Impact Of COVID-19 On Rice Farmers In Southeast Asia – Analysis
Farmer planting rice in Vietnam
Over the past several decades, rice farmers across Southeast
Asia have experienced growing labor shortages as working-age adults migrated to
nearby cities and abroad in search of better jobs.
By Jefferson M. Fox, Arunee Promkhambut, and Phanwin Yokying*
In Southeast Asia, rice farmers are dealing with one of the
worst droughts in recent history, and now they also face substantial challenges
created by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, global demand for food
stockpiles is pushing rice prices for consumers to levels not seen since the
2008 global economic crisis.
Most rice exports from Asia
About three-quarters of worldwide
rice exports originate from Asia, with total shipments in 2019 valued at around
US$16.4 billion. Rice traders in India, the world’s largest rice exporter,
suspended exports for three weeks in early April amid a nationwide lockdown.
Even after reopening, labor shortages and logistic disruptions have hampered
the delivery of rice contracts. Myanmar also stopped issuing rice export
licenses in April, while Vietnam halted the exports of most varieties of rice
from mid-March until early May.
Thailand, the world’s second-largest exporter, has continued to
export rice as usual. The Thai government announced that sufficient rice had
been produced to meet its annual export target—normally around 10 million
tons—on top of a similar amount earmarked for domestic consumption. At the beginning
of 2020, Thailand’s rice export prices were depressed, but the market turned
around completely with the coronavirus outbreak, and prices increased by more
than 25 percent.
Cambodia, a much smaller rice producer, saw rice exports
skyrocket by 42 percent over the first five months of the year. Farmers in the
Mekong region of Vietnam reportedly harvested a record-breaking crop in
February 2020, just in time to benefit from the price hikes associated with the
pandemic.
On the demand side, China, the world’s biggest rice consumer,
saw surging demand in the first quarter of 2020 that increased rice imports by
60 percent. Other rice importers in the region—including Indonesia, Malaysia,
and the Philippines—have stockpiled substantial supplies to supplement domestic
production by importing from Thailand and Cambodia, and increasingly from
India.
Over the past several decades, rice farmers across the region
have experienced growing labor shortages as working-age adults migrated to
nearby cities and abroad in search of better jobs. As a result, farmers have
increasingly mechanized rice production, switched to higher-yielding varieties,
and used more chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, all of which
require greater capital inputs.
COVID-19 adds to an already stressful situation
To this already stressful situation, COVID-19 has added an
additional level of uncertainty for both farmers and farm workers. For migrant
workers, the pandemic has caused unprecedented job losses and has interrupted
remittance flows. In Thailand, while only 4 percent of migrants reportedly
returned home, international remittances decreased from $361 billion in March
2020 to $286 billion in April, a loss of 21 percent. Across the region, locals
who live on farms but have other jobs have also lost income.
In a June 2020 phone survey of 30 Thai farm households, more
than 80 percent reported planting this year’s rainy season crop (April to June)
as usual. Those who did not plant said they were constrained by drought
conditions, not COVID-19, but more than 65 percent of farmers reported problems
with purchasing agricultural inputs, such as seeds and fertilizers. Limited
access to credit and other financial barriers were also mentioned.
Assistance has been spotty. The
Thai government is providing farmers with 5,000 Baht (US$162) per month from
May through July 2020. The farmers surveyed reported that they are using this
money to maintain rice production. In Cambodia, the government also offered
some debt relief to farmers. In Vietnam, private businessmen set up dispensing
machines to provide a daily supply of rice to poor households, thus supporting
both rice farmers and the unemployed. In Myanmar and Laos, newspaper reports
suggest that farmers have been unable to raise money for planting rice because
government loans have paused and microfinancing institutions have suspended
operations.
Because of the 2019–2020 drought, farmers in northern Laos have
not even produced enough rice for home consumption. The Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) reports that 80 percent of farmers in some provinces ran out
of rice in April and need to bridge another seven months before the next
harvest. COVID-19 has made it difficult for them to find off-farm employment to
earn money for food, and some have reportedly been forced to forage for food in
the forest.
While food is still available in the region as a whole, COVID-19
has caused food insecurity in many urban areas as incomes dropped during the
shutdowns. Residents of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Yangon, and other Southeast Asian
cities who have lost work can no longer afford to pay rent or buy food. Taxi
drivers, street vendors, day laborers, elderly citizens, and others now
reportedly rely on volunteer food banks for survival. The FAO has warned that a
protracted pandemic will further disrupt food supply chains, affecting everyone
from consumers, to farmers, to middlemen and retailers.
In some parts of the region,
access to clean water is also becoming problematic, both because of the drought
and because of the emphasis on hand washing in national COVID-19 awareness
campaigns. In Cambodia and Laos, reports suggest
that many in rural areas do not have enough clean water for drinking and sanitation.
The picture in some densely populated urban areas is equally grim. The
Director-General of Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority estimates that many
districts in Phnom Penh are likely to suffer clean water shortages for another
three years.
Lockdowns to contain COVID-19 have also exposed farmers in some
areas to unprincipled land grabs. News reports from eastern Cambodia say that a
Vietnamese rubber company, Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL), illegally cleared swaths
of land in Ratanakiri Province that belonged to indigenous farming communities.
Despite pledges to return the land to local farmers, the company bulldozed
sacred sites, burial grounds, traditional hunting areas, farm lands, wetlands
and old-growth forests, while local residents sheltered at home due to
COVID-19.
In Southeast Asia, COVID 19 has affected rice farming in many
ways including security of land tenure and access to credit, capital inputs,
remittance income, and safe food and water. During emergencies such as the 2019
drought and the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers need assistance, either from the
government or private philanthropy. Thailand and Vietnam, the wealthier
countries in the region, have provided farmers with basic assistance. Farmers
in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia are struggling.
*About the authors: Jefferson
M. Fox (foxj@eastwestcenter.org) is a
Senior Fellow at the East -West Center. Arunee Promkhambut (arunee@kku.ac.th) is a lecturer at Khon Kaen
University. Phanwin Yokying (yokyingp@eastwestcenter.org) is
a Fellow at the East-West Center.
Home »
Despite COVID-19 lockdown Basmati
rice sees a rise in exports
Saumy Deepak Tripathi 3
July, 2020 4:49 PM IST
While the COVID-19 has been wreaking havoc on
the economy, several sectors have been affected and exports have been one of
them with several products seeing a massive decline. However, some sectors have
not only survived the pandemic but have gone and increased their exports.
According to recent reports, the export of Basmati
rice has increased by more than 40000 tonnes. The domestic demand for basmati
has also increased. The total exports of Basmati Rice for the 2019-20 year were
44.54 lakh tonnes a 0.9% increase from the previous year when the exports were
at 44.14 lakh tonnes. The director of Basmati Export Development Foundation AK
Gupta said that despite the logistical problem in the lockdown we have managed
to increase the exports and it is a good sign for the agriculture sector. He
said that the reason for it is that during a crisis people prefer to stock
foodgrains which leads to an increase in demand.
Countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia have imported
large quantities of Basmati rice which has helped in the increase in exports
while the fall in the value of Rupee has also helped.
The price of Basmati rice has also increased
with several varieties of rice like 1121 sell being sold for Rs. 400 more per
quintal and Basmati 1121 steam being sold for Rs.7000 per quintal from the
pre-pandemic price of Rs. 6300. The export price of rice was $760 per tonne but
now has increased to $775.
This is a golden opportunity for India to
increase its agricultural muscle in the world. The government has also
announced major reforms that allow more freedom to the farmers concerning
selling and buying of goods and with the efforts of all the stakeholders we can
expect a revival in the fortunes of the farmers.
Rice Output Expected to Hit
Record High as Paddy Cultivation Area Expands Across India
Indian farmers increase
the area under rice cultivation owing to good monsoon and rising exports. Rice
output expected to hit record high as paddy cultivation area expands across
India.
Rice Output to
Hit Record High
B.V. Krishna Rao, the president of
India’s Rice Exporters Association, said that farmers are interested in
cultivating rice. He expects rice production to reach 120 million tonnes this
year. India produced 117.94 million tonnes of rice in 2019/20. The sowing of
rice started early this year due to early monsoon in southern and eastern
regions. Unlike its competitors, India has a massive surplus of rice to export.
Rice Output Incerases as Paddy Cultivation Area Expands
Rise in
Exports
The increase in rice price for the
new season by the government (2.9%) has accounted for an increase in cultivation.
Besides, the high rate of Thailand and Vietnam (the second and third largest
exporters of rice) due to limited supply benefitted the Indian rice exports and
thus farmers this time. Also, higher output from India can make exports more
competitive, compensating for the lower amounts from the competitors.
State
Agencies, FCI Will Need to Buy More
The record high paddy cultivation
could also force the state agencies to ramp up its procurement as they already
hold 27.4 million tonnes of rice and another 21 million tonnes of un-milled paddy.
Also, it can dampen domestic prices and force the FCI to buy nearly half of the output from
farmers.
In all, the monsoons, the
government backing, and the increase in exports have encouraged farmers to grow
more rice.
U.S.-Kenya
Trade Talks to Kick-Off, Adding to New Rice Export Opportunities
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative (USTR) is scheduled to formally begin negotiations with Kenya on
a free trade agreement as soon as this week, beginning with a virtual,
ceremonial meeting and laying out high-level negotiating objectives.
Negotiators will also be setting up a timeline for meetings that will likely
take place over the next year.
Following closely on the heels of last week's implementation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), this move signals that there is both enthusiasm and political will to continue expanding market access for U.S. products, including rice.
U.S. negotiations with Kenya are scheduled to take place concurrently with U.S. trade talks with the United Kingdom, both strong potential markets for U.S.-grown rice exports.
Currently, U.S. milled rice entering the European Union and the UK is limited to a 38,000 metric ton quota, but subject to a 25 percent retaliatory tariff. Sales outside of that quota face a duty that's the equivalent of just under $200/MT, and rice entering Kenya is subject to a 35 percent duty, which combined with regional logistical challenges, makes U.S. rice sales there difficult.
"While the UK is already a long-time customer of U.S.-grown rice, we certainly have potential to grow that existing market share if we achieve duty-free and quota-free access," said Mark Holt, an Arkansas miller and chair of the USA Rice Europe, Africa, Middle East Trade Policy Subcommittee. "However, Kenya offers new market potential for U.S. exporters since they're already a sizeable rice importer and we're not present in that market."
Holt added: "USA Rice has been in close communication with USTR to vocalize our priorities for both UK and Kenya trade negotiations. We will follow progression of the talks and continue to build our relationships with importers in both of those markets ahead of future deals."
USTR began negotiations with the UK in May and completed their second two-week discussion period in late June. Negotiations are scheduled with both the UK and Kenya throughout the summer; however, completion dates are still unknown and dependent upon whether any headway is made as talks progress. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/FMfcgxwJWhxQhqbNDMXJvvZGBsQsDHQX
Following closely on the heels of last week's implementation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), this move signals that there is both enthusiasm and political will to continue expanding market access for U.S. products, including rice.
U.S. negotiations with Kenya are scheduled to take place concurrently with U.S. trade talks with the United Kingdom, both strong potential markets for U.S.-grown rice exports.
Currently, U.S. milled rice entering the European Union and the UK is limited to a 38,000 metric ton quota, but subject to a 25 percent retaliatory tariff. Sales outside of that quota face a duty that's the equivalent of just under $200/MT, and rice entering Kenya is subject to a 35 percent duty, which combined with regional logistical challenges, makes U.S. rice sales there difficult.
"While the UK is already a long-time customer of U.S.-grown rice, we certainly have potential to grow that existing market share if we achieve duty-free and quota-free access," said Mark Holt, an Arkansas miller and chair of the USA Rice Europe, Africa, Middle East Trade Policy Subcommittee. "However, Kenya offers new market potential for U.S. exporters since they're already a sizeable rice importer and we're not present in that market."
Holt added: "USA Rice has been in close communication with USTR to vocalize our priorities for both UK and Kenya trade negotiations. We will follow progression of the talks and continue to build our relationships with importers in both of those markets ahead of future deals."
USTR began negotiations with the UK in May and completed their second two-week discussion period in late June. Negotiations are scheduled with both the UK and Kenya throughout the summer; however, completion dates are still unknown and dependent upon whether any headway is made as talks progress. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/FMfcgxwJWhxQhqbNDMXJvvZGBsQsDHQX
·
Author: Whitney Brim-DeForest
Published on: July 6, 2020
The
UCCE Rice Team has developed a series of Factsheets to simplify and convey
information about important topics that we find we are frequently
discussing with growers and PCA's. Each fact sheet is 2 pages long, back to
front.
There are 6 so far:
- Fact Sheet
#1: Nutrients in Rice Grain and
Straw at Harvest
- Fact Sheet
#2: Managing Potassium in Rice
Fields
- Fact Sheet
#3: Stem Rot and Aggregate Sheath
Spot of Rice
- Fact Sheet
#4: Kernel Smut of Rice
- Fact Sheet
#5: Growing Season Water Use in
California Rice Systems
- Fact Sheet
#6: Managing Rice with Limited Water
We are continuously in the process of developing more topics, so
if you have suggestions, please reach out to Luis Espino (laespino@ucanr.edu) or
Whitney Brim-DeForest (wbrimdeforest@ucanr.edu).
Focus
Area Tags: Agriculture
·
Author: Whitney Brim-DeForest
·
Author: Roberta Firoved
Published on: June 24, 2020
A
new herbicide is available this year for use in California rice: RebelEX®,
manufactured by Corteva. It is a premix of two other well-known herbicides:
Clincher® and Granite SC®, both from Corteva. The active ingredients in RebelEX®
are cyhalofop (same as Clincher®) and penoxsulam (same as Granite SC®). Since
it contains cyhalofop, it is important to check with your respective counties
on the buffer zones and aerial application restrictions for Clincher®, as the
same permit conditions will apply.
The labeled weeds that RebelEX®controls are sprangletop,
watergrass (both early and late), barnyardgrass, ricefield bulrush, Monochoria,
redstem, ducksalad, California arrowhead, and water plantain. It does not have
a water-holding period. The application timing begins from when the rice has
one leaf or more, up to 60 days before harvest. Efficacy, as with most
products, is better when the weeds are smaller. For flooded fields, it is
important to have maximum contact, so it is recommended to lower the water in
the field until at least 70% of the weed biomass is exposed, before
application.
The product is “rainfast” (meaning it isn't affected by water)
within 2 hours, so reflooding quickly is recommended. The label recommends
restarting the flood at 3 hours after application, and to have the field
completely reflooded within 24 to 48 hours at a maximum. Long drainage periods
can encourage additional germination of certain weed species, including
smallflower umbrella sedge, watergrass, barnyardgrass, and sprangletop.
Since RebelEX® also contains penoxsulam, it cannot be applied in
the same season as Granite GR® or Granite SC®. Doing so will cause significant
phytotoxicity to the rice, and will likely impact yields. Clincher® can be
applied in the same season, but depending on the rate of RebelEX® applied, the
Clincher® application rates will vary, so please refer to the label for rates
and timings if planning to also apply both herbicides in the same season. For
management of resistance, however, it is not recommended to apply Clincher® and
RebelEx® in the same season, as both contain the same active ingredient,
cyhalofop. Repeated applications of the same active ingredient (cyhalofop) will
select for resistance in sprangletop, barnyardgrass, and watergrass (both late
and early).
Remember to always follow all label instructions when applying
any pesticide, as the label is the law. Make sure to pay particular attention
to the Use Precautions and Restrictions. Consult your local Agricultural
Commissioner's Office regarding buffer zones and aerial restrictions, before
making any applications.
Focus
Area Tags: Agriculture
Tags: Pesticides (1), Rice (14), Weeds (19)
·
Author: Bruce Linquist
Published on: June 18, 2020
This year we are conducting a study at the Rice Experiment
Station to look at lodging differences between M-206 and M-105. There has
been anecdotal evidence that M105 is more susceptible to lodging than
M-206. We want to quantify this and see if we can manage N to reduce lodging if
need be. Anyways, with this experiment, we have both
of these varieties side-by-side in experimental plots. We used Cerano
as part of the herbicide program. You can clearly see from the
picture that M-206 is more susceptible to Cerano bleaching than
M-105. Ray talked with Kent McKenzie about this and he also said he had seen
similar findings. Anyway, we thought this might be interesting information
for you.
Focus
Area Tags: Agriculture
·
Author: Luis Espino
Published on: May 3, 2020
While checking traps recently, I noticed a lot of activity in
the water in several recently flooded fields. A quick glance into the water
might make you believe that tadpole shrimp is present in large numbers, or even
perhaps that a treatment did not work. Make sure you look closely and don't
confuse clam shrimp with small tadpole shrimp.
Clam shrimp
Clam shrimp are small crustaceans that look like a
miniature clam; they are about a tenth of an inch and swim in the water slowly.
Clam shrimp don't have the "tail" that tadpole shrimp have at the end
of their shell. Most freshwater clam shrimp feed on algae and organic detritus.
I am not sure what the ones in rice fields feed on, but they do not injure the
rice. In the past, I have noticed that these clam shrimp come back after a
tadpole shrimp treatment very quickly.
Clam shrimp close up
Large congregation of clam
shrimp around decomposing rice roots
Tadpole shrimp are more problematic during seed germination.
Once the seedlings have a well anchored root and the spike is green, tadpole
shimp are less likely to injure them.
·
Author: Bruce Linquist
Published on: May 2, 2020
Following my blog post about a week ago about using urea or
aqua-ammonia (aqua), a number of people have been asking to see the data. The
study was conducted in 2017 at the Rice Experiment Station. Aqua and liquid
urea were applied at three rates (50, 100 and 150 lb N/ac). Both N fertilizers
were injected into the soil at 3 to 4 inches depth. Treatments were replicated
three times. Across the N treatments, yields were similar between the aqua and
liquid urea treatments. Yields were low, but overall state-wide yields in 2017
were low as well. In other studies (data not shown), we used dry urea banded
into dry soil before flooding to the same depth as aqua we saw almost identical
yields across seven on-farm studies. Based on these data, liquid or dry urea
that is injected or buried into a dry soil before flooding, performs the same
as aqua.
Focus
Area Tags: Agriculture
Tags: Rice (14)
Group: Govt vows to look into
undervaluation of rice imports
July 6, 2020
By Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas & Bernadette D. Nicolas
The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) said the Bureau of Customs
(BOC) will form a ”small” group that would address the alleged undervaluation
of rice imports to boost government’s tariff revenues and help farmers.
FFF National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said his group recently
met with BOC officials together with representatives from the Department of
Agriculture, National Food Authority and Department of Finance to discuss the
possible undervaluation of rice shipments.
During the meeting, Montemayor said they raised various issues
concerning the BOC’s import assessment system that unscrupulous traders may
have taken advantage of to undervalue imports and to avoid paying more tariffs.
Among the issues raised by FFF during the Friday meeting was the
free on board (FOB) prices of rice shipments, freight and insurance costs,
tariff line classifications as well as lower tariffs slapped non-Asean
countries, he added.
“We want to help the [BOC] to generate more revenues for urgent
concerns. [Also,] the excess tariff collections would [go to] the rice
competitiveness enhancement fund, which will provide the DA and the farmers
additional support,” Montemayor told the BusinessMirror on Sunday.
Based on its study, the FFF found that since the enactment of
the rice trade liberalization law in March 2019, certain rice imports from
China, India and Pakistan, were slapped with incorrect tariff.
The FFF study showed that some 2,625 metric tons (MT) of rice
from China entered the country from March to April at zero tariff. The group
said rice imports from China should be slapped with a 50-percent tariff based
on existing laws.
Montemayor said his group also proposed to the BOC to fix the
tariff classifications of rice imports entering the country as some importers
declare their shipments under tariff lines that have low reference prices.
This, he said, could be one way for unscrupulous traders to undervalue imports.
He said rice imports are being declared under the tariff heading
of 100640, or broken rice, when in fact the grades of the shipments should be
classified under 100630, or whole rice.
“They said they will scrutinize it and will create a small group
to focus on it. They seem to be serious about it,” he said.
During the meeting, Montemayor said a finance official agreed
with the findings of FFF that there could have been possible undervaluation of
rice imports since the RTL law was enacted.
Since the implementation of RTL law last March 2019, the FFF has
raised the issue of undervaluation of rice imports, which deprives the
government of additional revenue that could have been allocated to the RCEF.
In its latest computation, FFF said the government lost at least
P890 million in tariff revenues from over 766,000 MT of rice imported from
January to April. The FFF said it estimated that undervaluation in rice imports
last year resulted in a tariff shortfall of P1.9 billion.
Sought for comment, Customs Assistant Commissioner and Spokesman
Vincent Philip Maronilla said it is still “too early to jump to any
conclusions, especially on the amount of potential additional revenues” that
could be raised from resolving the undervaluation of rice imports raised by the
farmers’ group.
“They explained their data and we committed to work with them to
validate these data and impose corrective measures if needed,” Maronilla said
in a message to the BusinessMirror.
“After the validation of data, subsequent meetings will be set
to discuss ways to move forward.”
Maronilla also said the BOC invited the FFF to join their pool
of Industry Commodity Experts.
“The BOC under the leadership of Commissioner Rey Leonardo
Guerrero has always been open to private- public partnership with our local
agricultural industry in the resolution of any issues they may have relating to
agricultural product imports,” he said.
For Filipino
palay farmers, 2020 may yet prove to be a good year
By: Karl
R. Ocampo - Reporter / @kocampoINQ
Philippine
Daily Inquirer / 04:09 AM July 06, 2020
Prices of local palay continued its upward
trend as farmers took advantage of the demand for the staple.
Based on the Philippine Statistics
Authority’s price monitoring report, the buying price for palay increased again
by the last week of May, averaging P19.16 a kilo. Some provinces registered
farm-gate prices as high as P25 a kilo.
The climb in farm-gate prices began when
the government implemented a string of lockdowns to curb the spread of
COVID-19, or the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
The lowest quotation was recorded in Negros
Oriental and Davao at P13.38 a kilo while prevailing prices in most provinces
hovered between P18 and P22 a kilo.
Palay prices dipped to its lowest of P10 a kilo in November last year following the sudden spike in the volume of imported rice.
Palay prices dipped to its lowest of P10 a kilo in November last year following the sudden spike in the volume of imported rice.
But farmers are expected to enjoy favorable
prices for the rest of the year, with the Department of Agriculture (DA)
looking to ramp up production by intensifying distribution of inputs and
machinery.
The extension of the enhanced community
quarantine in Metro Manila and in other parts of the country is also expected
to drive up demand especially with local government units, national agencies
and numerous nonprofit organizations continuing relief operations.
The government has been easing lockdown
restrictions over the past few weeks in order to open the recession-battered
economy.
For this year, the overall supply of rice
is projected to be augmented by imports to be brought in by the private sector.
In its forecast, the US Department of Agriculture said that for this year, the
Philippines would be the biggest importer of rice next to China.
Rice prices in the global market have
surged to its highest in seven years as governments beefed up their respective
stocks.
To lessen dependency on imports, the
government said it would fast-track the implementation of rice programs that
would bring down the staple’s production cost, noting that profitability is a
huge incentive for farmers to plant palay. INQ
Ministry ramps
up rice production amid farmers' losses
·
Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta / Mon, July 6, 2020 / 07:40 pm
A farmer prepares rice seedlings in Sigi, Central
Sulawesi, on May 14. The government brought forward the rice-planting season
this year to ensure sufficient supply, and it now estimates a harvest of 12.5
million to 15 million tons by December. (Antara/Mohamad Hamzah)
The government brought forward the
rice-planting season this year to ensure sufficient supply, and it now
estimates a harvest of 12.5 million to 15 million tons by December.
The planting season started in May
and June so that the harvest season will be in August and September. Indonesian
farmers usually plant and harvest their rice later in the year when rainfalls
increase after the first planting season in March as the country faces droughts
in May.
“We have pushed forward the
planting season as the Food and Agriculture Organization warned about a drought
and the World Food Programme [WFP] about a food crisis in the world after the
COVID-19 pandemic,” Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo said in a virtual
discussion on Thursday.
With the accelerated planting
season, the rice supply is expected to result in a surplus of 6.1 million tons
at the end of the year, Syahrul said.
The rice will be grown in 5.6
million hectares of paddies. Indonesia relies heavily on East Java, West Java,
Central Java, South Sulawesi, South Sumatra, Lampung, South Kalimantan and
North Sumatra as the main rice-producing provinces.
The government is ramping up rice
production after the country recorded a decline in production of 13.2 percent
year-on-year to 16.1 million tons in the first half of 2020, according to an
estimate by the WFP’s Indonesia office.
The WFP reported that Indonesia’s
rice production was down because of the prolonged drought in 2019, which
delayed planting and the peak of the harvest season from March to April, and
floods that damaged the crops. This aggravated the downward trend since 2018.
The government was seeking to
maintain production by providing farmers with irrigation facilities and
developing 164,598 ha of paddies in Central Kalimantan, said the minister, a
NasDem Party politician.
But Indonesia is still facing
challenges in easing the pandemic’s economic impact on farmers, who are mostly
net consumers.
Farmers’ terms of trade, which
indicate farmers’ welfare, rose slightly by 0.13 percent to 99.60 in June from
May, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data show. However, they remained below the key
threshold of 100, meaning that farmers’ expenses exceeded their income as they
struggled to sell their products because of declining demand and disrupted
logistics.
Bustanul Arifin, an economist
specializing in agriculture at the Institute for Development of Economics and
Finance (Indef), said on Thursday the government needed to provide social
assistance to farmers, improve Indonesia's food logistics and order the State
Logistics Agency (Bulog) to buy rice from farmers.
“This is what can improve our
resilience against a food crisis,” Bustanul said, adding that Indonesia should
“seriously take note” about the declining rice productivity as consumption kept
rising.
Bulog president director Budi
Waseso said on Thursday that the government’s buffer stock now stood at 1.3
million tons, which is distributed across the country.
“With respect to the warning of the
food crisis, there is an issue of supply,” said Waseso. “Although it is not
really a big deal for Indonesia, we cannot underestimate it. Our buffer stock
at Bulog has to be as strong as possible.”
Vietnam’s rice
export in 6 months reached nearly 3.5 million tons, up 18%
·
07.07.2020,
15:51,
 |
Vietnam exported nearly 3.5
million tons of rice in 6 months (Photo: VGP)
|
This latest statistics represent
an increase of 4.4% in volume and up 17.9% in value compared with the same
period last year, according to the Agrotrade under the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development.
Specifically, the export volume
of rice in June is about 409,000 tons with a value of USD 207
million. This brought the total volume and value of rice export in the first
six months to nearly 3.5 million tons and USD 1.71 billion, according to
Vietnam Biz.
The Philippines ranked first in
the rice export market of Vietnam with 39.9% market share. The volume reached
1.3 million tons and USD 598.6 million, increased by 23% in volume and 42.4% in
value over the same period in 2019.
 |
Philippines ranked first in the
rice export market of Vietnam (Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Law)
|
The markets with the largest
increase in rice export value are Senegal 18.3
times, Indonesia 2.9 times and China 2.3 times. In contrast, the market
with the largest drop in rice export value was Hong Kong with a 38.6% decrease.
The average export price of rice reached US $ 485.1/ton, up 13% over the same
period in 2019.
Regarding export categories,
white rice export value accounts for 38% of total turnover; jasmine rice
and fragrant rice account for 38%; sticky rice accounts for 19.6%; japonica
rice and Japanese rice account for 4.2%.
Vietnam’s largest export markets
for white rice are the Philippines with US$ 399 million, accounting for 63.6%,
Malaysia with US$ 78.9 million, accounting for 12.6% and Ghana with US$ 18.4
million, accounting for 2.9%.
With EVFTA, there are bright
prospects for Vietnamese rice export (Photo: Investment News)
|
In the world market, in June,
Thai rice export price increased slightly compared to May due to the rise in
baht exchange rate and the supply shortage. The rising price made Thai rice
less competitive than other major export countries such as India and Vietnam,
informed Binh Duong News.
Meanwhile, Indian rice export
fell slightly due to a fall in the rupee exchange rate and the slow down demand
from foreign partners.
The Agrotrade said that there are
a lot of bright prospects for Vietnamese rice export ahead once the European
Union – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) comes into effect in
August this year.
In line with the commitments
coming along with the EVFTA, the EU will give Vietnam a quota of 80,000 tons of
rice per year, with the tax rate slashed to 0% over the next three to five
years following the reduction roadmap, VOV reported.
Rice
exports up nearly 18% in H1
·
07.07.2020,
10:23,
·
Business
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
NDO/VNA – Vietnam earned US$1.71
billion from exporting nearly 3.5 million tonnes of rice in the first half of
this year, up 17.9% in value and 4.4 percent in volume year-on-year.
In June alone, 409,000 tonnes of
rice worth US$207 million was shipped abroad, according to the Agro Processing
and Market Development Authority (Agrotrade) at the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development.
The Philippines was the top buyer
between January and May, importing 1.3 million tonnes of Vietnamese rice worth
US$598.6 million, or 40% of total rice exports, up 23% in volume and 42% in
value from a year earlier.
During the first five months,
markets to which the value of rice exports enjoyed the strongest year-on-year
growth were Senegal (18.3-fold), Indonesia (2.9-fold), and China (2.3-fold).
Meanwhile, rice export prices
increased 13% from the same period last year to average US$485 per tonne.
Agrotrade said the rice sector
now has even more opportunities under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement
(EVFTA), recently ratified by the National Assembly and set to take effect in
August.
Under the agreement’s terms, the
EU pledges to provide an annual rice quota of 80,000 tonnes to Vietnam and
completely liberalise trade in broken rice. After three to five years, tariffs
on rice products will be slashed to 0%.
Vietnamese rice donation sets sail for Cuba
One person was reported in
serious condition and yesterday three patients were discharged.
The 5,000 tons of rice donated by
Vietnam to Cuba in mid-April was delivered this Wednesday to the Cuban
ambassador to the Indochinese country, Granma daily reported.
The delivery took place at the
port of Hai Phong, located in the north of Vietnam, as a
preamble to its departure for the island.
The head of the island’s diplomatic mission in Hanoi, Lianys
Torres, thanked the Vietnamese authorities for the donation, which she
described as a “noble and solidary gesture” and a “sign of the special and
historical ties between both countries.”
The donation had been received symbolically by Torres on April
17, after which she met with the prime minister of that Asian nation, Nguyen
Xuan Phuc.
Cuba, the “new normality” and
economic uncertainty
Xuan Phuc assured the Cuban
diplomat that the State and the Communist Party of his country were with the
island in the midst of the pandemic and confirmed the will of his government to
contribute to “attenuate the rigors of the blockade and face the difficulties
entailed by the presence of the new coronavirus.”
Cuba and Vietnam maintain strong political ties, and growing
economic relations. The Indochinese country is the island’s second largest
trading partner in Asia, after China, while both nations have or plan to have
joint projects and investments in the food industry, renewable energy, science
and technology, and the production of consumer goods and construction
materials.
Rice is the most consumed cereal on the island and constitutes
the base of the daily diet of Cubans, but its production in Cuba far from
covers the consumption needs of the country, according to the projections of
the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI).
Of the 700,000 tons of rice the
island needs in 2020 to cover the basic food basket and social consumption, it
will only produce the “insufficient amount” of 162,000 tons, the official
newspaper Granma affirmed this Tuesday.
Lázaro DÃaz, director of the Rice Technology Department of the
Agricultural Business Group of MINAGRI, told the publication that rice
production has not been as affected by the drought in 2020 as other years, and
attributed its decrease mainly to the “strengthening of the U.S. economic
blockade.”
Against this background, the Vietnamese donation will be
received with unquestionable approval on the island, as other previous
donations have already been, as well as the technical aid that Vietnam is
currently providing to Cuba to improve its insufficient rice production.
Thai Rice Export Rates Slip As
Demand Drops
Thai rice export prices fell to the lowest in a month this week
as demand sagged, while Vietnamese rates rose as persistent rain continued to
hamper the harvest.
Thailand's benchmark 5% broken rice prices slipped to $480-$515
from $514-$520 last week.
Prices fell to the lowest level since late-May, with traders
also attributing the dip to a weaker baht.
'Very Little Demand'
"There is very little demand for Thai rice right now in the
overseas market," a Bangkok-based trader said.
However, Thai rates were still higher than those of competitors
Vietnam and India after a drought hammered production earlier this year.
"The supply concern will continue until new supply enters
the market, most likely early next month, until then our rice prices (will)
remain higher than our competitors,” another rice trader said.
In Vietnam, rates for 5% broken rice rose to $415-$450 per tonne
on Thursday from last week's $405-$450 range.
Winter-Spring Prices
The winter-spring rice prices were unchanged from last week at
$450 per tonne, while rates for the ongoing summer-autumn harvest rose to
$415-$420 per tonne, from $405-$410, traders said.
"Demand for Vietnamese rice remains weak, but prices of the
summer-autumn harvest have edged up because persistent rain in the Mekong Delta
has slowed down the harvest," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said, adding
rain is forecast to subside from mid-July which would lead to better rice
quality.
Prices for top exporter India's 5% broken parboiled variety were
unchanged at $373-$378 per tonne.
Moderate Demand
"Demand is moderate. We could not lower prices due to
appreciating rupee," said an exporter based at Kakinada in southern state
of Andhra Pradesh.
The Indian rupee on Thursday hit a two-month high, trimming
traders' margin from overseas sales.
Bangladesh could import rice to rein in soaring domestic prices,
the country's food minister Sadhan
Chandra Majumdar said, while the government struggled to secure supplies
locally.
"We will be compelled to import rice if the millers don't
supply at the rate fixed by the government," he said.
The government is procuring rice at 36 taka ($0.43) a kilogram
locally.
Stalin demands free rice till November
CHENNAI, JULY 05,
2020 00:57 IST
Opposition leader and DMK chief
M.K. Stalin on Saturday wanted to know why Chief Minister Edappadi K.
Palaniswami, who claimed to have followed the Centre on disaster management,
had announced free rice for the poor for just one month.
“When the Centre has announced
that 5 kg rice and 1kg dhal would be given free to the poor till November, the
act of the AIADMK government [restricting it to July] is inhuman,” he said. Mr.
Stalin said that the Tamil Nadu government should also distribute free rice and
other provisions till November.
He also urged the Chief Minister
to come out with a report on the purchase of medical equipment since Union
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had claimed that her government had
allotted ₹6,600 crore to Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Stalin said that there was no
clarity on the purchase of medical equipment since the Chief Minister demanded ₹3,000 crore from the Centre while Ms. Sitharaman had announced
the release of ₹6,600 crore. “A section of the media, quoting the Health Department officials,
say the Centre has sanctioned only ₹1,500 crore. Let the Chief
Minister clarify,” he said.
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Kharif sowing
up 88% at 433 lakh ha
Our
Bureau New Delhi | Updated on July 03, 2020 Published on July 03,
2020
Pulses,
oilseeds coverage push up total acreage
With almost three-fourth of total
districts in the country receiving excess to normal rainfall so far, the area
under kharif crops increased by 88 per cent over to 433 lakh hectares (lh) till
Friday as against 230 lh in the corresponding week last year, according to
kharif sowing data released by the Agriculture Ministry here.
Oilseeds and pulses, which are
predominantly rain-fed crops, recorded highest increase as compared to the same
period last year.
With Madhya Pradesh and
Maharashtra planting soyabean over 42.2 lh and 29 lh as compared to 8.5 lh and
1 lh, respectively, during the corresponding period the total area under
soyabean cultivation zoomed 225 per cent to 109 lh. Similarly, Gujarat — which
planted groundnut over 16.3 lh as against 10 lh — accounted for most of the
increase in groundnut planting, which went up by 60 per cent to 25 lh.
The area under pulses crops, too,
registered a whopping 289 per cent increase to nearly 37 lh as compared to the
same period last year. There was a five-fold increase in area under arhar crop
which went up to 16.5 lh from 2.8 lh in the corresponding period last year.
The area under urad and moong, on
the other hand, increased by 369 per cent and 200 per cent to 8.8 lh and 9.4
lh, respectively. Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh reported maximum increase in
pulses sowing so far.
Cotton, coarse
cereals
There is also a 100 per cent jump
in cotton planting to 91.7 lh with Maharashtra and Telangana planting cotton
over 33 lh (4.6 lh) and 15 lh (7.9 lh), respectively.
Almost 96 per cent increase in
maize sowing to 45.6 lh pulled up the area under coarse cereals to 70.7 lh,
which was 101 per cent more than 35.2 lh planted in the same week last year.
Other major coarse cereal crops such as bajra and jowar, too, registered more
than 100 per cent increase as compared to the previous year.
Slow start in
rice
Rice planting, too, is picking up
momentum, albeit slowly. So far farmers have planted paddy over 68 lh (49.2
lh). Much of the increase in rice planting is reported from Chhattisgarh, Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar.
Published on July 03, 2020
Farm exports
dip 13 per cent on weak demand in FY20
Vishwanath
Kulkarni | Updated on July
03, 2020 Published on July 03, 2020
Shipments of basmati rice saw a marginal increase in volume at
44.54 lakh tonnes (44.14 lakh tonnes in the previous year), but fell 7.4 per
cent in value at $4.37 billion ($4.72 billion), on account of weak
realisations - istock/EleSi
Basmati shipments down 7 per cent on pricing issues
India’s farm exports for
financial year 2019-20 fell 13 per cent in value terms at $16.08 billion as
against $18.58 billion in the previous year, as top grossing products such as
cereals and livestock products were hit by weak demand and pricing issues
during the year.
In Rupee value terms, exports
fell 12 per cent in 2019-20 at ₹1,14,057 crore (₹1,29,344 crore in 2018-19), according to the latest data
released by the Agriculture and Processed Food Exports Development Authority
(APEDA).
The top three products, basmati
rice, buffalo meat and non-basmati rice, which accounted for close to 60 per
cent of total exports during the year, were in the red due to weak demand and
pricing. Cumulatively, the top three products saw a contraction of 15 per cent
in dollar value at $9.59 billion ($11.36 billion). Groundnut and processed
vegetables were among the only few products that beat the trend and registered
growth during the year.
Basmati
exports dip
Shipments of basmati rice saw a
marginal increase in volume at 44.54 lakh tonnes (44.14 lakh tonnes in the
previous year), but fell 7.4 per cent in value at $4.37 billion ($4.72
billion), on account of weak realisations. The average per-tonne realisation
for basmati was down by 8.3 per cent at $981 ($1070). Basmati rice exports
accounted for 27 per cent of total exports under the APEDA basket of products.
Similarly, buffalo meat shipments
were lower at 1.15 million tonnes (1.23 mt) on weak demand. The decline in pricing
resulted in an 11 per cent decline in realisations at $3.2 billion ($3.59
billion). Rupee value exports of buffalo meat were down 9.7 per cent at ₹22,661 crore (₹25,091 crore).
Non-basmati rice shipments were
down by 35 per cent at 50.36 lakh tonnes (76.47 lakh tonnes) as demand took a
hit due to higher pricing of Indian produce compared to other competitors such
as Thailand and Vietnam. Non-basmati shipments were down 33 per cent in dollar
terms at $2.02 billion ($3.04 billion), while in rupee terms, the exports were
32 per cent lower at ₹14,353 crore (₹21,271 crore)
Groundnut shipments jumped 51 per
cent to $716 million ($474 million) on growth in volumes and pricing due to
improved demand from countries such as Vietnam. Groundnut export volumes stood
at 6.64 lakh tonnes (4.89 lakh tonnes). Similarly, processed vegetables were up
6 per cent at $311 million ($295 million).
Dairy,
horticulture and floriculture exports down
Shipment of fresh fruits and
vegetables fell 13 per cent to $109 million ($125 m). Exports of pulses were
down 19 per cent at $ 211 million ($260 million), while guargum shipments fell
33 per cent to $451m ($676 million).
Dairy products also witnessed a
major decline of 42 per cent to $280 million ($483 million). Floriculture
exports also witnessed a fall of 7 per cent to $77 million (82 million) during
the year.
Published
on July 03, 2020
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/farm-exports-dip-13-per-cent-on-weak-demand-in-fy20/article31978038.ece
Japan keen to import Basmati rice, establishing mutual agriculture
research
July 6, 2020
ISLAMABAD, Jul 06
(APP):Ambassador of Japna Matsuda Kuninori on Monday showed keen interest for
developing mutual agricultural research and importing Basmati rice from
Pakistan in order to further strengthen bilateral trade and economic cooperation
between the two countries.
The ambassador called on Minister
for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam and discussed ways and
means to enhance mutual cooperation in different sectors, said a press release
issue here.
The minister also stressed the
need for enhancing mutual cooperation in transfer of technology from Japan
particularly agricultural machinery.
Imam asked for providing market access of Pakistani citrus in Japan based on historical trade of citrus fruit with China, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Iran.
Imam asked for providing market access of Pakistani citrus in Japan based on historical trade of citrus fruit with China, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Iran.
He said that cold treatment
prescribed in US treatment manual and acceptable to China, Russia, Iran and no
non-compliance ever received against this treatment from these countries.
He said that it worked well to
eliminate all fruit flies from our (mandarin) Kinnow and also admired Kobe beef
of Japan.
Matsuda Kuninori mentioned that
Pakistani mango was more fragrant and showed interest in export of Basmati Rice
from Pakistan.
Pakistan exported 3847 thousand USD of Basmati Rice last year to Japan, he added.
Pakistan exported 3847 thousand USD of Basmati Rice last year to Japan, he added.
The Japanese ambassador also
showed interest in developing mutual agricultural research.
He said that Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) Japan had granted market access to
fresh Pakistani mango, which was subject to offshore disinfestation treatment,
sterilization at a temperature of 47 C or higher for 25 minutes using saturated
steam at vapour heat treatment facility dully approved by DPP and National
Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Japan and pre-clearance program by
Japanese Inspectors.
The export of Pakistani mango
fruit (Sindhri & Chaunsa) from Pakistan to Japan is underway.
Roomi Foods Pvt. Ltd. has shipped
successfully 3 mango shipments to Japan as per agreed procedure between DPP and
MAFF as a temporary measure.
The minister extended deep appreciation to MAFF for facilitating export of mango from Pakistan to Japan by exempting pre-clearance in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak instead of restricting it due to difficulty in implementation of pre-clearance.
The minister extended deep appreciation to MAFF for facilitating export of mango from Pakistan to Japan by exempting pre-clearance in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak instead of restricting it due to difficulty in implementation of pre-clearance.
It is worth mentioning here that
Japanese Government has previously acceded to the request of the Government of
Pakistan and awarded funds to UNIDO in 2019 for launching project on
“Agri-Business and Agro-Industry Development” with an estimated cost of US $
3.02 million.
The Japanese ambassador during
his call on the Minister for NFSR on April 27 unveiled the intention of the
Japanese Government to provide an assistance package to fight the desert locust
in Pakistan.
Japan has provided 58,502 litres
insecticide last month in Multan,Bahawalpur,Sukkar,Mirpurkhas,Dera Bugti and
Dera Ismael Khan.
Rice Worth $ 2.024 Billion Exported
In 11 Months Of FY 2019-20
Rice exports from the country
during 11 months of fiscal year 2019-20 increased 5.05 percent as compared the
exports of the corresponding period of last year
ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point
News - 6th Jul, 2020 ) :Rice exports from the country during 11
months of fiscal year 2019-20 increased 5.05 percent as compared the exports of the corresponding
period of last year.
During the period from July-May, 2019-20 country
earned $2.024 billion by
exporting over 3.893 million tons of rice,
according the data of Pakistan Bureau
of Statistics.
During 11 months of last financial year about
3.873 million tons
of rice valuing $1.927 billion exported, it added.
Meanwhile, exports of Basmati rice during
the period under review also registered about 27.62 percent growth as about
852,117 metric tons of Basmati rice worth $724.511 million exported as compared
597,639 metric tons valuing $581.
During the period under review, country fetched
$1.281 billion by
exporting about 3.01 million tons of rice other
then Basmati as against the exports of 3.242 million tons valuing
$1.281 billion of same period of last year.
It may be recalled here
that food group exports from the country during 11
months of fiscal year ended on June 3, 2020 decreased by 5.02 percent
as compared the exports of the corresponding
period of last year.
Different food commodities worth 4.056 billion exported during 11
months of last year, which stood at $4.270 billion of same period of last year.
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LIBERIA: As Rice Shortage Looms,
Commerce Ministry Says Enough Of The Product Available, Dispels Fear
Flash Back: L-R( DMC Wisner, UCI’s Wahab Dhaini and
Pro. Tarpeh – Photo Credit: Public Affairs MoCI
Amid wild spread speculations of the shortage of rice on the
Liberian markets, the Director of Information at the Ministry of Commerce and
Industry, Jacob Pailey has publicly dispelled rumors on the shortage of
the product, noting that there is enough rice on the Liberian market, there is
no need for the public to be panic.
Speaking to a local radio station in Monrovia on Saturday, July 4,
2020, the MoCI media man bragged of the availability of what he called
sufficient rice on the market, and further warned those who are creating
artificial shortage of the product to desist of face the full weight of the
law.
Early this year, the ministry announced the arrival of 103,000
Metric Tons of Rice in the country, noting that data from the rice importers
and what was physically seen by the team of reporters during the tour, there is
at least 103,000 Metric tons (4,120,000 bags of 25 Kg,), or about eight (8)
months of market demand. The five major importers include Fouani Brothers;
Fouta Corporation; K&K; Supplying West Africa Traders Incorporated (SWAT);
and United Commodities Incorporated (UCI).
But addressing the issue of the shortage of the product, Pailey
said several millions of tons of rice are expected to arrive in the country
shortly, while some are already in the country.
Since the artificial shortage of the product was announced, the
product by bag is now been sold at sky ratted prices, as some shops and stores
are selling a bag of 25k at the price of US$20.00 (LD3,800) instead of
the official US$13.00 (LD2,480) has been officially announced by the
Commerce Ministry, while retail price per cup is now sold at LD70 instead of
LD25 per cup.
(Visited 126 times, 21 visits today)
Agronomic challenges hamper
increased rice yields in Ghana
Price production in Ghana
A myriad of agronomic challenges have hampered efforts towards
achieving higher yields in rice production in Ghana and two other African
countries, a report has said.
According to the survey, conducted by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), soil nutrient depletion and imbalances, as well as the impact of Climate Change were the key challenges hampering the work of smallholder rice farmers in Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda.
Although African farmers were beginning to innovate, increase productivity, and drive unprecedented progress across entire economies, the survey discovered that climate change and a surge of new pests and diseases threatened these gains.
“Many rice farms are being abandoned in these countries as a result of Climate Change, with the high accumulation of salt leading to salinity, which causes environmental degradation,” the survey found out.
It said the impact of Climate Change, pests, and diseases was severe because a large percentage of the farmers in these countries continued to rely on rain-fed agriculture, the use of unimproved seeds, the lack of machinery to support commercialization of rice production; and the low use of fertilizers.
It said, although all three countries are prone to drought, only nine percent of rice farmers surveyed in Uganda and 10 percent in Nigeria practice exclusive irrigation farming.
The survey discovered further that a large number of these farmers, 52 percent (Ghana), 78 percent (Nigeria), and 83 percent (Uganda), depended on seeds saved from their harvested crops for planting in the following season, leading to low yields.
In addition, the report said the low regime of fertilizer use, where for example, only 20 percent of the farmers surveyed in Uganda applied fertilizers also contributed to the low crop yield.
Rice is the second largest staple cereal in both Ghana and Nigeria, and the third in Uganda, but rice production mainly involves peasant farmers.
The report, however, said there was a glimmer of hope on the horizon with an emerging trend of youth increasingly gravitating towards roles in rice farming in the three countries.
“For Africa to achieve desired growth in its agriculture sector, and to create jobs for the youth and achieve food security, there is a need to put in place reforms necessary to unlock agriculture’s potential,” Kayode Sanni, rice project manager at AATF said.
He added that the reforms needed include access to land, improvement of infrastructure, enhancement of extension services and farmer education, access to markets, finance and quality seeds, and the adoption of new technologies. Enditem
According to the survey, conducted by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), soil nutrient depletion and imbalances, as well as the impact of Climate Change were the key challenges hampering the work of smallholder rice farmers in Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda.
Although African farmers were beginning to innovate, increase productivity, and drive unprecedented progress across entire economies, the survey discovered that climate change and a surge of new pests and diseases threatened these gains.
“Many rice farms are being abandoned in these countries as a result of Climate Change, with the high accumulation of salt leading to salinity, which causes environmental degradation,” the survey found out.
It said the impact of Climate Change, pests, and diseases was severe because a large percentage of the farmers in these countries continued to rely on rain-fed agriculture, the use of unimproved seeds, the lack of machinery to support commercialization of rice production; and the low use of fertilizers.
It said, although all three countries are prone to drought, only nine percent of rice farmers surveyed in Uganda and 10 percent in Nigeria practice exclusive irrigation farming.
The survey discovered further that a large number of these farmers, 52 percent (Ghana), 78 percent (Nigeria), and 83 percent (Uganda), depended on seeds saved from their harvested crops for planting in the following season, leading to low yields.
In addition, the report said the low regime of fertilizer use, where for example, only 20 percent of the farmers surveyed in Uganda applied fertilizers also contributed to the low crop yield.
Rice is the second largest staple cereal in both Ghana and Nigeria, and the third in Uganda, but rice production mainly involves peasant farmers.
The report, however, said there was a glimmer of hope on the horizon with an emerging trend of youth increasingly gravitating towards roles in rice farming in the three countries.
“For Africa to achieve desired growth in its agriculture sector, and to create jobs for the youth and achieve food security, there is a need to put in place reforms necessary to unlock agriculture’s potential,” Kayode Sanni, rice project manager at AATF said.
He added that the reforms needed include access to land, improvement of infrastructure, enhancement of extension services and farmer education, access to markets, finance and quality seeds, and the adoption of new technologies. Enditem
Over 68 lakh
hectares sown under summer rice this year: Govt
@AgriGoI
Jul 04, 2020
|
,
|
8:41AM
|
The Agriculture Ministry
has said, it is taking several measures to facilitate the farmers and farming
activities at field level during COVID 19 pandemic. The Ministry said, there
has been noteworthy progress of sowing area coverage under Kharif crops. It
said, over 68 lakh hectare area have been brought under sowing of summer rice
this year as compared to 49.23 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of
last year.
Pulses have been sown in about 36.82 lakh hectare as compared to 9.46 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year. The Ministry said, over 109 lakh hectare area have been brought under sowing of oilseeds as compared to 33.63 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year. It said, sugarcane has been sown in about 50.62 lakh hectare area as compared to 49.86 lakh hectare in comparison to the corresponding period of last year.
Pulses have been sown in about 36.82 lakh hectare as compared to 9.46 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year. The Ministry said, over 109 lakh hectare area have been brought under sowing of oilseeds as compared to 33.63 lakh hectare during the corresponding period of last year. It said, sugarcane has been sown in about 50.62 lakh hectare area as compared to 49.86 lakh hectare in comparison to the corresponding period of last year.
Fair price eludes
boro farmers
12:00
AM, July 07, 2020 / LAST MODIFIED: 01:05 AM, July 07, 2020
So far, only 1pc could sell at
govt-set price, finds a BIGD survey on 2,834 farm households
Staff
Correspondent
Only 1 percent of Boro farmers have
been able to sell their produce at the government-set purchase price of Tk
1,040 per maund this year, according to a study by Brac Institute of Governance
and Development (BIGD).
On average, farmers have received
just Tk 765 per maund, found the study, based on surveys on 2,834 farm
households across the country.
Year after year, Boro farmers have
reported having to sell their paddy far lower than the government-fixed prices.
Not getting due prices this year came as a double blow to them as they had to
bear increased production costs because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Besides, they earned 40 percent
less profit compared to previous years.
A nationwide government drive to
purchase Boro paddy from farmers began on April 26. It will continue till
August 31.
About half the respondents said
they got between Tk 701 and Tk 900 per maund. About 13 percent were forced to
sell per maund of their produce below Tk 600, according to the study.
On the other hand, production costs
increased by 13 percent this year, it said.
"We asked the farmers how much
it cost them to harvest paddy this year, and how much it would have cost had
the pandemic not struck," said Dr Narayan Das, senior research fellow at
the BIGD, while presenting the findings at a webinar yesterday.
The study, based on a rapid survey
titled "Effects of Covid-19 on Boro Rice Farmers" was carried out
between May 20 and June 3. To ensure that households affected only by the
pandemic were taken into account, those hit by cyclone Amphan were selectively
taken out.
About 43 percent of the land
considered for the survey was rented, meaning the farmers tilling those land
were sharecroppers.
In addition to Narayan, the
research team comprised of Dr Imran Matin, executive director of BIGD, and
research associates Md Saiful Islam and Semab Rahman.
One of the major reasons for a rise
in production costs was the labour shortage. Because of the lockdown, movement
of labourers was restricted, leading to high labour wages. Sixty-five percent
of the farmers interviewed cited increased labour costs as a reason, said the
researchers.
Dhaka and Chattogram divisions saw
the highest rise in wages, they said.
Meanwhile, 40 percent of the
respondents said the cost of pesticides rose, 36 percent said the cost of
fertiliser went up, 21 percent talked about irrigation costs and 20 percent
pointed at increasing transport costs.
The study found that the yield loss
per acre due to the pandemic was 7 percent. "If we extrapolate that for
the total amount of land cultivated for Boro, nationally, the yield loss this
year amounted to 4.82 crore maunds, worth Tk 3,687 crore," said Narayan.
Labour shortage was also the most
highly cited reason for the drop in production volume.
Dr MA Sattar Mandal, emeritus
professor at Department of Agricultural Economics and former vice-chancellor of
Bangladesh Agricultural University, however, said according to his research,
the labour cost was less.
"My personal finding is that
the wage rate was in fact less because there was a movement of people from
urban areas to rural ones. They were available as farmhands," he said.
Speaking at the webinar, Md
Nasiruzzaman, secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, said, "We had a
labour shortage during the lockdown, but we tried to overcome that by supplying
combined harvester machines."
Sudhir Chandra Nath, business
director at ACI Seed, pointed out that while procuring rice, the government
prefers rice millers who can maintain moisture control of the harvest, thereby
depriving farmers of the government-set prices.
"The government should
purchase grain from the farmers instead of rice from the millers," he
said.
M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, senior
advisor to BIGD, also spoke at the event.
Thai rice export prices lowest in
one month
BENGALURU: Thai rice export prices fell to the lowest in a month
this week as demand sagged, while Vietnamese rates...
July 07, 2020
BENGALURU: Thai rice export prices
fell to the lowest in a month this week as demand sagged, while Vietnamese
rates rose as persistent rain continued to hamper the harvest.
Thailand's benchmark 5-percent
broken rice prices slipped to $480-$515 from $514-$520 last week.
Prices fell to the lowest level
since late-May, with traders also attributing the dip to a weaker baht.
"There is very little demand
for Thai rice right now in the overseas market," a Bangkok-based trader
said.
However, Thai rates were still
higher than those of competitors Vietnam and India after a drought hammered
production earlier this year.
"The supply concern will
continue until new supply enters the market, most likely early next month,
until then our rice prices (will) remain higher than our competitors,"
another rice trader said.
In Vietnam, rates for 5% broken
rice rose to $415-$450 per tonne on Thursday from last week's $405-$450 range.
The winter-spring rice prices were
unchanged from last week at $450 per tonne, while rates for the ongoing
summer-autumn harvest rose to $415-$420 per tonne, from $405-$410, traders
said.
"Demand for Vietnamese rice
remains weak, but prices of the summer-autumn harvest have edged up because persistent
rain in the Mekong Delta has slowed down the harvest," a trader based in
Ho Chi Minh City said, adding rain is forecast to subside from mid-July which
would lead to better rice quality. Prices for top exporter India's 5 percent
broken parboiled variety were unchanged at $373-$378 per tonne.
"Demand is moderate. We could
not lower prices due to appreciating rupee," said an exporter based at
Kakinada in southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
The Indian rupee on Thursday hit a
two-month high, trimming traders' margin from overseas sales.
Bangladesh could import rice to
rein in soaring domestic prices, the country's food minister Sadhan Chandra
Majumdar said, while the government struggled to secure supplies locally.
"We will be compelled to
import rice if the millers don't supply at the rate fixed by the
government," he said.
Farmers ask President to prevent
artificial rice shortages
Monday July 6, 2020 12:23:30
PACKED HOUSE – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
campaigning for SLPP candidates in Polonnaruwa on Sunday/President’s Media
ECONOMYNEXT – On the campaign trail in Polonnaruwa President
Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been asked by local farmers not to allow
“intermediaries” to create artificial shortages of rice in the market.
A press statement issued by the President’s Office said that the
farmers he met at the Siripura Provincial Government Grounds after a rally had
said that there had been a bumper harvest in the last season, therefore, there
was no way there could be a shortage.
The President was campaigning yesterday July 5, to support
candidates of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna in the area for the August
Parliamentary elections.
The government was hit by high prices of rice almost immediately
after the President was elected in November.
This was due to a shortage that occurred in the market along
with the festive season.
The release said that the President Rajapaksa told the farmers
that after the government assumed office, it had begun rehabilitating paddy
storage facilities and built an efficient paddy purchasing process.
The President further said that the government has planned to
act in a manner that would not cause any problem to the paddy farmers.
The rice trade in Sri Lanka is controlled by a handful of big
time millers, and the President has met and negotiated with them.
When President Rajapaksa campaigned with former President
Maithripala Sirisena at Deepa Uyana, he was seen chatting with Dudley Sirisena
one of the biggest of the rice millers.
Dudley is the younger brother of the former President.
Human-elephant conflict and unemployment are among the biggest
problems faced by the people living in the Polonnaruwa District. Residents also
requested the President to take swift actions to solve these issues.
A set of proposals seeking redress for their problems was handed
over to President Rajapaksa by Buddhist Monks of the area, the release added.
The President also called for a report on the status of the
schools in the district after he was informed that many schools were facing a
shortage of teachers. (Colombo, July 6, 2020)
Reported by Arjuna Ranawana
Meet Ghana’s
First Female Scientist
06-Jul-2020
Dr Letitia Obeng
Dr Letitia Obeng is a First Woman
Scientist in Zoology, and was the first Ghanaian woman to graduate with a
bachelor’s degree in science, as well as the first to be awarded a doctorate in
science (1964). She is the sister of the late Madam Theodosia Okoh, the
designer of the Ghana flag.The notion that Science and Technology, is preserve of men has been proven wrong by Dr Letitia Obeng, First Woman Scientist in Zoology, and to her the world is meant for both sexes, therefore, what has been ascribed to be for men, women could also endeavour to do and even better.
Coming from a very humble and religious home many described her as courageous woman who never allowed impediments to claim superiority in her carrier ambition. Being the first woman scientist in zoology, she had colossal passion for living things and water.
Describing her as the grandmother of female scientists in Ghana and an unsung heroine, Letitia, was born on January 10, 1925 at Anum in the Eastern Region, to the Very Reverend E.V. Asihene, a Former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and Mrs Dora Asihene. Little as she was Letitia started her primary education at Abetifi-Kwahu in the Eastern Region and continued at a middle school in Kyebi.
Dr Letitia Obeng is a First Woman Scientist in Zoology, and was the first Ghanaian woman to graduate with a bachelor's degree in science, as well as the first to be awarded a doctorate in science
She was fortunate to have her secondary education at the Achimota School from 1939-1946 when she took the London University International Examination since there was no university in the then Gold Coast, those who passed that examination had to continue their university education abroad.
Letitia was then given a government scholarship to do her Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology at the University of Birmingham from 1948 to 1952.
Dr Letitia Obeng is a First Woman Scientist in Zoology, and was the first Ghanaian woman to graduate with a bachelor's degree in science, as well as the first to be awarded a doctorate in science
“There were not many girls studying Zoology and only eight girls in that class of which I was the only African and for that matter the only black and that made me stand out of the eight in the class.”
She always found herself in the minority because she was first a woman studying in the field and secondly because she was a black African, “but I was not bordered at all”.
She never thought of the world being a man’s world and that gave her the urge that women could also do what men did and even do it much more better if they worked towards it with determination.
“As a young girl, I never allowed anything to be a stumbling block”, she said with seriousness.
Being so proud to be an African, Dr Letitia Obeng was always in her native cloth, which she was so proud of as an African.
She recounted her experience in England just before she graduated. As the rule was in those days, all female students of the university of Birmingham had to wear black skirt and white blouse on the day of graduation but the young female African, who was passionate of her native dress managed to get the university authorities to change her dress code for her by writing to the Chancellor’s office asking for permission to wear her native cloth for graduation which they agreed.
Letitia then returned home as the first female scientist in Zoology and immediately had an employment at the University College of Science and Technology, which had just started. Heading the Zoology department with an empty laboratory, “all I had were a moldy old microscope, two beakers and a long bench”.
With the help of her husband, who was also working at the College, the laboratory was furnished with the needed equipment and taught three sets of students, who at the end of their courses had good grades with most of them entering into medicine and pharmacy.
“In 1959, I lost my husband George, who was a lecturer at the same university, with whom I had three kids with, two boys and a girl. I then left the University and was the first and the only scientist to be recruited into the National Research Council, which is now the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),” she said.
She was also the first Ghanaian woman to establish a new research institute, Institute of Aquatic Biology for the Ghana Academy of Sciences in 1964.
She undertook a parasitological research, which was presented to her former University as her master’s dissertation in 1960.
This young mother was undaunted in her academic exploits. Two years after, she enrolled at the University of Liverpool for her PHD in 1962 where she obtained her doctorate degree.
For her thesis, Dr Obeng investigated into the life cycle of the Simulium fly popularly called the black fly, which transmitted the worm that caused onchocerciasis or river blindness.
This made her the first Ghanaian female to obtain a PhD in Simuliidae from the Liverpool University in the United Kingdom.
Dr Letitia Obeng ‘s love for water and the environment is amply demonstrated without one being told as soon as one entered her compound and her living room.
The evergreen grass lounge mini forest; artificial types of insects; various animals and a garden of flowers, shows her love for water as well as the environment.
Her passion for water got her job at the Volta Lake Research Project, where she co-managed for four years and looked at a number of environmental issues related to the Lake.
Due to her hard work toward the management of the environment, the United Nations invited her to take part in the 1972 UN Human and Environment Conference in Stockholm, Sweden.
From 1974 to 1985, Dr Obeng was appointed the Director at the Regional Office for Africa of the United Nations Environment Programme, initiator and co-coordinator of the African Sub-Regional Environment Programmes and also held the position of a senior Programme Officer in charge of Water for five years.
She gets so angry and disturbed when she sees the filthy environment in Accra and choked gutters. “It is even worse when it rains and the waste plastics are washed unto the streets and scattered all over the place,” an unpleasant sight that she hates to see.
Every bit of Dr Letitia Obeng ‘s achievements has not gone unrecognized. She has received numerous awards and honoured both nationally and internationally.
She was the first female recipient of the CSIR Award for Distinguished Career and Service to Science and Technology in 1997.
She was also has the CSIR Laboratory named after her “The Dr Letitia Obeng Block” and “Service to Science and Technology” award was bestowed on her in 1997.
In 1998, she received the first national award for Science and Technology, Biological Sciences, the first female Executive Member of the Council of the Africa Leadership Forum.
Dr Obeng is proud to have also been selected among the few Ghanaian women to receive the National Award of the “Star of Ghana’ in 2006 and just early this year, she was unanimously appointed as the first female President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
She has affiliate membership of a number of national and international bodies and they include the Africa Leadership Forum; Royal Society of Arts, UK; New York Academy of Sciences; International Rice Research Institute; International Irrigation Management Institute and the Stockholm Environment Institute.
Dr Letitia Obeng ‘s publications include “Man-made Lake”; “Environmental Management”; “Volta Lake Ecology” and “Environmental Problem of Africa”; “Health Hazards Of Agricultural Projects”; “Dr Ephriam Amu – A Portrait of Cultured Patriotism” and “Parasites: The Sly and Sneak Enemies Inside You”.
For her advice to the youth, Dr Obeng: “Whatever you do in life, do it to the best of your ability and after that, you can say this is the best I could do. Then, there will be no regrets. If you do not succeed at the first attempt, try, try and try again.” Though Letitia has officially retired since 1985, she is not tired serving her nation. To her: “Tiredness is a luxury most people can’t afford.” Currently, she is the president of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 2017, she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
She hopes to see a day when everybody will realize the need to live in a clean environment and ensure that the whole country is clean especially in Accra.
Dr Letitia Obeng is a First Woman Scientist in Zoology, and was the first Ghanaian woman to graduate with a bachelor's degree in science, as well as the first to be awarded a doctorate in science
She launched her first book –Anthology of a Lifetime in July 2019. The 381-page book is a compilation of some of the distinguished scientist’s talks, speeches, writings and publications within the last 60 years.
Villar: Gov’t to
fund assistance programs for local farmers
Published July 7, 2020, 12:43 PM
by Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senator
Cynthia Villar has assured that the government will continue to fund its
assistance programs for local farmers amid the continued importation of rice
and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sen.
Cynthia Villar (Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN)
Villar, in a
statement, said there is no need for additional cash for the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) since the Rice Tariffication Act
already guarantees an annual P10-billion budget.
The chairman
of the Senate Agriculture and Food Committee was commenting on the P8-billion
fund requested by the Department of Agriculture (DA) for its Rice Resiliency
Project amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Department of Budget and Management
released to the DA last April the requested fund, which included an allocation
for “enhanced RCEF”.
“The RCEF
does not need any additional budget allocated from the COVID-19 prevention,”
Villar said.
She noted
that the DA, aside from the RCEF, has a separate National Rice Program, which
has a yearly P7 billion budget for buying fertilizer and hybrid seeds.
Republic Act
11203, enacted last year, mandates the provision of an annual P10-billion
budget to the RCEF for six years from the tariffs collected from rice imports.
The RCEF
shall be used to help farmers compete with imported rice, by giving them farm
equipment, inbred seeds, low-interest credit, and training. The RCEF is
expected to aid in lowering the cost of local rice.
“This
cheaper supply of rice from our own rice farmer helps lower rice prices for
Filipino consumers,” Villar said.
The
government recently scrapped its planned government-to-government importation
of 300,000 metric tons of rice after Vietnam lifted its ban on rice exports.
Vietnam is a
major source of rice imports of the Philippines
KVK
scientists undertake promotional trial of flood-resistant rice variety
When
the whole State has been badly affected by flood, causing huge loss of property
and crop fields, scientists By : Sentinel Digital Desk |
7 July 2020 8:15 AM OUR STAFF
CORRESPONDENT DIBRUGARH: When the whole State has been badly affected by flood,
causing huge loss of property and crop fields, scientists of Krishi Vigyan
Kendra (KVK), Dibrugarh have been visiting farmers' fields in the district in
order to provide timely and appropriate knowledge or skill to farmers. KVK
scientists Hemchandra Saikia, Chayanika Thakuria and Tilok Malakar visited
flood-affected No.3 Charihabi gaon in Dibrugarh district along with an
agricultural extension agent of district agricultural office, Dilip Das. As
part of continuous dissemination of improved technology in farmers' fields, KVK
Dibrugarh is also undertaking timely promotional trial of Ranjit Sub-1
cultivation in the fields of flood-affected farmers of the district. KVK
scientists visited their adopted village No.3 Charaihabi gaon to take stock of
the environment or arrangement for the successful cultivation of this suitable
flood-resistant rice variety. While visiting the village, Chayanika Thakuria,
subject matter specialist in Agronomy, advised the beneficiary farmers to
transplant the Ranjit Sub-1 seedling in right time to harvest their desired
output. During the farmer-scientist interaction, Hemchandra Saikia, an expert
in Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, said that Krishi Vigyan Kendra
selected their village for cultivating Ranjit Sub-1 because their village had
been affected by flood and this Ranjit Sub-1 was a very important
flood-resistant high-yielding rice variety with a potential yield capacity of
6.5 to 7 ton per hectare of cultivated area and it could tolerate submergence
up to 15 days, as reported by the scientists of Assam Agricultural University.
He also disclosed that due to its suitability, Ranjit Sub-1 was also
recommended in States like Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar
Pradesh in their flood-affected areas. He urged farmers to transplant 30 days
old seedling of Ranjit Sub-1 by the month of July, preferably in order to
obtain good harvest by effectively following all the improved methods of
cultivation in right time giving more emphasis on organic way of crop
cultivation as per the recommendation of agricultural scientists.
https://www.sentinelassam.com/north-east-india-news/assam-news/kvk-scientists-undertake-promotional-trial-of-flood-resistant-rice-variety-487130
https://www.sentinelassam.com/north-east-india-news/assam-news/kvk-scientists-undertake-promotional-trial-of-flood-resistant-rice-variety-487130
Study flags excess pesticide use by rice,
cotton growers in Punjab, Kashmir
Posted: Jul 07, 2020 07:07 AM (IST)
Photo for representation only
Ruchika
M Khanna
Tribune
News Service
Chandigarh,
July 6
A
joint study, commissioned by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, has
raised concern about the high use of pesticides by rice and cotton growers in
Punjab. The study said the use of pesticides was maximum in the Kashmir valley
while Punjab ranked second in north India.
High Use Of Chemicals
·
The study took into account the
use of pesticides and fungicides in Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Moga and Muktsar
·
These areas were selected as
these account for 20 per cent of area under paddy cultivation in the state
·
Paddy growers were using over 20
types of insecticides and nine herbicides
Rice
and cotton growers of Punjab, vegetable cultivators of Jammu and apple growers
of Kashmir were found to be exposed to health risks arising from the
application of high quantities of pesticides, said the study conducted by
scientists from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; Amity University, UP;
and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu.
The study, published in ‘Environmental Management’, also revealed that the
official figures of pesticide use were largely under-reported.
The
study took into account the use of pesticides and fungicides by rice farmers in
Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Moga and Muktsar. These areas were selected as these
account for 20 per cent of area under paddy cultivation in the state. They
found that paddy cultivators applied 20 types of insecticides, five insecticide
cocktails and nine herbicides. Some of these have been categorised as hazardous
by the World Health Organisation.
Cultivation
of BT cotton in early 2000s had led to introduction of pesticides that are to
be given in low dosage. “Even low dose of pesticides is extremely potent as
their toxicity is greater than that of organochlorimates and carbonates used
earlier,” it pointed out.
For
cotton, Fazilka, Bathinda and Mansa districts were selected. In all these
places, integrated pest management programmes have been run for many years now,
but farmers continue to use 26 insecticides, three readymade cocktail
insecticides, nine fungicides, besides three fungicide cocktails, five
herbicides and two bio-pesticides. Pesticide use by weight in cotton crop was
found to be 2.660 kg per hectare. Pesticides belonging to WHO Hazard Category
II were being used here.
In
Kashmir, the gross misuse of pesticide was attributed to the lack of integrated
pest management. Though extremely hazardous and highly hazardous pesticides
were not used for apple, the probable and possible carcinogenic pesticide use
was 9.039 kg per hectare.
Principal
investigator of the study Rajinder Peshin told The Tribune that pesticide use
in farming had been declining in late 1990s and early 2000. “Since 2007, it
gained an upward trend. The study points out that apple is a pesticide guzzler
with 25.2 kg of active ingredient per hectare being used. This is followed by
cotton and rice areas of Punjab and vegetable cultivation in Jammu,” he said.
Cultivating millets could be a
way forward for achieving food security in India
Bengaluru Jul 7, 2020, (Research Matters):
Over the past fifty years, modernisation and expansion in
agriculture have led to an increase in the global food supply, preventing
large-scale hunger and famine. However, this transition has also increased
greenhouse gas emissions and the demand for land and natural resources, making
agriculture one of the most extensive activities that modify the planet.
Compared to traditional systems of farming that grew nutritious cereals,
including millets and sorghum, today’s practices rely on high-yielding grains,
like rice and wheat. This shift has increased the burden of malnutrition, causing undernourishment
and micronutrient deficiencies.
In India, the monsoon (Kharif) cereal production is dominated by
rice, which occupies around 67% of the land that grows cereals during this
season. While rice provides a substantial amount of calories, its cultivation
needs an abundant supply of water, emits more greenhouse gases and is easily
affected by deficient rains. Hence, its share of calorific yield in cereal
production during Kharif season is a matter of great concern.
Now, a study by a team of international researchers,
published in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, has suggested that diversifying
crop production in India to include cereals like millets and sorghum could be a
sustainable way forward. These crops, the researchers say, can not only make
food supply more nutritious but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as
demand for natural resources. They can also increase the climate resilience of
our food production all without reducing available calories or requiring more
land.
The researchers analysed 50 years of data on crop production to
assess how an increase in area under coarse cereals, such as millets and
sorghum, affects nutrition, environmental sustainability and climate
resilience. For each crop, they evaluated the protein supply, iron supply,
energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, water demand and effect on production
in a year with extreme climatic conditions.
The researchers found that the national iron supply from coarse
cereals could increase by an average of 47% and protein supply by 5%. The total
water demand would reduce by an average of 8%, and monsoon irrigation water
demand would decrease by 21%. The energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions
would reduce by an average of 12% and 13% respectively. The loss in calories
during an extremely dry year would also reduce by an average of 13%.
The analysis further showed that farmers achieved maximum
benefits in states where millets and sorghum are currently grown. However,
those states that did not cultivate these cereals could also see indirect
benefits. “Some of the benefits would be more localised. For example, reducing
irrigation water demand in a district would only lead to more water availability
in that particular place. Other benefits could be at a national level. An
increase in iron supply in one state, for example, can be distributed through
inter-state trade to other parts of the country,” says Dr Kyle Frankle Davis.
He is an assistant professor at the University of Delaware and the
corresponding author of the study.
Based on farmer data from two states, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu,
the study found that increasing the share of coarse cereals could lead to
substantial reductions in seed and fertiliser use and may, therefore, mean
lower costs for inputs.
So, why are these seemingly attractive crops not widely grown?
The shift towards the cultivation of rice and wheat has been influenced in
large part by national food security programs, like the Public Distribution
System (PDS), which offer minimum support prices (MSPs) to large quantities of
these cereals. These market distortions have made the production of coarse
cereals like millets less economically attractive to farmers.
“Farmers will be more likely to cultivate coarse cereals if they
can obtain a good price for their production. Increasing the demand for coarse
cereals through public awareness and advertising, and including them in
government programs, can ensure that farmers receive prices that are
competitive with rice,” suggests Dr Davis.
The findings show that cultivating coarse cereals, which are
resilient to climatic changes, has many benefits. They can address
micronutrient deficiencies, and reduce environmental impacts, thus leading to
more sustainable agricultural practices in the country.
“Developing dishes and food product lines that incorporate these
cereals, as well as ensuring an affordable option for all segments of the
population to buy them, can increase wider consumption,” concludes Dr Davis.
BOC-Cebu imposes
P5K fine per clerical error to fight smuggling
July 6, 2020, 9:18 pm
FINE PER CLERICAL ERROR. To fight technical smuggling and maximize revenue collection,
the Bureau of Customs-Port of Cebu is strictly imposing the PHP5,000 fine for
every clerical error committed by an importer in the import entry and other
customs documents. BOC-Cebu acting district collector lawyer Charlito Martin
Mendoza on Monday (July 6, 2020) said imposition of fines is allowed by a
customs memorandum order in order to fight misdeclaration and
misclassification, the usual technical smuggling committed by importers. (PNA photo by John Rey Saavedra)
CEBU
CITY – The Bureau of
Customs–Port of Cebu is imposing PHP5,000 fine per clerical error in the import
entry and other customs documents as part of the campaign to eliminate
technical smuggling and collect alternative sources of revenue.
Lawyer Charlito Martin Mendoza, BOC-Cebu acting district
collector, said imposing fines may help them cope with the decline in the
volume of importation which affected their collection effort in time with the
slower economy because of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
But most of all, Mendoza said they impose the fine for every
erroneous entry to avoid misdeclaration and misclassification of goods being
imported.
He said there has been a customs memorandum order imposing
PHP5,000 fine for every erroneous entry especially on the value and
classification of the goods subject of importation, but they aggressively
implement it now “to see to it that proper customs duties and taxes are paid
accordingly” in the light of the slower importation activities.
“We impose a fine if the shipment is not seizurable based on the
magnitude of discrepancy. The fine is on top of the difference in tax and
penalty. But if the discrepancy is as high as 30 percent of the actual value of
the goods, the whole shipment should be seized,” Mendoza told the Philippine
News Agency on Monday.He said his office has so far been able to send 60 demand
letters.
As of Friday last week, BOC-Cebu was able to collect fines
equivalent to eight clerical errors committed by different importers.“We hope
after some time that we will be imposing fines on their clerical errors, they
will become diligent in filling up the customs goods declaration document,” he
added.
Aside from fine imposition, Mendoza said customs examiners are
doubling their vigilance on fake and recycled supporting documents which became
a source of fraud in filing their import entries.
He said the National Value Verification System (NVVS) is helping
the Port of Cebu in determining the correct value of goods in case importers
could not substantiate the value they declared over the goods.
The NVVS serves as a reference for value verification based
on previous similar or identical goods. Mendoza said it can only become a
basis if the importer cannot substantiate transaction value through “credible
documents”.The Cebu customs will also auction off aluminum tubes and feed-grade
rice in order to raise some PHP50 million non-traditional revenue.
He also said Republic Act 10963, the Tax Reform for Acceleration
and Inclusion Act or Republic, is also helping the collection efforts of the
BOC-Cebu because of the higher excise taxes on importation.
Also, Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law that lifts
the quantitative restriction on rice imports and replaces it with a general
tariff, has opened more liberalized purchase of rice from abroad and enables
them to collect more duties and taxes.
Although there is a decline in the volume of imports, BOC-Cebu was
able to collect PHP455.7 million surplus from the PHP2.088-billion target for
June after being able to collect PHP2.54 billion.
“The biggest impact is the decline of volume of importations which
translates to reduced collection. That is why, we try to maximize whatever
amount that we can collect from the reduced importations that are coming in
now,” he added. (PNA)
Smallholder
rice farmers are challenged’
From Juliana Agbo, Abuja
Smallholder rice farmers are
facing challenges, a survey by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation
(AATF) has said.
These include reliance on rain-fed farming, use of farmer-saved
seeds for subsequent production, lack of machinery to support commercialisation
of rice production, and low use of fertiliser.
According to the report, abiotic constraints associated with
soil nutrient depletion and imbalances (salinity, nutrient deficiencies and
toxicities) and water availability (drought and excess water) contributes
significantly to low rice productivity in Nigeria and other African countries.
The study further shows that with climate change, there are many
rice farms that are being abandoned due to high accumulation of salt leading to
salinity which leads to environmental degradation.
It shows that only nine per cent and 10 per cent of sampled rice
producing communities in Nigeria practiced exclusive irrigated rice farming.
Rice Project Manager at AATF, Dr Kayode Sanni, said there is
need to put in place reforms necessary to unlock agriculture’s potential for
Africa to achieve desired growth in its agriculture sector and to create jobs
for the youth and achieve food security.
He highlighted the reforms to include access to land,
improvement of infrastructure, enhancement of extension services and farmer
education, access to markets, finance and good quality seeds and adoption of
new technologies.
According to him, There is potential for increasing the yields
of rice in SSA through the development of improved rice varieties with the
ability to do well and produce more grains per hectare under the different
adverse environmental and soil conditions of Sub Saharan Africa.
“More than half of the sampled farmers in Nigeria used
farmer-saved seeds for subsequent production. The high use of saved seeds has
been linked to low yields in crops.
Other reasons include lack of money to procure other inputs
(fertilisers, herbicides and insecticides) to guarantee yields.
However, there is an emerging trend of youth increasingly taking
up roles in rice farming in Africa”, the survey stated.
It further recommended the need to invest in new farming
technology for Africa from better seeds to digital tools to machinery as the
best opportunity for transforming African agriculture into an engine of
economic growth that will have benefits far beyond the farm sector; and use of
new rice varieties and other innovations to ensure farmers can adapt to climate
change, address the challenges to help them improve productivity.
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Japan keen to import Basmati rice,
establishing mutual agriculture research
APP
ISLAMABAD-Ambassador
of Japan Matsuda Kuninori on Monday showed keen interest for developing mutual
agricultural research and importing Basmati rice from Pakistan in order to
further strengthen bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two
countries. The ambassador called on Minister for National Food Security and
Research Syed Fakhar Imam and discussed ways and means to enhance mutual
cooperation in different sectors, said a press release issue here.
The minister also stressed the need for
enhancing mutual cooperation in transfer of technology from Japan particularly
agricultural machinery. Imam asked for providing market access of Pakistani
citrus in Japan based on historical trade of citrus fruit with China, Russia,
Indonesia, Malaysia, and Iran. He said that cold treatment prescribed in US
treatment manual and acceptable to China, Russia, Iran and no non-compliance
ever received against this treatment from these countries. He said that it
worked well to eliminate all fruit flies from our (mandarin) Kinnow and also
admired Kobe beef of Japan.
Matsuda Kuninori mentioned that Pakistani mango
was more fragrant and showed interest in export of Basmati Rice from Pakistan.
Pakistan exported $3847 thousand worth Basmati Rice last year to Japan, he
added. The Japanese ambassador also showed interest in developing mutual
agricultural research.
He said that Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries (MAFF) Japan had granted market access to fresh Pakistani mango,
which was subject to offshore disinfestations treatment, sterilization at a
temperature of 47 C or higher for 25 minutes using saturated steam at vapour
heat treatment facility dully approved by DPP and National Plant Protection
Organization (NPPO) of Japan and pre-clearance program by Japanese Inspectors.
The export of Pakistani mangoes (Sindhri & Chaunsa) from Pakistan to Japan
is underway.
Roomi Foods Pvt. Ltd. has shipped successfully
3 mango shipments to Japan as per agreed procedure between DPP and MAFF as a
temporary measure. The minister extended deep appreciation to MAFF for
facilitating export of mango from Pakistan to Japan by exempting pre-clearance
in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak instead of restricting it due to difficulty in
implementation of pre-clearance.
It is worth mentioning here that Japanese
Government has previously acceded to the request of the Government of Pakistan
and awarded funds to UNIDO in 2019 for launching project on “Agri-Business and
Agro-Industry Development” with an estimated cost of $3.02 million. The
Japanese ambassador during his call on the Minister for NFSR on April 27
unveiled the intention of the Japanese Government to provide an assistance
package to fight the desert locust in Pakistan. Japan has provided 58,502
litres insecticide last month in Multan, Bahawalpur, Sukkar, Mirpurkhas, Dera
Bugti and Dera Ismael Khan
Farmers
eye GI tag for Wada Kolam rice
Gitesh Shelke | TNN | Updated: Jul 5, 2020,
13:20 IST
PUNE:
The farmers from the tribal belt of Palghar came together and filed an
application to secure the geographical identification (GI) tag for Wada
Kolam rice as it possesses all the qualities — aroma and other
specification — restricted to the geographical limits of Palghar.
The rice has its origin in the district. The city-based GI expert, Ganesh Hingmire of Great Mission Group Consultancy (GMCC), had submitted the application seeking the tag in June this year.
GI sign is used on products having a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. In India, GI registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
The Wada Kolam rice, also known as “zini”, is grown in the Wada taluka of Palghar district. A group of farmers — Wada Kolam Va Bahu-Uddeshiy Sheti Utpadan Sahakari Sanstha Maryadit — came together and approached Hingmire with their application.
Hingmire said, “Wada Kolam, an aromatic non-basmati variety of rice, is produced in Wada taluka and the farmers there have been growing this rice for many generations. The GI tag will help them get a premium price and it will also cut down the sale of hybrid varieties.”
He said, “One of the most striking feature of the rice is that it is gluten-free and easy to digest. It is high in micro-nutrients because of the quality of the soil and other geographical conditions of where it is grown.”
Hingmire said the local farmers did not use fertilizers for the cultivation of the rice. “They only use cow dung manure for its cultivation. The farmers also use the seeds produced locally,” he added.
The farmers claimed that they had stopped cultivating the rice as it did not fetch good price for the produce when compared to other varieties of the rice. They stated that other low quality rice was often wrongly passed off as Wada Kolam rice.
The rice has its origin in the district. The city-based GI expert, Ganesh Hingmire of Great Mission Group Consultancy (GMCC), had submitted the application seeking the tag in June this year.
GI sign is used on products having a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. In India, GI registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
The Wada Kolam rice, also known as “zini”, is grown in the Wada taluka of Palghar district. A group of farmers — Wada Kolam Va Bahu-Uddeshiy Sheti Utpadan Sahakari Sanstha Maryadit — came together and approached Hingmire with their application.
Hingmire said, “Wada Kolam, an aromatic non-basmati variety of rice, is produced in Wada taluka and the farmers there have been growing this rice for many generations. The GI tag will help them get a premium price and it will also cut down the sale of hybrid varieties.”
He said, “One of the most striking feature of the rice is that it is gluten-free and easy to digest. It is high in micro-nutrients because of the quality of the soil and other geographical conditions of where it is grown.”
Hingmire said the local farmers did not use fertilizers for the cultivation of the rice. “They only use cow dung manure for its cultivation. The farmers also use the seeds produced locally,” he added.
The farmers claimed that they had stopped cultivating the rice as it did not fetch good price for the produce when compared to other varieties of the rice. They stated that other low quality rice was often wrongly passed off as Wada Kolam rice.
