USA Rice Welcomes New Staff to Start the New Year
By Lesley Dixon
ARLINGTON, VA -- USA Rice has
announced the arrival of three new staff members to start off the new year.
Melissa Medina joins the Finance team as Accounting Manager. She has been working at USA Rice since mid-October, helping during the busy year-end financial season, and has already picked up Accounts Payable responsibilities. Melissa has more than 20 years of experience in finance and accounting.
Diana Hill is the new point-of-contact for everyone visiting, calling, or emailing the Arlington office. As Assistant Office Manager her duties are widespread and include administration, finance, office management, and Human Resources. Diana has comprehensive experience in all these fields from previous positions with The Plaza Condominium in Alexandria, Virginia, Veterans United Home Loans, and First Command Financial services.
Asiha Grigsby, a recently returned Peace Corps volunteer, is the new USA Rice Manager of International Promotion and will be assuming responsibility for western hemisphere activities. Asiha has a wealth of international expertise, is fluent in Spanish, and has a Masters of Public Administration, International Public Service, and Development from Rutgers University.
"The addition of Asiha, Diana, and Melissa to our team is a great opportunity for USA Rice to start 2018 off strong," said Betsy Ward, USA Rice President & CEO. "They bring a broad range of skills and perspectives to the table, and we're excited to see what they will accomplish here."
Melissa Medina joins the Finance team as Accounting Manager. She has been working at USA Rice since mid-October, helping during the busy year-end financial season, and has already picked up Accounts Payable responsibilities. Melissa has more than 20 years of experience in finance and accounting.
Diana Hill is the new point-of-contact for everyone visiting, calling, or emailing the Arlington office. As Assistant Office Manager her duties are widespread and include administration, finance, office management, and Human Resources. Diana has comprehensive experience in all these fields from previous positions with The Plaza Condominium in Alexandria, Virginia, Veterans United Home Loans, and First Command Financial services.
Asiha Grigsby, a recently returned Peace Corps volunteer, is the new USA Rice Manager of International Promotion and will be assuming responsibility for western hemisphere activities. Asiha has a wealth of international expertise, is fluent in Spanish, and has a Masters of Public Administration, International Public Service, and Development from Rutgers University.
"The addition of Asiha, Diana, and Melissa to our team is a great opportunity for USA Rice to start 2018 off strong," said Betsy Ward, USA Rice President & CEO. "They bring a broad range of skills and perspectives to the table, and we're excited to see what they will accomplish here."
Breakthrough allows wheat stem rust samples to be quickly analyzed
Scientific
breakthrough has potential to save crops.
In a world first, science has
leaped a step ahead of an old foe that has recently re-emerged in some parts of
the world, where it has devastated crops because of its ability to evolve,
undoing much of the hard work that began in earnest with the Green Revolution –
using natural techniques to isolate the first rust pathogen gene that wheat
plants detect and use to ‘switch on’ in-built resistance.
The breakthrough in research
targeting the stem rust foe – historically the most dangerous pathogen of wheat
– will mean suspect samples could be analyzed within hours in an emergency
rather than weeks, potentially saving crops from being destroyed.
“For the first time, it will be
possible to do DNA testing to identify whether a rust in a wheat crop anywhere
in the world can overcome a rust-resistance gene, called Sr50, which is being
introduced in high-yielding wheat varieties,” said Professor Robert Park,
corresponding author from the University of Sydney.
“This will indicate whether or
not a given wheat crop needs to be sprayed with expensive fungicide quickly to
protect against rust – which would otherwise devastate the crop in a matter of
weeks.”
Rust disease epidemics have
emerged at times in tandem with carefully refined selective breeding in
cereals; the disease is once again extremely damaging in East Africa and is
making a comeback in Europe.
The new findings are being
published in one of the world’s leading journals, Science.
Jiapeng Chen, a PhD candidate
from the University of Sydney who initiated the work by sequencing and
analyzing the genome of a virulent rust isolate, said this was the first important
step in addressing the diagnostic challenges posed by ever-changing fungi,
which result in new rust pathogen strains.
The rice capital of the Nation
The Brantleys are a century farm
family, having raised crops in Arkansas for decades. Today, Dow Brantley, the
44-year-old manager of the family’s farming company, is driving a pickup across
land the Brantleys have long cultivated. It’s fall, which means his daughters
are preparing for cotillion balls, and the harvest is over. Fields once spiked
with rice shoots are now
a shimmering lake — each year rice farmers here flood their lands and transform
them into quail hunting grounds for paying customers. As Brantley drives along
the shoreline, dozens of geese and ducks launch off the water and flutter into
the sky in perfect sync.
This is just one glimpse of life
along the western edge of the Mississippi Delta in Arkansas, where the soil is
rich with nutrients yet also waterlogged, making it difficult to cultivate
anything but rice. The Riceland Foods Cooperative, based in Stuttgart, has
grown into a powerful economic force in the region, employing 1,500 people,
bringing in more than $1 billion in annual revenue and operating seven rice
mills, including the largest in the world, in Jonesboro. With around 5,500
member farms, the cooperative’s products are shipped to more than 60 countries.
In all:
ARKANSAS RICE ACCOUNTS FOR HALF OF THE AMERICAN
CROP, WITH MORE THAN 500,000 ACRES IN CULTIVATION.
Nationally, the rice industry is
at a pivotal juncture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently reported
that rice consumption, exports and stocks will likely see declines this fiscal
year. Reports show that rice production has dropped by a fifth so far, with the
major culprits being the hurricanes that battered the Gulf of Mexico, rustling
rice farms in Texas and Louisiana — although, as Brantley notes, most of the
damage was done after the harvest. The U.S. already is at a disadvantage when it
comes to rice output: It doesn’t even make the top 10 of major rice producers,
a list dominated by such countries as China, India and Indonesia. Yet the
nation consistently punches above its weight, often ranking among the top five
global exporters of the grain.
Globally, rice is a controversial
crop. Nearly half of the world’s countries rely on it as a major dietary
staple, but that also makes nations fearful of opening their domestic product
to outside competition. “Rice is the most politically sensitive crop,” says
Brantley. But there is hope on the horizon for some Arkansas farmers trying to
compete more on the global stage. This summer China agreed to a protocol that
would allow the U.S. to export rice to the world’s largest importer of rice.
American production is small
compared to Chinese consumption — China could consume “our entire rice crop in
two weeks,” says Mike Preston, executive director of the Arkansas Economic
Development Commission — but it would be a boon for U.S. farmers. “We’re still
waiting on the regulators from China to come through and do the inspections
they need to, but we have talked to our rice brokers here, and they’ve already
put orders in to China,” Preston says.
Grain storage and processing
facilities flank a rice field in eastern Arkansas.
SOURCE DLEWIS33/GETTY
It’s an example of how Donald
Trump has aided his voter base in
other ways than just tax reform. Rice farmers raised the protocol issue to
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Brantley says, and he feels like the Trump
administration listened in a way the Obama-era secretary did not. “Tom Vilsack
just couldn’t get it done — and didn’t seem to have much interest in doing it,”
Brantley gripes. That sentiment is reflected across Arkansas, where 60 percent
of voters backed Trump on Election Day 2016.
Here in Arkansas, conservation is
at the top of the minds of rice farmers like Brantley. The state has an
abundant supply of both underground water and surface streams, but aquifers are
becoming depleted. Both Arkansas and the feds have invested hundreds of
millions of dollars in the BioMedia and White River irrigation projects to
alleviate the problem. Guiding his pickup truck along a worn path, Brantley
drives past his latest project, a reservoir that will cost him half a million
dollars to complete but which he says is worth it. After all, it will be more
sustainable, replacing groundwater with enough irrigated water to supply more
than 1,000 acres of farmland. “We’re trying to think a generation ahead,” he
says, “while not knowing who that next farming generation will be.
Purchase of paddy may cross target, says Odisha Minister SN Patro
By Express News Service |
Published: 03rd January 2018 04:22 AM |
Last Updated: 03rd January 2018 10:08
AM | A+A A- |
Image for representational purpose only.
BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has procured 14.32 lakh
tonnes of paddy from over 2.32 lakh registered farmers in the current kharif
marketing season (KMS). Notwithstanding crop loss due to due to scanty
rainfall, pest attack and unseasonal rains, the State Government is expecting a
bumper harvest of paddy.
“We hope that the paddy procurement will cross the target
set by the Government for the current KMS. Paddy production is more than
expectations in areas not affected calamities,” Food Supplies and Consumer
Welfare Minister SN Patro told reporters.
The State Government has set a target to procure 53 lakh
tonnes of paddy during khraif marketing season.
Replying to a question on alleged non-cooperation of rice millers in lifting paddy from mandis in time, the Minister said millers have been asked to speed up milling process and create additional storage space for stocking paddy.
Replying to a question on alleged non-cooperation of rice millers in lifting paddy from mandis in time, the Minister said millers have been asked to speed up milling process and create additional storage space for stocking paddy.
The Minister said district official of the department
have been instructed not to involve millers who have failed to return custom
milled rice (CMR) of last KMS to Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation
(OSCSC).
Procurement of paddy for the current kharif marketing
season which started from November 1 will continue till March 31. The Food
Corporation of India (FCI) will not accept rice from the paddy procured beyond
the stipulated time frame.
Nabard has provided a credit support of Rs 3,085 crore to
OSCSC for paddy procurement during the current financial year.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2018/jan/03/purchase-of-paddy-may-cross-target-says-odisha-minister-sn-patro-1743167.html 12:00 AM, January 03, 2018 / LAST MODIFIED: 10:28 AM, January 03,
2018
Dhaka City in 2017: Rise in living
cost highest in 4yrs
Last year saw 8.44pc increase, says CAB analysis
Staff Correspondent
The cost of
living in the capital hit a four-year high in 2017 due to spiralling prices of
rice, vegetables, electricity, gas and other services as well as rising house
rent, the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) said yesterday.
The city residents saw their living
costs go up by 8.44 percent last year compared to that in the previous year, it
said.
The voluntary organisation urged
the government to form a separate wing or division under the Prime Minister's
Office or the commerce ministry to keep prices of 12-15 essentials within the
reach of the low-income and poor families.
“Most of the people were deprived
of the fruits of the country's overall development because of the price hike of
essentials, including rice, in 2017. Many people are suffering due to high food
prices. Savings of many families are falling. An urgent remedy is necessary,”
CAB President Ghulam Rahman said while presenting the CAB report on living cost
in 2017 at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.
Living cost of the two crore city dwellers
hit the highest since 2014 when it rose by 6.82 percent, according to the CAB.
The CAB report is based on price
data on 114 food items and 22 everyday products collected from 15 markets in
the capital. It also took into account the prices of 14 services, including
gas, electricity and water.
The report, however, did not
include the education and health expenses of the city residents.
Earlier in 2013, the cost of living
had shot up by 11 percent compared to that in the previous year because of
increase in the prices of fish, spices, rice, pulses, onion, electricity and
petroleum, said the CAB.
Prof Shamsul Alam, energy adviser
to the CAB, said around 12 crore of the country's 16 crore people earn $2 a
day, and price hike of essentials seriously affected the lives of this section
of the population who represents the low-income and poor people.
“The soaring cost shows lack of
competition in the market, high profit motive, corruption and extortion in
almost every stage of the supply chain of commodities,” he said at the press
conference.
The CAB said the average price of
rice soared by 20.4 percent in 2017 -- the highest since 2011 -- from that a
year ago. And prices of coarse rice rose higher than that of fine rice.
Architect and CAB's complaint cell
convener Mubasshar Hussain said the increase in prices of coarse rice has hit
the poor and low-income people hard.
The CAB noted that rice millers and
big traders hiked prices of the staple, cashing in on flood-induced losses of
crops and depleting stockpile at public granaries last year.
They would not have got the scope
for increasing prices by creating an artificial supply shortage if the
government had built adequate stocks of rice, said the consumer rights
organisation.
Onion saw the highest price hike last
year, followed by other vegetables, household gas, rice, liquid milk and beef.
Besides, house rent soared by 8.14 percent and electricity by 6.44 percent in
2017 from that a year ago.
However, prices of some items such
as lentil, egg and potato fell last year compared to that in the previous year.
Referring to the hike of gas and
electricity prices by the government, it said, “The CAB thinks the decision to
increase prices was not logical and justified.”
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory
Commission increased the electricity price in November, and the new rate became
effective from December last year.
On transport, the CAB said there
was no mentionable improvement in public transport last year.
It also mentioned that healthcare
facilities have increased but questions still remain about the quality and
costs of healthcare.
The report also touched on the
issue of repeated leaks of question papers of various examinations last year.
The CAB noted that Bangladesh's
economy is growing more than 7 percent annually and per capita income has
exceeded $1,600.
The number of poor people has also
declined remarkably. Yet, around two crore people are still suffering from
poverty, said the non-profit organisation.
“There is no alternative to keeping
the prices of essentials within the reach of the poor,” added the CAB
president.
Is GMO opposition immoral?
In his deeply flawed argument castigating opposition to
genetically altered crops as anti-science and immoral, Mitch Daniels failed to
mention the trove of scientific research documenting the harmful effects of the
billions of pounds of the pesticide glyphosate that have been dumped on
genetically modified crops and into our food chain [“Anti-GMO arguments are
immoral,” op-ed, Dec. 28].
Evaluation of GMO crops that emphasizes independent science —
rather than nonpublic research by pesticide companies — reflects that in 2015,
the research arm of the World Health Organization analyzed all
published glyphosate studies and determined the pesticide was a probable
carcinogen. That finding prompted California to add glyphosate to its list of
cancer-causing chemicals.
Escalating use of GMO crops and glyphosate has triggered the
growth of glyphosate-resistant superweeds across nearly 100 million acres in 36 states.
To combat that, pesticide companies are now pushing use of the highly
toxic, drift-prone pesticide
dicamba on a new generation of GMO crops that tolerate both
dicamba and glyphosate.
And the majority of GMO crops
fuel environmentally destructive livestock production to feed the world’s
unsustainable increase in meat consumption.
Nathan Donley, Olympia, Wash.
The writer is a senior scientist
at the Center for Biological Diversity.
I have long been perplexed that so many people continue to condemn foods made from
genetically modified organisms that have been consumed by Americans and others
for decades with no deleterious effects. My organization, the DKT Liberty
Project, has been providing assistance to scientists and managers who are
developing golden rice in the Philippines. Golden rice is a GMO that infuses
ordinary rice with vitamin A and, if made available widely, could save the lives
and eyesight of millions of Asian children. Yet malicious zealots have torn up
and destroyed the experimental rice paddies where this lifesaving food is being
developed.
Mitch Daniels was right:
Depriving others, especially in the developing world, of bountiful and
nutritious GMO foods is a moral travesty.
Phil Harvey, Washington
Mitch Daniels rightly
framed as “immoral” the scientifically
baseless yet “concerted, deep-pockets campaign” to persuade “a high percentage
of Americans and Europeans to avoid GMO products” and “inflict their
superstitions” on the world’s poor and hungry.
That “ ‘organic’ foods” industries help fund this anti-GMO hoax
is no surprise. But readers may not know that some personal-injury lawyers
are knee-deep in this manure pile, too. Just as elements of the plaintiffs’ bar financed a
since-debunked 1998 study that falsely linked childhood vaccines to autism,
helping measles make a comeback, trial lawyers’ deep pockets have also helped
sustain anti-GMO mania as a means to precondition jury pools for the growing
number of lawsuits they’ve filed against the critically important agricultural
technology sector since early last decade.
Apparently, winning market share
and lawsuits is more important to some people than feeding a hungry planet.
Darren McKinney, Washington
The writer is director of
communications for the American Tort Reform Association.
MCM21 PRICES KOCHI COMMODITIES
By PTI | Published: 02nd
January 2018 06:14 PM |
Last Updated: 02nd January 2018 06:17
PM |
Kochi, JAN 02 (PTI): Ginger (Inferior)
Rs.11,000/-, Ginger (Medium) Rs.12,500/-, Ginger (Best) Rs.13,500/-, Turmeric
Salem Rs.8,500/- Turmeric-Erode(Agmark) Rs.9,200/- Nuxvomica
Rs.1850/-Ambahaldhar Rs.7000/- Kolinjan Rs.4300/- Kachura
Rs.4,000/-Kapurkatchili Rs.14,000-17,000/- Betelnuts (Old) Rs.Nil, Betelnuts
(New) Rs.20,000-21,000/- Rice Raw (No.1) Rs.3,600/- Rice Raw (No.2)
Rs.2,400-3150/- Rice Boiled (Surekha) Rs.3,400-3,700/- Rice Jaya (Boiled)
Rs.3,700-3,750/- Rice Broken Rs.2200-2600/- Wheat Rs.2,550-2,600/- Chola
Rs.1500-1550/-,Chillies Rs.8,000-15,000/-, Bengal Gram Rs.5,500-6,500/- Black
Gram Rs.6,500-7,000/- Gingelly Rs.11,000/- Green Gram Rs.6,500-7,300/-, Horse
Gram Rs.6,900/-, Peas Dal Rs.3,350-4,100/-, Toor Dal Rs.5,200-6,300/- Pepper
New Rs.43,400/-, Pepper light Rs.40,000.00, Pin Heads (Cheer)Rs.15,000.00,
Sugar (per bag) Rs.3,700/-(All rates per quintal).
COIR YARN : Cochin Parur Thin (85 M/Kg)
Rs.3,600/- Vycom ThIck 200/Kg) Rs.3,900/-, Choriwal Thin Rs.5,000/- PTI VHN RBS
.
Farmer leaders
join agri-biotechnology congress
Tuesday, January 02, 2018 By LAUREN ALIMONDO
Advancing biotechnology
in the country, some 200 farmer leaders from different regions in the country
convene for the National Agri-biotechnology Farmers Congress recently. The
conference theme, "Share the bounty of Agri-biotechnology through mutual
coexistence and Responsible Stewardship" highlighted sessions of the
conference which include biotechnology updates, golden rice, science
communication, Food Safety Act of 2013, and plant biotech. "We want to let
all our farmers know that biotechnology is very useful. Magagamit natin sa
pagsasaka dahil ngayon lumiliit na iyong sakahan kaunti lang ang aanihin natin.
But the aim of the technology is, sa kaunting lupa, malaki ang aanihin kasi
marami na tayong populasyon so kailangan nating magproduce ng maraming
pagkain," Philippine Farmers Advisory Board President Edwin Paraluman
said. The activity, with series of interactive lectures on biotechnology, seeks
to help farmers' awareness of the challenges faced by agricultural
biotechnology. It also aims to enhance farmers’ knowledge on the policy issues,
based on the stakeholders' experiences with agricultural biotechnology, and
gave farmer-level experiences with biotechnology crops. Asian Farmers Regional
Network Philippines (ASFARNET) country president Reynaldo Cabanao said the
conference is much relevant also to the Cordilleras, especially all major type
of vegetables are from the highlands supplying Manila areas. Biotechnology
involves any technique that uses whole or part of a living thing to make new
products, improve or develop plants and animals. Potentials of biotechnology
include fighting diseases, increasing yield, safer crops, nutritious food,
safer crops, environmental friendly, and better industry. The event highlights
include the declaration of support for the application of biotechnology in
Agriculture. "After thorough discussion with the scientists, experts, and
farmer resource persons on the various issues confronting Filipino farmers in
food production, problems on hunger and poverty as well as the science, safety,
and potential and actual benefits of modern biotechnology," stated in the
declaration. "We believe that biotechnology will reduce dependence and
indiscriminate heavy use of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals that are
harmful to humans, animals and the environment." Conceived in 2003,
ASFARNET-Philippines is composed of farmer-leaders and key stakeholders from 15
regions of the country. Most of the members of ASFARNET- Philippines are
adoptors of biotech corn since 2003, and are actively involved in advocating
the use of the technology. About 100,000 small-scale Filipino farmers planted
biotech corn in more than 350,000 hectares in 2008
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/business/2018/01/03/farmer-leaders-join-agri-biotechnology-congress-582128
Turn rice
imports into subsidy
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:12 AM January 03,
2018
Dear President Duterte,
If we convert a portion of the budget for
800,000 metric tons of rice earmarked for importation under Executive Order No.
23 into rice subsidy, we will dramatically improve our local production toward
self-sufficiency. This is the key to emancipation from agricultural slavery
under the WTO—more subsidies to local farmers, less imports.
Vietnam and Thailand, our major sources of
rice imports, have rice subsidies for farmers that is why they have surpluses
for export. Their subsidies have reduced cost of production by about 40 percent
less than ours by addressing cheaper fertilizer, as in Vietnam, and by turning
to semiautomation. Unlike us, Vietnam has the capability to make their own
agricultural machineries. Our problem is the wrong mindset of restricting the
hand that feeds us, namely the rice farmers.
It is an irony that the buying spree of
foreign rice may trigger mass hunger by inducing a glut detrimental to 3
million rice farmers. If we include their families, farm workers, and
downstream industries, the effect is on 42 million Filipinos, more than a third
of the population.
This is not surprising, considering that 70
percent of our economy depends on agriculture. In truth, estimates of the
dynamic over/under supply of rice are guess work. The government tends toward
overimportation because a shortage is political disaster.
The culprit is the WTO, whose rules were
imposed by developed countries to control the economy of developing countries
under threat of being outside the global trade loop. The WTO logic is to untie
trade restrictions which protect Third World economies. The Philippine
Institute for Development Studies is the voice of the WTO. Their studies root
for total WTO compliance such as removal of all rice quotas. They are a
government agency funded by the World Bank, the WTO’s partner in crime.
There are also key Western-educated
henchmen in government who have adopted the WTO mindset. Socioeconomic Planning
Secretary Ernesto Pernia is one. He says competition from rice imports will
“encourage local farmers to improve efficiency and bring down local prices.”
First, it will not “encourage” but kill
farmers. Production efficiency is achievable by cheaper fertilizer and
availability of farm equipment through the subsidy.
Second, “bringing down prices” will also
kill the farmer in favor of the consumer. He also said competition will make
rice farmers diversify into other agricultural crops, which means he wants to
discourage rice production, which is the heart of our food security.
We are stuck with the oppressive WTO. We
have no choice but to comply. But we can maneuver around economic slavery by
instituting a rice subsidy, which all our Asean neighbors are doing. We are the
only one left without a subsidy policy because our government officials fleece
rather than uplift the Filipino.
https://opinion.inquirer.net/109961/turn-rice-imports-subsidy#ixzz5372lmYE5
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
NFA gearing for a ‘bigger role’ in 2018
January 2, 2018, 10:00 PM
By Madelaine B. Miraflor
Even if there’s no finality yet
when it comes to injecting new functions to National Food Authority (NFA), the
state-run grains agency is now anticipating a busy 2018 for possible
transitions that may happen.
“The NFA is expected to play a
bigger role in 2018 after President Rodrigo Duterte proposed that the agency
handles other agricultural commodities aside from rice,” NFA said in a
statement.
This, as it announced that good
housekeeping became the guidepost for all aspects of its operations this year
while complying with the mandates of food security and stabilization despite
very low buffer stock inventory felt throughout of 2017.
It was in November when
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he wants to make sure that National
Food Authority (NFA) won’t run out of things to do when the country already
reduced its dependence on imported rice.
It was him who personally
recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte to give NFA “bigger role” in ensuring
stable food supply in the market while at the same time allowing farmers and
fisher folks access to the market.
“The NFA should no longer be just
a rice importing agency, especially so since we expect to produce enough supply
by the year 2020,” Piñol said.
According to him, NFA should be
tasked to consolidate all food products such as fruits, vegetables, meats, and
fish and ensure they go to areas where they are needed the most.
For this year, NFA administrator
Jason Aquino said the agency was still successful in performing its mandate
despite thin supply and the limitation set on the amount of rice that could be
imported.
To judiciously allocate scarce
resources, Aquino said he instructed all NFA field officers to prioritize the
release of government subsidized NFA rice for victims of calamities or
emergencies, whether natural or man-made.
“Despite our very thin supplies,
we had to ensure that calamity victims will always be food secure,” Aquino
said.
The NFA Council only allowed the
agency to import of 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice, which pushed its buffer
stock inventory to very low levels during the lean months of July to September.
Tags: buffer
stock, food agency, Jason
Aquino, President Rodrigo Duterte, rice distribution, stable food supply
Related Posts
Thriving rice sector sees hike in exports
A man operates a forklift to move sacks of rice in a local
warehouse. KT/Chor Sokunthea
Exports of Cambodian rice rose by more than 17
percent this year, moving from just over 542,000 tonnes in 2016 to more than
635,600 in 2017, according to the latest report from the Ministry of
Agriculture. Srey Vuthy, the director of the department of planning and
statistics at the ministry, told Khmer Times that 2017 had been a great year
for the rice sector, particularly for exports. He said that 10 million tonnes
of paddy were produced in the country, generating a surplus of five million
tonnes. A significant portion of that surplus was sent abroad, with Cambodia
still lacking the infrastructure to store such large amounts of produce. “When
the new storage and processing facilitates are finished we hope to increase those
exports, as we will be able to purchase more rice, store it and process it,” Mr
Vuthy said. “We could achieve a 15 percent growth in exports next year if those
facilities are in place.” Last year the government approved the disbursement of
several loans, amounting to a total of $30 million, to build warehouses and
silos to store rice across the country. The Cambodia Rice Bank was one of the
associations selected as a recipient and will be building storage facilities in
Battambang that could be used by farmers in Banteay Meanchey, Pailin and
Pursat. Song Saran, the CEO of Amru Rice, said the biggest markets for
Cambodian rice in 2017 were China and the European Union. Both China and the EU
have a preference for Cambodian fragrant rice, he said, with the price of the
commodity abroad now being very attractive for exporters. “With demand for
fragrant rice rising, we are happy this year we had a significant surplus,” he
said, adding that the government will achieve its goal of reaching one million
tonnes in rice exports in upcoming years if it continues its financial support
for the sector. “We need time to build our supply chain by reducing costs and
increasing productivity and production,” he said. “We need lower electricity
bills and better logistics infrastructure.” Speaking during a competition to
determine the best paddy in the country held last month, Sok Puthyvuth, the
president of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), said the rice sector continues
to be at the top of governmental priorities, and added that the industry is on
a clear path towards more development and further mechanisation. “This year we
surpassed the 600,000 tonnes mark, which is a great accomplishment. Now our
focus is to find new markets,” Mr Puthyvuth said. “To continue on growing and to
reach new markets, we need a concerted, sector-wide effort, in which all the
relevant stakeholders do their part. “We need to modernise the industry and
become more competitive in the international marketplace,” he said, adding that
the CRF is planning a number of initiatives in cooperation with the Ministry of
Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture to bolster the capabilities of the
association.
rther mechanisation.
“This year we surpassed the
600,000 tonnes mark, which is a great accomplishment. Now our focus is to find
new markets,” Mr Puthyvuth said.
“To continue on growing and to
reach new markets, we need a concerted, sector-wide effort, in which all the
relevant stakeholders do their part.
“We need to modernise the
industry and become more competitive in the international marketplace,” he
said, adding that the CRF is planning a number of initiatives in cooperation
with the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture to bolster the
capabilities of the association.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5099246/thriving-rice-sector-sees-hike-exports/
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5099246/thriving-rice-sector-sees-hike-exports/
Vietnam’s rice export surges in 2017
HANOI, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam exported roughly 5.9 million tons
of rice worth nearly 2.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, posting respective
year-on-year rises of 20.5 percent and 20.8 percent. Of the rice volume, nearly
40 percent went to China, and 9.3 percent to the Philippines, according to the
General Department of Vietnam Customs on Tuesday. Vietnam is likely to export
6.3 million tons of rice in 2018, mainly due to high demand from the Southeast
Asian market, especially the Philippines, local traders predicted. Vietnam's
paddy rice-growing area was over 7.7 million hectares in 2017, down 26,100
hectares against 2016, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
As a result, the country's paddy rice output dropped for the first time over
the past 20 years to 42.8 million tons in 2017.
S. Korea to send 10,000
tons of rice to Vietnam
2018/01/01 15:20
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SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will send 10,000 tons of
rice to Vietnam that was hit hard by a typhoon, the Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs said Monday.
The Southeast Asian country sustained considerable damage caused
by Typhoon Damrey last year, with Hanoi requesting support from the ASEAN Plus
Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) last November. The reserve is maintained
by South Korea, China, Japan and members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations.
Seoul has already pledged to offer assistance to Vietnam in
2017.
Besides affecting the country's rice harvest the typhoon has
resulted in numerous deaths.
The farm ministry said that the rice to be sent was all
harvested in 2016, with shipments to be sent as quickly as possible to help
those that have been hit hardest by the natural disaster.
South Korea, meanwhile, had provided rice aid under the APTERR
to Myanmar and Cambodia in early 2017.
Seoul hopes that the shipment of rice will further strengthen
bilateral ties between the two countries. Vietnam has become one of South
Korea's key trading nations.
China order lifts rice imports
for 2017
Cheng Sokhorng | Publication date 02 January 2018
| 08:19 ICT
A woman harvests her rice crop at a paddy field in Phnom Penh’s
Dangkor district in 2016. Heng Chivoan
Cambodian rice exports in 2017 increased 17 percent by volume
compared to the year before, with exporters pushing to fill orders under
China’s expanded import quota while shipments to European markets remained
steady, according to Agriculture Ministry figures.
A total of 635,600 tonnes of rice was exported to international
markets in 2017, up from 542,144 tonnes the previous year, according to a
Facebook post by Hean Vanhan, director general of the general directorate of
agriculture at the ministry.
China, which agreed to accept 200,000 tonnes of rice from
Cambodia in 2017 – doubling the previous limit – and will expand the quota to
300,000 tonnes this year, was the top destination for rice shipments.
Over five years, total rice exports have grown 67.78 percent
from 378,800 tonnes in 2013, the figures show.
Chray Son, deputy director of Capital Food Cambodia, a
Battambang province rice exporter, said the increase in exports to China was
welcome, but Europe remained the market with high potential for future growth.
“Cambodian rice is becoming more popular and the quality is
being recognised in the international market,” he said.
But rice exports were still small compared to neighbouring
countries, and the industry would need to focus on quality seeds and building
more storage, drying and irrigation facilities in order to reach its goal of
exporting 1 million tonnes a year, Son added.
Som Song, director of Agricultural Development Chamroeurn Phal,
an agricultural cooperative in Raing Kesei commune in Battambang province’s
Raing Kesei district, said that even though 2017 was a profitable year, farmers
in his area were still hampered by a lack of storage and drying facilities.
“We do not have a place to dry our paddy rice, so we have to
sell at a low price,” Song said.
The state-run Rural Development Bank (RDB) provided about $15
million in low-interest loans last year to two companies to build and operate
rice storage warehouses and rice-drying facilities. Amru Rice is building one
facility in Kampong Thom, while Khmer Food Group is constructing two in Prey
Veng and Takeo provinces.
The facilities, which are each set to have the capacity to store
50,000 tonnes of paddy rice and dry approximately 1,500 tonnes of rice daily,
are scheduled to be completed this month.
Meanwhile, another RDB project, based on a $15 million loan to
Thaneakea Srov (Kampuchea) Plc in 2016, is also set to start operating in
Battambang province this year with a massive 200,000-tonne capacity silo and
warehouse facility and the ability to dry 3,000 tonnes of paddy rice a day.
Nearly 300,000 people remain affected by drought in N.
Sri Lanka
Source:
Xinhua| 2018-01-01 19:03:20|Editor: Zhou Xin
COLOMBO,
Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said on Monday
that as many as 293,764 people remained affected by the drought in five
northern districts of the island country.
In
its situation report issued on Monday, the DMC said Puttalam, Kurunegala,
Vavuniya, Anuradhapura and Mannar were the five districts hit by the drought.
Sri
Lanka experienced both droughts and floods last year. The inclement weather
conditions such as floods, landslides and high speed wings claimed the lives of
more than 200 persons and disrupted the essential services last year.
Agriculture
Minister Duminda Dissanayake told Xinhua that rice crops failed for the third
consecutive season last year, resulting in a major shortage of rice in the
market. He said the north-east monsoon rain had been delayed during the current
season.
Rice
is the staple food of Sri Lanka, and local farmers depend on monsoon rain for
rice cultivation.
Govt procures 350.38 lk tn rice in 2017-18
season so far
PTI | Jan 1, 2018,
14:07 IST
New Delhi, Jan 1 () The government has procured 350.28 lakh
tonnes of rice in the current marketing season so far, according to official
data.
The rice procurement target for the current season (October-September)
has been fixed at 375 lakh tonnes. In the previous year, total rice procurement
had surpassed the target at 381.06 lakh tonnes.
Procurement is undertaken by state-run Food Corporation of India
(FCI) and state agencies for the central pool to meet the requirement of food
security law. Rice is purchased at the minimum support price (MSP).
According to the FCI's latest data, rice purchase in Punjab has
reached 176.61 lakh tonnes in October-December of this season. The state has
already surpassed its target of 115 lakh tonnes.
In Haryana, rice procurement has reached 59.20 lakh tonnes,
exceeding the target of 30 lakh tonnes given for the entire season.
Rice purchase in Chhattisgarh has reached 33.32 lakh tonnes so
far, while the target is 48 lakh tonnes for the season.
In Uttar Pradesh, 25.96 lakh tonnes of rice has been procured in
October-December period of the current season against the total target of 37
lakh tonnes.
In Andhra Pradesh, 13.92 lakh tonnes has been procured, while
9.91 lakh tonnes in Odisha so far this season.
Procurement in West Bengal and other rice growing states is
still underway.
For the 2017-18 season, the government has fixed paddy MSP of
'common' grade variety at Rs 1,550 per quintal, while that of 'A' grade variety
at Rs 1,590 per quintal.
In the kharif season of 2017-18 crop year (July-June), rice
production is estimated to be 944.8 lakh tonnes, as against 963.9 lakh tonnes
in the previous year. LUX MR
Iranian customs bans rice imports
order registration
January 1, 2018
TEHRAN- The Islamic Republic of Iran Customs
Administration (IRICA) banned any registration for imports of rice until
further notice, IRNA reported.
“Regarding the mass imports of
rice, more than one million tons, during the first five months of the current
Iranian calendar year (March 21- August 22, 2017), which surpassed domestic
consumption and pulled market into recession, no further order registration
should be allowed,” Iranian Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati wrote to
Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari on December 20.
Accordingly, IRICA announced on
Sunday that registration for imports of rice is forbidden until further notice
due to the order of agriculture minister and exports and imports regulations of
Iran Trade Promotion organization (TPO).
Iran harvests 2.4 million tons of
rice per year after improving its second crop (in October), according to IRNA.
The country has imported above
one million tons of rice since the beginning of the year, IRICA released data
shows.
The domestic demand for rice is
fully met.
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- January 3, 2018
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-January 3, 2018
Nagpur, Jan 3 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices firmed up again in Nagpur Agriculture Produce
Marketing Committee (APMC) on increased demand from local millers amid tight supply from
producing regions. Fresh rise in Madhya Pradesh pulses also boosted sentiment.
About 150 bags of gram and 100 bags of tuar reported for auctions in Nagpur APMC, according to
sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Desi gram raw declined in open market in absence of buyers amid good supply from
producing regions.
TUAR
* Tuar Karnataka reported higher in open market on good seasonal demand from local
traders.
* Major wheat varieties reported higher in open market on increased seasonal demand
from local traders amid tight supply from producing regions.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 4,100-4,200, Tuar dal (clean) – 6,000-6,200, Udid Mogar (clean)
– 7,800-8,800, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,300-7,600, Gram – 4,300-4,400, Gram Super best
– 6,400-7,000
* Rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in
scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 3,200-3,500 3,050-3,500
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 3,500-4,201 3,400-4,090
Moong Auction n.a. 3,900-4,200
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Wheat Mill quality Auction 1,600-1,686 1,600-1,700
Gram Super Best Bold 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 6,000-6,500 6,000-6,500
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 4,100-4,200 4,100-4,200
Desi gram Raw 4,700-4,800 4,800-4,900
Gram Kabuli 12,400-13,000 12,400-13,000
Tuar Fataka Best-New 6,200-6,500 6,200-6,500
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 5,900-6,100 5,900-6,100
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 5,700-5,900 5,700-5,900
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 5,300-5,600 5,300-5,600
Tuar Gavarani New 4,200-4,300 4,200-4,300
Tuar Karnataka 4,500-4,700 4,500-4,700
Masoor dal best 5,000-5,200 5,000-5,200
Masoor dal medium 4,700-4,900 4,700-4,900
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000
Moong Mogar Medium 6,500-7,000 6,500-7,000
Moong dal Chilka 5,800-6,500 5,800-6,500
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 8,000-8,500 8,000-8,500
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,800-7,000 5,800-7,000
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,000-6,200 5,000-6,200
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,500 5,000-5,500
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,300 3,200-3,300
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,800 3,400-3,800
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,800-2,000
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,750-1,850 1,750-1,800
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,150-2,350 2,100-2,300
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,150-2,400
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,150 1,900-2,100
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,700 3,000-3,600
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,800 2,400-2,700
Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,700 3,200-3,700
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-2,900 2,800-2,900
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,500 2,300-2,500
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,700 2,600-2,700
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500
Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,200 4,000-4,200
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,500-3,700 3,500-3,700
Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,300 5,000-5,300
Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,600-4,800 4,600-4,800
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 9,500-13,500 9,500-13,500
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,500 5,200-5,500
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200 2,000-2,100
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,000 1,700-2,000
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 28.9 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 10.5 degree Celsius
Rainfall : Nil
FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 29 and 11 degree
Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices)
Vietnam's rice export surges in 2017
Source:
Xinhua| 2018-01-02 16:02:01|Editor: Zhou Xin
HANOI,
Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam exported roughly 5.9 million tons of rice worth
nearly 2.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, posting respective year-on-year rises
of 20.5 percent and 20.8 percent.
Of
the rice volume, nearly 40 percent went to China, and 9.3 percent to the
Philippines, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs on Tuesday.
Vietnam
is likely to export 6.3 million tons of rice in 2018, mainly due to high demand
from the Southeast Asian market, especially the Philippines, local traders
predicted.
Vietnam's
paddy rice-growing area was over 7.7 million hectares in 2017, down 26,100
hectares against 2016, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
As
a result, the country's paddy rice output dropped for the first time over the
past 20 years to 42.8 million tons in 2017.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-01/02/c_136867001.htm
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