Deja
Vu as Hurricane Delta Hits Rice Country
By Kane Webb
SOUTHWEST
LOUISIANA -- Let me begin by stating that those of us in southwest Louisiana,
particularly in the rice industry, have decided we want to officially cancel
our subscription to the Hurricane of the Month club! This past weekend,
southwest Louisiana and areas northward felt the winds and heavy rains of
Hurricane Delta, which made landfall on the Louisiana coast a few miles east of
Hurricane Laura's path of destruction just six weeks earlier.
Some
residents had only seen power returned to their homes and businesses for a few
days before losing electricity again on Friday night. Compromised structures
suffered further damage, but one of the most devastating results is in the rice
fields where the ratoon crop that was ready for harvest has all but been
stripped away from the stalk.
Christian
Richard and Allen McLain, both rice farmers in Vermilion parish, described the
damage as "looks like a stripper header went through the crop." Delta
also brought more rainfall to the area, causing more flooding, including
amounts in excess of 12-13 inches in northeast Louisiana, where the rice
harvest was nearing the final stretch to completion. But now the uncertainty of
Delta's effects will have to be determined on the remaining rice that was in
the field.
Both
Supreme and Falcon rice mills in Crowley have reports of minimal damage, but
both lost power Friday until Monday. Farmers Rice Mill in Lake Charles was in
the middle of Hurricane Laura repairs, and reports damages to newly replaced
roofing, as well as having to replace temporary measures such as tarps and
metal siding that were still in place for the ongoing recovery efforts. Kennedy
Rice Mill and the surrounding areas of Mer Rouge also lost power, but have
reported it was recently restored, and they will be going through start up
procedures to fully evaluate any possible damages before returning to on-line
operations.
Over
all, it is difficult in some areas to determine the effects of Delta without
knowing what was already damaged from Laura, but it's not hard to see that the
progress made over the last six weeks has been set back. The recovery process
has begun again to try and finish what was going to be one of the better rice
crops we have had in several years, only to now be in question for its final assessment
following two major storms weeks apart.
Company Commitment to Sustainability on
The Rice Stuff Podcast
ARLINGTON,
VA -- The U.S. rice industry continues to show great leadership when it comes
to sustainable food and agriculture. More and more companies and
organizations within the rice industry are making public commitments and
investing in projects that take on-farm conservation efforts from dream to
reality. 
On
this week's episode of The Rice Stuff podcast we hear about two different
projects focused on just that. Adam Shea of Riceland Foods talks about
his company's commitment to water savings and bringing value for their farmer
members, while Cody Corbell of Indigo Ag and Bill Jones of Anheuser-Busch talk
about their project to implement technology and practices that save water
on-farm with their growers.
"There
are so many great sustainability initiatives happening in the U.S. rice
industry right now, and it was exciting to hear about these two new projects
and what the companies implementing them see for the future," said Lydia
Holmes, USA Rice director of industry affairs & sustainability and co-host
of the podcast "Our guests this week bring views from across the
supply chain and years of experience working with growers on these
practices. We talk about what's working now, what we hope to see in the
future, and how can we measure use of the rice industry's most important
resource, water."
New
episodes of The Rice Stuff are published on the second and fourth Tuesday of
every month and can be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and
Stitcher. All episodes and additional information can be found on the
podcast's dedicated website at thericestuffpodcast.com. The site includes a
"Podcast 101" section on the "About" page for people
new to the medium and a means to reach out to the show hosts and guests
via the "Talk to Us" button.
Empanadas, Rice, and a
Dream Built My Family
When
everything else in the world feels unstable, Alex Hardy turns to the ancestors.
They tell him to get in the kitchen.
October 12,
2020
FARID / ADOBE STOCK
When I first
expressed my interest in studying the empanada arts,
my grandma told me I would need to be prepared to spend a good chunk of time,
possibly two days, with her to finish them. Meat on one day, dough and assembly
the next day.
“I take my time
with my patties,” she explained. “I can’t stand up all day. And I don’t buy my
dough at the store.”
The small,
mighty meat patties have
been a staple of family and community gatherings since long before I moseyed
onto the scene. Grandma began baking and selling them in her early twenties,
after watching women in her community in Colón, Panama prepare and profit from
the crescent-shaped beef-patty-adjacent delights. Since then, they have been
the star—backed by Miss Ruby’s hot pepper sauce and legendary beef, chicken,
and shrimp fried rice—of countless receptions, anniversary galas, Gold Teeth
Clan reunions, and any occasion where “The Electric Slide,” or “One Cent, Five
Cent, Ten Cent, Dollar” by The Soca Boys would be appropriate. But the process
that produced them was always a mystery to me.
Related: How I Got Over
Myself and Learned to Make Rice
After
convincing her that I was capable of identifying, purchasing, and bringing the
correct type and amount of beef, she scribbled a list and said to come by early
with the meat log, two big yellow onions, tomato sauce, yellow peppers, and
other things she lacked. I still carry that scrap of paper in my wallet. She
doesn’t measure when cooking, so when I told her I wanted to capture the recipe
in writing, she got out the measuring cups and spoons to scoop and level her
way through the ingredients, reminding me with every dump that she never does
this and that this was, in fact, slowing her down.
Grandma was
making an order of ten dozen patties, and had told me she would let me do
everything while walking me through the process. First, she sauteed onions and
such for the pepper sauce we’d use to simmer the filling. As I broke the meat
apart in the pan, she said, “Let me see something,” as she grabbed the spatula
and took over. “Because I can just do it real quick, and you can still watch.”
That was the end of that.
When it came to
achieving the right dough texture the next day, she made me wash my hands in
front of her so I could put my hands inside the dough she’d completed and told
me, “See? You just have to know.”
Well, all
right.
Recipe: Mini Panamanian
Beef Empanadas
Now that making
rice no longer makes me sweat and question my place in the world, I’ve taken
off the arm floaties and am finding my current out in the world, making
empanadas without grandmotherly guidance. On top of connecting me to my
family’s legacy and resulting in joy-filled portable meat pockets, producing
empanadas that look and taste good—cooking in general, really—helps me feel a
sense of peace, control, and accomplishment in otherwise chaotic times.
There were
years when all I wanted was my own sink to leave dishes in.
As I enter my
fourth month in my new name-on-the-lease apartment, Casa de Joy, after half a decade
of homelessness and keeping it together with tape and glue in other people’s
occasionally traumatizing spaces, kitchening has become my happy place again.
Even dishwashing offers a daily moment of gratitude. There were years when all
I wanted was my own sink to leave dishes in.
Each time I
take that deep breath and summon the courage and energy to commit to the
journey to Empanadaland, I’m transported back to the grownup shindigs and
cousin-filled celebrations anchored by cauldrons of rice and one of Grandpa
Johnny’s 19 dozen thousand hundred calypso, reggae, soul, and soca cassette
mixtapes that kept the Gold Teeth Clan grooving in their plant-filled
sanctuary. I hear the stories Miss Ruby has told me about what empanadas, rice,
and a dream allowed her to create for herself and her family. I envision her
beaming while showing me her photo of the driveway-blocking pallet of bricks
that she bought for her porch extension with hard work.
The patties
demand that I put the anxieties of the day to the side and plant my feet and my
spirit in the moment.
While I
continue turning this apartment into my own sanctuary, that familiar savory
aroma floating through the air makes this unpainted, un-jungled space feel like
home. The patties demand that I put the anxieties of the day to the side and
plant my feet and my spirit in the moment. If I am distracted or overconfident
in my dicing, I may lose a chunk of my finger. If I rush through measuring and
adding seasonings and sauces because I’m stressed about the 'rona or pending
automobills, or get too loose with the flick of my cumin-tossing wrist in an
attempt to two-step closer and closer to the Miss Ruby flavor, I risk veering
off course and contending with ancestral disappointment.
The first time
I made them alone, after browning and flavoring the beef and making a pepper
sauce, I realized I had used the same amount of seasonings and tomato sauce for
my two dozen that she used for her ten dozen and felt like the most useless
grandchild since Vanessa Huxtable. I must be fully present in the
kitchen.
Discussing a
recent batch with her, she told me that, six decades later, “If I movin’ too
fast, I still make mistakes. If I’m worrying about something, the patty don’t
come out right.” I noticed the same. When I’m not focused or am inconsistent
with my form, it shows up in the empanadas. Seeing my babies all egg-washed and
full of potential on the parchment-covered pan, I can tell where I was calm and
intentional and when I was stressed the hell out or rushing through steps. I
can see where I was heavy-handed with the rolling pin or stretched dough too
thin across overstuffed patties, especially when my filling bursts out of a
patched-up hole during baking.
Usually, I put
on a playlist and "Cha Cha Slide" to and fro or let LeVar Burton read
me a story as I chop, stir, roll, and stuff. Lately, I have been cooking with
the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board, the whir of the blender, the
sizzle of peppers and meat, and the occasional “Whew, shit!” as the soundtrack to
my kitchening. With my hands in the flour mixture, clawing and mixing and
kneading and rotating the bowl, I feel a little bit freer.
Each empanada
teaches me something about myself.
I celebrate
when I leave the perfect amount of space between the meat mound and the edge to
seal them with a flour-coated fork and cut the crimped edges with a bowl for
the perfect, un-holed shape. Each empanada teaches me something about
myself.
Making patties
on my own also gives me space to find my own culinary voice beyond Miss Ruby’s
enormous shadow. Now, rather than agonizing over whether I’ve nailed her
execution or if my dough is as flaky as hers, I decided to use what I’ve
learned of the empanada arts to flourish with my own patties. That exploration
keeps my emotional Jheri curl moist.
So, I’ve been
experimenting. Whereas she uses ground beef 90% and ground turkey about 10% of
the time, my latest batch uses her same pepper sauce base, but one dozen had
black beans, minced garlic and smoked Gouda with caramelized peppers and
onions, and the other had the same with steak. And: Yes.
I’m
strategizing on my take on the glorious pabellón empanadas and arepas filled
with tender shredded beef, black beans, and sweet plantain I adored from the
Venezuelan bakery while living in Panama. As we contend with Grandma's dementia
and, for her safety, the prospect of her inability to cook alone or at all, I
hear her coaching and correcting me every step of the way. And telling me to
wash my hands again because I looked at my shirt or thought about moving a bowl
out of the way with the back of my hand.
People have
told me to let them know when I’m ready to start shipping, but for now, I’m
remembering to breathe and consulting the ancestors on what to put inside a
sweet patty. They tell me what I already knew: Take the time, tru
https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/empanadas-rice-and-a-dream-built-my-family
The Chicken
Soup Manifesto’ features recipes from around the world
By Rachel Myerson from The Nosher
(JTA) – I fell in love with Jenn Louis’ latest cookbook The Chicken Soup Manifesto at first sight. The James
Beard-nominated chef has curated a collection of over 100 beautifully
photographed chicken soup recipes, which allowed me to vicariously travel the
globe with my favorite comfort food as a guide. What more could an Ashkenazi
gal with wanderlust wish for?
When I got a chance to chat with Louis, she was as vibrant as
her book.
Like me, her prototypical chicken soup was her mother’s matzah
ball soup, which she made on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The recipe is there,
on page 62, the matzah balls “exactly how she made them. I think everyone likes
a different kind. Mine are really tender on the outside with a bit of chew in
the middle.
If matzah ball soup is your starting point, too, Louis recommends
branching out to the Romanian Supa de Pui cu Galuste de Gris (page 196) with
semolina dumplings. The dumplings are fluffy with whipped egg whites and
poached.
Some of the recipes come from Louis’ own travels. “I took a
cooking class in Ethiopia and learned to make Doro Wat. Even though it’s more
of a stew, I really wanted to include it.” But most of them were collected
through expansive research. “It’s not a creative book,” explained Louis, “it’s
a documentary. It’s a shout-out to how cool these recipes are, and how much we
all have in common.”
Some came from Louis’ periodic appeals on social media, “I’d put
call outs on Facebook once in a while. Like, ‘Hey! Who’s got a chicken soup
they grew up with in their family?’”
Others were told to her orally. Was it difficult to translate
word-of-mouth instructions into quantifiable amounts? I ask. “Somewhat. There’s
a Palestinian recipe – it’s a really great story. This woman sat next to me on
a plane and, halfway through the flight, she looked at me and said, ‘Hi, I’m
Hanan. I’m a Christian Palestinian, the peaceful kind.’ She was super sweet. I
didn’t tell her I was writing a book, but she told me about her mom’s chicken
soup recipe and I wrote it down. It called for, like, a ‘handful of rice,’ so I
tried my best to replicate it.” Their encounter ended after landing, and Louis
never got Hanan’s details. “I’d love to send her a copy [of the book] but I
don’t know where she lives!”
The research process was rich and fruitful. “Just when you think
you’re done,” Louis explained, “you find this cool new recipe. It’s really fun
to unfold all the layers.” And, she says, despite major differences in flavor,
the functions of chicken soup are universal: comforting, often healing broths,
intended to stretch a chicken as far as it can go.
Can she pick a favorite? “The South American soups are so unique
because they have corn and yucca, which make them sweet and totally different
to anything else.” Louis pauses. “Or the Kanjee from Sri Lanka. I made it in my
Instant Pot on a rainy day then went for a walk with my friend. When we got
back home, we opened the pot – it was so fragrant. We sat and ate the soup,
then split the leftovers because they were so good.”
But, of course, much depends on your mood. Or the time of year.
Louis is keen to assure me that chicken soup is not just for winter – “there’s
a summer soup from Finland with green beans and baby carrots that you can eat
chilled. It’s really lovely.”
Regardless of the recipe, Louis is full of tips to achieving the
most flavorsome dish, with an entire section dedicated to getting the most out
of your chicken. “You always want to cook your chicken slow, on a really lazy
simmer. If you cook a little slower, it keeps the meat tender,” she tells me.
And if you want a richer broth, use homemade chicken stock, “it’s special…
heartier and more luxurious than just using water.”
At the end of the day, Louis reiterates, exploring the diverse
offering of chicken soups should be fun. “Make one recipe a week,” she urges,
“and learn something new.”
This post originally appeared in The Nosher.
Afghan Chicken Soup (Yakhni) Recipe
By Jenn Louis
My friend Asya Ghafarshad’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from
Afghanistan in the 1960s. Asya was born in the U.S., and her mom tells her stories
of growing up in Af-ghanistan wearing miniskirts and smoking cigarettes. Her
parents own an iconic res-taurant in Claremont, California. Called Walter’s, it
serves delicious continental cui-sine, as well as Afghan favorites. This is her
father’s chicken soup.
Asya likes to cook the chicken breasts on the bone to make the
broth, then shred the cooked chicken and add it back to the soup just as it is
nearly done. She does not peel the carrots and the vegetables are cut into
larger chunks, just the way her dad made the soup.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/2” cubes
2 Roma or plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2” cubes
8 cups water or chicken stock
1 cup yellow or red lentils or 1 cup basmati rice
2 lb skinless chicken breast, bone in
2 large carrots, cut into 2″ pieces
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2” half-moons
2 oz cilantro, leaves and stems roughly chopped, plus sprigs to
garnish
1 Tbsp ground turmeric
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp ground cardamom
2 oz fresh spinach
1 lemon, to serve
Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot over a medium–high heat. Add the onion
and cook for 3–4 minutes until it begins to become translucent.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes until the tomatoes
release their juices.
Add the remaining ingredients, then bring to the boil.
Immediately reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or
until the vegetables are tender, the soup has thickened and the chicken is
cooked – a thermometer will read 74°C (165°F) when inserted into the thickest
part of the breast and the juices of the chicken will run clear.
When the chicken is cooked, remove from the pot and leave until
cool enough to handle. Using your hands, shred all the meat and discard the
bones. Add the meat back to the soup and season with salt and freshly ground
black pepper.
Squeeze the lemon juice into the soup, adding as much tangy
flavor as possible with-out it becoming sour, and garnish with cilantro sprigs.
Main Photo: Afghan Chicken Soup (Yakhni) (Credit: Ed Anderson
and George Dolese)
Haryana farmers fret as basmati prices fall to ₹1,800 per quintal
Farmers blame it on lack of proper
pricing policy as private traders have been making the most of it by procuring
the variety at their own prices.
For
the first time in past several years, the PUSA 1509 variety of Basmati is being
sold at ₹1,800 per quintal in Haryana, which is far less than
the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹1,888 fixed for the Parmal varieties procured by government
agencies. There is no fixed MSP for the Basmati variety. Raj
Kumar, a marginal farmer from Ladwa, has been visiting the Kurukshetra grain
market daily for last three days to sell the PUSA 1509. However, private
traders are not ready to procure his produce above ₹1,800 per quintal. Several other farmers have also been left
crestfallen since the prices of this premium aromatic variety of rice is ₹1,100 less than last year. Farmers blame it on lack of proper
pricing policy as private traders have been making the most of it by procuring
the variety at their own prices. Last year, farmers had fetched ₹2,700 to ₹2,900 per quintal for this Basmati variety. Farmers,
however, say this year they will have to sell it below ₹1,800 since they have to repay their debts. Ram Kumar, a farmer
from Yamunanagar’s Radaur said, “After waiting for three days, I had to sell my produce of two
acres to a trader at ₹1,815 per quintal. I feared that the prices may fall
further since there are no buyers. Therefore I sold it even below the MSP of
parmal.” Lack of pricing policy Due to the lack of a pricing policy for the Basmati, farmers
are left with no option but to sell their produce at prices fixed by private
traders. On the other hand, growers of Parmal are not concerned about the
prices since the government has fixed the MSP for this variety. Farmers say the
per acre yield of Parmal is around 30 to 35 per quintal and they easily get ₹60,000 per acre. However, the yield for PUSA 1509 is around 18 to
22 quintals and the growers get below ₹40,000 per acre. Mahinder
Singh, a commission agent at Nilokheri grain market, said, “It is because of the MSP. The difference between the earning from
Parmal and Basmati is over ₹20,000
per acre. Farmers have been fighting to get the MSP for Basmati since the
private traders have been buying the variety at their own prices.” People associated with the rice industry have also blamed the
lack of proper pricing mechanism for the Basmati. Vijay Setia, former president
of the All-India Rice Exporters Association, said, “There is no ban on export
of Basmati and the government has also reduced the market fee and rural
development fee from 2% each to half a percent. Still, the farmers are not
getting any benefits and are left on the mercy of traders.” On more than
50% fall in the prices of Basmati, additional chief secretary, food, civil supplies
and consumer affairs department, PK Das said, “Earlier, there was a policy
decision that the government agencies will procure the PUSA 1509 on the MSP of
Parmal if farmers are forced to sell at lower prices. However, in past couple
of years the prices of PUSA 1509 had gone up. We stand by our decision to buy
Basmati on the MSP of Parmal variety if farmers are not getting fair prices.”
Date: 13-Oct-2020
Pakistan Opposes India’s Application for the
Exclusivity of Basmati in the EU
Pakistan and India are at odds over Geographical Indication tagging of
aromatic long grain rice. Accordingly, Pakistan to challenge India’s
application for the exclusivity of basmati in the European Union.
Pakistan Opposes India’s Claim Over
Basmati
A Pakistani news website has reported tackling India’s application for the GI tag of basmati
in the EU. Further, the decision is said to be taken in a meeting chaired by
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood. Secretary Commerce,
Chairman, Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO-Pakistan), representatives
of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap), and the legal fraternity
were also present.
The meeting concluded that India’s claim for basmati exclusivity
is unjustified as Pakistan is its major grower. Also, Dawood stated that it
would oppose New Delhi from obtaining any exclusive rights. Moreover, Pakistan
legalized GI Registration and Protection Act in March this year. This gives it
the right to challenge India’s claim for GI tag for basmati rice.
Fine Aromatic Long rice is
Authentic to India
Published in an official journal of EU on 11th
September, India’s application highlights that basmati is an Indian origin
product. Further, it added that this special long grain aromatic rice is
authentic to the geographical region of the Indian sub-continent. This region
is part of northern India, below the foothills of the Himalayas. Though
Pakistan produces and exports a wide range of basmati from the
country, basmati of particular characteristic grows only in districts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and also in some parts of UP and Jammu and Kashmir. In a notification dated 10th August,
the DGFT deferred
the requirement for EIC to export to the EU till 1st Jan
2021. In all, Pakistan has vehemently opposed India’s claim over the origin of
basmati.
Date: 13-Oct-2020
Shs16b tax waiver splits
rice importers
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 13 2020
Casual workers load bags of
unprocessed rice onto a lorry in Ahero, Kenya, for export to Uganda on May 10,
2017. PHOTO FILE | NATION
A row has erupted among rice
growers after the Ministry of Trade allowed a single firm to import tax-free
rice from Tanzania.
Since Sunday Monitor broke the story on October 4, rice farmers have protested
the ministry’s decision, saying it puts them at a disadvantage and frustrates
rice growing in the country.
The Rice Association of Uganda (RAU) headed by Ms Racheal
Mbabazi, sent a protest note to the Minister of Trade, Ms Amelia Kyambadde,
questioning the justification behind the decision to allow a single firm,
Gotovate Uganda Limited, to import 50,000 tonnes of rice from Tanzania without
taxation.
“I find it odd that (the Ministry of) Trade would be soliciting from (the
Ministry of) Finance an exemption for an importer. It is the trader’s job to
solicit and not the minister,” Ms Mbabazi told Daily Monitor on Friday.
However, Mr Isaac Kashaija, the chairperson of the Rice Business
Sector Association Limited, another rice growers association uniting 58
companies, on Wednesday castigated RAU for protesting the ministry’s decision
on tax exemption for one company.
Mr Kasahija said the major reason for exempting Gotovate Uganda Limited is to
address the rice shortage in the country and tame rice prices that escalated
during the Covid-19 lockdown.
He said currently, the demand for rice in Uganda stands at about
380,000 tonnes per month, but the total local production is approximately at
180,000 tonnes, leaving a deficit of 200,000 tonnes.
“Ugandan rice farmers are facing a number of challenges, something that has led
to low production. If we fight importation of rice from our neighbours within
the East African region, our consumers in Uganda will not have enough food. We
can also borrow expertise from Tanzania on how they are succeeding instead of
fighting each other,” Mr Kashaija said.
He added that the Ministry of Trade did not exempt only one
company as alleged by RAU. He said two other companies, have also benefitted
from the tax exemption to import 150,000 tonnes each.
He, however, said the other two companies, Akhcom and Williex, are still
sorting certain issues before they import.
“Gotovate Uganda, a company under our association, only requested to import
rice from August to December 2020 to save Ugandans who were in total lockdown
from exploitative traders that were charging them exorbitant prices,” Mr
Kashaija said.
He further said 14 other companies have been importing rice from
Tanzania with tax exemption of more than Shs1 trillion following a decision of
court.
“This was a decision which was taken by the government after 14 rice trading
companies petitioned court against the 18 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) charge
in 2014. Court declared an injunction and since then the case has never been
resolved, leaving the 14 companies to import without paying tax,” Mr Kasahija
said.
“We have also learnt that Ms Mbabazi is one of the beneficiaries
of the 14 companies that were overcharging Ugandans [for rice] and she is not
happy that Ugandans are getting relief from the exploitation and wants to
disorganise the rice industry,” he added.
He urged government through the Attorney General to
expeditiously dispose of the pending petition in court because an injunction is
a short term intervention, but in this case it has taken close to seven years.
Daily Monitor could not reach Ms Kyambadde for a comment as she did not
answer our calls or respond to our text message.
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/shs16b-tax-waiver-splits-rice-importers--2470478
Rice Prices
as on :
13-10-2020 02:02:29 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in
Rs/quintal in domestic market.
|
Arrivals |
Price |
|||||
|
Current |
% |
Season |
Modal |
Prev. |
Prev.Yr |
|
|
Rice |
||||||
|
Gondal(UP) |
125.00 |
5.93 |
8681.00 |
2350 |
2360 |
-4.08 |
|
Hardoi(UP) |
80.00 |
33.33 |
5572.80 |
2400 |
2440 |
-5.14 |
|
Kandi(WB) |
56.00 |
-20 |
1991.50 |
2710 |
2750 |
4.23 |
|
Manvi(Kar) |
50.00 |
-33.33 |
1257.00 |
1580 |
1628 |
- |
|
Aligarh(UP) |
50.00 |
NC |
4047.00 |
2550 |
2550 |
NC |
|
Lakhimpur(UP) |
50.00 |
25 |
2987.00 |
2350 |
2380 |
-4.86 |
|
Barhaj(UP) |
50.00 |
-10.71 |
8292.00 |
2580 |
2560 |
7.50 |
|
Allahabad(UP) |
45.00 |
12.5 |
2392.00 |
2350 |
2300 |
-9.62 |
|
Basti(UP) |
33.00 |
-5.71 |
1755.50 |
2560 |
2555 |
3.43 |
|
Bankura Sadar(WB) |
32.00 |
NC |
1968.00 |
2500 |
2500 |
NC |
|
Azamgarh(UP) |
30.00 |
25 |
6205.70 |
2560 |
2550 |
4.07 |
|
Sehjanwa(UP) |
30.00 |
-25 |
3227.50 |
2580 |
2550 |
19.44 |
|
Sahiyapur(UP) |
29.00 |
222.22 |
2062.50 |
2570 |
2560 |
4.47 |
|
Gazipur(UP) |
27.00 |
17.39 |
1300.50 |
3200 |
3200 |
-3.03 |
|
Egra/contai(WB) |
27.00 |
-10 |
572.50 |
2600 |
2500 |
13.04 |
|
Mathura(UP) |
26.00 |
13.04 |
2614.50 |
2580 |
2580 |
0.78 |
|
Rampur(UP) |
17.00 |
-10.53 |
782.50 |
2600 |
2595 |
1.96 |
|
Bahraich(UP) |
16.60 |
-33.6 |
1238.00 |
2370 |
2360 |
-3.66 |
|
Paliakala(UP) |
15.00 |
-21.05 |
968.50 |
2330 |
2400 |
-2.51 |
|
Mawana(UP) |
12.00 |
9.09 |
592.20 |
2865 |
2860 |
- |
|
Badayoun(UP) |
11.00 |
57.14 |
818.50 |
2560 |
2680 |
-2.48 |
|
Shahganj(UP) |
11.00 |
-50 |
195.00 |
2360 |
2650 |
1.72 |
|
Soharatgarh(UP) |
10.50 |
23.53 |
834.20 |
2570 |
2565 |
4.05 |
|
Karvi(UP) |
10.00 |
25 |
580.00 |
2445 |
2450 |
3.60 |
|
Indus(Bankura Sadar)(WB) |
6.00 |
-25 |
764.00 |
2800 |
2800 |
NC |
|
Unnao(UP) |
5.00 |
NC |
364.90 |
2375 |
2400 |
-12.04 |
|
Fatehpur(UP) |
4.20 |
-33.33 |
1710.10 |
2470 |
2480 |
2.92 |
|
Shikohabad(UP) |
2.50 |
66.67 |
169.50 |
2625 |
2650 |
-11.02 |
|
Purwa(UP) |
2.00 |
11.11 |
14.90 |
2385 |
2410 |
- |
|
Muskara(UP) |
1.60 |
33.33 |
87.90 |
2360 |
2450 |
-0.84 |
|
Anandnagar(UP) |
1.20 |
20 |
173.90 |
2545 |
2540 |
4.09 |
|
Atrauli(UP) |
0.60 |
NC |
23.50 |
2550 |
2560 |
- |
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https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rice-prices/article32841972.ece
Haryana farmers fret as basmati prices fall to ₹1,800 per quintal
Farmers
blame it on lack of proper pricing policy as private traders have been making
the most of it by procuring the variety at their own prices.
CITIES Updated: Oct 13, 2020, 00:18 IST
For the first time in past several
years, the PUSA 1509 variety of Basmati is being sold at ₹1,800 per quintal in Haryana, which
is far less than the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹1,888 fixed for the Parmal
varieties procured by government agencies.
There is no fixed MSP for the
Basmati variety.
Raj Kumar, a marginal farmer from
Ladwa, has been visiting the Kurukshetra grain market daily for last three days
to sell the PUSA 1509. However, private traders are not ready to procure his
produce above ₹1,800 per quintal. Several other
farmers have also been left crestfallen since the prices of this premium
aromatic variety of rice is ₹1,100 less than last year.
Farmers blame it on lack of proper
pricing policy as private traders have been making the most of it by procuring
the variety at their own prices. Last year, farmers had fetched ₹2,700 to ₹2,900 per quintal for this Basmati
variety. Farmers, however, say this year they will have to sell it below ₹1,800 since they have to repay
their debts.
Ram Kumar, a farmer from
Yamunanagar’s Radaur said, “After waiting for three days, I had to sell my
produce of two acres to a trader at ₹1,815 per quintal. I feared that the prices may fall further since
there are no buyers. Therefore I sold it even below the MSP of parmal.”
Lack of pricing policy
Due to the lack of a pricing policy
for the Basmati, farmers are left with no option but to sell their produce at
prices fixed by private traders. On the other hand, growers of Parmal are not
concerned about the prices since the government has fixed the MSP for this variety.
Farmers say the per acre yield of
Parmal is around 30 to 35 per quintal and they easily get ₹60,000 per acre. However, the yield
for PUSA 1509 is around 18 to 22 quintals and the growers get below ₹40,000 per acre.
Mahinder Singh, a commission agent
at Nilokheri grain market, said, “It is because of the MSP. The difference
between the earning from Parmal and Basmati is over ₹20,000 per acre. Farmers have been
fighting to get the MSP for Basmati since the private traders have been buying
the variety at their own prices.”
People associated with the rice
industry have also blamed the lack of proper pricing mechanism for the Basmati.
Vijay Setia, former president of the All-India Rice Exporters Association,
said, “There is no ban on export of Basmati and the government has also reduced
the market fee and rural development fee from 2% each to half a percent. Still,
the farmers are not getting any benefits and are left on the mercy of traders.”
On more than 50% fall in the prices
of Basmati, additional chief secretary, food, civil supplies and consumer
affairs department, PK Das said, “Earlier, there was a policy decision that the
government agencies will procure the PUSA 1509 on the MSP of Parmal if farmers
are forced to sell at lower prices. However, in past couple of years the prices
of PUSA 1509 had gone up. We stand by our decision to buy Basmati on the MSP of
Parmal variety if farmers are not getting fair prices.”
Rice procurement up 33%, but MSP eludes other crops
While
the procurement of the kharif staple is robustly continuing, farmers in Punjab
and Haryana, however, continue to protest a set of laws enacted by Parliament
to deregulate agricultural markets, which they fear will weaken the MSP system
INDIA Updated: Oct 13, 2020, 15:58 IST
The government has bought over 4
million tonne of paddy from nearly 350,000 farmers, who have been paid minimum
support price (MSP) of Rs 8,032 crore till October 11 since procurement of
crops began on September 24. The quantity procured so far is 33% higher than
the corresponding period last year, according to data cited by the farm
ministry.
While the procurement of the kharif
staple is robustly continuing, farmers in Punjab and Haryana, however, continue
to protest a set of laws enacted by Parliament to deregulate agricultural
markets, which they fear will weaken the MSP system, whereby farm produce is
bought by the government at assured prices.
The Centre would also procure
pulses, oilseeds and copra at MSP prices beyond the quantity approved so far
from any state where the market rate falls below MSP under its price support
scheme, the agriculture ministry said a statement.
Despite this, several summer-sown
crops, such as soybean and maize, are selling below minimum set by the
government because the government procures too little of non-cereals.
The government “continues to
procure kharif 2020-21 crops at its MSP from farmers as per its existing MSP
schemes” and procurement is “going on smoothly”, a farm ministry statement
said, pointing to the higher procurement trend.
Till October 11, the government
through its food agencies has additionally procured 606.56 tonne of two
pulses—moong and urad—with an MSP value of Rs 4.36 crore.
The government has also approved
requests from 10 states to procure 3.70 million tonne of pulses and oilseeds.
These states are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat,
Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
The government has also sanctioned
the procurement of 100,000 tonne of copra, a perennial crop, from Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Crops, such as soybean, ragi, maize
and cotton, are selling up to 30% below MSPs, data from Agmarknet, the
agriculture ministry’s portal that tracks prices in mandis or wholesale
markets, shows.
Poor returns from crops have been a
lingering problem for farmers, especially during episodes of glut, such as now.
MSPs, which are fixed at 50% over cost for nearly two dozen crops, don’t
necessarily lead to higher farm incomes as the government’s procurement at MSP
rates is largely restricted to wheat and rice. For most other crops, farmers
are mostly price takers, meaning they are forced to accept whatever the markets
dictate.
“Nudging the private sector towards
triggering a market-clearing price that is closer or equal to MSP will depend
on the extent of government’s procurement,” economist Abhijit Sen said.
For commodities, such as pulses and
oilseeds, the government’s procurement is insufficient to improve market rates.
For instance, the nearly 3.70 million tonnes of pulses and oilseeds they
government has approved for procurement at MSP is less than 15% of the total
production—too small a quantity to make a difference in prices offered by
private entities.
Basmati Rice to be imported under Pakistan-Sri Lanka
Trade Agreement.
Written
by Zulfick Farzan 13 Oct, 2020 | 2:38 PM
COLOMBO (News1st): Sri Lanka has restricted the
importation of Basmati rice under a trade agreement with Pakistan to two state
firms, the government announced on Tuesday.
Earlier, the private sector was also allowed to import
Basmati rice under the Pakistan – Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement that allowed
6000 metric tonnes of the rice variety to be imported annually.
However, the permission granted to the private sector has
been revoked, due to complaints that were received on “various irregularities”
committed by importing rice of other varieties.
Accordingly, the ministerial cabinet has decided to allow
only the state-run Sri Lanka State Trading (General) Corporation and the
Cooperative Wholesale Establishment to import rice under the agreement.
PADI
PLANTING HAS BEEN DELAYED THIS YEAR. DOES THIS MEAN MALAYSIA WILL BE SHORT OF
RICE?
By
Posted on
You’d probably remember what your parents would say whenever you
don’t finish your rice. No, not the pimples growing on your future significant
other’s faces but something about how some kids in another continent would
starve. Now, imagine that happening to you but it’s not because there isn’t
just enough food in general but because… farmers can’t plant rice on
time?
As it turns out, paddy farmers
in Kedah and Perlis might miss their usual paddy planting schedule this time of the year. Just recently, a
group of paddy farmers under an NGO called the Malaysian Paddy Farmers
Association (PeSAWAH) sent a memorandum to the govt to voice their issues on this.
Waitamin. Does that mean we’re
not gonna have rice on our plates? Well, before we get to that answer, we
found out that…
This is not the
first time farmers had missed the schedule
Planting schedules are set by
agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries such as Muda
Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) and Kemubu Agricultural Development Authority (KADA). And within a year, the agencies set two schedules for
two rice planting seasons.
Farmers are supposed to start
planting rice dy but they can’t. Img from MADA
See, the schedule is important
because the process of growing rice could take up to 6 months
before it can be harvested. Normally, farmers would
place their orders between three and
six months before they start planting to give time for suppliers to
produce the seeds.
And while waiting for the
seeds, farmers would prepare
the field to plant the seeds. They would flood, plough, puddle and level the
field before transplanting the seeds in the field. You can watch the video below
to get a clearer picture of how planting paddy works.
In addition, the planting schedule depends on the weather forecast such as when it rains to collect
water in water catchment centres or the monsoon
season to prevent farmers from huge losses to big. Govt
agencies like MADA and KADA always remind farmers to follow the schedule mainly
to prevent
water wastage because the irrigation system continuously supply water
to fields even though there isn’t any seeds planted.
“Farmers are always reminded to follow the schedule set because it
is made based on the water supplied from the water catchment centres.” – Abdul
Rashid to Malaysiakini,
translated from BM.
But there have been several times
where farmers had actually missed the schedule. Back in 2012, farmers missed
on the planting schedule because they needed to dry
out the paddy fields before planting new seeds. And, in the first season
in 2019, farmers had to delay
planting rice due to weather
conditions.
In both aforementioned
examples, farmers were sorta advised to delay rice planting. However, in 2020,
most farmers just had no choice but to delay the planting
schedule.
According to PeSAWAH’s Exco, Abdul
Rashid Yob, some
farmers claimed that the seeds sold to them by
suppliers were hella expensive and majority of them claimed that the
seeds were OUTTA stock.
Abdul Rashid. Img by Ramieza
Wahid from Malaysiakini
“But the majority of farmers in the first and second phase can’t
start planting because the seeds that they want are not in stock.” – Abdul
Rashid to Malaysiakini, translated from BM.
He also added that the some
farmers were charged a maximum of RM60 instead of the
usual RM28 per kg. As if that’s not enough, they were also
supplied with low quality seeds. If you’re
into planting anything, you might know that planting bad seeds would only slow the growth of
the plant. And the same can be said about paddy seeds.
And this problem isn’t really new
considering how PeSAWAH sent a similar
memorandum in 2019… tho the govt didn’t do anything about it.
Abdul Rashid assumed that it may be because of the
backdoor govt drama the govt
changed sometime earlier this year.
But we found that the problem
farmers have with the suppliers may have started in 2012 when…
The govt
approved a RM165 million tender to companies with NO experience in supplying
rice seeds
While researching for this story,
we were super curious as to which companies are responsible for supplying rice
seeds to farmers. And a quick search brought us to a list of these suppliers,
according to a study done
by Khazanah Research Institute (KRI).
Screenshot from KRI study
So back in 2012, some of the
companies listed in the image
above were under fire for being awarded with tender
to supply paddy seeds to farmers for two years (2013 to
2014). The Finance Ministry awarded the RM165 million tender to
various companies tho… they were deemed unqualified for the job in
the first place.
See, the whole process
of approving the tender was quite dodgy to begin
with. The tender was approved despite some documents being incomplete,
while a few of the companies seeking the tender weren’t
even able to meet criteria such as attending the necessary
briefings. Some of them even failed a financial evaluation.
And although they passed the
technical evaluation criteria, the technical evaluation committee
weren’t too keen on these tenderers because they
have ZERO experience in producing paddy seeds under the
Agriculture Ministry.
Not an exact representation of
the conversation between the committee and the tenderers. Img from imgflip
And some of these companies
didn’t even try to hide this fact. The then manager of Haji Md Nor bin Haji Abd Rahmah (M) Sdn Bhd (HMN), Mansor
Md Nor admitted
that his and other companies awarded with the tender did not
meet the tender criteria. And all he had to say was…
“This is not an issue.” – as quoted by Malaysiakini.
To Mansor, it’s not really an
issue because, at least, his company managed to help farmers fix their fields according
to the criteria set by the authorities. And he may be right considering how
these companies
are still the supplier of rice seeds now.
But the incompetence of these
companies may not be the only concern farmers have. This is because they are
also suspecting that there is an abuse
of power by some parties who purposely charge farmers
extra money for a kilogramme of rice seeds.
“Coupled with our assumption that there is an abuse of power by
the authorities who take a commission on the approved seeds. Seed producers
annually demand a subsidy of RM20 for each bag of 20kg of seeds.” – Abdul
Rashid, as quoted by Malaysiakini.
Translated from BM.
PeSAWAH. Img by Ramieza Wahid
from Malaysiakini
And there might also be a
possibility that the suppliers might be supplying farmers with
non-certified seeds, which may explain why they’re
low quality. Although it’s not illegal to sell these seeds, farmers
who buy them won’t be entitled for the farmers subsidies la.
In addition, the seeds are incomparable to the cheaper,
subsidised certified seeds which are of higher quality.
This may be why MADA had urged
its farmers to always purchase certified seeds that are sold by the three
main suppliers in Kedah and Perlis which are the Syarikat
Perniagaan Peladang MADA Sdn. Bhd. (MADACorp.), Pertama
Padi Sdn. Bhd. and KB Seri Merbok Sdn. Bhd.
But with the current situation
where the rice plantation would be delayed, does that mean we’re not gonna have
rice on our plates soon?
We’ll still
have rice on our plates in the near future thanks to MADA. Kinda.
Just in case you don’t
know, 70% of rice that we consume are grown locally in
paddy fields under MADA and KADA which are located in locations below:
Granary areas in Malaysia. Img by
KL Heong on Research Gate
By now, you’re probably wondering
if you’d be able to get enough rice in the near future considering the problem
faced by the farmers now. Well, fret not. You will and we might
have MADA to thank la. Sorta.
We say sorta because MADA claimed
that there’s enough seeds for the farmers after
all(?). In fact, they claimed that the seeds are MORE than enough.
“Based on the presentation by the three producers, it was found
that the total production of Certified Seeds is expected to be sufficient at
14,517 metric tonnes, exceeding the requirement for use in the Muda Area of
14,096 metric tonnes.” – MADA, in a statement to Harakah
Daily. Translated from BM.
MADA also urged the Agriculture
Ministry to take firm actions against those who manipulate
the price of rice seeds.
Besides MADA, the farmers had
given also out several
suggestions to prevent the same thing from happening again
like…
·
Introducing price
ceiling for rice seeds
·
Allowing
farmers to keep some of the seeds they
harvest so they don’t have to always rely on suppliers
·
Give license
to Local Farmers Organisations (PPK) to supply rice seeds
to farmers
However, at the time of writing,
there is no further news on the govt’s response to the farmers memorandum.
So, until the govt does something about this problem, it seems as
though the farmers might be stuck in an endless cycle of buying low-graded
seeds at a high price, that might eventually affect their rice bowls in the
future.
So you know how you’d walk into a
Popular bookstore and they’ll be blaring out Top 40 hits? Or when you enter a
cafe and you’ll just be hearing Siti Nurhaliza singing her heart out on the
speakers? Well, believe it or not, these premises actually have to pay a fee to play the
artistes’ music in public, according to the Copyright
Act 1987.
And that basically what royalty means
– it’s when you allow your music to be used by other
parties in public for a certain fee. Anyone slightly familiar
with the music scene would know that royalties play a pretty
big part in the lives of artistes. We suppose it’s fair to
say that royalties may easily be the bread and butter for artistes, and it’s no
different for Malaysian artistes.
However, despite it being bread
and butter, it seems some parties didn’t read the Copyright Act 1987 carefully,
because it’s alleged that artistes haven’t been
paid royalties for 20 years! Walao, why so teruk one? Well,
to tell the complicated story, we have to go back to the complicated beginning,
where…
Karyawan president, Freddie
Fernandez. Image from Harian
Metro
To get a little bit more
understanding to the story, we contacted Karyawan president, Freddie Fernandez.
FYI, Karyawan‘s essentially an NGO that upholds
the rights of Malaysian artistes, and they’re currently
demanding for the artistes to be paid their dues. We also contacted two intellectual
property (IP) lawyers Lim Zhi Jian and Bryan
Boo just to wade us through the legal terms.
And Freddie basically told us
that despite it having been made a legal requirement,
artistes are still suffering from unpaid royalties,
specifically public performances –
either performed by themselves or someone else.
“The issue of public performance royalties has been a thorn in the
side of Malaysian artistes, namely singers and musicians in the recording
industry.” – Freddie, in an interview with
Cilisos
One of the main reasons behind
this is because there were no one to help artistes collect
royalties. See, when it comes to royalty collection, most
Malaysian artistes will generally sign themselves up to a collective management organization (CMO).
“When you sign up with a CMO, you’re allowing it to monitor and
collect royalties on your behalf. For a fee, of course.” – Boo,
in an interview with Cilisos
But back in 2000, Freddie told us
there were only two such CMOs, which are:
·
Music
Authors Copyright Protection (MACP)
·
Public
Performance Malaysia (PPM)
However, despite having two CMOs, neither
of them actually collect royalties on behalf of artistes.
Instead, MACP only represents composer and PPM
represents record labels and publishers.
Karyawan members. Image from Karyawan
It was only 2001 when Karyawan
came into the picture, proposing to the Ministry of Domestic
Trade and Consumer Affairs that PPM split the royalties
to be shared between recording companies and the artistes.
“Ultimately, it was the artistes’ performances from which PPM
collected royalties, so they should get paid too.” – Freddie
However, the proposal apparently
didn’t sit well with PPM, because it then proceeded to set
up a separate organization called PRISM Sdn Bhd in 2001 to
oversee the distribution of royalties for artists.
So artistes began signing up with PRISM Sdn Bhd, expecting that they’ll finally
get paid what they deserved. Back then, it seemed that things were finally
looking up, and yet…
The artistes
were apparently still not getting paid their
full royalties
GIF from Tenor
To be fair, artistes were getting
paid, but not the full amount. See, most of us would think PRISM Sdn Bhd would
be the one collecting and distributing royalties to artistes, like PPM did with
record labels and MACP with composers, but that’s Freddie told us that this
was how it actually worked:
1.
PPM would still
be the sole collection agency
2.
PPM would share
the collected royalties with PRISM Sdn Bhd
3.
PRISM Sdn Bhd
will, in turn, distributed the royalties given by PPM to
the artistes
And at the end of the day,
Freddie said that the artistes were still getting the short end of the stick. Ito
Mohd, vocalist of a Malaysian band Blues Gang, and Aznan
Alias, a prominent musician in Malaysia are two of the victims. They’re both represented by
Karyawan.
“The company profited from my songs. Can you imagine five of us in
the band sharing 5 per cent of royalty money? That’s 1 per cent for each
member.” – Ito, as quoted from AsiaOne
Ito Mohd (L), Aznan Alias (R).
Images from BERITA
Mediacorp, Drum Thai
And apparently, the artistes and
Karyawan launched so many complaints that PPM decided to shut down PRISM Sdn Bhd once
and for all in 2011. But who’s gonna represent the artistes now then? Well, the
following, another CMO for artistes was
set up, and it’s called the Recording Performers Malaysia (RPM). The thing is,
though, PRISM Sdn Bhd’s unpaid
royalties for public performances still weren’t paid out, and RPM
didn’t seem like it planned on taking over.
This time around, RPM was chaired
by Malaysian singer Sheila Majid, who would be
doing things her own way rather than follow PRISM Sdn Bhd’s footsteps.
An artiste representing artistes
seems pretty fair. Image from Esplanade
Alright, fine, so there’s still a
CMO that’ll represent artistes, which should be sufficient. But then, out of
the darkness and into the light, the former members of PRISM Sdn Bhd came back
and formed their very own CMO representing artistes as
well, and it’s called…………PRISM Bhd independently.
#wowza #muchcreativity
“So then, we had four CMOs – two for artistes, one for composers,
and one for recording labels.” – Freddie
Walao, why so many agencies one?
Look, man, we told you it’s complicated. But before these CMOs could smoothly
lay out the process of royalty collection and distribution, something else came
knocking on the door.
The M’sian govt
added one more CMO to the horde in 2016
…and it’s called Music Rights Malaysia
(MRM).
Image from MRM Facebook
At the time, there was apparently
a lot of people who were complaining that they had to pay too many CMOs to use
one song. So remember when we mentioned that public premises like a
bookstore or even a cafe has to pay a fee to use artistes’ songs in public,
be it through the speakers or for public performances?
Well, these fees
are actually paid to the CMOs, who will then convert them into
royalties to be paid back to the artistes. For example, a hotel wants to play
one song, but the composer’s represented by MACP, the record label’s
represented by PPM, and the artiste’s represented by RPM – and they all want
their royalties – then the hotel will have no choice but to pay all three CMOs.
“Music users were up in arms about having to pay so many parties
for the same music and complained to the government.” – Freddie
As a result, the govt decided to set up MRM in 2016 to
resolve the too-many-CMOs issue, which is ironic, if you think about
it. Lim told us that MRM took over responsibilities of licensing out
the music and collecting royalties, while the other CMOs can
sit back, relax, and distribute the royalties that the MRM had
collected. So basically, everyone who wants to use the music of
Malaysian musicians only has to pay MRM and
they’re good to go.
“MRM was the sole collection agency, while the four licensing
bodies focused on distributing the monies collected amongst their members.”
– Lim,
in an interview with Cilisos
But MRM didn’t last long. Freddie
told us that PPM wasn’t happy with
getting lesser than they’re used to at MRM. Plus, it seems that even when they
tried to centralize things up, MRM itself didn’t know how to divide payments between RPM
and PRISM Bhd, because they both represent artistes. And when PRISM Bhd was dissolved in
2019 for unknown reasons, it only served to stump MRM more.
“MRM couldn’t figure out how to solve the problem of dividing the
money between RPM and PRISM Bhd’s artistes.” – Freddie
Original image from Know Your Meme
As a result, due to its purported mismanagement of
royalties, MRM was dissolved earlier this year.
So we’re back to the status quo, where there are three CMOs – because PRISM Bhd
shut down – and you gotta pay all of them to use one song. And twenty years
after the Malaysian government made it compulsory for artistes to be paid
royalty, well, they’re still left hanging in the air as to where their money
went.
After all the hang-ups with PRISM
Sdn Bhd, PRISM Bhd, and MRM, which went on 20 years, there are
currently around 2,800 artistes who signed on to RPM and PRISM
Bhd that have yet to be paid – and the total amount owed
is allegedly a whopping RM30mil!
Wait, wait, so what does the law say actually?
Well, it’s
actually compulsory for artistes to be paid royalties
Screenshot from UKM
According to the Copyright
Act 1987, it is agreed that artistes should be paid their royalties in
full under Section 16(B), whenever their work is used for
performances or played in public, like on the radio or even somewhere as simple
as a hotel.
“As soon as you’ve licensed out your work, you are entitled to be
paid certain fees whenever it’s used in public, regardless of whether it’s a
song or even a tech product.” – Boo
So yes, regardless of whether
there’s a middleman like a CMO or not, artistes have the right to claim
royalties. However, while it does sound like
the CMOs mentioned above are the bad guys of the whole thing, it’s also
possible that they’re not entirely at fault here.
According to Lim, the IP lawyer we consulted, when it comes to licensing out
your work and collecting royalties, it all boils down to the contract you
have with the CMO.
“It’s subject to internal agreements between the relevant parties,
which can dictate how, when, or what an artiste should be paid.” – Lim
GIF from Giphy
So basically, if everything
Freddie told us was true, it’s possible that the CMOs are breaking the law when
they don’t pay artistes their royalties. We’ve also tried to get in touch with
the CMOs involved, but they have yet to respond to our inquiries at the time of
writing. So really, it’s hard to tell whether it’s an issue of the artistes’
contracts or something else.
In the meantime, while it was
recently reported that the government had taken over and
would be paying the outstanding the royalties to the artists by
December, Freddie’s currently still suspecting corruption,
where there are supposedly ‘hidden hands’ manipulating the royalties to
maximize their own profits between the CMOs.
“When you’re dealing with hundreds of millions of ringgit as we
are here, there are bound to be parties that try to make a quick buck.” –
Freddie
As such, Karyawan is urging the Malaysian
Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate the
matter and find out whether there really has been corruption for 20 years that
might have taken advantage of artistes in Malaysia.
“The fact that they’re asking MACC implies that there’s corruption
involved. But there’s also a high possibility that their contracts
with the CMOs are unclear on how, when, or what to pay.” – Boo
As of now, there’s still no
telling whether the alleged RM30million worth of royalties will be paid in full
to the artists – we’ll only get to know in December. At the end of the day,
these artists have put in grit and determination to build themselves up as
artistes. Regardless of what’s going on behind the scenes, they deserve to get
paid for their efforts, just like we all get paid for doing our jobs.
Palay prices dip to P12/kg in
September – PSA data
Published October 13, 2020,
5:00 AM
This, while the Department of Agriculture
(DA) claimed that buying prices of palay in the country’s top rice producing
areas actually reached P19/kg.
In Davao City, palay’s price went down to
as low as P12.74/kg, while the prevailing price settled at
P13.90/kg, data from the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA) showed.
Caraga, North Cotabato, and Surigao del
Sur, too, saw palay prices going down by as low as P12/kg to P12.80/kg.
To produce a kilo of rice in the
Philippines, Filipino rice farmers currently have to spend P12.72, which is higher
compared to the production cost of farmers in Vietnam and Thailand at P6.22/kg
and P8.86/kg, respectively.
This means that the breakeven farmgate
price of fresh harvest should be around P14.50/kg.
Meanwhile, DA was correct too about palay prices reaching P19/kg or more in
some areas.
To be specific, palay prices reached P19/kg
or more in Central Luzon, Ilocos Region, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, among others,
according to the same PSA data.
Over the last few weeks, a lot of farmers’
groups have been complaining about low palay prices, which was dismissed by the
DA by saying that palay prices have actually been improving.
Still, Agriculture Secretary William Dar
pledged to support rice farmers by asking the National Food Authority (NFA),
which buys palay at P19/kg, to ramp up its palay procurement.
He said the government is also considering
giving another batch of one-time cash assistance to rice farmers.
On Monday, agriculture lobby group Samahang
Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) wrote to President Rodrigo Duterte to
complain DA’s inaction about the declining price of palay.
“This is to bring to your attention the
dire situation of the millions of our rice farmers who are at present facing
low prices of their newly harvested palay, which are pegged at P11/kg (wet) and
P 14/kg to P15/kg (dry), respectively,” SINAG Chair Rosendo So told Duterte.
“Instead of recognizing these realities,
Agriculture Secretary William Dar unfortunately chose to claim that palay
prices are averaging P18/kg in Central Luzon and P19.00/kg in Cagayan Valley,”
he added.
So said low prices of palay means that
farmers will not be able to recoup their farm expenses during this cropping
period, and may force them to stop planting palay for good.
SINAG then asked Duterte to ask the DA to
allot P36 billion that will be used to subsidize the farmgate price of palay at
P4/kg.
This would be enough to buy 9 million
metric tons (MT) of palay, supposedly being bought now for only P11/kg to
P15/kg, from farmers without shortchanging them.
Stoppage of rice import to affect Zamboanga City
October
13, 2020
AN
OFFICIAL of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has advised the local government
to start sourcing out rice supply in preparation for the stoppage of rice
importation by the national government.
Melba Wee, regional technical director for Research, Policy Planning and Regulatory,
and Integrated Laboratories, issued the advice as Zamboanga City will be
greatly affected by it.
Wee said the local government officials, at this early, should meet and discuss
with the officials of the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur,
and Zamboanga del Norte to sell their rice surplus to the city.
The three provinces serve as the rice granary of the region since Zamboanga
Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga del Norte have 23,000 hectares,
46,699 hectares and 19,000 hectares of rice, respectively.
Zamboanga City depends on importation since it is not rice self-sufficient, as
there are only 5,156 hectares of farmlands planted to rice with a million
population.
President
Rodrigo Duterte has ordered DA Secretary William Dar to suspend rice
importation to help the local farmers to earn more.
Duterte has also asked Congress to appropriate sufficient fund intended to buy
the produce of local rice farmers. (SunStar Zamboanga)
Delta adds insult to injury in
hurricane-ravaged Louisiana
(Chris Granger/The Advocate via
AP)
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — The day after Hurricane Delta blew
through besieged southern Louisiana, residents started the routine again:
dodging overturned cars, trudging through knee-deep water to flooded homes with
ruined floors and no power, and pledging to rebuild after the storm.
Delta made landfall Friday evening near the coastal Louisiana
town of Creole with top winds of 100 mph (155 kph). It then moved over Lake
Charles, a city where Hurricane Laura damaged nearly every home and building in
late August. No deaths had been reported as of Saturday afternoon, but
officials said people were not out of danger.
While Delta was a weaker storm than Category 4 Laura, it brought
significantly more flooding, Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter said. He estimated
that hundreds of already battered homes across the city took on water. The
recovery from the double impact will be long, the mayor said.
“Add Laura and Delta together and it’s just absolutely
unprecedented and catastrophic,” Hunter said. “We are very concerned that with
everything going in the country right now that this incident may not be on the
radar nationally like it should be.”
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said no fatalities had been
reported as of Saturday, but a hurricane’s wake can be treacherous. Only seven
of the 32 deaths in Louisiana and Texas attributed to Laura came the day that
hurricane struck. A leading cause of the others was carbon monoxide poisoning
from generators used in buildings without electricity.
“Everybody needs to exercise a lot of caution even now, and
really, especially now,” Edwards said.
Delta, the 25th named storm of an unprecedented Atlantic
hurricane season, was the 10th named storm to hit the mainland U.S. this year,
breaking a record set in 1916, Colorado State University researcher Phil
Klotzbach said.
It rapidly weakened over land and slowed into a tropical
depression Saturday morning. Forecasters warned that heavy rain, storm surges
and flash floods continued to pose dangers in areas from Texas to Mississippi.
Large swells and rip currents closed beaches down to the Mexican border.
Remnants of the storm also could spawn tornadoes in the
Tennessee Valley into Sunday, and flash floods could hit the southern
Appalachians, the National Weather Service said.
Louisiana avoided one feared scenario: that the winds would pick
up the debris left by Laura - piles of soggy insulation, moldy mattresses, tree
limbs and twisted metal siding - and turn it into projectiles. In at least some
neighborhoods, the small mountains stood on curbs more or less intact.
Delta inflicted most of its damage with rain instead wind. It
dumped more than 15 inches of rain on Lake Charles over two days and more than
10 inches on Baton Rouge. Southwest parishes such as Cameron, Jefferson Davis,
Vermilion and Acadia that sustained heavy blows from Laura took the hardest
hit.
The governor cautioned that it would be difficult to distinguish
the damage Delta caused from what was leftover from the August hurricane. More
than 9,400 people were being sheltered by the state Saturday, but only 935 were
Delta evacuees, Edwards said. The others were still displaced by Laura.
Edwards said 3,000 Louisiana National Guard soldiers were
mobilized to clear roads and to distribute meals and tarps, and 10,000 utility
workers were working to get power restored to nearly 600,000 customers.
With the water knee-deep along Legion Street in Lake Charles,
resident Patrick King had to wade through the water Saturday to get to his home
after he returned from spending the night in Beaumont, Texas.
“I was hoping and praying that it didn’t get into the house, but
it did. It rose up close to the furniture,” King said.
Before evacuating, he had put sandbags and plastic in the
doorway to keep water out of his one-story brick house. Pulling them back upon
his return, he saw worms and spiders scurrying about inside.
“Look at that, look at that,” he said. “Worms! My wife sees
that, she’s going to cry.”
“It’s totally frustrating and in fact, it makes you want to give
up, but you have to keep on pushing,” King said. “Me and my wife, we are
praying people, so we just believe that God let things happen for a reason.”
The damage also stretched inland, with trees shorn of leaves and
falling onto streets in Louisiana’s capital of Baton Rouge. The storm blew down
two homes under construction in Galveston, Texas, and toppled the steeple of a
church in Jennings, Louisiana.
Calcasieu Sheriff Tony Mancuso told KPLC-TV that the vehicles
overturned on Interstate 10 should give pause to anyone thinking about rushing
back to the disaster area.
“Rising water with all the rain is the biggest problem,” Mancuso
said. “It’s still dangerous out there, and we’re just going to have to start
over from a few weeks ago.”
The U.S. Gulf Coast is no stranger to hurricanes, and its people
are resilient, Lake Charles resident Katie Prejean McGrady said. But the double
punch of the back-to-back storms — on top of the pandemic — has left many in
the community reeling, she said.
“I’m taxed out. And I think that’s most people in town,” she said.
“There’s a mental exhaustion that sets in and then there’s a fear of ‘Does
anybody outside this region care?’” she said. “The reality is our town won’t be
the same for a year, if not longer.”
McGrady and her family had just returned to their home for the
first time since evacuating ahead of Hurricane Laura when she was nine months
pregnant. They arrived back in Lake Charles last weekend, got a new roof on
Monday and had to evacuate again Thursday.
“My husband hadn’t even unpacked his suitcase,” McGrady said,
who works for a Catholic publisher. “I had just put away my daughter’s toys.”
https://www.rfdtv.com/story/42753246/delta-adds-insult-to-injury-in-hurricaneravaged-louisiana
The impact of Hurricane Delta on
Louisiana's agriculture
Hurricane Delta is all but a memory now, but it left about
370,000 people without power as it made landfall near Creole, Louisiana. The
storm continued over Lake Charles, which was still in full recovery mode
following Hurricane Laura.
Homes damaged and destroyed by that storm are now flooded due to
rain from Delta. The storm took at least two lives: one in Louisiana and one in
Florida.
"One of the primary effects of Delta, as you add it to the
damage from Laura, is that our ratoon crop of rice, our second cutting... we're
going to lose a lot of our second crop of rice, and of course substantial more
timber damage because it came in a lot of the same spots," Dr.
Mike Strain, the Louisiana Ag Commissioner, said.
Strain says that out of the state's 64 parishes, 56 are in an
emergenc
Avery Davidson with the Louisiana Farm Bureau says the main
thing the state needs after Delta is good dry weather. He said Louisiana
could also use some prayers from the public because it may be in rough shape
after this.
"We need them to not forget that this is a long-term issue...
we needed this year to be a home run," he said. "This has been
anything but a home run."
https://www.rfdtv.com/story/42754278/the-impact-of-hurricane-delta-on-louisianas-agriculture
Hurricane Delta deluges farmers in the midst of harvest season
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October 12, 2020 10:11 am 167 views
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