5-Year
Import Ban on Rice Could Earn Nigeria $2.6bn Annually’
24 May 2015
Former minister of commerce
and industry, Charles Ugwuh
By Chineme Okafor in Abuja
Former minister of commerce and industry, Charles Ugwuh at the
weekend called on Nigeria to place a five-year import embargo on rice, saying
within such timeframe, the country could concentrate efforts on in-country
production, displace imports and save $2.6 billion spent annually on rice imports.Ugwuh
who served under late President Musa Yar’Adua and was once president of the
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) stated that during the five-year
period of ban, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) should also be mandated to
protect the nation’s indigenous rice industry against smuggling.
“All hands should be on deck by the financial sector, local
distributive trade, all agencies of government, and all stakeholders to support
the national initiative on rice. If we drive this to success, it would
encourage even greater success and confidence to tackle other products and
programmes that are relevant to prosperity and well-being,” he said in an
interview in Abuja.“We can grow rice and save over $2.6 billion per year we
currently spend on rice imports,” Ugwuh stated while insisting that Nigeria
could be self-sufficient in rice production.In his words: “We call for a total
ban on rice imports for at least five years to enable Nigeria to bend down and
produce its own food with the enormous natural resources and endowments we
have. The nation can be self-sufficient in rice.
We can eliminate food imports and save $9 billion annually on
wheat, rice, sugar, and fish. Nigeria cannot afford to waste such a huge amount
and export vital jobs overseas, when massive unemployment is such a great
challenge threatening our national survival.”He stated further on the nation’s
unique potential for rice production: “Nigeria has suitable ecology to grow
rice paddy virtually all over the country. With dedication, perseverance and
national commitment, Nigeria can grow and process rice to meet its domestic
needs, and indeed, export to other African countries at least, where a ready
market exists for over 15 million tonnes from West through Central and Southern
Africa.”“Nigeria has been striving hard to grow its capacity in paddy
production and processing through massive investments in production
infrastructure: power, water, irrigation facilities, dams and processing
industries and technology
.“At this moment, Nigeria has made serious start, but she is yet
uncompetitive and needs even greater investments to compete with other
countries in South-east Asia, which have been producing rice for decades and
have evolved a culture of rice at low cost and high yields that are difficult
to match,” Ugwuh added.He alleged that: “Unfortunately, each time we make
earnest efforts to grow our rice capacity to displace imports, our traditional
rice suppliers from South East Asia (India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Vietnam,
Cambodia, among others) double up their efforts through Diaspora merchants to
beat us down”.
Speaking on the overall impact of this on the Nigerian economy,
Ugwuh said: “Overall, we bleed from our economy $4 billion to $5 billion per
year on a product that we can well produce with little effort and
determination. From 2008/2009, we embarked on another cycle of investments in
integrated new rice mills, farms, seeds production, infrastructure, and
technology and rice agronomy christened import substitution strategy a
component of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA).“Suddenly, we
reversed our policies in May 2014 and allowed rice merchants parading as
investors to dump over two million tonnes of rice on Nigeria between June 2014
and January 2015. The consequence is a total collapse of the rice market. This
was through legitimate import quota, smuggling and discretional waivers granted
by ‘higher authorities.”
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/5-year-import-ban-on-rice-could-earn-nigeria-2-6bn-annually-/210134/
NFA sees price spike
for commercial rice in July
ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 05/26/2015 2:26 PM
MANILA – The National Food Authority (NFA) said commercial rice
prices may likely increase by P1-P2 per kilo in the lean months starting July.NFA
administrator Renan Dalisay said the agency is implementing strategies to
prevent this traditional upward price adjustment by boosting rice stock or
supply through the importation of 250,000 metric tons of rice.Dalisay said he
does not expect prices to go up once there is enough buffer supply.
The NFA is also getting ready for the potential delay in the
harvest for the last quarter “palay” stock by utilizing the minimum access
volume importation by the private sector.Dalisay said even if only half of the
805,000 metric ton allocation under the minimum access volume is met, the
country will have more than enough rice supply to temper the projected price
spikes due to the delay in harvest.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/05/26/15/nfa-sees-price-spike-commercial-rice-july
PH sets June 5 for 250,000 T rice import
tender
Reuters
Posted at 05/25/2015 11:14 AM
MANILA - The Philippines' National Food Authority (NFA) has
invited Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia to a June 5 tender for the supply of
250,000 tonnes of rice, a spokesman for the state grains procurement agency
said on Monday.The country is seeking offers from the governments of its three
neighbours for the supply of the 25-percent broken variety of rice to boost its
buffer stocks ahead of the lean harvest season that begins in July.President
Benigno Aquino has also given the NFA permission to import a further 250,000
tonnes later this year should the drought-inducing El Nino weather phenomenon
intensify and damage more crops.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/05/25/15/ph-sets-june-5-250000-t-rice-import-tender
PH rice
imports may hit 2.1M MT this year
May 24, 2015 9:17 pm
THE Philippines’ rice imports
could reach as much as 2.1 million metric tons (MT) this year, the biggest
volume under the Aquino Administration and roughly the same level as in the
2008 global rice crisis, once the government approves the terms of a new trade
concession with the World Trade Organization (WTO).But Presidential Assistant
on Food Security and Modernization (PAFSAM) Secretary Francis Pangilinan, who
is also the chairman of the National Food Authority (NFA) Council, said that
the government has yet to finalize the terms of the new trade concession.
The new concession under the
so-called minimum access volume (MAV) gives other rice producing nations market
access to about 805,200 MT of rice that the Philippines imports annually.The
new trade commitment was supposed to take effect last year.With the approved
rice imports by the government now hitting 1.3 million MT, the additional
volume under the so-called MAV could send the total Philippines’ rice imports
to 2.1 million MT this year.“The MAV decision is still being finalized,”
Pangilinan said when asked if the NFA had already adopted the approved MAV on
rice.
Special treatment in WTO
Rice is a commodity that has
direct linkages to food security, livelihood security and the rural development
needs of millions in developing countries like the Philippines.At present, rice
is the only commodity in the Philippines that enjoys special treatment in the
WTO, which excluded the same from agriculture liberalization.
Unlike other agricultural
products, rice, which is the basic staple grain of the Philippines, was not
tariffied. Instead, rice farmers were protected through the imposition of a
quantitative restriction, which allows only a limited volume of the grain to
enter the country.
MAV refers to the minimum volume
of farm produce allowed to enter the Philippines at a reduced tariff of 35
percent, while shipments outside MAV pay higher rates of 50 percent and would
need approval by the NFA.Of the total MAV volume, some 755,000MT will be
country-specific- quota or CSQ (with Vietnam and Thailand getting the bulk),
while the remaining 50,000 MT will be omnibus volume.Before, the Philippines
only allowed 350,000 MT of rice imports, of which 163,000 MT were allotted for
CSQ and 187,000 MT for omnibus volume that can be accessed from any country.Manila
has historically allowed private sector importation for rice requirement under
MAV.
G2G rice imports
But there will be no private sector participation in the procurement of Manila’s buffer rice requirement as the NFA has opted to conduct a government-to-government bidding.In a statement issued Friday, the NFA Said that only countries with existing executive agreements with the Philippines would be allowed to join the G2G tender for the supply of the initial volume of 250,000 metric tons of rice, which will serve as buffer stocks during the lean months.“The governments of Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia will be invited to participate in the G2G procurement,” the agency said.
The NFA also said that it plans
to buy well-milled long grain white rice at 25 percent brokens.The interagency
Food Security Committee earlier approved the importation of another 500,000
metric tons of rice this year on expectations that local palay (paddy rice)
production will fall short of target.It also arrived at the decision as rice
stocks at government depositors also fell below the required volume of at least
15-days’ buffer stock at any given time, and 30-days’ buffer stock during lean
months.
The NFA said that the importation
of 250,000 MT is part of the preparation for the lean months beginning June and
to stabilize rice prices, while the remaining 250,000 MT is on standby in case
there will be significant effects on production brought by El Niño.The Food
Security Committee is chaired by the National Economic Development Authority, with
the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Finance, Philippine
Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomic Services Administration, Philippine
Statistics Authority, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, National Irrigation
Administration, Department of Agriculture, and the NFA as its members.
http://www.manilatimes.net/ph-rice-imports-may-hit-2-1m-mt-this-year/186165/
Asian countries told to build up rice stocks soon
Linda Yulisman, The Jakarta Post, Bangkok, Thailand |
Business | Mon, May 25 2015, 7:49 AM
Asian countries need to build up rice stocks as
global supply may shrink due to growing demand from major buyers like China and
India, which will eventually push up prices, according to global research house
The Rice Trader.“China is still not on the pace to meet [annual purchase of]
4.5 million tons this year, but they will make it. The fact that they now only
have 2.2 million tons suggests that they will buy aggressively,” said Jeremy
Zwinger, the president and CEO of the California-based research institute.China,
now the world’s-biggest rice buyer, imported 4 million tons of rice last year,
up from 3.2 million tons in 2013, according to data from United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The country’s rice imports in 2014 set a new
record for a fourth consecutive year. The dramatic increase rice demand from
the world’s most populous nation began in 2007, when imports increased to more
than seven times the average of the previous five years.The Rice Trader also
expects Indian rice stocks to jump to nearly 10 million tons this year. As of
early May, India’s rice stocks had plunged by 22 percent to 22.23 million tons
from the previous year, according to statistics from Food Corporation of India
(FCI) issued recently.
Rice Trader data from five rice exporting
countries — Thailand, India, Vietnam, Pakistan and the US — shows that overseas
shipment sin 2014 reached historically high levels at 34.67 million tons, up
12.4 percent from 2013.The potential of a long drought caused by El Niño would
be another factor to watch, as it might pose a significant threat to
production, Zwinger noted.Scientists have warned that the world is on track for
another year of record-setting heat, with temperatures having hit a new high in
the first four months of this year. Australia’s
weather bureau has already declared the major event of El Niño, which is caused
by a reversal of trade winds in the Pacific, causing ocean temperatures to
rise.
Apart from bringing unseasonably dry conditions
to Australia and India over the next several months, forecasters have also said
El Niño could trigger famine in West Africa. Zwinger
said that over the next several months rice prices would stay at a low level on
abundant supplies from rice-producing countries, particularly Thailand.In the
first two months of this year, Thai rice exports totaled 1.34 million tons, and
if the trend is maintained, the country’s rice exports will reach 8.04 million
tons, still much lower than 10.97 million tons exported in 2014, according to The
Rice Trader.Within such a buyer’s market, Zwinger recommended Asian countries,
including China, Indonesia, and the Philippines, to buy overseas, as the
situation might change into a seller’s market immediately, describing the
current situation as a“transition” moment.
“The price now is very acceptable, especially
with the risk that the oil price will go back [up, the risks of weather we keep
seeing and the fact we had many years of lower production,” he said during Thai
Rice Convention recently.As of May 15, rice prices from key suppliers followed
a downward trend from the past year. Thai’s 100 percent grade B rice price, for
example, dipped by 3.75 percent to US$385 per ton, and India’s 5 percent broken
rice price declined by 12.05 percent to $365 per ton, according to data
compiled by The Rice Trader.
Indonesia’s state-owned logistics firm Bulog
finance director Iryanto Hutagaol, however, said the government had no
immediate plan to import rice, as at present, rice stocks at Bulog warehouses
was sufficient, while production was good. Indonesia,
the world’s third-largest rice consumer, has delayed the planting season, which
will extend the harvest season into June from the normal end period in April. -
See more at:
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/25/asian-countries-told-build-rice-stocks-soon.html#sthash.unNcchHq.dpuf
VN to develop own rice brand
Viet Nam News May 26, 2015
12:03 pm
HANOI
- Vietnam is aiming to develop a Vietnamese rice brand that would become the
world's leading rice by 2030, according to a project approved by Prime Minister
Nguyen Tan Dung last week.The project, to develop a Vietnamese rice brand by
2020 with vision to 2030, seeks to improve the image recognition of Vietnamese
rice and its competitiveness, as well as expanding market share in the world
market and developing a national rice brand, in line with Vietnam’s history,
culture and tradition.
The
strategy to develop a national brand for rice would focus on two issues:
identifying quality-conscious markets, such as the US, EU and Japan to export
high-quality varieties, and retaining traditional markets with medium-quality
rice.Specifically, by 2030, 50 per cent of the nation’s rice is to be exported
under Vietnamese brands.The national rice brand would be protected in Vietnam
and at least 50 other countries by 2020. Also, regional rice brand names would
be developed and protected, based upon distributing products that are typical
to a region.
Five
key sub-projects to be implemented within the framework includes building and
managing a national rice brand name; developing a national rice brand name for
major rice products of Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region; protecting brand and
supporting firms in registering for brand protection; promoting Vietnamese rice
brands, and boosting exports and expanding markets.The project highlighted the
role of enterprises in building and developing Vietnamese rice brand names
through developing their own brands and rice products and participating in the
global value chain.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/VN-to-develop-own-rice-brand-30260937.html
Vietnam's
key rice harvest seen flat at 13.5 mln T -govt
Tue May 26, 2015
1:47am GMT
HANOI May 26 (Reuters) - Vietnam has harvested an
estimated 13.5 million tonnes of winter-spring paddy from its southern region,
incorporating the Mekong Delta food basket, nearly unchanged from last year,
the Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday.Production eased slightly from 13.56
million tonnes harvested in a similar crop in 2014 due to lower yields, the
ministry said in a monthly report. The Mekong Delta produces 90 percent of
Vietnam's rice exports.Stable output while rice shipments from Vietnam, the
world's third-largest exporter of the grain after India and Thailand, have
dropped around 11 percent so far this year could keep downward pressure on
export prices in coming months. (Reporting by Ho Binh Minh; Editing by Joseph
Radford)
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N0YH18R20150526
Thailand/Vietnam:
Vietnam's rice exports drop as Thailand offloads overstocks
5/26/2015
Thai News Service
Thai News Service
Vietnam's rice exports have struggled to compete with cheaper
shipments from Thailand in the first four months of 2015 as the Thai government
has sought to offload inventories at highly discounted prices.As a result, a
representative of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) said the country's exports to highly price sensitive markets such
as those in Africa could fall by as much as 60% from the figures in 2014.Lower exports are resulting in more rice remaining
in Vietnamese miller's and farmers inventories, piling pressure on
already-bulging storage and raising the spectre of grainspoiling in temporary silos.
The Thai
government began executing a subsidized scheme earlier this year in which it
plans to sell 10 million tonnes of broken rice in 2015 and an additional seven
million tonnes in 2016 at prices substantially below market prices.As one
example, the Thai government in March sold 5% broken rice from its inventories
at around US$236 to US$378 per tonne compared to the global market price of
US$405 per tonne.
A representative
of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, who declined to be
identified, in turn justified the programme by saying that the government's
rice is old and has been stored for a long time so its value has depreciated
(Reuters).There is always a large price gap between new rice and old rice, the
official said.The nation's rice industry can compete with private Thai traders,
but not with the Thai government as it slashes prices to bolster demand for old
low quality stock, said a VFA representative.In the four months leading up to
May, Vietnam's riceexports dipped 12.73% in volume and 16.37% in
value on-year to 1.686 million tonnes valued at US$707 million according to VFA
statistics.
In addition to
lower export prices and fierce competition with
Thailand, in 2015, Vietnam exporters are at risk of shrinking markets in
other countries, particularly the Chinese market.China has been the largest importer of Vietnam's rice for the past three
years. In 2014 alone, Vietnam exported 2.1 million tonnes of rice to China,
accounting for 30% of the nation's export market.However, Vietnam's rice exports to China during 2015 are likely to see
a substantial decline as the Chinese government diversifies its import strategy to increase riceimport quota from multiple sources.
To address the
situation, Deputy Prime Minister Hai has asked the VFA in collaboration with
relevant government offices and those in the private sector to develop specific
marketing plans for each foreign market.In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister
asked the parties to lay out a scheme to restructure production and shift rice
cultivation areas to planting crops with higher profit margins.
Hai said for 2014
Vietnam rice cultivation area stood at around 7.6 million hectares with an
estimated production of around 43.4 million tonnes of paddy rice. Rice
production exceeds consumption, but the country importstonnes of soybeans and corn
annually.The government will guide farmers to shift to crops to soybeans, corn
or other crops that will help them improve their overall profits, Hai stressed.
- VOV
http://www.world-grain.com/news/news%20home/LexisNexisArticle.aspx?articleid=2371497495
Vietnamese rice brand name to
be popularized in global market
The
Prime Minister has just approved the project to develop Vietnamese rice brand
name by 2020 with a vision to 2030.The project is targeted to boost Vietnamese
rice’s added value, market share and competition to the world’s markets.Vietnam
will strive to popularize the national rice brand name by 2020 and introduce
Vietnamese brand name for rice to at least 20 export markets.By 2030, the
country will bring the national rice brand name to be the leading one across
over the world about its quality and food safety.
In
order to reach its target, the government will implement programs to develop
local rice brand names and launch preferential policies to support enterprises
using the national rice brand name.Besides, the government will select three
high quality rice products in the Mekong delta region to improve to be local
rice brand names which toward becoming the leading national rice brand name.
Lam Nguyen –Translated by M.Quyen
http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Business/2015/5/113849/
Cambodia
invited for Philippine rice tender
Mon, 25 May 2015
Cambodia has been invited by the Philippines to bid for a
250,000 tonne rice tender in June to boost the latter’s rice buffer stock
during the lean months of July to September.Philippines’ National Food
Authority has been tasked with issuing a tender in June for the import of 25
per cent broken rice via a government-to-government deal, with delivery
expected to be betweenJuly and August. Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia are
eligible for this tender as they already have import contracts with the
Philippines.Song Saran, chairman of Amru Rice (Cambodia), confirmed the
invitation to bid for the Filipino rice tender but said that the Kingdom was
not ready to partake in the bidding currently.
“In my opinion, Cambodia cannot join the tender this year.
Cambodia needs at least two years to have enough capacity to compete and supply
to the Philippines,” he said.He said several pressing issues, like the lack of
paddy rice stock, high production costs and transportation fees, need to be
addressed before Cambodia can make a competitive bid.“The Philippines’ demand
is for supply of a big volume in a short period,” he said. “Cambodia does not
have enough paddy rice to mill and export to the Philippines.
”David Van, adviser to the Cambodia Rice Federation, told the Post in early April that Cambodian
agricultural products had good potential in the Philippines. However, he added
that there were challenges to increasing exports.“Cambodia could eventually
succeed in bidding for future Filipino rice tenders, should the tenders be
segregated into smaller orders tonnage wise. But we still need to improve our
shipping costs and services [directly] to Filipino ports or via transshipment
in Vietnam,” Van said.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/cambodia-invited-phlippine-rice-tender
Belarus,
Pakistan sign contracts worth $42m
Mikhail Myatlikov
ISLAMABAD,
25 May (BelTA) - Belarus and Pakistan signed contracts worth $42 million on the
first day of a visit of a Belarusian business delegation to Islamabad, BelTA
has learned. On 25 May the Pakistani
capital is hosting the Pakistan-Belarusian business and investment forum. On
behalf of Belarus the forum is attended by representatives of 25 companies working
in the field of oil refining, agriculture, engineering, medicine, chemicals,
light industry, and also commercial enterprises. On behalf of Pakistan the
forum is attended by representatives of 60 companies.The Belarusian President's
upcoming visit to Pakistan has already given an impetus to the development of
bilateral relations, as can be seen by the documents which have been signed
already, Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mikhail
Myatlikov told reporters.
“We wanted to bring business, introduce
Belarusian companies who are here for the first time to partners in Pakistan,” Mikhail Myatlikov said.For the past
eight years, the volume of Belarus-Pakistan trade has hovered around $50-120
million per year. Pakistan is one of the key markets for Belarusian tractors
outside the CIS. Annual supplies make up 3,000-4,000 units.Mikhail Myatlikov
expressed confidence that the range of engineering products in Pakistan will be
expanded because the Belarusian delegation in Islamabad includes heads of the
companies producing the full range of attachments for tractors and agricultural
machinery, which can be in demand in the local market.In addition to tractors
Belarus' major exports to Pakistan also include potash fertilizers, synthetic
fibers, and tires. From Pakistan Belarus imports rice, fruit, food, leather and
textile.Talks between representatives of the business communities of Belarus
and Pakistan will continue on 26 May at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“Tomorrow will bring new results,” Mikhail Myatlikov said.
http://eng.belta.by/all_news/economics/Belarus-Pakistan-sign-contracts-worth-42m_i_82006.html
Phytosanitary Deal with China Still Not Complete
Chinese Border Guard
"No U.S. rice past this point...yet."
WASHINGTON,
DC - A phytosanitary agreement between the United States and China that would
clear the way for U.S.-grown rice to start flowing into China has been in the
works for almost a decade, but a final agreement continues to elude
negotiators. Earlier this year, after
lengthy negotiations on a technical level, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) sent their Chinese
counterparts, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine (AQSIQ), what many thought would be a final - or close to final -
agreement.
However,
AQSIQ sent back a modified agreement that includes provisions not seen in any
such agreement entered into between the U.S. and any other country. APHIS has
sent AQSIQ a request for clarification on some of these requirements in the
hopes of moving the final agreement along."Some think the U.S. should just
sign the agreement and work out problems later, but our past experience tells
us APHIS is right to get answers from the Chinese now, rather than to try to
correct a bad deal after the fact," said Jim Guinn, USA Rice's vice
president of international promotion.
"This market is big enough and
potentially important enough that the agreement needs to be done right the first
time around."Guinn says USA Rice will remain engaged with APHIS as they
attempt to open the rice trade between the U.S. and China, continue the regular
consultation with rice industry growers and the exporters who will do the
business once the market opens, and direct promotion efforts and
relationship-building in China for the time when an agreement is finally
reached.
Contact: Michael Klein (703)
236-1458
Crop Progress:
2015 Crop 93 Percent Planted
|
WASHINGTON, DC -- Ninety-three 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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USA Rice Federation
Louisiana
corn, soybeans hampered by rains
Some young rice struggling
May 22, 2015 | Delta
Farm Press
WATER REMAINS on portions of a soybean field at
the South Farm of the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station in Crowley. Frequent
heavy rains have created potential problems for some areas of soybean
production in Louisiana, and saturated ground over much of the state is
creating drainage problems for row crops. (LSU AgCenter photo by Bruce Schultz)
Heavy rains have caused problems for some Louisiana soybean and
corn farmers, especially in the north part of the state where a storm system
brought as much as 10 inches of rain in some areas in the one week, but
sugarcane and rice are not as affected by the weather, according to LSU
AgCenter experts.Ron Levy, LSU AgCenter soybean specialist, said some fields of
young soybeans have been too wet.
“We may have some losses and have to replant.”He said he talked
with a north Louisiana farmer who had 7 inches of rain. “With that much rain,
it fills up all the ditches and drainage areas, so it takes longer for the
water to run off.”Levy said some farmers have been waiting to plant, but the
excess moisture makes that difficult.Delayed planting will probably mean yields
will be affected, he said. “We’re already to a point where we’ll see yields
drop off.”A late-planted soybean crop faces more stress from intense summer
heat and more disease and insect pressure, Levy said.In southwest Louisiana, as
much as a third of the soybean crop may have to be replanted, said Barrett
Courville, LSU AgCenter county agent in Acadia and Jefferson Davis parishes.
Saturated soil
Many fields where beans are up have excess moisture. “The soil
is so saturated that they’re not growing,” Courville said.The wet ground is
delaying farmers from getting into the fields to spray herbicides, Courville
said. But some areas haven’t received much rain, and the fields are ready to be
planted.Dan Fromme, LSU AgCenter corn specialist, said the corn benefits from
the rain as long as the fields are not flooded.
“We’re in the rapid growth stage right now.”Some fields hit by
high winds had lodged corn, he said. Corn will suffer from a lack of oxygen in
fields with waterlogged soil. Corn farmers had to deal with excess moisture
during planting in March and April.Cotton in Louisiana is 80 to 90 percent
planted, but flooding for that commodity is not good for the crop, he said.Donna
Lee, LSU AgCenter county agent in East Carroll Parish, and Keith Collins,
county agent in Richland Parish, said water from recent heavy rains appear to
have drained, but low-lying areas have standing water. Additional rain this
week resulted in wetter fields.“We were needing rain, but we didn’t need 4 and
5 inches,” Lee said. “Now we need sunny weather.”
Cool weather
She said the cotton, corn, soybeans and milo she has seen in
northeast Louisiana look good so far. But cool weather that came on May 21
could slow plant growth.“The most susceptible crops were those that are small,”
said Collins.He said some fields of young soybeans were underwater and that
could affect those crops. Some fields may need to be replanted, he said.Sugarcane
is not as affected by heavy rains now, said Kenneth Gravois, LSU AgCenter
sugarcane specialist. “At this stage, cane is pretty resilient.”He said
sugarcane farmers have made herbicide and fertilizer applications.
“It would be better if it were a bit drier, but going into the
summer with good moisture is good. Overall prospects for the crop continue to
look good,” Gravois said.Even though rice thrives in a wet environment, the
frequent rainfall has caused problems for rice farmers.“In a lot of places,
farmers are struggling to get done what’s needed in the fields,” said Dustin
Harrell, LSU AgCenter rice specialist.He said landing strips for airplanes have
been too wet to use for midseason nitrogen fertilizer applications. Flying
services are using hard-surfaced runways, which are often several miles from a
field, and the extra distance is resulting in higher fees, he said.
Rice struggling
He said young rice is struggling, and an early outbreak of leaf
blast disease has been found.Don Groth, LSU AgCenter plant pathologist, said
frequent rains have made ideal conditions for blast.“The rain has increased the
probability of each spore being successful in infecting a plant that it lands
on. Then the lesions that form can produce more spores due to the moisture,”
Groth said.The heavy rainfall also is affecting pastures. Grazing conditions
are good, but fields for hay production have been too wet, according to Vince
Deshotel, LSU AgCenter county agent and Central Region beef cattle coordinator.“We
certainly need a break to get things done in the field,” Deshotel said.
Even if hay producers are able to get into their fields for
cutting grass, the wet conditions won’t allow hay to dry for baling.“Probably
everybody is a month behind,” he said. “As a hay producer myself, I typically
have a cutting done by now.”The wet conditions are also setting the stage for
potential cattle health problems. Deshotel said the high mosquito population
will stress cattle, and muddy ground could cause hoof problems and an increase
in parasites.
http://deltafarmpress.com/soybeans/louisiana-corn-soybeans-hampered-rains
Rice
update: planting progress, armyworms, DD50 sign-up
Wet weather slows planting
May 22, 2015 | Delta
Farm Press
Arkansas Extension's Jarrod
Hardke, rice agronomist, and Scott Stiles, economist, have written a report on
the current condition of the state's rice. Among their findings:"Progress
slowed over the past week with the return of wet weather. Private estimates now
peg Arkansas rice acres at 1.425 million, down from 1.441 forecast by USDA in
March (and 1.45 by me at the same point). Given conditions and the current
outlook – somewhere at 1.3-1.4 million acres looks about right for a final
planted acreage. There are no certainties at this point and those final reported
acreage estimates are still a long way off."
http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/rice-update-planting-progress-armyworms-dd50-sign
4-H program
deepens students’ understanding of science in ag
Nancy Madsen/The Free Press
Science in ag
Brian Prchal, left, describes how
the biodiesel engine he created compares to regular diesel in a one-cylinder
engine April 24 in Montgomery, Minn., as Anna Prchal and Tyler Fromm watch. The
students are participating in 4-H Science of Agriculture Challenge through the
University of Minnesota Extension Service.
Posted: Wednesday, May 27, 2015 1:00 am
By
NANCY MADSEN, The Free Press
NEW PRAGUE, Minn. — Brian and
Anna Prchal and Tyler Fromm are teenagers making and using biodiesel. They’re
also part of a possible solution for a growing need for employees in
agriculture.There are 25,700 new jobs for management and
business in agriculture and 14,600 new jobs in agriculture and science
engineering each year, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture analysis
of job figures. The gap between expected job openings and agriculture and
related fields graduates is roughly 1,000 each year.For junior high and high
school students, “4-H involvement could lead to college, university or even
trade school and an ag-related job,” said Josh Rice, who runs the science of
agriculture programming at University of Minnesota Extension.
“Agricultural awareness is a very important piece of this. There
are ag jobs out there and it’s not just production agriculture. It can be
marketing, processing, distribution and even social science.”Minnesota is the
first state to start a 4-H Science of Agriculture Challenge, which is a team
competition showing science and engineering understanding. The teams have three
or four members between grades six and 12 who share a common interest. A coach
guides them through the scientific or engineering process. The teams also meet
with a mentor from the industry, who gives guidance and an inside view of an
agricultural career.Brian and Anna Prchal of Montgomery and their cousin Tyler
Fromm of New Hope teamed up to work on biodiesel. Jodi Prchal, Brian and Anna’s
mother and a fifth-grade teacher, is their coach.Brian created biodiesel from
used fryer oil at a local restaurant. He describes the process in detail on how
to transform that oil into fuel.“You can burn straight filtered vegetable oil
in a diesel engine, but it gums up the engine,” Brian said.
After filtering it, the major step in the process was carefully
combining the oil with methanol and potassium hydroxide, which separates the
fatty acids from the glycerin, which settles to the bottom. The fatty acids
bond with methanol to transform the molecules into biodiesel. That is followed
by “washing” the biodiesel with water to cause even more separation, leaving a
transparent light orange liquid.Jodi Prchal says the critical moment came when
they tried it in an engine. Brian had bought a single-cylinder, nine horsepower
diesel engine and it ran smoothly on the biodiesel.Brian’s goal, he said, is to
be able to have a diesel truck and run it on his own biodiesel.“I’ve always
been really interested in renewable energy,” he said.He made 1 liter of
biodiesel for this project but wants a setup that will allow him to make 30
gallons at a time with less intervention.
“It would cost 70 cents a gallon if you do it right versus $4 per
gallon of diesel, when diesel was high,” Brian said. He tested the efficiency
and the acidity of the biodiesel against diesel.“Biodiesel is not as efficient
as conventional diesel,” he said. “But the pollutants were far less. The pH
didn’t go up a lot. Diesel has some sulfur in the exhaust, so biodiesel is
better for the environment.”Anna’s and Tyler’s projects branch off of Brian’s.
Anna tested his biodiesel against kerosene and ethanol for pollutants and
energy. She created a calorimeter by suspending a pop can with some water over
burners of biodiesel, ethanol and kerosene. She judged pollutants by burning
the fuels inside a cylinder with a coffee filter covering the top end.“The
kerosene had the most soot, I was in the basement and there was soot all over,”
Anna said.
“Ethanol had nothing and biodiesel
had some spots. Kerosene had the highest temperatures, then ethanol and
biodiesel. The better option would be ethanol than biodiesel.”Tyler researched
fuels and talked to professionals. After sharing the research with Brian and
Anna, he tested the wear of engines when using regular diesel and biodiesel.“The
biodiesel was better for wear,” he said.The three have all been around farms
their whole lives and have been involved in 4-H, frequently competing at the
Minnesota State Fair.
The team has been working on the project since October. In June,
they’ll give a presentation to a panel of judges. Questions from the judges
will follow the presentations.“That’s what highlights the deeper learning
that’s taken place,” Rice said. “There has been a lot of time that the youth
have been engaged in active learning.”There are 14 teams competing for
scholarships — $1,000 for each teammate for first, $750 for second and $500 for
third.The scholarships can be used at any accredited trade school, college or
university, for any major because, Rice said, “Any college major that we talk
about, we can make a connection to agriculture.
”Students are also eligible to participate each year from sixth
grade to high school graduation, even if they have already won one or multiple
scholarships.After getting the feedback from the trial year, Rice said he hopes
to more than double the number of teams next year.“Over the next five years,
we’re hoping for a national program,” Rice said. “Once other states offer the
same program, there may be a national contest.”But, at the basic level, the
program may attract young people to science and engineering fields, deepen
their understanding, allow them to take more advanced science classes in high
school, and eventually lead to the qualified employees that agricultural
businesses know they’re going to need.
“This could potentially change what agriculture looks like,” Rice
said. “This can help students know they have the capability of being scientists
and engineers.”On Team Prchal-Fromm, that’s already understood.Brian knows he’s
going to double major in mechanical and agricultural engineering at college in
the fall. His sister, in eighth grade, knows she wants to work with animals or
the environment. And Tyler, also in eighth grade, wants to work for the
Department of Natural Resources.Brian joked, “That’s just because you want to
fish and get paid for it.”Tyler shrugged and said, “That would be great.”
http://www.trivalleycentral.com/trivalley_dispatch/farm_and_ranch/h-program-deepens-students-understanding-of-science-in-ag/article_961edf5a-03db-11e5-93a0-87ae4d3a7166.html
APEDA India
(News)
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