Japan farmers
cultivate rice's mystique as barrier to deal
A
powerful lobby stands in the way of two of the world's biggest economies
completing a trade deal: Japanese rice farmers.Rice is the island-nation's
staple grain and a powerful symbol of self-sufficiency. It is also among the
thorniest issues holding up an agreement the two nations hope to unveil when
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Barack Obama meet in Washington next
week.
Herald Interview]
Korea to defend rice market in TPP talks
Published : 2015-04-27 20:33
Updated : 2015-04-27 20:33
Korea’s top
agriculture policymaker has emphasized that the government would not further
open its rice market, even when the nation participates in the U.S.-led
Trans-Pacific Partnership to establish a free trade zone among Pacific Rim
countries. “Our government is firmly set on excluding rice from the TPP’s list
of tariff concession,” said Lee Dong-phil, minister of agriculture, food and
rural affairs.“As regards to joining the TPP, our government’s position is that
we will do so after carefully weighing the national interest,” Lee said in a
recent interview with The Korea Herald at the Sejong Government Complex.
Rice protection goes with the grain
Two researchers with the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) have
made a breakthrough that could assist rice growers around the world minimise
the impact of a potentially devastating fungal disease.Research Officers Moin
Salam and Bill MacLeod have been working with the Bangladesh Rice Research
Institute (BRRI) to minimise the impact of rice false smut disease (RFSD) as
part of a PhD program being conducted by a scientist from BRRI, Bodrun
Nessa.While RFSD is not present in trial crops in the State's north or
commercial crops in other States and territories, it is prevalent in the
majority of rice growing areas on the Indian sub-continent, as well as Asia and
the United States.
"Although RFSD was believed to be an indication
of a bumper year, it can cause yield losses of up to 75 per cent, as well as a
dark taint for which grain can be discounted," Mr MacLeod said."Many
of the popular rice varieties in Bangladesh can have RFSD and fungicides are
not particularly effective," he said." This research will assist rice
growers to take action to reduce the proliferation of RFSD spores."In a
world-first, the researchers discovered that RFSD was systemic, affecting the
whole of the plant, providing a better overall understanding of the disease.
Rice false smut disease balls/galls, are distinguished by hard golden balls that
turn black and release billions of microscopic spores that contaminate the
grain and subsequent crops.
Mr MacLeod said this new knowledge was being used to
develop a yield loss chart and a disease forecasting model to assist rice
growers implement farming practises to minimise the impact of RFSD.He said the
research with Dr Salam, who has worked extensively with Bangladesh rice
scientists and growers, would also benefit the broader Australian rice and
grains industries."It is important for us to experience different
environments and diseases to expand our thinking and approaches in the domestic
environment," he said."This exchange has built a good relationship
with the Bangladeshi research institutes."The minister was responding to
concerns in the nation’s farming sector following a high-level U.S. official’s
indications early this month that Korea may have to lower its barriers against
rice imports in order to join the TPP.Agricultural experts predict that the
U.S. is expected to put pressure on Korea either to lower its 513 percent
tariff rate on imported rice or to buy a certain quantity at a far lower
tariff.
Lee Dong-phil
This year,
Korea opened its rice market to foreign suppliers after ending its 20-year
import quota system. The government notified the World Trade Organization that
it would set a 513 percent tariff on imported rice.But five rice-exporting
countries including the U.S. and China have opposed it at the WTO, demanding a
drastic cut of the nation’s tariff rate on rice imports. “We will seek to persuade
the five countries by emphasizing that the tariff rate was calculated in
accordance with the WTO’s official formula, respective of the principles of the
global market order,” Lee said.
The minister
expressed hopes that rice-exporting countries would take into consideration
Korea’s position on rice imports.“Rice is not a mere commodity, considering the
nation‘s high dependency on it. Rice is cultivated in most of the 1.1 million
farming households here, affecting their income,” he said. “Importing more rice
(at a lower tariff rate) will destroy the Korean rice producers.” “The country
suffers from an oversupply of rice because the national rice consumption has
halved. Even so, we have abided by the WTO’s global quota on rice imports,” Lee
said, emphasizing that Korea has been “more than faithful in meeting the WTO
obligations.”
The minister,
who took office when President Park Geun-hye’s government was inaugurated in
2013, expressed difficulties in walking the fine line between promoting trade
liberalization and protecting the nation’s farmers.“In the big picture, we need
to go ahead with an open economy and make the most out of the global market
order to sell our products,” he said.
For the Korean
government, he believes, it is also important to join the TPP trade pact that
oversees the mega-market home to 40 percent of the world’s population and
nearly 60 percent of global gross domestic product. The TPP is expected to
include Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru,
Singapore, the U.S., Vietnam and Australia.
Lee saw South
Korea as an already open economy in virtually all agricultural goods except
rice. The country is already highly dependent on imported grains such as wheat,
corn and beans, mostly consumed for animal feeds. “Only five of the 150 WTO
members disagree with South Korea’s maintenance of the rice tariff,” Lee said,
claiming the rice protection move was compatible with the global
standard.China, one of the five contenders of the rice tariff, agreed to
exclude South Korean rice and other sensitive agricultural goods upon
initialing the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement on Feb. 25. Last year, the
neighboring country sent about 53 percent of Korea’s imported rice. The
minister also sees “smart farming” as one solution for the Korean farming
industry that is pressured by rising agricultural imports.Among Korea’s 1.1
million farming households, about 600,000 households make less than 5 million
won ($4,600) annually, according to government data in 2010.
“The Korean
farming society is facing a major crisis,” Lee said, vowing to help the farming
societies earn more by turning to “smart farming.” Lee conceded that there is
no easy solution to agricultural reform. The restructuring plan aims to raise
farming households’ income, by combining advanced technology to boost
production and pioneer larger markets. Agricultural restructuring is inevitable
for the country to raise the Korean food self-sufficiency rate to 50-60 percent
from the current 49 percent, he added.
“Most of this
bracket includes the aged, small-sized farmers who barely make about 3 million
won ($2,770) a month,” Lee said. “For them, we are trying to provide a happier
agricultural environment where they can enjoy life with their families and
friends, rather than forcing them to adopt the latest technology so they can
make a massive income,” he added. The minister pointed out that Korea’s limited
farming space has reduced the agricultural production capacity. The average
farmland here, 1.5 hectares per household, is far smaller than the 56 hectares
of France or 187 hectares of the U.S., he added.
“We need to
combine these small, individual pieces of farmland into the broader,
‘field-unit business entities,’ where people can join forces to organize and
mechanize the farming process,” Lee suggested. In addition to forming farming
cooperatives, the country needs a major shift in production, such as turning
rice paddies into farms, Lee said. The country’s dependency on the paddies is
too high, which makes the country partially vulnerable to the falling demand
for rice, he added.
Lee noted the
remaining 300,000 of the 1.1 million farming households have high potential to
link their farming businesses to local tourism. “Korea may be small in size,
but every region has abounding local specialties, made of locally grown
ingredients,” Lee said. Korea is home to more than 800 local breweries of
makgeolli, or rice wine, which is worth exploring for tourists from here and
overseas, the minister added.
He also
expected the impact of the aging society will hit the hardest in the farming
societies. Lee called for the government and civil support to pave the way for
self-sustainable agricultural societies. “If we fail to foster the ‘heirs’ to
self-sustainable farming, the local communities will not survive the free trade
movement,” Lee said.
By Chung Joo-won
."
Research Officers Bill MacLeod, Moin Salam and PhD student
and BRRI scientist Bodrun Nessa examine rice heads.
Research Officers Bill MacLeod, Moin Salam and PhD student
and BRRI scientist Bodrun Nessa examine rice heads.
Millers hoard rice for profit
DC CORRESPONDENT | April 28, 2015, 01.04 am IST
Hyderabad: Irregularities in the procurement of levy rice
from farmers in Telangana have been detected and sources say that a few
officials of the Civil Supplies Corporation and millers have colluded to deny
the Minimum Support Price to farmers.Anticipating a huge shortfall in food
grain production this year due to heavy damage to the Kharif and Rabi crops
this year, millers have been resorting to hoarding rice meant for the public
distribution system (PDS), say sources.Inquiries by the civil supplies
department in Nalgonda district revealed grave anomalies in the quantum of rice
procured by the Civil Supplies Corporation from farmers and the rice bought by
the millers for milling.In Nalgonda district alone, a difference of 4 lakh
metric tonnes was found between the rice procured and purchased.Millers had
supplied 2.20 lakh MT of raw rice and 50,000 MT boiled rice to the Civil
Supplies Corporation and Food Corporation of India during the Kharif season.For
this, the millers would have to purchase 17 lakh MT of paddy, do the milling
and supply to the corporation and FCI.
However, inquiries revealed that the millers
had purchased only 12.90 lakh MT, showing a deficit of 4 lakh MT.It came to the
notice of the government that the millers had recycled the PDS rice illegally
and sold the same to the corporation.Moreover, the total rice production in
Nalgonda district in Kharif was only 8 lakh MT, raising questions of how they
purchased 12.90 lakh MT in the first place.The government has been implementing
the “Mana Biyyam” scheme in Nalgonda, Khammam, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and
Warangal districts, wherein the rice produced in each of these districts should
be utilised in the same districts for distribution through PDS.As per norms,
the public sector undertakings have to procure 25 per cent of levy rice from
the millers but there are complaints that it bought as much as 50 per
cent.Similar complaints came from other districts, following which the
government asked the civil supplies department to conduct a comprehensive
inquiry into these and find the fact
Revisiting 50
years of Indian rice research
Compiled by Gene Hettel
In December 2014, I noted that 2015 would mark the 50th
anniversary of India’s Directorate of Rice Research (DRR) and the Annual Rice Group Meeting of its All India
Coordinated Rice Improvement Project (AICRIP). So, at that time, J.K. Ladha,
the International Rice Research Institute’s (IRRI) representative in India, and
I encouraged a cadre of renowned Indian rice scientists and administrators to
provide some brief recollections and testimonials, particularly espousing the
exceptional partnership between India and IRRI. We also asked a long-time DRR
breeder to provide her unique look at AICRIP’s legacy. Responses were
heartening, enthusiastic—and enlightening. In addition to historical
perspectives, topics ranged from achievements in hybrid rice and building
India’s scientific capacity to addressing climate change. What follows here are
some selected gleanings. Read the complete set of contributions here.
A time to celebrate, pause, and reflect
In her detailed account of Five decades of AICRIP, N. Shoba Rani writes about the
program’s growth and contributions to the rice revolution in India. The acting
director of the DRR/AICRIP for a time in 2014, she states that the Golden
Jubilee of AICRIP, which received directorate status as the DRR in 19751, is a
time to celebrate success and a time to pause and reflect on the way forward
and to face new challenges. “It is also a time to hear the heartbeat of the
rice farmers,” she adds.
According to Dr. Rani, the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR) located AICRIP in Hyderabad in 1965 with a mandate at the
time to develop an integrated national network of cooperative experimentation
on all aspects of rice production. “Accelerating breeding with the new
semidwarf varieties arriving on the scene would be a key effort,” she says.
IRRI’s connection in India formally started with AICRIP
The Rockefeller Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), and IRRI were soon associated with the project to
enhance the pace of rice research in the country.
According to S.K. De Datta, one of IRRI’s first agronomists,
serving there from 1964 to 1991, IRRI’s collaborative research with India was
formally launched shortly after AICRIP’s establishment. “ICAR appointed S.V.S.
Shastry, a distinguished breeder and geneticist, as its coordinator and project
leader while the Rockefeller Foundation designated Wayne Freeman as the joint
coordinator,” says Dr. De Datta. “Dr. Freeman also later served with
distinction as IRRI’s first representative in India.”
As AICRIP’s first manager, Dr. Shastry, who also served on
IRRI’s Board of Trustees in the early days (1970-73), saw his priority being project
implementation and not so much bureaucratic things such as memoranda of
understanding and streamlining administration. “The focus was on the semidwarf
cultivars, which covered the entire research area of the AICRIP center in
Hyderabad,” he says.“The bread and butter of crop improvement is genetic enhancement
and crop husbandry,” he adds. “The genotypes must be matched with the
biological and physical environment in which the crop is grown. IRRI and AICRIP
met this challenge guided by the competence and vision of the scientists at
both institutions.”
The key to success: germplasm exchange
According to the DRR’s current director, V. Ravindra Babu,
AICRIP’s varietal improvement has involved the pooling of breeding material
generated in more than 100 regional rice-breeding stations across India. “This
has allowed for testing under different rice ecologies and agroclimatic zones,”
he says. “The greatest advantage has been the free exchange of genetic material
at both the national and international levels through IRRI’s International Network for Genetic
Evaluation of Rice or INGER.”
“India has benefited from its partnership with INGER by directly
releasing 70 entries from diverse sources to date as varieties,” says D.V.
Seshu, former IRRI plant breeder (1976-93) and an early INGER coordinator. “The
use of several hundred test entries as parents in various breeding programs led
to the release of an additional 252 varieties in 24 Indian states. INGER
entries were also used directly as either restorer or CMS2 lines that led to
the release of around 40 hybrids in India.”
Developing hybrid rice from scratch
Speaking of hybrid rice, the India- IRRI collaboration is a
unique example of how to develop such a technology from scratch, according to
Sant Virmani, IRRI plant breeder (1979-2005) and former leader of IRRI’s Hybrid Rice Program.
“We encouraged India’s private sector to develop and disseminate
hybrid rice technology by freely sharing IRRI-developed hybrid materials and
seed production technology with them,” says Dr. Virmani. “This concerted effort
resulted in the development and commercialization of hybrid rice by 1994. In
recognition of this development, India, in collaboration with IRRI, hosted the
3rd International Symposium on Hybrid Rice in 1996.
“IRRI has supported the hybrid program in India by continuously
sharing breeding materials and seed production technology and providing regular
consulting services through visits by Institute breeders,” adds Dr. Virmani.
“Concurrently, IRRI has enhanced the capacity of Indian scientists and seed
production personnel with postdoctoral, on-thejob, and short- and medium-term
training in the Philippines as well as in India.”
Capacity building is critical
Others in the cadre also mentioned the critical importance of
capacity building. Professional advancement for Indian scientists has been key,
not only in hybrid rice development, but in many aspects of rice research.
According to Mano Pathak, former IRRI director of research and
training (1974-89), the Institute’s training programs were initiated to provide
MS, PhD, and postdoctoral research programs. “Additionally,” he says,
“short-term nondegree programs on rice production, pest and soil management,
and postharvest technology have been an important feature of the Institute’s
intensive training courses, some up to 6 months in duration.”
Since 1965, Indian scholars who have trained and done research
at IRRI tally around 110 PhDs, 15 MSs, 135 interns, and 15 research fellows.
“Many Indian scientists, who are part of the IRRI alumni network, now occupy
key leadership positions in ICAR and the university system and are
significantly contributing to the country’s rice crop production and use,”
points out Dr. Pathak.
“A major recent achievement in India-IRRI capacity building is
in simulation modeling for climate change impact assessment and resource
optimization for environmental sustainability,” adds Himanshu Pathak, Centre for Environment Science
and Climate Resilient Agriculture, Indian Agricultural Research
Institute. “The various workshops and conferences on climate change and
environment will go a long way in achieving sustainable livelihoods for
millions of Indians.”
Pradeep Sharma, vice chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of
Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, adds management of soil and water to the list that
IRRI supports for capacity building in India. “These two natural resources are
threatened by overexploitation and misuse as well as by climate change,” he
warns.
Global climate change: a pivotal issue
Many in the cadre obviously had this issue on their minds—and
with good reason. “Global climate change—characterized by increasing
temperatures, more variable rainfall, sea-level rise, and melting glaciers—is
projected to significantly impact rice production in India and neighboring
countries, and affect the food and livelihood security of millions,” says
Pramod Aggarwal, regional program leader for South Asia of the CGIAR Research
Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and
Food Security (CCAFS).
According to Dr. Aggarwal, India and IRRI share a long research
collaboration to study the relationship between rice and the climate. “For
example, IRRI and ICAR scientists worked together to set up automatic methane
gas measuring facilities, which were instrumental in producing revised
estimations of methane gas emissions, leading to a downward evaluation of
emissions from the agricultural sector.”
He points out that now IRRI and the International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Center(CIMMYT) are working with CCAFS
on obtaining greenhouse gas estimates under different management practices in
farmers’ fields in several “climate-smart villages” in India and South Asia.
“These studies will lead to the development of more robust measurement,
reporting, and verification systems for methane gas emissions in rice paddies,”
says Dr. Aggarwal.
Farmers in the climate-smart villages in eastern India have been
given access to drought- and flood-tolerant rice
varieties, such as Sahbhagi dhan and
Swarna-Sub1, respectively, among many other adaptive practices. “Water-saving
and low-emission practices such as alternate wetting and drying and
direct-seeded rice are an integral part of the climate-smart portfolio in these
villages,” he adds.
APAARI’s regional role
In Asia, IRRI has interacted closely with the Asia Pacific
Association of Agricultural Research Institutes (APAARI) since its inception in
1990. APAARI and IRRI have had a long partnership in promoting and initiating
rice research for development activities in India and South Asia, according to
Raj Paroda, former APAARI executive secretary (1992-2014), ICAR director
general (1994-2001), and IRRI Board of trustees member (1990-93). “For
example,” says Dr. Paroda, “APAARI, on the advice of IRRI, published the book Hybrid rice in China, which helped promote hybrid rice research in India.”Dr. Paroda
added that APAARI helped facilitate the germplasm exchange activities of INGER
in India, worked with IRRI and CIMMYT to initiate the Rice-Wheat Consortium for the
Indo-Gangetic Plains in 1994, and enthusiastically
endorsed the CGIAR’s Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) in 2010.
Impact of the Green Revolution
All of the products and activities of the ongoing Green
Revolution have had remarkable impact in India. “During the 1960s, the country
imported up to 10 million tons of food grains annually,” says Gurdev Khush, 1996 World Food
Prize laureate and IRRI rice breeder and
principal scientist (1967-2001). “For the last 10 years, India has exported 4−6
million tons of food grains every year,” he says. “The quantity of rice
exported in 2013-14 was 10.7 million tons—more than any other country.
Considering that the population of India has increased from 350 million in 1960
to the current 1.254 billion, this is a remarkable achievement.”
Mutual benefits and rewards
“IRRI and ICAR have always been natural partners,” says Dr.
Swapan Datta, former ICAR deputy director general (crop science) and IRRI
tissue culture specialist and plant biotechnologist (1993-2005). “That dynamic
partnership has become successful and beneficial for both institutions.”
DRR director Babu agrees. “IRRI has been a key R&D partner
of the DRR for the last 50 years—and the rewards have been mutual,” he says. “I
am sure that, through continued collaboration between the two organizations as
equal partners, we will be able to meet India’s future challenges to rice
production and productivity.”
_________________________________________
Govt to provide leverage to ignite rice, cassava chain
Mr Fifi Kwetey, Minister of Agriculture, has
given the assurance that government would provide the leverage to ignite and
link up the value-chain in the production of rice and cassava.The policy
backups, such as, a mandatory percentage cassava flour inclusion in wheat
flour, should bring real spread-out opportunities along the chain, he statedMr
Kwetey made the remark at Hodzo near Ho on a two-day familiarization tour of
selected key agricultural firms in the Volta and Eastern Regions.Rice and
cassava production were game changers, he stressed, adding, the two, could
change economic fortunes of individuals and the nation.The Minister, on the
first day visited the Brazil Agro-Business Group Limited, producers of rice on
the vast plains around Kpenu, near Dabala and the Caltech Ventures Limited,
which is in cassava production and processing at Hodzo, near Ho.
Mr Kwetey, on the second day visited the rice fields
of the Ghana Commercialization of Rice Programme (G-CORP) at Asutsuare.G-CORP
is an Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a funded farmer-support
project.The Minister also undertook a tour of the 1,200 hectare banana fields
of the Golden Exotics Ghana Limited, a French banana export firm, sprawling the
vast savannahs around Asutsuare.Mr Kwetey said clearly, cassava, a
cross-vegetation root crop and rice were crops with very high stakes in Ghana’s
development.At all the stops, the Minister promised to actively tackle
challenges faced by the firms, including tax rebates, spares for machinery land
acquisition and access roads.
Mr Chris Quarshie, Managing Director of Caltech Ventures,
said the company had been in business for nine years.He said current potential
was 3,000 hectares cropping, but was doing only 1,000.Mr Quarshie said the
company was expecting machinery after which, it would start the production of
the derivatives on large scale.Some of the derivatives are ethanol and flour.
Mr Quarshie, who took the Minister round the farms and
the industrial production unit, told the excited Minister that, producing
cassava derivatives locally, could save the country half a billion dollars and
more annually.Mr Roberto Jaconi, General-Manager Brazil Agro-Business Group
Limited, briefing Mr Kwetey through an interpreter, said production was only 15
per cent of the expected 3,500 hectares, because there was slow response to
requests for tax exemptions as incentives for machinery and other essential
supplies.
He said Ghana had huge potential in rice production,
but the produce must be “treated and promoted with the same parameters of
quality as the imported rice”.Mr Jaconi believed that in the future “rice
production will play a strategic role in the economic and social aspect of the
country”.Both the rice and cassava enclaves, have out- grower schemes, which
bring along scores of locals into production.
At the Kpong Irrigation Offices, Mr Sampson Kwabla
Tetteh-Ekpa, President of the Osudoku Agricultural Cooperative Society, told
the Minister that members suffered 50 per cent post-harvest losses.He said
harvest was largely manual and that almost all equipment supplied the
Cooperative Group, had broken down.The indication was that the Kpong Irrigation
Dam was getting rickety, with pipes choky.Moses Adenusi, Project Co-ordinator
of G-Corp, which provides, services for farmers and farming groups across the
country said there was the need for farmers to have guaranteed source of
quality rice seeds.He said brokered deals with millers against produce of
farmers, under the aegis of G-Corp, had kept rice fields busy and the chain
bustling.
Mr Peter Ajoeh, Agronomic Manager Golden Exotics,
Ghana Limited, who took the Minister round the expansive banana fields, said
plans were being pursued to eventually produce more and more of organic
bananas, as the company had started the production of compost manure on site.He
said the company which produces 90 percent of export banana in Ghana was
Fairtrade certificated.Mr Ajoeh said difficulty in the acquisition of land was
delaying expansion of the farms.
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/artikel.php?ID=356121
India-IRRI timeline spans the decades
Compiled by Gene Hettel | Photos from IRRI
archives
Over the last five decades, this selection from IRRI’s historical timeline has
many Indian connections tied to people and events.
1965
Benjamin Pearey Pal became the first
director general of ICAR. He later served as an early member of
IRRI's board of trustees (1967-70).
1967
Andhra Pradesh farmer Nekkanti Subba Rao tested
IR8 on his farm and supervised its first large-scale demonstration and
multiplication.
The India-IRRI partnership intensified when
scientists from AICRIP and the Central Rice Research
Institute in Cuttack began to visit IRRI headquarters in
the Philippines.
1968
1974
In 1974, Dr. S.V.S. Shastry (who
served on the IRRI board of trustees, 1970-73) won the Borlaug Award for
distinguished service of an Indian citizen to agriculture.
1981
1982
1982
1996
2002
Sant
Virmani, IRRI plant breeder, was elected as a fellow
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and
received the International Service in Crop Science Award from
the Crop Science Society of America. In 2005, he
received India’s Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award and
Japan’s International Koshihikari Rice Prize.
J.K.
Ladha, IRRI soil nutritionist, was named a fellow
of the American Society of Agronomy. Other recognition he has received
includes: fellow of the Soil Science Society of America (2004), fellow
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2009), and the
International Service in Agronomy Award from the American
Society of Agronomy (2011).
2003
IRRI agronomist Vethaiya Balasubramanian received the International Fertilizer
Industry Association International Award.
2006
2007
2008
In New Delhi. the South Asian wing of the
project, Stress-tolerant
rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA), was inaugurated.
2009
The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) was
established to promote durable change at scale in the region's cereal-based
cropping systems. CSISA
India’s activities focus on areas of the eastern Indo-Gangetic
Plains dominated by small farm sizes, low incomes and comparatively low levels
of agricultural mechanization, irrigation, and productivity.
2011
2012
The IRRI South Asia Rice Breeding Hub at
the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
(ICRISAT) in Hyderabad, India, was inaugurated by Dr. Zeigler and
Dr. William Dar, director general of ICRISAT.
The 6th International Hybrid Rice Symposium was
held in Hyderabad. Around 450 delegates from 32 countries.
The global rice research agenda was the focus of a
plenary talk given by Dr. Zeigler during the Third International Agronomy Congress held
at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi.
In his Coromandel lecture, Cutting-Edge Rice Science for Food Security, Economic
Growth, and Environmental Protection in India and Around the World,
Dr. Zeigler noted that IRRI and India have been working together since the
mid-1960s to develop and deliver ways to help Indian rice farmers improve their
rice productivity.
2013
As part of the 2013-16 IRRI-India Work Plan, the
Institute and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University signed a
memorandum of understanding to promote research, training, and exchange of
information and technology on rice and its farming systems and value chains.
Senior officials from India’s Ministry of
Agriculture visited IRRI for a 2-day series of awareness and
consultation meetings, particularly to discuss STRASA.
2015
Japan supports Ghana with $2.5 million Agricultural
Machinery
News Date: 27th April 2015
The Embassy of Japan has handed over agricultural machinery under Japan's Grant Assistance for Underprivileged Farmers (2KR) the Embassy said in a statement on Friday.
According to the statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, the total Grant is three hundred and thirty million yen (Â¥330,000,000) which is approximately GHC9.7 million or about $2.5 million.The machinery comprises 77 agricultural tractors, with matching implements, 49 power tillers, 20 rice threshers, 11 rice reapers and 6 rice mills, which are to be distributed to farmers on hire purchase, it said.
"This grant assistance which started in 1981 is to contribute to the efforts of the Government of Ghana to mechanise agriculture and ensure food security, particularly rice production."The Embassy said Japan was committed to helping Ghana overcome its over-dependence on rice importation.
http://www.businessghana.com/portal/news/index.php?op=getNews&id=204079
Snp genotyping and analysis market:
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The market study provides an in-depth analysis on the
basis of the past performance, current condition, and future prospects of the
SNP genotype and analysis market across the globe. It is titled as “SNP
Genotyping and Analysis Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth,
Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019”.The global SNP genotype and analysis industry
is evaluated on the basis of technology employed, applications used, and the
regional distribution of this industry.On the basis of technology, the global
market for SNP genotype and analysis is categorized into Mass ARRAY MALDI-TOF,
SNP GeneChips and Microarrays, SNP by Pyrosequencing, AB SNPle, Taqman Allelic
Discrimination, and others.
Based on applications, pharmacogenomics and
pharmaceuticals, agricultural biotechnology, diagnostic research, and breeding
and animal livestock are the segments of the global SNP genotype and analysis
industry.
Browse Request Sample @
A significant amount of revenue is used up on
research to develop diagnostic products those are similar to companion
diagnostics, which would enable a preview of how a genome would open out as an
individual and grow older. There is a high amount of intensity in researching
the food crops such as wheat, rice, oats, maize, corn, and other grasses. SNP
genotyping in agriculture attained approval long before other applications. The
GeneChip Rice 44K array provided by Affymetrix is one of the trendy platforms
for rice genotyping that determines variants that affect the yield.
SNP type assays of Fluidigm have been used by
International Rice Research Institute that account for the largest ex-situ
collection of rice germplasm in the world, and plays an important role in
continuing this repository. The market for SNP genotype and analysis is
expected to decline further as the efforts to introduce new technologies have
been initiated. At the same time, slower and ineffective methods are being
phased out.North America held the largest market share in 2012 among all other
regions, namely Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. The unstable
economy in Europe is tormenting the genomics market continuously, which SNP
genotyping is a part of. The Asia Pacific SNP genotype and analysis market and
various economies in Rest of the World are likely to hold the biggest potential
during the period of 2014 to 2020, in terms of revenue.
Browse Full Article
@http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/article/snp-single-nucleotide-polymorphism-market.htm
Japan Needs to Cut
Rice Farmers Down to Size
APR 26, 2015 6:00 PM
EDT
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been vowing for years to
take on the vested interests impeding his country's economy. Until now,
he hasn't done much to make good on those promises. But he was
recently handed a perfect opportunity to do just that.Japan's 3.3 million rice
growers, who together comprise only 2.5 percent of the population, now seem to
be the biggest obstacle preventing Japan from completing one of history's
biggest trade deals, the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership.
By agreeing to cut
Japan's tariffs on rice, Abe could save the TPP deal -- and show the country's
other powerful economic interests that he means business. Why is the rice lobby
so powerful? It's a combination of history, culture and patronage. An island
nation poor in natural resources, Japan has long been obsessed with
self-sufficiency, particularly when it comes to food. Rice isn't just the
country's staple grain -- it's an emotional symbol of nationalism; for
millennia, Japanese have been taught that their cherished short-grain rice is
the envy of the rest of the world. It's no coincidence that the Japanese word
for rice, gohan,
also means meal.In recent decades, rice has also become central to Japanese
politics.
Farmers are the key constituency of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled with little
interruption since 1955. Thanks to decades of careful gerrymandering, the votes
of a few Japanese farmers working the land in Hokkaido or Kyushu now pack more
punch than thousands of ballots cast in Tokyo or Osaka. No surprise, rice
farmers have used their outsized influence to win massive tariffs on their
foreign competitors.Although it's easy to see why Abe's party would be
reluctant to confront rice farmers over those tariffs, it would be well worth
the effort. And this isn't just about saving the TPP deal.
Twenty-eight months into office, Abe desperately needs to
initiate structural reforms in order to pull Japan's economy out of its rut.
The Nikkei stock exchange has nearly doubled under his leadership, but
those gains won't hold for long if the country's economic fundamentals don't
justify them.Abe's government has already made some efforts to dilute the power
of farmers, but they've been timid, at best. The LDP is revising the
agriculture laws that regulate Japan’s farm cooperatives. Set up in the 1940s
to fight famine, those cooperatives have evolved intoconglomerates that regulate supplies and sales, and dominate rural
lending. Abe's government would like to open the farming industry to more
diverse corporate ownership. It has also said it wants to double food exports,
particularly beef, by 2020.
But none of this addresses the so-called "778 percent
problem." That's how high Japan's rice import levies can run. Tariffs on
sugar, another so-called sacred product, are as high as 328 percent. Japan
should scrap these comically exorbitant taxes -- or at least chop them
down to double digits.If Abe does so, he should prepare for a prolonged fight.
Japanese farmers have plenty of practice at complaining about globalization,
and it's not clear where the sympathies of the Japanese public would lie. Many
Japanese profess concern that their national culture is in danger of being
trampled by outside influences -- and they're liable to include rice in their
picture of national heritage. The vast majority of Japanese still say they
would never consider buying rice from Thailand, India, Vietnam, Pakistan or the
U.S., no matter how cheap. (China, with myriad and highly-publicized
tainted-food scandals, needn't even try to win over Japanese consumers.)
Abe would also have to muster the political will to take on his
own party. He could start by following President Barack Obama's lead in framing
a trade deal as a geopolitical imperative. The first casualty of China's Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, after all, has been Tokyo's global stature. A TPP trade deal
would strengthen Japan's U.S. alliance, and link both countries with others
nations that together comprise 40 percent of the world's gross domestic
product.
The TPP deal would also act as a Trojan horse for further
domestic economic reform. Once Japan commits to opening its economy, its most
inefficient businesses will have no choice but to change. Rice farms are
undoubtedly among them, and Abe shouldn't shy from forcing them to get a head
start.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-26/japan-needs-to-cut-rice-farmers-down-to-size
The story of a salt-affected
village
M. G. Neogi
27 Apr, 2015 00:00:00
Increased salinity in dry season in the coastal belt is changing
the areas which, once upon a time, were suitable for growing rice. The entire
coastal areas are now severely affected by the intrusion of salinity into
arable land, especially in dry season. Farmers were unable to reap a good
harvest in Boro season because of high salinity intrusion into their cropland
which is increasing day by day. Since then, farm households in the coastal belt
are passing bad days, as most of them are subsistence farmers.Around 0.74
million hectares of land were cultivated in the coastal region, out of which
around 0.38 million hectares are now salt-affected. A survey indicates that out
of 0.38 million hectares of affected land, around 0.33 million hectares are
affected by salt up to 10-12 dS/meter (deciSiemes per meter) while the
condition is worse in the remaining areas. Earlier, farmers used to cultivate
rice in both dry (Boro) and wet (aman) seasons and get a very good yield. But
now-a-days, they have given up Boro cultivation because of increased salinity
in dry season and severe scarcity of salt-free irrigation water.
As a result, around 0.3 million hectares of land in the coastal
region remain fallow now during the Boro season.To overcome this adverse
situation, the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and the Bangladesh
Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), under a joint collaboration with
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), have developed four salt-tolerant
rice varieties for Boro season. BINA developed Binadhan-8 and Binadhan-10 while
BRRI developed BRRI dhan47 and BRRI dhan55. All these four varieties have the
capacity to fight salinity condition up to 10-12 dS/meter. These varieties have
yield potential of five to seven tons per hectare under normal conditions in
non-saline areas while the yield will be around three to five tonnes per
hectare in saline-prone areas, depending on the degree of salinity.
In 2012-13, the STRASA-USAID-IRRI project established a number
of demonstration trials and distributed small seed packets of these four
salt-tolerant rice varieties to the farmers through the agricultural extension
department and local partner NGOs as well as local private seed producers.Here
is a case study on salt-tolerant rice varieties at Sreefalkathi village of
Ishwaripur union under Shyamnagar upazila of Sathkhira district which is one of
the worst Aila-affected areas. Around five hundred farm families reside in the
village where rice farming is the only source of their livelihood. Most of the
villagers have some land and they cultivate now only one crop in a year, which
is aman rice, in monsoon.
But before Aila, farmers used to cultivate at least two crops in
a year including Boro rice in dry season and earn a reasonable income from
agriculture. Since Aila their lands have become too salty and they do not get
reasonable harvests in Boro season.Each year, during dry season (November to
May), salinity increases in the soil of this village. A white film of salt
covers paddy fields in such areas. This means that the soil contains salt. BRRI
and BINA scientists predicted that the increasing trend of this white film will
turn the area's landscape into barren lands in the near future. Nakshikantha, a
partner NGO of IRRI, provided training to the Sreefalkathi farmers on
"cultivation, seed production and seed preservation of salt-tolerant rice
varieties" through government local agricultural extension officials,
while the NGO provided seeds of salt-tolerant rice variety of Binadhan-8,
Binadhan-10 and BRRI dhan47.During growing stage of rice plant, it was found
that the number of tillers was less in their traditional (non-salt tolerant)
rice variety, compared to salt-tolerant rice variety.
Also at the flowering stage, it was observed that a significant
number of panicles of non-salt tolerant rice plants are becoming white with
partial empty grains which resulted in poor yield. The same scenario was
observed in last couple of years when farmers failed to get a good harvest.
Rice scientists confirmed that these are happening due to increased salinity.In
the adjacent plot, where a farmer cultivated newly-developed salt tolerant rice
varieties like Binadhan-8, Binadhan-10 and BRRI dhan47 no such symptoms
were found and showed a very good performance. At the end of the season,
the good yield made the farmers jubilant.The average yield of these
demonstration farmers was around four tonnes per hectare which was quite
satisfactory in salt-affected areas.
This encouraged the
entire farmers' community to go for Boro rice cultivation again with these
salt-tolerant rice varieties. The demonstration farmers have saved seeds for
their own use while many farmers have taken seeds from them for the next
season. Arafat Hossain of this village, who cultivated Binadhan-8, is now happy
to see the outstanding performance of this variety, as rice could once again
grow on his "salty land". He harvested more than four tonnes
per hectare. The project personnel and local elites requested the demonstration
farmers not to consume the seeds of salt-tolerant rice variety this year, but
to sell and distribute these to their neighbours, relatives and other
farmers.IRRI is not providing any input to this village now, but just a
follow-up along with partner NGOs and local government agricultural officials.
A reasonable number of farm families of Sreefalkathi, who have
irrigation facilities, now cultivate Binadhan-8 and Binadhan-10 varieties.
These newly-developed salt-tolerant rice varieties have started reaching the
farmers' community through farmer-to-farmer seed distribution at the community
level and the NGO is coordinating the activity.Dr. A. N. Singh of IRRI India
recently visited Sreefalkathi village. During his visit, it was found that rice
crops from non-salt tolerant varieties like BRRI were totally or partially
damaged due to increased salinity intrusion, but the newly-developed
salt-tolerant varieties in the adjacent field grew very well. Farmers of
Sreefalkathi are now very happy to receive these two varieties which can grow easily
in their 10-12 dS/meter "salty" land.It is now confirmed that
suitable salt-tolerant rice varieties are now available in the country. If it
is possible to bring fallow land in the coastal region under rice cultivation
in Boro season by using salt-tolerant rice varieties, then it will be possiblPe
to harvest at least one million tonne extra rice.
APEDA News
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U.S. Rice Takes Center Stage at
Worlds of Flavor Conference
Top of mind
NAPA, CA -- Asians are the fastest growing foreign born population
in the United States and their influence is causing a seismic shift in American
food culture. The integration of Asian flavors and styles into Western food is
the biggest culinary mega-trend in American food service today so, it stands to
reason, Asian cuisine was the theme at the Culinary Institute of America's
(CIA) Worlds of Flavor Conference this year.And, as you might expect, rice was
a featured ingredient. As one conference speaker remarked, "rice is the
centerpiece of Asian cuisine and all the other ingredients are made to
complement it."
USA Rice was a sponsor of
the exclusive three-day event that had more than 700 attendees, including food
service operators, professional chefs, food writers and bloggers, and
restauranteurs. The California rice industry generously donated more than 130
pounds of rice for the conference. Sushi, Calrose, sweet, and U.S. jasmine were
just a sampling of the domestic varieties used for chef cooking demonstrations
and tastings.
In the CIA Test
Kitchen with Chef Brandon Jew
"Unlike with average consumers, it's no surprise to this
audience that rice is grown in the United States," said USA Rice's
Domestic Promotion Manager Katie Maher. "And while they are inspired by
flavors from across the globe, the professional food community still wants to
source their food locally and U.S.-grown rice is a perfect fit for their
menus."Brandon Jew, a professional chef from San Francisco who spoke at a
seminar about grains said, "I think it's really important to source
ingredients from where you are. For example, you can get excellent quality rice
right here in California. I source
locally when I can and even encourage my staff to visit our producers' farms to
see where our ingredients come from."
In addition to being a
conference sponsor, USA Rice also conducted two different flavor discovery
tastings featuring USA Rice's Korean Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl prepared with Calrose
rice and Beef Satay Rice Bowl made with U.S. jasmine rice. USA Rice also promoted MenuRice.com through
conference materials and displayed many rice types available to chefs including
parboiled, wild, and U.S. specialty varieties.
Chef Kimball Jones
Chef Kimball Jones, who prepared and presented both USA Rice
tastings, said, "My children were the guinea pigs when I was testing the
recipes at home and now they're on a rice kick!"
Maher concluded: "As
the popularity of Asian cuisine continues to grow, U.S. rice is well positioned
to take advantage of this food trend. Whether it's an independent restaurant or
higher volume venues like fast, casual restaurants and university cafés across
the country serving Asian inspired dishes, we've shown that U.S. rice can be an
integral component to the meal."
Contact: Deborah Willenborg
(703) 236-1444
Of course they're taking
photos -- it's the CIA!
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Crop Progress:
2015 Crop 39 Percent Planted
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WASHINGTON, DC --
Thirty-nine percent of the nation's 2015 rice acreage is planted, according
to today's U.S. Department of Agriculture's Crop Progress Report.
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CME
Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
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Datar
Dhamaka in Oman - 29th outlet opens in Muscat
Al Adil Group, now more than three decades old, marched
towards another milestone – presence in three GCC countries – Dubai, Bahrain
and now in Oman. It launched it’s first outlet in Muscat, capital of Oman, and
overall 29th outlet. The outlet was inaugurated by Dr. Dhananjay Datar,
himself, Founder Chairman of Al Adil Trading & Supermarkets.At a press
briefing, last fortnight, Dr. Dhananjay Datar, who is popularly known as Masala
King, said that thousands of people thronged the inauguration of the new outlet,
which is strategically located in the heart of Muscat, because there is a huge
population of Indians, and there is a growing demand to satisfy their needs.
“Also, we are known for our extremely attractive inaugural discount offers,
which lasts over several days after the launch.
So more crowds came in during the subsequent days too.
We are looking at the fact that there is no single big store or supermarket
which offers such a wide variety of Indian items, under one roof, as Al Adil
does. Not only do we provide them their regular items, but also make provision
of all things needed for the festivals of all Indian communities. We are
confident of expanding our presence further in Oman, with more Al Adil
supermarkets in the current year itself”, beamed Dr. Datar.Dr. Dhananjay Datar
has seen a meteoric rise, from a single store and humble beginnings in Dubai,
to become the 14th most powerful & influential Indians in the Gulf,
according to the Arabian Business ranking, which covers all the GCC Countries.
He has been recognized by Forbes Middle East magazine,
which has ranked him 44 in the top 100 businessmen, in the entire Arab world.In
the almost 30 years since opening its first store in the UAE, Al Adil has
acquired a cult-like status among Indian expatriates. Al Adil Trading under the
dynamic leadership of Dr. Dhananjay Datar offers a wide range of products
covering pulses, atta, masalas, spices, sugar, ghee, pickles, basmati rice,
other rice varieties, biscuits, namkheen and many other products at half price
to their customers.“Our policy is to reach out to our customers. We strongly
believe in customer convenience. A major factor that adds to the convenience of
customers is good location and proximity to where they are staying. Our store
is easily accessible and provides a wide range of Indian foodstuff. Our
products are noted for quality and over the years we have never had an instance
of customer complaint on account of quality.
For Indian expatriates as well as for expatriates from
other parts of the globe, we have become the preferred choice when it comes to
getting their preferred foodstuff including authentic masalas and spices,”
added Dr. Datar.“We are happy to state that we have grown in a major way from
our modest beginning when we opened our first outlet in Dubai to cater to the
needs of Indian Housewife. Customers used to come to our outlet since they were
able to get what they want at reasonable prices. The tremendous response
encouraged us to open more branches. Today, thanks to the ever growing support
base we have retail outlets in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and India as well as 2
spices factories and 2 flour mill factories – a strong testimony to our hard
work as well as identifying the needs of the customers and providing them with
products that meet this need,” pointed out Dr. Dhananjay Datar.
“We have laid down very stringent quality norms and
there is no compromise towards that. Our stringent quality control measure has
helped us to win numerous awards and recognition from nationally and
internationally acclaimed bodies,” he observed.Al Adil Supermarket also has the
major brand PEACOCK. “Under the Peacock brand umbrella we have all types of
Spices, Pulses, Wheat, Atta, Rice and Indian Foodstuff items that are packed
and sold in various packing sizes according to the customer requirement. We
offer more than 8500 items imported directly from India. Under the Peacock
brand we have all types of pickles, Ras Gullas, Gulab Jamun and confectionery
items which are sourced from India and packed in various sizes as per our
specifications. We are a certified 100% pure vegetarian store and has got the
certification from Union Vegetarian International,” he added.
Democrat
Gazette: "
Japan farmers cultivate rice's mystique as barrier to
deal"
Korea Herald: "K
OFF-SEASON RICE FARMING AREAS HIT 20-YEAR LOW
4/24/2015
RICE ONLINE (24-04-2015)
OFF-SEASON RICE FARMING AREAS HIT 20-YEAR LOW
CHAINAT, 24 April 2015 (NNT) – Off-season rice farming areas in
four provinces along the Chao Phraya River has fallen to a 20-year low,
according to the Office of Agricultural Economics (OAE).Rice paddies in the
provinces of Lopburi, Singburi, Chainat and Angthong have shrunken to a total
area of 410,000 rai, due to a ban on off-season farming by the Ministry of
Agriculture and Cooperatives to mitigate the drought crisis.The ban is in
effect from November 2014 to April 30, in order to ensure sufficient water
supplies for consumption, environmental conservation and agricultural purposes
during the dry season.
The OAE revealed a drop in rice yields in the four provinces
corresponding to a 72 percent decrease in agricultural land use from last year.
Other factors that affected the yield were cold temperatures and pest
problems.However, the OAE disclosed that the ban on off-season farming has
saved enough water for cultivation in May, adding that some farmers in the four
provinces can resume cultivation activities."IIFL: "Thailand Rice
Exports Down 2% This Year "
State's rice, proximity called
ideal for Cuba
Monday, April 27 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
To Carl Brothers of Stuttgart-based Riceland Foods Inc., Cuba is
perfectly situated to take advantage of U.S.-grown rice rather than having it
shipped thousands of miles from Asian nations such as Vietnam.
Thousands of tons of Vietnamese
rice exports to China stuck at border gates
TUOI TRE
UPDATED : 04/27/2015 08:20
Hundreds of trucks carrying
rice have been stuck at Ban Quan border gate with China in the last ten days.Around
30,000 tons of Vietnamese rice exports to China have been stuck at border gates
amid efforts by Chinese authorities to tighten checks along the border.The sale
and purchase of rice between Vietnamese suppliers and Chinese buyers have taken
place in a way like in a market where buyers and sellers exchange goods for
money, without any agreement reached before.In addition, the sale of goods has
been made not only at border gates but also at any ‘trail’ linking the two
nations along their hundreds of kilometers of land border.So, those ‘secondary’
border gates can be closed anytime for security issue, which puts a stop to the
trading activities along the border.
30,000 tons of rice under sunlight and rain
Hundreds of trucks fully loaded with rice have stayed motionless in
areas around different such ‘secondary’ border gates in the northern Vietnamese
province of Lao Cai in the last ten days.
According to the Ban Quan border guard unit in Lao Cai’s Bao Thang
District, Chinese buyers have stopped importing rice from Vietnam in the last
two weeks because their authorities have tightened checks along the border.The
Lao Cai Department of Industry and Trade reported that Chinese buyers need no
certificate of quality so Vietnamese traders rush to carry rice toward the
border with China for export.
Now, the total amount of rice stuck in Lao Cai reaches some 30,000
tons which face the risk of decay, the department said.Le Ngoc Hung, deputy
chairman of the Lao Cai People’s Committee, said he has reported the problem to
the central government.He added that Lao Cai has signed initial agreements with
Chinese authorities to open four more border gates in Lung Po, Ban Quan, Na
Loc, and another unidentified site to lift the blockade for Vietnamese rice to
enter China.
Herald Interview] Korea to
defend rice market in TPP talks
Published : 2015-04-27 20:33
Updated : 2015-04-27 20:33
Korea’s top agriculture policymaker has emphasized that the
government would not further open its rice market, even when the nation
participates in the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership to establish a free
trade zone among Pacific Rim countries. “Our government is firmly set on
excluding rice from the TPP’s list of tariff concession,” said Lee Dong-phil,
minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs.
“As regards to joining the TPP, our government’s position is that
we will do so after carefully weighing the national interest,” Lee said in a
recent interview with The Korea Herald at the Sejong Government Complex.The
minister was responding to concerns in the nation’s farming sector following a
high-level U.S. official’s indications early this month that Korea may have to
lower its barriers against rice imports in order to join the TPP.Agricultural
experts predict that the U.S. is expected to put pressure on Korea either to
lower its 513 percent tariff rate on imported rice or to buy a certain quantity
at a far lower tariff.
Lee Dong-phil
This year, Korea opened its rice market to foreign suppliers after
ending its 20-year import quota system. The government notified the World Trade
Organization that it would set a 513 percent tariff on imported rice.But five
rice-exporting countries including the U.S. and China have opposed it at the
WTO, demanding a drastic cut of the nation’s tariff rate on rice imports.
“We will seek to persuade the five countries by emphasizing that
the tariff rate was calculated in accordance with the WTO’s official formula,
respective of the principles of the global market order,” Lee said.The minister
expressed hopes that rice-exporting countries would take into consideration
Korea’s position on rice imports.“Rice is not a mere commodity, considering the
nation‘s high dependency on it. Rice is cultivated in most of the 1.1 million
farming households here, affecting their income,” he said. “Importing more rice
(at a lower tariff rate) will destroy the Korean rice producers.”
“The country suffers from an oversupply of rice because the
national rice consumption has halved. Even so, we have abided by the WTO’s
global quota on rice imports,” Lee said, emphasizing that Korea has been “more
than faithful in meeting the WTO obligations.”
The minister, who took office when President Park Geun-hye’s
government was inaugurated in 2013, expressed difficulties in walking the fine
line between promoting trade liberalization and protecting the nation’s
farmers.“In the big picture, we need to go ahead with an open economy and make
the most out of the global market order to sell our products,” he said. For the
Korean government, he believes, it is also important to join the TPP trade pact
that oversees the mega-market home to 40 percent of the world’s population and
nearly 60 percent of global gross domestic product.
The TPP is expected to include Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan,
Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the U.S., Vietnam and
Australia.Lee saw South Korea as an already open economy in virtually all
agricultural goods except rice. The country is already highly dependent on
imported grains such as wheat, corn and beans, mostly consumed for animal
feeds. “Only five of the 150 WTO members disagree with South Korea’s
maintenance of the rice tariff,” Lee said, claiming the rice protection move
was compatible with the global standard.
China, one of the five contenders of the rice tariff, agreed to
exclude South Korean rice and other sensitive agricultural goods upon
initialing the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement on Feb. 25. Last year, the
neighboring country sent about 53 percent of Korea’s imported rice. The
minister also sees “smart farming” as one solution for the Korean farming
industry that is pressured by rising agricultural imports.
Among Korea’s 1.1 million farming households, about 600,000
households make less than 5 million won ($4,600) annually, according to
government data in 2010. “The Korean farming society is facing a major crisis,”
Lee said, vowing to help the farming societies earn more by turning to “smart
farming.” Lee conceded that there is no easy solution to agricultural reform.
The restructuring plan aims to raise farming households’ income, by combining
advanced technology to boost production and pioneer larger markets.
Agricultural restructuring is inevitable for the country to raise the Korean
food self-sufficiency rate to 50-60 percent from the current 49 percent, he
added.
“Most of this bracket includes the aged, small-sized farmers who
barely make about 3 million won ($2,770) a month,” Lee said. “For them, we are
trying to provide a happier agricultural environment where they can enjoy life
with their families and friends, rather than forcing them to adopt the latest
technology so they can make a massive income,” he added.
The minister pointed out that Korea’s limited farming space has
reduced the agricultural production capacity. The average farmland here, 1.5
hectares per household, is far smaller than the 56 hectares of France or 187
hectares of the U.S., he added.“We need to combine these small, individual
pieces of farmland into the broader, ‘field-unit business entities,’ where
people can join forces to organize and mechanize the farming process,” Lee
suggested. In addition to forming farming cooperatives, the country needs a
major shift in production, such as turning rice paddies into farms, Lee said.
The country’s dependency on the paddies is too high, which makes the country
partially vulnerable to the falling demand for rice, he added.
Lee noted the remaining 300,000 of the 1.1 million farming
households have high potential to link their farming businesses to local
tourism. “Korea may be small in size, but every region has abounding local
specialties, made of locally grown ingredients,” Lee said. Korea is home to
more than 800 local breweries of makgeolli, or rice wine, which is worth
exploring for tourists from here and overseas, the minister added. He also
expected the impact of the aging society will hit the hardest in the farming
societies. Lee called for the government and civil support to pave the way for
self-sustainable agricultural societies. “If we fail to foster the ‘heirs’ to
self-sustainable farming, the local communities will not survive the free trade
movement,” Lee said.
By Chung Joo-won
(joowonc@heraldcorp.com)
Tariff and rice import
Abdul Bayes
Bangladesh's rice regime is
partly influenced by policies pursued in other countries, especially in
next-door neighbour India. In this
context, one can possibly recall that the country benefited hugely from imports
of rice by the private sector in 1998. But, in fiscal year 2007-08, following
export restrictions imposed by India, it suffered a serious setback. Thus, it
is in the fitness of things that Bangladesh keeps a sharp watch on Indian food
grains production and export-import trends and policy changes in the interest
of farmers and consumers. This year, in the wake of a good harvest of medium
quality rice in India and zero import duty on rice from the Bangladesh side,
the importers got sufficient incentive to import low-priced product and swell
the market with its supplies. Eminent economist Mahabub Hossain has drawn our
attention to the adverse ramifications of import in the face of good harvest at
home and argued for imposing duty on import.
Rice millers and farmers' organisations have been pleading for
imposing duty on rice import from India so that domestic prices remain at par
with those of India. But the policy-makers turned a deaf ear to their pleas and
failed to read the impacts of import of rice on the economy. This has cost the
farmers heavily. Not only the large and medium farmers but also half of small
and marginal farmers sell paddy in the market. The traditional notion that it
is only the large and medium farmers who lose from low prices of paddy in the
market is not correct.
However, very recently - and belated though - the Food Ministry seems to have come to
realise the reality on the ground that cheap rice imports from India could be
very expensive at this time and decided to impose duty on import of rice. This
may stem the rot partially. We are told that the Food Ministry has asked the
National Board of Revenue (NBR) to slap duty on rice imports from India as
import of rice from there during the last few months has allegedly swelled the
Bangladesh market to cause a fall in rice prices. This might have benefited
consumers at the cost of the cultivators who may lose incentive to grow rice.If
duty is not imposed on rice import, the consumers could be happy as they would
be able to buy cheaper rice but producers, millions of whom are small and
marginal farmers, would be hit below the belt.
For example, import cost of an Indian variety of rice called Swarna,
also grown in border areas of Bangladesh, stood at Tk.24.50-Tk 25.20 per kg on
March 03, 2015 when the price of local rice at that time was Tk.27/kg.
It should be mentioned here that of late India has turned out to be
a major source of rice imports for Bangladesh although the product is also
being imported from Thailand, Myanmar, Pakistan and Vietnam. As far as rice import is concerned, India provides
a few advantages over other sources. First is the nearness of India - quick
transport from there helps face the shortage of rice during crisis. Second,
rice price is relatively lower as the Indian government provides huge subsidy
on rice trade. This is unparalleled in contemporary cases of subsidy.
For example, in 2001 and 2002, Indian exporters got rice from government stock at $170 per ton as against
production cost of $253/ton. Rice was
then dumped into Bangladesh market. India's food grain stock policy and its
ramifications are worth mentioning. In 2001, stock of food in India was 62
million tonnes. J. Derez, a close associate of Amartya Sen, argued that if
sacks of 62 million tons of food grains could be piled up one above the other,
the distance could be one million km. Travelling such a distance would imply a
journey to and from the moon. With a huge stock of food, India has, however,
one of the worst records in nutritional deficiency. Finally, India exports
boiled rice that is liked by Bangladeshis (except in Chittagong and Sylhet
region).
As per newspaper reports,
from July, 2014 to April 7, 2015, rice
imports through private channel stood at about 1.3 million tons which is more
than three times the total imports in the last fiscal (3,74,000 tons in fiscal 2013-14). In fact, the volume is a four-year high.
Mainly two reasons could be adduced to the large inflow of rice into
Bangladesh: zero duty on imports of rice and higher production of
medium-quality rice in India. The ample supply on the heels of increased food
grain production at home has resulted in lower prices of rice than last year.
On an average, fine, medium and coarse quality rice declined by 2-4 per cent
per kg.
Paddy prices have gone down as millers are reluctant to buy. The
freshly harvested Boro is reported to be selling at Tk.13 per kg (Tk.500/maund
or per 40 kg) when the production cost is Tk.20/kg (Tk. 800 per maund). Imports
soared although the latest harvests of Aus, Aman and Boro were relatively good.
Production is higher than the domestic food grain requirement of about 30
million tons. Bangladesh produced 34.44 million tons of rice in fiscal 2013-14
up from 30.38 million a year ago (BBS).
The impact of duty imposed on import of rice would depend on the
level of duty and its timing. Imposition of duty to restrict rice import has
already become late. A great deal of
damage has already been done. In some areas, Boro harvest has begun and farmers
are selling paddy. However, in larger parts of the country, harvest and sales
on a large scale are yet to begin. Boro is the major rice crop. Its cultivation
being very expensive, the farmers need to receive a fair price. Unless imports
could be restricted to boost domestic price, the fair price may not reach
farmers. Second, the duty level should be such that import becomes
unprofitable.
It is, however, good news that the government has already declared
procurement price for Boro rice at Tk.32 per kg which is one taka more from the
last season. The government intends to buy one million tons of rice under a
four-month scheme starting from May 01 and 1,00,000 tons of paddy at Tk.22 per
kg. Given that rice and paddy production
costs are Tk.27.5 per kg and Tk. 20 per kg respectively, the break-even price
for Boro paddy stands at Tk. 800 per maund. Bangladesh should adopt market
forces very carefully in the case of food grains. Interventions have to be
there when market becomes a menace.
The writer is a Professor of Economics at:
Jahangirnagar University.
abdulbayes@yahoo.com
Try our aromatic Thai Green King
Prawn Curry
Ingredients
• 150g Thai Jasmine rice
• 3 tbsps vegetable oil
• 400g king prawns
• ½ courgette, diced
• Handful mangetout, halved
• 2 spring onions thinly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, thinly chopped
• 3cm piece of ginger root, grated
• 1 tsp green curry paste
• 250ml GF vegetable stock
• 200ml light coconut milk
• 1tbsp fish sauce
• Juice 1 lime
• 2tbsps chopped coriander
• 2 tbsps unsalted cashews – toasted
Method
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a hot
wok over a medium heat and stir fry the prawns until pink, remove from the pan
and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the wok and stir fry the courgette,
spring onions, garlic and ginger.
3. Stir in the curry paste.
4. Pour in the stock, coconut milk and fish sauce. Add the prawns
and bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Add the lime juice and check the seasoning of the sauce.
7. Serve sprinkled with coriander and toasted cashews.
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