Increasing aridity threatens food
security in Pakistan
Farmlands are affected by the increasing aridity in Pakistan.
Copyright: Irfan
Muhammad, CC BY-SA 3.0
Speed read
·
Sixty
per cent of Pakistan’s landmass hit by rising aridity
·
Declining
precipitation over the last century is main cause
·
Pakistan
among 10 countries most affected globally by climate change
By: Saleem
Shaikh[ISLAMABAD] Aridity has gripped
over 60 per cent of Pakistan, say researchers who made a long-term (1901–2016)
study of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, dew and hail) and potential
evapotranspiration (evaporation from soil and by plant transpiration) over the
country’s 80 million hectares of landmass.
Pakistan is among the top ten countries “most affected by extreme weather
events”, according to the Global Climate Risk Index, released by Germanwatch, a public policy group.
“Our study findings show that
declining precipitation has remained a key cause of aridity in most of the
country”
Shamsuddin
Shahid, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Researchers from China, Malaysia and Pakistan, who published their work in Hydrology
and Earth System Sciences this month (19 July), say aridity
increased mostly in the southern parts of the country, where rains have shown a
declining pattern over the past century.
The study shows that a major shift in aridity and rainfall occurred between 1971 and 1980 and that average annual evapotranspiration rates in most parts of the country are much higher than precipitation rates, resulting in rising aridity.
“Warming temperatures and consequent evapotranspiration have been long believed to be key causative forces of aridity. But our study findings show that declining precipitation has remained a key cause of aridity in most of the country,’’ says Shamsuddin Shahid, an author of the study and associate professor at the hydrology department, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
Shahid tells SciDev.Net that a large area in the northeast of Pakistan became wetter during the study period 1901–2016. Most of the country’s southern half is witnessing rising aridity trends while the upper half of the country, especially the northeast, is becoming less arid.
Consequently, agriculture in the central and southern part of the country, where rice, sugarcane, wheat and cotton are grown, is threatened by high evapotranspiration rates while farming in the upper half of the country, which mostly grows maize, potato, onion and other vegetables, is in a better situation, Shahid says.
Aridity is fast emerging as the gravest risk to Pakistan’s agriculture, which is the mainstay of the economy, says Amjad Tahir Virk, who led the first phase of the five-year UNDP-funded Desertification in Pakistan project that ended in 2013.
“Surging aridity in Pakistan’s south, which contributes 70 per cent of the total agriculture productivity and farm-related jobs, means [a] hike in overall food insecurity, rural poverty and significant loss of farm-based jobs,” Virk, who specialises in science-based aridity management, tells SciDev.Net.
Declining precipitation patterns in the country’s southern parts means more frequent droughts even in irrigated areas, says Virk. On the other hand, growing precipitation trends in the northern regions means these areas will suffer more riverine and flash floods in the coming years, he adds.
The study shows that a major shift in aridity and rainfall occurred between 1971 and 1980 and that average annual evapotranspiration rates in most parts of the country are much higher than precipitation rates, resulting in rising aridity.
“Warming temperatures and consequent evapotranspiration have been long believed to be key causative forces of aridity. But our study findings show that declining precipitation has remained a key cause of aridity in most of the country,’’ says Shamsuddin Shahid, an author of the study and associate professor at the hydrology department, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
Shahid tells SciDev.Net that a large area in the northeast of Pakistan became wetter during the study period 1901–2016. Most of the country’s southern half is witnessing rising aridity trends while the upper half of the country, especially the northeast, is becoming less arid.
Consequently, agriculture in the central and southern part of the country, where rice, sugarcane, wheat and cotton are grown, is threatened by high evapotranspiration rates while farming in the upper half of the country, which mostly grows maize, potato, onion and other vegetables, is in a better situation, Shahid says.
Aridity is fast emerging as the gravest risk to Pakistan’s agriculture, which is the mainstay of the economy, says Amjad Tahir Virk, who led the first phase of the five-year UNDP-funded Desertification in Pakistan project that ended in 2013.
“Surging aridity in Pakistan’s south, which contributes 70 per cent of the total agriculture productivity and farm-related jobs, means [a] hike in overall food insecurity, rural poverty and significant loss of farm-based jobs,” Virk, who specialises in science-based aridity management, tells SciDev.Net.
Declining precipitation patterns in the country’s southern parts means more frequent droughts even in irrigated areas, says Virk. On the other hand, growing precipitation trends in the northern regions means these areas will suffer more riverine and flash floods in the coming years, he adds.
Rice
exporters want Centre to obtain duty cuts at RCEP
Vishwanath Kulkarni Bengaluru |
Updated on August 01, 2019 Published onAugust 01, 2019
Indian exporters also face
non-tariff barriers from countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia
India’s
non-basmati rice exporters want the government to bargain hard in the ongoing
RCEP negotiations, seeking duty cuts from ASEAN nations, the second largest
market for the cereal. Though India is the largest exporter of rice, it does
not have any say in the South East Asian region, where four of the top five
markets are located.
Out of bounds
“We
would like the government to press for duty cuts on rice exports in the RCEP
talks,” said BV Krishna Rao, President of the Rice Exporters Association. In
fact, India competes with major Asian rice producers such as Thailand, Vietnam
and Myanmar in markets such as Africa, but it is finding it difficult to get a
foothold in the South East Asian market.
Africa
is the biggest market for rice, estimated at around 15 million tonnes annually,
where India has a share of over 50 per cent. South East Asia is the second
largest market, with an estimated size of around 8-10 mt annually. “Lack of
market access, non-tariff barriers and higher duty imposed by Asean members on
Indian rice has forced exporters to concentrate on the African market,” Rao
said.
The
ASEAN countries impose a duty of 50 per cent on the Indian rice. However the
duty imposed on rice produced by member countries is 35 per cent. “There is a
duty difference of 15 per cent on the Indian rice. If negotiated well at the
RCEP, it could open new markets for us,” Rao said.
Non-tariff barriers
Besides,
the Indian exporters also face non-tariff barriers from countries such as
Indonesia and Malaysia, from whom we import bulk of the edible oils. Indonesia,
for example, specifies a short delivery period of five days for tenders, which
works in favour of neighbouring producers such as Thailand and Vietnam, but not
for Indian exporters.
“It
is difficult to participate in such tenders considering the logistical issues,”
Rao said. Similarly, Malaysia prefers to import from Pakistan due to religious
connections, he said.
While
India exports rice to over 170 countries, it is finding it difficult to crack
the markets in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. India is the
largest exporter of rice and accounts for a fourth of the global shipments. In
2018-19, non-basmati rice exports fell to 7.5 million tonnes from 8.8 million
tonnes the previous year.
Drought, Dams Drive Mekong River to Its Lowest Level in 100
Years
By Ron
Brackett
14 hours ago
weather.com
(Linh Pham/Getty Images)
·
The Mekong River flows
through six countries in Southeast Asia.
·
The area has been
suffering from a severe drought.
·
Hydroelectric dams
upriver have also restricted water flow.
Southeast Asia's Mekong River has dropped to its lowest level in more than 100
years, and experts warn monsoon rains that have arrived two months late may not
be enough to undo the damage.
Food supplies for tens of millions of people are endangered.
Fishermen who expect to haul in large fish this time of year are seeing only
tiny ones. Farther downstream, scientists aren't even seeing small fish or fish
larvae. Rice farmers have been unable to plant their crops in the parched
ground. Others who did plant have watched the slender green shoots die as
saltwater backs up into the delta.
Severe drought is part of the problem. Monsoon season typically
starts in May, but rainfall for the past two months has been more than 40 percent below
normal, Reuters reported.
Hydroelectric dams upriver in China and Laos are making the
situation worse, Asian government officials and scientists say.
The Mekong River begins in China, where it is called the
Lancang, and it flows through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam
before reaching the South China Sea.
China operates 11 dams along the Mekong, From July 5 to 19, it
cut by half the amount of water it would normally release from the Jinghong
Dam in Yunnan province, the Nikkei Asian Review reported. Chinese
water officials said it was for grid maintenance. China has also promised to
release more water from the dam.
(Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images)
Both countries and others in the region plan more dams along the
Mekong and its tributaries.
“The accelerating pace of change, coupled with cumulative
impacts of transboundary stressors and the impending impacts of climate change,
point to a fear that the river, which is the lifeblood of most of Southeast
Asia, will gradually lose function until it no longer supports the huge
diversity of wildlife and millions of people
that depend on it,” says Zeb Hogan, a fish biologist at the
University of Nevada, Reno, told National Geographic.
Hogan explained that the Mekong experiences a "flood
pulse" when the monsoon rains come. Without that pulse, larvae and tiny
fish aren't swept into lakes and floodplains where they can mature.
“Without the flood pulse, fish may delay or skip spawning,” said
Hogan, who also leads a USAID project called Wonders of the Mekong. “For rare and
endangered species, this situation threatens their survival, and for commercially
important fish species, future harvests could be significantly reduced.”
The fish that are being found are much smaller than in years
past. In northeastern Thailand, fishermen have started using smaller mesh nets
and finer lines.
“I wish the seasonal pattern would return so fish can lay eggs
as they used to,” Chai Haikamsri told Reuters. “I wish the dams would not
disrupt this any more.”
(Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)
The Mekong's flow has been so reduced in Vietnam that saltwater
from the South China Sea is washing up to 25
miles inland on the delta, Circle of Blue reported. Half of
Vietnam's rice is grown on the Mekong Delta. Some estimates say half of the
delta's arable land – about 3,750 square miles – have been damaged by the salt.
Sediment that could help rebuild the delta land is trapped by
the dams upriver.
Marc Goichot of the WWF Greater Mekong Programme told the Nikkei
Asian Review, "Cambodia has one of the most productive inland fisheries in
the world, and it provides affordable protein for all. Reduction of sediment
will cause the delta to sink and shrink, reducing the resilience of 18 million
Vietnamese to tropical storms, floods, as well as causing increased salt
intrusion and reduced access to freshwater."
Experts warn that all of this could mean the end of the Mekong
River ecosystem.
“With the completion of more mainstream dams and the cumulative
effects of climate change, that tipping point” for when the river can no adjust
to the changes “may be coming closer," Brian Eyler, the Southeast Asia
program director at the Stimson Center in Washington D.C., told National
Geographic.
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China's CRISPR revolution
1.
Jon Cohen
See all authors and affiliations
Science 02
Aug 2019:
Vol. 365, Issue 6452, pp. 420-421
DOI: 10.1126/science.365.6452.420
Vol. 365, Issue 6452, pp. 420-421
DOI: 10.1126/science.365.6452.420
Editing of plant, animal, and human genomes has
never been easier, as this country's scientists are rapidly demonstrating.
FOR MANY PEOPLE, CRISPR
plus China equals the biophysicist He Jiankui, who infamously used the genome
editor last year to alter the DNA of two human embryos that would become twin
girls. Before his announcement, He was little-known within the country's CRISPR
community, which has grown rapidly and is now challenging—and by some measures
surpassing—the United States in its use of the powerful tool (see graphics,
below).
A better
representative of CRISPR in China is plant biologist Li Jiayang of the
Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology in Beijing. Li left the country
in 1985 for his graduate education, as have many of China's best and brightest
young scientists over the past few decades, and then returned home in 1995 to
focus on manipulating plant DNA. Li, who recently ended a stint as head of the
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, says he struggled for years to make
pinpoint genome edits. CRISPR gave him a simple, fast way to do just that,
turbocharging his efforts to modify rice. “Now, suddenly, the dreams come
true,” says Li, whose lab is humming at 9 p.m. on a Wednesday with two dozen
members of his team running experiments.
A technician in Gao Caixia's lab selects immature wheat embryos
for CRISPR editing.
PHOTO: STEFEN CHOW
The
lights are burning late at CRISPR labs around the world. In 2012, the year researchers
transformed a bacterial immune system into the fast and versatile tool for
genome engineering, scientific publications mentioning CRISPR totaled 127.
Since then there have been more than 14,000. Although the United States has had
the most CRISPR publications—and continues to have the most cited papers—China
is now a close second and is pouring money into CRISPR's uses.
With
support from the Pulitzer Center, Science visited
scientists in five Chinese cities who are harnessing CRISPR in a wide range of
disciplines. China's biggest push is in agriculture (see p. 422)
but researchers there are also applying the editor on a large scale in animals
(see p. 426), with pig organs for human transplants
the most provocative goal. And China is aggressively exploring genome editing
in medicine, having launched far more clinical trials using CRISPR, mainly for
cancer, than any country (Science,
6 October 2017, p. 20).
CREDITS: (GRAPHICS) N. DESAI/SCIENCE; (DATA) GEOFFREY SIWO/UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME; J. MARTIN-LAFFON ET AL., NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY, VOL. 37, JUNE 2019, 601–621; A. RICROCH ET AL., EMERGING TOPICS IN LIFE SCIENCES (2017) 1 169–182
Geneticist
Wei Wensheng of Peking University in Beijing says the Chinese scientific
culture has to look hard at how it creates researchers like He by
overemphasizing firsts. “What I don't understand is why do you want to be named
the first of something horrible or bad. What's the point?” Wei asks.
Yang Hui
of the Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai, one of the most successful young
CRISPR researchers in the country, hopes China can move past He and up its
game. Yes, Chinese researchers publish many CRISPR studies, he says, but “very
few” do respected work that breaks new ground. “Our generation should publish
more innovative papers,” Yang says.
But Yang
stresses that he has seen the quality increase “very fast” over the past 2
years or so. As China plants its flag at this scientific frontier, overseas
sojourns like Li's and his own may soon be the exception. “Now, many good
students will choose to stay here because of the good opportunities,” Yang
says. “And we have many good students working hard.”
Farmers press for anti-dumping duties on undervalued rice imports
August 1, 2019 | 10:09 pm
REUTERS
A FARMERS’ organization said
persistent undervaluation of rice imports is depriving the agriculture sector
of tariffs to fund upgrades to their farming technology, and urged the
government to counter the undervaluation by resorting to anti-dumping duties.
In a statement, Federation of
Free Farmers National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor noted that data from the
Bureau of Customs indicate that the average landed cost of rice imports
inclusive of insurance and freight was at $227 per metric ton (MT), well below
the $391 per MT to $422 per MT estimated cost from the various producing
countries, suggesting undervalued shipments which cost the government about P5
billion in foregone revenue.
He said undervalued gain imports
represent unfair competition that is also exerting pressure on the prices of
domestically-grown rice.
Anti-dumping duties are imposed
on imports which a government determines to be priced below fair market value.
In the Philippines, these measures are authorized by Republic Act 8752, or the
Anti-Dumping Act of 1999, which allows the Secretary of Agriculture to initiate
an anti-dumping investigation, the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to require importers
to post cash bonds equivalent to the estimated dumping margin, and the Tariff
Commission to conduct investigations into anti-dumping complaints.
“The BoC has argued that they
cannot question the declared value of imported rice if valid documents are
submitted by the importer, even if there appears to be a clear case of
undervaluation,” Mr. Montemayor said.
“With anti-dumping, an importer
will be subject to higher anti-dumping duties the larger the undervaluation, no
matter what documents are submitted. RA 8752 also provides that the license of
an importer who is caught dumping can be cancelled, and its officers can be
barred from holding positions in any business enterprise in the country,” he
noted.
The BoC recently said that it is
on track to fund from tariffs the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF),
which by law must be allocated P10 billion a year.
The Rice Tariffication Act allows
rice to be imported more freely by private entities, in exchange for a tariff
of 35% on grain from Southeast Asia. The tariffs will finance RCEF to help
farmers raise their productivity and gain more access to inputs and credit.
The BoC has collected about P6.5
billion in tariffs as of mid-July. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang
‘Rice planters
to get free machines in 2020’
August 2, 2019
A
farmer walks on a rice field in Tarlac in this file photo.
Rice planters would have to wait until the first quarter of next
year for their free farm machines from the government as the budget impasse
stalled the release of funds.
Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization
(PhilMech) Applied Communication Division Chief Rodolfo P. Estigoy said the
agency just received P2.1 billion from the Department of Budget and Management
(DBM) through a special allotment release order last July 22.
The amount is part of the agency’s share of P5 billion from the
P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) mandated by Republic
Act (RA) 11203.
RCEF was created to help farmers cope with the adverse effects
of the rice trade liberalization law.
Estigoy said PhilMech, an attached agency of the Department of
Agriculture (DA), will start the survey of some 1,200 rice-producing
municipalities which would receive free farm equipment from the government.
The survey aims to determine the required and suitable farm
machines of each municipality to help planters improve their productivity and
increase their income, he added.
“The P100 million will be used for extension services while the
P2 billion will be used to purchase agricultural machines,” Estigoy told
reporters in a news briefing on Thursday.
“PhilMech will adopt a needs-based approach wherein the agency
will determine the most pressing needs [in terms of machinery] in the
municipalities and provide these needs,” he added.
Citing a recent evaluation by PhilMech, Estigoy said the agency
found that the most immediate need of rice farmers are equipment for land
preparation, like hand tractors and dryers.
He said the agency expects to finish the survey and evaluation
of the target beneficiaries within the month. PhilMech is targeting to kick off
the bidding and procurement of farm equipment by September.
The agency is expected to start delivering the free farm
equipment in February 2020.
Beneficiaries of the free machines include farmers’ groups in
the 1,200 municipalities in 57 major rice-producing provinces that are in the
DA’s database, Estigoy said.
Nueva Ecija, which accounts for 10.18 percent of national
output, Isabela, Pangasinan, Cagayan and Iloilo are among the country’s top
rice producers, according to PhilMech.
The agency will group rice producers into six clusters to
facilitate the implementation of free equipment program. These clusters are
Luzon A, Luzon B, Luzon C, Visayas, Mindanao A, and Mindanao B.
Estigoy said PhilMech expects to get the remaining P2.9 billion
from the national government before the end of the year as the rice trade
liberalization law mandates that the agency should get P5 billion annually in
the next six years.
Money for the RCEF is being frontloaded by the government to
cushion the impact of a more open Philippine rice market on planters. Starting
next year, money from the RCEF will be funded by tariffs collected from rice
imports.
The DBM said on its web site that it has released a total of P5
billion last July 18 to RCEF implementing agencies.
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) received
P2.095 billion while the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(Tesda) was given P700 million.
The DBM also released P100 million to the Agricultural Training
Institute (ATI), another attached agency of DA.
Under RA 11203, PhilMech must receive P5 billion for the
distribution of free equipment to farmers, while PhilRice woud be given P3
billion for the distribution of inbred rice seeds. Tesda and ATI will get P1
billion each for credit assistance and
farmers’ training.
farmers’ training.
Jasper Emmanuel
Y. Arcalas is a graduate of the UST Journalism School (Batch 2016). He
currently covers agribusiness for the BusinessMirror. He joined the news outfit
in August 2016.
Senators seek review of Rice Tariffication Act
Published
By Mario Casayuran
Pro-administration Senator
Cynthia A. Villar and opposition senator Francis N. Pangilinan yesterday asked
the Senate to review the negative impact of the Rice Tariffication Act that
became a law five months ago.
Senator Cynthia Villar and Senator Francis Pangilinan (MANILA
BULLETIN)
Pangilinan revealed that about
200,000 farmers have stopped working on food production and 4,000 rice mills
have stopped operating.
‘’Did farmers get help from the
P10 billion rice fund? Did rice prices go down?’’ he asked.
In Senate Resolution 36 that he
filed, Pangilinan asked the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food chaired by
Senator Cynthia A. Villar to conduct an inquiry on the impact of the law
(Republic Act 11203) on rice farmers and the local rice industry.
Villar herself filed a resolution
seeking an inquiry into the implementation of the law lifting the quantitative
restriction on rice importation and creating the P10 billion Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
Villar emphasized that she has
made it a point to prioritize the exercise of her committee’s oversight
function on the implementation of the law enacted on February 14, 2019.
“This is the protection measure
we have in place for our local farmers in a tariffied regime we find ourselves
in following the expiration of the agreement with the World Trade Organization.
We believe in this law and for our farmers and we want it to succeed,’’ she
said.
Pangilinan, for his part, said
’’farmers tell us that their earnings dropped further with the implementation
of the law.
‘Rice tariffication is killing
us’ said one farmer from Nueva Ecija who approached us.’’
The resolution noted that the
government’s economic team pushed for the passage of the law due to high rice
prices, with inflation reaching a nine-year high of 6.7 percent in September to
October 2018.
The impact of the law on our
farmers is swift and brutal but the implementation of the provisions aimed at
easing this severe effect is slow if non-existent. Where is the help from the
P10-billion RCEF?” he asked.
RCEF, which is funded by tariffs
generated by rice imports, is set up to make the domestic rice industry more
competitive through farm mechanization, access to better seeds, and more
financing and extension services, among others.
The resolution notes that the
steep drop in farm-gate prices of palay (unhusked) four months after the
implementation of the law will result in an estimated loss of P114 billion for
Filipino farmers for the entire year.
Farm-gate price of palay end-June
fell by 16.4 percent to P17.77 per kilo, compared to last year’s P21.39 per
kilogram, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Farmers’
groups claim that in some areas, the drop has been to as low as P12 per kilo.
“Aside from the mentioned data,
we hope concerned government officials will listen to the farmers so that they
understand the dire straits farmers face. Special focus should be on the
small-holder palay producers taking the brunt of the impact of the law,”
Pangilinan said.
“We should act fast or we might
wake up one day without farmers in our land,” he added.
At the other end of the market
chain, rice consumers also noted that retail rice prices have not gone down as
promised by the law. On the second week of July, the PSA monitored the average
retail price of regular- and well-milled rice ranging from P38.40 to P42.88 per
kilo.
A week before the law took effect
on March 5, rice prices in stores ranged from P40.65 to P44.58 per kilo.
Pangilinan said Filipino rice farmers are discouraged from toiling in the farms because their produce is purchased at lower prices.
Pangilinan said Filipino rice farmers are discouraged from toiling in the farms because their produce is purchased at lower prices.
“Even consumers did not seem to
benefit from this law because now we don’t have NFA rice, which then costs only
P27 to P30 per kilo in NFA outlets,” he said.
‘’Who benefited from this policy?
It looks like we’ve suffered a double whammy,” he pointed out.
Pangilinan served as the
Presidential Assistant on Agricultural Modernization to then President Benigno
Simeon Aquino III, when food prices were kept low even in the face of El Niño,
a climate pattern that normally brings drought.
In his concurrent capacity as
chairman of the National Food Authority (NFA) Council, he led the rejection of
bids for government-to-government rice importation that were priced too high,
and saved the government as much as P8 billion when the council eventually
imported at lower prices.
Pangilinan said he believes that
agriculture is the key to Philippine progress. He authored the recently signed
Sagip Saka Act of 2019 which links farmers directly to buyers like government
offices, to eliminate middlemen and effectively raise farmers’ incomes via
entrepreneurial programs.
For the 18th Congress, Pangilinan
has filed 13 agriculture- and environment-related bills.
They are: Senate Bills 31 on Coco
Levy Trust Fund, 32 on creation of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources, 33 on Postharvest Facilities, 34 on Organic Agriculture, 35 on
Expanded Crop Insurance, 36 on Rainwater Management, 40 on Single-use Plastic
Regulation, 256 on Agricultural Land Conversion Ban, 257 on Urban Agriculture,
263 on Solid Waste Importation Ban, 423 on Food Waste Reduction, 638 on
Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Incentives, and 639 on National Mangrove Forest
Protection and Preservation.
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- August
1, 2019
AUGUST 1, 2019 / 1:36 PM
* * * * * *
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-August 1, 2019 Nagpur,
Aug 1 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices zoomed up in Nagpur Agriculture Produce
and Marketing Committee (APMC) on increased buying support from local millers
amid tight supply from producing regions because of rains. Good recovery on
NCDEX in gram and fresh hike in Madhya Pradesh pulses and reported demand from
South-based millers also jacked up prices. About 800 bags of gram and 150 bags
of tuar reported for auction, according to sources.
GRAM
* Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand
from local
traders.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani recovered in open market here on renewed demand
from local traders.
* Moong Chamki firmed up again in open market here on good demand
from
local traders amid weak arrival from producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,600-6,000, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,300-8,500,
Udid Mogar (clean)
– 7,200-7,800, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,200-9,200, Gram – 4,400-4,500,
Gram Super best
– 6,200-6,400 * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a
narrow range in
scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading
activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100
kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 4,000-4,300 4,000-4,200
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 5,150-5,775 5,000-5,205
Moong Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,200-2,500
Wheat Lokwan Auction 2,000-2,120 1,950-2,090
Wheat Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000
Gram Super Best Bold 6,400-6,600 6,400-6,600
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 4,500-4,600 4,500-4,600
Desi gram Raw 4,450-4,550 4,450-4,550
Gram Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000
Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,600-8,800 8,600-8,800
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 8,200-8,400 8,200-8,400
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,900-8,100 7,900-8,100
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 7,200-7,600 7,200-7,600
Tuar Gavarani New 6,050-6,150 6,000-6,100
Tuar Karnataka 6,300-6,500 6,300-6,500
Masoor dal best 5,600-5,700 5,600-5,700
Masoor dal medium 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,400
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 8,800-9,500 8,800-9,500
Moong Mogar Medium 7,000-7,800 7,000-7,800
Moong dal Chilka New 6,800-7,900 6,800-7,900
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 8,400-8,800 8,300-8,800
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,500-8,200 7,500-8,200
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,500 5,500-6,500
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,800 4,500-4,800
Mot (100 INR/KG) 5,200-6,500 5,200-6,500
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,900-5,000 4,900-5,000
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 6,900-7,300 6,900-7,300
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,100 2,000-2,100
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,600 2,400-2,600
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,000 2,700-3,000
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300
Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,100 2,700-3,100
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,750 2,600-2,750
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,500 2,200-2,500
Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,400 3,800-4,400
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,600
Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200
Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,500-5,800 5,500-5,800
Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,800 4,500-4,800
Rice Shriram new (100 INR/KG) 4,400-5,000 4,400-5,000
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-13,500 8,500-13,500
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,000 5,000-7,000
Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,500-7,200 6,500-7,200
Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400
Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,800 5,200-5,800
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 25.0 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 22.7 degree Celsius Rainfall :
11.1 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rains or
thunder-showers. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 28 degree
Celsius and 23 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils,
transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market
prices)
Then Came the Rains: Floods in Northern Sri Lanka Endanger Paddy
Farmers’ Harvest
In December 2018, heavy rains
flooded parts of Vavuniya district, destroying thousands of acres of paddy
crops. With the new planting season approaching, paddy farmers find themselves
in a financial bind as they rush to purchase seeds and prepare the land in
time.
NEDUNKERNY NORTH, SRI LANKA – The sun rises in Sri Lanka’s
Vavuniya district, chasing away the morning chill and revealing flood-ravaged
gravel roads.
Kanakasuntharam Kajarakan wakes and goes to his paddy field. He
gazes at the scene before him, lifting his hand to his head.
“In my experience of being a farmer, this is the only time that
even 20-day crops were destroyed,” Kajarakan says, referencing the paddy crop’s
quick growth period.
Kajarakan sowed 45 acres of paddy at the start of the planting
season in October 2018. Five of the acres belonged to him; he had leased the
remaining 40 acres.
Then the heavy rains came. His young paddy plants did not
survive.
So he planted again, taking a loan of 300,000 Sri Lankan rupees
($1,702) from a local bank to prepare the soil and buy seedlings for 25 acres
of land. But just weeks later, in late December of 2018, heavy flooding struck
Vavuniya again, partially destroying his crops.
Kajarakan now has more than 1 million rupees ($5,675 dollars) to
repay on two bank loans, the first of which he took out in April 2018. He has
not been able to make the monthly payments since January and does not know
where he will find the money to plant his crops come the new planting season in
October.
“I cannot sleep in the night,” he says, his voice trembling. “I
am in a dilemma and wonder how we are going to be rescued from this. Our names
are going to be ruined.”
According to the government’s Rice Research & Development
Institute (RRDI), about 1.8 million farm families cultivate paddy, which is
known as rice once it is harvested. Rice is the main food crop in Sri Lanka.
After gaining independence in 1948, Sri Lanka worked to attain
self-sufficiency in rice production. For most of the 2000s, it did, according
to the Agriculture and Environment Statistics Division. But in 2017, floods and
droughts devastated paddy fields, forcing Sri Lanka to import 700,000 tons of
rice.
In Vavuniya district, where Kajarakan farms, this latest round
of extreme weather affected 1,233 farmers, who saw nearly 3,200 acres of paddy
fields damaged by flooding spurred by the heavy monsoon rains.
The Sri Lankan Department of Agriculture and the International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) are working together to return Sri Lanka to rice
self-sufficiency through efforts such as improved rice exchange and the
development of hybrid rice.
But in the meantime, operating with a financial deficit has
become a common plight for farmers.
“The farmers are struggling to stabilize themselves,” says
Sethukavalar Therusethukavalar of the Vavuniya District Farmers Organization
Authority. “And so they carry this year’s burden into next year’s sowing.”
I cannot sleep in the night. I am in a dilemma
and wonder how we are going to be rescued from this. Our names are going to be
ruined.
In an effort to ease the burden, the government offers a special
insurance for farmers affected by floods.
A farmer whose entire crop was destroyed will be compensated
with a payment of 40,000 rupees ($227) per acre for up to five acres, says
Mohamed Rafeek Mohamed Zamir, district assistant director of the government’s
Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board.
“This free insurance, fertilizer and subsidy will be given to
those affected by the destruction of their paddy fields,” he says. “No fee is
levied for this. The state is giving this free of charge.”
According to Zamir, 429 farmers were selected to receive the
insurance and paid in July 2019.
But the financial assistance does not quell farmers’ fears of
droughts and floods.
Sivasuntharam Sivasekaram has been farming for 45 years. In
2007, Sri Lanka’s ongoing civil war forced him from his land in Nedunkerny
North. When he returned in 2011, he found the area changed.
“In the past, we were able to make a good living and profit with
agriculture. But now it is not so,” he says. “Now nobody is able to predict
when it will rain and when it is going to be sunny.”
Sivasekaram sowed 70 acres of paddy in the 2017 farming season,
but due to the drought, he harvested only 32 acres. In the 2018 season, he
decided to cultivate 25 acres; but that year, he was met by the heavy rains.
“Farming cannot be managed if both drought and floods are going
to occur,” he says.
Typically, he says he harvests 40 bags per acre, each bag
containing 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of paddy. But in the 2018 season, he
harvested only 26 bags of paddy per acre.
Like many farmers in Nedunkerny North, Sivasekaram has made it a
habit to save some of the seed after each harvest to sow the following season.
But this year, he did not grow enough to save for next season’s sowing.
“This time it is a loss,” he says. “Next time we might have to
take loans.”
Thushiththa Vadivalagan, a lecturer at the Sri Lanka School of
Agriculture in Vavuniya, advocates for local farmers to switch to traditional
types of paddy seeds, which she says are better able to withstand droughts and
floods. But she says the traditional paddy strains take a few months longer to
bear harvest and produce a lesser yield than the newer strains provided by
paddy research centers.
Paddy farmers themselves are not eager to switch crops.
“Even though they have faced destruction continuously, they are
engaged in cultivation with a hope that one day they will improve,” she says.
But Kajarakan doesn’t feel like waiting.
He still goes to his paddy fields, but he also has a dairy cow
to attend to – and he intends to get more. He will also begin work as an
electrician.
“We have been involved in agriculture from generation to
generation,” Kajarakan says. “Even if I face difficulties, I think it is good
for our children not be engaged in this work, because they should not suffer
like us.”
Josephine Anthony, GPJ translated
this article from Tamil.
RPT-Asia Rice-Vietnam prices dip on fears Philippines could curb
imports
Arpan Varghese
AUGUST 2, 2019 / 6:34 AM
(Repeats with no changes)
* Thai rates rise on drought, Bangladesh grapples with floods
* India prices unchanged on weak demand from Africa
By Arpan Varghese
BENGALURU, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Export prices for Vietnamese rice fell
this week on fears major buyer Philippines could curb imports, while a drought
in Thailand and widespread floods in Bangladesh hit supply in the Asian hubs.
In Vietnam, 5% broken rice rates RI-VNBKN5-P1 fell to $340-$350 a
tonne on Thursday from $350 last week.
“We’ve heard the Philippines will likely ban imports during its
harvest in September to support local farmers,” a trader in Ho Chi Minh City
said.
Buyers in the Philippines, one of Vietnam’s top buyers, had bought
a lot of rice recently to build inventories, another trader said.
Thailand’s 5-percent broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 prices rose to
$395-$405 a tonne, free-on-board Bangkok (FOB), from $390-$395 last week mainly
due to a widespread drought while overseas demand remained flat, traders said.
“The drought is raising concern about a possible supply shortage,”
a Bangkok-based trader said.
High prices for Thai rice and a strong baht could deter buyers,
traders said.
“There are no major deals in sight,” another trader said.
“All we’ve had so far this year are small deals with regular
customers and that’s not really affected prices as much as the currency
exchange and supply situation.”
The world’s second-largest rice exporter has seen a 19.6 percent
decline in exports between January and June versus the same period last year,
according to the Thai Rice Exporters Association.
Adverse weather hit markets in Bangladesh as well, with flooding
submerging more than 100,000 hectares of paddy, according to a preliminary
assessment by the agriculture ministry.
This comes at a time when farmers are struggling to secure fair
prices for produce, with no overseas deals in sight since the country lifted an
export ban in May, traders said.
Agriculture minister Abdur Razzaque said the government would
reduce fertilizer prices and provide modern equipment to growers to reduce
costs.
Bangladesh’s central bank instructed authorities not to reclaim
previous loans and provide fresh ones to help flood-affected farmers.
In India, prices of 5 percent broken parboiled rice RI-INBKN5-P1
were unchanged around $381-$384 per tonne.
“Demand from buyers in Africa is not improving. They have bought
enough old stocks from China at lower prices,” said an exporter based at
Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
India’s exports could fall to a seven-year low, officials said.
Meanwhile, farmers planted paddy on 18.5 million hectares as on
July 26, versus 19.8 million hectares during the same time last year, while
forecasts for an improvement in monsoon rains assuaged drought fears and lifted
expectations for a robust yield of summer crops such as rice.
Reporting by Anjishnu Mondal in Bengaluru; Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Panu
Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Ruma Paul in Dhaka and Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai;
Editing by Alexandra Hudsonhttps://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL4N24X3TE
Justice for rice farmers
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:22 AM August 02,
2019
On July 8, at the SL Agritech-GoNegosyo launch of the Masaganang Ani 300 to
reward farmers who will harvest 300 sacks (15 tons) of palay per hectare, a
leader asked for justice for rice farmers.
While those who can attain the 15-ton
production target should be rewarded, this cannot be immediately attained by
more than 95 percent of our rice farmers. Because of our inadequate agriculture
support services and our low hybrid rice usage, we are not yet producing the
minimum 4-ton-per-hectare yield necessary to survive the rice tariffication
law.
The Philippine government was given 22
years by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to prepare them for today’s
35-percent rice tariff. But our government did not give them the support
measures other governments gave their farmers. It is unfair that our farmers
will now be left to fend for themselves. Ironically, it is the traders, not the
consumers, who are benefiting most from this law.
Consider the Philippine Statistics
Authority report below taken on the first week of July.
PSA data showed that farm gate price has
dropped by 17 percent. But the drop in retail price was only 4 percent.
Assuming the 2.1 multiple of farm-gate to retail price in 2018, the retail
price in 2019 should be P37.34, not P40.86. Instead of the consumer getting the
P7.35 decrease in prices, it is the trader that gets all of it.
In other reports, the retail price decrease
in many areas is only P1 (not P1.83), while the droph in the farm-gate price in
all 11 areas where DA collected data averaged P14.10 (not P17.78). The DA data
showed the following: Baguio City-P13.00, La Union-P14.50, Pampanga-P9.00,
Cavite-P13.00, Oriental Mindoro-P14.50, Albay-P14.50, IloIlo-P17.50,
Leyte-P12.00, Zamboanga del Norte-P16.50, Zamboanga Sibugay-P15.50, Butuan
City-P15.00. If these are accurate, then the retail price was down by only 2
percent, while farm-gate price declined by 34 percent. This means the average
farmer will get only P15,840 a hectare, which is way below a decent survival
rate.
MORE STORIES
But all is not lost. Safeguards can still
be implemented.
Here is the official statement: “A WTO
member may take a safeguard action to protect a specific domestic industry from
an increased import of any product which is causing serious injury to the
industry.” WTO allows us to take safeguard measures, which effectively means
temporarily increasing the tariff. Tariffication is good, but we had to
implement the very low 35 percent because of a previous WTO commitment.
Unfortunately, this adjustment is usually
done only after two years from the start of the injury. We should try to
shorten this period.
Another measure we should use is to provide
much-needed subsidies to our farmers. WTO allows de minimis support up to 10
percent of the commodity’s value of production for developing countries.
This amounts to P39 billion. We should use this option.
Every P1 palay price decrease means
P17-billion loss for the farmers. Thus, the P3.73 per kilo decline
reported by the PSA (though possibly understated) means P63.2 billion
lost by the farmers this year. This loss is much more than the P10 billion
support provided by the Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
Unfortunately, none of the RCEF has been
allocated for inputs such as fertilizers and hybrid rice seeds. The
supplemental budget subsidy should thereforeenhance the RCEF by providing these
inputs. If this is not done, the RCEF must be reconfigured for these inputs to
replace some of the current measures, thusreprogamming part of the less urgent
P5-B mechanization for later use.
We must embark on a public-private
partnership with emphasis on farmer involvement. This was not sufficiently
done. This way, we can formulate the necessary measures for our farmers
to improve their profitability, compete effectively with rice imports, and most
importantly, get the justice they deserve during this time of their great
crisis.
Government
must slap antidumping duty on imported rice–group
By
-
Sacks
of rice are seen being delivered at a warehouse in Manila on Monday, July 8,
2019.
The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) urged President Duterte to order
the Department of Agriculture to conduct an antidumping investigation into rice
imports to curb undervaluation by unscrupulous traders.
FFF National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said imposing
antidumping duties is the “best and fastest way” to discourage traders from
shortchanging the government by misdeclaring the value of their rice shipments.
“The idea is to put pressure on importers to declare the right
prices and pay the correct tariffs,” Montemayor told the BusinessMirror in an
interview. “The President should issue the order [for an investigation] to
fast-track the process.”
Using figures released by the Bureau of Customs (BOC), the
average landed cost of rice imports which arrived in the country after the rice
trade liberalization law took effect was only $227 per metric ton (MT).
This is nowhere near the internationally published prices of
rice, which range from $391 per MT to $422 per MT.
Montemayor said the low valuation of rice shipments could have
caused the government lose P5 billion in revenues. What’s worse, he said, is
that cheap imports contributed to the decline in the drastic decline in the
price of unhusked rice.
Under Republic Act 8752, or the Anti-Dumping Act of 1999, the
government could impose antidumping duties on imported commodities that are
sold at a lower price than its original value in its country of origin.
The antidumping duty is equivalent to the difference between the
export price and the normal value in the exporting country, Montemayor said.
The antidumping duty applies on top of the regular implement tariffs on
imports.
“In June for example, the monitored export price for rice with
5-percent brokens from Vietnam was $359 per MT. If a shipment arrives in the
Philippines with a landed cost of $227 per MT, it is equivalent to an
ex-Vietnam export price of only $159 per metric ton after removing costs for
freight and insurance,” he said in a separate statement
on Thursday.
on Thursday.
“This is $200 cheaper than the monitored export price, and this
difference can be the basis of the antidumping duty that will be charged
against the importer in addition to regular tariffs,” Montemayor added.
Under RA 8752, the agriculture secretary could initiate an
antidumping investigation based on a preliminary determination of dumping based
on three factors: the price difference between the export price and the normal
value of the commodity; presence and extent of threat to cause injury to a local
sector; and causal relationship of the alleged dumped product and the threat to
domestic sector.
Once initiated, importers would be required to post a cash bond
equivalent to the estimated antidumping duty while a thorough evaluation of the
complaint is being undertaken by the Tariff Commission.
Antidumping measures on imports could be applied for as long as
five years from the date of initial implementation, Montemayor said.
Pursuing an antidumping measure on rice imports is more
effective than imposing a safeguard duty since most shipments come from Asean
member-states wherein the Philippines applies a low bound rate, he added.
Montemayor also said the safeguard duty would only be imposed
when the cumulative imports exceed a trigger volume and would only be in effect
until the end of the calendar year.
“The BOC has argued that they cannot question the declared value
of imported rice if valid documents are submitted by the importer, even if
there appears to be a clear case of undervaluation. With antidumping, an
importer will be subject to higher antidumping duties the larger the
undervaluation, no matter what documents are submitted,” he said.
“RA 8752 also provides that the license of an importer who is
caught dumping can be canceled, and its officers can be barred from holding
positions in any business enterprise in the country,” he added.
RPT-Asia Rice-Vietnam prices dip on fears Philippines could curb
imports
Arpan Varghese
AUGUST 2, 2019
(Repeats with no changes)
* Thai rates rise on drought, Bangladesh grapples with floods
* India prices unchanged on weak demand from Africa
By Arpan Varghese
BENGALURU, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Export prices for Vietnamese rice fell
this week on fears major buyer Philippines could curb imports, while a drought
in Thailand and widespread floods in Bangladesh hit supply in the Asian hubs.
In Vietnam, 5% broken rice rates RI-VNBKN5-P1 fell to $340-$350 a
tonne on Thursday from $350 last week.
“We’ve heard the Philippines will likely ban imports during its
harvest in September to support local farmers,” a trader in Ho Chi Minh City
said.
Buyers in the Philippines, one of Vietnam’s top buyers, had bought
a lot of rice recently to build inventories, another trader said.
Thailand’s 5-percent broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 prices rose to
$395-$405 a tonne, free-on-board Bangkok (FOB), from $390-$395 last week mainly
due to a widespread drought while overseas demand remained flat, traders said.
“The drought is raising concern about a possible supply shortage,”
a Bangkok-based trader said.
High prices for Thai rice and a strong baht could deter buyers,
traders said.
“There are no major deals in sight,” another trader said.
“All we’ve had so far this year are small deals with regular
customers and that’s not really affected prices as much as the currency
exchange and supply situation.”
The world’s second-largest rice exporter has seen a 19.6 percent
decline in exports between January and June versus the same period last year,
according to the Thai Rice Exporters Association.
Adverse weather hit markets in Bangladesh as well, with flooding
submerging more than 100,000 hectares of paddy, according to a preliminary
assessment by the agriculture ministry.
This comes at a time when farmers are struggling to secure fair
prices for produce, with no overseas deals in sight since the country lifted an
export ban in May, traders said.
Agriculture minister Abdur Razzaque said the government would
reduce fertilizer prices and provide modern equipment to growers to reduce
costs.
Bangladesh’s central bank instructed authorities not to reclaim
previous loans and provide fresh ones to help flood-affected farmers.
In India, prices of 5 percent broken parboiled rice RI-INBKN5-P1
were unchanged around $381-$384 per tonne.
“Demand from buyers in Africa is not improving. They have bought
enough old stocks from China at lower prices,” said an exporter based at
Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
India’s exports could fall to a seven-year low, officials said.
Meanwhile, farmers planted paddy on 18.5 million hectares as on
July 26, versus 19.8 million hectares during the same time last year, while
forecasts for an improvement in monsoon rains assuaged drought fears and lifted
expectations for a robust yield of summer crops such as rice.
Reporting by Anjishnu Mondal in Bengaluru; Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Panu
Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Ruma Paul in Dhaka and Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai;
Editing by Alexandra Hudson
Implementation Of Safety Nets
Under Rice Tariff Law Urged
By Featuresdesk (ICG) on August 1, 2019
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