Friday, April 12, 2019

12th April,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter


Cambodia takes EU to court over rice import tariffs


APRIL 11, 2019 /
FILE PHOTO: A man carries a sack of rice at a warehouse in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Samrang Pring/File Photo
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Cambodia has filed a challenge at the European Court of Justice against the European Union’s decision to impose import duties on Cambodian rice.
The bloc imposed tariffs for three years in January on rice from Cambodia and Myanmar to curb what it said was a surge in imports as a safeguard to protect EU producers such as Italy.
However, the Cambodian Rice Federation said on Thursday the safeguard measure did not relate to any unfair behavior and was based on broad generalizations and the flawed use of data.
A majority of EU countries had backed the introduction of measures, but not the sufficient “qualified majority” of member states normally required. The European Commission then took the decision to go ahead itself.
Cambodia and Myanmar benefit from the EU’s “Everything But Arms” trade scheme which allows the world’s least developed countries to export most goods to the EU free of duties.
Both already face losing their special access to the world’s largest trading bloc over their human rights records, although that potential sanction is separate from the rice safeguard measures.
Indica rice from the two countries is subject to a duty of 175 euros ($197.31) per ton in the first year, dropping to 150 euros in the second and 125 euros in year three.
The Commission said it had found that imports of Indica rice from the two countries had risen by 89 percent in the past five rice-growing seasons, and a surge in cheap imports had reduced EU producers’ market share in Europe to 29 from 61 percent.
Cambodia’s ministry of commerce has called the EU decision a “weapon to kill Cambodian farmers” and against international trade rules.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-cambodia-rice/cambodia-takes-eu-to-court-over-rice-import-tariffs-idUSKCN1RN17S

RPT-ASIA RICE-INDIA PRICES DIP; DROUGHT FEARS SPUR DOMESTIC BUYING IN THAILAND
4/11/2019
(Repeats story with no changes)
* Overseas demand for Thai rice variety remains flat
* Vietnam prices seen rising over coming weeks
* Bangladeshi summer crop acreage higher than expected - official
By Sethuraman N R
BENGALURU, April 11 (Reuters) - Rice export prices in top exporter India edged lower this week due to sluggish demand, while fears of a drought this year supported up domestic buying in Thailand.
India's 5 percent broken parboiled variety <RI-INBKN5-P1> was quoted around $387-$390 per tonne this week, down from last week's $390-$393.
"Demand is very poor at current price level. The appreciation in the rupee has limited scope to cut prices," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
A strong rupee dents exporters' returns from overseas sales.
India's rice exports for April-February fell 9.4 percent from a year earlier to 10.57 million tonnes, as major buyer Bangladesh trimmed its purchases due to a bumper local harvest, a government body said.
Farmers in Bangladesh have planted the summer rice variety on 4.9 million hectares of land, exceeding the target of 4.8 million hectors, Mir Nurul Alam, head of the country's Department of Agriculture Extension, told Reuters on Thursday.
The summer-sown crop, also known as Boro, usually contributes more than half of Bangladesh's typical annual rice production of around 35 million tonnes.
Traditionally the world's fourth-biggest rice producer, Bangladesh was forced to increase imports to shore up reserves in 2017 after floods wrought havoc on local crops and pushed domestic rice prices to record highs.
In Thailand, the world's second largest rice exporter, benchmark 5-percent broken rice <RI-THBKN5-P1> prices rose slightly to $405-$410 a tonne, free on board Bangkok, from $395-$396 last week.
The small price increase was due to higher domestic demand driven by fears of a drought this year, traders said.
Overseas demand for Thai rice has remained flat since the beginning of the year due to the Thai currency's strength versus the U.S. dollar.
"It is mostly speculative buying in the domestic rice market at the moment as mills and buyers are concerned about the supply situation amid the prospect that drought could harm harvest," a Bangkok-based trader said.
In Vietnam, rates for 5 percent broken rice <RI-VNBKN5-P1> were flat for the fourth straight week at $360 a tonne.
"With rising demand, some traders are having trouble purchasing enough rice from farmers to fulfil their export orders," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.
"They signed the contracts earlier this year when both domestic and export prices were lower."
Prices are likely to edge up over the coming weeks now that the major winter-spring harvest is over, the trader added.
Vietnam's rice exports in March rose 150 percent from February to 693,742 tonnes, and higher than a government estimate of 600,000 tonnes, customs data showed. (Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka; editing by Arpan Varghese and Jane Merriman)


DA to insist on full P10-B rice fund disbursement this year

A worker sun dries rice grain in Pulilan, Bulacan. -- PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it hopes to fully release in 2019 a P10-billion rice industry support fund financed by import tariffs which will underwrite efforts to improve the industry’s competitiveness.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. PiƱol said that the department has factored in how to disburse the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), which is part of its 2019 budget, though the exact items remain unprogrammed.
The 2019 budget continues to be delayed with signing possibly taking place after Easter.
“Of course, we will insist that we should be getting the whole 10 billion because that is the law… Hindi pwedeng sabihin nila na walang pondo [We can’t say that there are no funds] because that is part of the law,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“There is simply no way that the government will not fulfill its commitment because that is what the law says,” he said.
Other government agencies have warned that the tariffs collected from rice imports may be subject to delay pending the implementation of the Rice Tariffication law and the arrival of rice shipments on which duties can be collected.National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Development Office Assistant Secretary Mercedita A. Sombilla has said that farmers could end up waiting until the third quarter for fund disbursements, which are meant to improve planting methods, mechanization, farm credit and seed material.
Farmers’ groups have also expressed fears that the releases from the fund could be captured by corrupt officials. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Cambodia Claims EU Rice Tariffs Are ‘Weapons’ Against Local Farmers

Apr 12, 2019 01:49 PM
Description: Rice CambodiaA man carries a sack of rice at a warehouse in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, January 22, 2019.(Photo: REUTERS/Samrang Pring/File Photo)
Cambodia has countered the European Union (EU) over import tariffs imposed in January, with the Asian country challenging the bloc at the European Court of Justice. The Cambodian Ministry of Commerce has referred to the EU's move as a "weapon to kill Cambodian farmers."
According to Reuters, the Cambodian Rice Federation said on Thursday the EU's statements that the tariffs were imposed to safeguard the eurozone's local farming industry was not based on questionable activities by Cambodian exporters.
The federation said the bloc imposed tariffs based on data that were collected through flawed systems and generalizations of import issues from other Southeast Asian countries. The EU previously said it seeks to protect the interests of its local farmers.
Despite inadequate EU countries backing the rice tariffs, the European Commission decided to push through with its decision. This has caused a stir among Cambodian farmers and local advocacy groups.
In its appeal against the tariffs, the CRF said, "The reintroduction of import duties is detrimental to the Cambodian economy and its industry, but above all to its people." The federation added that the move was a "misapplication of EU law."
The bloc stressed that Indica rice imports from Myanmar and Cambodia increased significantly in five years. According to the Commission, this resulted in a decline in revenue among Italian rice producers.
Meanwhile, relations between the EU and Cambodia continue to fire up as the western bloc kicked off monitoring of the Asian country due to claims of human rights violations. The engagement started in February and is expected to last for six months.
The European Commission said the monitoring periodtargets to improve labor conditions for Cambodian workers. The issue stemmed from the emergence of evidence that allegedly involved violation of core labor and human rights in the Asian country. If further proof of the allegations emerges, analysts noted that the Cambodian government may lose preferential access under the Everything-but-Arms (EBA) trade deal that it shares with the EU.
After six months of cooperation with Cambodian authorities and involved parties, the EU is expected to allow for another three months to come up with a report based on the monitoring results.
In line with the human rights issue, business groups in the EU that focus on apparel and footwear have called on the Cambodian corporate realm and government to improve its labor environments and enhance support for the workforce.
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced a set of economic reforms that aim to curb potential losses from the impending abortion of the country's trade deals with the EU. Economic experts noted that the PM's reforms suggest that it is looking to increase cooperation with China if the EU turns away.

Are Philippine CEOs following Duterte’s pivot toward China?

APRIL 12, 2019
·        
·       ARE PHILIPPINE CEOS FOLLOWING DUTERTE’S PIVOT TOWARD CHINA?
PATRICK COOKE
AS the Duterte administration ramps up efforts to secure Chinese backing for its ambitious infrastructure agenda, the results of the Oxford Business Group’s latest regional CEO survey suggest Philippine executives are yet to be convinced by the great call of China. Description: https://s14255.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PATRICK-COOKE.jpg
Just 13 percent of Philippine CEOs who participated in our OBG in Asean Business Barometer; they cited a slowdown in Chinese demand as the top external factor likely to impact the domestic economy in the short to medium term, against 30 percent who opted for commodity price fluctuations and 24 percent who chose trade protectionism. The results in this category made the Philippines something of a regional outlier in our survey of over 400 business leaders across four countries, with Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar being the other participants. Indeed, the only other country where a decline in Chinese demand was not the main external concern was Indonesia, where marginally more executives chose trade protectionism.
While it may appear odd on the surface that Philippine executives seem relatively indifferent about declining demand from their heavyweight neighbor as it attempts a seismic economic shift towards consumption-led growth, there are several reasons why they are likely to have more prominent external concerns. First, the Philippines is a consumption-driven economy itself, which is much less dependent on exports than some of its Asean peers. Exports of goods and services equate to around 31 percent of GDP in the Philippines, compared to 68 percent in Thailand, where survey participants were most concerned about a slowdown in China.
In terms of external demand for Philippine goods and services, the country runs its largest bilateral trade deficit with China, whereas it maintains a trade surplus with the US. This helps to explain why Philippine CEOs were more concerned about trade protectionism than Chinese demand, particularly those from export-oriented firms which must be observing the protectionist policies of the Trump administration with trepidation. The Philippines is a beneficiary of the US’ Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP), which allows certain manufactured goods to enter the US tariff-free. Last year the Trump administration announced it was reviewing the GSP status of Indonesia and Thailand, and it is perhaps understandable that such moves raise concern in the Philippines too.
On the other hand, it is reasonable to expect that Philippine CEOs might have been more concerned about how Chinese investors are driving demand in the domestic economy. In recent years we have seen a huge influx of Chinese workers and firms setting up business in the Philippines, with over 200,000 Chinese citizens applying for work permits in 2018 alone, almost all of them operating in offshore gaming. I won’t enter the argument on whether this is positive for social cohesion, but the economic impact is certainly being felt across several key sectors, notably real estate, tourism and hospitality.
Meanwhile, the fact that a plurality of Philippine executives was most concerned about commodity prices reflects the problems related to high inflation that arose last year, when the survey was conducted. Indeed, high inflation was one of the biggest economic stories of 2018, averaging 5.2 percent for the year, which far exceeds the central bank’s target range of 2-4 percent. When we look at commodity prices, the Philippines suffered from the rise in oil prices through most of the year, which pushed up the import bill and placed pressure on the peso. The price of agricultural commodities such as rice also rose considerably due to a catalogue of supply-side issues. However, the oil price is expected to be more stable this year, with oil analysts frequently trimming their forecasts on the back of booming US shale output and slowing economic growth in major markets. Furthermore, the recently signed Rice Tariffication Law to liberalize rice imports is already helping to lower rice prices following the publication of the implementing rules and regulations. Therefore, we would expect Philippine CEOs to be less concerned about inflation and — by extension — commodity prices in 2019.
A taxing issue
On a question related to the tax environment, the Philippines was again the main outlier: just 23 percent of Manila-based executives described their domestic tax framework as competitive on a global scale, against 59 percent who chose negative responses. This was in stark contrast to the perception of Thai business leaders, 61 percent of whom described their domestic tax regime as competitive or very competitive.
Philippine CEOs responded at a time of tremendous disruption in the tax framework, with the government forging ahead with a comprehensive tax reform agenda designed to raise revenues for its Build, Build, Build infrastructure drive and the expansion of social services, such as universal healthcare. While these are worthy aims, critics have — perhaps unfairly — linked the tax reforms effected at the start of 2018 to the subsequent spike in inflation. Others are concerned that the proposed rationalization of investment incentives in economic zones to offset the reduction in the corporate income tax rate will make the country less appealing for foreign direct investment.
It is interesting to note that although Philippine CEOs were the most negative in the region, sentiment has actually improved since we published our last Asean survey one year ago, when over 73 percent gave negative responses. This suggests that executives may be slowly warming to the tax reform agenda. After all, the Philippines is not going to fulfil its considerable economic potential without broadening the tax base and improving revenue mobilization in a fair and transparent manner. If the Philippines is to ensure that fast-paced economic growth is also balanced, inclusive and sustainable, it will naturally require higher tax revenues that can be channelled into improving infrastructure across the country and expanding access to quality education and health care.
Brain drain concerns
Another factor that could prevent the country from reaching its full potential is the significant skills gaps in key areas of the economy. When asked which skills are most needed in the domestic workforce, 31 percent of Philippine CEOs chose engineering while 20 percent chose leadership.
Everyone from President Duterte to trade union leaders seems to agree that the Philippines needs more engineers and skilled construction workers to meet rising demand from the Build, Build, Build pipeline, with poor working conditions and relatively low pay seen as two significant factors that are driving qualified engineers and construction workers overseas or into other professions.
In other key sectors, many young, educated Filipinos still seek opportunities in more developed economies abroad, causing a dearth of quality midlevel managers. While they still make a significant contribution to their homeland through remittances, they are not here to raise the level of performance in Philippine corporations. Poor performance from middle managers naturally has a negative trickle-down effect across a company, as junior workers lack direction and guidance.
In the long term, one of the main solutions lies in education. For example, in China at least 40 percent of university graduates now study a degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics – the so-called STEM subjects that are seen as vital for jobseekers and innovators in emerging industries. In the Philippines, this figure was around 13 percent in the 2015/2016 academic year. So, while the Duterte administration has made commendable efforts in expanding access to education, it is important that there continues to be an emphasis on ensuring that a sufficient number of graduates are leaving university with skills that are actually in demand in a rapidly evolving economy.
The author can be reached at pcooke@oxfordbusinessgroup.com

Japan-Liberia launch scheme for 1,000 smallholder farmers

Published on 11.04.2019 at 22h21 by APA New Description: https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/15550176711041-780x440.jpg
Japant in collaboration with the FAO and the government of Liberia has launched an integrated rice development project in the country.Under the project, which was launched on Wednesday, Japan will help an estimated  1,000 smallholder farmers to enhance their production and income generation capacities, according to FAO Country Representative Mariatou Njie.
She said: “the country imports about 90% of its rice needs at the cost of about $18m a year”, saying that in 2018 alone, rice represented 37.8 percent of the total import of food and live animals”.
With a current population growth rate of 2.5 percent per annum, she pointed out that the country is experiencing a corresponding increase in demand for rice.
This increase, coupled with “low production and productivity, has led to deficits with huge variance in local production”, Njie said at the launch of the integrated rice development project in the Monrovia suburb of Gardnersville.
She added that Liberia’s rice development sector is not at its full strength and that it is faced with some challenges.
According to Njie, productivity remains low in the country despite its favorable agro ecological climate.
Also speaking at the launch of the project was Agriculture Minister Dr. Mogana S. Flomo, Jr., who urged Liberians to invest in the soil and make the country self sufficient in food production.
Two of the topmost priorities of government, he said, are the economy and food security; and further challenged Liberians to venture into agricultural activities in order to enhance self-sufficiency and reduce dependency on food imports.
He reiterated government’s commitment to producing 40,000 tons of rice this year alone, upon President George Weah’s mandate.
“Agriculture will help change our economy, support the common people; the poor people”, he said, adding that one of the easiest ways to provide jobs is through agriculture.
In remarks, Japanese Ambassador to Liberia Tsutomu Himeno said his government is committed to improving rice production in Liberia.
He said Japan, like Liberia, has rice as its staple and that whenever they hear about rice project, they rise to help.
“Rice production is one area Japan will help the government and people of Liberia, Amb. Himeno assured.
Liberia remains among the world’s food insecure countries of the world, sitting at 108 on the global hunger index.
Tags : APA

Farmers To Adopt New Rice Planting Technology - Minister Description: http://pcdn.peacefmonline.com/photos/news/201901/814769650_469458.jpg

 

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Ghana will soon adopt a new technology of rice planting which will boost the production of rice and reduce Ghana’s import of the staple food, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has revealed.

This new technology, known as the system of rice intensification, is different from the broadcasting system which is currently adopted by rice farmers in the country.

This, he stated would increase the “per hectare yield, from about 2.8 metric tonnes, which is the average that we do hear in Ghana when you’re doing the broadcasting to about 6.5 metric tonnes per hectare.”

He disclosed this to the media after a closed-door meeting with the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas in Accra yesterday.

Ghana currently imports about $1.5 billion worth of rice annually, a situation which has taken a toll on the strength of the local currency against its counterparts.

The meeting was therefore initiated to find out what the Ghanaian government was doing to ensure that Ghana becomes self-sufficient in the production of rice.

Dr. Akoto stressed that rice farmers would soon be encouraged to take their farming activities to the valleys around the country, as research has shown that such areas have the requisite environment to sustain large scale rice production.

A move which he stressed would make Ghana self-sufficient in rice production and make it a net exporter of the commodity.

He regretted the inability of Ghanaian farmers to harness the natural endowment of valleys which the nation has been blessed with.

Dr. Chambas on his part said the issue of food sufficiency in Africa, particularly in Ghana, is dear to his heart that is why he is bringing in experts in rice production to help government train local farmers to increase productivity, efficiency and enhance their productivity.

This, he said, was consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which seeks to target the poorer segment of populations to see how their productivity can be enhanced so that they can earn more income and attain greater prosperity.

He disclosed that his office would be working closely with the Ghana Rice Inter-professional Body (GRIB) to adopt these new technologies which have proven efficacious elsewhere.

Evans Sackey Teye of GRIB told reporters that this new technology of rice production would reduce the amount of seed which the farmer would have to use to harvest double the amount of rice he is currently getting from the broadcasting system.

He explained that with the system of rice intensification, the farmer would nest the rice seedlings, and would transplant them as is done for other plants like tomatoes and pepper.

He was optimistic that once this is adopted by smallholder farmers, they would not need to get more land before they can at least double the yield of rice in Ghana.
Source: 3news


Most of China's rice fields suitable for water saving irrigation: research

Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-11 17:03:20|Editor: mingmei
BEIJING, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have disclosed that over 94 percent of the country's rice fields are suitable for water saving irrigation (WSI).
The researchers from Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Peking University constructed an index system considering soil, climate hydrology, terrain, soil fertility and salinity, rainfall and underground water levels.
They analyzed water saving, pollutant reducing, and yield increasing effects, based on multi-site field studies across China. The potential overall effect of WSI practices at country level was also estimated.
Results showed that a higher pollutant reduction rate appeared with a higher water saving rate, while the yield increasing effect would end when the water saving rate increased to a specific amount.
They also found that soil structure deterioration and low soil fertility made 5.81 percent of the rice fields unsuitable for WSI.
The application of WSI in China has noticeable potential to alleviate water shortage, control the greenhouse gas emissions of rice fields and reduce pest disease.
China has four commonly-used WSI methods: shallow-wet irrigation, controlled irrigation, intermittent irrigation and rain-gathering irrigation, according to the paper published in the journal Agricultural Water Management.

Navy nabs three suspected rice smugglers in Akwa Ibom

 April 12, 2019
Patrick Odey, Uyo
Operatives of the Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating Base, Ibaka, in the Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State have apprehended three suspected smugglers and seized 416 bags of contraband rice.
The rice, packaged in 50kg bags, was said to have been smuggled from Cameroon and intercepted by the operatives in a medium-sized wooden boat along the Mbo River during a routine operation.
The Commanding Officer, FOB, Navy Captain Reginald Adoki, who disclosed this while handing over the suspects and the items to the Nigeria Customs Service at Ibaka on Wednesday, said it was discovered that the wooden boat, which was fitted with two 40-horsepower Yamaha outboard engines, was conveying the 416 bags of rice.
He said, “The gunboat of the FOB, Ibaka, while conducting routine patrol along the Mbo River and other adjoining creeks, intercepted a medium-sized wooden boat.
“After offloading, it was discovered to be conveying 416 bags of 50kg rice and two 40-horsepower Yamaha outboard engines fitted to the wooden boat. Preliminary investigations revealed that the three suspects were bringing the rice from Cameroon.”
Adoki noted that the handover was a way of renewing the commitment of the Nigerian Navy to ensuring that it rid the area of illegal activities, adding that it had confidence in the Nigeria Customs Service to deal with all the cases handed over to it for further investigation and prosecution.
The Controller, Eastern Marine Command, Nigeria Customs Service, Port Harcourt, Elton Edorhe, warned smugglers to desist from sabotaging the country’s economy through their activities.
The Chief Superintendent of Customs, Mr Ibrahim Adamu, who represented him, said, “On behalf of the Customs Controller, Eastern Marine Command, Elton Edorhe, I thank the navy for the seizures.
“I seize this opportunity to warn all those engaging in illicit trade to consider the economy of the nation that is being bastardised through smuggling.
“They should do the needful and desist from this economic sabotage and also save themselves the pain of losing their money.”
One of the suspects, Mr Victor Asuquo, who spoke with our correspondent, denied the charge against him.
Asuquo, who also denied engaging in smuggling, explained that he was returning home that fateful day as a passenger in the captured boat after about six months sojourn in Cameroon.
He said, “I am not involved in smuggling; I just entered the boat as a passenger. The boat’s helmsman escaped when the boat was arrested and the three of us are passengers.
“I left Cameroon because of the crisis there and since I did not have a passport to board a flying boat, I paid 5,000 franc to board the local boat.”



Scientists use CRISPR for possible 'bubble boy' therapy

In preclinical trials, Stanford scientists and their collaborators harnessed the gene-editing system CRISPR-Cas9 to replace the mutated gene underpinning the devastating immune disease.
Very rarely, a boy is born with a mutation that renders his immune system barren — devoid of any and all Description: testimmune cells. The disease, X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID-X1, often is referred to as the bubble boy disease. It affects only males and is lethal if not treated in the first year of life.
Now, scientists at the School of Medicine and their collaborators have used the gene-editing system CRISPR-Cas9 to devise a new treatment to replenish immune cells in mouse models of SCID-X1. The results are promising, the scientists said, because they believe the treatment could potentially work in humans, as well. 
SCID-X1 affects about 1 in 50,000 male births. Those with the disease suffer from a debilitating mutation in a single gene, IL2R gamma. When this gene is defective, the immune system never develops.
The standard treatment for patients with SCID-X1 is a bone marrow transplant, which supplies them with stem cells that will give rise to a working immune system. But the transfer process is tricky and not guaranteed to work. So, Matthew Porteus, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics, came up with a new idea: correct the genes in the patients’ own cells.
Through CRISPR-Cas9, Porteus and his team have done just that. Using cell samples that came from people with SCID-X1, the researchers genetically altered the class of stem cells that give rise to blood and immune cells. Their approach got the gene working again. 
Each mouse that received the edited cells began generating new immune cells and displayed no detectable adverse side effects. “To our knowledge, it’s the first time that human SCID-X1 cells edited with CRISPR-Cas9 have been successfully used to make human immune cells in an animal model,” said postdoctoral scholar Mara Pavel-Dinu, PhD. 
paper describing the work was published online April 9 in Nature Communications. Porteus is the senior author, and Pavel-Dinu is the first author.

Editing in a solution

Gene-based therapy for SCID is not new. In the 1990s, scientists began to dabble in gene therapies that used a virus to deliver a new, functional IL2R gamma gene. “It was very effective, but about 25 percent of the patients developed a leukemia because the virus integrated into an erroneous gene,” Porteus said. “It showed both the promise of what gene therapy could do and highlighted the area that needed to be improved.”
Description: Hanae ArmitagePorteus’ approach uses CRISPR-Cas9 to create a double-stranded break in DNA to insert a healthy copy of the IL2R gamma gene in the stem cells that create immune cells.
Using the gene-editing system, scientists tweaked cells from six people with SCID-X1 and then transplanted those cells into mouse models of SCID-X1. Those mice were then not only able to make their own immune cells, but many of the edited cells retained something called “stemness,” meaning that they maintained their ability to continually create new cells.
“The idea is that these modified stem cells will give rise to the blood system and the immune system for the entirety of the patient’s life, which we hope is 90 or more years,” Porteus said. “And we see evidence for that in our study.”

Popping the bubble

“We’ve showed that this is a novel and effective strategy to potentially treat this disease, but the other big thing here is safety,” Porteus said. “We don’t see any abnormalities in the mice that receive the treatment. More specifically, we also performed genetic analysis to see if the CRISPR-Cas9 system made DNA breaks at places that it’s not supposed to, and we see no evidence of that.” That’s crucial, Porteus said, because it ensures that other healthy genes aren’t being erroneously tampered with.
Translating lab research to a patient population takes time, Porteus said, but he’s optimistic that if larger mouse studies are successful, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene therapy could be piloted in human patients in the next year or two through the Stanford Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine.
Other Stanford co-authors of the study are postdoctoral scholars Volker Wiebking, MD, and Camille Sindhu, PhD; research assistant Beruh Dejene; graduate student Waracharee Srifa; medical student Sruthi Mantri; lab manager Camencita Nicolas; former flow cytometry research assistant Nivedita Saxena; and professors of pediatrics Maria Grazia Roncarolo, MD, and Kenneth Weinberg, MD.
Researchers from Rice University, the University of Texas-Dallas, the University of California-Irvine and the National Institutes of Health contributed to this research.
The study was funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the National Institutes of Health (grant R01 AI097320-01), the Laurie Kraus Lacob Translational Research Fund, the Amon Carter Foundation and the Sutardja Family Fund. 
Stanford’s Department of Pediatrics also supported the work.

·       NEWS FEATURE 
·        
ByHANAE ARMITAGE
Hanae Armitage is a science writer for the medical school's Office of Communication & Public Affairs. Email her at harmitag@stanford.edu

CRI develops new rice varieties to increase local production

   |    Source: GNA

The Crop Research Institute (CRI), of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), at Fumesua near Kumasi is using science and technology innovations to boost commercial production of local food crops, especially rice in the country.
This is part of CRI's move to execute its mandate as a research hub for crops, in a bid to position itself at the forefront of leveraging on scientific and technological innovations, that would ensure phenomenal increase in the cultivation of rice and other food staples in the country.   
CRI is doing this by increasing the accessibility and availability to farmers its newly-improved quality, high yielding and disease resistant crop seeds.
The goal is to support the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative and other major agricultural interventions, being pursued by the government to improve food security, as a catalyst for the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda.
To demonstrate this, crop scientists and breeders from the Institute have for the first time developed and released six new rice varieties to scale up the commercial production of quality rice.  
The development of the varieties, four of which were from local crosses of the CRI, is seen as an unprecedented and a major milestone for national crop research in Ghana.
 It is aimed at boosting food security and a resultant reduction in rice importation into the country.
 The 2017 annual scientific report made available to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi indicated that the six new varieties were expected to respond to the industry challenges of low production, low average yield and poor grain quality and  to "satisfy the strong demand for high-yielding jasmine and conventional US long grain rice types, the most preferred rice choices in Ghana.
"The six new varieties, which have been accepted and approved by the National Varietal Release Committee, are CRI-Dartey, CRI-Kantinka, CRI-Emopa, CRI-Mpuntuo, CRI-Oboafo and CRI-Aunty Jane," the report indicated.   
Ghana's rice import bill is said to be about $600 million, regardless of the country's potential to produce to meet local and international demands and according to the report, besides maize, rice is the second most important cereal and major staple in Ghana.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) estimates that the annual per capita consumption of rice is about 40kg per person and is expected to increase to 63kg by the end of 2019.  
The Institute believes that all the six varieties, suitable for lowland and irrigated ecologies, with their potential for higher yields, tolerance to Rice Yellow Mottle Virus Disease and Iron toxicity, will boost acceptability by farmers as they have high raising, easy cooking and aromatic qualities.

CRI to Complement Local Rice Production with New Varieties

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Rice Farm
The Crop Research Institute (CRI), of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), at Fumesua near Kumasi is using science and technology innovations to boost commercial production of local food crops, especially rice in the country. Description: Rice Farm
This is part of CRI’s move to execute its mandate as a research hub for crops, in a bid to position itself at the forefront of leveraging on scientific and technological innovations, that would ensure phenomenal increase in the cultivation of rice and other food staples in the country.
CRI is doing this by increasing the accessibility and availability to farmers its newly-improved quality, high yielding and disease resistant crop seeds.
The goal is to support the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative and other major agricultural interventions, being pursued by the government to improve food security, as a catalyst for the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda.
To demonstrate this, crop scientists and breeders from the Institute have for the first time developed and released six new rice varieties to scale up the commercial production of quality rice.
The development of the varieties, four of which were from local crosses of the CRI, is seen as an unprecedented and a major milestone for national crop research in Ghana.
It is aimed at boosting food security and a resultant reduction in rice importation into the country.
The 2017 annual scientific report made available to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi indicated that the six new varieties were expected to respond to the industry challenges of low production, low average yield and poor grain quality and to “satisfy the strong demand for high-yielding jasmine and conventional US long grain rice types, the most preferred rice choices in Ghana.
“The six new varieties, which have been accepted and approved by the National Varietal Release Committee, are CRI-Dartey, CRI-Kantinka, CRI-Emopa, CRI-Mpuntuo, CRI-Oboafo and CRI-Aunty Jane,” the report indicated.
Ghana’s rice import bill is said to be about $600 million, regardless of the country’s potential to produce to meet local and international demands and according to the report, besides maize, rice is the second most important cereal and major staple in Ghana.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) estimates that the annual per capita consumption of rice is about 40kg per person and is expected to increase to 63kg by the end of 2019.
The Institute believes that all the six varieties, suitable for lowland and irrigated ecologies, with their potential for higher yields, tolerance to Rice Yellow Mottle Virus Disease and Iron toxicity, will boost acceptability by farmers as they have high raising, easy cooking and aromatic qualities.

New Features Improve Delivery of USDA Tech Tools
By Lesley Dixon

WASHINGTON, DC -- Last week, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched two new features on farmers.gov to help farmers manage loans and apply for H-2A visas.  The new features streamline two processes that are spread across multiple agencies and simplify a process that can be complex for customers.

H-2A visas allow non-immigrant foreign nationals entry into the United States for the purpose of seasonal or temporary agricultural work, and provide an important source of labor for farmers who anticipate a shortage of domestic employees during certain times of the year.

Phase I of the new H-2A release on farmers.gov includes a clear and accessible overview of the program, as well as an interactive checklist tool that features application requirements, fees, forms, and timelines tailored to farmers' hiring needs.  Phase II of the release will be rolled out over the next several months, and will include a streamlined application form that will seamlessly encompass the multiple agencies involved in the process.

"Customer service is our top priority at USDA, and these new features will help our customers as they manage their farm loans and navigate the H-2A temporary agricultural visa program," said Secretary Perdue.  "In my travels across the country, I have consistently heard people express a desire for greater use of technology in the way we deliver programs at USDA.  As we adopt new technology, we are introducing simple yet innovative approaches to support our farmers, ranchers, producers, and foresters as they support the nation every day."

The new self-service portal on farmers.gov now allows farmers to log in and view their loan information, history, and payments, giving them greater autonomy to manage their federal loans.  The portal can be accessed via desktop, tablet, or phone.

Market Information


Photo by Bruce Schultz/LSU AgCenter
Evangeline Parish farmer Richard Fontenot loads rice seed into a planter in a field near Mamou, La. He managed to complete his planting before heavy rainfall started.

Rain hinders Louisiana rice planting

Rainfall during the first week of April created an obstacle for farmers who needed to complete the rest of their rice planting.
Bruce Schultz | Apr 10, 2019
Heavy rainfall has been a challenge as Louisiana rice farmers strive to get their 2019 crop planted.
Farmers were able to get much of their crop planted during almost three weeks of dry weather, but rainfall during the first week of April created an obstacle for farmers who needed to complete the rest of their planting.
Todd Fontenot, LSU AgCenter agent in Evangeline Parish, said farmers there were nearing completion of planting before the rains came. He estimated farmers had finished planting up to 70 percent of their crop.
Drill seeding is the dominant method of planting, but many farmers still use airplanes for planting. “We had a good bit of early rice water planted,” he said.
Farmers who want to drill seed the rest of their crop will have to wait for fields to drain. “It will take several days.” Fontenot said.
Jeremy Hebert, AgCenter agent in Acadia Parish, said planting there is about 75 percent to 80 percent finished. Farmers took advantage of a dry spell after a long stretch of wet weather.
“The last two to three weeks, it’s been full blast. There’s been a lot of rice put in the ground,” he said.
Before the dry weather, many farmers thought they would have to water seed. Now with flooded fields from excess rain, some farmers may choose to water seed the rest of their crop. “The longer they wait, yields will start to reduce,” he said.
Hebert expects rice acreage in Acadia Parish to remain about the same as last year, about 80,000 acres.
Evangeline Parish farmer Richard Fontenot planted his last field by April 3 and said this is the earliest he’s ever finished. “Usually we’ve finished by the 10th or 15th of April,” he said.
Jimmy Meaux, AgCenter agent in Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis parishes, said farmers in his area were almost 75 percent planted. “In the last two weeks, they really put a lot in the ground,” he said.
Rain on April 4 came at a good time, although it was excessive with some areas reporting as much as 5 inches. “It’s a little more than they needed to flush the fields. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get the water off soon,” Meaux said.
Keith Fontenot of the AgCenter Rice Verification Program said he inspected a field April 8 that had already drained and had received 7 inches of rain.
Andrew Granger, AgCenter agent in Vermilion Parish, said the rain will slow down planting for farmers not finished. He estimated that more than 60 percent of the farmers in Vermilion Parish are done.
Vermilion Parish received 4-7 inches of rain on April 7. “It’s too early to know if young rice will be damaged by the flooding,” he said
AgCenter rice specialist Dustin Harrell said the heavy, continuous rains in late February and early March had farmers concerned that fields would be too wet for drill seeding. “It looked like it was never going to dry out,” he said.
But after March 17, the weather cooperated and gave farmers a two and a half week window for planting, he said.
Northeast Louisiana farmers will start planting rice soon.
“So far, we’ve been lucky, and there’s a lot of optimism for a good crop,” Harrell said.
Slideshow: Tracks and tires keep advancing. Here are a few new ideas.
There’s a common denominator on most tractors and combines — the machine-to-ground interface. These days, that can be tires or tracks, and there are innovations happening in both areas.
For tires, the rise of high-flex tires also brings a new look to the tread on those tires. You’ll also find a range of tire innovations in terms of tread shape and even hybrid looks to provide added performance.
For tracks, speed is a new goal. Losing speed on a machine just to get the other benefits of tracks may not be enough for some producers. Getting better road speeds can boost productivity — especially on larger machines, where idle time is costly.
Check out this roundup of new tires and tracks to get a glimpse of the innovations that are happening in this market segment

Wasim Akram flays Pakistan team’s diet ahead of World Cup

Description: Wasim10Former Test captain and fast bowling legend WasimAkram has slammed the Pakistan cricket team for eating biryani ahead of the World Cup starting on May 30. Wasim feels the Pakistan players are not concerned about their diet and are eating junk food before a crucial tournament. The Pakistan cricketers are often seen attending parties where they are feasted with all kinds of meals, including biryani – a widely popular Pakistani dish of spicy rice mixed with beef, mutton or chicken. The World Cup is round the corner and every team are expected to look after their fitness and diet. The Pakistan team are often regarded as one of the most unfit team in the cricketing world and Wasim is worried about that.” Our players are still being served biryani, you cannot compete against champions by feeding them biryani,” he said. Wasim is not the only one worried about their fitness, the cricket team was criticised after they poorly fielded against Australia in a recently-concluded ODI series in the UAE. The former pacer also added that he sees a future captain in pacer Mohammad Amir. This comes as a surprising statement as Amir’s place in the team for the World Cup is under scrutiny after his below average performance with the ball, particularly from the point of view of the number of wickets the left-armer has claimed during the last couple of years or so. Pakistan open their 10-team World Cup campaign with the match against West Indies on May 31 at Nottingham.

Wasim Akram has hammered Pakistan cricket team for eating biryani ahead of the World Cup

Former Test Captain and fast bowling legend Wasim Akram has hammered Pakistan cricket group for eating biryani ahead of the World Cup beginning on May 30.
Wasim feels the Pakistan players are not worried about their eating regimen and are eating lousy nourishment before a worldcup.
The Pakistan cricketers are regularly observed going to parties where they are eating a wide range of suppers, including biryani — a broadly well known Pakistani dish of fiery rice blended with meat, sheep or chicken. The World Cup is around the corner and each group is relied upon to take care of their wellness and diet. Pakistan group is frequently viewed as a standout amongst the most unfit group in the cricketing scene and Wasim is stressed over that.

FTA with China to be signed during PM’s visit: envoy

·      KHALID ABBAS SAIF

·      APR 11TH, 2019

·      FAISALABAD
Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit China in last week of April to sign second phase of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and China, said Yao Jing, Ambassador of People's Republic of China.
He was addressing the business community of Faisalabad at Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) Complex here on Wednesday.

Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Mian Farrukh Habib, Chinese Consul General Long Dingbin, AttachƩ Chen Yongpei, and Liu Zhan were also present on the occasion.

Chinese envoy said that in second phase of FTA, both countries would further extend cooperation in the fields of agriculture, manpower, heath and education in addition to making efforts to eliminate poverty.

"In this connection, a roadmap would be discussed to cover social sector besides evolving a framework for assistance in agro-industrial sector.

He said that FTA will help to remove imbalances in bilateral trade between the two countries.

"China will provide 95 percent market access to Pakistani products at zero rate whereas China will get 68 percent market access in Pakistan", he added.

He further told that during the proposed visit of PM Imran Khan, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) will arrange a B-2-B Forum on April 28 in China. During this event, businessmen of two countries will negotiate feasible projects along with technology transfer.

Yao Jing mentioned previous visit of PM Imran Khan in November last and said that China will import rice, sugar and yarn from Pakistan to bridge its widening import-export gap.

"Though Pakistan has huge quantity of surplus wheat yet its sale in Chinese markets is very low. Therefore, China will procure 3,00,000 tons of rice and in this connection, negotiations have already been started", he added.

Regarding cooperation in industrial sector, the Chinese Ambassador said that Chinese companies have reservations over taxation policy of Pakistan.

Parvaiz Ishfaq RanaUpdated April 11, 2019
Description: KARACHI: FPCCI leaders present proposals for 2019-20 budget at a press conference on Wednesday. — Dawn Newspaper
KARACHI: FPCCI leaders present proposals for 2019-20 budget at a press conference on Wednesday. — Dawn Newspaper
KARACHI: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has asked the government to check the highhandedness of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) acting against businesses.
The apex trade body also demanded a reduction of sales tax from the current 17 per cent to 13pc in the next fiscal year’s budget to boost business confidence. It also sought zero customs duty and sales tax on the import of plant and machinery to encourage industrialisation.
Unveiling the budget proposals for 2019-20 at a press conference on Wednesday, FPCCI President Daroo Khan Achakzai said NAB and FIA must be asked to work within their defined parameters. He said that the government should create a business-friendly environment to promote industrialisation and job creation.
He said that despite Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claim that FIA and NAB should only go after corrupt politicians, the two institutions were continuously harassing businessmen. “Without a congenial and business-friendly environment, the government cannot attract local or foreign investment,” he remarked.
Other FPCCI leaders were apprehensive of the government’s economic policies saying these have resulted in high inflation and higher cost of doing business.
Achakzai was highly critical about the government’s approach towards handling economic issues and complained that so far no consultation process with stakeholders has been initiated by the government for the preparation of the next federal budget.
He said that successive governments have routinely consulted with the business community before the formulation of the budget. But except for a meeting scheduled by the Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar next week, the government has not taken the FPCCI on board.
He added that the government has also ignored the business community with regard to the ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and as of today the country is in dark with regard to terms and conditions of the agreement being finalised with the fund by Finance Minister Asad Umar.
The FPCCI president lamented that, contrary to practices in the past, the government has completely ignored FPCCI in the process of appointing or re-constituting boards at public sector entities.
He said the Engineering Development Board is not properly represented as it does not have members from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa whereas the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Business Council and Economic Advisory Council were formed without FPCCI representation.
He said that the budget advisory committee was set-up under the leadership of former FPCCI president Zubair Tufail has made extensive consultations with member trade bodies for formulating the proposals for the 2019-20 budget.
The leaders expressed their concern over low levels of foreign direct investment and urged the government to immediately take corrective measures by reducing policy rate which rose from 6pc to 10.75pc in twelve months.
Similarly, massive devaluation of the rupee — up to 35pc — in a short period of four months (January- April) has devastated the economy. Above all, the government also failed to achieve the primary objective of currency devaluation the exercise did not result in even 1pc increment in exports.
It was also highlighted that the government’s move to raise petroleum prices has caused cost-push inflation in the country and burdened the masses.
The budget document also proposed that, in order to increase exports to neighbouring countries, warehouses should be set-up close to borders so that exporters can meet the demand.
Mentioning the Phase-II of the Free Trade Agreement scheduled to be signed with China on April 28; FPCCI was of the view that China — which is importing sugar and rice from other countries — should also allow imports from Pakistan as the country has surplus rice and sugar stocks.
Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2019
Making efforts to boost rice exports
Wednesday, 2019-04-10 18:11:59

Description: http://en.nhandan.org.vn/cdn/en/media/k2/items/src/734/29a653e31247913f4e3886e3979e10f6.jpg
Illustrative image.
   
NDO – According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first quarter of 2019, Vietnam's rice export volume was estimated at 1.43 million tonnes, worth US$ 593 million, down 3.5% in volume and 20.2% in value over the same period in 2018.
The average export price of rice in the first two months of the year only reached US$404 per tonne, down 17.8% compared to the same period in 2018. Difficulties in exporting rice in the first quarter have dragged down the price of rice in the Mekong Delta, especially in February, 2019, when entering the harvest of winter-spring rice.
Part of the reason for the decline in the volume of exported rice is due to the fact that the first few months of the year coincide with the Lunar New Year, plus domestic enterprises have not promoted delivery and traders who buy rice have not begun to trade yet. On the market side, in the early months of 2019, some countries still have surplus rice from 2018, so they have no demand for import which in turn makes the market less active.
In addition, China, one of Vietnam's major rice import markets for many years, has now reduced their rice purchases, which has had a relatively large impact. At the same time, measures to closely control food safety and hygiene for imported rice have been strengthened and there are more stringent regulations on the supervision and management of imported goods. Until now, only 21 Vietnamese enterprises are allowed to export rice to the Chinese market. The reduction of export indications has led to a sharp decline in rice export volume.
For other traditional markets such as the Philippines and Indonesia, Vietnam is also facing difficulties in boosting rice exports to these markets. Specifically, the Philippines is seeking to expand its rice supply by signing more memorandums of cooperation with Pakistan and Myanmar. Meanwhile, Indonesia has also restricted imports because the country's reserved rice is still sufficient until the end of the second quarter of 2019.
Facing the above situation, it is necessary to strengthen solutions to maintain traditional markets and penetrate new markets. Specially, it is necessary to pay attention to exporting high quality rice and specialty rice instead of white rice as before.
In addition, localities need to accelerate the effective implementation of the restructuring scheme of the rice industry, because the competition for rice quality is becoming a real "war" when the rice of some other countries in the region are constantly increasing competition for Vietnamese rice in terms of quality, value and ways of promoting their image. Therefore, in addition to improving quality, strengthening the promotion of rice trade in markets, and the promotion and image building for Vietnamese rice also are very important, therefore businesses and authorities should pay greater attention to these requirements. After building an image of high quality rice seeds with competitive prices, the export to fastidious markets will certainly become more open, creating new markets to stabilise the volume and turnover value.
China may give special $1b market access to Pakistan after June: Dawood
Imran Ali Kundi

April 11, 2019

 Pakistan and China are currently holding parleys in Beijing to finalise second phase of China-Pakistan free trade agreement


Description: China may give special $1b market access to Pakistan after June: Dawood
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan hopes to sign second phase of China-Pakistan free trade agreement by the end of current month during the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Beijing. Pakistan and China are currently holding parleys in Beijing to finalise second phase of China-Pakistan free trade agreement. “Negotiations are going very well and I am hopeful that FTA will be signed during Prime Minister’s visit to China on April 28,” said Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce, Industries and Production and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood while addressing a press conference along with chairman Board of Investment Haroon Sharif.
Dawood said that rice shipments to China had already begun as part of the deal which was agreed during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s four-day visit to Beijing and Shanghai in the first week of November last year. China had already provided market access to Pakistan in sugar, rice and yarn amounting to $1 billion. Following this market access, China may also give special $1 billion market access to Pakistan after June this year. 
Haroon Sharif said that inflow of foreign investment is around $1.441 billion during eight months (July to February) of the ongoing fiscal year as against $573 million investment during same time of the PML-N government. He further said that volume of investment would remain at around $3 billion during current fiscal year. However, it would significantly increase from the next fiscal year mainly due to the reforms introduced by the incumbent government to improve ease of doing business.
Inflow of foreign investment around $1.441b during eight months
Razak Dawood and Haroon Sharif highlighted that Pakistan is aggressively pursuing reforms to create ease of doing business in the country. The country had improved its ranking by 11 points and moved from to 136/190 from 147/190 in Doing Business Report 2019. Dawood said that the task is to ensure Pakistan carries on with the improvement trend. He appreciated World Bank for continued assistance and appreciated the efforts of all federal and provincial government departments.
Chairman Board of Investment informed that a new company can now be registered in just four hours with the SECP on its online platform. The government integrated SECP with Punjab and Sindh business registration portal. This has helped in reducing the time and process for registering a company and providing one platform where businesses are started. The SECP had registered more than 8,000 new companies in six months period due to the reforms process.
Sharif informed that number of tax payment had reduced to 10 from 47. Online payment of federal and provincial taxes, contributions and duties would be considered as one since now there is one online interaction. Online payments will help Pakistan to improve its ranking in paying taxes indicator. He hoped that number tax payment would reduce to single digit from next year.
Chairman informed that time for giving construction had also reduced. In Lahore, the Lahore Development Authority has started its one window operation where all departments involved in the process of issuing a construction permit are present. Similarly, in Karachi a one-window solution is in its development phase. Government of Sindh will be launching it soon. After the introduction of one window the process has been made efficient from 8 months to 2 months in Lahore and expected to be reduced to 3 months in Karachi.
Sharif said that there is complete automation of property registration in Punjab. Property registration through online mode has reduced the time drastically for this process and is one of the key areas of reforms. It improves transparency and quality of land administration.
Other areas of reforms are integration of key departments with WeBOC (online Platform of Pakistan Customs).To help importers/exporters and reduce the time and cost of compliance with departments, key departments have been integrated in WeBOC (Web Based One Customs Platform). The reforms also included automation of electricity connection process by K-Electric. K-Electric has made the process of getting a commercial electricity connection easier by making it online where the customer can track the application as well. Establishment of Collateral registry has also been started for unincorporated entities and registry has become operational with the appointment of registrar. This will help the small businesses to use their moveable assets as collateral for getting credit.
Sharif explained that it is a priority of the government to make business entry and operations easier, faster and cheaper. He added that the next step is to cut out the redundant regulations and remove unnecessary permissions/NOCs and inspections. He reiterated that the Board of Investment, as the secretariat of PM’s Steering Committee on Doing Business Reforms, is keen to improve the business climate.

Pakistan, US enjoying sustained relations

Parvez JabriApril 11, 2019

FAISALABAD: Pakistan and America are enjoying sustained and mutually beneficial relations despite of temporary political recession and a visible improvement will be witnessed in coming days, said Ann Mason, Chief of Political and Economic Section US Consulate General Lahore.
Addressing the business community of Faisalabad in Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) here Wednesday, she said that America was investing in many countries including Pakistan and she was happy to know that Pakistan cherished from trade with the USA.
She termed agriculture as an integral and major part of Pak economy and said that America would continue to assist Pakistan within the given circumstances.
However, some seed manufacturing companies have some reservations and business community must take measures to redress their genuine grievances to take benefit from latest American technology of high yielding American seeds.
She termed M-3 Industrial Estate as an opportunity for investors to contribute their role in the overall development of Faisalabad and said that she would also convince Americans to invest in it.
She also assured to provide cooperation in human resource development in Pakistan.
Earlier, in his address of welcome President FCCI Syed Zia Alumdar Hussain said that FCCI has 7,000 members within its folds and it trying to raise their issues with a clear objective to resolve the same at federal, provincial and local levels for the last 44 year.
He said that textile was the real economic strength of this metropolis, however, it has witnessed a phenomenal diversification with the addition of many new sectors.
Regarding textile, he said that Faisalabad has Asia’s biggest socks manufacturing unit by the name of Interlard.
Crescent and Nishat groups are manufacturing yarn while it has state-of-the-art edible oil unit Rafhan.
Similarly, Iqbal Rice is also a member of FCCI which is continuously winning president’s trophy of best exporter.
He further said that the colonization of M-3 Industrial Estate had been kicked off vigorously and we are also acquiring additional 3300 acres of land on the other side of motorway for its expansion.
He said that a Hyundai Car Assembling Plant is also under completion while other industries are also passing through different stages of completion.
Regarding American investment in oil and gas fields, he stressed that America should also invest in Pakistan.
He particularly mentioned an oil refinery at Gwardar or Karachi which will not only trim the import bill of Pakistan but also encourage ancillary industry on permanent basis.
He was appreciative of latest American technology and said that Pakistan was still using reliable American and European machinery.
However, America should manufacture textile machinery in Pakistan to further cut down the cost of American machinery.
He also indicated other sectors in which American investment was required and these include manufacturing of solar panels, etc.
Later, FCCI shield was presented to Ann Mason, Chief of Political and Economic Section US Consulate General Lahore while Christopher Elms, Economic Officer, Nasir Rao, Economic Specialist, US Embassy, Hassan Raza, Commercial Specialist, Amna Anis, Economic Assistant, Us Consulate General Lahore, Kashif Zia, Sarjat Siddique, Hajji Muhammad Rafi, Hajji Saleem and Engineer Asim Muneer were also present during the meeting.


Most Of China's Rice Fields Suitable For Water Saving Irrigation: Research

  
Description: Most of China's rice fields suitable for water saving irrigation: research

Chinese researchers have disclosed that over 94 percent of the country's rice fields are suitable for water saving irrigation (WSI)

BEIJING, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 11th Apr, 2019 ) :Chinese researchers have disclosed that over 94 percent of the country's rice fields are suitable for water saving irrigation (WSI).
The researchers from Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning of Chinese academy of Agricultural Sciences and Peking University constructed an index system considering soil, climate hydrology, terrain, soil fertility and salinity, rainfall and underground water levels.
They analyzed water saving, pollutant reducing, and yield increasing effects, based on multi-site field studies across China. The potential overall effect of WSI practices at country level was also estimated.
Results showed that a higher pollutant reduction rate appeared with a higher water saving rate, while the yield increasing effect would end when the water saving rate increased to a specific amount.
They also found that soil structure deterioration and low soil fertility made 5.81 percent of the rice fields unsuitable for WSI.
The application of WSI in China has noticeable potential to alleviate water shortage, control the greenhouse gas emissions of rice fields and reduce pest disease.
China has four commonly-used WSI methods: shallow-wet irrigation, controlled irrigation, intermittent irrigation and rain-gathering irrigation, according to the paper published in the journal Agricultural Water Management.

Viį»‡t Nam to develop new markets for rice

Update: April, 11/2019 - 09:11
Description: http://image.vietnamnews.vn/uploadvnnews/Article/2019/4/10/talking%20shop.jpg
Trįŗ§n Thanh Hįŗ£i, Deputy Director of MoIT’s Import and Export Department
To boost the export of rice as per the direction of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has many solutions to help businesses find export markets.
Trįŗ§n Thanh Hįŗ£i, Deputy Director of MoIT’s Import and Export Department, speaks to bnews.vn about the issue.
What has the department done to support rice businesses find export markets?
The Prime Minister asked the ministry to come up with solutions on developing export markets for local rice products with the goal of maintaining and strengthening traditional markets as well as expanding into new ones.
The ministry has coordinated with relevant ministries, sectors, the Viį»‡t Nam Food Association and rice exporters to implement solutions, such as reviewing the demand and import policies of foreign markets. The ministry then proposed agreements with foreign partners to facilitate Viį»‡t Nam's rice exports.
While negotiating bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements and other kinds of agreements, the ministry has actively discussed with foreign partners on expanding rice export markets, including tax reductions and removal of trade and technical barriers that are not suitable for Vietnamese rice products.
The ministry has also updated information for local enterprises and associations about regulations on food hygiene and safety, quality control and traceability.
The ministry has implemented many programmes on trade promotion and brand development, including the organisation of trade fairs in mainland China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as France, the Netherlands, Ghana, Ivory Coast and the US.
To assist businesses in studying customer demand and promoting exports, the ministry has cooperated with localities with high outputs of rice, such as An Giang, Long An, and KiĆŖn Giang provinces, Cįŗ§n ThĘ” City, and HCM City.
So far, Viį»‡t Nam's rice products have been exported to 150 countries and territories, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, mainland China, Cuba, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Mozambique.
What will the department and local businesses do to build the Vietnamese rice business?
The Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to co-ordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to organise the Vietnam International Rice Conference every two years. The event is expected to introduce Vietnamese rice products to the global market.
Currently, under the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Viį»‡t Nam Food Association, local rice export enterprises have used the national brand of “Vietnam Rice” together with the businesses’ own rice brands.
At the same time, MARD collaborated with relevant ministries and agencies to register the national brand of “Vietnam Rice” in some export markets of Vietnamese rice such as the Philippines, China and Europe.
Businesses, ministries and sectors will support enterprises in building and registering brand protection for local rice products at home and abroad based on Decision 706/QĐ-TTg and Decree 107/2018/NĐ-CP.
What is the department doing to seek new export markets?
The Government and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have a policy to encourage enterprises diversifying export and import markets, avoiding dependence on a certain market, including agricultural products.
To find export markets for agricultural products, the ministry has implemented many measures to improve production capacity and quality of goods, implement trade promotion and build legal framework for exports through negotiation of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements. — VNS

Rice millers seek Vigilance probe against FCI official

Apr 12, 2019, 7:06 AM; last updated: Apr 12, 2019, 7:06 AM (IST)

 

Description: Rice millers seek Vigilance probe against FCI official
Rice millers stage a dharna at the FCI depot in Sirhind on Thursday. Tribune photo
Our Correspondent
Fatehgarh Sahib, April 11
The Punjab Rice Millers Association led by Tarsem Saini, national president, and Inderjeet Sandhu, district president, sat on a dharna at the FCI depot, Sirhind, today protesting against the area manager of the FCI of the Chandigarh zone.
They alleged that he had been demanding bribe and harassing rice millers in lieu of providing special rail wagons for the movement of rice to other states. They raised slogans against the area manager as well as the FCI management and demanded a Vigilance inquiry against him.
Addressing mediapersons, Saini claimed that the regional office, FCI, Punjab, on February 29 arranged a special train for the movement of rice to other states for loading 50 per cent rice from the Chanarthal centre and 50 per cent from the Sirhind centre, but the area manager got loaded the rice stocks of Chanarthal centre only, thereby leaving 39 millers of Sirhind as he wanted bribe.
He said had the rice been lifted, there would have been enough space to store it, but now godowns were full and there was no space. He said again on April 1 special train wagons were allotted for the movement of rice from the Sirhind centre, but he did not allow it. His action caused loss to the millers. He warned if the management did not take action against the “erring” official, the millers would protest.
However, Vinay Kumar, AGM, FCI, refuted the allegations of bribe. He claimed that it was all pressure tactics and nothing else as loading was a systematic process. “There is space problem, but I can’t do anything,” he added.

‘Slump in rice farm-gate prices not due to import liberalization’


Description: https://www.panaynews.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Farmers-696x464.jpgNEDA assistant secretary Mercy Sombilla said on Tuesday that based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there were some areas where farm-gate prices of rice had fallen to P13 or P14 per kilo. ABS-CBN NEWS
MANILA – An official of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said it was “too early to say” if the entry of imported rice was causing a slump in rice farm-gate prices.
NEDA assistant secretary Mercy Sombilla said on Tuesday that based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there were some areas where farm-gate prices of rice had fallen to P13 or P14 per kilo.
Some farmers also complained that millers were no longer buying their harvest amid the slump in prices.
But, on the average, Sombilla said, farm-gate prices were still at a healthy level of P18.50 per kilo.
“We really don’t know if it really is, it’s too early to say if it’s really the law impacting this,” Sombilla said referring to the Rice Trade Liberalization law, which removes import quotas on rice and replaces them with tariffs.
“We take the observation of farmers with concern, but we’re really trying to determine if that’s the case, or if there’s reluctance of millers to be going to the farmers to buy their produce,” Sombilla said.
Several farmers groups had been protesting the law, saying the entry of cheap imported rice may kill the local rice industry.
The NEDA official, meanwhile, urged the National Food Authority (NFA) to help farmers by buying harvests in areas where farm-gate prices were slumping.
“We’re trying to push NFA, this is the time the farmers need them. You need to go to these places where they are experiencing these kinds of problems and buy already because you need to beef up your buffer stocks. Especially with PAGASA’s projection of El NiƱo being extended beyond May or June.”
She said the NFA can still buy rice from local farmers at P20 per kilo.
The NEDA is also proposing to have a cash transfer program for rice farmers, to protect them in case prices plunge to very low levels. (ABS-CBN News)

Basmati exporter GRM now plans to tap domestic market

TV Jayan  New Delhi | Updated on April 10, 2019  Published on April 10, 2019
Description: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-news/voi6vs/article23641354.ece/alternates/WIDE_435/BL23ndtvjbasmGI93RP1EC4jpgjpg
India produces roughly 20 million tonnes (mt) of basmati rice annually, of which nearly 5mt are exported.

To start selling branded rice from current fiscal

GRM Overseas Ltd, the third largest exporter of basmati rice from India, has drawn up plans to enter the domestic market as there is an increasing potential for branded basmati, Managing Director Atul Garg said on Wednesday.
“In the first five years we are looking at a turnover of  1,000 crore. In the first year, we intend to generate a revenue of 150-200 crore,” said Garg, adding that the firm hopes to clock a turnover of 1,100 crore from its export business in the just concluded year.
India produces roughly 20 million tonnes (mt) of basmati rice annually, of which nearly 5mt are exported. With growth being sluggish in the export front, the company wants to focus on the domestic market for topline growth. The 30-year-old listed company, with headquarters in Panipat, currently sells its branded basmati rice in 1,800 departmental stores in 30 countries. Europe and the Middle-East have been its major markets, followed by the US.
As part of its expansion plan, GRM recently acquired a plant with a capacity of 400 tonnes per day at Gandhidham, close to Mundra port in Gujarat, for 13 crore. “This facility would take care of our export requirements, while Panipat facility will focus on the domestic market,” Garg told BusinessLine.
Currently the domestic basmati market is a little more than 45,000 crore. But the branded basmati market is just around 13,500-14,000 crore. GRM sees an opportunity to get into this branded segment of the Indian market, currently led by brands like India Gate and Dawat. “We see a lot of space in this segment,” he said.
Till a few years ago, basmati rice sold was mainly in the range of 25-40 a kg. Now, it has shifted to 50-70 and 50-120 a kg range.
Garg said while the domestic basmati market is more or less stagnant, an opportunity is there as a few players have vacated this space. GRM, he said, is planning to tap this. The company plans to get into an aggressive campaign to promote its brand within the country.
GRM is also planning to market speciality rice varieties like Govindbhog and Masuri in the international market as premium brands. It also plans to tap the overseas market for organic rice too, Garg said.
Published on April 10, 2019

Venezuela reports collapse in oil supply, tightening global market

Reuters LONDON | Updated on April 10, 2019  Published on April 10, 2019
Description: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/incoming/szm126/article26793102.ece/alternates/WIDE_435/opec-logojpg
The logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries   -  Reuters
Venezuela told OPEC that the country's oil output sank to a new long-term low last month due to U.S. sanctions and blackouts, deepening the impact of a global production curb and further tightening supplies.
Supply cuts by OPEC and partners led by Russia, plus involuntary curbs in Venezuela and Iran, have helped drive a 32 percent rally in crude prices this year, prompting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for the group to ease its market-supporting efforts.
In a monthly report, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said Venezuela told the group that it pumped 960,000 barrels per day (bpd) in March, a drop of almost 500,000 bpd from February.
The figures could add to a debate within the so-called OPEC+ group of producers on whether to maintain oil supply cuts beyond June. A Russian official indicated this week Moscow wanted to pump more, although OPEC has been saying the curbs must remain.
OPEC, Russia and other non-member producers are reducing output by 1.2 million bpd from Jan. 1 for six months. The producers are due to meet on June 25-26 to decide whether to extend the pact.
One of the key Russian officials to foster the pact with OPEC, Kirill Dmitriev, signalled on Monday that Russia wanted to raise output when it meets OPEC in June because of improving market conditions and falling stockpiles.
In a development that will ease OPEC concern about a new supply glut, the report on Wednesday said oil inventories in developed economies fell in February, after rising in January.
Published on April 10, 2019
Description: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/incoming/v68u6u/article26126279.ece/BINARY/BLepaperpromo

Brent and WTI crude oil futures have risen by around 40 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively, since the start of the year

Oil prices crept higher on Wednesday, supported by supply cuts by producer club Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and United States (US). sanctions against oil exporters Iran and Venezuela, but restricted by expectations that an economic slowdown could soon dent fuel consumption.
International benchmark Brent futures were at $70.66 per barrel at 0158 GMT, up five cents from their last close.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures were at $64.10 per barrel, up 12 cents, or 0.2 percent, above their last settlement.
Both benchmarks hit five-month highs on Tuesday, before easing on global growth worries.
Overall, oil markets have been tightened this year by US sanctions on oil exporters Iran and Venezuela, as well as supply cuts by the producer club of the OPEC and some non-affiliated producers, a group known as OPEC+.
As a result, Brent and WTI crude oil futures have risen by around 40 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively, since the start of the year.
“The global oil market is clearly moving back towards balance thanks to OPEC+ production cuts. OPEC production has fallen 1.98 million barrels per day (bpd) from October levels,” ING bank said in a note.
The Dutch bank said the reduction was not only down to voluntary supply cuts, which the group started this year to prop up prices.
“Venezuelan oil output is estimated to have fallen from 1.19 million bpd in October to 890,000 bpd in March, while output from Iran has fallen from 3.33 million bpd to 2.71 million bpd due to sanctions. Declines from these two exempt countries account for almost 47 percent of the reduction seen from OPEC,” ING said.
Despite the OPEC-led cuts, not all regions are in tight supply.
Oil production <C-OUT-T-EIA> in the US has risen by more than 2 million barrels per day since early 2018, to a record 12.2 million bpd.
“WTI has not seen the same strength (as Brent) given the relatively more bearish fundamentals in the US market,” said ING bank.
“US crude oil inventories remain stubbornly high,” it added.
US crude stocks rose by 4.1 million barrels in the week to April 5, to 455.8 million barrels, data from industry group the American Petroleum Institute showed on Tuesday.
On the demand side, there are concerns that an economic slowdown will soon hit fuel consumption.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Tuesday that the global economy was slowing more than expected and that a sharp downturn may be looming.
In its third downgrade since October, the IMF said the global economy will likely grow 3.3 per cent this year, the slowest expansion since 2016. The forecast cut 0.2 percentage point from the IMF's outlook in January.
Published on April 10, 2019
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Farmers seek more subsidies under rice tariff law

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:02 AM April 11, 2019
Description: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/files/2019/04/11farmer.jpg
A farmer in Pangasinan Willie Lomibao
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Philippines — In the wake of the passage of the implementing rules of Republic Act No. 11203, or the rice tariffication law, Cordillera farmers have sought for amendments to include subsidy on farm inputs.
Half of the rice competitiveness enhancement fund focuses on farm mechanization, but there is no direct mention of aid for farm inputs such as seeds and fertilizers, said Remy Albano, president of Cordillera Federation of Irrigators Associations (FIA-CAR).
Under the new law, the rice fund has an annual allocation of P10 billion for six years and 30 percent of this will go to the development, propagation, and promotion of inbred rice by the Philippine Rice Research Institute.
“Even if farms are mechanized but input prices continue to rise, we remain losers in the trade,” said Albano, who is also vice governor of Apayao.
He said farmers in Cordillera need to shift to hybrid rice to be at par with other rice-producing regions and increase yield per hectare since they can no longer expand their farms.
Hybrid rice varieties produce higher yield and are more resistant to diseases and insects. However, they are more expensive than the commonly used inbred variety.
Albano said farmers cannot use hybrid rice seeds harvested from the previous season because these have already lost vigor, a genetic characteristic which results in lower yield.
“This means farmers need to allocate money to buy seeds every season,” Albano said.
In recent years, prices of fertilizers have also significantly increased along with other farming commodities, he said, adding that this has forced many farmers to resort to “credit-for-harvest” offers from rice traders or pawn their fields for immediate cash need

Viį»‡t Nam to develop new markets for rice

Update: April, 11/2019 - 09:11
Description: http://image.vietnamnews.vn/uploadvnnews/Article/2019/4/10/talking%20shop.jpg
Trįŗ§n Thanh Hįŗ£i, Deputy Director of MoIT’s Import and Export Department
To boost the export of rice as per the direction of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has many solutions to help businesses find export markets.
Trįŗ§n Thanh Hįŗ£i, Deputy Director of MoIT’s Import and Export Department, speaks to bnews.vn about the issue.
What has the department done to support rice businesses find export markets?
The Prime Minister asked the ministry to come up with solutions on developing export markets for local rice products with the goal of maintaining and strengthening traditional markets as well as expanding into new ones.
The ministry has coordinated with relevant ministries, sectors, the Viį»‡t Nam Food Association and rice exporters to implement solutions, such as reviewing the demand and import policies of foreign markets. The ministry then proposed agreements with foreign partners to facilitate Viį»‡t Nam's rice exports.
While negotiating bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements and other kinds of agreements, the ministry has actively discussed with foreign partners on expanding rice export markets, including tax reductions and removal of trade and technical barriers that are not suitable for Vietnamese rice products.
The ministry has also updated information for local enterprises and associations about regulations on food hygiene and safety, quality control and traceability.
The ministry has implemented many programmes on trade promotion and brand development, including the organisation of trade fairs in mainland China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as France, the Netherlands, Ghana, Ivory Coast and the US.
To assist businesses in studying customer demand and promoting exports, the ministry has cooperated with localities with high outputs of rice, such as An Giang, Long An, and KiĆŖn Giang provinces, Cįŗ§n ThĘ” City, and HCM City.
So far, Viį»‡t Nam's rice products have been exported to 150 countries and territories, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, mainland China, Cuba, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Mozambique.
What will the department and local businesses do to build the Vietnamese rice business?
The Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to co-ordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to organise the Vietnam International Rice Conference every two years. The event is expected to introduce Vietnamese rice products to the global market.
Currently, under the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Viį»‡t Nam Food Association, local rice export enterprises have used the national brand of “Vietnam Rice” together with the businesses’ own rice brands.
At the same time, MARD collaborated with relevant ministries and agencies to register the national brand of “Vietnam Rice” in some export markets of Vietnamese rice such as the Philippines, China and Europe.
Businesses, ministries and sectors will support enterprises in building and registering brand protection for local rice products at home and abroad based on Decision 706/QĐ-TTg and Decree 107/2018/NĐ-CP.
What is the department doing to seek new export markets?
The Government and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have a policy to encourage enterprises diversifying export and import markets, avoiding dependence on a certain market, including agricultural products.
To find export markets for agricultural products, the ministry has implemented many measures to improve production capacity and quality of goods, implement trade promotion and build legal framework for exports through negotiation of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements. — VNS

Most of China's rice fields suitable for water saving irrigation: research



Source:Xinhua Published: 2019/4/11 17:17:33
Chinese researchers have disclosed that over 94 percent of the country's rice fields are suitable for water saving irrigation (WSI).

The researchers from Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Peking University constructed an index system considering soil, climate hydrology, terrain, soil fertility and salinity, rainfall and underground water levels.

They analyzed water saving, pollutant reducing, and yield increasing effects, based on multi-site field studies across China. The potential overall effect of WSI practices at country level was also estimated.

Results showed that a higher pollutant reduction rate appeared with a higher water saving rate, while the yield increasing effect would end when the water saving rate increased to a specific amount.

They also found that soil structure deterioration and low soil fertility made 5.81 percent of the rice fields unsuitable for WSI.

The application of WSI in China has noticeable potential to alleviate water shortage, control the greenhouse gas emissions of rice fields and reduce pest disease.

China has four commonly-used WSI methods: shallow-wet irrigation, controlled irrigation, intermittent irrigation and rain-gathering irrigation, according to the paper published in the journal Agricultural Water Management.

Rice inventory up 30.8% in March

APRIL 11, 2019
RICE INVENTORY UP 30.8% IN MARCH
THE country’s rice inventory rose by 30.87 percent to 2.221 million metric tons (MT) at the start of March from its year-ago level, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.
It was also up by 3.75 percent compared to month-ago figure, the PSA said in its monthly inventory report.
Latest figures from the PSA said rice stocks were at 1.697 million MT in the same period in 2018 and 2.141 million MT in February this year.
Year-on-year (yoy), a 1,030.17 percent jump was noted in NFA depositories. Rice stocks in commercial warehouses were also up by 25.75 percent. Stocks inhouseholds fell by 6.08 percent though.
Month-on-month, stocks in households and NFA depositories grew by 0.12 percent and 65.29 percent, respectively but those in commercial houses dropped by 14.22 percent.
Of the total rice inventories, 46.53 percent were from households, 31.32 percent from the commercial warehouses and 22.15 percent from NFA depositories.
The total rice inventory is seen to increase in the coming months as the country opens its market to cheap imported rice under a new rice regime. Philippine rice imports may hit a record-high 2.6 million MT this year. It may further increase as the Rice Import Liberalization Act takes full effect, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.
Meanwhile, total corn stocks rose by 42.68 percent to 397,120 MT in March from 278,340 MT a year ago, but fell by 49.19 percent from 781.52 MT in the previous month.
Inventory from households and commercial warehouses climbed yoy by 55.36 percent and 38.25 percent, respectively. On a monthly basis, stocks in households and commercial warehouses fell by 23.01 percent and 55.19 percent, respectively.
Some 71.71 percent of the total corn inventory was held by commercial warehouses while the remaining 28.29 percent consisted of inventory from households.

Cambodia's rice export to China up 59 pct in Q1

Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-11 09:27:08|Editor: Liangyu
PHNOM PENH, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had exported 75,214 metric tons of milled rice to China in the first quarter of 2019, a 59 percent rise over the same period last year, according to an official report released on Wednesday.
China is the biggest buyer of Cambodian rice during the January-March period this year, said the report of the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export, adding that export to China accounted for 44 percent of the country's total rice export.
According to the report, the Southeast Asian country exported a total of 170,821 tons of milled rice in the first three months of this year, up 6 percent over the same period last year.
It showed that the kingdom exported 51,552 tons of milled rice to the European markets during the period, down 33 percent because the European Union imposed earlier this year tariffs on rice going from Cambodia in a bid to curb a surge in rice imports from the kingdom.
Cambodia produces 10.8 million tons of paddy rice last year, up 3.3 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
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Reducing losses postharvest rice

·       Kadir Ruslan
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Jakarta   /   Thu, April 11, 2019   /  10:37 am
Description: Reducing losses postharvest riceA resident carrying buckets of water passes through a dry paddy field in Cibarusah, Bekasi, West Java. (The Jakarta Post/P.J. Leo)
In a visit to Sragen, Central Java, as part of his campaign for reelection, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo stressed the importance of improving the quality of paddy drying and milling processes. Preventing or minimizing the loss of postharvest rice is crucial to increasing supply. According to the World Food Program (WFP), around 30 percent of the total food produced globally for human consumption is lost or wasted, which is equivalent to 1.3 billion tons. Losses of rice could happen at every stage of the supply chain, mainly when the paddy is harvested, dried and milled. In this regard, modernizing our rice milling practices, particularly during the paddy drying process, can significantly reduce losses. Statistics Indonesia (BPS), in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry, has conducted the Paddy to Rice Conversion Rate Survey (SKGB) several times. As reflected...

USDA announces 2019 loan rates for wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, rice and pulse crops

·       Apr 11, 2019 Updated 20 hrs ago

On April 10 USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation announced the 2019 marketing assistance loan rates by:
  • County for wheat, corn, grain sorghum, barley, oats, soybeans and each “other oilseed” (canola, crambe, flaxseed, mustard seed, rapeseed, safflower, sesame seed and sunflower seed);
  • Region for pulses (dry peas, lentils, large chickpeas and small chickpeas); and
  • State for rough rice. 


Rice rebounds in 2018 after 2017 flooding woes


by KATV
Thursday, April 11th 2019
Description: https://katv.com/resources/media/85430cac-37e3-4cf9-aca5-a8b3317b5906-large16x9_rice.jpg?1554923247459
After a brutal 2017 in which spring flooding cost Arkansas growers an estimated $175 million in lost production and damaged acreage, rice growers saw higher production in 2018 than in any of the three previous years, according to an April 4 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Photo: Talk Business and Politics)
After a brutal 2017 in which spring flooding cost Arkansas growers an estimated $175 million in lost production and damaged acreage, rice growers saw higher production in 2018 than in any of the three previous years, according to an April 4 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In the report, produced by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, rice growers harvested more acres, and yield and production throughout the state were higher. Most of the largest increases in yield, percentage-wise, were seen in eastern Arkansas counties that suffered flooding losses most acutely in 2017.
Phillips County, which suffered between $400,000 and $1 million in crop loss in 2017, saw its rice production more than double from 1 million hundredweight to about 2.13 million hundredweight. Increases of similar proportions were reported in Lawrence, St. Francis, Ashley and Desha counties, according to the report.
To read more from Talk Business & Politics, click here.

Figures confirm higher rice production in 2018

·       Apr 11, 2019
Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart pulling out all available combines to harvest foundation seed ahead of Tropical Storm Gordon in 2018.
After a bruising 2017, in which substantial spring flooding cost growers in Arkansas an estimated $175 million in lost production and damaged acreage, rice growers saw higher production in 2018 than in any of the three previous years, according to an April 4 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In the report, produced by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, rice growers saw clear improvements in harvested acres, yield and production throughout the state. Most of the largest increases in yield, percentagewise, were seen in eastern Arkansas counties that suffered flooding losses most acutely in 2017.
Phillips County, which suffered between $400,000 and $1 million in crop loss in 2017, saw its rice production more than double from 1 million hundredweight to about 2.13 million hundredweight. Increases of similar proportions were reported in Lawrence, St. Francis, Ashley and Desha counties.
While the county-by-county acreage estimates provided in the NASS report often differ from those estimates provided by the Farm Service Agency, also part of the USDA, the statewide numbers are typically very similar.
Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said that while the higher production numbers were a welcome sight, the higher rice acreage in 2018 wasn’t necessarily a surprise, as it followed the natural cycle of shifting acreage, crop rotation and prospective planting in response to relative commodity prices.
Looking forward, Hardke said that with the window for much of the state’s planned early planted rice closing for 2019, shifts in acreage are an open question.
“Until a week ago, I’d maintained my expectation that we’ll remain close to flat, at 1.4 million acres of rice,” Hardke said. “But we’ve seen what’s happened with this spring. After a week of dry weather, we saw rains again over the weekend, with more pointed our way.
“1.4 million acres is still the target, but if this pattern doesn’t give, we’ll possibly head down toward 1.2 million acres,” he said. “At this point, we’re staring at a downward trend, but we have a while to go yet before we start losing rice acres.”

India rice prices dip; drought fears spur domestic buying in Thailand

·       APRIL 11, 2019
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice export prices in top exporter India edged lower this week due to sluggish demand, while fears of a drought this year supported up domestic buying in Thailand.
A woman spreads paddy crop for drying at a rice mill on the occasion of International Women's Day, on the outskirts of Agartala, India March 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jayanta Dey/File Photo
India’s 5 percent broken parboiled variety was quoted around $387-$390 per tonne this week, down from last week’s $390-$393.
“Demand is very poor at current price level. The appreciation in the rupee has limited scope to cut prices,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
A strong rupee dents exporters’ returns from overseas sales.
India’s rice exports for April-February fell 9.4 percent from a year earlier to 10.57 million tonnes, as major buyer Bangladesh trimmed its purchases due to a bumper local harvest, a government body said.
Farmers in Bangladesh have planted the summer rice variety on 4.9 million hectares of land, exceeding the target of 4.8 million hectors, Mir Nurul Alam, head of the country’s Department of Agriculture Extension, told Reuters on Thursday.
The summer-sown crop, also known as Boro, usually contributes more than half of Bangladesh’s typical annual rice production of around 35 million tonnes.
Traditionally the world’s fourth-biggest rice producer, Bangladesh was forced to increase imports to shore up reserves in 2017 after floods wrought havoc on local crops and pushed domestic rice prices to record highs.
In Thailand, the world’s second largest rice exporter, benchmark 5-percent broken rice prices rose slightly to $405-$410 a tonne, free on board Bangkok, from $395-$396 last week.
The small price increase was due to higher domestic demand driven by fears of a drought this year, traders said.
Overseas demand for Thai rice has remained flat since the beginning of the year due to the Thai currency’s strength versus the U.S. dollar.
“It is mostly speculative buying in the domestic rice market at the moment as mills and buyers are concerned about the supply situation amid the prospect that drought could harm harvest,” a Bangkok-based trader said.
In Vietnam, rates for 5 percent broken rice were flat for the fourth straight week at $360 a tonne.
“With rising demand, some traders are having trouble purchasing enough rice from farmers to fulfil their export orders,” a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.
“They signed the contracts earlier this year when both domestic and export prices were lower.”
Prices are likely to edge up over the coming weeks now that the major winter-spring harvest is over, the trader added.
Vietnam’s rice exports in March rose 150 percent from February to 693,742 tonnes, and higher than a government estimate of 600,000 tonnes, customs data showed.
Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka; editing by Arpan Varghese and Jane Merriman

IRRI, partners to transform Asean rice-fish systems

APRIL 11, 2019
Description: https://s14255.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/irri.jpgSource: IRRI FB
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), WorldFish and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) signed a five-year tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday, providing the framework for cooperation on research for development (R4D) initiatives focused on the sustainable intensification and management of rice-fish production systems in irrigated landscapes and wetlands in Southeast Asia.
The agreement aligns with the CGIAR 2030 Plan that calls for transformations of its research programs to usher in a “food systems revolution” to tackle challenges related to sustainability, nutrition, genetics, socioeconomics and information, and to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through greater cooperation between the centers.
“This agreement exemplifies a food systems approach to transforming the global rice sector. The combined global research expertise and influence of IRRI, WorldFish and IWMI in the core elements of diets such as rice and fish, as well as land and water systems make this strategic collaboration essential to a food systems revolution,” said IRRI Director General Matthew Morell.
Previous individual and joint program partnerships involving IRRI, WorldFish and IWMI have yielded positive results. These include the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (2004), and an earlier project on fish-rice between IRRI and WorldFish with Bangladesh research and nonprofit agencies.
More recently, WorldFish, IRRI and IWMI came together for the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research-funded Development of Rice Fish Systems (RFS) in the Ayeyarwady Delta project. The project aims to improve the productivity and profitability of rice-fish systems in Myanmar and seeks to benefit small-scale rice farming households, and fisherfolk by diversifying production in rice-based farming systems and landscapes, enhancing resilience of rice-based farming systems.
WorldFish Director General Gareth Johnstone said the multi-agency partnership provides a strategic push for wider research, promotion and implementation of integrated rice-fish systems, and builds on previous successes of WorldFish and its partners.
“This partnership helps create better synergies for leveraging our individual research expertise and network strengths to accelerate the sustainable supply of nutritious fish and rice into national, regional and global food systems. Together, we will also be able to better support regional cooperation by increasing awareness, disseminating knowledge and scaling critical solutions for this intensification to be truly sustainable,” Johnstone said.
IMWI’s work on sustainable water and land use converges well with IRRI’s work on landscape-level water management and environmental sustainability.
“What we aim to achieve as individual organizations is interconnected and geared toward the fulfillment of almost the same SDGs. We envision a sustainable food, nutrition and water secure world and this strategic partnership gets us closer to that goal,” said IMWI Deputy Director General for Research for Development Mark Smith.
Under the MoU, IRRI, WorldFish and IWMI will co-develop and implement R4D activities to discover the impact of rice-fish production systems on environmental, socioeconomic and cultural values on land and waterways. The R4D projects will be developed based on themes, including constructed water bodies, rice-fish landscapes, climate resilience and water, trade-offs and foresight analysis, and information and communications technology and big data

Rice industry revitalization priority for Fijian government: minister

Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-12 13:52:48|Editor: Xiaoxia
SUVA, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The revitalization of the rice industry in Fiji is a priority for the Ministry of Agriculture in its effort to improve efficient production through continued research for a self-sufficient and sustainable industry.
Fiji's Minister for Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development, Waterways and Environment Mahendra Reddy made the comment while addressing the Naselai Rice Farmers Group in Tailevu, one of Fiji's 14 provinces during his tour around farms on Friday.
Reddy said strategies to ensure a revived and strengthened rice industry is in progress by the Ministry.
He added that some of this included the introduction of high yielding improved rice varieties in Fiji, increasing the capacity of the ministry's Research Division and continued production and supply of more certified seed and planting materials to farmers.
Reddy also highlighted planned strategies for the commercialization of the rice industry, which would require close collaboration between the Ministry, rice farmers and stakeholders.
"Rice farming can be labor intensive so the ministry continues to mechanize many of the husbandry practices, including providing access to various types of rice machines which were available to farmers on subsidized rates and the formation of rice clusters where it is possible to achieve economies of scale which ensures machine optimization," said Reddy.
"The ministry will also consolidate rice development in areas where land improvement and irrigation work is carried out and will focus on rice breeding and promotion programs which involves research and seed production of quality rice seeds which will be supplied to the farmers for better yields."
A total of over 30,000 tonnes with a total value of around 40 million Fiji dollars (about 18 million U.S. dollars) is imported annually by Fiji as rice is now considered a staple food on the islands like cassava and taro.

Catriona rises from rice paddy

Published April 12, 2019, 5:45 PM
By MB Online
Miss Universe Catriona Gray has inspired so many people that many of them go to great lengths to express their appreciation for what she has achieved for the country.
Description: (Benjamin Sotto via Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN)
(Benjamin Sotto via Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN)
You can now count the people behind the Philippine Rice Research Institute among them as they have created a rice paddy art depicting Queen Cat’s face on a rice field in Nueva Ecija.
A netizen, Benjamin Sotto posted a picture of the rice paddy art on Facebook which has now created quite a buzz online.
Pamela Carbungco, of the FutureRice Project, said that the larger than life depiction of the face of the 2018 Miss Universe with the words “Rice UP PH” is a combination of two varieties of rice that is grown in the country.
“We used two kinds of rice to form the image: the ordinary green-leafed rice varieties and what we call purple rice (its leaves turn into dark purple as the rice plant ages). We pixelated a two-tone image of Catriona according to the size of our rice paddy and rice planting distance,” Carbungco said in an interview over FB messenger for MB Online.
“We planted it on March 14 and since last week mas visible na yung image. The image will be visible until May before we harvest the rice,” she said explaining how they were able to form the image.
She also revealed that the idea of making rice paddy art started in 2015 and they have continued doing so since then.
Since 2015 she said they have already made depictions of AlDub, Ang Probinsyano, PRRD and VP Leni, KathNiel, rice ambassador Piolo Pascual, Manny Pacquiao, and even Jose Rizal.
Carbungco said that they started this project to make “non-farmers”, especially the youth more aware of rice farming and farm tourism as well as boost overall interest in farming.
She explained further that the paddy art is like cross-stitching but it will only last until May when they actually harvest the rice.

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What’s in a name? The battle over alternative meat, milk and rice labeling rages on.
April 11 at 10:00 AM
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Trader Joe’s began selling frozen “Riced Cauliflower” in 2015. (Candice Choi/AP)
If you’ve had any “almond drink” lately, you might have noticed that there’s a semantics battle happening among America’s food producers, politicians and public. At its heart are the questions: How should we label products that imitate other products? Who has the right to use certain words? What do those words truly mean?
Culinary innovation and the lightening of the American diet has given us an abundance of options. If we’re cutting carbohydrates, we can have cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. Folks with dairy allergies can opt for soy milk instead of dairy milk. And vegans and vegetarians — as well as people trying to scale back their meat consumption for health or the environment — have been delighted by the arrival of plant-based burgers that more closely replicate meat than veggie burgers.
But legislation around the country and world aims to block newcomers from being able to use some of those words to describe their products. It’s all in service of reducing consumer confusion and protecting their businesses, say proponents of the milk and meat industries — and recently, the rice industry has joined the fight. The people who make and advocate for plant-based meats and milks, and veggie-based rices, counter that consumers aren’t buying these products because they’re confused and think they’re something else; they’re buying them because they know the products are alternatives, and these consumers want them.
Here’s a briefing on the latest in the linguistic fight for your dinner plate.
Rice
Non-rice “rices” have proliferated in recent years, thanks to the Paleo diet, which popularized cauliflower rice. Other vegetables soon followed: Now, if you walk down the frozen aisle of a grocery store, you can buy rices made of broccoli, sweet potato, beets and butternut squash. A new form of alternative rices has popped up in recent months, too: Legume and chickpea rices are a high-protein alternative rice, from the companies Banza and RightRice. They’re made in a similar manner as chickpea pasta but cut to be rice-shaped — so they’re very similar to orzo.
But in Arkansas, beginning in August, these products can no longer be called “rice.” Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a bill last month that aims to protect the state’s meat and rice producers. Most of America’s domestically grown rice comes from Arkansas, and producers fear that rice alternatives will harm their businesses.
“This law only affects people who want to deceive the public about how their food originated,” Arkansas state Rep. David Hillman, who introduced the legislation, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “And if you’re not trying to deceive the public, this will not affect you or any of the outlets who sell these products.”
However, “ricing” is also a verb — “to reduce to a form resembling rice” — and the products are permitted to be labeled in this way. So Arkansans won’t be buying cauliflower rice, but they can purchase “riced cauliflower.” Many large companies, such as Green Giant, already label their vegetable rices this way. Manufacturers selling “cauliflower rice” after the deadline will be fined $1,000 for each mislabeled product. Restaurant labeling was not included in the bill.
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(Jennifer Chase for The Washington Post)
Dairy
The dairy industry has long fought against plant-based beverage producers calling their drinks “milk.” As the number of alternative milks continues to proliferate — beyond soy and almond, we’re now seeing oat, hemp, flax, pea, hazelnut, buckwheat, tiger nut and peanut milk — more states have adopted “truth in labeling” requirements that prevent these products from calling themselves milk. Last month, Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and James E. Risch (R-Idaho) reintroduced labeling legislation called the Dairy Pride Act, which failed to advance in 2017. A common slogan among supporters of these bills: “Almonds don’t lactate.” But producers of nondairy milks say that customers know the difference between dairy and nondairy products. Nondairy milk sales increased 61 percent between 2012 and 2017.
Louisiana is considering such a bill. Shreveport, La.’s KSLA News reported that the state used to have more than 1,000 dairies, but there are now fewer than 100. “If we don’t protect our industry, we won’t have an industry to protect,” Louisiana state Sen. Francis Thompson told the station.
The Maryland Senate recently gave its approval for the state to join North Carolina in a compact to enforce nondairy labeling standards. The legislation still needs to be approved by the governor and House of Delegates — and even then, it won’t be enforceable until other states sign on.
Proposed dairy labeling legislation is “good old-fashioned protectionism,” wrote Paul Shapiro, the author of “Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World,” in an opinion piece for The Post.
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The Impossible Whopper is now on menus at St. Louis-area Burger Kings. (Photo Illustration by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)
Meat
Meat producers aren’t too happy with the Beyond Burger and the Impossible Burger. The two plant-based burgers are famous for how well they can substitute for meat — they even “bleed” thanks to ingredients such as beets, which replicate the color of a burger’s juices. But industry lobbyists are ramping up their efforts to prevent these companies from being able to use the word “burger.” Last year, Missouri passed a law that penalizes companies that label plant-based products with certain animal meat descriptions, such as “ground beef style,” with fines or jail time. Vegetarian protein companies sued the state, which settled. In February, the New York Times reported that “beef and farming industry groups have persuaded legislators in more than a dozen states to introduce laws that would make it illegal to use the word meat to describe burgers and sausages that are created from plant-based ingredients or are grown in labs.”
“Five or 10 years from now, fake meat will have a product that is viable from a cost standpoint,” Kevin Kester, the former president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, told The Post. “We have to make sure that everyone plays by the same rules.”
It’s not just an American thing. Last week, a committee in the European Parliament passed an amendment prohibiting plant-based products from being labeled as steak, sausage, escalope, burger and hamburger. The measure will be voted on by the full Parliament after its elections, before being put to member states and the European Commission, the Guardian reports. The measure was opposed by environmental groups, who feared it could discourage plant-based eating.
“We felt that steak should be kept for real steak with meat and come up with a new moniker for all these new products. There is a lot to be done in this front, a lot of creativity will be needed,” Eric Andrieu, a French member of the European Parliament, told the Guardian.
It’s led to a lot of jokes this week about what plant-based burgers in Europe will be called. “Veggie discs” has become the running gag, and it does have a certain ring to it.
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