Egypt strikes deal for local rice six months
after harvest
CAIRO, March 6 (Reuters) - Egypt has reached an agreement with
private rice mills to produce white rice, potentially ending a standoff over
the buying price of last year's crop that has led to millions of tonnes of
paddy sitting idle since the harvest.
The supply ministry said this week it had agreed to pay private
mills 6.3 Egyptian pounds ($0.3784) per kilogram of white rice, which the
government would then sell at its outlets for 6.5 Egyptian pounds.
Farmers last year refused to sell government mills their crops
despite a plentiful harvest, arguing that the buying price of 2,400 Egyptian
pounds ($270.27) per tonne of rice paddy was too low.
The new agreement means that private mills will instead buy up
the paddy at the current market price of about 4,200 Egyptian pounds before
selling it on to the government.
Last year, the long held paddy stocks forced up local rice
prices and intermittently made supplies at government outlets scarce, forcing
state grain buyer GASC to import 75,000 tonnes of medium grain rice despite a
local surplus and a hard currency shortage.
Egypt's annual consumption of rice paddy is about 3.95 million
tonnes whereas production is about 5.1 million tonnes, according to a United
States Department of Agriculture report.
Mostafa al-Naggari, head of the rice committee of Egypt's
agricultural export council, estimates that about 3.9 million tonnes of rice
paddy remains in the hands of farmers and traders as a result of the standoff.
Any subsequent jump in the local paddy price, however, could
make the recently struck deal untenable given the tight profit margin agreed to
by the private mills under the new deal.
"If the price of paddy jumps 100 or 150 pounds, the mills
will not be able to distribute it," Naggari said. ($1 = 16.6500 Egyptian
pounds) (Reporting by Eric Knecht; editing by Maha El Dahan and David Clarke
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/egypt-strikes-deal-for-local-rice-six-months-after-harvest/articleshow/57498869.cms
NFA head could be removed from office over rice import deadline
Posted on March 06, 2017
NATIONAL Food Authority (NFA)
Administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino is facing grave disciplinary sanctions,
which could remove him from office, due to allegedly refusing to carry out
orders of the governing body NFA Council to extend the arrival schedule of rice
imports for the private sector.
A worker arranges sacks of rice from an NFA warehouse in Quezon
City in this photo taken on Aug. 17, 2016. Michael
Varcas / PHILIPPINE STAR
Cabinet Secretary Leoncio B. Evasco, Jr., also the ex-officio
chairman of the NFA Council, said that Mr. Aquino’s defiance against the
Council’s decision to stretch the deadline for the entry of rice imports under
the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) scheme to March 31 from Feb. 28 may affect the
country’s food security.
“The NFA administrator has actively refused to implement the lawful orders of NFAC (NFA Council) and directives of the Cabsec (Cabinet Secretary) to publish and has even released a press statement countering the NFAC’s decision that MAV has been extended to March 31,” Mr. Evasco said.
The NFA, in a March 1 posting on its Web site, issued a notice granting the deadline only for India and Pakistan, contrary to the Council’s decision to impose it to all countries of origin.
In addition, the NFA also sent a statement to reporters last Friday to clarify that the deadline was not extended as a response to “news reports” that say otherwise.
“There’s no need to extend the deadline because there were others, including farmer cooperatives, that participated in the MAV and have complied with the deadline,” Mr. Aquino was quoted as saying. “If these coops (cooperatives) can do it, why can’t the others?”
A total of 211 farmer cooperatives and private businessmen applied for the importation of 692,340 metric tons of rice under the MAV.
Out of the 641,080 metric tons (MT) MAV imports approved by the NFA, around 67.65% or 433,699.35 MT have arrived as of Feb. 27, 2017.
“It seems to us that he does not have even the slightest understanding of his Office and even undermining the NFAC’s authority that were causing serious prejudice to the country’s food security. We are afraid he is not fit for the job. He must be dealt with accordingly,” Mr. Evasco said.
NFA is one of the 12 agencies that has been placed under the Office of the Cabinet Secretary’s purview by virtue of Executive Order No. 1.
The NFA Council is the governing body of the NFA pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 4, as amended, in which the powers and functions of the NFA are vested.
The council decides as a collegial body and is comprised mostly of ex-officio members. It is headed by the Cabinet Secretary as its chairperson while the NFA Administrator, who is elected by the NFA Council from among its ranks, sits as the vice-chairperson.
The other members of the NFA Council (NFAC) are the Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, chair of the Development Bank of the Philippines, the president of the Land Bank of the Philippines, Finance secretary, Trade secretary, the National Economic and Development Authority, and a representative from a farmers’ group.
Of the 10 members of the Council, nine were present during the Feb. 27 meeting and voted for the extension of MAV importation to March 31 from the original deadline of Feb. 28, while Mr. Aquino nor any representative from NFA did not attend the meeting.
“Aquino by using my name has canceled the first two NFA Council meetings, thus the Council was compelled to convene the third time last Feb. 27, during which he deliberately absent himself,” Mr. Evasco said.
The council has disapproved Mr. Aquino’s proposal to import this year under a government-to-government transaction -- in lieu of the private sector-led importation through MAV -- to boost industry stocks.
Mr. Evasco said that a state-to-state transaction will only increase NFA’s already piled-up debt while a private sector scheme is more economically favored as its importation is paid by industry players themselves.
The NFA statement, on the other hand, cited Mr. Aquino’s letter to Mr. Evasco wherein the former said extending the MAV importation by a month is feared to buy more time for rice smugglers to work out their plots.
Reacting to Mr. Aquino’s letter, Edwin Y. Paraluman, farmer sector representative to the NFAC, said in the statement, “His fear of smuggling is extremely unfounded.”
Mr. Paraluman noted that the Anti Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016 “is harsh enough to emasculate illegitimate traders.”
“And it is the Bureau of Customs’ job not NFA’s,” he added.
Mr. Aquino was not immediately available yesterday for a comment. -- Janina C. Lim
“The NFA administrator has actively refused to implement the lawful orders of NFAC (NFA Council) and directives of the Cabsec (Cabinet Secretary) to publish and has even released a press statement countering the NFAC’s decision that MAV has been extended to March 31,” Mr. Evasco said.
The NFA, in a March 1 posting on its Web site, issued a notice granting the deadline only for India and Pakistan, contrary to the Council’s decision to impose it to all countries of origin.
In addition, the NFA also sent a statement to reporters last Friday to clarify that the deadline was not extended as a response to “news reports” that say otherwise.
“There’s no need to extend the deadline because there were others, including farmer cooperatives, that participated in the MAV and have complied with the deadline,” Mr. Aquino was quoted as saying. “If these coops (cooperatives) can do it, why can’t the others?”
A total of 211 farmer cooperatives and private businessmen applied for the importation of 692,340 metric tons of rice under the MAV.
Out of the 641,080 metric tons (MT) MAV imports approved by the NFA, around 67.65% or 433,699.35 MT have arrived as of Feb. 27, 2017.
“It seems to us that he does not have even the slightest understanding of his Office and even undermining the NFAC’s authority that were causing serious prejudice to the country’s food security. We are afraid he is not fit for the job. He must be dealt with accordingly,” Mr. Evasco said.
NFA is one of the 12 agencies that has been placed under the Office of the Cabinet Secretary’s purview by virtue of Executive Order No. 1.
The NFA Council is the governing body of the NFA pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 4, as amended, in which the powers and functions of the NFA are vested.
The council decides as a collegial body and is comprised mostly of ex-officio members. It is headed by the Cabinet Secretary as its chairperson while the NFA Administrator, who is elected by the NFA Council from among its ranks, sits as the vice-chairperson.
The other members of the NFA Council (NFAC) are the Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, chair of the Development Bank of the Philippines, the president of the Land Bank of the Philippines, Finance secretary, Trade secretary, the National Economic and Development Authority, and a representative from a farmers’ group.
Of the 10 members of the Council, nine were present during the Feb. 27 meeting and voted for the extension of MAV importation to March 31 from the original deadline of Feb. 28, while Mr. Aquino nor any representative from NFA did not attend the meeting.
“Aquino by using my name has canceled the first two NFA Council meetings, thus the Council was compelled to convene the third time last Feb. 27, during which he deliberately absent himself,” Mr. Evasco said.
The council has disapproved Mr. Aquino’s proposal to import this year under a government-to-government transaction -- in lieu of the private sector-led importation through MAV -- to boost industry stocks.
Mr. Evasco said that a state-to-state transaction will only increase NFA’s already piled-up debt while a private sector scheme is more economically favored as its importation is paid by industry players themselves.
The NFA statement, on the other hand, cited Mr. Aquino’s letter to Mr. Evasco wherein the former said extending the MAV importation by a month is feared to buy more time for rice smugglers to work out their plots.
Reacting to Mr. Aquino’s letter, Edwin Y. Paraluman, farmer sector representative to the NFAC, said in the statement, “His fear of smuggling is extremely unfounded.”
Mr. Paraluman noted that the Anti Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016 “is harsh enough to emasculate illegitimate traders.”
“And it is the Bureau of Customs’ job not NFA’s,” he added.
Mr. Aquino was not immediately available yesterday for a comment. -- Janina C. Lim
NFA Council clarifies rice import schedule
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:02 AM March 06, 2017
The Duterte
administration’s way of dishing out contradicting information showed yet again,
this time through National Food Authority’s governing body, which makes crucial
decisions that help ensure stable food supply.
In a
statement issued through the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the NFA Council
clarified that all milled rice imports procured through the private sector
should arrive in the Philippines by March 31, a month later than the original
deadline.
While the
NFA imports rice through government-to-government transactions, private
importers are also allowed to do so by way of the minimum access volume (MAV)
mechanism of the World Trade Organization.
ADVERTISEMENT
The council
had to make the clarification on the deadline after the NFA itself announced
last Friday that the deadline remained set at Feb. 28.
The Cabinet
Secretary sits as chair of the NFA Council, while the NFA administrator serves
as vice chair. The BSP Governor is a member of the council, along with the
secretaries of finance, trade and economic planning, as well as the chair of
Development Bank of the Philippines, president of Land Bank of the Philippines
and a representative of farmers.
The
guidelines for this latest batch of imports done through the MAV was spelled
out in NFA Council Resolution No. 825-2016-F, dated June 15, 2016.
“One of the
provisions of [the resolution] gives discretionary power to the NFA
administrator to approve individual requests for extension [of] the arrival of
the rice importation,” the council’s statement said.
“This is a
specific power delegated to the NFA administrator by the NFA Council for
efficiency purposes but in no way to be interpreted to mean that the NFA
Council stripped itself of its power to amend the 2016 MAV guidelines,” the
council added.
Last Friday,
NFA administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino —who assumed office last
January—said in a statement that there was no change in the deadline.
“There’s no
need to extend the deadline because there were others, including farmer
cooperatives, that participated in the MAV and have complied with the
deadline,” Aquino said.
“If these
co-ops (cooperatives) can do it, why can’t the others?” he said, referring to
farmers cooperative that import milled rice through the MAV.
Aquino said imports
should arrive early so as not to dampen prices of home-grown grains,
considering that local harvest season starts this month.
Before this,
in a memo signed Feb. 10, Aquino said the deadline for arrival of shipments was
moved to March 31, but for supplies coming from India and Pakistan only.
In another
memo dated Feb. 20, Aquino invoked the 2016 MAV guidelines to say that the
deadline was set on Feb. 28.
According to
the NFA, a total of 211 farmer cooperatives and private businessmen applied for
the importation of a combined 692,340 metric tons of rice through the MAV.
For this
batch of imports, supplies coming from Vietnam, Thailand, India and Pakistan
were given quota allocations.
NFA data
show that 433,699.35 tons or 63 percent of the approved MAV volume have arrived
as of Feb. 27
NFA Council extends rice importation
by 1 month
The National
Food Authority Council extended
by a month the importation of rice under the minimum access volume scheme.
The NFA Council, where Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. sits as a member, said the
deadline on rice import allocation arrivals was extended from Feb. 28, 2017 to
March 31, 2017.
It said the council approved the
amendment on the 2016 minimum access volume guidelines, pertaining to the
deadlines set for rice import arrivals.
The council is the governing body
of the NFA by virtue of the Presidential Decree No. 4 in which the powers and
functions of the NFA are vested. The council decides as a collegial body and is
comprised mostly of ex-officio members.
It is headed by the Cabinet
secretary as chairman while the NFA administrator, who is elected by the NFA
council from among its ranks, sits as the vice chairman.
The other members of the council
are the governor of BSP, chairman of the Development Bank of the Philippines,
president of Land Bank of the Philippines, Finance secretary, Trade secretary,
National Economic and Development Authority director-general and a
representative from a farmers’ group.
Under PD No. 4, as amended, one
of the inherent powers of the NFA council is to establish rules and regulations
governing the importation of rice. The present guidelines, including prior
ones, are reflective of such power.
The 2016 guidelines was issued
pursuant to the NFA council resolution 825-2016-F dated June 15, 2016.
One of the provisions gives
discretionary power to the NFA administrator to approve individual requests for
extension arrival of the rice
importation.
This specific power is delegated
to the NFA administrator by the NFA council for efficiency purposes, but in no
way should be interpreted to mean that the NFA council stripped itself of its
power to amend the 2016 MAV guidelines, the council said
NFA chief faces early exit for
insubordination
Newly appointed National Food Authority Administrator
Jason Aquino is facing serious disciplinary sanctions that could lead to his
early exit from office over his repeated defiance of lawful orders of the NFA
Council.
Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., also the ex-officio chairman
of the NFA Council, said willful disregard by Aquino of the council’s decision
to extend rice importations under the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) scheme has
put the country’s food security at risk.
“The NFA administrator has actively refused to implement the
lawful orders of [council]and directives of the [Cabinet Secretary] to publish
and has even released a press statement countering the [council’s] decision
that the MAV [scheme]has been extended to March 31,” Evasco said in a
statement.
“Instead, what were posted were extensions only for India and
Pakistan, when the council explicitly granted extension to all sources of
origin,” he added.
Evasco reminded Aquino that it is not for him as NFA administrator
to decide whether an extension of MAV is proper, let alone which sources should
be granted the extension.
“It is a decision, which the NFA Council has to make as a
collegial body. We [council]have made a decision, and we made it very clear, it
is extended up to March 31,” he said.
The NFA is one of the 12 agencies that has been placed under the
direct supervision of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary pursuant to Executive
Order 1.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said Aquino
“is compromising the country’s food security, and showing his penchant for
creating more debts at the expense of the NFA.”
Aside from the Cabinet Secretary as chairman and the NFA
administrator as vice chairman, the other members of the NFA Council are the
governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the chairman of the Development
Bank of the Philippines, the president of the Land Bank of the Philippines, the
Finance secretary, the Trade secretary, the NEDA and a farmer sector
representative.
Of the 10 members of the council, nine were present during the
February 27 meeting and voted for the extension of MAV importation scheme to
March 31 from the original deadline of February 28.
Aquino and the NFA management did not attend the meeting.
“Aquino by using my name has cancelled the first two NFA Council
meetings, thus the council was compelled to convene the third time meeting last
February 27, during which he deliberately absented himself,” Evasco said.
He noted that the council has thumbed down Aquino’s proposal to
import buffer stock via government-to-government transaction in lieu of the
purely private sector-led importation through the MAV scheme that is intended
to boost industry stocks.
“The difference between the two is, when you import via
[government-to-government], the NFA would again incur debt, while MAV
importation is paid for by the private sector. Besides, [according to]NEDA, in
two months the country’s harvest season will begin,” Evasco said.
Aquino, in a letter to Evasco, said extending the MAV importation
by a month might open the floodgates to rice smuggling.
Reacting to Aquino’s letter addressed to Evasco, Edwin Paraluman,
farmer sector representative to the NFA Council said, “His fear of smuggling is
extremely unfounded. A new law, Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, is
already in place and is harsh enough to emasculate illegitimate traders. And it
is the Bureau of Customs’ job, not the NFA’s.”
“It seems to us that he [Aquino] does not have even the slightest
understanding of his office and is even undermining the [council’s] authority…
causing serious prejudice to the country’s food security. We are afraid he is
not fit for the job. He must be dealt with accordingly,” Evasco said
Agro
exports up 1.4% this year
Update: March, 04/2017 - 09:00
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Canned fishery products made at KTC Canned Foodstuff Manufactory.
Agriculture export revenue increased by 1.4 per cent to reach US$4.3 billion
in the first two months of 2017. – VNA/VNS Photo Lê Huy Hải
|
HÀ NỘI – The agriculture and rural development sector witnessed
a year-on-year increase of 1.4 per cent in export value of agricultural,
forestry and fishery products to US$4.3 billion in the first two months of
2017.
The export value in February alone was estimated at $1.9
billion, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
(MARD).During the first two months, major farming products saw a year-on-year surge of 8.8 per cent to $2.4
billion, thanks mainly to growth in coffee export value, while seafood export
value hit $844 million, down 3.1 per cent from the same period last
year.Meanwhile, the forestry industry saw a slight increase of 0.3 per cent in
export value to $993 million.In the first two months, coffee exports decreased by 7.3 per cent in volume to 273,000 tonnes but went
up 22.3 per cent in value to $616 million compared with the same period last
year.Rice exports plummeted in both volume and value. Shipments dropped by 17.2
per cent in volume to 799,000 tonnes and by 40.6 per cent in value to $248
million against the same period last year.
The ministry said in February, rice price rose by VNĐ100-400 per
kg depending on the variety of rice to VNĐ5,400-6,500 in Mekong Delta provinces
because enterprises purchased rice for shipping to
the Philippines under signed contracts.
However, the price was expected to reduce from March because of
higher supply after harvesting rice of the winter-spring crop since the end of
February.Similar drops were witnessed in other farming products, such as tea and cashew nuts, falling 6.9 per cent and
12 per cent, respectively, in export value and 1.4 per cent and 26.2 per cent,
respectively, in volume.
Pepper export down
Pepper
export experienced a decline in both value and volume in the first two months
of 2017, MARD reported. Việt Nam shipped 16,000 tonnes of pepper overseas,
earning $112 million, down 19.8 per cent in volume and 36.3 per cent in value
compared with last year.Business insiders attributed the reduction to a global
oversupply trend.Việt Nam has witnessed a surge in the number of the
pepper growers following increasing pepper prices in recent years. The
country accounts for 50 per cent of the global peppercorns for trade, thus its
growing yield is likely to diminish prices in the global market.
Currently,
domestic peppercorn prices are under VNĐ120,000 ($5.27) per kg, some VNĐ35,000
($1.5) less than that of the same period last year. Đỗ Hà Nam, head
of the Việt
Nam Pepper Association, said the prices still bring
profit for growers and are higher than that of other industrial plants, such as
coffee and rubber trees. He pointed to accelerating quality management as
a way to avoid external pressures to reduce price in the global market.
Việt Nam shipped abroad an estimated 193,000 tonnes of
rubber for $392 million in the first two months of this year, up 25.4 per cent
in volume and 2.4 times in value against the same period last year. According to MARD, domestic rubber market recorded signals of
recovery as rubber prices showed a significant increase in February this year
in line with the world trend. The average export price in
January was almost $1,922 per tonne, a year-on-year increase of 70.6 per cent. Enterprises attributed the situation to the recovery of oil
prices globally and the negative impact of the weather, which led to a drop in
rubber output. Domestic rubber firms have moved
up the purchase price of rubber latex in line with the Tokyo Commodity Exchange
(Tocom) of Japan.
At present, the rubber price at the Tocom doubles the average
export price of Việt Nam’s rubber in 2015 and 2016. - VNS
http://vietnamnews.vn/economy/372245/agro-exports-up-14-this-year.html#FSt62loiHzwRBQd5.97US$20,000 for a rice export license - fact or
fiction?
Monday, 03/06/2017, 10:58
Rice exporters complain they have to satisfy
many requirements and pay under-the-table money to obtain a license to export
rice.
Everyone knows that it is costly to obtain a license to export
rice, but rice exporters had never revealed how much a license costs until the
director of a rice export company mentioned this at a seminar recently.
Ngo Van Nam, general director of ADC Company Ltd, said that one
license ‘costs no less than US$20,000’.
Nam revealed the figure to prove that the current regulations
stipulated in Decree 109 create big barriers for enterprises and hinder
exports.
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Ngo Van Nam
|
Nam said that rice export
companies are required to report to state management agencies every day about
rice export volume and inventory level, which takes enterprises time. Some
companies have to hire more workers just to make reports.
When export licenses expire, enterprises will have to have licenses extended, for which they will also have to pay money. If they don’t, they will be excluded from a list of rice exporters.
The requirement on material growing areas is also an obstacle that hinders rice exports.
“There are many businesses which have good prestige and good products, but they are not eligible for export just because they cannot satisfy the requirements on the material growing area. And they have to ‘pay’ for licenses,” he said.
The representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), who was present at the seminar, stated that MOIT will ‘clarify the case’.
Just one day later, MOIT’s Deputy Minister Tran Quoc Khanh was instructed to head an inspection team to investigate the case that ADC mentioned.
Nam confirmed on February 25 that he had a working session with MOIT’s inspectors. However, he said the cost for the rice export license he mentioned was the price offered by a consultancy firm.
Nam said that ADC had never sent a dossier of application for rice export license to MOIT and ADC had never paid such money for the license.
“ADC has not made direct rice exports. The price offered by the consultancy firm is too high. Therefore, I do not agree to pay money to get a license,” he said.
“I just provided information about the price of a license. I did not say I could obtain a license at such price,” he explained.
However, opinions from well-informed circles said ‘there is no smoke without fire’.
Vo Tong Xuan, the Vietnamese leading agronomist, said 10 years ago, he heard from rice exporters that they had to pay money for export licenses.
At that time, Vinafood was the only enterprise which could export rice directly. But the policy has ended. Under current regulations, all companies can export rice directly if they can satisfy requirements.
When export licenses expire, enterprises will have to have licenses extended, for which they will also have to pay money. If they don’t, they will be excluded from a list of rice exporters.
The requirement on material growing areas is also an obstacle that hinders rice exports.
“There are many businesses which have good prestige and good products, but they are not eligible for export just because they cannot satisfy the requirements on the material growing area. And they have to ‘pay’ for licenses,” he said.
The representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), who was present at the seminar, stated that MOIT will ‘clarify the case’.
Just one day later, MOIT’s Deputy Minister Tran Quoc Khanh was instructed to head an inspection team to investigate the case that ADC mentioned.
Nam confirmed on February 25 that he had a working session with MOIT’s inspectors. However, he said the cost for the rice export license he mentioned was the price offered by a consultancy firm.
Nam said that ADC had never sent a dossier of application for rice export license to MOIT and ADC had never paid such money for the license.
“ADC has not made direct rice exports. The price offered by the consultancy firm is too high. Therefore, I do not agree to pay money to get a license,” he said.
“I just provided information about the price of a license. I did not say I could obtain a license at such price,” he explained.
However, opinions from well-informed circles said ‘there is no smoke without fire’.
Vo Tong Xuan, the Vietnamese leading agronomist, said 10 years ago, he heard from rice exporters that they had to pay money for export licenses.
At that time, Vinafood was the only enterprise which could export rice directly. But the policy has ended. Under current regulations, all companies can export rice directly if they can satisfy requirements.
Vietnamnet
http://english.vov.vn/economy/us20000-for-a-rice-export-license-fact-or-fiction-344821.vovNagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-March 06,2017
FULL COVERAGE:
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Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-March 6
Nagpur, Mar 6 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices moved down in Nagpur Agriculture Producing and
Marketing Committee (APMC) on lack of demand from local traders amid weak increased supply from
producing regions. Fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh pulses and high moisture content arrival also
pulled down prices, according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram varieties reported higher in open market on renewed Holi festival demand from
local traders amid thin supply from local millers.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties recovered strongly in open market on increased seasonal demand from
local traders amid weak supply from producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 4,400-4,500, Tuar dal (clean) – 6,700-6,900, Udid Mogar (clean)
– 8,500-9,000, Moong Mogar (clean) 6,600-6,900, Gram – 5,000-5,100, Gram Super best
bold – 7,500-7,700 for 100 kg.
* Wheat, rice and other commodities moved in a narrow range in scattered, deals,
settled at last levels.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 4,200-4,630 4,300-4,700
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 3,900-4,290 4,000-4,370
Moong Auction n.a. 6,400-6,600
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold 7,500-8,000 7,500-7,800
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 6,600-7,000 6,500-6,800
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 4,700-4,800 4,600-4,700
Desi gram Raw 4,900-5,200 4,800-5,100
Gram Yellow 7,700-8,200 7,600-8,000
Gram Kabuli 11,800-13,000 11,600-12,800
Tuar Fataka Best-New 6,800-7,000 6,600-6,800
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 6,400-6,600 6,200-6,400
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 6,000-6,200 5,800-6,000
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 5,500-5,800 5,300-5,600
Tuar Gavarani New 4,400-4,500 4,200-4,300
Tuar Karnataka 4,350-4,550 4,350-4,550
Masoor dal best 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Masoor dal medium 5,300-5,500 5,300-5,500
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 6,800-7,200 6,800-7,200
Moong Mogar Medium 6,200-6,500 6,200-6,500
Moong dal Chilka 5,800-6,500 5,800-6,500
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 6,100-6,600 6,000-6,500
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 8,900-9,600 8,800-9,500
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 7,600-8,100 7,500-8,000
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,300-5,600 5,200-5,500
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,500 5,000-5,500
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 3,600-3,800 3,600-3,800
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,100 3,000-3,100
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,400 3,200-3,400
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,300 3,800-4,300
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,100 2,000-2,100
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,100 2,000-2,100
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,300 2,100-2,300
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,500 2,200-2,500
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,200 3,600-4,200
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,200 2,700-3,200
Rice BPT best New(100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,000 2,700-3,000
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,500 2,200-2,500
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,600 2,400-2,600
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400
Rice HMT best New (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,500 4,000-4,500
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,600
Rice Shriram best New(100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,500 5,200-5,500
Rice Shriram med New(100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,000 4,700-5,000
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 9,200-13,300 9,200-13,300
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-6,200 5,000-6,200
Rice Chinnor best New(100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Rice Chinnor med. New (100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,300 5,000-5,300
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,300 2,000-2,300
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 36.2 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 17.3 degree Celsius
Rainfall : Nil
FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 36 and 17 degree
Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but
included in market prices)
‘Govt won’t import rice to boost
buffer stock’
By
-
MARCH 5, 2017
181
The interagency National Food
Authority Council (NFAC) said it has rejected proposals to import rice via a
government-to-government transaction in the first half of the year to boost the
country’s buffer stock.
Cabinet Secretary Leoncio B.
Evasco Jr., ex-officio chairman of the NFAC, said National Food Authority
Administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino’s proposal to import via government to
government was thumbed down by the council.
In an interview last Thursday,
Undersecretary Maia Chiara Halmen Reina A. Valdez of the Office of the Cabinet
Secretary (OCS) said Aquino wanted the NFA to purchase 1 million metric tons of
imported rice to beef up the country’s buffer stock.
“When you import via government
to government, the NFA would again incur debt, while rice imported under the
minimum access volume [MAV] is paid for by the private sector,” Evasco said in
a statement.
Citing the National Economic and
Development Authority (Neda), he said it would also be ill-advised for the
government to import rice now, as Filipino farmers will harvest their crop
soon.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
(BSP), which is also one of the members of the NFAC, said the government is
more partial to buying rice directly from local farmers to beef up the food
agency’s stocks.
“Being more aligned with the
Duterte’s thrust to support the farmers, the NFA Council deemed it best if the
NFA would purchase its buffer stock from farmers instead of resorting to importation,”
BSP Deputy Governor
Diwa C. Guinigundo said.
Diwa C. Guinigundo said.
Aquino issued an order on March 3
directing the NFA field offices to purchase 4.6 million bags, or 230,367 metric
tons (MT), from local farmers to increase the government’s buffer stock. He
said the order is in time for the summer crop harvest from March to June.
Aside from local production,
Evasco said the country’s rice stock will be augmented by imports bought via
the MAV scheme of the World Trade Organization.
NFAC’s assurance
Evasco assured qualified rice
traders that they will be allowed to bring in the remaining inbound volume of
rice under the 2016 MAV until March 31.
He made the pronouncement
following the “repeated refusal” of the NFA management to extend the original
deadline of February 28 for the arrival of the 2016 MAV rice.
Out of the approved 692,340 MT,
the NFA said 258,640.65 MT have yet to arrive in the country.
“It is not for [Aquino] to decide
whether an extension of MAV is proper, let alone as to which sources of origin
is entitled thereto. It is a decision, which the NFAC has to make as a
collegial body. We [council] have made a decision, and we made it very clear,
it is extended up to March 31,” Evasco said.
On February 27 NFAC announced
that it has extended the deadline of rice imports under MAV for another month.
However, in an order released on March 1, Aquino said the extension granted by
the NFA is only for rice shipped from India and Pakistan.
“There’s no need to extend the
deadline because there were others, including farmer cooperatives, that
participated in the MAV and have complied with the deadline. If these co-ops
can do it, why can’t the others?” Aquino asked.
The NFA is one of the 12 agencies
that have been placed under the direct supervision of the OCS pursuant to Executive
Order 1, which aimed to streamline agencies that deal with poverty reduction.
Evasco sits as the ex-officio
chairman of the NFAC, while Aquino serves as its vice chairman.
Other members of the NFA Council
include the BSP governor, Development Bank of the Philippines chairman,
president of the Lank Bank of the Philippines (LandBank), finance secretary,
trade secretary, Neda and a farmer sector’s representative.
Evasco said of the 10 members of
the council, nine were present during the February 27 meeting and voted for the
extension of MAV importation. Neither Aquino nor his representative attended
the meeting.
“Aquino by using my name has
canceled the first two NFAC meetings, thus the Council was compelled to convene
the third time on February 27, during which he deliberately absent himself,” he
said.
During the February 27 meeting,
the NFAC has also authorized Evasco to sign import permits of qualified traders
under the 2016 MAV rice-importation program. Previously, only the NFA
administrator has the sole authority to sign the permits.
Under Section X of the 2016 MAV
Guidelines, in order to secure an import permit, qualified rice importers
should submit electronic copies of documents that they submitted to the
LandBank not later than five days before the arrival of rice shipment.
Any rice inbound shipments in the
country without an import permit from the NFA is considered illegal.
Because of Aquino’s refusal to
implement the NFAC’s order, Evasco said Aquino is facing “serious disciplinary
sanctions” that could lead to his removal as chief of the food agency.
“It seems to us that he does not
have even the slightest understanding of his office and even undermining the
NFAC’s authority that were causing serious prejudice to the country’s food
security. We are afraid he is not fit for the job. He must be dealt with
accordingly,”Evasco said.
On March 2 the OCS said the NFAC
said it has already issued a directive to Aquino to immediately and strictly
implement its decision pursuant to NFA Resolution 851-2017-B, which orders the
extension of MAV deadline.
However, the NFA released a
statement on March 3 that it sees no need to extend the arrival of rice
imported under the MAV scheme.
Last December the NFA allowed 210
farmers’ organizations and private firms to import 692,340 metric tons (MT) of
rice, lower than the country’s annual MAV of 802,500 MT.
The NFA list available on its web
site also showed that 194 qualified rice traders, including AgriNurture Inc.
and Pilmico Foods Corp., will import 642,340 MT of rice under the country
specific quota (CSQ). Of the total rice to be imported under the CSQ, 293,100
MT of rice will be bought from Thailand and Vietnam.
Sixteen qualified applicants were
allowed to import a total of 50,000 MT of rice under the “omnibus origin”
category, according to the NFA list.
Egypt strikes deal for local rice
six months after harvest
Mon Mar 6, 2017 2:58pm GMT
CAIRO, March 6 (Reuters) - Egypt has reached an
agreement with private rice mills to produce white rice, potentially ending a
standoff over the buying price of last year's crop that has led to millions of
tonnes of paddy sitting idle since the harvest.
The supply ministry said this week
it had agreed to pay private mills 6.3 Egyptian pounds ($0.3784) per kilogram
of white rice, which the government would then sell at its outlets for 6.5
Egyptian pounds.
Farmers last year refused to sell
government mills their crops despite a plentiful harvest, arguing that the buying
price of 2,400 Egyptian pounds ($270.27) per tonne of rice paddy was too low.
The new agreement means that
private mills will instead buy up the paddy at the current market price of
about 4,200 Egyptian pounds before selling it on to the government.
Last year, the long held paddy
stocks forced up local rice prices and intermittently made supplies at
government outlets scarce, forcing state grain buyer GASC to import 75,000
tonnes of medium grain rice despite a local surplus and a hard currency shortage.
Egypt's annual consumption of rice
paddy is about 3.95 million tonnes whereas production is about 5.1 million
tonnes, according to a United States Department of Agriculture report.
Mostafa al-Naggari, head of the
rice committee of Egypt's agricultural export council, estimates that about 3.9
million tonnes of rice paddy remains in the hands of farmers and traders as a
result of the standoff.
Any subsequent jump in the local
paddy price, however, could make the recently struck deal untenable given the
tight profit margin agreed to by the private mills under the new deal.
"If the price of paddy jumps
100 or 150 pounds, the mills will not be able to distribute it," Naggari
said. ($1 = 16.6500 Egyptian pounds) (Reporting by Eric Knecht; editing by Maha
El Dahan and David Clarke)
Breaking News
Iran may soon permit import of rice from India
TEHRAN: Government of Iran may soon issue the notification about
resumption of issuance of permits for import of rice from India, Commerce
Ministry said in a statement. The Ministry said this after a 20 member trade
delegation led by Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA) visited Iran from January 28-30, 2017. The
delegation met various departments in the government of Iran including Food and
Drug Organisation, Governmental Trading Corporation and Trade Promotion
Organisation.
Meetings were also held with Iran Chamber of Commerce and Rice
Importers Association. The deliberations helped to dispel the negative
publicity which appeared in some part of Iran media causing doubts about the
health and safety of rice from India. The main purpose of the visit related to
promotion of export of rice since Iran is one of the largest importers of
Basmati rice from India. About 250 people participated in the sales promotion
event held at Hotel Espinas Palace, Tehran. On the spot preparation of Iranian
dishes prepared by Iranian Chefs with use of Indian rice was demonstrated and
served as part of the lunch. Participants included about 30 media personnel,
importers, inspection agencies and government officials from Food and Drug
Organisation (FDO) etc. To supplement domestic production of about 2 million
MT, Iran imports about 1 million MT of rice every year out of which about 7
lakh MT is exported from India
Headlines ( Leaderboard Top ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
‘Top execs
turning NFA imports into cash cow’
(The Philippine Star) | Updated March 7, 2017 - 12:00am
8 85 googleplus0 2
The National Food Authority
(NFA) continues to be in hot water as a new issue is surfacing amid alleged
connivance and backdoor meetings on the country’s rice importation, according
to the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.
MANILA,
Philippines - The National Food Authority (NFA) continues to be in hot water as
a new issue is surfacing amid alleged connivance and backdoor meetings on the
country’s rice importation, according to the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.
In a
statement released yesterday, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. said certain
NFA officials are turning government-led importations into a cash cow.
Evasco was
referring to the alleged connivance between NFA administrator Jason Aquino and
deputy administrator Ludovico Jarina.
“It has
come to the NFA Council’s attention that Jarina and Aquino had been holding
closed door meetings even prior to Aquino’s appointment as NFA administrator,”
Evasco said.
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“We have
received a copy of Aquino’s letter to the Vietnam embassy, informing the latter
that the Philippine government will open a state-to-state importation this
month for its buffer-stock. That letter was sent to the embassy behind the
council’s back,” he added.
Apart from
Evasco and the NFA, the council is composed of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,
Development Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines, Department
of Finance, Department of Trade and Industry and the National Economic and
Development Authority.
Headlines ( Article MRec ),
pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
Evasco said
the council has been requesting the NFA for copies of the terms of reference
(TORs) of all international and domestic cargo handlers of government rice
importation.
He said the
NFA management refused to furnish the council with the TORs until now.
“It creates
serious doubt on the part of the NFA Council when some of the NFA’s executives
have been insisting on a government-to-government procurement despite the lack
of recommendation to import from the National Food Security Committee (NFSC),”
Evasco said.
The NFSC is
the recommending unit to the council whenever there is a need to import rice.
“I will
propose to the council to create a special committee to investigate the
culprits of this flagrant corruption to the detriment of the country’s food
security,” Evasco said.
Aquino,
Jarina and the NFA have yet to comment on the new set of issues hurled against
them.
This is on
top of another issue attached to Aquino after he said that there is no
extension in the arrival of the country’s rice imports under the minimum access
volume (MAV) scheme, even if the council has decided to do so.
“So who is
or should I say ‘are’ earning whenever the NFA undertakes a
government-to-government transaction? The NFA administrator, who merely assumed
office last January, has the audacity to go behind our back and even
deliberately defying the council’s decision,” Evasco said.
He said
Aquino might soon be removed from his post following repeated defiance of
orders.
Aquino is
facing serious disciplinary sanctions over his defiance of the NFA Council’s
decision to extend rice importation under the MAV.
The MAV
refers to the volume of a specific agricultural product that is allowed to
import with a lower tariff as a commitment of the Philippines under the
provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of the World Trade
Organization.
The annual
MAV importation is being shouldered by the private sector and is an assurance
of enough rice supply in the country.
Headlines ( Article MRec ),
pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
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http://menafn.com/1095291070/Iran-may-soon-permit-import-of-rice-from-India-Commerce-Ministry
On the Front Line at USA Rice
By Deborah Willenborg
ARLINGTON, VA -- As USA Rice's new Coordinator, Finance and
Administration, Lesley Dixon is the first smiling face you see and mellifluous
voice you hear when contacting the Arlington office. She joined USA Rice in an "official"
capacity after working as a temp here for several months.
Dixon is a relative newcomer to Washington, DC, and lives in
Columbia Heights with her husband, a political pollster. She grew up in Austin, Texas, and went to
school at the University of Texas at Austin, where she was active in local
theater and comedy scenes, and taught music lessons at a local guitar
shop. She also lived in Chicago for
several years, where she attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago,
wrote content for a video game startup, and barely survived three Midwest
winters.
Busy booth - take a number
USA Rice Makes Contact at Gulfood Show
By Hartwig Schmidt
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- Last week, USA Rice participated at
the 22nd annual Gulfood Show, the region's largest and most important trade event
of the year where buyers and sellers meet for one-on-one discussions, and
vendors showcase the latest products, trends, and industry innovations from
more than 5,000 participating companies.
The event's 1.2 million square feet of exhibition space was sold out
across all 22 halls of the Dubai World Trade Centre, and an estimated 95,000
visitors from more than 150 countries attended.
At the USA Rice booth, staff provided potential buyers with
brochures and lists of U.S. suppliers, and met with key international rice
importers and FAS personnel to discuss policy issues and areas of possible
promotional cooperation. Five different
U.S. rice exporter companies manned the booth and talked to traders and
professionals from the foodservice and hospitality sector who impact the
palates of more than two billion consumers in the region.
"USA Rice's presence at Gulfood enabled us to meet with
existing trade partners from several countries in the Middle East as well as North
and West Africa," said USA Rice Vice President International Hugh
Maginnis. "We distributed brochures
to potential traders, but also to members of the hotel, restaurant, and
industrial sector. We offered marketing
assistance to local U.S. rice brands knowing this not only increases loyalty to
U.S. rice, but also helps combat the severe price and quality
competition."
An increasing influx of expatriates, higher disposable incomes, and
rising health awareness among consumers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is
predicted to grow the nation's food and beverage sector by 30 percent over 2015
within the next five years.
"U.S. rice exports to the UAE have increased from 6,000 MT in
2012 to over 11,000 MT in 2016," said Maginnis. "U.S. rice sales to the Middle East are
around 500,000 MT and our promotion programs in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and
Turkey are working to boost that figure."
Rice Field Day this Thursday
by
MARCH 07, 2017
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A showcase of the latest rice research and
innovations in the rice-farming system will return this year for the annual
Rice Field Day.
The industry’s premier research exhibition
returns to ‘Old Coree’ on Conargo Rd near Jerilderie after a highly successful
2016 event.
The Field Day will be held this Thursday, starting
at 9am, and the theme is ‘Tradition, Technology, Productivity - A Balancing
Act.’
Rice Research and Development committee
chairman Ian Mason said the field day would highlight the importance of the
industry’s research and development program for improvements in on-farm
production and water-use efficiencies.
“Building on from the successful event last
year, we expect growers will enjoy the Rice Field Day in 2017,’’ Mr Mason said
http://www.riverineherald.com.au/regional/2017/03/07/77396/rice-field-day-this-thursday
