Tuesday, June 18, 2019

18th June,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter


Poor pace of paddy purchases hurting farmers

Description: Web_Paddy-rice-Farmers-Mehedi-hasan Published at 10:58 pm June 16th, 2019

File photo of farmers reaping paddy in a field in Moulvibazar Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune

A paltry 7.5% of targeted paddy volume has been purchased from farmers so far, but millers managed to sell 35% of the rice that the government plans to buy this Boro season
If the government wants to provide farmers with price support, the last thing it should allow is to have a situation where farmers end up selling their paddy to middlemen at lower prices.
But thanks to systemic apathy in the government’s paddy purchases from farmers, there is no spirited drive in the ongoing foodgrain procurement program.
Market sources fear that by the time the drive gains momentum, if at all, farmers in dire need of cash would already be compelled to sell paddy at much cheaper rates to middlemen and millers. Paddy farmers would eventually not get the price benefit meant for them.     
The government’s food purchase centres across the country might likely buy less than 30,000 tons paddy from farmers in the first one and a half months of a four-month long procurement drive.
This purchase would only be 7.5% of the procurement target of 400,000 tons. 
Thanks to a rice glut, courtesy of high domestic production and unregulated cheaper rice imports from across the border, farmers this Boro season are distressed and are being offered Tk500 for each maund of paddy as against the government declared support price of Tk1,040 per maund.
When it comes to providing price support to farmers, it’s the pace of the government’s procurement drive that matters most, not the volume.
Though the government last week revised its procurement volume from an initially planned 150,000 tons to 400,000 tons, the desired pace in procurement is completely missing, as evidenced by Food Ministry statistics.
Description: https://media.dhakatribune.com/uploads/2019/06/rice-info-1560704284517.jpg
Market sources say that given the reality of the government buying only a small portion of rice and paddy from farmers and millers, it needs to do it at a much better pace. Otherwise, farmers miss out on the true benefits of the government price support intended to help them, and middlemen and millers end up cashing in on the benefits instead.
Interestingly, when it comes to rice but not paddy, the procurement drive appears to be a good success. Out of a targeted purchase of 1.1 million tons of rice, the Food Directorate has already procured over 380,000 tons in the first one and a half months of the four-month long drive, accomplishing a third of the task at a fast clip.
The price benefit of the government’s rice procurement program largely goes to rice millers, who buy paddy from farmers at cheaper rates, converting that into rice and selling the same to the government at higher rates.
Reached over the phone, Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque told this correspondent that after revising the paddy procurement target from 150,000 tons to 400,000 tons, the government has instructed purchase officials to buy paddy directly from farmers and convert the same into rice. 
Food officials acknowledge that the government does not have the capacity to hold paddy in public granaries which have expressly been built to store rice.
Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder recently said a process was underway to build several new food depots across the country where one million tons paddy could be stored.


Top-end rice prices on the boil
Description: https://bl.thgim.com/economy/agri-business/1jlig4/article28022424.ece/alternates/WIDE_615/bl18rice Prices of preferred non-basmati rice varieties such as Sona Masuri and Kolam have risen by up to a fifth over the past few weeks on supply squeeze. This is mainly on account of reduced output in the previous cropping season in the drought-affected regions of eastern Karnataka and Vidarbha, where these varieties are mostly grown.
Also the tardy progress of southwest monsoon and concerns over projection of rainfall this year has aided the upward price trend with farmers and millers holding back their stocks, sources said.
Water crisis
Scanty rainfall last year coupled with lack of canal water for irrigation had impacted the paddy cultivation in districts such as Bellary, Koppal, Raichur and Yadgir in Eastern Karnataka. “While the kharif transplantation was hit by the delay in release of water last year, farmers could not take up paddy cultivation during the rabi season as there was hardly any water in the canals,” said Chamras Malipatil, President of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha - Hasiru Sene. However, there’s no dearth of paddy stocks, he said. “Large farmers, stockists and millers are holding the stocks from previous crops,” Malipatil said, adding that newer storage techniques, including improved fumigation, are helping them hold the stocks. Traditionally, the prices of the preferred varieties go up during this time of the year by about 2 per kg as the supply slows down. However, the extent of increase has more than doubled to around ₹5 per kg this year, says RC Lahoti, President, Bengaluru Wholesale Food Grain & Pulses Merchants Association. Interestingly, the prices of other varieties such as Salem Idly has also gone up this year. “Prices may come down when the farmers start releasing the stocks in October-November,” Lahoti said. Srikar Nag of Raichur Rice Mills Association, blamed the unplanned release of water for irrigation from the dams on the Tungabhadra and the Krishna rivers in the region for the shortfall in the crop. “Though the Tungabhadra dam got filled up, farmers could hardly take advantage of it due to the unplanned release of waters by the government,” said Nag.
Abysmal water levels
Water levels have reached the dead storage levels in Tungabhadra reservoir, where accumulation of silt has reduced the storage capacity. While the shortfall in last year’s kharif crop was estimated at 30-40 per cent, farmers could hardly harvest a tenth of the rabi crop, he said. As a result, the supplies to the rice mills in Raichur have drastically reduced, forcing some mills to fetch paddy from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Nag said. Consecutive droughts in Nagpur region, where the Kolam variety is grown, has also hit the supplies of the premium variety, he added. Vikram Shreeram of Shriya Rice Mills in Raichur said the price correction ranged between 2-6 per kg at the mill, depending on the varieties. The shortage of paddy has hit the processing of 70-odd rice mills in Raichur, which have reduced their production by half. “The 70-odd mills used to load about 400-500 tonnes of processed rice every day. Presently, we are not even loading 150-200 tonnes a day,” he added. Srinivas Jayanthi, a trader in Bengaluru said the price fluctuation continues on a daily basis. The steamed variety of sona masuri has seen the highest increase from around 33 a kg a month ago to aound ₹41-42 per kg now. Prices could ease depending on the progress of monsoon, he added. Indias rice production for 2018-19 is seen at a record 115.63 million tonnes. Bulk of the paddy produced in India is that of common variety, which is used for supply of rice through the public distribution system. Trade sources estimate that about a fourth of rice produced in India is of premium variety including basmati. However, the production figures for preferred varieties like sona masuri and kolam were not readily available.

Climate change affects grain production in India; rice crop significantly declines,
Climate change affects grain production in India; rice crop significantly declines, says study
India's grain production is vulnerable to climate change, say scientist who have found that the yield of the country's rice crop can significantly decline during extreme weather conditions.
Description: grain production, crop produon, grain production and climate change, crop production and climate change, crop yields and climate change, rice production and climate changeIndia?s grain production is vulnerable to climate change. (Reuters)
India’s grain production is vulnerable to climate change, say scientist who have found that the yield of the country’s rice crop can significantly decline during extreme weather conditions. Researchers from Columbia University in the US studied the effects of climate on five major crops in India: finger millet, maize, pearl millet, sorghum and rice. These crops make up the vast majority of grain production during the June-to-September monsoon season — India’s main grain production period — with rice contributing three-quarters of the supply for the season. Taken together, the five grains are essential for meeting India’s nutritional needs, researchers said. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, found that the yields from grains such as millet, sorghum, and maize are more resilient to extreme weather. Their yields vary significantly less due to year-to-year changes in climate and generally experience smaller declines during droughts. However, yields from rice, India’s main crop, experience larger declines during extreme weather conditions. “By relying more and more on a single crop — rice — India’s food supply is potentially vulnerable to the effects of varying climate,” said Kyle Davis, an environmental data scientist. “Expanding the area planted with these four alternative grains can reduce variations in Indian grain production caused by extreme climate, especially in the many places where their yields are comparable to rice,” Davis said. “Doing so will mean that the food supply for the country’s massive and growing population is less in jeopardy during times of drought or extreme weather,” Davis. Temperatures and rainfall amounts in India vary from year to year and influence the amount of crops that farmers can produce. With episodes of extreme climate such as droughts and storms becoming more frequent, it is essential to find ways to protect India’s crop production from these shocks, Davis said.

The team combined historical data on crop yields, temperature, and rainfall.  Data on the yields of each crop came from state agricultural ministries across India and covered 46 years (1966-2011) and 593 of India’s 707 districts.  The researchers also used modelled data on temperature and precipitation. Using these climate variables as predictors of yield, they then employed a modelling approach to estimate whether there was a significant relationship between year-to-year variations in climate and crop yields. “This study shows that diversifying the crops that a country grows can be an effective way to adapt its food-production systems to the growing influence of climate change,” said Davis. “And it adds to the evidence that increasing the production of alternative grains in India can offer benefits for improving nutrition, for saving water, and for reducing energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture,” he said.

Dispelling falsehoods about GM crops

By: Vivian Fernandes | 
Updated: June 17, 2019 11:20:19 AM

What India can learn from the Philippines, which set up a Biotech Program Office in 2000 to promote the responsible use of agri-biotechnology to sustain food security

Description: GM crops, genetically engineered crops, brinjal, cotton, GM mustard, UPA, NDA, NDA government, HT cotton, GM corn, Biotech Program Office, GM crops, financial express opinion, financial expressDispelling falsehoods about GM crops
With Prakash Javadekar taking charge of the environment ministry from the inert Harsh Vardhan, and hopes kindling of genetically-engineered brinjal and mustard being approved for cultivation, one wishes the government had a specialised communication agency for advocacy and outreach to create public opinion favourable for agri-biotechnology.
Although India approved Bt cotton, genetically-engineered to be toxic to the American bollworm, in 2002, and permitted another variant in 2006 (both of which farmers have embraced enthusiastically), those opposing these have been so successful in demonising the technology that no other crop—Bt brinjal, herbicide-tolerant (HT) cotton, or GM mustard—have got the nod for cultivation.
Javadekar is known to be in favour of the science. In December 2015, he told me that he was “determined” to approve GM mustard. But before he could take a decision, he was shifted to the ministry of human resource development. Any positive moves he makes now will be met with strong opposition from anti-GM activists, including the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, one of the 36 organisations affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the mentor of the ruling party.
Over the past 15 years, both the UPA and NDA governments stalled; they did not approve new GM crops. Only a few political leaders support the technology. But farmers are restive. They’ve planted large tracts with illegal HT cotton. In May, a farmer in Haryana was forced to destroy his illegal Bt brinjal crop, which he found profitable because it required very few sprays against the fruit and shoot borer. On June 10, the Shetkari Sanghatana, founded by the pro-market and pro-technology Sharad Joshi, defied the law and planted illegal HT cotton and Bt brinjal near Akola in Maharashtra, demanding time-bound approvals and certainty in access to agri-biotechnology.
The government could learn from the Philippines, which set up a Biotech Program Office in 2000 to promote the responsible use of agri-biotechnology to sustain food security. It was educative to meet its director-coordinator Annalyn Lopez during a visit to Manila in April at the invitation and expense of CropLife Asia, which represents the agri-biotechnology industry in this part of the world.
Apart from overseeing research and development in biotech, developing skills in officials to regulate GM crops, and promoting policy research and advocacy, the Biotech Program Office strives for public understanding and acceptance of agri-biotechnology. “Communicating health and safety to laypeople is difficult as biotech is sophisticated,” says Lopez. “We are communicating to people who may not have a background in science.”
Both India and the Philippines are democracies, although the latter has a history of military dictatorships. India was first off on GM crops. It approved Bt cotton in 2002. The Philippines permitted GM corn resistant to the Asiatic corn borer in 2003. About 70% of yellow corn (there is a white variety, too) grown in the Philippines is GM corn, says Lopez. From 50,000 hectares in 2004, it now covers 642,000 hectares, with 470,000 farmers planting it. That’s 46% of the Philippines’ corn area. In India, 93% of the cotton planted in 2017 was of the GM kind.
Both India and the Philippines have strong anti-GM groups. In the Philippines, they have vandalised Golden Rice trials. Greenpeace moved its Supreme Court against Bt brinjal trials, which, in 2013, halted the trials, nullified the 2002 biosafety regulations, and temporarily halted all applications for authorisation of GM crop trials, commercialisation and imports. In 2016, it lifted its injunctions and recognised the newly-issued biosafety regulations. India’s Supreme Court is also quite adversarial.
Lopez says partnerships are important. Her office has enlisted TV broadcasters and print media journalists. It gives awards for biotech journalism since 2006. It publishes a biotech magazine with uplifting testimonials. In 2011, it teamed up with the network of rural radio broadcasters. Many towns have declared their support for biotechnology. Lopez says her office has developed courses to educate their chief executives. In association with the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines, it pushes for regulation based on science and evidence. The International Rice Research Institute and the Philippine Rice Research Institute are partners for Golden Rice bio-fortified with pro-Vitamin A beta carotene.
The Biotech Program Office encourages high school and college students to opt for biotechnology courses. It has developed curricula for them. It holds short films, jingle-making and public-speaking contests on biotech for them. A computer game—biotech crops vs zombies—has been developed. Students participated in a fashion show with clothes made of GM corn kernels and cobs.
Lopez says her office reaches out to politicians who are neutral or don’t have a stand on GM crops. They may be the chairperson of a committee in Philippines’ Congress or influential in their political party. Once an appointment is secured, she makes sure that good communicators are fielded. These need not be scientists. They may be farmers who have a good story to tell about how GM corn has benefited them. Politicians are taken to farms so they can see for themselves that GM corn is no different from the non-GM variety. Regulators are also invited to engage with politicians; they explain the regulatory process and but don’t do advocacy so their integrity is not doubted.
Since the Philippines is strongly religious, Lopez says her office engages with religious leaders, too. Because of its outreach, a Catholic priest has become a member of a technical advisory committee on biosafety. A representative was also sent to an international halal conference, which said GM food is kosher because it does not contain pork.
In fact, through a presidential proclamation back in 2005, the National Biotechnology Week is also being regularly celebrated.
But well-funded NGOs pose a challenge, says Lopez. There are legislative proposals to disallow GM crops. Resolutions against them have been passed by local bodies. There is fake news in the social media. Consumers have low exposure to factual information. “We have our own voice, make our own choice, and assert the right to technology. That is what we are driven by,” says Lopez.
In India, there is strong support for GM crops in scientific circles. The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) has passed a resolution in favour of the technology. It has supported GM mustard and even written to the Prime Minister not to withhold approval.
The apex regulator, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), has recommended release of Bt brinjal and GM mustard for commercial cultivation. It has asked the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR) in Bengaluru to study and report Bangladesh’s experience with Bt brinjal, so it can revisit the moratorium on release imposed in 2010.
The English national dailies have favoured GM crop technology through their editorials, though their reporters tend to support the activists. But support for agri-biotechnology is diffused. The Department of Biotechnology has not invested in advocacy and outreach, though it funnels money to agricultural universities, almost all of which have departments of agri-biotechnology. At last year’s National Eligibility Test (NET), which is a gateway for assistant professorships in state agricultural universities, the most number of candidates were from the discipline of agri-biotechnology. But the choke on regulatory approvals makes all that teaching and research a humongous waste.
In 2015, Karnataka’s expert committee on agricultural biotechnology had advised the state government to set aside Rs 10 crore to support NGOs with acceptable proposals on public outreach so that correct information about the safety and benefits of GM crops could be communicated to the public and misinformation spread by anti-GM activists could be countered. The committee was headed by M Mahadevappa, a well-known rice scientist and former vice-chancellor of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. It also wanted public outreach cells in agricultural universities for creation of awareness about biotechnology. The BJP’s recent Lok Sabha election campaign is a case study in marketing. Javadekar could take some cues from it.


India's food supply being altered by Climate Change: Study

Updated Jun 18, 2019 | 11:40 IST | PTI

Temperatures and rainfall amounts in India vary from year to year and influence the amount of crops that farmers can produce.

Description: Climate Change, Climate Change India, Climate Change news
Climate change affects major crops in India: Study (Pixabay) 
New York: India's grain production is vulnerable to climate change, say scientists who have found that the yield of the country's rice crop can significantly decline during extreme weather conditions. Researchers from Columbia University in the US studied the effects of climate on five major crops in India: finger millet, maize, pearl millet, sorghum and rice. 
These crops make up the vast majority of grain production during the June-to-September monsoon season -- India's main grain production period -- with rice contributing three-quarters of the supply for the season. 
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Taken together, the five grains are essential for meeting India's nutritional needs, researchers said. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, found that the yields from grains such as millet, sorghum, and maize are more resilient to extreme weather. Their yields vary significantly less due to year-to-year changes in climate and generally experience smaller declines during droughts. However, yields from rice, India's main crop, experience larger declines during extreme weather conditions. 
"By relying more and more on a single crop -- rice -- India's food supply is potentially vulnerable to the effects of varying climate," said Kyle Davis, an environmental data scientist.
"Expanding the area planted with these four alternative grains can reduce variations in Indian grain production caused by extreme climate, especially in the many places where their yields are comparable to rice," Davis said.
"Doing so will mean that the food supply for the country's massive and growing population is less in jeopardy during times of drought or extreme weather," Davis.
Temperatures and rainfall amounts in India vary from year to year and influence the amount of crops that farmers can produce. With episodes of extreme climate such as droughts and storms becoming more frequent, it is essential to find ways to protect India's crop production from these shocks, Davis said.
The team combined historical data on crop yields, temperature, and rainfall. Data on the yields of each crop came from state agricultural ministries across India and covered 46 years (1966-2011) and 593 of India's 707 districts.
The researchers also used modelled data on temperature and precipitation. Using these climate variables as predictors of yield, they then employed a modelling approach to estimate whether there was a significant relationship between year-to-year variations in climate and crop yields.
"This study shows that diversifying the crops that a country grows can be an effective way to adapt its food-production systems to the growing influence of climate change," said Davis. 
"And it adds to the evidence that increasing the production of alternative grains in India can offer benefits for improving nutrition, for saving water, and for reducing energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture," he said.

Rice production in Kashmir has risen despite loss of farm land

SRINAGAR: Rice production in Kashmir Valley has been going up despite more than ten lakh kanals of farm land being lost in the past 70 years, according to data of the state agriculture department.
The data, accessed by Kashmir Reader, shows that food deficit was 32 percent in 1950-51 when there was production of mere 206.30 metric tonnes of rice on available land of 1.6 lakh hectares. This dropped to 24.47 percent in 2017-18 even when Kashmir’s agri-land shrunk to 1.4 lakh hectares, but which produced 1,138.95 metric tonnes of rice.
The interpretation of the data, according to a scientist at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Science and Technology (SKUAST), is that a growth of seven percent in food grain production against a loss of about 13 percent of agricultural land over the past seventy years has taken place.
“It can be put this way as well: if the farm land had not shrunk, and had only been used for paddy, our deficit could have been far less than 24 percent,” he said.
A senior official in the agriculture department said that land reforms in the early 1950s, replacement of low-yielding varieties by high-yielding varieties, and development of surface irrigation, better soil and pest management, and integrated disease management were reasons why the growth in rice production had taken place.
He said the department was working hand-in-hand with scientists of SKUAST and farmers to further develop the process of rice production.
So far, more than half-a-dozen rice varieties have been replaced in the past seven decades which include low-yielding Chinese imported varieties, k39, Jehlum, Chenab and others. Some of them, though they had given good yields, had to be given up due to less immunity to diseases.
The Government of India (GoI) and the JK Government both spend a sizeable amount to supply rice to people in Kashmir. The rice is ferried from different Indian states to the Valley and the purchase cost is borne by the GoI while its transportation cost from different Indian states to JK is borne by the state government.

Armed bandits take over valley that was long Haiti's breadbasket

 Published 7:15 am CDT, Sunday, June 16, 2019
Rice at a street market in Saint-Marc.
In Haiti's historic breadbasket, a dozen farmers worked in ankle-deep water, stooped under a piercing blue sky in a lush region dominated for generations by rice fields, and more recently by roving bands of armed men.
The gunmen, linked to an infamous gang leader named Arnel Joseph, have been waylaying travelers in the Artibonite Valley, driving out police and even holding press conferences proudly displaying their firepower.
"Gang activities are increasing - and they can move freely from one place to another with no fear," said Mario Andresol, a former presidential candidate and one-time head of Haiti's national police force. "The police seem weaker than before, and it seems almost impossible for them to take action."
Drivers fear to traverse the region's main north-south highway, where motorists have been shot at and some wounded, and venturing east into the heart of the farming region is a desperate endeavor given gang-controlled lanes and villages. And rural anarchy is accompanied by urban unrest: In Port-au-Prince, residents over the weekend flooded the streets in deadly protests intended to topple Haiti's President Jovenel Moise.
The turbulence wracking the valley - and even the capital - is in large part the outgrowth of tariff decisions made three decades ago that destroyed the local agricultural economy. They ravaged a relatively thriving part of a nation whose per-capita gross domestic product was only $760 in 2017, less than half that of Nicaragua, the hemisphere's second-lowest. They drove thousands of rural residents to cities in search of nonexistent jobs.
As President Donald Trump unsettles the world's trade regimen - raising tariffs rather than lowering them - the struggles are an extreme example of how peremptory changes to trade rules can have unforeseen consequences. Many here see a link between unrest across the country and policies foisted upon it by some of the world's most powerful governments and financial bodies.
Areas like the Artibonite Valley, home to as much as 88% of total land under rice cultivation, were once an integral part of Haiti's economic engine. During the early 1980s, the country produced more than 80% of its food.
In 1995, as part of an International Monetary Fund and World Bank-sponsored structural adjustment made with the support of President Bill Clinton, Haiti lowered tariffs on imported rice to 3% from 50%. Prices for the staple dropped slightly, but the country quickly became the world's fifth-largest importer of U.S. rice and the backbone of its economy disappeared. Last year, Haiti was importing 80% of its rice as well, according the U.S. Agency for International Development.
"We don't have a lot of materials to work with, and it gets harder every year," said 63-year-old Wilner Jean, one of the cultivators working the fields in this community just outside the city of Saint-Marc, a little over 50 miles north of Port-au-Prince.
At Saint-Marc's sprawling market, bags of rice bearing the logos of U.S. companies such as Arkansas's Riceland Foods Inc. predominate, as they do throughout the nation.
Trade policies "have driven thousands of agricultural entrepreneurs and industries to bankruptcy because they couldn't be price competitive and stay alive in front of cheaper goods from foreign markets," said Etzer Emile, an economist and professor at the Universite Quisqueya in Port-au-Prince. "They pushed thousands of people to leave the rural area and migrate to urban areas."
Those who fled to cities found themselves in a double bind. An early 1990s U.S. embargo that helped drive an oppressive military regime from power also wrecked the manufacturing industry, reducing the 100,000 factory jobs in the Port-au-Prince area to about 20,000 a little over a decade later.
Haiti had experienced "premature urbanization," a state in which the agricultural sector was not productive and yet urban areas - where about half of Haiti's population now lives - were not generating economic growth, according to a 2007 USAID study.
The lack of gainful employment either in the countryside or the cities led to an almost inexhaustible supply of young men whom the nation's politicians use as muscle and to deliver votes at election time. With virtually every election of the past two decades denounced as illegitimate by the losing side and politics seen as an avenue to wealth, power and impunity, the so-called baz has never been short of work.
Only a few miles away from where Wilner Jean and his cadre were toiling in the fields, Joseph, the gang leader, has installed himself in power, driving security forces from at least two towns and robbing and kidnapping travelers on the nation's main north-south road. Joseph until recently maintained regular phone contact with the region's member of parliament, according to a legislative investigation. The connection is a stark illustration of the intimate links between the country's brutal realpolitik and its economic devastation.
In a recorded video interview released Friday, Joseph spoke to a Haitian journalist, surrounded by heavily armed supporters, attempting to portray himself as a Robin Hood-like figure defending Haiti's poor. "They say I am a gang leader who goes looking for trouble," Joseph said. "They just want to kill me."
Haiti hosted a United Nations peacekeeping mission from 2004 to 2017. Though the mission tried to professionalize Haiti's police force and oversaw several elections, it did little to change the underlying culture of impunity that informs Haiti's body politic, and its most lasting legacy is likely a virulent strain of cholera introduced to the island by Nepalese troops in its service.
The administration of Moise appears increasingly feeble, worn down by scandals.
A recent report by judges documented irregularities over several administrations in the spending of billions saved thanks to Venezuela's PetroCaribe program, which sold poor countries crude oil but deferred payments. Moise, an agricultural entrepreneur from the country's north, is mentioned in connection with a contract his business won to fix a road in a process that the report said was tainted by "collusion, favoritism and embezzlement." Moise has called for an international body to investigate the spending of the funds.
On Sunday, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in towns across Haiti to call for Moise's ouster. At least two were killed and four injured, according to Radio Metropole.
The president's opponents, many of whom have been accused of grievous crimes themselves, have vowed to drive him from power, but even some of those calling for him to step down acknowledge that his departure alone won't solve Haiti's ills.
"There needs to be a real dialogue," said Jerry Tardieu, an opposition member of parliament for the city of Petionville. He said there must be "political agreement in order for the country to overcome the current impasse."
Failed economic policies have perpetuated a dynamic that continues to destabilize the country and undercut its economic growth. Haitians hope that the current intense political ferment will open a window for change.
"The international community has their foot on our neck," said Gilbert Mirambeau, a 35-year-old filmmaker whose social-media activism helped spur a movement demanding a full accounting of the Petrocaribe funds. "This is a system that's been there replicating itself for years, but now it's on the verge of collapse, you can feel it, you can sense it."

Why CBN is leading onslaught against smugglers of rice, other imports
 By Sunday Michael Ogwu, Lagos | Published Date Jun 17, 2019 4:16 AM TwitterFacebookWhatsAppTelegram CBN is leading onslaught against smugglers of rice, other imports The Federal Government has announced several interventions in recentDescription: https://cdn.dailytrust.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/CBN-is-leading-onslaught-against-smugglers-of-rice-other-imports-600x358.jpg years  to help stimulate productive activities around the cultivation of rice, cotton/textile and automobile production but with not much to show as result. A simple look at the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of rice during 2018 by the World Top Export (WTex) reveals that Benin Republic ranks sixth on the scale with a total import valued at $930.5 million which translate to N335 billion. ADVERTISEMENT The first five countries are China, US$1.6bn (6.5% of total rice imports); Iran, $1.21bn (4.9%); Saudi Arabia, $1.2bn (4.9%); Indonesia, $1bn (4.2%); and United States: $959.5m (3.9%). China has a population of 1.4bn people, Iran 81m, Saudi Arabia 32m, Indonesia 264m and the United States has 325m people, while Benin Republic has just 11.2m people. ADVERTISEMENT Nigeria with a population of 200m was ranked 148 out of the 218 countries evaluated on the index with $5.4m translating into  N1.9bn. Interestingly, Niger Republic which is also shares border with Nigeria but is a landlocked country with a population of 21.4m, twice the population of Benin Republic, is ranked 84 on the import chart with a total import of $43.8m translating into N15.7bn. Similarly, Cameroon, another neighbour to Nigeria with a population of 24 million people, also more than twice that of Benin Republic, sits at 39 on the chart with an import value of $179m which translates to N64.6bn. Another industry that has played a dominant role in the manufacturing sector of the Nigerian economy but has also been plagued by this sabotage is textile. Nigeria loses a staggering $325m every year due to evasion of customs duty and Value Added Tax by smugglers of textile materials, the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA) has disclosed. Chairman NTMA, Mr. Abiodun Ogunkoya, who gave the hint at a news conference in Lagos, stressed that around 85 per cent of the $1.4bn worth of textile materials that flood the nation annually are smuggled in. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had in a wholesome move to curtail dumping, implemented an access to foreign exchange on the official window on 41 items, later 43, which it feels the country has the capacity to produce sufficiently. Following the earlier restriction of official forex supply to textile importers to boost local cotton/textile production, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) set up a committee for the revival of the country’s cotton, textile and garment industry. While setting up the Textile Revival and Implementation Committee (TRIC) in Abuja, the Governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, said the target is to revive and set up at least 50 textile companies by 2023. “Nigeria remains a big market for the textile industry. We need to reclaim this industry from smugglers. We need the support of customs and other authorities,” Emefiele said. The Federal Government, Wednesday, resolved to deal decisively with rice smugglers whose activities, according to a World Bank disclosure, cost Nigeria a whopping $5 billion annually. The NCS said it had reinvigorated anti-smuggling operations, adding that in 2018, a total of 5,235 seizures with duty paid value of N61.54bn were recorded. The seizures include arms, ammunition, over 59 containers of Tramadol and other controlled drugs and 320,709 bags of foreign rice amounting to N4 billion worth of rice seizures. Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote,  succinctly captured  the frustration at a recent roundtable when he said: “What is killing us the most is smuggling. Smuggling is what has actually killed most of our policies. There is no country that is surviving with a neighbour like Republic of Benin. Because their main job is to facilitate smuggling.” A recent World Bank report on smuggling showed that about N1.45 trillion worth of goods are smuggled into Nigeria annually through Benin Republic. Emefiele said: “We are investigating those accounts and as information becomes clearer and as we can clearly say they have committed the offence, we will go to the next round which is to forbid any Nigerian bank from opening any account with them.” He said smuggling and dumping have sabotaged economic policies in Nigeria. Emefiele said, “Nigeria is very good at making brilliant economic policies, but we have identified smugglers and dumpers as those who sabotage these policies and we will deal with them. In our strategy, we will not bother ourselves because there is an agency of government responsible for border control. “But If these people pass through the border control, we will use the instrumentality of being the regulator and head of the banking system, to get the banks to provide all the details of these smugglers and dumpers, we will investigate the accounts, and if they are found culpable in economic sabotage bordering on dumping and smuggling in Nigeria, we will not only block their accounts, we will close their accounts in all the banks in Nigeria. “We will close the accounts of the owners of such companies, and we will close the accounts of top management members of those companies because they know that their companies are involved in smuggling and they should not be supporting such.”

EO retains 5% tariff on deboned poultry meat to keep prices low

Description: Malacañang Palace
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has signed an executive order retaining the 5% import tariff on mechanically deboned meat (MDM) from poultry until 2020 to mitigate the possible impact on prices.
The President signed on June 13 Executive Order no. 82: “Modifying the Nomenclature and Rates of Import Duty on Certain Agricultural Products Under Section 1611 of Republic Act No. 10863, Otherwise Known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.” The Palace released copies of the EO on Monday morning.
The EO states that the “present economic condition warrants the continued application of the reduced rate of duties on certain agricultural products to mitigate the impact of high prices of goods.”
The issuance of the EO was on the recommendation of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board, which backed the “maintenance of the tariff rates under EO No. 23 for mechanically deboned meat of chicken and turkey, and turkey meat and offal.”
Meat processors have been awaiting the EO to reverse the recent imposition of a 40% MDM tariff at the borders, which is a return to the 2012 rate. The industry has been operating under the 5% rate for nearly a decade.
The 40% duty was the rate for MDM before the Philippines offered concessions in connection with a second extension on quantitative restrictions on rice imports.



Under the concession, the MDM of trading partners will enjoy entry into the country at a 5% tariff but will revert to the 2012 rate once a law lifting import limits on rice is in place.
The rice tariffication law took effect on March 5.
The EO was in response to the decision of the interagency Committee on Tariff and Related Matters which, on the request for an evaluation by meat processors, decided to retain the 5% tariff on MDM chicken, seeing no direct competition with the domestic poultry industry.
The Philippine Association of Meat Processors, Inc. (PAMPI) said in a statement emailed to reporters on Monday afternoon that the President’s signing of the EO reflects his administration’s “determined efforts to spur the growth of the local manufacturing industry.”
The group added that Mr. Duterte’s action “sends a strong signal to local and foreign investors that the investment climate in the Philippines is fair, attractive and competitive.”
PAMPI Spokesperson Rex E. Agarrado told BusinessWorld via phone that this EO will have no impact on the price of poultry MDM.
“When [they] raised the duty from 5% to 40%, we did not raise our prices. Therefore, because we did not raise our prices from 5% to 40%, sana (I hope) you would understand (if prices do not move)… kasi noong tinaas ‘yon ‘di nga kami nag-adjust (because when the tariffs rose we did not adjust prices)…”
“I think what you should focus on is why the price of chicken and the price of pork today are so high?,” he added. “‘Yun ang question eh (that is the question)… Alam mo ba ang (do you know the price of) pork and chicken today? They are so high. Highest ever,” he said.
He added: “Please don’t expect us to drop prices because when you asked us to pay P400,000 per container, additional, we did not raise our prices, so tama lang siguro na i-stay namin (so it’s only fair to hold prices steady).”
Also asked to comment, Meat Importers and Traders Association, Inc. (MITA) President Jesus C. Cham said in by phone: “It’s a welcome albeit much delayed order which will help keep food inflation in check. However, we would have preferred that reduction be made permanent.”
He also said, “Should the processors now petition TC (Tariff Commission) to maintain 5% duty for 2021-2025? Or should producers petition otherwise? I hear that NEDA will review next year (on a) trajectory to bring (the tariff) back to 40% gradually unless there are new petitions. So it is a short-lived victory for processors and consumers. That’s not good.”
“We still have an outstanding problem about the Bureau of Customs (BoC) collecting 35% retroactively from March 5 until June 13. We hope NEDA will grant our appeal for BoC not to do so,” he continued. — Arjay L. Balinbin with Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Rules for distributing RCEF farm mechanization funds due soon

Description: https://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/rice-farmers-061719.jpgFarmers harvest rice in Pulilan Bulacan. -- PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS
THE Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) said it will finalize after a key meeting this week the guidelines for funding the farm mechanization component of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
Magmi-meeting pa sa (There will be a meeting on) June 18. We’re just waiting for that then afterwards firmed up na ‘yung gagawin namin base doon sa (what we plan to do will be firmed up based on the) suggestions ng (of the) Program Streering Committee sa (at the) Department of Agriculture,” Rodolfo P. Estigoy, head of the applied communications division of PhilMech, told reporters.
Ine-expect namin ‘yung pondo (We are expecting the fund) by end of June,” he said.
RCEF is funded by rice import tariffs that will be imposed on private-sector importers, who will be allowed to import the grain from selected Southeast Asian countries more freely. The importers also have the option to source grain from selected other countries but at a higher tariff.
The RCEF, worth about P10 billion a year, is authorized to allocate P5 billion for the mechanization of rice farms, P3 billion for high-yield rice seed, P1 billion to expand farm credit, and P1 billion to support agricultural extension and upgrade rice farmers’ planting knowhow.
The guidelines cover the identification of 1,200 beneficiary municipalities in 16 regions, which were further grouped into six clusters to facilitate the deployment of farm equipment over the next six years. Each of these municipalities are required to have farmer organizations with at least 100 hectares of irrigated rice land.
Major rice producing areas will be prioritized, including Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Central Visayas, and Soccsksargen.
He said the first phase of distribution involves land preparation equipment with harvesters to come later.
A full package for beneficiaries includes machinery for land preparation, crop establishment, harvesting and threshing, drying, and milling.
Initial distributions are expected by December.
Some P100 million has also been set aside for training on the use of the equipment and upgrading farmers’ skills.
At the end of six years, the cost of rice production is expected to drop because of the upgrades been reduced.
The cost of producing a kilo of palay, or unmilled rice is estimated at P12.72 per kilo, against the cost in Vietnam of about P6.22 and in Thailand of P8.86.
Meanwhile, Mr. Estigoy said that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) also approved of an additional 59 staff in the PhilMech headcount, in the hope that new hires can be deployed to the regions by July. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Duterte retains 5 percent import duty on mechanically deboned poultry meat till 2020

Updated June 17, 2019, 4:44 PM

By Genalyn Kabiling and Madelaine Miraflor
In a bid to cushion the impact of high prices of goods, President Duterte has decided to retain the 5 percent import tariff on mechanically deboned meat (MDM) of poultry until 2020.
The President has issued Executive Order No. 82 maintaining the reduced import duty on certain agricultural products upon the recommendation of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
Description: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech after leading the distribution of Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) to the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) at the Lagao Gymnasium in General Santos City on June 13, 2019. (JOEY DALUMPINES / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (JOEY DALUMPINES / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“The present economic condition warrants the continued application of the reduced rate of duties on certain agricultural products to mitigate the impact of high prices of goods,” the order read.
Under EO 82, the rate of import duty on mechanically deboned meat of chicken and turkey and turkey meat and offals will stay at 5 percent for 2019 and 2020. MDM is a raw material used to manufacture chicken hotdogs, chicken nuggets and other processed meat products.
“The NEDA Board recommends the maintenance of the tariff rates under EO No. 23 for mechanically deboned meat of chicken and turkey, and turkey meat and its offals,” the order read.
In 2017, the President reduced the tariff of chicken MDM to 5 percent as a concession to trade partners for letting the country extend the quota on rice imports to protect local farmers.
The reduced rates, contained in EO 23, are supposed to lapse on June 30, 2020 or until such time the rice trade liberalization takes effect, whichever comes first. Republic Act No. 11203 lifting rice import quotas and imposing tariffs was signed by the President last February.
Meat processors cheered the President’s move.  They earlier appealed to the government to retain the lower tariff rate on MDM to keep prices of canned goods and processed meat products affordable.
Local poultry growers, on the other hand, have reportedly asked the government to revert the tariffs on MDM imports to its 2012 level of 40 percent tariff as a protection to the industry.
“[This decision] reflects the government’s determined efforts to spur the growth of the local manufacturing industry,” Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI) said in a statement.
“The President’s action sends a strong signal to local and foreign investors that the investment climate in the Philippines is fair, attractive and competitive,” PAMPI further said.
PAMPI earlier argued that raising tariffs on imported raw materials for meat industry will result in increase in the price of meat products such as luncheon meat and sausages.
It was in 2012 when the government slashed the tariff on MDM to 5 percent as a concession to the country’s trade partners for allowing Manila to extend its special treatment for rice.
The tariff rate would eventually revert back to 40 percent as stipulated in World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, but that wouldn’t happen till January 1, 2021.

Poor pace of paddy purchases hurting farmers

 Published at 10:58 pm June 16th, 2019
Description: Web_Paddy-rice-Farmers-Mehedi-hasan
File photo of farmers reaping paddy in a field in Moulvibazar Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune

A paltry 7.5% of targeted paddy volume has been purchased from farmers so far, but millers managed to sell 35% of the rice that the government plans to buy this Boro season
If the government wants to provide farmers with price support, the last thing it should allow is to have a situation where farmers end up selling their paddy to middlemen at lower prices.
But thanks to systemic apathy in the government’s paddy purchases from farmers, there is no spirited drive in the ongoing foodgrain procurement program.
Market sources fear that by the time the drive gains momentum, if at all, farmers in dire need of cash would already be compelled to sell paddy at much cheaper rates to middlemen and millers. Paddy farmers would eventually not get the price benefit meant for them.     
The government’s food purchase centres across the country might likely buy less than 30,000 tons paddy from farmers in the first one and a half months of a four-month long procurement drive.

This purchase would only be 7.5% of the procurement target of 400,000 tons. 
Thanks to a rice glut, courtesy of high domestic production and unregulated cheaper rice imports from across the border, farmers this Boro season are distressed and are being offered Tk500 for each maund of paddy as against the government declared support price of Tk1,040 per maund.
When it comes to providing price support to farmers, it’s the pace of the government’s procurement drive that matters most, not the volume.
Though the government last week revised its procurement volume from an initially planned 150,000 tons to 400,000 tons, the desired pace in procurement is completely missing, as evidenced by Food Ministry statistics.
Description: https://media.dhakatribune.com/uploads/2019/06/rice-info-1560704284517.jpg
Market sources say that given the reality of the government buying only a small portion of rice and paddy from farmers and millers, it needs to do it at a much better pace. Otherwise, farmers miss out on the true benefits of the government price support intended to help them, and middlemen and millers end up cashing in on the benefits instead.
Interestingly, when it comes to rice but not paddy, the procurement drive appears to be a good success. Out of a targeted purchase of 1.1 million tons of rice, the Food Directorate has already procured over 380,000 tons in the first one and a half months of the four-month long drive, accomplishing a third of the task at a fast clip.
The price benefit of the government’s rice procurement program largely goes to rice millers, who buy paddy from farmers at cheaper rates, converting that into rice and selling the same to the government at higher rates.

Reached over the phone, Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque told this correspondent that after revising the paddy procurement target from 150,000 tons to 400,000 tons, the government has instructed purchase officials to buy paddy directly from farmers and convert the same into rice. 
Food officials acknowledge that the government does not have the capacity to hold paddy in public granaries which have expressly been built to store rice.
Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder recently said a process was underway to build several new food depots across the country where one million tons paddy could be stored.

CBN to close bank accounts of firms importing forex restricted goods


Description: CBN to close bank accounts

Any firm found smuggling into the country goods for which access to foreign exchange (forex) has been restricted will have its bank accounts closed, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) warned yesterday.
The apex bank curbed access to dollars in 2015 for firms importing 42 items, ranging from rice and soap, to private jets and Indian incense in a bid to conserve foreign reserves and diversify the economy.
It added one item to the list last year.
“Once we discover that people are using illicit foreign exchange to import those items into Nigeria and smuggle them through the borders … we have every right to close their accounts,” the apex bank told Reuters.
President Muhammadu Buhari has made boosting the agricultural sector a key priority to cutting import bill. In April, the government announced plans to double manufacturing output to 20 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) within six years.
The President was inaugurated for second term on May 29, weeks after re-appointing CBN Godwin Emefiele for a second term.
Emefiele’s reappointment signalled policy stability and broke a trend of Nigerian central bankers serving a single term.
After introducing currency restrictions in 2015, the apex bank introduced a multiple exchange rate regime which has masked pressure on the currency and helped to keep it stable.
Emefiele said the bank had been developing home-grown policies to surmount challenges that confronted the economy lately.
He said: “As I have always emphasised, it is our collective duty to ensure that the potential and prospects of the economy are optimally realised.
“The ongoing economic recovery requires the joint efforts and wise counsel of everyone, if we must take giant strides forward. The CBN is more determined now than ever to remain at the forefront of efforts to ensure that the rebound is not overturned.”
Speaking at a meeting with bankers in Lagos on the theme: “Strengthening the economic recovery process in Nigeria”, the CBN boss said: “With regards to over-dependence in imports, the economic recession triggered mainly by the drop in crude oil prices, only strengthened the case for moving from a nation wholly dependent on consumption, to a nation that produces a large proportion of what it needs, particularly in areas where the resources needed for production are widely available across the country.
“This thought process, he said, shaped decision to impose the restriction on access to forex for 43 items that can be produced in Nigeria.
“There has been considerable discourse particularly on whether the restriction on access to foreign exchange for 43 items is driving local production, with some nay-sayers stating that it has constrained productivity and growth in the economy.
“Based on our internal research conducted at the Central Bank of Nigeria, there is strong support that the recovery of our economy from the recession may have been much weaker or even negative, without the implementation of the restriction on 43 items.
“Our research supports the conclusion that the combination of the restriction on 43 items along with other measures imposed by the fiscal and monetary authorities has helped to promote the recovery.
“Any attempt to reverse the course of this action may have untold consequences on the growth trajectory of our economy particularly in our push to diversify and restructure our economy. In fact, recommendations are being made to the CBN that the list of 43 items be expanded to include other additional items that can be locally produced.”
Emefiele said many entrepreneurs were taking advantage of this policy to venture into the domestic production of the restricted items with remarkable success and great positive impact on employment.
He said: “The dramatic decline in our import bill and the increase in domestic production of these items attest to the efficacy of this policy. Noticeable declines were steadily recorded in our monthly food import bill from $665.4 million in January 2015 to $160.4 million as at October 2018; a cumulative fall of 75.9 per cent and an implied savings of over $21 billion on food imports alone over that period.
“Most evident were the 97.3 per cent cumulative reduction in monthly rice import bills, 99.6 per cent in fish, 81.3 per cent in milk, 63.7 per cent in sugar, and 60.5 per cent in wheat.”

Firm invests N15.2 billion in mill, boosts rice production

By Joke Falaju, Abuja
18 June 2019   |   2:11 am
To further bridge the rice consumption demand and supply gap in Nigeria, Darma Rice Mill Limited has set up a 600,000 metric tonnes rice mill in Katsina State.Executive Director of the company, Fahad Mangal, disclosed this, explaining that the aim was to support the Federal Government’s move to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production.
The mill is designed to process 600,000 metric tonnes per annum, when operational. Mangal added that the production plan is divided into two phases. The first phase has 300,000 metric tonnes per annum capacity of two lines of 16 tonnes per hour rice mill

According to him, the first phase will be ready for processing before the second quarter of 2020 and after that, we will immediately start the phase two of additional 300,000 metric tonnes making a total of 600,000 metric tonnes per annum.

The investor explained that the choice of location was borne out of the fact that Katsina has vast agricultural land.He said they had already engaged farmers in their growers’ scheme, providing them with loans to produce paddy rice.He added that they would also source for paddy from neighbouring States like Kano, Zamfara, Jigawa, and Kastina, as the target market is the northwest, down to the north central markets where there is a huge demand for rice.

Mangal mentioned that the country was yet to meet up with the demand for rice as it still imports rice, adding that the establishment of the  plant in Katsina would support government in achieving self-sufficiency in rice production, meet local demand and also export to neighbouring countries in the future.

When fully operational, he said, about 5000 direct and indirect jobs would be created as the company also plans to commence production of about one million metric of fertilizer yearly.

Researchers Take Two Steps Toward Green Fuel

An international collaboration led by scientists at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) , Japan, has developed a two-step method to more efficiently break down carbohydrates into their single sugar components, a critical process in producing green fuel.
The researchers published their results on April 10th in the American Chemical Society journal, Industrial & Engineering Chemical Research.
The breakdown process is called saccharification. The single sugar components produced, called monosaccharides, can be fermented into bioethanol or biobutanol, alcohols that can be used as fuel.
“For a long time, considerable attention has been focused on the utilization of homogenous acids and enzymes for saccharification,” said Eika W. Qian, paper author and professor in the Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in Japan. “Enzymatic saccharification is seen to be a reasonable prospect since it offers the potential for higher yields, lower energy costs, and it’s more environmentally friendly.”
The use of enzymes to break down the carbohydrates could actually be hindered, especially in the practical biomass such as rice straw. A byproduct of rice harvest, rice straw consists of three complicated carbohydrates: starch, hemicellulose and cellulose. Enzymes cannot approach hemicellulose or cellulose, due to their cell wall structure and surface area, among other characteristics. They must be pre-treated to become receptive to the enzymatic activity, which can be costly.
One answer to the cost and inefficiency of enzymes is the use of solid acid catalysts, which are acids that cause chemical reactions without dissolving and becoming a permanent part of the reaction. They’re particularly appealing because they can be recovered after saccharification and reused.
Still, it’s not as easy as swapping the enzymes for the acids, according to Qian, as the carbohydrates are non-uniform. Hemicellulose and starch degrade at 180 degrees Celsius and below, and if the resulting components are heated further, the sugars produced discompose and are converted to other byproducts. On the other hand, degradation of cellulose only happens at temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius and above.
That’s why, in order to maximize the resulting yield of sugar from rice straw, the researchers developed a two-step process – one step for the hemicellulose and another for the cellulose. The first step requires a gentle solid acid at low temperatures (150 degrees Celsius and below), while the second step consists of harsher conditions, with a stronger solid acid and higher temperatures (210 degrees Celsius and above).
Overall, the two-step process not only proved effective, it produced about 30 percent more sugars than traditional one-step processes.
“We are now looking for a partner to evaluate the feasibility of our two-step saccharification process in rice straw and other various materials such as wheat straw and corn stoke etc. in a pilot unit,” Qian said. “Our ultimate goal is to commercialize our process to manufacture monosaccharides from this type of material in the future.”

Researchers study how climate change affects crops in India

JUNE 17, 2019
Description: Researchers study how climate change affects crops in IndiaCredit: Columbia University
Kyle Davis is an environmental data scientist whose research seeks to increase food supplies in developing countries. He combines techniques from environmental science and data science to understand patterns in the global food system and develop strategies that make food-supply chains more nutritious and sustainable.
Since joining the Data Science Institute as a postdoctoral fellow in September 2018, Davis has co-authored four papers, all of which detail how developing countries can sustainably improve their crop production. For his latest study, he focuses on India, home to 1.3 billion people, where he led a team that studied the effects of climate on five major crops: finger millet, maize, pearl millet, sorghum and rice. These crops make up the vast majority of grain production during the June-to-September monsoon season—India's main growing period—with rice contributing three-quarters of the grain supply for the season. Taken together, the five grains are essential for meeting India's nutritional needs.
And in a paper published in Environmental Research Letters, Davis found that the yields from grains such as millet, sorghum, and maize are more resilient to extreme weather; their yields vary significantly less due to year-to-year changes in climate and generally experience smaller declines during droughts. But yields from rice, India's main crop, experience larger declines during extreme weather conditions. "By relying more and more on a single crop—rice—India's food supply is potentially vulnerable to the effects of varying climate," said Davis, the lead author on the paper, "Sensitivity of Grain Yields to Historical Climate Sensitivity in India," which has four co-authors, all of whom collaborated on the research.
"Expanding the area planted with these four alternative grains can reduce variations in Indian grain production caused by extreme climate, especially in the many places where their yields are comparable to rice," Davis added. "Doing so will mean that the food supply for the country's massive and growing population is less in jeopardy during times of drought or extreme weather."
Temperatures and rainfall amounts in India vary from year to year and influence the amount of crops that farmers can produce. And with episodes of extreme climate such as droughts and storms becoming more frequent, it's essential to find ways to protect India's crop production from these shocks, according to Davis.
The authors combined historical data on crop yields, temperature, and rainfall. Data on the yields of each crop came from state agricultural ministries across India and covered 46 years (1966-2011) and 593 of India's 707 districts. The authors also used modelled data on temperature (from the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit) and precipitation (derived from a network of rain gauges maintained by the Indian Meteorological Department). Using these climate variables as predictors of yield, they then employed a linear mixed effects modelling approach—similar to a multiple regression ? to estimate whether there was a significant relationship between year-to-year variations in climate and crop yields.
"This study shows that diversifying the crops that a country grows can be an effective way to adapt its food-production systems to the growing influence of climate change," said Davis. "And it adds to the evidence that increasing the production of alternative grains in India can offer benefits for improving nutrition, for saving water, and for reducing energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture."

Here’s how you eat a credit card’s worth of plastic each week

By Justin RohrlichJune 15, 2019
People across the world unwittingly consume roughly 5 grams of plastic each week in the course of daily life, or about the weight of a credit card, according to Australian researchers. That’s about 250 grams per year—more than a half-pound of plastic every 12 months.
A new study (pdf) commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature—formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund—suggests that over the course of seven days, the average person consumes 2,000 tiny plastic particles and fibers, 1,769 of which come from drinking water alone. 

How plastics get into humans

Microplastics come from larger discarded objects that break down over time into smaller pieces. They get into waterways and enter the food chain when eaten by fish and other marine life. The issue has thus far received “an inadequate global response by governments,” the researchers said in a statement.
An appendix to the report notes that many factors have an impact on the exact amount of microplastics you will ingest, such as age and lifestyle. Specific effects on human health are not yet fully understood. High levels of exposure to microplastics can effect the lungs, liver, and brain cells, as well as sexual function, fertility. They are believed to lead to an increased occurrence of certain cancers.

The different ways plastics enter your system

Microplastics can get into your system via, among other things, honey, sugar, rice, pasta, bread, milk, utensils, cutlery, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and chicken gizzards.
The number of microparticles the average person ingests depends on what they eat:
Food
Number of plastic particles per week
Water
1,769
Shellfish
182
Salt
11
Beer
10

Where you live matters 

The amount of microplastics one takes in varies by geographical region—water in the US contains about twice as much plastic as in Europe, the study says:
For an American, that comes out to nearly five plastic fibers in every half-liter of water they drink:

Researchers take two steps toward green fuel

Two-Step Saccharification of Rice Straw Using Solid Acid Catalysts
18-Jun-2019
·       Description: https://rs1.chemie.de/images/123897-53.jpg
Figure adapted from Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2019 58 (14), 5686-5697. Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society
Researchers designed two-step process to break down rice straws into sugars for fuel.
An international collaboration led by scientists at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) , Japan, has developed a two-step method to more efficiently break down carbohydrates into their single sugar components, a critical process in producing green fuel.
The breakdown process is called saccharification. The single sugar components produced, called monosaccharides, can be fermented into bioethanol or biobutanol, alcohols that can be used as fuel.
"For a long time, considerable attention has been focused on the utilization of homogenous acids and enzymes for saccharification," said Eika W. Qian, paper author and professor in the Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in Japan. "Enzymatic saccharification is seen to be a reasonable prospect since it offers the potential for higher yields, lower energy costs, and it's more environmentally friendly."
The use of enzymes to break down the carbohydrates could actually be hindered, especially in the practical biomass such as rice straw. A byproduct of rice harvest, rice straw consists of three complicated carbohydrates: starch, hemicellulose and cellulose. Enzymes cannot approach hemicellulose or cellulose, due to their cell wall structure and surface area, among other characteristics. They must be pre-treated to become receptive to the enzymatic activity, which can be costly.
One answer to the cost and inefficiency of enzymes is the use of solid acid catalysts, which are acids that cause chemical reactions without dissolving and becoming a permanent part of the reaction. They're particularly appealing because they can be recovered after saccharification and reused.
Still, it's not as easy as swapping the enzymes for the acids, according to Qian, as the carbohydrates are non-uniform. Hemicellulose and starch degrade at 180 degrees Celsius and below, and if the resulting components are heated further, the sugars produced discompose and are converted to other byproducts. On the other hand, degradation of cellulose only happens at temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius and above.
That's why, in order to maximize the resulting yield of sugar from rice straw, the researchers developed a two-step process - one step for the hemicellulose and another for the cellulose. The first step requires a gentle solid acid at low temperatures (150 degrees Celsius and below), while the second step consists of harsher conditions, with a stronger solid acid and higher temperatures (210 degrees Celsius and above).
Overall, the two-step process not only proved effective, it produced about 30 percent more sugars than traditional one-step processes.
"We are now looking for a partner to evaluate the feasibility of our two-step saccharification process in rice straw and other various materials such as wheat straw and corn stoke etc. in a pilot unit," Qian said. "Our ultimate goal is to commercialize our process to manufacture monosaccharides from this type of material in the future."

DOST 7 awards inventors, innovators

Description: https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/WzbdFVAPTw4WcQQliJq86A--~A/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODQ7aD04NA--/https:/media-mbst-pub-ue1.s3.amazonaws.com/creatr-uploaded-images/2018-10/5762b2c0-d04f-11e8-bd3b-697a48058fee
Description: DOST 7 awards inventors, innovators

EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Arlan Vincent German, a Grade 11 student of the Science and Technology Education Center in Lapu-Lapu City, does programming as a hobby.This led him to win the Sibol Award for Outstanding
EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Arlan Vincent German, a Grade 11 student of the Science and Technology Education Center in Lapu-Lapu City, does programming as a hobby.
This led him to win the Sibol Award for Outstanding Student Creative Research for high school.
German, the lone researcher for his brainchild “Project MeTus (Medical Tumor Scanner): Mask CT-CNN as AI-Powered Low-Cost Pre-Diagnostic Virtual Assist Machine Module for Skin Cancer Screening Technology” will represent Central Visayas in the National Invention Contest.
“It is an initiative and basically my life advocacy because people with personal relationships with me died of the disease. And according to a recent study, statistics from the World Health Organization in 2018, cancer ranks second in the world’s deadliest disease so it’s a prevailing problem not just in our country but also in the world,” he told SunStar Cebu.
German created an algorithm that will allow medical devices to detect cancer cells at its most vulnerable state.
“To address this problem, why not use modern advancement in technology to actually detect the disease at its weakest state. Early detection is a potential solution to cancer,” he said.
“Being an algorithm, the deep learning model could be integrated within the X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging machines as a virtual-assist module. It can help cancer screening facilities and hospitals of the country to detect and pre-diagnose the disease at great accuracy. Hence, saving more lives in the process by promoting early detection and cheapening it,” the award-winning research stated.
German was one of the champions hailed during the 2019 Regional Invention Contest and Exhibits (Rice) initiated by the Department of Science and Technology (Dost) 7.
Other winners
For 2019, Dost 7 received 90 entries for five out of the six categories of the contest, which were later trimmed to 82 regional finalists.
Award-winning sustainable manufacturers Pedro and Cathy Delantar, founders of Nature’s Legacy Eximport Inc., emerged as winners in two categories as Outstanding Utility Model for their colored simulated stonecast and earthenware product and under the Industrial Design for their creation, armchair.
A research entitled “The development of Ecobangku from Upcycled Plastic Sheets” by researchers Angeline Baldapan and Jefferson Elegio from Bohol Island State University in Tagbilaran City bagged the Likha Award for Outstanding Creative Research for high school.
The Sibol Award for Student Creative Research for college was given to researchers Samantha Reyes, Cristina Malicay, Agnes Sabijon from the Velez College for their research entitled “Eco-based Fiberglass from Alternative Materials: Implications to Solid Waste Management in Cebu City.”
Rice is a nationwide biennial activity conducted in different regions to highlight the creative innovations of inventors, researchers and students in the country. (JOB)



Top-end rice prices on the boil

Vishwanath Kulkarni  Bengaluru | Updated on June 17, 2019  Published onJune 17, 2019Description: https://bl.thgim.com/economy/agri-business/1jlig4/article28022424.ece/alternates/WIDE_435/bl18rice
Prices of preferred non-basmati rice varieties such as Sona Masuri and Kolam have risen by up to a fifth over the past few weeks on supply squeeze. This is mainly on account of reduced output in the previous cropping season in the drought-affected regions of eastern Karnataka and Vidarbha, where these varieties are mostly grown.
Also the tardy progress of southwest monsoon and concerns over projection of rainfall this year has aided the upward price trend with farmers and millers holding back their stocks, sources said.

Water crisis

Scanty rainfall last year coupled with lack of canal water for irrigation had impacted the paddy cultivation in districts such as Bellary, Koppal, Raichur and Yadgir in Eastern Karnataka.
“While the kharif transplantation was hit by the delay in release of water last year, farmers could not take up paddy cultivation during the rabi season as there was hardly any water in the canals,” said Chamras Malipatil, President of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha - Hasiru Sene.
However, there’s no dearth of paddy stocks, he said. “Large farmers, stockists and millers are holding the stocks from previous crops,” Malipatil said, adding that newer storage techniques, including improved fumigation, are helping them hold the stocks.
Traditionally, the prices of the preferred varieties go up during this time of the year by about 2 per kg as the supply slows down. However, the extent of increase has more than doubled to around 5 per kg this year, says RC Lahoti, President, Bengaluru Wholesale Food Grain & Pulses Merchants’ Association.
Interestingly, the prices of other varieties such as Salem Idly has also gone up this year. “Prices may come down when the farmers start releasing the stocks in October-November,” Lahoti said.
Srikar Nag of Raichur Rice Mills Association, blamed the unplanned release of water for irrigation from the dams on the Tungabhadra and the Krishna rivers in the region for the shortfall in the crop. “Though the Tungabhadra dam got filled up, farmers could hardly take advantage of it due to the unplanned release of waters by the government,” said Nag.

Abysmal water levels

Water levels have reached the dead storage levels in Tungabhadra reservoir, where accumulation of silt has reduced the storage capacity. While the shortfall in last year’s kharif crop was estimated at 30-40 per cent, farmers could hardly harvest a tenth of the rabi crop, he said.
As a result, the supplies to the rice mills in Raichur have drastically reduced, forcing some mills to fetch paddy from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Nag said. Consecutive droughts in Nagpur region, where the Kolam variety is grown, has also hit the supplies of the premium variety, he added.
Vikram Shreeram of Shriya Rice Mills in Raichur said the price correction ranged between 2-6 per kg at the mill, depending on the varieties. The shortage of paddy has hit the processing of 70-odd rice mills in Raichur, which have reduced their production by half. “The 70-odd mills used to load about 400-500 tonnes of processed rice every day. Presently, we are not even loading 150-200 tonnes a day,” he added.
Srinivas Jayanthi, a trader in Bengaluru said the price fluctuation continues on a daily basis.
The steamed variety of sona masuri has seen the highest increase from around 33 a kg a month ago to aound 41-42 per kg now. “Prices could ease depending on the progress of monsoon,” he added.
India’s rice production for 2018-19 is seen at a record 115.63 million tonnes. Bulk of the paddy produced in India is that of common variety, which is used for supply of rice through the public distribution system. Trade sources estimate that about a fourth of rice produced in India is of premium variety including basmati. However, the production figures for preferred varieties like sona masuri and kolam were not readily available.

Farmers stage road blockade over delay in crop procurement

Post New Network

Nuapada: Normal life in several parts of Nuapada district came to a standstill after hundreds of farmers resorted to road blockade over delay in procurement of rabi paddy here Monday.
Vehicular movement was affected for several hours following the dawn to dusk road blockade. The road blockade was lifted with the intervention of the administration. The agitating farmers relented after assurance of immediate procurement by the millers.
With the onset of monsoon, farmers may face unwanted problems, thanks to the indifferent attitude of the paddy millers. Tonnes of paddy stacked at the mandis are yet to be collected.
Leaving their work, farmers have been spending sleepless nights at the mandis, guarding their produce. With no procurement, the paddy has started sprouting after getting wet in the rain. This will only add to the miseries of the farmers who are reeling under severe crop loss and debt burden.
Despite repeated complaints, no one bothers to lift paddy from the farmers. Fed up with the official apathy, the farmers have resorted to road blockade Monday.
The aggrieved farmers were spotted picketing on Khariar Road, Tarbod, Jadamunda and Beltukuri National Highway.
“It has been two months since we harvested our Rabi crop and brought our produce to the mandis by spending huge costs on transportation. But, now the millers have been demanding additional paddy. When we express our inability, they are rejecting our paddy. Our produce has been dumped at the mandis and we are waiting here, abandoning all our work,” a farmer expressed his anguish.
A total of 6,000 rice packets are stacked at Tarbod mandi, 4,000 at Beltukuri and another 5,000 at Jadamunda mandi. The angry farmers have placed their paddy on National Highway and staged a sit-in in protest. Description: Farmers stage road blockade over delay in crop procurement
On the direction of the District Collector, additional district supply officer Khanduram Naik reached the spot and pacified the farmers. The farmers relented after the officials assured to lift their crop at the earliest.

Learning from the Mistakes of Others at the USA Rice Outlook Conference 

ARLINGTON, VA -- Farming is not an easy line of work and things don't always go as planned, but as Henry Ford famously said, "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."  The question, as always, is what can we learn from those attempts that didn't work the first time?

USA Rice will examine the bumpy road to success during the 2019 Outlook Conference with a session titled "Lessons from the Field:  Farmer Tales and Fails."  A panel of growers will share experiences of times when they tried something, didn't achieve the expected result, but turned what looked like a failure into a new cutting edge practice with the potential to save time and resources.

"This session celebrating 'the good, the bad, and the ugly,' along with the eventual success of new practices promises to be both humbling and enlightening," said Betsy Ward, president & CEO of USA Rice.  "Hear from fellow farmers who have tried, and often failed, and are willing to share the details of how they worked through challenges to do something great." 

The USA Rice Outlook Conference is the largest rice specific event in North America.  The 2019 Conference will take place from December 8-10 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Check 
www.usarice.com/outlook for updates.

Summer crop sowing lags in India on slow monsoon progress
Rajendra Jadhav

JUNE 17, 2019 / 3:40 PM
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Planting of summer-sown crops in India such as soybean, cotton, rice and corn has been delayed by at least two weeks because of the slow progress of monsoon rains in central and western parts of the country, raising concerns over lower production.

FILE PHOTO: A farmer removes dried plants from his parched paddy field at Narimanpura village, on the outskirts of the western Indian city of Ahmedabad July 30, 2012. REUTERS/Amit Dave
Lower production of soybeans could force India to raise imports of edible oils such as palm oil and soyoil, while a drop in cotton output could limit the world’s biggest fiber producer’s exports. Lower rice output could hit shipments from the world’s biggest exporter.

“Monsoon rainfall is delayed. Farmers could not start sowing on the time,” said Atul Ganatra, president of the Cotton Association of India.

Farmers have so far planted summer-sown crops on 8.22 million hectares (20.3 million acres), down 9% compared with the same period a year ago, according to provisional data from the Ministry of Agriculture. Cotton sowing is down 9.4%, while soybean planting has lagged by 51% during the period.

Monsoon rains hit the southern Indian state of Kerala nearly a week later than normal earlier this month. Progress was slowed further last week because of Cyclone Vayu that drew moisture from the Arabian Sea.

Monsoon rainfall was 43% lower than normal so far in June, but in some states, such as Maharashtra, the rainfall deficit was as high as 68%, data compiled by the state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed.

In Maharashtra and the central state of Madhya Pradesh, key producers of soybean, cotton, sugar and pulses, rainfall will remain below average this week but could pick up from the week after, said a senior IMD official, who declined to be named.

“From the next week, the monsoon could gain momentum,” the official said.

Typically, the monsoon covers most parts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh by mid-June, but so far this year monsoon has not even fully covered the southern state of Karnataka, a producer of sugar and corn, IMD data showed.

Monsoons deliver about 70% of India’s annual rainfall and are the lifeblood of its $2.5 trillion economy, spurring farm output and boosting rural spending on items ranging from gold to cars, motorcycles and refrigerators.

“Rainfall delay is a cause of concern for oilseed farmers. If rainfall delays further, it could change sowing patterns and could hurt crop yields as well,” said B.V. Mehta, executive director of the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA).

Farmers cannot use water from reservoirs as many have dried up in western India after the region received lower rainfall than normal in 2018, he said.

For the June to September monsoon season, India is likely to receive 96% of the average of rainfall received during the past 50 years, the IMD forecast last month.

‘PH rice discoveries not reaching farmers’

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:32 AM June 17, 2019
FILE PHOTO
BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines — The Philippines had planned to be self-sufficient in rice by 2017 and be at par with rice exporting countries like Vietnam and Thailand.
But scientific breakthroughs and technology had not been transmitted to farmers by the country’s food research community as had been intended, Sen. Cynthia Villar said during a North Luzon business forum of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday.
Villar, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture, said rice farmers needed to be immersed in the latest discoveries of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) now that rice importation had been liberalized.
Technology transfer
“PhilRice and PhilMech (which are overseen by the Department of Agriculture) were created but there appeared to be some misconception that these institutions’ primary task was research when they needed to bring their findings to the farm level,” she said.
Villar blamed the failure to transfer knowledge and technology on budget constraints.
Farmers have been upset by the rice tariffication law (Republic Act No. 11203), which lifted restrictions on rice importation but imposed import taxes of as high as 35 percent on imports.
Villar said the agriculture industry could be “steered in the right direction” using the six-year Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, amounting to P10 billion a year, which is provided for under the tariffication law.
The law allocates P5 billion for mechanizing rice farms and P3 billion for developing and promoting high-value rice.
Also, P1 billion will be opened as credit support, and another P1 billion will be spent on extension support and the education of rice farmers.
Key to self-sufficiency
Villar said the key to self-sufficiency was mechanization because it would cut down expenses on labor and reduce the influence of middlemen.
Postharvest technologies will also enable farmers to sell directly to the market, she said.
In Vietnam, mechanization reduced production labor cost to the equivalent of P120, compared to the average P460 labor expense of a rice farmer in the Philippines, Villar said.
Vietnam, she said, spends P6 to produce a kilo of palay, which is half the production cost of P12 in the Philippines.
PhilRice has developed an inbred grain variety that can increase the yield of rice farmers to 6 metric tons a hectare from the present 4 MT.
Should this happen, the country can solve its 7-percent rice shortage, which ranges from 600,000 MT to 1 million MT, Villar said.
The next six years will define the impact of PhilMech and PhilRice on food production as well as farmers’ reception to new technology, she said.
Of the 8 million crop farmers in the country, 3.5 million are coconut farmers, while 3.5 million are rice growers.


Price of imported rice drops in May


 


The average price of one kilogramme (kg) of rice (imported high quality sold loose) decreased month-on-month in May, Sunday Telegraph market survey team have learned.
It was revealed that the price of rice decreased year-on-year by -0.40 per cent and decreased month-on-month by -0.70 per cent to N3590.90 in May from N361.38 in April.
Similarly, Sunday Telegraph learnt that the average price of one kg of yam tuber increased year-on-year by -2.07 per cent and month-on month by -30.71 per cent to N300.88 in May from N206.48 in April.
Also, it was learnt that the average price of one dozen of Agric eggs medium decreased year-on-year by -12.80 per cent and remained stable month-on-month at N459.80 in May.
In addition, it was learnt that the average price of piece of Agric eggs medium size (price of one) increased year-on-year by 1.73 per cent and decrease month-on-month by -0.74 per cent to N42.91 in May from N42.23 in April.
Sunday Telegraph further learnt that the average price of one kg of tomato decreased year-on-year by -10.03 per cent and increased month-on-month by 50.11 per cent to N400.29 in March from N250.50 in April.

600,000 Tonnes Rice Mill Underway In Katsina

 
By Jeremiah 

Executive director, Darma Rice Mill Ltd, Mr Fahad Mangal has said the company would set up a 600,000 tonnes capacity rice mill in Katsina to bridge the gap in rice consumption demand in Nigeria.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, Mangal said the mill would support the Federal Government’s effort at making Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production.
He added that the production plan was divided into two phases, saying that the first phase would be 300,000 tonnes per annum capacity of two lines of 16 tonnes per hour rice mill.
According to him, the first phase of the project will take off before the second quarter of 2020 while the second phase of another 300,000 will come on stream immediately after.
“In total, we are talking about 50 million US Dollars volume of investment which is about N15.2 billion. If you look at it, Katsina is a strategic location and has vast land for farming.
“Already we have engaged farmers with some sort of loan who would be farming the paddy rice that we will buy. Apart from that, there are available paddy rice all over the country especially the neighbouring states like Kano, Zamfara, and Jigawa.
“Our target market will be basically the North West down to the North Central where we have big market for rice. In Kano, Kaduna and Abuja for instance, we have a population of over 10 million people and we all know that our major food is rice.”
“If you look at rice demand in Nigeria also, we are still not meeting the local demand because we are still importing rice and by putting up a plant in Katsina, we hope that in the next two to three years we will be self-sufficient and meet our local demand,’’ Mangal said.
He said that the firm would also explore exporting to neighbouring countries in future, adding that the major focus of the company was to produce quality rice for local consumption.
“When we meet our domestic demand for rice, our next target is to start exporting it across the West African countries. Government has also shown commitment to supporting this investment in rice by supporting manufacturing and agricultural businesses.
“I can assure you that we will create not less than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs when the mill is completed and operational,’’ he said.
Mangal also disclosed that the firm would set up a fertilizer plant in the same location in order to support farming in the state.
He said that the company would produce a minimum of one million tonnes of fertilizer per annum by the first quarter of 2020.

More municipalities to benefit from rice liberalization
Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star) - June 17, 2019 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Approximately 1,200 municipalities in the country are expected to reap the benefits of rice liberalization as the government finalizes the guidelines for the farm mechanization component under the rice competitiveness enhancement Fund (RCEF).
The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) said the 1,200 municipalities that would facilitate the deployment of farm equipment and machines in the next six years is set to be identified under the guidelines.
PhilMech is set to receive half of the P10-billion RCEF as part of the opening up of the rice market to cheap imported rice.
“Registered irrigators associations and farmers cooperative will be the beneficiaries of the equipment. The government cannot just give to every individual,” PhilMech chief science research specialist Rod Estigoy said.
“Our distribution will be in pacing because the real challenge is really to purchase and utilize that big of an amount. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we will be able to distribute initial units,” he added.
Each of the municipality should have a viable farmers organization with at least 100 hectares of irrigated rice lands. The 1,200 municipalities are located in 16 the country’s regions that host farming activities.
PhilMech targets to distribute a complete set of machines in every municipality, from land preparation to milling, which would normally cost around P15 million to P20 million per set.
Before the actual deployment and distribution of farm machines in the 1,200 municipalities start, PhilMech would conduct “mind-setting” activities like information drive and technical briefings to prepare farmers to adopt to mechanization.
However, Estigoy said a “one-size-fits-all” approach would not be used by PhilMech in increasing the farm mechanization level of the 1,200 municipalities.
He said there are municipalities that already have a certain degree of farm mechanization while there are those that still rely largely on human or animal power in the various phases of rice production.
Hence, PhilMech will have to study what type of farm equipment and machines would be deployed over a cluster of municipalities.
Of the P10 billion RCEF, half will be allocated for mechanization of rice farms, P3 billion for provision of high-yielding inbred rice seeds, P1 billion for credit support, and P1 billion for extension support and education of rice farmers.
The Philippine Rice Research Institute will take the lead in providing high-yielding inbred rice seeds to farmers while the Agricultural Training Institute and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority will undertake the training of farmers and extension workers.
PhilMech will also develop and provide the modules for the training of rice farmers.
Meanwhile, Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines will support the credit component of the RCEF.
Studies showed that the cost of producing a kilogram of palay in the Philippines is P12.72 compared to P6.22 in Vietnam and P8.86 in Thailand.
The components under RCEF can reduce the cost of producing palay in the country by P1 to P3 per kilo.


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