Iran-Pakistan $5b Trade Target
Optimistic
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Pakistan is serious about its
preferential and free trade agreement with Iran, in the quest of an elusive
exponential increase in exports.
Pakistani policymakers hope for
significant jumps in foreign trade, especially exports, as they enter round
after round of negotiations with their international trading partners.
A report on the issue, published
by Pakistan’s biggest financial daily Business Recorder on Tuesday, follows:
A case in point is the current
PTA with Iran whose second phase of negotiations concluded last week. Pakistan
and Iran hope to increase their $359 million trade in 2016 to $5 billion by
2021.
In 2004, Pakistan and Iran signed
the PTA that came into effect in 2006. As per data from the International Trade
Center’s Trade Maps, Pakistan’s bilateral trade with Iran increased from $622
million in 2006 to $1.2 billion in 2009, a 194% jump post-PTA implementation.
Despite the increase in trade,
bilateral trade with Iran comprised just 2.5% of Pakistan’s global bilateral
trade, with exports to Iran accounting for 1.4% of Pakistan’s total exports.
The only significant export to Iran was that of rice with 12% of Pakistan’s
exports finding a market in Iran.
In 2011, sanctions were placed on
Iran and trade tapered off, not recovering even when they were lifted in 2013.
For bilateral trade to increase from the current level to $5 billion in the
next four years, the jump needs to be nearly 14 times!
Let us look at the exports to
Iran for now. Going through the product lines, the highest potential of
increase in trade is of rice exports to Iran. At the peak of Pakistan’s exports
in 2009, the top export to Iran was $200 million of rice that constituted
nearly 80% of Pakistan’s exports to Iran.
Pakistan produces roughly 700,000
tons of rice annually and is a leading producer of Basmati and non-Basmati rice
regionally. While Basmati rice is considered a premium high-end rice, enabling
Pakistan to earn more forex, Iran is also a market for non-basmati rice. Since
the decline in non-Basmati variety has caused some concerns, the Pakistan-Iran
PTA in the works may give it the much needed boost.
Pakistan’s top export in 2016
included $19 million worth of paper and paperboard while rice exports fell to
$8.3 million due to the sanctions placed in 2011. On the other hand, Iran’s
rice imports from the world stood at $517 million, 97% of which were from
India, since India circumvented the sanctions by using a barter model of trade
that would not suit Pakistan.
Currently, other than rice,
Pakistan has the potential to increase exports of medical instruments, since
Pakistan’s current exports to Iran are limited to $780,000 whereas Iran’s
imports globally were $147 million in 2016. As Sialkot’s surgical goods
industry is one of Pakistan’s success stories, reduction in tariffs of medical
instruments should be negotiated to become a part of the PTA.
Another product that Pakistan has
potential to export to Iran is cotton fabric. Woven fabrics of cotton are a
significant export of Pakistan, but exports to Iran are non-existent, whereas
Iran’s imports from the world were $42 million in 2016.
Similarly, there is a long list
of Pakistan’s exports that the country is currently not exporting to Iran, but
which Iran is importing from other countries. In the past, Pakistan’s exports
have been limited to a single top export to Iran but the PTA is an opportunity
for Pakistan to increase its basket of exports.
However, if Pakistan insists on
putting all its eggs in one basket as it usually does, the PTA is not likely to
give a significant increase in exports, much less reach the naively optimistic
goal of $5 billion of bilateral trade
https://financialtribune.com/articles/economy-domestic-economy/68621/iran-pakistan-5b-trade-target-optimistic
Rice basmati remains weak on low
demand, adequate supply
New Delhi, Jun
10 (PTI) Rice basmati prices drifted further lower by Rs 200 per quintal at the
wholesale grains market today on fall in demand against ample stocks position.
New Delhi, Jun 10 (PTI) Rice basmati prices drifted further lower
by Rs 200 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today on fall in demand
against ample stocks position.
Bajra and maize also eased on reduced of consuming industries.
Traders said easing demand from retailers and stockists against
adequate stocks position mainly put pressure on rice basmati prices.
In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa-1121 variety
fell further by Rs 200 each to Rs 7,000- 7,100 and Rs 5,700-6,000 per quintal
respectively.
Non-basmati rice permal raw, wand, sela and IR-8 also slipped to
Rs 2,225-2,250, Rs 2,275-2,300, Rs 2,500-2,600 and Rs 1,850-1,900 as compared
to previous levels of Rs 2,250- 2,275,Rs 2,300-2,350, Rs 2,700-2,800 and Rs
1,875-2,000 per quintal respectively in line with rice basmati trend.
Other bold grains like, bajra and maize too declined by Rs 20 and
Rs 50 to Rs 1,330-1,340 and Rs 1,360-1,370 per quintal respectively.
Following are today’s quotations (in Rs per quintal): Wheat MP
(desi) Rs 2,100-2,345, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,755-1,760, Chakki atta
(delivery) Rs 1,760-1,765, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Shakti Bhog (10
kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 950-960 (50 kg), Maida Rs 960-970 (50 kg)
and Sooji Rs 1,040-1,050 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300,
Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 7,000-7,100, Rice Pusa
(1121) Rs 5,700-6,000, Permal raw Rs 2,225-2,250, Permal wand Rs 2,275-2,300,
Sela Rs 2,500-2,600 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,850-1,900, Bajra Rs 1,330-1,340, Jowar
yellow Rs 1,550-1,600, white Rs 3,100-3,300, Maize Rs 1,360-1,370, Barley Rs
1,610-1,630.
http://www.india.com/news/agencies/rice-basmati-remains-weak-on-low-demand-adequate-supply-2221178/
Mirza Fakhrul compares ruling party with the Nazis
Published
at 06:26 PM July 20, 2017
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, centre,
addresses a programme at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in Dhaka’s
Ramna arranged by Jatiyatabadi Help Cell to provide financial assistance among
the family members of those were “disappeared, killed and repressed by Awami
League enforcers and law enforcers”
Criticising
Awami League leaders for their remarks that Khaleda Zia fled the country in
fear of facing possible prison time in the cases filed against her, Fakhrul
said even a dull-witted person won’t believe it.
Accusing the government of
continuing its repressive acts to eliminate its opponents, BNP Secretary
General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday said the ruling party has even
“outshined German dictator Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party in carrying out
brutalities.”
“The ruling party men often say
Bangladesh is a role model in the world. Yes, it’s role model but for
repressive acts, suppressing political dissent and killing innocent people,”
UNB reported quoting him as saying during a programme in Dhaka.
He criticised the Awami League
leaders for their remarks that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia fled the country in
fear of facing possible prison time in the cases filed against her, saying even
a dull-witted person won’t believe it.
“It was Khaleda Zia who played
the most important role without any compromise in the country’s democratic
movements…those who’re making such unguarded remarks should take a look at themselves
in the mirror.”
The BNP leader came up with the
remarks while speaking at a programme at the Institution of Engineers,
Bangladesh in Dhaka’s Ramna arranged by Jatiyatabadi Help Cell to provide
financial assistance among the family members of those were “disappeared,
killed and repressed by Awami League enforcers and law enforcers.”
Fakhrul said the entire nation is
now passing very hard days due to misrule by the Awami League government.
“We must free the country from
their grasp (Awami League) through the next national election. We’ll have to
make people aware so that the ruling party can’t return to power through
deception.”
About the next polls, the BNP
leader said it is not possible to hold a fair and credible general election
under incumbent government.
He called upon the government to
engage in talks with political parties for holding a neutral and acceptable
election ensuring people’s right to franchise.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/politics/2017/07/20/fakhrul-awami-league-nazi/
Vietnam, Pakistan, Burma to drive
2018 global rice exports
, 07/20/2017,
12:32
VOV.VN -
Global rice trade has been projected to increase 1% to 42.3 million metric tons
in 2018, the third highest on record and the second consecutive year of
expanded trade, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
The USDA
Economic Research Service noted that a major factor behind the enlarged trade
in 2018 is projected increased exports from three of the top six global
exporters—Vietnam, Pakistan, and Burma.
Exports of
Vietnam for 2018 are expected to increase 400,000 metric tons, to 6 million,
due to increased demand from Southeast Asia, especially the Philippines. China
is again forecasted to be the country’s largest export market.
Pakistan is
projected to export 4.1 million metric tons of rice in 2018, up 100,000 metric
tons from a year earlier, a result of a slightly larger crop, the USDA said.
Burma is
expected to export 1.7 million metric tons of rice in 2018, up 100,000 metric
tons from 2017, primarily due to stronger demand from regional buyers and the
EU.
In contrast,
exports for India are projected to drop 500,000 metric tons in 2018 due to a
smaller crop and stronger domestic use.
According to
the USDA, Thailand exports are expected to be flat in 2018, while US rice
exports are projected to decline 50,000 metric tons because of higher prices
and tighter supplies
http://english.vov.vn/economy/vietnam-pakistan-burma-to-drive-2018-global-rice-exports-354972.vov
Iran-Pakistan
cargo train services up as trade grows: Pakistani official
Trade between
Iran and Pakistan has increased with more cargo trains plying between the two
neighboring states, said a Pakistani railway official from Baluchistan
Province.Station Master
of Quetta Railway Station, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal told IRNA that right now there
are seven scheduled cargo trains between Iran and Pakistan in a month.
Compared to past years, there is
a big increase in the number of cargo trains operating between the two
countries which also means that bilateral trade is growing rapidly, he said.
Last year, trade between Iran and
Pakistan increased to more than $1 billion indicating a growing trend after the
JCPOA.
He added that rail track between
Quetta to Taftan border point is damaged and needs urgent repairs.
The official said that Iran sends
mostly chemicals and cement while rice and other agricultural goods are
transported from Pakistan through the rail road.
Zafar Iqbal said that Pakistan is
interested in upgrading the railway track on its side but it would need the
support of Iranian railways in this respect.
He said that if the track is
upgraded, the two countries can also operate passenger train services for
Pakistani pilgrims and other tourists going to Iran.
The official noted that there is
absolutely no security problem along Quetta-Zahedan rail track and the trains
run on this track even during nighttime.
He said that due to the slow
train service, people prefer road trips between Iran and Pakistan. "In
past we used to run three passenger trains between the two countries in a
month," he said.
Last week an Iranian railways
delegation visited Pakistan to participate in the 9th high level working group
meeting of ECO Container Train on Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul route.
In a meeting with Pakistan's
Secretary of Railways Parveen Agha, the Iranian delegation also urged Pakistan
to give extra attention to Quetta-Taftan railway line which is an important
section of Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul Container Train Corridor project.
There are only 14 railway
stations in the last 553km section of the track. The total length of track from
Quetta to Zahedan is 732km with the last 100km section being in Iran.
Earlier Pakistan's Minister for
Railways had said that Pakistan Railway is working on a master plan to upgrade
its three main arteries including Quetta to Taftan railway line which will
improve connectivity among ECO states.
In 2004, Pakistan and Iran signed
the preferential trade agreement (PTA) which came into effect in 2006. As per
data from International Trade Center, Trade Maps, Pakistan's trade with Iran
increased from $622 million in 2006 to $1.2 billion in 2009, a 194 percent jump
post FTA implementation.
Despite the increase in trade,
bilateral trade with Iran composed of just 2.5 percent of Pakistan's global
trade, with exports to Iran constituting just 1.4 percent of Pakistan's total
exports. The only significant export to Iran was that of rice with 12 percent
of Pakistan's exports finding a market in Iran.
The highest potential of increase
in trade is rice exports to Iran. At the peak of Pakistan's exports in 2009,
the top export to Iran was $200 million of rice which made up nearly 80 percent
of Pakistan's exports to Iran.
Pakistan produces roughly 700,000
tons of rice annually and is a leading producer of Basmati and non-Basmati rice
regionally. While Basmati rice is considered a premium high-end rice thereby
enabling Pakistan to earn more forex, Iran is also a market for non-Basmati
rice. Since the decline in non-Basmati variety has caused some concerned, the
Pakistan-Iran FTA in the works may give it the much needed boost
http://www.iran-daily.com/News/196903.html
Rice basmati remains weak on low demand
PTI | Jul
19, 2017, 02:42 PM IST
New Delhi, Jul 19 () Rice basmati drifted further lower by up to
Rs 200 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today owing to slackened
demand against adequate stocks position.
Other grains held steady in thin trade.
Traders said muted domestic and exports demand against adequate
stocks position mainly kept pressure on rice basmati prices.
In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa- 1121
variety settled lower at Rs 6,500-6,700 and Rs 5,250- 5,300 from previous
levels of Rs 6,600-6,900 and Rs 5,300- 5,350 per quintal, respectively.
Permal raw, wand and sela also eased to Rs 2,200-2,225, Rs
2,250-2,275 and Rs 2,400-2,500 against last close of Rs 2,225-2,250, Rs
2,275-2,300 and Rs 2,500-2,600 per quintal, respectively in line with bamati
trend.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,100-2,345, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs
1,770-1,775, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,775-1,780, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 260-300, Shakti Bhog (10
kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 975-980 (50 kg), Maida Rs 1,010-1,020 (50 kg)
and Sooji Rs 1,035-1,040 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice
Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 6,500-6,700, Rice Pusa (1121)
Rs 5,250-5,300, Permal raw Rs 2,200-2,225, Permal wand Rs 2,250-2,275, Sela Rs
2,400-2,500 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,850-1,900, Bajra Rs 1,190-1,200, Jowar yellow Rs
1,450-1,500, white Rs 2,900-3,100, Maize Rs 1,340-1,345, Barley Rs 1,500-1,510.
SUN KPS SRK
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/rice-basmati-remains-weak-on-low-demand/articleshow/59664533.cms
Trade with CARs
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left on a two-day visit to Tajikistan to discuss trade cooperation among other issues. In CPEC’s backdrop, his visit to Tajikistan understandably laid stress on promoting and expanding connectivity to spur socio-economic growth and trade.
The Central Asian Republics consist of 5 countries: Kazakhstan, Krygstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Together, they provide a market of $251 billion with a population of $70 million. On average, their per capita income is $3,577 with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan providing the biggest markets.
Pakistan’s $37.4 million exports to CAR in 2016 were less than 1 percent of CAR’s total imports which amounted to $46 billion. India’s exports to CAR were nearly 9 times more than Pakistan’s exports. Among India’s top exports to Central Asian states in 2016 were medicaments (HS Code 300490) worth $9.8 billion, rice (HS Code 100630) worth $ 5.2 billion, and cotton (520100) worth $1.34 billion.
Rice, medicaments, cotton, along with wheat, medical instruments, sugar, and cement are some of the top exports of Pakistan, in terms or quality and/or volume, which are in demand by the CARs. Given the scope of trade available with CARs, to see Pakistan’s total export at $37.4 million to CARs is lamentable. Pakistan can access CAR markets from three sides: Afghanistan, Iran and China. While Pakistan is touting war in Afghanistan the biggest hurdle to trade with CARs, India has made its own routes.
India is a big driver of enhancements to Iran’s Chabahar port which is expected to see its cargo volume increase fivefold to 12.5 million tons per year. India is also backing the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project that will connect Afghanistan through their neighbouring country Myanmar. Furthermore, India is working towards developing the 7,200km multimodal North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) that will link India with Iran, Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
India’s bilateral trade with Central Asian states is a small percentage of its trade with the world, but it is investing not only to improve connectivity for trade but also to gain better access to natural resources of energy that the mineral rich region possesses. Projects such as NSTC will allow it to completely bypass Pakistan to tap new markets for trade, energy and investment.
On the other hand, Pakistan’s rhetoric seems to concentrate on stability with Afghanistan for CAR access, which though important, is by no means the only way of accessing those markets. China’s Belt and Road Initiative would in the long term enable it to be better connected for access but so far little of the project has been completed outside of China.
In the short term, trade with CARs would rise if Chinese use Gwadar port to trade with Central Asia states and Pakistan uses road links with China to access CARs markets. Iranian free trade zone of Chabahar can be used to reach Central Asia as well. Playing a pro-active role in regional forums like Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation could also help expand trade volume with Central Asian states
http://www.brecorder.com/2017/07/19/360038/trade-with-cars/
Pak-Iran FTA – an optimistic exercise
Pakistan is fond of its Preferential Trade Agreements (PTA) and
Free Trade Agreements (FTA) all in the quest of the as yet elusive exponential
increase in exports. Not ones for shying away from chasing big numbers, in
eternal optimism our policymakers hope for significant jumps in bilateral
trade, especially exports, as they enter round after round of negotiations with
our international trading partners.
Case in point is the current FTA with Iran whose second phase of negotiations concluded last week. Pakistan and Iran hope to increase the 2016’s $359 million trade to $5 billion by 2021.
In 2004, Pakistan and Iran signed the PTA which came into effect in 2006. As per data from International Trade Centre, Trade Maps, Pakistan’s bilateral trade with Iran increased from $622 million in 2006 to $1.2 billion in 2009, a 194 percent jump post FTA implementation.
Despite the increase in trade, bilateral trade with Iran composed of just 2.5 percent of Pakistan’s global bilateral trade, with exports to Iran being 1.4 percent of Pakistan’s total exports. The only significant export to Iran was that of rice with 12 percent of Pakistan’s exports finding a market in Iran.
In 2011, sanctions were placed on Iran and trade tapered off, not recovering even when they were lifted in 2013. For bilateral trade to increase to increase from current levels to $5 billion in the next 4 years, the jump needs to be nearly 14 times!
Let us look at the exports to Iran for now. Going through the product lines, the highest potential of increase in trade is of rice exports to Iran. At the peak of Pakistan’s exports in 2009, the top export to Iran was $200 million of rice which comprised of nearly 80 percent of Pakistan’s exports to Iran.
Pakistan produces roughly 700,000 tonnes of rice annually and is a leading producer of Basmati and non-Basmati rice regionally. While Basmati rice is considered a premium high-end rice thereby enabling Pakistan to earn more forex, Iran is also a market for non-basmati rice. Since the decline in non-Basmati variety has caused some concerned, the Pakistan-Iran FTA in the works may give it the much needed boost.
Pakistan’s top export in 2016 was $19 million of paper and paperboard while rice exports have fallen to $8.3 million due to the sanctions placed in 2011. On the other hand, Iran’s rice imports from the world are $517 million, 97% of which were from India, since India circumvented the sanctions by using a barter model of trade that would not suit Pakistan.
Currently, other than rice, we have potential to increase exports of medical instruments (HS Code 901890) since Pakistan’s current exports to Iran are limited to $780 thousand whereas Iran’s imports globally were $147 million in 2016. Given that Sialkot’s surgical good industry is one of Pakistan’s success stories, reduction in tariffs of medical instruments should be negotiated to become a part of the FTA.
Another product that we have potential to export to Iran is cotton fabric. Woven fabrics of cotton (HS Code 520819) are a significant export of Pakistan but exports to Iran are non-existent, whereas Iran’s imports from the world were $42 million in 2016.
Similarly, there is a long list of Pakistan’s exports that we are currently not exporting to Iran but which Iran is importing from other countries. In the past, Pakistan’s exports have been limited to a single top export to Iran but the FTA is an opportunity to increase our basket of exports. However, if we insist on putting all our eggs in one basket as we usually do, the FTA is not likely to give a significant increase in exports, much less reach the naively optimistic goal of $5 billion of bilateral trade.
Case in point is the current FTA with Iran whose second phase of negotiations concluded last week. Pakistan and Iran hope to increase the 2016’s $359 million trade to $5 billion by 2021.
In 2004, Pakistan and Iran signed the PTA which came into effect in 2006. As per data from International Trade Centre, Trade Maps, Pakistan’s bilateral trade with Iran increased from $622 million in 2006 to $1.2 billion in 2009, a 194 percent jump post FTA implementation.
Despite the increase in trade, bilateral trade with Iran composed of just 2.5 percent of Pakistan’s global bilateral trade, with exports to Iran being 1.4 percent of Pakistan’s total exports. The only significant export to Iran was that of rice with 12 percent of Pakistan’s exports finding a market in Iran.
In 2011, sanctions were placed on Iran and trade tapered off, not recovering even when they were lifted in 2013. For bilateral trade to increase to increase from current levels to $5 billion in the next 4 years, the jump needs to be nearly 14 times!
Let us look at the exports to Iran for now. Going through the product lines, the highest potential of increase in trade is of rice exports to Iran. At the peak of Pakistan’s exports in 2009, the top export to Iran was $200 million of rice which comprised of nearly 80 percent of Pakistan’s exports to Iran.
Pakistan produces roughly 700,000 tonnes of rice annually and is a leading producer of Basmati and non-Basmati rice regionally. While Basmati rice is considered a premium high-end rice thereby enabling Pakistan to earn more forex, Iran is also a market for non-basmati rice. Since the decline in non-Basmati variety has caused some concerned, the Pakistan-Iran FTA in the works may give it the much needed boost.
Pakistan’s top export in 2016 was $19 million of paper and paperboard while rice exports have fallen to $8.3 million due to the sanctions placed in 2011. On the other hand, Iran’s rice imports from the world are $517 million, 97% of which were from India, since India circumvented the sanctions by using a barter model of trade that would not suit Pakistan.
Currently, other than rice, we have potential to increase exports of medical instruments (HS Code 901890) since Pakistan’s current exports to Iran are limited to $780 thousand whereas Iran’s imports globally were $147 million in 2016. Given that Sialkot’s surgical good industry is one of Pakistan’s success stories, reduction in tariffs of medical instruments should be negotiated to become a part of the FTA.
Another product that we have potential to export to Iran is cotton fabric. Woven fabrics of cotton (HS Code 520819) are a significant export of Pakistan but exports to Iran are non-existent, whereas Iran’s imports from the world were $42 million in 2016.
Similarly, there is a long list of Pakistan’s exports that we are currently not exporting to Iran but which Iran is importing from other countries. In the past, Pakistan’s exports have been limited to a single top export to Iran but the FTA is an opportunity to increase our basket of exports. However, if we insist on putting all our eggs in one basket as we usually do, the FTA is not likely to give a significant increase in exports, much less reach the naively optimistic goal of $5 billion of bilateral trade.
http://www.brecorder.com/2017/07/18/359846/pak-iran-fta-an-optimistic-exercise/
Pakistan,
Egypt enjoy strong relationship
Egypt Ambassador Sherif Mohamed
Kamaleldin Shaheen talks to Pakistan Observer
Interview
Zubair Qureshi
Q: Pakistan and Egypt enjoy exemplary bilateral relations in education, health and trade and Egypt is one of the great host nations for the Pakistani workforce. Which cementing factor in your opinion is binding the two coun-tries together in friendly relations?
Zubair Qureshi
Q: Pakistan and Egypt enjoy exemplary bilateral relations in education, health and trade and Egypt is one of the great host nations for the Pakistani workforce. Which cementing factor in your opinion is binding the two coun-tries together in friendly relations?
A: The two countries have enjoyed
a strong and supportive relationship since Pakistan’s independence in 1947, as
Egypt was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with
Pakistan in 1948.
Therefore, historically our
relation with Pakistan was based on our support for its’ independence as a
strong Muslim nation, and this was further strengthen as Pakistan’s role in the
Arab-Israeli conflict was highlighted through its support to the Arab cause.
Q: What is the commonly shared
vision of the leadership of the two countries?
A: We take pride that the two
countries are considered to be two of the most powerful armies in the Muslim
Umma, and we both opt to improve the wellbeing of Muslims around the world, and
cooperate to enhance the interests and shed light on important issues of
concern to the developing nations.
Q: Which particular areas of
bilateral relations are the hallmarks of the two countries’ strong cooperation?
A: We have strived to strengthen
various aspects of our bilateral relations, and in this regard the military and
security cooperation is deemed one of the most successful aspects of bilateral
relations. Both countries have witnessed exchange of high level visits in these
fields, and there is constant developments to further enhance such cooperation.
Q: Which areas of bilateral
cooperation in your opinion can be further improved?
A: The economic and trade
cooperation between the two countries is not at its optimal level, and there is
a lot of potential that has unfortunately not been explored, and both sides are
encouraged to put forward initiatives to enhance trade cooperation. There
were several visits concluded to Egypt this year by a couple of senior members
of several chambers of commerce in Pakistan, to jump start this process, and we
expect further discussions as the joint commission between the two countries is
convened by this year.
Q: What is the current trade
volume between Pakistan and Egypt?A: The bilateral trade volume has reached
USD$ 280 million.
Q: What does Egypt import from
Pakistan and what does Pakistan import from Egypt? How can the trade imbalance
be addressed?
A: Egypt attaches great
importance to importing the following products from Pakistan: rice, sports
equipment, surgical instruments, fabrics, grains, tires, mechanical spare
parts,matches, office supplies, leather and fertilizers. Whereas Pakistan
imports petrochemicals, fruits, vegetables, electronics, linen, fabrics,
construction material, pharmaceuticals, and office supplies.
Q: On international front
Pakistan is active supporter of Arab countries’ unity, solidarity and
stability, how does the Arab nations particularly Egypt can help Pakistan out
in resolving seven-decade old Kashmir dispute with India?
A: Egypt has always supported the
Kashmiri people’s struggle for their freedom, and this is reflected in our
sup-port to all resolutions adopted by the United Nations in this regard and
the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The Kashmiri struggle needs to be
promoted in the international arena and the plight of the Kashmiris’ has to be
objectified to the international public opinion in order to push with the
implementation of the UN resolutions.
Q: How can the organizations like
OIC and Arab League be made true representative of over 1 billion Muslim
population of the world?
A: These organizations are
governmental mechanisms and therefore it up to the political will of the
leaders of the member countries to promote the issues of concern to the Muslim
Umma, especially that we should all be unified towards the betterment of our
peoples and their interests.
Q: With regard to situation in
Syria and Yemen, what role does Egypt play to restore peace in the region and
what is its stance on the situation?
A: Egypt has always called for
peaceful resolution of all disputes, and rejects any foreign intervention in
order to preserve the sovereignty and unity of all countries. Egypt has sought
to mediate between disputing parties through regional and international
mechanisms, and was host to some of the peace talks with regards to the Syrian
issue.
Q: Recently, another crisis has
raised its head in the Gulf vis-Ã -vis Qatar and the rest of the Arab
countries, what is the Egyptian government’s stand on this crisis and why the
ME countries have cornered Qatar?
A: Qatar has unfortunately
harboured extremely hostile policies towards Egypt for the last 20 years, and
has inter-fered in our domestic affairs to the extent of funding and supporting
dissent which threatens Egypt’s stability and security. Egypt has strived to
resolve such issues amicably, but Qatar refuses to refrain from such aggression
which will not be tolerated anymore.Q: How the crisis can be resolved amicably?
A: Through on going mediation of
the state of Kuwait.
Q: Is there any remote
possibility of Egypt closing down border with Qatar?A: We don’t have any common
borders with Qatar, but we have closed our air space and denied access to our
sea ports as part of our sovereign rights.
Q: What is the Egyptian
government’s role in restoring peace and stability in neighbouring Iraq? How
can the world be saved from the menace of Daesh?
A: We have always been supportive
of restoring peace and stability in Iraq, and the Egyptian Government has given
military assistance to the Iraqi forces in terms of training their forces in order
to enhance their combat capa-bilities. And as for the DAESH phenomena, it
requires coordination and cooperation of international and regional powers, as
it can’t be faced unilaterally, it’s a war that needs all countries to unite.
There has to be an international unified front against the DAESH ideology.
Q: How many Egyptian students are
enrolled in Pakistani institutions and what does Egypt plan to promote
education diplomacy between the two countries?
A: Egypt already offers around 30
scholarships to Pakistani students to study at AL-Azhar University, also some
scholarship programs are offered to officials in the field of Agriculture,
where they attend a 3 month course in the Egyptian International Center for
Agriculture. The Embassy will most certainly try to increase the number of
scholarships according to the needs of the Pakistani government.
Sri Lanka to
import 100,000 MT of rice from Thailand
another
shipment of white raw rice owing to its high price.The Ministry of Industry and
Commerce said the total amount of rice to be imported from Thailand, Pakistan,
Myanmar and India now stands at 255,000 MT, from deals with both foreign
governments and private sector suppliers.
Letters of Agreement for the 100000 MT of par boiled rice from Bangkok are to be issued by Colombo this week and shipping for it from Bangkok is to commence as soon as Thai Attorney General’s office issues the go-ahead, a statement said.
The Thai supplier’s price before shipping for a kilo of rice is Sri Lankan Rs65.31 as of July 18 rates.
“Another 100,000 MT order of white raw rice from Thailand was held back for the time being by Sri Lankan officials due to comparatively higher Bangkok price viz-a-viz Myanmar’s quote for the same,” the ministry said.
It said Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen had also ordered rice from Pakistan and Myanmar to make up for a shortfall in the island.
Myanmar government agreed to supply 30,000 MT white raw rice immediately at prices ranging from US$ 290 per MT to $350 per MT.
The supplier’s price before shipping for a kilo of rice ranges from Rs 44.57 to Rs 53.80, as of July 18 rates, the ministry said.
Myanmar also agreed to supply another tranche of par boiled rice in September with the amount and price yet to be agreed.
Pakistan’s government is supplying 25,000 MT of white raw rice immediately, subject to a final price quote and to supply another 100,000 MT of par boiled rice in September with the final price to be agreed on.
Another 100,000 MT rice is to be purchased by the government of Sri Lanka from India’s private sector suppliers immediately and Ministry of Industry and Commerce officials are now in the process of collecting tender bids for it.
(COLOMBO, July 18, 2017)
http://www.economynext.com/Sri_Lanka_to_import_100,000_MT_of_rice_from_Thailand-3-8345-9.html
Letters of Agreement for the 100000 MT of par boiled rice from Bangkok are to be issued by Colombo this week and shipping for it from Bangkok is to commence as soon as Thai Attorney General’s office issues the go-ahead, a statement said.
The Thai supplier’s price before shipping for a kilo of rice is Sri Lankan Rs65.31 as of July 18 rates.
“Another 100,000 MT order of white raw rice from Thailand was held back for the time being by Sri Lankan officials due to comparatively higher Bangkok price viz-a-viz Myanmar’s quote for the same,” the ministry said.
It said Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen had also ordered rice from Pakistan and Myanmar to make up for a shortfall in the island.
Myanmar government agreed to supply 30,000 MT white raw rice immediately at prices ranging from US$ 290 per MT to $350 per MT.
The supplier’s price before shipping for a kilo of rice ranges from Rs 44.57 to Rs 53.80, as of July 18 rates, the ministry said.
Myanmar also agreed to supply another tranche of par boiled rice in September with the amount and price yet to be agreed.
Pakistan’s government is supplying 25,000 MT of white raw rice immediately, subject to a final price quote and to supply another 100,000 MT of par boiled rice in September with the final price to be agreed on.
Another 100,000 MT rice is to be purchased by the government of Sri Lanka from India’s private sector suppliers immediately and Ministry of Industry and Commerce officials are now in the process of collecting tender bids for it.
(COLOMBO, July 18, 2017)
http://www.economynext.com/Sri_Lanka_to_import_100,000_MT_of_rice_from_Thailand-3-8345-9.html
NDDC partners with Elephant Group to reactivate two rice
mills
Author: Buchi Obichie UPDATED: A DAY
AGO VIEWS: 4752 Category: Local news SHARE ON FACEBOOK SEND VIA EMAIL SHARE ON
FACEBOOK SEND VIA EMAIL - The 2 rice mills built with technical support from
Thailand had become rusty after 10 years of lying fallow - The minister of
state for agriculture, Heineken Lokpobori, disclosed that with the reactivation
project, the federal government aimed to integrate the Niger Delta region into
its food security project - Pending the signing of a final agreement, the
Elephant Group is set to begin a reactivation scheme, starting with the mill in
Rivers state The N1.5 billion rice mills built by the Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC) 10 years ago are set to become operational, thus creating
1,000 jobs via a mass rice production scheme, Business Day reports.
In addition, in a deal brokered by the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture between the NDDC and the Elephant group - which will
act as an operator- the region is also set to become part of the rice-growers
scheme. READ ALSO: How Godwin Obaseki won the Edo Gubernatorial Election The
two rice mills built by the NDDC in Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states 10 years ago
had remained fallow through successive managements. As a result, they had
become rusty, with various compartments missing. The mills had been built with
technical support from Thailand. Heineken Lokpobori, the minister of state for
agriculture, while speaking at the NDDC conference room in Port Harcourt on
Monday, July 17, stated that the federal government aimed to integrate the
Niger Delta region into its food security project, hence it orchestrated the
reactivation project.
As soon as a final agreement is
signed and both mills handed over, the Elephant Group is set to begin the
reactivation scheme beginning with the mill in Elele, Rivers state. PAY
ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1
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has acquired 110 rice milling machines to be installed in different parts of
the country, between now and July, to boost rice production across the country.
Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the
President, confirmed this development. The presidential aide had previously
stated that Nigeria is the second largest producer of rice in the world. Watch
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16 bidders to vie
for NFA’s rice supply deal
JULY 18, 2017
State-run National Food Authority
(NFA) on Tuesday said there are already 16 foreign suppliers that are
keen on selling rice to the Philippines for its buffer-stocking needs.
NFA Spokesman Marietta Ablaza
told the BusinessMirror that as of July 17, there are an additional five
importers from the initial 11 foreign rice exporters who joined the prebid
conference for the food agency’s importation of 250,000 metric tons (MT) of
rice through an open tender.
“Sixteen bidders have already
bought bid documents as of yesterday [July 17],” Ablaza said in a text message.
“[These are] Phan Min Investment Production Trading Services, Hiep Loi Food
[Joint Stock Co.], Thuan Minh Import Export Corp., Wilman Trading—all from
Vietnam—and Thai Capital Crops Co. Ltd.”
There have already been 11
interested private exporters that bought bidding documents costing P75,000 on
July 13 for the food agency’s importation of rice under a government-to-private
(G2P) procurement scheme.
The 11 interested foreign
suppliers include five Thailand-based companies, namely, Ponglarp Co. Ltd.,
Thai Hua Co., Capital Cereals Co. Ltd., Asia Golden Rice Co. Ltd. and Thai
Granlux International Inc.
Meanwhile, four rice-exporting
companies from Vietnam will participate in the bidding process: Gentraco, Gia
International Corp. and state-owned Vietnam Northern Food Corp. (Vinafood I)
and Vietnam Southern Food Corp. (Vinafood 2).
Also keen on supplying the
country’s rice requirement are Singaporean Olam International Ltd. and Dutch
company Louis Dreyfus Co. Ablaza said they are welcoming all interested
exporters until 30 minutes before the proper bidding conference on July
25. The NFA said exporters that bought bid documents from them could
participate in the bidding process.
The NFA has scheduled the proper
bidding process on July 25. The NFA is spending P5.637 billion for the
importation of the 250,000 MT of rice to prop up its dwindling buffer
stock during the lean months, when rice harvest goes down significantly.
On July 6 the NFA published the
terms of reference (TOR) for the purchase and supply of 250,000 MT of
25-percent broken well-milled long grain white rice of omnibus origin under
G2P. Under the TOR, the NFA said prospective bidders will bid for the imported
volume on a lot basis.
“Prospective bidders may bid for
any of the lots, provided that the bid must be the minimum/maximum of the
imported rice allocated per lot, but the maximum quantity to be awarded per
supplier must not be higher than 50,000 MT,” it read.
The NFA divided the delivery of
the 250,000 MT of rice into two periods: August and September. The NFA said
120,000 MT of rice should arrive within August, while the remaining 130,000 MT
should arrive by September.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/16-bidders-to-vie-for-nfas-rice-supply-deal/
Researchers deliver
results at Wagga rice symposium
19 Jul 2017, 3:30 p.m.
Chris Blanchard
BOOSTING profits by enhancing
rice quality was at the centre of a rice industry symposium in Wagga this
week. It was a chance for those at the coalface of the industry to learn
about the latest developments in scientific research.
Rice cracking – or breaking
down of the grain – is one of the banes of the industry and can reduce
returns to the grower.
New work outlined by NSW
Department of Primary Industries researcher Dr Mark Talbot of Yanco promises to
help growers identify a percentage of “cracked” rice.
He said the automation of this
was needed specifically for rice destined for “puffing” which is used in
breakfast cereals or sushi rice.
“If you have a cracked grain of
rice it doesn’t puff properly … this is potentially a problem that affects
the whole supply chain.”
The event was hosted by the
Functional Grains Centre and the centre’s director, Professor Chris Blanchard
said it was an opportunity to bring members of the industry together to learn
about new research.
“This is the first time we have
got all of the industry players together in a grain-quality space, we quite
often bring people together in the production space,” Professor Blanchard
said.
He said there was a surprising
amount of research related to the rice industry being conducted in the southern
NSW region. The symposium highlighted a number of rice industry inroads
including research into coloured rice and also the health benefits of the
grain.
“The aim was to bring
together stakeholders including growers, processors and scientists to highlight
current projects to improve rice quality and to develop a plan for future
investment in research and development,” he said.
The symposium also
heard from the Australian Farm Institute’s general manager research Richard
Heath and NSW Trade and Investment senior export adviser Mr Wayne Murphy
http://www.therural.com.au/story/4799943/researchers-deliver-results-at-wagga-rice-symposium/
PhilRice develops first PHL heat-tolerant rice
JULY 19, 2017
The Philippine Rice Research
Institute (PhilRice) is currently developing the country’s first series of
heat-tolerant rice varieties as an answer to the ill effects of climate change.
In a study, titled “Quantitative
Trait Loci [QTL] for high-temperature tolerance in rice [Oryza sativa L.]”,
PhilRice researchers Norvie L. Manigbas, Jupier L. Gorospe and Evaristo A.
Abella of the Central Luzon State University has found a way to produce the
first heat-tolerant rice variety in the Philippines.
“As of now, we do not have any
heat-tolerant rice varieties released in the country. Through this study, we’ve
learned that the heat-tolerant trait is associated to the plants’ heading days,
time of flowering, fertility and dehiscent temperature—most of which are found
in the nine QTLs,” Manigbas added in a news statement on July 18.
Manigbas added they found out
nine QTLs containing the genes that can counter the ill effects of high
temperature. QTLs are sections of DNA containing the genes that control the
trait.
“These QTLs were found through
the backcrossing of Dular and NSIC Rc150 [Tubigan 9]. Dular is an Indian
heat-tolerant rice variety that has low yield potential,” Manigbas said.
“Tubigan 9, on the other hand, is
a Philippine rice variety with an average yield of 8.5 tons per hectare but not
resistant to high temperature,” Manigbas added.
Backcrossing is an effective
method to transfer one or a few genes controlling a specific trait from one
line into a second—usually elite—breeding line.
The researchers identified six
major QTLs—qHTfert1, qHTfert3 qHTfert4, qHTtof10, qHTdht3, and qHThd3—and
three minor QTLs, namely, qHTdht4, qHTdht10 and qHTdht5.
Manigbas said these QTLs will be
used in mapping genes using molecular markers and incorporating the genes into
high-yielding cultivars through marker-assisted breeding. “Through this
process, breeding new cultivars becomes faster,” Manigbas said.
The attached agency of the
Department of Agriculture said earlier studies have confirmed that high
temperature affects all growth stages of rice.
“However, it is from the booting
to flowering stage that rice is most sensitive to high temperature,” PhilRice
said. “Moreover, temperature exceeding 35 degrees at flowering stage can cause
high pollen and grain sterility in rice. This leads to serious yield loss, low
grain quality and low harvest index,” it added.
At present, six advanced
promising lines are currently being tested for multilocation trials in the
National Cooperative Test under high temperature environments, according to
PhilRice.
Manigbas and company’s study won
the Outstanding Scientific Paper Award during the 39th National Academy of
Science and Technology Annual Scientific Meeting recently held at the Manila
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/philrice-develops-first-phl-heat-tolerant-rice/
European Countries Seek
Intervention On Rice Market
Italy, together with seven other countries, has requested urgent measures by the European Commission to
support the European rice market.
Italy’s Ministry of Food and
Forestry Policies stated that it launched the initiative together with other
leading rice European producing countries - France, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece,
Hungary, Portugal and Romania.
The agriculture ministers signed
a strategic document with four fundamental demands. These include the
activation of the safeguard clause for imports from less developed countries;
the recognition of the specificity of the sector in the new Common Agricultural
Policy; enhancing labelling models through initiatives to increase the
consumption of rice produced in the EU; and conducting in-depth studies to
assess the effects that these systems have on less-developed countries.
Industry Priorities
According to Italy’s Minister of
Food and Forestry Policies, Maurizio Martina, preserving the income of Italian
producers is the top priority, adding that Italy and Europe “can no longer
afford a market imbalance caused by agreements that put our farmers at a
disadvantage and are in danger of resetting European production”.
A recent market analysis since 1
September 2009, when full liberalisation of imports from the less-developed
countries began, shows a progressive increase of rice imports to the EU (+65%
since the season 2008/2009), reaching a record 1.34 million tonnes in
2015/2016.
Over the same period there has
also been a 45% increase in imports of rice in small packages, while European
stocks have reached record levels (586,000 tonnes, 30% of the EU production).
Italy’s Ministry of Food and
Forestry Policies has warned that, if these trends continue, there is a real
risk that EU will become completely dependent on rice imports.
https://www.esmmagazine.com/eu-countries-intervention-rice-market/46491
Govt to set up 150MW power plant in
Saidpur
12:00
AM, July 20, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:00 AM, July 20, 2017
The government is set to build a diesel-fired 150 megawatt power
plant in Saidpur, the fuel for which will be imported from India.
The cabinet committee on economic affairs yesterday approved the
proposal for setting up the power plant through financing under an export
credit agency.
This means the power division will invite tenders and the
successful bidder will arrange the financing for the power plant.
Fuel for the proposed power plant will be imported from Numaligarh
in India through a 10-inch wide pipeline, according to the power division
proposal.
Bangladesh and India formally launched the commercial supply of
high speed diesel (HSD) during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's New Delhi visit
in April. India plans to build a pipeline to carry HSD to Bangladesh.
Until the project is completed, HSD will be transported from
Assam's Numaligarh refinery to Bangladesh via rail and one such consignment was
flagged off by the two prime ministers.
The construction of a friendship pipeline to supply gasoil from
Siliguri to Parbatipur will be financed by grant-in-aid, said Indian High
Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Tuesday while delivering a lecture at
National Defence College in Dhaka.
Meanwhile, the cabinet committee on purchase yesterday extended
the tenure for importing 250MW power from India by another six months.
The price of electricity during this extended tenure will be Tk
6.06 per kW/h, down from the existing price of Tk 6.14.
Cooperation in the power and energy sectors has grown by leaps and
bounds in the last few years, Shringla said. “We are looking at a supply of
close to 5,000MW of power to Bangladesh through various kinds of cooperation
both in the public and private sectors,” he said, adding that 660MW of power is
already flowing in from India.
He said India is looking at: supplying liquefied natural gas, gas
grid interconnectivity between India and Jhenaidah-Khulna pipeline in
Bangladesh, setting up a liquefied petroleum gas terminal by Indian Oil
Corporation Ltd at Kutubdia; and construction of an LPG pipeline.
Also at yesterday's meeting, the cabinet committee on purchase
approved a proposal for importing 50,000 tonnes of rice to increase the
government's food stock.
The import price of rice per tonne would be $430, which will be
supplied by Dubai-based Phoenix Global DMCC.
Six companies participated in the bidding: Singapore Food
Corporation offered $465, Amir Chand Jagadish Kumar (Exports) Ltd $454, Desh Trading
Co $453, Agrocorp International Pte Ltd $447.
On July 12, the total food stock in the government silos was 3.29
lakh tonnes, 1.62 lakh tonnes of which are rice, according to the food ministry
proposal.
http://www.thedailystar.net/business/govt-set-150mw-power-plant-saidpur-
Agriculture minister says no to FTA changes
on rice imports
Published : 2017-07-20 16:42
Updated : 2017-07-20 17:29
Updated : 2017-07-20 17:29
South Korean Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs Kim Yung-rok said Thursday he would not concede to any demand for an
increase in rice imports from the US when talks begin regarding modifications
to the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement.
The agriculture minister said the farming industry had been struggling since the FTA came into effect five years ago, as Korea’s rice prices continue to plunge, with farmers blaming an increase in rice imports.
“It is not a simple task, but I will do what I can to reduce rice imports,” Kim said, during an interview with Yonhap News Agency. “The farming industry has already been damaged by US imports of fruits and other products, so it is not logical for the US to put pressure on our agricultural sector to further open up.”
The agriculture minister said the farming industry had been struggling since the FTA came into effect five years ago, as Korea’s rice prices continue to plunge, with farmers blaming an increase in rice imports.
“It is not a simple task, but I will do what I can to reduce rice imports,” Kim said, during an interview with Yonhap News Agency. “The farming industry has already been damaged by US imports of fruits and other products, so it is not logical for the US to put pressure on our agricultural sector to further open up.”
|
South Korean Minister of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Yung-rok. (Yonhap)
|
At the beginning of this year, the country’s rice inventory reached 1.83 million tons, far exceeding the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recommended 800,000 tons.
“On the contrary, I will try to find out if there is anything that we can demand from the US,” Kim said, adding that rice represents a cultural identity and sense of pride for Korea and therefore should not be seen as a bargaining chip. US President Donald Trump has blamed the Korea-US FTA for the US’ deepening trade deficit and vowed to modify or terminate the trade deal under his “America First” policy.
US Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer recently sent Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy a formal request to hold a joint meeting to begin discussions on revising the FTA within 30 days. The Korean government responded by saying the timeline may not be realistic, as the country has not yet appointed its new trade minister. An official date for the FTA revision meeting has not been set.
By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170720000851
FCI asked to provide adequate storage space in godowns
THE HANS INDIA | Jul 19,2017 , 06:32 PM IST
________________________________________
Telangana’s Commissioner of Civil Supplies C.V. Anand
Telangana’s Commissioner of Civil Supplies C.V. Anand has
requested Food Corporation of India (FCI) to provide adequate storage space in
the godowns in accordance with the demand.
Anand said rice millers
were ready to surrender the Custom Milling Rice (CMR). However, the FCI is not
providing required storage space in district godowns. In this Rabi season Civil
Supplies Department purchased 37.15 Lakh Metric Tons of paddy from farmers and
handed over to the rice millers for milling. For this millers should surrender
26 LMTs rice to the government by August 31st. Till now 8.76 LMTs Boiled, 0.44
LMTs Raw Rice is surrendered to FCI.
The Commissioner held joint
meeting with FCI representatives and Rice millers at Civil Supplies Bhavan on
Wednesday to discuss the problems pertaining lack of godowns, and delay in
submission of rice to FCI. During the meeting rice millers took to the notice
of Commissioner that, they are ready to surrender the rice, but FCI is not
providing required enough space to store it. They were worried by this delay,
as the rice is stocked in lorry for days laying outside FCI godowns and getting
wet due to rains. They requested Commissioner to postpone the surrender date to
September 30th, as the FCI is delaying in providing storage space.
Anand requested FCI officials to assign needed storage space to
the millers. The storage complaints are coming mainly from Peddapalli,
Jagityal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Nalgonda districts. He appealed to the FCI to
take steps to solve the storage issue. If storage space is provided according
to the demand the millers will surrender rice quickly, if not so, they will
delay in surrendering rice to government for which Civil Supplies Department
will face financial loss if there is delay in CMR submission before due date
i.e. August 31st.
The Commissioner has requested the FCI to take the issue seriously
and take necessary arrangements to support the state government. For the first
time in Telangana history Civil Supplies Department has purchased paddy from
farmers without troubling them on Minimum Support Price (MSP). But due to FCI
attitude, Civil Supplies department is facing problems. Due to lack of storage
spac
http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Telangana/2017-07-19/FCI-asked-to-provide-adequate-storage-space-in-godowns-/313331
Preventive trade policies restrict export of key agri commodities:
study
The study analysed global and domestic prices of 15
commodities between 2004-05 and 2013-14.
The trade policy of India on
agriculture has a pro-customer prejudice which indirectly taxes farmers by
putting export curbs on different crops, according to a study.
The domestic prices of major
agricultural items were below that of export prices in most of the years during
the period 2004-2014, a joint study by The World Bank and Indian Council for
Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) on Tuesday revealed.
Policy makers have used
preventive trade policies to maintain the domestic prices low in most of the
years, the study found after an analysis of domestic prices deviation from
global prices.
The study on ‘Price Distortions
in Indian Agriculture’, analysed global and domestic prices of 15 agri
commodities for a 10-year period between 2004-05 and 2013-14.
“Our trade policies are
inadvertently anti-farmer with a consumer bias,” said ICRIER’s Agriculture
Chair Professor Ashok Gulati while releasing the study.
During the given decade, 72% of
the time the domestic prices of commodities including rice, wheat, maize,
mango, banana, potato and buffalo meat were below export parity prices,
indicating that farmers would have been benefited significantly from exports.
The domestic prices were on an average only 11% of the time beyond the import
parity prices, it found.
“Indian farmers are not getting
access to global markets and the government tries to redress this via higher
support prices. This is an implicit tax on farmers,” said Shweta Saini,
co-author of the report.
However, the import/export
opportunities were not every time, used as restrictive trade policies, created
a negative impact. In the global food crisis of 2007-08, rising international
prices made several Indian commodities export-competitive, but the exports of
rice and wheat, among others, were restricted to fully exploit the trade
opportunity.
“In case of rice and wheat, the
restrictive trade policy prohibited the exporters from fully exploiting the
trade opportunity, but for other agri-commodities like buffalo meat, onion and
groundnut, the crisis translated into greater export opportunities,” said the
study.
The study also stated that the
declining value of the Indian currency against the dollar during the
given decade also played a vital role in making agricultural commodities
exports competitive.
The study suggested a number of
policy reforms like phasing out of the built-in consumer bias, creating space
for the private players giving access to integrated markets, and utilising
income transfers to safeguard poor consumers as well as small farmers. It also
recommended creating a stable and predictable trade policy
https://www.thedollarbusiness.com/news/preventive-trade-policies-restrict-export-of-key-agri-commodities-study/50815
Mother Sold Her Baby in Exchange for Half Bag of Rice
UPDATED: JULY 19, 2017
A 20-year-old mother, Chioma Fidelis
from Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo state, yesterday, said after
selling her baby, Favour Fedelis, not upto a year old, she was given a half bag
of rice, chairs and provisions as well as bags of cement to build a house in
return.
Naija News gathered that Chioma
revealed this, while being paraded along side with 40 suspects of other
offences by the Imo state commissioner of police, Mr Chris Ezike, at the police
headquarters in Owerri.
Vanguard reports that Ezike said the
arrest of the child traffickers was made on the 10th of July, 2017 by the
surveillance team of the command. He said further that it was as a result of
the whistle blowing policy of the command as well as community policing
methods.
Chioma, in her confession said she
got pregnant by mistake and didn’t have money to take care of the child after
she delivered.
From right, mother of the sold
child, Mrs. Chioma Fidelis, Mr. Jonas and Mrs. Salomey carrying the sold child.
Photo: Vanguard
She said, “so I decided to sell the
child. They told me that they sold the child for Seven hundred thousand naira.
I did not collect any money from them. They gave me half bag of rice, chairs,
provisions and bags of cement which I used to repair my house.” While Mrs.
Chidimma Unakala Mgba, age 34, from Mbomiri in Mbaitoli Local Government Area
of Imo state, who facilitated the role of the baby, said that the mother of the
child complained that she could no longer take care of the baby.
She said: “when the mother brought
the baby to me and I took the baby to the hospital and the hospital confirmed
that the baby was suffering from kwashioko.
“From there, I started taking him to
various churches to get healing and I succeeded. I spent one hundred and thirty
seven thousand naira. I spent two hundred thousand naira on the mother.”
Vanguard reports that, the buyers of
the child, a man and his wife, Mr. Jonas and Salomi Anyanwu, from Umunakanu in
Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo state.
According to Salomi, “It is true
that my husband brought the money that we use in buying the child. Let me tell
you, because we need the child my husband had to borrow money, 700,000 and give
it to Chidimma, and collect the child. “I wanted to reject the child but because
of God I collected the child and started training him.”
A prison officer, Mr Emmanuel
Anyadike, working with Owerri prisons suspected to be coordinating crimes with
eight gang of kidnapers was also arrested at a hotel at night while trying to
pay for a hotel room for a member of the gang.
One of the suspected members of the
gang, Mr Abuchi Vincent, 28, from Mbutu in Abia state, said: “Mr. Anyadike, was
coming to give me the money to lodge in a hotel.”
According to the Imo state
Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike, said that three out of the eight
syndicate members were gunned down while exchanging gunfire with the police. He
also attributed the success of what he described as “harvest of arrest” to the
whistle blowing policy of the command. He raised the alarm that the command was
not happy the way some inmates organize crimes while in a prison custody.
Vanguard reports.
Ezike said: “We have started
reaching out to the organization to know the capacity some inmates have to
coordinate crime while in prison custody.”
Punch reports furthher that the
doctor explained that Aina’s condition later worsened, which led to a surgical
operation.He said after successfully managing the situation, it was discovered
that she was in dire need of blood.
“I had to go to the Olabisi Onabanjo
University Teaching Hospital to look for blood for her. I did that because I
didn’t want to infect anybody with HIV by error. It was a Sunday and it was a
personal sacrifice. What did I do wrong? After that, I saw that she was oozing
pus from her private parts. We used powerful drugs to save her life. The
hospital environment stank and we had to sanitise the place.
“At the end of the day, we took her
back to the theatre to close her up when there were no more dirt in her. She
could have also had Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF), but we stopped that from
happening. They had spent over two months at the hospital and we asked them to
deposit N200,000, but they refused. They paid N130,000. When we did the whole
bill, the husband brought another N70,0000, making it N200,000, out of a bill
of over N360,000”
He said the family still owed his
hospital N103,000 after he gave them a discount of N65,000.
The doctor said he regretted helping
the family, saying he was being harassed by some unknown persons who got his
telephone number on the social media.
https://www.naijanews.com/gist/14346-mother-sold-baby-exchange-half-bag-rice
Rice millers should not be allowed to
operate like a cartel
July 19, 2017
Dear Editor,
I write to acknowledge a
comprehensive response to my letter captioned ‘Rice farmers are being exploited
by the millers’ dated May 29, 2017 by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).
I would also like to thank Mr Jinnah Rahaman for his very strong and forthright
moral support as he was once a part of the directorate of the said state
agency, and very vociferous too while being a sitting member of that very
board.
The GRDB response and the visitation
by personnel less than three hours after the publication of my letter to
discuss its contents, is no panacea for the farmers’ plight with the millers
and GRBD. What the GRDB letter did do was reveal its true responsibilities to
the rice farming communities. There are some interesting disclosures that
beckon for the intervention of central government through the Ministry of
Agriculture. I have to tell my government that they must not sit and allow the
rice millers of this country to operate like a cartel; they must also stop
appointing GRDB board members unilaterally. This kind of input is harming the
rice industry in a far-reaching way. We who till the soil, sow the seeds, and
nurture and harvest the rice crops must always have access in terms of the
appointment of GRDB’s board members. There is revulsion for the above system;
we need resourceful and wise board members, and we have to remove all the over
seventy and going on eighty-year-olds who are not supposed to be there any
longer.
The answer to what was meant by
pre-arranged grades has its genesis in the corporate world, and in most
business entities the boss or CEO meets with the senior staff to discuss the
day’s activities. In our case the millers meet with the grader who is his paid
servant and often subservient to the command of his salary.
As the crop progressed many of the
millers often told the grader not to issue extra ‘A’ or ‘B’ grades any more,
and the humble paid servant would have to do the boss’s bidding. This has been
our fate for a long time. There was one miller who was a very cunning and
clever businessman. It was he who owed rice farmers hundreds of millions of
dollars. He got his licence suspended and then stealthily got the said rice
farmers to picket the GRDB for doing so, since they said this was causing the
miller not to pay them their monies. Those farmers that the GRDB Communications
Clerk mentioned were duped into going against their interest.
Calibration of the factory
electronic scales at the beginning of the crop by the Guyana National Bureau of
Standards can never be good enough, because vibrations can also cause anything
to shift. The millers’ scales need checking as often as is practicable. Too
much is at stake for negligence; we have to let the Director of the Bureau of
Standards know that she has a national responsibility on her hands. A failure
to listen to the rice farmers constitutes blatant disregard.
A dedicated, humble rice farmer from
Berbice whom I encountered took one load of his harvested paddy to a certain
miller with the expectation of selling his produce. He went through all the
formalities as required by the said miller, namely, weighing, sampling and
grading. But he was not satisfied with the resultant grade and opted to take
his paddy to another rice mill in the same region. The identical process
followed and he found his paddy grade compatible, so the sale of his paddy
became an agreed deal. Documents were then issued to him. On checking his net
weight, to his consternation the first miller had short-weighed him by 20 bags
of paddy on his scales.
The act of producing rice to keep a
whole nation well fed should be commended and seen as benevolent. Instead rice
farmers are being treated with disdain; they are being robbed, insulted and
viewed with suspicion. We willingly give all it takes to be a good and
industrious class of people, and to ask us for more is asking us for our blood.
I have personally given so much of myself, but I am proud to be a farmer and I
shall continue to be so until the very last drop of my blood!
Yours faithfully,
Ganga Persaud
https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/opinion/letters/07/19/rice-millers-should-not-be-allowed-to-operate-like-a-cartel/
Time to focus on ‘more crop per
drop’
Between the cup and lip Myriad issues of water conservation and
usage
India can achieve water
sustainability by making better use of agricultural water resources. Is the
Government listening?
Familiar scenes play out in urban
India in the summer. As the heat drives up demand for water, tankers crisscross
city streets supplying water to parched homes. Residents line up to get their
share. Most tankers can carry 5,000-10,000 litres, which can meet requirements
of 10 to 20 families for a day.
While we have learnt to respect
every drop of water in these tankers, an alarming statistic highlights the
water sustainability conundrum in India. In summer, a farmer would need a
similar tanker of water to grow just two kilograms of rice.
Today, an estimated 3,000-5,000
litres of water is used to produce 1 kg of rice in India. This makes for a very
unbalanced sustainability equation: pitting the need for food security against
the requirements of water for drinking, cooking, washing, bathing and
sanitation.
Thirsty farming
India uses a staggering 25 per
cent of its water resources to grow rice. Of course, rice is not the only
culprit. India is among the most inefficient agriculture producers in the world
and all major crops — wheat, sugarcane, cotton — consume large quantities of
water. Agriculture consumes 83 per cent of India’s water resources, leaving
only 17 per cent for domestic and industrial use.
According to the 2030 Water
Resources group (WRG) report, by 2030, India will be able to meet only 50 per
cent of its projected demand of 1,498 billion cubic meter (m3) of water.
So, where does the solution lie?
Paradoxically, India’s poor water efficiency record offers the greatest hope.
This inefficiency means that the scope for improvement is enormous, without the
necessity for any dramatic interventions.
Even modest measures and
technologies that have proved successful in other parts of the world, if
adopted in India, can lead to significant improvements in water sustainability.
A principle objective of the National Water Mission is to increase water use
efficiency by 20 per cent. This objective is eminently realisable when we look
at some focus areas that would help achieve this.
First, farmers can look for
better yields through methods other than increased water use. India today has
among the lowest yields in the world for most crops. China, for example, has
significantly higher yield for rice and is thus able to use 30 per cent less
land for its cultivation compared to India and yet grow 39 per cent more rice.
According to a 2010 report of the
Unesco-IHE Institute of Water Education, the water footprint (the ratio of
total volume of water used to the quantity of production) of rice production in
India is 2,020 M3 a year compared with 970 M3 a year in China and a global
average of 1,325 M3 a year. This means we use more drop per crop than most
other countries, an inverse of our avowed national objective of “more crop per
drop”.
Biotechnology, drip irrigation
Through a combination of research
and development to develop higher yielding varieties, better agronomic
practices, and improved agriculture extension services, higher yields are
within reach even while using the same amount of water.
India can also consider the
potential of biotechnology. A recent vision document from the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research has a clearly defined the objective of sustainable
increase in agriculture productivity through genetic improvement of food crops.
Second, micro-irrigation deserves
greater attention. According to WRG, drip irrigation in India has a technical
potential to cover 37 million hectares by 2030, up from only around 2.5 million
ha in 2005. Drip irrigation is relevant not only for horticulture crops but
also for water intensive crops like sugarcane and cotton.
A study by the National Mission
on Micro-Irrigation shows a 22 per cent to 40 per cent saving in water across
different horticulture crops. The same study shows a saving of up to 20 per
cent and 40 per cent in sugarcane and cotton respectively. These figures
represent significant water saving and therefore it is vital that greatest
importance is attached to micro-irrigation.
Third, water saving agronomic
practices can be readily implemented. The most obvious example of this practice
is direct seeding of rice. An International Rice Research Institute paper,
which reviewed 44 studies from different countries, showed 12 per cent — 33 per
cent lower irrigation water use in direct seeded rice than in flooded
transplanting. As most rice in India is grown using transplantation, it is
important that the practice of direct seeding is encouraged.
None of these measures is novel
and nor is this the first time they are being discussed. What is missing is the
singular focus that is required to address a sustainability challenge of this
magnitude.
Missing focus
Three days of smog that turned
Delhi virtually into a gas chamber last November served a very useful purpose.
It brought the issue into sharp national focus. Today, the most powerful
institutions of the country — Supreme court, NGT, the environment ministry —
are all engaged in finding a solution to Delhi’s air pollution.
Sadly, this focus is missing in
the water conundrum. One hopes that a crisis is not required to spur action.
The cradle states of India’s green revolution, Punjab and Haryana, have already
fired the first warning signals.
Central Ground Water Board has
classified 82 per cent and 77 per cent of its monitoring wells in Punjab and
Haryana, respectively, in the critical or over exploited category.
It is time to heed the warning
signals. It is time to focus on our most precious national resource — water.
The writer is Vice-President,
Functional Materials & Crop Protection, BASF South Asia
Drop in rainfall likely to recover by next
week: MFD
Post Report, Kathmandu
Jul 20, 2017-
A sudden drop in rainfall, which has
affected paddy plantation, will take some time to recover, according to the
Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD).
Decrease in normal amount of
rainfall during monsoon, which started slightly late this year, has become slow
since last week, troubling rice farmers across the country.
The MFD officials say that shifting
of low pressure line, also called monsoon trough, away from the country was the
main reason behind the drop in rainfall.
“We are receiving less wind with
moisture from Bay of Bengal and also the monsoon trough has moved south and
stuck over Gangetic plains,” said Barun Paudel, senior meteorologist at the MDF.
“Rainfall during the monsoon depends on how closer the monsoon trough is to
Nepal. Recently, it has drifted away from Nepal.”
Since the shifting of low pressure
line, the country has been witnessing isolated rainfall in different parts.
In the last 24 hours, places like
Dadeldhura, Dhangadi and Dang in western Nepal recorded no rainfall while some
other places like Dipayal, Birendranagar, Nepalgunj and Jumla received traces
of rainfall.
Eastern Nepal has also performed
poorly on amount of rainfall. Okhaldhunga, Taplejung received light drizzle at
best, whereas Dhankuta, Biratnagar and Jomsom remained dry.
Jiri recorded the highest rainfall
(25.2 mm) followed by Birendrangar (8.2mm).
However, weatherman Paudel has said
that such scattered rainfalls are normal during monsoon.
Paudel said the current monsoon
pattern was normal.
“The country will again receive rain
once the trough moves north,” he said. “The slow surge in monsoon shall likely
pick up from Sunday.”
Monsoon begins in Nepal on June 10
and stays till September 23. During the monsoon, Nepal receives its 80 per cent
of rainfall with amount varying in places. A country in which nearly 70 per
cent of agriculture is dependent upon rainfall, strong monsoon is the lifeline
for farmers.
Senior associate scientist with
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Nepal Dr Bhaba Tripathi said any
change in amount of rainfall has a potential to alter paddy production the
year.
“Paddy plantation in hill districts,
including Kathmandu Valley, should be completed in the first week of the month
of Shrawan, whereas paddy plantation is done till the last week of Shrawan in
the Tarai. However, it is wise to plant paddy in the first and second weeks.
Otherwise, the production is estimated to go down by 10-15 per cent” Tripathi
said.
Last fiscal year, the country had
recorded an all-time high paddy production with an output of 5.23 million
metric tonnes, which was due to several factors including good rainfall. This
year the government has set a target of producing 5.4 million metric tonnes of
paddy. But that will largely depend on how the monsoon plays out.
Published: 20-07-2017 08:18
http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-07-20/drop-in-rainfall-likely-to-recover-by-next-week-mfd.html
Millers seek
more time for sending milled rice
By Express News
Service | Published: 20th July 2017 07:45 AM |
Last Updated: 20th July 2017 08:59
AM
HYDERABAD: Shortage of Food Corporation
of India godowns for rice-millers could result in possible financial losses to
the state civil supplies department. Officials of the department and FCI
met on Tuesday to resolve the storage crisis but could not address it.
Rice-millers,
mostly from Peddapalli, Jagityal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Nalgonda districts,
are unable to stock their custom-milled rice (CMR) at FCI godowns.The space
shortage has forced the millers to store the rice on lorries outside the FCI
godowns. With monsoon in full swing, millers fear losses. They have
requested the department to push the surrender date from August 31 to September
30.
Meanwhile, CSD
officials say the delay by rice-millers to surrender rice on time could cause
financial loss to the department.The Rabi season this year saw the department
purchase 37.15 lakh tonnes of paddy from farmers, which was handed over to
millers for milling. This is the largest quantity the department has
procured from farmers, claim officials.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2017/jul/20/millers-seek-more-time-for-sending-milled-rice-1631014.html
Pulses drive
townsvilles push into containerised grain exports
A crop of mungbeans growing in the Burdekin.While North Queensland currently has only one volume
exporter, Blue Ribbon Group, grain industry participants from Emerald to Far
North Queensland can see potential for more as easy port access, increased
waterside services, and plentiful containers boost Townsville’s grain export outlook.
“When I started four years ago, we were dealing with 800 tonnes a year; now it’s more like 5000t,” Mr Richards said.
“Locally for the spring crop in the Burdekin, we are looking at 2000-3000t, and then in the summer we are looking at 10,000-14,000t of mungbeans to export if all the conditions are right.
“There’s heaps of potential up here for more mungbeans, and we’re also looking at chickpeas.”
Agronomic
fit
The Burdekin can produce two crops of mungbeans a year, one
planted in August-September, and the other planted in February-March.Mr Richards said mungbeans were well suited to the Burdekin, where irrigation ensured a profitable crop, especially at current prices of around $1100/t.
“Mungbeans are good for farmers to plant in a rotation with sugarcane, and they can grow two crops in one year because each one only takes three months to grow.
“If cane is in for three to seven years, pulses are an ideal crop to grow in the off year.”
Mr Richards said soybeans and maize also had potential as summer crops in the Burdekin, with soybeans in particular well suited to coping with wet-season conditions.
Port
potential
The Port of Townsville is about to embark on a considerable
expansion program which includes the widening of sea channels to allow access
for larger container ships.Port of Townsville Limited’s manager of trade, Maria James, said the importing of equipment for a host of large-scale solar farms was making more than enough 40-foot containers available for backfilling for export.
“We have eight operating berths, and when the upgrade of Berth 4 is completed, four will be able to handle containers.”
Ms James said Townsville was one of the most diverse ports in northern Australia, with more than 30 different commodities going over its wharfs.
“We are still predominantly a mineral export port, but in terms of agriculture, we are the biggest bulk sugar exporter in Australia, with more than 2 million tonnes exported last year, we export around 200,000 head of live cattle each year, and containers are our fastest-growing sector.
“We understand we need to facilitate an efficient, cost-effective northern system to compete with the logistics chains in southern Queensland, and that’s what we’ve set about doing.”
Container port activity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (teus), and Townsville peaked at 62,000 in 2014/15 before dropping a little in the past year or two as a result of the downturn in the mining sector.
Container movements are now set to climb back up.
“About 75 per cent of our trade is with Asia, and we have the fastest container service to Shanghai at 10 days.”
Shipping line ANL started operating out of Townsville two months ago, alongside competitors PAE Mariana and Swire, and the wharves are serviced by two stevedores, TBSH and NSS.
“We are already shipping product which we can pull from Cairns to Clermont to Mt Isa, and we can get triple road trains straight to the wharf.”
A facility currently being built on the Central Highlands is eyeing the prospect of being able to truck three full 20-foot containers packed with sorghum, wheat or pulses to Townsville via Charters Towers on a triple road train, and bring back six empty containers from the port.
“The advantages of triple road access to Port can be seen in live export, as it means one driver can bring in 200 head on a triple, compared with other ports to the south where a B-double can only bring in around 120 head.”
Beyond
the Burdekin
In 2014, SunRice bought Blue Ribbon’s mill at Brandon in the
Burdekin region, southeast of Townsville.The mill was built in 2008, and processed 2000 tonnes of locally grown rice in 2013; it also processes and packs pulses for its previous owner.
Key export markets for Blue Ribbon mungbeans include China, Malaysia, The Philippines and South Korea.
Apart from some tonnage which goes to the United States and the United Kingdom via Brisbane, where more attractive freight rates to non-Asian destinations are available, Blue Ribbon pulses are shipped through Townsville.
The company is currently evaluating the possibility of exporting chickpeas sourced from Queensland’s Central Highlands, which until now have been exported mostly via Darling Downs container-packing facilities and the Port of Brisbane.
“Townsville has come a long way since we started using it; its port services have improved, and containers have gotten cheaper,” Mr Richards said.
Rise
on the rice
After securing $4 million through the Federal Government’s Rural
R&D for Profit program, SunRice, its subsidiary Rice Research Australia,
and partners have commenced tropical rice research in Queensland as part of
their work in developing a sustainable rice industry in northern Australia.According to SunRice, research has shown that breaking the sugarcane monoculture with another crop can increase can yields by 20 to 30 per cent, and SunRice is actively promoting the addition of rice to the legume-cane rotation to bolster cash flow, improve soil, and break disease cycles.
The crop can be grown in North Queensland’s wet and dry seasons, and SunRice is offering cane growers starting out with the crop everything from agronomic support to marketing capability.
SunRice has already made capital improvements at the Brandon mill in its bid to build a long-term sustainable rice industry in North Queensland.
This has included the addition of rice-paddy drying silos, a new packing line to produce 20 kilogram packs of branded North Queensland Rice for the foodservice industry, and a new huller and colour sorter.
SunRice said these and other investments were expected to strengthen the company’s ability to target premium export markets.
Depending on the growth of the North Queensland rice industry, SunRice said it would be assessing the potential to export rice out of the Port of Townsville, although this was likely to be several years away.
https://www.graincentral.com/markets/export/pulses-drive-townsvilles-push-into-containerised-grain-exports/
PhilRice
develops first PHL heat-tolerant rice
By Jasper Y. Arcalas - JULY 19, 2017029
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is currently
developing the country’s first series of heat-tolerant rice varieties as an
answer to the ill effects of climate change.
In a study, titled “Quantitative Trait Loci [QTL] for
high-temperature tolerance in rice [Oryza sativa L.]”, PhilRice researchers
Norvie L. Manigbas, Jupier L. Gorospe and Evaristo A. Abella of the Central
Luzon State University has found a way to produce the first heat-tolerant rice
variety in the Philippines.
“As of now, we do not have any heat-tolerant rice varieties
released in the country. Through this study, we’ve learned that the heat-tolerant
trait is associated to the plants’ heading days, time of flowering, fertility
and dehiscent temperature—most of which are found in the nine QTLs,” Manigbas
added in a news statement on July 18.
Manigbas added they found out nine QTLs containing the genes that
can counter the ill effects of high temperature. QTLs are sections of DNA
containing the genes that control the trait.
“These QTLs were found through the backcrossing of Dular and NSIC
Rc150 [Tubigan 9]. Dular is an Indian heat-tolerant rice variety that has low
yield potential,” Manigbas said.
“Tubigan 9, on the other hand, is a Philippine rice variety with an
average yield of 8.5 tons per hectare but not resistant to high temperature,”
Manigbas added.
Backcrossing is an effective method to transfer one or a few genes
controlling a specific trait from one line into a second—usually elite—breeding
line.
The researchers identified six major QTLs—qHTfert1, qHTfert3 qHTfert4, qHTtof10, qHTdht3, and qHThd3—and
three minor QTLs, namely, qHTdht4, qHTdht10 and qHTdht5.
Manigbas said these QTLs will be used in mapping genes using
molecular markers and incorporating the genes into high-yielding cultivars
through marker-assisted breeding. “Through this process, breeding new cultivars
becomes faster,” Manigbas said.
The attached agency of the Department of Agriculture said earlier
studies have confirmed that high temperature affects all growth stages of rice.
“However, it is from the booting to flowering stage that rice is
most sensitive to high temperature,” PhilRice said. “Moreover, temperature
exceeding 35 degrees at flowering stage can cause high pollen and grain
sterility in rice. This leads to serious yield loss, low grain quality and low harvest index,” it added.
At present, six advanced promising lines are currently being tested
for multilocation trials in the National Cooperative Test under high
temperature environments, according to PhilRice.
Manigbas and company’s study won the Outstanding Scientific Paper
Award during the 39th National Academy of Science and Technology Annual
Scientific Meeting recently held at the Manil
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/philrice-develops-first-phl-heat-tolerant-rice/
U.S. Rice Exports Shine in 2017
ARLINGTON, VA - Despite the tough market
situation faced by U.S. rice farmers this year, exports of U.S. rice remain a
bright spot for the rice industry as a whole. During the first 5 months
of CY2017, total U.S. rice exports (converted basis) were 23 percent ahead of
exports during the same period of 2016 in volume and 10 percent ahead in
value.
Lower prices are making U.S. rice more
competitive overseas, and USA Rice international marketing and promotional
initiatives are capitalizing on this price downturn to maintain and grow sales
in what has been a very competitive world marketplace.
"Competitive prices are motivating our
overseas customers to take a fresh look at U.S. rice," said Hugh Maginnis,
USA Rice Vice President International. "The export promotion
activities we implement in coordination with our FAS partners have helped boost
consumption and imports of U.S. grown rice in just about every international
market we service."
Examples of strong export performance for U.S. rice in
CY2017 can be found almost everywhere.
In Mexico, the number one market in both volume and
value, where USA Rice conducts more than 300 marketing activities annually,
exports are up by about 20 percent in volume and three percent in value over
the previous year. In Haiti, exports of U.S rice are up 26 percent
in volume and 11 percent in value, bolstered by targeted USA Rice TV and radio
advertising and promotions.
Exports to the UK market have grown 49 percent in volume and 19
percent in value so far thanks in part to targeted billboard advertising, trade
magazine testimonials, and growing sales online and with independent retail
outlets.
Exports of long grain parboiled and medium grain rice to
Saudi Arabia are booming, up 46 percent in value and 48 percent in value, due
to aggressive billboard advertising outdoors and in the shopping malls.
Jordan is a market with even better performance, with U.S. medium grain sales
up 79 percent in volume and 65 percent in value.
U.S. exports of medium grain to Japan have taken a record 77
percent share of the SBS quota, as targeted foodservice promotions educate
consumers about the versatility and taste of U.S. medium grain.
"These trends point to a strong export performance for
the remainder of the year" said Maginnis. "While this
optimistic scenario can change due to a number of factors, the momentum in the
export market is in our favor. More U.S.-grown rice is heading to
the tables of our overseas customers, providing fresh opportunities for a
diverse global consumer market to experience the quality, consistency, and
value of USA Rice."
USA RICE Federation Daily
Rice basmati falls on reduced offtake
PTI | Jul
19, 2017, 12:13 PM IST
New Delhi, Jul 18 () Prices of rice basmati fell by Rs 200 per
quintal at wholesale grains market today due to reduced offtake by stockists
following drop in demand.
Wheat and barley, however, edged up on scattered demand.
Traders said besides weak domestic and exports demand, adequate
stocks mainly put pressure on rice basmati prices.
In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa- 1121
variety drifted lower by Rs 200 each to Rs 6,600-6,900 and Rs 5,300-5,350 per
quintal, respectively.
On the other hand, wheat dara (for mills) inched up by Rs 10 to
Rs 1,770-1,775 per quintal. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and traded higher by a
similar margin to Rs 1,775-1,780 per 90 kg.
Barley also went up by Rs 50 to Rs 1,500-1,510 per quintal.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,100-2,345, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs
1,770-1,775, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,775-1,780, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 260-300, Shakti Bhog (10
kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 975-980 (50 kg), Maida Rs 1,010-1,020 (50 kg)and Sooji Rs 1,035-1,040 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice
Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 6,600-6,900, Rice Pusa (1121)
Rs 5,300-5,350, Permal raw Rs 2,225-2,250, Permal wand Rs 2,275-2,300, Sela Rs
2,500-2,600 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,850-1,900, Bajra Rs 1,190-1,200, Jowar yellow Rs
1,450-1,500, white Rs 2,900-3,100, Maize Rs 1,340-1,345, Barley Rs 1,500-1,510.
SUN KPS ADI MR
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/rice-basmati-falls-on-reduced-offtake/articleshow/59662319.cms
Heavy rain flattens summer
autumn rice in Mekong Delta
Tuesday,
July 18, 2017 11:06
Continuous
heavy rain has drenched part of the Mekong Delta and flattened vast summer
autumn rice area in some provinces, slowing harvest and posing a danger of loss
for local farmers.
Heavy
rains flatten summer autumn rice in the Mekong Delta for the last few days
(Photo: SGGP)
Statistics by the Department of Crop Production under the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development show that 600,000 hectares of
summer autumn rice have been harvested with the productivity of 5.9 tons a
hectare for the last couple of days. Prices have been high ensuring profit for
farmers.
Still unabated heavy rain has caused many rice fields fall down.
Mr. Truong Tan Duoc, head of Agriculture and Rural Development
Department in Mang Thit district, Vinh Long province reported that 600 hectares
of summer autumn rice have fallen to the ground, resulting in productivity
reduction of 30-40 percent in Tan Long, Chanh Hoi and Nhon phu communes.
Many rice fields have been flooded raising difficulties for
combine harvesters to operate while it has been difficult to find laborers to
cut rice with sickles despite high price.
Agriculture and Rural Development Department in Tan Hong
district, Dong Thap province yesterday said that farmers in the district are
entering peak harvest time.
So far, the district has harvested over 6,000 out of 25,000
hectares of summer autumn rice with the productivity of 5.5-6 tons a hectare.
Traders pay VND4,800-4,900 a kilogram of fresh normal rice. Long
grain rice fetches VND5,200-5,400 a kilogram and fragrant rice is priced
VND5,600-5,800 a kilogram. With these prices, farmers earn a profit of VND12-15
million a hectare.Long An, Vinh Long and An Giang provinces are also reaping
summer autumn rice.
According to Vietnam Food Association, rice export was estimated
to reach 2.7 million tons in the first half this year with value nearing US$1.2
billion. Export price averages US$444.6 a ton. China continues being the
largest import market of Vietnam, accounting for 43 percent market share.
http://sggpnews.org.vn/national/heavy-rain-flattens-summer-autumn-rice-in-mekong-delta-67892.html
Deadline nears for farm programs
Farmers and ranchers have until
Aug. 1 to enroll in Agriculture Risk Coverage and/or the Price Loss Coverage
programs for the 2107 crop year though the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Kansas Farm Service Agency Acting
Executive Director Jack Salava said the programs trigger financial protections
for participating agricultural producers when market forces cause substantial
drops in crop prices or revenues.
“Producers have already elected
ARC or PLC, but to receive program benefits they must enroll for the 2017 crop
year by signing a contract before the Aug. 1 deadline,” he said. “Please
contact your local FSA office to schedule an appointment if you have not yet
enrolled.”
Farmers and ranchers have until
Aug. 1 to enroll in Agriculture Risk Coverage and/or the Price Loss Coverage
programs for the 2107 crop year though the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Kansas Farm Service Agency Acting
Executive Director Jack Salava said the programs trigger financial protections
for participating agricultural producers when market forces cause substantial
drops in crop prices or revenues.
“Producers have already elected
ARC or PLC, but to receive program benefits they must enroll for the 2017 crop
year by signing a contract before the Aug. 1 deadline,” he said. “Please
contact your local FSA office to schedule an appointment if you have not yet
enrolled.”
Covered
commodities under the programs include barley, canola, large and small
chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats,
peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice (which includes
short grain and sweet rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed
and wheat.
For more
program information, contact your local FSA office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc.
To find your local FSA office, visit offices.usda.gov.
http://www.hdnews.net/news/20170718/deadline-nears-for-farm-programs?start=2
Govt
touts success of final auction of quality rice
BANGKOK,
19 July 2017 (NNT) – The Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) has announced that
the private sector purchased nearly all of the 160,000 tons of quality rice put
up for grabs in the latest auction.
According to DFT Director-General Duangporn Rodphaya, the final batch of rice for consumption in the government stock, totaling 160,000 tons, has been offered to the private sector in this year’s third round of bidding. Eleven entrepreneurs submitted their bids for 99.93 percent of the lot, worth a combined 1.13 billion baht. Bidding prices averaged between 4,500 and 10,200 baht per ton.
According to DFT Director-General Duangporn Rodphaya, the final batch of rice for consumption in the government stock, totaling 160,000 tons, has been offered to the private sector in this year’s third round of bidding. Eleven entrepreneurs submitted their bids for 99.93 percent of the lot, worth a combined 1.13 billion baht. Bidding prices averaged between 4,500 and 10,200 baht per ton.
https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/993221-thai-govt-touts-success-of-final-auction-of-quality-rice/
Phoenix wins contract to supply
50,000 tonnes of rice to Bangladesh
Published: 2017-07-19 20:31:52.0 BdST Updated: 2017-07-19 20:31:52.0
BdST
·
The Cabinet
Committee on Public Purchase has approved the food ministry's proposal to buy
50,000 tonnes of rice from Dubai-based Phoenix Global.
A panel of ministers headed by Finance Minister AMA Muhith
approved the purchase proposal during a meeting at the secretariat on
Wednesday.
Phoenix has won the contract to supply non-basmati parboiled
rice at $430 per tonne, Mustafizur Rahman, additional secretary of Cabinet
Division, told the media in Dhaka.
Last month, the government planned to import 600,000 tonnes of rice
to keep the market stable which was rattled by flash floods that hit the
northeastern haor areas in April.
It floated tenders to buy 200,000 tonnes of rice in June.
Tenders for the rest 400,000 tonnes will be floated this month, according to
the Directorate General of Food.
Phoenix became the lowest bidder among six traders that
participated in the tender.
Singapore-based Olam International became the second lowest
bidder that offered to supply rice at $430.8 per tonne.
The government hopes rice prices will ease once imports arrive
in the market.
The government had 177,000 tonnes of rice in stock until Jul 17,
compared to 700,000 tonnes in July last year, according to the food ministry’s
data. http://bdnews24.com/business/2017/07/19/phoenix-wins-contract-to-supply-50000-tonnes-of-rice-to-bangladesh
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http://www.colombopage.com/archive_17B/Jul19_1500440111CH.php
Sri Lanka offers to purchase rice from Myanmar
Posted on July 18th, 2017
Posted on July 18th, 2017
UkrAgroConsult
Sri Lanka has offered to purchase 500,000 tonnes of high-quality
rice from Myanmar through a government-to-government contract, said U Aung Soe
, director general of Myanmar Trade Promotion Team under the Ministry of
Commerce.
The offer to buy 200,000 tonnes of parboiled rice and 300,000
tonnes of white rice was made last week. Parboiled rice, or converted rice, is
rice that has been partially boiled in the husk.
Each year, Myanmar exports between 1.5 million and 2 million
tonnes of rice, according to the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).
Currently, Sri Lankan Ambassador Mr K.W.N.D. Karunaratne led negotiations
between the two governments for the rice purchase.
Sri Lanka first offered to purchase rice from Myanmar back in
February. They told they want to buy 500,000 tonnes of rice. But after we told
them each tonne of price was US$285 we did not receive a reply,” said Dr Soe
Tun, vice chair of the MRF.
Since then though, rice prices have risen. The current market
price is more than US$300 per tonne. We are still negotiating and have yet to
decide on anything,” Dr Soe Tun said, adding that Myanmar will only sell rice
to Sri Lanka at market prices.
Myanmar previously exported rice under a similar
government-to-government contract in 2007-08, according to Ministry of
Commerce.
According to the ministry’s figures, trade between Myanmar and
Sri Lanka in 2011-12 amounted to US$1.1 million, but later declined. In
2015-16, trade between the two countries rose to US$3.1 million.
Under new NLD-led government, trade between the two countries
has rapidly increased, hitting US$24.5 million in 2016-17. In the first two
months of the current fiscal year, trade between Sri Lanka and Myanmar amounted
to US$5.3 million
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2017/07/18/sri-lanka-offers-to-purchase-rice-from-myanmar/comment-page-1/
Positive reaction to proposed
rice straw fiberboard plant
Willows
>> Whether a rice grower decides to bale or turn under their straw, there
seems to be general optimism among the region’s rice industry that another
alternative to getting rid of rice straw may be available.
Rice
growers are interested in the news that their rice straw could go elsewhere
when a proposed plant is expected to open in Willows in 2019.
CalPlant
I LLC hopes to turn rice straw and other elements into medium-density
fiberboard, which is used in the building and furniture industry. It is being
heralded as a more environmentally friendly alternative to current
medium-density fiberboard production practices, which use wood chips and
formaldehyde.
Jim
Morris, who handles communications and media for the California Rice
Commission, noted that when the state began to reduce the amount of rice straw
burning that growers could count on, it encouraged alternatives.
Right
now, only about 3 percent of rice straw is removed from the field, used for
erosion-control wattles, livestock feed and bedding, he said.
“The
goal is finding additional usage for 50 percent of the rice straw,” Morris
said. “From our perspective, any additional use is helpful. We have a long way
to go to get the 50 percent.”
Bryce
Lundberg of Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale said his family has made a
commitment to turning under rice straw and flooding fields for the
environmental benefit, but he said he’s glad there could be alternatives.
Lundberg said he served on a state committee that looked into alternatives to
rice straw burning and was pleased that the state committed to help find
growers alternatives to burning.
Bill
Carriere, president of Carriere Family Farms in Glenn County, wears two hats in
this discussion.
As a
rice grower, he said he’s excited to see an alternative to plowing rice straw
under.
“We’re
getting better yields incorporating the straw back in, but there may be limits.
It puts some nutrients back into the soil, but not much,” he said. “Maybe
growers don’t have to incorporate (straw back) every year. There’s plenty of
rice in the area to get that to the plant.”
As a
member of the Glenn County Planning Commission, Carriere said he sees the
project with different eyes, and he has some concerns.
CONCERNS
Having
about 87 jobs at the plant will be a boon to Glenn County, but there are
concerns about truck traffic on the roads, he said. The plant is proposed off
Highway 162, west of Willows.
Since
Highway 162 is the main freeway exit to Willows, putting truck traffic on that
road would not be wise, he said.
He’d be
happy if the traffic was routed to other streets to get to the plant, such as
County Road 57, south of town. He also wondered about the impact on the
condition of Glenn County’s narrow roads.
Associate
planner Andy Popper noted the project was approved by the Glenn County Planning
Commission in October 2000 — long before Carriere started his term. A negative
declaration was declared, noting the impacts from the project could be handled.
The next step for the project is application for a building permit, Popper
said.
PAY FOR BALE
But
questions exist about economics of the plant. What will CalPlant pay for baled
straw and will it cover growers’ cost of cutting, baling and transportation?
Colleen
Cecil of the Butte County Farm Bureau noted that what could be the crux of the
plant’s success is how much will be paid for the straw. If it’s not worth it to
growers, the plant could have difficulty finding the product.
Word
went out last month that activity was moving ahead on the proposed plant. A
final piece of financing was put in place that allows the project, which has
been discussed since the 1990s, to move forward.
A call
to idea co-founder Jerry Uhland of CalAg was not returned. Uhland holds the
patent on the process to use rice straw for fiberboard.
PROJECT DETAILS
Construction
is expected to get started in September on the $198 million plant, with the first
round of production in early 2019, according to lead attorney Irv Hepner of
Morrison & Foerster of Los Angeles.
Parties
this year finalized a combination of debt and equity financing deal of $315
million, according to Hepner.
Partners
include the California Pollution Control Financing Authority, which is issuing
so-called green bonds for the project. The extra funding goes to interest and
reserve on the bonds.
The
concept popped up in the late ’90s, when Uhland started talking about the
process that could use rice straw. But there were challenges that kept the idea
from becoming reality, Hepner said, including challenges like the lack of proof
the technology would work, as well as CalAg’s lack of a track record. That left
a financing void.
But
Hepner pointed out the process of making rice straw into fiberboard has been
tested with Uhland’s patented technology, and the environmental benefits give
room to try new ideas.
“CalAg
just didn’t have the gap financing to build it,” Hepner said last month of the
plant.
The
plant is expected to be built on 273 acres west of Willows. The land was
purchased in 2008.
Contact
reporter Laura Urseny at 896-7756.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Urseny is a business and general news
reporter and columnist. A graduate of the University of the Pacific, she has
worked at the Chico Enterprise-Record since 1977. Reach the author at lurseny@chicoer.comor follow Laura on Twitter: @LauraUrseny.
http://www.orovillemr.com/article/NB/20170718/NEWS/170719737
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- JUL 20, 2017
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-July 20
Nagpur, July 20 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices moved down in
Nagpur Agriculture Produce and
Marketing Committee (APMC) here on lack of demand from local
millers amid high moisture content
arrival. Easy condition on NCDEX, downward trend in Madhya Pradesh
pulses and reports about good
monsoon in the state also pulled down prices. About 1,600 of gram
and 400 bags of tuar were available for auctions, according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Desi gram raw reported
weak in open market on poor demand from local traders.
TUAR
* Tuar Karnataka declined
in open market on lack of demand from local traders amid
good supply from
producing belts.
* Moong dal chilka showed
weak tendency in open market here on poor demand from
local traders amid good
supply from producing regions.
* In Akola, Tuar New –
3,900-3,975, Tuar dal (clean) – 5,500-5,700, Udid Mogar (clean)
– 7,200-8,200, Moong
Mogar (clean) 6,500-7,200, Gram – 5,300-5,450, Gram Super best
– 7,200-8,000
* Wheat, rice and other
commodities moved in a narrow range in
scattered deals and
settled at last levels in thin trading activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC
auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 4,600-5,250 4,600-5,280
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 3,330-3,700 3,450-3,810
Moong Auction n.a. 3,900-4,200
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Wheat Mill quality
Auction 1,550-1,690 1,550-1,674
Gram Super Best
Bold 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 6,700-7,000 6,700-7,000
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 5,300-5,400 5,300-5,400
Desi gram Raw 5,450-5,550 5,500-5,600
Gram Yellow 7,100-8,100 7,100-8,100
Gram Kabuli 12,300-13,400 12,300-13,400
Tuar Fataka
Best-New 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Tuar Fataka
Medium-New 5,400-5,600 5,400-5,600
Tuar Dal Best
Phod-New 5,200-5,500 5,200-5,500
Tuar Dal Medium
phod-New 4,800-5,100 4,800-5,100
Tuar Gavarani New 3,900-4,000 3,900-4,000
Tuar Karnataka 3,950-4,050 4,000-4,100
Masoor dal best 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000
Masoor dal medium 4,600-4,700 4,600-4,700
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold
(New) 6,800-7,500 6,800-7,500
Moong Mogar Medium 6,200-6,500 6,200-6,500
Moong dal Chilka 5,400-6,200 5,500-6,300
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 6,500-7,500 6,500-7,500
Udid Mogar best (100
INR/KG) (New) 7,500-8,500 7,500-8,500
Udid Mogar Medium (100
INR/KG) 6,800-7,200 6,800-7,200
Udid Dal Black (100
INR/KG) 4,400-4,900 4,400-4,900
Batri dal (100
INR/KG) 4,500-5,000 4,500-5,000
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)
2,850-3,050 2,850-3,050
Watana Dal (100
INR/KG) 2,850-3,000 2,850-2,950
Watana White (100
INR/KG) 3,500-3,700 3,500-3,700
Watana Green Best (100
INR/KG) 4,100-4,600 4,100-4,600
Wheat 308 (100
INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000
Wheat Mill quality (100
INR/KG) 1,750-1,850 1,750-1,850
Wheat Filter (100
INR/KG) 2,100-2,300 2,100-2,300
Wheat Lokwan new (100
INR/KG) 1,900-2,100 1,900-2,100
Wheat Lokwan best (100
INR/KG) 2,100-2,350 2,100-2,350
Wheat Lokwan medium (100
INR/KG) 1,900-2,050 1,900-2,050
Lokwan Hath Binar (100
INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100
INR/KG) 3,000-3,600 3,000-3,600
MP Sharbati Medium (100
INR/KG) 2,200-2,700 2,200-2,700
Rice BPT new (100
INR/KG) 2,700-3,300 2,800-3,400
Rice BPT best (100
INR/KG) 3,300-3,500 3,300-3,500
Rice BPT medium (100
INR/KG) 3,000-3,100 3,000-3,100
Rice Luchai (100
INR/KG) 2,500-2,800 2,500-2,800
Rice Swarna new (100
INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400
Rice Swarna best (100
INR/KG) 2,500-2,650 2,500-2,650
Rice Swarna medium (100
INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400
Rice HMT New (100
INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000
Rice HMT best (100
INR/KG) 4,500-5,000 4,500-5,000
Rice HMT medium (100
INR/KG) 4,100-4,300 4,100-4,300
Rice Shriram New(100
INR/KG) 4,800-5,500 4,800-5,500
Rice Shriram best 100
INR/KG) 6,500-6,800 6,500-6,800
Rice Shriram med (100
INR/KG) 5,800-6,200 5,800-6,200
Rice Basmati best (100
INR/KG) 10,000-13,500 10,000-13,500
Rice Basmati Medium (100
INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor New(100 INR/KG) 4,600-5,000 4,600-5,000
Rice Chinnor best 100
INR/KG) 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Rice Chinnor medium (100
INR/KG) 5,400-5,600 5,400-5,600
Jowar Gavarani (100
INR/KG) 1,900-2,200 1,900-2,200
Jowar CH-5 (100
INR/KG) 1,800-1,900 1,800-1,900
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 31.6 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 24.7 degree
Celsius
Rainfall : 13.9 mm
FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with few spells of rains or
thunder-showers. Maximum and minimum
temperature would be around and 31 and 23 degree Celsius
respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices,
butincluded in market prices)
http://in.reuters.com/article/britain-eu-diaspora-idINKBN1A51J8
Agriculture
minister says no to FTA changes on rice imports
The
agriculture minister said the farming industry had been struggling since the
FTA came into effect five years ago, as Korea’s rice prices continue to plunge,
with farmers blaming an increase in rice imports. “It is not a simple task, but I will do what
I can to reduce rice imports,” Kim said, during an interview with Yonhap News
Agency. “The farming industry has already been damaged by US imports of fruits
and other products, so it is not logical for the US to put pressure on our
agricultural sector to further open up.”
South
Korean Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Yung-rok. (Yonhap)
Amid
increased production coupled with falling consumption, the Korea Rural Economic
Institute predicts the country’s per capita rice consumption will hit a new low
of 59.6 kilograms this year. This would mark the first time Korea’s per capita
rice consumption falls below 60 kilograms. Korean’s annual rice consumption has
halved over the past three decades. At
the beginning of this year, the country’s rice inventory reached 1.83 million
tons, far exceeding the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
recommended 800,000 tons.
“On
the contrary, I will try to find out if there is anything that we can demand
from the US,” Kim said, adding that rice represents a cultural identity and
sense of pride for Korea and therefore should not be seen as a bargaining
chip. US President Donald Trump has
blamed the Korea-US FTA for the US’ deepening trade deficit and vowed to modify
or terminate the trade deal under his “America First” policy. US Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer recently sent
Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy a formal request to hold a joint
meeting to begin discussions on revising the FTA within 30 days. The Korean
government responded by saying the timeline may not be realistic, as the
country has not yet appointed its new trade minister. An official date for the
FTA revision meeting has not been set.
U.S. Rice
Exports Shine in 2017
ARLINGTON,
VA – Despite the tough market situation faced by U.S. rice farmers this year,
exports of U.S. rice remain a bright spot for the rice industry as a
whole. During the first 5 months of
CY2017, total U.S. rice exports (converted basis) were 23 percent ahead of
exports during the same period of 2016 in volume and 10 percent ahead in value.
Lower prices are making U.S. rice more competitive overseas, and USA Rice
international marketing and promotional initiatives are capitalizing on this
price downturn to maintain and grow sales in what has been a very competitive
world marketplace.
“Competitive prices are motivating our
overseas customers to take a fresh look at U.S. rice,” said Hugh Maginnis, USA
Rice Vice President International. “The
export promotion activities we implement in coordination with our FAS partners
have helped boost consumption and imports of U.S. grown rice in just about
every international market we service.” Examples of strong export performance
for U.S. rice in CY2017 can be found almost everywhere. In Mexico, the number
one market in both volume and value, where USA Rice conducts more than 300
marketing activities annually, exports are up by about 20 percent in volume and
three percent in value over the previous year.
In Haiti, exports of U.S rice are up 26
percent in volume and 11 percent in value, bolstered by targeted USA Rice TV
and radio advertising and promotions. Exports to the UK market have grown 49
percent in volume and 19 percent in value so far thanks in part to targeted
billboard advertising, trade magazine testimonials, and growing sales online
and with independent retail outlets.
Exports of long grain parboiled and medium
grain rice to Saudi Arabia are booming, up 46 percent in value and 48 percent
in value, due to aggressive billboard advertising outdoors and in the shopping
malls. Jordan is a market with even
better performance, with U.S. medium grain sales up 79 percent in volume and 65
percent in value. U.S. exports of medium grain to Japan have taken a record 77
percent share of the SBS quota, as targeted foodservice promotions educate
consumers about the versatility and taste of U.S. medium grain.
“These
trends point to a strong export performance for the remainder of the year” said
Maginnis. “While this optimistic
scenario can change due to a number of factors, the momentum in the export
market is in our favor. More U.S.-grown
rice is heading to the tables of our overseas customers, providing fresh
opportunities for a diverse global consumer market to experience the quality,
consistency, and value of USA Rice.”
SUN Selects
Riso Scotti For Consilia Private Label Rice
Jul 19 2017 9:00 AM in Private Label tagged: Italy / Consilia / SUN
/ Riso Scotti
Italian
grocery purchasing consortium SUN (Supermercati Uniti Nazionali) has selected
Riso Scotti to produce rice for its Consilia private label range. Based near
Pavia in Italy, Riso Scotti produces white risotto rice and rice-based
diversification products. The manufacturer will produce three types of organic
rice for the Consilia private label brand: Arborio Bio, Ribe Integrale bio, and
Carnaroli bio. The Consilia brand already features a wide variety of rice
products, including arborio, carnaroli, riso Roma, nano vialone, Thai
parboiled, ribe parbolied, ribe integrale, and basmati. Ferdinando Spadea,
manager for commercial brands and special channels at Riso Scotti, said that
the company guarantees a high quality "from raw material to finished
product". The company also has a focus on sustainability and
waste-recovery. The SUN consortium consists of local retailers Magazzini
Gabrieli, Italbrix, Cadoro, Alfi and Gros, with a particularly widespread
presence in north and central Italy.
https://www.esmmagazine.com/sun-selects-riso-scotti-consilia-rice/46426
India Gate’ not
registered; does not fall under GST ambit: KRBL
Rice producing companies are in focus as basmati rice that was
earlier subject to vat or was tax free in some states is now included in
branded cereals category under goods and services tax (GST) and taxed at 5
percent. KRBL in particular has seen a 20 percent rally this week. In an
interview to CNBC-TV18, Anoop Gupta, Joint MD of KRBL spoke about the same.
Rice producing companies are in focus as basmati rice that was
earlier subject to vat or was tax free in some states is now included in
branded cereals category under goods and services tax (GST) and taxed at 5
percent. KRBL in particular has seen a 20 percent rally this week. In an
interview to CNBC-TV18, Anoop Gupta, Joint MD of KRBL spoke about the same.
Five percent GST is on the registered brand but the brand ‘India Gate’ is not
registered. So we do not fall under any 5 percent. We will be having zero
taxability as far as India Gate brand is concerned, he said. According to him,
the company is at an advantage compared to peers and would like to increase its
market share.
Our average realisation is
around USD 1,200 and EBITDA is more than 20 percent for exports, he added.
Company has hardly any exposure to Europe of about Rs 30-40 crore in a topline
of Rs 4,000 crore. Current capacity utilisation of the company is 55-60
percent. Iran will stop importing rice from next month, he said. Coming year
season looks to be very good. We have lowered the price of India Gate by 3-3.5
percent, he further said. KRBL is launching a new kind of food grain called
Quinoa. It will be started in next 15 days by first week of August and the
revenue expected from Quinoa in first year is Rs 100 crore. For full interview,
watch video...
State clears
nearly all of rice supply
19 Jul 2017 at 04:00
NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS
A government official checks the quality of rice stocks at a
warehouse in Bangkok's Klong Sam Wa district. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD
Eleven rice exporters and traders bid to buy almost all of the
160,000 tonnes of rice in government stocks yesterday, nearly clearing the more
than 18 million tonnes of rice that had been stored in warehouses for three
years.
Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the Commerce Ministry's
Foreign Trade Department, said the total value of the 160,000 tonnes of rice
offered at the auction will be worth about 1.1 billion baht if the state agrees
to sell the entire lot.The Commerce Ministry will recheck the qualifications of
bidders and examine the prices they offered before submitting the bids for
approval by the National Rice Committee.
The ministry is due to hold another auction soon to sell 2.6
million tonnes of inedible-grade rice.The inedible rice is ageing and has been
in stock since the start of the Yingluck Shinawatra government, which offered
to buy rice from farmers at higher-than-market prices -- bringing in
record-high state rice stocks of more than 18 million tonnes at a time when
global rice supply outpaced demand.
The scheme created burdensome storage expenses and huge
depreciation value."If we can open the last auction for the inedible rice
soon, it will help cut the burdensome storage expense of 5 million baht a day,
as we can sell off all the stock within July as planned," Mrs Duangporn
said.She said the clearance of state rice stocks this year would relieve
pressure on Thai rice prices, which should be rising after several
rice-importing and rice-producing countries were hit by bad weather, forcing
them to seek staple stocks from Thailand.Bangladesh and Sri Lanka recently
entered talks with Thailand for the urgent purchase of 400,000 tonnes of rice
to replenish their falling stocks after being hit by severe drought and floods
over the past few years.Each country is seeking 200,000 tonnes, mostly of
parboiled and common-grade white rice.
