The need to formulate Pro-poor research
& extension policies In agriculture
September 18, 2015, 7:11 pm
By Prof. Rohan Rajapakse
Senior Professor and
Chair,Department of Agriculture Biology,
University of Ruhuna,
Mapalana,
Kamburupitiya
Application of research outputs in the farmers' field is a
limiting factor in the agricultural sector of Sri Lanka. On-farm research is
essential to fine-tune the new agricultural technology and improve the rate of
adoption of such technologies. Hence, research, extension and development efforts
are essential to improve the level of livelihood of families in the
agricultural sector, particularly the poorer segments of such families.The
issue is to examine in depth, whether current and past performances are focused
towards the benefits that could be gained from the agricultural research and
extension policies and programs, in improving the living standards of the rural
poor.
How to identify pro-poor technology
Pro-poor technology should be the
outcome of research activities that have focused on the social, cultural and
economic environments of disadvantaged farmers, as well as, poor farming
communities. The elements of pro-poor policies could among others be:
1. Promote opportunities for
building assets among poor families
2. Developing infrastructure and
disseminating knowledge to poor areas
3. Facilitated empowerment among
state and social institutions that work for poor people by applying good
governance and maintaining accountability.
4. Contribute to enhanced security
by helping poor people to manage risks
5. Developing national programs to
alleviate hunger and responding to major traumas.
The FAO Regional office in Thailand
conducted a study along with the Ministry of Agriculture to introduce this
aspect of pro-poor policy formulation in agricultural research in 2009 and the
results were presented.
AGRICULTURE IN THE ECONOMY OF
SRI LANKA
The agricultural sector in Sri Lanka is focused on food
production, increasing gainful employment, expanding foreign exchange earnings,
capital accumulation and labor replacement. Research and extension activities
in the agricultural sector will, therefore, impact greatly on the economy and
needs to be given high priority for better economic development among the
farming community.
The share of agriculture in the GDP in Sri Lanka is one of the
lowest in South Asia, despite the fact that 80% of the population resides in
rural areas, with agricultural households accounting for some 40% of the poor
in Sri Lanka. This has serious social and economic consequences as the
potential to increase productivity and improve the level of utilization of
resources in the agricultural sector appears to be limited.
Problems facing the Agricultural
Sector
Performance in the Agricultural
Sector has been constrained by poor rural infrastructure, an unstable
macroeconomic environment resulting in high interest rates, ill-defined
property rights, and inefficiencies in public sector support services.
Together, these have limited the ability of farmers to increase the efficiency of
their operations. Some of the main constraints and challenges to improve the
enabling environment are:
* Low productivity measured in
terms of yields of crops, return to land, labour and capital
* Limited land size due to
increasing fragmentation
* Poor service to the farming
community, leading to high transaction costs
* Lack of improved technical skills
among the farming community
* Poor quality Seed and Planting
material
* Poor marketing avenues for farm
produce
* Reluctance of youth to take to
farming
The framework should emphasize a
market-based approach aimed at achieving the highest possible productivity in
the sector and increased financial returns to farm households, with increased
employment opportunities for educated youth. However, this should be
understood, keeping in mind the enormous problems faced by a large segment of
the farming population that are poor - both financially and resource wise.
Many of the country's poor are
living on smallholdings and depend for a larger part of their livelihood on
agriculture. An effective increase in productivity and profitability in
agriculture is a major mandate to the research and extension system to hoist
Sri Lanka's poor out of poverty. Given the attainment of near self-sufficiency
in rice, research and extension programs should now focus on import
substitution and export expansion for other products (e.g., dairy) and other
high value crops.
Pro Poor - Research and Extension
Application of research outputs in
the farmers' field is a limiting factor in the agricultural sector of Sri
Lanka. On-farm research at the farmers' field is essential to fine-tune the
agricultural technology to improve the rate of adopting of the same. Hence,
research and development together with extension is essential to improve the
level of livelihood of the poor families who depend on the agricultural sector.
2.1.3 Strategies:
1. Development of crop varieties,
agronomic practices, farm equipment and tools through agricultural research and
by introduction
2. Strengthen research institutes,
centers with modern laboratories, equipment, experimental field facilities.
3. Capacity building of scientists,
economists and technical staff
4. Strengthen linkages and
collaboration between research and extension.
5. Adopt a participatory approach
to enhance productivity in rural communities.
The strategies for this aspect will
be through the following:
• Demand driven applied research:
Increasing production within the
country crop productivity has to be enhanced, cost of production minimized and
profitability optimized. This can be achieved through demand driven applied
research conducted at agricultural research centers. The activities planned
are:
i. Develop new varieties, through
hybridization, selection from existing germplasm and the introduction of exotic
varieties.
Research has shown promising new
crop varieties developed through hybridization, selection and introduction from
other countries. Such crop varieties have qualities such as high yields,
resistant to pest and diseases, good performances under stress conditions,
international standards in product quality and diversity in consumer
preference. In addition, biotechnology research has shown some potential for
introducing the benefits to farmers. Hence, on-farm adaptive research is needed
to select suitable varieties for different cropping/ farming systems under
diverse agro-ecological environments and to popularize these among farmers.
ii. Develop agronomic technologies
for increasing water use efficiency, enhancing soil productivity, and
increasing cropping intensity
Research has shown advances in
fertilizer formulations for blanket application; site specific nutrient
application; micronutrient requirement particularly Zn and Copper, for
obtaining higher yields from many crops inclusive of rice; integrated plant
nutrition; organic farming, fustigation technologies; application of bio
fertilizers; new planting techniques in rice; micro irrigation techniques;
suitability of medium scale machinery in harvesting rice to replace labor,
remove impurities and to minimize grain damages. Such technologies need
reaching farmers through a proper testing of their adaptability.
iii. Develop plant protection
techniques which are low cost and effective plant protection methods, minimum
usage of pesticides and for organic farming
Research has shown advances in
plant protection with new agro-chemicals; new biological and mechanical methods
in crop protection; integrated plant protection strategies; technology for
minimum usage of pesticides and eco-farming. Such technologies need reaching
farmers through a proper testing of their adaptability.
iv. Use of modern technology,
biotechnology for crop improvement, soil fertility improvement and planting
material production.
Some countries use bio-technology
for improving crop varieties and also use Algae, fungi and bacteria species
which are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen for enhancing bio fertilizer
production. Those technologies will be adopted in Sri Lanka for crop
improvement and bio-fertilizer production.
v. Participatory Technology
Development:
Commodity research has not been
always effective in improving productivity in rural communities and especially
in the rain fed farming systems. Technology has to be developed through
participatory and system approaches for wider acceptance by rural communities.
This nature of research has been conducted with teams of scientists comprising
extensionists, economists and researchers, together with farmers. For effective
participatory technology development, the linkages among those parties have to
be strengthened.
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=131968
Rice
production: Losses six times more than cash support, says farmers
Published: September 20, 2015
Average paddy
productivity is very low compared with regional competitors where the yield is
double than the production in Pakistan, which is the fourth largest exporter of
rice in the world. PHOTO: FILE
FAISALABAD:
A Rs341-billion agriculture relief package announced by Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif earlier this week has not won hearts of all that are associated
with the country’s farms.Growers of paddy crop, who are perturbed about falling prices of rice in
domestic and international markets, argue that the cash support of Rs5,000 per
acre, offered in the package, is not sufficient to make up for the losses they
are enduring.They claim that the losses have jumped to Rs30,000 per acre, which
is six times more than the incentive given to them. Owing to the market slump,
the price of new paddy crop stands 30% lower than last year, farmers say.
However, the crop is bumper and healthy as it has been protected from pest
attack.
The government has set aside Rs40 billion for paying the cash grant of
Rs5,000 per acre to rice and cotton growers owning up to 12.5 acres of
agricultural land.According to agricultural experts, basmati rice gives yield
in the range of 35 to 45 maunds (40kg) per acre, super basmati gives 40 to 45
maunds, non-basmati varieties give 50 to 60 maunds and 386 non-basmati variety
produces 45 to 50 maunds.The average paddy productivity is very low compared
with regional competitors where the yield is double than the production in
Pakistan, which is the fourth largest exporter of rice in the world.
“Indians are very good in
agriculture research and development work and scientists there have developed
such paddy seeds that give more than 70 maunds per acre,” said Naseer Ahmad, an
agricultural expert, while talking to The Express Tribune.Last year, the price of
basmati rice stood at Rs1,400 to Rs1,600 per maund, but now it has dipped to
Rs1,000 to Rs1,100.The 386 non-basmati variety fetched Rs1,000-1,100 per maund
last year and the price has now gone down to Rs650-700, according to Taufeeq
Ahmad, a rice exporter and former vice-chairman of the Rice Exporters
Association of Pakistan.
He voiced fear that the massive decline in prices would hurt earnings of
exporters and he also pointed to high transportation and shipping costs borne
by them. “The government should give freight subsidy to rice exporters,” he
said.Last year, the exporters earned $1.84 billion, but Ahmad believed that it
would be impossible to touch that figure this year following the slump in
international commodity markets. Now, the exporters are looking to make inroads
into the Iranian rice market.
“If Iran starts importing rice, the farmers can recoup their losses,”
Ahmad said.However, international buyers are looking perplexed because of wild
price movements. Last year, many of them sustained heavy losses after
international prices fell below their purchase price. “Many rice traders of the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) faced bankruptcy too,” Ahmad said.He pointed out
that the 386 variety had great demand in the UAE, Iran, China and African
nations but price fluctuations kept international traders away.
Published in
The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2015
http://tribune.com.pk/story/959924/rice-production-losses-six-times-more-than-cash-support-says-farmers/
Lagos
mulls collaboration with Kebbi on rice production
September 18, 2015
Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi and Ambode of Lagos
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has said
that the state government will consider the possibilities of collaborating with
Kebbi State to explore the economic opportunities in the production and
distribution of high yield quality rice and other ventures.The Governor spoke
at the closing ceremony of the 2015 Annual National Women Conference, organised
by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) held at the Eko
Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island Lagos.He recalled that his Kebbi state
counterpart, Atiku Bagudu, had during the opening ceremony of the conference on
Wednesday, sought the cooperation between women in Kebbi and Lagos States in
the production of high quality yield rice, saying that it is one area the state
will seek to explore.“I am sure the leadership of COWLSO has taken note of this
and would work towards creating the platform for this cooperation to work and
further show the economic relevance of women”.
“I am sure the communiqué that has emerged at
this conference will encapsulate a blueprint for the economic engagement of our
womenfolk, not just in Lagos State but across Nigeria,” Governor Ambode said.He
said his administration will be keen to receive the recommendations of the
conference and see how they can be implemented to improve the lives of
Lagosians.“This conference marks a new beginning for COWLSO. We will remain
partners in progress and also welcome your constructive criticisms to help us
improve in our duty to deliver good governance to the people of Lagos State.
This administration counts on your usual support and co-operation,” he
said.Declaring the conference closed, Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola, made case for women to be empowered, stressing that, “there is no
society that shackles more than half of its population that can develop or
progress”.
He also appealed to government at all levels to
invigorate efforts in educating the girl child in the North and women
empowerment all over the country.The Governor, who was represented by his
deputy, Titi Laoye Tomori, said recent studies have shown that women through
their various businesses have contributed immensely to the employment rate in
the nation.“In recent years, we have had a reversal of roles on the family
front in some cases such that a significant number of women are now the
breadwinners.
Through empowerment, they have been able to
sustain businesses and thereby providing for their families, educating their
children and building sustainable homes and businesses”, he said.In her closing
remarks, Chairman of COWLSO, Bolanle Ambode, said the three-day conference
discussed series of issues among which was the devastating consequences of
divorce on the health and wellbeing of women and children, adding that 80-90
percent of primary care visits to doctors are due to preventable illnesses,
while approximately 95 percent of them are caused by stress.
She urged all participants to keep the
knowledge gained close to their hearts and deploy it appropriately in future,
for maximum advantage.The 10-point Communiqué of the Conference read by the
wife of the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Professor Ibiyemi Bello,
amongst other things, tasked government at all levels to pay more attention to
women empowerment especially the girl-child.Highpoint of the ceremony was the
presentation of Certificate of Appreciation to four individuals and corporate
organisations, including former House Committee Chairman on Diaspora, Hon.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, Anutal Savara and
Honeywell Group Nigeria Limited
http://newmail-ng.com/lagos-mulls-collaboration-with-kebbi-on-rice-production/
U.S./China rice trade deal not completed
Protocol still in Chinese review process
Reports that a China/U.S. rice trade pact had
been struck were premature. Hopes that a deal would be signed next week were
put to bed during a Wednesday (September 16) conference call between USDA’s
APHIS and major U.S. rice players.“There was conference call yesterday with
high-ranking APHIS officials,” said Michael Klein, USA Rice Federation
spokesman. “A lot of USA Rice Federation people were on the call.
The
USRPA (Rice Producers Association) was on the call, as well. “APHIS
officials said they were doing the call to set the record straight because
there are a lot of rumors floating around. They wanted to confirm there is no
confirmation that the Chinese have agreed to the proposal APHIS sent them in
early August. “What they did confirm is their counterpart in China, AQSIQ, has
sent the U.S. draft protocol to an interagency review process. They’ve sent it
to another Chinese agency for review.”Klein was keen to make sure everyone
understands “that doesn’t mean AQSIQ hasn’t made technical changes to what APHIS
sent over in August. They may have. We just don’t know because AQSIQ hasn’t
gotten back to APHIS with their reaction to the draft.“We’re optimistic and
think the U.S. rice industry is united behind that last draft. That included a
lot of concessions to the Chinese and asked them for some reasonable
concessions, as well.
We are
confident the Chinese could agree to it but there’s been no confirmation they
have.“There will certainly be no signing next week, which was rumored. We asked
APHIS officials about that. ‘Are you sure there will be no signing next week?’
They said, ‘that’s correct.’”Klein said the federation also “asked point-blank,
‘The USRPA has a press release saying the Chinese have requested the signing be
in Beijing. True?’ The response from APHIS was ‘that’s speculative.’“There
simply was no deal to be delayed.
There
was some wishful thinking that the signing would take place next week. You
know, ‘Hey, the right people are coming to D.C. next week. It would be great to
have a signing.’ But without a deal, there’s nothing to sign.”Asked for a
statement, Dwight Roberts, USRPA president, said on the call, “We were told by
U.S. government sources today that the protocol had not completed the Chinese
‘administrative clearance’ that was to have been completed in time for the
Chinese delegation’s visit to Washington, D.C. as APHIS previously had
expected.“In the meantime there is absolutely no indication that there is
anything other than a green light towards finalization of this process.
http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/uschina-rice-trade-deal-not-completed
Just a Passing Glance at Buharinomics
20 Sep 2015
Simon Kolawole Live By Simon Kolawole; Email:
simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961
If
anyone needed a good hint on President MuhammaduBuhari'slikelyeconomic policy
direction, he has given one by declaring that there will be "no more
devaluation of the naira". It is the clearestsignalyet that the exchange
rate policymay not be formulated by the monetary policy committee of the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It is going to be determined, effectively,fromAso Rock.
Thus, the exchange rate mayhave nodirect connection to the interplay of demand
and supply in the currency market. Is this good or bad? Actually, every policy
has its good and bad sides, but I honestly don't know how well Buhari's
pronouncement will work out. Things couldeven get messier.
Listen
carefully to Buhari: "The naira has been devalued.It used to be around
160, and now it is hovering around 200 and above and I don't think it is
healthy for us to have the naira devalued further. That's why we are getting
the central bank to make modifications in terms of making foreign exchange
available to essential services, industries, spare parts, essential raw
materials and so on – but things like toothpick and rice, Nigeria can produce
enough of those. We don’t need to give our hard currency on that but those who
insist on having toothpick from Europe or from China, instead of using Nigerian
toothpick, they can go and source their foreign exchange."
Let's
break it down to pieces. "The naira has been devalued."True. But we
would not be discussing this if the problem has been solved. "It used to
be around 160, and now, it is hovering around 200."Correct. But crude oil
used to be $80 too and it is now $40, so we are short of forex inflow since oil
is our major export."Things like toothpick and rice, Nigeria can produce
enough of those. We don’t need to give our hard currency on that."
Fantastic. But we are not yet producing enough locally.What then are the
overall plans and incentives to encourage local productionof rice and toothpick
— beyond starving the importers of forex?Is forex ban an incentive? Anyone?
And
finally."Those who insist on having toothpick from Europe or from China...
they can go and source their foreign exchange."Beautiful.But 90% of our
forex comes from oil — and oil belongs to the government. Government
ispractically the sole earner, sole owner and sole supplier of forex. If wewere
industrialised, we would not be importing this much. Forex demandwould not be
this overwhelming. If we were exporters of petrol, rice, toothpick, chocolate
and steel,we would have diverse source of inflow. CBN would be a little
playerin the forex market. Therefore, sourcing forex elsewhere is not yet
feasible. Nigerian importers can't apply to the US government for dollars.
There
is an on-goingdemonisation of theimportation of toothpick and rice.I object.
This is trade. Trade has its own value chain. There are importduties.Banks make
margins on loans to traders. They pay taxes. There are jobs for haulage
operators. They pay levies. Sellers make their margins. Therefore, if you want
to stop imported rice or toothpick, you must come up with an
import-substitution programme to create bigger and better value. The programme
must factor in the time it will take to build the factories, the gestation, the
infrastructureand the incentives. We can't start producing sufficient rice and
toothpick "with immediate effect". It doesn't work like that.
My favourite
example is cement. Not so long ago, we were heavily dependent on import. In
2005 or so, President OlusegunObasanjo came up with a self-sufficiency plan.
Incentives were rolled out. The only companies allowed to import cementwere
those with visible local investments. A timeline was developed.Today, Nigeria
is a net exporter of cement. That is how it works. Obasanjo did not just say
"those who insist on having cement from China can go and source their
foreign exchange".Investors won't start producing rice and toothpick
overnight simply because of a forex ban.It is a business decision, not some
national service. Let's be clear on that.
By
the way, trading is a major economic activity in Nigeria, at least for now.
Denying genuine traders access to forex will hurtthe economy. The value chain
will be jeopardised. Jobs will be lost. The GDP will suffer. We will all feel
the pain. Import duties are, meanwhile, a major source of revenue too, so
federation revenue will also be hit. If we want to ban importation of rice and
toothpick, there should be an alternative on the ground. If Nigerians eat 10
million bags of rice per day and produce only 6 million, the shortfall of 4
million must be imported. If you deny the rice importer forex, there will be
scarcity and the price will go up. Who will be hurt? All of us, not just the
importers.
If
you care little about the basics of economics, you probably read Buhari with
little interest. But for investors, traders, bankers, economists,
economy-watchers and analysts, this was the major pronouncement they had been
waiting for since May 29. They got plenty hints all along — such as the
retention of fuel subsidies and the NNPC maintaining that the refineries will
not be sold but will instead be repaired and run by government. In effect, the
foundations of the petroleum industry bill (PIB) — designed to open up the oil
industry by devolvingand divesting state control — are now, at best,wobbly. We
alsonow know that the exchange rate will be politically determined.
Clearly,
Buhari does not want the naira to take any further beating. There may be a
nationalist tinge to it, to protect "national pride and heritage".
Maybe he also worries about the impact on the masses. To be honest, devaluation
is not a pleasurable experience for a country that survives on imports. Prices
of goods and services will head for the skies. Only export-led economies may
benefit from devaluation as an inflow of dollars couldtranslate totrailer loads
of the local currency for exporters. But Nigeria is import-dependent and
devaluation can indeed make life more miserable. But we are damned either way.
I sympathise with Buhari in this Devil vsDeep Blue Sea game.
Except
he changes his mind, we should expect the naira to officially exchange for
N197:$1 for a while, "by fire by force". However, we should expect
the parallel market rate to be at anything between N210 and N250. If things get
worse — say crude oil price falls to $20 per barrel as predicted — we should
expect the parallel market to keep falling, perhaps heading for N300 because
the official dollar crumbs it feeds on will also dry up. The CBN will be forced
to keep meeting the official demand at N197. Since we don’t print dollars, how
can the CBN perpetually keep the exchange rate at N197? Very simple: by
perpetually depleting the foreign reserves until they vanish.
When
the reserves run dry, we would not be able to import as we like again, except
we run to — look away now — the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for emergency
loans. Yes, IMF helps troubled economies with short-term fundsto make ends
meet. But they don't throw their money just like that. The good, old IMF will
ask us to — look away again — devalue the naira and remove subsidies!They want
to be reassured that our finances are well run to pay back their money.
Alternatively, we can declare a National Day of Fasting and Prayers so that
crude oil can start selling for $120 again. That way, we would have enough
forex to defend our national integrity, whatever.
If I may quickly chip this in, when we supply forex at N197 to only importers
of "essential" goods and services, there are other issues involved.
One, arbitrage and round-tripping can set in. Clever guys will look at the
black market rate and opt to make quick profit. They know how they do it. Two,
the favoured importers could price their goods at black market rate to maximise
profit. So Nigerians will be buying goods at parallel market rate, whereas the
importers bought forex at official rate. So the inflation we are trying to run
away from will still set in. We are clearly between a rock and a hard place.
There are no easy ways out, to be fair. I really sympathise with the president.
Meanwhile,
this naira that I am looking at cannot be on its feet at N197:$1 for much
longer. Something will eventually give. Either we deplete the reserves to keep
the rate or devalue the naira as the "essential demands" keep piling
up.Fortune couldwell smile on us overoil price. Or we can finally choose to
liberalise.Obasanjo came to power in 1999 with a statist mindset. It took him a
whiletoembrace liberalisation.The economy exploded in appreciation. Something
tells me Buhari will soon acceptthatWest Germanyhas swallowed up East Germany.
It may take him a couple of years and plenty of mistakes, but I'm so certain he
will get the memo someday.
And Four Other Things...
NOISEMAKERS
President Buhari has given us another shocker: that it is civil servants that
do the job but ministers make all the noise. Is that the impression he has been
given by those permanent secretaries he has been working with since he assumed
office? Is that why we have not had a cabinet since? Buhari should commission a
research into "a day in the life" of Nigerian civil servants. He
should investigate the owners of choice property in Abuja. He should also
investigate the processes by which money gets stolen from the system. Then we
will discuss the matter again. Stunning.
TSA TSUNAMI
My belief that “nothing or no-one is absolutely good or bad in life” found
further evidence in the implementation of the treasury single account (TSA). On
the one hand, we will have a handle on all government revenues in the interest
of transparency. Also, banks will stop feeding solely on public funds. One the
other hand, the economy will be further squeezed as the already troubled credit
system is jeopardised by lack of cash — with the transfer of over N1.1 trillion
to the TSA. However, credit to Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor, for moving
quickly to bridge the liquidity gap. Kudos.
SARAKI ON TRIAL
Has BukolaSarakifinally
come to the end of the road? Since he decided to run for senate president
against the wishes of key APC figures, the battle line had been welldesigned.
Indeed, President Buhari has refused to have a one-on-one meeting with him.The
two men are practically not on speaking terms. I knew something would give
along the line. Now that the Code of Conduct Bureau has finally got something
on him, we may be nearing the end game. But getting rid of Saraki is one thing,
replacing him withthe preferred choice is anotherentirely.Dicey.
BURKINA SUFFER
So in 1993, Gen. Ibrahim Babangidawas forced to "step aside" as
military president of Nigeria after sustained public protests. He set up an
interim government and left his ally, Gen. SaniAbacha, behind. Abacha later did
a coup. And so in 2014, President BlaiseCompaore of Burkina Faso was forced to
step down amid widespread protests.An interim government was installed and his
ally, Gen Gilbert Diendere, remainedbehind. Diendere has now carried out his own
coup. What is this thing about African leaders? Why are we eternally locked in
crises and power struggles? When shall Africa be free? Questions.
Government to
ease permits required for exports, imports
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Business
| Sat, September 19 2015, 5:42 PM
In following up on the issuance of
the government’s economic policy package last week, the Trade Ministry will
ease export and import regulations to improve the business climate and ensure national
stocks of basic commodities, an official has said. The ministry’s
deregulation team head Arlinda Imbang Jaya said at least 32 regulations, mostly
ministerial regulations, would be amended by the ministry through October this
year.
The ministry will also cut at least
38 export and import permits from the total of 121 permits under the ministry,
including four registered exporter (ET) permits, 21 registered importer (IT)
permits and 13 producing importer (IP) permits. “We hope the measure will
increase the flow of goods for imports, exports and domestic trade, as well as
ensure the supply of the commodities in the market and therefore stabilize
prices,” Arlinda said at a press briefing on Friday.
Indonesia recorded US$6.22 billion
in trade surplus in the January-August period of this year, with total exports
and imports slumping by 12.7 percent and 18.96 percent year-on-year (yoy),
respectively. The declining exports and imports have indicated that many
industries in the country are still facing a slowdown. The ease for
exports and imports will also be applied on so-called strategic commodities,
such as rice, sugar, salt and plantation products, with the removal of
requirements for recommendations from other ministries and agencies for the
import and export of the products.
“We have finished talking with the
ministries that usually give the recommendations, such as the Industry
Ministry, Agriculture Ministry, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and
others. There are some policies that need relaxation from their side to remove
the recommendation requirements,” she said.Arlinda added that through the
import relaxation, the ministry hoped that the industry could better utilize
raw materials.Imports of raw materials increased by 18.7 percent month-to-month
(mtm) to $9.15 billion in August, a reverse from the 21.4 percent drop a
month before, according to Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data.Under the new
regulation, the government would make a decision on local production, national
demand and import volume of the commodities in a limited coordination meeting
(Rakortas), involving related ministries.
Regarding rice imports, the State
Logistics Agency (Bulog) previously said that the national stock of subsidized
rice would be close to running out by the year’s end, as the stock stood at
62,000 tons while it needed 1.5 to 2 million tons to meet next year’s demand.
The impact of El Niño on production also loomed, though Agriculture Minister
Amran Sulaiman has stated his confidence on not importing rice this year.
With regard to salt imports, Arlinda
said the ministry would scrap requirements for IT and IP, saying the
requirement would only be applied to producing importers’ identification
numbers (API).Similar ease on imports would also be applied to other commodities,
such as steel, with the scrapping of tax identification number (NPWP) and
business permit (SIUP) document requirements. According to Arlinda, the
export-import process would also be available online starting October.With the
easing, the ministry would also still manage the flow of imports by obliging
importers to uphold the policy to label imported product in Indonesian prior to
selling them. (fsu)
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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/09/19/government-ease-permits-required-exports-imports.html#sthash.jI4scSel.dpuf
Aquino
won’t likely scrap rice import quota
03:34 AM
September 19th, 2015
It will be
up to the next administration to pursue the removal of the quota on rice
importation and gradually reduce the tariff on the commodity, Socioeconomic
Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said on Friday.Noting that a repeal of
Republic Act (RA) No. 8178 or the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996, which
had kept the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice importation, may no longer
happen during this administration, Balisacan said the challenge to do so will
be passed on to the next administration.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) last year
allowed the Philippines to extend its QR on rice until 2017, in a bid to buy
more time for local farmers to prepare for free trade in light of the
government’s goal of achieving rice self-sufficiency.“We can take the period up
to 2017 to prepare farmers and legislators in advocating for the reform from QR
to tariffication,” Balisacan said during the policy forum and research
symposium dubbed “Climate Change in the Philippines: Scenarios, Policies, and
Investments in Agriculture.”Balisacan, who is also the Director General of the
National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), later told a press
conference that in case the QR on rice will be eventually scrapped, slapping an
import duty of 30-35 percent would be “a much better regime than QR.
”“We can commit to reduce the tariff over time;
it can be negotiated with [trading partners],” the Neda chief said.The WTO
refers to tarrification as the “procedures relating to the agricultural
market-access provision in which all non-tariff measures are converted into
tariffs.”“Tarrifying” the restriction will make the rice market more
predictable, transparent and more market-friendly while still protecting
farmers, he said.Balisacan is pushing for the removal of the quota system,
noting the QR puts the burden of rice demand and supply on the government,
while limiting market forces.
The Neda chief had partly blamed high rice
prices, partly due to the prevailing QR regime, for the higher poverty
incidence registered in the first half of last year. The commodity accounts for
a fifth of low income families’ budgets.Since the government imposes a quota on
rice imports, domestic prices are vulnerable to shocks resulting from meager
supply.The extended QR slaps a 35-percent duty on imported rice under a minimum
access volume (MAV) of 805,200 metric tons. Importation outside of the MAV
limit are levied a higher tariff of 50 percent.The Philippines’ most favored
nation or MFN rate—the additional tariff imposed when imported outside of
Asean—on the commodity remains at about 40 percent.
http://business.inquirer.net/199424/aquino-wont-likely-scrap-rice-import-quota#ixzz3mMoVY0hM
From
butter chicken to paneer makhanwala at Bali restaurant
September 20, 2015 - 10:37:24 am
By Kavita Bajeli-Datt
BALI, Indonesia: As one walks down the
market street on the way to the pristine Kuta beach on Bali island, Indonesia’s
major tourist destination, it is hard to miss the Queen’s of India.For the
Indians who come to this beach resort for rest and recreation, but crave for
"desi" food, especially vegetarian fare, Queen's of India is like
manna from heaven.In the street dotted with many restaurants and bars, the
Queen’s stands out not only for its shiny nameplate on top or its huge swing on
the side, but also because it is packed with food lovers - both expats and
tourists, including westerners.No wonder the aroma that floats in air stops
many a passer-by who are compelled to take a bite of the delicious Indian fare
on offer. From south Indian (dosa, uthapam), to northern (tandoori) or the
western (Gujarati thali), all food Indian are served here.
There are many Indian restaurants in Bali from Athithi to Indian
Dhaba to Ganesha Ek Sanskriti Indian Restaurant catering to mostly honeymooners
thronging this favoured tourist town.However, the Queen’s, which began its
journey in 2004 and now has a chain of restaurants (four outlets) in Bali and
two in Jakarata, remains the most famous. So much so that they are booked by
Indians who come all the way from London, Dubai and India to Bali for a
destination wedding.New Delhi-based Puneet Malhotra, the owner of the Queen’s,
said their restaurant is an epitome of authentic Indian cooking which is served
in the most exotic of locations.“At our chain of restaurants, we understand the
basic principle of cooking food - it is not good food unless it titillates your
taste buds into a happy submission.“People choose Queen’s, when they want to
experience the enriching, authentic flavours of Indian food along with a
memorable dining experience.
Being one of the oldest Indian restaurants, of
not just Bali but Jakarta as well, QueenÂ’s brings together a pleasurable
experience for our each dining guest,” Malhotra said.The mouth-watering butter
chicken, chicken makhanwala and prawn tava are most sought after here, while
paneer makhanwala, bhindhi masala and aloo gobhi are the vegetarian fare that
is most in demand.The delicious biryani - both vegetarian and non-veg - served
in earthen pots is also a favourite. “We have the maximum number of Indian
chefs specially flown from India so that our guests get to taste the true
flavours of the delectable Indian cuisines,” Malhotra, who is helped by his
wife, Neeta Shamdasani Malhotra, a fifth generation Indonesian citizen of Indian
origin, born and brought up in Bali. She is also founder and president of BIFA
(Balinese and Indian Friendship Association) and organizes Diwali and other
Indian festivals here.
Chef Devendra Singh, who earlier worked in a
Noida hotel and is now working in QueenÂ’s Kuta branch for the past two years,
said: “We largely cater to Indian groups. Indians mostly look for Indian food
whenever they are visiting a country for either leisure or official
work.” “Apart from touring Indians and expats, foreigners love our food.
From our vegetarian delights to our ‘gosht’ segment, the visitors have a wide
choice. We source our spices and ‘Basmati” rice - to prepare briyani - from
India and thats why the taste is truly Indian.
Our “Butter Chicken”, “Rogan Josh” and “Tandori
Chicken” is very famous, even the natives love it.”They have catered and served
Bollywood actors (Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Shahid Kapoor),
politicians (Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani and Manmohan Singh) and business
tycoons (Lakshmi Mittal), the list goes on.As the brand is making its mark in
Indonesia, Malhotra said they are planning to expand in Australia.“It feel
great when people who have come thousands of miles away from home compliment us
about the food or the westerners who come again and again for our
non-vegetarian fare. We want to continue this tradition of giving a sensory
journey into Indian cuisine in Bali to all our customers,” Malhotra added.
The Peninsula
Amarinder
seeks adequate compensation for Basmati growers
Last Updated: Sun, Sep 20, 2015 19:20 hrs
Senior Congress leader Capt Amarinder Singh today
asked the Punjab government to provide adequate compensation to Basmati growers
who have allegedly been forced to go for distress sale.In a statement issued
here, the leader threatened to launch a protest across the state if his demands
were not met.Singh noted that last year the Basmati sold for about Rs 3,200 per
quintal. But this year the rice variety is not selling for more than Rs 1,200
per quintal."This does not even meet the input costs of the farmers.
Moreover, the Basmati yield is less as compared to other varieties of
paddy," he said.The Congress leader lamented that he has been repeatedly
reminding Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to take up the matter with the
central government to address this pressing problem.
"However, he (Badal) only returns after
presenting a bouquet to the Prime Minister without asking for anything, for the
reasons best known to him," he said.The former Chief Minister also warned that
if the farmers do not get adequate prices for their produce it may lead to law
and order problem in the state."Better you take serious note of the
situation lest it is too late for you and the state as the resentment and anger
among farmers is brewing fast," he charged.The leader added that he will
personally lead the farmers' protests as this government had failed to address
their concerns.Notably, Singh did not attend the 'Kisan Samman rally' by
Congress in Delhi today. Press
Trust of India
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