Cuba
keen to enhance bilateral trade with Pakistan
February 24, 2016, 8:41 pm
ISLAMABAD: Mr.
Gabriel Tiel Capote, Ambassador of Republic of Cuba said that his country was
keen to enhance trade relations with Pakistan as both countries have good
potential to promote mutual cooperation in many areas. He said Pakistan could
export textiles, fabrics, rice, surgical instruments, and leather & sports
goods to Cuba while Cuba could export its biotechnological and pharmaceutical
products to Pakistan. He expressed these views during his first interaction
with business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He said both
countries could achieve mutually beneficial outcomes by enhancing cooperation
in health, education, culture and sports fields as well.
He said Cuba had
opened Mariel Port in 2014 situated in its North Western Region and created an
Economic Development Zone around this port to attract foreign companies in the
fields of electronics, chemicals, computers, biotechnology and pharmacy. He
said Pakistani investors should explore investment opportunities in the said
Economic Zone in Cuba.The Ambassador said that Cuba organized Havana
International Fair every year which would held in November this year and it was
a good opportunity for Pakistani businessmen to participate in the fair to
showcase their products as well as identify opportunities for further expanding
bilateral trade. He suggested that ICCI should form a delegation of specific
sectors for Cuba to explore business matchmakings and assured that his Embassy
would facilitate in connecting its members with right counterparts in Cuba.
In his welcome
address, Atif Ikram Sheikh, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and
Industry said that bilateral trade between Pakistan and Cuba was just $5.6
million in2015 which was not encouraging by any standard. He said both
countries should facilitate frequent exchange of trade delegations and focus on
promoting connectivity between their private sectors to identify new avenues of
mutual collaboration.He said many Pakistani products including food and others
could find good market in Cuba while Pakistan could also benefit from Cuban
experience, especially in the fields of medical science and healthcare. He said
for improving bilateral trade and economic relations, it was necessary that
both countries should improve communications links including direct flights.
Sheikh Pervez Ahmed Senior Vice President and Sheikh Abdul Waheed, Vice
President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry also offered many
suggestions to bring the two countries even closer in trade and economic
relations.
http://nation.com.pk/business/24-Feb-2016/cuba-keen-to-enhance-bilateral-trade-with-pakistan
PAKISTAN’S FOOD, BEVERAGES AND AGRO-SECTOR EXPORTS TO
EMIRATES WITNESS A 27PC JUMP IN TWO YEARS: TDAP
Thursday, 25 February 2016 15:47
Pakistan Pavilion in Gulfood 2016 Exhibition comprises
more than 92 companies in Food sector.Pakistan Pavilion was the most ambitious
display of Pakistan's Best of Food Potential to GCC, Middle East and Northern
African markets.In pursuance of Diversification of Pakistani exports, TDAP has
arranged participation of biggest number of Pakistani companies to showcase
their products in World's biggest Food Expo", said the Chief Executive
TDAP, S. M Munir.
Pakistani companies' representation in Gulfood 2016
pavilion has grown from a mere 90 square metres in 2008 to 1,000 square metres
this year, reflecting the emergence of a major exporting sector that is now
challenging textiles as Pakistan's main foreign exchange earner with worldwide
sales topping US $5 billion last year.Pakistani pavilion organized by Trade
Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Ministry of Commerce, in
collaboration with Consulate General of Pakistan, Dubai comprises of 450 sq.
meters facilitating 64 Pakistani companies while 28 leading Pakistani brands
are showcasing their branded products in customized stalls spreading over 550
sq. meters.
Pakistani branded products in Processed Food, beverages,
spice, confectionaries sector are hall mark of Pakistani Gulfood Pavilion 2016.
Pakistani Food sector compliant of international Food and Hygiene Standards, he
further informed.Pakistan has boosted sales of its traditional agricultural
products while simultaneously expanding its reach into new product areas such
as processed meat and poultry products, tea, concentrated milk and cream,
certain fruits and vegetables, spices, herbs and confectioneries," He
further elaborated. Persistent efforts of TDAP and Pakistani exporters have
yielded positive results.The CE informed that in collaboration with USAID-
Pakistan Agricultural Marketing Development, "Trade Facilitation
Center" has also been established to facilitate Business-to-business
matchmaking meetings between Pakistan Agro-exporters and Foreign Buyers.
Twelve leading Pakistani Meat and Meat Preparation; and
Pakistani Fruits and Vegetable sector company's representatives would be
available for business match making meetings.Speaking on occasion Pakistani
Meat Branding dinner hosted in his honour, the Chief Executive informed that
Pakistan's price and quality competitiveness, Halal and Tayab Meat sector is
poised to enhance its market share in the GCC market. Close proximity and
logistic connectivity of Pakistan with GCC countries position Pakistani meat
exporters to attain the US$ 500 target in new three years.
Pakistani Meat Branding Dinner was organized by US-
Pakistan Agricultural Marketing Development in collaboration with Consulate
General of Pakistan, Dubai at Consulate General of Pakistan.
Agricultural Products Online Trading Platform Project was
a major initiative that has been launched in collaboration of Sindh
Agricultural Growth Project to eradicate inefficiencies in the agricultural
supply chain.The Online Trading Platform is a joint technical collaboration of
involvement of three specialized partners in this market model: Agility- World
leaders in Global Value Chain, SGS, and Pakistan Mercantile Exchange
(PMEX).Through the trading platform, buyers and sellers registered with PMEX
are using PMEX's electronic trading facilities to trade red chillies quality
tested by SGS.The product can be stored in Agility's warehouse in Kunri or at
the seller's own location.
Once trade is locked, the red chillies become available
to the buyer. Agility transports the product at buyer's destination upon
buyer's indication. Once the product is dispatched, the payment is made to the
seller the next working-day.Speaking on occasion of meeting with Pakistan
Business Council, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chief Executive told
the participants that Pakistan offers myriad of investment and trade
opportunities for UAE based businessmen.The Chief Executive informed Pakistani
expat business community that Pakistan's food and agricultural sector was vital
for global food security and there are ample investment opportunities for food
processing industry.
S.M Munir said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor and
Gwadar Port would further increase trade and transit connectivity with GCC and
Middle East.Regarding product mix of Pakistani food exports to UAE, Chief
Executive informed that Rice remains Pakistan's leading food export to the UAE
with TADP figures showing that Pakistani rice sales to the Emirates have jumped
11 fold to US $207.8 million over the last two years.Meat and processed frozen
food is another important growth sector for Pakistani exports crossing US$ 100
million mark in period of last three years.Exports of Pakistani Fruits and
Vegetables has also increased over 100 percent in the past three years.Sales of
dried fruits and vegetables to the UAE rose two-fold and four-fold to US $ 9.7
million and US $7.8 million, respectively.
The country exported US $5.9 million worth of potatoes to
the Emirates last year - an eight-fold increase on 2012 figures, while sales of
Pakistani Fresh and frozen meat have crossed US $ 50 million.
Onions, garlic and leeks, fresh or chilled and ginger
have also witnessed 300 percent export growth over the past three years.Citrus
fruit, fresh or dried has peaked its exports of over US$ 22 million- an
increase of more than 168 percent in the same period.With sales of herbs more
than doubling over the same period to US $4.7 million, Pakistani exporters also
grew sales of concentrated milk and cream, vegetable oils and ice-cream from a
standing start in 2012 to double or triple figure dollars last year.Ambassador
of Pakistan to UAE, Asif Durrani, Commercial Counsellor Dr. Saeed Qadir, and
Commercial Secretary Habib wAhmed were also present during the Chief
Executive's visit to Gulfood 2016.
http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/pakistan/280962-pakistans-food-beverages-and-agro-sector-exports-to-emirates-witness-a-27pc-jump-in-two-years-tdap.html
Top Indian rice
exporter aims to boost operations in GCC
DUBAI,
KRBL Limited, among the world’s largest rice millers and
Basmati rice exporters, has planned to boost its operations across the Middle
East region, particularly in the GCC.
The company, owners of the flagship brand India Gate basmati rice, aims to achieve its goals by focusing on strengthening ties with local partners and expanding its distributor network, said the statement.
KRBL Limited recorded a total export revenue of $203.48 million for the year 2014-15, said its long-term business strategy is to grow this business by 75 per cent over the next five years, it added.Rice consumption in the Middle East is continuously increasing, thus enabling expansion of the rice market, especially the Basmati rice segment, it said.Priyanka Mittal, director of KRBL Limited, said: “The total consumption in the Middle East is about 3 million metric tonnes, and KRBL is targeting around 25 per cent of this volume owning to its large milling capacity of 1.2 million metric tonnes.”
The company, owners of the flagship brand India Gate basmati rice, aims to achieve its goals by focusing on strengthening ties with local partners and expanding its distributor network, said the statement.
KRBL Limited recorded a total export revenue of $203.48 million for the year 2014-15, said its long-term business strategy is to grow this business by 75 per cent over the next five years, it added.Rice consumption in the Middle East is continuously increasing, thus enabling expansion of the rice market, especially the Basmati rice segment, it said.Priyanka Mittal, director of KRBL Limited, said: “The total consumption in the Middle East is about 3 million metric tonnes, and KRBL is targeting around 25 per cent of this volume owning to its large milling capacity of 1.2 million metric tonnes.”
“The Gulfood exhibition is an important trade fair for KRBL with Middle East being our biggest market outside India. Today, 85 per cent of our total export revenue comes from the Middle East,” she said.“With a truly global population and changing demographics, this region offers a huge potential for growth, and we want to capitalise on this opportunity. At KRBL, we have the capacity and the infrastructure to support this growth. Our marketing strategy towards achieving this is to offer a product basket that caters to all consumer levels,” she added.KRBL adopts a basket approach to brand introduction; new products are launched after due diligence, feedback from market distributors and an in-depth understanding of consumer needs. The company recently forayed into the value segment by introducing the Bab Al Hind brand in UAE, and launching the Nurjahan brand in Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
“While Indian basmati rice continues to enjoy robust growth in Arab markets, we are committed to rolling out other brands depending on the size of the opportunity and our ability to cater to demand,” Mittal added.With a distributor network well-positioned to deliver on current growth targets, the company’s long-term business goals focus on new conversions and spurring brand growth through trail generation.KRBL future plans include tapping into potential markets such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Yemen, to name a few, it added. – TradeArabia News Service
http://www.tradearabia.com/news/IND_301669.html
IIT-M grads working
abroad drop to 20%, shows alumni survey
TNN | Feb 25, 2016, 10.01 AM IST
Chennai: IIT-ians from recent batches are increasingly preferring to work in India when compared to graduates of earlier batches, revealed IIT-Madras alumni survey of 2015.More than 2,000 alumni members of IIT-M participated in the survey, which indicated that number of IIT-M graduates living abroad had come down by a significant percentage over the past few decades.Percentage of IIT-M grads living abroad peaked at 40% in the mid-'70s to mid-'90s batches, and has now dropped to 34% post-2000. The drop is even more severe post-2010, down to the 20% range, as per the survey.
Prof R Nagarajan, dean of international and alumni relations at IIT-Madras, said the survey reveals an emerging India-centric nature of the recent batches which is not a surprising trend. "Even donations to the alma mater are now substantially originating from alumni resident in India, whereas till a few years ago, alumni in North America were clearly the largest contributors. This also shows up in the enhanced physical connectivity between the campus and the alumni," he said.Prof Nagarajan also mentioned that many alumni are spending time in India mentoring students in entrepreneurship and helping them upgrade their skills.
Echoing prof Nagarajan's sentiments, a Echoing prof Nagarajan's sentiments, a significant percentage of alums claimed to have made high contributions to India in the survey. "About 40% of alums claim to have made a very high or high contribution to India while 30% of alums claim very high or high contribution outside India, the latter section mainly comprising of a large number of alums from the mid-'70s to mid-'90s batches.The survey also shows that while the economic background of admitted students has not changed significantly over the decades, a significantly larger fraction of students now come from semi-urban and rural areas.
The survey conducted by an alumnus of the 1973 batch, Gopala Ganesh, also had some interesting insights on other factors such as field of work, number of companies founded and the leadership roles taken over by the alums.
When it comes to the field of work, an
estimated 30% of IITM alums said they are currently employed in core
engineering. Of those that left core engineering, one third of them are
entrepreneurs, while the other two quarters are placed in service industries,
and education/ research respectively. The study also showed that post-2005,
there has been a surge in IITM grads opting for manufacturing professions,
versus IT & software.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/IIT-M-grads-working-abroad-drop-to-20-shows-alumni-survey/articleshow/51133075.cms
Falling Rice Price Taking a Toll on Exporters
KhmerTimes/Sum
Manet
Thursday, 25
February 2016
The falling
price of rice in Asia due to the slowing global economy and intensifying
regional competition is taking a toll on Cambodian exporters and farmers even
though exports jumped more than 20 percent last month compared to January last
year, executives said.Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodia Rice Federation,
told Khmer Times yesterday that prices of rice exports to Asia fell, especially
in the China. He blamed the decline on the slump in the Chinese economy as well
as falling prices of exports from neighboring countries. “The rice
export price in the Asian market affects exporters and farmers because they buy
rice from neighboring countries at a lower price,” Mr. Lak said.
“On the other
hand, Cambodian rice export to the EU market is not affected because we meet
their requirements.” “Cambodian white rice is now priced at about $420 per ton,
while Vietnamese rice is about $340, because they are able to produce more than
us, and their farmers can still gain a profit from it,” Mr. Lak said, adding:
“If we decrease the price, it affects our farmers and exporters because our
production cost is high.”“To meet this problem, we need to strengthen our
productivity, quality, standard and storage and prepare better quality seeds,
improve our techniques for growing rice, and expand the market for exports,” he
said.
According to
the federation’s figures, the price of fragrant rice is about $770 per ton,
compared to $810 per ton in the first quarter of last year, while Thai fragrant
rice is now selling at $750 per ton compared to $850 per ton in the first
quarter last year. Chea Sovithyea, director of KIM SE Rice Mill, agreed
with Mr. Lak, saying the falling price of rice in the Asian market affects rice
exports. He said the price was hit by regional as well as global
trends. “We have to cooperate to find new ways to improve rice exports,”
he said.Brunei imported 1,974 tons of rice from Cambodia last month for the
first time, while Malaysia imported 2,736 tons and Singapore imported 418 tons,
according to a report from the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice
Export Formality.China imported 6,999 tons of rice from Cambodia last month,
according to official figures. Cambodia exported 44,033 tons of rice –
both white and fragrant – last month, up 22.6 percent from the 35,921 tons in
the same month last year, according to the report.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/21838/falling-rice-price-taking-a-toll-on-exporters/
Government
pushes out long term rice strategy
BANGKOK: — The government has
decided to lay out a 20-year rice strategy for rice with determination to
improve the country’s paddy management in order to resolve all farming and
marketing problems.
The strategy will be implemented from next year. The decision to
establish the strategy was reached during the meeting of the Rice Policy and
Management Committee chaired by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha
yesterday.Gen Prayut said the 20-year strategy will cover upstream,
middle-stream and downstream management of rice or from plantations to
management, production and selling process.He said the government also planned
to map out similar strategies for other crops including rubber, cassava and
sugar cane.The prime minister urged Thai people to eat more rice.
According to him, rice consumption in Thailand has fallen
from 190 kilogrames per person a year to 106 kilogrammes per person a year over
the past 10 years.Prime Minister Prayut said rice production will be capped at
25 million tons this year.Capping rice production is necessary to prevent
oversupply of the crop, he said.He added that the government will come up with
measures to give farmer incentive to convert their field for other crops
production.Rice production in Thailand stood at 31.2 tons last year.Permanent
secretary for Commerce Ms Chutima Bunyapraphasara meanwhile said that a budget
of some 10.08 billion baht has been proposed for the strategy implementation.
On the cap on rice, she said that the Agricultural and
Cooperative Ministry has put in place four measures to support rice
farmers.Farmers will be supported with good quality seeds. They will also be
given access to financial assistance so they could cultivate rice on a larger
field. Incentives will also be offered to farmers to lure them to cultivate a
variety of crops and to rest their soils after plantations, she said.She also
asked for cooperation from famers to stop off-season rice farming due to high
risk of crop loss.According to her, off-season paddies have been grown on 1.96
million rais of lands along the Chao Phraya river basin. Of them, only 8.1% of
the crop or rice grown on 240,000 rais of land has been harvested.
Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/152378
http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/thai-govt-pushes-out-long-term-rice-strategy/133038/
USA Rice Hosts First World Market Price
Meeting of 2016
WASHINGTON, DC -- This morning, the USA Rice World Market
Price Subcommittee (WMP) met here to discuss planting prospects for the coming
year, rice price reporting to National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS),
and trade issues facing the rice industry. Also at the meeting were
representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency
(FSA), Economic Research Service (ERS), and Foreign Agricultural Service
(FAS).
Traditionally, the first WMP meeting starts with a
conversation with NASS about prospective plantings for the coming year.
Farmers and mill members representing the six rice states were unanimous in
agreement that planted area in 2016 for their respective states would be higher
than 2015 area. The group also discussed Price Loss Coverage (PLC)
payments for 2014 with NASS and FSA representatives, and questioned how
sequestration might affect payment for 2015.
FAS updated the group on a range of global trade and
phytosanitary topics including the potential for more fortified rice purchases
for food aid, a review of meetings with the administration earlier this week on
TPP and WTO Compliance issues, and ongoing concerns with tenders for U.S. rice
in Iraq.
WMP Chairman Keith Glover said, "We had a chance to
talk about some pretty big issues with USDA today. There are a lot of
sensitive topics the U.S. rice industry is grappling with, and we appreciate
the chance to get some clarity and fill out our position for the future.
It was especially poignant to have the new graduates of the Rice Development
Leadership Class attending to see how we handle obstacles and opportunities
within the World Market Price Subcommittee."
The next World Market Price meeting will
take place in Washington, DC on May 18, 2016.
USA
Rice Participates in World's Largest Annual Food & Hospitality Show
By Eszter Somogyi
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES --
USA Rice has been on the Gulfood show floor all week to meet with companies
conducting business in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. The annual food show attracts importers,
manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and government officials
from around the world, making it a central place for USA Rice to tout the
quality of U.S.-grown rice and network with potential traders on behalf of the
industry.
"This event brings together
nearly 5,000 exhibitors from more than 160 countries," said Hartwig Schmidt,
USA Rice regional director, international market development. "Gulfood is one of the most coveted
shows for exporters and our presence here is invaluable for the U.S. rice
industry."
USA Rice's booth is inside the
USA Pavilion, one of the largest national pavilions in the food section of the
show, featuring more than 150 exhibitors.
USA Rice showcases various types of rice including long-grain,
medium-grain, parboiled, and wild rice to attract show attendees and help
educate those unfamiliar with U.S. rice.
Brochures highlighting U.S. rice facts, recipes, and nutritional
information are displayed in both English and Arabic.
Six USA Rice members representing
American Commodity Company, ADM Rice, Farmers' Rice Cooperative, Riceland
Foods, Sun Valley Rice, and Sunwest Foods are attending the show.
Steve Vargas (Sun Valley Rice)
said, "Gulfood is the must attend food show for those of us doing business
in the Middle East." Derek Alarcon (Farmers' Rice Cooperative) noted,
"It's a great opportunity to do business with current trade partners, and
develop new customers from the Middle East as well as countries from all over
the world." And Mark Holt (Riceland Foods) agreed saying, "The
Gulfood show is the most important trade show in the region and it's also an
opportunity to spend time with members from other rice growing states and learn
the latest news in the rice industry."
"This trade show is not only
a place to collect more than one hundred potential trade leads for our members,
but also a place to meet with FAS representatives from Africa and the Middle
East," said Schmidt. "It is also important to reconnect with our
existing trade partners in the region to maintain our relationships."
Villain' shrub may yield
drought-resistant rice
Thu,25 Feb 2016
·
Summary: Suja George, principal scientist at MSSRF, has
been studying rice and P juliflora at the molecular level for close to 12 years
now. In February, she and her team of researchers had a breakthrough of sorts
when they identified specific genes in the shrub that react to stressful
conditions. "Analysis of the physiological and molecular mechanism
underlying stress tolerance is just the first phase of the research," said
Suja. Chennai: For long, they were dubbed as the villain among vegetation,
sucking all the water from ground, spreading rapidly along the coast and
degrading the environment. "We created an environment of aridity in the
lab and isolated ribonucleic acid from the shrub's leaves and roots.
Chennai: For long, they were dubbed as the villain among
vegetation, sucking all the water from ground, spreading rapidly along the
coast and degrading the environment. More than a century after Prosopis
juliflora, a shrub, was introduced in Indian soil by the British, scientists
are now trying to use its genes to engineer rice varieties that can withstand
water scarcity.After coming up with rice grains that are resistant to saline
conditions by tapping genes of mangroves, researchers at M S Swaminathan
Research Foundation (MSSRF) have now identified genes in P juliflora that help
the weed withstand extreme climatic conditions like salinity and drought. This,
they say, can help develop transgenic rice grains that can cope with aridity.A
transgene is a gene or genetic material that has been transferred naturally or
through genetic engineering techniques from one organism to another.
Suja George, principal scientist at MSSRF, has been studying rice and P juliflora at the molecular level for close to 12 years now. In February, she and her team of researchers had a breakthrough of sorts when they identified specific genes in the shrub that react to stressful conditions. "We created an environment of aridity in the lab and isolated ribonucleic acid from the shrub's leaves and roots.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Villain-shrub-may-yield-drought-resistant-rice/articleshow/51133136.cms
http://www.nyoooz.com/chennai/369077/villain-shrub-may-yield-droughtresistant-rice
Thailand
plans steps worth $285 million to help drought-hit rice farmers
By Patpicha
Tanakasempipat
BANGKOK (Reuters)
- Thailand's government on Friday announced measures worth around $285 million
to help desperate rice farmers grappling with drought and low prices for their
crop.Thailand, the world's No.2 rice exporter after India, is facing what some
experts say is its worst drought in decades.That has crimped production but has
not pushed up prices as the country has about 12 million tonnes of rice in
storage that it is trying to offload, the legacy of a scheme by the previous
administration to support rural areas.Prices have also been hit as the economy
slows in China, the world's top rice importer.Rice farmers have for months been
pressuring the military government to do more to help cushion the fall in prices
that has plunged many into debt.
They have also
demanded the government do more to manage water reserves across the country
that have dipped below 2015 levels.The measures announced on Friday by the
country's rice management committee are worth around 10 billion baht ($285
million) and include plans to assist farmers in rice production.The committee
said in a statement that 6.76 billion baht of the total would go toward
stabilizing rice prices through soft loans for farmers who store paddy.
The government-owned
Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) will approve loans of
up to 300,000 baht ($8,415) to farmers who store rice to curb supply.
Domestic and
international demand for Thai paddy this year will stand at around 25 million
tonnes, the committee said.
It expects output
of 27.17 million tonnes in 2016, compared to an average of about 30 million
tonnes of paddy in recent years.Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday
told farmers to grow less rice to help manage limited water
resources.(Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Amy Sawitta
Lefevre and Joseph Radford)
http://news.yahoo.com/thailand-plans-steps-worth-285-million-help-drought-074251485.html
US,
China agree on UN North Korea resolution
February 25, 2016
1:10 AM
Washington (AFP) - The United States and China have agreed
on a UN resolution on North Korea's nuclear "provocations," the White
House announced Wednesday, with diplomats saying it would include fresh
sanctions and could go to a Security Council vote soon.Diplomats at UN
headquarters in New York said Washington and Beijing, Pyongyang's main backer,
had agreed on a draft resolution that contained "very tough
measures."The United States circulated the draft text to the other three
permanent council members -- Britain, France and Russia -- on Wednesday and was
set to formally present it to the full 15-member council soon, said the
diplomats, who asked not to be named.
Negotiations on the draft resolution began six weeks ago
after North Korea carried out its fourth nuclear test on January 6, claiming it
had successfully developed a thermonuclear device.During a meeting at the White
House Wednesday, US National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi agreed "on the importance of a strong and united
international response to North Korea's provocations, including through a UN
Security Council resolution that goes beyond previous resolutions," said a
statement from National Security Council spokesman Ned Price."They agreed
that they will not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state," added
the statement.
Underscoring the importance that the US placed on the
negotiations, the statement said that President Barack Obama dropped in on the
meeting.- 'Significantly substantive text' -
The announcement came despite substantial and very public
disagreement between the US and China on the best way to handle North
Korea.China wants its reclusive neighbor to halt its nuclear weapons program
and return to six-party international talks, but it has insisted that dialogue
is the only way to curb Pyongyang's behavior.The biggest obstacle to talks, it
argues, is Washington's stubborn insistence that it will not sit down with North
Korea until the country takes steps towards denuclearization.
Picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central
News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korea …
Washington, on the other hand, insists that China, which is
one of Pyongyang's biggest trading partners, should pressure the intransigent
country into behaving better.Beijing, however, fears that too much pressure
could trigger the collapse of the pariah regime, creating a political and
humanitarian crisis on its border and removing a buffer against US troops
currently stationed in South Korea."There were a significant number of
blockage points" between the United States and China, a Security Council
diplomat said, adding that now "there is agreement.""There is
good progress on the resolution and we are hopeful that there will be an
adoption in the coming days," the diplomat said.One diplomat described the
draft resolution as a "significantly substantive text", while another
said it contained "a large number of very tough measures," as well as
names to be added to the sanctions black list.
US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) poses with Chinese
President Xi Jinping prior to their meeting …
However, it stopped short of the strongest measures
proposed by the United States, which had met with strong resistance from
China.- Xi to attend nuclear summit -
The council has imposed four sets of sanctions on North
Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006.After North Korea carried
out a rocket launch on February 6, the Security Council renewed its pledge to
impose new sanctions on Pyongyang.There are 20 North Korean entities and 12
individuals on the UN sanctions blacklist, which provides for an assets freeze
and a global travel ban.But a UN panel of experts said this month that
sanctions had failed to prevent Pyongyang from scaling up its nuclear and ballistic
missile programs.After a decade of sanctions, the panel said, it found "no
indications that the country intends to abandon its nuclear and ballistic
missile programs."
"There are serious questions about the efficacy of the
current United Nations sanctions regime," the experts said in a
confidential report.The White House statement added that Obama joined the
meeting between Rice and Yi "to underscore his interest in building a
durable, constructive, and productive US-China relationship."The US leader
also said he looked forward to welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping to a
March 31-April 1 nuclear security summit in Washington and "working
together towards its success," the statement said.
Local rice demand pushes price of imported rice down
ESOK O Ghana has attributed the continuous decline in the
price of imported rice to an increase in demand for local rice by consumers.The
price of imported rice has seen continues reduction of about 20 percent in the
last three weeks.Currently a five kilogram bag of imported rice is selling at
21 cedis 90 pesewas against the 27 cedis 3 pesewas it recorded a week
before.Content Producer at Esoko Ghana Commodity Index (EGCI), Francis Danso
Adjei, explains to Citi Business News the decline in the price of imported rice
is due to the increase demand for local rice as well as standardization of
prices after the festive season.‘‘People are now buying more of the local rice,
people are now becoming patriotic. The second one is also because now the
festivities are over, so the price hike that we experienced during the
festivities is dropping. Prices are now beginning to normalize on the market so
that is why we are seeing those changes.”Francis Danso Adjei stated.He added,
“These are changes we should be concerned about. Things will normalize and all
things being equal, then we should have stable prices as we move on’’.
File photo: Imported rice
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Local-rice-demand-pushes-price-of-imported-rice-down-418604
Thailand
Bangkok. Thailand has
set its rice export target at 9.5 million tonnes for this year, down from about
10 million tonnes in 2015, due to the anticipated impact of drought on
production, a senior commerce ministry official said on Wednesday (24/02).
Lower
supply this y ear from Thailand, the world's second biggest
rice exporter after India, could drive up prices for the Thai grain, said
Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the ministry's foreign trade
department.
Twelve Thai
provinces have been seriously affected by drought, according to the interior
ministry."Our export goal for this year is 9.5 million tonnes, as we
believe drought will cut crops," Duangporn told reporters."The
overall decrease in production could lead to higher rice prices."The country's
commerce and agriculture ministries have also prepared 10 billion baht ($278
million) worth of measures to stabilize prices, said the ministry's permanent
secretary, Chutima Bunyapraphasara.That would involve buying rice to take it
off the market and storing it temporarily, she said, without elaborating
further.The Thai government last week held two auctions to sell 397,639 tonnes
of rice from state stockpiles to private companies for human consumption and
industrial use.
The rice
management committee has since approved the sale of 362,000 tonnes of the rice
on offer in the auctions, Duangporn said.When it took power in 2014, Thailand's
military government inherited about 18 million tonnes of rice in state
stockpiles, amassed as a result of a generous subsidy scheme under which the
previous civilian government bought rice from farmers at higher-than-market
prices.Since then, the junta has auctioned 5 million tonnes of rice through
several tenders, with sales worth about $1.5 billion.Thailand now holds about
12 million tonnes of rice in its state stockpiles
http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/international/thailand-aims-export-9-5-million-t-rice-2016/
Tribal woman inspires farming community
IANS
| Koratpur | 26 February, 2016
Raimati Ghiuria, a young tribal
woman, not only proved to be a leader in conserving local traditional varieties
of rice and millet seeds in her own land but also showed the path of
development to the farming communities of Odisha's Koraput district, an
agricultural expert said.Ghiuria, a leading woman farmer in Nuaguda village of
Kundra block, has conserved 40 traditional landraces (lineages developed by
farmers) of rice and 12 of millets and even trained about 340 neighbouring
women farmers in conserving of local genetic resources. She has also trained
others in the SRI (system of rice intensification) technique and line
transplanting method of rice cultivation. This has seen farmers increasing
their yields more than what they were getting from traditional cultivation
practices.
It all started nine years ago
when Raimati became a member of a self-help group (SHG) in her village and
participated in capacity-building training and awareness programmes at the M.S.
Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) here."This inspired her to lead
the group undertaking various micro-enterprises. This converted the group into
a model SHG which won the Most Progressive SHG award given by the district
administration in 2013," Kartik Lenka of the MSSRF said."We develop
hybrid varieties of paddy and other foodgrains. It is also equally important to
conserve indigenous species to maintain the natural biodiversity," Raimati
said, adding that training on value addition to the rice and millet crops is also
provided to the members of 27 other SHGs.
"They took this
micro-enterprise as an alternative livelihood option and each family is earning
an additional Rs.2,000 to Rs.3,000 per month," Raimati said.Due to her
energetic leadership and multi-skilled activities, she was conferred the best
leadership award by the district administration and Jamsetji Tata National
Virtual Academy Fellowship Award in 2014 for being "a leading grassroot
academician".She recently participated in the 'Prajatiya Khadyotsav (an
agro forest food diversity festival) organised by Tata Steel's Sukinda Chromite
Mine in Jajpur district."Even as conserving traditional species is not
lucrative against hybrid products, we need to conserve so that these indigenous
products do not go extinct," Lenka pointed out.
B.B. Panda of the Cuttack unit of
the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) said the indigenous varieties have
to be conserved for further research on producing high-yielding varieties."We
can develop high-yielding varieties through these indigenous varieties. With
the unavailability of the varieties, there would be no further
improvement," Panda said.He said climate change is posing a severe threat
to the country's farming community and there is need to preserve and multiply
the traditional seed varieties to improve the adaptation mechanism of farmers.The
UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has accorded the Globally Important
Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) status to the traditional agricultural
system being practised in the Koraput region.This means the tribal people have
an indigenous knowledge system for their various agricultural practices that
they use to check the viability of seeds before sowing, maintain soil fertility
and conserve their landraces
Representational image (Photo: Getty Images)
http://www.thestatesman.com/news/odisha/tribal-woman-inspiring-farming-community/126202.html#c9xrqiEv7GJ2JutY.99
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily
Commodity Report
Rice
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High
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Low
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Long
Grain Cash Bids
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Long
Grain New Crop
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Futures:
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Rice Comment
Rice futures were lower across the board. The
market continues to absorb disappointing export news. The loss of the Iraqi
tender, which had originally been for 90,000 tons US origin rice only, was the
impetus for the negative undertone this week. Weekly exports of 55,800 metric
tons weren't enough to spark much buying interest today. USDA pegged US acreage
at 2.8 million acres, up from last year's 2.6 million. Depending on the
weather, though, that total could be even higher
APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1422
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