KARACHI, Pakistan
A simmering water dispute between
India and Pakistan seems to be turning towards another boiling point as both
sides continue to stick to their guns despite the World Bank’s call to resolve
the issue bilaterally, experts say.
While Indian experts insist the
World Bank-brokered 1960 treaty was a huge mistake from the start since it
allocated less water to India, Pakistani experts eye their neighbor’s motives
with suspicion, claiming the other side only wants to revoke a longstanding
treaty to suit its domestic political agenda. Kashmiris, meanwhile, fear they
may literally end up drowning if both sides don’t deescalate tensions soon.
- Dispute over Indian dams
The main contention between the
two nuclear neighbors is over the “Indus Water Treaty” that allocated three
eastern rivers to India – Beas, Ravi and Sutlej – and three western rivers –
Indus, Chenab, Jhelum – to Pakistan in 1960.
Islamabad is objecting to New
Delhi's plans to construct two hydropower dams – the 850-megawatt Ratle and the
330-megawatt Kishanganga hydropower scheme -- on the Chenab River on the Indian
side, saying the projects would adversely impact on the flow of rivers on its
side.
The two countries recently
initiated two separate processes under the treaty to resolve the dispute over
India’s threat to build the dams. However, on Dec. 12, the World Bank announced
a temporary pause in the appointment of a neutral expert, as requested by
India, and the chairman of the Court of Arbitration, as requested by Pakistan.
“Both processes initiated by the
respective countries were advancing at the same time, creating a risk of
contradictory outcomes that could potentially endanger the Treaty,” the bank
said in a statement.
The bank’s Group President, Jim
Yong Kim, urged both sides to resolve the issue mutually instead.
“We are announcing this pause to
protect the Indus Waters Treaty and to help India and Pakistan consider
alternative approaches to resolving conflicting interests under the treaty and
its application to two hydroelectric power plants,” Kim was quoted as saying in
the statement.
"This is an opportunity for
the two countries to begin to resolve the issue in an amicable manner and in
line with the spirit of the treaty rather than pursuing concurrent processes
that could make the treaty unworkable over time. I would hope that the two
countries will come to an agreement by the end of January," he added.
- Pakistan to not accept ‘any
change’
Following World Bank’s
declaration to pause the processes, New Delhi announced it was ready to
bilaterally resolve the dispute with Islamabad; however, Indian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup added that “these consultations should be given
adequate time.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Special
Assistant to the Premier, Tariq Fatemi, said his side will not agree to any
changes in the treaty.
“Pakistan will not accept any
modifications or changes to the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty. Our
position is based on the principles enshrined in the treaty. And the treaty
must be honored in letter and spirit,” Fatemi was quoted as saying by the local
English daily, Dawn, on Saturday.
- Trust deficit
The demand for "adequate
time" by the Indian side has alarmed Pakistani experts, who accuse New
Delhi of using “time buying” tactics to its disadvantage.
Rabia Sultan, an expert based in
the Pakistani city of Lahore, told Anadolu Agency that by insisting on more
time India could complete its controversial dam projects during the
consultation phase.
Sultan warned the construction of
the two proposed dams may create water and food shortages in Pakistan.
“The construction of a gated
structure on the upstream will give India an edge to manipulate and control the
[Chenab] river, which may turn out to be very dangerous especially when the two
sides are hostile to each other,” she said.
Also, the dams would hit
Pakistan’s rice crops directly. “Chenab River is a major source of irrigation
water for the area that is famous for its quality rice production. The
construction of the two dams may cause water shortage in the area, particularly
in low water season,” she said.
Central and southern parts of
Pakistan’s largest Punjab province are famous for the production of the Basmati
rice, which is also a major export item.
- ‘Blood and water’
New Delhi had threatened to stop
honoring the Indus Water Treaty after a militant attack on an army base in
Indian-held Kashmir left 19 Indian soldiers dead in September last. Senior
figures in India accused Pakistan of sponsoring the attackers.
An emotional Indian Prime
Narendra Modi had also warned "blood and water can’t flow together".
India and Pakistan have already
fought three full-scale wars in 1948, 1965, and 1971.
- ‘The Great Water Folly’
Indian experts such as Brahma
Chellaney call the 1960 treaty "The Great Water Folly — one of the major
strategic problems bequeathed to future Indian generations by the Nehruvian
era."
Jawaharlal Nehru was India's
first prime minister, who was in office between 1947 and 1964.
They claim the treaty had
allegedly given an unfair share of rivers to Pakistan, while India received
less than 20 percent of the total Indus waters.
In an opinion piece published in
the Indian media outlet Hindustan Times, Chellaney said: “India’s naive
assumption that it traded water munificence for peace in 1960 has backfired,
saddling it with an iniquitous treaty of indefinite duration and keeping water
as a core issue in its relations with Pakistan.
“As for Pakistan, after failing
to achieve its water designs militarily in 1965, it has continued to wage a
water war against India by other means, including diplomacy and terrorism. Put
simply, 56 years after the IWT [Indus Water Treaty] was signed, Pakistan’s
covetous, water-driven claim to India’s J&K [disputed Indian-held Jammu and
Kashmir region] remains intact.”
- Kashmiris may ‘drown’ if treaty
revoked
Kashmir experts on the
Indian-held part of the disputed believe India's aggressive posturing over the
changes to the water treaty is merely an attempt at arm-twisting Pakistan.
Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, head of the
Earth Sciences department at the University of Kashmir, said: "Legally, it
[water treaty] cannot be abrogated by one party, no matter what happens. India
will have to approach the World Bank to abrogate the Indus Water Treaty, and
the World Bank will appoint a bench of judges who will look into the matter.
“And since the reason for calls
for abrogation of the treaty are not about problems and concerns of actual
water sharing but about politics, World Bank would never agree.”
About the “illegal” option to
stop the water from flowing into Pakistan without approaching the World Bank,
Romshoo said at the moment India did not have the infrastructure to do such a
thing. But if in the future it achieves such means, then Romshoo warned: “It
would simultaneously mean the drowning of us in [Indian held] Kashmir. It will
be a disaster for us in Kashmir."
*Zahid Rafiq contributed to this
report from Srinagar in Indian-held Kashmir.
http://aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/no-end-in-sight-in-water-row-between-india-and-pakistan/709089
Published: December 17, 2016
KARACHI: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FPCCI) President Abdul Rauf Alam has asked the business community
to explore the untapped trade potential of the Lebanese market.He also urged
the government to take steps for promoting greater economic cooperation, which
would bring people of the two countries closer.He made the remarks during a
meeting with Lebanon Ambassador Mona El Tannir. Leading businessmen were
present in the meeting and they discussed ways and means to deepen trade
relations between the two countries.
Alam briefed the ambassador about functions
of trade bodies in Pakistan and invited Lebanese businessmen to visit and hold
a single-country exhibition in Pakistan.He emphasised the enormous potential
for bilateral trade which both the countries could not explore so far.
Ambassador Tannir pointed out that Lebanon
was famous for the production of olives and olive oil. Pakistan was importing
olives, generators and some other products from Lebanon but bilateral trade
could still be improved, she said.
She revealed that Pakistan’s textiles, rice,
handicrafts and carpets were very popular in Lebanon while on the other hand
Lebanon offered various opportunities in the tourism sector.
“Pakistan’s
businessmen can benefit from the opportunity to have access to the Lebanese
market as the embassy grants visas to Pakistanis for attending lectures,
seminars and workshops in the field of medicine, pharmaceutical, information
technology and software.”In words of praise, the ambassador stressed that
Pakistan had always assisted Lebanon in every form and during times of crisis
for which the Middle Eastern country was grateful to Islamabad.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/1265746/ambassador-asks-pakistan-access-lebanon-market/
GOVT TO SPEND RS.20BN TO ENHANCE EXPORTS IN THREE YEARS
Saturday, 17 December 2016 15:11
ISLAMABAD: The government would
spend Rs. 20 billion over next three years to enhance Pakistan's export
competitiveness and institutional strengthening under Strategic Trade Policy
Framework (STPF) 2015-18.In response to emerging international changes, several
other initiatives are being implemented to enhance export basket and market
share, sources at Commerce Division said here on Saturday.The sources said
total volume of Pakistan's exports in terms of billion dollars was 24.5 during
2013 and 20.8 during 2016.Highlighting the steps taken by the government to
enhance exports, the sources said a sales tax zero-rating regime for five
export oriented sectors, i.e textile, leather, carpets, surgical and sports
goods has been introduced with from July this year.The other steps were
establishment of Export Promotion Council for Pharmaceuticals & Cosmetics,
and Rice Export Promotion Council, support for import of plant & machinery
to strengthen supply chain and encourage value addition and Performance Based
Incentive (PBI) to offset burden of higher utility costs and local levies and
taxes on export sectors, i.e. per unit price based refund a 4% of 10% over last
year's exports.The sources said under short-term export enhancement measures,
four product categories i.e. Basmati rice, horticulture, meat and meat
products, and jewellery, are being focused with parallel focus on markets
including Iran, Afghanistan, China and European Union.
An additional Rs. 6 billion is available this fiscal year to
exporters through Textile Policy 2014.Policy of uninterrupted energy supply has
been implemented with zero electricity load-shedding on industrial feeders
since October 2015 and zero gas load-shedding for industry since March 2016.In
order to fulfil long, awaited demand for reducing cost of doing business, the
government has taken a major step of reducing electricity tariff by Rs. 3 for
industrial units with effect from January 1, 2016.Furthermore, the fuel
adjustment has been passed on to consumers to further reduce cost of
production.The export infrastructure is being continuously improved : capacity
of Lahore Expo Centre has been doubled, ground-breaking at Peshawar Expo Center
and at three 21st-century land ports at Torkham, Wagha and Chaman is also
expected this fiscal year.
The sources said in order to counter import surge through unfair
trade and strengthen trade defence mechanisms, National Tariff Commission Act
has been revamped and approved by Parliament in 2015.The leading business
support institutions are being strengthened. Trade Development Authority of
Pakistan has recently been restructured while Pakistan Horticulture Development
and Export Company is being revitalized and strengthened.Trade Development
Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) is undertaking various export promotional
activities through trade exhibitions and delegations.The availability of
affordable finance for the export sector has considerably improved.
The State Bank of Pakistan has further reduced discount rate
which currently stands at 5.75%. The Export Finance Rate currently at 4.5% is
the lowest in a decade.The sources said Exim Bank is being established to
facilitate export credit and for reducing cost of borrowing for exporting
sectors on long term basis. This will also reduce their risks through export
credit guarantees and insurance facilities.The Board of Directors of the bank
have been appointed and it will be functional after completing the technical
formalities.Moreover, Federal Cabinet has approved resumption of banking
channels between State Bank of Pakistan and Central Bank of Iran, which will
boost Pak rice exports substantially. There is consistent effort for
negotiating additional market access for Pakistani products in target markets -
FTA negotiations with Turkey and Thailand are at advanced stage, negotiations
with Iran on FTA are being initiated, and joint research study to assess the
potential for a preferential arrangement with Korea is underway
http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/business-a-economy/332098-govt-to-spend-rs20bn-to-enhance-exports-in-three-years.html
Miss America: Eating rice can be
part of a healthy lifestyle
Miss America Savvy Shields explains why eating rice can be part
of a healthy diet for U.S. citizens and the world.
Savvy Shields, Miss America 2017, will speak before a large
number of audiences during her reign, but few may be more appreciative than the
rice farmers she spoke to at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Memphis, Tenn.
Miss Shields, a 21-year-old
senior art major at the University of Arkansas, talked about how she arrived at
her personal platform issue of Eat Better Live Better and how rice can be play
a role in accomplishing that goal.I grew up in a very healthy home. My mother
was always serving us things like strawberries,” she said. “She was from
California, and a healthy lifestyle was very important to her."
Miss Shields said when she
started college, she was exposed to free pizza and ice cream in the dorm at
midnight, and "the ‘freshman 15’ became all to real for I grew up in a very healthy home. My mother was always serving
us things like strawberries,” she said. “She was from California, and a healthy
lifestyle was very important to her."
Miss Shields said when she
started college, she was exposed to free pizza and ice cream in the dorm at
midnight, and "the ‘freshman 15’ became all to real for me,” she said.
“But I gradually came to realize that I simply wasn't focusing or doing as well
as I could because of the things I was putting in my body."
Sri Lanka rice
crop to shrivel in record drought
December 17, 2016, 7:16 pm
ECONOMYNEXT -Sri Lanka is heading
for a sharp drop in rice production in the main cultivation season with only a
third of the area sown so far amid the worst drought in at least five years,
with import restrictions already pushing rice prices up.By early December only
30 percent of the 830,000 hectares of paddy that can potentially be grown
during main Maha main rice cultivation season has been sown, B. V. R.
Punyawardena, agro-climatologist at Sri Lanka’s Department of Agriculture said."During
my career of 20 years, I have not experienced this kind of bad season,"
Punyawardena said.
At a network of about 14,500 minor
tanks, water was enough for about 10 percent of the cultivation, Punyawardena
said.Sri Lanka’s Yala, minor irrigation season which has just ended, where
about 500,000 hectares of crop can be grown, only around 394,000 hectares were
sown this year, according to official data.Due to a weak crop, carry over
stores of rice had also diminished, Punyawardena said. After March there rice
stocks will tighten.Growing less rice - a water intensive crop grown in
inundation conditions - is the correct market response to a drought by farmers,
economists say.Already rice prices have moved up, with the market responding
quickly to tighter supply conditions and the expected future outlook.In a
country where citizens are free, are markets are allowed to work, spiking rice
prices can conserve domestic stocks, prompt imports and also move more people
into alternative cereals like wheat or potatoes, automatically nipping in the
bud any ‘food crisis’.In Sri Lanka, due to economic nationalism there is no
free trade in rice.
Imports of close substitutes like
wheat are also taxed to force people to eat rice in a vicious nationalist
policy, undermining the food freedoms of the poorest, and making the hungry
subservient to the farming and rice milling lobby, liberty advocates have
pointed out.Maize is also protected with taxes to increase profits of vested
interests, pushing up chicken prices and worsening protein malnutrition among
kids of poor families, critics say. Milk prices are also high due to a
self-sufficiency drive. Cheese is a super luxury good.There is also a
land-owner lobby who rent land to growers, who are constantly pushing for
higher potato import taxes.
Punyawardena said agricultural
officers warned farmers early in the season to sow short maturing varieties and
to switch to alternative crops that require less water.But farmers do not
always listen. Farmers some rice to keep in their houses as ‘food security’.
Due to long standing attitudes they do not trust modern weather warnings.Punyawardena
said farmers continue to believe that rains will come.However at the moment
authorities were grappling with supplying sufficient drinking water which was a
priority, and there were even doubts whether water could be supplied to crops
that were already sown.
Ravi Chandrapala, head of Sri
Lanka’s Meteorological Department said, unless there was a cyclone near Sri
Lanka in the next two weeks, dry weather would continue.Statistically, about 85
percent of the time, rains came for the Maha season, Chandrapala said, showing
why farmers may also have faith in the rains based on probability.Weather
conditions related to a weak ‘La Nina’ conditions have also hit rice production
in Vietnam, where exports are down 26 percent in the first 11 months of the
year.Rainfall had become more erratic in recent years in Sri Lanka with large
volumes coming in a short time leaving longer periods with little or no rain
creating droughts through annual total rainfall has not diminished, Chandrapala
said.
This has been linked to man-made
‘climate change’ earlier known as ‘global warming’ which has been linked to
emission of carbon dioxide, a gas that makes plants grow and sustains life on
earth. The label changed over the years an apparent ‘hiatus’ in global warming
over the last decade or so.A crop failure which should only create a financial
crisis for farmers in a free country. But in a country like Sri Lanka it can
lead to a ‘food crisis’ unless rulers relax economic nationalism and allow the
hungry to import food at reasonable prices."We have a serious problem in
the agriculture," Punyawardena said. "We will have a food crisis,
unless we import."
Sri Lanka’s government has said it
will import some rice as domestic prices spiked. International prices could
also move up, with variable La Nina conditions.In a free country, the decision
on whether to import a particular food is not made by the state and rulers but
by citizens who signal to importers through higher prices.In Sri Lanka with
restrictions on rice imports, state agencies which are hit by regular
corruption scandals like Lanka Sathosa (previously the Co-operative Wholesale
Establishment) import rice with special privileges in some case, leaving room
for irregularities.Sri Lanka’s rice crop is failing after a bumper harvest in
the 2015/2016 cropping season when some farmers found it difficult to sell rice
at a good profit.
Due to long-running autarkic
polices aimed at self-sufficiency, prices collapse in Sri Lanka when there is a
bumper harvest leaving farmers in trouble, whereas in a country that had an
internationalist outward looking farming community, it would boost foreign
exchange earnings.In countries like Vietnam, Pakistan or Thailand, export go up
when there are bumper harvests giving extra or stable income for farmers, but
in Sri Lanka farmers get into financial difficulties even when there is
favourable or unfavourable weather, as a result of economic nationalism.Years
of autarky has resulted in farmers growing rice varieties which cannot be
traded internationally and processing by millers is below par, and leaving a
bad odour when cooked.
Due to years of protectionism, cost
of rice production in many areas is also higher than in some rice producing
countries where yields are higher. In the East of Sri Lanka, rice production is
more efficient.Similar problems exist with potato and large onion cultivation
in Sri Lanka, which also cannot be exported during harvests due to high-cost
coming from years of protection and pursuit of self-sufficiency.
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=157383
A look back at the legacy left behind by Junaid Jamshed
By Ayesha Shaikh
Articulate, insightful,
intelligent and – despite the criticism often directed his way – extremely
optimistic, was my initial perception of Junaid Jamshed when I first met him a
few months ago at the launch of Jazaa Foods, his FMCG enterprise.
His journey, from a pop music
icon with Vital Signs in the late 1980s, the change of heart and image that
brought him back into the spotlight as a religious scholar in the late 1990s,
to the dynamic businessman he is today, has been intriguing to say the least.
Given the increasingly diverse product launches that he brought to the market
recently, this was perhaps the ideal time to find out exactly what it is that
drives Jamshed.
He comes from a family of
decorated armed forces officers, a fact he shares with great pride; it was therefore
expected of him and his two brothers to follow suit. Weak eyesight kept him out
of the Air Force, so he joined the Pakistan Army, but once he began dabbling in
music, the rigours of army training became too time-consuming to handle.
He quit and enrolled at the
University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore in 1985, graduated as an
engineer and started his first job. That career switch, however, also turned
out to be temporary. When 'Dil Dil Pakistan' was released on August 14, 1987
and became a chartbuster, it propelled Jamshed and his band members Rohail
Hyatt and Shahzad Hasan to instant stardom. Pursuing a full-time engineering
job was no longer feasible and Jamshed plunged headlong into the world of pop
music, a first for anyone in his family. With a predominantly female fan
following,he made, what many considered, another surprising decision: he got
married at 26.
Upon learning this, I couldn’t
refrain myself from asking Jamshed – who's sitting across the sofa in a
tastefully decorated drawing room at his house in Karachi – what makes him take
such massive risks? He always takes a moment to gather his thoughts before
responding, “I grew up wanting to be an F-16 pilot; studied premedical in
school; enrolled at an engineering university; pursued my passion for music and
later gave it all up in my quest to be a better Muslim. I also had a family to
support and that prompted me to look for ways I could earn a halal living which
led to my first foray into business.”
Before I could ask why he chose
to start a clothing business, he says that his extensive travels during his
Vital Signs days exposed him to the latest fashion trends from across the
world. Since looking good constituted a major part of his image and there was a
dearth of local designers, he often ended up designing his own clothes. Relying
on his sense of fashion and “instinctively knowing what looks good,"
encouraged him to try his hand at fashion design.
A survey of local markets made it
evident that there were no quality options available for people who wanted to
wear a smartly-cut and tailored shalwar kameez. As he was undergoing a personal
metamorphosis during this time and was in the process of changing his wardrobe,
he felt the absence of a shalwar kameez brand even more acutely.
As soon as an opportunity came
his way a few years later, Jamshed instantly decided to act upon it without
delay (his signature personality trait). Along with his partner Sohail Hamid
Khan, J. was launched in 2000, with the idea of creating custom-made khaddi
shalwar kameez suits for men. The design philosophy for J. was simple; his own
sense of style reflected in every article the brand designed. The risk began
paying dividends and within a few years, J. expanded its portfolio to include a
women’s line as well, supplemented by the launch of Almirah, a high-end
ensemble brand. Initially, his involvement with both brands was extensive, with
each design and print personally reviewed and approved. However, given the
rapid expansion that J. experienced, professional textile designers were hired
and Jamshed’s role became more strategic in nature. He is quick to point out
that the one thing every J. store will always have are clothes in earth tones
and whites, as these are the shades that appeal to him the most.
Expecting to be sermonised, I
hesitantly asked whether the thought had crossed his mind that going into
women’s clothing or any other business for that matter, would raise eyebrows
about it clashing with his ‘religious’ persona. He smiles and reminds me that
“people often forget that our Holy Prophet (PBUH) was a very skilled and
accomplished tradesman. Islam does not prohibit engaging in business, as long
as it does not violate its tenets.”
Muslim women and halal make-up
Audio excerpt from interview with
JJ, conducted on September 2016
In fact, he attributes his
unprecedented success to implementing Islamic principles within each one of his
businesses; a case in point was the Returns and Exchange Policy and loyalty
card schemes that J. initiated. In his opinion, these policy decisions gave
instant credibility to the brand, which in turn led to customer loyalty and
retention.
What I find interesting is that
despite never having studied marketing, Jamshed seems to have a flair for
transforming a ‘Big Idea’ into a lucrative product that resonates with the
target audience. He invested in Meat One, the first time a halal, packaged
premium-quality meat brand was launched in Pakistan, believing that if people
are given the option of buying hygienic meat, they will do so. This year alone,
with an unrelenting focus on quality and innovation, he entered the food
business by launching Jazaa rice, the cosmetic industry with halal makeup, and
the personal grooming category with J. Fragrances.
Reminiscing, he says it was his
mentor, Shoaib Mansoor, who instilled in him the importance of delivering value
to people and keeping them engaged; not only in terms of his fans during his
music days, but the team responsible for putting his shows together as well. He
seems to have carried those values with him. Perhaps that is why he commands
unquestioned loyalty and respect from the people he works with; in his absence
(as I discovered when dealing with his team) he is reverentially and fondly
referred to as ‘Sir JJ’.
As our hour-long conversation
draws to a close, I brought up the media backlash he and his family had to face
when a few of his controversial statements came to light. Fully prepared for an
evasion, the directness of the response left me surprised.
“I have, like most other people,
made mistakes. I have also, unlike most, sincerely apologised and repented. My
family has remained my strongest support, personally and professionally.”
Irrespective of his personal or
religious views, the popularity of J. which has transcended geographical
boundaries, and the unexpected success (in the local and international market)
that Jazaa rice, J. Fragrances and Meat One have achieved are testament to the
fact that Jamshed’s success deserves recognition. Given his indefatigable
optimism, market foresight and risk-taking nature, no one should be surprised,
if in the coming months, we come across yet another innovation from ‘JJ’.
A miracle rice that saved India
A miracle
rice that saved India
Today Indians are forcibly standing in queues as cash is rationed;
60 years ago Indians were also standing in queues as food was rationed.Staple
food like rice and wheat was in short supply; people had to stand in serpentine
queues to buy a few kilograms of food grains. Life indeed was tough.In fact
most of Asia was on the brink of starvation in the 1950s, then came a miracle
plant developed by scientists at the International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI) in the Philippines that experts say “changed the world”.
This small rice plant called IR-8 doubled the yields and it led to
a farming revolution that saved millions of lives.
After the World War II and the horrible great Bengal famine that
killed nearly 2-3 million people, a miracle was required to save the lives of
starving Indians. Then came this blade of new grass that helped slowly propel
India into a new era of food self-sufficiency.Rice in the 1950s was a tall
plant that gave few grains and was very prone to lodging or falling over and
hence a lot of grain used to get spoilt. The need was to have a short robust
plant that had many tillers or grain bearing stems.
Scientists at IRRI married two strains of rice one from Indonesia
and one from Taiwan and thus was born a plant that saved the world called
‘IR-8’.Gurdev Khush, a plant geneticist and till recently the chief rice
breeder at IRRI, who played a huge role in making IR-8 the ‘miracle plant’ says
usual plant breeding offered incremental small one to two per cent increases in
yield but IR-8 offered an astronomical doubling of the yield.
According to IRRI, “The IR8 was the first offspring of these
intense breeding efforts. It was a semi-dwarf rice and was the result of a
cross between Peta, a tall vigorous variety, and Dee-geo-woo-gen, a dwarf variety.”M
S Swaminathan, dubbed as the father of the Indian green revolution and former
director general of IRRI, says, “IR made global history as the yield ceiling
was broken,” adding it is the Indian farmers who were the real saviour as they
were always willing to learn and adapt to new technologies.This ‘miracle rice’
were widely distributed free of cost. The plant was immediately lapped up by
the farmers in East Asia
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-a-miracle-rice-that-saved-india-2284285
150,000 tons of paddy to private
millers to stabilise rice prices: PMB
The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB)
is to release some 150,000 metric tonnes of paddy stocks to private rice
millers from tomorrow, as an immediate remedy to bring down the price of rice
for the festive season, PMB Chairman, M.B. Dissanayaka said.“We will sell the
paddy at higher prices than what we purchased at from the farmers,” Mr
Dissanayaka told the Sunday Times .He said that, initially, paddy
stocks would be distributed to small and medium scale rice millers, and later,
to wholesale millers in every district.
The move came as a measure to
maintain steady rice prices in the markets where prices have risen
significantly.Meanwhile, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said the Cabinet
this week approved to import 300,000 metric tonnes of rice as a buffer stock.
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/161218/news/150000-tons-of-paddy-to-private-millers-to-stabilise-rice-prices-pmb-221166.html
Eat local to avoid plastic rice - Ninja Man
December 17, 2016
the recent plastic rice health scare, iconic
dancehall artiste Ninja Man is calling on the Jamaican Government to seriously
promote The Eat What You Grow campaign.“Go back to farming. The youths want
work. See now dem a give wi plastic rice and cabbage. The youths want something
to do and look how much waste land deh a Jamaica. We have the best land
and soil that don’t even need fertiliser so why aren't we farming?” Ninja Man
questioned.His comments followed reports that plastic rice has been discovered
in Jamaica. Jamaica Customs temporarily imposed a ban on the clearing
of rice imports this week and the Bureau of Standards said it had engaged in a
major operation to test rice islandwide. There has so far been no evidence of
plastic rice being in the island but so Jamaicans appear convinced that a main
staple in their daily meals has been contaminated.
Norman Grant, president of the
Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), said Ninja Man's comments represents
an endorsement of the Eat What You Grow campaign and underscores a recognition
that eating locally produced is the best option.
"The JAS and the country's
250,000 farmers are ecstatic at the endorsement from Ninja Man," Grant
said.He said that Jamaicans should consider replacing importing rice in their
diet with starches like yam, cassava, banana and potatoes."I am glad that
Ninja Man is on. We want ninja Man to get vocal and eat local. We want all the
superstars to get vocal and eat local. I want to call on people like Usain
Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels.... to get
vocal and eat local," Grant said.
"I want the entertainment
industry to talk about it, I want them to sing about it. I want them to salute
the great work of the 250,000 farmers," he added."I want to hear
Carlene Davis, Papa San, Ninja Man, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man talk about
it," Grant said of the grow what you eat campaign
http://jamaica-star.com/article/entertainment/20161217/eat-local-avoid-plastic-rice-ninja-man
Are entrenched
forces trumping pro-people Cabinet members?
Marlen V. Ronquillo
WE small farmers have to admit this. QR, or quantitative
restrictions, on rice imports, is an issue that is debatable up to the ends of
the earth. If you are against the lifting of QR next year–which I am–I can
argue that we, small farmers, need any kind of win, even token ones, and the
fight to retain QR on rice imports is worth the effort and the time.The
pro-lifting faction of the debate will slap me with this fact. At an allowable
MAV (minimum access volume) of 850,000 metric tons a year—the fault of the
previous government—retaining the QR would be a worthless victory. With a
mandatory importation of 850,000 MT of rice a year, the QR does not serve any
purpose at all– except maybe to demonstrate that the government stands for
small rice farmers and would not allow the reckless importation of rice, which
would take place with the lifting of the QR.
The pro-lifting side—mostly commercial rice importers and
profiteers with backing from the NEDA—have this argument: rice economics says
that we produce rice at such a high cost that we can’t compete with Thailand
and Vietnam, the region’s most prodigious rice producers, and also the two
countries that supply us with most of our imported rice. So, there is really no
sense in negotiating for the extension of the QR, which will lapse next year.
We can’t compete, they repeat, no matter what.
On voice timbre and decibel, very few can beat the powerful voice
of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol. But the power of his voice cannot seem to
rise above the arguments of the technocrats in Mr. Duterte’s Cabinet. The
secretary, arguing on our behalf, has been telling them that QR is important
and has to be extended. It is one thing to have a large MAV. But an open season
and an open port for rice importation would be disastrous for small rice
farmers, he said, in his passionate defense of the need for a QR extension.
That is true. Once the QR is lifted, and the ports are clear to
accept any and all volume of rice imports, the last line of defense against
reckless rice imports would be gone. The dream of small farmers to produce at
least 90 percent of the country’s rice needs with government support would
vanish. Mr. Piñol, more than anything else, is concerned that the QR would
relegate the country to a permanent rice importer status, the farmers (and the
proud rice-producing tradition) be damned. The squandering of the opportunity
to make us, the small farmers, productive and proud.
What if rough weather were to make Thai and Vietnamese rice
production crash and burn? Where will we get our supply of the staple food? And
at what cost?
Mr. Piñol’s arguments are grounded in reality. And his fear of a
weather-induced drop in the regional rice production has solid basis. Better to
help the rice farmers (the funds for supervised food programs have been
promised by Mr. Duterte, anyway) than to plunge on clueless into the unknown.
Still, Mr. Piñol and the small farmers have been losing in the
debate.
Manny’s neighbor at the Elliptical Road, Mr. Mariano of the
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), sad to say, is also losing the big policy
debate over land conversion, a double tragedy for agriculture and small farmers
.
Ka Paeng, by which Mr. Mariano is popularly known, has proposed a
halt to land conversion, which is the right policy to adopt, instead of the
reckless practice of real estate developers using prime agricultural lands for
housing and subdivision projects. The real estate people have been able to get
away with murder because there are so many loopholes to exploit, especially
with the LGUs having been given the power to make decisions on land
conversions.
Ka Paeng wants the ban to be a national policy.
The real estate sector, the sector where the players are the
wealthiest dollar billionaires, multi-millionaires and plain hucksters, have
led the opposition to land conversion. Mr. Pernia, invoking voodoo economics,
provides the supposed economic justification against the moratorium on land
conversion.
And the winners are predictable. Mr. Pernia and his bunch of
billionaires. I am a small farmer and my economics cannot even distinguish between
Samuelson and Krugman (the progressives) and Taylor and Cochrane (the
conservatives). How can we argue against the multi-degreed Mr. Pernia? To
support Ka Paeng, who made his name marching on the streets and not on getting
multiple degrees in macro and micro.
And their victory is a national tragedy.
The Philippines is short of arable, prime rice lands to begin
with. The maximum that can be developed for full-time, year-round irrigated
production is only 3.5 million hectares. The developed area is less than 2
million hectares, 1.5 million hectares by our count. In terms of rice culture,
no country can beat the Filipino farmer. But we are short on land, and
government support for rice production was practically zero under Mr. Aquino.
Vietnam, in contrast, has 5 million hectares of prime lands for
rice production with full-year irrigation. Thailand has around 9 million
hectares. And government support is a year-round thing and an inspired one.
Mr. Duterte should come to the aid of the pro-people and pro-poor
members of the Cabinet to change the outcome of the debate. After all, his
government is supposedly about that–coming to the rescue of small people
http://www.manilatimes.net/entrenched-forces-trumping-pro-people-cabinet-members/302351/
Time to return NIA, PCA, FPA, and
NFA to the Department of Agriculture
Published December 17, 2016, 10:00 PM
By Dr. Emil Q. Javier
It is time to make the
Department of Agriculture (DA) whole again. The four agencies namely, the
National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the Philippine Coconut Authority
(PCA), the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) and the National Food
Authority (NFA) are: policy-wise and operationally, integral part of the
agriculture sector. It does not make sense to create a mini-department of
agriculture in the office of the President.Take the case of the NIA: Among the
inputs required to make crop agriculture productive in the humid tropics where
we are located, the most vital is the timely availability of water.
For the last 60 years we have
invested close to R686 billion in the development of 1.71 million hectares of
irrigation and drainage systems. However, we have not been able to benefit in
full measure from these previous investments.
The reported cropping intensity
of our irrigation systems is only 137 percent, a far cry from the design
objective of 200 percent. Instead of harvesting 3.42 million hectares of
irrigated crops per year at full utilization we are able to grow only 2.34
million hectares. The missing 1.06 million hectares had they been planted to
rice would have produced conservatively an additional volume of 4.24 million
tons of palay worth R68 billion per year.
The immediate priority therefore
for NIA, apart from constructing new irrigation systems, is how to recover the
R68 billion worth of unrealized income each year from underutilization of
irrigation facilities.
This would require: 1)
rehabilitation of run-down canal systems, 2) adoption of intensive rice farming
practices, 3) diversification into higher value crops like vegetables, fruits
and ornamentals, 4) mechanization and post- harvest processing, and 5)
provision of extension and marketing support services.
These expertise and support
services reside in the other agencies of the DA, namely, the Philippine Rice
Research Institute (PhilRice), the Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI),
the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), the Agricultural Training
Institute (ATI [extension]) and the DA Marketing Services Unit.
Clearly for more seamless
coordination, NIA is better placed under the direct supervision of the
Secretary of Agriculture.The same is true with the Philippine Coconut Authority
(PCA). The most pressing problems of coconut farmers are: 1) low nut
productivity mainly for lack of proper fertilization and culture, and 2) the
availability of good seeds to replant the hundreds of millions of senile palm
trees. Moreover, the coconut farmers will realize more income if they
interplant coffee, cacao, bananas, papaya, pineapple, etc. with their coconut
and engage in village-level processing and conversion of different parts of the
coconut into more valuable by-products.
In the same manner the needed
expertise and support services reside mainly in the other agencies of the DA.
The PCA will therefore be more effective in helping coconut farmers with the
collaboration and support from the rest of the DA family.
For fertilizers and pesticides,
their regulation and commerce have health and environment implications. A case
can be made for the affiliation of FPA with the Department of Health (DOH) or
the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Still, given that agriculture is
the economic sector with the most interest in the research, development and
commercialization of these inputs, DA is the more logical home for FPA.
For the National Food Authority,
should its mandate be amended solely to focus on maintenance of grain buffer
stocks for emergency purposes, and not anymore for market support, NFA could be
retained in the office of the President, or alternatively under the Department
of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) or the Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD). In the meantime while NFA is still accountable for
market support it is better located under the DA umbrella.
Creation of a separateDepartment
of Fisheriesand Marine Resources
This bring us to the long
standing proposal of creating a separate Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
The rationale of former President B.S. Aquino for carving out NIA, PCA, FPA and
NFA from the DA was to lessen the burden on the shoulders of the Secretary of
Agriculture so he could address better the needs both of small farmers and
fisherfolk.
Indeed, we have so much
unrealized potential in the management, utilization and conservation of our
aquatic resources. Unfortunately, crops and livestock invariably preoccupy the
attention of previous Secretaries of Agriculture to the neglect of fisheries and
marine resources.
With our productive inland
waters, very long coastline next only to Indonesia and our vast marine
fisheries resources, the fisheries sector can contribute much more if given the
needed dedicated attention and necessary investments.
****
Dr. Emil Q. Javier is a Member of
the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and also Chair of the
Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP).
For any feedback, email
eqjavier@yahoo.com.
CSC
introduces road transport of gunny bags to rice millers
Civil Supplies Commissioner C.V. Anand, IPS, who was paying
special attention for recovery of gunny bags lying with rice-millers for
several years, also introduced a new system in transportation of new gunny bags
resulted in the saving of Rs 8 crore to Rs 10 crore per year. Earlier,
new gunny bags used to be transported by rail from Kolkata to the State.
Requirement of new gunny bags for Kharif and Rabi seasons put together was
estimated at nine crore gunnies. Rail transport used to take a lot of time and
caused inordinate delay in loading and unloading by hamalis before it reached
the destination. By adopting new road transportation system, time delays are
drastically cut by 75% and it used to cost Rs 1590 per bale (500 gunny bags) by
rail. Now by road transport, it will to cost only Rs 1000 to 1100 per bale
saving Rs 1.40 lakh on transport of 1.5 lakh bales during Kharif season. The
gunnies already moved by the road from Kolkota to all the districts of
Telangana resulted in net saving of Re 1 per one gunny. Therefore, the total
saving on eight crore gunnies will be Rs 8 crore per year. The Commissioner has
informed that the Civil Supplies Corporation has decided to move the remaining
7.50 crore gunnies also by road in view of savings.
The Civil Supplies Department has decided to
purchase four lakh MT of “Doddu-Biyyam” (coarse rice) from the rice millers to
meet the requirement of PDS in the State. It was agreed to purchase @ Rs 2400
per quintal, with an understanding that the Corporation shall bear the cost of
two gunnies costing Rs 106 as the said proposition may lead to financial loss
to the Corporation, the Commissioner held discussions with the rice millers
again and convinced them that they can utilize two gunnies already lying with
them under CMR accounts for delivering “Doddu Biyyam”. This has resulted in a
saving of Rs.13.27 crore to the government and at the same time the gunnies
lying with the millers will reach Civil Supplies Corporation from time to time.
Commissioner C.V. Anand also initiated steps to
recover Rs 66 crore from gunny bags stagnated in rice mills since a long time.
It is the good old practice of corporation to provide bags to millers for
sending the procured paddy for CMR. Millers will send back the rice after
milling in the same bags (2:1 ratio) keeping the bags with them. The millers
were keeping the remaining bags with them though it was mandatory to send back
the remaining bags accumulated at their mills, which resulted in stagnation of
onetime used bag and Rs 8.50 for twice used. The amount for non-returned gunny
bags is calculated at Rs.66 crore and steps are being taken to collect the
money.
The Commissioner has directed the officials to
collect the amounts by preparing detailed lists of the millers from whom the
bags were due. This proposal was approved by the governing council at its
meeting. (NSS)http://www.siasat.com/news/csc-introduces-road-transport-gunny-bags-rice-millers-1089214/
Government
urged to hike tariff on rice imports
-
DECEMBER 18, 2016
THE government should raise taxes
and customs duties if it really wants to lift the quantitative restriction (QR)
on rice, which is set to expire next year, Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo of Pampanga said.The former president, who backed the proposed lifting
of the rice QR, said the revenues collected from taxes and customs duties can
be used to assist rice farmers.
“I am for lifting [the QR]. I
think lifting would be more sound. But we have to raise taxes and custom duties
and then they can earmark the increase in tax collection to the promotion of rice
industry,” Arroyo told the BusinessMirror.Earlier, an official of the National
Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said the agency would recommend to
the President a tariff ranging from 40 percent to 50 percent for rice imports
once the QR is lifted.
Rep. Josephine Y. Ramirez-Sato of
the Lone District of Occidental Mindoro, a vice chairman of the House Committee
on Economic Affairs, said the government’s economic managers should make up its
mind whether it would seek an extension of the rice import quota.
Also, Sato said amending Republic
Act (RA) 8178, which retained the QR on rice, must be a priority of the current
administration if it plans to extend the nontariff trade barrier as it will
expire on June 30, 2017.
Nacionalista Party Rep. Luis
Raymund F. Villafuerte Jr. of Camarines Sur said in a statement that the
Duterte administration should help palay farmers boost their yields and cut
production cost first before scrapping rice-import quotas.If the QR is finally
lifted, Villafuerte said, “palay farmers will be at the losing end” because
their produce cannot compete with cheaper rice imports.
“Is there any guarantee that the
entry of cheap rice imports would lower the price of rice in the market? The
government should provide safety nets to our farmers by, among others, helping
them cut production, as well as distribution, costs and other postharvest
expenses,” he added.
One way to help farmers,
Villafuerte said, is to abolish irrigation fees and restructure the unpaid ones
to make it easier for farmers to pay off their debts, while keeping the high
tariffs on rice imports.
Sato agreed with Villafuerte,
saying the extension of the rice-import quota is “a must” for farmers.The
government must also step up its efforts to roll out a program to help rice
farmers, considering that the rice QR would expire in six months, she said.
“If they are going to seek an
extension of the rice-import quota, I suggest they do it now. If not, they
should come up with a concrete plan and put in place programs that will shield
our farmers from cheap, imported rice flooding the market with the lifting of
the rice-import quota,” Sato said.
The lawmaker said the government
should deviate from the business-as-usual mode and put in place more safety
nets for farmers, particularly those with small landholdings.
She said direct support to
farmers in the form of seedlings and fertilizer subsidies; free irrigation;
capacity-building programs and training to improve production, packaging of
rice products; and access to emerging market chains are essential.
The government, she said, should
also construct more postharvest facilities, which include dryers, milling and
storage “We should ensure better yield and increase farmers’ incomes,” Sato
added.
According to her, governments
from where the Philippines import their rice provide subsidy to their farmers,
enabling them to produce quality rice at cheaper cost.While consumers would
generally benefit from cheaper rice imports, she said local farmers would not
be able to compete against their counterparts in neighboring countries because
of the high cost of production.
Destruction caused by flood and
typhoons, she added, aggravates the situation of small farmers with limited
capital.Sato said she is worried that the lifting of the QR on rice would force
farmers to shift to planting other crops, or worse, give up farming.“The
unrestricted or unregulated importation of rice would not only affect farmers,
but would also slow down agricultural production, affecting the country’s
economic growth,” she said.
“By now, the Department of
Agriculture [DA] should have a plan; put more safety nets that would shield our
farmers from this looming crisis,” Sato added. Sato said the DA should come up
with ways to make the business of rice farming more profitable.Upon the
Philippines’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the country was
allowed to impose the QR on rice for 10 years. When it expired in 2004, the
Philippines was able to extend it until 2012. Manila obtained another extension
in 2014
Researchers
promise better seedlings for Kenya rice farmers
By Munene Kamau
Updated Mon, December 19th 2016 at 00:00
A section of a
rice research plot in Mwea, Kirinyaga County where production of the crop is
set to double per acre after introduction of a new farming technology. KAMAU/STANDARD
Kenyan rice farmers can now access the finest seed varieties in the world
thanks to a collaboration between the country's researchers and international
agencies. According to John Kimani, the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock
Research Organisation (Kalro) Mwea director, closer collaboration with the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) of the Philippines and other stake
holders in the sector will ease farmers' access to the best rice varieties from
all over the world.
He said this
would help mitigate the country's rice production deficit. Kenya produces
146,000 metric tonnes per year against the consumption requirement of 548,000
metric tonnes. "You can see a huge gap, which calls for imports, which
cost the Government over Sh8 billion every year," said Dr Kimani. He
however said there were challenges in the uptake of the varieties and
satisfying demand, arguing that the crop had been neglected by researchers for
a long time. "This is an area we are looking at; rice used to be an
orphaned crop with little research going on but now co-operation has
enabled the development of the National Rice Development Strategy spearheading
rice research for the 23 Coalition for Africa Rice Development member
countries," he said. The researcher thanked the national government for a
subsidy arrangement that allows farmers who buy certified rice seeds to use the
receipts to access subsidised fertilisers. Abdelbagi Ismail, the principal
scientist for the Crop and Environmental Sciences Division of IRRI, said the
organisation was working on developing rice varieties that can tolerate local
conditions. He said IRRI has been working to bring rice production in Africa to
the same level as Asia.
superstrains of rice that will feed a
changing world
Y YOU SHOULD CARE
Because this is a mission to make sure a 10 billion-strong globe
has enough food on its plate.
“I’m Swamp Girl,” says Indrastuti Rumanti, a bubbly scientist
with the Indonesian Center for Rice Research. She’s just ducked out of a
lengthy meeting with her fellow rice-heads here in Bogor, but the conference
room is not Rumanti’s preferred habitat: She’d rather be mucking about in
experimental rice paddies. “Farmers in those areas are more traditional, still
very pure and have a big dedication to their land,” she says. “I would like to
help them.” Her other goal? Feeding Asia.
How those small farmers harvest their swamps will have a global
ripple effect. Rumanti and other scientists are at the forefront of a new
revolution in rice, developing breeds designed to feed an ever-hungrier
population that’s expected to hit 10 billion by 2060. They are the intellectual
heirs of scientists in the first Green Revolution
RUMANTI AND OTHER SCIENTISTS BREED BETTER RICE PLANTS,
GENERATION BY GENERATION.
Rice is the most important staple on the planet, providing more
calories than any other food, including wheat, sugar and corn. And nowhere is
rice more crucial to the human diet than in Asia, where 520 million people get
more than half their daily calories from the grain. It’s not a lucrative crop,
though, like biofuel-friendly corn or sugar cane, so corporations don’t plow
big money into research. The renowned International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI) in the Philippines — crucible of the Green Revolution — was established
as a nonprofit in 1960s by the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations. These days
it’s funded primarily by national governments as well as philanthropic
organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. IRRI’s director
general, Matthew Morell, is at work on a dizzying array of projects to study
the impacts of rice while developing new technologies. THINK OUTSIDE THE INBOX
Get the important stories, told nowhere else.
Take Bangladesh, for example, the rice-reliant nation of 156
million on the northeastern shoulder of India. Every year cyclones sweep
across the Bay of Bengal and poison the country’s low-lying rice fields with
intruding saltwater. Sea levels elevated by global warming are making the
problem worse, so the IRRI is hard at work trying to develop a rice strain
that can withstand increased salinity. Elsewhere, researchers are encouraging
Indonesian palm oil farmers to plant rice alongside their trees for the first
three years until the shade kills off the cereal understory. In Africa, the
IRRI has introduced 15 hybrid strains of rice that are specially designed to
withstand the withering heat of Kenya and Tanzania.
Morell is quick to note that the IRRI’s innovations come from
traditional crossbreeding, not genetic modification. Genetically modified
organisms, or GMOs, have been around since the 1990s and are planted on 11
percent of the globe’s croplands, including half of America’s. Nevertheless,
concerns over their safety and environmental impact have blocked their use in
Europe and Africa. Instead, Rumanti and other scientists breed better rice
plants, generation by generation. “We’re looking for natural variation, which
gives resistance or tolerance to high levels of salinity,” Morell says, “but
also looking at ways we can combine salinity tolerance with drought tolerance,
with flood tolerance, with disease tolerance.”
Some experts claim that biotech is
not needed to win the race between food production and population growth.
Jonathan Foley, executive director of the California Academy of Scientists and
a global ecologist, notes that humans consume only 35 out of every 100
calories we grow. The rest is wasted, lost to spoilage or goes to biofuels and
animals. Reducing inefficiencies in the food supply chain may not be a “sexy”
solution, as he calls it, but it might be enough to stave off hunger. “We
don’t need GMOs or a lot of fancy tech” to feed the world, Foley maintains.
“That’s just misdirection. We already grow enough food to feed nine or 10
billion people.”
In fact, for many developing nations, the problem is not a lack
of calories — it’s the kind of calories that are being consumed. According to
UNICEF, nearly a quarter of the world’s children under the age of 5 have
stunted growth due to poor diets. Here, rice actually can be a culprit, with white rice targeted
as a potential cause of diabetes. Papua New Guinea and other developing
nations increasingly fortify rice with vitamins and minerals to address the
malnutrition issue.
As climate scientists and world leaders work on reducing
heat-trapping carbon emissions, Rumanti and her fellow travelers in the
rice-improvement movement keep their hands in the earth and their feet in the
swamps, fine-tuning a humble but vital grain. “We can’t control the climate,”
Rumanti says. “We can’t control the soil condition. We just try to deal with
them.
http://www.ozy.com/fast-forward/superstrains-of-rice-that-will-feed-a-changing-world/74145
Entrepreneur hosts researchers
in Mwea as they study rice varieties
Dec. 19, 2016, 2:00 am
Rice harvesting rice in Mwea./FILE
A team of 18 agriculture experts are in Kenya
for three days to conduct a research on improving the rice varieties grown in
Mwea to advise on enhancement of food security.The researchers are being
hosted by entrepreneur Charles Njiru at the Mwea Nice City. Their research on
new varieties will help curb shortages and improve food security.International
Research Institute scientist Abdelbagi Ismail said the new variety will
increase accessibility of rice grown in Kenya to international markets.
Rice Starch Market Research
Report Now Available at Research Corridor
December 19, 2016 | by siemo n |
Research Corridor has published a new research study titled “Rice Starch
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Rice Starch Market research report provides a 360-degree view of the Rice
Starch industry with geographic segmentation, statistical forecast and the
competitive landscape.
Geographically, the Rice Starch Market report
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regions into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW).
The RoW segment consists Latin America and the Middle East & Africa. The
Rice Starch market has been extensively analyzed on the basis of various
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The research report also provides a
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The Rice Starch industry report concludes with the Company Profiles section
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A Taste Of ‘Legendary’
Hospitality
Legend says that when the galleon trade was at its peak, a ship
from the Middle East sailed the Seven Seas, laden with exotic herbs, spices,
tobacco and textiles. The ship was named Huma, captained by a flamboyant
sailor named Ibrahim . Well known for his penchant for adventure,
and his collection of rare and exquisite treasures from his travels, he was
the most popular ship captain in the routes connecting Asia to the Middle
East.
On a dangerous voyage from India, the ship and its captain
disappeared in the stormy seas, and down went all the luxurious goods, vintage
wines, rare spices and herbs. Some said the storm sank the ship, while
others said pirates captured the ship and killed everyone on board.
Huma Island Resort and Spa is a deluxe property located on a
remote islet in Busuanga, Palawan
Yet, there was also talk that a
shipwrecked traveler lived alone on an uninhabited islet in Palawan and
tribesman from the neighboring islands enjoyed visiting him because he would
share with them the valuable treasures and luxurious items he had. They knew
him as “a man of great means.” Because of his generosity, his islet was
always a center for celebrations, until he died. The man’s identity was
never established, but what is interesting is that the tribesmen who
befriended him have been calling the islet, Huma, the name of the once mighty
ship.
The present-day Huma Island
Resort and Spa is a 5-star de luxe property on a remote islet in Busuanga,
Palawan. Offering breathtaking views, a luxurious lifestyle and an
unspoiled underwater marine life, this private island resort prides itself
with being able to offer 64 over-water villas and 17 beach villas, each with
individual bathtubs and jacuzzis.
The property is an unparalleled
holiday destination because of its powdery white sand beaches and lush
rainforest landscape. The dozen sunken Japanese warships and planes within the
area have made it one of the best diving sites in the world.
The best way to get there is via
a private seaplane, which passengers can take from Manila Bay direct to the
resort. If they prefer to spend less on transportation, there are
commercial flights to Busuanga, from where they travel by land for 1.5 hour to
Sagrada Port, followed by a 30-minute boat ride to the resort.
The
husband-and-wife team who owns Huma Island Resort and Spa, Dr. Hamad
Al Tuwaijri and Louisa
Al Chaer , decided to expand the reach of their prized resort’s
hospitality by being able to offer simple, fresh and natural dishes to the
local clientele. This prompted them to invest in and open a chain of
Lebanese and Mediterranean restaurants in the country.
After the success of their first
culinary venture, the Al Fairuz Lebanese Cuisine in SM City Clark, they opened
recently their first fine dining restaurant in the country, the Huma
Mediterranean Cuisine in S Maison at Conrad Manila.
The new restaurant serves
healthy Mediterranean cuisine, using authentic and fresh spices prepared according
to age-old tradition by its culinary team of Lebanese chefs headed by
Executive Chef Elias Al Chaer , who is also
the owner’s son. Chef Elias has had 35 years of solid culinary
experience in various restaurants in the Middle East and Scandinavia, after
graduating from a culinary school in Lebanon. On opening day, the
restaurant served us, guests, a sample of their wide selection of delectable
items on their menu—Hummus (chickpeas, tahini, lemon and olive oil), Moutabal
(grilled eggplant, sesame seeds paste, tahini, lemon and olive oil), Batata
Harra (potatoes, red pepper, coriander, chili and garlic fried in olive oil),
WarahInab (rice mixed with vegetables, rolled, wrapped in vine leaves boiled
in water, salt spices, lemon and olive oil), and Musakhan Chicken (mixture of
minced chicken meat in tomato sauce and béchamel sauce).
From left: Louisa Al Chaer, Chef Elias Al Chaer, Honorary
Consul to Lebanon Joseph Assad and Department of Tourism Regional Director
Marie Venus Tan cutting the ceremonial ribbon at the opening of Huma
Mediterranean Cuisine
I also enjoyed the main course
of Ouzi Dajaj (baked chicken, basmati rice, pine nuts, Mediterranean spices)
and Fish Trabulsiye (grilled fish with Mediterranean spices).With the newly
opened restaurant gaining ground and on its way to another success story, the
owners have finalized plans for more of their Lebanese and Mediterranean
restaurants to open in SM Dasmarinas, SM Manila, SM BF Paranaque and SM
Cebu.
From the looks of it, Huma, the
galleon in the legend, never got lost. It just veered away temporarily from
its usual route but is now back on track, ready to share with us its exotic
brand of hospitality and cuisine.
For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com
Published:
19 December 2016
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