corroborating the previously mentioned statement. Pakistan's top potential trade
commodities identified in this study continue to be largely agriculture based.
While Pakistan faces o% tariffs in 71 of the 100 top potential items, a
comparison of Malaysia's free trade agreement with India and China show them to
have a lower overall duty regime than Pakistan does on most of the items
Pakistan does face tariffs in, hence affecting the country's competitiveness in
the Malaysian market.
An example of this can be seen for 'T-shirts, singlets and other
vests, of cotton, knitted' (HS 610910), where Pakistan faces a duty of 20%
under the MPCEPA, China a duty of 0% (Under the ACFTA) and India a duty of 10%
under the MICECA. Cotton, one of
Pakistan's top export items, has a duty advantage in Malaysia, with o% tariff
rates of most cotton commodities (Raw and cotton yarn), and an overall ad
valorem tariff of 4.2%. Unfortunately Pakistan does not seem to have utilised
this opportunity as Cotton exports to Malaysia have dropped from 15.09% of
Pakistan's total exports to Malaysia in 2008, to 10.02% in 2014. Malaysia on
the other hand has seen an increase in exports of two of its top world export
items, namely Machinery and Mineral fuels, both of which face higher tariff
rates (than those given to China) of 7% and 6% respectively, for exports to
Pakistan.
On its own the Malaysia Pakistan free trade agreement (MPCEPA),
seems to provide relative concessions for Pakistani exports. A closer look
however paints a picture of higher comparative tariff rates and the under -
utilisation by the Pakistani business community of the concessions that do
exist. During the 2008-2014 time period, while Malaysian exports to Pakistan
continued to rise, Pakistani exports could not catch up, hence based on the
study conducted the following recommendations are put forth:
It shall create awareness amongst the business community of new opportunities for trade available as many items in the FTA have entered the o% tariff track; a fact many of the local manufacturers and exporters appear to be unaware of. Pakistan needs to focus on creating awareness amongst its business community about the opportunities available or negotiating future concessions from Malaysia; this is because these sectors have the highest trade potential and are thus necessary for boosting exports:
Salt; Sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement as there is a trade potential of $78.26 Million for the export of Portland cement to Malaysia. Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, knitted or crocheted has the third highest trade potential of $60.15 Million. While this category falls under the MPCEPA, 5 of the 6 top potential subcategories have a duty regime of 20%. Comparatively duties for China and India for these same categories are at 0% and 10% making their products more competitive in the Malaysian market.
Machinery, Mechanical Appliances and Electrical Appliances as analysis show there is a combined trade potential of $75.36 Million for the exports of gas turbines, vacuum pumps, air conditioners, refrigerators and Mobile telephones.
A special focus should be on air conditioners and refrigerators as
Pakistan currently faces a duty reduction to 20% in both these categories while
China and India face 0% and 11% respectively. Pharmaceutical
products is also currently an under-utilised opportunity as there is a trade
potential of $47.5 Million in the export of Antibiotics, Medicaments, Hormones
nes and Pencillins with a current 0% duty regime. Plastics and articles thereof and Paper
and paperboard have a combined trade potential of $88.64 Million for the export
of Polyvinyl Chloride, Film & Sheet of Polyethylene terephththalates
(Pakistan: No concession 20%, China: 6.6% and India: 12.3%) and of Polymers of
propylene (Pakistan: No concession 20%, China: 13.3% and India: 14%); along
with Paper and paperboard (13.3% duty to China's o% and India's 4.6%).
http://www.brecorder.com/business-a-economy/189/1214512/
Fake rice' just stale, contaminated rice
– NFA
Suspected fake rice turns out to be 'retrograded rice' while the
contaminated rice from Davao City is an isolated case, according to tests by
government agencies
Pia Ranada
Published 3:51 PM, August 06,
2015
Updated 3:56 PM, Aug 06, 2015
REAL RICE AFTER ALL. NFA Food Development Center Director
Jocelyn Sales explains tests done on suspected fake rice samples. Photo by Pia
Ranada/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – There is no
fake rice in the Philippines so far, officials of the National Food Authority
(NFA) assured on Thursday, August 6.“What is clear from the series of tests is
that there is no existence of ‘fake rice’ in our country,” NFA Administrator
Renan Dalisay said in a news briefing.Test results of rice samples reported to
be "fake rice" show that the strange appearance of the rice was only
due to a “retrogradation process” involving a series of freezing, thawing, and
heating.In other words, retograded rice can be termed as "stale
rice," NFA Food Development Center Director Jocelyn Sales said at the news
conference.
The 50-gram rice sample from
Davao City contaminated with a
plasticizer chemical compound, dibutyl
phthalate (DBP), was also found to be only an “isolated case.”Test results
showed that of the 21 rice samples tested, only the Davao sample was found with
the presence of a chemical.“What we have is an isolated case of
chemically-contaminated sample which may have been the result of mishandling or
pure neglect to safeguard rice from contaminants,” said Dalisay.The tests were
conducted by multiple agencies including the NFA’s Food Development Center
(FDC), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI), Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), and
the Department of Health.
'Stale' rice
Though DBP was found only in the
Davao sample, all the reported “fake rice” looked like styrofoam, prompting
complaints by citizens.But the tests showed that the samples were still rice,
but in a degraded form.RITM tests showed that the alleged fake rice is
“morphologically different” from cooked NFA rice because it seemed to have
undergone a series of quick freezing, thawing, and heating.“When rice undergoes
quick freezing, many small ice crystals form in and out of cells. Water will
ooze out and you will get a spongy, styrofoam-like structure,” said Sales.She
likened retrograded rice to stale bread. Though dry, it is safe for eating, she
added.More tests confirmed that, despite its bad condition, it is still rice.A
DNA analysis by PhilRice showed that the rice sample was “positive for rice
DNA.” IRRI tests supported the PhilRice finding.“The IRRI rice is very similar
to the unknown samples from NFA. The unknown samples are more similar to rice
than to corn or sweet potato,” said Rose Cuevas of IRRI.
'Don't put hot food in plastic'
As for the contaminated rice from
Davao City, it’s likely that the chemical came from plastic containers which
was used to pack the cooked rice, said Sales.The chemical DBP is typically used
by plastic bag makers as an additive to make the bags more flexible. Without
DBP, plastic bags can crumble.The Davao rice was likely placed inside a plastic
bag while still hot.“You shouldn’t put hot food in plastic. When food is hot,
the plasticizer (DBP) can migrate from plastic to the food,” said Sales.Since
reports of fake rice came to NFA’s attention on June 30, the agency has sent
teams to make daily inspections of rice
stalls in markets nationwide.The NFA says it has responded to
more than a hundred reports of suspected fake rice from different parts of the
country.The most recent report of fake rice came from Naga City in Bicol two
days ago. The sample tested negative for contamination, and was proven to be
rice, said Dalisay.The agency gave assurances that it will continue its market
monitoring activities.
“We remind the public to be very
cautious in their own food handling practices as the government will continue
to ensure that food, especially rice, will be available, affordable,
accessible, and safe for the public,” said Secretary Francis Pangilinan,
Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization. –
APEDA India News
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Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices Open- Aug 06
Nagpur, Aug 6 Gram prices reported down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing
Committee (APMC) here on poor buying support from local millers amid high moisture content
arrival. Fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh pulses and good monsoon reports in the region also
affected prices, according to sources.
* * * *
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram Kabuli and gram pink recovered in open market on increased seasonal demand from
local traders amid weak overseas supply.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady here but demand was poor in weak trading activity.
* Masoor and Udid varieties reported strong in open market here on increased festival
season demand from local traders amid weak supply from producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar - 7,300-7,500, Tuar dal - 10,400-10,600, Udid at 9,100-9,500,
Udid Mogar (clean) - 10,000-11,000, Moong - 7,600-7,800, Moong Mogar
(clean) 9,200-9,800, Gram - 4,200-4,400, Gram Super best bold - 5,800-6,000
for 100 kg.
* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market
in thin trading activity because of heavy rains, according to sources.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 3,570-4,270 3,600-4,310
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction n.a. 6,700-7,400
Moong Auction n.a. 6,000-6,400
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200
Gram Super Best n.a.
Gram Medium Best 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a.
Gram Mill Quality 5,500-5,700 5,400-5,700
Desi gram Raw 4,650-4,750 4,650-4,750
Gram Filter new 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200
Gram Kabuli 6,100-7,400 6,000-7,300
Gram Pink 6,800-7,000 6,700-6,900
Tuar Fataka Best 10,800-11,000 10,800-11,000
Tuar Fataka Medium 10,300-10,600 10,300-10,600
Tuar Dal Best Phod 9,900-10,100 9,900-10,100
Tuar Dal Medium phod 9,400-9,700 9,400-9,700
Tuar Gavarani New 7,900-8,000 7,900-8,000
Tuar Karnataka 8,300-8,500 8,300-8,500
Tuar Black 11,000-11,200 11,000-11,200
Masoor dal best 8,300-8,500 8,000-8,400
Masoor dal medium 7,900-8,200 7,700-8,000
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold 9,600-9,800 9,600-9,800
Moong Mogar Medium best 8,200-8,800 8,200-8,800
Moong dal Chilka 8,800-9,000 8,800-9,000
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 9,700-10,000 9,700-10,000
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 11,400-11,900 11,200-11,800
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 10,300-10,800 10,200-10,700
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 9,300-9,700 9,200-9,600
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 4,500-5,000 4,500-5,000
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,250-3,400 3,250-3,400
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,350 3,100-3,350
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,200 3,100-3,200
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,900 3,300-3,900
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,400-1,500 1,400-1,500
Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,550-1,700 1,550-1,700
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,300-1,500 1,300-1,500
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,200-2,400
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,100 1,900-2,100
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,700 3,200-3,700
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,550-2,850 2,550-2,850
Rice BPT New(100 INR/KG) 2,750-3,000 2,750-3,000
Rice BPT (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,300 3,000-3,300
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 1,600-1,700 1,600-1,700
Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,450 2,200-2,450
Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700
Rice HMT new(100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,750 3,200-3,750
Rice HMT (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200
Rice HMT Shriram New(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500
Rice HMT Shriram old (100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,600-5,000
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-10,000 8,000-10,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,700 4,500-4,800
Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,400 5,100-5,500
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,350 2,100-2,350
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 25.0 degree Celsius (77.0 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
22.4 degree Celsius (72.3 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : 0.3 mm
FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 27 and 21 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/08/06/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL3N10H3DB20150806
World food prices hit lowest level in almost six years, UN agency
reports
Prices of dairy products dropped in July mainly due to lower
import demand from China, the Middle East and North Africa amid abundant EU
milk supplies. Photo: FAO/Alessia Pierdomenico
6 August 2015 – Prices for global
agricultural products in July hit their lowest level since September 2009, as
sharp drops in the prices of dairy products and vegetable oils more than offset
some increases for those of sugar and cereals, the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO)
confirmed today.According to the UN agency's monthly Food Price Index, meat prices remained
stable. An increase in international prices of bovine meat offset a decline for
pig meat and ovine meat, while prices for poultry remained stable.The
trade-weighted index tracks prices on international markets of five major food
commodity groups: cereals, meat, dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar.In
July, says FAO, the dairy price index dropped 7.2 percent from the previous
month, mainly due to lower import demand from China, the Middle East and North
Africa amid abundant EU milk production which has resulted in good availability
of dairy products for export.As for the July vegetable oil price index, it was
some 5.5 percent below its June level, reaching its lowest value since July
2009.
The recent slide was primarily
caused by a fall in international palm oil prices due to increased production
in Southeast Asia combined with slower exports especially from Malaysia.
Another reason is a further weakening of soy oil prices on ample supplies for
export in South America and a favourable outlook for global supply in 2015/16.The
cereal price index rose by 2.0 percent from June, but was still 10.1 percent
below July last year's level. For the second consecutive month, higher wheat
and maize prices, in part due to unfavourable weather in North America and
Europe, kept the cereal index rising, but rice prices continued to fall.The
sugar price index rose by 2.5 percent from June 2015, largely due to less than
ideal harvesting conditions in the main producing region of Brazil.
News Tracker: past stories on this issue
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51573#.VcR7A_lViko
El Niño Tests How Soft Commodities
Weather the Storm
The El Niño weather pattern can wreak havoc on
already battered agricultural commodities
Rainfall in India’s monsoon season is tracking just below the
long-term average. Here, laborers plant saplings in a paddy field on the
outskirts of the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneswar. PHOTO: REUTERS
By LUCY
CRAYMER
Updated Aug. 6, 2015 12:09 a.m. ET
WELLINGTON, New Zealand—Investors in soft commodities are used
to being slaves to the weather’s twists and turns. With prices now in a
depression and the El Niño weather pattern looming, the forecast looks more
unsettled than normal.The possibility that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates later this year, coupled with a strong U.S. dollar as a result,
have weighed on prices of commodities already under pressure thanks to slowing
growth in the key Chinese market. Soft commodities haven’t been spared, with sugar trading around six-year lows, dairy at 13-year lows and palm oil down around 13% so far this year.Yet the expected
dry weather in Asia and wetness in the U.S. and South America that El Niño may
bring could stem the losses in agricultural products, and even push prices
higher if the impact on crops is as bad as some expect.El Niño occurs when
winds in the equatorial Pacific slow down or reverse direction. That warms
water over a vast area, which in turn can upend weather patterns around the
world. It typically reduces rainfall in Australia and across parts of southeast
and southern Asia in the winter and spring.
ENLARGE
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology Tuesday said that the weather
phenomenon has continued to strengthen and temperatures in the central tropical
Pacific Ocean may exceed the peak values reached during 2002 and 2009 El Niño
events.“High volatility weather patterns are going to wreak havoc on the
commodities markets,” said Michael Underhill, chief investment officer at Wisconsin-based Capital Innovations,
which has nearly $1 billion of assets under management.The impact of El Niño so
far this year has been patchy across Asia.
Rainfall in India’s monsoon season is currently tracking just below the long-term average while
most of the areas that were in need of rain, including Vietnam and Philippines,
have received some over the past 10 days.Meanwhile, the Thai Rice Exporters
Association last month downgraded expected rice-export forecasts. It expects to
export 9.5 million tons of rice in 2015, down from 10.97 million tons in 2014
because of a lack of rain. Rains in July have somewhat alleviated the dry
conditions.
‘High volatility weather patterns are going to wreak havoc on the
commodities markets.’
The difficulty for investors is judging whether El Niño will
have enough of an impact on crops to offset the broader macroeconomic trends
that have been pushing commodity prices down.El Niño’s impact may not play out
the same way in all regions. For example, while the dry weather it brings in South East
Asia may damage
crops, the extra rain it brings in North and South America could help farmers,
leading to rising supply of commodities. Arabica coffee could benefit from a
reduction in frosts as El Niño boosts temperatures, while increased rain could
boost corn crops in Brazil. However, too much rain in the Americas could hamper
milling of sugar and harvesting of grains and have a negative impact on supply.
Concerns about the weather pattern caused an initial “pop” in a
number of agricultural commodity prices over the last couple of months, said Matthew Bradbard, director at RCM Alternative, a
Chicago-based firm that specialized in managed future products. But if markets
start to anticipate it won’t be as bad as first expected this could reverse, he
added, noting the rally in wheat in early July has been pared back as early
concerns about the impact of El Niño on the grain have waned, though he expects
sugar prices to start strengthening. “Sugar is extremely cheap and...prices
have just got decimated of late,” he said. “People aren’t meant to pick tops or
bottoms but I’m lightly starting to buy sugar because it is so cheap.
”Some Asia-based companies could benefit from upended weather
patterns because of their exposure to palm oil and sugar prices, said Mr.
Underhill. For every 10% that palm oil prices rise, for example, Golden Agri-Resources Ltd., the world’s second largest palm oil plantation company could
see net profit increase by 16%, he said. Trading company Wilmar
International Ltd. could meanwhile benefit from soft
commodity price volatility brought on by weather changes.The market hasn't
taken into sufficient account the support that El Niño could provide to
agricultural commodity prices and what this could mean for upstream producers,
saidJames Govan, investment manager at Baring
Global Agricultural Fund in London.“El Niño tends to be most positive for
Argentina and southern Brazil, as these regions tend to see an improvement in
yields. We have increased our allocation to Latin American farming stocks—these
companies are also currently gaining from depreciating local currencies against
the U.S. Dollar,” he said.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/el-nino-tests-how-soft-commodities-weather-the-storm-1438834405
Only 40%
of rice production target met
Thursday, August 06, 2015
RICE production in Davao City
reached 3,465.91 metric tons (MT) as of July 2015, about 40 percent of the
city's rice production target for this year, City Agriculturist Office (CAO) of
Davao said.CAO data showed that for 2015, the city is eyeing to produce
9,052.87 MT in 4,377.29 hectares."Through our regular rice production
monitoring we found out that the destructive effects of the dry spell
contributed a lot in the low rice production of the city," Babeta Samodal,
agriculturist II rice report officer said, adding that the city should have
already accomplished more than half of its target at present.
Data released by the regional
office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) showed the city's total riceland
damage in July 2015 was pegged at 320 hectares.The ill effects of the El Nino
have more than 90 percent chance to continue until 2016, according to Philippine
Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.Largest bulk
of rice production is from Calinan with 2,044.86 MT production, followed by
Tugbok (486.10 MT) and Talomo (276 MT).Samodal said Davao is rich with
irrigated lowland and upland rice areas.
The city's rice production as of
July 2015, from irrigated areas, contributed a total of 2,991.81 MT while
lowland rice only contributed 399.25 MT and upland rice with 74.85 MT.CAO rice
production monitoring in 2014 showed that a total of 11,414.14 MT were produced
by the city from the 3,172.17 hectares harvested area.Rice producing land areas
in Davao are Talomo, Buhangin, Paquibato, Toril, Tugbok, Calinan, Baguio and
Marilog. (Sun.Star Davao)
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/business/2015/08/06/only-40-rice-production-target-met-423194
Old carvings excite scientists
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YEN BAI (VNS) — Around 20 big
stones with figures carved on these and dating as far back as 16th or 17th
century have been discovered recently by scientists from the Yen Bai Province's
museum.The stones, measuring between two cubic metres and 50 cubic metres, were
found scattered in various communes of Che Cu Nha, La Pan Tau, Lao Chai and De
Xu Phinh.Figures carved on the stones includes images of terrace rice fields,
flamingos, horses, astrological maps, yin-yang and five basic elements' symbols
and mysterious lines, believed to be some kind of ancient characters.Local scientists
have chosen six big stones with the most typical carved figures for further
research, which will add more value to the already famous local beautiful
terrace rice fields from a tourism point of view. — VNS
http://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/274139/old-carvings-excite-scientists.html
Agro-forestry-fishery exports: secondary
items make up mainstay reduction
Impressing export turnover growth of secondary
items in agricultural-forestry- fishery industry such as cashew nut, pepper,
cassava, vegetable and fruits has partly made up the drastic fall of
traditionally mainstay products including rice, coffee and seafood in the first
seven months this year.
Seafood export value reaches US$3.5 billion in
the first seven months this year, down 17 percent over the same period last
year (Photo: SGGP)
Mainstay product turnover reduction
The above three products’ reduction was said
because supply has exceeded demand after top export nations including Vietnam
quickly expanded their cultivation areas.The most concern was from seafood
which turnover plunged 17 percent to bring only US$3.5 billionExport value of
brackish shrimp, accounting for 50 percent of seafood export turnover, dropped
29 percent to US$1.2 billion in the first six months, according to the General
Department of Vietnam Customs.
The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters
and Producers (VASEP) forecast that shrimp export turnover would approximate
US$3.2 billion this year, a reduction of US$700 million over 2014 due to
increasing supply in the world.
Pangasius fish is expected to slide 4 percent to US$1.7 billion for the
whole year.
Minor items rise up
Shrimp harvest in Nha Be district, HCMC (Photo:
SGGP)
Chairman of the Vietnam Cashew Association
Nguyen Duc Thanh said that prices of many kinds of nuts including cashew had
soared up because of drought in the world. With this momentum, cashew nut and
product export turnover might hit at least US$2.5 billion this year.
About 98,000 tons of pepper was sold abroad
bringing US$920 million, down 20.6 percent in volume but up 2 percent in value.
Average export prices moved up 30 percent to exceed US$9,300 a ton.
The highest hike was from cassava and products
with 2.8 million tons worth US$886 million, raising 35.4 percent in volume and
40 percent in value.Wood and furniture value was up 8.3 percent to hit US$3.7
billion, which is expected to break US$7 billion this year.Vegetables and
fruits have recovered in recent years after a long stagnation.The Vietnam Fruit
and Vegetable Association reported an export turnover hike of 22.8 percent to
near US$881 million in the first seven months. Markets posting the highest
growth rate comprising Germany with 50 percent and the United Kingdom with 31.3
percent.
Experts expected stronger growth in the second
half of the every year that is the main export season. In addition, many new
markets have already opened to Vietnamese fruits including longan and litchi.
If growth rate tops 25 percent, US$2 billion turnover is possibly reachable.
By Cong Phien – Translated by Hai Mien
http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Business/Economy/2015/8/114801/
PNNL researchers lead decade-long study
on rice modification for bioenergy
August 6, 2015 | Meghan Sapp
In Washington state, with the addition of a
single gene, rice can be cultivated to emit virtually no methane from its
paddies during growth. It also packs much more of the plant’s desired
properties, such as starch for a richer food source and biomass for energy
production, according to a study in Nature.
The results, which appear in the July 30 print
edition of Nature and online, represent a culmination of more than a decade of
work by researchers in three countries, including Christer Jansson, director of
plant sciences at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory and EMSL, DOE’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory. Jansson
and colleagues hypothesized the concept while at the Swedish University of
Agricultural Sciences and carried out ongoing studies at the university and
with colleagues at China’s Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Hunan
Agricultural University.
Tags: PNNL, Rice, Washington
Category: Research
http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2015/08/06/pnnl-researchers-lead-decade-long-study-on-rice-modification-for-bioenergy/
Ghana 'reduces sugar and rice imports'
President John
Dramani Mahama says government has made significant strides in the reduction of
some imported products including rice and sugar which hitherto were massively
imported for local consumption.He stated that local rice production for
instance has significantly improved by about 60 per cent.President Mahama said
this when he commissioned a 50 million Ghana Cedis Tomato Processing Plant for
Conserveria Africana Limited in Tema.President Mahama emphasized that the
strides made has helped to reduce the Country's foreign exchange.
http://www.gbcghana.com/1.5801590
Rakhine State flooding death toll hits at least 55
By Aung Shin
| Thursday, 06 August 2015
The number of confirmed casualties in Rakhine State has hit 55 and
is likely to rise further, officials reported yesterday, as civil society
groups and residents said drinking water shortages were the main concern.
A body is transported on a boat through
mangrove forest in Mrauk-Oo township on August 4. Photo: Kaung Htet / The
Myanmar Times
The regional government is supplying food and other aid to
villages through airdrops using military helicopters. A total of 180 flights
have been undertaken since August 2.“Airdrops of food supplies with helicopters
are not sufficient. It is just to provide mental encouragement to the flood
victims. We are now going by small boats to villages in very remote areas,” U
Tin Maung Swe said.According to the regional government, five townships in
northern Rakhine State have been classified flood disaster zones – Kyauktaw,
Minbya, Mrauk-Oo, Buthidaung and Maungdaw – with as many as 300,000 people
affected.As well as the human toll, thousands of livestock and at least 200,000
acres of paddy have been damaged.
But many more acres of paddy are likely to be damaged in the
disaster-hit northern part of Rakhine, which has between 800,000 and 900,000
acres of rich paddy fields, according to official data.Similarly, Rakhine
residents are sceptical of the official casualty figures.“The government’s
figures are not reliable. It seems that government officials are reluctant to
release the real number of casualties. There are some villages still
disconnected,” said UKhine Pray Soe, vice chair of the Rakhine National Party.He
said drinking water was the most urgent need among flood-hit communities.“We
have no idea how we can solve the drinking water problem at the moment. There
are also difficulties for cooking,” he said.
When The Myanmar Times travelled to villages around Mrauk-Oo on
August 4, residents were covering long distances in small boats in the hope of
finding drinking water. Other boats were searching for bodies.Most
land transport routes and power lines have been cut off in Rakhine State due to
the flooding. The capital city, Sittwe, has received limited electricity
through the use of generators.Meanwhile, the telecommunication system, which
was poor to begin with, has also been badly damaged in many areas. As a result,
remote villages remain out of contact with government officials and civil
society groups.“The death toll could be at least 100,” said U San Kyaw, a
member of a Sittwe charitable organisation.
His association set up a temporary centre in Sittwe to accept
donations from individuals and arrange delivery. As of yesterday evening it had
received K100 million in cash, as well as many goods.“We are going to very
disconnected villages where nobody is reaching,” said U Thein Tun Aung, another
association’s member.The group has dispatched supply boats to remote villages,
travelling to Mrauk-Oo three times and Minbya twice, he said.One Mrauk-Oo
resident said on August 4 that while the worst of the flooding was over, there
was still a shortage of supplies.“The water went down in many parts of town and
people are almost back to normal. But they are waiting for aid to arrive,” he
said.
Mexican Dishes Bring U.S. Rice to
Japanese Consumers
Japanese
consumers sampling U.S. rice
Olé and kanpai!
TOKYO, JAPAN - This week, USA Rice conducted a
consumer event here in collaboration with Ryoritsushin, a popular food
magazine. Approximately 60 Japanese consumers were introduced to U.S. medium
grain at Toro Tokyo, celebrity chef Richard Sandoval's hot Mexican and Latin
American restaurant in the posh and exclusive Ginza District.The event featured
a discussion led by the magazine about the new popularity of Mexican cuisine in
Japan, followed by a presentation on U.S. rice including its growing
environment, exports, and unique sustainability story. Finally, Toro chef Ogawa
explained to the crowd why U.S. medium grain works nicely for his Mexican
menus, and that it is the only rice on the restaurant's menu. He then conducted
a cooking demonstration of his "Mexican Egg," incorporating U.S.
medium grain rice.
Ms. Rachel Nelson, director of the U.S. Embassy
Agricultural Trade Office here, offered a greeting and toast to the invited
participants and partook of the many Mexican dishes, all of which were prepared
with U.S.-grown rice.Attendees completed a questionnaire at the event's
conclusion that showed 95 percent of the participants were satisfied with the
event and almost 98 percent thought the menus using U.S. medium grain tasted
good. Ninety-five percent of the participants liked the texture of U.S. medium
grain.
"Simple first-person promotional events
such as this one create a long-remembered positive image for our rice that is
passed on by word-of-mouth to many others," said USA Rice's Bill Farmer
who attended the event.
Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458
Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported
|
WASHINGTON, DC -- Net sales of 19,800 MT for 2014/2015 were up noticeably from the
previous week, but down 38 percent from the prior 4-week average, according
to today'sExport Sales Highlights report. Increases were reported for Libya (20,600 MT),
Canada (1,500 MT), South Korea (500 MT), New Guinea (400 MT), and El Salvador
(400 MT). Decreases were reported for Mexico (4,400 MT) and Jordan (400
MT). Net sales of 81,500 MT for 2015/2016 were reported for Panama (45,400
MT), Haiti (20,000 MT), Mexico (10,100 MT), Costa Rica (4,500 MT), and El
Salvador (1,000 MT). Decreases were reported for Canada (100 MT).
Exports of 77,700 MT were down 27 percent from the previous week and 3 percent from the prior 4-week average. The primary destinations were Mexico (30,100 MT), Libya (20,600 MT), South Korea (10,700 MT), El Salvador (6,000 MT), and Canada (3,100 MT).
This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period
July 24-30, 2015.
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CME Group/Closing Rough Rice
Futures
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Openings
in China for high-quality food export
E-commerce there has grown to 10% of retail sales
BS Reporter |
Beside the export of traditional agricultural products like spice
and sugar, Indian companies can now look forward to supplying high-quality
foodstuff to China, with consumers there becoming more quality conscious.“Indian
companies can scout for business opportunities in China,” said Ping Chew, Asia
head for food & agricultural research at Rabo Bank, in an interview
to Business Standard. “Following the increasing demand due to safety
concerns among Chinese consumers, producers/ distributors there are looking for
outsourcing safer and quality products and also tying up with foreign
companies.”
E-commerce there
has grown to 10 per cent of retail sales. Last year, China’s per capita income
was $7,500 per annum; measured by purchasing power parity, it was
$13,000-14,000. Despite a slowing economy, consumption remains a main driver.
Higher disposable income has also has made consumers more choosy about quality, safety and protein rich
products. Chew said, “Several incidences of issues emerging in food safety were
reported in China.” This is another reason why ore Chinese companies source
good brands, mainly from the US and Europe.
China’s economy is now expected to grow at six to seven per cent annually till it stabilises, “a new normal for the economy”, said Ping. He foresees further consolidation in China’s food andagriculture sector. It will increase import of soybean and feedgrain. At the downstream side, e-commerce will continue to play a big role. “There are enormous opportunities in China for foreigners to invest or tie-up with local companies, and Indian companies can look forward for such opportunities,” said Ping. Products in this regard include high-value dairy, cashew, processed seafood, basmati rice and sesame seeds.
China’s economy is now expected to grow at six to seven per cent annually till it stabilises, “a new normal for the economy”, said Ping. He foresees further consolidation in China’s food andagriculture sector. It will increase import of soybean and feedgrain. At the downstream side, e-commerce will continue to play a big role. “There are enormous opportunities in China for foreigners to invest or tie-up with local companies, and Indian companies can look forward for such opportunities,” said Ping. Products in this regard include high-value dairy, cashew, processed seafood, basmati rice and sesame seeds.
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