Minnesota governor sides with environmentalists on
pipeline
By STEVE KARNOWSKI -
2/12/19 3:04 PM
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Gov.
Tim Walz said Tuesday that his administration will keep pursuing an appeal of
an independent regulatory commission’s approval of Enbridge Energy’s plan to
replace its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota, siding
with environmental and tribal groups in his biggest decision since becoming
governor last month.
The state Public Utilities
Commission approved the project last summer. Then-Gov. Mark Dayton’s Department
of Commerce appealed that
decision in December, as did several groups
opposed to the project. The Minnesota Court of Appeals last
week dismissed those appeals as premature and sent the dispute back to the
commission for further proceedings. That move forced the Walz
administration to take a stand by Tuesday after weeks of
studying whether to continue to appeal or let the matter drop.
The Commerce Department argued
under Dayton that Enbridge failed to provide legally adequate long-range demand
forecasts to establish the need for the project, but the commission concluded
the Calgary, Alberta-based company met its requirements. Other groups fighting
the project say it threatens oil spills in pristine waters in the Mississippi
River headwaters region where Native Americans harvest wild rice and claim
treaty rights, and that it would aggravate climate change.
“When it comes to any project
that impacts our environment and our economy, we must follow the process, the
law, and the science,” Walz said in a statement. “The Dayton administration’s
appeal of the PUC’s decision is now a part of this process. By continuing that
process, our administration will raise the Department of Commerce’s concerns to
the court in hopes of gaining further clarity for all involved.”
While Line 3 opponents applauded
Walz for heeding the department’s concerns, Republican legislative leaders said
the Democratic governor made a big mistake. Enbridge said it expects to
ultimately prevail.
Enbridge wants to replace Line 3,
which was built in the 1960s, because it’s increasingly subject to cracking and
corrosion, so it can run at only about half its original capacity. It says the
replacement will ensure reliable deliveries of Canadian crude to Midwest
refineries. It’s already in the process of replacing the Canadian segments and
is running the short segment in Wisconsin that ends at its terminal in
Superior.
Walz had been under increasing
pressure to decide whether to fight Enbridge’s plan. On Friday, faith leaders connected
with Interfaith Power and Light gathered in his office to urge an appeal and
left gifts of wild rice, while a mostly Republican group of 77 lawmakers sent
him a letter urging him to let the project move forward. Last month ,
a group of scientists went to Walz’s office to say the project would worsen
climate change by facilitating further use of fossil fuels.
The appeals court said the next
step for opponents was to refile petitions for reconsideration with the
commission.
At a news conference with other
Republican lawmakers, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said he was
frustrated and surprised that the governor decided to keep up the legal fight.
“It only further delays a project that we think will inevitably happen. … The
science is sure that this would be environmentally much safer, to replace a
51-year-old pipe with a new pipe,” he said.
Minnesota House Republican
Minority Leader Kurt Daudt issued a statement saying Walz is “throwing up
unnecessary roadblocks” to a project that will create jobs and generate
property tax revenue.
Opponents of Line 3 urged Walz
not to buckle.
“This dirty tar sands pipeline
would threaten our clean water, communities, and climate, all for the sake of
more oil our state does not need. We will continue to urge the administration
to do everything in their power to stop Line 3,” Margaret Levin, director of
the Minnesota chapter of the Sierra Club, said in a statement.
Enbridge called the decision
“unfortunate” but said it will continue working with the administration to
secure the necessary permits to begin construction while the challenges
proceed. While Walz does not control the independent commission, he does
control state agencies that issue the permits Enbridge will need.
“The Commission’s approval came
at the end of a thorough review of the facts, spanning four years, thousands of
hours of environmental and cultural study, and substantial public comments. Enbridge
believes the Commission will deny petitions for reconsideration as they have in
the past,” the company said in a statement.
Tax, Rice
and Central Bank Bills Are Piling Up on Duterte's Desk
By Siegfrid Alegado and Andreo Calonzo
February 13, 2019, 3:00 AM GMT+5
Photographer:
Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images
Philippines President Rodrigo
Duterte’s signature is all that’s needed to enact bills that will allow more
rice imports, boost the central bank’s capital and grant the first tax amnesty
in a decade.
But these economic measures, along with more than two dozen bills, are piling
up and awaiting Duterte’s final approval. Under the law, bills that are neither
signed nor vetoed by the president will lapse into law 30 days after they were
transmitted by Congress.
The bill that will remove import restrictions on rice and is counted
on to help damp inflation was transmitted to Duterte’s office on Jan. 16 and
will lapse into law on Feb. 15, unless the president vetoes it. Agriculture
Secretary Emmanuel Pinol said last month that he had asked the president
to make changes on
the rice measure.
Senate President Tito Sotto said he
doesn’t know what has happened to the rice bill. Presidential spokesman
Salvador Panelo said he hasn’t gotten any word on the status of the pending
pieces of legislation. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea hasn’t answered
calls and text messages seeking comment.
“It’s imperative that the president
gets them through to law,” said Nicholas Mapa, a senior economist at ING Groep
NV in Manila. “Their passage could send a signal to investors that Duterte is
indeed a man of action.”
Key Pending Measures
·
A
rice reform bill allowing more imports is seen by policy makers to shave off
about one percentage point from annual inflation. In 2018, a rice shortage
along with higher taxes and elevated oil prices pushed inflation to the fastest
pace in nine years and triggered a 175-basis-point increase in the central
bank’s policy rate.
·
Amendments
to the central bank’s charter will increase its capital to 200 billion pesos
($3.8 billion) and also expand its regulatory powers to cover payment systems
operators and foreign exchange companies.
·
The
first tax
amnesty since 2007 is estimated to raise about 41 billion pesos
in additional revenue.
Duterte
Wants to Rename the Philippines in Break From Colonial Past
By Andreo Calonzo
February 12, 2019, 7:58 AM GMT+5 Updated on February 12, 2019, 9:30 AM GMT+5
Philippines President Rodrigo
Duterte is advocating to change the nation’s name one day to “Maharlika” to
move away from the country’s colonial links.
Duterte’s call echoes a push by the
late dictator Ferdinand Marcos to call the nation “Maharlika,” which in the
local language means nobility. The country, which was under Spanish rule for
more than 300 years, derived its name from Spain’s King Philip II.
Rodrigo Duterte
Photographer: Toshifumi Kitamura/Pool via Bloomberg
Senate President Tito Sotto said
Duterte’s idea would entail rewriting the Constitution and will require too
many changes. Duterte has also been pushing for changes in the nation’s charter
and shift to a federal form of government.
“Someday, let’s change it,” Duterte
said on Monday after distributing land titles in the Muslim-majority province
of Maguindanao. “Marcos was right. He wanted to change it to Maharlika because
that’s a Malay word.”
Marcos, who was ousted from power
by a peaceful uprising more than three decades ago, first suggested the name
change to promote nationalism after he placed the Philippines under military
rule.
— With assistance by Ian C Sayson
Butterfly effect: How rice
tariffication bill affects everyone
Anna Gabriela A. Mogato
Published 10:01 AM, February 13, 2019
Updated 10:01 AM, February 13, 2019
CHAIN REACTION. Other industries
which make use of byproducts from the rice industry are also at risk of being
affected by the Rice Tariffication bill if passed into law without changes.
File photo by Jay Directo/AFP
MANILA, Philippines – It will be
like domino tiles falling one after the other. While the rice tarrification
bill will directly affect the rice industry, other businesses which make use of
byproducts from rice will inevitably also feel its consequences.
The rice tariffication bill, or
Senate Bill 1998, which will allow uninhibited rice importation, is due to be
signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, February 15. Only a
presidential veto can stop the bill from becoming law. (READ: Duterte open to changes in rice tariffication bill)
By removing the quantitative
restrictions, imported rice coming from Southeast Asian countries will be
slapped with a 35% tariff, while imported rice coming from other countries will
be imposed a higher tariff rate. (READ: Higher inflation in 2019 if rice tariffication not passed –
Diokno)
While this will result in
imported rice becoming more expensive, the flood of imported grains will still
threaten local produce.
Orly Manuntag, spokesperson of
the Confederation of Grains Retailers Association of the Philippines
Incorporated (Grecon), told Rappler that there will undoubtedly be a spillover
effect on other sectors if the rice tariffication bill becomes law without
amendments.
Grecon, along with other
representatives of various sectors in the industry, got an audience with
Duterte and other economic managers last week, and was able to air grievances
about the bill.
While it has its good points, the lack of government regulation worries
stakeholders.
Aside from the obvious
displacement of rice farmers, National Food Authority (NFA) employees, and some
90,000 accredited NFA rice retailers nationwide, Manuntag said the deregulation
of rice imports goes beyond the industry.
Here are the businesses and
industries that will be affected by liberalized rice importation:
Millers
There are around 6,600 registered
rice millers all over the country, employing 55,000 workers. Industry
stakeholders, in a position paper, said that a complete milling facility costs
from P30 million to P50 million. This would place the value of the whole
industry itself at P200 billion to P300 billion.
"This whopping amount is
primarily sourced from commercial bank borrowings with corresponding interest
charges," the position paper read.
However, Manuntag noted that
taking out these loans will be meaningless if the mills will not be used at
all.
"Where will the millers
bring their facilities if they can't buy unhusked rice from the farmers because
these farmers refused to plant rice anymore?" he said in Filipino.
Should there be no local unmilled
rice left for millers to process, the worst case scenario would be the millers
defaulting on their bank loans.
Animal feeds and beer industry
A byproduct of the rice milling
process, the rice bran is used for making animal and aquaculture feeds. A
shortage in local unhusked rice production would also mean there would be a
drop in byproduct.
Manuntag said that if feedmills
produce less, it would cause an increase in the prices of pork and chicken.
The latest report from the
Philippine Statistics Authority showed that livestock production during the
months of October to December 2018 alone was worth P91.9 billion, while poultry
production during the same time period amounted to P60.7 billion.
Another byproduct which comes
from the milling process is the brewer's rice or binlid,
which is used in manufacturing alcoholic drinks, particularly beer.
Biomass, construction industry
A drop in local rice output will
also mean a decrease in rice hull, which is used as fuel for biomass furnaces
used in the provinces to provide electricity. Rice hulls are also used as a
binder for cement and land fillers.
"[W]e have a lot
of biomass energy facilities all over the Philippines. There are some who
depend on biomass and if it fails to provide energy, then the electricity rates
will rise," Manuntag said.
What now?
In an ambush interview last
Friday, February 8, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol told reporters that
while the Department of Agriculture (DA) cannot appeal in behalf of the
industry, they were ordered by Duterte to collate the stakeholders' requests.
Other government agencies tasked
to simplify the rice industry's request were the Department of Finance, the
National Economic and Development Authority, and the Department of Trade and
Industry.
But this does not give assurances
that there will be changes made in the bill even after all the pleas from the
private sector.
"[I]t will [still] be the
President’s call. I don’t want to second-guess what action he will take,"
Piñol said.
"But having said that he’s
willing to listen, I would assume that he’s willing to consider some changes as
to how those changes will be implemented, that’s up to him."
The position paper, which
contains the stakeholders' proposals, was submitted on Monday, February 11.
Both the government and the
stakeholders know that the lifting of the quantitative restrictions on rice
imports has long been due, but how the law will allow it – and protect the
interests of those affected by it – is being contested.
"[Lifting the import
restrictions] is our commitment to the [World Trade Organization] but we are
just asking for a little more study on the total deregulation…especially for
the stability of the buying price of the palay," Piñol said on
Tuesday, February 12, during a chance interview after a meeting with sugar
industry stakeholders who are also facing possible deregulation in sugar imports.
Piñol was referring to the NFA's
possible inability to sustain its function of buying from farmers as it cannot
make borrowings anymore for its procurement program.
"Because right now, the
buying price for palay dropped at P14 to P15
[per kilo]. You have to understand that if the buying price for palay drops, it
is also a headache for DA because the farmers will get mad," he added.
With a few days left before the
deadline, there is nothing to do but wait for Duterte's decision.
"We did our best to convey
to the President the appeal of the Filipino people. [A]ng pag-uusap sa bigas ang pag-uusap ng sambayanang Pilipino," Manuntag said. (Conversations about rice are a national
conversation.)
"We are confident that we
will be listened to, but if nothing changes, hindi kami nagkulang (we did not lack in anything). We tried our best." – Rappler.com
Exporters blame EU tariffs for 5
pct drop in rice shipments
Sum Manet / Khmer Times
Rice exports in January saw a
small decline that exporters have blamed on the European Union’s decision last
month to impose tariffs on local rice.
Last month, Cambodia exported
59,625 tonnes of rice to international markets, a 5 percent drop compared to
January 2018, according to a report issued yesterday by the Secretariat of One
Window Service for Rice Export Formality.
The same report points out that
the EU bought 20,000 tonnes of Cambodian rice in January, which is around 40
percent of all Cambodian rice exports. China bought about the same amount.
. .
In January, the European
Commission decided to re-impose tariffs on rice coming from Cambodia and
Myanmar to protect farmers in Europe, whom the European Union believed to be at
a disadvantage.
During the first year, the EU is
levying 175 euros ($199.5) per tonne on imports of Cambodian rice. 150 euros
($171) will be charged in the second year, and 125 euros ($142.5) in the last.
Hun Lak, vice president of
Cambodia Rice Federation, said orders of Cambodian rice abroad saw a decline
last month because international buyers were busy preparing for holidays like
the Chinese New Year and the Vietnamese New Year, but also because the EU
tariffs went into effect.
“These factors led to a slight
decline in rice exports,” he said, adding that rice exports to the EU remained
large because a lot of European buyers had placed their orders before the
tariffs kicked in.
Cambodian rice. KT/Chor Sokunthea
He said the real impact of the
tariffs will be felt in February and following months, but had some room for
optimism.
. .
“Exports to the EU are likely to
decrease, but it will really depend on whether consumers continue to choose
Cambodian rice despite the price increase. We have to wait and see,” he said.
Mr Lak stressed the need to
diversify away from the EU market and to make local rice more competitive
internationally by reducing production costs.
Chan Sokheang, chairman and CEO
of Signatures of Asia, said the 5 percent decline was not alarming, adding that
the worst is still to come.
He estimated that last month only
20 to 25 percent of Cambodian rice shipped to Europe was taxed.
“What really worries us is
February and March, when the tariffs will have a bigger impact. We hope the
loss in shipments to the EU can be offset by more exports to China.”
. .
Mr Sokheang said his company did
not see a drop in sales in January but that it is likely to be a different
story this month.
Another rice exporter contacted
by Khmer Times and who asked for anonymity said, “Exports decreased last month
because the EU is our biggest buyer. Unfortunately, the tariffs are likely to
have a much larger impact in upcoming months.
“Our company saw a 3 to 4 percent
decline in orders from the EU in January,” the exporter said, adding that some
European buyers are now choosing to buy rice from producers in Thailand and
Vietnam instead of Cambodia.
Cambodia exported 626,225 tonnes
of rice to international markets in 2018, a drop of 1.5 percent compared to
2017.
Why rice self-sufficiency has
such a grip on the Indonesian public imagination
(MENAFN - The Conversation) Being
known by the Indonesian public to support importing rice over self-sufficiency
can jeopardise a politician's place in Indonesian politics. Recently,
supporters of Prabowo Subianto, President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's opponent in
the country's upcoming election, tried to attack the incumbent using this
issue.
An economist in Prabowo's camp,
Dradjad Wibowo, criticised Jokowi for having a ' hobby of importing rice '.
Dradjad claimed that Jokowi has imported the largest amount of rice since the
New Order regime. The agriculture minister has refuted this.
Interestingly, no officials in Jokowi's
administration has appeared to refute an allegation Prabowo made during the
televised presidential debate of January 2019 that elements within Jokowi's
government were benefiting financially (that is, illegally) from rice imports.
That political insiders have
taken advantage of state-controlled rice imports in Indonesia has long been an
open secret. So what may have transpired under Jokowi was nothing new.
That both presidential candidates
have pledged to achieve self-sufficiency in rice, just as they did during the
2014 election campaign, is also to be expected.
Self-sufficiency: a difficult promise to keep
It is exceedingly difficult to
pinpoint why today's politicians in Indonesia cling to a policy of
self-sufficiency in the country's primary staple food when the country has so
rarely achieved this feat on an annual basis.
The simple answer is because the
policy seems to be popular. But why? Why is the idea of reaching rice
self-sufficiency so popular among the public? Why is it political suicide for a
national politician to support a policy that aims to increase the annual supply
of foreign rice?
After all, according to many
mainstream (admittedly mostly foreign) economists, doing so would bring many
benefits . Since foreign rice, mostly sourced from Vietnam and Thailand, is
more cheaply produced, lower rice prices in Indonesia would amount to less
household spending on this staple food among the poor.
In turn, the poor could spend
more on food with higher nutritional content than white rice, on health care
and on their children's education. This does not only apply to the urban poor.
Because many rural poor, even small-scale rice farmers, remain net consumers of
rice, cheaper foreign rice would reduce rural poverty as well .
Lastly, by suspending expensive
rice self-sufficiency efforts – Jokowi oversaw significant state spending to
build a few dozen reservoirs to increase rice production – the government would
be able to spend public money elsewhere.
For example, the government could
use the money to help marginal farmers who might be forced to sell their crop
at lower prices. Public funding could be used for income support or for
extension services to help growers shift to crops of higher value than rice.
Both possibilities, it seems, would make inroads into rural poverty.
The populism of rice self-sufficiency
Several reasons have been
proposed for why self-sufficiency in rice remains so popular.
Some suggest the public just does
not realise that higher rice prices actually hurt the rural poor since they
believe what the government tells them — that higher domestic prices mean the
farmer will receive more money for his crop. This might be true for the
large-scale farmers, but they are small in number.
Others insist that the rice
milling lobby is behind self-sufficiency. Higher domestic production means more
milling and therefore more profits.
Officials from the National Food
Security Council that I interviewed highlighted the simmering nostalgia for the
glory days of the New Order, especially when under Soeharto in the mid-1980s
Indonesia last achieved rice self-sufficiency, albeit briefly.
The populism generated by
Indonesia's competitive elections may also play a role here.
Yet these factors are also found
in regional neighbours that share similarities with Indonesia. Malaysia and the
Philippines, for example, also grow rice in abundance yet rely on imports to
fulfil national requirements. There, high domestic rice prices hurt the poor as
well.
These two countries rely on state
agencies to import rice, which leads to considerable rent-seeking. Milling
lobbies are robust in the Philippines and Malaysia as well. These two countries
also experienced impressive production spurts during the Green Revolution of
the 1970s and 1980s, and each has competitive electoral regimes that have
spurred populist sentiments.
But, significantly, new
governments in Malaysia and the Philippines have taken concrete steps toward
liberalising their rice trade policies. This means extinguishing dreams of
achieving rice self-sufficiency. In short, they have begun serious discussions
to revoke the monopoly import licences of their rice parastatals in order to
involve more private traders in the buying and selling of imported rice.
While it is uncertain precisely
what will come of these policy changes, one thing is sure — neither Jokowi nor
Prabowo between now and the April election will make pledges like this. In
Indonesia, the rice self-sufficiency dream remains alive.
A legacy of nationalism
Indonesia's current
distinctiveness might lie with the legacy of the country's nationalist,
anti-colonial movement, and specifically the central role the rice peasant
holds as a stirring symbol of independence.
Soekarno, Indonesia's first
president, famously espoused an ideology of Marhaenism, where the average, poor
Indonesian (read Javanese) peasant embodied the ideals of self-sufficiency and
perseverance in the face of aggressive, foreign intrusion.
This belief, ironically carried
forth by Soeharto who liked to portray himself as the patron of the Indonesian
peasant, continues to resonate powerfully in Indonesia. Idolisation of the rice
peasant was absent or less prominent in the ethnically fractured nationalist
movement of Malaya/Malaysia, and in the oligarchic, top-down, elite-controlled
movement in the Philippines.
In short, it falls on us to
consider how specific histories and ideologies continue to shape critical
public policies in Indonesia and elsewhere. Liberalisation can be achieved
easily with the stroke of a pen. Altering creeds rooted in one's nationalist
past cannot be as easily undone.
Rice Election
MENAFN1202201901990000ID1098106945
WORLD
India’s rice export prices higher on African demand
RECORDER REPORT FEB 12TH, 2019 MUMBAI
Rice export prices in India edged higher this week on buying from
Africa, while a strengthening baht trimmed demand for the Thai variety as
activity was muted across most Asian hubs due to the Lunar New Year holiday.
Prices for top exporter India's benchmark 5-percent broken parboiled variety
rose to $383-$388 per tonne from last week's $381-$386 range.
While there is demand from buyers in Africa, many customers held
back on purchases, hoping for lower prices, said an exporter based at Kakinada
in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Export prices in India had shot up
after the central state of Chhattisgarh, a leading rice producer, raised
minimum paddy buying prices to 2,500 rupees ($34.99) per 100 kg from 1,750
rupees.
India's rice exports between April and December dropped 10.2
percent from a year earlier to 8.46 million tonnes, a government body said
earlier this week. In Thailand, the second biggest rice exporter, benchmark
5-percent broken rice price were quoted at $390-$402, free on board Bangkok,
unchanged from last week.
"Thai rice prices are too high because of the exchange rate,
which makes it less competitive to other exporters like India and
Vietnam," a Bangkok-based rice trader said.
Traders said they hoped an influx of supply this month will help
lower the price. The Thai baht has been the best performing currency in Asia
this year, translating into higher export prices in US dollars. "Indonesia
demand has been quiet so far, but the Philippines could be the market for Thai
rice," another Bangkok-based trader said. "But so far there has been
no order."
Trade in Thailand was quiet because of the Lunar new year, while
Vietnamese markets were shut for the holiday. Prices for Vietnam's 5-percent
broken rice stood around $350 in the week ending February 1. Elsewhere in Asia,
Bangladesh saw imports slowing in the July-January period owing to the
imposition of a tax on rice imports in June, the country's food ministry data
showed.
The south Asian country, which emerged as a major importer in 2017
after floods damaged crops, imposed the 28 percent duty to support its farmers
after local production revived. Bangladesh imported a record 3.9 million tonnes
of rice in the 2017-2018 financial year that ended in June 2018.
Rice tarrification a commitment to WTO: Piñol
By
Lilybeth Ison February
12, 2019, 8:17 pm
MANILA -- Agriculture Secretary
Emmanuel "Manny" Piñol said the proposed rice tariffication measure,
which is expected to be signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte sometime
soon, is a commitment of the country to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
"The DA has very clear
position to support the rice tariffication. There's no way we cannot support
that as it is our commitment to the WTO," said Piñol in an interview at
the sidelines of the Sugar Summit held Tuesday at the Bureau of Soils and Water
Management (BSWM).
He, however, stressed that there is
a need to study the effect of total deregulation especially on the stability of
rice prices.
"We were just asking for a
little more study on the indemnification of the total deregulation, especially
on the stability of the buying price of palay. Right now, it dropped to
PHP14-15," he said.
"If the price of palay
decreases, sakit din ng ulo namin sa DA kasi magrereklamo ang mga
farmers," he added.
Piñol said the only way to arrest
that is "to allow NFA (National Food Authority) to continue buying from
the farmers at an indicated support price which we are doing right now."
"The only problem is that NFA
might not be able to sustain the procurement of rice given the fact it will no
longer be allowed under the proposed bill to make borrowings," he said.
In a statement by the Philippine
Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI), it said that the country's
agriculture is at an important crossroads.
"How the rice farmers will be
treated will determine how the rest of the sectors will be so treated. Since
rice is the most political of commodities, if the government will be seen as
having abandoned the rice farmers to the ravages of unfair trade so that
consumers can savor the magic of the market (which they haven’t even with the
1995 shock liberalization), then investments in the sector will shrink,"
it said.
Senator Cynthia Villar earlier said
that the President has already certified as urgent the rice tariffication bill
to protect Filipino farmers from the influx of imported grains as a result of
the removal of quantitative restriction (QR) being imposed by the WTO.
Villar, chair of the Senate
committee on agriculture and food, said that farmers were being misled by some
groups who are against tariffication to protect their own vested interests.
“Unlike claims that tariffication
will result to flooding of imported rice to Philippine market, this will make
such importation beneficial to local rice producers," she said.
The rice industry, Villar said, is
set to be liberalized due to expiration of QR on June 30, 2017.
"Pag nag-liberalize ka nang
walang tariff, kawawa ang mga farmers (When you liberalize without tariff, the
farmers will suffer)," she said.
Under the Rice Tariffication Bill,
a PHP10-billion a year Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) will be
allocated for five years.
This funding will be channeled
through the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization,
Philippine Rice Research Institute, and Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority as well as other agencies tasked to upgrade farmers
technology and know-how.
PCAFI, however, said that these are
supposedly the safety nets, but "experience teaches that even safety nets
provided for by law can be undermined by ideology and poor governance."
"These safety nets seemed to
be more for show because up to now the government has no trade data system to
determine if an importation is in accordance with the rules of the WTO in terms
of valuation and trade remedies, if any," it added. (PNA)
The pain of
not planning ahead
By
-
February 13, 2019
Last updated on February
13th, 2019 at 12:12 am
‘Bahala na” is a popular
expression in the Philippines, reflecting the propensity of Filipinos to take
risks or take leaps of faith, never mind the consequences. Filipinos believe
that all it takes is “lakas ng loob” or courage. Be it a new business venture
or a career move, Filipinos will say bahala na. This bahala na mentality is
also pervasive among our bureaucrats. And nowhere is this more evident than in
the way the government is currently handling the country’s shift to an open
rice market.
This shift is not something that
is happening overnight; it is inevitable because this is the commitment of the
Philippine government to the World Trade Organization. The quantitative
restriction (QR) on rice, which has allowed Manila to limit the volume of rice
that the Philippines can import, will be removed 24 years after the country
joined the WTO. With the removal of the rice QR, farmers and consumers will be
at the mercy of the international market.
The government should have rolled
out the necessary interventions to help farmers cope with the removal of a
nontariff measure that has protected them for decades. And these interventions
should have been put in place right after the Philippines became a member of
the WTO on January 1, 1995. But a comprehensive strategy, one that would enable
rice farmers to compete with their foreign counterparts, is yet to be crafted.
The rice QR, or the import cap,
would be converted into tariffs after President Duterte signs the bill
mandating its removal. The bill, which was approved by the bicameral conference
committee, would automatically lapse into law on February 15 if the President
will not act on it. As expected, those affected by the measure—farmers, rice
millers and retailers—are up in arms against it.
The significance of the proposed
Rice Tariffication Act may have been lost on many of our bureaucrats. Take for
example the crafting of a road map that details strategies to assist rice
farmers. It is mind-boggling, to say the least, that the road map will only be
rolled out after the enactment of the rice tariff bill.
We hope the government has a good
reason for not crafting the road map, and pray this is not a case of bahala na
mentality.
Also, pronouncements that the
government did not study the impact of the provisions of the bill, such as the
exit of the National Food Authority from the domestic rice market, won’t
placate stakeholders or put them at ease. (See, “No rice price
spikes despite NFA power removal, says Neda,” in the BusinessMirror, February
11, 2019.) Opening up a market that sustains 2.4 million
Filipino farmers and thousands of millers and retailers sans a plan in place to
ease the transition will likely kill their livelihood. Rice millers had warned
that the bill would even hurt banks, as the projected decline in palay output
will cause them to go out of business and may eventually default on their
commercial loans. (See, “Banks to feel more
pain from rice tariff bill than default of Hanjin,” in the BusinessMirror,
February 5, 2019).
The government had 24 years to
prepare for the day when the Philippines would finally give up the rice QR. And
the full impact of the removal of the nontariff measure will only be felt
later. We hope the road map and the rules that will implement the proposed rice
tariffication act will mitigate its adverse impact on a sector that has
anchored the performance of Philippine agriculture for decades.
February 13, 2019 9.48am AEDT
Three sisters (winter squash, maize and climbing beans) summer
garden at the University of Guelph. (Hannah Tait Neufeld), Author provided
As we learn more about climate
change, this knowledge can be paralyzing, especially for young
people who are contemplating life pathways.
Indigenous land-based learning offers
an avenue for hope, embedded in action. This approach has been taken up in recent
years by a number of post-secondary
institutions in Canada and internationally.
This is the focus of our work —
as mixed ancestry (Hannah), Anishinaabe (Brittany) and Metis (Kim) scholars at
the University of Guelph in Ontario. According to Indigenous ways of
knowing, we are only as healthy as
our environments. And so our research addresses sustainable food
practices that feed the well-being of
“all our relations:” human, land, spirit.
Using food as a starting point
for action, we have launched a community-based research program — to promote
conversations and opportunities across geographic and social spaces that forge and rekindle
relationships focused on traditional foodways.
This work starts with
relationships, and it involves labour — both of which are critical to Indigenous pedagogy.
With Indigenous community partners, we engage social science, nutrition and
engineering students in hands-on work in Indigenous food and medicine gardens
and in manomin (wild rice) fields.
This enables us to focus on
time-honoured relationships in our homelands and university lands while
preparing for the future.
‘Green shoots that grow after a
fire’
The relationship that Indigenous
peoples have with the land encourages practices and traditions that perpetuate
healthy families and communities. On- and off-reserve, momentum is building
and communities want to be
involved in building opportunities for learning and social
interactions around food.
In collaboration with other
Indigenous faculty, students and a growing urban network, we have been working
to expand gardens in the wider Grand River Territory and
at the University of Guelph — on the ancestral lands of the Attawandaron people
and the treaty lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. We work
together to strengthen land-based relationships and local food sovereignty.
In an effort to address community
needs in southwestern Ontario, our on-going research is designed to engage a
diverse group of partners, collaborators and knowledge users. Garden sites have
been established with the assistance of the local Indigenous community at
the University of Guelph Arboretum —
to address food access and knowledge barriers and explore innovative land-based education and
practices.
Since the spring of 2018, a group of committed community
members, faculty and students have planted and nurtured edible and medicinal
plants. The gardens are known collectively as Wisahkotewinowak, which means
“green shoots that grow after a fire.”
The garden brings together
community agencies such as: the Grand River Métis Council, White Owl Native Ancestry Association and Global Youth Volunteer Network. Elder-led workshops
on medicinal plants, and preservation methods have taken place throughout the
four seasons.
This project has strengthened
inter-generational and inter-regional relationships. Using food as a starting
point, conversations and opportunities for sharing allow people to share their
knowledge and to forge relationships with the land and each other.
Histories of loss offer clues for
regrowth
In some cases, however,
environmental change has limited the ability of Elders to pass on traditional
knowledge through hands-on activities such as planting and harvesting foods.
Such is the case at Dalles 38C
Indian Reserve from which Brittany’s Anishinaabe ancestors originate. Upstream and downstream damscontrol the flows
into and out of the Winnipeg River which
runs through the reserve.
Water depths within manomin (wild
rice) habitats have been altered by hydroelectric development and continue to
be subject to fluctuations during the growing season that do not resemble the
natural patterns to which manomin adapted.
Discharges from upstream sources
have also affected sediment and water quality. These sources include the
community of Kenora and a pulp and paper mill which ceased operation in the
2000s.
Researchers at the University of
Guelph have partnered with the Economic Development Committee at Dalles 38C
Indian Reserve to determine which factors are limiting the growth of manomin
and to develop management strategies to control these factors.
The traditional knowledge of
Elders — shared through interviews and river tours — aids in understanding the
historical relationship between water fluctuations, urban discharge and the
growth of manomin.
By combining traditional
knowledge of manomin with more recent observations about riverine change, youth
involved in the research can begin to understand that histories of loss may,
indeed, provide clues for regrowth. This changed lens results in a
future-oriented view of the Winnipeg River that challenges the nature and
duration of settler-industrial landscapes.
Elder knowledge allows youth to
envision compromised fields as productive Anishinaabe spaces.
All our Relations
University research and teaching through projects like the Wisaktowinowak gardens
and the manomin/wild rice project create
new opportunities for youth and Elders to interact, both on campus — by
planting seeds — and in Anishinaabe homelands through the revival of
traditional harvesting.
It’s the land that brings us
together, the land that teaches relationship-based ways of knowing about the
natural world and its food systems.
And with the increasing uptake of
post-secondary land-based education, we may just change the way upcoming
generations envision our environment and shape the future that unfolds on it.
News From the Past
·
Feb 11, 2019 Updated Feb 11, 201930 YEARS AGO - Feb. 2, 1989
The
Fairmount Pheasants boys basketball team is in seventh place out of 10 teams in
the Wild Rice Conference standings as of Saturday, Jan. 21. With two conference
wins and three losses, Fairmount tops eighth place Wyndmere (0-3), ninth place
North Sargent (0-3) and 10th place Richland (0-4).
A
North Dakota Centennial picture is now hanging in the school hallway near the
office. It was given by the Richland County Vocational Center. The large framed
picture shows a vacated rural one room school with a Dist. #54 over the
doorway, which may bring back memories for many who attended rural schools.
Mobile phones lead in trade of counterfeit goods - new study
Feb. 12, 2019, 12:00 am
By ELIZABETH KIVUVA @elizabethkivuva
Anti-Counterfeit Agency chief executive, Elema Halake
during a media briefing at Crowne Plaza hHotel on February 11, 2019 /EZEKIEL
AMING’A
Nearly three quarters of Kenyans use counterfeit goods,
according to a research by Anti-Counterfeits Agency.
Out of the 70 per cent above, only 19 per cent purchase
counterfeit goods knowingly, 49.6 per cent claim they bought the goods because
they were cheap, 17.3 per cent were looking for original items but couldn’t
find and 18.3 per cent were not aware of the risks.
The most counterfeited goods in the market are mobile phones at
51.8 per cent, alcohol at 30.8 per cent, DVD players at 26.4 per cent while
bottled water is at 24 per cent.
Other goods include lubricants recently seized in Industrial
Area, computer software, accessories and toners.
ACA chair Flora Mutahi attributed counterfeiting to branding and
trademark manipulation, mis-spelling of names and colouring.
“Whereas there is a market for cheap counterfeit goods, it is
not easy for consumers to notice majority of these goods. Again, most are not
displayed in shops but stored at home or in washrooms becoming a challenge for
the agency to counter it.”
“You find cases of Pakistan rice packaged as Mwea rice, or even
pesticides and chemicals sold without use- instructions becoming a challenge
for even us as the agency,” Mutahi said.
The agency blames the long and porous borders and the East
Africa integration as the key impediment to its efforts to fight counterfeits,
with majority of importers ordering goods destined for Uganda and South Sudan.
ACA chief executive Elema Halake said the efforts of
multi-agency team in the fight against illicit trade at the airport, sea ports
and the Inland Container Depot Nairobi (ICDC) extensions is bearing fruit.
The team comprises of ACA, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Kenya
Revenue Authority, the Immigration Department, the Office of the
Attorney-General, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions,
Inspector-General of Police, Financial Reporting Centre and the Kenya Revenue
Authority.
The report shows efforts by the multi-agency saw a decline in
percentage of counterfeit electronics in the market to 66.61 per cent in 2014
from 79.7 per cent in 2010.
Fake pharmaceuticals and cosmetics have also declined by 9.63
per cent from 64.1 per cent, while alcohol, beverages and cigarettes declined
by 8.14 per cent from 62.5 per cent over the period. Stationery was the least
imitated with 2.16 per cent counterfeits in the market as at 2014 compared to
2.7 per cent in 2010.
“Kenya is indeed ahead of its counterparts in the fight against
counterfeits but manned land borders open the country to illicit trade. We hope
to strengthen collaboration with county governments to ensure border control,”
Halake said.
The agency announced a pending anti-counterfeiting bill to the
East Africa Legislative Authority to prevent goods being imported back from the
region.
It is also plans to have an anti-counterfeiting mark for locally
manufactured goods that will allow recording of an Intellectual Property Right
that can be scanned with a smartphone.
More than 70% of Kenyans Use Counterfeit Goods – Smartphones Lead
By Korir Isaac / February 12, 2019
More than 70 percent of Kenyans use counterfeit goods, says a new
study presented by Anti-Counterfeits Agency.
The report reveals that of the total number of those using these
goods, 19 percent buy them knowingly, 49.6 percent purchased them for being
cheap.
Another 17.3 percent who were looking for genuine products but
couldn’t find them opted for the counterfeits whereas 18.3 percent bought the
goods unknowingly.
Leading with the highest percentage of counterfeit goods are
mobile phones with 51.8 percent. Alcohol comes in second with 30.8 percent, DVD
players at 26.4 percent, and bottled water at 24 percent.
Lubricants, computer software, accessories, and toners are other
goods highly counterfeited.
According to the ACA chair Flora Mutahi, counterfeiting has risen
as a result of branding, trademark manipulation, mis-spelling of names and
coloring.
“Whereas there is a market for cheap counterfeit goods, it is not
easy for consumers to notice the majority of these goods. Again, most are not
displayed in shops but stored at home or in washrooms becoming a challenge for
the agency to counter it,” she said.
She noted the case of Pakistan rice packaged as Mwea rice, and
pesticides as well as other chemicals sold without conclusive instructions for
use as some of the things that are becoming a challenge in the industry.
ACA claims that the easy entry of goods from outside Kenya and the
East Africa integration move have rendered their efforts of fighting the vice
almost fruitless. The agency says that the majority of traders are intercepting
goods destined for Uganda and South Sudan.
Elema Halake, the ACA chief executive, however, noted that the
fight against illicit trade at the airport, seaports, and the Inland Container
Depot Nairobi (ICDC) extensions are bearing fruit.
The agency fights such cases together with the Kenya Bureau of
Standards, the Office of the Attorney-General, Financial Reporting Centre,
Kenya Revenue Authority, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the
Immigration Department, Inspector-General of Police, and the Kenya Revenue
Authority.
According to the research, due to the improved efforts in the
fight against counterfeit goods by the multi-agency, there was a significant drop
in counterfeit electronics in the industry to 66.61 percent in 2014 from 79.7
percent in 2010.
Among other goods that have experienced a drop in counterfeiting
are pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, which declined by 9.63 percent from 64.1
percent.
Exporters blame EU
tariffs for 5 pct drop in rice shipments
Rice exports in January saw a small decline that exporters have
blamed on the European Union’s decision last month to impose tariffs on local rice.
Last month, Cambodia exported 59,625 tonnes of rice to international markets, a
5 percent drop compared to January 2018, according to a report issued yesterday
by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality. The same
report points out that the EU bought 20,000 tonnes of Cambodian rice in
January, which is around 40 percent of all Cambodian rice exports. China bought
about the same amount.
In January, the European Commission
decided to re-impose tariffs on rice coming from Cambodia and Myanmar to
protect farmers in Europe, whom the European Union believed to be at a
disadvantage.
During the first year, the EU is
levying 175 euros ($199.5) per tonne on imports of Cambodian rice. 150 euros
($171) will be charged in the second year, and 125 euros ($142.5) in the last.
Hun Lak, vice president of Cambodia Rice Federation, said orders of Cambodian
rice abroad saw a decline last month because international buyers were busy
preparing for holidays like the Chinese New Year and the Vietnamese New Year,
but also because the EU tariffs went into effect. “These factors led to a
slight decline in rice exports,” he said, adding that rice exports to the EU
remained large because a lot of European buyers had placed their orders before
the tariffs kicked in.
Cambodian rice. KT/Chor Sokunthea
He said the real impact of the
tariffs will be felt in February and following months, but had some room for
optimism.
Exports to the EU are likely to
decrease, but it will really depend on whether consumers continue to choose
Cambodian rice despite the price increase. We have to wait and see,” he said.
Mr Lak stressed the need to
diversify away from the EU market and to make local rice more competitive
internationally by reducing production costs. Chan Sokheang, chairman and CEO
of Signatures of Asia, said the 5 percent decline was not alarming, adding that
the worst is still to come. He estimated that last month only 20 to 25 percent
of Cambodian rice shipped to Europe was taxed. “What really worries us is
February and March, when the tariffs will have a bigger impact. We hope the
loss in shipments to the EU can be offset by more exports to China.”
Mr Sokheang said his company did not
see a drop in sales in January but that it is likely to be a different story
this month.
Another rice exporter contacted by
Khmer Times and who asked for anonymity said, “Exports decreased last month
because the EU is our biggest buyer. Unfortunately, the tariffs are likely to
have a much larger impact in upcoming months. “Our company saw a 3 to 4 percent
decline in orders from the EU in January,” the exporter said, adding that some
European buyers are now choosing to buy rice from producers in Thailand and
Vietnam instead of Cambodia. Cambodia exported 626,225 tonnes of rice to
international markets in 2018, a drop of 1.5 percent compared to 2017.
THAI CABINET NOD TO ASSISTANCE
FOR RICE FARMERS
BANGKOK
(NNT) - The Cabinet meeting on Tuesday approved budget of more than 275 million
baht to help rice farmers and maintain the quality of Jasmine rice. Apart from a 275
million-baht budget, the Cabinet approved a project to maintain the quantity
and quality of Thai Jasmine rice for the 2019/2020 production year. The budget
will be spent on rice grain for the farmers whose rice was damaged during the
2018-2019 production year. Five kilos of rice grain/rai will be given to the
farmers.
The
Cabinet approved the 4th road safety master plan which focuses on developing a
road safety system and promoting a safety culture. The plan also seeks to
reduce the number of road accident fatalities among at-risk groups. Prime
Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed relevant units to use technology to
manage traffic with a focus on areas with traffic congestion. As for
public health, the meeting approved 19.1 billion baht for the national health
security fund for the fiscal year 2020 to ensure the availability of more
medical treatments for people in need. Regarding the establishment of
the Rail Department, the Cabinet approved drafts of ministerial regulations for
the department. The ministerial regulations are expected to be enforced mid
April 2019. The law authorizing the department’s establishment has been
submitted to His Majesty the King to be signed.
Rice tarrification a commitment to WTO: Piñol
By
Lilybeth Ison February
12, 2019, 8:17 pm
MANILA -- Agriculture Secretary
Emmanuel "Manny" Piñol said the proposed rice tariffication measure,
which is expected to be signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte sometime
soon, is a commitment of the country to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
"The DA has very clear
position to support the rice tariffication. There's no way we cannot support
that as it is our commitment to the WTO," said Piñol in an interview at
the sidelines of the Sugar Summit held Tuesday at the Bureau of Soils and Water
Management (BSWM).
He, however, stressed that there is
a need to study the effect of total deregulation especially on the stability of
rice prices.
"We were just asking for a
little more study on the indemnification of the total deregulation, especially
on the stability of the buying price of palay. Right now, it dropped to
PHP14-15," he said.
"If the price of palay
decreases, sakit din ng ulo namin sa DA kasi magrereklamo ang mga
farmers," he added.
Piñol said the only way to arrest
that is "to allow NFA (National Food Authority) to continue buying from
the farmers at an indicated support price which we are doing right now."
"The only problem is that NFA
might not be able to sustain the procurement of rice given the fact it will no
longer be allowed under the proposed bill to make borrowings," he said.
In a statement by the Philippine
Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. (PCAFI), it said that the country's
agriculture is at an important crossroads.
"How the rice farmers will be
treated will determine how the rest of the sectors will be so treated. Since
rice is the most political of commodities, if the government will be seen as
having abandoned the rice farmers to the ravages of unfair trade so that
consumers can savor the magic of the market (which they haven’t even with the 1995
shock liberalization), then investments in the sector will shrink," it
said.
Senator Cynthia Villar earlier said
that the President has already certified as urgent the rice tariffication bill
to protect Filipino farmers from the influx of imported grains as a result of
the removal of quantitative restriction (QR) being imposed by the WTO.
Villar, chair of the Senate
committee on agriculture and food, said that farmers were being misled by some
groups who are against tariffication to protect their own vested interests.
“Unlike claims that tariffication
will result to flooding of imported rice to Philippine market, this will make
such importation beneficial to local rice producers," she said.
The rice industry, Villar said, is
set to be liberalized due to expiration of QR on June 30, 2017.
"Pag nag-liberalize ka nang
walang tariff, kawawa ang mga farmers (When you liberalize without tariff, the
farmers will suffer)," she said.
Under the Rice Tariffication Bill,
a PHP10-billion a year Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) will be
allocated for five years.
This funding will be channeled
through the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization,
Philippine Rice Research Institute, and Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority as well as other agencies tasked to upgrade farmers
technology and know-how.
PCAFI, however, said that these are
supposedly the safety nets, but "experience teaches that even safety nets
provided for by law can be undermined by ideology and poor governance."
"These safety nets seemed to
be more for show because up to now the government has no trade data system to
determine if an importation is in accordance with the rules of the WTO in terms
of valuation and trade remedies, if any," it added. (PNA)
Ex-technocrats push Duterte to sign rice tariffication bill
February 12, 2019 | 10:15 pm
PHILSTAR
THE Foundation for Economic Freedom
(FEF) urged President Rodrigo R. Duterte to sign the rice tariffication bill to
help resolve various issues afflicting the rice industry, including smuggling,
uncompetitive production costs, and corruption.
“We, the Foundation for Economic
Freedom, urge President Duterte to sign the bill on rice tariffication
immediately. The bill… will be the most far-reaching reform in the history of
rice policy. For decades, the interventionist strategy has been tried, tested,
and has repeatedly failed,” the FEF said in a statement issued on Monday.
The FEF’s members consist of
retired technocrats. Its chairman is former Finance Secretary Roberto F. de
Ocampo.
Business groups also made a
similar call to the President in January.
The rice tariffication bill has
been passed by both chambers of Congress — Aug. 13 in the House of
Representatives and Nov. 14 in the Senate. It was transmitted to Malacañang on
Jan. 15. It is expected to lapse into law by Feb. 17 unless signed or vetoed by
the President.
The bill amends Republic Act No.
8178 or the Agricultural Tariffication Act, removing the government from the
role of importing rice and allowing the staple to be imported more freely by
the private sector while implementing a minimum tariff rate of 35% for rice
shipped in from elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
The legislation proposes a 35%
duty on imports from within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
and higher rates for imports from non-ASEAN countries.
The FEF said the proposed measure
would solve the root cause of the problems besetting the rice industry, which
they said was “unwarranted government intervention.”
“By liberalizing the industry the
syndicate controlling the value chain will now be nullified by free entry and
competition — including entry and competition from foreign rice suppliers,” the
group said.
“By leaving trading and storage
in the hands of traders, competing actively in a free market, investors can
best judge when to buy low and sell high — curing the problem of gluts during
harvest, and releasing stocks during lean periods,” they added.
FEF also allayed concerns of
those who are against the bill, saying that the proposed measure has put in
place safeguards to manage the effects of the new tariffication system.
The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF)
has warned that the government will be left “practically powerless” when rice
prices turn volatile with the passage of the rice tariffication bill, because
it removes the National Food Authority’s (NFA) importing role and restricts it
to maintaining a minimum rice inventory.
FEF said the proposed tariff
rates would afford protection for the industry and the proposed rice
competitiveness fund of P10 billion offers safety nets for farmers.
The FEF also noted that the task
of dealing with anti-competitive practices will be left to the Philippine
Competition Commission (PCC).
“The time for timid half-measures
is over. It is now time for bold and confident steps. Change is coming for the
rice industry, Mr. President. The sooner you make it happen, the better,” the
FEF said.
Malacañang said last week that
the signing of the measure is “forthcoming.”
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F.
Piñol on the other hand has said that Mr. Duterte is open to changes to the
bill following concerns raised by farmers.
The government’s economic team
has also noted that they are preparing for a “quick and smooth transition” to
the new import tariff regime with the expected enactment of the bill. The bill
is touted as among the measures that will help reduce inflation, which hit 4.4%
in January. — Camille A. Aguinaldo
RECOMMENDED
Legal action if anyone tries to raise rice price: Minister
Prothom Alo English Desk | Update: 23:05, Feb 12,
2019
Commerce minister Tipu Munshi on Tuesday told
parliament that the government has asked local administrations to take legal
action against those trying to raise rice price through creating an artificial
crisis of the staple, reports UNB.
"The
prices of daily essentials, including that of rice, are stable due to intensive
monitoring by the government," he said.
The
minister came up with the remarks while replying to a question from Awami
League MP Selim Altaf George (Kushtia-4).
Munshi
instructed all the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners to take
legal action and prevent the evil efforts by unscrupulous businessmen to hike
the rice price by creating an artificial crisis despite having its adequate
stocks.
Replying
to a starred question from the treasury bench member Waresat Hossain Belal,
food minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder told the House that the country's current
food grain stock is 15,30,317 metric tonnes.
Of the
stock, he said, 1,349 tonnes are paddy while 13,53,442 tonnes rice and 1,75,526
tonnes wheat.
"We've
2,722 silos for food grain storage and seven for wheat across the country,"
the minister said.
He also
said the warehouses can preserve 2,118,822 tonnes of grains at a time.
Sri Lanka expects near record rice output in 2019
Feb 12, 2019 07:40 AM GMT+0530 |
0 Comment(s)
ECONOMYNEXT - Sri Lanka is
expected to produce 2.85 million tonnes of paddy (rough rice) in the current
Maha major cultivation season, indicating a full recovery from two years of
drought and almost reaching records set in 2015 and 2016, an official forecast
said.
Sri Lanka's Department of Agriculture revised up the 2018/2019 Maha area cultivated to 743,000 in the current season based on December data out of a target of 828,455 hectares.
In the 2017/2018 Maha season, Sri Lanka's paddy farmers cultivated 643,000 hectares of paddy as the country gradually recovered from drought which saw the sown extend falling to just 543,000 hectares.
About 42,000 hectares of rice paddies had been damaged due to floods in the North and the East.
The paddy forecast for 2019 is up 18.8 percent from a year earlier.
The Department of Agriculture said after adjusting for seed paddy and wastage, 2.64 million tonnes of paddy will be available for milling, which will produce about 1.8 million metric tonnes of milled rice.
Sri Lanka's Department of Agriculture revised up the 2018/2019 Maha area cultivated to 743,000 in the current season based on December data out of a target of 828,455 hectares.
In the 2017/2018 Maha season, Sri Lanka's paddy farmers cultivated 643,000 hectares of paddy as the country gradually recovered from drought which saw the sown extend falling to just 543,000 hectares.
About 42,000 hectares of rice paddies had been damaged due to floods in the North and the East.
The paddy forecast for 2019 is up 18.8 percent from a year earlier.
The Department of Agriculture said after adjusting for seed paddy and wastage, 2.64 million tonnes of paddy will be available for milling, which will produce about 1.8 million metric tonnes of milled rice.
This may be enough for 9.19
months of consumption.
Sri Lanka has produced about 1.4 million tonnes of paddy in the Yala minor season in 2018, lower than records of 1.9 million tonnes seen in some years. (Colombo/Feb11/2019 - SB)
Sri Lanka has produced about 1.4 million tonnes of paddy in the Yala minor season in 2018, lower than records of 1.9 million tonnes seen in some years. (Colombo/Feb11/2019 - SB)
Riverina rice growers to receive
extra cash
AMELIA
PEPE, The Weekly Times
February
12, 2019 6:00pm
RIVERINA rice growers are set to
receive an extra $25 per rice paddy tonne from SunRice for all varieties
delivered in the 2018 crop year.
SunRice
chairman Laurie Arthur said positive trading conditions in December, paired
with ongoing cost saving measures, meant SunRice was in a position to adjust
the price range for medium grain Reiziq to between $385 to $410 a tonne.
The
timing of the payment will assist growers who have planted a crop this year
following a season marred by difficult milling conditions, heat, and low humidity.
“I
am aware that those growers who have planted a crop would be using more water
than predicted and facing the need to purchase additional water at extremely
high prices to carry their crop through to harvest,” Mr Arthur said.
“For
those who have planted a rice crop, hopefully this additional payment will
provide a useful injection of funds to ease the pressures.”
Mr
Arthur, a rice grower himself with a crop in this year, said SunRice was
acutely aware of the tough drought conditions across the Riverina, and hoped
the extra payment would help this year’s growers.
He
said SunRice had been closely monitoring the drought and its implications for
water allocations and prices.
Despite
this, the Rice Pool continued to benefit from the geographical sales mix of
Australian rice exports into markets such as Japan and the Middle East.
“With
a continuation of the positive movements in global markets this trend may
continue,” Mr Arthur said.
“However,
any softening in markets and a further strengthening of the Australia dollar
will naturally influence the final pool result.”
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- FEB 13,
2019
© Reuters. Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- FEB
13, 2019
Nagpur Foodgrain
Prices – APMC/Open Market-February 13, 2019 Nagpur, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Gram and
tuar prices declined in Nagpur Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC)
here poor demand from local millers amid release of stock from stockists. Weak
trend on NCDEX, fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh tuar prices and high moisture
content arrival also pulled down prices in limited deals. About 2,500 bags of
tuar and 1,600 bags of gram reported for auctions in Nagpur APMC, according to
sources.
FOODGRAINS &
PULSES
GRAM
* Desi gram raw
reported down in open market here on poor demand from local traders.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties
ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand from local
traders amid ample
stock in ready position.
* Moong Chamki
moved down in open market here on lack of demand from
local traders.
* In Akola, Tuar
New – 5,450-5,550, Tuar dal (clean) – 7,900-8,200, Udid Mogar (clean)
– 6,500-7,500,
Moong Mogar (clean) 7,600-8,500, Gram – 4,200-4,300, Gram Super best
– 6,300-6,500
* Wheat, rice and
other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in
scattered deals and
settled at last levels in weak trading activity.
Nagpur foodgrains
APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices
Previous close
Gram Auction
3,700-4,330
3,800-4,380
Gram Pink Auction
n.a.
2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction
4,600-5,196
4,700-5,260
Moong Auction
n.a.
3,950-4,200
Udid Auction
n.a.
4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction
n.a.
2,600-2,800
Wheat Lokwan
Auction
1,970-2,040
2,000-2,035
Wheat Sharbati
Auction
n.a.
2,900-3,000
Gram Super Best
Bold
6,400-6,600
6,400-6,600
Gram Super Best
n.a.
n.a.
Gram Medium Best
5,600-5,800
5,600-5,800
Gram Dal Medium
n.a.
n.a
Gram Mill Quality
4,300-4,400
4,300-4,400
Desi gram Raw
4,300-4,400
4,250-4,350
Gram Kabuli
8,300-10,000
8,300-10,000
Tuar Fataka
Best-New
8,100-8,200
8,100-8,200
Tuar Fataka
Medium-New
7,600-7,800
7,600-7,800
Tuar Dal Best
Phod-New
7,300-7,500
7,300-7,500
Tuar Dal Medium
phod-New
6,800-7,200
6,800-7,200
Tuar Gavarani New
5,400-5,500
5,400-5,500
Tuar Karnataka
5,550-5,750
5,550-5,750
Masoor dal best
5,600-5,800
5,600-5,800
Masoor dal medium
5,200-5,400
5,200-5,400
Masoor
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Mogar bold
(New)
8,000-8,800
8,000-8,800
Moong Mogar Medium
6,500-7,400
6,500-7,400
Moong dal Chilka
New
6,500-7,800
6,500-7,800
Moong Mill quality
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Chamki best
7,500-8,500
7,700-8,700
Udid Mogar best
(100 INR/KG) (New) 7,500-8,200
7,500-8,200
Udid Mogar Medium
(100 INR/KG)
5,500-6,800
5,500-6,800
Udid Dal Black (100
INR/KG)
4,000-4,400
4,000-4,400
Batri dal (100
INR/KG)
5,600-5,700
5,650-5,750
Lakhodi dal (100
INR/kg)
4,850-5,050
4,850-5,050
Watana Dal (100
INR/KG)
5,600-5,700
5,500-5,600
Watana Green Best
(100 INR/KG)
6,600-6,800
6,600-6,800
Wheat 308 (100
INR/KG)
2,200-2,300
2,200-2,300
Wheat Mill quality
(100 INR/KG)
2,100-2,200
2,100-2,200
Wheat Filter (100
INR/KG)
2,500-2,600
2,500-2,600
Wheat Lokwan best
(100 INR/KG)
2,600-2,700
2,600-2,700
Wheat Lokwan medium
(100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,500
2,300-2,500
Lokwan Hath Binar
(100 INR/KG)
n.a.
n.a.
MP Sharbati Best
(100 INR/KG)
3,600-4,000
3,600-4,000
MP Sharbati Medium
(100 INR/KG)
2,800-3,200
2,800-3,200
Rice Parmal (100
INR/KG)
2,100-2,200
2,100-2,200
Rice BPT best (100
INR/KG)
3,200-3,800
3,200-3,800
Rice BPT medium
(100 INR/KG)
2,500-3,000
2,500-3,000
Rice BPT new (100
INR/KG)
2,900-3,200
2,900-3,200
Rice Luchai (100
INR/KG)
2,900-3,000
2,900-3,000
Rice Swarna best
(100 INR/KG)
2,600-2,700
2,600-2,700
Rice Swarna medium
(100 INR/KG)
2,500-2,600
2,500-2,600
Rice HMT best (100
INR/KG)
4,000-4,400
4,000-4,400
Rice HMT medium
(100 INR/KG)
3,500-3,900
3,500-3,900
Rice HMT New (100
INR/KG)
3,600-3,800
3,600-3,800
Rice Shriram
best(100 INR/KG)
5,400-5,600
5,400-5,600
Rice Shriram med
(100 INR/KG)
4,700-5,000
4,700-5,000
Rice Shriram New
(100 INR/KG)
4,000-4,600
4,000-4,600
Rice Basmati best
(100 INR/KG)
8,000-13,500
8,000-13,500
Rice Basmati Medium
(100 INR/KG)
4,800-7,000
4,800-7,000
Rice Chinnor best
100 INR/KG)
6,600-7,000
6,600-7,000
Rice Chinnor medium
(100 INR/KG)
6,200-6,500
6,200-6,500
Rice Chinnor New
(100 INR/KG)
4,700-5,000
4,700-5,000
Jowar Gavarani (100
INR/KG)
2,350-2,550
2,350-2,550
Jowar CH-5 (100
INR/KG)
2,050-2,250
2,050-2,250 WEATHER
(NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 32.5 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 12.0 degree Celsius
Rainfall : Nil FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature likely
to be around 33 degree Celsius and 12 degree Celsius. Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but
included in market prices)
Nagpur Foodgrain
Prices Open- FEB 12, 2019
FEBRUARY 12, 2019 / 2:23 PM
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-February 12, 2019
Nagpur, Feb 12 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices moved down in Nagpur
Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) here lack of demand from local
millers amid high moisture content arrival. Easy condition on NCDEX, downward
trend in Madhya Pradesh tuar prices and increased supply from producing regions
also pushed down prices. About 2,400 bags of tuar and 1,500 bags of gram
reported for auctions in Nagpur APMC, according to sources.
GRAM
* Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was
poor.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani reported weak in open market here on poor buying
support from local
traders amid good supply from producing belts.
* Batri dal declined in open market here on lack of demand from
local traders.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,450-5,550, Tuar dal (clean) – 7,900-8,200,
Udid Mogar (clean)
– 6,500-7,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,600-8,500, Gram – 4,200-4,300,
Gram Super best
– 6,300-6,500 * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a
narrow range in
scattered deals and settled at last levels in weak trading
activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100
kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 3,800-4,380 3,875-4,380
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 4,700-5,260 4,700-5,350
Moong Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Wheat Lokwan Auction 2,000-2,035 2,000-2,050
Wheat Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000
Gram Super Best Bold 6,400-6,600 6,400-6,600
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 4,300-4,400 4,300-4,400
Desi gram Raw 4,300-4,400 4,250-4,350
Gram Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000
Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,100-8,200 8,100-8,200
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 7,600-7,800 7,600-7,800
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,300-7,500 7,300-7,500
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 6,800-7,200 6,800-7,200
Tuar Gavarani New 5,400-5,500 5,450-5,550
Tuar Karnataka 5,550-5,750 5,550-5,750
Masoor dal best 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Masoor dal medium 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,400
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 8,000-8,800 8,000-8,800
Moong Mogar Medium 6,500-7,400 6,500-7,400
Moong dal Chilka New 6,500-7,800 6,500-7,800
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 8,000-9,000 8,000-9,000
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,500-8,200 7,500-8,200
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,800 5,500-6,800
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,400 4,000-4,400
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,700 5,650-5,750
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,850-5,050 4,850-5,050
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,700 5,500-5,600
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 6,600-6,800 6,600-6,800
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,700 2,600-2,700
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,500 2,300-2,500
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,500-3,000 2,500-3,000
Rice BPT new (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,200 2,900-3,200
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,700 2,600-2,700
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,400 4,000-4,400
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,500-3,900 3,500-3,900
Rice HMT New (100 INR/KG) 3,600-3,800 3,600-3,800
Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,400-5,600 5,400-5,600
Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,000 4,700-5,000
Rice Shriram New (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,600 4,000-4,600
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,000-13,500 8,000-13,500
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 4,800-7,000 4,800-7,000
Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,600-7,000 6,600-7,000
Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,200-6,500 6,200-6,500
Rice Chinnor New (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,000 4,700-5,000
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 31.4 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 11.0 degree Celsius Rainfall :
Nil FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be
around 31 degree Celsius and 11 degree Celsius. Note: n.a.—not available (For
oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in
market prices)
Experts hope
of bumper crops due to rain spells
rains
good for crops
The agricultural experts have
expressed hope that the consecutive rain spells that started in January and
have been continuing in the second month of the year with some intervals, would
be a blessing for all seasonal crops, fruit orchids and vegetables.
Due to a paradigm shift in
weather pattern owing to global warming, these rain spells, persisting on
average for 2 to 3 days, have also helped in overcoming the water shortage,
improving the ground-water level and strengthening the swiftly depleting water
reservoirs of the country.
Although the rains were slow in
intensity, these were persistent and helped in absorbing the rainwater and
retaining the moisture, which is helpful for the cultivation of upcoming Kharif
crops.
These blessed rain spells had
also created a new ray of hope among the farming communities all across the
country as bumper production of various crops cultivated during the season
including wheat, mustard and gram were forecast during current Rabbi season.
Commenting on the impacts of
rains on Rabbi crops particularly wheat, Food Security Commissioner in the
Ministry of National Food Security and Research Dr Imtiaz Ahmad Gopang said
that due to favourable weather conditions the bumper wheat output of over 25.5
million tons was expected during the current season.
He said that wheat sowing targets
were achieved by 99.23 per cent as the crop had been cultivated over 8.76
million hectares of land across the crop producing areas of the country.
He said that the wheat
cultivation targets for crop season 2018-19 was set at 8.765 million hectares
which was kept slightly down by 100,000 hectares as compared to the last season
due to excessive domestic stocks.
Dr Imtiaz Ahmad Gopang said that
current spell of rains would bring about a positive impact on wheat as the crop
was at the vegetative growth and showers at this stage would help in enhancing
of tillering which would boost the output of the crop.
The Food Security Commissioner
further informed that rain spells would be largely beneficial for oil seeds and
pulses that had been cultivated over thousands of hectares to fulfill the
domestic requirements of these commodities, he added.
He said that a significant
increase in gram production was also expected during the current season owing
to a reduction in frost and favourable weather conditions.—INP
Local farmers rice ending up as pet food
Agriculture Minister Clarence
Rambharat says he was shocked by a recent revelation by the National Flour
Mills (NFM) that 95 per cent of the rice paddy it buys from local rice farmers
ends up as pet food and not on the plates of taxpayers.
“Could you imagine that the
taxpayers of the country support rice by providing sometimes the seeds that are
required; support rice by making the water that is required available; support
rice by making the land that is required available; support rice by
guaranteeing a fixed price; support rice by paying the NFM $4.8 million a year
to mill that rice and the taxpayers that I represent in this country finding
out that that rice does not end up on their plates, but ends up in the (dog)
kennels around the country. That is something that has me very, very
concerned,” Rambharat said yesterday.
His comments came during the Joint
Select Committee (JSC) of Parliament’s meeting with the NFM and the Ministry
yesterday, held at the Parliament building, International Waterfront Centre,
Port of Spain.
It was the NFM’s third time before
the JSC in two months.
The Committee, chaired by Anthony
Vieira, specifically examined NFM’s purchase of rice paddy from local farmers.
Rambharat said when he assumed
office he made it clear to the NFM and rice farmers that if taxpayers had to be
in the business of rice, they must be able to have rice on their plates.
“When I came in as Minister I said
I am not prepared to use taxpayer’s funds to take rice and give it to dogs,” he
said.
“I am not sold on that argument
that we should put the whole country at risk because we wish to grow rice in
every nook and cranny of this country, but I will accept there is a valid
argument that we should be able to provide a portion of our carbohydrates need
and I support a component of our rice being local rice,” he stressed.
Rambharat disputed figures
presented by NFM last month that rice production fell from 21,200 metric tonnes
in 1992 to 585 metric tonnes in 2018, due in part to the removal of farmers the
Nariva Swamp.
He explained that Caroni (1975)
Limited was heavily invested in rice production and that the company’s closure
resulted in a decline in production.
“Surprisingly, while Caroni was not
an efficient sugar producer, Caroni was an efficient rice producer and those
lands yielded on average every year of 10,000 metric tonnes of rice,” he said.
He said after the company closed,
about 65 small rice farmers were left to produce an average of 9000 metric
tonnes of rice per year.
Rambharat said part of the reason
for the decline in rice production was the lack of interest by private farmers
and private land owners.
He said private land owners found
it was more efficient to use their land for commercial purposes instead of rice
cultivation.
He said around 1300 metric tonnes
of rice is now produced on 3000 acres of land, with 16 persons involved, 14 of
which are connected to the Akaloo family.
He said the Akaloo family was a
significant player in the current and future production of rice in T&T.Rambharat
said in order to push rice production to 5000 metric tonnes per year and
additional 1200 acres of land was need.He said he was prepared to help farmers
with the land.
The JSC proceedings became heated
at one point after Committee member Wade Mark questioned NFM about it loans
over the last three years.
When NFM chief executive officer
Kelvin Mahabir pointed out that the loans were sourced from Eximbank, NCB
Financial Group Limited (NCBFG) and Republic Bank, Mark questioned NCB’s
relationship with JMMB and pointed out that Romano was “CEO of JMMB”.
“I have raised these questions in
the public interest. (I want to) ask the chairman (Romano) whether NCB has a 25
to 30 per cent shareholding in JMMB and whether the chairman of NFM is not the
CEO of JMMB,” Mark asked.
Romano pointed out that he was CEO
of JMMB Bank (Trinidad and Tobago) Limited and that NCB no longer had
shareholding in JMMB.Asked if this development took place before or after the
NCB loan to NFM, Romano responded that “one has nothing to do with the other”.
“If you are trying to imply that as
chairman of NFM I was influenced by the relationship between NCB and the JMMB
Group, I take serious offense to that. I have not influenced in any way, shape
or form the relationship between NCB and NFM,” a visibly upset Romano said.Vieira
sought to quell the tension between the two by moving on to other questions.
https://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/local/local-farmers-rice-ending-up-as-pet-food/article_0a41fb02-2ed9-11e9-a826-7f04ff9f389a.html
