NFA procurement of palay from
local farmers pushed
Philippine
Daily Inquirer / 12:16 AM April 11, 2017
Both
factions of the NFA Council should push the National Food Authority (NFA) to
buy palay from the local farmer, according to the Samahang Industriya ng
Agrikultura (Sinag).The umbrella group of farmers, agribusiness operators and
party-list groups on Monday said it was the time to intensify the NFA’s palay
procurement initiatives as the harvest season for the year’s first crop peaks
this month.“At this time, importation of rice—whether by the private sector or the government—should not be taking up [the NFA Council’s] time,” Sinag chair Rosendo So told the Inquirer.
“The way things are unraveling, there is actually no differing position from the both camps—the majority faction of economic managers led by council chair Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco and the minority of NFA Administrator Jason Aquino and Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol,” So said.
He said both moves to import were detrimental to farmers, who were the sure losers in rice importation.
So said Sinag had no problem with importation per se, but not during harvest as the arrival of imports would bring down farmgate prices.
He said palay was now fetching about P18 per kilo at the farm, but this may drop to a low of P13 a kilo if foreign cargos jack up the supply in the domestic market.
Former Cabinet Undersecretary Maia Chiara Halmen Valdez, who was fired last week by President Duterte for allegedly insisting on importation through the private sector, said in a TV interview that the President may have a “misappreciation of the facts” as he apparently decided to agree with Aquino.
Valdez said there appeared to have been an “administrative glitch” as the will of the NFA administrator prevailed over that of the NFA Council, which had the authority to make the decisions.
She said the President may have not read a memo from the council
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/888204/nfa-procurement-of-palay-from-local-farmers-pushed
DA may hold rice import
- April 11, 2017
- Written by Cory
Martinez
- Published in Nation
“So far, there has been no reported infestation and this season’s crops have not been affected by inclement weather,” Piñol stressed.
He said he would ask the different DAF regional offices to validate his “observations and assumption that with the vigorous growth of rice in almost all rice farming areas of the country this season, the country could enjoy a bumper harvest.” In the past weeks , Piñol traveled to Panay Island, Bicol Region and most recently Oriental Mindoro and saw each time “vast fields of palay nearing harvest.”
“Should this observation and assumption be validated, I will advise the National Food Authority Council to put on hold the planned importation by the private sector of an additional 250,000 metric tons of rice from Vietnam,” he said. Allowing private traders to bring in imported rice at this time, Piñol added, would result in a drop in the buying price of palay produced by Filipino farmers.
He said he would suggest that the “NFA should just allocate more funds for the procurement of the farmers’ produce this season” instead of importing rice to beef up the country’s buffer stocks.” The local farmers’ produce, he said, could “fill up requirements to establish a sufficient buffer stock for the rest of the year.
http://journal.com.ph/news/nation/da-may-hold-rice-import
NFA not buying rice buffer
from farmers
posted April 11, 2017 at 08:47 pm by
Anna
Leah E. Gonzales
The
National Food Authority said Tuesday it cannot buy buffer stocks from local
producers because farm gate prices of palay have steadily increased as the dry
harvest season peaks.“This is good for the farmers who are enjoying higher
income,” NFA said. “But the National Food Authority cannot buy its target
volume for buffer stocking because its P17.00/kg buying price is much lower
than those offered by private traders,” the NFA said in a statement.Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the average farm-gate price of palay in the first week of February stood at P18.15 per kilogram and and rose to P18.60/kg in the last week of March.Based on the prices monitored by the NFA field offices, as of March 31, 2017, the ex-farm price of palay (clean and dry) was highest at P22.60/kg and P22.50/kg in Tagum, Davao del Norte and Misamis Oriental, respectively.
NFA administrator Jason Laureano Aquino said the food agency was intensifying its palay buying activities, especially in rice producing areas, to beef up the food security stocks during the lean months.
“We have 413 buying stations strategically positioned nationwide and mobile procurement teams deployed regularly especially in far flung areas to accommodate farmers produce. Our cereal procurement fund and other logistical requirements were already in place. However, the higher prices offered by private traders to farmers make it difficult for us to buy more and hit our target,” Aquino said.
NFA buying price remains at P 17.00/kg for clean and dry. The food agency gives an additional incentive of P0.20-0.50/kg for delivery, P0.20/kg for drying and P0.30 for the cooperative development incentive fund for farmers’ organizations.The food agency plans to buy 4,607,350 bags of palay this year, and has so far bought 134,355 bags as of March 31, 2017 or 21 percent of the target in the first quarter.
Aquino said NFA found it hard to compete with commercial traders because of the high prices they offered, especially in traditional rice producing areas like Central Luzon, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and Southern Luzon.
NFA insists on additional rice
imports
(The Philippine Star) | Updated April 11, 2017 - 12:00am
NFA administrator Jason Aquino said there is a need to replenish
the agency’s rice inventory to serve as buffer stock in preparation for the
lean months. File Photo
MANILA, Philippines - State-run
National Food Authority (NFA) continues to insist on the need for an immediate
government-to-government importation of 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice
inspite of a projected bumper harvest from local farmers.
NFA administrator Jason Aquino said
there is a need to replenish the agency’s rice inventory to serve as buffer
stock in preparation for the lean months.
Local farmers have already started
their summer harvest and preliminary data from the Department of Agriculture
showed production went up five percent to 4.1 million MT from the 3.9 million
MT in the first quarter of 2016.
Despite enough local supply, Aquino
said the agency could not buy from the farmers due to higher prices being
offered by private traders.
The NFA currently needs an
additional 490,800 MT or 9.8 million bags of rice to meet the mandated volume
for food security.
“Much as we would want this
additional stock to come from local produce, we cannot compete with the private
traders who are offering prices much higher than the government’s support
price,” Aquino said. NFA’s field monitoring shows
traders are buying palay (unhusked rice) from the summer harvest at an average
of P18-20 per kilogram while the government support price is only at P17 per
kg.At this point, Aquino emphasized the only way NFA could fill the deficit in
its rice buffer stock requirement is through importation.
“It’s always better safe than sorry
especially when dealing with our people’s basic staple. If the government does
not possess the right volume of stocks when the lean months come, who would
provide for the needs of calamity victims? Surely not the private businessmen
who will never transact business at a loss,” Aquino said.
The NFA is mandated to maintain a
food security reserve good for at least 15 days at any given time.By July 1,
which marks the onset of the lean season for rice, the NFA must have at least a
30-day buffer stock to meet the requirements of victims of calamities and
emergencies.Aquino continues to seek approval from the NFA Council to allow the
importation of the 250,000 MT of rice
which might not be granted anytime soon following the rift between
Aquino and Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco who chairs the NFA Council.
It will be recalled that the Food
Security Committee approved 500,000 MT of rice imports last year, half of which
had been already awarded to Thailand and Vietnam
Duterte: I
have final say on rice imports
Duterte hits
Valdez, says local farmers should be prioritized News
DAVAO
CITY—President Duterte on Monday denied that there was infighting among the
members of his Cabinet in the face of the recent sacking of several government
officials.“There is no infighting, no trouble there. I just don’t like people
who are corrupt,” the President said shortly before flying to the Middle East.
Mr. Duterte
said the officials were removed for alleged involvement in corruption, citing
the case of former Cabinet Undersecretary Maia Chiara Valdez, who had approved
the order to extend the importation of rice even without authority to do so.
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“Besides,
it’s harvest time. The harvest is good. Per hectare it’s three times the
original output. Why would we import rice?” Mr. Duterte said.
The
President said standard procedure was not followed when Valdez signed and
approved the recommendation to import rice. He said his office should have the
final say since the National Food Authority (NFA) was now under the Office of
the President.
Mr. Duterte
said importation during harvest time would kill the local farmers.
He said he
had directed NFA administrator Jason Aquino to buy the staple from local
farmers for a possible “buffer” and only allow importation in case of a supply
shortfall.
The
President said the government should put the local farmers’ welfare first.
Valdez’s
dismissal came in the heels of the sacking of two other members of the Cabinet,
former National Irrigation Administration chief Peter Laviña and former
Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno.
Sen. Francis
Pangilinan proposed on Monday that Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez serve as
mediator between Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. and Aquino so the
government could have a clear policy on handling the country’s rice supply.
Pangilinan
said he hoped both Evasco, as chair of the NFA council, and Aquino could “set
aside policy differences, sit down and thresh matters out amongst themselves.”
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“Perhaps
Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez, also a former Agriculture Secretary, can
mediate between the two considering that tens of billions of pesos worth of
government funds are at stake should this matter remain unresolved,” Pangilinan
said in text messages.
He
underscored the need for the government to decide immediately whether it would
push for rice importation “because it takes about six to eight weeks to secure
our supplies from elsewhere and the lean months are upon us in six to eight
weeks.”
“It isn’t
too late to lay down a clearer policy direction on the matter but the
Department of Finance, Office of the President, CABSEC (Cabinet Secretaries),
the Department of Agriculture and the NFA should sit down and firm up a common
position,” he said.Under PD 4, only the NFA through the NFA Council could
authorize the importation of rice whether by the government or the private
sector, he said.
Philippine ban worries VN rice firms
The recent suspension of rice importation by the Philippines, a
major import market of Viet Nam’s rice, has sparked concern among local rice
exporters.
Sacks of rice loaded at the Sai Gon Port. The Philippines
represented the second largest buyer of Vietnamese rice in the first two months
of the year.
Last week, Philippine Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol said
President Rodrigo Duterte had ordered a temporary halt to imports since local
farmers had achieved a large rice harvest.Duterte had said that while there was
a need to import rice for buffer stocks, the importation must not be done
during the peak harvest season since this would affect local farmers.
The Philippines was the second largest buyer of Vietnamese rice in
the first two months of the year.Tran Thi Kim Nhung, director of the Dong
Nai-based Kim Dong Thuan Co Ltd, which supplies rice to companies to export to
the Philippines, told Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourers) newspaper her company was
preparing for an export order of around 20,000 tonnes from the Philippines, and
did not know what to do if that country stopped importing.“Viet Nam lacks
high-quality rice but has an abundance of cheap, low-grade rice, the kind that
the Philippines usually imports.
“If the market stops imports, finding a substitute market will be
extremely difficult.”Lam Anh Tuan, director of Thinh Phat Food Co Ltd of Ben
Tre Province, said the Philippines had changed its rice import management
mechanism, switching from Government import to the private sector bidding for
import quotas and increasing domestic supply.Global rice prices were falling,
but paradoxically prices had increased in the Vietnamese market, making its
rice less competitive. If businesses did not export, rice prices would
definitely drop after the next crop, hurting farmers, he said.
Dang Thi Lien, director of Long An Foodstuff Co Ltd, said she was
in close contact with importers in the Philippines, and knew that the country
had been hit by natural disasters and suffered from a rice shortage.
Duterte’s order to suspend rice imports from Viet Nam would
undoubtedly have a huge impact on Viet Nam’s rice exports, she said.
According to the Viet Nam Food Association (VFA), rice exports to
that country have fallen significantly in recent years.The Philippines bought
nearly 1.13 million tonnes of rice from Viet Nam in 2015, accounting for 17.2
per cent of Viet Nam’s exports.Last year, it fell to just 400,000 tonnes, or
8.18 per cent of exports.VFA said businesses and official agencies should keep
a close eye on the Philippines market to map out a suitable strategy as there
was some contradictory information from the market.The Philippines’ National
Food Authority said last month the country needed to import 250,000 tonnes of
rice as soon as possible.The VFA also forecast that the Philippines could
resume imports in the period between rice crops (May-July).Viet Nam exported
1.28 million tonnes of rice for US$566 million in the first quarter of the
year, a year-on-year decrease of 18.1 per cent in volume and 17.3 per cent in
value.
Vietnam’s rice
price out of sync with rest of world
VietNamNet Bridge – The rice price in the Mekong Delta has
increased in the last couple of weeks, which has resulted in higher export
prices. The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) said the winter-spring rice
cultivation area in Mekong Delta fell slightly by 1.2 percent, while the yield
decreased by 6.7 percent on nearly half of the harvested area. The output is
predicted to decrease by 800,000 tons, or 7.8 percent, compared with the last
winter-spring crop. This is the second consecutive crop that the Mekong Delta,
the country’s largest rice granary, has produced at a lower output, which is
unprecedented in the last two decades.
However, Nguyen Dinh
Bich, a rice expert, cited the March report of the US Agriculture Department as
saying that the total rice output this year would reach a record high of 480
million, or 16 times higher than Vietnam’s decrease.The winter-spring rice
cultivation area in Mekong Delta fell slightly by 1.2 percent, while the yield
decreased by 6.7 percent on nearly half of the harvested area. The rice output
in Thailand and India, Vietnam two largest rivals, will increase by 5 million
tons, or 10 times higher than Vietnam’s decrease.
Thailand, the biggest rice exporter, is making every effort to
clear the 2.8 million tons of stockpile carried forward from the predecessor’s
government. The rice is 36-66 months old and its quality is decreasing rapidly.
The US agriculture department also predicted that the total global demand for
rice this year would increase slightly by 800,000.
https://www.talkvietnam.org/2017/04/vietnams-rice-price-out-of-sync-with-rest-of-world/
Vietnam’s March
rice exports hit one-yr high as top buyers grow hungry
In the long run, top buyer China’s imports are forecast to fall
to 4.5 million tons in the marketing year to June 2018. Vietnam exported
550,700 tons of rice in March, the highest monthly figure in a year, with
demand from China and several key buyers including Singapore and the Ivory
Coast rising, Vietnam Customs data shows. The actual loading volume last month
is the highest since March 2016 and also marks the first time in the past year
when the monthly export volume from the Southeast Asian nation rose beyond
500,000 tons, based on data released on Monday by the Finance Ministry’s
customs agency.
Vietnam is the world’s third-largest rice exporter after India
and Thailand. China, its biggest buyer since 2012, imported 286,100 tons in
March, nearly double the amount from the previous month, while Vietnam’s
shipments to Singapore soared about 10-fold to 50,300 tons in the same period,
Vietnam Customs said in a monthly report. The Ivory Coast took delivery of
6,700 tons last month, also nearly ten times the amount it bought in February
and the meager 397 tons it imported the same month last year, the report said.
Traders said Singapore-based trading firms use their location for shipping
documents, while most of the Vietnamese rice destined for Singapore has in fact
been going to other regional markets and Africa. Overall, Vietnam shipped 1.29
million tons in the January-March period, down 17.5 percent from a year ago,
extending a decline seen since May 2016, based on customs
https://www.talkvietnam.org/go?url
PM:
Do more for rice sector
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday
urged more to be done to help the country’s beleaguered rice sector and called
on public and private enterprises to develop climate-resistant high yielding
rice varieties, find more export markets and invest in value-added
agro-industries.
Mr. Hun Sen made the call at the
closing ceremony of the annual meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries at the Peace Palace. “Cambodia’s milled rice exports are
facing difficulties in international markets and we have in stock more than
three million [metric] tons,” said Mr. Hun Sen.The premier also warned millers
not to mix high-quality Cambodian rice with cheaper rice.
“Maintaining the quality of rice has to be a priority so that we do not lose our export markets,” he added. Mr. Hun Sen called on both the public and private sectors to work together to develop new high-yielding rice varieties that are also able to survive extreme climatic events.“We must be able to develop our own rice-seed varieties that suit climate patterns here in Cambodia and to meet current market demand,” he said.In calling for new export markets for milled rice, Mr. Hun Sen said: “There is room in both the established and new markets for greater export growth. There is also room for improvement in the production, packaging, and marketing of Cambodia’s rice.”
Mr. Hun Sen said quality services and reliable products will serve the rice industry better over time.“We have to promote investment from the private sector in all value-added processing chains in agro-industries that are in special economic zones in order to export agricultural products,” he added.Cambodia’s milled rice exports only grew by a dismal 0.7 percent last year compared with 2015 and this was the lowest since 2014, according to government figures released in January.“Last year Cambodia only exported 542,144 tons of milled rice and the lowest exports were in the first quarter of the year and December,” said Hean Vanhan, director-general of the agriculture department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
In the first quarter of last
year, a severe drought affected rice production and through the year rice
millers had been complaining of the flow of low-grade cheaper rice into the
country from Vietnam.Last March, rice millers and exporters wrote to the
government urging intervention due to stiff competition in export markets as
well as domestic ones. In the letter, they said they were facing a cash crunch
due to a flood of low-grade rice from Vietnam while stressing that bankruptcy
was widespread among farmers, millers and exporters alike.
In late September, the government responded by making a $27 million loan to rice millers to purchase paddy rice from farmers, in a bid to prevent rice prices from falling further.Last month, the EU commission announced that Cambodia’s milled rice industry must eradicate the use of the fungicide Tricyclazole by June and that exports of Cambodian rice must not contain more than 0.01 milligrams of the chemical per kilogram this year or face bans.The EU is the biggest market for Cambodia’s milled rice exports
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/37410/pm--do-more-for-rice-sector/
Rice prices remain exorbitant despite record Aman output
Yasir Wardad |
Published : 11 Apr 2017, 11:55:17 | Updated : 11 Apr
2017, 12:04:52
Production of Aman, the second
biggest cereal crop of the country, hit an all-time high in the current fiscal
year, although prices of all types of major staples remain exorbitant at retail
level.
Officials concerned told the FE that Aman output has surged due to a rise in per hectare yield for an increase in cultivation of high-yielding rice varieties by the farmers and favourable weather condition.
According to primary estimates made by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on Thursday, Aman output hit an all-time high of over 13.656 million tonnes in the current fiscal year (FY'17) which was 13.48 million tonnes in the FY'16.
Officials concerned told the FE that Aman output has surged due to a rise in per hectare yield for an increase in cultivation of high-yielding rice varieties by the farmers and favourable weather condition.
According to primary estimates made by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on Thursday, Aman output hit an all-time high of over 13.656 million tonnes in the current fiscal year (FY'17) which was 13.48 million tonnes in the FY'16.
Per hectare yield increased to over 2.44 tonnes in the FY'17 from 2.41 tonnes in the FY'16 which pushed up overall production, a BBS official told the FE.Farmers transplanted rain-fed Aman paddy on 5.583 million hectares of land in the FY'17 which was 5.59 million hectares a year ago, he said.Aman accounts for 38 per cent of annual rice production, followed by Boro 55 per cent and Aus 7.0 per cent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).
With a 1.30 per cent rise in Aman
production in the FY'17 than that of the FY'16, the total rice output this year
stands at 15.79 million tonnes including 2.134 million tonnes of Aus, the
official said.Although Aus output declined by 7.0 per cent in the FY'17,
overall production in the two seasons is 0.57 per cent higher than that of last
year, BBS data showed.However, the MoA set a production target of 2.475 million
tonnes of rice during the Aus season, 13.5 million tonnes in Aman and 1.91
million tonnes during the Boro season.
The target for total rice production has been fixed at 35.07 million tonnes this fiscal year while output was 34.57 million tonnes in the FY'16.Despite having a record production in the Aman season, prices of the staple had shown a rising trend even in its harvesting period that ended in January last.
The target for total rice production has been fixed at 35.07 million tonnes this fiscal year while output was 34.57 million tonnes in the FY'16.Despite having a record production in the Aman season, prices of the staple had shown a rising trend even in its harvesting period that ended in January last.
According to the Trading
Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) and Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM)
data, rice prices increased up to 42 per cent in the country in last six
months.
Coarse rice Swarna was selling at Tk 37-Tk 43, medium quality Brridhan-28 at Tk 44-Tk 48, finer rice Miniket at Tk 50-Tk 62 a kg in the country for last one and a half weeks, TCB and DAM data showed.
Coarse rice Swarna was selling at Tk 37-Tk 43, medium quality Brridhan-28 at Tk 44-Tk 48, finer rice Miniket at Tk 50-Tk 62 a kg in the country for last one and a half weeks, TCB and DAM data showed.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Secretary Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan said day-labourers in Dhaka city now have to pay additional Tk 32-Tk 35 a day for rice which is above 8 per cent of their daily incomes.
"A nexus of big importers and millers might have taken a role in rice price hike. We observe that the prices of rice and the volume of import have increased significantly in last two months."
Importers are now making profits by bringing in coarse and medium varieties of rice even after paying 25 per cent customs duty, he said.The government should gear up its monitoring to prevent hoarding which causes artificial shortage, he commented.
However, the food ministry data
showed that private importers have so far brought a total of 77,000 tonnes of
rice in the current financial year of which 36,000 tonnes were imported in last
one month.
The government has now a stock of only 0.48 million tonnes of rice which was 0.878 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year.Bangladesh produced over 34.57 million tonnes of rice in the FY'16 against a demand for 31.0 million tonnes, according to BBS and Directorate General of Food (DGoF).
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
The government has now a stock of only 0.48 million tonnes of rice which was 0.878 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year.Bangladesh produced over 34.57 million tonnes of rice in the FY'16 against a demand for 31.0 million tonnes, according to BBS and Directorate General of Food (DGoF).
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
Editor : A.H.M Moazzem Hossain
Published by the Editor for
International Publications Limited from Tropicana Tower (4th floor), 45,
Topkhana Road, GPO Box : 2526 Dhaka- 1000 and printed by him from City
Publishing House Ltd., 1 RK Mission Road, Dhaka-1000.
Telephone : PABX : 9553550 (Hunting), 9513814, 7172017 and 7172012 Fax :
880-2-9567049
Cambodia-China trade volume reaches
4.8 bln USD last year: PM
Source: Xinhua| 2017-04-11
16:04:26|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao
PHNOM PENH, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Trade volume between Cambodia
and China was valued at 4.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, Cambodian Prime
Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on Tuesday.Cambodia's export to China
reached more than 830 million U.S. dollars, as its import from China was over
3.9 billion U.S. dollars last year, he said during the release ceremony of the
Cambodian edition of the book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China."
"The Cambodia-China trade volume has rapidly increased --
averagely 26 percent per year -- in the last ten years," the prime
minister said, attributing the high growth to good relations and cooperation
between the two countries.
Main items the Southeast Asian nation exported to China are
milled rice, dry rubber, cassava, fishery, and apparels, as it imported from
China mostly garment raw materials, machinery, vehicles, foodstuffs, electronics,
medicines and cosmetics.Meanwhile, Hun Sen said that under the Belt and Road
Initiative, Cambodia and China would increase their bilateral cooperation in a
number of sectors aiming to further boost economics, trade, investment, and
tourism
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-04/11/c_136199923.htm
Rice prices rise
on flash floods
Rice prices edged up as large
millers are cashing in on crop losses, caused by the recent flash floods in the
greater Sylhet region, amid depleting stocks from previous harvests and low
imports, said traders.In Dhaka, retail prices of coarse rice such as the swarna
variety rose to a new level of Tk 40-42 a kilogram now, up 6.49 percent from Tk
37-40 a week ago.
Prices of the medium and fine
categories of the staple also went up between 1.96 percent and 4.65 percent in
the last one week, according to Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.The prices
rose in other parts of the country as well.Millers and traders said rice prices
typically go up near the end of a season for dwindling stocks.“There is a
shortage of paddy in the market. The small mills do not have paddy, and neither
do the large mills. Those who had paddy might have milled the grain to empty
their storages and make space for freshly harvested grains,” said Chitta
Majumder, managing director of Majumder Group of Industries that operates an
auto rice mill.
Every year, paddy markets usually
get an initial supply from harvests from the haor or seasonal water bodies in
the northeastern region. Farmers in the region usually begin to harvest their
crops in the third week of April.However, floods in the haor regions have not
only affected standing crops and caused losses to growers but also dampened
prospects of an early arrival of fresh paddy, said Nirod Boron Saha, a
wholesaler in Naogaon, one of the main rice trading hubs in the northwest.
“We usually rely on supplies from
the haor region until harvests in the north begins; it keeps prices stable in
the initial days of the harvest season.”
The haor areas account for nearly
10 percent of the total boro cultivation area at about 48 lakh hectares this
year.The flood has affected 1.40 lakh hectares of paddy in the fields,
according to estimates of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).Saha
said speculation over delayed harvest for the bad weather is another reason for
the recent price spiral as farmers, small and medium millers and wholesalers do
not have paddy stocks.“Only large mills have grains now,” he said.Bappi Saha, a
rice miller from the northeastern district of Netrokona, said, “This may be an
artificial shortage.” The price hike is temporary, he added.“The government,
for the time being, can reduce the import duty on rice to encourage imports and
increase the supply in the market,” he said.
Rice imports by private traders
slumped 65 percent to 76,600 tonnes in July-March of the current fiscal year
from the same time last year, after the government hiked the duty from 20 percent
to 28 percent to ensure that growers get fair prices for their produce.Boro,
one of the three rice crop seasons in a year, accounts for nearly 55 percent of
the country's annual rice output of 3.47 crore tonnes.
DAE earlier targeted to ensure the
production of 1.91 crore tonnes of rice during the current boro season to
attain the total output goal of 3.51 crore tonnes for this fiscal year.Rice
production in the two crop seasons -- aus and aman -- rose 0.11 percent to
nearly 1.58 crore tonnes year-on-year, according to Bangladesh Bureau of
Statistics (BBS). Aus output declined but aman production rose, according to
the BBS
http://www.thedailystar.net/business/rice-prices-rise-flash-floods-1389394
NFA not buying rice buffer
from farmers
posted April 11, 2017 at 08:47 pm by
Anna
Leah E. Gonzales
The
National Food Authority said Tuesday it cannot buy buffer stocks from local
producers because farm gate prices of palay have steadily increased as the dry
harvest season peaks.“This is good for the farmers who are enjoying higher
income,” NFA said. “But the National Food Authority cannot buy its target
volume for buffer stocking because its P17.00/kg buying price is much lower
than those offered by private traders,” the NFA said in a statement.Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the average farm-gate price of palay in the first week of February stood at P18.15 per kilogram and and rose to P18.60/kg in the last week of March.
Based on the prices monitored by the NFA field offices, as of March 31, 2017, the ex-farm price of palay (clean and dry) was highest at P22.60/kg and P22.50/kg in Tagum, Davao del Norte and Misamis Oriental, respectively.
NFA administrator Jason Laureano Aquino said the food agency was intensifying its palay buying activities, especially in rice producing areas, to beef up the food security stocks during the lean months.
“We have 413 buying stations strategically positioned nationwide and mobile procurement teams deployed regularly especially in far flung areas to accommodate farmers produce. Our cereal procurement fund and other logistical requirements were already in place. However, the higher prices offered by private traders to farmers make it difficult for us to buy more and hit our target,” Aquino said.
NFA buying price remains at P 17.00/kg for clean and dry. The food agency gives an additional incentive of P0.20-0.50/kg for delivery, P0.20/kg for drying and P0.30 for the cooperative development incentive fund for farmers’ organizations.The food agency plans to buy 4,607,350 bags of palay this year, and has so far bought 134,355 bags as of March 31, 2017 or 21 percent of the target in the first quarter.
Aquino said NFA
found it hard to compete with commercial traders because of the high prices they offered, especially in traditional rice producing areas like Central Luzon, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and Southern Luzon
http://www.manilastandard.net/business/csr-mining/234145/nfa-not-buying-rice-buffer-from-farmers.html
Assam rice
production projected at 75 lakh mt this year
Press Trust of India
| Jorhat (Assam) April 10, 2017
Last Updated at 17:42 IST
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after weak Q3 earnings
Assam is expected to have a rice harvest of 75 lakh MT this
year, 23 lakh MT more than previous year's production, state Agriculture
Minister Atul Bora has said.
"Rice production of Assam was 52 lakh MT last year and
this year our expectation is to have a harvest of around 75 lakh MT," Bora
said at the 52nd Annual Rice Group Meeting.
"Our production curve is on upward trend despite the
attack of caterpillar at initial stage," he said here.
Production was not affected by the caterpillar attack due to
prompt measures taken by the state government as well as favourable
environment, Bora said at the meeting yesterday.
He said that the government wanted to employ organic farming
system for which a foolproof organic rice production package was required.
"We are also into a programme of doubling the income of
paddy farmers in our state," Bora said adding that research bodies needed
to contribute in a big way for this.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) deputy
director general (crop Science) Dr J S Sandhu called upon rice scientists to
find out a technology so that farmers could get maximum productivity using
minimum water.
The Annual Rice Group Meeting, held in Assam for the first
time, was organised by ICAR-Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, and Assam
Agricultural University, Jorhat.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff
and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/assam-rice-production-projected-at-75-lakh-mt-this-year-117041000804_1.html
Falcon Rice Mill Added to National Culinary
Heritage Register
By Deborah Willenborg
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- The National Food &
Beverage Foundation recently added Falcon Rice Mill to its National Culinary
Heritage Register, a list of culinary products, processes, inventions,
traditions, and establishments that are at least fifty years old and have
contributed significantly to the development of American foodways.The mill,
located in Crowley, Louisiana, has been owned by the same family throughout its
75 years in business. Founded in 1942 as
a seed rice business, the Falcon family installed a milling operation in 1950
and started selling rice under several brand names including the popular Cajun
Country brand of long, medium, whole grain brown, jasmine, and popcorn rice.
"Falcon Rice Mill came to our attention as
we tried to find facilities other than restaurants and groceries that have
contributed to the food of America," said Liz Williams, president of the
National Food & Beverage Foundation.
"And we are so happy to include them in the Register because for
years they have been helping America eat."
"When Liz Williams approached me about the
Culinary Heritage Register it was a huge honor," Trahan said. "The designation not only acknowledges
the fact that we're a big part of the Cajun culture but also puts us in
impressive company when you look at who else is represented from
Louisiana. You're talking about
world-famous places like Antoine's, Tujague's, and the French Market. It also helps us tell our story because our
customers really appreciate knowing we've been around a long time, our products
are time-tested, and we're devoted to quality."
The Culinary Heritage Register is available
online and is intended to be a database for future researchers looking for
companies around the country who are sustaining contributors to the food of
America.
Southern Rice _ Cotton Logo
New Merchant Member Joins USA Rice
By Deborah Willenborg
Southern Rice & Cotton, LLC, in Harrisburg,
Arkansas, recently joined the USA Rice Merchants' Association. Located just an hour from the Mississippi
River, Southern Rice & Cotton is a federally bonded and USDA licensed
warehouse facility that is also a licensed regular rough rice warehouse for the
Chicago Board of Trade.
"We are thrilled to have Southern Rice
& Cotton join our Merchants' Association," said Dick Ottis, chairman
of USA Rice Merchants' Association board of directors. "One of their managers, Collin Holzhauer,
recently graduated from the Rice Leadership Program, so we're pleased to be
strengthening their participation in USA Rice."
WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. rice ending stocks for
2016/17 are lowered 3 million cwt on increased exports; at 49.1 million cwt,
these would still be the largest all rice ending stocks since 1986/87. The
3-million-cwt export increase is all rough rice, which is record large at 46
million cwt, but split with 2 million for long-grain and 1 million for medium-
and short-grain.
Global 2016/17 rice supplies are raised 800,000
tons on increased production. The
primary increase is 600,000 tons for Indonesia on favorable weather. The Pakistan crop is raised 200,000 tons, while
Burma production is lowered 100,000 tons.
Global consumption is raised 400,000 tons led by a 300,000-ton increase
for Indonesia reflecting the larger crop.
Global imports are adjusted lower with cuts to Indonesia and Saudi
Arabia. Exports are lowered slightly
with reductions for Egypt and Pakistan offsetting the increase for the United
States. With supplies rising faster than
total use, global ending stocks are increased 400,000 tons to 118.1 million,
the largest since 2001/02.
Read the full report here. MY
BOOKMARKS
BOOKMARK FOR
LATER
Spring green pilaf features
asparagus, edamame and leeks. Try it alongside your Easter ham or as a meatless
main dish. Darrell Sapp Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
RECIPES
It’s spring – go for the green veggies APRIL
07, 2017 7:57 PM
BEE STAFF
It’s the
verdant season. As the trees leaf out, the produce sections and the farmers
markets fill up with delicious, young, fresh green vegetables: asparagus,
artichokes, leeks, green beans, green garlic, shelling peas and baby spinach, to
name just a few.
Celebrate
the green season with this selection of recipes, any of which would brighten up
a spring holiday table, too.
SPRING
GREEN PILAF
Serves 6
Adapted
from “Posh Rice” by Emily Kydd (Quadrille, $19.99, 176 pages)
1 1/2
cups basmati rice
4
tablespoons butter
2 leeks,
thinly sliced
3 garlic
cloves, crushed
1
teaspoon garam masala
Salt to
taste, divided
16
ounces vegetable stock
1 cup
shelled edamame, defrosted if frozen
12
ounces asparagus, sliced into 1 1/2 inches
1/2
teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 cup
pistachios, shelled and salted
Small
bunch dill, finely chopped
In a
bowl, cover rinse the rice and cover with cold water. Melt butter in a pot over
a medium heat. Once it begins foaming, add leeks and cook for 8 minutes until
softened.
Add garlic,
garam masala and salt, and stir for 2 more minutes.
Drain
the rice, add it to the leeks and stir to coat in the butter. Pour in stock,
and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10
minutes.
Add
edamame and asparagus. Add chili powder and salt; stir gently. Cover and cook
for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to steam for 10 minutes.
Toast
pistachios in a pan. Turn off heat and add dill; stir for 2 minutes. Scatter
nuts and dill on top of rice.
PENNE
WITH ASPARAGUS PESTO AND WHITE BEANS
Serves 6
Vegetarian
Parmesan (dairy cheese that does not use animal rennet) is made by such
companies as Sargento and Bel Gioso.
Adapted
from “Good Veg: Ebullient Vegetables, Global Flavors, a Modern Vegetarian
Cookbook,” by Alice Hart (The Experiment, $24.95, 336 pages).
12
ounces (1 large bunch) asparagus
1
teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
12
ounces dried whole-wheat penne, or another short pasta shape
3
tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 small
bunches basil (1 loosely packed cup)
1 clove
garlic, chopped
1/4 cup
raw almonds
1
teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, or more as needed, plus 1 tablespoon fresh
lemon juice, or more as needed
1/2 cup
vegetarian Parmesan cheese, finely grated, plus more for serving (see note
above)
One
15-ounce can no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2
cups)
Trim and
discard the tough/woody ends of each asparagus spear. Cut the tips with about a
thumb’s length of stalk and reserve them; cut the remaining stalks into 2-inch
lengths.
Bring a
medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat, add the teaspoon of salt and
the 2-inch pieces of stalks; cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted
spoon to transfer them to a food processor.
Once the
water in the saucepan returns to a boil, stir in the pasta and cook according
to the package directions, or until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the
cooking water.
Return
the (now-empty) saucepan to high heat. Add the asparagus tips and 1 teaspoon of
the oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until they are lightly browned, 3 to 4
minutes. Turn off the heat (you’ll use the pan one more time) and transfer the
tips to a plate.
Stack,
roll tightly and cut a few large basil leaves into ribbons; reserve for
garnish.
Combine
the garlic, almonds and the remaining basil in the food processor (with the
asparagus pieces). Add the tablespoon of lemon juice and the remaining 3
tablespoons of oil; pulse to form a coarse puree, stopping to scrape down the
sides a few times. Add the lemon zest and vegetarian Parm; pulse a few times to
incorporate and form the pesto. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or salt, as
needed.
Return
the saucepan to medium-low heat. Add the drained pasta, along with the beans
and the asparagus pesto. Toss gently to incorporate, adding just enough of the
reserved pasta cooking water, a few tablespoons at a time, to create a creamy
sauce.
Once the
pasta has warmed through, divide it among warmed bowls or plates. Top each
portion with some sautéed asparagus tips, basil ribbons and more cheese. Serve
right away.
Per serving: 410
calories, 15 g protein, 55 g carbohydrates, 14 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 5 mg
cholesterol, 450 mg sodium, 9 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar
STIR-FRIED
PEAS + SPINACH
Serves 4
Combining
fresh peas and spinach makes for an undeniably spring-y side dish. The main
recipe of this easy trio includes ginger, garlic, cilantro, fish sauce and tons
of fresh mint and cilantro for almost Vietnamese version of peas and mint.
Next, whole cumin seeds offer a whole new flavor without much effort (this
version is great dolloped with yogurt and served with warm flatbread). The
final version leaves you with just garlic and basil instead of the mint and
cilantro for a simple Italian side dish.
See the
variations, below.
Make
ahead: All of these are best served right when they come out of the sauté pan.
But they can also be enjoyed at room temperature, so feel free to make them a
couple of hours in advance and just cover at room temperature, or refrigerate
them for up to a day and then bring to room temperature before serving. The
fresh herbs are best left until the last minute to stir in.
From
cookbook author Julia Turshen.
2
tablespoons grapeseed oil (may substitute canola or vegetable oil)
One
3-inch piece peeled fresh ginger root, minced (2 tablespoons)
2 cloves
garlic, minced
2 1/2
cups shelled fresh peas (may substitute 13 ounces frozen small green peas)
2
tablespoons water
5 ounces
baby spinach (may substitute fresh pea shoots/tendrils)
2
tablespoons fish sauce
1 small
handful fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
1 small
handful fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
Heat the
oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and
cook, stirring, until they’re sizzling and smell very fragrant, about 30
seconds. Add the peas and water; cook, stirring, until they’re bright green and
tender, about 2 minutes.
Add the
spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, a minute at the most (2 large spoons
used as if you were tossing a salad makes easy work of this). Turn off the heat
and stir in the fish sauce, mint and cilantro. Serve right away.
Variations:
To make
sautéed peas with cumin seed, add 1 teaspoon cumin seed to the oil before you
add the ginger and garlic, as directed above. Serve with a dollop of thick,
plain yogurt.
To make
sautéed garlicky peas with basil, use olive oil instead of the grapeseed oil,
as directed above. Double the garlic; omit the ginger, fish sauce, mint and
cilantro. Season the peas lightly with salt. Toss in 2 handfuls of fresh basil
leaves, letting them wilt slightly just before serving, and add a few small
basil leaves as a garnish.
Per serving: 150
calories, 6 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg
cholesterol, 720 mg sodium, 5 g dietary fiber, 5 g sugar
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/recipes/article143451054.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/recipes/article143451054.html
