Bumper rice crop
September 09, 2017
APROPOS the news report ‘Bumper crop of rice expected in Sindh’
(Aug 28). The report states that though cultivation is banned in areas fed by
the left bank perennial canals of Sukkur and Guddu barrages like Rohri, Nara
and Ghotki feeder canals, influential land owners still cultivate crops.
The report adds that Sindh’s farmers got water more than their
normal quota, and Balochistan had no option except to raise this issue with the
Centre. Pakistan’s water condition is getting worse with each passing day, and
Quetta, Balochistan’s capital, is almost dry facing a severe water shortage. If
we continue to plant water guzzling rice in Sindh, soon we will have no water
left either for staple crops or for drinking.
Can someone in the power corridors please order a stop to this
practice and ensure that the country stringently adopts water saving practices
so there is enough of this precious commodity for our next generations
https://www.dawn.com/news/1356484/bumper-rice-crop
DA to convert 20,000 hectares of idle lands for rice
production in Kalinga
September 11, 2017
CITY OF TABUK, Kalinga, Sept. 5
(PIA) -- Kalinga contributes 1.3 percent to the rice requirement of the country
and this is seen to increase with the “Masaganang Ani sa Nayon” Project
(Project MANA).
The Department of Agriculture’s
(DA) Project MANA intends to convert 20,000 hectares of rainfed and idle lands
for rice production in the province this year.
Joe Casibang, Kalinga Rice
Program Coordinator, said that the Project MANA sites are located in the
province’s rice production towns of Pinukpuk, Tanudan, Rizal, and this City.
Project MANA involves two phases
- first is the identification and opening of potential ricelands that include
rainfed and idle lands, and second is the provision of needed farming
interventions through small irrigation systems.
For the farming interventions, DA
is distributing free 150 units of mechanized water-pump and accessories. It
will also construct small water impounding projects in Rizal municipality and
this city.
Casibang explained that the project
is under DA’s effort to increase rice sufficiency level in the country by
opening new areas for rice production.
Based on present DA data, the
country needs to fill in additional five to ten percent of its rice sufficiency
requirement. (JDP/ Larry T. Lopez-PIA CAR, Kalinga)
Department of Agriculture,
Project MANA, Rice, Rice Production and Agriculture
http://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1000179
INDEF: Gov’t
Rice Export Plan is a Joke
Sunday, 10 September 2017 | 00:14 WIB
JAKARTA, NETRALNEWS.COM - Bustanul Arifin, economic observer from the Institute
for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), says Indonesia's rice
production cost is one of the most expensive compared to other countries.
He said rice production expenses in Vietnam and Indonesia are
still relatively lower than in Indonesia. Therefore, the Indonesian
government’s idea of exporting rice is just a joke."It will be a joke if
the government wants to export rice from its rice surplus if the cost to
produce it is still high,” Bustanul said during a discussion on highest rice
retail price in Jakarta on Saturday (9/9/2017).
Bustanul said domestic rice production cost reaches US $4,000.
Meanwhile, rice production in Malaysia only costs $2,000, and with that they
can already reach surplus.
"[Our] efficiency is still far lagging behind from Vietnam
and Thailand," he said.
He also added that it would be better for the government to
focus on subsidized rice in the domestic market rather than exporting rice
abroad
http://www.en.netralnews.com/news/business/read/10928/indef.gov...t.rice.export.plan.is.a.joke
Govt considers importing two million tons of rice
11.09.2017 | UkrAgroConsult
Up to eight million tons of Boro paddy had been destroyed by the
latest bout of monsoon floods that inundated several districts
The government is thinking of importing two million tons of rice,
to compensate for the shortage caused by the recent rain and flood in various
parts of the country.
Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal announced it during a meeting
at the National Economic Council conference room in Agargaon, Dhaka on Sunday.
He further mentioned that up to eight million tons of Boro paddy
had been destroyed by the latest bout of monsoon floods that inundated several
districts.
He estimated that a total of 12-14 million tons of rice had been
damaged as well, causing a rather significant deficiency.
As the flood has dispersed many families out of their homes, the
demand for food and shelter has increased.
The government is aware of this situation and hopes to make up for
the shortage of food, sources in the Ministry of Planning said. http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/govt-considers-importing-two-million-tons-of-rice
Kushtia millers raise rice prices again
·
Published
at 05:58 PM September 10, 2017
In late August, mill owners raised the prices of all rice
varieties by Tk3 per kg
The prices
rose for the second time in just two weeks amid widespread allegations of price
manipulation against the rice mill owners
Rice millers in Kushtia have once again raised rice prices, this
time by Tk1-Tk4 per kg.
Fine rice, otherwise known as Miniket, was selling at Tk58 per
kg at the wholesale market on Saturday, whereas the price was Tk54 per kg on
Thursday. The prices of coarse rice varieties, such as BR-28, also went up by
Tk1-Tk1.5 per kg during this period.
They rose for the second time in just two weeks amid widespread
allegations of price manipulation against the rice mill owners.
In late August, the millers had raised the prices of all rice
varieties by Tk3 per kg.
Media reports on the price anomaly prompted Kushtia Deputy
Commissioner Md Zahir Raihan to call an emergency meeting with officials
concerned on August 30. He gave an ultimatum to the mill owners to rein in the
soaring prices within 24 hours.
However, the mill owners did not take heed to the warning,
instead claiming that they were compelled. They noted that paddy prices at the
growers’ level have been high due to low production in the preceding Boro
season.
Kushtia Rice Mill Owners Association President Jainal Abedin
Prodhan said: “The mill owners have nothing to do with this. The farmers don’t
have the paddy. There is a huge paddy crisis across the country. Thus, the
millers do not have bargaining power while buying paddy.”
Meanwhile, a recent intelligence agency report has revealed that
major rice mills in Kushtia are sitting on huge stocks of rice.
The report mentioned that at least 70 mills in Kushtia have
abnormally high stocks.
Among them, six of the top mills have a total stock of 1 million
tonnes of rice.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2017/09/10/kushtia-millers-raise-rice-prices-again/
Rice basmati strengthens on rising demand
PTI | Sep
2, 2017, 23:17 IST
New Delhi, Sep 1 () Rice basmati prices strengthened by Rs 100
per quintal at the wholesale grains market today on rising demand.
However, other grains moved in a narrow range in scattered deals
and pegged at last levels.
Traders besides rising demand from stockists and retailers
against restricted supplies from producing regions mainly kept rice basmati
prices higher.
In the national capital, rice basmati Pusa-1121variety edged
higher by Rs 100 to Rs 5,200-5,300 per quintal. Non-basmati rice permal raw,
wand and IR-8 also settled higher at Rs 2,200-2,225, Rs 2,250-2,275 and Rs
1,850-1,875 from previous levels of Rs 2,150-2,175, Rs 2,200-2,225 and Rs
1,825-1,850 per quintal respectively.-
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,100-2,350, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs
1,755-1,760, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,760-1,765, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 260-300, Shakti Bhog (10
kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 950-960 (50 kg), Maida Rs 990-1,000 (50 kg)and Sooji Rs 1,030-1,040 (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 6,400-6,600, Rice Pusa (1121)
Rs 5,200-5,300, Permal raw Rs 2,200-2,225, Permal wand Rs 2,250-2,275, Sela Rs
2,300-2,400 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,850-1,875, Bajra Rs 1,205-1,210, Jowar yellow Rs
1,425-1,475, white Rs 2,800-2,900, Maize Rs 1,320-1,325, Barley Rs 1,460-1,470.
SUN KPS ADI MKJ
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/rice-basmati-strengthens-on-rising-demand/articleshow/60342385.cms
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Septmember 08, 2017
SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 / 1:28 PM
Nagpur, Sept 8 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices recovered strongly
in Nagpur Agriculture Produce
and Marketing Committee (APMC) here on increased demand from local
millers amid weak supply from
producing belts. Fresh hike Madhya Pradesh gram prices and repeated
enquiries from South-based
millers also helped to push up prices.
About 500 of gram and 200 bags of tuar were available for auctions,
according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram varieties ruled
steady in open market here on subdued demand from local traders
amid ample stock in
ready position.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani moved down
in open market here on poor demand from local traders amid
high moisture content
arrival.
* Major wheat reported
higher in open market on renewed demand from local traders amid
tight supply from
producing regions.
* In Akola, Tuar New –
4,300-4,500, Tuar dal (clean) – 6,300-6,500, Udid Mogar (clean)
– 8,600-9,200, Moong
Mogar (clean) 6,600-7,100, Gram – 5,500-5,800, Gram Super best
– 8,600-9,000
* Rice and other foodgrain
items 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 4,800-5,990 4,800-5,800
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 3,600-4,125 3,500-4,125
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 1,600-1,645 1,600-1,650
Gram Super Best
Bold 8,500-9,200 8,500-9,200
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 7,600-8,000 7,600-8,000
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 5,900-6,000 5,900-6,000
Desi gram Raw 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Gram Kabuli 12,500-13,500 12,500-13,500
Tuar Fataka
Best-New 6,700-7,000 6,700-7,000
Tuar Fataka
Medium-New 6,400-6,600 6,400-6,600
Tuar Dal Best
Phod-New 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400
Tuar Dal Medium
phod-New 5,700-6,000 5,700-6,000
Tuar Gavarani New 4,300-4,500 4,400-4,600
Tuar Karnataka 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000
Masoor dal best 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,400
Masoor dal medium 4,600-4,900 4,600-4,900
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold
(New) 7,200-7,500 7,200-7,500
Moong Mogar Medium 6,700-7,000 6,700-7,000
Moong dal Chilka 5,500-6,200 5,500-6,200
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 7,000-8,000 7,000-8,000
Udid Mogar best (100
INR/KG) (New) 9,000-10,000
9,000-10,000
Udid Mogar Medium (100
INR/KG) 6,500-8,000 6,500-8,000
Udid Dal Black (100
INR/KG) 5,000-5,600 5,000-5,600
Batri dal (100
INR/KG) 5,000-5,600 5,000-5,600
Lakhodi dal (100
INR/kg) 3,000-3,200 3,000-3,200
Watana Dal (100
INR/KG) 2,900-3,100 2,900-3,100
Watana White (100
INR/KG) 3,500-3,700 3,500-3,700
Watana Green Best (100
INR/KG) 3,600-4,800 3,600-4,800
Wheat 308 (100
INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,800-1,900
Wheat Mill quality (100
INR/KG) 1,750-1,850 1,700-1,800
Wheat Filter (100
INR/KG) 2,100-2,300 2,100-2,300
Wheat Lokwan best (100
INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,100-2,400
Wheat Lokwan medium (100
INR/KG) 1,900-2,100 1,900-2,000
Lokwan Hath Binar (100
INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100
INR/KG) 3,300-3,800 3,000-3,600
MP Sharbati Medium (100
INR/KG) 2,200-2,800 2,200-2,700
Rice BPT best (100
INR/KG) 3,300-3,400 3,300-3,400
Rice BPT medium (100
INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200
Rice Luchai (100
INR/KG) 2,600-2,900 2,600-2,900
Rice Swarna best (100
INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Rice Swarna medium (100
INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400
Rice HMT best (100
INR/KG) 3,800-4,000 3,800-4,000
Rice HMT medium (100
INR/KG) 3,500-3,800 3,500-3,800
Rice Shriram best(100
INR/KG) 4,800-5,200 4,800-5,200
Rice Shriram med (100
INR/KG) 4,500-4,700 4,500-4,700
Rice Basmati best (100
INR/KG) 9,500-13,500 9,500-13,500
Rice Basmati Medium (100
INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor best 100
INR/KG) 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000
Rice Chinnor medium (100
INR/KG) 4,300-4,500 4,300-4,500
Jowar Gavarani (100
INR/KG) 2,000-2,200 2,000-2,200
Jowar CH-5 (100
INR/KG) 1,800-2,000 1,800-2,000
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 34.4 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 24.1 degree
Celsius
Rainfall : 10.6 mm
FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rains or
thunder-showers. Maximum and
minimum temperature would be around and 34 and 24 degree Celsius
respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices,
butincluded in market prices)
https://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-septmember-08-2017-idINL4N1LP37G
Paddy cultivation area down
THE HINDU
NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER
8:
The area under paddy cultivation
is down by half-a-million hectares, compared to the previous kharif season,
according to data released by the Agriculture Ministry on Friday.
Rice has been sown in 371.46 lakh
hectares (ha), which is 1.44 per cent lower than 376.89 lakh ha covered during
the corresponding period last year, mainly because of lesser sowing in the
drought-hit Karnataka and flood-affected Assam. The total acreage under kharif
cultivation, too, shrank to 1,041.17-lakh ha against 1,049.87-lakh ha in the
same period last year.
Worst affected
Oilseeds are the worst hit with acreage down by almost 10 per cent to 169.20-lakh ha, whereas the area under cotton cultivation went up by 18.94 per cent to 120.98-lakh ha in the same period.
Oilseeds are the worst hit with acreage down by almost 10 per cent to 169.20-lakh ha, whereas the area under cotton cultivation went up by 18.94 per cent to 120.98-lakh ha in the same period.
Pulses cultivation
There is nearly 4 per cent drop in area under pulses cultivation, with acreage under arhar and moong coming down by 18 per cent and 8 per cent to 42.81-lakh ha and 31.48-lakh ha respectively. Urad cultivation on the other hand is up by 21 per cent and now has covered a total area of 42.15-lakh ha compared to 34.83-lakh ha in the same period last year. Lesser sowing for pulses was mainly reported from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The total area under pulses cultivation is 139.17-lakh ha.
There is nearly 4 per cent drop in area under pulses cultivation, with acreage under arhar and moong coming down by 18 per cent and 8 per cent to 42.81-lakh ha and 31.48-lakh ha respectively. Urad cultivation on the other hand is up by 21 per cent and now has covered a total area of 42.15-lakh ha compared to 34.83-lakh ha in the same period last year. Lesser sowing for pulses was mainly reported from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The total area under pulses cultivation is 139.17-lakh ha.
The sowing of coarse cereals, on
the other hand, recovered slightly compared to last week, with ragi sowing
picking up momentum in Karnataka. There is also improvement in the acreage
under bajra cultivation by nearly 4 per cent to 71.38-lakh ha.
With most parts of the country
receiving good showers, there is substantial improvement in water levels in
reservoirs across the country. The cumulative water levels in 91 monitored
reservoirs have increased to 58 per cent of the storage capacity to
91.2-billion cubic metres
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/paddy-cultivation-area-down/article9852061.ece
No water at the end of canal for rice zone farmers
HYDERABAD: Muhammad Ramzan
Jatt, a farmer from village Abdul Rehman Jatt, is totally blissed out because
he’s looking forward to a long-awaited rub of the green after being able to
cultivate his 14 acres of fertile land that had been lying barren for many
years owing to scarceness of irrigation water.
“We collected an amount of
Rs3,60,000 from farmers from a dozen of villages to hire excavation machinery
to clean the water body up to seven kilometers,” said Ramzan sharing the
success story of the initiative that made it possible.
“This is how the farmers at the
tail end of Raj Wah (canal) in Badin district had the watercourse de-silted
after 32 years with their joint interventions.”
Ramzan said farmers in this area
depend on irrigation water for cultivation without which there would be no
crops to cultivate or livestock to raise that means suffering and
hardship.
Ramzan’s family was one of the few
lucky ones, which got a piece of state land on lease during 1960s. At that time
the area was abandoned and the government had designed a comprehensive plan to
bring farmer families from different areas, offered them pieces of land to
cultivate and settled there. Around 0.4 million acres of land was given to the
farming families that now live in scattered villages.
“We have managed to cultivate a
decent crop of rice after a gap of 15 years,” said he hoping to have enough
water through the recently de-silted canal.
This dream of theirs, however, was
shattered when heavy monsoon that jumpstarted in June forced the irrigation
department to minimise the flow of water into the canal to avoid breaches. As a
result, farmers lost their investment on the cultivation of water-intensive
crops like rice and sugarcane.
“Since Badin district is a rice
belt, the water shortage adversely affected the yield this year,” he added.
Raj Wah is a tributary of Akram Wah
(canal), which was built in 1962 with 4100 cusec capacity. It covers a distance
of 80 kilomters from Kotri barrage to the coastal area in Badin district.
Ramzan, who is also a community
elder, said when the government had leased out the land five decades ago, it
was very fertile and their forefathers used to cultivate almost all food and
cash crops. “They had more graains, milk, and butter because of adequate water
supplies. But after many years the political maneuvering in agriculture sector
the tail-end farmers were left to suffer because powerful landlords starting
stealing water thus,” he added.
Reportedly, major landlords from
Hyderabad and Tando Muhammad Khan districts also laying claim to the irrigation
water of canals and watercourses, including Raj Wah.
Initially there were 137
watercourses registered with irrigation department on Akram Wah. Currently
hardly 82 watercourses are functional, while the rest neither get their proper
share of water, nor any attention from the government.
The farmers depending on Raj Wah
still fear reversal of the situation after temporary relief due to the “different”
approach of authorities.
The responsibility of dealing with
water courses, distribution and maintenance is shifted from irrigation
department of the provincial government to Sindh Irrigation Drainage Authority
(SIDA).
SIDA has formed farmers’ organisations
(FOs) to work independently with the powers to deal with problems in their
areas. These FOs generate funds on their own by collecting water tax from
landlords to utilise the same on the maintenance of watercourses.
A SIDA spokesman told The News that
the main problem at watercourses is illegal direct outlets made by influential
landlords, who operate lifting machines for 24 hours and deprive the tail-end
farmers of their due share of water.
“Akram Wah has now lost its
capacity and can carry only 2000 cusec instead of its original capacity of 4100
cusec,” said the spokesman. To ensure supply to tail-end users, the SIDA
representative said, the authority and the provincial government were trying to
secure funding from World Bank to improve capacity of Akram Wah.
Nazir Ahmed Jatt, vice president of
Sarsabz Ittehad, a representative body of 12 villages in UC Kadhan, informed
The News that they were mobilising farmers, including peasant women to take
initiative to resolve local problems on their own instead of waiting for the
government’s help.
Sarsabz Ittehad is a brainchild of
Indus Consortium, a national support organization, which has mobilised the
community people in two union councils of the district Badin. “We convene joint
meetings with heads of local bodies’ institutions for the resolution of water
supply and drainage schemes,” said Nazir adding that actually Sarsabz Ittehad,
which means green alliance, is the driving force behind the recent de-siltation
of Raj Wah canal. He said its members are continuously approaching area
legislators, political parties and government authorities, sensitising them to
extend the help to farmers, who are facing problems, specifically acute water
shortage.
Abdul Wahid Brohi, popularly known
as Jumma Khan in the area and owner of 32 acres of family land, said the area
has been declared prone to disaster. “We have seen disasters like breaches in
Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) after devastating rains in 2011, earthquake in
2001, prolonged drought-like-situation due to the closure of canal and
continuous sea intrusion, which has played a major role in polluting
underground water.”
Presently, Brohi disclosed, the
underground water was heavily contaminated with arsenic. “Recently 80 people,
including children and women of neighbouring village Fazal Jatt were brought to
hospitals in Badin and other smaller towns. They were all diagnosed with
arsenic poisoning,” Brohi said. The incident, he added, had created panic in
the area. Badin district health department officials visited the area and
found the hand-pumped groundwater unfit for human consumption because it was
tainted with arsenic.
He said the government teams
dealing with health matters responded to the crisis by bringing in thousands of
bottles of safe mineral water for the villagers, but it can hardly be called a
solution. “They are ready to provide stopgap solutions but are not
willing to touch the influential landlords, who control the watercourses,
leaving not a single drop of water for the tail-end villagers,” said he
lamenting the government’s apathy towards tail-end farming communities
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/228830-No-water-at-the-end-of-canal-for-rice-zone-farmers
MP govt and
APEDA in Basmati rice geographical indication registry row
Monday, 11 September, 2017, 08 : 00
AM [IST]
Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
The geographical indication (GI)
registry over Basmati rice has sparked a row between the Agricultural and
Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Madhya
Pradesh government, following the latter’s application for the GI registry of
the central Indian state for Basmati rice production.
B M Sahare, additional director,
ministry of agriculture, government of Madhya Pradesh, said, “Thirteen or
fourteen districts of the state are currently producing Basmati rice.”
“There is a formidable basis for our
application, and even the GI Registry, which is based in Chennai, has
recognised our claim. But this was challenged in the court, and the matter is
now sub judice,” he added.
Sahare stated that the state
government applied for GI Registry after conducting several of the mandatory
tests at accredited laboratories to prove the claim. However, a senior official
dealing with the issue stated that APEDA’s position was open and clear. Only
seven states are a part of the GI registry for Basmati Rice, and the authority
will oppose any move to include any other state for it.
APEDA also fears that this will open
a Pandora’s box, and Pakistan and China can also claim the GI tag for Basmati
rice. Currently, eleven districts in Pakistan, under a treaty with India, enjoy
GI registry for Basmati rice.
India, meanwhile, has a 85 per cent
share in the global basmati rice trade. It exported basmati rice worth Rs
21,604 crore in 2016-17.
In a previous statement, the
ministry of commerce and industries reported in Parliament that the National
Agricultural Research System, under the ministry of agriculture and cooperation
has recognised only the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and
Uttarakhand, the western part of Uttar Pradesh and two districts of Jammu and
Kashmir (namely, Jammu and Kathua) as the traditional geographical indication
for Basmati rice cultivation.
This means that the basmati rice
produced in these regions are considered an intellectual property and will be
acknowledged as Basmati rice, while the Basmati rice produced in other places
will not be considered Basmati rice, as APEDA does not consider areas other
than those with the GI tag for Basmati rice production.
http://www.fnbnews.com/Top-News/mp-govt-and-apeda-in-basmati-rice-geographical-indication-registry-row-41107
Govt considers importing two million tons of rice
·
Published
at 12:22 AM September 11, 2017
Up to eight
million tons of Boro paddy had been destroyed by the latest bout of monsoon
floods that inundated several districts
The government is thinking of importing
two million tons of rice, to compensate for the shortage caused by the recent
rain and flood in various parts of the country.Planning Minister AHM Mustafa
Kamal announced it during a meeting at the National Economic Council conference
room in Agargaon, Dhaka on Sunday.
He further mentioned that up to
eight million tons of Boro paddy had been destroyed by the latest bout of
monsoon floods that inundated several districts.He estimated that a total of
12-14 million tons of rice had been damaged as well, causing a rather
significant deficiency.As the flood has dispersed many families out of their
homes, the demand for food and shelter has increased.The government is aware of
this situation and hopes to make up for the shortage of food, sources in the
Ministry of Planning said.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2017/09/11/govt-considers-importing-two-million-tons-rice/
EU Ban Basmati Imports; Indian Consumer To Get Premium Basmati
At Affordable Prices
Basmati rice is India’s preferred domestic variety of rice with the highest
standard of texture and aroma
In a not so very surprising
decision, European Union has decided not to allow Basmati rice imports from
India. Such decision may affect the price of Basmati rice in the market. The
European Union which has witnessed many such decisions has done it in the name
of strict laws for higher standards of no use of pesticides.
This decision appears to be strange in nature. Basmati rice is India’s preferred domestic variety of rice with the highest standard of texture and aroma.
All India rice exporters association (AIREA) has told that permission to export Basmati rice to EU nations had been earlier given till 31 December. Post that the permission will automatically get cancelled due to no extension. The reason given is the use of fungicides for the safety of Basmati rice to EU nations (another possible incident of fumigation laws manipulation). It is also evident that India usually exports (PB-1) and 1,401 Basmati breeds to EU.
AIREA also asked for one year’s extension to the given export limits and may soon ask union government to intervene in the matter.
It will definitely increase the domestic availability of Basmati rice by at least 1,00,000 tonnes to 3,00,000 tonnes, which may send a chill to domestic consumers.
An expert on the consumer affairs matter had termed it as a
bright chance to ordinary consumer class which would never have the chance to
opt for premium Rs 200 per kilograms or higher rate’s Basmati rice.
According to the food and agriculture organisation of UN, Basmati is still believed to be a luxury food item among a huge 300 million plus middle-class consumer market of India.
India’s overall progressive procurement for rice as on 1 September 2017 for the year 2016-17 was 387.38 lakh tonnes against the procurement of 341.43 lakh tonnes in the parallel period of previous year. The procurement of wheat for the rabi marketing season (RMS) for 2017-18 was 308.01 lakh tonnes against the procurement of 229.62 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of RMS of the year 2016-17
This decision appears to be strange in nature. Basmati rice is India’s preferred domestic variety of rice with the highest standard of texture and aroma.
All India rice exporters association (AIREA) has told that permission to export Basmati rice to EU nations had been earlier given till 31 December. Post that the permission will automatically get cancelled due to no extension. The reason given is the use of fungicides for the safety of Basmati rice to EU nations (another possible incident of fumigation laws manipulation). It is also evident that India usually exports (PB-1) and 1,401 Basmati breeds to EU.
AIREA also asked for one year’s extension to the given export limits and may soon ask union government to intervene in the matter.
It will definitely increase the domestic availability of Basmati rice by at least 1,00,000 tonnes to 3,00,000 tonnes, which may send a chill to domestic consumers.
According to the food and agriculture organisation of UN, Basmati is still believed to be a luxury food item among a huge 300 million plus middle-class consumer market of India.
India’s overall progressive procurement for rice as on 1 September 2017 for the year 2016-17 was 387.38 lakh tonnes against the procurement of 341.43 lakh tonnes in the parallel period of previous year. The procurement of wheat for the rabi marketing season (RMS) for 2017-18 was 308.01 lakh tonnes against the procurement of 229.62 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of RMS of the year 2016-17
http://businessworld.in/article/EU-Ban-Basmati-Imports-Indian-Consumer-To-Get-Premium-Basmati-At-Affordable-Prices/12-09-2017-125943/
Nigeria: Government Moves to
Crash Price of Local Rice
By Joke
Falaju
Abuja — The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu
Ogbeh, has hinted of plans to reduce the price of 50kg bag of local rice from
N18,000 to N13,000.
In this respect, he said talks were ongoing with the Rice
Farmers Association of Nigeria to crash the N150,000 per ton price tag of paddy
rice to N120,000 to enable millers sell the commodity at N13,000 per bag.
Ogbeh, who was speaking at the week
end in Abuja on the upcoming national conference on the
transformation of the country's livestock industry, lamented that local rice
were becoming costlier thatn imported ones.
He regretted that a ton of paddy
rice that sold for N65,000 in July 2015 had suddenly jumped making it extremely
difficult for millers to sell a 50kg bag of rice less than N17,O00. The minister said: " To Nigerians, I'm sorry that the
prices of food are too high. We are not too happy about it, but we are not
going to turn around and bully the farmers. We will persuade them, but with the
increase in food production, prices will go down. Then non-farmers can eat very
well. We don't want any Nigerian to go hungry because he or she is an end user
of farm product.
Ogbeh alleged that farmers in Katsina and Kano states were
hoarding their grains, thereby inducing an artificial scarcity, as a ton of
maize rose from N85,000 to N130,000 with its adverse effects on poultry which
need them as feeds.He clarified that government had not banned the importation
of any food commodity, saying: "You can still bring in rice as long as it
comes in through the ports and you pay levy. It is smuggling we do not
want."The clarification comes in the wake of protests by local farmers
over the importation of a large vessel of maize into the country by a certain
big company.
He, however, promised to persuade the firm from the act
beginning from next year.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201709110501.html
Government distributes
rice donated by China
BY OBEY MANAYITI
GOVERNMENT yesterday took delivery of part of the $14,7 million
worth of rice donated by China amid fears that the donation was meant to oil
Zanu PF’s campaign machinery ahead of next year’s general elections.
Speaking at the handover ceremony in Harare, Public Service, Labour
and Social Welfare minister Priscah Mupfumira said the donation would go a long
way in helping needy communities, particularly hospitals, prisons, old people’s
homes and children’s homes.
Among those who benefited yesterday were First Lady Grace Mugabe
Children’s Home and many others who received an average of five tonnes each.
Hospitals and prisons were given 120 tonnes each.
Mupfumira said there were many food-insecure households affected by
cyclone Dineo and excessive rainfall received during the last summer season.
“In view of this, China has again made another donation of 12 500
metric tonnes for distribution to the vulnerable of society. This donation from
our friends will go a long way in mitigating the effects of floods-caused
hunger,” she said.
“It is therefore my ministry’s mandate to ensure that the
distribution of rice will focus on vulnerable households who include the
elderly, chronically ill, persons with disabilities and child-headed
households, flood victims, victims of other disasters, registered institutions
accommodating vulnerable children, schools and hospitals.”
Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Huang Ping said the donation was a
follow-up to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit in 2015.
The rice donation comes at a time when Zimbabwe is boasting of a
bumper harvest in the previous season owing to the command agriculture and when
the ruling party has upped its 2018 election campaign where foodstuffs and
other goodies are distributed at campaign rallies.
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2017/09/donation/
CV Anand warns dealers
against hiking prices
By Author | Published: 12th Sep 2017 1:20 am
Hyderabad: In an effort to control and monitor
the prices of essential commodities, commissioner for civil supplies CV Anand
said that necessary measures should be taken to keep prices of rice, onion and
edible oil under control. He also instructed officials to keep a check on the
prices of essential commodities daily and the same must be followed by the
price monitoring committees. The civil supplies chief also warned traders and
dealers against hiking the price by creating shortage of commodities by
unauthorised stocking and moving them to black market.
He requested the representatives of
the onions, edible oils dealers associations and president of rice millers
association to co-operate by coming forward and taking the initiative of
informing against black marketers.
CV Anand also met with
representatives of the onions, edible oils dealers associations and president
of rice millers association on Monday at Civil Supplies Bhavan. He said that in
the last two to three months, taking the advantage of shortage of onions, the
dealers have hiked the prices. He also noted that there were certain complaints
registered in the department in this regard.
The Government of India requested
the State government to implement the stock limits on onions so that there
should not be any hoarding of onions. The licensed dealers shall store the
stock as the guidelines which are for Category ‘A’ Cities (having population of
10 lakhs) 75 quintals; Category ‘B’ areas (all urban areas) 40 quintals;
Category ‘C’ areas (all rural areas) 30 quintals respectively. He added that if
anyone was found to be hoarding higher than the applicable quota, strict action
would be taken against the dealers.
A representative of the onion
dealers association informed commissioner that in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh
and Gujarat, onions were cultivated on a larger scale and due to heavy rains, a
problem pertaining to crop damage and transport to Telangana, arose. Currently,
onions are being sold at Rs 25 per kg. He asked the Chief Rationing Officer,
Balamaya Devi to conduct a meeting with onion dealers of Malakpet Area and with
officials of Marketing Department to see that the dealers bring in maximum
quantity of onions from Maharastra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat States and sell
their wares here, so that there will be no shortage of onions during the
festival season. Anand also ordered officials to keep check on the edible oils
which are now priced at a steady level, but there were chances that owing to
the festival season the prices could be on the rise.
He said that there were complaints
pouring in about the gradual increase in the price of rice in the open market
due to hoarding of unauthorised storage of Sanna Biyyam stocks by the rice
millers and requested to take stringent action against them. He requested the
rice millers to supply the rice variant at Rs 40 per kg by opening Special
Counters at Rythu Bazars and Market Yards.
https://telanganatoday.com/cv-anand-warns-dealers-hiking-prices
Help Improve the USA Rice Website!
Federation of European Rice Millers Meeting Presents Global
Challenges, Recognizes U.S. Sustainability Efforts
RAPALLO, ITALY -- More than 140 rice industry
executives from 15 countries gathered here last week for the 2017 European Rice
Convention to discuss sustainability, consumer trends, and agricultural policy,
specifically against the backdrop of Brexit, the withdrawal of the United
Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU).
A
genetic modification (GM) scare in 2006 effectively closed the EU to U.S. rice
with the exception of the UK that imports about 50,000 metric tons of U.S. rice
annually. The United States has been working to allay misplaced concerns
about GM rice - there is none in commercial production in the United States -
and persistence may be paying off.
"Once
again the U.S. industry sent a large delegation here with 13 members to show
our dedication to the EU," said Hartwig Schmidt, regional director for USA
Rice based in Germany who attended the conference. "Through my
discussions with European importers, I believe the GM issue is finally
dead. However, that means price likely will be the deciding factor for
importers, and the current EU tariff regime is quite unfavorable to the
U.S."
The
EU gives trading preference under the Everything But Arms provisions to Least
Developed Countries resulting in zero duty on rice imports from countries such
as Cambodia and Myanmar, while milled rice imports from the U.S. would face a
duty of €175 per ton (~$210).
Presenters
felt the impact of Brexit was less clear with several possible scenarios
emerging, but in all cases U.S. rice exports to the UK would at worst remain
the same, but likely increase. Presenters and attendees believe the UK
will ask for a two-year extension to complete EU withdrawal negotiations,
during which time it is unlikely there will be any significant change to the
U.S. market share in the UK.
Sustainability
was a major focus of the conference and the U.S. does appear to be well ahead
of the rice producing world here.
"It
was gratifying to hear the U.S. rice industry receive recognition for the
positive impact we are having on sustainability efforts in agriculture,"
said Betsy Ward, President & CEO of USA Rice who attended the
conference. "We heard from organizations that are committed to
improving rice production practices around the world, reducing water use and
inputs, and the rice farmers' footprint, and the U.S. farmer already far
exceeds the goals being set for the rest of the world."
The conference is a biannual meeting of the Federation of European
Rice Millers (FERM), the voice of the European rice milling industry. FERM
is made up of 21 company members from around Europe as well as three national
rice milling associations of Italy, Spain, and Portugal, and represents more
than 90 percent of the milling capacity in Europe. USA Rice was an event
sponsor
What is key to reviving GDP growth
in India? All you want to know
Consumer
confidence at 3-year low, especially in rural areas due to farm prices
collapse—will hit consumption
With the GST impact likely to be
over with re-stocking taking place in the current quarter, most are looking at
growth picking up over the next few quarters. Crisil, for instance, is looking
at GDP growth of 7% in FY18 as compared to 7.1% in FY17, with manufacturing
growth at a healthy 7.6% in FY18, though lower than FY17’s 7.9%. Agriculture,
in this scheme of things, is projected to grow at 3% in FY18 as compared to
4.9% in FY17—the high base, however, means even a 3% growth is quite good.
What is worrying, however, is the collapse in agriculture GVA in
the first quarter despite the reasonable rabi output, and the implications of
this for both agriculture growth for the full year as well as for overall
consumer demand, the main driver of GDP growth for several quarters.
Agriculture GVA collapsed to 0.3% in Q1FY18, after growing at an average of 8%
in the two quarters before this, thanks to a collapse in prices following a
bumper crop. Combine this with the fact that consumer confidence is at a
three-year low (RBI survey) and the fact that rural
confidence has fallen the fastest (BSE-CMIE survey)—in other words, it is not clear
if consumer demand can continue to grow at a robust pace as in the past;
private consumption, as our page one story today shows, has been slowing for
two quarters already.
The rural economy, as HSBC economist Pranjul Bhandari points
out, presents a complicated picture. With a good monsoon and sowing on track,
rural wages are growing—to a three-year high—and unemployment is slowing; this
augurs well for rural demand growth in FY18. But, thanks to the collapse in
agriculture prices, the landed class of farmers has been hit badly, and that
explains the rise in rural indebtedness and the clamour for loan waivers—unless
the more prosperous part of rural India feels richer, it will be difficult to
sustain demand growth.
If the government wants rural demand to pick
up—30% of sales of companies like Maruti Suzuki and Hero Motocorp come from
rural areas—it has to find ways to alleviate the stress immediately. Higher
MGNREGS allocations are one way out, as are increases in MSP—but given how few
farmers sell to state agencies, the latter may not help as much.
Encouraging exports by lifting
price/quantity curbs is a good way to boost farm incomes—basmati rice exports
rose 24% in April-July this year—as a stable source of external demand will
prevent agriculture prices from collapsing every time there is an increase in
production, but it is not clear whether the government is ready to completely
free up farm exports as a long-term strategy.
Equally worrying, as a recent
Kotak Institutional Equities report points out, despite the monsoon being
‘normal’ at an overall level—total sown area is just 0.6% lower than last year
at an all-India level—several parts of the country such as Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have had a deficient monsoon; areas like Haryana,
though, are mostly irrigated and so may not be affected much. Though the
non-farm sector, which accounts for 30-40% of the rural economy, doing
relatively better than the farm sector will act as a cushion to demand,
reviving the rural sector is key to good GDP growth in FY18
Federation of
European Rice Millers Meeting Presents Global Challenges, Recognizes U.S.
Sustainability Efforts
Sep
11, 2017
Standing
FERM
RAPALLO,
ITALY -- More than 140 rice industry executives from 15 countries gathered here
last week for the 2017 European Rice Convention to discuss sustainability,
consumer trends, and agricultural policy, specifically against the backdrop of
Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU).
A genetic modification (GM) scare in 2006 effectively closed the EU to U.S.
rice with the exception of the UK that imports about 50,000 metric tons of U.S.
rice annually.
The
United States has been working to allay misplaced concerns about GM rice –
there is none in commercial production in the United States – and persistence
may be paying off. “Once again the U.S. industry sent a large delegation here
with 13 members to show our dedication to the EU,” said Hartwig Schmidt,
regional director for USA Rice based in Germany who attended the
conference.
“Through
my discussions with European importers, I believe the GM issue is finally
dead. However, that means price likely
will be the deciding factor for importers, and the current EU tariff regime is
quite unfavorable to the U.S.” The EU gives trading preference under the
Everything But Arms provisions to Least Developed Countries resulting in zero
duty on rice imports from countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar, while milled
rice imports from the U.S. would face a duty of €175 per ton (~$210).
Presenters
felt the impact of Brexit was less clear with several possible scenarios
emerging, but in all cases U.S. rice exports to the UK would at worst remain
the same, but likely increase.
Presenters and attendees believe the UK will ask for a two-year
extension to complete EU withdrawal negotiations, during which time it is
unlikely there will be any significant change to the U.S. market share in the UK.
Sustainability was a major focus of the conference and the U.S. does appear to
be well ahead of the rice producing world here. “It was gratifying to hear the
U.S. rice industry receive recognition for the positive impact we are having on
sustainability efforts in agriculture,” said Betsy Ward, President & CEO of
USA Rice who attended the conference.
“We
heard from organizations that are committed to improving rice production
practices around the world, reducing water use and inputs, and the rice farmers’
footprint, and the U.S. farmer already far exceeds the goals being set for the
rest of the world.” The conference is a biannual meeting of the Federation of
European Rice Millers (FERM), the voice of the European rice milling industry. FERM is made up of 21 company members from
around Europe as well as three national rice milling associations of Italy,
Spain, and Portugal, and represents more than 90 percent of the milling
capacity in Europe. USA Rice was an event
sponsor.
