Adapt or perish
- The Philippine Star
- 22 Feb 2019
- ANA MARIE PAMINTUAN
Buying rice from my suki wholesale supplier
recently, I noticed two things. One is that all the types of rice are now
classified as either regular or well milled, but the product tags still
bear the names of the varieties or brands, with corresponding price differences.
Buying
rice from my suki wholesale supplier recently, I noticed two things. One is
that all the types of rice are now classified as either regular or well
milled, but the product tags still bear the names of the varieties or
brands, with corresponding price differences.
The second noteworthy development is that
the wholesaler now sells imported well-milled rice from Thailand, at a significantly
lower price than a comparable local variety.
Rice millers meeting held at Red cross society
in Fatehgarh Sahib
Fatehgarh
Sahib, Feb 21 (UNI) Meeting of Rice Millers Association was held under the
chairmanship of Mr Lakhvir Singh Thablan at Thablan Rice Mills Bassi.
The meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere and Nakesh Jindal Chairman, Rice Miller Association was honoured on becoming Pattern of the District Red cross society.
The meeting was held in a very cordial atmosphere and Nakesh Jindal Chairman, Rice Miller Association was honoured on becoming Pattern of the District Red cross society.
Slump in basmati rice export fragile economy
Muhammad Hamza Latif February 22, 2019 Slump in basmati rice export fragile economy2019-02-22T11:00:42+00:00
A slump in the export of basmati rice is having a damaging effect
on already fragile country economy. It has accelerated rural poverty with often
damaging consequences for poor farmers.
The root cause of the fall of is complicated; both the provincial
and national government is responsible for this. This basmati variety also has
a huge role to play in eradication of poverty in rural Pakistan. Being mainly
an export variety (with 60pc of its production going overseas at one time), it
also fetches handsome amount of foreign exchange. All these factors make it too
important for social and economic reasons to be not left it on the mercy of
market force.
Today basmati rice is circled from
a number of issues range from domestic marketing to export, it faces various
problems. Ever increasing energy crisis and discouraging law and order
situation in the country threatened export process like today never before.
Export of basmati rice has go down up to 40% in the past four
years as a result the locale market has been overwhelmed by an unmanageable
glut, This result in the loss of basmati prices in the local market.
If this situation will remain continue there is a fear of further
decline of domestic market price, which will discourage farmers from growing
basmati. Key reasons for Pakistan to loss its international reputation is low
yield, which have been stick at 25-30 mounds’ per acre. The variety of seed
used in Pakistan is too old to withstand diseases and pest attack.
The public and private research institutes of the country so far
could not develop a new variety that can increase yields. Electricity
fluctuations also a prominent issue that increased the cost of production
because some rice mills are operating at only half of their capacity and gas
shortages makes the drying process difficult.
Law and order situation of port city Karachi is not that well to
facilitate the goods transport. Pakistani export had already been faced ban by
Russia, Mexico and Iran in recent years; these are due to adulteration and not
fulfilling of quality protocol in the product being sold. The international
market is the expansion of locale market, improving the quality in the domestic
market is necessary to the development of exports.
Another big factor which Pakistan faces in the international
market is the competition imposed by its traditional rivalry country by India,
as Indian basmati rice. India is more organized and presently showing its hold
on major markets in the world like Saudi Arabia, Iran, gulf and other European
countries. While in Pakistan major exporters tries but show lack of consistent
due to lower international prices, poor quality and lack of support from
government to establish brand image.
Due to better planning of crop, smart economics and support of
research institutions in India their crop enjoys leisure’s in the international
market most of the time. However, on the counterpart great news for Pakistani exporter
and farmer is that Pakistan could eat India’s basmati rice share in the
international market, this can happen due to new regulation which is declared
by the European Union spokesperson recently on the presence of hazardous
pesticides in the commodity, said an official.
From January 1, 2018, “all
countries that export basmati rice to the EU must bring down the maximum
residue limit (MRL) level for Tricyclazole,
a pesticide, to 0.01 mg per kg. Up till now, the EU was accepting 0.03 mg per
kg from different countries, including India.
Pakistan could eat Indian share, Because Pakistani farmer do not
use such chemicals to protect their crop. Indian farmers widely use these chemical
and exporter fears that 95% of the Shipment will hit by this new
regulation. Things are now going towards betterment however it seems the
road is not so easy.
Government officials said that the exporters are painting a dark
export picture otherwise the situation is not that bad. Iran’s ban will soon
completely be lifted because only two Iranian provinces are allowed to grow
rice which could not fulfill their domestic demand. Gulf is at present in
financial crisis but on the ground reality the basmati consumer is still big
enough and rich enough to help sustain imports from Pakistan.
Pakistani basmati rice has its popularity in the international
market because of its unique taste and aroma and the world is ready to pay for
this. Unfortunately poor market policies discourage the farmers from growing of
basmati, this will diminish the area under rice cultivation ultimately will
crave negative mark on country economy.
The ministries of research,
finance, commerce and food security needs to put
their head together and see how the locale market can be improved through
mutual agreements, this issue must be solved by mutual cooperation,
understanding and policy development by taking all stakeholder on board in the
favors of the farmer and the country economy.
Authors: Muhammad Shafique Aslam*, Muhammad Ishfaq, Muhammad Hamza
Latif, Shakeel Ahmad Anjum, Nadeem Akbar
Agro-Biology Lab, Department of
Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.
Why Bangladesh sees golden rice as a threat
Following announcement by agriculture minister on cultivating
golden rice within 3 months, farmers and environment groups call take out
country-wide protests
By Jitendra
Last
Updated: Friday 22 February 2019
Representational Photo: Getty Images
Bangladesh farmers and environment groups are angry over the
government’s decision to allow commercial cultivation of the controversial
genetically modified (GM) rice, popularly called as the golden rice. They
organised country-wide protests on February 13, 2019, after Bangladesh
Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak announced in early February that cultivation
of golden rice may start in the country within three months.
Bangladesh completed the confined field testing of golden rice
at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Gazipur, in early 2017. It
has already allowed commercial
production of BT Brinjal in the country.
Stop Golden Rice Network (SGRN) — a network of farmers across
Asian countries and farmer organisations of Bangladesh — organised a rally
against the decision to introduce golden rice which will impact their
traditional agriculture system.
In 1999, a group of European scientists led by Dr Ingo Potrykus
tried to change traditional rice by developing genetically-engineered rice that
contains beta-carotene — by inserting bacteria and daffodil and maize genes
into it. This is the golden rice, called so because of the golden colour of its
grains.
The golden rice was introduced in 2000 and argued to be the
panacea for world’s malnutrition problem. It was claimed that the rice is
bio-fortified, and is supposedly high in Vitamin A, Iron and Zinc.
It was considered as a significant breakthrough in
biotechnology, with its first field trials conducted by the agriculture centre
of Louisiana State University in 2004. Later, it has been claimed that field
trials were conducted in the Philippines, Taiwan and Bangladesh.
However, all these field trials were marred with controversy
over the lack of transparency and credible independent safety studies.
“Even claims made after field trial concerns remain as on the
lack of credible and independent safety studies, transparency and public
participation. Regulatory processes are flawed and appear to lean on
accommodating and facilitating the approvals of golden rice rather than serving
to ensure safety of the public and the environment,” says Cris Panerio, lead
convenor, SGRN.
USA’s Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) has concluded in its
report that beta carotene levels were too low in golden rice to counter
Vitamin-A deficiency. In comparison to golden rice, sweet potato has more than
50 times more beta-carotene level. Further, sweet potatoes can be grown on even
non-arable land in Bangladesh.
Activists fear that commercial cultivation would lead to the loss
of Bangladesh’s rich bio-diversity. “This could further push for public
acceptance of genetically-modified crops and erode our food diversity and our
local and traditional seeds, as well as increase corporate control on our
agriculture system,” says Kartini Samon, researcher at GRAIN, a Spain-based
non-profit.
GRAIN has come out with a detailed study on
how agri-business giants are pushing the golden rice in Asian countries in the
name of countering malnutrition. About 90 per cent of the global production and
consumption of rice is in Asia.
The region also accounts for a significant population suffering
from Vitamin A deficiency. The study says that rice does lack micronutrients
like Vitamin A or its precursor, beta-carotene. Hence, it is traditionally
eaten with a side dish, like vegetables or meat-based proteins to complement
the lack of micronutrients in rice-rich diets.
However, the use of golden rice has not reduced the prevalence
of Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) — it remains prevalent in poor and developed
countries as well. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an
estimated 250 million pre-school children are vitamin-A deficient.
Poverty and lack of purchasing power are identified as major
causes of malnutrition, including VAD. These issues cannot be addressed by
golden rice. Further, fortification makes food costly and less accessible for
the poor.
Dr Gene Nisperos, from Philippines’ Health Alliance for
Democracy (HEAD) and UP Manila College of Medicine, says the claim that golden
rice is safe is not backed by any evidence or outside laboratory experiments.
“It cannot pass the rigors of science. Some of the studies being
presented were based only on literature of individual protein characters,” says
Nisperos.
“It is a business strategy which will wipe out the farmers’
seeds and replace it with commercial ones that are still untested and have the
potential to produce long-term problems in agriculture. The golden rice trojan
horse must be stopped at all costs,” adds Panerio.
Labour Resource Center (LRC), Bangladesh, along with Bangladesh
Krishok Federation, Bangladesh Bhumihin Samity, Bangladesh Kishani Sabha and
Bangladesh Adivasi Samity, formed a human chain to demonstrate against the plan
in capital Dhaka.
“There are plenty of vegetables and fruits in our country which
are rich in Vitamin A, especially yellow and green vegetables and fruits. There
is no need for Golden Rice,” says Shibli Anowar, from the LRC.
DA readying measures to cushion influx
of rice imports
The Department of Agriculture and its attached agencies are
drafting several measures to help cushion the adverse effect of cheap imported
rice to farmers.
Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol pooled together rice-related
agencies to develop a strategy that will protect farmers from unfair
competition from imported rice.
The measures aim to strengthen support to the rice farmers
through free seeds, fertilizers, solar irrigation, equipment and credit to
increase production by at least 2 metric tons per hectare per harvest.
The support is expected to cushion the effect of low buying
price by private traders ranging from P16 to a high of P18 per kilo.
The department also plans to iIntensify the National Food
Authority Procurement Program, which buys clean and dry palay at P17 per kilo,
plus an additional incentive P3.70 a kilo.
The department and NFA would also offer incentives, such as loan
programs, fertilizer and equipment use to those who will sell their produce to
the NFA.
Rice farmers are being encouraged to use rice seed varieties
that yield better quality so that their produce will fetch a better price. Some
of the suggested varieties are RC 160, RC 218 and RC 300, which are being
bought by rice millers and traders at P22 to P25 a kilo.
Pinol stressed that the law allowed the export of local rice
without restrictions, a window for rice farmers to increase the production of
organic rice, heirloom rice and upland fancy rice which command a higher price
in foreign markets.
“The Philippine population is growing at a rate of 1.7 percent
while our rice-exporting neighbors also have increasing population. Five to 10
years from now, there will not be enough rice for everybody. If we abandon rice
farming now, we will be guilty of abandoning our responsibility to ensure food
security for the next generation,” Piñol said.
The Rice Tarrification Law, a measure that will open the
Philippine market to imported rice, is a commitment of the Philippines to the
World Trade Organization in compliance with a trade measure lifting the
quantitative restrictions on imported rice.
DA to hold nationwide consultations on
rice tariffication
By Lilybeth Ison February 22, 2019, 6:14 pm
MANILA -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) will hold next week
nationwide consultations to make stakeholders understand the details of the
rice tariffication and liberalization law recently signed by President Rodrigo
Duterte.
"The face-to-face consultations will include leaders of rice
farmers' groups and other rice industry stakeholders, including feed millers
who rely (on) the local supply of rice bran for their feed production. While
the rice liberalization and tariffication law has been signed and could no
longer be amended, the law requires consultations with the stakeholders to
gather inputs which would contribute to the crafting of an IRR (implementing
rules and regulations) needed to implement the law," DA Secretary Emmanuel
Piñol said in a press briefing on Thursday.
Piñol said the holding of nationwide consultations and information
activities was agreed upon during a meeting Thursday of DA regional directors
of the rice program committee, the National Food Authority (NFA), Philippine
Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), and other agencies involved in the
rice program.
The first consultation will be on February 26 at the Philippine
Carabao Center (PCC) compound in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija for the Northern Luzon
cluster. It will cover the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Regions 1
(Ilocos), 2 (Cagayan Valley), and 3 (Central Luzon).
On Feb. 27, it will be held in Lipa City, Batangas for the
Southern Luzon cluster, which includes Regions 4-A (Calabarzon), 4-B
(Mimaropa), and the Bicol region.
On Feb. 28, the consultation will be in Davao City for all regions
in Mindanao, including the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
The last consultation is slated on March 1 in Iloilo City for the Visayas region.
The last consultation is slated on March 1 in Iloilo City for the Visayas region.
On March 2, Piñol said the DA Policy and Planning Office will work
overtime to complete a collated report on the results of the consultations.
"The DA will submit and present this (report) during the NFA
Council meeting on March 5. It is expected that NEDA (National Economic and
Development Authority), which is the lead agency in the formulation of the IRR,
would be present in the meeting," he said.
Meanwhile, Piñol said the DA rice group also came up with
strategies on how to possibly provide an "absorber" to the shock that
is expected to be felt by local rice farmers with the expected flooding of
imported rice.
"One, we agreed that greater support should be given to the
Filipino rice farmers and this would come in the form of rice seeds," he
said.
However, Piñol said when they computed the amount of money
allocated for rice seeds, "we discovered that it would not be enough to
cover every rice farmer."
To counter the adverse effect of the inflow of cheap imported
rice, Piñol said the DA rice group recommended the introduction of rice seeds
of high value and good quality varieties, such as RC 160, RC 218, RC 300, and
other rice varieties of good quality.
"If these are introduced to the market, many Filipino
consumers would prefer that. Even the local millers and traders buy these
varieties at a higher price than the ordinary rice," he said.
He said the government will review the rice sufficiency target.
"We may have to be contented with just 93 percent where we
are right now because the inflow of imported rice may affect the prices of rice
in the market and further dampen the buying price of palay," he said.
Piñol noted that one feature of the rice liberalization law is the
provision that allows the export of local rice without restrictions.
"This may sound ridiculous now but Filipino farmers could
actually increase the volume of exports of organic rice, heirloom rice, and
upland fancy rice, which command a higher price in foreign markets," he
said.
Piñol stressed that "rice farming will continue and must be
pursued" despite the challenges that the rice industry is facing.
"The Philippine population is growing at a rate of 1.7
percent while our rice-exporting neighbors also have increasing population.
Five to 10 years from now, there will not be enough rice for everybody. If we
abandon rice farming now, we will be guilty of abandoning our responsibility to
ensure food security for the next generation," he said.
"Admittedly, the challenges are difficult but with God's
grace, we will survive and prevail," he added. (PNA)
riday,
February 22, 2019
Inbox x
USA Rice via usarice.ccsend.com
1:28
AM (13 hours ago)
to me
February 22, 2019
Made to order at
the USA Rice deli
Japanese Supermarkets Get a Taste of U.S.
Medium Grain
By Jim Guinn
TOKYO, JAPAN -- At the Supermarket Trade Show
here last week, the USA Rice booth was set up like the deli corner of an actual
supermarket to showcase U.S. rice to the Nakashoku (prepared foods and
take-out) industry at the retail level.
More than 88,000 supermarket buyers, foodservice companies, and prepared
food manufacturers attended the three-day event, one of the largest food
industry trade shows in Japan.
USA Rice introduced bento lunch boxes and
inarizushi (sushi wrapped in fried bean curd) featuring U.S. medium grain rice,
highlighting the rice's light texture, blendability with seasonings and other
ingredients, and adaptability to cold dishes.
"We had five kinds of lunch boxes and two
different inarizushi - a traditional inarizushi and a new style Inari-SUSHI,
the name we coined and use in Japan," said Yumi Kojima, the USA Rice
contractor in Japan who attended the show.
"We also had three different U.S. medium grain taste-testing rice
items, including olive rice (cooked with sliced olives and olive oil),
traditional inarizushi, and curry flavored Inari-SUSHI."
The olive rice is an innovative use of rice for
bento boxes since traditional bento boxes always feature plain steamed
rice. The two different inarizushi were
prepared to show how suitable U.S. medium grain is for sushi.
"Both the new style bento and Inari-SUSHI
dishes were well received by the many visitors who stopped by the USA Rice deli
counter," said Kojima. "Most
people admitted they could not tell it was U.S. medium grain used in the
traditional inarizushi, and they were intrigued by the curry flavored
Inari-SUSHI. We talked with several food
industry executives on how to proceed with future product developments using
U.S. medium grain for take-out items."
The rise in local rice prices in each of last
four consecutive years has pushed the Nakashoku industry to pay greater
attention to U.S. medium grain rice.
"Our new approach to traditional food concepts has helped gain and
hold that attention," concluded Sarah Moran, USA Rice vice president
international
USA Daily Rice
DA readying measures to cushion influx
of rice imports
The Department of Agriculture and its attached agencies are drafting
several measures to help cushion the adverse effect of cheap imported rice to
farmers.
Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol pooled together rice-related
agencies to develop a strategy that will protect farmers from unfair
competition from imported rice.
The measures aim to strengthen support to the rice farmers
through free seeds, fertilizers, solar irrigation, equipment and credit to
increase production by at least 2 metric tons per hectare per harvest.
The support is expected to cushion the effect of low buying
price by private traders ranging from P16 to a high of P18 per kilo.
The department also plans to iIntensify the National Food
Authority Procurement Program, which buys clean and dry palay at P17 per kilo,
plus an additional incentive P3.70 a kilo.
The department and NFA would also offer incentives, such as loan
programs, fertilizer and equipment use to those who will sell their produce to
the NFA.
Rice farmers are being encouraged to use rice seed varieties
that yield better quality so that their produce will fetch a better price. Some
of the suggested varieties are RC 160, RC 218 and RC 300, which are being
bought by rice millers and traders at P22 to P25 a kilo.
Pinol stressed that the law allowed the export of local rice
without restrictions, a window for rice farmers to increase the production of
organic rice, heirloom rice and upland fancy rice which command a higher price
in foreign markets.
“The Philippine population is growing at a rate of 1.7 percent
while our rice-exporting neighbors also have increasing population. Five to 10
years from now, there will not be enough rice for everybody. If we abandon rice
farming now, we will be guilty of abandoning our responsibility to ensure food
security for the next generation,” Piñol said.
The Rice Tarrification Law, a measure that will open the
Philippine market to imported rice, is a commitment of the Philippines to the
World Trade Organization in compliance with a trade measure lifting the
quantitative restrictions on imported rice.
DA to hold nationwide consultations on
rice tariffication
By Lilybeth Ison February 22, 2019, 6:14 pm
MANILA -- The Department of
Agriculture (DA) will hold next week nationwide consultations to make
stakeholders understand the details of the rice tariffication and
liberalization law recently signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
"The face-to-face consultations will include leaders of rice
farmers' groups and other rice industry stakeholders, including feed millers
who rely (on) the local supply of rice bran for their feed production. While
the rice liberalization and tariffication law has been signed and could no
longer be amended, the law requires consultations with the stakeholders to
gather inputs which would contribute to the crafting of an IRR (implementing rules
and regulations) needed to implement the law," DA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol
said in a press briefing on Thursday.
Piñol said the holding of nationwide consultations and information
activities was agreed upon during a meeting Thursday of DA regional directors
of the rice program committee, the National Food Authority (NFA), Philippine
Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), and other agencies involved in the
rice program.
The first consultation will be on February 26 at the Philippine
Carabao Center (PCC) compound in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija for the Northern Luzon
cluster. It will cover the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Regions 1
(Ilocos), 2 (Cagayan Valley), and 3 (Central Luzon).
On Feb. 27, it will be held in Lipa City, Batangas for the
Southern Luzon cluster, which includes Regions 4-A (Calabarzon), 4-B
(Mimaropa), and the Bicol region.
On Feb. 28, the consultation will be in Davao City for all regions
in Mindanao, including the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
The last consultation is slated on March 1 in Iloilo City for the Visayas region.
The last consultation is slated on March 1 in Iloilo City for the Visayas region.
On March 2, Piñol said the DA Policy and Planning Office will work
overtime to complete a collated report on the results of the consultations.
"The DA will submit and present this (report) during the NFA
Council meeting on March 5. It is expected that NEDA (National Economic and
Development Authority), which is the lead agency in the formulation of the IRR,
would be present in the meeting," he said.
Meanwhile, Piñol said the DA rice group also came up with
strategies on how to possibly provide an "absorber" to the shock that
is expected to be felt by local rice farmers with the expected flooding of
imported rice.
"One, we agreed that greater support should be given to the
Filipino rice farmers and this would come in the form of rice seeds," he
said.
However, Piñol said when they computed the amount of money
allocated for rice seeds, "we discovered that it would not be enough to
cover every rice farmer."
To counter the adverse effect of the inflow of cheap imported
rice, Piñol said the DA rice group recommended the introduction of rice seeds
of high value and good quality varieties, such as RC 160, RC 218, RC 300, and
other rice varieties of good quality.
"If these are introduced to the market, many Filipino
consumers would prefer that. Even the local millers and traders buy these
varieties at a higher price than the ordinary rice," he said.
He said the government will review the rice sufficiency target.
"We may have to be contented with just 93 percent where we
are right now because the inflow of imported rice may affect the prices of rice
in the market and further dampen the buying price of palay," he said.
Piñol noted that one feature of the rice liberalization law is the
provision that allows the export of local rice without restrictions.
"This may sound ridiculous now but Filipino farmers could
actually increase the volume of exports of organic rice, heirloom rice, and
upland fancy rice, which command a higher price in foreign markets," he
said.
Piñol stressed that "rice farming will continue and must be
pursued" despite the challenges that the rice industry is facing.
"The Philippine population is growing at a rate of 1.7
percent while our rice-exporting neighbors also have increasing population.
Five to 10 years from now, there will not be enough rice for everybody. If we
abandon rice farming now, we will be guilty of abandoning our responsibility to
ensure food security for the next generation," he said.
"Admittedly, the challenges are difficult but with God's
grace, we will survive and prevail," he added. (PNA)
Despite rice importation law, NFA will
still sell affordable rice–Piñol
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 07:09 AM February 22,
2019
Agriculture
Secretary Emmanuel Piñol has assured the public that the National Food
Authority (NFA) will still sell subsidized rice despite the passage of the Rice
Import Liberalization Act.
Piñol said
the state-run grains agency would need to dispose of the palay it was buying
from farmers, and one way to do that was to sell it to the market.
“While the
NFA won’t be allowed to import rice anymore … the fact remains that the NFA
would still be procuring locally produced rice,” he said.
“It follows
then that the NFA, even under the new rice regime, will really have to release
that stock in the market,” he added.
Optimum volume
Piñol, who
is also part of the team formulating the law’s implementing rules and
regulations, said a guideline would be created as to how the grains agency
would sell the staple.
“For
example, if the agency reaches the optimal volume for its buffer stocking and
there has been no emergencies or calamities, then the NFA would have to sell
the stock. Otherwise, it will rot,” said the secretary, who is also the acting
head of the NFA.
Piñol said
the government could auction off its stock, subsidize the sale of local rice or
adjust the selling price of NFA rice to make sure the agency would not lose
money in the process.
About 10
million Filipinos rely on NFA rice, which is sold at P27 to P32 a kilo.
Sen. Cynthia
Villar earlier said that President Duterte himself gave assurance that the
agency would still sell NFA rice.
“The
President said that even with rice tariffication and liberalization of the rice
industry, the NFA shall continue to provide the public with rice that is
affordable and safe,” she said. —KARL R. OCAMPO
Vietnam reconsidering rice
production, export plans
VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam’s rice export turnover has been
increasing year after year, but most exports continue to be raw and
pre-processed products, experts say.
Vietnam is one of the top three rice exporters
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
(MARD), Vietnam is one of the top three rice exporters of the world with
average export volume of 5-7 million tons a year and export turnover of
$2.5-3.5 billion in 2011-2017.
The average export price in the first 10 months of 2018 was $504 per ton, an increase of 12.3 percent over the same period of 2017.
Vietnam’s rice has stable export markets. Asian markets consume 70 percent of total exports. Of these, China is the biggest client with 35 percent, followed by the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
The average export price in the first 10 months of 2018 was $504 per ton, an increase of 12.3 percent over the same period of 2017.
Vietnam’s rice has stable export markets. Asian markets consume 70 percent of total exports. Of these, China is the biggest client with 35 percent, followed by the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
|
Vietnam’s rice has stable export
markets. Asian markets consume 70 percent of total exports. Of these, China
is the biggest client with 35 percent, followed by the Philippines, Indonesia
and Malaysia.
|
African countries imported 28 percent of Vietnam’s exports in
2013. However, exports to the markets have decreased sharply because of white
rice from India and Thailand which have competitive prices.
In the US market, Vietnam is the third biggest exporter. Oceania is a new client of Vietnam, but this is a promising market with consumption amounting to 7 percent of exports in 2017.
However, MARD pointed out that the output of Vietnam’s rice remains unstable and the risk from price fluctuation exists.
The Prime Minister has decided that Vietnam needs to reduce the export volume before raising export prices.
In the 2017-2020 period, Vietnam plans to export 4.5-5 million tons of rice products a year, with average value of $2.2-2.3 billion. The figures are 4 million tons and $2.3-2.5 billion, respectively, for 2021-2030.
To reach this goal, low- and medium-grade rice exports must not be higher than 20 percent of total exports.
Meanwhile, high-quality white rice exports need to account for 25 percent, while the proportion should be 30 percent for fragrant, specialty and japonica rice, and 20 percent for sticky rice. The remaining will be high added-value rice products, such as nutritious rice, parboiling and organic rice.
It is expected that by 2030, low-quality rice exports would not be higher than 10 percent of total exports.
The acting head of the HCMC Institute for Development Studies, Tran Anh Tuan, noted that if the Mekong Delta, the country’s rice granary, continues to develop rice production and export in width, it will earn more money by expanding production and will fall into the ‘unsustainable development’ trap.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Duc Thanh, head of VEPR (Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research), believes that the successful building of Vietnamese rice brand will lay a firm foundation to increase exports.
In the US market, Vietnam is the third biggest exporter. Oceania is a new client of Vietnam, but this is a promising market with consumption amounting to 7 percent of exports in 2017.
However, MARD pointed out that the output of Vietnam’s rice remains unstable and the risk from price fluctuation exists.
The Prime Minister has decided that Vietnam needs to reduce the export volume before raising export prices.
In the 2017-2020 period, Vietnam plans to export 4.5-5 million tons of rice products a year, with average value of $2.2-2.3 billion. The figures are 4 million tons and $2.3-2.5 billion, respectively, for 2021-2030.
To reach this goal, low- and medium-grade rice exports must not be higher than 20 percent of total exports.
Meanwhile, high-quality white rice exports need to account for 25 percent, while the proportion should be 30 percent for fragrant, specialty and japonica rice, and 20 percent for sticky rice. The remaining will be high added-value rice products, such as nutritious rice, parboiling and organic rice.
It is expected that by 2030, low-quality rice exports would not be higher than 10 percent of total exports.
The acting head of the HCMC Institute for Development Studies, Tran Anh Tuan, noted that if the Mekong Delta, the country’s rice granary, continues to develop rice production and export in width, it will earn more money by expanding production and will fall into the ‘unsustainable development’ trap.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Duc Thanh, head of VEPR (Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research), believes that the successful building of Vietnamese rice brand will lay a firm foundation to increase exports.
Only nine
crops account for two-thirds of global food output, finds FAO report
‘Switch to
modern production systems has led to decline in use of farmers’ varieties and
landraces’
As few as nine crops account for two-thirds of the global food
output, and on-farm crop diversity has declined significantly over the decades
as farmers have switched from traditional production systems that utilise
farmers’ varieties and landraces to modern production systems depending on
officially released varieties, shows a report on global biodiversity of food
and agriculture, released on Friday.
Globally, there are approximately 3,82,000 species of vascular
plants, of which a little over 6,000 have been cultivated for food. Of these,
as of 2014, fewer than 200 species had significant production levels globally,
with only nine (sugarcane, maize, rice, wheat, potatoes, soyabeans, oil-palm
fruit, sugar beet and cassava) accounting for over 66 per cent of all crop
production by weight,” said the first-ever State of the World’s Biodiversity
for Food and Agriculture report, released by the UN Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO).
According to the report, which analysed country reports
presented by 187 nations, the overall diversity present in farmers’ fields has
declined and threats to diversity are increasing, even though the situation
varies greatly depending on the country, location and type of production
system.
“Although it is not possible to make definite statements about
global trends, evidence suggests that overall, the diversity present in
farmers’ fields has declined and that threats to diversity are getting
stronger,” the report released in Rome said.
The biodiversity of food crops is important because it is the
foundation of food systems and makes production systems more resilient and
makes them withstand the effects of climate change.
However, it also added that since a widely applicable indicator
for monitoring within-species diversity was still missing, the precise extent
of such diversity is difficult to quantify.
Livestock
As regards livestock, the report said, the world’s livestock
production is based on about 40 animal species, with only a handful providing
the vast majority of global output of meat, milk and eggs.
As of 2018, 7,745 out of 8,803 reported livestock breeds were
classified as local and 593 of these breeds are extinct. Among the extant local
breeds, 26 per cent are considered to be at risk of extinction, while the risk
status of 67 per cent is unknown. While wild water buffalo and banteng, jungle
cattle present in South-East Asia, are classified as endangered, Indian bison,
wild yak and wild goats are among vulnerable species.
“It appears that a higher proportion of livestock with wild
relative species are threatened with extinction, rather than mammalian and bird
species in general,” the report said.
Though 31,000 species of finfish, 52,000 species of aquatic
molluscs, 64,000 species of aquatic crustaceans and 14,000 species of aquatic
plants have been reported, global capture fisheries harvested in 2016 was
limited to 1,800 marine species. The report, however, added that there are
numerous genetically distinct stocks and phenotypes within these thousands of
species.
Similarly, the data on inland fisheries could be incomplete as
over half of all production is not designated by species, the reported said,
quoting a scientific study in 2015.
As regards forest biodiversity, the FAO report said the number
of tree species in the world is estimated to be around 60,000. Globally, more
than 700 tree species, including bamboo, palms, and scrubs, have been included
in tree-breeding programmes. It said forest resources are being threatened and
eroded by conversion of forests to agriculture, unsustainable harvesting of
trees for wood and non-wood products, grazing and browsing, climate change,
forest fires and invasive species. Forests, according to the report, still
cover 30.6 per cent of the world’s land area and even though forests continue to
shrink, the rate of annual net loss of forests has decreased significantly over
recent decades.
Among other things that threaten food and agriculture
biodiversity, are the threat faced by pollinator species as well as a decline
in soil decline. According to the report, one in seven species of vertebrate
pollinators – such as bees – is threatened with global extinction (rising to
almost one in three in island countries. Similarly, soil biodiversity is under
threat in all regions of the world, leading to deterioration of soil health, it
said.
China to donate 5,700 tons of rice to support
Mozambique
Source: Xinhua| 2019-02-22
05:15:58|Editor: Mu Xuequan
MAPUTO, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Mozambique and China have signed an
agreement under which China pledged to provide 5,700 tons of rice to support
Mozambican people affected by the natural disasters throughout the southeastern
African country.
The agreement, disclosed Thursday by the Mozambican government
in a statement, was signed last week by Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Cooperation Jose Pacheco and Chinese Ambassador to Mozambique Su Jian.
"Through the legal instrument, the government of China will
provide 5,700 tons of rice to strengthen the food security program and provide
assistance to victims of natural disasters in the country," read the
statement.
The statement also said that the donation is under the framework
of the partnership established between the two countries and one of the results
of Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi's visit to China, in the context of the
2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
In the years 2016 and 2017, China made available 17,000 tons of
rice to support Mozambique, according to the statement.
Wheat imports drop for higher rice harvests
12:00 AM, February 22, 2019 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:06 AM, February
22, 2019
The import of the grain soared last
fiscal year following losses for recurrent floods, according to two private
importers.
Since then farmers have bagged good
harvests of rice, reducing the appetite for wheat among a section of consumers.
“Rice prices are competitive this
year while the prices of wheat have increased in the international market this
year,” said Abul Bashar Chowdhury, chairman of BSM Group, a major commodity
importer from Chattogram.
The low-protein wheat's price
soared to $240-$270 a tonne in recent months from $190-$230 a year ago, he
said.
In addition, higher domestic
production of rice has also dampened the prices of the staple in the domestic
market.
Retail prices of coarse rice,
consumed mostly by the low-income people, fell 10 percent year-on-year to Tk 38-42
a kilogram yesterday in Dhaka city, according to market data by the state-run
Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.
Wheat flour prices remained
unchanged.
“There is a section of people who
switch to wheat if the prices of rice are higher. They return to rice if the
prices of the staple remain relatively low,” Chowdhury said.
This is the first time since fiscal
2011-12 that wheat imports dropped. Over the last seven years, spiralling
domestic demand trebled wheat import as local production fell short.
Total import by the public and
private sector rose to 4.8 percent year-on-year to 58.80 lakh tonnes in fiscal
2017-18, according to food ministry data.
As of January 31, public sector
imported 1.97 lakh tonnes and private sector imported 32.22 lakh tonnes, according
to Fortnightly Foodgrain Outlook by the food planning and monitoring unit under
the food ministry.
“We see a kind of negative growth
this time. Total wheat import is likely to fall if the international prices
continue to remain up and farmers harvest bumper rice in the next season,”
Chowdhury added.
Abdus Shukur, head of supply chain
(food and energy) of Bashundhara Group, one of the leading importers and
processors of wheat, however, expects wheat imports to not fall come the end of
the fiscal year.
“Imports picked up in January,” he
said, adding that the total imports this fiscal year would be 60 lakh tonnes.
Domestically, wheat area has
contracted further to 3.29 lakh hectares during the current season as many
growers have switched to maize and other crops to cash in on higher gains,
according to the Department of Agricultural Extension.
Farmers grew the grain on 3.50 lakh
hectares and harvested 10.98 lakh tonnes in fiscal 2017-18, according to the
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
China donates more than 9,600 tonnes of rice
to South Sudan
Source: Xinhua| 2019-02-22
03:15:22|Editor: Mu Xuequan
JUBA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government on Thursday
donated about 9,660 tonnes of rice to South Sudan to assist civilians at risk
of starvation in the world's youngest nation, which is in the process of
reconstruction after nearly five years of civil strife.
Manasseh Lomole, chairperson of Relief and Rehabilitation
Commission, said the first batch of Chinese rice has already arrived in the
capital Juba and the remainder will be delivered later.
The food donation will be channelled to returnees, internally
displaced people and survivors of floods and drought.
Lomole appreciated the Chinese support to South Sudan as the
country is grappling with recurrent drought.
"To the people of China, and on behalf of the people of
South Sudan, I want to say thank you," said Lomole.
He called on the Chinese government to move beyond food aid and
support the development of South Sudan.
"We want you to help us in developing our agriculture
sector so that we can be able to feed ourselves in the near future," he
added.
He Xiangdong, the Chinese ambassador to South Sudan, said the
donation was part of China's efforts to boost stability in South Sudan.
"This is a gift from the people of China to our brothers
and sisters here in South Sudan. We are very confident that in the future, not
very long from now, the people of South Sudan will be able to stand on their
own feet," said He.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/22/c_137840725.htm
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