AS
paddy prices drop by almost 50pc over last year, the federal government is
considering a relief package for basmati farmers. As per different projections
being prepared so far, the farmers may get a monetary relief of Rs5,000-7,000
per acre. A noble cause indeed!
Unless
the government sees all this in the bigger picture, this one-off compensation
would not help much.The basic basmati statistics make the problem and its
causes clear. Pakistan has been producing around 2m tonnes of basmati rice; out
of which, 1m tonnes are consumed domestically and the rest are supposed to be
exported. Till 2011, the exports were above that figure and domestic stocks
were exhausted each year. From that year onwards, the exports started dropping
for a number of reasons.
In
2012, exports dropped to 968,941 tonnes. Next year, they went down to 630,035
tonnes — leaving a domestic glut of around 350,000 tonnes. Last year, they
touched 733,860 tonnes — adding over 250,000 tonnes to the glut.Right now, the
country is holding a carry-over of 600,000 tonnes, and fresh crop of 2m has
arrived. The prices have dropped because there is no disposal. The traders and
exporters are overwhelmed — both financially and humanly — by carry-over
stocks.
The country is holding a
carry-over of 600,000 tonnes, and fresh crop of 2m tonnes has arrived. The
prices have dropped because of tardy disposal. The traders and exporters are
financially overwhelmed by carry-over stocks
Second
and the immediate factor this season was added when one of the biggest rice
processing units defaulted on bank payments and was driven out of business. The
other units either got scared or saw an opportunity for making money, and went
slower than normal on procurement. The farmers, on their part, don’t have
holding capacity and are only increasing glut in the market and driving prices
further down.While these conditions now define the market, the government is
trying to intervene in the market with a paltry package. The economic
irrelevance of the official package, if and when it materialises, can also be
gauged from another angle.With average yield around 30 maunds per acre and the
price falling by almost Rs1,000 per maund — from Rs2,500 per maund to Rs1,500
per maund in some areas; the drop is more in other areas — each farmer, on
average, has suffered a potential loss of Rs30,000 per acre.
What
sense this Rs5,000-7,000 amount per acre would make to the farmers?
Published
in Dawn, Economic & Business, December 1st , 2014
Great Wall of China Held
Together with Sticky Rice
Channel 4
documentary reveals dramatic new details on the Wonder of the World
November 30, 2014 16:17 BST
Drones were used to examine the Great Wall of China(Channel 4)
The Great Wall of China is not
actually one wall, but a series of overlapping fortifications held together
with sticky rice. A Channel 4 documentary, The
Great Wall of China: The Hidden Story, has shed new light on the
millennium-old structure through state-of-the-art drones and cutting-edge
chemistry.Over a five-year survey of the wall, scientists have discovered that
it is made up of overlapping buttresses that extend over 13,000 miles – almost
twice as long as previously thought.
The wall is held together with sticky rice,
scientists discovered(Channel 4)
The inorganic component is
calcium carbonate, and the organic component is amylopectin, which comes from
the sticky rice soup added to the mortar."Moreover, we found that
amylopectin in the mortar acted as an inhibitor: The growth of the calcium
carbonate crystal was controlled, and a compact microstructure was produced,
which should be the cause of the good performance of this kind of
organic-organic mortar."
The wall is a series of overlapping fortifications,
rather than one structure, findings show(Channel 4)
Findings also suggest the ancient
mortar mix is still the best available material for restoring ancient
buildings: "The test results of the modelling mortars shows that sticky
rice-lime mortar has more stable physical properties, has greater mechanical
strength, and is more compatible, which make it a suitable restoration mortar
for ancient masonry."
The Great Wall of China: The Hidden Story - Secret History is on
Channel 4 on 30 November at 8pm.
Love in every grain of rice
GOING in search of good briyani and trying to find the best in
town can be quite challenging.Fortunately, briyani connoisseur and restaurateur
Iqbal Gani has brought together the best elements of this diverse dish at Taj
Biryani House to offer his interpretation of the what makes a good briyani
meal.Iqbal, who is from Slim River, Perak, said his deep affection for the dish
is rooted back to his childhood.
“When I was about seven years old, my late father used to take
me to Bilal or Kassim restaurant in Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur for
briyani. He would drive all the way from Perak just to eat briyani.“Now I am
able to travel to Qatar, Dubai and various parts of India to try their briyani
whether it is in the Middle Eastern, North Indian or South Indian style, I will
mark these travel destinations just to sample the briyani.”Iqbal, a former food
and beverage manager at a hotel, decided to channel his experience and expertise
into his long-time dream of starting a briyani restaurant.“I finally found a
cook who makes it just right during my trip to Hyderabad, last year.
Iqbal’s love for the rice dish is clearly evident in every spoon
of the mutton briyani, made from the finest quality long grain basmati rice and
succulent mutton cubes.Garnished with raisins, the curried briyani rice is an
explosion of flavours, making the chicken in the dish an equal star of the
spread.Although, it can be quite costly, I do not compromise on quality. I have
made sure that all the cooking utensils and ingredients are imported from
India,” Iqbal said, adding that the tandoor clay oven and dum briyani pot were
also specially chosen by the cooks to ensure the dishes were cooked to
perfection.
Some of the North Indian courses that are sure to excite the
taste buds are the clay oven baked chicken skewers or Murgh Tandoor while
Reshmi Kebab is boneless cubes of chicken cooked in cashewnut gravy.The most
interesting tandoor dish has to be the baked salmon cubes in a dish called
Machili Cashew Tikka, with tender meat skewers atop a salad
accompaniment.Vegetarians will not feel left out from the generous tandoor menu
with vegetarian kebabs or skewers of spiced broccoli and cauliflower, which
complements the roti and Dal Tadka (yellow lentils curry).
The restaurant’s Gajar ka Halwa, a pudding made from finely
grated carrots cooked in condensed milk and seasoned with cardamom, is a great
way to end your meal.The Petaling Jaya restaurant is the first branch in
Malaysia with two other eateries in Kuala Belait, Brunei and Usman Road,
Chennai.
■ TAJ BIRYANI HOUSE, B-09-01, Jalan 19/1,
Section 19, 3 Two Square, Petaling Jaya.(Tel: 03-7932 2525). Business hours:
7am to 10pm, daily.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an
endorsement by StarMetro
Image:From left (clockwise) Strawberry milkshake, mojito mint mocktail
and dessert ‘gajar ka halwa’ (carrot cooked in condensed milk
Pakistan to
use satellite data to improve forecasts of crop yields
New system to allow more accurate calculations of forecasts and reduce
cost of data collection.
01/12/2014
The new system will replace the
previous manual calculation of crop yield forecasts and will decrease the costs
of data collection, the government said.The system was installed by the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and funded by the United States
Department of Agriculture.
The project will start with two
provinces - Punjab and Sindh. Pakistan will take satellite imagery twice a year
and will conduct field surveys during the two cropping seasons, local media
reported.Crop yield forecasting is important for the government to plan the
country’s export targets and ensure food security, especially for the two major
crops, wheat and rice, said Patrick Evans, FAO representative for Pakistan. If
the government knows that the yield of wheat or rice is going to be low, it can
take measures to prevent any shortages.
Vietnam Setting Up International Rice Research Institute
Office
HANOI,
Nov 28 (Bernama) - Vietnam and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
have signed a document on establishing an IRRI office in the country, Vietnam
News Agency (VNA) reported.The document was signed by Agriculture and Rural
Development Minister Cao Duc Phat and IRRI director general Robert Zeigler here
Thursday during a conference on restructuring the rice sector to boost rural
development."The setting up of the office shows the determination and
commitment of Vietnam and IRRI to work together to improve the rice and
agriculture sectors," Phat said.
IRRI
has been recognised by the Vietnamese government as its first international
agriculture study facility.IRRI will assist exchanges between Vietnamese
scientists and IRRI experts in contributing to realising the national rice
strategy.At the conference, the ministry and IRRI agreed on overall cooperation
strategies and programmes and technical support to turn the rice sector as an
important driver of Vietnam's economic growth.Phat said over 80 percent of rice
varieties cultivated in the Mekong Delta region originated from research
carried out by IRRI.
"Restructuring
the rice sector is significant to raising farmers' incomes and agricultural
value as rice accounts for nearly half of the value generated by farm
products," he said.Vietnam has around 10 million farming households in
rural areas and 70 percent of the population is involved in agriculture.
--
BERNAMA
Vast opportunities exist in exports of rice, fruits to
Iran
November
28, 2014 RECORDER REPORT
Pakistani
agricultural commodities especially rice, kinnow, potato and mango are in high
demand in Iranian markets thus offering huge potential to increase exports of
these commodities manifold between the two neighbouring countries. The Punjab
government is taking many steps for enhancing the bilateral trade especially
export of agricultural commodities to Iran which include steps to save these
commodities from pests and different diseases in line with the international
standards.
This
was disclosed by the Punjab Minister for Agriculture Dr Farrukh Javed while
addressing 'Rice Exporters Conference' held here on Thursday. The conference
was also participated by a 14-member Iranian trade delegation and Iranian
Consul General to Lahore Agha Bani Asadi. The Iranian delegation includes
Iranian members of the parliament Dr Fatahi, Dr Abidi and Dr Tameeni, rice
importers and agricultural experts while conference was also attended by the Rice
Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) members including Pir Nazam Hussain
Shah. Rice Research Institute (RRI) Kala Shah Kaku Director Dr Akhtar, Dr
Ashfaq and Deputy Food Commissioner Dr Waseem also participated in the
conference.
The
Punjab Minister said both Iran and Pakistan were enjoying brotherly relations
and also gave importance to increasing bilateral trade. He said that Iranian
agricultural experts were welcomed in the fields and orchards of Punjab
province to explore the potential of enhancing trade of agricultural
commodities. Dr Farrukh Javed stressed the need for installing quarantine
set-up at Pak-Iran border to allow agricultural commodities import and export
after proper inspection according to hygiene principles.
He
said only healthy citizen could play their role in the development and progress
of the country and bringing agricultural production in line with principles of
health we could not only meet food requirements but also promote a healthy
society. Iranian Consul General Agha Bani Asadi speaking on this occasion said
that he is advocate of strong and durable relations with Pakistan and trade of
agricultural commodities could play an important role in strengthening
brotherhood bond between the two nations. Members of the Iranian Parliament
speaking on this occasion expressed their pleasure on visiting Lahore and said
they enjoyed Pakistani hospitality a lot. Iranian delegation is on a three-day
visit to Pakistan during which they met government representatives, exporters
and also visited different rice mills and allied industrial wings.
Govt to facilitate Iranian rice importers: minister
Staff Report
November 29, 2014
LAHORE:
Federal Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastagir has said that the government
would provide all necessary assistance to the Iranian rice importers to enhance
export of rice and other food commodities.The delegates apprised the minister
about the prospects of Pakistani rice in the Iranian market. Pakistan produces
fine quality of rice and could cater to huge demand of rice in the Iranian
market, said Iranian Rice Importers Association (IRIA) delegation during their
meeting with the minister, following their interactive meetings and field
visits to the various rice units in Punjab.
A
spokesman of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) said that during
their interactive sessions with the representatives of Rice Exporters
Association of Pakistan (REAP), the stakeholders discussed potential of
exploring new opportunities of rice import from Pakistan. They also visited
PCSIR Laboratories in Lahore where they were apprised about the facilities
available with with regard to rice standardisation and other health related
issues of rice. The delegates discussed with the rice experts about various
precautionary measures and food safety mechanisms on rice. They also attended
rice exporters’ conference which was addressed by Punjab Minister for
Agriculture Dr Farrukh Javed.
Dr
Javed said during their meeting with the banking authorities the delegates
raised the intra-banking transaction issues between the two countries and
emphasised to sort out an amicable payment mechanism. Rice Exporters
Association of Pakistan hosted a dinner in honour of the Iranian delegation
which was attended by a large number of leading rice exporters and prominent
businessmen. Pakistan being the fourth largest exporter of rice in the world
has the potential to increase the graph of rice export to Iran.The Iranian
delegation’s visit was facilitated by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.
Kalabagh Dam a ray of hope for people of Pakistan–I
November 30,
2014
Lt Col (R) Abdul Razaque Bugti
After Indus water treaty of 1960, Pakistan is left with River Kabul, River Indus, River Jhelum and River, Chenab having total water resources:
Kabul River at Attock 27.06 MAF, Indus River at attock 65.66 MAF. Sub total 92.61 MAF, Jhelum River at Mangla 22.93 MAF, Chenab at Marala 25.64 MAF, Others 5.00 MAF. Total 146.18 MAF (average flow from 1922 to 1963.Source: report of Chas. T. Main IntI Inc. USA 1967)
Kalabagh Dam is to be constructed on main stem of River indus. River Indus originates from Monsrover Lake located at 15060 feet above sea level in Tibet China. Monsrover lake is bounded by Kailash mountains on one side and Himaliya Mountains on the other. River Indus starts with the confluence of River Sengge Chu and Garr. It passes through Laddakh in IHK where it is joined by River Zanskar from south at Nimmu near Leh (IHK) and river Shoyok from north in Pakistan at Keres near Khaplu. Indus flows through Glaciers and a region highly seismic sensitive till it reaches the foot hills of Himalays at Tarbela where after River Indus flows through plains till it reaches Attock. From Attock to Kalabagh Indus river flows through a gorge and After Kalabagh it flows through plains till Keti bunder which is its last destination. The total length of river Indus is 3200 KM.
The flow of Indus river is fluctuating from 76 MAF as lowest and 110 MAF at peak flows. *The lowest combined flow of water in Rivers Indus, Kabul, Jhelum, and Chenab was experienced within last 40 years was 11.6 MAF in 1961-62 (*Report: Chas T Main USA, 1967). Upto Tarbela; Indus waters are Glacier melt and Snow melt; while down stream Tarbela; Indus river contains rain water harvest from 110,500 Square miles of Hindu Kush and plains.
The main concern is rain water which floods plains of Pakistan. This flood water is to be contained and kept in reservoirs of sufficient capacity so as to alleviate floods in the irrigated plains. The reservoir waters then be used for irrigation of cultivable desert land of Pakistan.
Incidents of some major floods in current past are:
Year
1973/74 -1978/79 -1990/91 -1991/92 -1992/3 -1994/95 -2010/2011
Flow (MAF)
166.88 150.10 153.64 161.70 159.34 152.86 152.39
(Source WRMD. WAPDA Pakistan)
Average Monthly flow of water in Rivers at rim stations iri MAF (1922-1963)
KharifCrop season: .
Month Indus+Kabul Jhelum Chenab Total April 4.30 2.58 1.36 8.24
May 8.38 3.61 2.23 14.22 June 15.49 3.69 3.55 22.73 July 22.57 3.79 5.68 32.04 August 19.81 2.97 5.61 28.39 September 8.65 1.60 2.94 13.19
Total 118.81 Canal Draw down 2012-2013 57.7
In reservoirs on River Indus & Jhelum (2012-13) 11.23
Surplus 49.88 Rabi crop season Month Indus+Kabul Jhelum Chenab Total October 3.62 0.85 1.04 5.51 November 2.14 0.54 0.52 3.20 December 1.87 0.48 0.46 2.81 January 1.71 0.53 0.53 2.77 February 1.61 0.73 0.66 3.01 March 2.45 1.56 1.06 5.07
Total 22.37
Canal draw down 2012-2013 31.9 Short fall 9.53
Average flow/Canal draw down (1961-62 to 2010-11 source: WRMD. WAPDAPakistan)
Average flow at rim stations: Max 166.86 MAF Min 130.47 MAF
Average Canal Withdrawals: Max 114.10 MAF; Min 82.63 MAF
* Canal draw down is subject to availability of water in rivers/dams.
Flow (MAF)
166.88 150.10 153.64 161.70 159.34 152.86 152.39
(Source WRMD. WAPDA Pakistan)
Average Monthly flow of water in Rivers at rim stations iri MAF (1922-1963)
KharifCrop season: .
Month Indus+Kabul Jhelum Chenab Total April 4.30 2.58 1.36 8.24
May 8.38 3.61 2.23 14.22 June 15.49 3.69 3.55 22.73 July 22.57 3.79 5.68 32.04 August 19.81 2.97 5.61 28.39 September 8.65 1.60 2.94 13.19
Total 118.81 Canal Draw down 2012-2013 57.7
In reservoirs on River Indus & Jhelum (2012-13) 11.23
Surplus 49.88 Rabi crop season Month Indus+Kabul Jhelum Chenab Total October 3.62 0.85 1.04 5.51 November 2.14 0.54 0.52 3.20 December 1.87 0.48 0.46 2.81 January 1.71 0.53 0.53 2.77 February 1.61 0.73 0.66 3.01 March 2.45 1.56 1.06 5.07
Total 22.37
Canal draw down 2012-2013 31.9 Short fall 9.53
Average flow/Canal draw down (1961-62 to 2010-11 source: WRMD. WAPDAPakistan)
Average flow at rim stations: Max 166.86 MAF Min 130.47 MAF
Average Canal Withdrawals: Max 114.10 MAF; Min 82.63 MAF
* Canal draw down is subject to availability of water in rivers/dams.
Our
water resources are to the tune of an average of 130.47 MAF to a maximum of
166.86 MAF and the canal draw down figures confirm that we do have surpluses of
water any way. Therefore we must construct Dams to store water to; alleviate
floods and to bring more cultivable arid land into cultivation.
Agriculture
and Irrigation System of Pakistan: Our crops sowing season viz a viz best crop
yield also dictate the need to store waters in reservoirs and regulate it in a
manner that sufficient water is made available for planting/sowing Kharif/ Rabi
crops in due time and further demands of water for growing Kharif/ Rabi crops
are meet with provision of sufficient water. Our major kharif crops are rice
and cotton.
Rice
sowing periods are fluctuating from Province to Province. In Sindh; Rice is
sown in mid May to mid June and in Punjab rice is sown in July. Due to shortage
of water Sindh province was provided water for sowing/ planting of rice on 3rd
July 2014. As a result the farmers of Sindh abandoned growing Irri kind of Rice
and instead they have grown Hybrid Rice of China origin. The seed of Hybrid
kind of rice is very expensive yet it yields between 3200 kg to 4000kg per acre
(with timely use of fertilizers and anti larva spray) as compared to Irri kind
of rice which yields between 2400 kg to 3000 kg per acre (given same
treatment). Thus farmers of Sindh got a better option and also countered the
disadvantage of late delivery of canal water. Punjab Farmers however did not
face any problems of shortage or late delivery of water for pre-planting/sowing
of Rice crop. "
To secure best flowering and ball formation, cotton needs to ripen when temperatures ar~ still moderately high, when days are long but nights are still cool. Cotton does best in Sindh, therefore when planted relatively early, between late April and late May. Earlier planting results in best harvest.
In Rabi crops wheat is sown in October. Final watering are being given to wheat crop in March. Wheat is staple food for people of Pakistan and with growing population we need more wheat; hence we must plan to bring more acreage under cultivation of wheat for which we need more water for Rabi season i.e. October to March.The critical periods for water supply remain a few months in the year particularly those around the beginning of each season when water is required for pre-planting 'and sowing and at the end of each season when water is required for final maturing of crops. March is critical month because final watering are being done to wheat crop. While October is critical when Kharif crop are maturing and many Rabi crops particularly wheat are beginning to be sown.
* Substantial changes in irrigation system have resulted from the implementation of the Indus water Treaty 1960; when three eastern rivers, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej with total annual flow of 25 MAF water were given to India and Pakistan was left with four rivers with annual flow of 142 MAF of water (*Report of Chas T Main 1967). To resolve this problem we have'to store an appropriate quantity of water by constructing dams on main stem of rivers and off the channer of rivers. The dams can only be built at selected sites. We have constructed Mangla dam on main stem of river Jhelum with live storage capacity of 5.34 MAF and Tarbela dam on main stem of River Indus with live storage capacity of 9.7 MAF.
Both these dams have considerably been
sedimented and our total live storage capacity of both dams has been reduced
from 15.04 MAF to 10.97 MAF. Height of Mangla dam was raised by 40 feet (30
feet to be used for storage of water) which adds 2.88 MAF water but the larger
Mangla dam needs assistance of Kalabag Dam to get filled. Without Kalabagh dam
Mangla dam remains at depleted level i.e. 4.52 MAF except when high floods
occur in river Jhelum .The most suitable site selected for a mega dam on main
stem of River Indus is about 10 KM down stream of Indus- Soan confluence near
Kalabagh from where River Indus passes through a narrow gorge between two
mountains.
Source
:http://nation.com.pk/business/30-Nov-2014/kalabagh-dam-a-ray-of-hope-for-people-of-pakistan
Cultivation of flood tolerant rice becomes popular in BD
Cultivation of flood-tolerant variety rice has
already become popular among the farmers to change their fortune as its harvest
is nearing completion with bumper yield in the country during the Aman season.
The growing plants of flood tolerant BRRI dhan 51, BRRI dhan 52, BINA dhan 11
and BINA dhan 12 rice survived submergence for over two weeks during recent
floods and resumed normal growth again to give better yield. Agriculture and
Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said farmers have
already completed harvest of BINA dhan 11 and BINA dhan 12 rice and they are
now harvesting BRRI dhan 51 and BRRI dhan 52 variety rice with excellent yield
rate.
The
Stress Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) Project, being funded
by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), extends assistance for cultivation
of stress tolerant rice with GO-NGO collaboration through the International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI), according to a news agency.
www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2014/11/28/68324
Top of the table: eight great cookbooks
from 2014
Rose Prince gives us a feast for the eye and the palate in her
round-up of the year’s cookery books
But so he should be, for A Modern Way to Eat (Fourth Estate £25, Spectator Bookshop, £20) is a beautiful and
inspiring one, and thankfully devoid of Jamie-speak — that is, nothing is
described as ‘smashing.’.It is a book of vegetarian recipes, but carnivores, do
not be put off. Let’s say it is a book of deliciously invigorating dishes that
happen not to contain any flesh. Among the recipes I shall be cooking from it
are the restorative coconut broth with lemongrass, lime and greens (Jones is
very strong on soup); also the lemon ricotta cloud pancakes and the dosa potato
cakes.Then I shall have some meat, probably choosing a recipe from Tom Parker
Bowles’ s Let’s Eat Meat (Pavilion £25, Spectator
Bookshop, £20) which is a manifesto for eating better meat less often, but
essentially a world tour of what you could call flesh pots from Cajun jambalaya
to bun cha from Vietnam. Parker Bowles is a great traveller, and at his best
unearths authentic global recipes.
The London restaurant Dabbous (in
Whitfield Street) apparently stunned critics and diners when it opened in 2012.
I cannot say why from personal experience, because the current waiting list for
a table is four months. Presumably one purpose of publishing a book about a
restaurant few can go to is to enable readers to cook the chef Ollie Dabbous’s
food and bloody difficult.The central claim is that Dabbous does it better,
from recognisable mash and gravy to a mysterious nugget of ‘iced sorrel’.
I believe it, not just because there are
combinations I would try in simpler form (such as scallop tartare with
eucalyptus), but because of Barnyard — Ollie Dabbous’s Charlotte Street diner,
where you can get in, if you queue — which
serves the best comfort food I have ever eaten. The price of Dabbous (Bloomsbury, £50, Spectator Bookshop, £40) is inflated by some
very expensive and unnecessary photos of the restaurant’s interior fittings,
lightbulbs, electric sockets etc. But for many, it is the closest we’ll ever
get.
Thanks with source:The Spectator at home. Hesitate before doing so, however, because this is very
much modern gastronomy; game-changing, esoteric, brave
Smuggling
raps filed vs top rice importer
Philippine Daily
Inquirer
7:59 AM | Saturday, November 29th,
2014
MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Friday filed in the Department of Justice (DOJ) separate complaints of smuggling against a top rice importer, its officials and customs brokers for bringing into the country P1.8 billion worth of rice through three key ports last year.Acting BOC district collectors in Manila, Davao and Cebu filed four criminal complaints against officials of Starcraft International Trading Corp. before the DOJ for alleged violations of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines and regulations enforcing import quotas on the supply of staple food.
The bureau said Starcraft had imported without permits a total of
45,000 metric tons of rice from Vietnam, Thailand, China and Singapore from
June to November last year through the ports of Manila, Cebu and Davao.The
import volume was equivalent to 3,700 percent of what Starcraft was allowed to
bring into the country, the BOC said. The firm only had a permit to import
1,176 metric tons of rice through Manila.The bureau said Starcraft earlier
filed court cases to argue that private importers could bring in rice without
security permits as import restrictions had already been lifted through a World
Trade Organization agreement in 2012.But the BOC reiterated the Philippine law,
where “only the NFA can import rice and companies who wish to do the same must
secure an import permit from the agency.
”“Our laws were not changed. Import permits for rice were still
required. Starcraft cannot unilaterally interpret the laws by itself.
Regulation of rice is critical because millions of farmers’ livelihoods depend
on rice farming,” said Customs Commissioner John Sevilla in a
statement.Starcraft is the fifth large-scale importer to face smuggling charges
this year, the BOC said.Together, the five top importers—Starcraft,
Intercontinental Grains International Trading Inc., Bold Bidder Marketing and
General Merchandise, Silent Royalty Marketing and Medaglia De Oro
Trading—accounted for 75 percent of the 200,000 metric tons of rice smuggled
through various Philippine ports last year, the BOC said.
Those charged on Friday include Starcraft president Jeffrey
Daradal, its Board of Directors Eugene Pioquinto, Aveleo Godoy, Anna Orqueta,
Brendal Daradal, Jessie Bantula, and company representative Hanlie Solema.Also
charged “for facilitating the unlawful importation of rice” were custom brokers
Denise Kathryn Rosaroso, John Kevin Cisneros, Emilio Chio, Eduardo Borje III,
Rosemarie Arciaga, Gerald Villarosa, Jennifer Ann Reyes, Elbert Lusterio,
Dianne Dizon-Tapia, Laila Silvestre, Francis Rudolph Forneste and Kenneth
Quial.
More Stories
Read more: http://business.inquirer.net/182754/smuggling-raps-filed-vs-top-rice-importer#ixzz3KV9SBMDe
Govt to facilitate Iranian rice
importers: minister
November 29, 2014
LAHOR: Federal Minister for
Commerce Khurram Dastagir has said that the government would provide all
necessary assistance to the Iranian rice importers to enhance export of rice
and other food commodities.The delegates apprised the minister about the prospects
of Pakistani rice in the Iranian market.
Pakistan produces fine quality of
rice and could cater to huge demand of rice in the Iranian market, said Iranian
Rice Importers Association (IRIA) delegation during their meeting with the
minister, following their interactive meetings and field visits to the various
rice units in Punjab.
A spokesman of Trade Development
Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) said that during their interactive sessions with
the representatives of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), the
stakeholders discussed potential of exploring new opportunities of rice import
from Pakistan.
They also visited PCSIR
Laboratories in Lahore where they were apprised about the facilities available
with with regard to rice standardisation and other health related issues of
rice. The delegates discussed with the rice experts about various precautionary
measures and food safety mechanisms on rice. They also attended rice exporters’
conference which was addressed by Punjab Minister for Agriculture Dr Farrukh
Javed.
Dr Javed said during their meeting with the banking authorities
the delegates raised the intra-banking transaction issues between the two
countries and emphasised to sort out an amicable payment mechanism. Rice
Exporters Association of Pakistan hosted a dinner in honour of the Iranian
delegation which was attended by a large number of leading rice exporters and
prominent businessmen. Pakistan being the fourth largest exporter of rice in
the world has the potential to increase the graph of rice export to Iran.
The Iranian delegation’s visit
was facilitated by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.
