Saturday, May 19, 2018

19th May,2018 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter

17^th May,2018 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

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Is Pakistani Agriculture Ready for CPEC?

A lack of government planning could leave Pakistan’s farmers on the losing end of a far-reaching deal with China.

By Andrew McCormick

May 17, 2018

The basmati rice grown in Pakistan’s Punjab province is long and slender-grained. It is aromatic, fluffy when cooked and, in classic Pakistani dishes, pairs well with lentil and gravies made from chickpea flour and spices. At market, it draws double the price, if not more, of non-basmati, long-grain rice varieties.

In recent years, however, basmati revenues have slumped in Pakistan amid low-yield harvests and uneven quality. At the Sino-Pakistan Hybrid Rice Research Center in Karachi, Chinese and Pakistani scientists are working to reverse this trend. Using state-of-the-art genetic technologies, they are developing high-yield, high-quality, and pest-resistant rice varieties, for both domestic sale and export.

The $1.3 million research facility is a harbinger of many changes soon to come to Pakistan’s agriculture sector under the ambitious development scheme known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC. A crown jewel in China’s continent-bridging Belt and Road Initiative, CPEC encompasses some $62 billion in investments and infrastructure projects in Pakistan, including ports, power plants, roads, and railways. For agriculture, CPEC promises technology transfers, infrastructure upgrades, and extensive cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani farming enterprises.

Pakistani officials have struck a cheerful note, pledging all good things for the country’s landowners and farmers. But economists say similar rhetoric preceded ongoing CPEC projects in other sectors, which in fact became plagued by exploding budgets and bureaucratic delays when the time came for implementation.

Farmers in Pakistan, for their part, complain that a lack of detailed publicly available information has left them in the dark as to what to expect from CPEC-related agriculture projects, as well as unable to verify what measures the government has taken to protect their interests vis-à-vis China. At a time when Pakistan has wagered future decades of prosperity on CPEC’s success, this lack of transparency — and possibly an overall lack of government preparedness — threatens to place the country on the losing end of an otherwise promising economic partnership.

“CPEC could work for Pakistani agriculture or it could be a disaster,” said Nazish Afraz, a professor of economics and public policy researcher at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. “None of the potential gains under CPEC are automatic, though, and there is a sense that China has done much more to prepare than Pakistan.”

A June 2017 report in the Pakistani news outlet Dawn outlined the potential breadth of China’s plans for CPEC. According to the author’s review of a lengthy but confidential government planning document, it is possible Chinese enterprises will be allowed access to large tracts of Pakistani farmland, either by lease or purchase. On that land, they will allegedly be permitted to operate their own farms and processing facilities, backed by robust capital grants and loans from Beijing and the Chinese Development Bank.

Thanks to low tariffs and increased transportation links between the countries, Chinese produce is already prevalent in Pakistani markets and competing with locally grown produce. But in the future, Chinese produce grown in Pakistan could potentially be exported to Chinese markets, with little benefit whatsoever to Pakistan’s economy.

“Our approach to China has been, ‘Take whatever you want,’” said Kaiser Bengali, a senior economist and former advisor to the Pakistani government. “There has been little financial analysis, and no feasibility studies have been carried out of [CPEC’s] costs and benefits.”

Agriculture currently accounts for 20 percent of Pakistan’s GDP but employs 43 percent of its labor force, more than any other economic sector. Despite the industry’s size, it has long been hindered by water scarcity, energy shortages, and poor post-harvest infrastructure, which results in about one-third of the country’s produce going to waste before it reaches market.

That Chinese investment might remedy some of these issues is a sure benefit of CPEC for Pakistan, Bengali said. But he worries his country is prepared to give up too much in return.

Timely government regulation could help promote greater equity in in Pakistan’s arrangement with China. Syed Asim Ali Shah, a landowner and farmer who has grown rice and wheat for two decades in Punjab’s Jhang district, said he would like to see performance metrics imposed on Chinese enterprises entering Pakistan under CPEC. In exchange for land rights, he suggested, Chinese outfits could be asked to demonstrate quantifiable reductions in soil erosion, for example, or significant water collection in arid regions of the country.

No public debates have been held on CPEC in his area, though, Shah said, and he knows very little about what might actually come to pass. He worries CPEC will result in many farmers, particularly poor day laborers and subsistence farmers, being displaced.

According to Fazal Abbas Mekan, federal secretary of the Pakistani Ministry of National Food Security and Research, additional measures the government might consider include: guaranteed value chain participation for Pakistani growers, meaning raw produce would be processed into higher-value products — by canning, pureeing or pickling, for example — before export to China; quotas for Pakistani labor on Chinese-owned or operated farms; and requirements that specific infrastructure projects be completed, such as post-harvest storage facilities, before Chinese enterprises are allowed to access Pakistani land.

“Employment must be generated,” he said. “We should not just become a market for Chinese goods completely.” Mekan added, however, that the government was “late” in setting advantageous conditions for the country’s farmers and businesses.

Experts agree that agriculturalists might not want to hold their breath for swift protection from lawmakers. A disconnect between Pakistani government entities, they say, has broadly stymied efforts to adopt a consolidated approach to CPEC. With respect to agriculture, specifically, a 2010 constitutional amendment that established agriculture as the exclusive responsibility of provincial governments has resulted in frequent misalignment between provincial leaders and the federal officials who carry out CPEC negotiations with China.

Complicating matters further, nobody in the government has any way of ensuring consistency in leaders’ approaches to CPEC before and after elections. With Pakistani voters headed to the polls this July, the potential exists that shifting ideologies and constituencies could scuttle some of the preparatory work for CPEC that has already been completed.

If some worry these bureaucratic hitches will be exploited, however, Jue Wang, a fellow with Chatham House’s Asia-Pacific Program, said they have in fact proven equally problematic for the Chinese, across CPEC development sectors.

“Chinese project leaders are used to a strong, central administrative voice in their own country,” she explained. “They struggle to simply navigate this sort of disorganization.”

Wang added that China should not be mistaken for a particularly unified actor on this front, either. Though many teams of Chinese experts and workers have been dispatched to Pakistan to survey land and evaluate opportunities, she said these groups often represent a variety of competing Chinese private companies and state-owned enterprises, who are themselves arguing over who gets to benefit from CPEC.

With such a diversity of actors at play on both sides, Chinese enterprises will likely choose to approach future CPEC endeavors with caution and the flexibility to adapt to market fluctuations, according to Angela Stanzel, a Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“This is a very fluid project,” Stanzel said. “China doesn’t want to overplay its hand. They’re testing things out and seeing what works.”

At the end of the day, Stanzel said, China seeks to tout CPEC as a positive example of what it might achieve in other Belt and Road-associated countries. While she said fears of a Chinese “takeover” in Pakistan are well-founded, based on Chinese ventures in other parts of the world in recent decades, Stanzel anticipates China will want to avoid the negative blowback it faced in some African countries for its heavy-handed approach to partnership.

Which scenario will ultimately characterize Pakistan under CPEC — that of an “iron brother,” in the rhetoric of Chinese development assistance, or a subjugated dependent — remains to be seen, but Hasaan Khawar, a prominent public policy columnist in Islamabad, expects the end result will have much to do with how well the country’s leaders prepare. For now, Khawar regrets that Pakistani landowners and farmers remain caught between optimistic government “fairy tales” and paranoia-inducing speculation, with little reliable information and fewer opportunities for comment.

“A lot of the initial excitement for CPEC is fading,” Khawar said. “We are starting to realize in Pakistan that, even under CPEC and Belt and Road, there is no never-ending stream of money from China.”

Andrew McCormick is a reporter currently studying at Columbia Journalism School. Additional reporting was provided by Haneya Hasan and Nushmiya Sukhera at Columbia Journalism School.

https://thediplomat.com/2018/05/is-pakistani-agriculture-ready-for-cpec/

PhilRice pushes quality seeds

BY EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ ON MAY 18, 2018

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has urged seed growers in the Bicol region to use quality seeds to help their crops become more climate resilient, which would help increase farmers’ rice yield.

Jonathan Niones, head of PhilRice Genetics Resources Division, encouraged farmers in the recent 2018 Lakbay Palay Dry Season held at PhilRice Bicol, Ligao City, Albay, to increase their production of quality seeds so access to these seeds is improved.

Niones emphasized that by using quality seeds, farmers will be able to increase rice yield by 5 to 10 percent “owing to its high percentage of germination rate and high level of purity.”

According to him, it will also help Bicolano farmers become more climate resilient given the region’s vulnerability to typhoons, flood, and drought. Quality seeds are also known for their vigor, resistance to diseases, and uniform growth.Niones told 270 Bicolano farmers, who ranked first for climate-smart resiliency, that quality seeds are better to plant because they have at least 85-percent germination rate.

“Low-quality seeds lead to unsynchronized germination and growth of crop, which will later become a problem in crop management,” he said.

For Bicol region, PhilRice recommends NSIC Rc 302 and NSIC Rc 308, which can yield from 5.7 to 10.9 tons per hectare (t/ha). Newly-released varieties, NSIC Rc 352 and NSIC Rc 354, are also suitable for the region, according to Philrice.

In 2016, PhilRice made the rice seeds more accessible to farmers through Lakbay Binhi, a project that brings high quality and location-specific seeds through trucks converted into mobile seed centers.

Since then PhilRice experts have visited provinces, especially areas where adoption of high quality seeds is low, to share knowledge on crop management practices and location-specific technologies.

http://www.manilatimes.net/philrice-pushes-quality-seeds/399440/

Govt issues tenders to export 3000-tonne rice, 5000-tonne sugar to Nigeria

17.05.2018

| UkrAgroConsult

Pakistan has started implementing an agreement to export 3000 metric tonnes of rice to Nigeria while 5000 metric tonne sugar will also be exported to Nigeria.According to Ministry of Commerce, the government has issued tenders for exporting 3000 metric tonnes irri-6 rice. These exports will prove wholesome for next crop and incentive will be given to farmers to cultivate next crop of rice in a better way.The government has also issued tenders for supply of 5000 metric tonnes of sugar to Nigeria. These tenders have been issued by TCP authorities.The export of sugar to Nigeria will enable sugar mills owners to pay the price of sugarcane to the cultivators forthwith besides clearing their outstanding dues.

House Farm Bill Fails

By Ben Mosely

WASHINGTON, DC - Despite a committed effort by USA Rice Federation members to urge members of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H.R 2, the 2018 Farm Bill, the measure was rejected by House lawmakers today by a vote of 198 to 213.

After the vote, House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway said, "We experienced a setback today after a streak of victories all week. We may be down, but we are not out. We will deliver a strong, new farm bill on time as the President of the United States has called on us to do. Our nation's farmers and ranchers and rural America deserve nothing less."

Upon the announcement of the bill's failure, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) moved to reconsider the vote. The motion was postponed, which leaves the door open for another vote on H.R. 2 in the future. As of publishing, there is no indication when that vote could occur.

"Unfortunately, the House missed an opportunity to advance policies which would provide long-term certainty for our farmers who are witnessing the steepest decline in net farm income since the Great Depression," said Joe Mencer, Arkansas rice farmer and chairman of USA Rice Farmers. "We're hopeful the House can soon pass this bill which includes the positive provisions that have been advocated for by the U.S. rice industry."

While USA Rice is disappointed that the House rejected the farm bill, USA Rice is sincerely grateful for the hard work and tremendous efforts of Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas) for his leadership in getting the bill to the floor and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) for his help in defeating harmful amendments which would have been detrimental to the agriculture industry. Congress and the agriculture community must now work together to find a path to get a farm bill reauthorized before the current farm law expires September 30.

Global Basmati Rice Market 2018- Kohinoor Rice, Tilda Basmati Rice, Dunar Foods, Amira Nature Foods, Best Foods, Sungold, HAS Rice Pakistan, Galaxy Rice Mill

May 18, 2018 - by Ajinkya Ghule

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https://healthcaretrends24.com/193465/global-basmati-rice-market-2018-kohinoor-rice-tilda-basmati-rice-dunar-foods-amira-nature-foods-best-foods-sungold-has-rice-pakistan-galaxy-rice-mill/

Satake to exhibit at FOOMA in Tokyo

May 17, 2018 - by Susan Reidy

HIROSHIMA, JAPAN — Satake will exhibit a broad range of equipment at the International Food Machinery & Technology Exhibition (FOOMA) from June 12-15 at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center. FOOMA is one of the largest trade shows in Asia for food technology, and this year will have more than 790 exhibiting companies involved in every stage of the food production process.

The show, hosted by the Japan Food Machinery Manufacturers' Association, is in its 41th year.

Satake will exhibit and demonstrate five different groups of machinery and poster panels, under the theme “Challenge! Satake.”

In the group for grain conditioning and processing machinery, Satake will exhibit a new Sake rice milling machine, a rinse free rice production machine and a commercial rice milling machine, along with other new machines such as Satake’s Henry Simon brand flour mill.

In the group for optical sorters, Satake will demonstrate a chute type “PIKASEN α PLUS” and belt type “BELTUZA XeNO,” both equipped with NIR cameras and shape sorting for similar color impurities and deformed impurities.

In the group for test/analytical equipment, Satake will demonstrate various equipment such as the new rice analyzer equipped with Wi-Fi connection.

In the group for cooking and food processing machinery, Satake will demonstrate the pressurized IH rice cooking unit, which cooks rice evenly without deforming the kernel, and the semi-automatic small-scale IH cooking system.

In the group for value-added products and home appliances, Satake will exhibit “Magic Rice” with two new flavors along with a demonstration of the GABA Mill, a home-use rice milling equipment that can produce GABA rice.

Satake’s booth will be in East 7 Hall (Booth No. 7Y-24). The booth is open from 10-5 p.m.

http://www.world-grain.com/articles/news_home/Supplier_Update/2018/05/Satake_to_exhibit_at_FOOMA_in.aspx?ID={C0BF8CCD-29AC-457F-9A58-AB9292511C14}

Rice farmers observing best growing season in years

Posted: May 18, 2018 4:38 AM PSTUpdated: May 18, 2018 4:43 AM PST

By Josh Meny

CROWLEY, La. -

The hot and dry conditions are affecting this year's rice crop.

In the last three years, frequent, extreme rainfall has put a dent in rice production.

"We had several hundred acres last year that was lost. And, we lost a lot of rice two years ago from flooding condition when it was actually in the middle of harvest," explained LSU Extension Rice Research Center Specialist for La Dr. Dustin Harrell.

Because of the colder weather this year, rice crops in Acadiana were staying dormant. Most recently, the weather changed very quickly from winter to summer.

"It's probably the best rice I have seen in many years. And, the low 90's and upward 80's during the day with low cloud cover and the cooler temperatures in the low seventies and uppers seventies is just perfect for growing rice. In fact, some of the best we've had in the last three years," explained Dr. Harrell.

One of the negative sides of this weather is that rice farmers will have to pay higher energy bills for running their irrigation pumps more.

"Old generations always said that in the years that we have to pump that will make better crops. We utilize the fertilizer better and we have less disease pressure," said Acadia Parish rice farmer Paul Zaunbrecher.

Despite the sunny, dry weather forcing farmers to run their irrigation pumps longer, they say they'll save money if this year turns out to be sunny and warm.

"If we're catching all these rains, a lot of times we're forced throw fertilizer into the water. When you throw fertilizer into the water, you decrease your efficiency in the plant taking up the fertilizer," said Zaunbrecher.

While rice farmers acknowledge that some rain would be beneficial, they just want it in moderation.

http://www.katc.com/story/38218857/rice-farmers-observing-best-growing-season-in-years

Ancient Chinese farmers sowed literal seeds of change in Southeast Asia

DNA analysis of 4,000-year-old skeletons suggests migrants helped spread farming and languages

BY BRUCE BOWER

2:14PM, MAY 17, 2018

CHINA TIES Excavations at Vietnam’s Man Bac site, including this work in 2007, uncovered skeletons of farmers from around 4,000 years ago. DNA from these skeletons supports an idea that ancient migrants from southern China spread farming and languages throughout much of Southeast Asia.

People who moved out of southern China cultivated big changes across ancient Southeast Asia, a new analysis of ancient human DNA finds.
Chinese rice and millet farmers spread south into a region stretching from Vietnam to Myanmar. There, they mated with local hunter-gatherers in two main pulses, first around 4,000 years ago, and again two millennia later, says a team led by Harvard Medical School geneticist Mark Lipson. Those population movements brought agriculture to the region and triggered the spread of Austroasiatic languages that are still spoken in parts of South and Southeast Asia, the scientists conclude online May 17 in Science.
Over the past 20 years, accumulating archaeological evidence has pointed to the emergence of rice farming in Southeast Asia between 4,500 and 4,000 years ago, accompanied by tools and pottery showing links to southern China. Austroasiatic languages now found from Vietnam to India contain words for rice and agriculture, suggesting that ancient arrivals from southern China spoke an Austroasiatic tongue. Questions have remained, though, about where Austroasiatic languages originated and whether knowledge about farming practices, rather than farmers themselves, spread from China into Southeast Asia.
Now, DNA from ancient Southeast Asians provides “clinching evidence” for the spread of farming via southern Chinese groups, says archaeologist Charles Higham of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, who did not participate in the study. The new report aligns with other ancient DNA evidence of culture-changing population movements across parts of Asia starting around 5,000 years ago (SN: 11/25/17, p. 16). “Ancient human DNA is showing that prehistoric people were far more mobile and exploratory than has often been thought,” Higham says.
Lipson’s team obtained DNA from 18 human skeletons unearthed at five Southeast Asian sites dating to between around 4,100 and 1,700 years ago. These sites are located in Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.
DNA preserves poorly in such hot, humid regions. A group led by study coauthor Ron Pinhasi, an archaeologist at the University of Vienna, recently found that human DNA survives best in a skull bone surrounding inner-ear structures that has especially dense tissue. In the new study, DNA was extracted from that bone for each ancient individual.
Roughly 4,000-year-old farmers at Vietnam’s Man Bac site displayed a close genetic relationship to present-day speakers of Austroasiatic languages, especially in southern China, Lipson’s group says. About 25 to 30 percent of the Man Bac farmers’ ancestry came from hunter-gatherers, the scientists estimate, perhaps due to interbreeding of rice growers and foragers in southern China before any migrations occurred. Many populations today that speak Austroasiatic languages also display a similar genetic signature. Genetic signs of additional hunter-gatherer ancestry, probably acquired in Southeast Asia, appeared in two of eight Man Bac farmers.
At approximately 2,000-year-old sites in Vietnam and Myanmar, farmers inherited a genetic makeup that differed in some ways from that of the earlier Man Bac crowd, but still closely resembled the DNA of present-day inhabitants of southern China. A second southern Chinese migration into Southeast Asia likely led to those DNA tweaks, the researchers say.
Ancient DNA research in Asia is in the early stages, Pinhasi emphasizes. Further research will likely reveal more human population movements and genetic exchanges among various groups across Asia (SN Online: 11/10/17), he predicts.

The Philippines, Usually a Receiver of Foreign Aid, Offers Some

May 18, 2018 5:00 AM

Ralph Jennings

Different rice varieties are pictured at a food stall in the mountain resort of Baguio city in northern Philippines, April 17, 2016. The Philippines, with its PhilRice institute, has expertise and hundreds of strains of rice.

The Philippines, usually a receiver of international aid, got a unique chance this week to give some as the government agreed to help struggling Papua New Guinea with rice cultivation.

Philippine and Papua New Guinean officials signed an agreement Wednesday on cooperation in agriculture, particularly rice production, inland fish farming and industrial crops, the presidential office in Manila said.

Rice will probably lead their agreement as the Philippines has shared growing techniques abroad before, said Jonathan Ravelas, chief market strategist with Banco de Oro UniBank in Metro Manila.

“Planting rice is a bit sensitive, especially when you’re in a tropical country,” Ravelas said. “Before a harvest it rains. We have a facility that gives you different strains of rice that could be water resistant or whatever.”

Receiver of foreign aid

The Philippines as a developing country has accepted billions of dollars in aid and investment pledged by other countries.

Much of it comes from China, Japan and the United States. For example, China is helping build railways now as part of a $169 billion plan to build Philippine infrastructure through 2022. Two years ago Beijing pledged an eventual total of $24 billion in aid and investment to the Philippines.

The ExxonMobil Hides Gas Conditioning Plant process area is seen in Papua New Guinea in this handout photo dated March 1, 2018.

Now Papua New Guinea needs help diversifying its economy because drops in world oil prices have hurt oil and gas, said Christian de Guzman, vice president and senior credit officer with Moody’s in Singapore.

“With the downturn in oil prices, the problem here is that a few years ago there was this expectation that oil prices were going to be like $100 per barrel, and so they jacked up spending,” de Guzman said. “They’re a bit struggling right now.”

“This is part of the diversification story,” said de Guzman, referring to any boost in farming from the Philippines. “They don’t want their economy to be so tied so closely to the oil cycle.”

In 2014 Papua New Guinea began commercial operations of liquefied natural gas. Gas, crude oil and other fuels could “potentially comprise” about 60 percent of the country’s export revenues, professional services firm PwC said. The impoverished country’s GDP growth slowed from 10.5 percent to 2 percent in 2016, and the Asian Development Bank forecasts a 1.3 percent fall this year.

Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Peter O’Neill told a business forum in Australia the economy must be diversified to avoid booms and busts.

FILE - A worker walks up a pile of rice at a warehouse of the Philippines National Food Authority in Manila, May 12, 2015.

Reputation for rice

O’Neill was quoted by the Philippine presidential website saying agriculture cooperation “will help ensure food security for both countries.” He met Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila this week.

The Philippines can offer expertise in hundreds of rice strains, including some that hold up in severe weather such as typhoons, said Jaime Manolo in the development and communications section of the Philippine Rice Research Institute.

The government-funded, 33-year-old institute also called PhilRice has previously helped Brunei and countries in Africa with rice technology, he said.

“We’ve got a lot of location-specific technologies that are being promoted in different ecosystems, which I think is also true in any country that attempts to grow rice,” Manolo said. “So I guess PhilRice has the expertise and technologies that can help for instance PNG improve its rice production.”

Quid quo pro

The Philippines may get something in return for its aid to Papua New Guinea, some analysts say.

Filipinos already work in PNG, part of a labor diaspora that totals about 2.3 million people worldwide.

Just 15,500 of those were working in Papua New Guinea as of 2012, Philippine media say, but the number has been growing. Philippine technical workers may eventually be able to help Papua New Guinea advance in farming, de Guzman said.

Their earnings would contribute to billions of dollars in remittances sent back to the Philippines.

Manila may also want Papua New Guinea to scrap a rule against tuna fishing by foreign boats, said Carl Baker, director of programs with the think tank Pacific Forum CSIS in Honolulu.

Boats used to reach its waters from the southern Philippine island Mindanao and take tuna catches back for processing. Duterte asked O’Neill last year to reconsider the ban.

“The Philippine Rice Research Institute is well known in Southeast Asia and has done a lot of research on optimizing small farm production, so that makes sense for PNG,” Baker said.

“The Philippines does not really provide a lot of assistance to other countries in the region,” he added. “I suspect this really is being driven by an interest in trying to protect the interests of the tuna processors.”

https://www.voanews.com/a/philippines-foreign-aid-papua-new-guinea/4399517.html

Papua New Guinea eyes PH farmers for rice planting

By: Anselmo Roque, Christine Avendaño - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 06:15 AM May 18, 2018

PH WELCOME Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill is welcomed by President Duterte and flag-waving children at Malacañang Palace grounds. —RICHARD A. REYES

SCIENCE CITY OF MUÑOZ —Once Papua New Guinea satisfies its domestic requirements, the excess production may be sold to the Philippines, which is providing the technical expertise under a bilateral arrangement with Papua New Guinea, Piñol said.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill is in the country for a state visit.

PhilRice tour

Piñol accompanied Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Benny Allan and Minister for Finance James Marape in touring a demonstration farm and facilities of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the Philippine Carabao Center here, to show the country’s wealth of information about its staple food.

Piñol said about 30,000 ha of land in Papua New Guinea are open for production. “We are estimating that from 50,000 to 60,000 agriculturists, farmers and operators of farm machines will be needed in that country … through private investors,” he said.

Papua New Guinea, which won independence in 1975 from Australia, is located southwest of the Pacific Ocean. Its major crops are copra, coffee, tea and cocoa, with yams, taro, banana and sweet potatoes grown through subsistence farming.

Hybrid rice

Papua New Guinea’s soil is very fertile, Piñol said. Results of an initial production venture—using hybrid rice produced by the firm SL Agritech — yielded 8.5 metric tons of palay without the use of fertilizer.

The Philippines will also help Papua New Guinea harness its 500,000 wild buffaloes for economic use, Piñol said.

Dr. Sailila Abdula, executive director of PhilRice, said a team of agriculture experts has been tasked to develop a 10-ha rice farm in Papua New Guinea “in time for the holding of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting there this November.” O’Neill is this year’s Apec chair.

In Malacañang, President Duterte announced the declaration of agricultural cooperation “with emphasis on rice production” between Manila and Port Moresby.

“We urge our officials to negotiate and conclude at the soonest possible time an agreement that will bring our bilateral agricultural cooperation to the modern era,” President Duterte said in a joint press statement with O’Neill.

O’Neill said he appreciated the joint declaration that would advance agricultural cooperation between the countries.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/167034/papua-new-guinea-eyes-ph-farmers-rice-planting

DA to form task force for rice seed exchange

May 17, 2018, 10:29 PM

By Philippines News Agency

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to form a Regional Task Force (RTF) for the implementation of farmers’ production and exchange of high quality inbred rice seeds or what is called the SEEDEX project.

Regional Rice Program Coordinator Enrique H. Loyola said Thursday that the project, set for implementation during the wet season of 2018 until the dry season of 2022-2023, aims to strengthen the use of quality seeds of appropriate inbred varieties in various rice-producing provinces in the country’s 16 regions, Calabarzon included.

The project is also designed to raise small farmers’ productivity and income, empower ‘palay’ farmers to shift to high-quality seeds in an informal farmer production and exchange system and enhance access to appropriate inbred rice varieties and highlight advantages of using high-quality seeds.

The task force, to be headed by DA’s Assistant Regional Director for Operations, will include representatives from Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Los Baǹos, Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) IV-A, Bureau of Plant Industry-National Seed Quality Control Services

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/05/17/da-to-form-task-force-for-rice-seed-exchange/

Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed Market Attractiveness, Analysis and Major Players

May 18, 2018

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This report also helps the readers to get their hands on ready-to-access analytical data provided by the industry professionals. They can understand various vital trends, drivers, and challenges in the market. This report will provide a detailed assessment of majorly the following:

Full in-depth analysis of the trends of the Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed Market
Important changes in market dynamics of Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed
Segmentation details of the Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed market
Former, on-going, and projected market analysis in terms of volume and value
Key strategies of major players of Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed market
Emerging segments and regional markets of Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed
User application and usage volume of Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed

Get Free Research Report Sample for more Insights: https://questale.com/report/asia-pacific-short-grain-rice-seed-market-report-2018/175294

Company Profiles

Aforementioned, this report intends to study the developments of the Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed market, including its development status and future trends. To understand all of it, it is imperative to know the key market players and in this well-researched report we will reveal that for you, along with the future forecast of the market:

Dupont Pioneer
Bayer
Nuziveedu Seeds
Kaveri
Mahyco
RiceTec
Krishidhan
Rasi Seeds
JK seeds
Syngenta
Longping High-tech
China National Seed
Grand Agriseeds
Dabei Nong Group
Hefei Fengle

Regional Division & Applicants

The report will provide valuation on the basis of these regions in the Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed market.

China
Japan
South Korea
Taiwan
India
Southeast Asia
Australia

Based upon the user application of the product, this report will cover the following entity:

Japonica Rice
Indica Rice

Furthermore, this report will provide the sales volume of the Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed , along with revenue, market share and growth rate of each type. The data of these factors will be split into the following categories:

Agricultural Planting
Scientific and Research Planting

Client Queries Addressed in the Report

What will the be the market size of Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed Market in 2025?
What will be the growth rate?
Which market trends are impacting the growth of Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed report on global market?
What are the major market trends?
Who are the leading vendors in Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed Market on Global market?
What are the major drivers in Asia-Pacific Short-Grain Rice Seed Market globally as well as other regions?

About Us

Questale has become a leader in delivering fact-based insights, enabling their clients to improve profitability and accelerate growth. The critical analysis of the subject matter and high-quality survey data by the professionals make the reports really helpful. It provides ready-to-access information to the users who can benefit from the same by applying the knowledge in the decision-making process. Being a top market player themselves, Questale is a leading market research firm, catering to various companies from Fortune 500 list and other companies, organizations, governments and institutions globally.

Get access to the free sample report:https://questale.com/report/asia-pacific-short-grain-rice-seed-market-report-2018/175294

https://bittstreet.com/asia-pacific-short-grain-rice-seed-market-attractiveness-analysis-and-major-players/2401/

Rice Starch Market Research 2018- Global Industry Analysis, Trends, Growth Rate, Status and Outlook 2018-2025

May 17, 2018 - by Ajinkya Ghule

The Worldwide Rice Starch Market research report 2018 presents an in-depth research of the Global Rice Starch Market while depicting the Rice Starch market size and growth rate, classification of the Rice Starch industry on the basis of products, leading Rice Starch market players and so on. The Rice Starch industry report summarizes the global market insights that are key drivers for growth of the Rice Starch sales market over the forecast period(2018-2025).

The Global Rice Starch Market 2018 report provides global market data to the top management, decision makers and dealers an accurate Rice Starch market insights required in assessing the overall Rice Starch market situation. The Rice Starch report includes a tactful study of the leading Rice Starch markets, highlighting on company specification that includes driving factors, restraints, opportunities, major challenges and trends in the Rice Starch sales market. The Rice Starch market report serves detailed analysis of the Rice Starch market volume, based on the revenue, Rice Starch market stake, main segments, and covers major geographical regions, predicting the future trends Rice Starch industry over the forecast period up to 2025. The Global Rice Starch industry report also includes the prominent Rice Starch market players and Rice Starch industry upcoming trends.

Before Purchasing, Get Free Sample Report Copy@: http://questforesight.com/global-rice-starch-market-2018/#request-sample

In Global Rice Starch Market report, we have explained each top Rice Starch industry manufacturer, by providing company profile, their financial structure, Rice Starch business revenue generation, income division by Rice Starch business segments, latest updates related to Rice Starch market trends, agreements and acquisitions, contact information, recent developments, geographical analysis and more.

The Leading Players Included in the Global Rice Starch Market Report Are:

Bangkok starch, Thai Flour, Anhui Lianhe, Anhui Le Huan Tian Biotechnology, AGRANA, Golden Agriculture, BENEO, Ingredion and WFM Wholesome Foods

Geologically, the Rice Starch market report examines the important regions, emphasizing on the productivity, Rice Starch market size, Rice Starch market position and Rice Starch market opportunity in that particular regions. Below are the regions covered in Rice Starch report along with their scope of productivity.

* North America: (United States, Canada, Mexico)
* South America: (Brazil, Argentina)
* Asia Pacific: (India, China, Japan, South Korea)
* Europe: (Germany, France, UK, Spain Italy)
* The Middle East and Africa: (Saudi Arabia)

Rice Starch Market Type:

Food Grade, Pharmaceutical Grade, Cosmetic Grade

Rice Starch Market Applications:

Baked Goods & Bakery Fillings, Confectionery Coatings & Liquorice, Dairy Desserts & Yoghurt, Dairy Fruit Preparations, Body Powder, Dry Shampoo, Other

Ask Any Kind of Query to our Research Expert at: http://questforesight.com/global-rice-starch-market-2018/#inquiry

In this study, the years considered to estimate the Rice Starch market size are as follows:

* History Years for Rice Starch Market Report: 2013-2017
* Rice Starch Market Report Base Year: 2017
* Estimated Year for Rice Starch Market Report: 2018
* Forecast Years for Rice Starch Market Report: 2018 to 2025

Overall the Rice Starch report emphasis on the Global Rice Starch Market volumes in US$ million and CAGR in percent over the forecast period 2018-2025, keeping 2017 as the base year. The Rice Starch report explains the revenue generation through different sectors and describes striking investment plan towards the Rice Starch market. It provides key intuition about the Rice Starch market driving factors, restraints, Rice Starch market opportunities, introduction of new products, geographical landscaping, as well competitive approaches implemented by the top Rice Starch market players. The Rice Starch market analysis report provides various shareholders in the Rice Starch industry, comprising of Rice Starch product manufacturer, investors, dealers, and suppliers.

Click Here to Access Full TOC: http://questforesight.com/global-rice-starch-market-2018/#toc

Available Customizations For Rice Starch Market:-

We offer customizations in Global Rice Starch Market according to the company’s specific needs.
The following customization options are available for the Rice Starch industry research report:

* Regional and country-level analysis of the Rice Starch market, by end-use.
* Rice Starch Industry detailed analysis and profiles of additional Rice Starch market players.

Contact Us:

Lawrence John
Sales Manager
Telephone Number: +1 (857) 2390696
Website: http://questforesight.com/
Mail Id: inquiry@market.biz

https://theexpertconsulting.com/rice-starch-market-research-2018-global-industry-analysis-trends-growth-rate-status-and-outlook-2018-2025/

PhilRice pushes quality seeds

BY EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ ON MAY 18, 2018AGRIBUSINESS

Niones emphasized that by using quality seeds, farmers will be able to increase rice yield by 5 to 10 percent “owing to its high percentage of germination rate and high level of purity.”

Niones told 270 Bicolano farmers, who ranked first for climate-smart resiliency, that quality seeds are better to plant because they have at least 85-percent germination rate.

“Low-quality seeds lead to unsynchronized germination and growth of crop, which will later become a problem in crop management,” he said.

Since then PhilRice experts have visited provinces, especially areas where adoption of high quality seeds is low, to share knowledge on crop management practices and location-specific technologies.

http://www.manilatimes.net/philrice-pushes-quality-seeds/399440/

Pakistan to export rice, sugar to Nigeria

17.05.2018

| UkrAgroConsult

Pakistan has started implementing agreement to export 3000 metric tons rice to Nigeria while 5000 metric tons sugar will also be exported to Nigeria.According to Commerce Ministry, government has issued tenders for exporting 3000 metric tons irri-6 rice. These exports will prove wholesome for next crop and incentives will be given to farmers to cultivate next crop of rice in a better way. Pakistan has surplus rice.Government has also issued tenders for supply of 5000 metric tons sugar to Nigeria. These tenders have been issued by TCP authorities.The export of sugar to Nigeria will enable sugar mills owners to pay price of sugarcane to the cultivators forthwith besides clearing their outstanding dues.

http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/pakistan-to-export-rice-sugar-to-nigeria

Papua New Guinea eyes PH farmers for rice planting

By: Anselmo Roque, Christine Avendaño - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 06:15 AM May 18, 2018

PH WELCOME Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill is welcomed by President Duterte and flag-waving children at Malacañang Palace grounds. —RICHARD A. REYES

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill is in the country for a state visit.

PhilRice tour

Hybrid rice

The Philippines will also help Papua New Guinea harness its 500,000 wild buffaloes for economic use, Piñol said.

In Malacañang, President Duterte announced the declaration of agricultural cooperation “with emphasis on rice production” between Manila and Port Moresby.

O’Neill said he appreciated the joint declaration that would advance agricultural cooperation between the countries.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/167034/papua-new-guinea-eyes-ph-farmers-rice-planting#ixzz5FvpDcnw5

Basmati Rice Market 2018-2023 Global Analysis, Growth, Challenges, Drivers, Trends, Outlook

May 17, 2018 - by amit.p

Basmati Rice Market report delivers analysis of top manufacturers all around the world with opportunities and achievements through the several restraints. Basmati Rice Market also gives the understanding of revenue, sales, consumption, competitive analysis, geographical regions and conditions, type, applications, and suppliers of Basmati Rice.

The report provides a 5-year forecast (2018-2023) assessed based on how the Basmati Rice market is predicted to grow in major regions like USA, Europe, Japan, China, India, Southeast Asia, South America, South Africa, Others.

Ask for Sample PDF of the report- https://www.absolutereports.com/enquiry/request-sample/12194218

Top key players working in the global Basmati Rice market contain LT Foods, Best Foods, Kohinoor Rice, Aeroplane Rice, Tilda Basmati Rice, Matco Foods, Amar Singh Chawal Wala, Hanuman Rice Mills, Adani Wilmar, HAS Rice Pakistan.

Basmati Rice Market by Types:
Indian Basmati Rice
Pakistani Basmati Rice
Kenya Basmati Rice
Other

Market Analysis by Applications:
Direct Edible
Deep Processing

Browse Detailed TOC, Tables, Figures, Charts and Companies Mentioned in Market Report at- https://www.absolutereports.com/2018-global-basmati-rice-industry-depth-research-report-12194218

Some Major Point cover in Basmati Rice Market report are: –

What will the market growth rate, Overview, and Analysis by Type of Basmati Rice Market in 2023?

What are Dynamics, This Overview Includes Analysis of Scope, and price analysis of top Manufacturers Profiles of Basmati Rice?

What are the key factors driving, Analysis by Applications and Countries Global Basmati Rice industry?

Who are the opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in Basmati Rice space? Business Overview by Type, Applications, Gross Margin and Market Share

Who are Opportunities, Risk and Driving Force of Basmati Rice Market? Knows Upstream Raw Materials Sourcing and Downstream Buyers

What are the market opportunities, market risk and market overview of the market?

As the Basmati Rice market facing slowness in global economic development, the market continued a growth in the past few years and market size will maintain the average annual growth rate by 2023. Basmati Rice Market report also provides market forecast data, according to the history of this industry and the future of the industry faces what situation, growth or failure.

Price of Report: $3000 (Single User License)

Purchase Report at- https://www.absolutereports.com/purchase/12194218

https://theexpertconsulting.com/basmati-rice-market-2018-2023-global-analysis-growth-challenges-drivers-trends-outlook/

Pakistan’s most ‘a-maize-ing’ crop

Gulshan Saeed

May 18, 2018

Going forward, sustainable growth of the maize crop will hinge on further increase in productivity and adoption of more innovative technologies that reduce costs. The impending commercialization of biotech corn seed may provide the impetus for future growth.

Maize is one of the most important crops in Pakistan, placed third among cereal crops, behind wheat and rice. However, despite its remarkable rise in recent years, maize is often relegated to a peripheral crop when it comes to agriculture policy discourse in the country. Historically, government programs have targeted wheat, cotton, rice and sugarcane through various support interventions. Considering that similar concessions have eluded the maize farmer, Pakistan’s progress towards self-sufficiency in corn is no small feat.

After languishing as a fringe crop for many years, the advent of hybrid corn seeds in Punjab during the mid-nineties proved to be a key driver towards an unprecedented trajectory of growth. High performing hybrids brought about appreciable rise in yields and attracted farmers to the crop, subsequently increasing the overall productivity in Punjab. From that point onwards newer and improved germplasm was introduced by seed companies along with significant investment in farmer education and agronomic research.

The crop turned a corner in the later part of 1990s and saw a steady increase in yields, attracting more and more farmers towards cultivating maize, especially across Punjab where over 95% of the maize cropping area has now adopted hybrid seeds. According to statistics published by Punjab Agriculture Department, in the Province alone the area under maize cultivation has almost doubled between 1995 and 2015, going from 0.83 million acres to over 1.6 million during the period. Similarly, average yield in Punjab was recorded at 14 maunds per acre in 1995, which now stands at a staggering 60 maunds per acre, showing fourfold increase over the past 20 years. In 1995 Pakistan produced a total of 1.3 million metric tons of corn from 2.2 million acres. Around 39% of the cultivated area was in Punjab, whereas Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province accounted for 59% of the total. Twenty years onwards, Punjab constitutes 59% of the overall maize cultivated area, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa contributing 40% to national maize crop acreage, combining to provide production output in excess of 5 million metric tons.

While the impact of this phenomenal growth on the rural economy and farmer livelihood is self-evident, its implications with respect to downstream industry and national food security is more profound and far reaching. Poultry industry, in recent years, has emerged as the foremost source of cheap and accessible animal protein for the populace, owing much to the abundant availability of maize grain. This contribution is also evidenced in Food and Agriculture Organization’s nutrition indicators for Pakistan, showing 20% increase in daily per capita consumption of animal source proteins across the country since 2001. Based on Global Agriculture Information Network’s Pakistan Crop Report, poultry feed accounts for 65% of the total grain consumption, 15% is used in the wet milling industry, another 10% goes to livestock feed and silage making, while the remaining is consumed directly as flour. At present, supply is equaling demand, however, if the poultry industry continues to grow at the historical rate of 8-10% per annum, the demand-supply gap is expected to widen, subsequently risking an important component of our food security.

Going forward, sustainable growth of the maize crop will hinge on further increase in productivity and adoption of more innovative technologies that reduce costs. The impending commercialization of biotech corn seed may provide the impetus for future growth. Similarly, the introduction of newer and improved germplasm for niche markets such as silage industry, will also be crucial for future growth.

Given its current role in the poultry and livestock value chain, it is perhaps time to rethink maize crop’s status within the agriculture landscape. The evidence gleaned thus farmakes a strong case for the crop to be considered as strategic to our overall national food security.

n The writer is a freelance journalist.