Arkansas rice production marks recovery from 2017 flooding; hay,
peanuts decline
Even if the fall of 2018 marked
the “harvest that never ended,” Arkansas growers managed to pull enough rice
from the land to mark a 30 percent increase over 2017′s disastrous numbers,
which reflected the severe flooding of that year’s spring, officials said.
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released state-by-state
crop and stock reports Feb. 8, the first new data available from the department
since the 35-day partial shutdown of the federal government.
Not only was 2018 a strong year
for Arkansas rice growers, with a total production of 107 million cwt, but U.S.
rice as a whole, said Jarrod Hardke, Extension rice agronomist for the
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
“Arkansas rice yield and acres
came right in line with expectation,” Hardke said. “However, it was surprising
to see a substantial increase in overall U.S. yields, which marks the second
highest on record. Some individual state yields increased more than 800 pounds
per acre over previous estimates.”
Some Arkansas crops saw modest
year-over-year increases, including corn, which rose 7 percent to 117 million
bushels, and upland cotton, which also rose 7 percent to an estimated 1.15
million bales, results that several extension agronomists described as
unsurprising, and generally in line with annual averages.
The state’s No. 1 crop, soybean,
saw a 7 percent decline in production from 2017, falling to about 165.2 million
bushels. The dip was overshadowed by the increasing supply on hand, accumulated
in part due to the ongoing trade dispute with China.
Nationwide, total stocks of
stored soybeans rose 18 percent over 2017 numbers more than 3.7 billion
bushels, stored both on farms and off. Soybean stocks stored on farms,
specifically, totaled 1.94 billion bushels, up 30 percent from a year ago.
While the report didn’t make
numbers for Arkansas available, the national situation reflected what Arkansas
growers are dealing with, said Scott Stiles, Extension economist for the
Division of Agriculture.
“Normally, we use the bulk of
on-farm storage for corn and rice,” Stiles said. “Given the quality issues,
drop in soybean prices and weakness in the basis at harvest, my feeling was
that our growers would allocate a lot more bin space to soybeans following the
2018 crop.”
Peanut production in Arkansas
dropped about 25 percent in 2018 to about 2.2 million pounds. Travis Faske,
extension pathologist and peanut agronomist with the Division of Agriculture,
said poor harvesting conditions and the abandonment of several thousand acres
in peanut production led to the lower number, although the average yield “was
positive, and among the best, compared to other peanut producing states.”
The Feb. 8 report also referenced
winter wheat in the state, which is forecast to have the lowest acreage since
1955, at about 120,000 acres. Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains
agronomist with the Division of Agriculture, said the numbers were not
surprising, “given the very wet fall that prevented most acres from being
planted.”
Finally, sorghum, which occupies
relatively few acres in the state, nevertheless saw a substantial increase in
2018 of 41 percent, with Arkansas growers producing about 770,000 bushels
throughout the year.
To learn about agriculture in
Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu.
Follow us on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.
The University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all
eligible persons without discrimination.
— Ryan McGeeney is with the U of
A System Division of Agriculture.
Webinar: A First Look at the Farm
Bill, Jan. 31
January 29, 2019
Corn field landscape, pre-tassel. Photo: ©Debra L Ferguson
Join us on Thursday, January 31st
at 8 a.m. CST for a webinar presentation by Keith
Coble, MSU ag economist. He will focus on the provisions of the
new Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018. Specific provision of interest to row
crop farmers will be examined.
About the presenter: Keith Coble
is a Giles Distinguished Professor and Head of the Agricultural Economics
Department at Mississippi State University where he focuses on agricultural
policy, insurance, and agricultural data analytics. Within his profession,
Coble is the President-elect of the Agricultural and Applied Economics
Association (AAEA).
Coble has testified before
Congressional Committees on three occasions regarding agricultural policy and
served as the Chief Economist for the Minority Staff of the Senate Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry Committee during the 2013-2014 farm bill debate.
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
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.
· Changes to the nation’s corporation code will allow the perpetual
existence of corporations.
Time needed to adjust to rice tariffication — IRRI
February 13, 2019 | 10:03 pm
PHILSTAR
TIME is needed to prepare rice
farmers for the adjustment to heightened competition to be brought by rice
tariffication, the head of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
said.
“Clearly, the liberalization
process exposes long-term the industry to more international competition,” IRRI
Director General Matthew Morell said on Wednesday during the signing of a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Agriculture (DA) on
scientific and technical collaboration in support of enhancing the Philippine
rice industry’s competitiveness.
“Time is needed to adjust and
some of the ability, from our perspective — the research and development work
at IRRI and PhilRice — does need to be nurtured through enhanced education and
training,” Mr. Morell added.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F.
Piñol said that interventions to support farmers should reach them before the
tariffication starts.
“If the interventions are ready
right away and our farmers are given enough time to make use of those
interventions to improve their productivity, yes our farmers can compete. But
if we immediately implement liberalization even before the interventions can
reach our farmers and even before they can improve their productivity, it would
lead to the death of the rice industry,” Mr. Piñol said.
He did not elaborate on the
required lead time to prepare farmers for competition.
Among the interventions
contemplated under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) are equipment
and mechanization, rice crop financing, and assistance with marketing and
training.
“Right now, the farmers are
complaining even without liberalized importation. There is speculation among
the traders and they’re not buying palay right now, so the price of palay
(unmilled rice) has dropped to P14 to P15 per kilo from a high of P25 last
year,” Mr. Piñol said.
“The IRRI is both a source of
pride for the Philippines and a reason for embarrassment. Why? We take pride in
the fact that we host the research institution that has developed the world’s
rice industry. But we’re embarrassed by the fact that even with the presence of
IRRI in our midst and our own PhilRice, we have not yet attained that dream of
rice self sufficiency. We can’t even produce enough rice for ourselves,” Mr.
Piñol said.
Mr. Piñol added he has discussed
with banks the possibility of providing more loan support to farmers. According
to Mr. Piñol, the banks have insufficient guidance from the government in
lending to the agricultural industry.
Meanwhile, the Federation of
Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCII) said on Wednesday
that the rice tariffication is a “much-needed” reform to curb inflation
especially among those living in poverty.
“Rice is the staple food of our
nation and it comprises almost 20% of the household expense of low-income
households. We believe that by removing the import quotas on rice and replacing
them with tariffs, the price of rice will significantly be lower as there will
be competition and the lack of available cheap rice will no longer be an
issue,” the FFCCCII said in a letter addressed to President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
“This measure is a much-needed
reform that will help our countrymen,” the FFCIII stated in the letter. — Reicelene
Joy N. Ignacio
Rice tarrification a commitment to WTO: Piñol
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. (Lilybeth Ison)
Rice tariffication may kill
PH rice industry if farmers don't get help: Piñol
Kori Quintos, ABS-CBN News
Farmers along the Nueva Ecija-Aurora road take advantage of the
good weather and start land preparations for the next rice planting cycle on
November 23, 2018. Jire Carreon, ABS-CBN
MANILA – Filipino rice farmers need immediate help to improve
productivity if they are to compete against rice importers amid the impending
approval of the Rice Tariffication Bill, the Department of Agriculture said
Wednesday.
Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol added that without
"intervention" local rice farmers cannot expect to compete against
cheaper imports.
“But if we immediately implement liberalization even before the
interventions could reach our farmers and even before they could improve their
productivity, it could lead to the death of the rice industry,” Piñol said.
Rice industry groups earlier warned against the approval of the
Bill saying it could kill the local rice sector.
Malacañang however, has said that the removal of import
restrictions on rice is "for the greater good."
The DA, meanwhile is already implementing several measures to
help farmers improve productivity, Piñol said.
The Department has renewed its partnership with the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to improve rice production by
using better seeds.
The rice planting calendar has also been adjusted to minimize
the effect of potential typhoons in September, October and December.
The Department plans to raise rice production to 20 million
metric tons this year compared to 19.6 million metric tons last year, Piñol
said.
Rice tariffication removes non-tariff barriers for rice imports,
allowing a free flow of the staple into the Philippine market.
President Rodrigo Duterte certified the bill as urgent in
October last year, as the country's inflation quickened to its fastest pace in
nearly a decade as food costs, particularly the price of rice, surged.
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.
Guyana denies shipping
“bad’ rice to Jamaica
By
CMC
February 12, 2019
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Feb 12, CMC – Guyana says it has not shipped any rice to Jamaica under
the “Cinderella” brand for the year after media reports in Kingston said that
70 metric tonnes of White Cinderella rice had been confiscated by Jamaican
authorities.
The reports said that the rice, valued at valued at
approximately J$4.6 million (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents) had been
confiscated after officials from the Ministry of Industries, Agriculture and
Fisheries had carried out a series of inspections and finding that the product
had signs of mould, clumping, discoloration and wetting.
But the general manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board
(GRDB), Nizam Hassa, who has expressed concern over the claims, said no rice
has been shipped to Jamaica so far this year, by the miller who packages under
the Cinderella brand.
“I am very disturbed by these reports. We have since reached out
to the Food Storage and Prevention of Infestation Division in the Ministry of
Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries in Jamaica and are awaiting a
response.
“The situation is puzzling since the last shipment left Guyana
on the 15th December and arrived on the 19th December, 2018. Like any other
shipment, the rice that was sent to Jamaica underwent a series of physical
tests and was certified. The Board conducts such tests on paddy, rice and rice
by- products prior to any shipment leaving Guyana,” Hassan said.
GRDB export records also revealed that the supplier, to date,
has not received any complaints from the buyer in Jamaica or any other of its
markets and has been paid for all rice shipped.
Export reports also indicate no one shipment from the supplier
amounted to 70 tonnes.
Hassa said that rice could develop mould if it becomes wet in
storage.
“It is very important that the rice be stored in a dry place.
Mould and other bacteria can develop on the grain if the rice is exposed to
moisture or becomes wet in storage,” Hassan said.
The GRDB said it is urging all players within the industry to remain
vigilant as the matter is being investigated.
Experts push research-based legislations to boost food
security
By
Saul Pa-a February
13, 2019, 5:31 pm
LOS BAŇOS, Laguna -- Scientists and experts
have proposed to government policy makers the crafting of research-based
legislations that will address food security issues.
The panel of savants from the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Japan’s Nagoya University (NU)
and University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) and the academe, pitched
the call on Monday at a forum “Catalyzing Partnerships in Research Excellence
and Internationalization of Education towards Food Security in the Asian and
African Regions” at IRRI Havener auditorium here.
The expert resource panel pointed
out that policy makers could turn to the universities and research institutions
as platforms for research collaboration and education, as agriculture faces
many challenges such as pests and diseases, climate change, and decreasing
farmlands due to urbanization.
Prof. Fumio Isoda, director of the
Asian Satellite Campuses Institute of Nagoya University Isoda, said research
from the laboratories could reach the farms especially on technology transfer
through the government support on peer research and collaboration to make these
research outputs more applicable to farmers.
Isoda also shared the Nagoya
University’s Asian Satellite Campuses Institute which has its hub at UPLB that
is currently working closely with partner institutions to further education,
research collaboration, and human resource development.
Dr. Fernando Sanchez Jr.,
Chancellor of UP in Los Baños (UPLB), said Republic Act 9500 strengthened the
UP as a national university mandated to be a graduate research and a public
service university.
“Public service is clamped in any
UP system, tasked to download the results of all its projects especially on
research funded by the national government. But, somewhere down the line, I
believe we have the challenging situation where farmers just don’t adopt the
research done by UPLB scientists,” he said.
Sanchez said issues on food
security and production in the food value chain could be addressed through
capacity-building and knowledge generation.
“In the Philippines, we have all
the laws that have been institutionalized but somewhere down the line, we are
not following. We have to educate our politicians more because we have a lot of
resources and still, we have a problem on food security,” he said.
He offered that scientists have the
knowledge they could share with policy makers whom he observed, are not that
well-informed on how things should be addressed in relation to food security
and related problems.
Meanwhile, Dr. Abdelbagi Ismail,
IRRI’s Regional Representative to Africa, saw the need to intensify research
collaborations and education especially in knowledge-sharing and technology
expertise in developing countries to accelerate food and agriculture security
and eradicate poverty.
“Increasing population growth,
decreasing resources, calls for better nutrition and pressing threats of
climate change continuously call for the agriculture sector to accelerate
production,” he said. (PNA)
AP quizzes TS witness
before Brijesh Tribunal
HYDERABAD, FEBRUARY
14, 2019 00:51 IST
Palanisami was engaged by TS to
study water requirements under irrigation projects in two States
Hearing in the case related to
sharing of Krishna waters by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh States was resumed by
the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal, Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II, in New Delhi on
Wednesday, with counsel for AP A.K. Ganguli cross-examining Telangana’s witness
K. Palanisami.
Methodology discussed
An agricultural economist by
profession, Mr. Palanisami from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu was engaged by the
Telangana Government to study the water requirements under several irrigation
projects in the two States.
The cross-examination of
Telangana’s witness by the AP counsel on the day-one revolved around the
methodologies adopted in calculating the crop water estimation or irrigation
water requirement.
Mr. Palanisami told the tribunal
that he and a few scientists of State Agricultural University were also
associated with his study and he also had discussions with scientists of Indian
Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) and Central Research Institute of Dryland
Agriculture (CRIDA), both located in Hyderabad, for the purpose of his exercise
on crop water requirement.
The Telangana witness further
told the tribunal, on being asked by the counsel for AP, that after examining 4
to 5 methods he along with his associates had agreed upon using the Penman
Monteith Method for calculation of crop water requirement stating that the
other methods were useful for micro environment in calculating evapo-
transporation, the process by which water is transferred from the land to the
atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration
from plants, as part of crop water requirement estimation.
Optimum use of water
He explained to the tribunal that
his assignment was basically to work out crop water requirement based on
scientific methodology and optimum utilisation of water. For the analysis, he
had availed three sets of data – project-wise area, crop-related co-efficient
and cropping pattern-cropped area provided by the Irrigation Department of
Telangana.
During the hearing, Chief
Engineer (Inter State Water Resources) S. Narasimha Rao and other officials of
the Irrigation Department of Telangana were present.
Cameroon encouraged to revive traditional farming after losing
billions to imports
Published on 13.02.2019 at 13h02 by Journalducameroun
Women tilling farmland (c)Business in Cameroon
The Government of Cameroon has
been urged to revive and encourage traditional and ecological farming methods
after the country recently lost over 9.000 billion from the importation of
basic food stuff.
News that the news that the
government of Cameroon has lost over 9 000 billion FCFA from importing rice,
corn, sugar and fish has triggered reactions from several quarters as calls
have multiplied for the country to boost its agricultural sector.
Forest Campaigner, Sylvie Djacbou
called on the government to step up efforts to curb excessive dependence on
foreign products.
“It is troubling that a country
endowed with a lot of ecological agriculture potential should be importing
basic foodstuffs worth billions of FCFA at the detriment of the local economy.
This is a reality check for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
to get its act together and abandon its reliance on imports.
“Cameroon produces rice in the
Far North, West and North West regions, but national demand far outweighs
supply. During the 2011 Agropastoral Show, President Paul Biya promised
to curb excessive dependence on foreign importation of basic foodstuff, but
there are still no measures to promote sustainable farming in Cameroon.
“Greenpeace Africa believes that
the latest scandal presents an opportunity to revive and encourage traditional
and ecological farming practices. This form of farming enabled Cameroon to
export basic foodstuff until 1975. This will also strengthen food security and
long term sustainability of Cameroon’s agricultural sector.
“For many decades, the government has been paying lip service to
reduce food imports and improving and modernising the agricultural sector in
Cameroon. Government initiatives like the Societe de Transformation du Manioc de
Sangmelima (SOTRAMAS) were being designed to stimulate local
production but Cameroonians are yet to see any benefits. It would be
detrimental and catastrophic for the government to continue with business as
usual.”
‘Just import rice,’ focus on
high-value crops
‘JUST IMPORT RICE,’ FOCUS ON HIGH-VALUE
CROPS
The agriculture sector could see
growth accelerate if farmers abandon rice and shift to growing high-value
crops, a Cabinet official claimed on Wednesday.
“A growth of maybe 3-4 percent is
possible for the sector if we focus on high-value crops and just import rice,”
Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno told reporters, adding that trade should also
be liberalized as much as possible to realize the industry’s potentials.
A
worker from Antonio Porne grain center in Tondo, Manila arranges sacks of
repacked NFA rice. PHOTO BY RUSSELL PALMA
“That is the most efficient
economic arrangement. And as I said, you always have to think of what’s
the greatest good for the farmers,” he said.
The Budget chief underscored the
importance of rice tariffication — a proposed law is just waiting for President
Rodrigo Duterte’s signature — and the planned deregularization of sugar
imports.
“You have to put pressure on the
sector to improve themselves, increase productivity because right now they are
not competitive,” he said, noting in particular that the cost of producing rice
was much higher than world prices of the staple.
Agriculture, Diokno pointed out,
expanded by just 0.8 percent in 2018 and contributed a measly 0.1 percentage
point to full-year gross domestic product growth of 6.2 percent.
“Simply put, the farm sector had
virtually zero contribution to economic growth last year,” he said.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel
Piñol, meanwhile, urged the government to implement intervention programs to
protect farmers against a surge in imports.
Amid Diokno’s call for a shift
from rice farming, the Agriculture chief said productivity could be improved
via the use of the proposed P10-billion Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.
“If the interventions will be
given right away and our farmers will be given enough time to make use of those
interventions to improve their productivity, yes, our farmers could compete,”
he said.
“But if we immediately implement
liberalization even before the interventions could reach our farmers and even
before they could improve their productivity, it could lead to the death of the
rice industry,” Piñol added.
Valuing our rice farmers
·
One of the powerful lessons to be
learned from the Venezuela situation is the absolute need for countries to
invest in developing a productive and sustainable agricultural sector. While
oil money can finance a lot of imported food, any number of circumstances
including price movements and geo-political events could very quickly create
conditions that could result in starvation when a people cannot feed
themselves.
This week’s appearance of officials
of the National Flour Mills (NFM) before a Joint Select Committee (JSC) of
Parliament gave more reason for Trinidad and Tobago to worry about food
security. NFM figures last month indicated a precipitous fall in rice
production over the last 27 years, from 21,200 tonnes to 585 tonnes. In some
economies, a decline of such magnitude might have prompted a policy-supported
switch to alternative locally grown staples, such as breadfruit or the root
crops of yam, dasheen, cassava, sweet potatoes or eddoes. Instead, the T&T
solution has been to import more rice to meet the high domestic demand.
Naturally, this required an ever-rising commitment of precious foreign
exchange.
While the NFM has attributed the
fallen production to the removal of farmers from the Nariva Swamp, Minister
Rambharat, in his appearance before the JSC placed the responsibility on the
closure of Caroni (1975) Ltd, the mainstay sugar producer which had also
diversified into other food crop farming. Neither analysis went to the root of
the problem which is the consistent mishandling of agriculture by every
government since Independence, none of which has developed and executed an
effective national food security and agricultural export plan.
The minister’s attitude towards
rice farmers revealed a lack of sensitivity about the forces against which
farmers have always worked, not the least of which is cheap imports. The issue
is not, as he stated, that 95 per cent of the local rice sold to NFM goes to
market as pet rice but why it ends up there. Is there some inherent deficiency
in the rice grown in this country? What is needed from Minister Rambharat is a
cogent and penetrating analysis of why the rice industry has fallen to such a
low, and for NFM to explain its handling of locally produced rice.
Ultimately, the issue is whether
Trinidad and Tobago is satisfied to keep importing rice or sees rice as a
strategic food worthy of investment.
The public’s appetite for rice in a
country where foreign exchange is already scarce and highly dependent on the
finite petro resources would suggest a less cavalier attitude to rice farmers
and the rice industry, and a more strategic approach to either developing
T&T’s rice industry and/or changing consumption patterns.
Get caught up with news from the
Fil-Chi biz chamber
backs rice tariffication
February 13, 2019, 5:56 pm
MANILA -- The Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (FFCCCII) has joined other business groups in expressing full
support for the proposed law seeking to impose tariffs on rice imports in lieu
of quantitative restrictions (QR), which it believes is a “much-needed reform”
that will ease negative effects of inflation especially on the poorest of the
poor, the Department of Finance (DOF) revealed in a statement on Wednesday.
In a letter to President Duterte,
the FFCCCII said the rice tariffication bill will benefit the lowest-income
families as this staple food accounts for a hefty part of their daily household
expense.
“Rice is the staple food of our
nation and it comprises almost 20 percent of the household expense of
low-income households. We believe that by removing the import quotas on rice
and replacing them with tariffs, the price of rice will significantly be lower
as there will be competition, and the lack of available cheap rice will no
longer be an issue,” said the FFCCCII in the letter signed by its president,
Domingo Yap.
A copy of the letter was also sent
to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, who believes that this import
liberalization measure will help the government further ease inflation.
The group likewise pointed out that
the rice tariffication bill will ensure that local farmers would also benefit
from this consumer-friendly measure through the creation of a Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), which will provide them with
assistance programs, loans, grants, and aid needed to modernize rice farming as
well as funds for the development of inbred rice seeds and skills enhancement.
“This measure is a much-needed
reform that will help our countrymen,” the FFCCCII said ahead of the
President’s expected signing into law of the rice tarrification bill.
Earlier, a joint statement was
signed by nine other business organizations also expressing their support for
rice tariffication. (DOF PR)
Battle for food
February 13, 2019 | 9:55 pm
The Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads
international efforts to defeat hunger. In 2018, it reported that for the third
year in a row, “there has been a rise in world hunger. The absolute number of
undernourished people, i.e. those facing chronic food deprivation, has
increased to nearly 821 million in 2017, from around 804 million in 2016. These
are levels from almost a decade ago.”
I cite these figures if only to
emphasize the importance of agriculture, and how not only the Philippines but
the rest of the world has been fighting hunger. Sadly, in the last three years,
it appears to be a losing battle. And this, according to FAO, was largely
because of climate change and the negative impact of natural disasters like
drought on agricultural production.
This is the situation the world finds itself in right now, and I
suppose one shouldn’t be surprised by the sense of urgency of some sectors in
lobbying for changes in policies in Philippine agriculture. Former government
technocrats, for instance, have been pushing for a “rice tariffication” law
that they believe could “help resolve various issues afflicting the rice
industry, including smuggling, uncompetitive production costs, and corruption.”
BusinessWorld reported that through a statement issued by the Foundation
for Economic Freedom, the former technocrats noted that allowing the free
importation of rice but imposing tariffs on them — as opposed to the present
system of a government monopoly on importing rice and restricting the
quantities brought in — would “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 group criticized “unwarranted
government intervention” in the rice trade and noted that “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 objective, they noted, was to allow free market forces to solve
“the problem of gluts during harvest, and releasing stocks during lean
periods.”
The government, obviously, is now
between a rock and a hard place. And in an election year at that. Farmers,
whether of rice or sugar or other crops, are voters, too. On one hand, we have
economists and other experts who believe in the policy of liberalizing the
agriculture sector to pave the way for its growth. But, farmer themselves are
opposed to this idea.
BusinessWorld reported that the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), for
instance, is worried that by liberalizing the rice industry and removing the
government monopoly on importing rice, and restricting the state to maintaining
a minimum rice inventory, then the government would be “practically powerless”
when rice prices turn volatile in case of another shortage.
Even sugar farmers are up in arms
versus liberalizing their own industry, or allowing the private sector —
particularly food makers — to import more sugar and sugar substitutes. They
noted that the majority of sugar farmers were Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries
(ARBs), and pushing for liberalization would only increase their poverty.
BusinessWorld reported on a position paper of the Confederation of Sugar
Producers (CONFED), which said, “It is ironic that the government, after
providing the opportunity for these former sugar workers to become producers
through the agrarian reform law will — through these economic managers —
consign them once more to poverty by concocting this liberalization plan.”
There appears to be much anxiety
in the agriculture sector now, given the calls to open up the trade of rice and
sugar. The obvious objective of such calls is to ensure food security.
Liberalization and free trade aim to ensure sufficient food supply, given the
growing demand for food of an increasing population. Sufficient supply will
also help keep food prices down. Free trade aims to address supply disruptions.
But apparently farmers believe this to be at their expense.
However, farmers are consumers,
too, like the rest of us. While they need income, like the rest of us as well,
they also need food. And the negative consequence of supply disruptions, as
what we had experienced last year, was felt by everybody — farmers and food
processors and consumers alike. Runaway prices, shortages, inflation, and
slower economic growth affected us all. Farmers were hit both on income and
consumption.
Protecting the livelihood of
farmers, and ensuring their profitability, should not be at the expense of
consumers. And it is precisely the prevailing mechanism of trading that needs
to change, as it has allowed unscrupulous traders to benefit from supply
disruptions. They have kept farmers poor, and have made food expensive even for
them.
The situation is not without
alternatives to farmers. We can risk opening up the rice and sugar trade to
foreign supply. But we should provide rice and sugar farmers alternative
sources of income — if at all liberalization will result in diminished incomes
for them. However, both the rice and sugar industry should modernize and
improve on production and efficiency. The country needs food, and so does the
rest of the world. The 2018 hunger report proves this much.
We have Singapore’s Agriculture
and Veterinary Agency (AVA) now in the country to inspect farms that can supply
Singapore with vegetables, fruit, hogs, poultry, and eggs. Singapore has been
searching for alternatives to food imports from Malaysia, particularly for
high-value vegetables and fruit, pork and processed pork products, dressed
chicken and eggs, and seafood including white shrimp. Our exports are also seen
to address any domestic oversupply in the future.
On the production front, BusinessWorld also
reported that Israeli agro-industrial firm LR Group is expected to submit a
P44-billion proposal to the Philippine government this month to fund the
deployment of 6,200 Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS). LR’s “fertigation”
technology — the injection of fertilizers using the irrigation system — is seen
to help double production in about 500,000 hectares of rice and high-value
products like sugarcane, corn, coffee, cacao, coconuts, and fruit-bearing
trees.
I believe that all is not lost
for Agriculture. But government policy and type of intervention play an important
role in all this. A World Bank-funded project in Mindanao, for instance, called
the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), is targeting a 30% increase in
income for its beneficiaries before the end of its sixth year of implementation
in 2020.
BusinessWorld reported that PRDP has so far monitored a 15% income
improvement since its launch in 2014, particularly among the 700,000
beneficiaries of farm-to-market road projects that allowed farmers to directly
bring their produce to the market with ease. PRDP is composed of 248 projects
in Mindanao, and provided P15.4 billion for infrastructure development,
agri-enterprises, and local capacity improvement.
PRDP proves that the plight of
farmers can be improved, that farming can also be profitable, as long as the
right infrastructure and the right policies are in place. There will always be
demand for food, and this is highly unlikely to diminish in the future. In
short, even as we import, there will always be a market for local farm produce.
The key to success is finding ways to improve production, and distribution to
markets here and abroad. There are almost 900 million undernourished people
around the world.
Indigenous researchers plant seeds of hope for health and climate
Hannah Tait Neufeld, Assistant Professor of Family
Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph; Brittany Luby, Assistant
Professor of History, University of Guelph, and Kim Anderson, Associate
Professor of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition,
February 13, 2019
12:09 PM EST
12:09 PM EST
Last Updated
February 13, 2019
12:10 PM EST
February 13, 2019
12:10 PM EST
This article was originally
published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news,
analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is
available on the original site.
——
Authors: Hannah Tait Neufeld, Assistant Professor of Family
Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph; Brittany Luby, Assistant
Professor of History, University of Guelph, and Kim Anderson, Associate
Professor of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph
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 Metis 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 dams control 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.
——
This article is republished from
The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Disclosure information is
available on the original site. Read the original article:
https://theconversation.com/indigenous-researchers-plant-seeds-of-ho https://theconversation.com/indi
Palanisami was engaged by TS to
study water requirements under irrigation projects in two States
Hearing in the case related to
sharing of Krishna waters by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh States was resumed by
the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal, Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II, in New Delhi on
Wednesday, with counsel for AP A.K. Ganguli cross-examining Telangana’s witness
K. Palanisami.
Methodology discussed
An agricultural economist by
profession, Mr. Palanisami from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu was engaged by the
Telangana Government to study the water requirements under several irrigation
projects in the two States.
The cross-examination of
Telangana’s witness by the AP counsel on the day-one revolved around the
methodologies adopted in calculating the crop water estimation or irrigation
water requirement.
Mr. Palanisami told the tribunal
that he and a few scientists of State Agricultural University were also
associated with his study and he also had discussions with scientists of Indian
Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) and Central Research Institute of Dryland
Agriculture (CRIDA), both located in Hyderabad, for the purpose of his exercise
on crop water requirement.
The Telangana witness further
told the tribunal, on being asked by the counsel for AP, that after examining 4
to 5 methods he along with his associates had agreed upon using the Penman
Monteith Method for calculation of crop water requirement stating that the
other methods were useful for micro environment in calculating evapo-
transporation, the process by which water is transferred from the land to the
atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration
from plants, as part of crop water requirement estimation.
Optimum use of water
He explained to the tribunal that
his assignment was basically to work out crop water requirement based on
scientific methodology and optimum utilisation of water. For the analysis, he
had availed three sets of data – project-wise area, crop-related co-efficient
and cropping pattern-cropped area provided by the Irrigation Department of
Telangana.
During the hearing, Chief
Engineer (Inter State Water Resources) S. Narasimha Rao and other officials of
the Irrigation Department of Telangana were present.
Mississippi Rice Council
Annual Meeting: What's Done and What's
Next
By Deborah Willenborg
CLEVELAND, MS -- Torrential rain
gave way to the annual Mississippi Rice Council meeting here yesterday with
more than 30 growers hearing reports from Mississippi State, the Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Ducks Unlimited, and USA Rice.
Mississippi Rice Council President
Kirk Satterfield thanked attendees and provided a quick overview of Mississippi
Rice Promotion Board activities, including praising the hard work of Extension
Agent Coordinator Laura Giaccaglia for the successful Annual Rice Tasting
Luncheon, now in its 28th year and working with 14 restaurants in Bolivar
County to ensure rice was featured on all their menus throughout National Rice
Month.
Delta Research & Extension
Center Rice Specialist Dr. Bobby Golden then walked through the work his
office, researchers, and students are performing. He reported that acreage trended up in 2018
but that yield remained somewhat flat.
He shared results of impact on yield for various herbicides and
fungicides, and rice tolerance to other crop protection products. Golden, who was just named to the Rice
Leadership Development Program in December, also gave a first glimpse at
planting projections, estimating state acreage would be around 130,000 acres
this year.
Betsy Ward, president & CEO of
USA Rice, thanked the Council for their continued support of USA Rice and
updated attendees on key trade issues, including strong trade with Iraq thanks
to the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Iraq that USA Rice
advocated for; the situation in China that could finally see some sales of U.S.
rice to the huge nation; and the positive impacts of the U.S-Colombia Free
Trade Agreement, that in addition to regular strong sales of rice has also sent
more than $3.6 million to Mississippi for rice research over the past six
years.
Ward also talked about the quick
rise to dominance of U.S. rice in international food aid feeding programs
thanks to fortified rice, and the partnership between USA Rice and USDA's
Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) that helps promote U.S. rice overseas.
"In addition to receiving $4
million from FAS to fund our programs this year, we also advocated for and
received additional relief for the rice industry that has been negatively
impacted by the various trade disputes going on," she said. "We secured $48 million in additional
rice purchases for domestic feeding programs and another $3 million over three
years to support international efforts on behalf of rice. We're grateful to Secretary of Agriculture
Sonny Perdue for this assistance, he has been a great friend to the rice
industry."
Think Rice truck tour last fall
at a stop in Cleveland, MS
USA Rice Vice President of Domestic
Promotion Michael Klein discussed the work his team is performing on behalf of
the industry including last year's Think Rice Road Trip that made several stops
in Mississippi, promoting important nutritional research that the Mississippi
Rice Promotion Board helped fund, fighting rice pretenders, and the very
successful Foodservice Farm & Mill Tour that took place in Louisiana in
2018 and will come to Mississippi for 2019.
"My team and I are responsible
for promotions in the single largest market for U.S. rice," Klein
said. "We wake up every day and
think about how we can make people eat more U.S.-grown rice. Frankly, it's a great job and we are excited
to undertake it on your behalf."
The 2018 Farm Bill, soon to enter
the implementation phase, was the focus of USA Rice Vice President of Government
Affairs Ben Mosely's talk.
"Rice's position in the new
Farm Bill actually improved with enhancements to the Price Loss Coverage (PLC)
program and an expanded definition of family that can now qualify for
assistance both of which were developed by the USA Rice Farm Policy Task Force
that had dozens of calls and meetings and included Mississippi farmers Gibb
Steele, Nolen Canon, and Kirk Satterfield," he said.
Mosely also talked about the Rice
Stewardship Partnership Program that has reaped great benefits for Mississippi,
analysis of the sustainability record of the U.S. rice industry, and the newly
launched USA Rice Conservation Program Search Tool that lives on the USA Rice
website.
Paul Rodrigue from USDA-NRCS and
Ducks Unlimited's Dr. Scott Manley rounded out the program by encouraging
attendees to consider enrolling in a Mississippi Surface Water Conservation
Program that will provide financial and technical assistance to producers.
"It's always great to be back
in Mississippi, surrounded by friendly faces and sharing the important and
exciting work we are doing on behalf of the industry," Ward said. "As always, we appreciate the time on
the agenda and thoroughly enjoyed the other presentations as well."
USA RICE DAILY
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 SokuntheaHe 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.
Time needed to adjust to rice tariffication — IRRI
TIME is needed to prepare rice farmers for the adjustment to
heightened competition to be brought by rice tariffication, the head of the
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said. “Clearly, the liberalization
process exposes long-term the industry to more international competition,” IRRI
Director General Matthew Morell said on Wednesday during the signing of a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Agriculture (DA) on
scientific and technical collaboration in support of enhancing the Philippine
rice industry’s competitiveness. “Time is needed to adjust and some of the
ability, from our perspective — the research and development work at IRRI and
PhilRice — does need to be nurtured through enhanced education and training,”
Mr. Morell added. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said that
interventions to support farmers should reach them before the tariffication
starts. “If the interventions are ready right away and our farmers are given
enough time to make use of those interventions to improve their productivity,
yes our farmers can compete. But if we immediately implement liberalization
even before the interventions can reach our farmers and even before they can
improve their productivity, it would lead to the death of the rice industry,”
Mr. Piñol said. He did not elaborate on the required lead time to prepare
farmers for competition. Among the interventions contemplated under the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) are equipment and mechanization, rice
crop financing, and assistance with marketing and training. “Right now, the
farmers are complaining even without liberalized importation. There is speculation
among the traders and they’re not buying palay right now, so the price of palay
(unmilled rice) has dropped to P14 to P15 per kilo from a high of P25 last
year,” Mr. Piñol said. “The IRRI is both a source of pride for the Philippines
and a reason for embarrassment. Why? We take pride in the fact that we host the
research institution that has developed the world’s rice industry. But we’re
embarrassed by the fact that even with the presence of IRRI in our midst and
our own PhilRice, we have not yet attained that dream of rice self sufficiency.
We can’t even produce enough rice for ourselves,” Mr. Piñol said. Mr. Piñol
added he has discussed with banks the possibility of providing more loan
support to farmers. According to Mr. Piñol, the banks have insufficient
guidance from the government in lending to the agricultural industry.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FFCCCII) said on Wednesday that the rice tariffication is a “much-needed”
reform to curb inflation especially among those living in poverty. “Rice is the
staple food of our nation and it comprises almost 20% of the household expense
of low-income households. We believe that by removing the import quotas on rice
and replacing them with tariffs, the price of rice will significantly be lower
as there will be competition and the lack of available cheap rice will no
longer be an issue,” the FFCCCII said in a letter addressed to President
Rodrigo R. Duterte. “This measure is a much-needed reform that will help our
countrymen,” the FFCIII stated in the letter. — Reicelene Joy N.
Ignacio
12 hybrid rice varieties to be available from July
ISLAMABAD:
At least twelve new hybrid rice varieties will be available to farmers for
cultivation during the next Kharif crop season starting in July. The new varieties
were approved by the Variety Evaluation Committee of Pakistan Agriculture Council
(Parc) in Islamabad on Wednesday after reviewing twenty-six proposals. Research
on these varieties was carried out at the rice research laboratory of National
Agriculture Research Centre. A senior official of NARC told Dawn that following
the approval by the committee, the new hybrids of rice can now be imported from
China. So far, 130 different varieties of rice have been developed of which at
least twelve varieties are currently sown by farmers in rice growing areas of
the country. Punjab is the largest in terms of the crop’s production, followed
by Sindh and then the remaining parts. In addition to the 12 types, an open
pollinated variety of rice for commercial cultivation was also approved by the
committee. While farmers can keep seeds of pollinated rice variety, the hybrid
has to be changed after every crop. Parc chairman briefed the committee about
the upcoming projects on rice under the Prime Minister’s ‘National Agriculture
Emergency Programme’. Presiding over the variety evaluation committee meeting,
Member Plant Sciences Division of PARC, Dr Abdul Ghafoor emphasised the role of
quality seed for productivity and profitability of farmers. Representatives of
seed companies appreciated the role of Parc for setting new benchmarks for
testing of rice varieties in Pakistan. Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2019
Time needed to adjust to rice tariffication — IRRI
February 13, 2019 | 10:03 pm
PHILSTAR
TIME is needed to prepare rice
farmers for the adjustment to heightened competition to be brought by rice
tariffication, the head of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
said.
“Clearly, the liberalization
process exposes long-term the industry to more international competition,” IRRI
Director General Matthew Morell said on Wednesday during the signing of a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Agriculture (DA) on
scientific and technical collaboration in support of enhancing the Philippine
rice industry’s competitiveness.
“Time is needed to adjust and
some of the ability, from our perspective — the research and development work
at IRRI and PhilRice — does need to be nurtured through enhanced education and
training,” Mr. Morell added.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F.
Piñol said that interventions to support farmers should reach them before the
tariffication starts.
“If the interventions are ready
right away and our farmers are given enough time to make use of those
interventions to improve their productivity, yes our farmers can compete. But
if we immediately implement liberalization even before the interventions can
reach our farmers and even before they can improve their productivity, it would
lead to the death of the rice industry,” Mr. Piñol said.
He did not elaborate on the
required lead time to prepare farmers for competition.
Among the interventions
contemplated under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) are
equipment and mechanization, rice crop financing, and assistance with marketing
and training.
“Right now, the farmers are
complaining even without liberalized importation. There is speculation among
the traders and they’re not buying palay right now, so the price of palay
(unmilled rice) has dropped to P14 to P15 per kilo from a high of P25 last
year,” Mr. Piñol said.
“The IRRI is both a source of
pride for the Philippines and a reason for embarrassment. Why? We take pride in
the fact that we host the research institution that has developed the world’s
rice industry. But we’re embarrassed by the fact that even with the presence of
IRRI in our midst and our own PhilRice, we have not yet attained that dream of
rice self sufficiency. We can’t even produce enough rice for ourselves,” Mr.
Piñol said.
Mr. Piñol added he has discussed
with banks the possibility of providing more loan support to farmers. According
to Mr. Piñol, the banks have insufficient guidance from the government in
lending to the agricultural industry.
Meanwhile, the Federation of
Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCII) said on Wednesday
that the rice tariffication is a “much-needed” reform to curb inflation
especially among those living in poverty.
“Rice is the staple food of our
nation and it comprises almost 20% of the household expense of low-income
households. We believe that by removing the import quotas on rice and replacing
them with tariffs, the price of rice will significantly be lower as there will
be competition and the lack of available cheap rice will no longer be an issue,”
the FFCCCII said in a letter addressed to President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
“This measure is a much-needed
reform that will help our countrymen,” the FFCIII stated in the letter. — Reicelene
Joy N. Ignacio
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.
Guyana denies shipping
“bad’ rice to Jamaica
By
CMC
February 12, 2019
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Feb 12, CMC – Guyana says it has not shipped any rice to Jamaica under
the “Cinderella” brand for the year after media reports in Kingston said that
70 metric tonnes of White Cinderella rice had been confiscated by Jamaican
authorities.
The reports said that the rice, valued at valued at
approximately J$4.6 million (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents) had been
confiscated after officials from the Ministry of Industries, Agriculture and
Fisheries had carried out a series of inspections and finding that the product
had signs of mould, clumping, discoloration and wetting.
But the general manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board
(GRDB), Nizam Hassa, who has expressed concern over the claims, said no rice
has been shipped to Jamaica so far this year, by the miller who packages under
the Cinderella brand.
“I am very disturbed by these reports. We have since reached out
to the Food Storage and Prevention of Infestation Division in the Ministry of
Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries in Jamaica and are awaiting a
response.
“The situation is puzzling since the last shipment left Guyana
on the 15th December and arrived on the 19th December, 2018. Like any other
shipment, the rice that was sent to Jamaica underwent a series of physical
tests and was certified. The Board conducts such tests on paddy, rice and rice
by- products prior to any shipment leaving Guyana,” Hassan said.
GRDB export records also revealed that the supplier, to date,
has not received any complaints from the buyer in Jamaica or any other of its
markets and has been paid for all rice shipped.
Export reports also indicate no one shipment from the supplier
amounted to 70 tonnes.
Hassa said that rice could develop mould if it becomes wet in
storage.
“It is very important that the rice be stored in a dry place.
Mould and other bacteria can develop on the grain if the rice is exposed to
moisture or becomes wet in storage,” Hassan said.
The GRDB said it is urging all players within the industry to
remain vigilant as the matter is being investigated.
Arkansas rice production marks recovery from 2017 flooding; hay,
peanuts decline
Even if the fall of 2018 marked
the “harvest that never ended,” Arkansas growers managed to pull enough rice
from the land to mark a 30 percent increase over 2017′s disastrous numbers,
which reflected the severe flooding of that year’s spring, officials said.
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released state-by-state
crop and stock reports Feb. 8, the first new data available from the department
since the 35-day partial shutdown of the federal government.
Not only was 2018 a strong year
for Arkansas rice growers, with a total production of 107 million cwt, but U.S.
rice as a whole, said Jarrod Hardke, Extension rice agronomist for the
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
“Arkansas rice yield and acres
came right in line with expectation,” Hardke said. “However, it was surprising
to see a substantial increase in overall U.S. yields, which marks the second
highest on record. Some individual state yields increased more than 800 pounds
per acre over previous estimates.”
Some Arkansas crops saw modest year-over-year
increases, including corn, which rose 7 percent to 117 million bushels, and
upland cotton, which also rose 7 percent to an estimated 1.15 million bales,
results that several extension agronomists described as unsurprising, and
generally in line with annual averages.
The state’s No. 1 crop, soybean,
saw a 7 percent decline in production from 2017, falling to about 165.2 million
bushels. The dip was overshadowed by the increasing supply on hand, accumulated
in part due to the ongoing trade dispute with China.
Nationwide, total stocks of
stored soybeans rose 18 percent over 2017 numbers more than 3.7 billion
bushels, stored both on farms and off. Soybean stocks stored on farms,
specifically, totaled 1.94 billion bushels, up 30 percent from a year ago.
While the report didn’t make
numbers for Arkansas available, the national situation reflected what Arkansas
growers are dealing with, said Scott Stiles, Extension economist for the
Division of Agriculture.
“Normally, we use the bulk of
on-farm storage for corn and rice,” Stiles said. “Given the quality issues,
drop in soybean prices and weakness in the basis at harvest, my feeling was
that our growers would allocate a lot more bin space to soybeans following the
2018 crop.”
Peanut production in Arkansas
dropped about 25 percent in 2018 to about 2.2 million pounds. Travis Faske,
extension pathologist and peanut agronomist with the Division of Agriculture,
said poor harvesting conditions and the abandonment of several thousand acres
in peanut production led to the lower number, although the average yield “was
positive, and among the best, compared to other peanut producing states.”
The Feb. 8 report also referenced
winter wheat in the state, which is forecast to have the lowest acreage since
1955, at about 120,000 acres. Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains
agronomist with the Division of Agriculture, said the numbers were not
surprising, “given the very wet fall that prevented most acres from being
planted.”
Finally, sorghum, which occupies
relatively few acres in the state, nevertheless saw a substantial increase in
2018 of 41 percent, with Arkansas growers producing about 770,000 bushels
throughout the year.
To learn about agriculture in
Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu.
Follow us on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.
The University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all
eligible persons without discrimination.
— Ryan McGeeney is with the U of
A System Division of Agriculture.
ARMM distributes P35-M equipment to corn, rice
farmers
February 13, 2019
FARM
AID. One of the equipment handed over by agriculture officials to farmers in
Maguindanao on Tuesday. (DAF-ARMM photo)
COTABATO CITY — The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DAF-ARMM) has conducted the mass
distribution of PHP35-million worth of farming machinery in Maguindanao on
Tuesday.
DAF-ARMM Secretary Alexander
Alonto Jr. led the distribution of the equipment at the DAF-ARMM Integrated
Agricultural Research Center (IARC) compound in Barangay Simuay, Sultan
Kudarat, Maguindanao.
“The DAF interventions were
composed of 80 units of rice and corn farm machinery given to 18 legitimate
cooperatives in the province of Maguindanao,” Alonto said.
Edna Bajao, the regional rice
alternate focal person, said the rice farm machinery was composed of several
hand tractors, a thresher machine, a floating tiller, a transplanter, a
portable irrigation system open source (PISOS) reaper, and a combine harvester.
The corn farm equipment,
meanwhile, consisted of an electrical corn mill, a corn sheller, a cassava
grater and another potable PISOS reaper, according to regional corn coordinator
Dr. Albert Usman.
Alonto said his office also
distributed 1,600 liters of insecticides, 1,600 kg. of fungicide and 550
sachets of rodenticides to the farming cooperatives.
Sittie Anida Tomawis Limbona,
DAF-ARMM administration and finance chief, said of the total PHP35-million
assistance, PHP22 million was allocated for rice farmers while the remaining
PHP13 million was for corn farmers.
She said the assistance was
funded by the Department of Agriculture.
ARMM distributes P35-M equipment to corn, rice farmers
By
Edwin Fernandez February
13, 2019, 10:01 pm
FARM
AID. One
of the equipment handed over by agriculture officials to farmers in
Maguindanao on Tuesday. (DAF-ARMM photo)
COTABATO CITY --
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (DAF-ARMM) has conducted the mass distribution of PHP35-million worth
of farming machinery in Maguindanao on Tuesday.
DAF-ARMM Secretary Alexander Alonto Jr. led the distribution of the equipment at the DAF-ARMM Integrated Agricultural Research Center (IARC) compound in Barangay Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
“The DAF interventions were composed of 80 units of rice and corn farm machinery given to 18 legitimate cooperatives in the province of Maguindanao,” Alonto said.
Edna Bajao, the regional rice alternate focal person, said the rice farm machinery was composed of several hand tractors, a thresher machine, a floating tiller, a transplanter, a portable irrigation system open source (PISOS) reaper, and a combine harvester.
The corn farm equipment, meanwhile, consisted of an electrical corn mill, a corn sheller, a cassava grater and another potable PISOS reaper, according to regional corn coordinator Dr. Albert Usman.
Alonto said his office also distributed 1,600 liters of insecticides, 1,600 kg. of fungicide and 550 sachets of rodenticides to the farming cooperatives.
Sittie Anida Tomawis Limbona, DAF-ARMM administration and finance chief, said of the total PHP35-million assistance, PHP22 million was allocated for rice farmers while the remaining PHP13 million was for corn farmers.
She said the assistance was funded by the Department of Agriculture. (PNA)
DAF-ARMM Secretary Alexander Alonto Jr. led the distribution of the equipment at the DAF-ARMM Integrated Agricultural Research Center (IARC) compound in Barangay Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
“The DAF interventions were composed of 80 units of rice and corn farm machinery given to 18 legitimate cooperatives in the province of Maguindanao,” Alonto said.
Edna Bajao, the regional rice alternate focal person, said the rice farm machinery was composed of several hand tractors, a thresher machine, a floating tiller, a transplanter, a portable irrigation system open source (PISOS) reaper, and a combine harvester.
The corn farm equipment, meanwhile, consisted of an electrical corn mill, a corn sheller, a cassava grater and another potable PISOS reaper, according to regional corn coordinator Dr. Albert Usman.
Alonto said his office also distributed 1,600 liters of insecticides, 1,600 kg. of fungicide and 550 sachets of rodenticides to the farming cooperatives.
Sittie Anida Tomawis Limbona, DAF-ARMM administration and finance chief, said of the total PHP35-million assistance, PHP22 million was allocated for rice farmers while the remaining PHP13 million was for corn farmers.
She said the assistance was funded by the Department of Agriculture. (PNA)
Pakistan-Malaysia business relationship: an overview
Pak-Malaysia Business Council is playing a vital role in
facilitating the business between the two countries. Pakistan and Malaysia have
strong business relationship since 1970 when Pakistan imported palm oil from
Malaysia for the first time.
Malaysia entered into joint ventures in Pakistan in the field of power, telecommunication, oil exploration, edible oil refinery, dedicated jetty and the largest bulking storage facility at Port Qasim. Dr Mahathir Bin Mohammad, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, initiated in the year 1993, three Joint Venture Projects with three Malaysian Palm Oil giants, namely FELDA, K. L. Kepong & IOI with Pakistan's Westbury Group of Companies. By the grace of Allah, all the three joint ventures of Pakistan with Malaysia have performed very well.
The Pak-Malaysia Business Council welcomes the forthcoming visit of Dr Mahathir bin Mohammad to Pakistan next month. Dr Mahathir is a visionary person and has a huge following in Pakistan. The following table will reflect export to and import from Malaysia (mainly Palm Oil):-
Malaysia entered into joint ventures in Pakistan in the field of power, telecommunication, oil exploration, edible oil refinery, dedicated jetty and the largest bulking storage facility at Port Qasim. Dr Mahathir Bin Mohammad, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, initiated in the year 1993, three Joint Venture Projects with three Malaysian Palm Oil giants, namely FELDA, K. L. Kepong & IOI with Pakistan's Westbury Group of Companies. By the grace of Allah, all the three joint ventures of Pakistan with Malaysia have performed very well.
The Pak-Malaysia Business Council welcomes the forthcoming visit of Dr Mahathir bin Mohammad to Pakistan next month. Dr Mahathir is a visionary person and has a huge following in Pakistan. The following table will reflect export to and import from Malaysia (mainly Palm Oil):-
===============================================
(Million US$)
===============================================
Year Export from Import from Balance
Pakistan Malaysia of Trade
===============================================
2012 252.4 1,855.9 (1,603.5)
2013 219.0 1,653.6 (1,434.7)
2014 227.4 1,215.7 (988.3)
2015 229.0 1,058.1 (829.0)
2016 171.6 1,170.2 (998.6)
2017 167.4 1,176.8 (1,009.3)
===============================================
In this connection, I must state that Palm Oil is the cheapest
edible oil in the world and Pakistan is benefited by this oil imported from
Malaysia and Indonesia.
Pakistan imports of Palm Oil are continuously increasing. It was about 2.57 million tons in the year 2016, which increased to 3.14 Million tons in 2018.
Malaysia has consistently been the top exporters of palm oil to Pakistan during past three decades. However, from 2014, Malaysian share is continuously declining while Indonesian share is increasing, as would appear from the following statistics:-
Pakistan imports of Palm Oil are continuously increasing. It was about 2.57 million tons in the year 2016, which increased to 3.14 Million tons in 2018.
Malaysia has consistently been the top exporters of palm oil to Pakistan during past three decades. However, from 2014, Malaysian share is continuously declining while Indonesian share is increasing, as would appear from the following statistics:-
==============================================================================
Calendar Total Share of Malaysia Share of Indonesia
Year Imports
(Million/Tons) (Million/Tons) (Million/Tons)
%age %age
==============================================================================
2014 2.321 0.637 (27.5%) 1.684 (72.5%)
2015 1.569 0.349 (22%) 1.220 (78%)
2016 2.410 0.443 (18%) 1.968 (82%)
2017 2.829 0.577 (20%) 2.252 (80%)
2018 (Jan-Sep) 2.083 0.601 (29%) 1.482 (71%)
==============================================================================
The main reason is due to aggressive Indonesian sales in the Pakistani market after G2G Preferred Trade Agreement (PTA) with Indonesia.
The exports from Malaysia have decreased viz-a-viz Indonesia for various reasons, including more competitive prices by Indonesia and aggressive sales policy from Indonesian sellers, GAPKI.
Pakistan has established many edible oil refineries mostly at Port Qasim, with a view to converting crude palm oil into refined oil (called RBD Palm Oil).
The Malaysian government has levied Export Duty on Crude Palm Oil (CPO) at certain level of prices (at above RM 2,250), which also discourage export of CPO. Therefore, for increase in export of Palm Oil from Malaysia, Export Duty on CPO needs to be removed/rationalized by Malaysian Government, which will increase the sale of Malaysian Palm Oil by at least 20 percent.
Indonesia also discourages sale of crude palm oil to Pakistan.
Pak-Malaysia Business Council has noted that Prime Minister Imran Khan recently visited Malaysia and had meetings with the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir, who is always a well-wisher and friend of Pakistan. The Advisor of Prime Minister for Commerce, Textile, Industry and Investment, Abdul Razzak Dawood accompanied the Prime Minister along with the Finance Minister and others.
In view of the trade deficit, they urged the Malaysian government to review the trade imbalance with a view to taking all necessary steps to improve the position.
Pakistan is a big supplier of IRRI and Basmati rice and the Malaysian requirement is of 1,000,000 M.Tons annually for domestic consumption. The share of Pakistan is not more than 200,000 Tons. We would request the Malaysian government to enhance the quota of Pakistani rice export to Malaysia, at competitive prices.
Pakistan also has keen interest to export Halal food, fruits, mango and mandarin, vegetable, etc. Incidentally, Malaysia has imposed 5 to 7% duties on import of mango and mandarin, which need to be reviewed.
Pakistan welcomes Joint Ventures in Malaysia, apart from additional industry like:
-- Edible Oil,
-- Halal Food,
-- Infrastructure Development,
-- Telecommunication,
-- Palm Oil Plantation
The investment policy of Pakistan is most attractive and foreigner can invest 100% in most industries, except infrastructure.
Pakistan High Commission in Malaysia has played a vital role in establishing Malaysia-Pakistan Business Council which is headed by Dato' Seri Nazir Merselam. The Pak-Malaysia Business Council of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry has invited a delegation from Malaysia in the 2nd half of this year, mainly to enhance possibility of export goods from Pakistan.
Pak-Malaysia Business intends to hold a one-country exhibition and an investment conference in Kuala Lumpur to boost joint ventures between the two brotherly countries.
Pak-Malaysia Business Council shall endeavour to make its best towards enhancing bilateral, economic and trade relations between Pakistan and Malaysia.
(The writer is Chairman, Pak-Malaysia Business Council of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry)
Pakistan to seek preferential trade agreement with Saudi Arabia
during Crown Prince Salman's visit
World Press
Trust of India Feb 14, 2019
14:33:00 IST
Islamabad: Pakistan will propose to
Saudi Arabia for initiation of a dialogue on a preferential trade agreement
(PTA) to balance bilateral trade and promote investment during Saudi Crown
Prince Mohammad bin Salman's visit here, according to a media report on
Thursday.
The Crown Prince accompanied by a
high-powered business delegation will arrive in Pakistan on Saturday on his
two-day visit to promote economic ties.
The preferential treaty will cover tariff and non-tariff
barriers (NTBs) which will help diversify Pakistan's export basket to the
kingdom, official sources told Dawn.
Since 2006, there is a complete
deadlock in negotiations on the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with the
Gulf Cooperation Council. So far only two rounds of negotiations have been held
on it. Officials said that this issue will be raised during the crown prince's
visit.
File image of Pakistan prime
minister Imran Khan. Reuters
Pakistan's bilateral trade with
Saudi Arabia has posted a consistent decline, dropping by a half to USD 2.5
billion in 2016-17 from USD 5.08 billion in 2013-14. One reason behind this is
the falling value of petroleum products which constitute 50 percent of total
imports.
The country's exports to the
kingdom are decreasing as well mainly due to a drop in proceeds of rice,
fruits, vegetable preparations, apparel and clothing and made-up articles of
textile material.
Rice is one of the major export
items to Saudi Arabia but now the commodity's market is being captured by other
countries, particularly India.
If an agreement is reached on the
PTA, Saudi Arabia will become the second country after Iran with which Pakistan
will have a bilateral preferential arrangement, the report said.
Other issues that will be
discussed include easing of procedures for business visa which currently
involves multiple departments and takes at least six weeks.
Saudi Arabia has also increased
the business visa fee to Rs 74,000 per person for attending any business
activity in the kingdom and Pakistan will be looking for a fee waiver.
Pakistan is likely to raise the
issue of removing ban on its shrimp exports to Saudi Arabia as well as seeking
licence for State Life Insurance to do business in the kingdom, besides holding
single-country exhibitions to promote market access for its products.
Possible areas for investment
with Saudi Arabia include the halal food sector, cattle farming, milk,
fisheries and other agro industry projects.
For resolving the NTB, two
important issues will be discussed; mutual recognition agreement to avoid delay
in customs and clearance of Pakistan's export shipments at the kingdom's ports
and quality assurance certificates to be recognised by Saudi Food and Drug
Authority, the report said.
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Updated Date: Feb 14, 2019
14:33:00 IST
Kothagudem Police nab rice pulling gang
THE HANS INDIA | Feb 14,2019 , 01:16 AM IST 
Kothgudem DSP SM Ali addressing a press conference on
Wednesday
Kothagudem: The police
have arrested a rice pulling gang here on Wednesday. Kothagudem Deputy
Superintendent of Police SM Ali, addressing a press conference at
Laxmidevipalli police station, said that they have seized a brass vessel, Rs
1.95 lakh cash and some rice from the accused.
He said the accused Bhim Raju and Krishna of Medar Basti in
Kothagudem have made the rice pulling equipment using brass vessel. They
covered with a layer of magnet to attract rice grains and inserted small iron
pieces into the grains.
Their friends Srinu and Sunder have helped them to make it. The
accused tried to dupe innocent victims claiming that it had mystical powers and
was worth crores of rupees in the market.
With the help of a person called Vankudoth Venkat Ramulu of
Tekulapalli mandal in the district, the gang has trapped a person from
Vijayawada, Lanka Govindarajulu to sell the piece they made.
The police who learnt about this have taken the accused into
custody, the DSP said. He appreciated CI Karunakar, SI Varun Prasad and
constables Ravi and Kannaiah for nabbing the gang members.
https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Telangana/2019-02-14/Kothagudem-Police-nab-rice-pulling-gang/494451
