Riceplus Magazien is a quarterly magazine that publishes research articles including industry realted for the rice sector.It shares global and regional articles on rice.Riceplus Magazine also publishes two digital magazines on daily basis namely Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter & Exclusive ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter for entire global agriculture community.For more information visit on www.ricepluss.com
9) Market Business Strategy Analysis Report Kubota, Iseki, Yanmar
Impact of COVID-19 Global Rice Transplanter Machine Market Research Report 2020-26
October 6, 2020
The Rice Transplanter Machine market study report is said to be a professional and comprehensive analysis on the current status of the global Rice Transplanter Machine market that is responsible for offering a basic outlook of the international marketplace alongside segmentation, definition, end-user industries and marketing chain structure. Furthermore, it also incorporates a rich set of essential parameters such as competitive landscape analysis, development trends, regional development state and much more.
NOTE: Our reports include the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on this industry. Our new sample is updated which correspond in new report showing impact of Covid-19 on Industry trends. Also we are offering 20% discount
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Different development polices as well as plans with numerous manufacturing processes, cost structure and capacity are discussed in this report. It also explains supply as well as demand figures, price, revenue share, import/export, consumption, and gross margins. The global Rice Transplanter Machine market showcases Rice Transplanter Machine market size, production, capacity, and moreover, splits the Rice Transplanter Machine market into product types, application, regions and key players. The study document analyzes a series of industrial elements including Rice Transplanter Machine market status, Rice Transplanter Machine market share, drivers, futuristic trends, sales channels, growth rates, challenges, risk factors and different opportunities.
The research report on the global Rice Transplanter Machine market report showcases energetic perspectives to conclude and meanwhile, studies the Rice Transplanter Machine market size, competitive surroundings, Rice Transplanter Machine industry expectations. The recent trends of the world Rice Transplanter Machine market in association with the topological landscape of this report have also been explained in this document. Furthermore, it focuses on the worldwide leading industry players of the Rice Transplanter Machine market offering details like cost, production rate, capacity, revenue forecast, price and contact details. Upstream raw materials as well as downstream demand evaluation and equipment is also elaborated in this report.
9) Market Business Strategy Analysis Report Kubota, Iseki, Yanmar
Impact of COVID-19 Global Rice Transplanter Machine Market Research Report 2020-26
October 6, 2020
The Rice Transplanter Machine market study report is said to be a professional and comprehensive analysis on the current status of the global Rice Transplanter Machine market that is responsible for offering a basic outlook of the international marketplace alongside segmentation, definition, end-user industries and marketing chain structure. Furthermore, it also incorporates a rich set of essential parameters such as competitive landscape analysis, development trends, regional development state and much more.
NOTE: Our reports include the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on this industry. Our new sample is updated which correspond in new report showing impact of Covid-19 on Industry trends. Also we are offering 20% discount
The research document includes both graphical and pictorial representation of the global Rice Transplanter Machine market along with its particular geographical zones. The global Rice Transplanter Machine market report is an extremely significant supply of approachable statistics for business strategists. Apart from this, we have also demonstrated distinct players in order to get better insights into the specific businesses. The report on the global Rice Transplanter Machine market delivers brief elaboration on different leading industries which are operating in the geographical regions.
Different development polices as well as plans with numerous manufacturing processes, cost structure and capacity are discussed in this report. It also explains supply as well as demand figures, price, revenue share, import/export, consumption, and gross margins. The global Rice Transplanter Machine market showcases Rice Transplanter Machine market size, production, capacity, and moreover, splits the Rice Transplanter Machine market into product types, application, regions and key players. The study document analyzes a series of industrial elements including Rice Transplanter Machine market status, Rice Transplanter Machine market share, drivers, futuristic trends, sales channels, growth rates, challenges, risk factors and different opportunities.
The research report on the global Rice Transplanter Machine market report showcases energetic perspectives to conclude and meanwhile, studies the Rice Transplanter Machine market size, competitive surroundings, Rice Transplanter Machine industry expectations. The recent trends of the world Rice Transplanter Machine market in association with the topological landscape of this report have also been explained in this document. Furthermore, it focuses on the worldwide leading industry players of the Rice Transplanter Machine market offering details like cost, production rate, capacity, revenue forecast, price and contact details. Upstream raw materials as well as downstream demand evaluation and equipment is also elaborated in this report.
The research report of Rice Milling Market has been formulated by studying & understanding the overall market in detail. The research report offers an in-depth analysis of the market: position of the market globally, revenue, sales, key market players, region analysis, impact of covid-19 & recovery analysis, consumer behaviour, porters 5 forces analysis, new developments, drivers, opportunities and restraints of the market.
Global Rice Milling Market in 2019 stood at USD XX million and is expected to gain growth over the forecast period & reach USD XX million by 2027 with a CAGR of XX% from 2020 to 2027.
The market is segmented based on its types & applications. The report also shows the progress of specific types & applications of the market that held the major share along with reasons, calculations & pie charts the shows the fastest growth of type and application over the forecast period of the market (2020-2027). The segmentation enables the reader/manufacturer to concentrate on specific parts of the market in order expand the market globally.
Major Players of the market: Buhler Group Satake Corporation Hubei Yongxiang China Meyer Zhejiang QiLi Machinery Zhongke Optic-electronic Hunan Chenzhou Grain Oil Machinery Anzai Manufacturing Wuhan Zhongliang Machinery Perfect Equipments G.G. Dandekar Machine Works Patker Engineers
The report shows an in-depth analysis of the regions as it is very prime topic to understand which region holds the major share & the reasons for having high sale progress and also the other regions that show a large growth. The region analysis explains the historical & forecast data from 2020-2027 in the form of a graph.
Global Rice Milling Market research report provides a comprehensive analysis of the major shareholding region & the reasons for the market growth in that particular region along with other regions:
North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico)
Europe (U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Central & Eastern Europe, CIS)
Asia Pacific (China, Japan, South Korea, ASEAN, India, Rest of Asia Pacific)
Latin America (Brazil, Rest of L.A.)
Middle East and Africa (Turkey, GCC, Rest of Middle East)
Global Rice Milling Market: Type/Product analysis Below 50 Ton 50-150 Ton Above 150 Ton
Global Rice Milling Market: Application analysis Commercial Home Use
PHILIPPINES SEEKS TWO-MONTH HALT ON
RICE IMPORTS TO SUPPORT PRICES
10/6/2020
MANILA,
Oct 6 (Reuters) - The Philippines' Department of Agriculture on Tuesday asked
local importers to stop importing rice between October and November to support
domestic prices during the country's main wet-season harvest.
The
world's biggest rice importer, which buys mainly from neighbouring Vietnam, is
now expected to purchase around 2.3 million tonnes of its staple food this
year, Agriculture Secretary William Dar told reporters.
The
Philippines' rice purchases last year were estimated at a record-high 2.9
million tonnes after it lifted a two-decade-old restriction on the size of
imports.
The
government expects year-end rice stockpiles to be the biggest in 10 years.
Dar
said almost 2 million tonnes of rice imports had arrived this year and about
300,000 tonnes more may be shipped in before year end.
The
domestic rice harvest in the second half will be "substantial", he
said, with the main harvest expected between June and November.
To
support prices amid rising domestic stockpiles and the influx of imports, the
government is also now "massively" buying unmilled rice from local
farmers for buffer stocking, Dar said.
The
Philippines' rice inventory is closely monitored by rice producers and traders
in Vietnam and other top exporters such as Thailand and India.
Asia's
rice export prices eased last week in most hubs on lacklustre demand, with
fresh supplies expected to be a further drag. Activity in the export market was
muted with the absence of buyers from the Philippines, according to traders.
(Reporting
by Enrico Dela Cruz Editing by Ed Davies)
Pakistan has decided to file a case against India’s claim of Geographical
Indication (GI) tag for Basmati rice in the European Union.
In a meeting chaired by Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak
Dawood, representatives of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP)
were of the view that Pakistan was a major grower and producer of Basmati rice
and India’s claim of exclusivity was unjustified.
Dawood assured rice exporters that Pakistan would vehemently oppose
India’s application in the European Union and restrain Delhi from obtaining the
exclusive GI tag for Basmati rice.
He supported REAP and relevant stakeholders, assuring them that their
claim on GI tag for Basmati rice would be protected and their concerns would be
addressed.
India had submitted an application in the European Union, claiming sole
ownership of Basmati rice and falsely misrepresenting its exclusivity. The
meeting was attended by the commerce secretary, Intellectual Property
Organisation (IPO-Pakistan) chairman and the legal fraternity.
India claimed in the
application that long grain basmati rice is grown and produced in districts of
the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and a few districts of
Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. However, the neighbouring country did not
mention that the same rice is also grown in parts of Pakistan.
Published
in The Express Tribune, October 6th,
2020.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today directed the market
committee secretary to get the calibration of moisture meters done every Sunday
to ensure transparency in checking of moisture in grains.
Rs 1,300 cr eastern bypass
for Karnal
·CM ML Khattar on Sunday
announced that the eastern bypass of the city would be constructed to give a
major relief to the commuters of Karnal and nearby areas
·The NHAI has given the
final nod for Rs1,300-crore project
·The length of the bypass
will be 35 km and it will connect Kutel with Jhanjhari village
“Market committee, agencies and arhtiyas should keep their
meters with them during paddy auctioning,” he said during a visit to the Karnal
grain market, where he took stock of paddy procurement.
He listened to the issues of farmers, rice millers and arhtiyas.
Farmers raised the issue that the “Meri Fasal Mera Byora” portal was not
working properly and they were not getting messages regarding the timing for
bringing their produce to mandis.
“Farmers of UP are being stopped by the administration. They
should be allowed,” a farmer told the CM, who claimed that the technical flaws
of the portal had been resolved now.
He assured that the UP farmers would’ve to get themselves
registered on the portal from October 5 and they could bring their produce as
per the schedule given to them. A farmer of Gharaunda alleged that even though
the crop was procured at MSP, farmers were given less payment. The CM asked the
farmers to give a written complaint in this regard and urged them not to accept
less payment.
Khattar got conducted the auctioning of paddy of two farmers and
urgedo the farming community to bring their produce after drying it. “The
government will procure each and every grain on MSP but the farmers should
bring their produce after drying it. They should ensure the moisture in their
grains should be up to 17 per cent,” he added. —TNS
Renowned cooking expert Sanjeev Kapoor, who is always
vocal for local food, says coarse grains like kodo,
ragi, jowar are more beneficial for health than polished grains so
the menu at five-star hotels also includes millets.
IANS New DelhiPublished on: October 05, 2020 6:27 IST
Image Source : PIXABAY
Coarse grains, millets
must for balanced diet
Kodo is more
beneficial for health than polished rice sold in the market. Kodo is a type of
coarse grain and coarse cereals are rich in micronutrients as well as fibre so
it is necessary to include coarse grains in your food intake for boosting
fitness.
Renowned cooking
expert Sanjeev Kapoor, who is always vocal for local food, says coarse grains
like kodo, ragi, jowar are more beneficial for health than polished grains so
the menu at five-star hotels also includes millets.
Kapoor, who is also
the Onboard Chef at Tata Sampann, told IANS that local food is not only
beneficial for health but is also delicious so the menu of five-star hotels
includes area-specific local foods which are in demand. He said,"We
launched a khichdi with Tata Sampann in which we included a lot of millets and
spices along with lentil rice and there is a lot of demand for it."
Kapoor, who considers
homemade food important, said it would be a better prospect if pizzas, burgers
and other continental foods were prepared at home.
People's increasing
interest in foods containing coarse grains is undoubtedly beneficial for health
as scientists have found they contain lot of rich micronutrients.
However, scientists
from the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) under the Indian Council of
Medical Research (ICMR) say that a limited amount of coarse grains should be
included in the diet.
Dr Subba Rao M.
Gavaravarapu, scientist at NIN, Hyderabad and Chief of Nutrition Information
and Communication division, said at present, the market offers only coarse
grains except all other grains which is not good because maintaining diversity
in food is important.
"NIN says that a
person must have food which provides 2,000 calories a day, which includes
nearly 270 grams of grains in it. It is good to take 40 to 50 per cent or 120
to 130 gram coarse grains. The rest of the grains we have been eating since
childhood must be included in the diet," Dr Subba Rao added.
Micronutrients and
fibre, he said, are found in coarse grains so it is beneficial to include them
in food for daily intake but eating only coarse grains is not recommended.
September was
celebrated as the 'Nutrition Month'. A special programme "Local Diet With
Proper Nutrition" highlighted the importance of local food. Food experts
described the consumption of seasonal crops grown in different parts of the
country as more beneficial. In this event organised by NIN and Tata Sampann,
Director of the National Institute of Nutrition Dr R. Hemlata said there is
need to talk openly about the local food items.
KHONSA, Oct 3: The Tirap KVK on
Saturday organized a ‘training-cum-awareness programme on pest management of
sali rice’ in Sipini village.
KVK Head Dr DS Chhonkar advised the farmers to be hard working
and be role models for other farmers and unemployed youths.
Plant protection scientist Pura Hano spoke on the basic
management system of rice pest.
“Any chemical pesticide should be used when it is needed by
strictly considering the economic threshold level of the pest population,” he
said.
The KVK scientists also interacted with the 33 farmer
participants regarding the pest infestation problem and its management.
Two knapsack sprayers and insecticides for rice leaf folder and
caseworm were divided among the farmers, according to the severity of
infestation in their fields.
ARLINGTON, VA --
Recent surveys tracking the way Americans shop for groceries have shown
ground-breaking results. A year ago, more than 80 percent of
shoppers said they had never shopped for groceries online, and online
shopping was stagnant at around 3 percent of all grocery sales, or about
$1.2 billion. But by June of 2020, online grocery sales in the
United States hit $7.2 billion, thanks in no small part to the COVID-19
pandemic that has touched so many aspects of our lives.
"How we grocery shop has changed dramatically in just a few
months," said Cameron Jacobs, USA Rice director of domestic
promotion. "And the changes look to be permanent as
post-pandemic, e-grocery sales are expected to climb from nearly $35
billion to more than $250 billion, and rice, which has gained already,
could solidify its position in people's pantries."
In August, grocery customer spending rose 6 percent from $310 to $330 per
month on average, while shopping trips fell almost 11 percent versus a
year ago. The fact that a majority of shoppers still prefer to
visit a brick-and-mortar grocery store, either to shop in-store or pick
up curbside orders, indicates that most shoppers remain loyal to
retailers and online brands with a physical store presence.
"People may be shopping less but they're spending more on groceries
when they do shop," said Jacobs. "There's been a
comparable uptick in eating in versus dining out, and we're seeing
increased interest from consumers for new recipes using pantry staples,
like rice, as they cook at home more."
According to Supermarket News, a trade publication for the
retail food-brand industry, rice has been one of the top ten sales
gainers since the pandemic began last spring. For the nine-week
period ending June 1, 2020, rice sales were up 84.5 percent.
"It's important for customers to know that the U.S. rice industry
can continue to meet the increased demand and renewed interest in our
products with safe, affordable, sustainably-grown rice and exciting,
delicious, and nutritious recipes that will fit any budget and any
taste," Jacobs concluded.
2020 is a weird year. We
promise to continue making songs, skits, and vlogs to keep you smiling. Please
subscribe – all you gotta do is click here: http://bit.ly/2UroXoU
$2.2 trillion COVID relief bill includes $120 billion for restaurants
Chains excluded
from restaurant grant program proposed as part of HEROES Act; grants are geared
for independent restaurants, food trucks and bars in underrepresented communities
with a focus on women- and minority-operated establishments.
House Democrats
introduced late Monday an updated version of the HEROES Act, which would infuse
$2.2 trillion into the economy in the form of increased unemployment benefits
and the establishment of $120 billion in grants for restaurants, bars and food
trucks.
The Independent Restaurant
Coalition asked Congress on Monday night to support the latest version of the
HEROES Act. Besides providing direct relief for independent restaurants, the
bill also includes another round of Paycheck Protection Program loans
geared for the hardest hit small businesses.
“The revised version of the HEROES
Act is the best plan Congress has put forward to protect the livelihoods of the
11 million people employed by independent restaurants across the country,” the
coalition said in a statement released late Monday. “Independent restaurants
are out of options, and by providing flexible grants based on
revenue losses to independent restaurants who need them, Congress can
ensure many businesses have a shot at surviving colder weather and getting
through the pandemic.”
The grant program was first
introduced in the summer as a bipartisan $120 billion relief
package called the “Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant
Assistance Needed to Survive Act,” or RESTAURANTS Act. It is aimed
at providing relief for the nation’s 500,000 independent restaurants and the
more than 11 million restaurant workers impacted by the pandemic.
This is the first time a version
of the HEROES Act has included the coalition's relief proposal.
Grants would be given to
restaurants, food trucks, taverns and bars based on “the difference between the
business’s 2019 revenues and estimated 2020 revenues for each quarter,”
according to the bill.
The federal grants will
prioritize awarding funds to "marginalized and underrepresented
communities" with a focus on women- and minority-operated establishments
with annual revenues of less than $1.5 million. The funds would
be earmarked for payroll and other eligible expenses and would need to be used
by June 30, 2021. A chain or franchise with more than 20 locations doing
business under the same name is not eligible.
Industry advocates have been urging
Congress for months to provide direct relief to the industry, which has
experienced 100,000 closures during the crisis. The coalition says 1 in 4
Americans who lost their jobs during this COVID-19 pandemic
worked in the industry.
The National Restaurant Association
has asked Congress to endorse the RESTAURANTS Act, saying it “takes a balanced
approach to support independent and locally owned franchise restaurants.”
While this version of the
RESTAURANTS Act is a "tremendous" step in the right
direction, the bill falls short when it comes to helping the entire
industry because it denies federal support for small regional chain
restaurants and individual owners of small franchise restaurants,
said NRA Executive Vice President of Public Affairs Sean Kennedy.
"After six months of a
pandemic that has brought our industry to its knees, policymakers cannot pick
restaurant winners and losers for federal relief," Kennedy said in a
statement released Tuesday. “Restaurants from revered independents, to
beloved regional chains, to the smallest corner diner are shutting down daily
across the country. Each of these restaurants deserves our support."
The International Franchise
Association also objected to the House version of the bill because it doesn't
support franchise owners, even ones with a few units. For example, the owner of
10 Taco Bells is ineligible because Taco Bell has 6,000 units,
well over the under 20-unit threshold. That same franchise owner, however, is
eligible for a second round of PPP funding.
In a recent NRA survey, 40% of
operators said that it is unlikely that their restaurant will still be in
business six months from now if there are no additional relief packages from
the federal government.
·$75 billion to support COVID-19
testing, tracing and treatment
·$1,200 in direct stimulus per
taxpayer
·Restoration of the $600 in weekly
federal unemployment payments through January
“This $2.2 trillion Heroes Act
provides the absolutely needed resources to protect lives, livelihoods and the
life of our democracy over the coming months,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
said in a statement. “Democrats are making good on our promise to
compromise with this updated bill, which is necessary to address the immediate
health and economic crisis facing America's working families right now.”
Egypt increases efforts to reduce pollution from burning rice straw
The black cloud caused by the burning of rice straw – a
by-product of rice farming – at the end of the harvest season first appeared
over the Nile Delta and Cairo in 1997
Over 500,000 tons of rice straw have been collected
this year as part of the country's efforts to reduce pollution caused by straw
burning, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad told Prime Minister Mostafa
Madbouly in a meeting on Saturday.
The black cloud caused by the
burning of rice straw – a by-product of rice farming – at the end of the
harvest season first appeared over the Nile Delta and Cairo in 1997, but did
not become visible to the naked eye until two years later.
The amount of rice straw
collected by the government this year accounts for 88 percent of the straw
produced this harvest season, Minister Fouad said, adding that last year, the
government collected 350,000 tons of rice straw.
Fouad noted that as many as 289
sites have been opened for collecting rice straw in Nile Delta governorates.
Up to 75 centres affiliated with
the environment ministry have been set up to follow up on the burning of
agricultural and solid waste, she said.
Rice is one of the most common
crops cultivated by farmers in Egypt, and it is a staple food for the vast
majority of the country's population.
Egypt's rice production stood at
4.3 million tonnes in 2020/2021, the same as in 2019/2020, and the country's
consumption of rice increased to 4.5 million tonnes in 2020/2021, up from 4.4
million tonnes in 2019/2020, according to a report released by the US' Foreign
Agriculture Service (FAS) in September.
Farmer
groups that have reported low palay prices are only exaggerating data and
sowing disinformation to push for the amendment or repeal of the rice
tariffication law (RTL), according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
In a
strongly worded statement released on Saturday, the agency debunked reports
that the farmgate price of palay dipped to P12 a kilo earlier this week, which
groups and organizations blamed on the controversial rice policy.
The
Federation of Free Farmers, in particular, said the abundance of local supply
and imported rice saturated the market, which took a heavy toll on farmers who
still could not compete with cheaper imported rice.
“The
interest groups, along with former DA officials, have exaggerated data on palay
to push for the amendment or repeal of the RTL. They are resurrecting old
arguments against RTL,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.
He pointed
out that the agency was now using an online system to track and consolidate
data and the numbers showed that palay prices in top-producing areas were at
P19 a kilo, while the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that as of
the second week of September, the average farmgate price of palay nationwide
was at P17.12 a kilo.
The technology,
called the Philippine Rice Information System (PRiSM), conducted a quick palay
price survey report between Sept. 16 and 30.
It showed
that the average price of palay in Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley were at P18
and P19 a kilo, respectively.
The two
regions account for more than 30 percent of the country’s palay harvest, which
reached 18.8 million metric tons last year.
DA said
the PRiSM was used to conduct a survey in 16 regions with 219 respondents,
among them farmers, traders and millers.
It also
considered price monitoring reports from DA regional field offices and
provincial and municipal local government units.
“We base
our analysis and decisions using more reliable data,” Dar said. “We go down to
the communities to monitor and ensure that our interventions are in place and
benefit our farmers.”
In a press
briefing, the official also said that the rice tariffication law should not be
amended yet, adding that the policy would take time before all stakeholders
benefit.
While data
provided by the PRiSM and PSA may be accurate, the PSA also showed that there
were provinces with palay rates pegged at P12 a kilo. These included North
Cotabato, Abra, Benguet, Davao City and Davao del Norte.
For now,
the DA continues to lobby for the assistance of local governments and other
government agencies. Those who would not be catered by government procurement,
Dar said, were entitled to cash and food assistance under the Bayanihan Law.
INQ
A
rice wholesaler blamed high prices in the capital due to supply scarcity Rajib
Dhar/Dhaka Tribune
Green chilli prices heat up volatile kitchen market
Prices of rice and other essential ingredients remained
high across the capital over the week, but onion prices slightly reduced due to
government initiatives.
Green chilli prices also increased from last week by
Tk10-20 per kg, selling from Tk190-220 per kg over the week, compared to
Tk170-210 per kg from the week before.
Retailers said that they sold a kilogram of BR-28 rice at
Tk52-55, miniket at Tk56-65 per kg, coarse variety of Najirshail at Tk45-50 a
kg and fine variety at Tk60-65.
These varieties sold at Tk40-60 per kg a week ago.
Md Ripon, a rice wholesaler at Malibagh kitchen market,
blamed the high prices of supply scarcity.
“We, the middle-income people, are struggling to make ends
meet and cover our household expenses as incomes have reduced due to the
Covid-19 pandemic. If the government takes stern actions then these
traders would never dare destabilize the market,” said Shammi Akter, a
teacher from Banasree.
The Ministry of Food, after a meeting with traders and
stakeholders, on September 29, fixed the prices of rice for the millers for the
first time ever, aiming to keep the most essential item market stable.
Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said that prices of
rice had increased a lot in a week which was totally unexpected.
"It is a bad sign," he added.
"In the market, we found that a group of unscrupulous
traders had kept a lot of paddy and rice stored in about 50 closed mills,"
he said. No one had informed the authorities about the issue earlier,
though many of the millers knew that.
Visiting several kitchen markets in the capital including
Malibagh, Mogbazar, Rampura and Karwanbazar on Saturday, this correspondent
found that onion prices had slightly reduced by Tk5-10 per kilogram from last
week.
Local onions sold for Tk80-90 a kg and imported onions for
Tk65-80 a kg, compared to Tk85-100 a kg and Tk75-85 per kg respectively from
last week.
They were selling at wholesale markets at Tk75-80 per kg
for local ones and Tk60-70 per kg for imported ones.
In the middle of September this year onion prices shot up
by Tk30-50 per kg after the export ban was announced in India on September 14.
Local onions immediately sold for as high as Tk120 per kg, even though it
retailed below Tk35 per kg even in August. Last year the price also increased
as high as Tk 300 per kg after the ban of onion export in India.
However, in an attempt to curb the onion price hike, the
government took several initiatives, such as selling the item in open market
sale (OMS) across the country at Tk30 per kg, selling them online through
selective e-commerce platforms at Tk36 per kg, withdrawing the 5% import duty
on the bulb, intensifying market monitoring to prevent its price manipulation
and import onions from other countries such as Egypt and Turkey.
Meanwhile, ginger and garlic prices remained high, as
imported ginger was retailing for Tk220-250 a kg and local ginger at Tk160-190
a kg.
Local garlic was retailing at Tk100-120 a kg and imported
garlic at Tk90-100 a kg.
In the wholesale markets, the four items were selling
for less by Tk5-10 per kg.
Unpacked soybean oil was retailing at Tk90-95 per litre,
bottled soybean oil at Tk108-110 per litre and palm oil at Tk85-86 a litre.
Among vegetables, aubergines were selling for Tk70-80 a
kg, tomatoes for Tk120-140 a kg, papayas for Tk40-45 a kg, beans for Tk80-85 a
kg, and cucumbers for Tk40-45 a kg.
Green chillies were sold for Tk190-220 a kg in retail
markets.
Retail prices of rice and edible
oil have continued to increase in Dhaka, rising by up to Tk 5 per kg and litre
in a week, as government has failed to rein in the market.
Customers believe a lack of
strong government monitoring is to blame for the rising prices of commodities.
Prices of bottled soybean oil
of some brands have gone up to Tk 115 per litre, increasing twice in a month.
Maidul
Islam Mahin, a grocer at Rampura Kitchen Market, said he was selling oil at
previous rates on Friday because his old stock was not exhausted.
He will charge the customers
the new rates once the dealers of the companies bring the new products Saturday.
Khurshed Alam, a retailer at
Mohakhali, said he received the new products and began selling them at the new
rates.
“People in the government work
hard when the media writes about the price hike. But we don’t see strong
monitoring by the government,” said customer Sarwar Hossain, who resides in
Malibagh.
Biswajit
Saha, the general manager of City Group which produces oil under the brand name
Teer, said they raised the prices following hike in the international market.
All the companies took approval
of the Bangladesh Tariff Commission before raising the prices, he claimed.
In the rice market, coarse
Swarna, the cheapest in Dhaka, was being sold at Tk 50 per kg.
The fine quality Miniket rice
was priced between Tk 62 and Tk 65 a kg.
Ali Ahsan, the proprietor of
Bikrampur Rice Store at Rampura, said prices of coarse varieties of rice have
increased more than the fine ones.
He was
selling Miniket at Tk 2,800 to Tk 3,000 per sack of 50 kg. The price of coarse
rice was Tk 2,450 to Tk 2,550.
“The millers have told us that
that paddy price hike has driven rice prices,” Ahsan said.
“But sitting here we can’t say
what has exactly happened,” he added.
Wahiduzzaman, a wholesaler at
Mirpur-1, said the millers were manipulating the market having bought paddy
from the farmers at lower rates much earlier.
But it’s too early to
rejoice, warn exporters; imports continue to dip
After
six months of continuous fall, India’s goods exports posted a 5.27 per cent
growth in September 2020 (year-on-year) to $27.4 billion, with crucial sectors
such as readymade garments, engineering goods, petroleum products,
pharmaceuticals and carpets on an upswing.
Some
exporters, however, feel it may be too early to celebrate, as the global
economic outlook continues to be grim, while others say that the increase in
buyer enquiries must translate into business with adequate support from the
government.
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An area
of concern is that exports from major labour-intensive sectors such as gems
& jewellery, marine products and leather & leather products continued
to decline.
India’s
imports in September 2020 declined 19.6 per cent to $30.31 billion, shrinking
the trade deficit to $2.91 billion compared to $11.67 billion in September
2019, as per preliminary data released by the Commerce & Industry Ministry
on Friday.
“While
the reversal in trend for merchandise exports turning into positive territory
in September 2020 is a matter of relief, the challenges in the external trade
would continue given the present state of global health emergency and its
economic impact on the major economies,” said Mahesh Desai, Chairman, EEPC
India.
Exporters
body FIEO pointed out that there was an increase in enquiries from buyers in
different countries, which was a positive indicator, but said the government
needed to support the sector with incentives.
“The
urgent need is to address some of the key issues including the release of the
MEIS benefits, resolving risky exporters issues, early introduction of RoDTEP
across all sectors, capping of ₹2-crore MEIS, introduction of NIRVIK scheme and expediting
introduction of the e-wallet scheme, which will further help in reviving the
exports during these difficult and torrid times,” FIEO said in a statement.
Other
sectors which posted an increase in exports in September 2020 compared with
September 2019 include iron ore, rice, other cereals, ceramic products and
glassware, oilseeds, meat, dairy & poultry, handloom, tobacco and spices,
as per the data.
“Make
in India, Make for the World: Indian merchandise exports grew 5.27 per cent in
September 2020 as compared to last year. Another indicator of the rapid
recovery of Indian economy as it surpasses pre-Covid levels across parameters,”
Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had tweeted late on Thursday,
disclosing the export figures.
Gold, silver imports down
Major
commodities which posted a decline in imports in September 2020 over September
2019 are gold, silver, transport equipment, newsprint, leather and leather
products and sulphur & unroasted iron parts.
Exports
during April-September 2020-21 were at $125.06 billion, posting a fall of 21.43
per cent over the same period last year. Imports during April-September 2020-21
were at $148.69 billioncompared to $248.08 billion during the same period last
year, a fall of 40.06 per cent.
Exports
from India have been falling (year-on-year) since March 2020 when the
government announced a national lockdown to check the spread of Covid in the
country.
In
March 2020, India’s goods exports fell 34.57 per cent compared to the same
month last year, while in April, the fall was much steeper at 60.28 per cent.
In
subsequent months, the severity of the decline in exports reduced as the world
tried to get back to work; August 2020 witnessed a lower decline of 12.66 per
cent to $22.7 billion.
Rice export prices further
increased 2 percent as exporters continued to fulfill large contracted
shipments. The Thai government participated in the Philippines’ tender on June
8.
Thailand’s rice export this year is expected to drop from
7.5 million tonnes worth Bt130 billion last year to 5 million tonnes worth
Bt115 billion, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association Chookiat
Ophaswongse said.
He attributed the drop to the strengthening baht and low rice production.
The price of Thai white rice is currently around US$490 per tonne,
compared to Vietnamese white rice at $460 per tonne, Indian at $370 per tonne
and Myanmar at $420 per tonne.
White rice accounts for 50 per cent of Thailand’s total rice exports.
He said Malaysia has only purchased 40,000 tonnes of Thai white rice this
year, compared to its usual 400,000 tonnes per year, adding that it has
switched to rice from Vietnam, India and Myanmar instead.
Meanwhile, the Philippines has imported 1.8 million tonnes of rice this
year, 1.7 million tonnes of which came from Vietnam and only around 60,000
tonnes came from Thailand. Previously, Thailand used to export around 500,000
tonnes of rice to the Philippines.
Separately, Thailand has exported 4 million tonnes of rice in the first
nine months of this year, averaging at between 300,000 and 400,000 tonnes
monthly. If it wants to achieve the goal of exporting 6.5 million tonnes
this year, then it will have to sell at least 500,000 tonnes monthly,
which he said is difficult to achieve.
Thou
Vireak | Publication
date 04 October 2020 | 22:41 ICT
Share
Cambodia exported a total of 488,785 tonnes of
rice, an increase of 22.62 per cent year-on-year. Post staff
Cambodia rice exports
in the first nine months of the year topped $300 million, an increase of more
than 10 per cent, according to a report by the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF).
The data shows that
from January to September, Cambodia brought in more than $328 million from rice
exports, up from $297 million in the same period last year.
Cambodia exported a
total of 488,785 tonnes of rice, an increase of 22.62 per cent year-on-year,
which was 398,586 tonnes, said the data.
China remains the
largest export market and buys 35 per cent or 171,896 tonnes of rice.
The European Union
(including the UK) is second with 33 a per cent market share (161,614 tonnes),
of which France has the largest market share at 13 per cent.
ASEAN member markets
accounted for 67,433 tonnes of exports, while other markets accounted for
87,832 tonnes, up 69 per cent from the same period last year. Of that, Africa’s
Gabon increased imports by 81 per cent and Australia by 62 per cent.
Cambodia exported more
than 78 per cent of its fragrant rice to international markets during this
period.
Cambodia Rice
Federation (CRF) secretary-general Lun Yeng told The Post on Sunday that
Cambodia’s rice exports to the Chinese market had maintained good growth with
demand for fragrant and glutinous rice.
He said Cambodia had
exported nearly 140,000 tonnes of glutinous rice to the Chinese market in the
period, a record high.
“We see that there is
a good market for glutinous rice in China, which is being used in the
confectionery industry, and we will encourage our farmers to grow more
glutinous paddy rice next year,” he said.
Cambodian Agricultural
Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Director Dr Ouk Makara said he met
with Cambodian Rice Federation President Song Saran recently to highlight the
growing demand for glutinous rice in the Chinese market and promised to
encourage farmers to grow local glutinous paddy rice.
He said CARDI-released
Damnoeb Sbai Mongkul glutinous seedlings have not been widely cultivated since
2013 and only some farmers in Battambang and other provinces are cultivating
them.
Makara said: “I told
him to encourage farmers to grow Damnoeb Sbai Mongkul glutinous rice because it
is top quality and could meet the market demand”.
China is expected to
import a total of 5.32 million tonnes of all types of rice by 2020. China has
allowed 12 countries to sell rice, including Cambodia.
Chan Pich, general
manager of Signature of Asia, Cambodia’s leading rice exporter, told The Post
that Cambodia’s continued increase in rice exports reflects government and
private sector efforts to diversify the market.
“I think our continued
increase in rice exports is a positive sign towards the government and the rice
federation’s target of one million tonnes by 2023,” he said.
He said Signature of
Asia needs between $2 million and $3 million in working capital to buy about
25,000 tonnes of paddy rice for storage during the rice harvest season by the
end of 2020.
Cambodia’s rice exports
amounted to 620,106 tonnes in 2019, down 0.97 per cent from 626,225 tonnes in
2018. Revenue from rice exports was $501 million, down 4.3 per cent from 2018’s
$ 524 million, according to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries.
The Cambodia Rice Federation said on Saturday that Cambodia has exported a
total of 488,785 tons of milled rice in the starting nine months of 2020,
rising 23 percent compared to the same period a year ago.
Cambodia made over USD328 million in gross revenue from the commodity's export
in the cited period of this year, according to a statement.
The statement said that "within nine months of export this year, China is
the lead market, absorbing 35 percent of overall market destinations, which the
amount is 171,896 tons, and the European Union is the second lead, absorbing 33
percent, generating in the amount of 161,614 tons".
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) market has also saw 67,433
tons of the total export amount, according to the statement, also saying that
the kingdom's milled rice was transported to 69 countries and regions in the
world.
Thailand sees opportunities to boost rice exports to EU
Thailand’s premium rice products are having better
chances for export to the EU after the bloc allowed zero-tariff rice imports of
24,883 tonnes for October.
According to Keerati Rushchano, director-general of Thailand’s
Foreign Trade Department, the European Commission has recently announced that
the remaining annual quota for rice (white rice, Thai hom mali rice, Thai
fragrant rice and 100 percent parboiled rice) would have zero tariffs this
month for up to 24,883 tonnes.
The EU has set annual rice import quota for 2020 at 630,000 tonnes.
The zero import tariff is a good opportunity for Thai rice exporters to raise
their exports to the market, said Keerati. The EU normally collects an import
tariff of 145 EUR per tonne.
The bloc has required importers to apply for import licences within the first
10 working days of October.
In the first eight months of 2020, Thailand exported 146,362 tonnes of rice
worth 140 million USD to the EU.
Charoen Laothammatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said
local rice exports to the EU are likely to drop from 2019 because of the
COVID-19 impact, which weakened rice demand at restaurants and hotels./.
PHILIPPINES SEEKS TWO-MONTH HALT ON
RICE IMPORTS TO SUPPORT PRICES
10/6/2020
MANILA,
Oct 6 (Reuters) - The Philippines' Department of Agriculture on Tuesday asked
local importers to stop importing rice between October and November to support
domestic prices during the country's main wet-season harvest.
The
world's biggest rice importer, which buys mainly from neighbouring Vietnam, is
now expected to purchase around 2.3 million tonnes of its staple food this
year, Agriculture Secretary William Dar told reporters.
The
Philippines' rice purchases last year were estimated at a record-high 2.9
million tonnes after it lifted a two-decade-old restriction on the size of
imports.
The
government expects year-end rice stockpiles to be the biggest in 10 years.
Dar
said almost 2 million tonnes of rice imports had arrived this year and about
300,000 tonnes more may be shipped in before year end.
The
domestic rice harvest in the second half will be "substantial", he
said, with the main harvest expected between June and November.
To
support prices amid rising domestic stockpiles and the influx of imports, the
government is also now "massively" buying unmilled rice from local
farmers for buffer stocking, Dar said.
The
Philippines' rice inventory is closely monitored by rice producers and traders
in Vietnam and other top exporters such as Thailand and India.
Asia's
rice export prices eased last week in most hubs on lacklustre demand, with
fresh supplies expected to be a further drag. Activity in the export market was
muted with the absence of buyers from the Philippines, according to traders.
(Reporting
by Enrico Dela Cruz Editing by Ed Davies)
Chairman,
Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Dr. Muhammad Azeem Khan along with Dr.
Muhammad Ghulam Ali, Member PSD paid a visit to National Sugarcane and Tropical
Horticulture Research Institute in Thatta.
Dr. Azeem Khan while addressing the participants of rice travelling seminar
said that the government is taking effective measures for standardization and
enhancement of rice productivity.
In this respect PARC and its travelling seminars on rice are engaging the
agricultural scientists and experts to inform farming communities about the
importance of rice crop, and ways in which farmers can boost their rice
productivity with the aim to get maximum output of rice crop, ultimately
leading to successful rice export.
The Chairman also added that Rice is a crop of utmost importance in the
national country which has the potential to meet the food needs of the people
as well as earn foreign exchange.
Dr. Ataullah Khan, Director General PARC-SARC Karachi spoke on rice borne
diseases, pest management, improved pesticide practices in rice crop, rice
harvesting and rice exports as well as rice travel seminar.
Ttranslator expands metabolite prediction of chemical
reactions in the human body
Date:
October 5, 2020
Source:
Rice University
Summary:
A computational tool may help pharmaceutical companies expand
their ability to investigate the safety of drugs.
Share:
FULL STORY
When you
take a medication, you want to know precisely what it does. Pharmaceutical
companies go through extensive testing to ensure that you do.
With a new deep learning-based
technique created at Rice University's Brown School of Engineering, they may
soon get a better handle on how drugs in development will perform in the human
body.
The Rice lab of computer
scientist Lydia Kavraki has introduced Metabolite Translator, a computational
tool that predicts metabolites, the products of interactions between small
molecules like drugs and enzymes.
The Rice researchers take
advantage of deep-learning methods and the availability of massive reaction
datasets to give developers a broad picture of what a drug will do. The method
is unconstrained by rules that companies use to determine metabolic reactions,
opening a path to novel discoveries.
"When you're trying to
determine if a compound is a potential drug, you have to check for
toxicity," Kavraki said. "You want to confirm that it does what it
should, but you also want to know what else might happen."
The research by Kavraki, lead
author and graduate student Eleni Litsa and Rice alumna Payel Das of IBM's
Thomas J. Watson Research Center, is detailed in the Royal Society of Chemistry
journal Chemical Science.
The researchers trained
Metabolite Translator to predict metabolites through any enzyme, but measured
its success against the existing rules-based methods that are focused on the
enzymes in the liver. These enzymes are responsible for detoxifying and
eliminating xenobiotics, like drugs, pesticides and pollutants. However,
metabolites can be formed through other enzymes as well.
"Our bodies are networks of
chemical reactions," Litsa said. "They have enzymes that act upon
chemicals and may break or form bonds that change their structures into
something that could be toxic, or cause other complications. Existing
methodologies focus on the liver because most xenobiotic compounds are
metabolized there. With our work, we're trying to capture human metabolism in
general.
"The safety of a drug does
not depend only on the drug itself but also on the metabolites that can be
formed when the drug is processed in the body," Litsa said.
The rise of machine learning
architectures that operate on structured data, such as chemical molecules, make
the work possible, she said. Transformer was introduced in 2017 as a sequence
translation method that has found wide use in language translation.
Metabolite Translator is based on
SMILES (for "simplified molecular-input line-entry system"), a
notation method that uses plain text rather than diagrams to represent chemical
molecules.
"What we're doing is exactly
the same as translating a language, like English to German," Litsa said.
Due to the lack of experimental
data, the lab used transfer learning to develop Metabolite Translator. They
first pre-trained a Transformer model on 900,000 known chemical reactions and
then fine-tuned it with data on human metabolic transformations.
The researchers compared
Metabolite Translator results with those from several other predictive
techniques by analyzing known SMILES sequences of 65 drugs and 179 metabolizing
enzymes. Though Metabolite Translator was trained on a general dataset not
specific to drugs, it performed as well as commonly used rule-based methods
that have been specifically developed for drugs. But it also identified enzymes
that are not commonly involved in drug metabolism and were not found by
existing methods.
"We have a system that can
predict equally well with rule-based systems, and we didn't put any rules in
our system that require manual work and expert knowledge," Kavraki said.
"Using a machine learning-based method, we are training a system to
understand human metabolism without the need for explicitly encoding this
knowledge in the form of rules. This work would not have been possible two
years ago."
Kavraki is the Noah Harding
Professor of Computer Science, a professor of bioengineering, mechanical
engineering and electrical and computer engineering and director of Rice's Ken
Kennedy Institute. Rice University and the Cancer Prevention and Research
Institute of Texas supported the research.
1.Eleni E. Litsa, Payel Das, Lydia E. Kavraki. Prediction
of drug metabolites using neural machine translation. Chemical
Science, 2020; DOI: 10.1039/D0SC02639E
Rice University. "Deep learning gives drug design
a boost: Ttranslator expands metabolite prediction of chemical reactions in the
human body." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 October 2020.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201005112122.htm>.
June 26, 2019 — Researchers have developed
a novel device that will help scientists and pharmaceutical companies more
effectively screen and test formation of drug substance -- active
pharmaceutical ingredient ...
July 18, 2016 — A new computational design
tool can turn a flat sheet of plastic or metal into a complex 3-D shape, such
as a mask, a sculpture or even a lady's high-heel shoe. Researchers say the
tool enables ...
Jan. 27, 2016 — Pharmaceutical companies
use several strategies to keep affordable generic drugs from the market, illustrating
an emerging trend that authors say is becoming as harmful to consumers as
high-cost ...
Jan. 6, 2016 — A study utilizing
investment simulations for 17 publicly held companies with strong health or
safety programs for employees suggests that employers that invest significantly
in health and safety ...
QUEZON CITY, Oct. 4 --
Buying prices for dry palay (paddy rice) in the country’s top-producing areas
reach P19 per kilo, at par with the maximum buying price set by the National
Food Authority (NFA).
The quick palay price survey report made by the Philippine Rice Information
System (PRiSM), from September 16-30, 2020, showed that prices of palay
averaged P18 per kilo (/kg) in Central Luzon and P19/kg in Cagayan Valley.
The two regions are the country’s top rice producers, accounting for roughly 19
percent (%) and 12.5%, respectively, of total national harvest in 2019, at 18.8
million metric tons (MMT).
In the same report, PRiSM said the price for freshly-harvested palay in the two
regions averaged at P14/kg.
In a virtual press conference on October 1, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said
prevailing palay prices in the Philippines towards the end of the second
semester 2020 were actually higher than in previous years.
Grains traders and middlemen usually buy wet or freshly-harvested palay, with
high moisture content or MC, at 35% to 40% lower than dried grains at 14% MC,
as they shoulder the costs of hauling, transportation, and drying.
The NFA, an attached corporation of the Department of Agriculture, buys dry
palay with 14% MC at P19/kg nationwide. It also buys wet palay on a pro-rata
basis, and offers free transport at designated barangays, said DA-NFA
Administrator Judy Carol Dansal.
The PRiSM project is an online system that consolidates and presents accurate,
timely, and location-specific information on the status of rice crops, that
includes: rice area estimates, planting dates, yield estimates, and crop health
assessments.
Thus, it provides the DA management vital information to support its strategic
and policy decision-making on the country’s rice industry and food value chain.
PRiSM is jointly undertaken by the DA’s Philippine Rice Research Institute
(PhilRice), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and Sarmap, a Swiss
technology firm.
“Hence, we base our analysis and decisions using more reliable data. Bumababa tayo
sa mga communities to monitor and ensure that our interventions are in place
and benefit our farmers,” the DA chief said.
A separate survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) during
the last two weeks of September showed that farmgate prices of palay were at
P17.12/kg, 5.8% higher than P16.18/kg in 2019, for the same period.
“Our PRiSM data, therefore, debunks the disinformation waged by interest groups
against the rice tariffication law (RTL), blaming it for the decline in prices
of palay,” said secretary Dar.
“The interest groups, along with former DA officials, have exaggerated data on
palay to push for the amendment or repeal of the RTL. They are resurrecting old
arguments against RTL,” he added.
Interest groups, led by the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), call for the
review and repeal of the RTL as palay prices continue to drop and rice
importation remains unregulated by the government.
The PRiSM survey was conducted in 16 regions, among 219 respondents, composed
of farmers, traders, and millers. It also considered palay price monitoring
reports from DA-regional field offices and provincial and municipal local
government units.
“Makikita dito na hindi nagkakalayo ang data na ginagamit ng gobyerno, and
definitely the reality is, hindi kasing baba ang presyo ng palay as interest
groups claim on social media,” Secretary Dar said. (DA)
The difficulties of Pakistan,
which are in debt till the throat, are constantly increasing. The people, fed
up with the Imran government due to corruption and misrule, are now starving.
Inflation is at a peak these days in the neighboring country. Food and drink
have become more expensive. Alam is that the price of wheat has reached the
record level. People have to spend 60 rupees for a kilo of wheat in Pakistan.
According to The News, the price of 40 kg wheat sack in Pakistan is 2400
rupees. For the first time, the price of wheat in the country has reached this
level.
In December last year, the
price of wheat had increased at a similar pace, when it was priced at Rs 50 per
kg. On 5 October this year, the price of wheat reached Rs 2400 per 40 kg. The
All Pakistan Floor Association has demanded central and state governments to
immediately determine the purchase price of wheat. The Floor Association says
that the shortage of wheat in the country is not due to the mill owners but to
the influential people.
Also read: Pakistan will now
fight for ‘Basmati rice’ from India, know what is the new war
The media reported that the
government of Pakistan has approved the import of 200,000 metric tonnes of
wheat from Russia, which may reach this month. Meanwhile, the National Price
Monitoring Committee (NPMC) on Monday churned out the reasons for the rise in
prices of essential commodities. It has been said that this meeting has been
held on the instructions of PM Imran Khan.
Potatoes, tomatoes and onions
are also expensive
It is not only that wheat has become expensive in Pakistan at this time, but
also the prices of essential commodities like tomatoes, potatoes, interest,
sugar are also increasing rapidly. The price of vegetables has also increased.
The Consumer Price Index in September 2020 has been 9%. It was also informed
during the meeting that the profit margins in the wholesale and retail prices
of potato, tomato and onion have increased a lot, due to which the common man
is upset.
Emraan Khan will be taken away?
In Pakistan, inflation is so uncontrollable that it is not new, but this time it
is different. In Pakistan, the rise in inflation like this is making Imran Khan
nervous because the opposition has already opened a front against the army and
Imran Khan government by forming a grand alliance. From this month, countrywide
agitations have to be done to change the system. It is believed that the
restless public can take to the streets with the opposition.
Pakistan to
oppose India's claim on exclusivity over basmati rice in EU
Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood. — APP/Files
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is set to give a befitting reply to
India’s claim on a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for basmati rice in the
European Union (EU) market.
The decision was taken on Monday during a meeting with
Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood in the chair.
The
Secretary Commerce; Chairman, Intellectual Property Organization
(IPO-Pakistan); representatives of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan
(REAP); and the legal fraternity attended the meeting, according to a press
release.
During the
meeting, REAP representatives were of the view that Pakistan is a major grower
and producer of basmati rice and India’s claim for exclusivity is therefore
unjustified.
Dawood
categorically stated that Pakistan will vehemently oppose India’s application
in the EU and restrain New Delhi from obtaining an exclusive GI tag for basmati
rice.
The adviser
supported the concerns of REAP and relevant stakeholders and ensured that their
claim over basmati rice will be protected.
It is
pertinent to mention that India has submitted an application in the EU claiming
sole ownership of basmati rice, falsely misrepresenting its exclusivity.
According
to Gulf News, basmati is currently recognised as a product of both
Pakistan and India under the European Regulation 2006.
Meanwhile,
Pakistan, after a delay of nearly 18 years, only recently enacted the
Geographical Indications (Registration and Protection) Act in March 2020, Pakistan
Today reported.
According
to the EU’s official journal, any country can oppose the application for
registration of a name pursuant to Article 50(2) (a) of Regulation (EU) No
1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for
agricultural products and foodstuffs within three months from the date of
publication.
Wheat price
in Pakistan touches historic high: report
Combines load a truck with wheat during harvesting in a field of
Triticum farm in Omsk region, Russia September 16, 2020. -REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
Despite the government's efforts to control the rising inflation and ensure the
availibality of the essential items in the country, the price of wheat touched
a historic high of Rs2400 per 40kg for the first time in the history of
Pakistan, The News reported Tuesday.
Last
December the country had faced a severe situation when the wheat had been sold
at the rate of Rs2000 per 40kg but the price of the commodity reached Rs2400
per 40kg on October 5 before the advent of December, the publication reported.
All
Pakistan Flour Association has demanded the federal and provincial governments
to immediately announce official purchase price of wheat as harvesting of wheat
has started in Sindh and the same would start in Punjab in November.
On the
other hand, farmers have demanded that the Seed Corporation should announce the
price of certified seed and announce the price of 50kg bag seed within the next
24 hours.
The flour
association claimed that influential figures and not the owners of the mills
were responsible for the shortage of wheat in the country.
Meanwhile,
the government has approved the import of 200,000 metric tons of high standard
wheat from Russia which would reach this month.
The Economic
Coordination Committee had okayed the move under the GtoG arrangement in a bid
to stabilize the prices of the commodity.
NPMC analyses
price hike
Separately,
the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) on Monday reviewed price
mechanism for essential commodities and evaluated the reasons for the increase
in their prices with particular focus on perishable items.
The NPMC
meeting was held under the chairmanship of the special secretary finance,
according to a press statement issued by the ministry.
The meeting
was convened on the directions of the PM Office to discuss the abnormal
variation in the prices of perishable items such as tomatoes, potatoes, onions
as well as other essential items like wheat, sugar and chicken.
The meeting
was attended by the representatives from the provincial governments, Islamabad
Capital Territory, Ministries of Industries, Commerce and National Food
Security & Research (NFS&R) along with Competition Commission of
Pakistan and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The meeting
was informed that CPI inflation year on year is recorded at 9.0 % in September
2020 as against 11.4% during the same month last year.
The meeting
also noted that average inflation during July-September FY 2020-21 also showed
a declining trend and recorded at 8.8% as compared to 10.1% same period last
year.
It was,
however, noted that the profit margin between wholesale and retail has risen
especially in potatoes, tomatoes and onions which are affecting the common man.
It was
observed during the meeting that an upward trend was witnessed in prices of
perishable commodities during Sept-October 2020.
The reason
cited for the upward pricing trend was unprecedented rainfall which adversely
affected the local produce.
The price
hike is likely to stabilize by November 2020 onwards when local produce would
be available in the markets. It was observed with concern that the difference
between wholesale and retail prices of the essential commodities is becoming a
serious challenge for the provinces.
KARACHI:Pakistan has yet to fully recover
from the wheat and flour crisis and a similar scandal is feared to occur again
early next year as the government may miss the production and procurement
targets of the grain in the ongoing harvesting season.
“Excessive rains and the attack of yellow leaf rust
virus on the staple wheat crop in some parts of Punjab (whose share in total
production stands at 70%) may have initially caused some losses,” said a
Ministry of National Food Security and Research official while talking to The
Express Tribune.
The government’s Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA)
had set a production target of 27.03 million tons from 9.2 hectares (22.73
million acres) in 2020.
“Overall, 2020 wheat production is expected to remain
close to the five-year average (25.38 million tons), but below previous
expectation of a bumper output,” Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the
United Nations said on its official website the other day. The average
production stands close to the total annual requirement for the grain in the
country.
Agriculture Forum of Pakistan (AFP) Chairman Ibrahim
Mughal said it seems impossible to achieve the production target of 27 million
tons of wheat this year as farmers sowed seeds over around 21 million acres
only against the target of 22.73 million acres from October 2019 to February
2020.
“The high cost of production, including higher
fertiliser prices, and a low support price (minimum purchase price of wheat set
by the government at Rs35 per kg for the current year) did not allow farmers to
sow seeds on a larger area,” he said.
FAO said in March-April, unseasonal heavy rains and
localised hail over areas of the main wheat-producing province of Punjab,
delayed harvesting operations had caused localised damage to standing crops.
Above-average rains raise concerns over the worsening of the desert locust
outbreak, which has been present in the county since the beginning of 2019.
“The abundant rains in March/April improved vegetation
conditions that, together with warm temperatures in April, could support locust
breeding, with an increase in locust numbers that may damage late-planted wheat
crops still to be harvested,” it said.
The 2020 wheat season had started on time last October
and progressed well until February. During this period, favourable weather
conditions, ample irrigation water supplies and adequate availability of
agricultural inputs, such as fertilisers, chemicals, and labour, allowed
farmers to plant an above-average area and had fostered expectations for bumper
yields this year, it said. Last year (2019), wheat production dropped around
2.5% to 24.47 million tons compared to 25.10 million tons in the prior year of
2018. The government had set a production target of 25.6 million ton for 2019.
Moreover, the procurement was 35% (2.5 million tons)
less than the target of around seven million tons by Pakistan Agricultural
Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) and four provincial food departments.
The low production, low procurement and low carryover
stocks from previous years had triggered the wheat and flour pricing crisis in
December 2019 and January 2020 when flour price soared by Rs15 per kg to around
Rs60 in retail in Karachi and other parts of the country.
Procurement
It is assumed there are little or no carryover stocks
available this year from the previous years, while Passco and provincial food
departments may not achieve the set procurement target of a cumulative seven
million tons this year as well.
“The government is procuring wheat at Rs35/kg from
farmers compared to higher price being offered by traders in the private
sector,” Mughal said.“The government of Punjab is procuring the grain through
invoking section 144 (which bans movement of the grain by the private sector)
to ensure it meets the set target,” he said.
The same wheat is being sold at Rs40/kg in wholesale and
the whole-wheat flour at Rs60/kg in Karachi and other parts of the country, he
said.
Another official at the ministry said such issues were
not there in Sindh (whose share stands at around 14%) and the province is
estimated to achieve bumper crop. “Provinces have delayed submitting initial
production reports by over one-month due to the coronavirus. They were
scheduled to file the reports on April 1.”
India
exported 2.99 million tonnes of non-basmati rice in the first four months of
this financial year, up from 1.78 million tonnes a year ago, earning foreign
exchange equivalent to Rs 8,903 crore as compared to Rs 4,816 crore in the
corresponding period of last fiscal.
AgenciesIndia
exports non-basmati rice to 170 countries in the world. Exporters said demand
for non-basmati would go up further in the September-October period.
KOLKATA:
Non-basmati rice exports from India increased 68% year-on-year in
the April-July period, helped by a drop in rice production in Thailand.
India exported 2.99 million tonnes of non-basmati rice in the first four months
of this financial year, up from 1.78 million tonnes a year ago, earning foreign
exchange equivalent to Rs 8,903 crore as compared to Rs 4,816 crore in the
corresponding period of last fiscal.
However, traders were beset by non- availability of containers at the ports due
to lower imports of products from China and the rising prices of containers.
BV Krishna, president of the Rice Exporters Association, said exports of non-basmati
rice are expected to remain robust this fiscal. “We are expecting to achieve 7
million tonnes of non-basmati rice exports in FY21,” he said.
A drought in Thailand and resilient currency made rice shipments from the
country more expensive, putting India in an advantageous position. The Thai
Rice Exporters Association recently cut its export target for 2020 by 13% to
6.5 million tonnes, from an earlier forecast of 7.5 million tonnes.
“Indian rice is cheaper than Thai rice by $100 per tonne. The demand for
non-basmati rice is very strong this year, with Africa being the largest
buyer,” said Vinod Kaul, executive director, All India Rice Exporters Association.
India exports non-basmati rice to 170 countries in the world. Exporters said
demand for non-basmati would go up further in the September-October period.
Rao said container cost has increased almost 50% from August 1 to $1,800 from
$1,200, much to the dismay of exporters. “Rising corona cases have also
impacted availability of labourers at the port for loading and unloading
products,” said Rao, who operates through Kakinada port, the largest
non-basmati handling port in the country.
Suraj Agarwal, CEO of Kolkata-based Tirupati Agri Trade, said non-basmati rice
exports would have gone up further if Bangladesh had opened its doors to Indian
rice.
“Bangladesh is supposed to bring down import duty on rice from 55% to 18% so
that the country can import, since prices of its own rice has risen quite
significantly. But the decision is yet to be taken,” said Agarwal. “Last week
too we had a discussion on this with officials and traders from Bangladesh on
rice exports. We are hoping to hear from the neighbouring nation soon.”
Retail prices of rice in Bangladesh have gone up 31%,
said traders. The latest spell of flood has inundated nearly 100,000 hectares
of Aman crop in the neighbouring nation, they said.
PDS rice from Andhra Pradesh worth crores
exported to Africa, Malaysia
VIJAYAWADA: It is well-known that rice and
other essentials from the Public Distribution System (PDS)
often get smuggled out into the open market in India and sold for profit. But
in Andhra Pradesh, a gang of international smugglers has managed to illegally
export PDS rice worth crores to Africa, Malaysia, Bangladesh and other countries.
The police busted one such gang recently. Investigators first detected that the
rice, meant exclusively for those holding white ration cards, had been
illegally exported from Prakasam
district. Officials now say this may just be the tip of the iceberg
as they have found that rice worth Rs 38 crore was smuggled to Africa in the
last two years. This does not include the produce caught at ports before being
illegally exported. If this is taken into account, the racket runs into at
least Rs 150 crore.
Police officials told TOI smuggling of PDS
rice has become a lucrative business for the smugglers as the profit margin is
quite high.
“We have seized over one lakh kg of PDS rice. Further audit suggests that in
the last two years, PDS gangs smuggled around 4.5 lakh kg (450 metric tonnes)
of PDS rice to different countries worth Rs 38 crore,” said Siddharth
Kaushal, superintendent of police, Prakasam district.
