Rice prices to peak mid-year
Global
consumers beefing up stockpiles 
A
farmer harvests rice in the fields in drought-stricken Pathum Thani
province.(Photo by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)
Rice
prices are expected to rise until the middle of the year as global consumers
are beefing up their stockpiles, with China unlikely to rev up its rice exports
for food security in light of the Covid-19 outbreak. Chookiat Ophaswongse,
honorary president of Thai Rice Exporters Association, said global rice demand
has surged since the deadly virus outbreak, leading rice prices to increase by
US$30-50 since early in the year. "People, particularly in the US, Europe
and Asia, are staying home, while China, which controls a massive rice stock of
up to 120 million tonnes, has halted exports after shipping 3 million tonnes
priced about $100 per tonne lower than Thai grains last year," he said.
Before the virus outbreak, it was estimated China would boost its rice
shipments to 3.5-4 million tonnes this year. "Buyers from several countries
are now more interested in Thai rice, with some importers willing to buy
unlimited amounts to boost their stocks," said the veteran. "The
free-on-board prices of white rice 5% have risen to $440-450 per tonne from
$400 at the beginning of the year."
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to shave rice exports by up to B40bn
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tackles glutinous rice price
"The
past few years traders had a difficult time selling Thai rice, given its
relatively higher prices than grains of other countries," he said.
"Once China started halting its shipments, the baht weakened, and
Indonesia looked likely to resume its rice purchases, prospects
brightened." Mr Chookiat predicts rice prices will gradually increase
until the middle of the year, or longer if the epidemic is prolonged. In a
separate development, the National Rice Policy Committee yesterday approved a
rice insurance scheme for the 2020 season worth 2.91 billion baht, aiming to
cover 44.7 million rai of farmland. Narumon Pinyosinwat, the Government House
spokeswoman, said the rice insurance scheme will be offered for two types -- a
basic insurance programme (tier 1) and a voluntary programme (tier 2). The tier
1 rice insurance will be for customers of the Bank for Agriculture and
Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) and farmers in low-risk areas, charging an
insurance premium of 97 baht a rai and 58 baht per rai, respectively. The
government and BAAC will contribute subsidies for both cases. Insurance
premiums for general farmers in at-risk areas will be charged at 210 baht per
rai, with the government subsidising 73.77 baht per rai. Under the scheme,
farmers will receive compensation of 1,260 baht per rai for rice damaged by
natural disasters. They can further secure 630 baht per rai for damage caused
by plant diseases and epidemics. The tier 2 scheme will apply to BAAC customers
who want to buy additional insurance and general farmers. The premium rates
will charge 24 baht per rai for farmers in low-risk areas, 48 baht per rai in
medium-risk areas and 101 baht per rai in high-risk areas. Farmers will receive
compensation worth 240 baht per rai for natural disasters and 120 baht per rai
for losses caused by plant diseases and epidemics. The government will not
offer any subsidies for the tier 2 scheme.
Rice export prices surge amid
high demand
Prices
of rice exports have been surging in recent time due to high demand from some
markets such as Malaysia, the Republic of Korea (RoK), the Philippines, and
Indonesia, according to the Vietnam Food Association. 
Hanoi
(VNA) – Prices of rice exports have
been surging in recent time due to high demand from
some markets such as Malaysia,
the Republic of Korea (RoK), the Philippines, and Indonesia, according to the
Vietnam Food Association. Malaysia has agreed to purchase 90,000 tonnes of the
grain from Vietnam and will import more in the coming time and the RoK has
given a quota of 55,112 tonnes of the food for Vietnam this year. Meanwhile,
the Philippines has been importing a large amount of rice from Vietnam since
December 2019. It was the world’s biggest importer of the goods in 2019
and is forecast to maintain this top position in 2020 with the purchase of 2.6
million tonne. A working delegation from the Philippines’ Ministry of
Agriculture is scheduled to visit Vietnamese rice processing facilities in
preparation for further import from Vietnam. Indonesia aims to import about 1
million tonnes of rice this year, up 700,000 tonnes compared to 2019. Mainland
China used to be Vietnam’s biggest rice market for many years, but in 2019,
exports to the country declined sharply by 64.2 percent, due to the impact of
the acute respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)./.
China
calls for expansion of rice production amid measures to contain coronavirus
·
MARCH 3,
2020 / 3:42 PM /
BEIJING,
March 3 (Reuters) - China said on Tuesday that regions with good growing
conditions should restore double-cropping of rice as part of its efforts to
ensure food security amid ongoing measures to contain the spread of the
coronavirus.A lockdown on movement of people in the virus epicentre of Hubei
province has raised concerns about spring planting of key food crops such as
rice.A central government group charged with managing the response to the virus
said in a statement posted on the government’s website that regions should try
to expand the planted acreage of early crop rice.
Reporting by Hallie Gu and Dominique
Patton, editing by Louise Heavens
Rice prices eyed to further decrease to P34
By: Krissy Aguilar - Reporter / @KAguilarINQ
INQUIRER.net / 01:58 PM March 04, 2020
MANILA,
Philippines — The government is expecting rice prices to further dip at P34 per
kilo this year, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said
Wednesday.
NEDA
Assistant Secretary Mercedita Sombilla said she is hoping for rice prices to
decrease more than the six-year low recorded last month at P36.53 per kilo.
“We are
hoping that the retail prices of rice will still go down,” Sombilla said in a
press briefing in Malacañang.
“It depends
on how all of these things will work out. But we are hoping it will still go
down to P34, P35,” she added.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier reported a
12.3 percent decrease to P36.53 a kilo in January from P41.36 in December last
year.
“The lowest
one that we saw was in 2013 which was P33.70, eto na ngayon ang pinakamababa
after six years, seven years (this is now the lowest we have after six years,
seven years). Hopefully, pababa pa rin tayo (it will continue to decrease),”
Sombilla said.
But Sombilla
noted several factors may affect the target rice price of P34 like the world
market’s trends or possible crisis on country’s rice importers like Vietnam and
Thailand.
“There are
so many factors that will get into that, including how the world market will
also be evolving in the coming months,” he said.
“Hindi naman
naapektuhan maliban kung merong magiging crisis sa (It won’t be affected unless
there would be a crisis in) Vietnam, Thailand where major of our imports are
coming from, which I don’t see in the near future,” she added
Rice tariff law a year later: Prices down but
farmers lose
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:28 AM March 04,
2020
STILL ON SURVIVAL MODE A year since the
implementation of the rice tariffication law, the picture is not as rosy as
economic managers have painted it to be. Rice prices have gone down, but
farmers are barely surviving. A state-run think tank said they lost P8.22
billion between April and September last year, while a study found that the
losses they incurred exceeded by P34 billion the gains that the law gave
consumers. —WILLIE LOMIBAO/CONTRIBUTOR
MANILA,
Philippines — Rosadilla Limbres has been planting rice for three decades in
Bukidnon province, but she finds the last three years the hardest.
She and her
husband used to cultivate a 3-hectare farm in Barangay Kibawe, where palay
(unhusked rice) with high moisture content now sells for as low as P15 a
kilogram, down from P20 in the past years.
During the
last harvest, however, Limbres, 64, was forced to till just 1 hectare after her
husband died from an illness.
“I cannot
sustain 3 hectares anymore,” she said. “We just plant enough for our food
and let the remaining 2 hectares be. We cannot gamble another planting season
and spend again for fertilizers and laborers and inputs. It’s not going to be
worth it.”
The story of
Limbres highlights the plight of rice farmers a year after the Duterte
administration implemented the rice tariffication law (RTL), which opened the
floodgates to imports of the grain.
Deregulation
of imports was envisioned to bring about a more food-secure Philippines. Rice
would become more affordable and farmers would no longer cough up unnecessary
expenses to increase yield and raise their income.
Barely
surviving
But the
picture is not as rosy as economic managers have painted it to be. While rice
prices have gone down, farmers are barely surviving.
Between
April and September last year, rice farmers lost P8.22 billion, according to
the state-run think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).
A study by
the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) found farmers in a worse situation.
Losses they incurred exceeded by P34 billion the gains that the rice
tarrification law gave consumers, according to the group.
“The results
of the first year of RTL implementation are totally the opposite of what its
proponents were promising,” said Raul Montemayor, FFF national manager.
“[They said]
RTL was a ‘no brainer’ because the gains of consumers in terms of lower rice
prices would surely outweigh the losses of farmers from lower farm-gate prices.
Official data now indicate that they were overly optimistic, if not mistaken,
in their projections,” Montemayor said.
Much has
changed in the rice industry since the new policy was enacted.
Prices for
both palay and rice went down, as the country’s rice imports recorded its
highest volume yet.
World’s
biggest importer
For 2019,
the Philippines earned the dubious distinction of being the world’s biggest
rice importer. It brought from other countries a total of 3 million metric tons
(MT), or 7 percent of the entire globally traded stocks, dethroning China,
which imported 2.5 million MT. Assistant Agriculture Secretary Andrew
Villacorta said the influx of imported rice had given the country a surplus of
2 MT to 2.5 MT, enough buffer for 80 to 100 days.
With so much
supply, palay prices have yet to recover. Philippine Statistics Authority data
show that as of the third week of February, the average farm-gate price of
palay was P16.06 a kilo, lower than the P17.23 between 2015 and 2017.
In some
provinces, the average price was P11.78. Prices of fertilizers and other
inputs, in contrast, continued to go up.
‘Transition
challenges’
Despite the
bleak figures, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said at the World Rice
Congress in November last year that these were “temporary transition
challenges” and that the government was responding with decisiveness.
Agriculture
Secretary William Dar also remained hopeful. At a press conference in February,
he reiterated that “the rice tariffication law is one of the game changers
where the growth of the agriculture sector can come from.”
Indeed, the
Duterte administration has channeled hundreds of billions of pesos into the
local rice industry to help farmers transition to the tariff regime.
Under the
new rice law, the government is mandated to subsidize the sector with P10
billion in the rice competitiveness enhancement fund (RCEF). The amount was for
the purchase of machinery and equipment (P5 billion), seed subsidy (P3
billion), provision of credit (P1 billion) and extension services (P1
billion)—initiatives that are aimed at lowering the cost of producing rice and
making farmers competitive.
The National
Food Authority has spent roughly P14 billion to procure palay at P20 a kilo,
while the country’s top 33 rice-producing provinces have committed P5 billion
for their own procurement program. The Department of Agriculture (DA) has
set aside P7 billion for its own rice programs and an additional P2.5 billion
for rice-related loans, while Land Bank of the Philippines lent P236 billion to
the agriculture sector in 2019, mostly loans to rice cooperatives and
organizations.
The
administration also shelled out P3 billion for unconditional cash transfers to
600,000 small-scale farmers.
Crop
diversification
The DA is
beginning to prepare its crop diversification program in which farmers would be
assisted in shifting to planting other crops that command higher prices. The
program will begin next year.
The
question, however, is whether these funds have reached their intended
beneficiaries.
Except for
credit, RCEF components had yet to be completed as of Feb. 18. The completion
rates for the distribution of seeds and extension services during the period
were 87.85 percent and 87.90 percent, respectively, while mechanization has yet
to begin.
No machinery
yet
Dar admitted
that farmers had not yet received any machinery and equipment promised them, a
year after the tariffication law was implemented, citing budget delays.
There
are 1,212 rice-producing municipalities
or at least 60,000 farmers who await these interventions, which do not cover
producers not on the country’s farmers registry.
Despite the
shortcomings, PIDS still considers RTL a “propoor” policy, noting that it has
cut rice spending across all income brackets—except for those who produce the
staple.
On the
whole, the Department of Finance reported that rice prices had gone down to its
lowest levels in six years, enabling consumers to buy more of the staple.
PIDS senior
researcher Roehlano Briones said consumers were expected to benefit P197
billion yearly in the first five years since the law’s implementation in March
2019.
The biggest
gain of P367 billion would be felt by
Filipinos in the top income group, while
P87 billion would benefit the
bottom income group.
The flipside
is that palay prices have sunk to their lowest levels in eight years.
The
administration is aware that the new policy would displace farmers who would
not be able to survive the new market landscape. They would mostly include
smallholder producers in far-flung areas who live below the poverty line.
Lands sold
Those who do
not have enough buffer to sustain losses have already sold their lands, most of
which have been converted to factories, poultry farms and residential
developments.
Others have
migrated to the city to become “habal-habal” drivers, fast-food and factory
workers, and household helpers.
Socioeconomic
Planning Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said rice prices might begin to
stabilize only by 2022, the last year of President Duterte’s term.
Until then,
Filipino farmers may have to be more patient if they can still afford to do so.
“Farmers
know how to sacrifice. We are so used to it, so good at it, but don’t push us
to our limit,’’ said Joe Pangalilingan,
a farmer in Nueva Ecija province.
“At this rate, we would not be able to feed
our families anymore. There is not enough government help,” he said. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1236530/rice-tariff-law-a-year-later-prices-down-but-farmers-lose#ixzz6FnxaOXyw
Rice prices may go down to P34/kilo,
says NEDA
Alexis Romero (Philstar.com)
- March 4, 2020 - 5:30pm
MANILA,
Philippines — The price of rice may go down to as low as P34 per kilo this year
due to the implementation of the rice tariffication law, the National Economic
and Development Authority said Wednesday.
NEDA Assistant Secretary Mercedita Sombilla said the price of the staple has decreased to P36 per kilo, lower than the government's target of P37 and the lowest in six years. The prevailing price of rice in December was P41.63 per kilo.
"It exceeded (the target) and we hope that it will still go a little bit lower so that more people will benefit (from the lower prices)," Sombilla said at a press briefing in Malacañang.
"It depends on how all of these things will work out. But we are hoping it will still go down to P34, P35,” she added.
The rice tariffication law lifted quantitative rice import restrictions and permitted private firms to import rice as part of the administration's efforts to ensure food security. But some groups said the law is disadvantageous to farmers because it forces them to sell their produce at lower prices.
Sombillo noted that several factors may influence rice prices, including a possible crisis in countries where the Philippines import rice like Thailand and Vietnam. She, however, clarified that she does not see such crisis happening in the near future.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the rice tariffication law has also caused the lowering of the price of well-milled rice from P49 per kilo to P40 per kilo.
NEDA Assistant Secretary Mercedita Sombilla said the price of the staple has decreased to P36 per kilo, lower than the government's target of P37 and the lowest in six years. The prevailing price of rice in December was P41.63 per kilo.
"It exceeded (the target) and we hope that it will still go a little bit lower so that more people will benefit (from the lower prices)," Sombilla said at a press briefing in Malacañang.
"It depends on how all of these things will work out. But we are hoping it will still go down to P34, P35,” she added.
The rice tariffication law lifted quantitative rice import restrictions and permitted private firms to import rice as part of the administration's efforts to ensure food security. But some groups said the law is disadvantageous to farmers because it forces them to sell their produce at lower prices.
Sombillo noted that several factors may influence rice prices, including a possible crisis in countries where the Philippines import rice like Thailand and Vietnam. She, however, clarified that she does not see such crisis happening in the near future.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the rice tariffication law has also caused the lowering of the price of well-milled rice from P49 per kilo to P40 per kilo.
Agriculture
Secretary William Dar claimed rice is no longer a factor in inflation or
the rate of increase in the prices of goods and
services.
"There
are other factors now, no longer rice. So this is such a significant thing to
highlight, that after one year (of the implementation of rice tariffication
law), there is enough rice from two sources: local production and bringing what
is necessary from the outside," Dar said.
Rice prices to fall further
on second year of tariffs: NEDA
Arianne Merez, ABS-CBN News
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Farmers
harvest and collect palay in Nueva Ecija, north of Manila. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/file
MANILA -- Rice prices are
expected to drop further this year, the second year of a new tariff-based regime
that seeks to lower the price of the staple grain.
The cost of rice could go down to
P34 to P35 per kilo by the end of the 2020 from the current P36, National
Economic and Development Authority Assistant Secretary Mercy Sombilla.
The current P36 per kilo price
exceeded the government's target of P37 and is the lowest since 2014, Sombilla
said. It is also 12.3 percent lower than P41.63 per kilo recorded in December
last year, Sombilla said.
"It’s now even dropping at a
lower price. It exceeded pa and we hope that it will still go a little bit
lower para mas marami pang makinabang (so that more people will benefit from
it)," she told reporters in Malacañang.
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Sombilla said the government was
counting on the P10-billion fund for farm implements to further boost
production and lower prices.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar
said the fund, which has been in full effect since October of last year,
benefited 491,756 farmers.
"The whole objective of
improving productivity, competitiveness and profitability will always be our
guiding objectives in the implementation of the rice competitiveness
enhancement fund," he said.
President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019
signed a law replacing import quotas on rice with tariffs to bring down the
cost of the staple.
DA denies rice farmers lost P68B due to Rice Tariffication Law
Published March 4, 2020 3:40pm
By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News
The Department of Agriculture on
Wednesday refuted claims that rice farmers lost P68 billion in 2019 following
the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law.
“Hindi naman sila nalugi ng P68
billion,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar told reporters in Malacañang, even
though he could not immediately provide a counterpart figure from the
government.
‘Yung P68 billion ang daming
factors na i-consider mo para we should be talking apples to apples.”
According to the non-government
Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), the average retail price of regular milled
rice (RMR) declined by P2.61 per kilo in 2019 from 2018, while the price for
well-milled rice (WMR) went down by P1.99 per kilo.
If the decline in the per
kilogram of prices of RMR and WMR is multiplied by rice consumption volume of
9.466 million metric tons, it will result in P34.16 billion savings or gains
for rice consumers.
RELATED CONTENT
On the other hand, the average
farmgate price of palay declined by P3.62 to P16.78 per kilo from P20.40 per
kilo in 2018.
If the palay price difference of
P3.62 is multiplied by the palay production volume of 18.814 million metric
tons, it will result in P68 billion
in losses to farmers, the group claimed.
The Rice Tariffication Law
removed most government controls on rice imports in order to enhance the
competitiveness of the industry and make the staple more affordable and
accessible.
Safety nets were included in the
law, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in February last year,
including a comprehensive assistance program for farmers worth P10 billion a
year for the next six years.
As of February 20 this year, the
government has released P1.4 billion to 279,666 farmers affected by the falling
prices of palay or unmilled rice, Dar said.
“The interventions of the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund will indeed really help the farmers’ lower
production but at the same time increasing their farm incomes,” added National
Economic and Development Authority Assistant Secretary Mercedita Sombilla.
“And hopefully also for them to
diversify into other sources of income, higher value products that could really
increase further their farm incomes.” — BM, GMA News
Minister Thohir ensures rice stocks
to suffice until Eid al-Fitr
State-owned Enterprises (SOEs)
Minister Erick Thohir while visiting the Bulog rice warehouse in Kelapa Gading,
Jakarta, Wednesday (4/3/2020). Antara/Aji Cakti/ak
The figure is expected to remain stable, but we cannot say
exactly how many since it had not occurred
Jakarta (ANTARA) - State-owned enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick
Thohir has ensured that the stocks of rice are safe to fulfill the demand until
the Eid al-Fitr festivities amid the outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19).
"The rice stocks are safe and quite adequate," Thohir remarked here on Wednesday.
The rice stocks currently reach almost 1.65 million tons for all of Indonesia, the minister revealed.
Speaking in connection with the exact quantity of rice stock when the harvest period sets in, the SOEs minister expressed optimism that the figure would be stable.
"The figure is expected to remain stable, but we cannot say exactly how many since it had not occurred," Thohir stated during a visit to the Bulog Rice warehouse in Kelapa Gading, Jakarta.
SOEs Minister Thohir conducted a direct inspection of the state logistics board (Bulog's) warehouse on Wednesday (Mar 4) to check and ensure the food stock amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
The minister checked the stock and quality of rice stored in the Bulog warehouse.
President Director of Bulog Budi Waseso and his officer accompanied Thohir while checking the stock and quality of rice at Bulog's warehouse.
EDITED BY INE
"The rice stocks are safe and quite adequate," Thohir remarked here on Wednesday.
The rice stocks currently reach almost 1.65 million tons for all of Indonesia, the minister revealed.
Speaking in connection with the exact quantity of rice stock when the harvest period sets in, the SOEs minister expressed optimism that the figure would be stable.
"The figure is expected to remain stable, but we cannot say exactly how many since it had not occurred," Thohir stated during a visit to the Bulog Rice warehouse in Kelapa Gading, Jakarta.
SOEs Minister Thohir conducted a direct inspection of the state logistics board (Bulog's) warehouse on Wednesday (Mar 4) to check and ensure the food stock amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
The minister checked the stock and quality of rice stored in the Bulog warehouse.
President Director of Bulog Budi Waseso and his officer accompanied Thohir while checking the stock and quality of rice at Bulog's warehouse.
EDITED BY INE
Rice export prices surge amid high demand
Update: 17:44 | 04/03/2020
Prices of rice exports have been surging in recent time due to
high demand from some markets such as Malaysia, the Republic of Korea (RoK),
the Philippines, and Indonesia, according to the Vietnam Food Association. Malaysia has agreed to purchase 90,000 tonnes of the
grain from Vietnam and will import more in the coming time and the RoK has
given a quota of 55,112 tonnes of the food for Vietnam this year.
 |
|
Rice for export. (Photo: baodautu.vn)
|
Meanwhile, the Philippines has
been importing a large amount of rice from Vietnam since December 2019. It was
the world’s biggest importer of the goods in 2019 and is forecast to maintain
this top position in 2020 with the purchase of 2.6 million tonne.
A working delegation from the
Philippines’ Ministry of Agriculture is scheduled to visit Vietnamese rice
processing facilities in preparation for further import from Vietnam.
Indonesia aims to import about 1
million tonnes of rice this year, up 700,000 tonnes compared to 2019.
Mainland China used to be
Vietnam’s biggest rice market for many years, but in 2019, exports to the
country declined sharply by 64.2 percent, due to the impact of the acute
respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
Cambodia’s rice
exports surge in first two months
Wednesday,
March 04, 2020 07:59
Cambodian rice
exports to international markets grew by more than 21 percent in the first two
months of this year despite global concerns over the COVID-19 epidemic,
according to the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Cambodian rice exports to
international markets grew by more than 21 percent in the first two months of
this year (Photo: www.phnompenhpost.com)
The Phnom Penh Post newspaper quoted Cambodian Minister of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhorn as saying that in the period
under review, Cambodia shipped 136,499 tonnes of rice abroad, a year-on-year
increase of 21.34 percent.
China is the leading market for the grain from Cambodia, with a
market share of 37.43 percent, followed by the European market at 30.31
percent, ASEAN countries at 18.48 percent and other destinations at 13.78
percent.
Secretary-General of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) Lun Yeng
said that rice exports are rising in all export destinations.
He noted tariffs on exports to European markets decreased from
EUR 175 (about US$195) per tonne in 2019 to EUR 150 per tonne in
2020, which likely led to the increase.
He voiced his belief that the Cambodian rice is becoming more
popular in China. However, transport via waterway has reduced significantly,
which may impede delivery of goods.
Chan Sokheang, CEO of Signature of Asia Co., a local rice
exporter to several countries around the world, said Cambodia’s rice exports in
early 2020 were positive and will continue to grow, adding that the COVID-19
outbreak will not impact rice exports from the country.
According to a CRF report, in 2019, Cambodia exported 620,106
tonnes of rice, down 0.97 percent from 626,225 tonnes in 2018.
Vietnam's rice exports in spotlight
despite decrease in acrerage
08:51 | 04/03/2020
In
February, Vietnam's rice exports increased by 32.6 per cent compared to the
same time last year, despite troubles from the COVID-19 epidemic and natural
catastrophes.
 |
|
Despite the
reduction of acreage, the yield of rice exports has been increased
|
According to a report from the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in February, Vietnam's rice
exports reached 890,000 tonnes in February, up 27 per cent against 2019. This
resulted in an export revenue of $410 million, up 32.6 per cent compared to the
corresponding period last year. This is positive, despite the export revenue of
other agricultural produce such as fish, cashew, pepper, and other vegetables
experienced a marked drop.
The export price of rice ranks
second-highest among rice exporting countries, only behind that in Thailand.
For example, the price of 5 per cent broken rice of Vietnam is around $380 per
tonne, a 10 per cent increase compared to the $345 at the end of January. This
is a peak price since 2019. Generally, the export price of rice ascended
steeply by $40 per tonne and accounted for 10 per cent of total exports in
2019.
It is believed that the surge in
the export price of rice in February is due to major imports from the
Philippines. This country has bought rice from Vietnam to meet the consumption
demand because of reduction of agricultural land and growing population.
Up to now, the two largest export
markets for Vietnamese rice were the Philippines and Malaysia. In 2019, the top
five rice export markets for Vietnam were the Philippines, Côte d'Ivoire,
China, Malaysia, and Ghana.
According to Do Ha Nam, chairman
of the Vietnam Food Association, domestic rice exports were not affected much
by the COVID-19 because Vietnam has discovered new markets to ensure stability.
Despite the rise in export
revenue, Vietnamese rice farmers have had to deal with natural catastrophes
like prolonged rains, hail, and sleet in the north, as well as droughts and
saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta region.
During the early harvest,
according to statistics from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, rice was
cultivated on a total area of 2.67 million hectares, accounting for 98.3 per
cent of last year. Precisely, that numbers in the north and the south were over
760,000 and more than 1.9 million ha, respectively, accounting for 103.6 and
96.3 per cent of the figures from last year.
In particular, the Mekong Delta
contributes about 1.54 million ha, which is 3.3 per cent less than last year.
In the north, especially in the Mekong Delta, the cultivation area declined by
53,400ha compared to the same time last year.
Generally, the Mekong Delta, the
Central Highlands, and the southern provinces have ended the early rice harvest
season with bumper crops. The harvest in the north was also better than last
year.
Milled rice exports rising substantially
Sok Chan / Khmer Times
Despite
the devastating global economic effects of Novel Coronavirus – also known as
COVID-19 – exports of Cambodian milled rice to the European Union saw a 126
percent increase while the Chinese market rose 33 percent in the first two
months of the year, according to a report from the Cambodia Rice Federation
(CRF) and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries..
The CRF said that the EU and Chinese markets are the biggest for
Cambodian rice. CRF’s Secretary General Lun Yeng told Khmer
Times that Cambodia exported 22,753 tonnes of milled rice to
the EU from January to February, compared with only 10,080 tonnes in the first
two months of 2019.
Lun said the rise of rice exports
to the EU is because the tariff on them dropped from $175 to $150 this year. He
added the CRF has conducted various campaign on sustainable rice cultivation,
fair trade rice and organic rice.
“We have also conducted news
conferences in the EU, which markets our rice,” Lun added. He said that in the
future exports of brown rice will also increase.
Lun noted the market for
Cambodian rice in China was rising significantly. The 33 percent increase
mentioned by the CRF amounted to 36,085 tonnes in the first two months, from
27,186 tonnes compared with the same period last year.
Rice millers at work. Exports have soared. KT/Chor Sokunthea
He said that although the Novel
Coronavirus is hurting China’s economy badly, exports to there are going well.
“What we were concerned about was shipments but now we have confirmed they are
in place to carry our rice to China,” Lun added.
“Currently, we see fewer ships
docking at Sihnoukville port. The port authority also informed us that big
vessels are being cancelled because there is no merchandise or raw materials to
service, but we use Phnom Penh Port to load products to Vietnam,” Lun added.
Chan Pich, general manager of export company Signatures of Asia,
told Khmer
Times that his team witnessed the increase for the first two
months of this year.
Chan added that the challenge for
exporters is that there is the EU-banned pesticide tricyclazole in the brown
and parboiled rice. He said mostly this kind of chemical substance is used in
September, October and November.
“We exported 1,500 tonnes of
parboiled rice, 1,500 tonnes of Jasmine rice and 200 tonnes oforganic rice to
the EU,” said Chan.
According to the CRF and Ministry
of Agriculture, from in January and February, Cambodia exported about 136,499
tonnes of milled rice, up about 22 percent compared with the same period
last year. For the first two monthsof the year, other Asean countries took 18
percent of rice exports and other markets took 14 percent.
Kann Kunthy, vice-president of Amru Rice (Cambodia), told Khmer
Times that his company experienced growth in milled rice
exports. Amru exported 3,000 tonnes in January, 10,000 in February and expects
to export another 10,000 this month, but the challenge remains transportation.
“The growth will be until May and
June, but July will be stagnant because of the traditional drought.From
September to December there will be a resumption of increased exports.” Kann
expects that this year overall rice exports will be much more than last year.
11:00 04/03/2020
Cambodia’s
rice exports surge in first two months
Cambodian rice
exports to international markets grew by more than 21 percent in the first two
months of this year despite global concerns over the COVID-19 epidemic,
according to the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The Phnom Penh Post newspaper
quoted Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhorn
as saying that in the period under review, Cambodia shipped 136,499 tonnes of
rice abroad, a year-on-year increase of 21.34 percent.
Cambodian rice exports to international markets grew by more than
21 percent in the first two months of this year (Photo: www.phnompenhpost.com)
China is the leading market for
the grain from Cambodia, with a market share of 37.43 percent, followed by the
European market at 30.31 percent, ASEAN countries at 18.48 percent and other destinations
at 13.78 percent.
Secretary-General of the
Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) Lun Yeng said that rice exports are rising in
all export destinations.
He noted tariffs on exports to
European markets decreased from 175 EUR (about 195 USD) per tonne in 2019 to
150 EUR per tonne in 2020, which likely led to the increase.
He voiced his belief that the
Cambodian rice is becoming more popular in China. However, transport via
waterway has reduced significantly, which may impede delivery of goods.
Chan Sokheang, CEO of Signature
of Asia Co., a local rice exporter to several countries around the world, said
Cambodia’s rice exports in early 2020 were positive and will continue to grow,
adding that the COVID-19 outbreak will not impact rice exports from the country.
According to a CRF report, in
2019, Cambodia exported 620,106 tonnes of rice, down 0.97 percent from 626,225
tonnes in 2018./.
Thailand predicts
rice prices to rise until mid-year
Rice prices will rise until the middle of the year as consumers
around the world are beefing up their stockpiles, while China will not increase
their exports for food security to deal with the outbreak of the acute
respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), the Thai
Rice Exporters Association (TREA) forecast.
Bangkok (VNA) – Rice prices will rise until the middle of the year as consumers around the world are beefing up their stockpiles, while China will not increase their exports for food security to deal with the outbreak of the acute respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), the Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA) forecast.
TREA Honourary President Chookiat Ophaswongse said that global rice demand has surged since the virus outbreak, causing rice prices to increase by 30-50 USD per tonne since early 2020.
Meanwhile, China, which controls a massive rice stock of up to 120 million tonnes, has halted exports after shipping 3 million tonnes priced about 100 USD per tonne lower than Thai grains last year, he said.
Before the virus outbreak, it was estimated China would boost its rice shipments to 3.5-4 million tonnes this year.
According to Chookiat, buyers from several countries are now more interested in Thai rice, with some importers willing to buy unlimited amounts to boost their stocks. The free-on-board prices of 5 percent white rice have risen to 440-450 USD per tonne from 400 USD at the beginning of the year.
He predicts rice prices will gradually increase until the middle of the year, or longer if the epidemic is prolonged.
In 2019, Thailand exported 7.58 million tonnes of rice, earning 131 billion THB (4.15 billion USD), down 32 percent in volume and 25 percent in value year-on-year. TREA set a goal of pocketing 4.2 billion USD from shipping 7.5 million tonnes of rice abroad this year, the lowest target since 2013./.
About $360m earned from export of
rice, broken rice in over four months
PUBLISHED 4
MARCH 2020
ZEYAR
NYEIN
Over
1.2 million tons of rice and broken rice worth about US$360 million have been
exported over the past four and a half months of this fiscal, according to
Myanmar Rice Federation.
From
October 1 to February 14 in the current 2019-2020 fiscal year, 1.242 million
tons of rice and broken rice worth US$357.637 million were exported.
In
the period, over 868,000 tons of rice worth over US$260 million were exported
to 59 countries. Meanwhile, over 373,000 tons of broken rice worth over US$96
million were exported to 52 countries.
Myanmar
exports rice through the border and maritime trade. Myanmar’s rice goes to
China through the Muse border gate and to EU ad African markets through a
maritime trade route.
The
export value of rice and broken rice via border trade route reached over
US$44 million accounting for 13 percent of total rice export
value.
https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/about-360m-earned-from-export-of-rice-broken-rice-in-over-four-months
Tanzanian gov't says ban on rice imports still in
force
Source:
Xinhua| 2020-03-04 22:23:20|Editor: xuxin
DAR ES SALAAM, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities said on
Wednesday a ban imposed on the importation of
rice and other food crops has not been lifted.
"The ban on rice imports and other food crops is still in force,"
Deputy Minister for Agriculture Hussein Bashe said at a meeting on boosting
rice production in the capital, Dodoma.
The government will continue to make sure that there are no
imports of rice in the country to protect local farmers from a competitive
market suffocated by cheap imports, he said.
"Tanzania is currently producing one million tonnes of rice
annually and our strategy should focus on producing three to four million
tonnes of rice annually," Bashe told the meeting.
He said strategies to boost production of rice in the country
should entail heavy investment in irrigation farming and production of high
quality seeds.
Rice is the second most cultivated food and commercial crop in
Tanzania after maize, with a cultivated area of about 681,000 hectares, which
represents 18 percent of the cultivated land.
However, yields are generally very low, at between one and one
and a half tonnes per hectare, due to the use of mostly traditional farming
methods.
|
USA
Rice Looks to Reshape Washington's Food Aid Dialog
WASHINGTON,
DC - USA Rice spent most of February working to reinvigorate the agriculture
and food aid conversation in the Nation's capital, starting out by hosting a
meeting of Washington's coalition of organizations that support U.S.
commodity-based food aid. The groups share a common interest of
maintaining and strengthening what is referred to as "in-kind" food
aid, overseas donations of U.S.-grown and produced commodities, primarily
through U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Department of
Agriculture (USDA) programs.
Front-and-center were discussions around President Trump's recently released FY2021 budget request and the upcoming Congressional appropriations cycle where food aid programs are frequently under threat of budget cuts. The Administration's proposed budget called for the broad elimination of international food aid for the fourth straight time, but Congress is unlikely to take the bait, ultimately protecting the fate of the programs, for now. While food aid shipments make up a small portion of total U.S. rice sales, USA Rice is a vocal leader within the coalition helping define the group's goals and objectives, including strengthening ties with those private voluntary organizations (PVOs) that are chiefly responsible for implementing USAID and USDA's aid programs. USA Rice plans to continue working to educate and share information with those organizations that work overseas on both the cost effectiveness and nutritional benefits of rice. Increases in transportation and oversight costs have caused a decrease in overall in-kind food aid shipments over the last couple of decades, however recent investments by the industry in rice fortification research and technology have ensured that U.S. exporters intend to be part of the food aid distribution process in the long term. Fortified rice is increasingly specified by agencies participating in USDA's McGovern-Dole School Feeding Programs as a delivery mechanism for vital nutrients through a familiar staple. During the USA Rice Government Affairs Conference here last week, rice industry members met with USDA and USAID to review 2020 priorities. USAID reported plans to publish a fact sheet outlining nutritional and cost benefits of fortified rice to help educate food aid implementers. There also was a discussion about bags used to ship rice and a packaging redesign to help protect the nutritional value of fortified rice. "While commodity-based food assistance continues to face an uphill battle, the coalition meeting confirms that there's still a unified industry effort to protect the role U.S. farmers play in addressing global hunger," said USA Rice Food Aid Subcommittee Chair Bobby Hanks. "We're confident our meetings with government agencies and our fellow commodity groups last week will help secure the important partnership between U.S. farmers, the private voluntary organizations, and the USDA and USAID that fund these food aid and development programs." |
|
USA rice DAILY
There’s science to making great fried
rice
Chefs make the dish often without realizing the physics
behind it
Science
underlies what chefs in Chinese restaurants do to cook rice quickly and
completely — without burning.
SERGE_BERTASIUS/ISTOCK /GETTY
IMAGES PLUS
To make fried rice like a pro, use science. That’s what two
physicists now advise.
Chefs typically toss the frying food into the air from deep,
rounded pans ⎯ or woks ⎯ before catching it again. Launching rice and its fixings allows
a chef to cook it over really hot flames without burning. At times,
temperatures in a pan can reach 1,200° Celsius (2,192° Fahrenheit).
This helps create the tastiest stir-fried fare. Now, Hungtang Ko and David L.
Hu have analyzed videos of five chefs cooking up fried rice in Chinese
restaurants. By doing this, Ko and Hu uncovered the repeated motions used to
toss that rice. Both Ko and Hu work at the Georgia Institute of Technology in
Atlanta.
The scientists found that the chefs relied on a specific pattern
of motion. And they repeated those motions about three times a second. Ko and
Hu described those movements February 12 in the Journal
of the Royal Society Interface. Each repetition included
sliding a wok back and forth at the same time it was rocked to and fro. The
chefs used the rim of the stovetop as a fulcrum on which to balance their pan
as they rocked it.
Cooking fried rice like a pro requires tossing it in
the air to avoid burning. Physicists analyzed details of chefs’ movements. They
now report that sliding and rocking motions repeat about three times a second,
launching the food from a wok. Blue lines track the edges of the pan, with the
left side moving clockwise and the right side counterclockwise. The red line
notes the motion of the wok’s center.
Cooks use similarly complex patterns of movement to cook up other
foods. They will tilt and rotate batter in a pan, for instance, to get smooth, flat crepes.
Ko and Hu used a computer to simulate the trajectories of rice
that would occur in a wok moved in various ways. Along the way, the scientists
hit on some key culinary tips. The rocking and sliding motions shouldn’t be
totally in sync. If they are, the rice won’t mix well and could burn. Also, the
wok’s movements should repeat rapidly. Moving the wok even faster could launch
the rice higher. That might allow cooking at higher temperatures, they say, and
perhaps a quicker meal.
But faster shaking may be hard on
a cook. Chefs at Chinese restaurants can struggle with shoulder pain, studies
have shown. Rapidly shaking their heavy woks could be part of the problem. One
solution, Ho and Ku suggest, might be a stir-frying robot. It could be built
based on their newfound results, they say, to take the weight off chefs’
shoulders.
DA’s battlecry
In his Feb. 25 visit to
Nueva Ecija, Dr. William Dar, secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA)
encourages farmers to enlist to the Registry System for Basic Sectors in
Agriculture (RSBSA). Farmers were also urged to join or form
farmer-cooperatives so they can easily avail of the government provisions under
the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF). Through RSBSA enlistment and
farmer-cooperatives membership, farmers espouse DA’s battlecry, ”Masaganang
ani, mataas na kita.” Under RCEF, high-quality inbred seeds and other modern
technologies are provided to help farmers reduce production cost and increase
rice yield.
Phil Rice
Growing rice businesses
expected soon
The Ugat-Uhay Farmers’ Association
from Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija is one of the farmers’ organizations engaged during
the Phase I of the RiceBIS Program. They are currently gearing up for their
mushroom production business.
More than 3,000 rice
farmers across the country are set to engage in group marketing and
agripreneurship with the intensified groundwork of the Rice Business Innovation
Systems (RiceBIS) Community of DA-Philippine Rice Research Institute.
“As we gear up for the
program’s Phase II, we will establish more partnerships with farmers’
organizations from eight new sites for production and agroenterprise
development. We intend to engage at least 400 rice farmers per new site,” said
Dr. Aurora C. Corales, RiceBIS program lead.
Twenty-one farmer
organizations in eight sites are already involved in production of mushroom,
brown rice, and special rice, and rice brew. Organization members were trained
on production and processing, organization building and management, and
agripreneurship.
In dry seasons, RiceBIS
farmers achieved an overall yield increase of 1.24t/ha. Average farmers’
postharvest losses in RiceBIS communities were also reduced from 16.41% in 2018
wet season to 14.81% in 2019 wet season.
According to Corales,
the program promotes the use of yield-enhancing technologies to help farmers
increase their yield by 1t/ha in irrigated areas and 0.5t/ha in rainfed areas.
Cost-reducing technologies like combine harvesters also cut down farm
production cost by 30% and lowered postharvest losses by 12%.
“Producing rice is more
profitable with guaranteed market. In
RiceBIS, we encourage farmers to engage themselves in profitable rice and
rice-based enterprises by teaching them how to market their products in groups
and how to develop enterprises and add value to their products,” Corales said.
RiceBIS also partners
with the Agricultural Training Institute, Philippine Center for Postharvest
Development and Mechanization, DA- Regional offices, and the local government
units per site to achieve their objectives for their farmer-beneficiaries. The
program is also in line with the goal of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement
Fund programs of making local farmers more competitive.
Phil Rice
Pangasinan farmers improve
yield with RCEF seeds
Farmers in Brgy.
Lelemaan in Manaoag, Pangasinan looks forward to abundant yield as rice growers
who had received high-quality inbred seeds from Rice Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund (RCEF) expect to harvest 7t/ha or approximately 140 cav/ha.During
the ceremonial harvesting in time for the first year anniversary of the Rice
Tariffication Law on March 5, Rogel Comesario estimated the significant
increase from his previous gain of 110-120 cav/ha.
Comesario planted NSIC
Rc 22, which he availed from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-
Seed Program of Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice).
“I am grateful that I’m
a recipient of this government project because it greatly improved my yield,”
said Comesario on the sidelines of the harvest festival yesterday led by
Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
Through the RCEF
program, Comesario enlisted in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in
Agriculture (RSBSA). This allowed him to receive 4 bags of high-quality inbred
seeds, which he planted on a 2-ha irrigated farm.Comesario encourages his
fellow farmers to enlist in RSBSA to avail the same benefits, which also
include farm machineries, training and scholarships, and credit.
Furthermore, Comesario
said that the price of palay has stabilized in their locality.
“Currently, the buying
price of palay is higher. The dry palay is priced at P21-P22 while the fresh
palay is at P16.50,” he said.
A higher command of the
buying price of palay is a good complement with an increased yield through the
use of RCEF seeds, according to Comesario, which corresponds to the Department
of Agriculture’s initiative of “Masagang Ani, Mataas na Kita.”
Just after harvesting,
Comesario again received seed assistance from the program together with about
600 farmers in Urdaneta City. More farmers in the area will benefit from the
program in the coming days.
As of February 24, more than
1.3 million of certified inbred seeds have been distributed to more than
512,000 farmers in 713 cities or municipalities in 57 provinces nationwide.These
high-quality seeds have covered 652,917 ha.PhilRice executive director John De
Leon encouraged farmers to foster the seeds distributed by the agriculture
agencies of the government.
“Let us altogether
cultivate the seeds we receive to have an increased income and yield,” De Leon
said.
USA Rice Daily
Protective rice-based
technology
Farmers in Brgy. Batitang,
Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija can now produce vegetables all year-round, alongside rice
farming, as they received three units of protective net houses and rain
shelters. Turned-over on Feb. 18, the units will be maintained by 50 farmers
who will participate in a hands-on training come first week of March. The
project was funded by the Korea Program on International Agriculture in
partnership with Philippine Rice Research Institute and local government unit
of Zaragoza.
USA Rice Daily
Training a must to help
rice farmers
TESDA Sec. Lapeña met with
PhilRice officials and RSTC participants to discuss their upcoming activities
and plans for RCEF extension.
Guimba, Nueva Ecija—Sec. Isidro S. Lapeña of Technical Education Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) emphasized the need for training extension workers under the
Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-Extension Program.“Our role is
important because when we extend the knowledge we learned from training, we are
basically lifting farmers from poverty. If we are able to do that, everything
else will follow,” Lapeña said.
During his recent talk
with the participants of Rice Specialists’ Training Course (RSTC) led by the
Technology Management and Services Division of DA-PhilRice, Lapeña said that
with the training, extensionists can hone farmers’ skills and help them reduce
their farm expenses.
“As farmers are focused
on their activities, we need to reach out to them. TESDA targets to establish
provincial training centers within the year to ensure that all areas will
receive the proper training support. I’m glad that TESDA and the Department of
Agriculture are one in helping farmers become competitive,” he said.
Before the RSTC trainees
met Lapeña, they introduced proper nutrient management and new high-yielding
varieties to more than a hundred farmers from the town’s four barangays
participating in the Farmers’ Field School.
As of February, PhilRice
had produced 30 RSTC graduates and 112 farmer-graduates from Llanera and Rizal,
Nueva Ecija.
Two RSTC batches are ongoing
in Nueva Ecija and Agusan with 26 and 17 participants, respectively. Two more
batches of RSTC are also scheduled in PhilRice Central Experiment Station and
in PhilRice Isabela, on May to October. Training of trainers, led by PhilRice,
is also being conducted in 11 batches with more than 200 participants.
After the RSTC, the
graduates are expected to primarily support RCEF extension program by leading
the conduct of trainings and other knowledge sharing and learning activities.
They can a
lso help provide
technical assistance to farm schools by serving as resource persons. But for
this particular TESDA batch, their task is mainly to conduct trainings for
farmers, because of the role of their office as stipulated in RA 11203.
PhilRice leads the RSTC to help
enhance farmers’ skills especially on rice production. Other training
activities, which are part of the RCEF Rice Extension Support Program, are
implemented in partnership with the Agricultural Training Institute, Philippine
Center for Postharvest Mechanization, and TESEDA.
Philrice
P100-B worth of aid given to farmers in
transition to rice tariffication — Villar
By: Cathrine Gonzales - Reporter / @cgonzalesINQ
INQUIRER.net / 07:10 PM March 04, 2020
MANILA,
Philippines — Senator Cynthia Villar on Wednesday announced that over P100
billion worth of funds were released by the government to aid farmers during
the transition to rice tariffication, a year after the Republic Act 11203 or
the Rice Tariffication Law was enacted.
In a
statement, Villar said this was on top of the P10 billion released by the Rice
Competitive Enhancement Fund.
“Last year,
farmers started to receive the benefits of the law through seed distribution,
credit and extension programs. Soon, farm pieces of machinery will be
distributed to rice-producing towns under the law’s mechanization program,” she
said.
“Improving
farmer’s competitiveness is not something that we can do overnight. These
programs were rolled out to provide a ready market for local rice and deter
unscrupulous traders from taking advantage of our farmers in the initial phase
of its implementation,” Villar added.
Signed by
President Rodrigo Duterte in February last year, the Rice Tariffication Law
provides that for the year 2019 to 2024, P5 billion will be allocated for the
procurement of rice farm equipment that will be given to 947 rice-producing
towns in the country.
P3 billion
will be allotted for the distribution and production of inbred seeds, while P1
billion each will go to cheap credit with two-percent interest per year and for
training programs
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