Trade Policy 2015-18
March 26, 2016
RECORDER REPORT
The Federal Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir unveiled the
three-year Strategic Trade Policy Framework 2015-18 with the overarching
objective of achieving $35 billion exports by 2018, the election year, which at
first glance appears to be more realistic than previous trade policies given
that the current level of exports is around 24 billion dollars. The budgeted
amount for the achievement of this ambitious trade policy in the current year
was 6 billion rupees; however, sources in the Commerce Ministry informed Business Recorder that with only three months
remaining in the current year they would propose to the Finance Minister to
defer this amount to next fiscal year. There is little doubt that the Finance
Minister would readily accede to this request as it would reduce the pressure
on him by that amount in terms of meeting the deficit target agreed with the
International Monetary Fund team under the 6.64 billion dollar Extended Fund
Facility.
Be that as it may,
without the necessary funding and with tax concessions announced in the trade
policy unlikely to be implemented till next year's budget, again because of
Ishaq Dar's focus on meeting the deficit agreed with the Fund team, the trade
policy is in effect a two-year policy - 2016-2018. And this raises the question
of whether the 11 billion dollar increase in exports that the policy envisages
is indeed realistic as it is a two-year period and not three. The policy consists of four pillars, in marked contrast to
previous policies that either focused on import substitution or export
promotion: product diversification and sophistication which one would hope
envisages producing exportable products rather than exporting what we produce,
market access, institution development (though no mention was made during
Dastgir's press conference as to which institutions would be developed and how)
and trade facilitation.
Dastgir asserted that the main reason for Pakistan's poor
performance in exports is a competitiveness crisis which he defined as heavy
reliance on only two products. He further averred that cotton output fluctuates
which is in the nature of the crop; however, what he ignored was the fact that
the fluctuation in farm output, including cotton, is also attributable to
government policies particularly the lack of support extended to the
agriculture sector by the federal government. This is unlike our regional
competitors who extend massive subsidies on fertiliser and other inputs,
including high quality seed as well as on the maintenance and expansion of the
irrigation system.
The trade policy envisages providing support to the
agri-business sector with a 50 percent support on the cost of imported new
plant and machinery for specified undeveloped regions or 100 percent mark-up
support on the cost of imported new plant and machinery throughout Pakistan.
This concession raises two questions: would the envisioned support be extended
by the commercial banking sector and if so this scheme may well go the way of
the Prime Minister's youth scheme as the private banking sector's requirements
for a loan can only be met by those with guarantees/assets? And if the
government is to bear the cost then one would have to wait and see if this is
budgeted for the next fiscal year.
With the IMF programme still ongoing, it is unlikely that the
Dar-led Finance Ministry would be able to extend any subsidy in 2016-17. A short-term strategy, the Commerce Minister noted, would target
three markets (Iran, China and Afghanistan) and focus on four products
(horticulture, meat and products, jewellery, basmati rice). It is unclear how
Dastgir defines short-term as many economists would define it as at least 2
years with respect to raising exports by 11 billion dollars which is the
duration of the entire policy.
Two of the three target identified markets raise a lot of
questions given that our official trade with Iran has never been high while our
trade with Afghanistan remains hostage to the ongoing conflict in relation to
dealing with the Taliban. China, as the minister stated in his press
conference, is suffering from an economic downturn which incidentally is not
expected to reverse in the next year or so. With respect to the four products
it is necessary to point out that the three countries are unlikely to be buying
jewellery given the state of their economies. Meat and products or horticulture
exports would perhaps have been more successful were the focus Middle Eastern
countries.
Basmati rice would be a product that is saleable in the three
countries however India exports basmati rice and takes the lead in sales to
Iran and Afghanistan.
Dastgir maintained that leather, pharmaceuticals, fisheries and surgical
instruments have higher export potential. Indeed, but the fact remains that
these items are already being exported and if cotton and products are taken out
of the equation these items are high on the list of generating export revenue.
One would have hoped that the focus would have been on leather manufacturers
including footwear, engineering goods and sports goods. The new policy aims to boost pharma exports.
But so far none of the 600 pharma companies has the World Health Organisation
(WHO) approval let alone certification by FDA of the US or European Drug
Regulatory Agency's certification. Perhaps, TDAP could help out in paying the
dollar 20,000 fee and facilitate the visit of WHO inspectors to local pharma
companies.
WHO certification would allow export of Pakistani drugs in case
of emergency to WHO-registered countries. To conclude, the delay in approval of
the trade policy, attributed to the Prime Minister, shortened its duration to
two years; and while one would have expected the Commerce Minister to present a
two instead of a three-year policy or failing that to extend it to 2019 yet for
the Sharif administration the buck stops in 2018 - the election year. One must
not lose sight of the fact that Finance Ministry holds the key to successful
exports. It has consistently denied refund/rebates to exporters - which are due
as far back as 2002. We need to 'walk the talk' or else it will remain 'talk
the talk'.
Export diversification (in terms of products and regions) and
greater market access have been aims of trade policy for over two decades with
little or no progress. We are afraid that mere rhetoric will not suffice. Incremental
refunds have never worked. Let us not create another circular debt in the
export sector as we have done in the energy sector. Refund of taxes to
exporters is long overdue. But our fiscal woes continue to worsen. We need to
urgently issue bonds as planned and seek permission from the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) in this regard.
MoU
signed for setting up Pak-Iran Chamber of Commerce
March
27, 2016
Our
Staff Reporter
Lahore -
The business community on Saturday termed visit of Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani to Pakistan as highly significant, which will mark the beginning of a
new era of cordial economic ties between both brotherly countries.Federation of
Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Abdur Rauf Alam
said that the two countries must benefit from each other strengths and increase
economic cooperation, which was lower than their actual potential.
Alam said that during the visit of Iranian president, FPCCI has also signed MoU
with the Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA)
for increased cooperation and establishment of Pakistan-Iran Chamber of
Commerce. He said that economies of both the countries
were taking off; therefore it was high time the business community explored
these opportunities.
Rice
Exporters Association of Pakistan Chairman Ch Shafique stated that Pakistan’s
rice export was stagnant for the last many years. “Although Iran could be a huge market for
Pakistani rice, but country’s rice sector is not yet ready to take advantage of
this opportunity, because most of the Pakistani rice exporters are waiting GMP
(good manufacturing practices) certification from Iran,” he lamented. He requested the Ministry of Commerce to take
up the issue with the Iranian health ministry to get the issue of GMP Certification
resolved on a priority basis, as without this certification rice export to Iran
was not possible. He said
that the landmark visit of the Iranian president provided Pakistan with a
historic opportunity to increase mutual trade and investment. “Three Pakistani banks, including one Islamic
bank, have almost completed spadework and they would be able to open LCs within
six weeks for which credit goes to the State Bank of Pakistan,” he said.Shafique
added that during the past few years, lack of trustable payment mechanism
through banks proved to be a single largest factor, hindering bilateral trade.
“Bilateral trade with Iran fell drastically as a result of sanctions and the
unwillingness of banks to finance trade,” he informed.
He said
now the last hurdle in resuming smooth trade relations between the two
countries was only GMP certification, which if removed would provide an
opportunity to execute the projects which have been in limbo for the last few
years. “In the absence of a banking channel, bilateral
trade with Iran has been affected badly, and the SBP’s move would help
facilitate the business community in terms of secured bilateral trade
transactions,” Shafique opined.High-Tech Lubricants Chief Executive Officer
Hassan Tahir called for good communication links and direct cargo flights to
Iran without which trade could not flourish. “Pakistan-Iran bilateral trade relations will
now touch new heights in coming years as both the sides have a huge unexplored
potential,” he said, adding, “The visit of Iranian president would pave the way
for the two sides to do business in an enabling environment.”
He urged the Pakistani businessmen to expedite the process of joint ventures
with their Iranian counterparts, as both the countries had the capacity to touch
the staggering figure of $10 billion.
“I expect that bilateral trade between Pakistan and Iran could reach over $3
billion just in one year,” Tahir added.He said that Pakistan and Iran had the
potential to cater to each other’s needs, provided the businessmen had the
exposure to the available opportunities.
He said
the government should consider importing 5,000 megawatt of electricity from
Iran, which would attract $1.5 billion of investment that will revolutionise
the industrial sector.
Pakistan Foam Manufacturers Association Chairman and LCCI EC Member Sheikh
Ibrahim said that the vision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had helped raise
the GDP and forex reserves, while inflation was going down, which was a very
positive sign. He said Pakistan had one of the largest coal,
salt, and copper reserves, while it held significant place as far as the
production of cotton, wheat, milk and beef was concerned. “Pakistan’s middle
class is fifth largest in the world, awaiting to be tapped, while our expertise
in textile and IT sectors can be of great use to Iran,” he conclude
'Rice Syndicate' Formed to Deal with Pakistan Rice Sector
Problems
Mar
24, 2016
The small to medium sized rice growers, millers,
processors and exporters in Pakistan have formed a 'rice syndicate' under the
Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) to deal with the problems faced
by the country's rice sector, according to Pakistan Observer.The UNISAME
President told reporters that: "the small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
are frustrated with the attitude of the trade bodies who are simply not
interested in advocating the cause of the growers, millers, processors and
exporters of rice have resolved to tackle their problems collectively on
self-help basis."
He noted that the Syndicate would give serious
consideration to the problems of farmers who are not able to recover their
production costs due to high input costs and low prices. He said the problems
of millers, most of whom are operating at lower capacities due to lack of
demand from processors and exporters. The official also noted that exporters
are also facing problems due to stiff competition from India and other
exporting nations.
The UNISAME President noted that the 'Rice
Syndicate' would bring all of them under one platform as their issues all are
inter-connected. "The supply chain, the logistics, the poor quality of
insecticides, pesticides, fertilizers, the shipping companies inefficiencies,
the costly packing materials and other issues of rice imports from India by the
rice mafia and their demands to allow imports of rice from the Wag-ah border
are serious issues," he said.He noted that the Syndicate members will meet
regularly the stakeholders, comprehend their issues and take up their cause
with the concerned provincial and Federal Ministries.
Trade for peace and prosperity
A mutually dependent
Pakistan-Iran region is the guarantee of a peaceful and prosperous
neighbourhood
Pakistan-Iran regional connectivity through business and trade
is important. From neoliberal perspective, business relations are a prelude to
both peace and economic prosperity.This is not to suggest that there is any conflict
between Pakistan and Iran but to highlight the fact that relations between the
two neighbours have not been congenial either. The construction of the about
40-kilometre concrete wall by Iran in 2006 on Pakistan-Iran border, the Iranian
government’s charge of alleged intrusion from Sunni militants and smugglers
from our side of the border, and the sporadic firing of Iranian rockets into
Pakistani territory are all indicators of never-too-friendly relations. More,
an especial case is Pakistan’s consulate in Zahidan.
A 120-year-old building, a hangover from the British, the
consulate in Zahidan is allegedly on a disputed land between Pakistan and Iran.
During a visit to the consulate, I observed that it does not even have a
concrete boundary wall, exposed to any untoward incident. The mud building has
deep cracks inside rooms, vulnerable to collapse in the event of any
earthquake. “We cannot carry out any construction or renovation work as the
Iranian authorities do not permit us. All our appeals for taking the issue
seriously have fallen on deaf ears,” lamented a staffer.After the partial
lifting of sanctions against Iran and Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Pakistan,
aiming at furthering economic relations, Islamabad and Tehran have the
opportunity to let trade relations dominate politics and not vice versa. In
case of Pakistan, Iran’s rice demand, which is more than 1 million tonnes
annually, is a case in point.
But Pakistani rice, which some traders in Zahidan believed was
better in quality than Indian rice, cannot compete with rice from India. For
example, in 2014/15, India exported more than 0.9 million tonnes of rice to
Iran. There were two main reasons as to why Pakistan could not benefit from
trade with Iran at par with India. One is the transfer of money through hawala system rather than the regular
banking system. “The hawalasystem owners charge high commission on transaction,” stated a
Pakistani trader in Zahidan. “They charge us many folds more than the normal
banking system if one would have been in place,” he lamented. “There is
absolutely no bank-to-bank transaction between Pakistan and Iran,” he added.Another
Pakistani trader, who moves between Lahore and Zahidan, said that Pakistani
rice had a huge demand in Iran but could not compete with Indian rice “due to
payment through hawala — the cost of Pakistani rice goes
up leaving Indian rice cheaper for buyers.”
Secondly, the Iranian government prefers trade with India over
Pakistani “because India is the second largest buyer of Iranian oil,” stated another
Pakistani trader. True, Iranian banks — Pasargan Bank and Parsian Bank of Iran
— have oil-related accounts in United Commercial Bank Kolkata. Indian
rupee-denominated trade with Iran helps both Delhi and Tehran to mutually
benefit from trade while easily bypassing the ban over the use of dollar in any
Iran-related transaction. Since July 2011, India paid Iran its dues under the
head of oil imports by sending 55 per cent of it in euro channeled through
Halkbank Ankara and remitting 45 per cent in rupees to Iranian banks accounts
in UCB until February 6, 2015 when transaction in euro through Ankara was
stopped.
Of course, it is the American pressure that is the biggest
impediment in Islamabad’s way to meaningfully engage in trade with Tehran. In
wake of unwinding of sanctions against Iran, though the pressure is petering
out, it is not going to completely disappear any time soon. As a matter of
fact, mostly EU sanctions against Iran have been removed. Only US’s secondary
sanctions were discarded. What these measures suggest is that while
non-American individuals and companies can do business with Iran, American
individuals and companies are still largely barred from doing business with the
country. Even the American dollar, in which 85 per cent of global transaction
takes place, cannot be used in any Iran related transaction.What is significant
is that the partial lifting of sanctions over Iran has its utility for Pakistan
too. The central government’s unwinding of its own sanctions against Iran is a
step in the right direction. Similarly, the government’s asking of state bank
to draw a mechanism without involving the use of dollars so that Pakistan can
enter Iranian market without bothering about American currency and the recent
unveiling of midterm strategic trade policy framework with a focus on boosting
export and increasing Pakistan’s share of regional trade speak of sheer
pragmatism.
What our central government needs to do is to take cue from
India by dealing with Iran in euro and allowing Iranian banks to open accounts
within Pakistani banks so as to do business in Pakistani rupee. Iran can be a
great help in ending our energy woes. Tehran is world’s fourth largest oil
producer and is home to world’s second-largest proven reserves of gas.Speaking
on the condition of anonymity, a senior government official, who has remained
privy to Pakistan-Iran government-to-government meetings said, “On various
occasions, Iran has offered 1000 megawatts of electricity on cheap rates to
Balochistan. It will not take more than three months to add the electricity to
national grid provided that the idea materialises.” Already, Taftan town and
the contiguous areas with the Iran border are benefiting from 24-hour
electricity supplied by Iran since 2007. A mutually dependent Pakistan-Iran
region is the guarantee of a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood.
Trade policy encouraging in
prevailing conditions: FPCCI
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FPCCI) Thursday termed the strategic trade policy framework (STPF) 2015-18 as
encouraging in the prevailing circumstances.“The business community would help
achieve the STPF export target of US$ 35 billion up to 2018,” said FPCCI
President Abdul Rauf Alam.However, he said the target could be achieved by
simplifying tax system and ensuring uninterrupted supply of electricity and gas
to the industry.
He urged for resolving problems of export sector to minimise the
cost of doing business to make Pakistani products competitive in the
international market. The FPCCI president stressed the need for exploring new
markets with special focus on Iran and Afghanistan, adding that Pakistan could
export rice, beef and other products to these countries and earn valuable
foreign exchange. He also urged for prioritising value addition over the export
of raw material and highlighted the importance of innovation and research.
March 25, 2016
KARACHI: A leading business association on Thursday opposed the
signing of the free trade agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Iran in haste on
the eve of a scheduled visit by the Iranian president. “FTA does not
necessarily carry advantages for Pakistan,” said Atif Bajwa, chairman of the
Pakistan Business Council (PBC), speaking at a forum.The PBC represents around
48 large local and foreign companies. It organised the forum, in collaboration
with the ministry of commerce, to discuss the opportunities of business deals
with Iran. “A lot of research work needs to be done (before the
agreement),” Bajwa said.He said Iran took far greater advantages of the
existing preferential trade agreement.
PBC chief said a great difference between import and export
figures reported separately by the two countries has been found. He called for
the need of exploring the reason behind the disparity. He, however,
marked the lifting of world sanctions on Iran in January as “a fundamental
transformation in the region and economic scene for Pakistan”. He urged
the business community to take full advantage of business opportunities in the
neighboring country.Iran is the second largest economy in the Middle East and
North Africa region, with exports of nearly $74 billion and imports of $54
billion in 2014. Pakistan’s top potential exports to Iran include rice, cotton
and petroleum preparations with a potential of $1.6 billion, $123 million and
$100 million, respectively. Iran Consul General Mehdi Sobhani said the
two countries enjoy good relations for year.
“Unfortunately, trade and
economic ties are not on equal basis in this era of inter-dependents,” Sobhani
said.He said economic sections were affecting the economic ties, “but they have
been lifted now and there will be no hindrances anymore.”Iranian envoy said
Pakistan can put an end to the energy crises after completing the part of the
gas pipeline on its side as well as buying electricity from Iran.Executive
Director Operations Ashraf Khan at the State Bank Pakistan said efforts on both
the sides of the border have been made to open banks’ branches in each other
countries. “Iran has again recently approached to open its bank's branch in
Pakistan. We have shared the criteria. The same is from Pakistan financial
side,” Khan said.Despite lifting of sanctions, the two counties have not been
allowed to do trade in U.S. dollar. “Asian clearing mechanism can be used for
the settlement of trade and investment,” Khan added. Senior official
Rabiya Javeri Agha at the Trade and Development Authority of Pakistan invited
Iranian quarantine officials to Pakistan to inspect and conduct audit of
Pakistan’s rice and meat processing and exporting firms.
In the past, Iran certified two meat and nine rice processing
and exporting companies in Pakistan. However, the time-barred certificates have
been expired and need to be renewed.Agha said annual rice demand in Iran stands
at 3.5 million tons. The country produces only two million tons. The deficit of
1.5 million tons provides a big room for Pakistan rice exporters.Chief
Executive Officer and Managing Director Nadeem Karamat of Pakistan Iran
Investment Company said Iran is as advanced country as any developed country in
the world with per capital income exceeding $5,000. Karamat said
Pakistan’s businessmen must take advantage of the developed business sector in
Iran
htt
p://www.thenews.com.pk/print/107684-Businesses-oppose-free-trade-agreement-with-Iran
The Government Must Act on the
CAG’s Damning Report on Rice Milling and Paddy Procurement
The current
policies and systems of implementation result in heavy losses and are a huge
disservice to farmers and consumers.
Worker unloads sack of rice husk.
Former
prime minister Manmohan Singh
once remarked in an interview that “we are a democracy but we are also an
indisciplined democracy.” I think he was referring to our bad habit
of not putting our house in order till things don’t get completely out of
hand.This propensity is shown by our institutions as well – and the best
example of this is
the recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India
(CAG) on procurement and milling of paddy for the central pool. The report
has highlighted
various deficiencies in the policy
of procurement and milling of paddy and has projected losses to the public
exchequer running into thousands of crores of rupees.
The
Central government procures paddy and other grains under its food management
policy, whose objective is to cater to the need of public consumption of food
grains in the country. Since most Indians still live in poverty, providing them
food at subsidised rates then becomes a duty of the government. It should be
stressed here that the government is fulfilling its duty by providing Indians
grains at subsidised rates through its massive public distribution system.
However, the way in which the government is fulfilling its duty has come under
the scanner of the CAG, which has highlighted many deficiencies in the
policy of paddy procurement and implementation.
Paddy procurement: how it works
Under the government’s existing procurement
policy, paddy for the central pool is procured by various agencies such as Food
Corporation of India (FCI), state government agencies (SGAs) and private rice
millers.However, there are two ways in which milling of the paddy is done. The
first method is custom milling, in which the FCI, SGAs and other co-operative
societies procure paddy directly from the mandis and then send it for further processing to rice
mills. The second method is ‘levy rice.’ Under this method, private rice mills
procure paddy directly from the farmers and then after processing it, send a
minimum amount of rice to the government as provided under the Essential
Commodities Act, 1955.When the FCI procures rice from rice millers in the form
of a levy, the latter deliver the rice to SGAs after processing the paddy,
and the SGAs in turn hand the rice over to the FCI. During this whole process,
the procurement/distribution expenditure is incurred by SGAs, and FCI
reimburses them based on the cost sheets issued by the ministry before each
rabbi/kharif marketing season (R/KMS).
Unexplained irregularities with heavy
costs
There
are several items of expenditure on procurement/distribution which are called
‘procurement incidentals’. It is observed by the CAG in its report that an
extra burden of Rs 3594.93 crore was incurred by the government during 2009-10
to 2013-14, because of the administrative irregularities and policy lacunae in
the mechanism of disbursement of procurement incidentals.In citing one instance
of irregularity in its report, the CAG has noted that though mandi labour
is engaged only for operations at the mandi and not
for operations at storage point or onwards, most of the time all operations
performed by labour up to the point of delivery to FCI/distribution point are
listed under the head ‘mandi labour’
– and this gives undue advantage to the rice millers.
In
Odisha, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, for example, before reimbursing the private
millers, the FCI did not make any inquiry into whether paddy was procured at
the mandi or farm
gate, which resulted in undue benefits to millers to an extent of Rs. 194.23
crore in these states during 2009-10 to 2013-14. In one more instance, the CAG
has observed that in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, while paying Rs 144.44 crore as
custody and maintenance charges to private rice millers, the FCI did not make
any inquiries into whether these charges were actually incurred by the SGAs or
not.It is a well known fact that if the work of, for example, five persons is
done by one person, the overall efficiency is bound to decrease. This is the
main reason cited by the CAG in its report for the inefficient functioning
of mandis across
India. The CAG observed that in 16 districts of Punjab only 1,336 officials
were deputed for 2,390 mandis during
the KMS 2009-10 to 2013-14 which was less than even one person per mandi.
This
inefficiency caused by a lack of staff and mandi officials has severely impacted the quality of
rice procured by the FCI. The CAG has observed that the FCI in Haryana and
Punjab has no mechanism to test the quality of rice procured from these regions
as per the standards laid down by the the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA)
– which provides that uric acid (not more than 100 mg per kg) and Aflatoxin
(not more than 30 mg per kg) must be within prescribed limits. Given that the
majority of the consumers of subsidised grains are poor, giving them rice of
low quality under the public distribution system is nothing but adding insult
to their injury.
Underrated by-products
Coming
to the policy front, one of the major policy flaws highlighted by the CAG in
its report is the non-revision of the rates of by-products generated during the
conversion process of paddy by the government.By-products like broken rice and
husk that are generated during the conversion process have a realisable market
value, and are retained by the rice millers as per the policy of the Central
government. In return, the Central government recovers the market value of
by-products at rates fixed in 2005 on the basis of a report submitted by
the Tariff Commission (TC), Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion,
Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
It is
intriguing, however, that these rates have neither been revised thereafter, nor
is there any provision for yearly increase in the by-product recovery rates.
The CAG report, based on the data available from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,
Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, has pegged the loss to the Government because
of non-revision at Rs 3,743 crore. What is more, since the data from other
states has not been taken into account, this figure may actually go up.
Corrupt intermediaries
The CAG
has also scathingly remarked that the Central government has been allowing one
percent extra allowance to the rice millers of Punjab not on the basis of
expert scientific opinion, but because of the concerted pressure put on the
government by the rice miller association of Punjab. This is nothing but a
hijacking of the policy-making function of the government by powerful groups.Further,
the report also highlights the abuse of rules and procedures by katcha
arthias (intermediaries in the process of grain
procurement). It observes that, while paying farmers, these intermediaries
do not take into account the authenticity of the farmers’ land holdings,
possible doubtful identities of farmers, the delivery of paddy in excess of the
land holdings, and other issues.
Citing
the example of Haryana and Punjab, the CAG has observed that under Punjab
Agricultural Produce Market (General) Rules, 1962, the katcha
arthia shall make payment to the seller through
account payee cheque or by electronic transfer after the weighment is
over. However, in Punjab and Haryana, during KMS 2011-12 to 2013-14, FCI
had purchased 2.32 LMT paddy valuing Rs. 296.64 crore, but had not obtained the
details of farmers, such as the name of the village, bank account number, phone
number, details of purchase and details of payment along with acknowledgment of
farmers from the katcha
arthia. This
oversight is in direct violation of the instructions of the government of
India. It also casts doubt on whether the actual MSP was given to the farmers
or not, for we often encounter cases where katcha
arthiasbuy paddy from farmers at a rate lower than MSP
and charge the government at MSP.
Lingering questions
At the
end of the report, however, the CAG has given some suggestions, and most of
them have even been accepted by the government.The government may have good
intentions in accepting the recommendations. Yet the deficiencies in the policy
of paddy procurement and implementation highlighted by the CAG in its report
still raise some important questions:
Who
should be held accountable for the losses incurred by the Central government
because of flaws in the policy of paddy procurement and implementation? Is it
not the case that the government is guilty of breaching the trust of the public
by not putting in place proper policies and better implementation mechanisms?
Is it not that the non-revision of the prices
of the by-products generated during the processing of paddy forces us to draw
the conclusion that the government has colluded with private rice millers to
defraud farmers and poor?
Finally, even if some recommendations of the
CAG are accepted, what is the guarantee that the government will implement them
in a timely manner?
The government owes the public the answers to these
questions
http://thewire.in/2016/03/27/the-government-must-act-on-the-cags-damning-report-on-rice-milling-and-paddy-procurement-18346/
Paddy For Millers, Not People
Procurement of paddy at generous prices have neither benefitted
the people nor the farmers. Rice Millers turn out to be the real beneficiaries
While the media and the Government
are both in a tizzy over unpaid bank loans of industrialists like Vijay Mallya and
others, they do not seem equally concerned about losses and the unpaid debt of
state governments, which are often even more frightening.Chhattisgarh is a case
in point. While the state continues to be feted as one of the best administered
in the country, accumulated losses suffered by the state government in the
process of procuring paddy, for example, was to the tune of Rs 5,598.58 crores
(10.2% of the state budget for 2014-15) till the year 2013-14. The total unpaid
debt of state agencies on account of paddy procurement and PDS was a whopping ₹ 10,404.79 crores in 2014 (19% of
the state budget for the year 2014-15).
The general perception is that
Chhattisgarh is the "Rice bowl of India". It's a bit of a misnomer
though because the productivity of paddy in the state is fairly low. The state
is in fact ranked 13th among the top 14 rice-producing states in the country in
terms of productivity. Paddy procurement in the state, in contrast to the
productivity, is amongst the highest in the country. While production of paddy
grew slowly and failed to even double between 2001 and 2014, paddy procurement
by the government during this period increased 13 times. In 2001 the state
government procured just 5.87 lakh MT of paddy, but in 2013-14 it was 79.69
lakh MT.
More importantly, paddy procurement
by the state does not seem to have benefitted small and marginal farmers.
During 2015-16 for example, Rs 1,400 crores were disbursed to 4.9 lakh marginal
farmers but over three times more money (Rs 4521 crores) was disbursed to 2.6
lakh big farmers.It also appears to have created regional imbalances. Only
around 4% of the money on paddy procurement was spent in Bastar and a little
over 6% in Surguja division, while a whopping 60.3% was paid in Raipur-Durg
division.The state government's own figures also suggest that this policy
worked to the disadvantage of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes who
constitute 31.8 % and 12 % of the state's population respectively. Together the
ST and SC population may constitute 43 % of the total but only about a quarter
of the funds meant for the state government's most ambitious plan of monopoly
paddy procurement, seem to have gone to them.Absurd as it may sound, the
biggest beneficiaries of this scheme are neither farmers nor the people of the
state.
The biggest beneficiaries are the
rice millers, who constitute a strong lobby and make a lot of money by moulding
Government policy. This favoured lot of millers are paid Rs 30 per quintal over
and above the milling charges approved by Government of India and an additional
charge of Rs 4 per quintal for lifting paddy from procurement centres. That is
not all. While a gunny bag contains 40 Kg. of paddy, it carries 50 Kg. of rice
(rice yield is generally 67% of the paddy). Instead of deducting the full value
of gunnies left with the millers, the state allows them a depreciation of Rs
9.43 per quintal.
The millers also retain 22 Kg. of
rice husk, 8 Kg. of rice bran and 2 Kg. of broken rice for every 100 Kg. of
paddy milled. These by-products, the Comptroller & Auditor General has
estimated, has resulted in a loss of Rs 100,000 crores to the country.The
business of rice milling is also profitable because the millers invariably take
a long time to return custom milled rice to the Government. Millers actually
sell the rice and use the money as working capital for their private business.
With a milling capacity of 17 lakh MT per month in the state, it should not
take more than seven months for the entire lot of paddy procured to be milled.
However the average time taken by the millers during the last 15 years has been
between 15 to 18 months.So the Government borrows money from the market at high
interest rates to purchase paddy and gets its money back only when it delivers
the custom milled rice to Food Corporation of India. The delay, therefore,
results in a huge, interest burden on the Government.
As a result of the delay large
quantities of paddy/rice are declared 'Not fit for milling' and 'Not fit for
human consumption'. These stocks are sold to millers at very low prices or sold
as cattle feed. In the absence of any investment in modern storage technology,
huge shortages in procurement and storage centres are reported and blamed on
loss of moisture, rodents etc.The unholy nexus between officials and rice
millers does not end there. Millers purchase summer paddy at very low prices as
the Government does not procure summer paddy in Chhattisgarh. They also buy low
quality paddy from other states and then sell them at the Minimum Support Price
to the Government. They make a killing whenever the Government declares bonus
on paddy.The way forward is to ensure end of Government's monopoly in paddy and
rice trade. The Government should intervene only if the prices fall below MSP.
Alok Shukla is a serving IAS
officer.
http://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/paddy-for-millers-not-people/296773
Milling norms’ relaxation caused
Rs188-cr loss to Punjab Agro
Amaninder Pal
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 27
By giving relaxations to rice millers who
failed to deliver milled rice on time, the state government has caused a loss
of Rs 188 crore to the state-run procurement agency Punjab Agro Foodgrains
Corporation Limited (PAFCL).The corporation faced the massive loss due to
delayed delivery of milled rice by millers to the procurement agency from
2010-11 to 2014-15, observed the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG)
in its report tabled in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha last week.
Paddy procured in grain markets is sent to rice
mills for milling. As per rules laid down by the Centre, it is mandatory for
millers to mill paddy stock within two months (termed as weighted period) and
return the consignment of milled rice to the procurement agency.CAG, however,
pointed out that the state government had allowed millers to keep the stock
with them for more than two months. This resulted in the loss of interest of Rs
188.87 crore between 2010 and 2015.Relaxations to extend the weighted period
all these years were granted by the Centre, but only after state government
approached the Centre to do so. But, according to CAG, when it came to bearing
the losses due to these relaxations, the state government didn’t compensate
PAFCL even once in these years.The auditors observed that against the norm of
average weighted period of two months, the weighted average period was 3.75 months
in 2010-11, 4.7 months in 2011-12, 4.15 months in 2012-13 and 4.52 both in
2013-14 and 2014-15.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/milling-norms-relaxation-caused-rs188-cr-loss-to-punjab-agro/214370.html
Banaue-Sagada
lesson on rice
Corporate
Watch
Amelia
H. C. Ylagan
God
wrought His miracle there, hewing awesome amphitheaters of carved jade
mountains sequined in glistening waters and frilled with swaying rice stalks. Perched
15,000 feet above sea level, the Philippine Rice Terraces are called “the
Eighth Wonder of the World” for their breathless beauty and the amazing thought
that these terraces were built 2,000 years ago by the indigenous people mostly
by hand, with crude tools. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from
the rainforests above the terraces.But more than for beauty and ingenuity, the
Rice Terraces are a monument to the indigenous mountain people’s determination
to harness their formidable environment, in the basic fight for
self-sufficiency and survival. Landlocked and further isolated by the mountains
and the forests, they insisted on producing rice for staple food, basic to
their nutritional pyramid that consisted of vegetables and root crop, and the
occasional hunted meat that would have needed salt (which they did not have) or
smoking for preservation.Rice has been the logical major crop of the country,
ahead of corn and sugar, which for the latter were politically encouraged by
the later colonizers for trade and commerce. What has happened that Filipinos
now have to eat imported rice?
In his
2011 State of the Nation address (SONA), President Benigno S. C. Aquino III
worried about rice production: “First, an end to over-importation that only
serves to benefit the selfish few. Second: we want rice self-sufficiency --
that the rice served on every Filipino’s dinner table is planted here,
harvested here, and purchased here.”
Dr.
Romulo A. Virola (retired in 2012), Secretary General of the National
Statistics Coordinating Board (NSCB) said after that SONA: “In the ’70s and the
’80s and as late as 1992, we were self-sufficient in rice. But so much
hectarage that used to be planted to rice had given way to subdivisions,
commercial, and industrial establishments, and golf courses. Some say the
agrarian reform has not been all that good either.
“Until
1992 we were a net exporter of rice. With a population of 65.34 million in 1992
and 238.71 grams rice per person per day, we needed about 5.7 million metric
tons (MMT) per year of rice. We produced 5.97 MMT and exported 35,101 metric
tons. Rice cost P10.25 per kilo in the NCR, about 8.7 % of the minimum wage of
P118 for non-agriculture workers.
“Since
1993, we have been a net importer of rice. In 2010, we had a population of
93.87 million and 308.93 grams rice per person per day for a national
requirement of 10.59 MMT per year of rice. We produced only 10.32 metric tons
and imported 2.4 MMT. Rice cost P30.00 per kilo in NCR, about 8% of the average
minimum wage of P374.50 in 2010” (NSCB data, 2011).
Aquino
reminded that his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo imported 2.3 MMT of rice in her
nine-year term as president (Inquirer.net 04.29.13). In 2011, Aquino promised
rice self-sufficiency by 2013, meaning there would be enough for local demand.
Rice, imported and subsidized by the National Food Authority, remained at an
average P45 per kilo.
But in
2014, a 71% increase from the previous year in the volume of rice imports
totaling 1.2 MMT was reported by the global Food Authority Organization (FAO),
(Inquirer.net 04.14.14). Based on the FAO estimate, the Philippines was the
eighth-largest rice importer globally and the largest in Southeast Asia in
2014, importing mostly from Vietnam and Thailand.
The
government has defaulted on its 2013 target date for its plan to be completely
self-sufficient in the production of rice, a senior government official said,
likely still open to imports beyond the (adjusted) goal of 2016 (Reuters,
07.09.14) The Philippine Statistics Authority showed that rice production in
2015 only reached 18.86 MMT which is 1.22 MMT short of the 20.08 MMT target. It
was also 0.6% percent lower than the 18.97 MMT output in 2014 (Philstar,
02.03.16). Some analysts think we will still be importing rice well through
2022 (Philippine Daily Inquirer 07.26.15).
The
dilemma of government is whether to continue to subsidize the market with
cheaper imports (social aspect) or to let the market force the true price
equilibrium, and this latter can be done if the NFA ceases to be the lone
importer of rice for the country (free market). The trouble with option two is
the control of big business over this most basic commodity, and the more
grievous is the disincentive to the poor small farmer to improve his offering
at competitive pricing. A drastic upheaval on the rice situation will have deep
socio-economic effects on the already-vulnerable people besieged with
increasing food costs.
“The
Philippines can no longer claim to be an agricultural country,” Arangkada 2016,
a trade association of the American Chamber of Commerce with the Joint Foreign
Chambers of Commerce of the Philippines (JFC) said in a policy note released
March 1. Still, agriculture, which accounts for only 10% (P789 billion) of GDP
remains a significant factor in the economy, specially since close to one-third
of the work force (12 million of 38 million in 2013) relies on agriculture for
livelihood. Seventy-three percent of the country’s poor (38% are farmers and
fishermen) live in the rural areas, where agriculture provides an economic
lifeline...crucial to achieving inclusive growth (Arangkada 2016).
Some of
Arangkada’s recommendations include revisions of the Comprehensive Land Reform
Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) which expired June 30, 2014 and still
unacted by Congress for renewal. Landholding limits and restrictions to
consolidation, and to selling/mortgaging are recommended for lifting,
encouraging instead the integration of small farmers into large enterprises.
Banks should be given the confidence to give loans (not merely substitute
compliance with bonds under the mandated Agri-Agra loans) with the reduction of
risks connected with inadequate infrastructure support to the agri sector.
Private business must contribute to this in Private-Public Partnership (PPP)
projects helping to build farm-to-market roads, processing facilities,
irrigation, food terminals and processing factories, aside from technical
training in joint ventures. Good suggestions.
It would
do well for the new administration after the May 2016 elections to still strive
for rice self-sufficiency, despite the fallback exacerbated by more advantaged
global competition in rice production. If the indigenous mountain people
strategized effectively for their rice since 2,000 years ago, this present
generation has no excuse to be less creative and less productive with producing
staple rice for a hungry young generation growing 2% per year. Some 20 metric
tons per year of native rice from Kalinga and Ifugao have been exported since
2006 to gourmet shops and restaurants in 15 states in the US.
And the
rice god of Banaue, that rough-hewn wooden “bulul”, seated with crossed arms on
folded knees watches over our rice granary, like he has quietly watched over
generations of Ifugaos whose rice supply has been the most important treasure
in their thatched huts.
Beyond
the Banaue Rice Terraces a bumpy four-hour jeepney ride takes you to Sagada,
where on the craggy cliffs the hanging coffins of ancestors smoked black in
fetal position wait to hear the calls on Echo Valley at the cleavage between
the mountains. The Kakana-ey, natives of Sagada believe the ancestors reply
with repeated assurances of perpetual protection in the Sunrise Rituals at
Kiltepan Viewpoint. At the foot of the mountains lie more emerald rice
terraces. Awesome!
Amelia
H. C. Ylagan is a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of the
Philippines.
ahcylagan@yahoo.com
FG’s land borders’ rice ban
The
Federal Government has banned the importation of rice through all land borders
nationwide, says the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) some days ago. National
Public Relations Officer of NCS, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, said the ban came on the
heels of the realization by the Customs Service that revenue made by the
country from rice imported through land borders was dwindling despite the large
volume of rice ‘handled in ports of neighbouring African countries’. Reports
indicated that the government, in October last year, relaxed the restriction it
placed for over five years now on rice coming into the country through land
borders, ostensibly believing that the decision would translate to more Customs
revenue streaming into government’s coffers. But available statistics revealed
the contrary.
Between
October, 2015 and March, 2016, when the restriction order was relaxed, 24.992
metric tonnes of rice valued at N2.4bn was reportedly imported through the land
borders; and a total of N1.7 billion generated as revenue for the Nigerian
government from the consignment; an amount considered disappointing by the
authorities when compared with projected revenue yields from the relaxation of
the import restriction. The quick reminder here, nonetheless, is that smugglers
are having a field day across the length and breadth of the country’s land
borders because the borders are not only poorly policed, they offer corrupt NCS
officials the get-richquick leeway. Ours is a country where Customs officials
shut the stable door when the horse has bolted.
They
prefer ransacking shops in the city in search of imported contrabands, when
they are officially kitted and maintained to keep the gate and stop the
consignments from coming in, in the first place. It is, however, not quite
strange that the FG has banned rice import through land borders. Indeed, it is
baffling that the government did not place a blanket ban on both the
importation of rice through the sea ports and land borders, considering the
decision reached at a meeting the Presidency held with governors from
rice-producing states about last November to fashion a new policy on
sustainable food production in the country.
Chaired
by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the meeting, according to the Chairman of
Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State,
deliberated on how best to boost rice production in the country and the
requisite policies government needed to put in place to facilitate rice
importation ban. “We have the potential; we have the human resources; we have
the arable land to grow rice. In the next two years, we will not need to bring rice
from outside Nigeria. We are going to ban it…”, Yari told the media after the
meeting. About 2012, the FG, under erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan, also
threatened to ban rice import effective from 2015 and impose 100 percent extra
tariff on top of the bill rice merchants were already paying.
The then
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, said the
N350 billion the country was spending annually on rice import was an imprudent
option that created jobs in rice fields overseas, whereas Nigeria was blessed
with enormous fertile land; and her youths in their millions were roaming the
streets as a result of large scale unemployment. Indeed, research says all the
six geopolitical zones in the country have enough fertile land to produce 48
varieties of rice. So popular in the country presently are also the Ofada,
Ekpoma and Abakaliki rice varieties confirmed to be of better nutritional value
than most brands of imported rice.
So what
has been the problem with Nigeria’s self-sufficiency in local rice production?
Again, Adesina pointed out one of the major setbacks when he said for 12 years,
the governments led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late
President Umaru Yar’ Adua relied on greedy and selfish domestic riceimporters
to lead the campaign for local rice production. “The same companies that are
importing rice are the same companies you are relying on… No! That is asking
the cat to look after the milk”.
Therefore,
nothing seems new about government’s realisation of the need to grow rice
locally. In short supply over the years, unfortunately, are leaders that truly
appreciate the urgency and possess the political will to make it happen at the
federal and state levels. What happens henceforth to poor rural roads’ network,
incentives to genuine and committed rice farmers, construction of rice mills,
policing smugglers and dealing with Customs officials that compromise their
beats and aid smuggling, among others, will make a great difference.
http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/fgs-land-borders-rice-ban/
Returning to Greener Pastures in
Wayanad
A paddy field along the Bylakuppe-Wayanad Road.
Credit: Nicolas Mirguet/Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0
Wayanad
has a rice variety for every situation. Many of them may be on their way out,
but local farmers and biodiversity scientists have determined that a
panchayat-led effort is our best chance at getting them back.The 2004 Indian
Ocean tsunami left paddy farmers in affected countries literally at sea. Rice
is one of the most salt-sensitive food crops, and the seawater that swamped
fields destroyed a lot of crops. Farmers in lowlands face this challenge
every day, but thanks to special salt-tolerant varieties like Pokkali, they are
able to tackle the salinity. It’s in situations like this that the worth of
having a pool of rice varieties can truly be appreciated.
The
hilly town of Wayanad in Kerala is known for being particularly rich when it
comes to rice biodiversity. “Wayanad’s unique climate makes it home to several
varieties that can only grow here,” says Mareen Abraham, a scientist at Kerala
Agricultural University. This includes the GI-tagged Gandhakasala and
Jeerakasala –known to be as aromatic as Basmati – the versatile Veliyan that
can thrive in the midst of both droughts and floods, as well as north Kerala’s
Navara, which is known to have several medicinal benefits.
Just not worth it?
However,
rice farming in Wayanad is in crisis. From covering 40,000 hectares in the
1960s, paddy fields today cover merely 8,000-13,000 hectares in the region.
With this decline, many traditional rice varieties have already gone completely
extinct while some are slowly on their way out.The reason for this
trend is common knowledge – rice cultivation is simply not profitable anymore.
“The returns are low compared to cash crops and labour is a big problem,” says
Prajeesh Parameswaran, a senior scientist at the Community Agro-Biodiversity
Centre of the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (CABC-MSSRF) in Wayanad.A Nature
India article quoted a local farmer from the Paniya
tribe saying that while one acre of land can yield them 12 quintals of paddy,
worth between Rs 1,400 and Rs. 1,800 per quintal in the markets, the same area
of land can get them Rs 3 lakhs by growing banana.
Discouraging
them even further is the difficulty of obtaining labour. Labourers are opting
for less physically demanding jobs under the MNREGA scheme, which, according to
Parameswaran does not include agricultural work on paddy fields.
Because
of this, more and more traditional farmers, comprising, in the
main, tribal communities like the Kurichya and the Kuruma, are abandoning
the crop that they know inside-out through knowledge passed on over
generations. Traditionally, most of these tribes consisted of joint families.
“As the joint family system disintegrates, the fields get continually split
up,” says Parameswaran. As a result, if some stretches are converted to banana,
then neighbouring lands are also pressured into doing so. Naturally banana
plantations are taking over.
The price of rice
As it is, most of the rice consumed in Kerala
comes from Andhra Pradhesh and Tamil Nadu. “This dependency, and the
accompanying extra costs, will only increase if fewer farmers are growing the
crop in Kerala,” says Abraham. This is a shame, she says, because nobody knows
the intricacies of farming Wayanad rice like these farmers do – “not even
scientists and researchers.”
Conserving rice varieties is even more
important in the light of climate change. “In Wayanad itself, rain patterns are
changing,” said Parameswaran. “Depending on the conditions, farmers know just
which variety to grow.” With both the number of rice varieties and the rice
farmers dwindling, biodiversity conservers have their work cut out for them.
Cultivating rice is not just advantageous for
the yield. It is crucial to preserving the unique features of the wetland, like
water retention. “It’s not as if farmers are unaware of the benefits of
conserving their paddy fields. The proof is in the decreasing well water
levels,” said Parameswaran. “However, without incentives in place for rice
conservators, they will continue to move on to other crops.”
Plant genome saviours
In spite of all this, there are still some
farmers in Wayanad who are staying strong and doing everything they can to
encourage their peers to do the same. Cheruvayal Raman is one of them.
Raman,64, belongs to the Kurichya Adivasi community and has been a farmer for
over 50 years.
In his own way, Raman is doing what he can to
encourage his peers to grow rice. He gives away his paddy seeds to other
farmers citing only one condition: they have to return to him the exact
quantity – a clever tactic to ensure that the recipients cultivate the seeds
they are given. In an effort to encourage agricultural stalwarts like
Cheruvayal Raman, he has been
given the title of ‘Plant Genome Saviour’ by the
government.
Obviously, it will take more than awards to
make paddy farming attractive again. A significant step to do so was taken by
the Indian government in 2001, with the passing of the Plant Varieties Protection
and Farmers’ Rights Act (PVPFRA). This act is known as being one of the most
progressive farmers’ rights acts in the world, primarily because of its
holistic view of the farmer as not just the cultivator, but also a breeder and
a conserver.
Righting the wrongs
The PVPFRA came about in response to the urgent
need to ensure that farmers were not left without a share of a profits made
using their crops and varieties. Once a farmer has registered his or her
variety under the act, he or she attains rights to produce or reproduce, offer
for sale, distribute, import, export, stock and transfer the rights to any
other persons.
Organisations
like MSSRF-CABC and grass roots associations like Seed Care frequently conduct
programmes to make sure farmers avail these rights. They also organise
an annual function called “Seed Fest” which aims to “spread the message of
conservation, cultivation and consumption of diverse, safe and healthy plant
and animal genetic resources, and by arranging seed exchange, melas and sales”.
The
second edition of the fest, which concluded on January 30th, was the fruit of
two months of planning. “We held extensive discussions with farmers and
panchayat members from all 23 local panchayats and three municipalities,” says
Parameswaran. The potential role of the panchayat in biodiversity governance
was the main topic of these discussions. It was agreed that an incentive policy
to retain farmers needed to come from a local level.At the inaugural function,
district panchayat president T. Ushakumari acknowledged the vital service of
traditional farmers and agreed that all governing bodies needed to support
paddy farmers and foster paddy cultivation.
http://thewire.in/2016/02/09/returning-to-greener-pastures-in-wayanad-21105/
AlDub' rice paddy art hopes to
attract millennials to farming
The rice paddy art, featuring the faces of the popular AlDub
love team, aims to drum up young Filipinos' interest in farming and agriculture
PADDY ART. Popular celebrity love
team Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza are seen in this rice paddy art, which
aims to entice young Filipinos to go into farming. Photo courtesy of PhilRice
MANILA, Philippines – The
Philippines' lead agency on rice research is trying a new approach to attract
young Filipinos to venture into rice farming: featuring the faces of popular
celebrity loveteam Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza – better known as 'AlDub' –
on rice paddies.The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) created its
rice paddy art using purple rice, a traditional variety, and NSIC Rc360, an
inbred variety.To create the design, the institute's FutureRice program used
the anamorphosis principle, a technique used in 3D art where a picture looks
distorted but appears normal when viewed from a certain angle.“We used ‘AlDub’
as our design specimen for the paddy art and through Photoshop, we were able to
incorporate the design in the dimension of the field,” said Nehemiah Caballong,
FutureRice’s information and communications technology specialist.
“We adjusted the image to the
vantage point of the viewing area. Then, we processed it into grids to
determine where to plant the rice varieties on a certain coordinate in the
field,” he added.Featuring the faces of the AlDub pop culture phenomenon is
just one of PhilRice's strategies to entice millennials to go into agriculture,
according to FutureRice program leader Roger Barroga.According to a PhilRice
study, the average age of Filipino farmers is 58. Agriculture Secretary Proceso
Alcala had earlier said that he wanted to make farming "sexy" again to young Filipinos to sustain the country's food security. “This is one of our strategies to make the youth of today be
more informed about the current situation of rice farming in the country. There
are many opportunities that await them in agriculture,” Barroga said.The rice
paddy art also aims to drum up interest in the 5-hectare FutureRice farm, which
features clean energy facilities, drone technology and advanced farm machines,
as well as an experimental field using hybrid, inbred, and traditional rice
varieties.
Creative strategy
The rice paddy art was launched
on March 3, and since then, netizens have taken to social media to praise the
creativity behind the new initiative.Netizen Rui Dx said on Facebook, “This is
now part of my bucket list – to plant rice! This project is exceptional. You just
encouraged people like me to be more involved in rice planting."Another
netizen, Kevin Delgado, wrote, "This is a good and creative project. I
never knew planting rice can be that fun."23-year-old PhilRice researcher
Xarin Sto Domingo also expressed hope that the rice paddy art will convince
millennials that farming can be "cool and exciting."
"I work in agriculture and I
hope that more people from the youth sector will work for the Filipino
farmers,” Sto Domingo said.To complement this effort, PhilRice is also
mobilizing young people to spread information about its programs in
rice-farming communities through its Infomediary Campaign.It is also offering a
training program to update fresh graduates in agriculture on the latest
technologies on rice production.The AlDub-inspired rice paddy art will be
available for viewing until harvest day on April 3. –Rappler.com
http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/247-agriculture/127147-aldub-rice-paddy-art-farming-young-filipinos
The
Simplest Synthetic Life Form Yet?
Researchers
have for some years been trying to create a synthetic life form, consisting of
the minimum number of genes possible. Such a life could allow them to
investigate the functions of other genes, by carefully
adding them onto the genome, and seeing what they do. In research published
this week in the journal Science, Dr Craig Venter and colleagues announce the
design and creation simplest form yet created, but surprisingly, the function
of around of a third of its genes remains unknown.
Flood Defences
In Delft, the world’s biggest artificial waves are pitted against a new kind of
super-strong sea wall. The Delta Flume team, led by Mark Klein Breteler, have
created a giant concrete channel with a wave generator. Reporter Roland Pease
turns up in time to see the team testing their artificial waves against a 10
metre dyke.
Moon Used to Spin 'On Different Axis'
The Moon used to spin on a different axis and show a slightly different face to
the Earth, a new study suggests. Using data collected by Nasa's Lunar
Prospector mission in the late 1990s, scientists spotted two hydrogen-rich
regions near the Moon's poles, probably indicating the presence of water ice.
The icy patches are opposite each other - the line between them passes through
the middle of the Moon - so it appears that this used to be its spin axis. The
work appears in the journal Nature.
Red Light for Red Lights
Cars are becoming increasingly wirelessly connected, with the ability to
communicate with each other and the infrastructure around them. So much so, say
a team of researchers at MIT in the USA that traffic lights may become an
unnecessary impediment in getting through road junctions. The Science Hour
talks to MIT’s Carlo Ratti.
Feeding the World
As the world’s population grows and the climate challenges our ability to grow
crops, how can agriculture provide enough food? Can we get more from our current
food crops for less? Scientists and farmers alike have been increasingly
haunted by the environmental effects of high-intensity farming over the last
half century. There is now an urgent need to be more mindful of the landscape
and our finite ecological resources.
Professor Kathy Willis, science director of Kew Gardens, looks at how we can
breed better-adapted and more efficient crops by exploiting the wealth of
natural diversity in our so-called crop wild relatives. They are the species
from which all our current crops originally evolved.
Many researchers now believe that these ancient
relatives hold the key to future crop improvement. She finds out how the
International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines is breeding new
varieties that can cope with droughts and floods at unpredictable times. Storm
surges make farmland in coastal areas too salty for most crops to grow.
Pathogens and pests evolve so rice varieties are losing resistance to new
strains of pathogens or insects. Professor Willis meets the scientists who are
reassessing our crops ancient ancestors that hold the genetic diversity that is
needed to give the resilience we need to cope with the extremes of climate
predicted for the coming decades.
Cochlear Implants
People with cochlear implants hear a degraded version of speech. Using
subtitles helps train the brain to understand it faster. Matt Davis and Ed
Sohoglu from the Medical Research Council’s Cognition and Brain Science Unit in
Cambridge suggest that this feeds into a model of how the brain learns called
Perception Learning.
Human Brain Project Platforms
The Human Brain Project is developing six information and communications
technology platforms to enable large-scale collaboration, data sharing, and
reconstruction of the brain at different biological scales. SpiNNaker (Spiking
Neural Network Architecture) is intimately involved with the project as it
attempts to build a new kind of computer that directly mimics the workings of
the human brain. Gareth Mitchell talks to its key designer professor Steve
Furber.(Image caption: Researchers have designed and synthesized a minimal
bacterial genome, containing only the genes necessary for life © C.
Bickel/Science 2016)
The Science Hour was presented by Gareth
Mitchell with comments from BBC Science reporter Jonathan Webb
Producer: Alex Mansfield
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03n87wp
See New Orleans, Baton Rouge-area
business honors: Social worker named one of Louisiana's best
ADVOCATE STORY
March 26, 2016; 2:56 p.m.
NEW ORLEANS AREA
Linda A. Howard-Curtis, school social worker at Pierre
A. Capdau Charter School, has been selected by the Louisiana Chapter of the
National Association of Social Workers to receive the 2016 Louisiana Social
Worker of the Year award. Howard-Curtis also was NASW’s 2016 School Social
Worker of the Year for the Houma/Thibodaux region.
Howard-Curtis was recognized for her dedication and hard work in
the best interest of students. She has secured more than $15,000 of free school
uniforms for students and also school supplies, materials and other resources
for children in the New Orleans Public School System through her relationship
with the Adopt-A-Family program.
BATON ROUGE AREA
Four students from the LSU College of Agriculture School of
Animal Sciences placed second in the American Society of Animal Science’s Southern
Regional Academic Quadrathlon.
Team members are Sarah Ainsworth, Trent Dugas, Cobey Hendry and Spencer Tindal. The team placed first in quiz bowl, second
in oral presentations, third in lab practicum and fifth in a written exam.
Ten universities participated in the event in San Antonio and
College Station, Texas. Texas A&M University placed first overall. The
University of Arkansas placed third.
LSU AgCenter forestry economist Shaun Tanger received a Southern Regional Extension Forest
Resources Award for Excellence for his forestry market blog, Stumpage Speak,
which details price reports, market trend analysis and the economic outlook for
the forestry industry.
Southern Region Extension Forestry and Natural Resources
Coordinators gave out 18 awards to 68 individuals from seven states.
Innovation, ability to show impact and ability to be replicated are among the
criteria for the awards.
LAFAYETTE AREA
The Southwest chapter of the ESOP Association named Acadian Ambulance as ESOP Company of the Year for the fourth year and presented
its Best Communications Overall award to the company for communicating the
values and benefits of Employee Stock Ownership Plans. Sheila Hebert was honored as the Employee-Owner
of the Year Award. Hebert is the business office manager of Safety Management
Systems, Acadian’s health, safety, environmental, medical, security and
training division. She promotes employee ownership to her fellow employees and
served on Acadian’s first ESOP committee 23 years ago. She is the third Acadian
employee-owner to be honored with the award.
The Southwest chapter represents companies in Louisiana,
Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
AROUND LOUISIANA
The two-year LSU AgCenter Agricultural Leadership Development
program has graduated from the local area Kassi Berard, of Breaux Bridge; Hester Bourdier and John Compton, of New Iberia; Patrick Frischhertz and Billy Patout, of New Orleans; Heath Gajan, of Plaquemine; Clint Galiano, of Amite; Leigh Godchaux, of Abbeville; Chris Green, of Zachary; and Drew Maciasz, of New Roads.
They were among 22 graduates. The program prepares men and women
who are dedicated to the agriculture industry to take leadership roles on
issues that affect Louisiana agriculture at local, national and global levels.
LSU Agricultural Center scientists Steve Linscombe, Dustin Harrell, Don Groth and Eric Webster received the Distinguished Rice
Research Team Award from the Rice Technical Working Group for their work
helping farmers use Clearfield rice variety technology.
“This team has played a major role in the implementation of
Clearfield in the southern rice-growing states,” said Lee Tarpley, a plant
physiologist at Texas A&M University and the organization’s secretary.
Tarpley said the team assisted farmers with managing water and controlling
diseases and weeds.
In addition, Larry White, retired foundation seed director at the Rice Research Station,
received the 2016 Distinguished Rice Service Award, recognizing his efforts in
making the station’s foundation seed program a superior facility
http://theadvocate.com/news/neworleans/neworleansnews/15292500-61/see-new-orleans-baton-rouge-area-business-honors-social-worker-named-one-of-louisianas-best
Dera Sacha Sauda firm MSG All
Trading launches 151 products
The products will also be sold online through
teleshopping and mobile Apps
Press Trust of India
| Chandigarh March 27, 2016 Last Updated at 18:32 IST
Devotees
at a Dera Sacha Sauda satsang
A saint
for our timesMaggi's Diwali comebackComedian Kiku Sharda arrested for mimicking
Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram RahimMitali Saran: Random atheist thoughts on a
weekendVHP's first lot of stones for Ram temple arrive, police on alert
MSG All Trading International Pvt Ltd, a
Dera Sacha Sauda firm, on Sunday said it has introduced 151 products including
food items.The products, launched by the sect's head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh,
includ basmati rice, tea, pulses and biscuits, a Dera spokesman said.The
company's Director C P Arora said the products will meet international
standards.The company, which plans to open outlets across the country, said it
will also sell organic fertiliser.The products will be sold online through
teleshopping and mobile Apps, Arora said.
Singh
also launched a website 'MSG my God and your choice' on which details of
products will be available.He said that there is demand for the company's
products from Canada, England, Germany, Australia and USA."We don't want
to ruin our cars with spurious adulterated fuel, but do we even care about what
we eat? Indeed, it is for this reason that India has become the heart disease
and diabetes capital of the world.
MSG is
the first brand to come out with an organic line of products, nationwide,"
Singh said.Apart from the organic range, MSG products include premium and
standard choices, which go through a rigorous selection process, he said.Singh
encouraged farmers to take up organic farming and has held farm fairs to
disseminate appropriate know-how."The MSG products are also a step in the
direction of having a healthy food business with eco-friendly and sustainable
development at its heart," he said.
Wheat, other
grains weaken on low demand
PTI | Mar 26, 2016, 02.15 PM IST
New Delhi, Mar 26 () Weak
conditions prevailed at the wholesale grains market today with prices of wheat
and a few other bold grains drifting by up to Rs 30 per quintal due to reduced
offtake against adequate stocks position.Traders said fall in demand from flour
mills against sufficient stocks position led to the decline in wheat prices.Reduced
offtake by consuming industries too attributed fall in a few other bold grains
prices, they said.In the national capital, wheat dara (for mills) shed Rs 5 at
Rs 1,700-1,705 per quintal. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and eased to Rs
1,705-1,710 per 90 kg.
Atta flour mills, maida and sooji
also slipped to Rs 865-875,Rs 950-960 and Rs 1,020-1,030 against last close of
Rs 900-910, Rs 980-990 and Rs 1,030-1,040 Rs per 50 kg respectively on easing
demand.Other bold grains like, maize and barley also ended lower at Rs
1,690-1,700 and Rs 1,350-1,360 from previus levels of Rs 1,720-1,725 and Rs
1,370-1,380 per quintal respectively.Following are today's quotations (in Rs
per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,035-2,635,
Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,700-1,705, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,705-1,710,
Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 230, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 230, Roller flour mill Rs
865-875 (50 kg), Maida Rs 950-960 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,020-1,030 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300,
Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,700, Basmati common new Rs 5,300-5,400, Rice Pusa
(1121) Rs 4,100-5,100, Permal raw Rs 1,850-1,900, Permal wand Rs 2,050-2,100,
Sela Rs 2,200-2,300 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,600-1,620, Bajra Rs 1,575-1,580, Jowar
yellow Rs 1,800-1,900, white Rs 3,400-3,500, Maize Rs 1,690-1,700, Barley Rs
1350-1360. SUN KPS MKJ
Why rice
self-sufficiency eludes us
by
Andrew James Masigan
March
28, 2016 (updated)
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For us
Filipinos, our inability to achieve rice self-sufficiency is a stigma that hangs over our heads.
After all, it was only a generation ago when
the Philippines was one of the
world’s most prolific rice producers and
a net exporter of the commodity. We were in the forefront of rice research what with the International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquartered
in Los Baños, Laguna. Even
today, IRRI is the global epicenter of rice technology. It
provides seedlings, technologies and training not only to rice farmers in the Philippines but around
the world.
The
balance tipped in 1992 when local demand
exceeded production. We’ve been operating at a deficit since and relying on
imports from Vietnam and Thailand to fill the gap. We are famous for being the world’s top importer of rice
despite having vast technologies at our
disposal through IRRI.
Both
the Arroyo and Aquino administrations put
earnest efforts towards achieving rice self- sufficiency. It was a
national dream. Both failed.To understand the reasons rice self-sufficiency
eludes us, I reached out to the
Philippine Rice Research Institute or
“PhilRice,” an institute not many people know about. PhilRice was established in 1985 upon the
initiative of then UP President Edgardo Angara. Back then, Angara saw the need to have an equivalent of IRRI working solely for
Philippine interest. The idea was supported by President Marcos
who signed an executive order creating PhilRice and ratified by President
Aquino. PhilRice mission was/is to champion the country’s rice industry through
science-based research and
development.
PhilRice’
mandate traverses the entire spectrum of
rice research. It includes developing new rice varieties suitable for
the varying ecosystems of the archipelago (eg. mountainous, coastal and
craggy areas, etc. ); developing
efficient crop management techniques;
training of farmers and local-government units; and designing locally made farm equipment.
On the administrative side, it is
responsible for policy analysis on everything relating to rice cultivation while also maintaining a gene bank for which
more than 3,000 strains of rice have been accumulated.
I
visited PhilRice last week to better
understand our rice conundrum. This is
what I found out….
Natural
and Self-
Inflicted
Reasons
I
arrived in Nueva Ecija at about noon. The
sun was blaring and the heat was oppressive. These conditions, I was
told later, are the most conducive for rice cultivation. This is why Nueva Ecija leads the country in rice
production and why it was selected as
PhilRice’ headquarters.
I came
without expectations but was impressed by both the facility and the talent at
PhilRice. Its sprawling 120-hectare facility
is rigged with several
laboratories capable of molecular
genetics, tissue culture, soil analysis
and rice chemistry. On the premises, too, is a temperature controlled gene
bank. Most of the facilities were
obtained through grants from the Japanese and Korean governments.
More
impressive, however, are the
scientists, who work
there. PhilRice, I discovered,
is a bastion of our best and brightest
agricultural scientists, most of
them have doctorate degrees in
genealogy, botany , agriculture and the like. I spoke to a few of them
to inquire why they chose to work for PhilRice instead of a private corporation abroad. Just as I suspected, the majority are UP
graduates with strong sentiments of nationalism. They are there to do their part in nation-building. Others are
children of agricultural families
who have vowed to improve the plight of the farmers. Patriots are aplenty in these parts.
I was
met by PhilRice Executive Director, Dr.
Calixto Protacio and Deputy Director Liza Bordey. Dr. Protacio himself
has a PhD in Plant Physiology from Pennsylvania State University while
Bordey has a masters degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois . Going
straight to the point, I asked why we have failed to attain rice
self-sufficiency despite Agriculture
Secretary Alcala’s promise to do so.
More poignantly, why Vietnam and Thailand are more productive than the
Philippines today.
The
answers were more complex than I thought.
The
reasons are both natural and
self-inflicted. On nature’s side, both
Vietnam and Thailand are fortunate in that they have more arable land in which to cultivate rice. As of 2010,
Vietnam had 7.5 hectares of harvested land while Thailand had 11 million. In contrast, the Philippines only has 4.5
hectares. Exacerbating the situation is
the 20 or so major typhoons we
experience each year.
In
addition, both Thailand and Vietnam have the natural advantage of having great
water systems running across their lands. Water systems, like the
Mekong, provides natural irrigation
in places where manmade irrigation is not provided. It also allows farms to achieve as much as
three planting cycles a year. For its
part, the Philippines is an archipelago
without massive rivers running through
it. We have minor river systems like the Pampanga River and the Cagayan
River, both of which contribute to
Central and Northern Luzon being our
most productive farm lands.
In terms
of self-inflicted reasons, the most
obvious is our bursting population. While Thailand has
11 million hectares of riceland to feed its 66 million population, the Philippines has
4.5 million hectares to feed 102 million. Sheer proportion puts the Philippines at a
disadvantage.
Irrigation,
or the lack thereof, is another reason weighing heavily on us. As of last year, the National Irrigation Authority has
managed to irrigate only 68 percent of
the nation’s rice lands as opposed to nearly a hundred percent in Thailand and
Vietnam.
Masagana
200
The more senior among us will remember a
program called Masagana 99. At the heart
of the program was to achieve an output
of 99 cavans per hectare, per year.This would have made us self-sufficient in
the early 70’s when our population was just
36 million. We achieved it.
Today, 99 cavans per hectare is par for the course. Problem is, our population has tripled.
Where do
we stand today? We came close in 2013 when we attained 96% self-sufficiency.
However, the number dropped to 92% in 2014 and 89% in 2015. The Department of Agriculture blames the
decline on the El Niño phenomenon and the spate of typhoons that occurred.
Personally, I think to blame the weather
is a cop out because it was foreseeable and predictable.
Making
matters worse was Malacañang’s political
decision to split the Department of Agriculture in two just to
give Kiko Pangilinan a reason to be relevant. The move only added another layer to the
already wieldy bureaucracy at the DA. What Kiko
has to show for his stint is
unclear.
Since our inventory of rice lands are finite due to
urbanization, the only way we can become
self-sufficient is to increase productivity,
says Exec Director Protacio. Hence, the new challenge of PhilRice is to take productivity to 200 cavans per hectare. This comes with the caveat that it must be
achieved at a production cost of three
hundred pesos per cavan (or roughly P5
per kilogram). Because after all, what use is a bumper stock if our people
cannot afford it.
Achieving 200 cavans
per hectare is attainable, says
Protacio. Broadly speaking, there are three parts to the formula.
The first part is to plant strains of rice with higher grains per stalk. No problem
here as PhilRice has already developed them. The second part
is to have our farmers adapt modern techniques of rice cultivation. This is a
challenge because the training of farmers has been devolved from PhilRice to
the local government units (PhilRice role
is limited to creating the technologies and training the trainers). This has led to varying levels of
competence among our farmers. The third
part of the formula is irrigation. This
falls squarely on the hands and
shoulders of the National Irrigation Authority.
As for
attaining a production cost of five pesos per kilo, the solution is
mechanization. The “Combine Harvester”is a machine best
suited for Philippine conditions.
It is a integrated piece of kit able to
thresh, cut and bag palay in one
conveyor-type process. It cost around
P1.75 million.
Only 10%
of rice farms in the Philippines are
mechanized today, says Director Borday,
as compared to nearly 100% in Thailand. There are several reasons for this. The
first is cost efficiency. See, the average size our rice farms is only 1.04
hectares. Each hectare yields a net
profit of P100,000 a year. To invest
P1.75 million for a Combine Harvester is
beyond the farmers means, with or without government subsidies. The only way to get around this is to form
cooperatives where several farms
share the cost. This is easier
said than done.
Too,
there is resistance among farmers to mechanize because it
displaces the labor force.
Still,
PhilRice is working hard to spread the
gospel of mechanization. Borday believes we
can achieve 50% mechanization by the turn of the decade. Unfortunately, a hundred percent is not realistic since many farms are too narrow to
accommodate the bulky Combine harvester. Neither can they fit in mountainous rice fields.
All
things considered, can the next
administration still achieve rice self-sufficiency? Yes, it’s possible.
PhilRice has done its part with the science aspect of the equation. The weak links are in the Department of Agriculture and the National Irrigation Authority. Only with
major reforms in these agencies can we realize this national dream.
***
Andrew
is an economist, political analyst and businessman. He is a 20-year veteran in
the hospitality and tourism industry. For comments and reactions, e-mail
andrew_rs6@yahoo.com. More of his business updates are available via his
Facebook page (Andrew J. Masigan). Follow Andrew on Twitter @aj_masiga
http://www.mb.com.ph/why-rice-self-sufficiency-eludes-us/#fcj7BOOKEXrUWcIu.99
Fashion: Rice water helps
in hair growth, research confirms
Have you noticed that Asian women have
baby-soft skin and shiny black hair? This beauty secret lies in their kitchen.
Unlike the rest of the world, the Asian women do not throw away the water in
which they washed or boiled rice. Instead, they make a concoction out of it and
use it on their face and hair.This haircare beauty practice came into existence
when women farmers in China, Japan, and other southeast Asian countries bathed
in the water used for cleaning rice.
Yao
women from Huangluo village in China have an average hair length of about 6
feet. These women made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the ‘world’s
longest hair village’. Strangely, these women did not have grey hair until
their late 80s. The Yao women reasoned that the fermented rice water, which
they used to cleanse their hair, kept their hair dark, shiny and long. The
contents in the rice water helped these women de-tangle and manage their long
hair. These women usually wrapped their hair around their heads in an elaborate
high bun that is fondly called the ‘gazing god’s bun’ or the ‘cloud bun’.
A
research article that appeared in the International Journal of Cosmetic science
proved that this remedy is effective. The researchers studied the history of
hairstyles and hair care practices of Japanese women, and found a very close
relationship between the two. According to the study, “the court ladies of the
Heian period, whose beautiful long hair, called Suberakashi, reached to the
floor, were said to have combed their hair each day using Yu-Su-Ru (rinse water
obtained from the washing of rice). Rice is considered to be the most important
food in the Japanese diet, and the historical fact that rice was used for hair
care is very interesting.”The researchers focused their attention on the
Yu-Su-Ru hair care practice and examined its effects on hair. They found that
Yu-Su-Ru exhibited haircare effects, such as reducing surface friction and
increasing hair elasticity.
Older the better
The rice
water will prove to be more effective when left to ferment. This water is
slightly sour and is abundant in antioxidants, minerals, B vitamins, vitamin E,
and traces of pitera, a substance produced during the fermentation process.
Many beauty experts regard pitera as an anti-aging elixir, as it promotes cell
regeneration.The fermented rice water can also be used as a face cleanser and
is capable of tightening the skin, shrinking the pores and reduce fine lines.So,
next time you clean or boil rice, think twice before throwing away the
leftover water
Yao
women from Huangluo village in China flaunt their long healthy hair.
http://atimes.com/2016/03/fashion-rice-water-helps-in-hair-growth-research-confirms/
Tumble
dryer fire risks and four other product recalls this week
Some tumble dryers have been
causing fires
This week has seen another wave of product
recalls, most notably 800,000 vehicles made by Volkswagen and
Porsche, with safety worries over the brakes.There has also been more concerns
raised by well-known branded tumble dryers, with many posing a potential fire
risk, while Argos has called back one of its popular tablet devices.
Here is a round-up of this week's major recalls:
Brand: Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Swan and Proline Tumble Dryers
Product: Any tumble dryer manufactured by the brands above after
April 2004 and before September 2015.Why: In some cases, excess fluff is
getting stuck in the heating element which could cause a fire risk.What to do:
Register your product via one of these websites http://safety.indesit.eu,http://safety.hotpoint.eu, http://safety-swan.eu or
call 0800 151 0905. If you are a Creda or Proline customer then you should
visit www.safety.hotpoint.eu.
You can locate the serial number which can be found either on the door or in
the recess in the door.
Brand: Volkswagen and Porsche
Why: There is a safety problem to do with the brakes on models
built between 2011 and 2016.
What to do: The firm will contact those owners with affected
cars and customers will be able to take their car back to a dealer to have the
problem resolved.
Brand: Alba tablets sold at Argos
Product: Alba 7 Inch 8GB tablet sold from July 2015 to March
2016 (Cat Number 447/8975)
Alba 8 Inch 8GB tablet sold from Oct 2015 to March 2016 (Cat
Number 439/0967)
Alba 10 Inch 16GB tablets sold from Oct 2015 to March 2016 (Cat
Number 297/7533)
Why: There has been a safety issue identified with the three pin
plug that goes into the mains. There is a chance that the plug could detach and
therefore pose a risk of electric shock.What to do: Stop using the plug and
visit www.clickspares.co.uk/alba to
claim a free replacement. Customers with any concerns should call 0345 6402 020.
Brand: Plumb Center
Product: Center brand 2KW Fan Heater – sold at Wolseley Plumb
Center. Product code 105161.
Why: There is a risk that the plug, fuse or both could overheat
and therefore present a fire risk. The product has been sold since January
2014.What to do: Customers with appliances affected should visit www.plumbcenter.co.uk/product-recall.
Store: Netto
Product: Rice Market Rice. Basmati Rice 1KG and Parboiled Rice
1KG with all dates on the packaging.
Why: The recall has been issued due to a suspected pest
contamination in the packaging factory in Germany.
What to do: Don't consume the product and return to the store
for a full refund
