Pakistani culture showcased at Commonwealth Fair London
India Mulls Barter System to Export Rice to Iran
November 11, 2018 19:36
India's payment system with Iran is being relaxed further for
basmati rice exports. This comes after the US allowed India to continue
importing crude oil from Iran and develop Chabahar Port.
Now, India is finalizing
guidelines for exporting basmati rice to its largest importer—Iran—on a rupee
payment basis, Business Standard reported.
The move has come as a positive
development for exporters who are paying a higher price for procuring basmati.
Last year, India exported $4.17
billion worth of basmati rice and Iran was the largest buyer of rice with $905
million. In the first five months of 2018-19, exports have already crossed $2
billion and Iran continues to be the largest buyer for India followed by Saudi
Arabia.
When the US announced sanctions
against Iran, Indian farmers had already increased area under basmati but
exporters were cautious. However, the recent exemption for Iran followed by
easing of the payment crisis has lifted the sentiments of basmati exporters.
“Higher paddy price this season
has put some pressure on the retail price, especially if you consider that
there is recession in the global market. However, there has been some
stabilization now and we expect a good basmati export cycle this year,”
Kohinoor Foods joint managing director, Gurnam Arora, said.
He added that the "Iran
issue" had also been resolved to a large extent and traders have been
allowed to barter deals and consignments valued in rupee terms.
“The guidelines are being
formulated and we are confident that Iranian basmati imports would start soon.”
Iran normally opens its market
for basmati import by mid November after taking into account its domestic
production and demand matrices.
All-India Rice Exporters
Association Executive Director Vinod Kaul claimed that although some of the
basmati crop had been damaged, it was not significant and that the final
assessment was being done.
“The new basmati crop has started
coming to the market and we are confident that Iran would account for about 1
million tons of exports this season,” he said.
India is also bullish about the
prospects of the Chinese market, although it basically imports non-basmati rice
varieties now. Recently, a buyer-seller meet was organized in China, where five
to six Indian rice exporters had participated even as the country approved 24
domestic rice millers.
However, the Chinese basmati
market would still take some years before it "matures" for domestic
exporters, Arora said.
China is the world’s largest
producer and importer of rice and procures about 5 million tons every year.
India has estimated a potential sale of 1 million tons of rice to China. The
country planned to boost rice and sugar exports to narrow the trade gap with
China.
Recently, five new Indian rice
mills were cleared for exporting non-basmati rice to China, taking the total to
24 rice mills. In May 2018, Chinese officials had inspected rice mills capable
of exporting non-basmati rice.
Basmati exporters have also been
exploring other markets like the US, European Union and Latin America. Yet, the
results have not been encouraging.
Last year, total basmati exports
from India stood at little over 4 million tons with almost 80% of the
consignment going to West Asian countries, led by Iran. However, exporters are
still unsure if last year’s export figures would be matched.
Following better global demand
last year, farmers had increased sowing and sown new basmati varieties like
1401, 1509, apart from the 1121 type. “Sowing has increased but quality has
been affected. This was because pest attack lowered the yield, resulting in
higher market price at a time when Iran hopes have revived,” said Devendr Vora,
director of Friendship Traders, a new Bombay-based trader-exporter.
As a result of high export demand
and lower-than-expected crop (perhaps be due to quality), the market is
bullish.
Domestically, Haryana and Punjab
account for 40-45% of the total basmati production in India, followed by Uttar
Pradesh at 10-15%. India’s net rice exports (including basmati) increased from
10.8 to 12.7 million tons last year, thus allowing the country to retain the
top slot in the commodity’s global trade.
Iran Rice Imports Down 4.21% (Mar-Oct 2018)
November 12, 2018 17:58
About 958,000 tons of wholly or semi-milled rice worth $985.4
million were imported into Iran during the first seven months of the current
Iranian year (March 21-Oct. 22) to register a 12.54% and 4.21% decline in
weight and value respectively compared with the similar period of last year.
The latest data were released by
the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration.
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India Contemplates Bartering Basmati Rice with Iran to Bypass
Sanctions
Last year, India exported $4.17 billion worth of
basmati rice and Iran was the largest buyer. 
he payment system with Iran is being relaxed further for
basmati rice exports. This
comes after the US allowed India to continue importing crude oil
from Iran and develop the Chabahar port. India is now finalising guidelines for
exporting basmati rice to its largest
importer – Iran – on a rupee
payment basis. The move has come as a positive development for exporters who
are paying a higher price for procuring basmati. Last year, India exported $4.17 billion worth of
basmati rice and Iran was
the largest buyer (at $905 million). In the first five months of 2018-19,
exports have already crossed $2 billion and Iran continuous to be the largest
buyer for India followed by Saudi Arabia. When the US announced sanctions
against Iran, farmers had already increased area under basmati but exporters
were cautious. However, the recent exemption for Iran followed by easing of the
payment crisis has lifted the sentiments of basmati exporters. Higher paddy
price this season has put some pressure on the retail price, especially if you
consider that there is recession in the global market. However, there has been
some stabilisation now and we expect a good basmati export cycle this year,”
Kohinoor Foods joint managing director Gurnam Arora told Business
Standard. He further said that the ‘Iran issue’ had also been
resolved to a large extent and traders have been allowed to barter deals and
consignments valued in rupee terms. “The guidelines are being formulated and we
are confident that Iranian basmati imports would start soon.” Iran normally
opens its market for basmati import by mid November after taking into account
its domestic production and demand matrices.
he payment system with Iran is being relaxed further for
basmati rice exports. This
comes after the US allowed India to continue importing crude oil
from Iran and develop the Chabahar port. India is now finalising guidelines for
exporting basmati rice to its largest
importer – Iran – on a rupee
payment basis. The move has come as a positive development for exporters who
are paying a higher price for procuring basmati. Last year, India exported $4.17 billion worth of
basmati rice and Iran was
the largest buyer (at $905 million). In the first five months of 2018-19,
exports have already crossed $2 billion and Iran continuous to be the largest
buyer for India followed by Saudi Arabia. When the US announced sanctions
against Iran, farmers had already increased area under basmati but exporters
were cautious. However, the recent exemption for Iran followed by easing of the
payment crisis has lifted the sentiments of basmati exporters. Higher paddy
price this season has put some pressure on the retail price, especially if you
consider that there is recession in the global market. However, there has been
some stabilisation now and we expect a good basmati export cycle this year,”
Kohinoor Foods joint managing director Gurnam Arora told Business
Standard. He further said that the ‘Iran issue’ had also been
resolved to a large extent and traders have been allowed to barter deals and
consignments valued in rupee terms. “The guidelines are being formulated and we
are confident that Iranian basmati imports would start soon.” Iran normally
opens its market for basmati import by mid November after taking into account
its domestic production and demand matrices.
All-India Rice
Exporters Association (AIREA) executive director
Vinod Kaul claimed that although some of the basmati crop had been damaged, yet
it was not significant and that the final assessment was being done.
“The new basmati crop has started
coming to the market and we are confident that Iran would account for about one
million tonnes (MT) of exports this season,” he added.
India is also bullish about the
prospects of the Chinese market, although it basically imports non-basmati rice varieties now. Recently, a
buyer-seller meet was organised in China, where five-six Indian rice exporters
had participated even as the country approved 24 domestic rice millers.
However, the Chinese basmati market would still take some years
before it ‘matures’ for domestic exporters, Arora added. China is the world’s largest producer and
importer of rice and procures about 5 MT every year. India has estimated a
potential sale of one MT of rice to China. The country planned to boost rice
and sugar exports to narrow the trade gap with China. Recently, five new rice mills were
cleared for exporting non-basmati rice to China, taking the total
to 24 rice mills. In May 2018, Chinese officials had inspected rice mills
capable of exporting non-basmati rice. Meanwhile, basmati
exporters have also been exploring other markets like the US, European Union
and Latin America. Yet, the results have not been encouraging. Last year, total
basmati exports from India stood at little over 4 MT with almost 80% of the
consignment going to West Asian countries, led by Iran. However, exporters are
still unsure if last year’s export figures would be matched. Following better
global demand last year, farmers had increased sowing and sown new basmati
varieties like 1401, 1509, apart from the 1121 type. “Sowing has increased but
quality has been affected. This was because pest attack lowered the yield,
resulting in higher market price at a time when Iran hopes have revived,” said
Devendr Vora, director of Friendship Traders, a new Bombay-based
trader-exporter. West Asia, China and Iran may be big importers. As a result of
high export demand and lower-than-expected crop (may be due to quality), the
market is bullish. Domestically, Haryana and Punjab account for 40-45% of the
total basmati production in India, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 10-15%. India’s
net rice exports (including
basmati) increased from 10.8 MT to 12.7 MT last year, thus allowing the country
to retain the top slot in the commodity’s global trade.
Sample of suspected fake rice to be sent to lab – Dr Jamilah
SIBU:
A sample of the suspected fake rice here has been collected and will be sent to
a laboratory in Johor Bharu for analysis tomorrow (Nov 12).
Sarawak Health director Dr
Jamilah Hashim disclosed this during a press conference today after the
state-level ‘Gotong-Royong’ Mega 2.0 here at Farley Commercial Centre here
today to combat Aedes mosquito. She, however, said it will take some time for
the results to be known. “On the suspected fake rice – actually, the Health
Department did not receive specific report – nobody made any report that there
is (suspected) ‘fake’ rice.
“We got to know about this from The Borneo Post – the media.
Therefore, (Sibu divisional health officer) Dr Lee (Jo Hun) through the media
contacted the complainant concerned and they have already collected the rice sample
suspected to be fake to be sent to the laboratory in Johor tomorrow (Nov 12).
“In this regard, before that (the outcome of the results is known), we are
unsure whether it is fake or genuine rice. It will take a bit of time for the
results to be out.
We will revert when the results are out,” Dr Jamilah said when
asked on the suspected fake rice reported
in The Borneo Post last Saturday. Asked for advice to members of the public,
she said: “I don’t know. I am not sure about the brand of the rice involved.
“Maybe, if prices are ‘unrealistically low’, the public should think twice
about buying it. Buy those (rice) that they normally buy and where prices are logical.”
At this juncture, Sarawak Federal Secretary Datuk Mansor Man interjected,
pointing out that sometimes the rice looked too ‘beautiful’ and might look
suspicious.
“If there are such issues,
(the public are advised to) report Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer
Affairs (KPDNHEP) so that their enforcement (unit) can take necessary action.
If information can be obtained early – it is good so as to inform the public,”
he added. Concurring with Mansor, Dr Jamilah said the public can perhaps
forward complaints to the Health Department if they are suspicious about the
product so that they can investigate. Alternatively, she said that members of
the media could alert the department if they received any information to enable
them to investigate.
She said this is important to prevent people from consuming the
rice if it was proven to be fake as there would be effect to their health.
Meanwhile, it was recently reported that two members of the public were shocked
when the rice they had cooked turned into weird consistency and did not look
like genuine rice. According to the report, one of them who requested to remain
anonymous said that though the texture of the rice looked different, she did
not suspect anything at first because it tasted like rice. She also claimed
that the rice felt like cotton. She could squeeze the water out when it was wet
and the rice became light as a feather when it was dry.
Northern California marks 2018 rice harvest
Weather held out for northern California's 2018 rice harvest
Weather conditions held out for northern California's 2018 rice
harvest as growers worked their way through their early-to-late season
varieties. Marysville-area grower Charley Mathews began harvest of his early
crop as morning temperatures began to hint of a cool-down while daytime highs
remained above 90 degrees. Mathews is the new USA Rice Federation chairman,
elected to the post by his peers at a meeting in Texas last summer. California
produces about 4 billion pounds of rice annually from roughly 550,000 acres
of farmland. About 95 percent of the state's rice production takes place
between Sacramento and Chico. According to the University of California, rice
yields in California can exceed 10,000 pounds per acre, which is about 20
percent above the national average.
Chama rice company in 150 metric tonnes a
month contract
MWANANGWA Rice managing director Yotam Mtayachalo says the
company is in the process of designing programmes to support out grower rice
schemes aimed at raising capacity for small-scale farmers to boost rice
production in the district. In a statement, Mtayachalo stated that Chama had
potential in rice production.
“We would like to appeal to the people of Chama to support the
company and we are more than ready to partner with individuals or organisations
in order to further grow the business and develop the district respectively,”
he stated.
Mtayachalo stated that his Chama-based company had signed a
contract to supply 150 metric tonnes of Chama rice per month to Gourock (Z), a
Copperbelt based company.
“The signing of this supply contract is a historic landmark and
good news to the people of Chama as it is a giant step in revolutionising rice
production in the district,” he stated.
“It will provide a window of opportunity to rice farmers in the
district to boost rice production because the signing of the contract will
provide a ready market for their commodity. The move shall also go a long way
in as far as creation of household income for rice farmers is concerned thus
significantly reducing high poverty levels which is more pronounced in rural
communities.”
Mtayachalo stated that the contract was signed during the week
in Ndola. He disclosed that he signed on behalf of Mwanangwa Rice Company while
Jayesh Thakkar, the chief operating officer, signed on behalf of Gourock (Z)
Ltd.
“The company shall next year embark on an ambitious programme to
expand its business operations in order to meet the ever increasing demand for
rice and the move shall undoubtedly create job opportunities for the local
people as priority shall be given to disadvantaged groups such as the youths
and women,” stated Mtayachalo.
“I want also to assure the people of Chama that the company will
also endeavour to provide corporate social responsibilities (CSR) to the
communities as a token of appreciation for their hard work and partnership.”
Getting richer, more Indonesians shift to
premium rice
News Desk
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta | Mon, November 12, 2018 | 12:55 pm
Customers browse the rice varieties on offer at the
Cipinang Central Rice Market (PIBC) in East Jakarta in this file photograph.
(Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
Following
the consumption trend of middle-income consumers, rice producers have started
to distribute more premium rice instead of medium-quality rice, a report
submitted to the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) says.
The
report from rice producer PT Buyung Poetra Sembada (HOKI) shows that the
company’s revenue increased 17.78 percent from January to
September to Rp 1.06 trillion (US$72.14 million), compared to figure in the
same period last year, which was at Rp 900.05 billion
The
report from HOKI, which focuses on selling premium rice, also shows
a 15.6 percent increase from Rp 941.3 trillion to Rp 1.09
trillion.
Agriculture expert
Khudori said that rice was no longer a single commodity and was not viewed as
"inferior" by middle-class consumers, which preferred to consume
premium rice rather than medium-quality rice.
“In the
last few years, the price trend for rice has
been determined more by premium rice, not medium-quality rice.
When the rice price increases, [consumers] did not shift to rice that
were priced lower, instead, they reduced the volume of their
purchases,” Khudori said as quoted by kontan.co.id.
“The
[consumer] preference has been shifting. The government policy, therefore,
should also change to be more effective,” he said.
The
number of middle-income consumers has been growing, and is projected to grow from
40 million at present to 200 million by 2045, said National Development
Planning Minister/National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) head
Bambang Prodjonegoro.
A study
in April 2016 that involved 1,977 respondents shows the majority
of respondents ranked rice the highest among daily
consumption choices. (bbn)
Healthy white rice may soon be on the menu
·
Anna Kitanaka
Bloomberg
| Fri, November 9, 2018 | 01:00 am
The Australian organization says it’s developed the rice with
the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and it has been successfully tested by
breeders in the Asian country. (Bloomberg/File)
While
delicious, there’s no denying that white rice can wreak havoc on your diet --
that is unless someone could make a refined version with the same benefits of
its wholegrain brother.
Luckily,
Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation has
just done that - creating a variety of rice that has an outer layer four to 12
times thicker than usual. That means it can be polished to remove the outer
layer to make a white rice that retains more of the nutrients found in the
wholegrain variety, according to the CSIRO.
“Our
obsession with rice isn’t going anywhere, but unfortunately, our waistlines
are, and too much white rice isn’t helping,” Eliza Keck, a CSIRO communications
adviser said on the government agency’s website. “Thankfully, the demand for
healthier varieties of rice has been on the rise in recent years, and that’s
where our innovation comes in.”
The Australian organization says it’s developed
the rice with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and it has been successfully
tested by breeders in the Asian country. The new variety has little to no
effect on the growth and yield of rice, CSIRO said. The Asian nation, which
consumes over 100 kilograms per capita of rice every year, has a strong
incentive to see healthier varieties become more popular as it battles with the
world’s most-diabetic population.
CSIRO is teaming up with Chinese Academy of
Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to see if its
innovation can also be applied to wheat, barley and sorghum, it said.
No to rice tariffication
NFA
rice millers and farmers troop in front of the Senate office to ask for the
dismissal of the proposed Rice Tariffication bill and oppose Senate Bill 1998.
Agric Minister
describes USDA’s 2018 rice importation report a mischief
Sunday,
November 11, 2018 3:39 pm
November 13, 2018
The Minister of Agriculture and
Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has described as “mischief” the report
credited to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) alleging that
Nigeria imported about three million tonnes of rice in 2018.
According to him, the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has not issued any Letter of Credit (LC) for importation
of rice in 2018.
Ogbeh made the assertion in
Otukpo, Benue State, on the sideline of the distribution of rice and feed
milling machines to farmers in Oja Community of the state on Sunday.
The minister, who was reacting to
a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which alleged
that Nigeria imported about three million tonnes of rice in 2018, described it
as a ‘mischief’.
The minister said that although
smuggling was being perpetrated at the borders, there had not been any
officially approved importation of rice into the country this year.
He, however, challenged the USDA
to prove the authenticity of the claim by providing the details of the company
that had imported rice, details of the paid duty at the port and clearance.
“After that report I went to the
CBN and I met with the governor on Monday and asked him how many Letters of
Credit (LC) they have opened this year for rice importation and he said `not
one’ and you can ask the CBN governor.
“Some of these reports with all
due respect are meant to demoralise our people here.
“Smugglers are smuggling rice, we
fight them, we seize them.
“Official importation of rice is
as low as it ever was except they can tell us which company imported rice, paid
the duty at the port, who cleared it.
“If they don’t, let them give us
more details of what they found.
“With all due respect, I don’t
like some of the comments of some of our foreign firms. Everything we do is
wrong and Nigerians absorb that message.
“If they are talking of smugglers
through the ports in Cotonou, that is a different story, even though I am not
sure that about three million tonnes was imported.
“How do they sit out there and
know what is happening in our ports. It is incredible,” he queried.
The minister said that the
government had cut down on rice importation by 90 per cent.
According to him, Kano has 1,240
rice mills, Kebbi has three giant ones and so is Jigawa, Ebonyi, Anambra and
other states.
On working with rice farmers and
millers to slash the price of locally produced rice, Ogbeh said that the CBN
would give low interest loans to them to help reduce the price.
Two officers suspended in fake paddy purchase scam
Nov 12, 2018, 1:41 AM; last updated: Nov 12, 2018, 5:28 PM
(IST)
THE
TRIBUNE IMPACT
Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 11
The state government has placed the services of
two officers — one employed with Pungrain and the other with Markfed — under
suspension with immediate effect.
The two
officials are accused of having made fake entries for paddy purchase on the
official portal of the state Food and Civil Supplies Department.
Launching a thorough investigation into the
scam, believed to be going on for the past decade, the Food and Civil Supplies
Department has also written to the Secretary, Punjab Mandi Board, asking him to
initiate a probe against their officers and arhtiyas (commission agents)
involved in the scam.
The suspensions
were ordered today by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu
after the scam of fake purchase of paddy was discovered by the department and
highlighted by The Tribune in its news columns.
The two officers
— Vikas Jindal of Pungrain and field officer of Markfed Charanjit Singh — will
be stationed at the headquarters during the course of their suspension so that
they have no access to the records in the mandis and chances of manipulation of
records is minimal.
The government
has also withdrawn the work of procurement from Pungrain and Markfed in the
mandi at Patti - where the alleged scam was unearthed last week.
Anandita Mitra,
Director, Food and Civil Supplies Department, said very limited quantity of
paddy was left to be purchased and the other two food procurement agencies —
Punsup and Punjab Agro Industries Corporation — would carry on with the procurement
at the Patti mandi. Patti is the hometown of former Food and Civil Supplies
Minister Adaish Partap Kairon.
The department
officials had caught the inspectors making entries for purchase of 1.7 lakh
bags of paddy without any paddy actually being purchased.
The Tribune had
highlighted that how a nexus between the arhtiyas, mandi officer, inspector and
rice millers was leading to bogus billing of paddy without any purchase. The
arhtiyas, mandi officer and inspectors make fake entries in the portal for
paddy purchase, following which the money is released by the government. The
miller purchases cheaper paddy from other states, processes it and sends it to
the government. In the process all four make profit.
Mitra said they
had been disturbed at how the acreage under paddy had not gone up, but
procurement was increasing. This shows that procurement increase was affected
only on paper, and the government continued to pay for paddy that was not even
purchased.
·
The two officials — Vikas Jindal of Pungrain and Charanjit
Singh of Markfed — are accused of having made fake entries for paddy purchase
on the official portal of the state Food and Civil Supplies Department.
·
The government has also withdrawn the work of procurement
from Pungrain and Markfed in Patti, where the “scam” was unearthed last week.
Farmers’ union demand CBI probe
Monday, 12 November 2018 | PNS | Moga
Punjab’s farmer organisations on
Sunday demanded a high level probe of large scale paddy purchase “only on
papers and not in stocks” for which payment was also made by the State Food and
Supply Department to the farmers through the commission agent.
Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan)
president Joginder Singh Ugrahan and general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri
demanded that a high level probe of the scam be conducted with immediate
registration of cases against the inspectors of procurement agencies, Food and
Supply Department and also against the commission agents on alleged charge of
cheating and fraud with the State Government and also with the Centre and also
cheating the farmers.
“Rice millers and Punjab Mandi
Board officers and inspectors were also involved in this scam,” they alleged.
Farmer leaders, referring to a
news report, stated that the scam was uncovered on November 6, when the Food
and Civil Supply Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashus received a complaint of large
scale bogus billing.
The Department, when visited Tarn
Taran, found fake purchase of 92,000 bags of paddy by the commission agents in
connivance with one of the Government procurement agency, and another 78,000
bags involving Markfed officials was also found.
They pointed that the commission
agents, mandi board officers and inspectors were uploading entries on the
Department’s official portal, showing paddy purchase, when no actual purchase
is being made.
And when an entry for paddy
purchase by the commission agent was made, the payment is released to them
electronically, while no physical verification of paddy purchase was
undertaken, they added
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/two-officers-suspended-in-fake-paddy-purchase-scam/681721.html
Northern California marks 2018
rice harvest
Weather
held out for northern California's 2018 rice harvest
Weather conditions held out for
northern California's 2018 rice harvest as growers worked their way through
their early-to-late season varieties.
Marysville-area grower Charley
Mathews began harvest of his early crop as morning temperatures began to hint
of a cool-down while daytime highs remained above 90 degrees. Mathews is the
new USA Rice Federation chairman, elected to the post by his peers at a meeting
in Texas last summer.
California produces about 4 billion pounds of rice annually from
roughly 550,000 acres of farmland. About 95 percent of the state's rice
production takes place between Sacramento and Chico. According to the
University of California, rice yields in California can exceed 10,000 pounds
per acre, which is about 20 percent above the national average.
Getting richer, more Indonesians shift to
premium rice
News Desk
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta | Mon, November 12, 2018 | 12:55 pm
Customers browse the rice varieties on offer at the
Cipinang Central Rice Market (PIBC) in East Jakarta in this file photograph.
(Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
Following the consumption trend of
middle-income consumers, rice producers have started to distribute more premium
rice instead of medium-quality rice, a report submitted to the
Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) says.
The report from rice producer PT Buyung
Poetra Sembada (HOKI) shows that the company’s revenue increased 17.78
percent from January to September to Rp 1.06 trillion (US$72.14 million),
compared to figure in the same period last year, which was at Rp 900.05
billion
The report from HOKI, which focuses on
selling premium rice, also shows a 15.6 percent increase from
Rp 941.3 trillion to Rp 1.09 trillion.
Agriculture expert Khudori said that rice
was no longer a single commodity and was not viewed as "inferior" by
middle-class consumers, which preferred to consume premium rice rather than
medium-quality rice.
“In the last few years, the price trend for
rice has been determined more by premium rice, not
medium-quality rice. When the rice price increases, [consumers] did not shift
to rice that were priced lower, instead, they reduced the volume of
their purchases,” Khudori said as quoted by kontan.co.id.
“The [consumer] preference has been
shifting. The government policy, therefore, should also change to be more
effective,” he said.
The number of middle-income consumers has been
growing, and is projected to grow from 40 million at present to 200 million by
2045, said National Development Planning Minister/National Development
Planning Board (Bappenas) head Bambang Prodjonegoro.
A study in April 2016
that involved 1,977 respondents shows the majority of respondents
ranked rice the highest among daily consumption choices. (bbn)
Retreating Planting Season, Rice Prices Expected to be Higher
Early Next Year
Sunday, 11 November 2018 | 07:31 WIB
Illustration: Farmer planting paddy
BANYUMAS, NNC - The rice price on the market has the potential to
increase due to the retreat of the rice planting period in the first planting
season of 2018/2019, said Head of the Representative Office of Bank Indonesia
of Purwokerto Agus Chusaini.
"So there is indeed a potential increase in rice prices at
the beginning of the year, around January-February, the amount of rice
availability will decrease, but the government has imported [rice]. So, God
willing, maybe the [rice] price can be controlled," he said after
attending the first planting in the context of the accelerated movement of rice
planting in Kuntili Village, Sumpiuh Sub-district, Banyumas Regency, Central
Java, Saturday (11/10/2018).
According to him, imports of rice carried out by the government
are intended to anticipate the reduced supply of food in early 2019 due to the
decline of the rice planting season.
Therefore, he expects rice imports that have been carried out by
the government to meet the needs at the beginning of 2019.
"With imports, the government's rice reserves are now
large. So, we hope that at the beginning of the year, reserves will be
sufficient until the next harvest," said Agus.
He acknowledged that until now, the price of rice in the market,
especially the city of Purwokerto, Banyumas Regency, is still relatively
stable, but his side is still observing it.
"Indeed, with the delayed planting, it is possible that the
harvest will also retreat. This is something that needs to be anticipated.
Although the price rises, the increase may still be reasonable, it will not
rise dramatically as in the case of last year [end 2017 to early 2018],"
said he quoted from Antara.
On a separate occasion, the Head of the Banyumas Regency
Agriculture and Food Security Office Widarso admitted if the rice planting
period in the first planting season of 2018/20 was delayed due to the rainy
season's retreat.
Therefore, he said, the acceleration of planting movements as
carried out in Kuntili Village, Sumpiuh Sub-district, Banyumas, could catch up
because previously the planting area in October to November was targeted to
reach 20,000 hectares.
However, until now, he continued, only about 10 percent had been
realized or around 2,000 hectares, so it was hoped that the target could be met
by the end of November.
"What we are worried about is that if the retreat is too
long, the famine will increase (long) and this is a big risk. In January 2018
alone, the price of rice is quite high and lasts quite a long time," he
said.
With the retreat of the planting season as it is now, he
predicts rice production in January 2019 will not be maximized.
Australian firm acquires Vietnamese processing mill
Rice is packaged at the Song Hau Food Company in the Mekong
Delta city of Can Tho (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – SunRice Group has completed the acquisition of a rice processing mill in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, the first direct financial investment of the Australian business in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese Trade Office in Australia cited SunRice as saying that this is an important step towards establishing a fully vertically integrated and sustainable supply chain in Vietnam.
This firm will invest in improving and expanding the mill and purchasing equipment, in order to increase whitening and polishing capacity and to add a new packing line. This will ensure that the mill satisfy high quality and safety standards and customers’ requirements.
The mill is anticipated to be fully operational during the first half of 2019 with a processing capacity of around 260,000 dry paddy tonnes per year.
SunRice CEO Rob Gordon said the purchase of a fully owned mill in Vietnam is the latest in a series of acquisitions and investments that have been made to advance SunRice’s 2022 Growth Strategy.
Myanmar earns over 435 mln USD from rice export
in 7 months
Source:
Xinhua| 2018-11-10 16:13:54|Editor: xuxin
YANGON, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar earned 435.96 million U.S.
dollars from export of rice and broken rice as of Oct. 26 this year, the
Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) said Saturday.
From April 1 to Oct. 26, over 1 million tons of rice was
exported to 43 countries and 251,224 tons of broken rice to 18 foreign
countries, respectively.
About 53.4 percent of rice and broken rice were exported through
border gates while the rest via sea routes during the period.
The country earned over 1.11 billion U.S. dollars from export of
2.89 million tons of rice and 620,696 tons of broken rice in last FY 2017-2018.
About 60 percent of the country's rice exports predominantly go
to neighbouring China mainly through border gates while demand for the
country's rice also comes from other Asian countries, European Union member
states and some African countries.
Nigeria: How
Kebbi Lost 80% of Rice to Flood
Tagged:
By Ismail Adebayo
Birnin Kebbi — It was mixed feelings as farmers in the various
rice-producing communities in Kebbi State began harvest of their rain-fed rice.
Rice production in the lowland Fadama plain areas in the state
was badly affected during the wet season.
The two Fadama areas: River Rima and River Niger flood plains,
are seen as a blessing to rice farmers because of the large quantity of rice
that comes from the areas.
However, in this last wet season, floods in various parts of
Kebbi, were a disaster to the farmers.
Most of the farms along the River Rima and River Niger Fadama
flood plains were taken over by floods leading to over 80 per cent loss by
farmers.
The Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association (RFA) in Kebbi
State, Alhaji Muhammed Sahabi Augie, lamented that production was affected
because of the floods.
Alhaji Muhammed said, "Rice production was affected in the
lowland Fadama areas. Rice farmers' loss along the River Rima plain was huge.
We can put their loss at about 80 per cent and 30 per cent at the River Niger
flood plain. For the upland areas such as Zuru and Yauri, where rice is also
produced in large quantity, the situation was better. There is a need to embark
on intensive and robust dry season rice farming during next year's season to be
able to manage the loss.
"The good thing is that Kebbi farmers produce rice
throughout the year. The rice available can serve millers' at least five to six
months of next year and by that time the farmers would have started harvesting
rice again. I will advise government to open up more areas for rice farmers to
cultivate and embark on aggressive and robust rice production next year. This
will help to make up for the losses and boost rice production in the
state."
Augie said apart from the usual loan assistance the farmers get
from the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), government should create other
interventions through which they could be assisted in order to boost rice production
in the state.
A farmer at the Makera farm area of Birnin Kebbi Local
Government Area told our correspondent that he was able to harvest less than 20
per cent of his rice because the farm was taken over by flood a few weeks
before harvest, and added that, "I was somehow lucky because many of the
farmers here lost everything to the flood."
Myanmar earns almost 436 million USD from rice exports
A worker arranges rice at a warehouse in Yangon, Myanmar (Photo:
Xinhua)
Hanoi (VNA) – Myanmar earned nearly 436 million USD from exporting rice and
broken rice from April 1 to October 26 this year, according to the Myanmar Rice
Federation (MRF).
In the period, the Southeast Asian
country shipped abroad more than 1 million tonnes of rice and nearly 251,230
tonnes of broken rice.
About 53.4 percent of the two types of rice were exported through border gates while the rest via sea routes. The country raked in over 1.11 billion USD from export of 2.89 million tonnes of rice and 620,696 tonnes of broken rice in the fiscal year 2017-2018.
About 53.4 percent of the two types of rice were exported through border gates while the rest via sea routes. The country raked in over 1.11 billion USD from export of 2.89 million tonnes of rice and 620,696 tonnes of broken rice in the fiscal year 2017-2018.
China is the leading rice export
market of Myanmar, accounting about 60 percent, while demand for the country's
rice also comes from other Asian countries, European Union members and some
African countries.
Aside from rice, Myanmar also
boosts exports of other products, including peas, aquatic products,
garment-textile, timber and wooden products, and rubber, a move to decrease the
country’s trade deficit.
The Asian Development Outlook 2018,
published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has updated Myanmar's estimated
economic figures, saying that the country's growth rate of gross domestic
product (GDP) is 6.6 percent for 2018, and 7 percent for 2019.
Myanmar's inflation rate is 6.2
percent for 2018 and 6 percent for 2019 respectively. Meanwhile, the current
account balance deficit is 3 percent of GDP in 2018, and 4 percent in 2019.
-VNA
India's
rice exports drop in April-September, pulses surge: government body
NOVEMBER 12, 2018 / 3:13 PM
A farmer winnows rice in a field on
the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, November 4, 2016. REUTERS/Amit Dave
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India’s rice
exports dropped 9.6 percent to 5.8 million tonnes between April and September
from a year earlier, as leading buyer Bangladesh trimmed purchases due to
bumper local harvest, a government body said.
The country’s buffalo meat exports
during the period edged down 0.5 percent from a year ago to 618,559 tonnes, the
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority said.Guar
gum exports rose 5 percent to 265,195 tonnes on robust demand from the United
States.India is the world’s biggest exporter of buffalo meat, guar gum and
rice.
The country’s exports of pulses more
than doubled during the period to 171,656 tonnes, while dairy exports surged
39.3 percent to 66,462 tonnes, the agency said.Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav;
Editing by Gopakumar Warrier
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Rice Prices
as on : 12-11-2018 11:07:40 AM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in
Rs/quintal in domestic market.
Arrivals
|
Price
|
|||||
Current
|
%
change |
Season
cumulative |
Modal
|
Prev.
Modal |
Prev.Yr
%change |
|
Rice
|
||||||
Cachar(ASM)
|
60.00
|
50
|
5602.00
|
2400
|
2400
|
9.09
|
Hapur(UP)
|
60.00
|
NC
|
2490.00
|
2520
|
2480
|
10.53
|
Panchpedwa(UP)
|
26.00
|
4
|
544.00
|
2220
|
2220
|
-
|
Ruperdeeha(UP)
|
6.00
|
NC
|
278.00
|
1600
|
1600
|
-
|
Dibrugarh(ASM)
|
3.60
|
-28
|
761.70
|
2920
|
2920
|
29.78
|
Khairagarh(UP)
|
0.80
|
14.29
|
118.20
|
2560
|
2560
|
1.59
|
Achnera(UP)
|
0.70
|
NC
|
23.40
|
2560
|
2560
|
0.39
|
Jagnair(UP)
|
0.60
|
-14.29
|
85.60
|
2550
|
2550
|
0.39
|
Published on November 12, 2018
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rice-prices/article25473236.ece
http://www.uniindia.com/farmers-union-demand-cbi-probe-in-punjab-s-biggest-paddy-scam/north/news/1402260.html
India Mulls Barter System to Export Rice to Iran
India's
payment system with Iran is being relaxed further for basmati rice exports.
This comes after the US allowed India to continue importing crude oil from Iran
and develop Chabahar Port.
Now, India is
finalizing guidelines for exporting basmati rice to its largest
importer—Iran—on a rupee payment basis, Business Standard reported.
The move has
come as a positive development for exporters who are paying a higher price for
procuring basmati.
Last year,
India exported $4.17 billion worth of basmati rice and Iran was the largest
buyer of rice with $905 million. In the first five months of 2018-19, exports
have already crossed $2 billion and Iran continues to be the largest buyer for
India followed by Saudi Arabia.
When the US
announced sanctions against Iran, Indian farmers had already increased area
under basmati but exporters were cautious. However, the recent exemption for
Iran followed by easing of the payment crisis has lifted the sentiments of
basmati exporters.
“Higher paddy
price this season has put some pressure on the retail price, especially if you
consider that there is recession in the global market. However, there has been
some stabilization now and we expect a good basmati export cycle this year,”
Kohinoor Foods joint managing director, Gurnam Arora, said.
He added that
the "Iran issue" had also been resolved to a large extent and traders
have been allowed to barter deals and consignments valued in rupee terms.
“The
guidelines are being formulated and we are confident that Iranian basmati
imports would start soon.”
Iran normally
opens its market for basmati import by mid November after taking into account
its domestic production and demand matrices.
All-India
Rice Exporters Association Executive Director Vinod Kaul claimed that although
some of the basmati crop had been damaged, it was not significant and that the
final assessment was being done.
“The new
basmati crop has started coming to the market and we are confident that Iran would
account for about 1 million tons of exports this season,” he said.
India is also
bullish about the prospects of the Chinese market, although it basically
imports non-basmati rice varieties now. Recently, a buyer-seller meet was
organized in China, where five to six Indian rice exporters had participated
even as the country approved 24 domestic rice millers.
However, the
Chinese basmati market would still take some years before it
"matures" for domestic exporters, Arora said.
China is the
world’s largest producer and importer of rice and procures about 5 million tons
every year. India has estimated a potential sale of 1 million tons of rice to
China. The country planned to boost rice and sugar exports to narrow the trade
gap with China.
Recently,
five new Indian rice mills were cleared for exporting non-basmati rice to
China, taking the total to 24 rice mills. In May 2018, Chinese officials had
inspected rice mills capable of exporting non-basmati rice.
Basmati
exporters have also been exploring other markets like the US, European Union
and Latin America. Yet, the results have not been encouraging.
Last year,
total basmati exports from India stood at little over 4 million tons with
almost 80% of the consignment going to West Asian countries, led by Iran. However,
exporters are still unsure if last year’s export figures would be matched.
Following
better global demand last year, farmers had increased sowing and sown new
basmati varieties like 1401, 1509, apart from the 1121 type. “Sowing has
increased but quality has been affected. This was because pest attack lowered
the yield, resulting in higher market price at a time when Iran hopes have
revived,” said Devendr Vora, director of Friendship Traders, a new Bombay-based
trader-exporter.
As a result
of high export demand and lower-than-expected crop (perhaps be due to quality),
the market is bullish.
Domestically,
Haryana and Punjab account for 40-45% of the total basmati production in India,
followed by Uttar Pradesh at 10-15%. India’s net rice exports (including
basmati) increased from 10.8 to 12.7 million tons last year, thus allowing the
country to retain the top slot in the commodity’s global trade.
