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President of Belarus Alexander
Lukashenko continues official visit to Pakistan
5 October 2016 07:01
ByNatalia
Breus: Today the Belarusian leader is expected to meet with the Prime
Minister, the President and Parliament speakers of Pakistan. Alexander
Lukashenko is also planned to take part in the opening of a business forum in
Islamabad.Belarus’ delegation has been actively working in Islamabad for the
past two days, one of the key agreements being the Pakistani Government’s
intension to subsidise farmers for purchasing Belarusian equipment. Besides,
the parties have signed an agreement on opening a joint centre for coordinating
scientific, technical and innovation cooperation in Islamabad.
Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to
the capital of Pakistan in May 2015 resulted in the signing of a
Belarus-Pakistan partnership declaration, which marked a new stage in the
relations between the two countries. Belarus’ Embassy opened in Islamabad in 20
years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the year 2014 seeing the
intensification of contacts.
Last year’s Belarus-Pakistan
trade turnover approached 60 million dollars. Pakistan is Belarus’ promising
partner in South Asia, being a large market with a population of nearly 200
million people. Pakistan is one of key markets for Belarusian tractors outside
the CIS.Belarus exports potash fertilisers, synthetic fibres, tyres, newsprint
and baby food to Pakistan and imports rice, food stuffs, leather products,
textiles and sporting equipment.
SUKKUR: Farmers of the paddy crop, led by Din Muhammad and
Islamuddin Shaikh, took out rallies in Badah, Dokri and other areas in protest
against Sindh government’s not providing even the fixed rate of paddy which was
Rs900.They said that the traders were cutting two kilograms on each maund which
was illegal. They demanded Rs1,100 to Rs1,200 rate of paddy per mound, and they
also demanded reduction in the price of pesticides and fertilizers.
Meanwhile, the Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers Association
announced a campaign of protests and demonstrations to be launched after
Ashura. Aziz Ahmed Abro, president of the Sindh-Balochistan Rice Millers
Association, had written a letter to the Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad
Ali Shah, to fix the rate of paddy at least at Rs1,200.
Siraj Rashidi, a representative of the Larkana Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, said that paddy growers were not getting a fair price
for their crops. He said that the growers spent Rs600 to Rs650 for
producing a maund of rice. In these circumstances, the government rate of
paddy, which was Rs650, was not justified.
He said that the growers were incurring losses amounting to
millions of rupees a year. He said that some growers of paddy had been
feeling so miserable that they were contemplating suicide
Minster of Africulture, Chief Audu OgbehIn a
bid to mitigate the effectof the ban on rice importation into Nigeria,
President Muhammadu Buhari in June this year announced that his administration
would make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production within 18 months.
Speaking at the Ramadan breaking of fast with members of the business
community, Buhari said 13 states of the federation had been identified for the
production of the crop, pointing out that the Minister of Agriculture, Chief
Audu Ogbeh, had already been briefed on how best to achieve the target.
He decried the way and manner the nation’s scarce resources were
wasted on the importation of food items by the previous regimes, saying that
the nation had no option than to concentrate more on agriculture and solid
mineral activities.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken
Lokpobiri at a town hall meeting in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, said the
reliance on imported food led to the astronomical rise in price of rice and
other commodities, stressing that if Nigerians failed to produce some of the
items being imported before December, the price of rice would skyrocket to
N40,000 a bag.
According to him, Nigeria spends about $22 billion a year on importation of
food, saying that a projection shows that the population of Nigeria would be
450 million by 2050 and wondered what would happen then if the people could not
feed themselves now. We do not have enough dollars to fund the import because
of low crude oil price and that is why you see the price of rice going up.
Prices of rice was between N9,000 to N12,000 some months ago, but it is now
about N26,000 and if we don’t start producing by December, it could be N40,000.
Rice matures in three months, so this is a wake-up call for Bayelsa people to
take the four farms we have serious. The Federal Government has four farms in
the state in our records.
There is no rice farm in Rivers State and many other state. They have land to
cultivate rice but no support from government. All states in the country should
be encouraged to produce rice and give it priority attention. The North- West
states such as Kebbi, Jigawa, Kano as well as other states like Lagos, Ebonyi,
Anambra have prioritized it.
The Dangote Group of Companies is set to invest over N53 billion in the
production of rice and sugar in Nasarawa State, said its President, Alhaji
Aliko Dangote. He disclosed this recently in Lafia during an assessment tour of
the investment potentials in the state.
Represented by Mr Abdullahi Sule, the company’s group managing director in
charge of sugar production, Dangote said the company had set the machinery in
motion to invest in Obi, Awe and Doma Local government areas of the state. He
stated that the company would establish a rice mill and give agriculture and
sugarcane outgrowers about 10,000 hectares and seed cane to enhance production,
adding that the company has similar projects in Adamawa and Taraba States which
had generated over 25,000 jobs, while expecting some to happen in Nasarawa.
On its part, the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) last year
September completed its rice mill project in Bida and handed over same to the
Federal Government. Its country Director, Mr Jung Sang-hoon told The Tide in
Abuja that the project was initiated in 2007, but was halted for a while due to
technical challenges the company encountered. “The company has several
projects; we have rice processing centre in Bida and cassava processing centres
in Kogi, Enugu and Ogun States, Sang-hoon said, adding “in case of the rice
processing project, the delays came from our side; we were unable to find
alternative replacement (contracting companies).
“In 2012, when I came, I made some reports. My new approach at the time was to
find collective association of agriculture machinery production companies; they
followed my advice and were able to resume. Now the process became very swift
and prompt; virtually all the job has been completed.
Olam International, a Singaporean Company in 2012 commenced large-scale
cultivation and processing of rice by the last quarter in Nasarawa State, the
nation’s major rice growing state. The company announced that it invested $49.2
million in rice farming and milling in the state. Speaking to newsmen, the
President of the firm, Mr Jajreev Raina said the investment established a 6,000
hectres of irrigated paddy farms and rice milling projects as the company’s
first venture in rice production in the country.
Olam is a leading rice trader globally and has been working with several rice
firms across the country but does not own any of them. The project provides
60,000 tones of paddy annually to the processing facility which had then been
converted into 36,000 tonnes of milled rice. Industry analysts have descried
the project as a big boost for the Federal Government’s drive to raise
agricultural production towards food security for the rising population.
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Buhari, Mr Femi Adesina
recently confirmed that the Federal Government had in 2014 signed a one billion
dollars Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for investment in integrated rice
project with Dangote Industries Limited. Further to this agreement, Dangote
Industries Ltd, this year cultivated over 8,000 hectares in Hadejia, Jigawa
State, creating over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs for farmers who are the
major beneficiaries of the scheme.
According to Adesina, the Buhari-led administration is also in partnership with
the African Development Bank (ADB) and other reputable companies to tap into
the vast potential in the private sector. This was aimed at broadening the
economic base of the country.
“The gains of the diversification drive, especially in the agriculture sector,
he said, are already yielding dividends as shown by the recent statistics in
the sector published by the National Bureau of Statastics (NBS)”.
A social media report had accused the Federal Government and Dangote group of a
plan to ‘flood’ the market with Genetically Modified rice (GMO). But the
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity dismissed the report, describing it as
the hand work of unscrupulous individuals who were bent on tarnishing the good
image of the government. “It is therefore ridiculous that a government that is
wholly devoted to the generation of employment for Nigerians, especially
through agriculture will turn around to get involved in an activity that will
reverse the gains of the same partnership”.
In a bid to stemming the tide of the effect of pests that attack cereal crops
on the fields, especially rice, the federal government in 2014 approved a 50
hours serial spray of high risk areas in Kano State under attack of quelea
birds. The aim was to reduce the amount of money spent by farmers employing
traditional control methods. Rice farmers had lamented about the challenges the
birds had posed to their farm output as a result of the attacks.
Rice is one of the staple foods for Nigerians and its supply and demand trend
are imbalance. The production of rice in this country is expected to be more
than 100 tonnes following an increase in the demand for the commodity. Rice
production can earn Nigerian high foreign exchange if its farmers in the country
are supported financially and materially. “Government agricultural loans will
enable rice farmers acquire modern farming equipment as well as vast land for
their business.
The provision of irrigation
infrastructure for rice farmers is necessary as rice can be scorched due to the
lack of rain which also providing fertilizers at the appropriate time during
the farming season”.
In order to make the ban on rice importation realistic, a Port Harcourt-based
large-scale rice dealer, Eugene Aririeri, urged the Federal Government to
ensure that local producers of rice are adequately empowered. He advised that
for the federal government’s ban on importation of rice to be realistic in
2016, local rice farmers need to be empowered and encouraged, pointing out that
the idea of banning the importation of rice is good, but that concrete steps
must be taken by the Federal and state governments before the implementation of
the ban.
According to him, the local producers of rice should be provided with adequate
and highly subsidized agricultural loans, adding that these loans should only
be given to genuine farmers while that should not be politicized. “The farmers
should also be provided with adequate improved seeds, genuine fertilizers and
other related farm imputs”. The rice dealer explained that by statistics,
Nigerians consume more than 45 million metric tonnes of rice per annum, while
21 million metric tonnes of the commodity was being imported through back-door
yearly, disclosing that Nigeria was the second largest importer of rice in the
world in spite of large endowment of arable land suitable for rice production.
He maintained that locally produced rice was more qualitative with more
nutritional value than imported rice.
If Nigeria is really committed to an ambitious programme for growth, to
consolidate and increase the present levels of profitability through
international expansion, and to further develop its agricultural business
activities, there should be medium plan for rice production in the country.
Ebonyi State has carved a niche for itself in the area of rice production. Its
production has increased in the state and if given encouragement as well as
other states, the problem of rice in this country will soon be a thing of the
past.
Chief Anthony Ndubuka, a major rice dealer in Umuahia in an interview expressed
optimism that the price of rice would soon fall in Nigeria, saying that the
grains would become affordable as soon as farmers began to harvest the grains
in the next few months. “I am confident that there will be a bumper harvest
this year. So, by November, the price of the commodity will definitely come
down”, he said, expressing concern that the astronomical price of rice had made
it unaffordable in many homes. “Rice is a staple food in many families in
Nigeria, it is children’s favourite, but the commodity has become unaffordable
because of its astronomical price”.
Ndubuka traced the scarcity of rice to the ban on importation of the grains by
the Federal Government, saying that the inability of the local rice producers
to fill the gap caused by the ban compounded the situation. According to him,
the scarcity posed serious challenges to rice farmers and manufacturers in the
country. “Luckily, many farmers have braced the challenges, so there will be plenty
of rice this year”, he said.
The Tide reports that the scarcity of foreign rice after the government’s ban
led to increased demand for local substitutes. The rice dealer, Ndubuka, said
although eh ban on importation of rice was expected to boost local production,
government should have taken measures to bridge the gap. He added that it was
still smuggled into the country in spite the ban, to evade arrest. Urging the
Federal Government to give incentives to rice farmers, he said that would boost
output and quality of the grains and make them affordable.In Umuahia, a bag of
local rice now sells for between N18,500 and N20,000 as against previous price
of N5,000 and N6,000. The imported substitutes cost between N23,000 and N25,000
as against the previous N8,000 and N10,000 per bag
The Comptroller-General
of Customs, Hameed Ali, says 99 per cent of rice smuggled through the land
borders is not fit for human consumption.
Mr. Ali, a retired Colonel, said
this at a joint news conference on illegal rice importation to Nigeria on
Tuesday in Abuja.
He said samples of some of the
rice seizures made over a period were referred to NAFDAC to ascertain their
condition.
He said the test reports
certified that smuggled rice through the borders was unfit for human
consumption.
“Importation of rice into the
country is not banned but restricted on the point of entry to seaports only.
`We remain firm in our resolve to
enforce the restriction of rice imports only to our seaports.
“We have re-organised our
anti-smuggling patrols to provide additional capability and bite,” Mr. Ali
said.
Mr. Ali said that during his
recent trip to Benin Republic to engage with colleagues in customs on effective
management of the borders, some delegations from groups came giving commitments
to pay all charges applicable if customs relaxed the policy on borders.
According to him, there has been
a significant increase in seizures in the first three quarter of 2016.He said
117,034 (50kg) bags of rice seizures had been made at a duty paid value of
N774.2 million.He said customs seizures had revealed several ingenious but
devilish ways of smuggling into country what Nigerians consumed as food.“We
have seen rice conveyed in open wooden canoes across our creeks and water ways
with generous amount of dirty waters splashing on them.
“We have seen some mixed with
other grains bags to deceive customs; some are stuffed inside any available
crevice and compartments of vehicles, including the engine area.“The concealed
rice is thereafter re-bagged half cooked and presented in our markets for sale
as imported rice.“Bags of rice meant for Nigerians’ consumption (are) being
conveyed in coffins inside make shift ambulance vehicles.
“Often time, importers in the
borders have to wait for months for the green light from corrupt customs
officials before they gamble their ways across the borders.“Rice being a
perishable product, lose valuable shelve life in non-conducive storage
conditions.“We have strong evidence linking some reputable importers to cases
of re-bagging expired rice to prolong their shelve life,’’ he added.
He said that promoters of the
economic subterfuge were seeking a re-introduction of quota system to import
1.5 million tonnes through the entry point.“We will be waiting for them.”Mr.
Ali said that many state governments had injected massive investments in local
production of rice.He added that the Federal Government, through the
intervention by CBN and Bank of Industry, was also investing to give momentum
to rice revolution.
Mr. Ali said Kebbi State
Government, in 2016, harvested over 700,000 tonnes from irrigation farming
while 800,000 tonnes were projected from rain-fed rice farming with similar
projection from other states across the country.
He said that customs was
inundated with periodic intelligence about ship loads of parboiled rice that
offloaded regularly in the neighbouring port of Cotonou.Mr. Ali added that
Benin Republic did not eat parboiled rice, adding that the imports were
ultimately destined for Nigeria by smuggling through the land borders
He said that with the support of
patriotic Nigerians, “we will not only achieve national self-sufficiency of rice
in 2017 but be in pole position to clamp a total ban on its importation in the
years ahead”.The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, recalls that in April 2016,
customs re-introduced the ban on importation through the land borders.
However, the reversal of the policy
introduced in October 2015, was informed by high level of non-compliance by
rice importers who resorted to large scale smuggling of the product
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/212012-nigerians-warned-99-per-cent-smuggled-rice-not-fit-consumption.htmlLifting
rice ban unfortunate - Importers
Rice importers adisappointed in the Ministry of
Trade and Industry for lifting the ban on the inland importation of rice into
the country.
Rice importers have described as unfortunate government’s decision to lift the ban placed on inland
importation of rice.They are now urging inspection agencies to be
extra-vigilant to ensure that all rice imported into the country conformed to
standards.The Vice President, Ghana-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce, Mr Michael
Ntim-Addo and Mr John Owusu told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS on the sidelines of the
Ghana-Vietnam business forum in Accra. The forum was held as part of a trade
and investment visit by a Vietnamese delegation to explore opportunities in
rice farming, processing, storage, marketing and distribution.The trip was
organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture,
in collaboration with the Ghana-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Treat ban with caution
Mr Ntim-Addo said inspection agencies must
treat the lifting of the ban with caution to prevent unscrupulous importers
from importing substandard rice onto the Ghanaian market.“The ban was put in
place basically to check the quality of rice that comes into the system because
of smuggling, so if the ban is lifted, then the Food and Drugs Authority, the
Ghana Standard Authority and other agencies must collaborate to ensure rice
imported conformed to standard,” he
said.The vice president indicated that on average, Ghana imported about 400,000
metric tonnes of rice yearly which is equivalent of US$300 million.
He said government policy was to increase local
production of rice and reduce importation so as to improve the country’s
balance of trade.
Mr Ntim-Addo said the Ghana-Vietnam Chamber of
Commerce would continue to work as the referee for businesses that would want
to come together to move the rice trade and investment forward and create more
jobs.
Disappointment
For his part, Mr Owusu also expressed
disappointment in the Ministry of Trade and Industry for lifting the ban on the
inland importation of rice into the country.He said the decision by government was very surprising since
persons who did inland importation did so illegally.According to him, those
into the inland importation of rice usually used the Elubo, Sampa and
Nkrankwanta borders and as such did not pay tax unlike those who used the ports
and paid taxes to the government.
He said the Food and Drugs Authority would not
be able to check whether the rice was of good quality and healthy for
consumption since they had no personnel at the borders to do the inspection. The
importer explained further that the move would also escalate smuggling into the country since the Ivorian
taxes were lower than taxes collected in Ghana.He said although some importers
preferred bringing in goods through the Tema and Takoradi ports, such moves
would influence such importers to use the borders.
Lifting of ban
The disagreement follows the lifting of a ban
placed on inland importation of rice by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and
the Parliamentary Select Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism that importers
of rice into Ghana can now do so through the land borders from August this
year.The ban, which has been in force for about three years now, prevented the
importation of rice into the country through the Elubo, Sampa and Nkrankwanta
borders in the Wesrwen.The move was to curb the numerous unfair trade practices
such as evasion of import duties and other taxes, under-invoicing, infringement
of trademarks and smuggling
Switzerland’s Buhler Group opened a factory to
manufacture rice-processing machinery at the Long Hau-Hoa Binh Industrial Park
in Long An province, Vietnam, last week.
The 10,000-square-metre factory employs more
than 200 workers.Vietnamese milled-rice production is expected to hit 50
million tonnes this year, with more than 5,000 processors operating in the
country, making it the fourth-largest rice-producing country in the world,
according to Buhler's figures.
The new factory is expected to help rice processors make products of higher
quality that meet export standards, strengthening Vietnam's position in the
international market and enabling it to face competition from Thai and
Cambodian rice producers, Buhler said in a press release.
Demand for rice-processing solutions that
enable processors to improve their rice quality to meet export requirements
while enhancing food safety and quality standards for domestic consumption has
never been greater, said Rustom Mistry, chairman and managing director of
Buhler Vietnam. -Viet Nam News
Developer set to install railway corridor posts
Giant Rail Company on Friday signed a contract with a Laotian company to
install railway-route corridor posts for a planned line linking the country's
central province of Savannakhet to the Vietnamese border.The move is one step
closer to the start of construction of the 220-kilometre railway to be built by
Malaysian investor Giant Consolidated Ltd, which is |expected to cost US$5.5
billion |to $6 billion.The installation of corridor posts along the proposed
railway, which includes 11 mixed-development zones on 4,100 hectares |of land
along the route in Savannakhet, is expected to |be completed within three
|months from the beginning |of October.
Speaking during the signing |ceremony, Malaysian Ambassador Than Tai Hing, who
is to |complete his mission in Laos in coming months, said this |project had
the full support of the government of Malaysia.
He said he hoped to see physical construction of the project begin soon. -
Vientiane Times
Borgward deliverscar for sale in Laos
German automaker Borgward Group on Friday launched the Borgward BX7 at the
"Vientiane International Motor Expo", with Laos the first
Asean country to have the new vehicle.
The company plans to expand sales of the sport-utility vehicle throughout Laos
in 2018, with a focus on the main provinces, and is targeting the middle- and
upper-income group of customers.
The company is offering the SUV at a special price during the promotion period
and many |customers have already |made bookings, it says. |- Vientiane Times
Patanjali buys RH Agro’s
Haryana rice mill for Rs 70cr
John Sarkar | TNN |
Oct 4, 2016, 04.00 AM IST
New Delhi: Ramdev's Patanjali has
firmed up plans to add some flavour in the rice category this Diwali. It has
acquired RH Agro's
rice mill in Sonipat, Haryana, for Rs 70 crore and
has taken four other rice mills across the country on exclusive lease, which
will help it launch 18 packaged rice brands by the end of this month.
At present, Patanjali sells three variants of packaged rice — silver, gold and
diamond. It meets its procurement needs by buying finished rice and packaging
it at its Haridwar facility. The new mills will not only give the FMCG company
the capability of producing 3.2 lakh tonnes of finished rice a year from paddy
but will also allow it to produce region-specific rice variants that it plans
to sell locally and export as well.
"The acquisition will give us technical know-how in rice processing,"
said Acharya Balkrishna, MD of Patanjali Ayurved. "We have partnered with
thousands of rice farmers in many regions of the country to produce traditional
variants."
Other than the mill in Sonipat, which will process basmati, Patanjali has
leased two mills in Madhya Pradesh to process the pusa variety. Another mill in
Telangana will produce the lightweight aromatic sona masuri to cater to markets
in the south, while a mill in Fazilka, Punjab will process rice grains that are
grown in the north. Around 150 varieties of rice are currently grown in the
country, industry estimates showed.
Patanjali, known for its best-selling products such as cow's ghee and ayurvedic
toothpaste Dant Kanti, has drawn up an ambitious strategy to disrupt India's
packaged rice market, which is currently dominated by brands such as India
Gate, Kohinoor, Best Basmati and Daawat. Research firm Euromonitor has valued
the market at Rs 22,000 crore and said it will grow at a CAGR of 11% till 2020.
"The rice brands will be made available in 50 SKUs (stock keeping unit) of
various sizes," said Balkrishna. Prices will range between Rs 67 for one
kilo of Sona Masoori Steam and Rs 2,100 for 25kg of Lashkari (kolam), the
company said. Senior executives at Patanjali said its new rice variants will
have a shelf life of two years, which is double that of brands available in the
market. "Some of our variants will also take less time to cook than
competing brands," they said.
Tim Hearden/Capital Press A harvester finishes
dumping its load into a bankout machine on a rice farm near Willows, Calif., on
Sept. 30. The harvest of rice is underway in California.
WILLOWS,
Calif. — California rice production is rebounding after two drought-diminished
seasons.
The
Golden State’s rice crop is expected to come in at 48.6 million hundredweight,
a 30 percent jump from last year, according to the National Agricultural
Statistics Service office in Sacramento.
With
spring rains enabling many Northern California growers to get their full
allotments of surface water, growers anticipate harvesting from 559,000 acres
statewide, up from about 370,000 acres in 2015, NASS reports.
Willows-area
grower Larry Maben has harvested about 200 of his 800 acres and the going has
been smooth, he said.
“It
looks like a pretty decent crop,” Maben said. “It remains to be seen what the
yield is going to be, but it looks like a good crop in the field.”
Yields
could vary from field to field, suggests Charley Mathews, a Marysville area
grower and USA Rice Federation executive committee member.
“At
first yield was down a little bit, but I’m hearing mixed results from
everyone,” he said. “It’s about average.”
NASS
expects yields to be 8,700 pounds per acre, down 2 percent from last year.
Growers reported a near-normal planting season, and the mostly mild summer
temperatures aided the crop.
Rice
averaged $414.22 per metric ton in August, up from $370.48 in March but still
down significantly from a peak of more than $600 per metric ton in 2011 and
2012, according to the IndexMundi online data portal.
However,
the lower prices could spur increased exports to trading partners in the Middle
East and northern Africa, which had bought their rice elsewhere when prices
were high, and California could regain a bigger market share for medium-grain
rice now that some of its competitors have decreased production, the California
Farm Bureau Federation notes.
Among
other field crops in California, according to NASS:
• The
corn silage harvest is underway in the San Joaquin Valley. Corn for grain production
statewide is forecast at 389,000 tons, up 47 percent from last year, as yields
and acreage has rebounded because of last winter’s rains.
Growers
are set to harvest corn from 75,000 acres and produce 5.18 tons per acre, up 25
percent and 18 percent, respectively, from the 2015 crop year.
• Cotton
was past flowering stage and bolls were opening as of the end of September, and
cotton defoliation began in some areas.
Growers
are expected to produce 484,000 bales of American Pima cotton and 260,000 bales
of Upland cotton, up 34 percent and 58 percent, respectively, from last season.
• Hay
producers are still irrigating, cutting and baling alfalfa, while winter grains
are being planted in the San Joaquin Valley
SunFoods
markets rice under Hinode brand across US
SunRice, the
Australian rice exporter, has acquired the 35% stake in US rice business
SunFoods it did not already own for an undisclosed sum.SunFoods, based in
California, is the owner of the Hinode brand (pronounced Hee-no-day), which is
sold across 8,000 retail outlets in the US.In a stock exchange filing, SunRice
said SunFoods operates "across the US mainland and Hawaiian retail,
distributor and foodservice channels, as well as in international tender
markets".
The company
added: "This acquisition satisfies one of SunRice's six strategic
priorities: to establish secure and sustainable sources of supply to complement
the Australian harvest, which is becoming increasingly critical given the
demand for SunRice products continues to expand and the size of Australian rice
crops continue to vary."Alongside news of the SunFoods transaction, SunRice
also announced it had struck a deal to buy Australian pickled onions and
gherkins supplier Fehlbergs Fine Foods.The deal was made through SunRice's
Riviana arm, which already supplies a range of pickled vegetables. The
acquisition adds pickled onions to the Riviana stable.
THE
Philippines is planning to impose a tariff of as much as 50 percent on rice
imports by next year, when Manila is expected to scrap the quantitative
restriction (QR) on the staple.
An
official of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) told
the BusinessMirror that the agency would recommend to the President a tariff
ranging from 40 percent to 50 percent once the country converts the rice-import
quota into tariffs.
However,
experts said the Philippines could shoot for a higher tariff rate if it could
justify the need to do so.
In the
case of South Korea, it was able to impose a tariff rate of more than 500
percent on imported rice, using a formula approved by the World Trade
Organization (WTO).
The Philippines imports more than 1 million
metric tons (MMT) of rice annually to plug the shortfall in its production and
beef up the National Food Authority’s (NFA) buffer stock. In recent years, the
government has taken charge of rice importation, as Manila has existing
rice-supply deals with the governments of Thailand and Vietnam.
Currently,
the government allows rice imports within the minimum access of volume (MAV) of
805,200 metric tons (MT) to enter the country at a lower tariff of 35 percent.
Imports in excess of the MAV are slapped a higher tariff of 50 percent.
The
extension given to the Philippines on the use of the QR is set to expire in
2017, unless Manila bids for another reprieve and is granted by the WTO.
Philippine
Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) Senior Research Fellow Roehlano
Briones said the recommendation of the Neda is a good starting point.
Based on
his own computation, Briones said the tariff on rice could be set at 35
percent, consistent with the Asean Free-Trade Agreement. He said this “made
more sense,” given that most of the country’s rice imports come from Asean.
“There
is no point in setting a higher tariff when 95 percent of your rice imports
come from the region,” Briones said in a phone interview.
In his
study in 2015, Briones said the removal of the QR and the imposition of a
35-percent tariff rate can generate as much as P28 billion in revenues for the
government annually. This, he said, can more than cover the proposed
compensatory payment for farmers.
These
projected revenues are also significantly higher than the tariff revenues
estimated to reach P13 billion to 14 billion if Manila would continue to
implement the QR. Winners
and losers
SETTING
a tariff rate on rice imports is part of the road map crafted by the Neda,
which will also be presented to the President’s economic team this month. The
road map first identified the provinces that will be affected by the removal of
the rice-import cap. These provinces were identified based on yield and cost of
production.
The Neda
said the government is prepared to extend safety nets to ensure the affected
farmers will be able to shift to other crops.
In terms
of yield, the Neda classified the provinces according to their potential
production, which should be at 10 MT per hectare. Currently, the average yield
is at 4 MT per hectare.
The
provinces that made the cut included Nueva Ecija, Davao del Sur, Ilocos Norte,
Pampanga, Kalinga, Bataan, La Union and Biliran. Yield in these provinces range
from 4.5 MT to 5.5 MT per hectare.
To be
able to determine the provinces that will survive a post-QR regime, the Neda
said the government would have to set a tariff rate of as low as 35 percent.
This will result in a retail price of P24.10 per kilogram of milled rice.
The
provinces that had among the highest production costs were La Union, at P21.67
per kilo, and Ilocos at P20.31 per kilo.
The
provinces that had the lowest production cost are Pampanga, at P15.51 per kilo;
Biliran, P15.76 per kilo; Nueva Ecija, P16.51 per kilo; and Bataan, P16.92 per
kilo.
The Neda
said it did not yet factor in transport and logistics cost in its computation.
The
proceeds from the tariffication of the QR will be used to finance safety nets
needed by farmers, such as to provide for mechanization needs and the provision
of hybrid and/or certified seeds.
Currently,
the Neda is crafting a bill that would amend Republic Act (RA) 8178, which
allowed the Philippines to impose the QR on rice—a nontariff barrier.
The
agency has also recommended to the Legislative Executive Development Advisory
Council to certify as urgent the amendment of RA 8178.
Rice futures
ended higher, but traded in a relatively narrow range within Monday’s huge
range. 82% of the crop has been harvested nation-wide, well ahead of the 5 year
average of 69%. In Arkansas, 91% of the crop was in the bins as of Sunday,
compared with a 5 year average of 74%. Export sales were 46,800 tons for the
week. November's close above $10 brings resistance around $10.50 back into play.
USA Rice Featured in Taste of America 2016 in Toyko
TOKYO, JAPAN -- USA Rice is participating in "Taste of
America 2016" (TOA), a food event here conducted by the U.S Embassy's Agricultural
Trade Office (ATO) that highlights American food culture. This is the
sixth such event this year where participating restaurants introduce special
menus using U.S. food ingredients.
Last month, the ATO held several press events to promote TOA that
included tasting contests featuring two menu ideas made with U.S.-grown rice
-"Gumbo" and "Slider"- and cooking demonstrations by two
chefs, one from California and one from Louisiana, using U.S. medium grain to
make rice fritters and rice salad.
USA Rice's Japanwebsitehas
been updated with TOA information and a video (above) produced by the ATO that
introduces five chefs who participated in the gumbo contest
Rice harvest
proceeds as production, prices rebound
Tim Hearden/Capital Press A
harvester finishes dumping its load into a bankout machine on a rice farm near
Willows, Calif., on Sept. 30. The harvest of rice is underway in California.
WILLOWS, Calif. — California rice production is rebounding after
two drought-diminished seasons.
The Golden State’s rice crop is expected to come in at 48.6
million hundredweight, a 30 percent jump from last year, according to the
National Agricultural Statistics Service office in Sacramento.
With spring rains enabling many Northern California growers to get
their full allotments of surface water, growers anticipate harvesting from
559,000 acres statewide, up from about 370,000 acres in 2015, NASS reports.
Willows-area grower Larry Maben has harvested about 200 of his 800
acres and the going has been smooth, he said.
“It looks like a pretty decent crop,” Maben said. “It remains to
be seen what the yield is going to be, but it looks like a good crop in the
field.”
Yields could vary from field to field, suggests Charley Mathews, a
Marysville area grower and USA Rice Federation executive committee member.
“At first yield was down a little bit, but I’m hearing mixed
results from everyone,” he said. “It’s about average.”
NASS expects yields to be 8,700 pounds per acre, down 2 percent
from last year. Growers reported a near-normal planting season, and the mostly
mild summer temperatures aided the crop.
Rice averaged $414.22 per metric ton in August, up from $370.48 in
March but still down significantly from a peak of more than $600 per metric ton
in 2011 and 2012, according to the IndexMundi online data portal.
However, the lower prices could spur increased exports to trading
partners in the Middle East and northern Africa, which had bought their rice
elsewhere when prices were high, and California could regain a bigger market
share for medium-grain rice now that some of its competitors have decreased
production, the California Farm Bureau Federation notes.
Among other field crops in California, according to NASS:
• The corn silage harvest is underway in the San Joaquin Valley.
Corn for grain production statewide is forecast at 389,000 tons, up 47 percent
from last year, as yields and acreage has rebounded because of last winter’s
rains.
Growers are set to harvest corn from 75,000 acres and produce 5.18
tons per acre, up 25 percent and 18 percent, respectively, from the 2015 crop
year.
• Cotton was past flowering stage and bolls were opening as of the
end of September, and cotton defoliation began in some areas.
Growers are expected to produce 484,000 bales of American Pima
cotton and 260,000 bales of Upland cotton, up 34 percent and 58 percent,
respectively, from last season.
• Hay producers are still irrigating, cutting and baling alfalfa,
while winter grains are being planted in the San Joaquin Valley
Vietnam
suspends rice exports to US after pesticide violations
The U.S. rejected 1,700 tons of rice from Vietnam during
January-April.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has
decided to temporarily put on hold exports of rice to the U.S. due to pesticide
residue issues.The decision was made after the U.S. discovered high levels of
pesticide residue in shipments of Vietnamese rice, the Cong an nhan dan
(People's Police) news site reported on Friday, quoting Vo Thanh Do, deputy
director of the Department of Agriculture-Forestry-Fisheries Processing.
The suspension is made as the ministry needs time to handle the
issue to avoid a ban on Vietnamese rice imports from the U.S., Do told a
seminar in the southern city of Can Tho on Friday.
The Vietnam Food Association cited
information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as saying
that in the first four months of this year, the U.S. rejected 94 rice
containers from Vietnam, which are equivalent to around 1,700 tons of rice.
In the first eight months of this
year, Vietnam exported 22,084 tons of rice to the U.S., falling almost 33
percent from the same period last year, according to Vietnam Customs.
Suriname rice
origins traced to Africa by Dutch researchers
AFRICA
THE
HAGUE — The black rice grown by the Maroons, or descendants of escaped
African slaves who live in the interior ofSuriname today, is
similar to a specific type of black rice that derived from western Cote
d’Ivoire, scientists said Monday.Several Suriname black rice grains were
cultivated into fully grown plants in the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam. An
international team of scientists led by Wageningen University compared the DNA
of these plants grown in Amsterdam with over 100 varieties of black grains from
across West Africa, from Senegal to Chad.
The Suriname black rice was shown to be similar
to a specific type of black rice that derived from the fields of Mande-speaking
farmers in western Cote d’Ivoire, said Wageningen in its press release.Maroons
in Surinam cultivate a species of rice with black grains but they rarely eat
them but instead offer them to ancestors and used them inspiritual herb baths.
Historical documents suggest that the black
grains originate from African rice, once bought by slave traders along the
coast of West Africa to feed their slaves. For centuries, the liberated Maroons
cherished the African crop as a tangible reminder of their past. But it was not
known from which African country the rice originated.
Although Dutch slave traders bought most of
their African slaves from Ghana, Benin and Central Africa, the recently
digitised log of the Zeeland vessel D’Eenigheid indicates that rice and slaves
were also occasionally purchased along the coast of Liberia, the country west
of Cote d’Ivoire. At the time, Mande speakers were known as good rice farmers
and highly sought after by slave traders.
Wageningen hailed this “combination of ethno
botanic,historic and genetic research”that established the link
between Suriname black rice and the fields in western Ivory Coast because “this
can help trace the unwritten migration history of people and crops.”The
scientists believe that the white rice, bananas, beans and tubers grown on thesefarmlands todaystill have many more stories to tell.
Dutch research traces Suriname rice to its
African origin
Source:Xinhua Published: 2016/10/4 9:51:59
_____________________________________
The black rice grown by the Maroons, or
descendants of escaped African slaves who live in the interior of Suriname
today, is similar to a specific type of black rice that derived from western
Cote d'Ivoire, scientists said Monday.
Several Suriname black rice grains were
cultivated into fully grown plants in the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam. An
international team of scientists led by Wageningen University compared the DNA
of these plants grown in Amsterdam with over 100 varieties of black grains from
across West Africa, from Senegal to Chad.
The Suriname black rice was shown to be similar
to a specific type of black rice that derived from the fields of Mande-speaking
farmers in western Cote d'Ivoire, said Wageningen in its press release.
Maroons in Surinam cultivate a species of rice
with black grains but they rarely eat them but instead offer them to ancestors
and used them in spiritual herb baths.
Historical documents suggest that the black
grains originate from African rice, once bought by slave traders along the
coast of West Africa to feed their slaves. For centuries, the liberated Maroons
cherished the African crop as a tangible reminder of their past. But it was not
known from which African country the rice originated.
Although Dutch slave traders bought most of
their African slaves from Ghana, Benin and Central Africa, the recently
digitized log of the Zeeland vessel D'Eenigheid indicates that rice and slaves
were also occasionally purchased along the coast of Liberia, the country west
of Cote d'Ivoire. At the time, Mande speakers were known as good rice farmers
and highly sought after by slave traders.
Wageningen hailed this "combination of
ethno botanic, historic and genetic research" that established the link
between Suriname black rice and the fields in western Ivory Coast because
"this can help trace the unwritten migration history of people and
crops." The scientists believe that the white rice, bananas, beans and
tubers grown on these farmlands today still have many more stories to tell.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1009595.shtml
CRF Wants to
Track Rice Loans
Rice farmers waiting to sell their paddy rice
in polythene sacks to millers. KT/Mai Vireak
The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) has
submitted a proposal to the government for the setting up of a joint executive
financial committee to ensure that the $27 million emergency loan to rice
millers to purchase paddy rice from farmers, in a bid to prevent rice prices
from falling further, is not misused.In an interview with Khmer Times, CRF
Secretary-General Moul Sarith said the federation’s plan would involve the
National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), Rural Development Bank (RDB), commercial banks
and all relevant stakeholders.
“The purpose of this joint executive financial
committee is to keep track of the disbursement of the loans to rice millers and
also to ensure that farmers are the real beneficiaries of the government’s
emergency intervention,” said Mr. Sarith.On the disbursement of loans to rice
millers, Mr. Sarith said the prerequisite format will be in the form of checks.
“We propose not to give them [rice millers]
cash as it could be misused and difficult to track. The rice millers would be
given checks instead and they will use this financial instrument to pay for the
paddy rice that they are going to buy from farmers. The farmers, in turn, would
be able to cash these checks at the nearest bank, that is a member of the joint
executive financial committee,” he added.Mr. Sarith said the CRF is keen to get
a quick response from the government on the joint executive financial committee
proposal.
“If the government gives the green light fast,
relevant stakeholders such as the NBC, RDB, commercial banks and the private sector
will join this committee.”In a bid to stabilize falling prices, the Cambodian
government late last month gave the green light to the RDB to disburse loans
totaling $27 million to millers to buy paddy rice from farmers at 840 riel
($0.21) per kilogram.
Phou Poy, president of the Green Rice Miller in
Battambang province and also chairman of the Rice Bank, told Khmer Times that
the RDB intervention was necessary to prevent rice prices from tumbling
further.“Without the 840 riel per kilogram government price, the price of rice
might go into a free fall,” he warned.Kao Thach, CEO of RDB, told Khmer Times
yesterday that the bank welcomed the CRF’s proposal.However, he said, at this
juncture it would be difficult to include the NBC as they are a central bank
with a regulatory function, and should not be treated as a commercial bank.
“Nonetheless, the RDB will cooperate with any
government directive,” stressed Mr. Thach.
The RDB said in a media statement Monday that
the majority of rice millers were still using their own funds to purchase paddy
rice from farmers.
“The next harvest season will be soon and the
RDB is prepared to disburse loans to rice millers at an interest rate of seven
percent a year or 0.583 percent per month, if they need them,” added the
statement.
ILOILO CITY: Two farmers’
groups in the province of Iloilo are assured of market with fair value of their
palay (unhusked rice) produce with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) facilitated by the Department of Agriculture (DA) with local millers and
traders in ensuring long-term marketing agreement with the farmers.
The MOA signing was held last September 29 after Iloilo was identified as a
site in the country for implementation of Better Rice Initiatives
Asia-Fostering Agriculture and Rice Marketing by Improved Education and Rural
Advisory Services project supported by the Agriculture department, Agricultural
Training Institute, Philippine Rice Research Institute and the Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.|
Six towns–Leganes, Mina, Oton,
Pototan, Santa Barbara and Zarraga–in Iloilo are covered by the agreement.
Farmer Lupo Señolay, Lapayon Farmers’ Association chairman, signed the MOA with
Glicerio Gallos Jr., rice miller and trader based in Guihaman, Leganes, while
Inocencio Santa Cruz, Bangga Dawis Farmers’ Association chairman, inked the
same deal with DA 6 Regional Technical Director Manuel Olanday as the chairman
of the Iloilo Rice Processing Complex Management Board.
The parties agreed on set quality
control standards of palay with 28 percent moisture content during wet cropping
season, and 25 percent moisture content during the dry season, guaranteed price
of at least 50 centavos per kilogram higher than the prevailing market price,
as well as others beneficial to the members of the farmers’ associations and
the rice millers and traders
Rice prices have marked an unusual rise during the last two weeks
in Lalmonirhat markets, forcing many people of the low income group to pass
their days half-fed.Due to the situation, a growing number of people to line up
for the government subsidised rice.Under the government programme, 56,386
benificiries of 45 unions in five upazilas of Lalmonirhat will receive 30
kilograms of rice at Tk 10 per kilogram.
During a visit to different rice
markets in the town, this correspondent found that the lowest-grade rice sells
at Tk 32-34 per kilogram and the fine rice is priced at up to Tk 44-46
while it was between Tk 22-24 and Tk 34-36 respectively just two weeks back.
"The price of rice has gone up
so high that I can't feed my family with my daily income of Tk 200-250 by
puling rickshaw," said Shamsul Islam, 45, of Kalmati village in Sadar
upazila.Farm labourer Abdul Gafur, 50, of Etapota village, also a beneficiary
under the rationing programme, said although he had received the allocated 30
kilograms of rice but the quantity is barely enough to feed a family of
five.
Rusel Islam, a rice trader at
Goshala Bazar, said sales of rice have dropped in the last couple of days due
to the unusual hike of its prices.
Abdul Hamid, president of Lalmonirhat Rice Mills Owners Association, said about
465 rice mills in the district are facing a setback due to a rough weather in
the last couple of weeks.The millers could not produce enough rice due to
adverse weather during the last two weeks, he added.District Food Controller
Golam Mawla said they have already started selling rice at Tk 10 per kilogram
among the ration card holders.
Beneficiaries can buy their
allocated rice from government recruited 125 dealers in 45 unions of the
district, Mawla added.a crisis of doctor. Amena said she could not afford to go
to another hospital for treatment as she is very poor.
Under a cloudy sky with rain looming, the annual rice harvest was
on hold Monday. Manuel Perex, foreman on Tennis Lance Inc. rice farm and
Alfredo Gonzales use the time to put a new engine on the fuel tank along Aguas
Frias Road in Butte County.
Under a cloudy sky with rain looming, the
annual rice harvest was on hold Monday. Manuel Perex, foreman on Tennis Lance
Inc. rice farm and Alfredo Gonzales use the time to put a new engine on the
fuel tank along Aguas Frias Road in Butte County.Emily Bertolino — Enterprise-Record
Many
farmers in the Sacramento Valley took a “rain day” Monday, idling their
harvesters after a quick, cold storm blew through the valley.Before the rains,
rice harvest had been in “full tilt” and buzzing along since mid September,
said Cass Mutters, farm adviser for the University of California Cooperative
Extension.When storms move across the land, one storm cell could dump a large
amount of rain in an isolated area, but land a mile away could be dry. Chico
residents near the North Valley Plaza Mall had thumbnail-sized hail bang onto
their rooftops Sunday evening. Just a few miles away the storm brought only a
drizzle.
The same
hit-and-miss also applies to farmers.Lundberg Farms, based in Richvale, did not
fire up the harvesters Monday, said Mike Denny, vice president of farm
operations. He stopped due to rain and is thankful his fields did not receive
hail.Chunks of ice, or even wind and rain, can cause tall rice to flop over.
Farmers call this “lodging.” If the rice is flat, its much more difficult to
harvest. The matted straw will clog the harvesting spikes of the machinery.
A hard
hail can strip the rice from the plants, and ruin the entire year of work,
Denny explained. He’s witnessed this on field twice in the past seven or eight
years, he said.Other farmers contacted Monday said they were waiting for the
gray clouds to go away.
Southwest
Butte County received only a few sprinkles, said Gridley farmer Ryan Schohr,
but that was enough to stop harvest for the day. In his case, the rice was
still standing tall, which means less wear and tear on the machinery than rice
that flopped over in the storm.He considered Monday a nice break for employees.
He planned to have a nice day with his young son, Brock.Out near Nelson, the
rice combines were also parked, said Anjanette Shadley, whose office building
overlooks the Gorrill Ranch.
Western
Canal Water District has awebcamthat
points out into rice land. In the winter, viewers can watch birds frolic in the
flooded fields.Monday, the webcam was pointed at a machine that crisscrossed a
field that had already been harvested. The machine was shredding the rice
stubble before the fields are flooded for the winter. The winter rains help the
rice straw decompose.If the skies clear today, farmers will be back in their
harvesters by midweek, said Gorrill Ranch office manager Michelle Pisenti.
The
Durham area received about half an hour of heavy rains, said Butte County
Agricultural Commissioner Louie Mendoza.
RAIN AND
OTHER CROPS
Just
south of Durham, the soil is heavy clay and suitable for rice farming. Closer
to Durham, farmers grow walnuts and almonds.Rain can help in the walnut harvest
because moisture helps the outer walnut hull to split, Mendoza explained. This
“allows for a better shake.” Growers will harvest later-season Chandler walnuts
through the end of October, he said.A few almond orchards still remain to be
harvested, he said. Rain can cause more headaches for almond growers if the
nuts are already on the ground. Wet nuts need to dry, and farmers will turn the
rows for a few days before collection.
This
year, the estimate for rice planted in California is 550,000 aces, which is up
about 50,000 acres from last year, Mutters said.Rice has been grown in Butte
County for more than 100 years, and about 88,000 acres were planted in the
county in 2015, for a total of $139 million on sales.
WEATHER
FORECAST
As for
the weather, the National Weather Servicepredicts today will be mostly sunny,
with a high of 71 degrees. More sun, mostly, is predicted for Wednesday through
Saturday. Contact
reporter Heather Hacking at 896-7758. Reporter Heather
Hacking focuses on water and agriculture, as well as many other community
topics. Her column, which is mostly about gardening, appears on Fridays. She
has been writing for the Enterprise-Record since 1992. Reach the author athhacking@chicoer.comor follow Heather on Twitter:@HeatherHacking.
Planting strips of wildflowers alongside fields contributes to
both honey and native bee health, according to a recent study at UC Riverside
and a blog post by the UC Farm Advisor, Rachael Freeman Long.Wildflowers
provide bees with a habitat and food, in the form of pollen and nectar. Bees
also acquire bacteria from the flowers. UC Riverside assistant professor Quinn
McFrederick says that these bacteria may help bees preserve food for their
larvae.This is especially good news for native bees, which are important crop
pollinators because they are able to withstand cooler and windier conditions
compared to honey bees.Wildflowers have the added advantage of not needing
irrigation in the summer.
–Sarah McQuate
Rice research gets a boost
A $1 million Presidential Chair for California Grown Rice has
been created, according to the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources News
Releases.
This position is funded by a public-private partnership between
the UC system and the California Rice Research Board.
The endowed chair will provide a UC Cooperative Extension
scientist with money to work on enhancing rice production and quality in
California. These scientists study water conservation; new varieties of rice;
and management of weeds, diseases, pests, and nutrition.
This position is intended to help California maintain its status
as a leading rice supplier both in the U.S. and abroad.
–Sarah McQuate
‘Roof-breaking’ event on Monday
Join the California Conservation Corps (CCC) at a
“roof-breaking” event at the Former National Guard Armory at 30 Aviation Way in
Watsonville on Monday at 1 p.m.
This location will be the new base of operations for the CCC
program that teaches students about conservation and service.
To RSVP for this event, please contact Kathy Vincent at
831-768-0150 or atKathy.vincent@ccc.ca.gov.
Please RSVP as soon as possible.
–Sarah McQuate
Canned food recall
Sager Creek Foods Inc. of Walnut Creek, a subsidiary of Del
Monte Foods Inc., has announced a recall of 15,000 cases of canned beans and
peas on the basis that they may contain trace amounts of shellfish
contamination, according to the Food Safety News Desk.
These cases were shipped to 22 states across the U.S, and 98.5
percent of them were distributed to foodservice customers. The company stated
the only health risk in connection with this issue is for people with a
shellfish allergy. The contaminated products in question are sold in 106-ounce
metal cans with Best By Dates of “JUN 01 19” printed on the top, and photos of
all of the recalled product labels are posted on the Food and Drug
Administration website at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm522341.htm.
Costumers with questions can contact the company by calling
1-800-543-3090, or visit www.delmontefoods.com.
THE Philippines is planning to
impose a tariff of as much as 50 percent on rice imports by next year, when
Manila is expected to scrap the quantitative restriction (QR) on the staple.An
official of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) told
the BusinessMirror that the agency would recommend to the President a tariff
ranging from 40 percent to 50 percent once the country converts the rice-import
quota into tariffs.
However, experts said the
Philippines could shoot for a higher tariff rate if it could justify the need
to do so.In the case of South Korea, it was able to impose a tariff rate of
more than 500 percent on imported rice, using a formula approved by the World
Trade Organization (WTO).The Philippines imports more than 1 million metric
tons (MMT) of rice annually to plug the shortfall in its production and beef up
the National Food Authority’s (NFA) buffer stock. In recent years, the
government has taken charge of rice importation, as Manila has existing
rice-supply deals with the governments of Thailand and Vietnam.
Currently, the government allows
rice imports within the minimum access of volume (MAV) of 805,200 metric tons
(MT) to enter the country at a lower tariff of 35 percent. Imports in excess of
the MAV are slapped a higher tariff of 50 percent.The extension given to the
Philippines on the use of the QR is set to expire in 2017, unless Manila bids
for another reprieve and is granted by the WTO.
Philippine Institute for
Development Studies (PIDS) Senior Research Fellow Roehlano Briones said the
recommendation of the Neda is a good starting point.Based on his own
computation, Briones said the tariff on rice could be set at 35 percent,
consistent with the Asean Free-Trade Agreement. He said this “made more sense,”
given that most of the country’s rice imports come from Asean.“There is no
point in setting a higher tariff when 95 percent of your rice imports come from
the region,” Briones said in a phone interview.
In his study in 2015, Briones
said the removal of the QR and the imposition of a 35-percent tariff rate can
generate as much as P28 billion in revenues for the government annually.
This, he said, can more than cover the proposed compensatory payment for
farmers.These projected revenues are also significantly higher than the tariff
revenues estimated to reach P13 billion to 14 billion if Manila would continue
to implement the QR.
Winners and losers
SETTING a tariff rate on rice
imports is part of the road map crafted by the Neda, which will also be
presented to the President’s economic team this month. The road map first
identified the provinces that will be affected by the removal of the rice-import
cap. These provinces were identified based on yield and cost of production.
The Neda said the government is
prepared to extend safety nets to ensure the affected farmers will be able to
shift to other crops.In terms of yield, the Neda classified the provinces
according to their potential production, which should be at 10 MT per hectare.
Currently, the average yield is at 4 MT per hectare.The provinces that made the
cut included Nueva Ecija, Davao del Sur, Ilocos Norte, Pampanga, Kalinga,
Bataan, La Union and Biliran. Yield in these provinces range from 4.5 MT to 5.5
MT per hectare.
To be able to determine the
provinces that will survive a post-QR regime, the Neda said the government
would have to set a tariff rate of as low as 35 percent. This will result in a
retail price of P24.10 per kilogram of milled rice.The provinces that had among
the highest production costs were La Union, at P21.67 per kilo, and Ilocos at
P20.31 per kilo.The provinces that had the lowest production cost are Pampanga,
at P15.51 per kilo; Biliran, P15.76 per kilo; Nueva Ecija, P16.51 per kilo; and
Bataan, P16.92 per kilo.
The Neda said it did not yet
factor in transport and logistics cost in its computation.
The proceeds from the
tariffication of the QR will be used to finance safety nets needed by farmers,
such as to provide for mechanization needs and the provision of hybrid and/or
certified seeds.Currently, the Neda is crafting a bill that would amend
Republic Act (RA) 8178, which allowed the Philippines to impose the QR on rice—a
nontariff barrier.The agency has also recommended to the Legislative Executive
Development Advisory Council to certify as urgent the amendment of RA 8178.
Oct 3, 2016 | Brain & Behavior, Earth,
Energy & Environment
A team of researchers has traced a type of rice
grown in the South American country of Suriname to a similar type found in the
fields of Ivory Coast, revealing additional linkages between “New World” and “Old
World” crops that likely resulted from the slave trade.“This evidence is an
incentive to re-examine historical sources to trace the way African rice ended
up in the New World and why it was cultivated by enslaved Africans and their
descendants,” write the authors of the study, which was led by researchers at
Wageningen University in the Netherlands.The work, which appears in the journal
Nature Plants, also included NYU Biology Professor Michael Purugganan.
The slave trade’s role in bringing African
crops, including rice, to the Americas has long been documented.For example,
the records of slave ship captains reveal that rice was frequently bought in
West Africa to feed their captives. A recently
digitized logbook of the Dutch slave ship
D’Eenigheid (the Unity), sailing in 1761 from the Netherlands, reports
purchases of rice in West Africa. Before leaving from Ghana with 319 enslaved
Africans destined for Dutch plantations in Guyana, the crew of D’Eenigheid
bought slaves and provisions along the coast of Liberia and Ivory Coast.However,
the specifics of many of these crop connections remain unknown. This is partly
due to the difficulty of understanding the level of impact of African rice
practices on other continents—primarily due to limited written or botanical
records.In the Nature Plants study, the research team focused on Suriname black
rice. Its work centered on Maroons, the descendants of escaped African slaves
who live in the interior of Suriname today and who grow their own rice. In
addition to many types of Asian white rice (Oryza sativa), they also cultivate
a variety with black grains (Oryza glaberrima).
To explore the connection between the crops in
South America and Africa, the scientists collected African rice from a Maroon
market in Paramaribo, Suriname. These grains were cultivated into fully grown
plants in the Hortus Botanicus, a botanic garden in Amsterdam.The international
team of scientists, led by Wageningen University’s Tinde van Andel and Eric
Schranz, compared the DNA of these plants grown in Amsterdam with over 100
varieties of Oryza glaberrima from across West Africa, from Senegal to Chad.
Their analysis found the Suriname black rice was shown to be similar to a
specific type of black rice that derived from the fields of Mande-speaking
farmers in western Ivory Coast.The research was supported, in part, by grants
from the National Science Foundation (IOS-1202803, IOS-1126971).
Scientists reporting on the
increased rate of honey bee deaths are approaching studies with preconceived
ideas that particular pesticides are to blame for colony collapses, according
to an entomologist who carried out a number of surveys in the Mid-South.Gus
Lorenz, associate head of entomology at the University of Arkansas, said his
research shows there is little risk to pollinators from neonicotinoid
insecticides, including one of its class, the commonly used imidacloprids.
Lorenz said he backs the view of Henry Miller, a biomedical scientists and
fellow at the Hoover Institution who argued that the number of commercial bee
colonies - and the number of bees - has increased over the last decade since
colony collapse disorder was first identified. .“All the studies show steady
increase in bee numbers, here, in Canada and across the world,” Lorenz toldCrop
Protection News.Figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
indicate an increase in bee colonies since colony collapse disorder appeared on
the radar in 2006. That year, there were 2.4 million colonies, compared to 2.7
million in 2014. These numbers come despite a reported winter death rate
of 30 to 40 percent, including 45 percent in 2013, well above the historic rate
of around 15 percent.
Researchers at the USDA and elsewhere said the reason the numbers are keeping
steady is that beekeepers are working harder, and smarter.While some studies
have blame neonicotinoids for the increased rate in bee deaths, there is an
growing body of work that argues the varroa mite, which likely migrated to the
United States in the 1980s, is the key culprit.Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp, a
University of Maryland entomologist and one of country’s leading experts on
honey bees and colony collapses, said the varroa mite is the largest threat to
bees.
“We don’t find levels of neonicotinoids that are indicative of widespread
exposure or harm,” vanEngelsdorp told Time magazine in April.
Lorenz said he and others began studying the potential effect of the pesticides
on honey bees because of the importance of neonicotonoids to farmers and to
corn, soy bean and rice, in the Mid-South. Pests such as the extremely
hard to control rice water weevil are best managed by the neonocotonoids.“People
started questioning the negative effect of neonicotonoids and we were
concerned,” Lorenz said. “We were concerned about this impact and wanted to
know the truth, so initiated this study.“A two-year study of hives in a
2.5-mile radius of acreage treated with neonicotonoids revealed the bees were
fine, that the pesticides had little effect. Lorenz conceded crops such as
corn, soy bean and rice do not depend on the honey bees for pollination.
A second study introduced sugar water laced with imidacloprids into hives in
amounts that should have been lethal. Again, this had little effect on the
bees, Lorenz said.Lorenz believes that some scientists approach the study of
honey bees and colony collapse with preconceived notions that pesticides are
largely to blame and different studies give different reasons for why that
might be the case.Chronic toxicity was blamed, then it was neonicotonoids that
caused the bees to lose their way back to the hive, Lorenz said, adding that
the latest study claims the pesticides have impacted reproductive behavior.A
study in Europe, where neonicotonoids are banned, found that male bees, or
drones, produced 39 percent less sperm than those not exposed to the pesticides
