Once upon a time
Deepak Rikhye
June 23, 2017 | 02:17
AM
Terrace cultivation
Terraced rice fields in Yunnan
Province, China, give incredible evidence of the history of rice. Researchers
have been struggling for years to establish where and when rice was first
cultivated.
They initially thought of Japan and
Korea; in recent times, however, Sarah Zhang, for The Atlantic, has written
that new studies suggest the cultivation of rice from its “wild form” possibly
began in southern China. Stephen Chen, for the South China Morning Post, writes
that archaeologists in the early 2000s discovered 18 pre-historical villages in
the area of Shangchan, along the Yangtze River, with evidence that people
cultivated and ate rice.
Silo type constructions of hard
material, comprising plastered clay, were used for granaries which were made
for storing rice.
These researchers did not mention
that the Indus Valley Civilisation, used similar granaries, ages ago. That is
understandable as the research is in China by Chinese professors and
intellectuals. The presence of agricultural tools, similar to ancient ploughs,
was observed in Shangshan.
However, a question persisted among
the Chinese researchers: were those early settlers collecting wild rice or had
they already begun to cultivate and domesticate rice? Chen explains the
difference.
While acidic soils decompose and
destroy the organic matter of rice, including its grains and stems, rice plants
produce microscopic bits of silica called phytoliths that form distinctive
patterns in rice leaves. Compared to wild varieties, domesticated rice has
prominent phytolith patterns. By counting the “fish scales” in patterns,
researchers can identify the difference between cultivated and wild rice, since
cultivated rice has more than nine scales. According to a press release, rice,
Oryza sativa, is one of the world’s important staple foods, as it sustains more
than half the world’s population. This has led to considerable discussion over
the last decade.
Professor Lu Houyuan of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences suggests that rice domestication may have begun at
Shangshan on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China during the
beginning of the Holocene, some 9,000 to 11,500 years ago. The research was
published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, US.
Rice remains mainly from phytoliths
found at the Shangshan site in the lower Yangtze may represent the first
instance of rice cultivation.
However, further research on dates is
required to determine an actual calendar of the history of rice. Professor
Houyuan tells Chen, “We have a high confidence it is not wild rice. It is not
the same rice we consume today either. It is a half-domesticated species.”
Excavations will continue because the researchers strongly believe the site was
surrounded by luxuriant expanses of paddy fields.
However, although Chinese rice could
be the earliest found till date, it does not mean that China was the only place
where rice was developed. Researchers argue that another strain known as indica
had also been cultivated, in an area between India and Indochina. Genetic
studies show a third variety, which is resistant to drought, known as aus rice
and aus was developed in the regions of India and Bangladesh, from wild
strains.
If rice was grown in China 9,000
years ago, there are no first prizes but the age of this commodity is indeed
remarkable. It is also thought provoking that if rice has continued from the
Holocene era it has endured many different conditions within the environment.
The fact that the odyssey of rice
has moved through thousands of years is on its own mind-boggling. If one
reflects on the relevance of rice cultivation in India, a difference arises —
the Chinese lived harmoniously with one another for a long time. They were not
as fragmented as the Indian sub-continent was.
There is evidence that the Chinese,
during those pristine times, created foot-pumps to pump water from the Yellow
River towards the paddy fields. They pumped in the water with their feet — that
was the miraculous mechanical power used in those rice fields.
China adhered a lot to a “policy of
secrecy” and this traditional policy has been integral to their virtues. So a
design of those fascinating foot-pumps is safely preserved in records at
Chinese universities.
http://www.thestatesman.com/features/once-upon-a-time-1498164420.html
12:00 AM, June 23, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED:
11:59 PM, June 22, 2017
Kushtia bans noncompliant rice millers for
two years
Over 200 disobedient rice
millers have been served notices while the local food office has blacklisted
416 more mills with whom the government would not sign any deal to buy rice for
the next two years.
Kushtia District Food
Controller Tanver Rahman confirmed to The Daily Star about the decision. He
added that other defiant millers would also be served notices.
Kushtia is home to one of
the country's biggest wholesale rice markets in Bangladesh where coarse rice is
being sold at Tk 42-44 per kilogramme.
During the ongoing rice
procurement season, from May 2 to June 30, the government wanted to buy rice
from the millers at Tk 34 a kg. The millers were reluctant to supply the
commodity to the government at less than the market price, according to a
number of millers.
As a result, most rice millers did not sign the contract with the government in
the first place in the hope of higher profits.
The millers who signed
the contracts also refused to sell the staple as promised as they got better
prices in the open market trade.
Coarse rice price went by
46.88 percent year-on-year yesterday, according to the Trading Corporation of
Bangladesh.
Kushtia is one of the
largest rice producing hubs in Bangladesh where about 868 mills process and
produce rice.
Of the total, 609 mill
owners are enlisted with the local food office to supply rice to the
government.
This year only 193 mill
owners in the district signed deals to supply 4,898 tonnes of rice. The
government's procurement target was 13,301 tonnes.
But only two mill owners
supplied 135 tonnes of rice to the district food godown till last week.
The situation this year
is in stark contrast to that of the past whe n mill owners would eagerly wait
for the procurement drive to start so they could supply the staple food.
On June 1, the local food
office received a letter from the regional food controller with instructions to
serve mill owners notices banning them from selling rice to the government for
the next two years.
With a very low stock of
rice and prices rising, the government is walking a tightrope when it comes to
procuring rice from the domestic market and is now in the process of importing
the item from Vietnam and other countries.
Wheat
consumption falls in Ramazan
The per-person consumption of flour in Pakistan is 124 kilograms a
year, said Chaudhry Nasir Abdullah, the chairman of Pakistan Flour Mills
Association’s Sindh chapter.
However, Pakistanis are eating costly flour due to higher support
price of wheat at Rs1,350 per 40kg, he said: “The support price of wheat should
be Rs800 per 40kg. This will make its exports feasible and bring down prices as
well.”
Demand
for chickpeas, sugar and rice registers increase
Despite surplus wheat crop in Pakistan, exports to Afghanistan
have become negligible due to high prices here. Afghanistan was buying cheap
wheat from various neighbouring countries, Mr Abdullah said.
Wheat prices in Pakistan are almost double at $350 a tonne
compared to global prices of $160-180 a tonne.
However, despite lower prices on the world market, Pakistan’s
wheat imports remained nil during July-April 2016-17, as they were a year
earlier. The government has imposed 60 per cent import duty and 5pc income tax
to discourage imports and benefit growers.
With an increase of around 10pc in international wheat prices
during July-April, wheat exports went up to 575 tonnes fetching $172,000 during
the period compared to 450 tonnes ($158,000) a year ago.
Prices of various flour varieties have been unchanged for the last
one and a half months due to slack demand. A 100kg bag of wheat sells for
Rs3,125 in the open market. The Sindh government has last year’s carryover
stock of around 700,000 tonnes.
Unlike wheat, the consumption of chickpeas (chana) went up to
nearly 200,000 tonnes during Shaban and Ramazan from 66,000 tonnes a month.
Chickpeas are used for making besan, or gram flour.
The chairman of Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Association, Anis
Majeed, said that taking the wholesale price of grams at Rs80 per kg, the
amount spent on the Shaban and Ramazan consumption comes to around Rs16 billion
compared to normal monthly consumption of Rs5.28bn.
Gram is the largest Rabi pulse crop, accounting for 76pc of total
production of pulses in the country. Its production increased 25.5pc
year-on-year to 359,000 tonnes during 2016-17. However, keeping in view the
consumption of grams at around 750,000 tonnes, a considerable amount of the
commodity is being imported.
The consumption of Kabuli chana (white gram) swelled to nearly
50,000 tonnes during Shaban and Ramazan from 15,000 tonnes during normal
months. Taking the price of Kabuli chana at Rs150 per kg, the overall sales
come to around Rs7.5bn.
The monthly consumption of sugar, which normally stands at 400,000
tonnes, surged to 1.2 million tonnes Shaban and Ramazan as it is heavily used
in making juices and squashes. Based on Rs53 per kg wholesale price, its sales
in Ramazan and Shaban come to Rs63.6bn as compared to Rs21bn in normal months.
Mr Majeed said the demand for rice usually goes up by 10-20pc in
the 15 days leading to Eidul Fitr due to a rise in iftar parties. Moreover,
people buy more rice for making various dishes on Eid.
Karachi Fresh Fruits and Merchants Welfare Association’s President
Zahid Awan said that depending on crop availability the demand for fruit in the
first 10 days of Ramazan rose by 100pc as compared to normal days. Demand was
150pc higher last year.
From 11th to 20th Ramazan, demand for fruit goes down to 70pc
while in last 10 days ahead of Eid the demand reaches its normal as buyers
shift their spending towards Eid-related items, he said.
He said the wholesale rate of Sindhri and Chaunsa mangoes is Rs70
per kg each, but retailers are selling them for Rs120-140 per kg.
The wholesale rate of banana is Rs80-100 per dozen compared to the
retail price of Rs100-120.
The price of melon is Rs40-45 per kg in the wholesale market, but
retailers sell them at Rs60-80. The wholesale price of garma is Rs55-60 per kg
compared to retail price of Rs80-100.
A retailer said the consumption of milk and yogurt surged by at
least 50pc during Ramazan than normal days.
Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2017
https://www.dawn.com/news/1340920/wheat-consumption-falls-in-ramazan
The curious case of rice price hike
Photo:
Star
Obviously, they had essentially
failed to take into account the overwhelming majority of people who are either
poor, or belong to the lower middle-income bracket — who neither fall into the
relatively small category of ultra-poor, nor the marginal category of
burger-eaters. They are not taken care of. Any rapid and unusual surge of rice
price (as is happening now) would definitely dent their wallets and dent it
deep.
We'll deal with the rice-skipping,
burger-munching minority of urban youths later. Let's talk about the ultra-poor
first. In fact, today's abnormal hike in rice price is apparently connected to
a government initiative of providing the ultra-poor with rice at Tk. 10 per
kg.
In the latter half of last year,
the government started enlisting five million ultra-poor with an aim of feeding
them with 7.5 lakh tonnes of rice in the subsequent five months at a rate (Tk.
10 per kg) that is a fourth of the market price. This programme has been
running since September 2016 along with the government's hundred other social
safety net programmes, many of which are also related to food aid.
While the government was in a
frenzy doling out low-cost rice to the ultra-poor, it nearly exhausted its safe
level of rice stock in the public granaries. Its food department completely
failed to prepare for what was coming and did next to nothing to replenish the
dried up rice stock. The stock fell below a nadir at 1.85 lakh tonnes, a
10-year low in this country.
Independent think tanks, farm and food sector experts and economists forewarned
the government not to allow such depletion of rice in its stock. But for
whatever reason (only the government can explain), it allowed the freefall of
rice stock. This weakened the government's position and made it difficult for
any sort of market intervention, at which point profit-mongering rice traders
started to benefit.
Things got further complicated when
unusually early flash-floods washed away, according to the most conservative
estimate, 10 lakh tonnes of rice in the northeastern back-swamps — where winter
Boro rice is the only major cereal that grows in a crop year. On top of that,
we lost more Boro rice in fungal attack (rice blast) in as many as 19
districts. Up until now, the Department of Agricultural Extension has not come
up with any concrete estimation on fungi-induced crop losses.
No matter how slow the government
apparatuses move in making trustworthy loss assessments, rice millers and
private traders were smart enough to recognise a looming supply shortage in the
market. As they started to push the price up, it still didn't occur to the
concerned government departments that they should intervene to ensure higher
availability of rice.
The food department rather missed a
chance to replenish the rice stock, completely failed to procure paddy directly
from the farmers early into the Boro harvesting season and then made a late
entry into the market, that too, with non-lucrative price offers. The result
was obvious. Why should rice millers — who can easily fetch Tk. 39-40 for each
kilogram of rice in the open market — sell rice to the government at Tk. 34 a
kg?
After the state-run agency, Trading
Corporation of Bangladesh, showed through market analysis how prices of the
coarse varieties of rice jumped 47 percent in June, comparing it to the
corresponding period of 2016, the government thought of buying rice from the
international market. It struck at least three deals to ship in 3.5 lakh tonnes
of rice; but it is unlikely to reach before early July. The government also
took a long time in deciding that it should decrease a high tariff (28 percent)
on rice import.
In fact, such high tariffs on rice
import deterred the private sector from importing rice in a crop-loss year —
which is rather unusual. One can now easily and very legitimately raise the
question: Who pushed up the rice price? Why did we allow rice stock to deplete
in the first place? Why didn't we replenish the stock while going full throttle
with newer rice dole schemes? Why did we fail in procuring rice from the
farmers early in the season? And, why did it take us so long to lower the duty
on rice import?
In a country with more than 160
million people, the ultra-poor and burger-eaters are definitely a minority. I
beg to differ with the notion that one should not worry about high rice prices
— where burger-eaters can take care of themselves (even with the finance
minister slapping a 15 percent VAT on top of the 10 percent supplementary duty
on fast food) and the government takes care of the ultra-poor — because of a
simple reason. There are still millions of others in this country whose quality
of life is compromised when coarse rice price jumps from Tk. 30 per kg to Tk. 48.
As they are now pushed up against the wall, what they will essentially have to
do is consume less rice which is the only major source of energy for many
and/or cut down their expenditure on other food items such as vegetables,
fruits, etc.
Andhra Pradesh, south India's rice bowl, banks
on Telangana for the grain
Jun 22, 2017, 06.00 AM IST
Though the millers claim that a major portion of
paddy grown in Andhra Pradesh is exported due to its high quality, local
traders and farmers talk about pitiable rice production that has led to this
dependence on Telangana.
This is mostly
because the cultivable area in Telangana has increased considerably during the
last rabi season, while it has alarmingly gone down in Andhra Pradesh. The
farmers in Telangana have cultivated paddy in 8.65 lakh ha this time against
their average area of 5.33 lakh ha. In Andhra Pradesh, the cultivable area has
gone down to 5.67 lakh ha from 8 lakh ha. In the last season, Telangana had
produced 60 lakh tonnes of paddy , while it was just 39 lakh tonnes in Andhra
Pradesh. The fall in cultivable area in Andhra Pradesh and its increase in
Telangana is attributed to the availability of water and the average
rainfall.
The rabi
season's rainfall in Telangana was 1,004mm, while it was just 629mm in Andhra
Pradesh, which resulted in the steep fall in paddy production. The Krishna
delta had no crop for two consecutive seasons, while it was only the Godavari
delta that had seen a partial cultivation of paddy. The varieties produced in
Godavari delta are procured by the State Civil Supplies Department for its
public distribution system (PDS), while the higher varieties are procured for
the open market in the state."There were no rains and there was no water
for Krishna delta. We could not get the 140tmcft of assured water from
Nagarajunasagar after bifurcation, leading to the crisis," said farmers'
leader and former member of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) MVS
Nagi Reddy.
The
Telangana government had not released even a drop of water either to the right
canal that provides irrigation water to parts of Guntur and Prakasam districts,
or to the left canal that irrigates parts of Krishna district in Andhra
Pradesh.
"The production of paddy in AP is low due to the prevailing drought conditions and non-availability of water. The prices for whatever quantity is produced have gone up. That is the reason why we are procuring paddy from Telangana, where a quintal of the grain is available for just Rs 800 to 900, while it is Rs 1,800 to RS 2,500 in Andhra Pradesh," said rice miller Chennuri Rambabu.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vijayawada/andhra-pradesh-south-indias-rice-bowl-banks-on-telangana-for-the-grain/articleshow/59261672.cms
Bernas says quality of imported rice
guaranteed
June 21, 2017, Wednesday
KUALA LUMPUR: Padiberas
Nasional Berhad (Bernas) assured that rice imported in the country undergoes
stringent tests and inspection at various stages before being distributed to
wholesalers and factories for packing.
Bernas in a statement today
said as the sole importer of rice in Malaysia, rice imported from other
countries goes through a series of tests by Quality Surveyors (QC)
appointed, before going through the shipping process.
“When the consignment arrives at
the port in Malaysia, the rice will undergo a quality control inspection and
test. Once the rice arrives at the warehouse, Bernas appointed QC will
conduct tests from samplings gathered to ensure the quality of rice imported,”
said the statement from Bernas.
The statement said once the tests
are done and the rice analysed, a certificate of quality and specification will
be issued as an endorsement from Bernas for reference by
wholesalers and factories.
Monitoring and enforcement of
food safety are constantly carried out to ensure that food available in the
market is safe said Bernas.Social media has gone abuzz with reports that fake
rice (plastic rice) was sold widely in the country. – Bernama
http://www.theborneopost.com/2017/06/21/bernas-says-quality-of-imported-rice-guaranteed/
SEA demands placement of oilseeds in
zero per cent slab by GST Council
Thursday, 22 June, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
Our Bureau, Mumbai
The Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) demanded that
the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Council place oilseeds in the nil slab, as they
are essential commodities, akin to rice, wheat and sugar.
It has proposed to impose five per cent GST on oilseeds and oils,
while oilcakes and oil meals (including rice bran and rice bran extension) were
placed in the nil category, and blended oil and margarine were placed in the 18
per cent slab.
This was stated by Atul Chaturvedi, the association’s president,
recently. He added, “Five per cent value-added tax (VAT) was levied on blended
oil, a mixture of two oils. It should be placed in the five per cent GST slab,
instead of the 18 per cent slab.”
GST will be rolled out on July 1, 2017, but over the last couple of
months, the GST Council held a number of meetings to consider representations
by various segments in the food and beverage industry.
“Our sustained efforts and personal meetings with Santosh Kumar
Gangwar, minister of state for finance and senior officials in the ministry of
finance have yielded positive results,” Chaturvedi said.
“The GST Council has agreed to reduce the rate of GST rate levied
on blended oil to five per cent. Akshay Modi must be complimented for taking
the lead and getting the GST on blended oil reduced to five per cent,” he
added.
“We are still pursuing them to impose no GST on oilseeds and reduce
the rate of GST on margarine,” stated Chaturvedi, who is also chief executive
officer (agro), Adani Wilmar Ltd.
He added that the farmers’ agitation and the subsequent firing by
the police, which resulted in the deaths of farmers in Madhya Pradesh’s
Mandsaur district, had brought the plight of the Indian farming community in
focus.
“Practically all newspapers and television channels are falling
over each other in giving suggestions to end the misery of our peasants and
doubling their incomes,” Chaturvedi stated.
“I am sure our government is also busy burning the midnight oil to
find the solutions to the ills plaguing our agriculture. Without joining the
debate, let us hope the agitation and the suicides of our debt-ridden farmers
does not go in vain and a lasting solution to this agrarian crisis is found,”
he added.
Monsoon dilemma
“The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast that this
year, the monsoon would be 98 per cent of the normal. However, so far, the
rainfall has been erratic, and it is still hot in north-western India and
several parts of central India,” Chaturvedi said.
“IMD, during the current year, has highlighted the peculiar
progress of the monsoon, which can have far-reaching consequences for our
oilseed crops,” he added.
“They have observed that because of this peculiar movement, the
monsoon seems to be travelling directly from the south to the north, bypassing
the central part of India,” Chaturvedi said.
“The monsoon is not developing in a normal way, and it is likely
that the monsoon advance may bypass the important soybean-producing regions
like Madhya Pradesh and Eastern Maharashtra, and they may not get adequate
rains in June. This may delay sowing operations,” he added.
Fears of farmer shifting
“After two years of drought, the current year had witnessed oilseed
production rebounding. However, the increase in production has not brought any
cheer to our farmers, as the prices have collapsed below the minimum support
price (MSP) levels,” Chaturvedi said.
“Probably, for the first time in decades, soybean, rapeseed and
groundnut have moved below the MSP. The current price level is the lowest in
the last five years, and the farmers are discouraged to sow the oilseeds in the
kharif season,” he added.
“With a view to ensuring that the farmers do not lose interest in
oilseed cultivation, the association has strongly pleaded to the Central
government to raise the import duty on crude oil to 20 per cent and refined oil
to 35 per cent as a short-term measure to support the price,” Chaturvedi said.
“In the meanwhile, to cool down the farmers agitation in the
various states, the MSP of pulses, oilseed and cotton for the kharif season has
been revised substantially. Groundnut prices have increased by Rs 230 to Rs
4,450; those of soybean have increased by Rs 275 to Rs 3,050, and those of
sunflower seeds by Rs 150 to Rs 4,100 per quintal,” he added.
“Currently, the oilseeds are being sold below the MSP, and there is
hardly any market intervention operation (MIO) to support these price levels.
While we appreciate the government’s decision to raise the MSP to support the
farmers, there is a urgent need to strengthen the procurement system, otherwise
it will not benefit the farmers,” Chaturvedi said.
Sharp rise in import of refined oil
“The import of edible oil during May 2017 jumped by 30 per cent
compared to May 2016 and overall import for the period between November 2016 to
May 2017 is more or less the same for the last year,” Chaturvedi said.
“On the one hand, we had a record oilseed crop, and on the other
hand, we are forced to import a larger quantity of vegetable oils. The main
reason is that the farmer is reluctant to sell his produce below the MSP and
holding back the seeds at his end,” he added.
“The industry is unable to pay a higher price to the farmers due to
the large-scale import of edible oil at a lower duty and the disparity in
processing. The government must regulate the inflow of refined edible oil
imports through tariff measures to enable the market forces to pay a
remunerative price to the farmers,” Chaturvedi said.
Options trading in commodities
“The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) deserves kudos
for allowing the commodity exchanges to launch options trading in
commodities. The combination of futures
and options will provide market participants the benefit of price discovery of futures
and a simpler risk management tool,” Chaturvedi said.
Vegetable fats in chocolate
“The association, for nearly two decades, was pursuing the
concerned authorities to permit the use of vegetable fats in the manufacture of
chocolates,” Chaturvedi said.
“Recently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
issued a notification, permitting addition of vegetable fats (from sal, kokum,
mango kernel, palm oil, mahua oil, dhupa, phulwara, dharambe, etc.) upto five
per cent of the finished product,” he added.
“This will give a boost to the production of vegetable oils and
fats manufactured from tree-borne oilseeds (TBOs), help the industry by way of
a larger basket of raw materials and the tribals by way of an opportunity to
collect a larger quantity of TBOs from the forests,” Chaturvedi said.
“M H Agrawal and Ashish Saraf, chairman and co-chairman, SEA Minor
Oilseed Development Council, respectively, and B V Mehta, executive director,
SEA, must be complimented for following up this matter tirelessly over the
years,” he added.
Forthcoming events
The Feed and Feed Ingredients Conclave - 2017 is taking place at
Hotel Conrad, Pune on July 15 and 16, 2017. SEA, jointly with the Compound
Livestock Feed Manufacturers’ Association of India (CLFMA) and the All India
Cotton Seed Crushers’ Association (AICOSCA), are organising the event, which
will focus on the future outlook for feed industry vis-a-vis demand for and
supply of oilmeals, maize and other feed ingredients.
The fourth International Conference on Rice Bran Oil 2017 (ICRBO),
organised by the International Association of Rice Bran Oil (IARBO) - formed by
China, India, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam - is taking place in Bangkok,
Thailand, on August 24 and 25, 2017. It features a line-up of speakers, whose
topics will be concerned with rice bran oil and value-added products. It will
provide an opportunity to those who are involved in the rice bran oil business
to participate and to develop their international contacts.
http://www.fnbnews.com/Top-News/sea-demands-placement-of-oilseeds-in-zero-per-cent-slab-by-gst-council-40732
How
smuggling affects Kebbi paddy rice market fortunes
By Vincent A. Yusuf who was in Kebbi | Publish Date: Jun 22 2017 2:00AM
For some, Kebbi State is the rice capital of Nigeria. Home to
hundreds of thousands of rice farmers with over 500,000 hectares of rice
farmlands, the story of rice in the state is, however multidimensional.
A first time visitor to any of the state’s large paddy rice markets
will be overwhelmed by the quantum of rice piled for sale as merchants, millers
all over the country troop to the area.
As diverse as the farmers and the buyers are, so are the issues in
their minds different. For the farmers, the issues of cost of quality seed,
fertiliser and market for their produce remain paramount while the buyer fears
smuggling activity which triggers downward movement of prices.
Suru paddy rice market is one of the markets that witness a beehive
of activities. Daily Trust interacted with rice farmers and buyers who shared
the stories of their successes and the fear that the market’s future may depend
on the answer to the key question: will the gains recorded in the last two
years be sustained?
Driving over the main road, about 500 metres to the market, is a
herculean task as one manoeuvers his way through the thousands of 80kg bags of
paddy rice, large crowd and articulated trucks loading rice.
Standing in the midst of such bags of rice sweating was Malam Aminu
Mohammed, a 32-year-old man and father of three. He told Daily Trust that he
generated about N400,000 as profit
during the wet season alone.
However, for the dry season in which he harvested 60 bags, he
expressed dismay over what he called the fallen price of paddy rice, which is
now selling between N7,500 to N9,000. That wasn’t the case few months ago when
he sold the same 70kg bags at N14,000 each.
Asked why he thinks the prices plummeted. He pointed at “news of
large quantity of foreign rice smuggled into the country last month,” which
sparked protest from farmers across the country.
But Adamu Salisu, who said he is a farmer and a merchant, thinks
the buyers sometimes raised alarm over massive importation, which might
jeopardize the future of markets - the result is that such development affects
the markets which the buyers take advantage of.
In Bunzu market, you could see rice everywhere. Although most
farmers are happy with how much they are making now, compared to past years,
some are worried that smuggling will erode the gains made in the past 15
months.
But Danjuma Bukar Alero believes that beside the smuggling which is
their biggest threat, the big millers in the country do influence prices in the
markets - a situation he wants the government to intervene in, in order to
protect the smallholder farmers.
Although the markets are huge, they are not organised to aid
collection of statistics and/or taxes on paddy rice trading.
The markets are also fast expanding and the quantum of product is
increasing by the day as more and more farmers are heeding the call to go back
to farm.
With two large-scale mills (Labana rice in Birnin Kebbi and WACOT
rice, which is about to commence operations in Argungu) and pockets of medium
and small mills all over, the farmers should not be worried about the future of
their market, but as it is now, even those milling locally are worried because
they might go out of business if government does not tighten the noose further
on smuggling.
Mohammed Sahabi Augie is the Kebbi State Chairman of the Rice
Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN). He told Daily Trust that the state is
recording annual increase in the quantum of production especially in the last
rain-fed and dry seasons.
This, he said, was also possible because of the FG Anchor
Borrowers’ programme. He however thinks the market needs to be
reorganised-something Governor Abubakar Bagudu said the state was working on.
Mohammed Sanusi Umar, the Director of Kebbi State Agriculture and
Rural Development Programme, said the state government pays strategic attention
to wheat and rice production and as such is working on a more organised system
that will benefit both the farmers and the processors.https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/agriculture/how-smuggling-affects-kebbi-paddy-rice-market-fortunes/202767.html
Bangladesh issues tender to import 50,000T of rice
DHAKA: Bangladesh´s state grains
buyer on Wednesday issued its fourth international tender since May, looking to
import 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice as it grapples with depleted stocks and
record local prices.
The deadline for offers is July 9,
with the rice to be shipped within 40 days of signing any deal, a senior
official at the country´s state grains buyer said, declining to be identified.
The step comes as the government is set to slash tax on rice imports after
flash floods hit local output, plunging state reserves to 10-year lows.
Growing demand from Bangladesh will
help stoke Asian prices that have already hit multi-year highs in recent
months. Separately, Ataur Rahman, additional secretary at the food ministry,
told Reuters last week, that the country would import 200,000 tonnes of white
rice at $430 a tonne and 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice at $470 a tonne from
Vietnam in a government-to-government deal.
Those rates are sharply higher than
what it has been paying through previous tenders. Bangladesh is buying 50,000
tonnes of white rice at $406.48 a tonne and 100,000 tonnes of parboiled rice at
$427.85 and $445.11 a tonne through tenders.
The government is also in talks
with Thailand and India to import rice to replenish reserves. Meanwhile,
Bangladesh´s central bank has ordered banks to allow traders to import rice
without any deposit against letters of credit
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/212118-Bangladesh-issues-tender-to-import-50000T-of-rice
Ghana imports 'repackaged' rice
from UAE – Researcher
Some importers buy rice from Ghana and take it to Dubai where
they repackage it and export it back to the West African country, Dr Michael
Osei, a crop improvement scientist and lecturer at the University of Cape
Coast, has revealed.
Speaking on the possibility of plastic rice flooding the Ghanaian market in an interview on Accra-based Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday June 21, Dr Osei said: “I don’t think there any regulatory bodies and even if there are regulatory bodies, I don’t think they are working – that if I decide to bring rice into this country, I need to go through a process and I will be certified, probably given a licence to be able to import a certain brand of rice, and I cannot import any other brand of rice except the ones for which I have been granted the licence.
“Currently when you go to the market, you could find hundreds of brands and that is quite dangerous. We don’t know who is bringing these ones and we don’t know what sort of certification or licence they have been provided to bring these ones.
“So, basically, it is a failure along the supply chain. Fraudsters perpetrate their crimes through vulnerability in the food supply chain, so we need to have end-to-end visibility and supply chain transparency that is very critical. We need to be able to trace and track products’ pedigrees and history but can we be confident and say that we can track brand A from its source to Ghana?”
He added: “Two years ago, myself and my colleagues, we did a paper and we realised that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) [exports] rice to Ghana.
“In this country [UAE] they don’t produce one grain of rice, so what they basically do is they import the rice from Ghana and then bag, repackage and export back to Ghana. So if rice is coming from UAE, can we trace it back to where it was produced?”
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Ghana-imports-repackaged-rice-from-UAE-Researcher-550770
Wheat softens on reduced offtake by flour mills
Jun 22, 2017, 03.10 PM IST
Bajra and barley also moved down on muted demand from consuming
industries.
Traders said besides reduced offtake by flour mills, adequate
stocks position mainly weighed on wheat prices.
In the national capital, wheat dara (for mills) fell by Rs 10 to
Rs 1,740-1,745 per quintal. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and traded lower
by a similar margin to Rs 1,745-1,750 per 90 kg. Sooji also eased to Rs
1,020-1,030 against last close of Rs 1,040-1,050 per 50 kg.
Other bold grains like, bajra and barley too fell by Rs 30 and
Rs 50 to Rs 1,200-1,210 and Rs 1,460-1,480 per quintal respectively.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,100-2,345, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs
1,740-1,745, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,745-1,750, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs
255-290, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 950-960 (50 kg),
Maida Rs 960-970 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,020-1,030 (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 6,700-7,000, Rice
Pusa (1121) Rs 5,700-5,800, Permal raw Rs 2,225-2,250, Permal wand Rs 2,275-2,300,
Sela Rs 2,500-2,600 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,850-1,900, Bajra Rs 1,200-1,210, Jowar
yellow Rs 1,450-1,500, white Rs 2,900-3,100, Maize Rs 1,270-1,280, Barley Rs
1,460-1,480. SUN KPS SBT
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/wheat-softens-on-reduced-offtake-by-flour-mills/articleshow/59268502.cms
Tale of
two rice crops playing out in Louisiana
Farmers hoping Tropical Storm Cindy
doesn't bring a repeat of 2016 flooding in Louisiana rice areas.
It is
almost a tale of two rice crops – one in south Louisiana that seems to be doing
well for now and one in north Louisiana that is struggling.Dustin Harrell, Extension rice specialist, LSU AgCenter, said much of the south Louisiana crop was planted on or around Valentine’s Day this year, a historically early date for planting rice, even in the southern part of the state.
The crop in the northern part of the state was delayed because of heavy rains during the traditional planting window. Since then, it has stayed wet in north Louisiana, frustrating efforts to apply nitrogen on dry ground for the crop.
“Some of our growers are reaching the point where they will have to give up on the recommended practices for applying nitrogen,” said Dr. Harrell, speaking at the Northeast Research Station Field Day in St. Joseph on Tuesday (June 20). “That means they will have to spoon feed the nitrogen to the crop.”
He said farmers in south Louisiana could be harvesting their first crop rice during the first week in July, while growers in the north still have quite a ways to go.
The big question when he spoke at the Northeast Research Station Field Day was what impact Tropical Storm Cindy, which was then forming in the Gulf of Mexico, would have on both crops when it made landfall, possibly in southwest Louisiana and traveled to the northeast across the state and into the Mid-South.
For more on the Northeast Research Station Field Day, visit http://www.deltafarmpress.com/cotton/louisiana-corn-phenomenal-cotton-mixed-bag.
http://www.deltafarmpress.com/rice/tale-two-rice-crops-playing-out-louisiana
ASIA
RICE-STRONG BANGLADESH DEMAND RAISES PRICES IN VIETNAM AND INDIA
6/22/2017
* Bangladesh demand pushes
Vietnamese, Indian prices
* Thai prices too high for buyers
By Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Ruma
Paul
BANGKOK/DHAKA, June 22 (Reuters) -
Vietnamese and Indianrice prices rose this week following strong demand fromBangladesh,
though Thailand's high prices were starting to put
off buyers, traders said on
Thursday.Bangladesh has emerged as a major importer of the staple
grain this year as it grapples with
depleted stocks and recordlocal prices following flash floods.
The country could import as much as
1 million tonnes thisyear to replenish reserves, Badrul Hasan, the head of the
stategrain buyer, told Reuters.The South Asian country is set to slash import
duty on riceto 10 percent from 28 percent while the central bank has ordered
banks to allow private traders to
import rice without anydeposit against letters of credit.
Expectations of demand, especially
from Bangladesh, havepushed Vietnamese prices higher since early May. Vietnam's
5percent broken rice <RI-VNBKN5-P1> rose to $400-$420 a tonne
this week, free-on-board (FOB)
Saigon, from $410 last week."Prices are too high to trade now," said
a trader in Ho ChiMinh City, adding that prices were expected to jump further
ontalk of more demand from Bangladesh.Bangladesh is buying 200,000 tonnes of
Vietnamese white rice
at $430 a tonne and 50,000 tonnes of
parboiled rice at $470 atonne in a government-to-government deal - much higher
ratesthan in previous tenders.The country is also in talks with neighbouring
India, theworld's biggest rice exporter, whose 5 percent broken parboiled
rice <RI-INBKN5-P1> rose $2
per tonne to $424-$427.Traders are speculating Bangladesh will increase importsdue
to the crop damage. It will help Indian exporters due to
comparatively lower freight
charges," said an exporter based inKakinada in the southern state of
Andhra Pradesh.
Bangladesh's state grains buyer on
Wednesday issued itsfourth international tender since May, looking to import
another50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice.However, Thai traders said demand from
abroad has started todwindle as high prices have forced buyers to turn to rivals.
Thai benchmark 5 percent broken rice
<RI-THBKN5-P1> was quotedat $450-$460 a tonne, FOB Bangkok, up from
$450-$457 last week."There are no buyers now. They've turned to buy from
othercountries because our prices are too high," a trader in Bangkoksaid.
Thai rice prices have been rising
steadily since March, whentraders started loading ships, and touched levels
unseen sinceAugust 2013 this month.Prices have remained stable due to the
appreciation of thebaht against the U.S. dollar and a lower supply ahead of an
off-season harvest."Prices have
gone up a little because the baht has
strengthened," another trader
in Bangkok said.
Thailand and Vietnam are the world's
second and thirdbiggest rice exporters.(Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat in
Bangkok, Ruma Paul inDhaka, My Pham in Hanoi, and Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai;
editing
by David Clarke)
http://www.agriculture.com/markets/newswire/asia-rice-strong-bangladesh-demand-raises-prices-in-vietnam-and-india
Special report: FAO/WFP crop and food
security assessment mission to Sri Lanka 22 June 2017
REPORT
Published on 22 Jun 2017
Rice drying in Sri
Lanka, March 2017. The country’s staple food production dropped by almost 40
percent from the last year's output.
Sri Lanka’s food production hit
by extreme drought followed by floods
Rice production to drop by nearly 40 percent in 2017 - assisting
farmers is critical to halt growing food insecurity
22 June 2017, Rome - A severe
drought followed by heavy rainfalls in Sri Lanka has hit large swaths of
cropping areas, threatening the food security of some 900,000 people, according
to a report published today by the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations
World Food Programme (WFP).
According to the joint Crop and Food Security Assessment
Mission, drought conditions in 2016 and early 2017 led to widespread crop
failures, in particular for rice paddy - the country's staple food. Total paddy
production in 2017 is forecast at 2.7 million tonnes, almost 40 percent less
than the last year's output and 35 percent lower than the average of the
previous five years.
Other crops, including various pulses, chillies and onion, which
rely mainly on rainwater, were also heavily damaged by the dry weather.
The situation was exacerbated by subsequent heavy rainfalls in
May. Floods and landslides in the south-western parts of the country caused
deaths, large population displacements and damage to infrastructure. The rains
did not ease the water supply constraints in the drought-impacted north-central
and eastern parts of the country.
Now, nearly 225,000 households (or about 900,000 people) face
food insecurity. The most vulnerable groups are struggling to earn an income
after losing their own crops and have fewer employment opportunities. In ten
districts, a previous joint assessment showed that about one third of the drought-affected
population had its regular income reduced by more than half, compared to the
income generated from the 2015-2016 Maha season.
The situation may further deteriorate if the next cropping
season fails. Due to a critical shortage of seeds and a lack of water for
irrigation, the second 2017 paddy harvest - known as Yala, due to be harvested
in August and September - is forecast at 1.2 million tonnes, 24 percent below
last year's level.
Increasing food insecurity
Most families surveyed would usually grow their own food, but
with the bad main harvest, many are now forced to buy food from local markets,
where food prices have risen sharply. Rice prices reached an all-time high in
January 2017 reducing the ability of families to access nutritious food.
Many of those affected have been forced to eat less. Interviews
with households and market vendors showed that people were buying cheaper food
whenever possible. Many reported a reduction in the purchase of meat and fish.
Urgent assistance required
To cover immediate needs, FAO and WFP call for the urgent
provision of seeds as well as planting and irrigation equipment for the next
Maha planting season from September to December, as well as support for
irrigation systems. The poorest and most vulnerable families should also
quickly receive targeted cash assistance in order to ensure adequate food
intake and to prevent families from incurring unsustainably high debt or
adopting other coping mechanisms that affect them negatively over the longer
term.
Recognising the increasing frequency of natural disasters
affecting the agricultural sector and the impact on food security, it is also
recommended to introduce longer-term measures to increase farmers' and
households' resilience to natural disasters and climate change, such as
promotion of drought tolerant crops and varieties and livelihood
diversification.
Contacts
Irina Utkina
Irina Utkina
FAO Media Relations (Rome)
(+39) 06 570 52542
Sadhana Mohan
WFP/Colombo
Tel+94-773-754-233
sadhana.mohan@wfp.org
http://reliefweb.int/report/sri-lanka/special-report-faowfp-crop-and-food-security-assessment-mission-sri-lanka-22-june
Palay production in MY
2016-2017 seen increasing 6% to 18.52 MMT
The Philippines’s palay
production in marketing year (MY) 2016-2017 would reach 18.524 million metric
tons (MMT), 6.09 percent higher than the 17.460 MMT estimated output in MY
2015-2016, according to the latest Global Agricultural Information Network (Gain)
report.
The Gain report, prepared by the
United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service
(FAS) in Manila, said latest output forecast in the current market year is 1.48
percent more than the USDA FAS’s earlier projection of 18.254 MMT.
The Gain report noted that the
hike in palay production could be attributed to the expansion of area harvested
during the market year ending June 30. “MY 2016-2017 rice production and
area harvested where modestly raised, consistent with estimates from the
Philippine Statistics Authority [PSA] in its April 2017 Rice and Corn Situation
and Outlook report,” the report published recently read.
The Gain report estimated that
the rice area harvested in MY 2016-2017 expanded by 4.02 percent to 4.705 million
hectares, from 4.523 million hectares recorded area in MY 2015-2016. The Gain
report’s earlier forecast of rice area harvested in MY 2016-2017 was pegged at
4.6 million hectares.
The FAS in Manila also revised
its milled-rice output forecast from 11.5 MMT to 11.67 MMT. The revised
milled-rice production is 6.09 percent more than the 11 MMT estimated output in
the previous market year, according to the Gain report. The Gain report also
estimated that Manila’s ending rice stock by June 30 would reach 1.58
MMT, 12.7 percent lower than the 1.810 MMT estimated ending staple stock in MY
2015-2016.
In its April round of
palay-production forecast, the PSA projected that output in the second
quarter to reach 4.128 MMT, 11.38 percent higher than the 3.714 MMT recorded
output in the same period last year.
The PSA added that harvest area
in the April-to-June period would expand by 11.86 percent to 948,610 hectares,
from 848,030 has recorded a year ago.
“All regions may possibly have
increments in production, except Central Luzon. Probable growths in production
are expected due to increments in harvest areas resulting from availability of
irrigation water/sufficient rainfall during planting period and availability of
seeds from Department of Agriculture [DA]-Regional Field Offices and local
government units [LGUs],” the PSA said. “In Cagayan Valley and Mimaropa, the
possible increments are attributed to movement of harvest to April 2017 due to
intermittent rains in late-March 2017,” the PSA added.
However, the PSA noted that the
average yield in the second quarter would contract to 4.35 MT per hectare,
from 4.38 MT per hectare level a year ago.
The DA also projected that palay
production in the April-to-June period would reach the 4 MMT level on the back
of better planting conditions, particularly favorable weather patterns.
The forecasts of the DA and PSA
came after local rice farmers hiked their palay output in the first quarter by
12.38 percent to 4.42 million, from 3.93 MMT recorded a year ago.
1st rice consignment to arrive from Vietnam in 15 days
| Update: 16:36, Jun 22, 2017
The first consignment of rice from Vietnam is
scheduled to arrive in Chittagong within 15 days, said newly appointed
ambassador of Vietnam to Dhaka Tran Van Khoa.
http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/151815/1st-rice-consignment-to-arrive-from-Vietnam-in-15
NRT Focus: Chinese Demand Safe Rice
Food safety is becoming a
serious problem in China as the country's pollution worsens year by year. Now
the urban middle class is taking a closer look at what they put in their rice
bowls.
Food safety is a growing concern for
many of China's middle-class urbanites. One family in Guangzhou insists on
eating organic rice. The cost is nearly 5 times that of non-organic options,
but the family prefers peace of mind over price. "I have been looking for
safe foods, so I was happy to find it," says homemaker Lin Xintao. The
rice is grown in a village that's a 3-hour drive from the city. Liu Shangwen
contracts farmers to produce rice through organic methods. Liu quit his job at
a foreign consulting firm 5 years ago to start an organic food business. At
first, most farmers didn't want to deal with him because organic farming is
time consuming and costly. But Liu didn't back down. He used the internet to
educate consumers in the city about how his rice is produced. "A video
will actually show how our rice is grown. This medium allows me to connect with
consumers," says Liu. Liu used social media to generate interest in the
business and to raise funds. He now supplies over 800 families. Now he is
recruiting more farmers to meet growing demand. Liu and employees from his
company recently met with farmers to explain some of the benefits.
"Organic farming is good for the soil. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides
cause the soil to become hard," one of his employees explains. To avoid
using pesticides, farmers use their hands to remove the river snails that feast
on the rice plants. "When we used pesticides, the skin on our hands and
feet peeled. Our lives are better now," says one of the farmers. When Liu
first started, only 7 farmers agreed to work with him. Today, there are over
50. Liu also held a workshop for children from the city. The aim was to explain
how rice is made to people living far from the fields. The children try the
different kinds of rice. Liu hopes such efforts will make children more
interested in their rice and help cultivate future clients. "I want to
improve the environment, and create better farming villages, to have people in
the city eat food that is healthy. It is simple, but this is my dream,"
says Liu. A new farming method aimed at improving food as well as lives, is
gradually catching on.
Rice exports to
Russia shoots up 700 percent
Rice is processed for
exports at a factory in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam exported more than 14,700
tonnes of rice to Russia in the first five months of this year (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam
exported more than 14,700 tonnes of rice worth 5.56 million USD in the first
five months of this year to Russia, a year-on-year increase of 707 percent in
volume and 662.6 percent in value, according to statistics from the General
Department of Vietnam Customs. In the period, the country raked in 1.1 billion
USD from shipping nearly 2.4 million tonnes of rice abroad, up 1.1 percent in
quantity and 0.2 percent in revenue from the same time last year. The country
saw a robust growth in the rice shipment to China - its largest rice
consumption market.
Nearly 1.1 million tonnes of rice were sold in the country at 488
million USD, up 33.6 percent in volume and 31 percent in value. The amount
accounted for 46 percent of the country’s total rice exports. Expansion in
Vietnamese rice exports was also seen in the Philippines and some European
countries like Ukraine, Belgium and France. However, the country’s rice
shipments experienced steep fall from 40-99 percent in Hong Kong (China),
Taiwan (China), Indonesia, Poland and Turkey. The price of Vietnamese export
rice has hit a three-year high thanks to the rising import demands and the
restricted supply source.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the demand for
Vietnam’s 5 percent broken rice, has been rising, hitting 390 USD per tonne in
the early days of June, against 360 USD per tonne to 380 USD per tonne in late
May. This is the highest price since December 2014, the ministry said,
attributing it to the rising global demand for rice imports, especially in the
Asian region. The export price rise has also caused the paddy price in the
domestic market to soar. A tonne of 5 percent broken rice in the domestic
market stood between 7.65 million VND (340 USD) and 7.75 million VND in early
June, up 550,000 VND (24 USD) per tonne against last month. The global rice
market has been heating up after top importing countries, such as Bangladesh
and the Philippines, announced to import roughly 950,000 tonnes of rice
recently. Experts have forecast that the global rice price will increase by
roughly 20 USD per tonne in the next three months. They have advised rice
exporting enterprises to not sell the crop in a hurry, hoping that the price of
5 percent broken rice would increase to at least 400 USD per tonne.-VNA
U.S. Paddy Allowed Unhindered Access into Colombia
By Sarah Moran
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA --
On June 6, 2017, the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) published
"Official Resolution #6705 of 2017" which removed a previous
resolution that restricted imported U.S. paddy rice to the port of
Barranquilla. The previous resolution also implemented phytosanitary
measures for the transportation of U.S. paddy rice and for the management of
residues (such as husks) after being milled in Colombia. These mitigation
procedures and restrictions to one port in Colombia are now null and void.
This resolution follows on the heels of a June 1, 2017 resolution which removed the phytosanitary pest Tilletia horrida from Colombia's official pest list. ICA conducted a study that found that tilletia horrida is already present in various locations in Colombia. The study, which collected 54 samples from farms and mills, found tilletia horrida in 92 percent of the collected samples.
"This is excellent and long-awaited news," said USA Rice Chairman Brian King. "By removing the restrictions on U.S. paddy rice and allowing it to enter any maritime port, U.S. rice will be more competitive in the Colombian market."
In June of last year, USA Rice led a trade mission of 10 people to Colombia to meet with ICA and stress the importance of concluding the study in a timely manner and improving access for U.S. rice. Within three months of the visit, ICA agreed to reduce the mandatory minimum grain moisture content of U.S. rough rice, one of the required mitigation procedures.
"USA Rice has been working with APHIS and FAS since 2012 to remove these restrictions on U.S. paddy," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. "We are thrilled to see that everyone's hard work has finally paid off."
Last year, the U.S. exported 140,000 MT of rice valued at $58 million and more than 40 percent was paddy rice. Colombia, our 51st largest market prior to the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, has become one of the top fifteen U.S. export markets for the past four years
This resolution follows on the heels of a June 1, 2017 resolution which removed the phytosanitary pest Tilletia horrida from Colombia's official pest list. ICA conducted a study that found that tilletia horrida is already present in various locations in Colombia. The study, which collected 54 samples from farms and mills, found tilletia horrida in 92 percent of the collected samples.
"This is excellent and long-awaited news," said USA Rice Chairman Brian King. "By removing the restrictions on U.S. paddy rice and allowing it to enter any maritime port, U.S. rice will be more competitive in the Colombian market."
In June of last year, USA Rice led a trade mission of 10 people to Colombia to meet with ICA and stress the importance of concluding the study in a timely manner and improving access for U.S. rice. Within three months of the visit, ICA agreed to reduce the mandatory minimum grain moisture content of U.S. rough rice, one of the required mitigation procedures.
"USA Rice has been working with APHIS and FAS since 2012 to remove these restrictions on U.S. paddy," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. "We are thrilled to see that everyone's hard work has finally paid off."
Last year, the U.S. exported 140,000 MT of rice valued at $58 million and more than 40 percent was paddy rice. Colombia, our 51st largest market prior to the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, has become one of the top fifteen U.S. export markets for the past four years
Local
Rice: How FG’s Improved Efforts Will Subsidize Price
Iheoma Hendy June 21, 2017
Improved efforts are underway by the
Federal Government to reduce the price of fertiliser which will consequently
subsidise the price of local rice.
During a TV interview, on the 2017
Budget in Abuja, Minister of Budget and National Planning Udoma Udo Udoma
disclosed that the Federal Government was collaborating with the Morocco
Government in this regard.
“The imported rice is coming in;
most of them are subsidised and undercutting the locally produced rice, which
has higher quality.
“The problem is bringing down the
price of our rice; we are trying to support rice production by bringing down
the price of fertiliser because the price of inputs determines the price of
output.
“We are trying to see how we can
bring down the prices of farm inputs so as to cut down the prices of local rice
in the country.
“We have an agreement with Morocco
to import phosphate from the country to blend and support fertiliser
production. The Federal Government is working toward strengthening all the
value chains to boost productivity and improve yield. “The whole value-chain,
first of all, you have to start from the seed. One of the things that the
Federal Government is doing is to support the development of seeds because
high-quality seeds will engender improved production.
“We are also working on fertiliser;
what the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has done is undertaking soil analyses
of all soil in the 36 states.
“And they have been able to
ascertain the blend of fertiliser that is most suitable for a particular kind
of soil.
“The farmers will now be advised on
what type of fertiliser to use so that they won’t apply fertiliser without
specifications on crops as this often leads to low yield. So, we have that as
part of the value chain.
“Then, we are giving support in
terms of evacuating farm produce to the market by constructing and maintaining
rural roads. Most of the crops get spoilt as a result of not evacuating them to
market in good time.
“We are working on every stage of
all the chain. The Federal Government is working with the state governments to
achieve the objectives of this mission,” the Minister said.
Read Also: Nigeria’s Inflation Rate
Drops To 16.25%
More so, Udoma said that the Federal
Government was assisting farmers in the area of soft loans so as to enable them
to increase their production and aid the nation’s efforts to achieve
self-sufficiency in food production.
“In addition, the Anchor Borrowers
Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) gives loans to farmers at low,
single-digit interest rate. In this manner, the government is intervening in
various links of the chain to support agricultural production,” he said.
Recently, rice farmers in Kano State
attributed the high cost of locally-produced rice to the increasing cost of
production of the commodity in the country.
The price of 50kg locally-produced
rice ranges between N20,000 and N22,000 while that of imported rice is between
N12,000 and N15,000, according to Liman Muhammed, the spokesperson of the
Medium and Small Scale Rice Millers Association in the state.
“For locally-produced rice, the cost
of production is high. Our people are used to the imported rice but with
government’s intervention, we are seeing good quality rice.
“Most imported rice have spent more
than 10 years in the storage and are not good enough but the local rice has
more nutritional value.
“The number of people consuming
local rice is increasing and if everybody along the rice value chain is
empowered, the cost of production will reduce,” Muhammed said.
See Also: How FG Is Boosting The
Campaign For Made-In-Nigeria Products
While commending the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers’ Programme for empowering rice farmers and
millers across the country, Muhammed further called on government at all levels
to provide necessary inputs to rice farmers to boost production in the country.
https://buzznigeria.com/local-rice-fg/
