Pakistan, Malaysia working to reduce duties on tariff
lines
DECEMBER 23, 2016 BY
APP
Pakistan
and Malaysia are negotiating to further reduce duties on existing and
additional tariff lines under Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to facilitate
businesses of both countries, High Commissioner of Pakistan in Malaysia Syed
Hassan Raza said.According to a press statement received here, he was
addressing a seminar held in Kuala Lumpur on “Doing Business with Pakistan”,
jointly organised by Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE)
and High Commission of Pakistan, Malaysia.
Over
200 Malaysian companies and Pakistani businessmen attended the seminar. The
high commissioner highlighted the investment opportunities and trade potential
in Pakistan and informed the participants that there were numerous
opportunities for the companies in both countries, having FTA since 2008.
Current
trading basket by both countries was limited to Palm oil, fibre board, rubber
electrical and electronic equipment from Malaysia while from Pakistan main
items being exported were rice, maize, cotton, textile, vegetables.
Diversification of products was the key to boost trade between the two
countries, he added.
On
investments, he mentioned that present investment regime was the most liberal
in the region. Foreign equity could be 100pc owned by foreign investor and
there were no restriction on repatriation of profits/royalties, almost all
sectors were open for investment and one-window facilitation was some of the
highlights of new policy, he added.
He
said special incentives were available for auto sector investors under new Auto
Policy 2016-21. He emphasised that Pakistan was a stable, peaceful and would
welcome foreign investors who may visit any part of the country.
He
highlighted recent developments of economic cooperation between China-Pakistan
which has culminated in China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as part of One
Road One Belt initiative. It is as a game changer for the entire South and
Central Asia regions in terms of connectivity, access, reduction of distance
and time for movement of goods.
Earlier, Chief Executive Officer
(CEO), MATRADE, Dato’ Dzulkifli Mahmud highlighted the role of MATRADE in
promotion of bilateral investment and trade between Malaysia and Pakistan.
Mahmud highlighted the advantages of doing business with Pakistani companies
and said that both the countries have Malaysia-Pakistan Closer Economic
Partnership Agreement (MDCEPA) since 2007 which became operation in 2008.
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/blog/2016/12/23/pakistan-malaysia-working-to-reduce-duties-on-tariff-lines/
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Innovations
ratchet up rice production
Global rice production has increased enormously over
the past few decades, improving the world’s food security. At the same time,
the gains in production and resulting boost to the supply of rice have made the
commodity much cheaper and ultimately less profitable, particularly for small
farmers.
Thanks to more efficient machines and farming
methods, better irrigation systems and new, more resilient and higher yielding
varieties of rice, the major players — including China, India, Indonesia,
Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Japan — now produce more of the
primary staple with less cost in time and effort.
Production has increased substantially by almost 100m
tonnes in the last decade. This production of raw rice translates into roughly
498m tonnes of milled rice.
Innovative Chinese technology is now boosting rice
production in the country’s north-western and eastern regions. The
Chinese-developed programme introduced in these regions in 2006 has shown
improvement in yields, and the control of dangerous weeds, crop diseases,
destructive insects and climate effects.
It was announced in November that one of the world’s
most famous rice researchers, 86-year-old Yuan Longping, set a production
record when one variety managed to produce 1,538 kilograms of rice per mu. One
mu is equal to about 0.07 hectares.
Today, the global supply of rice is growing faster
than demand.
Speaking to China Daily Asia Weekly, Thomas Voon,
associate professor at Lingnan University’s department of economics in Hong
Kong, said that rice production is now ‘open to mechanisation.’
“Besides, many types of high-yielding and disease
resistant strains have been produced in recent decades. These are some of the
reasons why rice prices have not gone up in tandem with some other
commodities.”
Technology for rice plantation that saves water is
one example of such a breakthrough. In 2012, the Japanese government, through a
programme called the Rice-based and Market-oriented Agriculture Promotion
Project (RiceMAPP), introduced a water-saving technology that made rice fields
much more productive.
According to UN Water, a coordination platform for
freshwater-related issues, agriculture is the world’s biggest water user, with
irrigation accounting for 70pc of global water withdrawals.
The International Rice Research Institute estimates
that 35 to 45pc of all water used in irrigation goes to rice farming — around
1,000 cubic kilometres per year.
Water has traditionally been the most expensive input
in rice farming, and with increasing diseases and declining soil fertility,
paddy farming is proving unsustainable.
New technologies are helping cut down on how much
water goes into rice farming.
RiceMAPP’s research suggests that rice fields do not
need to be flooded with water every day to give better yields. The program
involves intermittent irrigation, where farmers are only required to irrigate
their rice paddies for three days before taking a break of seven days.
To ensure an even flow of water into the farm,
farmers are also trained to level their farms before planting seedlings. Rice
seedlings are transplanted to the fields at three weeks instead of the usual
five.
Farmers in various parts of Southeast Asia and Africa
are also learning a new rice farming method called the System of Rice
Intensification (SRI), introduced by the National Irrigation Board of Kenya in
partnership with AgSri, an agricultural innovation organisation from India.
Farmers have been working with SRI on ways to save
water, but the system is also providing a new seed variety that ensures
good-quality seedlings and increases the chances of higher yields.
Using the SRI methodology, farmers and agricultural
engineers have reported using just 5kg of seed per acre, about a quarter of the
seed used in traditional rice farming. There are around 2.5 acres in a hectare.
Another key difference is the method of planting. In
traditional paddy farming, seeds are planted directly under water. Using the
SRI method, seeds are placed on raised seedbeds, which are watered sparingly,
thus saving water.
Also, the method is faster, which can lead to more
crops. The new method requires between eight and 12 days for seed
transplantation compared to the 21 days required under more traditional
methods.
Joel Tanui, regional manager of the National
Irrigation Board of Kenya, expects the new method will more than double
production from 2 tonnes of rice per acre to more than 4 tonnes.
Not only is research into planting methods
facilitating more production but rice researchers and farmers are increasingly
open to working with more resilient varieties.
Rice-producing countries are looking into
climate-smart varieties that adapt to unfavourable environments. Climate-smart
rice is much more resilient.
These varieties can withstand the adverse effects and
growing number of environmental threats, including drought, flooding and
salinity, an increasing problem associated with rising sea levels.
A case in point is the Philippines, a big producer
but also one of the country’s most vulnerable to climate change, according to
Calixto Protacio, executive director of the Philippine Rice Research Institute
The
Lagos-Kebbi rice
By Abu Najakku | Publish Date: Dec 27 2016 8:02AM
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (right) with Kebbi State
Governor,
Kebbi is in the news again but this time it is not the story of
mass failure in school certificate examination, neither is it about placing
last in the national sports festival. It is positive news. It is about the
advent in the Lagos mass market of one of the newest brands of the outgoing
year popularly known as the Lake Rice.
Notwithstanding the imported brands they have always craved for, I
am sure that Lagosians will enjoy the taste of the Lake Rice. Lagos is a ready
market for almost every grain of rice that Kebbi can produce. There is no doubt
that President Muhammadu Buhari’s government will be well pleased with the Lake
Rice as a brilliant example of how to produce at home what we need and steer
clear of imported food. We may import tractors but certainly, we have no reason
to continue to buy foreign rice, considering that God has endowed us with such
fertile land. From time immemorial, rice
has been cultivated in the Fadama located all the way from Argungu to Yauri.
The Fadama is the black muddy soil that occurs mostly at the bank of the
tributaries of River Niger and very suitable for the cultivation of rice.
Lake Rice, contained in attractively branded blue and yellow sacks,
has come to be, through the productive memorandum of understanding between
Kebbi and Lagos states. Lake Rice is essentially rice cultivated in Kebbi,
milled and bagged in Imota, Lagos, for the eating pleasure of consumers in the
country’s commercial headquarters. Lake Rice, the stunning end result of the
Lagos-Kebbi partnership, reinforces the argument that federal government should
place or maintain ban on rice imports. Almost every family in Lagos tasted the
Lake Rice this Christmas. It provided
good alternative to imported expired rice piled up for several years in foreign
warehouses.
Rice has been cultivated in Kebbi for as long as one can remember;
actually, until a few years ago, tuwon shinkafa or mashed rice was the
commonest dinner among the people. Just about thirty years ago, upon harvest,
rice farmers could concede their farmlands to old women (‘yan share) to sweep
the residue for their own use. From the dregs alone, the old women were known
to have made several bags of rice for themselves. In those days, there was so
much rice that fura, a common meal, could be made entirely of the produce. But
gradually, the rice farmers abandoned their farms, came to town and began to
look for security; gardening and other jobs not only because cropping had
become laborious but also because they could no longer afford the inputs. Bakin
iri, Bayawure, Dan kyanga, Dan Musa, Jan iri, Mai adda, ‘Yar butuka, ‘Yar
kalgawa, etc. were all varieties of the rice farmed in Kebbi.
Nevertheless, indigenes of Kebbi have repeatedly said they are
unable to see and purchase Lake Rice in Birnin Kebbi or anywhere around the
state. It will appear then that the rice is customised for Lagos citizens only.
People need additional information about the Lake rice especially in terms of
figures: how many tonnes have been sold in Lagos? What is the worth of the deal
and who are the beneficiaries?
People are also demanding to know why the rice cannot be milled in
Kebbi and pushed to Lagos ready-made? They also ask: how long will the
collaboration last or has the venture come to stay? Is the supply of Lake Rice
to Lagos sustainable? What happens to the half a dozen states located between
Lagos and Kebbi whose citizens also yearn for the product?
There is no doubt that the people of Kebbi have hearkened to President
Muhammadu Buhari’s call on them to return to the farm and produce, rice, wheat,
etc. to help the country eliminate the need to import them. Clearly, the
country has a huge appetite for these commodities.
But thanks to the anchor borrowers’ programme launched by the
President in Birnin Kebbi in November 2015, many people have earnestly returned
to the farm. Stories abound in Kebbi now of how former thugs and professional
beggars have successfully farmed rice and made money for themselves. The anchor
borrowers’ programme targets small and medium sized farmers who are normally
given fertiliser, improved seeds, water pumps and farming advice by
agricultural extension workers. They are also given small amount of money to
service the water pumps and settle some incidentals. With the President’s
promise to devote more money to agriculture in the 2017 budget, there is every
possibility that production will at least double.
Whatever it is, Lake Rice has raised the profile and reputation of
Kebbi as a serious rice producing state. The Lagos-Kebbi food production and
supply template could be a model for other states to emulate and improve the
economic wellbeing of their citizens. It is a big plus for the agricultural
revolution that the All Progressives government at the centre wants to unleash.
If the Lake Rice venture succeeds, it will validate the President’s declaration
that we shall soon come out of recession and also diversify our economy using
agriculture. More so, at the end of every harvest, new lessons will have been
learnt about how to correct the observed lapses and maximise production.
The President is so elated with the Lake Rice phenomenon that he
was quoted as saying “what the two states (Lagos and Kebbi) have done is
evidence of a new base being laid for the Nigerian economy, founded and
propelled by agriculture, away from substantial dependence on oil and gas for
national revenue.”
The Lake Rice enterprise is an exciting and flamboyant
demonstration of how production meets consumption and the credit goes to
Governors Atiku Bagudu and Ambode Akinwumi and their people.\\http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/opinion/the-lagos-kebbi-rice/177824.html
2016 in review: Trouble for the rice industry
Submitted by Eleven on Mon, 12/26/2016 - 19:42
Writer: Nilar
Shifting rice prices has had a huge impact on the rice industry
in 2016.
The monsoon rice was priced at Ks350,000 (US$250) per 100 baskets, lower than last years price of Ks500,000.From April 1 to December 16, the country exported around 590,000 tonnes of rice compared with more than 700,000 tonnes last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce. The falling prices and trade volume are linked to rice surplus and lower demand.The rice market, which is heavily dependent on Chinese buyers, had been hit hard since China banned imports earlier this year, with farmers, rice millers and merchants all suffering losses.
China has yet to permit rice trading with Myanmar.Since China stopped importing,, last year’s rice remained in warehouses. When the new harvest hit the shelves, prices began falling due to the growing supply.The Ministry of Commerce made efforts to obtain rice export contracts with other nations.The Philippines has offered to make a government-to-government treaty to buy rice from Myanmar.
The country had exported around 60,000 tonnes rice to the EU and Africa every month, according to the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).Moreover, climate disorder has contributed to the problem. Untimely rain destroyed more than 16,000 acres of rice fields, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation’s figures on August 8.
In a bid to solve declining rice prices, the government planned to buy rice from farmers at an inflated price. The Ministry of Commerce asked for Ks15 billion from the state’s revolving fund in order to purchase rice from farmers at a responsible price.The move aimed to enable farmers to cover their production costs due to a decline in monsoon paddy prices. It could help increase demand, support the revival of rice market and benefit all those engaged in the supply chain system effectively.Myanmar Agribusiness Public Corporation, formed by the MRF, also planned to import dryers in order to provide dryer services at rice mills.
Under this plan, members of the MRF, exporters, and rice millers will buy rice from farmers, and the government will increase its rice export volume.
After a period of continuous fall, the rice price spiked to Ks500,000 per 100 baskets in November due to dollar appreciation. From April 1 to November 25 this financial year, the country earned over US$230 million on rice and broken rice exports, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
The monsoon rice was priced at Ks350,000 (US$250) per 100 baskets, lower than last years price of Ks500,000.From April 1 to December 16, the country exported around 590,000 tonnes of rice compared with more than 700,000 tonnes last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce. The falling prices and trade volume are linked to rice surplus and lower demand.The rice market, which is heavily dependent on Chinese buyers, had been hit hard since China banned imports earlier this year, with farmers, rice millers and merchants all suffering losses.
China has yet to permit rice trading with Myanmar.Since China stopped importing,, last year’s rice remained in warehouses. When the new harvest hit the shelves, prices began falling due to the growing supply.The Ministry of Commerce made efforts to obtain rice export contracts with other nations.The Philippines has offered to make a government-to-government treaty to buy rice from Myanmar.
The country had exported around 60,000 tonnes rice to the EU and Africa every month, according to the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).Moreover, climate disorder has contributed to the problem. Untimely rain destroyed more than 16,000 acres of rice fields, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation’s figures on August 8.
In a bid to solve declining rice prices, the government planned to buy rice from farmers at an inflated price. The Ministry of Commerce asked for Ks15 billion from the state’s revolving fund in order to purchase rice from farmers at a responsible price.The move aimed to enable farmers to cover their production costs due to a decline in monsoon paddy prices. It could help increase demand, support the revival of rice market and benefit all those engaged in the supply chain system effectively.Myanmar Agribusiness Public Corporation, formed by the MRF, also planned to import dryers in order to provide dryer services at rice mills.
Under this plan, members of the MRF, exporters, and rice millers will buy rice from farmers, and the government will increase its rice export volume.
After a period of continuous fall, the rice price spiked to Ks500,000 per 100 baskets in November due to dollar appreciation. From April 1 to November 25 this financial year, the country earned over US$230 million on rice and broken rice exports, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/local/7180
Quality rice
bound for China
Mon, 26 December 2016
Hean
Vanhan, undersecretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, speaks from his office
in Phnom Penh last week. Pha Lina
Cambodian rice millers recently secured access to China’s
immense market after two separate Chinese government bodies deemed their
products satisfied its sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards. The Post’s Cheng Sokhorng spoke to Hean Vanhan, undersecretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, about approvals
by China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine (AQSIQ) and the China National Cereal, Oil and Foodstuffs
Corporation (COFCO), as well as the challenges of meeting SPS requirements.
China’s COFCO has approved 18 Cambodian rice millers for export,
while AQSIQ has approved 28. What is the difference between the two agreements?
The 18 rice millers were part of
a memorandum of understanding between the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) and
COFCO, presided over by Green Trade. The Ministry of Agriculture was not
involved in this deal and we have no control or responsibility over these rice
millers.
On the other hand, the AQSIQ
specifically requested us to evaluate those rice millers who had sufficient
capacity for high-quality milling according to the criteria of the Chinese
government. The 28 rice millers we selected from 50 applicants had already
demonstrated their capacity to satisfy the criteria of the Ministry of
Agriculture.
What are the main technical challenges of meeting SPS
requirements, and where do most exports fall short?
We have found that most rice
millers do not fully understand the SPS requirements. They claim that their
machines are modern and equipped with the latest technology, so the milled rice
they produce is smooth, unbroken, shiny and uniform. While this might satisfy
consumers, who put high value on the appearance of rice, these are only the
physical attributes.
But this is not the quality that
SPS regulates, and is not what we negotiated with the Chinese government. The
quality we look for in SPS is that the rice is free of pests and chemicals, and
complies with food safety guidelines. Pests could devastate China’s
agricultural industry, so China strictly controls its borders.
The main barrier for exporting
rice to China is that millers don’t realise how strict they are on quality.
Even if you had just a lone seed of grass mixed into a shipment of rice it
would be rejected at the Chinese border. If the shipment is destroyed or
returned to Cambodia the rice miller will obviously lose a lot of business, so
it is better for them to understand and comply with the SPS requirements.
What should rice millers focus on in order to satisfy China’s
SPS requirements?
Millers should focus on both the physical appearance and SPS quality of their rice. They have to identify the source of the paddy rice, check its moisture and chemical levels, properly store it, and use the correct packaging codes.
Millers should focus on both the physical appearance and SPS quality of their rice. They have to identify the source of the paddy rice, check its moisture and chemical levels, properly store it, and use the correct packaging codes.
How many SPS labs and inspection facilities does Cambodia have?
Currently we have only one central laboratory, which is able to inspect about 90 of the 100 types of agricultural products we export. Another lab is being built with Chinese support on the University of Agriculture campus on Phnom Penh’s Chroy Changvar peninsula.
Currently we have only one central laboratory, which is able to inspect about 90 of the 100 types of agricultural products we export. Another lab is being built with Chinese support on the University of Agriculture campus on Phnom Penh’s Chroy Changvar peninsula.
We are also establishing six SPS
bureaus near our borders to inspect products and issue export certificates. So
far, 90 percent of the construction is finished.
The physical building is one
factor, but more importantly is the capacity of the SPS inspectors who will
work there. We are currently seeking Chinese investment in installing an online
platform able to inspect products and transfer data to and from our
headquarters in Phnom Penh, as well as to issue export certificates.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/quality-rice-bound-china
Paddy
Marketing Board releases paddy stocks to mills to avert rice shortage
Sun, Dec 25, 2016, 08:26 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Sun, Dec 25, 2016, 08:26 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Dec 25, Colombo: The Paddy
Marketing Board says that distribution of the paddy in their stocks to rice
mill owners as a means to avert a shortage in rice has begun.Accordingly the
PMB will release 10,000 metric tons of paddy at its Polonnaruwa District
storage facilities to the rice mill owners in all districts.PMB Chairman M.B.
Dissanayake said that all mill owners, including the small and medium scale
mill owners, will be given up to 500 metric tons of paddy.
The
government recently instructed the Cooperatives Wholesale Establishment (CWE)
under Ministry of Industry and Commerce to buy 20,000 metric tons of paddy
(both White rice and Nadu) from the Paddy Marketing Board immediately and
release the paddy to millers.
The
move was initiated to reduce the rising prices of rice in the market and to
provide the public with rice needed without a shortage during the festive
season.The government also has decided to import 10,000 Metric tons of rice
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_16B/Dec25_1482677805CH.php
Tamil Nadu Foodgrains and Marketing
Yard is now a research institute
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 25, 2016 22:17 IST
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MADURAI: Tamil Nadu Foodgrains and Marketing Yard (TNFMY) chairman
S. Rethinavelu has said that the Department of Science and Industrial Research,
Government of India, has recognised the TNFMY as a scientific and industrial
research organisation.
Speaking to The Hindu on Sunday, he said the recognition would
enable the TNFMY, a special purpose vehicle established under PPP model, to
undertake research works for identifying several innovative and nutritious
value-added products.
The TNFMY, was set up at Sikkandarchavadi over a 30-acre site at an
investment of Rs. 40 crore, with the support of the Department of Industrial
Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Mr. Rethinavelu said the recognition would go a long way in helping
not only agro producers, but also those engaged in food processing, traders and
exporters. The all-under-one-roof facility had a scientifically built
warehouse, cold storage unit, individual marketing-cum-storage depots in the
southern districts.
The research and development lab, he said, would help in analysing
the quality of products manufactured or dealt with by food processors and
traders. Recently, a research in causes for variation in milling breakage in
Basmati rice grown in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh was undertaken here.
The inference arrived at was to carry out standardised parboiling techniques,
which would reduce breakage of rice. Today, many rice mills, which processed
Basmati rice, had converted the suggestion into action, he added.
Mr. Rethinavelu said the TNFMY had signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology,
Thanjavur, for carrying out research works. Students and research scholars
working in the field of food processing and other allied areas might use the
research and development facility.
Currently, they were studying the non-chemical jaggery on a commercial
level adoption to position it in the global market. Yet another area of
research was paddy analysis – physical quality analysis, cooking analysis and
sensory evaluation – to bridge the gap between the farmers and millers. This
would enable the farmers to get a remunerative price for their crop, he said
PCC zeroes in on rice-industry cartels
DECEMBER
24, 2016
In Photo: Farmers perform the
traditional backbreaking manual labor of transferring pregerminated rice
seedlings to a wet field in Tabuk, Kalinga.THE Philippine Competition
Commission (PCC) is looking into the rice cartel, long believed to be in
existence, but has been relatively unchecked by the government until now, when
there appears to be increasing interest among the public to help stop
anticompetitive practices of corporations.PCC Chairman Arsenio M.
Balisacan has confirmed that there is an ongoing review of the
agriculture industry, with focus on anticompetitive practices in the rice industry.Upon
assuming office, Balisacan had already vowed to investigate the rice
cartel, and had apparently emboldened whistle-blowers to complain against the
cartel’s predatory practices that have led to increased prices of rice and
keeping small farmers in a vicious cycle of debt.
Balisacan reaffirmed his
commitment to dismantle the rice cartel, and announced in a recent news
conference that there are many non-governmental organizations and concerned
citizens who have lodged complaints.Although the PCC has the power to
investigate anticompetitive practices motu proprio, the PCC has
called on the public to provide initial information that will jump-start
investigations into anticompetitive practices in the various sectors of the
economy, thus making the public a partner in information gathering toward
building a strong case against cartels and monopolies.
“These [reviews] are not coming
from nowhere. They are requests for us to examine, to review and, of course, we
would want to do more, we certainly would want to do more,” Balisacan said. “We
have also the motu proprio mandate to investigate
anti-competitive practices but given the resources we have, we have to do
everything. We have to prioritize our work, and make sure that these are well
grounded in terms of analysis,” he added.
Other industries, which the
PCC is looking into, are the cement and the power industries.
Balisacan declined to elaborate on the review of the
international shipping industry, but confirmed that the review in the
agriculture sector will focus on anticompetitive practices in the rice sector.
Balisacan declined to elaborate on the review of the
international shipping industry, but confirmed that the review in the
agriculture sector will focus on anticompetitive practices in the rice sector.
Details of the pending
investigations into the two industries remain confidential to ensure that
possible evidence of anticompetitive practices do not suddenly disappear when
the PCC issues subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum against those accused of
violating the Philippine Competition Act.
However, a source from the
University of the Philippines’s School of Economics, who is well versed in the
rice industry, said these possible anticompetitive practices include the
intentional lowering by middlemen of their purchase prices of
palay (unmilled rice) to make sure that these products are bought at
the lowest possible price from the small farmers.
The small farmers are, thus,
forced to sell at a low price because all of the middlemen, who are part of the
cartel, or worse, working for just one big retailer, offer the same price for
their produce.It is a common misconception that the Philippine Competition Act
only safeguards against anticompetitive mergers and acquisitions, but it also
guards against abuses of dominant position not only in terms of market share,
but also in terms of economic standing.
Under Section 15 of the law, one
of the unlawful practices that constitute abuse of dominant position is
directly or indirectly imposing unfairly low purchase prices for the goods or
services of marginalized farmers, fishermen micro-, small- and
medium-scale enterprises, and other marginalized service providers and
producers.
Thus, an arrangement among
middlemen to keep their purchase prices of palay down will keep small farmers
at their mercy, giving them no choice but to sell low and no chance to get out
of the debt trap.Balisacan said the PCC has included in its activities for 2017
the partnership with academe throughout the country, so that the schemes to
directly or indirectly effect these anticompetitive practices can be
disseminated and explained to the public.
Other activities for 2017 include
the establishment of systems of market surveillance, expansion of operations
and services to areas outside of Metro Manila, and the conduct of regular
market studies and research
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/pcc-zeroes-in-on-rice-industry-cartels/
UG Develops Technology to Improve Ghana’s Rice Production
Dec 24, 2016
Students from the University of Ghana have built an innovative
machine capable of boosting rice production in Ghana.
The machine was part of products that was showcased on Friday by
the University of Ghana’s Technology Development and Transfer Centre.
The newly developed technology is capable of boosting Ghana’s rice
production to an average of about seven tons per hectare as against Japan and
South Korea’s average of six tons per hectare.
The one day exhibition was aimed at showcasing to Ghanaians and the
world the Universities’ technologies developed by its students.
According to Dr. Joseph
Ofori, a research fellow at the University of Ghana, extending the technology
to many farmers in the low lands will enable Ghana produce more than it is
current producing capacity.
“We have about 800,000 hectares of low land for rice production and
if we are able to produce a third of this area we should be able to get enough
rice and even export,” he said.
“One positve aspect of this technology is that we don’t use heavy
machinery but rather simple and afffrodqble machinery for production . In many
of the low land areas and irrigated systems, usually bulldozers are used to
clear and level the land. But this one it is simple machinery called power
tiller,” he explained.
Appetite for imported rice
Ghanaians have over the years developed a voracious appetite for
imported rice due to its dominance in the market as well as its perfumed
nature.
Dr. Joseph Ofori noted that the preference of consumers is being
incorporated in the newly developed rice production system.
“We don’t just produce any rice anyhow. We normally produce what
they call fragrant or aromatic or perfume rice. We produce what is comparable
to what is imported into the country. What we have been asking farmers to
produce is very tasty and healthy,” he said.
Gov’t assistance to produce more rice machines
In his view, there is the need for government to assist rice
farmers acquire more of the power tillers to expand their work as well as “help
in the exploitation of underground water in places not close to water bodies
for which this technology was developed.”
“About the processing bit of rice production we need factories.
Ghanaians are very sophisticated when it comes to rice consumption . The rice
should be good enough for them and shouldn’t have any foreign materials in
them. So we need good rice mills to process them. If we so this and the rice is
bagged well then we will see that the consumers are alright with it,” he
advised.
One district one rice factory
Picking rice as a major commodity , Dr. Joseph Ofori was certain
the country could possibly exploit the idea of one rice factory for each
district across the country citing the vast array of lands available.
” In Ghana, from the north to the south, we have lands. In the
Northern Region for instance we have a vast land which is called the flood
plain which could be developed for rice production. And when it comes to the
south, we have valleys. So, there shouldn’t be problem at all developing rice
industry in each district,” he pointed out.
By: Kumi Obed Afari/citifmonline.com/Ghana
https://www.newsghana.com.gh/ug-develops-technology-to-improve-ghanas-rice-production/
|
Vietnamese Alumni receive gifts from the Indian Consul General
(sixth from left) during the ITEC Day 2016 that was held last Friday in the
city. Photo courtesy of the organiser
|
Plastic rice fears dampen Christmas mood in Lagos,
Abuja, other cities
December 25, 2016
Bags of rice (File photo)
Our correspondents
As millions of Nigerians began an extended Christmas holiday over
the weekend, many nursed the fear of consuming fake rice, popularly called
‘plastic rice.’
There have been widespread concerns that unscrupulous rice traders
and importers might have flooded homes and markets with plastic rice.
Rice, an extremely popular staple in Nigeria, is mostly commonly
eaten during festive periods.
SUNDAY PUNCH correspondents who spoke to rice consumers and traders
across the country report that these rumours, which have become pervasive, have
also affected the sale and consumption of rice as the Yuletide approaches.
Some who claimed to have bought or eaten plastic rice spoke to our
correspondents while other victims have been sharing their experiences on the
social media.
A Togolese chef, Louis Jonas, who works for a family in the Jericho
area of Ibadan said he purchased the product at Oritamerin market in Ibadan.
Jonas who spoke to one of our correspondents said, “Two of my
employers’ children returned to Nigeria for the Christmas so I was told to buy
food stuff for the festive period. I did not know anything about plastic rice
at the time.
“I just bought a half bag of rice but when I cooked it, it did not
soften. I kept pouring water and I had to inform my employer. She was aware of
the plastic rice. She went with me to where I bought it and threatened to
involve the police if the seller did not accept it back. That was how she got
back her money.”
Others, who spoke with our correspondents, expressed concerns that
the government had not sensitised the public on the dangers of plastic rice or
addressed the issue in a wholesome manner.
Another consumer, Mrs. Rose Ajibade, said she thought the plastic
rice news was a rumour until she fell victim. “I was coming back from work two
weeks ago when I remembered that rice had finished at home. I bought some in
the market and quickly put it on fire. My husband kept asking me why the food
was not ready, I kept checking but the rice did not soften. I had to make
another meal,” she said.
Confusion
On Tuesday, the Federal Operations Unit, Ikeja, of the Nigeria
Customs Service announced that it had intercepted 102 bags of plastic rice
branded “Beat Tomato Rice.”
The Customs Area Controller, Mohammed Haruna, had told the News
Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Lagos that officers of the unit intercepted the
plastic rice in the Ikeja area on Monday, adding that a suspect was arrested in
connection with the seizure.
Two days after the Customs’ disclosure, the Minister of Health,
Professor Isaac Adewole, tried to reassure Nigerians by dismissing the claim.
Adewole, who spoke via his Twitter handle, said tests conducted by the National
Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on the rice showed that
there was no plastic content in them.
However, the minister, in a response to SUNDAY PUNCH enquiry on
Friday, warned Nigerians to be very vigilant and report cases of any suspected
plastic rice to the nearest police station.
He said, “The rice (seized by the customs) was tested (and) had no
plastic component. Let Nigerians be watchful and report any suspiciously
looking or funny tasting rice. Kindly report such products to law enforcement
agencies.”
Some Lagos and Abuja residents who spoke with SUNDAY PUNCH
dismissed the minister’s reassurances as insufficient. Others said government
should have launched a public awareness programme to teach Nigerians how to
differentiate between natural and plastic rice.
A nurse at a private hospital in the Ogba area of Lagos, Miss Peju
Adekola, said, “It is possible for the major rice importers in the country to
be speaking through the minister. I am not convinced. There should have been
serious campaigns about the rice before it circulated in the market. I have
seen plastic rice. I will continue to eat local rice for now.”
South-West
Some of the traders at the rice market in Saki, Oyo State,
confirmed to SUNDAY PUNCH that there were indeed hundreds of bags of plastic
rice that had been brought into the Nigerian markets by dealers through the
land borders. Saki is a Nigerian border town that is close to the Republic of
Benin.
One of the traders, Mrs. Ariyike Aiku, said an emergency meeting of
the market traders was held when news of the presence of plastic rice was
reported in the market.
She said that at the meeting, some members who knew how to identify
the product, shared their knowledge with others in order to avoid buying the
rice.
She said, “We called an emergency meeting where some of us
confirmed the authenticity of the rice. They told us how to identify it. In the
past two months, several trucks full of the (plastic) rice had been brought to
the market but we resisted all attempts by the dealers to lure us into buying
them.
“In an attempt to make us buy, the price was ridiculously reduced
to less than N10,000 and that was when we realised that indeed, they were
trying to sell bad product.”
At the Bodija International Market in Ibadan, a rice trader, Mrs.
Oluwanike Abodunrin, also told our correspondent that some importers had tried
to flood the market with plastic rice. She added that market leaders had
resisted the influx and made it difficult for the importers to sell them.
Abodunrin said, “We are aware that there is plastic rice in
circulation. I operate this shop with my husband after he was disengaged from
work three years ago. He brings in rice from Lagos and Oke-Ogun area while I
sell.
“A month ago, he was in Lagos to buy the product when he called
that he was returning home because of the fear of the bad product. He said he
was told to beware of plastic rice and because he could not identify it, he
returned to Ibadan without any goods.
“We have since been sensitised by our market leaders and now we can
identify the product. Some traders already have it in stock but they have
called on the suppliers to come and pack them.”
In Ado Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State, residents and rice sellers
who spoke with our correspondent expressed fears that the plastic rice might
have been mixed with the normal brands.
A housewife, Mrs. Rose Fatoki, said, “My neighbour collected some
rice as a gift two weeks ago and we discovered it was plastic rice. She cooked
it for hours but it did not soften. She had to throw it away.”
North-East
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that fears over plastic rice had seen
residents embracing local rice, which has always been seen as a poor
alternative, because of its concentration of stones.
A resident of Bauchi, Bauchi State capital, Elizabeth Cah, told one
of our correspondents that she heard of plastic rice about two weeks ago and
stopped buying imported rice as a result.
She said, “For me, I have stopped buying and consuming foreign
rice. I am now going for the local rice because I know there is nothing like
local plastic rice.
“I will prefer to battle with the sand and stones in the local rice
than to put my life at risk by eating plastic in form of rice.”
Another resident of Bauchi metropolis, Samuel Itodo, said that he
heard about plastic rice about two months ago.
He said, “I heard about plastic rice that is now in the market
sometime in October and I am really worried about the development.”
Muzamilu Aminu, a rice dealer at Wunti Market, Bauchi lamented that
rumours of plastic rice had affected his business badly.
“Some of my customers have been telling me about it. This has made
me to lose many of my customers,” Aminu said.
North-Central
In Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, rice sellers and consumers
expressed concern that the circulation of plastic rice was causing great
tension and anxiety in many homes.
SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that many residents of Ilorin and other major
towns in the state have stopped buying imported rice because they were
concerned about the likely effects of plastic rice on their health.
A rice seller in the popular Oja Oba market, Alhaji Tanko Suleiman
said, “I have been selling rice for over 10 years, I have not heard of such.
This plastic rice story has scared our customers from buying rice from us.”
Another trader at Ojo Ago, Alhaja Mulikat Yekin, said she was about to buy more product for
the Christmas celebration when she heard of the plastic rice importation.
“I decided not to buy again when some of my customers, said they
would not eat rice this Christmas, and that they would either go for noodles or
eba to avoid eating plastic rice,” she said.
Lagos
Residents of Lagos State who spoke with SUNDAY PUNCH correspondents
also expressed concerns that plastic rice might have found its way into the
Lagos market while neither the federal nor the state government had done
nothing to sensitise them on how to identify plastic rice.
A lawyer, Mrs. Amope Adeoye said, “I have heard about the plastic
rice and I think that relevant agencies are not creating enough awareness in
the media, which is why some may be buying it. We need illustrations on what it
looks like after being cooked.”
Expressing similar fear and anxiety, a creche operator in Ogudu,
Mrs. Sharon Gbajumo, said, “It is being talked about everywhere even on TV and
radio. That plastic rice is in the country is a fact now. It is real. The fear
of buying rice in the market is real too. It is only God that can save us from
this situation.”
Expert reacts
The Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences, Landmark University,
Omu-Aran in Kwara State, Prof. Charity Aremu, described the importation of
plastic rice into the country as a dangerous development because of its
negative implications on the health of the people.
She said, “It is even more worrisome this time that the country is
going through recession and where many people do not have money to feed
themselves, not to talk of procuring medical bill.
“Some of the poor people who may consume the rice may not have
money to take care of their medical bills and so many may develop
complications. It will not be surprising that some of them may even die.
“There are indications already that the product exists and is in
the market. So those who imported the rice obviously do not mean well for the
people of this country.”
Why we sent ‘plastic rice’ for analysis — NCS
The Nigeria Customs Service has explained that it sent the ‘plastic
rice’ it seized for laboratory analysis because its officials strongly
suspected the product to be adulterated.
The NCS spokesperson, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, said the labelling of the
product as ‘plastic rice’ was not conclusive.
He said, “The rice was suspicious, so we sent it for analysis. If
the professionals who know better now say it is safe to eat the rice, we will
not argue with that position.”
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on
this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from
PUNCH.
Contact: editor@punchng.com
http://punchng.com/plastic-rice-fears-dampen-christmas-mood-lagos-abuja-cities/
Ambode’s rice revolution
After a string of successes, LAKE
Rice is a good way to end the year
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos
State must have confounded many Lagosians with the superlative performance he
has so far rendered this year. Not many gave him a chance at about this time
last year, when he was barely six months in office. I recollect calling Steve Ayorinde,
the state commissioner for information in November last year, to uniform him
about an article on the online platform of a national newspaper which many
people found offensive in that they considered it generous with praise for an
administration that was ‘yet to take off’.
Mercifully, the story is different
today. The Ambode administration has indeed come a long way and made a lot of
difference between this time last year and now. Even the governor’s critics in
different political parties have little or no negative comments about his
administration.
For Governor Ambode, the arrival in
the local market, last week, of LAKE Rice, a product of good thinking that came
from the collaboration between the Lagos State government and its Kebbi State
counterpart is a good way to end a very productive year. The ingenuity of the
deal can be found even in the name of the rice – LAKE – which was formed from
the first two letters of the names of the two states (Lagos and Kebbi). Yoruba
elders say, if one’s daughter is good; one should say so, even though one is
not going to marry her (t’omo eni ba dara, ka wi; ka fi s’aya ko).
It takes an administrative maestro to dream such dream.
The decision of the two state
governments to partner on the rice deal deserves commendation. Rice, which many
old Nigerians would readily admit was eaten, at best on Sundays by the rich,
and usually at festive periods by many more Nigerians in those days, has
suddenly become a staple in the country. It is the toast of the kids,
particularly the female ones. They do not mind eating rice for breakfast, lunch
and dinner. This is hardly a problem, except to nutritionists who would tell
you it is not balanced diet. Beyond that, the snag is that much as we have
developed an insatiable appetite for rice, we did not see the need to cultivate
it in sufficient quantities. According to Rice Millers, Importers and
Distributors Association of Nigeria (RiMIDAN), about 5.5 million tons of rice
is required in the country per annum. But we could only produce about 3.4
million tons in 2015, thereby creating a production gap of at least 2.1 million
tons. The result is that we have had to be importing from Thailand and other
places to make up for the shortfall, losing about $1billion annually in the
process.
This is crazy in that rice is what
we have comparative advantage to produce. As a matter of fact, it is something
we should be exporting and earning foreign exchange from. Recent developments
in the country have proved this point. In so short a time, we have been
harvesting rice from some parts of the country like never before.
But it is not many administrations
that will see the lacuna in rice supply in the country when Ambode and his
Kebbi State counterpart, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, saw it and decided to take
advantage of it for the benefit of their respective people in particular, and
Nigerians in general.
If the present momentum of rice
production is sustained, it is only a matter of time for the country to get
over its craze for imported rice. One major complaint against our local rice is
the stones that usually compete with the grains for attention. So, we need to
pay attention to the problems that made imported rice the toast of Nigerians by
thoroughly de-stoning the local brands of rice. This should not be a problem
these days with the appropriate technological tools to do that.
Then we also have to prepare for the
bumper harvests that we would be having if we are able to sustain the present
momentum because a time would come when the problem will no longer be about the
inadequacy of rice but its glut. Lest we forget, Dangote Rice is also in the
offing, it is only a matter of time for Nigerians to get to the Promised Land
in rice production. As we know, whatever Dangote intervenes in, it is usually
mega-intervention. Yet, one of our musicians said Dangote o lori meji (Dangote
does not have two heads)! Says who?
The situation with rice should not
be allowed to be like that of fruits, tomatoes and pepper, etc. most of which
get spoilt due to lack of storage facilities.
One major way to ensure that the stream does not break is for government
to buy up whatever excess is left from the farmers and keep in silos so as to
encourage them to remain in the business.
The Lagos-Kebbi deal is particularly
refreshing in that the two states recognise each other’s strengths and
weaknesses and did not allow these to deter them from their lofty dream. Lagos
has the market for rice; in real terms, it has an estimated consumption of over
798,000 metric tonnes of milled rice per year which is equivalent to 15.96
million of 50kg bags, with a value of N135 billion per annum, according to
Governor Ambode. Moreover, if there is anything like handshake across the
Niger, the Lagos-Kebbi initiative is it. It shows that we can find unity even
in our diversity. The point is that hunger does not know tribe or religion. A
hungry man, whether in Kebbi or Ebonyi, Lagos or Bayelsa, will almost always
react hungrily.
One question that has been agitating
my mind is: if rice is this easy to produce, why did it take forex shortage and
recession to make us realise that we must return to the rice farms? Anyway,
that might be a belated question because, right now, what we should be talking
about more is how to get out of the rice trap. Nigeria is held down by many
traps; rice trap is only one of them. Given our experience, we should be
exiting those traps one after the other, especially now that we are faced with
forex crunch.
However, much as efforts are being
made towards heeding President Muhammadu Buhari’s call for diversification of
the economy, to wean it of its dependency on oil, the Federal Government must,
in addition to our roads, pay attention to water and rail transportation to
make such efforts succeed. In the same vein, since it takes two to tango,
Governor Bagudu too deserves praise for agreeing to the initiative because if
he had not, we might not be talking of LAKE Rice today. We should look forward
to more of such beneficial collaborations across the divide in the country.
Poverty is diminished when hunger is taken out of the way.
…Ebonyi Rice, too
I was on a short vacation early this
month when Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Senator Emmanuel Onwe,
visited our office to market, as it were, Ebonyi Rice. What is baffling is that
Ebonyi Rice, unlike LAKE Rice, is not new. I got to know that in the course of
my research into today’s topic because I had wanted to group both brands as
new. Thus, I would have misled my readers into thinking it is also a new brand
of rice. But I got to know it has been around when I was told it is the same
‘Abakaliki rice’ that some of us know but are not sure whether we see it as a
better product than the imported parboiled rice. As a matter of fact, as far
back as last year, the state government had donated about 1,000 bags of it to
the Nigerian Army for onward sending to the troops fighting Boko Haram
insurgents. It is against this background of its obscurity that one would
appreciate the visit of the commissioner to the media to let more Nigerians
know that something like that exists.
Ebonyi Rice as well as other local
rice brands need such exposure now more than ever before. I have eaten it and I
must confess it tastes nice, far better than the rubbish we gobble from
Thailand and those other places, some of which had been preserved with suspect
chemicals five-to-six years before arriving our shores. That is when we are not
being giving ‘plastic’ to eat in place of rice
http://thenationonlineng.net/ambodes-rice-revolution/
When foreign rice becomes endangered
Nigerians love eating rice at Christmas. But the prices of
imported brands of rice have skyrocketed. Although some cheaper brands have
recently emerged, scary reports about plastic rice being sold in some markets
in parts of the country have dampened the people’s spirits, ANNA OKON writes\\
Among the popular videos
circulating in the social media is one that features somebody boiling rice. The
rice gets dry, starts burning and instead of turning to charcoal-like rice and
other starch-based food, it turns to flames rising from the base of the pot to
a high level.
This Christmas is unique in the sense that it is ‘recession
Christmas.’ For the first time in about two decades, the prices of food items
including rice have hit the roof.
From N7,000 for a 50kg bag that rice was sold in December 2015,
it has risen to N22,000. Along with the hike also comes the increase in prices
of associated condiments such as vegetable oil used in preparing stew. From
N550 for 5kg of vegetable oil, it has risen to N3,500.
Unfortunately, while the prices of food items have gone up, the
incomes of most Nigerians have remained the same; and in some cases, they have
been slashed.
The year 2016 has been marked by job losses and company
closures. More than 2,000 firms reportedly shut down between January and
November while there have been over 400,000 job losses recorded across all
sectors.
Purchasing power has gone down to the lowest level and it is at
this critical time that cheap rice has gained a wide appeal among consumers.
A rice dealer in one of the markets in Lagos promotes two types
of the popular staple. One sells for N22,000 for 50kg bag while the other has a
low price tag of N9,000.
“The one for N9,000 does not have taste; if you cook it, it will
swell up and fill the whole pot but it does not have taste. The only taste you
can derive from it is from the stew you eat it with,” the eager seller tells
the consumer who is already calculating how much gain she stands to make
between N9,000 and N22, 000.
A housewife, Ogechi Mathew, takes one look at the N9,000 rice
and swears she will never buy but does not forget to add that even as she will
not buy, there are countless people who will rush for that rice, for crowd
feeding during the Christmas celebrations, to entertain guests.
“As long as the stew is tasty, I am sure mamy Nigerians will not
even know the difference,” she says.
Apart from the lack of taste, one shudders to think what could
constitute a bag of 50kg foreign rice that sells for as low as N9,000 in an
economy where the dollar exchange rate is N470.
Recently, there have been concerns about genetically modified
rice. Videos have surfaced of people injecting plants with some sort of
chemicals that make them grow faster and mature overnight.
They are also said to be injecting the rice plants with
chemicals that make them retain their fresh and shiny look; and the scariest of
all, the rumours of plastic pellets inserted into bags of rice by some
merchants, to add volume and make profit.
While consumers have expressed fears about the situation, some
experts have offered tips on how to detect the plastic rice. In one of the
tips, consumers are asked to do a water test by putting the rice in the water
and stirring it, if the rice floats on top of the water, then it is definitely
plastic rice, but if stays down, it is real rice.
While discussing this theory with a rice dealer, Mr. Udonkwa
Akang, he says it is not a proper method of identifying the plastic rice. “If
rice stays inside the bag longer than necessary, you put the grains inside
water, they are bound to float, especially the ones that have been exposed to
moisture; so that is not a very reliable way of testing for plastic rice.
“I believe the regulatory agencies should deploy scientific
methods for the verification. There are laboratories that should be used in
carrying out such tests,” he said.
The rumours must have informed a recent ban by the government of
Ebonyi State of the sale and consumption of foreign rice in the state.
The governor of the state, Mr. David Umahi, while on a visit to
the Punch in Lagos, confirmed that the rumours had informed the ban, adding
that although the ban was not permanent, it was to enable the state to verify
the veracity of the rumours.
Speaking on behalf of the governor, the Commissioner for
Information and State Orientation, Ebonyi State, Dr. Emma Onwe, said that while
on one of his trips to Asia, he discovered that the type of rice consumed there
was different from the type being imported into Africa.
He said, “On further inquiry, I was told that the rice that is
consumed in Nigeria is preserved for a period of seven to 10 years and the
aroma and taste of the rice come from the strong chemicals used in preserving
it for such a long period of time.”
According to him, the Basmati rice that the Asians consume
tastes and smells different from the one preserved and laced with chemicals to
be imported into Nigeria and other African countries.
Also, the Lagos State Government recently partnered with the
Kebbi State Government to produce rice which is sold at subsidised rate of
N13,000 per 50 kg bag.
These initiatives and the ban on importation of rice through the
land borders had led to surplus of rice in Cotonou, according to reports which
say about N3bn rice destined for Nigerian markets had been trapped in Benin
Republic because of the decision of the Customs to tighten its borders ahead of
the ban which takes effect from January 2017.
The Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali, a strong
advocate of total ban on importation of foreign rice by the year 2017,
disclosed that 99 per cent of rice imported into Nigeria was poisonous.
He said, “First, the smugglers go for expired rice overseas,
especially from China. The Chinese won’t eat that in their country so our
people go and get them re-bagged and ferry them here.
“Secondly, the bags of rice are preserved with dangerous
chemicals and reagents and when the goods arrive in neighbouring ports of
Cotonou and Lome, they warehouse them poorly in dirty, dilapidated and disused
facilities with leaking roofs and poor ventilation as they await the best time
to move into Nigeria with their illegal consignments.”
For the Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, Mr. Muda Yusuf, the whole situation boils down to weak institutions.
He said, “We need to strengthen our institutions. Whether goods
are imported or produced locally, they need to have quality control. We need to
find out why our quality control institutions are not functioning and look for
ways to make them function.”
The Acting Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control, Mrs. Yetunde Oni, said for the local rice, the
agency had insisted on starting the quality control right from the farm where
the rice was being planted.
“We have ensured that right from the outset; NAFDAC is a part of
the farming. When you’re part of the farming, you will teach the farmers how to
apply the pesticides; what to do at every particular point in time such that at
the end of the day, you end up with the right product, not that we are waiting
at the end to look at the quality of the products,” she said
DA urged to prepare for unrestricted rice importation
By
Jess Diaz
Philippine StarDecember 25, 2016
DA
urged to prepare for unrestricted rice importation
The Department of Agriculture (DA) was urged yesterday to
prepare for the unrestricted importation of rice beginning June next year, when
volume and tariff restrictions are lifted.The lifting of restrictions is part
of the country’s compliance with the World Trade Organization agreement, to
which it is a signatory.Mindoro Occidental Rep. Josephine Sato said Agriculture
Secretary Emmanuel Piñol should come up with plans to cushion the impact of the
import limits removal on the lives of rice farmers, their families and the
farming sector.
“It’s less than six months before our farmers start to
feel the impact of imported rice flooding the market. The DA and other
government agencies should prepare for the adverse repercussions of unlimited
importation,” Sato stressed.
Lifting the restrictions, she pointed out, would mean that
importers are free to flood the market with cheap rice from Thailand, Vietnam
and other foreign sources.
The scenario could lead to the gradual death of the local
rice farming sector, which is considered inefficient compared to Vietnam and
Thailand, from where the Philippines has been importing rice, she added.
Sato believes that the big rice-producing provinces –
Mindoro, Isabela, Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan – would bear the brunt of the
adverse effects of unrestricted and tax-free rice importation.
She wanted to know what help the DA and other concerned
agencies could extend to rice farmers and their families.
Among the solutions she sees are providing farmers with
free or subsidized inputs, like seeds and fertilizer and free irrigation, and
training them on farming in general, to wean them out of rice planting if this
would no longer be profitable.
A special fund could also be set up out of the previous
and current rice import tariffs to finance the safety nets for the affected
farmers, Sato said.
According to farmers’ groups and rice traders, farm inputs
in Thailand and Vietnam like seeds, fertilizer and pesticides are cheaper, thus
the Thai and Vietnamese rice farmers are able to sell their produce at a much
lower price.
They said
Thai and Vietnamese farmers also harvest more per hectare because of irrigation
and modern technology
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/da-urged-prepare-unrestricted-rice-000000476.html
Good eats from all over: The BDN’s picks for best
Maine food in 2016
By Emily Burnham, BDN
Staff
We’re lucky, in that those of us
here at the BDN whose job it is to write about food in Maine get to eat at a
lot of great restaurants all over the state. So we can say without too much
hesitation that we know what we’re talking about — it’s our job.After a year’s
worth of fabulous sit-down dinners, quick but delicious lunches, seaside
seafood feasts and leisurely brunches, we’ve managed to narrow down the best
food we’ve eaten in Maine in 2016. In addition to BDN senior features editor
Sarah Walker Caron and feature writers Emily Burnham and Kathleen Pierce, we’ve
enlisted the help of Sarah Gelber of the blog 207 Foodie (in the BDN network)
and Maine travel and food writer Hilary Nangle, both of whom kindly offered
their opinions.
What’s your favorite new restaurant
in Maine?
Sarah Walker Caron: There were so many restaurant
openings in Greater Bangor this year. Massimo’s Pizza Bar was only open from
April until October, but while they were I tried their Rucola Pizza, which was
piled high with arugula, parmesan and olive oil — delicious. Novio’s now occupies that space, and
their Airline Chicken, served on a butternut squash puree with a maple balsamic
glaze, is mouthwateringly good. But my favorite has to be just across the
river.Mason’s Brewing Company in Brewer, which
seemed to be built and open overnight, has great burgers, amazing fries, tasty
beers and so much more. If you go, I highly recommend the Sweet Mess burger and
a flight of beers. And don’t forget the Dirty Fries.
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Emily Burnham: Serendib in Ellsworth makes some luscious
Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine, while Sammy’s Deluxe in Rockland puts a
delicious spin on classic Maine comfort food. I also got a chance to sample the
fried goodness that is Big J’s Chicken Shack in Portland, and wow — best fried
chicken I’ve ever had in Maine.
Kathleen Pierce: Scales in Portland is a modern update on
a seafood shack. The open kitchen, high ceilings and harbor views feel posh,
but its maritime setting on a working waterfront keeps it real. The oysters are
fresh, the wine selection is top notch, and it’s the one place in Portland
you’ll be sure to run into a Bostonian year-round. Is this the new DiMillo’s?
Hilary Nangle: A tossup between Nina June,
Sara Jenkins’ Maine-meets-the-Mediterranean trattoria in Rockport — don’t miss
the strata or shakshuka on the brunch menu — and Toroso Kitchen &
Cocktails, Shannon Bard’s Spanish tapas bar and restaurant in Kennebunk.
Sarah Gelber: The pasta was really great at
Rossobianco on Deering Avenue in Portland. I’m hoping the rumors are true that
they are reopening in February.
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