24th October,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Terrible economics of the border closure
Published October 24, 2019
Closing Nigeria’s borders to stop smuggling of rice and other goods into Nigeria from neighbouring West African countries is one of the most crude and retrogressive decisions and actions of the Buhari government in recent times.
A rational and deep-thinking government with long term strategies of maximising Nigeria’s strengths and advantages under the new African Continental Free Trade Area agreement would have taken a different policy and action route.
Let me share with us what we would have rationally done differently.
Nigeria is the biggest economy and market in sub-Saharan Africa. Benin Republic today has become a menace to us because we have leaders who cannot act strategically and have refused to do the right things.
The tariff regime at the Benin ports is low. As low as between five and 20%. Their port services are also very efficient, unlike the madness and bedlam we experience at the Lagos ports because successive Nigerian governments refused to open up Onne and Koko ports, perhaps, just to keep those they loathe under perpetual bondage.
What we would have done long ago is to decongest Lagos ports, open up Onne and Koko ports in Port Harcourt and Warri respectively and improve efficiency of port operations and services there, so as to make them far better than what we have at the Benin ports.
Once the above is in place, then, crash the tariffs on rice and car imports and allow those who want to import foreign rice to do so.
Then, impose a massive 50% consumption or local sales tax on the rice imported into Nigeria.
For the vehicles, especially certain categories of luxury vehicles, impose a consumption and sales tax of 80 to 100% on them, once they are cleared into the country at the point of registration. The Federal Inland Revenue Service should link its system to that of the car registrars.
By doing the above,  Nigeria is not denied the 10% that the importers will pay to customs at the  Lagos or Onne port.  We are also not denied the tax because the tax receipt that is verifiable online is issued by the FIRS. It is easy to track the true value of consumption tax that a luxury car owner is supposed to pay by matching the year that his car was produced,  through the Vehicle Identification Number,  to the date of registration and then cross-checking it with the amount paid.
Through this policy scheme, you would have cut off the shipment of rice and vehicles to Benin ports and impose sales tax on them within, so as to make the foreign imports far more expensive than locally produced rice. This will also encourage more local production for rice. With the involvement of domestic rice producers, cooperatives and distributors in the enforcement of this high consumption tax on foreign rice, people will be forced to seek for domestic options.
In the United Arab Emirates, despite being a Muslim country that abhors whisky and alcoholic beverages, the rulers of Dubai, to discourage people from drinking alcohol, always impose over 300% tax on the drinks in designated areas where they are sold.  They did not ban their sales or block their borders or create any Hisbah agency to destroy the business of the sellers.  We just need to stop this madness in Nigeria.
We will set up a task force working closely with local rice farmers and distributors to enforce it.
It is very unwise for us to put 70% tariff on imported tokunbo cars. Car is not a luxury. We do not manufacture cars in Nigeria and do not have the technology.
What we do here is car assembly.
Over 92% of Nigerians live on less than N60,000 income per month and N720,000 per  annum.  So, most of these categories of Nigerians, who spent years saving to buy a car of N1m , will prefer to go to Cotonou to buy it and smuggle it into Nigeria, rather than experience the pains of our policy foolishness.
If we crash the tariff on imported tokunbo cars to match what we have in Benin Republic and decongest Lagos ports by opening up the other ports for efficiency, Nigeria automatically, by the reason of our size and capacity, becomes the transhipment port for the rest of West Africa.
Other countries in West Africa will now be using our ports as a destination port for their imports. We will earn revenues from other sectors as the traffic from other countries now inflows into Nigeria.
By doing the above, we shall reverse the trend and turn the table against our neighbours.
Benin Republic will either go down or they will become the Puerto Rico of Nigeria.
These things are not sky rocket science.  You do not impose heavy tariff on goods and services you cannot produce locally and competitively.
 May God help Nigeria from these analogous men in power!
https://punchng.com/terrible-economics-of-the-border-closure/

Nigerians Shall Not Live On Rice Alone By Fredrick Nwabufo
Figures from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) showed that rice production has increased from an average of 7.1 million tonnes between 2013 and 2017 to 8.9 million tonnes in 2018.
BY FREDRICK NWABUFOOCT 23, 2019


President Muhammadu Buhari’s ‘’rice revolution’’ is laudable. Before the ‘’crop rebellion’’, Nigeria spent about $1.65 billion annually importing rice from Thailand and India. But the country is not yet home and dry in food production.
In December 2018, Godwin Emefiele, governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), said as of 2015, the country’s food import bill was $7.9 billion, but that the figure plummeted to $1.6 billion in 2018.
However in September, 2018, Audu Ogbe, former minister of agriculture, put Nigeria’s annual food import bill at $22 billion. The fact is, Nigeria was spending its future away importing food.
It is for this exigent reason Buhari’s directive to CBN ‘’to stop providing foreign exchange for importation of food into the country’’ is apropos. As he said, ‘’the foreign reserve will be conserved and utilised strictly for diversification of the economy, and not for encouraging more dependence on foreign food import bills.”
But what is our obsession with rice?
Do not get me wrong. The rice revolution is a good one. Nigeria’s dependence on foreign rice is whittling and our production capacity is burgeoning.
At the 25th edition of the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA), President Buhari accentuated this feat.
He said: ‘’Rice importation from Thailand fell from 644,131 tons in September 2015 to 20,000 tons in September 2017, representing a 95 per cent drop. Self-sufficiency in rice is so important because it is the most widely consumed staple in Nigeria, and also because Nigeria’s daily expenditure on rice for over three decades stood at $5 million a day!”
Also, figures from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) showed that rice production has increased from an average of 7.1 million tonnes between 2013 and 2017 to 8.9 million tonnes in 2018.
But rice is not Nigeria’s only biggest import.  Some of the country’s other huge food imports are sugar, wheat and fish. Of the quoted annual import bill of $22 billion, these commodities bite off a chunk.
According to Adekunle Oresegun, director of Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research Lagos, Nigeria spends about $1 billion annually on the importation of fish. This is about the same amount the country spent importing rice yearly.
“The truth of the matter is that Nigeria spends about one billion dollars annually on importation of fish. Because of our fish production deficiency in Nigeria, we want to increase the number of people who have the knowledge and skills to farm fish. The intention of this vocational training is to increase fish production,’’ the director said at a training in Ebonyi state.
He also suggested a remedy to this huge expense. He said: “There are two ways to approach it: to increase production by increasing the number of people into fish production; to genetically modify the fish for productivity. The metric tons of fish production in Nigeria are below the demand and consumption of fish and so we are still at the infancy in popularising fish production.’’
Really, with the immense aquatic resources of the country, we have no business spending $1 billion importing fish annually.
We cannot live on rice alone; at least we need protein in the mix – on that bowl of white, sultry grain. Just as the government has scored a winning goal in boosting rice production, attention should be turned to other areas of agriculture where Nigeria has a comparative advantage – in the true sense of diversification.
Also, Nigeria spends $100 million importing sugar annually – the largest import bill for the product in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is despite the fact that the country can acquire the capacity to produce enough of the commodity to meet local demand. Currently, our sugar output only meets 7 percent of the demand.
In addition, wheat production is a sphere the government needs to zero in on; though I am aware there is some effort in this area. Nigeria spends about $4.2 billion importing the commodity. At the moment, local production is still infinitesimal when weighed against demand. This accounts for the rising cost of bread.
In the true sense of diversifying the economy, the government needs to linchpin areas in agriculture where we have comparative advantage to drastically reduce our food import bill.
We cannot live on rice alone.
Fredrick Nwabufo
http://saharareporters.com/2019/10/23/nigerians-shall-not-live-rice-alone-fredrick-nwabufo
Farmgate palay price drops to 8-year low
BY EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ
OCTOBER 24, 2019
FARMGATE PALAY PRICE DROPS TO 8-YEAR LOW
THE average farmgate price of palay (unmilled rice) dropped to 15.56 per kilogram (kg) in the first week of October, 28.8-percent lower than last year’s P21.86/kg, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
This is, by far, the lowest price of palay in eight years.
Relative to its previous week level of P15.82/kg, the latest quotation was likewise lower by 1.6 percent.
In Nueva Ecjia, palay prices range from P12 to P13/kg, a farmer said, noting that the very low price of palay was not reflected in the price of rice in the local markets.
“If this is the price, sana ang presyo ng bigas ay kahalati (the price of the rice should have been half) or P26/kg. Ngayon, malungkot na kami, malungkot pa ang consumers, (Now, we are sad, and so are the consumers),” he said.
The rule of thumb in setting the retail price of rice is double the buying price of palay. This means the P13/kg buying price should translate to at least P26/kg of rice in the market.
The steep drop in farmgate prices of palay was blamed on the unimpeded entry of rice imports, which is also an offshoot of Republic Act 11203, or the “Rice Tariffication Law.”
Since February, the Philippines’ rice imports reached 2.5 million metric tons (MT), nearly double of the country’s 1.3-million MT annual rice supply gap.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) projected Philippine rice imports would reach an all-time high of 3 million MT, making it the second largest importer in the world this year next to China.
To aid rice farmers suffering from the low prices of their produce amid the influx of imported rice, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the government would provide a one-time cash assistance from a P3-billion fund, which is targeted to be released before the year ends.
Meanwhile, the PSA said rice prices at the wholesale and retail trades posted significant decreases in the first week of October as against their levels a week and a year ago.
The average price of well-milled rice at the wholesale trade dropped by 16.4 percent to P38.02/kg from last year’s 45.48/kg. Week-on-week, it went down by 0.3 percent from P38.15/kg.
At the retail trade, the price was at P41.94/kg, 14.5-percent lower from P49.04/kg in October 2018. It likewise decreased by 0.2 percent from P42.03/kg recorded in the previous week.
On the other hand, the average price of regular milled rice declined to P33.86/kg, down 20.7 percent from P42.69/kg last year. On a weekly basis, it fell by 0.3 percent from P34.04/kg.
Its equivalent price at the retail trade was quoted at P37.53/kg, 18.3-percent lower from P45.91/kg a year ago. It likewise dropped by 0.3 percent from P37.63/kg week-on-week.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/10/24/business/business-top/farmgate-palay-price-drops-to-8-year-low/637005/
Palay farmgate price falls further in early Oct.
October 23, 2019 | 10:59 pm
 PHILSTAR/MICHAEL VARCAS
THE average farmgate price of palay, or unmilled rice, declined further in the first week of October, falling 1.6% week-on-week to P15.56 per kilogram (kg), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
The PSA said in its weekly price update that the average wholesale price of well-milled rice fell 0.3% week-on-week to P38.02 per kg. At retail, prices fell 0.2% to P41.94.
The average wholesale price of regular-milled rice fell 0.5% week-on-week to P33.86 per kg. The retail price declined 0.3% to P37.53.
The price of the staple grain has been on a downward trend since the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law, which removed restrictions on rice imports. In exchange, imports of grain from Southeast Asia are charged a 35% tariff.
The influx of imports has softened the market for palay, the form in which domestic farmers sell their harvest to traders, triggering a government effort to prop up palay prices using public funds. Private traders in some provinces are reportedly offering farmers single-digit prices per kilo of palay, well below the National Food Authority’s support price of P19.
Week-on-week, the farmgate price of yellow corn grain declined 1.6% to P12.34 per kg. The average wholesale price fell 1.0% to P18.29, and the retail price fell 0.1% to P24.26.The average farmgate price of white corn grain fell 1.7% to P13.51 per kg. The average wholesale price dropped 1.0% to P16.80. The average retail price fell 0.5% to P26.53. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang
https://www.bworldonline.com/palay-farmgate-price-falls-further-in-early-oct/
Why the rice trade wants India in the RCEP
Vishwanath Kulkarni  Bengaluru | Updated on October 24, 2019  Published on October 24, 2019

Trade sources feel this will give them access to the 10-million-tonne ASEAN market
At a time when domestic producers of commodities such as dairy and plantation products including coffee, tea, rubber, pepper and arecanut, among others, are wary of the proposed RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) deal, the Indian rice trade is keen that the cereal is included as part of the agreement as it could help boost exports.
Rice is among the few commodities where India has a competitive advantage in the ongoing RCEP talks. Negotiations are in advanced stages between the ten members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and countries with whom they (ASEAN members) have an existing free trade agreements such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China and India, for the proposed RCEP.
The pact is a proposed comprehensive trade agreement that covers goods and services, among others, including investment, economic and technical co-operation and intellectual property rights. India is the second largest producer of rice after China, but is currently the largest exporter of the cereal. Trade sources believe that inclusion of rice as part of the RCEP pact will open up a market as big as 10 million tonnes per year in the ASEAN region, where the Indian players expect to get a fair chance to compete with other major producers such as Thailand and Vietnam. Though India has been the largest exporter of rice, including the basmati, for several years now, its market share in the ASEAN region is negligible (see table).
Indian exporters, mainly of the non-basmati rice variety, sources said, have largely been denied a fair chance to compete in markets such as Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and China due to various reasons, including the imposition of both tariff and non-tariff barriers by the consuming countries and their preference to source the cereal from regional producers. For example, in the Philippines, which annually imports about 2 million tonnes of rice, the Indian cereal faces a differential duty structure, which makes it expensive compared to other ASEAN competitors such as Thailand and Vietnam. Indian rice is subjected to a duty of 50 per cent in the Philippines, while the Thai and Vietnamese origin rice attract a duty of 40 per cent. This higher duty makes the Indian rice uncompetitive in the Philippines.
In the case of Malaysia, which has an annual rice import market of 1 million tonnes, the South East Asian nation prefers to buy the cereal from Pakistan over religious affinity. “Though India imports over 3 million tonnes of palm oil and related products from Malaysia, it is unfair that we get a raw deal from that nation when it comes to rice,” sources said. Similarly in Indonesia, the complex tendering process makes it tough for the private Indian players to participate.


China play
With regard to China, the largest buyer of rice among the proposed RCEP members, with an estimated market size of 3 million tonnes, Indian exporters are yet to receive any major orders. Last year, China had certified about 23 rice mills in India, including four non-basmati rice producers.
Meanwhile, China has started selling its old rice stocks in the African market, the stronghold of India, at a lower price.
“We want the Centre to insist on including rice as part of the RCEP deal as there is a possibility that attempts are likely to be made by ASEAN members to exclude it, knowing fully well that it is advantageous to us,” a source said.
Also, countries such as Japan and South Korea present an opportunity for Indian exporters to explore. Japan is currently importing all its rice requirements from the United States, while South Korea has a duty of 513 per cent on rice imports.
Besides helping consolidate its position in the global rice trade, the opening up of the RCEP market could help rake in more foreign exchange and also trim the bulging stocks in the Central pool, sources said. Unlike the African nations, which form the largest market for Indian rice exports, the export realisations could be higher in the ASEAN/RCEP bloc.
India’s rice production is on the rise and touched a new high of 116.42 million tonnes in 2018-19. With surplus rains aiding planting this year, output is likely to go up further. Moreover, the rice stocks in the Central pool are at a record high of 24.91 million tonnes as on October 1, ahead of the start of the procurement season.
According to the International Grains Council, rice production in India is projected to be 115.5 million tonnes for the 2019-20 October-September marketing year and consumption at 102.2 million tonnes. With an opening stock of 27.4 million tonnes, the total rice availability is projected at 142.9million tonnes. IGC has projected Indian rice exports for 2019-20 at 11.7 million tonnes.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/why-the-rice-trade-wants-india-in-the-rcep/article29779359.ece
DTI rejects safeguard tariffs on imported rice, warns of faster inflation
Bruce Rodriguez, ABS-CBN News
Oct 23 2019 07:51 PM
MANILA - The Department of Trade and Industry dismissed calls to raise the tariffs on imported rice via safeguard duties saying this will lead to faster inflation.
Farmers' groups and agriculture advocates have been calling for the imposition of safeguard duties on rice to protect local farmers amid an influx of cheap imports. 
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, however, said calls to raise tariffs on rice will push up rice prices and accelerate inflation.
"Kailangan pag-aralan mabuti yan, kasi alam n'yo yung safeguard duties sigurado may impact yan dun sa sa presyuhan, sa inflation," Lopez said.
(That needs to be studied carefully because safeguard duties will surely have an impact on prices, on inflation.)
Under the Safeguard Measures Act, the government can impose general safeguard duties on rice imports, apart from regular tariffs if imports harm local farmers.
Last week however, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the government was shelving plans to impose safeguard duties and would instead give affected rice farmers a one-time P5,000 cash gift.
Dar said economic managers were worried over the inflationary impact of higher duties on rice.
Inflation averaged 2.8 percent in the first 9 months of 2019 after slipping to 0.9 percent in September.
Several farmers groups meanwhile rejected the government's claims, saying higher tariffs on rice would have minimal effect on inflation.
Alyansa Agrikultura chairman Ernesto Ordoñez said based on their study, the government can impose safeguard duties rice imports of up to 86 percent to protect local farmers, without pushing up prices.
He asserted this would only increase inflation by less than one percentage point and a worst-case scenario of 2 percentage points.
Ordoñez also challenged the government to back up its claims that higher tariffs will stoke inflation.
"They're saying we don't want high inflation. What we're saying is that the government didn't even finish its findings. They should at least finish the findings," Ordoñez said.
The group said farmers are also amenable to a 70 percent tariff.
"Our prediction is this will save our farmers who are suffering," Ordoñez said.
A report from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that farmgate prices of palay or wet unmilled rice averaged P15.56 per kilo on the first week of October, down from P21.86 per kilo during the same period last year.
Earlier this year, some farmers also complained that palay prices had gone down to as low as P7 a kilo, which was well below its production cost of around P12 a kilo.
Farmers blamed this on the Rice Tariffication law which was enacted in February 2019.
It removed the quantitative restrictions on the import of the staple grains replacing it with a 35 percent tariff.
Dar will meet with other economic managers on Thursday to discuss measures to help farmers affected by the flood of cheap imports.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/23/19/dti-rejects-safeguard-tariffs-on-imported-rice-warns-of-faster-inflation
Not going to happen’: Added tax on rice imports
By: Ben O. de Vera - Reporter / @bendeveraINQ
Inquirer Business / 03:53 PM October 24, 2019
There will be no added tax on foreign rice to protect local farmers from a flood of imports, the country’s chief economist said on Thursday, Oct. 24.
“That’s not going to happen,” said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Enresto M. Pernia, referring to a plan by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to charge additional tariff on imported rice to protect Philippine farmers from falling prices as a result of abundant supply.
Pernia said the government was already preparing to distribute cash aid to farmers “most affected” by the lifting of volume limits on rice importation.
He said farmers qualified for the unconditional cash grant, however, are only those in provinces which suffered sharp declines in prices of palay, or unhusked rice.
Late on Wednesday, Oct. 23, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III told reporters that while the DA brought up the plan to add tax on rice imports, the Economic Development Cluster did not discuss it.
Dominguez said he surmised that the DA “doesn’t have the confidence in pushing this idea.” “Maybe they don’t have all the numbers so we didn’t

https://business.inquirer.net/281815/not-going-to-happen-added-tax-on-rice-imports
Cash-for-rice is costly, inefficient – AER
October 23, 2019, 7:19 PM
By Madelaine Miraflor
The proposal of lawmakers to convert the rice subsidy under the government’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) program is not only “costly and inefficient”, but will also not have a direct impact to farmers, Action for Economic Reforms (AER) said.
Action for Economic Reforms (Facebook)
AER’s statement came as House of Committee on Agriculture and Food discussed House Joint Resolution (HJR) 16 and House Resolution (HRR) 322, which authorizes the use of rice subsidy as provided in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for the purchase of palay from farmers, mandating government agencies, in coordination with National Food Authority (NFA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) to directly purchase palay from the local farmers and distribute rice as subsidy instead of cash.
This follows the statement of Senator Cynthia Villar, urging the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to revisit proposals to tap the government’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) program to help local farmers cope with the liberalization of rice importation.
Under the CCT program, beneficiaries are entitled to a 20-kilo rice subsidy per month in a form of cash. The rice subsidy per household stands at P600 per month.
“The proposal to convert part of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) subsidy for rice into actual rice is inefficient and costly. The administrative cost is large, and the money from such could be better spent to directly help farmers,” AER President Jessica Reyes-Cantos said.
“Appropriate amendments to the wording of the resolution should, therefore, be made, should our comments merit the Committee’s kind consideration. Our organization is most willing to work with the Committee in drafting the final wording of the resolution If the Committee so desires,” she added.
During the first week of October, farm-gate price of palay continued to fall. To be specific, the average farmgate price of palay declined by 28.8 percent to P15.56 per kilogram (/kg) from the P21.86/kg during the same period last year.
The non-stop decline in the price of palay is being blamed to the implementation of Rice Tariffication Law or Republic Act (RA) 11203, which allowed the free-flowing entry of imported rice into the country.
Just recently, instead of imposing special safeguard duty on rice imports – which basically means increasing the tariff – the government decided to just give a one-time cash assistance to rice farmers.
Under Section 10 of Republic Act 11203 (Rice Tarrification Law), “in order to protect the Philippine rice industry from extreme price fluctuations, special safeguard duty on rice shall be imposed.”
https://business.mb.com.ph/2019/10/23/cash-for-rice-is-costly-inefficient-aer/
Expert urges new crop devt methods
BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO, TMT
OCTOBER 24, 2019
The use of genetic modification, including genomic selection and molecular marker-assisted breeding, to improve certain traits of plants, crop improvement could become long process to develop a commercially ready product, which is why some plant scientists shy away from it.
Glenn Gregorio, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca), said many are impatient with that process and offer better techniques and tools to shorten the process, but still fail in the implementation of a new breeding program.
Gregorio stated this position as speaker at the Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences in Asia (AASSA)-Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST) Regional Workshop on Crop Biotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture held in Seoul, Korea in September in conjunction with the 2019 AASSA executive board meeting.
He recommended exploring an alternative approach to implementing a modern breeding program to address the problem of fast-tracking the development of crop varieties for commercialization. He proposed that practical factors be considered and a crop master plan be developed where breeding strategies will be laid out.
“The plan should include the crop market analysis or market intelligence, strength-weakness-opportunity-threat analysis by market segment, and breeding strategies,” Gregorio, who is an eminent rice scientist and member of the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines, said.
He also said that while “marker-assisted selection” is central to most plant breeding programs because the technique allows scientists to use genetic markers that enable them to predict whether a plant will have the desired gene, he suggests the “market-assisted selection” approach.
“The targeting [of] specific market segments and develop the product profile per segment, followed by the development of a breeding strategy for the target market segment; implementation of the product development strategy, and finally the seed system strategy while taking into account the logistical constraints in regulatory issues especially if the product is derived from regulated biotechnological tools,” he said.
He also stressed that in the implementation proper, an integrated breeding platform toward speeding genetic gain must be in place.
“This platform includes the creation of an interdisciplinary crop breeding team, automation and mechanization, specific techniques in shortening the breeding cycles like genomic selection strategy, gene-editing, and strengthening collaboration between the academic community and commercial crop breeders,” Gregorio said.
He also recommended the introduction of genomic selection into a crop breeding program along with a strong research management approach, by identifying and analyzing the problem with the particular crop (such as low genetic gain), identifying the impact on stakeholders, and proposing of a project that will implement genomic selection proofs of concept and training for breeders.
There is also a need for an engaged crop breeding team that effectively communicates to ensure the sustainable implementation of a holistic modern crop breeding program, Gregorio added.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/10/24/business/agribusiness/expert-urges-new-crop-devt-methods/636898/
Why the rice trade wants India in the RCEP
Trade sources feel this will give them access to the 10-million-tonne ASEAN market
At a time when domestic producers of commodities such as dairy and plantation products including coffee, tea, rubber, pepper and arecanut, among others, are wary of the proposed RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) deal, the Indian rice trade is keen that the cereal is included as part of the agreement as it could help boost exports.
Rice is among the few commodities where India has a competitive advantage in the ongoing RCEP talks. Negotiations are in advanced stages between the ten members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and countries with whom they (ASEAN members) have an existing free trade agreements such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China and India, for the proposed RCEP.
The pact is a proposed comprehensive trade agreement that covers goods and services, among others, including investment, economic and technical co-operation and intellectual property rights. India is the second largest producer of rice after China, but is currently the largest exporter of the cereal. Trade sources believe that inclusion of rice as part of the RCEP pact will open up a market as big as 10 million tonnes per year in the ASEAN region, where the Indian players expect to get a fair chance to compete with other major producers such as Thailand and Vietnam. Though India has been the largest exporter of rice, including the basmati, for several years now, its market share in the ASEAN region is negligible (see table).
Indian exporters, mainly of the non-basmati rice variety, sources said, have largely been denied a fair chance to compete in markets such as Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and China due to various reasons, including the imposition of both tariff and non-tariff barriers by the consuming countries and their preference to source the cereal from regional producers. For example, in the Philippines, which annually imports about 2 million tonnes of rice, the Indian cereal faces a differential duty structure, which makes it expensive compared to other ASEAN competitors such as Thailand and Vietnam. Indian rice is subjected to a duty of 50 per cent in the Philippines, while the Thai and Vietnamese origin rice attract a duty of 40 per cent. This higher duty makes the Indian rice uncompetitive in the Philippines.
In the case of Malaysia, which has an annual rice import market of 1 million tonnes, the South East Asian nation prefers to buy the cereal from Pakistan over religious affinity. “Though India imports over 3 million tonnes of palm oil and related products from Malaysia, it is unfair that we get a raw deal from that nation when it comes to rice,” sources said. Similarly in Indonesia, the complex tendering process makes it tough for the private Indian players to participate.


China play
With regard to China, the largest buyer of rice among the proposed RCEP members, with an estimated market size of 3 million tonnes, Indian exporters are yet to receive any major orders. Last year, China had certified about 23 rice mills in India, including four non-basmati rice producers.
Meanwhile, China has started selling its old rice stocks in the African market, the stronghold of India, at a lower price.
“We want the Centre to insist on including rice as part of the RCEP deal as there is a possibility that attempts are likely to be made by ASEAN members to exclude it, knowing fully well that it is advantageous to us,” a source said.
Also, countries such as Japan and South Korea present an opportunity for Indian exporters to explore. Japan is currently importing all its rice requirements from the United States, while South Korea has a duty of 513 per cent on rice imports.
Besides helping consolidate its position in the global rice trade, the opening up of the RCEP market could help rake in more foreign exchange and also trim the bulging stocks in the Central pool, sources said. Unlike the African nations, which form the largest market for Indian rice exports, the export realisations could be higher in the ASEAN/RCEP bloc.
India’s rice production is on the rise and touched a new high of 116.42 million tonnes in 2018-19. With surplus rains aiding planting this year, output is likely to go up further. Moreover, the rice stocks in the Central pool are at a record high of 24.91 million tonnes as on October 1, ahead of the start of the procurement season.
According to the International Grains Council, rice production in India is projected to be 115.5 million tonnes for the 2019-20 October-September marketing year and consumption at 102.2 million tonnes. With an opening stock of 27.4 million tonnes, the total rice availability is projected at 142.9million tonnes. IGC has projected Indian rice exports for 2019-20 at 11.7 million tonnes.
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/why-the-rice-trade-wants-india-in-the-rcep/article29779359.ece

PCC looking into possible rice price manipulation
Technical working group to determine why prices have not gone down to desired levels
By: Roy Stephen C. Canivel - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:20 AM October 24, 2019
The country’s antitrust body is looking into possible manipulation of rice prices by unscrupulous groups, possibly working as cartels, keeping the prices of the staple high despite the abundance of supply in the market and the declining farm gate prices.
The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) said on Wednesday it was forming a technical working group (TWG) with other government agencies to determine if this situation was caused by anticompetitive practices.
The actual members of the TWG have yet to be decided, but the Department of Agriculture will most likely be one of them.
The government has been trying to figure out why retail prices of rice have not gone down to desired levels despite the liberalization of rice importation and the low farm gate prices of the local produce.
The Duterte administration had pushed for the passage of the rice tariffication law when rice prices shot up, driving inflation rate to hit record highs last year.
The law, which replaced the quantitative restrictions on rice imports with tariff, should have made retail prices of the staple more affordable to Filipinos.
While PCC Chair Arsenio Balisacan said certain market observers had reported low prices of palay at the farms but the same could not be said for the rice sold in the market.
Balisacan said in an interview that the TWG would try to determine the root cause of the slow decline, as he noted that the causes of market disruptions had varied in the past, such as typhoons destroying crops and therefore making what were left more expensive.
“The intention of the TWG is to have a better understanding of the situation or the market. Hopefully, with that understanding we can have a clearer, firmer and more focused investigation,” he said.
PCC Commissioner Johannes Benjamin Bernabe deferred from jumping to any conclusion about which specific groups could be blamed for the rice price situation, noting the extensive value chain in agriculture from the farms to retail markets.
“Certainly, the farmers are not in a position to abuse any position they might have. They are not organized. They don’t have any leverage on imposing prices,” he said, adding that they were also looking at retailers right now.
“Primarily, the ones who have leverage in this value chain appear to be the middlemen. At this point, we don’t want to say anyone is liable, that there are any guilty parties. It’s just that in the PCC, it behooves us to try and narrow down who it is we should be prioritizing in terms of examining behavior or conduct,” he added.
https://business.inquirer.net/281789/pcc-looking-into-possible-rice-price-manipulation

23 groups to get farm gear from PhilMech under RCEF
By  Samuel P. Medenilla
October 24, 2019

MALAYBALAY, Bukidnon—The Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) said it has initially chosen 23 groups to receive modern farm implements that were bankrolled by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).
Carlene C. Collado, officer in charge of Department of Agriculture-Region 10, made the announcement during the 26th Farmers’ Field Day and Technology Forum in Malaybalay, Bukidnon.
Of the initial batch of beneficiaries, Collado said 10 came from the province of Bukidnon.
Bukidnon is regarded as Davao region’s food basket due to the large tracts of farm lands in the province.
Among the farm implements distributed by the government to the beneficiaries were hand tractors, tillers, rice seeders, transplanters, irrigation pumps, mechanical dryers and rice mills.
He said these farm implements could be used not only for rice cultivation but also for planting other crops.
Collado said he is hopeful that more farmer-cooperatives from Bukidnon will qualify for RCEF-financed program of PhilMech, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture.
“For local [farmers’] associations, which are interested [to avail themselves of RCEF], you may consult the PhilMech later for the policies and the IRR [implementing rules and regulation] of the program,” he said.
The creation of RCEF was mandated by Republic Act 11203, or the rice trade liberalization law, which removed the quantitative restriction on imports and converted these into tariffs.
Under the law, the P10-billion RCEF will come from tariffs collected from rice importers. Half of the RCEF will go to PhilMech for its farm mechanization program.
RA 11203, which took effect on March 5, limited the government’s intervention in the local rice market as it disallowed the National Food Authority  from selling lower-priced rice.
The law also made it easier for traders to import rice as they only needed to secure sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance from the Bureau of Plant Industry  if they want to purchase it from abroad
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/10/24/23-groups-to-get-farm-gear-from-philmech-under-rcef/

DTI rejects safeguard tariffs on imported rice, warns of faster inflation
Bruce Rodriguez, ABS-CBN News
Oct 23 2019 07:51 PM

MANILA - The Department of Trade and Industry dismissed calls to raise the tariffs on imported rice via safeguard duties saying this will lead to faster inflation.
Farmers' groups and agriculture advocates have been calling for the imposition of safeguard duties on rice to protect local farmers amid an influx of cheap imports. 
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, however, said calls to raise tariffs on rice will push up rice prices and accelerate inflation.
"Kailangan pag-aralan mabuti yan, kasi alam n'yo yung safeguard duties sigurado may impact yan dun sa sa presyuhan, sa inflation," Lopez said.
(That needs to be studied carefully because safeguard duties will surely have an impact on prices, on inflation.)
Under the Safeguard Measures Act, the government can impose general safeguard duties on rice imports, apart from regular tariffs if imports harm local farmers.
Last week however, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the government was shelving plans to impose safeguard duties and would instead give affected rice farmers a one-time P5,000 cash gift.
Dar said economic managers were worried over the inflationary impact of higher duties on rice.
Inflation averaged 2.8 percent in the first 9 months of 2019 after slipping to 0.9 percent in September.
Several farmers groups meanwhile rejected the government's claims, saying higher tariffs on rice would have minimal effect on inflation.
Alyansa Agrikultura chairman Ernesto Ordoñez said based on their study, the government can impose safeguard duties rice imports of up to 86 percent to protect local farmers, without pushing up prices.
He asserted this would only increase inflation by less than one percentage point and a worst-case scenario of 2 percentage points.
Ordoñez also challenged the government to back up its claims that higher tariffs will stoke inflation.
"They're saying we don't want high inflation. What we're saying is that the government didn't even finish its findings. They should at least finish the findings," Ordoñez said.
The group said farmers are also amenable to a 70 percent tariff.
"Our prediction is this will save our farmers who are suffering," Ordoñez said.
A report from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that farmgate prices of palay or wet unmilled rice averaged P15.56 per kilo on the first week of October, down from P21.86 per kilo during the same period last year.
Earlier this year, some farmers also complained that palay prices had gone down to as low as P7 a kilo, which was well below its production cost of around P12 a kilo.
Farmers blamed this on the Rice Tariffication law which was enacted in February 2019.
It removed the quantitative restrictions on the import of the staple grains replacing it with a 35 percent tariff.
Dar will meet with other economic managers on Thursday to discuss measures to help farmers affected by the flood of cheap imports.
https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/23/19/dti-rejects-safeguard-tariffs-on-imported-rice-warns-of-faster-inflation

Former USA Rice Intern Returns to Government Affairs Team 

By Deborah Willenborg

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today USA Rice welcomes Josie McLaurin as the new Government Affairs/PAC Coordinator where she will be facilitating government affairs functions including administration of the USA Rice Political Action Committee (PAC).  No stranger to USA Rice, Josie was the government affairs intern during the summer of 2018.

A Tennessee native, Josie graduated in May from Mississippi State University with a B.S. in Agriculture, and then worked for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget where she handled administrative duties for all staff members on both sides of the aisle. 

"We're excited to have Josie joining our staff full-time," said Ben Mosely, USA Rice vice president of government affairs.  "After her successful internship here last year and her work on Capitol Hill, she is able to hit the ground running, which is extremely helpful.  It's also always nice to promote from within."

The office's immediate expectations for Josie go far beyond work experience as she was here, and rooting for, the Washington Capitals when they finally won the Stanley Cup in 2018.  The question is, can she prove a "good luck charm" for another Washington team looking for their first championship?  Since the Washington Nationals downed the Houston Astros last night in game one of the World Series, so far, so good.

usa Rice
83rd International Rice Festival Draws Tens of Thousands and Celebrates Our Mighty Grain 
By Kane Webb

CROWLEY, LA -- This past weekend, all things rice were celebrated at the International Rice Festival here in the "Rice Capital of the World."  And if you've never experienced it, you need to.  You don't have to be a rice farmer, rice miller, or work in the rice industry, but if you love rice, music, and having a great time, you'll be right at home.

Each October since 1937, people from all walks of life, young and old, from across the nation and around the world, descend on Crowley to enjoy the festivities and local hospitality dedicated to celebrating the rice industry.  Senator John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, attended the Rice Festival in 1959, with their sights set on the White House.  (That year the Farmer of the Year was Paul Loewer, father of our own Jackie Loewer who was a senior in high school at the time!)  The point is, you never know who you might see at the Rice Festival.

This year, USA Rice Vice President of Domestic Promotion and Communications Michael Klein made his first visit to the festival, and I'm sure it won't be his last.

In addition to all the festivities, there are some outstanding events that highlight the true reason for celebrating this industry for so many years.  The annual Chef de Riz (Rice Chef) cooking contest is a coveted title for the top rice dish across all categories.  Once a Chef de Riz, always a Chef de Riz, and that distinction now belongs to Laurie Bellard of Lafayette.



Farmer of the Year Alan Lawson and his wife, Carey
The same holds true for the Festival honorees such as Junior Farmer of the Year, Jake Reiners; Farmer of the Year, Alan Lawson; Rice Festival Honoree, the Thibodeaux Ag Group including Randy, Dale, Steve, Ross, and Eric Thibodeaux; and of course, the 83rd International Rice Festival Queen, Jimi Madison Joubert.

In passing on the crown to the new queen, 82nd International Rice festival Queen Victoria Marie Callahan recalled highlights from her reign, and gave special thanks to her "USA Rice family" and the USA Rice Millers' Association for their support and the opportunity to represent the rice industry throughout the year at 108 events and festivals!
 
"I've seen pictures of the International Rice Festival and heard reports, but actually being there was an experience like no other," said USA Rice's Klein.  "Rice and rice culture was honored at every turn - from the recipe contest that had more than 150 entries, to the multiple parades that featured floats made of rice, and from visiting with old rice friends and making new ones to the always blockbuster hospitality of Louisiana, there is no place I would have rather been and I've marked my calendar for next year already!"
Chef de Riz honors superlative cooks
USA Rice Daily

Price of rice cannot drop to N9,000 per 50kg bag before December
Nigerians 2 hours ago 9483 views by  Tunde Ososanya Nigerians on social media media have disagreed with farmers that a 50kg bag of local rice will drop to N9,000 before December of 2019. It should be noted that Nigerians are currently lamenting over the hike in price of rice ever since the federal government closed the country's border in a bid to stop importation of the commodity. Rice farmers and millers said they would cut the price of the commodity to 9,000 per 50kg bag before December following a bumper harvest. Legit.ng asked Nigerians in a Facebook and Twitter poll if it is possible for a 50kg bag of local rice to drop before December as promised by farmers. Thirty seven percent of the respondents on Twitter said it is possible, 57% of them said it is impossible, while 6% of them said they do not care. On Facebook, 40% of the respondents said it is possible for a 60kg bag of local rice to drop before December as promised by farmers, while 60% of them said it is impossible. Below are some of the comments: https://www.legit.ng/1269469-price-rice-drop-n9000-50kg-bag-december-nigerians.html

PCC probes ‘cartel’ operation
By rice traders
 October 23, 2019, 10:00 PM
By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat
The Philippine Competition Commission, the country’s anti-trust body, is looking into the middle phase of the rice value chain in specific geographies in the country to determine the seeming “cartel-like” operation of wholesalers, traders and millers at the mercy of rice farmers and consumers.

Philippine Competition Commission
“We have been already monitoring the rice sector. We are looking at the middle phase, so that will involve traders, wholesalers and millers,” said PCC Commissioner Johannes Bernabe.
PCC is undertaking a motu propio investigation on the rice sector taking off from the hearings conducted in the Senate and Congress and other sectors calling for further probe.
“PCC has to step up and look at it beyond simply monitoring. We have to be more actively engaged in the conduct of analysis and inquiries,” he said.
According to Bernabe, the rice sector has different phase in the value chain from production to milling to distribution and retail side. But PCC has prioritized certain phases, particularly the middle phase which includes traders, wholesalers, retailers and millers.
The country’s rice prices have not really gone down significantly even after the influx of imported rice following the imposition of the rice tariffication, but prices of unhusked rice already fell to its lowest level of ₧16 to ₧18 a kilo hurting local rice farmers.
Bernabe said they are focusing on the middle phase of the rice value chain because certainly the rice farmers are not in a position to abuse any position they might have. They are not also organized in the first place and have no any leverage on imposing prices at level which will be sustainable.
“Primarily, the ones who have leverage in this value chain appear to be the middlemen. At this point,” he added.
PCC is also closely watching the retailers because there are certain relevant geographic markets which seem to indicate that it is worth pursuing whether or not there are some anti-competitive behavior going on.
“I don’t want to say anyone is liable, that there are any guilty parties. It’s just that in the PCC, it behooves us to try and narrow down who it is we should be prioritizing in terms of examining behavior or conduct,” he said.
The PCC should be looking at the middle phase because this is where the middlemen, traders, millers, wholesalers are engaged in the distribution and facilitation of distribution of rice to the end user or retail level.
“If there is concentration, if there are players who are in a dominant position in certain markets for this middle phased transactions, then is it worsening the gap between farm gate prices and retail prices. If some of them are in a dominant or, worse, if they are engaged in cartelistic behavior, then they will exacerbate between farm gate prices and retail prices,” he added.
Since an investigation on the rice situation cannot be done at the national level perspective, Bernabe said that PCC has to go down to almost a district or provincial level. There is a need to narrow down which area has the concentration whether cartelization is happening in Visayas or in Mindanao or in the sub-regions like Central Luzon because of the archipelagic nature of the country.
PCC, he said, has tools at their disposal to request for information in the course of its investigation. It’s enforcement office can also conduct inquiries or investination and do surveillance and monitoring.
If PCC is able to establish that there is anticompetitive behavior going on, whether it is in the form of cartel or abuse of dominant position, then the Philippine Competition Act kicks in.
https://business.mb.com.ph/2019/10/23/pcc-probes-cartel-operation/

PCC to conduct probe into retail prices of rice
By  Elijah Felice Rosales
October 24, 2019
 Different prices of rice are on display at a local store in San Andres, Manila.
THE country’s antitrust regulator is stepping up its investigation into anticompetitive practices in the rice sector that may be preventing retail prices from falling sharply under a deregulated trade regime.
Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) Chairman Arsenio M. Balisacan on Wednesday said the agency is intensifying its examination of the possible collusion or abuse of dominant position within the rice sector. Competition officials are curious as to why the retail price of rice is not falling as fast as the farm-gate price of palay.
Balisacan said the implementation of the rice trade liberalization law should cut the price of the staple to a+s low as P27 per kilogram, but prices have yet to come near that level seven months after the measure was passed in March.
“There’s this issue in the market being raised about the possible anticompetitive practices and the observation that the retail prices of rice have not fallen as fast as the law [had] expected. At the same time, some sectors are saying that farm-gate prices have also fallen sharply following tariffication,” Balisacan told reporters in an interview.
“We need to look at those closely and we have to examine the market, the interplay of several factors and check whether those dynamics that you observe in the market are coming from anticompetitive practices,” the PCC chief added.
The average retail price of well-milled rice fell close to 15 percent to P42.03 per kg in the last week of September, from P49.41 per kg in the same period last year, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). This was also the lowest price of well-milled rice since the fifth week of July 2017, when it dipped to P41.95 per kg.
The average retail price of regular-milled rice also declined over 18 percent to P37.63 per kg, from P46.14 per kg, and was the lowest since the P37.57 per kg recorded in the third week of May 2017, PSA data showed.
The average farm-gate price of dry unhusked rice slumped to an eight-year low in end-September. The PSA reported average buying price of dry palay dropped over 29 percent to P15.83 per kg, from last year’s P22.36 per kg.
For Balisacan, the drop in retail prices is “too slow” when compared to the decline in farm-gate prices, and this should be probed by government agencies, the PCC included, as there could be parties taking advantage of the situation.
Asked if the competition body is looking at a possible case of collusion, Balisacan said: “That’s what we will find if we can find such evidence. There are already some leads; for example, the Senate has started and concluded its own inquiry and those were referred to us and that will be part of the basis.”
“What we want to do is understand fully well where these forces are coming from, whether they are coming from the way we implemented the law, the tariffication or the way various market players are reacting to the law,” the PCC chief added.
Focus on postharvest
In a separate interview, PCC Commissioner Johannes R. Bernabe said the investigation’s focus is on the post-harvest portion of the rice trade, namely, millers, middlemen, traders and retailers. He said these players in the supply chain could be engaged in anticompetitive practices, and the PCC, as mandated by the law, is tasked to look into this.
“If some of them [traders] are in a dominant position or, worse, if they are engaged in cartelistic behavior, then they will exacerbate between farm-gate prices and retail prices,” Bernabe said.
“On the issue of whether tariffication is a good thing or a bad thing, the unanticipated effects, we leave that to the policy-makers. What we should be concerned about is whether middlemen, whether because of their dominant position in certain relevant geographic markets or if they are engaged in some cartelistic behavior, should be investigated by the PCC and be taken to task for aggravating this price gap,” the PCC official added.
As part of its mandate, the PCC may request information from industry players to be used for its investigations, as well as do inquiries, surveillance and monitoring on certain individuals and groups possibly involved in anticompetitive practices
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/10/24/pcc-to-conduct-probe-into-retail-prices-of-rice/

Insecurity: Hausa community in Delta demands identity cards

 October 24, 2019
By  Dominic Adewole
Disturbed by their suspicion over cases of kidnapping and armed robbery in Delta State, the Hausa community in Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area, has demanded valid means of identifying the genuine Hausa residents in the community.
This was part of the resolutions reached yesterday between the Hausa community and the people of Ibusa kingdom during a meeting held to tackle insecurity in the area.
Present at the meeting, which was convened by the Ibusa Youths Association (IYA), led by Alfred Isoh, were the leadership of Hausa community in the area; representatives of Ibusa Community Policing (ICP); Commandant, Anti-Cult; Umuehea Youths representatives; and Chief Gilbert Okonji, among others.
Meanwhile, participants at the meeting, however, frowned at the level of crime in whatever guise in the locality, as well as in the state, even as they agreed that residents of the community should to live in harmony without fear of being kidnapped, robbed, raped and killed in their farm.
Isoh said: “It was a very successful meeting with the Hausa leaders in our community. They have requested for identify cards for easy identification of their members in case of necessary assistance. We will be having regular and periodic meetings and assist in identifying the hoodlums to avoid unnecessary clash with the Hausa community.”
According to him, the objective is to have a peaceful community where there would be respect for the rule of law and human life.
While insisting that the Fulani community also made their position known on the matter, he added: “The Youths Council will be visiting the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), ICP, Anti-Cult and okada riders’ association to see how we can collectively beef up security in the community, especially in our schools, markets, palace and other areas.”
         
https://www.newtelegraphng.com/2019/10/insecurity-hausa-community-in-delta-demands-identity-cards/
https://www.newtelegraphng.com/2019/10/insecurity-hausa-community-in-delta-demands-identity-cards/
India Grain: Spot wheat prices steady on weak demand, low arrivals

Wednesday, Oct 23

By Sampad Nandy


NEW DELHI – Prices of mill-quality wheat was steady across key spot markets today due to a decline in demand from flour mills and stockists, traders said. Arrivals were also low today, they said.



In Kota, arrivals were pegged at 70 tn compared with 78 tn on Tuesday, Kota-based trader Aniket Mehta said. In Indore, too, arrivals were pegged at 1,000 bags (1 bag = 100 kg), down by 200 bags from Tuesday, traders said.

Prices of the grain are likely to decline in near term as they have crossed the base price at most mandis in the government's weekly auction scheme–open market sale scheme, traders said.


For Oct-Dec, the government has set a base price for wheat at 2,190 rupees per 100 kg in non-wheat producing states under its open market sale scheme. The price will be hiked by 55 rupees every quarter in the current financial year.

Futures contracts of wheat on the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange rose today as bulk buyers anticipated a further decline in crop arrivals in the near term, traders said. The November contract ended at 2,171 rupees per 100 kg, up 0.9%.

Maize prices across major markets continued to fall due to weak demand for fresh crop, which has a higher moisture content, traders said.


Arrivals in Nizamabad were pegged at 1,000 bags (1 bag = 50 kg), down by 500 bags from Tuesday, traders said. About 20-30% of the total arrivals have a higher than permissible moisture content, traders said. The new crop has a high moisture content of 25-30%, against the acceptable limit of 13-14%, traders said. 

Maize futures contracts on the NCDEX were not traded today.

Prices of Pusa 1121 basmati paddy were unchanged today due to low demand from rice millers and weak arrivals, traders said. Millers are awaiting arrivals of the new crop to start in full swing and they are not picking up stocks, Amritsar-based trader Ashok Sethi said.

The November 1121 basmati paddy futures contract on the Indian Commodity Exchange rose 0.6% to 3,415 rupees per 100 kg. Futures contracts rose today as millers anticipate firm exports from India this year, traders said. 

Following are today's prices of wheat, maize, and paddy, in rupees per 100 kg, in key wholesale markets, and the change from the previous day:

Commodity Market Price Change
Wheat Indore 2,220    Unch
Wheat Kota 2,080    Unch
Maize Sangli 2,220    (-)20-30
Maize Nizamabad 2,020    (-)30-40
Pusa 1121 basmati paddy Amritsar 2,800-2,850    Unch

End

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

Cogencis Tel +91 (11) 4220-1000
Send comments to feedback@cogencis.com
This copy was first published on the Cogencis WorkStation
http://www.cogencis.com/newssection/india-grain-spot-wheat-prices-steady-on-weak-demand-low-arrivals/\
Abakaliki rice: Rushed by consumers, challenged by high price

 October 24, 2019
 UCHENNA INYA,

Abakaliki rice appears to be more popular and consumed by people within and outside the state than before.  The border closure by the Federal Government and ban of foreign rice has now made the commodity out of reach of the poor masses as a result of its high price and high demand. UCHENNA INYA, in Abakaliki, reports

The name ‘Abakaliki’ is synonymous with rice production. Before the creation of the state in October 1, 1996 by the Late General Sani Abacha, Abakaliki had gained prominence as the city with the highest concentration of rice mills in West Africa. The Abakaliki Rice Mill complex had existed for decades before the state creation. The industry, a business enterprise owned by private individuals, which was established in 1967, today boasts of over 400 mills where farmers both peasants and bulk farmers process and market rice to buyers who come from all over the country and beyond.
The price of local rice in Ebonyi otherwise known as Abakaliki rice has continued to increase since the past few weeks.
Although, the commodity is available in the markets, shops  and various mills across the state where they are processed, packaged and sold to the buyers/consumers, the price has been on the increase because of
its high demands arising from the ban of consumption of foreign rice by the state government  and closure of border by the Federal Government.
In the mill, a bushel is presently sold between N7,000 and N8,500 depending on the specie and  quality. A 25 kg bag of the community is sold for between N10,000 and N12,000  depending on the quality  and the
specie while its 50kg bag is sold between N18,000 and N22,000 depending on the quality and also the specie. The price of the commodity is expected to increase as Christmas approaches.
Some of the traders at the Abakaliki rice mill have continued to celebrate the ban on importation of foreign rice in the state. They said the ban has led to high sales of  Abakaliki rice.
One of them, Mr.  Timothy Ude, a miller said: “We are happy that Federal Government closed Nigeria’s borders.”
He said before the closure, his sales for a day used to be very poor that at the end of the month, he finds it difficult to pay his landlord and meet up with other needs.
He explained that people who used to neglect local rice have fallen back to it, affirming that it would help to promote homemade products in Nigeria.
Mrs.  Precious Idam on her part, said her sales actually sky rocketed.
She said before border closure, new rice was selling for N5,200-5,300 but now new rice now sell for 6, 000-7000.  She said by this time of the year, the prices for new rice is not supposed to get to this amount.
People from neighbouring Benue, Kogi, Enugu, Cross River, Abia and other states come to the state to  buy Abakaliki rice  in different quantities for sales and consumption.
Also, people from far away Lagos,  Abuja  and other popular cities in the country  often place order for the commodity because of its  special taste which distinguishes it from other rice species.
The Abakaliki rice has Maths species which looks like foreign rice. It also has CP species, R8 species, 306 species and  upland species. All the species have their uniqueness but high class people usually go for the Maths species because of its beautiful nature while middle class go for R8, 306 and CP .
Former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Development, Chief Steve Orogwu, gave reasons why people outside the state rush the commodity.
“Ebonyi rice has unique taste that is satisfying; Ebonyi rice is very nutritious. It  contains carbohydrate,  protein and even some vitamins. Besides, the brand is very nutritious, and is even extracted and packaged for further industrial use”, he said.
Abakaliki Rice Mill Industry is the central processing point of the popular Abakaliki rice, which has gained both local and international reputation as a very nutritious brand.
In spite of the recent establishment of three major modern rice mills plants, one in each of the three senatorial zones of the state by the State Government, the Abakaliki rice mill still attracts the largest market in rice milling and distribution. The rice mill industry has witnessed new  innovations. In the last 15 years, de-stoning machines were introduced and installed in the mill which facilitated the packaging of stone-free Abakaliki rice.
The past few months also witnessed the innovative introduction of Weighing Scales as replacement for the old Tin Measurement, popularly known as Bushels. Scale measurement in the sales of the local rice in the mill  was introduced by a new administration in the industry to curb sharp practices in the sale of the rice, using bushels.
Despite these innovations, there are still many processing challenges faced by both the millers, farmers and other stakeholders. This is because, most of the rice being milled in the industry are products of crude parboiling methods while the Mill lacks modern state of the art infrastructural, environmental and operational facilities.
Also, most of the Milling Machines are obsolete and very low in both output and quality.
Following this, the state government met with the millers of the industry and announced its  plan to  introduce  modern rice milling and processing machines into the mill. But the millers saw the move as a ploy designed by the government to take over the industry.
Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Dave Umahi,  Okechukwu Nwakpu, while addressing the millers, allayed the fears and suspicions of some millers and mill owners that the planned gesture was a ploy by the government to seize the mill from the owners.
Nwakpu explained that the move by the government was to ensure improvement in the industry to meet international best practices and standard as introduced in other sectors by the present administration in the state.
He assured them that the mill would remain the property of the Mill owners after introducing the modern machines.
According to Nwakpu, all that was required of the millers was to form cooperative societies through which the government would link them to sources of fund from the Central Bank of Nigeria and other financial institutions to enable them acquire the new machines. He noted that the government has the best plan of bringing modern infrastructures: water, good roads, recreational facilities and better buildings into the Mill for their comfort, adding that the Mill must meet the standard of the governor in the state.
Nwakpu further directed them to set up a committee to design a prototype of the nature of Mill they desired, which would be juxtaposed with that to be designed by government for reconciliation on a round-table before implementation. He also directed them to set up another committee to coordinate arrangements for government facilitated loans for the cooperatives towards procurement of the new machines.
Consequently, a seven-man committee headed by the Caretaker Chairman of the Mill was inaugurated at the meeting for the purpose.
“Most importantly, let me inform you that the government has not come to take over the rice mill. It is still your property. The only thing is that it has to meet up with the present standard which this government is known for.
“You own your property, you choose and form your cooperatives, you get
access to the money and develop it. But if you have the money, you develop your Mill according to the standard. I want to charge you to form two committees and you will go and design a prototype of how you
want this rice mill to look like,  while on our own side as government, we will equally design a prototype.
“At the end of the day, we will come to a roundtable and agree on the best one to follow. You will give us a committee that will liaise with the SA on Small and Medium Enterprises, so that by Friday, she will meet with you people to discuss how your cooperatives will be like.”
The Caretaker Chairman, Rice Millers Association, Samuel Ogodo, while
receiving the government envoy, described the intending gesture as a welcome development. He commended the governor for his thoughtfulness and care for the Mill, stressing that the benefits cannot be overemphasised.
Ogodo said: “One, most of the engines we are using are now obsolete, outdated. So, giving us advanced machines will not only enhance our productivity but will also give us better service. In this case, I am commending the effort of the governor, having deemed it wise to make Abakaliki Rice Mill one of the best in the whole country.
“So we stand to benefit much from it: one, our rice, our product will appear better and compete favourably with other rice in the
international community. So, we are not going to negate the action in any way but we are going to give our full support to ensure that everything comes to fruition”.
Ogodo, however, advocated for medium capacity machines, little lower than those in the government-owned mills, to enable them accommodate the milling of smaller individual quantities of  rice paddy. He
observed that though Ebonyi State was one of the highest rice producers in the country, the challenges of dry season farming and poor mechanisation still limit some farmer’s individual outputs.
He said: “Ebonyi State, from my elementary knowledge, is one of the highest rice producers in the entire nation. The only challenge we are still passing through is the issue of dry season farming, which I know
that we just need irrigation in some areas to balance up. Another is that our people here are not so much into mechanised farming. The tonnage required for a high capacity machine like the ones at the three senatorial zones is so high that an individual cannot raise rice paddy large enough for milling at a point in time, and this has been an envisaged challenge.
https://www.newtelegraphng.com/2019/10/abakaliki-rice-rushed-by-consumers-challenged-by-high-price/

GIST
Twelve Suspects Arrested For Smuggling Rice Into Akwa Ibom

 23rd October 2019
By  Enioluwa Adeniyi


Twelve suspects has been arrested by the Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, Mbo Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State, in three different operations for smuggling 708 bags of 50kg rice into the state.
According to a report, the suspects, which include a deaf and dumb man were apprehended during a routine patrol by Navy gunboats officers and ratings around the Effiat waterways.
The Commanding Officer, Captain Peter Yilme, who handed over the suspects and the siezed item to the Nigeria Customs Service on Tuesday noted that smugglers have employed another way of evading arrest.
He noted that the Navy will not relent in curtailing the illegal trade.
He revealed that when one of the groups were accosted by Navy gunboats, the suspects dug holes in the boat to take in water and sink the boat.
Yilme, who was represented by the Base Operations Officer, Lieutenant Commander Kabiru Yusuf, commended officers and ratings of the command for their resilience and hardwork in tracking down the smugglers, saying their action was in line with the directives of the Chief of Naval Staff and in compliance with the reference of the FOB.
Receiving the 12 suspects and 708 bags of rice from the Nigerian Navy, Deputy Superintendent of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alabi, Adedokun, commended the Navy for the cooperation existing between them, and for the frequent arrests.
He said, “On behalf of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), I, Alabi, Adedokun take over the 12 defendants and 708 bags of foreign parboiled rice. On behalf of the Nigeria Customs Service, we thank you very much”.
Two of the suspects were two brothers from Ondo State, noted that they went into the smuggling of rice because of their desire to survive.
They revealed that they were fishermen in Cameroon, but the business was not forthcoming so they had to resort to smuggling rice to take care of their family.
The brothers claimed that the owner of the rice promised to pay them fifteen thousand each.
The younger of the two, Badebo Orofio said, “I and my elder brother are working together and this is our first time in smuggling rice; we have not been doing this before. There are no other jobs for us to do so our Oga told us to bring the rice to Nigeria, that he will take care of everything.”
“I just started working with him for two weeks now and he promised to pay me N15,000 to bring the rice from Cameroon to Nigeria.”
https://www.naijanews.com/2019/10/23/twelve-suspects-arrested-for-smuggling-rice-into-akwa-ibom/

Enrile assures he can acquit
ByThe Manila Times
February 9, 2010

Sen. Lacson Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Monday said that he can prove that Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson is innocent of the double-murder charges against him.
“I can acquit him,” Enrile, a lawyer, told the Kapihan sa Manila, a weekly press forum held at the Manila Hotel.
The catch was that the embattled Lacson may have to wait for the Senate president’s services as a lawyer.
“If I’m not a senator, I am willing to take his case,” said Enrile, who is seeking re-election in the May 2010 elections.
According to him, the double-murder case against Lacson is weak because there is no clear motive behind the crime.
Enrile said that motive is one of the most important requisites for a crime to be considered murder.
Besides, he added, Lacson is better off under the custody of the government.
“If you are a fugitive, then you expect the worst condition. So it is better that he is under the custody of the government because the responsibility will belong to the government. Imagine, if a senator is harmed inside his cell while he is in the custody of the government, the government will have a big responsibility,” Enrile explained.
He said that the only thing he could do for Lacson was to see to it that his rights as a person are respected and that no harm will come to the beleaguered senator.
“I don’t think the government has any intention to harm him,” Enrile added.
Lacson’s former classmate, Jess Paredes, told the senator on the run not to worry about anything.
“He need not be afraid, he should come back. I believe that there will be a special jail for him,” said Paredes, a senatorial candidate of Ang Kapatiran in the 2010 polls.
A detained Lacson, Enrile said, would remain as senator and would receive allocation from the budget of the Senate.
“But the work that he is performing will have to be assigned to some other senator,” he added.
According to him, Lacson would be entitled to all the rights and privileges of a senator until he was pronounced guilty by the courts.
Enrile reiterated his call for his colleague to return to the Philippines and face the murder charges.
“That is the only way he can clear his name, out of the control of the courts, he cannot be arraigned, and arraignment is the starting point of the trial that will clear him,” he said.
The same advice was given to Lacson by lawyer Nestor Mantaring, the director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
In a bid to convince the murder suspect to surrender to authorities, Mantaring said that the bureau is ready to communicate with Lacson.
“We have a two-way process in our justice system. The senator would be afforded the same rights as any accused facing a criminal case,” the NBI chief added.
Mantaring said that Lacson surrendering would give the senator opportunity to defend himself.
“If he is indeed innocent of the charges, he can clear his name by submitting himself to the authorities and defend himself,” he added.
Mantaring said that it would be better if the lawyers of the accused senator helped in convincing Lacson to turn himself in.
He disclosed that the NBI had asked Hong Kong immigration officials to give the bureau information that would be vital in tracing Lacson.
Mantaring said Lacson is set to be placed in the red notice anytime soon.
“The Interpol has 186 member-countries and the intelligence network of these 186 member-countries will help follow the trail of the senator. Apart from this, we have also started coordinating with our foreign counterparts to help us. We also have coordinated with police attaches of the countries that are not members of Interpol,” he added.
The NBI chief said that once Lacson is arrested abroad, the Philippines may take the extradition or deportation option to bring the senator back to the Philippines.
A lawyer for Lacson, Alex Avisado, said that Lacson is not yet a fugitive because there are legal remedies open to him, including appealing for reconsideration of the arrest order against his client.
Avisado added that any decision against the senator could be elevated to the Supreme Court, and that only when there was a final decision for his arrest could Lacson be considered a fugitive.
Enrile, however, has a contrary view.
“Once the warrant is issued, you are a fugitive,” he said.
Lacson left the country on January 5, two days before his indictment and has not returned since.
The principal suspect in the murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and Dacer’s driver Emmanuel Corbito, he had claimed that under the Arroyo administration, he would not get a fair trial in the double-murder case against him.
Camille Bianca Lopez, Ruben D. Manahan 4th and Efren L. Danao
https://www.manilatimes.net/2010/02/09/news/top-stories/enrile-assures-he-can-acquit/636898/

USDA Watchdog to Investigate Department’s Alleged Suppression of Climate Science
By Eric Levitz@EricLevitz
No place for inconvenient truths. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
One of the Department of Agriculture’s primary functions is to help American farmers weather the many challenges inherent to their industry. The USDA tries to serve that mission by, among other things, keeping U.S. farmers well-informed about potential ecological and macroeconomic threats to their businesses.
Alas, the Trump administration hasn’t looked too kindly on that particular objective, for reasons that aren’t too hard to discern: The biggest long-term ecological threat to U.S. agriculture is the climate crisis that the president refuses to acknowledge, while the biggest near-term economic threat to Big Ag’s well-being has been Donald Trump’s trade policies.
Back in May, Politico reported that Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue had “retaliated” against the department’s economists for producing reports that highlighted the sharp decline in farm income during the president’s tenure. Specifically, Perdue brought the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) under the control of its chief economist, who reports directly to him. Then, he moved the ERS from D.C. to Kansas City. Together, these moves triggered a mass exodus of economists from the office, and two-thirds of the ERS’s positions are still unfilled.
Perdue’s department allegedly took a similar approach to ecological research it did not like. As Politico reported in June:
The Trump administration has refused to publicize dozens of government-funded studies that carry warnings about the effects of climate change, defying a longstanding practice of touting such findings by the Agriculture Department’s acclaimed in-house scientists.

The studies range from a groundbreaking discovery that rice loses vitamins in a carbon-rich environment — a potentially serious health concern for the 600 million people world-wide whose diet consists mostly of rice — to a finding that climate change could exacerbate allergy seasons to a warning to farmers about the reduction in quality of grasses important for raising cattle.

… [I]n the case of the groundbreaking rice study USDA officials not only withheld their own prepared release, but actively sought to prevent dissemination of the findings by the agency’s research partners.
This week, the USDA’s inspector general Phyllis Fong announced that her office is launching a formal investigation into the department’s alleged suppression of climate science. In a letter to Democratic lawmakers who had requested such a probe, Fong also acknowledged concerns that USDA’s decision to relocate both the ERS and National Institute of Food and Agriculture to Kansas City might have been intended “as a means to suppress research on controversial topics such as climate change.
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/10/usda-ig-to-probe-departments-suppression-of-climate-science.html

PCC probes players involved in rice distribution amid high prices
By Leslie Gatpolintan  October 23, 2019, 9:02 pm
•

MANILA -- The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) is looking deeper into “middle phase transactions” in rice trade as retail prices remain high despite the falling farm gate prices amid surging importation following the passage of the rice tariffication law.
PCC Commissioner Johannes Bernabe is referring to the involvement of middlemen, traders, millers and wholesalers in the distribution and facilitation of distribution of rice to the end users.
“If there is concentration, if there are players who are in a dominant position in certain markets for this middle phase transactions, then is it worsening the gap between farm gate prices and retail prices. If some of them are in a dominant or, worse, if they are engaged in cartelistic behavior, then they will exacerbate between farm gate prices and retail prices,” he told reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of a competition policy forum.
Bernabe noted there are certain relevant geographic markets which seem to indicate that it is “worth pursuing” whether there are some anti-competitive behaviors going on.
“Primarily, the ones who have leverage in this value chain appear to be the middlemen. At this point, we don’t want to say anyone is liable, that there are any guilty parties. It’s just that in the PCC, it behooves us to try and narrow down who it is we should be prioritizing in terms of examining behavior or conduct,” he said.
He believes that farmers are not in a position to abuse what they have because they are not organized, and do not have any leverage in imposing prices at levels which are sustainable.
Bernabe said it is difficult to state if there is a cartel among all middlemen in the whole country because of its archipelagic nature.
“You have to reduce it to: is it happening in Luzon? Is it happening in Visayas or Mindanao? Or is it happening within subregions? Is it happening, for instance, in Central Luzon? In this particular case, we have tools at our disposal to request for information from entities who may not be liable, who may not be suspected of doing any wrongful acts. As part of our mandate in our law, we are empowered to request for information from them,” he said.
Bernabe added the PCC’s enforcement office can conduct inquiries or investigation, surveillance and monitoring if these are necessary and appropriate.
“If we are able to establish that there is anticompetitive behavior going on, whether it is in the form of cartel or abuse of dominant position, then the Philippine Competition Act kicks in. In that case, we will have to enforce the full force of the law and sanction those conduct, those acts,” he said.
PCC chair Arsenio Balisacan said that “if turns out there are cartels, administrative and criminal. If it’s criminal, cartel, that comes with administrative fines or (it) could be imprisonment”.
The PCC and the Department of Agriculture (DA) have sealed a partnership to investigate the possible manipulation of rice prices in the country.
“That’s the basis of this undertaking, we want to understand where that is coming from. Is it because of too much imports or production is too much relative to the demand of the millers? Why has farm gate price fallen sharply? (It is) not as easy as it seems, you have to understand the dynamics. DA has been accumulating info(rmation) about that,” Balisacan said. (PNA)
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1084042

How worried should parents be about heavy metals in baby food?
The concern is not that baby foods are an immediate threat but that daily exposure may build up over time, doctors say.
Close-up of baby jars
It's long been known that crops absorb heavy metals and these contaminants end up in the food supply. The upside is, awareness of arsenic contamination has led to decreasing levels in baby rice cereals and juices over the last decade.Getty Images stock
Oct. 23, 2019, 11:10 PM UTC
By Jacqueline Stenson
If you’re the parent of a baby, a study out last week may have left you nervous about all the food you put in your little one’s mouth.
The new report from a consumer advocacy group found that 95 percent of 168 commercial baby foods tested contained toxic heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium, and one in four products contained all four. Among the top offenders were rice-based cereals and snacks, juices and sweet potatoes.
“Even in the trace amounts found in food, these contaminants can alter the developing brain and erode a child’s IQ,” wrote the researchers from the group Healthy Babies Bright Futures. “The impacts add up with each meal or snack a baby eats.”
The researchers also said heavy metal exposure may contribute to ADHD, and three metals — arsenic, cadmium and lead — are known carcinogens. They called on baby-food manufacturers and the government to do more to reduce exposure.
While the findings clearly raise food safety worries, experts not affiliated with the report cautioned parents against panicking or feeling paralyzed about shopping for food for their kids.
This issue isn't new and previous reports have raised red flags about heavy metals in foods, including arsenic in juice and rice. An investigation by Consumer Reports in January found cadmium, arsenic and lead in popular fruit juices.
Heavy metals can enter the environment through pesticides and pollution but they also occur naturally in air, soil and water, so they aren’t entirely avoidable. It’s long been known that crops absorb heavy metals and therefore these contaminants end up in the food supply — not just food for babies but for older children and adults too.
https://www.today.com/health/heavy-metals-baby-food-how-worried-should-parents-be-t165378

Rice Prices
as on : 23-10-2019 02:34:09 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
Arrivals Price
Current %
change Season
cumulative Modal Prev.
Modal Prev.Yr
%change
Rice
Pilibhit(UP) 2800.00 -6.67 28212.50 2610 2710 1.75
Bangalore(Kar) 1842.00 -29.48 71550.00 4650 4650 8.14
Sultanpur(UP) 350.00 34.62 4640.00 2350 2435 -1.05
Manjeri(Ker) 290.00 NC 7540.00 3500 3500 NC
Siliguri(WB) 235.00 1.29 7738.00 3800 3800 -
Vilaspur(UP) 232.00 88.62 765.70 2600 2520 -
Bindki(UP) 209.00 39.33 6118.00 2440 2430 9.91
Hardoi(UP) 180.00 -10 5140.00 2460 2440 -2.77
Gondal(UP) 152.50 3.04 5888.50 2460 2460 4.24
Dhing(ASM) 140.00 6.06 2204.00 2700 2700 3.05
Barhaj(UP) 140.00 16.67 6643.00 2420 2420 7.08
Bazpur(Utr) 125.50 155.6 3639.30 2200 2250 -8.33
Jorhat(ASM) 120.00 336.36 1592.50 3400 3400 6.25
Lucknow(UP) 109.00 12.37 2711.50 2600 2700 10.64
Howly(ASM) 104.00 42.47 375.00 1650 1650 17.86
Mainpuri(UP) 94.00 2.17 2526.00 2510 2520 -16.05
Puranpur(UP) 90.00 12.5 3380.00 2580 2660 2.38
Katwa(WB) 89.40 1.82 920.97 2350 2250 -
Agra(UP) 88.00 3.53 3327.00 2560 2570 2.40
Kalipur(WB) 84.00 5 1722.00 2400 2400 -
Muzzafarnagar(UP) 75.00 7.14 2020.00 2800 2800 5.66
Honnali(Kar) 72.00 -10 473.00 1986 2040 11.89
Thodupuzha(Ker) 70.00 NC 2170.00 2900 2900 -7.94
Aligarh(UP) 70.00 -12.5 3285.00 7250 2540 187.70
Ballia(UP) 70.00 NC 2485.00 2430 2440 7.05
Saharanpur(UP) 70.00 22.81 1160.50 2780 2785 4.12
Kalna(WB) 61.50 -1.6 1120.50 2950 2950 -1.67
Pandua(WB) 45.00 NC 1434.00 3000 3000 NC
Roorkee(Utr) 42.00 -86.14 1593.00 2300 2200 -
Naugarh(UP) 41.50 -6.74 2404.50 2480 2475 11.46
Bareilly(UP) 41.00 -19.61 1406.50 2590 2650 5.71
Cachar(ASM) 40.00 NC 2740.00 2400 2400 NC
Azamgarh(UP) 40.00 14.29 2763.50 2470 2475 8.57
Bharthna(UP) 40.00 NC 3785.00 2650 2660 7.72
Gazipur(UP) 37.00 -7.5 5122.50 3310 3310 12.20
Kopaganj(UP) 36.00 33.33 1013.00 2475 2475 10.49
Jhargram(WB) 35.00 NC 764.00 2900 2900 NC
Mathura(UP) 34.00 9.68 805.50 2550 2550 0.39
Etawah(UP) 32.50 -12.16 1006.00 2550 2500 4.94
Vasai(Mah) 32.00 -20 1177.00 3255 3465 -10.08
Lakhimpur(UP) 32.00 -15.79 1619.00 2470 2450 6.93
Partaval(UP) 31.00 72.22 325.50 2350 2385 9.81
Jaunpur(UP) 30.00 -25 821.20 2360 2400 5.36
Bankura Sadar(WB) 30.00 7.14 277.00 2500 2500 -3.85
Nalbari(ASM) 29.00 28.89 383.90 2550 2550 NC
Lalitpur(UP) 28.00 7.69 1088.00 2460 2440 -3.53
Muradabad(UP) 28.00 7.69 482.40 2650 2660 1.92
Karsiyang(Matigara)(WB) 26.20 0.38 705.60 3400 3400 13.33
Indus(Bankura Sadar)(WB) 24.00 9.09 1609.00 2800 2800 NC
Islampur(WB) 23.00 -17.86 268.00 3700 3700 -
Raiganj(WB) 23.00 -8 250.00 3550 3550 -
Tamluk (Medinipur E)(WB) 23.00 NC 250.00 2900 2900 1.40
Madhoganj(UP) 22.00 22.22 1765.50 2360 2350 4.42
Balrampur(UP) 22.00 -8.33 556.00 2225 2225 -5.72
Naanpara(UP) 21.60 17.39 746.60 2290 2300 NC
Manvi(Kar) 21.00 - 42.00 2250 - -
Farukhabad(UP) 21.00 23.53 632.50 2750 2760 18.53
Pukhrayan(UP) 21.00 5 474.00 2350 2300 8.29
Basti(UP) 20.00 -37.5 1096.50 2470 2465 10.76
Sitapur(UP) 20.00 2.56 667.00 2400 2400 5.12
Kayamganj(UP) 20.00 -47.37 1129.00 2710 2700 13.39
Wansi(UP) 20.00 -20 674.00 2110 2110 NC
Falakata(WB) 20.00 NC 760.00 2600 2600 -7.14
Alipurduar(WB) 20.00 NC 500.00 2600 2600 -7.14
Dhekiajuli(ASM) 19.00 -13.64 457.50 2400 2400 NC
Durgapur(WB) 19.00 -5 1305.60 2720 2700 -3.72
Asansol(WB) 18.50 -3.65 1892.70 3000 3000 3.45
Champadanga(WB) 18.00 20 385.00 3050 3050 -6.15
Kolaghat(WB) 18.00 NC 272.00 2900 2900 1.40
Safdarganj(UP) 17.00 -15 477.00 2500 2500 9.65
Mahoba(UP) 16.50 50 188.30 2250 2425 -
Ghatal(WB) 16.50 10 330.50 2550 2550 0.79
Kishunpur(UP) 16.00 300 202.00 1900 1900 5.56
Raibareilly(UP) 15.00 100 371.00 2360 2350 -
Lingasugur(Kar) 14.00 - 28.00 3800 - -
Sahiyapur(UP) 14.00 7.69 1003.50 2465 2470 12.05
Fatehpur(UP) 12.00 44.58 826.50 2360 2360 7.76
Devariya(UP) 11.50 NC 944.00 2480 2490 15.89
Chhibramau(Kannuj)(UP) 11.50 4.55 273.50 2760 2770 20.00
Dibrugarh(ASM) 11.00 83.33 220.20 3100 3100 6.16
Badayoun(UP) 11.00 -8.33 562.50 2660 2650 13.19
Etah(UP) 11.00 37.5 222.50 2560 2550 -6.57
Kannauj(UP) 11.00 -4.35 333.50 2650 2620 12.77
Sirsaganj(UP) 11.00 NC 367.00 2600 2640 -6.31
Vishalpur(UP) 11.00 10 434.80 2600 2680 7.22
Atarra(UP) 10.00 100 260.00 2350 2360 6.82
Kasganj(UP) 10.00 25 174.00 2570 2560 -6.20
Vilthararoad(UP) 10.00 NC 661.00 2150 2150 NC
Chitwadagaon(UP) 9.00 50 274.00 2100 2100 -
Akbarpur(UP) 8.80 -43.23 735.60 2470 2450 10.27
Nawabganj(UP) 8.50 -15 288.25 2440 2460 12.96
Bishnupur(Bankura)(WB) 8.50 13.33 438.00 2600 2600 NC
Shamli(UP) 8.00 300 69.00 2790 2785 -0.36
Ajuha(UP) 7.00 -12.5 117.00 2600 2600 15.04
Tamkuhi Road(UP) 6.00 -20 482.40 2250 2250 5.14
Nadia(WB) 6.00 -25 358.00 3750 3750 -2.60
Fatehabad(UP) 5.50 -45 312.90 2420 2350 9.01
Anandnagar(UP) 5.50 161.9 187.40 2455 2460 11.59
Gadaura(UP) 5.00 525 391.50 2300 2400 9.52
Sehjanwa(UP) 5.00 -50 240.00 2470 2475 14.35
Buland Shahr(UP) 4.50 12.5 124.80 2640 2650 5.60
Kosikalan(UP) 4.10 36.67 186.30 2565 2600 0.20
Firozabad(UP) 4.00 150 14.20 2530 2550 -
Jahangirabad(UP) 4.00 33.33 131.50 2575 2575 NC
Kalyani(WB) 3.50 NC 148.00 3450 3450 7.81
Ranaghat(WB) 3.30 3.12 68.80 3700 3700 2.78
Bangarmau(UP) 3.00 -75 225.10 2475 2550 8.79
Khatra(WB) 3.00 -6.25 555.40 2650 2650 3.92
Sonamura(Tri) 2.50 - 5.00 2650 - -
Tundla(UP) 2.50 25 200.70 2550 2530 2.82
Charra(UP) 2.20 -12 40.80 2550 2550 2.00
Kalimpong(WB) 2.10 75 29.50 2800 2800 -39.13
Fatehpur Sikri(UP) 1.70 13.33 39.40 2580 2600 -3.55
Muskara(UP) 1.60 -5.88 22.20 2250 2280 2.27
Nandyal(AP) 1.00 NC 26.00 4250 4250 -
Jambusar(Kaavi)(Guj) 1.00 NC 83.00 3200 3200 -
Alibagh(Mah) 1.00 NC 94.00 2200 2200 -56.00
Murud(Mah) 1.00 NC 95.00 2200 2200 -45.00
Lamlong Bazaar(Man) 1.00 25 17.60 4800 4600 -
Achnera(UP) 0.70 NC 30.90 2550 2550 -0.39
Bishenpur(Man) 0.60 NC 14.10 4400 4400 -
Published on October 23, 2019
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rice-prices/article29776320.ece

Rice exports increases 50.76%, reached to $470.584 million in first quarter of FY 2019-20
October 23, 2019
ISLAMABAD, Oct 23 (APP):Rice exports from the country during first quarter of current financial year grew by 50.76% as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.
During the period form July-September 2019, about 839,356 metric tons of rice worth $470.584 million was exported as compared the exports of 551.5,86 metric tons valuing $312.147 million of same period of last year.
According the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the exports of basmati rice increased by 47.29%, about 212,873 metric tons of basmati rice valuing $194.669 million exported as compared the 127,669 metric tons worth $132.166 million of same period of last year.
Country earned $275.915 million by exporting rice other then basmati, as about 226,983 metric tons of above mentioned commodity exported 423,917 metric tons valuing $179.981 million of same period of last year, it added.
Meanwhile, 34,090 metric tons of fish and fish preparations worth $79.549 million were also exported in first quarter of current financial year as compared to the exports of 25,859 metric tons valuing $67.294 million of same period of last year.
According the trade data, the fish and fish products exports registered about 81.21% growth in last three months as compared to the same period of last year, the data reveled.
During the period under review, fruits and vegetables exports from the country also recorded positive growth of 10.20% and 21.11% respectively.
The country earned $111.338 by exporting about 131,762 metric tons of fruits, where as $38.459 million by exporting 145675 metric tons of vegetables respectively, it added.
Meanwhile the exports of the commodities that remained on down track during the period under review included wheat 88.11%, spices 2.71%, oil seed nuts and kernals reduced by 13.50% and the exports of sugar decreased by 22.95%.
It may be recalled here that food group exports of the country during first quarter of current financial year increased by 13.98% as different food commodities worth US$984.757 million exported as compared to the exports of $864.005 million of the corresponding period of last year.
https://www.app.com.pk/rice-exports-increases-50-76-reached-to-470-584-million-in-first-quarter-of-fy-2019-20/

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- October 24, 2019

OCTOBER 24, 2019 / 1:09 PM
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-October 24, 2018 Nagpur, Oct 24 (Reuters) – Gram prices reported higher in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) here good seasonal demand from local millers amid tight supply from producing regions. Fresh hike on NCDEX, good rise in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and reported demand from South-based millers also helped to push up prices. About 700 bags of gram reported for auction, according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM * Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand from local
traders.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani firmed up in open market here on renewed demand from local traders.
* Udid varieties and mot prices reported strong in open market here on good demand
from local traders amid thin supply from producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,400-5,600, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,100-8,200, Udid Mogar (clean)
– 7,900-9,000, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,500-9,200, Gram – 4,300-4,400, Gram Super best
– 5,800-6,200 * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in
scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 3,650-4,350 3,650-4,300
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction n.a. 4,920-5,100
Moong Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,200-2,500
Wheat Lokwan Auction 2,000-2,085 2,000-2,075
Wheat Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000
Gram Super Best Bold 6,200-6,500 6,200-6,500
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 5,900-6,100 5,900-6,100
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 4,500-4,700 4,450-4,550
Desi gram Raw 4,650-4,750 4,650-4,750
Gram Kabuli 8,500-10,000 8,500-10,000
Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,300-8,500 8,300-8,500
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 7,900-8,200 7,900-8,200
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,600-7,800 7,600-7,800
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 7,000-7,400 7,000-7,400
Tuar Gavarani New 5,700-5,750 5,650-5,750
Tuar Karnataka 6,050-6,150 6,050-6,150
Masoor dal best 5,500-5,800 5,500-5,800
Masoor dal medium 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,400
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 9,000-9,500 9,000-9,500
Moong Mogar Medium 7,500-8,200 7,500-8,200
Moong dal Chilka New 7,000-8,000 7,000-8,000
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 8,500-9,500 8,300-9,200
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 8,200-9,500 8,200-9,200
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,000-8,000 6,700-7,700
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,300-5,800 5,000-5,500
Mot (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,000 5,800-6,800
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,400-4,700 4,400-4,700
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,000 4,700-5,000
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 6,850-7,100 6,850-7,100
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,250-2,350 2,250-2,350
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,650-2,750 2,650-2,750
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,550-2,650 2,550-2,650
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,450 2,300-2,450
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-4,000 3,200-4,000
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-3,100 2,600-3,100
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500
Rice BPT best new (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,600 3,200-3,600
Rice BPT medium new(100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,100 2,700-3,100
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,100 3,000-3,100
Rice Swarna best new (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700
Rice Swarna medium new (100 INR/KG)2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400
Rice HMT best new (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,200 4,000-4,200
Rice HMT medium new (100 INR/KG) 3,500-3,700 3,500-3,700
Rice Shriram best new(100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,600-5,000
Rice Shriram med new (100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-13,500 8,500-13,500
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,200 5,000-7,200
Rice Chinnor best new 100 INR/KG) 5,400-5,500 5,400-5,500
Rice Chinnor medium new(100 INR/KG)5,000-5,200 5,000-5,200
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 32.1 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 20.4 degree Celsius Rainfall : Nil FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rains or thunder-showers. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 32 degree Celsius and 20 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices)
https://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-october-24-2019-idINL3N2792CJ
Thailand likely to miss this year’s rice export target
Thailand’s rice exports are forecast at 8 – 8.1 million tonnes in 2019, compared to the target of 9 million tonnes.
VNA Wednesday, October 23, 2019 15:56
 Farmers harvest rice on a field in Nakhon Pathom province of Thailand (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s rice exports are forecast at 8 – 8.1 million tonnes in 2019, compared to the target of 9 million tonnes.

Honorary President of the Thai Rice Exporters Association Chookiat Ophaswongse said that the projection is 3.5 million tonnes lower than last year’s export volume.

He said many local exporters have suffered losses due to the strong baht but have nonetheless continued to trade to safeguard their market share.

Rice exports during the first nine months totalled 5.9 million tonnes.

Earlier, the association revised its target for annual exports down to 9 million tonnes from 9.5 million tonnes.

In 2018, Thailand shipped 11.09 million tonnes of rice abroad, down from the 11.67 million tonnes in the previous year, but the export value still rose 8.3 percent to 5.61 billion USD.

Rice export prices averaged 507 USD per tonne in 2018, up 14.1 percent year on year./.
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/thailand-likely-to-miss-this-years-rice-export-target/162501.vnp
Northern localities aim for 7 million tonnes of paddy in winter crop
Thursday, December 14, 2017 14:39
 Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Ha Nam (VNA) – Northern provinces and cities plan to cultivate rice on 1.105 million ha of land in the winter-spring rice crop in 2019-2020, down 11,400 ha compared to one year ago, it was reported at a conference in Ha Nam province on October 22.

However, the localities aim to harvest around 7.04 million tonnes of paddy despite the reduction in cultivation area, an increase of 15,900 tonnes from the previous winter-spring crop.

Delegates at the conference presented reports on water sources and solutions to ensure water for the rice crop, hydro-meteorological forecast for the period from November 2019 to April 2020, and the risks of pests for the crop.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh reminded northern localities to pay attention to irrigation to ensure sufficient water for the rice crop, and to use quality high-yield rice varieties to increase output and economic value.

It was also reported at the conference that northern localities cultivated rice on nearly 1.08 million ha of land in the summer crop 2019, down 27,900 ha from last year, due to droughts. As a result, total paddy output of the crop was estimated at 5.47 million tonnes, a reduction of 22,400 tonnes on a yearly basis.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the rice export volume in the first nine months of this year was estimated at 5.2 million tonnes, earning 2.24 billion USD, up 5.9 percent in volume but down 9.8 percent in value compared to the same period in 2018./.
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/northern-localities-aim-for-7-million-tonnes-of-paddy-in-winter-crop/162466.vnp
House presses rice purchase fund
October 23, 2019

ByJester P. Manalastas

A SUBSTITUTE measure authorizing the use of the rice subsidy fund to purchase umilled rice (palay) from local farmers has been approved.
The substitute measure stemmed from a resolution filed by Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and his wife Tingog Sinirangan party-list Rep. Yedda Marie and another by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte.
The House Committee on Agriculture and Food chaired by Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga expressed hope that the unnumbered bill will be certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte for its early passage and in order to help farmers who are suffering from the low cost of palay.
The committee members agreed to allow the rice subsidy fund, amounting to P6.7 billion, under the annual national budget to be utilized for other purposes.
Enverga said around P2.7 billion from the rice subsidy fund will be used to purchase palay from local farmers.
In the present General Appropriations Act, there is an allocation of P33.9-billion for rice subsidies, most of which will be given to beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
Under 4Ps, beneficiaries will be given a rice subsidy in the form of financial assistance amounting to P600 a month.
However, it was reported by the DSWD that at least P6.97 billion from the rice subsidy program has yet to be disbursed.
The remaining P2.89 billion from the rice subsidy fund, meanwhile, is given to military uniformed personnel to provide them with 20 kilos of rice per month in the form of financial assistance.
The substitute bill is proposing that the DSWD, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of National Defense, Department of Transportation, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and local government units, in coordination with the National Food Authority and the Department of Agriculture, directly purchase palay from local farmers and distribute rice subsidy in the form of actual rice, instead of cash.
“Umaasa kami na sana naman, makita ng executive department yung kahalagahan nito lalo na yung timing nito,” Enverga said in an interview.
“We’re hopeful na sana magkaroon ng certification from the President para pag-resume namin, within that day, ay kaya na rin namin matapos at maipasa na ito, makapag-bicam na kami ng Senate,” he added.
Present at yesterday’s hearing, Presidential Legislative Liaison Office Secretary Adelino Sitoy said that it is possible for the measure to be certified as urgent by the President.
https://journal.com.ph/news/nation/house-presses-rice-purchase-fund
(LEAD) S. Korea to take into account agriculture industry in deciding developing country status
All Headlines 14:12 October 23, 2019SHARE LIKE SAVE PRINT
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(ATTN: UPDATES with U.S. reaction and comments by finance minister in paras 3, 10; ADDS graphics)
SEJONG, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade minister has said Seoul needs to take into account its sensitive agriculture industry in deciding whether to maintain developing country status.
Yoo Myung-hee conveyed South Korea's stance in meetings with Larry Kudlow, President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington on Tuesday (local time).
The U.S. has told Yoo that it understands South Korea's position, said a South Korean official who is familiar with the talks. He asked not be identified, citing policy.
The meetings came days before South Korea makes a crucial decision on whether to stick to its special and differential treatment under the World Trade Organization.
South Korea has kept its developing country status since 1995 to protect its sensitive agriculture industry, especially rice.
Trump has said if no substantial progress is made in overhauling the rules of the Geneva-based trade body by mid-October, the U.S. will no longer treat any WTO member that Washington says is not a developing country as one.
The U.S. has proposed that the WTO strip countries of developing country status if they meet certain criteria -- being members of the Group of 20 advanced economies, being members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), being high-income countries as classified by the World Bank and taking up at least 0.5 percent of total global trade.
South Korea meets all four of the criteria, which could undermine its efforts to maintain its status.

Currently, South Korea imposes a 513 percent tariff on imported rice for quantities outside the quota of 409,000 tons of annual rice imports from the U.S. and four other countries under the system of tariff-rate quotas meant to provide minimum market access.
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the government will come up with countermeasures on the agricultural sector over the possible dropping of developing country status.
Yoo also called for an exemption from U.S. tariffs on South Korean automobiles, given reciprocal trade and investment between the two sides and the revised bilateral free trade deal that went into effect in January.
Trump is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on imported autos and parts for reasons of national security as defined in Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.
entropy@yna.co.kr


https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191023001151320

Voice of the people
By admin
October 24, 2019
Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
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Beautifying the culture
British Prince William and his wife Kate have paid a visit to Lahore in Pakistan. This has largely attracted the attention of the world, seriously rekindling historical and cultural importance of Pakistani cities like Lahore. Touring is a beautiful act in itself, shedding light on historical and interesting things out there.
As a person who has long been talking/writing about the positive sides and beautiful culture of Pakistan, I was happy seeing the positive news of William’s visit to Pakistan. There have been so many interesting spots to visit in my native areas like Korkai, Tiruchendur, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. Countries should speak well of the beautiful aspects of their fellow/neighbouring countries. This will induce many positive changes to the world order.
P SENTHIL S DURAI
Mumbai, India
Child abuse
Children who are victim of this menace lead a difficult life as they have to deal with this trauma for the rest of their lives. Child abuse is a very important issue. This is wrong we need to put a stop to it. The scenario of Pakistan regarding child abuse in 2018 was quite alarming. Compared to 2017, child abuse cases increased from nine cases per day to twelve cases per day. 80% of children that are abused suffer from some sort of mental disorder.
Two-thirds of drug addicted people are reported to be abused or neglected as children. There are many things linked with child abuse such as drugs and depression, suicide attempts. We cannot let people do this to children; they are innocent and cannot defend themselves. No wonder depression is associated with abuse. Some children who died from abuse or neglect were already known to child protective services. Most children are abused by people they love and trust. Child abuse is a serious topic, people should take more time to think about abused children and if parents would care for their children suicide rates could possibly decrease.
AROOJ NAEEM
Rawalpindi
Tit-for-tat
The joint candidate of Grand Democratic Alliance and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Moazzam Ali Khan Abbasi was declared victorious in PS-11 Larkana-II by-election by bagging 31,557 votes while Pakistan Peoples Party Jameel Ahmed Soomro could secure 26,021 votes. The GDA candidate also enjoyed support of many other parties.
It is said that the people of Larkana have taken revenge from PPP for not providing them even basic necessities of life. Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda said that PPP had lost Larkana by-poll despite using state machinery. PTI leader Ali Zaidi took to twitter saying, “Democracy is the best revenge, and today the people of Larkana have taken their revenge”. Though win and defeat is part of democracy but PPP’s defeat in Larkana should serve as an eye opener ie if you serve people, people will serve you and if you don’t, then result is before us.
SIKANDAR SAJJAD
Larkana
Hindi not national language
India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah could’ve easily avoided the controversy of what he said. Now, after a backlash from the Southern States of India where Hindi is not compulsory, he says, he had no intention of making Hindi a compulsory language throughout India. Without thinking twice, his hasty decision and later regretting it, looks very ludicrous.
While it is important to preserve our national language, a dogmatic imposition of it on non-Hindi speaking States is not likely to unite the masses. The ‘One nation, One language’ approach does not ensure harmony at all. Also, Hindi is not the national language of India; it is just an official language.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
Road safety
Road safety is primarily meant about the protection and security of all those who travel on roads. It encapsulates all — from pedestrians to animal-drawn vehicles and from two-wheelers to all types of multi-wheel transport. Everybody will have to honour other’s rights to see his own respected. At least 25% of the total number of accidents involves motorcyclists riding without helmet and youths showing off by performing stunts. General public, parents and youth can be briefed about the dismal consequences of this with the help of illustrations or documentaries.
This segment of drivers can benefit by being told about the following road-safety tips:(i) Cockpit drill and basic awareness about the vehicle in use. (ii) Defensive driving in different weather and road conditions. (iii) Proper use of lights and horn. (iv) Road sense. (v) Right of way. (vi) Advantages of wearing a seat belt. The issue of road safety can be emphasized by creating awareness through telecasting documentaries on TV.
AROOJ NAEEM
Rawalpindi
Kashmore is at its worst
Pakistan is among the top countries with higher stunting rates, especially, Sindh with 48%. Tharparkar was at the top with 66% back in 2017-18. Unfortunately, despite being decreasing, the stunting rate increased in some districts of Sindh in 2018 and 2019, in which Kashmore is one of them with a rate of 66.2%. It is because of none other factors but the failure of institutions in controlling the fertility rate, malnutrition, waste, poor drainage system and non-qualitative staff in hospitals.
Growth rate in Kashmore is jumping up because of two-wife concept among most of Balochs – a dominant element of Kashmore. Furthermore, due to higher birth rate and limited resources, parents are unable to provide their infants nutritious food because most of the mothers are suffering from different kinds of diseases which cripple them to feed their infants. Consequently, Kashmore is at the top in rice production in Pakistan, that’s why there are lots of rice mills so their waste is left on open land nearer to the city which affects children with fatal diseases.
Kashmore population consists of 76.7% rural and 23.3% urban, in ruler areas of Kashmore there is a 0% drainage system. All the villagers have an open space for a bath, and in urban areas, Kashmore city has a poor drainage system, in most of the societies, has open drainage. Last but most important Kashmore city has an only civil hospital where doctors were appointed on favouritism basis. Additionally, doctors are most of the time busy in private clinics that are the reason behind highly infected districts from multiple diseases has a lower return in the government hospital. With all these facts, how can the government attract foreign entities to invest here for human development which is only limited to paperwork?
KHUDA DAD
Kashmore
Propaganda and Islamophobia
The rise of Islamophobia has become a great threat and a major challenge for the world today. One must not forget that the act of 9/11 is itself a huge example for adding more fuel to the fire in spreading the fear of Islamic extremism in the hearts of all non-Muslim communities. It is rightly said that “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind” and that is why the situation becomes more alarming when we see a crystal clear picture of the media propaganda done by the West which misrepresented and manipulated all the actual facts and figures of 9/11 and diverted the attention of the citizens by changing the concept of the Islamic term from “Religion of peace” to “Religion of Islamic Terrorism” and “Arabophobia”.
Furthermore, the term Islamophobia climbed one more step of the ladder when certain tactics were used by the media such as framing Muslim names more frightening, making comics and drawing animated pictures of the Islamic messengers, moulding the term of “Jihad” and expanding its misconception in other parts of the world, generating negative slogans, promoting the ban of veil (Burka), creating a stereotype thinking against Muslim women and their rights, anti-Islamic celebrities hosting talk shows against Muslim world, the solid misuse of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) to spread hateful speeches and much more. In other words, as a citizen, we need to be more careful in blindly following the footsteps of media and think more rationally and logically before swallowing inappropriate information on such political matters.
YUMNA ZAHID
https://pakobserver.net/voice-of-the-people-41/