Friday, September 07, 2018

7th September,2018 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter

Louisiana rice producers join over 60 groups to support Farm Bill Cuba Provision

SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2018

Description: Louisiana rice producers join over 60 groups to support Farm Bill Cuba Provision

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Louisiana rice producers, including the Louisiana Rice Promotion Council and Kennedy Rice, joined a bipartisan group of over 60 agriculture associations, businesses, and elected officials across 17 states in urging House and Senate Agriculture Committees to include a provision in the 2018 farm bill that the Congressional Budget Office determined would save $690 million over 10 years. The suggested amendment, adapted from the Cuba Agricultural Exports Act (H.R. 525), would expand agricultural trade with Cuba by removing restrictions on private financing for U.S. food exports. The letter also urges lawmakers to preserve a Senate provision that allows farmers to use federal market promotion funds in Cuba.

“We urge you to support American agriculture by advancing legislation that will make Cuba a viable market for our products,” the groups said. “Net farm income in 2018 has hit a 12-year low, falling further than during the Great Recession of last decade. This economic strain is felt by everyone in the industry, particularly the thousands of small, family-owned farms in the American heartland. Given this year’s 6.7 percent market decline, we cannot overstate the importance of trade and opening new international markets.”

Many of Louisiana’s top agricultural products, such as rice, soybeans, and poultry, are staple imports for Cuba. Cuba has the highest per capita rice consumption in the Western Hemisphere, and Louisiana is the nation’s third-largest rice producer. The island imports $141 million annually in soybeans, which are Louisiana’s most valuable export.

Currently, U.S. sales of agricultural products to Cuba are limited to cash transactions, causing Cuba to primarily turn to Europe, Latin America, and Asia for nearly $2 billion per year in agricultural imports. Cuba imports roughly 80% of its food and has a population of 11 million, plus an influx of 3-5 million tourists annually. U.S. agriculture groups want to reclaim some of that market share.

“Our current Cuba trade financing laws deny our farmers access to a market valued at over $1 billion per year. I appreciate Senator Boozman and Senator Heitkamp’s work to include Cuba Agricultural trade language in the Senate version of the Farm Bill and I look forward to working to replace the current cash-for-crop requirements,” said Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR-1), the lead sponsor of the Cuba Agricultural Exports Act and a participant in the farm bill conference committee.

“Today farm country is filled with uncertainty. Passing a Farm Bill is paramount, but in doing so we must look ahead and support mutually beneficial economic opportunities, like those in Cuba,” said Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS-1), a cosponsor of H.R. 525. “While we are renegotiating our trade deals, we have a $2 billion market untouched right under our nose.”

“Our farmers don’t want handouts. They know if they can compete with the rest of the world they can win,” said James Williams, President of Engage Cuba. “There is no reason why the Cuban people shouldn’t be eating American rice and dairy instead of importing it from Vietnam and New Zealand.”

The Senate’s version of the farm bill already includes an amendment by Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) which would allow U.S. agricultural producers to spend U.S. Department of Agriculture market promotion funds on marketing to Cuba.

“The United States has just five percent of the world’s population, which means 95 percent of consumers live outside our borders. If we aren’t constantly working to open markets and reach new customers, American farmers and workers won’t be competitive on the global stage. That’s why it’s so important for U.S. farmers and ranchers to gain access to markets like Cuba, where there is demand for American agricultural products,” said Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND).

“My bipartisan amendment would give USDA the ability to build reliable trade partnerships between U.S. producers and Cuban buyers, strengthening our ag economy and finally removing outdated barriers to selling our products to consumers in a nation that sits just off our coastline. It would also help boost North Dakota’s farmers during a time of serious uncertainty from the administration’s trade policies,” she said.

To become law, both provisions must be approved by the bicameral conference committee, which convened officially for the first time on Wednesday.

https://kadn.com/louisiana-rice-producers-join-over-60-groups-to-support-farm-bill-cuba-provision/

Global Packaged Rice Noodles Market 2018-2022 - Key Vendors are Acecook Vietnam, Leong Guan Food Manufacturer, Nissin Foods, Thai Preserved Food Factory, Thai President Foods & Thaitan Foods

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Research and Markets

DUBLIN, Sept 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Packaged Rice Noodles Market 2018-2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Packaged Rice Noodles Market to grow at a CAGR of 5.78% during the period 2018-2022

This report has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

According to the report, one driver influencing this market is the health benefits of rice noodles. A 2-ounce serving of rice noodles contains 87 milligrams of phosphorous, which provides over 12% of the recommended dietary allowance for all adults. One trend affecting this market is the rising demand for organic and certified packaged rice noodles. Many players in the market have launched packaged rice noodles offerings.

Further, the report states that one challenge affecting this market is the launch of substitute products. The increased demand for packaged wheat noodles and other varieties of noodles negatively impacts the demand for packaged rice noodles.

Market trends

· Rising demand for organic and certified packaged rice noodles

· Availability of multiple flavors

· Labeling strategies and marketing initiatives

Key vendors

· Acecook Vietnam

· Leong Guan Food Manufacturer

· Nissin Foods

· Thai Preserved Food Factory

· Thai President Foods

· Thaitan Foods International

Key Topics Covered:

Part 01: Executive Summary

Part 02: Scope Of The Report

Part 03: Research Methodology

Part 04: Market Landscape

Part 05: Market Sizing

Part 06: Five Forces Analysis

Part 07: Market Segmentation By Product

Part 08: Customer Landscape

Part 09: Market Segmentation By End-User

Part 10: Regional Landscape

Part 11: Decision Framework

Part 12: Drivers And Challenges

Part 13: Market Trends

Part 14: Vendor Landscape

Part 15: Vendor Analysis

Part 16: Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9qsvhh/global_packaged?w=5

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Market Application, Landscape, Key Vendor Analysis, Drivers, Challenges, Research Methodology and forecast to 2021

sambit.k September 5, 2018

The Rice Transplanter Machine market reports offers a specific market study and outlook prospects of the market. The analysis covers major data that helps to explore data which is helpful for the executives, industry experts, analysts and other people get ready-to-access and self-analysed review along with graphs and tables to help understand market overview, Scope and market challenges.

Global Rice Transplanter Machine market to grow at a CAGR of 9.35% during the period 2017-2021.

The Global Rice Transplanter Machine Market research report provides an in-depth analysis of the major Global Rice Transplanter Machine industry leading players along with the company profiles and strategies adopted by them. This enables the buyer of the report to gain a telescopic view of the competitive landscape and plan the strategies accordingly. A separate section with Global Rice Transplanter Machine industry key players is included in the report, which provides a comprehensive analysis of price, cost, gross, product picture, specifications, company profile and contact information.

Request a sample of this Report From:https://www.marketreportsworld.com/enquiry/request-sample/10601287

Following are the Key Players:

Johnson & Johnson Services, Medtronic, Baxter, Changzhou Ankang Medical Instruments, Dextera Surgical, Grena, MID, Silex Medical

Market Driver
• Shift toward mechanization
• For a full, detailed list, view our report

Market Challenge
• Lack of finances for small farmers to replace old machinery
• For a full, detailed list, view our report

Market Trend
• Product innovation
• For a full, detailed list, view our report

For a full, detailed list, visit: https://www.marketreportsworld.com/10601287

The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:
• Americas
• APAC
• Europe
• ROW

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Market has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years.

Key questions answered in this report
What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?
What are the key market trends?
What is driving this market?
What are the challenges to market growth?
Who are the key vendors in this market space?
What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?

Have Any Query? Ask Our Expert @ : https://www.marketreportsworld.com/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/10601287

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Overview:

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Market by Type

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Size by Application

Rice Transplanter Machine Market Size and Market Share by Players

Potential Application of Global Rice Transplanter Machine in Future

Top Consumer/End Users of Global Rice Transplanter Machine

Key Points Covered in TOC:

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Research Report

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Competition by Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Revenue and Growth Rate

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type, Application

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Size (Value) by Regions

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Development Status and Outlook

Market Effect Factors Analysis

Purchase this full report @:https://www.marketreportsworld.com/purchase/10601287

Global Rice Transplanter Machine Market 2017-2021

The Global Rice Transplanter Machine industry research report analyses the supply, sales, production, and market status comprehensively. Production market shares and sales market shares are analysed along with the study of capacity, production, sales, and revenue. Several other factors such as import, export, gross margin, price, cost, and consumption are also analysed under the section Analysis of Global Rice Transplanter Machine production, supply, sales and market status.

Lastly,This report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years, the Report also brief deals with the product life cycle, comparing it to the relevant products from across industries that had already been commercialized details the potential for various applications, discussing about recent product innovations and gives an overview on potential regional market shares.

https://businessstrategies24.com/global-rice-transplanter-machine-market-application-landscape-key-vendor-analysis-drivers-challenges-research-methodology-and-forecast-to-2021/[i]

BRRI arrange perching festival to popularise using birds for pest control

Our correspondent . Gazipur | Published: 19:39, Sep 06,2018 | Updated: 19:40, Sep 06,2018

Description: http://www.newagebd.com/files/records/news/201809/49990_173.jpg

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute organises daylong ‘perching festival’ on its campus on Thursday.-- New Age photo

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute on Thursday organised daylong ‘perching festival’ at its premises in Gazipur to popularise the natural way of containing insects instead of using pesticides.

Perching is a method of placing stumps of different trees or bamboos as a sitting arrangement for birds in cropland.

Birds’ perch is a place made available for the birds who love to eat insects. Birds have a feast satisfying their appetite from the paddy field and in return keep harmful insects in control.

If enough birds' perches are provided they act like guards against harmful insect pests in rice fields. Birds like Finge, Shama, Maynas usually eat the harmful insects reducing their numbers in rice fields very well in daytime.

On the other hand, at night owls sit on those stumps and eat the rats of the rice field after catching them. The technique can easily be applied in the rice field by setting upward one hard enough tree or bamboo stump in per 100 metre land areas.

This was revealed at a discussion in the ‘perching festival’ organised by Bangladesh Rice Research Institute in Gazipur on Thursday. BRRI jointly organised this festival along with its nine regional stations situated at Rajshahi, Rangpur, Kushtia, Satkhira, Bhanga, Barisal, Comilla, Habiganj and Sonagazi.

BRRI director general Md Shahjahan Kabir inaugurated the festival as the chief guest from Gazipur headquarters through video conferencing while BRRI director (administration and common service) Md Ansar Ali, BRRI director (research) Tamal Lata Aditya were the special guests. Head of BRRI entomology division Sheikh Samiul Haque presided over the discussion meeting and presented the keynote paper of the occasion. Heads of the 19 research divisions along with senior scientists and officials attended the programme.

http://www.newagebd.net/article/49990/brri-arrange-perching-festival-to-popularise-using-birds-for-pest-control

Researchers in Indonesia discover way to help stop pests attacking rice crops

September 6, 2018News

Researchers in Indonesia have deciphered the chemical cues used by rice to attract a parasitoid that helps fight off the plant’s predator.The researchers created a system to imitate these cues, which could help investigate similar interactions in other crops and possible sources of non-toxic pest control.

The brown planthopper is one of rice’s most destructive pests, causing damage by wounding the stem of the plants to lay the eggs for the next attack and by transmitting viruses that attack the plant.

To do this, they investigated the tritrophic interaction between rice, the brown planthopper and the parasitoids that prey on the brown planthopper’s eggs.

They extracted samples from rice infected by the brown planthopper and analysed their chemical makeup.

They then compared this to what they found in samples taken from healthy rice, identifying the chemical differences between healthy and infested rice.

They created a porous material from rice husk and soaked different pieces in chemicals extracted from either healthy or infected rice.

In laboratory tests, the parasites were more attracted to the material infused with the infested sample.

They also attached infused materials to posts and placed them outside in a rice field. Again, they found more parasitoids on the infected sample, but the researchers observed that the effect wore off over five days, so the samples effectively had an expiration date.

The results, published in the Pertanika Journal of Science and Technology, could guide further trials to see if applying the chemical cue could actually reduce the pest’s destruction of rice paddies; and if so, to what degree.

The use of analytical chemistry offers insights into the mechanisms underlying these interactions and detect small changes taking place in great detail.

They note that their technique exploring the interaction between plant, pest and the pest’s own predator on a chemical level requires further refinement, but could eventually be applied to other agricultural crops and potentially reduce the use of harmful pesticides.

https://foodmag.com.au/rice-crops-research/

Pokkali fields triumph over floods

K.A. Martin

KOCHI, SEPTEMBER 07, 2018 00:03 IST

Description: Pokkali fields triumph over floods

Only 20% of 400 acres under farming in Ezhikkara panchayat affected by floods

The Pokkali variety of saltwater-resistant rice paddy, mostly grown in the coastal areas of Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts, has emerged triumphant over the devastating floods that swallowed large swathes of farm land in the State.

While rice paddy in other parts of the State suffered huge losses, only around 20% of the 400 acres under Pokkali farming in Ezhikkara panchayat might have been lost despite the fields remaining under water for three days from August 16, said Palliyakkal Cooperative Service Bank president M.P. Vijayan.

‘A miracle’

“It is a miracle of nature,” said Mr. Vijayan, who sounded a little surprised, still speaking on Thursday of what he described as a “great escape” for rice paddy under the bank’s care.

While the said 400 acres are directly managed by farmers under the bank’s care, there are another 150 acres under Pokkali owned by other farmers in the panchayat.

Even those fields have survived the worst, said Mr. Vijayan. Pokkali has been noted for its saltwater resistance and potential to survive floods.

However, in recent memory, it was for the first time that Pokkali had demonstrated its resilience so well. The rice variety is cultivated in low-lying fields, which are washed off excess salinity by the first bout of rain in June.

The paddy is sown on little mounds that rise above the flooded fields and are then dismantled.

Rice is harvested towards the end of October and early November. Pokkali rice is grown without using synthetic fertilisers and the fields are used for growing fish after harvest.

K.S. Shylaraj of the Vyttila Rice Research Station under Kerala Agricultural University said that the available varieties of Pokkali were capable of surviving six to seven days under water, provided they were well established after being transplanted. However, saplings that are not properly established may not survive.

The unique quality of the rice variety and the method by which it is cultivated have won Pokkali rice the GI tag.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/pokkali-fields-triumph-over-floods/article24885994.ece

GLOBAL RICE NOODLE MARKET RESEARCH 2018: GROWTH REPORT AND FORECAST BY APPLICATIONS AND USAGE 2025

Description: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Lao-Shu-Fen_Lou-Syu-Fan_Short-Rice-Noodles.jpg

September 6, 2018 Shilpa K Uncategorized Comments Offon Global Rice Noodle Market Research 2018: Growth Report and Forecast by Applications and Usage 2025

Rice Noodle market report evaluates important changes in consumer behaviour to identify profitable markets & areas for product innovations. It analyse the current and forecast market position of the brands to identify the best opportunities to exploit.

Global Rice Noodle Market Size, Status and Forecast 2018-2025

The following Companies as the Key Players in the Global Rice Noodle Market Research Report 2018:

JFC International American Roland Food Corp. Eskal Nan Shing Hsinchu Cali Food Nature soy Mandarin Noodle Manufacturing Ying Yong Food Products J.D. Food Products Leong Guan Food Manufacturer

Request a sample copy of Report:

https://www.marketreportsworld.com/enquiry/request-sample/11786868

It provides Detailed understanding of consumption by individual product categories to align your sales and marketing efforts with the latest trends in the market. The Report also calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the sales of This Report and technologies by various application segments.

The Rice Noodle Market has been segmented as below:

By Product Analysis:

· 90% Rice Noodle

· 95% Rice Noodle

· Other Purity

For Enquiry for Rice Noodle Market Report at:

https://www.marketreportsworld.com/enquiry/pre-order-enquiry/11786868

Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions:

· North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

· Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Turkey etc.)

· Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam))

· South America (Brazil etc.) & Middle East and Africa (North Africa and GCC Countries)

The market research provides a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the regional and Global, focusing on the capacity and production volumes, Producers, prices, import & export, market forecast and consumers, including the unbiased historical data and long-term forecasts. This report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Global Climbing Machine Market Research Report 2018 and provides extensive market forecasts 2018-2023 by region/country and subsectors. T

Purchase Rice Noodle Market Research Report for:

https://www.marketreportsworld.com/purchase/11786868

The Key Stakeholders in the Global Rice Noodle Market Research Report 2017:

· Rice Noodle Manufacturers

· Rice Noodle Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers

· Rice Noodle Subcomponent Manufacturers

· Industry Association

· Downstream Vendors

Key Points Covered in Rice Noodle Market Report:

· Global Rice Noodle Market Research Report 2018

· Global Rice Noodle Market Competition by Manufacturers

· Global Rice Noodle Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2018-2023)

· Global Rice Noodle Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2018-2023)

· Global Rice Noodle Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type

· Global Rice Noodle Market Analysis by Application

· Global Rice Noodle Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis

· Rice Noodle Manufacturing Cost Analysis

· Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers

· Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders

· Market Effect Factors Analysis

https://www.idareport.com/2018/09/06/global-rice-noodle-market-research-2018-growth-report-and-forecast-by-applications-and-usage-2025/

Cutting almost complete, yields good in rice varieties

rice harvest

Rice harvests in a four county area including Wharton, Matagorda, Jackson and Colorado counties are wrapping up along with the rest of the Gulf Coast with near-record yields of good quality grain with many producers considering a second harvest. Ratoon cropping early planted fields might improve net profits, according to Lee Tarpley, AgriLife Research crop physiologist, not pictured. Later- planted fields could be ratoon cropped if temperatures remain above 50 degrees into early November. “If it stays warm they could see another harvest with less input costs, and that could mean a better bottom line,” Tarpley said.

L-N Photo by Melony Overton

Posted: Wednesday, September 5, 2018 5:15 am

By MELONY OVERTON reporter@leader-news.com | 0 comments

The rice harvest is winding down along the Gulf Coast and producers are almost done in El Campo with many considering a second harvest.

Dick Ottis, president and chief executive officer for Rice Belt Warehouse, Inc., with locations in El Campo, Ganado, Bay City, Edna and Blessing, said the harvest in El Campo is 95 percent complete.

Facilities can run 18 to 24 hours a day to dry rice.

“Company wide, we are 80 percent complete with the harvest. Some locations are more complete than others,” Ottis said. “We have other areas that aren’t that far along (as El Campo).”

The Bay City facility, for example, takes in many hundred weights of organic rice that is a growing trend among producers in Wharton, Matagorda, Jackson and Colorado counties.

“That rice is usually a little later in maturing. That sets their harvest back later,” Ottis said.

The majority of the organic rice the Bay City warehouse receives comes from upper Wharton County and Colorado County, Ottis said.

“It started very slow, but it has picked up to where I assume we probably have 13,000 to 14,000 acres of rice in these four counties that is organically grown.”

For the most part, producers have seen a “very good yield for the different rices we dry,” regarding conventional and hybrid rice, Ottis said.

According to Lee Tarpley, an AgriLife Research crop physiologist, a near record yield is expected for producers who planted their fields early in spring avoiding heavy spring rains that caused delays for other growers. Late planted rice was exposed to hot spells and heat damage, Tarpley said in a Texas A&M University crop and weather report.

M.O. Way, AgriLife Research entomologist, said in the same report that about 190,000 acres of rice were planted this season statewide with half the acreage planted in hybrid varieties.

Ottis has witnessed that other growing trend in the four-county area, too.

“I think we’ve seen more hybrid rice grown in our local area this year than in all years past. We’re probably growing 75 to 80 percent hybrid and the rest is conventional varieties,” he said.

The reason for more hybrid rice grown over the conventional varieties could be because conventional rice yields less with the first crop when compared to hybrids, Ottis said.

According to the Texas Rice Crop Survey conducted by Texas A&M, the rice acreage for the 2018 crop season in Wharton County is 38,602 up 7.6 percent from 2017’s 35,892 acres of rice. The U.S. Department of Agriculture 2018 crop acreage report also shows an additional 3,871 acres of rice intended for seed this year.

Way said good growing conditions have many farmers considering growing a ratoon crop, or allow another crop to grow from the stubble left after the harvest.

Ratoon cropping could produce an additional 35-50 percent of the main harvest, with little input costs beyond fertilization and water, Way said. About 60 percent of Texas rice acres are ratoon cropped typically.

“In rice, we actually have two crops for conventional and hybrids,” Ottis said. “We have that first crop that is cut in July and August. Then we have the ratoon or second crop that is harvested in late October and end of November. We may go a lot longer if there is a lot of it, you just never know.”

http://www.leader-news.com/article_555447b4-b08d-11e8-b467-dbef6c6c532e.html

NFA Council OKs add’l rice imports

By: Karl R. Ocampo - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:36 AM September 06, 2018

The policy-making body of the National Food Authority (NFA) has approved the additional importation of rice this year as rice prices continue to spike.

Following a meeting on Tuesday, an official from the NFA said its council had given the go-ahead to purchase 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice this year under an open tender scheme.

Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco earlier described open tender as “more competitive, least corrupt and transparent.” Under it, private suppliers are allowed to participate in the bidding and would be covered by the procurement law.

This is in contrast to a government-to-government procurement where there is no bidding, although it is considered the fastest way to import rice.

In total, the agency’s rice imports for this year will reach 750,000 MT. This already includes the half a million ton of imports approved earlier this year. There is also the 133,500 MT of rice approved last week to address the rice shortage in the Zambasulta (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi) region under the private sector.

NFA administrator Jason Aquino, who heads the agency’s management body, originally asked to import 500,000 MT of rice, but the council decided to approve only half of the volume with the remaining 250,000 MT on “standby for next year.”

NFA spokesperson Rex Estoperez said the only way for the grains agency to affect rice prices was by flooding the market with affordable rice—something that the NFA had failed to do given the delays in its importation schedules and shipments.

The subsidized rice—priced at P27 and P32 a kilo depending on the variant—is considered the only reprieve for poor Filipino consumers from the current prices of commercial rice, which have reached an average all-time high of P43 a kilo.

http://business.inquirer.net/256714/nfa-council-oks-addl-rice-imports#ixzz5QPl2OCj3

NFA issues rules for Zambasulta rice imports

By Jasper Y. Arcalas

September 7, 2018

Description: https://businessmirror.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/agri01-090718-696x461.jpg

The National Food Authority (NFA) on Thursday announced that the 33,500 metric tons (MT) of rice for Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (Zambasulta) must arrive before the end of September.

The schedule of arrival for the 33,500 MT is included in the amendments/addenda to the general guidelines in the importation of 805,200 MT of rice under the minimum access volume (MAV) scheme for calendar year 2017-2018.

The NFA released on September 6 the changes in the guidelines, which will cover the importation of 133,500 MT of rice by the private sector for the Zambasulta area.

Under the guidelines, the NFA has designated Zamboanga City port as the sole discharge port for the total imported volume.

The NFA, with the approval of the NFA Council, has decided that only nonwinning bidders in the previous auction held last June 25 would be allowed to participate in the importation
for Zambasulta.

For the 33,500 MT, interested farmers organizations (FOs) and non-FOs “shall be qualified to apply and/or submit on a first-come, first-served basis without service fee” until the total volume has been exhausted.

Interested importers may avail themselves of a minimum allocation of 5,000 MT and a maximum of 10,000 MT.

The importers must bring in their volume within 15 days after the issuance of their Certificate of Eligibility to Import Rice (COEIR). Importers will not be given
any arrival extensions.

The NFA said that the application would commence from September 7 to 10 for the 33,500 MT importation. The COEIR would be issued on September 11.

As for the remaining 100,000 MT, the NFA would be allocated through an auction of service fee using the previous MAV guidelines.

“Eighty percent, or 80,000 MT, shall be allocated to farmer organizations and the remaining 20 percent, or 20,000 MT, shall be allocated to non-farmer organizations,” the guidelines read.

Interested bidders may also avail themselves of a minimum of 5,000 MT and a maximum of 10,000 MT.

Winning importers for the remaining 100,000 MT must bring in their allocated volumes starting October 1 and not later than November 30 without extension, according to the NFA.

The NFA would start accepting applications for the 100,000 MT rice importation on September 7 until September 10. The NFA has scheduled the auction at the Land Bank of the Philippines on September 20, while the issuance of COEIR would be from September 21 to 25.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said the NFA Council gave its go signal to import rice for the Zambasulta area during a special meeting on August 29.

The meeting was requested by the Department of Agriculture to ease the tightness in rice supply in the Zambasulta area, which continues to grapple with high prices.

The government slaps a tariff of 35 percent for rice imported within the MAV and 50 percent for those outside of the quota.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/nfa-issues-rules-for-zambasulta-rice-imports/

‘NFA can keep 60-day buffer stock only through rice importation’

By: Karl R. Ocampo - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 07:21 AM September 05, 2018

Description: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/files/2018/09/20180904GCM-12-620x413.jpg

Laborers take a break from loading sacks of rice imported from Vietnam in the National Food Authority (NFA) warehouse in Quezon City on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. The National Food Authority and Department of Agriculture came under fire following the spike of rice prices in the market. About 300,000 tons of imported rice are sitting at the ports in Subic and Tabacco, Albay as authorities try to quell a weevil infestation. INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

President Duterte’s directive to the National Food Authority (NFA) to maintain a 60-day buffer stock could be done only through importation, according to Senator Cynthia Villar.

During the Meet Inquirer Multimedia forum on Tuesday, Villar, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, said that with the current lean season, the only way to beef up the agency’s inventory was through importing rice.

“If they would maintain their buffer stock, they have to import. Right now, we’re in the planting season,” she said.

The lean months, which stretches from July to September, is when the country’s rice farmers are planting and rice supply is at its lowest.

The NFA is mandated to maintain a 15-day buffer during the regular season and a 30-day buffer during the lean season.

But with the delay in rice shipments, its current inventory is good for only four days.

Latest data from the Department of Agriculture show that nationwide rice stock, including those held by the private sector, is good for only 45 days. This is half the country’s usual rice inventory of 90 days.

‘No rice shortage’

Public markets now have long lines of consumers who want to avail themselves of cheaper rice from the NFA.

Villar assured the public, however, that there was no rice shortage in the country.

“What happened was all the supply of the rice went into the hands of the traders,” she said.

Lawmakers seem to disagree on what the NFA function should be once the limit on rice imports is lifted.

Villar said the agency would lose its power to import under the Senate version of the rice tariffication bill.

“Under the rice tariff model, there would be liberation of rice. The NFA will have no more power to import rice. That function will not be there anymore,” she said.

But the House version of the bill, which was approved last month, wants the NFA to retain its import function to ensure a stable supply and prices of rice. It would also continue giving out permits to eligible importers from the private sector.

The rice tariffication measure allows imports to enter the country without limit so long as these are slapped with a tariff.

It provides for the creation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which would consist of all duties collected from rice imports. The fund would be used to help improve the competitiveness of local rice farmers.

Villar said the Department of Finance was considering a smaller agency to handle the buffer stock.

The senator noted the need to review the existence of the NFA, especially after it failed to stabilize the supply and price of rice.

Lawmakers and industry groups have been calling for the abolition of the agency and the resignation of its chief, Jason Aquino.

According to economic managers, this has led to high rice prices given the tight supply of affordable rice in the market.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1028506/nfa-can-keep-60-day-buffer-stock-only-through-rice-importation#ixzz5QPlNMelE

Nigeria: States Bask in Rice Production As Nigeria Plans to Exit

By Chika Izuora

Chief Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural development recently in Lagos made a solemn claim but with firm assurance that by 2020, Nigeria will not only stop rice importation but will assume a status of net exporter. CHIKA IZUORA in this report, looks at indices that give impetus to this stance.

It was at a lecture organised by the Catholic Brothers United, a religious group at the St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland in Lagos. Chief Audu Ogbeh, minister of agriculture and rural development was the guest speaker on the topic, "Technology and Agricultural Revolution: A Tool for Economic Growth". Throughout the duration of the lecture that lasted more than three hours, he spoke extensively on governments efforts to boost rice production in the country."

According to him, at the moment Nigeria has reduced rice importation by 90 per cent, meaning we need just a little effort to achieve 100 per year. He emphatically said that in two years, Nigeria will exit rice importation. Ogheh, insisted that Nigeria is going to be self-sufficient in rice production and prices are also expected to fall.

However, a peep into the industry in the past indeed, shows a fluctuation of the local commodity production from 2,400 to 3,600 in the past five years. The import rates have also increased to 5,850 from 4,800 during the same period of time. At the same time, the country is experiencing a rise in consumption rate of the same commodity. Last year, the consumption rate has risen to seven million Metric Tons according to government statistics with only 2.7 million metric tons produced by Nigerian farmers.

In 2016, Nigeria projected to reach 2.7 million metric tons in 2017 if government policy of restricting importation was strictly adhered to. According to the Nigeria rice production statistics, the imports have started to make up 50 per cent of the local consumption rates.

However, after a policy turn around towards promoting agriculture, Nigeria has realised an estimated N102.6 billion as revenue from the value of rice produced locally by farmers in 18 states under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN's) Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP).

According to Growth and Employment in States (GEMS4) report on Nigeria's rice production from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, a programme funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DfID), titled "Mapping of rice produc-tion clusters in Nigeria," GEMS4 revealed that Nigeria is reaping from the CBN's Anchor Borrowers Programme and is on the verge of attaining its rice self-sufficiency target this year.

A breakdown of the report last year, revealed that the total paddy production in Nigeria in 2016 was estimated at 17,487,562 metric tons, leaving a balance of about 11.4 million metric tons after accounting for 12.4 per cent of rice production wasted due to post-harvest losses.

Consequently, this left a total of 5.7 million metric tons of milled rice, bringing Nigeria's rice production closer to the seven million projected milled rice requirement for 2016.

According to the report, 18 states were selected based on their contribution to national production as per the 2015 Agricultural Production Survey (APS). In those 18 states, rice farming was described as widely spread across 165 clusters and 2,812 subclusters.

"The 2016 total paddy production estimate is put at 17.5 million tons with a marketing surplus (after post-harvest losses and domestic use) of 11.4 million tons (equivalent to 5.7 million tons milled equivalent), just below the total national demand for rice, which was projected to reach seven million in 2016. This implies that the country is progressing towards its goal of rice self-sufficiency," the report stated.

Kebbi State led with 3.56 million metric tons for the wet and dry seasons production combined, followed by Kano at 2.82 million metric tons. Kebbi produced 2.05 million metric tons in the wet season and 1.51 million metric tons in the dry season, while Kano produced 1.86 and 0.96 million metric tons during the wet and dry seasons respectively over the same period under review. However, only 10 of the 18 states were involved in the dry season production.

According to the study, GEMS4 embarked upon a mapping exercise of rice production clusters through researchers and enumerators' visits to rice production locations in 18 states, namely: Bauchi, Benue, Ebonyi, Ekiti, FCT, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi and Kogi.

Others are Kwara, Nassarawa, Niger, Ogun, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara. The researchers, according to the study, expressed optimism that information of paddy production clusters will support the development of supply chains from nearby rice clusters around existing commercial rice mills or proposed new plants in the country.

A cluster is an agglomeration of various rice production communities or sub-clusters, located around specific geographic production continuum, sharing some natural resources, such as water and flood plains. Findings by GEMS4 revealed the responses of states to the federal government's policy goal of reducing import dependence, particularly of rice, which drains about N1 billion daily on importation.

The report also noted that 10 per cent of total arable land in Nigeria is used for rice cultivation, although Nigeria is the largest producer of rice in West Africa, it is the second largest importer of rice globally. Analysis of the report indicated a dry season production of 4,646,296.64 metric tons or 26.57 per cent, cultivated on 3,037,324 hectares of farmlands and wet season production of 12,841,265.18 metric tons or 73.43 per cent, cultivated over 859,624 hectares.

It also showed that 1.43 million rice farmers were involved in the wet season, representing 17.7 per cent of farming families in the wet season in Nigeria. In the dry season, however, the estimated total number of farmers was 410,210, representing only 5.1 per cent of the total farming families.

A conspicuous finding on the average yield per hectare was that the yields during the dry season were consistently and comparatively higher than in wet seasons for all states involved in both wet and dry season cultivation, which opens an area of great prospects for policy intervention in rice production in Nigeria.

The average yield per hectare of rice during the wet season was found to be the highest in Ebonyi, at 5.63 metric tons, but lowest in Kwara at 2.68 tons. For the dry season, Niger recorded the highest average yield per hectare of 6.45 metric tons while Kaduna had the least average yield per hectare of 3.5 metric tons.

GEMS4 report, however, listed the potential for increasing productivity, pointing out that 13 per cent of farmers reported using high-yielding planting method (transplanting seedlings), while 32 per cent used irrigation and 56 per cent had access to one hectare of additional land.

The report listed the challenges observed to include finding that farmers generally reported having difficulties acquiring agroinputs, particularly quality seed and fertiliser and accessing credit. Infrastructure such as irrigation facilities, feeder roads and storage facilities constituted an area of challenge with poor quality or a total lack of it.

Others include flooding in wet season, poor access to information on modern methods of farming and post-harvest technologies, poor access to credit, and a loss of labour through migration of young people to cities, resulting in aging farming population.

LEADERSHIP reports that although rice is a traditional crop in Nigeria, local production was limited until recently. Internal demand is growing and, at the same time, rice is a major commodity of world trade. Nigeria is therefore under pressure from international bodies not to restrict imports; production under local conditions to match prices of rice produced on large mechanised farms therefore represents a considerable challenge.

Considerable effort has gone into breeding rice for West African conditions by both West Africa Rice Development Association WARDA and national research and dissemination institutions such as the National Cereals Research Institute NCRI.

DFID therefore commissioned a three-country study, MAPs (Multi-Agency Partnerships) to be co-ordinated by the Overseas Development Institute, on the effectiveness of linkages between local, national and international institutions in disseminating improved technologies for rice production. Just recently, Kebbi State government, announced it has commenced rice exportation to West and North African countries.

Speaking when he hosted the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers' Council (NSC) Barr Hassan Bello, the governor of the state, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu said the state has started exporting rice to Republic of Benin, Niger and Libya in the last three years.

"We are exporting rice because people from Benin Republic, Niger and Libya are buying our rice except if you are defining export as selling to the West (Europe). Bello had visited the governor with his management team to inform the Governor about the plans to establish an Inland Container Depot (ICD) and a Truck Transit Park in the state.

The Governor however assured the Council of the readiness of his administration to support any project that will drive trade facilitation and sustain economic growth. He described Kebbi as agrarian state which has potential in agriculture, including aquatic splendour, which makes the state as part of the Blue Sea economy.

Bagudu described the ICD and Truck Transit Park as very important projects to the state considering that it has enormous agricultural and minerals deposits. He said that sharing borders with Niger and Benin Republic, Kebbi has an advantage of exporting commodities.

The governor also explained that the state has seven big rivers, including Argungu River which promotes the International Fishing Festival that has become a tourist destination. Apart from being a rice producer, Kebbi, the governor said produces onions and pepper, adding that all these have made the planned Lolo Inland Container Depot and Truck Park as very important.

Bello had during the visit informed the governor of the decision to construct the ICD and Truck Park in the state. The NSC CEO while noting that the state was strategically located said the two projects will stimulate the economy of the state with a lot of multiplier effect to the national economy.

In a similar move, the Anambra State government has begun deepening its partnership with farmers to further strategise on measures geared toward making the state "the food basket of the nation". Governor Willie Obiano said this during a meeting with rice farmers at the Governor's Lodge, Amawbia.

The farmers across the Rice Value Chain were gathered from the 21 Local Government Areas within the state for the crucial meeting. The governor, while briefing them said his vision was to boost rice yield per hectare, so as to add to the rice production capacity of the state.

He noted that his administration's "vision remains to produce more commercial quantity to supersede consumption capacity. "Anambra is on the verge of exporting rice, in addition to other vegetables it had already started exporting, as it will boost job creation and revenue generation.

"The state government intends to realise this through the provision of high-yielding varieties, assisting in bringing in more people into rice production and helping with land clearing" he said, adding that said his government had evolved plans to phase out local millers.

"This can only be done when an agreement has been brokered between the local producers and the mechanised millers on the standard price for off take of paddy," Obiano stated further.

https://allafrica.com/stories/201809050209.html

Ilocos Norte pushes adoption of iron-fortified rice

By Leilanie Adriano September 6, 2018, 5:41 pm

Description: http://files.pna.gov.ph/category-list/2018/09/06/41039154528898650884294145348702683267072n.jpg

IRON-FORTIFIED RICE. The Ilocos Norte Board tackles in a public hearing the adoption of iron-fortified rice in the province. (Photo by Leilanie Adriano)

LAOAG CITY—The Ilocos Norte government, through its Sangguniang Panlalawigan, has urged other concerned stakeholders to help promote the consumption of iron-fortified rice.In a public hearing held at the SP session hall on Thursday afternoon, Provincial Board member Domingo Ambrocio, in his capacity as chairperson of the committee on agriculture, solicited the suggestions of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Provincial Agriculture Office, Provincial Nutrition Office, Rice Millers Association of Ilocos Norte, National Food Authority (NFA) and other concerned groups on how to best implement the iron fortification program in the province.

According to Provincial Director Jonathan Viernes of the DOST, the cost of food fortification should not be costly now as technology advances. With the current NFA rice priced at PHP32 per kilo, Viernes said it only takes an additional PHP2 for every kilo to have an iron-fortified rice.

The Food Fortification Law stipulates the mandatory fortification of food like rice with iron and voluntary fortification of processed foods with iron, Vitamin A and or iodine.

It maybe recalled that rice fortified with iron was started in 2004 but its adoption has been slow until now.

Provincial Assistant Agriculturist Luz Tabora expressed concerned on how to make iron-fortified rice more affordable to poor households.

“Let us consider the rising price of rice. We are not against it but we must think of those who could probably can’t afford it,” said Tabora as she reported the agricultural department is also conducting trials on bio-fortification through rice breeding to help resolve the problem on iron deficiency particularly among children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Since it is already a national law, Ambrocio said local government units and other stakeholders may consider producing iron-fortified rice and help eradicate cases of malnutrition in the province.

Backing this move, Dr. Rogelio Balbag, who is also a provincial board member, said the iron fortification program will do better for the province.

“There is prevalence of iron deficiency affecting mostly our children, pregnant and lactating women. Let us implement it for a healthier and more progressive Ilocanos,” said Balbag. (PNA)

U.S. rice farmers losing market share in Mexico, Latin America

The numbers behind the monthly WASDE projections point to some troubling signs for the U.S. rice industry.

Forrest Laws | Sep 06, 2018

U.S. rice exports are expected to increase 13 percent in the 2018-19 marketing year, according to the USDA Economic Research Service’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates or WASDE report.

Normally that would be good news for U.S. producers, who would benefit from the increased sales. But, this time, the numbers behind the monthly WASDE projections point to some troubling signs for the U.S. rice industry.

U.S. rice prices continue to be significantly higher than its competitors, says Dr. Nathan Childs, senior rice economist for the USDA-ERS, and a speaker for a recent University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Food and Agribusiness Webinar. As a result, U.S. prices will have to come down to make that prediction a reality.

Another factor: the U.S. is continuing to lose market share in Latin America, a region that used to be a “99 percent” American market, according to Childs, whose presentation was titled “U.S. rice growers projected to face higher ending stocks and lower prices in 2018-19.” (See video at https://bit.ly/2E2BEla)

“I brought this up earlier, and I’m going to bring it up again,” he said. “South American exporters continue to gain market share in Mexico, which has been the largest quantity market for U.S. rice. There’s no other market that buys as much quantity.”

Mexico is a strong market, purchasing 900,000 metric tons of rice in 2017, he said. “That’s a lot of rice. The U.S. was probably once 99 percent or a rock solid 95. We’re probably not even at 80 percent of that market now.”

Exports to Mexico

Childs displayed a graphic of the last eight years of U.S. exports to Mexico that showed shipments falling off a cliff to less than 300,000 tons.

“This is calendar year and only through May,” he said quickly. “Exports haven’t dropped off for the whole year. Look at the proportion. One can see the U.S. is the dominant supplier, but not to the degree it was maybe eight or nine years ago. That’s the largest U.S. market.”

Latin America currently accounts for about 60 percent of U.S. rice exports, taking slightly more than 4 million metric tons in 2016-17. U.S. shipments to the region were just approaching 3 million metric tons in June with one more month to go in the 2017-18 marketing year.

“It will be lower, but not this much lower, he said, referencing another slide. “But you can see how Mexico, and then the rest of Latin America are important to the U.S. rice industry. A lot of that is rough rice; way over half.

This slide is just long-grain,” he noted. “Latin America is about 80 percent of U.S. long-grain exports. So let’s say it’s even more important for the southern Rice Belt. California doesn’t ship much to Latin America. But for the South, Latin America is critical.”

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is nowhere near as large as Mexico, but is “a rock solid market,” purchasing well over 100,000 tons a year.

“You can see that the U.S. was absolutely dominant; Costa Rica bought just a little bit of rice from South America,” he said. “Now the U.S. is still the largest supplier, supplying more than half, but not dominant.”

Childs says the increased competition from South American exporters to Mexico, Central America and Venezuela has to be a key concern for the U.S. rice industry in the 2018-19 marketing year.

“These are key U.S. long-grain rough rice markets where the U.S. share has been declining for several years,” he said. “And, in many of those markets — most of those markets — the U.S. still is a big supplier to Mexico, much of Central America.

“Will Asian exporters ship milled rice into South America, Central America and Mexico?” he asked. “They had been shipping some. They backed off. But they’re a possibility.”

Iraq

Other question marks include Iraq, where the U.S. sold 30,000 metric tons in August. Last year, they sold 90,000 metric tons.

“Will the U.S. pick up any medium-grain sales to North Africa and the Middle East?” he asked.

With Australia’s crop reduced and Egypt’s falling crop prospects, analysts believe the latter could purchase around 400,000 tons. “So will Egypt buy U.S. rice? And what type and class of rice?”

Dietitian, 28, reveals how you can be healthy while eating 'normal food' - and the meals that help keep her impressive abs

· Leanne Ward shared how you achieve your fitness dreams eating 'normal' food

· The 28-year-old from Brisbane has revealed what six meals keep her svelte

· She's proof that leading a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to mean following trends

· Previously, Leanne spoke to FEMAIL about her exercise routine and meal prep

By MATILDA RUDD FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

PUBLISHED: 05:17 BST, 6 September 2018 | UPDATED: 05:49 BST, 6 September 2018

Trendy buzz words like low carb and sugar-free are being tossed around in the health sphere like they are the answer to our ailments and extra inches.But Brisbane-based dietitian Leanne Ward has opened up to her 230,000 Instagramfollowers about how it's possible to achieve a svelte physique without sticking to a diet or cleanse.

'I don't eat paleo, keto or vegan but I do eat FOOD... real food, real nutrients and to be totally honest, a mix of all of these diets,' she explained.

Description: Brisbane-based dietitian Leanne Ward has opened up to her 230,000 Instagram followers about how it's possible to achieve a svelte physique without sticking to a diet or cleanse

Brisbane-based dietitian Leanne Ward has opened up to her 230,000 Instagram followers about how it's possible to achieve a svelte physique without sticking to a diet or cleanse

Description: 'I don't eat paleo, keto or vegan but I do eat FOOD... real food, real nutrients and to be totally honest, a mix of all of these diets,' she explained

'I don't eat paleo, keto or vegan but I do eat FOOD... real food, real nutrients and to be totally honest, a mix of all of these diets,' she explained

Leanne Ward's day on a plate eating 'real' food

Meal 1: Rolled oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, protein powder, milk and peanut butter

Meal 2: Walnuts & fresh pineapple

Meal 3: Black rice, grilled chicken breast, frozen veggies & oyster sauce

Meal 4: Greek yogurt + 2 tbsp granola

Meal 5: Basmati rice, spicy salmon, tomato, cucumber & coriander salad + mango chutney & yoghurt dressing

Meal 6: No dessert - just mandarin water.

'I believe in whole foods and everyday meals. I hate when you see a meal plan or recipe that makes you go to a special store to buy 'superfood' ingredients that cost the earth.

'People forget that rolled oats, fresh fruit, Greek yoghurt, walnuts and vegetable are cheap SUPERFOODS too!

'You'll never see me posting meal diaries with an abundance of açai bowls, matcha powder, goji berries, kale or coconut oil.

'Sure these things are good for you but there are MUCH cheaper options that are equally (if not more) nutritious.'

The 28-year-old went on to detail her meal plan, which included staples you can find at any ordinary supermarket.

Breakfast was a mixture of rolled oats, chia seeds, and peanut butter, followed by a snack of walnuts and fresh pineapple.

When Leanne feels peckish by midday she whips up black rice, grilled chicken breast, frozen veggies and oyster sauce in a dish.

In the afternoon she'll opt for Greek yoghurt and two teaspoons of granola for added crunch.

When Leanne feels peckish by midday she whips up black rice, grilled chicken breast, frozen veggies and oyster sauce in a dish

Dinner is basmatic rice with spicy salmon with a tomato, cucumber and coriander salad

Dinner is basmati rice with spicy salmon with a tomato, cucumber and coriander salad.

'I hope this gives you guys a rough idea of the foods I eat to stay healthy all year round,' she reiterated.

'There's no need to constantly diet if you continuously eat nourishing foods the majority of the time.

'I don't count calories or deprive myself. If there's a celebration at work then of course I'll eat cake but it's an occasional food.

'If you make the basis of your diet whole foods then there's always room for occasional treats too.'

When it comes to Leanne's exercise approach to shedding fat, in the past she has spoken about what she does to stay in shape

Leanne Ward's tips for a truly healthy life

1. Meal prep. Leanne says it's a 'game changer' and even if you just prep a few meals then you'll still have a few healthy meals in your week.

2. Practise gratitude. She says that if you are thankful for what you have every day, you'll realise that this is enough.

3. Tell other people your goals. This helps to keep you accountable and helps to pull you up when you fall down.

4. Find one approach that works for you and stick to it. Don't be tempted by the latest fad diets and workouts.

5. Eat colourful vegetables wherever possible. Leanne says you should try and incorporate them into every meal if possible - and they should make up 1/2 of your plate.

6. Give yourself a break. According to Leanne, eating a brownie or a tub of ice cream won't make you fat, just as eating a salad won't make you healthy. Practise eating wholesome foods and moving your body regularly. Then there's plenty of room for cake, wine and cheese occasionally.

When it comes to Leanne's exercise approach to shedding fat, in the past she has spoken about what she does to stay in shape.

'I'm 6ft tall and train weights four times a week and two cardio days a week (netball, HIIT and/or fasted cardio,' Leanne told FEMAIL.

'I currently weigh 72 kilograms which is healthy for my height.'

Explaining why she thinks others should make time for their health and fitness, she said:

'We all live such busy fast-paced lives that we never find the time to do anything.

'Most of us get to the end of every day completely exhausted, order takeaway and pass out on the couch.

'I encourage women to think of health and fitness like an investment in their health - an investment in their future. If you're sick, you'll make time to schedule an appointment with the doctor. Think of health and fitness this way too.

'Schedule your workout into your diary like an important work meeting you wouldn't miss and schedule some time on Sunday to meal prep as it'll save you so much time during the week and minimise the need to eat out.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6137293/Dietitian-healthy-eating-normal-food-meals-shape.html

Farmers prepare for Tropical Depression Gordon, say too much moisture could damage crop

Anytime a strong storm comes our way, farmers pay close attention to how it could impact their crop.

Author: Erika Ferrando

Published: 5:47 PM CDT September 5, 2018

Updated: 6:25 PM CDT September 5, 2018

LONOKE, Ark. (KTHV) - Anytime a strong storm comes our way, farmers pay close attention to how it could impact their crop. Most farmers in Arkansas have harvested about a third or half of their corn and rice crop so far according to Dr. Vic Ford, Interim Associate Director of the U of A Agriculture and Natural Resources. Now, they're working overtime ahead of what’s left of Gordon and what it will bring.

"We’re just at the mercy of mother nature and the Lord," said Robby Bevis, Farmer and Owner of Bevis Farms in Lonoke.

At Bevis' farm, they’re taking advantage of the clear skies as much as possible.

“I know we worked the last two Sunday’s so we’ve been rolling about three weeks straight now,” said Bevis.

They’re focusing now on crops that winds could pushover.

"For the most part it’s the wind and hail that we worry about more than the rain," said Bevis. “South Arkansas is a bigger target than we are so they ran all night and they probably are still rolling today."

"We’re looking at corn, we’re looking at soybeans, and rice all three being impacted," said Ford.

Ford is worried about too much moisture.

"It’s going to be not a pretty picture if we get the amount of rain we think we’re going to get," said Ford. “I warn folks to get cattle out of the low lying areas particularly in the Ouachita Mountains."

While Bevis is hoping major winds don't come our way, he welcomes a few inches of rain.

"I could actually use a little bit of rain, it wouldn’t hurt to finish out our beans, they could use a little bit of water,” said Bevis.

Serious storms could impact the cost of their harvest.

"If a guy can run, say 50 acres a day in good running, and all his rice goes flat he may only get 20 acres a day," said Bevis.

https://www.thv11.com/article/weather/farmers-prepare-for-tropical-depression-gordon-say-too-much-moisture-could-damage-crop/91-591266697

UPDATE 1-PHILIPPINES TO BUY EXTRA 250,000 T OF RICE TO QUELL PRICE GAINS

9/5/2018

* Cargoes should arrive in November

* Imports meant to curb price spikes

* Vietnam, Thailand await new deals (Adds details on import arrivals, background)

MANILA, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The Philippines will import an additional 250,000 tonnes of rice via an open tender, the state grains procurement agency said on Wednesday, as the government rushes to boost domestic supply and curb rising retail prices of the staple grain.

The decision comes as the country's annual inflation shot up to a faster-than-expected 6.4 percent in August, the highest in nearly a decade, due in part to price increases of key food items including rice.

Additional rice demand from the Philippines could give a boost to export prices of its key suppliers, Vietnam and Thailand, where traders have been waiting for new deals with one of their biggest customers.

The Philippines' additional purchases, which should arrive in November, are on top of the 133,500 tonnes to be delivered between Sept. 15 and Nov. 30 to beef up thin supply in the southern provinces, the National Food Authority (NFA) said.

Separately, the National Economic and Development Authority said in a statement that 5 million sacks of imported rice would arrive over the next 1-1/2 months and another 5 million sacks would be imported early next year.

Despite assurances from the NFA that local rice supply is sufficient, prices of the grain in the Southeast Asian country's shops and markets have been steadily rising since the start of the year.

Prices began to climb when government-subsidised rice sold by the NFA became scarce, boosting demand for grains sold by private traders.

The price spikes prompted the NFA to rush the importation of a total of 500,000 tonnes earlier this year. That volume is on top of the maximum 805,200 tonnes the private sector is allowed to bring in under an annual quota scheme.

Some of the rice imports have yet to arrive.

The Philippines is gearing up to scrap the more than two-decade-old rice imports cap to limit the rising inflation and because of the possible threat of trade sanctions over the policy.

(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier and Christian Schmollinger)

https://www.agriculture.com/markets/newswire/update-1-philippines-to-buy-extra-250000-t-of-rice-to-quell-price-gains

Asia Rice: Rupee woes, weak demand drag India prices to 17-month lows

Vijaykumar Vedala

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice export prices in India slid to 17-month lows on sluggish demand and the rupee’s record fall, while concerns of tighter supplies due to floods in the Mekong Delta and prospects of orders from the Philippines and Egypt boosted rates in Vietnam.FILE PHOTO: Farmers plant saplings in a rice field in Srinagar June 5, 2018. REUTERS/Danish Ismail/File Photo

Rates for India’s 5 percent broken parboiled variety fell by $10 to $376-$380 per tonne this week.The Indian rupee has lost more than 12 percent so far in 2018 and hit a record low on Thursday, increasing exporters margins.“The Rupee is helping in terms of export parity, however, there is not much demand in the market,” said Nitin Gupta, business head of rice at Olam India.

The currencies of almost all rice exporting countries have been depreciating and most are lowering prices to remain competitive, said M. Adishankar, executive director at Sri Lalitha, a leading rice exporter in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.In third-largest exporter Vietnam, however, rates for 5 percent broken rice rose to $397-$403 a tonne from $395-$400 last week.The total growing area for the autumn-winter crop will only be half of the summer-autumn crop due to flooding in the Mekong Delta provinces, traders said.“Prices are expected to rise further over the coming weeks on higher demand and tight supplies,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said.

“News about the Philippines’ plan to buy 250,000 tonnes and Egypt’s interest in buying Vietnamese rice and seafood are supportive for prices,” the trader said, adding Vietnamese president Tran Dai Quang talked about rice trade with Egyptian officials during a visit late last month.Egypt could import up to 1 million tonnes of rice next year after decades of growing a surplus following the country’s decision to reduce the total area permitted for rice cultivation to conserve scarce water resources, traders said.

Meanwhile, the Philippines will import an additional 250,000 tonnes via an open tender.Additional demand from the Philippines could boost export prices of key suppliers Vietnam and Thailand.In Thailand, benchmark 5 percent broken rice fell to $385-$393, free on board (FOB) Bangkok, from last week’s $393-$395 due to slow demand, traders said.“It’s slow and steady. We haven’t seen much activity,” a trader in Bangkok said.Thailand has exported 6.99 million tonnes of rice this year up until Aug. 14, worth $3.52 billion, according to the country’s commerce ministry.Elsewhere, Bangladesh imported 52,640 tonnes in July-August period, according to food ministry data.

Imports by Bangladesh, which emerged as a major rice importer since 2017 after floods damaged crops, will slow down in the coming months due to a 28 percent tax on rice imports imposed in June this year to support domestic farmers, traders said.

Reporting by Patpicha Tanasasempipat in Bangkok, Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

https://in.reuters.com/article/india-cenbank-recordlow/indian-rupee-breaches-72-to-the-dollar-markets-worry-over-mild-rbi-intervention-idINKCN1LM0TS

Is Philippine rice self-sufficiency a pipe dream?

Published September 5, 2018, 11:48 AM

UNRAVELING

By GETSY TIGLAO

Getsy Tiglao

With the country’s unchecked population growth, it is certainly difficult to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of rice. Even if we achieve record numbers in rice harvest, with more mouths to feed, there will always be a need for more rice, i.e., imports.Rice self-sufficiency has long been the holy grail in our attempts at food security. Actually, we did achieve some form of sufficiency during the Marcos administration following the success of the Masagana 99 program, which led to our exporting rice from 1977 up to 1981. Alas, this was a brief, shining moment.

Since then the Philippines has always imported rice to supplement its needs, with first half 2018 government-to-government imports already at 500,000 metric tons. The need for the imports was highlighted recently with the shortage of supply in Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi where the price of rice reportedly reached P80 per kilo compared with P27 for the National Food Authority (NFA) rice.

As the staple food of Filipinos, any shortage (no matter how small or how temporary the cause) is enough to cause these big headlines from the tabloid media, promoting panic among the consumers. Unmentioned in the reports was one of the causes of the shortage: the Duterte administration’s successes in clamping down on rice smuggling in the southern Mindanao area with help from the Malaysians.

The sensationalist news without the context provided the grist to the opportunistic senators for them to give their usual shoot-from-the-hip “advice” to the executive department. Criticizing the government takes up so much time of the senators that they don’t have any left to study important bills, such as the one on rice tarrification, languishing at the Senate committee
level.

Our problem with rice is not only a complex one, with links to our politics, economy, culture, geography, and weather; it is also a complicated one that requires a multi-pronged approach. It will not be resolved with the resignation of Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, who we believe is doing his best even with the limited budget that has been given to his department.

Neither will the problem be rectified with the abolition of the NFA. Granted, the NFA is doing a poor job of maintaining rice supply and prices, plus it is hampered by debt and reports of corruption. But until government has a replacement system in place, we have no choice but to deal with the NFA.

Here’s a quick move though: Duterte should issue an executive order removing the NFA under auspices of the Office of the President and return it to the DA. This will ensure a more organized NFA and better coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Most people assumed the NFA was under the DA. Piñol had even been blamed for the NFA’s incompetence. They had forgotten that during the Aquino administration, this agency and a few others were transferred to the OP in what was seen as a move to give then Presidential Assistant on Agriculture Francis Pangilinan something to do.

These band-aid moves aside, a more permanent solution to the rice problem is the proposed rice tarrification bill, which President Duterte had certified as urgent in his July, 2018, State of the Nation Address.

“We need to switch from the current quota system in importing rice to a tariff system where rice can be imported more freely. This will give us additional resources for our farmers,
reduce the price of rice by up to 7 pesos per kilo, and lower inflation significantly,” he said.

So far, the House of Representatives appropriations committee has approved the funding provision for this bill that will lead to the liberalization of rice imports. Yes, this is certain to have an impact on the livelihood of rice farmers, which is why Congress should make sure it passes mitigating measures to protect our farmers.

In contrast to Duterte’s pragmatic viewpoint that we will have to rely on rice imports for many years, Agriculture chief Piñol is still hopeful that we can achieve sufficiency by 2020, based on the country’s record-high harvest in 2017 of 19 million metric tons and an equally high production number expected for this year.

Last year’s numbers were “the highest paddy rice harvest in the history of the country and it brought the country’s production (to) 93 percent of the total national annual requirements,”
Piñol said.

The nationalist in me wants to believe that we can bring back the glory days of the 1970s when we had all those millions of hectares of land planted to the golden grain. But a realist knows that our population has tripled since then, urbanization has expanded, and we have failed to modernize our agriculture sector.

Real rice self-sufficiency where we produce 100 percent of our needs is still doable. But it requires long-term planning, increased funds to agriculture, farm subsidies, more mechanization, among others. In the short term, the government can’t go wrong if it just keeps the rice supply stable, and yes, unlimited.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/09/05/is-philippine-rice-self-sufficiency-a-pipe-dream/

Nigeria: States Bask in Rice Production As Nigeria Plans to Exit Import By 2020

Nigeria: Buhari Asked to Reject Nomination Forms From Shadowy Group

By Chika Izuora

Consequently, this left a total of 5.7 million metric tons of milled rice, bringing Nigeria's rice production closer to the seven million projected milled rice requirement for 2016.

"This can only be done when an agreement has been brokered between the local producers and the mechanised millers on the standard price for off take of paddy," Obiano stated further.

Nhttps://allafrica.com/stories/201809050209.html

[ANALYSIS] Why is Philippine inflation now the highest in ASEAN?

Inflation expectations matter because they change how people behave. It’s in government’s interest to manage these expectations from time to time.

JC Punongbayan

Published 9:35 AM, September 06, 2018

Updated 3:29 PM, September 06, 2018

Yesterday, we were greeted by truly shocking news: the Philippines' inflation rate, which measures how fast prices are rising, reached a whopping 6.4%in August.

Not only is this the highest in 9.4 years, it also exceeded the government’s upper forecast of 6.2%, and is way above the government’s 4% upper target for 2018.

Data also show it’s now the highest in all of ASEAN. Figure 1 shows that Vietnam’s inflation rate (at least as of July) was only at 4.5%, Indonesia 3.2%, Thailand 1.5%, Malaysia 0.9%, and Singapore 0.6%.

Notice too that when President Duterte came into office, Philippine inflation can be found right in the middle of the ASEAN pack. These days, we’re on top of everyone else.

But why is inflation running away in the Philippines and not in other ASEAN countries?

Figure 1

World oil prices

Inflation is always going to be a mix of international and domestic factors.One obvious suspect is the continuing rise of oil prices worldwide.

Countries with no substantial oil production to speak of – like the Philippines – are forced to import oil. Consequently, they are at the mercy of global oil price movements determined largely by supply and demand.

Figure 2 shows the close correlation between domestic inflation and the yearly changes in global oil prices. Based solely on this graph, you might be forgiven to think world oil prices alone can explain much of the changes in Philippine inflation.

Figure 2. A similar graph was made by Jun Neri using WTI Crude instead of Brent Crude.

One possible reason for this pattern is that the Philippines is one of the biggest net importers of oil in ASEAN.

One study showed that, back in 2016, we imported as much as 94% of our oil requirements, vis-à-vis Thailand which only imported 70%, Indonesia 41%, Vietnam 20%, and Malaysia 10%.

If indeed valid, this theory gives us reason to think President Duterte’s tax reform law (TRAIN) is patently ill-timed.

If you recall, TRAIN included tax hikes on several petroleum products, such as unleaded gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. Unknown to many, TRAIN also provides for two more rounds of automatic petroleum tax hikes in 2019 and 2020.

This policy, to me, is like rubbing salt on one’s economic wounds.

Combined with the fact that global oil prices later this year could reach up to $90 per barrel—because of limited supplies from key oil exporters like Iran and Venezuela—it seems cruel to impose additional tax hikes on fuels come January 2019.

Therefore, the proposed bill to stop the implementation of TRAIN’s petroleum tax hikes seems more and more justified by the day – if only as a stopgap measure to arrest runaway inflation immediately.

Weak peso

Another factor that contributes to runaway inflation is the weakening peso.

As of September 5 the peso closed at P53.5 per US dollar, the lowest it’s been in 12.2 years. The peso is also one of the weakest currencies in ASEAN today.

Because we pay imports in foreign currencies, a weaker peso necessarily makes imports costlier. As such, oil becomes costlier too, as well as all the other goods and services in the economy that rely on it.

But why is the peso slumping to begin with?

I argued before that perhaps the largest reason is a domestic one: imports are experiencing double-digit growth rates, even as exports have shrunk for 6 consecutive months.

This widening “trade gap” roughly means we’re shelling out more dollars than we are earning, and the relative abundance of pesos in the local market robs it of its value.

Note that a lot of such imports are raw materials (like iron and steel) and capital goods meant for Duterte’s infrastructure push called Build, Build, Build. Therefore, you can say that Build, Build, Build is partly to blame for the weaker peso.

This is not necessarily bad. But insofar as a weak peso makes imports costlier in general, then Build, Build, Build also sows the seeds of future inflation.

People’s expectations

But perhaps the biggest – and most underappreciated – factor behind inflation is people’s expectations of inflation.

A recent study by IMF researchers, for example, shows that at least half of inflation in ASEAN-5 countries is attributable to how people anticipate future inflation. This factor (the blue area in Figure 3) overwhelms all other factors such as oil and import prices.

Figure 3. Relative contributions to inflation in ASEAN-5 countries. Source: Dany-Knedlik and Garcia [2018].

Inflation expectations matter because they change how people behave.

For example, if news outlets announce that oil companies will hike gasoline and diesel prices at midnight tomorrow, consumers today will race to the gas stations to fill up, spiking demand and stoking prices further.

This mentality applies to inflation as well. If people expect inflation to rise in the coming months, not only will consumers hoard basic goods, but workers will also lobby for higher wages, and firms will also revise their menus or price lists to safeguard their profits.

All these effects add up to further inflation. In this sense, the original expectations become “self-fulfilling prophecies.”

It’s in government’s interest, therefore, to manage (or “anchor”) people’s inflation expectations from time to time.

If, say, the government wants inflation to fall between 2% to 4% from 2018 up to 2020, then government must ensure this is credible. For that to happen, the people must see that government is on top of inflation.

For its part, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas already raised its key interest rate in recent months: by 0.25 percentage point in May and June, and by 0.5 percentage point in August. Many analysts expect another big rate hike this month.

Some people have argued that this “tighter” monetary policy came in a tad too late. Still, others worry that this won’t do much anyway because monetary policy usually operates with a long lag, and recent inflation is largely supply-driven (rather than demand-driven).

Rice crisis

Finally, domestic inflation has also been boosted by tighter supply of many agricultural products, notably rice.

Last week I wrote about the burgeoning rice crisis. Since then, President Duterte has flatly denied there’s any problem. Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol also laughably ate weevil-infested rice on national TV, as if that will do anything to cover up the bungling policies of the National Food Authority (NFA).

What’s not laughable is the fact that some regions have experienced double-digit rice inflation rates last month (see Figure 4). The situation is direst in Bicol, which not only suffered the highest regional inflation rate (9%), but also the highest rice inflation rate (12.5%).

Figure 4

It’s not just rice, by the way. Vegetables inflated by 19.2%, corn 12.6%, fish 12.4%, and sugary goods 9.1%. For these products, there are regional variations as well.

What to do? At least for rice, government can mop up its errors by importing more rice, fast-tracking the distribution of imported rice, and passing the rice tariffication bill.

Duterte will also do us all a favor by immediately firing the inept officials who brought about this needless rice crisis, namely the NFA Administrator and the Agriculture Secretary. Duterte might also consider abolishing the NFAfor good.

This is not fine

By and large, August’s 6.4% inflation rate surprised everyone, not least the economic managers.

The first order of business is to arrest inflation immediately. The economic managers can do this by decisively halting TRAIN’s petroleum tax hikes next year, further raising interest rates, and hastening the importation and distribution of rice nationwide.

More importantly, however, the economic managers must rein in people’s expectations about future inflation. They can do this by regaining the people’s trust and showing us all they’re on top of the economic situation.

They can’t do this by continuing to deny there’s a problem. In the wake of the 6.4% inflation announcement, for example, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said it’s “not alarming” and “quite normal in a fast-growing economy.”

It’s one thing to remain calm in the face of a crisis. It’s another to flatly deny there’s a problem, even if it’s already staring you in the face.

The economic managers’ blithe remarks about inflation call to mind the famous “This is Fine” meme circulating the net, where a humanlike dog, sitting in a room engulfed by flames, sips coffee and tells himself, “This is fine.”

Needless to say, our present economic situation is notfine. Our economic managers will do well to acknowledge the flames around us before things are too late. – Rappler.com

The author is a PhD candidate at the UP School of Economics. His views are independent of the views of his affiliations. Follow JC on Twitter: @jcpunongbayan.

https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/211285-analysis-reasons-philippine-inflation-now-highest-asean

LIFC Undertakes Improved Rice Variety Multiplication Project

By George Harris

September 5, 2018

Description: https://www.liberianobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/100_1764.jpg

LIFC's demonstration and seed multiplication site in Johnsonville Township, outside Monrovia.

To Make Liberia Food Self-Sufficient

According to the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), one in every five households in Liberia suffers food insecurity. The report comes following many interventions to make the country a food secured nation.

Most interventions in Liberia’s agricultural sector provide funds (grants or loans) for agro-inputs, manual tools and small-scale labor-saving devices. But the Liberia Integrated Farmers Cooperative (LIFC) has dared to go beyond the usual intervention horizon.

The cooperation has embarked on an improved rice variety multiplication project in the Johnsonville Township, Montserrado County.

LIFC co-founder Peter Flomo said that the improved rice variety has a high-yielding rate and can be harvested three times in a year.

“Some of our local lowland varieties are good, but rice spends longer time in the field, like the Suacoco-8 variety (red rice) that goes five to six months before it can be harvested. Such variety will not end the hunger that we want to,” said Flomo.

Therefore, he added, “We are telling farmers that if your swamp is a year-round water source, with the Nerica L 19 variety (another type of rice), you can produce three times in a year, and this is the real variety that is prepared to fight hunger.”

LIFC multiplication site is situated on a 1.8 hectares swampland in the Johnsonville Township. The site is also used to provide hands-on training for farmers coming from other parts of the country.

“So LIFC want to cultivate 250 hectares in the next three years,” Flomo said.

Description: https://www.liberianobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/100_1766.jpg

LIFC co-founder Peter Flomo said that the improved rice variety has a high-yielding rate and can be harvested three times in a year.

He however disagrees with government’s decision to reduce tariff on imported rice, “because the exercise makes the country vulnerable as it would continue depending on foreign rice-growing countries to feed its people.”

“Dropping tariff on imported rice will only make us more food dependent on other nations. For example, if there is a crisis in China, Liberia will be the victim since most imported rice comes from that Asian country and other countries,” said Flomo.

Additionally, Flomo said that farmers cannot fight hunger on manual agricultural tools like hoes and cutlasses, but an agricultural experience exchange program will be an ideal start for Liberia’s rice sub-sector.
Despite LIFC’s ambition, limited capital, logistics, and opportunities to improve farmer capacity, there are staggering challenges in the rice-sub-sector that the entity would be prepared to overcome.

In February this year, rice importers agreed to reduce the price of a 25kg bag by US$2, while the price of a 50kg bag was reduced by US$4. The change in price came after President George Weah held a two-day meeting with rice importers.

https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/lifc-undertakes-improved-rice-variety-multiplication-project/

Asia Rice: Rupee woes, weak demand drag India prices to 17-month lows

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 / 5:43 PM /

Vijaykumar Vedala

FILE PHOTO: Farmers plant saplings in a rice field in Srinagar June 5, 2018. REUTERS/Danish Ismail/File Photo

Elsewhere, Bangladesh imported 52,640 tonnes in July-August period, according to food ministry data.Imports by Bangladesh, which emerged as a major rice importer since 2017 after floods damaged crops, will slow down in the coming months due to a 28 percent tax on rice imports imposed in June this year to support domestic farmers, traders said.

Reporting by Patpicha Tanasasempipat in Bangkok, Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Rice prices ease in August

Global prices remain well above last year’s level

· 06 Sep 2018

Gary Howard@GaryLeeHoward gary.howard@informa.com

Global rice prices fell by 2.2% in August, according to the FAO All Rice Price Index (2002-2004=100), which averaged 222.6 points in August 2018, down 2.2% from July.

https://iegvu.agribusinessintelligence.informa.com/CO221556/Rice-prices-ease-in-August

DoF says NFA had access to enough cash, credit to buy rice

September 6, 2018 | 10:01 pm

Description: http://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/6-1-nfa-rice-michael-varcas.jpg

A QUEZON CITY store selling NFA rice. — PHILSTAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

By Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan, Reporter

THE DEPARTMENT of Finance (DoF) said that the National Food Authority (NFA) had sufficient cash to buy palay, or unmilled rice, from domestic farmers while also settling its debt.

In a statement yesterday, the DoF said that it wrote a letter to NFA administrator Jason L.Y. Aquino detailing the funding available for the procurement of palay, on top of the government’s subsidy.

“A review of the NFA’s cash position, without taking into account the P2.09 billion NG (national government) subsidy, also confirmed that the NFA had a cash balance of P1.3 billion as of March 2017, which dropped to P1.2 billion as of end-June 2017; and available NG-guaranteed facilities of P3.58 billion as of March 2017, which fell to P2.1 billion as of end-June 2017,” the DoF said in a statement.

“Our analysis further shows that the NFA had ample resources coming from cash balances and available credit facilities, even without considering the subsidy receipts and uses, to procure the projected volume of local rice at least up to the third quarter under its May projection submitted to the DoF,” Finance Assistant Secretary Soledad Emilia F. Cruz was quoted as saying.

The NFA’s Mr. Aquino has said that the agency used P5.10-billion worth of funding in 2017 to help service debt, leaving it with inadequate funds to build up rice stocks.

Of the P5.10-billion, P3.01 billion was used to settle accounts with the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), leaving a balance of P2.09 billion, according to the DoF.

“This P2.09 billion from the subsidy fund could have been rolled over and used to procure more rice… but instead, the DoF found out that the agency used the money to pay for its short-term credit facility with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP),” the DoF said.

The DoF added that the NFA had a P5.4-billion advance from the government to cover the agency’s debt payments, “that was favorably endorsed by the DoF to the BTr.”

“This amount was for the NFA’s obligations that matured in October and November of that year, so that available NG-guaranteed credit facilities could be utilized to augment funds for rice procurement.

The NFA is mandated to stabilize rice prices by managing supply while also providing a floor price for rice procured from domestic farmers.

It also imports rice, with a mandate to maintain a buffer stock sufficient for 15 days’ worth of demand at all times, and not less than 30 days for the lean months.

Inflation rose to 6.4% in August from 5.7% in July and 2.6% a year earlier, driven partly by higher rice prices as low-cost NFA rice disappeared from the market. Prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 8.4% year-on-year.

“Despite the availability of funds, in the second quarter of 2017 (April-June), when the NFA reported that its buffer stock was approaching critical levels, the actual palayprocurement was only 6,331 MT (metric tons) versus the estimate of 22,552 MT, which was submitted by NFA to the DoF in May 2017,” Ms. Cruz said.

In the second half, the total palay procured was 13,714 MT, well below the 151,129 MT projection that the NFA submitted to the DoF for the same period.

The DoF added that the NFA relied heavily on rice imports rather than buying from local farmers.

The Finance department asked the NFA to explain the drop in actual palayprocurement as against projections for the second quarter of 2017; the decline in procurement turnout for the rest of the year; the drop in the share of domestic rice procurement; and its failure to roll over its NG-guaranteed facilities to make funds available for rice procurement.

The NFA has yet to respond to queries at deadline time.

The Cabinet’s Economic Development Cluster also ordered “immediate reforms” on Wednesday to deal with the rice shortage, including the release of two million sacks of rice in NFA warehouses, the importation of five million sacks, targeted delivery of supply, and the streamlining of licensing procedures for rice imports.

It also urged the Senate to approve of the Rice Tariffication bill within the month to allow private traders to import rice more freely.

http://www.bworldonline.com/dof-says-nfa-had-access-to-enough-cash-credit-to-buy-rice/

Philippines to buy extra 250,000 tons of rice to quell price gains

By Reuters

| September 6, 2018, 9:52 AM

Description: http://media.interaksyon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Rice-prices-in-Philippines-640x426.jpg

A vendor rests in her market stand that sells rice in Quezon City, Metro Manila in Philippines, September 5, 2018. (REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez)

MANILA- The Philippines will import an additional 250,000 tons of rice via an open tender, the state grains procurement agency said on Wednesday, as the government rushes to boost domestic supply and curb rising retail prices of the staple grain.

The decision comes as the country’s annual inflation shot up to a faster-than-expected 6.4 percent in August, the highest in nearly a decade, due in part to price increases of key food items including rice.

The Philippines‘ additional purchases, which should arrive in November, are on top of the 133,500 tons to be delivered between Sept. 15 and Nov. 30 to beef up thin supply in the southern provinces, the National Food Authority (NFA) said.

Despite assurances from the NFA that local rice supply is sufficient, prices of the grain in the Southeast Asian country’s shops and markets have been steadily rising since the start of the year.

Prices began to climb when government-subsidised rice sold by the NFA became scarce, boosting demand for grains sold by private traders.

The price spikes prompted the NFA to rush the importation of a total of 500,000 tons earlier this year. That volume is on top of the maximum 805,200 tons the private sector is allowed to bring in under an annual quota scheme.

Some of the rice imports have yet to arrive.

The Philippines is gearing up to scrap the more than two-decade-old rice imports cap to limit the rising inflation and because of the possible threat of trade sanctions over the policy.

-Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier and Christian Schmollinger

http://www.interaksyon.com/philippines-to-buy-extra-250000-tons-of-rice-to-quell-price-gains/

Philippines to buy extra 250,000 tons of rice to quell price gains

By Reuters

| September 6, 2018, 9:52 AM

A vendor rests in her market stand that sells rice in Quezon City, Metro Manila in Philippines, September 5, 2018. (REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez)

Despite assurances from the NFA that local rice supply is sufficient, prices of the grain in the Southeast Asian country’s shops and markets have been steadily rising since the start of the year.

Prices began to climb when government-subsidised rice sold by the NFA became scarce, boosting demand for grains sold by private traders.

Some of the rice imports have yet to arrive.

The Philippines is gearing up to scrap the more than two-decade-old rice imports cap to limit the rising inflation and because of the possible threat of trade sanctions over the policy.

-Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier and Christian Schmollinger

http://www.interaksyon.com/philippines-to-buy-extra-250000-tons-of-rice-to-quell-price-gains/

NFA Council OKs additional 250,000 MT rice imports

BY THE MANILA TIMES ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2018LATEST STORIES, TODAY'S BREAKING NEWS

THE policy-making body of the National Food Authority (NFA) has approved the additional importation of 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice this year to beef up the agency’s current stock.

Following a meeting on Tuesday, the council ordered the NFA to hold an open tender “immediately” for the importation of the additional rice stocks.

NFA said that the additional rice imports are scheduled to arrive in November this year via government-to-private (G2P) importation. Under G2P, private suppliers or traders from different countries are allowed to participate in the bidding and would be covered by the procurement law.

“The additional importation can increase NFA’s active participation in the market by as much as 20 percent,” the NFA said in a statement on Wednesday.

In total, the agency’s rice imports for this year will now reach 750,000 MT. So far this year, the NFA has imported 500,000 MT of rice – some 250,000 MT from Vietnam and Thailand through government-to-government (G2G) deals and another 250,000 via private sector-led importation.

Under the law, the NFA is mandated to have at least 15 days’ worth of consumption at any given time and a 30-day buffer during the lean season, which starts in July and ends in September. The lean months of the year is when the country’s rice farmers are planting and rice supply is at its lowest.

Due to the delay in rice shipments, the NFA’s current inventory is good for only four days.

The national inventory, meanwhile, is good for only 45 days or half the supposed 90-day national buffer stock requirement, according to latest data from the Department of Agriculture.

The government-subsidized NFA rice sells at P27 and P32 per kilogram (kg), which is much cheaper than the commercial rice that typically goes for P38-P40 per kilo and above.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that the average price of commercial rice has now reached an all-time high of P43 a kilo.

NFA spokesperson Rex Estoperez said the only way for the grains agency to affect rice prices at the retail level was by “flooding the market” with low-priced rice.

“Our term here is ‘flooding the market’ as an intervention. That’s the volume that can really influence the market and lower the prices of commercial rice,” Estoperez told The Manila Times.

Rice is a main staple in the Philippines and accounts for nearly a tenth of the consumer price index used to compute inflation. EIREENE JAIREE

https://www.manilatimes.net/nfa-council-oks-additional-250000-mt-rice-imports/438723/

Rice exports expected to hit over two million tonnes in six months

Submitted by Eleven on Thu, 09/06/2018 - 09:30

Writer: Zeyar Nyein

Myanmar will export over two million tonnes of rice and broken rice during the six-month mini budget, said Ye Min Aung, General-Secretary of Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).“Rice export may decline this year. But we need to monitor it. Floods destroyed about 400,000 acres of monsoon paddy this year. It is not a paddy harvest season,” he added.

From April 1 to August 17 this year, Myanmar earned US$ 315.283 million from exports of more than 909,376 tonnes of rice and broken rice.

Compared with the same period last year, Myanmar exported more than one million tonnes of rice and broken rice worth nearly US$ 300 million. This year, rice export dropped by 115,073 tonnes, but export earnings increased by more than US$ 15 million, according to the MRF.

Thanks to the market expansion in 2017-2018 FY, nearly 3.6 million tonnes of rice were exported, reaching the record high in over 50 years.

http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/business/14918

Kharif output seen dipping marginally on erratic rain

OUR BUREAUT+ T-

Description: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/incoming/coipr1/article24719251.ece/alternates/WIDE_660/gujarat-kharif-sowingjpg

NCML’s second advanced estimate for 2018-19 season sees production at136.75 million tonnes

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 6

The highly erratic monsoon and its obscure spread may reduce foodgrain output in the ongoing kharif season to 136.75 million tonnes (mt) — nearly 2.83 per cent lower than the 140.73 mt produced in 2017-18, post-harvest management services company National Collateral Management Services Ltd (NCML) said on Thursday.

This is the second advanced estimate for the 2018-19 kharif crop production released by NCML.

It is about 1 million tonnes lower than the previous estimate of 137.733 mt released in July, the company said in a statement.

Rice output down

Production of rice, the major kharif crop, is projected to decline to 95.8 mt against the record production of 97.50 mt in the previous year, as seen by the 4th advance estimates of the Agriculture Ministry.

Description: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/incoming/e3gi38/article24885319.ece/alternates/FREE_300/kharif%20chart

The new estimate is marginally lower than NCML’s earlier estimate of 96.8 mt, it said, and attributed the decline to erratic rainfall during the flowering period leading to a lower yield.

Weather vagaries

The drop in overall kharif production is on expected lines despite a pick-up in the monsoon in July and August.

While over 20 per cent of the country faced floods, half of the country’s 36 meteorological subdivisions are reeling under a rainfall deficit of over 10 per cent.

Oilseed production decline

The overall production of oilseeds in 2018-19 kharif too is projected to fall by 2 per cent to 20.56 mt (21 mt).

While soyabean output may register an uptick, there could be a 17 per cent dip in groundnut yield.

The production of pulses is likely to drop by 9.5 per cent to 8.45 mt in the current season on account of diminished yields of urad and tur.

Cash crops

Among other major kharif crops, maize output is projected to drop 5 per cent to 19.18 mt as many farmers shifted to other remunerative crops.

Besides, a few districts in Karnataka and Maharashtra, major growers of the crop, got less rains and saw pest infestation which may result in a 10-20 per cent yield loss.

According to NCML, there may be some good news on the cotton front with its yield projected to go up by 3 per cent to 35.9 million bales (of 170 kg each). Sugarcane yield, too, may edge up by 1.17 per cent to 381 mt. But this will only add to the woes of the sugar industry (and the government) currently reeling under the glut.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/kharif-output-seen-dipping-marginally-on-erratic-rain/article24885193.ece

Rice Gene-Editing Research Cited as Among World-Changing Science

Sep. 07, 2018

Description: Vibha Srivastava is experimenting with gene editing as a tool that may one day assist conventional rice breeders develop improved varieties.

Fred Miller

Vibha Srivastava is experimenting with gene editing as a tool that may one day assist conventional rice breeders develop improved varieties.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Research published by a University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture scientist has been recognized by an international publisher for its high-impact potential.

Vibha Srivastava, professor of crop, soil and environmental sciences for the Division of Agriculture, has been experimenting with gene editing, a technique that induces mutations in plants. Her goal is to develop technologies that will one day assist rice breeders develop advanced rice varieties for Arkansas growers.

Division rice breeders develop improved varieties to help farmers keep ahead of nature's tendency to change growing conditions.

These conditions include plant diseases that mutate to overcome resistance and insects that eventually adapt to defeat a plant's natural defenses. Environmental changes can include climate changes that affect air temperature or water availability, or the invasion of new weeds or insects.

Conventional breeding requires scientists to cross many generations of plants in order to move useful mutations that occur in nature from wild cousins of rice into breeding lines that may lead to new cultivated rice varieties. The process can take decades to accomplish.

Gene editing can speed up the process, Srivastava said.

Srivastava emphasizes that gene editing is not the same as genetic modification, in which genetic code from one organism is inserted into another organism.

"A plant's genetic traits are developed through mutations that occur naturally in response to environmental stresses," Srivastava said.

Those mutations could be viewed as naturally occurring gene editing that results in new information being stored in the plants' genes. As a tool for plant breeders, Srivastava said, gene editing provides a way to copy and paste that information from rice plants' wild or distant cousins into available breeding stock.

"We use the information from the wild plant to try to induce the same mutation in breeding stock," Srivastava said.

To accomplish this, Srivastava is adapting a technology called "CRISPR/Cas9." CRISPR is scientific shorthand for "clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats." These are segments of DNA that contain short, repetitive base sequences.

Cas9 stands for CRISPR associated protein 9, a type of protein that can be guided by CRISPR to induce cuts or double-stranded breaks in DNA. Srivastava said the cut is repaired by the cell through an error-prone process that using mutations.

"There are two techniques for gene editing," Srivastava said. "Point mutations attempt to induce a mutation in a single gene and defined deletions attempt to excise a larger chromosome section."

Srivastava was attempting to delete a chromosome section by inducing cuts at two different points that mark the beginning and end of the section she wanted to remove.

Removing genetic code might seem an unlikely goal, but Srivastava said it has the potential to eliminate a yield- or quality-limiting plant characteristic. One such gene segment, she said, controls rice grain quality. When it is activated, by high nighttime temperatures, it causes a decline in quality.

Deleting that set of genetic instructions could help improve rice grain quality in the face of a common climate problem for Arkansas rice growers.

"What we found out," Srivastava said, "is that creating deletions is extremely difficult."

Srivastava had hoped that mutating the two points that defined the target gene section would result in the section being deleted. But what she found was that it simply mutated those two points and left the intervening section intact.

Research may not always take you where you expected, Srivastava said, but it advances knowledge that can help design a new experiment or even lead to unexpected discovery.

With accidental discovery in mind, Srivastava and research technician Shan Zhao are growing the gene edited plants in a greenhouse to maturity so they can evaluate whether any advantageous traits have been induced.

No gene edited plants leave the greenhouse or her lab, Srivastava said. Gene editing is still experimental and is not used in Division of Agriculture plant breeding programs.

Srivastava learned that colleagues in other research institutions were conducting similar experiments and encountering the same difficulties. "But no one was reporting it," she said.

Some scientists may be reluctant to report when their experiments don't succeed in accomplishing their intended goals. But Srivastava believes the knowledge gained is valuable, even if only to point ongoing research in new directions.

It is said that Thomas Edison said of repeated failures in his lab that he learned 1,000 ways not to make a lightbulb. The story may be apocryphal, but the point is valid in Srivastava's view.

And Springer Nature, publisher of many peer-reviewed scientific journals, seems to agree. The publisher chose Srivastava's research paper on her attempts to delete chromosome sections, to feature in their online "Change the World — One article at a time" section.

Springer Nature selects stand-out research articles from its research journals in various scientific disciplines. The high-impact papers are nominated by the publications' editors'-in-chief and submitted to the publishers.

Srivastava's article, titled "Dual-targeting by CRISPER/Cas9 for precise excision of transgenes from rice genome," was originally published in Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture: Journal of Plant Biotechnology.The journal's editor-in-chief nominated it for inclusion in "Change the World."

This recognition gives Srivastava's research article free access, making it available to a wider audience of researchers, including those who may be trying to blaze a similar trail in plant biotechnology.

About the Division of Agriculture: The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation's historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

About Springer Nature: Springer Nature is a global publisher that advances discovery by publishing robust and insightful research, supporting the development of new areas of knowledge, making ideas and information accessible around the world, and leading the way on open access.

https://news.uark.edu/articles/42695/rice-gene-editing-research-cited-as-among-world-changing-science

Scientists search for sustainable solutions to stop the fall armyworm

05/09 - 18:15

UNITED KINGDOM

Description: Scientists search for sustainable solutions to stop the fall armyworm

Scientists in Britain are hoping to find a sustainable way to stop the march of the voracious fall armyworm caterpillar without using pesticides. The crop-chomping pest has wrought havoc in Africa and is now threatening millions of farmers in Asia after the first reported infestation of it in India.A female fall armyworm moth can lays up to 1,000 eggs in her lifetime, targeting maize, sorghum or millet but can feed on 80 different crops, including rice, vegetables, groundnuts and cotton.

It could cause 20 to 50 percent crop losses of the maize crop which is the main subsistence serial crop which the farmers and the population in general are relying on for their food supply

“It’s a really serious threat,” Toby Bruce, Professor of Insect Chemical Ecology at Keele University told Reuters.

“It could cause 20 to 50 percent crop losses of the maize crop which is the main subsistence serial crop which the farmers and the population in general are relying on for their food supply,” Bruce said.

Bruce is collaborating with the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Kenya to develop a novel pest management system which fights ‘nature with nature’, without using expensive pesticides.

“We’re looking at the crop variety seeing if we can get more resistant crops,” Bruce said.

The team are also hoping to identify the pests’ natural enemies and the plants they are most attracted to.

“When the plant is attacked by the caterpillars then it releases a different smell and that’s something which we’re very interested in because these natural enemies they use that as a foraging cue. So they are tuned in to the smell of that. So they use those odours for finding their prey and we want to improve that so that we can have varieties that are better at attracting these natural enemies and increasing the biological control that way,” Bruce said.

The team are trialling a novel bait station designed to use natural alternatives to chemical killing agents.“Anything that will kill an insect is referred to as a killing agent but the key difference is that it’s not a synthetic pesticide and it’s not being sprayed to the whole crop. It’s a very targeted solution so the chances of it actually coming into contact with a beneficial insects is a lot smaller that if you were to spray an entire crop with a synthetic pesticide,” said Dr Joe Roberts, a Insect Chemical Ecology researcher.

In Africa, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) field schools have trained thousands of farmers how to crush the pest by hand and curb its spread with bio-pesticides made from plants like neem and tobacco or by using natural predators like ants.

Other remedies include applying ash, lime, sand or soil to infested plant parts.

http://www.africanews.com/2018/09/05/scientists-search-for-sustainable-solutions-to-stop-the-fall-armyworm/

How floods broke the backbone of plywood factories, rice mills in Kerala

The flood-impact to the plywood business in Perumbavoor, which has, over decades, supported a strong timber-based economy, comes on the heels of the adverse effects of the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the ban on high-value currency notes in 2016.

Written by Vishnu Varma | Perumbavoor | Updated: September 5, 2018 1:02:32 pm

A worker at Chaithanya Plywoods in Perumbavoor town carrying waste after the floods ravaged the factory. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

When the turbulent flood waters of the Periyar were gushing into the factory of Chaithanya Plywoods in Perumbavoor in the early morning hours of August 15, Sadath, the 26-year-old partner of the family-owned firm, was on a business trip to China. When his panic-stricken family informed him of the seriousness of the floods over phone, he switched on his laptop to examine the factory’s condition through the CCTV cameras installed at the facility. What he saw horrified him.

“When you see the water-current, you’d feel as if this is it. This is the end. Jeevitham munnottu ini illa ennu vare thonni poyi (I thought there’s nothing to look forward to life anymore),” said Sadath, who joined his father’s business after passing out of high school.

Within hours, the power at the factory blacked out and so did Sadath’s vision of the enterprise he worked hard to build. Without wasting any more time, he hurriedly booked tickets to reach home.

Last week, Sadath stood inside his factory, seemingly lost in thought, as a dozen workers milled around him, meticulously cleaning small equipment and machinery. The floodwaters, by now, have completely receded from the plywood factory, but has left behind its worst excesses. At least half a dozen major equipment like peeling machines and sensor-embedded debarking machines sat in disrepair. The water, believed to have risen up to a height of 15 ft, had drowned all machinery, rendering them useless. Around Sadath, thousands of finished plywood sheets and sheets of imported face veneer (which are glued on both sides of plywood) have begun to sprout moulds and mushrooms. In one corner of the factory, a large heap of plywood waste sits, waiting for clearance from local government officials to be cleared away.

“We had 85 tonnes of plywood right here which was to be shipped to clients in Chennai and Bengaluru. Much of the material has flowed away, the rest are still here, but all of it is useless. The stock was worth Rs 1.75 cr and if you add the machinery which has to be repaired, our losses would stand at Rs 2 crore,” said Sadath.

There has been major impact to stocks and machinery at many plywood factories in Perumbavoor. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Chaitanya Plywoods, that Sadath’s family helms, is one of the critically-affected plywood factories in Perumbavoor, an industrial hub 40 kilometres off Kochi in Kerala. The town, a nerve centre of migrant labour, is considered a major hub for plywood trade with nearly 450 small and medium-size establishments in a 10-km radius, shipping large consignments of furniture-grade plywood and wood veneer to all parts of the country. Till about four years ago, over 60% of the plywood manufactured in Perumbavoor used to be exported to markets in Dubai, Qatar and Sri Lanka. But today, owing to heavy competition with cheaper Chinese-made plywood, officials say exports have nose-dived to less than 20%. Until the floods came, around 200 truck-loads of plywood and face veneer used to be shipped daily from Perumbavoor.

The livelihoods of thousands of inter-state workers, supervisors, mechanics, drivers, carpenters and timber suppliers, based in and around Perumbavoor depend on the plywood trade, making it a major cog in the state’s industrial setup. The floods this year have showered untold damage on the plywood business forcing many entrepreneurs like Sadath to line up in front of banks and insurance firms.

“At least 400 factories deal in plywood trade in Perumbavoor and nearby areas alone, out of which 70 of them have suffered damages of 80 per cent. These are people who had never expected in the wildest of their dreams that the water would rise so high. Many of them are facing losses in excess of Rs 1.5 cr, mainly due to huge stocks of costly, imported face veneer,” said Babu Saidali, state secretary of the Sawmill Owners and Plywood Manufacturing Owners Association.

Lining up before bank officials and insurance companies is what most plywood factory owners are doing right now. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

“When some of our factories have fire accidents, our association provides funds from within to help them. But we are talking of 70 factory owners here. We have limitations. We have sent a resolution to the Chief Minister’s Office and plan to hold talks with Industries Minister E P Jayarajan. We are expecting government help,” he added.

The plywood industry, which depends heavily on migrant labour, has had to contend with shortage of manpower as well, after the floods. Thousands of migrant workers from Assam Odisha, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, who form the crux of the labour, have moved out of Perumbavoor, either returning to their home-towns or shifting to wherever they would find work. Factory owners are counting on them to return once the situation improves.

The flood-impact to the plywood business in Perumbavoor, which has, over decades, supported a strong timber-based economy, comes on the heels of the adverse effects of the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the ban on high-value currency notes in 2016.

“Our factory had to completely suspend operations for almost 1.5 months after demonetisation. Then came GST with higher tax cuts. Just as we were recovering from that, the floods came. Now, we are at the mercy of insurance companies. All our stocks are insured, but we have to wait and see how much they will cover,” said Sadath.

The monetary losses today have shaken his family, the 26-year-old admits, but not to the extent of dampening their hopes of recovery. “We are all taking tablets for blood pressure,” he said, with a smile. “My father is getting old and I am the eldest child. I behave as if nothing has happened. They are living with the hope that I would go out there and get some bank loan. Let that belief remain.”

Perumbavoor, a town 40 kilometres off Kochi, has been prominent for its timber-based allied industry. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Paddy of the poor

Eight kilometres from Chaithanya Plywood factory sits the huge 5-acre compound of the GM Agro Mills, one of the biggest in the area. The factory procures nearly 200 truck loads of paddy every month from nearby districts which then undergo an extensive process of cleaning, de-husking, polishing, grading and sorting to be packed into large sacks of rice. These sacks then get shipped off across the entire length and breadth of Kerala to private retail outlets and government-owned ration shops.

Along with the plywood trade in Perumbavoor, the floods this monsoon have equally broken the backbone of the rice mills in the area, resulting in massive losses. The town and its surrounding areas of Kalady and Kanjoor have provided hospitable climate for rice mills over the years. From availability of water to open grain markets to a steady supply of cheap, migrant labour, a slew of factors have contributed to the region hosting dozens of rice mills which have pleasantly recorded good profits as well.

But today, many of the rice mills like GM Agro Mills are in a bad state.

A worker scanning the hundreds of rice sacks damaged by the floods at GM Agro Mills. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Narayana Kurup, general manager of the GM Agro Mills, is busy in his office these days, shooting off letters to the Food Corporation of India, insurance companies and bank officials. Inside the asbestos-roofed rice mill, a tall staircase leads to Kurup’s tiny office, at least 25 ft high, but when one looks down below, the devastation of rice mills like this one is clearly evident. Hundreds of sacks, filled with thousands of kilograms of rice, lie splayed across the entire breadth of the factory. The pungent smell of rotting rice fills the factory, making it difficult for anyone to stand for more than five minutes.

“This is about 60 truck loads of rice which was meant to reach the people of Konni and Udumbanchola before Onam festival through stores of SupplyCo. It’s all wasted. And the foul smell makes it impossible for us to work here,” says Kurup.

Owners of rice mills want government authorities to clear the shifting of the damaged stocks as soon as possible. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

SupplyCo is the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation founded in 1974 with the objective of regulating prices of essential commodities in the state and making them available to all sections of the society. Today, with more than 1500 retail outlets, SupplyCo is an essential component of the open market between the suppliers and the consumers.

According to Kurup, the sudden flooding of the factory on the intervening night of August 14-15, exacerbated by the release of water from dams like Idamalayar and Mullaperiyar into the Periyar river, made it impossible for them to shift all their stocks to a safer location. “The water was rising very fast and its current is unimaginable. Even a trained swimmer cannot survive in this water. We tried to shift as much as we could,” he said.

“Our preliminary internal estimate suggests losses of up to Rs 12 crores including Rs 2.4 crores for the SupplyCo stock. Parts of our machinery like storage tanks, boilers, dryers and motors have all been damaged. A 11kV transformer of the state electricity board that powers the factory also went under water,” he added.

GM Agro Mills is one of the major enterprises which has suffered losses running into several crores. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Varky Peter, secretary of the Kalady-based Kerala Rice Millers Association, said the immediate step the government needs to take is to pass orders to clear and dump the damaged stocks from all factory premises. “As each day passes, it is becoming difficult for us to keep the damaged rice. Storing the damaged rice further will lead to spread of diseases,” he said, over the phone.

“Around 30 of the 70 agro mills in and around Kalady have been affected by the floods. Each factory has given us their estimates which point to a total of Rs 160 crore losses,” he added.

Most of the stocks at GM Agro Mills in Koovapady was meant to be shipped to SupplyCo depots in Konni and Udumbanchola. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

The rice mill industry in and around Kalady processes and ships about 2000 tonnes of rice a day, 95% of which is the brown-coloured ‘matta’ variety. Paddy is also procured from areas in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Peter says a large section of the population in Kerala, which used to earlier eat ‘matta’ rice has now shifted to the ‘white rice’ that comes mostly from markets in Andhra Pradesh. “People are very cautious about artificial colouring of matta rice which is not true at all. Earlier, over 75% people in Kerala used to consume ‘matta’ rice which has crashed to just about 25-30% now,” he says.

The Association in a statement pleaded to the state government to announce a special financial package for the rice millers so that the industry can get back on its feet as soon as possible. Many of the mill owners are already burdened with heavy loans and interests, it said, adding that it would be cruel to impose more financial constraints on them. “At one time in Kerala, there used to be 2500 rice mills. Now, only about 150 exist. We watch with profound worry how these few remaining rice mills will survive this great calamity,” it said.

Paulson VO, the owner of Kalyan Rice Mill near Manjapra, is another aggrieved businessman. At his facility, water that rose till 18 ft height drowned its offices, boilers, transformer, generator and sorting machines. It also ravaged nearly 250 tonnes of processed and packaged rice, leading to estimated losses of nearly Rs 7 crore for Paulson.

“We have to start from scratch again. I’m 52 now and therefore that’s going to be very difficult. Energy is less,” he says.

“I believe the government has a responsibility to help people like us. I happen to think the government was at fault somewhere. This was a man-made disaster,” he adds.

Back at the GM Agro Mills, Lakshmanan, a native of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu who has been working with the factory for the last five years, is yet to come to terms with the damage to the produce. “My heart beats fast every time I look at these sacks of rice. Poor people were supposed to be fed with this rice. Instead, it’s rotting away. This is a lesson for us that we should never play with nature. We are bound to lose,” he says

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/how-floods-broke-the-backbone-of-plywood-factories-rice-mills-in-kerala-5340395/

NFA rice shipment cleared by quarantine bureau

September 7, 2018, 10:54 am

MANILA -- The unloading of rice imported by the National Food Authority has resumed in the Port of Tabaco in Albay after the Plant Quarantine Service of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) in Region V declared the shipment free of weevil infestation.

The greenlight to resume the discharging of the rice shipment was issued by Danilo Doblon, Regional Manager of Plant Quarantine Service.

The BPI issued the clearance after conducting a thorough inspection, examination and sensory evaluation of the samples taken from the three holds of the vessel, M/V Emperor I.

The rice shipment was subjected to a 12-day fumigation process after NFA Quality Assurance Officers discovered that 177,000 bags of the 200,000 bags allocated for the Bicol region were infested with weevils. The imported rice from Thailand arrived in the Port of Tabaco on August 17.

The unloading of the 177,000 bags rice commenced last September 1.

As of September 5, a total of 59,308 bags were already delivered in the agency’s warehouses in Bicol. But due to the inclement weather in the province, discharging of the rice shipment is slowed down.

NFA Administrator Jason Aquino said the agency did not spend a single centavo in the treatment of the infested stocks because they are not yet NFA-owned.

The supplier shouldered the cost of fumigation. As stipulated in the contract, the rice stocks are only considered government owned once they are delivered in the NFA warehouses and there is final acceptance based on quality specifications.

Meanwhile, the 132,400 bags rice shipment from Thailand aboard MV Gazi docked in Subic Bay Freeport found to be infested also with weevils are still undergoing treatment.

The infested stocks are expected to be cleared and declared as "fit for human consumption" by BPI after its treatment on September 10.

“We are working double time to fast track the unloading and delivery of rice to ensure the continuous and uninterrupted supply of the low-priced NFA rice in the market to help our marginalized consumers cope with the rising cost of basic commodities. We are also putting up more outlets nationwide and implementing several rice distribution strategies to make the PHP27 and PHP32 per kilogram NFA rice more accessible and available to them,” Aquino said. (NFA PR)

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1047251

Grain Absorption Optimum, Rice Prices in August 2018 Decrease

Wednesday, 05 September 2018 | 20:31 WIB

Description: http://www.netralnews.com/foto/2018/09/05/603-ilustrasi_gabah-324x235.jpg

Illustration: Grains

🔊 Listen to this

JAKARTA, NNC - The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released the progress of medium and premium quality rice prices throughout August 2018. It was noted, the price of medium rice at the milling level decreased to IDR9,172 per kg or 0.28 percent. This price is also lower than the previous month's IDR9,198 per kg.

BPS data said the price of rice at the milling level dropped by 0.28 percent. The price of premium quality rice at the milling level dipped 0.65 percent to IDR9,458 per kg. Likewise, the price of low quality rice also plummeted 0.42 percent to IDR8,977 per kg.

Member of the House of Representatives Commission IV Andi Akmal Pasluddin said that the decline in rice prices must be acknowledged because of optimal absorption of grain by the government. As a result, rice stocks as national rice reserves are safe.

"This year's rice production is predicted to be 45 million tons of rice, while public consumption reaches 33 million tons. That means there is a surplus or excess of 12 million tons," Akmal said in Jakarta, Wednesday (9/5/2018).

"The availability of national rice due to abundant grain production for rice commodities from the Ministry of Agriculture is reaping praise from Akmal," he added.

Therefore, to maintain the stability of rice prices, Akmal asked the government for the distribution of rice to the market and the absorption of grain production from farmers to continue to be improved.

"If the distribution of rice to the market is smooth, there will be no price fluctuations. Farmers and consumers are equally profitable," he said.

In separate occasion, the Director of Procurement of Logistics Agency (Bulog) Bachtiar confirmed that the stock of rice in the Bulog warehouse is currently full. The stock as rice reserves currently reaches 2.7 million tons.

"Our warehouse is full. Yes, now all have been sent to all regions. All rice has been moved to all warehouses in Indonesia," he said during the Simultaneous Corn Prime Planting Throughout Indonesia event with the Minister of Agriculture and PBNU in Lampung.

"Absorption varies from 5,000 tons, has been 10,000 tons and has also been 12 thousand tons. We absorb it from within the country, what is clear is that we have a lot of rice," he concluded.

http://www.en.netralnews.com/news/business/read/24047/grain.absorption.optimum..rice.prices.in.august.2018.decrease

Piñol offers bounty on hoarders; rice import set

September 05, 2018 at 01:40 am by Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

People with vital information on rice hoarders could get as much as P250,000 if they report them to the Agriculture department, an official said Monday.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said his department now had a “report-a-hoarder campaign that would reward people who report hoarders with up to P250,000.

The government is trying to rein in prices as a result of the surging inflation affecting many commodities including rice.

In other developments:

The National Food Authority said Tuesday there is no shortage of rice in the country.

Even as the NFA Council approved the immediate importation of 133,500 metric tons of rice to be allocated to

Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi to ease the high rice prices in these areas.

“Delivery for the 33,500 MT is set for September 15-30 and 100,000 MT should arrive between October 1 and November 30, 2018,” it said.

On Monday, Piñol said Zambasulta is the only area in the country experiencing a rice shortage, which the NFA is monitoring.

Senator Bam Aquino on Tuesday called on the government to immediately address the issue of high BP or “Bigas at Presyo” that he says affects millions of Filipinos, especially the poor.

“If BP is too high, our livelihood will be endangered. Let us lower BP,” said Aquino, one of four senators who voted against the ratification of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Law.

• Former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday expressed his support for the return of the Oil Price Stabilization Fund that he believes will ease the effects of rising oil prices.

• Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Tuesday called on the government to freeze its plan to raise motor vehicle registration fees as it could be the third of the “triple whammy” against the owners of the 10.4 million vehicles who, he said, were still reeling from the higher taxes on oil and cars.

“When motorists are buying more expensive gas and spending more time on the road to reach shorter distances, then clearly it is not the right time to further jack up the cost of vehicle ownership,” Recto said.

• A legislator said Tuesday the dwindling catch of inland and saltwater fish should prompt the government to create a Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to address problem.

Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur said the recent importation of round scad best illustrates the sorry state of the country’s fish output.

Piñol said the reward money would be “provided by the private millers and traders who said that the activities of the hoarders affect their business.” The government would not shell out funds.

But Piñol did not say if cash was already available for the reward. (

He said they had inspected at least five warehouses in Marilao, Bulacan, where stacks of premium white and glutinous rice were discovered.

“They said they had documents, but that’s not the issue. The question is, why are you not releasing that to the public? That is hoarding,” Piñol said.

He appealed to rice traders to sell their rice as it would be an “embarrassing moment” for them if they waited for the police to raid their warehouses.

Piñol said informants could call the agency’s hotline number 9219117.

http://manilastandard.net/news/top-stories/274767/pi-ol-offers-bounty-on-hoarders-rice-import-set.html

CRIME

Ogun Customs Intercepts 6,194 Bags Of Smuggled Rice, 340 Kegs Of Petrol, 33 Vehicles

The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 6,194 smuggled bags of rice, 33 vehicles and other contrabands worth over N382 million.

By The Eagle Online On Sep 5, 2018

Description: https://theeagleonline.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Seized-Vehicles-e1536121944612.jpg

The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 6,194 smuggled bags of rice, 33 vehicles and other contrabands worth over N382 million.

The seizures also included 395 kegs of vegetable oil (25 litres each), 340 kegs of petrol, 1,954 pairs of foot wears and seven bales of secondhand clothing.

The state NCS Comptroller, Michael Agbara, who disclosed this while briefing reporters at the Idiroko border office, said the contrabands were seized in August.

Agbara, who stated that 45 cartons of frozen poultry products, 150 cartons of Ceres red grape juice and five cartons of Ribena currant juice were among the seizures, told reporters that the duty paid value of all the goods was N382,263,360.

According to him, the command has improved on its revenue generation and suppression of smuggling activities.

He explained that within the month of August, the agency generated a total revenue of N799,682,839.62, which was N71 million excess of the monthly revenue target of N727,775,499.91.

The comptroller further noted that the seizure of 6,194 bags of foreign rice last month was the highest monthly seizure ever made in the command since inception of the Federal Government’s policy on agricultural development in the area of boosting local rice production.

He said 27,085 bags of rice have so far been intercepted from January till date, adding that the figures exceeded the 21,789 bags seized by the command throughout 2017.

Agbara said: “The anti-smuggling success story is a blow to smugglers who wanted to exploit the avenue of Sallah festivities to perpetuate their illicit act and orchestration to the fact that officers and men of Ogun Command have fulfilled the promise of curtailing the activities of economic saboteurs.”

Agbara also disclosed that in line with headquarters directive, his command recently handed over 11,057 bags of rice and other perishable goods to internally displaced persons in Borno State through the Nigerian Army Corps of Transport and Logistics.

He added: “The command equally participated in a joint operation which has led to the seizure of large quantity of petrol in a creek at Ijoun in which the quantity is yet to be ascertained due to ongoing evacuation.

“We wish to commend the patriotic role of our sister agencies, traditional leaders, eminent personalities and some host communities who have always partnered with us in our quest to effectively perform our statutory functions in compliance with extant government policies.”

Agbara assured of the commitment of the command’s operatives to tackling smugglers and smuggling across the state.

https://theeagleonline.com.ng/ogun-customs-intercepts-6194-bags-of-smuggled-rice-340-kegs-of-petrol-33-vehicles/

2.7M sacks of rice to be delivered to Zambo, ARMM provinces

By ANTONIO L. COLINA IV

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 9:23 PM

Want create site? With Free visual composer you can do it easy.DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 6 Sept) – The government will set aside a total of 2.7 million sacks of rice to Zamboanga Peninsula and the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) amid the reported rice shortages and price increases in basic commodities.

A joint statement of the government’s economic development cluster emailed on September 5 said that at least 4.6 million sacks of rice stored in the warehouses of the National Food Authority (NFA) would be immediately released while another 2 million sacks previously contracted would be delivered by end of this month.

The NFA Council has also authorized the importation of 10 million sacks of rice. An initial 5 million sacks will arrive in the country over the next one and a half months while the other half early next year.

Some 12.6 million metric tons of rice or equivalent to 252 million sacks are expected to boost the rice supply as harvest in many parts of the country has already started, the statement read.

The economic cluster consisting of the Department of Finance (DOF), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), and some members of the NFA Council convened on September 5 to counter increasing food prices.

It added that the economic managers would recommend to President Rodrigo R. Duterte the “issuance of a directive to further simplify and streamline the licensing procedures for rice imports of the NFA” and urged the Senate to immediately pass the Rice Tariffication Bill within the month.

The economic cluster has also recommended the creation of a monitoring team consisting of the National Bureau of Investigation, police, DTI, NFA, and farmer groups for surveillance of rice from ports to NFA warehouses and retail outlets.

The country’s inflation rate soared to 6.4% in August 2018, surpassing the 5.7% recorded in July, driven by increases in electricity, gas, fuels, fish, rice, personal transport, vegetables, and meat.

In Mindanao, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has the inflation rate at 8.1%; Zamboanga Peninsula, 6.4%; Northern Mindanao, 6.1%; Davao Region, 7.1%; Soccsksargen, 7.9%; and Caraga, 4.8%.

To counter the increasing food prices, the economic cluster has pushed to pursue agricultural reforms to resolve the supply issues. It maintained that “a committed effort from government in the agriculture sector to boost supply of key products and introduce policy reforms will bring down prices for all Filipino families.”

“This is supported by the lowest regional inflation rate recorded in the food-abundant and agriculturally-productive Region III (Central Luzon) at 3.6 percent,” it added.

Also, the DA committed to replicate the issuance of certificates of necessity to allow imports to be distributed in the wet markets in the country and work with DTI to convene poultry producers and setup public markets where producers can directly sell to consumers to reduce the gap between the farm gate and retail prices.

Among other things dicussed by the economic cluster included the opening of importation of sugar to direct users by the Sugar Regulatory Administration and prioritization of the release of essential fooditems in the ports by the Bureau of Customs.

The economic team blamed on seasonal weather conditions the increases in the prices of vegetables and that they expect a relief after the typhoon season. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2018/09/2-7m-sacks-of-rice-to-be-delivered-to-zambo-armm-provinces/

Ogun customs intercept 6,194 bags of rice

Published September 4, 2018

The Ogun Command, Nigeria Customs Service, said it intercepted 6,194 bags of smuggled foreign rice and 33 smuggled vehicles within the month of August 2018.

It said the seizures were made at the Idiroko border and the adjoining communities.

The Controller of the Ogun State Area Command, Mr. Michael Agbara, disclosed this on Tuesday at its Idiroko border office while briefing journalists about the activities of the command.

While talking about the seizure of the foreign bags of rice, he said this was the first time the command would make the highest number of such monthly seizure since he took over the mantle of leadership in the command.

Agbara said within the period under review, the command also seized 395 kegs of vegetable oil, 1,954 pairs of used footwear, 340 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit, 45 cartons of frozen poultry products among others.

Still basking in the success recorded by the command, he added that between January and August 2018, it made a seizure of 27,085 bags of foreign rice which exceeded 21,789 seized in the command from January to December 2017.

He further disclosed that the command generated a total revenue of N799,682,839.62, surpassing the monthly revenue target of N727,775,499.91.

(Visited 360 times, 1 visits today)

Receive Alerts on: Whatsapp: +2349090060943, Twitter: @MobilePunch, BBM: C003D3DC0

Share your story with us: SMS: +2349090060943, Whatsapp: +2349090060943, Email:punchonline@punchng.com

https://punchng.com/ogun-customs-intercept-6194-bags-of-rice/

Rice Gene-Editing Research Cited as Among World-Changing Science

Sep. 07, 2018

Photo by Fred Miller