Saturday, June 13, 2020

13th June,2020 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Food for Thought: How to help picky eaters

Prepare one meal for everybody and serve it family-style so your kids can pick and choose what they want.

Parents of children who are picky eaters could be making the problem worse according to a new study.

Researchers at the Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children's Hospital recently found that parents who demand that a child eat or restrict food are associated with some of the pickiest eaters, while lower levels of picky eating in children were associated with parents who impose few restrictions on food and a lack of pressure to eat.

The study, which was published in the journal Pediatrics, found that about 15% of the children in the study fell into the "high" picky eater group - children who didn't accept vegetables often or were highly nervous about new foods.

Here are a few ways to help your picky eater to be more comfortable with new or nutritious foods, according to Parents.com.

• Make a schedule: Children need to eat every three to four hours: three meals, two snacks, and lots of fluids. If you plan for these, your child's diet will be much more balanced and they will be less cranky, because they won't be famished.

• Plan dinners: Try to plan two or three days worth of dinners at a time. A good dinner should be balanced: whole-grain bread, rice, or pasta; a fruit or a vegetable; and a protein source like lean meat, cheese or beans.

• Don't become a short-order cook: Prepare one meal for everybody and serve it family-style so your kids can pick and choose what they want.

• Bite your tongue: Try not to comment on what or how much your kids are eating and be as neutral as possible.

• Introduce new foods slowly: Sometimes kids' taste buds have to get used to a flavor before they like they taste.

• Dip it: Experiment with condiments and dips for vegetables.

• Get kids cooking: If your children become involved in choosing or preparing meals, they'll be more interested in eating what they've created.

• Cut back on treats: By having fewer junk foods around, you'll force your children to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products.

• Have fun: Being more creative with meals and the greater variety of foods will gets your kids excited about the foods they eat.

Easy recipe

Asparagus and Rice Casserole

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups half and half

2 cups cooked white rice

2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps

Turn the broiler to high. Grease an 8-inch baking dish with non-stick oil spray.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water.

When the water is boiling, add half of the asparagus and cook until the asparagus is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the prepared ice water and repeat with remaining asparagus. When all of the asparagus is cooked, remove from the ice bath, pat dry and cut into 3/4-inch pieces.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until its raw flavor is cooked out, about 3 minutes.

Add the half and half, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring, until the mixture has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the rice and asparagus and cook, stirring, just until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheese until it melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

— SouthernKitchen.com

Drink

Sugary drink warning labels

According to research of more than 20 different studies, warning labels on sugary drinks lead to healthier drink choices.

Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health said warning labels have the potential to help inform consumers reduce the consumption of unhealthy beverages like sodas, energy drinks and fruit-flavored drinks.

Fun fact

Peanut butter

Each year, Americans consume enough peanut better to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon — about 500 million pounds.

Project launched to make residual of paddy crop useful

APP

June 13, 2020

FAISALABAD - Punjab government has launched a project to make the residual of paddy crop useful through the latest machinery. Earlier, farmers burnt residual of paddy crop which caused smog and environment pollution, said agriculture department spokesperson here on Friday. In this regard, Punjab Agriculture Department has started receiving application forms for providing Pak Seeder/Happy Seeder & Rice Straw Chopper and Shredder machines to farmers on 80 percent discount rates. The machines will be given to farmers in the following districts--- Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal, Hafizabad, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Jhang, Chiniot, Bahawalnagr and Okara, he said. The farmer owner of a 65 horse power tractor can apply for the machinery. He said that farmers would be bound to provide machinery to other farmers on rent for four years. The farmers will attach a copy of CNIC, registration book, transfer letter, ownership of agri land, and a copy of ‘Gardawary’ along with stamp paper of Rs 100.The application forms are available at the offices of Agri Engineer (field) and Agriculture Officer (extension) of respective districts. The forms can also be downloaded from website www.agripunjab.gov.pk or www.field.agri.punjab.gov.pk Application can be submitted by June 30. For further information, farmers can call at landline number 042-9920005, spokesman added.

Pompeo going to meet Chinese officials in Hawaii

E-paper

https://nation.com.pk/13-Jun-2020/project-launched-to-make-residual-of-paddy-crop-useful

USU Extension professionals make connections in the Phillippines

Written by Shelby Ruud Jarman - USU Extension

June 12, 2020

In order to learn more about Extension abroad and make connections with program administrators, practitioners and academics in the field, Utah State University Extension faculty members travelled to the Philippines earlier this spring to participate in the first International Extension Professional Development program.

The program is part of a recent agreement between USU and the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, with support from USU Extension and Epsilon Sigma Phi, the National Association of Extension Professionals. Participants from USU Extension, as well as Extension professionals from Colorado, Iowa and Wisconsin, learned about Extension work in the Philippines in the areas of nutrition, family and consumer sciences, youth development, agriculture and environmental sustainability.
The group discussed program priorities with national Extension leaders in Manila, attended presentations by faculty who lead local, regional and national Extension initiatives, observed a cooking demonstration of traditional Filipino food, learned about rice breeding at the International Rice Research Institute, networked with academics and students from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and presented a symposium on Extension work in the United States and how it can connect to Extension work in the Philippines.
how they view aspects of their lives related to Extension work is critical
“Understanding more about how family units work, how people view jobs and careers and how they view aspects of their lives related to Extension work is critical,” said program participant Kelly Kopp, USU Extension professor and water conservation and turfgrass specialist. “Learning these things about the Filipino culture, or any other culture, will help me be a better Extension educator.”
This program is one of the many ways USU Extension provides professional development opportunities for faculty. Linking with other areas of the world, such as the Philippines, can help Extension faculty broaden their views on ways to address the issues of food security, agricultural research and environmental sustainability locally.
International work is important for Extension because we learn different and sometimes better ways to deliver Extension programs
“International work is important for Extension because we learn different and sometimes better ways to deliver Extension programs,” said Justen Smith, Extension agriculture and natural resources department director and Extension professor who participated in the program. “It allows us to ‘think outside the box.’ We live in a global society, and Extension faculty participating in these experiences learn to appreciate cultural diversity and broaden their understanding of the needs of various cultures.”
For more information about USU Extension, visit https://extension.usu.edu/.

https://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/archive/2020/06/12/usu-extension-professionals-make-connections-in-the-phillippines/#.XuS3BqZRU2w

Project Launched To Make Residual Of Paddy Crop Usefull

Umer Jamshaid

Fri 12th June 2020 | 06:16 PM

Punjab government has launched a project to make the residual of paddy crop useful through the latest machinery. Earlier, farmers burnt residual of paddy crop which caused smog and environment pollution, said agriculture department spokesperson here on Friday

FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Jun, 2020 ) :Punjab government has launched a project to make the residual of paddy crop useful through the latest machinery. Earlier, farmers burnt residual of paddy crop which caused smog and environment pollution, said agriculture department spokesperson here on Friday.
In this regard, Punjab Agriculture Department has started receiving application forms for providing Pak Seeder/Happy Seeder & Rice Straw Chopper and Shredder machines to farmers on 80 percent discount rates. The machines will be given to farmers in the following districts--- Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal, Hafizabad, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Jhang, Chiniot, Bahawalnagr and Okara, he said.
The farmer owner of a 65 horse power tractor can apply for the machinery.
He said that farmers would be bound to provide machinery to other farmers on rent for four years.
The farmers will attach a copy of CNIC, registration book, transfer letter, ownership of agri land, and a copy of 'Gardawary' along with stamp paper of Rs 100.The application forms are available at the offices of Agri Engineer (field) and Agriculture Officer (extension) of respective districts. The forms can also be downloaded from website www.agripunjab.gov.pk or www.field.agri.punjab.gov.pkApplication can be submitted by June 30. For further information, farmers can call at landline number 042-9920005,spokesman added.

https://dailypakistan.com.pk/latest

Panchayats fail to lease out village common land

Posted: Jun 13, 2020 07:33 AM (IST)

A meeting of block samiti under way at Malaudh near Payal. Tribune photo

Our Correspondent

Ahmedgarh / Payal, June 12

The lockdown imposed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected earnings of panchayats, which they earned by leasing out village common land.

Farmers are hesistant to take panchayat land on higher lease due to multiple reasons, including shortage of labourers to sow paddy and high cost of direct seeded rice (DSR) machinery.

As a result, panchayats in Ludhiana and Sangrur districts have been facing problems in auctioning common land on high lease.

In 2019, the price varied between Rs45,000 and Rs55,000 per acre, but now nobody is willing to pay above Rs30,000. The auction had to be stopped in some villages as there were no bidders.

Block Development Panchayat Officer Navneet Joshi said the issue was discussed and it has been resolved that highest bidders should be allotted common land instead of keeping it vacant.

“Earlier, a large number of farmers used to show interest. Agriculturists are not coming forward to bid for common land this season,” said Joshi.

Farmers hesistant to take land on higher lease

Farmers are hesistant to take panchayat land on higher lease due to multiple reasons, including shortage of labourers to sow paddy and high cost of direct seeded rice (DSR) machinery

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/ludhiana/panchayats-fail-to-lease-out-village-common-land-98489

Current Health Pandemic Shows the Need to Restructure Old Agricultural Trade Policies

Haiti continues to face severe food insecurity that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trade facilitation and capacity building (TFCB) programs present another solution.
Tanzania has since placed a ban on rice imports for the 2020/21 marketing year in an effort to boost local production.

Haiti is still rebuilding following the devastation of the 7.0 earthquake that struck a decade ago. Among an array of social burdens keeping this small Caribbean country in a perpetual cycle of vulnerability, food insecurity has been a persistent threat to its citizens since well before the earthquake. The earthquake exacerbated Haiti’s food crisis, and consequently, about half of the Haitian population remains undernourished.

In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, the country of 10 million people faced a dire food shortage. Approximately 25,000 tons of food aid of U.S. origin was distributed in response to the earthquake. Over 80 percent of the total dollar value of funds and metric tons of U.S. food aid allocated for emergency activities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean during the 2010 fiscal year was apportioned to Haiti. During the same year, Haiti imported about US$160 million worth of rice from the United States. Haiti needed to rely on foreign food aid, including rice imports.

Fast forward to 2020, Haiti continues to face severe food insecurity that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Haiti imported more staple food, for which the prices had decreased, by April 2020 than the previous year. However, the global slowdown on imports and exports, in addition to low domestic production and high production costs, have resulted in elevated prices on locally produced staple food such as rice. Haiti’s dependency on rice imports is puzzling considering that it once produced enough rice for local consumption.

As a supporter of trade liberalization myself, it is important to fully understand this contradiction by going back to the liberalization policies of the 1980s and 1990s, when many Latin American and Caribbean countries implemented open-market trade policies to grow their economies. In 1986, Haiti placed a 50 percent ad valorem tariff on rice imports. By 1995, with the support of U.S. President Bill Clinton, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank pushed structural adjustment programs in Haiti, which involved Haiti drastically reducing its tariffs on rice imports to three percent.

Rather than leading to economic growth, these policies resulted in an influx of cheaper, subsidized rice imports. Haitian rice imports increased dramatically from 7,000 metric tons in 1985 to 207,000 metric tons a decade later, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) figures. The majority of these imports came from the United States.

On the other hand, rice productivity in Haiti dropped significantly. From 1980 to 1990, Haiti averaged 124,000 tons of rice produced, which dropped down to an average of 114,400 tons by 2005-06.

Most of the U.S. rice imports come from Clinton’s home state of Arkansas. The rice grower in Arkansas has received billions of dollars of subsidies since 1995. Following the earthquake, Clinton stated during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, “It may have been good for some of my farmers in Arkansas, but it has not worked. I have to live every day with the consequences of the lost capacity to produce a rice crop in Haiti to feed those people, because of what I did.”

The liberalization of Haiti’s rice market has created a cycle of dependency for the country, which becomes more evident during a crisis, such as the 2010 earthquake and today’s global health pandemic. Many Haitian rice growers have found it difficult to sell within their own market because of the inability to compete against the lower cost, subsidized imports from the United States. As a result, and prior to the pandemic, 80 percent of rice consumed in Haiti had been imported.

With the current global health pandemic, the United Nations World Food Programme estimates that the number of people in Haiti alone that face food insecurity will jump from 700,000 to 1.6 million.

In April 2020, the World Bank, which supported trade liberalization in Haiti, provided US$9.5 million to Haiti’s agricultural sector to address the deepened food insecurity resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak, as well its impact on global trade. Ironically, such support may help the local agricultural sector to become self-sufficient again. Time will tell.

Awareness to Action

Haiti’s story is a familiar one in other regions as well, such as Sub-Saharan Africa. However, many remain unaware of the link between trade policies and food insecurity. For instance, in response to my TEDx talk on the subject, people have commented, “I had no idea about how these policies impacted so many lives.”

Similar to Haiti, the East African country of Tanzania is a net importer of rice, a least-developed-country, and implemented liberal trade policies by the 1990s. Local measures have been taken to reduce the effects of trade liberalization on Tanzania’s local farmers and food production thus, offering insight into three approaches to mitigate the negative impact of structural adjustment policies–acknowledge disproportionate trade policies, implement policies that support local producers, and build the capacity for local producers to compete internationally.

Consider the trade policies that restrict market access to local producers and create an unfair competitive advantage for foreign producers. Being aware of the role of disproportionate trade policies in the loss of food in developing countries and creating a reliance on imported food aid is the first step to developing effective policies and practices to promote higher levels of food security.

Tanzania allows for duty-free agricultural imports from other East African Community (EAC) members—Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda. However, it places a 75 percent tariff or $345 per ton, whichever is higher, on rice imports from non-EAC countries. This high tariff rate limits the influx of foreign rice imports. In 2018, Tanzania imported a total of 236 tons of rice from international suppliers. The majority of rice—180 tons–came from Pakistan. The United States only accounted for 16 tons.

Tanzania has since placed a ban on rice imports for the 2020/21 marketing year in an effort to boost local production. The US Department of Agricultural estimates a nine percent decrease in rice imports into Tanzania during this period.

The second solution is to develop policies that complement local production, rather than displace it. It becomes a win-win outcome when exported goods are not already abundantly available in a market for which there may be a growing demand. However, the export of staple crops already being produced in a lower-income country should add to the supply and be sold at market value to allow for fair competition.

At the same time, Tanzania has experienced increased imports as rising demand exceeds local production. For instance, in the late 1990s, food imports jumped almost three-fold only because of a decline in domestic production, rather than trade liberalization. Rice imported from the United States are mainly for food aid programs. The rice imports supplement, rather than compete directly with, local production.

Finally, trade facilitation and capacity building (TFCB) programs present a third solution. Such programs emphasize enhancing the skills of local farmers to compete in today’s global economy. TFCB programs can produce success stories, given that they are implemented under truly reciprocal trade policies and practices.

The EAC countries, including Tanzania, have implemented TFCB programs with technical assistance from organizations such as the United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). EAC countries have adopted an electronic cargo tracking system and invested in transport infrastructure (ports, roads, railways, airports) to improve their trade competitiveness. In Tanzania alone, the transportation and storage industries have grown 16.6 percent by 2017. Improving infrastructure becomes important as Tanzania’s rice production is expected to increase slightly by 2020, per USDA estimates. Furthermore, Tanzania has expanded its market access by exporting rice to its neighboring East African countries, making it a major supplier of rice throughout the region. Tanzania’s rice producers can provide for domestic and international markets. Tanzania’s response to trade liberalization has resulted in it being the fastest growing East African economy at 7.1 percent in 2017.

In sum, trade liberalization policies create structural incentives that shift supply and demand in favor of foreign producers to the detriment of local subsistence farmers. As the COVID-19 pandemic is showing, the cycle of food insecurity only worsens when imports are restricted, local production remains low, and food prices go up. However, designing trade liberalization policies and capacity-building programs that support local producers over the long-term may help address food insecurity in developing countries.

__________________________________________________________________

Sarita D. Jackson, Ph.D. is the President and CEO of the Global Research Institute of International Trade, a Californian think-tank and consulting firm. Dr. Jackson has previously worked on overseas projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Fulbright Scholar/Lecture Award. She is also a published author, TEDx speaker, and business school instructor. She conducts her work in English and Spanish. Dr. Jackson earned a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and Spanish at the University of Southern California and a Master’s and Doctorate in political science at Brown University.

https://www.globaltrademag.com/current-health-pandemic-shows-the-need-to-restructure-old-agricultural-trade-policies/

BSP tariff collection hits P8 billion in 5 months

Mary Grace Padin (The Philippine Star

) - June 13, 2020 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has collected almost P8 billion in rice import tariffs in the first five months of the year, even as trade volume declined due to the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

In a statement, BOC said revenues generated by the agency from rice import tariffs under the Rice Tariffication Law reached P7.955 billion from January to May 2020.

This is almost 80 percent of the BOC’s annual rice tariff collection target of P10 billion, which will be remitted to the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

Data obtained by The STAR showed the May collection figure is 0.48 percent higher than the P7.917 billion collected by the BOC during the same five-month period last year. The Rice Tariffication Law only took effect in March 2019.

BOC data also indicated that the volume of rice imports in the first five months of 2020 dropped by 32.16 percent to 1.25 million metric tons from 1.85 million in the same period last year.

Sought for comment, BOC assistant commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla said the drop in importation volume was due to the “effect of COVID-19 on the trade environment.”

Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law liberalized the importation of rice by imposing tariff in lieu of quantitative restrictions.

Proceeds from rice tariff collections are earmarked for the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), which will be used to provide cheap credit, high quality seeds, agricultural machinery and skills training to rice farmers.

https://www.philstar.com/business/2020/06/13/2020479/bsp-tariff-collection-hits-p8-billion-5-months

What Consolidation in Food Aid Delivery May Mean for USA Rice

By Rebecca Bratter

ARLINGTON, VA -- COVID-19 aside, 2020 was already shaping-up to be one of the worst years on record for food insecure nations before adding more instability into the mix. Experts are projecting that poor weather, historically high demand for shelf stable commodities, and increased purchases of commodities for domestic food aid will all have significant impacts to the world of food assistance this year.

"While the global food assistance supply chain has remained mostly intact, we are keeping our eye on some of the trends that will define our work in the coming year, some of them even favorable for the commodity world," said Jesica Kincaid, USA Rice manager of International Trade Policy.

In years with good weather and growing economies overseas, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) would focus much of their $1.1 billion Food For Peace Program budget on development projects, investing in infrastructure overseas. However, due to the extreme situation right now, USAID is spending more and more of that budget on Title II "PL480" programs, providing emergency assistance through food purchases, concentrated in four countries: Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Yemen. The nature of emergency programs coupled with limited destinations that may not prefer rice in the diet obviously limits the amount of rice going into those programs.

PL480 projects that provide U.S. food assistance in response to emergencies and disasters around the world make up 90 percent of all food aid programming. More than 50 percent of those projects consist of vouchers, local and regional purchase, and cash transfers; and 42 percent is in-kind assistance.

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to utilize in-kind food aid, spending almost $350 million on commodity purchases," said Kincaid. "Half of all Food For Progress and McGovern-Dole school feeding programs, both run by USDA, utilize U.S-grown rice. USA Rice can be a strong contributor to these efforts, especially with fortified rice being a critical component for emergency feeding programs."

Implementation of these programs, particularly when providing in-kind food donations rather than development funding, does not go without challenges. The universe of food assistance program implementers has shrunk considerably over the years, with 64 percent of PL480 projects and 45 percent of McGovern-Dole projects implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP). Where there were once dozens of players, each with different goals and different alliances, there's now closer to just one dozen organizations responsible for distributing billions in federal aid every year.

"Consolidation among the array of implementers is not necessarily bad, but knowing WFP is the agency with the best infrastructure system to accommodate emergency response and challenging situations helps USA Rice focus our outreach," Kincaid added. "In addition to building relationships with the team at WFP, we are also handling outreach to the other food aid implementers and evaluating what needs to be improved to make U.S.-grown rice a more important tool in battling hunger. We're looking at creative ways to extend shelf-life when stored overseas in difficult climates as well as packaging improvements to keep food aid shipments a sustainable part of our industry's business model." https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwHNqFlFpnCpxrbZLSMLDCXXBjz

Govt urged to save rice, cotton crops from locust attack

FAO of United Nations has issued warning of a second locust swarm attack in Pakistan in July

Iqtidar Gilani

June 12, 2020

LAHORE - Expressing alarm over reports of even bigger attack of locust swarm in July this year, Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) former chairman Shahzad Ali Malik has urged the government to take immediate measures for saving rice and cotton crops. Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has issued warning of a second locust swarm attack in Pakistan in July. As such two most precious crops of the season, rice and cotton will be at huge risk. Malik stressed the need for massive ariel spray especially in Sindh and Southern Punjab to save rice and cotton crops from the wrath of locust swarm.

Rice exports are currently hovering slightly over US$ 2.2 billion dollars and the government and exporters are endeavouring to take it to US$ 5 billion by the year 2023, but possible damage by locust swarm will hit hard these efforts rather may reverse the situation, he feared. He said that agriculture is the second largest sector of the national economy which is contributing 20 per cent in the GDP while over 50 per cent of the workforce is employed by this sector. Locust swarm is the bigger threat than Coronavirus as no one can escape from famine or hunger, he added.

Speaker KPK assembly Mushtaq Ghani tests positive for coronavirus

Malik said already locust had damaged wheat, pulses, oilseed, vegetables, fodder and mango crops and it is said that the coming locust swarm which is expected in July will be four times larger than what have experienced recently. He said that not only locust is expected from Africa but those which are breeding locally will add to the contingent. He said in July, paddy will be in the flowering stage especially in Sindh and Southern Punjab and if immediate steps are not taken it may be ruined totally by the pest. Talking about the remedial measures, he said that both short and long term steps are needed. In short term, Department of Plant Protection (DPP) should either acquire aircraft on lease for spray from other countries or army aviation’s aircraft and helicopters should be converted for dusting (aerial spray) on large scale to deal with this pest.

In the longer run, he said that the Department of Plant Protection which had 20 aircrafts in the 1980s should be given the task to raise a big fleet to meet any such situation in the future. He said already crop size of non-basmati rice has increased manifold in Pakistan as it was 2.563 million metric tons in 2010-11 while in 2018-19 it rose to 3.54 million metric tons because of the introduction of hybrid varieties, which also help non-basmati to gain a larger share in national exports as compared to Basmati varieties. Damage to rice crop in Sindh and South Punjab means hit to this bigger chunk of export cake, he concluded.

https://nation.com.pk/12-Jun-2020/govt-urged-to-save-rice-cotton-crops-from-locust-attack

Despite overall contraction, Pakistan's agri sector grows 2.7%

By Usman Hanif

Published: June 12, 2020

KARACHI:

The agriculture sector – the backbone of national economy and a major source of employment – recorded a significant growth of 2.67% in the outgoing fiscal year 2019-20 compared to a poor 0.58% growth in FY19.
The agriculture sector has provided some relief for Pakistan’s economy, which has registered a negative growth for the first time in 68 years. Rice production increased 2.9% to 7.410 million tons and maize crop rose 6% to 7.236 million tons. Cotton harvest fell 6.9% to 9.178 million bales and sugarcane production dropped 0.4% to 66.88 million tons.
Meanwhile, the production of wheat – being the most important crop – recorded a growth of 2.5% to 24.946 million tons.
However, experts term the agri-growth overestimated, saying the government may revise it later. “Agriculture growth looks overestimated,” said Syed Atif Zafar, Director Research and Chief Economist at Topline Securities.
“This is perhaps for the first time Pakistan is reporting GDP growth in the Economic Survey based on full-year estimates compared to the previous practice of estimates based on nine-month data as the impact of Covid-19 is too significant to be ignored,” he said.
Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) – the size of national economy – is expected to contract for the first time since 1952.
The agriculture sector, which contributes 19.3% to the GDP, recorded a year-on-year growth of 2.67% in FY20, lower than the target of 3.5%, but higher than last year’s growth of 0.58% and preceding five-year average of 1.8%.
“Looking at the breakdown and their respective weights, we expect the government to revise down agriculture growth for FY20,” said the analyst in a report.

Nonetheless, according to the survey, other crops showed a growth of 4.57% mainly due to increase in the production of pulses, oilseeds and vegetables. Cotton ginning declined 4.61% due to decrease in the production of cotton crop. Overall, the crops sector recorded a notable growth of 2.98% owing to a 2.9% increase in the harvest of important crops.
The livestock sector achieved a growth of 2.58%. Meanwhile, the fishing sector grew 0.6% whereas the forestry sector jumped up 2.29%.
Water availability
In 2019-20, total availability of water for Kharif (summer) crops was recorded at 65.2 million acre feet (maf), an increase of 9.4% compared to 59.6 maf in 2018-19.
In the Rabi season 2019-20, total water availability was recorded at 29.2 maf, an increase of 17.7% over Rabi 2018-19 but 19.8% less than the normal availability of 36.4 maf.
Fertiliser sector
Fertiliser production during July-March FY20 rose 5.8% over the same period of last year on the back of additional supply of gas, according to the economic survey. Fertiliser import decreased 20.7%.
The government announced a subsidy of Rs37 billion for the fertiliser sector, however, it failed to release the money in the stipulated time, which resulted in a plunge of around 70% in fertiliser offtake in the last one and a half month, said Mehmood Nawaz Shah, Vice President of the Sindh Abadgar Board.
In the first nine months of FY20, there was an uptick in agricultural credit disbursement as banks disbursed Rs912.2 billion, up 13.3% compared to the disbursement of Rs804.9 billion in the same period of last year, according to the survey.
“Although the growth rate is higher than the last two to three years, overall the growth in the agriculture sector is unimpressive,” said Shah. “Per acre yield in Pakistan is the lowest worldwide,” he added.
After 2005-06, there had been a constant decline in the agriculture sector, which meant the country had a huge untapped potential, he emphasised.
“Commodity prices have not been increased except for the adjustment due to rupee depreciation against the US dollar, which has a grave impact on the return on investment made by farmers; the government needs to look into it,” he said.
The government should announce an encouraging policy for the agriculture sector in the upcoming budget so that the sector could make further progress, remarked Khalid Tawab, former Sindh minister for commerce, trade and industry.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2020.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2240816/2-despite-overall-contraction-pakistans-agri-sector-grows-2-7/

Govt unveils economic survey, misses key targets

By Shahzad Paracha

June 11, 2020

–Economy to shrink the most in decades while fiscal deficit likely to widen to 9.4pc of GDP in FY20
–Agriculture sector grows 2.67pc, whereas industrial and services sectors shrink -2.64pc and -3.4pc, respectively
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economy will shrink the most in decades while its fiscal deficit will likely widen to 9.4pc of gross domestic product by the end of the FY20, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2019-20.
“The country’s provisional gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for FY20 will likely contract 0.4pc instead of growing 3.3pc as previously forecast,” Adviser to PM on Finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh told a news conference while unveiling the budget on Thursday.
This contraction would be the deepest in decades.
“The economic contraction depicts the challenges that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government faced in its second year in power and the miseries caused by the Covid-19 that started battering the world in December 2019.”
The IMF and World Bank had earlier projected that the economy will shrink by up to 2.6pc.
The adviser said the IMF and World Bank were making bleaker assumptions keeping in view the severity and duration of the coronavirus pandemic. “In my view, we will have a better estimation when this year ends on June 30.”
He highlighted the government’s swift and decisive policy actions since the start of the current fiscal year, including resource mobilisation, completion of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, austerity measures, and monetary policies helping stabilise the economy.
The adviser stated that these measures helped the economy to reverse large external and internal imbalances. He said that significant improvement in external accounts was made as the current account and trade deficit witnessed a substantial contraction.
“Foreign reserves steadily improved. There was an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI). The credit rating profile also improved. Fiscal performance remained strong during the first three quarters of the outgoing fiscal year, on the back of consolidation efforts and targeted reforms.”
The adviser said the Covid-19 has pushed the global economies towards a recession. Pakistan has also been affected by the unprecedented health and economic shocks caused by the outbreak of coronavirus. During the current fiscal year, Pakistan’s economy has undergone a sharp contraction as growth is recorded at negative 0.4pc.
“To mitigate the socio-economic impact of the pandemic, the government announced a stimulus package of Rs1.24 trillion, and offered further relief measures through the State Bank of Pakistan. The policy rate was also cut by 5.25pc to 8.0pc,” he said. “The monetary and fiscal policy interventions have been made to restore the economic activity in this difficult time and to reduce negative effects on poverty and unemployment.”
The agriculture sector recorded a growth of 2.67pc against the target of 3.5pc, however, the industrial and services sectors witnessed negative growth rates of -2.64pc and -3.4pc, respectively, pulling the overall growth rate down, the adviser stated.
Sheikh said manufacturing contracted by 22.9pc year-on-year in March 2020 but added that “fiscal deficit was still manageable from July-March 2020 at 4pc of the GDP while last year it was 5.1pc of the GDP” in the same period.
“The government has taken loans to tackle the burden of the debt left by previous governments,” said Shaikh. “Pakistan returned Rs5,000 billion in debt – the loans of past years.”
“Tax collection target for FY20 was ambitious and the government doesn’t want to collect it aggressively in a Covid hit economy. When the economy recovers, we hope tax collection will rise due to economic recovery.”
Shaikh said the PTI government did not green-light any additional grants for any government department for a year. “We have entered the area of primary surplus. We controlled government expenditure. Our primary expenditure was less than our revenue which may be a first in the country’s history.”
The finance adviser reiterated that PM Imran’s vision was that every decision benefits the general public. “A large amount was allocated to benefit the lower class. Rs152 billlion were set aside for the merged areas.”

For the upcoming fiscal year, the government has approved a low-economic growth plan, suggesting that the country will not be out of economic wounds in the next fiscal year too. The following graphs highlight the economic trajectory of key indicators in the preceding fiscal years.

https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/06/11/govt-unveils-economic-survey-misses-key-targets/

Project To Utilize Paddy Residues Efficiently Launched

2 days ago Thu 11th June 2020 | 10:20 PM

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Jun, 2020 ) :The Punjab government has started implementation of the project aimed at utilizing the paddy residues efficiently by using modern machinery.
A spokesman for the department said on Thursday that applications had been sought from the farmers of Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Mandi Bahuddin, Narowal, Hafizabad, Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Jhang, Chiniot, Bahawalnagar and Okara in this regard.
Farmers would be given Pak Seeder, Happy Seeder, Rice Straw Chopper/Shredder on 80 percent concessionary price, he added.
He said that an applicant must own a useable tractor of 65 horse power, whereas under this scheme for 4 years an applicant would be bound to give obtained agricultural machinery to other farmers on rent.
He further said that applications in this regard would be obtained till June 30 whereas farmers could contact on 99200705 for further information.
It is pertinent to mention here that this scheme would help in overcoming the practice of burning paddy residues.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/project-to-utilize-paddy-residues-efficiently-944657.html

Myanmar’s mangrove forests are in grave peril

By Sustainability Times on June 12, 2020

Agriculture Forest

Mangrove forests are under threat across Southeast Asia and in the country of Myanmar alone more than 60% of them were lost within just two decades between 1996 and 2016, according to researchers at the National University of Singapore.
“Mangroves are one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems, and Myanmar is regarded as the current mangrove deforestation hotspot globally,” the scientists write in a study published in Environmental Research Letters. “Net national mangrove cover declined by 52% over 20 years, with annual net loss rates of 3.60%–3.87%. Gross mangrove deforestation was more profound: 63% of the 1996 mangrove extent had been temporarily or permanently converted by 2016.”
Most of the country’s mangroves have been converted into rice paddies, oil palm and rubber tree plantations, as well as areas used for aquaculture. The profound loss of deforestation in the country’s mangrove forests, which are critical for biodiversity, is the reason why Myanmar has been described as a primary hotspot of mangrove loss in the world. “It is quite incredible to consider that nearly two-thirds of all mangroves in Myanmar were deforested over a 20-year-period,” says Edward Webb, one of the authors of the study.
Mangrove trees grow in various depths of water in coastal areas and they are crucial for coastal marine ecosystems. Their dense entangled roots stabilize coastlines and provide homes to a variety of marine species, including fish and crustaceans. Mangroves can also absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, as a result of which these forests play an important role in the fight against climate change.
Mangroves growing in South Asia, in Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region account for nearly half, or 46%, of the world’s entire mangrove forests. Southeast Asia is home to the world’s highest rate of mangrove biodiversity. Many of the region’s mangroves, however, have been lost owing to agricultural activities.
“Loss of mangroves equates to loss of habitat available for mangrove-dependent wildlife, and this may include birds, mammals, fish and crustaceans, as well as crocodiles,” Webb says. “Perhaps, as important are the implications for other ecosystem services associated with mangroves, including shoreline protection and carbon sequestration.”
The rapid deforestation of mangroves in Myanmar has also been detailed in another study, led by Daniel Richards and Daniel Friess, two researchers at the National University of Singapore who investigated the rate of mangrove deforestation in Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, between 2000 and 2012.
The scientists reported that rice farming was a main driver of mangrove loss. The government of Myanmar has sought to increase food security, which has resulted in boosts to rice farming production. Yet that has come at a cost to mangroves that have been converted into paddies. “Almost 25,000 hectares of Myanmar’s mangroves were converted to rice paddy between 2000 and 2012,” Richards noted.
A similar situation has prevailed elsewhere in Southeast Asia. “Sixteen percent of all deforested mangroves in Southeast Asia were replaced with oil palm plantations during our study period,” the scientist said. “We usually think of oil palm as an issue which affects tropical forests on land but our study shows that demand for oil palm is also driving deforestation in coastal mangrove forests.”
The rate of deforestation is of especial concern in Myanmar because the country’s government does not consider mangroves to be important parts of the ecosystem that need to be preserved. “As a result of the lack of environmental safeguards and continuing economic transformation in Myanmar, we may expect mangrove conversion to rice and other agriculture to continue to displace large areas of mangrove in this country in the future,” the authors warn in their study.
The loss of nearly two-thirds of Myanmar’s mangroves in just a few short years has raised the specter of an environmental calamity in the making. Yet the remaining forests can still be saved.
“The fate of mangroves in the country will be tied to the strength of policies and implementation of conservation measures,” Webb says. “Through proper long-term planning, management and conservation, this resilient ecosystem can recover and be maintained for the future.” https://www.sustainability-times.com/environmental-protection/myanmars-mangrove-forests-are-in-grave-peril/

Purchase of wheat prolonged for 15 extra days … cleansing the arms displaying middlemen below the guise of farmers

By Abigale Lormen on June 12, 2020

The alternative of thousands and thousands of readers over 70 years
Pilibhit. Due to Kovid-19, wheat procurement in lockdown was began from April 15 as a substitute of April 1. In this, wheat was returned with out shopping for, stating that farmers had extra moisture from authorities buying facilities. After that, the farmers had been compelled to promote their wheat to the middlemen and middlemen at throwaway costs.
However, when the arrival of wheat declined and farmers didn’t have any wheat left, the federal government prolonged the federal government 15 days to purchase extra wheat. Now wheat procurement could be accomplished by June 30. Most farmers have offered their wheat to brokers and middlemen at Rs 200 to 250 per quintal. If they now not have wheat left, then the place will the wheat be bought at authorities buying facilities. Departmental sources say that middlemen will take actual benefit of presidency wheat procurement. He will meet the federal government procurement goal solely by supplying wheat bought at low charges from farmers to buying facilities. The identical is going on as a result of farmers have already offered their wheat in lockdown. With that cash, plowing of agriculture, sowing of paddy plant has additionally been accomplished. Some cash will probably be spent in planting paddy. After the monsoon rains, the farmers' pockets will once more be empty. The district has set a goal of buying 1.79 lakh metric tonnes of wheat. For this, procurement of wheat was began at 133 buying facilities. However, thus far solely 77 % of wheat has been procured.
50% wheat procurement accomplished earlier than begin
Regarding transparency in wheat procurement, farmers had been instructed to register and make funds by PFMS. When the acquisition of wheat didn’t begin from April 1 as a result of lockdown, there was confusion among the many farmers. Taking benefit of this, middlemen and rice millers began tricking the farmers and shopping for wheat at low charges. A big amount of wheat was bought on the charge of Rs 250 per quintal from the fastened charge by going to the farmers' home within the early morning between 1 to 15 April. Here, when procurement began on the authorities buying facilities from April 15, by then, greater than 50 % of the farmers had bought wheat, middlemen and rice millers.
Government procurement targets will probably be met by middlemen
The token system in wheat procurement got here into drive to forestall Kovid-19 an infection. Due to this, farmers have change into disenchanted with authorities buying facilities from day one. After the strictness of the officers, fast procurement began, however on the identical velocity, the graph of wheat procurement stopped at 62 %. Seeing that there was much less arrival of wheat on the buying facilities, the federal government additionally ended the token system. But even this didn’t considerably enhance the wheat procurement goal. Now an try is being made to satisfy the federal government goal by buying Gehenu from brokers and middlemen.
Mobile buying facilities began to extend purchases
The authorities directed to buy door-to-door by cellular buying facilities when the arrival on the buying facilities was much less. DM Vaibhav Shrivastava directed the income division and buying company managers to cooperate in growing wheat procurement. Since June 5, 70 thousand quintals of wheat have been bought by cellular buying facilities.
The authorities has prolonged 15 days for wheat procurement. Now wheat procurement will probably be accomplished by 30th June. 70 thousand quintals of wheat have been procured by cellular buying facilities. Middlemen are on full watch. Already funds are being made by registration and PFMS to forestall disturbances. – Dr. Avinash Jha, Deputy RMO
Pilibhit. Due to Kovid-19, wheat procurement in lockdown was began from April 15 as a substitute of April 1. In this, wheat was returned with out shopping for, stating that farmers had extra moisture from authorities buying facilities. After that, the farmers had been compelled to promote their wheat to the middlemen and middlemen at throwaway costs.
However, when the arrival of wheat declined and farmers didn’t have any wheat left, the federal government prolonged the federal government 15 days to purchase extra wheat. Now wheat procurement could be accomplished by June 30. Most farmers have offered their wheat to brokers and middlemen at Rs 200 to 250 per quintal. If they now not have wheat left, then the place will the wheat be bought at authorities buying facilities. Departmental sources say that middlemen will take actual benefit of presidency wheat procurement. He will meet the federal government procurement goal solely by supplying wheat bought at low charges from farmers to buying facilities. The identical is going on as a result of farmers have already offered their wheat in lockdown. With that cash, plowing of agriculture, sowing of paddy plant has additionally been accomplished. Some cash will probably be spent in planting paddy. After the monsoon rains, the farmers' pockets will once more be empty. The district has set a goal of buying 1.79 lakh metric tonnes of wheat. For this, procurement of wheat was began at 133 buying facilities. However, thus far solely 77 % of wheat has been procured.

50% wheat procurement accomplished earlier than begin
Regarding transparency in wheat procurement, farmers had been instructed to register and make funds by PFMS. When the acquisition of wheat didn’t begin from April 1 as a result of lockdown, there was confusion among the many farmers. Taking benefit of this, middlemen and rice millers began tricking the farmers and shopping for wheat at low charges. A big amount of wheat was bought on the charge of Rs 250 per quintal from the fastened charge by going to the farmers' home within the early morning between 1 to 15 April. Here, when procurement began on the authorities buying facilities from April 15, by then, greater than 50 % of the farmers had bought wheat, middlemen and rice millers.
Government procurement targets will probably be met by middlemen
The token system in wheat procurement got here into drive to forestall Kovid-19 an infection. Due to this, farmers have change into disenchanted with authorities buying facilities from day one. After the strictness of the officers, fast procurement began, however on the identical velocity, the graph of wheat procurement stopped at 62 %. Seeing that there was much less arrival of wheat on the buying facilities, the federal government additionally ended the token system. But even this didn’t considerably enhance the wheat procurement goal. Now an try is being made to satisfy the federal government goal by buying Gehenu from brokers and middlemen.
Mobile buying facilities began to extend purchases
The authorities directed to buy door-to-door by cellular buying facilities when the arrival on the buying facilities was much less. DM Vaibhav Shrivastava directed the income division and buying company managers to cooperate in growing wheat procurement. Since June 5, 70 thousand quintals of wheat have been bought by cellular buying facilities.
The authorities has prolonged 15 days for wheat procurement. Now wheat procurement will probably be accomplished by 30th June. 70 thousand quintals of wheat have been procured by cellular buying facilities. Middlemen are on full watch. Already funds are being made by registration and PFMS to forestall disturbances. – Dr. Avinash Jha, Deputy RMO

About Post Author

Abigale Lormen

Abigale is a Masters in Business Administration by education. After completing her post-graduation, Abigale jumped the journalism bandwagon as a freelance journalist. Soon after that she landed a job of reporter and has been climbing the news industry ladder ever since to reach the post of editor at Our Bitcoin News.
https://ourbitcoinnews.com/purchase-of-wheat-extended-for-15-more-days-cleaning-the-hands-showing-middlemen-under-the-guise-of-farmers/

Soil scientist Rattan Lal wins World Food Prize 2020

The announcement was made by World Food Prize Foundation president Barbara Stinson in an online ceremony from Washington on June 11.

By: Express News Service | Ludhiana | Updated: June 13, 2020 12:44:43 pm

Rattan Lal

An alumnus of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and a renowned agricultural soil scientist from Ohio State University (OSU), Dr Rattan Lal (76), has been declared the winner of the World Food Prize 2020.
The announcement was made by World Food Prize Foundation president Barbara Stinson in an online ceremony from Washington on June 11.
PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr B S Dhillon, in a statement, said PAU may be the only institution in the world to have two alumni as World Food Laureates. The honour was earlier won by PAU alumnus Dr Gurdev Singh Khush, a plant breeder and pioneer in rice genetics. He had won this award in 1996 for his excellence in developing new rice varieties and ushering green revolution in rice farming.
Responding to the congratulatory message from PAU V-C, the winning scientist Dr Rattan Lal remarked, “To be a graduate from PAU is a great honour in itself. I want to thank you, the faculty staff and students of PAU for their support and good wishes. I look forward to visiting the university which has been long overdue.”
Lal, referring to Khush, said he was “a big inspiration and a unique role model to follow”.
Dr Lal did his graduation (B.Sc in agriculture) from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in 1963, M.Sc (soils) in 1965 from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and PhD (soils) in 1968 from Ohio State University.
A professor of Soil Science at Ohio State University, he is also the founding director of the university’s Carbon Management and Sequestration Center.
Stinson, while announcing him as the winner, termed Dr Lal as “trailblazer in soil science with a prodigious passion for research that improves soil health, enhances agricultural production, improves the nutritional quality of food, restores the environment and mitigates climate change”.
Dr Lal’s research in the 1990s revealed that restoring degraded soils through increasing soil carbon and organic matter not only improved soil health, but helped combat rising carbon dioxide levels in the air by sequestering atmospheric carbon. He provided leadership to a range of soil restoration projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America, integrating no-till farming and use of cover crops, mulching and agro-forestry to protect soil, conserve water and return back nutrients, carbon and organic matter in the soil. Additionally, Dr Lal’s research seeks wider use of soil conservation measures focused on soil health in developed countries.
Dr Lal was born in Karyal in erstwhile Punjab (now in Pakistan). He was conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Science by PAU in 2001.
The World Food Prize was created by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug in 1986 to recognise scientists and others who have improved the quality and availability of food. The foundation that awards the $250,000 prize is based in Des Moines. This award is considered to be the Nobel Prize in Agriculture.

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Rice is a grain with endless possibilities.

Rice is a grain with endless possibilities. While Ashkenazi Jews often relegate it to the side of their plates or see it as a sponge to mop up sauces and gravies, in Sephardi culture, rice preparation is revered as an art form.
In the Ashkenazi world, rice is usually served white and plain. Maybe butter is added, but that’s about it.
However, Sepahrdi rice recipes are studded with spices, herbs, vegetables, fresh and dried fruit, beans, and nuts, which add texture, color and intense flavor to a delicate grain that can stand alone but is enhanced by additional ingredients. Many Sephardic recipes call for basmati or jasmine rice, both long-grained varieties.
The most renowned of all Sephardi rice dishes is Persian rice, which is famous for its thick crunchy crust.
“Persian rice is meant to be al dente, not soft and gushy like a lot of other rice dishes,” says Hadar Orshalimy, an Israeli-American singer, songwriter, musician and artist. She comes from a large, Persian Jewish family, which hails from Iran. She learned how to make Persian rice from her grandmother.
Treasured like jewels, rice recipes and cooking techniques are frequently passed down from one generation to the next in families. Young women, often before they marry, learn how to make rice by observing a mother or grandmother in the kitchen.
Because this precious grain is so stunning, it’s time to reimagine rice. Think like a Sephardi cook and move rice from a sideshow to the center of the table where it belongs.
Here is Hadar Orshalimy’s recipe.
Persian Rice (Pollo) | Pareve or Meat
Serves 9 people
Equipment: 2½-quart nonstick saucepan. A nonstick pan is essential.
2 medium-size carrots, or more if needed
3 cups basmati rice
1 cup raisins, or any dried fruit, such as cranberries, cherries or barberries (typical of Persian cuisine)
2 tablespoons turmeric, plus more for dusting
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil, plus more for coating saucepan
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 potato, white or sweet
Dice the carrots until you fill ½ cup. Reserve.
Place the rice in a strainer and rinse it well under cold water. Move it to a large bowl. Add the carrots and raisins. Stir together, making sure the carrots and raisins appear equal in color. If not, add more of one so both colors are equally brilliant. Add 2 tablespoons turmeric, salt and pepper, stirring until well combined. Add the oil and stir. Pour in the stock and stir again, making sure ingredients are well blended. Reserve.
Peel the potato and cut into slices about ¼ inch thick. Pour a thin coat of oil into the bottom of the saucepan. Dust turmeric over the oil, creating an even yellow layer. Arrange potato slices in a single layer over the turmeric-oil. If you have too many slices, use them for another purpose. Spoon the rice mixture over the potato layer and even it out with the back of a spoon.
Move the pot to the stove. Slowly pour in enough water so it is about ½ inch above the rice.
Important note: You don’t want your rice to be sticky or mushy, so it’s better to start with less water and add it as you go, as long as you keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Place a dish towel over the pot. Cover the towel with the pot lid. If the towel touches the burner, then fold over the corners and tuck them under the pot lid to avoid burning the towel. Cook on a high flame for about 2 minutes, and then reduce to a medium flame in order to crust the potatoes and rice that are on the bottom, called Ta’adik. Check every few minutes to make sure there’s a layer of water above the rice. If not, slowly add a little more water.
After 15-20 minutes, check to see there’s water bubbling above the rice. If not, add water one tablespoon at a time. Reduce the flame to low. Taste the rice every few minutes. When its texture is al dente, soft on the outside but firm on the inside, the rice is ready.
Find a plate which is larger in diameter than the saucepan. Remove the saucepan’s lid and the towel. Place the plate over the saucepan. Turn over the saucepan onto the plate, using an oven mitt to hold the bottom so you don’t burn your hands. Place the plate on a kitchen counter.
Thump the bottom of the saucepan with the towel and/or a spoon to encourage the rice to loosen. Lift the saucepan and the rice should slide onto the plate. It will retain the shape of the saucepan and exhibit the world renowned crunchy crust of Persian rice. Serve immediately.
Pink Rice from Rhodes | Pareve
Serves 6
1 tablespoon olive oil, or more, if needed
2 shallots, diced fine
5 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt to taste
⅛ teaspoon oregano, or more, if desired
1 Italian plum tomato, diced fine
1 cup basmati or jasmine rice
2½ cups water
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped fine
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over a medium flame until warm, about 1-2 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, salt and oregano. Sauté briefly until fragrant. Add the tomato and stir until it gives off some of its juice.
Add the rice and stir until the grains are coated. Drizzle in more oil, if mixture is dry. Pour in the water, followed by the tomato paste. Stir until the tomato paste dissolves. Cover the saucepan and reduce the flame to low.
Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water if it bubbles away too quickly. Continue to simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is no longer firm in the center.
Move to an attractive bowl and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.
Israeli Yellow Rice | Meat or Pareve
Serves 6
1 tablespoon olive oil, or more, if needed
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon turmeric
⅛ kosher salt, or more if desired
1 cup basmati rice
A couple saffron threads, optional
2½ cups water
1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped fine
In a large saucepan, heat oil over a medium flame until warm, about 1-2 minutes. Add garlic, turmeric and salt and sauté. Add the rice and stir until grains are coated with oil. Slowly drizzle in more oil, if the mixture is dry and rice is sticking to the pot. Add the saffron threads and stir. Pour in the water, followed by the bouillon cube. Stir briefly.
Cover the pot and reduce the flame to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The bouillon cube should be completely dissolved. Check to see if more salt is needed and add gingerly, if desired. Add more water if it bubbles away too quickly. Continue to simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the rice is no longer firm in the center.
Move to an attractive bowl and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately.

Egyptian government denies reports on hike in rice prices

By: MENA

Fri, Jun. 12, 2020

CAIRO - 12 June 2020: The Cabinet media center denied reports purporting a planned increase in rice prices in the markets in the coming period due to supply shortage.

In a report issued Friday, the cabinet media center said it contacted the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade, which described these reports as not true, assuring that there are no plans to increase the prices of rice.

The price of one kilo of rice ranges between EGP 7 to 9, the ministry noted, pointing to the availability of strategic stock.

The ministry called on all media outlets and social media users to adhere to accuracy and contact the concerned official sources of information to avoid circulating any fake news.

It urged citizens to report any violations via the Consumer Protection Agency hotline 19588.

https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/3/88522/Egyptian-government-denies-reports-on-hike-in-rice-prices

Rice Prices

as on : 12-06-2020 03:25:39 PM

Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

	Arrivals			Price
	Current	% change	Season cumulative	Modal	Prev. Modal	Prev.Yr %change
Rice
Bangalore(Kar)	1184.00	9.23	102891.00	4100	4100	-9.89
Mandya(Kar)	766.00	26.19	3153.00	2400	2550	-
Siliguri(WB)	265.00	-7.02	4567.00	3400	2800	-
Sultanpur(UP)	180.00	NC	5277.00	2400	2385	-4.00
Hanagal(Kar)	156.00	271.43	207.00	1800	1750	-
Azamgarh(UP)	125.00	NC	4733.70	2585	2575	5.73
Gondal(UP)	115.00	-0.43	6166.00	2400	2400	-2.04
Kanpur(Grain)(UP)	110.00	15.79	5455.00	2325	2300	-1.48
Dadri(UP)	105.00	16.67	1030.00	5950	5950	-
Barhaj(UP)	100.00	42.86	8678.00	2525	2525	6.09
Lucknow(UP)	79.00	-35.25	4865.00	2450	2455	-7.20
Ballia(UP)	70.00	-22.22	2553.00	2550	2550	8.05
Kandi(WB)	70.00	NC	1275.50	2690	2720	6.75
Lohardaga(Jha)	67.00	-4.29	314.00	1950	1950	-
Hardoi(UP)	60.00	-40	7842.80	2500	2510	6.84
Kopaganj(UP)	51.00	4.08	1185.00	2590	2580	5.50
Vilaspur(UP)	51.00	NC	1407.70	2610	2610	3.98
Lalitpur(UP)	46.00	-8	1296.50	2500	2490	-3.85
Kalipur(WB)	46.00	-11.54	2317.00	2450	2400	2.08
Hapur(UP)	43.00	22.86	887.00	2650	2670	-8.30
Gorakhpur(UP)	40.00	NC	541.70	2620	2610	-
Faizabad(UP)	35.00	-12.5	1072.00	2420	2420	1.89
Lakhimpur(UP)	35.00	16.67	2162.00	2450	2460	4.26
Bankura Sadar(WB)	35.00	25	1824.00	2600	2600	-
Beldanga(WB)	35.00	-12.5	1125.00	2750	2750	NC
Meerut(UP)	32.50	18.18	548.00	2625	2625	-2.42
Choubepur(UP)	31.00	10.71	1387.25	2480	2480	-7.29
Teliamura(Tri)	30.00	20	289.00	2900	3100	NC
Muradabad(UP)	30.00	-6.25	1165.00	2600	2590	NC
Muzzafarnagar(UP)	30.00	66.67	4104.00	2665	2660	-7.30
Agra(UP)	30.00	NC	3181.50	2540	2540	-0.20
Pilibhit(UP)	28.00	12	46984.50	2605	2600	3.17
Saharanpur(UP)	28.00	-15.15	2078.00	2630	2630	-8.04
Shamli(UP)	28.00	-12.5	825.90	2665	2670	-3.44
Basti(UP)	27.00	-6.9	1294.00	2560	2550	8.94
Mainpuri(UP)	27.00	-10	3498.50	2540	2500	4.96
Etawah(UP)	25.00	-7.41	2399.50	2525	2550	-0.98
Jhijhank(UP)	25.00	-37.5	260.50	2540	2530	-
Puranpur(UP)	24.00	14.29	2192.50	2590	2600	4.86
Tamluk (Medinipur E)(WB)	24.00	NC	210.00	2500	2500	NC
Asansol(WB)	23.00	4.55	971.89	3100	3100	3.33
Kolaghat(WB)	23.00	NC	206.00	2500	2500	NC
Karsiyang(Matigara)(WB)	22.40	14.87	581.70	5000	5000	66.67
Egra/contai(WB)	22.00	33.33	464.00	2600	2600	13.04
Manvi(Kar)	20.00	-20	495.00	1839	1900	-
Badayoun(UP)	20.00	NC	1061.50	2585	2575	4.23
Chorichora(UP)	20.00	53.85	1269.00	2620	2620	16.70
Durgapur(WB)	20.00	-4.76	900.25	2760	2700	-3.16
Fatehpur(UP)	19.50	-13.33	2150.40	2470	2465	7.39
Sirsaganj(UP)	19.50	5.41	832.00	2550	2580	NC
Nawabganj(UP)	19.00	5.56	583.00	2400	2400	50.00
Balrampur(UP)	19.00	26.67	815.00	2400	2400	4.35
Gazipur(UP)	18.00	-18.18	1891.00	3210	3210	-1.53
Sahiyapur(UP)	17.00	-22.73	2086.00	2560	2550	7.56
Utraula(UP)	16.00	-3.03	257.20	2400	2400	-
Kayamganj(UP)	15.00	-25	1754.00	2500	2460	-4.21
Paliakala(UP)	13.00	18.18	454.50	2430	2430	6.11
Farukhabad(UP)	12.00	-14.29	911.50	2460	2450	-6.82
Jafarganj(UP)	12.00	-25	968.00	2415	2440	11.81
Rasda(UP)	12.00	20	399.00	2510	2530	1040.91
Jangipura(UP)	12.00	-7.69	530.00	2540	2540	8.55
Jayas(UP)	11.30	-5.83	627.20	2350	2350	17.50
Bahraich(UP)	11.00	-8.33	1001.30	2430	2420	1.25
Etah(UP)	11.00	22.22	322.00	2560	2560	NC
Mohamadabad(UP)	11.00	-63.33	746.30	2450	2460	-
Sheoraphuly(WB)	10.60	-3.64	149.50	3100	3100	3.33
Champadanga(WB)	10.00	-16.67	560.00	3150	3050	5.00
Mahoba(UP)	8.00	-25.23	398.10	2410	2400	6.40
Karvi(UP)	8.00	-42.86	504.00	2400	2385	4.58
Kasganj(UP)	7.00	16.67	416.50	2580	2570	0.78
Indus(Bankura Sadar)(WB)	7.00	16.67	1076.00	2800	2800	3.70
Milak(UP)	6.50	8.33	125.10	2590	2580	-
Devariya(UP)	6.00	-14.29	880.00	2575	2575	4.67
Tulsipur(UP)	6.00	20	67.90	2400	2400	-
Naanpara(UP)	5.60	-17.65	607.50	2410	2410	8.56
Chandoli(UP)	5.00	-16.67	52.20	2575	2550	11.47
Achalda(UP)	5.00	25	283.10	2500	2540	13.12
Amroha(UP)	4.50	-10	137.00	2570	2580	-1.15
Mirzapur(UP)	4.00	-20	238.00	2645	2650	12.08
Chhibramau(Kannuj)(UP)	3.80	5.56	554.50	2450	2450	-2.00
Khurja(UP)	3.20	-8.57	208.30	2650	2650	0.19
Akbarpur(UP)	3.20	-20	365.20	2420	2410	2.54
Bharwari(UP)	3.00	NC	70.50	2520	2460	-
Safdarganj(UP)	3.00	NC	31.00	2450	2450	-
Perinthalmanna(Ker)	2.90	NC	26.10	3000	3000	7.14
Kosikalan(UP)	2.50	8.7	203.00	2545	2540	1.80
Bilsi(UP)	2.00	33.33	17.00	2580	2580	-
Sehjanwa(UP)	2.00	-92	2155.50	2600	2600	20.37
Muskara(UP)	1.70	6.25	60.30	2350	2350	3.98
Charra(UP)	1.60	6.67	92.00	2550	2550	0.20
Baberu(UP)	1.50	NC	70.00	2370	2380	6.52
Lalganj(UP)	1.50	50	254.60	2300	2300	-
Mawana(UP)	1.50	-25	129.20	2630	2625	-
Wazirganj(UP)	1.50	NC	47.50	2580	2590	-
Panichowki(Kumarghat)(Tri)	1.30	-18.75	32.70	2960	2950	-
Khair(UP)	1.20	20	66.70	2580	2580	-0.77
Alibagh(Mah)	1.00	NC	71.00	4200	4200	NC
Murud(Mah)	1.00	NC	70.00	4200	4200	NC
Melaghar(Tri)	1.00	66.67	49.70	2700	2700	NC
Shikohabad(UP)	1.00	-60	263.00	2750	2750	12.24
Achnera(UP)	0.80	NC	31.00	2050	2560	-19.29
Anandnagar(UP)	0.70	-22.22	194.10	2540	2525	15.45
Atrauli(UP)	0.60	-14.29	5.20	2570	2560	-
Bharuasumerpur(UP)	0.60	-50	15.30	2500	2500	28.21

Published on June 12, 2020

· https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rice-prices/article31812614.ece

Govt urged to save rice, cotton crops from locust attack

FAO of United Nations has issued warning of a second locust swarm attack in Pakistan in July

Iqtidar Gilani

June 12, 2020

Yemen rebels ready for dialogue with Saudi-led coalition

https://nation.com.pk/12-Jun-2020/govt-urged-to-save-rice-cotton-crops-from-locust-attack

MT food grains stock available with Food Corporation of India

June 12, 2020

New Delhi: As per the Food Corporation of India report dated 11.06.2020, FCI currently has 270.89 LMT rice and 540.80 LMT wheat. Hence, a total of 811.69 LMT food grain stock is available (excluding the ongoing purchase of wheat and paddy, which have not yet reached the godown). About 55 LMT food grains is required for a month under NFSA and other welfare schemes.

Since the lockdown, about 117.43 LMT food grains have been lifted and transported through 4194 rail rakes. Apart from the rail route, transportation was also done through roads and waterways. A total of 245.23 LMT has been transported. 15,500 MT grains was transported through 13 ships. Total 11.68 LMT food grains have been transported to the North-Eastern States.
Food grain distribution to migrant labourers:
(Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package)
Under Atma Nirbhar Bharat package, Government of India has decided that 8 LMT food grains will be provided to about 8 Crore migrant labourers, stranded and needy families, who are not covered under NFSA or State scheme PDS cards. 5 Kg of food grain per person is being distributed free of cost for the months of May and June to all migrants. The states and UTs have lifted 5.48 LMT of food grains and distributed 22,812 MT of food grains to total 45.62 lakh (in the May 35.32 lakh and in June 10.30 lakh) beneficiaries. The Government of India also approved 39,000 MT pulses for 1.96 crore migrant families. 8 Crore migrant labourers, stranded and needy families, who are not covered under NFSA or State scheme PDS cards will be given 1 kg of gram/dal per family for the month of May and June for free. This allocation of gram/dal is being done according to the need of the states.
Around 33,916 MT gram/dal have been dispatched to the states and UTs. A total 23,733 MT gram has been lifted by various States and UTs. 2,092 MT gram has been distributed by the states and UTs. The Government of India is bearing 100% financial burden of approximately Rs. 3,109 crores for food grain and Rs 280 crores for gram under this scheme.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana:
Food grain (Rice/Wheat)
Under the PMGKAY, for the 3 months April-June a total of 104.3 LMT rice and 15.2 LMT wheat is required of which 94.71 LMT rice and 14.20 LMT wheat have been lifted by various States and UTs. A total of 108.91 LMT food grains has been lifted. In the month of April 2020 , 37 LMT (92 %) food grains have been distributed to 74 crore beneficiaries, in May 2020, total 35.82 LMT (90%) food grains distributed to 71.64 crores beneficiaries and in the month of June 2020, 9.34 LMT (23%) food grains have been distributed to 18.68 crores beneficiaries. The Government of India is bearing 100% financial burden of approximately Rs. 46,000 crores under this scheme. Wheat has been allocated to 6 States/UTs, – Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Delhi and Gujarat and rice has been provided to the remaining States/UTs.
Pulses
As regards Pulses, the total requirement for the three months is 5.87 LMT. The Government of India is bearing 100% financial burden of approximately Rs 5,000 crore under this scheme. So far, 5.50 LMT Pulses have been dispatched to States/UTs and 4.91 LMT have reached the States/UTs, while 3.06 LMT pulses has been distributed. A total of 11.87 LMT pulses (Toor- 6.12 LMT, Moong-1.60 LMT, Urad-2.38 LMT, Chana-1.30 LMT and Masur-0.47 LMT ) is available in the stock as on 10.6.2020.
Food grain Procurement:
As on 11.06.2020, total 376.58 LMT wheat (RMS 2020-21) and 734.58 LMT rice (KMS 2019-20) were procured.
Open Market Sales Scheme (OMSS):

Under the OMSS, the rates of Rice is fixed at Rs.22/kg and Wheat at Rs.21/kg. FCI has sold 5.57 LMT wheat and 8.90 LMT rice through OMSS during the lockdown period

https://orissadiary.com/811-69-lmt-food-grains-stock-available-with-food-corporation-of-india/

Excess of Rice & Wheat Production is Hurting Indian Agricultural Production: Nitin Gadkari

Garsha Sai Nitesh 12 June, 2020 2:29 PM IST

Modi Government’s minimum support prices (MSP) are way higher than domestic and international rates said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday while addressing through a webinar. “The prominent issue in this sector is the international price for agricultural commodities and the vast difference in the price in the market and the MSP. Now there are many new problems of which some are political. It is difficult to make decisions,” he said.

“However, the ground reality is that our MSP is higher than rates of domestic and international. This will create a big economic crisis in the city.”

We need to find some different options, an alternative for that. Without solving problems in agriculture we cannot increase our purchasing power parity which in return affects the growth of the economy he said.

At present India has a surplus of Rice and Wheat and there is a problem with the storage of these grains. “In the agriculture area, we have a clear surplus problem of rice and wheat, we don’t have a place for storage. It is full past three years,” said the Union Minister.

Gadkari suggested formulating a policy to convert rice into ethanol or bio-ethanol."Presently our ethanol production is Rs 20,000 crore and imports are Rs 6-7 lakh crore. So now we are planning to make ethanol economy of Rs 1 lakh crore," he said.

He added that states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana have a problem of growing overly they need to reduce the acreage of wheat and rice. He further added that India imports a huge quantity of edible oil worth around Rs 90,000 crore as India’s edible oil production is less which we need to increase.

Soybean production in Brazil and The United States per acre is 27-28 quintal and 30 quintals while in India it is 4.5 quintal per acre. There is a need to research the production of quality oilseeds in the country for higher production.
https://krishijagran.com/agriculture-world/excess-of-rice-wheat-production-is-hurting-indian-agricultural-production-nitin-gadkari/

Amid pandemic, direct seeding of rice helps Punjab farmers

Date

6/12/2020 6:32:33 AM

(MENAFN - IANS) By Vishal Gulati

Chandigarh, June 12 (IANS) The concept of self-reliant India is growing among farmers of Punjab, one of the country's prominent granaries, with the pruning of farm labour caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Even the farmers are branching out to become tech savvy, paving way for the government to sow the seeds of less water-intensive mechanised technology in the kharif season when the sowing of water guzzling paddy is on.

For nearly a decade, the state has been advocating to put an end to the age-old method of transplanting water-guzzling way -- the puddle method -- with the mechanical method of paddy plantation.

With the large migration of labourers to their home states amid the lockdown, agriculture experts believe circumstances have changed the mindset of a large number of farmers to opt the new mechanized method rather than sticking to the traditional way of sowing saplings in puddle fields.

Government estimates this time around 25 per cent of the total area of paddy will be brought through the direct seeding of rice (DSR) technique -- a method that saves water and labour.

Punjab has a target to sow paddy on 26 lakh hectares, including around seven lakh hectares under highly remunerative basmati rice, this season.

For this, the state needs at least 600,000 labourers to transplant paddy if it goes by the traditional method.

Progressive farmer Shubkarman Singh of Zira village in Ferozepur district said last year he had successful experimentation of DSR technique in half of his fields.

"This time there is a huge shortage of labourer. So we have decided to go for the DSR technique for paddy plantation in the entire 12 acres," he told IANS.

According to him, the mechanical plantation not only saves the money but also saves the time.

"Almost a week-long exercise of plantation has been reduced to a few days," he added.

An elated farmer Ramandeep Gill of Khanna town said: "When the government's drives have failed to motivate the farmers, it is the pandemic that forced them to opt the less labour intensive technique."

He said owing to the migrant labour shortage and abnormally high rates demanded by the local labourers, the local farmers were forced to go for the mechanized method that saves irrigation water and power.

"If the yields are comparable good, in the next season the DSR acreage will double," Gill told IANS.

In the previous season, the average rate for paddy transplantation on an acre was Rs 2,500-3,000. This time it rose up to Rs 5,000 per acre.

Also, the normal paddy transplantation is labour-intensive and time consuming.

The farmers first prepare a nursery and then replant the saplings after 25-30 days in a puddled field.

The DSR technique does not require nursery or sapling transplantation. The paddy seeds are directly drilled into the field by a tractor-powered machine.

Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana has developed 'Lucky Seeder' which not only sows paddy directly but also sprays weedicides.

"Nearly 25 per cent of the area under paddy sowing is expected to come under the mechanized way as it will help slashing cultivation costs," Agriculture Secretary K.S. Pannu told IANS.

He said the mechanised plantation will also help saving lakhs of litres of groundwater this year.

According to Pannu, one machine covers seven-eight acres in a day. The government is also providing a 40 per cent subsidy on the DSR machine.

Admitting the direct seeding of rice helped saving groundwater, Balbir Singh Sandhu of Moga said at the success rate of the DSR machine would be visible only at the time of paddy harvesting.

"If the paddy yield is normal, then we can say the machine is successful. Otherwise, we will revert to the traditional method. Till that time we are keeping our fingers crossed."

Some areas of Punjab, like Mukerian and Ferozepur belts, do grow basmati. But most farmers end up growing common paddy, called 'jhona' as the input cost is less.

Punjab, with only 1.54 per cent of India's geographical area, produces around 20 per cent of wheat, 10 per cent of rice and 10 per cent of cotton production of the country. The state contributes over 50 per cent food grains to the national kitty alone.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at )

--IANS

https://menafn.com/1100313707/Amid-pandemic-direct-seeding-of-rice-helps-Punjab-farmers

Rice and broken rice export earnings hit around 580 million USD

NEWS

PUBLISHED 12 JUNE 2020

In nearly eight months of the current fiscal year, Myanmar earned around 580 million US dollars from exports of nearly two million tons of rice and broken rice, according to the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).

Till May 29 of 2019-2020 FY, Myanmar exported 1.965 million tons of rice and broken rice worth 578.728 million US dollars.

Rice exports of 1.2 million tons of rice amounted to 397.581 million US dollars while the exports of nearly 700,000 tons of broken rice hit 181.147 million US dollars.

Exports of over 420,000 tons of rice to China hit 132.898 million US dollars, accounting for over 33 per cent of the total rice exports. This is the highest rice export volume.

Myanmar exported 170,000 tons of broken rice worth 43.426 million US dollars to Belgium, making up over 23 per cent of the total broken rice exports. This is the maximum broken rice export.

Myanmar exports rice and broken rice via border trade routes and marine trade.

During this period, Myanmar earned over 74 million US dollars from exports of over 260,000 tons of rice and broken rice via border trade camps. Exports of nearly 1.7 million tons of rice and broken rice hit over 504 million US dollars.

“Myanmar can export more than 2 million tons of rice a year. This year, the total rice exports are expected to hit around 2.5 million tons,” said Deputy Minister for Commerce U Aung Htoo.

Some countries have offered to buy rice from Myanmar, said Dr. Than Myint, Union Minister for Commerce.

https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/rice-and-broken-rice-export-earnings-hit-around-580-million-usd

Parish-owned grain exporter to add $11.6M rice mill

June 11, 2020 GMT

LACASSINE, La. (AP) — A parish-owned and farmer-operated grain exporter in southwest Louisiana is adding a rice mill.

Officials of the South Louisiana Rail Facility in Lacassine and Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the plans Thursday.

The mill will create seven jobs with salaries averaging $43,000, a news release said.

The South Louisiana Rail Facility is owned by the Jefferson Davis Parish Police Jury and can handle up to 25,000 bushels (880 cubic meters) of rice per hour for storage and export.

It’s located at the Lacassine Industrial Park and was launched in 2010 to receive, preserve and distribute paddy rice to international markets. It can also handle other commodities inlcuding corn and soybeans.

https://apnews.com/f2bf5be4e8b7529a3c41f9e1f3619db7

Uncertain future awaits global food markets in 2020/21 because of COVID-19, says FAO

Posted on June 11, 2020 by IAC Desk in Agriculture, Featured, Food, Must Read, Policy

Food markets will face many more months of uncertainty due to COVID-19, but the agri-food sector is likely to show more resilience to the pandemic crisis than other sectors, according to a new report released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The Food Outlook report provides the first forecasts for production and market trends in 2020-2021 for the world’s most traded food commodities – cereals, oilcrops, meat, dairy, fish and sugar.

“The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt – at varying degrees – across all food sectors assessed by FAO. Whilst COVID-19 has posed a serious threat to food security, overall, our analysis shows that from the global perspective, agricultural commodity markets are proving to be more resilient to the pandemic than many other sectors. That said, owing to the size of the challenge and the enormous uncertainties associated with it, the international community must remain vigilant and ready to react, if and when necessary,” said Boubaker Ben-Belhassen, Director of the FAO Trade and Markets Division.

Key trends and prospects for major food commodities in 2020/21

Cereals

In spite of uncertainties posed by the pandemic, FAO’s first forecasts for the 2020/21 season point to a comfortable cereal supply and demand situation. Early prospects suggest global cereal production in 2020 surpassing the previous year’s record by 2.6 percent.

World cereal trade in 2020/21 is projected to stand at 433 million tonnes, up 2.2 percent (9.4 million tonnes) from 2019/20, and setting a new record high, boosted by expected expansions in trade of all major cereals.

Meat

World total meat production is forecast to fall by 1.7 percent in 2020, due to animal diseases, COVID-19-related market disruptions, and the lingering effects of droughts.

International meat trade is likely to register a moderate growth – but considerably slower growth than in 2019 – largely sustained by high imports from China.

International meat prices have fallen by 8.6 percent from January 2020, with the sharpest drop in ovine meat, followed by poultry, pig and bovine meats due to the impacts of COVID-19-related measures, including ensuing logistical bottlenecks, steep decline in global import demand, and substantial volumes of unsold meat products.

Fish

The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to heavily affect seafood markets, particularly fresh products and popular restaurant species this year. On the supply side, fishing fleets are laying idle and aquaculture producers have drastically reduced stocking targets.

The pandemic is set to severely hit, in particular, global shrimp and salmon production. The shrimp farming season in Asia, which generally begins in April, is now delayed until June/July. In India, for example, farmed shrimp production is expected to fall by 30-40 percent.

Also, worldwide demand for both fresh and frozen shrimp is declining significantly, whilst demand for salmon is expected to drop by at least by 15 percent in 2020. Retail sales, in particular, of fresh salmon and trout have fallen greatly, and this will not recover for some time.

Sugar

World production of sugar in 2019-2020 is forecast to drop for the second consecutive year and fall below the estimated level of global consumption – for the first time in three years.

Trade in sugar is foreseen to expand, sustained by low prices and stock rebuilding in some traditional importing countries.

So far, the expectation of a global sugar production deficit for 2019/20 season has done little to support international sugar prices, which have been falling since mid-2017, and are below estimated production costs for the vast majority of world producers.

Milk

Notwithstanding market disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, world milk production is showing resilience, possibly growing by 0.8 percent in 2020. However, world dairy exports are expected to contract by 4 percent, amid faltering import demand.

Oilcrops

Despite subdued demand prospects linked, amongst other things, to the pandemic, FAO’s latest 2019/20 forecasts for oilseeds and derived products point towards a tightening global supply-demand situation, triggered by a marked contraction in production.

Tentative forecasts for 2020/21 suggest that supplies could remain tight relative to demand.

https://www.indoasiancommodities.com/2020/06/11/uncertain-future-awaits-global-food-markets-in-2020-21-because-of-covid-19-says-fao/

East Timor rice exports ready to roll

Hin Pisei | Publication date 10 June 2020 | 22:17 ICT

East Timor will soon begin importing Cambodian rice for the first time. YOUSOS APDOULRASHIM

Cambodia is prepared to export 30,000 tonnes of milled rice to East Timor soon, which will open a promising new market for the rice sector.

At an April 17 meeting with the Green Trade Company, under the Ministry of Commerce, and the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), Ambassador of East Timor to Cambodia Ermenegildo ‘Kupa’ Lopes proposed a plan for the Kingdom to start exporting rice to East Timor.

At a meeting with Lopes on Tuesday, Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak said Cambodia was now ready to start the project.

He said: “Cambodia has already prepared 30,000 tonnes of rice for export to East Timor and has asked it for feedback.”

He also urged East Timor’s private sector to invest in a rice mill in the Kingdom.

Lopes said East Timor is intent on importing rice from Cambodia and added that East Timor could export crops to the Kingdom as well.

He also mentioned that his country could provide 3,000 fuel sector jobs to Cambodians.

CRF president Song Saran told The Post on Wednesday that Cambodia has enough white rice stockpiled to meet East Timor’s demand.

He said: “With the efforts of the Cambodian government, we hope that East Timor will become a new strong market for Cambodian rice exporters.”

He added that East Timor has never bought rice from Cambodia and historically relied on Vietnam to satisfy its demand.

CRF board chairman Hun Lak told The Post in April that East Timor had first offered to buy rice from Cambodia to prevent a food shortage due to Covid-19. The country has yet to specify an amount.

Lak said the government had requested East Timor to send a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation outlining the specifications of their order.

At a meeting with Lopes on May 27, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Cambodia wants East Timor to set up a representative office for its rice-purchasing companies in the Kingdom.

He said he wanted the companies to build warehouses, factories and silos as well as establish purchasing channels to facilitate rice exports to East Timor.

Rice export reports show that in the first five months of this year, Cambodia exported 356,097 tonnes of rice to the international market, a 42.34 per cent year-on-year increase.

Last year, the Kingdom exported 250,172 tonnes of rice worth $241 million.

East Timor imported 6,800 tonnes of rice in the first two months of this year, around 5,000 tonnes less than the year-ago period, Port Authority of Timor-Leste data shows.

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/east-timor-rice-exports-ready-roll?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=f3bbc4c0d928c491b44a9e29aac04cc8e0313687-1592043995-0-AT8xs2-0C6hSKKvCTx-WEjuuHK2w0Q7ktRWLxa3XSLfmfNWc_vzREAXYz-Ei6BbKDnn2bdUi7r31e-qPXszbvpyIeCZ6MJ4KB2PM5-LKfB_kDmNZghMUZek49vuuwqFtxaIRI4RcvuxPhBG6u3FEyIIGfkYRIzrhHY2wUcFiUW8cX1hyN5wN_KPABetwvHsoV2gfnQZwEQgK6PeEs1799ySOO-ybWIkNTbxydi95N26xyiXG5yPYNGMZ4Zq2P537dHlv92ZZ4vjLvSaNVOaQsNiHWsBI_1ucXDB63uk9svNOOJuTAO98DKXMx3xFKuI2QbOfGHZpLSCEJeCcdzBKQAM

Cambodian rice exports see growth trend

Sorn Sarath / Khmer Times

Inspecting Cambodian fragrant rice. Supplied

The Minister of Agriculture has claimed that the Kingdom’s milled rice exports to the international market are expected to reach 1 million tonnes this year, the amount set by the government five years ago, However, rice exporters said the country will take at least two years more to meet that amount.

Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon is optimistic tha Cambodia’s export of milled rice would reach the milestone figure because of high demand from the international market during COVID-19.

He said according to the first quarter results, which increased more than 40 percent compared with the same period last year, exports for 2020 could reach the goal as set by the government five years ago.

“As some countries reduce rice exports because of the pandemic spread, it is an opportunity for Cambodia to send more rice and the ministry predicts that the country could export around 1 million tonnes because we got more orders during COVID-19,”he said.

The government aimed to export 1 million tonnes of milled rice to the international market by 2015 but the exports so far have reached only half that amount.

Secretary-General of Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) Lun Yeng said that Cambodia will take at least until 2022 to reach the goal.

“We need to see the real market demand because the EU is almost at saturation point and we now will depend more on Chinese and other markets to boost growth,” he said, adding that rice export this year are expected to reach around 800,000 tonnes because Cambodia now has the infrastructure, facilities and investment in rice seeds that provide higher yields.

“Since early this year, our weekly exports reached more than 10,000 tonnes while we could export only 20,000 tonnes a month last year. Now we export at least 50,000 tonnes a month,” he said.

Yeng said China and the EU are still Cambodia’s major market while it is exploring new markets.

“Our exports to the EU this year will still increase after the tariff rate imposed by the EU declines and we get more orders because of the pandemic spread,” he said. New markets such as Australia, Hong Kong and Macao are also increasing and other destinations including ones in Africa are under way with price discussions.

Cambodia sent more than 350,000 tonnes of rice to international markets during the first five months of this year, according to Yeng.

Cambodia’s rice exports to international markets amounted to 620,106 tonnes last year, slightly down 0.97 percent from 626,225 tonnes in 2018.

Cambodia has failed to win a bid to supply milled rice to the Philippines since the memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement because its cost was higher than Thai and Vietnamese rice.

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50733123/cambodian-rice-exports-see-growth-trend/

Thai rice prices hit 1-month peak on strong baht, supply woes

Business Reuters

Jun 12, 2020 00:06:24 IST

By Shreyansi Singh

(Reuters) - Thai rice export prices rose to their highest in about a month this week due to a strong baht currency and persistent supply concerns, losing out to cheaper offers from other Asian hubs.

Quotes for Thailand's benchmark 5-percent broken rice prices rose to $505-$533 per tonne on Thursday - the highest level since early May - from $490-$512 last week.

"Our prices are higher than all of our competitors thanks to the strong baht which makes it hard to find buyers," a Bangkok-based trader said.

The baht hit a more than four month high, translating into higher export prices in U.S. dollars.

Supply concerns also persist in the domestic market despite rain that helped soften the blow from one of the worst droughts in decades earlier this year, adding to the rise in prices, another trader said.

In Vietnam, rates for the benchmark 5% broken rice remained at their highest since early 2012, at $475 per tonne, as demand remains steady though supplies rose.

"The Philippines' recently completed rice purchase and the build-up in domestic supplies have kept export prices from rising further," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.

Vietnam exported 3.09 million tonnes of rice in the first five months of the year, up 12.2% from the year-earlier period.

Prices of top exporter India's 5 percent broken parboiled variety were also unchanged at $368-$373 per tonne, the lowest in over two months, amid weak demand.

The new season supplies have started in a few Indian states, but export demand is negligible, said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

India has raised the price at which it will buy new-season common rice varieties from local farmers by 2.9%.

Neighbouring Bangladesh, the world's fourth-biggest rice producer, will speed up rice procurement to secure supplies for relief operations amid the coronavirus pandemic, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said.

The virus has infected 78,052 people and killed 1,049 in Bangladesh as of Thursday.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka, Khanh Vu in Hanoi and Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok; editing by Arpan Varghese and Nick Macfie)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

Updated Date: Jun 12, 2020 00:06:24 IST

Tags : Reuters

https://www.firstpost.com/business/thai-rice-prices-hit-1-month-peak-on-strong-baht-supply-woes-8474791.html

Labour shortage and scarcity of containers at ports hit India’s rice exports

“Trucks are standing at the Kandla and Mundra ports for a minimum seven days as there is no labour to unload the trucks,” said Gautam Miglani, owner of LRNK, a Haryana-based basmati rice exporter. “Also, since imports of all products have lessened, containers are not coming to the ports. This is creating a lot of problems for basmati rice exporters. Exports are getting delayed.”

By Sutanuka Ghosal, ET Bureau|

Last Updated: Jun 13, 2020, 10.02 AM IST

In 2019-20, India had exported 4.4 million tonnes of basmati rice.

KOLKATA: Labour shortage and scarcity of containers at the ports has hit India’s rice exports to Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. While Africa imports non-basmati rice from India, the Gulf countries rely on India’s basmati rice for their domestic consumption. “Trucks are standing at the Kandla and Mundra ports for a minimum seven days as there is no labour to unload the trucks,” said Gautam Miglani, owner of LRNK, a Haryana-based basmati rice exporter. “Also, since imports of all products have lessened, containers are not coming to the ports. This is creating a lot of problems for basmati rice exporters. Exports are getting delayed.”

Miglani said this year Saudi Arabia and the UAE have emerged as the biggest buyers of basmati rice. “Exports to Iran have gone down as there are payment issues with the country. Exporters from India are yet to get their payments. Nearly 300,000 tonnes of basmati rice is lying at Iranian ports,” he said.

In 2019-20, India had exported 4.4 million tonnes of basmati rice.

The problem is not restricted to basmati rice producers. Non-basmati rice producers from West Bengal and Jharkhand are facing a similar problem in shipping cheaper variety rice to Africa.

“As migrant workers have left, there is a huge shortage of labourers. The demand from Africa is very strong, yet shipments are being delayed because of labour shortage,” said Suraj Agarwal, CEO of Tirupati Agri Trade.

“Availability of containers at the Kolkata port has improved a bit, but it is yet to become fully normal. Also, due to cyclone Amphan, which had badly hit Kolkata, the sheds of clearing and forwarding agents where the goods are stored have been damaged. That too is delaying exports,” he said.

Africa had imported 1.1 million tonnes of rice at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore. They generally buy rice which is priced at Rs 24 -25 per kg.

Vinit Agarwal, owner of RK Exim, said his company is facing both labour shortage and non-availability of containers at Vizag port, through which rice exporters from Jharkhand send their produce to Africa.

Pankaj Jaiswal, owner of Kamla Devi Rice Mill in Lohardaga district of Jharkhand, said the offtake of rice from the rice mills by exporters has come down due to the disruption in logistics. “Also, rice mills in the state are not being able to become fully functional as migrant workers from Bihar, who used to work at the mills, have left for their hometown,” he said.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/labour-shortage-and-scarcity-of-containers-at-ports-hit-indias-rice-exports/articleshow/76352064.cms?from=mdr

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