Rice imports not needed as PHL has ample supply–Guinigundo
MAY 9, 2017
The National Food Authority
Council (NFAC) is standing by its decision to not import rice, as the country
has sufficient stocks, according to one of its members, Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo.
In a recent interview with Guinigundo, the BSP official said
Filipinos need not worry about spikes in the price of rice because the country
will have enough stocks due to better harvest.
“[The] expectation is better harvest so [this will add to the
buffer stock]. If we import now, prices will fall because [we] still have rice
stocks of up to 70 days, which is even higher than last year’s 69 days,” he
said.
He said the price-monitoring report showed that well- and
regular-milled rice have been declining by five to 10 centavos, or even lower,
on a weekly basis.
This means, Guinigundo said, that government-to-government
importation of rice will be a “last resort” for the Philippines.
The BSP official said this will prevent the National Food
Authority (NFA) from incurring more debt. Currently, the NFA has a standby
authority from the NFAC to import 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice.
If this option is taken up by the government, should there be a
shortage caused by natural calamities or similar events, this will
automatically cost the already heavily indebted NFA to incur an additional P24
billion in debt.
“If the buffer stock will not be enough based on the monitoring,
that’s the time to activate the 250,000 MT standby authority from the council.
This is the last resort [because] the government pays for this.
Where does the government get the money for this? We borrow,” Guinigundo
said.
He said the private sector should be allowed to import
rice, especially now that its waiver relating to the special treatment for rice
will expire on June 30. This means that imported rice can freely enter the
Philippines starting July. However, the Philippine government has yet to
determine the tariff rate for rice and amend Republic Act (RA) 8178, which
allowed quotas on rice imports.
Despite the potential problems which could be created by this,
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said he is confident that the country
can afford to engage in any legal action filed against it at the World Trade
Organization’s (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB).
“There’s so many ifs there. But the policy direction is let the
market operate normally and to, again, separate the regulatory function, the buffer
stocking function from the NFA. To just put things in the right place so that
they won’t come up with a potentially schizophrenic organization,” Dominguez
said.
Earlier, trade experts and the National Economic and Development
Authority (Neda) expressed concern that the failure to amend RA 8178 under a
post-quantitative restriction (QR) on rice scenario could open the country to
WTO sanctions.
Former Tariff Commissioner George Manzano told the
BusinessMirror that sanctions can be imposed if the WTO receives valid
complaints regarding the entry of rice imports to the Philippines. Sanctions
from the WTO could mean trade partners asking for concessions, such as lower
tariffs on specific goods or nondelivery on the trade pacts.
It could also mean allowing the entry of greater dairy and
livestock imports. The presence of these concessions was used by the economic
managers to prevent the extension of the QR.http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/rice-imports-not-needed-as-phl-has-ample-
Secretary Perdue surveys flood damage
Flooding expected to occur along middle and lower
Mississippi River through middle of May.
On Sunday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, at the request of Arkansas
Gov. Asa Hutchinson, participated in a flyover tour of northeast Arkansas with
members of the Arkansas congressional delegation to survey flood damage in the
area.
Some are saying the effects of
recent flooding in the state could rival that of a similar event in 2011 that
caused an estimated $500 million in losses to agriculture. Eric Wailes,
distinguished professor of agricultural economics with the University of
Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said an estimated 10% of Arkansas’
rice crop, or 100,000 acres, as well as corn, soybean and cotton fields, are
underwater.
During late April and early May, record flooding occurred at
some locations, including along the Black River at Pocahontas, Ark., and
Current River at Doniphan, Ark. A portion of the Black River in northern
Arkansas may remain above the flood stage into early this week, reports
indicated.
Areas farther south along the
Mississippi River in Arkansas, Mississippi
and Louisiana may not experience a crest until the third week of May. River
levels in some portions of these states will reach moderate flood stages and
may not drop below the flood stage until nearly the end of the month, according
to AccuWeather. Waters along the White River may not drop below the flood stage
until the third or fourth week in May.
Wailes said he expects damages to
become more extensive as the flood waters continue to move south into the
state. He said significant costs are projected based on losses of planting and
replanting as well as yield losses experienced due to late planting. It may
take many weeks until flooded farmland is workable, but the weather may
cooperate in the short term, AccuWeather said.
Hutchinson said nine lives have already been lost. This week,
the Federal Emergency Management Administration plans to start doing damage
assessments. Perdue noted that Farm Service Agency county directors and
extension services are also conducting their own assessments. As soon as those
assessments are completed, Perdue said he expects to “expedite that turnaround
and declaration as quickly as possible.”
Perdue explained that President
Donald Trump wanted him to get a firsthand view of the damage and said seeing
that damage firsthand allows him to be a “much better advocate” in
Washington, D.C.
He promised farmers in the areas
all the possible resources at their disposal, including assistance from the
Farm Service Agency with low-interest loans and opportunities to restructure
terms of operating loans, conservation assistance through the Natural Resources
Conservation Services and crop insurance, too. “We will do everything in our
power to make sure your farmers continue on,” Perdue said in a press conference
following the flyover.
“From the farmer perspective,
I’ve been there and known the thrill of a wonderful crop and the despair of
flooding and drought,” Perdue said.
Sen. John Boozman (R., Ark.) and
Reps. Rick Crawford (R., Ark.) and French Hill (R., Ark.) also participated in
the flyover.
Flooding expected to continue
into middle May
As a surge of water continues to
flow downstream, flooding will occur along the middle and lower Mississippi
River through the middle of May and perhaps through the end of the month in
some areas, according to a report from AccuWeather.
While some areas along streams
and small rivers have borne the brunt of the slow-moving flooding disaster in
recent days, communities along the Mississippi River from Missouri and Illinois
to Louisiana and Mississippi will be racing against rising water over the next
couple of weeks.
Torrential rain from the last weekend of April set the flooding disaster in
motion. Rainfall during the middle days of last week brought a second surge and
crest along small streams and tributaries of the major rivers.
This new surge of water will also
prolong the rise and recession of the Mississippi River and lower portions of
the Missouri, Illinois, Ohio and White rivers. The high water levels will
continue to affect river navigation and port operations.
Over the weekend, it was
projected that the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau, Mo., would crest near
or just shy of the record of 48.9 ft. set on Jan. 2, 2016, according to data
compiled by National Weather Service hydrologists and the U.S. Geological
Survey.
"No significant rain is
anticipated to fall over the middle and lower Mississippi Valley” through the
middle of the week, according to AccuWeather lead long-range meteorologist Paul
Pastelok.
The extended rain-free weather
will help some communities with damage assessment and cleanup operations, while
communities around the lower Mississippi will have fair weather to prepare for
the flooding to come.
http://www.feedstuffs.com/news/secretary-perdue-surveys-flood-damage
Bangladesh
to import 600,000 tonnes of rice
Reuters,
Dhaka
Authorities
are also considering waiving the tax on rice imports, said Badrul Hasan, the
head of the Directorate General of Food, as local prices have hit a record high
and state reserves are at a six-year low.
The
state buyer issued a tender to import 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice today,
its first such tender in many years, after flash floods hit fields about to be
harvested, potentially wiping out 700,000 tonnes of crops.
"We
will import a total of 600,000 tonnes of rice, while we have already issued a
tender and another tender will be issued very soon," Hasan said.
He said
the state agency also planned to import rice through government-to-government
deals with producers such as Thailand, Vietnam and India as importing via
tenders is a lengthy process.
The world's fourth-biggest producer of rice with more than 30 million tonnes of
rice, Bangladesh consumes almost all its production to feed its population.
It often
requires imports to cope with shortages caused by natural disasters such as
floods and droughts.
Bangladesh
was ranked as the fourth-largest importer of the grain by the US Department of
Agriculture in 2011, as low stocks and soaring prices led the government to
import.
Since
then, the state grains buyer has not imported rice although private traders
have done, mostly from India.
In 2015,
Bangladesh's government imposed a tariff of 28 percent on rice imports to
protect local farmers after private traders imported around 1.5 million tonnes
of rice from India that led to a drop in prices in domestic markets.
State
rice reserves in government warehouses have fallen to around 350,000 tonnes,
the lowest in six years.
Rice is
the main staple for Bangladesh's 160 million people, but wheat consumption is
also rising due to lifestyle changes.
Bangladesh
imports about 4.5 million tonnes of wheat annually to meet growing demand,
making it south Asia's top wheat buyer, while the country's output has
stagnated at about 1 million tonnes.
http://www.thedailystar.net/world/south-asia/bangladesh/bangladesh-government-import-rice-food-staple-price-production-agricultural-1403068
Govt ups grain output estimate to record 273.38 MT for 2016-17
Rice production
is projected to be 109.15 million tonnes (MT), wheat - 97.44 MT and pulses -
22.40 MT in the 2016-17 crop year (July-June), the agriculture ministry said,
revising upwards the output figures in its third estimate.
Buoyed by record output of wheat, rice and pulses, foodgrain
production in India is estimated to touch all-time high of 273.38 million
tonnes in the 2016-17 crop year ending next month due to good monsoon.
Rice production is projected to be 109.15 million tonnes (MT),
wheat - 97.44 MT and pulses - 22.40 MT in the 2016-17 crop year (July-June),
the agriculture ministry said, revising upwards the output figures in its third
estimate.
The ministry releases four estimates at different stages of crop
growth before the final figures.
Now, rabi crops such as wheat are being harvested in full swing.
In the third estimate, foodgrain output is projected to be all-time high at
273.38 MT for this year as against 251.57 MT last year.
The previous record was 265.04 MT in 2013-14. Foodgrain basket
comprises of rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses.
"As a result of very good rainfall during monsoon 2016 and
various policy initiatives taken by the government, the country has witnessed
record foodgrain production in the current year," the ministry said in a
statement.
Wheat output has increased to 97.44 MT in 2016-17 from 92.29 MT
last year as yields were better in the absence of any weather aberrations. The
previous record in wheat was 95.85 MT achieved in 2013-14.
Similarly, rice output rose to 109.15 MT from 104.41 in the said
period, while the previous record was 106.65 MT in 2013-14. Pulses output has
gone up substantially to 22.40 MT in 2016-17 from 16.35 MT last year as the
government encouraged farmers to grow pulses in a big way by announcing higher
support price and procurement.
Previous record in pulses was 19.25 MT in 2013-14. Among pulses,
tur output is projected to be a record 4.60 million tonnes in 2016-17 crop year
as against 2.56 MT last year, while urad output is 2.93 MT compared to 1.95 MT
in the said period.
Coarse cereals production is also estimated to be a record 44.39
MT in 2016-17 as against 38.52 MT last year. The previous record was 31.20 MT
during the 2013-14 crop year.
In case of oilseed, the output is estimated to be 32.52 MT as
against 25.25 MT. Among cash crop, cotton output is estimated to increase to
32.58 million bales (of 170 kg each) in 2016-17 from 30.01 million bales in the
last year.
Sugarcane output is pegged at 306.03 MT, which is lower by 12.17
per cent than the last year’s production of 348.45 MT.
Production of Jute and Mesta is estimated at 10.27
million bales (of 180 kg each), which is marginally lower by 2.39 per cent than
10.52 million bales during the last year.
http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/economy/govt-ups-grain-output-estimate-to-record-273-38-mt-for-2016-17-2274737.html
Rice up on increased buying
Basmati rice
(Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800,
Basmati common new Rs 7,500-7,600, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 6,000-6,800, Permal raw
Rs 2,250-2,275, Permal wand Rs 2,300-2,350, Sela Rs 2,700-2,800 and Rice IR-8
Rs 1,875-2,000, Bajra Rs 1,350-1,360, Jowar yellow Rs 1600-1650, white Rs
3,300-3,500, Maize Rs 1,450-1,460, Barley Rs 1,550-1,570
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New Delhi,
May 9 In restricted activities, rice prices spurted by Rs 100 per quintal at
the wholesale grains market in the national capital today mostly on the back of
increased buying exporters and stockists.
Wheat dara also showed some strength on increased offtake by
flour mills.
Other grains, however, remained unaltered on scattered
activities.
Marketmen said the rise in rice prices was mostly attributed to
increased demand from exporters.
In the rice section, super basmati rice and basmati common new
traded Rs 100 each higher at Rs 9,800 and Rs 7,500- 7,600 a quintal,
respectively.
Wheat dara (for mills) continued its upward trend and gained
another Rs 10 to close at Rs 1,735-1,740 per quintal.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,100-2,400, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs
1,735-1,740, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,730-1,735, Atta Rajdh (10 kg) Rs 240,
Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 240, Roller flour mill Rs 940-950 (50 kg), Maida Rs 955-965 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs
1,030-1,040 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300,
Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 7,500-7,600, Rice Pusa
(1121) Rs 6,000-6,800, Permal raw Rs 2,250-2,275, Permal wand Rs 2,300-2,350,
Sela Rs 2,700-2,800 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,875-2,000, Bajra Rs 1,350-1,360, Jowar
yellow Rs 1600-1650, white Rs 3,300-3,500, Maize Rs 1,450-1,460, Barley Rs
1,550-1,570.
UPDATE 2-Bangladesh state grains buyer to import 600,000 T of
rice
Tue May 9, 2017 11:29am GMT
Bangladesh was ranked as the fourth-largest importer of the grain
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2011, as low stocks and soaring prices
led the government to import.
Since then, the state grains buyer
has not imported rice although private traders have done, mostly from India.
In 2015, Bangladesh's government
imposed a tariff of 28 percent on rice imports to protect local farmers after
private traders imported around 1.5 million tonnes of rice from India that led to
a drop in prices in domestic markets.
State rice reserves in government
warehouses have fallen to around 350,000 tonnes, the lowest in six years.
Rice is the main staple for
Bangladesh's 160 million people, but wheat consumption is also rising due to lifestyle
changes.
Bangladesh imports about 4.5
million tonnes of wheat annually to meet growing demand, making it south Asia's
top wheat buyer, while the country's output has stagnated at about 1 million
tonnes.
http://af.reuters.com/article/idAFL4N1IB3RI?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
supply-guinigundo/
Huge potential in
Pakistan for Qatari investment: Minister
09 May 2017 - 0:36
By Irfan Bukhari
/ The Peninsula
DOHA: Pakistan’s Minister of
Commerce, Khurram Dastgir Khan yesterday said that the purpose of his visit to
Qatar was to transform brotherly relations between two countries into an
economic partnership.
“Definitely trade was high on the
agenda of my visit. Both countries have a joint and shared vision to transform
brotherly relations into an economic partnership,” he said while briefing the
media.
He said that during his stay in
Qatar he had very productive meeting with Qatar’s Minister of Economy and
Commerce H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, visited Qatar
Chamber of Commerce and also met head of Qatar Business Association.
The minister said that there was a
great potential in Pakistan for Qatari businessmen to invest in energy
infrastructure, tourism, agro-food processing etc. “Agro food processing is
very lucrative sector in which Qatari companies can invest with full
confidence. It can be executed quickly as agricultural produce is already there
and they just need technology and management.”
In IT sector, he said, there was
also a tremendous scope in Pakistan for investors. “Pakistan has 40 million
subscribers of broad band after introduction of 3G, 4G. Qatari companies can
invest in this field as well.”
He said that he had received great
response from Qatari officials and private sector. “I also talked on the issue
pertaining to difficulties Pakistani companies find in getting business visa of
Qatar and soon these problems will be addressed with consultations.”
The minister said that Qatari
officials and private sector had suggested him to bring projects for their
assessment. “We are more than happy to do the same. I have insisted on visits
from Qatari businessmen to Pakistan as I think the venue is the message.”
The minister said that there was a
lot of room for retail infrastructure development in Pakistan. “Qatar is a
country with magnificent malls. In Pakistan, the middle class is growing and
consumer spending is very high therefore Qatari businessmen can also invest in
this sector.”
“I have brought a number of good
news about Pakistan. First and foremost is the fact that Pakistan is a peaceful
country again as it has overcome violent extremism as well security unrest in
Karachi. Now incidents of terrorism have dropped by 77percent,” he said.
He said that Pakistan at the same
time had made a very good progress in overcoming energy crisis. “We alone and
with the help of our partners like China are setting up new generation plants
and working on producing electricity with coal, wind, solar etc. With the help
of LNG imported from Qatar, Pakistan has also overcome problem of gas
shortage.”
Dastgir Khan said that two
principal constraints which were hindering Pakistan’s growth including
terrorism and energy crisis had been addressed by incumbent government of Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif “and Pakistan is now poised to grow”.
He said that Pakistan’s public
finances had also stabilized and country’s credit ratings had improved many
degrees which were very important to boost investors’ confidence.
On China Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC), he said that it was a game changer not only for Pakistan but for the
whole region. “It is a $55bn initiative and under it three quarter projects
revolve around energy generation.” The minister said that CPEC would ensure
improved connectivity to Afghanistan and central Asian states. “CPEC will bring
shared prosperity through regional connectivity.”
He said that government of Pakistan
was also encouraging Pakistani companies to participate in infrastructure
development related to FIFA 2022. “Pakistan can export home textile,
hospitality textile, sports goods, construction material etc. They should
participate in exhibition being held in Doha.”
He said that Pakistan would address
Qatari concerns which had become an impediment for Pakistani rice exports to
Qatar. “Five years ago yearly export of rice to Qatar from Pakistan was $78m
which dropped to just $22m last year. Soon this problem will get settled,” he
hoped.
He said that 26-member delegation
of Pakistani businessmen accompanied him in his visit to Qatar. “They represent
various sectors like rice exporters, sports goods manufacturers, companies
related to food processing.” He said that marble exporters were also
participating in Project Qatar exhibition.
When milled, five kilos of paddy
rice produce two kilos of ready-to-eat grains.
The aggrieved growers have been
reeling from fierce competition coming from cheap but quality imported rice.
The government has licenced
importation of rice from Pakistan, Japan, Taiwan and Tanzania and other
countgries, to bridge the gap as the country does not produce enough for local
consumption.
The country has a demand of more
than 450,000 metric tonnes of rice but produces less than 200,000 metric
tonnes.
The National Irrigation Board has
however been working on means to scale up production from the current 5,000
acres in Ahero and Awach-Kano, Kisumu and add 15,000 acres in Mwea Irrigation
scheme and others like Bunyala, in order to meet the demand and therefore stop
importation.
Kisumu alone usually produces
25,000 metric tonnes, which the Ministry of Agriculture hopes to scale it to
60,000 metric tonnes.
Favourable competition
Mr Benedict Owila, a NIB officer
in charge of Ahero Research Station said they have been working on means to
reduce the cost of input so that local produce can compete favourably in the
market.
In 2015, they introduce a new
rice-growing technology known as System of Rice Intensification (SRI), which
halves costs while doubling production.
“We introduce the technology in
phases. The good produce they have registered this season is partly linked to
the SRI which involves using less water, few seeds and other planting
procedures in order to maximise yields,” the researcher told Nation in his
office.
Ms Juliana Anyona, who has tried
the technology said it increased yields from the usual 30 bags per acre to 40.
“We appreciate new technologies
by the government to improve our production. But we are asking for a better
market,” said Ms Anyona.
Nearby the drying sections at the
NIB offices are trucks hired by Ugandans to fetch the crop which now costs Sh43
per kilo.
A Ugandan buyer said Tanzanian
rice is of better quality, but accessibility to Kenya is convenient in terms of
transport cost and border procedures, unlike Tanzania which restricts rice
export and their market full of conmen.
Mr John Odongo, NIB Assistant
Research Officer said Ahero farmers cannot plant the highly demanded aromatic
rice because it is not suitable in the the highly nutritious soils.
Majority plant the long grain
non-aromatic famously known as Sindano and other hybrid varieties.
“During its flowering season, you
find that the aromatic rice begins lodging. This is because the nutrients makes
the stalk heavier than the stem can support. Lodging causes reduced grain
quality and loss of aroma,” said Mr Odongo.
Poor storage
Whereas the Sindano variety is
not fast moving in the market, most farmers are forced to individually store
the produce for long in anticipation of better prices later on.
But to avoid poor storage, others
fall victims to middlemen who offer to buy their produce at very low cost and
wait for the price to shoot.
Mr Edmond Omondi, a farmer, said
he would accept to sell to the exploitative middlemen since he needs quick
money to re-invest as the next season begins.
“We are being exploited by
middlemen. But since most farmers don’t have an alternative way of getting
capital for the next season, they dispose the rice at an incredibly low cost
that leaves them with no profit,” he said.
Mr Tobias Otieno, an official of
Kola Obura farmers’ group said the Ahero rice is no longer a favourite to the
locals.
“Ours have since been replaced by
Basmati rice from the Middle East which is considered of better quality as it
does not stick together after cooking like the paddy rice from Ahero,” he said.
The farmers criticised the
National Cereals and Produce Board for failing to buy their crop.
“The cereals board prefers
stocking the aromatic types like Basmati but not Sindano. Why then can’t NIB
allow us to plant other crops with which we are assured of the market instead
of limiting us to rice farming?” posed Mr Otieno.
Rice
federation sticks to its fees
Wed, 10 May 2017
The head of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) rebuffed members’
complaints yesterday about annual dues and export fees, stating that the fees
were “not negotiable” and companies were free to leave the industry body if
they wished.
Following numerous complaints last week about its $200 annual
membership fee and export fees of $0.5 per tonne for white rice and $1 for
fragrant rice, CRF President Sok Puthyvuth said rice millers and exporters
should view these costs as an investment into improving the industry as a
whole.
“What we have done so far is based on the agreement we made with
all the members to address their issues, but if they feel the CRF is not
important for their business, there is no need for them to invest with us,” he
said. “They [the members] want to see rapid results, but the big issues the
industry faces cannot be resolved with immediate results.”
Some members had complained about the high cost of rice
production and increased regional competition, which they said made it hard for
them to afford CRF fees. However, Puthyvuth called on companies to take a more
long-term approach.
He noted that even with state financial support rice millers
have struggled to perform, which he said was an indication that the problems
needed to be addressed sector-wide with the leadership of the CRF.
“Our issues are not only for rice exporters but they are for the
whole rice industry network,” he said. “We need to solve the problems well
enough so that we can have consistent positive results in the long term.”
He added that the CRF has already provided significant support
to its members by negotiating reduced electricity costs, providing value added
tax exemptions, cutting logistics costs and helping millers receive
international rice certifications.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-federation-sticks-its-fees
Rice imports not needed as PHL has ample supply–Guinigundo
MAY 9, 2017
The National Food Authority
Council (NFAC) is standing by its decision to not import rice, as the country
has sufficient stocks, according to one of its members, Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo.In a recent interview with
Guinigundo, the BSP official said Filipinos need not worry about spikes in the
price of rice because the country will have enough stocks due to better
harvest.
“[The] expectation is better harvest so [this will add to the
buffer stock]. If we import now, prices will fall because [we] still have rice
stocks of up to 70 days, which is even higher than last year’s 69 days,” he
said.
He said the price-monitoring report showed that well- and
regular-milled rice have been declining by five to 10 centavos, or even lower,
on a weekly basis.
This means, Guinigundo said, that government-to-government
importation of rice will be a “last resort” for the Philippines.
The BSP official said this will prevent the National Food
Authority (NFA) from incurring more debt. Currently, the NFA has a standby
authority from the NFAC to import 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice.
If this option is taken up by the government, should there be a
shortage caused by natural calamities or similar events, this will
automatically cost the already heavily indebted NFA to incur an additional P24
billion in debt.
“If the buffer stock will not be enough based on the monitoring,
that’s the time to activate the 250,000 MT standby authority from the council.
This is the last resort [because] the government pays for this.
Where does the government get the money for this? We borrow,” Guinigundo
said.
He said the private sector should be allowed to import
rice, especially now that its waiver relating to the special treatment for rice
will expire on June 30. This means that imported rice can freely enter the
Philippines starting July. However, the Philippine government has yet to
determine the tariff rate for rice and amend Republic Act (RA) 8178, which
allowed quotas on rice imports.
Despite the potential problems which could be created by this,
Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said he is confident that the country
can afford to engage in any legal action filed against it at the World Trade
Organization’s (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB).
“There’s so many ifs there. But the policy direction is let the
market operate normally and to, again, separate the regulatory function, the buffer
stocking function from the NFA. To just put things in the right place so that
they won’t come up with a potentially schizophrenic organization,” Dominguez
said.
Earlier, trade experts and the National Economic and Development
Authority (Neda) expressed concern that the failure to amend RA 8178 under a
post-quantitative restriction (QR) on rice scenario could open the country to
WTO sanctions.
Former Tariff Commissioner George Manzano told the
BusinessMirror that sanctions can be imposed if the WTO receives valid
complaints regarding the entry of rice imports to the Philippines. Sanctions
from the WTO could mean trade partners asking for concessions, such as lower
tariffs on specific goods or nondelivery on the trade pacts.
It could also mean allowing the entry of greater dairy and
livestock imports. The presence of these concessions was used by the economic
managers to prevent the extension of the QR.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/rice-imports-not-needed-as-phl-has-ample-supply-guinigundo/
Magura mill owners lose interest in supplying rice under
procurement drive
Our
Correspondent
MAGURA, May 09:
A good number of mill owners of the district are not interested in supplying
rice in Boro procurement drive of the government.
A total of 188 mill owners are enlisted to supply rice in the drive
scheduled to be started on May 02. But the procurement did not begin yet. The
new date is expected to be announced shortly, office sources said.
The local food office has set to procure 3,843 tonnes of rice from
the district at Tk 34 per kg. Every year the mill owners eagerly wait for the
drive to supply the item. This year the scenario has been changed. Most of the
millers do not want to give their rice in the drive, sources added.
Miller sources said coarse Boro rice is being sold at Tk 40 per kg
in the local market. But the government will purchase the same rice at Tk 34
per kg in the drive. This is why the mill owners are not willing to supply the
commodity item in the procurement drive.
Besides, requesting anonymity an official of the district food
office said the government is thinking to relax import duty for rice. If it
comes into effect rice price will come down in the market and the enlisted
millers will be interested to sell rice to the government.
District food controller Rezaul Islam said Boro harvest is not
completed yet. After completion of the paddy harvest, there will be an adequate
supply of rice in the markets. Rice price will also be dropped down and the
millers will be interested to supply rice to the drive.
Sanaulllah, a rice mill owner of Nandulai area under Sadar upazlla,
said rice price in the procurement drive is low than that of the present market
rate. He said, "We do business to
make some profit. Rice procurement target in the district will not be
successful unless the government raises the rate."
Magura DAE said a total of 31,750 hectares of land were brought
under Boro farming in the district this season and 1,45,060 tonnes of paddy
have been produced.
Private rice imports OKd
DTI’s Lopez says
President Duterte informed of difficulties in gov’t-to-gov’t deals
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 01:06 AM May 09, 2017
INQUIRER
FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC
Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez
said President Duterte had agreed in principle to allow the private sector to
import rice, but further details as to the actual implementation of this policy
were still to be finalized and released.
Lopez, who sits as one of the members of
the National Food Authority (NFA) Council, told reporters yesterday that he had
explained to President Duterte the benefits of allowing the private sector to
import rice during a recent meeting.
“For a while, there was a recommendation to
do it [import rice] through government-to-government. In a recent meeting, we
cleared up to the President that it was difficult to do it through
government-to-government because it would need large funds [and the government]
could just end up on the losing end when the prices drop,” he said in Filipino.
“The principle now is that we let the private sector to also import because,
first of all, they know how to time it, they know the market. What’s difficult
with the government is you might miss up on timing. When there’s a shortage,
you panic and buy at a higher price,” he added.
He said that this stance sided with the
general position of the economic managers, referring to the heads of the
National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Budget and
Management and the Department of Finance.
The NFA, which decides on issues
surrounding the country’s food supply, has recently been divided over whether
to allow the arrival of more private-sector shipments or order fresh cargos
through the NFA itself amid concerns that farmers would be affected in one way
or another.
While the NFA engages through
government-to-government deals, private importers participate through the
minimum access volume (MAV) mechanism of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Lopez said the government would benefit
from additional revenue if it allowed private sector importers since this would
mean they would have to pay tariffs. He said that rice was a very important
commodity, a staple which affects the every day life of Filipinos.
“It is very important for President Duterte
to keep supply and prices stable. It is also a big factor in the inflation
index,” he explained
NFA monopoly on rice importation removed
May 09, 2017
The government will allow private sector to import rice
and strip the National Food Authority (NFA) of its monopoly in sourcing the
commodity abroad.Ramon Lopez, secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry
yesterday said the Cabinet in a meeting with President
Duterte reiterated that private sector while allowed to import at present, can
buy the commodity as needed.
The NFA imports milled rice through government-to-government contracts, but it has the authority to issue permits to private sector for their importation. Lopez said NFA has incurred, cumulatively over the years, P200 billion in losses due to rice importation, buying at high and selling low.
“The private sector knows the market, they know the timing,” said Lopez,
Unlike government-to-government procurement where government has to set aside certain funds for the importation, it would earn revenues when private sector imports as these are slapped with tariff.
This development is aligned with the decision of the Philippines to lift the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice effective July 1.
A set minimum access volume (MAV) is slapped with a preferential tariff of 35 percent while volume outside MAV is slapped 50 percent.Once the QR is lifted, a 35 percent tariff is applied on all imports.
Lopez said an executive order lifting the QR will be issued following the approval by the Cabinet level.But he cautioned that once private sector is given priority, there would be more importers and volume would not be cornered by a few parties.Lopez assured the volume of importation would have to be determined in consultation with the Department of Agriculture based on the projected demand and forecast harvest.
NFA, however, will buy from local farmers for the buffer stock and can import if necessary.
An executive order or a directive from the NFA Council would issued to formalize this policy.
“Rice is a very important commodity that affects the day-to-day lives of Filipinos. It is very important to keep supply and prices stable. It is also a big factor in the inflation index,” Lopez said.
The NFA imports milled rice through government-to-government contracts, but it has the authority to issue permits to private sector for their importation. Lopez said NFA has incurred, cumulatively over the years, P200 billion in losses due to rice importation, buying at high and selling low.
“The private sector knows the market, they know the timing,” said Lopez,
Unlike government-to-government procurement where government has to set aside certain funds for the importation, it would earn revenues when private sector imports as these are slapped with tariff.
This development is aligned with the decision of the Philippines to lift the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice effective July 1.
A set minimum access volume (MAV) is slapped with a preferential tariff of 35 percent while volume outside MAV is slapped 50 percent.Once the QR is lifted, a 35 percent tariff is applied on all imports.
Lopez said an executive order lifting the QR will be issued following the approval by the Cabinet level.But he cautioned that once private sector is given priority, there would be more importers and volume would not be cornered by a few parties.Lopez assured the volume of importation would have to be determined in consultation with the Department of Agriculture based on the projected demand and forecast harvest.
NFA, however, will buy from local farmers for the buffer stock and can import if necessary.
An executive order or a directive from the NFA Council would issued to formalize this policy.
“Rice is a very important commodity that affects the day-to-day lives of Filipinos. It is very important to keep supply and prices stable. It is also a big factor in the inflation index,” Lopez said.
Rice Farmers Can Take This to the 'Bank,' According To Research
By UC Davis Scientist
Rice farmers
seeking to protect their crops from pests sans pesticides may want to consider
the practice called the “banker plant system."
DAVIS, CA -- Rice farmers seeking to protect their crops from
pests but without the high dependency of pesticides may want to consider the
sustainable pest management practice known as the “banker plant system.”
First-of-its-kind research, published in Scientific Reports of the
journal Nature by a nine-member team, including UC Davis agricultural
entomologist Christian Nansen (pictured above), indicated that attracting
alternative hosts to parasitoids of rice insect pests, can help protect a rice
crop. The players: a grass species, a planthopper, and an egg parasitoid.
The field and laboratory work, done in China, targeted the brown
planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, or BPH, the economically most important rice
pest in Asia. Results showed that BPH densities were “significantly lower in
the rice fields with the banker plant system compared to control rice fields
without banker plant system,” the scientists said.
“Many people are familiar with the concept of a ‘trap crop'-- a
sacrificial crop which is planted mixed in with or adjacent to an economically
important crop and the trap crop serves to manipulate pests away by offering
them a more attractive/suitable host alternative,” said Nansen, an assistant
professor with the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. “The use
of banker plants in pest management is similar to the use of trap crops, but
banker plants typically have multiple ecological functions.”
The researchers planted a grass species, Leersia sayanuka, next to
rice. It attracted a planthopper (Nilaparvata muiri), which does not infest
rice.
“But N. muiri is a very good host for the important egg
parasitoid, Anagrus nilaparvatae, which is also a parasitoid of the
economically important pest, the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens,” Nansen
explained. “So, by planting the grass, the parasitoids have plenty of hosts
year round – even after the rice harvest season– and that ensures steady
population dynamics of the parasitoid across seasons.”
Rice is the stable food of more than 50 percent of the global population, and 60 percent of the Chinese population. However, scientists concur that the world's rice production needs to increase drastically over the next three decades to meet the growing food demand in Asia. Growing concern over BPH outbreaks and higher pesticide usage led to the sustainable pest management study.
Rice is the stable food of more than 50 percent of the global population, and 60 percent of the Chinese population. However, scientists concur that the world's rice production needs to increase drastically over the next three decades to meet the growing food demand in Asia. Growing concern over BPH outbreaks and higher pesticide usage led to the sustainable pest management study.
Titled “Use of Banker Plant System for Sustainable Management of
the Most Important Insect Pest in Rice Fields in China,” the research is unique
in that it is the first published study describing the attraction of
alternative hosts to parasitoids of rice insect pests. In rice systems,
previously published research involved planting sesame as a nectar source to
promote the establishment and persistence of a predatory bug; and studies
involving parasitoids.
BPH, found only in southeast Asia and Australia, feeds on the rice
crop at all stages of plant growth and can also transmit two viruses, rice
ragged stunt virus, and rice grassy stunt virus. Damage can commonly result in
a 60 percent yield loss. An infestation is often called “hopper burn,”
referring to yellow patches that soon turn brown.
Although
BPH is not found in the United States, this kind of study “may be an approach
to consider in California in the future if insecticide resistance continues to
impeded effective insect control,” Nansen said.
Noting the importance of the banker plant system, Nansen said that
banker plants “involve promotion of plant diversity to enhance pest
self-regulatory ecosystem functions, such as predation and competition, to
reduce susceptibility of agricultural crops to native and invasive pests. Also,
banker plants “may provide resources, such as shelter, pollen and nectar or
alternative preys to improve the establishment and persistence of beneficial
insect populations used to control a specific pest.”
The first successful banker plant system, developed in 1977,
involved tomato as the banker plant, a parasitoid and a whitefly.Nansen is
affiliated with both UC Davis and the Zhejiang Sustainable Pest and Disease
Control, Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of
Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China.Co-authors of the research paper include
lead author Zhongxian Lu and colleagues Xusong Zheng, Yanhui Lu, Junce Tian,
Hongxing Xu, all of the Zhejiang Sustainable Pest and Disease Control; and
Pingyang Zhu, Facheng Zhang and Guihua Chen of the Jinhua (China) Plant
Protection Station.The study was jointly supported by the National Key Research
and Development Program of China, Zhejiang Key Research and Development
Program, and the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public
Interest.
https://patch.com/california/davis/rice-farmers-can-take-bank-according-research-uc-davis-scientist
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