Tidbits: Kool-Aid gelatin
dessert; jasmine and basmati rice
Hamilton Spectator
JIGGLE VS. JIGGLE
Mr. Tidbit has seen some strange things, but he doesn't recall
ever seeing a product and a new virtually identical competing product coming
from the same company.But that's the case with new Kool-Aid gelatin dessert.
It's made by the Kraft Foods Group, which also makes Jell-O. The Kool-Aid box
carries the iconic Kool-Aid pitcher, but otherwise there is almost no
difference between the 3-ounce packages, and when Mr. Tidbit and two of his
little friends tried the grape version of each, they found no apparent
difference in Flavour. Both desserts even had the identical amethyst colour.
(Mr. Tidbit would have called it "purple," but his little friends are
much more graphics-oriented.)
There is one difference, though: Where Mr. Tidbit found them,
the box of Jell-O sold for 67 cents; the Kool-Aid gelatin was 73 cents. That's
9 per cent more.
MORE NICE RICE
A few weeks ago, Mr. Tidbit discussed his somewhat delayed
discovery of Uncle Ben's new basmati rice and jasmine rice, which cook in 10
minutes (and Uncle Ben's two-serving Ready Rice versions of basmati and jasmine
rice, which microwave in 90 seconds and are so old that the packages don't even
say "new"). He marvelled that the once-exotic rices had begun turning
up as brand-name staples.Since then, he discovered that he had still failed to
notice several other related brand-name products, not one of which apparently
is new. There's Uncle Ben's Ready Rice brown basmati rice, and entries from two
other rice purveyors:
Success Rice sells jasmine and basmati rice in 14-ounce boxes
(eight boil-in-bag servings) at essentially the same per-ounce price as the
Uncle Ben's 10-minute products.And there's Minute Rice jasmine rice in a
two-pack of single-serving microwave tubs. Where he found it, it's a little
cheaper than the Uncle Ben's microwave products. But all the microwave rices
are much more expensive per serving than any of the rices that require you to
get out a pan. Serving sizes are inconsistent, but the cost of a serving of one
of the microwaved aromatic rices is roughly triple that of one of the
you-boil-it versions.Minute Rice apparently also sells boil-in-the bag jasmine
and basmati rices, but Mr. Tidbit hasn't found them on the shelf anywhere. Yet.
Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
GI law yet to be
finalised after 15 years
Philippines plans to preserve highland rice varieties
300 ‘heirloom rice varieties’ were farmed in northern Cordillera
region
PUBLISHED: 15:34 JUNE 20, 2015
Manila: The Philippine government and non-government
organisations have joined hands to preserve, nurture and market highland rice
varieties from the northern Cordillera region for the health conscious, sources
said, adding efforts include finding more varieties and reviving nearly extinct
ones to make organic rice more affordable.Some 300 “heirloom rice varieties”
were organically farmed using pre-hispanic tradition in the northern Cordillera
region which is comprised of Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, and the Mountain province.Fourteen
more highland varieties found in some parts of the 2,000-year-old rice terraces
in Kalinga and Apayao, and 16 more in the Mountain province (three of which
were categorised as nearly extinct), were documented after years of research,
said Cameron Odsey, research assistant director of the agriculture department
in the Cordillera Region.
“The great plan now is to preserve almost extinct varieties for
future generations,” said Odsey. He did not discount the project’s value to a
growing population of health conscious Filipinos in search of organically grown
rice that could save them from diabetes.The project will be undertaken by the
agriculture department, the 29-year-old Philippine Rice Research Institute, the
55-year-old International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), IRRI’s International
Rice Genebank, and several non-government organisations, one of which is the
Heirloom Rice Project.Rice lovers were alarmed when a 2009 survey showed that
the planting of indigenous varieties in the Cordillera region declined; that
northern Luzon’s upland farmers have shifted to foreign varieties with highland
adaptability, and higher yield in shorter period.
“There was a great fear this would result in loss of
bio-diversity that dictates the Cordillera mountain’s agricultural cropping
patterns, loss of watershed, and deterioration of highland farming that has enhanced
tourism attraction in the north,” said Dr Casiana Vera, IRRI’s scientist and
head of Heirloom.Her group began after Mary Hensley, United States’ Peace Corps
volunteer, and Victoria Garcia, a Filipino community worker, jointly marketed
Cordillera’s organically grown rice varieties in 2004. Heirloom’s aim included
conserving Cordillera’s traditionally grown rice varieties which drew support
from local and national government agencies, including public and private
institutions.
Some of Cordillera’s organically grown rice varieties are farmed
in the world-famous 2,000-year-old rice terraces of Batad, Bangaan, and
Nagacadan in Banaue; the Mayoyao rice terraces in Ifugao; the Hapag Rice
Terraces in Hungduan; and the Kiangan Rice Terraces in Kiangan,Four organically
grown rice varieties from the Cordillera region are now brand names among
Manila and lowland’s health conscious consumers. They include Kalinga’s unoy;
Kiangan’s julungan and nagacadan; and Mayoyao’s white and red tinawon
varieties.“But they are also very expensive. They should be more affordable for
everybody’s health,” said a Metro Manila’s retailer.
http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/philippines/philippines-plans-to-preserve-highland-rice-varieties-1.1537889
El Nino 'unlikely to affect rice
supply'
A worker piles rice up to two storeys high at a warehouse in
Pasir Panjang. It is compulsory for importers to store rice at warehouses like
this one. In times of shortage or emergency, the stockpile can last up to three
months.
Photo: ST
Rice importers here are not losing sleep over El Nino, despite
warnings from climatologists.Forecasts in recent weeks of the strengthening El
Nino - a dry weather pattern - warn of droughts and disrupted rice harvests
across the Asia-Pacific.Japan's weather bureau even predicted that the dry
spell could be as bad, or even worse than that in 2009, when some rice
exporting countries had to ban exports to satisfy domestic demand.The price of
Thai fragrant rice, which importers say is the most popular type here, cost
about US$1,400 (S$1,860) a tonne in 2009.Rice importers, who now pay about
US$1,000 a tonne for Thai fragrant rice, told The Straits Times they are better
placed to weather the storm now.Mr Lim Ek Kwong, operations manager of major
rice importer See Hoy Chan, said it now imports rice from about 15 suppliers in
four countries - Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia.
In 2009, it imported rice only from five suppliers in Thailand."If
one country closes its doors to us, we can now still get rice from
elsewhere," he said, adding that Thailand still has large stockpiles of
rice that will help mitigate the price increases. He has seen no change in
prices and supplies in recent times.Managing director of Chye Choon Foods, Mr
Jimmy Soh, said: "So far, it is hearsay. We have asked suppliers to let us
know if something happens."Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice said prices
remained stable and were, in fact, lowered last year. A 5kg bag of FairPrice
Fragrant Rice had cost $6.90 since 2011, but was reduced to $6.50 in January
last year, said Mrs Mui-Kok Kah Wei, its senior director of purchasing and
merchandising.As a major rice importer in Singapore, NTUC FairPrice stockpiles
more than three months of supply at any time, she added.Sheng Siong supermarket
also said that prices of rice are stable, but it is monitoring the situation
closely.When contacted, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said Singapore
has "a food import diversification policy to safeguard against any food
supply disruptions".
"Apart from our top three import sources, Thailand, India
and Vietnam, there is also sufficient supply from other countries including
Myanmar, Pakistan and Cambodia," said an MTI spokesman. "There has been
no noticeable impact on the quantity and prices of our rice imports so
far."The latest figures from IE Singapore show that 361,930 tonnes of rice
were imported in 2011, rising steadily to hit 498,633 tonnes last year, or a
rise of 38 per cent.The past few years had seen a change in the main supply
source of rice to Singapore. In 2013, India, for the first time, overtook
Thailand as the Republic's biggest rice supplier.Last year, 37.4 per cent of
total rice imports came from India, and 32.3 per cent were from Thailand. In
2009, Thai rice consumed here accounted for 62.1 per cent of total imports.
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/el-nino-unlikely-affect-rice-supply#sthash.VRhcmP4e.dpuf
There should be an agricultural
diversification programme for small farmers in the rice industry
Dear Editor,
The rice industry has gone from strength to
strength, in terms of acres under cultivation and yield per acre, now averaging
two tons per acre, that is, 32 bags at 140 lbs per bag per crop, due mainly to
higher yielding varieties produced at the Burma Rice Research Station, and
improved cultivation and husbandry practices. However, the industry has been
slow to respond to acquiring markets for the increased production.As a result
of new technology, drying and milling systems have improved, resulting in
better recoveries from paddy to rice.
A lot is being said now of monies that are owed
by millers to farmers, by the Guyana Rice Development Board to the millers and
by farmers to input suppliers, but nothing is mentioned of monies owed by
millers to commercial banks, and the pressure the millers are under to dispose
of the paddy in a timely manner, so as to pay the farmers.The problem of
millers owing the farmers could have been non- existent, if the money that was
made available to Guyana (about $3 billion) by the European Union for the rice
industry, was put in a revolving fund as in Suriname, rather than in the
Consolidated Fund after the first year.
Because of the rapid increase in production,
those looking for markets have been caught with their pants down. This is
bearing in mind, that Guyana exports about 75 per cent of its production, while
only 4 per cent of world’s production is traded.The entry of Venezuela,
although offering a higher price than Europe and the Caribbean, has caused some
serious confusion in the rice industry, as they are only purchasing about 40
per cent of the production. All farmers on the other hand, are asking for
prices based on the Venezuelan price, which is not possible.A lot of numbers
have been thrown around in relation to the price of a bag of paddy, some very
ridiculous, resulting in more confusion.
Return on investments:
The commercial banks are offering 3 to 4 per
cent per annum on fixed deposits. The return on investment for most businesses,
is considered good, at 20 per cent per year.
It costs a farmer about $65,000 to produce two
tons per acre per crop. Therefore, the total cost per acre per year (2 crops)
equal $130,000. If the farmer were to make 20 per cent on his investment, he
would expect $130,000 plus $26,000 equalling $156,000.Considering 32 bags per
crop equals 64 bags per year, the price per bag should be $156,000/64 equalling
$2,437, which can be easily sustained by the Caribbean and European markets,
which are readily available.An additional $200 per bag on paddy can be available
to the farmer, if cost savings can be considered in the areas of the levy to
the GRDB, charges at the export ports, etc.
Assuming a farmer will live relatively
comfortably on $80,000 per month, that is, $960,000 per year, with him earning
$26,000 per acre per year, he will need to cultivate $960,000/ $26,000 which is
equal to 36.9 acres. The majority of farmers in the rice industry are way below
this acreage, resulting in constant complaining, which is justified.So the big
question is whether it is an industry problem or a social problem, seeing that
the farmers have no other means of income.Obviously, it is not possible to make
36.9 acres available to all the farmers in the rice industry.
This is where a new ADP (Export Agriculture
Diversification Pro-gramme) should kick in, and encourage the farmers with a
small acreage to concentrate on other crops, which will result in them earning
20 per cent or more on their investment.The average price for paddy is $3,000
per bag presently, resulting in the farmer earning $192,000 per acre, resulting
in an excess of $62,000 per year that is a return on investment of 48 per cent.
Yours faithfully,
Beni Sankar
http://www.stabroeknews.com/2015/opinion/letters/06/19/there-should-be-an-agricultural-diversification-programme-for-small-farmers-in-the-rice-industry/
PhilRice develops technology for
cheaper land preparation
June 19, 2015 8:19 pm
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has developed
an innovative technology that reduces the cost of land preparation for
irrigated areas and mitigates the impacts of climate change at the same time.The
Reduced Tillage Technology (RTT) is an alternative system of land preparation
for irrigated areas where plowing is not applied.RTT is a collaborative project
of PhilRice, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the Regional Field Office
of the Department of Agriculture in Central Luzon, and participating local
government units.Ruben Miranda, the leader of a study team that oversaw the
implementation of RTT, said the technology was developed due to the pressing
need to look for new ways of doing land preparation as it comprises about 19
percent of the total labor cost in rice production.He said RTT was first
piloted in 2012 in Talavera and the Science City of Muñoz, both in Nueva Ecija.
In RTT, rice stubbles, weeds, and
the scattered rice straws are pressed two to three times using the hand tractor’s
paddy wheels attached with riding-type leveler or by drop down-spiked tooth
harrow.The pressing is done at a five- to seven-day interval.
After the final leveling, crop establishment is done either by
transplanting, by direct seeding using the drumseeder, or by manual
broadcasting.After the success of its initial implementation, 14 more towns in
Pangasinan, Pampanga and Ilocos Sur were added as demonstration sites.“Yield
increase relative to using the conventional tillage method and savings generated
on land preparation were the parameters used in measuring the success of the
study,” Miranda said.He said that for three consecutive seasons, the average
yields of the demonstration sites were relatively higher at 5.35 tons per
hectare compared to 4.92 tons/ha for conventional tillage.In addition, farmers
saved P3,380/ha per season.“Savings can be attributed to the faster operation
time and lesser fuel consumption. In RTT, farmers can save more than five hours
per hectare in their farming operations. Savings on fuel is up to 50 percent or
14 liters/ha lesser than in conventional tillage,” Miranda said.
Besides the savings and ease of land preparation, RTT also
mitigates impacts of climate change.“The reduced diesel consumption and
scattering of rice straws which are usually burned by farmers resulted in
lesser methane and carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere,” Miranda said.
http://www.manilatimes.net/philrice-develops-technology-for-cheaper-land-preparation/193314/
Economist
Advises FG Against Huge Spending On Rice Importation
— Jun 19, 2015 11:41 am
Prof. Akpan Ekpo, Director General, West African
Institute of Financial and Economic Management, has advised the Federal
Government against spending so much foreign exchange on the importation of
rice.Ekpo gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
in Abuja on Friday, saying such expenditure would deplete that national
reserve.“For us to be spending so much foreign exchange in this dwindling oil
revenue to import rice from Thailand does not make any economic sense.“This is
because we have stockpiles of rice by our farmers producing quality rice across
all the states.“For us to conserve our foreign reserve, we can use some of the
foreign exchange to buy machines and help improve the farmers to produce more.
“Is it not yet time for the CBN to stop rice importers from
accessing the interbank market and conserve the country’s very limited foreign
exchange? ‘’
He said that the situation in some rice producing states, such
as Kebbi, was disturbing.“In the last harvest season, farmers attained very
high yields of about seven tonnes per hectare, whereas the average yield is
about 4.5 tonnes per hectare.“In the absence of off-takers for this bumper
harvest, the state government indicated that it had invested N800 million to
purchase over 180, 000 tonnes of rice for storage from local farmers,” Ekpo
said.He said the government intervened to encourage the formers to continue
working considering that Kebbi was the only one among nearly 20 states that
could grow rice in commercial quantity.Ekpo said that in Jega and Yola-Augie
only 20 per cent of 500,000 hectares of land available for rice cultivation was
being used.“While we await the findings of the CBN staff and stakeholders
visits to other states, the results from Kebbi State alone make it difficult to
understand why the country is still depleting her foreign exchange reserves for
importation of rice.’’ (NAN)
http://leadership.ng/business/441671/economist-advises-fg-against-huge-spending-on-rice-importation
Download/View On-Line the above News
in pdf format,just click the following link
22nd June,2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
Power cuts back
as paddy season peaks
| 
Cambodia
priced out of Filipino rice tender again
Comments
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/21/govt-redesign-rice-poor-program.html#sthash.XmJpFQyK.dpuf
Drought may cut N. Korea's 2015 rice harvest by 12 pct: FAO
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150620000095
'LIBERIA SPENDS US$200M YEARLY ON RICE
IMPORTATION' - LAWMAKER
“Rice, I called it a wonder crop; it is Liberia’s staple food and we spent over US$200 million dollars yearly buying rice from all places including Bangladesh”, he stated. The Lofa County lawmaker said it was frustrating that Liberia will be buying rice from Bangladesh, a country that has over 10 million populations and has less space to live than Liberia.
“As for me I go around to the stores, I went to SWAT, UCI and all I see is labels of rice production all from foreign countries and I really feel bad”, the lawmaker expressed. He continued:” These countries that are exporting rice do not have a land space but they plant rice and this is disgraceful to this nation.” Representative Bimba called on the three branches of Government to collaborate in building the capacities of farmers to produce more rice to feed the nation.
“We in Government, the Judiciary, Legislature, Executive, we need to have a deliberate agenda that will enable us to produce more rice to feed ourselves and we must be deliberate about it”, the lawmaker suggested.” The House chairperson on Agriculture further commended CHAP and FED for empowering farmers in producing rice. He recalled that farmers have been trained to plant rice but they lack empowerment from the Government stating that the Liberian Government lacks interest in farming.
“We are still teaching farmers to plant rice; when will they produce rice for the country in increasing the yield of rice, we need to target our production and support the agencies that will move from planning to production if not we will be doing left-right like in the army”, he added. Rep. Bimba added: “Producing more rice will reduce importation, rice farming is very expensive so we need our Government to provide subsidies for rice farmers as it is done all over the world”.
He continued: “If you buy the rice you will help to subsidize the farmers, we need to be determined to plant and produce rice for this country making sure you empower the people bit and pieces, remember one who feeds a nation controls the economy, the laws and controls your entire activities and events.” For his part, the head of CHAP (Community of Hope Agriculture Project) Rev. Robert Bimba said the importance of the conference is geared toward showing the good things that Liberia has done in the SRI program.
“It was very successful, we are happy for the level we have reached and now we have thousands of farmers that have started rice production, there is increase of yield in the production, increasing production, we are using the available varieties in the country, the SRI is not a rice but a method that is used to make any kind of seed rice to grow perfectly.”
Meanwhile, the coordinator of West African Agricultural Productivity program (WAAPP), Cyrus Saygbe said the program is experimenting to increase rice production. “Today, we try to upscale a technology that has been adapted by Liberia, this technology was adapted from Mali and it is System of Rice intensification, wherein we used a little bit of water, little bit of fertilizer to get more rice from a hectare”, said Saygbe.
He disclosed that the conventional method used to give them 1 to 2 metric tons per hectares but since the establishment of the SRI, farmers are now boosting 4.5 metric tons to 5 metric tons per hectares.
Central region farmers dare not protest
He said the government had no budget for the purpose, adding that the ban might be lifted if normal levels of rain returned by late July.
He also said that the amount of water in northern dams was not enough for farmland irrigation. As a result, farmers in the central region are under a lot of pressure.
"We don't know what to do. We're struggling already to live from hand to mouth. Yet we can't protest as we could be arrested. We're on our last legs now," said Kwanchai Mahachuenjai, vice-president of the Central Region Farmers Club.
"We dare not protest because we fear the law," he said at his farm in Ayutthaya on Saturday. "If there's anything we can still ask, it's that if the government can't give us any compensation, at the very least it should suspend our debts for three years with no interest and find us new borrowing sources so those of us with some assets can borrow more."
The Agriculture Ministry said last week that reservoirs currently held only enough water to irrigate the 3.4 million rai of paddy fields already planted in the main rice bowl of the Chao Phraya River basin.
Farmers holding another 4 million rai in 22 provinces have been asked to delay planting until normal levels of rainfall return, expected around late July. Even then, a second crop would be out of the question, authorities have said.
Water levels at the country's major dams are critically low as rain has been below average so far this season, according to Thai Rath Online.
At the Pasak Jolasid Dam in Lop Buri, water was at a historically low level of 80.76 million cubic metres, or 8.4% of its capacity on Friday.
The discharge rate has been reduced to 1.2 million cu m per day from 4 million under normal circumstances, and strictly for consumption and not farming.
At the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat, the discharge rate was increased by five cubic metres per second to 75 cu m/s to push back salty water at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River. The water level above the dam was 5 centimetres lower.
If there is no rain north of the dam, the remaining water will last for 30 days, officials said.
Farmers in Chai Nat are feeling the brunt of the dry conditions, which have affected both those who have already started growing rice and those who haven't, since most owe money to the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) and farm cooperatives.
Pisit Kratkrayang, 51, a farmer in Muang district, said that when the Royal Irrigation Department announced that it would bring water to his area on May 1, he started ploughing in the hope of earning enough income from the crop to repay what he owed the BAAC.
"My rice is now a month old. If the irrigation water stops coming, we'll be in deep trouble," he said.
"We're already indebted for not being able to grow the second crop. If we can't farm the main crop, we'd like the government to compensate use at the rate of 2,500 baht a rai of the actual farmed fields."
Narong Narod, 64, also in Muang district, said he too was running out of options.
"My rice fields are at the end of an irrigation canal and there have been no signs that any water will come," he said.
"The government has asked us to suspend growing rice since the 2014 main crop and I have had to borrow several tens of thousands of baht from cooperatives. Now we are being asked to suspend farming again and I don't know how I can repay my debts.
"Please compensate us and suspend our debts. Please feel sympathetic toward us. Would government officials be able to live if their salaries were suspended for a full year?" he asked rhetorically.
"Compensation and debt suspension might help but personally, I don't want it. I'd rather have water to farm my land."
http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/commerce-min-denies-rumors-of-bad-thai-rice-to-be-sold-in-markets/100408/commerce
Min denies rumors of bad Thai rice to be sold in markets
·
A A A
[google-translator]
BANGKOK, 22 June 2015 (NNT) – The Ministry of Commerce has
denied rumors that it will sell low quality rice for domestic consumption.
Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) Director
General Duangporn Rodphaya responded to rumors that the government was
considering supplying low quality grains to the animal feed industry and
ethanol manufacturers. She said the government will only release good quality
rice for human and animal consumption.
The DITP Director General added that only low quality grains will
be sold to industries that do not produce human or animal food.
The amount of rice released will also be determined by the rice
supply expected to be produced during the rainy season. The Ministry of
Commerce has assured rice farmers that the release of government stock will not
affect the market price.
Power cuts back
as paddy season peaks
Farmers get promised 8-hr
supply
Patiala, June 20
Unscheduled power cuts are being imposed in various cities since power
withdrawal from the grid exceeded the scheduled withdrawal.
The demand for power is high due to rising temperatures and the ongoing
paddy season. Officials of Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd hope for relief
with the onset of the monsoon in the next few days.
They confirmed that the power supply had increased by more than 600 lakh
units from 1,644 lakh units to 2,250 lakh units a day in the last five days.
The power supply in state has increased by more than 600 lakh units from
1,644 lakh units to 2,250 lakh units a day in the past five days.
The maximum hourly power demand met on last Sunday was 8,119 MW, which
has now increased to 10,490 MW. As per daily report of the Central Electricity
Authority (CEA), Punjab is withdrawing 1,170 lakh units against the scheduled
1,179 lakh units to maintain the grid stability as per norms.
“In case of excess withdrawal, power cuts are immediately imposed to
keep balance. We are hopeful that rain in the next few days will help improve
the situation,” said a PSPCL official.
The maximum demand expected by the CEA in August is 11,900 MW, but it
seems that the demand is expected to cross this limit in the coming days.
Farmers, meanwhile, have expressed satisfaction that they are getting
the promised eight-hour power for running tube wells for irrigating their paddy
fields.
At present, all thermal units except the one at Ropar are running at
full capacity along with three units in the private sector.
The total thermal generation on Friday was 911 lakh units. This included
408 lakh units from Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo thermal plants. The Ropar thermal
plant generated 212 lakh units and Lehra Mohabbat 200 lakh units.
Will bring privilege motion against Dy
CM: Jakhar
Chandigarh:
The Congress Legislature Party would bring a privilege motion against Deputy CM
Sukhbir Badal in the next Assembly session for "misleading" the state
on the issue of power. "In July last year, Sukhbir had claimed to make
Punjab a power-surplus state within a fortnight. But even after a year, people
are at the receiving end in the absence of regular power supply," said Jakhar.
— TNS
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/power-cuts-back-as-paddy-season-peaks/96466.html
Jun 20 2015 6:52AM
Delayed rice-planting
season expected to affect Thai GDP growth. Picture: Getty Images
A delayed wet-season planting is expected to weigh on
Thailand’s weakening economic growth, agricultural officials said.
Planting is being postponed by one month in 22 provinces on
the central Chao Phraya River basin, accounting for more than a third of all
rice grown in the country.
“We are now surveying the area to determine the effect of
drought to the agricultural economy,” Lersuk Rewtrakoonpaibul of the national
Office of Agricultural Economics said.
The water level at a major reservoir feeding the Chao Phraya
River is at only 8.4 per cent of its full capacity, and the rainy season is
predicted to be light due to the El Nino climate phenomenon.
The central bank on Friday also cut this year’s gross
domestic product growth projection to 3 per cent, from 3.8, due to weaker
exports and domestic demand.
Thailand is one of the world’s top rice producers,
accounting for 22per cent of global rice exports.
-Xinhua/ANA
|
http://www.thenewage.co.za/162582-9-53-Delayed_riceplanting_season_expected_to_affect_Thai_GDP_growth
Cambodia
priced out of Filipino rice tender again
Mon, 22 June
2015
Cambodia has lost a
100,000-tonne Filipino rice bid to Vietnam, on account of a higher costs as
compared to regional competitors, marking the fourth time the Kingdom has
failed to win a rice tender issued by the Philippines.
The Philippines National Food
Authority last week awarded the tender to Vietnam Southern Food Corp based on
its offer of $416.85 per tonne, a little higher than the reference price of
$408.15 per tonne set during the tender, according to the Philippine Star.
Thailand’s offer was marginally
higher than Vietnam’s, $417 per tonne, but Cambodia’s final bid of $455.50 per
tonne was way above the reserve price. All three countries were asked to revise
their initial bids after they were deemed too high by the Philippines.
Sok Puthyvuth, president of the
Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), said that despite being costlier than
neighbouring countries, $455 a tonne left exporters with little or no profit
and was the best price they could offer given the circumstances.
“The problem is our paddy rice
is already expensive when collected for milling, and the cost of processing to
export was higher than that in neighboring countries,” Puthyvuth said.
CRF committees, he said, are
working to bring down processing and transportation costs and hoped to be more
competitive during the next bid.
“We are looking at short-term
solutions, like cutting down service costs in the value chain, such as port
fees, and in the long term to increase efficiency in rice processing among the
millers and rice productivity among the farmers,” he said.
High production prices and the
poor quality of agro-inputs, such as fertilisers and insecticides, affected
Cambodia’s competitiveness, said Srey Chanthy, an independent economist. He
added that high energy costs and use of outdated technology at processing
plants also impacted rice prices.
“There is need for a mechanism
that supports, facilitates and improves the whole value chain of Cambodia’s
rice sector,” he said.
But as long as Cambodia could
make up for these low margins with higher profits from other high value export
destinations, Chanthy said, it was worth bidding for future Filipino tenders.
The 100,000 tonne bid comes
weeks after 150,000 tonnes was also procured from Vietnam on June 6 for $416.8
per tonne, taking the average cost of the entire 250,000 tonnes to $412.8,
according to the Philippine Star.
Ken Ratha, spokesperson for the
Ministry of Commerce, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Comments
Govt to redesign rice-for-poor
program
program
Fadli, The Jakarta
Post, Batam | Archipelago | Sun, June 21 2015, 9:31 PM
Social Affairs
Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa said on Sunday that the government would
redesign its rice-for-the-poor (Raskin) program following a recommendation from
the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which has detected irregularities
in the implementation of the program.
Playing down reports
that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo would completely remove the Raskin
allocations, the minister asserted that the government aimed to only reorganize
the program, which has been running for 17 years.
“Tomorrow [Monday],
President Jokowi and Vice President Jusuf Kalla will lead a limited Cabinet
meeting to formulate the reorganization of the Raskin program for 2016.
Currently, we receive too many reports of rice that is unsuitable for
consumption or rice that contains gravel, and improper rice distribution. This
redesign is based on a recommendation from the KPK,” said Khofifah on the
sidelines of her visit to a State Logistics Agency (Bulog) warehouse in Batam
on Sunday.
The minister denied,
however, that the antigraft body’s recommendation followed indications of
corruption in the program, claiming the irregularities were related more to the
amount and quality of rice distributed.
“I haven’t yet seen
any indication [of corruption] that would lead the KPK to issue this
recommendation,” said Khofifah.
The minister added
that the government had allocated Rp 18.9 trillion (US$1.4 billion) for the
2015 Raskin program. The Social Affairs Ministry has the authority over
budgetary allocations for the program, while Bulog is assigned to distribute
the rice to local administrations, which in turn distribute it to the public.
“By redesigning the
program, we will correct its implementation. Rice for the poor must be suitable
for consumption. It should be distributed to targeted beneficiaries in proper
amounts and in a timely manner,” said Khofifah.
In 2016, she said, the
Raskin program’s funding would involve local administrations from the provincial
to the regency levels, allowing the program’s budget to be spread more evenly.
(ebf)(++++)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/21/govt-redesign-rice-poor-program.html#sthash.XmJpFQyK.dpuf
Drought may cut N. Korea's 2015 rice harvest by 12 pct: FAO
Published : 2015-06-20 16:07
Updated : 2015-06-20 16:07
Updated : 2015-06-20 16:07
A
severe drought may reduce North Korea's rice harvest by 12 percent this year
from a year earlier, a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
U.N. showed Saturday, warning of the worsening food shortage in the communist
country.
The recent FAO report put North Korea's rice production at an estimated 2.3 million tons for this year, compared with the country's rice harvest of 2.6 million tons a year earlier.
The estimated production may be less than the average amount of rice produced annually over the past five years, it added.
About one-fourth of North Korea's total 544,000 hectares of rice paddies are being affected by the drought, the report also noted.
The drought may also eat into the country's production of double crop products, like potato, wheat and barley, according to the report, which put the estimated amount to 277,000 tons this year.
North Korea's North Hwanghae province, which accounts for a majority of crop production, is sustaining severe damage from the drought, the report said.
The North's Korean Central News Agency reported earlier this week that the country has been suffering from the worst drought in 100 years, raising concerns about food shortages. (Yonhap)
The recent FAO report put North Korea's rice production at an estimated 2.3 million tons for this year, compared with the country's rice harvest of 2.6 million tons a year earlier.
The estimated production may be less than the average amount of rice produced annually over the past five years, it added.
About one-fourth of North Korea's total 544,000 hectares of rice paddies are being affected by the drought, the report also noted.
The drought may also eat into the country's production of double crop products, like potato, wheat and barley, according to the report, which put the estimated amount to 277,000 tons this year.
North Korea's North Hwanghae province, which accounts for a majority of crop production, is sustaining severe damage from the drought, the report said.
The North's Korean Central News Agency reported earlier this week that the country has been suffering from the worst drought in 100 years, raising concerns about food shortages. (Yonhap)
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150620000095
'LIBERIA SPENDS US$200M YEARLY ON RICE
IMPORTATION' - LAWMAKER
Written
by Bettie Johnson/ betty.johnson@frontpageafricaonline.com
Published: 22 June 2015
Monrovia - Rice is Liberia’s staple food but the production of the
essential commodity has not been prioritized by the government resulting in
more importation of what is consumed as local farmers lack the capacity to
produce sufficient food to feed the country. At a three-day conference exchange
of System Rice intensification between Anglophone Countries, the chairperson of
the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries,
Fofi Bimba disclosed that the government of Liberia spent over two hundred
million on the purchasing of rice in the country.
“Rice, I called it a wonder crop; it is Liberia’s staple food and we spent over US$200 million dollars yearly buying rice from all places including Bangladesh”, he stated. The Lofa County lawmaker said it was frustrating that Liberia will be buying rice from Bangladesh, a country that has over 10 million populations and has less space to live than Liberia.
“As for me I go around to the stores, I went to SWAT, UCI and all I see is labels of rice production all from foreign countries and I really feel bad”, the lawmaker expressed. He continued:” These countries that are exporting rice do not have a land space but they plant rice and this is disgraceful to this nation.” Representative Bimba called on the three branches of Government to collaborate in building the capacities of farmers to produce more rice to feed the nation.
“We in Government, the Judiciary, Legislature, Executive, we need to have a deliberate agenda that will enable us to produce more rice to feed ourselves and we must be deliberate about it”, the lawmaker suggested.” The House chairperson on Agriculture further commended CHAP and FED for empowering farmers in producing rice. He recalled that farmers have been trained to plant rice but they lack empowerment from the Government stating that the Liberian Government lacks interest in farming.
“We are still teaching farmers to plant rice; when will they produce rice for the country in increasing the yield of rice, we need to target our production and support the agencies that will move from planning to production if not we will be doing left-right like in the army”, he added. Rep. Bimba added: “Producing more rice will reduce importation, rice farming is very expensive so we need our Government to provide subsidies for rice farmers as it is done all over the world”.
He continued: “If you buy the rice you will help to subsidize the farmers, we need to be determined to plant and produce rice for this country making sure you empower the people bit and pieces, remember one who feeds a nation controls the economy, the laws and controls your entire activities and events.” For his part, the head of CHAP (Community of Hope Agriculture Project) Rev. Robert Bimba said the importance of the conference is geared toward showing the good things that Liberia has done in the SRI program.
“It was very successful, we are happy for the level we have reached and now we have thousands of farmers that have started rice production, there is increase of yield in the production, increasing production, we are using the available varieties in the country, the SRI is not a rice but a method that is used to make any kind of seed rice to grow perfectly.”
Meanwhile, the coordinator of West African Agricultural Productivity program (WAAPP), Cyrus Saygbe said the program is experimenting to increase rice production. “Today, we try to upscale a technology that has been adapted by Liberia, this technology was adapted from Mali and it is System of Rice intensification, wherein we used a little bit of water, little bit of fertilizer to get more rice from a hectare”, said Saygbe.
He disclosed that the conventional method used to give them 1 to 2 metric tons per hectares but since the establishment of the SRI, farmers are now boosting 4.5 metric tons to 5 metric tons per hectares.
http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/5599-liberia-spends-us-200m-yearly-on-rice-importation-lawmaker
Central region farmers dare not protest
- 20 Jun
2015 at 15:59 5,126 viewed23 comments
- WRITER:
SUNTHORN PONGPAO AND CHUDATE SEEHAWONG
- +
AYUTTHAYA/CHAI NAT — Resigned to their fate, farmers
ordered to delay or suspend rice planting say they will not protest or demand
relief or compensation from the government for fear of being arrested.
Agriculture Minister Pitipong Phuengboon Na Ayudhaya confirmed
earlier this week that the military government would not compensate central
region farmers who had been asked not to grow a second crop because of a severe
water shortage.He said the government had no budget for the purpose, adding that the ban might be lifted if normal levels of rain returned by late July.
He also said that the amount of water in northern dams was not enough for farmland irrigation. As a result, farmers in the central region are under a lot of pressure.
"We don't know what to do. We're struggling already to live from hand to mouth. Yet we can't protest as we could be arrested. We're on our last legs now," said Kwanchai Mahachuenjai, vice-president of the Central Region Farmers Club.
"We dare not protest because we fear the law," he said at his farm in Ayutthaya on Saturday. "If there's anything we can still ask, it's that if the government can't give us any compensation, at the very least it should suspend our debts for three years with no interest and find us new borrowing sources so those of us with some assets can borrow more."
The Agriculture Ministry said last week that reservoirs currently held only enough water to irrigate the 3.4 million rai of paddy fields already planted in the main rice bowl of the Chao Phraya River basin.
Farmers holding another 4 million rai in 22 provinces have been asked to delay planting until normal levels of rainfall return, expected around late July. Even then, a second crop would be out of the question, authorities have said.
Water levels at the country's major dams are critically low as rain has been below average so far this season, according to Thai Rath Online.
At the Pasak Jolasid Dam in Lop Buri, water was at a historically low level of 80.76 million cubic metres, or 8.4% of its capacity on Friday.
The discharge rate has been reduced to 1.2 million cu m per day from 4 million under normal circumstances, and strictly for consumption and not farming.
At the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat, the discharge rate was increased by five cubic metres per second to 75 cu m/s to push back salty water at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River. The water level above the dam was 5 centimetres lower.
If there is no rain north of the dam, the remaining water will last for 30 days, officials said.
Farmers in Chai Nat are feeling the brunt of the dry conditions, which have affected both those who have already started growing rice and those who haven't, since most owe money to the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) and farm cooperatives.
Pisit Kratkrayang, 51, a farmer in Muang district, said that when the Royal Irrigation Department announced that it would bring water to his area on May 1, he started ploughing in the hope of earning enough income from the crop to repay what he owed the BAAC.
"My rice is now a month old. If the irrigation water stops coming, we'll be in deep trouble," he said.
"We're already indebted for not being able to grow the second crop. If we can't farm the main crop, we'd like the government to compensate use at the rate of 2,500 baht a rai of the actual farmed fields."
Narong Narod, 64, also in Muang district, said he too was running out of options.
"My rice fields are at the end of an irrigation canal and there have been no signs that any water will come," he said.
"The government has asked us to suspend growing rice since the 2014 main crop and I have had to borrow several tens of thousands of baht from cooperatives. Now we are being asked to suspend farming again and I don't know how I can repay my debts.
"Please compensate us and suspend our debts. Please feel sympathetic toward us. Would government officials be able to live if their salaries were suspended for a full year?" he asked rhetorically.
"Compensation and debt suspension might help but personally, I don't want it. I'd rather have water to farm my land."
