Philippines To Import 250,000 Tons Of Rice—Creates
Opportunity For Pakistan Rice Exports
By Yasir Zeb
According to news sources, Grain
importers in Philippines have issued an international tender to purchase
250,000 tons of white rice on Thursday, the rice could be 25% broken.
Government’s running out stockpile of grains created the opportunity for rice
exporters in the region to fill in the tender requirements.
According to National Food Authority (NFA), bids must be submitted
before 25th of July, on that day sealed offers will be reviewed for final
selection.
Philippines is one of the biggest rice importers in the world, the
country usually buy rice from Thailand and Vietnam. But this time the tender is
open for private suppliers of other countries including Pakistan and India.
India is the world’s largest rice exporter with $5.3 billion of
exports holding the market share of 28.9 percent of total rice exports in the
world. Thailand is the second largest rice exporter with $4.4 billion in
exports, holding 23.7 percent of total exports.
World Bank announced Women entrepreneur Loan program in developing
countries
United states and Vietnam are third and fourth in the top exporters
list, having $1.9 billion and 10.4 percent, $1.4 billion and 7.4 percent
respectively.
Pakistan is the 5th largest rice exporter with $905.5 million and
4.9% of share in total exports.
In terms of both price and quality Pakistan produces rice cannot be
found anywhere else, this creates greater opportunities for Pakistan to win the
contract and boost their rice exports.
Manila used to buy rice under government deals, which is shifted
now to private deals in order to ensure the competitive deals and transparency
removing the concerns about accusations that some NFA officials were making
money through the deals which NFA has denied reportedly.
Government stock of rice has dwindled significantly over the past
few years, government currently is unable to meet national demands, but the
prices remained largely stabled in the country due to abundance private sector.
The NFA has directed to maintain a 15 days buffer inventory at any
given time and a minimum 30 days during the lean harvest season from July to
September, in order to keep stable supply and demand in the country
https://www.researchsnipers.com/philippines-import-250000-tons-rice-creates-opportunity-pakistan-rice-exports/
Sri Lankan delegation arrives to finalize
export of 300,000 tons rice
Muhammad Arshad
Islamabad
A delegation of Sri Lanka has arrived here to negotiate with the
Pakistani team to finalize the issue of exporting 300,000 tons rice
to Sri Lanka.A high level Sri Lankan delegation has started bilateral negotiations
for reaching the final agreements to export non-basmati rice to Sri Lanka,
Senior official of
ministry of commerce told APP here on Monday.
A meeting in this regard would be held here Monday headed by Secretary Commerce Younas Dhaga in which the two side would discuss the modus operandi and procedure for exporting non-Basmati rice to Sri Lanka, he said.
Pakistan produces roughly 700,000 tons of rice annually, and is leading the regional countries in production of Basmati and non Basmati rice,official said.
He said the government would support the Sri Lankan delegation for talks at government to government, and government to business level.
The official said that Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and representative of local rice association were also participating in negotiation.
He said that domestic production of rice in Sri Lanka was low and they are willing to import non Basmati rice from Pakistan. It may be mentioned here that Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was operational from 2005.
He said under the FTA, both of the country have already agreed to offer preferential market access to each others’ exports by way of granting tariff concessions. Additionally, he said according to FTA, Sri Lanka would be able to enjoy duty free market access on 206 products in the Pakistani market including tea, rubber and coconut.
Pakistan, in return, would gain duty free access on 102 products in the Sri Lankan market, including oranges, basmati/non basmati rice and engineering goods.
A meeting in this regard would be held here Monday headed by Secretary Commerce Younas Dhaga in which the two side would discuss the modus operandi and procedure for exporting non-Basmati rice to Sri Lanka, he said.
Pakistan produces roughly 700,000 tons of rice annually, and is leading the regional countries in production of Basmati and non Basmati rice,official said.
He said the government would support the Sri Lankan delegation for talks at government to government, and government to business level.
The official said that Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and representative of local rice association were also participating in negotiation.
He said that domestic production of rice in Sri Lanka was low and they are willing to import non Basmati rice from Pakistan. It may be mentioned here that Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was operational from 2005.
He said under the FTA, both of the country have already agreed to offer preferential market access to each others’ exports by way of granting tariff concessions. Additionally, he said according to FTA, Sri Lanka would be able to enjoy duty free market access on 206 products in the Pakistani market including tea, rubber and coconut.
Pakistan, in return, would gain duty free access on 102 products in the Sri Lankan market, including oranges, basmati/non basmati rice and engineering goods.
GST impact on
rice: Facing 5 pct tax impost, branded suppliers protest zero rate for India
Gate
The fact that the country’s largest selling rice brand, India Gate,
is exempt from the 5% goods and services tax (GST) since the popular brand is
not registered under the Trade Marks Act 1999 has driven a wedge between KRBL,
which owns India Gate, and other major branded rice traders.
All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA), in which most branded
rice firms are members, has written a letter to finance minister Arun Jaitley,
asking him to correct the anomaly in the relevant notification dated June 28.
The fact that the country’s largest selling rice brand, India Gate, is exempt
from the 5% goods and services tax (GST) since the popular brand is not
registered under the Trade Marks Act 1999 has driven a wedge between KRBL,
which owns India Gate, and other major branded rice traders.
All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA), in which most branded
rice firms are members, has written a letter to finance minister Arun Jaitley,
asking him to correct the anomaly in the relevant notification dated June 28,
by stating essentially that a “registered brand name” in this context need not
be one registered under the Trade Marks Act. It is, however, unclear whether
the Centre would accept the request as even in a clarification issued on July 7
on the said notification, the finance ministry maintained that “…In this
regard, Section 2 (w) read with Section 2 (t) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999
provide that a registered trade mark means a trade mark which is actually on
the Register of Trade Marks and remaining in force. Thus, unless the brand name
or trade name is actually on the Register of Trade Marks and is in force under
the Trade Marks Act, 1999, CGST rate of (2.5%) will not be applicable on the
supply of such goods.
” “There is a growing feeling among the members, with a fully
registered brand name, of being at a comparative disadvantage specifically
against companies with a popular brand name, but not registered or a company
who’s registration for trademark application is still in process,” Vijay Setia,
president, AIREA, wrote in the letter to Jaitley. KEBL, interestingly, has been
waging a legal battle for several years to get the India Gate trademark
registered. Anil K Mittal, CMD of KRBL, did not respond to phone calls, email
and SMS. “There will be unhealthy competition in the trade, encouraging
malpractices if the government does not provide clarification on GST taxation,”
the AIREA letter stated. Incidentally, KRBL is also a member of AIREA.
The relevant notification (no.1/2017-Central Tax (Rate) says the
phrase “registered brand name means brand name or trade name…… and which is
registered under the Trade Marks Act, 1999”. Owners of branded rice a divided
lot AIREA’s Setia said by changing the second phrase to “or which is registered
under…”, the anomaly could be corrected. There is also the practice of
corporate groups getting a brand registered under any one company and other
group companies too capitalising on the brand value without actually having the
brand registered in their favour. Industry sources said that “unregistered
brands” have a share of more than 90% of branded rice market. Mostly basmati
and non-basmati varieties such Sona Masuri are sold under various brand names.
However, the share of branded rice in total rice trade is just around 5%. As
per the finace ministry statement on July 2, GST rate on staples such as rice,
wheat and cereals is zero.
Sri Lanka to procure 300,000MT rice from Pakistan
ISLAMABAD - Sri Lanka has
shown interest in procuring about 300,000 metric tons rice from Pakistan to
meet its domestic shortfall because of drought in the country. A high-level Sri
Lankan delegation, led by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Secretary Chinthaka S Lokuhetti, showed interest during a meeting with Commerce
Secretary Mohammad Younus Dhaga.
Sri Lankan side is looking to procure rice on
government-to-government basis because of drought in Sri Lanka. Dhaga informed
his counterpart that considering it is the end of season, Pakistan will
initially provide at least 25,000 MT rice to Sri Lanka on urgent basis. For the
remaining quantities the trading arms of two countries ie Trading Corporation
of Pakistan (TCP) and Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) in Sri Lanka
will discuss procurement schedule and price in September/October on the advent
of new crop. Both sides also discussed about signing a Memorandum of
Understanding between TCP and CWE - Sri Lanka counterpart in Sri Lanka for
supply of other commodities as well such as sugar. The meeting was also
attended by TCP Chairman Mushtaq Ahmed Sheikh.
Rice price hikes in Mekong
delta
Early July, prices of rice in the
Mekong delta continued increasing, making local farmers are feeling exhilarated
in their production.
Price
of rice increase making farmers exhilarated (PHoto: SGGP)
High rice price has been remained unchanged in six
months without the government’s intervention.
Farmer Tran Van Ngoan in Hau Giang Province’s Long My Town said
that he sold rice of 0.5 hectare with VND5,150 per kilogram, earning profit of
VND10 million. As a result, his family continued the fall-winter crop early
with the hope to sell at a high price.
With the productivity of 6 tons a hectare and the price of over
VND5,000 a kilogram, farmers in Hau Giang net VND20 million per hectare.
So far, farmers in Hau Giang have harvested rice in 20,000ha of
the summer-fall crop. 70 percent of rice paddy fields in the province are grown
from high quality seeds because they would supply high quality rice for export.
This is a positive sign when farmers take heed to high quality seed.
The remaining areas are grown low quality for locals to make
vermicelli for domestic markets, said director of the Department of Agriculture
and Rural Development Nguyen Van Dong.
At present, farmers are harvesting 350,000ha of rice.
Moreover, rice export is showing good sign. The Vietnam Food
Administration (VFA) said that traders offer to buy dry unhusked rice at the
cost of VND5,400 - VND5.500 a kilogram and other variety at VND5,900 - VND6,000
kg.
Five-percent broken rice without package is quoted at VND8,300 –
VND8,400 per kilogram and 15-percent broken rice is sold at VND8,100 – VND8,200
a kilogram and 25-percent broken rice fetch VND7,800 - VND7,900 a kilogram.
Early in 2017, VFA set a rice export target of 6.4 million tons,
a year-on-year rise of 1.4 million tons. By the end of June, 2017 exporters
sold nearly 3 million tons; accordingly, it is expected to be able to reach the
2017 target easily
http://sggpnews.org.vn/business/rice-price-hikes-in-mekong-delta-67758.html
Iran to
import 1st rice cargo from Thailand after sanctions lifted
10 July 2017 10:09 (UTC+04:00)
Baku,
Azerbaijan, July 9
By
Fatih Karimov– Trend:
Iran
will import first rice consignment from Thailand after 10 years, Secretary of
Iran Rice Association Jamil Alizadeh Shayeq said.He said that the deal for
importing the aforementioned cargo was actually signed before sanctions, but
Thailand stopped export to Iran, after the Islamic Republic failed to pay the
money due to sanctions, Alizadeh Shayeq said, Tasnim news agency reported July
9.
He
further said that Iran needs to import about 800,000 to 1 million tons of rice
per year from abroad.
International sanctions against Iran removed in January 2016, after the country signed a historic nuclear deal with the six world powers.
International sanctions against Iran removed in January 2016, after the country signed a historic nuclear deal with the six world powers.
In
the past, Iran used to import 700,000 to 1 million tons from foreign countries,
about 300,000-500,000 tons of which came from Thailand.With the easing situation
in Iran, Thailand and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in early 2016
to resume sales of 300,000 tons of rice worth 4.3 billion baht ($120 million).
The
Iranian government bans rice import annually with only a few months of break to
support domestic products.
The
annual consumption of rice in Iran is 3 million tons. India, Pakistan and
Uruguay are main supplier of rice to Iran
https://en.trend.az/iran/business/2775521.html
Sri Lanka to purchase 25,000
tonnes of rice
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Monday agreed to export 25,000 tonnes of rice on an urgent basis to
Sri Lanka which aims to meet its domestic shortfall due to drought.The
understanding was reached in a meeting between Secretary Commerce Younus Dhaga
and his Sri Lankan counterpart Chinthaka S Lokuhetti.
An
official statement issued after the meeting said Sri Lanka had requested to
procure 300,000 tonnes rice from Pakistan on government-to-government basis.Mr
Dhaga informed the Sri Lankan delegation that Pakistan will initially provide
at least 25,000 tonnes.
“We
cannot meet the whole demand in one go due to the end of season,” Mr Dhaga
commented.
For
the remaining quantities, the trading arms of two countries – Trading
Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) in
Sri Lanka – will discuss procurement schedule and price in Sept/Oct on the
advent of new crop.The two sides also discussed about signing a memorandum of
understanding between TCP and CWE for supply of other commodities including
sugar.
Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2017
https://www.dawn.com/news/1344520
Rising consumerism and
ever-increasing discounts
July 10, 2017
KARACHI: Our society
is transforming into a consumer society. Citizens are largely seen as buying
machines and are continually bombarded with noisy promotion messages.
These messages are numbing the intellectual
capabilities of buyers and thus, they are committing the most fatal mistake;
ignoring need analysis in buying decisions.
I was once having a discussion with Faizan
Ghori – market leader in local branded rice and one of the premier rice
exporters – regarding the Pakistani market. According to him, Pakistan is the
largest, untapped, homogenous consumer market of the world. We have a
burgeoning middle class that likes to spend. This is the new game. This
explains why we have Royal FrieslandCampina acquiring Engro Foods, Arçelik
acquiring Dawlance, Careem and Uber on our streets and so many car
manufacturers lining up to establish plants in Pakistan.
Hence, it can
be said that our market is the new hunting ground for the juiciest prey of
capitalism – the consumers. This may explain why whenever our mobile rings; its
a sales promotion SMS with a lucrative discount.
But what’s the point? Sellers are getting an
untapped consumer market, buyers are getting lucrative discounts. It is a
win-win situation. Isn’t it?
Who am I to suggest anything? Let me take
you to one of the wisest financial wizards of all time, Warren Buffet, in
regards to buying decisions. “If you keep on buying things you don’t need, soon
will come a time when you will have to sell things you do need,” he says.
In the deafening noise of discounts and
sales promotion, consumers are committing the most fatal mistake of buying
things they don’t need. Our need should be the fundamental driver or
determinant of a buying decision and not the discount. You should buy things
that you need. You should not buy things just for the sake of discounts.
This Ramazan, I have seen people dining out
just to take advantage of the discount on a particular outlet on a particular
day. They didn’t want to eat that food, they didn’t even want to eat out but
they did it because of a discount. When people told me they are going somewhere
to eat because the outlet was offering a 50% discount, I suggested them to
avail a 100% discount by not going there.
Similarly, I have observed people buying
expensive electronic devices just to take advantage of the discounts. They are
buying TVs and mobiles although their current TV and mobiles are perfectly
fine.
This rampant consumerism has been imported
from the US. It is synonymous with the American Dream. Like them we spend
whatever we have and even what we don’t have (credit cards). But we must bear
in mind that this dream has not served them well. It has made them the most
indebted nation in human history.
This buying behaviour is fundamentally
against the basic principle of economics. We have scarce resources in this
world and we must bring them to the most efficient use possible. Our
extravagance has already harmed this planet in irreversible terms. So we must be
cogniaant of the fact that buying things should be a serious decision and must
be based on our needs.
Rising use of
plastic money
And yes how can I not unveil the greatest
evil in this fiasco. Most of this buying extravaganza is financed. Most
consumers are spending money they don’t even have ie they are using credit
cards and end up paying annualised interest of around 36%. There goes the
discount as well.
All of us are consumers but we need to
consider making budgets. Otherwise no store of wealth is good enough. Tony
Robbins in his book “Money: Master the Game” presents so many examples where
fortunes were spent carelessly. Mike Tyson, one of the richest athletes, went
broke and Michael Jackson was heavily indebted when he died.
Our wealth and financial security is not a
function of our income streams only. It is largely dependent on our spending
habits. We must wake up from this American Dream and make wise buying decisions
before we also become the most indebted nation like the US.
The writer is a corporate banker and teaches
economics
Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th,
2017.
Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on
Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1454242/rising-consumerism-ever-increasing-discounts/
Bangladesh to
showcase progress in agriculture during Sirisena visit
2017-07-11 00:04:38
Bangladesh will showcase the remarkable progress it has made in
the agriculture sector when Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena visits
the country between July 13 and 15, Bangladesh High Commissioner in Sri Lanka
Riaz Hamidullah said at an interview ahead of the presidential visit.
“President Sirisena will be
visiting one of our agricultural research institutes. When former President
Chandrika Kumaratunga visited Bangladesh in May, she showed great interest in
innovative rice cultivation and visited our institutes,” the High Commissioner
said.
President Sirisena’s interest in
agriculture, especially rice cultivation, is natural as he hails from the
Polonnaruwa District in North Central Sri Lanka.
Like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh too
experiences droughts and floods frequently. But Bangladesh has
found several channels to overcome the challenges posed by
natural disasters through what High Commissioner Hamidullah calls
‘climate adaptation techniques.’
Bangladeshi farmers in
flood-prone areas are now using a variety of rice which can remain submerged
without getting damaged for as many as seven days. They also use rice varieties
which can withstand drought and salinity, he said.
"Bangladesh, which has reached
self-sufficiency in rice, can sell rice to Sri Lanka. But it has not been
approached yet. However, it is ready to share its know-how on rice cultivation
with Sri Lanka and has made an offer to the provincial
administrations"
“Bangladesh’s Northern Districts were once its rice bowl. But due to persistent drought conditions, the rice bowl has had to be shifted to Southern Districts. In the North, farmers have taken to non-water guzzling crops like maize. Besides being edible, maize is used to produce animal feed which sustains animal husbandry. However, all is not lost for rice cultivation in the North. We have been able to reduce the use of water in rice cultivation by half -- from 3,500 to 1, 800 litres per kilo. This technique can be used in the dry zones of Sri Lanka like in the Northern Province. However, the Southern Bangladeshi districts face another kind of problem which is salinity. To beat that, our scientists have developed a rice variety,” the envoy said.
Sri Lanka is short of rice and has to import this item
frequently to meet its demands. After the failure of the recent Yala crop, the
government is going in for an immediate import of 100,000MT of rice either from
Pakistan, India or Myanmar, 100,000MT from Thailand and 100,000MT from Indian
private traders. Bangladesh, which has reached self-sufficiency in rice and had supplied 40,000MT free-of-charge to Sri Lanka during the recent floods, can also sell rice to Sri Lanka. But it has not been approached yet. However, it is ready to share its know-how on rice cultivation with Sri Lanka and has made an offer to the provincial administrations.
private traders. Bangladesh, which has reached self-sufficiency in rice and had supplied 40,000MT free-of-charge to Sri Lanka during the recent floods, can also sell rice to Sri Lanka. But it has not been approached yet. However, it is ready to share its know-how on rice cultivation with Sri Lanka and has made an offer to the provincial administrations.
“Our offer has been seized by the
Eastern Province Chief Minister,” the High Commissioner informed.
Feeding a galloping population
Bangladesh’s food production had
increased from 10 million tons in 1972-73 to 39 million tons in 2015/16,
although in the same period, arable land had decreased from 9.8 million to 8.27
million hectares due to urbanisation.
Since rice is the staple food of
the Bangladeshis, the importance of rice production is greater than that of
other food crops. The population of Bangladesh is increasing by two million a
year, and to feed it in 2020, 27.26 million tons of rice will be
required.
But production of this magnitude
has to be achieved with less land than what is available now. Hence,
productivity has to go up from the current 3.47 tons per hectare to 3.74
tons/ha. To step-up production, Bangladeshi farmers are given subsidies for
fertilizer, fuel and electricity. Agro-machines are sold with a subsidy of 50%
to 70%. Farmers are also entitled to relief and rehabilitation in case of crop
loss due to natural disasters.
Production of rice has galloped
because of the adoption of High Yielding Varieties (HYV). But these require
extensive irrigation and heavy input of chemical fertilizers. Irrigation has
increased from 12.46% in 1980-81 to 78% in 2014-15. And the use of chemical
fertilizers is high.
Sri Lanka however will face a
snag in regard to the use of chemical fertilizers. There is opposition in the
island to the use of chemical fertilizers, which are said to cause Chronic
Kidney Disease in certain parts of the island, especially in President Sirisena’s
North Central Province.
Apart from rice, Bangladesh has
excelled in the production of other crops too. According to the FAO, it is the
5th largest producer of horticultural items in the world, and the 4th largest
in mango cultivation. In inland fisheries, it is 4th or 5th. There is much that
Bangladesh can share with Sri Lanka in these fields, Hamidullah said.
Disaster preparedness
“Bangladesh is keen to share with
Sri Lanka its disaster preparedness system, which it has assiduously and
painstakingly worked out since 1990-92 through the trial and error method,” the
High Commissioner said.
“We have been able to greatly
reduce human and cattle loss by putting in an administrative structure which
gets activated the moment disaster warnings are received. The structure, which
exists in every district, comprises designated officials as well as identified
and trained local volunteers. These swing into action as per very detailed
Standing Orders. Bangladesh remains among the top 20 countries in the list of
disaster-prone countries. Disasters cannot be stopped. But we in Bangladesh
have learned to live with them in a way that we lose the least,” he said.
At the grassroots level, local volunteers are given a yellow jacket, bicycle
and a torch, and each volunteer is assigned a certain number of households in a
defined area to take charge of. The moment a cyclone of a certain intensity is
announced, these volunteers fan out to their designated areas, and urge the
people to evacuate to pre-built cyclone shelters with separate shelters for men
and women.
“If someone refuses to move, the
volunteers are allowed to beat them up to get them moving!” Hamidullah remarked
to indicate the seriousness with which the task is viewed.
“The disaster preparedness system
has worked so well that the last cyclone Mora resulted only in five deaths in
place of the thousands who would perish earlier,” he added.
(P.K. Balachandran is a senior Colombo-based journalist writing
on the countries of South Asia. He can be contacted on
pkbalachandran11@gmail.com and P.K. Balachandran @pkbchandran on twitter)
http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Bangladesh-to-showcase-progress-in-agriculture-during-Sirisena-visit-132579.html
Off topic: Plastic rice, sliced bread, best smiles, what gave
rise to frogs
By Levi Sumagaysay
/
http://www.siliconbeat.com/2017/07/10/off-topic-plastic-rice-sliced-bread-best-smiles-gave-rise-frogs/
COLORED RICE MAY BRIGHTEN THE MENU
FOR DIABETICS IN THE FUTURE
BY July 10, 2017
Purple, brown, and red rice. ARS scientists found that colored
rice bran extracts help mouse fat cells use glucose (sugar).
ARS chemist Stephen Boue and his colleagues in New Orleans,
Louisiana, and Stuttgart, Arkansas, examined the impact of brown, red and
purple rice bran on mice fat cells as a model for developing methods to help
with diabetes management. They studied the colored rice bran extracts’ ability
to stimulate glucose uptake in mice fat cells.
Glucose
uptake is critical for people with diabetes, because their bodies are unable to
produce enough insulin, which causes elevated glucose levels in the blood.
Without proper medical care, diabetes can lead to heart attack, stroke,
blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage.
The ARS study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and
Food Chemistry, showed a significant increase in glucose uptake
in mice fat cells exposed to colored bran extracts. Glucose uptake nearly
tripled in mice fat cells exposed to red rice bran extracts and more than
doubled with purple rice bran extracts, according to Boue, who works at ARS’s Southern Regional Research Center.
While
these results showed promise in using red and purple bran extracts to regulate
glucose uptake in mice fat cells, Boue noted that additional research with
humans is needed to verify the same positive effect.
Read more about this research in the July 2017
issue of AgResearch magazine.
For more information contact Sandra Avant, ARS Office of Communications.
The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily,
ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each
dollar invested in agricultural research results in $17 of economic impact.
Cambodia’s milled rice exports
increase
Cambodia is on track to meet its
quota of exporting 200,000 tonnes of milled rice to China this year, while
worldwide exports continue to increase as well.In the first half of 2017,
Cambodia exported 94,720 tonnes of rice to China, setting the stage for the
nation to meet its 200,000 quota by year’s end. The total export figure of the
country’s milled rice to foreign markets was 288,562 tonnes thus far this year,
up from 283,825 tonnes in the same period last year. China remains the biggest market,
followed by France and Poland, with 37,321 and 25,639 tonnes respectively, a
report from secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality showed.
The 94,720 tonnes exported to China this year marks a step rise
from 2016, when just 47,024 tonnes of rice were exported in the first six
months.The Chinese government expects to increase its Cambodian rice imports
again in 2018, to 300,000 tonnes.The report also noted that Cambodia exported
milled rice to 56 countries in the first half of 2017.Hean Vanhan,
director-general of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries’
General Directorate of Agriculture, said the trend of rising exports is
expected to continue as Cambodia seeks to expand its reach.
“We have a target of 1 million tonnes to export so we have to seek
and open more markets,” he said. “We cannot depend on only China’s market
alone.”
Based on current growth, Cambodia
will reach 600,000 tonnes of exported milled rice for 2017, Mr. Vanhan said,
noting China will be the top buyer.Hun Lak, vice-president of the Cambodian Rice
Federation, echoed Mr. Vanhan’s remarks.
“The figure [200,000 tonnes to China] will be reached,” he said.
“It may even be over the set quota, because from July on is the rainy season
and rice harvests and prices will increase which will benefit farmers and rice
millers.”However, a shortage of loans for farmers to buy paddy rice, and build
warehouses and kilns, are issues that still need to be addressed, Mr Lak said.“These
issues still remain,” he said. “We need to strengthen paddy rice warehouses,
kilns, and capital for buying paddy rice,” Mr Lak said. Last year, Cambodia exported
542,144 tonnes of milled rice.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/40154/cambodia---s-milled-rice-exports-increase/
Philippines To Import
250,000 Tons Of Rice—Creates Opportunity For Pakistan Rice Exports
By Yasir Zeb
According to news sources, Grain importers in Philippines have
issued an international tender to purchase 250,000 tons of white rice on
Thursday, the rice could be 25% broken. Government’s running out stockpile of
grains created the opportunity for rice exporters in the region to fill in the
tender requirements. According to National Food
Authority (NFA), bids must be submitted before 25th of July, on that day sealed
offers will be reviewed for final selection.Philippines is one of the biggest
rice importers in the world, the country usually buy rice from Thailand and
Vietnam. But this time the tender is open for private suppliers of other
countries including Pakistan and India.
India is the world’s largest rice
exporter with $5.3 billion of exports holding the market share of 28.9 percent
of total rice exports in the world. Thailand is the second largest rice
exporter with $4.4 billion in exports, holding 23.7 percent of total exports.World
Bank announced Women entrepreneur Loan program in developing countries
United states and Vietnam are
third and fourth in the top exporters list, having $1.9 billion and 10.4
percent, $1.4 billion and 7.4 percent respectively.
Pakistan is the 5th largest rice
exporter with $905.5 million and 4.9% of share in total exports.
In terms of both price and
quality Pakistan produces rice cannot be found anywhere else, this creates
greater opportunities for Pakistan to win the contract and boost their rice
exports.
Manila used to buy rice under
government deals, which is shifted now to private deals in order to ensure the
competitive deals and transparency removing the concerns about accusations that
some NFA officials were making money through the deals which NFA has denied
reportedly.
Government stock of rice has
dwindled significantly over the past few years, government currently is unable
to meet national demands, but the prices remained largely stabled in the
country due to abundance private sector.
The NFA has directed to maintain
a 15 days buffer inventory at any given time and a minimum 30 days during the
lean harvest season from July to September, in order to keep stable supply and
demand in the country.
https://www.researchsnipers.com/philippines-import-250000-tons-rice-creates-opportunity-pakistan-rice
MoCI Exonerates SWAT Of ‘Plastic Rice’ Sale On Liberian Market
Following
several publications on social media that a local rice importer in the Country
has engaged in the importation of what is perceived by the authors of these
publications as ‘Plastic Rice’, has finally been put to rest after a test was
conducted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI).
The Ministry of Commerce Industry
after the alarm was raised, immediately conducted a test was conducted through
its National Standard Laboratory located on the premises of the Ministry of
Public Works and Industry to verify the alleged imported ‘Plastic Rice’.
After series of tests performed by
the National Standard Laboratory at the Ministry, it was at last realized that
the rice in question which was imported from China was proven to real rice,
considered by many Liberians as ‘Butter Rice’ and not ‘Plastic Rice’.
This issue created controversies in
the public following these negative publicity
that it was a plastic rice, and now realized as the Butter Brand rice
which is imported in the country by its regular importer, the Supplying West
Africa Trading Incorporated (SWAT) situated on the Bushrod Island.
Recently, some aggrieved consumers
of the rice mainly in Monrovia complained to local media that the rice bought
from a local rice dealer was not real, instead was what they called as plastic
rice being imported in the Country.As the news of the plastic rice on the
Liberian market intensified, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI)
dispatched a team to SWAT – the supplier on Tuesday morning to collect a sample
of the rice for testing.
According to report, three quality
tests were conducted in the presence of journalists to ascertain as to whether the product was indeed rice or
another substance.The rice passed the combustion, floating in hot oil and
sinking in water tests.With the combustion test, sample of the butter brand
rice was placed in a special microwave at a temperature of 550 degrees Celsius.
Rice, would burn and turn to ashes during this test while plastic would melt
and become compact.
During the oil floating method,
sample of the butter brand rice was placed in oil heated at a temperature of
200 degree Celsius with the expectation that it would sink and float on the oil
which it did to show it is actual rice. Plastic would have melted on top of the
oil without sinking. The rice is made in China and has a validity period of
five years.
Rice is the staple food in Liberia
with an annual import of 1.3 metric tons; it also has a history of brewing
conflicts among Liberians whenever the product is completely out of site.
http://gnnliberia.com/2017/07/10/moci-exonerates-swat-plastic-rice-sale-liberian-market/-exports/
Why we banned imported rice in Ebonyi —Gov Umahi
What inspired you to embark on this rice revolution in your state?
We are known for agriculture and solid mineral, since we don’t have
other means of raising our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) other than
agriculture and solid mineral and of course export of human resources, so these
are the reasons why we decided to focus on some of these areas that we have
comparative advantage.
What have you achieved in the last two years on rice production?
I must commend the minister of agriculture and rural development
very highly for his programmes of course
initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari. He has done very well in terms of
agricultural programmes for the state and for the nation at large.
Let me point out that the programme in agriculture have brought
down the forex, before now we imported a lot of food items into the country,
and you won’t forget that the dollar was rising to a dollar for N560 to N600,
but when the programme in agriculture started, the dollar started falling.
I also commend the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the
Minister of Finance and the Chief of Staff, they have put their programmes
together and the states are very well positioned to do better in agriculture.
I can say that in the area of rice production with the assistance
of the Federal Government, their encouragement and their initiative, we have
done quite well, we have been able to encourage farmers. We have been able to
demonstrate that having one hectare of land for rice is better than being a
local government councilor, so we launched One Man One Hectare in Ebonyi State,
and that has really encouraged our people, we also borrowed N2 billion, N5
billion and another N3 billion from the federal government.
We want to domesticate rice production in the state, we are going
beyond individual production, we are now beginning to see how we can institute
rice mega cities in each local government, whereby we have 5000 hectares of
land dedicated for rice production in each of our local government areas.
Already we have four mega rice mills in operation and of course you
also see the private people milling with their traditional machines, we have
imported another three sets of rice mills which we will install in the next
three months. The idea is that before the middle of next year, we will be able
to have one rice mill in each local government in the state, we have also
introduced the system of standardization in terms of pricing and quality, so
that when you have paddy to sell, you have to come to our buying center at the
local government, so we will be able to weigh the rice and know how much you
will be paid. We have prices for the different types of rice, for a particular
quality of milled rice, we have a uniform price, we should also be able to
monitor the quality of our rice, we are known all over the world for Abakaliki
rice, we are very proud of that and we want to ensure that we maintain that
standard and that rating.
What structure are you putting in place to ensure sustainability of
some of these programmes that you have introduced on rice?
Like the rice mega cities, it is not going to be run by the
government, it could be powered by the government, we are trying to establish a
law now, if you want to take the 5000 hectares of land to farm as an investor,
the law permits the owners of the land to come up with cooperative societies,
then each farm owner will become a shareholder by reason of the percentage of
farmland he contributed to make up the 5000 hectares.
So, we want to see if we can mechanize agriculture, so the
traditional means of rice farming and harvesting, we want to see if we can
improve on that, and then the law will be such that the owners will have for
example 10 per cent equity of the investment, they have nothing else to invest
other than being the owner of the land and the state will also have about 10
per cent.
Then these cooperative societies will also work in the farm, so you
will not see the place of government, it will not be controlled by the
government, they will pay taxes to government, so it is not dependent on who
comes in as governor.
What is your target for rice production in the state?
We are targeting 100,000 hectares of rice within the next two
years, using an average of four tons per hectares, we will be talking about
400,000 metric tons of paddy. But when we are mechanized, we could get as much
as five to 7 tons per hectare.
Are you thinking of going into the international market?
We are already out of our market, some people eat Abakaliki rice
and call us on phone and say it is
special, somehow Ebonyi rice is salted, it has a different taste, if you take
it you will not wish to eat any other rice.
But the local consumption in other neighboring West African
countries is an issue, because they come here in there number to buy this rice.
How has the ban on selling of foreign rice impacted on the economy
of the state?
We banned the foreign rice here, and if you want to import, we will
have to see your import license, evidence of payment of duties, the source and
ensure it is not plastic rice, these are the issues and every state has the
right to ask those questions.
So, since there is no chaff they bring in as foreign rice, our
people are encouraged of course through the programmes of the federal
government, the farmers get more money, the farmers have confidence in the
system, they produce the rice and it is bought, so they are more engaged in
doing that, this is important for us.
What is your suggestion to the federal government in tackling rice
smuggling into the country?
I don’t believe that this is a problem, sometimes the federal
government doesn’t want to act. What is the problem of sitting in one place and
have CCTV cameras at some of the border locations, you can even install a CCTV
that people will hardly know, it can be a wireless one and then it is fixed on
a tree.
Also, get the Customs officials that have retired and form them
into a committee to man these borders, they will do very well, so it is
question of interest, that is why we still have smuggled rice, but the Customs
can also go into the market and verify the duties paid on rice by the
importers.
Unless we are not able to feed our people, when this argument came
up because am a member of the Zero Hunger, I am also a member of the
Presidential Task Force on Food, so the issue came up and we were being lobbied
to allow importation of rice of a certain percentage and we said no, they said
there is no rice in the state. I told them to send the security people to the
rice mills, let us find out whether there is any particular day that we have
more customers than supply and nobody have been able to prove that which means
that what we produce is able to sustain the nation.
So, there shouldn’t be smuggling, and then you begin to find out
that Nigeria is one of the few countries that have parboiled rice and when you
have your rice that is not parboiled the highest it will stay is about six
months it will now become chaff and become equally dangerous, and you can see
the increase in cancer, kidney failure, liver problems and other diseases as a
result of all these importation, we have proven that some rice are plastic
rice, so these are dangerous things that are impacting negatively on our
health.http://tribuneonlineng.com/banned-imported-rice-ebonyi-gov-umahi/
Cambodian Researchers Use Isotopic Technique to Help Farmers
Increase Yields and Revenues
Farmer Borey Thai has seen her rice yields increase by 20% as a
result of using more manure and less inorganic fertilizer. She has also saved a
third of the money she used to spend on fertilizer. (Photo: M. Gaspar/IAEA)
Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Poorer farmers who cannot
afford to buy enough fertilizer can achieve high yields by using more manure
and compost and planting alternative crops between rice growing seasons,
Cambodia’s agricultural researchers have found. Their recommendations are the
result of research supported by the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), using nuclear-related techniques to
measure fertilizer and water uptake by rice and other crops.
Cambodia is among a growing
number of countries using such techniques to increase crop yields, optimize
fertilizer use and evaluate varieties of rice, cereals and vegetables for their
efficiency in making the best use of fertilizers. (See Labelled nitrogen
isotope for more) Currently, scientists from over 60 countries
are benefiting from assistance in this area.
Blending organic and inorganic
Experiments conducted by
scientists at the Cambodia Agricultural Research and Development Institute
(CARDI) found that replacing half of the recommended amount of chemical
fertilizer with organic materials when inorganic fertilizer is either not
accessible or too expensive increases rice yields. This has various benefits,
explained Sarith Hin, Head of Soil and Water Science at CARDI: farmers save
money on chemical fertilizer, and at the same time they can achieve higher
yields.
“The results demonstrate that
even poorer farmers, who cannot afford to buy much fertilizer, can increase
yields,” Hin said. In the case of peanuts, a legume cash crop, replacing half
of the chemical fertilizers with a mix of cattle manure and rice straw more
than doubled yields (see graph). For rice, the use of a reduced amount of
chemical fertilizer with organic manure led to yields comparable to the use of
chemical fertilizers only.
Agriculture accounts for 27% of Cambodia’s economy, and provides
the livelihood of 60% of the population. Many of the country’s poor are
subsistence farmers working on small plots of land, so increasing the
productivity of their land is key to achieving higher income and escaping poverty.
Historically, fertilizer use in Cambodia is neglected by farmers.
Borey Thai, a farmer with 1.5
hectares of land in Kampong Speu province south of Phnom Penh, replaced half of
the chemical fertilizer with a mix of manure and farmyard waste in this year’s
growing season – and has saved a third of the money she used to spend on
fertilizer. “It is much cheaper, but is more work,” she said. “But what matters
is that I can use the savings to renovate my house.” She expects her yield to
be around 20% higher this year compared to the previous year, thanks to the use
of mixed fertilizer.
One challenge her neighbours
face, she added, is to find good quality manure. “If we could find more manure,
more of us would switch to organic.”
Alternative crops
Using the fields for the
production of other crops in between rice growing seasons is another way for
farmers to increase their income, found researchers of the country’s Ministry
of Agriculture. Historically, farmers have used their fields only during the
rainy season, when there is enough rain water to grow rice. During the dry
season, lands are left idle.
Researchers have found that
conditions during the dry season are optimal for other crops, particularly
legumes such as beans and lentils. “These would not only provide farmers with
additional income, but legumes add nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil
and, in addition, decomposing bean plants also increase the quality of the
soil, leading to higher rice yields in the following rice season,” said Phirum.
They used the nitrogen-15 isotopic technique to study the amount of fertilizer
absorbed by the plants from the soil, fixed from the atmosphere, in addition to
quantifying the efficiency of fertilizer applied.
The research teams received
various forms of support under the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme. They
learned the use of nuclear-related and other techniques in workshops and
through participation in fellowships in neighbouring countries. They received
equipment and materials to conduct the experiments, and advice from experts at
the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture in
interpreting the results.
A researcher experimenting with rice, using stable nitrogen-15 (15N) to monitor the nitrogen uptake by the
plants. (Photo: Cambodia Agricultural Research and Development Institute
(CARDI))
THE SCIENCE
Labelled nitrogen isotope
Nitrogen plays an important role
in plant growth and photosynthesis, the process through which plants convert
energy from sunlight into chemical energy. Nitrogen is often added to soil in
the form of fertilizer. Using fertilizers labelled with nitrogen-15 (15N) stable isotopes — an atom with an
extra neutron compared with ‘normal’ nitrogen — scientists can track the
pathway and determine how effectively the crops are taking up the fertilizer.
The technique helps to determine the optimal amount of fertilizer to use.
“Isotopic techniques have an
important role to play, particularly for farmers working on poorer soil,” said
Lee Kheng Heng, Head of the Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition
Section at the Joint FAO/IAEA Division. “The work of our Cambodian colleagues
is testimony to how nuclear science contributes to development in agriculture.”
USA Rice Livens Up the Lunch Line
ARLINGTON, VA -- To
get young minds headed in the rice direction, USA Rice created four
eye-catching posters presenting nutrition and farm facts that are perfect for
decorating the walls of school cafeterias around the country. The four
posters will be unveiled at the School Nutrition Association (SNA) Conference
in Atlanta this week, and distributed just in time for lunchrooms everywhere to
start sprucing up before school starts.
"Based on USA Rice's past conversations with school menu planners, we learned that schools need and will use posters for the cafeteria lunch line," said John Hasbrook, USA Rice Foodservice Subcommittee Chairman. "So this year, USA Rice designed two posters for K-6th grade and two posters for 7th-12th grade."
The posters designed for younger students are full of fun graphics promoting the whole grain goodness of brown rice and a U.S. map highlighting the six rice-producing states. Messaging for older students emphasizes the local, sustainable U.S. rice story, and reminds them to "power up your plate" by adding rice to protein and vegetables to build a quick one-dish, energy-boosting meal.
"We all know from experience with our own families, that if you expose children to healthy, nutritious foods early on, it helps them form good eating habits," said Hasbrook. "These posters capitalize on that concept and get a captive audience waiting in line for food thinking about U.S.-grown rice instead of homework.
"Based on USA Rice's past conversations with school menu planners, we learned that schools need and will use posters for the cafeteria lunch line," said John Hasbrook, USA Rice Foodservice Subcommittee Chairman. "So this year, USA Rice designed two posters for K-6th grade and two posters for 7th-12th grade."
The posters designed for younger students are full of fun graphics promoting the whole grain goodness of brown rice and a U.S. map highlighting the six rice-producing states. Messaging for older students emphasizes the local, sustainable U.S. rice story, and reminds them to "power up your plate" by adding rice to protein and vegetables to build a quick one-dish, energy-boosting meal.
"We all know from experience with our own families, that if you expose children to healthy, nutritious foods early on, it helps them form good eating habits," said Hasbrook. "These posters capitalize on that concept and get a captive audience waiting in line for food thinking about U.S.-grown rice instead of homework.
چاول ابالنے کے بعد ان کا پانی پھینکئے ہرگز نہیں
بلکہ اس کام کیلئے استعمال کریں تو آپ ہر ماہ ہزاروں روپے بچاسکتے ہیں
08 جولائی 2017 (14:52)
جلد کی شادابی
اگر آپ اپنی جلد کو تروتازہ رکھنا چاہتے ہیں تو اس پر چاولوں کا پانی لگائیں۔اس کی وجہ سے جلد پر موجود مردہ خلیے ختم ہوں گے اور ساتھ ہی نئی جلد پیدا ہوگی۔ چہرہ دھونے کے بعد روئی کے گالے پر چاولوں کا پانی لگائیں اور اسے چہرے پر مساج کریں۔
کیل مہاسوں کا علاج
اگر جلد پر کیل مہاسے بننے لگیں تو اس پر چاولوں کا پانی لگانے سے جلد ٹھیک ہوجائے گی اور آپ بغیر کوئی کریم لگائے کیل مہاسوں سے نجات پالیں گے۔
کنڈیشنر
سر دھونے کے لئے کوئی کنڈیشنر استعمال کرنے کی بجائے بالوں کو چاولوں کے پانی سے دھوئیں اور کچھ دیر انتظار کے بعد نیم گرم پانی سے بال دھوئیں۔اس ٹوٹکے کیا چھی بات اس کی وجہ سے نہ صرف بال نرم و ملائم ہوں گے بلکہ اسے ہفتے میں تین بار دہرایا بھی جاسکتا ہے۔
ایگزیما کا علاج
جن افراد کو جلدی بیماری ایگزیما کی شکایت ہوانہیں چاہیے کہ کوئی کریم لگانے کی بجائے چاولوں کے پانی کااستعمال کرے۔جن افراد کو یہ مسئلہ درپیش ہوتا ہے انہیں جلد پر خارش، چبھن اور جلن کی شکایت ہوتی ہے۔ایسے لوگوں کو چاہئے کہ جسم کے جس حصے پر یہ تکلیف ہووہاں چاولوں کا پانی دن میں دو سے تین بارلگائیں۔
Indonesia
blocks major artery in haze-causing Mega Rice canal network
9 July 2017 / Indra Nugraha & Hans Nicholas Jong
The world’s largest peat swamp restoration effort is underway in
the Southeast Asian nation.
·
·
Authorities are negotiating with local residents who rely on some of the
canals for transportation through the peat swamps of Central Kalimantan.
·
Officials say that to really solve the problem of dried out and flammable
peat, not just the largest canals but the smaller ones too will have to be
blocked.
The
canal in question is one of the main branches in a giant, treelike canal
network that stretches from the Java Sea to the outskirts of Palangkaraya, the
capital of Central Kalimantan province, some 150 kilometers away.
The
network was built in the mid-1990s, when former strongman President Suharto
launched the Mega Rice Project in a bid to achieve rice self-sufficiency in the
nation then home to around 200 million people. To make up for the widespread
conversion of paddy fields on Indonesia’s most-populous island of Java, the
five-star army general sought to carve out 1 million hectares of agricultural
land from Kalimantan’s peat swamps. Thousands of excavators and tens of
thousands of workers were deployed.
The
megaproject was an unmitigated disaster, with not a single blade of productive
rice ever grown. The nutrient-poor peat soil proved too unforgiving for
Java-style rice cultivation. Jakarta ultimately abandoned it, leaving behind a
dried-out wasteland that burns on a large scale almost every year.
In
2015, peat fires across the country sickened half a million people and spewed
more carbon into the atmosphere than the entire U.S. economy during the same
two-month period. Central Kalimantan was the worst hit.
The
most enormous canals in the Mega Rice network are some 30 meters wide. Smaller
arteries branch out from those, and yet smaller ones from those. The whole
thing zigs and zags over a total of around 4,600 kilometers.
The
Ministry of Public Works and Housing is focusing on the biggest canal in Block
C of the network, which lies in Pulang Pisau district, narrowing the canal and
installing dozens of dams which can be used to manage water levels. The project
was approved by the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), set up in the wake of
the 2015 fires.
“This
location routinely catches fire because the canal is so wide and dries out the
peat,” said local resident Ahmat Suriadi, 32, as he drove a motorboat down the
waterway.
At
the site last month, workers were stacking sandbags and logs to block the
canal, which had been thinned down to around 5-7 meters. Enough water
still flowed so that people could traverse it by boat, a common mode of
transportation here.
Usnun,
40, worker, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said he and his
companions had been laboring to block the canal for two months, installing dams
every 500 meters. So far they had blocked 16 out of a planned 150 spots. Each
spot can take four days.
In
approving the project, the BRG recommended that authorities first obtain the
approval of local residents whose livelihoods it might affect, in line with the
principle of “free, prior and informed consent,” or FPIC.
Watson,
the head of Garung village, said most residents had agreed to the project, with
only a few unsure due to concerns over closing a waterway they rely on to get
around.
The
United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) LESTARI project is
helping authorities mediate the project with villages in the area, according to
Rosenda Chandra Kasih, coordinator for the project in Central Kalimantan.
“We
conduct FPIC on paper,” she said. “So there are signatures from the local
people, the land owners around the canals and the users of the canals to make
sure that they agree and have no objection on the construction of dams at the
sites.”
Edi
Pratowo, the head of Pulang Pisau, applauded the project, calling it crucial to
maintain the wetness of the peat to prevent fires, while emphasizing the
importance of securing local people’s approval since they use the canals for
transportation.
“It’s
important for people to know why [the canals] have to be blocked and they also
have to understand that the blocking will make revegetation possible,” he said.
Damming
the canal is the right move if the government wants to avoid another peat fire
disaster, said Dimas Hartono, director of the Central Kalimantan chapter of the
Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), an NGO.
“But
what needs to be thought about is public access,” he said. “Will the canal
blocking limit public access to agriculture or farming? Of course this is a
complex issue which begs for a wise solution.”
To
really solve the problem of dried-out peatlands, the project must be expanded
to the entire network, officials say.
Yakobson,
the public works ministry official overseeing the project, pointed out that
even if Jakarta closes the primary canal network, many smaller canals owned by
provincial and local administrations remain.
“If
we only close the primary canal network, it’s like a bowl with many holes still
left in it,” Yakobson said in an interview. Doing so, he added, would only
solve a third of the problem.
“I
prefer to refer the project as canal management, rather than canal closure,” he
said. “What we can do is to control the system so that the water is retained in
accordance with local people’s needs.”
The
entire project is expected to be finished by 2019, with the ministry having
completed roughly 40 percent of the first stage of the canal closure.
Banner
image: A canal near Palangkaraya. Photo by Indra Nugraha for
Mongabay-Indonesia.
This
story was reported in part by Mongabay’s Indonesia team, with an earlier
version published on our Indonesian site on June 17, 2017.
Disclosure:
Mongabay-Indonesia receives funding for this series via a subgrant from Yayasan
Rekam Jejak Alam Nusantara, which is in part funded by USAID Lestari. USAID has
no editorial influence over our content.
Steve Linscombe honored for years of service to LSU, rice industry
LSU Rice Research Station staff goes to great lengths to honor
leader, coworker.
For more than two decades Bill
Richardson, LSU vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of
Agriculture, and Steve Linscombe, resident director of the H. Rouse Caffey Rice
Research Station, have greeted each other warmly at the start of the station’s
annual field day.
This year was different. Dr.
Linscombe, who also is the rice breeder for the LSU AgCenter and director of
its Southwest Region, based in Crowley, La., walked up to Dr. Richardson and
said “I want you to know I didn’t approve this.”
This was the cover of the program
the Rice Research Station distributes at its annual Rice Field Day. Instead of
the cover Linscombe thought he had approved, the station’s staff substituted
one with a smiling photo of Linscombe standing in a rice plot, probably planted
to one of the 33 varieties he developed during his 35 years of service to LSU
and the rice industry.
“The last thing he wanted today
was any recognition,” said Dr. Richardson, speaking at the indoor portion of
the Rice Field Day. “This program was real sneaky. We hoped he wouldn’t see it,
and he came walking up to the table, grabbed a copy and came over and said ‘I
did not approve this.’
“The staff sneaked one in on him,
and the one he approved never got published.”
LSU recognition policy
Dr. Richard said trying to find a
fitting recognition for “someone who has dedicated his entire life to building
one of the best rice breeding programs in the country is next to impossible.
“LSU policy is you can’t name a
building for someone until they’ve been dead for two years. That created a
little problem,” he said, as Dr. Linscombe responded that he would pass on the
honor because of the qualification.
Instead, LSU officials plan to
rename the Conference Room in the Rice Research Station Building on the Crowley
Campus for Dr. Linscombe, which Dr. Richardson called a “very fitting thing.”
Dr. Rogers Leonard, associate
vice president for plants, soils and water resources at the LSU AgCenter, noted
Dr. Linscombe originally applied for a forage breeding position with LSU after
he received his Ph.D. in agronomy from Mississippi State University. He was not
chosen for that job, but later became Extension rice specialist for Louisiana.
“I can’t imagine what would have
happened without him as a rice breeder,” Leonard said. “It’s been a pleasure to
work with someone who expects so much from himself and his employees.”
More than 1,000 presentations
Clarence Berken, a rice producer
and vice chairman of the Louisiana Rice Research Board, said Linscombe has
received 14 awards in 21 years, developed 33 new rice varieties, obtained $17
million in grants and made more than 1,000 presentations around the world.
Berken presented him with a certificate of recognition signed by Gov. John Bel
Edwards.
After those comments, Dr. Linscombe
assured the audience none of what he had accomplished could have been done
without the assistance of the many staff members at the Rice Research Station
who had served with him through the years.
“This has been a very good place
to work because of the people at the station and the people I’ve worked with
throughout the years,” he said. “It has been an honor to work for the LSU
AgCenter and for the rice industry.
I’ll miss it. I won’t miss
walking in the rice fields when it’s 100 degrees and 110 percent relative
humidity for three or four or five or six hours at a time, but I’ll miss the
people and the connections,” he noted.
Dr. Linscombe recognized another
soon-to-be retiree, Bill Leonard, who has served as station superintendent for
more than 40 years.
“We get a lot of credit for the
way the rice plots and the station look on days like this, our 108th field day,” he noted. “I promise you
much of that would not be possible without the dedication of Mr. Leonards.”
For more information on Dr.
Linscombe’s research, visit http://www.deltafarmpress.com/rice/provisia-rice-better-weed-control-higher-quality.
http://www.deltafarmpress.com/rice/steve-linscombe-honored-years-service-lsu-rice-industry
Cambodia's rice export to China doubles in
first half of 2017
Xinhua | Updated: 2017-07-08 13:23
PHNOM PENH - Cambodia exported 94,720 tons of milled rice to
China in the first six months of 2017, up 101 percent compared to the same
period last year, according to a government report on Friday.
China is the top buyer of Cambodian rice, followed by France,
Poland, Britain and the Netherlands, said the report compiled by the
Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export.
According to the report, Cambodia exported a total of 288,562
tons of milled rice to 56 countries and regions during the January-June period
this year, up 7.6 percent over the same period last year.
The Southeast Asian country produced over 9 million tons of
paddy rice a year. With this amount, it has more than 3 million tons of milled
rice left over for annual export, according to the Agriculture Ministry.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2017-07/08/content_30041524.htm
Rice prices stay high despite imports coming through
01:06
PM July 10, 2017
File
photo- Imported rice at a wholesaler's outlet in Dhaka
Rice prices in
India have risen as result of a revival in demand
After the duty on rice import was
cut by 18% recently to cope with the pressures caused by crop shortfalls,
prices were expected to fall in domestic markets.But the price of different
varieties of rice have only changed slightly. Importers say the prices have
gone up in India from where they import, leaving them unable to lower prices.The
government on June 20 cut the import duty of rice by 18% from 28% to keep rice
prices affordable in the retail markets. Now the importers have to pay 10%
duty.
On the other hand, rice prices in
India have risen as result of a revival in demand from Asian and African
buyers, though markets in Thailand and Vietnam, two other major importers, have
remained stable.According to local rice importers, they were purchasing rice from
India at Rs 27,300 per tonne previously, but now they have to buy at Rs 27,950-
28,275. So, after adding other expenses with the purchase price, per kilogramme
coarse rice is now between Tk 39-42 when it reaches Dhaka.
Rice prices shot up in the local
markets during last couple of months due to recent flash floods in the Haor
areas of north-eastern region of the country. The floods damaged over 200,000
hectares of Boro paddy.Bangladesh Rice Merchants Association Vice President
Zakir Hossain Rony said: “The rice price hike in Indian market would have
impact on our markets, no matter how much import duty the government cuts.
“We expected the price of coarse
rice to come down to Tk35 and Miniket to Tk45. But coarse rice including
Miniket and Paizam were sold at Tk54 to Tk56 per kg in Dhaka last week after
prices witnessed a fall by Tk2 to 5 per kg for different rice verities.”Mamun
Ur Rashid, member of Bangladesh Rice Exporters Association, said: “As India has
increased price, it will definitely have an impact on our markets. But right
now we are yet to calculate the volume of the possible impact.”“I sold coarse
rice at between Tk46 to Tk52 per kg which was Tk50 to Tk56 a week ago and fine
rice between Tk54 and Tk60 per kg which was Tk58 to Tk65,” said Tawhidul Alom,
a retailer at Dhaka’s Kolabagan.
Rezaul Karim, a wholesaler at
Kawran Bazar said: “We sell 50-kg sack of coarse rice at Tk2,000 to Tk2,200,
Paizam at Tk2,300, Miniket at Tk2,700, Najirshal at Tk2,950 and Chinigura at
Tk3,750-4,000.”After the import duty was cut, prices came down by Tk150 to
Tk200 for every 50-kg sack.“But we have to face pressure as India has increased
rice price,” he added.
The private sector imported
1,33,000 tonnes of rice between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017 but the government
did not import any rice in that time.
According to the state-run
Trading Corporation of Bangladesh which tracks the prices of daily necessities,
the price of coarse rice was Tk30-34 and fine rice was sold at Tk44-55 last
year.
Bangladesh is set to buy 250,000
tonnes of white and parboiled rice from Vietnam to maintain immediate
availability of stock in the market, as well as reserves.According to a Food
Ministry proposal, the government will be importing 200,000 tonnes of white
rice at $430 per tonne, though the price per tonne was $380 in the last month.The
ministry is also planning on procuring 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice at a
cost of $470 per tonne, while the price had been less than $450 just a week
ago.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2017/07/10/rice-prices-stay-high-despite-imports-coming/
Govt gets lowest offer of $430 per tonne in rice import tender
| Update: 09:56,
Jul 10, 2017
Bangladesh
received a lowest offer of $430 tonne CIF liner out from Phoenix in a tender
that opened on Sunday to import 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice, officials at
the state grains buyer said.Bangladesh is stepping up imports due to depleted
stocks and record local prices following flash floods.
Kubota, Sumitomo Chem
aim to lop 30% off rice-growing costs
Japanese
tractor, chemical giants to help themselves by helping farmers
OSAKA -- Kubota and Sumitomo Chemical have
teamed up on a farming technique that should make rice around one-third less
expensive to grow, pooling their expertise to lighten workloads and secure
future demand for their own agricultural machinery and chemical products.
Japan's
biggest agricultural machinery builder and top agrochemical producer aim to
make the practice of direct seeding cheaper and easier, with a target date of
2020.
Direct seeding
involves planting seed rice directly into fields, rather than transplanting
seedlings previously sprouted elsewhere into standing water. Raising and
transplanting the seedlings under the conventional approach can take one-third
or more of the year's working hours -- work rendered obsolete with direct
seeding. But with many growers uneasy about altering long-standing practices,
for example, the method has been slow to spread.
Osaka-based
Kubota is developing technology to coat seed rice using iron powder, as well as
specialized equipment for direct seeding. Planting the seeds at a certain depth
can help ensure more stable harvests. Sumitomo Chemical will contribute seeds
engineered to grow shorter plants that are harder to knock down, as well as
agrochemicals. Rice yields per 1,000 sq. meters should increase by about 30%.
A 60kg haul of
rice is said to cost most farmers more than 9,000 yen ($78) to grow, excluding
land costs. The improved yield from the special seeds and reduced labor costs
from direct seeding are seen bringing production costs down 20-30% altogether.
Kubota and Sumitomo Chemical began cultivating the crop with their new
techniques on an experimental basis this year and aim to have proven results by
2020, then to market equipment and other products to growers including
large-scale farmers.
Even as
Japan's rice consumption falls, a long-running government program of reducing
rice production is set to end next year. In 2013, the government adopted a goal
of cutting production costs for the crop by 40% over a decade.
Some estimates
show the number of farmworkers in Japan falling by 16-22% over the 15 years
through 2025. In order to secure long-term demand for themselves, agricultural
equipment and chemical makers also need to support farmers' operating health and
help make them more competitive.
(Nikkei)
http://asia.nikkei.com/Tech-Science/Tech/Kubota-Sumitomo-Chem-aim-to-lop-30-off-rice-growing-costs
Old Machinery Main Culprit of Agro Waste
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Agriculture waste is said to cost Iran’s economy over $5 billion
per annum.
Last year (March 2016-17), 14 million tons of wheat
were produced, 10% of which were wasted only because of machinery and amounted
to 20 trillion rials ($528 million)
Old machinery used in this sector is the main culprit
contributing to the wastage, IRNA reported.
Agriculture waste is said to cost Iran’s economy over $5 billion
per annum.
According to Kambiz Abbasi, an official with the Ministry of
Agriculture, between 25% and 30% of Iran’s agricultural machinery have been
repaired or renovated since the beginning of Hassan Rouhani’s presidency in
August 2013.
“Thanks to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, last year,
renowned brands of rice planting machinery, heavy tractors, combines and
orchard tractors have been imported,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Most of the imports came from Germany, Italy, France, South
Korea and Japan.
“The excessive use of seeds during the pre-harvest stage, using
old technology to fight pest and diseases during the harvest stage and the
inappropriate transport of agricultural goods in the chain of distribution,
market and consumption are among other reasons,” vice chairman of Iran’s
Agriculture Guild, Behrouz Bazli, said.
“Last year (March 2016-17), 14 million tons of wheat were
produced, 10% (1-1.5 million tons) of which were wasted only because of
machinery. This waste, considering the guaranteed purchase price, amounts to 20
trillion rials ($528 million).”
Bazli noted that poor management is another issue exacerbating
the problem.
According to Food and Agricultural Organization, 1.3 billion
tons of food, mainly fruit, vegetables, fish and grains, are wasted globally
every year and Iran is responsible for 2.7% of it, equal to about 35 million
tons of the total sum.
Iranians mostly waste bread, fruit, vegetables and rice.
There are two patterns of food waste throughout the world. In
developing countries, food waste happens mostly between the harvest and
processing stages while in developed countries, the retailing system and
customers are the main culprits.
According to Abbasi, about 95% of Iran’s agricultural machinery
need are met by domestic producers and the rest pertains to modern machinery
used in rice paddy fields.
Experts say the canning industry is among the most important
processing industries that can help minimize agricultural waste.
The canning industry is a strategic sector, originally set up to
prevent food wastage and feed people in times of crisis such as war or
earthquakes.
However, using canned food nowadays is not limited to the time
of crisis. Currently, with the development of modern society and population
growth, more and more people are using canned food and demand is growing.
Mohammad Javad Soroush, director of the Water and Soil Office at
the Department of Environment, says poor management of agricultural waste is
depriving Iran of the means to improve soil fertility.
He describes agricultural waste as an “important resource” whose
value must be acknowledged by the Ministry of Agriculture.
This type of waste is often converted into organic fertilizer
and energy in countries with advanced farming techniques, but this is not a
common practice in Iran where even irrigation systems are outdated and
wasteful.
“The vast extent of our soil lacks sufficient organic material,
which can be redressed by using compost derived from agricultural waste,” he
has been quoted as saying by ISNA.
According to Soroush, the sector produces around 170 million
tons of waste every year, most of which can be reused as compost.
Agricultural waste management is based on the principles of four
Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle and recover.
Waste disposal is only a last resort option in the developed
world.
https://financialtribune.com/articles/economy-business-and-markets/68085/old-machinery-main-culprit-of-agro-waste
GST impact on
rice: Facing 5 pct tax impost, branded suppliers protest zero rate for India
Gate
The fact that the country’s largest selling rice brand, India
Gate, is exempt from the 5% goods and services tax (GST) since the popular
brand is not registered under the Trade Marks Act 1999 has driven a wedge
between KRBL, which owns India Gate, and other major branded rice traders.
All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA), in which most
branded rice firms are members, has written a letter to finance minister Arun
Jaitley, asking him to correct the anomaly in the relevant notification dated
June 28. The fact that the country’s largest selling rice brand, India Gate, is
exempt from the 5% goods and services tax (GST) since the popular brand is not
registered under the Trade Marks Act 1999 has driven a wedge between KRBL,
which owns India Gate, and other major branded rice traders. All India Rice
Exporters Association (AIREA), in which most branded rice firms are members,
has written a letter to finance minister Arun Jaitley, asking him to correct the anomaly
in the relevant notification dated June 28, by stating essentially that a
“registered brand name” in this context need not be one registered under the
Trade Marks Act. It is, however, unclear whether the Centre would accept the
request as even in a clarification issued on July 7 on the said notification,
the finance ministry maintained that “…In this regard, Section 2 (w) read with
Section 2 (t) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 provide that a registered trade mark
means a trade mark which is actually on the Register of Trade Marks and
remaining in force. Thus, unless the brand name or trade name is actually on
the Register of Trade Marks and is in force under the Trade Marks Act, 1999,
CGST rate of (2.5%) will not be applicable on the supply of such goods.” “There
is a growing feeling among the members, with a fully registered brand name, of
being at a comparative disadvantage specifically against companies with a
popular brand name, but not registered or a company who’s registration for
trademark application is still in process,” Vijay Setia, president, AIREA,
wrote in the letter to Jaitley. KEBL, interestingly, has been waging a legal
battle for several years to get the India Gate trademark registered. Anil K
Mittal, CMD of KRBL, did not respond to phone calls, email and SMS. “There will
be unhealthy competition in the trade, encouraging malpractices if the
government does not provide clarification on GST taxation,” the AIREA letter
stated. Incidentally, KRBL is also a member of AIREA. The relevant notification
(no.1/2017-Central Tax (Rate) says the phrase “registered brand name means
brand name or trade name…… and which is registered under the Trade Marks Act,
1999”. Owners of branded rice a divided lot AIREA’s Setia said by changing the
second phrase to “or which is registered under…”, the anomaly could be
corrected. There is also the practice of corporate groups getting a brand
registered under any one company and other group companies too capitalising on
the brand value without actually having the brand registered in their favour.
Industry sources said that “unregistered brands” have a share of more than 90%
of branded rice market. Mostly basmati and non-basmati varieties such Sona
Masuri are sold under various brand names. However, the share of branded rice in
total rice trade is just around 5%. As per the finace ministry statement on
July 2, GST rate on staples such as rice, wheat and cereals is zero.
