21th June,2018
Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter
www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com
Rice imports
Jun Dumaguing, ABS-CBN News
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Workers unload sacks of rice
totaling 25,000 metric tons imported from Vietnam at the pier of the Naval
Supply Depot at Subic Bay Freeport zone on Wednesday. Rice imported by the
National Food Authority from Thailand and Vietnam under the government
procurement scheme will be delivered to different ports in the country for
distribution to markets nationwide.
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Agriculture chief says
PHL to import rice through 2020 despite rising output
June 20, 2018 | 12:31 am
THE PHILIPPINES’ paddy rice
output is expected to rise to meet 95-96% of the country’s annual requirement
by 2020, from 93% last year, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said on
Tuesday.
The latest forecast misses Mr.
Piñol’s own target for the Philippines to be self-sufficient in rice production
by 2020, but is in line with comments last week by President Rodrigo R.
Duterte.
Mr. Piñol said this year’s paddy
rice harvest is likely to exceed the 2017 record-high level of 19.3 million
tons, taking into account the 4.6% improvement in first-quarter output from a
year ago.
The Philippines is a frequent
buyer of rice — mainly from Vietnam and Thailand — usually importing more than
a million tons of the staple grain each year to meet domestic demand and
maintain stockpiles. The region’s second most heavily populated nation after
Indonesia with about 105 million people, the Philippines consumes roughly 11.7
million tons of rice every year.
The country limits private rice
imports to protect its farmers, buying up to 805,200 tons of rice with a 35%
import tariff, under an annual quota scheme covered by a World Trade
Organization deal.
The National Food Authority, also
buys rice free of tariffs.
Recent rice shortages have pushed
up domestic prices and put pressure on inflation.
Mr. Duterte’s economic team has
suggested restrictions on the volume of imports should be scrapped in favor of
a scheme where all imports are subject to the tariff, which could push up
private imports during poor harvests.
UCs and rice importation
Published June 19, 2018, 11:00 PM
FEATURE
By NILO E. COLINARES
By NILO E. COLINARES
“PH to import 250,000 tons of
rice from Vietnam, Thailand”
“Rice importation still needed,
says PhilRice.”When headlines such as these hog the front pages of major
dailies, one is wont to ask: Why all the fuss on importation with no
mention of production?
Some say that there is a need to
import rice to feed the burgeoning population of the country, and to enable consumers
access to more affordable rice. Others, on the other hand, aver that
importation “aggravates the situation of the hurting rice sector” because
farmers cannot compete with cheaper and usually subsidized rice imports.
Controversies of this nature bring
us to the role State Universities and Colleges (SUC) – Colleges of Agriculture
play on rice production.
Erstwhile CHED Commissioner
Carlito S. Puno stated in a Keynote speech “SUCs as Leaders of Economic
Development” delivered during the Mid-Year Conference of the Philippine
Association for State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) and in a “Symposium on
the Rationalization of Public HEIs: Some thirty years ago, we taught the
Thailanders how to plant rice. In five years’ time, they became self-sufficient
in rice and in another five years, they became the world’s number one exporter
of rice.”
In the same manner, 40 years ago
there was hunger in South Korea so they sent their agriculturists to the
Philippines to learn how to increase their rice production. Our engineers were
also tapped to construct the first four-story building and other infrastructure
projects in South Korea. In ten years’ time, the situation was reversed.
Commissioner Puno further
observed that among our state universities and colleges, a good number are in
agriculture. Our agricultural faculty members and researchers, he opined, are
world-class academicians. We can see them providing leadership and expertise in
international and regional institutions here and abroad. But why has the country’s
agricultural sector not been so efficient?
Simply stated, why are we still
importing rice despite the agricultural expertise of SUCs?.
Every national government
administration promises to remedy this situation, Thus, a few years ago, the DA
secretary assured the country that there will no longer be rice importation by
2013 under DA’s Agri-Pinoy program. The secretary told farmers, irrigators,
local leaders, and various stakeholders at a Farmers Forum in Kalinga, that the
Philippines will achieve rice sufficiency in three years and will stop
importing rice from other countries. It is now 2018 and the recent headlines
speak for themselves.
As to the SUCs’ rice production
record, we take as sample a state university in the province — the University
of Eastern Philippines, which celebrates its centennial anniversary today.
Founded in 1918 as the Catarman Farm School, it metamorphosed into a National
Agricultural High School, to a state college as the Samar Institute
of Technology, later converted into the University of Eastern Philippines, a
comprehensive university currently with nine colleges producing
board topnotchers in nursing, engineering, teacher education, veterinary
medicine, accounting; and agriculture, criminology board passers and bar
passers.
Rice production did not spread
out much to the province. The agricultural school, however, had its moments of
seeming abundance, ironically when the agricultural school was converted into
the Samar Institute of Technology. Under the watch of its first president Lt.
Col. Emeterio Asinas, faculty members and employees – from the president down
to the lowliest gardener, were receiving a sack of rice and 2 dozen eggs every
month, to the point that a few began selling rice and eggs in sari-sari stores.
But nowhere was the plentiful rice due to the presence of the
agricultural college in the university. And the same may be said of the
presence of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the UP Los Baños,
or any big-name agricultural school in an SUC. Not one can claim to have
averted rice importation in a province, region and/or country because of its
production.
What then is the answer to the
past commissioner’s comment on the efficiency of the agricultural sector?
SUCs may claim that their main
function is to teach and not necessarily to produce. In fact, the Chinese
proverb, “Give a man fish and he will live for a day; teach a man to fish, and
he will have food for life,” is now being paraphrased in the joke, “Teach a man
to plant rice and he will know how to import.”
Time was when the SUCs tripod
functions were Reseach, Instruction, and Extension. Now a fourth one has been
added: Production, with many implications inclusive of manpower production,
instructional materials, agricultural technology flyers research outputs,
bookwriting, consultancy, and community services.
Rice importation they say, is not
a technical question, nor an academic problem to be solved by the SUCs “world
class academicians” and expert agriculture faculty and researchers.
So, to import or not to import?
To produce or not to produce?
The question is political, to be
addressed by the state and not by the academe.
Philippines
to Import Rice Through 2020 Despite Rising Output: Minister
The Philippines' paddy rice
output is expected to rise to meet 95 percent to 96 percent of the country's
annual requirement by 2020, from 93 percent last year, Agriculture Secretary
Emmanuel Piñol said on Tuesday (19/06). (Reuters Photo/Romeo Ranoco)
Manila. The Philippines' paddy rice output is
expected to rise to meet 95 percent to 96 percent of the country's annual
requirement by 2020, from 93 percent last year, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel
Piñol said on Tuesday (19/06).
The latest forecast misses Piñol's own target
for the Philippines to be self-sufficient in rice production by 2020, but is in
line with comments last week by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Piñol said this year's paddy rice harvest is
likely to exceed the 2017 record-high level of 19.3 million metric tons, taking
into account the 4.6 percent improvement in first-quarter output from a year
ago.
The Southeast Asian nation is a frequent buyer
of rice, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, usually importing more than a million
tons of the staple grain each year to meet domestic demand and maintain
stockpiles.
The region's second most heavily populated
nation after Indonesia with about 105 million people, the Philippines consumes
roughly 11.7 million tons of rice every year.
The country limits private rice imports to
protect its farmers, buying up to 805,200 tons of rice with a 35 percent import
tariff, under an annual quota scheme covered by a World Trade Organization
deal.
The state grains stockpiling agency, the
National Food Authority, also buys rice free of tariffs.
Recent rice shortages have pushed up domestic
prices and put pressure on inflation.
Duterte's economic team has suggested
restrictions on the volume of imports should be scrapped in favor of a scheme
where all imports are subject to the tariff, which could push up private
imports during poor harvests
PH to import rice till ’20 despite rising output
June 20, 2018
The Philippines’ paddy rice output is expected to rise to meet 95
to 96 percent of the country’s annual requirement by 2020, from 93 percent last
year, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said yesterdaay.
The latest forecast misses Piñol’s own target for the Philippines to be self-suffient in rice production by 2020, but is in line with comments last week by President Duterte.
Piñol said this year’s paddy rice harvest is likely to exceed the 2017 record-high level of 19.3 million tons, taking into account the 4.6 percent improvement in first-quarter output from a year ago.
The Philippines is a frequent buyer of rice, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, usually importing more than a million tons of the staple grain each year to meet domestic demand and maintain stockpiles.
The region’s second most heavily populated nation after Indonesia with about 105 million people, the Philippines consumes roughly 11.7 million tons of rice every year.
The country limits private rice imports to protect its farmers, buying up to 805,200 tons of rice with a 35 percent import tariff, under an annual quota scheme covered by a World Trade Organization deal.
The state grains stockpiling agency, the National Food Authority, also buys rice free of tariffs.
Recent rice shortages have pushed up domestic prices and put pressure on inflation.
Duterte’s economic team has suggested restrictions on the volume of imports should be scrapped in favor of a scheme where all imports are subject to the tariff, which could push up private imports during poor harvests. – Reuters
The latest forecast misses Piñol’s own target for the Philippines to be self-suffient in rice production by 2020, but is in line with comments last week by President Duterte.
Piñol said this year’s paddy rice harvest is likely to exceed the 2017 record-high level of 19.3 million tons, taking into account the 4.6 percent improvement in first-quarter output from a year ago.
The Philippines is a frequent buyer of rice, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, usually importing more than a million tons of the staple grain each year to meet domestic demand and maintain stockpiles.
The region’s second most heavily populated nation after Indonesia with about 105 million people, the Philippines consumes roughly 11.7 million tons of rice every year.
The country limits private rice imports to protect its farmers, buying up to 805,200 tons of rice with a 35 percent import tariff, under an annual quota scheme covered by a World Trade Organization deal.
The state grains stockpiling agency, the National Food Authority, also buys rice free of tariffs.
Recent rice shortages have pushed up domestic prices and put pressure on inflation.
Duterte’s economic team has suggested restrictions on the volume of imports should be scrapped in favor of a scheme where all imports are subject to the tariff, which could push up private imports during poor harvests. – Reuters
Egypt to
import rice to avoid price shock
June 20, 2018 - by
Arvin Donley
CAIRO, EGYPT — The Egyptian government
has announced a decision to import rice to increase supply and avoid a
potential price shock to consumers, according to a June 19 Global Agricultural
Information Network (GAIN) report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
USDA’s Foreign Agricultural
Service in Cairo said that the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation’s
January 2018 measure reducing cultivated rice areas may have led to grain
hoarding.
“This has resulted in a decrease
in the volume of rice being offered to the country’s subsidy procurement
system,” the USDA said.
Although milled and paddy rice
prices increased in April, the recent announcement to increase imports caused
prices to fall, and the USDA said it anticipates prices will continue downward
as the August/September harvest commences and imports start arriving.
Still, the USDA expects a
shortfall in supply in marketing year 2019-20, and it sees an opportunity for
U.S. paddy rice.
Paddy rice has not been imported
in recent years due to the surplus of the local rice production, it said.
“Post understands that while
opportunities reside in supplying the Egyptian domestic market, the best
prospects are in milling, branding and re-exporting U.S.-origin paddy rice,” the
USDA said. “Volumes that could be absorbed by Egypt range from 10,000 tonnes to
upwards of 300,000 tonnes.”
Since a recent peak of 4.8
million tonnes in 2016-17, Egypt production fell to 4.3 million in 2017-18 and
is forecast to drop to 3.3 million in 2018-19, according to the USDA.
Meanwhile, it
forecasts 400,000 tonnes of rice imports in 2018-19, up from 50,000 tonnes in
2017-18. http://www.world-grain.com/articles/news_home/World_Grain_News/2018/06/Egypt_to_import_rice_to_avoid.aspx?ID={18C018EA-3B26-47FC-941D-C602EF9E51E6}&cck=1
Government
must not abandon rice farmers
June 19, 2018
The President confirmed last week
what some experts have been saying all along: That the Philippines will be hard
pressed to achieve rice self-sufficiency. This self-sufficiency mantra gained
traction during the Arroyo administration, when the Philippines struggled to
buy rice from other countries in 2008. Despite having the money to import
rice, supply was thin then as the combination of natural disasters and the need
to feed their own people forced sellers to hoard their rice supply.
The realization that exporting
countries would always prioritize their own citizens, coupled with the ill
effects of climate change, prompted the government to reexamine its rice policy.
To hike production and ultimately achieve rice self-sufficiency, the government
raised its support price for paddy to P17 per kilogram, from P11.50 per kg in
2008. It also rolled out a program dubbed FIELDS (Fertilizer, Irrigation,
Education and training farmers and fishermen, Loans, Dryers and other
postharvest facilities, and Seeds of the high-yielding, hybrid varieties).
FIELDS was a P43.7-billion program, which sought to help farmers increase their
output. The government also pumped more money into irrigation and expanded
irrigated rice areas.
Rice self-sufficiency means the
Philippines would no longer have to depend on imports as the staple required by
Filipinos are planted, harvested and purchased locally. The country has shown
that it is capable of being self-sufficient in the staple. In 1992 the
Philippines had rice surplus and was even able to export 35,101 metric tons
(MT), according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). That year the
Philippines produced 5.97 million metric tons and needed 5.7 MMT for 65.34
million Filipinos. The PSA noted that per-capita consumption of the staple was
only at 87.13 kg or 238.71 grams per day. Rice cost only P10.25 per kg in the
National Capital Region in 1992, about 8.7 percent of the minimum wage of P118
for nonagriculture workers.
The former chief of the National
Statistical Coordination Board, Dr. Romulo A. Virola, and President Duterte
both attributed the decline in Philippine paddy production to the loss of
farmlands devoted to rice. Virola said it does not help that the conversion of
irrigated lands into subdivisions and golf courses remain unabated. Also,
millions of hectares of farmlands lack irrigation, which is crucial to growing
a water-loving crop like rice. The government’s aspiration to increase
mechanization to cut labor cost and improve productivity remains just that—a
dream. Farmlands in Mindanao that are suitable for rice are being used for cash
crops. This practice has not changed despite the continuous expansion of the
country’s population.
These may have been the reasons
the President seems exasperated about the country’s rice-supply situation. The
task of fixing it is daunting, but this should not stop the government from
trying. Duterte has shown he has the political will to go after criminals and
drug addicts. This kind of resolve is needed in pursuing our rice
self-sufficiency goal. Otherwise, rice farmers need an alternative livelihood
if government is abandoning its self-sufficiency bid.
The government must give a clear
signal if it intends to move the country away from producing rice to just
importing its entire requirements. Sending out confusing signals would
discourage farmers and even cause volatility in the international rice market
as the Philippines is a major importer of the staple. Should it make up its
mind about abandoning the self-sufficiency goal, the government must have a
backup plan in place to help 2.4 million farmers cope with the certain loss of
their livelihood.
RIFAN Lauds FG For Plans To Shut Borders To
Curb Rice Smuggling
Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, the President of RIFAN, expressed the
commendation on Wednesday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
The Rice Farmers Association of
Nigeria has commended the Federal Government for its plans to shut Nigeria’s
border with a neighbouring country to stem rice smuggling into the country.
Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, the President of RIFAN, expressed the commendation on Wednesday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
The RIFAN president was reacting to the statement of Chief Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, concerning plans to close the border because of large-scale rice smuggling into Nigeria through the unnamed country.
Goronyo said that the move had become imperative in view of the current rice revolution in many states across the country and the strategic interventions which some Federal Government agencies had initiated.
He said that if adequate measures were not taken to stop the activities of the smugglers, they would have adverse effects on the expected bumper rice harvests in the country, while creating a glut.
He said: “It is a step in the right direction to ensure self-sufficiency, enable the country to make progress, crash the market prices of locally produced rice and make the huge investment on rice production to be more meaningful.”
Goronyo said that although rice importation through the land borders was banned since April 2016, rice smugglers still engaged in the unwholesome act.
He said that even before now, RIFAN and the Nigeria Customs Service had signed a Memorandum of Understanding to curb rice smuggling into the country through land borders.
The RIFAN president said that the joint efforts had reduced the activities of the smugglers, adding that the smuggled rice in the country, which largely came in through the informal sector, was just five per cent of what the citizens consumed.
He said: “Any smuggler bringing rice into the Nigerian market would have to think twice because it is no longer a profitable venture, as the landing cost of a 50kg. bag of imported rice is now N20, 000.
“So calculate how much the rice had to be sold for the venture to be a profitable one; honestly, rice smuggling is no longer a lucrative venture.’’
Goronyo said that as part of efforts to achieve the goals of the anti-rice importation policy, the Comptroller-General of Customs ordered the deployment of capable officers and men to the country’s borders to enforce the order.
He said that the Customs also re-organised its anti-smuggling patrol operations to strengthen efforts to enforce the ban on rice imports via the land borders.
He commended the efforts of the customs service to restore the confidence of RIFAN in its capacity, while assuring the country’s rice farmers of getting adequate markets for their produce.
Goronyo said that rice production in Nigeria had increased from 5.5 million tonnes in 2015 to 5.8 million tonnes in 2017.
He said that in 2015, Nigerians spent not less than N1 billion daily on rice consumption, adding that while spending had drastically reduced, rice consumption had, nonetheless, increased because of increased local production.
Goronyo said that available statistics showed that the rice consumption rate had increased appreciably, while the production rate had climaxed to 5.9 tonnes per annum.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for investing massively in rice production, adding that his policies had stimulated the nation’s development.
He assured Nigerians that with the sustained implementation of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, RIFAN would assiduously work towards Nigeria’s attainment of self-sufficiency in rice production by 2020
Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, the President of RIFAN, expressed the commendation on Wednesday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
The RIFAN president was reacting to the statement of Chief Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, concerning plans to close the border because of large-scale rice smuggling into Nigeria through the unnamed country.
Goronyo said that the move had become imperative in view of the current rice revolution in many states across the country and the strategic interventions which some Federal Government agencies had initiated.
He said that if adequate measures were not taken to stop the activities of the smugglers, they would have adverse effects on the expected bumper rice harvests in the country, while creating a glut.
He said: “It is a step in the right direction to ensure self-sufficiency, enable the country to make progress, crash the market prices of locally produced rice and make the huge investment on rice production to be more meaningful.”
Goronyo said that although rice importation through the land borders was banned since April 2016, rice smugglers still engaged in the unwholesome act.
He said that even before now, RIFAN and the Nigeria Customs Service had signed a Memorandum of Understanding to curb rice smuggling into the country through land borders.
The RIFAN president said that the joint efforts had reduced the activities of the smugglers, adding that the smuggled rice in the country, which largely came in through the informal sector, was just five per cent of what the citizens consumed.
He said: “Any smuggler bringing rice into the Nigerian market would have to think twice because it is no longer a profitable venture, as the landing cost of a 50kg. bag of imported rice is now N20, 000.
“So calculate how much the rice had to be sold for the venture to be a profitable one; honestly, rice smuggling is no longer a lucrative venture.’’
Goronyo said that as part of efforts to achieve the goals of the anti-rice importation policy, the Comptroller-General of Customs ordered the deployment of capable officers and men to the country’s borders to enforce the order.
He said that the Customs also re-organised its anti-smuggling patrol operations to strengthen efforts to enforce the ban on rice imports via the land borders.
He commended the efforts of the customs service to restore the confidence of RIFAN in its capacity, while assuring the country’s rice farmers of getting adequate markets for their produce.
Goronyo said that rice production in Nigeria had increased from 5.5 million tonnes in 2015 to 5.8 million tonnes in 2017.
He said that in 2015, Nigerians spent not less than N1 billion daily on rice consumption, adding that while spending had drastically reduced, rice consumption had, nonetheless, increased because of increased local production.
Goronyo said that available statistics showed that the rice consumption rate had increased appreciably, while the production rate had climaxed to 5.9 tonnes per annum.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for investing massively in rice production, adding that his policies had stimulated the nation’s development.
He assured Nigerians that with the sustained implementation of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, RIFAN would assiduously work towards Nigeria’s attainment of self-sufficiency in rice production by 2020
|
Trade
Mission to Japan Points to Market Opportunities
By Sarah Moran
TOKYO, JAPAN -- USA Rice Asia Promotion Programs
Director Jim Guinn participated in a trade mission to Japan last week,
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and led by Under
Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted
McKinney. This mission, with approximately 100 participants, was the
largest in USDA history, and was designed to reach new contacts and potential
customers for U.S. agricultural products in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two
largest cities and culinary centers.
U.S. Ambassador William Hagerty welcomed the delegation to Japan and provided an overview of the trade relationship between the two countries. The group also heard a presentation on current food trends in Japan, and Guinn met with USDA staff prior to visits with trade associations and rice importers, including a formal conversation with Under Secretary McKinney and Office of Agricultural Affairs staff here. "Japan is already a top market for U.S. farm and food products, but there are many new opportunities still waiting to be tapped there," McKinney said. "Japan is an import-dependent economy and its 130 million consumers have a real affinity for U.S. food products because of their quality, affordability, and safety." Meetings with traders, industry leaders, and politicians, pointed up two differing opinions on where rice production in Japan is headed and how it will affect imports. Representing one side was the president of a food industry association who cited a recent Ministry of Finance study that concluded that within 10 years, Japan's rice production would fall from the current 7.3 million tons to five million tons due to farmer retirement, small plot abandonment, and competing cash crops, resulting in the need to import up to 1.4 million tons of rice. A differing opinion was offered by a rice industry group who argued that government policies/subsidies aimed at consolidating small plots into larger farming units would ameliorate any loss in the number of farmers. Coupled with a falling population and the continued trend of reduced per capita consumption of rice, the industry group surmised demand would be significantly less 10 years hence, allowing Japan to remain self-sufficient in rice production. Actual market data shows rice importers and distributors for the foodservice industry have a sustained strong interest in U.S. rice, although there is increasing competition from Australian short grain rice that is priced on par with or marginally lower than U.S. Calrose medium grain. "There are two types of foodservice end users currently using imported U.S. rice," said Guinn. "Those who decide to purchase based solely on the lower price of imported rice and another group who appreciate the versatility and end use characteristics of U.S. medium grain. Indications are the larger and growing segment is the latter group." Japan continues to be the second largest single export market for U.S. milled rice at more than 300,000 MT, and the second most important export market in terms of value, nearly $200 million. |
Arkansas continued to dominate
national rice production in 2017
by June 19, 2018 6:53
Arkansas is commonly referred to
as the Natural State, but it could also be called the rice state. Rice farmers
in the state planted 1.161 million acres last year, about 47.1% of all rice
acres planted in the U.S., according to the B.R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research
study issued by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
Those acres accounted for 82.6
million hundredweight of rice, and it represented 46.4% of the 178.2 million
hundredweight produced in the country.
During the last three years,
Arkansas has accounted for more than 47% of the nation’s total rice production,
the report found. Per acre, farmers had a yield of 164.4 bushels per acre or
7,400 pounds. It was the third highest yield on record in the state and a 570
pound per acre uptick from 2016.
Six counties – Poinsett,
Lawrence, Lonoke, Jackson, Greene, and Arkansas – account for 43.6% of the rice
crop in state in 2017. Planting during the last year outpaced the five-year
average, the report found. By mid-April, farmers had planted 68% of the rice
crop, as compared to the 38% average by mid-April on average. By the end of
that month 89% had been planted, about 24% of ahead of normal pace.
There are a number of factors
that have led to Arkansas becoming the top rice-producing state, Craighead
County extension chair Branon Thiesse told Talk Business & Politics. Water
retention is key to creating a successful rice paddy.
“We’ve got lots of soils that
hold water really well,” he said.
Many parts of the state and
especially in the eastern section have flat land that is easy to flood, he
said. Clay is a common sub-soil in the region, and it doesn’t allow water to
penetrate. The weather is suited to growing rice, and until recently the ground
water supply was plentiful, he added.
Several other states grow rice,
but none have enough suitable land to grow the same volume as the Natural
State.
Rice is grown in 40 of Arkansas’
75 counties and is predominately grown in the eastern section of the state. The
first rice crop was grown on a single acre in Lonoke County in 1902, although
there are reports of the crop in the state before the Civil War, according to
historians. Rice acres steadily grew from then and by 1955 the federal
government initiated a set of controls capping the number of rice acres at
500,000. Controls were lifted in the 1970s, and the number of rice acres
continued to grow. The state set its all-time rice acreage record in 2010 when
farmers planted 1.785 million acres.
TRADE CONCERNS
A UA Division of Agriculture report published March 8 estimated a negative impact on Arkansas’ rice crop if countries retaliate to tariffs and other trade barriers proposed by President Donald Trump.
A UA Division of Agriculture report published March 8 estimated a negative impact on Arkansas’ rice crop if countries retaliate to tariffs and other trade barriers proposed by President Donald Trump.
The UA economists assumed that
only Canada, South Korea, Mexico, Turkey, Japan, the European Union and Taiwan
would retaliate to U.S. trade actions.
“Both the U.S. long grain and
medium grain rice markets stand to lose from the retaliatory measures of the
selected importing countries,” Alvaro Durand-Morat, assistant professor of
agriculture, noted in the report. “We estimate total U.S. rice production and
exports to drop 1.3 percent and 3 percent, respectively, and domestic
consumption increases marginally, as a result of the implementation of import
tariffs on U.S. rice.”
Other report findings include:
• The total value of U.S. rice production would decrease by $151 million due to a combination of lower producer prices and output;
• Rice producers’ welfare, measured by the producer surplus, would decrease by $118 million;
• U.S. consumers would benefit from the trade restrictions through lower prices, increasing their welfare some $66 million; and
• Exports to Mexico and Canada would decrease significantly, but the impact would be much smaller in Japan because it already imposes high restrictions on rice imports.
• The total value of U.S. rice production would decrease by $151 million due to a combination of lower producer prices and output;
• Rice producers’ welfare, measured by the producer surplus, would decrease by $118 million;
• U.S. consumers would benefit from the trade restrictions through lower prices, increasing their welfare some $66 million; and
• Exports to Mexico and Canada would decrease significantly, but the impact would be much smaller in Japan because it already imposes high restrictions on rice imports.
RICE RESEARCH
The crop is so important to the state that a new research center is being built to study rice production. The Arkansas Rice Research Promotion Board has dedicated $4 million toward the construction of a rice research center in Poinsett County.
The crop is so important to the state that a new research center is being built to study rice production. The Arkansas Rice Research Promotion Board has dedicated $4 million toward the construction of a rice research center in Poinsett County.
The center will sit on a 614 acre
swath about five miles south of Jonesboro on Arkansas 1 just over the border in
Poinsett County. How much the center will cost has not been determined, and
final plans are still being formulated, he said. A timetable for work to begin
on the project was not released, but officials hope the facility will be
operational by 2021.
The Division of Agriculture now
conducts research on rice production in Stuttgart at the Rice Research and
Extension Center and at the Northeast Research and Extension Center in Keiser.
Soil differences are the reason why another research facility is needed,
officials said.
Farmers
advised to adopt SRI for better yield during crisis
TNN | Updated: Jun 20, 2018, 06:02 IST
TRICHY: As the system of riceintensification
(SRI) has proven effective for crops in times of water crisis, experts in the
field have urged farmers to use the method to manage under
drought conditions in their areas. Various scientists made the this appeal to
farmers during one-day free training programme on improved production
technologies in rice cultivation held here on Tuesday.
The constituent institution of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), located at Sirugamani, organised the programme to educate farmers on the improved and latest varieties and its selection in rice cultivation. Improved production technologies in cultivation like bio-control seed treatment, biofertilizers applications and agronomic practices were explained to a large number of farmers present at the training session to execute agriculture effectively.
The constituent institution of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), located at Sirugamani, organised the programme to educate farmers on the improved and latest varieties and its selection in rice cultivation. Improved production technologies in cultivation like bio-control seed treatment, biofertilizers applications and agronomic practices were explained to a large number of farmers present at the training session to execute agriculture effectively.
Farmers were also told about using various methods involved in SRI method of cultivation such as integrated nutrient management, pest and disease management and the importance of using machines as much as possible as finding labourers for agriculture have become a task.
Scientists explained that the looming water crisis and water-intensive nature of rice cultivation are driving the search for alternative management methods to increase water productivity for cultivating rice.
“Experiments done in on-station and on-farm conditions to compare rice production using modified methods of irrigation, planting, weeding and nutrient management with conventional methods of cultivation has proved that SRI is the best one,” they added. At a time the groundwater level is going lower, farmers were asked to follow cost and water efficient method of cultivation.
Earlier, programme coordinator S Easwaran inaugurated the event and asked farmers to utilise the opportunity before they executing paddy cultivation.
High CO2
levels reduces nutritional value of rice-Study
The study found
that rice exposed to elevated levels of carbon dioxide contains lower amounts
of several important nutrients.
UN 20 Jun 2018, 02:36 AM Atmospheric methane (CH4)
is recognized as one of the most important greenhouse gases and may
account for 20 per cent of anticipated global warming.
(Image Credit: Wikimedia)
Hundreds of millions of people in
Asia rely on rice not only as a staple but as their main source of nutrition.
But new research suggests the rice they eat will become less nutritious due to
rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
The study found that
rice exposed to elevated levels of carbon dioxide contains lower amounts of
several important nutrients.
Currently, levels of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere average
around 410 parts per million, up from 350 parts per million
in the 1980s, largely due to the burning of fossil fuels. The researchers, a
New York Times article explains, looked at how crops responded to
levels of around 580 parts per million, which could prove tough to avoid this century without drastic changes.
The research involved exposing
experimental rice fields in China and Japan to the same elevated levels of
carbon dioxide that are expected to occur worldwide later this century.
What did the study find?
The scientists found that the
chemical composition of a plant depends on the balance of the carbon dioxide it
takes in from the air and the nutrients it absorbs from the soil. Upset this
balance, and the plant can change in unexpected ways.
“A strong correlation between the
impacts of elevated CO2 on vitamin content based on the molecular fraction of
nitrogen within the vitamin was observed,” says the study.
“Potential health risks
associated with anticipated CO2-induced deficits of protein,
minerals, and vitamins in rice were correlated to the lowest overall gross
domestic product per capita for the highest rice-consuming countries,
suggesting potential consequences for a global population of approximately 600
million,” it concludes.
“We used multiyear, multilocation
in situ FACE (free-air CO2 enrichment) experiments for 18 genetically diverse rice
lines, including Japonica, Indica, and hybrids currently grown throughout
Asia,” the authors write.
“While these CO2 enrichment experiments do
indicate the threat climate change poses to nutrition security, rice breeding
programmes across the world all breed and select under conditions of
increasing CO2 and many are cognizant of the need to maintain and
increase nutrient concentration in newly released rice varieties,” says Oliver
Frith, Head of Business Development at the International Rice Research
Institute.
Challenges ahead
Rice is the primary food source
for 3.5 billion people, and production will need to increase significantly by
2050 to meet global demand. One challenge is the likely scarcity of water for
rice production due to competing demands for water, environmental degradation
and the effects of climate change.
Another conundrum for
policymakers is that rice also accounts for 9-11 per cent of global emissions
of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This could be significant, given that for
every one billion people added to the global population, an additional 100
million tons of rice needs to be produced every year.
Atmospheric methane (CH4) is recognized as one of the
most important greenhouse gases and may account for 20 per
cent of anticipated global warming.
“We know that higher concentrations of atmospheric CO2 can lead to significant
reductions in the amount of zinc, iron and protein in staple crops like rice,”
says Montira Pongsiri, former Commissioner of the Rockefeller
Foundation-LancetCommission on Planetary Health. “Particularly in Asia-Pacific,
this has important implications for nutritional security – in fact, this is
a nutritional
insecurity issue for Asia-Pacific communities.”
UN Environment’s rice work
In October 2017 UN
Environment and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) signed a
partnership agreement to promote climate-smart and innovative technologies for
rice production in developing countries.
Furthermore, the
proposed Global Environment Facility (GEF) programme Inclusive
Sustainable Rice Landscapes - securing multiple environmental benefits and
improved farmer welfare is under development by a
multi-stakeholder consortium led by UN Environment and the Food and Agriculture
Organization, in partnership with the World Business Council for Sustainable
Development.
“The programme builds on the
efforts of the Sustainable Rice Platform – hosted by UN Environment, and its 87
institutional members to work with governments and value chain actors at
landscape level to drive adoption of proven climate-smart best practices and
innovative technologies to reduce the environment footprint of the sector, as
well as to benefit farmers’ welfare,” says UN Environment ecosystems expert Max
Zieren.
The above partners will host a
side event during the GEF Assembly in Da Nang, Viet Nam, on 25 June to
introduce this new multi-stakeholder initiative
Scientists create new building
material out of fungus, rice and glass
June 20, 2018 11.33am AEST
Fungal bricks have the potential to create safer and more
sustainable buildings. V Anisimov / Shutterstock
Authors
1. Tien Huynh
Senior Lecturer in the School of Sciences, RMIT University
PhD Student, RMIT University
This type of material, known as a mycelium composite, uses
the Trametes
versicolor fungus to combine agricultural and industrial waste
to create lightweight but strong bricks. It’s cheaper than synthetic plastics
or engineered wood, and reduces the amount of waste that goes to landfill.
What a fun guy
Fungal brick prototypes made from rice hulls and glass fines
waste. Tien Huynh, Author provided
Working with our colleagues, we used fungus to
bind rice hulls (the thin covering that protects rice grains) and glass fines
(discarded, small or contaminated glass). We then baked the mixture to produce
a new, natural building material.
Making these fungal bricks is a
low-energy and zero-carbon process. Their structure means they can be moulded
into many shapes. They are therefore suited to a variety of uses, particularly
in the packaging and construction industries.
A staple crop for more than half
the world’s population, rice has an annual global consumption of more
than 480 million metric tonnes and 20% of this
is comprised of rice hulls. In Australia alone, we generate about 600,000
tonnes of glass waste a year. Usually these rice hulls and glass fines are
incinerated or sent to landfill. So our new material offers a cost-effective
way to reduce waste.
Fire fighter
Fungal bricks make ideal
fire-resistant insulation or panelling. The material is more thermally stable
than synthetic construction materials such as polystyrene and particleboard,
which are derived from petroleum or natural gas.
Rice hulls, glass fines and the mixture of rice, glass and fungus,
before baking. Wikipedia/Tien Huynh, Author provided
This means that fungal bricks burn
more slowly and with less heat, and release less smoke and carbon dioxide than
their synthetic counterparts. Their widespread use in construction would
therefore improve fire safety.
Thousands of fires occur every year and
the main causes of fatalities are smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning. By reducing smoke
release, fungal bricks could allow more time for escape or rescue in the event
of a fire, thus potentially saving lives.
Bug battler
Termites are a big issue: more
than half of Australia is highly susceptible to termite infestations.
These cost homeowners more than A$1.5
billion a year.
Our construction material could
provide a solution for combating infestations, as the silica content of rice
and glass would make buildings less appetising to termites.
The use of these
fire-and-termite-resistant materials could simultaneously revolutionise the
building industry and improve waste recycling.
This is an exciting time to get
creative about our waste. With China no longer buying Australia’s recycling – and new rules reducing plastic usein Australian supermarkets – we
have the chance to move in line with communities in Japan, Sweden and Scotland that have near-zero waste.
Fungal bricks could be just one
example of the creative thinking that will help us get there.
Chinese Scientists Spot Selfish Genetic
Element in Plants
English
Jun 20, 2018, 04:38 ET
NANJING, China, June 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
After being found in mice and nematodes, selfish genetic element is
once again discovered in rice by Chinese scientists. This is the first time
that selfish genetic element is found in plants, challenging the renowned
Mendel's Law of segregation. The article introducing such new findings has been
published by the world's top academic journals Science on 8th June 2018. Dr. Xiaowen Yu and
Professor Zhigang Zhao are the first
authors of this article, who are from the College of Agriculture of Nanjing
Agricultural University. Jianmin Wan, an
academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, is the corresponding author.
What about selfish genes? The core of Mendelian genetics is the
concept that gametes are equally likely to carry either of the two parental
copies of a gene. In fact, offspring traits might be more similar to those of
its father or mother. The same also goes to the selfish genetic element in
rice. What's more, such selfish genes weaken the advantages of O. sativa ssp
japonica (DJY1) hybrids.
Theoretically, the Indica/japonica hybrids have a 15% yield
advantage over the best existing indica/indica hybrids. However, Hybrid
sterility, including pollen sterility, aborted embryo sac, low seed-set rate,
is always together with hybrid vigor. According to the study by Wan's group,
such phenomenon is caused by the selfish genetic elements.
Selfish genetic elements are pervasive in eukaryote genomes, but
their role remains controversial. Professor Wan's group from Nanjing
Agricultural University discovers the mechanism of hybrid sterility causing by
the selfish genetic element. There are two closely related genes ORF2 and ORF3
in hybrid male sterility locus between O. sativa ssp japonica (DJY1) and wild
rice (Oryza meridionalis). ORF2 aborts pollen in a sporophytic manner, while
ORF3 protects pollen in a gametophytic manner. Moreover, wide compatible
varieties created by CRISPR technology to facilitate utilization of the strong
hybrid vigor in rice agriculture.
For further information, please visit: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6393/1130
SOURCE Nanjing Agricultural University
You just read:
U.S. Rice on China Retaliation
List
ARLINGTON, VA -- The Trump
administration announced on Friday an additional 25 percent import duty on $34
billion worth of high tech imports from China. China immediately responded by
announcing a similar duty hike on $34 billion worth of U.S. imports, including
U.S. rice. Both countries’ actions are effective July 6, 2018. The 25 percent
duty on U.S. rice imports is consistent with China’s approach to retaliate
against a wide variety of agriculture imports including soybeans, corn, wheat,
cotton, beef, cranberries, orange juice, tobacco, and whiskeys.
In Friday’s announcement, the
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) stated that higher duties on an
additional $16 billion of imports from China are authorized, bringing the total
value of trade affected to $50 billion. China’s release also contained pending
duty increases on an additional $16 billion of U.S. imports.
According to USTR, ”[Friday’s]
action comes after an exhaustive Section 301 investigation in which USTR found
that China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer,
intellectual property, and innovation are unreasonable and discriminatory and
burden U.S. commerce.” Section 301 is a part of U.S. trade law that allows the
President to take certain actions, including raising U.S. import duties, to
counter unfair foreign trade practices.
“The U.S. Sec. 301 investigation
and the administration’s action are unrelated to rice trade,” said USA Rice COO
Bob Cummings. “We are disappointed in China’s response and we will continue our
decade-long press for access for U.S. rice in China. At the same time, we
encourage the U.S. and China to resolve differences on technology transfer and
intellectual property so duties on both sides can be removed.
Rice output seen hitting new record high in
2018
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:02 AM June 20, 2018
The country’s rice output this year is
expected to exceed last year’s record high as more farmers plant the staple due
to higher buying prices for palay.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA), Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol posted on his Facebook
page that with the first quarter output exceeding last year’s, it is likely
that total output may hit another record-high this year.
In 2017, the country’s rice production
reached 19.26 million metric tons (MT), which Piñol said “was the highest in
the country’s history.”
During the first quarter this year, rice
production reached 4.62 million MT from 4.41 million MT in the same period last
year, PSA data showed.
PSA said the increase could be attributed
to favorable weather conditions as fewer typhoons hit the country in the first
three months.
The buying price for palay also hit the
P21-mark for the first time in two years, encouraging farmers to plant more
rice.
According to Piñol, the agency aims to
produce 95 to 96 percent of the country’s total national rice requirement, with
the remainder to be imported as part of the Philippines’ commitment to the
World Trade Organization.
Piñol added that he was banking on the
introduction and use of solar-powered irrigation systems across the country to
sustain the steady increase in the country’s rice production.
NFA admin:
Buffer rice to be released by June
By CNN Philippines Staff
Updated 17:13 PM PHT Wed, June
20, 2018
NFA Administrator Jason Aquino
led the inspection of 340,000 sacks of rice sourced from Vietnam in the Subic
Bay Freeport Zone, Wednesday.
Aquino said the unloaded sacks of
rice have been allocated to Regions 2 and 3. Meanwhile, 1,000,000 sacks are
still held up in the Manila Harbor pending distribution to markets in the Metro
Manila.
NFA Spokesman Rex Estoperez said
the public can expect the rice stocks to hit the market once unloading is
complete.
"'Pag andiyan, naunload
natin 'yung mga bigas natin, automatic 'yan very short lang naman ang inspection
ng quality and documentation," Estoperez said.
[Translation: Once we unload the
rice, it's automatic. It's only a short time for the inspection of quality and
documentation.]
Aquino said this can be done by
next week, in the hopes that it would immediately lower market prices.
"Hopefully next week,
mamamximize natin ang distribution and hopefully this will have an effect na
magdecrease ang presyo ng commercial price," he said.
[Translation: Hopefully next
week, we can maximize the distribution and hopefully this will have a effect of
decreasing commercial prices.]
The delivery of NFA buffer stock
is expected to gradually pull down the prices of rice following recent surges
in the market.
Presidential Spokesman Harry
Roque announced the arrival of the buffer supply in the country on Monday
saying consumers can purchase NFA rice at the price range of P27 to P32 per
kilo.
Roque said the government
predicts market prices of rice to taper off following the availability of the
buffer stock given that it will rid off public "perception" of
shortage.
In the meantime, price reductions
will be placed on the NFA rice to aid poor families as per the directive of the
social welfare and budget departments, Aquino said.
"We will implement a 10%
reduction of price for NFA rice...This will be given to the poorest of the poor
to be identified by the DSWD. We're just awaiting for the Implementing Rules
and Regulations from the DBM," he said
NFA unloads imported rice from Thailand, Vietnam in
Subic
By
Ruben Veloria June
20, 2018, 9:11 pm
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT -- The National Food
Authority (NFA) on Wednesday started unloading the 340,000 bags of imported
rice from Thailand and Vietnam, which arrived in the Port of Subic last June
5.
NFA Administrator Jason Aquino said
the shipment was brought to Subic on-board MV TAY SON 2, which is currently
berthed at the former Naval Supply Depot (NSD) here.
The shipment is part of the 500,000
bags (25 metric tons) of imported rice the NFA has procured. Another shipment
of 160,000 bags of rice is expected to arrive next week.
Aquino said that 100,000 bags will
be distributed in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley Region) while 400,000 bags will be
distributed in Region 3 (Central Luzon).
He said the shipment was done
through the government to government procurement scheme, and in line with the
call of President Rodrigo Duterte to fast track the importation of rice to
maintain food security in the country.
“As the President instructed,
‘Hindi na baleng sumobra, huwag lang kulangin (It is alright to exceed rather
than lacking),” said Aquino, quoting the President.
However, the official clarified
that only the marginalized population, the indigenous and NFA-accredited
retailers endorsed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office
(DSWDO) can avail of the rice at PHP27 per kilo.
Although the shipment arrived in
the Port of Subic, it was only today (Wednesday) that NFA decided to unload it
due to the continuous rains brought about by Typhoon Domeng and the southwest
monsoon in the country for over a week now.
With the arrival of the long
awaited imported rice, with more coming in August, NFA is expecting a drop in
the price of commercial rice between PHP1 to PHP2 per kilo.
Aquino also clarified that NFA is
not pro-importation, saying “as much as we would like to buy locally harvested
palay, the price is too high and it is practically cheaper to buy imported
rice.”
He also noted that more than one
million bags of imported rice intended for Metro Manila has already arrived but
could not be unloaded because of over-crowding of ships at the Port of
Manila.
Earlier, before proceeding to NSD
Compound, Aquino and NFA provincial directors made a courtesy call to Subic Bay
Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman and administrator Wilma Eisma at the
SBMA Board room.
Eisma praised the NFA officials for
making Subic an NFA Disport (disembarking Port) as this will generate
additional revenue for SBMA. (PNA)
When rice fields sparkle in Vietnam’s
northern highlands
The famous
terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai turn into undulating reflecting pools during
the watering season.
For a long time, the mention of Mu Cang Chai evoked images of a
far away, remote, untouched place for many travelers; so much so that the name
was used as a synonym and idiom for something very far away, almost
unreachable.
Well, today, it takes just seven hours on the road to reach the
mountainous district in Yen Bai Province, northwest of Hanoi.
And it is well known for the beauty of its terraced rice fields
during the harvest season, when they turn golden yellow and glitter in the
sunshine. This season lasts from late September to early October.
But, a lesser known fact is that the fields are equally
eye-catching when they are waterlogged.
The watering season lasts from early May until late June when
local farmers let rainwater flowing into their terraced fields from the Hoang
Lien Son mountain range.
The fields then turn into huge, undulating reflecting pools, and
are an arresting sight.
Mu Cang Chai is home to the H’Mong ethnic group who started
carving rice terraces into the mountain range centuries ago.
The district last year received high applause from U.S. travel
site Insider, which called it one of
19 most picturesque peaks on earth. The site called it “a hidden gem”
where the “terraced rice fields are a shade of green so deep you’ll feel like
you’ve stepped into a painting.”
Lim Mong Valley sparkles as though mirrors have been stitched
into a wide green tapestry when seen from the Khau Pha Pass, said to be one of
the four most dangerous passes in Vietnam.
Farmers work on a rice field that is a carved masterpiece.
Myanmar exports over one million ton of rice from Yangon ports
Myanmar exported more than one million ton of rice from Yangon
ports between 2014-15 FY and 2017-18 FY, according to Myanma Port Authority
(MPA).
“Myanmar exported one million ton of rice from Yangon ports
within four fiscal years and most of them are exported from Sule port
terminal,” said Managing Director Ni Aung from the MPA.
It exported over 160,000 tons of rice in 2014-15 FY, about
41,000 tons of rice in 2015-16 FY, over 195,000 tons of rice in 2016-17 FY and
over 630,000 tons of rice in 2017-18 FY respectively.
There are seven jetties in Sule port terminal and four of them
are handled between the MPA and a joint venture company. The rest are operated
by the MPA alone. The MPA is upgrading the terminal to dock bulk carriers of
300,000 tons deadweight.
Myanmar exported about 1.7 million tons of rice in last fiscal
year and about 700,000 of them are sent through Sule terminal.
Myanmar is expecting to export over four million tons of rice
from Yangon ports and the MPA is carrying out dredging work to facilitate
transportation of cargoes and installed nautical devices in the ports.
Bulk carriers of 300,000 tons deadweight can dock at Yangon port
currently.
The Asia World port terminal, Myanma Industrial Port, Ahlone
International port terminal, Bo Aung Kyaw wharf and Myanmar International
Thilawa Terminal are handling cargo ships docked in Yangon harbour area.
Source: Eleven Media Group
Source: Eleven Media Group
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/myanmar-exports-over-one-million-ton-of-rice-from-yangon-ports/
US agency says monsoon may enter North-West India next week
Satellite
image as of 10 am IST
Egypt to
import rice to avoid price shock
June 20, 2018 - by Arvin Donley
CAIRO, EGYPT — The Egyptian government has announced a
decision to import rice to increase supply and avoid a potential price shock to
consumers, according to a June 19 Global Agricultural Information Network
(GAIN) report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service in Cairo said that the
Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation’s January 2018 measure reducing
cultivated rice areas may have led to grain hoarding.
“This has resulted in a decrease in the volume of rice being
offered to the country’s subsidy procurement system,” the USDA said.
Although milled and paddy rice prices increased in April, the
recent announcement to increase imports caused prices to fall, and the USDA
said it anticipates prices will continue downward as the August/September
harvest commences and imports start arriving.
Still, the USDA expects a shortfall in supply in marketing year
2019-20, and it sees an opportunity for U.S. paddy rice.
Paddy rice has not been imported in recent years due to the
surplus of the local rice production, it said.
“Post understands that while opportunities reside in supplying the
Egyptian domestic market, the best prospects are in milling, branding and
re-exporting U.S.-origin paddy rice,” the USDA said. “Volumes that could be
absorbed by Egypt range from 10,000 tonnes to upwards of 300,000 tonnes.”
Since a recent peak of 4.8 million tonnes in 2016-17, Egypt
production fell to 4.3 million in 2017-18 and is forecast to drop to 3.3
million in 2018-19, according to the USDA.
Meanwhile, it forecasts 400,000 tonnes of rice imports in 2018-19, up from
50,000 tonnes in 2017-18.
Egypt- Decision to open door for
rice importation is a blow for monopolists, I fully support it: former minister
of irrigation
6/19/2018 7:27:48 AM
·
·
·
(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) class="p2">At a time
when all Egyptians give great attention to the file of the Grand Ethiopian
Renaissance Dam (GERD) and its impact on the Nile water and amid the
conflicting news about negotiations regarding the issue with many rumours about
Ethiopia filling the dam with water, we felt obligated to speak to one of the
experts in this file. He headed the Egyptian delegation that took part in the
meetings of the Tripartite National Committee on the Renaissance Dam, which
started negotiations with the Ethiopian side and agreed, together with Sudan
and Ethiopia, on the necessary studies to be conducted, in order to evaluate
the impact of the dam on water share.
Daily News Egypt sat down for an interview with Hossam Moghazy,
who evaluates the conduct of the negotiations and talks about the
rationalization of water, in addition to some projects of the ministry, as well
as ways to protect shores from climate changes and the way to provide new fresh
water sources in Egypt. The transcript for which is below, lightly edited for
clarity:
By Tamer Farahat
Egyptians are concerned about the negotiations of the GERD, what
do you think of these negotiations?
There is a great misunderstanding regarding these negotiations
and many rumours to shake the confidence of citizens in the state and its
ability to maintain the Nile water share.
It must be made clear that Egypt will not give up the rights of
Egyptians in the Nile and the Ethiopian side is well aware of this.
Additionally, Ethiopia has pledged not to fill the dam before
the studies carried out by specialized offices are done. Everything else is a
lie.
Moreover, the Sudanese side is playing a positive role unlike
what is being said, and it has helped us overcome many obstacles we faced in
this file.
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said, in a clear message to
Ethiopia said that if the dam means development for them, Egypt understands and
appreciates that, but to Egypt, it is a matter of life.
Do you think we delayed dealing with the file of the GERD for
too long? When did we start giving real attention to it?
For sure there were delays. The real start was during the era of
the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in May 2012, when Prime Minister Essam
Sharaf went to Ethiopia and it was agreed to nominate four experts and six
representatives of the three countries (Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan), in order
to submit a report on the details of the GERD. The report said that there are some
uncompleted studies with the Ethiopian side. The international panel of experts
has recommended that a specialized office would conduct hydraulic,
hydrological, and environmental studies. However, during the era of Adly
Mansour, the interim president, the three countries were not able to agree on
who would conduct technical consultations. When President Al-Sisi took office,
the process started moving. I was honoured to head the team of Egyptian
negotiators in partnership with the Ministries of Irrigation and Foreign
Affairs. Negotiations started in Khartoum and a roadmap was agreed upon.
You were one of the people who laid out a mechanism to choose an
advisory office to evaluate the impacts of the GERD and tasks of this office.
How was that process done?
The mechanism to choose an office was conducted by Egypt,
Ethiopia, and Sudan. The same went for choosing the tasks and the number of
experts. An assisting office with a respectable reputation and wide experience
was also chosen. All financial and technical details were agreed upon. The cost
was estimated to be €4.5m distributed equally on Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan. An
English legal office was assigned to write contracts on behalf of the three
countries. We have a clear work plan.
The advisory office has several tasks. It is assigned to figure
out whether the dam would have a negative impact on downstream countries, and
if so, what will the plan be to deal with this impact? The plan would include
the number of years to store water, and the number of expected years of
drought, through a joint cooperation mechanism between the three countries,
through reports for water management, in order to make sure there would be an
impact from the GERD on other countries. The study would also determine the
kind of impact the dam would have on various water creatures, fish, sand soil,
in addition to the negative impacts it may have on the economy, and whether it
would have social impacts.
Who is the Egyptian body responsible for the file of the GERD?
The file of the GERD and Nile River is not the responsibility of
the Ministry of Irrigation or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Everybody
contributes with their knowledge and works as an integrated team. Egypt is
negotiating, and it will be remembered that Egypt knocked all doors and
negotiated with all bodies over the two years I took office. There is a
cooperation between all statesmen.
How do you see the performance of the Egyptian negotiators so
far?
The Egyptian negotiator is a patriot who has responsibilities
and ambitions to solve this issue. He is aware that there are historical
responsibilities on his shoulders and that history will have no mercy on him if
he did not do his best, but at the same time, he is dealing with two countries
with full sovereignty and cannot force them to do anything. The nature of
negotiations is an art of reaching the best results with the least losses
without giving up historic and acquired rights.
What are our negotiation tools? Are they sufficient?
We have several tools. First, the Nile is an international river
and no country should have authority over it. There must be coordination and
negotiations regarding the technical details to be studied, so if the Ethiopian
side does not give prior notice to the Egyptian side, this gives would be in
favour of the Egyptian side. Second, Egypt is a downstream country and has no
other water resources except for the Nile because it is a rainless dry country,
located at the end of the Nile's journey. On the other hand, Ethiopia has rain
and a soil proper for cultivation, unlike Egypt's desert soil. Therefore this
means we stand before a challenge, as long as we do not have other water
resources.
Egypt had two routes to walk down. Either to negotiate or resort
to international arbitration. Egypt resorted to negotiations because it
respects its neighbours. Egypt has started the phase of building confidence
after the interview with former President Mohamed Morsi. The interview left a
bad impression regarding the Egyptian negotiation.
President Al-Sisi stressed that Egypt wants all the best for the
Nile Basin countries, but also wants to guarantee it has its rights in life. If
we managed to do this, we would give a good example on how to solve issues in
peaceful ways through negotiations rather than escalate to international
levels.
How do you see the frequent announcements about the completion
of the construction of the GERD?
When I resigned, they said that 40-45% of the dam construction
has been completed. Actually, these declared rates always represent the project
expenditure ratio, because the dam construction has structural, mechanical, and
electrical details. The dam may be structurally completed, but other aspects
have not been completed. Therefore, the announced rate does not reflect the
reality.
What about the measures adopted to rationalise water consumption
after the ban imposed on rice cultivation in several provinces?
Egypt undoubtedly suffers from water poverty. The country's
annual average per capita of water is way less than the world's, estimated at
1,385 cubic metres. This water poverty has nothing to do with the GERD. The
government fined farmers EGP 2,800 for each feddan cultivated with rice. The
first year of the decision was considered transitional with 50% reduction,
hence that it can be increased gradually in the following years. This step came
in preparation for the complete ban on rice cultivation in several provinces.
Each feddan of rice consumes 3,000-5,000 cubic metres annually, compared to
other crops such as corn, vegetables, and fruits. I support the recent
government decision to allow importing rice to save water and face monopolists
who raise the local price of rice in markets. The rationalisation of water
consumption is an important mission that must be shared by the Ministries of
Endowments and Education, the church and Al-Azhar. During my service in the
Ministry of Irrigation, I used to coordinate with The Ministry of Education to
hold competitions for students about the rationalisation of water and
preventing its pollution. We also coordinated with the northern coast's resorts
to activate the desalination of sea water, instead of the Nile water. Some
resorts have already started the desalination of sea water, while others are
doing studies on the issue.
How will Egypt face the climate change effects on coastal
cities, such as Alexandria and Kafr El-Sheikh?
Climate change is a scientific fact. It means a change in the
statistical distribution of weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended
period of time. Egypt is one of those countries overlooking the Mediterranean
and will be affected by this change. For example, the Nile Delta will be
subject to rising sea levels, but some people exaggerate about these effects.
Actually, the Irrigation Ministry conducted intensive studies on the issue and
found that Egypt will see an increase in sea level of 2 cm over 100 years. The
ministry is also carrying out several coastal protection projects in
Alexandria, Kafr El-Sheikh, Damietta, and others, to protect and mitigate these
changes' effects on the beaches.
What is the aim of the Mahmoudiyah Canal project?
The Mahmoudiyah Canal axis will contribute to the provision of a
new traffic artery in the city of Alexandria, which helps to reduce the traffic
jam, as well as eliminating the manifestations of neglect suffered by the
Mahmoudiyah canal over the past years and improve the situation in the areas
surrounding the course. The Faculty of Engineering in Alexandria University has
been commissioned to carry out consultancy studies for this project, including
architectural, irrigation, transportation, and traffic. An integrated team of
the faculty is coordinating with the Northern Military Region and the
governorate of Alexandria to put the finishing touches to the design of the
project, in preparation for its implementation under the supervision of the
Northern Military Region.
Some claimed that filling the Mahmoudiyah Canal will lead to
water shortages?
The project will include a network of pipes that will collect
rain water and use them to irrigate the green areas around the canal. The canal
used to receive sewage water from the surrounding areas, whereby the new
project will include a special path for the sewage water to ensure the safety
of the axis. Practically, the project will not fill the canal, but will only
cover it.
How could you evaluate your term in office?
My term as minister of irrigation witnessed many challenges and
mega national projects such as the 1m feddan project, which was then expanded
to 1.5m feddan, the elimination of illegally built buildings on the Nile, the
protection of South Sinai from floods, the revival of the Toshka project,
tightening cooperation with the Nile Basin countries, and the GERD
negotiations.
Did the 1.5m feddan project receive enough promotion?
I do not think so. This project did not receive enough promotion
because it was not easy to reach the location of the project. About 40% of the
project, equivalent to 600,000 feddans, is located in Minya governorate.
MENAFN1906201801530000ID1097037852
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices Open- JUN 21, 2018
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open
Market-June 21, 2018
Nagpur, June 21 (Reuters) – Gram
and tuar prices moved down in Nagpur Agriculture Produce
Marketing Committee (APMC) on poor
demand from local millers. Fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh gram
prices and release of stock from
stockists also pushed down prices in weak trading activity.
About 1,450 bags of gram and 150
bags of tuar reported for auction in Nagpur APMC, according to
sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani recovered further in open market on renewed demand from
local traders.
* Batri dal reported down in open market on poor buying support from
local traders.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 4,000-4,050, Tuar dal (clean) – 6,000-6,300, Udid
Mogar (clean)
– 6,900-7,900, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,200-7,900, Gram – 3,300-3,400, Gram
Super best
– 4,600-4,800
* Wheat, 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
3,000-3,275 3,000-3,400
Gram Pink Auction
n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction
3,450-3,750 3,450-3,790
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
1,700-1,800 1,700-1,780
Gram Super Best Bold
5,500-6,000 5,500-6,000
Gram Super Best
n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best
4,800-5,100 4,800-5,100
Gram Dal Medium
n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality
3,650-3,700 3,650-3,700
Desi gram Raw
3,550-3,650 3,550-3,650
Gram Kabuli
8,000-10,000 8,000-10,000
Tuar Fataka Best-New
6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New
5,500-5,700 5,500-5,700
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New
5,200-5,400 5,200-5,400
Tuar Gavarani New
3,950-4,150 3,900-4,100
Tuar Karnataka 4,300-4,500 4,300-4,500
Masoor dal best
4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000
Masoor dal medium
4,500-4,700 4,500-4,700
Masoor
n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 7,500-8,000 7,500-8,000
Moong Mogar Medium
6,500-7,200 6,500-7,200
Moong dal Chilka New
6,100-7,000 6,100-7,000
Moong Mill quality
n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 7,500-8,500 7,500-8,500
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,300-8,300 7,300-8,300
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)
5,300-6,300
5,300-6,300
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)
5,500-5,900
5,500-5,900
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,500 5,250-5,550
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)
2,650-2,750 2,650-2,750
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)
3,850-4,000 3,800-4,000
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)
5,300-5,600 5,300-5,600
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)
2,000-2,100 2,000-2,100
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG)
2,000-2,075
2,000-2,075
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)
2,250-2,400
2,250-2,400
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)
2,300-2,450
2,300-2,450
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG)
2,100-2,200 2,100-2,250
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)
n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)
3,200-4,000 3,200-4,000
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)
2,400-2,800
2,400-2,800
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)
2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG)
3,200-3,800
3,200-3,800
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG)
2,700-2,900
2,700-2,900
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG)
2,800-3,000
2,800-3,000
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG)
2,700-2,800
2,700-2,800
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG)
2,500-2,600
2,500-2,600
Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG)
4,000-4,500
4,000-4,500
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG)
3,600-4,000
3,600-4,000
Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG)
5,200-5,600 5,200-5,600
Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG)
4,500-4,900
4,500-4,900
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)
9,500-14,000
9,500-14,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)
5,000-7,500
5,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG)
6,500-6,900
6,500-6,900
Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG)
6,000-6,200
6,000-6,200
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)
2,000-2,200
2,000-2,100
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,000 1,700-2,000
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 38.0 degree Celsius,
minimum temp. 25.9 degree Celsius
Rainfall : Nil
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky with
possibility of moderate rains or thunderstorm. Maximum and
minimum temperature would be around
and 37 and 26 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are
excluded from plant delivery prices, but
included in market prices).
https://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-jun-21-2018-idINL4N1TN3BX
