Rice exports cross $1 billion mark
in seven months
KARACHI: Rice exports significantly
grew 29 percent to $1 billion during the first seven months of the current
fiscal year as orders from African countries increased after slowdown of Indian
cargoes, an industry official said on Friday.
“This year (July-January) we
exported a total of 2.28 million tons of rice amounting to $1.06 billion,
whereas last fiscal year in the same period we had exported 1.971 million tons
worth $820 million,” Rafique Suleman, senior vice chairman of Rice Exporters
Association of Pakistan (Reap) said in a statement. Export grew 15 percent in
terms of quantity during the period.
Suleman said the exporters have
come out of a three-year crisis “after rigorous efforts and marketing”.
Rice exports faced a decline of
14.62 percent during July-January 2016/17 over the same period in 2015/16;
although share of rice in food exports stood at 43 percent during July-January
2016/17, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data showed.
“Reap members are putting in their
untiring efforts and (doing) aggressive marketing to increase the rice exports
and to earn valuable foreign exchange,” Suleman said.
Kenya was the largest buyer of
Pakistani rice and during the seven months of the current fiscal year, Pakistan
exported 284,000 tons of rice amounting to $102 million to African country.
Suleman was optimistic that the
country would reach the rice export target of four million tons with the $2
billion mark.
“The rice traders are (also)
focusing on European countries,” he said. “Due to the excess limit of pesticide
residue found in Indian rice, India might lose the markets in the European
Union.”
European Union introduced new
fungicide rule that is likely to hurt Indian rice exports to the European
markets as 80 percent of Indian rice is unpolished and vulnerable to
pesticides. Besides, Indian exporters are now catering to growing appetite in
Bangladesh after flooding hit crops in its neighbouring country.
Reuters said the boost in shipments
from the world’s top exporter of the grain “is set to extend into 2018 as
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka continue to buy aggressively amid depleting
inventories in No.2 exporter Thailand”.
Reap senior vice president said it
would be a good opportunity for Pakistani rice exporters.
Pakistan is the world’s 11th
largest rice producer with annual production of around six million tons.
The industry official requested the
concerned departments of the government to extend their support and facilitate
rice traders, “so they can increase rice exports to the European countries”.
Suleman expressed concern over
decline in rice exports to China, which used to be the 2nd largest destination
for Pakistani rice exporters.
“At the end of January 2018, only
186,000 tons of rice valuing $61 million (were) exported to China,” he said.
Suleman urged the authorities at
the ministry of commerce to highlight this matter in the negotiations during
the 2nd round of Pakistan-China free trade agreement and to obtain maximum
favour for Pakistani rice.
The official said the international
demand for rice has now been increased around the globe. “This year we had a
very good crop in terms of quality and quantity,” the senior vice chairman
said. The industry official said the price of the Pakistani rice is comparatively
cheaper to competitors such as Thailand and Vietnam. “Pakistani rice exporters
are making huge investments for installing the latest rice machinery and modern
technology for value-addition in rice.”
Pakistan
rice export touches $1.06bn
KARACHI: Rice export from
Pakistan has seen significant growth and crossed dollars one billion by the end
of January since July 2017 showing increase of 29 percent in value and 15
percent in quantity.
In a statement here on Friday,
the Senior Vice Chairman, Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP),
Rafique Suleman said that Pakistan exported total 2.28 million metric tons of
rice worth dollars 1.06 billion in last seven months, whereas in the same
period of last fiscal year the figure was 1.971 million metric tons amounting
to $.820 million.
‘We have come out of the crisis.
REAP members were making their untiring efforts and doing aggressive marketing
to increase the rice exports and to earn valuable foreign exchange for our
beloved country Pakistan,’ he re-affirmed.
He was very much hopeful that
this year the set target to export more than 4.0 million metric tons of
Pakistani rice and would earn dollars 2 billion.
REAP had also focused on European
countries. Due to the excessive pesticide residue found in Indian rice, she
would loose European countries markets. It was a good opportunity for Pakistani
rice exporters to grab EU market.
He also urged the government
departments concerned to extend maximum support and facilitation to rice
exporters for increase in their exports to European countries.
REAP leader informed that right
now, demand for rice had increased around the globe. He was satisfied that this
year the country had a very good crop in terms of quality and quantity. And, he
continued, the prices of Pakistani rice were comparatively cheaper than that of
its competitors including Thailand and Vietnam.
https://www.brecorder.com/2018/02/10/398347/pakistan-rice-export-touches-1-06bn/
Pakistan Rice Export Touches $ 1.06 Bn
KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan
Point News - 09th Feb, 2018 ):Rice export from Pakistan has seen significant
growth and crossed dollars one billion by the end of January since July 2017 showing increase of 29
percent in value and 15 percent in quantity.
In a statement here on Friday, the
Senior Vice Chairman, Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan(REAP), Rafique Suleman
said that Pakistan exported
total 2.28 million metric tons of rice worth dollars 1.06 billion in last seven
months, whereas in the same period of last fiscal
year the figure was 1.971 million metric tons amounting to $.820 million.
'We have come out of the crisis.
REAP members were making their untiring efforts and doing aggressive marketing
to increase the rice exports and to earn valuable
foreign exchange for
our beloved country Pakistan,' he re-affirmed.
He was very much hopeful that this year the set target to export
more than 4.0 million metric tons of Pakistani rice and would earn dollars 2
billion. REAP had also focused on European countries.
Due to the excessive pesticide
residue found in Indian rice, she would loose European countries markets. It
was a good opportunity for Pakistani rice exporters to grab EU market. He also
urged the government departments concerned to extend maximum support and
facilitation to rice exporters for increase in their exports to European countries.
REAP leader informed that right
now, demand for rice had increased around the globe. He was satisfied that this
year the country had a very good crop in terms of quality and quantity. And, he
continued, the prices of Pakistani rice were comparatively cheaper than that of
its competitors including Thailand and Vietnam. APP/ah/rap
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/pakistan-rice-export-touches-106-bn-258081.html
Iraq expects grain imports to be high this year due to dry weather
“This year is dry, our imports will be very large this year,” Sami
al-Araji, the head of Iraq’s National Investment Commission said at a
conference in Kuwait. (AFP)
Reuters, KuwaitSunday, 11 February 2018
Iraq’s grain imports will be high this year as dry weather will
curb domestic crops, an Iraqi official said on Sunday.
“This year is dry, our imports will be very large this year,” Sami al-Araji, the head of Iraq’s National Investment Commission said at a conference in Kuwait.
Iraq, a major importer of grains, consumes around 5 million tons of wheat a year.
Rice and wheat are imported by the trade ministry for Iraq’s food rationing program which includes flour, rice, cooking oil, sugar and baby milk formula.
Araji said Iraq would aim to encourage investment in its agricultural sector to achieve self-sufficiency in strategic crops over the next 10 years.
“We are talking about strategic crops like wheat and barley,” he said.
He was speaking ahead of a major donor conference in Kuwait this week.
“This year is dry, our imports will be very large this year,” Sami al-Araji, the head of Iraq’s National Investment Commission said at a conference in Kuwait.
Iraq, a major importer of grains, consumes around 5 million tons of wheat a year.
Rice and wheat are imported by the trade ministry for Iraq’s food rationing program which includes flour, rice, cooking oil, sugar and baby milk formula.
Araji said Iraq would aim to encourage investment in its agricultural sector to achieve self-sufficiency in strategic crops over the next 10 years.
“We are talking about strategic crops like wheat and barley,” he said.
He was speaking ahead of a major donor conference in Kuwait this week.
Last Update: Sunday, 11 February 2018 KSA 18:10 - GMT 15:10
‘Civil Supplies
enforcement teams prevent ₹500-cr. misuse’
HYDERABAD, FEBRUARY
11, 2018 20:32 IST
Expenditure on teams was ₹1.25 crore for one year
The enforcement wing set up in the Civil Supplies Department to
check diversion of commodities in the public distribution system (PDS), mainly
rice, and other irregularities has acted as a deterrent and prevented the
misuse to the tune of ₹500 crore.
Commissioner of Civil Supplies C.V. Anand, who reviewed the
performance of the enforcement wing here on Sunday, said the ‘experiment’ was
initiated on February 1 last year with five teams comprising retired officials
from the police, revenue, commercial taxes and other departments to check
irregularities in processing, transportation and quality norms. The new
initiative had prevented diversion of rice to the black market and saved ₹500 crore to the exchequer.
“It has also helped in curbing corruption, pilferages and
malpractices to a large extent in the supply of essential commodities including
rice”, Mr. Anand said adding that the expenditure on the team of officers
selected “taking into consideration their employment history, honesty,
commitment and hard work” was mere ₹1.25 crore for the past one year.
He explained that the enforcement teams were given the
responsibility of preventing illegal movement of PDS rice, check on government
and private godowns, vehicle checking in two stages, changes in transactions
before and after introduction of the ePOS machines, performance of GPS and
supply chain management.
The teams had conducted 843 raids and special checks on
mandal-level godowns, fair price shops, custom milled rice mills, institutions
getting supply of super fine (‘sanna biyyam’) quality rice, LPG godowns and
others during the last one year.
Stating that the inspection had resulted in booking of 165 cases
under Section 6(A) of the Essential Commodities Act and 71 criminal cases, the
Civil Supplies Commissioner noted that the team had also seized 12,619 quintals
of PDS rice, 2,619 quintals of custom-milled rice and paddy worth ₹3.60 crore. Further, the checks had also resulted in seizure of
sugar, LPG cylinders, kerosene and other commodies worth ₹3.90 lakh.
Besides, the surprise checks and inspections, helped the
department detect shortage and prevented the misappropriation of paddy, sanna
biyyam and PDS rice to the extent of ₹6.39 crore. With the vigil
maintained by the enforcement teams the district collectors of Khamman,
Nalgonda and Suryapet had registered four preventive detention cases against
traders, Mr. Anand explained.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/civil-supplies-enforcement-teams-prevent-500-cr-misuse/article22723226.ece
Global Red
Rice Red Market Size 2018 Fuzhou LLX, Gutian Diyuan, Jiangr Bio-Technology,
Shandong Zhonghui and Jiacheng Biotechnology
By Lori Lobato -
February 12, 2018
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forecast period from 2018 to 2025. The report conjecture is based on
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https://heraldanalyst.com/global-red-rice-red-market-size-2018-fuzhou/
Rice exports cross $1bn mark
February 10, 2018
Rice harvest underway in the outskirts of Lahore. Despite
challenges, Pakistan’s rice exports are climbing this year after a three-year
hiatus.—AFP
LAHORE: Rice exports crossed the $1 billion mark during
the first seven months of this fiscal year, said Rice Exporters Association of
Pakistan (Reap) Senior Vice-Chairman Rafique Suleman on Friday.
Sharing data for the seven-month period (July-January)
of 2017-18, he said that so far 2.28 million tonnes of rice amounting to
$1.06bn were exported against 1.971m tonnes exports worth $820m for the same
period a year ago.
“It shows a 29 per cent growth in terms of value and
15pc in terms of quantity as the sector breaks out of the crisis it had been
facing for the last three years.”
He hoped that over 4m tonnes rice export target for the
this fiscal year would be achieved.
Mr Suleman said they were eyeing European countries
where India is set to lose its market as pesticide residue had been found in
its rice.
He said so far Kenya is the largest buyer of Pakistani
rice as during the current total 284,000 tonnes of rice amounting to $102m had
been exported to it.
The Reap official said that exports to China, the
second largest destination of Pakistani rice, were on the decline.
Rice export
touches $ 1.06b
February
10, 2018
APP
KARACHI - Rice export from Pakistan has seen
significant growth and crossed dollars one billion by the end of January since
July 2017 showing increase of 29 percent in value and 15 percent in quantity. In
a statement here on Friday, the Senior Vice Chairman, Rice Exporters Association of
Pakistan (REAP), Rafique Suleman said that Pakistan exported total 2.28
million metric tons of rice worth
$1.06billion in last seven months, whereas in the same period of last fiscal
year the figure was 1.971 million metric tons amounting to $820million.
Piñol calls for tighter gov’t control of rice industry, slams
devious traders
February 10, 2018, 10:00 PM
By Ali G. Macabalang and Vanne
Elaine P. Terrazola
Buluan, Maguindanao — Agriculture
Secretary Manny Piñol reiterated here on Friday that the government must
control the rice industry and save Filipino farmers and consumers from the
“broad daylight robbery” by devious traders.
Piñol renewed his staunch stance
against artificial rice shortage manipulators when he visited this town Friday
morning to grace the inaugural operation of a multi-million halal chicken
hatchery built by foreign and local investors.
Meantime, Senator Cynthia Villar
said there is no need to panic due to the shortage of National Food Authority
(NFA) rice supply as it would not affect the supply of rice in the whole
country.
Piñol was welcomed in Barangay
Maslabang by investors and Maguindanao officials led by Governor Esmael
Mangudadatu and his son, Board Member Jazzer King Mangudadatu, who organized
the event as an added highlight to the 2nd Inaul Festival that started
Thursday.
Piñol told reporters here that
the increase in prices of rice nowadays is a result of the lack of government
control or subsidy in the production and marketing of the staple food.
‘Robbery’
“Filipino consumers are being
robbed in broad daylight by rice traders (exploiting) lack of
government-subsidised rice distributed by the National Food Authority (NFA) in
the market by pricing commercial rice almost beyond the reach of the poor,”
Piñol pointed out.
He said the prices of commercial
rice in the market now range from P45 to P60 and even up to P100 for the
imported Basmati variety from Pakistan.
Pricing mechanism
Ideally, he said, the “rule of
thumb in determining the price of rice in the market is to double the buying
price of paddy rice (palay) from the farmers.”
“This means that if the buying
price of paddy rice is P18 per kilo, the price of regular milled rice in the
market should only be P36 per kilo or if the buying price of the farmers’
produce is P20 per kilo, then milled rice should only be P40 per kilo in the
market, he said.
Citing a confession from a
long-time rice trader, he said, a rice businessman makes at least P200 per
50-kilo bag of rice, not to include his earnings from tiki-tiki and rice bran,
by-products in the milling process.
“Pricing rice at P45 per kilo is
cheating on the consumers (and) selling it at P60 per kilo is a brazen daylight
robbery.
Controlling force
The biggest problem in the rice
industry in the country now is the fact that rice trading is controlled by
businessmen who finance the planting, buy the paddy rice, mill the rice and
sell the rice in the market through their dealers,” Piñol added.
He said the decades-old price
manipulation scheme may not be solved fully under his watch, but the government
must start sanctioning the “farm-to-market chain” of the rice industry and
minimize traders’ grip on the rice industry, especially among the farmers who
toil in and till the fields.
NFA stocks
He confirmed that NFA warehouses
are running out nowadays of rice buffer stocks, but the country actually has
more than three million metric-ton surplus of the staple in the first quarter
of 2018 which bring local stocks to about 5.8-million metric tons.
“Filipinos may consume 2.8
million metric tons in the first 90 days. So, after the first quarter, we will
still have 3 million metric tons of rice,” he said.
Valentine’s Day treat
Piñol said his agency will launch
on Feb. 14 a retail sale of rice at P38 per kilo through an outlet in front of
the DA main office in Quezon City as an initial relief of the Duterte
government in the artificial shortage.
Hinting it as a sort of
Valentine’s Day gift for the Filipinos, he said the DA central office outlet
will start with an initial 4,000 bags.
A similar outlet will open few
days later at the vicinity of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) main office in
Manila, while DA field offices across the country will follow suit, Piñol said.
Don’t panic
Sen. Villar, in a radio interview
Saturday, maintained that the country has enough supply of rice and the
shortage in the affordable NFA rice is isolated within the agency.
“The supply of rice in the NFA is
different to that of the supply of rice in the whole Philippines. We have
enough supply of rice in the Philippines because harvest season has just
ended,” Villar said.
Villar said the shortage in NFA
rice is solely the problem of the agency for failiing to maintain its 15-day
buffer stock requirement, which she said, can be addressed by importing or
buying supply from local farmers.
Tags: Cynthia Villar, milled rice, National Food Authority, NFA, Piñol calls for tighter
gov’t control of rice industry slams devious traders, Secretary
https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/02/10/pinol-calls-for-tighter-govt-control-of-rice-industry-slams-devious-traders/
Rice: Kebbi’s new gold mine
February 11, 2018
Many people resident outside Kebbi State hold the belief that
because the state is a hub for rice production with its two giant rice milling
plants, prices of the commodity should be as low as one could imagine,
considering its capacity to produce rice in millions of tons and the desire of
the farmers to cultivate large rice fields. Ironically, the price of rice is
higher in Kebbi than in other rice-producing states of the country.
Big business
One of the factors responsible for this is that rice production in
Kebbi State is virtually done during the dry season. To achieve high yield, the
farmers must use the water pumping machines powered by petrol to irrigate
several hectares of rice fields.
Unlike other states, Kebbi has no dam for irrigation farming,
therefore for its farmers to remain in the rice business they must buy fuel on
daily basis to irrigate their rice farms.
More so, what is attributed to Kebbi rice being costlier is as a
result of the competition among those who come to buy rice in the state and the
breakthrough it has recorded in rice production. The state has thus become a
haven for millers from across the country and some parts of the West
African sub-region. As a result, farmers have to jack up the price of
their paddy rice.
According to the chairman, Rice Farmers Association in Kebbi
State, Alhaji Sahabi Augie, in an exclusive interview with Sunday Tribune: “We
have been buying fuel before this time at the rate of N145 per litre but given
the recent fuel situation it has risen to N220 per litre. With this teething problem
on our hands, you can imagine the agony of a farmer with about two to 5
hectares of rice field and he must buy up to 15-20 litres every day for three
months to power his pumping machine and water his farms. This is another reason
our rice is more expensive than the rice produced in other states of the
federation.
“Some states have dams, but here we have to spend more money to
buy fuel to power the water pumps to produce our rice. With this problem, there
is no way it will not affect our cost of production and consequently the price
of the commodity. If this is happening, the number of hectares a farmer can
cultivate will be reduced and this might result in low output and availability
of rice in the market,” he said.
He stressed further that, “We have two large rice mill factories
in Kebbi State, Labana and WACOT Rice Mills Ltd. Labana has the capacity to
produce 220,000 tons per annum while WACOT has a production capacity of
120,000 metric tons annually and 400 metric tons of rice daily. We also have
rice companies coming from Niger and Kano states. We also have local millers
coming from Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara, Ebony, Abia states respectively.
“This has created a form of competition among rice buyers in the
state. Another issue is that the important tool a farmer uses to produce rice
after land and seed is water. We have to buy fertilisers two or three times in
a year, but as far as water is concerned it is a daily activity and we need the
pumping machines to be powered by petrol to generate water for the farms. So
whether one is a small or medium scale farmer the cost of production must keep
escalating.
To produce rice in a during the rainy season is a risk because the
yield will depend on the character of the rain circle. The longer the period of
rainfall, the better the yield.
Last year there was serious flooding occasioned by the over
flooding of the River Niger and River Rima around some farmlands. Several rice
farms were overflooded and destroyed. Consequently, some farmers lost
everything while some only got less than half of what they expected to harvest.
In other cases, just as rice was about getting ready for harvest
there was the shortage of rainfall. This was responsible for some of the low
yield or harvest that farmers experienced last year.
Sunday Tribune also spoke with some rice farmers who expressed
their frustrations over issues surrounding rice farming especially during dry
season when water is needed for irrigation but the scarcity of fuel is
frustrating the much-needed effort.
Alhaji Bello Modibo is a rice farmer who said he has been into the
rice farming long time before the advent of recent government intervention to
make rice farming attractive, thereby producing more locally to discourage
importation.
He told Sunday Tribune that before now planting of rice was
basically on a subsistence basis, not to make big money. To him, there was not
much profit in rice farming. But today the story is different.
“We were only planting than for our domestic consumption and
offered little for sale to be able to buy soup ingredients and other household
needs.
“Today by the grace of Allah rice farming has become a lucrative
business in which everybody wants to be fully involved because of the economic
reality attached to it. People from all walks of life are now trooping into
this state seeking for land to engage themselves in rice farming,” he said.
Modibo, however, appealed to the state government to as a matter
of urgency provide grazing areas for pastoralists to avoid what he foresees as
incessant clashes between the rice farmers and pastoralists.
According to him, going by the rate at which the state is moving,
every available land would soon be acquired by people who want to go into rice
farming which invariably means that pastoralists would find it extremely
difficult to graze and rice fields may become an alternative for them. He wants
the government to look into this critical area and act fast.
Another farmer who also commented on the challenges confronting
rice farming especially dry season farming is Malam Yahaha Umar, a civil
servant in the state who also complained bitterly about the current scarcity of
petrol, saying the development has seriously affected production and this is
why prices of rice in the state still remain on the high side.
According to him, “a litre of petrol now sells for between N200
and N250 in the state, a development that is causing serious challenges. To get
it to buy, even at that rate is also a big problem because most of the filling
stations around would not sell inside gallon or jerry can.
“What happens next is to find a way to bribe station attendants.
Before you know it you have been on the queue for donkey hours. Putting all
these challenges together a farmer has no choice than to sell his paddy rice to
the millers at a price he feels would be commensurate with the high cost of his
production and the sufferings he went through,” Malam Yahaya said.
He also called on the state government to as a matter of priority
provide herdsmen with grazing reserves. He argued that going by the rate at
which rice farming is gradually becoming an integral part of the nation’s
economy, grazing reserves or ranches should be provided for herdsmen whereby
shafts gathered from paddy rice could be used to feed cattle to prevent clashes
between rice farmers and herders.
Despite all these, farmers in Kebbi State buy their inputs from
their own pockets. With no subsidy in terms of fertilizers and seedlings,
farmers are earnestly looking up to government for succour.
Alhaji Augie, the Rice farmers association boss is not happy about
this as according to him most of the rice farmers are small time rice growers
with no deep pockets.
“If we buy inputs at the market price there is no way we will not
increase the price of our rice. For now, a 75kg bag of paddy rice is being sold
at the rate of N9,000 to N9,500 in the state depending on the quality. The
finished rice is sold at the rate of N13,000,” he said.
Alhaji Augie concluded that rice has become a serious business in
Kebbi State, adding that many people, such as civil servants, businessmen and
contractors are returning to the farm now because of the success that farmers
in the state have recorded in rice farming since the flag off of the Anchor
Borrowers programme by the federal government.
“Luckily there is a large market for rice even buyers goes as far
as the farms to buy rice. There are farmers in this state who have 1, 5, 15, 20
and even 200 hectares of rice fields. There is this lady who was hawking
medicine all around but now she is into farming.” She made up to N2 million
last season, Alhaji Augie enthused.
That story simply sums up the new dimension to rice farming in
Kebbi State today. In less than one year any ambitious man or woman could take
to rice farming even on a part-time basis and still become the latest
millionaire in town.
http://www.tribuneonlineng.com/rice-kebbis-new-gold-mine/
Chasing the innocents
(Part II, Conclusion)
February 10, 2018, 10:00 PM
By Dr. Emil Q. Javier
‘There are those who look at
things the way they are, and ask why… I dream of things that never were, and
ask why not?’
– Robert Kennedy
This column and the previous deal
with two recent events involving what many members of the academic and
scientific community perceive as harassment and unjust, shabby, treatment of
academics, scientists and professionals in government for alleged infractions
in the performance of non-academic, non-scientific functions.
These developments have two
serious implications: 1) our best and brightest would henceforth shy from
assuming key leadership and administrative positions in public universities,
research institutions and development agencies and 2) similarly it will be
difficult to invite outstanding academics, scientists and professionals to sit
in the governing boards of public entities where their expertise and experience
are most badly needed. This is particularly true in university and research
agency boards and councils where directors do not receive compensation, except
for lunch, coffee and doughnuts during meetings. (Tongue in cheek, with these
disincentives, only lawyers will dare!)
The first case was the dismissal
from the service of Dr. Ester Ogena, President of Philippine Normal University
(PNU), and her three fellow senior officials, for an editorial/advertisement
contract worth US$25,000 with an influential international magazine, without
benefit of public bidding.
In their defense, Dr. Ogena and
her co-respondents contended that 1) they did not personally benefit from the
contract, 2) that the contract in fact was on the behest and approval of the
Chairperson and the entire Board of Regents of the university, 3) that the law
on government procurement allows for exemptions under certain circumstances
which were satisfied, and 4) the implementing rules and regulations of the
procurement law specifically cites advertisement in media among the exemptions.
Unfortunately the Ombudsman
somehow ignored/overlooked these facts and found them guilty of grave
misconduct.
The PhilRice board of
trustees and car rental plan
The second case was the dismissal
from the service of the members of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), an agency of the Department of
Agriculture (DA) for an experimental car rental plan for 10 senior staff being
allegedly grossly disadvantageous to the government.
The rationale as presented to the
BOT by PhilRice management was as follows: The use of government-owned vehicles
(with red plates) cost PhilRice P22 per kilometer. Since PhilRice did not have
enough vehicles, they rent private vehicles at a net cost of R15 per kilometer.
The scheme allowed senior
PhilRice employees to borrow money from the Philippine National Bank (PNB) to
purchase vehicles which they can use for official purposes and rented from them
by the Institute based on days of actual use and mileage travelled. The rental
scheme should cost PhilRice the same as rented private vehicles (but less than
government-owned red-plated vehicles) with the added benefit of hard-working,
underpaid employees acquiring vehicles also for their private use.
It was on the basis of this
reasonable cost-benefit analysis by management that the “PhilRice Board of
Trustees approved in principle the car rental plan subject to necessary
modifications that are most advantageous to the government… subject to
availability of funds and to an Administrative Order that shall be issued for
the purpose. [Board Resolution 208-08-52].
Did the government
lose money on the car rental plan?
There are really two substantive
issues: 1) did the Administrative Order issued by the Executive Director and
the way the same was implemented, lead to a loss to PhilRice, specifically were
the actual rental costs under the Car Plan greater than the benchmark R15 per
kilometer rent paid to privately-owned vehicles?, and 2) Did the hold-out of
PhilRice deposits with PNB to cover the car loans cause any loss to government
or diminished PhilRice operations?
The qualification of the Board
resolution was crystal clear: “Approved in principle subject to necessary
modifications that are most advantageous to the government.” The implementing
rules and the way they are implemented are responsibilities of Management, not
the Board. The Board has oversight but the day-to-day operations rest with the
Executive Director. The BOT should therefore not be held accountable if indeed
the car rental plan failed to meet the intent of being advantageous to
government.
The car rental plan was an
attempt of the organization to innovate, to improve the service while rewarding
deserving employees. There was full transparency in the conduct of the trial.
There was no evil intent nor subterfuge on the part of the Board and Management.
None of the trustees (except the Executive Director) materially benefitted from
the plan. If indeed the numbers show that there was a loss, the benefitting
employees should be required to restitute those amounts which they undeservedly
received under the Car Plan. And at most a penalty of reprimand or a brief
suspension on the Executive Director for not doing his arithmetic well to get
the calculations and implementation details right.
The second issue is easy to
answer. Government did not incur any loss in the hold-out of PhilRice deposits
with PNB in the amount of R15.78 million. PhilRice as a government corporation
has trust funds in tens of millions of pesos at any one time. These trust funds
are reserves and not are allocated for day-to-day operations. And therefore
there were no institute activities that were disrupted for lack of funds.
Besides, the hold-out was only
pro-forma because all the loans were fully secured by vehicle chattel mortgages
the borrowers assigned to the bank. The hold-out deposits earned market-based
interest rates (2.85 percent) and therefore there was absolutely no loss to
PhilRice.
The human cost of
misadministration of justice
These two instances of
misadministration of justice are particularly dismaying and appalling because
the victims are individuals whom many of us in the academic community consider
as paragons of expertise and virtue.
Most tragic is the case of the
late National Scientist Gelia Tagumpay Castillo, emeritus professor of rural
sociology at UP Los Baños, a magna cum laude graduate of education from UP
Diliman, and with graduate degrees from Pennsylvania State University and
Cornell University.
According to her daughter Nina,
her mom suffered a stroke right after signing the 12 sheets of the motion for
reconsideration brought to their house in Los Baños by the PhilRice board
secretary. Moreover, months later Dr. Castillo died a day after their motion
for reconsideration was denied by the Ombudsman. Whether these are merely
painful coincidences we will never know. But they indeed are hurtful and bitter
pills to swallow for her family, friends, students and admirers.
Gelia Castillo is a highly
respected, internationally acclaimed rural sociologist. As proof of her
international standing, she had served on more than 70 national and
international Boards, Commissions, Councils and Review Teams on a wide array of
subjects. In spite of her age (late 80s) she dutifully endured the arduous
five-hour drive from Los Baños to Muñoz, Nueva Ecija for the PhilRice meetings
for love of the institution which she knew was doing great service to small
farmers. She had an almost maternal affinity with PhilRice because she was with
the Institute Board since its inception 33 years ago and was mentor/tutor to
the first director, Dr. Santiago Obien.
The case of Dr. William G.
Padolina has a particular twist which inexplicably the Ombudsman cavalierly
brushed aside. Dr. Padolina graduated magna cum laude from UP Los Baños and
obtained a Ph.D. in phytochemistry from University of Texas. He was the
founding deputy director (later Director) of the BIOTECH institute at UP Los
Baños. He has the rare distinction of having served in the cabinets of two
administrations i.e. as science secretary to President Ramos and to President
Estrada. He is the incumbent President of the National Academy of Science and
Technology (NAST).
William Padolina served in the
PhilRice Board ex-officio in his capacity as Deputy Director General of the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). As such he enjoyed diplomatic
immunity as provided by the Headquarters Agreement between the Government of
the Philippines (ratified by the Senate) and IRRI. Under Section 4.3.2 of the
said Headquarters Agreement, IRRI officials including Dr. Padolina “enjoy
immunity from legal processes, including arrest and detention, in respect of
words spoken or written and acts performed in official capacity. . .” No
less than Assistant Secretary Jerril Santos of the Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) placed on record that Dr. Padolina was in the official roster of
IRRI officials enjoying diplomatic immunity.
The Ombudsman instead of ruling
whether Dr. Padolina enjoyed diplomatic immunity or not absurdly noted that he
failed to raise the defense at the earliest instance and thereby casting doubt
on the relevance of the claim.
Congressman Arthur Yap of the 3rd
district of Bohol who was then Chairman of the Board of Trustees in his
capacity as Secretary of DA can defend himself. His defense among others, was
he was not even present when the Board passed the resolution approving the car
rental plan.
Senen Bacani, also former
Secretary of DA and well-known agribusiness executive sacrificed time from his
many other more financially rewarding pursuits for the long drives to Muñoz for
the PhilRice board meetings for love of country and small farmers.
Dr. Rodolfo Undan, then President
of Central Luzon State University (CLSU) is a recognized hydrologist and
irrigation engineer with graduate degrees from the Asian Institute of
Technology and Utah State University. Fe Laysa, a plant pathologist by
training, rose through the ranks to become a regional director of DA. Both are
highly regarded in their professions and have impeccable clean records of
public service.
Space will not allow more details
about the professional backgrounds of the other respondents who were summarily
dismissed from the service. Suffice to say they are all upright, well-meaning
professionals with unblemished records of public service. No way can they be
guilty of grave misconduct without the elements of corruption, clear intent to
violate the law, or flagrant disregard of established rule as specified under
the law.
They deserve medals, not
opprobrium.
*****
Dr. Emil Q. Javier is a Member of
the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and also Chair of the
Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP).
For any feedback , email
eqjavier@yahoo.com
Amira Nature
Foods (NYSE:ANFI) Cut to “Hold” at Zacks Investment Research
According to Zacks, “Amira Nature Foods Ltd. provides packaged
Indian specialty rice. The Company sells Basmati rice, premium long-grain rice
under their flagship Amira brand as well as under other third party brands. It
participates across the entire rice supply chain from the procurement of paddy
to its storage, aging, processing into rice, packaging, distribution and
marketing. Amira Nature Foods Ltd. is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. “
Separately, Jefferies Group reissued a buy rating and issued a
$8.00 price objective on shares of Amira Nature Foods in a research note on
Tuesday, September 26th.
Amira Nature Foods (NYSE:ANFI)
traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $4.00. 128,832
shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 169,500.
Amira Nature Foods has a 52 week low of $3.85 and a 52 week high of $7.05.
Several institutional investors have recently modified their
holdings of ANFI. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in shares of
Amira Nature Foods by 2,248.3% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo &
Company MN now owns 819,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,418,000
after purchasing an additional 784,871 shares during the period. The Manufacturers
Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of Amira Nature Foods by
4.8% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now
owns 357,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,490,000 after
purchasing an additional 16,357 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial
Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Amira Nature Foods by 30.1% during the
second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 102,130 shares of the
company’s stock valued at $566,000 after purchasing an additional 23,630 shares
during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its holdings in shares of
Amira Nature Foods by 104.2% during the second quarter. GSA Capital Partners
LLP now owns 36,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing
an additional 18,800 shares during the period. Finally, Nationwide Fund
Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Amira Nature Foods in the 3rd
quarter worth about $182,000. 13.07% of the stock is currently owned by
institutional investors.
Amira Nature Foods Company Profile
Amira Nature Foods Ltd is primarily engaged in the business of
processing and selling packaged Indian specialty rice, primarily basmati rice
and other food products. The Company sells Basmati rice and other specialty
rice, under its Amira brand, as well as under other third-party brands. It also
sells non-basmati rice.
For more information about research offerings from Zacks
Investment Research, visit Zacks.com
Assembler gears up for expansion
February 12, 2018
Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) has invested P465 million in
a new vehicle logistics center (VLC) that would accommodate its
expansion.
In a statement over the weekend, TMP said the VLC will substantially increase TMP’s vehicle stockyard capacity, as well as improve car carrier operations for its dealer network.
The VLC has a total land area of 12.8 hectares within the Toyota Special Economic Zone in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
“TMP intends to keep growing, so it is imperative that we continue to level up our operations. We need to always guarantee that our logistics facilities will be sufficient to serve our growing volume,” said Satoru Suzuki, TMP president.
This expansion will support TMP’s P5.2-billion investment in the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) program for the production of Vios of at least 200,000 units for a period of six years.
TMP is putting up a state-of-the-art plastic injection facility in its Santa Rosa plant. It is also expanding ts press parts facility.
TMP is also introducing a new hemming technology under the CARS program.
TMP is also localizing additional press parts on top of the 50 percent total body shell weight requirement.
The VLC was constructed with the technical know-how and support from Toyota Motor Corp. Japan and Toyota Daihatsu Engineering & Manufacturing Company (Thailand).
Toyota, the leading vehicle brand in the Philippines, celebrates its 30th anniversary in the Philippines this year.
In 2017, Toyota sold 183,908 units, up 16 percent from 2016 and 43 percent of total sales.
In a statement over the weekend, TMP said the VLC will substantially increase TMP’s vehicle stockyard capacity, as well as improve car carrier operations for its dealer network.
The VLC has a total land area of 12.8 hectares within the Toyota Special Economic Zone in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
“TMP intends to keep growing, so it is imperative that we continue to level up our operations. We need to always guarantee that our logistics facilities will be sufficient to serve our growing volume,” said Satoru Suzuki, TMP president.
This expansion will support TMP’s P5.2-billion investment in the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) program for the production of Vios of at least 200,000 units for a period of six years.
TMP is putting up a state-of-the-art plastic injection facility in its Santa Rosa plant. It is also expanding ts press parts facility.
TMP is also introducing a new hemming technology under the CARS program.
TMP is also localizing additional press parts on top of the 50 percent total body shell weight requirement.
The VLC was constructed with the technical know-how and support from Toyota Motor Corp. Japan and Toyota Daihatsu Engineering & Manufacturing Company (Thailand).
Toyota, the leading vehicle brand in the Philippines, celebrates its 30th anniversary in the Philippines this year.
In 2017, Toyota sold 183,908 units, up 16 percent from 2016 and 43 percent of total sales.
Pesticide application clinics set
Feb 8, 2018
BATESVILLE — Six pesticide
application workshops are scheduled between Feb. 27 and March 8, to prep
farmers for the 2018 growing season.
The workshops will be led by
Jason Davis, extension application technologist for the University of Arkansas
System Division of Agriculture. There’s no cost to attend and three hours of
CCA credit will be available. Contact Jason Davis by email at jdavis@uaex.edu or phone at (501)749-2077.
The schedule:
• Feb. 27 - Men’s Center in
McGehee
• Feb. 28 - Rice Research and
Extension Center in Stuttgart
• March 1 - Brinkley Community
Center in Brinkley
• March 6 – Arkansas State
University-Newport in Newport
• March 7 - Greene County
Fairgrounds in Paragould
• March 8 - Manila
Municipal Airport in Manila.
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http://harrisondaily.com/agriculture/pesticide-application-clinics-set/article_6c8beaf0-0d08-11e8-a48f-efd3a49de120.
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