How to revive Pakistan-Japan
relations
Present Japanese leadership must
realise the unique features of these bilateral ties on the basis of which
diplomats can find out solutions to the on-going frozen political, strategic,
and economic ties
11-Feb-17
NEWS
Pakistan and Japan have been facing
a sorry tale of affairs lately. Their relations are no longer strong compared
to the Indo-Japanese growing ties at the moment. Diplomats at both ends are
puzzled as for how to revive the past ties between the two nations. They are
now interested in the relationship and often argue to stimulate the past
momentum.
They at both ends should know that
they are captivated by the win-win ties of the past when both countries
strongly needed each other. One was a supplier of raw cotton and jute, and the
other as an industrialised nation to with supply technology and credit.
The international environment was
in their favour. Both were lucky to have the United States in their favour to
promote economic ties and geostrategic cohesion during the divide of the Cold
War.
Perhaps it was the sin ofnone.
Nowadays, the relations which thrived in the past, face turbulences and jolts.
Who changed the policy? Are regional factors and bilateral
interestsresponsible? Or is the coming of the new geostrategic balancedrove the
two nations apart. How to improve ties between Pakistan and Japan now, is the
biggest task in Pakistan’s Foreign Office and Japan’s Gaimusho.
It is assumed that several reasons
had changed this relationship by the beginning of the 1990s - once the Soviets
were defeated in Afghanistan in 1989. In the 1980s, it was Japan’s tactical and
strategic move to assist Pakistan because the Soviet advancement in the
warm-water sea via Afghan occupation could have jeopardised Japanese commercial
interests in the Indian Ocean from where it used to import over 78percent of
its oil requirements in 1978, just before the Soviet adventure in Afghanistan.
Earlier, ties between Pakistan and
Japan turned lukewarm in the 1970s for a number of bilateral issues of which
the separation of East Pakistan in 1971 caused much trouble between them
because several of Japanese actions for East Pakistan displeased it including
Japan’s early recognition of Bangladesh. The impact of this crisis on
Pakistan-Japan bilateral relations was crucial, and no Japanese or Pakistani
leader paid a visit to each other countries in the 1970s. Japan also cut off
aid to Pakistan and stopped providing new loans to it.
History of relations between the
two countries in the 1950s and 1960s was rather glorious. They were close
partners in the development. Pakistan fully pleaded the case of a sovereign and
industrialised Japan in all international fora and became the champion for the
cause of the end of theAmerican occupation of Japan.
Among Asian countries that had
signed the San Francisco Treaty, Pakistan loomed largely, whileIndia and many
Asian countries opposed the treaty and much later signed bilateral peace
treaties with Japan. Pakistan was one of the countries that also waived-off
reparations claims for Japanese aggression during wars. All Asian countries
received compensations and reparations from Japan amounting to US$ 1.5 billion,
which was a serious burden on a weak Japanese economy at that time.
In 1952 and 1953, Pakistan donated
rice (basmati kome) to Japan worth 60,000 tonnes to meet food shortage in Japan
after the war. The donation of rice was gifted to His Majesty Showa Emperor
Hirohito and the government and people of Japan. It was the first occasion
after the war that a Japanese flag was raised on theforeign vessel - a Pakistan
salute to Japanese nationalism during its isolation in world’s affairs.
Perhaps most of theJapanese
diplomats do not remember this event. They should consult the Imperial Place
Office’s archives to find out this truth. The Imperial Office contains such
information and photographs of this truth. There are Pakistan-Japan ties. Let’s
try to dig out a missing page in our splendid history.
Moreover, Pakistan offered a track
of 5000 acres of farmland at the Ghulam Mohammad Barrage in Sindh to 4000
Japanese families of farmers who suffered from atomic razes at Hiroshima and
Nagasaki at the end of war in 1945 to rehabilitate them in 1957.No other Asian
country show such a kind gesture.
Even Europe and America did not
showsuch a kind empathy. Therefore, the vitality of Pakistan-Japan relationship
was emotionally ingrained in the cultural realities and cannotbe sidestepped
because of the modem developments and changes.
Another revealing event is the
first exchanges of the high-level visits. Prime Minister Hussain Shaheed
Suharawardy was the first Asian head of Government who paid an official visit
to Japan in 1957 after the war, paving the way for Prime Minister NobusakeKishi
to visit Pakistan and other Asian countries next month. This made Japan’s
return to Asia soured by wars. Is it an event that could be easily forgotten?
India has its own role in relations
with Japan. India is a hugeconsumer market for Japan. Today, Japan supplies
India with nuclear technology and builds its bullet trains. There is a close
geostrategic partnership between the two nations.
This relationship, however, cannot
be replaced by the diplomatic, political, and kind cultural gestures offered by
Pakistani leadership to Japan in the past. Present Japanese leadership must
realise the unique features of these bilateral tieson the basis of which
diplomats can find out solutions to the on-going frozen political, strategic,
and economic ties between Pakistan and Japan and bring it to new heights.
The writer is a Senior Research
Fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad. He writes on China,
Japan, Koreas, and East Asian affairs
Uncertainties in Transition: Lifting of rice QR
to worsen Filipino farmers’ lot
-
FEBRUARY
12, 2017
The lifting of the quantitative
restriction (QR) on rice may aggravate the displacement of Filipino farmers,
since they would be discouraged to plant the staple with the entry of cheaper
rice, according to local experts.
Former Labor Undersecretary and
dean of the University of the Philippines School of Labor and Industrial
Relations Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo said the entry of imported cheap rice in the
country might force rice farmers to shift to planting other crops.
“The effect would not be
immediate, but, the way I see it, there will be continuing labor erosion. You
can imagine the displacement in the farming population. There would be a need
for adjustment,” Ofreneo told the BusinessMirror at the sidelines of a recent
forum on QR on rice.
Ofreneo said even if rice farmers
decide to shift to planting high-value crops (HVCs), such an alternative
wouldn’t be an assurance that they would stay in the agriculture sector, as
they could face problems in terms of planting technicalities.
“The shift from rice farming to
HVC is not that easy. It will take time. How do you shift overnight, especially
if your areas and systems are meant for planting rice [and not for other
crops]?” Ofreneo said.
“You have a lot to consider as a
farmer: First, the water infrastructure; second, do you own the land; third, do
you have the know-how [in farming HVCs] and use of related planting
technologies; fourth, do you have the capital?” Ofreneo added.
He said the government should
have a comprehensive program that would help farmers in the post-QR regime
should there really be an influx of imported rice in the country.
‘Slow-motion crisis’
“The agriculture [sector] has
been sacrificed all along. The sector now is less than 10 percent of the gross
domestic product. The intensification of displacement will be slowly felt
during the post-QR regime,” he warned.
“The farmers would lose income by
the time they harvest due to cheap rice. It’s a slow-motion crisis, if you look
at the past 15 years, the contribution of agriculture in the economy has
greatly shrunk,” Ofreneo pointed out.
The labor expert recommended that
the government lay down programs that would promote and boost research and
development in the farm sector, particularly cultivating good plant varieties.
Ofreneo added that the government should also look at the agricultural credit
woes that hurdle farmers to borrow capital from banks.
“What will happen here during the
post-QR, there would be a widespread contract growing in the country,
especially in Mindanao,” he said.
“What’s important here is to
build up your community and have a new production culture,” he said.
Repeat of 2008 crisis
For his part, UP Los Baños Crop
Science professor Dr. Teodoro Mendoza of the Integrated Rural Development
Foundation, a non-governmental organization, said there is a possible repeat of
the 2008 rice crisis, when rice price in the global market shot up to more than
$1,000 per metric ton (MT), could happen again after the removal of QR on rice.
“It’s a very big possibility
because of the decrease in our rice production and the increased volume of our
imports. In 2008, when we imported so much rice amounting to more than 2
million MT, it caused an imbalance in the global price. From the usual $500 per
MT, it became $1,100 per MT,” Mendoza said.
The Department of Agriculture
(DA) earlier warned that the lifting of the QR on rice would discourage farmers
from planting the staple and widen the country’s rice-supply shortfall in 2018.
Tight supply
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F.
Piñol said the Philippines would also be hard-pressed to beef up its stocks by
importing rice in 2018 due to the projected tightness in global rice supply.
Manila imports an average of 1 MMT of rice annually to boost its stocks,
especially during the lean months.
The government has abandoned
plans to ask the World Trade Organization (WTO) to extend the QR on rice due to
lack of time, Piñol said a recent news briefing in Malacañang.
Piñol added this was the result
of the discussions in the recent Committee on Tariff and Related Matters (CTRM)
meeting. The CTRM is cochaired by the secretaries of trade and socioeconomic
planning.
“In the last meeting of the CTRM,
the consensus was against [DA’s position]. The QR will expire and the
government cannot do anything about it,” he said.
‘Saving grace’
The DA chief noted that the
country’s application for the QR extension was processed over a period of two
years. To date, the Philippines is the only country in the world that continues
to implement rice-import caps.
Piñol said the “saving grace” for
the Philippines would be Republic Act (RA) 8178, or the Agricultural
Tariffication Act of 1996, which has not yet been amended by Congress. RA 8178
needs to be amended to allow the Philippines to replace the QR—a nontariff
barrier—with a specific duty.
According to the WTO General
Council Ruling in 2014, the Philippines should subject rice imports to ordinary
customs duties right after the waiver for special treatment for rice, which
allowed the country to continue its QR on rice, expires on June 30 this year.
Earlier, the National Economic
and Development Authority (Neda) said it is no longer possible to amend RA 8178
before June 30. Neda Assistant Secretary Mercedita A. Sombilla said the agency
has already prepared a draft bill, but it has yet to be subjected to
consultations.
Earlier, an official of the Neda
told the BusinessMirror that the agency would recommend to the President a
tariff ranging from 40 percent to 50 percent once the country converts the
rice-import quota into tariffs.
The QR, a nontariff barrier, has
allowed Manila to limit the volume of imported rice that will enter the
Philippine market. Under the QR scheme, rice imports within the minimum access
volume (MAV) of 805,200 MT per year are slapped with a lower tariff of 40
percent, while imports in excess of the MAV are slapped a higher tariff of 50
percent.
The Neda and some economists have
pushed for the removal of the rice QR to make the staple more affordable to the
poor
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/uncertainties-in-transition-lifting-of-rice-qr-to-worsen-filipino-farmers-lot/
State intervention
yields positive rice import trend
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Rice production at Dreketi,
Macuata in the Northern Division. Picture: FT ONLINE
Update: 5:19PM THE positive trend and turn-around in Fiji's rice import level
is a result of the various interventions by Government to boost local
production.
Minister for Agriculture Inia
Seruiratu highlighted this in Parliament last week while responding to questions
from the Opposition last week, saying one such initiative was the premium paddy
rice offered by Rewa Rice Ltd, which attracted a lot of rice farmers.
"This is very much critical
in the value chain because they process the paddy that farmers produce," Mr
Seruiratu said.
"That price is very
attractive to the farmers who now want to plant more so they can have more in
terms of their income.
"The price has to be
attractive to the farmers but we are still discussing this with the farmers
because they want the grading system to be taken around."Mr Seruiratu
added other initiatives included subsidising farm machineries, which assisted
farmers in reducing their production costs.
Fiji's annual rice imports have
remained at $40million, equivalent to 50,000 tonnes of the commodity, during
the past few years
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=389070
Common method of cooking rice can
leave traces of arsenic in food'
12-Feb-17
OP NEWS
Ministry of
Planning and WAPDA not interested in environmental assessment of project
Millions of people could be putting
themselves at risk by cooking their rice incorrectly, scientists have warned.Recent
experiments show a common method of cooking rice - simply boiling it in a pan
until the water has steamed out - can be insufficient in preventing exposure to
traces of the poison arsenic, which contaminates rice while it is growing as a
result of industrial toxins and pesticides.The chemical has been linked to a
range of health problems including heart disease, diabetes and cancer, as well
as development problems.
While it is generally believed
traces of arsenic are expelled when the rice is cooked, it has now been claimed
this only takes place adequately when the rice is soaked overnight.Andy Meharg,
professor of biological sciences at Queens University Belfast, tested three
ways of cooking rice for the BBC programme 'Trust Me, I'm a Doctor', to see
whether it altered the levels of arsenic.
In the first method, Professor
Meharg used a ratio of two parts water to one part rice, where the water was
"steamed out" during cooking - a method commonly used. He found this
left most of the arsenic present.
The safest method of cooking rice
is therefore to soak it overnight, then wash and rinse it until the water is
clear, before draining it well and boiling in a saucepan, with a ratio of five
parts water to one part rice.
According to 2014 research from
Channel 4's Dispatches and the Institute for Global Food Security, around 58
per cent of rice-based products in the United Kingdom contained high levels of
arsenic. However, new legal limits were introduced last year by the European
Union (EU) in response to safety concerns.
Separately, a new research has find
that increasing fruit and vegetable consumption may improve psychological
well-being in as little as 2 weeks.
Study leader Dr Tamlin Conner of
the Department of Psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, and
colleagues found that young adults who were given extra fruits and vegetables
each day for 14 days ate more of the produce and experienced a boost in
motivation and vitality.The researchers recently reported their findings in the
journal PLOS One.
According to the United States
Department of Agriculture, adults should aim to consume around two cups of
fruits and around two to three cups of vegetables daily.One cup of fruits is
the equivalent to half a grapefruit or a large orange, and one cup of
vegetables is proportionate to one large red pepper or a large, baked sweet
potato.
As part of a healthful diet, fruits
and vegetables can help reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart
disease, stroke, and some types of cancer.
In recent years, studies have
suggested that fruit and vegetable intake may also improve mental health. For
their study, Dr Conner and team set out to investigate this association further
http://dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/12-Feb-17/common-method-of-cooking-rice-can-leave-traces-of-arsenic-in-food
Filipiniana
interiors of Hapag Vicentico’s main branch in Cabanatuan City —PHOTOS BY ROMY
HOMILLADA
Hapag
Vicentico’s also has a branch in SM Cabanatuan—which in itself was a big
surprise because the mall looks as snazzy and posh as the upscale malls in
Manila.Uniqlo, Starbucks and other popular foreign brands are present in SM
Cabanatuan.
Leticia
Breads & Cakes looked interesting, and one couldn’t resist bingeing on the
Mini-Round Toasted Breads, bite-size butter-creamy toasts. There are brownies,
cheese breads and other tasty treats as well.
The
cinemas in SM Cabanatuan are likewise equipped with the latest 3D curved
screens. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” was showing at the mall’s 3D cinema.
Edna’s
Cakeland offers good coffee, breakfast and desserts. The bakeshop’s neat
interiors and overall contemporary look resembles a high-end coffee shop. On
the menu are tasty chicken sandwiches, cheese rolls, yema cake and mango bars.
The
best thing to do after a hearty breakfast is to tour the city including the Old
Provincial Capitol, a World War II historical site. The building, designed by
famed architect William E. Parsons, resembles many American-period buildings in
Manila and Cebu.
Taking
the Pangatian Shrine Tour leads you to the spot that marks the end of the Death
March.
It
also commemorates the legendary Great Raid, which was recently depicted in the
film of the same title.
After
learning about Nueva Ecija’s place in history, you get hungry again and feel
glad that there’s SM Megacenter, the second of Cabanatuan’s two SM malls where
traditional Pinoy cuisine is served at Joey’s, more sweets at an Edna’s
Cakeland branch, and pork ribs, buffalo wings and Cheesy Baked Penne at NYORK
Café.
Facade
of NYORK Café in Cabanatuan City
Emelita
Bales, owner of Hillocks Coffeeshop and Restaurant
Pantabangan Dam
You
can’t say you’ve been to Nueva Ecija without having seen the Pantabangan Dam,
an emerging tourist destination.
The
multipurpose dam provides water for irrigation and hydroelectric power
generation while its reservoir, Pantabangan Lake, helps in flood control.
The
reservoir is considered one of the largest in Southeast Asia and also one of
the cleanest in the Philippines.
Construction
on the dam began in 1971 and was completed in 1977.
The
dam is also the gateway to Baler, Aurora.
On
the way to the dam, one can stop by for lunch at Hillocks Coffeeshop and
Restaurant. On a cool day, the weather much like Baguio, Hillocks can whet the
appetite. The longganisa was particularly good, while the coffee and hot
chocolate were heartwarming.
Reaching
the dam through the perilous one-way road, one could suddenly decide to
continue the journey all the way to Aurora, and reach the storied town of
Baler.
The
winding mountain paths are filled with blind corners, sharp turns and thick
mists, so it’s best to drive in the daytime. —CONTRIBUTED
Climate-ready varieties of rice can help provide
additional resilience to farmers, expert says
Feb
11, 2017, 10.04 PM IST
CHENNAI: The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has
'climate-ready varieties' of rice that can help provide additional resilience
to the farmers, according to Matthew
Morell, director general of the IRRI, Los Banos in the Philippines."The
climate-ready varieties could face adverse conditions of stress such as
salinity, drought, flooding and heat," said Morell, while delivering the
millennium lecture at the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation on Friday.
IRRI has more than 127,000 accessions of wild rice in its gene-bank but only 5% of them have been used for breeding, he said.
IRRI has more than 127,000 accessions of wild rice in its gene-bank but only 5% of them have been used for breeding, he said.
Referring to rice as the 'engine of food security', he said it feeds four billion people and supports over 144 million farm families across the world and will continue to be important in the future as well.Morell said it was important to focus on disadvantaged areas where it is a challenge to increase yields and improve farmers' livelihoods. "The world needs collaborative efforts between institutions in rice research education," he said.
Speaking on the occasion, M S Swaminathan referred to the central government's announcement that it would double farmers' income in five years."Apart from productivity and sustainability small and marginal land holding farmers can greatly benefit from using every part of rice biomass in farming practices. The MSSRF has set up a Rice Bio Park in Myanmar that will help utilise every part of the plant", he said
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/climate-ready-varieties-of-rice-can-help-provide-additional-resilience-to-farmers-expert-says/articleshow/57101278.cms
Five firms in
Myanmar to export rice to Sri Lanka
2017-02-12 08:46:34
Five companies have won contracts
for the export of 50,000 tonnes of rice to Sri Lanka by June, according to the
Myanmar Rice Federation.Commerce minister Dr Than Myint held talks with a delegation
led by the Sri Lanka ambassador to Myanmar, KWND Karunaratne, at his office in
Nay Pyi Taw on January 23 and signed a memorandum of understanding on rice
exports.An MRF official said: “We invited companies to submit bids for rice
exports to Sri Lanka. Only 10 companies applied. Of them, we have selected five
companies.”
Sri Lanka’s rice production has
declined by about 200,000 tonnes after a drought last year. Sri Lanka is
reducing rising rice prices and the control of rice millers by reducing import
tariffs.Since April, Myanmar has exported 1.15 million tonnes of rice and
broken rice, down nearly 150,000 tonnes from the same period last year,
according to the Ministry of Commerce.With more countries offering to buy rice
from Myanmar, exports are expected to reach last year’s level, said Khin Maung
Lwin, assistant permanent secretary of the ministry.
In 2015-16, the country exported
1.5 million tonnes of rice.(ElevenMyanmar)
- See
more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Five-firms-in-Myanmar-to-export-rice-to-Sri-Lanka-123683.html#sthash.0bUQkahi.dpuf
http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Five-firms-in-Myanmar-to-export-rice-to-Sri-Lanka-123683.html
Poor response
from listed millers slows rice procurement drive in Sylhet div
Our Correspondent
SYLHET, Feb 11: The rice procurement drive is
going on in Sylhet division slowly due to poor response from the suppliers.
Higher market rate than the price the government is offering is another main
reason for the sluggish movement.Earlier, the Food Department set a target to
procure 16,420 tonnes of rice, 15,000 tonnes of Atap (non-boiled) and 1,420
tonnes of boiled, from the four districts this season.
However, considering the market
position and poor response from the listed millers, it was reduced later to
1,218 tonnes of boiled and 8,177 tonnes of non-boiled rice, an official
informed.
Contracts had been signed with the
listed millers for supplying at 44 purchasing centres in the division, the
official added. Tk 32 is being paid for
Atap and Tk 33 for per kg boiled rice.Only about 300 tonnes of rice were
procured in five weeks from December, 1 in Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and
Sunamganj districts.
The revised target includes 3,361
tonnes of Atap and 291 tonnes of boiled rice to be collected from Sylhet, 825
tonnes of Atap and 247 tonnes of boiled rice from Moulvibazar. 2,718 tonnes of
Atap and only 24 tonnes of boiled rice would be procured from Sunamganj and the
procurement target for Habiganj is 1273 tonnes of Atap and 684 tonnes of boiled
rice. Regional Controller of Food, Sylhet Division, Md Anisuzzaman said the
department had contracted over 200 millers to supply the rice. They would have
to supply the quantity by March 15.
"We are hopeful of getting a
good response, as the yield was good due to favourable weather", he added.The
procurement drive was failed in the last year's Boro season due to short supply
after repeated flash floods, lack of initiatives by the rice mill owners,
absence of marketable surplus of rice or paddy, officials added.However, some
traders said, it is hard to supply rice to the government godowns since the
market price is comparatively up this time.
iqbal1527@hotmail.com
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2017/02/11/61587/Poor-response-from-listed-millers-slows-rice-procurement-drive-in-Sylhet-div
Phou Puy, CEO of Thaneakea Srov, the firm behind the Cambodia Rice
Bank, speaks at his office last week in Battambang province. Heng Chivoan
Rice finds
space for growth
Mon, 13 February 2017
Just over two years since
Thaneakea Srov (Kampuchea) Plc launched the Cambodia Rice Bank, the Kingdom’s
first private large-scale rice storage facility aimed at centralising rice
paddy harvested in Battambang province, the company has won a new $15 million
government-backed loan to build a new facility. The Post’s Cheng Sokhorng sat down with the
company’s CEO, Phou Puy, to discuss the importance of having a centralised
storage depot to help alleviate a struggling sector mired by logistical
hurdles.
How did Thaneakea Srov win the bid for the $15 million loan from
the Rural Development Bank (RDB) and what is its importance of expanding the
facility?
We received approval for the budget package by the RDB because we followed government policy and they saw that expanding the storage facility would help address a lot of the challenges the rice industry faces.
We received approval for the budget package by the RDB because we followed government policy and they saw that expanding the storage facility would help address a lot of the challenges the rice industry faces.
The main criteria for winning the
bid were that we needed at least 10 hectares to develop storage and drying
facilities, had experience in operating a large facility and had formed good
relationships with farming cooperatives in handling their export volumes. While
we have yet to receive the $15 million and don’t know when we can withdraw the
money and at what interest rate it needs to be paid back at, we are 80 percent
ready to build a 200,000-tonne silo with an attached mill.
What will the facility’s capacity be and when will it be ready?
The silo and mill are expected to be operational by 2018. The mill will be capable of processing 3,000 tonnes of paddy rice a day.
The silo and mill are expected to be operational by 2018. The mill will be capable of processing 3,000 tonnes of paddy rice a day.
How will this new facility expand the rice bank’s current
storage capacity?
Right now we can store 40,000 tonnes of wet paddy rice and mill 850 tonnes of rice per day with a 5,000-tonne facility for processed rice. This is the largest capacity for any rice mill in Cambodia, but it still does not meet the demands of the industry. So the new facility will give more options for rice millers, allowing them to place paddy for storage as collateral to withdraw money, while they can also rent storage space for drying.
Right now we can store 40,000 tonnes of wet paddy rice and mill 850 tonnes of rice per day with a 5,000-tonne facility for processed rice. This is the largest capacity for any rice mill in Cambodia, but it still does not meet the demands of the industry. So the new facility will give more options for rice millers, allowing them to place paddy for storage as collateral to withdraw money, while they can also rent storage space for drying.
This should help relieve some of
the constraints on farmers and millers who lack capacity for drying, which has
caused prices to stall because they have to sell to brokers in neighbouring
countries at much lower value. It will help small farmers and medium-sized
millers the most because it should help guarantee paddy rice prices and help
promote sustainable contract farming. We aim for our storage facility to be
used by contract farmers in the provinces of Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and
Pursat.
Why have millers who called for emergency loans not used the
funds the government made available through the RDB?
Some millers have already accessed the $27 million in loans to buy paddy from farmers, but a lot have not been able to apply for loans because they have not had the storage facilities to qualify. Because the rice loans are linked to storage collateral, they have been really slow to be used, because everybody has the same constraints.
Some millers have already accessed the $27 million in loans to buy paddy from farmers, but a lot have not been able to apply for loans because they have not had the storage facilities to qualify. Because the rice loans are linked to storage collateral, they have been really slow to be used, because everybody has the same constraints.
Still though, I believe this is
the right government policy and we will see more loan disbursement in the next
two months. The government has a role to play in making sure the industry
survives, especially as production capacity increases every year.
Does the current model of small shareholder farming still work,
or does Cambodia need to adopt giant super-farms like what Thailand is
planning?
Transforming our current small shareholder model of farming to large-scale industrial farming is impossible right now because our economic development is limited. Currently, the majority of our farmers plant on less than 1 hectare while others have up to 10 hectares. It is difficult to plant more than this because farmers lack irrigation technology and access to water. If we could increase irrigation by 50 to 60 percent, we could see large-scale operations by investors like what we see in Thailand and Vietnam.While we are not close to those countries’ capabilities, we are on our way and in the future it could happen with the unified support of farming cooperatives.
Transforming our current small shareholder model of farming to large-scale industrial farming is impossible right now because our economic development is limited. Currently, the majority of our farmers plant on less than 1 hectare while others have up to 10 hectares. It is difficult to plant more than this because farmers lack irrigation technology and access to water. If we could increase irrigation by 50 to 60 percent, we could see large-scale operations by investors like what we see in Thailand and Vietnam.While we are not close to those countries’ capabilities, we are on our way and in the future it could happen with the unified support of farming cooperatives.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Commitment to reduce rice imports
Filipe Naigulevu
Monday, February 13, 2017
Monday, February 13, 2017
Rice farmer in the Northern
Division.Agriculture Minister Inia Seruiratu says rice imports started to drop
with the several initiatives and assistance put in place to strengthen local
rice production in a bid to reduce rice imports
GOVERNMENT remains commited to
revitalise the local rice industry in order to reduce Fiji's rice import level.
And Minister for Agriculture Inia
Seruiratu has stated that our rice imports had started to drop with the several
initiatives put in place to strengthen local rice production.Responding to
questions from the Opposition in Parliament last week, Mr Seruiratu highlighted
the initiatives that were put in place which assisted their stakeholders, most
particularly rice farmers in Fiji.He said one such initiative undertaken by the
Ministry of Public Enterprises through Rewa Rice Ltd assisted farmers in the
processing of paddy rice."This is very much critical in the value chain
because they process the paddy that farmers produce," he said.
Mr Seruiratu said the premium
price for paddy rice, which ranged from $650 to $750 per tonne, was attractive
to rice farmers."That price, when you compare it with other rice producing
companies particularly in the Asia Pacific region, Fiji's price for paddy is
among the highest in the region," he said."That price is very
attractive to the farmers who now want to plant more so they can have more in
terms of their income."The price has to be attractive to the farmers, but
we are still discussing this with the farmers because they want the grading
system to be taken around."
Mr Seruiratu, who officiated at
the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Rewa Rice Ltd complex in Dreketi last
month, said most farmers there were now adjusting and meeting the requirements,
particularly because growth was essential.He said another initiative was the
subsidised farm machineries which assisted farmers in reducing their production
costs.Mr Seruiratu also said the free transportation of paddy by Rewa Rice Ltd
was enjoyed by many rice farmers in certain rice-producing areas."We've
also installed new electrical dryers because the rice mill in Dreketi, it's a
1970 technology. We are talking about dryers that are filled by kerosene that
has been replaced and has assisted the farmers to get the moisture to the right
level."Another added boost to farmers, Mr Seruiratu said, was the extended
operating hours of Rewa Rice Ltd to facilitate paddy rice being transported
from long distances.
He said the instant payment
system where farmers were paid immediately was a welcomed move along with the
free water given to rice farmers to assist with irrigation.
"We all know the history of
Rewa Rice. It was struggling in terms of their cash flow, but with the new
management and new board, they have had a positive turnaround as well so
farmers are given a big incentive," he said.Mr Seruiratu also stressed
that modernisation was critical, and because of this, Government sent farmers
for training abroad to rice-growing regions such as Indonesia, China and
Thailand.He further acknowledged the effort undertaken by all the stakeholders
in reducing rice imports over the years."This shows and confirms the
positive trend and turnaround as a result of the various interventions in the
industry," Mr Seruiratu added
