Banning rice imports in 2022 not
feasible – Importers & Exporters Association
Executive
Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, Sampson Asaki
Awingobit
Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association
of Ghana, Sampson Asaki Awingobit, is warning that government’s plan to ban the
importation of rice could cause more harm than good in the short to medium
term.
He said boosting production and consumption of local rice lies in a holistic support to local farmers in terms of cultivation and marketing of the produce.
Making his claims on Eyewitness News, Mr. Awingobit expressed fears that there could be shortage of rice if government fails to boost local production and goes ahead with the ban.
He advised government to critically examine the entire rice value chain before it goes ahead with its intended ban.
“It is not feasible in the sense that, we don’t want a situation where government will create food insecurity in this country. With what they are bringing, if there is no demand, there will be no supply. If we say that in 2022, we will ban entirely, can we can sustain what we are currently producing let alone looking for surplus for export? So we should not just rush and say, we are banning. The fears I am having is that, the government just can’t be making pronouncements. Government should be interested in the produce on the farm lands from cultivation to harvesting to packaging to marketing. Government should look at the supply chain and support the farmer adequately. At the end of the day, if they ban and the importers go to buy it, it will even cost more than the one that is brought from outside.”
Government has announced that it plans to ban the importation of rice by 2022 to boost local rice production.
Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Kennedy Osei Nyarko who gave the hint, sai the move is to reverse the significant amount of foreign rice consumed by Ghanaians.
But Mr. Awingobit maintains that although the ban on the importation may be helpful to the country in the near future, measures should adequately be put in place to ground its implementation in the long run.
“Government cannot use a short or medium term to solve this issue looking at the amount of money that we are spending to bring rice into this country. The country can be looking at a long-term solution. But for now, giving ourselves 2022 is not a solution if government bans the importation.”
The struggles of rice farmers have been relayed by Citi News reports after a campaign started by Citi FM and Citi TV CEO, Samuel Attah-Mensah, urging Ghanaians to consume locally grown rice.
The struggles of rice farmers and millers have left huge quantities of rice at the risk of going waste at the Fumbisi and Gbedembilisi rice valleys in the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region.
As part of more immediate measures to tackle the problem, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has been meeting with 20 major rice importers to solicit commitments to support rice production in the country.
In line with this, the Ghana National Buffer Stock Company also said it will make its licensed buying companies to purchase all rice produce going bad.
10 rice millers agree to purchase locally grown rice
Meanwhile, ten major rice millers have agreed to buy locally grown rice for processing at 60 percent capacity which translates to 350,000 metric tonnes annually, representing some 7 million bags of home-grown rice.
This emerged at a meeting spearheaded by Ghana’s lead campaigner for local rice consumption, Samuel Attah-Mensah and the John Agyekum Kufuor (JAK) Foundation with some 15 local rice millers.
Speaking to Citi News, the Head of Policy at the JAK Foundation, Nana Ama Oppong Dua, said the next phase of the discussions is a meeting with financial institutions to support this course.
“What we realized is that for the 300,000 metric tonnes that can be done by these 10 [millers] we need just about 125,000 hectares of land to be able to do that. From the statistics we have from the Ministry, we have 300,000 hectares of land under cultivation. So it means that even what we’ve planted is much more than the capacity of these 10 mills here.”
“So we are hoping that the other mills will even come on board to be able to do that. What we have also done is that we’ve even used very conservative estimates. What we are using for this 300,000 metric tonnes is 60 percent capacity of production so if we scale up to 100%, then we will be able to produce much more,” she noted.
He said boosting production and consumption of local rice lies in a holistic support to local farmers in terms of cultivation and marketing of the produce.
Making his claims on Eyewitness News, Mr. Awingobit expressed fears that there could be shortage of rice if government fails to boost local production and goes ahead with the ban.
He advised government to critically examine the entire rice value chain before it goes ahead with its intended ban.
“It is not feasible in the sense that, we don’t want a situation where government will create food insecurity in this country. With what they are bringing, if there is no demand, there will be no supply. If we say that in 2022, we will ban entirely, can we can sustain what we are currently producing let alone looking for surplus for export? So we should not just rush and say, we are banning. The fears I am having is that, the government just can’t be making pronouncements. Government should be interested in the produce on the farm lands from cultivation to harvesting to packaging to marketing. Government should look at the supply chain and support the farmer adequately. At the end of the day, if they ban and the importers go to buy it, it will even cost more than the one that is brought from outside.”
Government has announced that it plans to ban the importation of rice by 2022 to boost local rice production.
Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Kennedy Osei Nyarko who gave the hint, sai the move is to reverse the significant amount of foreign rice consumed by Ghanaians.
But Mr. Awingobit maintains that although the ban on the importation may be helpful to the country in the near future, measures should adequately be put in place to ground its implementation in the long run.
“Government cannot use a short or medium term to solve this issue looking at the amount of money that we are spending to bring rice into this country. The country can be looking at a long-term solution. But for now, giving ourselves 2022 is not a solution if government bans the importation.”
The struggles of rice farmers have been relayed by Citi News reports after a campaign started by Citi FM and Citi TV CEO, Samuel Attah-Mensah, urging Ghanaians to consume locally grown rice.
The struggles of rice farmers and millers have left huge quantities of rice at the risk of going waste at the Fumbisi and Gbedembilisi rice valleys in the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region.
As part of more immediate measures to tackle the problem, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has been meeting with 20 major rice importers to solicit commitments to support rice production in the country.
In line with this, the Ghana National Buffer Stock Company also said it will make its licensed buying companies to purchase all rice produce going bad.
10 rice millers agree to purchase locally grown rice
Meanwhile, ten major rice millers have agreed to buy locally grown rice for processing at 60 percent capacity which translates to 350,000 metric tonnes annually, representing some 7 million bags of home-grown rice.
This emerged at a meeting spearheaded by Ghana’s lead campaigner for local rice consumption, Samuel Attah-Mensah and the John Agyekum Kufuor (JAK) Foundation with some 15 local rice millers.
Speaking to Citi News, the Head of Policy at the JAK Foundation, Nana Ama Oppong Dua, said the next phase of the discussions is a meeting with financial institutions to support this course.
“What we realized is that for the 300,000 metric tonnes that can be done by these 10 [millers] we need just about 125,000 hectares of land to be able to do that. From the statistics we have from the Ministry, we have 300,000 hectares of land under cultivation. So it means that even what we’ve planted is much more than the capacity of these 10 mills here.”
“So we are hoping that the other mills will even come on board to be able to do that. What we have also done is that we’ve even used very conservative estimates. What we are using for this 300,000 metric tonnes is 60 percent capacity of production so if we scale up to 100%, then we will be able to produce much more,” she noted.
Rice Prices
as on :
28-11-2019 03:44:42 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in
Rs/quintal in domestic market.
|
Arrivals
|
Price
|
|||||
|
Current
|
%
change |
Season
cumulative |
Modal
|
Prev.
Modal |
Prev.Yr
%change |
|
|
Rice
|
||||||
|
Gadarpur(Utr)
|
3678.00
|
1.38
|
118055.00
|
2365
|
2525
|
-
|
|
Bangalore(Kar)
|
1982.00
|
23.03
|
113964.00
|
4650
|
4650
|
8.14
|
|
Pilibhit(UP)
|
1500.00
|
-62.5
|
79212.50
|
2490
|
2520
|
9.21
|
|
Hardoi(UP)
|
400.00
|
150
|
7740.00
|
2400
|
2450
|
-3.23
|
|
Manjeri(Ker)
|
290.00
|
NC
|
11600.00
|
3500
|
3500
|
NC
|
|
Kanpur(Grain)(UP)
|
260.00
|
44.44
|
5800.00
|
2150
|
2040
|
-3.37
|
|
Mysore (Bandipalya)(Kar)
|
251.00
|
-
|
502.00
|
2100
|
-
|
NC
|
|
Etawah(UP)
|
210.00
|
-46.15
|
2312.00
|
2540
|
2550
|
3.67
|
|
Varanasi(Grain)(UP)
|
200.00
|
14.29
|
3530.00
|
2450
|
2415
|
4.26
|
|
Mainpuri(UP)
|
151.00
|
22.76
|
3558.00
|
2535
|
2540
|
-7.82
|
|
Madhoganj(UP)
|
145.00
|
-19.89
|
3264.50
|
2320
|
2320
|
4.04
|
|
Gondal(UP)
|
140.00
|
14.75
|
7590.50
|
2460
|
2460
|
-1.60
|
|
Puranpur(UP)
|
140.00
|
-20
|
4487.00
|
2600
|
2510
|
11.11
|
|
Lucknow(UP)
|
126.00
|
51.81
|
3577.50
|
2450
|
6900
|
8.89
|
|
Bindki(UP)
|
120.00
|
20
|
7658.00
|
2370
|
2340
|
8.22
|
|
Bharthna(UP)
|
120.00
|
328.57
|
4081.00
|
2540
|
2550
|
3.46
|
|
Naugarh(UP)
|
115.00
|
9.52
|
4557.50
|
2520
|
2490
|
14.55
|
|
Agra(UP)
|
87.00
|
-11.22
|
4443.00
|
2560
|
2580
|
3.23
|
|
Kalipur(WB)
|
76.00
|
-2.56
|
2898.00
|
2400
|
2400
|
-
|
|
Gazipur(UP)
|
72.00
|
-12.2
|
6016.50
|
3160
|
3160
|
17.04
|
|
Thodupuzha(Ker)
|
70.00
|
NC
|
3010.00
|
2900
|
2900
|
-7.94
|
|
Aligarh(UP)
|
70.00
|
-12.5
|
4345.00
|
2550
|
2540
|
2.00
|
|
Muzzafarnagar(UP)
|
70.00
|
-26.32
|
4500.00
|
2655
|
2650
|
2.12
|
|
Kalna(WB)
|
63.50
|
1.6
|
1632.50
|
2980
|
2980
|
-0.67
|
|
Saharanpur(UP)
|
62.00
|
-7.46
|
1930.50
|
2635
|
2610
|
1.35
|
|
Azamgarh(UP)
|
60.00
|
NC
|
3442.50
|
2470
|
2470
|
9.29
|
|
Kayamganj(UP)
|
60.00
|
50
|
1749.00
|
2710
|
2730
|
14.83
|
|
Solapur(Mah)
|
52.00
|
-14.75
|
226.00
|
3630
|
3660
|
5.22
|
|
Gauripur(ASM)
|
50.00
|
11.11
|
2761.50
|
4500
|
4500
|
NC
|
|
Ghaziabad(UP)
|
50.00
|
66.67
|
2440.00
|
2850
|
2850
|
4.59
|
|
Khalilabad(UP)
|
50.00
|
11.11
|
975.00
|
2410
|
2390
|
9.55
|
|
Bankura Sadar(WB)
|
48.00
|
6.67
|
1105.00
|
2500
|
2500
|
-3.85
|
|
Ballia(UP)
|
45.00
|
-25
|
2695.00
|
2350
|
2435
|
-2.49
|
|
Allahabad(UP)
|
40.00
|
-11.11
|
1825.50
|
2700
|
2680
|
17.39
|
|
Sahiyapur(UP)
|
40.00
|
-42.86
|
1501.50
|
2470
|
2470
|
9.53
|
|
Pandua(WB)
|
40.00
|
14.29
|
2248.00
|
3100
|
3100
|
-1.59
|
|
Vasai(Mah)
|
38.00
|
NC
|
1631.00
|
3410
|
3385
|
7.91
|
|
Jangipura(UP)
|
38.00
|
5.56
|
1136.00
|
2360
|
2350
|
3.96
|
|
Palghar(Mah)
|
35.00
|
-
|
70.00
|
3200
|
-
|
-36.00
|
|
Bhivandi(Mah)
|
35.00
|
133.33
|
1213.00
|
2300
|
2150
|
-0.86
|
|
Chitwadagaon(UP)
|
35.00
|
16.67
|
379.00
|
2310
|
2350
|
10.00
|
|
Jayas(UP)
|
32.10
|
61.31
|
1224.00
|
1950
|
2060
|
0.78
|
|
Islampur(WB)
|
32.00
|
10.34
|
612.00
|
3750
|
3800
|
-
|
|
Jaunpur(UP)
|
30.00
|
-23.08
|
999.20
|
2330
|
2330
|
2.64
|
|
Muradabad(UP)
|
30.00
|
-9.09
|
896.40
|
2600
|
2590
|
13.04
|
|
Lakhimpur(UP)
|
30.00
|
NC
|
2105.00
|
2370
|
2380
|
5.33
|
|
Dadri(UP)
|
30.00
|
-25
|
1483.00
|
2860
|
2850
|
4.00
|
|
Chintamani(Kar)
|
29.00
|
-34.09
|
1113.00
|
2350
|
2400
|
20.51
|
|
Lalitpur(UP)
|
28.00
|
-6.67
|
1612.00
|
2370
|
2360
|
-13.82
|
|
Raiganj(WB)
|
28.00
|
7.69
|
546.00
|
3650
|
3700
|
-
|
|
Ulhasnagar(Mah)
|
27.00
|
8
|
742.00
|
4750
|
4300
|
31.94
|
|
Pukhrayan(UP)
|
27.00
|
28.57
|
614.00
|
2220
|
2340
|
-0.89
|
|
Sitapur(UP)
|
26.50
|
-1.85
|
944.00
|
2450
|
2450
|
6.52
|
|
Bareilly(UP)
|
26.00
|
-69.05
|
2013.50
|
2475
|
2500
|
7.61
|
|
Rampur(UP)
|
26.00
|
13.04
|
554.50
|
2570
|
2560
|
9.83
|
|
Naanpara(UP)
|
25.60
|
34.74
|
967.00
|
2230
|
2210
|
37.23
|
|
Nalbari(ASM)
|
25.00
|
127.27
|
677.90
|
2500
|
2500
|
NC
|
|
Kopaganj(UP)
|
25.00
|
-35.9
|
1335.00
|
2475
|
2465
|
9.27
|
|
Bahraich(UP)
|
24.20
|
-18.79
|
2327.70
|
2460
|
2440
|
2.50
|
|
Saidpurhat (UP)
|
24.00
|
NC
|
328.00
|
3160
|
3200
|
61.31
|
|
Vishalpur(UP)
|
24.00
|
-25
|
546.80
|
2615
|
2690
|
14.95
|
|
Indus(Bankura Sadar)(WB)
|
24.00
|
-4
|
2075.00
|
2800
|
2800
|
NC
|
|
Dahod(Guj)
|
22.30
|
-71.95
|
703.30
|
4000
|
4000
|
-4.76
|
|
Devariya(UP)
|
22.00
|
46.67
|
1188.00
|
2450
|
2440
|
8.65
|
|
Farukhabad(UP)
|
21.00
|
31.25
|
936.50
|
2800
|
2800
|
18.64
|
|
Karimganj(ASM)
|
20.00
|
-50
|
1110.00
|
2450
|
2450
|
-
|
|
Pratapgarh(UP)
|
20.00
|
-11.11
|
197.00
|
2425
|
2400
|
6.83
|
|
Banda(UP)
|
20.00
|
25
|
276.50
|
2300
|
2320
|
4.07
|
|
Wansi(UP)
|
20.00
|
-9.09
|
1018.00
|
2110
|
2110
|
NC
|
|
Alipurduar(WB)
|
20.00
|
NC
|
660.00
|
2600
|
2600
|
-7.14
|
|
Jafarganj(UP)
|
19.00
|
-58.7
|
1142.00
|
2460
|
2465
|
4.68
|
|
Sirsaganj(UP)
|
17.00
|
-5.56
|
537.00
|
2640
|
2630
|
-4.00
|
|
Ghatal(WB)
|
17.00
|
21.43
|
479.50
|
2700
|
2650
|
8.00
|
|
Champadanga(WB)
|
17.00
|
21.43
|
695.00
|
3150
|
3150
|
3.28
|
|
Choubepur(UP)
|
16.80
|
-7.18
|
1674.00
|
2440
|
2450
|
3.83
|
|
Kolar(Kar)
|
16.00
|
-15.79
|
282.00
|
5349
|
4763
|
22.85
|
|
Purulia(WB)
|
16.00
|
14.29
|
302.00
|
2620
|
2640
|
NC
|
|
Badayoun(UP)
|
15.00
|
-25
|
818.50
|
2590
|
2580
|
14.10
|
|
Safdarganj(UP)
|
15.00
|
-6.25
|
739.00
|
2468
|
2460
|
8.25
|
|
Mahoba(UP)
|
13.10
|
72.37
|
270.30
|
2315
|
2310
|
-
|
|
Kannauj(UP)
|
12.00
|
NC
|
491.50
|
2720
|
2700
|
20.89
|
|
Shamli(UP)
|
11.00
|
NC
|
185.00
|
2630
|
2645
|
-6.07
|
|
Jhijhank(UP)
|
11.00
|
-31.25
|
54.00
|
2380
|
2440
|
-
|
|
Raath(UP)
|
11.00
|
57.14
|
36.00
|
2000
|
2000
|
NC
|
|
Atarra(UP)
|
10.00
|
11.11
|
352.00
|
2300
|
2380
|
4.55
|
|
Mohamadabad(UP)
|
10.00
|
-50
|
273.00
|
2710
|
2700
|
-
|
|
Kalyani(WB)
|
10.00
|
150
|
198.00
|
3450
|
3450
|
1.47
|
|
Nawabganj(UP)
|
9.50
|
-5
|
479.25
|
2420
|
2460
|
12.04
|
|
Amroha(UP)
|
8.00
|
60
|
93.80
|
2650
|
2650
|
1.92
|
|
Kasganj(UP)
|
8.00
|
-20
|
290.00
|
2570
|
2560
|
1.58
|
|
Khurja(UP)
|
8.00
|
33.33
|
468.30
|
2600
|
2620
|
NC
|
|
Mirzapur(UP)
|
7.50
|
-31.82
|
376.50
|
2420
|
2375
|
6.61
|
|
Raibareilly(UP)
|
7.50
|
-90.32
|
541.00
|
2375
|
2300
|
17.00
|
|
Auraiya(UP)
|
7.00
|
-93.46
|
439.60
|
2550
|
2550
|
14.35
|
|
Jhansi(UP)
|
7.00
|
-6.67
|
159.10
|
2285
|
2270
|
0.66
|
|
Lalganj(UP)
|
7.00
|
-88.33
|
424.00
|
2000
|
1750
|
18.34
|
|
Puwaha(UP)
|
7.00
|
-12.5
|
391.20
|
2600
|
2500
|
8.33
|
|
Etah(UP)
|
6.00
|
20
|
313.50
|
2570
|
2580
|
2.39
|
|
Badda(UP)
|
6.00
|
42.86
|
161.50
|
2600
|
2550
|
8.33
|
|
Bishnupur(Bankura)(WB)
|
6.00
|
-7.69
|
517.00
|
2600
|
2600
|
-1.89
|
|
Dibrugarh(ASM)
|
5.70
|
14
|
471.80
|
3100
|
3100
|
6.16
|
|
Tamkuhi Road(UP)
|
5.50
|
-15.38
|
657.40
|
2250
|
2250
|
4.65
|
|
Shikohabad(UP)
|
5.00
|
-50
|
159.50
|
2700
|
2650
|
-1.82
|
|
Nadia(WB)
|
5.00
|
-50
|
488.00
|
3750
|
3800
|
-6.25
|
|
Tundla(UP)
|
4.50
|
-18.18
|
248.70
|
1700
|
2565
|
-32.54
|
|
Kosikalan(UP)
|
4.00
|
-9.09
|
246.30
|
2520
|
2540
|
-3.82
|
|
Buland Shahr(UP)
|
4.00
|
-27.27
|
179.80
|
2640
|
2661
|
2.13
|
|
Jahangirabad(UP)
|
3.50
|
-12.5
|
198.50
|
2525
|
2525
|
NC
|
|
Uluberia(WB)
|
3.30
|
-8.33
|
45.80
|
2900
|
2900
|
NC
|
|
Ranaghat(WB)
|
3.20
|
NC
|
100.80
|
3700
|
3700
|
4.23
|
|
Baberu(UP)
|
3.00
|
15.38
|
70.10
|
2315
|
2320
|
-
|
|
Muskara(UP)
|
2.60
|
-33.33
|
48.20
|
2270
|
2300
|
0.44
|
|
Imphal(Man)
|
2.40
|
NC
|
54.80
|
4900
|
4900
|
-
|
|
Anandnagar(UP)
|
2.20
|
-12
|
244.80
|
2460
|
2465
|
4.68
|
|
Khatra(WB)
|
2.20
|
-18.52
|
591.60
|
2650
|
2650
|
NC
|
|
Kalimpong(WB)
|
2.20
|
83.33
|
42.30
|
2800
|
2800
|
-39.13
|
|
Gadaura(UP)
|
2.00
|
11.11
|
603.70
|
2300
|
2300
|
15.00
|
|
Ujhani(UP)
|
1.60
|
6.67
|
29.40
|
2520
|
2500
|
11.01
|
|
Jambusar(Kaavi)(Guj)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
111.00
|
3300
|
3200
|
22.22
|
|
Penugonda(Mah)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
34.00
|
4090
|
4090
|
0.25
|
|
Alibagh(Mah)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
124.00
|
4200
|
4200
|
-16.00
|
|
Murud(Mah)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
125.00
|
4200
|
4200
|
5.00
|
|
Charra(UP)
|
1.00
|
-50
|
60.20
|
2550
|
2530
|
2.00
|
|
Purwa(UP)
|
1.00
|
-50
|
14.00
|
2150
|
2150
|
-
|
|
Lamlong Bazaar(Man)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
27.00
|
4800
|
4800
|
-
|
|
Wazirganj(UP)
|
0.80
|
-84
|
11.60
|
2540
|
2650
|
-
|
|
Dasda(Tri)
|
0.70
|
16.67
|
2.60
|
2650
|
2625
|
0.76
|
|
Bishenpur(Man)
|
0.60
|
NC
|
16.50
|
4000
|
4700
|
-
|
Rice exports to China still under
last year’s quota: CRF
Sok Chan / Khmer Times
China has not yet purchased
milled rice from Cambodia for the period 2019-2020, with the country still
trying to fulfill its quota for the year 2018.
Kao Thach, CEO of Rural Development Bank (RDB), told Khmer
Times that Cofco – China’s largest food processor,
manufacturer and trader – has not placed any orders yet for Cambodian milled
rice for the year 2019. The quota for 2019 is 400,000 tonnes.
“We don’t know whether they will
purchase our rice or not. It seems like they don’t want to buy, so we are
pushing,” he said.
Mr Thach noted that some local
rice exporters are shipping rice to China based on the quota for 2018 – 300,000
tonnes.
“We are afraid that when the
quota for 2018 is complete, we won’t receive new orders. It is difficult to
sell,” Mr Thach said.
China has pledged to purchase
400,000 tonnes of rice from Cambodia this year. The pledge was made in January
during a meeting in Beijing between Prime Minister Hun Sen and Chinese
president Xi Jinping.
From January to October this
year, Cambodia shipped 184,844 tonnes of milled rice to China, according to the
Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality (SOWS-REF).
Exports to China accounted for 40
percent of Cambodia’s total exports of 457,940 tonnes, a 5 percent hike over
the corresponding period last year.
In 2018, the Kingdom was unable
to meet its rice export quota in the Chinese market, shipping only 170,000
tonnes out of the 300,000 allowed.
Lun Yeng, secretary-general of
the Cambodian Rice Association, said that until this month, Cambodia is
shipping rice to China based on the quota of 300,000 tonnes set for 2018. He
said the old quota must be fulfilled before the new quota of 400,000 tonnes for
2019 can begin.
“Now we have almost completed the
old quota of 300,000 tonnes since we had a very small amount left. Next month
we will complete the old quota, and we will continue with the new one,” he
added.
“We already have a quota for
2019, but China has not implemented it yet because first it has to complete the
old quota for 2018,” Mr Yeng added. “We do not have a fix contract with
China, so when they want to purchase, they will discuss the price and request a
quote from us. No price is set in advance,” he added.
“For the new export quota of
400,000 tonnes for 2019, we already signed an initial agreement on November 5
in Shanghai for 125,000 tonnes. This means that for the period 2019-2020 they
will buy at least 125,000 tonnes as per this agreement,” Mr Yeng said.
In principle, the new quota
should be implemented this November, but they start with a lower amount, Mr
Yeng noted.
“Now, China’s Cofco is not
purchasing, so our rice millers are considering whether they should buy more
rice to store in their warehouses or not,” he added.
Mr Yeng said rice millers have
already purchased paddy from farmers and now all warehouses are full because
China has not placed new orders yet.
“If China starts ordering, rice
millers can start purchasing paddy from farmers. They can clear the old stock
and purchase new one,” he added.
According to the figure from
SOWS-REF, the European Union is the second-biggest buyer of Cambodian rice,
purchasing a total of 155,950 tonnes of milled rice from January to October –
an increase of 34 percent when compared with the same period last year.
The report showed that 83
companies exported Cambodian rice to the international market, including
Baitang (Kampuchea) Plc, the biggest rice exporter, who shipped 60,358 tonnes.
Amru Rice (Cambodia), the next biggest exporter, shipped 41,068 tonnes.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50664440/rice-exports-to-china-still-under-last-years-quota-crf/
Rice exports
increases 43.76pc in four months
27 November,2019 09:18 am
During the period from July-October, rice worth
$633.739 million was exported.
(APP) – Rice exports from the
country during first four months of current financial year grew by 43.76 per
cent as compared to the exports of the corresponding period of the previous
year.
During the period from
July-October, rice worth $633.739 million was exported as compared to the
exports of $440.828 million of same period of last year, according the data of
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
The rice exports during the
period under review, witness significant increase as it went up from 800,078
metric tons in first four months of last financial year to 1,141,334 metric
tons in same period of current financial year.
The exports of basmati rice also
increased by 55.32% as about 279,257 metric tons of basmati rice worth $256.817
million were exported as against the exports of 161,812 metric tons valuing
$165.351 million of same period of last year, it added.
Meanwhile, country earned
$376.922 million by exporting about 862,087 metric tons of others rice, which
stood at 638,266 metric tons valuing $275.477 million in the period under
review.
In first four months of current
financial year, about 54,177 metric tons of fish and fish products valuing
$129.655 million also exported as compared to the exports of 44,513 metric tons
worth $109.776 million of same period of the last year.
The exports of meat and meat
products witnessed 53.57% increase in four months of financial year 2019-20, as
27,554 metric tons of the above mentioned commodities worth $97.885 million
exported which was recorded at 17,566 metric tons valuing $63.722 million in
same period of last year, the data added.
It may be recalled here that food
group exports from the country during first four months of current financial
year increased by 16.21%, where as imports of the food commodities into the
country decreased by 20.34% as compared to the corresponding period of the last
year.
The imports of the food group came
down to $1.583 billion during the period from July-October, 2019-20 from $1.987
billion of the same period of the last year.
Increase in Basmati Rice Prices
Concerning: AIREA
Nathi Ram Gupta, President All
India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA), released a statement on increase in
basmati rice prices. AIREA cautioned rice millers and exporters regarding the
recent surge in prices of basmati rice. AIREA emphasized further on payment
risks involved in export of rice to Iran.
AIREA’s
Advisory for Basmati Rice Exporters
The report suggested an abrupt spike in Basmati paddy and rice
costs despite no such incidents in the global market. Accordingly, the rice
cost increased by Rs 300 per Quintal and paddy cost has increased by Rs 150 per
quintal. Further, it also notified that the consignments of Basmati Rice held
at the Iranian ports have regained flow. This news provides a sense of relief
to the rice exporters.
Despite the relief, the advisory forewarned exporters about
trading with Iran. A meeting organized with Secretary and Additional Secretary
of Department of commerce resolved that there are no guarantees on dealing with
Iran. After the meeting officials clearly stated no assurances regarding the
payments from Iran for exports. Thereby, creating a sense of alert among the
exporters as mentioned above.
Raising the alert, AIREA also mentioned that money of exporters
held up in Iran estimated at Rs 5000 crore in UCO Bank and Rs 6500 crore in
IDBI bank. However, experts from AIREA predict no gain for exporters. As they
foretasted that these amounts will soon be depleted, if and when they are
released. In addition to that, the ambiguity regarding the use of these funds
for the sole purpose of rice export was highlighted.
AIREA’s
Request for Caution
Through this letter, AIREA’s President Nathi Ram Gupta advised the
members to have a grip on the prices of the Bamati Paddy and Basmati Rice. An
abrupt and extreme rise in basmati rice prices would have a negative influence
on trade. Further, it was accentuated that in the future basmati rice export to
Iran must be dealt with extreme caution.
The Iran
Payments Issue
Approximately, India exports more than 1 million tons of
Basmati rice to Iran. Ever since US sanctions on
Iran’s crude oil, Indian exporters are in fray over payments from Iran.
Payments from Iran come through the Rupee mechanism via UCO Bank and IDBI bank.
Since India stopped importing crude oil from Iran, exporters expected recovering
payments from Iran would be a problem in the coming months. However, payments
started getting delayed from June 2019 and finally funds released this week.
Experts suggest a bumper crop of basmati rice FY 2019-20. If
basmati rice millers start purchasing paddy at these high prices they will
suffer losses in the coming months. The basmati rice industry is already
suffering from huge bad debts owing to speculation and unstable prices of the
commodity. In conclusion, rice millers should be very careful about the basmati
rice prices.
Lack of access to credit
affecting our operations – Local Rice Millers
Millers allege that most financial
institutions expressed interest in funding importers
The Rice Millers Association of Ghana, has
blamed inadequate financing for their inability to purchase the huge volumes of
rice produced by farmers across the country.
The Millers allege that most financial institutions expressed interest in funding importers rather than local producers.
Citi TV and Citi FM CEO, Samuel Attah-Mensah has been leading a campaign to boost the consumption of locally produced rice.
Speaking on Citi TV’s current affairs program, The Point of View on Monday, the Convener of the Rice Millers Association of Ghana, Yaw Adu Poku, said the collateral demands by the banks discourage them.
“We are not buying because way back in February most of the millers started going to our bankers and telling them about what we are anticipating to help them; but unfortunately the financial houses are not ready to come in especially if we are talking about agro projects, financial houses across board are not interested in it and the requirements they are asking from is way over our heads”.
Speaking on the same program, the Managing Director of Citi FM and Citi TV Samuel Attah-Mensah, who’s the lead campaigner for the consumption of Ghana Rice, says the looming unemployment that will arise from the sector is a national security threat; hence the intervention.
“If you have over one hundred and fifty thousand people in that chain in the five northern regions put together, that’s a clear national security issue. You are not hoping that these people will go home hungry. The next you see is that an army of people will come down south and look for work, so by not attending to them, we create a bigger problem” he warned.
Meanwhile, as part of Citi FM and Citi TV’s ‘Eat Ghana Rice’ campaign, the John Agyekum Kufour Foundation in partnership with lead campaigner, Samuel Attah-Mensah, is set to meet some local rice millers today, Tuesday, 26th November, 2019.
Over fifteen major rice millers across the country are expected to attend the meeting.
Nana Ama Oppong Dua, the Policy Adviser at the John Agyekum Kufour Foundation, spoke about the essence of the meeting.
“We are going to discuss issues like financing, the mill capacities , storage and varieties; we are expecting that after this meeting we will be able to collate all the capacities of the various mills at least the major ones and continue the engagement with importers”.
The Millers allege that most financial institutions expressed interest in funding importers rather than local producers.
Citi TV and Citi FM CEO, Samuel Attah-Mensah has been leading a campaign to boost the consumption of locally produced rice.
Speaking on Citi TV’s current affairs program, The Point of View on Monday, the Convener of the Rice Millers Association of Ghana, Yaw Adu Poku, said the collateral demands by the banks discourage them.
“We are not buying because way back in February most of the millers started going to our bankers and telling them about what we are anticipating to help them; but unfortunately the financial houses are not ready to come in especially if we are talking about agro projects, financial houses across board are not interested in it and the requirements they are asking from is way over our heads”.
Speaking on the same program, the Managing Director of Citi FM and Citi TV Samuel Attah-Mensah, who’s the lead campaigner for the consumption of Ghana Rice, says the looming unemployment that will arise from the sector is a national security threat; hence the intervention.
“If you have over one hundred and fifty thousand people in that chain in the five northern regions put together, that’s a clear national security issue. You are not hoping that these people will go home hungry. The next you see is that an army of people will come down south and look for work, so by not attending to them, we create a bigger problem” he warned.
Meanwhile, as part of Citi FM and Citi TV’s ‘Eat Ghana Rice’ campaign, the John Agyekum Kufour Foundation in partnership with lead campaigner, Samuel Attah-Mensah, is set to meet some local rice millers today, Tuesday, 26th November, 2019.
Over fifteen major rice millers across the country are expected to attend the meeting.
Nana Ama Oppong Dua, the Policy Adviser at the John Agyekum Kufour Foundation, spoke about the essence of the meeting.
“We are going to discuss issues like financing, the mill capacities , storage and varieties; we are expecting that after this meeting we will be able to collate all the capacities of the various mills at least the major ones and continue the engagement with importers”.
