Thailand approves aid package to help drought-hit farmers
Thailand’s
cabinet on February 25 approved a aid package worth 3.12 billion THB (98.3
million USD) to support farmers hurt by prolonged drought.
Tuesday, February 25,
2020 18:01
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Illustrative image (Photo: Bangkok Post)
Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s cabinet on February 25 approved a aid package worth
3.12 billion THB (98.3 million USD) to support farmers hurt by prolonged
drought.
The package will benefit more than 530,000 eligible farmers in 19 provinces, said deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhanadirek.
Sponsored by the central budget, it covers five projects including a scheme to promote farmers growing crops that use less water, another to maintain the quality and volume of rice production, and one to promote farmers raising tilapia and poultry, she noted.
The scheme to promote farmers growing crops that use less water is estimated to cost 348 million THB, while another to maintain the quality and volume of rice for the 2020 – 2021 crop year will cost 1.74 billion THB, she added.
Some 260 million THB of the total budget will go to promote farmers raising tilapia and the remaining budget will be allocated to promote farmers raising poultry and freshwater prawn to generate extra income.
The cabinet also approved allowing the farm aid fund to extend 538 million THB worth of no-interest loans to farmers to build water supply for their farmland, she said.
Thailand has been striken by the worst drought in decades with water levels in the country’s main reservoirs hitting very low. The Thai government has urged people to save water while farmers have been asked to not grow off-season rice.
The dry spell in Thailand lasts from November to May every year./.
The package will benefit more than 530,000 eligible farmers in 19 provinces, said deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhanadirek.
Sponsored by the central budget, it covers five projects including a scheme to promote farmers growing crops that use less water, another to maintain the quality and volume of rice production, and one to promote farmers raising tilapia and poultry, she noted.
The scheme to promote farmers growing crops that use less water is estimated to cost 348 million THB, while another to maintain the quality and volume of rice for the 2020 – 2021 crop year will cost 1.74 billion THB, she added.
Some 260 million THB of the total budget will go to promote farmers raising tilapia and the remaining budget will be allocated to promote farmers raising poultry and freshwater prawn to generate extra income.
The cabinet also approved allowing the farm aid fund to extend 538 million THB worth of no-interest loans to farmers to build water supply for their farmland, she said.
Thailand has been striken by the worst drought in decades with water levels in the country’s main reservoirs hitting very low. The Thai government has urged people to save water while farmers have been asked to not grow off-season rice.
The dry spell in Thailand lasts from November to May every year./.
Rice to our table
...At the
right price
Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - 01:00
The reaping of harvests
“Paddy farming is not just a profession
in Sri Lanka, it is a part of its culture—a symbol of dignity. Therefore, new
agricultural policy will see that the standards of the country’s paddy farmers
livelihoods are raised within a year.”
This is mentioned in President Gotabaya
Rajapaksa’s Election Manifesto: ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’.
Under the paddy purchasing programme
launched by the present government, farmers will be able to grab better prices
for their harvests; and this will take a positive turn, as a relief to many a
farmhand who previously suffered owing to paddy price issues.
Tackling rice market issues
The government’s decision to step in for
the farming community and tackle their issues in the volatile rice market by
purchasing stocks this Maha Season, has put a smile on their faces as they are
already reaping benefits from it. Moreover, this has encouraged private millers
to buy stocks at fair prices, thus ensuring a fixed price for paddy.
Information and Communication Technology
State Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said that the purchasing of paddy this
Maha Season is currently running smoothly, and that the Paddy Marketing Board
(PMB) has already acquired 5,217 metric tonnes of paddy.
Accordingly, the PMB has purchased 776
tonnes of paddy from Mullaitivu, 454 tonnes from Kilinochchi, 1.9 from Gampaha,
60.8 from Kurunegala, 69.3 from Puttalam, 21.9 tonnes from Jaffna, 56.4 tonnes
from Anuradhapura, 297.4 from Vavuniya, 782.8 from Mannar, 809.2 tonnes from
Ampara, 1878 from Batticaloa, 8.8 tonnes from Trincomalee.
Paddy Marketing Board Vice-Chairman
Duminda Priyadarshana said that the harvesting of paddy for this year’s Maha
Season has already begun, and that it is expected to reap a harvest of 3
megatonnes.
Certified prices
Furthermore, the government has taken
measures to ensure that a kilogram of rice would have a minimum certified price
of Rs.50. The government has also recently decided to acquire wet rice, and the
minimum price for it is to be Rs.45. Wet rice is to be available at District
Secretariats, as well as the Paddy Marketing Board.
The PMB Vice-Chairman said that the new
paddy purchasing programme will be carried out parallel to the Maha/Yala
harvesting seasons. He added that this would be ideal in order to save farmers
from the clutches of errant private millers who wish to exploit them.
Priyadarshana also urged farmers to make the most of the prevailing dry weather
in the country to sell dry rice.
Under the instructions of President
Rajapaksa, it has been decided to raise the living standards of small- and
medium-scale rice millers by providing them with the opportunity to buy and
sell wet rice via district and divisional secretariats. Rice millers will also
be able to obtain loans with 8% interest from state banks such as People’s
Bank, Bank of Ceylon, and Regional Development Bank.
Paddy preservation
The maximum amount of paddy that can be
obtained from farmers, according to the acreage they use for cultivation, has
been increased to 1,000kg per acre, 3,000kg per 1 – 3 acres, and 5,000kg per 3
– 5 acres. The government has also stated that it is willing to buy paddy from
farmers owning lands that exceed these area limits. Paddy storage has also
become a prevailing issue for farmhands in present times. Farmers in ancient
times never encountered such issues as traditional storage units called ‘Vee
Bissas’ were in plenty, and kept paddy from spoiling for long periods. The modern
world has seen no technology that surpasses these traditional methods of paddy
preservation.
In order to tackle the obstacles faced in
paddy preservation, the government has decided to use a storage unit and
trading complex set up during the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime in Marandagahamula,
Divulapitiya. Moreover, maintaining a continuous supply of rice during the
months of November and December is necessary as price hikes are likely to
occur.
The Food Commissioners Department has
storage units which can hold 24,000 metric tonnes of rice. Stocks of rice
stored there are to be provided via Sathosa at a fixed price whenever there are
price hikes. So far this year, the Paddy Marketing Board has collected 15 to
20% of this year’s paddy harvest, which stands at around 500 metric tonnes.
Tags:
Georgia Tech physicists unlock the secret to
perfect wok-tossed fried rice
The trick is a timely combination of side-to-side and see-sawing
motions.
Enlarge / Wok
tossing has long been suspected of causing the high shoulder injury rate among
Chinese chefs.
Hunting Ko and David Hu/Georgia Tech
·
Fried rice is a classic dish in
pretty much every Chinese restaurant, and the strenuous process of tossing the
rice in a wok over high heat is key to producing the perfect final product.
There's always chemistry involved in cooking, but there's also a fair amount of
physics. Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have devised a model
for the kinematics of wok-tossing to explain how it produces fried rice that is
nicely browned but not burnt. They described their work in a recent paper published in the Journal
of the Royal Society: Interface.
This work hails from David
Hu's lab at Georgia Tech, known for investigating such diverse phenomena as the
collective behavior of fire ants, water striders, snakes, various climbing
insects, mosquitos, the unique properties of cat tongues, and animal bodily functions like
urination and defecation—including a 2019 Ig Nobel Prize-winning study on why wombats produce cubed poo. Hu and his
graduate student, Hungtang Ko—also a co-author on a 2019 paper on the physics of how fire
ants band together to build rafts—discovered they shared a common interest in
the physics of cooking, particularly Chinese stir-fry.
FURTHER READING
Hu and Ko chose to focus their
investigation on fried rice (or "scattered golden rice"), a classic
dish dating back some 1,500 years. According to the authors, tossing the
ingredients in the wok while stir-frying ensures that the dish is browned but
not burned. Something about this cooking process creates the so-called
"Maillard reaction": the chemical interaction of amino acids and
carbohydrates subjected to high heat that is responsible for the browning of
meats, for instance.
But woks are heavy, and the
constant tossing can take its toll on Chinese chefs, some 64 percent of whom
report chronic shoulder pain, among other ailments. Hu and Ko thought that a
better understanding of the underlying kinematics of the process might one day
lead to fewer wok-related injuries for chefs.
In the summers of 2018 and 2019, Ko
and Hu filmed five chefs from stir-fry restaurants in Taiwan and China cooking
fried rice and then extracted frequency data from that footage. (They had to
explain to patrons that the recording was for science and that they were not
making a television show.) It typically takes about two minutes to prepare the
dish, including sporadic wok-tossing—some 276 tossing cycles in all, each
lasting about one-third of a second.
·
Image sequence showing the
wok-tossing process, modeled as a two-link pendulum.
Hungtang
Ko and David Hu/Georgia Tech
·
Schematic diagram showing
mathematical model for wok-tossing.
Hungtang
Ko and David Hu/Georgia Tech
·
Graph showing the metrics
for evaluating wok tosses.
Hungtang
Ko and David Hu/Georgia Tech
·
·
·
Ko and Hu presented preliminary results of their
experiments at a 2018 meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of
Fluid Dynamics, publishing the complete analysis in this latest paper. They
were able to model the wok's motion with just two variables, akin to a two-link
pendulum, since chefs typically don't lift the wok off the stove, maintaining
"a single sliding point of contact," they wrote. Their model
predicted the trajectory of the rice based on projectile motion, using three
metrics: the proportion of the rice being tossed, how high it was tossed, and
its angular displacement.
The authors found two distinct
stages of wok-tossing: pushing the wok forward and rotating it clockwise to
catch rice as it falls; and pulling the wok back while rotating it
counter-clockwise to toss the rice. Essentially, the wok executes two
independent motions: side to side, and a see-sawing motion where the left end
moves in a clockwise circle and the right moves counterclockwise. "The key
is using the stove rim as the fulcrum of the seesaw motion," the authors
wrote. Also key: the two motions share the same frequency but are slightly out
of phase.
Hu compared the effect to "flipping
pancakes or juggling with rice." The trick is to ensure that the rice
constantly leaves the wok, allowing it to cool a little, since the wok
temperature can reach up to 1,200 degrees Celsius. That produces fried rice
that is perfectly browned but not burned.
FURTHER READING
Based on their analysis, Hu and Ko
recommend that chefs increase both the frequency of motion when tossing fried
rice in a wok and the "phase lag" between the two distinct motions.
This "may enable rice to jump further, and promote cooling and
mixing."
The mathematical model Hu and Ko
developed isn't just a fun curiosity; it should also prove useful for
industrial robotic designs. One goal for the authors is to develop a wearable
exoskeleton or similar device to reduce the rate of shoulder injury among
Chinese chefs. But there has been interest in automating cooking since the
1950s to perform such basic functions as cutting, boiling, frying, and pancake
flipping—the latter task usually relying on reinforcement learning algorithms.
There have also been attempts to
automate stir-frying fried rice in large batches, with limited success. Prior
robotic designs have included a rotating drum to mix ingredients, and a
see-sawing wok to flip ingredients, augmented with an automated spatula. These
could mix ingredients via rotation or shaking but could not toss the rice and,
thus, could not produce the ideal carbonated grains. "If there was an
automated way of doing this, it could be very useful [for chefs]," said
Hu.
DOI: Journal of the Royal Society: Interface,
2020. 10.1098/rsif.2019.0622 (About DOIs).
Mixed reactions
trail customs new policy on foreign rice By Tijjani
Ibrahim | Published Date Feb 26, 2020 5:14 AM
TwitterFacebookWhatsAppTelegram The seized 110 bags of 50kg rice. Despite the
renewed efforts by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to stamp out the menace
of rice smuggling into Kano state, foreign rice still find its way into the
state, Chronicle investigation, revealed. It is against this background, the
NCS Kano/Jigawa states command adopt a new strategy of preventing rice
smuggling into the states by shutting down any super market or shop were foreign
rice is found. In a warning letter dated February 17, 2020, with a
reference number NCS/KAN/053/S.28, signed by Comptroller Ahmed Nasir, the NCS
warned shops and supermarkets owners in the state, seeking for their
cooperation to desist from patronizing foreign rice and other prohibited items
or risk having their supermarkets/shops sealed off by the operatives of the
NCS. When contacted, the comptroller, Ahmed Nasir, on why the customs would not
concentrate on the borders rather than descending on shops and supermarkets
owners, he said, the agency was acting within the purview of the law as it was
empowered by some provisions to clamp down on any errant trader. ADVERTISEMENT
HOW OVER 5000 NIGERIA MEN HAVE PERMANENTLY OVERCOME TERRIBLE BEDROOM PERFORMANCE
DUE TO THIS RECENT DISCOVERY BY MEDICAL CONSULTANTS “First of all, there is no
any country in the world that smuggling is 100 per cent wiped out. So, while we
are recording great success at the borders, this new effort will complement
that which we are gaining at the borders. “Our attempt to close down any
supermarket or shop selling foreign rice and other prohibited goods is not out
of place as there are sections of the law that empowered us to do so. “Section
158 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) 2004 gives us the power to
patrol freely. Section 147 of the same Act gives us the power to search
premises, while Section 167 gives us the power to detain, make seizures and
condemnation,” he explained Comptroller Ahmed said at least 85 per cent success
was achieved at the borders as a result of the combined efforts of different
agencies involved in the border drill exercise which was aimed at protecting
the country against transnational security concerns such as smuggling,
proliferation of arms and terrorism. A visit to some of the super stores
indicated that foreign rice is still on display in some shops while
investigation has shown that others have theirs hidden only for sale on demand
by the customers. Majority of them have complied with the order as they
resorted to selling wholly local rice. At Sahad Stores, an official who didn’t
want his name mentioned said the chairman of the enterprise decided to stop
selling foreign rice even before the recent issue of warning by the NCS. They
decried the turnover though as many customers prefer the foreign rice, saying
some people do patronize the local one only when they could not get the foreign
rice. At Shehe Supermarket, a business supervisor, Shuaibu M. Aliyu, said “What
customers are after in this situation is cheap goods. So, if the prices of the
commodity could be reduced, people will buy the local rice. He said even though
his supermarket did not receive the NCS’s letter, they have since restrained
from selling foreign rice. A super store owner who spoke on condition of
anonymity said “If the government is really ready to boost local production,
instead of the abrupt border closure, they should have made the duties paid on
foreign rice excessively high and make the local rice relatively affordable. He
said the customs should concentrate on the borders to ensure that foreign rice
does not get into the country rather than going to shops. On his part, Alhaji
Bashir Wada Kura, the chairman of Sabuwar Singer Supermarket, said government
must intervene to regulate the prices and ensure that the millers complied to
that. He said there was no reason why the company price should go beyond
N14,000, saying the prices were unnecessarily hiked by the millers. When
contacted on the latest prices, one of the millers in the state, Alhaji Abba
Dantata said the price ranges from N15,000 to N16,000 depending on different
parameters used to determine the cost of production. On the part of the end
users, a consumer, Alhaji Yusuf Nadabo, said “I don’t buy foreign rice, I feed
my family with our local rice because it is more nutritious and healthy. It is
also the only way we can support our economy. “Our local millers now have
machines for de-stoning and polishing, and that was what we are looking at with
the foreign rice, and it is through our patronage that they will be able to
purchase the more sophisticated facilities for milling,” he said. He added that
as a value chain that comprises farmers, paddy rice dealers, millers and
traders, consumers had to render their support for economic growth, adding that
there was the need to review the current prices. Another, Ibrahim Abba
Sadiq, who also said he prefered local rice due to its good taste and
nutritional value, also said, “I am currently eating foreign rice because I had
the opportunity to get it at a very low price, but to be frank with you I
prefer our local rice because of its taste and the milling is relatively good
now.”
Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/mixed-reactions-trail-customs-new-policy-on-foreign-rice.html
Nadabo, said “I don’t buy foreign rice, I feed
my family with our local rice because it is more nutritious and healthy. It is
also the only way we can support our economy. “Our local millers now have
machines for de-stoning and polishing, and that was what we are looking at with
the foreign rice, and it is through our patronage that they will be able to
purchase the more sophisticated facilities for milling,” he said. He added that
as a value chain that comprises farmers, paddy rice dealers, millers and
traders, consumers had to render their support for economic growth, adding that
there was the need to review the current prices. Another, Ibrahim Abba
Sadiq, who also said he prefered local rice due to its good taste and
nutritional value, also said, “I am currently eating foreign rice because I had
the opportunity to get it at a very low price, but to be frank with you I
prefer our local rice because of its taste and the milling is relatively good
now.”Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/mixed-reactions-trail-customs-new-policy-on-foreign-rice.html
Price hike of rice, again
Published: February 24, 2020 22:05:44
The rice market, particularly in the
city, is getting jittery. A primary commodity such as rice always maintains
price difference between rural and urban settings in the context when its
cultivation is enough to feed the nation. This equation can be completely
reverse when the staple has to be imported. On both occasions, though, it is
the big traders who dictate the terms. In countries where fair play governs the
market, the theory of demand-supply works well but in this part of the world
the theory is not allowed to operate by a section of traders who try to
manipulate it to their advantage. When growers of paddy are incurring losses on
account of low prices of the commodity millers who husk paddy into rice and
stockists of paddy control the market in order to get the best deal out of it.
In fact the millers are mostly stockists as well and they act in league with
each other.
The pattern of market manipulation is
not quite unfamiliar either. But so powerful is the association -or call it a
syndicate -of millers or traders that they can call the shot whenever they
consider the time 'propitious'. Everyone including the government can see the
irrationality behind recent price hikes of rice or many other commodities but
all prove powerless before the artificial engineering of prices. What has
happened and is still happening with onion price hikes will go down in the
history of market mechanism as a black chapter. True, prices of different
varieties of paddy have gone up in the village market too but at this time of a
new cultivation season few farmers have stocks for disposal except the amount
they will need for their family consumption. The poor and marginal farmers, on
the other hand, now have to purchase rice from market. Big traders waited for
this opportune moment to raise rice prices.
This has, however, not happened for
the first time. In the past when the high-yielding varieties were not
cultivated, most villagers had to fall in such a trap as they had to dispose of
their produce immediately after harvest at a throw-away price to meet some long
postponed demand. Now production has gone up and fewer villagers run short of
the staple for the lean period but those who do have to suffer financially. It
is a clear case of maldistribution of agricultural lands and food.
If the situation continues, it may
backfire. Already farmers, prompted by the continuous low prices of paddy and
higher prices of vegetables, fruits and even exotic crops, have been turning to
alternative cultivation. The government does not seem to have a long and
comprehensive agriculture policy in this regard. Even the data on production of
paddy often let the policymakers down. In 2017, the government even planned
rice export but then it had to desperately look for market to reimburse the
subsequent shortfall. The right policy on paddy cultivation would be to
incentivise farmers so that they do not abandon its cultivation in droves.
Procurement of paddy during harvest at a reasonable price has to be extensive
so that it can act as a buffer stock and benefit the majority of farmers.
Rights of nature: Can Indigenous traditions shape environmental
law?
Indigenous ideas of nature are gaining a foothold in mainstream
legal systems by making rivers, forests and even rice legal persons. Can rights
of nature laws protect ecosystems?
"We
see ourselves not as an owner of wild rice but a symbiotic partner and a
parallel entity from the Creator," says Frank Bibeau, a lawyer from the
Anishinaabe indigenous group in the United States and
Canada.
Harvesters
use flailing sticks to beat the wild rice — or manoomin, by its Anishinaabe
name — and release grain into the air. "A good portion of the rice gets
sent out in all directions to reseed the rice. Maybe half of it or a little
more falls into the canoe for food," Bibeau explains. "So we are part
of the natural reseeding process ourselves."
Seeking
ways to block an oil pipeline through the Great Lakes ecosystem where his
people and the rice have thrived together for generations, Bibeau designed
legislation granting wild rice its own rights under tribal law.
According
to the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF)
that advised Bibeau on the legislation, manoomin is the first plant in the
world to be granted rights. But it joins a growing number of rivers, forests,
and characterizations of nature as a whole, that are protected by "rights
of nature" laws around the world.
Watch video01:22
BaAka and
Sangha-Sangha forest school
Indigenous approaches written into
law
"Conventional
environmental laws are really about regulating how we use nature," says
Mari Margil of CELDF. "The consequences of that have been so devastating
that people in different parts of the world are saying we need to make a
fundamental shift in our relationship with nature."
With the
idea that indigenous peoples are the most reliable custodians of our planet now
repeated by politicians and environmental NGOs alike, giving nature rights
suggests a way their approaches might be adopted by broader society.
It was in
this spirit that Ecuador became the first country to enshrine the rights of
nature — personified as Pachamama, the Andean earth goddess — in its
constitution, in 2008.
Bolivia
and Uganda have since enshrined the rights of nature in their constitutions,
and an amendment was recently proposed for Sweden to
do the same.
As a legal
person, the Whanganui River and its ecosystem now have the right to exist and
flourish
A healthier
relationship with nature?
Asserting
that nature has intrinsic rights isn't just a legal tool to prosecute
polluters. It also challenges the "ecosystem services" approach to
environmental protection that costs up the economic value of clean air, water
and biodiversity — and even the concept of conservation areas.
As a
national park, land surrounding the Whanganui River in New Zealand was off
limits to the Iwi Maori tribe who had hunted and fished there sustainably for
generations. In 2017, the dispute was resolved by making the river a person in
its own right, owned by neither the state nor the tribe.
Maori law
professor Jacinta Ruru sees it as a major breakthrough that New Zealand law now
reflects the relationship the country's indigenous people have with the
environment — one that sees no division between what's good for people and the
planet.
"My
tribe — we'll talk about your veins in your arms as being like the riverways of
the land," explains Ruru. "So you're seeing the health and wellbeing
of who you are as a person, your health, your own happiness, as entirely
connected with the health and well-being of the environment around us."
Worani
people from the Ecuadorian Amazon protest against an oil project in Quito
Strategic
compromise
Ruru says
it's too soon to judge the ecological impact of the Whanganui River's change of
status. And it remains to be seen if the Rights of Manoomin will be any match
for the interests invested in the pipeline.
In
Ecuador's case, the new constitution has been used to block plantations and
road-building that threatened forest, but it hasn't proved enough to transform
an entire system geared toward economic development; cases brought by
indigenous activists have ended in Pachamama's rights being trumped by those of businesses.
Critics
also point out that making rivers and forests
honorary people owes less to any indigenous deification of nature than to the
Western rights discourse.
"There
is a strategic relationship between indigenous communities and the rights of
nature," says Mihnea Tanasescu, a political scientist who authored a book
on the subject in Ecuador. "But there is not necessarily an intrinsic
philosophical affinity, because rights are a very Western legal category."
Michelle
Maloney of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance is developing legislation based
on Aboriginal traditions that ground all law in relationships to the land. She
says nature rights are a way for different cultural perspectives to work
together.
"The
legal personhood argument is getting traction around the world," she says,
because "the average Westerner-lawyer type understands it as a
construct."
The Ganges
was made a legal person in 2017, but for Hindus it has always been an
embodiment of the goddess Ganga
The Ganges
and Yamuna rivers now have legal personhood, as do each of Bangladesh's
hundreds of rivers. The Colombian judiciary, meanwhile, has repeatedly ruled
that the rights of rivers of forests had been violated by pollution and
logging.
These laws
draw on specific local indigenous ideas. Yet a single US-based organization,
CELDF, has been instrumental in drafting nature rights legislation around the
world.
CELDF
worked on the world's first rights of nature law — a local ordinance to stop toxic waste dumping in Pennsylvania — in
2006, and Margil says close to 40 nature rights bills have now been passed in
the US. Many are brought by activists with no indigenous ties frustrated by a
legal system that doesn't recognize damage to nature as a crime until it
affects human health or livelihoods.
Conversation
changer
Last year,
one such case made international headlines. Residents of Toledo, a city on the
shores of heavily polluted Lake Erie in the US state of Ohio, voted to give the
lake rights.
Fed on
fertilizer run-off from surrounding farms, algae has choked out other life in
Lake Erie
A local
farm responded by filing a lawsuit claiming this violated the rights of
agribusinesses.
Since the
bill was more or less quashed by Ohio state legislature, activists are fighting
to revive it from legal limbo. But if nothing else, their struggle has drawn
attention to the priorities of a legal system that treats nature as property
but corporations as legal persons.
"Often
people just don't think about these invisible systems that govern our
world," Maloney says. "So as a starting point — and a conversation-
and discourse-changer — the rights of nature is very powerful."
·
And
now, locusts
·
·
·
·
"There is cause for worry."
Last Monday, we wrote
about the negative economic impact of the CoViD 19 epidemic. We made
comments particularly on tourism, which is of course easy to see. And we
worried about food security, particularly on rice, which is the country’s
staple food.
Early into DA
Secretary William Dar’s appointment, he was confronted with the African Swine
Fever infecting livestock in Rizal and Bulacan. Quick action prevented
the spread of the hog disease, but of late, ASF has begun affecting piggeries
in Davao del Sur and elsewhere in Southern Mindanao. That is worrisome.
In Hunan province, the
H5N1 disease has wreaked havoc on a big broiler farm, and hopefully effective
quarantine actions could prevent its spread. Otherwise, Asia will have to
worry about bird flu, the negative impact on food production being incalculable.
But we are
particularly worried about rice, whose impact on overall inflation is quite
huge. Notice how in 2018, rice prices drove inflation to highs of 5
percent and more. In 2014, we also experienced high prices for the
staple. In 2009, there was a world rice price crisis which made the
Philippines the world’s largest rice importer at prices exceeding $1,000 per
ton, and non rice-producing regions such as NCR experiencing long queues for
the staple. Similarly in 1995, people were stopping rice delivery trucks
on the streets, demanding their share because stores had run out of the staple.
As immediate response
early last year, Congress passed the Rice Tariffication Law at a time when the
national grains agency had low inventories. The law practically neutered
the NFA and opened up rice importation to the private sector, sans quantitative
controls. The private sector responded bybimporting unprecedentedly huge
volumes, which USDA estimated at 3 million tons.
This resulted in the
depression of palay-buying prices, leaving most of the country’s rice farmers
impoverished. The NFA could only buy so much, even as it upped its prices
by orders of the economic managers. How much could the castrated agency
do with a P7 billion budget for palay purchases, and even if increased
belatedly to P10 billion, the same could only buy a little over 500 thousand
tons, equivalent to 6 million bags when milled into rice. That is equivalent to
nine days of the country’s overall requirement, Philippine per capita
consumption being among the highest in the world.
But now, worry about
the externalities.
China’s major
rice-producing provinces are Heilongjiang in the north, Hunan, Jiangxi, Hubei
(!), Jiangsu, Anhui, Sichuan, Guangdong and Guangxi. Look at the map and
realize that most of these provinces are close to Hubei. Together, these
central China provinces produce 140 million tons out of China’s total
production of 208 million tons.
With CoViD 19, would
you expect farmers to plant their paddy fields well enough considering the
threat to their health? Hubei province alone, where the virus began, produces
20 million metric tons, equivalent to 10 percent of China’s total production,
and equivalent to the Philippines’ total rice consumption needs.
Thailand is limiting
its exports, preferring to export only the high-quality and high-priced
jasmine. India is cutting its exports of rice, preferring to export more
of its high-priced basmati, with its farmers likewise shifting from locally
consumed lower varieties to export-demanded basmati.
Many Vietnamese paddy
fields have been converted to other crops over the past ten years because of
stagnant prices for their staple export.
With the depression of
palay farm-gate prices owing to the over-importation of the staple by the
private sector last year, it is likely that many of our own palay farmers
switched to other crops. By how much, only the DA knows at this point.
Add to that the impact of strong typhoons which devastated the Mindoros
and Panay, major rice-producing provinces. That may have delayed
planting.
With demand being
inelastic, the 3 million tons in the hands of the private sector should be just
enough for the market until the beginning of the lean months, if not earlier
sold out.
Now look at the
outlook for the world market.
On top of CoVid 19’s
impact on Chinese rice production, on top of India and Thailand’s self-imposed
constriction of their exports of low and medium-quality rice, now comes
locusts.
There is a major,
major swarm of desert locusts travelling from Kenya, Ethiopia and other Horn of
Africa nations to India and Pakistan. India alone is suffering its worst
hit from locust infestation in the last 60 years. And India and Pakistan
are among the world’s biggest rice exporting countries, along with Thailand and
Vietnam.
The International
Grains Council is looking at high world prices. Even the UN
Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, noted that “today, locust swarms are as
big as major cities and it is getting worse by the day.”
Hopefully, those
locust swarms will not migrate to China, and hope that the mountains of Tibet
and Xingjiang will prevent them from invading China.
Our current secretary
of agriculture, having worked as head of ICRISAT, which specializes in the
semi-arid countries now affected by the locusts, knows exactly how devastating
these insects can be.
There is cause for
worry. Once again, our staple food will hound our day-to-day economics in
2020.
https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/so-i-see-by-lito-banayo/318231/and-now-locusts.html
South Korea’s per capita annual rice consumption fell to a record low in 2019 amid changes in diet and eating habits, data showed.
Per capita average annual rice consumption hit a fresh low of 59.2 kilograms last year, down 3 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea.
It marked the first time for the amount to fall below the 60-kilogram threshold.
The latest figure indicates Koreans consumed around 162 grams of rice on a daily basis. (Yonhap)
Rice Prices
as on :
26-02-2020 10:31:04 AM
Deputies approve
US$29m rice value chain project
Telangana’s
foodgrain output zooms on back of bumper paddy
Acreage goes
up, too
Deputies approve
US$29m rice value chain project
DA chief sees rice imports to decline further
How Japan Boosts
Fayemi’s Rice Production Revolution in Ekiti
DA-10 to brush
up corn, rice projects implementation protocols
Food Prices High, Beyond Means Of Poor Ghanaians
– Says IEA
Tax on rice imports down as shipments slumped
61.8%
Earmarked
for RCEF
Government to invalidate unused SPS-ICs for rice
imports
Different prices of rice are on display at a local store in San
Andres, Manila.
Schemes
Co-ops, groups top
rice importers under RTL
Investigation
DA chief sees rice imports to decline further
Land border closure: A necessary evil?
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/02/24/co-ops-groups-top-rice-importers-under-rtl/
Rice imports
tax collection down by 23%
The
Bureau of Customs recorded a total of 2019,320 metric tons (MT) of rice from
Jan. 1 to Feb. 14 this year. This is 61.8 percent lower than the 759,810 MT
brought into the country during the same period in 2019, when the tariffication
law was not yet in effect. PNA
Dummy Inc.
The next green
revolution for rice
Wednesday, 26 February, 2020
When engineers do good
Beware of economic saboteurs over border closure, group tells Buhari
Customs
intercepts 400 bags of smuggled rice concealed under water melons
Sarkin-Kebbi sid that the unit’s operatives attached to
Ilorin/Jebba/Mokwa axis discovered new antics deployed by smugglers to evade
arrest in carrying out their nefarious activities.
KVK organized three-day training programme under APART conducted in
Tezpur
[Graphic News] Rice consumption
dips to all-time low in 2019
Published
: Feb 25, 2020 - 16:12 Updated : Feb 25,
2020 - 16:12
South Korea’s per capita annual rice consumption fell to a record low in 2019 amid changes in diet and eating habits, data showed.
Per capita average annual rice consumption hit a fresh low of 59.2 kilograms last year, down 3 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea.
It marked the first time for the amount to fall below the 60-kilogram threshold.
The latest figure indicates Koreans consumed around 162 grams of rice on a daily basis. (Yonhap)
Rice Prices
as on :
26-02-2020 10:31:04 AM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
|
Arrivals
|
Price
|
|||||
|
Current
|
%
change |
Season
cumulative |
Modal
|
Prev.
Modal |
Prev.Yr
%change |
|
|
Rice
|
||||||
|
Lakhimpur(UP)
|
30.00
|
-14.29
|
1240.00
|
2470
|
2460
|
7.39
|
|
Anandnagar(UP)
|
5.40
|
116
|
136.30
|
2555
|
2550
|
11.09
|
|
Jambusar(Kaavi)(Guj)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
49.00
|
3300
|
3200
|
10.00
|
Published
on February 26, 2020
Deputies approve
US$29m rice value chain project
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Legislators at the National Assembly on Friday approved
the sum US$29, 800,000.00 signed between The Gambia government, Islamic
Development Bank and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA).
The amount is for the financing of the regional rice value chain development
project in The Gambia.
Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Mambury Njie, who
moved the motion said the project is designed to achieve the National
Development Plan (NDP) – a target of 122,000 metric tons of clean rice to meet
local consumption demand for rice (i.e. 80,000 metric tons). He added that the
project will reduce importation and improve nutritional status of the growing
population.
According to him, it will pave the way for private
sector participation in rice production processes through community agreements
that are endorsed by the government. It is also to strengthen farmers’
organisations so that they will serve as the entry point to reach farmers and
to provide services and manage machinery in a sustainable manner.
Finance Minister Njie said the total project cost is
estimated to be $29,800,000.00. $17,300,000.00 will be financed by the Islamic
Development Bank, BADEA finance $ 10,000,000.00 and the government of The
Gambia would contribute $2.500,000 towards the project.
“The Islamic Development Bank financing would come in
the form of installment sale in the amount of $15,000,000.00, a loan of
$2,000,000.00 and a grant of $300,000.00, whereas BADEA’s financing of
$10,000,000.00 would be a loan.”
Mr. Njie mentioned that the project is a rice value
chain development project that will be executed within the rural areas of the
Gambia targeting over 80,000 beneficiaries mainly in Upper River Region,
Central River Region north and south. “It will affect several districts and
villages in the respective regions.”
“The project is adopting a multi-lateral strategic
approach that is derived from the national priorities, lessons learned from
previous investment and sector review and analysis. Thus, this approach is
based on private sector engagement, micro financing and market mechanisms,” he
said.
He added that the component will focus on land
improvement that could enhance rice production and productivity. “It will
include land development and rehabilitation of production infrastructure and
irrigation systems.”
He further added that a total of 3,265 hectares have
been targeted out of which 2000 hectares will be implemented by Arab Bank for
Africa Development (BADEA) as a co-financier with 1265 hectares. “The total
investment cost to implement this component is $18,652.000 which accounts for
68% of the total project cost.”
He said the other component will focus on providing
market infrastructure, storage and processing facilities development as well as
access to roads.
“The project will be implemented by Ministry of
Agriculture, as the executing agency, the existing Central projects
Coordinating Unit (CPCU) will coordinate the project implementation process and
it will be equipped by a loan implementation unit that includes key dedicated
project team including: project coordinator, Community Officer, Agribusiness
Specialist among others to serve main functions and responsibilities of this
project.”
Telangana’s
foodgrain output zooms on back of bumper paddy
KV Kurmanath Hyderabad | Updated
on February 25, 2020 Published
on February 25, 2020
Thanks to a bumper paddy output,
Telangana’s foodgrain production has shot up in 2019-20. According to the first
Advance Estimates, the total foodgrain production would be a record 130 lakh
tonnes, including 99 lakh tonnes of rice (converted from 148 lakh tonnes of
paddy).
Foodgrain output showed a growth
of 40 per cent over the previous year’s production of 93 lakh tonnes. The tally
is more than the five-year average production of 83 lakh tonnes.
Despite a dismal start to the
agricultural season, Telangana has reaped a bumper harvest this year, with
paddy leading the table with a 48 per cent growth in output.
According to the estimates
compiled by the government, the paddy production is pegged at 148 lakh tonnes
in the kharif and rabi seasons for the year 2019-20. This is 48 per cent more
than the previous year’s tally of 100 lakh tonnes.
Acreage goes
up, too
The growth is attributed mostly
to the increase in area under the crop. From 48 lakh acres in 2018-19, the area
under paddy went up to 68.50 lakh acres, a growth of 43.50 per cent. A State
government official said the increase was made possible because of a slew of
irrigation projects that were taken up by the Government.
The growth in production is also
attributed to increase in yields, which went up by 3.19 per cent. From 5,178 kg
a hectare, it went up to 5,343 kg/ha.
“Of the total production, we
estimate that the aggregate procurement would be about 45 lakh tonnes,” the
official said.
The State expects a tally of 99
lakh tonnes for 2019-20 as against 67 lakh tonnes, a growth of 48 per cent.
Maize, which was grown in 14 lakh
acres, showed an increase of 23 per cent at 26 lakh tonnes in 2019-20 against
21 lakh tonnes in the previous year.
Published
on February 25, 2020
Deputies approve
US$29m rice value chain project
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Legislators at the National Assembly on Friday approved
the sum US$29, 800,000.00 signed between The Gambia government, Islamic
Development Bank and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA).
The amount is for the financing of the regional rice value chain development
project in The Gambia.
Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Mambury Njie, who
moved the motion said the project is designed to achieve the National
Development Plan (NDP) – a target of 122,000 metric tons of clean rice to meet
local consumption demand for rice (i.e. 80,000 metric tons). He added that the
project will reduce importation and improve nutritional status of the growing
population.
According to him, it will pave the way for private
sector participation in rice production processes through community agreements
that are endorsed by the government. It is also to strengthen farmers’
organisations so that they will serve as the entry point to reach farmers and
to provide services and manage machinery in a sustainable manner.
Finance Minister Njie said the total project cost is
estimated to be $29,800,000.00. $17,300,000.00 will be financed by the Islamic
Development Bank, BADEA finance $ 10,000,000.00 and the government of The
Gambia would contribute $2.500,000 towards the project.
“The Islamic Development Bank financing would come in
the form of installment sale in the amount of $15,000,000.00, a loan of
$2,000,000.00 and a grant of $300,000.00, whereas BADEA’s financing of
$10,000,000.00 would be a loan.”
Mr. Njie mentioned that the project is a rice value
chain development project that will be executed within the rural areas of the
Gambia targeting over 80,000 beneficiaries mainly in Upper River Region,
Central River Region north and south. “It will affect several districts and
villages in the respective regions.”
“The project is adopting a multi-lateral strategic
approach that is derived from the national priorities, lessons learned from
previous investment and sector review and analysis. Thus, this approach is based
on private sector engagement, micro financing and market mechanisms,” he said.
He added that the component will focus on land
improvement that could enhance rice production and productivity. “It will
include land development and rehabilitation of production infrastructure and
irrigation systems.”
He further added that a total of 3,265 hectares have
been targeted out of which 2000 hectares will be implemented by Arab Bank for
Africa Development (BADEA) as a co-financier with 1265 hectares. “The total investment
cost to implement this component is $18,652.000 which accounts for 68% of the
total project cost.”
He said the other component will focus on providing
market infrastructure, storage and processing facilities development as well as
access to roads.
“The project will be implemented by Ministry of
Agriculture, as the executing agency, the existing Central projects
Coordinating Unit (CPCU) will coordinate the project implementation process and
it will be equipped by a loan implementation unit that includes key dedicated
project team including: project coordinator, Community Officer, Agribusiness
Specialist among others to serve main functions and responsibilities of this
project.”
DA chief sees rice imports to decline further
Published February 25, 2020, 10:00 PM
By MADELAINE B. MIRAFLOR
Agriculture Secretary William Dar
is seeing a decline in rice imports for the year but at the same time
reiterated his appeal for traders not to purchase imported rice during the dry
harvest season.
In an interview, Dar told
reporters that he sees rice imports further declining amid the strict issuance
of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPS-IC) to private traders.
Still, he reiterated his appeal for them not to bring in imported rice during
the upcoming harvest season.
“We appeal for traders not to
apply for SPS-IC because dry harvest season is coming soon,” Dar said, adding
that on the part of Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Plant Industry
(BPI), permit issuance will continue to be restricted.
It was in November when the
Philippine government has issued stricter set of guidelines on the issuance of
SPS-IC for imported rice.
The move, which is meant to
address the influx of imported rice in the country, was done in exchange for
the proposal for the government to raise the tariffs slapped on imported rice
as a safeguard measure for farmers.
According to Dar, the reception
to this move among rice traders is “so far so good.” Regarding the existing
SPS-ICs that haven’t been used since last year, he said the government is now
looking to revoke them in order to avoid hoarding of permits among traders, who
would sometimes use dummies just to be able bring in more cheaper imported
rice.
Last year, the Philippines
imported about 3 million metric tons (MT) of rice, making the country the
world’s top rice importer, beating China.
As a result, palay prices have
gone down, incurring as much as ₱70 billion losses among rice farmers.
“We will always strengthen the
guidelines,” Dar said, adding that he is now asking BPI Executive Director
George Culaste for recommendations on what to do with the unused SPS-IC.
Meanwhile, Dar said he hopes that
the country’s mechanization program under Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund
(RCEF) will finally be implemented within the year.
Mechanization is the most crucial
process in making Filipino rice farmers competitive because it will lower their
production cost at the same time increase their output.
“If the fund will be given to us
soon, then we will start by March,” Dar said, referring to the procurement
process of new farm machinery that will be distributed to the farmers’
cooperatives that will initially benefit from the RCEF.
RCEF, which is where all the
tariffs collected from imported rice should go, was supposed to have P10
billion allocation upon the implementation of Rice Tariffication Law or
Republic Act (RA) 11203.
Nevertheless, Dar said the DA was
already able to validate 944 farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) and
corresponding technology requirement.
How Japan Boosts
Fayemi’s Rice Production Revolution in Ekiti
February 26, 2020 4:14 am
Victor Ogunje writes that Ekiti
State has entered the league of states producing rice in commercial quantity
with a recent grant from the Japanese government facilitated by a civil society
organisation
The declining economic fortune of
the nation and dwindling resources from the oil sector has taught the discerning
chief executives of many states a good lesson. Every state of the federation is
now compelled to look inwards and strengthen their local economies by
fortifying and expanding the scope of economic benefits where they are
identified as having comparative advantage.
Dissecting the atmospheric and
edaphic nature of Ekiti, it has unquantifiable comparative benefit in
agriculture. Fortunately, Governor Kayode Fayemi came with a glowing vision
that would develop a unique brand for Ekiti in agriculture, for state’s
economic breakthrough and for the lifting of individual farmers.
As was visible in his first term,
between 2010 and 2014, Fayemi instituted some agricultural policies that
changed the face of the sector. The Youth in Commercial Agriculture (YCAD), the
cocoa and cassava revolution policy that was supported by the Agriculture
Development Bank (ADB) and the subsidized agriculture implements were some of
the areas where farmers enjoyed benefits that really improved the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) of the state.
Fayemi could fathom the fact that
Ekiti does not enjoy the cosmopolitan effect of a blossoming population and
thick industrial hub like Lagos and is also landlocked with heavy reliance on
agricultural produce like; cocoa, oil palm, kola nut, plantain, banana, cashew,
water melon, citrus, timber, rice, yam, cassava, cocoyam, maize, cowpea. Having
realized this, the governor decided to develop a brand around those areas where
all the strata of the society could benefit through partnership with the corporate
bodies, civil society organisations and other interested states of the
federation.
Looking at the possibilities of
Ekiti production capacity, there is no crop that has brought so much fame to
Ekiti like the Igbemo Rice brand. The existence of Igbemo predates the
country’s amalgamation of 1914. For donkey years, its production by local
farmers at subsistence level had no value added to give it better packaging
despite being identified as uniquely nutritious and delicious.
The state government, however,
understood that the huge capacity that could have accrued to the state was
being hampered by poor credit facilities for farmers and lack of modern
equipment. The government decided to bring to the fore a modern innovation that
can break this barrier, reposition the Igbemo and make it the mainstay of the
economy.
Many Nigerians are aware of the
huge gains being savoured by Lagos and Kebbi States with their Investments in
the production of LAKE Rice. The Ebonyi state economy has also been
strengthened with the remodeling and repackaging of Abakaliki Rice among other
brands being promoted by corporate organisations and individuals.
To achieve this task, the
governor has taken advantage of the veritable window in the partial closure of
land borders by the Federal Government which has curbed rice smuggling into the
country to a large extent. Local farmers now have opportunities to boost their
economies and make gains out of this opportunity.
Igbemo Rice may soon be accorded
national recognition as the story is about to change with the giant leap being
made by a civil society organization, the New Initiative for Social Development
(NISD) to attract huge investment from the government of Japan to boost the
capacity of local rice farmers in Ekiti State.
The NISD has entered into a pact
with the Embassy of Japan in Nigeria to provide farmers in Ekiti State with
modern equipment to boost rice production and make the state one of the leading
rice producers in Nigeria.
The organization was presented
with a cheque of $148, 209 by the Ambassador of Japan to the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, Mr. Kikuta Yutaka.
The Japanese government through
its Embassy in Nigeria is investing in the provision of power tillers and
combined harvesters for rice farmers in Gbonyin Local Government Area of the
state.
The grant which was facilitated
by NISD is already causing excitement and a sense of fulfillment in the Ekiti
State government and the local farmers to benefit from the project.
There was excitement on February
20, 2020 when the contract was signed at the Embassy of Japan in Abuja in the
presence of officials of NISD, Ekiti State Government and Japanese diplomats.
The Ekiti State Government was
represented by the Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Folorunso
Olabode; Special Adviser to the Governor on Development Partnerships, Mrs.
Margaret Fagboyo and Special Assistant to the Governor on Civil Society
Matters, Mr. Biodun Oyeleye.
While Ambassador Kikuta signed on
behalf of the Japanese Government, Mr. Martins Ogunlade, the Programme Manager
of NISD signed on behalf of his agency.
According to the contract
documents seen by our reporter, the donor (Government of Japan) will make
available to the recipient (NISD) the grant of $148, 209 or its local currency
equivalent as of the date of disbursement by March 31, 2020.The project
initiated by NISD in Ekiti will be implemented in collaboration with Toyota
Tsusho Corporation which will provide agricultural equipment from Yanmar Co.,
Ltd. and Mitsubishi Mahindra Agricultural Machinery Co. Ltd. to the farmers in
Ekiti State.
Ogunlade promised that the grant
would be properly and exclusively used for the purchase of products and
services necessary for the execution of the project as stated in the agreement.
The NISD chief promised transparency
in the disbursement of the funds as the agency would not use products and
services purchased with the grant for anything other than the execution of the
project, without acquiring prior written approval from the donor.
Ogunlade explained that the report
would outline achieved results in the light of the original goals and
objectives as stated in the application proposal for the project which was
expected to include accounting report of the allocation and disbursement of the
grant.
He pointed out that the provision
of the facilities would boost the capacity of rice farmers in the targeted area
and ensure that the staple food is made available in commercial quantity.
The Commissioner for Agriculture,
Mr. Olabode, thanked the Japanese Embassy for investing in rice production in
Ekiti State. He said Governor Fayemi appreciates the gesture.
Olabode said Ekiti needs more
support from development partners to boost food security and create more job
opportunities for its people.
The commissioner further promised
that every equipment given to Ekiti State would be judiciously used and also
gave assurance on their maintenance and sustainability.
The Special Assistant to Governor
Fayemi on Civil Society, Mr. Oyeleye, said the state government’s investment
drive has been yielding dividends which he noted would benefit the people and
the economy.
Oyeleye said, “We really
appreciate the Japanese government through their Embassy in Nigeria for
supporting the civil society in Ekiti to bring development to Ekiti State.
“The support given to NISD is to
assist the state government in achieving the five-pillar development agenda
under agriculture and civil society has contributed to the government achieving
this development.
“It’s a very great opportunity
given to us by Japan for the civil society to contribute towards achieving the
five pillars agenda of Mr. Governor and we are looking forward to such
partnerships, this should not be a one-off.”
A rice farmer in Egbe Ekiti, also
in Gbonyin Local Government, Mr. Ola Ogunmodede, heaped praises on the Japanese
government and NISD for making the feat possible.
Ogunmodede said, “We have formed
ourselves into cooperatives to be able to access loans and inputs and the
provision of modern farming methods by the Japanese will help us realize our
dreams.
“The rehabilitation of Egbe Dam
by the Ekiti State government which will soon be completed is also a major
boost for rice production.”
A member of Rice Growers
Association in Ekiti State, Mr. Bode Lucas, urged the government of Japan and other
development partners collaborating with the Ekiti State government to extend
the gesture to rice farmers in other parts of the state.
Lucas said, “We appreciate what
the government of Japan has done for our colleagues in Gbonyin but we have rice
farmers in virtually all the local government areas in Ekiti State.
“Investment in rice production is
capable of turning Ekiti State into a major rice producer that can rival Kebbi,
Ebonyi and other states because what the farmers need here is support in the areas
of credit facilities and state-of-the-art equipment.”
QUOTE:
Many Nigerians are aware of the
huge gains being savoured by Lagos and Kebbi States with their Investments in
the production of LAKE Rice. The Ebonyi state economy has also been
strengthened with the remodeling and repackaging of Abakaliki Rice among other
brands being promoted by corporate organisations and individuals. To achieve
this task, the governor has taken advantage of the veritable window in the
partial closure of land borders by the Federal Government which has curbed rice
smuggling into the country to a large extent. Local farmers now have
opportunities to boost their economies and make gains out of this opportunity.
Igbemo Rice may soon be accorded
national recognition as the story is about to change with the giant leap being
made by a civil society organization, the New Initiative for Social Development
(NISD) to attract huge investment from the government of Japan to boost the
capacity of local rice farmers in Ekiti State
DA-10 to brush
up corn, rice projects implementation protocols
Philippine Information Agency
25 Feb 2020, 22:38 GMT+10
25 Feb 2020, 22:38 GMT+10
CAGAYAN DE
ORO CITY, Feb. 25 -- After a five-day intensive audit by the Nationwide
Agri-Fisheries Investment Audit Team (NAFIAT), the Department of Agriculture -
Regional Field Office 10 (DA-RFO 10) management committed to strengthen its
operational policies and project implementation for its Rice and Corn programs.
DA-RFO 10
OIC-Regional Executive Director Carlene C. Collado eyed for the build-up of
corn and rice projects execution strategies in the coming years noting NAFIAT
findings.
"The
biggest room in this world is the room for self-improvement. We assure you
[NAFIAT] that we will be doing our best to improve our weaknesses and further
strengthen our strengths as we continuously serve our farmers in Region
10," Director Collado candidly said as he thanked the audit team's inputs.
The director
assured them that the findings will be properly addressed through a concerted
effort by the DA-10 management committee.
The
nationwide corn and rice programs audit by NAFIAT was prompted by the media
storm over improper allocation of government-granted agri machineries and
infrastructure projects, prompting DA to organize a special audit team under
Special Order No. 1042.
NAFIAT is
primarily commissioned to audit DA mechanization programs from CY 2015-2019 to
strengthen the country's agricultural modernization program focusing on two key
frameworks: funds audit and physical audit.
Dr. Rosanna
Marie C. Amongo of PSABE, NAFIAT sub-team 2 leader and her team rolled-out a
five-day audit of DA-10 Corn and Rice Programs farm mechanization projects.
The audit
was conducted by interviewing and meeting focus groups and key informants
involved in the project's implementation - DA-RFO 10 key personnel, selected
LGU and AFC officials, agri- machinery dealers, solar-powered irrigation system
contractors, farmer associations and cooperatives.
To gather
ground-level information, the audit team also visited selected
farmer-beneficiaries in Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon provinces.
After
comprehensive data gathering, analysis and assessment, NAFIAT came up with its
audit findings and was presented to DA-RFO 10 management committee in an exit
meeting on February 21, 2020 at the Marianne Suite, Cagayan de Oro City.
Aside from
DA's good operational practices, NAFIAT has also observed areas to be
strengthened for improved project implementation.
In her part,
Regional Technical Director for Operations, Carlota S. Madriaga moved for the
creation of a unified inter-division monitoring team to strategically monitor
the projects implemented under the Rice and Corn programs.
DA-10 is one
of the first six regions audited by NAFIAT. While the audit observations are
detailed in the exit meeting, the group will be presenting consolidated
recommendations to the six DA regional field offices. (DA-10)
Food Prices High, Beyond Means Of Poor Ghanaians
– Says IEA
By News Desk
The Institute of Economic Affairs
(IEA) has lamented that local food prices are still high and beyond the means
of many people in Ghana, especially the poor.
According to IEA, many crops are
still subject to seasonality and considerable price fluctuations.
The assertions of IEA are sharply
in contrast to claims made by President Nana Akufo-Addo that agriculture has
improved under his administration and that Ghana is no longer importing maize,
and that rice imports have been reduced.
Mr. Akufo-Addo also claimed that
Ghana is now a net exporter of foodstuffs and that food prices are at their
lowest for decades.
However, at a press conference on
Tuesday, February 25, in Accra to respond to claims made by the President in
his SONA, Dr. John K. Kwakye, Director of Research, IEA, said “the fact that
food accounts for 43℅ of the average Ghanaian’s monthly spending is enough
evidence that food prices are still prohibitively high.”
According to him, on the whole,
Ghana still has a long way to go in producing more food locally to reduce food
prices and the general cost of living.
He mentioned inadequate
irrigation facilities, high dominance of peasant farming, inadequate
availability of high-yielding seed varieties and fertilizer, among others, as
factors for low food production in Ghana.
—Daily Guide
Tax on rice imports down as shipments slumped
61.8%
By: Ben O. de Vera - Reporter / @bendeveraINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:08 AM February 25,
2020
Due to the
lower rice import volume, tariff collections slid by nearly a fourth to P1.71
billion as of mid-February this year, the Department of Finance (DOF) said
Monday.
Citing the
latest Bureau of Customs data, the DOF said in a statement that the duties
collected from imported rice between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14 declined 23.1 percent
from P2.22 billion a year ago.
As of
mid-February, 209,320 metric tons (MT) of rice entered the country, a
61.8-percent drop from 759,810 MT during the same period last year.
Citing the
BOC’s report, the DOF noted that the Rice Tariffication Law was not yet in
effect at the start of last year as it was signed into law in mid-February
2019.
Republic Act
No. 11203 slapped the following import duties on rice: 35 percent if rice is
imported from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean); 40 percent if
within the minimum access volume (MAV) of 350,000 MT from countries outside
Asean, and 180 percent if above the MAV and coming from a non-Asean country.
Earmarked
for RCEF
In 2019, the
implementation of RA 11203 generated a total of P12.3 billion in rice import
duties as the private sector imported 2.03 million MT of the Filipino staple.
Of last
year’s collection, P10 billion will be automatically earmarked for the yearly
Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) aimed at modernizing the sector,
while the excess amount will be allocated to local farmers whose livelihood
were affected by the surge in imports due to liberalized trade.
In turn, the
DOF said rice retail prices already dropped by a minimum of P9 a kilo after the
import quota aimed at protecting the domestic industry was lifted while
importation and regulation were taken away from the state-run National Food
Authority. INQ
Government to invalidate unused SPS-ICs for rice
imports
February 25, 2020
-
Different prices of rice are on display at a local store in San
Andres, Manila.
THE Philippines will void all unused import clearances for some
1.8 million metric tons (MMT) of rice issued last year to protect local
planters who will harvest their crop starting next week.
Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar on Monday also announced
that the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) will no longer issue sanitary and
phytosanitary import clearances (SPS-ICs) to farmers’ organizations that serve
as dummies of unscrupulous traders.
Dar made an assurance that invalidating SPS-ICs issued in 2019
will not cause a shortfall in rice supply, as the Philippines has stocks
sufficient for at least three months. Apart from this, he said 175,000 metric
tons (MT) of imported rice entered the country in January.
“We will void unused SPS-ICs because we have rice inventory good
for 90 to 94 days. Plus harvest is coming,” he told reporters in an interview.
The chief of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said he has
instructed BPI Executive Director George Culaste to find out why there are
still unused SPS-ICs, some of which were issued a few months after the
effectivity of the rice trade liberalization law (RTL).
He added the government may indicate an expiration date for the
SPS-ICs to force traders to bring rice into the Philippines within a specified
period of time.
Data from the BPI, an attached agency of the DA, showed that
there were some 1,752 unused SPS-IC at the end of 2019. The BPI issued a
total of 4,069 SPS-ICs from March 5 to December 31, 2019, for 3.63 MMT of
imported rice.
The agriculture chief urged traders to desist from applying for
SPS-ICs during harvest so as not to depress the farm-gate price of unhusked
rice. He said the BPI may approve fewer SPS-ICs during harvest.
The enactment of Republict Act 11203, or the rice trade
liberalization law, deregulated the rice industry and eased import
requirements. Under the law, traders must secure SPS-ICs from the BPI prior to
purchasing imported rice.
Schemes
Dar also said the government will stop issuing SPS-ICs to
farmers’ cooperatives and associations that serve as dummies of unscrupulous
rice traders and importers.
“We don’t want farmers’ cooperatives to be used [by unscrupulous
traders] That’s a bad practice. We will not allow that. We have the list and
once they come forward, we will not give them the clearance,” he said.
The DA earlier disclosed that it has identified the farmers’
organizations, particularly cooperatives, that are being used by unscrupulous
traders who want to take advantage of the tax exemption privileges of coops.
Dar said the DA will strengthen its partnership with the CDA in
weeding out these cooperatives.
He said he will request the CDA to submit all the financial
statements of all registered cooperatives in the past three years to determine
if they are capable of importing rice.
Cooperatives, farmers’ groups and associations edged out
companies and traders in terms of rice imports under the new trade regime, as
they cornered a total of 1 MMT of the staple at the end of 2019.
BPI data obtained and analyzed by the BusinessMirror showed that
at least 120 multipurpose and farmers’ cooperatives, organizations and
irrigators’ associations imported 1.043 MMT from March 5 until December 31,
2019.
The volume imported by farmers’ organizations was 28 percent
higher than the 810,548.85 MT of rice imported by the 96 traders, rice millers
and corporations, which included the likes of Puregold Price Club Inc. and
Davao-based firm Davao San-Ei Trading Inc.
Documents obtained by the BusinessMirror showed a discrepancy
between the financial capacity of some irrigators’ associations and the volume
of rice they are importing (See “Farmer groups
‘top rice importers’–are they?,” in the BusinessMirror, November 21, 2019).
Image Credits: Nonie Reyes
Co-ops, groups top
rice importers under RTL
By
-
February 24, 2020
COOPERATIVES, farmers’ groups and
associations edged out companies and traders in terms of rice imports under the
new trade regime, as they cornered a total of 1 million metric tons (MMT) of
the staple at the end of 2019.
Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI)
data obtained and analyzed by the BusinessMirror showed that at least 120
multipurpose and farmers’ cooperatives, organizations and irrigators’
associations imported 1.043 MMT from March 5 until December 31, 2019. The rice
trade liberalization law (RTL) which deregulated the industry took effect on
March 5, 2019.
The volume imported by farmers’
organizations was 28 percent higher than the 810,548.85 MT of rice imported by
the 96 traders, rice millers and corporations, which included the likes of
Puregold Price Club Inc. and Davao-based firm Davao San-Ei Trading Inc.
BPI data showed that the total
volume of rice that entered the country under the new trade regime by end-2019
was at 1.853 MMT, or half of the total applied volume of 3.632 MMT.
Rice importers used a total of
2,317 sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances to bring the staple into the
Philippines out of the 4,069 total SPS-ICs issued to them from March 5 to
December 31, 2019, according to BPI data.
During the 10-month period,
farmers’ organizations used 1,134 SPS-ICs to import rice. The top
rice-importing farmers’ group during the period was San Jacinto Poblacion
Farmers Consumers Cooperative, which brought in 40,392 MT of rice. It was
followed by Timmaguab II Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative, which purchased
36,720 MT of rice imports, BPI data showed.
Davao-based firm Davao
San-Ei Trading Inc. led all rice importers during the period with 64,636
MT, followed by publicly listed firm Puregold Price Club Inc. with 63,854.83
MT.
Investigation
Currently, farmers’ groups are
under the scrutiny of the government after the Department of Agriculture (DA)
initiated an investigation into cooperatives and associations that are supposedly
being used as dummies or fronts by unscrupulous traders who want to take
advantage of their tax-exemption incentives.
Documents obtained by the
BusinessMirror showed a discrepancy between the financial capacity of some
irrigators’ associations and the volume of rice they are importing (See “Farmer groups
‘top rice importers’–are they?,” in the BusinessMirror, November 21, 2019).
Bureau of Customs data compiled
and analyzed by the BusinessMirror showed that the country’s total rice imports
in 2019 reached a record-high 2.98 MMT. At least P14.7 billion in tariffs were
collected from importers.
However, preliminary Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA) data obtained by the BusinessMirror showed that rice
imports last year reached 2.76 MMT, which was 38 percent higher than the nearly
2 MMT imported in 2018.
The Philippines overtook China as
the world’s top rice buyer in 2019 as the deregulation of the rice industry
drove its total staple imports to record-high levels.
The United States Department of
Agriculture expects the Philippines to remain as the top rice importer in the
world this year as the country’s purchases are projected to reach 2.5 MMT
despite the waning appetite of traders for the staple.
DA chief sees rice imports to decline further
Published February 25, 2020, 10:00 PM
By MADELAINE B. MIRAFLOR
Agriculture Secretary William Dar
is seeing a decline in rice imports for the year but at the same time
reiterated his appeal for traders not to purchase imported rice during the dry
harvest season.
In an interview, Dar told
reporters that he sees rice imports further declining amid the strict issuance
of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPS-IC) to private traders.
Still, he reiterated his appeal for them not to bring in imported rice during
the upcoming harvest season.
“We appeal for traders not to
apply for SPS-IC because dry harvest season is coming soon,” Dar said, adding
that on the part of Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Plant Industry
(BPI), permit issuance will continue to be restricted.
It was in November when the
Philippine government has issued stricter set of guidelines on the issuance of
SPS-IC for imported rice.
The move, which is meant to
address the influx of imported rice in the country, was done in exchange for
the proposal for the government to raise the tariffs slapped on imported rice
as a safeguard measure for farmers.
According to Dar, the reception
to this move among rice traders is “so far so good.” Regarding the existing
SPS-ICs that haven’t been used since last year, he said the government is now
looking to revoke them in order to avoid hoarding of permits among traders, who
would sometimes use dummies just to be able bring in more cheaper imported
rice.
Last year, the Philippines
imported about 3 million metric tons (MT) of rice, making the country the
world’s top rice importer, beating China.
As a result, palay prices have
gone down, incurring as much as ₱70 billion losses among rice farmers.
“We will always strengthen the guidelines,”
Dar said, adding that he is now asking BPI Executive Director George Culaste
for recommendations on what to do with the unused SPS-IC.
Meanwhile, Dar said he hopes that
the country’s mechanization program under Rice Competitive Enhancement Fund (RCEF)
will finally be implemented within the year.
Mechanization is the most crucial
process in making Filipino rice farmers competitive because it will lower their
production cost at the same time increase their output.
“If the fund will be given to us
soon, then we will start by March,” Dar said, referring to the procurement
process of new farm machinery that will be distributed to the farmers’
cooperatives that will initially benefit from the RCEF.
RCEF, which is where all the
tariffs collected from imported rice should go, was supposed to have P10
billion allocation upon the implementation of Rice Tariffication Law or
Republic Act (RA) 11203.
Nevertheless, Dar said the DA was
already able to validate 944 farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) and
corresponding technology requirement.
Land border closure: A necessary evil?
drtayooke@gmail.com
In August 2019, Nigerian President, Major General Muhammadu
Buhari (Retd.), gave orders for the closure of the country’s land borders
across West Africa to check the uncontrolled and seemingly uncontrollable
activities of smugglers. Nigeria’s nearest neighbour, the Republic of Benin,
offers the most notorious avenue for smugglers of anything from vehicles to
agricultural products. With a population of a little over six million people,
Benin’s economy thrives on huge imports from Europe and around the world. It is
one of the largest importers of goods on the African continent. But that is not
the whole story.
About 90 per cent of the goods imported into Benin are not for
domestic consumption. They are for onward export into Nigeria – tariff free as
it happens. Of particular concern to Nigeria is the problem of rice smuggling
into the country, which had almost crippled local production of the product.
Local rice producers had experienced continued depression for the last 30 years
due to the saturation of the market with cheap rice, especially (though not
exclusively) from Thailand.
The Goodluck Jonathan administration had started to reverse this
trend by aggressively pushing for increased rice production and offering
subsidies to local farmers across the country. Rice production across the
country had, in fact, started on the upward trend by the time the Muhammadu
Buhari administration took over in 2015, but smuggling through Nigeria’s land
borders continued to hamper the much vaunted growth in the industry, hence, the
drastic and sudden decision to shut down the land borders. Is this an act of
good neighbourliness? Is this the action of a good “big brother”?
Conversely, is it also an act of good neighbourliness for
the Republic of Benin and others to push into Nigeria goods that are desired by
Nigerians, even if through smuggling? Can our neighbours’ economies survive
without the smuggling of goods into the largest market in Africa? Even more
crucially, can the Nigerian economy itself survive without the smuggled items?
Where there is an option, locally, for a banned product, then,
it makes sense. But where there is little or no alternative, it creates
artificial scarcity capable of driving up inflation, and stifling growth.
Nigeria’s capacity to produce rice is not strong enough to keep
up with current demand once smuggling is taken out of the equation. Question
is, why smuggle the item at all? Why not come through legitimate ports? The
answer is that the high tariffs on rice importation do not make it economic for
the poor smugglers, on average incomes, at the lower end of the economic
ladder. Also, to be frank, certain elements within the Nigeria Custom Service
have vested interests in the smuggling business, as they use it to line their
own pockets. It is called bribery and kickbacks. Rice is the most in-demand
staple food that millions of Nigerians are hooked onto. Shut out the smuggling
bit and its market price goes up exponentially because of the country’s low
capacity to keep up with demand. Nigerian consumers are effectively held
hostage by the local producers of rice in that instance. Relent on smuggling
and local capacity to produce the item at a competitive price becomes weak. The
capacity may even disappear altogether. What does good neighbourliness
require in this see-saw scenario? Investigate the causes of smuggling and
explore the mechanisms for preventing it from both sides of the border or set
up a committee to investigate the border closures? This latter option would be
tantamount to dealing with the symptoms rather than the cause of the problem.
But, apparently, this is exactly what the Nigerian government has signed off
on. Would you believe?
The decision to set up a committee “to study and make a full
report on the closure of Nigerian land borders” was made at a side event, right
in the middle of the meeting of the 33rd African Union Summit in Ethiopia last
Sunday January 9th 2020.
According to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey
Onyema, the President of Burkina Faso, Marc Christian Kabore, was charged with
the task of undertaking a full study of the situation and making a report to
enable the AU to take a decision on the matter. No deadline has been set for
the submission of the report. I am sorry to say this, but this is not the
action of a regional power. It is the action of a supine regional leader.
Why is Nigeria’s foreign minister acquiescing to an investigation, by smaller
neighbours, of the Federal Government’s decision to close the land borders when
the neighbours should be investigating their own complicity in the smuggling
operations, which prompted the closures in the first place?
The report, whenever it is submitted, will obviously show how
the border closure has impacted negatively on the economies of the region and
how it was ill-conceived but understandable, etc.
The real problem of the inability and unwillingness of Nigeria’s
neighbours to play fair and not keep dumping contraband goods on Nigerians will
be toned down, if not swept under the carpet. There will be a wishy-washy,
mealy-mouthed commitment to redouble efforts at monitoring and eliminating
smuggling, but nothing will be resolved. This is yet another policy blunder by
the foreign ministry, I am afraid.
The terms of reference for such an investigation ought to have
emphasised smuggling and illegal dumping of goods on Nigeria and what to do to
stop it. It is a day light from investigating “Nigeria’s decision to close its
land borders”. This is international diplomacy readers. Yes, Article 3 (2) of
ECOWAS Treaty (1975) aims to, amongst others; “liberalise trade by the
abolition of customs and duties on imports and exports among Member States, and
removal of obstacles to the free movement of persons, goods, services and
capital….”.That said, Article 41 of the same Treaty permits Nigeria to restrict
imports from neighbouring states on grounds of national security, as long as
this is not deliberately aimed at restricting the legitimate flow of trade.
In addition, Article 42 of the Treaty is pretty clear on
“dumping” of goods on one another: “Member State undertakes to prohibit the
practice of dumping goods within the Community”. The appraisal of this
particular provision would have provided the President of Burkinabe with a more
useful task for his committee to engage with. After all, a person was inflicted
with a disease by a foreign agent, you now set up a committee to look into the
type of medication the victim is applying to cure himself in order to measure
its impact on the agent. Give us a break, please!
Copyright PUNCH.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/02/24/co-ops-groups-top-rice-importers-under-rtl/
Rice imports
tax collection down by 23%
By Panay
News
-
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
The
Bureau of Customs recorded a total of 2019,320 metric tons (MT) of rice from
Jan. 1 to Feb. 14 this year. This is 61.8 percent lower than the 759,810 MT
brought into the country during the same period in 2019, when the tariffication
law was not yet in effect. PNA
COLLECTIONS of the Bureau of
Customs (BOC) from duties on rice imports fell by 23.1 percent as of
mid-February, the Department of Finance (DOF) reported Monday.
Data released by the DOF showed
that BOC collections from rice imports of private traders fell to P1.71 billion
from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14 this year from the P2.22 billion in 2018.
President Rodrigo Duterte in
February 2019 signed the Rice Tariffication Law, which liberalized the entry of
imported rice into the Philippines.
Effective March 2019, the
Philippines allowed the unlimited importation of rice as long as traders secure
a phytosanitary permit from the Bureau of Plant Industry and pay the 35 percent
tariff for shipments from neighbors in Southeast Asia.
According to the DOF, the BOC
recorded a total of 2019,320 metric tons (MT) of rice from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14
this year.
This is 61.8 percent lower than
the 759,810 MT brought into the country during the same period in 2019, when
the tariffication law was not yet in effect.
“BOC collections from rice
imports of private traders since the enactment of RA 11203 in March 2019 will
benefit palay growers as such revenues
are earmarked for the annual P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement
Fund,” the DOF said.
The RCEF was mandated to help
rice farmers in the face of unrestricted flow of imported rice into the
country. The P10-billion fund includes P5 billion for farm mechanization, and
P3 billion to procure seedlings.(GMA News)
DA
to void unused rice import clearances
Louise Maureen
Simeon (The Philippine Star) - February 25, 2020 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The
Department of Agriculture is bent on canceling the existing sanitary and
phytosanitary import clearances (SPSIC) of those who failed to bring in the
volume they applied for to prevent palay (unhusked rice) prices from declining.
“We have enough rice. We have
inventory good for 90 to 94 days plus the harvest is coming,” said Agriculture
Secretary William Dar.
“There are new permits. Last
month, about 175,000 MT of imports came and we expect it to be the same in
February. We expect a decline in March and April as the harvest season begins,”
Dar said.
Data from the Bureau of Plant
Industry (BPI) showed that 4,069 SPSIC were issued as of the end of 2019,
equivalent to 3.63 million MT. However, only 2,317 SPSIC arrived,
equivalent to 1.85 million MT.
This means that about 1,700
SPSIC, equivalent to 1.78 million MT were not used. There are 544 registered
importers listed under the BPI.
“I already sent my memo to BPI to
analyze why those who have been issued SPSIC until middle of last year failed
to bring in those,” Dar said.
“We would like to strengthen the
guidelines. There should be a timeline on the arrival of shipments,” he said.
Dar is appealing to traders to
not apply in the meantime while the harvest season is ongoing.
USGC Helps
Feed Supplier Start Selling DDGS In Southern Mexico
By
U.S. Grains Council | February 25, 2020
·
ADVERTISEMENT
Southern Mexico has a new supplier
of U.S. dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), thanks the U.S. Grains
Council’s (USGC’s) work to demonstrate why DDGS is a good fit for end-users in
the region and to connect an interested company with U.S. exporters.
Promexa is a rice processing
company located in the port of Veracruz. The company imports rice from the
United States to Mexico through vessels originating in New Orleans and then
sells its rice bran to poultry and cattle farmers nearby. In early 2019, the
chief executive officer from the company contacted the Council’s Mexico staff
with interest to buy and sell DDGS as a way to expand their feed ingredient
offerings.
“The volumes of DDGS the company
was interested in handling were an easy fit to include in combo shipments from
the United States,” said Javier Chavez, USGC marketing specialist in Mexico.
“Having experience importing rice from the United States and an existing
customer base in the feeder cattle and poultry industries made the company a
great contact to explore adding DDGS to their product line.”
Chavez responded by sending
information from the USGC's "DDGS User Handbook," a list of
U.S.-based DDGS suppliers who operate in Veracruz and – most importantly – the
results of DDGS feeding trials conducted in the area.
The Council has conducted a series
of successful feeding trials in southern Mexico in recent years. A key
component of these programs is introducing future customers to suppliers,
resulting in the development of increased capacity of end-users and encouraging
more suppliers to start offering DDGS.
“Trial partners are finding that
beef cattle fed DDGS have better average daily gains compared with commercial
feed alone, and the cost per kilogram of grain was lower,” Chavez said. “These
results demonstrate that DDGS is a key ingredient that can complement
traditional production practices and improve overall farmer profitability at
the same time.”
A salesman from Promexa attended
some of these trial presentations to learn even more about DDGS and make new
business connections for his company. USGC consultants in the region have
worked directly with the company in the field to provide additional support as
they started to market DDGS.
Mexico is already the largest buyer
of U.S. DDGS – purchasing 2.02 million metric tons in the 2018/2019 marketing
year, valued at nearly $416 million. Even with this large overall market, there
is still significant untapped potential for DDGS, particularly in the southern
part of Mexico. Coupled with expansions at the port of Veracruz, which will be
one of the largest ports in Latin America when those projects are completed,
the Council’s work with Promexa is well-timed to take advantage of these infrastructure
improvements and new interest in DDGS from regional end-users.
By September 2019, Promexa had
already imported its first 5,000 tons of U.S. DDGS, sold to poultry producers
who had previously purchased rice bran. When Chavez met with the company to
solidify cooperation on promoting DDGS, the company only had 650 tons of that
original purchase left to sell. Promexa later purchased a second shipment of
5,000 tons.
Building on that success, Promexa
formed a new company in December 2019 – Feed Derivatives and Grains (FDG) –
which now markets U.S. DDGS, corn and soybean meal. The company is marketing a
third shipment of 5,000 tons of U.S. DDGS purchased by Promexa in December
2019. The new venture is also working with the Council to further develop markets
for U.S. DDGS to cattle and dairy producers in southern Mexico.
“The company was very interested in
our work and understood how we could work together,” Chavez said. “Their foray
into this market was very timely and the company is an ideal supplier for our
promotion work in southern Mexico.”
Dummy Inc.
February 26, 2020
The chief aim of cooperatives,
according to the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), is to help improve
the quality of life of their members. Co-ops can do this by providing goods and
services to their members and by increasing their income, savings and
purchasing power. The importance of cooperatives in assisting the State usher
in economic development, particularly in the countryside, is underscored by the
fact that an agency was created to promote their viability and growth.
There are 26,000 registered
co-ops engaged in various undertakings in the Philippines. The most popular
types of cooperatives are credit co-ops (which promote and undertake savings
and lending services); consumer co-ops (which procure and distribute
commodities to members and nonmembers); producers’ co-ops; and service co-ops.
These co-ops enjoy a number of privileges, including exemptions from all
national, city, provincial, municipal, or barangay taxes for those with
accumulated reserves and undivided net savings of not more than P10 million.
These tax exemption privileges,
according to the CDA, are what attracted unscrupulous traders to use certain
co-ops as dummies for importing rice under the new trade scheme (See, “CDA presses
overhaul of rice import scheme,” in the BusinessMirror, February 14, 2020). These tax exemptions are
particularly tempting to those who do not want to incur additional costs as
rice imports are now slapped a 35-percent tariff. At $360 per metric ton plus
the 35-percent tariff, a trader or group will have to spend a
minimum of P24.3 million to import 1,000 MT of rice.
minimum of P24.3 million to import 1,000 MT of rice.
Sources informed this newspaper
that farmers’ co-ops serve as fronts of institutions or firms that wanted to
avail themselves of tax exemptions (See, “Pre- and
post-rice trade liberalization law, big traders gaming farmer groups,”
in the BusinessMirror, October 31, 2019). These co-ops earn a certain
percentage or a specific amount for every ton of rice brought into the
Philippines under their name. While this arrangement allows co-ops to earn, it
also enables unscrupulous players to dodge payment of correct taxes and duties.
The law does not prohibit co-ops
from importing rice, but their increasing involvement in the rice trade
following the enactment of Republic Act 11203 could rob government of
much-needed revenue. Shipments that are not meant for their members and are
channeled instead to their financiers could cause local rice inventory to swell
and pull down farm-gate prices of unmilled rice. The increasing involvement of
co-ops in the rice trade could also spell doom for their members who are badly
in need of their services.
The government must fast-track
its investigation so it could identify the financiers of co-ops who are gaming
the current rice trade regime. These cheats must not be allowed to profit from
local planters, who have already lost billions of pesos due to the drop in
farm-gate price of unmilled rice (See “Planters lose
P61.77 billion due to rice price drop,” in the BusinessMirror, November 15, 2019). If these traders want to sell
imported rice, they must do so legally. The government must put a stop to their
despicable practice of using co-ops as dummies in an effort to maximize earnings
by not paying the correct taxes.
Ag
Negotiator Highlights 2020 Game Plan on Trade
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Trump Administration's
chief ag negotiator Ambassador Gregg Doud kicked off the 2020 Government
Affairs Conference yesterday afternoon with remarks that energized the more
than 100 rice industry representatives here from across the country ready to
fan out for meetings with Members of Congress and agency offices.
Doud has made several trips to rice country in recent years, both to the mid-south and California, and has traveled extensively throughout the world, often accompanying his boss, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Doud's remarks focused on the U.S.-China Phase One agreement, which includes commitments by China to purchase U.S. rice. He also talked about the importance of a level playing field in trade, citing wins at the World Trade Organization against China and hinting at more cases on the way. He also discussed future trade negotiations with the United Kingdom, Japan, the European Union, and Kenya.
"We
were encouraged by Ambassador Doud's talk as he really laid out the
Administration's game plan for the next 10 months, explaining things from a
farmer's perspective and helping us understand some of the challenges they face
as negotiators," said USA Rice Chair Charley Mathews, Jr. "Many
of us have had the opportunity to interact with Ambassador Doud before, and
this type of continued, candid access makes our visits to Washington really
worthwhile. We appreciate him coming to our meeting and his staff's
willingness to meet with us, too."
Doud has made several trips to rice country in recent years, both to the mid-south and California, and has traveled extensively throughout the world, often accompanying his boss, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Doud's remarks focused on the U.S.-China Phase One agreement, which includes commitments by China to purchase U.S. rice. He also talked about the importance of a level playing field in trade, citing wins at the World Trade Organization against China and hinting at more cases on the way. He also discussed future trade negotiations with the United Kingdom, Japan, the European Union, and Kenya.
"We
were encouraged by Ambassador Doud's talk as he really laid out the
Administration's game plan for the next 10 months, explaining things from a
farmer's perspective and helping us understand some of the challenges they face
as negotiators," said USA Rice Chair Charley Mathews, Jr. "Many
of us have had the opportunity to interact with Ambassador Doud before, and
this type of continued, candid access makes our visits to Washington really
worthwhile. We appreciate him coming to our meeting and his staff's
willingness to meet with us, too."
The next green
revolution for rice
Wednesday, 26 February, 2020
Researchers at the University
of Oxford and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have
discovered a gene that improves the yield and fertiliser use efficiency of
rice.
A ‘Green Revolution’ in the
late-20th century led to significant increases in global grain yields of rice
and other cereals; it was fuelled by increased fertiliser use and high-yielding
dwarfed Green Revolution Varieties (GRVs) that are still used today. GRVs have
a higher number of grain-bearing branches (‘tillers’) per plant, which are
enhanced by increased nitrogen fertiliser use. However, fertilisers can be
expensive, and can also cause environmental damage. Researchers have discovered
a gene that can help develop new GRVs that combine increased tiller number and
grain yield with reduced nitrogen use, to help reach a global sustainable
agriculture goal.
“This study is a prime example of
how pursuing fundamental plant science objectives can lead rapidly to potential
solutions to global challenges. It discovers how plants coordinate their growth
in response to soil nitrogen availability, then shows how that discovery can
enable breeding strategies for sustainable food security and future new green
revolutions,” Professor Harberd said.
The study, published as the cover
story of the journal Science,
was led by Professor Xiangdong Fu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute
of Genetics and Developmental Biology and Professor Nicholas
Harberd from the Department of Plant Sciences at the
University of Oxford. Researchers identified a rice gene that responds to
nitrogen and increases the accumulation of a protein called NGR5 in plant
cells. Nitrogen-stimulated NGR5 accumulation changes the structure of genes
that inhibit tiller growth, thereby increasing the numbers of yield-enhancing
tillers.
“Discovering how nitrogen
stimulates tiller growth was exciting in itself. But our discovery was
particularly exciting because NGR5 controls the activity (via a mechanism known
as chromatin modulation) of multiple genes in the rice genome, genes likely
responsible for many different rice responses to soil nitrogen in addition to
tiller growth,” Professor Harberd said.
Soil nitrogen promotes rice
branching. Nitrogen fertilisers (High N, right) increase the number of rice
plant flowering branches (compared with Low N, left), thus boosting grain
yield. The researchers have now discovered the underlying gene that controls
this nitrogen-responsive increase in branch number. Image credit: Kun
Wu/Xiangdong Fu, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
GRVs also increase tiller numbers
by accumulating another branch-promoting protein called DELLA — an accumulation
that is reduced by the plant hormone gibberellin (GA). The study revealed that
GA also reduces NGR5 accumulation, and that tiller growth is the product of
complex interactions between BGR5 and DELLA proteins.
“We next reasoned that further
increase in the accumulation of NGR5 might increase tiller number and yield
with reduced fertiliser use. To our delight, we found that increasing NGR5
accumulation caused an increase in both tiller number and grain yield of a
current elite rice GRV, especially at low fertiliser levels,” Professor Harberd
said.
Researchers say NGR5 could become
a major target for plant breeders in enhancing crop yield and fertiliser use
efficiency, to achieve global grain yield increases at a reduced environmental
cost.
Image credit:
©stock.adobe.com/au/WR.LILI
When engineers do good
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:04 AM February 25,
2020
Engineering
is a profession I actually found myself seriously thinking I should have
pursued instead, at a time I was about to complete my Bachelor of Science in
Agriculture, major in Agricultural Economics, at the University of the
Philippines-Los Baños. Having studied at the Philippine Science High School, I
was among those who strayed off from a career path in “hard” science, as our
mentors apparently envisaged for us, going instead into the social sciences. An
engineering course and career would have fulfilled that, but the pull in that
direction came a bit too late for me to redirect my career without substantial
cost and disruption.
Not that I
regret being an economist. I’ve seen too many engineers, and scientists in
general, miss looking at the economics of their inventions, then wonder why the
product of their hard work has remained in the pages of scientific journals, or
stuck in prototypes, rather than used and adopted. But neither can we
economists claim to have all the answers. To my mind, it is when engineering
knowledge and economic intuition come together that the product of an
engineer’s mind truly helps uplift human lives.
One can
certainly say that with the Bravura
Roasting
Machine developed by engineer Ruel M. Mojica, reputed to be the cheapest
coffee-roasting machine in the market worldwide. But cheap need not mean
lacking in sophistication. Dr. Mojica’s machine is described as the first-ever
vertical coffee roaster, itself an innovation that permits more even roasting,
and is driven by a microcontroller that permits automatic operation. His
invention was motivated by his observation that coffee farmers—which his very
own parents were—could receive far higher incomes if they would not stop at
selling raw coffee beans, but add value to their farm product. Roasting,
according to him, is the single most value-adding operation in coffee
production. Indeed, coffee farmers now using his machine have raised their
incomes by at least 50 percent.
Similarly,
Dr. Michael Gragasin’s invention of a compact corn mill and impeller rice mill
makes the crucial value-adding operation of milling palay into rice widely
accessible to farmers, in a country where rice farmers’ incomes place them
among the country’s poor. An all too common scene in rice-growing areas is the
stark contrast between the humble homes of farmers and the palatial houses of
the millers and traders who buy their produce, suggesting lopsided gains in the
rice value chain. Rice farmers traditionally sell their palay at low farmgate
prices to commercial-scale millers either directly or via traders, receiving
the least net income in the value chain, often barely able to recover
production costs. Gragasin’s mill, ranging in cost from only P28,000 to
P350,000 (vs. traditional mills costing P1-3 million each), can be manufactured
domestically and use locally available spare parts, and are thus within reach
of groups of farmers. Needing less power to function, his mills also bring down
the costs of rice production, and could eventually lower the price Filipinos
pay for the staple.
Mojica and
Gragasin are among four latest recipients of the Manila Water Foundation Prize
for Engineering Excellence, honoring engineers with notable contributions to
solve development challenges in water, sanitation, environment, and
sustainability. Another awardee is engineer Alexis Belonio, whose rice husk
gasifier stove turns the ubiquitous waste product into a safe, smokeless fuel
that can substitute for liquefied petroleum gas in household cooking. Foregoing
royalties, Belonio’s design was made freely accessible to small manufacturers,
and has found its way into other countries like Vietnam and India. The fourth
awardee is Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy, inventor of the USHER (Universal Structural
Health Evaluation and Recording) System, a device that allows constant
monitoring of the structural integrity of buildings and bridges. Occupants of
buildings now using USHER can feel more secure as it minimizes their
vulnerability to earthquakes.
Thank God
for engineers, especially those with a keen economic sense. They make life
better for the rest of us.
cielito.habito@gmail.com
Beware of economic saboteurs over border closure, group tells Buhari
By Abdulganiyu
Alabi, Kaduna
26 February 2020
| 4:13 am 
A
Non-Governmental Organisation, the Social Integrity Network (SINET) has faulted
report credited to Director General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria,
(MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadiri, in which he described the border closure as
unsustainable.
The
group expressed disappointment that in spite of his knowledge that influx of
foreign products would affect local manufacturers, Ajayi-Kadiri wanted the
Federal Government to open the nation’s borders at the expense of the Nigerian
economy.
In a
statement by its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Issah, it alerted the Federal
Government to a possible collapse of several local rice factories, which would
eventually frustrate the nation’s economic diversification drive, insisting
that the President should beware of economic saboteurs.
Arguing
that banks might also be negatively affected if foreign rice continued to flood
the nation’s markets, Issah noted that President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment
of economic experts into his cabinet has further cleared Nigerians’ doubt on
salient financial and economic matters.
SINET
commended the Federal Government for adopting policies capable of overhauling
the nation’s economic fortunes amidst numerous global challenges, stressing,
“Government’s recent decision on treasury bills has clearly shown that the era
of looting tax payers’ money was over in the country.”
The
group also raised the alarm over attempts by some groups to mount pressure on
the President to re-open the Nigerian borders, saying that does not reflect the
overall interest of Nigerians and that the move was sponsored by a few economic
saboteurs.
“While
the nation is counting the gains of border closure, especially in economic
recovery, revenue generation and reduction of insurgency, it is sad that some
unpatriotic fellows want the policy reversed.
“With
the border closure, many industries have commenced operations, thereby
providing more jobs for Nigerians, while the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has
invested heavily on local manufacturers by providing them loans.
“Unfortunately,
with the efforts of rice farmers and rice millers towards ensuring that the
nation remains self-sufficient in rice production, it is surprising that
foreign rice are already getting back into the country,” he said.
He
maintained that the effect of such unwholesome moves by some cartel would have
negative impact on the nation’s economic diversification drive, stressing that
the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and CBN recently rolled out various economic
gains of border closure, while influx of arms and ammunitions has reduced
drastically.
Insisting
that the Federal Government should extend the border closure, as the economy
was not ready for distraction, SINET, however, advised government to engage the
Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) to be checking warehouses that
may have foreign rice and impose sanctions on culprits in the collective
interest of Nigerians.
Customs
intercepts 400 bags of smuggled rice concealed under water melons
Yesterday at 1:35 PM
The Comptroller, Customs Federal Operation Unit Zone “B” Kaduna,
Mustapha Sarkin-Kebbi, on Tuesday said 400 bags of smuggled rice and 600 bags
of fertiliser had been intercepted in the zone in the last two weeks.
![Description: Customs intercepts 400 bags of smuggled rice concealed under water melons. [NAN]](file:///C:/Users/Mujahid/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image029.jpg)
Customs intercepts 400 bags of smuggled rice concealed under water
melons. [NAN]
Customs intercepts 400 bags of smuggled rice concealed under water
melons. [NAN]
BusinessInsider USA Images
Sarkin-Kebbi sid that the unit’s operatives attached to
Ilorin/Jebba/Mokwa axis discovered new antics deployed by smugglers to evade
arrest in carrying out their nefarious activities.
“Large quantity of smuggled
rice were criminally sandwiched between watermelons in two trucks, which
further examination revealed were 400 bags of 50kg rice each.”
Sarkin-Kebbi said this in a statement signed by Mr Abubakar Usman, the command’s Public Relations
Officer, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
“Our officers arrested two
trucks laden with 140 units of refurbished gas cylinders smuggled into the
country from Niger Republic.
“Another truck load of NPK
fertilizer was arrested along Jibia/Agangaro axis of Katsina State and after
100 per cent physical examination, the vehicle was found to contain 600 bags of
NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer smuggled into the country, ” he said.
According to Sarkin-Kebbi, NPK 15-15-15 fertilizer falls under
the import prohibition list order and bringing in such product violates section
46 of Customs Excise and Management Act (CEMA) CAP C45 LFN 2004.
The Comptroller said that any goods imported, landed or unloaded
contrary to any prohibition shall be forfeited as stated in the section.
He said that other items seized where 200 pieces of used tyres,
90 bales of second hand clothings and 322 kegs of vegetable oil along
Katsina/Kano axis.
The comptroller said that the unit had resolved to adopt more
strategies to vigorously combat smuggling activities in the zone.
https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/customs-intercepts-400-bags-of-smuggled-rice-concealed-under-water-melons/rj1b43y
https://dailypakistan.com.pk/26-Feb-2020/1098634
KVK organized three-day training programme under APART conducted in
Tezpur
February
25, 2020 11:02 am
A Correspondent
Tezpur: KVK, Sonitpur organized a three-day training programme on
‘Resource Efficient Crop Establishment Method, Integrated Pest, and Disease
Management on Rice’ in collaboration with International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI) at its Napam campus from February 20 to February 22.
The training programme was
inaugurated by Dr. Pramod Chandra Deka, Head, KVK, Sonitpur. He welcomed the
farmers and dignitaries on the occasion. Pankaj Barman, Junior Researcher,
IRRI, delivered the lecture on quality seed production and scientific mat
nursery preparation of rice. Vivek Kumar, a Specialist, IRRI, acted as a
resource person who presented the technical knowhow of different agricultural
pieces of machinery and tools. Vivek also demonstrated to the farmers
about the functioning of some of the pieces of machinery and tools provided to
the KVK, Sonitpur under the APART project. Dr. Bikram Borkotoki, Junior
Scientist, AICRP, Dryland, Biswanath College, AAU also acted as a resource
person who delivered a lecture on nutrient management. Dr. Borkotoki also
discussed soil fertility and the importance of soil health cards.
More than 30 farmers from
different parts of the district and all officials of KVK, Sonitpur attended the
programme. On the last day, a short interactive session was also held between
the farmers, APART staff, IRRI scientists and scientists of KVK, Sonitpur
regarding different aspects of agriculture and the programme was concluded with
a certificate distribution ceremony.
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