NEWS DETAIL...
TABLE-THAI-VIETNAMESE 5 PCT GRADE RICE PRICES - APRIL
26
4/26/2016
April
26 (Reuters) - Following is a table of Thai and
Vietnamese 5 percent broken grade supplied by traders.
(Bulk quotations in U.S. dollars per tonne FoB assessed by
Thomson Reuters)
Vietnamese 5 percent broken grade supplied by traders.
(Bulk quotations in U.S. dollars per tonne FoB assessed by
Thomson Reuters)
Shipment
Bid Ask Previous
Thai $385-$390 $385-$390 FoB Bangkok
Vietnam $372-$375 $372-$375 FoB Saigon
Thai $385-$390 $385-$390 FoB Bangkok
Vietnam $372-$375 $372-$375 FoB Saigon
(Reporting
by Patpicha Tanakasempipat in BANGKOK and Ho Binh
Minh in HANOI; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
Minh in HANOI; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
http://www.agriculture.com/content/table-thai-vietnamese-5-pct-grade-rice-prices-april-26
SunRice promises $400/t in 2017
ANDREW MARSHALL
26 Apr, 2016 07:43 AM
SunRice has jumped early to lock
in guaranteed rice production commitments from southern NSW growers next
summer, promising $400 a tonne for medium grain Reiziq crops.
While this year’s harvest is
still underway, the industry processor and marketer will also pay $380/t for
Sherpa crops harvested in 2017 if they are forward sold into the contract.
As the cotton industry notches up
another season of expansion and expected yield successes in the south, SunRice
is trying to limit the loss of any more precious irrigation water from its
traditional grain cropping heartland in the Murrumbidgee and Murray valleys.
Irrigated nuts and maize crops
have also soaked up available water this past summer.
The 2015-16 Australian crop
expected to have slumped to yield around 300,000 tonnes.
That compares with last year’s
690,000t harvest and is well below SunRice's annual domestic and export market
for at least 1 million tonnes.
Many ricegrowers sold their
limited 2015-16 irrigation entitlements last spring, rather than planting rice,
as water values soared above $250 a megalitre.
SunRice’s chairman, Laurie
Arthur, said on an overall farm system basis, independent research showed
return on capital from planting rice in the Riverina was “compelling”,
particularly when compared with wheat, canola and maize.
“Rice continues to maintain
strong returns while other crops have experienced significant volatility in
recent times,” he said.
“We have significant demand for
Australian rice and this contract is designed to ensure growers are able to
make commercial decisions now to grow rice for harvest in 2017 and participate
in premium markets.”
Although traditional pools will
also operate next season, the special contracts will open on May 2, taking a
limited volume.
They close when an undisclosed
tonnage is reached, with growers signed up on a “first in, first served” basis.
Meanwhile, SunRice is still
trying to finalise plans for a shareholder vote on the grower-owned company
floating part of its capital structure on the Australian Securities Exchange
(ASX
http://www.farmweekly.com.au/news/agriculture/agribusiness/general-news/sunrice-promises-400t-in-2017/2752358.aspx
RICE FEDERATION
SEEKS AGRICULTURE BANK SELL-OFF
A stall selling rice
at a Yangon market. (Soe Than Win / AFP)
26
Apr 2016
YANGON
— The Myanmar Rice Federation is calling on the new government to consider
the privatisation of the Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank in order to
increase loan opportunities in the farming sector, according to Tuesday’s
edition of the Global
New Light of Myanmar.Allowing private shareholders to provide the
bank a sorely needed capital injection would increase the amount of finance
available to rural landholders, the report suggested, giving the sector a boost
at a time when yields have diminished due to the impact of last year's floods
and the current drought in central Myanmar.
“The MADB has said it doesn’t currently have
sufficient funds to issue loans to farmers. Therefore, we have suggested that
the bank be privatised,” the state-run daily quoted MRF vice chairman Dr Soe
Htun as saying.
Tuesday’s report said the Rice Federation has
earlier made representations to the Commerce and Agriculture ministries, asking
for government policies to be formulated to make loans more accessible to
farmers in rural communities.
Established in 1953 as the State Agricultural
Bank, the MADB until recently had a virtual monopoly on providing small loans
to rural landowners, a position that has been challenged since the entry of
several microfinance operations targeting the rural sector. It possesses an
extensive network of branches in remote locations across the country,
accounting for nearly a quarter of all bank branches in Myanmar.
A 2014 World Bank report on the MADB found that
the bank’s operations suffered from a “various weaknesses”, including a
worryingly narrow portfolio focused on rice farmers, a lack of risk management
and weak corporate governance.
Despite a widespread mistrust of financial
institutions in the wake of Myanmar’s 2003 banking crisis, MADB serviced nearly
1.9 customers in 2012, according to the report.
An estimated 70 percent of Myanmar’s workforce
are employed in the agricultural sector, which the World Bank estimated in 2014
to represent 35-40 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
Commodity Report-April 26
Published April 26, 2016
Today’s commodity report: Weekly Rice Summary, California F.O.B. Price for Extra Grade and Grade A Nonfat Dry Milk, California Shell Eggs: Daily Egg Report, Shell Eggs: Daily National Egg Market and other commodity end of the day market numbers.
Weekly Rice
Summary
In California, medium grain milled rice prices steady. Second
heads and Brewers mostly steady, instances 1.00 lower. Rice by-products: Rice
Bran prices steady to 10.00 lower. Rice hulls limited spot trade with prices
steady.
CME Rough Rice settlements for Friday 22nd, May 16 closed .175
lower at 10.49; Jul 16 closed .17 lower at 10.755. US dollar index on Friday
settled at 95.12.
California
F.O.B. Price for Extra Grade and Grade A Nonfat Dry Milk
|
Week
Ending
|
Avg.
Price($/lb.)
|
Total
Sales (lb.)
|
|
April
22, 2016
|
$0.7349
|
10,528,568
|
|
April
15, 2016
|
$0.7328
|
14,494,199
|
Prices are weighted averages for Extra Grade and Grade A Nonfat
Dry Milk, f.o.b. California manufacturing plants. Prices for both periods were
influenced by effects of long-term contract sales. Compiled by Dairy Marketing
Branch, California Department of Food and Agriculture.
California
Shell Eggs: Daily Egg Report
Prices are steady. The undertone is higher. Offerings are mixed,
mostly moderate. Demand is moderate to fairly good. Supplies are light to
moderate. Market activity is moderate. Monday’s shell egg inventories increased
23.9% in the Southwest and 4.7% in the Northwest.
Shell egg marketer’s benchmark price for negotiated egg sales of
USDA Grade AA and Grade AA in cartons, cents per dozen. This price does not
reflect discounts or other contract terms.
|
RANGE
|
|
|
JUMBO
|
149
|
|
EXTRA LARGE
|
142
|
|
LARGE
|
135
|
|
MEDIUM
|
105
|
Shell Eggs:
Daily National Egg Market
Prices in New York are up 2 cents on Extra Large, Large and
Medium. California and regional prices are steady. The undertone is steady to
higher. Retail and food service demand is generally moderate in the Northeast,
moderate to fairly good in the remaining regions. Offerings and supplies are
light to moderate for immediate trade needs. The total shell egg inventory is
1.3 percent higher when compared to the previous week. Market activity is
moderate. Breaking stock offerings range light to occasionally heavy, mostly
light to moderate for the light to moderate demand. Light type hen offerings
are adequate; demand is light to instances moderate.
Tuesday’s
Commodity Market ending market numbers:
Corn
May Corn ended at $3.82 1/4 increasing 5 1/4 cents, July ended at $3.87 1/4 gaining 5 1/2 cents.
Soybeans
May Soybeans ended at 10.17 3/4 up 18 cents, July ended at 10.27 1/4 increasing 17 1/2 cents.
Wheat
May Wheat ended at $4.79 3/4, increasing 8 1/2 cents, July Wheat ended at $4.87 3/4 up 10 cents.
Rough Rice
May Rough Rice ended at 10.95 up 0.115, July ended at 11.20 increasing 0.11.
Live Cattle
April Live Cattle ended at $126.90 increasing $1.35 and June ended at $118.575 up $1.975 and August ended at $115.175 gaining $1.775.
Feeder Cattle
April Feeder Cattle ended at $146.575 gaining $0.55 and May ended at $145.175 increasing $1.925 and August ended at $145.025 up $1.775.
Lean Hogs
May Lean Hogs ended at $74.775 decreasing $0.15, June ended at $77.825 down $0.625
Class III Milk
April Class III Milk ended at $13.63 down $0.01, May ended at $13.20 decreasing $0.08 and June ended at $13.26 gaining $0.18.
#2 Cotton
May #2 Cotton ending at 63.46 dropping 1.31, July ended at 63.83 off 0.21.
Sugar #11
May sugar #11 ended at 15.77 up 0.14 and July ended at 16.05 increasing $0.16.
Orange Juice
May Orange Juice ended at 123.25 losing $3.50, July ending at 127.00 off $1.40
May Corn ended at $3.82 1/4 increasing 5 1/4 cents, July ended at $3.87 1/4 gaining 5 1/2 cents.
Soybeans
May Soybeans ended at 10.17 3/4 up 18 cents, July ended at 10.27 1/4 increasing 17 1/2 cents.
Wheat
May Wheat ended at $4.79 3/4, increasing 8 1/2 cents, July Wheat ended at $4.87 3/4 up 10 cents.
Rough Rice
May Rough Rice ended at 10.95 up 0.115, July ended at 11.20 increasing 0.11.
Live Cattle
April Live Cattle ended at $126.90 increasing $1.35 and June ended at $118.575 up $1.975 and August ended at $115.175 gaining $1.775.
Feeder Cattle
April Feeder Cattle ended at $146.575 gaining $0.55 and May ended at $145.175 increasing $1.925 and August ended at $145.025 up $1.775.
Lean Hogs
May Lean Hogs ended at $74.775 decreasing $0.15, June ended at $77.825 down $0.625
Class III Milk
April Class III Milk ended at $13.63 down $0.01, May ended at $13.20 decreasing $0.08 and June ended at $13.26 gaining $0.18.
#2 Cotton
May #2 Cotton ending at 63.46 dropping 1.31, July ended at 63.83 off 0.21.
Sugar #11
May sugar #11 ended at 15.77 up 0.14 and July ended at 16.05 increasing $0.16.
Orange Juice
May Orange Juice ended at 123.25 losing $3.50, July ending at 127.00 off $1.40
://frontiermyanmar.net/en/business/rice-federation-seeks-MADB-sell-off
http://agnetwest.com/2016/04/26/commodity-report-april-26/
Government
Plans to Sell 11.4 Million Ton Rice Stockpile in 2 Months
BY JACOB MASLOW ON 2016-04-26FEATURED NEWS
The rice management board announced on Monday that it plans to sell
the remaining stockpile of rice within two months. Rice stockpiles have risen
to 11.4 million tons. The announcement is seen as impossible by many.Thailand
is the second largest rice exporter in the world only behind India. India has
been attempting to also reduce its rice stockpiles, with sales expected to
begin next week.Thailand has only been able to sell off 5.05 million tons of
rice since May 2014. Several tenders over this period resulted in US$1.53
billion in rice sales. The government previously hoped to sell off its
remaining rice stockpiles by the end of 2017, but has since set the ambitious
goal of a two-month selloff.Many of the country’s traders have voiced
skepticism following the announcement.
Auctions are being scheduled for next week, with rice being
auctioned off in 1-million-ton lots. Chutima Bunyapraphasara, permanent
secretary of the Commerce Minister, stated, “We aim to auction it all off
within two months.”The remaining stockpiles have a value of 100 billion baht,
according to Ms. Chutima. Tanasan Rice Group’s president, Supachai
Vorraapinyaporn, stated that the goal is “a million percent impossible.” Mr.
Supachai’s group is one of the three largest rice exporters in the
country.“Perhaps they meant two years, not two months,” replied Mr. Supachai.
He noted that previous auctions were held monthly and only consisted of 400,000
tons of rice.The country’s stockpile consists of 100,000 tons of “good grade
rice,” 7.5 million tons of “substandard” rice for consumption, 2.4 million tons
of rotten rice and 1.5 million tons of rice for industrial use.
https://ethailand.com/featured-news/government-plans-to-sell-11-4-million-ton-rice-stockpile-in-2-months/2383/
More NFA rice outlets eyed as
state of calamity declared
Tuesday,
April 26, 2016
THE National Food Authority (NFA) in Negros Occidental is eyeing
the establishment of additional rice outlets amid the declaration of state of
calamity in the province, its top official said.Marianito Bejemino, provincial
manager of NFA-Negros Occidental, said Monday that before the state of calamity
was declared, they have already coordinated with the Office of the Provincial
Agriculturist (OPA) and the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office
(PSWDO) in identifying the areas mostly-hit by the dry spell.
Aside from reactivating the existing NFA rice outlets, Bejemino
said they are looking at establishing new outlets to be managed by retailers
under the supervision of barangay officials.
“Through this, we can bring closer to the consuming public,
especially to those whose farms and livelihood are damaged by the calamity,
more affordable yet quality rice. We will identify and prioritize
mostly-affected areas which have no outlets yet,” Bejemino said.To ensure that
NFA rice is available in the market, reactivation through reaccreditation of
regular outlets and retailers will be implemented, he added.
Currently, there are about 120 regular NFA rice outlets in
Negros Occidental, mostly in Bacolod City, that sell P27 per kilo
regular-milled NFA rice.For stability of supply among cities and municipalities
outside Bacolod, NFA-Negros Occidental has already increased the number of
stocks in its warehouses in Dancalan, Ilog in the south, and San Carlos City in
the northern portion of the province.
Comfortable level
The NFA-Negros Occidental has assured the public that there is
sufficient supply of rice in the local market amid the P211-million damage and
production losses caused by the prolonged dry weather to the local rice
sector.Its records showed that as of the April 21 inventory, there are still
2,166,970 available bags of rice in the province, which can last for the next
96 days.
Of which, the commercial sector, comprising retailers,
wholesalers, and millers, has 1,283,525 bags good for 57 days with the
province’s daily average consumption of 22, 220 bags.
The household sector with 491,618 bags can supply the next 22
days while the government sector’s 391,827 bags are good for 17 days.
“With last year’s remaining buffer stocks, we are assuring the
public that our current rice situation is still at a comfortable level,”
Bejemino said.He noted that the huge inventory on the part of NFA is mainly
brought by the competitive prices of commercial rice in the market thus,
consumers prefer the latter over NFA rice.
Babies fed rice-based cereals
have higher arsenic levels, study finds
By Dennis Thompson,
HealthDay News | April 26, 2016 at 12:00 PM
TUESDAY, April 26, 2016
-- Parents commonly give rice to their babies as a first food. Now, researchers
say infants fed rice-based foods may have significantly higher
"inorganic" arsenic concentrations in their urine than babies who
never eat rice.
The highest arsenic
concentrations were found in infants who frequently ate baby rice cereal, with
levels more than three times that of babies who didn't eat rice, the study
reports.
Babies who ate foods mixed with
rice or rice-based snacks had arsenic levels nearly double those of non-rice
eaters, according to the report published April 25 in the journal JAMA
Pediatrics.
"The arsenic in their urine
increased with the number of servings of rice or rice-containing food,"
said lead researcher Margaret Karagas, chair of epidemiology at Dartmouth
University's Geisel School of Medicine in Hanover, N.H.
It's still unclear what health effects these levels of arsenic
exposure could have on children, Karagas and other health experts said."It
certainly sounds concerning," said Dr. Ruth Milanaik, director of the
neonatal neurodevelopmental follow-up program at Cohen Children's Medical
Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. "It certainly requires more
study."Milanaik also noted that the findings could have been influenced by
other foods the babies were eating. For example, apple juice or drinking water
containing arsenic could have been stirred into the babies' rice cereal.
"There are so many variables," she said.
The study results come weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration proposed
limits on inorganic arsenic levels in infant rice cereals.The FDA's research
found that more than half of infant rice cereals sampled from U.S. retail
stores in 2014 failed to meet the agency's proposed action level of 100 parts
per billion of inorganic arsenic. By comparison, all samples of non-rice baby
foods were found to be well below the FDA's action level for arsenic."This
is an important step, that they've taken the initiative to propose a limit that
applies to infant rice cereals," Karagas said of the FDA.Arsenic is a
known carcinogen and can also contribute to heart disease, according to the
FDA.
Some evidence also suggests that arsenic exposure early in life
can affect a child's immune system and intellectual development, according to
the FDA and background notes from the study authors.Inorganic arsenic has shown
up in infant plant-based foods including apple juice and applesauce due to its
use in pesticides, Milanaik said."Even though in this country we've
outlawed it, we used it for so long that it's leached into our soil and really
becomes part of our vegetation," Milanaik said.Karagas and her colleagues
decided to study infants' rice consumption when they learned that rice grains
can absorb arsenic from the environment, she said.The investigators obtained
diet information and urine samples from 759 infants born to mothers enrolled in
the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study between 2011 and 2014.The infants'
progress was tracked with phone interviews every four months until they turned
1. At that time, a final interview assessed dietary patterns during the past
week, including whether an infant had eaten rice cereal, white or brown rice,
or foods either made with rice or sweetened with brown rice syrup.
The researchers found that parents fed rice cereal to four out
of five infants during their first year, and that more than three of five
started on rice cereal as early as 4 to 6 months old.
At 1 year of age, 43 percent of infants ate some type of rice
product within the last week, and one-quarter ate food either made with rice or
sweetened rice syrup, the findings showed.
Of the infants who donated urine
samples, 55 percent had consumed some type of rice product in the prior two
days, the study found.The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that
infants consume a diverse diet, including a wide variety of grains, Karagas
said.
The study authors and the FDA
suggest limiting rice consumption in early life. Concerned parents could feed
their babies oatmeal or barley, Milanaik said. These, like rice, are
iron-fortified.The FDA also recommends cooking rice in excess water, and
draining off that water, which can reduce 40 to 60 percent of the inorganic
arsenic it contains.
More
information
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2016/04/26/Babies-fed-rice-based-cereals-have-higher-arsenic-levels-study-finds/9601461686185/
Scientists Find Link Between Arsenic Levels And Infants Who Eat
Rice-Based Cereals
Babies with rice in their diet have higher
concentrations of the carcinogen arsenic in their urine, according to a new
study.
Babies with rice in their diet have higher concentrations of the
carcinogen arsenic in their urine, according to a new study. (Photo : Getty
Images)
Although parents typically give babies rice as their first food, a
new study reveals that infants fed a rice diet have higher
"inorganic" arsenic concentrations in their urine than babies that
never eat rice.
The team used diet information and urine samples from 759 infants
born to mothers that were a part of the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study
between 2011 and 2014. The researchers kept track of the infants through phone
interviews that were conducted every four months until they turned 1. After
this point, a final interview was conducted to determine dietary patterns
during the last week.
The study revealed that infants who ate baby rice cereal often had
the highest arsenic concentrations in their urine, with levels more than three
times than those observed in babies with no rice in their diet. In addition,
babies who ate foods that were mixed with rice or ate rice-based snacks
possessed almost double the arsenic levels than babies who did not eat rice.
"The arsenic in their urine increased with the number of
servings of rice or rice-containing food," said Margaret Karagas, chair of
epidemiology at Dartmouth
University's Geisel School of Medicine and lead author of the study.
The findings require more research and follow-up, but as of now
they are enough to raise the attention of health experts.
"It certainly sounds concerning," said Ruth
Milanaik, director of the neonatal neurodevelopmental follow-up program at
Cohen Children's Medical Center, who was not involved in the research. "It
certainly requires more study."
Milanaik also noted that there are numerous variables that weren't
controlled for in the study, suggesting that the findings might have been
influenced by other aspects of the babies' diets, including arsenic in apple
juice or drinking water.
There is evidence that arsenic - a known carcinogen - can increase
susceptibility to heart disease as well as compromise the immune system and
intellectual development in early life. Inorganic arsenic is common in infant
plant-based foods such as apple juice and applesauce due to pesticides,
although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently proposed limits on the
chemical's levels in rice cereals for infants.
"Even though in this country we've outlawed it, we used it
for so long that it's leached into our soil and really becomes part of our
vegetation," Milanaik said.
http://www.hngn.com/articles/198143/20160426/scientists-find-link-between-arsenic-levels-infants-who-eat-rice-based-cereals.htm
Latest issues of Sun.Star Bacolod also available on your mobile phones, laptops, and tablets.
Subscribe to our digital editions at epaper.sunstar.com.ph and get a free seven-day trial.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/business/2016/04/26/more-nfa-rice-outlets-eyed-state-calamity-declared-470092
Good yield of Boro likely
Farmers hope for better price as harvesting begins
A good crop of Boro this season keeps farmers busy across the
country. Here some farmers are winnowing harvested rice near a paddy field in
Raipura of Narsingdi. The photo was taken last week. Photo: Anisur Rahman
Farmers in most parts of the
country have started harvesting Boro paddy with high hopes of getting a better
price this season.Their expectations were buoyed by a recent government promise
to buy grains directly from the growers, not from the middlemen or
millers.Though
Boro paddy was farmed on 48 lakh
hectares of land last year, the acreage has shrunken to 46.85 lakh hectares
this year, mainly due to low price last year. Besides, there has been some
flash flood-induced crop losses early in the harvesting season in the
northeastern haors.
Agriculture officials, nonetheless,
are optimistic about achieving a bumper Boro output of 1.9 crore tonnes. If
that happens, the total rice production this fiscal year would go a little over
3.47 crore tonnes, equalling the previous year's output.
Of the three rice seasons in Bangladesh, Boro is the biggest
contributor to the staple production in the country. The other seasons are Aus
and Aman.Taking the shrunken Boro acreage into consideration, the US Department
of Agriculture (USDA) projects Bangladesh's total Boro output to be 1.86 crore
tonnes in the current season.
Upon return from the haor regions early this week, top officials
of the agriculture ministry confirmed to The Daily Star that the flash floods
caused significant damages to 22,000 hectares of Boro crop but it would not
affect the national output much.In a major policy shift, the government
this year has decided to procure seven lakh tonnes of Boro paddy directly from
farmers, in addition to six lakh tonnes of rice, from May 5 through August 31.
The prices have been fixed at Tk 23 a kilogram of paddy and Tk 32 a kg of
rice.According to government estimates, farmers' production costs for each kg
of paddy and rice have been Tk 20.70 and Tk 29 respectively.In the previous
years, the government used to buy mostly rice (9/10 lakh tonnes) and barely one
lakh tonne of paddy, which would benefit mainly the rice millers and middlemen
with the price incentives.
It's a challenging task to break free from the clutches of
middlemen, said Abdul Wadud, MP, chairman of the parliamentary standing
committee on the food ministry."[But] we have advised the food ministry to
develop a mechanism so that farmers can directly go to the government's food
procurement centres and get the price benefits," he told this
correspondent yesterday.Officials at the food ministry and the food directorate
say that they will make public announcements in all rice-growing regions from
May 2, encouraging farmers to sell their paddy to government granaries.Thanks
to the government announcement of the paddy procurement package, markets have
already started showing an early sign of rise in the otherwise dampened rice
prices, farmers in some of the rice-rich districts said yesterday.
Abdul Jalil grew Boro on 20 bighas (little over 8 acres) of land
in Naogaon's Niamatpur.As he has just started harvesting the crop, he is
delighted to have 22 to 24 maunds of paddy per bigha.Contacted over the phone
yesterday, Jalil said, "The prices are gradually picking up. The price of
a maund of paddy was Tk 700 last week. Today, it has risen to 730."While
he welcomed the government move of buying paddy directly from farmers, he was a
little sceptic about it as well, noting that there exists a long nexus of dishonest
middlemen and some unscrupulous food officials.However, that the government
will buy 13 lakh tonnes of rice and paddy at good prices would definitely have
positive impacts on the rice market, Jalil added.
Discouraged by the low price last year, Tajamul Haque from
Chapainawabganj's Nachol cultivated Boro on half the land he did last
year."Farmers like me will definitely feel encouraged to grow more rice
again if the government really purchases paddy directly from the growers,"
he said.Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official of the Food Planning
and Monitoring Unit (FPMU) of the food ministry said the government officials
concerned have to deliver this time and try to implement the
"direct-purchase-from-farmers policy".Otherwise, the farmers will lose
interest in farming the economically less lucrative rice, they noted.
http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/good-yield-boro-likely-1215097
Indonesia-India
ties: A change in the wind?
Aastha Saboo
Posted: Wed,
April 27 2016 | 11:49 amIndian movies, TV serials and even Bollywood actors
like Shah Rukh Khan have become household names in Indonesia. Many channels are
now showcasing Indian content dubbed in Indonesian, clearly indicating that the
love for Indian entertainment is only expected to grow more.(AP/ Kamran
Jebreili)
President
Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s recent revocation of a meat ban, which provided new
encouragement for supporters of more relaxed regulation of rice and
pharmaceutical imports, has directed attention once again to the vast potential
of trade and investment that remains dormant between India and Indonesia.
Allowing bovine meat to be imported from regions free of foot and mouth disease, regardless of a country’s status overall, comes as a big positive for countries like India, which has been eyeing the Indonesian market since 1999.
An Indonesian high-level delegation visited India in September 2015 to evaluate meat processing facilities and food safety measures there. After extensive evaluation and examination, the Indonesian government has allowed region-based meat import permits for Indian suppliers, formalized in a decree that was signed recently.
This announcement has created a frenzy among traders, for whom this is a potential game changer. With Ramadan also around the corner, many are hopeful that this new rule will end price fluctuations and ensure greater certainty for meat prices in Indonesia.
The beef imports expansion was enacted by President Jokowi as a way to control unstable prices that were the result of having a single large exporter. Australia is the leading beef exporter to Indonesia, enjoying about 80 percent of that market.
This development opened doors for new economic opportunities between countries like India and Indonesia. While it allows India, one of the biggest exporters of meat to the gulf region, to enter the gigantic Southeast Asian market, for Indonesia, it brings cost effectiveness and stability.
Many experts also say that it will have an indirect impact on tourism and the creative industry, with many young entrepreneurs gaining access to cheaper meat. Indonesia will now be able to import bovine meat at US$4/kg, almost 60 percent cheaper than recent import prices.
Although this is just a decree, the Indonesian agriculture minister is hoping that the final regulation on the change will come out before Ramadan allowing Indian meat to officially enter the market before then.
This announcement has triggered enthusiasm and vigor among Indian exporters, who are running several roadshows, to battle some age-old negative stereotypes surrounding Indian meat.
While procedurally India may not have big concerns, capturing the Australian dominated market may not be an easy task. However, with cheaper and good-quality beef, Indian exporters are confident of making their mark on this new market, without biting into supply for their own local market.
Another landmark deal that could shape the future of strategic relations between India and Indonesia is a new rice import deal. The rice import deal is an agreement on Indonesia’s importing of sticky rice from India, to offset any temporary deficit in cases of rice-crop failure due to natural calamities like El Niño-induced drought.
Currently, Indonesia imports rice from countries including Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. While around 900,000 tons of rice was exported from India through private companies last year, the G2G route has not been tapped yet.
Through this G2G deal, the Indonesian government is eyeing the import of 1 million tons of rice from India per year for the next four years. Currently, the deal is in the final stages, and is expected to be signed in the next few months.
This move would not only help boost slowing rice exports for India, but also help Indonesia get a larger quantity of rice in a shorter time and at economical prices.
Thirdly, the Indonesian pharmaceuticals sector is a highly regulated and protected sector. This affects not only free trade but also the flow of investment. However, as recently as last year, Indonesia agreed to purchase cheaper and good-quality pharmaceutical products from India to reduce inflating medical costs. Currently, President Jokowi’s government is still studying this proposal to see whether it will help overcome the financial burden caused by the issue of health cards to Indonesians.
Both countries are well aware of the opportunities available in Indonesia for setting up manufacturing plants for active pharmaceutical ingredients, medicines and medical devices, along with knowledge sharing on IT in the healthcare industry. While Indonesia would get access to good-quality drugs, the deal would also open a sea of opportunity between the two countries in the healthcare sector, which has immense potential.
However, laws regarding investment in Indonesian’s pharmaceutical industry still need more clarity. Even the long registration process for importing drugs into Indonesia is a challenge, though importing FDA/WHO-approved drugs could be one possible solution.
Lastly, the sector that will bring India and Indonesia closer together in the future is the cinema industry. Indian movies, TV serials and even Bollywood actors like Shah Rukh Khan have become household names in Indonesia. Many channels are now showcasing Indian content dubbed in Indonesian, clearly indicating that the love for Indian entertainment is only expected to grow more.
But after President Jokowi’s announcement that more foreign investment will be allowed in cinema, many Indian cinema houses are buzzing with excitement.
The nascent Indonesian cinema sector is expected to get interest from several Indian cinema biggies in the next few months.
With experts pegging the growth of the Indonesian cinema industry at a whopping 30 percent, several Indian companies have already started showing interest in investing in or signing joint production partnerships with Indonesia cinema houses. To encourage more shooting of Indian films in Indonesia and vice versa, the two governments should also look at a proposal to provide better tax incentives.
While India was one of the fastest growing economies last year, Indonesia has been one of the strongest and most resilient economies over the last two years. But, trading between the two was almost 25 percent below its potential, with Indian exports to Indonesia totaling as low as $4.3 billion worth annually according to the latest data.
While many experts time and again have argued that both Indonesia and India need to adopt a more proactive strategy toward each other, these investment friendly announcements are a step in the right direction for ensuring a good breakthrough in bi-lateral trade, gradually, if not exponentially.
Allowing bovine meat to be imported from regions free of foot and mouth disease, regardless of a country’s status overall, comes as a big positive for countries like India, which has been eyeing the Indonesian market since 1999.
An Indonesian high-level delegation visited India in September 2015 to evaluate meat processing facilities and food safety measures there. After extensive evaluation and examination, the Indonesian government has allowed region-based meat import permits for Indian suppliers, formalized in a decree that was signed recently.
This announcement has created a frenzy among traders, for whom this is a potential game changer. With Ramadan also around the corner, many are hopeful that this new rule will end price fluctuations and ensure greater certainty for meat prices in Indonesia.
The beef imports expansion was enacted by President Jokowi as a way to control unstable prices that were the result of having a single large exporter. Australia is the leading beef exporter to Indonesia, enjoying about 80 percent of that market.
This development opened doors for new economic opportunities between countries like India and Indonesia. While it allows India, one of the biggest exporters of meat to the gulf region, to enter the gigantic Southeast Asian market, for Indonesia, it brings cost effectiveness and stability.
Many experts also say that it will have an indirect impact on tourism and the creative industry, with many young entrepreneurs gaining access to cheaper meat. Indonesia will now be able to import bovine meat at US$4/kg, almost 60 percent cheaper than recent import prices.
Although this is just a decree, the Indonesian agriculture minister is hoping that the final regulation on the change will come out before Ramadan allowing Indian meat to officially enter the market before then.
This announcement has triggered enthusiasm and vigor among Indian exporters, who are running several roadshows, to battle some age-old negative stereotypes surrounding Indian meat.
While procedurally India may not have big concerns, capturing the Australian dominated market may not be an easy task. However, with cheaper and good-quality beef, Indian exporters are confident of making their mark on this new market, without biting into supply for their own local market.
Another landmark deal that could shape the future of strategic relations between India and Indonesia is a new rice import deal. The rice import deal is an agreement on Indonesia’s importing of sticky rice from India, to offset any temporary deficit in cases of rice-crop failure due to natural calamities like El Niño-induced drought.
Currently, Indonesia imports rice from countries including Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. While around 900,000 tons of rice was exported from India through private companies last year, the G2G route has not been tapped yet.
Through this G2G deal, the Indonesian government is eyeing the import of 1 million tons of rice from India per year for the next four years. Currently, the deal is in the final stages, and is expected to be signed in the next few months.
This move would not only help boost slowing rice exports for India, but also help Indonesia get a larger quantity of rice in a shorter time and at economical prices.
Thirdly, the Indonesian pharmaceuticals sector is a highly regulated and protected sector. This affects not only free trade but also the flow of investment. However, as recently as last year, Indonesia agreed to purchase cheaper and good-quality pharmaceutical products from India to reduce inflating medical costs. Currently, President Jokowi’s government is still studying this proposal to see whether it will help overcome the financial burden caused by the issue of health cards to Indonesians.
Both countries are well aware of the opportunities available in Indonesia for setting up manufacturing plants for active pharmaceutical ingredients, medicines and medical devices, along with knowledge sharing on IT in the healthcare industry. While Indonesia would get access to good-quality drugs, the deal would also open a sea of opportunity between the two countries in the healthcare sector, which has immense potential.
However, laws regarding investment in Indonesian’s pharmaceutical industry still need more clarity. Even the long registration process for importing drugs into Indonesia is a challenge, though importing FDA/WHO-approved drugs could be one possible solution.
Lastly, the sector that will bring India and Indonesia closer together in the future is the cinema industry. Indian movies, TV serials and even Bollywood actors like Shah Rukh Khan have become household names in Indonesia. Many channels are now showcasing Indian content dubbed in Indonesian, clearly indicating that the love for Indian entertainment is only expected to grow more.
But after President Jokowi’s announcement that more foreign investment will be allowed in cinema, many Indian cinema houses are buzzing with excitement.
The nascent Indonesian cinema sector is expected to get interest from several Indian cinema biggies in the next few months.
With experts pegging the growth of the Indonesian cinema industry at a whopping 30 percent, several Indian companies have already started showing interest in investing in or signing joint production partnerships with Indonesia cinema houses. To encourage more shooting of Indian films in Indonesia and vice versa, the two governments should also look at a proposal to provide better tax incentives.
While India was one of the fastest growing economies last year, Indonesia has been one of the strongest and most resilient economies over the last two years. But, trading between the two was almost 25 percent below its potential, with Indian exports to Indonesia totaling as low as $4.3 billion worth annually according to the latest data.
While many experts time and again have argued that both Indonesia and India need to adopt a more proactive strategy toward each other, these investment friendly announcements are a step in the right direction for ensuring a good breakthrough in bi-lateral trade, gradually, if not exponentially.
***
The
writer is a freelancer with Forbes Indonesia. She was previously a news reporter
with CNBC TV 18 in India covering business, corporate finance and investigative
stories.
---------------
We are
looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or
scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions
about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia
or international events. Send your piece to community@jakpost.com.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2016/04/27/indonesia-india-ties-a-change-in-the-wind.html
Bringing US rice back to Cuba
By Dow Brantley - 04/26/16 06:35 PM EDT
For
generations, my family has been farming rice and other row crops in England,
Ark. Growing up, I remember the special experience of planting a seed and
seeing a magnificent crop spring up — a crop that was my family’s livelihood
and the guarantee that food would always be served on our dining room table.
While our town is named after a major international country, it was always a
wonder to me to think that what grew in my backyard in rural Arkansas made its
way all around the world.
Today, I
am proud to be the chairman of both the Arkansas Rice and USA Rice
organizations and a champion of increased exportation of U.S.-grown rice
throughout the world — including to Cuba. As someone who represents all sectors
of the state and U.S. rice industries and continually thinks about how to best
support our rice farmers, millers and the merchants and rice exporters both in
Arkansas and across the country, it makes sense to support improved U.S.-Cuba
relations and, specifically, an end to the Cuban trade embargo.
Rice is arguably the best-positioned
commodity to benefit from trade with Cuba, thanks to its ability to provide the
Cuban people a high quality and nutritious product that’s also an important
part of their diets. Cuba imports 80 percent of its food, and of Cuba’s
agricultural imports, rice constitutes 10 percent. Cuba is the second-largest
importer of rice in the Americas, and there was a time when Cuba was the top
destination for
U.S.-grown rice.
U.S.-grown rice.
But
since 2008, there have been no imports of U.S. rice into Cuba. Due to an embargo
that has proven costly to American rice farmers, Cuba is now buying rice from
our competitors, with countries such as Brazil and Vietnam offering generous
credit terms and continuously refusing to play by the rules of fair trade.
Currently, Cuba imports about 600,000 metric tons of rice annually, valued at
more than $300 million. And none of it is coming from U.S. rice farmers.
Rice
farmers have spent decades trying to explain to Congress that the embargo is a
huge loss for our sector. It is why we have been at the forefront of the push
to lift the embargo since the 1990s. We welcome and embrace the momentum of
diverse stakeholders joining our efforts; we were proud to co-sponsor the
recent launch of the Engage Cuba Arkansas State Council, made up of
agribusiness, community and academic leaders committed to engaging with Cuba
through diplomacy and trade.
Restoring
mutually beneficial, two-way commerce is at the heart of our industry’s
efforts, and the movement is making history almost daily. Our work in states
and in Washington, D.C., has allowed us to reach a tentative agreement for a
memorandum of understanding between USA Rice and the Cuban government. This
agreement will state that once barriers are removed, the Cuban government will
resume buying U.S. rice. We will continue to develop our relationship with
Cuban leaders and rice buyers in order to bring high quality, reliable rice
quickly to the Cuban people.
With the
prospect of a strong partnership before us, the rice industry, along with many other
sectors, deserves to have representatives in Congress who can help us put an
end to a policy that no longer works. The Obama administration has made
excellent progress on the path to restoring trade with our Cuban neighbors, but
we are now at the point where any further progress is dependent on leaders in
Congress. We are lucky to have strong representation in Arkansas, from Gov. Asa
Hutchinson to Sen. John Boozman and Rep. Rick Crawford, each
of whom has come out in support of expanded trade opportunities for businesses
and industries like mine. However, we need additional champions in Congress to
continue this momentum to normalize trade so that Cuba can once again become a
major U.S. trading partner.
If we
are successful in lifting the outdated and harmful trade embargo, we can ensure
that an island of more than 11 million people can enjoy the same rice that grew
in my backyard and in thousands of backyards across our state.
Brantley
is the chairman of USA Rice and the Arkansas Rice Federation.
http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/277766-brantley-bringing-us-rice-back-to-cuba
Govt
researchers roll out rice crackers with ‘malunggay’
RESEARCHERS from the Philippine Rice Research Institute
(PhilRice) have found a way to turn a junk food into a nutrient-filled food,
which could help reduce undernourishment in the country.
Dr. Riza A. Ramos of PhilRice’s Rice Chemistry and Food Science
Division (RCFSD) and her colleagues Rosaly V. Manois and Amelia V. Morales
conducted research on the acceptability, shelf-life and nutritional quality of malunggay-supplemented rice crackers.
The study earned Ramos the 2015 Gawad Saka Outstanding
Agriculture Researcher award in Central Luzon.
Locally known as malunggay, moringa is known the world over as a low-cost solution to
undernourishment.
undernourishment.
“Every part of the tree is nutritious. The leaves have the
highest amount of calcium and phosphorus among vegetables. Malunggay is rich in potassium, iron and
vitamin C. Some studies show that it also reduces cholesterol,” Ramos said in a
statement.
She said she drew inspiration for her research from being anemic
herself during her preschool years. Ramos said children, pregnant and lactating women are among the most vulnerable groups for
micronutrient deficiency.
For Ramos, the challenge was how to convince children to eat
nutritious food items as they generally do not taste good. “So I thought of incorporating malunggay in rice crackers.”
She said local bakeshops are undertaking similar efforts to
incorporate malunggay in other products. However, Ramos said she is unsure if the
right amount of malunggayto meet the nutritional requirements is being added.
Ramos’s team has already made some demonstrations of their
product at the Palusapis Fish Cracker Plant Facility in the Science City of
Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. This forms part of their efforts to promote their product. Based on their research, themalunggay-supplemented
rice crackers have lower total fat content and significantly higher
beta-carotene, vitamin C and calcium levels.
“We offer training programs free of charge mostly to mothers and
members of women’s organizations,” she said.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/govt-researchers-roll-out-rice-crackers-with-malunggay/
USA Rice Checks In with Korea Market
Rue and Cummings will be joined later this week
by other USA Rice members in Taipei for the first U.S.-Taiwan rice technical
meeting.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
USA Rice Daily, Tuesday, April 26, 2016
PRISM to boost rice production
Since rice remains an important source of livelihood and income
of Filipino farmers, Senator Cynthia Villar underscored the critical role of
the Philippine Rice Information System (PRISM) project to boost rice
production.
Villar said rice farmers, are the longest sector in Agriculture.
Also, being the country’s main staple, rice provides 45 percent
of the caloric intake of Filipinos, accounting for 20 percent of a typical
household’s budget.
“Thus, if would be deemed remiss in our duties and
responsibilities if we are not able to produce accurate and timely information
on rice, particularly its production and yield gaps. These data are important
for us to create plans and draft policies,” said Villar, chair of the Senate
Agriculture and Food committee.
With PRISM, she said the Department of Agriculture (DA),
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), and their other partners – are using technologies like remote
sensing, crop models, in-field crop surveys, information and communications
technology (ICT), among others.
She said PRISM would help produce practical and useful
information on rice crop seasonality; area; yield; damage from flood, wind, or
drought; and yield-reducing factors like diseases, animal pests, and weeds.
“And that goldmine of data will surely allow all of us to do our
jobs much better. And of course, the information gathered would greatly benefit
our farmers, farmers’ groups and others involved in agriculture. They will be
the ultimate beneficiaries of it, in the long run,” said Villar.
“As PRISM cited itself, it will revolutionize information on the
when, where and how much of rice as well as crop health assessments and flood
or drought damage” These are all important indicators in our efforts to address
food security in our country,” Villar further said.
http://www.tempo.com.ph/2016/04/27/news/main/prism-to-boost-rice-production/#GuYPySLvuU9kEFVv.99
Govt
researchers roll out rice crackers with ‘malunggay’
BusinessMirror April 26, 2016
RESEARCHERS from the Philippine Rice Research Institute
(PhilRice) have found a way to turn a junk food into a nutrient-filled food,
which could help reduce undernourishment in the country.
Dr. Riza A. Ramos of PhilRice’s Rice Chemistry and Food Science
Division (RCFSD) and her colleagues Rosaly V. Manois and Amelia V. Morales
conducted research on the acceptability, shelf-life and nutritional quality of malunggay-supplemented rice crackers.
The study earned Ramos the 2015 Gawad Saka Outstanding
Agriculture Researcher award in Central Luzon.
Locally known as malunggay, moringa is known the world over as a low-cost solution to
undernourishment.
undernourishment.
“Every part of the tree is nutritious. The leaves have the
highest amount of calcium and phosphorus among vegetables. Malunggay is rich in potassium, iron and
vitamin C. Some studies show that it also reduces cholesterol,” Ramos said in a
statement.
She said she drew inspiration for her research from being anemic
herself during her preschool years. Ramos said children, pregnant and lactating women are among the most vulnerable groups for
micronutrient deficiency.
For Ramos, the challenge was how to convince children to eat
nutritious food items as they generally do not taste good. “So I thought of
incorporating malunggay in rice crackers.”
She said local bakeshops are undertaking similar efforts to
incorporate malunggay in other products. However, Ramos said she is unsure if the
right amount of malunggayto meet the nutritional requirements is being added.
Ramos’s team has already made some demonstrations of their
product at the Palusapis Fish Cracker Plant Facility in the Science City of
Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. This forms part of their efforts to promote their product. Based on their research, themalunggay-supplemented
rice crackers have lower total fat content and significantly higher
beta-carotene, vitamin C and calcium levels.
“We offer training programs free of charge mostly to mothers and
members of women’s organizations,” she said.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/govt-researchers-roll-out-rice-crackers-with-malunggay/
Election 2016:
Agenda of the Nueva Ecija gov
03:28 AM April 27th, 2016
THE INQUIRER is coming out today with the 17th of its series on
pressing people’s concerns that should be high on the agenda of candidates for
representative, governor or mayor in the May 9 elections. The series should
help voters in the provinces choose their leaders wisely. In line with our
“ThINQ.Vote.” advocacy, we have asked candidates in certain provinces, cities
and congressional districts to outline their concrete plans of action in
dealing with specific issues in their areas.
Interviews by Anselmo Roque and Armand Galang
Profile: Nueva Ecija province
NUEVA ECIJA has been feeding much of Luzon since the 1920s,
earning the title “Rice Bowl of the Philippines” because its vast farms have
remained some of the largest rice producers. It is also a principal grower of
onions and corn.
Because of its status as a leading rice producer, the province
has a large concentration of agricultural research facilities, such as the
Philippine Carabao Center and the Philippine Rice Research Institute.
But the place is more than just a food source. Named after the
Spanish town of Ecija in Seville province, Nueva Ecija is symbolized by one of
eight rays on the Philippine flag, which represent the first eight provinces
that took up arms against Spanish colonial rule in 1896. Cabanatuan once served
as the seat of government when Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo retreated to Nueva Ecija
in 1899.
First-class Nueva Ecija is home to 1,953,716 people (as of the
2010 census). It is the ninth vote-rich province, having 1,313,811 registered
voters.
Agriculture
GRANARY TALES. Since the 1920s, Nueva Ecija has been the “rice
granary of the Philippines” due to its high aggregate total harvest. According
to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), its average production
per year is 1,113,284 metric tons (MT). From 1990 to 2010, its contribution to
the production of palay in the country was an average of 8 percent. In 2014,
output was close to 2 million MT. However, the number of poor families in the
province has increased. Their plight has worsened with the introduction of
combined harvesters (machines that harvest, thresh and bag crops). How do you
address these concerns?
RODOLFO ANTONINO (United Nationalist Alliance)
We need to:
Balance farm mechanization and manual farming.
Develop a master plan for irrigation facilities and
farm-to-market roads.
Strictly implement rules and regulations on entry of imported
agricultural products.
Pursue prospective investors in promoting agribusiness.
Tap expertise of agriculture-related agencies for
agridevelopment, strengthen farmers’ cooperatives and provide financial
subsidies and crop insurance.
Increase the livelihood of farmers by creating more
agriculture-based products so that these should not be sold as raw materials.
CZARINA UMALI (Liberal Party)
Expand the “Ani ng Masaganang Uhay” (AMU) program of the
province which provides for technology transfer.
Build more irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads and storage
as well as drying facilities.
Provide microcredit, production subsidies and market support.
Mitigate the effects of climate change through community-based
planning, education, training, seminars, experimental farming for adaptive
crops, bottom-up budgeting for agri-programs and international and local
institutions’ networking.
Adopt a comprehensive agricultural land use plan.
Agri-industrialize by providing modern equipment, technology,
trainings and other services to farmers.
Strengthen “Bagsakan Center” to counter low gate prices of
traders.
Create an agri-industrial complex.
Support farming families for income augmentation and instill
values and virtues of farming.
Peace and order
HISTORY OF VIOLENCE. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has
placed Nueva Ecija on its list of election hot spots because of its history of
violence that is rooted in political rivalries. In 1980, a raid on the
Cabanatuan City Hall resulted in the death of nine people and the burning of
the building. Then Mayor Honorato Perez escaped unhurt. In 1995, days before
the election, Perez, then running for governor, and his aide were killed in a
confrontation with a rival political candidate. Too many killings need a closer
examination of the political culture that has spawned these types of violence.
RODOLFO ANTONINO (United Nationalist Alliance)
The primary objective of crime fighting is to solve crimes. When
criminals know they can be caught, we can reduce criminality by doing the
following:
Provide all villages with radios which will have direct access
to the local police. Patrol cars should be equipped with communication devices.
Financially support the Scene of the Crime Operations (Soco)
units to help elevate their skills in acquiring forensic evidence at crime
scenes.
Help the police get more cars and motorcycles to increase their
visibility in the communities.
CZARINA UMALI (Liberal Party)
Promote Nueva Ecija as a peaceful province.
Pursue economic development strategies, job creation and
protection of entrepreneurs engaged in small and medium-scale enterprises.
Institute sociocultural interventions, like holding fiesta-like
events, to encourage participation and cooperation of big clans and families to
counter culture of feuds and violence.
Hold forums, dialogues of various sectors in determining
socio-economic policies that will help in preserving peace and order.
Encourage civilian participation for deterring crimes as police
capabilities to deter crime are improved.
DYNASTY POLITICAL DYNASTY. The Josons have dominated Nueva
Ecija politics in more 50 years. It started with the election of the patriarch,
Eduardo, in 1959, who was reelected six times. The clan’s political dominance
ended in 2004 when then Rep. Aurelio Umali trashed the election bid of another
Joson and repeated his mastery in polls when he defeated two members of the
Joson clan in succeeding elections. Umali is now running for representative of
the third district. He fielded his wife, Czarina, for governor, against former
three-term Rep. Rodolfo Antonino, whose daughter, Magnolia, won the seat he
vacated and is now running for reelection. What are your thoughts on this
issue?
RODOLFO ANTONINO (United Nationalist Alliance)
The phrase, “Let the people decide,” was the principle enshrined
by the Supreme Court when it ruled in favor of the presidential candidacy of
Sen. Grace Poe. Voters should be allowed to choose people who serve them well.
On the issue of public service, let the people make the decision
on whom to elect.
CZARINA UMALI (Liberal Party)
I am not in favor of political dynasties, especially if they
rule people through fear, corruption and oppression. The way I see it,
belonging to a political family per se is not entirely evil for as long as the
rights of the people to choose their leaders and air their sentiments and
grievances are respected.
When an antipolitical dynasty law is enacted, I will duly submit
to its provisions.
#VotePH2016: The Inquirer multimedia coverage of the 2016 national
and local elections in the Philippines provides to voters the latest news,
photos, videos and infographics on the candidates and their platforms, as well
as real-time election results come May 9, 2016. Visit our special Elections
2016 site here: http://www.inquirer.net/elections2016
NEED FOR INCREASED EFFORTS BY TCP, REAP FOR RICE EXPORT
Wednesday,
27 April 2016 00:54
He assured the TCP management had and would be extending maximum
facilitation to REAP.
"Recommendation from REAP had always been forwarded to the
Ministry of Commerce and other concerned quarters in letter and spirit,"
he said. REAP's Patron-in-Chief Abdul Rahim Janu and Acting Chairman REAP
Rizwan Shaikh spoke of the hindrances in rice export to different countries and
sought TCP help.Abdul Rahim Janu emphasized on more research on rice and called
for privatisation of Kala Shah Kaku and Dokri Rice Research Institutes for
better research on rice.
http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/industries-a-sectors/292604-need-for-increased-efforts-by-tcp-reap-for-rice-export.html
India is the biggest virtual
exporter of water
Except for Brahmaputra and Mahanadi, all river basins with a
population of more than 20 million face water shortage for the major part of
the year
Graphics: Sarvesh Sharma/Mint
New Delhi: How much water does it take to cook a cup of rice? Recipe books
would say two cups. Now consider this: It takes 2,173 litres of water to
produce a kg of husked rice. That is a global average. Out of this, 1,488
litres is typically rainwater, 443 litres is surface or groundwater and 242
litres of water are required to carry off the pollutants produced during the
process.
For India, the figure is 2,688
litres. The number is worse for several states, including some of the largest
rice producers, as the first story in this series pointed out. In the case of
goat meat, the requirement can go up to 8,763 litres per kg. Looking at it in
terms of nutrition, more than 10
litres of water are required to produce a kilocalorie of
nutrition from red meat, while only half a litre is required to produce the
same amount from cereals.These numbers become all the more important when you
consider exports. In 2014-15, India exported 37.2 lakh tonnes of basmati. To export this rice, the country
used around 10 trillion litres of water. To put it another way, India virtually
exported 10 trillion litres of water. At least one-fifth of this would have
been surface/groundwater. In these times of global climate change, water is the
one commodity where you don’t want a trade surplus (i.e, exports higher than
imports).
According to the Water Footprint
Network (WFN) database, India had the lowest virtual imports of water in the
world. How does it compare with China, which is the only other nation with a
comparable population size?
China is the eleventh largest
country in the world in terms of virtual water imports and it runs a virtual
water trade surplus in crop and animal products, that is, it has higher virtual
water imports. But China ends up exporting more water than importing because of
its overseas sales of industrial products.
In contrast, India is a large
virtual net export of water because of agricultural products. One policy
implication: While the country strives to increase manufacturing exports, care
should be taken to maximize water use efficiency lest it ends up virtually
exporting more water.
Rudimentary trade theory suggests
that a country should be exporting things which it has in abundance and
importing those which are scarce.
By that logic, India should be a
virtual importer of water, especially so, when its report card of water
scarcity looks very grim.
The WFN database gives data on
water scarcity for more than 400 river basins in the world. Water scarcity is
defined as the ratio of total surface/groundwater footprint to
surface/groundwater availability in a given river basin. If the ratio is 1, it
means that available surface/groundwater is being fully utilized. But ideally
speaking, averting water scarcity requires that not more than 20% of the water
that flows on the ground is used by human beings. So, even a ratio of 1 denotes
moderate scarcity.
The WFN database recognizes four
kinds of water scarcity situations: low (ratio<1), moderate (ratio between 1
and 1.5), significant (ratio between 1.5 and 2) and severe (ratio>2). Water
scarcity is measured for each month. This is because water flow situation can
be extremely skewed over a year. There could be excess flow on account of rains
for a couple of months, whereas the rest of the period can witness abysmally
low levels. Due to this reason, the WFN database classifies river basins by
scarcity levels for different months in a year.
Data for India shows that except
for Brahmaputra and Mahanadi, all river basins with a population of more than
20 million experience water scarcity for a major part of the year. The two most
populous basins—Ganga and Indus—suffer significant-to-severe levels of water
scarcity for 7 and 11 months in a year, respectively. A caveat: a large part of
the Indus river basin population would be located in the Punjab and Sindh
regions of Pakistan.
The upshot is that India is
exporting large amounts of virtual water despite being an extremely
water-scarce country. Should it be doing this is the question.
This is the second of a two-part
data journalism series looking at issues of embedded water. The first part looked at how inefficient Indian farms are when it comes to
water use.
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/economic-and-policy-analysis/food-grains-analysis/rice-reports/2016/prapril272016
04/26/2016
Farm Bureau Market Report
Rice
|
High
|
Low
|
|
|
Long Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
Long Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
|
||
|
Futures:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rice Comment
Rice
futures continued higher. The value of the dollar and improved export sales are
supportive. USDA says 121,300 metric tons for delivery this marketing year. Of
course, 90,000 of that was the previously reported sale to Iraq. The market
will be watching crop progress closely. If farmers plant what they reported to
USDA in the survey, the large crop will limit the upside potential. Currently,
USDA says 62% of the crop in the ground and 38% emerged. In Arkansas, the
totals are 75% planted and 40% emerged, so Arkansas farmers made lots of
progress in a week’s time. May failed just below the 62% retracement objective
of $11.16 before closing closer to the bottom of the days’ trading range.
APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1460
|
International
Benchmark Price
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Price on: 26-04-2016
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prevailing World
Prices and Loan Deficiency Payment Rates for Rice
WASHINGTON, April 27, 2016-The Department of Agriculture's
Commodity Credit Corporation today announced the following prevailing world
market prices of milled and rough rice, adjusted for U.S. milling yields and
location, and the resulting marketing loan gain (MLG) and loan deficiency
payment (LDP) rates applicable to the 2015 crop, which will become effective
today at 7:00 a.m., Eastern Time (ET). Rough rice prices are unchanged
from the previous announcement.
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/economic-and-policy-analysis/food-grains-analysis/rice-reports/2016/prapril272016
Department pleads for delay in next rice crop
Water
too scarce for now, farmers told
- 26 Apr
2016 at 04:11
- NEWSPAPER
SECTION: NEWS
| WRITER: APINYA
WIPATAYOTIN
Farmers in Chai Nat province are preparing
their fields to start the main rice crop, but they have been asked to delay
planting due to the extreme water shortage. (Photo by Chudate Seehawong)
There is
not enough water in the Chao Phraya River basin to feed rice farms in the early
rainy season next month, according to the Department of Royal Irrigation (RID).
Suthep Noipairoj, the RID director-general, has
warned farmers they should not plant rice in their usual crop season next month
as water remains scarce.
He said water is running low in the four main
dams in the Chao Phraya basin. Farmers should begin planting when the rainy
season is in full swing, expected in July, he said. "The Meteorological
Department will make an announcement when it is time for rice planting,"
he said.
Mr Suthep expressed confidence there will be
sufficient water reserves in the irrigation zone during the rainy season.
However, the agency will need to assess whether the water collected will last
for the second rice crop which follows the rainy season.
According to the department, 96% of usable
water from the four main dams has been used, leaving only 4% available until
the rainy season. The first rain of the season is expected in the third week of
next month.
The RID says the government has prioritised the
use of water, which is supplied first to farmlands that grow crops from the
previous season. Farmers are also asked to suspend rice planting if their land
is not served by irrigated water or encouraged to switch to drought-resistant
crops.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chatchai
Sarikulya said the ministry expects farmers will produce about 27 million
tonnes of rice on 62 million rai this year. Of this, 3.16 million tonnes will
likely be harvested in the second crop planted on about four million rai of
farmland.
In the previous second rice crop, which was
extended until early this year, farmers planted rice on 5.5 million rai of
farmland. Of this, 3.1 million rai were grown in the 22 provinces along the
river basin, according to the ministry.
Farmers should grow alternative crops that are
resistant to drought including sunn hemp, he said. He said the government will
buy sunn hemp seeds grown by the farmers, saying income from the harvest will
be close to what the farmers get from selling rice.
He added the ministry will soon submit to the
cabinet a rehabilitation plan for the farming sector affected by drought. The
plan includes a reduction in fertiliser prices to 10-30 baht a bag, an offer of
quality rice seeds and low-interest loans to farmers.
Meanwhile, commerce permanent secretary Chutima
Bunyapraphasara said the amount of rice harvested this year is likely to be
about 1.7% lower compared to last year's output.
However, rice consumption is predicted to
increase, although there is no guarantee farmers will get a better price from
the rice since prices are dictated by many factors.
She said the country planned to export 9.5
million tonnes of white rice, similar to last year's exports.
Record 60-day rice sale blitz set to begin
- 26 Apr
2016 at 04:36
- WRITER: REUTERS,
POST REPORTERS
A policeman examines rice at a SM Benja Co
warehouse in Suphan Buri province during checks on stocks held under the rice
pledging-scheme. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)The government plans to sell all 11.4 million
tonnes of rice in government stockpiles within two months for 100 billion baht,
the country's rice management board, starting next week.The plan
announced Monday is unprecedented in Thai export history - selling off more
rice in two months than the country usually sells in a year. Average rice sales
over the past couple of decades have been about 10 million tonnes.
Currently the world's second-biggest rice
exporter after India, the government has been reducing stocks left over from
the Yingluck-era rice-purchase scheme.
The military regime has successfully auctioned
off 5.05 million tonnes of rice worth $1.53 billion through several tenders
since May, 2014.
The sale of warehouse rice highlighted another
problem on Monday - the drought.
There is not enough water in the Chao Phraya
River basin to feed rice farms in the early rainy season next month, according
to the Department of Royal Irrigation (RID). And there isn't even any guarantee
that the rainy season will actually begin next month.
Suthep Noipairoj, the RID director-general,
appealed to farmers to delay planting because of the scarcity of water.
Mr Suthep said he is certain there will be
sufficient water reserves in the irrigation zone during the rainy season for
the main rice crop. But the agency will need to assess whether the water collected
will last for the second rice crop which follows the rainy season.
Full details on the drought
problem for farmers here.
Traders were sceptical Monday about the
government's ability to sell off remaining stocks in just two months.
Supachai Vorraapinyaporn, president of Tanasan
Rice Group, the third largest rice exporter, said the government's target of
offloading the rice within two months was not possible.
"This is a million percent impossible,
considering that previous auctions were monthly, and only around 400,000
tonnes," said Mr Supachai."Perhaps they meant two years, not two
months," he added.The government had previously said it aimed to clear the
stockpile by the end of 2017 - 20 months from now.According to plans announced
Monday, auctions will begin next week, with one million tonnes of rice for each
lot."We aim to auction it all off within two months," said commerce
ministry permanent secretary Chutima Bunyapraphasara, who is also secretary of
the Rice Management Board. Ms Chutima said the remaining rice stocks were worth
more than 100 billion baht.Thailand has about 100,000 tonnes of what the
commerce ministry has called "good grade" rice in state warehouses.The
remaining stocks include 7.5 million tonnes of "sub-standard" rice
for human consumption, 1.5 million tonnes earmarked for industrial use, and 2.4
million tonnes of spoiled rice.Chutima Bunyapraphasara, permanent secretary:
Auctions will begin next month, and run weekly in May and June. (File photo)
Rice
Prices
as on : 26-04-2016 08:10:18 PM
Arrivals
in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
|
Arrivals
|
Price
|
|||||
|
Current
|
%
change |
Season
cumulative |
Modal
|
Prev.
Modal |
Prev.Yr
%change |
|
|
Rice
|
||||||
|
Bangarpet(Kar)
|
279.00
|
22.37
|
6470.00
|
1750
|
1850
|
-5.41
|
|
Kesinga(Ori)
|
60.00
|
20
|
470.00
|
2450
|
2300
|
-5.77
|
|
Cachar(ASM)
|
40.00
|
NC
|
1570.00
|
2700
|
2700
|
NC
|
|
Jajpur(Ori)
|
31.00
|
93.75
|
393.00
|
2000
|
2200
|
-23.08
|
|
Robertsganj(UP)
|
21.50
|
7.5
|
92.00
|
1890
|
1880
|
1.61
|
|
Jeypore(Ori)
|
15.60
|
7.59
|
69.50
|
3250
|
3250
|
NC
|
|
Jeypore(Kotpad)(Ori)
|
13.60
|
202.22
|
39.70
|
4100
|
3250
|
NC
|
|
North
Lakhimpur(ASM)
|
9.00
|
-54.31
|
1312.10
|
1900
|
1900
|
-
|
|
Nilagiri(Ori)
|
9.00
|
NC
|
399.00
|
2400
|
2400
|
4.35
|
|
Dibrugarh(ASM)
|
7.60
|
7.04
|
1057.20
|
2450
|
2450
|
-
|
|
Bolangir(Ori)
|
7.20
|
-4
|
200.70
|
2300
|
2200
|
-4.17
|
|
Tusura(Ori)
|
7.00
|
-6.67
|
216.00
|
2300
|
2200
|
-4.17
|
|
Karanjia(Ori)
|
6.50
|
18.18
|
231.30
|
2600
|
2600
|
4.00
|
|
Mirzapur(UP)
|
6.00
|
NC
|
1228.50
|
1950
|
1940
|
-1.52
|
|
Jharsuguda(Ori)
|
1.20
|
-45.45
|
12.30
|
2400
|
2400
|
-7.69
|
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/article8523537.ece
No comments:
Post a Comment