Sarhad Chamber Of Commerce And Industry, Portugal Diplomat Agree
To Boost Trade Ties
President of Sarhad Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, Engr Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz and Ambassador of Portugal to
Pakistan, Mr Paulo Neves Pocinho have agreed to make joint efforts to give
boost to mutual trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Portugal
Peshawar (UrduPoint / Pakistan
Point News / Online - 10th October, 2019) President of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
Engr Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz and Ambassador of Portugal to Pakistan,
Mr Paulo Neves Pocinho have agreed to make joint efforts to give boost to
mutual trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Portugal.The agreement came
during a meeting at the chamber house
here on Thursday.Engr Maqsood Anwar invited the Portuguese investors to make
investment in hydel power generation, oil and gas, LPG,
mines and mineral, gemstones, agriculture,
medicine, fruits, livestock, honey and other potential sectors.The meeting was
attended by SCCI Senior Vice President, Shahid Hussain, Vice President Abdul
Jalil Jan, former president Faiz Mohammad Faizi, members of the chamber excutive
committee, Sadiq Amin, Sherbaz Bilour, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Naeem Butt,
Mujeebur Rehman, Ghulam Bilal Javed, Sanaullah Khan Shams Rahim, Mohammad Altaf
Baig, Mihajuddin, Abdul Hakeem Shinwari, Mohammd Tariq, Nisarullah Khan,
Shahid islam and
Hazrat Noor and others.SCCI chief observed the mutual trade volume
between Pakistan and Portugal stood
at $ 178million, which need to be boost up by launching of joint venture, exchange of business delegation.He
asked the visiting diplomat to issue business visas
on recommendation of SCCI to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa business community,
besides to exchange business delegation
to take benefit from each
other experiences to bolster the bilateral economic and trade relations between
the two countries.
Engr Maqsood Anwar informed
that Pakistan exports items
to Portugal include textile,
hides, rice, animal organs, sport goods, soapstone, plastic products, leather,
etc, while Portugal imports products
to Pakistan include coal tar,
synthetic filament tow, cyclic hydrocarbons, synthetic coloring matter,
newsprint, uncoated paper, concentrated milk, etc.Paulo Neves Pocinho while
speaking on the occasion have agreed with recommendations of SCCI president
Engr Maqsood Awnar and assured him they will issue on visas to business community
on priority basis to further strengthen economic and trade ties between Pakistan and Portugal.The
diplomat said his country is lucrative destination for foreign investors and
asked the business community to make
investment in information technology,
software engineering, tourism and other potential sectors in Portugal.On
the occasion, former president, Faiz Mohammad Faizi and other members of
the business community spoke and
gave number of recommendations to further enlarge mutual trade and economic
ties between Pakistan and Portugal.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/business/sarhad-chamber-of-commerce-and-industry-port-733645.html
RCCI, MoC discuss ways and means
to explore new markets for country
RAWALPINDI - The
Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) president Saboor Malik
called on Ministry of Commerce, Joint Secretary, Ms Maria Kazi, Thursday and
discussed ways and means to explore new markets and help building positive
image of Pakistan.
Maria Kazi while exchanging views said that
special incentives would be provided to Pakistani companies through new
strategic trade policy framework for participating in trade fairs in Africa.
She said Pakistan’s exports to Africa were
confined to few products including rice, pharmaceuticals, cement, textiles,
surgical and sports goods and urged that private sector should focus on
exporting more products to Africa.
She lauded RCCI efforts for promoting trade
activities and appreciated its efforts for organising Business Africa Forum
earlier this year in Islamabad. She assured full support and assistant to RCCI
for organising trade exhibitions in the region.
Saboor Malik, on this occasion, said that
Africa, South and Latin America and Central Asian countries are the
non-traditional markets for Pakistan’s exports and have huge potentials for
enhancing of exports.
An Egyptian trade delegation is expecting to
visit RCCI next week, he informed. We will be holding Business to Business
(B2B) meetings on the sidelines of the visit and added that ministry should
open help desks at Chamber houses across Pakistan for information related to
African markets.
He said RCCI will organise similar events
including business opportunities conference and African Day to involve business
community to explore new markets for exports and promoting trade ties with
African Countries.
Africa is the second largest continent of the
world with 54 sovereign states and population 1.2 billion with collective GDP
$3.3 trillion and imports market of around $500 billion, he added. Chairman
regional trade Khurshid Berlas and HAP president Fahad Berlas was also present
on the occasion.
https://nation.com.pk/11-Oct-2019/rcci-moc-discuss-ways-and-means-to-explore-new-markets-for-country
Hybrid Rice Research Base Opens In South China
An 83.3-hectare research base for
hybrid rice breeding was inaugurated Wednesday in Guanyang County, southern
China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
MANNING, (APP - UrduPoint /
Pakistan Point News - 10th Oct, 2019 ) :An 83.3-hectare research base for
hybrid rice breeding was inaugurated Wednesday in Guanyang County,
southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region.
The research base is part of a
newly-launched workstation of Yuan Longping, an agronomist
known as China's "father of hybrid
rice." Yuan and his team will focus on breeding high-yielding hybrid rice
strains adaptive to various environments. They aim to develop rice strains that
can achieve a yield of more than 1,200 kg per mu (about 0.
07 hectares), or 18 tonnes per hectare.
Yuan said at the unveiling ceremony that his team would work to
increase the output of hybrid rice as well as to improve its quality.
He added that his workstation is located in Guanyang because the
county has a very high yield of super hybrid rice and ratoon rice.
Earlier this year, Guanyang saw its weighted average yield of its
super hybrid rice exceeding 1,000 kg per mu in one season.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/hybrid-rice-research-base-opens-in-south-chin-733372.html
Portuguese invited to invest in KP
Bureau ReportOctober 11, 2019
PESHAWAR: Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and
Industry has invited Portuguese investors to make investment in hydel power
generation, oil and gas, mines and mineral, gemstones and agriculture sectors
in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Mr Pervaiz met Ambassador of Portugal to Pakistan Paulo
Neves Pocinho and both agreed to make joint efforts to boost bilateral trade
and economic relations between Pakistan and Portugal.
Highlighting the significance of trade
potential in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the SCCI chief invited the Portuguese
investors to make investment in hydel power generation, oil and gas, LPG, mines
and mineral, gemstones, agriculture, medicine, fruits, livestock, honey and
other potential sectors.
SCCI senior vice president Shahid Hussain,
vice president Abdul Jalil Jan, former president Faiz Mohammad Faizi, members
of chamber executive committee Sadiq Amin, Sherbaz Bilour, Ihsanullah, Mohammad
Naeem Butt, Mujeebur Rehman, Ghulam Bilal Javed, Sanaullah Khan, Shams Rahim,
Mohammad Altaf Baig, Mihajuddin, Abdul Hakeem Shinwari, Mohammd Tariq,
Nisarullah Khan, Shahid Islam and Hazrat Noor were also present on the
occasion.
The SCCI chief said that volume of bilateral
trade between Pakistan and Portugal stood at $178million that needed to be
boosted by launching a joint venture and exchange of business delegations.
He urged the envoy to issue business visas on
recommendation of SCCI to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa traders besides exchanging
business delegations to take benefits from each other’s experiences.
Maqsood Anwar said that Pakistan exports
items to Portugal included textile, hides, rice, animal organs, sport goods,
soapstone, plastic products and leather. He said that Portugal imports products
to Pakistan included coal tar, synthetic filament tow, cyclic hydrocarbons,
synthetic coloring matter, newsprint, uncoated paper and concentrated milk.
Speaking on the occasion, Paulo Neves Pocinho
agreed with recommendations of SCCI president and said that the proposal
regarding issuance of visas would be given priority to strengthen economic and
trade ties between Pakistan and Portugal.
The envoy said that his country was lucrative
destination for foreign investors. He asked the business community to make investment
in information technology, software engineering, tourism and other potential
sectors in Portugal.
On the occasion, SCCI former president Faiz
Mohammad Faizi and other members presented several recommendations to enlarge
mutual trade and economic ties between Pakistan and Portugal.
Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2019
https://www.dawn.com/news/1510168/portuguese-invited-to-invest-in-kp
Pakistan sets wheat production target at 27m tons
Published: October 11, 2019
The Indus River System Authority
Advisory Committee has anticipated a 15% water shortfall for Rabi 2019-20.
PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA)
has set the wheat production target for Rabi 2019-20 season at 27 million
tonnes from an area of 9.2 million hectares.
The committee also suggested that provinces
should focus on oilseeds and pulses cultivation in order to reduce the import
bill.
In a meeting chaired by Federal Minister for
National Food Security and Research Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan on Thursday, the
committee reviewed the performance of Kharif crops (2019-20) and the production
plan for Rabi crops (2019-20). It also discussed the availability of
agricultural inputs for Rabi crops.
The committee was informed that sugarcane
production in 2019-20 was estimated at 64.77 million tonnes from an area of
1.06 million hectares while rice production for the year was estimated at 7.7
million tonnes from an area of 3.04 million hectares. The area and production
are up 5.5% and 3.6% respectively from the target fixed by the previous FCA
meeting.
Meanwhile, the Indus River System Authority
(Irsa) Advisory Committee has anticipated a water shortfall of 15% for Rabi
2019-20. In the Rabi season, the provinces are allocated 31.44 million
acre-feet (maf) of water.
Given the prevailing weather conditions,
which were supportive, the shortage was manageable, it said. Irsa also
highlighted the wastage of water in the country.
It told its members that the water storage
capacity in 1976 was 15.7 maf against 13.7 maf at present. Officials said the
economic cost of one million acre-feet of water in Pakistan was $0.5 billion.
Thus, from 1976, the country lost a resource unutilised into the sea worth over
$600 billion.
They pointed out that Pakistan had an annual
GDP growth of over 6% from 1970 to 1990 mainly because of the major water
reservoirs including Mangla and Tarbela.
If Pakistan wanted to develop economically,
it must construct new reservoirs of about 20 maf, allowing 8.5 maf downstream
Kotri to cater to environmental flows and also to check seawater intrusion in
the Indus delta, it added.
The Meteorological Department said summer
rains from July to September 2019 remained normal and well distributed all over
the country. Due to the rainfall received in late September and early October,
there is sufficient soil moisture for sowing Rabi crops.
By the end of August, the lending
institutions had disbursed agri-loans of Rs163 billion, which was 12.1% of the
annual target of Rs1.350 trillion. “Availability of urea and DAP fertilisers
during Rabi 2019-20 seems comfortable,” the meeting was told.
The committee was also informed that the
availability of food commodities in the country was satisfactory and Kharif
crop production was better compared to previous years.
Published in The Express
Tribune, October 11th, 2019.
Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in
the conversation.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2076923/2-pakistan-sets-wheat-production-target-27m-tons/
Scientists
track wheat aphids and their natural enemies for better pest management in
Pakistan
Date:October 10, 2019
Source:CABI
Summary:Scientists have studied the
distribution and population dynamics of wheat aphids and their natural enemies
in Pakistan through seasons and periods of time. This research could be useful
to develop better pest management methods and safer, healthier crops in wheat
production.
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FULL
STORY
For
the first time, CABI scientists have studied the distribution and population
dynamics of wheat aphids and their natural enemies in Pakistan through seasons
and periods of time. This research could be useful to develop better pest
management methods and safer, healthier crops in wheat production.
The
two-year study led by Dr Muhammad Faheem across ten farms in five Punjab
districts sought to discover the relationship between different timings,
seasons, space and the presence of aphids and the insects that eat them --
particularly syrphid flies -- in varying deliberately-selected farming
scenarios; combinations of rice, arid and cotton.
Wheat
aphids are well known pests of the cereal crop -- causing up to 20 to 80% loss
of wheat yield, particularly in Pakistan where over 26.3 million tons of wheat
was produced in 2017-18 and where wheat accounts for 10 percent of value added
in agriculture. The presence, spread or influx of aphids had led to
considerable economic loss especially comparing the average yield of wheat in
Pakistan with neighbouring India and Bangladesh.
In
the paper published by PLOS ONE, Dr Faheem and his team revealed seasonal
trends of wheat aphids in the studied areas, citing temperature as a key factor
in the movement of aphids. Dr Faheem said, "no key differences in aphid
activity were observed in the colder and warmer parts of Punjab. In addition,
although Syrphid flies are efficient predators of aphids, we also found no
correlation between the population of aphids and their natural enemies in both
years of the study."
There
are several reasons cited for the findings made including behaviour differences
among species; ultimately this study provides baseline data for further
investigation into two approaches in aphid management -- top down, the use of
natural enemies and bottom up, the use of fertilisation and irrigation.
Dr
Faheem also remarked that "understanding where aphids will tend to infest,
and at what time is necessary to effectively manage use of biocontrol
agents." The researchers recommend further study as a follow on to this
baseline for better understanding of how wheat aphids and their natural enemies
are spread in order to improve integrated pest management programs.
Story
Source:
Materials
provided by CABI. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal
Reference:
1.
Muhammad Faheem, Shafqat Saeed,
Asif Sajjad, Su Wang, Abid Ali. Spatio-temporal variations in wheat
aphid populations and their natural enemies in four agro-ecological zones of
Pakistan. PLOS ONE, 2019; 14 (9): e0222635 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222635
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191010113242.htm
Gambia’s rice
cultivation boosted under OMVG
Thursday, October 10, 2019
State House, Banjul, 10 October 2019 – Some 50,000
hectares of desalinated land will be available for rice production to The
Gambia under the Samba Ngalo Dam Project of the OMVG, the Council of Ministers
of The Gambia River Basin Development Organisation (OMVG) revealed in a meeting
with President Adama Barrow at the State House on Tuesday.
“The project has social and economic benefits like
agriculture, which through the Samba Ngalo Dam, will push the salt water… It
will make 90, 000 hectares of land available to member countries for rice
cultivation,” Gambian Minister of Environment, Lamin Dibba told the State House
press corps after an audience with the President.
With the 50, 000 of this land available to The Gambia,
the OMVG will help contribute to achieving the Social Development Goals and
food self-sufficiency objectives in The Gambia. It will help eradicate hunger,
malnutrition, and poverty in the country.
The Ministers, along with the High Commissioner of the
regional organization, were led to the State House to pay a courtesy call on
President Adama Barrow, who currently doubles as the Chairperson of the
Conference of Heads of States of the group.
The Gambia River Basin Development Organisation (OMVG)
and its dam projects were the brainchildren of former President of The Gambia,
Sir Dawda K. Jawara, and his Senegalese counterpart, President Leopold S.
Senghore, beginning in 1976. Currently, it enjoys the backing of eight
international donors.
The Council of Ministers of the OMVG are currently holding
a workshop in Banjul to draw a master plan for the financing of its future
projects in member states. With the completion of the recently launched
transmission and distribution network loop, The Gambia can benefit from
hydro-electric energy by September 2020. Hence the meeting with President
Barrow at the State House was aimed at updating him on the progress registered
since the launching of the hydro-electric power plant in Jarra Soma earlier
this year.
Despite the gains made in enhancing energy production
and integration in the region, the cost of transnational energy partnership is
a big cause for concern.
“However, the issue of electricity tariffs across
borders of member countries is something that requires a political decision of
the Heads of States. The High Commissioner has therefore made a request to the
chairman of the Conference of Heads of State to convene a meeting over this
issue in Banjul before the end of the year or early 2020,” Issufu Balde,
Chairman of the Council of Ministers said.
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/gambias-rice-cultivation-boosted-under-omvg
Ghana: Senior Minister Fumes Over
U.S.$1.35 Billion Rice Importation
10 OCTOBER 2019
By Abeduwaa Lucy Appiah
Ghana spent 1.35 billion dollars on the importation of rice last
year, the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo has disclosed.
According to the senior minister, foreign exchange that could be
used on machinery to modernise the economy was spent on rice although rice
could be grown in every part of the country.
Mr Osafo-Maafo was speaking at the Ghana Beyond Aid (GBA)
committee's stakeholder consultation with leadership of faith-based
organisations (FBOs) yesterday, in Accra.
In a presentation on the GBA charter document, he said there was
some part of the Northern Region which could grow more than enough rice to feed
West Africa with little irrigation.
Mr Osafo-Maafo indicated that, private sector development was
important because the rice production could not be developed by government but
the private sector.
"It will depend on private farmers to develop rice like we
depend on cocoa farmers to develop cocoa," he noted.
In addition, Mr Osafo-Maafo stated, there was the need for human
development hence, focusing on technical and vocational education would enhance
the economic growth of the country.
"The countries that have made it such as South Korea, Japan
and Germany, that is where the emphasis is on their education system," he
said.
In order to achieve a country beyond aid, Mr Osafo-Maafo added
that, there was the need to harness effectively available resources and deploy
them creatively and efficiently for rapid economic and social transformation.
https://allafrica.com/stories/201910100611.html:
PM’s agri emergency programme launched
LAHORE:The Punjab government has launched the
Prime Minister’s Agriculture Emergency Programme with a view to increasing
productivity of wheat crop.
Small farmers have been asked to become part
of the programme by setting up demonstration plots with the financial support
of the government. Government is offering Rs 11,000 per acre to farmers for
demonstrating best agriculture practices. According to an official, the present
government has a resolve to enhance agriculture productivity. The Prime
Minister’s Agriculture Emergency Programme has been initiated with the
primarily focus on productivity enhancement of wheat, rice, sugarcane and
oilseed crops. Three specific projects on productivity enhancement of wheat,
rice and sugarcane are being developed under the programme. The cost for wheat
project is Rs 19,301 million, rice project Rs.11,433 million and sugarcane
project Rs.3,912 million over a period of five years.
Other components of the programme include
conserving water through lining of watercourses, enhancing command area of
small and mini dams in barani areas, water conservation in barani areas of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, shrimp farming, cage fish culture, trout farming in
Northern Areas of Pakistan, Save and Fattening of Calf Programme, Backyard
Poultry Programme.
delegation briefed on security: Chances of
international cricket have increased in Pakistan as the delegation of England
and Ireland cricket boards visited Punjab Safe Cities Authority Headquarters
where they were briefed about security measures.
The delegation consisted of chief executive
officer, Director of England Cricket Board, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer
of Ireland Cricket Board, Chief Executive Officer PCB and Director of
International Operations. Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief
Administrative Officer Punjab Safe Cities Authority briefed the delegation and
shown them the security measures by cameras. The Managing Director took the
delegation to various sections of the authority and briefed them about the
project’s key role in bringing back international cricket to Pakistan.
Office-bearers: Zahoor Awan, General
Secretary of Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF), has been elected unopposed
chairman of the International Trade Union Confederation of Asia Pacific.
The election was held in Japan in which trade
union hailing from thirty five countries took part. Saad Muhammad also became
Titular Member again of ITUC-AP for next four years. Saad was selected on
ITUC-AP ex official seat unopposed keeping in view his experience and work in
the past. Chaudhry Naseem, central leader of PWF, congratulated them and said
today it was victory of Pakistan workers.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/539048-pm-s-agri-emergency-programme-launched
Punjab govt slashes Rs.10 lakh
non-refundable levy security on millers to Rs.7.25 lakhs
Punjab News Express | October 10, 2019 02:26 PM
Share
CHANDIGARH: A meeting of the Punjab government was held under the
chairmanship of Punjab Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Minister Mr
Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Rural Development & Panchayats Minister Mr Tript
Rajinder Singh Bajwa was also present here today. This meeting was attended by
prominent rice millers of the state including Gian Bharadwaj Group and Rakesh
Jain Group.
In the light of the ongoing strike by a politically motivated group of rice millers, during the meeting, several decisions were taken. Mr Bharat Bhushan Ashu informed that to save the farmers from any harassment and keeping in mind genuine demands of the rice millers, the Punjab government has decided to slash Rs 10 lakh of levy security (Rs 5 lakh refundable plus Rs 5 lakh non refundable) to Rs 7.25 lakh refundable levy security. He informed that this decision would bring respite to the rice millers. Bank Guarantee shall be applicable only to millers for quantum of paddy stored over and above 5000 MT instead of 4000 MT.
He further informed that the rice millers who apply before October 10, 2019, would be allotted paddy on priority and without pro rata cut, the quantum of the release orders of those millers would also be increased.He further stated that those rice mills which had opened last year and the year before would be treated as old mills.
Due to shortage of space, if the miller is not able to deliver rice, he would not have to pay any interest, said Mr Ashu, while adding that to waive off that interest on quality cut, a case has already been favourably forwarded to the finance department.
He further informed that only one particular group with vested interests is on strike and is trying to misguide other rice millers, due to which out of total around 4000 rice mills in the state, only 1500 have been allotted till date. He urged the millers to apply before October 10 and avail maximum benefits being provided by the Punjab government. To allay the apprehensions of the millers regarding shortage of space, he reiterated the commitment of the State to create space. He also informed that FCI has planned a movement of 7 LMT rice every month which shall lead to sufficient creation of space in the near future. He also assured the millers that no negative impact shall have to be borne by them in case of shortage of space.
In the light of the ongoing strike by a politically motivated group of rice millers, during the meeting, several decisions were taken. Mr Bharat Bhushan Ashu informed that to save the farmers from any harassment and keeping in mind genuine demands of the rice millers, the Punjab government has decided to slash Rs 10 lakh of levy security (Rs 5 lakh refundable plus Rs 5 lakh non refundable) to Rs 7.25 lakh refundable levy security. He informed that this decision would bring respite to the rice millers. Bank Guarantee shall be applicable only to millers for quantum of paddy stored over and above 5000 MT instead of 4000 MT.
He further informed that the rice millers who apply before October 10, 2019, would be allotted paddy on priority and without pro rata cut, the quantum of the release orders of those millers would also be increased.He further stated that those rice mills which had opened last year and the year before would be treated as old mills.
Due to shortage of space, if the miller is not able to deliver rice, he would not have to pay any interest, said Mr Ashu, while adding that to waive off that interest on quality cut, a case has already been favourably forwarded to the finance department.
He further informed that only one particular group with vested interests is on strike and is trying to misguide other rice millers, due to which out of total around 4000 rice mills in the state, only 1500 have been allotted till date. He urged the millers to apply before October 10 and avail maximum benefits being provided by the Punjab government. To allay the apprehensions of the millers regarding shortage of space, he reiterated the commitment of the State to create space. He also informed that FCI has planned a movement of 7 LMT rice every month which shall lead to sufficient creation of space in the near future. He also assured the millers that no negative impact shall have to be borne by them in case of shortage of space.
IRRI working
to ‘close the gap’ for women in ag
Women training in mat nursery
raising. Photo courtesy of IRRI.
10.10.2019
KALAHANDI, ODISHA, INDIA — The
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), together with Access Livelihoods
Consulting (ALC) India and the Department of Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment
(DAFE), is taking steps to narrow the gender gap for women farmers through a
new Women Producer Company (WPC) initiative in the Dharmagarh and Kokasara
blocks of the Odishan district of Kalahandi in India.
According to the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, closing the gender gap in
access to productive resources such as land, seeds, credit, machinery, or
chemicals can increase agricultural output by 2.5% to 4%, increasing food
security for an additional 100 million people.
“The gender gap in access to
productive assets, resources and inputs is well established,” said Ranjitha
Puskur, senior scientist and theme lead for IRRI’s gender research. “Due to a
multitude of societal and structural barriers, women farmers tend to face
serious challenges in accessing good quality agricultural inputs at the right
time, place and at an affordable price. Women’s access to markets tends to be
limited, as they are not often recognized as farmers. This also limits their
ability to access inputs from formal governmental sources or co-operatives.
Through WPC, we can begin to address many of these constraints.”
Led and managed by women, the WPC
initiative in Odisha has more than 1,300 members, and provides services that
include input provision (seed, fertilizers, bio-pesticides), custom hiring of
agricultural machinery, financial services and marketing. It also facilitates
access to the latest technologies in production, processing, information and
traceability.
“The WPC also builds the capacity
and knowledge of women farmers,” Puskur said. “So far it has trained 78 members
in mat nursery raising and machine transplanting. The women trained have become
confident in using the machine transplanter independently and are earning extra
income selling the mat nurseries. They are excited that the use of mat
nurseries and transplanters are reducing their drudgery and contributes to
better health.”
For the next cropping season, the
WPC initiative is working to expand its reach and deliver benefits of its
provision services and technology delivery to more women, contributing to
increased incomes and better livelihoods for these farmers and their families.
Hybrid Rice Research Base Opens In South China
An 83.3-hectare research base for
hybrid rice breeding was inaugurated Wednesday in Guanyang County, southern
China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
MANNING, (APP - UrduPoint /
Pakistan Point News - 10th Oct, 2019 ) :An 83.3-hectare research base for hybrid
rice breeding was inaugurated Wednesday in Guanyang County, southern China's
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The research base is part of a
newly-launched workstation of Yuan Longping, an agronomist
known as China's "father of hybrid
rice." Yuan and his team will focus on breeding high-yielding hybrid rice
strains adaptive to various environments. They aim to develop rice strains that
can achieve a yield of more than 1,200 kg per mu (about 0.
07 hectares), or 18 tonnes per hectare.
Yuan said at the unveiling ceremony that his team would work to
increase the output of hybrid rice as well as to improve its quality.
He added that his workstation is located in Guanyang because the
county has a very high yield of super hybrid rice and ratoon rice.
Earlier this year, Guanyang saw its weighted average yield of its
super hybrid rice exceeding 1,000 kg per mu in one season.
Experts point to dangers of burning crop
residue
|
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Oct 11, 2019, 7:49 AM; last updated: Oct 11, 2019, 7:49 AM
(IST)
Many management options have been developed to address the issue of stubble burninng. FILE PHOTO
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, October 10
Crop residue burning in North-West India is one
of the major concerns for researchers, policy planners, farmers and civil
society.
Many management
options have been developed to address the issue. However, from a long-term
sustainability perspective of agriculture and soil health, a new scheme of
subsidising the machinery and equipment for crop residue management has been
launched by the government.
Punjab Agricultural Management & Extension
Training Institute (PAMETI) organises rice residue management training courses
from time to time.
This time also,
it organised a two-day training session on “Alternatives for Rice Residue
Management” for the extension functionaries of State Department of Agriculture
and Allied Sectors and ambassador/progressive farmers from yesterday, which
concluded today. The training programme was attended by 48 participants.
Dr HS Dhaliwal,
director, PAMETI, inaugurated the training session and informed the
participants that crop residue burning caused serious threats to human, animal
and soil health, environment, bio-diversity and traffic.
Dr Dhaliwal also
requested the participants to spread the message of maintaining sanctity of
soil, water and air, as propounded by Guru Nanak Dev. He appealed to the
participants to contribute to the cause of no-burn agriculture, keeping in mind
the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of the first Guru of the Sikhs.
Experts from
PAMETI, Farm Power Machinery and Power Engineering, Department of Microbiology,
Department of Zoology and Department of Veterinary Extension, GADVASU,
discussed various options for managing the crop residue.
Dr Manpreet
Singh practically explained the use of different types of machinery available
for this purpose.
A panel
discussion was organised by Lakhwinder Singh Brar, deputy director, marketing,
PAMETI, to identify the reasons for burning of crop residues in the fields.
Narrow window
between harvesting of paddy and sowing of wheat, costly CA machinery, scarcity
of labour, high cost of residue removal from the field and use of combines
(without SMS) in harvesting the crops were the main reasons quoted by the
participants.
Manpreet Singh
Grewal, a progressive farmer from Ludhiana, shared his personal experience with
the participants. Dr Dhaliwal proposed a vote to thanks to the functionaries
and farmers for attending the training session. He said it was an honour for
PAMETI to train staff from agricultural and allied departments and progressive farmers
for the cause of conserving the environment.
Pakistan, Russia trade lower than potential’
October
10, 2019
PHOTO:CREATIVE COMMONS/FILE
LAHORE: The bilateral trade volume between Pakistan
and Russia is far less than its potential, said Russian Trade Representative
Yury Kozlov.
Speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(LCCI), he said that there was a need to enhance bilateral cooperation in order
to increase the two-way trade.
“There is a traditional trade culture between the two
countries as trade of the same products is ongoing. There is a need to explore
more sectors for trade,” he added.
“We are having regular meetings with the Pakistani
business community to develop more interaction between the two countries,” he
stated, adding that Russian businessmen were keen to develop cooperation in
trade and investment with their Pakistani counterparts.
He invited the LCCI office-bearers to attend the sixth
session of the Pak-Russia IGC (Inter Governmental Commission) to be held this
December in Islamabad.
Also speaking on the occasion, LCCI President Irfan Iqbal
suggested that a Russian trade representative head office be set up in Lahore,
similar to those in Karachi and Islamabad.
“Punjab is a major province of Pakistan and has a lot more
trade potential in many sectors,” he added.
Iqbal suggested that a joint venture be set up to invest
in the fruit pulp processing sector as Punjab has huge scope of investment in
the sector.
He said that according to the International Trade Centre
World Trade Map, the volume of bilateral trade between Russia and Pakistan
stood at $532 million in 2018 compared to $442 million in 2017.
“There is huge potential to boost the existing trade
volume between the two countries, but progress has been slow due to a lack of
direct banking channels.”
He said that in the current scenario when the agriculture
imports of Russia from European Union have come to a halt, Pakistan food
exporters can capitalise on this opportunity.
LCCI Senior Vice President Ali Hussam Asghar said that
Pakistani products have become much economical as compared to the past.
“The export of livestock, meat, rice, fresh fruits and
seafood can be enhanced to suit the needs of the Russian markets,” he added.
LCCI Vice President Mian Zahid Jawaid Ahmad said, “The
embassies of Pakistan and Russia should give preferential treatment for visa
processing of business people on reciprocal basis.”
Published in The Express
Tribune, October 10th, 2019.
How I lost 22kg in 8 months:
Pakistani expat in UAE shares his weight-loss story
Mohammad Asif recalls his plateauing days, when nothing would
help him shed those pounds
Asif before (left) and afterImage Credit: Supplied
The kilos came along with his achievements. Thirty-four-year-old
Mohammad Asif, who is originally from Pakistan, settled comfortably into life
in the UAE about eight years ago. He was married with three kids, and three
years ago, he decided to do an MBA to further his career. And in the rush of things,
his scale fell to the wayside.
He started getting used to shirt and pant sizes needing
upgrades. And as they inched up, he noticed other – at first, insignificant -
changes creeping up on him. There was “numbness in [my] hands in feet, pain in
body, pain in the hands and legs, tough time getting to sleep and getting up
was difficult”, he says. The pain turned chronic, and no physiotherapy or
doctor’s visits could help. “When you have pain in your body each day, each
week, each month – it [is] really terrible,” he recalls in an interview
with Gulf
News.
Then he came across articles about weight-loss transformations
in Gulf News in February. Meanwhile, when he stood on the scale, he found
himself dazzled by the numbers: He was now 101kg. “I was doing MBA from a
university in the US, with a full-time job and a family here, so I was having a
really tough time. This was the trend for three years.”
As he considered alternatives, he found inspiration in his
collegues and friends who had undergone body makeovers themselves. “In
February, one of my family friend [who lost a lot of weight] was visiting us,
so I got some inspiration from him. Another colleague of mine was able to run
for almost 15-16 miles. And one of my colleagues also lost 10-15kg. So
two-three things happened at the same time.”
Meals key to weight
He began with monitoring what was on his plate. “So I went into
very, very strict diet. The diet I went for was oatmeal in the morning, two
multigrain slices of bread (with curry) with fruit; mostly apple and banana;
and evening only salad. And from 7-730pm – I read in Gulf News a suggestion to
do overnight fasting for good 5-6 months and that really helped me. And one-off
cheat meal once or twice a month on the Friday. Cheat meal – typically I’d go
for rice, biryani; something other Asian dish.”
Today he has cut out carbs during the week; only bread or rice
over the weekend.
In the beginning, Asif recalls, there were tough days. “I used
to get cramps in my tummy”, cravings, hunger pangs. “I used to drink some
water, just to fill up my tummy, just to avoid everything else. But it was
really really hard time for me,” he says.
Working out time
In May, he added time on the treadmill. “So my routine was one
hour before fast breaking [during Ramadan], I used to run for 30-35 mins.”
He hung on to his commitment – even while he travelled. Work,
the marketing manager explains, requires him to travel for about a week every
month. “But I never missed my gym for more than 2 days; we were on vacation in
July, I couldn’t go to [the]gym but what I did was walking 30-40 mins on
alternate days,” says Asif.
And while visiting clients, when he had no access to a gym, he
says: “I used to walk even in the customer space in the office or the lounge
area. They used to laugh at me and I said, this is how I’m doing it.”
“Now I am at a point where I can tell you, I can run at a speed
of 9km/h for almost 81 minutes without stopping,” he says.
Moment of truth
But there was a time he thought he would like to stop. “When I
started doing the workout in May,” he recalls, he was 93kg. At the end of June,
he was still 93kg.
But before he could be truly disheartened, he remembered the
advice of a friend. “I remembered my friend [telling me] initially, for the
one-one-and-a-half-two months you may not lose anything. But once you start
losing weight it will be a very quick drop in the weight so you have you
continue with that.”
And he did.
Today, Asif weighs 78.5kg. He burns about 600Kcl a day through
exercise.
To keep himself on the path, Asif weighs himself almost
obsessively – in the morning and evening, before and after his workout, “, just
to make myself accountable”.
And just as he left the aches and pains behind, he says, he
picked up lessons on mindfulness. “When I work out people get shocked because
how can I focus - I don’t like hearing music during exercise; I just want to
focus on my running. This has really helped me focus on the moment,” he says.
So how tough was it – to get rid of 22kg in about 8 months?
Well, says Asif, sometimes people are amazed at his transformation and
dedication. And you know, he says: “At times I also get amazed at myself.”
This is part one of our weight-loss success stories from the
UAE. Have you undergone a transformation? Would you like to share your
story? Write to us at readers@gulfnews.com
African rice farmers test
traditions against NY climate
By Krishna Ramanujan |
In 2013,
Nfamara Badjie and his wife, Dawn Hoyte, bought a 6-acre farm in Ulster Park,
New York, in the Hudson Valley. They soon realized the fields were muddy –
almost wetlands – but Badjie didn’t mind.
“I said,
‘That’s the one I’m looking for, the wetland is good for the rice,’” Badjie said,
flashing an easy smile. “Dawn said, ‘No, you can’t grow rice here. Are you
crazy?’”
Few
farmers attempt to grow a warmth-loving crop like rice in the Northeast’s short
growing season, but Badjie and Hoyte are experimenting with rice-growing
methods to suit New York’s climate on their Ever-Growing Family Farm. It’s the
only commercial rice farm in New York state, and one of a handful of small rice
farms in the entire Northeast.
Badjie
is guided by generations of farming experience. Before moving to the United
States in 2005, he had spent his whole life in rice fields in the Gambia, West
Africa. He belongs to the Jola people, from the Gambia, Senegal and Guinea
Bissau, who have been farming rice for 1,000 years. Now Badjie, Hoyte and
Moustapha Diedhou, a Jola farmer from Senegal, are successfully building their
rice farm, and a Cornell agronomist is helping them optimize their crop.
Gambia native Nfamara Badjie grows rice in the
Hudson Valley using centuries-old, West African techniques of the Jola people.
Cornell rice expert Erika Styger is working with Badjie to study which Jola
rice techniques work best in the Northeast.
The
collaboration may improve farmers’ commercial success, provide a roadmap for
future rice growers, and create a local market for fresh rice – which cooks and
tastes different from aged rice – as a boutique, specialty grain. And rice
grown in the Northeast may provide a valuable alternative for organic farmers
looking to diversify their crops in the face of climate change, as trends of
warmer temperatures and increased precipitation continue in the Northeast. Data
from 1957 to 2010 from the Northeast Regional Climate Center for Rosendale, New
York (the best data near Ulster Park), reveals a consistent trend of increased
annual rainfall; the center reported an average of 9.1 more inches of rain in
2010 than in 1957.
“Rice
can be part of a new cultural and ecological landscape that adapts to climate
change in New York, which makes a lot of sense in so many ways.”
Erika Styger, associate director of Cornell’s Climate-Resilient
Farming Systems program
“Rice
can be part of a new cultural and ecological landscape that adapts to climate
change in New York, which makes a lot of sense in so many ways,” said rice
scientist and agronomist Erika Styger, associate director of Cornell’s Climate-Resilient Farming Systems program in
International Programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Styger –
who has worked with rice farmers in West Africa for 12 years – teamed up with
the Ever-Growing Family Farm as the technical adviser on a $14,000
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Farmer
Grant last spring. She is an expert in the System of
Rice Intensification (SRI), an agro-ecological method
for increasing the productivity of rice by changing the management of
plants, soil, water and nutrients. Together Styger and the farmers designed
a field experiment testing how an African rice variety called Ceenowa
fares in the Hudson Valley climate when reared in traditional Jola rice
nurseries and grown with SRI methods and staggered transplant timings.
“The
main aim of the grant is to study different ways of crop establishment,” Styger
said,“ so the system can become more flexible, less risky, cheaper, guarantee a
harvest or even improve the harvest, and diversify the options so farmers can
test and see what works for them.”
John Munson/Cornell
University
From left: Dawn Hoyte, Moustapha Diedhou, a
Jola farmer from Senegal, Nfamara Badjie and Erika Styger, associate director
of Cornell’s Climate-Resilient Farming Systems program.
Returning
to their roots
After
buying the land, Badjie, his three sons, Malick, 27, Modou, 18, Abibou, 15, and
Diedhou labored to create a farm. They cleared brush and dug out paddies, all
by hand. It can take Malick Badjie two to four weeks, depending on size, to dig
and level a paddy. He digs with a traditional Jola tool called a kajundu, a
cross between a spade and a shovel attached to a 12-foot pole. Diedhou had
brought the specially crafted blade from Senegal in a suitcase.
“If you
don’t know how to use the tool, they say you [can’t keep] a wife; people think
you are lazy,” Diedhou said.
With
paddies in place, they struggled with a nursery method they had adopted for
growing seedlings and the timing of transplants in the Hudson Valley climate.
They soaked seeds and started growing them in trays in a hoop house, then
transplanted month-old seedlings into paddies after the last frost. But the
spindly seedlings turned yellow in the trays, and the fragile roots bunched up
and broke when transplanted, shocking the plant and slowing its development.
John Munson/Cornell University
Nfamara Badjie holds a kajundu, a Jola tool
used by rice farmers. A metal blade is attached to a teak base, which is then
specially tied to a long pole.
Hoyte
and Badjie had picked up this planting strategy, developed by Japanese farmer
Takeshi Akaogi, at a meeting of the Ecological Rice Farming in the Northeastern
USA network in 2014, which took place at Akaogi’s rice farm in Putney, Vermont.
“Our
conference basically gave everybody a chance to come and exchange ideas,” said
world-renowned rice geneticist Susan McCouch, Cornell professor of plant
breeding and genetics, whose 2009-14 National Science Foundation grant
supported the network.
Akaogi’s
method tried to address a bottleneck, Styger said. “You have to time the
establishment of the crop very, very well.” Plant too early, and frost kills
the seedlings. Plant too late, and grains won’t be ready for harvest.
For
every farmer, such techniques are a matter of trial and error. With
the method not working optimally on their land, Badjie decided to return
to his roots in 2018 and he tried his traditional Jola method of starting
plants directly in the soil, in raised beds. They began soaking seeds later in
the season, planted outdoors, covered seedlings with plastic or burlap to
protect from frost, then transplanted them in paddies.
The Jola
method eliminated the need for a greenhouse; the roots were healthier and could
be transplanted surrounded by dirt without breaking, limiting transplant shock.
“It can
save me,” Badjie said.
In all,
the Jola nursery was cheaper and shortened the rice production cycle. This
created flexibility.
“That
was very good for me,” Badjie said. “I’m going to keep doing that.”
Added
Styger: “They tested those nurseries last year, and the transplanted plants
were doing much better.”
With
Styger on board this spring to advise them, they integrated some best
practices from the SRI system such as transplanting younger and single
seedlings. The younger plants grew faster in the paddy and caught up to
older plants. They combined these techniques with their Jola raised-bed
nursery and together designed an experiment to quantify what they observed.
John Munson/Cornell
University
Nfamara Badjie holds a clump of rice starts.
The
experiment
The
experiment is three-pronged. First, it tests how well two types of rice grow in
the local climate. Duborskian rice is a long-awned, short-grained, Ukrainian
variety introduced to New England in 1983 by Christian Elwell ’69, one of the
first known rice farmers in the Northeast, who was given the seeds by Cornell
soil science professor John Peverly. Ceenowa is a red heirloom rice from Africa
that the Jola have grown for centuries, and so far, it has grown well in the
Hudson Valley climate. The only drawback is that birds love the smooth seed, so
the farmers string magnetic tape from video and music cassettes across paddies,
which rattles in the wind to scare off birds.
“African
[Ceenowa rice] is No. 1,” Malick Badjie said. “It grows fastest and gets done
first.”
Second,
Styger and the farmers are comparing the Akaogi and SRI/Jola nurseries, with
separate plots devoted to each. And third, they’re comparing the two varieties
and nurseries with staggered planting dates. They will continue collecting data
through the October harvest.
“We’re
seeing … how far we can push the window of transplanting,” Hoyte said.
If the
SRI/Jola method proves productive, other Northeast farmers would have another
technique to try.
John Munson/Cornell
University
Moustapha Diedhou, right, and Nfamara Badjie.
Future
plans
One thing
is clear: Their product is in demand.
“It’s
really popular, people love it,” Hoyte said of the fresh rice, which tastes
nuttier than stored rice and cooks with less water.
They
sell it by word of mouth at $8 per pound. Local restaurants have offered to buy
their entire stock.
Last
year, they yielded about 1,000 pounds of rice; they expect a bigger harvest
this fall. With machines, they believe they could harvest up to 3,000 pounds
per acre.
“These
are specialty rices for customers who are willing to pay for the efforts and
the story behind them.”
Susan McCouch, professor of plant breeding and genetics
“Every
problem is one of equipment,” Diedhou said. But they are limited by personnel
and money. They have used some of the grant for a small combine and rice dryer.
They plan to expand beyond the 3-plus acres they already farm, and have offers
to grow rice on other people’s land.
The
Ceenowa variety offers a promising niche market, especially in New York City,
where many consumers would be willing to pay more for African rice produced by
an African family, McCouch said.
“These
are specialty rices for customers who are willing to pay for the efforts and
the story behind them,” she said.
In the
end, the Badjies and Diedhou cultivate the crop because it’s in their blood.
It’s part of their heritage. The farmers dream of quitting their day jobs and
growing rice full time.
“We want
our family to know where we come from and how we live, what we were doing
before we got here,” Nfamara Badjie said. “That’s what we want to show them.”
Punjab Grill gives diners the royal treatment
By Tom Sietsema
Food critic
The following review appears in The Washington Post’s 2019
Fall Dining Guide.
White chickpea curry with bright red onions at Punjab Grill. (Laura Chase de Formigny/For The Washington Post)
(Good/Excellent)
Hands down, it’s the most
sumptuous place to eat gol gappa in the city. Scan the interior — the marble
bar inlaid with mother-of-pearl, the hand-carved wooden screens, the party room
shimmering in mirrors — and you can see where owner Karan Singh sunk
$5 million. But the modern Indian restaurant isn’t just a shiny bauble.
Chef Jaspratap Bindra sees to it that the feast for the eyes extends to the
plates: tiger prawns...
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Safeguard duty on rice imports seen in
place soon
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:06 AM October 10,
2019
The
Department of Agriculture (DA) is expected to address the influx of imported
rice in the market this week by imposing a safeguard duty, although the agency
has yet to make any pronouncement until now.
In an ambush
interview at the Senate on Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary William Dar refused
to comment when asked about the measure, but he earlier said the DA would place
general safeguards on rice imports by the end of September or early October.
The duty is
expected to address the continuous decline in palay prices which, as of
September, had already dropped by 30 percent to P16.18 a kilo from P23.14 a
kilo in the same period last year.
Under
Republic Act No. 8752, or the Anti-Dumping Act of 1999, the government can
impose duties on imports that are priced way below the prevailing fair market
value. Also under the rice tariffication law, import duties may be increased,
reduced or revised to protect Filipino farmers and consumers.
Safeguard
duties would increase tariffs and would make imports more expensive. This would
discourage traders from bringing in the staple to the domestic market and would
force local traders to buy from local farmers at higher rates.
The
Federation of Free Farmers has recommended a safeguard duty between 60 to 70
percent on top of the current tariffs slapped on rice, while the Samahang
Industriya ng Agrikultura said it wanted the government to impose the maximum
tariff rate allowed.
The
Philippines is currently 93-percent self-sufficient in rice and imports around
7 to 10 percent of its rice requirement. To date, about 2.4 million metric tons
of rice had already been imported which, according to the DA, “has gone beyond
what is needed by the country.” —KARL R. OCAMPO
https://business.inquirer.net/280658/safeguard-duty-on-rice-imports-seen-in-place-soon#ixzz622SYXnrs
Ghana’s Senior Minister laments over Ghana spending US$1.35bn on rice
importation
Yesterday at 11:39 AM
Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo
Maafo
· Ghana
spent US$1.35 billion on rice importation in 2018.
· The
Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo is unhappy about this development.
· He
believes Ghana has enough arable land to grow rice for the population.
The Senior Minister, Yaw
Osafo-Maafo has bemoaned the amount of money Ghana spent on the importation of
rice.
Ghana spent US$1.35 billion last
year on rice importation alone.
Speaking at the Ghana Beyond Aid
(GBA) committee’s stakeholder consultation Mr Osafo-Maafo said the money used
for the importation of rice could be used on machinery to modernise the
economy.
The stakeholder consultation with
the leadership of faith-based organisations (FBOs)
Presenting the GBA charter
document, he explained that some parts of the Northern Region could produce
more than enough rice to feed West Africa with little irrigation.
He, however, added that the
private sector must take charge of the rice production since the government
cannot do it alone.
“It will depend on private
farmers to develop rice like we depend on cocoa farmers to develop cocoa,” he
noted.
He added that human development
was key to this, hence the focus on technical and vocational education which
would enhance the economic growth of the country.
“The countries that have made it
such as South Korea, Japan, and Germany, that is where the emphasis is on their
education system,” he said.
Punjab slashes levy security for
rice by Rs 2.75 lakh
TNN | Updated: Oct 10,
2019, 10:09 IST
Man using traditional method for thrashing at grain market in
Ludhiana
CHANDIGARH:
In a relief to rice millers in the state, the Punjab government on Wednesday
decided to reduce the levy security by Rs 2.75 lakh, besides providing other
relaxations.
The decision was taken in a meeting of Punjab food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and rural development and panchayats minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa.
The decision was taken in a meeting of Punjab food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and rural development and panchayats minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa.
Ashu
said the government has decided to slash Rs 10 lakh levy security — Rs 5 lakh
refundable plus Rs 5 lakh non-refundable — to Rs 7.25 lakh refundable levy
security. The condition of bank guarantee will be applicable only to millers
for quantum of paddy stored over and above 5,000 metric tonnes (MT) instead of
4,000 MT. The minister said these decisions would bring respite to the rice
millers.
He added that the rice millers, who apply before October 10, would be allotted paddy on priority and without pro rata cut. The quantum of the release orders of these millers would also be increased. He further stated that those rice mills which had opened last year and the year before would be treated as old mills.
Due to shortage of space, if the miller is not able to deliver rice, he would not have to pay any interest, said Ashu, adding that to waive off that interest on quality cut, a case has already been forwarded to the finance department.
Ricer millers are up in arms against the government which Ashu termed as “politically motivated”.
“Only one particular group with vested interests is on strike and is trying to misguide other rice millers. Due to this, out of the 4,000 rice mills in the state, only 1,500 have been allotted till date,” said Ashu.
He added that the rice millers, who apply before October 10, would be allotted paddy on priority and without pro rata cut. The quantum of the release orders of these millers would also be increased. He further stated that those rice mills which had opened last year and the year before would be treated as old mills.
Due to shortage of space, if the miller is not able to deliver rice, he would not have to pay any interest, said Ashu, adding that to waive off that interest on quality cut, a case has already been forwarded to the finance department.
Ricer millers are up in arms against the government which Ashu termed as “politically motivated”.
“Only one particular group with vested interests is on strike and is trying to misguide other rice millers. Due to this, out of the 4,000 rice mills in the state, only 1,500 have been allotted till date,” said Ashu.
The minister urged the millers to apply before October 10 and avail maximum benefits.
Quelling the apprehensions of the millers regarding shortage of space, Ashu reiterated the commitment of the state to create space. He said the FCI has planned the movement of 7 lakh metric tonne (LMT) rice every month which will lead to sufficient creation of space in the near future. He also assured the millers that no negative impact shall have to be borne by them in case of shortage of space.
India's
August rice exports drop 29% on weak African demand
Rajendra Jadhav
OCTOBER 10, 2019 / 4:25 PM MUMBAI (Reuters) - India’s rice exports
in August fell 29% year-on-year to 644,249 tonnes, government data showed on
Thursday, due to weak demand from African countries for non-basmati rice, among
other factors.
Farmers plant saplings in a rice field on the outskirts of
Ahmedabad, July 5, 2019. REUTERS/Amit Dave/Files
“Demand from west African countries is weak for non-basmati rice.
They have bought a lot from China and don’t need to buy huge volumes now,” said
Nitin Gupta, vice president of Olam India’s rice business.
India is the world’s biggest rice exporter but its shipments have
plunged 27% in the first five months of the 2019/20 financial year, starting on
April 1, to 3.8 million tonnes, the data showed.
Iran, the biggest buyer of India’s basmati rice, has nearly stopped
purchases in the last few weeks as it harvests its own crop, said an exporter
based in New Delhi, who declined to be identified.
“Iran could resume buying early next year after harvesting the
local crop,” the exporter said.
Rice supplies from India’s summer-sown crop are expected to improve
from next month and this could moderate local prices and make exports
competitive, Gupta said.
Last month, the government had said that rice production from the
summer-sown crop in 2019 was expected to drop 1.7% from a year ago to 100.35
million tonnes.
Non-basmati rice exports could fall 40% in 2019/20 from a year ago
unless the government provided some incentive for exports, said B V Krishna
Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association (REA).
“The industry badly needs government support to accelerate
exports,” Rao said.
India exported 11.95 million tonnes of rice in 2018/19 through
March 31, down 7.2% from the previous 12 months, even though it had provided
incentives for exports of non-basmati rice for four months of the year.
Lower prices from competitors could also be a contributing factor
to a fall in exports.
India’s 5% broken white rice was quoted at about $368-$372 per
tonne this week compared with $350 for supplies from Vietnam.
Smaller shipments from India could help rivals such as Thailand,
Vietnam and Myanmar raise their exports, according to Indian exporters.
It could also force Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to
buy more from farmers, even as it struggles to liquidate last year’s stocks.
India mainly exports non-basmati rice to Bangladesh, Nepal, Benin
and Senegal, and premier basmati rice to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
RPT-Asia Rice-African
demand boosts Vietnam rates, India prices dip to 4-month low
Sumita Layek
OCTOBER 11, 2019 /
(Repeats Thursday’s story with no changes to text)
* Thai prices narrow to $396-$400 a tonne from $396-$417
* India’s exports in August fall 29% y/y
* Bangladesh reports bumper harvest
By Sumita Layek
BENGALURU, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Vietnamese rice export prices rose to
their highest in two months this week as demand from African buyers increased,
while prices in top exporter India fell to a four-month low on sluggish demand.
Rates for 5% broken rice RI-VNBKN5-P1 in Vietnam rose to $350 a
tonne, matching early August’s peak, from $330-$340 a tonne a week ago.
“Demand seems to be recovering now with more vessels waiting to be
loaded at Ho Chi Minh City ports,” a trader based in the Mekong Delta province
of An Giang said.
Preliminary data showed at least 70,600 tonnes of rice are
scheduled for loading at Ho Chi Minh City ports during October 1-20, with most
bound for West Africa and Malaysia, traders said.
Africa’s demand for Vietnamese jasmine rice has increased
significantly recently, a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said.
Customs data released on Thursday showed September rice shipments
from Vietnam fell 20.4% from August to 479,363 tonnes. However, shipments in
the January-September period rose 3.7% from a year earlier to 5.06 million
tonnes.
In contrast, softer demand from African countries for India’s 5
percent broken parboiled variety RI-INBKN5-P1 saw prices extend losses to touch
their lowest level in nearly four-months at $368-$372 per tonne from $369-$373
a week ago.
“African countries have ample inventories. They are not active in
the (Indian) market now,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern
state of Andhra Pradesh.
India’s rice exports in August fell 29% year-on-year to 644,249
tonnes, government data showed..
Weak demand also weighed on the Thai market, with benchmark
5-percent broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 prices narrowing to $396-$400 a tonne from
$396-$417 last week.
“It doesn’t look like there will be fresh demand for Thai rice in
the short term, even well into next month,” a Bangkok-based trader said.
The baht, Asia’s best performing currency this year, has been one
of the main factors keeping prices of the Thai variety higher than competitors.
“The market is expecting new supply after the end of the rainy
season this month,” another Bangkok-based trader said.
Elsewhere, Bangladesh’s rice output from the summer crop also known
as ‘Boro’, hit a record 20.4 million tonnes, exceeding a target of 19.5 million
tonnes, on higher acreage, said Mizanur Rahman, a senior official of the
Department of Agriculture Extension.
However, the bumper harvest failed to cheer farmers who have
incurred huge losses this year from high production costs and low domestic
prices.
Boro usually contributes more than half of Bangladesh’s typical
annual rice production of around 35 million tonnes. (Reporting by Khanh Vu in
Hanoi, Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Ruma Paul in Dhaka and Rajendra Jadhav in
Mumbai; editing by Arpan Varghese and Kirsten Donovan)
The rise of rice
October 11, 2019 | 12:30 am
The Entrepreneur Of The Year
Philippines 2019 has concluded its search for the country’s most successful and
inspiring entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines is a program of
the SGV Foundation, Inc. with the participation of co-presenters Department of
Trade and Industry, the Philippine Business for Social Progress, and the
Philippine Stock Exchange. In the next few weeks, BusinessWorld will
feature each of the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines
2019.
The rise of rice
1 of 2
Henry Lim Bon Liong
Chairman and CEO
SL Agritech Corp.
Chairman and CEO
SL Agritech Corp.
HENRY LIM BON LIONG believes that
one seed has the power to uplift the nation. He claims that it only took one
seed for him to disrupt the agriculture industry in the Philippines and, in the
process, transform the lives of millions of Filipinos.
With a degree in Mechanical
Engineering from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, Mr. Lim set his
sights on agriculture.
His vision was to transform the
Philippines into a self-sufficient rice producing country.
Mr. Lim established SL Agritech
Corp. (SLAC), with the aim of empowering farmers by bridging the gap in food
production and farming technology.
Mr. Lim founded SLAC in 2000 and
has served as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) ever since. However,
his entrepreneurial journey began in 1976, when he took over as chairman of
Sterling Paper Products after the death of his father, Lim Seh Leng.At present,
SLAC is part of the Sterling Paper Group of Companies.
Driven by his dream, Mr. Lim
invested in property and infrastructure for SLAC’s research and development
(R&D) efforts. His research led him to collaborate with the world’s top
rice scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
Eventually, he sought the help of
the man dubbed as the “father of hybrid rice”, Chinese agronomist, Yuan
Longping.
Mr.. Longping devoted his career
to developing high-yielding rice strains that helped solve the famine in China
during the 1960s. He successfully developed hybrid rice varieties in the 1970s
by crossbreeding a naturally-mutated male-sterile strain of rice with wild
rice.
Mr. Lim invited Mr. Longping and
three of his scientists to the Philippines in 1998, who brought with them 75
different hybrid rice seed varieties.
Unfortunately, none of the seeds
survived the tropical climate as the hybrids Mr. Longping had developed were
more suited to temperate climates.
Despite these setbacks, Mr. Lim’s
mother, Maria Co Chiao Ti Lim, told him not to give up his search for a hybrid
rice seed that was suitable for wet and dry seasons, even as the company’s
funding became dangerously low after several years of investing wholly in
R&D.
Her faith in his dream bore
remarkable fruit, when in January 2001, Mr. Lim and Mr. Longping’s team were
able to discover the first high-yielding, hybrid rice seed variety for the
tropics. Mr. Lim attributes this discovery to his mother, who had passed away
just two months prior.
Mr. Lim named his hybrid seed
discovery, SL-8H, as a tribute to his late father’s initials and plot number 8,
where the seed first germinated.
SLAC subsequently distributed the
seeds to farmers across the Philippines for three harvest seasons. According to
Mr. Lim, farmers reported a dramatic increase in their yield when they planted
SL-8H seeds, as their harvest increased form 3 metric tons, to 14 metric tons.
Currently, SLAC is the market
leader for hybrid rice in the Philippines, with 70% of the total market share.
The company is focused on the development, promotion and growth of hybrid rice
technology through its two major operations: hybrid seed production and premium
quality rice production.
The commercialized hybrid rice
seeds are sold to Filipino farmers and exported to Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh,
Indonesia and India. Farmers from Bangladesh and Myanmar similarly experienced
a drastic yield increase due to SLAC’s hybrid seeds.
In Bangladesh, they jumped from
2.2 metric tons per hectare, to harvesting 9.5 metric tons per hectare. In
Myanmar, farmers were able to yield 10 metric tons of seed per hectare.
Dr. Lim developed two brands for
their rice products: Doña Maria premium rice and an affordable line, Willy
Farms rice. To strengthen production capacity, SLAC engaged contract growers
all over the country who exclusively produce rice for the two brands.
Today, the company has also
expanded its network of contract growers to Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Mr. Lim further diversified his
products with two additional variants of rice for the company’s Doña Maria
premium line: Jasponica, a chewy, fragrant hybrid of Jasmine and Japanese rice;
and Miponica, a soft, glutinous, long-grain hybrid of Milagrosa and Japanese
rice. Both variants offer brown rice alternatives.
The company sells its premium
rice to retailers, restaurants, hotels and catering services. It is also
exported to countries across Asia, the Middle East, and North America.
Through Mr. Lim’s leadership,
SLAC has attained international certifications from ISO (9001:2008), the Halal
Authority Board Standard, and the United States Food and Drug Administration.
The company has also achieved
other accolades including: the ASEAN AGROW Awards, the ASEAN Business Awards,
the Agriculture Entrepreneurship Awards, the BizNewsAsia Asia-Pacific
Entrepreneurship Awards, and the Agriculture Industry Asia-Pacific
Entrepreneurship Awards.
On Aug. 6, Mr. Lim was conferred
the Order of Lakandula by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, with the rank of
Marangal na Pinuno or Grand Officer, for his lifelong commitment and outstanding
contributions to the improvement of the country’s economic and civic welfare.
He was awarded with honorary
doctorate degrees in Humanities and Science by the Foundation
University-Dumaguete in 2013, and by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines
in 2014.
Aside from being the country’s
leading hybrid rice authority, Mr. Lim is also a philanthropist. He is
dedicated to elevating communities through innovative programs that have helped
countless beneficiaries in the country and across the region. Among these
projects are the Rice Bucket Challenge and the Balik Biyaya program that were
able to provide rice to over 50,000 families.
Mr. Lim is also swift to respond
during times of national emergencies, by donating sacks of rice to
calamity-stricken areas. During the Marawi City siege, he sent containers of
Doña Maria Premium rice to the barracks after learning that soldiers were
eating old supplies of rice.
In addition to his social work,
Mr. Lim is equally passionate about education. He has built school buildings,
donated school supplies and conducted feeding programs to help students in
rural areas. He and his technicians are determined to educate farmers in
advanced farming methods.
Farmers from the Philippines,
Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other countries that use SLAC’s hybrid seeds,
are trained by SLAC’s rice experts in modern farming techniques that will help
them increase their yield and speed up production.
To other Filipino entrepreneurs,
Dr. Lim shares, “Entrepreneurship takes guts. You will feel a lot of hardships,
but you really have to weather them.”
The official airline of the
Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines 2019 is Philippine Airlines. Media
sponsors are BusinessWorld and
the ABS-CBN News Channel. Banquet sponsors are Global Ferronickel Holdings,
Inc., Jollibee, Robert Blancaflor & Groups, Inc., Udenna Corporation, and
Uratex.
The winners of the Entrepreneur
Of The Year Philippines 2019 will be announced on Oct. 15 in an awards banquet
at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will
represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 in Monte
Carlo, Monaco in June 2020.
Zubiri warns of ‘disaster’ in sugar industry
October 10, 2019, 9:26 PM
By Vanne Terrazola
Another “disaster” similar to
what is happening now in the rice industry might happen should the government
pursue plans to liberalize sugar importation, Senate Majority Leader Juan
Miguel Zubiri warned on Thursday.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri
(Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN)
(Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN)
Zubiri was asking energy
officials on biofuels during a budget hearing in the Senate when he segued into
proposals to deregulate sugar imports in the country amid rising prices and
declining supply of domestic sugar.
The lawmaker reiterated his
opposition to the plan being pushed by the Department of Finance (DOF) and
other economic managers, citing the current problems faced by rice farmers
following the passage of the Rice Tariffication Law, which liberalized rice
importation.
“We’ve seen what happened to
rice. It is a disaster,” Zubiri said at the budget deliberation.
Zubiri said he recently went to
General Santos City and his home province Bukidnon where rice farmers
complained about the declining price of local rice due to the surge of rice
imports.
He recalled the Senate passing on
second reading the resolution that will authorize government agencies to buy
from local rice farmers for their rice subsidy programs.
On Wednesday, Zubiri prodded the
Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to
come up with a “strong position” to convince the DOF to ditch the
liberalization plan for sugar.
“Mr. Secretary, what is deafening
is the position of the DA and the SRA on sugar import liberalization. We need a
strong voice. We do not want to happen what had happened to rice,” he told DA
Secretary William Dar during the deliberation of the proposed 2020 budgets of
agriculture agencies.
“My worry is if we do this for sugar, OMG (oh, my God), what will just happen to the five million people [in the sugar industry],” he lamented.
“My worry is if we do this for sugar, OMG (oh, my God), what will just happen to the five million people [in the sugar industry],” he lamented.
Dar, in response, said he has
asked the SRA to craft an action plan to accelerate the implementation of
the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA), which was passed to help
the local sugar farmers.
The action plan will be submitted
within this week, he said.
But Zubiri was unsatisfied, saying the DA should stop the DOF.
But Zubiri was unsatisfied, saying the DA should stop the DOF.
“Dapat pagsabihan muna ang
finance team natin na hindi muna tayo handa, hindi tayo handa (You should tell
our finance team that we are not ready for it. We are not ready),” he said.
208 traders,
big firms bought 1.614 MMT of imported rice
By
October 11, 2019
This
file photo shows different varieties of rice being sold at a local market in
Manila.
A TOTAL of 208 private entities,
including big firms, imported more than 1.6 million metric tons (MMT) of rice
seven months after the government eased import restrictions on the staple, data
from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) showed.
Figures from the BPI, an attached
agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), showed that cooperatives, traders
and institutions imported 1.614 MMT of rice as of October 4 after the rice
trade liberalization law took effect on March 5.
The BPI data indicated that
importers bought rice from India, Italy, Myanmar, Pakistan, Spain, Thailand and
Vietnam.
Topping the list of importers is
Puregold Price Club Inc. (Puregold), the grocery-chain operator owned by
businessman Lucio Co, which imported 52,021.850 metric tons during the
seven-month period. Puregold accounted for 3.22 percent of the total rice
volume that arrived in the country.
Davao San Ei Trading Inc., which
brought in 48,360 MT of rice and Arvin International Marketing Inc. with 45,418
MT of imported rice were the other two large importers.
The BPI was mandated to
facilitate private-sector importation by issuing sanitary and phytosanitary
import clearances (SPS-IC) after the rice trade liberalization law took effect
on March 5.
Under the new trade regime,
private entities must secure an SPS-IC from the BPI prior to bringing imported
rice into the country.
The rice trade liberalization
law, or Republic Act 11203, eased the importation of rice by deregulating the
National Food Authority (NFA), which effectively removed its regulatory powers
over rice importation.
Various farmers’ groups and
nongovernment organizations pointed to the increase in rice imports as the
culprit for the double-digit decline in the average farm-gate price of unhusked
rice.
The steep decline in palay prices
following the increase in rice import volumes prompted the DA to initiate a
preliminary investigation to determine whether the imposition of safeguard
duties is warranted.
The DA is supposed to reveal the
findings of its investigation last October 10, a month after the start of the
probe, if the sudden increase in rice imports did cause injury to local palay
farmers.
Scientists Warn
Against the Chronic Diseases Linked With High BMIs
By Melissa Scott October 10, 2019
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new, first-of-its kind analysis of trend data from 188 countries reveal that
about 2.1 billion individuals are either obese or overweight. This equates to
almost 30 percent of the global population.
According to Dr. Christopher
Murray, director of IHME and a co-founder of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD)
study, obesity is an issue affecting people of all ages and incomes,
everywhere.
It is worth mentioning that the
highest proportion of the world’s obese individuals, which is 13 percent,
resides in the United States.
Health authorities have long
warned that obesity or having high body mass index (BMI) is linked with the
onset or worsening of chronic diseases. These include diabetes, heart disease,
osteoarthritis, and even cancer.
There are dietary and lifestyle
habits to follow to maintain a healthy BMI. It is strongly recommended to
consume healthy foods and engage in physical activities most days of the week.
Experts recommend consuming five
to six servings of fruits and vegetables daily. For whole grains, it is best to
opt for brown rice and whole wheat bread. It is similarly important to avoid
intake of highly processed foods made with refined white sugar, flour and
saturated fat.
Losing weight in a natural way
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According to research, it works
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Experts warn that low insulin
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Average
farm-gate price of rice falls to 8-year low–PSA
October 11, 2019
Prices
of assorted varieties of rice are seen at the San Andres public market in
Manila in this BusinessMirror file photo.
THE average farm-gate price of
dry unhusked rice in the third week of September fell to its lowest level in
nearly eight years, according to preliminary data released by the Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA figures showed that the price
of dry palay plunged by 30 percent to below P16 per kilogram for the first time
since the fourth week of December in 2011.
Experts, such as the University
of Asia and the Pacific Center for Food and Agribusiness Executive Director
Rolando T. Dy, attributed this to the influx of cheap rice imports.
“The average farm-gate price of
palay went down further to P15.96 per kg or by 1.4 percent during the week
relative to its previous week’s level of P16.18 per kg,” the PSA said in its
weekly price monitoring report.
“On an annual basis, it also
continued to drop at a rate of 30.1 percent from its level of P22.84 per kg in
the same week of the previous year,” the report read.
From September 18 to 24, PSA data
indicated that the lowest average farm-gate price was recorded in Pampanga at
P12 per kg, while the highest quotation was reported in Surigao del Sur at
P20.40 per kg.
The steep decline in palay prices
following the increase in rice imports by the private sector prompted the
Department of Agriculture (DA) to initiate a preliminary investigation last
month to determine whether the imposition of safeguard duties is warranted.
The DA is supposed to reveal the
findings of its investigation on October 10, a month after the start of the
probe, to determine if the sudden increase in rice imports indeed caused injury
to local planters.
The BusinessMirror earlier
reported that the DA has also formed a 30-man multisectoral task force to
address and fast-track measures to help farmers cope with declining farm-gate
palay prices.
The DA issued Special Order (SO
862), Series of 2019, which created a task force that would “facilitate
assistance relative to the drop of palay farm-gate price.”
The task force is composed of
experts and economists from the academe, the private sector and government, as
well as representatives of rice farmers, millers, cooperatives and various
government agencies related to rice.
“The task force shall perform the
following: develop, adopt and promulgate measures to promote rice productivity
and farmers’ viability, and ensure the effective and efficient implementation
of rice-related measures in relation to the drop of palay farm-gate price,”
according to the SO, which was dated August 27, but was uploaded on the DA’s
web site on October 8.
With the increase in imports and
the start of harvest, the farm-gate price of palay will continue to go down,
according to various farmers groups and nongovernment organizations.
How Three Minutes Can Change Your
Life
|
ARLINGTON,
VA -- Three minutes of innovative storytelling about U.S.-grown rice is all
it takes to earn money for college!
 If you're a high school graduating student from Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, or Texas, submit a three-minute video that creates awareness and promotes U.S.-grown rice, September National Rice Month, and the importance of rice to your state, for a chance to win this year's National Rice Month Scholarship. "Winning the National Rice Month scholarship was an incredibly unique and exciting experience, and helped fund my first year of college," said Heaven McKinley, from Grand Prairie, Texas. McKinley won the first ever video contest in 2016 for her entry, "Power Plants," and is now studying environmental engineering at Colorado School of the Mines. Caroline Benoit, last year's grand prize winner who attends Tulane University in New Orleans said she was a bit reluctant to enter the contest at first but so glad she did. "I really enjoyed learning about a topic that is so important to my home state and to share how important rice is to Louisiana's economy and the nation as a whole." Three scholarship prizes, sponsored by Corteva Agriscience, totaling $8,500 will be awarded. The grand-prize winner will receive a $4,000 scholarship and a trip with a chaperone this December to the awards ceremony at the 2018 USA Rice Outlook Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. The second-place winner will receive a $3,000 scholarship, and third-place $1,500. Entries are due by October 31. For more information, including tips on making a great video, visit the NRM scholarship page. |
|
WASDE
Report Released
The
outlook for 2019/20 U.S. rice this month is for increased supplies, unchanged
domestic use and exports, and higher ending stocks. Supplies are raised as
NASS increased the all rice production forecast by 1.3 million cwt to 188.6
million, all on a higher yield. The all rice yield is forecast at 7,616
pounds per acre, up 53 pounds from the previous forecast. Higher yields for
Arkansas, California, and Texas more than offset a lower yield for Louisiana.
Projected 2019/20 all rice ending stocks are raised 1.3 million cwt to 37.1
million, still down 17 percent from last year. The projected 2019/20 all rice
season-average farm
price is reduced $0.20 per cwt to $13.00, compared to $12.00 for 2018/19.  Global 2019/20 rice supplies are raised by 3.6 million tons to 669.6 million, mainly on higher projected production for India and Egypt. India's production is raised by 2.0 million tons to 114.0 million, primarily based on the government's First Advance Estimate of Production. Egypt's production increased 1.3 million tons to 4.3 million on greater harvested area than previously estimated. World 2019/20 consumption is raised by 1.3 million tons to 494.5 million, led by increased expected use in Egypt on higher domestic supplies. Global 2019/20 trade is increased 0.8 million tons to 45.9 million, mainly on higher exports by India with greater supplies. India is expected to remain the leading global rice exporter for the sixth consecutive year. Projected world ending stocks are up 2.4 million tons to a record 175.1 million with India and Egypt accounting for most of the increase.
The full report can be
found here.
USA
Rice Daily
|
DA chief keeps
silence, at the moment, on rice import probe
October 10, 2019
Agriculture Secretary William D.
Dar was tight-lipped a day before the government is supposed to reveal the
findings of its investigation on whether the increased rice imports did cause
injury to palay planters.
Dar said he has no comment after
the media pressed him if he would impose a provisional duty on Thursday,
October 10, or reveal findings of DA’s preliminary investigation on the
increased rice imports.
“No comment yet,” he told
reporters while he was waiting for the elevator in the second floor of the
Senate.
Dar was also mum on whether the
Cabinet-level Economic Development Cluster (EDC) intervened in the safeguard
investigation of the DA.
Asked again if he would impose a
provisional duty on rice imports starting tomorrow, Dar reiterated that
concerned government officials are still discussing the matter.
“No comment, yet. No comment
yet,” he emphasized before he entered the elevator after he was asked if he
will impose a provisional duty on rice imports on October 10, a month after the
DA initiated a preliminary investigation for safeguard duty.
BusinessMirror sources said the
EDC wants to discuss the proposed imposition of a safeguard duty on rice
imports before the DA moves forward with the results of its preliminary
investigation.
Reliable sources told the
BusinessMirror that the DA’s preliminary investigation has been completed and
all information, including recommendations, are now on Dar’s table, awaiting
for his decision.
Under Republic Act 8800 or
Safeguard Measures Act, the Agriculture chief shall “make a preliminary
determination that increased imports of the product under consideration are a
substantial cause of, or threaten to substantially cause, serious injury to the
domestic industry,” not later than 30 calendar days from publication of its
preliminary investigation.
The 30th day of the DA’s
safeguard investigation would fall on Thursday,October 10, as the department
published its notice of investigation on September 11.
Under the law, the date of
publication of the notice for preliminary investigation serves as the first day
of the investigation.
Under RA 8800’s implementing
rules and regulations (IRR), the secretary shall “essentially determine” five
factors in its preliminary determination.
First, he should determine if
there was an increase in imports, either in absolute terms or relative to
domestic production, in the last five years preceding the application to
substantiate claims of significant increase in import volume, according to the
IRR.
“Provided, however, that in some cases, the period maybe adjusted to cover a shorter period, if necessary, in order to take into account other considerations that will ensure the appropriateness of the chosen period, e.g., seasonally of product, availability of data or facility in verification of data,” it added.
The secretary should also determine the “presence and extent of serious injury or threat thereof to the domestic industry producing the like or directly competitive product.”
The secretary must also explicitly show the “causal relationship between the increased imports of the product under consideration and the serious injury or threat thereof to the affected domestic industry.”
The secretary must also take into account the impacts of seasonality of products, whenever, applicable.
“That there has been a substantial increase in imports taking into account their volume and whether or not there has been a rapid accumulation of inventories of the domestic product and a reduction in sales and profit margins of the domestic industry,” it added.
If the preliminary findings meet the above-mentioned conditions, then the secretary, without any delay, should transmit his findings to the Tariff Commission for immediate formal investigation within three calendar days from adopting the decision.
“However, if the preliminary findings of the secretary are negative, the secretary shall terminate the investigation,” the IRR read.
Under the law, the secretary is mandated to “issue a public notice on his preliminary findings” within two days after he makes a decision.
“He shall also furnish all interested parties on record a copy of his decision, subject to the requirement to protect confidential information, whether affirmative or negative,” the IRR read.
In a news statement on September 21, the DA said it initiated the preliminary investigation to “arrest” the influx of imports, “particularly this forthcoming main harvest season.”
The DA pointed out that the imposition of a safeguard duty on rice imports is one of the measures it is banking on to stabilize the supply and price of rice.
““We have to holistically and systematically protect the consuming public and much more, our small farmers,” Dar was quoted as saying in the statement.
“So, I have taken the necessary steps and the direction where we will enforce legal measures during these times when we have greatly exceeded the volume needed to fill up the slack in national rice supply, most particularly in Metro Manila and major urban rice consumption centers,” Dar added.
Dar said at least 2.4 million metric tons of rice have entered the country, which “has gone beyond what is needed by the country.”
“We will protect our small farmers by not allowing additional imports especially this main harvest season. We want them to benefit from the respectable farmgate prices of palay set by the government through the National Food Authority (NFA),” he said.
“Provided, however, that in some cases, the period maybe adjusted to cover a shorter period, if necessary, in order to take into account other considerations that will ensure the appropriateness of the chosen period, e.g., seasonally of product, availability of data or facility in verification of data,” it added.
The secretary should also determine the “presence and extent of serious injury or threat thereof to the domestic industry producing the like or directly competitive product.”
The secretary must also explicitly show the “causal relationship between the increased imports of the product under consideration and the serious injury or threat thereof to the affected domestic industry.”
The secretary must also take into account the impacts of seasonality of products, whenever, applicable.
“That there has been a substantial increase in imports taking into account their volume and whether or not there has been a rapid accumulation of inventories of the domestic product and a reduction in sales and profit margins of the domestic industry,” it added.
If the preliminary findings meet the above-mentioned conditions, then the secretary, without any delay, should transmit his findings to the Tariff Commission for immediate formal investigation within three calendar days from adopting the decision.
“However, if the preliminary findings of the secretary are negative, the secretary shall terminate the investigation,” the IRR read.
Under the law, the secretary is mandated to “issue a public notice on his preliminary findings” within two days after he makes a decision.
“He shall also furnish all interested parties on record a copy of his decision, subject to the requirement to protect confidential information, whether affirmative or negative,” the IRR read.
In a news statement on September 21, the DA said it initiated the preliminary investigation to “arrest” the influx of imports, “particularly this forthcoming main harvest season.”
The DA pointed out that the imposition of a safeguard duty on rice imports is one of the measures it is banking on to stabilize the supply and price of rice.
““We have to holistically and systematically protect the consuming public and much more, our small farmers,” Dar was quoted as saying in the statement.
“So, I have taken the necessary steps and the direction where we will enforce legal measures during these times when we have greatly exceeded the volume needed to fill up the slack in national rice supply, most particularly in Metro Manila and major urban rice consumption centers,” Dar added.
Dar said at least 2.4 million metric tons of rice have entered the country, which “has gone beyond what is needed by the country.”
“We will protect our small farmers by not allowing additional imports especially this main harvest season. We want them to benefit from the respectable farmgate prices of palay set by the government through the National Food Authority (NFA),” he said.
As Arkansas Rice Harvest Heads Toward Final Leg, Growers Enjoy High Market Prices
Scenes from the 2015 harvest season. Combines make their way through a rice field in Cross County.
Ryan McGeeney, University of Arkansas Systems Division of Agriculture
LITTLE ROCK, ARK.
The “store and hold” strategy employed by many rice growers in 2018 has finally paid off, as rice prices rallied in 2019, hinging largely on record prevented planting acreage and general uncertainty about the year’s crop size.
According to a rice stocks report released in late August by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, rough rice stocks for five of the country’s six largest rice-producing states, including Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri, all rose over 2018 levels. Only Texas fell in rough rice stocks from 2018 to 2019. Nationwide, August stocks rose from about 23.9 million hundredweight to about 38.6 million hundredweight year over year.
The report compared August stock positions, year to year. Arkansas increased from about 12.4 million hundredweight to about 22.9 hundredweight. Scott Stiles, extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the change reflects both the size of the crops, year-to-year, as well as market prices.
“We saw a rebound in 2018,” Stiles said, citing a rise in Arkansas rice production from 82.6 million hundredweight to 107.3 million hundredweight.
“Following a sharp cut in 2017 acres, rice prices started to rally,” he said. By the time September 2017 contracts expired, rice futures had traded up to $12.90/hundredweight.
“From late 2017, futures prices were fairly stable into April and May, 2018.”
Prices helped spur a recovery in 2018 rice acreage, and a rebound in rice production as well, with the second highest average yield on record – 167 bushels per acre – and fifth-largest production total on record.
Naturally, the rice markets have been affected by external factors, including the weather and global economy, as well. The same intermittent rains that delayed planting – and eventually, harvest – in every other major Arkansas commodity had its way with rice as well. Only this week has harvested rice acreage in the state, at 72 percent, according to a Sept. 30 report from NASS, began to approach the five-year average. Suppressed soybean prices and the ongoing trade dispute with China affected rice marketing decisions as well, Stiles said.
Overall, rice acreage in Arkansas has seen a reduction over the past decade, however. Jarrod Hardke, rice agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said the state average fell from nearly 1.5 million acres in 2000-2009 to about 1.35 million acres during the past decade.
“The declining average acreage has somewhat stabilized our prices, but our production, overall, within any given two-year period, is fairly consistent,” Hardke said. “The yield averages have been mostly greater than 160 bushels per acre the past several years – that’s been largely consistent, and so have our prices.”
“Rice futures have traded from a low of $9.80 in February to a high of $12.52 in July this year,” Stiles said. “Keeping some of the 2018 crop in storage has been a sound marketing strategy this year.” ∆ http://www.mafg.net/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=7343&utm_source=October+11%2C+2019+issue+41&utm_campaign=19-41+Enewsletter&utm_medium=email
Average
farm-gate price of rice falls to 8-year low–PSA
October 11, 2019
Prices
of assorted varieties of rice are seen at the San Andres public market in
Manila in this BusinessMirror file photo.
THE average farm-gate price of
dry unhusked rice in the third week of September fell to its lowest level in
nearly eight years, according to preliminary data released by the Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA figures showed that the price
of dry palay plunged by 30 percent to below P16 per kilogram for the first time
since the fourth week of December in 2011.
Experts, such as the University
of Asia and the Pacific Center for Food and Agribusiness Executive Director
Rolando T. Dy, attributed this to the influx of cheap rice imports.
“The average farm-gate price of
palay went down further to P15.96 per kg or by 1.4 percent during the week
relative to its previous week’s level of P16.18 per kg,” the PSA said in its
weekly price monitoring report.
“On an annual basis, it also
continued to drop at a rate of 30.1 percent from its level of P22.84 per kg in
the same week of the previous year,” the report read.
From September 18 to 24, PSA data
indicated that the lowest average farm-gate price was recorded in Pampanga at
P12 per kg, while the highest quotation was reported in Surigao del Sur at
P20.40 per kg.
The steep decline in palay prices
following the increase in rice imports by the private sector prompted the
Department of Agriculture (DA) to initiate a preliminary investigation last
month to determine whether the imposition of safeguard duties is warranted.
The DA is supposed to reveal the
findings of its investigation on October 10, a month after the start of the
probe, to determine if the sudden increase in rice imports indeed caused injury
to local planters.
The BusinessMirror earlier
reported that the DA has also formed a 30-man multisectoral task force to
address and fast-track measures to help farmers cope with declining farm-gate
palay prices.
The DA issued Special Order (SO
862), Series of 2019, which created a task force that would “facilitate
assistance relative to the drop of palay farm-gate price.”
The task force is composed of
experts and economists from the academe, the private sector and government, as
well as representatives of rice farmers, millers, cooperatives and various
government agencies related to rice.
“The task force shall perform the
following: develop, adopt and promulgate measures to promote rice productivity
and farmers’ viability, and ensure the effective and efficient implementation
of rice-related measures in relation to the drop of palay farm-gate price,” according
to the SO, which was dated August 27, but was uploaded on the DA’s web site on
October 8.
With the increase in imports and
the start of harvest, the farm-gate price of palay will continue to go down,
according to various farmers groups and nongovernment organizations.
UNDP’s agricultural intervention
programme to boost rice production in Nigeria
ON OCTOBER 10, 20193:50 PM
IN AGRICBY LAWAL SHERIFAT
FacebookTwitterEmailWhatsAppPinterestShare The United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) said that its intervention in the agricultural sector would
boost rice production in Nigeria. The United Nations Development Programme UNDP
Mrs. Rhoda Dia, the Project Manager for UNDP-Global Environment Facility
Integrated Approach Programme (UNDP-GEF-IAP) on Food Security, made this known
in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Gombe. Dia
said that the UNDP’s intervention in the area of good agricultural practices
and training for key stakeholders in the agricultural value chain would enhance
the knowledge of farmers in rural areas to boost rice production. According to
her, Nigeria’s good potential in rice production, if properly harnessed, will
impact greatly on the economy and enrich more farmers, especially those who
have embraced the use of improved seedlings. Okowa receives Apostle Suleiman,
charges the Church to be change agents She said that if the series of
intervention programmes from UNDP and the Federal Government were to be
properly harnessed by farmers, food security would be guaranteed. “As you might
be aware, the issues of having effective agribusiness platforms in the
development of agriculture and food security with a view to enhancing
sustainable development have become regional and national concerns. “The UNDP
is doing a lot in the area of boosting rice production. Recently, we brought in
major stakeholders involved in the rice value chains to a food summit in Gombe,
on how to boost productivity.
“ During the summit, Agricultural
Development Programme (ADPs) of Adamawa, Benue, Nasarawa, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa
and Gombe signed a Memorandum of Understanding with major rice mills to
facilitate the growth of the produce and groundnuts by farmers. Buhari approves
fine of N5m on any media that violates NBC code – Lai Mohammed “ The rice mill
companies will provide inputs, training, and general support, off-take and
process the farm produce, while the National Agricultural Seed Council
certifies through registered dealers. “We established linkages through the
creation of an innovation platform, which provides the sustainable structures
for the advancement of what the project refers to as a win-win inter-state food
commodity value chain,’’ she said. The project manager canvassed the need to
review the immediate business environment across the rice value chains to
obtain information from millers and off-takers about the required quality and
specifications of rice to be produced by the farmers. Dia said that the UNDP
had been empowering women and communities with treadle pumps to make farming
easier while curbing environmental degradation arising from poor agricultural
practices.
She lauded the government’s efforts
at boosting food security in the country, urging rice farmers to embrace
bio-friendly agricultural practices, to protect the environment. The News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on Sept. 26, a Food Summit was held in
Gombe under the UNDP-GEF-IAP project being implemented by the Federal Ministry
of Agriculture. The objectives of the summit are to kick-start the process of
establishing cooperation along rice and groundnut value chains and work with
various stakeholders to coordinate their activities for better efficiency.
By Digital News
Asia October 11, 2019
- 13
category winners at Malaysia Rice Bowl Conference & National Awards
- 5th
year to empower ASEAN Economic Community to power up local economies
![Description: Malaysia Rice Bowl Startup Awards 2019 winners with [from 4th left] Dzuleira Abu Bakar, CEO MaGIC, Wan Suraya, Head Secretary of Ministry of Entrepreneur Development, Mohd Redzuan Yusof, Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Hamdi Mokhtar, chairman The New Entrepreneurs Foundation (myNEF).](file:///C:/Users/Mujahid/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image042.jpg)
Malaysia Rice Bowl Startup Awards
2019 winners with [from 4th left] Dzuleira Abu Bakar, CEO MaGIC, Wan Suraya,
Head Secretary of Ministry of Entrepreneur Development, Mohd Redzuan Yusof,
Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Hamdi Mokhtar, chairman The New
Entrepreneurs Foundation (myNEF).
The New Entrepreneurs Foundation (myNEF) yesterday successfully
organised its first Malaysia Rice Bowl Conference and kicked off the ASEAN Rice
Bowl Startup Awards. The events were officiated by Mohd Redzuan Yusof,
Minister of Entrepreneur Development.
The inaugural conference included panel discussions on startup
fundraising, perspectives from investors and a panel discussion on the role of
government agencies in the Malaysian startup ecosystem which saw participation
by government agency heads Dzuleira Abu Bakar (Malaysian Global Innovation
and Creativity Centre), Surina Shukri (Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation)
and Azmi Said (SME Corp).
Running for the 5th year, the Rice Bowl Startup Awards aims to
connect and empower the ASEAN Economic Community to power up local economies
with startups and scaleups. The awards, which celebrates the spirit of
innovation and entrepreneurship in Southeast Asian startups is also the
official Southeast Asian circuit of the Global Startup Awards.
Mohd Redzuan shared, “This award is in line with the Ministry’s
own aspirations for Malaysia to become an outstanding entrepreneurial nation in
2030. Under the National Entrepreneurship Policy 2030 (DKN 2030), launched on
11 July 2019, we seek to foster a stronger entrepreneurship culture across all
segments of Malaysian society. I am confident that awards such as this will
help in building a critical mass of entrepreneurs by publicly recognizing
entrepreneurship role models. For the economy to grow, we must ensure the
presence of more startups, capital, talent and markets.”
Hamdi Mokhtar, chairman of ASEAN Rice Bowl Startup Awards and
myNEF adds, “To those who wonder why Rice Bowl Awards are called as such, it is
because ‘rice’ is a staple diet in Asian countries. Not only that, it is also a
symbol of wealth and resources throughout the region, making the rice bowl an
enduring symbol of livelihood and sustenance. Startups have always been that
rice bowl that sustains and grows the Southeast Asian economy, and we believe
they will continue to provide for ASEAN for generations to come. We honor and
celebrate these startups for their innovation and entrepreneurial spirit
especially for their courage, determination, hard work and perseverance that
helps power the region’s economy and wealth.”
More than 3,000 nomination were received this year from across
Southeast Asia, a 60% increase from the previous year. The startups come from
diverse industries and backgrounds but are united in their hunger and drive to
succeed. “These are the risk-takers who inspire and thrive in the startup
community with their hard work,” adds Hamdi.
Among the notable winners from Malaysia in previous years who
are making waves today are Carsome, Dropee, JomParking, and iflix.
Mohd Redzuan Yusof, Ministry of
Entrepreneur Development and Wan Suraya at Malaysia Rice Bowl Startup Awards
2019.
Following are the categories for Malaysia Rice Bowl Startup
Awards 2019:
- Best E-commerce & Supply Chain Startup
- Best Life Helper
- Best Foodtech/Agritech Startup
- Best IoT Startup
- Best AI & Machine Learning Startup
- Best Fintech Startup
- Best Accelerator or Incubator Program
- Best Coworking Space
- Investor of The Year
- People’s Choice
- Best Newcomer
- Founder of The Year
- Startup of The year
The top 3 categories with the most number of nominations in
Malaysia are Best Life Helper, Best e-commerce & Supply Chain and Best
Newcomer.
Nominations were open to all companies established no more than
5 years in an ASEAN country with the nomination period between 27 May 2019 to 9
August 2019. This was followed by a round of judging by panels of
industry-experts. The winners of each country will be announced in multiple
national events in October and November 2019.
Malaysia is the first country to announce its Rice Bowl Winners
for 2019 and each category Winner for will receive a PR Strategy Advisory
Services from Suppagood PR worth RM15,000 each.
All National Winners will get to participate in the regional
finale, a cross-regional program designed for entrepreneurs. At the finale,
winners will be able to meet and leverage the vast ASEAN startup community
network to strike regional, vertical, or cross-commercial partnerships to
accelerate their market expansion.
This year the regional grand finale of the awards will be held
in Kuala Lumpur in January 2020 in Kuala Lumpur.
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