Philippines can meet own rice demand, says crop expert
If
farmers decide to shift to planting high-value rice at the right time and
place, Teodoro Mendoza says the country can achieve full rice self-sufficiency
Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
Published 9:40
PM, February 27, 2019
Updated 9:40 PM, February 27, 2019
Facebook
Twitter
Reddit
Email
WE'RE CAPABLE. The use of good rice seeds can
help Filipino farmers meet the country's rice demand, but this may not be
sought after due to the approval of liberalized rice trade. Photo by Darren
Langit/Rappler
MANILA,
Philippines – While there are fears that some farmers may decide to stop
planting rice, an expert believes the Philippines can achieve full rice
self-sufficiency.
Teodoro
Mendoza, a former trustee of the Philippine Rice Research Institute, said in a
roundtable discussion on Wednesday, February 27, that "the technology is
already there."
"So,
us in the R&D (research and development)…if you ask us, we can be a
rice-growing country. Why? The technology is already there. The hybrid and
inbred seeds are already there and they have high yields," he said.
If
farmers were to plant on favorable areas measuring 1.5 million hectares (ha)
and produce an average of 7.5 tons per hectare during the dry season, then
cover 2.6 million ha and produce an average yield of 4.5 tons during the wet
season, it would translate to 23.4 million metric (MT) tons in a year.
Mendoza
noted that this would be more than enough to cover the Philippines' rice
demands. The average daily domestic consumption of rice in the country is
around 32,000 MT.
Agriculture
Secretary Emmanuel Piñol earlier told reporters that the government will
have to settle for a 93% rice self-sufficiency rate to
accommodate the entry of imported rice, going against the Duterte
administration's earlier promise.
Mendoza,
also a retired professor from the Institute of Crop Science at the College
of Agriculture and Food Science in the University of the Philippines Los Baños,
said it is difficult to estimate by how much the self-sufficiency rate would
drop, if indeed it does.
"It's
hard to guesstimate. [Right] now that we have support, what we have reached is
93% [of rice self-sufficiency, but] Secretary Piñol said that it's foolishness
to talk about rice self-sufficiency," Mendoza added.
Last
February 14, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the rice tariffication
law or Republic Act No. 11203, lifting the decades-long
quantitative restriction (QR) on rice imports and liberalizing the rice trade.
(READ: Business as usual for rice
industry after Duterte signs rice tariffication law)
The
law also removed the National Food Authority's regulatory powers, limiting its
functions to storing buffer stocks and providing rice during times of calamity.
The
QR is a safeguard, non-tariff measure imposed by any World Trade Organization
(WTO) member which restricts the importation of sensitive goods.
In
exchange for maintaining the QR, the Philippines had raised the minimum access
volume (MAV) – or the amount of rice which can enter the country – to 805,200
MT at an in-quota rate of 35%.
Should
rice imports go above the MAV, the in-quota tariff rate for most-favored
nations would increase to 40%.
With
the passage of the rice tariffication law, the MAV will revert to its 2012
level of 350,000 MT.
Aside
from the agreement with the WTO, the Philippines has another agreement to
import rice from its traditional partners, Vietnam and Thailand.
During
the roundtable discussion, IBON Foundation executive director Jose Enrique
Africa noted that these two countries are able to export rice because of
government support to farmers.
Caveat
Mendoza
warned, however, that production for farmers is "not only technical"
since there is "a big perception factor."
"If
you perceive that you won't profit, you won't invest too much. So the tendency
[for the farmers] is not to plant at all," he explained.
With
the start of the harvest season coming, the P15 to P17 per kilogram (kg) price
of palay may even go down to P12 per kg, meaning more losses for farmers.
This
is aside from threats posed by climate change and the looming El Niño which
may affect the production of crops.
Rice
stakeholders warned that if there are shortages in rice stocks in other
countries, it would further raise the global price of rice, making it harder to
procure.
Only around 6% of rice are available for
trading in the world market, or around 10 million MT. – Rappler.com
nion
Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated Central Genomics and Quality Laboratory
facility at ICAR NRRI in Cuttack
February 26,
2019
Cuttack:
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’
Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh inaugurated Central Genomics and Quality
Laboratory facility at ICAR – National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) in Cuttack
(Odisha) today. He praised the NRRI for its stellar role in the development of
agriculture not only in Eastern region but also at the national front. Since
its inception in 1946, the Institute contributed immensely in country’s Green
Revolution and steered groundbreaking research in development of high-yield
rice varieties thereby helping achieve self-sufficiency in rice production.
Shri Singh said
that for ensuring nutritional security, for the first time in the world, the
Institute recently released two high-protein rice varieties (CR Dhan 310, CR
Dhan 311) and two climate-smart varieties (CR Dhan 801 and CR Dhan 802), which
are tolerant to both submergence and drought and few biotic stresses to face
the challenges of climate change. He added that the Institute is working on
developing and popularizing super-yielding varieties and agro-technologies for
higher productivity, profitability, climate resilience and sustainability of
rice farming.
He said that
the NRRI is the nodal agency for planning, implementation and monitoring of
Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India (BGREI) programme which is being
implemented in 118 districts of seven Eastern states. With its implementation,
more than 25% of yield increase has been recorded in the states of Assam, Bihar
and Chhatisgarh, whereas 12-15% yield increase has been reported in Odisha,
West Bengal, Jharkhand and Eastern UP. Shri Singh congratulated NRRI for
developing Mobile App ‘riceXpert’ which is helping in providing information to
farmers in real time besides facilitating the flow of information from
scientist to farmers.
Union Minister
of Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan was also present on this
occasion. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan addressed farmers, agri-experts
& researchers at the launch of several development project at ICAR-National
Rice Research Institute, Cuttack and shared my thoughts on the pro farmers
policies adopted by the Modi Govt to empower our farmers and double their
income by 2022.
Dubai Scientists Grow Super Crops That
Thrive in Salty Deserts
By Bruce Stanley
February 28, 2019, 2:00 AM GMT+5 Updated on February 28, 2019, 12:19 PM GMT+5
Scientists
in Dubai are developing crops like quinoa that can thrive in the salty soils
intruding into the world’s croplands. Winning over enough people to eat them is
proving a greater challenge.
At an
experimental farm within sight of the world’s tallest skyscraper, researchers
at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture are
trying to help farmers in the Middle East and beyond earn a living from
unlikely plants known as halophytes. These plants, from trendy quinoa to
obscure salicornia, flourish in salty and arid environments where staple crops
like wheat or rice would wither.
An ICBA
scientist checks the temperature of the leaves of ripening quinoa in Dubai.
Source: ICBA
Concerns about climate change, population
growth, and the degradation of fertile farmlands add urgency to the work of
ICBA, which runs on a shoestring budget of $15 million a year. The United
Nations estimates that food production must increase 60 percent in thirty years
to meet demand, while gains in crop yields are slowing.
“You can see the disaster coming. I can’t
understand why more people aren’t acting to prevent it,” says Ismahane Elouafi,
ICBA’s director general. Governments are reluctant to invest in new foods and
remain tethered to staple crops that “are just too demanding on water.”
Take-Off
Quinoa is growing faster each year than staple
crops but from a much lower base
Source: UN Food & Agriculture Organization
Note: Annual quinoa production is just 0.02% of
wheat output
Through selective breeding, the non-profit
research institute developed five varieties of quinoa -- a protein-rich,
gluten-free grain that tastes like nutty rice -- that grow especially well in
salty soil. The center is introducing them in Egypt and Morocco.
Agronomists at ICBA cultivate a patchwork of
sandy plots on the fringe of Dubai’s desert interior. A vault where the
temperature is kept at 2 degrees Celsius (36 degrees Fahrenheit) safeguards the
fruits of their efforts: 14,000 types of seeds from more than 250 plant
species.
These seeds are enough for trial use, but a
breakthrough to large-scale halophyte production requires government or
business support. Planting a new crop is only the first step for ICBA, which
operates projects in 28 countries from Senegal to Bangladesh and counts the
U.S., Sweden and the United Arab Emirates among its top donors. The center has
to transform laboratory wins into commercial successes.
“The marketing aspect is vital,” said Dionyssia
Lyra, a halophyte agronomist at ICBA. “We need advertising. We need chefs.”
Quinoa is often more expensive than wheat, and
many people are unfamiliar with products made from it. To make headway in rural
Egypt, ICBA organized cooking workshops for 120 women to train them to prepare
food from salt-tolerant crops. Changing palates has proven difficult in other
markets.
Water Stress
Middle Eastern countries will be the most
vulnerable to water scarcity in 2040
Source: World Resources Institute
Wajih Syed, co-founder of Kinwa Foods Pvt Ltd.,
spent more than two years persuading farmers in Pakistan to plant ICBA-supplied
quinoa seeds in salty soils. The grain can earn these farmers up to 20 percent
more profit than wheat, and some growers have started to cultivate it on land
no longer fertile enough for traditional crops, he said. Yet the grain remains
a niche product.
“Changing the eating habits of a thousand years
is not an easy job,” Syed said. “I don’t see quinoa becoming a staple food in
Pakistan for at least the next decade.”
Ripe quinoa at ICBA’s Dubai facility, left, and drip lines water
quinoa crop, right.
ICBA
also breeds salt-tolerant sorghum and pearl millet, as well as salicornia,
known as sea asparagus or glasswort. Salicornia can be used in salads, animal
fodder and even biofuel. Etihad Airways PJSC, the Abu Dhabi
carrier, recently used jet fuel blended with locally produced oil from
salicornia in a commercial flight.
The research center’s modest profile and
resources belie its importance in the quest for food security in nations like
the U.A.E., which has little arable land and imports as much as 90 percent of
its food. Like other oil-rich countries in the region, the U.A.E. is scouring
the planet for farmland to help ensure supplies.
Food Slump
United Arab Emirates could benefit from
planting high-value halophytes
Source: UN Food & Agriculture Organization
Salt-loving Salicornia plants growing at the ICBA farm in Dubai.
Biosaline Agriculture
Biosaline Agriculture
Many farms in the Middle East rely on
underground water reserves for irrigation. Aquifers are rarely replenished in
the arid climate, and as groundwater levels decline, the reserves become dense
with salts that can kill traditional crops. In coastal areas, seawater often
intrudes into diminishing aquifers, making salinity worse.
And still, this international organization is
struggling to drum up cash to develop crops the world needs.
“It’s so hard to fund-raise for research when
you are in the U.A.E. because the donor thinks you are swimming in oil money,”
Elouafi said. “When they see these high skyscrapers and luxury and what have
you -- the images of Dubai that are portrayed everywhere -- it’s super-hard.
Odisha: Union Agri Min inaugurates Central Genomics & Quality Lab
at NRRI
- February
26, 2019
Cuttack: Union
Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Radha Mohan Singh today
inaugurated the Central Genomics and Quality Laboratory facility at the
National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) in Odisha’s Cuttack in the
presence of Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The
state-of-the-art laboratory, inaugurated in record time of less than 3 years,
will help the farmers in analyzing the quality of soil, water
and produce; and accelerate the development of new varieties of rice,
Singh said.
The laboratory
complex has Environmental Soil Science Laboratory, Soil quality
laboratory, Grain quality laboratory, Food proximate laboratory, Molecular
Biochemistry Laboratory, Nutrition and sensory laboratory, Genomic Selection
laboratory, Marker assisted selection laboratory, QTL mapping laboratory,
Bioinformatics and SNP genotyping laboratory.
The Minister
praised the NRRI for its stellar role in the development of agriculture not
only in Eastern region but also at the national front. Since its inception
in 1946, the Institute contributed immensely in country’s Green Revolution
and steered groundbreaking research in development of high-yield
rice varieties thereby helping achieve self-sufficiency in rice
production.
“For ensuring
nutritional security, for the first time in the world, the NRRI recently
released two high-protein rice varieties (CR Dhan 310, CR Dhan 311) and
two climate-smart varieties (CR Dhan 801 and CR Dhan 802), which are
tolerant to both submergence and drought and few biotic stresses to face
the challenges of climate change,” Singh said.
The Institute
is working on developing and popularizing super-yielding varieties and
agro-technologies for higher productivity, profitability, climate resilience
and sustainability of rice farming, he added.
The Minister
congratulated the NRRI for developing Mobile App ‘riceXpert’ which is helping
in providing information to farmers in real time besides facilitating the
flow of information from scientists to farmers.
On the
occasion, Singh also inaugurated the front facade and circulating area at the
Cuttack Railway Station, footover bridge and escalator on east side entry of
the railway station, and a Post Office at Arunadoya market here.
PH rice competitive vs imports, says Neda
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:10 AM February 28,
2019
More than half of the
country’s rice producers are capable of competing with imported rice in
terms of prices, while those who cannot may opt to plant special rice variants
and develop a niche market.
This was Socioeconomic
Planning Undersecretary Rosemary Edillon’s response to claims of industry
groups that the deregulation of rice importation would displace thousands of
local farmers.
The policy shift is
expected to be implemented next month, following the approval of the Rice
Import Liberalization Act by President Duterte.
“There are about 46
provinces that are competitive, meaning they can compete [with imported rice]
in terms of price. That’s out of 76 or 78 rice-producing provinces, so more
than half,” Edillon said in a phone interview.
“Not all farmers need a
significant push for them to be very competitive. Some farmers even produce
high-quality rice, in which case, they would compete not on the basis of price
but on the basis of quality,” she added.
Edillon cited Nueva Ecija,
Kalinga and Iloilo as some of the areas whose rice output could compete with
imported rice.
In a roundtable discussion
yesterday, industry groups said the cost of producing rice in the country was
still higher than those in other countries. Even with the tariffs, imports
would still be cheaper.
Teodoro Mendoza, a former
professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños who sat at the
Philippine Rice Research Institute’s board, said the annual subsidy set by the
government for the farm sector would not be enough to modernize the rice
industry.
Under the measure, a Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund was created to subsidize rice farmers with a
yearly allocation of P10 billion.
Mendoza said the amount
was only 2.5 percent of the sector’s contribution to the economy at P400
billion. He said to mechanize the industry, the government would need to shell
out P31 billion.
However, Edillon said
excess from the tariff revenue would be used to develop the sector. The Neda
projected a yearly revenue of P28 billion from the law.
‘Rice price crisis could hit PHL despite
rollout of rice trade lib law’
February 28, 2019
Prices of
assorted varieties of rice are seen at the San Andres public market in Manila in
this file photo.
By Cai U. Ordinario & Jasper Emmanuel
Y. Arcalas
THE implementation of the rice trade
liberalization law will not necessarily make imports cheaper, as the projected
hike in the demand for the staple could make it more expensive and lead to
another price crisis, according to a local agronomist.
The Philippines cannot simply depend on
imports, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said, as thinning rice supply
will not be enough to meet the requirements of the world’s expanding
population.
Additional pressure on thinning rice supply,
University of the Philippines Los Baños Agriculture Economist Teodoro Mendoza
said, could jack up international and domestic prices as the Philippines is one
of the biggest rice importers.
Higher demand for rice in countries like
Africa, India and China could further exert pressure on international prices
and lead to volatility, Mendoza said.
“It has already happened in 2008 when we
imported 2.5 million metric tons [MMT]. We were the world’s largest [rice]
importer at that time. We also triggered the increase in rice prices which
reached $1,000 per metric ton [MT],” he said.
“At that time, our exchange rate was at 47 to
the dollar, but now, if rice prices will increase to $1,000 per MT, rice
prices, including transportation costs, could reach about P65 per kilogram,”
Mendoza added.
Ibon Foundation Executive Director Sonny Africa
told the BusinessMirror that, while it is hard to say that rice price crises
could ensue after the law becomes effective, it could lead to supply
volatility.
“Consumers are now even more vulnerable to
price and supply shocks from foreign-exchange movements, unilateral decisions
of a handful of major rice exporters, competition in tight global rice markets,
and even rice trader exploitation,” Africa said.
Higher MAV
Mendoza said the draft implementing rules and
regulation (IRR) released by the National Economic and Development Authority
(Neda) on Tuesday, which indicated a possible increase in the minimum access
volume (MAV), could be a sign that the government is already anticipating an
increase in rice prices.
The draft IRR stated that the Neda, upon the
recommendation of the National Food Authority Council (NFAC), could adjust the
MAV. Under the law, the country’s MAV would return to its 2012 levels at
350,000 MT once the law
becomes effective. Currently, Mendoza noted that the MAV is at 850,000 MT. Adjusting the MAV means cheaper rice for consumers, which is crucial especially during the lean months of July and August.
becomes effective. Currently, Mendoza noted that the MAV is at 850,000 MT. Adjusting the MAV means cheaper rice for consumers, which is crucial especially during the lean months of July and August.
“They are already anticipating that their base
computation of $400 per ton would increase. It has already increased to $480
but by July or August, it could further increase to $700 per ton. If you will
impose a 35-percent tariff, that will make rice more expensive,” Mendoza
explained to the BusinessMirror.
“But more than that, if we experience a severe
El Niño, farmers will not be able to plant in rain-fed areas and even irrigated
areas because there could be a water shortage. Water in Metro Manila will be
prioritized so the Angat dam cannot release water for farms; the same thing
will happen to the Pantabangan Dam in Pampanga,” he added.
Mendoza said the law will eventually discourage
farmers from planting rice as prices will go down. He noted that when the
President signed the law, the prices of rice already have fallen to around P15
to P17 per kilogram, from P20 per kg.
Once implemented, he said the law will displace
some 10 million Filipinos working as farmers and farm hands and other workers
in allied industries. This, Mendoza said, could cut rice self-sufficiency level
to 70 percent from the current 93 percent.
A 70-percent sufficiency level, he said,
translates to 3.5 MMT of rice imports to meet the country’s requirement for
rice. Currently, he said, rice consumption per capita stands at 114 kg.
Appeal to
farmers
During the Northern Luzon cluster public
consultation on the IRR of the Republic Act 11203 on February 26, Piñol
appealed to farmers to not abandon their farms once the law takes effect.
“The fear that we will be flooded with imported
rice, the moment we open the gates of our country, may be true for the short
term,” he said.
“But if the purchases of importers exceed 3
MMT, the price of rice in the world market would shoot up. And imported rice
could become more expensive,” Piñol added.
He said the volume of rice traded in the global
market is “too thin.” He noted that global rice production is estimated at 800
MMT, of which only 40 MT is exported or traded.
Of the 40 MMT, Piñol said about 37 MMT to 38
MMT is already committed to rice-importing countries, leaving at least 3 MMT
for the additional purchases of any other interested country.
“The implementation of the law could send
shocks to the local market, such as the decline in prices, due to the entry of
imports. But that will not last,” he said.
“The Philippines is growing by at least 2
million annually and that’s a lot of mouths to feed. We cannot solely depend on
the world market. Farmers need to continue planting rice. The Department of
Agriculture will help them become competitive,” he added.
China to officially import rice
and broken rice from Myanmar
Trucks on Mandalay-Muse
road section. (Photo-Tun Nay Hlaing)
PUBLISHED 27
FEBRUARY 2019
China will
officially import rice and broken rice via China-Myanmar border this year, according
to a statement by the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).
The delegation
led by Union Minister for Planning and Finance Soe Win and officials from Union
of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and the
Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) attended the 2nd China Myanmar Economic Corridor
Forum held in Yunnan of China From February 18 to 23.
At the forum,
both sides discussed a plan to export a quota of 400,000 tons of rice to China
in 2019. China has warned that it would take effective action against illegal
exports. Myanmar allows exports of rice to China at Muse border gate. But China
has not designated rice imported from Myanmar as an legal good. Whenever
Chinese authorities have made crackdown on rice imports, Chinese merchants have
to suspend rice imports from Myanmar frequently. Due to China’s crackdown over
the months, the rice exports via border gates have declined by half.
Nay Lin Zin,
Secretary of Myanmar Rice Millers Association said: “Since many years, we have
long been relying on informal trade. Chinese merchants are unable to buy rice
as Chinese authorities are trying to legalize rice imports.”
Myanmar exports
rice to EU and African countries via sea route and to China via Muse border
trade.
From April,
2018 to January 18, 2019, Myanmar earned over 640 million USD from the exports
of over 1.9 million tons of rice.
Rice export via
border route accounts for 51 per cent of the total rice exports and the export
via sea route for over 48 per cent.
NEDA: Rice M.A.V. may exceed 350,000 metric
tons
February 27, 2019
A rice farmer
walks on the field at the International Rice Research Institute in Laguna in
this BusinessMirror file photo taken in January. According to the draft IRR of
the rice trade liberalization law, more rice imports from non-Asean countries
can enter the Philippines at lower tariff rates.
The government may increase the volume of rice
imports from non-Asean countries that can enter the Philippines at a lower
tariff rate, according to the draft implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of
the rice trade liberalization law.
Based on the second draft of the IRR for
Republic Act (RA) 11203, the minimum access volume (MAV) for rice will revert
to its 2012 level of 350,000 metric tons (MT) based on the country’s commitment
to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“If there will be a huge demand for rice from
India, Pakistan, China, then that’s the time we will increase the MAV,”
National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Assistant Secretary
Mercedita A. Sombilla told the BusinessMirror via SMS.
“Any recommendation to increase it [MAV] will
depend on market situation,” Sombilla added.
The draft IRR indicated that an “equitable and
transparent” mechanism for allocating the MAV shall be developed and
established.
It also stated that the Neda may be advised by
the National Food Authority Council (NFAC) to formulate guidelines on the
auction of the rice MAV to importers. These guidelines will be formulated on or
before March 5.
The auction of the rice MAV will be implemented
by the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said rice
imports from non-Asean countries within the MAV will be charged a lower applied
tariff of 40 percent, while those outside of MAV will be slapped a rate of 50
percent.
For rice imports from Asean member-states like
Vietnam and Thailand, the applied tariff rate is 35 percent, as provided for
the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement (Atiga).
Apart from paying tariffs, rice importers will
be required to secure sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPSIC) from
the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI).
This covers even rice importation for the
purposes of donation during calamities and emergency situations. In these
instances, the agency/office/organization or private entities, if they are
based in the Philippines, will be required to secure the SPSIC.
This is because the food safety regulatory
function of the NFA stipulated in the Food Safety Act of 2013 will be
transferred to the BPI.
Powers of
the President
Upon the recommendation of Neda and as advised
by the NFAC, the President “may increase, increase, reduce, revise or adjust
existing rates of import duty up to the bound rate” of rice tariffs.
Further, in the event of an “imminent or
forecasted shortage,” the draft IRR provides that the President may allow the
importation of rice at a lower applied tariff “for a limited period and/or
specified volume” to address the situation.
The lower applied tariffs shall only apply for
a maximum of 90 days or until the “shortage ceases to exist, whichever comes
first.” The extension of the period may be done upon the recommendation of
Neda, as advised by the NFAC.
However, the draft IRR stipulated that these
powers of the President will only be allowed when Congress is not in session.
The NFAC may create a technical working group to monitor these kinds of events.
The draft IRR also provides that the President
may task the secretary of trade and industry and the Philippine International
Trading Corp. “to expeditiously participate in the rice industry to enhance
market competition and stabilize rice prices.”
The Neda Board Committee on Tariff and Related
Matters will determine the need for negotiation and renegotiation of
international trade agreements/commitments for rice.
The Philippine position and tariff modifications
will be recommended to the President, who has the power to negotiate and/or
renegotiate the country’s trade agreements.
These trade agreements include WTO agreements
and RA 8178 as amended by RA 11203; Atiga; Asean Plus trade agreements; an Agreement
on Asean Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve, and Asean Food Security
Reserve Agreement, among others.
NFA
rationalization
The draft IRR provided that, effective on March
5, the functions and powers of the NFA, such as those on licensing and instituting
a quedan system, are repealed.
The NFA will be given 60 days to transition and
restructure according to the stipulations in RA 11203. The NFA will be required
to submit its restructuring or reorganization plan for the review and approval
of the Governance Commission for GOCCs within the first 30 days of effectivity
of the IRR.
The reorganizational plan will include the
compensation packages for employees considered redundant; work-force plan for
those who will be retained; job matching and retooling of personnel; and other
systems that will allow the NFA to mange the country’s buffer-stocking
requirements and become “an open market player in the rice industry.”
The NFA’s Commercial Stocks Survey activities
will also be transferred to the Philippine Statistics Authority starting on
March 5. This means all documents and records concerning commercial rice stocks
will be turned over to PSA within 15 days of the effectivity of the IRR.
In terms of buffer stocking, the NFAC is tasked
to craft rules, regulations and procedures involving the acquisition,
maintenance and distribution of buffer stocks by December 31.
Until the study is commissioned and completed,
the NFA will be tasked to adopt a rice inventory level equivalent to 15 to 30
days of national rice consumption. This procurement will be funded by the NFA’s
2019 appropriations for palay procurement.
Safeguards
The IRR provides for a Special Rice Safeguard
to help protect local rice farmers from sudden or extreme price volatilities.
These will be imposed in accordance with RA 8800 or the Safeguard Measures Act
and its IRR.
The DA will be tasked to monitor rice
importation and impose rice safeguards if the volume of imports exceeds the
average in the last three years. The volume trigger will be 125 percent of the
average in the last three years.
In line with this, all tariff lines with the
heading 10.06 in the Asean Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature will be annexed to
the IRR of RA 8800 on the list of agriculture products eligible for special
safeguards.
“If the volume trigger is activated, the
Secretary of Agriculture shall issue a department order requesting the
commissioner of Customs, through the secretary of finance, to impose an
additional special safeguard duty on an agricultural product, consistent with Philippine
international treaty obligations,” the IRR stated.
“The additional safeguard duty shall be at most
one-third of the applicable out-quota customs duty, and is only valid at the
end of the year in which it is imposed,” it added.
Road map
The DA will lead the crafting of the Rice
Industry Roadmap, which, the IRR stipulated, should be adopted no later than
September 5.
Agencies that will craft the road map include
the Neda, Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management,
Department of Trade and Industry, National Irrigation Administration and the
National Anti-Poverty Commission.
Representatives from the Philippine Council for
Agriculture and Fisheries Committees on Food Staples and Agricultural and
Fisheries Mechanization and a farmer will also help draft the rice road map.
Image
Credits: Nonie Reyes
Pakistan, China set to sign
second FTA by June 2019
2/25/2019 3:53:50 PM
(MENAFN
- Gulf Times) Pakistan and China are set to ink much-awaited second free trade
agreement by June 2019 and to this effect a technical experts' delegation from
Islamabad will leave for China by end of February, a relevant top official has
said.
'Yes, both the countries have progressed on this account and are set to ink the second FTA by June 2019 and to this effect, Pakistan's experts' team is to leave for Beijing to further fine-tune the bilateral trade agreement.
And in March, commerce secretary Younas Dagha will hold meeting with vice commerce minister of China to give final shape to the agreement.
First FTA with China was, he said, concluded in 2012, but it didn't yield the required dividends as the items on which Beijing had provided tariff concessions but later on provided more concession on the said items to Asean countries owing to which Pakistan' products in Chinese market remained no more competitive and Pakistan's exports to China continued to stay at $1.2bn whereas import from China soars to over $15bn.
There are 8,000 tariff lines that have been negotiated with Chinese counterparts and to shape up the trade deal-II in favour of Pakistan, Pakistan remained in talks as per the studies and models commerce ministry have had exclusively for China.
Beijing has already extended the commitment to Islamabad during the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan that China will double its imports from Pakistan.
According to Commerce Minister Razak Dawood, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, during the visit, in clear words asked the top leadership of Pakistan that they are ready to double the imports from Pakistan and if Pakistani entrepreneurs have the capacity, after doubling the imports from $1.2bn to $2.2bn, they would also increase imports from Pakistan by more $1bn.
So China, he said, is ready to triple the imports from Pakistan but it all depends upon the ability of Pakistani entrepreneurs.
In addition, Beijing has also agreed to extend to Pakistan a special quota for export of sugar and rice which will also help to have a massive surge in exports to China.
The cabinet member said that a crucial meeting of Pakistan top officials is going to take place in Beijing on November 9 with their counterparts to shape up the process to finalise placing the dollars in Pakistan's account to improve reserves situation and carve out the modus operandi to improve the export of Pakistani goods to China.
Pakistan exports range from $120mn-$150mn a month which improved in the July 2018, August, September, October and November to $200mn a month.
In the remaining months, commerce ministry wants to jack up its monthly export to $400mn to materialise the offer of China.
Pakistan's export to China stands at $1.2bn per annum which can go up to $2.2bn and then to $3.2bn.
Pakistan wants market access and unilateral concession of 313 tariff lines, but the Chinese premier by setting aside these demands offered Pakistan's top leadership that his country is poised to increase its imports from Pakistan by 100% and later on it would also increase them by another 100%. This will help decrease trade deficit with China.
The official said that Pakistan can increase its exports by just $500mn by sending to Chinese market 1mn tonnes sugar and 1mn tonnes rice.
China's imports stand at $2tn but Pakistan entrepreneurs lacks the ability to harness even 1% share in China's total imports.
'Yes, both the countries have progressed on this account and are set to ink the second FTA by June 2019 and to this effect, Pakistan's experts' team is to leave for Beijing to further fine-tune the bilateral trade agreement.
And in March, commerce secretary Younas Dagha will hold meeting with vice commerce minister of China to give final shape to the agreement.
First FTA with China was, he said, concluded in 2012, but it didn't yield the required dividends as the items on which Beijing had provided tariff concessions but later on provided more concession on the said items to Asean countries owing to which Pakistan' products in Chinese market remained no more competitive and Pakistan's exports to China continued to stay at $1.2bn whereas import from China soars to over $15bn.
There are 8,000 tariff lines that have been negotiated with Chinese counterparts and to shape up the trade deal-II in favour of Pakistan, Pakistan remained in talks as per the studies and models commerce ministry have had exclusively for China.
Beijing has already extended the commitment to Islamabad during the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan that China will double its imports from Pakistan.
According to Commerce Minister Razak Dawood, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, during the visit, in clear words asked the top leadership of Pakistan that they are ready to double the imports from Pakistan and if Pakistani entrepreneurs have the capacity, after doubling the imports from $1.2bn to $2.2bn, they would also increase imports from Pakistan by more $1bn.
So China, he said, is ready to triple the imports from Pakistan but it all depends upon the ability of Pakistani entrepreneurs.
In addition, Beijing has also agreed to extend to Pakistan a special quota for export of sugar and rice which will also help to have a massive surge in exports to China.
The cabinet member said that a crucial meeting of Pakistan top officials is going to take place in Beijing on November 9 with their counterparts to shape up the process to finalise placing the dollars in Pakistan's account to improve reserves situation and carve out the modus operandi to improve the export of Pakistani goods to China.
Pakistan exports range from $120mn-$150mn a month which improved in the July 2018, August, September, October and November to $200mn a month.
In the remaining months, commerce ministry wants to jack up its monthly export to $400mn to materialise the offer of China.
Pakistan's export to China stands at $1.2bn per annum which can go up to $2.2bn and then to $3.2bn.
Pakistan wants market access and unilateral concession of 313 tariff lines, but the Chinese premier by setting aside these demands offered Pakistan's top leadership that his country is poised to increase its imports from Pakistan by 100% and later on it would also increase them by another 100%. This will help decrease trade deficit with China.
The official said that Pakistan can increase its exports by just $500mn by sending to Chinese market 1mn tonnes sugar and 1mn tonnes rice.
China's imports stand at $2tn but Pakistan entrepreneurs lacks the ability to harness even 1% share in China's total imports.
MENAFN2502201900670000ID1098171105
Myanmar seeks higher export quotas to China for rice
this year
27 FEB 2019
A rice shop at
Bogyoke Aung San Market in Yangon. Aung Htay Hlaing/The Myanmar Times
Myanmar
and China have discussed raising the quota of rice that can exported to China
from Myanmar says an official from the Myanmar Rice Federation.
400,000
tonnes of rice export to China market as legal quota, according to official.
The
talks took place during the Second China Myanmar Economic Corridor Forum held
in Yunnan Province, China. The Myanmar delegation to the forum was led by
Planning and Finance Minister U. The countries mainly discussed cooperation on
the Kyauk Phyu Special Economic Zone, Muse-Mandalay railway project, and
agricultural exports to China. Separately, Myanmar and China discussed rice
raising rice exports to China to 400,000 tonnes.
In 2016,
China permitted Myanmar to export 100,000 tonnes of rice and now Myanmar
rice merchants are seeking to raise the quota by 300,000 tonnes.
U Nay
Lin Zin, joint secretary of the Myanmar Rice Federation, said China
is supportive of exports of rice and broken rice in the border areas and will
take action to legalise such border trade.
A Myanmar farmer ploughs the land with
buffaloes as he prepares to plant rice ahead of the rainy season in Naypyitaw.
Photo - EPA
Currently,
Myanmar exports rice and broken rice to China through border trade, but the
trade is not official and China’s government levies import taxes strictly for
rice from Myanmar.
“Under
the Belt and Road Initiative, China is trying to formalise trade with
neighbouring countries. China should reduce import taxes if it wants to
formalise trade. Doing so would only strengthen trade,” said U Nay Lin Zin.
During
the talks, the Myanmar Rice Federation and sme Chinese companies also discussed
barter-trade system for the rice from Myanmar and commodities from China.
Myanmar
exported 1.7 million tonnes of rice and broken rice worth US$ 578 million
between April and December last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Around
52 percent was exported by sea, while therest was sold at the border to
China. At those levels, rice exports have decreased by over a third from
2.5 million tonnes worth US$780 million in the same period the year before. The
main reason for the recent fall in exports is lower demand from China
The Ministry of Commerce and Myanmar Rice Federation are now working on an action plan to increase rice exports. The plan includes improvements in production, quality, market information, and research, and connecting with new markets.
The Ministry of Commerce and Myanmar Rice Federation are now working on an action plan to increase rice exports. The plan includes improvements in production, quality, market information, and research, and connecting with new markets.
Review: Hamtramck’s Yemeni sandwich
maker Hello Shawarma stacks ‘Shower Burgers’ and shawarma burritos
click to enlarge
A
“shower burger” — named after an amusing misspelling of “shawarma burger” that
stuck.
Hello
Shawarma
12197
Conant St., Hamtramck
313-707-0988
Open Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.- 10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.- midnight, Sunday noon-10 p.m.
Wheelchair accessible
Prices: Entress $7 to $17, sandwiches $4.25 to $7
313-707-0988
Open Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.- 10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.- midnight, Sunday noon-10 p.m.
Wheelchair accessible
Prices: Entress $7 to $17, sandwiches $4.25 to $7
One of the best perks of
living in Hamtramck are the killer sandwiches made by Yemeni immigrants, who
fuse Middle Eastern and "American" ingredients and condiments. It's
something that we've seen more of in recent years with restaurants like
Boostan, Fantastic Subs, and others. What they've discovered is that cheese is
really good on a chicken shawarma sandwich. So is ranch, and hot sauce, too.
Hello Shawarma — a
Yemeni-owned carryout restaurant that rolls sandwiches in a small space next
door to Walter's Party Store in Hamtramck's northeast corner — even gets into
what's sort of "Mexican" turf with the shawarma burrito: a package
consisting of a flour tortilla wrapped around shaved-from-the-spit beef or chicken
shawarma, a mix of cheeses, lettuce, tomato, onion, and "Hello
sauce," the latter of which is a mix of garlic sauce, mayo, and herbs.
Exhibit B is Hello
Shawarma's Shower Burger, which doesn't hold a beef patty, but moist, small
chicken shawarma shavings piled between round sesame seed buns with lettuce,
tomato, onion, melted shredded cheddar cheese, and Hello sauce. Why is it
called a "Shower Burger?" Owner Al-Hareth Malik says it was supposed
to be called a "shawarma burger," but the company that made the sign
accidentally wrote "shower." Malik and his crew thought it was funny,
so here we are.
The excellent shawarma
burritos and Shower Burgers don't exactly hold the flavor profiles of a
Michelin-starred restaurant, which is partly why Hello Shawarma is the type of
unassuming place that the food media might overlook. It's also off the beaten
path, and its clientele is largely those living in the dense surrounding
neighborhoods in Hamtramck and Detroit's Banglatown.
Many of Hello Shawarma's
dishes are Middle Eastern fare that metro Detroit knows, and it does the
standards well, but it's at its best in sandwiches like the saj shawarma. Saj
is actually a common plate in parts of the Middle East that holds good and
greasy meat that's rolled in a flour tortilla with potato chips, pickles, and
garlic sauce. It's traditionally made with a thin, chewy bread, but Hello
Shawarma substitutes a flour tortilla. Indeed, it tastes like a shawarma with
potato chips on it, and that's a pretty good thing.
The chicken cream chop
sandwich isn't unfamiliar, but the thick coating of ranch to go with its
breaded chicken, lettuce, and tomato enhances the package. Even the Hello beef
shawarma and Hello chicken shawarma sandwiches stand apart from the usual
shawarma sandwiches. The former comes with beef heavily dusted with cumin,
that's wrapped in a pita with onions, tomatoes, pickles, parsley, and tahini.
The chicken shawarma's bird is rolled with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, parsley
and Hello sauce. Those not looking for meat will find a falafel sandwich that's
flavorful, though it's more like a standard issue falafel.
The sandwiches are only
part of Hello Shawarma's menu, but there's a similar formula in the N.Y.-style
gyro plate, which is a version of a common New York street food. Those of you
who are also thrilled and proud that Hamtramck is the undisputed N.Y.-style
gyro capital of the upper Midwest will want to know that Hello Shawarma's
N.Y.-style gyros are made with hunks of gyro meat instead of ground chicken and
beef, or shawarma meat, as the city's other NY-style gyro parlors do it. The
rest of the package is standard — a bed of yellow rice with thick layers of
lettuce, tomato, onions, meat, sriracha sauce, and house made ranch.
Hello Shawarma's sauteed
lamb dish is filled with salty hunks of tender and slightly chewy lamb among
slices of mushroom and onions and a very detectable presence of garlic and
cilantro. That's all served with a bed of basmati rice. The deboned chicken is
probably the best value on the menu — a mountain of basmati rice and five or
six big hunks of charred chicken arrive in a tray with grilled hunks of red
pepper, carrots, and zucchini. The bird was a little dry but super flavorful
after cooking in either a mix of cumin coriander, clove, cardamom and other
spices, or garlic paste, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
The sides and appetizers
are the usual Middle Eastern restaurant plates, and the fattoush and vegetarian
grape leaves do their job. The mojadara is a thick, dark brown mix of lentils,
rice, and caramelized onions. Hello Shawarma also makes a long list of
smoothies, which are solid.
Unique Indian cuisine at Park Point
Royal of India
300 Park Point
Daily: 11:30 to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
360-4418; royalofindia.com
I went on a gastronomic adventure the other
day. I was already eager to visit Royal of India in Park Point, not just
because I enjoy heading to the plaza anyway for music and books, or because
it's nice to see the previously empty space opened up again. I just really like
Indian food.
Royal of India occupies a space where Asian
fusion Wok With Me Too was, and it was a shame that it closed down. The first
thing I noticed about Royal upon entering is that through the dining area is
that it seems warmer than before, the lighting had not changed much. The walls
are repainted a muted dandelion hue with merlot trim and accents. The new color
scheme paired with the mahogany-stained lacquered tables contribute to the room
feeling dark and cozy, though the dining area is as expansive and plentiful as
it was before. And the vibe of the place just feels brighter, because owners
Nobin and Anisha Chuhan ensure that someone greets you at the door immediately,
so everyone instantly feels like they are welcome.
Nobin started me with some papadum (oven baked
flat flour chips) ($1) with tamarind and mint chutneys and soon returned with
vegetable samosas ($2.99). I tried my best to not devour all of these
appetizers at once. After all, I had more entrees to sample. Alas, they were so
good, and my will was weak. The papadum is light in texture, yet it is full of
flavor, not just salty. Though deep fried, the vegetable samosas did not bleed
oil on anything they touched. They were packed with vegetables, and dipping
them in the tamarind chutney gave them a sweet-hot taste that I'll yearn for
until the next time I visit.
·
PHOTO BY JACOB WALSH
·
A feast for royals: some Indian cuisine
standards, including chicken makhani and palak paneer, at Royal of India.
Next, Anisha brought out something I'd never
seen in an Indian restaurant: chicken momo ($9.99; vegetable momo are also
available). These are a set of six steamed dumplings stuffed with
Nepali-seasoned chicken, and served with a spicy tomato sesame sauce. The
dumplings and the sauce are both Anisha's own recipe. The chicken inside was so
juicy, it nearly melted in my mouth. Again, I attempted to not eat all of them
at once, and again, I consumed all of them.
Finally, Nobin provided me with three standard
Indian restauarant dishes: aloo gobi ($10.99), palak paneer ($11.99), and
chicken makhani ($12.99). The aloo gobi is a cauliflower potato medley sautéed
with garlic, tomato, ginger, and other spices. Palak paneer includes cubed
cheese mixed in a sautéed spinach and onion cream sauce. Chicken makhani is
cubed chicken breasts in a sweet, creamy tomato sauce. All of these were
accompanied with basmati rice and house-made garlic naan ($2.99).I will admit
that I ate too much. I inhaled nearly all of the food I ordered, not out of
gluttony, but out of enjoying the taste of everything put before me. The food
here is so good, it was difficult to leave some to take home. Okay, I may be a
little bit gluttonous.
click to
enlarge
· PHOTO BY JACOB WALSH
· Royal of
India's buffet changes items regularly, so a frequent visitor can sample the
whole menu.
DA embarks on rice import liberalization
info blitz
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:11 AM February 27,
2019
The Department of
Agriculture (DA) has begun a nationwide information campaign on the effects of
the newly enacted Rice Import Liberalization Law to allay fears of industry
stakeholders who remain skeptical about the measure.
“The information campaign
hopes to address the fears and concerns of the rice industry stakeholders as
the government prepares to implement the law signed by President Duterte on
Feb. 15,” Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said.
The regional consultation
began yesterday at Clark, Pampanga, for stakeholders in Northern Luzon.
The following days will be
dedicated to stakeholders in Southern Tagalog (Lipa, Batangas), Mindanao (Davao
City), and Visayas (Iloilo City).
Piñol said the campaign
aims to help the members of the rice industry understand the details of the
law, and collate comments as part of the agency’s responsibility in the
formulation of the law’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR).
The IRR, which are being
drafted by the government’s economic team and other concerned agencies, will
thresh out the details of the law, including the process of importation and the
new function of the National Food Authority under the new rice regime.
DA hopes that
recommendations coming from stakeholders will be considered, to ensure that no
part of the sector will be at a disadvantage. The secretary noted in an earlier
interview the importance of holding dialogues, adding that “it is the
stakeholders who know what they need.”
The measure, to be
implemented next month, will allow private entities to import rice from more
efficient producers outside the Philippines, provided that they pay the
appropriate duties set by the law.
Farmer groups are worried
that the unimpeded entry of more affordable rice will lead to “chaotic rice
trading” and force local rice producers out of the market.
“I will be lying if I say
that I feel comfortable with the measure. The truth is just like the rice
farmers, I have my misgiving and fears,” Piñol said.
“But now that the measure
has been signed into law, both I and the DA, as part of the instrumentalities
of the government, must do our part to ensure that it is implemented well and
loopholes plugged,” he added.
The secretary added that “in spite of the challenges that
the rice industry is facing now, rice farming will continue and must be
pursued.” —KARL R. OCAMPO
DA chief sees ‘hidden dangers’ in deregulated rice transactions
Published February 27, 2019 10:53pm
The Rice Tariffication Law, which is set to
take effect on March 5, will officially remove quantitative restrictions on
rice.
In an episode of Brigada that aired on Tuesday,
Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol admitted there are certain dangers to look
out for in a more liberalized rice trade.
"It's a fantastic scenario but there could
be hidden dangers, actually, because when you have unregulated transactions,
what would prevent the importers from collaborating with one another?" he
said.
"And instead of bringing in lower-priced
rice, halimbawa yung 25 percent brokern, they bring in triple A rice from
Vietnam which they would sell in the market at P50 to P60. Who's gonna prevent
them from doing that? That could happen," he added.
The National Economic and Development Authority
(NEDA) has vowed that Republic Act No. 11203 will ensure that market rice
prices will remain affordable.
The NEDA also said a drafting committee is finalizing
the law's Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) which contains provisions on
the removal of NFA’s regulatory powers and the streamlining of import
requirements.
RA 11203 allows unlimited importation of rice
as long as private sector traders secure a phytosanitary permit from the Bureau
of Plant Industry and pay the tariff on shipments from Southeast Asia.
The measure, however, drew criticism from
different sectors including local farmers who feared the law would impede their
livelihood as imported rice is expected to flood the markets.
When Piñol was asked: 'Sa tingin niyo po ba,
ito ang talagang magiging solusyon sa problema natin ng bigas?', he said:
"I don't know if this is the right solution but since the law has been
signed and I'm a worker of government, I have to implement it." —
Margaret Claire Layug/BM, GMA News
Rice industry
needs long term strategy
SGGPWednesday, February 27, 2019 14:23
Amid the
context of poor consumption, paddy price in Mekong Delta provinces is
unlikely to be as high as it was in the past year; reducing rice farming area
and balancing export volume are considered as a sustainable way out for the
rice industry.
Traders buy paddy in the Mekong Delta
provinces. (Photo: SGGP)
After the Prime Minister’s
instruction to buy paddy for temporary storage, the prices of paddy slightly
increased but remained lower than previous year. Paddy prices and consumption
are still facing difficulties. Consumption of winter-spring paddy has become an
urgent matter as firms do not have enough credit to buy paddy for farmers. In
order to solve the problem, the Government should have solutions and policies
to establish longer value chain for rice industry, said Mr. Le Minh Hoan,
Secretary of Dong Thap Province’s Party Committee.
Firms have been increasing purchase
of paddy for farmers in the past few days.
Mr. Nam Hung, a farmer in Chau Thanh
A District in Hau Giang Province, said that although firms have started to buy
paddy, prices are still at extremely low levels. He has just sold at VND4,600
per kilogram, VND1,000 per kilogram lower than that in the same period last
year, though his paddy variety is of high quality.
At such price level, farmers merely
earn a profit of around VND20 million per hectare, about VND10 million per
hectare lower than that in the previous year. Currently, the prices of paddy in
Hau Giang, Can Tho and An Giang fluctuate from VND4,600 to VND5,100 per
kilogram.
The price of winter-spring paddy has
dropped VND300 per kilogram compared to that in the period before lunar New
Year and VND1,000 per kilogram compared to the same period last year. Farmers
still have profits but not much. Banks should provide open mechanism for firms
to access capital source. Relevant ministries and industries should allocate
quotas for buying of paddy for temporary stockpile in order to stabilize paddy
level in provinces in the Mekong Delta, Mr. Le Tien Chau, chairman of the
People’s Committee of Hau Giang Province, suggested.
Paddy prices have slightly gone up
by VND100-VND150 per kilogram in the last few days after the Prime Minister
instructed firms to buy paddy for temporary stockpile. However, in rural and
remote areas, it was difficult for farmers to sell paddy to traders. Amid the
situation, Dong Thap, Hau Giang, Tien Giang and Long An provinces have
encouraged cooperatives and firms to open their warehouses to help farmers to
keep paddy until paddy prices rebound. At the present, most rice exporters have
been experiencing financial crunch. Meanwhile, farmers are on pins and needles,
waiting for the price to go up and firms to buy paddy.
Capital source, longer loan duration
and interest rate are the three main issues mentioned by rice exporters.
According to some firms, in recent years, export of rice has been smooth since
the beginning of this year. Firms usually export rice immediately after they
buy. However, consumption is poor this year so firms need longer loan duration
to stockpile rice and wait for suitable time for export.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Nam, chairman of the
Vietnam Food Association (VFA), said that rice export will be more complicated
and face cutthroat competition this year.
Due to peak harvest, a sudden
increase is seen in demand for stockpiling paddy. Most food traders experience
a shortage of capital. VFA has proposed the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to ask
commercial banks to provide specific credit package with maximum loan duration
of six months to help firms to have enough money to buy paddy for farmers in
March and hold initiative in choosing the suitable time to sell paddy. Hereby,
farmers will also have money to invest in the coming summer-autumn rice crop.
SVB’s governor Le Minh Hung said
that banks pledged to collaborate with provincial ministries and authorities to
timely provide enough capital for firms with interest rate not higher than 6
percent per annum.
Mr. Le Minh Hoan said that the
authority should get rid of old thinking and have a long-term strategy for rice
industry though it does not contribute much in export turnover, it is the
livelihood of millions farmers in the Mekong Delta provinces. His idea has
received concurrence of several leaders of provinces in the Mekong Delta and
firms.
Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong of the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the ministry is
reviewing the area of paddy fields for the summary of food security program. In
which, the ministry will propose a reduction of around 5,000 hectares of rice
growing area out of 4 million hectares in inefficient regions. At the same
time, it will carry out restructuring for rice industry. Firms will invest
heavily in processing stage so as to make use of products made from rice,
diversify market and focus on competing in home ground.
According to the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development, in the past 10 years, paddy production hit
700-709 million tons of which commercial rice was 31-48 million tons per annum.
The largest rice producers in the world include China, India, Indonesia,
Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Brazil and Japan. Last year, rice exports exceeded
US$3 billion, the highest level in the past six years.
Best parts of the deferred Rice Bill should
be retained: Farmers’ network
national February 27, 2019 01:00
By PIYAPORN WONGRUANG
THE NATION
THE NATION
THE
COUNTRY’S leading alternative farm advocacy group yesterday suggested that
future parliamentarians retain the best parts of the scrapped Rice Bill while
improving regulations that would otherwise give an advantage to big agro firms.
The
latest version of the bill, as updated on Monday, contained some good points
after amendments to the previous version, said Witoon Lianchamroon, director of
the Biodiversity-Sustainable Agriculture-Sovereignty Action Thailand (BioThai
Foundation).
On the
positive side, the changes specifically addressed the need for farmers to
continue using local rice varieties that they have come to rely on. However,
the amendments failed to ensure that the local varieties would be endorsed by
the state like the privately developed varieties, and that could deny them
widespread use like the varieties sold by big agro firms in the market. Such
restrictive clauses should be removed, Witoon said.
In
addition, Article 27/3, which had been added, should not include “new rice
varieties” for state promotion and support, he said. Up to 80 per cent of these
new varieties were already protected under the Plant Varieties Protection Act.
As farmers could not legally produce them locally, there is no need for further
protection or support under a future rice bill, but there is a need to ensure
farmers are not further deprived of their rights.
He said
the lawmakers should not have based the bill’s language on the Plant Varieties
Protection Act, which already protected the rights of commercial breeders at
the expense of the rights of farmers.
India’s
Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers’ Rights Act should be explored as a
model, Witoon suggested.
The Rice
Bill, the first in the country aiming for holistic rice production management,
became highly controversial and was rewritten several times before the final
draft was finished on Monday but was “postponed indefinitely” by the National
Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday. The most controversial point lay in
Section 5, concerning zoning and trade in rice varieties. Critics accused the
section of depriving farmers of their right to access their favoured, and often
local, varieties and instead forcing them to buy certified varieties from big
agro firms.
Key NLA
drafter Kittisak Rattanawaraha announced the postponement of the controversial
bill shortly after the NLA began deliberating seven laws, including the Rice
Bill, whose readings were being rushed through.
File
photo
Kittisak
told a press conference that before deliberations began, he met NLA president
Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, whip Somchai Sawangkarn, and some others involved in
drafting the Rice Bill. They concluded that deliberations for the second and
third readings to pass the bill could not be completed before the NLA
adjourned. They decided the bill should be postponed indefinitely.
He
denied the NLA was instructed by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to end deliberations on
the bill, saying it had nothing to do with the General. In an open letter by 32
civil groups in the Northeast on Sunday, Prayut was urged to pressure the NLA
to drop the bill.
Thailand’s Farmers Applaud the Shelving of
Controversial Rice Bill
Thai
Rice Growers Association chairman Suthep Kongmak support the deferral of the
Rice Bill as it was a positive move and a mutual way out of the current impasse
on the matter.
BANGKOK –
Thailand’s Rice Growers Association has hailed the move by the Thai Junta
Government the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to shelve the controversial
Rice Bill as a positive move and a mutual way out of the current impasse on the
matter.
Rice
Growers Association chairman, Suthep Kongmak, said Tuesday the deferral was a
positive move and a mutual way out of the current impasse on the matter.
Prime
Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he was informed lawmakers had decided to put
the bill on hold in a bid to boost public understanding about its provisions.
“They
did not want to have this issue distorted. There are a lot of people who
understand it and a lot who don’t,” said Gen Prayut. “I’m worried about those
farmers who haven’t yet grasped it.”
The bill
was scheduled to be deliberated in its second and third readings Tuesday
afternoon, but NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai told legislators that the
bill had been pulled.
Kittisak
Ratanawaraha, spokesman of an NLA committee vetting the bill, said it was a
pity the bill was not on the agenda but that this was agreed on in a meeting
between Mr Pornpetch, NLA whip Somchai Sawangkarn, the committee’s chairman Gen
Marut Patchotasing, the committee’s chief adviser Singsuek Singprai, as well as
himself.
The
group decided to postpone the matter indefinitely and parliament will decide
whether to pursue it after the March 24 election, Mr Kittisak said.
“The
bill is still with parliament. When a new government comes into office, they
could take it up for consideration,” said Mr Kittisak. “The NLA will not
deliberate it anymore for fear of sparking social conflict.”
By
Aekarach Sattaburuth and Sunthorn Pongpao
Food and Agribusiness Webinars
Webinar
Series Produced by University of Arkansas System Division of
Agriculture
Host and Interviewer
Bobby Coats
Professor - Economics
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness
Executive Producer
Mary Poling
Coordinator of Interactive Communications
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Office of Information Technology
Upcoming Webinars:
Date: Thursday,
Feb. 28, 2019
Time: 8:00 AM CST
Title: Climate Change and Food Security: Challenges and Solutions.
Description: : Energy, climate and water have been an integral part of food security in the 20th century. The reliance of modern agriculture on these three parameters is the basis for the green revolution paradigm. This paradigm requires cheap energy (i.e. fertilizer), available water (i.e. irrigation), and a stable climate in order to provide the food, fiber and fuel needs for a population of approximately 7 billion people. Unfortunately, it is increasingly clear that all three parameters are changing rapidly and unpredictably. Consequently the ability to maintain, not only the current food supply (principally cereals), but to meet the caloric needs of the additional 2 billion individuals anticipated by 2040 is quickly being recognized as a global “stress test” of science and agriculture. Here I will overview both the direct (water, climate) and indirect (nutrition, pollinators) factors that are likely to contribute to changes in cereal productivity. In addition, I will outline a set of probable strategies that can, potentially, address these challenges; including polyculture, energy efficiency, CO2 breeding and improved pest management.
Presenter: Dr. Ziska is a Plant Physiologist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland. After graduating from the University of California, Davis, he began his career as a Smithsonian fellow, and then took up residence as the Project Leader for global climate change at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines before joining USDA. Since joining USDA, Dr. Ziska has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles related to climate change and rising carbon dioxide that address: (1) Agriculture and Food Security; (2) Weeds and weed management; (3) Invasive species; (4) Plant biology and public health. Dr. Ziska is a contributor to the 2014 International Panel on Climate Change report (Food Security Chapter); the 2014 National Climate Assessment (Public Health Chapter); and most recently, The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment. His work has appeared in Scientific American, USA Today, CBS Nightly News, CBS’ Sunday Morning, National Geographic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Weed Biology and Climate Change (with Jeff Dukes, Wiley Press) and the editor of Invasive Species and Global Climate Change (with Jeff Dukes, CABi Press). His most recent book is: Agriculture, Climate Change and Food Security in the 21st Century: Our Daily Bread, through Cambridge Scholars publishing.
Time: 8:00 AM CST
Title: Climate Change and Food Security: Challenges and Solutions.
Description: : Energy, climate and water have been an integral part of food security in the 20th century. The reliance of modern agriculture on these three parameters is the basis for the green revolution paradigm. This paradigm requires cheap energy (i.e. fertilizer), available water (i.e. irrigation), and a stable climate in order to provide the food, fiber and fuel needs for a population of approximately 7 billion people. Unfortunately, it is increasingly clear that all three parameters are changing rapidly and unpredictably. Consequently the ability to maintain, not only the current food supply (principally cereals), but to meet the caloric needs of the additional 2 billion individuals anticipated by 2040 is quickly being recognized as a global “stress test” of science and agriculture. Here I will overview both the direct (water, climate) and indirect (nutrition, pollinators) factors that are likely to contribute to changes in cereal productivity. In addition, I will outline a set of probable strategies that can, potentially, address these challenges; including polyculture, energy efficiency, CO2 breeding and improved pest management.
Presenter: Dr. Ziska is a Plant Physiologist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland. After graduating from the University of California, Davis, he began his career as a Smithsonian fellow, and then took up residence as the Project Leader for global climate change at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines before joining USDA. Since joining USDA, Dr. Ziska has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles related to climate change and rising carbon dioxide that address: (1) Agriculture and Food Security; (2) Weeds and weed management; (3) Invasive species; (4) Plant biology and public health. Dr. Ziska is a contributor to the 2014 International Panel on Climate Change report (Food Security Chapter); the 2014 National Climate Assessment (Public Health Chapter); and most recently, The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment. His work has appeared in Scientific American, USA Today, CBS Nightly News, CBS’ Sunday Morning, National Geographic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Weed Biology and Climate Change (with Jeff Dukes, Wiley Press) and the editor of Invasive Species and Global Climate Change (with Jeff Dukes, CABi Press). His most recent book is: Agriculture, Climate Change and Food Security in the 21st Century: Our Daily Bread, through Cambridge Scholars publishing.
Register Now
Thailand’s Farmers Applaud the
Shelving of Controversial Rice Bill
Thai Rice
Growers Association chairman Suthep Kongmak support the deferral of the Rice
Bill as it was a positive move and a mutual way out of the current impasse on
the matter.BANGKOK –
Thailand’s Rice Growers Association has hailed the move by the Thai Junta
Government the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to shelve the controversial
Rice Bill as a positive move and a mutual way out of the current impasse on the
matter. Rice Growers Association chairman, Suthep Kongmak, said Tuesday the
deferral was a positive move and a mutual way out of the current impasse on the
matter. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he was informed lawmakers had
decided to put the bill on hold in a bid to boost public understanding about
its provisions. “They did not want to have this issue distorted. There are a
lot of people who understand it and a lot who don’t,” said Gen Prayut. “I’m
worried about those farmers who haven’t yet grasped it.” The bill was scheduled
to be deliberated in its second and third readings Tuesday afternoon, but NLA
president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai told legislators that the bill had been
pulled. Kittisak Ratanawaraha, spokesman of an NLA committee vetting the bill,
said it was a pity the bill was not on the agenda but that this was agreed on
in a meeting between Mr Pornpetch, NLA whip Somchai Sawangkarn, the committee’s
chairman Gen Marut Patchotasing, the committee’s chief adviser Singsuek
Singprai, as well as himself. The group decided to postpone the matter
indefinitely and parliament will decide whether to pursue it after the March 24
election, Mr Kittisak said. “The bill is still with parliament. When a new
government comes into office, they could take it up for consideration,” said Mr
Kittisak. “The NLA will not deliberate it anymore for fear of sparking social
conflict.”
China to officially import rice
and broken rice from Myanmar
Trucks on Mandalay-Muse
road section. (Photo-Tun Nay Hlaing)
PUBLISHED 27
FEBRUARY 2019
China will
officially import rice and broken rice via China-Myanmar border this year,
according to a statement by the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).
The delegation
led by Union Minister for Planning and Finance Soe Win and officials from Union
of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and the
Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) attended the 2nd China Myanmar Economic Corridor
Forum held in Yunnan of China From February 18 to 23.
At the forum,
both sides discussed a plan to export a quota of 400,000 tons of rice to China
in 2019. China has warned that it would take effective action against illegal
exports. Myanmar allows exports of rice to China at Muse border gate. But China
has not designated rice imported from Myanmar as an legal good. Whenever
Chinese authorities have made crackdown on rice imports, Chinese merchants have
to suspend rice imports from Myanmar frequently. Due to China’s crackdown over
the months, the rice exports via border gates have declined by half.
Nay Lin Zin,
Secretary of Myanmar Rice Millers Association said: “Since many years, we have
long been relying on informal trade. Chinese merchants are unable to buy rice
as Chinese authorities are trying to legalize rice imports.”
Myanmar exports
rice to EU and African countries via sea route and to China via Muse border
trade.
From April,
2018 to January 18, 2019, Myanmar earned over 640 million USD from the exports
of over 1.9 million tons of rice.
Rice export via
border route accounts for 51 per cent of the total rice exports and the export
via sea route for over 48 per cent.
PH rice competitive vs
imports, says Neda
More than half of the country’s rice
producers are capable of competing with imported rice in terms of prices, while those who cannot
may opt to plant special rice variants and develop a niche market. This was
Socioeconomic Planning Undersecretary Rosemary Edillon’s response to claims of
industry groups that the deregulation of rice importation would displace
thousands of local farmers. The policy shift is expected to be implemented next
month, following the approval of the Rice Import Liberalization Act by
President Duterte.
“There are about 46 provinces that are
competitive, meaning they can compete [with imported rice] in terms of price.
That’s out of 76 or 78 rice-producing provinces, so more than half,” Edillon
said in a phone interview. “Not all farmers need a significant push for them to
be very competitive. Some farmers even produce high-quality rice, in which
case, they would compete not on the basis of price but on the basis of quality,”
she added. Edillon cited Nueva Ecija, Kalinga and Iloilo as some of the areas
whose rice output could compete with imported rice. In a roundtable discussion
yesterday, industry groups said the cost of producing rice in the country was
still higher than those in other countries. Even with the tariffs, imports
would still be cheaper.
Teodoro Mendoza, a former professor
at the University of the Philippines Los Baños who sat at the Philippine Rice
Research Institute’s board, said the annual subsidy set by the government for
the farm sector would not be enough to modernize the rice industry. Under the
measure, a Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund was created to subsidize rice
farmers with a yearly allocation of P10 billion. Mendoza said the amount was
only 2.5 percent of the sector’s contribution to the economy at P400 billion.
He said to mechanize the industry, the government would need to shell out P31
billion. However, Edillon said excess from the tariff revenue would be used to
develop the sector. The Neda projected a yearly revenue of P28 billion from the
law.
https://business.inquirer.net/265785/ph-rice-competitive-vs-imports-says-neda?utm_expid=.XqNwTug2W6nwDVUSgFJXed.1
NFA to focus solely on buffer stocking under Rice Tariffication
Law
Published February 28, 2019 4:01pm
By JON VIKTOR D. CABUENAS, GMA News
There will be intermittent supplies of rice
from the National Food Authority (NFA) starting March, with an influx of cheap
commercial rice expected due to the passage of the Rice Tariffication Law, the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said Thursday.
According to NEDA Assistant Secretary Mercedita
Sombilla, the NFA mandate will be reduced solely to ensure the sufficient
supply of buffer stocks of rice in the Philippines.
Under its current mandate, NFA regulates the
rice sector, and is the only agency allowed to import rice shipments into the
country. However, this will be changed by the Rice Tariffication Law.
Starting March 5, the NFA will only be mandated
to ensure that the Philippines has enough buffer stocks—30 days worth of the
country's total consumption during the lean season, and 15 days otherwise.
"Until December 2019, NFA buffer stocks
will continue to have the 15- to 30-day inventory stock and all other existing
guidelines will be followed," said Sombilla.
"What's going to be removed immediately
would be the regulatory function—licensing and provision of import permits to
traders," she explained.
Under the new law, the buffer stocks will be
released in areas which would be affected by disasters and calamities.
Otherwise, the supplies will be stored by the NFA until such time that they
will be qualified to be auctioned off.
"They are going to be replenished. You
cannot keep that buffer stock for a long time," said Sombilla, noting that
this will be the time when the supplies would be auctioned off.
The auctioned rice, already marketed as
commercial rice, will then be released to the market, which will most likely be
priced at P27 per kilogram.
"There will still be the P27 [per kilogram
rice] in the market, but we can probably expect much lower price with cheaper
imports coming in," said Sombilla.
"Certainly, the P27 will continue to be
there because of NFA's buffer stocking and its continuous unloading of its
stocks. It can probably even go cheaper once we stabilize the market," she
added.
The Rice Tariffication Law also allows the
unlimited importation of rice as long as private sector traders secure a
phytosanitary permit from the Bureau of Plant Industry and pay the 35-percent
tariff for shipments from neighbors in Southeast Asia.
The law earmarks P10 billion for the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), of which P5 billion will be allotted
to farm mechanization and P3 billion to seedlings. The fund intends to ensure
that rice imports won’t drown out the agriculture sector and rob farmers of
their livelihood.
In the same press conference, Socioeconomic
Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the additional funds are expected to
drive the growth of the agriculture sector moving forward.
"To the extent that the additional P5
billion will be used proactively or immediately by the farmers and it can be
dispersed so quickly with the new 2019 budget, then it can have an impact with
the lag, perhaps in the third or fourth quarter of the year," he said.
Pernia earlier blamed the weak performance of
the agriculture sector in 2018 as one of the factors why the Philippines fell behind its economic growth target of 6.5 to 6.9 percent in
2018. — BM, GMA News
DA gets P5-B to cushion impact of rice import
liberalization
February 28, 2019, 1:18 pm
MANILA — Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno
said that PHP5 billion has already been released under the 2018 national budget
to protect farmers from the possible adverse effects of the lifting of the
Minimum Access Volume (MAV) on rice.
Last December 2018, a Special Allotment Release
Order (SARO) amounting to PHP5 billion was released to the Department of
Agriculture (DA) for the National Rice Program, the administration's economic
team announced in a joint statement on Thursday.
This program is complementary to the Rice
Tariffication Law’s Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, or RCEF, a
PHP10-billion fund that will help farmers transition to a new rice regime.
According to Diokno, “we are listening very
carefully to the concerns of our farmers. Some are worried that the RCEF is an
unprogrammed fund, which can only be released once there is excess revenue. We
will make sure that a minimum of PHP10 billion is made available for the RCEF
per year in farmer support programs even if tariff collections are less than
expected.”
“PHP5 billion was released in December 2018 to
help protect farmers through the National Rice Program. Another PHP10 billion
will be released through the RCEF once excess revenue collection is realized
from the tariffs on rice imports,” National Economic Development Authority
(NEDA) Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said.
RCEF will be used to provide farmers tools and
equipment, assistance in the production, promotion, and distribution of
certified rice seeds, upgrading of post-harvest storage facilities, credit
assistance, irrigation support, and R&D support.
“The RCEF will ensure that protection will go
to farmers through direct support programs. We will make certain that affected
farmers will receive proper and adequate support as they transition to a new
regime. We will also establish transparency and grievance mechanisms for this
purpose,” said Pernia.
The Rice Tariffication Law was signed and
approved by President Duterte last February 14. The law, which seeks to
liberalize the importation of rice, is expected to lower retail prices of rice,
help lower inflation by 0.5 to 0.7 percentage points this year, and improve
farmers’ incomes, productivity and competitiveness.
According to Finance Secretary Carlos G.
Dominguez III, “On economic impact, liberalizing the rice sector could also
translate into upgrades from credit rating agencies, thus lower borrowing costs
for the country, besides making it more attractive to investors.” (PR)
Mechanical rice production
February 26, 2019 by David
Bradley, Inderscience
Cambodia, Kratie: A worker is removing
the rice seedlings. Image: Wikipedia
Growing rice is an intensive business. But in
China where it is the primary food crop, mechanisation has not reached
maturity, although it is as high as 90 per cent in some provinces. Writing in
the International Journal of Information Technology and Management,
researchers have looked at the fuel consumption index and the working
efficiency index as the main basis for a rice transfer machine.
Xin Yang and Zhenxiang Zeng of the School of
Economics and Management, Hebei University of Technology, Jinyu Wei of the
School of Management, at Tianjin University of Technology, and Xinjiang Cai of
Yanshan University, explain how they have determined the best model for an
optimal working ratio and efficiency, which not only satisfies the requirements
of a short payback period on investment but also gives the operator long
service life of the equipment.
The team explains that in most areas of China,
manual handling is still the main way in which harvested rice is taken from field
to transportation. Of course, given that rice grows in wet land, those fields
are still wet, muddy after the harvest and manual handling is slow,
inefficient, and uncomfortable for the handlers. "This problem cannot be
ignored, because the traditional way has become the bottleneck of the
realisation of full mechanisation of the rice farming," the team
explains. The insights gained from the team's analysis of mechanical picking
could ultimately boost the amount of mechanization in other provinces
allowing rice farming to
become more efficient as the population continues to grow.
Explore
further: Generating
electricity with rice straw
More information: Xin
Yang et al. The research on the selection of the rice transfer machine, International
Journal of Information Technology and Management (2019). DOI:
10.1504/IJITM.2019.097885
USA
Rice Calls Out Chinese Violations in Puerto Rico
By Jesica Kincaid
ARLINGTON, VA -- USA Rice
representatives traveled to Puerto Rico last month to meet with U.S. customs
officials and the trade in response to mislabeled rice supplied by China's
state grain trader entering that market.
Puerto Rico is an important medium
grain outlet traditionally supplied by milled rice from the mid-South, but USA
Rice believes an importer there is now improperly labeling the country of
origin of a rice brand and likely marketing short grain rice as medium grain,
both violations of U.S. regulations.
"As the U.S. rice industry
continues its decade-plus fight to sell rice to China, China's state trader is
taking advantage of the open U.S. market to capture a significant share of the
business in Puerto Rico, with what appears to be rice improperly labeled and
being sold well below prevailing world prices," said USA Rice COO Bob
Cummings who led the mission to defend this important market.
Cummings explained that U.S. Customs
regulations require the country of origin of imported goods be clearly
identified to U.S. consumers, but that the rice in question is labeled,
"Product of China and/or USA," which is not allowed.
"We made our case to U.S.
Customs officials in San Juan and asked for appropriate enforcement," he
said. "The rice from China also appears to be short grain, but is packaged
and labeled as medium grain, and we intend to pursue this labeling violation as
well."
"It appears someone is trying
to mislead American consumers here with at the very least ambiguous labeling if
not outright false labeling," said Bobby Hanks, a Louisiana miller and
Chair of USA Rice's International Trade Policy Committee. "And then you
look at the impossibly low prices being offered and it's hard to conclude they
are doing anything other than trying to steal this market out from underneath
us."
The U.S. Customs district of San
Juan, Puerto Rico reports imports of 22,271 metric tons of milled rice from
China in the first 11 months of 2018, nearly 10 times the amount during the
same period of 2017. Imports from China
were negligible in the preceding years. "We
will aggressively pursue these violations to restore this market for U.S. rice
against a competitor who continues to not play by the rules," Cummings
concluded.
USA Rice Daily
Haiti’s desperation puts US rice sector in a bind
KEYWORDS AID HAITI JOVENEL MOISE RICE USA RICE FEDERATION USAID
The
island nation of Haiti, rocked by recent violent protests over allegations of
corruption, inflation and a flailing economy, needs cheap food, and the country
is reaching out to U.S. rice farmers and millers for help.
Haiti’s desperation puts US rice sector in a bind
KEYWORDS AID HAITI JOVENEL MOISE RICE USA RICE FEDERATION USAID
The island nation of Haiti, rocked by recent
violent protests over allegations of corruption, inflation and a flailing
economy, needs cheap food, and the country is reaching out to U.S. rice farmers
and millers for help.
It was soon after Haiti President Jovenel Moise
pledged in a televised address earlier this month that he would not step down
amid the turmoil, that his foreign affairs minister walked into the USA Rice
Federation’s suite of offices in Arlington, Va.
Minister Bocchit Edmond was on a mission to try
to secure cheap food to help quell the hostilities that were spilling out into
the streets in the form of riots. With urgent requests for help from the U.S.
government so far unanswered, Edmond — together with Haitian Ambassador Hervé
Denis — found
himself at the Arlington offices, seated across from leaders of the largest
association of rice millers and farmers in the U.S.
"We are very appreciative Minister Edmond
personally came to brief us on the very serious situation," USA Rice
President and CEO Betsy Ward said in a statement after the meeting with Edmond.
While USA Rice’s leaders offered their
sympathy, there is little the group can do to help the Haitians, according to
industry sources with knowledge of the meeting.
The group was being put in a precarious
situation. On one hand, Haiti is the second largest foreign market for U.S.
rice by volume, so upsetting the ruling administration could have negative
consequences. On the other hand, U.S. rice farmers and millers are commercial
operations that cannot survive if they give away their product.
Haitian farmers produce about 80,000 metric
tons of rice per year, but the nation needs a lot more than that. Haiti imports
about 500,000 tons every year, according to USDA data, and about 90 percent of
that comes from the U.S.
The U.S. rice sector “is certainly not in a
position to operate in Haiti other than on a competitive basis,” an industry
source told Agri-Pulse.
Securing cheap food — rice is present in almost
every Haitian meal — is so important to the stability of his country that
President Moise made a surprise call to talk to USA Rice leaders and Edmond in
the middle to their meeting.
“Even though we do have Haitian importers, we
are trying to see if (USA Rice) can talk to different associations or different
rice producers and how they can help our importers to get a better weight or
price,” Edmond told Agri-Pulse in an interview.
USA Rice was at a loss for a direct answer to
Edmond, the minister said, but he admitted his suspicions that the answer
will not be what he is hoping for.
What he and President Moise are asking for is
that the USA Rice Federation somehow rally its members to come to Haiti’s
assistance by slashing their prices and shipping over tons of discounted rice
to the government, which would then distribute the grain cheaply.
The idea, Edmond said, is to mollify the
population that is struggling to afford fuel and basic food commodities. It’s a
simple supply and demand equation, the minister said. If U.S. rice farmers helped
flood the country with rice, the cost to Haitians could not help but drop, even
during the current ramped-up inflation.
But U.S. rice farmers, millers and the USA Rice
Federation cannot legally fix or arbitrarily reduce prices.
Sympathies aside, that message was given directly to Edmond during the
Arlington meeting, two industry officials said.
“One of the things (Edmond) was told is that
under U.S. statute … it is unlawful to collude on prices and so (the U.S. rice
industry) cannot come together and say that they are going to cut prices for
Haiti,” an industry source said. “It is simply a commercial market.”
And U.S. farmers need it to remain a commercial
market and not morph into an “aid” country, another industry source said.
Officials that could help are at the U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID), but the agency would not
commit to any food aid beyond what it is already providing “to families
severely affected by natural disasters, such as recurring drought and tropical
storms.”
One complication, a USAID spokesman told Agri-Pulse, is
the agency does not want to hurt local farmers by flooding markets and pushing
down prices.
“Our decisions on when, where, and what type of
additional emergency food assistance we provide in Haiti are separate and apart
from the current political situation,” the spokesman said. “USAID bases its
assistance on assessed needs and local context, including detailed evaluations
of local market conditions to ensure the interventions are appropriate and do
not displace Haitian farmers.”
For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com
https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pune/civic/sppu-ncl-work-to-boost-aroma-of-basmati-grains/articleshow/68191677.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
A 100
varieties of rice were explored from Karnataka, Maharashtra and North India;
PIC: NIKHIL GHORPADE
Scientists and professors at Pune University are working to formulate a composition that enhances the aroma and quality of the basmati and other scented rice varieties. A research on the same has been published in Food Chemistry journal and Springer has brought out Scented rice (Oryza sativa L) Cultivars of India: APerspective on Quality and Diversity, a book on the same.
The experts claim that increasing soil pollution and pesticide abuse have resulted in degrading the quality of the crop and aroma of the grain.
“A
compound called 2 acetyl 1 pyrroline is responsible for the peculiar aroma of
the basmati and some other scented rice varieties,” said Altafhusain Nadaf, a
professor at the botany department of Savitribai
Phule University (SPPU). Nadaf said that the compounds, along with
other volatiles, present in different proportions result in varying degree of
aroma.
The professor said that researchers explored over 100 varieties of rice across Karnataka, Maharashtra and North India, where these cash crop varieties grow.
Syed Dastager, a senior scientist at National Collection of Industrial Microorganisms,National
Chemical Laboratory (NCIM, NCL), said, “There is a lot of awareness
on the organic growth of the vegetables and food. The idea is to restore the
original properties of the rice that are lost to the hybrid ones.”
He added that these scented rice varieties, especially basmati, fetch good value in the export market. “There is a dip in the price due to the deteriorating quality of the grains,” Dastegar said.
The professor said that researchers explored over 100 varieties of rice across Karnataka, Maharashtra and North India, where these cash crop varieties grow.
Syed Dastager, a senior scientist at National Collection of Industrial Microorganisms,
He added that these scented rice varieties, especially basmati, fetch good value in the export market. “There is a dip in the price due to the deteriorating quality of the grains,” Dastegar said.
Dastager added that using natural methods like bacteria that are responsible for the aroma synthesis were identified and separated for cultivation. The bacteria were cultivated and introduced to the soil near the roots in a natural way. “The result was positive as the aroma quality enhanced and also the quality of the crop,” he added. Along with basmati, other scented varieties studied were ambemohar, kumud, ghansal, tansal and kalsal, among the hundred plus species.
He added that creating a consortium of two aroma synthesising bacteria also helped to improve the quality of the produce and aroma. “Such consortium of rice variety Ambemohar 157 and Basmati 370 yielded better growth of the crop. The field experiments have shown that such possibilities are achievable through natural methods,” Nadaf told Mirror. Efforts are now being made to carry out observations by taking the experiments out of controlled conditions.
Farmers applaud Rice Bill being
put on ice
- 27 Feb 2019 at 04:33
- NEWSPAPER
SECTION: NEWS
| WRITER: AEKARACH
SATTABURUTH AND SUNTHORN PONGPAO
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he was informed lawmakers had decided to put the bill on hold in a bid to boost public understanding about its provisions.
"They did not want to have this issue
distorted. There are a lot of people who understand it and a lot who
don't," said Gen Prayut. "I'm worried about those farmers who haven't
yet grasped it."
The bill was scheduled to be deliberated in its second and third
readings Tuesday afternoon, but NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai told
legislators that the bill had been pulled.Kittisak Ratanawaraha, spokesman of an NLA committee vetting the bill, said it was a pity the bill was not on the agenda but that this was agreed on in a meeting between Mr Pornpetch, NLA whip Somchai Sawangkarn, the committee's chairman Gen Marut Patchotasing, the committee's chief adviser Singsuek Singprai, as well as himself.
The group decided to postpone the matter indefinitely and parliament will decide whether to pursue it after the March 24 election, Mr Kittisak said.
"The bill is still with parliament. When a new government
comes into office, they could take it up for consideration," said Mr
Kittisak. "The NLA will not deliberate it anymore for fear of sparking
social conflict
