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Rain showers are expected across Southeast China today and tomorrow. Rain showers
are also expected in Northeast China On Friday and Saturday. Mostly dry weather
is expected on Thursday and Friday in East-central China.
In India, rain is expected from
Bihar to Odisha on Thursday. Scattered rains are expected from Rajasthan,
Gujarat, and western Maharashtra to Madhya Pradesh and northern Andhra Pradesh
on Thursday. Showers are expected from Uttarakhand to Northeast Andhra Pradesh
on Friday. Scattered showers are expected across Western Maharashtra to Kerala
on Friday.
Isolated heavy rain is expected across North and North-eastern Thailand today and tomorrow.
Rain is expected across Northern Vietnam on Thursday and Friday. The rest of
Vietnam will only have spotty shower and thunderstorm on Thursday and Friday .
In Pakistan, rain is expected at some
places in Kashmir, Islamabad, upper Punjab during the next two days. Dry
weather is expected elsewhere in the country.
In Bangladesh, light rain is likely to
occur at most places over Khulna, Barisal, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions and
at many places over Dhaka, Rangpur & Rajshahi divisions with moderately
heavy to very heavy falls at places over Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong
divisions and moderately heavy falls at places elsewhere over the country
during the next two days.
In Indonesia, scattered showers are
expected across Sulawesi, Borneo and Northern Sumatra on Thursday and Friday.
Global Rice Quotes
July 30th, 2015
Long grain white rice - high quality
Thailand 100% B grade 380-390
↔
Vietnam 5% broken 340-350
↓
India 5% broken 385-395
↔
Pakistan 5% broken 355-365
↓
Myanmar 5% broken 400-410
↔
Cambodia 5% broken 425-435
↔
U.S. 4% broken 470-480
↔
Uruguay 5% broken 535-545
↔
Argentina 5% broken 530-540
↔
Long grain white rice - low quality
Thailand 25% broken 350-360
↔
Vietnam 25% broken 325-335
↔
Pakistan 25% broken 315-325
↓
Cambodia 25% broken 410-420
↔
India 25% broken 350-360
↔
U.S. 15% broken 445-455
↔
Long grain parboiled rice
Thailand parboiled 100% stxd 380-390 ↔
Pakistan parboiled 5% broken stxd 415-425 ↔
India parboiled 5% broken stxd 375-385 ↔
U.S. parboiled 4% broken 555-565
↔
Brazil parboiled 5% broken 545-555
↔
Uruguay parboiled 5% broken NQ
↔
Long grain fragrant rice
Thailand Hommali 92% 865-875
↔
Vietnam Jasmine 485-495
↔
India basmati 2% broken NQ
↔
Pakistan basmati 2% broken NQ
↔
Cambodia Phka Mails 835-845
↔
Brokens
Thailand A1 Super 320-320
↔
Vietnam 100% broken 315-325
↔
Pakistan 100% broken stxd 285-295
↔
Cambodia A1 Super 350-360
↔
India 100% broken stxd 305-315
↔
Egypt medium grain brokens NQ
↔
U.S. pet food 325-335 ↔
Brazil half grain NQ
↔
All prices USD per ton, FOB vessel, oryza.com
Oryza Overnight Recap – Chicago
Rough Rice Futures Rally on Healthy New Crop Sales and Strong Weekly Shipments
Jul
30, 2015
Chicago rough rice futures for Sep delivery are currently seen trading 13
cents per cwt (about $3 per ton higher) at $11.330 per cwt (about $250 per ton)
during early floor trading in Chicago. The other grains are seen trading
mixed this morning; soybeans are currently seen trading about 0.6% higher,
wheat is listed about 0.2% higher and corn is currently noted about 0.1%
higher.
U.S. stocks opened slightly lower on Thursday as investors
digested a slew of corporate earnings, U.S. economic data and the Federal
Reserve's decision to leave interest rates unchanged. In economic news, the
Commerce Department said U.S. gross domestic product expanded at an annual rate
of 2.3%, slightly below economists' estimates. The department revised its
first-quarter GDP reading to a 0.6% increase from a 0.2% contraction. U.S.
weekly jobless claims increased by 12,000 week-over-week, but came in below
expectations at 267,000, the Labor Department said.
On Wednesday, the central
bank kept rates unchanged and gave no hint of liftoff coming in the next
meeting. The decision on the rates was unanimous. Policymakers said the economy
is expanding moderately and made no mention of recent volatility around Greece
or China. Gold is currently trading about 0.8% lower, crude oil is seen trading
about 0.2% lower, and the U.S. dollar is currently trading about 0.6%
higher at 9:00am Chicago
time.
China Holds $300 Million Loan to
Cambodia Rice Project
Jul
30, 2015
The government of China has put on hold a $300 million loan to a Cambodian rice
project, aimed at developing storage and warehousing facilities in the country,
as the government of Cambodia has not been able to meet the criteria set by the
Chinese authorities, local sources quoted an official associated with the
project.
In December last year, Cambodia's Ministry of Economy and Finance
reportedly sent a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) to the Chinese
government seeking a loan of about $300 million to build and develop rice
warehouses in the country. The government is keen on building about 10 rice
warehouses, which can store a total of 1.2 million tons of paddy/rice, in the
country to ensure uninterrupted supplies to millers and exporters.
The Senior Adviser for the Supreme National Economic Council (SNEC), which
is overseeing the project told local sources that the loan has been put on hold
as Cambodia has not responded to the Chinese requirements on the loan. “There
are some technical problems from our Chinese counterparts. Both parties are
looking at their own benefit, and now we are negotiating,” he was quoted as
saying.
Members of the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) have been stressing for the
need for the development of rice storage and warehousing facilities in the
country in order to boost exports.
The CRF has also been urging the government to provide adequate financing
facilities to the millers and exporters to buy rice during the harvest
season.
Earlier, the SNEC Senior Adviser noted that a major quantity of Cambodian
paddy/rice is exported to Vietnam and Thailand through unofficial channels
during the harvest season as the country lacks proper storage facilities. Due
to this, millers and exporters have been facing severe shortages of paddy for
milling during lean months of April and May, and a proper warehousing system is
needed to address this issue.
Cambodia has exported around 283,825 tons of milled rice in the first six
months of 2015, up about 60% from around 177,928 tons exported during the same
period last year, according to data from the Secretariat of One Window Service
for Rice Export Formality.). Cambodia exported around 387,000 tons in
2014.
USDA estimates Cambodia to export 1.1 million tons of rice (including
official and unofficial exports to Vietnam and Thailand through borders) in
2015, up about 10% from an estimated 1 million tons in 2014.
Japan Pushes for Increased Rice
Utilization in Feed Industry, Says USDA Post
Jul
30, 2015
With the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) pushing for
the increase in rice utilization in feed, the use of rice in Japan's total feed
market has increased considerably in MY 2014-15 (October - September), reports
USDA Post.
Rice utilization in Japan's total feed market has increased to around 5% in
first eight months of MY 2014-15 compared to around 3% in the entire MY
2013-14; while corn utilization has remained relatively stable at around 45%
during the period, according to the USDA Post.
The government's expansion of rice utilization in feed rations through
subsidies is expected to result in a slightly lower corn consumption level for
feed in MY 2014-15. This falling trend for corn consumption is expected to
continue in MY 2015-16 also.
The government of Japan maintains a feed price stabilization program that
consists of a combination of a MAFF subsidy and industry fund to help sudden
surges in compound feed prices.
India Average Wholesale Rice
Prices Continue to Decline in July 2015
Jul
30, 2015
India average wholesale rice prices continued to decline for second
consecutive month in July 2015 after continuously increasing for three
consecutive months from March to May. The decline can be attributed to
increasing supplies in the domestic market due to a declining export
demand.
Average monthly wholesale rice prices in India declined to around
Rs.2,646.88 per quintal in July 2015, down about 4% from around Rs.2,658 per
quintal in June 2015, and down about 18% from their year-ago levels of around
Rs.3,216 per quintal.
In terms of USD per ton, wholesale rice prices in India stand at around
$415 per ton (using current exchange rates) in July 2015, down about 1% from
around $419 per ton (using historical exchange rates) in June 2015, and down
about 22.5% from their year-ago levels of around $483 per ton (using historical
exchange rates).
India’s average prices are likely to increase if India’s production is
dampened by a moderate drought-inducing El Nino weather pattern, which is
expected to persist between July and September. Weather bureaus in Australia
and Japan are forecasting an intensifying El Nino weather pattern, which is
already causing dry conditions in South East Asian countries, including
Thailand, North Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines. The government of India
is monitoring the impact of El Nino on monsoon rains in the country. India
received 7% below normal rainfall in the fourth week of July, according to the
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
Planting for India's main/kharif rice crop (June – December), which began
in the month of May and continuing, started off well due to above-average rains
in the beginning of the monsoon season. It has been good enough so far despite
the rainfall declining in some rice-growing regions. As of July 24, the total
area planting to India's 2015-16 kharif rice crop stood at around 18.85 million
hectares, up about 7% from around 17.65 million hectares planted during the
same time last year.
USDA
estimates India's 2015-16 (October - September) production at around 104
million tons, up about 1.5% from an estimated 102.5 million tons in
2014-15. It estimates India's 2015 rice exports at around 10.2 million tons,
slightly up from an estimated 10.15 million tons in 2014
Extending drought conditions across Indonesia are said to be leading to
crop failures in most of the rice growing provinces. The National Disaster
Mitigation Agency (BNPB) declared that about 25,000 hectares of crop fields,
including rice, in the country are experiencing crop failures due to the
drought-inducing El Nino weather pattern, according to local sources.
The Food Crop Cultivation Head of the Central Java Agriculture Agency noted
that about 6,578 hectares of paddy fields in the province have already
experienced crop failure due to drought and another 27,000 hectares are on the
verge of failure. Similarly, authorities in Jambi province also declared that
68 hectares of paddy fields have experienced crop failure. These developments
indicate a fall in the secondary rice crop (June to mid-December) output.
Water crisis that resulted from low rains in most of the provinces,
including West Java, Central Java, South Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and
Papua, are adding to the farmers' troubles.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency
(BMKG) has predicted that the El NiƱo effect will extend Indonesia’s dry
season, which normally occurs between April and September, until
November.
These developments are likely to disrupt the government plans of achieving
self-sufficiency in rice over the next four years. The government aimed to
increase 2015 paddy rice production by about 4% to around 73.4 million tons
(around 48.44 million tons, basis milled) in order to be self-sufficient in
rice production and avoid imports.
The President is also targeting a no-rice import policy this year.
Indonesian government has so far not imported any rice in 2015. It imported
425,000 tons in 2014 through the state logistics agency Bulog.
However, the
favorable weather conditions coupled with the government initiatives are
expected to provide a good output from the main rice crop (October - May),
whose harvesting completed in June.
India Plans to Procure 30
Million Tons of Rice in KMS 2015-16
Jul
30, 2015
The government of India is planning to procure around 30 million tons of
rice in the 2015-16 kharif marketing season (October 2015 - September 2016),
according to a statement from the Food Ministry.
The government is planning to procure 8.2 million tons of rice from Punjab,
3.6 million tons from Chhattisgarh, 2.34 million tons from Haryana and 2
million each from Andhra Pradesh and Assam, according to the statement.
State governments have been directed to ensure effective procurement
process by opening adequate purchase centers and manpower. They have also been
asked to prepare storage plan for the new KMS as well as make an action plan to
meet any deficit in storage facilities.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI), the nodal agency for food grain
procurement and distribution has procured around 31.518 million tons of rice as
of July 15, 2015 in KMS 2014-15 (October 2014 - September 2015), down about 1%
from last year, according to data by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food
& Public Distribution. The Indian government is targeting to procure 35.109
million tons of rice during the KMS 2014-15.
Oryza Afternoon Recap – Chicago
Rough Rice Futures Find Follow-through Buying as Market Breaks Technical
Resistance
Jul
30, 2015
Chicago rough rice futures for Sep
delivery settled 23.5 cents per cwt (about $5 per ton) higher at $11.435 per
cwt (about $252 per ton). The other grains finished the day higher; Soybeans
closed about 0.7% higher at $9.5000 per bushel; wheat finished about 0.1%
higher at $4.9625 per bushel, and corn finished the day about 1.5% higher at
$3.8375 per bushel.
U.S. stocks traded in a range on
Thursday as investors digested more earnings and second quarter GDP, a day
after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged. The Nasdaq Composite
turned positive in late morning trade, with the S&P 500 attempting gains in
early afternoon trade. The Dow Jones industrial average struggled to hold gains
after trading lower, falling 100 points in the open. In economic news, U.S.
gross domestic product came in at 2.3%, slightly below economists' estimates.
The department revised its first-quarter GDP reading to a 0.6% increase from a
0.2% contraction. U.S. weekly jobless claims increased by 12,000
week-over-week, but came in below expectations at 267,000, the Labor Department
said.
On Wednesday, the central bank kept rates
unchanged and gave no hint of liftoff coming in the next meeting. The decision
on the rates was unanimous. Policymakers said the economy is expanding
moderately and made no mention of recent volatility around Greece or China. The
Dow Jones industrial average traded down 2 points, or 0.01%, at 17,749. The
S&P 500 traded down 0.5 points, or 0.02%, at 2,108, with energy leading
five sectors lower and utilities the greatest advancer. The Nasdaq traded up 17
points, or 0.34%, at 5,128. Gold is trading about 0.5% lower, crude oil is seen
trading about 0.7% lower, and the U.S. dollar is seen trading at about 0.7%
higher at about 2:00pm Chicago time.
Wednesday, there were 606 contracts traded, up from 437 contracts traded on
Tuesday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Wednesday
decreased by 66 contracts to 8,631.
Myanmar Rice Exports May Not be
Impacted by Recent Floods, Says MRF Official
Jul
30, 2015
Heavy rains and flooding since mid-July in Myanmar's Sagaing Region, Shan
State and Kachin State have destroyed more than 24,000 hectares of paddy fields,
but the country's exports may not be affected significantly, Myanmar Times
quoted the General Secretary of Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF).
According to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation,
about 981 hectares of summer paddy fields, about 14,676 hectares of monsoon
paddy fields and about 1,240 hectares of seedling fields have been impacted by
flooding as of July 19, 2015.
However, the MRF General Secretary told reporters that overall yields are
likely to suffer slightly but may not impact exports. He urged the government
to support farmers as per new laws that have been framed to protect
farmers.
A prominent farmer based in Sagaing Region added that farmers have an opportunity
to replant until the beginning of September if they can afford financially.
They need to re-spend on fertilizers and seeds, he said.
However, experts noted that current floods have occurred in the upper part
of Myanmar and not in the lower part, where some fields are ready for
harvest.
The Vice Chairman of the Myanmar Rice Traders Association urged the
government to encourage farmers to purchase crop insurance as most parts of
Bago and Ayeyarwady regions are prone to flooding during this part of
year.
The MRF expects a paddy output of around 14 million tons (around 8.96
million tons, basis milled) in 2015. The government has been targeting to
export around 2 million tons of rice this year. Myanmar exported about 1.8
million tons of rice in FY 2014-15.
USDA estimates Myanmar to produce 20 million tons of paddy rice (around
12.8 million tons, milled basis) and export around 2 million tons of rice in MY
2015-16 (January - December 2015).
Philippines Invites Farmers to
Distribute NFA Rice Stocks Under Ifad Program
Jul
30, 2015
The Philippines National Food Authority (NFA) is inviting farmers
organizations (FOs) and farmers associations (FAs) to distribute about 100,000
tons of NFA rice stocks under the Institutionalized Farmers as Distributors
(Ifad) Program, according to local sources.
The government implemented the program on July 16, 2015 and will continue
till October 31, 2015. Under the program, FOs and FAs are required to
distribute 2 million 50 kilogram bags of rice from the 2014 imported rice
stocks.
The NFA Deputy Administrator told local sources that the Ifad program aims
to “empower farmers” by directly involving FOs and FAs in the distribution of
NFA rice as well as help increase their incomes.
Interested and qualified FOs and FAs are required to submit a letter of
intent (LOI) to the NFA provincial manager in their respective areas.
As per the guidelines, 30% of rice stocks will be allocated among all
qualified FOs and FAs across the country, but 60% will be allocated only to
those who had participated under the program earlier. The remaining 10% will be
allocated to all officers of the Philippines Farmers Advisory Board and
Provincial Farmers Action Council.
The NFA fixed the price of 25% brokens at P25 per kilogram (around $0.55),
or P1,250 per bag (around $27.35), while it fixed the price of the 15% brokens
at P30 per kilogram (around $0.66) or P1,500 per bag (around $32.81).
The program initially started in 2002 and ran till 2010. Again it was
started in 2013 upon the request of FOs and FAs across the country.
The NFA Spokesman told reporters that the allocations for Ifad the NFA
buffer stocks are currently sufficient for 25 days and imports from Vietnam and
Thailand have started arriving in the country's ports.
Oryza U.S. Rough Rice Recap –
New Sales Help Push Prices Higher
Jul
30, 2015
The U.S. cash market was firmer today with price ideas increasing with the
futures market. Farmers have no set their sights on $11.11 per cwt fob farm
(about $245 per ton) however most buyers have ideas closer to $10.00 per cwt
fob farm (about $220 per ton).
Analysts note that with the recent run up in the futures market most
sellers are willing to wait and see how far the market will run however others
are that once the buying stops there could be a rush of sellers coming to the
market.
Today the USDA reported that cumulative net export sales for the week
ending on July 23rd, totaled 8,400 tons, which was 11% lower than
last week and 82% lower than the prior 4-week average.
Increases were reported for the following destinations including: 3,000
tons to Japan, 2,000 tons to unknown destinations, 1,200 tons to Canada,
600 tons to the United Kingdom, and 400 tons to Mexico.
Net sales of 49,000 MT for 2015/2016 were reported for the following
destinations including; 30,000 tons to Venezuela, 5,900 tons to unknown
destinations, 5,500 tons to El Salvador, and 5,000 tons to South Korea.
U.S. rice exporters shipped 105,900 tons, which was 15% higher than last
week and 60% higher than the prior 4-week average. The primary destinations
included: 31,800 tons to Japan, 29,900 tons to Venezuela, 17,800 tons to
South Korea, 12,000 tons to Mexico, and 10,000 tons to Haiti.
South Korea Imports 305,027 Tons
of Brown Rice Under 2015 TRQ as of July 8, 2015, Says USDA Post
Jul
30, 2015
South Korea is required to import a mandatory 408,700 tons of rice from
Most Favored Nation (MFN) countries at 5% duty under the tariff rate quota
(TRQ) regime. The government's state trading arm Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food
Trade Corporation (aT) manages the purchases of all imported rice through
tenders and subsequent auctions of imported table rice.
As of July 8, 2015, aT purchased 305,027 tons of brown rice for processing
purposes (around 274,524, basis milled) or 67% of the entire 2015 TRQ import
commitment. The Korean government is expected to continue purchases of the
remaining 134,176 metric tons (milled) within calendar year 2015, says the
Post. The following table shows the tonnage and percentage of rice
imported from the MFN countries.
The Post forecasts rice production in MY 2015-16 (May - April) at 4 million
tons, unchanged from last year despite a likely decline in planting area by
about 2.1% y/y to 799,000 hectares. The increase is attributed to usage of high
yielding varieties.
The government of Korea has procured around 610,000 tons of rice, or 14.4%
of total 214 crop production, under the Public Food Grain Stockholding Program
(PFSP) as of May 2015.
The Post forecasts Korea MY 2015-16 consumption at around 4.355 million
tons, down about 2% from an estimated 4.5 million tons in MY 2014-15.
Vietnam, Pakistan Rice Sellers
Lower Some of Their Quotes Today; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged
Jul
30, 2015
Vietnam rice sellers lowered their quotes for 5% broken rice by about $5
per ton to around $340-$350 per ton today. Pakistan rice sellers lowered their
quotes for 5% broken rice and 25% broken rice by about $5 per ton each to
around$355-$365 per ton and $315-$325 per ton respectively today. Other Asia
rice sellers kept their quotes mostly unchanged.
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is indicated at around $370 - $380 per ton, about $30 per
ton premium on Vietnam 5% rice shown at around $340 - $350 per ton, down about
$5 per ton from yesterday.
India 5% rice is indicated at around $385 - $395 per ton, about $30 per ton
premium on Pakistan 5% rice shown at around $355 - $365 per ton, down about $5
per ton from yesterday.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice is shown at around $350 - $360 per ton, about $25 per ton
premium on Vietnam 25% rice shown at around $325- $335 per ton.
India 25% rice is indicated at around $350 - $360, about $35 per ton premium on
Pakistan 25% rice shown at around $315 - $325 per ton, down about $5 per ton
from yesterday.
Parboiled Rice
Thailand parboiled rice is indicated at around $380 - $390 per ton. India
parboiled rice is indicated at around $375- $385 per ton, about $40 per ton
discount to Pakistan parboiled rice was last shown at around $415 - $425 per
ton.
100% Broken Rice
Thailand broken rice, A1 Super, is indicated at around $320 - $330 per ton,
about $5 per ton from premium on Vietnam 100% broken rice shown at around $315
- $325 per ton. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $305 - $315 per
ton, about $20 per ton premium on Pakistan broken sortexed rice shown at around
$285 - $295 per ton.
HA NOI (VNS) — The Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Cao Duc Phat, said this week that post-harvest losses in farm
production were still high due to the low growth of mechanisation.Phat was
speaking at a conference to review the implementation of Prime Ministerial
decision No 68/2013/Qd-TTg to reduce post-harvest losses.
July, 30 2015 09:03:00
Post-harvest losses of rice in Viet Nam are
estimated at more than VND20,000 billion (US$916,600). Much of it occurs
during harvesting, transporting, drying and preservation. — Photo VNA
He said the implementation of the
policy was at a low level and focused mostly on rice.Post-harvest losses of
rice in Viet Nam are estimated at more than VND20,000 billion (US$916,600).
Much of it occurs during harvesting, transporting, drying and preservation.In
the past five years, the Government has issued several polices to support
farmers invest in machinery and equipment to reduce post-harvest losses.
However, An Van Khanh, deputy
director general of the Department of Processing and Trade's
Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Product and Salt Production, said the reductions only
focused on rice.He said no attention had been paid to other crops, farm animals
or fish and prawns. As a result, post-harvest losses of rice were limited,
while losses in orchards, fisheries and sugarcane industries were high.Prime
Ministerial decision 68 replaced two decisions (63/2010/QD-TTg and
65/2011/QD-TTg). The new regulation broadens the variety of produce from farms.
It does not include the old requirement that all machines under the scheme must
be mostly made in Viet Nam.Many rice farmers have been active in buying
machines and equipment for agriculture production thanks to these incentives.
However, the number of farmers who
can access loans is still limited.According to reports from the State Bank of
Viet Nam, loans for the policy so far totalled VND3,468 billion ($158.9
million).Doan Xuan Hoa, deputy chairman of Vietnamese Society of Agricultural
Engineering, said VND1,030 billion ($47 million) had so far been paid back, but
added that this was not enough.He suggested the Government raise the total
value of loans.
The Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development (MARD) wants to reduce post-harvest losses from the current
10 per cent to between 5 and 6 per cent for rice; from 15 per cent to 9 per
cent for maize; and from 20 per cent to below 10 per cent for fisheries by
2020.To achieve the target, participants at the conference proposed MARD to
work with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to review the list of machines and
equipment that farmers can purchase under the scheme.They suggested the State
Bank of Viet Nam direct commercial banks to expand loans and help farmers get
them. — VNS
MURCIA, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL -- The Department of
Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) is urging
Negrenses to be responsible rice consumers amid the challenges of producing
more grains supply to feed the country’s growing population.Data from PhilRice
showed the Philippines has only around 2.4 million rice farmers for a
population of more than 90 million, each having an average per capita
consumption of 114 kilograms.Ev Angeles, senior science research specialist of
DA-PhilRice who spoke at the “Knowledge Sharing and Learning” activity held at
PhilRice Negros Occidental office on Tuesday said that as the population
increases, the challenge of producing more rice for the farmers also increases.
Angeles said rice farmers need the collective help of all
sectors especially the consumers in coping with other challenges such as more
and stronger typhoons, adverse effects of drought, smaller agricultural lands
due to urbanization, and few extension workers.“Ordinary consumers play a huge
role in achieving the rice sufficiency level of the country that is, through
responsible rice consumption,” she said.Data from PhilRice further showed that
the average age of Filipino farmers is up to 58 years old only, Angeles said,
adding that most of them have minimal income and capital.The DA-PhilRice also
raised concern on decreasing number of students getting agriculture-related
courses.
This is an important part in the chain especially in passing on
the knowledge and skills in agriculture to future generations, it added.As part
of addressing these challenges, DA-PhilRice together with the International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) through
their collaborative project called IPAD: Improving Performance and Delivery
conducted a two-day sharing and learning activity participated by students and
teachers, micro-finance sector representatives, seed producers, input
providers, and farmers.The activity is aimed at making all the sectors
especially the consumers realize what they can do to help farmers overcome the
challenges and inspire more people especially students to venture into and love
agriculture.
IRRI Junior Specialist Jerome Cayton Barradas said that through
the activity they are sharing with the participants various programs including
researches and new technologies that can help farmers boost their production.Barradas
presented and discussed the Rice Knowledge Bank and Rice Crop Management. These
are easy to access tools like downloadable applications and learning materials
about steps on rice production and other good agricultural practices, including
pest and nutrient management.*
Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on July 30, 2015.
The fourth batch of Negrense farmers
participating in Palayabangan – the 10-5 Challenge of the Department of
Agriculture – Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) are showcasing
their methods of producing 200 bags of rice per hectare with minimal costs at
PhilRice Negros in Murcia.The ten participants for the fourth batch Palayabangan
competition include private companies and individual farmers.
PhilRice Negros allotted 2,000 square meters
for each participant who will utilize any methodology, organic or otherwise, to
produce their maximum yield using a planting area of that size.The end goal is
to produce an equivalent of ten tons or 200 bags per hectare yield at only P5
input cost per kilogram of palay, considering that the current average input
cost is pegged at P11 per kilogram, Albert Christian SuƱer, PhilRice Negros research
and development coordinator, said on Tuesday as he explained the mechanics of
the challenge.
SuƱer said that Palayabangan is PhilRice's
way of supporting the government's Food Staples Sufficiency Program and of
boosting Negrense farmers' productivity.When the cropping period ends, a
P100,000 cash prize will be awarded to the winner who can produce 40 bags of
rice or more from the 2,000 square meter area, he said.The Palayabangan
challenge for the fourth batch of competitors will end in September, SuƱer
said.Since 2014, when Palayabangan began, the equivalent maximum yield that
previous participants produced was only 170 bags of rice, which were 30 bags
short of Palayabangan's 200 bags goal, he said.However, we are optimistic that
this goal is attainable in the near future, if not right away, SuƱen added.*PSF
The Hyderabad city based Senior Scientist Dr. ShaikN.Meera
bagged prestigious ‘Lal Bahadur Shastri Outstanding Young Scientist Award 2014’
of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Government of India. The
award was presented during the 87thFoundation Day Celebrations and Award
Ceremony of ICAR held at Patna. Honourable Prime Minister of India Sh. Narendra
Modi participated in the ICAR Foundation Day which was followed by the award
ceremony. The award was given by Dr. Sanjeev Balyan, Minister of State
for Agriculture, Government of India and Shri MohanbhaiKundaria, Union Minister
of State for Agriculture.
Dr. Meera is presently working at Indian Institute of Rice
Research, Hyderabad. The award is given every year in order to recognize the
talented young scientists who have shown extraordinary originality and
dedication in their research programmes. With this award he gets an award
amount of ₹ 1.00 lakh in cash and a citation
and a challenge project for three years with budgetary provision of ₹ 30.00 lakh and ₹ 5.00 lakh for foreign training.
Dr. Meera has made outstanding contributions in Indian rice
sector with innovative extension methods and practical ICT approaches
benefitting rice farmers and extension agencies. The Rice Knowledge Management
Portal developed by him is acclaimed as one of the finest ICT applications in
agriculture by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The Rice Portal has
made significant impacts across the country by improving the farmers’ access to
rice knowledge. He has contributed to the introduction of several new rice
varieties/ hybrids/ technologies by coordinating more than 7000 Frontline
Demonstrations in last 6 years, benefitting 18318 rice farmers directly.
He introduced impact acceleration concepts such as ‘India Rice
Check’, ‘Sustainable Livelihoods’, ‘e-learning’ for extension systems’. From
extension research to extension service, he struck an effective balance to
blend Information and Communication Technologies with traditional extension methods
that resulted in improving the livelihoods of thousands of Indian rice farmers.Dr.
Meera is currently working on Mobile applications for Indian Rice farmers in
several local languages. If this project is successful, Indian farmers can get
reliable and time critical information directly from the research stations that
may revolutionise rice farming in the country
Opening your fridge and remembering that you have pizza left over
from the night before is the best feeling especially when you are starving.
Leftovers can make a quick lunch or give you an
excuse to skip cooking dinner. All in all, they’re great. That is, until you
have to reheat them.Some foods reheat quickly and nicely in the microwave,
while others require the stove top and a little added oil. And then there are
some foods that should absolutely under no circumstance be reheated ever.
We’ve
outlined the foods that you shouldn’t reheat you. Have a look!
Coffee:
Just drink it hot the first time around,
please. If you absolutely must, you can give coffee a couple seconds in the
microwave but it will never taste the same.
Potato:
Potatoes are nutritious but they lose their
nutritional value if you let them be at room temperature for long. They can
actually become toxic and cause illnesses, such as food-poisoning.
Eggs:
You should never ever reheat your eggs. Eat
them cold as they’re really good like that. Don’t eat them at all.
Baked Green Vegetables:
If it was cooked in the oven, it should be
reheated in the oven and when it comes to roasted veggies, only the oven will
bring them back to their former glory.
Pizza:
When you want to reheat pizza, the worst thing
you can do is stick it in the microwave. Putting it in the oven on a pizza
stone or baking sheet is a better option. To crisp the bottom of the crust in
the skillet for a few minutes, and then add a few drops of water, cover, and
allow the steam to melt the cheese.
Chicken:
Chicken is one of the most commonly reheated
foods but also the most dangerous to due to the high content of protein in it.
Reheating it after a day or two can cause digestive problems. If it has to be
eaten after a few days, it’s best to be consumed alone.
Rice:
Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus
cereus, a bacterium that can cause the illness. When the rice is cooked, the
spores can survive but if left at room temperature, the spores can grow into
bacteria. These bacteria can multiply and may produce toxins that cause
vomiting and/or diarrhoea. The longer the cooked rice is left at room
temperature, the more likely it is that the bacteria or toxins could make it
unsafe to eat.
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The National Food Authority (NFA) is set to
import 1.3 million metric tons (MMT) of rice this year, according to NFA
Administrator Renan B. Dalisay who visited the NFA-Pampanga office here on
Thursday.“The importation will be between 1.3 MMT to 1.5 MMT based on our
assessment,” Dalisay said.He explained the importation is expected to meet the
annual local consumption of about 12.5 MMT of rice. He added that the NFA needs
to have 14 MMT of rice in 2015, including at least 1.5 MMT as “buffer” supply.Dalisay
stressed that the Aquino administration had “only” shipped in some 4 MMT of
rice from 2010 to 2014.
He added that from 2004 to 2010, the Arroyo government bought
some 12 MMT of rice, mostly coming from Vietnam and Thailand.That’s only about
23 percent compared to the importation of the previous [Estrada]
administration, according to Dalisay.Saying his marching orders is to stabilize
the prices of rice, Dalisay said “the only way to do it is to ensure there is
enough production.” “We have to be sure that the rice supplies are distributed
well in the entire country.”Dalisay claims the NFA had successfully stabilized
rice prices because “we can see many fancy rice varieties cost less than P40
per kilo.
”The NFA, as of July 23, has a national inventory recorded at
15,503,242 bags, or 775,165 metric tons, which can last for 25 days based on
the national daily consumption requirement.NFA-Pampanga Manager
Elvira Obana showed to Dalisay the two warehouses of the NFA main office
in Pampanga. He was impressed when informed by Obana that they have “30 days of
buffer supply.”“We are required to have at least 15 days of buffer supply. We
can supply Metro Manila in case a strong earthquake will happen there,” Obana
said
RPT-Global rice
prices to surge by year-end as El Nino hits Asian supply
Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:49am GMT
(Repeats with no changes to
text)
* Rice prices likely to rise 10-20 percent by year end
* Lower overall stocks at top exporters to fuel price rise
* Demand to perk up on signs rice prices have reached floor
By Rajendra Jadhav
MUMBAI, July 29 (Reuters) - Global rice prices are likely to surge
by 10 percent to 20 percent in the next few months as an El Nino weather
pattern grips top producers in Asia, baking the region's croplands and
whittling down stocks of the grain to multi-year lows.While higher prices of a
key staple would be bad news for impoverished countries in Asia and Africa,
lower output will help No.2 exporter Thailand offload its bulging stockpiles
that have weighed on the rice market and pushed benchmark prices RI-THBKN5-P1 down
to 7-1/2-year lows of $367.50 per tonne in June.Below-average rainfall linked
to El Nino has already disrupted rice transplantation in India, led to a
drought in seven out of 67 Thai provinces during what should be the wet season
and cut Vietnam's output expectations.
Exports from the three countries, which account for 68 percent of
the world rice trade, are seen at 27.2 million tonnes this year, down 6.2
percent from a year ago, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO)."The market has not yet factored in prospects of lower
production in key producing countries," B.V. Krishna Rao, managing
director of leading Indian rice shipper Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt Ltd, told
Reuters."Prices could jump 10 percent by the year end," Rao said, reversing
similar losses seen in the past five months.
In fact prices could rise even more, given that weather bureaus
from across the world are predicting a strong El Nino, which typically leads to
crop-damaging scorching weather across Asia and east Africa but heavy rains and
floods in South America."If August rains remain patchy, like July, then
rice prices could rise up to 20 percent in a few months," said a New
Delhi-based dealer with a global grains trading company.Lower overall
inventories at key exporters after stellar exports in 2014 will further fuel
the price gain, traders said.
DEPLETED STOCKS
The FAO estimates the stock-to-use ratio, the level of inventories
relative to domestic consumption and exports, at the world's top five rice
exporting countries will drop to 19 percent in 2015/16, the lowest since
2007/08.Rice stocks in the five - India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan and the
United States - were drawn down in 2014 when world trade in rice rose to a
record 42.8 million tonnes.Industry sources say the impact of Thailand's
inventory, built up under the previous government's rice-buying programme, is
also waning as only 60 percent of it, or about 9 million tonnes, is fit for
human consumption after prolonged storage.
Demand, however, is expected to pick up as buyers rush in to stock
up on the grain on fears El Nino will eat into supply.The Philippines, one of
the world's biggest rice importers, indicated last week that it could ship in
more rice to boost buffer stocks and keep local prices stable.Traders are
expecting top importer China, as well as Nigeria, to react similarly in the
coming months.China's 2014/15 imports could rise 8 percent to 4 million tonnes,
while overseas purchases by Nigeria could jump to 3.7 million tonnes, up 9
percent from last year, according to International Grains Council estimates."Importers
haven't built inventory since prices were continuously falling. Once prices
start rising, they will increase purchases" to avoid having to buy at even
higher rates later, said a Bangkok-based rice exporter.
(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav, Additional reporting by Ho Binh
Minh in HANOI; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
Suherdjoko and Jon Afrizal, The Jakarta Post, Semarang/Jambi |
Headlines | Thu, July 30 2015, 4:28 PM
The government’s efforts to
improve food security are facing a tough road ahead after several regions
across the archipelago have reported massive harvest failure over the past few
months caused by the long dry season.In Central Java, one of the country’s
largest rice-producing regions, 6,578 hectares of paddy fields in several
regencies, including Grobogan, Blora and Pati, have experienced crop failure
this year due to severe drought, according to the Central Java Agriculture
Agency’s food crop cultivation head Nuswantoro SP.Nuswantoro said that almost
27,000 ha of paddy fields in the province, along with 294 ha of corn fields and
237 ha of soybean fields, were on the verge of crop failure as well, as they
were yet to be sufficiently irrigated.
“Out of the 35 regencies and
municipalities in Central Java, 29 of them have been struggling with the impact
of the drought,” he said on Wednesday.Meanwhile the local Disaster
Mitigation Agency (BPBD) in Jambi declared emergency standby status for drought
in the province on Monday after eight out of the province’s 11 regions
experienced severe drought in the midst of a long dry season.The province’s Agriculture Agency also reported that 68 ha of
paddy fields have experienced crop failure.“One hectare of paddy field can
produce an average of 5 tons of rice. This means that we have lost a potential
of 340 tons of rice during this year’s harvest season,” agency head Amrin Aziz
said.Indonesia imported at least 425,000 tons of rice from Thailand
and Vietnam last year.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo
has previously pledged to lead the country to become self-sufficient in rice
production within three years.However, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency
(BNPB) revealed on Tuesday that 25,000 ha of crop fields across the archipelago
have experienced harvest failure due to the El NiƱo weather phenomenon, which
affects temperatures and rainfall patterns. It also revealed that 77 regencies
and municipalities in 12 provinces, including West Java, Central Java, South
Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and Papua, have also been struggling with a water
crisis due to the long absence of rain.
The Indonesian Meteorology,
Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that the El NiƱo effect
will extend Indonesia’s dry season, which normally occurs between April and
September, until November.In Boyolali, Central Java, the local BPBD has
reported that thousands of residents over 42 sub-districts in the regency have
been struggling with a water crisis.Residents in Kalimati sub-district, Juwangi
district, for example, must dig up soil near a dried-up river in search of
water. They have to wait around an hour until murky and smelly water emerges
from the holes.“The water can be directly used for showers or washing clothes.
But we must allow the water to settle for at least one day before boiling it
[for drinking water],” said 37-year-old Suyekti, a local resident.
Meanwhile in Southeast Minahasa regency, North Sulawesi,
residents of the regency capital of Ratahan reported that water supply from the
regional administration-run tap water company (PDAM) has been disrupted for the
past several days.PDAM official Steven Kawenas said
the disruptions have been triggered by both technical problems and the
decreasing amount of raw water supply in the city.“We only have one raw water
source [for the city]. Water reserves have been decreasing, while the demand
for tap water is increasing,” he said.
- Ganug Nugroho Adi in Boyolali
and Lita Aruperes in Manado contributed to the article.
Rice
farmers in Bontanga and Golinga double yields
Category: General News JULY 30, 2015 30
Farmers who cultivated rice under a new
fertilizer application method called Urea Deep
Placement (UDP) during the dry season at both
the Bontanga and Golinga Irrigation Schemes in the Northern Region recorded
between 100 to 350 per cent yield increase.The farmers told the GNA on
Wednesday that the traditional method of applying fertilizer by broadcasting
was more expensive and environmentally unfriendly compared to the new method by
which the fertilizer is compressed and inserted between four rice plants to
enable it absorb the nutrient gradually and directly.Aside the UDP technology,
farmers were also introduced to good land preparation, effective water
management and transplanting by the Feed the Future Ghana Agriculture
Technology Transfer project at the two irrigation schemes during the dry
season.
Speaking at the sidelines of a ceremony to
celebrate the increase in yield,
Dalung-Naa Alhaji Adam Amidu, Chief of Dalung, advised rice farmers to
adopt the new technology due to its good yields.The occasion was organized by
the chief in Dalung for women UDP applicators and farmers in the area and to
encourage other farmers to adopt the technology to complement government’s
efforts to ensure food security.
Some farmers the GNA spoke to attested that
most rice farmers under the scheme, after comparing the yield of farmer
learning centers cultivated under UDP technology and those of the traditional
method, were convinced about the improved technologies.Mr Abu Alhassan, a
farmer, observed that due to the positive results, many farmers were cultivating
rice under rain fed which was not usually the case.
Source: GNA
Rice exports can
still recover from floods
By Htin Lynn Aung | Thursday,
30 July 2015
Though more than 60,000 acres of monsoon paddy may have been
destroyed by recent flooding, not all is lost, said U Ye Min Aung, general
secretary of the Myanmar Rice Federation.
A farmer plows
his field.Heavy rains hsve caused problems for local farmers.Photo:AFP
The rains have come early enough in
the season that farmers will have the opportunity to replant – if they can
afford to, he said.“Their
paddy yields will be a bit lower, but exports won’t suffer much as a result,”
he said. “And the state will have to help farmers with new laws passed which
protect farmers.
”“We can’t help them now because the flooding is still taking
place, but we will act according to the situation when the floodwater
subsides.”Heavy rainfall since mid-July has caused flooding particularly in
parts of Sagaing Region, Shan State and Kachin State. U Ye Min Aung said this
has flooded out tens of thousands of acres of paddy field.Fortunate for the
affected farmers, the rice harvest generally occurs later in the year in Upper
Myanmar than it does in the delta.U Myo Myint, a prominent farmer based in
Sagaing Region, said there is still time to replant this year.“There’s still
time to plant again.
This can be done until the start of September,” he said.A larger
concern is the need to purchase more fertiliser and paddy, which will hit the
pocketbooks of farmers. Fields that had not been harvested from the smaller
summer crop could also be damaged.A statement from the Ministry of Agriculture
and Irrigation said that as of July 19, 2453 acres of summer paddy fields,
36,689 acres of monsoon paddy fields and more than 3100 acres of seedling
fields have been flooded. These figures were released earlier in the month.Some
looked at the bright side. “We can say it is a good point that there are not
many flooded fields in lower Myanmar, where they always flood every year,” he
said.Myanmar Rice Traders Association vice chair U Aung Than Oo said that with
the large quantity of rice fields that are flooded each year, it is necessary
to start crop insurance.
“Paddy fields in some townships in Bago and Ayeyarwady regions
flood each year,” he said. “There should be comprehensive crop insurance plans
in these regions’ farmland, as well as Rakhine State, when the weather is
rough, organised by the government.”Previous figures from the Myanmar Rice
Federation say it hopes to have an annual paddy yield of over 14 million
tonnes, though about 2 million tonnes of rice can be exported.
Government
aims to procure millions of tons of rice
Thursday, 30 July 2015 - 7:22pm IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency:
PTI
The government has fixed rice procurement target of 30 million
tonnes for the 2015-16 marketing year starting October and while directing
States to open adequate number of purchasing centres.The government has fixedriceprocurement
target of 30 million tonnes for the 2015-16 marketing year starting October and
while directing States to open adequate number of purchasing centres.Rice
procurement has already surpassed the target of 30 million tonnes set for the
ongoing 2014-15 marketing year (October September).
The Food Corporation of India (FCI), the nodal agency for
foodgrain procurement and distribution, has so far purchased 31.51 million
tonnes."The procurement target for the 2015-16 marketing season has been
finalised 30 million tonnes," an official statement said. India is
estimated to have produced over 102 million tonnes of rice in 2014-15 crop year
(July-June).Target for Chhattisgarh has been kept at 3.6 million tonnes,
Haryana (2.34 million tonnes), Andhra Pradesh and Bihar (2 million tonnes
each), Jharkhand (3,00,000 tonnes), Kerala (1,00,000 tonnes), Karnataka (95,000
tonnes) and Assam (50,000 tonnes), it said.Rice procurement target was fixed at
the meeting of the state food secretaries chaired by Union Food Secretary
Vrinda Sarup.
The meeting also reviewed arrangements for procurement of paddy
and coarse grains for 2015-16.To ensure smooth procurement operation, the
states have been asked to open adequate purchase centres and deploy sufficient
manpower. States have also been advised to make arrangements to publicise
about minimum support price (MSP) as well as about procurement centres both in
print and audio-visual media and pamphlets in local languages.On storage front,
the state governments have also been asked to give details of storage plan for
the ensuing kharif marketing season and prepare action plan to meet the deficit
in storage requirement.
Regarding packaging material, states have been told to place
indents for purchase of jute bags in time to avoid last minute shortage of
packaging material. The states have also been directed to furnish, on
daily basis, the district-wise procurement details of previous day for Online
Procurement Monitoring System (OPMS).
Government aims to
procure 30 million tons of rice in 2015-16
By PTI | 30 Jul, 2015, 07.59PM IST
Rice
procurement has already surpassed the target of 30 million tonnes set
for the ongoing 2014-15 marketing year (October September).NEW DELHI: The
government has fixed rice procurement
target of 30 million tonnes for the 2015-16 marketing year starting October and
while directing States to open adequate number of purchasing centres. Rice
procurement has already surpassed the target of 30 million tonnes set for the
ongoing 2014-15 marketing year (October September). The Food Corporation of
India (FCI), the nodal agency for foodgrain procurement and distribution,
has so far purchased 31.51 million tonnes.
"The
procurement target for the 2015-16 marketing season has been finalised 30
million tonnes," an official statement said. India is estimated to have
produced over 102 million tonnes of rice in 2014-15 crop year (July-June). Target
for Chhattisgarh has been kept at 3.6 million tonnes, Haryana (2.34 million
tonnes), Andhra Pradesh and Bihar (2 million tonnes each), Jharkhand (3,00,000
tonnes), Kerala (1,00,000 tonnes), Karnataka (95,000 tonnes) and Assam (50,000
tonnes), it said. Rice procurement target was fixed at the meeting of the state
food secretaries chaired by Union Food Secretary Vrinda Sarup. The meeting also
reviewed arrangements for procurement of paddy
and coarse grains for 2015-16.
To ensure smooth procurement operation, the
states have been asked to open adequate purchase centres and deploy sufficient
manpower. States have also been advised to make arrangements to publicise about
minimum support price (MSP) as well as about procurement centres both in print
and audio-visual media and pamphlets in local languages. On storage front, the
state governments have also been asked to give details of storage plan for the
ensuing kharif marketing season and prepare action plan to meet the deficit in
storage requirement. Regarding packaging material, states have been told to
place indents for purchase of jute bags in time to avoid last minute shortage
of packaging material.
The states have also been directed to furnish, on daily basis, the
district-wise procurement details of previous day for Online
Procurement Monitoring System (OPMS).
Rice procurement target set at 30 million tonnes for 2015-16
New Delhi, July 30:
The procurement target for rice was set at 30 million
tonnes (mt) for the 2015-16 marketing year for the 2015-16 Kharif marketing
season. The decision was taken at meeting of State Food Secretaries chaired by
Union Food Secretary Vrinda Sarup held here on Thursday. Arrangements for
procurement of paddy and coarse grains in producing States were reviewed with a
focus “particularly in decentralised procurement States and other non-traditional
States to maximise procurement of paddy/rice and coarse grains during 2015-16
season,” according to an official statement. “States have also been advised to
make arrangements for publicising MSP (minimum support price) fixed,
procurement centres opened through print and audio-visual media as well as
through pamphlets in local languages,” the statement said. The secretaries were
also requested to place indents for purchase of jute bags in time to avoid
last-minute shortages and were also requested to furnish, on a daily basis, the
district-wise procurement revenue details of the previous day for the Online
Procurement Monitoring System. Punjab (8.2 mt) has the highest target, followed
by Chhattisgarh (3.6 mt), Odisha (2.8 mt), Uttar Pradesh (2.75 mt), Haryana
(2.35 mt), Andhra Pradesh and Bihar (2 mt each), Telangana and West Bengal (1.8
mt each).
Researchers have developed a
new variety of genetically modified rice that grows in paddies producing no
climate-changing methane emmisions.Reuters
Even though rice is the staple food of a majority of the
world's population, it has also led to an increase in atmospheric methane, a
greenhouse gas. In an attempt to provide a solution to the problem, an
international team of scientists has created a new variety of genetically
modified rice that can help reduce the methane emissions from rice paddies.A
team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Sweden's
University of Agricultural Sciences, and China's Hunan Agricultural
University and Fujian Academy collaborated develop the GMO rice by
introducing a new gene. The researchers claim that cultivation of the new
variety will produce rice paddies that yield no methane.
During development of thegenetically modified rice,
named SUSIBA2, the researchers introduced a single barley gene
into the genome of the common rice. According to the researchers, the resultant
rice starves off methane-producing bacteria in the soil. Therefore, when grown,
it is able to better feed its leaves, stems and grains, resulting in a
superior-quality rice variety.In addition to not emitting the greenhouse
gas, researchers say that the new rice variety will be packed with other
properties when grown, such asincreased starch and biomass.
The complete details of the study have been published in the journal Nature.
"The need to increase starch content and lower methane
emissions from rice production is widely recognized, but the ability to do both
simultaneously has eluded researchers," said DOE scientist Christer
Jansson."As the world's population grows, so will rice production. And as
the Earth warms, so will rice paddies, resulting in even more methane
emissions. It's an issue that must be addressed."The press release states
that nearly 17 percent of global methane emissions, or 100 million
tons, come from rice paddies. Even though the percentage is small when
compared to the total annual emissions of carbon dioxide, the contribution is
still worth discussing since methane is 20 times more effective in trapping
heat than carbon dioxide.
Government
aims to procure millions of tons of rice
Thursday, 30 July 2015 - 7:22pm IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency:
PTI
The government has fixed rice procurement target of 30 million
tonnes for the 2015-16 marketing year starting October and while directing
States to open adequate number of purchasing centres.
The government has fixedriceprocurement
target of 30 million tonnes for the 2015-16 marketing year starting October and
while directing States to open adequate number of purchasing centres.Rice
procurement has already surpassed the target of 30 million tonnes set for the
ongoing 2014-15 marketing year (October September). The Food Corporation
of India (FCI), the nodal agency for foodgrain procurement and distribution,
has so far purchased 31.51 million tonnes."The procurement target for the
2015-16 marketing season has been finalised 30 million tonnes," an
official statement said. India is estimated to have produced over 102
million tonnes of rice in 2014-15 crop year (July-June).
Target for Chhattisgarh has
been kept at 3.6 million tonnes, Haryana (2.34 million tonnes), Andhra Pradesh
and Bihar (2 million tonnes each), Jharkhand (3,00,000 tonnes), Kerala
(1,00,000 tonnes), Karnataka (95,000 tonnes) and Assam (50,000 tonnes), it
said.Rice procurement target was fixed at the meeting of the state food
secretaries chaired by Union Food Secretary Vrinda Sarup. The meeting also
reviewed arrangements for procurement of paddy and coarse grains for 2015-16.To
ensure smooth procurement operation, the states have been asked to open adequate
purchase centres and deploy sufficient manpower. States have also been
advised to make arrangements to publicise about minimum support price (MSP) as
well as about procurement centres both in print and audio-visual media and
pamphlets in local languages.
On storage front, the state
governments have also been asked to give details of storage plan for the
ensuing kharif marketing season and prepare action plan to meet the deficit in
storage requirement.Regarding packaging material, states have been told to
place indents for purchase of jute bags in time to avoid last minute shortage
of packaging material. The states have also been directed to furnish, on
daily basis, the district-wise procurement details of previous day for Online
Procurement Monitoring System (OPMS).
Intercontinental Hotels
risks forceful closure by Customs over rice import debt
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)
said it may be forced to shut-down the famous Intercontinental Hotels Lagos,
following the alleged refusal of the hotel’s parent company, Milan Group, to
pay rice duty.Speaking during a phone interview this morning on a radio
programme by Ships and Ports, Wale Adeniyi, National Public Relations Officer
of Customs said this was because Milan Group which has refused to pay rice
subsidy after exceeding its rice quota for 2014 is housed in the same premises
as Intercontinental Hotel and shares the same owners.“We are not unmindful that
they have guests in the hotel.
We are making representations to
them to ensure that they either pay Customs duty or they evacuate their guests
before we seal the hotel premises because it is the hotel that houses Milan
Group” Adeniyi said.Continuing, he said: “The owner of the companies is the
same. So, we’ve given them options; either to make do their payment or we have
no choice but to stop them from operating. We don’t want to create unnecessary
scenes so we are going to be civil in our approach to the Intercontinental issue.
The planned operation was due to government directives that the premises of all
defaulting importers be sealed off.”Customs has been given a directive to seal
the business premises of all defaulting importers.
“It is a directive from federal government and
we are going to carry out. So we’ll give them one or two days notice to get
their guests and their customers informed so that we don’t end up embarrassing
anybody.”According to Adeniyi, some of the companies have falsely claimed that
the quotas given to them were to be carried over to 2015. “The documents
conveying the quotas were explicit. The quotas were meant to bridge supply gap
of 1.3 metric tonnes, estimated to be the volume needed by Nigeria to bridge
the supply gap in 2014, and that it should be imported in a concessionary way.
Also, stated that any company that exceeded the quota will have to pay what
others who didn’t get concessions would pay, and that is 70 percent duty.”In
this case, he stated, Milan imported 750,000 metric tonnes in excess. Recall on
28 of June published the names of four rice importers, which owes the service
over N23 billion debts for importing rice in excess of the government approved
quota.
Senate urges FG to stop waivers on rice importation
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senate has urged the federal government to stop all waivers on rice
importation, and other agricultural products. The
senate also asked the government to mandate the governor of Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) and the comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service
to recover all duty due to the government.
It noted that the government had
a policy to encourage agriculture, and agriculture business as a deliberate
policy to diversify the economy, but observed that the policy had become
significantly eroded and gradually rendered useless by the indiscriminate
granting of waivers, concessions and grants, especially on rice importation.
The senate also observed that the abuse of the waiver scheme had severely
eroded the government’s rice production policy by importing huge quantities of
the commodity in excess of the approved quota. It
lamented that the government “loses annually N71 billion on duty waivers,
especially to importers of rice, palm oil, energy equipment, steel and
vegetable oil,” and observed that “in 2011, the government gave import waivers
to 10 rice and palm oil importing companies alone, amounting to N150 billion.
” In a motion moved by Adebayo
Rafiu Ibrahim (Kwara south), the senate also noted that “the tax incentives
offered to encourage foreign direct investments (FDI) into the country were now
doing more harm than good to the economy, as funds which could have been
invested in public schools, hospitals, roads and other social infrastructure
are lost mindlessly without consequences.” It, therefore, asked the government
to stop waivers on all agricultural products forthwith. To ensure that due
diligence was done to the matter, Bukola Saraki, senate president, set up an ad
hoc committee to look into all waivers and grants and to carry out holistic
review to determine the full recovery of all government revenues. Chairman of
the committee is Adamu Ailero while some members are Sam Egwu, Stella Oduah and
Taiwo Alasoadura. Follow us on twitter @thecableng Copyright 2015 TheCable.
Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to
appropriate credit being given to www.thecable.ng as the source.
Nigerian senate
wants all waivers on rice import revoked
Jul
30 2015 - 4:35pm
PDP’s bags of rice imported for the
March election
The Senate on Thursday passed a resolution urging the Federal
Government to revoke all import waivers on rice and other agricultural products
and ensure all outstanding revenues were collected.In a two-prayer motion moved
by Sen. Rafui Ibrahim (APC Kwara South), the Senate set up a nine-man committee
to look into all waivers, concessions and grants.The committee, headed by Adamu
Aliero (APC Kebbi Central), is charged with the responsibility of reviewing all
such related policy to recover all government revenues and block leakages.In
his remark, the President of the Senate Bukola Saraki, said that the Ad hoc
Committee was hinged on the determination of the new administration to cut
revenue leakages.Saraki said that there was an urgent need to protect the
nation’s agriculture to ensure self sufficiency rather than relying on
importation.He expressed displeasure at the impunity with which people who owed
government billions of naira continued to do businesses free as if “nothing
will happen’’.“This too must stop; this is the first ad hoc committee that will
be set up for this kind of thing and the committee will not stop until every
penny is recovered,” he said.
He, therefore, charged members of the committee to be relentless
in discharging their function.Earlier, some senators who made contribution
advocated complete removal of all waivers, concessions, and grants on all
products and commodities that could be manufactured locally.Sen. Philip Aduda
(PDP FCT), gave example with cement production in the country and said that for
any local production to thrive, importation of such products must be stopped.He
argued that waivers should only be given on products that were required but not
produced locally.“There is an urgent need to review the granting of waivers,
especially on finished goods, whatever is produced in Nigeria should not be
granted waivers.Sen. Eyinaya Abaraibe (PDP Abia-South) supported the motion,
and noted that waivers were good at the inception but should have long been
stopped.
He said that the removal of waiver should serve as a starting
point in doing away with all government policies that had hampered local
manufacturing.Abaribe recalled that when the Federal Government banned
importation of furniture, there was huge investment in the local industry but regretted
that ban was lifted shortly after.“We should task all our committees to look
inward and see to it that all policies that are inimical to the economy of
Nigeria are reversed.Sen. Dino Melaye (APC Kogi-West) advocated a drastic
measure on the motion, alleging that there was collaboration between the
Customs Officials, Ministry of Finance and importers.He said importers
currently owing the government should not be allowed to clear their goods in
the ports until they paid in full what they owed.Sen. Ibrahim Gobir (APC Sokoto
East) expressed fear that if allowed to continue, waiver on rice import alone
would cost Nigeria N2.4 trillion by 2015.
Gobir argued that the money saved from the waivers could be used
to establish industries in the country to employ over 5,000 Nigerians in every
state.He also advocated that waivers should only be granted on products that
were not being produced locally.Sen. Ali Wakili (APC Bauchi South), a former
Comptroller of Customs Service, vindicated the service on the alleged
collaboration, saying that the service merely implement the policies on
waivers.He alleged that issuance of waivers, which began in the 80s became
rampant under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, when party faithful were
flagrantly issues waivers.The Senate thereafter adjourned plenary to Tuesday,
Aug. 4 after which it proceeded to inaugurate all committees that had been set
up during the week.The committees are Senate Selection Committee, Rules and
Business Committee, Ethics and Privileges Committee, ad-hoc Committee on
Publicity and ad-hoc committee on waivers.
Only 25 pc rice bran being used to produce edible oil
Yasir Wardad
A study by the Bangladesh Tariff Commission
(BTC) has revealed that less than 25 per cent of rice bran was being used by
local oil companies in the country. Its use should be maximised to increase
domestic edible oil production, it suggested.The BTC, in its latest finding
said Bangladeshi rice millers produce 2.5 million tonnes of bran annually of
which only 0.5 million tonnes are used to make edible oil.The local edible oil
mills produce hardly 0.1 million tonnes of bran oil annually which could be
increased by seven times if they ensure maximum use of rice bran, it said. The Commission in its analysis on 'Rice Bran
Oil and its Prospect in Bangladesh' said the country's 70 per cent of rice
mills are automatic or semi-automatic while 30 per cent are yet to be
modernised.BTC member and team leader of the study Md Abdul Quaiyum said paddy
production in the country is now more than 51.0 million tonnes from which 2.5
million tonnes of bran is collected.He said bran production could be minimum
3.6 million tonnes if the rest of the mills become auto or semi-auto."We
have found out that nearly 0.7 million tonnes of oil could be produced by such
volume of rice bran if 100 per cent rice mills come under automation by
2021," he told the FE.
"Within 2021, demand for edible oil will
be nearly 2.47 million tonnes from 1.5 million tonnes presently. This means
local producers will be able to produce 30 per cent of the then demand,"
he said.The BTC report also recommended increasing awareness of consuming rice
bran oil for its market promotion.The Tariff Commission report also found a
positive trend that export of rice barn is on the wane.Bangladeshi exporters
shipped rice bran to the tune of 90,781 tonnes worth Tk1.29 billion in
financial year 2012-13 (FY'13) which declined to 27,076 tonnes worth Tk371
million in FY'14.Some refiners and feed companies also imported the same from
India as BTC found a small import of 382 tonnes worth Tk11.3 million in 2013.
Secretary of Bangladesh Rice Bran Oil Mills
Association and a leading rice miller Md Abdur Rashid told the FE:
"Fifteen local companies have capacity of producing maximum 7,000 tonnes
per day but we are making less than 500 tonnes now."Mr Rashid, also
president of the Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mills Owners Association
expressed his optimism that rice bran oil will be in great most demand within
next five years in Bangladesh with
rising health consciousness.
Md
Arman Habib, executive director of Nilsagor Agro Industries Ltd, distributor of
Spondon rice bran oil in Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions, said the demand for
the oil was increasing but in a slower pace.He said 52 tonnes of Spondon oil is
now sold per month in the 16 districts of the two northern divisions against a
total demand of 100 tonnes. He said
apart from the private sector, the government will have to take steps to raise
awareness on consuming rice bran.Health-related programmes on government and
private media should focus the usefulness of the oil.
When asked, he said prices of different brands
are now nearly the same like soybean oil."Different qualities of rice bran
oil per litre, made in Bangladesh, are being sold at between Tk80 and
Tk112," he said.Prof Dr Golam Maula of the Institute of Nutrition and Food
Science, Dhaka University said rice bran oil contains a high level of gamma
oryzanol which increases HDL (good) cholesterol and lowers LDL (bad)
cholesterol and triglycerides.He said rice bran oil is much healthier than that
of soybean, palm oil or mustard oil.He said it also contains the relatively
high fractions of tocopherols and tocotrienols, together known as vitamin E
which is powerful antioxidant and has antimutagenic properties which prevent
cancer.Vitamin E also helps boost immunity in body, he added.The nutrition
specialist also echoed the need for raising awareness on the use of rice bran
oil for better health of the people.However, the BTC study and recommendation
will be made public within a few days, said officials.
Only
if the rice millers face competition will the environment for paddy farmers
improve
Dear Editor,
The stranglehold rice millers have over paddy
farmers is a perpetual problem that has been around for decades. Paddy farmers
deliver their paddy to millers with the expectation of being paid in full
within the shortest possible time, but this outcome may never materialize. The
reason being that paddy farmers do not have an enforceable contract with
millers that specifies spot-payment terms for paddy delivered to the mill.
Without such a contract in this unbalanced relationship, millers will continue
to have a significant advantage over paddy farmers, where it is likely that
lower than expected grades are given for paddy sold, resulting in relatively
low paddy prices and less than expected income for paddy farmers.
The miller’s advantage is based on the notion
that there are many small paddy farmers who have no alternative but to
indirectly compete with each other in order to sell their paddy to a few
millers. Simultaneously, the few millers in any location can in turn pick and
choose which farmers they will accommodate in the milling season, given that
millers would prefer to pay farmers from the money they receive from rice
sales, instead of paying paddy farmers from their own capital which has an
opportunity cost, or from interest bearing loans sourced from the banking
system.Consequently, the manifestation of the rice millers’ power is observed
in delayed payments and perhaps in concerns raised about grading that can run
counter to paddy farmers’ expectations.
In a
competitive environment, where millers would have had to compete with each
other to procure paddy for their mills, the power play by millers would have
been reduced. Specifically, millers in this environment would of necessity have
to pay paddy farmers on the spot, using their own working capital or loan
financing obtained from banking institutions. Regrettably, this is not the norm
observed in the industry and paddy farmers are burdened with the interest cost
from the time they deliver their paddy to the miller to the time when the
miller in turn takes many weeks or months to complete the full payment for the
paddy.During this interregnum, paddy farmers suffer a cash flow squeeze that
curtails replanting; it reduces paddy profitability; and it increases loan
default through the power play by rice millers at the expense of the paddy
farmer.
Furthermore, as noted by many others, including
the CEO of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry, Mr John Tracy (SN, July 27),
the Rice Factory Act is useless in such an environment, even as commercial
banks avoid the task of taking on the risk associated with agriculture for a
number of reasons. In previous letters I covered this topic on the absence of
commercial banks in high risk agriculture, and I need not present those
arguments again; but changing the dynamics between paddy farmers and millers is
a topic that requires a brief presentation. This can be explored through small
farmers pooling their resources to acquire their own rice mill; and in turn
managing the rice milling and marketing operations in a transparent, efficient
and profitable manner. This is the way forward for paddy producers, for only
competition with private millers will improve the environment. Policy-makers
and paddy farmers need to seriously examine this approach aimed at rebalancing
the market for buying paddy.
USA Rice Producers' Group Grows into USA Rice Farmers
ARLINGTON,
VA -- The USA Rice Producers' Group, the largest sector of USA Rice with
representation by farmers from each of the six rice-growing states, has voted
to change the group's name to "USA Rice Farmers" effective August 1,
2015.
Members of the almost 60-member Board of
Directors discussed the change at their recent annual business meeting in
Dallas, Texas and concluded that on Capitol Hill and amongst the
non-agricultural sector, 'farmers' was more universally recognized than the
term 'producers.'
Missouri rice farmer and incoming chairman of
USA Rice Farmers, Blake Gerard, said, "This change is appropriate because
it will help identify exactly who we are and what we do and help us clearly and
effectively tell our story."USA Rice's Vice President of Marketing and
Communications Michael Klein, added that the Producers' Group name change
coincides with the umbrella organization, USA Rice Federation, dropping the
word "Federation" from their logo and common usage."It's all
about communicating clearly and as succinctly as possible with our
audiences," Klein said. "The
words 'Federation' and 'producers' did neither and so we're retiring
them."
Contact:
Peter Bachmann (703) 236-1475
At A Glance: Indian Export
Market
Data Source: FAS Global Agricultural
Trade System; United Nations
ARLINGTON, VA -- Over the past several years,
Asian exporters have looked to diversify their export markets and with
relatively low prices, have grown their market share in many areas in Africa,
the Western Hemisphere and in developing countries. India has had phenomenal growth in their
exports, particularly to developing countries which now account for nearly 80
percent of their exports. In particular,
least developed countries (LDCs) have become increasingly important markets for
Indian exporters and the Indian agricultural trade surplus with these markets
has soared. India is now the world's
seventh-largest agricultural exporter, up from 13th a decade ago. In 2013, India became the top agricultural
supplier to LDCs, with overall sales of $5.2 billion. This is nearly $1 billion more than the
European Union, which is the second largest supplier.
Rice is
one of India's largest agricultural exports.
Indian rice exports grew from $2.4 billion in 2009 to more than $8
billion in 2013 and shipments have been particularly strong to LDCs. In 2009, rice exports to LDCs accounted for
only 3 percent of India's total rice exports; by 2013, it accounted for 22
percent! Ironically, this increase in
Indian exports has come at the same time many of these countries are seeking to
attain rice self-sufficiency.
Rapidly increasing government support for both
production and exports has contributed to India's surge in exports. India's public stockholding program has been
especially instrumental in increasing rice exports to LDCs. As noted in the recent Section 332 study on
Rice: the Global Competitiveness of the U.S. Industry, the Indian government
purchases rice at minimum support prices that are announced well before the
planting seasons. There are also several
types of subsidies for inputs, including fertilizer, irrigation, electricity,
seeds, and machinery.
"Ensuring that there is a level playing
field is becoming more important as many of our competitors are ramping up
production and increasing their market share in our export markets," says
Jim Guinn, USA Rice vice president for international promotion. "That is why research which monitors our
competitors, such as this Section 332 study, and a constant reevaluation of
potentially new or growing markets is an important part of what we do."
Contact:
Sarah Moran (703) 236-1457
Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported
WASHINGTON, DC --Net rice sales of 8,400 MT for 2014/2015 were down 11 percent
from the previous week and 82 percent from the prior four-week average,
according to today'sExport Sales Highlightsreport. Increases were reported for Japan (3,000 MT),
unknown destinations (2,000 MT), Canada (1,200 MT), the United Kingdom (600
MT), and Mexico (400 MT). Net sales of 49,000 MT for 2015/2016 were
reported for Venezuela (30,000 MT), unknown destinations (5,900 MT), El Salvador
(5,500 MT), and South Korea (5,000 MT). Exports of 105,900 MT were up 15
percent from the previous week and 60 percent from the prior four-week
average. The primary destinations were Japan (31,800 MT), Venezuela
(29,900 MT), South Korea (17,800 MT), Mexico (12,000 MT), and Haiti (10,000
MT).This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period
July 17-23, 2015.
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
CME Group (Prelim): Closing
Rough Rice Futures forJuly 30
Month
Price
Net Change
September 2015
$11.435
+ $0.235
November 2015
$11.700
+$0.235
January 2016
$11.970
+ $0.235
March 2016
$12.180
+ $0.245
May 2016
$12.365
+ $0.245
July 2016
$12.365
+ $0.245
September 2016
$11.950
UNCH
Rice price hike
forecast due to El Nino
MUMBAI, July 30, 2015:
Global rice prices are likely to surge by
10-20% in the next few months as an El Nino weather pattern grips top producers
in Asia, baking the region’s croplands and whittling down stocks of the grain
to multi-year lows.While higher prices of a key staple would be bad news for
impoverished countries in Asia and Africa, lower output will help No 2 exporter
Thailand offload its bulging stockpiles that have weighed on the rice market
and pushed benchmark prices down to 7½-year lows of US$367.50 (RM1,398) per
tonne in June.Below-average rainfall linked to El Nino has already disrupted
rice transplantation in India, led to a drought in seven out of 67 Thai
provinces during what should be the wet season and cut Vietnam’s output
expectations.
Exports from the three countries, which account
for 68% of the world rice trade, are seen at 27.2 million tonnes this year,
down 6.2% from a year ago, according to the UN Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO).“The market has not yet factored in prospects of lower
production in key producing countries,” said B.V. Krishna Rao, managing
director of leading Indian rice shipper Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt Ltd.“Prices
could jump 10% by the year end,” Rao said, reversing similar losses seen in the
past five months.
In fact prices could rise even more, given that
weather bureaus from across the world are predicting a strong El Nino, which
typically leads to crop-damaging scorching weather across Asia and east Africa
but heavy rains and floods in South America.“If August rains remain patchy,
like July, then rice prices could rise up to 20% in a few months,” said a New
Delhi-based dealer with a global grains trading company.Lower overall
inventories at key exporters after stellar exports in 2014 will further fuel
the price gain, traders said.
The FAO estimates the stock-to-use ratio, the
level of inventories relative to domestic consumption and exports, at the
world’s top five rice exporting countries will drop to 19% in 2015/16, the
lowest since 2007/08.Rice stocks in the five – India, Thailand, Vietnam,
Pakistan and the US – were drawn down in 2014 when world trade in rice rose to
a record 42.8 million tonnes.Industry sources say the impact of Thailand’s
inventory, built up under the previous government’s rice-buying programme, is
also waning as only 60% of it, or about nine million tonnes, is fit for human
consumption after prolonged storage.
Demand, however, is expected to pick up as
buyers rush in to stock up on the grain on fears El Nino will eat into supply.The
Philippines, one of the world’s biggest rice importers, indicated last week
that it could ship in more rice to boost buffer stocks and keep local prices
stable.Traders are expecting top importer China, as well as Nigeria, to react
similarly in the coming months.China’s 2014/15 imports could rise 8% to four
million tonnes, while overseas purchases by Nigeria could jump to 3.7 million
tonnes, up 9% from last year, according to International Grains Council
estimates.“Importers haven’t built inventory since prices were continuously
falling. Once prices start rising, they will increase purchases” to avoid
having to buy at even higher rates later, said a Bangkok-based rice exporter.
Rice growers pump water in a bid to save their
paddy fields from drought in Ayutthaya province in July. (Photo by Patipat
Janthong)
Civil networks across 25 river basins have lent
their support for the National Reform Council (NRC) water resource management
bill empowering people to manage their own water resources.Prachern Khondhet,
chairman of the Thachin River Basin Foundation in Nakhon Pathom, said his
alliance of networks from 28 provinces in the lower Chao Phraya River basin
will talk to local people about how they can benefit from the bill.Mr Prachern
said the networks are in favour of the bill as the NRC had based it on an
earlier draft prepared by the alliance, which said water resources are a public
asset and do not belong to the state.This means the government will not be the
sole manager of water resources and will be required to listen to people who
live in the river basins, he said."We will see a new dimension of water
resource management," Mr Prachern said."It will not be manipulated by
politicians who see water as a significant source of political power.
Representatives from the river basins will play a more active role in water
management."The chairman was speaking at a seminar titled "The Right
Time for Water Resource Management Reform", organised by the NRC's
committee on natural resources and environment reform.
The NRC took around eight months to draft the
bill, based on a version that had been drafted by the public under the old
constitution, which was voided by the coup d'etat last year. Under the new bill
comprising 106 sections, a river basin committee will be set up composed of
representatives from state agencies, local people and academics, increasing
public power in decision-making over water resources.During any water crisis
the committee will play a key role in coming up with an action plan for water
management.Ethanol Alumroot, a representative from the lower Chao Phraya River
basin in Pathum Thani, said the bill is a significant step as people will be
able to participate in more dimensions of the country's water resource
management.
The bill also provides for a water resource
fund from which people would get compensation if they are affected by any
aspects of water management.The fund will be partly financed by the government
as well as a fee collected from major water users such as industry.Pramote
Maiklad, chairman of the NRC's committee on natural resources and environment
reform, said the bill has been approved by the NRC and will be forwarded for
cabinet approval, and then on to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA).He
agreed the state should not continue to be the sole arbiter on water management
as many errors in water management had arisen during the drought and flooding
crises. It was time to give the public a say.
Proper management should be carried out based
on close cooperation by all stakeholders, especially locals who have lived in
the river basins throughout their lives.Surachit Chiravej, a former senator
from Samut Songkram, said the bill should be considered by the NLA in the next
couple of months, as water management was an urgent issue needing proper legal
steps.He said his alliance will try its best to push it through during the term
of the current military government, as the bill might face tough passage under
an elected government.
