Govt
extends duty benefit for export of non-basmati rice
PTI|
Nov 26, 2018, 03.27 PM IST
0Comments
India
is one of the largest exporters of non-basmati rice and in 2017-18, the country
exported 8.63 million tonnes of the rice
NEW DELHI: The government has
extended duty benefits to non-basmati
rice exporters under a scheme to boost the shipment of the agri commodity.
The duty benefit is provided under the commerce ministry's Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS).
"Non-basmati rice items have been made eligible for MEIS benefits at the rate of 5 per cent for exports made with effect from November 26 and up to March 25, 2019," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a public notice.
DGFT, under the commerce ministry deals with export and import related policies.
Under MEIS, government provides duty credit scrip or certificate depending on product and country.
Those scrips can be transferred or used for payment of a number of duties including the basic customs duty.
India is one of the largest exporters of non-basmati rice and in 2017-18, the country exported 8.63 million tonnes of the rice, which was more than double the quantity of basmati rice exports of 4.05 million tonnes.
Non-basmati rice exports during April-February 2018 stood at USD 3.26 billion as against USD 2.53 billion in 2016-17.
Rice is the country's main kharif crop. As per the first advance estimates of foodgrains production for kharif (summer-sown) season for 2018-19 crop year, rice output is estimated at record 99.24 million tonnes as against 97.5 million tonnes of production in last year's kharif season.
The sowing operation of kharif crops begins with onset of monsoon and harvesting starts from mid-September. Paddy, maize and soyabean are major kharif crops.
The duty benefit is provided under the commerce ministry's Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS).
"Non-basmati rice items have been made eligible for MEIS benefits at the rate of 5 per cent for exports made with effect from November 26 and up to March 25, 2019," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a public notice.
DGFT, under the commerce ministry deals with export and import related policies.
Under MEIS, government provides duty credit scrip or certificate depending on product and country.
Those scrips can be transferred or used for payment of a number of duties including the basic customs duty.
India is one of the largest exporters of non-basmati rice and in 2017-18, the country exported 8.63 million tonnes of the rice, which was more than double the quantity of basmati rice exports of 4.05 million tonnes.
Non-basmati rice exports during April-February 2018 stood at USD 3.26 billion as against USD 2.53 billion in 2016-17.
Rice is the country's main kharif crop. As per the first advance estimates of foodgrains production for kharif (summer-sown) season for 2018-19 crop year, rice output is estimated at record 99.24 million tonnes as against 97.5 million tonnes of production in last year's kharif season.
The sowing operation of kharif crops begins with onset of monsoon and harvesting starts from mid-September. Paddy, maize and soyabean are major kharif crops.
Nutritionist says consumption of local rice can reduce risk of
diabetes
A nutritionists, Dr Ochuko Erikainure, says moderate consumption
of unrefined foods such as local rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables could help
to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Erikainure told the News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Saturday that such foods, including lean meat fishes,
were good for diabetes because they were high in nutrients and phytochemicals.
“Polished rice increases the risk owing to its high glycemic index. Unlike
local rice, polished rice is deficient of micronutrients which are lost during
processing. “A lot of nutrients and phytochemicals with health benefits are
often lost during processing and food preparation, so, caution should be taken
when preparing foods. “The lesser the heat, the higher the tendency
of retaining these nutrients and phytochemicals in foods,” he said.
According to the international Diabetic Federation (IDF), two out
of three people living with diabetes are undiagnosed, while three out of four
deaths are diabetes related. “Nigeria is ranked among the top five countries in
sub-Saharan Africa in the number of people living with diabetes.
“Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that affects carbohydrate, protein
and lipid metabolism owing to lack of insulin secretion and inability of the
cells to utilize the insulin being secreted.
” It is amongst the world’s fastest growing epidemic as over 425
million adults were estimated to be diabetic, which has been projected to rise
to 629 million by 2045,” he said.
Erikainure said refined wheat products such as white bread,
snacks and consumption of sodas have been shown to be highly glycemic which
could increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
He said that the use of non-calorie natural sweeteners such as
xylitol have been shown not to increase the blood glucose level, thus can serve
as a replacement for table sugar. “Palm wine (unfermented) has also been shown
to suppress increased blood glucose level, which has been attributed to its
high content of non-calorie sugars and phenolics. “Majorly, regular
exercise and reduced sedentary lifestyles should always be practiced
which can help to decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes in both children and
adults.(NAN)
Hybrid rice to feed rising population:
analysts
The cultivation area of hybrid rice—which offers higher yield than
conventional inbred varieties—did not see a significant change since 1998-99
when the government granted permission for its farming. Hybrid rice cultivation
area has remained unchanged at 8 lakh hectares for the last few years and it is
yet to cross the 10-lakh-hectare mark, the highest recorded in 2009-10. So far
174 varieties of hybrid seeds were released but nearly 30 of them survived in
the market due to farmers' unwillingness to use the seeds, which they think may
fail in producing expected yield, analysts said yesterday.
More cultivation of hybrid
rice can help the country to avert its future challenge of diminishing trend of
cultivable land, they said at a dialogue on “Hybrid rice -- harnessing untapped
potential”. Bangladesh Rice Foundation (BRF) and Bangladesh Seed Association
(BSA) jointly organised the dialogue at the Bangladesh Agriculture Research
Council's conference room in Dhaka.
Poor quality seeds, inadequate research to invent good variety of
seed and lack of awareness campaign among the farmers are the core challenges
to making hybrid rice popular, according to them. Crop lands amounting to
62,000 hectors decrease per annum because of the spiralling population, which
leave a negative impact on agricultural production, said Md Nasiruzzaman,
secretary-in-charge of the agriculture ministry. Climate change, rapid
expansion of salinity into new arable land and frequency of natural disasters
in recent years have also impeded the increase of rice production, he said
while addressing the event as the chief guest.
The country has to produce an additional 20 lakh tonnes every year
against the annual average rice production of 348 lakh tonnes with a view to
attaining self-sufficiency in yield of the staple crop, he said. Production of
hybrid rice in more farm lands will give us a solution stemming from the
challenges as its yield is 15-20 percent higher than the inbred varieties,
Nasiruzzaman said. He suggested the seed producers utilise the southern part of
the country where coarse variety of rice was popular among the
inhabitants.
Farmers usually believe that they might not get their desirable
production if they cultivate the hybrid rice, said M Anis Ud Dowla, president
of Bangladesh Seed Association. “The private sector has a vital role in
popularising the crop. And the government also should take initiative to find a
way out on how to cater the seed of hybrid rice to the farmers,” said Anis,
also chairman of ACI Group. The highest priority should be given to
establishing a hybrid rice research institute to address the challenges of
amylase and abiotic and biotic stresses, said Md Shahjahan Kabir, director
general of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI).
“Hybrid rice seed production is highly technical, so required
support needs to be extended at the farmer level who is interested to engage in
seed production process,” he said. Mohammed Masum, chairman of Supreme Seed
Company, and Jamil Hasan, head of hybrid rice division at the BRRI, presented
two separate keynote papers at the dialogue. The authorities concerned should
provide enough funds, human resources, training and logistic support to all
stakeholders to help hybrid rice to flourish, Masum said.
Mentioning data of the Department of Agricultural Extension, he
said the cultivation of hybrid rice accounted for only 7.13 percent of the
total 1.14 crore hector lands in 2016-17. Hybrid rice seed industry should be
declared a thrust sector in the financial policy of Bangladesh Bank, Hasan said
while presenting his paper. Among others, Z Karim, former chairman of
Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council; AM Muazzam Husain, chairman of the
BRF, and Sayed AB Siddiqui, executive director, also spoke at the event.
Drones to revive agro industry
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones are usually associated
with military applications but they also have immense usefulness in
agriculture.
Drones are used in Japan’s rural heartland to aid the aging farmer
populace spray pesticides and fertiliser. The median age of farmers in the
rice-planting region of Tome is 67 years. Similarly, Thailand’s agriculture
industry is aging as youngsters below the age of 30 are shunning the
profession.
Most farms in developing countries are small and unproductive and
young people are leaving in search of city jobs that provide higher salaries.
The farms are abandoned or left to the older folk, said Sohail Hasnie and
Sungsup Ra from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in a paper presented at the
World Economic Forum (WEF) in March.
Drones can make farming easier and more profitable, said Hasnie
and Ra, and may even attract the youth back from the city. They urged
developing Asian countries to anticipate future uses for
drone technology.
Precision farming
“Drones make precision farming a reality. They can carry out
surveys like infrared mapping to gather crucial information like crop
condition, costing farmers as little as US$5 per acre. With the data, they may
be able to boost crop yields by 20 percent,” they said.
Today’s drones are relatively inexpensive. An unmanned aerial
vehicle (UAV) from a mainstream manufacturer costs as little as US$400 and a
complete system for a small farm costs around US$5,000. An octa-copter drone
requires US$1.20 worth of electricity to carry a 10-kilogram payload for 30
kilometres.
Farmers can pool their funds to buy and share a drone. An
agro-preneur can invest in a unit to serve multiple farmers or villages for a
fixed membership or per use fee, suggested Hasnie and Ra.
“Once drones can work autonomously, farmers can operate them
through a smartphone app. It will be a cheap, high-quality service with no
ownership or maintenance fees, and include performance benchmarks based on crop
type, topography, geography or climate condition,” they added.
Spraying fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides with UAVs is safer
and faster than doing it manually and uses fewer quantities of chemicals. In
Vietnam, pesticide inhalation kills over 300 farmers each year and seriously
affects another 5,000.
Drones can also generate Normalised Difference Vegetation Index
(NDVI) maps which can differentiate soil from grass and forest, identify the
growth stage of crops and detect plants under stress. Drone images can also be
used for loss or damage in agriculture insurance assessment.
UAVs in ASEAN
However, the use of UAVs in ASEAN member states is currently
limited. Japan’s DMM Technologies’ drones are used to spray pesticides on rice
fields in Can Tho, Vietnam. The company also conducted trial spraying for sugar
cane in Tay Ninh and rubber trees in Gia Lai.
The Philippines began a trial in April using DMM drones to spray
vegetable farms in the highland province of Benguet.
In Malaysia, six drones were used by the Muda Agriculture
Development Authority (MADA) for its Paddy Estate Project, covering 2,000
hectares. Drone-maker MMC said it has a customer who used its drones to fog and
spray pesticide in his durian plantation.
Thailand’s Kasikorn Research Centre estimated the nation’s
agricultural UAV market to be worth US$181 million by 2021 based on the
government’s ambitious “Big Farm” project. Launched in 2016, the project aims
to help neighbouring farmers integrate their farmlands and share production
costs, making it more affordable for them to embrace agri-tech.
The main barrier to widespread drone usage is regulation. Every
government has its own set of regulations on UAV, due to the risks posed by
UAVs to the aviation industry and security in general. The rules are stricter
for drones that fly beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS), which is necessary
if they are to be used to inspect large tracts of farmland. Governments
will also need to modify licencing and operating regulations for farm drones
and perhaps require certain limitations to be built into their
specifications. In time and with farm drones, agriculture may become less
labour-intensive and even attract a new generation of young, tech-savvy
farmers.
Lowest offer in GASC rice tender at $419.7 for 25,000 T of
Chinese rice
CAIRO:
The lowest offer in the Egyptian state grain buyer’s international purchase
tender for rice was $419.7 per tonne for 25,000 tonnes of Chinese rice, trade
sources said on Sunday. Egypt’s General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC)
is seeking short or medium grain milled white rice of any origin in the tender
and has asked traders to submit 2 kg samples of their grains for a cooking test
Author Name: https://www.brecorder.com/2018/11/25/454625/lowest-offer-in-gasc-rice-tender-at-419-7-for-25000-t-of-chinese-rice/
Date: 25-Nov-2018
Non-basmati exporters to get 5% benefit under merchandise
exports scheme
NEW
DELHI: Exporters from the world’s biggest rice exporting nation have been given
a breather by the Indian government who will extend a 5% benefit to
non-basmati exporters under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) as
relief from firm domestic prices that made exports less profitable. India
exports a quarter of the rice in the world mainly to Africa, the US, Europe and
South-East Asian nations. The scheme will come into effect from November
26 and continue till March 2019, a notification from Directorate General of
Foreign Trade said. Non-basmati rice includes husked brown rice, parboiled
rice, broken rice and others, it said. “Owing to high minimum support price of
paddy, we have been un-competitive in global exports despite rupee
depreciation. Rice export has seen a drop of 10% in the past six months. The
incentive will make us competitive in the global market,” says BV Krishna Rao,
president of the Rice Exporters Association. Under the MEIS scheme,
exporters will get a certificate or scrip from DGFT that can be traded. For example,
if the value of export is $100, the company get $5 MEIS scrip, which it can
sell. Rao added that the hike in MSP led to an increase of $40 per tonne
at $ 375- $380 a tonne. “We can now expect new contracts to be signed and be
competitive compared to Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan,” he says. Rice is
India’s main kharif crop and this year’s advance estimates said production is
likely to be 99.24 million tonnes or 1.78% more than the previous year. India
annually exports 8-9 million tonne non-basmati rice.
Rice losing micronutrients for
multiple polishing
12:00
AM, November 25, 2018 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:06 AM, November 25, 2018
Say food officials urging millers to ensure fortification
Star Business Report
Rice grains are losing
micronutrients owing to multiple polishing at mills, leading to nutrition
deficiencies and different diseases, top food ministry functionaries said
yesterday calling on millers to fortify the staple with vitamins and minerals.
“The way you (mill owners) are
polishing rice three-four times to make miniket; to make those grains smooth,
there is no denying the fact that vitamins are lost,” said Food Minister Md
Qamrul Islam.
“In absence of these vitamins in
rice, incidence of diabetes, malnutrition-related diseases are increasing. We
are becoming of short stature,” he said.
Islam was addressing a meeting of
the Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mill Owners Association, which comprises
nearly 18,000 small and large rice mills, at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka.
“We expect you to take steps to
provide nutritious rice to us,” he told the millers who process and market a
majority of the around 5 crore tonnes of paddy Bangladesh annually produces.
He said ensuring micronutrients in
rice was inexpensive and one micronutrient-producing mill could ensure
fortification supplies of seven to eight mills.
Fortification is a practice of
deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient in a food, so
as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public
health benefit with minimal risk to health, according to World Health
Organization.
“Ensuring nutrition enriched rice
is urgent for the nation. We request you to take the step in the greater
interest of the nation,” said Islam.
He said the government, with World
Food Programme's support, was distributing nutrient-enriched rice in 20
districts under poor-friendly and Vulnerable Group Development programmes to
address micronutrient deficiency among the poor.
“We will gradually expand the
coverage of the distribution of fortified rice in all upazilas of the country,”
he said.
KM Layek Ali, the association's
general secretary, urged the government to increase the duty on rice import
from the present 28 percent and include millers' representatives in the
government's national procurement committee.
Islam said his ministry would
discuss the proposal.
He said rice production rose after
last year's slump induced by repeated floods. “This year we do not want to
import a single tonne of rice,” said Islam.
He also called upon millers to
gradually close down traditional husking mills.
“Try to shift from husking mills to
automatic ones, even if it means forming cooperatives. Husking mills will be
unable to survive. The market will take its own course,” said Food Secretary
Shahabuddin Ahmed.
He, however, pointed out that
traditional husking pedals, which were in use in the past, used to retain
micronutrients.
Md Arifur Rahman Apu, director
general of the Directorate of Food, said rice processed through husking pedals
was no longer available today for the rise of automatic milling.
“I visited a mill which polishes
rice six times. Fine and white rice comes after milling. This rice looks
beautiful but contains no mineral, no vitamin. As a result, all our children,
irrespective of the rich and poor, suffer from micronutrient deficiency,” he
said.
“Micronutrient is essential if we
want to build an intellectually sound nation,” he said, citing that seven
states in the US have rules making rice fortification compulsory.
He said sales of rice would
increase if millers produce and market zinc and other micronutrient-rich rice.
China’s new hybrid rice varieties
feed demand for more
High yield or good taste? It’s a long-standing dilemma for hybrid
rice scientists.Now Chinese researchers say they have finally found the balance
in new hybrid rice varieties.
The cultivation of hybrid rice has expanded in China for more than
four decades. But while yields have increased, the eating and cooking qualities
of many varieties failed the taste test. In recent years, rice breeders have
paid more attention to quality.
“Researchers have found a balance
of yield and quality in Zhongke 804 and other hybrid varieties,” said Liu
Guifu, with the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Representatives from 38 Chinese rice distributors had a blind
taste test of 38 rice varieties late last year, said Liu. Zhongke 804 scored
higher than Daohuaxiang, regarded for decades as one of China’s best rice
types.
Daohuaxiang grows in Wuchang, north China’s Heilongjiang Province.
The ample sunshine and suitable climate provide it with extraordinary cooking qualities.
However, Daohuaxiang has an average yield of just 450 to 550 kg
per mu (about 0.067 hectares), which makes it too pricey for many people.
In September, in test fields in Wuchang, Zhongke 804 achieved an
average yield of 745.4 kg per mu, said Liu. Compared with traditional rice
varieties, Zhongke 804 also showed increased vigor, making it more competitive
with weeds and more resistant to diseases and insects.
The type of starch in rice determines whether it’s fluffy or
sticky. Conventional hybrid methods select parent lines based on their visible
or measurable traits. The process can be difficult, unpredictable, slow and
costly.
Genome sequencing has enabled scientists to identify genes
encoding important traits like yield, taste and vigor, providing a solid
foundation for molecular breeding.
Developing a new hybrid rice variety through conventional methods
can take seven or eight years, said Liu. By taking a “molecular shortcut,” he
and his colleagues shortened the process to three to four years.
China’s new rice varieties feed demand for
more
BEIJING, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) — High
yield or good taste? It’s a long-standing dilemma for hybrid rice scientists.
Now Chinese researchers say they
have finally found the balance in new hybrid rice varieties.
The cultivation of hybrid rice
has expanded in China for more than four decades. But while yields have
increased, the eating and cooking qualities of many varieties failed the taste
test. In recent years, rice breeders have paid more attention to quality.
“Researchers have found a balance
of yield and quality in Zhongke 804 and other hybrid varieties,” said Liu
Guifu, with the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology Chinese Academy
of Sciences.
Representatives from 38 Chinese
rice distributors had a blind taste test of 38 rice varieties late last year,
said Liu. Zhongke 804 scored higher than Daohuaxiang, regarded for decades as
one of China’s best rice types.
Daohuaxiang grows in Wuchang,
north China’s Heilongjiang Province. The ample sunshine and suitable climate
provide it with extraordinary cooking qualities.
However, Daohuaxiang has an
average yield of just 450 to 550 kg per mu (about 0.067 hectares), which makes
it too pricey for many people.
In September, in test fields in
Wuchang, Zhongke 804 achieved an average yield of 745.4 kg per mu, said Liu.
Compared with traditional rice varieties, Zhongke 804 also showed increased
vigor, making it more competitive with weeds and more resistant to diseases and
insects.
The type of starch in rice
determines whether it’s fluffy or sticky. Conventional hybrid methods select
parent lines based on their visible or measurable traits. The process can be
difficult, unpredictable, slow and costly.
Genome sequencing has enabled
scientists to identify genes encoding important traits like yield, taste and vigor,
providing a solid foundation for molecular breeding.
Developing a new hybrid rice
variety through conventional methods can take seven or eight years, said Liu.
By taking a “molecular shortcut,” he and his colleagues shortened the process
to three to four years.
They used molecular markers, a
string of nucleic acid which tends to stay with the target gene. By pinpointing
the markers, researchers can tell much sooner whether one seedling contains a
target gene, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of breeding.
Liu said molecular breeding holds
great potential for hybrid rice. They plan to work on “personalized” hybrid
rice varieties in future studies, such as special rice for diabetes patients.
Experts call for critical
management of water resources in Pakistan
Published: November 24, 2018
Journalist Afia Salam,
Hydrologist Dr Hassan Abbas, Urban Planner Dr Noman Ahmed , environmental
practitioner Sana Baxamoos and Agriculturalist Faisal Hassan share panel
discussion on "Dialogue on Pakistan's water scarcity in the 21st
century," at main campus Institute of Business Administration, Karachi.
(Anticlockwise)
KARACHI : “Sharing knowledge and enabling critical
thinking is a way forward in solving some of the complex governance, ecological
and institutional issues facing our country”, said Institute of Business
Administration Department of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts professor Dr
Nausheen Anwar.
She said this
while addressing a panel discussion on ‘Dialogue on Pakistan’s water scarcity
in the 21st century’ held at the IBA Main Campus on Thursday. Talks kicked off
as hydrologist Dr Hassan Abbas gave a detailed overview of the historical water
flow in Pakistan.
He said that
historically, water in the region was managed through canals, elaborating that
the Mughals were the first to build such inundation canals that harnessed flood
waters.
Moderating
the panel discussion, journalist and geographer Afia Salam said, “Red rice used
to be grown abundantly in the Indus Delta. Now we see that the villages and
lands that used to exist have ceased to be because of the intrusion of the sea
and decline of freshwater flow to the deltaic region of the Indus river.”
Agriculturalist
Faisal Hassan stressed on the need to prevent plantation of water-intensive
monoculture crops, “Rice and sugarcane are the worst when it comes to
water-intensive monocultures grown in the country and we now see that even
maize is growing in popularity within the farming community.”
Also speaking
on the occasion, Urban Planner Dr Noman Ahmed pointed out the need to manage
water resources in Pakistan’s rapidly urbanising region such as Karachi.
“Around 93% of Pakistan’s water resource is utilised by the agriculture sector
and the rest is consumed by the urban and business consumers,” he remarked.
He said that
the mechanism of water distribution and allocation in Karachi has fallen apart
over the years. The intensive utilisation of water has also grown due to
rapidly changing urban lifestyle patterns and migration. “We have to revisit
the rapidly changing population dynamics of the urban areas, as currently 36%
of our country is urbanised but this figure will reach to around 50% in 2050.”
Highlighting
the issues concerning water quality, its equitable distribution and the issue
of water governance, environmental practitioner Sana Baxamoos, at Hisaar
Foundation, claimed that the government institutions are not prepared to
address the issue head-on.
“What we see
is mismanagement of our water resources due to a failure of governance and
leadership. There must be a single institution, for example, Water and Power
Development Authority (Wapda), which moves ahead with a policy for water
governance, but unfortunately there are a lot of gaps in the current governance
of water resources in the country,” she added.
She stressed
that the access, equity and distribution of water is a complex issue. “We
export water in the form of our crops; the government must revise their
“Abiana” (irrigated water tax) and realise the true value of our water
resource.”
Adding on the
subject of water shortage in the country, Dr Abbas said, “It is really a good
time that we see discourse on conserving our water resources. He argued that
the narrative that our water is being wasted when it is released into our ocean
is simply not true, saying “Indus river basin is the most anthropologically
mismanaged river basin in the world with its worst impact seen in the Indus
delta.”
He emphasised
that the solution was to conserve the country’s water resources and devise a
strategy centred on a knowledge-based approach that values science, our
culture, history, and the environment.
Hybrid
rice to feed rising population: analysts
12:00
AM, November 25, 2018 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:06 AM, November 25, 2018
Star Business Report
The cultivation area of hybrid
rice—which offers higher yield than conventional inbred varieties—did not see a
significant change since 1998-99 when the government granted permission for its
farming.
Hybrid rice cultivation area has
remained unchanged at 8 lakh hectares for the last few years and it is yet to
cross the 10-lakh-hectare mark, the highest recorded in 2009-10.
So far 174 varieties of hybrid
seeds were released but nearly 30 of them survived in the market due to
farmers' unwillingness to use the seeds, which they think may fail in producing
expected yield, analysts said yesterday.
More cultivation of hybrid rice can
help the country to avert its future challenge of diminishing trend of
cultivable land, they said at a dialogue on “Hybrid rice -- harnessing untapped
potential”.
Bangladesh Rice Foundation (BRF)
and Bangladesh Seed Association (BSA) jointly organised the dialogue at the
Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council's conference room in Dhaka.
Poor quality seeds, inadequate
research to invent good variety of seed and lack of awareness campaign among
the farmers are the core challenges to making hybrid rice popular, according to
them.
Crop lands amounting to 62,000
hectors decrease per annum because of the spiralling population, which leave a
negative impact on agricultural production, said Md Nasiruzzaman,
secretary-in-charge of the agriculture ministry.
Climate change, rapid expansion of
salinity into new arable land and frequency of natural disasters in recent
years have also impeded the increase of rice production, he said while
addressing the event as the chief guest.
The country has to produce an
additional 20 lakh tonnes every year against the annual average rice production
of 348 lakh tonnes with a view to attaining self-sufficiency in yield of the
staple crop, he said.
Production of hybrid rice in more
farm lands will give us a solution stemming from the challenges as its yield is
15-20 percent higher than the inbred varieties, Nasiruzzaman said.
He suggested the seed producers
utilise the southern part of the country where coarse variety of rice was
popular among the inhabitants.
Farmers usually believe that they
might not get their desirable production if they cultivate the hybrid rice,
said M Anis Ud Dowla, president of Bangladesh Seed Association.
“The private sector has a vital
role in popularising the crop. And the government also should take initiative
to find a way out on how to cater the seed of hybrid rice to the farmers,” said
Anis, also chairman of ACI Group.
The highest priority should be
given to establishing a hybrid rice research institute to address the
challenges of amylase and abiotic and biotic stresses, said Md Shahjahan Kabir,
director general of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI).
“Hybrid rice seed production is
highly technical, so required support needs to be extended at the farmer level
who is interested to engage in seed production process,” he said.
Mohammed Masum, chairman of Supreme
Seed Company, and Jamil Hasan, head of hybrid rice division at the BRRI,
presented two separate keynote papers at the dialogue.
The authorities concerned should
provide enough funds, human resources, training and logistic support to all
stakeholders to help hybrid rice to flourish, Masum said.
Mentioning data of the Department
of Agricultural Extension, he said the cultivation of hybrid rice accounted for
only 7.13 percent of the total 1.14 crore hector lands in 2016-17.
Hybrid rice seed industry should be
declared a thrust sector in the financial policy of Bangladesh Bank, Hasan said
while presenting his paper.
Among others, Z Karim, former
chairman of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council; AM Muazzam Husain,
chairman of the BRF, and Sayed AB Siddiqui, executive director, also spoke at
the event.
Govt urged to
allow farm workers to form trade unions
Introduce health insurance for them
Staff Correspondent | Published: 00:21,
Nov 25,2018 | Updated: 00:24, Nov 25,2018
Participants attend a roundtable
on ‘ratification and implementation of ILO convention 184 on health and safety
in agriculture’ jointly hosted by Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Labour
Foundation and National Women Farmers and Workers Association at CIRDAP
auditorium in Dhaka on Saturday. — New Age photo
The country’s farmer leaders on Saturday urged the government to
allow millions of self-employed farm workers to form trade unions to protect
their rights.
They also demanded introduction of health insurance for farm workers and payment of compensations who suffer losses or get injured while working.
They raised the demands at a roundtable on ‘Ratification and Implementation of ILO Convention 184 on Health and Safety in Agriculture’ organized by Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Labourers Federation and National Women Farm Workers Federation at the CIRDAP Auditorium.
Hazera Sultana, MP, was the chief guest and former director general of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and rice scientists Jiban Krishna Biswas was the chief speaker.
In her keynote paper, NWFWF president Nasrin Sultana said that farm workers had no right to form trade unions as allowed by the country’s labour laws.
‘So we would ask the government to allow farm workers to form trade union,’ she said.
Nasrin also urged the government to ratify and implement ILO Convention 184 and its Recommendation No. 192 to ensure farm labourers wages.
‘Farm workers in Bangladesh face various workplace accidents as well as adverse impacts of pesticides,’ she said.
Muktagacha based Gram Unnayan Sangstha executive director Mohammad Saiduzzaman said, ‘farmers don’t get fair prices for the crops they grow with hard toil.’
He called upon the all farmers to get united to realize fair prices for their produces.
Local government representative from Netrokona Syed Mahbub Majid said that indiscriminate use of pesticides were causing serious problems to farmers and farm labourers.
He stressed the need to provide training to the farmers and the farm workers on how to use pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
Jiban Krishna Biswas said that since farmers put in hard labour to grow crops and feed the nation they should be made acquainted with proper use of pesticides.
Women farmers, trade unionists and farm workers from different districts attended the roundtable.
They also demanded introduction of health insurance for farm workers and payment of compensations who suffer losses or get injured while working.
They raised the demands at a roundtable on ‘Ratification and Implementation of ILO Convention 184 on Health and Safety in Agriculture’ organized by Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Labourers Federation and National Women Farm Workers Federation at the CIRDAP Auditorium.
Hazera Sultana, MP, was the chief guest and former director general of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and rice scientists Jiban Krishna Biswas was the chief speaker.
In her keynote paper, NWFWF president Nasrin Sultana said that farm workers had no right to form trade unions as allowed by the country’s labour laws.
‘So we would ask the government to allow farm workers to form trade union,’ she said.
Nasrin also urged the government to ratify and implement ILO Convention 184 and its Recommendation No. 192 to ensure farm labourers wages.
‘Farm workers in Bangladesh face various workplace accidents as well as adverse impacts of pesticides,’ she said.
Muktagacha based Gram Unnayan Sangstha executive director Mohammad Saiduzzaman said, ‘farmers don’t get fair prices for the crops they grow with hard toil.’
He called upon the all farmers to get united to realize fair prices for their produces.
Local government representative from Netrokona Syed Mahbub Majid said that indiscriminate use of pesticides were causing serious problems to farmers and farm labourers.
He stressed the need to provide training to the farmers and the farm workers on how to use pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
Jiban Krishna Biswas said that since farmers put in hard labour to grow crops and feed the nation they should be made acquainted with proper use of pesticides.
Women farmers, trade unionists and farm workers from different districts attended the roundtable.
Rice tariffication seen to bolster food supply
The
National Economic and Development Authority said Friday the enforcement of the
rice tarriffication will resolve food supply issues and improve the country’s
agricultural productivity.
Economic
Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia welcomed the passage of the Rice
Tariffication bill by the bicameral conference committee. The two chambers of Congress
approved the passage of the bill, which amends Republic Act No. 8178, or the
Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996.
Economic Planning Secretary
Ernesto Pernia
The
measure will replace quantitative restrictions on rice imports with tariffs and
remove unnecessary government intervention in the rice market.
“We
view this as a positive development as the administration’s economic team
exhausts all efforts to tame increases in the prices of goods. With only the
president’s signature before rice tariffication becomes a law, we are making a
big step in the realization of our agricultural reform agenda,” Pernia
said.
Pernia
said the bicam-approved bill would address not only the tariffication of rice
in compliance with the Philippines’ obligation to the World Trade Organization,
but it would also enhance food security by increasing the availability and
accessibility of cheaper rice to the consuming population.
“The
economic team has always been mindful that food remains to be the major
contributor to inflation. Efforts to address food supply concerns, especially
rice, will definitely help bring down consumer prices,” he said.
Neda’s
preliminary estimate showed that headline inflation rate would eased by 1
percentage point if rice prices would be reduced to the level of imported rice.
Even with just a P1 per kilo reduction in the wholesale price of rice, headline
inflation rate would also be reduced by 0.3 percentage point, it said.
Rice
tariffication would also help improve the productivity of farmers and, as a
result, enable them to increase their income, Neda said.
The
bill provides for the establishment of a rice competitiveness enhancement fund
from an annual appropriation of P10 billion for the next six years.
If
the tariff revenues exceed P10 billion in any given year, the excess revenue
will be plowed back to RCEF to support rice farmers.
“The
RCEF will be used to provide key interventions to support our farmers and
enhance their competitiveness, including farm machinery and equipment to
improve farm mechanization, rice seed development, propagation and promotion,
expanded rice credit, and extension services,” Pernia said.
A
portion of the rice tariff revenues in excess of P10 billion will be used to
provide direct financial assistance to rice farmers adversely affected by the
removal of the quantitative restriction.
Fact
Check: USDA got it wrong with Nigeria’s, other countries’ rice imports
by CALEB
OJEWALE
November 23,
2018 | 1:11 pm
| | |
The
United States Department of Agriculture report which asserted that Nigeria will
be the second-largest importer of rice in 2019 has been found to be grossly
inaccurate, according to BusinessDay’s analysis of export data involving over
150 countries. Findings show that not only did the USDA make inaccurate
assertions in its estimation of Nigeria’s rice…
estimation
of Nigeria’s rice…
Rice
tarrification bill enhances local farmers’ competitiveness
November 23, 2018, 8:57 am
MANILA -- Senator Cynthia Villar on
Thursday stressed that the rice tarrification bill would enhance the
competitiveness of Filipino farmers rather than kill the local rice industry,
as claimed by some progressive lawmakers and peasant groups.
Villar, the chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food,
is the principal sponsor of Senate Bill 1998, which replaces the quantitative
import restrictions on rice with tariffs, and creates the Rice Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund (RCEF), or Rice Fund.
The bill, which has been certified as urgent by President Rodrigo
Duterte, was approved by the bicameral conference committee on Thursday.
Even as the bicameral was still deliberating on the measure,
various peasant groups, led by Bantay Bigas, together with Anakpawis party-list,
was already holding a protest action at the Senate to condemn the passage of
the rice tarrification bill.
They claimed that the passage of the measure would mean the
avalanche of cheap imported rice in the local market, and would kill not only
the local rice industry but also the livelihood of millions of local rice
farmers.
In an ambush interview after the bicam hearing, Villar said it was
unfortunate that farmers were being made to believe that the rice tariffication
bill would not be beneficial to them.
“Kaya nga may (that is why there is) Rice Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund because we analyzed why they (Filipino farmers) are not
competitive. Based on study, kaya hindi sila competitive, mahal ang kanilang
(they are not competitive because of their higher) labor cost compared to
Vietnam,” she said.
Citing a study made by think-tank Philippine Institute for
Development Studies (PIDS), the Nacionalista Party lawmaker said the factors
adversely affecting Filipino farmers’ competitiveness are the lack of
mechanization, technical know-how, financial literacy and access to cheap
credit.
“So we are going to mechanize. So half, PHP 5 billion of the P10
billion will go to mechanization so that they can compete. Because that is the
highest cost difference, iyong labor. And then PHP 3 billion will go to seeds.
Tuturuan silang maging (They will be taught as) seed growers ng inbred seeds ng
PhilRice. That will increase their harvest from 4 metric tons to 6 metric tons
per hectare,” Villar said.
As provided for in the rice tarrification bill, the RCEF will have
a minimum allocation of PHP10 billion a year for six years, and tariff revenues
from rice imports in excess of PHP10 billion shall be appropriated by Congress
based on a menu of programs in the rice tariffication law.
Under the Rice Tariffication Bill, the proposed fund will be
allocated as follows: 50 percent for grants to farmers’ associations,
registered rice cooperatives, and local government units in the form of rice
equipment, to be implemented by the Philippine Center for Post-Harvest
Development and Mechanization (PhilMech); and 30 percent for the development,
propagation and promotion of inbred rice seeds to rice farmers and
organizations, to be implemented by the Philippine Rice Research Institution
(PhilRice).
The 10 percent will be in the form of credit at preferential rates
to rice farmers and cooperatives to be managed by Land Bank and the Development
Bank of the Philippines; and the remaining 10 percent for extension services to
teach rice farmers modern methods of farming, seed production, and farm
mechanization, to be administered by PhilMech, PhilRice, the Agricultural
Training Institute (ATI) and the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA).
Villar further said they have already identified 1,100
rice-producing towns that would be the priority beneficiaries of mechanization
in the form of tractors, transplanters, harvesters, dryers, and rice milling
equipment.
She said the provision of rice milling equipment would enable
farmers’ associations and cooperatives to mill their palay into rice and
empower them to directly negotiate with retailers and consumers.“That’s common
sense that if you want to get more for your product, you go direct to buyers,”
Villar said.
Furthermore, Villar said the rice tarrification bill not
only limits inflation, but would also lead to rice self-sufficiency in the long
run.“Yes, if we are successful in the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund,”
she answered when asked on rice sufficiency.
The senator said the use of quality inbred seeds alone could
increase farmers’ production by up to 50 percent, or from four metric tons per
hectare to six metric tons.Over a period of time, Villar said this would be
enough to cover the country’s shortfall in production.
At present, the Philippines produces 93 percent of its rice
requirement and needs to import the remaining seven percent.
“That’s 50-percent increase in productivity. We are
rice-sufficient if we can do that. Of course, we cannot expect to do that in
the first year, but over six years, baka makaya natin iyon na (we can attain
that) we are rice sufficient,” Villar said. (PNA)
China's new rice varieties feed demand for more
Source:
Xinhua| 2018-11-24 10:31:20|Editor: Chengcheng
BEIJING,
Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- High yield or good taste? It's a long-standing dilemma for
hybrid rice scientists.
Now
Chinese researchers say they have finally found the balance in new hybrid rice
varieties.
The
cultivation of hybrid rice has expanded in China for more than four decades.
But while yields have increased, the eating and cooking qualities of many
varieties failed the taste test. In recent years, rice breeders have paid more
attention to quality.
"Researchers
have found a balance of yield and quality in Zhongke 804 and other hybrid
varieties," said Liu Guifu, with the Institute of Genetics and
Developmental Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Representatives
from 38 Chinese rice distributors had a blind taste test of 38 rice varieties
late last year, said Liu. Zhongke 804 scored higher than Daohuaxiang, regarded
for decades as one of China's best rice types.
Daohuaxiang
grows in Wuchang, north China's Heilongjiang Province. The ample sunshine and
suitable climate provide it with extraordinary cooking qualities.
However,
Daohuaxiang has an average yield of just 450 to 550 kg per mu (about 0.067
hectares), which makes it too pricey for many people.
In
September, in test fields in Wuchang, Zhongke 804 achieved an average yield of
745.4 kg per mu, said Liu. Compared with traditional rice varieties, Zhongke
804 also showed increased vigor, making it more competitive with weeds and more
resistant to diseases and insects.
The
type of starch in rice determines whether it's fluffy or sticky. Conventional
hybrid methods select parent lines based on their visible or measurable traits.
The process can be difficult, unpredictable, slow and costly.
Genome
sequencing has enabled scientists to identify genes encoding important traits
like yield, taste and vigor, providing a solid foundation for molecular
breeding.
Developing
a new hybrid rice variety through conventional methods can take seven or eight
years, said Liu. By taking a "molecular shortcut," he and his
colleagues shortened the process to three to four years.
They
used molecular markers, a string of nucleic acid which tends to stay with the
target gene. By pinpointing the markers, researchers can tell much sooner
whether one seedling contains a target gene, enhancing the accuracy and
efficiency of breeding.
Liu
said molecular breeding holds great potential for hybrid rice. They plan to
work on "personalized" hybrid rice varieties in future studies, such
as special rice for diabetes patients.
China's new rice varieties feed demand for
more
Source:
Xinhua| 2018-11-24 10:31:20|Editor: Chengcheng
BEIJING, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- High yield or good taste? It's a
long-standing dilemma for hybrid rice scientists.
Now Chinese researchers say they have finally found the balance
in new hybrid rice varieties.
The cultivation of hybrid rice has expanded in China for more
than four decades. But while yields have increased, the eating and cooking
qualities of many varieties failed the taste test. In recent years, rice
breeders have paid more attention to quality.
"Researchers have found a balance of yield and quality in
Zhongke 804 and other hybrid varieties," said Liu Guifu, with the
Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Representatives from 38 Chinese rice distributors had a blind
taste test of 38 rice varieties late last year, said Liu. Zhongke 804 scored
higher than Daohuaxiang, regarded for decades as one of China's best rice
types.
Daohuaxiang grows in Wuchang, north China's Heilongjiang
Province. The ample sunshine and suitable climate provide it with extraordinary
cooking qualities.
However, Daohuaxiang has an average yield of just 450 to 550 kg
per mu (about 0.067 hectares), which makes it too pricey for many people.
In September, in test fields in Wuchang, Zhongke 804 achieved an
average yield of 745.4 kg per mu, said Liu. Compared with traditional rice
varieties, Zhongke 804 also showed increased vigor, making it more competitive
with weeds and more resistant to diseases and insects.
The type of starch in rice determines whether it's fluffy or sticky.
Conventional hybrid methods select parent lines based on their visible or
measurable traits. The process can be difficult, unpredictable, slow and
costly.
Genome sequencing has enabled scientists to identify genes
encoding important traits like yield, taste and vigor, providing a solid
foundation for molecular breeding.
Developing a new hybrid rice variety through conventional
methods can take seven or eight years, said Liu. By taking a "molecular
shortcut," he and his colleagues shortened the process to three to four
years.
They used molecular markers, a string of nucleic acid which
tends to stay with the target gene. By pinpointing the markers, researchers can
tell much sooner whether one seedling contains a target gene, enhancing the
accuracy and efficiency of breeding.
Liu said molecular breeding holds great potential for hybrid
rice. They plan to work on "personalized" hybrid rice varieties in
future studies, such as special rice for diabetes patients.
China’s new hybrid rice varieties
feed demand for more
High yield or good taste? It’s a long-standing dilemma for hybrid
rice scientists.Now Chinese researchers say they have finally found the balance
in new hybrid rice varieties.
The cultivation of hybrid rice has expanded in China for more than
four decades. But while yields have increased, the eating and cooking qualities
of many varieties failed the taste test. In recent years, rice breeders have
paid more attention to quality.
“Researchers have found a balance
of yield and quality in Zhongke 804 and other hybrid varieties,” said Liu
Guifu, with the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Representatives from 38 Chinese rice distributors had a blind
taste test of 38 rice varieties late last year, said Liu. Zhongke 804 scored
higher than Daohuaxiang, regarded for decades as one of China’s best rice
types.
Daohuaxiang grows in Wuchang, north China’s Heilongjiang Province.
The ample sunshine and suitable climate provide it with extraordinary cooking
qualities.
However, Daohuaxiang has an average yield of just 450 to 550 kg
per mu (about 0.067 hectares), which makes it too pricey for many people.
In September, in test fields in Wuchang, Zhongke 804 achieved an
average yield of 745.4 kg per mu, said Liu. Compared with traditional rice
varieties, Zhongke 804 also showed increased vigor, making it more competitive
with weeds and more resistant to diseases and insects.
The type of starch in rice determines whether it’s fluffy or
sticky. Conventional hybrid methods select parent lines based on their visible
or measurable traits. The process can be difficult, unpredictable, slow and
costly.
Genome sequencing has enabled scientists to identify genes
encoding important traits like yield, taste and vigor, providing a solid
foundation for molecular breeding.
Developing a new hybrid rice variety through conventional methods
can take seven or eight years, said Liu. By taking a “molecular shortcut,” he
and his colleagues shortened the process to three to four years.
Paddy procurement price is ₹1,759 a quintal
BENGALURU, NOVEMBER
25, 2018 00:55 IST
The State government has decided
to procure paddy at ₹1,759 a quintal from farmers from December 15. The current
market price is around ₹1,300 to ₹1,400 a quintal.
Minister for Cooperation Bandeppa
Kashempur chaired a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on fixing procurement
prices for commodities on Saturday, and fixed prices for paddy, black gram,
soyabean, and toor dal. He said farmers have to register at procurement centres
in rice mills from December 5 to 15.
During kharif season, paddy was
cultivated on 10 lakh hectares and about 45 lakh tonnes of paddy were expected
during the season. The Centre granted permission to procure only two lakh
tonnes of paddy, he said.
Prices of onion have also crashed
in the State even as the harvest has just begun in other major producing States
such as Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Mr. Kashempur said Chief
Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had told the committee to fix support price for onion
on the lines of the price given to mango crop. The committee’s proposal was
submitted to the CM.
Procurement of black gram and soya
bean would commence from Sunday.
The Minister said toor dal was
cultivated on 15.56 lakh hectares and 11.34 lakh tonnes of output was expected.
It was decided to procure toor dal at ₹5,675 a quintal against the prevailing market price of ₹4,300 a quintal. The State
government had written to the Centre seeking latter’s clearance for procurement
of tur dal. Procurement of toor dal would commence after a month.
The Minister said it was decided
to fix support price for maize also and a decision would be taken soon. The
Deputy Commissioner of each district would identify locations for procurement
of commodities, Mr. Kashempur said.
RDPR Minister Krishna Byre Gowda
and Horticulture Minister M C Managuli attended the meeting.
Merchandise Exports from India Scheme:
Non-basmati rice exports get 5% MEIS benefit for 5 months
Non-basmati rice has
been made eligible for MEIS benefits at the rate of 5% for exports made between
November 26 and March 25, 2019, the Directorate General Foreign Trade said in a
notification.
Total non-basmati exports in
2017-18 were 86.5 lakh tonne valued at Rs 22,968 crore, of which 20.28 lakh
tonne was shipped to Bangladesh.
The government has allowed 5% MEIS benefit on
export of non-basmati rice during the next four months after shipments of the
commodity declined 13% during first half of the current fiscal. The move may
help exporters boost shipments.
Non-basmati rice has been made eligible for
MEIS benefits at the rate of 5% for exports made between November 26 and March
25, 2019, the Directorate General Foreign Trade said in a notification. The
Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) was started in 2015 under which
exporters get 2-5% (of FOB value) of their exports as duty credit scrip. The
value on the scrip can be adjusted against payment of the import duty and the
GST.
Also read: PSU banks’ recapitalisation plan:
Rs 82,000 crore capital already infused; this much more to come
“This has come at an opportune time.
Hopefully, the decline in export of non-basmati rice may be recovered in the
next four months,” said BV Krishna Rao, president of Kakinada-based Rice
Exporters Association. However, the decline in shipments to Bangladesh may not
see an immediate jump due to the MEIS, he said.
India exported 37.23 lakh tonne of non-basmati
rice (worth Rs 10,426 crore) during April-September this year, compared with
42.87 lakh tonne in the corresponding period last year, according to the
official data.
Total non-basmati exports in 2017-18 were
86.5 lakh tonne valued at Rs 22,968 crore, of which 20.28 lakh tonne was
shipped to Bangladesh. The non-basmati rice export to the neighbouring country
stood at only 3.40 lakh tonne in the first half of FY19.
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cryptocurrencies lose $700 billion in worst weekly fall since January
Earlier this week, FE had reported rice
exports from India might decline for the first time in three years in 2018-19
owing to a 13% hike in minimum support price for paddy (kharif 2018) and a drop
in demand from Bangladesh and several other key markets. While a decline is
most likely in volume terms, exports could at best see a flat growth in value
terms, trade sources had said.
Why rice smuggling may not stop
On: November 25, 2018
Charles Okonji in this report examines major factors responsible
for the rising menace of rice smuggling and why it may persist
Despite concerted efforts by the
federal government over the years to curb the menace of rice smuggling,
imported rice finds its way into the Nigerian market through over 4000 routes
across the country’s border as it seems to be one of the most thriving
businesses in recent times.
In defiance of seizures and confiscation
of impounded consignments of rice by the customs the nefarious activities of
these economic saboteurs have continued unabated given the feeling that law
enforcement agencies are overwhelmed.
Speaking with a cross section of
experts, they attributed to a constellation of factors chief among which is the
result of incurably defective and but failed government policies, wrong trade
agreements, poor enforcement and conspiracy of some of the law enforcement
agencies with smugglers amongst others.
Firing the first salvo,
according to the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)
consultant, who was the former Director General of Nigeria Association of
Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture NACCIMA, Dr. John Isemede,
rice smuggling, he emphasised will continue as long as Nigeria share common
boundaries with its neighbouring countries, since some of these boundaries are
not well demarcated, which makes it porous.
He noted that it is easier for
countries like Madagascar, Japan, Equatorial Guinea or Cape-Verde, which are
island that can only be accessed by air or by sea to curtail or to check
smuggling.
He admitted that smuggling is
done world-wide, explaining that in an attempt to curtail smuggling in Europe,
duty shops were introduced.
“Smuggling starts as a legitimate
business but ends up as an illegitimate business. Smuggling is between
importation and exportation. When you are sending 5000 goods to Nigeria and you
declare 500 to reduce the amount of duty payable, that is an act of smuggling.
“In West Africa, we call it
smuggling, it is known as commodity shunting. This is a situation whereby
people load their goods and begin to have handshake with security agencies at
every check points. That is why there is high rate of bribery; this is
commodity shunting as there is no proper documentation of the actual
transaction. People just load their goods in the vehicle either from Benin
Republic to Nigeria or otherwise.
“The rice we are talking about is
all over the border, just like the time we were talking about turkey and
chicken being smuggled into Nigeria. Who are those responsible for this
business? They are the multinational corporations and they are the producers.
They put distributors at the borders, and they provide these products at very
cheap rates to entice people to buy,” Isemede stressed.
He pointed out that one of the
reasons why smuggling is thriving is that the culture of importation has not
allowed Nigeria to develop forex.
In his words, “When you get to
the bank for loans, nobody would look at you talk less of granting you loans if
you want to go into manufacturing. We are well prepared for import, which is
why it is on a single window. So you can see why there is a big problem.”
He lamented that the government
end up using the wrong people to manage sensitive places in Nigeria, adding
that they go about collecting money from the government signing agreements,
without knowing what is in the agreement they are signing.
The UNIDO consultant said, l“When
you talk of Common External Tariff, Customs Union, and trade agreements,
professors of economics, experts and OPS are not consulted. West Africa is just
a Sub-Region, not a Customs area, because there are tax differentials. This
compounds the problem because we pay different tariff in Nigeria while the
neighbouring countries pay different tariff.
“VAT is 5% in Nigeria while that
of Benin Republic is 18%. For this reason, we cannot take that advantage in
Nigeria because it takes about 20 days for ship to turn around in Nigeria and
about three weeks to get your goods out of the port, while that of Benin
Republic is just about 24 hours. So if you think about all the delays and the
demurrage in the Nigerian port, people tend to go into smuggling.
“Even when they have the opportunity
of using the Apapa port, how accessible is the road? What has happened to Cocoa
port, what has happened to Burutu port, what has happened to Sapele port,
Focados port or even Calabar port? That is one reason that smuggling is on the
increase.”
The former NACCIMA boss regretted
that that there is no support to the OPS that are doing business in Nigeria,
saying that the banks are always looking at the areas of importation.
He said that lack of funds to
support the exporters and non-functional the railway system was among the
cartelising factors that fuel smuggling.
“Again, a lot of vehicles move
from Nigeria to Ghana, Benin Republic and others on the daily bases and these
people are allowed to carry one or two bags which is said not to be at
commercial value, but if you have 50 people in a bus that carry one or two bags
each and declare as personal effects, don’t you know that it has turned
commercial quantity already. What about the border markets in Bornu State which
50 % of it is in Cameroun and the other 50% is in Nigeria. This is a fertile
ground for smuggling.
“However, the policies of CBN are
killing export. It only supports oil companies that can transfer dollar to
themselves. At present I cannot send dollar to anybody that has a domiciliary
account. If I am doing legitimate export and I want to collect my money, I have
to collect at 350 to the US$, but if I want to pay shipping companies, I have
to buy dollar from the neighbouring countries because a lot of Nigerian
exporters have carried their domiciliary accounts to the neighbouring
countries. Just like what happened in 1993 when we had dual exchange rates of
N22 to the dollar and N40 to the dollar. So what the embassies in Lagos as at
that time did was to move their exchange to the nearby countries.
“So, if the CBN can understand
balance of trade and balance of payment, that as we are giving, we are taking
and we don’t have series of exchange rates, smuggling would stop. This is
because most of the people use their money to buy rice since they cannot bring
in their foreign currencies. So, it is the policies that are being put in place
by people who are not into business that is causing problems for Nigeria. If we
have single exchange rate and anyone can transfer dollar to the shipping
company, and to anyone else, smuggling would stop.”
Isemede stressed that most
Nigerian exporters move their commodities such as cocoa, yam, cashew nuts and
others the neighbouring countries for export as the agencies responsible for
inspection and standardisation do not have the right specification to avoid
rejection.
“So when Nigerians have the
opportunity of carrying cashew nut, share butter and other commodities to
export, they buy rice to come and sell in Nigeria since it is cheaper in those
nearby countries.
“This is to say that the
smugglers do not just wake up to say I want to be a smuggler. So, it is the
policies on ground that is making people to go into smuggling. It is quite
unfortunate that the customs are busy looking for smugglers but they have not
done anything to make good policies that would make business flourish.
“The issue is that the government
is not monitoring what is happening in the economy. Government policies on
trade ought to be reviewed with the representatives of the OPS. Sadly, most of
these people would go about organising trade fair and trade missions, signing
agreements that they do not understand, thereby killing the economy. Also, all
the goods you see at trade fairs are imported. So industrialisation is next to
zero in Nigeria. Everybody wants to import and sell,” he lamented.
Echoing similar sentiments, the
Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Mda
Yusuf, smuggling became a booming business when the government practically
imposed ban on importation of rice.
He noted that the huge difference
in the price sold in Nigeria and the neighbouring countries, stimulated greatly
smuggling of the commodity through the country’s massive porous borders.
“Before now, we have been told
that importation of rice has dropped by 90% and that local rice production has
increased to almost six million metric tons. I do not believe in those
statistics, I believe that there is still a big gap between domestic production
and domestic demand. So that is a major issue. This is because we have not been
able to build the capacity of local production. Many of the rice farmers and
value chain are still cultivating through the traditional means. The level of
mechanisation is still very low, and productivity is still very low, so we need
to address these key issues. Until we are able to close the gap between
domestic production and domestic demand smuggling will not stop. This is
because the demand is in excess of 7 million metric tons and the local
production is not up to 4 million metric tons,” he further noted.
Equally responsible for the
growing menace of smuggling, he maintained, is the cost of domestic
rice which is higher than the imported one. “High cost is another factor
that is aiding smuggling, which ideally, the locally produced rice ought to
have been cheaper. This is so because the average man is looking at how to feed
his family with a very low budget, so he goes to the market and look for what
is cheap to buy.”
Yusuf however noted that it’s
high time that the government comes to terms with the realities on ground, and
do less of propaganda, urging government to stop saying that the country shall
be self-sufficient in rice production in 2019, whereas the market situation is
not saying so.
“The government should work out
possibilities on how to enhance productivity in rice production so that they
can go fully mechanised and bring down their cost. If the price is low, it is
easier to defeat smuggling because people would buy what is cheap,” he
maintained.
Nigeria rice capacity sufficient
Meanwhile, the President,
Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Aminu Goronyo, says annual rice production
in Nigeria has increased from 5.5 million tonnes in 2015 to 5.8 million tonnes
in 2017.
Goronyo disclosed this recently
in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
He said that in 2015, Nigerians
spent not less than N1bn on rice consumption, adding that while spending
had drastically reduced, consumption had increased because of increased local
production of the commodity.“The consumption rate now is 7.9 million tonnes and
the production rate has increased to 5.8 tonnes per annum,’’ Goronyo said.
The RIFAN president said the
increase was as a result of the CBN’s Anchor Borrowers Programme with a total
of 12 million rice producers and four million hectares of FADAMA rice land.
Goronyo said that the programme
since inception had created economic linkage between Small Holder Farmers and
reputable large-scale processors, thereby increasing agricultural outputs and
significantly improving capacity utilisation of processors.
The ABP was launched by President
Muhammadu Buhari on November 17, 2015 in Kebbi, aimed at creating a linkage
between anchor companies involved in the processing and SHFs of the required
key agricultural commodities.
The fund was provided from the
N220 billion micro, small and medium enterprises development fund.
ABP evolved from the
consultations with stakeholders comprising federal ministry of agriculture and
rural development, state governors, millers of agricultural produce, and
smallholder farmers to boost agricultural production.
Goronyo said under the ABP, RIFAN
in the next 24 months would commence rice importation to West African countries
as the necessary arrangements had been put in place.
“For self sufficiency, adequate
and enough paddy for production ABP, which started in Kebbi state has been
extended to 26 states.
“As a step further, RIFAN is in
collaboration with some agencies to replicate the CBN APB programme in some
states to increase production,’’ he said.
He said that RIFAN had moved a
step ahead not to be caught in the web as production was being complemented by
adequate provision of farm implements and inputs.
He said that RIFAN was set on
capturing the West African rice market by properly harnessing its resources.
According to him, the country has
huge human resources, favourable climate and potential to undergo a steady
transformation in terms of techniques and marketing.
Goronyo said that even the Asian
countries with similar weather conditions had successfully developed their rice
production output and processing for global export.
He, however, noted that some
influential Nigerians with their foreign collaborators were trying to frustrate
the efforts of government on making the country to be self sufficient in rice
production.
Way forward
It would be recalled that Kebbi
State governor, Senator Atiku Bagudu in an interview recently had xplained how
Nigeria can stop smuggling of foreign parboiled rice from Benin Republic and
other parts of the world.
According to him, the best thing
the government can do is to forge a synergy of cooperation with her
neighbouring countries.
“If we are smart as a country we
should be treating other West Africa countries as part of Nigeria. We should
make Benin Republic as the 37th state of Nigeria. We should encourage their
farmers so that they can also become rice farmers and I am sure their
production is so small that it cannot threaten Nigeria’s production and by so
doing, they would participate in helping Nigeria fight smuggling.”
He was however quick to add that
even countries being used as smuggling base are also victims. “Sometimes they
are also as much a victim as we are because this smuggling is perpetrated by
economic saboteurs that sometimes are transnational in nature. There are
foreigners of different nationalities mostly Asians who exploit countries but
that is not to say that the national authorities of Benin Republic cannot do
something to help, they can and President Buhari has been very critical about it.
“Some week ago, the President of
Benin Republic rushed to Nigeria because Nigeria has been rightly so expressing
its anger at the situation. It is not only rice but poultry too are smuggled
into the country. Nigeria’s poultry is being threatened by smuggling from Benin
Republic.”
On whether the government should
wield the big stick as it has done in recent times by closing down the
borders, the governor said such action was in order.
“Ihave called for that before
because this will show them that allowing smuggling is a threat to our economic
interest and it is even a threat to the ECOWAS protocol because if we cannot
support each other to produce domestically, then one of the major objectives of
ECOWAS protocol has been defeated. The closure of the border is a yes, if it’s
the only thing that can send the right signals. But more than that is for us
Nigerians to relate to this country as provided for in the protocol as if they
were part of Nigeria because it would help us to also help them boost their
domestic trade. If it is the only thing that will draw attention and make other
West Africa countries know that we mean business because we do mean business.
We want Nigeria and indeed West Africa to be productive because we are
competitive. We should be selling to the world, not the other way round.”
Direct
rice sowing method gaining popularity in Karnataka
BALLARI, NOVEMBER
24, 2018 22:46 IST
A team of farmers from Tamil Nadu recently visited a field in
Ballari taluk where direct rice sowing had been adopted. | Photo
Credit: Special Arrangement
The method of direct rice sowing
seems to be here to stay in the Tungabhadra command areas of the district.
Area coverage under the new
method, which was around 150 hectares in 2015-16 after it was introduced on an
experimental basis in 2012-13, has increased considerably to 10,100 ha in
2018-19, mainly because paddy cultivators have realised that it reduces input
cost and helps save water while also resulting in increased income.
Paddy is a major crop during the
kharif and rabi seasons in the command areas of the district, particularly in
Sirguppa taluk which gets canal water for raising two crops and also has lift
irrigation facilities. The targeted area for cultivating paddy during kharif is
around 77,000 ha. Since 2017-18 and 2018-19, direct rice sowing has been taken
up in 10,000 ha. “We are happy with the new method of cultivating paddy as it
brings down the input cost by 25% to 30% (when compared to the conventional
method of transplantation) in use of pesticide and on labour. In addition,
under the new method use of water is also reduced as only wetting is needed.
Stagnation of water is avoided . At the same time, we are also getting 35 to 40
bags of paddy, on a par with the transplantation method,” said Otur Pompanna, a
farmer from Karur village of Sirguppa taluk.
Unlike in transplantation, in
direct sowing method plants will be in rows and this will enable more aeration,
which helps prevent diseases and pest attacks. Incidentally, it was observed
that this year, areas under direct rice sowing were free from the Brown Plant
Hopper pest attacks when compared to paddy grown under the conventional method.
The Department of Agriculture has also been
encouraging farmers to take up direct rice sowing by informing them about these
advantages and giving them a subsidy of ₹4,000 a ha, with a ceiling of 2 ha per farmer.
“We had set a target of bringing
6,120 ha under direct rice sowing this year. But the achievement is 10,100 ha.
Going by the enthusiasm of the farmers, we hope the area will increase further
during the next kharif season,” said Shivanagouda Patil, Deputy Director of
Agriculture.
Farmers from Tamil Nadu,
Telangana and neighbouring districts have been visiting to see for themselves
the successful adoption of the new method.
Govt Increases Agricultural Efficiency by 48 Percent
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) officially opened the 17th
National Week (Penas) of the Andalan Farmers and Fishermen Association (KTNA),
which is centered at Harapan Bangsa Stadium, Lhoong Raya, Banda Aceh, on
Saturday. ANTARA/Ampelsa
SUNDAY, 25 NOVEMBER, 2018 | 18:48 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government has been able to increase
agricultural efficiency by 48 percent over the past four years by encouraging
agricultural modernization through agricultural tools and machinery (Alsintan)
assistance.
To encourage the modernization of
agriculture with the assistance of machinery and agricultural equipment have
been going on since 2015.
"The use of Alsintan to
encourage agricultural modernization can increase farming efficiency by 35 to
48 percent," Director General of Agricultural Infrastructure and
Facilities (PSP) Pending Dadih Permana noted at a press conference.
The director general remarked
that Alsintan was provided in the form of two-wheeled tractors and four-wheeled
tractors; water pumps; rice transplanting equipment; choppers; cultivators;
excavators; hand sprayers; corn planting tools; and semi-manual corn planting
devices.
There were 54,083 units of
Alsintan distributed to farmers in 2015 and 148,832 units were provided in
2016; while in 2017, there were 84,356 units channeled to them and Up October
2018, a total of 385,170 units had been distributed. Alsintan was given to
farmer groups/association of farmer groups and Alsintan Business Service.
Permana explained that the
Ministry of Agriculture encourages modernization in agricultural cultivation as
a whole, including land-processing activities, planting, harvesting, and
processing agricultural products.
"The younger generations are
more and more engaged in agriculture activities, from land processing to
harvesting," the director general of agricultural infrastructure and
facilities explained.
The agricultural modernization
movement has also helped to expand swamps. Based on data from the Swamp and
Tidal Regions Data Center, Indonesia has potential swamp land of 33.4 million
hectares, consisting of land in tidal area of 20.1 million hectares and swamps
of 13.3 million hectares.
Efforts to use swamp land with a
pattern of land optimization have been initiated since 2016. In 2016, the PSP
directorate general carried out optimization activities of 3,999 hectares of
swamps, and then in 2017, it covered 3,529 hectares and 16,400 hectares in 2018
(as of Nov 5, 2018).
In 2019, the Ministry of
Agriculture, through the Directorate General of PSP, plans to develop a swamp
area of 500 thousand hectares spreading across Kalimantan, Sumatra, and
Sulawesi.
Over the past four years, the PSP
directorate general`s policy and program has focused on the development of four
agricultural commodity sub-sectors, namely food crops, horticulture,
plantations, and livestock
SAPEC,
AfricaRice Highlight Achievements
November 26, 2018
Improved rice varieties introduced by SAPEC and AfricaRice.
Many still wonder why Liberia is
yet to feed itself as the country continues to import rice annually, though it
has 4.6 million hectares of arable land that covers over 40 percent of the rain
forest in the Sub-region.
With this mass land size and
other favorable conditions for agriculture activities, it is also unfortunate
that the country is the 8th hunger-stricken country in the world, while food
insecurity also affects 650,000 Liberians, according to both Concern
International and the World Food Program (WFP).
With this trend, the Smallholders
Agriculture Productivity Enhancement and Commercialization (SAPEC), an
international agro player in both crop protection and nutrition markets with
focus on sustainable agriculture production and AfricaRice, a leading
pan-African rice research organization committed to improving livelihoods in
Africa through strong science and effective partnerships, have made strides to
improve the sector.
Through a project founded by the
African Development Bank (AfDB), the two are making head ways in rice
production in several counties, especially in the Southeast.
AfricaRice Country Director, Dr.
Innoussa Akintayo, recently highlighted the achievements of the project so far
at the celebration of this year’s World Food Day (WFD) program in Buchanan, Grand
Bassa.
The program was held under the
theme, “A Zero Hunger World by 2030, Is It Possible?” and organized by
authorities of the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO).
AfricaRice’s interventions in
improving rice production in the country, Akintayo said, are centered on
productivity and production enhancement, infrastructure improvement,
organization and capacity development of stakeholders, and market and value
addition.
Dr. Akintayo told the Daily
Observer that Liberia has access to almost everything it takes
— not just to make the country food secure — but with requisite investment from
government and partners and the necessary political will to enable the
production in commercial quantity for export to neighboring countries and
beyond.
“External distribution will not
only enhance or improve revenue generation for farmers, but also improve the
country’s balance of payments or trade and concomitantly increase its gross
domestic product (GDP) significantly,” he said.
Akintayo added that the needed
technologies that will ensure mechanized farming are already in the country to
help spur agriculture productivity, adding that, “with the requisite support,
Liberia can finally become an agriculture hub in the sub-region.”
If Liberia is to realize its
dream of diversifying its economy, Akintayo said there is a necessity for huge
investment in the requisite high performing modern technologies.
“It is unfortunate that rice is
the country’s staple food and, despite favorable conditions for its production
in large quantity, the country continues to spend over US$200 million every
year to import the commodity to feed the nation. Therefore we at SAPEC and
AfricaRice are working together to curb this situation,” Dr. Akintayo said.
A Locally fabricated rice mill on display in Buchanan
SAPEC and AfricaRice have made
some achievements under each of the pillars, which the CEO said “introduction
of improved rice varieties—14 improved climate change resilient rice varieties,
both in upland and lowland, have been introduced and tested under the SAPEC
Project.”
“This new technology allows the
extension of cultivated land; improves timeliness of farm’s operations; enables
easy accomplishment of tasks that are difficult to perform and improves quality
of works and products, among others,” he said.
A total of 15 of these locally
fabricated rice mills are currently in the process of installation in the
project counties.
According to Dr. Akintayo, four
high capacity imported industrial rice mills have been brought in country.
Three of these high performing mills have been installed in three of the
project counties (Grand Gedeh, Maryland and River Gee.) The fourth is at the
verge of being installed.
Agriculture Minister Dr. Mogana
S. Flomo, Jr., has meanwhile called on Liberians and international partners to
work together, to ensure that everyone gets involved in agriculture, if Liberia
and the world will attain zero hunger by 2030.
“We know hunger and when you are
hungry you can’t be strong to learn even if the best teacher is teaching you,”
he said, adding, “this can stop if everyone sees agriculture as the only way to
end hunger in Liberia,” Minister Flomo said.
An AfricaRice official, Dr. Jean Moreira, chats with Agriculture
Minister Dr. Mogana Flomo
AP Exclusive: First Gene-Edited
Babies Claimed in China
Photo: MGNonline.
November 25, 2018 09:10 PM
HONG KONG (AP) - A Chinese
researcher claims that he helped make the world's first genetically edited
babies - twin girls whose DNA he said he altered with a powerful new tool
capable of rewriting the very blueprint of life.
If true, it would be a profound leap of science and ethics.
A U.S. scientist said he took part in the work in China, but this kind of gene editing is banned in the United States because the DNA changes can pass to future generations and it risks harming other genes.
Many mainstream scientists think it's too unsafe to try, and some denounced the Chinese report as human experimentation.
The researcher, He Jiankui of Shenzhen, said he altered embryos for seven couples during fertility treatments, with one pregnancy resulting thus far. He said his goal was not to cure or prevent an inherited disease, but to try to bestow a trait that few people naturally have - an ability to resist possible future infection with HIV, the AIDS virus.
He said the parents involved declined to be identified or interviewed, and he would not say where they live or where the work was done.
There is no independent confirmation of He's claim, and it has not been published in a journal, where it would be vetted by other experts. He revealed it Monday in Hong Kong to one of the organizers of an international conference on gene editing that is set to begin Tuesday, and earlier in exclusive interviews with The Associated Press.
"I feel a strong responsibility that it's not just to make a first, but also make it an example," He told the AP. "Society will decide what to do next" in terms of allowing or forbidding such science.
Some scientists were astounded to hear of the claim and strongly condemned it.
It's "unconscionable ... an experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible," said Dr. Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert and editor of a genetics journal.
"This is far too premature," said Dr. Eric Topol, who heads the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California. "We're dealing with the operating instructions of a human being. It's a big deal."
However, one famed geneticist, Harvard University's George Church, defended attempting gene editing for HIV, which he called "a major and growing public health threat."
"I think this is justifiable," Church said of that goal.
In recent years scientists have discovered a relatively easy way to edit genes, the strands of DNA that govern the body. The tool, called CRISPR-cas9, makes it possible to operate on DNA to supply a needed gene or disable one that's causing problems.
It's only recently been tried in adults to treat deadly diseases, and the changes are confined to that person. Editing sperm, eggs or embryos is different - the changes can be inherited. In the U.S., it's not allowed except for lab research. China outlaws human cloning but not specifically gene editing.
He Jiankui (HEH JEE'-an-qway), who goes by "JK," studied at Rice and Stanford universities in the U.S. before returning to his homeland to open a lab at Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, where he also has two genetics companies.
The U.S. scientist who worked with him on this project after He returned to China was physics and bioengineering professor Michael Deem, who was his adviser at Rice in Houston. Deem also holds what he called "a small stake" in - and is on the scientific advisory boards of - He's two companies.
The Chinese researcher said he practiced editing mice, monkey and human embryos in the lab for several years and has applied for patents on his methods.
He said he chose to try embryo gene editing for HIV because these infections are a big problem in China. He sought to disable a gene called CCR5 that forms a protein doorway that allows HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to enter a cell.
All of the men in the project had HIV and all of the women did not, but the gene editing was not aimed at preventing the small risk of transmission, He said. The fathers had their infections deeply suppressed by standard HIV medicines and there are simple ways to keep them from infecting offspring that do not involve altering genes.
Instead, the appeal was to offer couples affected by HIV a chance to have a child that might be protected from a similar fate.
He recruited couples through a Beijing-based AIDS advocacy group called Baihualin. Its leader, known by the pseudonym "Bai Hua," told the AP that it's not uncommon for people with HIV to lose jobs or have trouble getting medical care if their infections are revealed.
Here is how He described the work:
The gene editing occurred during IVF, or lab dish fertilization. First, sperm was "washed" to separate it from semen, the fluid where HIV can lurk. A single sperm was placed into a single egg to create an embryo. Then the gene editing tool was added.
When the embryos were 3 to 5 days old, a few cells were removed and checked for editing. Couples could choose whether to use edited or unedited embryos for pregnancy attempts. In all, 16 of 22 embryos were edited, and 11 embryos were used in six implant attempts before the twin pregnancy was achieved, He said.
Tests suggest that one twin had both copies of the intended gene altered and the other twin had just one altered, with no evidence of harm to other genes, He said. People with one copy of the gene can still get HIV, although some very limited research suggests their health might decline more slowly once they do.
Several scientists reviewed materials that He provided to the AP and said tests so far are insufficient to say the editing worked or to rule out harm.
They also noted evidence that the editing was incomplete and that at least one twin appears to be a patchwork of cells with various changes.
"It's almost like not editing at all" if only some of certain cells were altered, because HIV infection can still occur, Church said.
Church and Musunuru questioned the decision to allow one of the embryos to be used in a pregnancy attempt, because the Chinese researchers said they knew in advance that both copies of the intended gene had not been altered.
"In that child, there really was almost nothing to be gained in terms of protection against HIV and yet you're exposing that child to all the unknown safety risks," Musunuru said.
The use of that embryo suggests that the researchers' "main emphasis was on testing editing rather than avoiding this disease," Church said.
Even if editing worked perfectly, people without normal CCR5 genes face higher risks of getting certain other viruses, such as West Nile, and of dying from the flu. Since there are many ways to prevent HIV infection and it's very treatable if it occurs, those other medical risks are a concern, Musunuru said.
There also are questions about the way He said he proceeded. He gave official notice of his work long after he said he started it - on Nov. 8, on a Chinese registry of clinical trials.
It's unclear whether participants fully understood the purpose and potential risks and benefits. For example, consent forms called the project an "AIDS vaccine development" program.
The Rice scientist, Deem, said he was present in China when potential participants gave their consent and that he "absolutely" thinks they were able to understand the risks.
Deem said he worked with He on vaccine research at Rice and considers the gene editing similar to a vaccine.
"That might be a layman's way of describing it," he said.
Both men are physics experts with no experience running human clinical trials.
The Chinese scientist, He, said he personally made the goals clear and told participants that embryo gene editing has never been tried before and carries risks. He said he also would provide insurance coverage for any children conceived through the project and plans medical followup until the children are 18 and longer if they agree once they're adults.
Further pregnancy attempts are on hold until the safety of this one is analyzed and experts in the field weigh in, but participants were not told in advance that they might not have a chance to try what they signed up for once a "first" was achieved, He acknowledged. Free fertility treatment was part of the deal they were offered.
He sought and received approval for his project from Shenzhen Harmonicare Women's and Children's Hospital, which is not one of the four hospitals that He said provided embryos for his research or the pregnancy attempts.
Some staff at some of the other hospitals were kept in the dark about the nature of the research, which He and Deem said was done to keep some participants' HIV infection from being disclosed.
"We think this is ethical," said Lin Zhitong, a Harmonicare administrator who heads the ethics panel.
Any medical staff who handled samples that might contain HIV were aware, He said. An embryologist in He's lab, Qin Jinzhou, confirmed to the AP that he did sperm washing and injected the gene editing tool in some of the pregnancy attempts.
The study participants are not ethicists, He said, but "are as much authorities on what is correct and what is wrong because it's their life on the line."
"I believe this is going to help the families and their children," He said. If it causes unwanted side effects or harm, "I would feel the same pain as they do and it's going to be my own responsibility."
___
AP Science Writer Christina Larson, AP videographer Emily Wang and AP translator Fu Ting contributed to this report from Beijing and Shenzhen, China.
This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
If true, it would be a profound leap of science and ethics.
A U.S. scientist said he took part in the work in China, but this kind of gene editing is banned in the United States because the DNA changes can pass to future generations and it risks harming other genes.
Many mainstream scientists think it's too unsafe to try, and some denounced the Chinese report as human experimentation.
The researcher, He Jiankui of Shenzhen, said he altered embryos for seven couples during fertility treatments, with one pregnancy resulting thus far. He said his goal was not to cure or prevent an inherited disease, but to try to bestow a trait that few people naturally have - an ability to resist possible future infection with HIV, the AIDS virus.
He said the parents involved declined to be identified or interviewed, and he would not say where they live or where the work was done.
There is no independent confirmation of He's claim, and it has not been published in a journal, where it would be vetted by other experts. He revealed it Monday in Hong Kong to one of the organizers of an international conference on gene editing that is set to begin Tuesday, and earlier in exclusive interviews with The Associated Press.
"I feel a strong responsibility that it's not just to make a first, but also make it an example," He told the AP. "Society will decide what to do next" in terms of allowing or forbidding such science.
Some scientists were astounded to hear of the claim and strongly condemned it.
It's "unconscionable ... an experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible," said Dr. Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert and editor of a genetics journal.
"This is far too premature," said Dr. Eric Topol, who heads the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California. "We're dealing with the operating instructions of a human being. It's a big deal."
However, one famed geneticist, Harvard University's George Church, defended attempting gene editing for HIV, which he called "a major and growing public health threat."
"I think this is justifiable," Church said of that goal.
In recent years scientists have discovered a relatively easy way to edit genes, the strands of DNA that govern the body. The tool, called CRISPR-cas9, makes it possible to operate on DNA to supply a needed gene or disable one that's causing problems.
It's only recently been tried in adults to treat deadly diseases, and the changes are confined to that person. Editing sperm, eggs or embryos is different - the changes can be inherited. In the U.S., it's not allowed except for lab research. China outlaws human cloning but not specifically gene editing.
He Jiankui (HEH JEE'-an-qway), who goes by "JK," studied at Rice and Stanford universities in the U.S. before returning to his homeland to open a lab at Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, where he also has two genetics companies.
The U.S. scientist who worked with him on this project after He returned to China was physics and bioengineering professor Michael Deem, who was his adviser at Rice in Houston. Deem also holds what he called "a small stake" in - and is on the scientific advisory boards of - He's two companies.
The Chinese researcher said he practiced editing mice, monkey and human embryos in the lab for several years and has applied for patents on his methods.
He said he chose to try embryo gene editing for HIV because these infections are a big problem in China. He sought to disable a gene called CCR5 that forms a protein doorway that allows HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to enter a cell.
All of the men in the project had HIV and all of the women did not, but the gene editing was not aimed at preventing the small risk of transmission, He said. The fathers had their infections deeply suppressed by standard HIV medicines and there are simple ways to keep them from infecting offspring that do not involve altering genes.
Instead, the appeal was to offer couples affected by HIV a chance to have a child that might be protected from a similar fate.
He recruited couples through a Beijing-based AIDS advocacy group called Baihualin. Its leader, known by the pseudonym "Bai Hua," told the AP that it's not uncommon for people with HIV to lose jobs or have trouble getting medical care if their infections are revealed.
Here is how He described the work:
The gene editing occurred during IVF, or lab dish fertilization. First, sperm was "washed" to separate it from semen, the fluid where HIV can lurk. A single sperm was placed into a single egg to create an embryo. Then the gene editing tool was added.
When the embryos were 3 to 5 days old, a few cells were removed and checked for editing. Couples could choose whether to use edited or unedited embryos for pregnancy attempts. In all, 16 of 22 embryos were edited, and 11 embryos were used in six implant attempts before the twin pregnancy was achieved, He said.
Tests suggest that one twin had both copies of the intended gene altered and the other twin had just one altered, with no evidence of harm to other genes, He said. People with one copy of the gene can still get HIV, although some very limited research suggests their health might decline more slowly once they do.
Several scientists reviewed materials that He provided to the AP and said tests so far are insufficient to say the editing worked or to rule out harm.
They also noted evidence that the editing was incomplete and that at least one twin appears to be a patchwork of cells with various changes.
"It's almost like not editing at all" if only some of certain cells were altered, because HIV infection can still occur, Church said.
Church and Musunuru questioned the decision to allow one of the embryos to be used in a pregnancy attempt, because the Chinese researchers said they knew in advance that both copies of the intended gene had not been altered.
"In that child, there really was almost nothing to be gained in terms of protection against HIV and yet you're exposing that child to all the unknown safety risks," Musunuru said.
The use of that embryo suggests that the researchers' "main emphasis was on testing editing rather than avoiding this disease," Church said.
Even if editing worked perfectly, people without normal CCR5 genes face higher risks of getting certain other viruses, such as West Nile, and of dying from the flu. Since there are many ways to prevent HIV infection and it's very treatable if it occurs, those other medical risks are a concern, Musunuru said.
There also are questions about the way He said he proceeded. He gave official notice of his work long after he said he started it - on Nov. 8, on a Chinese registry of clinical trials.
It's unclear whether participants fully understood the purpose and potential risks and benefits. For example, consent forms called the project an "AIDS vaccine development" program.
The Rice scientist, Deem, said he was present in China when potential participants gave their consent and that he "absolutely" thinks they were able to understand the risks.
Deem said he worked with He on vaccine research at Rice and considers the gene editing similar to a vaccine.
"That might be a layman's way of describing it," he said.
Both men are physics experts with no experience running human clinical trials.
The Chinese scientist, He, said he personally made the goals clear and told participants that embryo gene editing has never been tried before and carries risks. He said he also would provide insurance coverage for any children conceived through the project and plans medical followup until the children are 18 and longer if they agree once they're adults.
Further pregnancy attempts are on hold until the safety of this one is analyzed and experts in the field weigh in, but participants were not told in advance that they might not have a chance to try what they signed up for once a "first" was achieved, He acknowledged. Free fertility treatment was part of the deal they were offered.
He sought and received approval for his project from Shenzhen Harmonicare Women's and Children's Hospital, which is not one of the four hospitals that He said provided embryos for his research or the pregnancy attempts.
Some staff at some of the other hospitals were kept in the dark about the nature of the research, which He and Deem said was done to keep some participants' HIV infection from being disclosed.
"We think this is ethical," said Lin Zhitong, a Harmonicare administrator who heads the ethics panel.
Any medical staff who handled samples that might contain HIV were aware, He said. An embryologist in He's lab, Qin Jinzhou, confirmed to the AP that he did sperm washing and injected the gene editing tool in some of the pregnancy attempts.
The study participants are not ethicists, He said, but "are as much authorities on what is correct and what is wrong because it's their life on the line."
"I believe this is going to help the families and their children," He said. If it causes unwanted side effects or harm, "I would feel the same pain as they do and it's going to be my own responsibility."
___
AP Science Writer Christina Larson, AP videographer Emily Wang and AP translator Fu Ting contributed to this report from Beijing and Shenzhen, China.
This Associated Press series was produced in partnership with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
(Copyright 2018 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.)
Chinese scientist claims he
helped make world's first genetically edited babies
Photo by: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
In this Oct. 9, 2018 photo, Zhou Xiaoqin removes the cryostorage
sheath from a container for an embryo at a laboratory in Shenzhen in southern
China's Guangdong province.
NATION-WORLD
This kind of gene editing is banned in the U.S. because the DNA
changes can pass to future generations and it risks harming other genes.
A Chinese researcher claims that he
helped make the world's first genetically edited babies — twin girls whose DNA
he said he altered with a powerful new tool capable of rewriting the very
blueprint of life.
If true, it would be a profound
leap of science and ethics.
A U.S. scientist said he took part
in the work in China, but this kind of gene editing is banned in the United
States because the DNA changes can pass to future generations and it risks
harming other genes.
Many mainstream scientists think
it's too unsafe to try, and some denounced the Chinese report as human
experimentation.
The researcher, He Jiankui of
Shenzhen, said he altered embryos for seven couples during fertility
treatments, with one pregnancy resulting thus far. He said his goal was not to
cure or prevent an inherited disease, but to try to bestow a trait that few
people naturally have — an ability to resist possible future infection with
HIV, the AIDS virus.
He said the parents involved
declined to be identified or interviewed, and he would not say where they live
or where the work was done.
In this Oct. 10, 2018 photo, He Jiankui speaks during an
interview at a laboratory in Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
There is no independent
confirmation of He's claim, and it has not been published in a journal, where
it would be vetted by other experts. He revealed it Monday in Hong Kong to one
of the organizers of an international conference on gene editing that is set to
begin Tuesday, and earlier in exclusive interviews with The Associated Press.
"I feel a strong
responsibility that it's not just to make a first, but also make it an
example," He told the AP. "Society will decide what to do next"
in terms of allowing or forbidding such science.
Some scientists were astounded to
hear of the claim and strongly condemned it.
It's "unconscionable ... an
experiment on human beings that is not morally or ethically defensible,"
said Dr. Kiran Musunuru, a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert and
editor of a genetics journal.
"This is far too
premature," said Dr. Eric Topol, who heads the Scripps Research
Translational Institute in California. "We're dealing with the operating
instructions of a human being. It's a big deal."
However, one famed geneticist,
Harvard University's George Church, defended attempting gene editing for HIV,
which he called "a major and growing public health threat."
"I think this is
justifiable," Church said of that goal.
In recent years scientists have
discovered a relatively easy way to edit genes, the strands of DNA that govern
the body. The tool, called CRISPR-cas9, makes it possible to operate on DNA to
supply a needed gene or disable one that's causing problems.
It's only recently been tried in
adults to treat deadly diseases, and the changes are confined to that person.
Editing sperm, eggs or embryos is different — the changes can be inherited. In
the U.S., it's not allowed except for lab research. China outlaws human cloning
but not specifically gene editing.
He Jiankui, who goes by
"JK," studied at Rice and Stanford universities in the U.S. before
returning to his homeland to open a lab at Southern University of Science and
Technology of China in Shenzhen, where he also has two genetics companies.
The U.S. scientist who worked with
him on this project after He returned to China was physics and bioengineering
professor Michael Deem, who was his adviser at Rice in Houston. Deem also holds
what he called "a small stake" in — and is on the scientific advisory
boards of — He's two companies.
The Chinese researcher said he
practiced editing mice, monkey and human embryos in the lab for several years
and has applied for patents on his methods.
He said he chose to try embryo gene
editing for HIV because these infections are a big problem in China. He sought
to disable a gene called CCR5 that forms a protein doorway that allows HIV, the
virus that causes AIDS, to enter a cell.
All of the men in the project had
HIV and all of the women did not, but the gene editing was not aimed at
preventing the small risk of transmission, He said. The fathers had their
infections deeply suppressed by standard HIV medicines and there are simple
ways to keep them from infecting offspring that do not involve altering genes.
Instead, the appeal was to offer
couples affected by HIV a chance to have a child that might be protected from a
similar fate.
He recruited couples through a
Beijing-based AIDS advocacy group called Baihualin. Its leader, known by the
pseudonym "Bai Hua," told the AP that it's not uncommon for people
with HIV to lose jobs or have trouble getting medical care if their infections
are revealed.
Here is how He described the work:
The gene editing occurred during
IVF, or lab dish fertilization. First, sperm was "washed" to separate
it from semen, the fluid where HIV can lurk. A single sperm was placed into a
single egg to create an embryo. Then the gene editing tool was added.
When the embryos were 3 to 5 days
old, a few cells were removed and checked for editing. Couples could choose
whether to use edited or unedited embryos for pregnancy attempts. In all, 16 of
22 embryos were edited, and 11 embryos were used in six implant attempts before
the twin pregnancy was achieved, He said.
Tests suggest that one twin had
both copies of the intended gene altered and the other twin had just one
altered, with no evidence of harm to other genes, He said. People with one copy
of the gene can still get HIV, although some very limited research suggests
their health might decline more slowly once they do.
In this Oct. 9, 2018 photo, an embryo receives a small dose of
Cas9 protein and PCSK9 sgRNA in a sperm injection microscope in a laboratory in
Shenzhen in southern China's Guangdong province.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Several scientists reviewed
materials that He provided to the AP and said tests so far are insufficient to
say the editing worked or to rule out harm.
They also noted evidence that the
editing was incomplete and that at least one twin appears to be a patchwork of
cells with various changes.
"It's almost like not editing
at all" if only some of certain cells were altered, because HIV infection
can still occur, Church said.
Church and Musunuru questioned the
decision to allow one of the embryos to be used in a pregnancy attempt, because
the Chinese researchers said they knew in advance that both copies of the
intended gene had not been altered.
"In that child, there really
was almost nothing to be gained in terms of protection against HIV and yet
you're exposing that child to all the unknown safety risks," Musunuru
said.
The use of that embryo suggests
that the researchers' "main emphasis was on testing editing rather than
avoiding this disease," Church said.
Even if editing worked perfectly,
people without normal CCR5 genes face higher risks of getting certain other
viruses, such as West Nile, and of dying from the flu. Since there are many
ways to prevent HIV infection and it's very treatable if it occurs, those other
medical risks are a concern, Musunuru said.
There also are questions about the
way He said he proceeded. He gave official notice of his work long after he
said he started it — on Nov. 8, on a Chinese registry of clinical trials.
It's unclear whether participants
fully understood the purpose and potential risks and benefits. For example,
consent forms called the project an "AIDS vaccine development"
program.
The Rice scientist, Deem, said he
was present in China when potential participants gave their consent and that he
"absolutely" thinks they were able to understand the risks.
Deem said he worked with He on
vaccine research at Rice and considers the gene editing similar to a vaccine.
"That might be a layman's way
of describing it," he said.
Both men are physics experts with
no experience running human clinical trials.
The Chinese scientist, He, said he
personally made the goals clear and told participants that embryo gene editing
has never been tried before and carries risks. He said he also would provide
insurance coverage for any children conceived through the project and plans
medical followup until the children are 18 and longer if they agree once they're
adults.
Further pregnancy attempts are on
hold until the safety of this one is analyzed and experts in the field weigh
in, but participants were not told in advance that they might not have a chance
to try what they signed up for once a "first" was achieved, He
acknowledged. Free fertility treatment was part of the deal they were offered.
He sought and received approval for
his project from Shenzhen Harmonicare Women's and Children's Hospital, which is
not one of the four hospitals that He said provided embryos for his research or
the pregnancy attempts.
Some staff at some of the other
hospitals were kept in the dark about the nature of the research, which He and
Deem said was done to keep some participants' HIV infection from being
disclosed.
"We think this is
ethical," said Lin Zhitong, a Harmonicare administrator who heads the
ethics panel.
Any medical staff who handled
samples that might contain HIV were aware, He said. An embryologist in He's
lab, Qin Jinzhou, confirmed to the AP that he did sperm washing and injected
the gene editing tool in some of the pregnancy attempts.
The study participants are not
ethicists, He said, but "are as much authorities on what is correct and
what is wrong because it's their life on the line."
"I believe this is going to help
the families and their children," He said. If it causes unwanted side
effects or harm, "I would feel the same pain as they do and it's going to
be my own responsibility."
___
AP Science Writer Christina Larson,
AP videographer Emily Wang and AP translator Fu Ting contributed to this report
from Beijing and Shenzhen, China.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Time for competence at DA
DEMAND AND SUPPLY - Boo Chanco (The Philippine Star) -
November 26, 2018 - 12:00am
The
legislative bicameral conference committee has approved the rice tariffication
bill with no licensing by the NFA, removal of the NFA Council, and a P10 billion
fund for rice competitiveness. Economists
have long advocated replacement of quantitative restrictions on rice
importation with a simple tariff.
But the reform measure has also been vigorously opposed by some
supposedly farmers groups and by agriculture officials, including the current
secretary. They claim that import restriction protects local farmers. That has
not worked for decades, but they still believe it miraculously will.
As proposed by the economic managers, the bill allocates P10
billion for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund to buy farm machinery and
equipment, seed production, and training on rice farming. The restrictions on
rice imports only punished rice consumers, including farmers who buy from the
open market once their personal stocks are consumed.
President Duterte actually ordered rice import liberalization
after heated discussions in the Cabinet between the finance secretary and the
agriculture secretary. But in the end, the agriculture secretary insisted no
written order was given by the President.
In fact, the agriculture secretary in his new capacity as NFA
chairman, dilly dallied in implementing a DTI program allowing supermarkets to
import 350,000 metric tons of rice. Only 15,000 metric tons have been approved
for importation by the Lucio Co Puregold Price Club.
Under the DTI program, supermarkets and traders can import rice
from any country with the maximum quantity to be allocated per importer set at
20,000 MT. Rice sourced from an ASEAN country will be levied a 35 percent
tariff and 50 percent for non-ASEAN origin.
Removing the rice import restrictions became urgent after the
country’s inflation rate zoomed up beyond the expectations of government
economists and the central bank. The cause was traced to an above normal rise
in food cost inflation, notably the price of rice.
NFA not only failed to import enough buffer stock, but also
caused the public to panic when its administrator showed empty warehouses to
media reporters. Duterte initially blamed the rapid rise of international oil
prices for the high inflation rate. Many also mistakenly blamed TRAIN 1 as the
culprit.
High inflation was caused by the failure of Duterte to decide
amidst the long running debate between the old chairman of the NFA Council and
the NFA administrator on the right rice importation policy. That probably
explains why Duterte was using other explanations for high inflation.
Rice import liberalization makes sense. As estimated by Rolando
Dy, an agri-business specialist from the University of Asia and the Pacific:
CIF Manila for rice (25 percent broken) P22.63; tariff P7.92; Handling/importer
mark-up P5; total warehouse price P35.55 and a retailer mark-up of P1.50 for a
retail price of P37.05 a kilo.
But we must do more than just liberalizing rice importation. We
need a total program for everything from convincing farmers to plant hybrid
seeds to giving farmers access to farm credit and modernizing operations of
rice farms.
We also need to have economies of scale in rice farming, same as
Thailand and Vietnam. That is difficult, if not impossible, under the Agrarian
Reform Law. We need to have a president bold enough to declare the law dead and
come up with a better program.
We need a new Rafael Salas to lead our agriculture sector to
produce the country’s food (not just rice) requirements. We can concede the
current secretary has the best intentions, but we also need one with training
and experience to do the job.
We need someone with the organizational ability of the late
Paeng Salas, the international experience of William Dar, and the political
skills of Arthur Yap.
While Dar and Rep. Yap had their chance as past agriculture
secretaries, they didn’t have the funds now available to produce a new golden
age. Hopefully the President realizes how important it is to have the right
person… or risk high inflation again or worse.
Other than rice, the other important crop that has been
neglected in the last two years of Mr. Duterte is coconut. It is so bad that
the Thais are killing us in our own market.
At Unimart Capitol Commons, I noticed that the shelf for
something as simple and basic as coconut milk is now Thai territory. Several
brands of packaged coconut milk from the top shelf to the bottom are occupied
by Thai brands. Only Knorr is Philippine made.
This reminds me of a similar visit I made a year or so ago to an
Asian supermarket in California. I found a coconut water brand called Sarap
that was canned in Thailand. There were also boxes and boxes of fresh young
coconut or buko from Thailand.
Let us not talk about patis, a product as Filipino as we can
imagine. That, too, is now dominated abroad by the Thais. We have been hearing
how bad poverty is in our coconut regions. Processing of agriculture products
like coconut provides another level of local value added that should help
farmers get better prices for their produce.
Food processing isn’t as high tech as producing cell phones or
as complicated as manufacturing cars. Why isn’t this happening?
Is this a problem of DTI as well? Even here, we have lost the
cooking oil market to palm oil of Malaysia. I am not surprised given the
massive assistance the Malaysian government gives their planters.
We are not even talking of allocating additional government
funds to help the coconut farmers. The farmers have billions of pesos in coco
levy funds sleeping, and maybe being pillaged somewhere. Why can’t these funds
be used to help the farmers get a better living from coconuts?
I am hoping 2019 will be the year for agriculture. That can
happen with a new inspiring leader for this sector. Results! We need less
promises and more good results!
Boo Chanco’s e-mail address
is bchanco@gmail.com
Prepare for influx of cheap imported rice,
farmers told
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:33 AM November 26,
2018
LUCENA
CITY — With the passage of the rice tariffication bill, the farmers should
exert efforts to be more competitive against the expected flood of cheap
imported rice, Sen. Cynthia Villar said.
“Even
if the government has its program but if the farmers themselves will not fight
it out … the farmers should be more competitive. It cannot be done by the
government alone. It has to be done with the help of the farmers,” Villar,
chair of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, said in an interview
here Saturday afternoon.
Lower
rice prices
The
senator said amid the rising inflation in the country, the price of rice might
be lowered once the bill was signed into law due to the influx of cheaper rice
from abroad.
Villar
was guest at the annual assembly of senior citizens from the province 1st and
2nd district held at Quezon Convention Center here.
On
Thursday, the bicameral conference committee approved the rice tariffication
bill, which aims to replace the quantitative restrictions on rice imports with
tariffs.
Rice
Fund
The
bill also earmarks P10 billion for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund,
or Rice Fund, which will be allotted to the provision of farm machinery and
equipment, seed production and training on rice farming, among others.
Villar
said the bill would hopefully be signed into law before the year ends.
President
Rodrigo Duterte earlier certified the bill as urgent.
The
fund will be used for farm mechanization and enhancement of farmer’s technical
know-how, trainings, financial literacy and access to cheap credit.
Villar
explained that the country had no other option but to liberalize its imports
after the lifting of the quantitative restrictions (QR) on rice after three
extensions granted by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
In
2014, the WTO allowed the Philippines to extend its QR on rice until June 30,
2017, to give local farmers more time to prepare for free trade in light of the
government’s goal of achieving rice self-sufficiency.
Sanction
from WTO
Villar
argued that if the Philippines would not liberalize, there is a corresponding
sanction from the WTO.
“We
don’t know, which of our exports will be hit. That’s why this liberalization
but with a tariff to protect our farmers. And the tariff will proceed to the
Rice Fund to make our farmers more competitive,” the senator explained.
NEDA confident tariffs to lower prices of rice
Published
By
Chino S. Leyco
The National
Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is confident that the passage of the
measure imposing tariffs on imported rice would reduce prices and improve the
country’s output of this staple food.
Ernesto M. Pernia
Following the
passage of the rice tariffication bill in the bicameral conference committee,
Socioeconomic Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said the legislative action is a
welcome development amid skyrocketing commodity prices that drove inflation to
higher levels.
Both chambers
of Congress approved last week the rice tariffication bill amending Republic
Act (RA) No. 8178, otherwise known as the Agricultural Tariffication Act of
1996.
Once passed
into law, the new measure will replace quantitative restrictions (QR) on rice
imports with tariffs and remove unnecessary government intervention in the rice
market.
Pernia said
that NEDA views the decision as a positive development as the economic team
exhausts all efforts to tame increases in the prices of goods, particularly
rice.
“With only the
President’s signature before rice tariffication becomes a law, we are making a
big step in the realization of our agricultural reform agenda,” Pernia said.
The NEDA chief
also said the Bicam-approved bill addresses not only the tariffication of rice
in compliance with the Philippines’ obligation to the World Trade Organization,
but it also addresses food security by increasing the availability and
accessibility of cheaper rice.
“The economic
team has always been mindful that food remains to be the major contributor to
inflation. Efforts to address food supply concerns, especially rice, will
definitely help bring down consumer prices,” he added.
According to
NEDA’s preliminary estimate, headline inflation rate would be reduced by 1
percentage point if rice prices will be reduced to the level of imported rice.
Even with just a P1.00 per kilo reduction in the wholesale price of rice,
headline inflation rate would also be reduced by 0.3 percentage points.
Rice
tariffication also helps improve the productivity of farmers and, as a result,
enables them to increase their incomes.
The bill
provides for the establishment of a rice competitiveness enhancement fund
(RCEF) from an annual appropriation of P10 billion for the next six years.
If the tariff
revenues exceed P10 billion in any given year, the excess revenue will still be
plowed back to RCEF to support rice farmers.
“The RCEF will
be used to provide key interventions to support our farmers and enhance their
competitiveness,” Pernia said.
A portion of
the rice tariff revenues in excess of P10 billion shall also be used to provide
direct financial assistance to rice farmers adversely affected by the removal
of the quantitative restriction.
Related Posts
https://business.mb.com.ph/2018/11/25/neda-confident-tariffs-to-lower-prices-of-rice/
Non-basmati
exporters to get 5% benefit under merchandise exports scheme
By
, ET Bureau|
Updated: Nov 26, 2018, 08.51 AM IST
0Comments
India's rice exports during April-September dropped 9.6
percent from a year earlier to 5.8 million tonnes, as leading buyer Bangladesh
reduced purchases due to bumper local harvest.India exports a quarter of the rice in the world mainly to Africa, the US, Europe and South-East Asian nations.
The scheme will come into effect from November 26 and continue till March 2019, a notification from Directorate General of Foreign Trade said. Non-basmati rice includes husked brown rice, parboiled rice, broken rice and others, it said. “Owing to high minimum support price of paddy, we have been un-competitive in global exports despite rupee depreciation. Rice export has seen a drop of 10% in the past six months. The incentive will make us competitive in the global market,” says BV Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association.
Under the MEIS scheme, exporters will get a certificate or scrip from DGFT that can be traded. For example, if the value of export is $100, the company get $5 MEIS scrip, which it can sell.
Rao added that the hike in MSP led to an increase of $40 per tonne at $ 375- $380 a tonne. “We can now expect new contracts to be signed and be competitive compared to Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan,” he says.
Rice is India’s main kharif crop and this year’s advance estimates said production is likely to be 99.24 million tonnes or 1.78% more than the previous year. India annually exports 8-9 million tonne non-basmati rice.
Non-basmati rice exporters were seeking 10% MEIS to ease intense competition from other exporting countries.
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