13th December ,2016 Daily global,regional and local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine

US NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER LOC ESCALATION

Saturday, 10 December 2016 23:53

Fawad Maqsood

WASHINGTON: US National Security Adviser Dr Susan Rice on Friday expressed concern over the increasing escalation at the Line of Control (LoC) and said the United States stood for dialogue and meaningful cooperation among the countries of the region.She was speaking to Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) who is currently on a visit to Washington for post-election meetings with the US lawmakers.Dr Rice and SAPM discussed wide ranging issues of mutual interest in the areas of peace and security, counter terrorism, defense and economic cooperation at a meeting held at the White House. Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani was also present.

The recent escalation on the border and cease fire violations by the Indian forces were also discussed. Fatemi particularly mentioned the killing of innocent civilians, as a result of indiscriminatory fire by the Indian forces across the LoC and the Working Boundary. Dr Rice stressed that the United States attached the highest importance to its relations with Pakistan and expressed satisfaction with the progress made by both in enhancing their cooperation in multiple fields.She appreciated Pakistan's efforts to promote peace and stability in the region and commended its participation in the Heart of Asia Conference held in Amritsar last week.

Fatemi briefed Dr Rice on Pakistan's unprecedented successes in counter-terrorism, highlighting the sacrifices rendered by the people and security forces. He also drew the attention of Dr Rice to the massive and systematic human rights violations in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister is in Washington on the first high level visit from Pakistan after the November elections in the United States

http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/world/331236-us-national-security-adviser-expresses-concern-over-loc-escalation.html

Cut down on rice imports to support local sector

By Isaac Kalua
Updated Mon, December 12th 2016 at 00:15 GMT +3

Last week, we drove to Embu for the installation of Prof Paul Musili Wambua as chancellor of the University of Embu. I was thrilled that such a profound leader would now be in the driver’s seat of the young and promising university - Congratulations! My thrill was, however, disturbed when we drove past a small village near Sagana known as “munoa mana”. The village’s name means ‘one who labours in vain’ in Kamba. This caused me to reflect deeply about the hundreds of rice farmers that we journeyed through Mwea. Many were spreading their rice and husks beside the road to dry and hopefully entice motorists to stop and purchase. Most farmers looked worn out and beaten, like their labours were definitely in vain.

Mwea’s farmers should be a critical part of Kenya’s middle class because their rice constitutes more than eighty percent of locally produced rice, which in turn meets less than a third of Kenya’s rice demand of 540,000 metric tonnes per year. To fill the demand gap, Kenya imports at least 70 per cent of the rice it needs, mainly from Pakistan. Does it make sense that every time seven out of 10 Kenyans purchase rice, most of that money ends up in Pakistan instead of Mwea, Ahero or Tana Delta regions?

Isn’t it telling that although Kenya’s rice production has tripled in the last seven years to nearly 150,000 tonnes in 2015, the rice farmers’ revenue hasn’t tripled? For us to change this unfortunate scenario, we need to produce more locally, import less and ensure that rice farmers will be the key beneficiaries of this changed equation.

In 2014, the government took concrete steps to revise the National Rice Development Strategy of 2008 to involve our devolution system. This Strategy seeks to double rice production by 2018. To do this, the strategy rightly notes that in the post-harvesting phase, cutting, threshing, winnowing, drying, storage, milling, grading and packaging should all be dully mechanized and handled in technologically optimal fashion. The Strategy further emphasizes that development of rice varieties, ‘will be oriented towards consumer demand to enhance domestic market.’

To objectify this strategy and pull rice farmers into tangible abundance, I suggest we dissuade ourselves off our addiction to imported rice with an attitude.

Our current lopsided importation of rice is only benefiting a few individuals at the expense of local farmers. This must urgently stop and we endure the pain that will result because, no pain, no gain. This pain of temporary rice scarcity may force public and private sector players in the rice sector to respond by truly doubling rice production by 2018. If we do this, Kenya’s rice farmers in general and Mwea’s in particular will never have to labour in vain. Think Green, Act green!

https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000226553/cut-down-on-rice-imports-to-support-local-sector

GIEWS Country Brief: Cambodia 12-December-2016

REPORT

from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Published on 12 Dec 2016 

Download PDF (199.89 KB)

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

·         Increased rains boost prospects for 2016 main season rice output

·         Rice exports in 2016 forecast above last year’s level

·         Rice prices increased seasonally in October

·         Large numbers of people affected by the lingering effects of prolonged drought in 2015 and 2016

Increased rains boost prospects for 2016 main season rice production

Harvesting of the 2016 main (“wet”) paddy crop, which normally accounts for about 80 percent of the national annual production, just started and is expected to continue until the end of February. Although dry weather conditions at the start of the season between May and July caused some delay of planting activities, rains resumed from August, allowing planting pace to pick up and boosting yield prospects. According to latest official estimates, as of early November, some 2.6 million hectares were sown to main paddy crop, 2 percent above last year’s level. Improved rains also benefited water availabilities for the 2016 mostly irrigated secondary (“dry”) paddy crop, currently being planted and to be harvested from March 2017. Assuming average growing conditions prevail, FAO forecasts the 2016 aggregate rice production at 9.5 million tonnes, slightly above last year’s level and a new record.

The bulk of the 2016 maize crop was harvested by October. FAO’s latest estimate put the aggregate 2016 maize production at 750 000 tonnes, implying a strong recovery after two years of sharply-reduced outputs. This is the result of a larger area sown, as well as, improved yields, reflecting favourable weather conditions and Government input support, including the distributions of subsidized water pumps and fertilizers.

Rice exports in 2016 forecast above last year’s level

Rice exports in the 2016 calendar year are forecast by FAO at 1.25 million tonnes, 4 percent above last year’s level, mainly reflecting increased border trade with Viet Nam. By contrast, maize shipments in 2016 are anticipated to be three times lower than their level last year, due to the sharply reduced production in 2015. Maize exports are expected to return to normal levels at 140 000 tonnes in 2017, in line with a recovery in 2016 output.

Rice prices increased seasonally in October

Wholesale prices of rice increased in most markets in October, supported by seasonal tightness, but remained below their year‑earlier levels. In an attempt to boost prices paid to farmers during the 2016 main harvest, the Government approved in late September a special loan package of USD 27 million to rice millers to buy rice paddy from farmers. The total includes USD 20 million from the Government’s budget and USD 7 million from the state-run Rural Development Bank. On the loans provided to rice millers, the Government will charge an annual interest rate of 8 percent.

Large numbers of people affected by lingering effects of drought in 2015 and 2016

The impact of the prolonged drought from early 2015 to mid‑2016 has resulted in an increased level of food insecurity in the affected areas. According to official estimates, approximately 2.5 million Cambodians and 18 out of 25 provinces, were affected by the drought. Although rains improved from late July over most of the country, bringing relief to the drought affected areas, farming households with little resilience and low agricultural productivity have not recovered fully and may require some humanitarian assistance

http://reliefweb.int/report/cambodia/giews-country-brief-cambodia-12-december-2016

Paddy stocks may pile up as millers face cash crisis

By V L Syamsundar | THE HANS INDIA |    Dec 13,2016 , 03:01 AM IST

      

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Guntur: Paddy purchase by rice millers, which typically begins in the second week of December, is likely to be hit by the cash crunch. The millers are worried on how to get cash to pay not only farmers, but also for transportation and labour. A mill owner needs cash in lakhs only to pay lorry owners and hamalis.

And then, the big test comes: payment of cash to farmers within a week of paddy purchase. Sources in rice milling industry, they cannot issue cheques or transfer money electronically as most millers do zero business and do not show genuine accounts fearing taxes.

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Highlights:

•           Paddy purchasing begins in the second week of December and continues till June next year. But business is brisk in the first three months only as farmers need cash urgently to repay loans and meet their expenses

•           Millers say due to cash crunch, they may not be able to pay even to lorry owners and hamalis, let alone farmers who ask for at least 25 per cent of money immediately after the sale

•           Issuing of cheques and electronic transfer to farmers is ruled out as both millers and farmers have their own fears regarding them

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Apart from this, farmers too would not accept no-cash mode of money payment as many of them have no accounts or reluctant to deposit money in account fearing adjustment towards loans by banks.Rice millers say it is difficult for them to get cash in the prevailing circumstances. They say farmers demand at least 25 per cent of the cash as soon as they sell paddy to meet their immediate needs. If they can’t pay, the farmers may not sell the produce. The rice millers, who normally continue to buy paddy till June next year, feel that the cash crunch may continue for at least three months.

But paddy purchasing is more in the first three months only. Milling industry sources say purchasing activity will pick up very slowly this season due to shortage of cash and this will make both millers and farmers suffer. The district administration decided to open 37 paddy purchasing centres in the district from December 14. Depending upon the requirement, some more centres will be opened. Guntur city Rice Millers Association president Chekuri Sambasiva Rao  said it was not possible to make payments to farmers by cheques.

“When they demand cash, we should give some cash immediately. Only then they sell paddy. It is difficult to purchase paddy without cash. We have to pay transport charges, unloading, loading charges immediately. If we export to other States, we will get payments after some time. With demonetisation having its impact in all States, it may take more time than normal. We home some relief is on the way as bank officials are planning to liberalise the current accounts,” he added. District Supply Officer E Chittibabu said, “Civil Supplies Corporation will issue cheques to the farmers who sold their paddy its counters. They cheques will be handed over to farmers within three days for paddy purchase

”http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Andhra-Pradesh/2016-12-13/Paddy-stocks-may-pile-up-as-millers-face-cash-crisis/268456

Nigeria: Automobile Import Ban Through Land Borders - Threat or Trophy?

By Crusoe Osagie and Eromosele Abiodun

The recent announcement on the ban on importation of vehicles through land borders may have been music to the ears of a segment of the automobile sector, but auto dealers say it has no benefit in the long term for government and the common man.On Monday, December 5, the federal government announced the prohibition of importation of vehicles, new and used, through land borders.This was contained in a statement issued by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Public Relations Officer, Mr. Wale Adeniyi.

The statement said there was a presidential directive restricting all vehicle imports to Nigerian Sea Ports only and the order would take effect from January 1, 2017.

According to Adeniyi, "The restriction on importation of vehicles follows that of Rice, whose imports have been banned through the land borders since April 2016. Importers of vehicles through the land borders are requested to utilise the grace period up till December 31, 2016 to clear their vehicle imports landed in neighbouring ports."

The government may have, with this restriction, acceded to one of the requests made by Nigerian Automotive Manufacturers Association (NAMA) to ease their operations.

The Chairman of NAMA, Mr. Tokunbo Aromolaran, had last week stated that manufacturing has been tough in this environment for the reason that specific attention has not been paid to, "Our own peculiarities. All the people that we compete against operate in an environment that makes it easy for them to access the things they need to put together to add value to their various environment, but here, you have to build your own power station, roads, water system, coming through the port is a hell, inflation affects us too, at 21 per cent, and when you put all these together, the cost of production is naturally higher."

Aromolaran, who is the Managing Director of VON Automobiles Limited, said if the government wants to encourage the auto sector then, "there should be preferential policies to ensure that people, who are getting Nigerians employed and assisting to put food on the table in millions of homes, should be encouraged to grow and grow faster. When they get past that threshold, then they can compete with anybody. Now, we are not able to compete and that is why it is easier to import. For those who prefer to import, it is easy business. Nigerians are suffering; we are seeing people working in other countries while our own people are walking in the streets."

He said if not that VON was strong enough; they would have been down-sizing by now because, "there is no business. But we have taken a stance that we will keep our workers because we have spent millions training them and it does not make sense to invest in people and let them go."

He added: "Right now, we are bleeding. That is why working in manufacturing in this country right now is not the best situation you can have. We are hoping that government looks at the policy again that surrounds manufacturing, let's have some preferential interest rates, let's look at the foreign exchange allocation to allocate to sectors that generate something back for the country. We spend a lot of money paying for invisibles, most of our dollars pay for things nobody sees, and if they are not there we wouldn't miss a thing. But there are those things that add value to us and if we can look at our policies again and redirect them, Nigeria will be better for it."

Aromolaran noted that the preferential duties given to auto manufacturers through the Auto Policy should be improved upon, explaining that, "for those of us who assemble either from completely knock down or semi knock down, government, through the Auto Policy, has put in place preferential duties; it was part of the suggestions we made to encourage local production. That has helped so far, but we need to carry it further, the reason being that if we don't achieve the volumes, then what we want in terms of lower prices will not manifest and what we are hoping is that Nigerians would be channelled towards buying locally produced cars, which means less of cars that have been used by other people for 10-15 or more years abroad; we are not second-class people; Nigerians are proud, hardworking people; they should have the opportunity to also buy brand new cars when they have worked hard in their lives."

He said: "If the policy can be made wholesome, there is no need having a duty rebate alone, they must give us a wholesome environment where we can thrive, then the government will enjoy the benefit of it."

Dealer Knock Policy

However, major car dealers in both new and used vehicles who did not want their names mentioned for fear of backlash from government knocked the policy saying that it will have devastating impact on ordinary Nigerians and the economy.

They said the policy will have the most impact on used cars, the segment of the market where most Nigerians operate.

According to the dealers, the decision is not good for the sector and will make it difficult for Nigerians to own cars.

"The policy is the product of poor thinking. How can a government crush the biggest segment of a sector?

"They are taking these decisions without even consulting the real stakeholders and operators of the sector. Instead they are using consultants and professors from the universities to make decision on a sector they know only a little about.

"Also, government is thinking only about revenues and they are mortgaging economic growth," they said.

The dealers also noted that the decision was also taken in the interest of a small segment of the auto industry claim to be auto manufacturers but in fact are not manufacturing any cars in Nigeria.

"Only Innoson is doing some level of automobile manufacturing in Nigeria. All the others are at best just fixing lights, bumpers and trunk and they call it manufacturing.

"Ask any of these so called auto manufacturers to show you their assembly lines and you will see that they are adding zero value. For one Korean auto dealer if you investigate them, you will see that their vehichle service area is much larger than their so called auto assembly plant.

"To have a modest auto assembly plant you need nearly a billion dollars investment, which none of them can afford to make in the country at the moment.

Customs Take a Stand

Speaking on the plans put in place to enforce the policy, The Public Relations Officer, Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Seme Command, Taupyem Sechang said: "We are increasing our intelligence and surveillance capability. With better coordinated intelligence, enforcement is easier. We are leaving no stone unturned including checking the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) to ensure goods manufactured outside the sub regional bloc are not smuggled under the scheme's cover." On the plan to stop smuggling, he said: "Under our new Comptroller we have evolved an unrelenting round the clock anti smuggling approach. We are doing it successfully on the ban on rice. Automobiles will not be different. Seme is now the most difficult place to smuggle. Perpetrators are seeking alternative routes in other borders and they are not finding it easy. We hope to deploy more officers strategically and we have started with the yuletide approaching.

"The Customs Area Commander (CAC) insists on uncompromising discharge of all directives from our Comptroller General (CGC) and the government. Enforcing ban on motor vehicles import through the borders will not be different here in Seme border. Why are we here? Part of our function is to fight smuggling. Smugglers are risk takers and they should expect massive seizures and arrests if they dare our resolve. Enforcement is one of our key functions here. Our preventive anti-smuggling drive is causing economic havoc in a neighboring country."

He also stated that the policy will not impact negatively on customs revenue given the experience from the ban on importation of rice through the land borders.

Furthermore, he said: "When a ban was placed on rice importation through the border, everyone thought revenue will drop drastically. The CAC and his team deployed tact and intelligence in blocking all possible areas of revenue leakage. In November we surpassed our target by ensuring collection of all revenue due to government. We facilitate legitimate trade without compromising national security. Volume of trade in Seme is higher than that of any other border and we will continually maximise duty collection. Whatever revenue target the government sets for us in 2017, we will pursue it as achievable feat."

He also warned that anybody shipping Nigerian bound car from Benin Republic is taking a serious economic risk stressing that, "more than ever before, we are set for more sustained enforcement."

Tough Times for Importers

Meanwhile, while the federal government's decision may have gladden the hearts of members of NAMA and ship owners, some importers who have relied on the Benin Republic borders to bring vehicles into the country are not happy. Some importers who spoke to THISDAY want the decision rescinded because of the economic situation in the country at the moment. An importer, Eze Chukwuyem, posited that the policy is coming at the wrong time, "stressing, this is the worst Christmas present one can ever have. After spending money in the festive period what can we do in January when the policy will take effect?" Another importer, Friday Aigbiremolen who sells used cars at Berger urged the federal government to have a rethink because enough vehicles are not being manufactured locally to fill the gap for the imported ones when the policy takes effect.

According to him, "How many vehicles are being manufactured locally? All they do here is assemble cars, again how many Nigerians can afford brand new cars with their salaries and the economic situation in the country. You cannot just wake up and say all cars must come into the country through the seaport. Most Nigerians can only afford cars brought into the country through land borders because they are cheaper."

Benin Republic Groans

It is not just Nigerian importers and smugglers that will feel the pinch, the federal government policy banning vehicle importation into Nigeria through land borders will further tighten the Benin Republic economy already groaning due to similar ban on rice importation.

THISDAY had exclusively reported recently that rice worth over $3 billion destined for the Nigerian markets are stuck in various warehouses in Benin Republic due to federal government refusal to allow its importation through land borders and fierce customs anti smuggling drive.

The annual routine of importing rice into the neighbouring country from July to December to make massive sales in Nigeria during yuletide has hit a brick wall this year as Controller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (RTD.) has insisted that his men tighten the frontiers.

From January most of the cars landing in the Cotonou Port meant for Nigerian use will also be stuck.

THISDAY checks revealed that Seme Customs is set to deploy officers in the vehicle seat unit into full anti smuggling and legitimate trade facilitation functions.

There are fears in Cotonou that by January over 7000 unit of cars will be in the popular car markets.

Seme Border as Transit Point

Nigeria shares major border frontiers with Benin Republic at Seme Border (Lagos), Idiroko (Ogun), Shaki (Oyo), Chikanda (Kwara) and other smaller openings. Prominent among them is Seme, where the highest volume of trade and largest smuggling opportunity exists because of its easier access to Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital city.

Seme Border, which hitherto was a major transit point for foreign rice importation and smuggling also became a no go area for the commodity as almost daily seizures of 50kg bags of it have taken a good portion of the government warehouse .

A recent visit to Benin reveals that most of the warehouses where the bagged rice were kept before shipment into the country are now battling for space.

Some consignments of imported rice into the small West African country that had no space at the usual and popular stores were moved to makeshift storage areas and are exposed to rains, weevils and other unhygienic forms of storage.

Popular warehouses no longer receive rice shipments as thousands of bags earlier delivered to them since July could not be evacuated into Nigeria as planned and as the usual case in previous years.

Popular Cherika warehouse in Akpakpa near Cotonou with a capacity to hold 25,000 bags is fully loaded with Thailand rice with no hope of evacuating them into Nigeria except government relaxes its policy disallowing rice imports through border or customs softening their round the clock enforcement in Seme.

Defezi warehouse close to the Cotonou Port with is filled with over 40,000 units of 50kg bags of Indian and Thailand rice. Defezi got occupied earlier due to its proximity to the port but was not evacuated as the owners could not risk entering Nigeria with it.

Cica warehouse in Missebo area of the Cotonou outskirts that suffered lack of patronage in the past due to distance from Seme border and bad road presently has over 15,000 bags.

Some are getting molded, caked with their bags torn and quantity reduced while under storage in several odd arrangements endlessly awaiting shipment into Nigeria.

While hope of smuggling them into Nigeria gets dim by the day, there is a conscious efforts at attempting the smuggling of the commodity without using bags.

The unwholesome methods requires pouring grains of rice into various compartments of vehicles like the booths, bonnets, inner part of the doors, under the seats and other spaces meant for spare tyres and tools.

Sources disclosed that attempts to try bringing in some hundreds of bags failed as the trial smuggling bags ended up inside the customs warehouse in Seme and Idiroko as seizures.

The seized rice, some of which are closed to expiring and unwholesome for human consumption have become bad and unqualified for donation to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps as was done in the recent past.

Over 37,000 bags of rice have so far been seized in Seme and Idiroko between January and September 2016 with a recent clamp down on 13 vehicles at a go in the Ogun State area all laden with smuggled rice.

At the major stores, a downturn of business activities has hit various traders and workers who make brisk businesses from rice coming into Nigeria.

From the owners of the rice to the transporters, loaders, landlords and operators of warehouses, there is a general lull as it has been a season of stockpiling without transiting.

They expressed frustration not mainly with the government policy but more on what they described as Seme Customs lack of cooperation.

Customs Stand on Ban

The Nigeria Customs Service had in an October 2016 press statement reiterated government's ban on rice importation through the borders. The statement signed by Adeniyi, reinforced its resolve to protect government's attempt to improve local rice capacity.

Part of it read: "We like to reiterate the position that importation of Rice remains banned through our Land Borders, and we have the commitment of Partner Government Agencies and Stakeholders to enforce this restriction. While this restriction is in force, Rice imports through the Ports are still allowed subject to payment of extant charges.

"It is equally important to restate the confidence of the Nigeria Customs Service in the ability of Nigerian Rice Producers to fill the existing sufficiency gaps in the supply of the product. The Service has noted with satisfaction the ongoing Rice Revolution undertaken by many state governments, and strategic interventions by federal government agencies.

"The Service is convinced that the bumper harvests expected from these efforts will address the supply gap in 2017. It is our belief that continuous waste of scarce forex on a commodity that can be produced locally makes no economic sense, most especially at a period of recession. The Service will therefore advocate a total Ban on Rice Importation into Nigeria with effect from 2017."

Loud Cries in Benin

THISDAY investigation revealed that there are loud cries in Benin over what is going on at Seme and other borders. A respondent simply identified as Mr. Sewanu said things have taken a turn for the worse as their opportunities tied to bringing rice into Nigeria have been stalled.

Sewanu said: "You can see we are idle here because rice is not entering Nigeria through Seme Border. Now they have added vehicles, this means that we can't work. Each day we come here, it is in prayer that the customs should cooperate with our bosses so we can have jobs to do to survive.

"By this time of previous years, thousands of bags of rice enter Nigeria from here and more ships will be discharging at the Cotonou Port on daily basis. But this year is different, nothing is working. Seme Customs people have spoiled the business for us. We don't want to take the risk of transporting rice through any other border because Lagos is the largest market. Once you enter through Seme, you are already in the market. 'If this continues, we may die of hunger. Benin customs in Krake cooperate with us but the Customs in Nigeria are our only headache. We want the Controller removed. He is making things difficult, "Sewanu lamented.

A visit to the border showed smooth processing of imports into Nigeria. Also, the banks have become a beehive of activities as people rush to pay for customs duties for items not on Nigeria's import prohibition list.

While the stockpiling of imported rice continues to increase in Cotonou and neighbouring towns, there may never be a market for them as they face the risk of either being expired or going bad due to poor storage condition.

STOAN Hails FG

Just like NAMA, the Seaport Terminal Operators of Nigeria (STOAN) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for banning the importation of vehicles into the country through the land borders.

STOAN Chairman, Vicky Haastrup, while reacting to the ban announced by the federal government penultimate Monday said the move, if well implemented by the Nigeria Customs Service, will reduce the smuggling of vehicles into Nigeria and revive the operations of Roll-On-Roll-Off (RORO) terminals in the country.

RORO terminals are specialised port terminals that handle all types of vehicles.

Haastrup asked the government to take a step further by scrapping the high import duty regime imposed on vehicles by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2013.

"We are confident of the ability of President Muhammadu Buhari to turn the economy around. The earlier ban on importation of rice and now of vehicles, through the land borders is a welcome development. We are happy that the President has listened to our appeal to reverse incongruous policies inherited by his government from the former administration and which have deprived Nigerian ports of cargoes to the advantage of the ports of neighbouring countries. In addition to this ban through the land borders, we appeal to the President to return the import duties on vehicles to 20 per cent from the prohibitive 70 per cent tariff imposed by the former administration.

"The reversal to the old tariff will serve as an incentive for Nigerians to import legitimately through the seaports and make appropriate payments to government. This will boost revenue collection by the Nigeria Customs Service. It will also lead to the return of lost jobs at the affected ports. We also appeal to Customs officers at the border posts to support the Federal Government and the NCS leadership by ensuring that no smuggled vehicle finds its way into the country through the land borders from 1st January 2017 when the new policy is expected to come into effect, "Haastrup said.

Haastrup said since 2014 when the 70 per cent hike in the tariff of imported vehicles came into effect, Nigeria had lost 80 per cent of its vehicle cargo traffic to the ports of neighbouring countries.

"Since the high tariff was introduced, importers have resorted to landing their vehicles at the ports of neighbouring countries and smuggling them into Nigeria without paying appropriate duties to government. This amounted to huge revenue loss to Customs. The policy also led to loss of more 5,000 direct and indirect jobs at the affected port," the STOAN Chairman said.

Impact of Smuggling

Smuggling severely harms the economy of a country in multidimensional ways. It undermines the local industry, discourages legal imports and reduces the volume of revenues collected from duties and levies by the state. Unfortunately a parallel underground economy has taken roots in Nigeria.

A major proportion of the revenue to be collected by the federal government is being lost, over and above the adverse impact that the smuggled items cause to local industry. Obviously this cannot be done without connivance of the corrupt officials including those in the law enforcement agencies and everyone is aware of it but no action is being taken.

Markets and Shops across the country are flooded with smuggled goods of any and all descriptions. Smuggled items through the Seme, Idiroko, Katsina, and Yobe borders form a major part of the informal economy volume of which ranges between 50 to 60 per cent of the formal economy. Smuggling has assumed an alarming proportion and turned out to be a parallel economy, which is depriving the country of its rightful levies including excise and customs duty worth hundreds of billions of naira.

As a result of the activities of smugglers, thousands of industrial units have been rendered sick, due to the availability of smuggled goods in open markets. Smuggling has now become a routine part of all economic activities in Nigeria which hardly raises any eye brows nor stirs the slightest fear of the law. Nigeria is facing the challenge of measuring and countering enormous revenue leakages and black money -- its size estimated to be three time the regular economy.

Illegal Importation of Goods

Meanwhile, a report by the World Bank on the level of illegal importation of goods into Nigeria from neighbouring Benin Republic and other West African countries showed the alarming rate of smuggling and the impact on the nation's economy.

Experts believe this should be a major concern to the federal government and the agencies responsible for management of the nation's economy. According to the World Bank, an astonishing $5 billion (N1.45 trillion) worth of assorted goods are smuggled into Nigeria through Benin Republic alone every year.

This amount represents about 15 per cent of total smuggled goods through that border. The World Bank report also claims it has enough evidence that over $400 million (N116 billion) representing about 25 per cent of the total current annual revenue collected by the Customs Service is lost through nefarious smuggling across the sub-regional borders.

The report, which was prepared by two of the World Bank's leading experts on the African Transport Unit also noted that smuggling into Nigeria will further hamper the operational efficiency of the Customs Service and cause more revenue losses if urgent steps are not taken by government to tackle it. It advised a liberalisation of trade policies which encourage smuggling across the borders.

Experts told THISDAY that the report is troubling but not surprising, considering the increasing rate of smuggling across our borders, especially along the Benin republic axis.

"A combination of factors accounts for this unhealthy trend. One of them is the high cost of clearing goods in our ports and the laxity of enforcement of anti-smuggling laws by those charged with responsibility in the country. It is not unkind to say that the integrity of some of the customs and immigration officials statutorily charged with policing our borders is suspect.

Many compromise their positions. Bad eggs among them are more concerned with lining their own pockets than checking smuggling activities, thereby denying government much-needed revenue.

"Therefore, the World Bank report should not be ignored. It should be treated as a wake-up call to address systemic difficulties in checking smuggling through the Benin Republic borders, and others in the region. In this regard, information exchange is vital. This has become crucial because available statistics reveal that 13 per cent of traffic of goods from the port in Cotonou, the capital of Benin Republic, is destined for Nigeria, while about 75 percent of the containers that land at the Cotonou Port are headed for our country.

"We also believe that the current rate of smuggling through the West African sub-region is encouraged by tariff differentials. This has made it more economically viable for importers to patronise other ports in the sub-region rather than Nigerian ports. Government should seriously look into the problem with a view to formulating better policies to redress the situation, "said a top player in the maritime sector who do not want his name in print.

He added: "Also, government should take a hard look at some of the treaties of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Some of these treaties encourage free movement of people without addressing its harmful effects. Often, this freedom of movement undermines the economy of other countries through unbridled smuggling of goods.

"All in all, the World Bank report should be seen as a roadmap for designing new strategies for our country's trade policy initiatives with neighbouring countries. This is crucial because inability to adequately check smuggling into Nigeria can undermine both national and economic security of the country, with attendant broad political implications."

Mis-invoicing of International Trade

It is not just smuggling that is destroying developing economies. Terrorism, human trafficking, and drug smuggling have long painted a gritty picture of crime in the developing world. However, new details are coming to light about another much less visible form of crime and its adverse effects on developing countries. Fraudulent financial transactions, in particular the mis-invoicing of international trade transactions, are having a significant impact on most African economies.

According to a report published by Global Financial Integrity (GFI) on mis-invoicing and the Impact of Revenue Loss, the mis-invoicing of international trade transactions has allowed for the fraudulent movement of at least $60.8 billion in and out of the five African countries alone between 2002 and 2011.

Mis-invoicing is a form of trade-based money laundering that includes the over and understatement of import and export values on official forms and records. Firms engaging in international trade in developing countries often conduct these fraudulent transactions in order to evade tariffs and taxes, collect additional export-related tax credits and subsidies, or move large amounts of capital in and out of countries illegally.

Mis-invoicing can typically be as simple as altering the values on the books for a given transaction. For example, a firm may understate the value of an import shipment in invoices and records in order to pay lower tariffs or overstate the value of an export shipment in order to gain more export credits and subsidies than the shipment actually earned.

Experts believe catching those that engage in mis-invoicing is typically difficult for developing countries. "Often times mis-invoicing can be performed effectively by making very small augmentations to the prices of common goods. If a firm augments the value of its goods by only one or two dollars per unit, even the best customs officers would be unlikely to notice it, and the benefits of such an augmentation could still add up significantly in large volumes.

"However, this is only trade mis-invoicing in its mildest form. In many cases, firms engaging in mis-invoicing and other forms of money laundering send their transactions through anonymous shell companies in tax havens and developed countries in order to further disguise their activities, allowing them to augment values much more as the important details of the transactions disappear without a trace behind a shield of secrecy and anonymity, "said National President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201612120533.html

PLASTIC RICE JITTERS ... Customs imposes ban on rice imports

December 12, 2016

A ban has been placed on the clearance of rice at all ports of entry.Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) made the announcement today following reports that plastic rice is now on the island, and has made its way into some pots.

In addition to announcing that it has temporarily ceased the clearance of rice at the ports, the JCA has convened a meeting with the relevant regulatory agencies. Those agencies includes the Bureau of Standards (BSJ), the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Health and the Jamaica Constabulary Force.Members of the public are urged to call the JCA or the BSJ and report if they have bought this product or are aware of the place of distribution, so that steps can be taken for the removal of the product from the market

http://jamaica-star.com/article/20161212/plastic-rice-jitters-customs-imposes-ban-rice-imports

Scientists helping Filipino farmers adapt to climate change

ALABANG, Muntinlupa City, December 13 —Current practices of Filipino rice farmers including the varieties they use  are continuously being upgraded by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to help them adapt to the unpredictable effects of climate change.

This was an observation from Dr. Yoichiro Kato, a rainfed lowland agronomist at IRRI, during his presentation at the recent 10th Annual Scientific Forum and Meeting, organized by the Philippine Association of Career Scientists, Inc. (PACS). The event attracted Kato and other international and national scientists from different disciplines who shared insights from their research activities in improving farmers’ planting practices.

Kato, when discussing other adaptive measures for growing rice under the current Philippine weather and climate conditions, cited Central Thailand's rice farming model, which uses a number of the dynamic farming approaches recommended by IRRI.

He also shared his three-step research philosophy for agricultural science: (1) know your own target; (2) get robust evidence; and (3) understand reasons behind the results. “This is my personal strategy to effectively implement basic researches in rice agronomy,” Kato said.

Dr. Ricardo Orge, from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), presented his study on coping with climate change in the Philippines.  He gave an overview of Palayamanan, a PhilRice initiative on water-saving technology for diversified and integrated system of farming.  Orge’s presentation stimulated a discussion on budget limitations for rice-farming research.   

According to Evelyn Mae Tecson-Mendoza, Scientific Career Council Executive Secretary Academician, research and development (R&D) in the Philippines are lagging behind in the number of R&D personnel per million persons in the population.  This lags far behind other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and needs to be remedied.

Other prominent scientists from leading rice research centers in the country discussed how they are providing far-reaching technological solutions in line with the Forum’s theme, Reinforcing science and technology capacities for sustainable community development,

The Philippine Scientific Career System and the National Academy of Science and Technology collaborated with PACS in sponsoring the forum (IRRI/PIA)

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/641481591390/scientists-helping-filipino-farmers-adapt-to-climate-change

Surge in methane threatens climate, scientists say

Experts cite increased livestock and ag production

Author: By Reed Alexander for CNN

Published On: Dec 12 2016 12:00:26 AM PST   Updated On: Dec 12 2016 06:04:43 AM PST

While the world has been working to reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change, there's been a troubling spike in another dangerous gas.

Methane levels in the atmosphere are rising faster than at any point in the past two decades, according to new research.The findings are presented by the newly-released Global Methane Budget published Monday -- part of an effort by 100 international scientists to understand just how much methane is rising, and why.While methane is less prevalent in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide, according to a statement from the Global Carbon Project, it "(traps) 28 times more heat."Robert Jackson, a co-author of the report and Stanford University professor, said: "I think (people) should be concerned. At the same time we are trying to stabilize carbon dioxide emissions, methane is heading in the opposite direction."

"It is dire," he added.

Dangerous spike

Researchers say methane gas emissions spiked during 2014 and 2015 at astonishing levels.Concentrations in the atmosphere increased by 10 or more parts per billion, a significant surge from the 0.5 parts per billion by which had been recorded in the early 2000s.

The surge was first noticed in 2007, and since then the levels have gotten much worse.

The exact reasons behind the increase are unclear, but, in an editorial published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, scientists cite agricultural production and increasing livestock, alongside fossil fuel exploration.

"Many people would point the finger at the oil and gas industry first -- but agricultural sources are bigger," Jackson said.

Rice production and livestock both emit methane into the atmosphere, but Pep Canadell, another co-author of the editorial, says that there are challenges in curtailing the spread of methane from either source.

"Countries are very concerned -- particularly less developed countries -- to ensure that there's enough food production, excess food production, to meet all (their) needs," Canadell said.

"Constraining greenhouse gases is an additional pressure on countries that mainly have opted not to do much about it so far, because the priority has been to secure the levels of food production that are required," he said.

What happens now?

Scientists are calling on the international community to commit to preventing any further increase in methane emissions.

Otherwise, they say the objectives of the Paris climate agreement, which went into effect in November, could be in jeopardy.

Greenhouse gas emissions must stop completely in order to stabilize the climate, Canadell warned.

"The entire package of greenhouse cases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) should be at peak emissions. And, from now on, they should start going down all the way to zero by the end of this century," he said.

If they don't, temperatures could rise in excess of the two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels set forth by the Paris agreement. And the results of that could be disastrous -- droughts, floods, global warming, severe weather.

Uncertain future

One solution Jackson has proposed is that the agriculture sector look at new innovations that enable rice to be grown with less flooding, which would help to cut methane emissions.

"Most rice is grown in flooded areas. Methane is given off in flooded soils. If we could grow rice that required less flooding, we'd slash methane emissions," he said.

Canadell said countries like China had emerged as leaders against climate change, and raised concerns over what might happen if US climate policy shifts under the incoming presidential administration.

http://www.kxly.com/news/surge-in-methane-threatens-climate-targets-scientists-say/42765552

2016 Rice Award Winners Recognized at USA Rice Outlook Conference 

By Deborah Willenborg

	Lifetime Achievement Award Winner  Gary Sebree

MEMPHIS, TN -- The USA Rice Outlook Conference is where the U.S. rice industry meets, to share information, network, and honor the accomplishments of industry leaders at the annual Rice Awards Luncheon. This year's awards ceremony celebrated three individuals for their contributions and achievements:   Richard Fontenot, farmer of the year, Dr. Steve Linscombe, rice industry award winner and Gary Sebree, rice lifetime achievement award.

Richard Fontenot is a fifth generation rice farmer whose family legacy in Evangeline Parish is one of innovation, conservation, and industry advocacy.  He and his brother, Neal, operate R & N Farms growing rice, soybeans, and crawfish, and also run a precision leveling business.  Their family tradition of being at the forefront of modernization began in the early 1900s and continues today with Fontenot's work with rice researchers, equipment dealers, and youth programs such as 4-H and FFA.  Off the farm, Fontenot is an active advocate for the rice industry, serving on the Louisiana Rice Research Board as well as the board of directors of USA Rice and USA Rice Farmers.  He says, "Without the support and counsel of my family, I would not have been able to participate in rice industry and agriculture advocacy activities."

Over the last thirty years, Louisiana's rice yield has nearly doubled - from 3,800 pounds in 1983 to 7,500 pounds in 2015 - thanks in large part to Dr. Steve Linscombe, director of the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter Rice Research Station, and his rice breeding program.  Linscombe and his staff have developed 32 new rice varieties that have dramatically improved production practices and environmental advantages for farmers in Louisiana and around the world.  According to Fred Zaunbrecher, a farmer and member of the Louisiana Rice Research Board, the widespread use of varieties originating from the AgCenter is evidence of the facility's impact on the rice industry.

Gary Sebree was recognized for his successful farming operation in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and also for his industry leadership role at both the state and national level over the past 50 years.  As a visionary in conservation practices, innovative technology, and trade relationships, Sebree has been instrumental in crafting policy that will affect generations to come.  He explained, "I've been fortunate because farming has never been a job, and I don't plan to give it up but want to hang around long enough to hand over the operation to my grandson who also wants to farm."

"Rice Farming magazine is proud to sponsor the annual Rice Awards along with Horizon Ag and USA Rice," says Editor Vicky Boyd. "Since 1992, rice industry leaders have been recognized for their dedication, determination and innovation in the U.S. rice industry.  As they have done in the past, award recipients continue to provide leadership and inspiration to all segments of the U.S. rice industry. It's our pleasure to honor these outstanding people for their contributions and achievements.

Experts Push for Agricultural Insurance

Agricultural insurance is being touted as the panacea to protect farmers against plummeting rice prices. Reuters

Experts are pushing for agricultural insurance to be employed in the near future to help strengthen the agriculture sector, particularly the rice sector with its plummeting prices and limited access to foreign markets.Sok Puthyvuth, president of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), said on Friday that Cambodian farmers should have agricultural insurance as a tool to ensure a fair price for their products.The agriculture sector needs insurance in the near future, he said, but issues in the sector need to be addressed prior to implementation.

 

“We need to have this insurance in the future,” he said. “But we don’t know how much an insurance package costs because the price depends on information, production situation and planting know-how. Also we have to check many other aspects to ensure the price is acceptable and can protect those [companies].”The CRF and relevant parties have already discussed the possibility of establishing insurance services for agricultural products.

 “We have discussed with relevant parties about this, but many risks have been found, so some banks and insurance companies don’t dare step in until they’ve collected enough information and have a clearer understanding,” Mr. Puthyvuth added.“If they provide this insurance now, the price of insurance will be too high and won’t be acceptable.”The push for agricultural insurance comes at the same time the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries is promoting contract farming with the aim of ensuring a price for farmers near market price.According to the ministry, contract farming is a linkage between three parties including farmers or farmer communities, rice millers and provincial authorities.

 

Chandran Nair, CEO of the Hong Kong-based think tank Global Institute for Tomorrow which just completed a two-week study on rice in Cambodia, said it would be better if Cambodia had agricultural insurance.However, he said insuring agricultural products was difficult and advised the implementation of contract farming ahead of insurance.“Of course it is much better but it is not easy at the moment to get insurance companies to provide this,” Mr. Nair said. “But if you do contract farming and say you have 3,000 farmers together, then a large insurance company is willing to sell insurance products.” Related to agricultural insurance, there are NGOs and an insurance company already offering the service to the agriculture and sub-agriculture sectors.
Forte Insurance has offered insurance for agricultural products such as rubber, corn, cassava and rice in Battambang province since early 2015. The Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC) introduced micro-insurance to help farmers. Under the scheme, farmers pay an insurance fee at the beginning of the growing season depending on land size and CEDAC provides technical consulting on planting. Insurance fees are returned if crops are damaged by drought or climate change.

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/32993/experts-push-for-agricultural-insurance/

Rice millers pass health check for China trade

Mon, 12 December 2016

Cheng Sokhorng

More than half of 50 rice millers that applied for export permits to China passed a health and safety inspection by a visiting Chinese team, though they will have to wait for official confirmation from the Beijing government before they can begin exporting, an Agriculture Ministry official said yesterday.Hean Vanhan, undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture, said four inspectors from China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) visited Cambodia last week to inspect local rice mills. The team determined that 27 Cambodian millers satisfied China’s sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, and would be eligible to export their product to the Chinese market.“In order for us to export to China, they have to check and ensure that our rice production does not have any adverse impact on health or contain any pests,” he explained. “We are now waiting for an official statement from China in order to confirm that the rice millers can begin exporting.”

Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF), said greater control over the quality of Cambodian rice milling would help improve the capacity of the millers, but it could also prove problematic for smaller millers.“Checking the quality of rice milling and checking for pests is the right methodology for strengthening the capacity of Cambodia’s rice millers, and meeting the Chinese requirements helps build up the reputation of Cambodian rice,” he said. “But this still poses a challenge for the millers that cannot afford to meet those standards due to limited capacity.”

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-millers-pass-health-check-china-trade

Computer-based biology uncovers secrets to rice growth

By Hussain Ather

Published 12/11/16 3:36pmUpdated 12/11/16 7:06pm

Volker Brendel, professor of biology and computer science, looks at strings of numbers on a dark computer screen. Behind the data lie the solutions to hunger and malnutrition.At the crossroads of computer science and biology, bioinformatics scientists use software to study genetics down to the nucleotide — a single base of DNA.Brendel, recently named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, uses a mix of experimental and computational work to study rice genetics with the hopes of addressing global issues in hunger and malnutrition.“The plant breeders and the plant genomics scientists are working together really heavily to figure out what are the sensible approaches to potentially increase the yield and in particular to make the plants more resistant to stresses,” Brendel said.

Working with rice researchers from Iowa to the Philippines, Brendel studies the genomes, the genetic material of an organism, that make each plant the way it is.The global quantity of rice, a major source of food in the world, can easily be lost due to pathogens or high salt concentrations, Brendel said.Plants, sensitive to these changes in their environment, respond to these changes depending on their biological makeup.“Even a small change in temperature will bring in different tolerances in plants,” Brendel said.As population worldwide increases and the amount of arable land available doesn’t, scientists like Brendel work to make rice resistant to these stresses and, in turn, increase the crop’s yield.

In bioinformatics, experimental scientists extract DNA from crops in the lab and upload the information to computer databases.Computational scientists then use software and data analysis to study the biological phenomena, such as proteins that control genetic expression or locations of DNA transcription into RNA — a precursor to proteins.One such computational method, RNA-Seq, studies the RNA from experimental samples to identify areas of genetic expression in DNA.

Brendel uses RNA-Seq to compare genetic expression between salt-resistant and salt-tolerant rice to figure out what genetically makes these plants different.With a balance of these two phases, experimental and computational, these scientists uncover ways to optimize plant growth.With the immense size of these genomes, each 300 million nucleotides, Brendel’s lab harnesses the power of computers.“The Chinese have sequenced 3,000 rice genomes,” Brendel said, “Overall there are 150,000 in the world.”Brendel said scientists are still figuring out the best ways to analyze these 3,000 genomes.“For a particular biologist this is a treasure trove but they have no idea what to do with it,” Brendel said.Taylor Raborn, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab, helped introduce the lab to experimental work two months ago.“In order to investigate the problems you wanna investigate you have to be close to the sources of the data,” Raborn said.Raborn studies methods to identify promoters, areas of DNA that begin transcription, and, in turn, where genetic expression is controlled.

Improving on previous studies, Raborn has worked to study the promoters for genes in plant growth with precision.In Brendel’s lab, Raborn is involved in all stages of the process.Brendel also encourages undergraduate science students to learn basic computer programming, such as through his spring 2017 course BIOL L388: Digital Biology: A Survey of Topics in Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics. This course would teach students the basics of bioinformatics.

“It is absolutely essential that biologists learn to work with computers as early as possible,” Brendel said.In addition to access to online data of plant genomes or biological features, Brendel said students should learn how to perform data analysis using computational software.“We have the compute facilities that make all of this possible,” Brendel said about IU’s research resources. “We get all the help you can think of.Brendel also works to overcome issues of reproducibility, the capacity of an experiment for reproduction by other scientists, in bioinformatics.The lab members document their work thoroughly through workflows, Brendel said.

These workflows are plans of every step of the process, from notes in computer code to re-evaluating extraction methods.Providing open source details of these processes, Brendel’s lab fosters communication and analysis between other scientists with greater ease and addresses these issues of reproducibility.“We take pride in our work,” Brendel said. ”We try to turn everything that we do into basically into a workflow that gives reproducible or scalable results.

http://www.idsnews.com/article/2016/12/computer-based-biology-uncovers-secrets-to-rice-growth

New dwarf variety for resisting over wetting

THE HANS INDIA |    Dec 11,2016 , 11:47 PM IST

Nellore: Farmers in coastal districts who are subjected to the wrath of severe natural disasters can heave a sigh of relief with a new variety developed by agricultural scientists to avoid total losses due to floods. In fact, rice crop expires within days of submergence as a result of over wetting.

Coastal Andhra Pradesh is highly vulnerable to unexpected disasters such as floods, heavy rains and even drought. Floods ravage the entire crop leaving the farmers in dire straits during cyclones and other disasters. Scientists of local rice research station have developed a new variety, NLR 3513, which can withstand such natural calamities and prevent losses to the farmers. 

Excessive and extensive use of water apart from low resistance to over-wetting has proved to be major disadvantages in rice cultivation. These problems created apprehensions among the farmers about the fate of their crop and their own future prospects. With the objective of addressing these concerns and solve such problems, scientists developed the new variety. 

According to Dr Y Suryanarayana, Principal Scientist, Regional Agriculture Research Station, “NLR 3513 is suitable for the rainy season, Kharif, in coastal areas of the state. It is a high-yielding variety and resistant to pest and diseases. This variety is basically very short in size and can sustain problems like lodging during floods accompanied by gales.

Farmers can at least get minimum yield in the event of such unanticipated climatic factors.” He added that this variety is getting good response from the farmers. It is common for paddy farmers in coastal districts to face crop damages due to over wetting. Now, the mini kits are being distributed to the farmers from Krishna district to Srikakulam for testing long-variety rice such as Swarna, and flood resistant crops.

According to scientists, rice is a rare crop which can sustain even during somewhat wet conditions compared to other crops which fail to give yield under such conditions. But, it may encounter a regular problem in coastal regions due to unrestrained flooding because rice cannot survive in inundated under water conditions for a long period of time.

So, the farmers have either to make the lands free from water logging or to sow wet-resistant varieties for continuous yield to avoid farm related losses. Scientists are now suggesting direct sowing for all rice varieties and advising them to change their traditional method of cultivation. According to scientists, by adapting to direct sowing farmers can not only decrease the input cost but also get them considerable yield.

Many districts in the state have already been following this method. In Nellore, farmers in southern parts of the district like Naidupet, Sullurpet, and Venkatagiri and some parts of Tamilnadu have taken up direct sowing method. However, delta farmers continue to follow old and traditional methods because of lack of awareness on the best practices that could save water and investment, agricultural scientists say.

By P V Prasad

http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Nizamabad-Tab/2016-12-11/New-dwarf-variety-for-resisting-over-wetting/268251

Surge in methane threatens climate targets, scientists say

Posted: Dec 12, 2016 8:57 PM PSTUpdated: Dec 12, 2016 9:58 PM PST

 While the world has been working to reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change, there's been a troubling spike in another dangerous gas. Methane levels in the atmosphere are rising faster than at any point in the past two decades, according to...

By Reed Alexander for CNN 

(CNN) -- While the world has been working to reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change, there's been a troubling spike in another dangerous gas.Methane levels in the atmosphere are rising faster than at any point in the past two decades, according to new research.The findings are presented by the newly-released Global Methane Budget published Monday -- part of an effort by 100 international scientists to understand just how much methane is rising, and why.While methane is less prevalent in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide, according to a statement from the Global Carbon Project, it "(traps) 28 times more heat."

Robert Jackson, a co-author of the report and Stanford University professor, said: "I think (people) should be concerned. At the same time we are trying to stabilize carbon dioxide emissions, methane is heading in the opposite direction."

"It is dire," he added.

Dangerous spike

Researchers say methane gas emissions spiked during 2014 and 2015 at astonishing levels.Concentrations in the atmosphere increased by 10 or more parts per billion, a significant surge from the 0.5 parts per billion by which had been recorded in the early 2000s.The surge was first noticed in 2007, and since then the levels have gotten much worse.The exact reasons behind the increase are unclear, but, in an editorial published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, scientists cite agricultural production and increasing livestock, alongside fossil fuel exploration."Many people would point the finger at the oil and gas industry first -- but agricultural sources are bigger," Jackson said.

Rice production and livestock both emit methane into the atmosphere, but Pep Canadell, another co-author of the editorial, says that there are challenges in curtailing the spread of methane from either source."Countries are very concerned -- particularly less developed countries -- to ensure that there's enough food production, excess food production, to meet all (their) needs," Canadell said."Constraining greenhouse gases is an additional pressure on countries that mainly have opted not to do much about it so far, because the priority has been to secure the levels of food production that are required," he said.

What happens now?

Scientists are calling on the international community to commit to preventing any further increase in methane emissions.Otherwise, they say the objectives of the Paris climate agreement, which went into effect in November, could be in jeopardy.Greenhouse gas emissions must stop completely in order to stabilize the climate, Canadell warned."The entire package of greenhouse cases (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) should be at peak emissions. And, from now on, they should start going down all the way to zero by the end of this century," he said.

If they don't, temperatures could rise in excess of the two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels set forth by the Paris agreement. And the results of that could be disastrous -- droughts, floods, global warming, severe weather.

Uncertain future

One solution Jackson has proposed is that the agriculture sector look at new innovations that enable rice to be grown with less flooding, which would help to cut methane emissions."Most rice is grown in flooded areas. Methane is given off in flooded soils. If we could grow rice that required less flooding, we'd slash methane emissions," he said.Canadell said countries like China had emerged as leaders against climate change, and raised concerns over what might happen if US climate policy shifts under the incoming Presidential administration.

"There are two components here," he said. "(Methane) emissions in the US have been declining for the last number of years," he noted, "...but there's another component -- not following the leadership of President Obama.""In effect, what's going to happen to other countries if the perception is that the US is not doing as much as the US promised before, and therefore other countries may not do the things they promised to do?" he said. "This is all a question mark. We don't know."He also added that the focus on climate change, including reducing methane emissions, must be on stabilizing the climate -- not fixing it, per se. That goal would be unattainable."Whatever damage we do now is irreversible in human time scales," he said.

http://www.ktvq.com/story/34027758/surge-in-methane-threatens-climate-targets-scientists-say

Global rice noodle sales market forecasts from 2016 to 2021 scrutinized in new research

 Published: 12 December 2016

Submitted by The Market Reports 

Development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and Bill of Materials cost structures are also analyzed. This report also states import/export consumption, supply and demand Figures, cost, price, revenue and gross margins.

The Global Rice Noodle Sales Industry 2016 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Rice Noodle Sales industry. With around 150 tables and figures this report provides key statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.

Complete report with detailed table of content is available at:www.themarketreports.com/report/global-rice-noodle-sales-market-report-2016

Companies like JFC International, American Roland Food Corp., Eskal, Nan Shing Hsinchu, Cali Food, Nature soy, Mandarin Noodle Manufacturing, Ying Yong Food Products, J.D. Food Products, Leong Guan Food Manufacturer and more are profiled in the terms of product picture, specification, capacity, production, price, cost, gross, revenue, and contact information.

Global Rice Noodle Sales Market report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. Upstream raw materials and equipment and downstream demand analysis is also carried out.

The Rice Noodle Sales industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally the feasibility of new investment projects are assessed and overall research conclusions offered.

Report available at: www.themarketreports.com/report/buy-now/280911

Table of Contents:

1 Industry Overview of Rice Noodle Sales

2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Rice Noodle Sales

3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Rice Noodle Sales

4 Capacity, Production and Revenue Analysis of Rice Noodle Sales by Regions, Types and Manufacturers

5 Price, Cost, Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Rice Noodle Sales by Regions, Types and Manufacturers

6 Consumption Volume, Consumption Value and Sale Price Analysis of Rice Noodle Sales by Regions, Types and Applications

7 Supply, Import, Export and Consumption Analysis of Rice Noodle Sales

8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Rice Noodle Sales

9 Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Rice Noodle Sales

10 Industry Chain Analysis of Rice Noodle Sales

11 Development Trend of Analysis of Rice Noodle Sales

12 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Rice Noodle Sales

13 Conclusion of the Global Rice Noodle Sales Industry 2016 Market Research Report

Inquire about this report: www.themarketreports.com/report/ask-your-query/280911

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Category: Market Research Publishers and RetailersCompany profile: The Market Reports aims to provide the best industry and market reports to a seeker. We are looking forward to a place where we are the one stop destination for all the report seekers irrespective of any country, category, domain, etc. We are always open on call and email (24*7) to your queries and very clean with the business methodology. Since we are dealing with so many Publishers, we can actually give you what suits best in accordance to your requirements

https://www.whatech.com/market-research/food-beverage/236867-global-rice-noodle-sales-market-forecasts-from-2016-to-2021-scrutinized-in-new-research

Rice Syrup Market - Global Industry Analysis, Competitive Insight & Key Drivers; Research Report 2016-2024

Press release from: TMR-Reseach Report

Rice syrup Market Overview

Increasing health diseases such as diabetes, heart risks, and high blood pressure has resulted in the introduction of alternatives to conventional table sugar. Natural sweeteners are preferred as alternatives to table sugar and are highly consumed among the consumers in various forms. One such alternative which is one of the most preferred sweeteners is rice syrup or brown rice syrup. Rice syrup is included as one of the main ingredients in processed foods. Rice syrup is considered to be a nutritive sweetener, unlike saccharin and aspartame. Rice syrup is used as a sweetener in cereals and snacks bar. Rice syrups also serve as a table-top sweetener for various beverages such as coffee, tea, health drinks and juices. Growing awareness and demand for rice syrup is expected to pose a major threat to artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and corn sugar. Rice syrup market is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period.

View exclusive Global strategic Business report: www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag...

Rice syrup Market: Market Dynamics

Sourced from fermented cooked rice, rice syrup contains low glycemic content which does not affect the sugar level like normal table sugar does which is one of the driving factors for rice syrup market. Rice syrup is considered to be a nutritive sweetener owing to the number of minerals included in it such as phosphor and magnesium. Rice syrup is also a rich source of protein content and vitamin B which serves as a curing agent for damaged hair and nails and also mental stability. The nutritional factor of rice syrup acts as a major driver that contributes to the increasing demand for rice syrup market globally.

However, the growth of global rice syrup market is hindered by a critical restraint. Rice syrup is a derivate of brown rice which contains traces of arsenic and hence the rice syrup produced from it too contains some amount of arsenic which can cause serious harm to human bodies such as cancer.

Rice syrup Market: Market Segmentation

Rice syrup market is segmented on the basis of raw material type which includes:

Brown Rice

White Rice

Certified Organic Rice

Rice syrup market is segmented on the basis of food and beverage application which includes:

Baking

Confectionary

Beverages

Processed Foods

Dairy Products

Ice-Creams

Browse Full Report With ToC: www.transparencymarketresearch.com/rice-syrup-market.html

Rice syrup is derived from three types of rice including brown rice, white rice, and certified organic rice. Rice syrup is produced by cooking the rice starch combined with saccharifying enzymes. Rice syrup is widely used as a sweetener in the food and beverage industry. Rice syrup is used as a sweetener in bakery products such as cakes, muffins, and biscuits, in confectionary products such as jellies, chocolates, and candies. Rice syrup is also used as a table top sweetener in beverages such as tea, health drinks, and juices. Processed foods, dairy products, and ice creams also use rice syrup as a natural sweetener.

Rice syrup Market: Regional Outlook

Regional coverage for rice syrup market includes North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). North America account for the maximum demand for the rice syrup market owing to the growing health consciousness among consumers. APEJ poses to be a potential market for rice syrup attributed to the increasing population of health conscious people and consumers' need for a sugar alternative that is less harmful.

Rice syrup Market: Market Players

Few players in the global rice syrup market include Wuhu Deli Foods Co. Ltd., Axiom Foods, Wuhu Haoyikuai Food Co. Ltd, California Natural products (CNP), Cargill, ADM, ABF Ingredients and others.

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This release was published on openPR.http://www.openpr.com/news/394015/Rice-Syrup-Market-Global-Industry-Analysis-Competitive-Insight-Key-Drivers-Research-Report-2016-2024.html

Batuhan: Challenge to Briones

 Monday, December 12, 2016

 By ALLAN S. B. BATUHAN

I WAS reading a piece in a Manila business publication, written by my former Asian Institute of Management (AIM) professor Mario “Mayo” Lopez. In his column, he talked about Bongbong’s delusion in comparing the legacy of his late dictator father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., to that of the late Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew’s.

Bongbong likes to talk about how, had his father not been deposed by the popular “People Power” uprising, which forced him to flee the country for the safety of Hawaii, the dictator would have turned the Philippines into the
next Singapore of Asia.

This is short of saying by the junior Marcos that all of the leaders who succeeded his father took the country backwards rather than forwards, in terms of economic prosperity.Professor Mayo, in quoting from the book of Lee Kuan Yew, stated that nothing could be further from the truth.And I would be one with my former professor here in saying that Bongbong could not be any more delusional in his Lee Kuan Yew comparison.Last week, I spoke about how former education chief Bro. Armin Luistro missed the chance to educate our youth about the horrors of the Martial Law years.

As a result of our secretary’s “soft” approach to the teaching of this period in our history, we were unable to shape the collective consciousness of the generation that eventually bought into the Marcos “fake news” stories, and ended up almost voting the strongman’s son into the second-highest post of the land. Not only that, they also bought into the “strongman” antics of the current president, choosing him instead of his more conventional and civilized rivals.

The problem with people buying into the son’s Lee Kuan Yew delusion is also one of education, albeit being more of a quality rather than a “slant” issue.

First is a problem of history.Even when Singapore was still part of the Malayan Federation (what would eventually become today’s Malaysia), the Philippines was already the rising star of the region.Proof of the pudding is the establishment in the Philippines of multilateral bodies and educational institutions in the Philippines, that were meant to serve the needs of Asia. Some examples of these are the Asian Development Bank (Asia’s development bank), the Asian Institute of Management (Asia’s business school), and the International Rice Research Institute (Asia’s rice research institute).However, during the reign of Marcos Jr.’s father, all of our advantages over our Asian neighbors like Singapore were all wiped out. We became the laughing stock of our neighbors, who made fun of our subservience to a family that brought our country to ruin.Then there is a problem of economics.

A lot of the “fake news” stories glorifying the Marcoses talk about how the exchange rate versus the US dollar, for example, was very low during the time of Marcos, and how it is at the level that it is today. All this supposedly pointing to the mismanagement of the economy after Marcos. What hogwash, to say the least!

I don’t want to launch into Economics 101 here and talk about the factors behind foreign exchange rate determination, but suffice it to say that anyone competently educated in economics fundamentals would not even read, much less heed stories comparing FX levels during the Martial Law years and today.

So here is a challenge to Secretary Leonor Briones, who is known to be a progressive. Teach our youth proper history. And educate them in correct economic theory. Only in this way will they be able to sift fact from fiction, like the one that Bongbong Marcos is peddling about his dictator-father’s true legacy.(Belated greetings to my sister, Aleli Batuhan Castaneros, who celebrated her birthday last Dec. 6. Happy Birthday, and wishing you many more to come. God bless!)

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2016/12/12/batuhan-challenge-briones-514614

Cows and rice farming targetted in alarmist climate change research

Dec 12, 2016 09:35 AM GMT+0530

PARIS, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Global methane emissions from agriculture and other sources have surged in recent years, threatening efforts to slow climate change, an international study has found.Researchers led by French Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (LSCE) reported that methane concentrations in the air began to surge around 2007 and grew precipitously in 2014 and 2015.In that two-year period methane concentrations shot up by 10 or more parts per billion (ppb) annually, compared with an average annual increase of only 0.5 ppb during the early 2000s, according to the study released by the Global Carbon Project, which groups climate researchers.Marielle Saunois, lead author of the study and assistant professor at Université de Versailles Saint Quentin, said that the increase in methane emissions could threaten efforts to limit global warming.

"We should do more about methane emissions. If we want to stay below a 2 degrees (Celsius) temperature increase, we should not follow this track and need to make a rapid turnaround," she said in a statement.Methane is much less prevalent in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide (CO2) -- the main man-made greenhouse gas -- but is more potent because it traps 28 times more heat. The report did not say to what extent methane contributes to global warming.

CO2 emissions are expected to remain flat for the third year in a row in 2016, thanks to falls in China, the Global Carbon Project said last month.Saunois said that while the reasons behind the methane surge are not well understood, the most likely sources are cattle ranching and rice farming. Cows expel large quantities of methane and the flooded soils of rice paddies are homes for microbes that produce the gas.She cited data from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization indicating that livestock operations worldwide expanded from producing 1.3 billion head of cattle in 1994 to nearly 1.5 billion in 2014, with a similar increase in rice cultivation in many Asian countries.

Robert Jackson, a co-author of the paper and Professor in Earth System Science at Stanford University, said that methane can come from many different sources, including natural sources such as marshes and other wetlands, but about 60 percent comes from human activities, notably agriculture.A smaller portion of the human contribution, about a third, comes from fossil fuel exploration, where methane can leak from oil and gas wells during drilling."When it comes to methane, there has been a lot of focus on the fossil fuel industry, but we need to look just as hard, if not harder, at agriculture," Jackson said.

http://www.economynext.com/Cows_and_rice_farming_targetted_in_alarmist_climate_change_research-3-6

Rice exports drop to decade low in 2016

Vietnam’s rice export has reduced to a ten-year record low this year, reported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

A farmer harvesting rice in the Mekong Delta (Photo: SGGP)

Export volume was estimated to reach 4.54 million tons for the last 11 months, dropping 25 percent compared to the same period last year. Value was down 20 percent.Most businesses have failed to obtain their export targets with a huge volume of rice in stock.The Vietnam Food Association has been forced to lower this year export target to 5.7 million tons, a reduction of 800,000 tons over plan. However experts said that the country was unlikely to reach the adjusted norm.At present, China is still the top import market of Vietnamese rice.

http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Business/2016/12/122094/

Global food prices lower in November

By: Ronnel W. Domingo - @inquirerdotnet

02:16 AM December 12, 2016

Global food prices showed a slight decrease in November as production forecasts for corn and rice show that the staple grains were on course for record volumes.The Food and Agriculture Organization, in the latest update of its Food Price Index, said November prices “marked a mild departure from a steady rise over the course of 2016.”FAO’s index is trade-weighted and tracks international market prices for cereals, vegetable oils, dairy, meat and sugar.The index recorded a steady rise in the first half of 2016, dipping slightly in July. From then, the index again ran a series of increase from August to October.

In November, the index averaged 171.3 points, down 0.4 percent or 1.3 points from the 172.6 points in October.“The month-to-month small decline marked a departure from an almost uninterrupted rising trend in the index since the start of the year,” the FAO said.“November’s easing was driven by a sharp dip in sugar prices, which more than offset a strong rebound in the prices of vegetable oils,” the UN agency added.However, the November figure was still 10.4 percent or 7.3 points above the 164 points recorded in the same month of 2015.The Cereal Price Index —which covers grains including rice—averaged 141.4 points in November, decreasing by 0.6 percent from October and 7.9 percent below the previous year’s level.

“The strengthening US dollar and ample supplies contributed to the generally weak tone lingering in cereal markets,” the FAO said.“International rice prices remained close to multi-year lows reached in October, amid relentless pressure applied by new-crop arrivals and sluggish demand,” it said.
The FAO said the projection for world cereal production in 2016 was raised to 2.6 billion tons, an increase of 1.7 percent above the 2015 output mainly on account of forecast record output levels for rice and corn.For rice alone, the FAO is expecting 498.5 million tons of milled grains produced in 2016

https://business.inquirer.net/221203/global-food-prices-lower-november#ixzz4SiNniLCx 

Can Tho, RoK association cooperate in rice production

Tuesday, 12/13/2016, 09:19

Representatives from the Can Tho city People’s Committee and the Korean Food and Rice Association met in the Mekong Delta locality on December 12 to discuss ways to expand cooperation in rice processing and export.

The meeting took place ahead of the inauguration of the association’s representative office in the Vietnam-Korea Incubator Park in the Tra Noc 2 Industrial Park on December 13.
According to Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoai Nam, Can Tho has become a potential destination for enterprises from the Republic of Korea (RoK) and many firms decided to pour investment into the locality. Notably, Tae Kwang Industrial Co., Ltd constructed a US$171.48 million plant to produce semi-finished sport shoes in the Hung Phu 2B Industrial Park in Cai Rang district. 

The RoK Government also invested in many big projects in Can Tho like the Vietnam-Korea Incubator Park in the Tra Noc 2 Industrial Park, and a water supply plant in Vinh Thanh district, Nam said. For his part, Chairman of the Korean Food and Rice Association Kim Nam Doo said the establishment of the association’s representative office in Can Tho is a strategic decision as the city is a food and rice centre in the Mekong Delta region. The office will serve as a bridge promoting partnership between Vietnamese food firms and member enterprises of the association in the time ahead, he affirmed. Can Tho boasts 115,000 ha of agricultural land and 90,000 ha of which is for rice cultivation.  Can Tho produces 1.4 million tonnes of rice, with over 1 million tonnes being shipped abroad every year through 26 rice export enterprises.The city’s export turnover to the RoK is estimated to hit US$30.3 million in 2016, while import value will be US$4.2 million

http://english.vov.vn/economy/can-tho-rok-association-cooperate-in-rice-production-339180.vov

Rabi sowing higher than last year, lower than 5-yr average

OUR BUREAU

 

Economists fear demonetisation drive could affect sowing due to shortage of cash

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 9:  

A higher acreage of wheat, pulses and oilseeds has pushed up sowing in the ongoing rabi season by 7.63 per cent to 472.63 lakh hectares (lh), compared with 438.9 lh in the same period last year.However, when compared with the last five years’ average sowing, the total acreage this rabi season has gone down by 2.64 per cent, with all crops, apart from pulses, posting lower figures.Sowing of rice and coarse cereals, which comprise a small part of the total rabi sowing so far, was lower this year compared with the previous year.

Compared with the previous year’s sowing, which was hit by the second consecutive year of drought, the government expects sowing this year to be higher as the monsoon rains have been good.The government’s demonetisation drive and the consequent scarcity of cash, however, could affect sowing to some extent, some economists fear.Sowing of wheat, which started in October, was at 225.63 lh till December 8 compared with 202.28 lh in the same period last year, according to figures released by the Agriculture Ministry.In the past five years, wheat acreage in the comparable period was higher, at 230.76 lh.

Sowing of pulses increased to 80.867 lh (74.05 lh) and the past five years’ average of 77.39 lh.

Rice acreage has declined to 8 lh (10.98 lh) and the previous five years’ average of 10.02 lh.

Acreage under oilseeds increased to 72.22 lh (65.71 lh).

Sowing of coarse cereals this season declined to 44.83 lh compared with 49.13 lh in the comparable period last year and the previous five years’ average of 47.18 lh.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rabi-sowing-so-far-higher-than-last-year-lower-than-5yr-average/article9420348.ece

Rice millers pass health check for China trade

Mon, 12 December 2016

Cheng Sokhorng

More than half of 50 rice millers that applied for export permits to China passed a health and safety inspection by a visiting Chinese team, though they will have to wait for official confirmation from the Beijing government before they can begin exporting, an Agriculture Ministry official said yesterday.Hean Vanhan, undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture, said four inspectors from China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) visited Cambodia last week to inspect local rice mills. The team determined that 27 Cambodian millers satisfied China’s sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, and would be eligible to export their product to the Chinese market.

“In order for us to export to China, they have to check and ensure that our rice production does not have any adverse impact on health or contain any pests,” he explained. “We are now waiting for an official statement from China in order to confirm that the rice millers can begin exporting.”Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF), said greater control over the quality of Cambodian rice milling would help improve the capacity of the millers, but it could also prove problematic for smaller millers.“Checking the quality of rice milling and checking for pests is the right methodology for strengthening the capacity of Cambodia’s rice millers, and meeting the Chinese requirements helps build up the reputation of Cambodian rice,” he said. “But this still poses a challenge for the millers that cannot afford to meet those standards due to limited capacity.”

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-millers-pass-health-check-china-trade

New Certificate of Origin for Rice to EU

Rice producers and exporters to the European Union must use a new kind of certificate of origin beginning January 1. “Producers or exporters who have been exporting rice to the EU are required to use a new type of Certificate of Origin for exports as the new online request has not been inserted into the ministry’s system,” a notice from the Commerce Ministry said.
 

The ministry could not be reached for comment yesterday.The EU is one of the Kingdom’s major markets. Every product manufactured in Cambodia, excluding weapons, can be exported to the EU tariff-free. Rice exports from Cambodia rose 3.3 percent in the first 10 months of the year to 421,000 tons of milled rice from 408,000 tons in the same period last year, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture.Song Saran, president of rice exporter Amru Rice (Cambodia), told Khmer Times that Cambodia would be able to comply with the requirement because the country has followed and implemented their demands in the past.

 
 

“When there is a requirement from the EU, we have to follow and practice it. If not, we cannot enter their markets,” he said.“The EU is the main market for Cambodia. We export from 70 to 80 percent to the EU,” he added. “My company mostly exports rice to the EU and has exported about 40,000 tons of rice to the EU so far this year.”Khan Kunthy, CEO of rice exporter BRICo, said his company as of October had exported about 6,000 tons of rice to international markets this year with his main markets being in Europe and the US.“We produce only jasmine and fragrant rice. We are not interested in the Asean market because they consume white rice, except Malaysia,” he said.

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/32991/new-certificate-of-origin-for-rice-to-eu/

Scientists helping Filipino farmers adapt to climate change

 December 13, 2016

ALABANG, Muntinlupa City, December 13 —Current practices of Filipino rice farmers including the varieties they use  are continuously being upgraded by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to help them adapt to the unpredictable effects of climate change.This was an observation from Dr. Yoichiro Kato, a rainfed lowland agronomist at IRRI, during his presentation at the recent 10th Annual Scientific Forum and Meeting, organized by the Philippine Association of Career Scientists, Inc. (PACS). The event attracted Kato and other international and national scientists from different disciplines who shared insights from their research activities in improving farmers’ planting practices.

Kato, when discussing other adaptive measures for growing rice under the current Philippine weather and climate conditions, cited Central Thailand's rice farming model, which uses a number of the dynamic farming approaches recommended by IRRI.He also shared his three-step research philosophy for agricultural science: (1) know your own target; (2) get robust evidence; and (3) understand reasons behind the results. “This is my personal strategy to effectively implement basic researches in rice agronomy,” Kato said.

Dr. Ricardo Orge, from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), presented his study on coping with climate change in the Philippines.  He gave an overview of Palayamanan, a PhilRice initiative on water-saving technology for diversified and integrated system of farming.  Orge’s presentation stimulated a discussion on budget limitations for rice-farming research.    According to Evelyn Mae Tecson-Mendoza, Scientific Career Council Executive Secretary Academician, research and development (R&D) in the Philippines are lagging behind in the number of R&D personnel per million persons in the population.  This lags far behind other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and needs to be remedied.

Other prominent scientists from leading rice research centers in the country discussed how they are providing far-reaching technological solutions in line with the Forum’s theme, Reinforcing science and technology capacities for sustainable community development,The Philippine Scientific Career System and the National Academy of Science and Technology collaborated with PACS in sponsoring the forum (IRRI/PIA).

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/641481591390/scientists-helping-filipino-farmers-adapt-to-climate-change

jamaica Customs Ceases Clearance of Rice at Ports with Immediate Effect

By Jamaica Customs December 12, 2016

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Photo: JIS PhotographerCommissioner of the Jamaica Customs Agency, Major Richard Reese, gives his remarks at the 14th annual customs seminar of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce’s (JCC) Customs Tariff and Port Users Committee, held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston on September 24.(File photo)

In keeping with recent media report of the distribution of rice, including ‘plastic rice’ in Jamaica, the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) wishes to advise that the organisation has temporarily ceased the clearance of rice at all ports of entry.In keeping with this matter, the JCA has convened a meeting with the relevant Regulatory Agencies, including the Bureau of Standards (BSJ), the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Health and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), in order to verify this breach, and the mechanisms for moving forward.The meeting is currently taking place at the JCA’s Head Office, Myers’ Wharf, New Port East.

In the time being, members of the public are urged to call the JCA or the BSJ and report if they have bought this product or are aware of the place of distribution, so that steps can be taken for the removal of the product from the market.The media will be further advised as it relates to the discussions emanating out of the meeting and the decisions taken.A public advisory will also be issued with a view to protecting the health and safety of the population.

Rice Prices

as on : 09-12-2016 08:10:29 PM

Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

	Arrivals			Price
	Current	% change	Season  cumulative	Modal	Prev. Modal	Prev.Yr %change
Rice
Gadarpur(Utr)	1320.00	4300	202460.00	1670	2756	-16.92
Akbarpur(UP)	120.00	-42.86	660.00	2150	2170	7.50
Kalna(WB)	97.00	NC	1532.00	2970	2940	-
Cachar(ASM)	80.00	60	4930.00	2200	2200	-18.52
Vasai(Mah)	80.00	166.67	878.00	2760	2810	6.15
Kalipur(WB)	80.00	5.26	11445.00	2400	2400	11.63
Silapathar(ASM)	59.00	15.69	1705.90	3000	3000	NC
Gazipur(UP)	37.00	-28.85	4100.00	2230	2200	10.12
Raiganj(WB)	35.00	2.94	1613.00	2575	2575	-2.83
Saharanpur(UP)	30.00	-6.25	7373.00	2275	2275	10.98
Karimganj(ASM)	20.00	-50	2240.00	3100	2300	51.22
Ulhasnagar(Mah)	20.00	150	593.00	2500	7000	-
Alipurduar(WB)	20.00	NC	904.00	2350	2350	6.82
Champadanga(WB)	18.00	50	1461.00	2800	2800	14.29
T. Narasipura(Kar)	16.00	NC	121.00	1500	1725	NC
Kolhapur(Laxmipuri)(Mah)	12.00	-7.69	2650.00	3000	3000	NC
North Lakhimpur(ASM)	10.10	-34.42	2462.30	1900	1900	NC
Kolaghat(WB)	7.00	-12.5	1401.00	2500	2500	8.70
Tamluk (Medinipur E)(WB)	7.00	NC	1364.00	2500	2500	8.70
Uluberia(WB)	6.00	15.38	343.60	2450	2450	-2.00
Chengannur(Ker)	5.00	-23.08	729.00	2500	2300	NC
Dibrugarh(ASM)	4.50	-10	430.60	2250	2250	-
Darjeeling(WB)	3.20	6.67	205.50	2950	2950	5.36
Lakhimpur(UP)	2.00	-23.08	557.15	2160	2150	0.70
Thoubal(Man)	2.00	233.33	51.90	2700	3100	8.00
Kalimpong(WB)	1.10	NC	69.20	2600	2600	10.64
Bonai(Bonai)(Ori)	0.80	14.29	103.40	2500	2500	13.64
Kasipur(WB)	0.80	-27.27	57.40	2200	2200	-12.00
Shillong(Meh)	0.60	-25	100.60	3700	3600	5.71

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/article9419603.ece

        amaica Customs Ceases Clearance of Rice at Ports with Immediate Effect

By Jamaica Customs December 12, 2016

·          

·          

·        

·         Email

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Photo: JIS PhotographerCommissioner of the Jamaica Customs Agency, Major Richard Reese, gives his remarks at the 14th annual customs seminar of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce’s (JCC) Customs Tariff and Port Users Committee, held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston on September 24.(File photo)

Story Highlights

• In keeping with recent media report of the distribution of rice, including ‘plastic rice’ in Jamaica, the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) wishes to advise that the organisation has temporarily ceased the clearance of rice at all ports of entry.
• Members of the public are urged to call the JCA or the BSJ and report if they have bought this product or are aware of the place of distribution, so that steps can be taken for the removal of the product from the market.

•  

In keeping with recent media report of the distribution of rice, including ‘plastic rice’ in Jamaica, the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) wishes to advise that the organisation has temporarily ceased the clearance of rice at all ports of entry.

In keeping with this matter, the JCA has convened a meeting with the relevant Regulatory Agencies, including the Bureau of Standards (BSJ), the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Health and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), in order to verify this breach, and the mechanisms for moving forward.

The meeting is currently taking place at the JCA’s Head Office, Myers’ Wharf, New Port East.

In the time being, members of the public are urged to call the JCA or the BSJ and report if they have bought this product or are aware of the place of distribution, so that steps can be taken for the removal of the product from the market.

The media will be further advised as it relates to the discussions emanating out of the meeting and the decisions taken.

A public advisory will also be issued with a view to protecting the health and safety of the population

10th December,2016 Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice -eNewsletter by Riceplus Magazine

World Rice Production 2016/2017

December 2016

This month the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that the World Rice Production 2016/2017 will be 481.5 million metric tons, around 2.29 million tons less than the previous month's projection.
Rice Production last year (*) was 472.27 million tons. This year's 481.5 estimated million tons could represent an increase of 9.24 million tons or a 1.96% in rice production around the globe.

Rice Production by Country

(Values in Metric Tons)
China: 144,850,000
India: 106,500,000
Others: 41,917,000
Indonesia: 36,600,000
Bangladesh: 34,515,000
Vietnam: 27,800,000
Thailand: 18,600,000
Burma: 12,500,000
Philippines: 11,500,000
Brazil: 8,025,000
Japan: 7,790,000
United States: 7,454,000
Pakistan: 6,900,000
Cambodia: 4,700,000
Egypt: 4,554,000
Korea, South: 4,200,000
Nepal: 3,100,000

Next Update will be January 12, 2017

https://www.worldriceproduction.com/?Referer=Newsletter

Indonesia`s rice stocks enough to last until May 2017

Jumat, 9 Desember 2016 08:47 WIB |

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government has assured that the country has enough rice stocks to meet its consumption needs until May 2017.The rice stocks are being held by traders and state logistic agency (Bulog), Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita said here on Thursday.The traders could keep the commodity for more than three months, provided they have registered their warehouses, he noted.

"The (rice) stocks are enough to last till the next year. The stocks are being held by traders and Bulog. Traders are prepared to augment their rice stocks once the harvest comes in, but they should not be accused of hoarding the commodity," he explained.The government actually put in place a price control instrument through Presidential Regulation No. 71 of 2015, concerning pricing and storing of foodstuffs, he disclosed.

As of now, traders are holding an estimated 15-18 million tons of rice stocks, enough to meet needs until May 2017, while Buolg now holds 1.75 million tons.The government claimed that as a result, domestic rice supplies have been secured.(*)

http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/108274/indonesias-rice-stocks-enough-to-last-until-may-2017

Haryana paddy arrival jumps

Press Trust of India  |  Chandigarh  December 9, 2016 Last Updated at 18:48 IST

More than 67.95 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of paddy have arrived in the mandis of Haryana so far compared to about 61.91 lakh MT in the corresponding period of last year, an official said today. Out of the total arrival this year, government agencies have procured about 53.27 lakh MT and over 14.67 lakh MT has been procured by millers and dealers, a spokesman of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department said.

The department had procured over 22.62 lakh MT of paddy and HAFED has procured more than 18.35 lakh MT. He said the Haryana Agro Industries Corporation has procured over 6.30 lakh MT of paddy, Haryana Warehousing Corporation more than 5.67 lakh MT and Food Corporation of India has procured 32,258 MT of paddy.

Regarding arrival of paddy in various districts of the state, he said that a maximum of about 12.41 lakh MT of paddy has arrived in the mandis of Karnal, followed by 11.71 lakh MT in Kurukshetra, about 8.18 lakh MT in Kaithal and 7.31 lakh MT in Ambala. imilarly, 6.91 lakh MT of paddy has arrived in the mandis of Fatehabad and 5.30 lakh MT in Yamunanagar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/haryana-paddy-arrival-jumps-116120900978_1.html

Rice price rise helps increase real income by 0.11pc: Study

FE Report

Increase in rice prices helps raise real income by 0.11 per cent in the country, a latest study has revealed.

The disclosure was made in a research styled 'Rice Prices and their Relationship to Growth and Development', conducted by the think-tank Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS)

The research finding found its place in the BIDS Research Almanac 2016, jointly authored by BIDS Director General Dr K A S Murshid and Senior Research Fellow of the Institute Dr Mohammad Yunus.The paper was presented by Dr Yunus at the first session of the concluding day of BIDS Almanac 2016, held at a city hotel on Thursday. It was organised by the Institute.  Talking about rice prices and their relationship with local growth and development, the research showed that a 10 per cent hike in rice prices at farm, wholesale and retail levels, has helped increase real income by 0.11 per cent in the country.

The research also showed that if rice prices increase by 10 per cent, it causes rise in labour wages by 20 per cent.

The national Net Benefit Ratio (NBR) is 1.4 per cent (if rice prices increase by 10 per cent), it said.   Average income in Bangladesh will rise by 0.2 per cent in the long run while poverty rate will also fall slightly if rice prices maintain usual rise, it said.The paper said such a hike (10 pc) in rice prices even can reduce poverty rate to 31.23 per cent from 31.5 per cent.Dr Murshid said, "We have to give up the old notion on increase in rice prices that it could extend a blow."

"But we have to realise that hike in rice prices to some extent has little impact over poverty eradication process; it rather helps boost rural economy," he said.He said the price of rice hasn't increased in last ten years in real terms. This means farmers are the ultimate losers.A rice variety was sold at Tk 38-Tk 40 a kg in 2010. If its price remain the same now, it indicates that the price of the product declined in real term, he said.

Asked, he said the primary trading of paddy by the farmer community will be included in the research in future which could give more diverse scenario.  The research found that paddy covers 13 million farmers, 48 per cent of rural economy, 70 per cent of agricultural GDP and the cereal also meets two-thirds of calorie needs of the nation.

BIDS former Director General Dr Quazi Shahabuddin chaired the first session while farm economists Dr Mohammad A Jabbar and Dr Sattar Mandol also spoke.  Two more papers related to vegetable and fruit production and their exports were presented on the concluding day of the programme.

Eleven research papers were disseminated during the two-day BIDS Almanac 2016 aiming to bring  stakeholders, and policymakers to research domain to boost socio-economic development of the country, organisers said.

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2016/12/09/55739/Rice-price-rise-helps-increase-real-income-by-0.11pc:-Study

Rice Prices

as on : 09-12-2016 08:10:29 PM

Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

	Arrivals			Price
	Current	% change	Season cumulative	Modal	Prev. Modal	Prev.Yr %change
Rice
Gadarpur(Utr)	1320.00	4300	202460.00	1670	2756	-16.92
Akbarpur(UP)	120.00	-42.86	660.00	2150	2170	7.50
Kalna(WB)	97.00	NC	1532.00	2970	2940	-
Cachar(ASM)	80.00	60	4930.00	2200	2200	-18.52
Vasai(Mah)	80.00	166.67	878.00	2760	2810	6.15
Kalipur(WB)	80.00	5.26	11445.00	2400	2400	11.63
Silapathar(ASM)	59.00	15.69	1705.90	3000	3000	NC
Gazipur(UP)	37.00	-28.85	4100.00	2230	2200	10.12
Raiganj(WB)	35.00	2.94	1613.00	2575	2575	-2.83
Saharanpur(UP)	30.00	-6.25	7373.00	2275	2275	10.98
Karimganj(ASM)	20.00	-50	2240.00	3100	2300	51.22
Ulhasnagar(Mah)	20.00	150	593.00	2500	7000	-
Alipurduar(WB)	20.00	NC	904.00	2350	2350	6.82
Champadanga(WB)	18.00	50	1461.00	2800	2800	14.29
T. Narasipura(Kar)	16.00	NC	121.00	1500	1725	NC
Kolhapur(Laxmipuri)(Mah)	12.00	-7.69	2650.00	3000	3000	NC
North Lakhimpur(ASM)	10.10	-34.42	2462.30	1900	1900	NC
Kolaghat(WB)	7.00	-12.5	1401.00	2500	2500	8.70
Tamluk (Medinipur E)(WB)	7.00	NC	1364.00	2500	2500	8.70
Uluberia(WB)	6.00	15.38	343.60	2450	2450	-2.00
Chengannur(Ker)	5.00	-23.08	729.00	2500	2300	NC
Dibrugarh(ASM)	4.50	-10	430.60	2250	2250	-
Darjeeling(WB)	3.20	6.67	205.50	2950	2950	5.36
Lakhimpur(UP)	2.00	-23.08	557.15	2160	2150	0.70
Thoubal(Man)	2.00	233.33	51.90	2700	3100	8.00
Kalimpong(WB)	1.10	NC	69.20	2600	2600	10.64
Bonai(Bonai)(Ori)	0.80	14.29	103.40	2500	2500	13.64
Kasipur(WB)	0.80	-27.27	57.40	2200	2200	-12.00
Shillong(Meh)	0.60	-25	100.60	3700	3600	5.71

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/article9419603.ece

Could rice fields save endangered salmon in the Sacramento Valley?

Straying salmon

Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times

Jacob Katz, senior scientist with nonprofit CalTrout, stands above a muddy ditch on Knaggs Ranch in Woodland, where at least a dozen endangered winter-run Chinook salmon have strayed.Jacob Katz, senior scientist with nonprofit CalTrout, stands above a muddy ditch on Knaggs Ranch in Woodland, where at least a dozen endangered winter-run Chinook salmon have strayed. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times)  

Robin Abcarian

It was, as the duck hunters say, a bluebird day in the Sacramento Valley — sunny and warmish, barely a cloud in the sky. I stood on the edge of a harvested rice field, squinting into a drainage ditch. The water was maybe a foot deep.Suddenly, a tail fin belonging to a salmon way too big for these shallows broke the surface, then disappeared. Peering into the water, I could make out a male and female, perhaps as large as 25 pounds. What on earth were winter-run Chinook doing here, in a ditch next to a rice field, when they should be making their way up the Sacramento River to their spawning grounds?

“They got lost,” said my guide, Jacob Katz, a senior scientist with CalTrout, a nonprofit engaged in improving fish populations. “They zigged when they should have zagged.”Miles southwest of here, after swimming under the Golden Gate Bridge and through the Sacramento Delta, these endangered fish made a wrong turn. Instead of bearing right in the Sacramento River, they turned left into a system of agricultural drainage canals and ended up many miles later in dead-end ditches like this. Each year, despite rescue efforts of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, hundreds end up dying, without spawning, at the edges of Sacramento Valley rice fields.Young salmon heading downstream to the ocean have it even worse. If they survive to the age of migration, the fast-moving Sacramento River provides them with little food and refuge from predators. Other disasters befall them; in 2014 and 2015, most salmon eggs were wiped out by high water temperatures in the river, a result of the drought and a mechanical flaw in a temperature control device at Shasta Lake that was supposed to release enough cold water to save them.

A stranded Chinook, in an agricultural ditch next to a rice farm.

Courtesy of Steve Beckley / Reclamation District 108

A stranded Chinook, in an agricultural ditch next to a rice farm.

A stranded Chinook, in an agricultural ditch next to a rice farm. (Courtesy of Steve Beckley / Reclamation District 108)

Tuesday, I visited a couple of projects in the Sacramento Valley that are aimed at helping salmon on both ends of the life cycle. They are collaborations between farmers and environmentalists, two groups that are often at each other’s throats in the never-ending battle over who is entitled to California’s precious water supply.

“It’s just a blessing to work with these people,” said second-generation rice farmer Bryce Lundberg, at a breakfast that included Katz, farmers and officials from various water districts and state agencies. “Our future is tied to the environment. The health of birds and fish is tied to the health of farms.”

::

The environmental awakening of the Sacramento Valley’s rice farmers was more or less forced upon them. Traditionally, farmers burned the rice stubble left in their fields after harvest. But that cheap and dirty practice was outlawed by the state in 1991.Many took to flooding their fields to help the leftover rice straw decompose. This had the effect of creating what scientists call “surrogate wetlands,” attractive to all manner of ducks and geese whose populations had dramatically shrunk because their winter habitat, the Sacramento Valley’s wetlands, had been engineered out of existence with levees, canals and dams.All that human intervention had allowed farms and cities to flourish, of course. But it was hell on birds and fish.

 

Transforming hundreds of thousands of once-burnt acres into wetlands helped revive an important migratory stop along the Pacific Flyway. It was good PR for farmers, who could also charge duck hunters hefty fees for using their land. The ducks tend to catch on quickly.“They hang out in the wildlife refuges during the day where they can’t be hunted,” said Lewis Bair, general manager of Reclamation District 108, one of the state’s oldest water districts, as we drove along the edge of a flooded rice field. “Then they move to these fields to eat after dark.”  

Several years ago, scientists at UC Davis got an idea: What if they figured out a way to get young salmon back into those wetlands, too? Before all the levees and canals were built, juveniles would come down the river from Redding, spilling over the banks into the flood plain to fatten up for the treacherous journey to sea. Instead of being shunted down the food-scarce Sacramento River as they are now, the fry could take some time to bask in the shallow, bug-filled waters of the rice paddies.This experiment, dubbed the Nigiri Project (after that sushi favorite, salmon on rice), is in its fifth year, and is showing promise. It’s still unclear, however, whether the “flood-plain fatties” have a better chance of making it back to spawning grounds as adults.

 

“We’ve done this with 5,000 or 10,000 fish, and there’s no way to recover enough of them to draw scientific conclusions,” said Katz. He’d like to do it with half a million fish, but has not been able to get permission from various government agencies. “There are a lot of politics involved, and it’s sensitive.”

Last year, the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit against the federal Bureau of Reclamation and Sacramento Valley rice farmers (whose water rights are nearly iron-clad) for mismanaging water at the expense of the endangered Chinook.“There’s a line that is being walked here,” Katz said. “Fish need water, and there needs to be resolution about water rights and the Endangered Species Act. But in the meantime, there’s lots of projects that are good for fish, good for the environment and good for farmers. And it’s in everyone’s interest to build those now.”

::

My last stop of the day was a construction project on a private farm in the Yolo Bypass, a swath of farmland 40 miles long and 3 miles wide between Davis and Sacramento that protects Sacramento from severe flooding. Wallace Weir, a $13-million barrier, will allow for improved flood control, but will also prevent adult salmon, like the ones I saw, from straying to their deaths in drainage ditches. Reclamation District 108 General Manager Lewis Bair at Wallace Weir in the Yolo Bypass. The project will help with flood control and save endangered salmon that have strayed from the Sacramento River into drainage canals.

Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times

Reclamation District 108 General Manager Lewis Bair at Wallace Weir in the Yolo Bypass. The project will help with flood control and save endangered salmon that have strayed from the Sacramento River into drainage canals.Reclamation District 108 General Manager Lewis Bair at Wallace Weir in the Yolo Bypass. The project will help with flood control and save endangered salmon that have strayed from the Sacramento River into drainage canals. (Robin Abcarian / Los Angeles Times)

The day after my visit, Katz told me, he returned to the ditch to find salmon in water so shallow, their backs were exposed. This makes them easy prey for river otters, who gorge on the eggs and leave the carcasses for coyotes, vultures and deer.When off-course salmon reach Wallace Weir, they will be directed into a maze-like tank with a mechanical, perforated floor that will lift the heavy adults up to biologists who will pluck them out of the water with slings and load them into trucks for return to the Sacramento River.It’s not exactly a sustainable way to save the salmon, but given that human intervention has pushed them to the edge of extinction, it’s the least we can do for now.

PM Lee looks forward to trying made-in-Singapore 'Temasek Rice' after visit to research lab

PM Lee learning about tissue culture techniques to clone and regenerate trees with desirable traits at the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory on Friday (Dec 9).PHOTO: MCI

Lydia Lam

SINGAPORE - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave a thumbs up to "Temasek Rice", a grain variety made in Singapore, in a Facebook post on Saturday (Dec 10).He visited the Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, a non-profit research institute funded by Temasek Trust, on Friday (Dec 9) and said in his post that he enjoyed "learning about the lab's work, its focus on sustainability and on using science to improve our environment and lives".Temasek Rice, which is the first and only rice variety to be created and sold here, was launched at Meidi-Ya supermarket in Liang Court in August this year.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/pm-lee-looks-forward-to-trying-made-in-singapore-temasek-rice-after-visit-to-research-lab

DA strengthens seed sector in 2017

 December 10, 2016

QUEZON CITY, Dec. 10 - The Department of Agriculture (DA) will have to focus programs on the commercialization of rice seed production in the country by 2017.This was according to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol during the inauguration of a modern rice seed processing facility at the Philippine Rice Research Institute on December 6, 2016.Piñol likewise stressed the importance of good breeding materials in achieving the food sufficiency.

“Good genetics and good farm management are two factors the DA needs to focus on to be able to synch our strategies with the vision of the President towards affordable and accessible food for every Filipino,” he said.He noted that the government will have to improve rice productivity thru the expansion of rice farmlands by at least one million hectare next year.“To be able to achieve that dream, we have to provide more good seeds for farmers,” Piñol added.

Piñol, together with PhilRice acting executive director Dr. Sailila E. Abdula, led the inauguration of the $4-million processing facility funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) thru the “Enhancing the Capacity of Production and Distribution of High Quality Rice Seeds” program.The initiative includes the establishment of the facility, providing of equipment, and trainings for the personnel.The 1,000m3 facility aims to lessen the processing time and certification process for rice seeds. The structure also aims to encourage farmers to use high-quality seeds.

“By using the right seeds, a ten percent increase on farmers’ rice yield every year is possible,” Piñol noted.The facility is composed of two recirculating dryers and two reversible dryers, which can dry 6 and 4 tons seeds per batch, respectively. It also has two seed cleaners and a gravity separator for sorting seeds with a capacity of two tons per hour. It has a cold room, an office, and a generator room.Piñol seeks to set up the same concept of facility in other rice producing areas in the country such as Davao and Soccsksargen region. (DA

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1141481240679/da-strengthens-seed-sector-in-2017#sthash.FZI1XjjY.dpuf