Asia may have given the world beer yeast, new research finds
A novel study
into the historical origins of beer yeast finds that it likely emerged via an
East-West transfer, probably through avenues such as the Silk Route.
Image via
Pixabay.
The yeast
fermenting your beer right now is a mixture of European grape wine and
Asian rice wine strains, new research reports. The findings come from a study
of the historical origins of brewer’s yeast — which is still poorly
understood despite its economic significance — and
points to the emergence of beer yeast from a historical East-West transfer
of fermentation technology, similar to the transfer of domesticated plants and
animals by way of the Silk Route.
An international product
“We conclude that modern beer strains are the
product of a historical melting pot of fermentation technology,” the authors
explain in the study’s abstract.
Pinpointing
the origins of domesticated yeast is not an easy feat. Yeast has been taken
along by humans on countless migrations (some recent, others ancient), which
mixed its genes quite a lot, and in an unpredictable manner. It’s
also made more difficult by a lack of genetic material. Archeologists and
anthropologists draw on DNA to date and reconstruct many of the events
they’re studying, but they can’t do that with yeast. We simply don’t have
suitable samples of ancient fermented beverages from
which to draw the microbes used in their production.
The team of
the present study turned to beer yeast because one of its characteristics gave
them a chance to work around these issues. Many strains of beer yeast are polyploid — the nuclei in their cells have more than two
copies of their genome. The team hoped that this abundance of genetic material
allowed different strains to remain isolated from other populations,
effectively providing a living relic of their ancestors’ DNA.
In order to
try and piece together the history of beer yeast, the team sequenced and
compared the genomes of different beer yeast strains from around the world.
These beer yeast strains formed four related groups, according to the
team: two for ales, one for lager, and one which contained both beer and
baking yeasts.
All groups
showed a mixed ancestry of European grape wine and Asian rice wine strains,
with some novel genes (not found in any other populations of yeast) peppered
in. The origin of these final genes is still unclear, but judging by their
number — they’re quite abundant — the team believes they may have originated in
a now-extinct strain (or maybe a living population whose genome has yet to be
sequenced).
Piecing
together the exact history of the yeast — such as determining the order and
likely timing of different events in its evolution — was beyond the team’s
grasp, however. While the yeasts’ polyploid genome gave them a way to peer into
its family tree, it’s by no means stable; it changes each time yeast cells
divide. On the one hand, this makes is impossible for the team to reconstruct
its evolution; on the other hand, the same process likely played an important
part in the domestication of yeast and its subsequent specialization to various
brewing styles.
That’s a
good trade-off in my book.
The paper “A
polyploid admixed origin of beer yeasts derived from European and Asian wine
populations” has been published in the
journal PLOS Biology.
https://www.zmescience.com/science/beer-yeast-strains-history-82463634/
Seeds of
change
| Updated on March
06, 2019 Published on March 06, 2019
Organic farming needs state support to become the norm rather than
exception
A BusinessLine report (March 5) features Rahibai
Popere, an adivasi farmer of Ahmadnagar district, who has conserved about 43
varieties in the case of 17 crops (paddy, hyacinth, millets, pulses, oilseeds,
among others) by establishing a germplasm conservation centre. Having resisted
hybrid seeds for two decades, she has emerged as an ambassador for organic
farming in her State and beyond, observing that traditional varieties are
better able to cope with pests and the vagaries of weather. Rahibai exemplifies
not just the immense value of traditional knowledge, but also the potential of
India to become a major organic producer and exporter. India’s gene pool with
respect to crops is extraordinary owing to its agro-climatic diversity; in the
1960s and 1970s RH Richharia of the Central Rice Research Institute had created
a gene bank of nearly 20,000 varieties of rice alone and resisted the
introduction of Green Revolution hybrids. Today, the wheel has come full
circle, with organic farming finding its way into policy. This is because the
introduction of hybrids on a large scale has led to increased dependency on
fertiliser, pesticides and water, contaminating the food chain.
According to a
study by ICRIER, a number of companies and start-ups have entered the scene
since 2006. They perceive better returns in the organic than conventional food
business. India’s export of organic products has been rising at above 15 per
cent in volume terms in recent years and is expected to touch 20 per cent in
the next five years, given the global shift in dietary preferences. However,
there are regulatory and logistical challenges that need to be overcome. A
major hurdle is the loss of yield in the two or three years of transition from
conventional to organic cultivation, for which the State needs to step in. A
certification system that meets global standards without being expensive or
cumbersome is called for. At present, a multiplicity of agencies and
authorities are involved in this process. Despite the growth of FPOs and other
groups to pool in marketing and input resources, processing cost can be brought
down. Karnataka, with its arid tracts, has promoted organic farming through
FPOs, with many of them growing millets and value-added products.
According to
researchers, India accounts for 30 per cent of the world’s organic producers
but just 2.6 per cent of the global area under organic cultivation, which is
about 58 million hectares. The Centre’s free organic certification programme —
the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana — has not picked up as most States have
failed to utilise the funds set aside for the scheme. Innovators like Rahibai
cannot be let down. Trained scientists and civil engineers need to learn from
such farmers and age-old water conservation practices in Rajasthan. They should
tap into the ingenuity of farmers in Bagalkot district who made a dam to deal
with water shortage. The future of farming lies in harvesting these energies.
Country does not
have even 1,000 garment units, Senate body told
Secretary
Textile Division Syed Iftikhar Babar on Wednesday said that whatever increase
has been registered in exports is because of Textile Division not the Commerce
Division. The Senate Standing Committee on Commerce and Textile was also
informed that there are 4500 garments factories in Bangladesh but in Pakistan
such factories are less than 1000. In Pakistan, he said, garments sector has
been ignored. Pure cotton seed and fertilizer are not available in Pakistan.
Other countries formulated laws after introduction of BT cotton. In Pakistan,
the Plant Breeders Act has been enacted but registry is not established.
Secretary Textile Division stated that cotton is not a food item but the department of cotton has been given to Ministry of National Food Security and Research. Standing Committee directed that cotton department should be given to Textile Division.
The committee was informed that the demand for cotton is declining globally but in Pakistan cotton production is on the higher side. In Pakistan synthetic cotton production is 19 per cent whereas globally its production is 62 per cent.
Pakistan is at 5th place in cotton production in the world but has failed to benefit from it by as much as much smaller countries. The Committee directed the Ministry to conduct a study of Bangladeshi and Vietnamese textile production and export policies and submit to the committee.
Senator Nauman Wazir said that sugar output has slashed cotton production. Most of the sugar mills are owned by the influential who also demand subsidy. However, KP government has refused to give any subsidy to sugar sector.
Chairman Standing Committee directed the Textile Division to share the draft of five-year Textile Policy with the standing Committee so that the latter can give its input. He also suggested that textile policies of other countries should also be taken into account while preparing a textile policy for the country.
The Standing Committee also sought performance report of Trade Officers in Pakistani Missions abroad aimed at reviewing it. Commerce Ministry has recently recalled four Trade Officers due to their dismal performance however one could not be recalled as he won the case in court against the Ministry. Senator Dr Ghous Niazi suggested that low performing Trade Officers should be recalled. Senator Dilawar Khan maintained that exports will not increase until Trade Officers are taken from the private sector.
The committee also held a detailed discussion on the performance of IPO. Members of the Committee stressed upon the need to protect Pakistani products like salt and rice when they are exported abroad as reports have been heard about Pakistani rice and salt being sold as other countries'' products. The need to ease the process of registration of patent, trademark/copyright was also discussed while at the same time an effective mechanism to deal with people involved in using or copying fake names was discussed.
Chairman Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Mujeeb Ahmed Khan, requested the Standing Committee to write to Commerce Division and Cabinet Division to expedite approval of Geographical Indication (GI) laws as the country is without this law since 11 years.
In reply to a question, he said that Banaspati rice trade is not illegal but its sale by another country by repacking our material is illegal. The committee decided to discuss the GI law for five minutes in the agenda of each meeting.
Chairman IPO further stated that India had formulated GI laws in 2002 which enabled it to register Banaspati but Pakistan could not do this due to lack of this law. The committee was informed that patents backlog has been reduced from seven months to 25 days. The duration of patent registration is 30 months which is similar to other countries. The duration of Trade Mark is six months.
Senator Nauman Wazir said that Pakistan''s situation with respect to patent and trade mark is poor. Senator Dilawar Khan said that due to his knowledge there is no case of someone being penalized for a violation of a patent.
Chairman IPO informed the committee that 500 cases of copyrights and trademarks have been pointed out of which 189 cases are related to copyright.
"Pakistan cannot defend its products at the international level because we don''t have relevant laws," he maintained. Senator Nauman Wazir said that Pakistan''s Khewra salt is being exported to India in trucks.
Secretary Textile Division stated that cotton is not a food item but the department of cotton has been given to Ministry of National Food Security and Research. Standing Committee directed that cotton department should be given to Textile Division.
The committee was informed that the demand for cotton is declining globally but in Pakistan cotton production is on the higher side. In Pakistan synthetic cotton production is 19 per cent whereas globally its production is 62 per cent.
Pakistan is at 5th place in cotton production in the world but has failed to benefit from it by as much as much smaller countries. The Committee directed the Ministry to conduct a study of Bangladeshi and Vietnamese textile production and export policies and submit to the committee.
Senator Nauman Wazir said that sugar output has slashed cotton production. Most of the sugar mills are owned by the influential who also demand subsidy. However, KP government has refused to give any subsidy to sugar sector.
Chairman Standing Committee directed the Textile Division to share the draft of five-year Textile Policy with the standing Committee so that the latter can give its input. He also suggested that textile policies of other countries should also be taken into account while preparing a textile policy for the country.
The Standing Committee also sought performance report of Trade Officers in Pakistani Missions abroad aimed at reviewing it. Commerce Ministry has recently recalled four Trade Officers due to their dismal performance however one could not be recalled as he won the case in court against the Ministry. Senator Dr Ghous Niazi suggested that low performing Trade Officers should be recalled. Senator Dilawar Khan maintained that exports will not increase until Trade Officers are taken from the private sector.
The committee also held a detailed discussion on the performance of IPO. Members of the Committee stressed upon the need to protect Pakistani products like salt and rice when they are exported abroad as reports have been heard about Pakistani rice and salt being sold as other countries'' products. The need to ease the process of registration of patent, trademark/copyright was also discussed while at the same time an effective mechanism to deal with people involved in using or copying fake names was discussed.
Chairman Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Mujeeb Ahmed Khan, requested the Standing Committee to write to Commerce Division and Cabinet Division to expedite approval of Geographical Indication (GI) laws as the country is without this law since 11 years.
In reply to a question, he said that Banaspati rice trade is not illegal but its sale by another country by repacking our material is illegal. The committee decided to discuss the GI law for five minutes in the agenda of each meeting.
Chairman IPO further stated that India had formulated GI laws in 2002 which enabled it to register Banaspati but Pakistan could not do this due to lack of this law. The committee was informed that patents backlog has been reduced from seven months to 25 days. The duration of patent registration is 30 months which is similar to other countries. The duration of Trade Mark is six months.
Senator Nauman Wazir said that Pakistan''s situation with respect to patent and trade mark is poor. Senator Dilawar Khan said that due to his knowledge there is no case of someone being penalized for a violation of a patent.
Chairman IPO informed the committee that 500 cases of copyrights and trademarks have been pointed out of which 189 cases are related to copyright.
"Pakistan cannot defend its products at the international level because we don''t have relevant laws," he maintained. Senator Nauman Wazir said that Pakistan''s Khewra salt is being exported to India in trucks.
Our Favourite Ambassador Martin Kobler Is Retiring Soon!
The German
envoy is now thinking about his back-up plans and halwa production is one of
them.
Islamabad
(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 7th March, 2019) German Ambassador to Pakistan Martin Kobler had won
over the hearts of Pakistanis in a very short time.
However, the ambassador recently announced
that he is soon retiring.
The German envoy is now thinking
about his back-up plans and halwa production is one of them.
Sharing the
picture while preparing Halwa at Munawar Sohan halwa shop near Lodhran, Kobler asked, “Shouldn't i
prepare a back up plan after retirement and help with halwa production?”
“Feel
already sad going
on retirement soon. What do you guys think? Shouldn't i prepare a back up plan
after retirement and help with halwa production? 😂 Pic from 'Munawar Sohan halwa
shop' near Lodhran,
recently,” he wrote.
Feel already sad going on retirement soon. What do you guys think?
Shouldn't i prepare a back up plan after retirement and help with halwa
production? 
Pic from 'Munawar Sohan halwa shop' near Lodhran, recently.
Pic from 'Munawar Sohan halwa shop' near Lodhran, recently.
Pakistanis are
already sad over
this announcement and want Kobler to stay here forever.
Martin Kobler
has certainly made his place in the hearts of Pakistani people with his
posts expressing admiration for this country and his lovefor desi food being one of them.
In his recent tweet, Martin Kobler shared
about his experience of having ‘sweet Jalebi’.
Martin Kobler
was all praise
for the Pakistani food,
saying it is just amazing. He also asked his followers if he should try ‘Doodh
Jalebi’.
Had this delicious sweet #jalebi on a winter
day. #Local Pakistani
food is just amazing. should i also try jalebi dipped in milk?
Previously,
Martin Kobler shared how he loved Pakistani student biryani. The German ambassador was surely
intrigued by the desi flavours, calling it an aromatic, flavoursome rice.
delicious!! again followed your advice to try aloo biryani at famous
student biryani in #karachi! what an
aromatic, flavoursome rice! their motto well deserved "WOW-WHAT A TASTE!”
Not only that, Martin Kobler also brushed his
teeth with a liquorice root (Miswak).
Martin had
trouble brushing his teeth without water as he on a visit to northern areas. His
problem was however soon solved when a Pakistanifriend told him to use a
liquorice root.
The German ambassador was glad
that it actually worked for him.
how to brush your teeth without water in the middle of the mountains? a #pakistani friend
told me to use a liquorice root. It actually worked and felt clean afterwards.
have you ever tried that?
uff,was a hard-choice day! wanted to buy a bicycle MADE IN PAKISTAN.
first,it was hard to find one.All foreign made!! then finally found it in #rawalpindi. then get stuck between Sohrab or peco? Finally,bought this red one. Also has a horn 'i
my bike"
what do u guys think of it?
first,it was hard to find one.All foreign made!! then finally found it in #rawalpindi. then get stuck between Sohrab or peco? Finally,bought this red one. Also has a horn 'i
my bike"what do u guys think of it?
We also love Kobler for his simplicity
and gratitude towards the people of Pakistan. These are just few of the
many things Kobler did that made people call him the best ambassador in Pakistan.
We only hope
he does not leave Pakistan so soon.
Double whammy for deficient
Philippine Daily Inquirer /
05:08 AM March 07, 2019
On March 5, two seemingly unrelated events occurred that significantly
affected our agriculture.This first event of focus group discussions was to
update the findings and recommendations of seven water presummits held during
the first part of 2017. The country is confronted by a water crisis that has
caused more than 50 people to die every day, the onset of El Niño we are
ill-prepared for, and the fact that several key recommendations of the 2017
seven presummits have still not been acted upon.
PRRD’s political will shown in Boracay and Manila Bay should now be
exercised in water areas that are even more important because of their greater
overall impact, especially for the poor.
One example is the proposed presidential directive increasing our dismal
4 percent rainwater harvesting rate (compared to India’s 60 percent in key
areas). Because this was not done, all the rainwater over the past two years
that could have been used to mitigate the impact of El Niño is not there.
The second event involved farmers’ expressing in a press conference
their anger over the way the government treated rice trade liberalization.
After our government was given three extensions and 25 years to prepare by the
World Trade Organization, our farmers were not provided the necessary support
services to prepare for liberalization.
Partly led by Raul Montemayor of the Federation of Free Farmers and
Romeo Royandoyan of Centro Saka, these farmers argued that the rice
tariffication today will be harmful to the farmers, the consumers, and the
credibility of our government.
Studies have shown that the 35-percent tariff is much lower than the
70-percent tariff that would enable our farmers to compete. At this rate,
Philrice’s Flordelis Bordey said 53 out of 82 (or 65 percent) of our rice
producing provinces would not survive. Some 40 percent of our 3.4 million
farmers will will not be able to sell their produce because of the low imported
prices. They cannot heed the ill-informed suggestion of a senior government
official that they can immediately produce alternative crops. This takes time,
and the necessary support services are simply not there.
The consumers will certainly immediately benefit from lower rice prices.
But in the long run, they face the prospect of paying much higher prices. In
2008, when our farmers had a significant rice production gap and a great need
to import, the world market responded by increasing the $400 per ton of
imported rice to $1,000.
With El Niño, the 35-percent tariff, and China erecting structures that
will significantly decrease the flow of water from the Mekong Delta to affected
counties where we wish to import, overall rice supply will decrease.
Consequently, prices will increase, harming our food security, especially for
the poor.
Thirdly, the credibility of our government in agriculture governance
will further deteriorate. Already, our average 1.5 percent agriculture growth
rate over the last eight years has significantly dragged down our overall
growth of more than 6 percent. The mechanization budget of P5 billion annually
given to Philmech, a small organization in Nueva Ecija with no other offices in
the Philippines, shows a lack of due diligence in making this decision.
Depriving the National Food Authority of the ability to effectively monitor the
rice trade—unless this function is given to another organization—shows
inadequate foresight in understanding the dire consequences in areas such as
rice smuggling and cartel behavior.
This double whammy could have been managed much better with the proper
preparation. In the same manner, our current water crisis suffers the same
tragedy of lack of analysis and strategic direction. Government must now act,
rather than react. To avoid this dangerous situation in our country, a special
high level group with outside experts must be formed and report to PRRD
himself. It is only with PRRD’s demonstrated political will that we can
overcome this enormous challenge.
Kazakhstan Plans to Export 500
Tonnes of Persian Rice to Iran
07.03.2019 11:50 272
Kazakhstan is set to export 500
tonnes of Tarom Hashemi rice grown in the Kyzylorda region to Iran this year.
Currently, negotiations are underway between the two countries on the shipment
of the first batch of the rice, which is planned to be exported this month.
Technical adviser of Iran’s Agriculture Ministry, Mohammad Hossein Ansari Fard
said Iran had given the samples of the Tarom Hashemi rice to Kazakhstan and
Russia and found that the Central Asian country yielded higher amount of rice.
“The yield in Kazakhstan was the highest as your country is close to the
Caspian Sea. Iran is a country with arid and semi-arid climate. It is only
possible to grow the rice in Caspian Sea region. However, this amount is not
enough to cover the domestic demand in Iran,” he said. Currently, Kazakhstan is
cultivating the Persian rice to meet Iran’s need of rice. Iran imports rice
from India, Iraq, Pakistan, Thailand and the UAE. A trial consignment of 60
tonnes of Tarom Hashemi rice was exported to Iran in 2018. The move to export
higher amount of Tarom Hashemi rice benefits the local Kyzylorda farmers.
Kyzylorda region also exports its rice to Central Asia countries, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Europe, Mongolia and Russia. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is also
increasing its meat export to Iran to 500 tonnes this year. The two countries
also signed an agreement with Russia on the shipment of wheat. Under the deal,
Iran will import wheat from Kazakhstan and Russia which the country will then
process as flour before re-exporting it to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Iran
has enough wheat to meet the flour demand in the country and the country does
not export its locally-produced flour. Photo: iran.ru KAZAKHSTAN
Reasons for
dip in Pakistan Exports to Iran
By Mati
-
March 7, 2019
The Senate has
been informed that Pakistan exports to Iran decreased from US$ 319 million in
April-December 2017 to US$ 209 million in April to December 2018 on year on
basis.
However, the
exports data shared by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) shows total exports
of Pakistan to be US$ 12.32 million during July-December 2017 and US$11.00
million during July-December 2018.
The following
are the reasons for the dip in Pakistan exports to the Iran:
·
Protectionist
Policy of Iran: Iran’s Supreme Leader has declared outgoing year as “Iranian
Year” as the year of Iranian goods only and prohibited Iranian government from
importing foreign goods.
·
Iran bans
foreign rice every year for four months from July to November. This was also
one of the major reasons for decline in the Pakistani exports because rice
makes almost 60 to 70 per cent of total exports of Pakistan to Iran, as per
Iranian Customs Data.
·
Devaluation of
Iranian Rial owing to sanctions imposed by the U.S is also a reason for
decrease in exports of Pakistan to Iran.
·
The absence of
banking channels compounded with ample informal trade between the two countries
is also responsible for decrease in exports of Pakistan to Iran. That is why
Top Pakistan Exports to Iran shared by the Iranian Authorities is not coherent
with the data present with Pakistani Authorities.
·
It is stated
that Iran has imposed restrictions on exports of fruits from Pakistan in a bid
to support their local farmers. That is why Iran has banned Pakistani Kinnow
since 2010.
·
Similarly,
imports of banana from Pakistan are also not allowed owing to small size and
early rotting of the banana, as Pakistan have not developed facilities for its
processing. Therefore, Iran imports banana from UAE, Turkey, Ecuador, Sri
Lanka, India and Philippines.
·
However,
Pakistani mango is imported in huge quantity. The mango exports along with
guava amount to US $ 12.05 million in 2017-18.
It is
pertinent to mention here that it cannot be counted as loss in revenue because
these items are banned for many years and exports bring foreign exchange rather
than providing revenue. Mango is already coming to Iran without much
restriction but other fruits like kinnow come to bordering province of Sistan-Balochistan
informally.
Note: The above info was provided by the
Minister for Commerce and Textile to the Senate on March 8, 2019.
Senate Committee For Bringing Back Cotton Research Centre Under
Textile Ministry
Senate
Standing Committee on Commerce and Textile Industry in its meeting has
recommended to bring Pakistan Cotton Research Centre back under the control of
Textile Industry Division from Ministry of National Food Security &
Research since the Textile Industry division is a more relevant ministry to oversee
cotton research
ISLAMABAD
(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / NNI - 06th March, 2019) Senate Standing Committee
on Commerce and Textile Industry in its meeting has
recommended to bring Pakistan Cotton Research Centre back
under the control of Textile Industry Division from Ministry of
National food Security & Research
since the Textile Industry division is a more
relevant ministry to oversee cotton research.The meeting
was held under the Chairmanship of Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi here at the Parliament House on Wednesday
and was attended among others by Senators Nauman Wazir Khattak, Dr.
Ghous Muhammad
Khan Niazi, Syed Shibli Faraz, Atta ur Rehman, Dilawar Khan, Ahmed Khan,
Secretary Commerce Mohammad
Younus Dagha, Secretary Textile Industry Syed Iftikhar Babar,
Chairman Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Mujeeb Ahmed Khan, Rector
National Textile University
Dr.
Tanveer and
officials from the
ministry.The Committee meeting held thorough discussion on the current
performance of textile sector. The Committee
was told that the world has now moved from raw cotton to synthetic cotton but Pakistan is still producing
raw cotton in
bulk which does not have high quality.
Pakistan is at
5th place in cotton production
in the world but
it has failed to benefit from it production as much as
much smaller countries are benefitting.The Committee directed the ministry to
conduct a tracers study of Bangladeshi and Vietnamese textile production and export
policy and submit to the committee.
The Committee
also asked the ministry to share the draft of new textile policy with the
Committee once it is made so that meaningful inputs can be given.The Committee
also held a detailed discussion on the performance of IPO.
Members of the
Committee stressed upon the need to protect the Pakistani products like salt and rice when they are
exported abroad as reports have been heard about Pakistani rice and salt being sold as other
countries' products.
The need to
ease the process of registration of patent, trademark, copyright was also
discussed while at the same time having effective
mechanism to deal with people involved in using or copying fake Names. NNI
|
Administration to End Special
Treatment for Turkey and India, Rice Will Be Impacted
By Sarah Moran
 WASHINGTON, DC -- President Trump directed
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer to make changes to a
little-known U.S. trade assistance program that will affect U.S. rice
exporters and importers. Lighthizer announced on Monday that India and
Turkey would lose beneficiary status under the Generalized System of
Preferences (GSP), the oldest U.S. trade preference program that's designed
to promote economic growth in developing countries by allowing duty-free
entry to the U.S. for many products if certain criteria set by Congress are
met.
According to
USTR, India's termination from GSP follows its failure to provide the United
States with assurances that it will provide equitable and reasonable access
to its markets in numerous sectors. Turkey's termination follows a
finding that it is sufficiently economically developed and should no longer
benefit from preferential market access to the U.S. market. Both
countries' GSP status will end 60 days after Congress and the governments of
India and Turkey are informed. These notifications were reportedly sent
on Monday.
India, the
second largest source of imported rice to the United States, will no longer
be able to ship rice here duty-free. India exported 187,000 metric tons
of rice to the United States in 2018, most of which was long grain milled
rice, up from an average of 139,000 MT during 2013-2016. Imports from
India of long grain rice, including basmati, will go from zero duty to 3.1
cents per pound. The highest import duties are on parboiled rice at
11.2 percent ad valorem.
Five years
ago, Turkey was the United States' fourth largest export market bringing in
more than 240,000 MT of rice, valued at $121 million. This valuable
export market evaporated last year, bringing in less than 1,000 tons of U.S.
rice making Turkey the 62nd largest export market for rice.
A major
factor in the disappearance of this important market is the 50 percent
retaliatory tariff levied on U.S. rice in response to the U.S. Section 232 duties
on steel and aluminum imports from Turkey. In addition to the 50
percent tariff for U.S. rice, there are prevailing tariff rates which are 34
percent for paddy, 36 percent for brown and 45 percent for milled. This
means that U.S. rice is subject to tariffs ranging from 84 percent to 95
percent depending on the form of rice.
Turkey's
imposition of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products preceded a U.S. review of
Turkey's GSP eligibility. Approximately 3,500 products from Turkey
are eligible to enter the U.S. duty-free, which amounted to $1.1 billion in
imports in 2012.
"Rice
is a global commodity which means our industry is vulnerable to actions
outside the sphere of our control," said Bobby Hanks, chair of the
USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee. "Government actions
can create new markets, such as Mexico via NAFTA, or level playing fields
when people aren't playing by the rules as we see now with India, or they can
erode markets such as what we're seeing here in Turkey. We have
to do our best to be nimble, patient, and adapt to the realities on the
ground. But no matter what, we stand by our product as safe,
sustainably-produced, delicious, and nutritious."
|
Cheap NFA rice
to stay available under new law
·
CHEAP NFA RICE TO
STAY AVAILABLE UNDER NEW LAW
State-subsidized
rice at P27 per kilo will remain available despite the implementation of the
Rice Tariffication Law, a Cabinet official said.
This has been
assured under implementing rules and regulations (IRR) approved on Tuesday by
the the National Food Authority Council, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol
said.
Piñol, chair
of the NFA Council, said the agency would adopt “rolling buffer stocking” and
buy palay (milled rice) from local farmers all-year round with an optimal
buffer stock level good for 30 days.
Once the NFA
reaches the optimal level, it will be allowed to release the “aged stocks” to
prevent spoilage as milled rice cannot be kept beyond six months, Piñol added.
This overrides
a provision of the law that allows the release of stocks only during calamities
and emergencies.
Workers carry a sack of rice at the NFA
warehouse in Quezon City. PHOTO BY RUY MARTINEZ
Piñol said
this would ensure that the NFA will continue supplying retailers with
low-priced rice despite losing its authority to license them in the domestic
market.
Current
imported rice stocks of the NFA stand to last until August this year.
“We still have
stocks… and since these supplies were acquired at a lower price then we will
have to sell it P27 [per kilo]. By the end of August or before that, the NFA
Council will determine what will be the right price for the purchased local
palay,” Piñol told reporters.
He explained
that the NFA palay buying price would have to be adjusted “to ensure that the
agency does not lose money” since it will be limited to buffer-stocking agency
under the new law.
“Since our
buying price for local palay is a lot higher compared to the price of imported
rice, we will have to recompute. So there will be adjustments but we will
determine that in the future NFA Council meetings,” Piñol said.
By September,
the NFA will start buying local farmers’ produce which will be released to the
markets as cheap priced NFA rice.
“We would like
to let the farmers know that NFA will buy your palay. It will be continuous; we
will not stop,” Piñol assured.
It was also
agreed during the NFA Council meeting yesterday that requirements on
“collaterals” in the P1-billion credit facility under the Rice Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund (RCEF) be eliminated.
This means
that the RCEF Credit Program will impose interest that is 1/3 of the prevailing
rates of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to farmers who wish to avail the
loan.
Also, the new
IRR ruled that machinery and farm equipment and seeds will be given to the rice
farmers as grant.
The NFA
Council has also approved a draft resolution of other minor revisions of the
IRR based on inputs gathered in consultations conducted last week.
The paper,
Piñol said, will then be endorsed to the Department of Agriculture, National
Economic and Development Authority, and the Department of Budget and
Management, whose secretaries will sign it to signal the official transition to
a new rice regime.
The Rice
Import Liberalization law replaces quantitative restrictions that had hindered
imports of the grain.
Under Republic
Act 11203, the country will apply a 35 percent tariff for rice shipments from
Asean member states, 40 percent for in-quota or within minimum access volume
(MAV) shipments from non-Asean sources, and 180 percent for out-quota and
non-Asean shipments.
It also calls
for the establishment of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), to
be endowed with P10 billion a year for six years, which will be utilized to
provide different forms of assistance to rice farmers.
PHilMech needs more time, funds for rice sector mechanization
Published March 6, 2019, 10:00 PM
By Madelaine
B. Miraflor
Even if
billions of funds will soon be made available, the needed machinery and
equipment to make local rice farmers competitive amid rice tariffication could
not be distributed until late this year or early next year.
Philippine
Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) Deputy Director
Raul Paz said even if the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) will be
made available this month, his agency — used to handling only P200 million to
P300-million budget every year — could not immediately distribute machineries all
over the country.
Under the Rice
Tariffication Lawl, an initial budget of P10 billion should automatically be
injected to RCEF, which is where all the tariff to be collected from all the
imported rice set to enter the country under a liberalized regime should go.
The fund will
be used to make Filipino rice farmers competitive so they can produce equally
cheaper rice.
Right now, the
cost of producing rice in the Philippines stand at P12 per kilo, which is more
than half of the production cost of Thai and Vietnamese rice farmers. Thus,
making the locally produced rice more expensive than the imported supply.
Bulk of RCEF,
or about P5 billion, will go to PHilMech primarily to help mechanize the rice
sector as well as reduce post-harvest losses. Some will go to Philippine Rice
Research Institute (PhilRice) for seed distribution.
But before
PhilMech could spend such allocation, Paz said his agency would first need to
hire more people, get more vehicles for effective transportation, and expand
its procurement unit.
This is before
they could start the validation process of areas that would receive the needed
machinery and then the procurement process for the actual equipment to be
distributed. Paz said all of this could take months.
“PhilMech is a
very small agency,” Paz said, but he also noted that it is the most appropriate
agency to handle the farm mechanization program of the government.
What PhilMech
needs right now, he said, is additional “administrative cost” of at least P250
million to expand its operations and structure.
Paz said this
is something that PhilMech is still clarifying with the Department of Budget
and Management (DBM).
Nevertheless,
he said PhilMech is now “ready” to help the government implement the Rice
Tariffication Law, which tasked the agency to immediately rollout sets of farm
equipment to 57 priority areas across different parts of the country.
PhilMech can
only start the procurement process on the fifth month of the Rice Tariffication
Law’s actual implementation.
The target is
for the agency to be able to distribute 200 sets of equipment across the
country every year.
“It will take
a while,” he said. “But at this time, we are already doing preparatory
activities and we are starting to validate the municipalities.”
Raul
Montemayor, National Manager of the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), has
earlier questioned the inclusion of local government units (LGUs) as among the
direct beneficiaries of the P5-billion farm mechanization program under the
RCEF.
“There have
been many complaints that LGUs use these programs for political patronage, and
only their supporters are able to access these support programs.
So we want clear rules in the IRR [Implementing Rules and Regulations] that will limit their access to the RCEF and prevent them from acting as conduits for machinery grants to farmers and farmer organizations,” said Montemayor.
So we want clear rules in the IRR [Implementing Rules and Regulations] that will limit their access to the RCEF and prevent them from acting as conduits for machinery grants to farmers and farmer organizations,” said Montemayor.
Amira Nature
Foods Ltd to present at the MicroCap Spring Invitational Conference in New York
City on March 27th 2019
March 05, 2019 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
DUBAI, United
Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amira Nature Foods Ltd (the
"Company") (NYSE: ANFI), a global provider of packaged specialty
rice, today announced that the Company has been invited to present at the
upcoming MicroCap Spring Invitational in New York City.
The MicroCap
Spring Invitational will be hosted by Diamond Equity Research and Veyo Partners
on March 27th, 2019 at the Cornell Club in New York City. The event will
feature 14 presenting companies and over 100 qualified institutional &
retail investors. The 14 invited companies will present to the investors from
6:00PM to 9:30PM.
About Amira
Nature Foods
Founded in
1915, Amira has evolved into a global provider of packaged specialty rice, with
sales in over 40 countries today. Amira sells Basmati rice, premium long-grain
rice grown only in certain regions of the Indian sub-continent, under their
flagship Amira brand as well as under other third party brands. Amira sells its
products primarily in emerging markets through a broad distribution network.
Amira’s headquarters are in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and it also has
offices in India, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Cautionary
Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This release
contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal
securities laws. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified
by phrases that we or our members of management use such as “believe,”
“expect,” “anticipate,” “foresee,” “forecast,” “estimate” or other words or phrases
of similar import. Specifically, these statements include, among other things,
statements that describe our expectations for the global rice market, the
financial impact of new sales contracts on our revenue, our expectations
regarding the successful efforts of our distribution partners, and other
statements of management’s beliefs, intentions or goals. It is uncertain
whether any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will
transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what impact they will have on our
results of operations, financial condition, or the price of our ordinary
shares. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
indicated in such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to our
ability to perform our agreements with customers; our ability to recognize
revenue from our contracts as planned; continued competitive pressures in the
marketplace; our reliance on a few customers and distribution partners for a
substantial part of our revenue; our ability to implement our plans, forecasts
and other expectations with respect to our business and realize additional
opportunities for growth; and the other risks and important considerations
contained and identified in our filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or to persons
acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these risk
factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, we undertake no
obligation to update any forward-looking or other statements herein, whether as
a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts
Wendy Eguez
The Amira Group
+447340071854
wendy.eguez@theamiragroup.com
The Amira Group
+447340071854
wendy.eguez@theamiragroup.com
Indonesian offer for market access to rice notified:
Suleman
Rafique
Suleman, Convener, FPCCI Standing Committee on Rice Tuesday said Indonesia has
offered market access to Pakistani rice and a formal notification has been
issued.
Addressing the first meeting of FPCCI Standing Committee on Rice at the Federation House, Suleman said that international scenario for Pakistan rice is positive and with aggressive marketing Pakistan can enhance its rice exports.
The first meeting of the rice committee attended by S M Muneer, Abdul Rahim Janoo, former chairman, Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap), Engr. Daroo Khan Achakzai, President FPCCI, Safder Mehkri, Reap, Jawed Jillani, Muhammad Raza, Members of Reap's Managing Committee along with prominent rice exporters, Muzammil Chappal, Mahesh Talreja, Faisal Anis Majeed, Fuad Garib, Salman Paracha and a large numbers of rice exporters. Various matters related to rice export trade were discussed.
Suleman informed the meeting that Reap has decided to arrange Biryani festivals at domestic as well as international level for promotion of Pakistani Basmati rice and explore new export markets.
Reap is going to organize a grand Biryani festival at Sindh Governor House this month. Second festival is being planned in South Africa by the end of this month. Another grand Biryani festival will also be arranged at FPCCI for all diplomats to promote Pakistani rice, he added.
Suleman said Reap is closely working with federal government to enhance rice export and earn more foreign exchange for the country. As part of these efforts and the consistent efforts of Reap and Ministry of Commerce, Indonesia has offered market access to Pakistani rice and in this regard a notification has already been issued, he added.
He said trade delegations of rice exporters will visit various countries for the promotion and marketing of Pakistani rice.
S M Munir said that he always gave preference to rice export trade which is the 2nd largest trade of Pakistan. He assured all rice exporters that FPCCI will continue to support and resolve all the issues related to rice export trade.
Abdul Rahim Janoo said at Johannesburg Biryani festival all the diplomats in South Africa as well as large number of rice importers will be invited to promote Pakistani rice.
He was hopeful that after this event, rice export to South Africa will take a boost as South Africa is a major market for parboiled rice - approximately one million tons, wherein Pakistan's share is negligible.
Safder Mehkri, Chairman Reap informed the participants about the recent activities of Reap. He said after the success of rice conference at Larkana, Reap is working on projects that will lead to doubling the rice production in five years.
"We are hopeful that till 2023, we will be able to increase rice exports to $ 5 billion," he added. He said support of provincial and federal governments will be instrumental in achieving the target.
Later, Rafique Suleman thanked all the participants for attending the meeting and sharing valuable suggestions for promotion of rice trade.
Addressing the first meeting of FPCCI Standing Committee on Rice at the Federation House, Suleman said that international scenario for Pakistan rice is positive and with aggressive marketing Pakistan can enhance its rice exports.
The first meeting of the rice committee attended by S M Muneer, Abdul Rahim Janoo, former chairman, Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap), Engr. Daroo Khan Achakzai, President FPCCI, Safder Mehkri, Reap, Jawed Jillani, Muhammad Raza, Members of Reap's Managing Committee along with prominent rice exporters, Muzammil Chappal, Mahesh Talreja, Faisal Anis Majeed, Fuad Garib, Salman Paracha and a large numbers of rice exporters. Various matters related to rice export trade were discussed.
Suleman informed the meeting that Reap has decided to arrange Biryani festivals at domestic as well as international level for promotion of Pakistani Basmati rice and explore new export markets.
Reap is going to organize a grand Biryani festival at Sindh Governor House this month. Second festival is being planned in South Africa by the end of this month. Another grand Biryani festival will also be arranged at FPCCI for all diplomats to promote Pakistani rice, he added.
Suleman said Reap is closely working with federal government to enhance rice export and earn more foreign exchange for the country. As part of these efforts and the consistent efforts of Reap and Ministry of Commerce, Indonesia has offered market access to Pakistani rice and in this regard a notification has already been issued, he added.
He said trade delegations of rice exporters will visit various countries for the promotion and marketing of Pakistani rice.
S M Munir said that he always gave preference to rice export trade which is the 2nd largest trade of Pakistan. He assured all rice exporters that FPCCI will continue to support and resolve all the issues related to rice export trade.
Abdul Rahim Janoo said at Johannesburg Biryani festival all the diplomats in South Africa as well as large number of rice importers will be invited to promote Pakistani rice.
He was hopeful that after this event, rice export to South Africa will take a boost as South Africa is a major market for parboiled rice - approximately one million tons, wherein Pakistan's share is negligible.
Safder Mehkri, Chairman Reap informed the participants about the recent activities of Reap. He said after the success of rice conference at Larkana, Reap is working on projects that will lead to doubling the rice production in five years.
"We are hopeful that till 2023, we will be able to increase rice exports to $ 5 billion," he added. He said support of provincial and federal governments will be instrumental in achieving the target.
Later, Rafique Suleman thanked all the participants for attending the meeting and sharing valuable suggestions for promotion of rice trade.
Self-improvement
a must to compete abroad, minister tells agriculture firms
May Kunmakara
/ Khmer Times
Local players
in agribusiness must strive to become more efficient and productive while also
upping the quality and safety standards of their products, Minister of Industry
Cham Prasidh said on Tuesday.
Speaking at
the three-day National Conference on Developing Sustainable and Competitive
Agribusiness in Cambodia, held at the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts this
week, the minister urged Cambodian companies in agriculture and agro-processing
to streamline their operations so that they can compete with international
firms.
He highlighted
efforts by his own ministry to advance local standards, which include
organising workshops, training sessions, and conferences aimed at enhancing the
productivity and efficiency of local firms.
. .
Mr Prasidh
said the ministry has also been working alongside the Asian Productivity
Organisation to upgrade the local agriculture industry.
“Today’s
conference focuses on the development of agribusiness, a sector crucial to
economic development, accounting for 50 percent of the jobs in manufacturing
and export,” he said.
The minister
said the development of the rice sector in recent years represents a success
story for the government. He said local rice is now in line with international
standards, adding that a local variety even won the title of ‘World’s Best
Rice’ last year at the TRT World Rice Conference.
“However,
productivity in agribusiness is still small due to limitations in labour,
techniques, and technology.
“A lot of our
companies are still unable to export their products abroad. They need to try
harder to improve quality and safety standards to join the global market,” the
minister said.
. .
Kann Kunthy,
vice president and managing director of Amru Rice Cambodia, echoed Mr Prasidh’s
remarks regarding the local rice sector, bringing attention to the progress
achieved in recent years.
“The rice
sector serves as a model for other industries. Our rice now complies with
international quality and safety standards and we are able to compete with
other countries,” he said, adding that this progress was possible because the
government had a clear strategy for the sector.
“There are
other agricultural products that can be improved and eventually exported
abroad,” he added.
Minister
Prasidh urged firms in agribusiness to adopt new production methods and
technologies to bump up quality standards and boost exports.
“If companies
don’t strive for self-improvement, big foreign companies will come and grab their
share of the local market. Companies must become more competitive by improving
quality and productivity,” he added
Press Conference for Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela held at I.A.R.I.
06 March, 2019 4:19 PM IST By: Dr.
Sangeeta Soi
Indian
Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) is an institute of par excellence in
agricultural research and education in India. IARI has been playing a pivotal
role in the advancement of agricultural research, education and extension as
well as enhancing farmer’s prosperity for last 114 years. To achieve commitment
towards realizing the goals of national food, nutritional and livelihood
security through quality research, education, and extension, IARI has made much
technological interventions in the field. Since 1972, the institute is
organizing Krishi Mela for the transfer of technologies developed and to solve
the problems of farming community. During 2018-19, institute released a high
yielding, non-basmati, medium slender grain, blast resistant rice variety named
“Pusa Sambha 1850” for Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Two new wheat varieties “HI
1612” and “HD 8777” were developed by ICAR-IARI, Regional Station, Indore for
North Eastern Plain Zone and Peninsular Zone respectively. Institute has also
released Maize hybrid “Pusa Super Sweet Corn 1” with enhanced sweetness with
good grain (9.3 t/ha) and fodder (16.2 t/ha) yield. In Pearl millet, a number
of inbreds having high iron (72-113ppm) and zinc content (40-55ppm) have been
developed for nutraceutical importance.
In chickpea,
high yielding extra-large kabuli chickpea (>50g/100 seeds) genotypes having
high export potential; in pigeon pea, extra early and early varieties of dwarf
stature and amenable to mechanical harvesting have been developed. Institute
has identified germplasm lines of rice and wheat with >20% higher water use
efficiency (WUE) as compared to the known checks viz., Nagina 22 and C306,
respectively, and QTLs for WUE are also identified.
Grape hybrid
“Pusa Aditi” was released by the Delhi State Variety Release Committee for its
commercial cultivation in NCR region. The varieties of cherry tomato i.e. (Pusa
Cherry Tomato-1) and onion (Pusa Sobha) have been released and notified by CVRC
for cultivation under protected condition in Delhi NCR and major onion growing
states of the country, respectively. Onion variety ‘Pusa Sona’ has been
released by All India Network Project on Onion and Garlic and recommended for
notification by CVRC. Ten new varieties, viz. Longmelon ‘Pusa Utkarsh’, round
melon ‘Pusa Raunak’, cucumber (parthenocarpic, gynoecious) ‘Pusa Seedless
Cucumber-6’, muskmelon ‘Pusa Madhurima’ & ‘Pusa Sunahari’, brinjal ‘Pusa
Safed Baingan-1’ & ‘Pusa Hara Baingan-1’, okra (resistant to YVMV) ‘Pusa
Bhindi-5, garden pea ‘Pusa Prabal’ and chenopodium ‘Pusa Green’ and two hybrids
viz. sponge gourd ‘Pusa Shrestha’ and bitter gourd ‘Pusa Hybrid-4’ have been
released for cultivation in Delhi NCR region.
400 nematode
samples have been given digital form to provide information to the scientific
community. For the benefit of the farmers, an Android app called 'NEMATODEINFO'
has been launched to solve the problems related to nematode damage in plants.
By downloading this app on mobile handset, solutions can be searched by
available archives. An Integrated Farming System (IFS) Model has been developed
by the Agronomy Division of IARI, for ensuring livelihood security of small and
marginal farmers. This 1 ha area made IFS model intend to generate year-round
income from appropriate integration of crops, dairy, fishery, duckery, biogas
plant, fruit trees and agro-forestry, provided net returns of Rs
3,78,784/ha/year with an employment generation of 628 man-days. The soil
testing tool, named Pusa Soil Test and Fertilizer Recommendation (STFR) Meter,
has been upgraded to analyze fourteen soil parameters viz., pH, EC, OC,
available nutrients [(derived N), P, K, S, Zn, B, Fe, Mn and Cu], gypsum and
lime requirement. This soil testing kit can be used for generating soil health
card.
The
eco-friendly waste water treatment technology of the Centre was recently
commercialized to the UP Jal Nigam for developing an eco-friendly wastewater
treatment. KRISHI Portal (http://krishi.icar.gov.in) has been enriched through
providing links of several online resources available/developed at different
ICAR institutes. An institutional mechanism for upscaling IARI Post Office
Linkage Extension model has been developed with Department of Posts, Government
of India. Through this model, 2.3 tonnes of IARI paddy varieties were
disseminated in 56 districts of 13 states. Similarly, 2.76 tonnes of IARI wheat
varieties were disseminated in 9 districts of 6 states. To promote the direct
interface of scientists with the farmers and strengthen the lab to land
process, Mera Gaon Mera Gaurav programme is being implemented by IARI in 120
clusters comprising of more than 600 villages in 17 districts of Delhi and NCR.
Farmers can
visit various research and display stalls at this fair. Lectures and
discussions on topics related to agriculture will be held during Kisan Goshthi
each day. Apart from this, crop, fruits, flowers, vegetable and animal
exhibition are being organized during the Kisan Mela.
Alzheimer's-like symptoms reversed in mice
Special diet with compounds contained in green tea and carrots restored
working memory
Date:March 6, 2019
Source:University of Southern California
Summary:A diet containing compounds found in green
tea and carrots reversed Alzheimer's-like symptoms in mice genetically programmed
to develop the disease.
Share:
Green tea.
Credit: © Kittiphan / Fotolia
A diet
containing compounds found in green tea and carrots reversed Alzheimer's-like
symptoms in mice genetically programmed to develop the disease, USC researchers
say.
Researchers
emphasize that the study, recently published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, was in mice, and many mouse discoveries
never translate into human treatments. Nevertheless, the findings lend credence
to the idea that certain readily available, plant-based supplements might offer
protection against dementia in humans.
"You
don't have to wait 10 to 12 years for a designer drug to make it to market; you
can make these dietary changes today," said senior author Terrence Town, a
professor of physiology and neuroscience at the Keck School of Medicine of
USC's Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute. "I find that very encouraging."
What's more,
the study supports the idea that combination therapy, rather than a single
magic bullet, may offer the best approach to treating the 5.7 million Americans
living with Alzheimer's. Combination treatment is already the standard of care
for diseases such as cancer, HIV infection and rheumatoid arthritis.
For this
study, the researchers took a look at two compounds: EGCG, or
epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a key ingredient in green tea, and FA, or ferulic
acid, which is found in carrots, tomatoes, rice, wheat and oats.
The
researchers randomly assigned 32 mice with Alzheimer's-like symptoms to one of
four groups with an equal number of males and females. For comparison, each
group also contained an equal number of healthy mice. For three months, the
mice consumed a combination of EGCG and FA, or EGCG or FA only, or a placebo.
The dosage was 30 mg per kilogram of body weight -- a dosage well-tolerated by
humans and easily consumed as part of a healthy, plant-based diet or in the
form supplements.
Before and
after the three-month special diet, scientists ran the mice through a battery
of neuropsychological tests that are roughly analogous to the thinking and
memory tests that assess dementia in humans. Of particular note was a maze in
the shape of a Y, which tests a mouse's spatial working memory -- a skill that
humans use to find their way out of a building.
Healthy mice
instinctively explore each arm of the Y maze, looking for food or a route to
escape and entering the three arms in sequence more often than by chance alone.
Impaired mice can't do this as well as their mentally healthy counterparts.
"After
three months, combination treatment completely restored working memory and the
Alzheimer's mice performed just as well as the healthy comparison mice,"
Town said.
How did it
work? Town says one mechanism appeared to be the substances' ability to prevent
amyloid precursor proteins from breaking up into the smaller proteins called
amyloid beta that gum up Alzheimer patients' brains. In addition, the compounds
appeared to reduce neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the brain -- key
aspects of Alzheimer's pathology in humans.
Town said he
and his lab will continue exploring combination treatment, with a focus on
plant-derived substances that inhibit production of the sticky amyloid beta
plaques.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Southern California.
Original written by Leigh Hopper. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.
Journal
Reference:
1. Takashi Mori, Naoki Koyama, Jun Tan, Tatsuya
Segawa, Masahiro Maeda, Terrence Town. Combined treatment with the phenolics
(−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate and ferulic acid improves cognition and reduces
Alzheimer-like pathology in mice. Journal
of Biological Chemistry, 2019; 294 (8): 2714 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.RA118.004280
Cite This Page:
University of Southern California.
"Alzheimer's-like symptoms reversed in mice: Special diet with compounds
contained in green tea and carrots restored working memory." ScienceDaily.
ScienceDaily, 6 March 2019.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190306133414.htm>.
Wise selection of crops to revive
agro-economy: experts
FAISALABAD:
Close and productive working relationship between Faisalabad Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (FCCI), National Textile University (NTU) and National
Institute for Biotechnology and Genetics Engineering (NIBGE) is imperative to
re-organise the industrial sector on scientific lines.
Addressing the
FCCI Standing Committee on Technical Training and Industry-Academia Linkages,
NIBGE Director Dr Shahid Mansoor said that Faisalabad was predominantly an
agro-industrial city.
“Textile is
the mainstay of its economy and to face the future challenges, we must add
value in the entire chain of the textile sector - from ginning to fashion
garments,” he added. He said that the NIBGE had world-class laboratories where
testing facilities were also available and the local exporters must avail these
facilities.
The NIBGE is
working on different crops, including rice. “It has evolved many new varieties
of different crops which are high yielding and have the resistance against
different diseases. Pakistan is currently importing edible oil whereas being an
agriculture country, we could produce oilseeds locally to fulfill our domestic
needs,” he added.
Dr Waheed
Khan, principal scientific officer NIBGE, said that biotechnology could enhance
the shelf life of our perishable items, including vegetables and fruits. “We
have knowledge, skills and technology but the FCCI has to play its role to
convince the concerned sectors to adopt these technologies to improve the
quality of their exportable surplus.” He said that the NIBGE had invented many
new products and technologies which should be commercialised to harvest its
economical benefits.
Regarding the
nanotechnology, he said that we could earn billions of dollars by introducing
this emerging technology in the textile sector. Earlier, FCCI president Zia
Alumdar Hussain said that Faisalabad was producing more than 50 per cent raw
material for the entire domestic industry of Pakistan. He specifically
mentioned four major crops of wheat, sugarcane, corn and cotton. “Our real
issue is to enhance the per acre yield of these crops as we are lagging far behind
in it. Despite being an agriculture country, we are importing pulses, cereals
and edible oil whereas our focus is only on the wheat. The local seeds of rice
can produce 30 to 35 maunds and through imported seeds, we could get yield up
to 55 maunds per acre. Similarly, the local seed of corn has the potential to
give the yield of only 30 maunds whereas we could get 60 maunds per acre yield
through the imported seeds. Wrong selection of crops is our major problem. We
could revive our economy by putting the agriculture on the right track,” he
said.
“We have
surplus wheat but we are spending three billion dollars on the import of edible
oil. To exploit our domestic potential, we must bring more area under the corn
cultivation instead of sowing sugarcane and wheat. Sugarcane has been
cultivated in cotton belt which dwindled our cotton production from 14 million
to 10 million bales. On the other side, the Indian cotton has jumped from 8
million to 30 million bales due to the use of imported seed of BT cotton,” he
explained. The NIBGE should also introduce new and cost effective technologies
for the treatment of industrial waste water.
VERUS INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES $4 MILLION RICE SUPPLY AGREEMENT
Gaithersburg,
MD, March 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verus International, Inc. (“Verus” or
the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has received an order from a
distributor to deliver approximately $4 million worth of rice annually for the
Dubai market. Verus will source three to four varieties of rice from multiple
producers in India to meet this initial demand. Under the terms of the
agreement, Verus will sell rice under both the supplier’s brand name and a
Verus brand.
Financing
should be in place within a week and the first containers are expected to begin
shipping soon at a rate of approximately ten containers per month. These
products will consist of basmati and other rice varieties in primarily 10kg
package sizes for the retail and commercial markets.
“This is
exactly the kind of contract that we believe we can replicate many times over,”
explained Verus CEO Anshu Bhatnagar. “As we announce these orders for branded
staples found in just about every home and restaurant in our current markets,
investors should remember that these are starter quantities. We expect these
orders to grow as they season, with expansion coming from both market
penetration and extension into new geographies.”
The rice
agreement fits into Verus’s strategic plan to gradually layer on product lines
across many retail and wholesale food categories, with an early emphasis on
scalable staples.
“In our core
markets, branded products and fresh foods get the best margins,” explained CEO
Bhatnagar. “So, those are areas where we intend to initially focus. When you
can establish a footprint with a branded version of a leading staple, such as
rice or our previously announced honey, you get the added bonus that the
opportunity is essentially open-ended. Rice is a multi-billion dollar import in
the places where we already operate, so it was essential that we establish a
presence in this key category.”
Interested
investors are reminded to watch for product updates on the official Twitter
feed @Verus_Foods.
About Verus
International, Inc.
Verus
International operates an international food subsidiary (Verus Foods) that
sells branded consumer products to customers worldwide. The Company trades on
the OTC market (OTC:VRUS). Investors can find Real-Time quotes and market
information for the Company on www.otcmarkets.com.
Safe Harbor
Statement
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are identified by the use of the words “could,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “may,” “continue,” “predict,” “potential,” “project” and similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, objectives, expectations or intentions will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience and present expectations or projections. Actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and the trading price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly. Forward-looking statements also are affected by the risk factors described in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are identified by the use of the words “could,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “may,” “continue,” “predict,” “potential,” “project” and similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, objectives, expectations or intentions will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience and present expectations or projections. Actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and the trading price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly. Forward-looking statements also are affected by the risk factors described in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Basmati
shipments set to rise 10%
Vishwanath Kulkarni Bengaluru
| Updated on March 05, 2019 Published
onMarch 05, 2019
Basmati exports grew by 9 per cent in dollar
value at $3.6 billion during April-January as against $3.31 billion in the same
period last year -
EleSi
Get a boost from price jump; but volumes may stay flat at 4 mt
India’s
basmati rice exports for the current fiscal year are set to grow by a tenth in
dollar value terms over last year on higher realisations. However, the volumes
are likely to be remain at last year’s levels of four million tonnes.
Basmati is the
largest product in India’s agri-export basket and accounts for about a fourth
of the total farm product shipments.
After a
sluggish start during the early part of the fiscal, shipments of basmati have
gained momentum over the past couple of months on good demand from key buyers
such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and the European Union, said AK Gupta, Director,
Basmati Export Development Foundation, under the Agricultural and Processed
Foods Exports Development Authority (APEDA).
The latest
data (for the April-January period) indicate that basmati exports grew by 9 per
cent in dollar value to $3.6 billion as against $3.31 billion in the same
period last year. However, in rupee terms the growth was higher at ₹24,919 crore (as against ₹21,319 crore last year) at close to 17 per
cent for the period, aided by a weaker rupee.
In volume
terms, the shipments for the period were marginally higher at 3.36 million
tonnes as against 3.27 mt. So far, average per-unit realisations have been
about 6 per cent higher at $1,070 per tonne as against $1,010 per tonne in the
previous year.
“The sentiment
for exports is good. Going by the current trend, the prices will remain good.
We expect a 10 per cent growth in dollar value terms,” Gupta said. Basmati
exports during 2017-18 stood at 4.05 mt valued at $4.17 billion.
Vijay Setia,
President of the All India Rice Exporters Association said the export volume
may remain unchanged at around 4 mt, while there could be 10-15 per cent growth
in value terms.
Setia said the
higher realisation was driven primarily by higher raw material prices this
year. Basmati paddy prices were 10-15 per cent higher this year on reports of a
lower crop. However, Setia said there is no shortage of the cereal as such and
market arrivals of the paddy were still on in the major mandis of Haryana and
Punjab.
Further, Setia
also said that Iran has re-opened its markets for import of basmati rice after
the seasonal curbs imposed to protect its domestic growers during the harvest
season.
Non-basmati rice slips
While the
shipments of the aromatic basmati rice are gaining traction, the growth trend
witnessed in non-basmati rice in recent years has not been sustained this
fiscal.
Non-basmati
shipments were down 18 per cent in dollar value terms during the April-January
period over the corresponding period last year.
An increase in
the support price for the common variety of paddy has made Indian non-basmati
rice expensive in the world market. Also the higher duty imposed by Bangladesh
on rice imports has impacted shipments.
Rice farmers feel the strain of
the rain as wet weather delays 2019 season
As our wet
winter continues, farmers across Arkansas are sweating, wondering if they will
ever be able to plant their crops.
As our wet
winter continues, farmers across Arkansas are sweating, wondering if they will
ever be able to plant their crops.
That that’s
especially true for rice growers, who are feeling the strain of the rain.
Normally,
fields like those along Highway 70 in Lonoke County would be busy, as farmers
get ready to plant their crops. But, at this point, they have no idea when rice
season will begin.
“We’re really
just staring at it,” Jarrod Hardke said Tuesday, “going, ‘we haven’t even truly
started yet on the ’19 season.’”
Jarrod Hardke,
the Rice Extension agronomist for the University of Arkansas’s Division of
Agriculture, said stress levels are rising for our state’s farmers.
“We’re very
much approaching a 10 [out of 10] for a lot of growers right now,” he stated.
That number is
because it correlates to the level of water that remains in their fields.
Hardke, whose research of soil conditions helps farmers around the state plan
their crops, said their earth is too wet, or too frozen, to work with, and
that’s been the case since fall. This is not the first wet winter, but Hardke
said most of them feature a break in the weather to allow farmers to prep their
fields.
“Unfortunately,
2018 harvest—which was terrible,” Hardke said, “in that it was prolonged and
wet, has really never given way to preparation for the 2019 season. So, at this
point, we’re really just standing here with a lot, if not almost all of the
field work, preparation from last year’s harvest to be able to plant this year,
is still left to be done.”
Hardke’s
forecast for the state’s overall rice production keeps falling, and he
currently predicts a statewide output of approximately 1.2 million acres. Some
years, a smaller yield would mean farmers could focus more on corn or soybeans,
but Hardke said it is nearly too late to make that switch. And he added that a
smaller yield might not translate into higher prices.
“At this point
in time, none of our main commodities are—again, nationwide—are showing any
appreciable increases at this time,” he stated. “There’s some slight rises for
fall prices, but when you start penciling out the net returns for growers right
now for any of these, it’s not looking very good right now. So, any of those,
even slight, increases in costs are going to be felt very, very hard.”
Ideally,
farmers would start planting in the next week or two, then ramp up after April
1. But with more rain in the forecast, Hardke said
it could be too wet to put seeds in the ground for quite some time.
“We have to
prepare it all first,” he explained, “we don’t get the opportunity to just drop
in and start planting, so the delay is even greater than I think most truly
consider at this point.
“A lot of the
normal tillage prep work that would be done, well, now we’re gonna be in a mode
of what I would best describe as excessive tillage.”
He added that
making multiple tilling runs across a field would be a considerable expense
this year. He said each pass costs a farmer roughly $10/acre, but ruts have
become so deep since fall that it will take several passes to smooth out the
earth. With many fields stretching over 10,000 acres or more, the cost to
prepare a rice field this year could cost some farmers hundreds of thousands of
dollars, before a smaller-than-average yield ever sells.
Philippine rice funding to hit $421M with new law
| Publication date 06 March 2019 | 14:00 ICT
ilippine rice funding to hit $421M with new
law. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ANN
GOVERNMENT
funding for the country’s rice industry is set to hit a record of 22 billion
pesos ($421.531 million) this year with the implementation of the Rice Import
Liberalization Law, the agriculture chief said.
In an
interview with reporters on Monday, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol said
with funding from the national government along with the agency’s budget for
the sector, “the rice industry will be given the biggest budget in history”.
Last week, the
Department of Budget and Management released five billion pesos to the
Department of Agriculture (DA) to protect rice farmers against the possible
adverse effects of the Rice Import Liberalization Law.
This is on top
of the annual 10-billion-peso subsidy under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement
Fund, which aims to cut the cost of producing rice so local farmers may be able
to compete with the influx of more affordable imported rice.
DA has also
allocated seven billion pesos of its funds to rice.
In total, the
rice industry will get 32 billion pesos for its development.
“This is
actually the greatest irony,” the secretary said. “Farmers are worried with the
implementation of this measure but it’s also now that they will be getting this
kind of financial assistance.”
The measure,
which was expected to be implemented on Tuesday, removes the regulatory and
importing function of the National Food Authority and allows the expansion of
the private sector’s role in the market. Shipments would be charged tariffs of
between 35 per cent to 50 per cent, which would be used for the industry’s
modernisation.
Economic
managers said the law could cut retail rice prices in half and ease inflation
by 0.5 to 0.7 per cent.
During the
DA’s nationwide consultation with industry stakeholders last week, Pinol said
farmers only wanted assurance from the government that the unimpeded entry of
imported rice would not pull farm-gate prices of paddy down.
Last year, the
farm-gate price of paddy reached its highest at 24 pesos per kg, but following
speculation that imported rice will flood the market, prices in some provinces
dipped to 15 pesos per kg.
But according
to Pinol and officials from socioeconomic planning agency National Economic and
Development Authority, such worry is misplaced.
Pinol admitted
that the government’s intervention should have been implemented as early as
last year, but bureaucratic processes have been derailing the budget’s release.
This is the
reason government agencies are scrambling to complete the law’s implementing
rules and regulations (IRR). Pinol said the IRR would be ready on Tuesday.
“There are
calls from other industry stakeholders that the formulation of the IRR should
be extended but I’m against that. The longer we wait, the longer it will take
for the budget to be released. That’s one planting season lost for us,” he
said.
The IRR
tackles the details of the law, including the government’s safety nets for
local farmers who may be affected by the industry’s liberalisation. It will
also explain in detail the importation process and the transition of various
agencies to the new rice regime. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ANN
Stakeholders' inputs included in
amended rice tariffication law IRR
Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
Published 6:26 PM, March 06, 2019
Updated 6:26 PM, March 06, 2019
DRAFT IRR. The
implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the rice tariffication law includes
suggestions from industry
stakeholders. File photo by Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA,
Philippines – The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No.
11203 or the rice tariffication law was amended Tuesday, March 5, taking into
consideration the proposals of
rice industry stakeholders.
Agriculture
Secretary Emmanuel Piñol told reporters on Wednesday, March 6, that they will
be implementing more changes in the National Food Authority (NFA) to
accommodate safeguards the stakeholders were asking for.
These changes
were approved during the NFA Council meeting on Tuesday.
The IRR will
be passed to the secretaries of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the
Department of Trade and Industry, and the National Economic and Development
Authority for signing.
"It (draft IRR) had amendments and improvements, and I'm happy to
report to the farmers and other industry stakeholders that the government
listened to some of their proposals," Piñol said in Filipino.
(READ: FAST FACTS: How
government will implement rice tariffication)
"They had
asked, what if the
NFA has bought all the needed buffer stock? 'Will we be at a financial
disadvantage?' The answer is no because we will be implementing something we
call rolling buffer stocking."
This means
that as soon as the NFA has enough buffer stock for 30 days, the state grains
agency will have to release this into the market and then procure palay from
farmers again. This scheme of buying from farmers will occur year-round.
NEDA decision on
IRR for rice tariff law could come this month
March 6, 2019
| 9:31 pm
The National Economic and Development
Authority expects to decide by the end of March on the Implementing Rules and
Regulations of the Rice Tariffication Act submitted by the National Food
Authority Council. -- PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS
THE National
Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said it expects to decide by the end
of March on the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Rice
Tariffication Act submitted by the National Food Authority (NFA) Council.
In a phone
interview on Wednesday, NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon said “(The
IRR) should be (decided on) because the law is already being implemented)” when
asked if it is possible to make a decision in March.
The NFA
Council submitted an amended IRR on Monday, March 5, the first day of the
rollout of the law.
Among the
provisions in the draft, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said in a
phone interview Wednesday are one that permit the continuous sale of rice by
the NFA at prices to be determined by the NFA Council, provided that the prices
are set such that the agency does not lose money.
Ms. Edillon
said that NEDA has yet to review the IRR.
“We will check
the reasons for the policy, (and) if it supports the bottomline objective which
is to improve the rice trading regime,” Ms. Edillon added.
NEDA’s
original plan was to auction NFA buffer stock as needed before the inventory
ages out, and not to sell it directly in the market through retailers as per
current practice.
Mr. Piñol also
said that the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) should be staffed by personnel
from the NFA as it finds itself with an enlarged role as private entities
import rice and need to obtain sanitary permits.
“The law’s
implementation has gone ahead but there should be some period of adjustment.
The BPI should be beefed up by employees from the NFA because it cannot
possibly (fulfill its) food safety function right away because it lacks the
background,” Mr. Piñol said.
Ms. Edillon
concurred but added there is a need to conduct an inventory of the skills of
NFA employees as well as prepare for a capacity building program or retraining
these personnel. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio
VN central bank urges more
support for rice farmers
07/03/2019
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has told
commercial banks to provide continued support for the rice sector in the Mekong
Delta by offering loans to rice farmers and trading firms to beef up their rice
production and consumption.
Farmers harvest rice in the Mekong Delta
region
Under the central bank's Document 1289,
commercial banks should boost the deployment of the credit policy for
agricultural and rural development in line with the Government’s decrees 55 and
116.
Besides this, the central bank asked lenders
to focus on giving loans geared toward developing the connectivity model from
production to consumption and to implement Decision 68 on supportive policies
on the reduction of losses in agriculture.
In addition, commercial banks should order
their branches in the Mekong Delta to guarantee sufficient loans for farmers,
traders and producers so that they can purchase, store and export the rice
grown in the 2019 winter-spring crop.
This aims to remove financial difficulties
and create favorable conditions for rice-trading firms to apply for loans,
including extending debt payments, offering new loans and speeding up loan
disbursement.
Further, SBV requested commercial banks to
offer medium- and long-term loans to support enterprises in beefing up their
rice production and processing activities.
Commercial banks, apart from simplifying
their lending procedures, should diversify credit products and make credit
terms flexible to aid rice trading firms.
Moreover, SBV required strict enforcement of
the regulation on the cap on interest rates for Vietnamese dong-denominated
short-term loans for agricultural and rural development, especially for the
growth of the rice industry. Based on the borrowers’ financial capability, the
interest rate can be adjusted downward.
SBV governor Le Minh Hung said that as of
end-December 2018, the country saw the outstanding loans for the agricultural
and rural sector amount to VND1.73 quadrillion, up 21.4% year-on-year, with the
Mekong Delta region accounting for 17.24% of the total, at VND298,000 billion.
Of the total outstanding loans reported at
the end of January, amounting to VND1.75 quadrillion, VND300,000 billion was
offered to the Mekong Delta, Hung said.
Hung added that for the rice industry, the
country’s outstanding loans reached VND99 trillion in 2018, growing by VND29.8
trillion against the figure seen at end-2017, adding that the Mekong Delta made
up 50% of the total VND100 trillion by end-January.
SGT
Thailand delays rice bill due to farmers’ objections. Will it
open the door for the Shinawatras?
Thailand delays rice bill due to farmers’
objections. Will it open the door for the Shinawatras?
·
March 24 elections will be the first since 2011,
heralding a return to democracy after a military junta took power in 2014
·
Support in Thailand’s rural northeast was
central to Shinawatras’ electoral success, relying heavily on subsidies to rice
farmers
Updated: Thursday, 7 Mar, 2019 8:59am
A supporter of Pheu Thai Party wearing a
T-shirt of former prime ministers Thaksin Shinawatra and Yingluck Shinawatra. Photo: AP
Rice is once again at the centre of
politics after a controversial bill was
postponed indefinitely due to opposition from farmers who make up one of the
country’s most influential voting blocs.
The proposed rice bill would have established
a board controlled by the government to oversee the industry, granting the
state sole authority to license certain strains of rice seeds for sale.
The bill passed the first reading in the
National Legislative Assembly (NLA) in January but was postponed last week due
to growing opposition from rice farmers who claim it would exclusively benefit
large-scale producers by banning the distribution of rice seeds not approved by
the proposed new board. The bill will be reconsidered after
.
Listen to the Asian Briefing podcast: Thai election analysis
“It has been a miscalculation of the timing
and the political consequences,” said Thanapan Laiprakobsup, a researcher on
rice policies in Thailand at Chulalongkorn University, who noted farmers,
millers and exporters found rare common cause in opposing the bill.
“[The military junta] didn’t think there
would be such a big opposition … but this time all the stakeholders [except the
big corporations] agreed in opposing. The rice industry wants assistance but
not direct intervention.”
The March 24 elections will be the first since
2011, heralding a return to democracy after a
took power in 2014.
However, the junta has its own proxy, the
Phalang Pracharat Party, which has nominated Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha,
the now-retired general who led the 2014 coup, to retain the top job. The
opposition to the rice bill could hurt his chances, though, Thanapan said.
The Phalang Pracharat Party has condemned the
bill and proposed a subsidy if they win the elections but rural voters could
punish them anyway, given Prayuth’s highly visible association with the party
and the junta’s support for the unpopular bill.
“Rice farmers think that Phalang Pracharat
Party is equal to Prayuth … And they are sending signals of political
dissatisfaction especially to [him],” Thanapan said.
On the other hand, the postponement of the
bill could benefit the Pheu Thai Party, a proxy for former prime minister
Thaksin Shinawatra, who was elected in 2001 before being forced from office by
a coup in 2006.
Thaksin’s sister,
, later served as prime minister from
2011-14, but she was also forced from office by a coup, which installed the
current military government.
Former Thai prime ministers Thaksin
Shinawatra and his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra. Photo: AFP
Share:
Support in Thailand’s rural northeast was
central to the Shinawatras’ electoral success, relying heavily on government
subsidies to rice farmers, who in turn formed the backbone of the Shinawatras’
populist “red shirt” movement, which clashed repeatedly with the anti-Thaksin,
pro-monarchy “yellow shirts”.
The latest controversy over rice policy could
create an opportunity for the Pheu Thai Party to reinforce their appeal to
these rural voters that delivered the Shinawatras’ previous victories.
Thailand is the world’s second-largest rice
exporter after India, and the second-largest exporter to China after Vietnam.
However, the Thai Rice Exporters Association has forecast a 14 per cent drop in
2019 from 2018.
Proponents of the rice bill claim it would
give the government a stronger hand to support the rice industry and expand
export markets.
Who’s who in Thai election’s Game of Thrones
Thailand has a long history of rice market
interventions. Indeed, government rice subsidies were a major factor in the
coup that deposed Yingluck in 2014, after her government committed to buying
every grain of rice at inflated prices.
The disastrous scheme cost the government
US$8 billion, according to the military junta, and Thailand lost its status as
the world’s largest rice exporter as a result.
It was cited by the military as one of the
main justifications for its intervention and Yingluck was subsequently
sentenced in absentia to five years in prison.
“Rice farmers and their families were among
the largest groups that could be reached through a single policy intervention,”
said Jacob Ricks, assistant professor of political science at the Singapore
Management University. “Farmers and their families still make up over 30 per
cent of Thai voters, so they will continue to be important.”
Accordingly, the junta has approved its own
short-term loans and cash handouts for rice farmers.
“The military regime has also tried to win
farmers over with a series of policies, although they have met with limited
success in convincing farmers,” Ricks said.
Witoon Lianchamroon is the director of
Biodiversity Sustainable Agriculture Food Sovereignty
Action Thailand (Biothai), a farmers’ rights
advocacy group. He said the military government had sought to increase its
control over the kinds of rice able to be grown and traded.
It has been a
miscalculation of the timing and the political consequences
“[If approved], we estimate that in the near
future only a few varieties will remain, [and they will be] controlled by the
government and the private sector,” he said.
Witoon said the bill was designed to promote
trade regardless of the interest of farmers to preserve diversity and improve
their seeds.
“Some varieties that are more nutritious
might be lost,” he said, adding that the bill would discourage farmers from
cultivating and improving certain strains of rice because registering them
would be “very difficult for farmers”.
According to Thanapan, farmers were concerned
that greater control exercised by the state would have benefited larger firms
at their expense.
Thai election: can Shinawatras keep it in the family, again?
“It meant that the state was not going to
help the farmers … and that they would give power to agricultural business to
monopolise the rice variety market,” Thanapan said.
In turn, the fact the bill was postponed has
once again underlined the political influence wielded by the country’s rice
farmers, even under a military government.
“The new rice bill failed to convince farmers
of any benefits,” Ricks said. “Even supporters of the regime found it hard to
swallow. This shows the importance of farmers as a constituency. Even an
insulated military regime couldn’t pass the new rice bill with the threat of a
farmer protest.”
How could a sharp slowdown in China affect growth prospects for
the rest of Asia?
·
Uncertainty is the only certainty for
economies until US and China declare trade peace
·
Latest data shows only Malaysia has coped
with recent pressures
Updated: Saturday, 16 Feb, 2019 10:34pm
Analysts say that while optimism is rising
about the prospects for trade talks between the US and China, smaller Asian economies
must prepare for more turbulence. Photo: Xinhua
reserved
Rice exports expected to fall on declining consumption
06 MAR 2019
A rice glut is
expected as consumption falls in export markets. Aung Htay Hlaing/The Myanmar
Times
A fall in rice consumption especially from
China have rice merchants worried as the market could face a glut since there
is leftover supply from the previous season with more in-coming supply.
Despite a record export in the 2017-18 fiscal
year of over 3 million tonnes, there was still leftover supply as global
consumption has declined.
Myanmar Rice Federation Deputy Chair U Aung
Than Oo said rice exports will struggle to beat last year’s exports. He noted
that exports to China has also declined, with the country not taking in as much
as before.
Meanwhile, Myanmar Rice Federation Chief
Executive U Chan Thar Oo said rice exports will not reach the target of 2.5
million tonnes for the 2018-19 fiscal year. For fiscal 2020-21, the federation
expects to sell 4 million tonnes to overseas markets and receive US$1.5
billion.
Myanmar Rice Federation officials who were in
Kunming, China for a meeting on the Myanmar-China Economic Corridor in late
February sought assurances from China on a rice export quota of 400,000 tonnes,
a rise from the 2016 quota of 100,000 tonnes that has not been increased since.
At present, the Myanmar and China governments
only have a draft agreement on the 400,000 tonnes quota, with the details not
having been officially announced.
Separately, Myanmar Rice Federation officials
also want the tariff on rice exports to the country to be reduced.
“It would be better if they lower the tariff
on the export of rice by quota. China imposes 60pc tariff on rice export as a
protection for its farmers. We want it to be 17-20% only,” U Chan Thar Oo said.
He added that it would be better if China
just awards import licenses to its companies to import rice from Myanmar by
quota Separately, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Deputy
Secretary U Myo Tint Tun said given the glut, market information will be
supplied to farmers but the final decision in choosing crops is up to them.
The local rice market has a value of K6
billion annually, equivalent to around 14 million tonnes, of which K5 billion
or 10 million tonnes goes to local consumption with around K900 million for
export.
Ministry of Commerce statistics showed that
agricultural exports in fiscal 2017-18 was 21pc of total exports with export
volume decreasing since fiscal 2011-12 when it was 30pc of exports.
Rice and broken rice export
earnings hit nearly 700 million US dollars
PUBLISHED 6 MARCH 2019
During ten and half months, Myanmar earned
nearly 700 million US dollars from exports of over 2.1 million tons of rice and
broken rice, according to the export figures of Myanmar Rice Federation.
From April 1, 2018 to February 15, 2019, the
exports of rice and broken rice hit over 2.115 million tons, fetching 699.467 million
US dollar.
Myanmar exports rice via sea route and border
trade camps. Export earnings from border camps hit over 360 million US dollars
through exports of rice and broken rice worth over 1.076 million US
dollars. It accounts for more than 50 per cent of the total exports.
In addition, Myanmar shipped 1.038 million
tons of rice and broken rice worth nearly 340 million US dollars via sea route,
accounting for more than 49 per cent of the total export.
During this period, Myanmar exports rice to
50 countries and broken rice to 21 countries. Reliance on a single market for
the rice export is a high risk. Thanks to the expansion of high-quality
markets, the country exports rice to more than 60 countries, said Ye Min Aung,
General-Secretary of Myanmar Rice Federation. This is the result of efforts to
explore the quality-oriented market.”
https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/rice-and-broken-rice-export-earnings-hit-nearly-700-million-us-dollars
