RICE CROP: Growers get lower
prices
By Our Correspondent
Published: October 18, 2016
Representatives of the farmers accused the
millers of exploiting them. PHOTO: APP
HYDERABAD: The $2 billion worth of rice
exports from Pakistan are likely to fall if paddy growers continue to receive
low returns on their investment, the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) warned.SCA
President Dr Syed Nadeem Qamar pointed out at a meeting of the association that
for the third consecutive year the rice farmers were getting low prices for
their crop.
Millers were paying between Rs750 and Rs800 per
maund (40kg) for Irri-6 rice against the support price of Rs900 set by the
provincial government.Representatives of the farmers accused the millers of
exploiting them and hit out at the government for failing to enforce the
official price. The share of Irri-6 rice variety in national exports stood at
around $1.3 billion, the SCA said.The SCA, furthermore, demanded that the
government should increase the support price to Rs1,000 per maund so that the
farmers could recover their losses and feel encouraged to cultivate Irri 6 in
the next season.
Published in
The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2016
10/18/2016 Farm
Bureau Market Report
Rice
High
|
Low
|
|
Long Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
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Long Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
Futures:
|
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Rice Comment
Rice futures
continued a bit higher, but gains were limited. The monthly supply/demand
report showed increased beginning stocks, and production resulting in a net increase
in ending stocks for the 16/27 marketing year. Ending stocks are now forecast
to be 120.7 million metric tons. Export sales were 43,100 tons for the week,
down slightly from a week ago and certainly not enough to spark buying
interest. USDA reports that 93% of the crop is now harvested. November needs to
move above $10.45 to suggest further gains are possible.
50 paddy procurement centres soon
in Nalgonda
By Our Bureau | THE HANS INDIA | Oct 19,2016 , 01:27 AM
IST
.
Nalgonda: As many as 50 paddy procurement centres would be setup
in the district to provide Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the farmers, informed
District Collector Gaurav Uppal.A meeting was conducted by the Civil Supplies
department in the meeting hall of the district Collectorate here on Tuesday to
discuss an action plan to procure paddy for Kharif season. Owners of rice
millers, officials of cooperative, marketing and civil supplies departments and
IKP centers attended the meeting.
Attending the meeting as the chief guest, Gaurav Uppal cautioned
that zero tolerance would be maintained against the rice millers and paddy
purchasing centres that would pay price lesser than MSP to paddy. He instructed
the Joint Collector to issue a circular clearly mentioning the responsibilities
of the different departments on paddy procurement.
The officials of revenue, marketing and agriculture departments
should be vigilant and keep an eye on the millers to check the prices.
The Collector told the officials to take measures to inaugurate
the paddy purchasing centres by the elected representatives of the area.
Underlining the need to pay wages to hamalis as per the rate fixed by the
government, he advised the officials to make an agreement with hamalies to
avoid problems in future.
District Manager of Civil Supplies was told to make gunny bags
available for paddy purchase at the procurement centres. Joint Collector
Narayana Reddy, DRDO Project Director R Anjaiah, and officials of civil
supplies department attended the meeting
DBT scientists develop rice
fortification technology to fight anaemia
NEW DELHI: Seeking to address the problem of anaemia in India, scientists ofdepartment of biotechnology (DBT) have developed an innovative way to fortify rice with iron
which can be mixed with normal rice and consumed without compromising on its
flavour.
The fortified rice, manufactured using broken rice kernel through the DBT's technology, matches the normal rice kernel in shape, size and sheen. It provides 50% of recommended daily allowance (RDA) of iron to children when mixed with normal rice in the ratio of 1:100.
"Clinical studies have substantiated that the regular feeding for one year increases iron store and decreases anaemia in school going children", said the DBT of the ministry of science and technology in its note on rice fortification.
It referred to the National Family Health Survey (conducted in 2005-2006) which noted the prevalence of anaemia in 70% of the children of 6-59 months age group. Anaemia - low haemoglobin condition that results in weariness or lack of energy or shortness of breadth - is mainly caused by iron deficiency.
Since Indian population is predominantly vegetarian, its dependence on plant-based sources limits iron absorption in the body. It led to iron deficiency in large section of the population. "The food fortification can be of help for children in our country, suffering from anaemia and iron deficiency related diseases", said the DBT
The fortified rice, manufactured using broken rice kernel through the DBT's technology, matches the normal rice kernel in shape, size and sheen. It provides 50% of recommended daily allowance (RDA) of iron to children when mixed with normal rice in the ratio of 1:100.
"Clinical studies have substantiated that the regular feeding for one year increases iron store and decreases anaemia in school going children", said the DBT of the ministry of science and technology in its note on rice fortification.
It referred to the National Family Health Survey (conducted in 2005-2006) which noted the prevalence of anaemia in 70% of the children of 6-59 months age group. Anaemia - low haemoglobin condition that results in weariness or lack of energy or shortness of breadth - is mainly caused by iron deficiency.
Since Indian population is predominantly vegetarian, its dependence on plant-based sources limits iron absorption in the body. It led to iron deficiency in large section of the population. "The food fortification can be of help for children in our country, suffering from anaemia and iron deficiency related diseases", said the DBT
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/DBT-scientists-develop-rice-fortification-technology-to-fight-anaemia/articleshow/54923525.cms
Untimely rain
may boost paddy output
Sowing acreage has been higher and crop
estimates more optimistic in the kharif season, according to the reports
Labourers plant saplings in a paddy field
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•
The untimely rainfall over past three weeks has come as a blessing
for paddy farmers with output likely to be higher than the FY17 target of
108.50 million tonnes (mt).
The government had set a target of 93-mt output in kharif season
and 15.50-mt in rabi. The kharif output is now likely to be 100 mt — 7.5 per
cent more than the target.
Sanket Thakur, director, Chhattisgarh Agricon Samiti — a
non-government organisation working on agriculture in Central India — said the
recent rainfall has compensated for the initial dry season.
“A major part of Madhya Pradesh was hit by flood but still the
state is set for a record paddy production. The state is set to produce about
25 per cent more than last year,” said Karamchand Asrani, president, Madhya
Pradesh Chawal Udyog Mahasangh.
Late rains also created sufficient moisture in the soil. The
untimely rainfall has helped the medium-and long-duration crops. The good
output of paddy is likely to keep prices of rice stable, said G K Agrawal, a
Raipur-based trader.
The producers, however, are unlikely to benefit. “The minimum
support price (MSP) hike is four per cent while the production cost has
increased considerably, following hike in labour charge and other items,” said
Chandresh Raghuvanshi, a big farmer in Mahasamund region of Chhattisgarh.Even
exports are all set to rise, said traders. Despite the sharp fall in basmati
acreage in key growing areas of Punjab and Haryana, the export of rice would
see a slight rise as the states are planning record procurement.
Mohinder Pal Jindal, president, All India Rice Exporters’
Association, said there would be a rise of 5-10 per cent in the basmati
variety. These states export about 4 mt basmati every year.
In non-basmati variety, Chhattisgarh exports over 1 mt rice to
African countries. The state plans to export 10 per cent more this year.
However, there are certain problems that rice millers are facing, said Yogesh
Agrawal, president, Chhattisgarh Rice Millers Association. According to him,
the policy on the out-turn ratio (paddy-to-rice conversion) in milling wasn’t
practical. “The out-turn ratio of giving 67 per cent rice in raw variety and 68
per cent in boil after milling was not viable for millers,” Agrawal said,
adding the ratio was fixed as per the quality of rice produced in Punjab and
Haryana and should not be imposed on other states. If the milling process was
stalled or delayed, it would hamper the government’s procurement target of 33
mt rice this year.
CROP WATCH
• Paddy output
likely to cross 100 mt, up 7.5% against the fourth advance estimate
• The Centre had
set a target to procure 33 mt of rice, about 10% more than previous year’s;
likely to be achieved
• Export likely to
increase by 10%
• Prices to remain
stable
http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/untimely-rain-may-boost-paddy-output-116101801442_1.html
This is
the vision of the Governor David Umahi-led administration in partnership with
UNIDO and the current leadership of Abakaliki Ricemill Owners Industrial
Association. In a chat with South East Voice, the Chairman of Abakaliki
Ricemill Owners Industrial Association, Hon. Deacon Joseph Ununu said forms
would soon be available for the ‘distributorship’ of the rice, so as to reduce
the surge by customers to the state and create wider market for it in the
country. According to him, anybody who meets the requirement would be confirmed
as a distributor of Abakaliki rice in different states of the federation. “We
have gone beyond the period of selling for retailers alone; it is better we
have distributors that would represent us in different states with big
warehouses carrying the inscription: ‘Abakaliki Rice Depot’ in that state, so
that people that love the rice will be going there to buy rice; there will be
no need for people to come here just to buy one bushel of rice”. On the
proposed relocation plan by the state government, the Chairman who stated that
the rice millers were ready anytime to obey the directive of the state Governor
thanked him for giving a human face to the policy by establishing a new rice
mill for them at Iboko in Izzi local government area of the State.
“The
latest development is that the present administration and the State House of
Assembly reached a resolution that the Mill here in Abakaliki relocates to Iboko
in Izzi Local Government Area of the state. We as the subjects of the
government after looking at it critically, we discovered that the order had a
human face. “Now the reason I said the present administration has a human face
is because Governor David Umahi handed over a digital rice mill built by UNIDO
in collaboration with the state government to the people of Abakaliki Rice Mill
Association not only to manage but to own. “This current Rice Mill in Abakaliki
will serve as Rice Mill market, so that after milling at the new site, you
come here in your individual shops to
sell and even if you are from Lagos, you will come to buy as many as you want.
So here will serve as Ebonyi Rice Market where you will come and buy assorted
types of rice for consumption. “The Governor is someone who knows the business
very well and he thinks what he will do for his people and not what they will
do for him. Governor Umahi started by giving us a bigger Mill. Industrial
association “We have started producing there and if you go there the rice we
produce is very clean; perfectly clean. It is an efficient Mill and the Mill
has been handed over to us. The Governor plans very well before executing.
“The
agreement we made with the Governor read Abakaliki Rice Mill Owners Industrial
Association that owns the Mill. For now no time frame has been fixed yet for
the relocation; parcelation of the land has not been done; building we are
going to use has not been put in place but we are ever ready any day the
Governor said we are to move, we will move along with him”. Ununu who explained
that the rice was produced and bagged in three categories enjoined consumers of
the rice to visit Ebonyi Rice market for a well packaged and refined Abakaliki
rice. “Abakaliki rice still remains the best and still stands the test of time,
especially now that we have gone into customized packaging.
Today, we have the one we call Abakaliki Rice
Gold, which is the first grade of our rice; we have the one we call Abakaliki
Rice Superior which is the 2nd grade of our rice; we have the Abakaliki Rice
Premium which is the third grade of our rice. “So, all these products are all
in stock; the new mill the Governor has handed over to us has aided in boosting
rice production both in standard and quality. “I advise Nigerians to keep
patronizing us; come down for your christmas rice or another thing you want to
do with rice even though you want it in trailers”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/food-security-ebonyi-partner-19-states-distribution-abakaliki-rice/
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/food-security-ebonyi-partner-19-states-distribution-abakaliki-rice/
Revive
Aveyime rice project - Chief, leaders plead with govt
EDMUND SMITH ASANTE
18 OCTOBER 2016
Some leaders in the Aveyime-Battor area,
including the Paramount Chief of the Battor Traditional Area, Togbega Patamia
Dzekley VII, have appealed to the government to revive the Aveyime rice
project, now known as Prairie Volta Limited (PVL).Speaking with the Daily
Graphic when it visited the project site recently to ascertain the facts on the
collapsed project, the leaders said the collapse of the once vibrant company
had adversely affected their fortunes and life in the community.Togbega Dzekley
stressed that the community needed the government to intervene by investing in
the PVL to revive the company.
“We need government’s intervention. We may be
wrong in asking because there are other shareholders. I did not consult them
but it is out of concern that I ask. Once it is on our land, we all expect it
to grow and generate employment and other benefits for the community,” he said.
To him, government did not have to be the sole owner before it
assisted the ailing company because if the PVL could generate a quarter of the
country’s rice imports, the savings on the import bill could be beneficial to
the country.
Lifeless community
The Assembly Member for the Aveyime Central
Electoral Area, Mr Samuel Nyamedie, for his part, appealed to the government to
help revive the PVL in order to bring life to the community.
He said as a result of the collapsed project,
children could no longer go to school, as their parents who were workers of the
company could not pay up their fees, thereby leaving the children to engage in
anti-social activities.
He also said festivals in the community no
longer got support from the company because it had collapsed.
The Unit Committee Secretary for Aveyime
Central, Mr Lawrence Kumah, pleaded with the government to go to the aid of the
company, saying that it gave a lot of indirect employment to women who sold to
the workers while the company was thriving.
Divorce
The Unit Committee Chairman for Aveyime
Central, Mr Freeman Tsoxe, said as a result of the collapse of the
company, his wife divorced him because
he could not take care of the family.
He also had a loan of GH¢2,000 from the Battor
Rural Bank hanging around his neck because he could not pay up the loan.
The Unit Committee Treasurer, Mr Prince
Gbesemete, said “the youth are my main concern because they are just loitering,
as the factory is not functioning and we do not know what they will do”.
“If it is revived the youth can find something
to do and there will also be food in the house,” he stated.
Government’s response
In response to the plea by the leaders for
government assistance to revive the PVL,
the Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture (MoFA) in charge of Crops,
Dr Yakubu Ahmed Alhassan, gave an assurance that investors were being sought to
help resuscitate the company, which is a public/private partnership in which
the government holds 30 per cent shares.
Touching on the plight of the workers who had
not been paid for several months due to the collapse of the PVL, Dr Alhassan, said because the company was a
private entity, it was its responsibility to pay the workers.
“The government was not paying them when they
were being paid and so why is it that when they are not being paid it is the
government that is not paying them? At best it is a distributed responsibility
and more of the responsibility should be on the people who are on the ground
managing the situation,” he stated
http://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/revive-aveyime-rice-project-chief-leaders-plead-with-govt.html
PH seeks P20B loan for hybrid rice
program
October 19, 2016
The Philippines will seek a
P20-billion loan from China to finance its hybrid rice expansion to one million
hectares, according to Henry Lim Bon Liong, SL Agritech Corp. (SLAC) chairman.Lim,
a delegate of President Duterte’s state visit to China this week, said
the loan is eyed to be fast-tracked in time for the ongoing planting.
Lim said assistance on Philippine agricultural development is part of the agenda of Duterte’s visit.“We can get a soft loan from China to fund the one million hectares of hybrid rice expansion. This is from the Chinese government,” said Lim.
Lim said since hybrid rice planting is highly economically viable, a soft loan can well fund the expansion.
“It will be a fund for our agricultural development – for seeds. (Anyway), that’s only $500 million,” he said.
The dry season planting for harvest is March to May 2017.“We have to capitalize on this present dry season,” said Lim, adding this presents the most ideal environment for hybrid rice planting as disease infestation, particularly of bacterial leaf blight, is low.The subsidy of the Department of Agriculture has been traditionally set at 50 percent, around P2,300 per bag (one bag per hectare) of hybrid seeds. At just half of the targeted area, 500,000 hectares, this amounts to P1.15 billion.
SLAC has committed to produce hybrid rice seeds for 500,000 hectares, according to Lim.“We (SLAC alone) has a target to supply to 500,000 hectares for the year (crop year 2016-2017, dry and wet seasons),” said Lim. “That’s possible because we have achieved 320,000 hectares the previous year,” he added.SLAC has been pushing in the last 15 years for government support for hybrid rice expansion since at one time the country’s rice imports had skyrocketed to around P45 billion.
If hybrid rice expansion is financed, farmers can earn at least P100,000 per hectare from hybrids.
“If we have one million hectares for hybrid, we will be sufficient. Beyond one million hectares, we will be an exporter,” said Lim. Land should be allotted at 800,000 hectares in the dry season and 200,000 hectares, wet.
Hybrid rice farmers can earn P100,000 to P150,000 per hectare with a production cost of P30,000 to P35,000 per hectare using hybrids as they are able to harvest 9 to 10 metric tons per hectare, a significant gain compared to the national average rice yield of just close to 4 MT per hectare.
From 2005 to 2010, Lim said government imported 800,000 to 1.2 million MT of rice yearly. Import cost was P18 billion to P34 billion a year. At one time, this shot up to P50 billion when traded rice price soared to around $1,000 per MT.
From the present 18.15 million MT paddy rice (palay) production, this annual production level will increase by 1.6 million MT with one million hectares for hybrids.Present hybrid area is around 400,000 to 500,000 hectares out of total harvested rice area of 4.65 million hectares.
With only a P4.5 billion yearly budget for hybrid seeds (P4,500 per hectare for one million hectares), the Philippines can become rice sufficient, Lim said.
Lim said assistance on Philippine agricultural development is part of the agenda of Duterte’s visit.“We can get a soft loan from China to fund the one million hectares of hybrid rice expansion. This is from the Chinese government,” said Lim.
Lim said since hybrid rice planting is highly economically viable, a soft loan can well fund the expansion.
“It will be a fund for our agricultural development – for seeds. (Anyway), that’s only $500 million,” he said.
The dry season planting for harvest is March to May 2017.“We have to capitalize on this present dry season,” said Lim, adding this presents the most ideal environment for hybrid rice planting as disease infestation, particularly of bacterial leaf blight, is low.The subsidy of the Department of Agriculture has been traditionally set at 50 percent, around P2,300 per bag (one bag per hectare) of hybrid seeds. At just half of the targeted area, 500,000 hectares, this amounts to P1.15 billion.
SLAC has committed to produce hybrid rice seeds for 500,000 hectares, according to Lim.“We (SLAC alone) has a target to supply to 500,000 hectares for the year (crop year 2016-2017, dry and wet seasons),” said Lim. “That’s possible because we have achieved 320,000 hectares the previous year,” he added.SLAC has been pushing in the last 15 years for government support for hybrid rice expansion since at one time the country’s rice imports had skyrocketed to around P45 billion.
If hybrid rice expansion is financed, farmers can earn at least P100,000 per hectare from hybrids.
“If we have one million hectares for hybrid, we will be sufficient. Beyond one million hectares, we will be an exporter,” said Lim. Land should be allotted at 800,000 hectares in the dry season and 200,000 hectares, wet.
Hybrid rice farmers can earn P100,000 to P150,000 per hectare with a production cost of P30,000 to P35,000 per hectare using hybrids as they are able to harvest 9 to 10 metric tons per hectare, a significant gain compared to the national average rice yield of just close to 4 MT per hectare.
From 2005 to 2010, Lim said government imported 800,000 to 1.2 million MT of rice yearly. Import cost was P18 billion to P34 billion a year. At one time, this shot up to P50 billion when traded rice price soared to around $1,000 per MT.
From the present 18.15 million MT paddy rice (palay) production, this annual production level will increase by 1.6 million MT with one million hectares for hybrids.Present hybrid area is around 400,000 to 500,000 hectares out of total harvested rice area of 4.65 million hectares.
With only a P4.5 billion yearly budget for hybrid seeds (P4,500 per hectare for one million hectares), the Philippines can become rice sufficient, Lim said.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/business/ph-seeks-p20b-loan-hybrid-rice-program
Piñol seeks
extension of rice import restriction
Manila – The Philippines’ farm minister is making a last-ditch
appeal to his colleagues in the cabinet to postpone opening the country to
higher rice imports next year, saying local farmers need more time to prepare
to compete with cheaper grains.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s
economic team has decided not to seek another extension of the so-called
quantitative restriction on rice imports, which is to be scrapped in June 2017
under an agreement with the World Trade Organization (WTO).Agriculture
Secretary Emmanuel Piñol told a Senate public hearing on Monday he needed two
years to help Filipino rice farmers prepare to compete with cheaper varieties
produced by the country’s main suppliers, Vietnam and Thailand.
Any move to lift the
restriction would be welcomed by the two rice exporters Thailand and Vietnam,
the main participants any time the Philippines issues tenders seeking the
grain. Philippine economic officials say the cheaper imports would also bring
down the retail costs of the country’s food staple.
“All that we’re asking for is a
grace period of two years,” Piñol said, speaking to the Senate about his
efforts to convince the cabinet to extend the import restriction.
The Southeast Asian nation, one
of the world’s biggest rice importers, has kept the import restriction in place
since 1995 when it joined the WTO, which has allowed the Philippines two
extensions since then.
The Philippines last won
approval in 2014 to keep the restriction for the private sector until June
2017, but lifted the annual quota to 805,200 tons from 350,000 tons, and cut
the tariff to 35 percent from 40 percent.
The Philippines imports more
than a million tons of rice a year, including tariff-free purchases by the
state grains agency the National Food Authority.
Socio-economic Planning
Secretary Ernesto Pernia said last month that he and Finance Secretary Carlos
Dominguez and Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno had agreed to scrap the
quantitative restriction, believing that competition would encourage local
farmers to improve efficiency.
“I’m a voice in the wilderness,
but I have to speak to protect local farmers,” Piñol said.
“If we allow low-cost imported
rice to flood the market, it might discourage the Filipino rice farmers, and
then we will be at the mercy of exporting countries.”
If the government scraps the
restrictions next year, Piñol said he would throw his support to a proposal by
some farmers’ groups to raise import tariffs to as high as 72 percent.
The National Economic and
Development Authority, which Pernia heads, is looking to push for a tariff of
as much as 50 percent, a local newspaper recently reported. (Reporting by
Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Tom Hogue)
http://www.mb.com.ph/pinol-seeks-extension-of-rice-import-restriction/#XvT7Eiqhx1p3IqbK.99
Commodity
Report Oct. 17
Published October 18,
2016
Today’s commodity report: California Weekly Wholesale Feedstuff Prices, National Weekly Rice Summary, California Weekly Hay, California Shell Eggs: Daily Egg Report, Shell Eggs: Daily National Egg Market and other commodity end of the day market numbers.
National Weekly Rice Summary
In California, medium grain milled rice prices steady. Second head and Brewers prices steady. Rice by-products: Rice Bran prices steady to firm as supplies are limited; rice hulls prices steady to weak due to competing commodities in same market.
CME Rough Rice settlements for Friday 14th, Nov 16 closed .07 lower at 10.16; Jan 17 closed .09 lower at 10.365; Mar 17 closed .105 lower at 10.58. US dollar index on Friday settled at 96.63.
California F.O.B. Price for Extra
Grade and Grade A Nonfat Dry Milk
Week Ending
|
Avg. Price($/lb.)
|
Total Sales (lb.)
|
October 14, 2016
|
$0.8993
|
8,063,329
|
October 7, 2016
|
$0.9229
|
6,201,386
|
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. Trade
sentiment is steady to higher. Offerings are moderate. Demand continues light
to fairly good, better into planned ads. Supplies are mostly moderate. Market
activity is slow to moderate. Monday’s shell egg inventories increased 15.6% in
the Southwest and declined 13.9% 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
|
118
|
EXTRA LARGE
|
108
|
LARGE
|
103
|
MEDIUM
|
86
|
Shell Eggs: Daily National Egg
Market
New York egg prices are 2 cents
higher on larger sizes and Medium. California and regional prices are steady.
The undertone is steady to higher. Demand into retail and distributive channels
ranges light to fairly good and noted in California best into planned ads.
Offerings are light to moderate. Supplies vary, mostly moderate for trading
purposes. Total shell egg inventory is down 2.2 percent when compared to the
previous week. Market activity is slow to moderate. Breaking stock offerings
are light to mostly moderate for the light demand. Spent hen supplies are sufficient;
processing schedules are full-time.
Today’s Commodity Market ending
market numbers:
Corn
December Corn ended at $3.53 3/4 losing 1/4 cent, March ended at $3.63 1/2 down 1/2 cent.
Soybeans
November Soybeans ended at 9.72 1/2 decreasing 5 3/4 cents, January ended at 9.81 1/4 dropping 4 3/4 cents.
Wheat
December Wheat ended at $4.20 down 3 3/4 cents, March ended at $4.40 decreasing 2 cents.
Rough Rice
November Rough Rice ended at 10.42 gaining 0.015, January ended at 10.67 up 0.035.
Live Cattle
October Feeder Cattle ended at $97.75 gaining $0.475 and December ended at $99.225 up $0.225 and February ended at $100.625 decreasing $0.075.
Feeder Cattle
October Feeder Cattle ended at $122.025 gaining $0.325 and November ended at $118.025 increasing $0.80 and January ended at $113.775 up $0.25.
Lean Hogs
December Lean Hogs ended at $41.26 down $0.35, February ended at $48.55 losing $0.375.
Class III Milk
October Class III Milk ended at $14.74 gaining $0.03, November ended at $15.57 up $0.32, December ended at $15.45 increasing $0.18.
#2 Cotton
December #2 Cotton ended at 71.15 down 0.04, March ending at 71.44 losing 0.05.
Sugar #11
March sugar #11 ended at 23.02 decreasing $0.14, May ended at 22.35 down $0.11.
Orange Juice
November Orange Juice ending at 189.95 up $1.25, January ended at 189.70 gaining $1.25
December Corn ended at $3.53 3/4 losing 1/4 cent, March ended at $3.63 1/2 down 1/2 cent.
Soybeans
November Soybeans ended at 9.72 1/2 decreasing 5 3/4 cents, January ended at 9.81 1/4 dropping 4 3/4 cents.
Wheat
December Wheat ended at $4.20 down 3 3/4 cents, March ended at $4.40 decreasing 2 cents.
Rough Rice
November Rough Rice ended at 10.42 gaining 0.015, January ended at 10.67 up 0.035.
Live Cattle
October Feeder Cattle ended at $97.75 gaining $0.475 and December ended at $99.225 up $0.225 and February ended at $100.625 decreasing $0.075.
Feeder Cattle
October Feeder Cattle ended at $122.025 gaining $0.325 and November ended at $118.025 increasing $0.80 and January ended at $113.775 up $0.25.
Lean Hogs
December Lean Hogs ended at $41.26 down $0.35, February ended at $48.55 losing $0.375.
Class III Milk
October Class III Milk ended at $14.74 gaining $0.03, November ended at $15.57 up $0.32, December ended at $15.45 increasing $0.18.
#2 Cotton
December #2 Cotton ended at 71.15 down 0.04, March ending at 71.44 losing 0.05.
Sugar #11
March sugar #11 ended at 23.02 decreasing $0.14, May ended at 22.35 down $0.11.
Orange Juice
November Orange Juice ending at 189.95 up $1.25, January ended at 189.70 gaining $1.25
http://agnetwest.com/2016/10/18/commodity-report-oct-17/
10/17/2016 Farm
Bureau Market Report
Rice
High
|
Low
|
|
Long Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
Long Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
Futures:
|
|
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Rice Comment
Rice futures
began the week on a positive note with November regaining most of what was lost
last week. he monthly supply/demand report showed increased beginning stocks,
and production resulting in a net increase in ending stocks for the 16/27
marketing year. Ending stocks are now forecast to be 120.7 million metric tons.
Export sales were 43,100 tons for the week, down slightly from a week ago and
certainly not enough to spark buying interest. November needs to move above
$10.45 to suggest further gains are possible.
Collage
of rice dishes and chefs from Korean events
October 18, 2016
DAEGU, SOUTH KOREA - Last month, USA Rice
conducted a second menu presentation seminar with Chef Plaza here. Chef Plaza,
a culinary consulting agency, is a subsidiary of Samyang Corporation, one of
the largest food manufacturing and foodservice distribution companies in
Korea. Samyang established Chef Plaza to
conduct tailored menu seminars for their existing and potential customers,
introducing their foodservice products (such as sauces, oils, sugar, and flour)
and R&D activities by professional chefs.For the seminars, three of the ten
receipes developed by a Chef Plaza Chinese chef, Woongtaek Oh, were
rice-focused. Seventy R&D and
marketing staff from different foodservice companies, restaurants, and culinary
institutes participated in the seminars.
More than 90 percent of the attendees responded
that they detected better texture of U.S medium grain rice for Chinese rice
menus and more than 88 percent indicated a willingness to incorporate the use
of U.S medium grain rice in their menus.
The product code for U.S. medium grain rice has
been registered in the massive Samyang ordering system for their customers,
which is no small feat. Placing orders
for U.S. medium grain rice is now much easier for Samyang customers.
"This is an important development in both
the cooperative arrangement with Samyang in promoting U.S. rice but also in
gaining access to their foodservice distribution system," noted Hugh
Maginnis, USA Rice International Vice President
Economic
managers must walk the talk in removal of rice QR
October 17, 2016
The rice-import quota—a nontariff
barrier that the Philippines has enjoyed for more than two decades—would expire
in less than a year. If we are to believe the recent pronouncements of economic
managers pushing for the removal of the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice
traded under the World Trade Organization (WTO), it appears that it is already
a done deal. All it lacks is the nod of the President to fast-track the process
of eliminating the power of the government to limit the entry of rice imports.
Those advocating for its removal
point to the need to feed millions of poor Filipinos who cannot afford to buy
meat products, such as pork and chicken. With the removal of the import quota,
experts and economic managers expect that rice sold at the retail level would
be cheaper. Consider this: The Philippines recently bought milled rice from
Vietnam and Thailand at an average of $450 per metric ton, or $0.45 a kilogram.
At the current exchange rate, $0.45 is equivalent to P21, cheaper than the
local regular-milled rice being sold at P36 per kilo, according to the latest
data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The Cabinet and the President
himself have yet to make a pronouncement regarding the scrapping of the rice
QR. While economic managers appear to have made up their minds not to negotiate
for its extension, they have yet to present a viable plan on how to help the
2.6 million Filipino rice farmers compete with their Vietnamese counterparts,
who enjoy subsidies from their government, such as exemptions from irrigation
charges and tariff rates of 0 percent to 5 percent for imported agricultural
machines and equipment.
The government’s strategies must
also focus on ensuring the country’s food security amid the challenges posed by
climate change. Philippine officials were taught a lesson in 2008, when they
were forced to buy rice at more than $1,000 per metric ton because
international supply was tight, following the export restrictions imposed by
India and Vietnam. India had to limit its rice exports after its wheat crop was
destroyed by a typhoon, while Vietnam banned new export sales due to
unseasonably cold weather in the first quarter of 2008, according to the Food
and Agriculture Organization.
Unfortunately, more than 20 years and three administrations
later, farmers’ groups complain that they remain unable to compete with their
Asean counterparts. The Duterte administration has less than a year to prepare
2.6 million Filipino rice farmers for a major change. The same determination
exhibited by economic managers in scrapping the QR must also be seen in the
preparations to help rice farmers survive the removal of the protection they
have enjoyed for decades. Consistency in words and actions on the part of
the government will give the rice farmers something to lean on as they prepare
for the deluge of imported cheap rice. As the cliché goes—walk the talk
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/economic-managers-must-walk-the-talk-in-removal-of-rice-qr/
Rice
cooker closes down Vacaville entrance to I-80
Bomb squad investigates abandoned
rice cooker as possible bomb threat
Vacaville police received a call
at 10 a.m. on Sept. 22 about a suspicious object lying on an underpass leading
onto Interstate 80. The call led to the closure of the Mason Street underpass
from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., while the Napa County Bomb Squad were called in to
investigate. After using a robot to x-ray the object, it was determined to be
an abandoned rice cooker.
With recent events in New York,
where a pressure cooker was used as a makeshift bomb, suspicion of unidentified
objects is an understandable fear. While a rice cooker is distinctly different
from a pressure cooker, Lieutenant Matt Lydon at the Vacaville Police
Department urged anyone who sees anything suspicious to report it to their
local law enforcement agency.
“[If] somebody thought it was
suspicious enough to give us a call, then we get out there because we have
information and there are pressure cookers that have been used as explosive
devices such as in the Boston Marathon. So we always ere on the side of
caution,” Lydon said. “We looked at it from a distance, and then we called the
Office of Emergency Service and […] they sent a bomb squad out.”
In light of attacks across the
globe, the importance of reporting suspicious activity has seemed to be
increasing. However, many are still unsure of whether to call law enforcement
until they are confident that an object could pose a threat.
Sriteja Chavva, a second-year
engineering major at UC Davis, emphasized that he would always report something
if he thinks it could be a danger to the public. However, he’s unsure of how he
would have reacted if he saw the abandoned rice cooker on the road.
“I don’t go out of my way to look
for suspicious objects, but if there’s things that are very blatant and I’m
suspicious, then I’d probably call the authorities,” Chavva said. “If there was
a rice cooker in the middle of the road, that’s kind of difficult because I
know a lot of the bombs that were detonated were pressure cookers […] If it was
just lying in the middle of the road, I’d see if there was a chance for me to
go close to it and see if it looks suspicious, and if it does, I’d call the
police.”
Although Lydon admitted that it
appeared there was no malintent in the placement of the abandoned rice cooker,
it is always best to be wary when dealing with objects such as this.
While Chavva’s willingness to
investigate seems admirable, Lydon stressed that one should never approach a
suspicious object and should instead call law enforcement, even if it’s unclear
whether the object poses a threat to the public.
“If they see something
suspicious, do not go up and investigate. They’re supposed to report to us and
then we have some specific training […] Do not touch, do not try to manipulate
it,” Lydon said. “Any description to the police that would be helpful, a level
of detail there so we can pass that along to the bomb squad, so they can make a
determination moving forward.”
Shahzeb Khan, a third-year
computer science major at UC Davis, pointed out that dismissiveness is never
the best policy.
“I would think that someone just
threw it away, so I would just not tell the police about it,” Khan said.
“But I probably should [tell the police], thinking about it.”
While it may be exasperating for
a main road to be closed off because someone thought an old rice cooker could
be dangerous, Lydon assured that it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Written By: JUNO BHARDWAJ-SHAH – city@theaggie.org
https://theaggie.org/2016/10/17/rice-cooker-closes-down-vacaville-entrance-to-i-80/
Homegrown Chef: The Secret Cup, Wodonga | Becks Henderson
18 Oct 2016, 11:30 a.m.
WELL-travelled Kiwi chef Becks
Henderson draws on her experience over the ditch and on the seven seas in her
new Wodonga post.Head chef at new eatery The Secret Cup, Henderson has teamed
up with owners, Jane and Michael Keats, to deliver a fresh brunch experience to
Border patrons.Dunedin-born-and-bred Henderson worked with renowned South
Island restaurateur, food author and businesswoman Fleur Sullivan before she
migrated to London.There she joined the super-yacht scene, becoming
personal chef to Johnny Depp and his family for three years.“I made tuna
sandwiches and salad for his family but there were dinner parties on the
yacht too,” she said.
“You get to immerse yourself in
some great cuisines and cultures around the world.”
Henderson moved to the Border
with her Kergunyah fiance, Trent McDonald, who also worked on the yachts.
She said local produce
influenced the cafe’s menu.“The all-day brunch menu has Persian, Kiwi and
Moroccan flavours,” she said.
“We cater for all dietary needs
and have eliminated a lot of refined sugar from our menu, which suits
diabetics.”
Having opened The Secret Cup
on July 21, Jane and Michael Keats employ more than a dozen staff including
their daughters Aleah, 18, and Kenepuru, 15.
The renovated cafe seats 100 with
a courtyard deck.
+3
The Secret Cup - WodongaPictures: MARK JESSER
What's your favourite dish?
Paella. We have a lot of dinner
parties and it feeds a crowd.
What are the staples in your
pantry?
Spanish sweet paprika, fish
sauce, basmati rice, quinoa.
What's the biggest product
discovery you have made in cooking?
Fresh-As, premium freeze-dried
ingredients from New Zealand.
What is your recipe standby?
Paella. My cousin is Spanish and
taught me to make an authentic paella.
What is your most unforgettable
meal and where?
My mum’s cooking. She loved the Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks and was always having
dinner parties.
What's your secret vice?
Red wine.
What's your favourite cooking
utensil?
Microplane, knives and julienne
peeler.
What did you have for dinner last
night?
Salmon, steamed broccoli, kimchi
with brown rice and quinoa.
What are you drinking?
Matcha teas. Japanese green teas.
Details:
The Secret Cup,
86a High Street, Wodonga
Phone: (02) (02) 6056 7453
Closed Tuesdays
Commodity
Report Oct. 17
Published October 18,
2016
Today’s commodity report: California Weekly Wholesale Feedstuff Prices, National Weekly Rice Summary, California Weekly Hay, California Shell Eggs: Daily Egg Report, Shell Eggs: Daily National Egg Market and other commodity end of the day market numbers.
National Weekly
Rice Summary
In California, medium grain milled rice prices steady. Second head and Brewers prices steady. Rice by-products: Rice Bran prices steady to firm as supplies are limited; rice hulls prices steady to weak due to competing commodities in same market.
CME Rough Rice settlements for Friday 14th, Nov 16 closed .07 lower at 10.16; Jan 17 closed .09 lower at 10.365; Mar 17 closed .105 lower at 10.58. US dollar index on Friday settled at 96.63.
California
F.O.B. Price for Extra Grade and Grade A Nonfat Dry Milk
Week Ending
|
Avg.
Price($/lb.)
|
Total Sales
(lb.)
|
October 14,
2016
|
$0.8993
|
8,063,329
|
October 7,
2016
|
$0.9229
|
6,201,386
|
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. Trade
sentiment is steady to higher. Offerings are moderate. Demand continues light
to fairly good, better into planned ads. Supplies are mostly moderate. Market
activity is slow to moderate. Monday’s shell egg inventories increased 15.6% in
the Southwest and declined 13.9% 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
|
118
|
EXTRA LARGE
|
108
|
LARGE
|
103
|
MEDIUM
|
86
|
Shell Eggs:
Daily National Egg Market
New York egg prices are 2 cents
higher on larger sizes and Medium. California and regional prices are steady.
The undertone is steady to higher. Demand into retail and distributive channels
ranges light to fairly good and noted in California best into planned ads.
Offerings are light to moderate. Supplies vary, mostly moderate for trading
purposes. Total shell egg inventory is down 2.2 percent when compared to the
previous week. Market activity is slow to moderate. Breaking stock offerings
are light to mostly moderate for the light demand. Spent hen supplies are
sufficient; processing schedules are full-time.
Today’s
Commodity Market ending market numbers:
Corn
December Corn ended at $3.53 3/4 losing 1/4 cent, March ended at $3.63 1/2 down 1/2 cent.
Soybeans
November Soybeans ended at 9.72 1/2 decreasing 5 3/4 cents, January ended at 9.81 1/4 dropping 4 3/4 cents.
Wheat
December Wheat ended at $4.20 down 3 3/4 cents, March ended at $4.40 decreasing 2 cents.
Rough Rice
November Rough Rice ended at 10.42 gaining 0.015, January ended at 10.67 up 0.035.
Live Cattle
October Feeder Cattle ended at $97.75 gaining $0.475 and December ended at $99.225 up $0.225 and February ended at $100.625 decreasing $0.075.
Feeder Cattle
October Feeder Cattle ended at $122.025 gaining $0.325 and November ended at $118.025 increasing $0.80 and January ended at $113.775 up $0.25.
Lean Hogs
December Lean Hogs ended at $41.26 down $0.35, February ended at $48.55 losing $0.375.
Class III Milk
October Class III Milk ended at $14.74 gaining $0.03, November ended at $15.57 up $0.32, December ended at $15.45 increasing $0.18.
#2 Cotton
December #2 Cotton ended at 71.15 down 0.04, March ending at 71.44 losing 0.05.
Sugar #11
March sugar #11 ended at 23.02 decreasing $0.14, May ended at 22.35 down $0.11.
Orange Juice
November Orange Juice ending at 189.95 up $1.25, January ended at 189.70 gaining $1.25.
December Corn ended at $3.53 3/4 losing 1/4 cent, March ended at $3.63 1/2 down 1/2 cent.
Soybeans
November Soybeans ended at 9.72 1/2 decreasing 5 3/4 cents, January ended at 9.81 1/4 dropping 4 3/4 cents.
Wheat
December Wheat ended at $4.20 down 3 3/4 cents, March ended at $4.40 decreasing 2 cents.
Rough Rice
November Rough Rice ended at 10.42 gaining 0.015, January ended at 10.67 up 0.035.
Live Cattle
October Feeder Cattle ended at $97.75 gaining $0.475 and December ended at $99.225 up $0.225 and February ended at $100.625 decreasing $0.075.
Feeder Cattle
October Feeder Cattle ended at $122.025 gaining $0.325 and November ended at $118.025 increasing $0.80 and January ended at $113.775 up $0.25.
Lean Hogs
December Lean Hogs ended at $41.26 down $0.35, February ended at $48.55 losing $0.375.
Class III Milk
October Class III Milk ended at $14.74 gaining $0.03, November ended at $15.57 up $0.32, December ended at $15.45 increasing $0.18.
#2 Cotton
December #2 Cotton ended at 71.15 down 0.04, March ending at 71.44 losing 0.05.
Sugar #11
March sugar #11 ended at 23.02 decreasing $0.14, May ended at 22.35 down $0.11.
Orange Juice
November Orange Juice ending at 189.95 up $1.25, January ended at 189.70 gaining $1.25.
http://agnetwest.com/2016/10/18/commodity-report-oct-17/
Govt to use satellite-based tech to
assess rice yield
TNN | Updated: Oct 18, 2016, 06:29 IST
The main advantage of this new technology is that reports on crop condition can be prepared with ease every 12 days and during natural calamities such as cyclones and floods, the government can get accurate information on the extent of crop damage. The other advantage of the ease of data availability is that crop insurance amounts can be released without any delay by getting yield information. Principal scientist and director of Economic Division and Programme Leader of IRRI Samarendu Mohanty and Economist of IRRI-India programme's Delhi representative Aldas Janaiah, met Telangana Agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy on Monday. Mohanty explained the advantages of the satellite-based technology to the minister.
"IRRI has developed a
software where satellite maps can be quickly analysed. Under the existing
National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), rice production report assessment is not
accurate and the maps can give only information about areas. Countries such as
Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam have been using the IRRI technology for crop
assessment," Mohanty told TOI.
He said by knowing the crop
condition, yield assessment and weather conditions every 12 days, it is easy
for releasing crop insurance to farmers. The state government or insurance
companies can make part payment of insurance to farmers without waiting till
the end of season. The agriculture minister directed the secretary of
agriculture Parthasarathi to send a team of officials to Tamil Nadu to study
IRRI's satellite-based technology that is being used there. Agriculture
university vice-chancellor Praveen Rao was also present at the meeting.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Govt-to-use-satellite-based-tech-to-assess-rice-yield/articleshow/54908341.cms?
Lifting of QR
to give PH rice farmers price advantage – NEDA
FILIPINO rice farmers will be equally protected and may even gain
competitive advantage if the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice is no longer
extended beyond 2017, an official of the National Economic Development
Authority (NEDA) said on Monday.Contrary to earlier notions that the Philippine
rice industry will bear the brunt of global competition without the rice
importation cap, a NEDA official said that prices of locally grown rice will
actually be lower compared to the landed cost of imported rice if QRs are
removed.
“At 35 percent tariff, local farmers would have price advantage as
compared to the landed cost (of imported rice) of about P4 per kilo and above,”
said Mercedita Sombilla, director of NEDA’s Agriculture Natural Resources and
Environment office.Sombilla told reporters on the sidelines of a Senate hearing
on the World Trade Organization’s QR on rice that at 35 percent tariff, which
is based on the current duty that the country is implementing under the Asean
Free Trade Agreement, about 35 of the country’s rice producing provinces will
be able to compete directly with their Vietnamese and Thai counterparts.
She added that even without tariff, about 13 rice-producing provinces
would remain competitive – with a price advantage of P0.10 to as high as P3 per
kilo.“These figures are computed using existing data from the Department of
Agriculture and the Philippine Statistics Authority. So, I don’t believe [the
pronouncements]that a lot of farmers will move out of rice production [if we
remove the QR],” Sombilla said.
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) earlier said
cheaper rice would directly compete and flood the local market as long as it is
subject to the 35 percent tariff.“Cheap imported rice will likely be sold in
the Philippines, lowering the prices of local milled rice and palay. This, in
turn, will force farmers to look for ways to reduce their cost of production to
retain profit,” the grains research agency said.“If the QR were removed today
and only 35 percent tariff remained as trade protection, local farmers will not
be able to compete,” it added.
Sombilla, however, said that the 35 percent tariff remained a
rough estimate, saying that the government’s economic cluster will have to
further study the impact of the Asean-level duty once they undergo the actual
process of tariffication.Tariffication is an effort to convert all existing
agricultural non-tariff barriers to trade (NTBs) into bound tariffs and to
reduce these tariffs over time.“We still have to look into it. But my stand is
that at 35 percent, we are already competitive. What more if it is higher than
that? Farmers will even have more protection,” she added.
Lovely Ann Tolin of the Philippine Institute for Development
Studies (PIDS) echoed Sombilla’s sentiments, saying Manila should start
undergoing the tariffication process, as prescribed by the the WTO rules,
should it decide to repeal the QR extension.
“First, we have to determine the equivalent tariff rate that we
have to apply. In Annex 5 of the WTO agreement on Agriculture, there is
actually a formula based on the comparison of domestic and international price
from 1996-1998,” Tolin said.Since majority of rice imports are coming from Vietnam
and Thailand, Tolin said that they have rounded up the supposed applied duty to
about 35 percent to reflect the Philippine’s commitment to the Asean agreement.
“Should we repeal [QR on rice}, there is a projected decrease in
palay output of about 2.3 million [metric]tons, there will also be a decrease
in farm gate prices of around P4 per kilo, and (the projected decrease) in
commercial [rice]is around P6 to P7 per kilogram or an average of P37 per kilo
in retail,” she said.“Given our computation, our projected increase in imports
will be 2 million [metric]tons of rice,” she added.
Manila imports about 1.8 million MT of rice annually to augment the shortfall in rice production.In a cross-country study conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA), PhilRice and the International Rice Research Institute in 2013 that assessed the cost of producing palay among six countries—the Philippines, China, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Vietnam—it was found that Vietnam was in a much better position to export rice with 44 million metric tons (MT) of paddy for a population of 91.7 million, compared to 18.4 million MT of rice for 98.4 million people in the Philippines.
At present, rice is the only commodity in the Philippines that
enjoys special treatment in the WTO, which excluded the same from the
agriculture liberalization.Unlike other agricultural product, rice was not
tariffied. Instead, rice farmers were protected through the imposition of a QR,
which allows only limited volume of the grains to enter the country.At present,
Manila limits to 805,000 MT the amount of rice allowed to enter the country
through the so-called minimum access volume (MAV).MAV refers to the minimum
volume of farm produce allowed to enter into the Philippines at reduced
tariffs, while shipments outside MAV pay higher rates and would need approval
by the National Food Authority
http://www.manilatimes.net/lifting-qr-give-ph-rice-farmers-price-advantage-neda/291836/
RICE CROP: Growers get
lower prices
Published: October 18, 2016
Representatives of the farmers accused the millers of exploiting
them. PHOTO: APP
HYDERABAD: The $2 billion worth of rice exports from
Pakistan are likely to fall if paddy growers continue to receive low returns on
their investment, the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) warned.
SCA President Dr Syed Nadeem Qamar pointed out at a
meeting of the association that for the third consecutive year the rice farmers
were getting low prices for their crop.
Millers were paying between Rs750 and Rs800 per maund
(40kg) for Irri-6 rice against the support price of Rs900 set by the provincial
government.
Representatives of the farmers accused the millers of
exploiting them and hit out at the government for failing to enforce the
official price. The share of Irri-6 rice variety in national exports stood at
around $1.3 billion, the SCA said.
The SCA, furthermore, demanded that the government should
increase the support price to Rs1,000 per maund so that the farmers could
recover their losses and feel encouraged to cultivate Irri 6 in the next
season.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2016.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1201297/rice-crop-growers-get-lower-prices/
Stern action against PDS rice
diverters: Eatala
Hyderabad, Oct 17 (INN): Finance
minister Etela Rajendar on Monday warned that the State Government would deal
stern on those diverting the rice meant for Public Distribution System (PDS).Speaking
at a conference with the rice millers' representative here, the Finance
Minister said that vested interests were making efforts to divert the PDS rice
to black market. He said that the government was supplying six kg rice each to
2.7 crore people of the state. He said that the Rupee 1 per kg rice was meant
to ensure food safety of the poor and lamented that the black marketers were
eyeing the PDS rice.
He warned that the rice millers
to hand over the rice to government within 45 days of procurement from the
farmers. He said that the government would slap cases under PD Act against
those diverting PDS rice.The minister said that the government was making
efforts to ensure MSP of not less than Rs 4500 for paddy and to solve other
problems of rice millers.
http://www.telugupeople.com/news/article_00105163_Stern_action_against_PDS_rice_diverters_Eatala.asp
Bought for crores, Korean milling
machines going at scrap rate
Markfed shut
down 9 of 10 milling units after losses
Amaninder Pal
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 18
The Punjab State Cooperative Supply and
Marketing Federation (Markfed) is auctioning Korean rice milling machines —
purchased 15 years ago to set up rice mills – at scrap rate.The machines were
bought from a South Korean firm at hefty prices despite opposition from a
section of Markfed officers and employees’ unions, which questioned the
viability of setting up the units.As the design of the machines was found
faulty, Markfed had spent around Rs 30 lakh to improvise each machine at
workshops in Ludhiana a year after their installation.
In 2000-01, Markfed purchased the milling
equipment to set up mills at Goniana and Jaitu in Bathinda district, Gidderbaha
in Muktsar, Chuslewar in Amritsar, Naushehra Pannuan in Tarn Taran and Batala
in Gurdaspur district.
The cooperative had spent around Rs 15 crore
(Rs 2.43 crore per plant) to purchase machinery. However, the plants functioned
only for a few years. After the units incurred huge losses, Markfed decided to
shut these down in 2009-10 and auction the machinery in 2012-13.Of the six
units, Markfed has auctioned four mills’ machinery as scrap for just Rs 30-40
lakh. “Despite repeated tenders, there is no buyer for the machinery of
Chuslewar and Batala units,” said a senior officer.
Ranjit Goyal, president, Punjab State
Cooperative Markfed Employees Union, said, “In 2001, one needed to spent Rs
50-60 lakh to purchase machinery for setting up a private rice milling unit.
But Markfed spent Rs 2.43 crore per unit. Moreover, the Korean firm had claimed
that such units will have rice output of 70 per cent after paddy milling
compared to 67 per cent in private units. However, their output was just 60 per
cent.”
The cooperative had set up four units in the
1980s at Machhiwara, Nawanshahr, Baghapurana and Rajpura. Of these, only the
one at Nawanshahr is working today and the machinery of the others has been
auctioned. Today, of the 10 such mills set up by Markfed, only one is
operational.
Markfed MD Gurkirat Kirpal Singh said, “The
machinery at most of the mills has already been auctioned. We are looking for
buyers for the rest of the units
Costa Rica promotes pesticide-free rice farming
L. Arias
(Via CONARROZ for illustrative purposes)
A joint
program of the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry (MAG) and the Economy and
Industry Ministry (MEIC)
seeks to promote the production and marketing of pesticide-free rice in
the country.Officials from both ministries recently presented the results of a four-year project developed in Cañas, in the province of Guanacaste, which resulted in a new product they call EcoArroz (Eco Rice).
Project manager Andrés Vásquez developed the organic production system of EcoArroz to “preserve the soil’s natural cycle and respect the ecosystem,” the ministries reported.
Environmentally friendly rice
Vásquez
explained that instead of using pesticides to control pests and diseases, the
project used plants and insects as natural barriers to protect rice crops. The
process also allowed them keep the production cycle as natural as possible, he
said.Farmers used wasps and ladybugs, which feed on the mites and larvae that damage rice crops.
They also transformed farm waste into organic fertilizers and developed an optimized water system for irrigation.
According to Vásquez, contrary to popular belief, the lack of chemicals does not alter the shelf life of rice; “on the contrary, it provides more minerals and the rice is more nutritious.”
The ministries hired a private laboratory to independently audit the production process. PrimusLabs, the selected company, collected rice samples before the harvest. Their analises certified that the rice was 100 percent free of any traces of pesticides.
Distribution
The
pesticide-free certification allowed the project to move to the marketing
stage. The organic rice is available at various supermarkets across the
country, under the Sabanero EcoArroz brand. Sabanero sales manager Jorge
del Pozo said that the retail price is very accessible, considering the high
production cost of the product: an 1.8-kilogram bag costs ₡1,540 (approximately
$2.80).Rice is an essential product in the Costa Rican diet, and many families eat it two or three times a day.
Projections from the National Rice Corporation (CONARROZ) state that Ticos are expected to consume 340,000 metric tons of rice in the 2016-2017 rice season that started in July.
Current production supplies just over half of the national demand. Earlier this month, the Agriculture Ministry signed a decree authorizing the import of 73,000 metric tons required to cover the estimated consumption for the first half of 2017.
Economy Minister Welmer Ramos said Costa Rica has committed to develop efficient farming through environmentally sustainable practices.
“We are strongly encouraging innovation and the dissemination of new production processes and practices,” he said.
Contact L. Arias at larias@ticotimes.net
http://www.ticotimes.net/2016/10/18/pesticide-free-rice-costa-rica
Govt to use
satellite-based tech to assess rice yield
TNN | Updated: Oct 18, 2016, 06:29
IST
HYDERABAD: If everything goes well, Telanganagovernment may soon adopt latest
satellite-based technology to assess rice production andcrop damage accurately. The technology developed by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is
being implemented by some states like Tamil Nadu and Odisha now.
The main advantage of this new technology is that reports on crop condition can be prepared with ease every 12 days and during natural calamities such as cyclones and floods, the government can get accurate information on the extent of crop damage. The other advantage of the ease of data availability is that crop insurance amounts can be released without any delay by getting yield information. Principal scientist and director of Economic Division and Programme Leader of IRRI Samarendu Mohanty and Economist of IRRI-India programme's Delhi representative Aldas Janaiah, met Telangana Agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy on Monday. Mohanty explained the advantages of the satellite-based technology to the minister.
Latest Comment
I like the words at the start,
"IF everything goes well". Nothing will happen as usual, this is just
one the many usual announcements to fool the gullible Telenganites.
"IRRI has developed a software where satellite maps can be quickly analysed. Under the existing National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), rice production report assessment is not accurate and the maps can give only information about areas. Countries such as Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam have been using the IRRI technology for crop assessment," Mohanty told TOI.
He said by knowing the crop condition, yield assessment and weather conditions every 12 days, it is easy for releasing crop insurance to farmers. The state government or insurance companies can make part payment of insurance to farmers without waiting till the end of season. The agriculture minister directed the secretary of agriculture Parthasarathi to send a team of officials to Tamil Nadu to study IRRI's satellite-based technology that is being used there. Agriculture university vice-chancellor Praveen Rao was also present at the meeting.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Govt-to-use-satellite-based-tech-to-assess-rice-yield/articleshow/54908341.cms
Traditional varieties of rice on
display
The rice varieties on display at the mela in Visakhapatnam on
Saturday.
Mela organised
on the eve of World Foood Day
About a dozen traditional
varieties of rice were put up on display at the ‘Rice Mela’, organised by
Sumaja Eco Wellness, an organic shoppe, on the eve of World Food Day at its
outlet Pandurangapuram on Saturday.
“The black rice from Burma is
known for its high amount of antioxidants that prevent cancer. It also has the
highest amount of iron and zinc. It is now grown in Wayanad and Mysore. It also
helps control diabetes,” he says.
‘Navara rice’ has been identified
to possess anti-carcinogenic properties. It has an important place in the
Ayurvedic system for treatment. It is said to cure circulatory, respiratory,
digestive and nervous system ailments. Navara rice is grown in Palakkad in
Kerala. Boiled Navara rice is a good weaning food for infants, particularly
those with low weight and broth made by adding Navara to meat is recommended
for pregnant women as it increases the weight of the foetus.
Rajamudi, red rice variety, was
grown exclusively for the royal family of Mysore Wodeyars. Bamboo rice is
obtained from the seeds of bamboo flowers.Bamboos bloom once in 40 to 60 years
and often die after flowering. This variety is not commonly available as it
takes many years for an aged plant to flower. Bamboo rice is said to have high
nutritive value as also rich medicinal values.
“Studies conducted on the Kani
tribes in the Kanyakumari forests have shown they consume bamboo rice for its
fertility enhancing properties. This variety has higher protein content than
both normal rice and wheat, controls joint pain, lowers cholesterol levels and
has anti-diabetic properties”.
Sumaja, which has outlets at
Gopalapatnam, Seethammadhara and Pandurangapuram, sources its products mostly
from farmer cooperatives and reputed research institutes from across the
country
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/traditional-varieties-of-rice-on-display/article9226384.ece
Lifting of QR to give PH rice farmers price
advantage – NEDA
FILIPINO rice farmers will be equally protected
and may even gain competitive advantage if the quantitative restriction (QR) on
rice is no longer extended beyond 2017, an official of the National Economic
Development Authority (NEDA) said on Monday.Contrary to earlier notions that
the Philippine rice industry will bear the brunt of global competition without
the rice importation cap, a NEDA official said that prices of locally grown
rice will actually be lower compared to the landed cost of imported rice if QRs
are removed.
“At 35 percent tariff, local farmers would have
price advantage as compared to the landed cost (of imported rice) of about P4
per kilo and above,” said Mercedita Sombilla, director of NEDA’s Agriculture
Natural Resources and Environment office.Sombilla told reporters on the
sidelines of a Senate hearing on the World Trade Organization’s QR on rice that
at 35 percent tariff, which is based on the current duty that the country is
implementing under the Asean Free Trade Agreement, about 35 of the country’s
rice producing provinces will be able to compete directly with their Vietnamese
and Thai counterparts.
She added that even without tariff, about 13
rice-producing provinces would remain competitive – with a price advantage of
P0.10 to as high as P3 per kilo.“These figures are computed using existing data
from the Department of Agriculture and the Philippine Statistics Authority. So,
I don’t believe [the pronouncements]that a lot of farmers will move out of rice
production [if we remove the QR],” Sombilla said.The Philippine Rice Research
Institute (PhilRice) earlier said cheaper rice would directly compete and flood
the local market as long as it is subject to the 35 percent tariff.
“Cheap imported rice will likely be sold in the
Philippines, lowering the prices of local milled rice and palay. This, in turn,
will force farmers to look for ways to reduce their cost of production to
retain profit,” the grains research agency said.“If the QR were removed today
and only 35 percent tariff remained as trade protection, local farmers will not
be able to compete,” it added.Sombilla, however, said that the 35 percent
tariff remained a rough estimate, saying that the government’s economic cluster
will have to further study the impact of the Asean-level duty once they undergo
the actual process of tariffication.
Tariffication is an effort to convert all
existing agricultural non-tariff barriers to trade (NTBs) into bound tariffs
and to reduce these tariffs over time.“We still have to look into it. But my
stand is that at 35 percent, we are already competitive. What more if it is
higher than that? Farmers will even have more protection,” she added.
Lovely Ann Tolin of the Philippine Institute
for Development Studies (PIDS) echoed Sombilla’s sentiments, saying Manila
should start undergoing the tariffication process, as prescribed by the the WTO
rules, should it decide to repeal the QR extension.“First, we have to determine
the equivalent tariff rate that we have to apply. In Annex 5 of the WTO
agreement on Agriculture, there is actually a formula based on the comparison
of domestic and international price from 1996-1998,” Tolin said.
Since majority of rice imports are coming from
Vietnam and Thailand, Tolin said that they have rounded up the supposed applied
duty to about 35 percent to reflect the Philippine’s commitment to the Asean
agreement.
“Should we repeal [QR on rice}, there is a
projected decrease in palay output of about 2.3 million [metric]tons, there
will also be a decrease in farm gate prices of around P4 per kilo, and (the
projected decrease) in commercial [rice]is around P6 to P7 per kilogram or an
average of P37 per kilo in retail,” she said.“Given our computation, our
projected increase in imports will be 2 million [metric]tons of rice,” she
added.
Manila imports about 1.8 million MT of rice annually to augment the shortfall in rice production.In a cross-country study conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA), PhilRice and the International Rice Research Institute in 2013 that assessed the cost of producing palay among six countries—the Philippines, China, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Vietnam—it was found that Vietnam was in a much better position to export rice with 44 million metric tons (MT) of paddy for a population of 91.7 million, compared to 18.4 million MT of rice for 98.4 million people in the Philippines.
At present, rice is the only commodity in the
Philippines that enjoys special treatment in the WTO, which excluded the same
from the agriculture liberalization.Unlike other agricultural product, rice was
not tariffied. Instead, rice farmers were protected through the imposition of a
QR, which allows only limited volume of the grains to enter the country.At present,
Manila limits to 805,000 MT the amount of rice allowed to enter the country
through the so-called minimum access volume (MAV).
MAV refers to the minimum volume of farm
produce allowed to enter into the Philippines at reduced tariffs, while shipments
outside MAV pay higher rates and would need approval by the National Food
Authority
http://www.manilatimes.net/lifting-qr-give-ph-rice-farmers-price-advantage-neda/291836/
Pangilinan to
Cabinet: Release position on rice-import quota
October 18, 2016
The Cabinet should make known its
position regarding the lifting of the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice to
guide Congress’s legislative action, Sen. Francis N. Pangilinan said on Monday.“We
hope to have it before the World Trade Organization’s [WTO] July 2017
deadline, so that we may be guided regarding possible pieces of legislation
that needs amending,” Pangilinan said in a statement.
The lawmaker chairs the Senate
Committee on Agriculture and Food, which convened a public hearing to discuss
the implications of the WTO’s mandate to eliminate the QR, which allowed Manila
to limit the entry of rice imports.
The Philippines was granted an
initial exemption for the lifting of QR on rice because of its highly sensitive
nature.
The deadline for the Philippines has already been extended
twice: in 2005 and in 2015, where a waiver was obtained to further extend to
July 2017.
Mercedita Sombilla, OIC-assistant
director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), said
during the hearing that the price of rice in the international market is
declining.
“[The Neda] supports the lifting
of the QR on rice. There is an 89-percent increase in world trade even after El
Niño. We need to focus on the economic cost on the macro level rather than the
sectoral level. Net social impact is still positive because our farmers are
also consumers,” Sombilla said.
The Department of Finance
supported this position, adding that the lifting of the QR will bring more
investments to rice and prevent corruption. In the meantime, it said, the
private sector is capable of filling the gap in rice supply.
Antifarmer
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F.
Piñol, however, said the Department of Agriculture (DA) needs an additional
two-year leeway before the QR can be lifted.
“We will present a somewhat
divergent view. We ask for humanitarian consideration because our farmers are
not yet prepared for the lifting of the QR. We first need to lower the cost of
production and increase farm productivity so that our farmers will be able to
compete against cheap imported rice,” Piñol said.
If the QR is lifted next year,
the Philippine Rice Research Institute said palay production may go down by 2
million metric tons and cut farm-gate price of palay by as much as P4.56 per
kilo. This would also lower the cost of rice in the market by as much as P6.97
per kilo.
“This will be a loss for our
farmers. How are we able to increase productivity? By providing government
support in terms of seeds, fertilizer and irrigation services, above others,”
Piñol added.
Representatives of farmers’
groups, for their part, said they do not oppose the lifting of the QR provided
that there would be sufficient support from the government.
Pangilinan asked the DA to submit
their two-year plan of action in the event that an extension will be granted.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/pangilinan-to-cabinet-release-position-on-rice-import-quota/
Farmers Struggle For Fresh
Ideas As Green Fades In Punjab
October 18, 2016
Highlights
- Groundwater levels are
dropping by 40 to 50 cm In Punjab
- Farmers switch to less
thirsty crops with the help of the government
- Groundwater has been
over-exploited in 110 of the state's 138 blocks
Groundwater irrigates almost three-quarters of Punjab’s agricultural land, but groundwater levels are dropping by 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 inches) a year, according to Rajan Aggarwal, head of the soil and water engineering department at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).
That has left farmers like Ajmir Singh struggling as their irrigation wells dry up.
“We are not able to find water even if we go down to 200 feet (61 m) or more at some places,” said Mr Singh, who has farmed for 35 years in Jalandhar, 150km (95 miles) north of Chandigarh.
His neighbour, Pawanjeet Singh, said that lack of irrigation water has forced him to sell part of the land that has been in his family for generations to a large-scale farmer who has the resources to drill for water at much deeper levels.
“I took this decision with a heavy heart after I realised that drawing water for all my land is beyond my means,” Mr Singh said.
According to Mr Aggarwal, groundwater has been over-exploited in 110 of the state’s 138 administrative blocks.
“This is alarming given that more than 73 per cent of irrigation is taken care of by groundwater,” he said.
Rice and wheat make up 81 per cent of Punjab’s irrigated crops, according to a report by Punjab Agricultural University.
Although the state accounts for only 1.5 per cent of India’s geographical area, over the past two decades it has contributed 35 per cent of the nation’s rice production and 60 per cent of its wheat.
According to Sunil Jain, regional director of the Central Ground Water Board for northwest India, groundwater started dropping in 1985 in Punjab and has sunk to alarming levels in recent years.
Thirty years ago, farmers in most parts of the state could draw water at a depth of 10 metres (32 ft), but by 2015 this was 20 metres, while farmers in some central parts of the state are unable to find water even at 30 metres or deeper, he said.
“There has been a substantial rise in groundwater utilisation, which has mainly happened because of the fact that Punjab gets less rainfall. Since paddy (rice) requires a lot of water, the farmers resort to heavy usage of groundwater for irrigating the paddy fields,” he said.
Mr Jain added that Punjab gets less than 700 mm of rainfall annually. This compares to a national average of 1,083 mm, according to the World Bank.
The Punjab Agricultural University report said annual demand for irrigation in Punjab is 4.76 million hectare metres against a total annual supply of 3.48 mhm from canal and groundwater resources.
The deficit is met by over-exploitation of deeper groundwater by farmers using nearly 1.4 million tube wells, which exacerbates the loss of more accessible groundwater.
According to the Punjab Agricultural University report, 3.5 million of Punjab’s 9.1 million workers make a living from agriculture or associated activities.
Mr Jain said the statistics suggest Punjab’s agricultural success may not be sustainable.
“Punjab’s exports of rice and wheat to other regions literally mean the export of its groundwater to those regions,” he said.
Amitabh Kant, chief executive officer of the government’s National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), predicted “the present rate of withdrawal will lead to complete exhaustion of groundwater within a decade” in the region.
Mr Kant said, India, already water-stressed, is rapidly moving towards becoming water-scarce.
Switching to new crops is one way to ease the problem in Punjab, said Punjab Agricultural University’s Mr Aggarwal. Rice requires about four times as much water as maize, pulses or oilseeds, for instance.
Vinod Kumar Singh, a scientist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, said Punjab must make the shift at any cost.
“The government has to make some policy decisions like assuring the farmers it will procure their produce other than paddy (rice) and wheat. Only then will they be convinced to switch over to these crops,” he said.
Jasbir Singh Bains, Punjab’s director of agriculture, said that system makes farmers reluctant to cultivate other crops.
“We have started making efforts to popularise the cultivation of pulses, maize, vegetables and oilseeds,” Mr Bains said.
“For example, we have appealed to the central government to increase the procurement of pulses and are urging the farmers to grow vegetables, which also have a good market,” he added.
Farmers like Shamsher Singh, in Nokdar-Jalandhar, said they would switch to less thirsty crops with government help.
“We are ready for this, but the government should give the guarantee that it will procure our products like it is doing in the case of wheat and rice,” he said.
http://everylifecounts.ndtv.com/groundwater-level-sinks-in-punjab-farmers-stressed-5975
Pangilinan to
Cabinet: Release position on rice-import quota
October 18, 2016
The Cabinet should make known its
position regarding the lifting of the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice to
guide Congress’s legislative action, Sen. Francis N. Pangilinan said on Monday.
“We hope to have it before the
World Trade Organization’s [WTO] July 2017 deadline, so that we may be
guided regarding possible pieces of legislation that needs amending,” Pangilinan
said in a statement.
The lawmaker chairs the Senate
Committee on Agriculture and Food, which convened a public hearing to discuss
the implications of the WTO’s mandate to eliminate the QR, which allowed Manila
to limit the entry of rice imports.
The Philippines was granted an
initial exemption for the lifting of QR on rice because of its highly sensitive
nature.
The deadline for the Philippines has already been extended
twice: in 2005 and in 2015, where a waiver was obtained to further extend to
July 2017.
Mercedita Sombilla, OIC-assistant
director general of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda),
said during the hearing that the price of rice in the international market is
declining.
“[The Neda] supports the lifting
of the QR on rice. There is an 89-percent increase in world trade even after El
Niño. We need to focus on the economic cost on the macro level rather than the
sectoral level. Net social impact is still positive because our farmers are
also consumers,” Sombilla said.
The Department of Finance
supported this position, adding that the lifting of the QR will bring more
investments to rice and prevent corruption. In the meantime, it said, the
private sector is capable of filling the gap in rice supply.
Antifarmer
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F.
Piñol, however, said the Department of Agriculture (DA) needs an additional
two-year leeway before the QR can be lifted.
“We will present a somewhat
divergent view. We ask for humanitarian consideration because our farmers are
not yet prepared for the lifting of the QR. We first need to lower the cost of
production and increase farm productivity so that our farmers will be able to
compete against cheap imported rice,” Piñol said.
If the QR is lifted next year,
the Philippine Rice Research Institute said palay production may go down by 2
million metric tons and cut farm-gate price of palay by as much as P4.56 per
kilo. This would also lower the cost of rice in the market by as much as P6.97
per kilo.
“This will be a loss for our
farmers. How are we able to increase productivity? By providing government
support in terms of seeds, fertilizer and irrigation services, above others,”
Piñol added.
Representatives of farmers’
groups, for their part, said they do not oppose the lifting of the QR provided
that there would be sufficient support from the government.
Pangilinan asked the DA to submit
their two-year plan of action in the event that an extension will be granted.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/pangilinan-to-cabinet-release-position-on-rice-import-quota/
Stop consuming imported rice
– Aregbesola tells Nigerians
By Sylvester Ugwuanyi on October
18, 2016
He stated this in Osogbo, the state capital, yesterday at an event organised by the Osun State Agency for Community and Social Development to mark the 2016 International Day for Eradication of Poverty.
“If we work and pray, we will banish poverty from our environment. Rice was not a staple food in Nigeria before 1980. Ofada rice was the only rice eaten during festivities. We should return to the time when we were eating indigenous rice.
The governor also pointed out that since laziness was a factor that engendered poverty, every adult should strive to be productively engaged, especially in the agriculture sector, to ensure an abundant availability of food.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, had announced that the price of rice would start to fall from November this year, adding that his ministry would not encourage rice importation because it would be detrimental to local production
https://carnotautomart.com/
Sierra
Leone News: Salone spends over $100m to import rice
The
Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Patrick Conteh on Tuesday during
the commemoration of the international day to end poverty, intimated that the
country is spending “over $100 million a year for importation of rice which is
our staple food.”He questioned “how can a country with below 20% of land that
have not been cultivated, with also the right climate, right soil should be
spending such amount to import rice”? Therefore there is every need to invest
in agriculture.As the World marks international Day to end poverty with this years theme, “food and job: fighting poverty through sustainable agriculture” World Bank organised an in-country discussion through teleconference in 17 African countries across the Bank’s regional offices.Speaking about the Sierra Leone government’s role in ending poverty, Conteh said the country has been faced with a lot of challenges especially the background the country is coming from; the civil war and the ebola.He said few years ago the GDP was growing and the country had one of the fastest growing economy with double digits up to 2012 and 2013. “In the midst of us celebrating that boom we had the ebola which lasted up to two years. While battling ebola, we had a collapse in commodity prices mainly iron ore.”
Disclosing that, “this twin shot has created a situation where the achievement the government has made in terms of poverty reduction has been derailed.”Conteh added that “Statistically, the number show that from 2003-2011,head count there is a reduction of 66.9% to about 52.9% poverty reduction in Sierra Leone, without ebola and the collapsed of iron ore prices we would have passed those gain”.In the policy level, they have ensured that the Sustainable Development Goals are integrated into the planning process and it has been aligned with the Agenda for Prosperity and that the government have put together the Post ebola recovery plan which is the “Presidential Recovery Initiative: Post Ebola.”
In that plan, he went on agriculture stands as one of the key pillars for fighting poverty and in the agricultural plan, “we have certain key result areas we have identified, and in the area of agriculture the priority is to increase production and productivity of targeted crop and livestock, provide access to extension training and demonstration facilities for famers, increase land cultivation.”The Manager of Agriculture, Global Practice of the World Bank Simeon Ehui in his statement said over eleven million children in Africa are obese or underweight and that the reason for this he said is most Africans do not eat nutritious food and obesity is becoming a major problem in the continent and therefor this needs “our attention”, and also the issue of malnutrition is becoming a concern.
Speaking on the theme, he said another issue that affects agriculture is climate change as the drought and rising temperature are cutting crop yield, threatening food production fish supply and further push the poor deeper into poverty. “Climate change can reduce crop yield by up to 20% if temperatures rise above 2 degrees” he said.
Simeon Ehui maintained agriculture and its related food sector must play major role in ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity and helping countries reach their targets. Food production in Africa needs to increase by up to 60% to feed the growing population.”Andrew Dabalen Practice Manager Poverty Team said 1.1 billion people moved from poverty to income growth but that 800 million people live in extreme poverty, as they are living on less than $2 per day.
Dabalen maintained that most of these people are living in rural areas and half in Sub Saharan Africa adding that growth in agriculture input and economy are the main way to eradicate poverty and there should be alternative poverty action plan.
By Betty Milton
http://awoko.org/2016/10/18/sierra-leone-news-salone-spends-over-100m-to-import-rice/
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-
Oct 19
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - APMC & Open Market-October 19
Nagpur, Oct 19 Gram and tuar prices recovered strongly in Nagpur Agriculture Produce
and Marketing Committee (APMC)on good seasonal demand from local millers amid tight supply from
producing region. Healthy rise gram in major parts of the region, upward trend in Madhya Pradesh
pulses and reported demand from South-based millers helped to push up prices, according to
sources.
* * * *
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Desi gram firmed up again in open market on good demand from local traders
amid weak supply from producing region.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani and tuar Karnataka reported higher in open market on good buying
support from local traders.
* Major rice varieties moved down in open market on lack of demand from local traders
amid good supply from producing belt.
* In Akola, Tuar New - 6,200-6,300, Tuar dal (clean) - 10,800-11,200, Udid -
10,700-11,000, Udid Mogar (clean) - 13,400-13,700, Moong -
6,100-6,300, Moong Mogar (clean) 6,800-7,200, Gram - 9,000-9,500,
Gram Super best bold - 11,400-11,700 for 100 kg.
* Other varieties of wheat, rice and other commodities moved in a narrow range in
scattered deals, settled at last levels.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 7,500-9,400 7,500-9,300
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 5,800-6,390 5,500-6,300
Moong Auction n.a. 6,400-6,600
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold 11,700-12,000 11,700-12,000
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 11,200-11,500 11,200-11,500
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 9,600-9,700 9,600-9,700
Desi gram Raw 9,300-9,500 9,100-9,200
Gram Yellow 12,300-12,700 12,300-12,700
Gram Kabuli 12,700-14,000 12,700-14,000
Gram Pink 12,000-12,500 12,000-12,500
Tuar Fataka Best-New 11,200-11,500 11,200-11,500
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 10,600-11,000 10,600-11,000
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 9,200-9,500 10,000-10,500
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 8,500-9,000 8,500-9,000
Tuar Gavarani New 6,450-6,550 6,400-6,500
Tuar Karnataka 6,800-6,950 6,750-6,900
Tuar Black 11,800-12,300 11,800-12,300
Masoor dal best 6,400-6,500 6,400-6,500
Masoor dal medium 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 6,800-7,200 6,800-7,200
Moong Mogar Medium 6,300-6,600 6,300-6,600
Moong dal Chilka 6,200-6,500 6,300-6,500
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 6,500-7,000 6,500-7,000
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 12,500-13,000 12,500-13,000
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 10,500-11,600 10,500-11,600
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 7,200-7,500 7,200-7,500
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 6,300-6,700 6,300-6,700
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,600-4,800 4,600-4,800
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,100-3,200 3,100-3,200
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,600
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,500 4,000-4,500
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,750-1,950 1,750-1,950
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,250-2,450 2,250-2,450
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,250 1,950-2,250
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-4,000 3,300-4,000
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-3,000 2,400-3,000
Rice BPT best New(100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,250 3,000-3,450
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,650 2,500-2,850
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,500 2,300-2,600
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,450 2,200-2,500
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,000 1,900-2,100
Rice HMT best New (100 INR/KG) 3,450-3,800 3,600-3,900
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-3,000 2,800-3,100
Rice Shriram best New(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,400-4,800
Rice Shriram med New(100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,100 3,900-4,400
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 9,000-13,500 9,000-13,500
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,500-8,000 6,500-8,000
Rice Chinnor best New(100 INR/KG) 5,300-5,600 5,400-5,700
Rice Chinnor med. New (100 INR/KG) 4,900-5,100 5,000-5,200
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,200 1,900-2,200
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,850 1,700-1,850
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 33.4 degree Celsius (92.1 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
17.0 degree Celsius (62.6 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : Nil
FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 34 and 17 degree
Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, butincluded in market prices)
http://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL4N1CP34B
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