India’s ‘Seed Warrior’ Builds Living Seed Banks to Preserve
Agricultural Diversity
Debal Deb has preserved 1,410
varieties of indigenous rice through an open-source seed bank in Odisha, India that promotes
agricultural diversity and resilience for marginalized farmers. On April 30th,
as part of a new live webinar series from A Growing
Culture (AGC), Deb will discuss the role that seeds play in the
preservation of culture.
Deb, an independent researcher
and ecologist, began conserving indigenous seeds twenty-five years ago after
witnessing the decline of folk rice varieties following the Green Revolution. Before the introduction of the
Green Revolution in the 1960s, India boasted over 100,000 varieties of native rice; today,
that figure hovers around 7,000.
“With the disappearance of
thousands of varieties that were perfectly adapted to the local environmental
conditions, farmers are now unable to adapt to the climate change crisis that
agriculture is facing,” Deb tells Food Tank. “I began my effort in the hope
that more competent people would come forward to conserve the genetic wealth to
secure the future of our food.”
To realize this goal, Deb
created Vrihi,
an open-source, living seed bank, which houses and cultivates rare and
indigenous varieties of rice. Deb freely distributes the seeds to farmers
across the country on the condition that they continue to grow and distribute
them to their wider community.
Deb believes that open access to
indigenous seeds is the start of true food sovereignty. He explains that
indigenous varieties, which do not require pesticides and fertilizers, frees
farmers from any reliance on corporations that sell these inputs.
“When the farmer has the indigenous
seeds appropriate to the local environmental conditions and applies
agroecology, the farmer is liberated from the bondage of the industrial
agricultural system,” says Deb.
Indigenous varieties also benefit
the health of communities. “Folk rice varieties are rich in a range of
micronutrients like iron, zinc, vitamins, and antioxidants—which are
characteristically absent in the modern rice varieties, and are valuable to
ensure nutritional security of the poor,” Deb tells Food Tank.
AGC, an organization committed to
the advancement of farmer autonomy, seeks to share Deb’s message. Through a new
weekly webinar series, The Hunger For Justice Series, they are featuring
conversations about building a socially just and regenerative food system in
the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 30th at 11:00 a.m.
EST, Deb and Dan Barber, Chef and Co-Founder of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at
Stone Barnes, will be in conversation to discuss Deb’s efforts with seed banks
and the role that seeds play in the development of cultural resilience.
Ultimately, Deb hopes that his
work can bridge the gap between farmers and scientists. “There are certain
things that indigenous farmers know, but scientists do not know,” Deb tells
Food Tank. “Conversely, there are certain things that scientists know but are
unknown to the farmers. I am working to…make the relevant pieces of scientific
information accessible to the farmers, and to bring the wealth of traditional
knowledge to the scientific repertoire in order to improve the science of agriculture.”
Photo courtesy of A Growing
Culture
USA Rice Showcases Authenticity in New Chef Video
ARLINGTON,
VIRGINIA -- This week, USA Rice released the first of three educational videos
aimed at foodservice operators, chefs, and purchasers. The goal of the
video series is to highlight the advantages U.S.-grown rice can bring to a
foodservice operation and its bottom line, and with restaurants in a period of
flux because of shifting dining patterns, the timing is appropriate.
The videos have three distinct themes: Authenticity -- how using U.S.-grown rice allows operators to deliver an authentic culinary experience; Plant-Based -- how incorporating U.S.-grown rice in their menus enables operators to capitalize on the plant-based movement and increase their whole food offerings; and Seasonality -- how U.S.-grown rice can help operators easily adapt their menus based on the growing season.
Each video stars James Beard-nominated Chef Hari Cameron as the host and highlights different rice-based concepts.
The Authenticity video was released this week with Chef Hari talking about three U.S.-grown rice varieties and how each can be applied to create truly authentic dishes for customers. The recipes featured are Blue Crab Fried Rice with U.S.-grown jasmine rice, Steak Bibimbap with U.S.-grown short grain rice, and a Low Country Dirty Rice with U.S.-grown long grain rice.
"We know the foodservice industry is facing a very challenging time right now as a result of the COVID-19 crisis," said Michael Klein, USA Rice vice president of domestic promotion. "As operators look to the future and consider adapting their models, we wanted to launch this video series that is about inspiring chefs and moving U.S.-grown rice to the top of their minds. In the first video, Chef Hari capitalizes on the rise of global flavors and the tweaking of homegrown favorites to remind professionals that they can deliver authentic dishes with locally grown rice. As he says in the video, 'when he thinks authentic, he thinks U.S.-grown rice!'"
This video series will be incorporated into USA Rice's overall foodservice digital advertising strategy and future videos will be released in the following months.
Go here to view the first video.
The videos have three distinct themes: Authenticity -- how using U.S.-grown rice allows operators to deliver an authentic culinary experience; Plant-Based -- how incorporating U.S.-grown rice in their menus enables operators to capitalize on the plant-based movement and increase their whole food offerings; and Seasonality -- how U.S.-grown rice can help operators easily adapt their menus based on the growing season.
Each video stars James Beard-nominated Chef Hari Cameron as the host and highlights different rice-based concepts.
The Authenticity video was released this week with Chef Hari talking about three U.S.-grown rice varieties and how each can be applied to create truly authentic dishes for customers. The recipes featured are Blue Crab Fried Rice with U.S.-grown jasmine rice, Steak Bibimbap with U.S.-grown short grain rice, and a Low Country Dirty Rice with U.S.-grown long grain rice.
"We know the foodservice industry is facing a very challenging time right now as a result of the COVID-19 crisis," said Michael Klein, USA Rice vice president of domestic promotion. "As operators look to the future and consider adapting their models, we wanted to launch this video series that is about inspiring chefs and moving U.S.-grown rice to the top of their minds. In the first video, Chef Hari capitalizes on the rise of global flavors and the tweaking of homegrown favorites to remind professionals that they can deliver authentic dishes with locally grown rice. As he says in the video, 'when he thinks authentic, he thinks U.S.-grown rice!'"
This video series will be incorporated into USA Rice's overall foodservice digital advertising strategy and future videos will be released in the following months.
Go here to view the first video.
USA Rice Daily
China Focus: Major rice producer promotes
double-cropping rice to ensure food security
Source:
Xinhua| 2020-04-28 18:49:25|Editor: huaxia
CHANGSHA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Standing on the ridge of rice
paddies with a hoe on his shoulder, farmer Xie Xiping breathed a sigh of
relief. "The paddy fields finally began to grow double-cropping rice after
20 years."
Xie's hometown, the village of Changan in central China's Hunan
Province, planted double-cropping rice on its 120 hectares of arable land 20
years ago.
However, as the income from rice farming continued to decline, a
large number of young and middle-aged villagers left to work in cities, and the
elderly left behind switched to single-cropping rice due to the shortage of
laborers.
In Hunan, a major rice producer in China, farmers planted
double-cropping rice in most plain areas and even mountain areas with
relatively poor farming conditions, to ensure stable grain yields.
However, with the rice-planting cost rising and the market price
of rice dropping in recent years, more and more mountains switched to grow
single-cropping rice. In Hunan's Dongting Lake plain, one of China's major
commodity grain production bases, large areas of fertile land were used for
crayfish farming for a better income.
Nationwide, the country also saw a falling planting area of
double-cropping rice. In March, according to figures released by China's
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the planting area of double-cropping
rice in 2019 was about 9.3 million hectares, down about 2.3 million hectares
compared to 2012.
Rice is a staple food in China, whose total grain output consists
of three parts -- early rice, summer grain and autumn production. Autumn grain
crops, which include corn and middle- and late-season rice, account for the
bulk of the grain production.
To ensure grain supply, major grain-producing provinces in China,
including Hunan, are speeding up efforts to curb the decline in the planting
area of double-cropping rice, which accounts for nearly one-third of the
country's total rice-planting area.
Hunan first worked on the provision of high-quality early rice
seedlings for farmers.
"The seedling raising work of early rice is troublesome
because it's labor-intensive. The unstable temperature in spring will also
reduce the survival rate of rice seedlings," said Wu Jianjun, a senior
agronomist in Huarong County. "Therefore, many farmers gave up planting
early rice in the past."
To solve the problem of rice seedlings, the local government
entrusted professionals to raise rice seedlings and built seedling raising
greenhouses and intelligent plants, in an effort to reduce farmers' financial
and labor burdens.
It also promoted the use of agricultural machines to help
farmers with scattering and transplanting seedlings.
"We were given subsidies to purchase agricultural
machinery, which saves us a lot of time and manpower in our farm work,"
said Zeng Dekong, a rice farmer in the township of Wanyu in Huarong.
In addition, Hunan sent more than 11,000 agricultural and
technical cadres to rice paddies to provide guidance for farmers in rice
planting.
The efforts have paid off. The latest statistics from the
provincial agriculture and rural affairs department showed that the planting
area of early rice in Hunan has so far increased to about 1.22 million
hectares.
In Xie's village, the 120 hectares of fertile land has been
entrusted to farmers in neighboring villages to plant double-cropping rice.
"For us farmers, self-sufficiency is the most reassuring
thing," Xie smiled. Enditem
A Mother, a Pandemic and Scorched Rice
“You have an American amount of rice,” my mother told me as news
of the coronavirus intensified. “Go get the biggest bag you can find.”
Credit...Lucy Johnston
By Lynn Jones Johnston
· Published April 28, 2020Updated April 29, 2020 “I’m sending
you money to buy rice,” my mom texted me in early March. She had gone to the
West Coast to help my sister with her new baby and stayed when it became too
risky to fly. As news of the coronavirus intensified, so did her fretting.
“I don’t need money,” I texted back. “Also, I
have plenty of rice.”
“No, you
have an American amount of rice,” she
replied. “Go get the biggest bag you can find.”
I live
in New York City and can’t just drive to the supermarket to load up on
groceries. Every item has to be carried home, which I don’t mind. The hunting
and gathering of city life energizes me, from the stooped butchers at
Ottomanelli Brothers, to the East Village pasta maker who throws in an extra handful
of gnocchi with your order, to vendors who show up at the farmer’s market, rain
or shine.
When I
first visited the Big Apple, as a 15-year old, a forgotten bell rang. By then
my family was living in American suburbia, but deep in my brain, the echo of
another city, the one I’d been born in, sounded. In Saigon, one of my earliest
memories was going to the market on a moped with my aunt, sitting on her long,
traditional ao dai to keep it from flying
in the air, my 3-year-old hands white-knuckling her waist as we zipped through
traffic. Even though it was war time, I never felt more alive.
“Please
be careful,” my mother texted when the Bay area issued a stay-at-home order,
adding, “Let me know when you’ve gotten the rice.” OK,
Mom. In the week before New York followed with its own
shutdown, I went to the Asian supermarket that sits between an upscale bagel
shop and Pakistani-run stationers and grabbed a 15-pounder, cursing my lack of
upper body strength as I made my way home.
Ideas from The
Times on what to read, cook, watch, play and listen to while staying safe At Home.
Electric
rice cookers have a setting to create this essential underbelly, but I do it on
the stove by trial and error. To make com chay, the most important
ingredient is patience. Cook the rice longer than you normally do on the lowest
possible setting to coax the desired caramel shell.
When my
mother is here, she announces the state of the com chay before serving
dinner, like a meteorologist on the morning news.
“Don’t expect too much crunch.”
“Watch for a few spotty areas.”
“Today
there’s plenty of goodness for everyone!”
My
hunting-and-gathering now on hold, I had to get creative making meals for my
daughter Lucy and me, with ingredients on hand. One night, I sautéed fresh
curly kale with a dash of oyster sauce and red pepper flakes, sprinkled with a
handful of roasted chickpeas and served on a bed of soft and crusty rice.
My
hamburger-loving teenager nodded and smiled as she bit into bitter kale
complemented by the chickpeas’ silkiness. “Plot twist, I like this and so would
Kate,” she said, referring to her health-conscious older sister who is
sheltering in Los Angeles and with whom she’d long clashed over what to eat for
dinner.
What I
like to eat more than anything with com chay is dried pork,
shredded with a mortar and pestle and seasoned to a perfect umami flavor. When
I found a stash in the back of the freezer, my daughter heard such a yelp that
she ran to the kitchen in time to see me pumping my fist with the Ziploc like
Bong Joon Ho with his Oscars.
Salted
protein is an Asian staple. My mother used to tell us a cautionary story of a
family so poor that the parents hung a salted fish over the dinner table and
instructed the children to imagine eating it with their plain rice. “Only look
at the fish once per bite,” the parents told their hungry brood. “Don’t be
greedy.”
“Don’t
be greedy” is a lesson reinforced by my time in shelter. That sack of rice has
helped me make food stretch, reuse leftovers and complement whatever produce I
happen to get. I’ve tried to consume less, not only because deliveries are
uncertain but also because I worry about people risking their health to serve
my needs. After seeing recent photos of food bank lines, I wonder how many
American families have salted fish on their ceiling.
Image
The
author with her mother, Minh, in Vietnam.Credit...Courtesy of Lynn Jones Johnston
Something
else about New York City reminds me of Vietnam. In one of the few photos of me
there, I’m with my mother on what looks like a casual stroll, her flat smile
betraying the chaos in our lives. There’s no mistaking the tightness behind my
eyes. Children, like dogs, can sense insecurity in the air. Yet, we continue to
laugh and play, eat and love. Part of us may be scorched but we survive.
Lynn
Jones Johnston moved from Vietnam to the United States in third grade. She
works as a literary agent in New York City.
*To make
scorched rice: You can get a crust by cooking your rice as you normally do, and
then leaving it on the very lowest temperature for 10 to 15 minutes longer to
crisp the bottom. My mother prefers the parboil method: Rinse a cup of rice
until the water runs clear (10 times). Add water to cover rice with a little
overage in a pot (about one-and-a-half cups). Bring pot to a boil. Turn down
the heat to a simmer and keep uncovered. Cook for five minutes until the rice
is soft on the outside and hard in the middle. Cover and cook on the lowest
setting. After 30 minutes, start checking on the crust. When desired crust
forms, turn off heat and wait five minutes. Scrape the crust from the pan and
serve.
All rice cardholders in
Tamil Nadu to get double their free rice quota for three months
CHENNAI, APRIL
29, 2020 12:54 IST
Rice loaded in a lorry being carried to rations shops. Photograph
used for representational purposes only | Photo Credit: M. Karunakaran
The measure has been taken to
alleviate the hardships caused by the COVID-19 lockdown in the State
The State government has decided
to double the rice entitlement of all rice-drawing ration cardholders in Tamil
Nadu for the next three months, as a measure to alleviate the hardships caused
by the COVID-19 lockdown. This is in tune with the government’s policy of
universal public distribution system (UPDS).
As being done for ordinary
allocation of rice, every cardholder will get the additional allocation of rice
free of cost at 5 kg per person per month.
There are a total of about 2.01
crore rice-drawing cards, of which priority household (PHH) cards are 1.15
crore and non-priority household (NPHH) cards, around 86 lakh. The broad
objective of the State government is to ensure that no card receives a lower
amount of rice than what it would have normally received under the UPDS,
according to an order issued by the Cooperation, Food and Civil Supplies
Department on Monday.
The effect of the decision is
that a ration card, having four persons as members of a household, will be
entitled to receive 40 kg of rice free of cost every month up to the end of
June. Ordinarily, the monthly entitlement is 20 kg for a card of four persons.
The order states that PDS beneficiaries can draw the additional entitlement for
the month of April in May and June, while obtaining their revised quota of
rice. In other words, during the period of April-June, a ration card in the
State will cumulatively get 120 kg of rice free.
The State government’s move is an
improvement over the Central government’s scheme -- Prime Minister Garib Kalyan
Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) -- wherein only two types of ration cardholders – Priority
Household (PHH) and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) -- are entitled to receive the
additional allocation of 5 kg per person per month for the three months (April
– June) over and above the norms as stipulated by the National Food Security
Act (NFSA).
Another decision taken by the
government is to increase the minimum entitlement during the three months for
single-member ration cards to 7 kg per card per month from 5 kg per card per
month, which is the norm under the NFSA. By providing an additional quantity of
5 kg per person in such cards in the light of the lockdown, the total
entitlement will go up to 12 kg, which is even otherwise being given in Tamil
Nadu for the single member ration cards.
The State government’s move to
cover the NPHH cards involves an additional requirement of 66,271 tonnes of
rice per month at the rate of ₹146 crore per month. Totally, it will cost ₹438 crore additionally to the
exchequer for the three months. This also means that the State government,
which had been pressing the Union government to give rice free of cost for the
NPHH cards too, has agreed to take the Centre’s offer of providing rice at the
rate of ₹22 per kg for these cards.
But, the government will spend
only ₹84 crore more than the
originally-budgeted amount. This is because it will be able to save ₹354 crore from the transaction of
pulses procurement, as the State has been allocated 11,108 tonnes of tur dal by
the Centre free under the PMGKAY (which is 33,324 tonnes for the three months)
for the PHH and AAY cards.
A few days before the Centre came
out with the PMGKAY in March, the State government announced that rice, one kg
sugar and tur dal each, and one kg of edible oil would be given free of cost to
all entitled ration card holders in April, apart from cash of ₹1,000 each to rice-drawing cards.
It had also decided to extend this concession, except the cash support, for the
month of May too.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/all-rice-cardholders-in-tamil-nadu-to-get-double-their-free-rice-quota-for-three-months/article31460576.ece
Government procurement of rice through app delayed, limited
·
Published at 12:59 pm April 29th, 2020
File photo: Farmers are working on a
field Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune
A lottery will be held among farmers who register
with the app to determine who
can use it in the current season
Bangladesh
government’s plans to procure paddy from farmers through an online app has been
delayed till May and is limited in scale, due to disruptions caused by the
Covid-19 pandemic.
The government
had planned to procure paddy over the “Krishoker App” as well as by regular
means from April 26. The app was supposed to be used in one upazila each of
every district.
However, the
app will now only be used in one upazila each of 24 districts and will begin
operating in mid-May at the earliest. The app will not be introduced in the
other districts till next year.
A lottery will
be held among farmers who register with the app to determine who can use it in
the current season. The government began buying paddy by regular means from
April 26, as planned.
In the current
Boro season, the government will buy around 2 million metric tons of food crops
such as paddy, rice, and wheat. 50,000 tons of paddy is scheduled to be
purchased from farmers through the app.
While the wait
for the app goes on, more than half the paddy has already been harvested in the
Haor districts of Sylhet Division. Harvesting is also in progress in other
districts, and millers may buy the paddy from farmers if the government delays
too much.
According to
the authorities, training modules and procedures for use of the app have
already been developed, but they could only be completed in 24 districts due to
the coronavirus outbreak. As a result, the government will only launch the app
in these 24 districts, for now.
Abdullah Al
Mamun, director (movement, storage and silo division) of the Directorate
General of Food (DGF), said: “We had taken all preparations. We prepared the
training module, schedule, and had plans to complete the process in March.
However, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, we could not conduct training and other
tasks in most of the districts. We have completed all procedures for 24 Sadar
upazilas of 24 districts.
“We will
take online applications for registration from farmers till May 7. After
scrutinizing the applications, a lottery will be held to select farmers we will
buy from. The farmers who get the chance to use the facility during the Boro
season will be excluded in the Amon season, so that more farmers get a chance
to sell paddy to the government at a fair price,” he added.
He estimated
that the app would begin operation in the middle of May.
What is the
process of online procurement?
Farmers will
complete registration with the government developed Krishoker App in the first
step. Subsequently, local agriculture offices will match the names of
applicants to a list of farmers in the locality that they have made before.
After a
sufficient number of farmers have applied and been scrutinized by local
agriculture offices, upazila committees headed by the UNO will hold a lottery
among the applicants to determine the final list of farmers who will be
eligible to sell their paddy. Then the government will collect the paddy from
the farmers on a scheduled day, and the farmers will collect payment from the
bank.
Every farmer
will get the opportunity to sell up to two tons of paddy.
Government to
buy around 2 million tons of food crops
The government
had decided to buy 600,000 tons of paddy, 1.15 million tons of rice, and 75,000
tons of wheat in the current Boro season. The price for paddy has been fixed at
Tk26 per kg, rice at Tk36, and wheat at Tk28.
Upon
instruction from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the government decided to
increase the amount of paddy they will buy to 800,000 tons.
The government
started buying paddy from April 26 and will start buying rice from May 7. They
will continue to buy until August 31.
Meanwhile, the
government began buying wheat from the open market from April 15 and will
continue to buy it until June 30.
Vietnam’s rice exports ready to flow again as
Premier ends curbs
By: Mai Ngoc Chau | Apr 29 2020 at 04:55 AM
| International Trade
Vietnam will end rice export
restrictions from the start of May, bringing closure to a month-long saga that
sparked fears over food protectionism and caused global prices to spike.
Farmers in the Mekong delta, the
country’s rice belt, have produced sufficient rice despite a drought, Prime
Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a cabinet meeting Tuesday. Shipments will be
allowed to return to normal, he said. “As well as food security, it’s necessary
we ensure food exports are stable and guarantee the rights of rice farmers,” he
added.
The world’s third-largest
exporter interrupted the free-flow of exports in late March on fears for its
own supplies, placing a quota on how much it could ship and causing thousands
of rice containers to pile up at ports. That helped push up prices as concerns
grew that Vietnam’s decision would prompt more nations to take protectionist
measures.
The government faced mounting
pressure to end the curbs, with exporters suffering financial losses as shipments
were held up at ports. The move also brings relief for farmers as well as
traders who shied away from signing new contracts.
“Our farmers are elated with the
news,” said Tieu Ngoc Loi, director of Nhan Loi Cooperative in the Mekong Delta
city of Can Tho. “It was hard seeing global prices surge, and being unable to
offer our full stocks.”
Vietnam’s decision to halt rice
shipments helped send benchmark Asian export prices to the highest since 2013,
and triggered complaints from importers in the region, including Japan,
Singapore, Philippines, Australia.
Vietnam suspended exports on
March 24, before placing a 400,000 ton limit on shipments for April, almost
half of what it exported in the same month last year. The government raised the
quota by 100,000 tons after the food association said some 300,000 tons stuck
at ports faced the risk of spoiling.
The country can ship 13.5 million
tons of paddy this year, equal to 6.7 million tons of rice, out of forecast
output of 43.5 million tons, the trade ministry said. Still, Vietnam does not
rule out halting exports again if shipments are seen as a threat to national
food security, according to the premier.
Vietnam’s rice exporters will
have their export licenses withdrawn if they fail to maintain minimum levels of
regular stockpiles equal to 5% of shipments over a six-month period. Also, the
top 20 exporters are required to sign commitments with at least one local
supermarket chain to ensure they can supply from their mandatory stockpiles
when asked.
PM allows rice export resumption from May 1
Update: April,
29/2020 - 12:09
|
The country is projected to have
43.5 million tonnes of rice this year, nearly 30 million tonnes of which is
expected to be used for domestic consumption. — VNA/VNS Photo
HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on
April 28 agreed with the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s proposal to resume
rice export from May 1, in accordance with Decree 107/2018/NĐ-CP on rice export
business.During a meeting with leaders of ministries, departments, localities in the Mekong Delta and major food companies, PM Phúc asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to ensure food security and more effective food export.
The MoF was assigned to purchase rice for national reserves while the General Department of Customs must create favourable conditions for the export of the grain.
Meanwhile, the MoIT was required to coordinate with the MoF and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on rice harvest, consumption and export.
The MoIT and localities must ask rice exporters to follow the Government’s Decree 107 on the maintenance of the minimum rice circulation reserve and sign a deal with at least one supermarket to supply the grain when requested.
It must amend and supplement Decree 107, including paying attention to the role of the People’s Committees of major rice production localities, especially those in the Mekong Delta and the Red River Delta.
According to the MoIT, the country is projected to have 43.5 million tonnes of rice this year, nearly 30 million tonnes of which is expected to be used for domestic consumption, and the rest for export. — VNS
Vietnam scraps rice export limit
By Anh
Minh April 29, 2020 | 09:55 am GMT+7
Farmers harvest rice in the southern province of Soc Trang on
March 10, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyet Nhi.
Prime Minister
Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered the lifting of restrictions on rice exports,
imposed for a month to ensure food security.
From May 1 the grain could be
exported normally though the Ministry of Finance still needs to buy enough rice
for the national reserve, he said on Tuesday.
"Amid the pandemic and unusual
weather phenomena, we need to ensure the nation’s food security and protect
rice farmers’ benefits. Raising prices for speculating must not be
allowed," Phuc said.
He instructed the Ministry of
Industry and Trade to report back if there are signs that exports could affect
food security.
The ministry said 6.5-6.7 million
tons could be exported this year. Last year the country had shipped 6.37
million tons.
On April 10 the government had capped April exports at 400,000 tons.
Many companies complained that
customs began accepting declaration forms at midnight on April 11 without prior
notice, and as a result many of them with large quantities of rice stuck at
ports were unable to submit their forms before the 400,000-ton threshold
was reached.
Phuc has ordered the Government
Inspectorate to look into possible violations in this regard.
Vietnam is the world's third
largest rice exporter after India and Thailand. Last year its exports were
worth $2.81 billion, with the top markets being the Philippines, Ivory Coast,
China, and Malaysia.
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/industries/vietnam-scraps-rice-export-limit-4091753.htmlSkip to content
Vietnam’s
Rice Exports Ready to Flow Again as Premier Ends Curbs
By Mai Ngoc Chau
April 29, 2020, 1:55 PM GMT+5
·
Shipments poised to return to normal from the start of
May
·
Exports were suspended in March over food security fears
Farm
hands work in rice fields in Can Tho Province, Vietnam.
Photographer
Heidi Wideroe/Bloomberg
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Vietnam will end rice export restrictions from the start of May,
bringing closure to a month-long saga
that sparked fears over food protectionism and caused global prices to spike.
Farmers in the Mekong delta, the country’s rice belt, have
produced sufficient rice despite a drought, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc
said at a cabinet meeting Tuesday. Shipments will be allowed to return to
normal, he said. “As well as food security, it’s necessary we
ensure food exports are stable and guarantee the rights of rice farmers,” he
added.
The world’s third-largest exporter
interrupted the free-flow of exports in late March on fears for its own
supplies, placing a quota on how much it could ship and causing thousands of
rice containers to pile up at ports. That helped push up prices as concerns
grew that Vietnam’s decision would prompt more nations to take protectionist
measures.
The government faced mounting
pressure to end the curbs, with exporters suffering financial losses as
shipments were held up at ports. The move also brings relief for farmers as
well as traders who shied away from signing new contracts.
“Our farmers are elated with the
news,” said Tieu Ngoc Loi, director of Nhan Loi Cooperative in the Mekong Delta
city of Can Tho. “It was hard seeing global prices surge, and being unable to
offer our full stocks.”
Vietnam’s decision to halt rice
shipments helped send benchmark Asian export prices to the highest since 2013,
and triggered complaints from importers in the region, including Japan, Singapore,
Philippines, Australia.
Vietnam suspended exports on March
24, before placing a 400,000 ton limit on shipments for April, almost half of
what it exported in the same month last year. The government raised the quota
by 100,000 tons after the food association said some 300,000 tons stuck at
ports faced the risk of spoiling.
The country can ship 13.5 million
tons of paddy this year, equal to 6.7 million tons of rice, out of forecast
output of 43.5 million tons, the trade ministry said. Still, Vietnam does not
rule out halting exports again if shipments are seen as a threat to national
food security, according to the premier.
Vietnam’s rice exporters will have
their export licenses withdrawn if they fail to maintain minimum levels of
regular stockpiles equal to 5% of shipments over a six-month period. Also, the
top 20 exporters are required to sign commitments with at least one local
supermarket chain to ensure they can supply from their mandatory stockpiles
when asked.
Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.
Gov't Provides Incentives to Nearly 2.5
Million Farmers to Maintain Rice Production
BY :IWAN M
PUTUHENA, NOVY LUMANAUW, LENNY TRISTIA TAMBUN
A boy works a rice field in
Lamahu Village, Gorontalo, on Monday. (Antara Photo/Adiwinata Solihin
Jakarta. The government plans to provide incentives for 2.44
million farmers after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo ordered his
ministers to direct the economic stimulus program to
farmers to maintain domestic food production.
"The incentives will be
given to 2.44 million farmers so they can begin the next planting
season," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga
Hartarto said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
According to the minister, the
government will provide a monthly stipend of Rp 600,000 ($38) for the next
three months in the form of direct cash aid, or BLT.
In fact the assistance
comprises Rp 300,000 in cash and Rp 300,000 in agricultural
products such as seeds and fertilizers.
"The Agriculture Ministry
will announce the procedure [to receive the incentives]," Airlangga
said.
The minister also
said the country has enough rice in stock for Idul Fitri despite
the continuing pandemic.
"We expect a harvest of
5.6 million tons [of rice] in April. This is consistent with the trend in
2018 and 2019. The rice harvest usually occurs between March and
April," he said.
The country has 6.3 million
tons of rice in reserve at State Logistics Agency (Bulog) warehouses.
Bulog will send rice to regions
where the rice stock is limited.
As of April 27, the average
price nationally for medium quality rice is Rp 11,800 per kilogram.
For premium quality rice it's Rp 12,750 per kilogram.
Airlangga said some regions in
Indonesia have limited reserves of rice, but the government will continue to
monitor rice stock and distribution to make sure they do not run
out.
"The Trade Ministry and
Bulog will carry out monitoring operations to make sure every region has enough
food stock. As per the president's instructions, we will monitor demand
for basic food supplies and rice availability in Bulog, rice
mills, communities and regional areas," he said.
Last week, the government ordered
Bulog to deliver an aid package of 450,000 tons of rice to several regions
in coordination with the Social Affairs Ministry.
During a teleconference from
Bogor Palace on Tuesday, President Jokowi said seven provinces currently have
a rice stock deficit but did not mention their names.
Jokowi said as long as rice
distribution continues uninterrupted, provinces with rice deficit can
get extra supplies from surplus areas.
The president said large-scale social
restrictions should not disrupt the food distribution between
provinces and islands in the country.
The president said supplies
of staple food in each region should be constantly monitored to find
out if there's a surplus or deficit, or if production needs to
be ramped up.
The government must also prepare
for the possibility of a prolonged drought in 2020, even
though according to the Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency
(BMKG), Indonesia will not experience extreme weather conditions this
year.
https://jakartaglobe.id/business/govt-provides-incentives-to-nearly-25-million-farmers-to-maintain-rice-production
GenSan buys
rice from Vietnam to augment relief drive
April 29, 2020, 7:44 pm
General Santos City hall building (PNA-GenSan file photo)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The city government has purchased some 7,200 metric
tons (MT) of imported rice worth around PHP305 million to augment its
continuing relief operations for residents affected by the enhanced community
quarantine.
City Mayor Ronnel Rivera said
Wednesday they expect the rice supplies, which were acquired in Vietnam through
a private supplier, to arrive in the next few days at the Makar wharf here.
He said the shipment comprises some
288,000 bags of rice at 25 kilos each or a total of 7.2 million kilos.
The mayor said the cargo vessel
carrying the rice shipment is currently in Cebu and unloading the supplies acquired
by local government units in the area.
“The unloading in Cebu was actually
delayed for several days because of port congestion but we were told that it is
already being done and the vessel will proceed here after that,” he told
reporters.
Rivera said they opted to import
the rice supplies due to the limited standby stocks of the National Food
Authority (NFA) provincial office here.
He said they have signed a
memorandum of agreement with the food agency for the storage of the rice
supplies in its warehouse here.
The mayor said the coming supplies
will be combined with the 6,000 bags of rice earlier purchased by the local
government from the NFA, bringing its total rice stocks to around 7.5 million
kilos.
He said these will be distributed
to the city’s 169,000 households in two waves in the next two months.
“We will be providing each
household with two 25-kilo packs or equivalent to one sack of rice (50 kilos)
as set in our response measure approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod,” he
said.
Rivera added that they had
programmed to provide each household at least five kilos of rice each for two
months to help them cope with the impact of the quarantine measures.
Since last month, the city
government has already released around PH600 million for Covid-19 response,
with the bulk of the funds utilized for the relief efforts.
The distributed relief assistance
included assorted canned goods and noodles, pork and chicken meat, fish, and
vegetables. (PNA)
Korea
succeeds in cultivating rice in UAE desert
Posted : 2020-04-29 16:25
Updated : 2020-04-29 18:21
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Asemi
rice, a rice variety developed by the Rural Development Administration (RDA),
is seen a in rice paddy in a desert area of the United Arab Emirates. /
Courtesy of RDA
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By Baek Byung-yeul
Korea's Rural Development Administration (RDA) has succeeded in growing rice in a desert in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the state-run agricultural research institute said Wednesday.
The research institute started to grow Asemi rice on a 1,890-square-meter plot in the UAE's desert area of Sharjah in November 2019. It expects the crop will be ready for harvest May 5.
The rice farming experiment was launched after leaders of the two countries agreed to develop smart farming technology during a summit in the UAE in 2018.
"We sowed seeds Nov. 25. As of April 24, we expect we can harvest 763 kilograms of rice per 1,000 square meters. We increased the crop amount by 40 percent compared with when we harvest in the same rice variant in Korea," an RDA official said.
The increased crop productivity was possible as the rice growing area received more sunlight as well as appropriate nutrients.
Asemi rice was developed in 2013 by the RDA in an effort to make an export rice variant that could grow well even in non-tropical countries. The rice variety is a kind of japonica rice, which is mainly consumed in China, Korea and Japan because of its sticky and moist nature when cooked.
Once they finish harvesting the first crop, they will sow more Asemi seeds in August to see if double-cropping, which is raising two crops a year, is possible.
"In Korea, it takes about 160 days from sowing to harvesting on average. Given we are expecting to harvest the rice crop there May 5, we can say the cultivation period is similar to that in Korea," the RDA official said.
"As we have succeeded in growing rice, we will try to sow the Asemi rice in August to see whether double-cropping is possible. At present, we think the chances are good."
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RDA
officials pose with a UAE official taking part in a rice farming in the
desert project. / Courtesy of RDA
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By conducting follow-up experiments, the RDA also aims to secure the profitability of rice farming in the desert, as currently it costs too much to supply desalinated water to the rice growing areas.
The agency said it costs about 20 million won ($16,419) per hectare to supply fresh water, while the product value in the same area is 5.65 million won.
"To solve the water supply issue, the RDA is currently reviewing several plans. First, we are considering using underground water instead of supplying fresh water made from seawater. Second, we may reduce the water use by 30 percent by applying new cultivation methods which combine furrow cultivation and drip irrigation," the RDA said.
The RDA said rice farming in the UAE was made possible thanks to support from government agencies of the two countries including the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, the Embassy of the UAE in Korea, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the UAE and Korea's agriculture, science and foreign ministries.
RDA administrator Kim Kyeong-kyu said the successful cultivation of rice has strengthened ties between the two countries.
"In such a difficult situation, we verified the possibility of rice farming in desert areas, utilizing our agricultural technology and experience. If we are able to secure the sustainability of rice farming there after conducting experiments, I hope it will contribute to strengthening bilateral ties," Kim said.
Major
rice producer promotes double-cropping rice to ensure food security
Last
Updated: 2020-04-29 00:33 | Xinhua
Standing
on the ridge of rice paddies with a hoe on his shoulder, farmer Xie Xiping
breathed a sigh of relief. "The paddy fields finally began to grow
double-cropping rice after 20 years."
Xie's
hometown, the village of Changan in central China's Hunan Province, planted
double-cropping rice on its 120 hectares of arable land 20 years ago.
However,
as the income from rice farming continued to decline, a large number of young
and middle-aged villagers left to work in cities, and the elderly left behind
switched to single-cropping rice due to the shortage of laborers.
In
Hunan, a major rice producer in China, farmers planted double-cropping rice in
most plain areas and even mountain areas with relatively poor farming
conditions, to ensure stable grain yields.
However,
with the rice-planting cost rising and the market price of rice dropping in
recent years, more and more mountains switched to grow single-cropping rice. In
Hunan's Dongting Lake plain, one of China's major commodity grain production
bases, large areas of fertile land were used for crayfish farming for a better
income.
Nationwide,
the country also saw a falling planting area of double-cropping rice. In March,
according to figures released by China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Affairs, the planting area of double-cropping rice in 2019 was about 9.3
million hectares, down about 2.3 million hectares compared to 2012.
Rice
is a staple food in China, whose total grain output consists of three parts --
early rice, summer grain and autumn production. Autumn grain crops, which
include corn and middle- and late-season rice, account for the bulk of the
grain production.
To
ensure grain supply, major grain-producing provinces in China, including Hunan,
are speeding up efforts to curb the decline in the planting area of
double-cropping rice, which accounts for nearly one-third of the country's
total rice-planting area.
Hunan
first worked on the provision of high-quality early rice seedlings for farmers.
"The
seedling raising work of early rice is troublesome because it's
labor-intensive. The unstable temperature in spring will also reduce the
survival rate of rice seedlings," said Wu Jianjun, a senior agronomist in
Huarong County. "Therefore, many farmers gave up planting early rice in
the past."
To
solve the problem of rice seedlings, the local government entrusted
professionals to raise rice seedlings and built seedling raising greenhouses
and intelligent plants, in an effort to reduce farmers' financial and labor
burdens.
It
also promoted the use of agricultural machines to help farmers with scattering
and transplanting seedlings.
"We
were given subsidies to purchase agricultural machinery, which saves us a lot
of time and manpower in our farm work," said Zeng Dekong, a rice farmer in
the township of Wanyu in Huarong.
In
addition, Hunan sent more than 11,000 agricultural and technical cadres to rice
paddies to provide guidance for farmers in rice planting.
The
efforts have paid off. The latest statistics from the provincial agriculture
and rural affairs department showed that the planting area of early rice in
Hunan has so far increased to about 1.22 million hectares.
In
Xie's village, the 120 hectares of fertile land has been entrusted to farmers
in neighboring villages to plant double-cropping rice.
"For
us farmers, self-sufficiency is the most reassuring thing," Xie smiled.
Enditem
Search on for areas to
store procured crop
HYDERABAD , APRIL 28, 2020 19:33 IST
Government scouting for storage space for procured crops. Paddy at
a procurement centre in Sangareddy district. | Photo Credit: file photo
Proposals to use CAP method and
function halls for crop storage
With the procurement of paddy gaining momentum in the State, the
administration has shifted its focus to storage of the grain purchased from
farmers by scouting for functional halls lying vacant due to the COVID-19
lockdown and other traditional systems of storage to overcome the space
shortage in godowns and rice mills.
In a video-conference held with district officials on the
Agriculture and allied departments’ preparedness for the next crop season,
vaana kalam, Agriculture Production Commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy said
storage of crop produced in the yasangi was a major problem and the government
was planning to utilise function halls lying vacant at village, mandal and
district levels to store paddy and other crops procured from farmers till they
were moved to rice mills for custom milling and for processing.
The government was also considering Cover and Plinth (CAP)
system of traditional storage to overcome the space shortage with plans to
store about 4.21 lakh tonnes in the method.
(The CAP storage method includes arranging a plinth with hooks
provided for tying ropes to lash down the grain stack piled on the plinth
constructed with bricks to a height of 14 inches from the ground. Dunnage is
provided before covering the stack with covers made of black polyethylene of
250 microns thickness. The covers are held down by nets and nylon lashing, also
tied to the hooks at the bottom. Condensation is prevented by placing a layer
of paddy husk-filled sacks on top of the stack under the polyethylene.)
As on April 27, over 16.91 lakh tonnes of paddy has been
purchased from farmers at 5,503 procurement centres opened till date.
Similarly, nearly 2.76 lakh tonnes of maize was purchased at 947 centres,
63,000 tonnes of bengalgram at 85 centres and 4,200 tonnes of sunflower at 11
centres.
On the preparedness for the next crop season, the APC instructed
the officials to concentrate on collection of soil samples and getting tests
done so as to inform the results to farmers concerned as also positioning of
seed and fertilizer.
