Villar leads rice seed, farm
mech training course
Senator
Cynthia Villar recently led the opening of a training course on rice farm
mechanization and inbred and rice seeds production at the Villar SIPAG Farm
School in Bacoor, Cavite.
Villar,
chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, said training farmers on how
to mechanize farming practices and to produce certified inbred seeds will
address the need to lower the production cost of growing palay.
“Through
this training program, we are preparing our farmers to switch to the modern way
of farming and help them to be able to compete against imported rice which will
start coming in as a result of the expiration of the Quantitative Restriction
on Rice, prescribed by WTO [World Trade Organization],” Villar said.
The
program was conducted for free in partnership with the Philippine Rice Research
Institute (PhilRice), the Philippine Center for Post-Harvest Development and
Mechanization (PhilMech), and the Agricultural Training Institute.
About
35 farmers from the Cordillera Autonomous Region and Regions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
are the participants in this nine-day training program. The first phase will be
conducted from February 4 to 7 and the Second Phase will happen from Feb. 11 to
15.
After
the program, participants are expected to acquire the knowledge that will help
improve farm yield through mechanization and production of high quality inbred
seeds.
“Once
they graduate from the course, the participants are expected to also share
their learnings in their respective communities and help us transform more
farmers into seed growers engaged in seed production and trade,” Villar said.
Under
the rice tariffication bill which pending President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature
into law, among the programs that will be funded by the P10-billion Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund is the development, propagation and promotion
of inbred rice seeds to farmers, as well as farm mechanization programs.
Along
this line, the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance
(Villar SIPAG) partnered with PhilRice, PhilMech, and ATI to conduct the
training course.
Rice-research pioneer SVS Shastry is dead
M
Somasekhar Hyderabad | February 06, 2019
SVS Shastry
SVS Shastry, a pioneer in rice
research in India, who contributed immensely to agriculture for over half a
century, passed away at the age of 91 in Hyderabad.
Shastry and other researchers had
developed high-yielding rice varieties Jaya and Padma, which broke the yield
barrier in the 1960s. He was the project coordinator (Rice) with the Indian
Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), New Delhi, during the period.
After a PhD from the University
of Wisconsin, Shastry joined the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI),
where he initiated teaching and research during 1958-65. He was the
founder-project coordinator of the All India Coordinated Rice Improvement
Project (AICRIP), Hyderabad, which started in 1965 and also the Indian
Institute of Rice Research (IIRR).
The lead
researcher
With Shastry in the lead, the
AICRIP expanded and nearly 1,100 rice varieties have been released over the
past five decades under the ICAR system, say agriculture scientists in
Hyderabad. IIRR Director S RVoleti said: “We celebrated 50 years of Jaya
variety in 2015, which was released by IIRR in 1965. Shastry is a pioneer in
rice research.”
Born in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh,
in 1928 and educated in the that city, Shastry won several awards including the
Norman Borlaug Award in 1974 and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1971. He
is survived by son and two daughters.
A fellow of all the national
scientific academies, especially in the agriculture area, Shastry served as
Executive Secretary, International Rice Commission of the Food and Agriculture
Organisation, (FAO), Rome, and as Director of Research at the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nigeria, during 1977-83.
KUBOTA (KUBTY) CUT TO SELL AT ZACKS INVESTMENT
RESEARCH
Kubota (OTCMKTS:KUBTY) was
downgraded by Zacks Investment Research from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating
in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.
According to Zacks, “Kubota is
the world’s largest maker of small tractors and Japan’s 2nd largest
manufacturer of farm equipment. The company is also Japan’s largest producer of
ductile iron pipe (for water supply and sewer systems) and its maker of roofing
materials. The Company makes engines, construction machinery, industrial castings
and machinery, waste recycling plants, and prefab housing, and pumps. It has
stakes in several US computer companies, including memory storage makers
Maxoptix and Akashic Memories. “
KUBTY opened at $78.90 on
Tuesday. Kubota has a 1-year low of $67.34 and a 1-year high of $98.10.
About Kubota
Kubota Corporation manufactures
and sells a range of machinery, and other industrial and consumer products in
Japan, North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. Its Farm &
Industrial Machinery segment provides tractors, power tillers, combine
harvesters, rice transplanters, lawn mowers, utility vehicles, other
agricultural machinery, implements, attachments, post-harvest machinery,
vegetable production equipment, and other agricultural equipment; cooperative drying,
rice seedling, and gardening facilities; and rice mill plants.
Further Reading: Trading
Ex-Dividend Strategy
Rice-research pioneer SVS Shastry is dead
M
Somasekhar Hyderabad | February 06, 2019
SVS Shastry
SVS Shastry, a pioneer in rice
research in India, who contributed immensely to agriculture for over half a
century, passed away at the age of 91 in Hyderabad.
Shastry and other researchers had
developed high-yielding rice varieties Jaya and Padma, which broke the yield
barrier in the 1960s. He was the project coordinator (Rice) with the Indian
Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), New Delhi, during the period.
After a PhD from the University
of Wisconsin, Shastry joined the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI),
where he initiated teaching and research during 1958-65. He was the
founder-project coordinator of the All India Coordinated Rice Improvement
Project (AICRIP), Hyderabad, which started in 1965 and also the Indian
Institute of Rice Research (IIRR).
The lead
researcher
With Shastry in the lead, the
AICRIP expanded and nearly 1,100 rice varieties have been released over the
past five decades under the ICAR system, say agriculture scientists in
Hyderabad. IIRR Director S RVoleti said: “We celebrated 50 years of Jaya
variety in 2015, which was released by IIRR in 1965. Shastry is a pioneer in
rice research.”
Born in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh,
in 1928 and educated in the that city, Shastry won several awards including the
Norman Borlaug Award in 1974 and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1971. He
is survived by son and two daughters.
A fellow of all the national
scientific academies, especially in the agriculture area, Shastry served as
Executive Secretary, International Rice Commission of the Food and Agriculture
Organisation, (FAO), Rome, and as Director of Research at the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nigeria, during 1977-83.
Scientists Find Way to Make Oil-Soaked Soil Fertile Again
A 2014 oil spill in Israel's
Evrona Nature Reserve. SOCIETY FOR THE
PROTECTION OF NATURE IN ISRAEL
Scientists have discovered a way to clean
oil-soaked soil and make it fertile again. The technique involves heating the
soil while keeping oxygen out — an age-old process known as pyrolysis — which
causes the hydrocarbons and other contaminants to decompose without damaging
the soil’s clays or nutrients, according to a new study in the journal Environmental
Science and Technology.
Some 98 percent of oil spills occur on land,
with more than 25,000 spills recorded every year in the United States. “We saw
an opportunity to convert a liability, contaminated soil, into a commodity,
fertile soil,” Pedro Alvarez,
an environmental engineer at Rice University and co-author of the new
study, said in a statement.
Alvarez
and his colleagues took soil from Hearne, Texas, contaminated it in the lab
with heavy crude oil, and gently heated it in a kiln. They found that heating
the soil at 788 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes removed 99.9 percent of
petroleum hydrocarbons and 94.5 percent of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Heating the soil to higher temperatures, as much as 878 degrees F, removed more
contaminants, but decreased the soil’s fertility.
Lettuce growing in once
oil-contaminated soil. WEN
SONG/RICE UNIVERSITY
The
scientists then tried growing Simpson black-seeded lettuce — for which
petroleum is toxic — in the newly decontaminated (or pyrolyzed) soil, slightly
contaminated soil, and original clean soil. The seeds in the pyrolyzed soil
took a bit longer to sprout, but after 21 days they showed the same growth
rates are those in clean soil.
Alvarez
and his colleagues then asked Bhagavatula Moorthy of the Baylor College of
Medicine, who researches the impacts of contaminants on neonatal development,
to test the soil’s safety. Moorthy found that while oil-soaked soils were toxic
to human lung cells, the pyrolyzed soils were not.
“While
heating soil to clean it isn’t a new process,” said Kyriacos Zygourakis of Rice
University, co-author of the new study, “we’ve proved we can do it quickly in a
continuous reactor to remove [hydrocarbons]… We also learned we can do it with
less energy than other methods, and we have detoxified the soil so that we can
safely put it back.”
Revolutionary new
method for creating disease resistant crops: research
Source:
Xinhua| 2019-02-06 14:00:13|Editor: Shi Yinglun
SYDNEY, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A global collective of scientists
have drastically streamlined the time it takes to find and introduce
disease-resistance genes from wild plants into domestic crops such as rice,
wheat and potato, a research revealed on Tuesday.
Scientists from the John Innes Center in Britain, along with
colleagues from Australia and the United States have created a database known
as AgRenSeq, where researchers can easily search for resistance genes already
discovered in wild relatives of modern crops.
The study was co-authored by a global expert in cereal rust
genetics, Professor Harbans Bariana from the University of Sydney, who said
that this technology will underpin fast-tracked discovery and characterization
of new sources of disease resistance in plants.
Once researchers have identified resistance genes using AgRenSeq
they can clone them and introduce them to domestic crops to protect against
diseases and pests such as rusts, powdery mildew and Hessian fly.
"We have found a way to scan the genome of a wild relative
of a crop plant and pick out the resistance genes we need and we can do it in
record time," Dr. Brande Wulff, a project leader from the John Innes
Centre, said.
"This used to be a process that took 10 or 15 years and was
like searching for a needle in a haystack," Wulff said.
"We have perfected the method so that we can clone these
genes in a matter of months and for just thousands of dollars instead of millions,"
Wulff said.
The team are highly optimistic about their work, predicting it
to be utilized in protecting many crops with wild relatives including soyabean,
pea, cotton, maize, potato, wheat, barley, rice, banana and cocoa.
"If we have an epidemic, we can go to our library and
inoculate that pathogen across our diversity panel and pick out the resistance
genes."
"Using speed cloning and speed breeding we could deliver
resistance genes into elite varieties within a couple of years, like a phoenix
rising from the ashes," Wulff added.
National
Food Authority hikes rice procurements
Louise
Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star) - February 6, 2019 -
12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The National Food Authority has increased
its market presence in the country due to better local procurement and the
entry of more imported rice.
From an average of 9.18 percent last year, NFA has expanded its
market share to 11.76 percent in January.
This as the grains agency accredited more than 6,000 additional
rice outlets last month, bringing the total outlets selling NFA rice at P27 and
P32 per kilogram to 26,879 nationwide.
NFA officer-in-charge Tomas Escarez said the
implementation of the ‘just in time’ policy in distribution had ensured better
quality of low-priced rice in the market.
“As rice import deliveries come on a staggered basis, through
the various designated ports across the country, we deliver rice to our outlets
on a first in-first out basis to avoid deterioration and ensure that what we
sell are fresh stocks all the time,” Escarez said.
Of the 1.25 million metric tons of NFA rice imports contracted
under both government-to-government and open tender scheme, a total of 1.01
million MT had been delivered with the balance already in transit and expected
to arrive soon.
“Low-priced good quality rice will be available throughout the
year. Based on our average daily sales, our imported rice stocks will last
until August this year,” Escarez said.
NFA has also been aggressively buying palay, with total
procurement reaching 146,319 bags last month.
The traditional summer crop harvest which occurs in March
to May accounts for about 30 percent of national annual production.
Escarez had instructed all NFA field offices to keep all buying
stations open daily to provide farmers a ready market for their produce.
He said NFA palay procurement shall be done on a year-round
basis, with all personnel, logistics and procurement funds made available
anywhere in the country where NFA operates, at any given time.
Following Presient Duterte’s directive to source its buffer
stocks from domestic harvest, the NFA has embarked on aggressive procurement
operations as farmers take advantage of the bigger incentives offered by the
government.
https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/02/06/1891100/national-food-authority-hikes-rice-procurements
Unresolved issues of national livestock
plan, rice production and food security
By Femi
Ibirogba
06 February 2019
| 3:06 am
Many are the unresolved agro-economic policies that are not only germane to food production and sufficiency, herder-farmer crises and agricultural financing, but also to food security, malnutrition and sustainable employment opportunities. In January 2018, the herdsmen-farmers crises came to the climax with the recurrent killings in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna and other states. Apart from the loss of lives, the Federal Government estimates that Nigeria loses about $14 billion (N5.04 trillion) annually to the conflicts.
The
killing spree thrown up a rather controversial idea from the Federal
Government, anchored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, with
the Minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh, saying, “We have to deal with an urgent problem,
cattle rearing and the conflicts between farmers and herdsmen, and actually
bring it to a halt …. Let us do our own duty by eliminating the conflict by
creating cattle colonies.”
The
‘cattle colony’ policy
According to the ministry, the cattle colony policy would resolve the problems between herdsmen and farmers by designating vast tracts of land in each state as herding grounds.Herdsmen will use these designated herding grounds or “cattle colonies” to feed their livestock, and as a result, will not feel the need to disturb the fertile agricultural land that belongs to farming communities.
According to the ministry, the cattle colony policy would resolve the problems between herdsmen and farmers by designating vast tracts of land in each state as herding grounds.Herdsmen will use these designated herding grounds or “cattle colonies” to feed their livestock, and as a result, will not feel the need to disturb the fertile agricultural land that belongs to farming communities.
However,
states retain the discretion to decline the Federal Government’s proposal for
land allocations for the purpose.The government said then that 16 of Nigeria’s
36 states had already agreed to host cattle colonies, but the opposition to
cattle colony policy was vehement, widespread and had different interpretations
and insinuations. The Nigerian public’s initial reaction to the announcement
was one of disinterest and confusion, as millions of Nigerians seemed not to
understand what a “cattle colony” was.
Many
communities realised that implementing the policy could lead to disasters and
land conflicts more devastating than the problem Nigeria was trying to fix and,
hence, rejected it.“What is cattle colony? We have been colonised by the
colonial masters, and now we will be colonised by cows,” Yusufu Akirikwen, the
Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Taraba State, had
sarcastically reacted to the policy.
The
National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP)
Sequel to the approval of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) by the National Economic Council (NEC) in the frantic efforts to address the farmer/herder crises in the country, there have been mixed feelings and insinuations that the plan is a change of nomenclature from the vehemently resisted proposed cattle colonies. Kebbi State governor, Atiku Bagudu, on January 17, 2018, disclosed while breaking the news to the state house correspondents at the end of a meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo that the approval was as a result of a memo presented by Chief Ogbeh.
Sequel to the approval of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) by the National Economic Council (NEC) in the frantic efforts to address the farmer/herder crises in the country, there have been mixed feelings and insinuations that the plan is a change of nomenclature from the vehemently resisted proposed cattle colonies. Kebbi State governor, Atiku Bagudu, on January 17, 2018, disclosed while breaking the news to the state house correspondents at the end of a meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo that the approval was as a result of a memo presented by Chief Ogbeh.
In mid
June 2018, the technical adviser to the National Economic Council (NEC), Andrew
Kwasari, in Abuja, presented the National Livestock Transformation Plan, built
on six key pillars: economic investment, conflict resolution, law and order,
humanitarian relief, information education and strategic communication; and
cross-cutting issues.The economic investment pillar would support and
strengthen the development of ranches in seven pilot states for improved
livestock productivity through breed (genetic) improvement and pasture
production, in addition to efficient land and water productivity.
The
government also said it would rebuild social capital at the community level to
promote mutual trust, confidence building and consolidate the peace process,
with regard to the conflict resolution pillar.The livestock plan showed that
the law and order pillar would support the strengthening of legal frameworks
for improving livestock production, peace and harmony.The fourth pillar,
humanitarian relief, would focus on rebuilding and reconstructing of common
facilities – worship places, markets and individual homes that have been destroyed.
The
fifth pillar would aid information, education and strategic communication on
the development of grazing reserves in the frontline states, and mitigate the
consequences of these conflicts such as wanton loss of lives, destruction of
property, including schools and facilities.Ten key states were identified as
the frontline states to receive pilot interventions in line with the
recommendations of the FMARD and NEC livestock conference. The states include:
Adamawa, Benue, Ebonyi, Edo, Kaduna, Nassarawa, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba and
Zamfara.
The plan
would include creation of large ranches in each of these states.
“A Ranch Design Plan has also been proposed in models of various sizes clustered in 94 locations in the 10 pilot states. The government intends to transition pastoralism to ranching in order to reduce the struggle for common resources,” Kwasari stated in his presentation of the plan.In terms of size, the proposed ranch size models include “Clusters 30, 60, 150 and 300 cattle ranch models in a location within the donated gazetted grazing reserves; and “a minimum 1,000-cattle breeder ranch in seven of the 10 pilot states.”
“A Ranch Design Plan has also been proposed in models of various sizes clustered in 94 locations in the 10 pilot states. The government intends to transition pastoralism to ranching in order to reduce the struggle for common resources,” Kwasari stated in his presentation of the plan.In terms of size, the proposed ranch size models include “Clusters 30, 60, 150 and 300 cattle ranch models in a location within the donated gazetted grazing reserves; and “a minimum 1,000-cattle breeder ranch in seven of the 10 pilot states.”
Is NLTP
synonymous with cattle colony?
While disclosing the approval of the plan, Bagudu had said that “It is about creating conditions to launch the peaceful transformation of the Nigerian livestock ecosystem to add, at least, N2 trillion to the economy.“The approach is to invest in the livestock sector to provide ranches, mitigating the escalating crisis between pastoralists and farmers. The strategy would be supported by the development of an implementation plan, which Mr. President had already approved. That provides a guiding framework to states for implementing NLTP, which will be implemented in phases.”
While disclosing the approval of the plan, Bagudu had said that “It is about creating conditions to launch the peaceful transformation of the Nigerian livestock ecosystem to add, at least, N2 trillion to the economy.“The approach is to invest in the livestock sector to provide ranches, mitigating the escalating crisis between pastoralists and farmers. The strategy would be supported by the development of an implementation plan, which Mr. President had already approved. That provides a guiding framework to states for implementing NLTP, which will be implemented in phases.”
Ogbeh
had hinted, in an exclusive with The Guardian in late December 2018, that “The
cassava farmer is a private farmer; he does not grow cassava for the ministry.
Cocoa and rice farmers are not growing them for the government, but we help
them.
“When
the states rejected the proposal [cattle colony], the next question is what do
we do? We have 451 grazing reserves in our record as far back as 1960, and
about a half of them were on the gazette. They are still there despite
encroachments. Of what is left, we have over 4 million hectares of land mainly
in the north. There are a few in the Southwest, precisely at Akunu in Ondo
State, and in Isheyin in Oyo State. I have been there. The governor of Oyo
State is not too keen, but the governor of Ondo State is interested.
“What we
must do now is reviving the remnant of the grazing reserves, and governors of
about 11 states are willing and ready. We have tried to raise money for the
project. We have secured a World Bank approval to get to work, and the Federal
Government is putting together about N12 billion to start work.” From the
foregoing, it is clear that the new livestock policy is a subtle form of the
old and forceful cattle colony proposal, moving on the platform of the existing
grazing reserves, which, of course, as admitted by the minister, have been
encroached.
Efforts
by The Guardian to speak with Ogbeh proved abortive as a text message to his
mobile phone was not responded to and phone calls were not answered. Similarly,
the Special Assistant to the minister, Dr Olukayode Oyeleye, said details of
the livestock plan were not available to him. It is also clear that states are
at liberty to accept or reject participation in the livestock plan. However, it
is not clear that the policy would cover assistance to other livestock and aquaculture
farmers.
The
Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) and the Catfish and Allied Fish Farmers
Association of Nigeria (CAFFAN) said they were not aware of their incorporation
into the livestock plan, for they were never consulted nor informed of such a
plan.The National President of CAFFAN, Mr Rotimi Oloye, said he did not believe
in any agricultural policy of the government because political leaders are
always misled by civil servants, accounting for the failure of most policies.
The PAN
said though it was scantily informed of the plan, the details and modi operandi
were not known.This was disclosed by the president of the association, Mr
Ezekiel Ibrahim Mam, in a telephone talk with The Guardian. He equally said a
meeting has been scheduled with the Ministry of Agriculture on January 31,
2019.Similarly, Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture, Prince Oyewole Oyewumi,
, told The Guardian that the state was not involved in ranching plan and was
not aware of the livestock plan.
The
commissioner said: “Oyo State is not involved in the business of ranching and
is not planning to set up a ranch in the state. The state government will
continue to support the development of commercial agriculture, including crop
farming and livestock development.”He added that interested investors would be
encouraged to invest in agricultural practices in accordance with the laid down
procedures and laws of the state.
Legal
perspectives
A legal luminary, Chief Afe Babalola, in an article in 2018, said without controversies, the Land Use Act empowers the governors of the states to acquire private land for public use, but a cattle colony or whatever name it is called is excluded.He said: “What constitutes public purpose is statutorily defined in Section 51 of the Land Use Act as: ‘51(1). In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires “Public Purposes” includes: for exclusive government use for general public use; for use by body corporate directly established by law or by anybody corporate registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act … which the government owns shares, stocks or debentures; for or in connection with sanitary improvement of any kind; for obtaining control over land contiguous to any part or over land the value of which will be enhanced by the construction of any railway, road or other public work or convenience about to be undertaken or provided by the government; for obtaining control over land required for or in connection with development of telecommunications or provision of electricity; for obtaining control over land required for or in connection with mining purposes; to obtaining control over land required for or in connection with planted urban or rural development or settlement; for obtaining control over land required for or in connection with economic, industrial or agricultural development; for educational and social services.”
A legal luminary, Chief Afe Babalola, in an article in 2018, said without controversies, the Land Use Act empowers the governors of the states to acquire private land for public use, but a cattle colony or whatever name it is called is excluded.He said: “What constitutes public purpose is statutorily defined in Section 51 of the Land Use Act as: ‘51(1). In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires “Public Purposes” includes: for exclusive government use for general public use; for use by body corporate directly established by law or by anybody corporate registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act … which the government owns shares, stocks or debentures; for or in connection with sanitary improvement of any kind; for obtaining control over land contiguous to any part or over land the value of which will be enhanced by the construction of any railway, road or other public work or convenience about to be undertaken or provided by the government; for obtaining control over land required for or in connection with development of telecommunications or provision of electricity; for obtaining control over land required for or in connection with mining purposes; to obtaining control over land required for or in connection with planted urban or rural development or settlement; for obtaining control over land required for or in connection with economic, industrial or agricultural development; for educational and social services.”
Citing
Wuyah v. Jama’a Local Govt, Kafanchan (2013) All FWLR (Pt. 659) and Stodic
Ventures Ltd. v. Alamieyeshia (2016) 4 NWLR (Pt. 1502), the legal icon said the
courts of law had held that governments cannot acquire land from a private
individual only to make it available for the use of another private individual
as this would not amount to public purpose.
“I would
however say in passing that the public purpose for which the government can
compulsorily acquires lands are clearly defined in the Act and do not include
acquisition for the purpose of making a grant to a third party. In Chief
Commissioner, Easter Province v. S.N. Ononye & ors. (1944) 17 NLR 142, it
was held that the acquisition of land by the then Central Government of Nigeria
in Onitsha for the purpose of granting a lease of it to a commercial company
was not in public purpose within public Lands Acquisition Ordinance Cap. 88,”
he had said.
Babalola
had noted that “I do not see how any acquisition of land by any state
government for the establishment of the cattle colonies would qualify as a
public purpose. “Therefore, as herdsmen are, in reality, businessmen engaged in
the business of cattle rearing for their own personal financial gain, I do not
see how the provision of land for the grazing of their cattle, even at the
payment of a fee, would satisfy the provisions of the law if the land is
acquired from other private individuals.
“In
stating the above, I am not unmindful of the provisions of Section 51(1)(h)
which permits acquisition ‘for obtaining control over land required for or in
connection with economic, industrial or agricultural development.’” This, in
Chief Babalola’s estimation, contemplates a situation in which the land is
acquired for use by the government for agricultural development. “What is,
however, clear from the stated intention of the government is a plan to make
the land available for the use of the herdsmen and their cattle,” Babalola had
stated.
Food
production level
Food production level in Nigeria is not at the same pace with the population growth. The FAO had claimed in one of its reports that over three million Nigerians are extremely hungry, and a World Bank report says the country is home to over 85 million extremely poor people, unbecomingly making Nigeria a country with the largest poor.Voicing the position of the Federal Government, Ogbeh has constantly maintained that Nigeria is 90 per cent rice-secure, with a production deficit a little above one million tonnes.
Food production level in Nigeria is not at the same pace with the population growth. The FAO had claimed in one of its reports that over three million Nigerians are extremely hungry, and a World Bank report says the country is home to over 85 million extremely poor people, unbecomingly making Nigeria a country with the largest poor.Voicing the position of the Federal Government, Ogbeh has constantly maintained that Nigeria is 90 per cent rice-secure, with a production deficit a little above one million tonnes.
“On rice
production level, there were only 5 million farmers who were members of
farmers’ associations when we came in, but today, there are nearly 13 million
rice farmers. The output of rice this year [2018] is almost 6 million metric
tonnes, but our consumption is nearly 7.2 million tonnes,” he had said.
However,
the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) said Nigeria is still the largest
rice importer in Africa, importing on average about 2.6 million tonnes per
year, affirming the controversial US Agency’s report that importation of rice
since 2016 had been massive despite the agro-economic diversification push of
the government.
“Despite
the above-average 2017 production, import requirements for the 2017/18
marketing year are set at 7.8 million tonnes, with an increase by about 7
percent compared to the previous year and about 6 percent above the average due
to higher demand for human and industrial use. However, field reports indicate
that the country’s capacity to import cereals (mostly rice and wheat) will be
limited due to insufficient foreign exchange availability,” FAO said.
The
organization said wholesale prices of coarse grains increased seasonally
between May and April 2018, saying in Kaura market, prices of millet increased
by 13 percent due to strong demand and prices of maize increased by 9 percent
due to sustained demand from the poultry industry.In the northeast, the UN
organisation said, prices were more elevated than in the other markets of the
country due to the persisting conflicts. In some markets, including Marte,
Abadam and Guzamala in Borno State, most trade activities remain interrupted.
Regional
Coordinator of Africa Rice Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State, also affirmed the rice
production figure of about five million metric tonnes per annum. The centre
said the deficit gap was closed through smuggling of the product through the
land and river borders. Akin Olonihuwa, a former provost of the Kabba College
of Agriculture, Kogi State, however, said the production figure flying around
on the drop in importation of rice is false, saying, “The gap between local
production and consumption is simply filled by smugglers. Visit any market in
Nigeria and you will observe that local rice is not up to 10 per cent of total rice
in the market, the remaining over 90% is foreign rice that has entered the
country without custom duties being paid. Our rice policy is good if we
continue but we are not there yet.”
The
declining production level is said to have affected the Lagos and Kebbi states
rice production partnership, tagged LAKE Rice, as well. The Permanent Secretary
in the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Olayiwole Onasanya, however,
insisted that the brand of the rice is available at distributors’ outlets.
Giving the breakdown of the rice production and inflow into the state, Mr
Onasanya, said 20,221 bags of 5okg; 2,399 bags of 25kg; and 12,000 bags of 10kg
of LAKE Rice had been delivered to the state.
From
December 2018 to March 2019, the Kebbi State government is expected to deliver
a total of 50,000 bags of 50kg rice; 20,000 bags of 25kg; and 42,000 bags of
10kg of the rice, totaling about 3.04 million metric tonnes of rice.Explaining
how the rice is distributed, the permanent secretary said during the festive
periods, the Lagos governments sells directly to the consumers and to
distributors to ensure adequate circulation, at the same prices of N12,000 per
50kg-bag; N6,000 per 25kg-bag and N2,500 per 10kg-bag.
2018
Agric GDP
Despite the agro-economic realities and challenges, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed in December 2018 that the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 1.81% (year-on-year) in real terms in the third quarter. Compared to the third quarter of 2017, which recorded a growth of 1.17%, the NBS said there was an increase of 0.64% points in the quarter under review. “The second quarter of 2018 had a growth rate of 1.50%, showing a rise of 0.31% points. Quarter-on-quarter, real GDP growth was 9.05%.
Despite the agro-economic realities and challenges, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed in December 2018 that the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 1.81% (year-on-year) in real terms in the third quarter. Compared to the third quarter of 2017, which recorded a growth of 1.17%, the NBS said there was an increase of 0.64% points in the quarter under review. “The second quarter of 2018 had a growth rate of 1.50%, showing a rise of 0.31% points. Quarter-on-quarter, real GDP growth was 9.05%.
“In the
quarter under review, aggregate GDP stood at N33,368,049.14 million in nominal
terms.“This performance is higher when compared to the third quarter of 2017,
which recorded a GDP aggregate of N29,377,674 million thus, presenting a
positive year on year nominal growth rate of 13.58%. “This growth rate is
higher relative to growth recorded in the third quarter of 2017 by 2.88% points
and higher than the preceding quarter by 0.01% points with growth rates of
10.70% and 13.57% respectively,” it said.
Agricultural
finance
Agricultural financing for small and medium-scale farmers have been challenging on the grounds that banks and other financial institutions feel insecure with farmers who, in most cases, have no collaterals, and farming requires loans with some special treatment because of the interregna between planting and harvesting.
Agricultural financing for small and medium-scale farmers have been challenging on the grounds that banks and other financial institutions feel insecure with farmers who, in most cases, have no collaterals, and farming requires loans with some special treatment because of the interregna between planting and harvesting.
A
southwest regional manager, agriculture financing, at one of the oldest banks
in Nigeria, affirmed that Nigerian farmers, especially the rural ones, lack
access to reliable and affordable finance, and most of them do not know how to
process the loan. They also lack the structure of a formal setting to go
through the rigours of the risk assessment criteria of most financial
institutions.
“On the
average to access any facility, the basic requirements include a comprehensive
business plan (in some cases feasibility study) demonstrating the viability of
the project and also the capacity of the project to repay principal and
interest to the lender. The lender also wants to be collateralised, secure and
or comforted,” said the anonymous agric financial specialist.
As part
of the solutions, he suggested that education is important in every facet of
the farmer’s business.“To simplify is to educate. The promulgation of farmer’s
school is essential to enhance the farmer’s understanding of what is required
at every stage of their venture. Financial literacy is important to demystify
the complex procedures and open doors of opportunities to the farmer.
“Most of
the initiatives targeted at de-risking agriculture are not gazetted and they
serve more as comfort to the bank rather than security. The banks, despite
having the assurance from these agencies, still require full collateral cover
for the facilities. The Federal Government should do more to empower these
agencies.
“Collateral
register is one good initiative in the right direction, but farmers in the
rural areas do not have access to information. The use of extension officers to
educate and inform the farmers on new financial requirements or development
will also ease the complexity of accessing funds from the bank.”He, however,
advised that “If the farmers can go through the rigours of land preparation,
ploughing, harrowing, weeding, planting and entire process of operations with
courage and patience for their yields, they should also see financing as an
important aspect and integral part of the process and be ready to go through
some basic processes.”
He said
programmes such as Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme fund should be reviewed
and enhanced to incorporate rural farmers, and the government policies to
persuade commercial banks to develop agro-friendly loan templates would go a
long way to ease the complexity of accessing agribusiness facilities.The
government, as articulated by Ogbeh recently, said that the Bank of Agriculture
would be re-positioned, and that 40 per cent of the shares would go to farmers
with the aim of bringing the interest rate to five per cent on agriculture
loans.
Revolutionary new
method for creating disease resistant crops: research
Source:
Xinhua| 2019-02-06 14:00:13|Editor: Shi Yinglun
SYDNEY, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- A global collective of scientists
have drastically streamlined the time it takes to find and introduce
disease-resistance genes from wild plants into domestic crops such as rice, wheat
and potato, a research revealed on Tuesday.
Scientists from the John Innes Center in Britain, along with
colleagues from Australia and the United States have created a database known
as AgRenSeq, where researchers can easily search for resistance genes already
discovered in wild relatives of modern crops.
The study was co-authored by a global expert in cereal rust
genetics, Professor Harbans Bariana from the University of Sydney, who said
that this technology will underpin fast-tracked discovery and characterization
of new sources of disease resistance in plants.
Once researchers have identified resistance genes using AgRenSeq
they can clone them and introduce them to domestic crops to protect against
diseases and pests such as rusts, powdery mildew and Hessian fly.
"We have found a way to scan the genome of a wild relative
of a crop plant and pick out the resistance genes we need and we can do it in
record time," Dr. Brande Wulff, a project leader from the John Innes
Centre, said.
"This used to be a process that took 10 or 15 years and was
like searching for a needle in a haystack," Wulff said.
"We have perfected the method so that we can clone these
genes in a matter of months and for just thousands of dollars instead of
millions," Wulff said.
The team are highly optimistic about their work, predicting it
to be utilized in protecting many crops with wild relatives including soyabean,
pea, cotton, maize, potato, wheat, barley, rice, banana and cocoa.
"If we have an epidemic, we can go to our library and inoculate
that pathogen across our diversity panel and pick out the resistance
genes."
"Using speed cloning and speed breeding we could deliver
resistance genes into elite varieties within a couple of years, like a phoenix
rising from the ashes," Wulff added.
Rice
Smugglers kill 1 customs officer kano set patrol in Kano
set
patrol van ablaze a day ago 1607 views by Onyirioha Nnamdi - The Nigeria
Customs Service (NCS) on Monday, February 4, sent a warning across the country,
saying it will not accept more attacks on its officials - The NCS revealed that
a gang of rice smugglers injured one officer and burnt a patrol van during a
clash with some officials - The service also disclosed that an overspeeding
rice smuggler in Kano crushed to death one of its officers A fight between some
personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and a gang of rice smugglers on
Monday, February 4, resulted into one of the officials being injured.
upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our
Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda The incident was revealed by the command's
spokesman, Danbaba I. who in a statement also disclosed that the smugglers
succeeded in setting one patrol van ablaze, Daily Trust reports. Danbaba said:
“Our men were to execute information on suspected smuggled vehicles, an
accident occurred not too far from the location where our men are operating.
When road safety came, they sought for the assistance of our men to evacuate
the injured persons to the nearest hospital. “Unfortunately, while the
discussion was on, the smugglers stormed the scene of the accident and attacked
our men claiming that they were the ones caused the accident.” Meanwhile, an
overspeeding rice smuggler in Kano crushed an unnamed official of the command
on Wednesday, January 30.
Spend less on the Internet! Nasir Ahmed, the
comptroller of the service in Kano/Jigawa revealed this on Monday, adding that
the NCS will not tolerate more lawlessness on its staff. Recall that Legit.ng
reported that the NCS had been thrown into mourning following the death of one
of its officials, Customs Assistant 1, Hamisu Sani, who was reported killed by
men suspected to be smugglers. The deceased was killed at the Asero area of
Abeokuta, Ogun state, with another official of the agency, Tijani Michel,
injured by the assailants. NAIJ.com (naija.ng)
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Bumper harvest at last for rice
outgrowers
·
Posted
On: 06th Feb 2019 00:00:00 GMT +0300
Monica Awino spreads rice to dry before milling
at Nyang'ande in Nyando, Kisumu county on February 03,2019. The farmers in the
area have devised modern farming methods to boost their yield. [Photo:
Denish Ochieng/ Standard]
As
Monica Awino spreads her rice in the sun to dry at her Nyang’ande home in Nyando,
she expects a windfall.
For
over two decades, Ms Awino toiled and prayed for a better harvest in vain.
However,
the past two seasons have seen her prayers shift from better harvest to
reliable market, courtesy of a new technology dubbed system for rice
intensification (SRI).
The
system, borrowed from Mwea Irrigation Scheme, involves intensive utilisation of
water, where farmers have equal access to the limited commodity for a
particular number of days, then they give it to other farmers, and the cycle continues.
The
system also promotes mechanisation, use of certified seeds and intensive
sensitisation. This has seen the likes of Awino embrace team work right from
land preparation, planting, harvesting and marketing.
Three
plots away from Awino’s is Jack Otange's land. He has been in the trade for 10
years.
The
30-year-old farmer has three quarters of an acre. Last week he harvested 32
bags of paddy rice, a big improvement from the 10 bags he used to get.
Hybrid seed
Just
like Awino, he planted a hybrid seed, Arize 644, which has become the scheme’s
preferred variety in the recent past.
Austin
Abuto, whose 1.1 acres earned him 50 bags, said the development has revived
people’s hopes in rice farming.
“I
first ventured into the trade in 1992, but I pulled out after it proved not
viable. But five years ago, with news of improved farming techniques, I got
back to the farm and I do not regret.”
However,
Mr Abuto is worried about the low prices coming with the bumper harvest.
In
2015, a group of farmers from the scheme visited Mwea Irrigation Scheme in
Kirinyaga County for a learning tour, and this has changed their farming for
the better.
“We
realised that apart from lack of uniformity, our people had not embraced the
spirit of mechanisation due to the small size of parcels here,” said Paul
Omanga, who was in the tour team.
Dr
Omanga later mobilised farmers through Nyabon, a technical advisory team
implementing farm mechanisation at the scheme, organised them into four blocks,
making it easy to pool resources and seek the assistance of other players.
“Convincing
farmers to come together was not an easy task, and the first season saw only 50
acres of land put into use. In the second season, there were 25 more acres, and
today the entire scheme, lying on 100 acres, is utilised,” said Omanga.
This
has pushed up the harvest, with farmers like Awino lacking space in their
houses to store the produce. They have come together to construct a makeshift
store at Nyang’ande market.
Rice
production in Nyanza is set to increase further after the Government released
Sh100 million to revamp Kibos rice milling plant.
Yesterday,
The Standard learnt that the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA), which
manages the mill, had received the money from the Treasury.
Annual production
The
plant will now produce up to 24,000 tonnes of rice a year, an improvement on
the initial annual production of less than 10,000 tonnes.
Ken
Obura, the Chief Administrative Secretary for EAC, urged farmers to grow more
rice because of the revitalised and expanded operations.
He
spoke just a day after the new LBDA managing director, Raymond Omollo, took
over from Evans Atera.
Related Topics
PCCI to govt: Tweak policies to temper hike in consumer prices
February 6, 2019
Last updated on February
6th, 2019 at 11:10 am
THE rice tariffication bill
should be signed into law and sugar imports must be deregulated if the
government intends to temper inflation this year, the country’s largest network
of local firms said on Tuesday.
In a text message to the
BusinessMirror, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) President
Maria Alegria Sibal-Limjoco said President Duterte should sign into law the
rice tariffication bill in order to control inflation this year. The bill is
now on the President’s desk awaiting his signature.
Government economists estimate
prices of rice will go down P4 to P7 per kilogram once the bill is approved.
The measure will convert the
country’s rice-import cap into tariffs as part of the government’s commitment
to the World Trade Organization. It will also strip the National Food Authority
of its power to control the volume of imported rice entering the Philippine
market.
The PCCI call comes on the heels
of lobbying by other groups for a veto of certain provisions of the rice
tariffication bill, which they said could seriously impair the operations and
cash flow of local rice millers that have taken out multimillion-peso loans for
such.
Sugar lib
LIMJOCO, meanwhile, also called
on the government to focus on the liberalization of the Philippine sugar
industry.
“[The] PCCI continues to be
optimistic inflation will stabilize at below 5 percent with prices of food and
nonalcoholic beverages going down. We also think the enactment of the rice
tariffication bill and measures to remove the import quota on sugar, [as well
as] addressing port congestion and high shipping charges, will contribute to
the reining in of inflation,” Limjoco told the BusinessMirror.
PCCI Chairman George T. Barcelon
argued the liberalization of sugar will contribute to government efforts to
deal with inflation, as the staple is a primary input in many food items.
Barcelon added the government
should “control what it can control,” such as measures on staple food items, as
it has no capacity to manage domestic fuel prices that depend on the global
market. Inflation peaked at 6.7 percent in September and October of last year
largely due to supply pressures and unstable crude-oil prices.
Inflation—or the general increase
in commodity prices—rose 4.4 percent in January, according to data from the
Philippine Statistics Authority.
Inflation in January was faster
than the 3.4 percent recorded during the same month last year, but was slower
than the 5.1 percent last December. It was also still over the government’s
target range of 2 percent to 4 percent.
‘Junk TRAIN’
TO manage inflation, consumer
groups Laban Konsyumer Inc. and Bantay Konsyumer, Kuryente, Kalsada maintained
their position that the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law
should be junked.
Laban Konsyumer President
Victorio Mario A. Dimagiba told the BusinessMirror the January figure is
additional evidence the TRAIN law—which slapped excise taxes on fuel,
sugar-sweetened beverages, among others—should be blamed for the higher prices
of basic goods.
“Inflation at 4.4 percent in
January is still high and above the maximum target, and yet we enjoyed lower
prices of fuel, rice and electricity for much of the month. This should prompt
economic managers to admit mea culpa that the tax-reform law is a bad law,”
Dimagiba said.
“Res ipsa loquitor [The thing
speaks for itself],” he added.
Bantay Konsyumer Convenor Louie
C. Montemar, for his part, advised the government to reassess its decision to
implement the imposition of the second tranche of fuel taxes.
“As before, [the] government
needs to step on the brake [by] suspending the TRAIN-imposed tax on petroleum
products. That is the culprit, all things considered,” Montemar said.
Beware of
corn syrup? Bud Light Super Bowl ad shames Miller Lite, Coors Light for using
it, but dietitians say it’s not that bad
PUBLISHED MON, FEB
4 2019 • 5:05 PM EST | UPDATED
MON, FEB 4 2019 • 7:17 PM EST
KEY POINTS
· Anheuser-Busch used one of its Super Bowl ad spots to shame Bud
Light rivals Miller Lite and Coors Light for using corn syrup to brew their
beers.
· Dietitians say the added sugars are mostly removed during the
beer-making process.
A
scene from Bud Lite’s 2019 Super Bowl ad.
Source:
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch used
one of its Super Bowl ads to shame Bud Light rivals Miller Lite and Coors Light
for using corn syrup to brew their beers, but dietitians say the sweetener
isn’t all that bad when used in the fermentation process.In the 60-second commercial, an order for corn syrup inadvertently shows up at the wrong castle. The Bud Light king takes an arduous journey up mountains and across the sea to deliver it to the Miller Lite and Coors Light castles, which both use corn syrup in their brewing processes.
The ad prompted backlash from corn grower industry groups and Millers Lite and Coors Light, who are both owned by MillerCoors, the U.S. subsidiary of Molson Coors. Added sugars, especially high-fructose corn syrup, have come under intense scrutiny fueling an obesity epidemic that has left nearly 40 percent of U.S. adults obese.
Molecular
difference
While corn syrup sounds pretty close to high-fructose corn syrup,
it’s actually quite different on the molecular level, Margaret Slavin, an
associate professor in nutrition and food studies at George Mason University,
told CNBC.Miller Lite and Coors Light use corn syrup to feed yeast in the brewing process. Yeast eats sugar, in this case corn syrup, and turns it into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Anheuser-Busch uses rice to feed the yeast when brewing Bud Light. Rice takes a little bit longer to digest because corn syrup is pre-digested, since the enzymes break it down, Slavin explains.
The end result for both? Beer.
“I’m a little surprised at (corn syrup) being used in advertising in such a way,” said Slavin, a registered dietitian. “I think it’s more playing on consumer hot topics and concerns than on a particular scientific concern whether or not they’re using sugar or rice or some other refined grain to feed the yeast.”
Consumer
fears
Nicole Lund, sports dietitian at NYU Langone, said one of her
clients came in Monday asking her what she thought about the commercial and the
implication that consumers should stay away from beer made with corn syrup. He
said one of his friends prefers Coors Light and was a little nervous about
drinking it.Like Slavin, Lund says the ad plays into consumer fears about high-fructose corn syrup and weight gain. Our bodies store whatever they haven’t used for energy. Added sugars are typically found in foods we tend to overeat, like soda or candy, so they commonly get stored as fat, she said.
However, it’s not really an issue when sugars get mostly stripped out during the beer-making process, she said.
“With a lot of these trendy things, you have to take a step back and decide how big of an issue it is to your life, but for the most part, that’s probably not somebody’s biggest issue,” Lund said. “Especially if they’re drinking six beers a day, it would probably be more about the quantity than which beer they’re choosing.”
MillerCoors
shoots back
MillerCoors,
which makes Miller, Coors and a variety of other lagers and brews, agreed. In a
post on its website titled “About those Bud Light ads,” Miller took a jab at
its rival and explained why brewers use the syrupy sweetener.“As Anheuser-Busch pointed out in a series of low-performing television spots aired during Sunday’s football game, both Miller Lite and Coors Light use corn-derived sugars during fermentation,” Miller said, adding that it “aids in making them light-bodied, easy-drinking beers with reduced calories and carbohydrates.” It also said that none of the sugars make their way into the final product.
Anheuser-Busch has been promoting its transparency efforts. In January, Bud Light became the first beer in the U.S. to start displaying ingredient labels.
“We don’t have anything against corn syrup, we just don’t use it in Bud Light,” the company said in a statement. “Consumers want transparency and we’re providing it. Bud Light’s Super Bowl commercials are only meant to point out a key difference in Bud Light from some other light beers.”
Paddy rice production reaches 7.4 million
in 2018
Cambodia produced 7.4
million tonnes of paddy rice in 2018, a 3.5 percent increase, according to the
Ministry of Agriculture’s annual report. In its report, the ministry said total
production in 2018 was only 88.47 percent of what the government expected,
adding that 2.4 million hectares were harvested out of 2.7 million hectares of
available agricultural land. On average, each hectare produced 3.07 tonnes of
rice, the report says, noting that in 2006 the average yield was only 2.6
tonnes.
The report shows that 96 percent of the land was
cultivated using machinery, while livestock was used in only 3.5 percent of
land. “Hoping to help hard-working farmers during the wet season, the ministry
also rolled out initiatives to provide technical assistance for the benefit of
farmers dealing with natural disasters and pests,” the report reads. Veng
Sakhon, the Minister of Agriculture, said yield increases were made possible by
better irrigation systems and the use of technology. He noted that the
government has accelerated work on identifying the best areas to grow each
variety, which also played a role in boosting yields.
“Officials are
studying what environment and conditions are best for each rice variety so that
we can maximise yields and quality, as well as resilience to disease and
climate change,” Mr Sakhon said. Chim Yoab, a rice farmer in Takeo province’s
Bati district, told Khmer Times that she is able to harvest rice twice a year –
in the wet and in the dry season – because she enjoys access to irrigation.
“Yields are quite irregular,” she explains. “When it rains a lot yields are
very high, but during droughts, they are significantly lower.” On average, she
produces three to four tonnes of rice per hectare, she added. Last year, total
exports of milled rice decreased by 1.5 percent, reaching only 626,225 tonnes,
which were sent to 61 different countries around the world. China was the
biggest buyer, importing 170,154 tonnes.
‘No
more limit’: Philippines import cap removal could see 1.2m MT of rice entering
the country
Vietnamese rice makes name in world market
In
2018, Vietnam’s total rice exports reached 6.15 million tonnes, with export
turnover of 3.15 billion USD. The industry saw a 5.7 percent increase in volume
and a 19.6 percent increase in value compared to 2017.
Loc
Troi 28 is a short term rice variety and the final product between the hybrid
of Loc Troi 1 and Basmati rice variety of India.
High-yielding, fragrant and nutritious compared to other varieties, Loc Troi 28 was well received at an international rice convention held in China.
Huynh Van Thon, Chairman and General Director of Loc Troi corp., said Loc Troi 28 rice variety has surpassed Homali rice variety of Thailand and, SKO of Cambodia to win the top quality.
“This is a high-yielding variety that meets the strict demand of consumers regarding quality and food safety,” he added.
Vietnamese rice producers now focus on production value, not just increasing volume. Furthermore, Vietnam has become a member of the global sustainable rice production programme, and for the first time in years, Vietnam’s rice price is higher than Thailand’s.
Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Industry and Trade, said “With huge competition coming from major rice exporting countries, Vietnam has proven its capacity and its rice product has shown its quality.”
In recent years, Vietnam’s rice industry has paid more attention to promotional activities. The launch of Vietnam’s national rice logo has reiterated the efforts to bring more rice to the world market.
However, in the context of global warming and unpredictable weather patterns, as well as limitation in value chains and farmers’ struggle to make a living from growing rice, there is much needed to be done.
Bui Chi Buu, former Director of the Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam, said “Farmers still meet with lots of difficulties, and in order to help the farmers, we should cut out the middle man so traders and sellers can buy rice directly from farmers, increasing farmers’ profitability.”
The global market is changing at a rapid pace and it requires Vietnam’s rice industry to heighten the production volume, improve the quality and deliver more diverse rice products.
High-yielding, fragrant and nutritious compared to other varieties, Loc Troi 28 was well received at an international rice convention held in China.
Huynh Van Thon, Chairman and General Director of Loc Troi corp., said Loc Troi 28 rice variety has surpassed Homali rice variety of Thailand and, SKO of Cambodia to win the top quality.
“This is a high-yielding variety that meets the strict demand of consumers regarding quality and food safety,” he added.
Vietnamese rice producers now focus on production value, not just increasing volume. Furthermore, Vietnam has become a member of the global sustainable rice production programme, and for the first time in years, Vietnam’s rice price is higher than Thailand’s.
Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Industry and Trade, said “With huge competition coming from major rice exporting countries, Vietnam has proven its capacity and its rice product has shown its quality.”
In recent years, Vietnam’s rice industry has paid more attention to promotional activities. The launch of Vietnam’s national rice logo has reiterated the efforts to bring more rice to the world market.
However, in the context of global warming and unpredictable weather patterns, as well as limitation in value chains and farmers’ struggle to make a living from growing rice, there is much needed to be done.
Bui Chi Buu, former Director of the Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam, said “Farmers still meet with lots of difficulties, and in order to help the farmers, we should cut out the middle man so traders and sellers can buy rice directly from farmers, increasing farmers’ profitability.”
The global market is changing at a rapid pace and it requires Vietnam’s rice industry to heighten the production volume, improve the quality and deliver more diverse rice products.
Rice output seen hitting 20 million metric tons
in 2019
February 5, 2019 | 9:54 pm
Farmers load sacks of rice sold to a local
trader in Pulilan Bulacan. -- PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS
THE Department of Agriculture
(DA) is expecting a rebound in rice production this year, projecting a harvest
of 20 million metric tons (MT), Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said.
“This year, the DA is projecting
a historic harvest of 20 million metric tons and this is based on the increase
in the number of farmers using inbred and hybrid seed, from 48% to 60% last
year,” Mr. Piñol said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
Mr. Piñol said agriculture is not
dying, despite claims made by newspaper columnists after targets were not met,
leading to more imports of key staples.
“For as long as people eat,
farmers and fishermen will always be around,” Mr. Piñol said.
“For the record, the Duterte
administration posted the highest harvest of rice in the history of the country
with 19.28 million MT in 2017, higher by over one million MT than the last
production of the Aquino administration. Even when the rice sector suffered
over one million MT in losses in 2018 because of the almost monthly tropical
disturbances, the harvest was still a very high 19.066 million MT,” Mr. Piñol
added.
The rice tariffication bill is
expected to become a law this year. With its passage, quantitative restrictions
on rice imports will be removed, while tariffs will be used to help the
domestic rice farmers through the creation of the P10 billion Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
On Monday, SL Agritech Corp. said
that P10 billion is not enough to support rice farmers across the Philippines.
The company also noted that hybrid seed should be included in the assistance
the RCEF will be providing.
“Hybrid rice must be included
because that is the latest technology that can help the farmers,” Frisco M.
Malabanan, SL Agritech Senior Technical Consultant, told reporters.
“It is now that we in the
industry are asking that we plant 1.5 million hectares of hybrid rice in one
year. This is the solution to be self-sufficient, so we do not keep relying on
our neighbor countries,” Mr. Malabanan said.
In fisheries, Mr. Piñol said that
the industry is expected to grow as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources (BFAR) started establishing post-harvest facilities for fishermen.
“Fisheries which for years posted
negative growth, leveled off this year and it is expected to grow with the
establishment of ice-making, cold storage and post-harvest facilities this year
in the fishing communities,” Mr. Piñol said.
“Also, the closed fishing season
program is showing positive results with the big fish like tuna and others
swimming close to shore to feed on the pelagic species which have multiplied
because of the conservation program,” Mr. Piñol added.
According to the Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA), the total volume of fisheries production in 2018
was an estimated 4.38 million MT, up 0.92%. Among the three subsectors —
aquaculture, municipal and commercial fishing — only aquaculture posted an
increase.
Aquaculture fisheries production
rose 2.98% to 2.30 million MT in 2018. The subsector had a 52.95% share of
fisheries production.
Municipal fishing production
meanwhile was 1.11 million MT in 2018, down 1.78%. The subsector accounted for
25.41% of fisheries output.
Commercial fishing production
declined 0.71% to 941.59 thousand MT in 2018, comprising 21.64% of total
fisheries output. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio
Vietnamese rice makes name in world market
Tuesday, 02/05/2019, 10:49
In 2018, Vietnam’s total rice exports reached
6.15 million tonnes, with export turnover of 3.15 billion USD. The industry saw
a 5.7 percent increase in volume and a 19.6 percent increase in value compared
to 2017.
 |
|
Vietnam exported 6.15 million tonnes of rice worth 3.15
billion USD in 2018
|
Loc Troi 28 is a short term rice
variety and the final product between the hybrid of Loc Troi 1 and Basmati rice
variety of India.
High-yielding, fragrant and nutritious compared to other varieties, Loc Troi 28 was well received at an international rice convention held in China.
Huynh Van Thon, Chairman and General Director of Loc Troi corp., said Loc Troi 28 rice variety has surpassed Homali rice variety of Thailand and, SKO of Cambodia to win the top quality.
“This is a high-yielding variety that meets the strict demand of consumers regarding quality and food safety,” he added.
Vietnamese rice producers now focus on production value, not just increasing volume. Furthermore, Vietnam has become a member of the global sustainable rice production programme, and for the first time in years, Vietnam’s rice price is higher than Thailand’s.
Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Industry and Trade, said “With huge competition coming from major rice exporting countries, Vietnam has proven its capacity and its rice product has shown its quality.”
In recent years, Vietnam’s rice industry has paid more attention to promotional activities. The launch of Vietnam’s national rice logo has reiterated the efforts to bring more rice to the world market.
However, in the context of global warming and unpredictable weather patterns, as well as limitation in value chains and farmers’ struggle to make a living from growing rice, there is much needed to be done.
Bui Chi Buu, former Director of the Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam, said “Farmers still meet with lots of difficulties, and in order to help the farmers, we should cut out the middle man so traders and sellers can buy rice directly from farmers, increasing farmers’ profitability.”
The global market is changing at a rapid pace and it requires Vietnam’s rice industry to heighten the production volume, improve the quality and deliver more diverse rice products
High-yielding, fragrant and nutritious compared to other varieties, Loc Troi 28 was well received at an international rice convention held in China.
Huynh Van Thon, Chairman and General Director of Loc Troi corp., said Loc Troi 28 rice variety has surpassed Homali rice variety of Thailand and, SKO of Cambodia to win the top quality.
“This is a high-yielding variety that meets the strict demand of consumers regarding quality and food safety,” he added.
Vietnamese rice producers now focus on production value, not just increasing volume. Furthermore, Vietnam has become a member of the global sustainable rice production programme, and for the first time in years, Vietnam’s rice price is higher than Thailand’s.
Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Industry and Trade, said “With huge competition coming from major rice exporting countries, Vietnam has proven its capacity and its rice product has shown its quality.”
In recent years, Vietnam’s rice industry has paid more attention to promotional activities. The launch of Vietnam’s national rice logo has reiterated the efforts to bring more rice to the world market.
However, in the context of global warming and unpredictable weather patterns, as well as limitation in value chains and farmers’ struggle to make a living from growing rice, there is much needed to be done.
Bui Chi Buu, former Director of the Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam, said “Farmers still meet with lots of difficulties, and in order to help the farmers, we should cut out the middle man so traders and sellers can buy rice directly from farmers, increasing farmers’ profitability.”
The global market is changing at a rapid pace and it requires Vietnam’s rice industry to heighten the production volume, improve the quality and deliver more diverse rice products
Paddy rice
production reaches 7.4 million in 2018
Chea Vannak / Khmer Times
Cambodia produced 7.4 million
tonnes of paddy rice in 2018, a 3.5 percent increase, according to the Ministry
of Agriculture’s annual report.
In its report, the ministry said
total production in 2018 was only 88.47 percent of what the government
expected, adding that 2.4 million hectares were harvested out of 2.7 million
hectares of available agricultural land.
On average, each hectare produced
3.07 tonnes of rice, the report says, noting that in 2006 the average yield was
only 2.6 tonnes.
. .
The report shows that 96 percent
of the land was cultivated using machinery, while livestock was used in only
3.5 percent of land.
“Hoping to help hard-working
farmers during the wet season, the ministry also rolled out initiatives to
provide technical assistance for the benefit of farmers dealing with natural
disasters and pests,” the report reads.
Veng Sakhon, the Minister of
Agriculture, said yield increases were made possible by better irrigation
systems and the use of technology. He noted that the government has accelerated
work on identifying the best areas to grow each variety, which also played a
role in boosting yields.
“Officials are studying what
environment and conditions are best for each rice variety so that we can
maximise yields and quality, as well as resilience to disease and climate
change,” Mr Sakhon said.
Chim Yoab, a rice farmer in Takeo
province’s Bati district, told Khmer Times that she is able to harvest rice
twice a year – in the wet and in the dry season – because she enjoys access to
irrigation.
. .
“Yields are quite irregular,” she
explains. “When it rains a lot yields are very high, but during droughts, they
are significantly lower.”
On average, she produces three to
four tonnes of rice per hectare, she added.
Last year, total exports of
milled rice decreased by 1.5 percent, reaching only 626,225 tonnes, which were
sent to 61 different countries around the world. China was the biggest buyer,
importing 170,154 tonnes.
India's April-Dec rice exports drop 10 pct, pulses surge - govt body
· FEBRUARY 5, 2019 / 2:20 PM /
MUMBAI,
Feb 5 (Reuters) - India’s rice exports between April and December dropped 10.2
percent from a year earlier to 8.46 million tonnes, as leading buyer Bangladesh
trimmed purchases due to a bumper local harvest, a government body said.
The
country’s buffalo meat exports during the period slumped 13.3 percent from a
year-ago period to 928,024 tonnes, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products
Export Development Authority said, as demand moderated from the biggest buyer -
China.Guar gum exports edged up 2 percent to 372,819 tonnes on robust demand
from the United States.
India is the world’s biggest
exporter of buffalo meat, guar gum and rice.
The
country’s exports of pulses more than doubled during the period to 234,429
tonnes, while dairy exports surged 79 percent to 125,463 tonnes, the agency
said. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
Farm exports fall 3 per cent in dollar value in April-Dec period
Our
Bureau Bengaluru | February 05, 2019
Exports of farm products in the
April-December 2018 period declined by 3 per cent to $13.16 billion from $13.52
billion in the same period last year. However, in rupee terms, exports
registered 4.2 per cent growth at ₹91,221 crore over the year-ago
period’s ₹87,528 crore.
Major products such as
non-basmati rice and buffalo meat declined on higher prices and demand related
issues, according to data released by the Agricultural and Processed Foods
Export Development Authority.
Non-basmati exports fell 16.39
per cent, while buffalo meat shipments were down 13.49 per cent in value terms.
Basmati rice shipments grew 5.49 per cent in dollar terms but declined in
volumes.
The export of pulses, dairy and
poultry products increased. Processed vegetables and fruits, floriculture,
fruit and vegetable seeds also rose. Guargum, a key commodity, also saw an 8
per cent increase in value to $495 million for the period.
However, products such as fresh
fruits and vegetables, wheat and groundnut registered a decline.
India's April-December rice exports drop 10%, pulses
surge
Wednesday,
6 February 2019
1
min read . Updated:
05 Feb 2019, 05:01 PM ISTReuters
·
India is the world's biggest
exporter of buffalo meat, guar gum and rice
·
India's exports of pulses more
than doubled during the period to 234,429 tonnes
MUMBAI: India's rice exports between
April and December dropped 10.2 percent from a year earlier to 8.46 million
tonnes, as leading buyer Bangladesh trimmed purchases due to a bumper local
harvest, a government body said.
The
country's buffalo meat exports during the period slumped 13.3 percent from a
year-ago period to 928,024 tonnes, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products
Export Development Authority said, as demand moderated from the biggest buyer -
China.
Guar
gum exports edged up 2 percent to 372,819 tonnes on robust demand from the
United States.
India
is the world's biggest exporter of buffalo meat, guar gum and rice.
The
country's exports of pulses more than doubled during the period to 234,429
tonnes, while dairy exports surged 79 percent to 125,463 tonnes, the agency
said.
Iran: Over $1b Worth of Rice Imported in
10 Months
Iran: Over $1b Worth of Rice Imported in 10 Months
About 1.11 million tons of rice
worth around $1.1 billion were imported into Iran during the first 10 months of
the current Iranian year (March 21, 2018-Jan. 20), which shows a 0.89% decline
in weight and 4.41% rise in value compared with the similar period of last
year.
#GRAINS|05 FEBRUARY, 2019
Egypt accepts Chinese,
Vietnamese rice in tender - trade source
CAIRO- Egypt has accepted samples of Chinese
and Vietnamese rice presented at an international purchase tender for two
shipment periods between March and April, a trade source said on Tuesday.
One sample of Indian rice on offer was
rejected, the source told Reuters.
Egypt's state grain buyer, the General
Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), is seeking rice with 10-12 percent
broken parts on a cost, insurance and freight (CIF) basis for arrival March
20-April 20 and/or April 1-30.
Each bidder was required to present samples
alongside the rice offer to be tested by the Ministry of Agriculture.
GASC did not specify when it would announce the
results of the tender.
Indian rice samples presented at Egypt's last
tender also failed an agriculture ministry test. GASC purchased 47,500 rice of
Chinese origin in that tender.
Egypt, previously a rice exporter, is estimated
to need about 500,000 tonnes of imported rice this season as it reduces local
production to save water. It has purchased Indian rice in the past.
No more limit’: Philippines import cap removal could see 1.2m MT of rice
entering the country
06-Feb-2019 - Last
updated on 06-Feb-2019 at 00:18 GMT
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The
Philippines’ lifting of a 20-year old rice import cap is likely to result in
some 1.2 million metric tons of rice being imported into the country. ©Pixabay
The
Philippines’ lifting of a 20-year old rice import cap is likely to result in
some 1.2 million metric tons of rice being imported into the country in the
wake of ongoing shortages and price hikes, the National Food Agency (NFA) has
said.
According
to numbers on the NFA site, so far some 1.186 million MT worth of rice import
applications submitted by 180 applicants are being processed.The agency has also approved 18 applications, which have received the relevant import permits. These rice traders will be obtaining imports of either 5% or 25% broken white rice from Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.
Rice imported from other South East Asian countries will be subject to a 35% tariff, but rice form other countries will have to pay a 50% tariff.
“We have not set any deadline for accepting applications to import rice. There’s no more limit,” said an NFA spokeswoman to Reuters.
The ‘unimpeded’ entry of rice was directed by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte last year after the country’s inflation reached a nine-year-high of 6.7% in September and October.
According to Agriculture Secretry Emmanuel Pinol, these imports are not expected to impact the rice market negatively.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen because when the importers feel there is so much rice stocks in the market and prices go down to a level where they cannot make money anymore then they will not import,” he said to Philstar.
“It will be the absorptive capacity of the market that will set the cap. And no businessman in his right mind will import rice if there is no market.”
Dutrte previously denied the existence of a rice shortage in the country, despite increasing supply issues and voices of dissent. The government has since been taking multiple initiatives to control rice labelling and prices as part of dealing with the country’s rice crisis, including standardised rice labelling and pricing regulations.
Updates on rice auctions
Pinol added that the 1.186mn MT worth of
imports would ‘add to’ the government’s previous
rice supply auction attempts: 500,000 MT via open tender, and 203,000 MT via a
government-to-government (G-to-G) scheme.The 500,000 MT contracts were awarded to five Southeast Asian private bidders.
According to the Philippines News Agency, these were: Singapore’s Olam International Ltd., Thailand’s Asia Golden Rice Co. Ltd. And Thai Capital Crops Co. Ltd., Myanmar’s Shwe Wah Yaung Agriculture Production Company, and Vietnam’s Tan Long Group Joint Stock Company.
The final offer from the firms was PHP12bn (US$220.5mn) in total for 500,000 MT of rice, as compared to the government’s initial budgeting of PHP12.8bn (US$245mn).
Thailand and Vietnam had pulled out from participation in the G-to-G scheme in November last year citing difficulty in meeting the NFA’s Terms of Reference (TOR).
A letter from the Thai government read: “The TOR, even with amendments, ‘remains difficult… in terms of compliance,’ thus the Department of Foreign Trade ‘will not participate in the G to G procurement’.”
Vietnam’s letter in turn said: “Bach Ngoc Van, Deputy General Director of [state-run enterprise] Vietnam Southern Food Corporation (Vinafood 2), said they ‘could not meet [the] Terms of Reference (TOR)’s regulations” thus they will not participate in the bidding’.”
Both letters were read out by Maria Mercedes Yacapin, NFA Committee Chair on Government-to-Government Procurement, during the Opening of Bids.
https://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2019/02/06/No-more-limit-Philippines-import-cap-removal-could-see-1.2m-MT-of-rice-entering-the-country
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