Monday, January 13, 2020

13th January,2020 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

With ADB’s help, Pakistan to revive agri-growth

January 13, 2020
Description: A Reuters file photo of an agricultural field.
A Reuters file photo of an agricultural field.
KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is striving to lift agricultural growth in the country but its policies reflect little understanding of the basic paradigm of agricultural development.
Agriculture being a provincial subject is supposed to be handled with political wisdom and not with political naivety or political expediency. So far, the PTI’s political naivety and political expediency have dictated agricultural policies, making them least effective.
Now, Prime Minister Imran Khan is promising once again to revitalise agricultural growth with the help of global institutions like the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He is also relying on the agricultural cooperation framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), details of which are yet to be made public.
In December 2019, ADB’s Chief for Rural Development and Food Security Dr Akmal Siddiq met the prime minister and both discussed in detail how Pakistan’s agriculture sector can be revitalised.
The ADB official told PM Imran that his institution had plans to introduce corporate agriculture on a wider scale in Balochistan. He also said the ADB had approved a $1-million grant for promoting the use of information technology in Pakistan’s agriculture and the project would commence in 2020.
In November, the ADB had approved a $275-million loan for an irrigation project in Punjab aimed at boosting crops growth by 50% and benefiting 200,000 farmers of Jhelum and Khushab districts.
Prior to that, in October 2019, the ADB had announced that between 2020 and 2022 it would be lending an average of $2.4 billion a year to Pakistan, up from $1.4 billion a year in the past.
Part of the increased financing would cover projects in the agriculture sector. Already, the ADB-financed or co-financed projects cover crucial areas of Pakistan’s agriculture like irrigation, water resources, agricultural marketing development, etc.
Towards the end of October 2019, President Arif Alvi and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing inaugurated the Pak-China Agriculture Cooperation Exchange Centre in Islamabad under the Pak-China Agricultural Cooperation Forum.
The forum has been created to help Pakistan benefit from Chinese experience in the agriculture sector. Chinese companies will help Pakistan find out sustainable solutions to key agricultural problems like low yield of crops and livestock, pre- and post-harvest wastage and poor marketing.
In addition to opening up its own market for Pakistani agricultural products like rice and fish, China has also promised to assist Pakistan in the acquisition of modern agricultural technologies and in marketing of its Halal food products across the region.
In November, the ADB approved a $2.5-million grant in technical assistance for the adoption of modern technology to boost productivity of agriculture sector in Punjab. Under this project, farmers’ access to technology will be enhanced for better harvesting of crops, post-harvest management and direct marketing of the farm produce.
Earlier, in September last year, China agreed to provide technical assistance for 13 mega projects of Pakistan’s agriculture sector. These include setting up mega storage facilities and designated processing zones for different crops across Pakistan and setting up a large-scale dairy farming and processing unit in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa as a Pakistan-China joint venture.
These are in addition to several other projects in the area of agriculture and livestock research, production of small agricultural machinery, development of disease-resistant seed varieties of various crops, etc.
Stumbling blocks
Pakistan’s agriculture sector suffers from a host of constraints. These include low spending on research, lack of certified seeds, low yields of crops, broken supply chain, shallow value-addition base, scarcity of irrigation water and skilled farm labour, rudimentary farm practices, improper, insufficient grain storage facilities, high post-harvest losses, lack of marketing infrastructure, ever-rising cost of inputs, insufficient access to information regarding price discovery and a lack of access to formal finance.
The ADB’s help has always proved crucial in supporting Pakistan’s agriculture and one can hope that Chinese help would also be meaningful.
However, implementation of the identified projects with the technical and financial assistance of the ADB and China would require ideal coordination between the federal and provincial governments.
A key question is whether this cooperation could be forthcoming? Secondly, in seeking Chinese help in the agriculture sector, the underlying objective is to boost agricultural exports to China and other Asian countries.
Meeting this objective will, however, require a real transfer of technology from China to Pakistan and speedy removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers to exports to Chinese markets.
Have we secured any solid guarantees in this regard? If yes, what we have promised in exchange? These are important issues that require open public debate.
Another important issue that needs to be debated in the context of agricultural revival plan is Pakistan’s high population growth rate. Sadly, the PTI government keeps harping on agricultural growth and food security, leaving the other key issue of population growth untouched.
The writer is a mechanical engineer and is doing masters

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2020.
Like Business on Facebookfollow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

Transforming Punjab’s agriculture through agro-ecological zoning
Amin AhmedJanuary 13, 2020
AGRO-ECOLOGICAL zones have been identified in Punjab to formulate policies and strategies for a sustainable and diversified use of natural resources and investments to harness production potential.

The development is a result of two years of collective work by institutions and teams of experts, backed by the Punjab government and supported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.

Data compiled in the agro-economic zones report reveals an enormous potential for crop diversification and precision for enhanced crop productivity. That includes land characteristics, topography, land use, soil and water analysis, weather and climate, yield and profitability, which can lead to making recommendations towards what should be grown and where and when.

Crop suitability maps have been developed for more than 50 commodities, and this meticulous rehash of agro-ecological zones could make smallholders farming a profitable business and promote overall efficient agricultural enterprising.

The purpose of establishing agro-ecological zones in Punjab is to devise policies and strategies for sustainable and diversified use of natural resources to improve production potentials in agriculture. There is a need to plan cropping systems for different areas according to water availability, soil and climatic conditions.

In order to plan cropping systems, the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) divided Pakistan into ten distinct zones in 1980 based on physical geography, climate, land use and water availability. It divided Punjab into four broad categories with eleven sub-zones.

Agriculture contributes around one quarter to Punjab’s GDP, but the overall added value from this sector in the provincial economy is disproportionately low compared to other sectors

Due to the changing climate from 1980 to 2017, PARC identified 11 zones, whereas the new study delineated 14 zones, including Cholistan desert, arid irrigated, cotton-sugarcane, Rod Kohi, semi-desert irrigated, mix cropping, cotton mix cropping, maize-wheat mix cropping, Thal-gram crop, rice-wheat, Thal zone-2, rice zone, groundnut-medium rainfall, and high rainfall.

Suitability maps of agronomic crops showed that wheat is suitable for cultivation in the whole of Punjab except in a few areas of the province, such as Attock and Rawalpindi.

Rice is most suitable in areas of upper Punjab such as Gujranwala, Sialkot and Gujrat, and in a few areas of Sheikhupura, Sargodha and Nankana Sahib. Cotton is most suitable in the lower areas of Punjab such as Khanewal, Vehari, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar.

Suitability maps of fruits showed that citrus fruits can be grown in different patches across the whole of Punjab, while the core areas include Jhelum, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Layyah and Rajanpur. Mango is most suited to central Punjab and a few areas of lower Punjab, including Rajanpur, Rahim Yar Khan, etc. Guava is best for cultivation in central Punjab and a few areas of upper Punjab such as Gujrat, Jhelum and Sialkot.

The suitability maps of vegetables showed that garlic is suited to almost all of Punjab except in Attock and Rawalpindi. Cabbage is suitable for cultivation in Gujrat and Narowal, and in a few patches in all of Punjab. The most suitable areas for turnip cultivation are Bhakkar, Layyah, and Mianwali, which are the desert areas of Punjab.

Agriculture contributes around one quarter to the GDP of Punjab, whose share is two-thirds of the total national agricultural output, leading in major commodities meant for food security in the country.

However, the overall added value from agriculture in Punjab’s economy is disproportionately low compared to other sectors of the economy, according to the chairman of the agro-ecological zones committee, Iqrar Ahmad Khan, who is also a former vice-chancellor of the University of Agriculture in Faisalabad.

The agro-ecological zoning of Punjab is a cornerstone in the efforts towards transforming Punjab’s agricultural and food systems. Agro-ecological zones will allow the identification of the most suitable cropping systems through critical analysis and assessment of agro-climatic and edaphic (soil-related) variables, as well as the available resources for crop production, and the development of agriculture integrated production planning.

It will further aim to assist agriculturists in improving the yield of major crops, by correctly identifying the production potential of the agricultural systems which is driven by climate, soil characteristics and landform conditions. This will, in the end, enhance agricultural efficiency and economic development, coupled with sustainability, says FAO Representative in Pakistan Mina Dowlatchahi.

“FAO stands ready to continue assisting the agricultural sector of Pakistan to add to the contribution from agriculture to the national economy and livelihoods of rural communities,” she adds.

Unlike the previous agro-ecological zones exercise carried out in 1980, when only regional climate data was used to delineate agro-ecological zones for conventional crops, the current methodology brings big data and analytics into the equation to delineate new agro-ecological zones at a scale of 100 metres, keeping in view the small landholdings of the country.

The new agro-ecological zones revealed an enormous potential for crop diversification as well as substantially enhanced crop productivity. The meticulous assessment of agro-ecological zones will help to make smallholder farming a profitable business and enhance overall agriculture efficiency because successful adoption of cropping systems and crops in a specified region heavily depends on critical analysis and assessment of agro-climatic norms and available resources for crop production.

Last week, FAO published a report on agro-ecological zones, which says that for the last two decades there has been no improvement in the yield of major crops. This may be due to factors including climate variability, the cultivation of crops in areas that are not suitable for those crops (for instance, planting rice in an area more suitable for cotton), declining water availability, gradual changes in the soil nutrient status and a lack of true-to-type cultivars.

Pakistan’s agriculture sector has been dominated by five crops: wheat, rice, sugar cane, maize and cotton. The narrow choice of crops is due mainly to a lack of understanding about the scope for more crops and a misallocation of resources. Also, the country has been unable to take advantage of the diversity of climate and land geographies, and consequently, it has become a net importer of otherwise locally cultivable crops such as fruits, vegetables, pulses and oilseeds, among others.

This also means the country spends enormous amounts of foreign exchange to import edible oil, pulses and seeds of many agricultural crops. There is a need to diversify and add more crops to existing cropping systems to achieve sustainability and diversification. The disadvantages and limitations associated with the expansion of cropland make it critically important to know where and how to increase crop yield on existing cropland area.

An assessment of the physical and biological potential of natural resources that leads to the delineation of agro-ecological zones specific to crops presents a useful preliminary evaluation of this potential and ensures that representation is maintained at an appropriate bio-geographic scale for regional sustainable development planning.

Publish in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, January 13th 2020

Agriculture: Soya bean a miracle crop for national food security
Dr Saeed A. AsadJanuary 13, 2020Facebook Count
Twitter Share  
0
PAKISTAN produces huge quantities of major staple and non-staple food crops, including wheat, rice, maize, sugar cane and cotton. Still, the state of food security in the country is far from satisfactory.

A rise in population, climate change and depleting water resources are only exacerbating the situation, and failure to achieve food security may push the country towards food imports.

Gauging the severity of the food security issue, the federal government has launched the Prime Minister’s National Agriculture Emergency Programme to increase the productivity of some selected livestock and crops, including oilseeds such as canola, mustard, soya bean, etc.

Despite their significant importance in food and feed, oilseed crops are categorised as minor crops in Pakistan. Because of their secondary position at research and policy level, oilseed crops have failed to find a priority place in our cropping system until recently.

Major oilseed crops grown in Pakistan are canola, rapeseed, cotton and sunflower, which are primarily used for edible (cooking) oil needs. With an annual population growth rate of around two per cent, the demand for cooking oil has been on the rise in Pakistan with every passing year, but the local production of oilseed crops is negligible, and country is dependent on imported edible oil.

It can help reduce edible oil imports, which have almost doubled to 3.35m tonnes in the last five years

For example, during the 2016-17 fiscal year, only 12pc of our total edible oil requirement of nearly 3.6 million tonnes was met by local produce. The remainder was contributed by imports, which cost the country around $3 billion.

Edible oil imports have doubled in the last five years, rising from 1.67m tonnes in 2014-15 to 3.35m tonnes in 2018-19, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

Soya bean is a rich and economical source of nutrition, containing up to 42pc of best-quality protein, 22pc oil contents and 30pc carbohydrates besides significant amounts of essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

The soya bean seed also contains many limiting amino acids, namely lysine, linoleic and linolenic acids, which are essential for human but not synthesised by human body itself. Therefore, soya bean oil is the best source of essential elements required for human growth and development.

Owing to its prime nutritional value and multiplex uses, it is also called the “golden bean”. Moreover, it contains the highest amounts of oil and protein contents than other oilseeds.

Soya bean is a non-conventional crop and owing to its marginal cultivation, it is less popular among Pakistani farmers. Interestingly, all the four provinces

of Pakistan are suitable for soya bean cultivation and this crop needs minimal amounts of fertilisers as compared with cash crops like cotton, sugar cane, maize, etc.

Historically, soya bean was recognised as popular crop for intercropping with sugar cane, an ideal combination of an exhaustive and restorative crop. Its cultivation in Pakistan peaked in 1990, but then it started to decline gradually and almost disappeared from our fields by 2010.

Soya bean is a short duration crop, maturing in 90 to 120 days depending on the seed variety and weather. It also fits well in our existing cropping system without clashing with major crops.

Therefore, farmers could utilise rice, cotton, and rain-fed fallow areas for soya bean cultivation. The respective patterns for soya bean cultivation in rain-fed, rice and cotton areas are wheat-soya bean-wheat, rice-soya bean-rice, and cotton-soya bean-cotton.

The cultivation of soya bean after exhaustive crops (wheat, rice and cotton) also helps restore the soil fertility and health for the next exhaustive crop, because soya bean captures nitrogen from air and stores it in the soil.

Due to a lack of policy and low return value, soya bean has failed to earn a respectable position in the existing farming schemes of Pakistan.

The unavailability of quality seeds, lack of production technology, extension services and marketing facilities have worsened the situation.

As the soya bean can help cut edible oil imports to a significant extent, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research needs to launch a massive information drive at federal level in close coordination with provincial agricultural departments and oilseed boards.

The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) has already taken initiatives for increasing soya bean cultivation in a few districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, distributing soya bean seed to farmers free of cost.

PARC and regional agricultural research institutes including Faisalabad’s Ayub Agricultural Research Institute and Swat’s Agricultural Research Institute have developed some novel varieties of soya bean suitable for local soil and climatic conditions.

Better availability of native seed varieties is imperative for the success of the soya bean crop across the country. The efforts being made in this regard need to be accelerated and taken to the level of small farmers rather than focused only on progressive growers.

Description: https://i.dawn.com/primary/2020/01/5e1b7bda282ab.jpgSmall farmers comprise more than 90 per cent of our farming community and a little incentive to smallholder peasants can yield promising results.

Marketing soya bean in Pakistan is no more a problem because of its versatility and wide use in human food, livestock and poultry feeds. Poultry feed has emerged as the biggest user of this crop after oil extraction in the country. Moreover, its other uses in paints, polymers, wood adhesives, synthetic fibres, fire foams, pesticides, medicines, cosmetics and papers make it an ideal crop to embed in our existing cropping patterns.

Soya bean is in indeed a miracle crop, and a little effort by the government to boost its cultivation may save billions of dollars being spent on edible oil imports.

The writer is an assistant professor at the Centre for Climate Research and Development of the COMSATS University Islamabad

Publish in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, January 13th 2020
Sino-Pak FTA-II: will Pakistan benefit?
: January 13, 2020
Description: A Reuters file photo.
ISLAMABAD: China and Pakistan have signed phase-II of the free trade agreement (FTA), which has become effective on January 1, 2020, 15 years after the phase-I was operationalised.
In this article, we weigh the possible benefits Pakistan can draw from this agreement.
China is already ranked as the second largest export destination for Pakistan with a share of 8% in Pakistan’s total exports, after the United States (17%).
Unsurprisingly, Pakistan’s exports to China are heavily concentrated in a few products such as cotton and rice, which account for 75% of Pakistan’s total exports to China.
China also occupies the largest share in Pakistan’s total imports at 29%. Since the Sino-Pak FTA, the trade volume between the two countries has increased from $2.2 billion in 2005 to approximately $15.6 billion in 2019.
Pakistan’s exports jumped to $1.74 billion in 2017-18 from $575 million in 2006-07. Correspondingly, China’s exports to Pakistan increased to $15.74 billion in 2017-18 from $3.5 billion in 2006-07.
The bilateral trade balance has remained tilted in China’s favour as Pakistan’s exports to China could not keep pace with its imports from the country.
In FY19, the trade deficit with China came down to $10.89 billion, which accounted for 34.22% of Pakistan’s total trade deficit.
According to Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, the FTA-II is targeted to generate an additional $500 million in exports in its first year of implementation. Hopes are high.
A review of the new FTA deal reveals that market access given to Pakistan is on a par with Asean member countries – something that was missing in the previous FTA and, therefore, was a major concern for Pakistani exporters.
It also seems that the private sector has been thoroughly consulted before operationalising the agreement.
The FTA-II offers new opportunities to the exporters. This calls for joint efforts by the government and the private sector to turn these opportunities into concrete gains for Pakistan, otherwise, this may become another case of GSP Plus status, which could not be leveraged substantially.
Some challenges to convert this opportunity into material gains are worth repeating.
A high cost of production and the subsequent lack of competitiveness has always been a setback for the major export industries such as textile and leather.
Industrialists should utilise the provisions under the new phase to import cheaper inputs and focus should also be placed on product branding and marketing as this remains a weak area of the country’s trade strategy.
It is pertinent to note that neither the new FTA nor the previous one catered to the stringent non-tariff barriers (NTBs) that restrain Pakistan’s agro-based exports to China.
According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), in 2016 alone, China initiated and enforced 87 technical barriers to trade and 12 sanitary and phyto-sanitary cases on exports of certain products from Pakistan such as organic chemicals, oilseeds, meat, fruits, grains, seeds, animal fodder, etc.
Including a provision or two on the NTBs in the new FTA could have been beneficial for boosting agro-exports to China.
Since Pakistan will be lowering its tariffs for China on 5,237 items over time, there is a possibility of increased import bill given the nature of those items (high-value products). Not to mention, the devaluation of yuan amidst the US-China trade war is also not auguring well for Pakistan.
Therefore, we should proceed with caution since China has a strong manufacturing base for export of goods as compared to imports.
Nonetheless, the ball is in Pakistan’s court now. It needs to take certain measures so as to ensure exports grow in the long run.
Firstly, it is important that Pakistan examines the impact of reduced tariffs on each product and correspondingly rationalises its import tariffs to avoid trade diversion as happened previously.
Secondly, Pakistan needs to expedite the completion of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) so that Chinese investments can flow into the sectors that will benefit from the new FTA.
Thirdly, there are various internal barriers to trade that require attention such as cumbersome regulations, poor infrastructure, multiplicity of taxes, high energy prices, lack of research and development, just to name a few.
Therefore, unless the government improves the regulatory environment, enhances supply capacity, broadens export basket and takes measures to develop a footprint in global value chains, FTAs will do little to improve Pakistan’s struggling exports in the long run.
The writers are affiliated with PRIME Institute, an independent economic policy think tank based in Islamabad

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2020.
Like Business on Facebookfollow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

Malaysia, Pakistan keen to enhance trade in commodities Description: https://themalaysianreserve.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/p1-Oil-palm_AM.jpgMonday, January 13th, 2020 at , Business | News
by BERNAMA / pic by BLOOMBERG
MALAYSIA and Pakistan are keen to further explore ways to enhance trade in commodities, as well as avenues to further expand Malaysian palm oil’s share in Pakistan.
A statement issued in conjunction with Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok’s official visit to the country said the minister and Pakistan’s advisor for Commerce, Textile, Industry and Production and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood took the opportunity in a bilateral dialogue to explore various issues of common interest to both countries.
“For example, Pakistan is a net exporter of rice, fruits and other produce that are required by Malaysia, and Dawood encouraged Malaysia to consider instituting trading practices that could allow smoother passage of these products into Malaysia.
“On her part, Kok highlighted that medium density fibreboard (MDF) exporters from Sri Lanka enjoyed lower duties whereas Malaysia’s higher quality MDF was subjected to higher import tariffs,” she said.

Meanwhile, she said Pakistan is a key importer of Malaysian palm oil and products — in 2018, it imported 1.16 million metric tonnes of palm oil valued at RM2.97 billion.
She highlighted the importance of Pakistan as an end-user of Malaysian palm oil and facilitated by the joint-venture refinery between Malaysia and Pakistan in Port Qasim.
She said, while Pakistan is one of the most regular and dependable buyers of Malaysian palm oil and products, the commodity has the potential for a higher uptake in Pakistan, given that its local production of oils and fats meets only around 20% of its consumption needs.
“It, thus, depends heavily on imports to meet growing domestic demand and consumption. Demand has been increasing at a rate of 4.5% per year for the past seven years due to increasing population, income and consumer spending.
“Palm oil is widely used for the manufacture of vanaspati (ghee) and it is also the preferred raw material for the food industry in Pakistan, especially for frying and in confectionery items,” she added.
During her visit there, Kok was also invited to deliver the keynote address at the 5th Pakistan Edible Oil Conference on Jan 10. — Bernama

 

Skyrocketing prices of essential commodities

Sir, I am writing to you to express my deep concern over the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities which is making the life of the common people very hard. The Government has failed miserably in its promise of keeping inflation low. The prices of essential commodities such as pulses, vegetables, cereals, cooking oil, sugar, rice, and petrol, etc. have been rising unrelentingly.
All measures to bring the prices down have failed. I just want to ask the concerned ministry and authorities what is happening. The poor are desperate, while the rich are having a gala! Why does the Government not put a rein on inflation? Why is the Government PDS such a big failure?
See the paradox! On one hand we have food grains worth millions of rupees rotting in the FCI godowns, and on the other hand, the poor and the middle classes of our country are not getting the grain and pulses at reasonable price.
Why does the Government not make these food grain and pulses available to the common people?
Once the Government will supply these food items into the market, the prices will automatically go down. Besides, the Government need to act strictly against the hoarding and black-marketing of food items.
Through the columns of your esteemed daily I appeal to the concerned ministry to look into the matter and take steps to alleviate people’s troubles.
Maaz Azher
Karachi


Rice inventory up 14% in early Dec. amid surge in NFA stocks
January 13, 2020 | 12:03 am

Description: https://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NFA-rice-warehouse-102219.jpgPHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS
THE national rice inventory was estimated at 3.098 million metric tons (MT) as of Dec. 1, up 14% from a year earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
According to the PSA’s Rice and Corn Stocks Inventory report, the inventory rose 4.6% month-on-month. The rice inventory is sufficient for about 96 days’ consumption based on an average daily consumption estimate of 32,000 MT.
Households accounted for 51.9% of inventories, commercial warehouses 32.6%, and the National Food Authority (NFA) 15.5%. No breakdown was provided for how much of the stocks were accounted for by imported rice.
Household inventory grew 5.3% year-on-year, while stocks held by commercial warehouses fell 7.3%. NFA stocks rose 370.6% from a year earlier.
All segments reported higher stocks month-on-month. Inventory held by households increased 5.3%, those of commercial warehouses grew 2.9%, and NFA holdings increased 5.9%.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that it is projecting palay production for 2019 of about 18.4 million MT, lower than the 19-million MT target, which factored in about P16.07 billion worth of agricultural damage during the period.



For 2020, it targets 19.6 million MT with the support of the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), which includes a P3-billion seed component. The DA’s distribution of inbred seed through the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) started in late 2019 for dry-season planting in 2019 and 2020.
RCEF aims to reduce cost of production by about half from the current P12 per kilo, as well as to increase yield per hectare to 6 MT from 4 MT.
The corn inventory was reported at 794,870 MT, up 26.2% year-on-year, but down 33.7% month-on-month.
Corn held in commercial warehouses accounted for 77.1% of the total, while households held 22.9%. The NFA did not hold corn stocks.
Both sectors increased their holdings comparing year-on-year. Households raised their stocks 89.7%, while commercial warehouse inventory increased 14.8%.
Month-on-month, household inventory fell 18.1%, while holdings of commercial warehouses fell 37.2%. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Kerala Electrician Starts Organic Paddy Farming; Opens India’s First ‘Rice Park’

Now growing a 118 rare varieties of rice, Jayakrishnan, along with his friend Leneesh, also sells organic ‘superfoods’, made from their fresh farm produce.
·      
·       JANUARY 13, 2020
·       KERALA ORGANIC FARMING
Description: Kerala Electrician Starts Organic Paddy Farming; Opens India’s First ‘Rice Park’In Kozhikode, Kerala, everyone recognises Jayakrishnan Thaazhathuveettil as the pioneer of organic paddy farming in the state. Partnering with his friend Leneesh K, Jayakrishnan has helped revive 118 traditional, rare and exotic varieties of paddy, many of which hold excellent medicinal properties.
The former electrician has an interesting story about the starting point of his organic journey.
Thirteen years ago, his son, Bhagath was just one year old, when he suffered from a bout of chronic sickness. When the prescribed medicines failed to provide relief, a worried Jayakrishnan observed the consumption habits of his family, and realised that the chemical-laden food in their diet was possibly responsible for recurring health issues.
Jayakrishnan decided to return to his ancestral vocation of farming. He leased a 7-acre plot of land in Kozhikode and named it Anadha Farms to grow paddy. However, unlike most around him, he opted for organic farming which was quite a revolutionary concept at the time.
Description: https://d3l4am9dimtbet.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/black-leaves.jpg
Black rice growing at Jayakrishnan’s farm

“My son is now a healthy 14-year-old! My family and I have given up using chemicals like soaps, toothpaste, refined sugar, dishwashing bars etc., and opted for all-natural alternatives like coconut cake, burnt rice husk (for washing). I absolutely feel that we—my mother Janaki, wife Reshma, and children, Bhagath and Rudra—are leading a much healthier and happier life now,” shares Jayakrishnan.

An electrician who became organic farmer

Jayakrishnan had heard about long-lost varieties like Mullan Kayama, Rakthashali, Valkya Chennel or KalaMalli Phula—which once fulfilled several medicinal requirements for the community. He wished to revive these varieties and bring them back on people’s plates. 
Drawing inspiration from Subhas Palekar’s zero-budget spiritual farming and Fukuoka’s natural farming methods, before formulating his own methodology. Today, aside from over a hundred varieties of paddy, the Kerala farmer also cultivates over 50 varieties of traditional tubers and 20 varieties of native vegetables. 
“I collect diverse varieties of paddy seeds by travelling all across the country, including indigenous communities in obscure hamlets of India. I  procure the remaining seeds through an extensive network of rice farmers spread across continents. I even have a few varieties sourced from Pakistan and Thailand!” says the electrician-turned-farmer.
Description: https://d3l4am9dimtbet.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Different-paddy-varities-4-scaled.jpg
The golden rice variety

The prized varieties of rice

While the revenue from farming does not earn him a fortune, his annual harvest of 20 tonnes of exotic rice is nearly enough to sustain his passion for exploring and discovering newer paddy species.
Speaking with The Better India, he enthusiastically explains the incredible health benefits of some of his prized paddy varieties. 
The Mullan Kayama is an aromatic medicinal variety, once consumed by royalty, while Rakhthashaali is red rice, which is deemed to have anti-cancerous properties, as well as antioxidant benefits. He procured the Kalabhatti paddy from remote parts of Odisha, which is a dark purple variety enriched with calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamins B & E and zinc, and also has blood purifying properties. The Kanaka Choorna, proven to have a high content of gold as a micronutrient, is another exceptional find. The Valkya Chennel rice is known to boost energy levels while the KalaMalli Phula is rich in antioxidants. Basmati Nagni, Assam Black, Mapillai Chemba and Rakhta Choodi are four of his other best varieties. 

Folk Rice Park & Knowledge Centre

Jayakrishnan works in partnership with Leneesh, who runs a similar paddy farm in Wayanad. Leneesh, a former journalist, had been growing paddy using organic methods for the past few years, ever since he participated in the Save Our Rice campaign by NGO Thanal. 
Description: https://d3l4am9dimtbet.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Jayakrishnan-and-Leneesh.jpeg
Jayakrishnan and Leneesh at the Folk Rice Park

“I met Jayakrishnan at a paddy seed festival and was deeply intrigued by his passion. For a while, we exchanged seeds regularly and supported each other’s efforts. In 2018, we joined hands and decided to pursue paddy farming together as a joint venture,” Leneesh shares. 
The duo has recently opened the Folk Rice Centre & Knowledge Centre, on Leenesh’s 13-acre rice farm in Wayanad. The park attracts visitors from all over Kerala, as well as tourists from other states. Interestingly, such a rice park is perhaps the first-of-its-kind in India. With their exhibition of lost indigenous rice varieties, a guided walk through the park is an enriching experience for any visitor. 
The two friends also conduct extensive awareness campaigns among the public. Jayakrishnan himself regularly visits schools and colleges, conducting workshops on organic farming and rice varieties. He also actively advocates the ideas on social media. 
Description: https://d3l4am9dimtbet.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/front-of-seed-bank.jpg
Jayakrishnan explaining his farming methods

Jayakrishnan and Leneesh, also run ‘Paithrugam,’ a chain of organic superfoods concocted from their fresh farm produce. For example, their all-organic baby food mixture Shishu Bhojan – made with traditional rice varieties, pulses and nuts – is one of the local bestsellers. Shaali Paani (organic health drink from powdered black rice), Glypor (food mixture to regulate insulin levels in diabetic patients) and Oushadha Kootu (porridge mix from rice, pulses and medicinal herbs) – are some of the other consumer favourites. 

“I started farming for selfish reasons”

To ensure the proliferation of his efforts, Jayakrishnan regularly offers his seeds to interested farmers and educates them about the A to Z of his methodology. Jayakrishnan ardently wishes the people of Kerala to switch back to their older consumption habits, sans any harmful chemicals or hybrid cultivars. 
Description: https://d3l4am9dimtbet.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Exhibiting-paddy-scaled.jpg
Jayakrishnan’s rice varieties on display at a local exhibition

Winding up the conversation, Jayakrishnan mentions that while he is a staunch advocate of organic farming and zero-waste lifestyle, he is not averse to technology. Rather, he believes that modern technology and traditional habits should go hand in hand to foster a perfect society and environment. In fact, he has also implemented unique machines in his fields to help in sowing, watering of saplings or conserving the seeds after harvest.
“I started farming for selfish reasons (you can say). But, it’s all good now since the outcome has been great.”
 (Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.


size=0 width="100%" align=center>
Description: Feeling Sour? 5 Feel-Good Foods That Will Put You in a Good Mood


Feeling Sour? 5 Feel-Good Foods That Will Put You in a Good Mood

Be a little mindful and you can eat your way to happiness!
·      
·       JANUARY 10, 2020
Emotional well-being is directly proportional to how nutrient-dense your diet is. We’re not making this up as a study published in the journal ‘Nutritional Neuroscience’ proves it.
The lack of a nutritious diet takes a toll on your mental health, often resulting in anxiety or even depression. The antidote to the problem, according to the study, is to introduce a wider variety of nutrient-dense foods in the diet.
We bring you five ways in which you can bring more nutrition into your life, while ensuring that you load up on foods that are also high on endorphins and serotonin, among other chemicals that the nervous system naturally produces to reduce stress and deal with pain. These chemicals are also called “feel-good” as they boost happiness.

Break your Fast with Healthy Food!

Description: good mood food
If you’re breaking your fast, you might as well have food that help you begin your day on a happy note. Dark chocolate, bananas and oats are some of nature’s goodies that are naturally loaded with happiness-nutrients!
And choc-a-bloc with all these yummy ingredients is this Banana Chocolate Overnight Oats that is ready to eat in the morning if you only leave it soaked overnight.
Yes, it really is that simple.

Hangry? Don’t get Angry, Snack Smart Instead!

Description: https://d3l4am9dimtbet.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/shutterstock_1460412194-500x334.jpg
Not listening to those hunger pangs you get in the evening, is one of the worst things to do to your body. If you’re a millennial office-goer, or just a day-dreamer, it always helps to have some healthy snacks at hand. Guilt free munchies such as Brazil nuts will ensure that you keep irritability and anxiety at bay while offering a delicious rich, creamy taste.

When Granny says Eat Whole Food, Say I do!

Description: https://d3l4am9dimtbet.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Untitled-design-2019-10-25T164742.786-500x500.jpg
Whole foods such as lentils have complex carbohydrates, increasing the brain’s production of serotonin. Also, your granny would swear by it for perfectly peachy health. Introduce more whole foods and staples such as dal-chawal for lunch or dinner. They’re simple to cook, easy to eat and pack a whole punch of nutrition in one meal. You could try experimenting with interesting varieties of rice such as Aromatic Black Rice to mix up the flavours.

Bottoms Up! Ehm . . .  We mean Water.

Description: https://d3l4am9dimtbet.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/shutterstock_697014088-500x334.jpg
Colas or diet colas are loaded with sugars and harmful artificial sweeteners such as aspartame; chuck ‘em out of the window. If you must have your customary drink to combat mid-day slump, let it be something that is free and guarantees good health. Water is inarguably, the single most important thing for our physical and mental well-being. Storing it in pretty copper bottles help nourishes your body. Copper ensures mental, physical and chemical well being of your body.

Stay Strong, Whispered My Dark Chocolate

Description: good mood food
The darker the chocolate, the better it is. While sugary foods are best avoided, it’s perfectly alright to indulge yourself once in a while with some organic dark chocolate. Especially, if it’s infused with natural ingredients like lemon and ginger. So, go on, eat your way to good health and a happy mood.
All you really need to do is just be a little mindful.


(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

Donovan Stanberry | Deciphering The Food Import Bill – Part 3
Published:Sunday | January 12, 2020 | 12:42 AM
Ian Allen
The banana industry has taken a serious battering from liberalization of our traditional export market
Description: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/sites/default/files/styles/jg_article_image/public/media/article_images/2020/01/12/656027/2513703.jpg?itok=2sr6P3QEAn analysis of our Food Import Bill reveals that the major imports of plant based food include:
- Cereal – wheat, rice, and corn, both as raw material for processing into consumer-ready products as well as finished products;
- Food preparations, that is, semi-processed food, serving as raw material in our food-manufacturing industry;
- Processed finished goods – breakfast cereals, biscuits, chips, confectionary, nuts, pastries, and other baked products;
- Refined sugar;
- Coconut and cocoa products.

Before analysing the structure of our plant-based food imports, it is apt at this juncture to salute our 220,000 farmers, who, collectively, ensure that we are more or less self-sufficient in basic plant-based foods to sustain a healthy nation, that is, vegetables, starches, fruits, herbs, and condiments.
Fresh vegetables constitute a mere 2.2 per cent of our food imports, and this is destined mainly for the hotel sector. We produce enough tubers and bananas to ensure that we could live without flour and rice if we must. We also produce a wide variety of fruits, some of which are seasonal. Basically, were we to cease importation of wheat, rice, and products derived from them, we would lose the variety of dainty options, but we certainly, would not die!
In 2018, imports of cereal for food, that is, other than for animal feed, including for processing and finished goods, valued nearly US$90 million, or just about 10 per cent of all food imports. This is the result of a taste for these products that we have built up since the days of slavery when we, essentially, imported everything we consumed and produced only sugar for Britain. The slaves should be credited for the first attempt at diversifying our agriculture through their production of tubers and vegetable on their free day. It was these same slaves who developed the peasantry in the post-emancipation period and whose descendants now evolved into our 220,000 small farmers.
It is going to take serious and sustained re-education to change this well-entrenched taste pattern, notwithstanding the fact that science is now telling us that our tubers, breadfruit, and banana give us better carbohydrate than flour and rice, and they are gluten-free.
Attempts in the 1970s to establish our starches as our major staples were met with stiff resistance, and the absence of flour and rice on the plate had serious political consequences for the then Government, which was pushing the now fashionable ‘Eat What You Grow’ campaign.
Indeed, we have grown considerably since then, with Scientific Research Council (SRC), the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), and the 4-H Clubs coming up with a number of formulations from our local starches. These formulations have been largely ignored by the formal commercial food establishments.
LOCALS CAN DO MUCH MORE
Our local food establishments can do much more. RADA, for instance, has produced an excellent pancake mix from cassava, with accompanying syrup from otaheite apple, which is begging for commercialisation.
Bammy sticks and roasted/fried breadfruit should be a staple in our fast-food restaurants, replacing some of the unhealthy Irish potato fries.
In luxury hotels in London, for instance, sweet potato chips have replaced chips from Irish potato. All over Latin America, even franchises of major North American fast-food chains offer menu incorporating the mix of local food items they produce. We need to see more sweet potato-, breadfruit- and yam-based salads punches and pastries. These options are not only healthier, but they would significantly bolster local agriculture and rural livelihoods.
The situation with juices and drinks is analogous. Between imports of concentrates, juice mixes, and finished juice products, we spent over US$45 million in 2018.
We once had a thriving, vertically integrated citrus industry, which was almost decimated by a series of diseases. However, apart from oranges, we have a great variety of fruits – june plums, mangoes, sour sops, otaheite apples, passion fruit, cherries, etc. We have not been able to sustain our juice-manufacturing industry with a consistent supply of fruits because apart from citrus, we refuse to develop orchards.
This generation is, basically, reaping what was planted 30 or more years ago by our grandparents in our backyards! A roll-out of orchards on those fertile irrigated lands in Bernard Lodge is an opportunity waiting to happen not only for import replacement, but more significantly, for exports.
The world is salivating for our mangoes. We have market access to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, but we have to scrape from multiple farms/backyards to consolidate a pallet of mangoes for shipment!
In terms of Irish potatoes, in 2018, Jamaica imported fresh and frozen potatoes to the tune of US$24 million. We have significantly reduced importation of table Irish potatoes to the extent where in 2018, we were satisfying well over 80 per cent of our consumption through local production. This is an important and commendable effort of the Ministry of Agriculture and our farmers, an effort that has been sustained since 2009. The bulk of our imports now are for fries. The ministry has been conducting trials with varieties of potatoes more suitable for fries for a good while now. These efforts need to be accelerated. Once these varieties have been tried and proven, I have no doubt that the feat, with respect to table potatoes, can be repeated for potatoes for fries.
WORRYING AND DISAPPOINTING
The most worrying and disappointing aspect of our imports of plant-based foods relates to the importation of coconut products (US$8.2 million), coffee products (nearly US$2 million), cocoa products (US$10.3 million), and banana and plantain chips (US$9.2 million) – all products from traditionally strong export sectors that have declined significantly.
While the coconut industry has faced the challenge of diseases and hurricanes, this sector still has tremendous potential. The Coconut Industry Board has, for years, been more content with watching its shares in SEPROD grow than in using said shares or part thereof to invest in expansion and development of the sector. It is nothing short of an indictment that we are importing such quantities of coconut products, not to mention the significant export potential.
Admittedly, coffee imports are not very significant in value, but we have to watch this carefully. Coffee production has fallen from just over 600,000 boxes in the 2003-04 crop year to 206,933 boxes in 2017-18, according to data from Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA).
Cocoa deliveries to fermentaries in that 2017-18 crop year were a mere 220 tonnes when in the 1960s, we were exporting over 2,000 tonnes of cocoa! These traditional crops have been positioned, essentially, as commodities, though we receive premium prices on account of exceptional quality. That we are importing over US$10 million of cocoa products is testament to the extent this sector has declined.
The banana industry has taken a serious battering from liberalisation of our traditional export market. When we had duty-free access to Britain, we were exporting in the heydays well over 100,000 tonnes of banana.
With the loss of that market, the industry has reoriented itself to focus on the domestic market and value added, even though in recent years exports to Canada, Cayman, Trinidad, and the Turks and Caucus Islands have been encouraging. The value-added aspect of the industry will, however, never take off if we continue to import US$9 million worth of banana and plantain chips.
FORGING LINKAGES
In relation to snacks, in 2018, we spent approximately US$60 million importing an assortment of biscuits, wafers, nuts, confectionaries, chewing gum, chips, pastries, and other baked products.
There is no doubt in my mind that our manufacturing sector can produce a variety of snacks to replace some of these imports. As said above, RADA and the 4-H Clubs have developed local snacks, which remain samples and are only seen at our agricultural shows. These efforts must be commercialised, with our manufacturers forging backward linkages with farmers to improve farmers’ productivity and capacity to supply consistently.
There is one additional consideration regarding this category of imports: they are laced with refined sugar and sodium, precipitating a public-health crisis with respect to non-communicable diseases.
Apart from giving a boost to local farmers through import replacement, the Government needs to promulgate enhanced food standards to regulate the levels of salt and sugar in our snacks. This will help to curb our imports of these products and provide an additional impetus for our manufacturers to produce wholesome snacks.
In the next article, I will look at how our food-based manufacturing sector and agriculture should be repurposed to create greater wealth through an export orientation.
- Donovan Stanberry, PhD, CD, JP, campus registrar, University of the West Indies, Mona, and former permanent secretary in the agriculture ministry. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.
                                                             http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/focus/20200112/donovan-stanberry-deciphering-food-import-bill-part-3
Gov’t raises ₱12 B from tariffs on rice imports
Published January 11, 2020, 10:00 PM
By CHINO S. LEYCO
The rice tariffication law has yielded more than enough to fund the government’s compensation program for farmers who suffered a reduction or loss of income arising from the liberalized importation of the Filipino staple food, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
Since the removal of the quantitative restrictions (QRs) on rice trading was implemented in March last year, the Bureau of Customs already raised ₱12.3 billion, well above the minimum P10 billion requirement for the rice competitiveness enhancement fund (RCEF).
In a statement, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the ₱2.3-billion excess as of end-December last year gives the government more funds to immediately extend direct aid to farmers and make the farm production more efficient.
To recall, the rice tariffication law removed the QRs on rice trading and imposes a minimum 35 percent tariff on imports of the grain, with revenues earmarked for farmer productivity and competitiveness programs.
Dominguez said the rice liberalization should be viewed as an “opportunity to revolutionize the agriculture sector and help farmers become more competitive in the global economy.”
Under the law, tariffs collected from rice imports will go to the annual ₱10-billion RCEF, which will be used to finance the modernization of the agriculture sector.
RCEF is also expected to provide farmers with greater access to cheap credit, high-quality seeds, agricultural machinery and skills training on farm mechanization and other modern farming technologies.
Before rice tariffication, the cash-strapped National Food Authority (NFA) regulated private rice imports and agency was the chief importer of the grain, incurring a total of ₱187 billion in tax subsidies from 2005 to 2015 or an average of ₱19 billion a year.
Finance Undersecretary Gil S. Beltran estimated that NFA lost around ₱11 billion annually before the rice tariffication law.
But with the new tax regime on rice, Beltran said the government has already earned over ₱11 billion in less than a year, a complete reversal of the average of ₱11 billion it has been losing every year during the pre-RTL regime.
Aside from the additional revenue, Dominguez also cited the law’s favorable impact on headline inflation, which bottomed out at 0.8 percent last October mainly due to lower rice prices.
When the law took effect in March, inflation during the month immediately decelerated to 3.3 percent, and gradually tapered in the succeeding month as rice imports began to enter the market and slashed prices by about P8 a kilo on average.
Low rice prices boosted household spending, which helped drive gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 6.2 percent in the third quarter of 2019.
According to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, the average retail price of rice in the fourth week of November sunk to its lowest level in three years to ₱36.67 per kilo since the government eased rules on importation.

‘Meeting country’s rice needs without imports, a huge challenge’
12 January, 2020
Description: There will be many challenges in the agriculture sector within the next 10 years and one key challenge is people’s changing food habits. Pic: Lake House Media Library
There will be many challenges in the agriculture sector within the next 10 years and one key challenge is people’s changing food habits. Pic: Lake House Media Library
Sri Lanka needs 196,000 mt of rice per month for consumption and the challenge before the country is to increase production without resorting to rice imports, an authority on agricultural science, Professor, Weed Science and President, Weed Science Society of Sri Lanka (WSSSL), Prof. Buddhi Marambe said.
Description: http://www.sundayobserver.lk/sites/default/files/news/2020/01/11/z_p28-Meeting-02.jpgHe said that the country’s food security was threatened and the situation could take a turn for the worse. The world is concerned about food security at present in a big way and it encompasses the properties of availability, access, affordability, quality, nutrition and safety, he said.
“However, the Overarching Agriculture Policy developed with the assistance of the European Union for public consultations would help the country to manage the situation,” he said.
Prof. Buddhi Marambe is also the Chairman, National Experts Committee on Climate Change Adaptation (NECCCA), Ministry of Environment and Chairman, National Invasive Species Specialist Group (NISSG), Ministry of Environment.
Technical Assistance to Modernisation of Agriculture Program (TAMAP) in Sri Lanka commissioned a short-term expert team to assist the government to improve its support to farmers, farmer organisations and the extension services. TAMAP supported the country in the development of an Overarching Agriculture Policy (OAP). With the adoption of the OAP it is expected that the entire agriculture sector in Sri Lanka will become more effective, efficient and competitive.
A large number of agriculture business models were assessed with a view to their applicability in the Sri Lankan context, established a ranking of preferred farmer business models for Sri Lanka as well as an inventory of the necessary resources and finally a roadmap to achieve the preferred structure.
“It is necessary to have in place a mechanism to minimise crop damage and waste.
To this end, the OAP will facilitate reduction in agriculture wastage. The crop losses during three Yala and Maha seasons in 2015, 2016 and 2017 had compelled the country to import rice. However, in 2018 the country had a bumper harvest, he noted.
The agriculture sector is experiencing 20 to 40 percent post harvest losses especially as regards to perishable products.
“We need to think in a novel way to overcome this problem which will have serious implications for food production and food security,” he said.
The policy had been developed over the past 10 months through wide stakeholder consultations at central and local level supported by the EU’s Technical Assistance to Modernisation of Agriculture project, he said.
The OAP was part of Sri Lanka’s strategic response to the evolving priorities and challenges in the global, national and sectoral environments. Prof. Marambe said.
The Green Climate Fund is expected to provide USD 100 billion every year from 2020 to tackle climate change issues. However, to-date only USD 10.2 billion had been committed. This is an area where the country should strongly focus on and take necessary action, he said.
There had been 4.8 percent growth in the agriculture production, in 2018, despite the challenging weather conditions, and technology adoption was at a higher rate in Sri Lanka and this was the secret of sustainable development, he noted.
“Food imports had become inevitable in the face of unfavourable weather conditions. There will be many challenges in the agriculture sector within the next 10 years and one key challenge is people’s changing food habits.
This has resulted in an increasing demand for grains which in turn has increased human consumption. The demand for animal feed also has increased over the years.” Prof. Marambe said. 
Duterte still wants rice importation suspended

By: Edwin O. Fernandez, Orlando B. Dinoy, Ryan Rosauro - @inquirerdotnetPhilippine Daily Inquirer / 04:40 AM January 12, 2020
PIGCAWAYAN, Cotabato, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has again said he would order the suspension of rice importations to help rice farmers struggling with low palay prices due to foreign competition following the implementation of the rice tariffication law.

Speaking to peasant leaders and government employees from the Soccsksargen region here on Friday, Duterte said he would leave it to Agriculture Secretary William Dar “to make the projections (and) timeline of when to import and when not to import.”But he added: “When it is nearing harvest time, on that period, importation will stop.”
“And then,” he said, “I will buy what you worked hard for. I told Secretary [Dar] that if we lose [because] the price [of palay] from the people is high, buy it still. If we lose, then we lose.”
Margin of safety
Duterte pointed to the need to always have “a margin of (safety of rice inventory)” in timing the suspension and resumption of rice purchases from abroad.
“If people see there [is enough inventory of] rice, they would be confident they will not go hungry,” he said.
After he signed Republic Act No. 11203, or the rice tarrification law, in February last year, the President on several occasions said he would suspend rice importations during the harvest season and buy palay even at prices that would result in losses for the government.
But just days after he last said he would suspend rice importation on Nov. 19 last year, he backtracked and instead called for ramping up palay purchases and giving cash subsidies to small farmers.
He had changed his mind after meeting with Dar, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, his economic manager, and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

‘Folly’
He then explained that it “would be folly” to stop importations just because of projected rice production but never knowing the extent of damage to crops that typhoons might bring.
                                              At the Pigcawayan meeting, the President asked the farmers to give the law a chance to succeed.

“Let me assure you that in the long run, this measure will not only help strengthen our economy, but also provide new opportunities for your sector,” he said.

He promised that the government would hold regular consultations with farmers “in order to determine your needs” and invest in infrastructure, such as farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, farm equipment and other tools to raise rice production.
Better seeds
He also said the government was developing better seeds and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority were working to ensure the distribution of rice to the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

Duterte urged farmers to take advantage of the government training programs meant to improve their skills and their production with help from the DA, the Department of Science and Technology, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority would help them.

The rice tarrification law replaced quantitative restrictions on rice imports with tariffs.It also created the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which would raise P10 billion a year from rice tariffs, to help farmers modernize and become more competitive.
Detrimental to farmers
The law was aimed at making the staple affordable to consumers but has resulted in the influx of cheap imports that plunged local rice prices to levels detrimental to farmers.
With quotas lifted, the Philippines became the world’s biggest rice importer last year with a record importation of 3 million metric tons.

As imports grew, the average buying price for palay fell to as low as P11 to P14 per kilogram in November last year.
Sagip Saka Act
Sen. Francis Pangilinan on Saturday urged the administration to implement the Sagip Saka Act, or RA 11321, to help struggling rice farmers. 



The law institutionalizes a Farmers and Fisherfolk Enterprise Development Program to ensure that the agriculture and fisheries industry are productive.It would provide skills development, production inputs, equipment and facilities, and infrastructure for production and postproduction activities.
He said two major farmers’ groups — the Alyansa Agrikultura and the Federation of Free Farmers — have warned of lower rice production because many farmers were unwilling to grow rice due the continuing decline of palay prices.
Pangilinan said a faster and effective implementation of RA 11321 would bring direct benefits to farmers and fisherfolk “and encourage them to continue feeding us.” —With a report from Leila B. Salaverria

Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
PHL rice stockpile at highest level in 2.5 years due to imports
 -
January 13, 2020
The country’s total rice inventory as of December 2019 rose by 14 percent to over 3 million metric tons (MMT), the highest in more than two-years-and-a-half, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said in a report.
In its monthly inventory report, the PSA said total rice stockpile as of December 1, 2019 reached 3.098  MMT, the highest in the past 31 months or since the 3.214 MMT recorded in May 2017.
“It increased by 14 percent and 4.6 percent compared with the previous year’s level of 2.718 [million] metric tons and previous month’s level of 2.962 [million] metric tons, respectively,” the PSA said in its report published recently.
Industry players, experts and government officials have attributed the higher rice inventory to the increase in imports after Republic Act  11203, which took effect in March 2019, relaxed rules on importing the staple.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier said the country ended 2019 with a rice stockpile sufficient for 100 days, or at least 3.2 MMT, based on the BusinessMirror’s computations.
“Rice is available in the warehouses of importers, plus farmers, plus households,” said the DA.
In its report, the PSA said more than half or about 51.9 percent of the country’s rice inventory were held by households, while 32.6 percent and 15.5 percent were in commercial warehouses and National Food Authority (NFA) depositories, respectively.
Rice stockpile held by households expanded by 5.3 percent to a two-year high of 1.607 MMT from its 2018 level of 1.527 MMT.
Stocks in commercial warehouses reached 1.009 MMT while those in NFA warehouses reached 480,660 MT.
“A surge of 370.6 percent was noted in NFA depositories. On the other hand, a decrease of 7.3 percent was observed in commercial warehouses,” the PSA said.
“Month on month, rice stocks inventory in all sectors increased. Increases of 5.3 percent, 2.9 percent, and 5.9 percent were noted in the households, commercial warehouses, and NFA depositories, respectively,” it added.
In the same report, the PSA said the country’s total corn inventory as of December 1, 2019 rose 26.2 percent to 794,870 MT from 629,910 MT recorded in the same period in 2018.
However, the volume was 33.7 percent lower than the 1.198 MMT recorded in November 1, 2019, the PSA added.
Of the total corn inventory, 77.1 percent or about 612,590 MT were held by commercial warehouses while the remaining volume of 182,280 MT was in households, according to the PSA.
“With reference to the previous year’s level, stocks in both households and commercial warehouses increased respectively by 89.7 percent and 14.8 percent,” it said.
“Compared with previous month’s level, a decrease of 18.1 percent and 37.2 percent was recorded in the household and commercial warehouses, respectively,” the PSA added.

PH’s largest rice suppliers see lower production

Updated January 13, 2020, 10:56 AM
By Madelaine B. Miraflor
Philippines, the world’s top rice importer, may soon have to pay more for imported rice as its two biggest suppliers for the staple, Vietnam and Thailand, will both see lower production this year.
Two separate reports prepared by United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) showed that Vietnam’s paddy production will go down during the current market year (MY), while Thai rice exports are “forecast to tumble further in 2020, dropping to the lowest level in seven years” due to production decline and stiffer global competition.
This is bad news for the Philippines, said Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) National Manager Raul Montemayor. As prices of imported rice increase, the country may eventually succumb to higher prices amid insufficient local palay production.
“International prices could inch up due to lower hectarage and output from major exporters,” Montemayor said in a text exchange.
“And we have no choice. We can’t produce enough rice, more so now that farmers are downscaling their production due to the low prices. We have no choice but to import. We can negotiate prices but in the end we have to pay what the sellers are demanding otherwise they won’t supply us,” he added.
For this year, the Philippines is expected to produce 19.6 million metric tons (MT) of palay and import around 2.7 million MT of rice. Last year, the country imported a record amount of 3 million MT, officially making it the world’s top rice importer, beating China.
Based on the USDA report, Vietnam, which sold 2.15 million MT of rice to the Philippines last year, will see lower production due to unfavorable weather conditions and crop restructuring.
“MARD [Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam] lowered its estimates for the country’s production for the MY 2018 to 2019 Autumn crop, especially in the Mekong Delta, due to a reduction in cultivated area,” the report said.
“Several factors drove this reduction, including uncertainty on weather conditions and the water supply and lower paddy prices, which encouraged farmers in the Mekong Delta to switch to other crops such as fruits, vegetables, and aquaculture,” it added.
Combined with lower production in the Central region due to droughts that occurred early last year, USDA-FAS assessed Vietnam’s Autumn crop for MY 2018 to 2019 at 2.8 million hectares (HA) and 15.2 MMT, down from 2.9 million HA and 15.4 MMT in the previous MY.
Vietnam’s total exports will also be lower than estimates at 6.6 million MT from 6.7 million MT.
Meanwhile, Thai rice exports for 2020 are forecast down by a third compared to two years ago as exportable supplies fall and prices remain high.
“Thailand competes with more competitive Indian and Vietnamese rice, which is priced about 20 percent lower. Thus, even as the Philippines soared to become the top global importer, Thailand’s share of its trade was marginal, undercut by Vietnamese prices,” a separate USDA report showed.
“At the same time, China has shifted its trading position from net importer to net exporter, returning as a major exporter of low-priced rice as it seeks to offload its copious stocks. Its expansion of market share in African markets has come largely at the expense of Thailand,” it added.
Looking ahead to 2020, Thailand’s export “prospects are grim,” said the report. This as lower demand from key markets and uncompetitive pricing, compounded with a severe drought, are expected to decimate offseason rice production.

Related Posts

Rice stocks sustain increase in December
January 13, 2020
THE country’s rice stocks inventory sustained an increase as of December 1 last year, reaching 3.098 million metric tons (MT), up to 14 percent from 2.718 million MT in 2018, latest government data showed.
In its monthly inventory report, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the latest figure was also 4.6-percent higher than the previous month’s 2.962 million MT.
It said stocks in households and NFA depositories surged by 5.3 percent to 1.527 million MT and 370.6 percent to 480,660 MT, respectively. Inventory in commercial warehouses, on the other hand, fell by 7.3 percent to 1.009 million MT from the previous year’s 1.089 million MT.
Compared with their levels in November 2019, rice stocks inventory in all sectors posted significant increments. Increases of 5.3 percent, 2.9 percent, and 5.9 percent were noted in the households, commercial warehouses, and NFA depositories, respectively.
Of the total rice stocks inventory as of December 1, more than half or 51.9 percent were from households, while 32.6 percent from commercial warehouses, and 15.5 percent from NFA depositories.

The increase in the country’s rice stock was mainly attributed to the implementation of Republic Act 11203 or “The Rice Tariffication Law,” which opened up the market to less costly imported rice.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar recently said that the Philippines’ rice imports has reached nearly 3 million MT since the passage of the law in February last year. This translated to rice stock inventory good for 100 days, Dar said.
Meanwhile, the PSA said the country’s corn stocks inventory totaled 794,870 MT during the reference period, a 26.2-percent increase from 629,910 MT in December 2018. Month-on-month, however, it was lower by 33.7 percent from 1.198 million MT.
On an annual basis, stocks in both households and commercial warehouses rose by 89.7 percent to 182,280 MT and 14.8 percent to 612,590 MT, respectively. Meanwhile, there were no corn stocks in NFA depositories for this month.
Compared with previous month’s level, a decline of 18.1 percent and 37.2 percent was recorded in the household and commercial warehouses, respectively.
Of the total corn stocks inventory, 77.1 percent were from commercial warehouses and the remaining 22.9 percent were from households, PSA said.
FCI may face serious storage problem in a few weeks, here’s why
Published: January 13, 2020 1:41:35 AM
According to official sources, FCI’s grain stocks (central pool stocks built up under a virtually open-ended procurement policy) is already close to its capacity of 76 million tonne (MT).
Description: However, the Centre’s dues to the FCI have now touched an all-time high and FCI is being made to borrow more from NSSF.
However, the Centre’s dues to the FCI have now touched an all-time high and FCI is being made to borrow more from NSSF. (Representative image)
By Prabhudatta Mishra
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is badly hamstrung: even as its Rs 1.95-lakh-crore bills to the government remain unhonoured and a debt crisis is looming, it hasn’t yet got the nod for liquidating its patently surplus grain stocks through massive open market operations (OMOs).
According to official sources, FCI’s grain stocks (central pool stocks built up under a virtually open-ended procurement policy) is already close to its capacity of 76 million tonne (MT). Given the expected (low) pace of offtake under PDS and other government schemes, the requirement to shift the huge paddy stocks now lying with millers and the mandated rabi wheat purchases effective April, it may face a serious storage problem in a few weeks.
Even if the OMOs result in losses, it would still be a far better way for FCI to manage its operations as the realisations will ease its liquidity issues and enable it to retire part debt.
Description: https://images.financialexpress.com/2020/01/1-298.jpg
Over three years in a row, the fiscally stressed Centre has made FCI take National Small Savings Fund (NSSF) loans under sovereign guarantee to ensure the corporation’s operations aren’t disrupted. However, the Centre’s dues to the FCI have now touched an all-time high and FCI is being made to borrow more from NSSF.
Sources said FCI had 56 MT of rice and wheat in its own and hired facilities and another 26 MT of paddy (rice equivalent of 17 MT) procured for the central pool lying with millers as of December 1.
While the stocks with millers will need to be shifted to FCI warehouses by April, another 16-17 MT of kharif rice is likely to be bought by the corporation over the next four months as part of kharif procurement. Add to this the rabi wheat purchases to start from April and the storage problem will get worse. According to official data, FCI has purchased 25.2 MT of rice between October and December 2019 in the current kharif season, which is more than half of the total quantity it bought in the whole of 2018-19 (October-September). From Uttar Pradesh, India’s second-largest rice producer, the agency has procured 2.6 MT for this kharif season, as on December 30 against 1.4 MT in the year-ago period. If this trend continues, FCI will end up procuring about 46 MT of rice this year from across the country, against 34.4 MT in 2018-19.
It has to make room for wheat crop of around 35 MT to be procured in April-May out of its total storage capacity. Given that PDS offtake from the central pool is expected to be less than 25 MT till April, FCI would have to grapple with a storage problem if OMOs aren’t quickly stepped up.
Do you know What is Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), Finance Bill, Fiscal Policy in India, Expenditure Budget, Customs Duty? FE Knowledge Desk explains each of these and more in detail at Financial Express Explained. Also get Live BSE/NSE Stock Prices, latest NAV of Mutual FundsBest equity fundsTop GainersTop Losers on Financial Express. Don’t forget to try our free Income Tax Calculator tool
Sustainable SRI and Rice Production
Learnings from an Irrigated Agriculture Management Project in Tamil Nadu
Vibhu Nayar (vibhunayar@gmail.com) is the principal secretary-cum-project director, Government of Tamil Nadu, IAMWARM Project, Chennai. V K Ravichandran (vkr9999@yahoo.com) is professor of agronomy, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, IAMWARM Project, Multi-Disciplinary Project Unit (MDPU), Chennai. B C Barah (barah48@yahoo.com) is former NABARD chair professor, Indian Agricultural Research Institute and NCAP, New Delhi. Norman Uphoff (ntu1@cornell.edu) is professor of Government and International Agriculture, Cornell University, Ithaca, the United States.

In Tamil Nadu, the extreme variation in rainfall had reduced the availability of water to agriculture and caused the groundwater table to fall by 37%. The production of rice, an important crop, had became particularly precarious. A well-designed upscaling strategy boosted and sustained the production of rice; it also helped the build-up of organic matter and improved soil fertility. This experience shows that the System of Rice Intensification offers an attractive opportunity for increasing food production per unit of water and improving efficiency.
The views expressed in this article by the authors are purely personal.
Over the past half century, technical advancements have significantly changed the ecosystem of rice production in India, but rice production has not increased apace with the increases in the population. The shrinking area, declining soil fertility, growing water scarcity, and climatic adversity affected production and food insecurity.
Paddy is believed to be an aquatic crop, and the cultivation field is kept flooded, but submergence suffocates and degrades the roots and drastically reduces production capacity. To achieve more food with less water, there is an urgent need for innovation in production.
Given the severe land and water constraints in Tamil Nadu, an appropriate strategy of increasing agricultural productivity (yields) is essential for food security. The strategy prior to 2013 needs to be understood in three broad phases. Phase 1, the period from 1971 to 1981 was the initial green revolution regime, when high yielding varieties (HYV) of rice were introduced in the state. The green revolution strategy continued in phase 2, 1982–90, when concerted efforts were made to expand canal irrigation in the state. Then during phase 3, 1990–2013, the increase in the area under borewell irrigation became prominent.
The temporal and spatial spread of irrigation availability from both surface and subsurface flows contributed to substantial increases in rice production from the 1990s, but the increase was mainly yield-led rather than due to an expansion in the area. The gain in yield could be attributed to a combination of improved varieties and intensive use of “modern” inputs, together with the increase in irrigated area.
However, the long-term trend in production did not sustain at the desired level, particularly in the past decade (Figure 1, p 47). The yield in 2017–18 was 11% higher than in 2000–01. From 2002 to 2006, successive monsoons failed, and the yield declined. From 2006 to 2013, however, the average productivity increased to 3,066 kilogram (kg) per hectare (ha); this increase is partly attributable to the adoption of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methods throughout the state ever since 2006–07.
Genesis of SRI in Tamil Nadu
The agroecological innovations known as SRI were first tested in the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) in 2000, followed by large-scale adaptive research trials conducted in two major river basins (Tamiraparani and Cauvery) in 2003. In the on-farm trials, average rice yields were found to be 22% higher than under conventional methods of rice cultivation. Farmers’ net income increased 15%–42% (Anjugam et al 2008; Barah 2009). However, the pace of adoption or spread of SRI in Tamil Nadu was slow until 2007 when, observing the slow pace and realising its immense potential, SRI was considered as one of the water-saving technologies in a large project planned by the project authorities in the World Bank-assisted Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation and Water-Bodies Restoration and Management (IAMWARM) project. The state government incentivised the promotion of SRI and provided funding to raise both crop and water productivity in rice cropping.
The fairly large-scale demonstration of SRI practices under the IAMWARM was undertaken for the first time during 2007–08. This demonstration served as a synergistic catalyst for the wider adoption of SRI, and the state’s department of agriculture took a mission mode approach to promoting it. It was felt that long-term growth in agriculture in Tamil Nadu requires a strategy for increasing the efficiency and productivity of water use in a sustained manner.
The following analysis of the implementation of SRI under the IAMWARM project indicates that for maximising socio-economic impacts, there is an urgent need for understanding the concerns of land and water productivity. Table 1 shows the changes that have taken place in the rice sector after SRI was introduced in 2007–08 and compares the situation with the previous five-year period. The rainfall variability and vagaries of weather made the production relationships complex. After 2011–12, the area under SRI increased 18% over the preceding year, while total production jumped by 29%. The rice area was the same in 2010–11 and 2011–12; the increase in SRI area is responsible for improved production and productivity.
The disaggregated district-level analysis shows a clearer picture. Figure 2 shows difference in yields across the districts with SRI methods in 2011–13. In unfavourable weather, conventional practices are affected severely, but SRI practices perform well. In 2012–13, cyclonic weather conditions were adverse and affected the area, yield, and production of all crops in Tamil Nadu. In the case of rice, total production fell 46%, from a high of 7.46 million tonnes in 2011–12 to 4.05 million tonnes in 2012–13; the area under paddy declined by 22%; and the average yield declined by 31%. There was wide disparity within the state in the average yield of paddy—from only 588 kg per ha in Ramanathapuram district to 4,728 kg per ha in Kanyakumari district.
In the state, the area under SRI increased rapidly, almost doubling from 4,20,000 ha in 2007–08 to 8,00,000 ha in 2013–14 (Table 2). The share of SRI area in the total rice area increased from 23.5% in 2007–08 to a high of 52.8% in 2014–15. The prime reason for this increasing trend in SRI was probably the favourable policy environment of the promotion of SRI and in the rice sector. The innovation boosted rice production, and it was stabilised by the strategy of upscaling SRI in mission mode.
In the first two years since the introduction of SRI in 2007–08, the share of area over the base year average (2001–06) was slow, due to the occurrence of natural calamities of flood, unseasonal rainfall, and cyclones (Figure 3). After 2010–11, rice production witnessed a conspicuous increase over the base period as the area under SRI grew over 40%.
The yield also shows a positive upward trend, except in 2008–09 when the Nisha cyclone devastated 4,70,000 ha of rice crop and severely reduced output and yield (Table 2). It may be noted that the rice productivity level was higher than the base year during 2007–08, which indicates that SRI was capable of withstanding the stress of cyclones, droughts, and heavy rains. The unusual rains in March 2008 also directly affected nearly 1,68,000 ha under rice. It may be inferred that when the monsoon was favourable, SRI acreage as well as rice productivity show very good performance as in 2011–12 and 2014–15 (Figure 4).
On 30 December 2011, the cyclone Thane hit Tamil Nadu and caused extensive damage to the paddy crop in nine districts: Cuddalore, Villupuram, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur, Dharmapuri, and Thiruvannamalai. The crop damage was over 50% on 1,85,000 ha, and it affected the livelihood of 2,50,000 small and marginal farmers. Moreover, the areas under irrigation were severely affected by the prolonged dry spell, the deficit rainfall during the south-west monsoon, and the uneven temporal spread during the north-east monsoon. As a result, the availability of surface and
subsurface sources of irrigation water declined, and resulted in an increase in the fallow land, while the productivity of SRI was sustained (Table 2).
Under the circumstances, the scope for the expansion of the area under cultivation and irrigation is limited; the only way to meet the growing food requirement is to narrow down the yield differentials among the districts amidst the temporal climate exigencies. SRI provides the opportunity for sustaining productivity in such situations, and it may be generalised that SRI performs well and sustains production in heterogeneous climate conditions too. The analysis of temporal data on production and productivity shows that from 2007–08 to 2012–13, rice productivity levels were higher than in the base year 2005–06; the productivity was attributable mostly to SRI. Therefore, it is reasonable to term SRI a “climate-smart” strategy. Incidentally, the paddy yields in Tamil Nadu are found to be consistently higher than the national average, a good part of which is attributed to the advantages rendered by the promotion and adoption of SRI.
IAMWARM Project and SRI Promotion in Tamil Nadu>
Tamil Nadu’s geographic area is classified into 17 river basins (127 sub-basins), most of which are water-stressed. The World Bank project IAMWARM was implemented from 2007 in four phases in 61 sub-basins. The implementation of SRI was the main focus of rice production technology under the IAMWARM project from its beginning in 2007–08, and a substantial area under rice cultivation has been brought under SRI across the districts.
Depending on the intensity of adoption, the yield has increased up to 170%, except in a few districts. About 50% of the total area under rice in the state has been brought under SRI; in the districts, the percentage varies from 20% to 69%. This is a remarkable achievement, and it has contributed immensely to the total rice production at the state level. The adoption of SRI practices has led to a steady improvement in the rice yield compared to conventional methods of cultivation (Figure 5). In 67% of the districts, rice productivity increased more than 64%.
In the IAMWARM project area, there is a relative increase in rice productivity in SRI over the state average productivity (Figure 6). Irrespective of annual variation, the yield-contributing parameters—number of tillers per hill, number of productive tillers per hill, and grains per panicle—are observed to be higher in SRI demonstration plots than under conventional practices. That results in raising the productivity of rice under SRI over that of rice under conventional methods in the state (Table 3).
Effect of SRI on Input Use Efficiency at the Farm Level
An attractive and motivating proposition of SRI is the substantial reduction in seed rate to 7.5 kg per ha from the 60 kg per ha under conventional methods. Assuming that the price of seeds is 35 per kg, SRI saves 1,837 per ha on seed (Table 4). At the same time, the total labour requirement under SRI was less (880 hours per ha) than the conventional method (1,000 hours per ha), amounting to a considerable saving of 2,359 per ha on labour cost (at the wage rate of 150 per day).
The decrease in the cost of labour under SRI is mainly because transplanting and weeding takes less labour and time. Transplanting takes about 378 hours per ha under SRI, but 435 hours under conventional practices. Weeding in an SRI field takes 100 hours per ha, but takes 122 hours under conventional practices. This cuts overall labour costs by 17.46%, and therefore, the total cost (Table 5), and hence the net return per ha of SRI is a significantly higher 15,548 (paddy grain valued at 11 per kg), which is 44.5% higher than that from the conventional methods.
Model of Upscaling SRI Practices
A distinctive feature of the SRI method is that it is knowledge-intensive rather than input-intensive as in green revolution technology; therefore, capacity-building of the stakeholders is a high priority in its promotion. An in-depth analysis of performance at the farmers’ fields shows that SRI has a yield advantage of 20% over the conventional method, which catapults farmers’ acceptance of SRI.
Adopter farmers were given intensive training under the direct supervision of scientists and researchers of the IAMWARM project, and demonstrations were conducted in selected basins in Tamil Nadu. The efficient use of external nutrients—with more foraging area of root volume, along with intermittent alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation in SRI plots—enhanced the growth of tillers, root development, number of productive tillers, and the percentage of grain filling, which synergistically enhance the grain yield of paddy (Pandian et al 2011; Zhao et al 2009). The field observations show that the invigorated younger seedlings provide better crop establishment (Table 3). The efficient utilisation of resources and minimal inter- and intra-space competition create favourable conditions of SRI management (Dass and Chandra 2013). These tangible benefits attracted farmers’ attention and enhanced the acceptance of SRI.
SRI allows each plant to be better exposed to sunlight; it enables the circulation of atmospheric air, and the penetration of light uniformly causes the “edge effect.” The reduced canopy humidity along with the change in microclimate reduce the incidence of pest and diseases (Uphoff 2005; Mishra and Salokhe 2010). The field survey also revealed that the cost of pests and disease, including rodent control, is lower.
The adoption of SRI substantially enhances labour productivity and the net income of farmers compared to that under the traditional cultivation of rice (Bruno 2002). The study estimates that SRI yields a host of direct economic benefits over the conventional method; among these are a 17.46% reduction in labour cost, substantial saving in seed rates, and saving in nursery area. The saving in seed cost (87.47%) is a crucial tangible economic incentive to farmers for adopting this method. The significant water saving in the practice of AWD is the most critical consideration for the promotion of SRI in Tamil Nadu.
Conjunctive use and the water economy constitute the major concern in water-stressed agriculture like in Tamil Nadu. To understand irrigation use better and investigate it in depth at the micro level, a special study was conducted from 2007 to 2013 at Varaganadhi sub-basin (Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu), where the rainfall was relatively good and the groundwater recharge substantial. The experiment shows that the number of pumping hours fell, indicating substantial energy saving under SRI.
In general, the study of water use at the field level revealed variable differences in SRI and conventional practices. The difference is marginal at the land-preparation stage, even though no special water-saving tillage methods were employed in SRI. On account of the decrease in pumping hours under SRI, there was 36.72% energy saving as compared to that in conventional paddy, and 42% less water was consumed (Ravindra and Bhagya Laxmi 2010; Uphoff 2007; Kumar et al 2010). The water saving was highest at the nursery stage, followed by weeding and panicle initiation (Table 6). This has pinpointed the scope for saving critical inputs in various operations. Table 7 presents the number of irrigation and pumping hours for water lifting in both situations. An analysis of energy use for irrigation in various operations clearly shows water saving across the operations in the entire crop cycle (Figure 7).

Conventional paddy fields are kept continuously flooded in more than 10 centimetre of standing water, but SRI farmers followed intermittent irrigation with AWD cycle in the study area. The SRI method is thus credited for substantial reduction of irrigation numbers, pumping hours, and overall water usage in paddy (Table 7). The water consumption in conventional paddy fields was nearly two times that of SRI. Zhao et al (2009) report that SRI led to 40%–47% reduction in water use, 68%–94% increase in water use efficiency (WUE), and 100%–130% increase in irrigation WUE compared to traditional flooding. Other studies also report that AWD saves 42% of water, and there is no yield penalty (Uphoff et al 2013: Ravindra and Bhagya Laxmi 2010).
Savings in Power
The cumulative irrigation water use shows that SRI has a huge potential for reducing the quantum of water use and bringing in purposeful management in irrigation water usage (Figure 8). It depicts that under SRI management, crop operations uniformly use less water. The analysis notes that SRI saved about 571.4 pumping hours per ha in a season as compared to the conventional method. This amounted to 3,028 kilowatt-hour (kWh) of savings in electricity consumption, which is currently fully subsidised by the state. At the state aggregate level, SRI management saves about 12,112 per ha of paddy (cost of power is 4 per unit kWh).
Conclusions
In Tamil Nadu, water conflicts coexist with the dominant rice cultivation practice; therefore, identifying alternative methods of growing rice is of critical importance. It used to be believed that rice is an aquatic crop, but it does not require flooded or standing water; it is enough to keep the soil moist. This has been demonstrated in field experimentation and confirmed by a large body of empirical evidence. Observing the usefulness of SRI and encouraged by empirical demonstration, farmers were motivated and encouraged to adopt the practice in a manner that substantially reduces water use and increases the productivity of rice.
The evaluation of the impact of SRI on the production of rice in Tamil Nadu suggests that SRI methods can be used to produce significantly greater quantities of paddy. Under SRI, paddy yield is higher because of the synergistic effect of young seedlings, innovative transplanting methods, mechanical weeding operations, and intermittent irrigation, which together save considerable water and electric energy at the field level. Using these methods reduces the consumption of seeds and pesticides and the usage of labour, and therefore lowers the production costs on these accounts and raises farmers’ profits. Using SRI methods also reduces the consumption of water (which is not priced currently).
The application of the principles of SRI empirically proved that rice can be grown with less water and other inputs than the traditional practice, and that yields can still be higher. The evidence derived from the analysis shows that there is an emerging opportunity for savings in electricity, conjunctive use of groundwater, and production costs (seeds, pesticides, labour). Robust planning efforts are needed to promote and upscale SRI for sustainable improvements in paddy production and efficient water resource management at the macro level.
Continuous adaptation at farmers’ fields to suit their local conditions lies at the core of SRI practices. The perception analysis suggests that farmers are willing to continue the SRI method, which is an important condition for sustainability. To derive policy clarity for wider dissemination of various steps and phases, there is the need to validate not only the principles and practices of the technology, but also its scientific basis. Since SRI is a knowledge-intensive innovation, more emphasis is needed on capacity strengthening, motivation, and stakeholder participation, particularly on continuous crop care. Hence, it may be concluded that SRI combines both scientific rigour and socio-economic policy.
The academic acceptance of SRI is growing due to the evidence generated by the stakeholders as reflected in scientific papers and other documentation. The principles of SRI have already been validated both on-station and on-farm, and its socio-economic and ecological impact assessed. The method is now adopted by nearly 20 million farmers in 61 countries. The best part is that farmers in general and small and marginal farmers remained particularly insulated from the arguments and counter-arguments among the stakeholders, and they routinely adopt SRI. Farmers using groundwater will certainly appreciate and realise a quantum of saving of water, time, and electricity under SRI irrigation. If SRI is adopted in the entire command area, the water so saved can be utilised to cultivate a larger area and achieve crop diversification.
Unfortunately, SRI has not yet become a major method of cultivation, owing to prevailing institutional barriers, behavioural factors, and the political economy dimension of vested interests. Some of the principal challenges to overcome include the resistance to accept SRI, resistance of transplanting labourers, training and extension facilities that lack innovation, imprecise water management, and unavailability of essential tools. If these issues are addressed on priority, SRI will boost rice yields and farmer income not only in Tamil Nadu, but also in other states.
References
Anjugam, M, Varatha Raj S and S Padmarani (2008): “Cost-Benefit Analysis of SRI Technique in Paddy Cultivation,” Department of Agricultural Economics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore.
Barah, B C (2009): “Economic and Ecological Benefits of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Tamil Nadu,” Agricultural Economics Research Review, Vol 22, July–December, pp 209–14.
Bruno, A (2002): “Evaluation of the SRI in Fianarantsoa Province of Madagascar,” Assessment of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), N Uphoff, ECM Fernandes, L P Yuan, J M Peng, S Rafaralahy and J Rabenandrasana (eds), Proc International Conference, Sanya, China, 1–4 April, Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD), Ithaca, NY, pp 140–42.
Dass, Anchal and S Chandra (2013): “Effect of Different Components of SRI on Yield, Quality, Nutrient Accumulation and Economics of Rice (Oryza sativa) in Tarai Belt of Northern India,” Ind J Agron, Vol 57, No 3, pp 250–54.
Kumar, R Mahendra, K Surekha, C H Padmavathi, L V Subba Rao, P C Latha, M S Prasad, V Ravindra Babu, A S Ramprasad, O P Rupela, V Goud, P Muthu Raman, N Somashekar, S Ravichandran, S P Singh and B C Viraktamath (2010): Research Experiences on SRI and Future Directions, Journal of Rice Research, Vol 2, pp 61–71.
Mishra, A and V M Salokhe (2010): “FLOODING STRESS: The Effects of Planting Pattern and Water Regime on Root Morphology, Physiology and Grain Yield of Rice,” Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, Vol 196, No 5, pp 368–78.
Pandian, B J, D Rajkumar and S Chellamuthu (2011): System of Rice Intensifi cation: A Synthesis of Scientifi c Experiments and Experiences, Coimbatore: Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
Ravindra, A and S Bhagya Laxmi (2010): “Potential of the System of Rice Intensification for Systemic Improvement in Rice Production and Water Use: The Case of Andhra Pradesh, India,” Paddy and Water Environment, Vol 9, pp 89–97.
Uphoff, N (2004): “System of Rice Intensification Responds to 21st Century Needs,” Rice Today 42.
— (2007): “Envisioning ‘Post-Modern Agriculture’: A Thematic Research Paper,” Cornell University, accessed through WAASAN Website, Ithaca.
Uphoff, N, A Kassam and A Thakur (2013): “Challenges of Increasing Water Saving and Water Productivity in the Rice Sector: Introduction to the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and This Issue,” Taiwan Water Conservancy, Vol 61, No 4, pp 1–13.
Zhao, L M, L H Wu, Y S Li, X H Lu, D F Zhu and N Uphoff (2009): “Influence of the System of Rice Intensification on Rice Yield and Nitrogen and Water Use Efficiency with Different N Application Rates,” Experimental Agriculture, Vol 45, No 3, pp 275–86.
Updated On : 10th Jan, 2020
SEARCA calls for set of biotechnology regulatory policies
Published January 11, 2020, 10:00 PM
By MADELAINE B. MIRAFLOR
Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is calling for a favorable set of biotechnology (BT) regulatory policies in the Philippines amid calls for the revocation of the commercial permit of Golden Rice, a genetically modified (GM) rice variety.
In a statement, SEARCA said that aside from the safety questions on the BT products, an “effective communication and science-based regulatory frameworks” is also important.
It issued the statement weeks after the Philippine government has approved Golden Rice for direct use as food and feed as well as for processing (FFP).
To be specific, the Philippine Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) found Golden Rice “to be as safe as conventional rice” after rigorous biosafety assessment.
The biosafety permit was addressed to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
Such decision, however, earned the ire of environment group Greenpeace, who questioned the Philippine Government’s approval process which the group said has lacked transparency and public participation.
“Behind the hype, GE ‘Golden’ rice is environmentally irresponsible, poses risks to human health and could compromise food, nutrition and financial security,” Greenpeace said.
IRRI, however, said that for containing beta-carotene (provitamin A), Golden Rice has the potential to be a suitable complementary intervention to address vitamin A deficiency (VAD), a condition that afflicts 250 million people worldwide.
“We stand behind products of agri-biotechnology that increase agricultural productivity to feed a growing population in the midst of dwindling natural resources and erratic changes in climate,” SEARCA Director Glenn B. Gregorio said.
“Due attention must be given to our resource-poor farmers by providing them access to information, best practices, and new technologies that gives them a fighting chance to cope with the many challenges they face and to open up better opportunities for them and their families so that they can have better quality lives,” he added.
The FFP approval is just one of the regulatory milestone in the journey to develop and deploy Golden Rice in the Philippines. With this approval, PhilRice and IRRI will now proceed with sensory evaluations.
To complete the Philippine biosafety regulatory process, Golden Rice will still require approval for commercial propagation before it can be made available to the public. This follows from the field trials harvested in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija and San Mateo, Isabela in September and October 2019.
The Philippines now joins a select group of countries that have affirmed the safety of Golden Rice.
In 2018, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Health Canada, and the United States Food and Drug Administration published positive food safety assessments for Golden Rice. A biosafety application was lodged in November 2017 and is currently undergoing review by the Biosafety Core Committee in Bangladesh.
Malaysian minister vows to promote bilateral trade
KARACHI: Malaysian Minister for Primary Industries Teresa Kok Suh Sim has assured the Pakistani business community, of all possible cooperation for promotion of bilateral trade and investment, a statement said.
The minister pledged that she would also lobby with other Ministries of Malaysia to get the trade related issues resolved which were raised by Pakistani businesspersons. She was speaking with officials of Pakistan-Malaysia Business Council (PMBC) of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) at a local hotel.
Malaysian Consul General Khairul Nazran Rehman and the commercial counsellor were also present on the occasion, while the PMBC team was led by its Chairman Bashir Janmohammed.
She supported the demand made by Pakistani business community for direct flights of Malaysian Airline to Karachi, as it would facilitate the movement of the two business communities.
PMBC Chairman Bashir Janmohammed and his team called for earliest review of the free trade agreement between Pakistan and Malaysia to make it practical and equally beneficial for both the countries.
“At present, the trade balance is in favour of Malaysia, and the volume of bilateral trade could be multiplied within next few years if certain adjustments are made in the FTA,” he said. Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted more trade with Malaysia and the government was also working on revision of the FTA.
Janmohammed said if Malaysia facilitated and relaxed the policy for import of Pakistani rice, the volume could be increased to at least half a million tons from the present 0.1 million tons a year.
He said PMBC would send a big business delegation to explore the Malaysian market for Pakistani products, especially rice.
Also, he invited Malaysian business delegations to visit Pakistan to see trade and investment opportunities.
Perviaz Khan from Dalda Foods proposed working on joint ventures for growing palm trees on the coastal line of Pakistan as Malaysia had expertise in this field.
Malaysian Minister for Industries also held a meeting with members of Pakistan-Malaysia Friendship Association, headed by Shahid Jawed Qureshi.

Minister: Malaysia, Pakistan to extend cooperation in palm oil trade

Sunday, 12 Jan 2020 09:08 AM MYT
BY AZRIL ANNUAR
Description: A worker shows palm oil fruits at a factory in Sepang November 20, 2014. — AFP pic
A worker shows palm oil fruits at a factory in Sepang November 20, 2014. — AFP pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok’s visit to Pakistan has unearthed strong potential for Malaysia and the South Asian nation to cooperate further in palm oil trade as well as other commodities, her ministry said.
The Primary Industries Ministry said Kok and Pakistan’s Advisor for Commerce, Textile, Industry and Production and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood had a four-eye meeting over common interests for the two nations.
“The two leaders took the opportunity for a bilateral dialogue to explore various issues of common interest to both countries. Both emphasised the excellent cordial bilateral relations and further explored areas for enhancing trade.
“Pakistan is a key importer of Malaysian palm oil and products. In 2018, Pakistan imported 1.16 million metric tonnes (MT) of palm oil from Malaysia valued at US$0.83 billion (RM2.97 billion). Avenues to further expand Malaysian palm oil share in this growing market was also discussed.
“For example, Pakistan is a net exporter of rice, fruit and other produces that are required by Malaysia and Abdul Razak Dawood encouraged Malaysia to consider instituting trading practices that could allow smoother passage of these products into Malaysia,” said the statement.
During her keynote address at the 5th Pakistan Edible Oil Conference (PEOC) in Karachi, Kok highlighted the importance of Pakistan as an end user of Malaysian palm oil, facilitated by the joint venture refinery between Malaysia and Pakistan in Port Qasim.
She also described Pakistan as one of Malaysia’s most regular and dependable buyers of local palm oil and products.
She emphasised that palm oil has the potential for higher uptake in Pakistan given that its local production of oils and fats meets only around 20 per cent of its consumption needs.
It depends heavily on imports to meet growing domestic demand and consumption, which has been increasing at a rate of 4.5 per cent each year for the past seven years, due to increasing population, income and consumer spending.
Palm oil is widely used for the manufacture of vanaspati (ghee) and it is also the preferred raw material for the food industry in Pakistan, especially for frying and in confectionary items.
At the same time, during her discussion with Abdul Razak, Kok pointed out that Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) exporters from Sri Lanka enjoyed lower duties whereas Malaysia’s higher quality MDF were subjected to higher import tariffs.
“Other product opportunities were also discussed and both leaders agreed to convey these matters to the concerned authorities in their respective countries so that solutions could be worked out to benefit better trade relations between Malaysia and Pakistan,” said the statement.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/01/12/minister-malaysia-pakistan-to-extend-cooperation-in-palm-oil-trade/1827129
Malaysian Minister For Boost In Bilateral Trade
Sat 11th January 2020 | 06:58 PM
Description: Malaysian Minister for boost in bilateral trade
Malaysian Minister for Primary Industries, Madam Teresa Kok Suh Sim has assured Pakistan business community, of all possible cooperation for promotion of bilateral trade and investment-on
KARACHI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Jan, 2020 ) :Malaysian Minister for Primary Industries, Madam Teresa Kok Suh Sim has assured Pakistan business community, of all possible cooperation for promotion of bilateral trade and investment-on.
She was speaking at an interactive session with office bearers of Pakistan Malaysia Business Council of Federation of Pakistan on Friday at a local hotel.
Malaysian Consul General, Khairul Nazran Rehman and the Commercial Counselor were also present. The Council team was led by its Chairman Bashir Janmohammed.
The Minister heard patiently to Pakistan businessmen and pledged that she would also lobby with other Ministries of Malaysia to get the trade related issues resolved which were raised by them.
She supported the demand by Pakistani business community for direct flights of Malaysian Airline to Karachi to facilitate the movement of the two business communities aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment, economic cooperation.
Chairman PMBC Bashir Janmohammed and his team called for earliest review of free trade agreement between Pakistan and Malaysia to make it practical and equally beneficial to both the countries.
At present, the trade balance is in favour of Malaysia, and the volume of bilateral trade could be multiplied within next few years if certain adjustments are made in the FTA, he said.
He said Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted more trade with Malaysia and the Government was also working on revision of the FTA.
He said if Malaysia facilitated and relaxed the policy for import of Pakistani rice, the volume could be increased to at least half a million tones from the present 0.1 million tones a year.
He said PMBC would send a big business delegation to explore Malaysian market for Pakistani products especially rice. Also, he invited Malaysian businessmen delegation to visit Pakistan to see trade and investment opportunities.
Perviaz Khan from Dalda Foods proposed for joint ventures for growing palm trees at coastal line of Pakistan as Malaysia had expertise in this field.
Malaysian Minister for Industries also had meeting with members of Pak-Malaysia Friendship Association, headed by ShahidJawed Qureshi.

Industrial Growth Imperative For Pakistan’s Economy
While Pakistan has been blessed with many natural blessings like four seasons, good agricultural crops, sea ports, our economy still remain very vulnerable. There are many reasons for our feeble economy, the fundamental reason is our inconsistent policies. We have never made policies which are country specific but it rotates with the change of Governments.
Though we consider ourselves as agriculturally based economy, over the decade we have only concentrated on Wheat, Rice, Sugarcane and Cotton. We have never given any priority to the Oilseed Crops. This is the reason that our Country remain dependent over 90% on the import of Edible Oils and Oilseeds.
To improve the Oilseed crops, we need to give some fertile portion of the land to the Oilseeds and increase the support price for farmers. We also need to inculcate the culture of research in agriculture so that we can improve the yield of our various crops.
It is indeed important to increase our exports and for that purpose we need to reduce our cost of doing business so that our products can remain competitive in the world markets. Our infrastructural cost is exorbitantly high and this is the reason that we are not very much competitive in the Global markets.
While great emphasis is indeed required to promote exports, we have to concentrate on giving incentives to the Industries. Without industrialization neither we can improve our indigenous production nor we can create employment. To promote industries, it is absolutely necessary to improve our infrastructure and reduce the cost of the same.
Trade facilitation is the key to promote industries and we need to remove all the obstacles and create the culture of trade facilitation. Our Country has tremendous potential as we have enormous talent. What we need is the consistency in the Government policies and a clear roadmap to move forward.
Our Government also have to change the mindset of changing the policies of previous Governments even if they are doing good for the Country. We have to learn to give credit to those who are doing good and we must not criticize only for the sake of criticism.
Our sea ports are best in the region and some more concentration is required to improve the berthing facilities at Port Karachi and Port Qasim so that Country may not loose valuable foreign exchange in the shape of demurrages. We should make our port users friendly so that Pakistan can become a transshipment hub for the landlock countries. Our road network is still better, however, we need to improve the railway facilities as railway is the cheapest mode of transportation.
The role of our trade bodies are indeed very much significant, however, they also need to develop their Research & Development (R&D) Department to give necessary feedback to the Government.

Farmers receive P58-m aid

posted January 11, 2020 at 11:20 pm by PNA
President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday distributed P58 million worth of agricultural assistance to farmers in Soccsksargen.
Among the farm equipment turned over by the President were six four-wheel drive tractors, five rice combine harvesters, and 27 hand tractors. He likewise distributed fertilizers and certified seeds.
“It is my hope that the farm inputs and machinery to be distributed today will reinforce the short and long term solutions that we have already implemented that aim to raise greater productivity and competitiveness in the agricultural sector,” Duterte said.
Description: http://manilastandard.net/panel/_files/image/New_Images/featured_image/2020/January/12/assistance-1.jpg
Assistance. President Duterte (above) leads the distribution of farm equipment and farm inputs such as certified seeds and fertilizers (below) to Soccsksargen farmers. Presidential Photo
Description: http://manilastandard.net/panel/_files/image/New_Images/featured_image/2020/January/12/assistance-2.jpg
The President also extended financial assistance to the farmers through the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance cash cards worth P5,000 each. One- hundred rice farmers from Libungan, Cotabato received the financial aid.
He also promised to invest in much- needed infrastructure such as farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, farm equipment and other tools aimed at increasing rice productivity.
At the same time, the President pitched for the continuous implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law, assuring farmers that the measure will help strengthen the country’s economy and provide more opportunities for the agricultural sector.
“To our dear farmers, let me take this opportunity to encourage you to give the Rice Tariffication Law a chance. Let me assure you that in the long run, this measure will not only help strengthen our economy, but will also provide new opportunities for your sector,” he said. 

Commentary: Innovation offers benefits for all

Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-11 16:50:08|Editor: mingmei
BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists and research projects were honored Friday with national science awards in a high-profile event to recognize the innovative spirit that is key to the country's future development.
The Chinese government has prioritized innovation and decided in 2012 to take an innovation-driven development strategy in a bid to increase production and boost the overall national strength.
Basic research, a fundamental source of innovation, has received longer and more stable support, while the transformation of science and technology achievements has been emphasized.
The country has accelerated the construction and improvement of a national innovation system, allowing scientists more say on research choices and encouraging enterprises to play a bigger role in R&D investment.
Painstaking efforts have resulted in great progress. The research programs honored on Friday, including the invention of a highly effective catalyst for drug production and a stem-cell treatment for lupus, are among the long list of China's advances in recent years.
China's pursuit of innovation, largely relying on sci-tech progress, has a clear reason: China will not go back to its old development path of high energy-consumption, severe pollution and cheap labor.
China is striving to shift to middle and high-end manufacturing industries, and it needs to upgrade technologies.
China pledges to cut its carbon emissions and return blue skies and clean water to its people, and it needs solutions from science and technology.
Almost every aspect of the lives and living standards of China's 1.4-billion people - stable economic growth, a better environment, safe food, new medicines and fast transport - calls for innovation.
China has encouraged science and technology to solve its development problems.
Take green development, for example. Chinese researchers have won the national science award for developing a clean system to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants, as coal still accounts for 59 percent of the national energy consumption.
At Friday's ceremony, scientists won awards for technologies that could help detect pollutants from agricultural products, prevent water pollution in paper-making and kill pests with green preparations.
Meanwhile, China has also brought great benefits to the world with its technological achievements. Advanced technology and products from China have played a key role in promoting sustainable development and improving people's livelihood in the developing countries.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has provided more than 1.8 billion yuan (about 260 million U.S. dollars) for construction of science and technology projects in association with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since 2013, benefiting many Asian and African countries.
Chinese agriculture scientists have bred new rice varieties named Green Super Rice with high and stable yields to help reduce hunger and increase local farmers' incomes in developing Asian and African countries.
China has also opened its planned space station to international payloads, and invited scientists around the world to participate in its future missions to explore the moon, asteroids and comets.
China has been frank in showing the reasons for and goals of its innovation drive. For those countries who adopt an open and inclusive attitude as China does, they shall be rewarded with many a new opportunity through scientific exchanges and cooperation with China.

Commentary: Innovation offers benefits for all

Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-11 16:50:08|Editor: mingmei
BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists and research projects were honored Friday with national science awards in a high-profile event to recognize the innovative spirit that is key to the country's future development.
The Chinese government has prioritized innovation and decided in 2012 to take an innovation-driven development strategy in a bid to increase production and boost the overall national strength.
Basic research, a fundamental source of innovation, has received longer and more stable support, while the transformation of science and technology achievements has been emphasized.
The country has accelerated the construction and improvement of a national innovation system, allowing scientists more say on research choices and encouraging enterprises to play a bigger role in R&D investment.
Painstaking efforts have resulted in great progress. The research programs honored on Friday, including the invention of a highly effective catalyst for drug production and a stem-cell treatment for lupus, are among the long list of China's advances in recent years.
China's pursuit of innovation, largely relying on sci-tech progress, has a clear reason: China will not go back to its old development path of high energy-consumption, severe pollution and cheap labor.
China is striving to shift to middle and high-end manufacturing industries, and it needs to upgrade technologies.
China pledges to cut its carbon emissions and return blue skies and clean water to its people, and it needs solutions from science and technology.
Almost every aspect of the lives and living standards of China's 1.4-billion people - stable economic growth, a better environment, safe food, new medicines and fast transport - calls for innovation.
China has encouraged science and technology to solve its development problems.
Take green development, for example. Chinese researchers have won the national science award for developing a clean system to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants, as coal still accounts for 59 percent of the national energy consumption.
At Friday's ceremony, scientists won awards for technologies that could help detect pollutants from agricultural products, prevent water pollution in paper-making and kill pests with green preparations.
Meanwhile, China has also brought great benefits to the world with its technological achievements. Advanced technology and products from China have played a key role in promoting sustainable development and improving people's livelihood in the developing countries.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has provided more than 1.8 billion yuan (about 260 million U.S. dollars) for construction of science and technology projects in association with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since 2013, benefiting many Asian and African countries.
Chinese agriculture scientists have bred new rice varieties named Green Super Rice with high and stable yields to help reduce hunger and increase local farmers' incomes in developing Asian and African countries.
China has also opened its planned space station to international payloads, and invited scientists around the world to participate in its future missions to explore the moon, asteroids and comets.
China has been frank in showing the reasons for and goals of its innovation drive. For those countries who adopt an open and inclusive attitude as China does, they shall be rewarded with many a new opportunity through scientific exchanges and cooperation with China.

An easy pill to swallow
·       Published at 11:00 pm January 11th, 2020
Description: Web_Vitamin-A-Plus-Campaign
Photo: SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

The campaign is targeting the inoculation of some 21 million children
A major health concern in Bangladesh is the severe deficiency of vitamin-A among children, which results in a raft of symptoms including blindness, delayed growth, skin disorders, and poor wound healing.
To that end, it is good to know that the government is well aware of the crisis and has taken various steps to improve the situation, including, but not limited to, a comprehensive campaign to provide children between six months and 59 months with various forms of vitamin-A supplements.
The campaign is targeting the inoculation of some 21 million children, through the use of mobile health centres being set up at bus stands, railway stations, launch terminals, airports, and other venues where queuing up is convenient.
Needless to say, this is an excellent initiative.
While providing vitamin-A supplements to children is a great way to tackle this most pressing of health crises in the short term, there are other initiatives that the government can consider in the long run as well.
We can further develop, for example, the vitamin-A rich Golden Rice that scientists in Bangladesh have been working on for the longest time.
This needs to be made a priority so that it can enter the market in a more timely manner.
Supplements and capsules are a good short-term strategy, since vitamin-A rich foods are usually out of the reach of poor and those living in the more rural areas of Bangladesh, Golden Rice stands to make a big impact in terms of tackling vitamin-A deficiency if it can get the proper approval in time from the international community of scientists and researchers.
Bangladesh has, for the longest time, faltered when it comes to health care, but with the potential success of the vitamin-A drive, we stand to turn things around.

A lot of soy, a little rice- China’s historical U.S. agricultural purchases

Description: https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/France_Port_of_Kergroise_bulk_soybean_cargo.jpg
The United States and China are due to sign a Phase 1 trade deal on Jan. 15 that U.S. officials have said will include a vow by China to buy an additional $32 billion in U.S. farm goods over the next two years.
China has not confirmed Trump’s goal of $40 billion to $50 billion of annual sales, which represents a near doubling of its purchases before the trade war began in 2018. Recent large Chinese purchases of Brazilian soybeans and a pair of unexpected policy moves by Beijing have dimmed U.S. hopes of reaching the lofty imports figure.
Soybeans made up more than half of China’s agriculture purchases from the United States in 2017, at about $12.2 billion.
Below are agricultural goods China has bought from the United States in the past:
SOYBEANS China bought about 60% of all exports of U.S. soybeans, the main U.S. export crop by value, before the trade war. Since the current marketing year started on Sept. 1, China has purchased about 11.1 million tonnes of soybeans worth some $4 billion, according to government data.
SORGHUM China began buying U.S. sorghum, which it uses for production of baiju liquor and animal feed, in 2008. Its purchases peaked at $2.115 billion in 2015, but fell by more than half to $1.030 billion in 2016. From January to November 2019, it bought $139.094 million worth.
PORK China has increased pork imports to record levels after a fatal pig disease, African swine fever, devastated its herd. U.S. pork exports to China and Hong Kong were up 49% in value at $1.18 billion from January to November 2019. The shipments were above full-year 2018 exports of $852.5 million and topped a prior full-year record of $1.08 billion in 2017.
BEEF China officially resumed U.S. beef imports in 2017 after a 14-year ban but maintains restrictions on shipments. Exports of U.S. beef to China and Hong Kong from January to November 2019 were down 19% from a year earlier at $746.4 million. China and Hong Kong imported a record $1 billion in U.S. beef in 2018.
CORN China was a top-five buyer of U.S. corn from 2011 to 2013 but has not been a major buyer since as domestic production increased. In 2017, it bought $142.036 million worth, and from January to November 2019 it bought $52.857 million.
RICE China, the world’s largest rice producer, typically buys small amounts of U.S. rice. Purchases peaked at $5.311 million in 2010. In 2017, they totalled $759,000 from January to November 2019, U.S. rice exports to China have been worth just $165,000.
POULTRY China in November lifted a nearly five-year ban on U.S. poultry that had been imposed in January 2015 because of a U.S. outbreak of avian flu. The market bought $500 million worth of American poultry products in 2013.
WHEAT China is the world’s No. 2 wheat producer after the European Union and holds roughly half of all global wheat inventories. In recent years it has been the No. 3 or 4 buyer of U.S. hard red spring wheat, a high-protein variety used to blend and improve the quality of lesser grades of wheat.
EQUIPMENT Some analysts had speculated that equipment might be counted in an agriculture component of an eventual trade deal. Farm machinery exports last year through October were a little over $200 million, according to data from U.S. Census Bureau. Beijing’s biggest purchase in the past two decades was in 2015 when it imported about $430 million of machines.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Tom Polansek, Julie Ingwersen, Rajesh Kumar; Singh, Mark Weinraub and Karl Plume; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Tensions between US and Iran hit Basmati rice export

The US-Iran confrontation has hurt Basmati rice growers of Punjab and Haryana and hit the economy hard.
Published: 11th January 2020 12:30 PM  |   Last Updated: 11th January 2020 12:30 PM  
For representational purpose.
Express News Service
CHANDIGARH: The US-Iran confrontation has hurt Basmati rice growers of Punjab and Haryana and hit the economy hard. With sales to Iran, which constituted 30% of the trade, nose-diving on the back of a ban by the European Union over complaints of pesticide residue in grains, Punjab tenants are facing a glut and sliding prices.
Ashik Sethi, Director of Punjab Rice Millers Exports Association, said India exported Basmati about 40 lakh ton worth  Rs 36,000 crore to some 100 countries, which is now down 50%. Iran alone bought some 14 lakh ton worth Rs 12,000 crore. With the Gulf turning a conflict zone no exporter wants to risk shipments.
“Since May last year, exports to Iran have come down as India is not buying oil from them under the bilateral rupee trade agreement. Basmati exports were also affected as payments were delayed.
Now it has totally stopped,’ said, traders.
They said, earlier EU’s pesticide restriction rules kicked in and exports to Europe slipped from 4 lakh ton to 1.35 lakh ton and Basmati prices dropped to  Rs 2600 to   Rs 2,700 per quintal against last year’s price of Rs 3,600 to  Rs 3,700 per quintal.
Sethi says, “In 2011, USA started rejecting Basmati rice shipments due to pesticide issue and EU and GSS states like Saudi Arabia, which imported 35% of the stock, followed. The Centres mandate in November that EU consignments be tested by the Export Inspection Agency (EIA) of the union, which charged  Rs 1,450 per ton added to costs and misery.

Paddy worth Rs 555 crore procured from farmers in Krishna district

Joint collector Dr K Madhavi Latha said that the pending payments to the farmers will also be cleared shortly and that there was no need of apprehensions.
Description: https://images.newindianexpress.com/images/FrontEnd/images/social-article/flip.pngDescription: https://images.newindianexpress.com/images/FrontEnd/images/social-article/fb.pngDescription: https://images.newindianexpress.com/images/FrontEnd/images/social-article/twitter.png
Published: 12th January 2020 11:04 AM  |   Last Updated: 12th January 2020 11:04
Image used for representational purpose (File photo| EPS)
By Express News Service
VIJAYAWADA: Krishna joint collector Dr K Madhavi Latha said 3.03 lakh tonnes of paddy has been procured so far from 26,093 farmers from the district through 268 procurement centres. She said that the paddy was worth Rs 555.69 crore of which Rs 392.88 crore has already been paid to the farmers.
The joint collector participated in ‘dial your JC’ initiative held on Saturday. About 17 calls, of which 11 were regarding paddy procurement, were received by her. On the occasion, she said that the pending payments to the farmers will also be cleared shortly and that there was no need of apprehensions.
A few farmers informed the JC that rice millers were not providing transportation to process the stocks. She assured that transportation would be immediately provided and directed the officials to take steps for the same.

Commentary: Innovation offers benefits for all

Source: Xinhua| 2020-01-11 16:50:08|Editor: mingmei
BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists and research projects were honored Friday with national science awards in a high-profile event to recognize the innovative spirit that is key to the country's future development.
The Chinese government has prioritized innovation and decided in 2012 to take an innovation-driven development strategy in a bid to increase production and boost the overall national strength.
Basic research, a fundamental source of innovation, has received longer and more stable support, while the transformation of science and technology achievements has been emphasized.
The country has accelerated the construction and improvement of a national innovation system, allowing scientists more say on research choices and encouraging enterprises to play a bigger role in R&D investment.
Painstaking efforts have resulted in great progress. The research programs honored on Friday, including the invention of a highly effective catalyst for drug production and a stem-cell treatment for lupus, are among the long list of China's advances in recent years.
China's pursuit of innovation, largely relying on sci-tech progress, has a clear reason: China will not go back to its old development path of high energy-consumption, severe pollution and cheap labor.
China is striving to shift to middle and high-end manufacturing industries, and it needs to upgrade technologies.
China pledges to cut its carbon emissions and return blue skies and clean water to its people, and it needs solutions from science and technology.
Almost every aspect of the lives and living standards of China's 1.4-billion people - stable economic growth, a better environment, safe food, new medicines and fast transport - calls for innovation.
China has encouraged science and technology to solve its development problems.
Take green development, for example. Chinese researchers have won the national science award for developing a clean system to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants, as coal still accounts for 59 percent of the national energy consumption.
At Friday's ceremony, scientists won awards for technologies that could help detect pollutants from agricultural products, prevent water pollution in paper-making and kill pests with green preparations.
Meanwhile, China has also brought great benefits to the world with its technological achievements. Advanced technology and products from China have played a key role in promoting sustainable development and improving people's livelihood in the developing countries.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has provided more than 1.8 billion yuan (about 260 million U.S. dollars) for construction of science and technology projects in association with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since 2013, benefiting many Asian and African countries.
Chinese agriculture scientists have bred new rice varieties named Green Super Rice with high and stable yields to help reduce hunger and increase local farmers' incomes in developing Asian and African countries.
China has also opened its planned space station to international payloads, and invited scientists around the world to participate in its future missions to explore the moon, asteroids and comets.
China has been frank in showing the reasons for and goals of its innovation drive. For those countries who adopt an open and inclusive attitude as China does, they shall be rewarded with many a new opportunity through scientific exchanges and cooperation with China.






Where you 'bean' all my life? Rainbow board dishing up pulses Jan. 16

Rainbow board holds monthly 'Go Green' challenges in all of its schools to encourage environmental stewardship
18 h By: Sudbury.com Staff
Description: 120120_KF_chartwells_food_sized
(File)
Rainbow District School Board invites staff and students to eat pulses and share recipes Jan. 16.
Secondary school cafeterias, which are operated by Chartwells, will feature a special Asian rice bowl with tofu, basmati rice, onions, peppers, black beans, corn and mushrooms.
This Go Green initiative is part of the Environmental Committee’s ongoing efforts to encourage sustainable practices, increase awareness about global food security, and promote well-being.
Pulses include a variety of lentils, beans and peas, and can be added to soups, casseroles, salads and sauces for an extra dose of protein, iron and fibre. 
“Pulses contain a variety of essential vitamins and minerals needed to sustain a healthy diet,” says director of education Norm Blaseg. “Increasing our pulses intake is good for us and the planet.”
This low-fat, low-cost food source is drought-tolerant and frost-hardy. Pulse crops enrich the earth where they are grown, improving the health and long-term fertility of soils.
“Pulses are water efficient and have one of the lowest carbon footprints of any food group,” said Blaseg. “The Eat Pulses challenge will present the opportunity to reflect on how our eating practices directly impact the environment. Everyone is encouraged to participate.”
Rainbow District School Board’s Environmental Committee is issuing monthly challenges to staff and students throughout the school year.
Last month, students researched Indigenous perspectives on caring for Mother Earth, and learned about Noojmowin, an Anishnaabe term for the holistic health and well-being of people, families, communities and the planet.

Rice export earnings exceed $250 in three months
During  three months of the current fiscal year, Myanmar earned over 250 million US dollars from the exports of around 900,000 tons of rice and broken rice, according to Myanmar Rice Federation. Till December 27 of 2019-20 FY, Myanmar exported 894,889.703 tons of rice and broken rice worth 256.452 million US dollars. During this period, Myanmar exported over 600,000 tons of rice worth over 180 million US dollars to 53 countries and around 290,000 tons of broken rice worth over 75 million US dollars, to 45 countries. Myanmar exports rice to the EU and Africa via sea route and China via Muse border trade. During three months, Myanmar earned over 34 million US dollars from exports of over 130,000 tons of rice and broken rice via border trade. Border trade accounted for 15 per cent of the total rice export. Myanmar earned over 220 million US dollars from exports of over 760,000 tons of rice and broken rice via sea route. It made up over 85 per cent of the total rice export. In 2018-19 FY, Myanmar earned 709.693 million US dollars from exports of 2.355 tons of rice and broken rice, according to the MRF. In 2017-18 FY, Myanmar’s rice exports reached a record high within over 50 years, with the exports of nearly 3.6 million tons of rice and broken rice. According to the statement by the MRF on May 18, 2019, the MRF is taking necessary measures to deal with the declining rice price in the summer paddy harvest season and the farmers’ difficulties. It is found that the business is weak due to the difficulties in warehouse, paddy drying and transport. In the past, only 11 companies exported rice to China. Currently, more than 40 rice export companies have been chosen. They can export rice to China after the list is sent to China.    

Govt calls on farmers to stop growing rice in off-season
BANGKOK (NNT) - The government has called on farmers to stop growing rice in the off-season to save water for personal consumption. Three million rai of land in the Chao Phraya River basin has already been used to grow rice in the extra season, but is yet to be provided with water. Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon has delivered policy for the steering of the National Water Directorate, which has been following the overall water situation and introducing measures to alleviate problems. So far, 18 provinces have been declared drought-affected zones and 54 others have been declared "at risk" of lacking sufficient water for consumption and agriculture. Gen Prawit said there is a reduced volume of water this year, particularly in the Chao Phraya River basin where the water supply will only be sufficient for consumption, and should be used very sparingly for agriculture; plants which consume less water should be grown instead.
The government has taken measures to provide enough water for the people’s consumption and ordered the drilling of more artesian wells. Meanwhile, the Office of National Water Resources has integrated operational plans to prevent drought in the 2019/2020 season by preparing reserves of water for consumption in areas at risk of being hit by drought. This water will be provided to hospitals and for cash crops. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Ministry of the Interior will take measures to contain the adverse effects of drought on rice grown in the extra season while farmers would receive compensation payments for any damage to their rice farms due to drought.  


Rice Federation Presents Regional Rice Report to MOA
Description: https://i0.wp.com/www.liberianobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Rice-farm-Liberia.jpg?resize=696%2C523&ssl=1
According to recent data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) domestic rice consumption in the region increased from 11 million tons of white rice in 2008/2009 to 18 million tons to 2016/2017.
Mohammed Kamara, President of the National Rice Federation of Liberia (NRFL) has presented the regional consultation framework of rice producers’ summary report to the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) for review and consideration. The document was drafted at the West African Regional rice conference recently held in Benin which aimed at enhancing sustainable rice production in order to reduce rice importation in the sub region. West Africans eat varieties of food including tubers (cassava, yam, eddoes, potato), and rice, and studies have shown that many in the sub-region, if not all, dwell on rice as the main staple than the rest of the other food crops. According to recent data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) domestic rice consumption in the region increased from 11 million tons of white rice in 2008/2009 to 18 million tons to 2016/2017. The report among other things, stressed the need for leaders in the sub region to allocate sufficient budgetary resources at least 20 percent of the national budget for agriculture toward the rice sector for innovative practices that can enhance sustainable rice production, empower various national rice platforms to ensure their sustainability and as well as encourage exchange visits for the benefit of countries to share experiences on sustainable rice production system and set up collaboration with research field schools to test sustainable rice production. Presenting the report, Kamara stated that the rice federation of Liberia has formulated a 5-year plan intended to increase the production of rice in Liberia. He said the plan seeks to support local farmers to produce more rice and will require the government’s support. According to him, the rice sector still faces many challenges which, he said, will need the government to make more investment to mitigate the constraints. Receiving the report, Precious Tetee, acting Agriculture Minister, thanked Kamara for ably representing the country. She said the MOA remains committed to providing support to rice producers to make the country reduce importation. Liberia’s equatorial climate is characterized by heavy rainfall and an ideal sunshine every year.  The country hosts about 41% of the Upper Guinea Tropical Rainforest with fertile soil; however, agriculture remains rather rudimentary in the country that imports rice from India, China and the United States every year to feed its population of 4.8 million.

PH’s largest rice suppliers see lower production


Philippines, the world’s top rice importer,, may soon have to pay more for imported rice as its two biggest suppliers for the staple, Vietnam and Thailand, will both see lower production this year. Two separate reports prepared by United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) showed that Vietnam’s paddy production will go down during the current market year (MY), while Thai rice exports are “forecast to tumble further in 2020, dropping to the lowest level in seven years” due to production decline and stiffer global competition. This is bad news for the Philippines, said Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) National Manager Raul Montemayor. As prices of imported rice increase, the country may eventually succumb to higher prices amid insufficient local palay production.

“International prices could inch up due to lower hectarage and output from major exporters,” Montemayor said in a text exchange. “And we have no choice. We can’t produce enough rice, more so now that farmers are downscaling their production due to the low prices. We have no choice but to import. We can negotiate prices but in the end we have to pay what the sellers are demanding otherwise they won’t supply us,” he added. For this year, the Philippines is expected to produce 19.6 million metric tons (MT) of palay and import around 2.7 million MT of rice. Last year, the country imported a record amount of 3 million MT, officially making it the world’s top rice importer, beating China. Based on the USDA report, Vietnam, which sold 2.15 million MT of rice to the Philippines last year, will see lower production due to unfavorable weather conditions and crop restructuring.

“MARD [Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam] lowered its estimates for the country’s production for the MY 2018 to 2019 Autumn crop, especially in the Mekong Delta, due to a reduction in cultivated area,” the report said. “Several factors drove this reduction, including uncertainty on weather conditions and the water supply and lower paddy prices, which encouraged farmers in the Mekong Delta to switch to other crops such as fruits, vegetables, and aquaculture,” it added. Combined with lower production in the Central region due to droughts that occurred early last year, USDA-FAS assessed Vietnam’s Autumn crop for MY 2018 to 2019 at 2.8 million hectares (HA) and 15.2 MMT, down from 2.9 million HA and 15.4 MMT in the previous MY. Vietnam’s total exports will also be lower than estimates at 6.6 million MT from 6.7 million MT.

Meanwhile, Thai rice exports for 2020 are forecast down by a third compared to two years ago as exportable supplies fall and prices remain high. “Thailand competes with more competitive Indian and Vietnamese rice, which is priced about 20 percent lower. Thus, even as the Philippines soared to become the top global importer, Thailand’s share of its trade was marginal, undercut by Vietnamese prices,” a separate USDA report showed. “At the same time, China has shifted its trading position from net importer to net exporter, returning as a major exporter of low-priced rice as it seeks to offload its copious stocks. Its expansion of market share in African markets has come largely at the expense of Thailand,” it added. Looking ahead to 2020, Thailand’s export “prospects are grim,” said the report. This as lower demand from key markets and uncompetitive pricing, compounded with a severe drought, are expected to decimate offseason rice production.

Malaysian Minister For Boost In Bilateral Trade
Sat 11th January 2020 | 12:00 AM

KARACHI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Jan, 2020 ) :Malaysian Minister for Primary Industries, Madam Teresa Kok Suh Sim on Friday evening assured Pakistan business community, on behalf of her government, of all possible cooperation for promotion of bilateral trade and investment.
She was speaking at an interactive session with office-bearers of Pakistan Malaysia Business Council of Federation of Pakistan at a local hotel.
Malaysian Consul General, Khairul Nazran Rehman and the Commercial Counselor were also present. The Council team was led by its Chairman Bashir Janmohammed.
The minister heard patiently to Pakistan businessmen and pledged that she would also lobby with other Ministries of Malaysia to get the trade related issues resolved which were raised by them.
She supported the demand by Pakistani business community for direct flights of Malaysian Airline to Karachi to facilitate the movement of the two business communities aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment, economic cooperation.
Chairman PMBC Bashir Janmohammed and his team called for earliest review of free trade agreement between Pakistan and Malaysia to make it practical and equally beneficial to both the countries.
At present, the trade balance is in favour of Malaysia, and the volume of bilateral trade could be multiplied within next few years if certain adjustments are made in the FTA, he said.
He said Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted more trade with Malaysia and the government was also working on revision of the FTA.
He said if Malaysia facilitated and relaxed the policy for import of Pakistani rice, the volume could be increased to at least half a million tones from the present 0.1 million tones a year.
He said PMBC would send a big business delegation to explore Malaysian market for Pakistani products especially rice. Also, he invited Malaysian businessmen delegation to visit Pakistan to see trade and investment opportunities.
Perviaz Khan from Dalda Foods proposed for joint ventures for growing palm trees at coastal line of Pakistan as Malaysia had expertise in this field.
Malaysian Minister for Industries also had meeting with members of Pak-Malaysia Friendship Association, headed by Shahid Jawed Qureshi.

Puducherry CM Narayanasamy moves HC against L-G Kiran Bedi
When the file with regard to this was sent to the L-G, Bedi refused to accept the proposal and insisted cash should be directly credited to the account of the beneficiary, said the CM.
Description: https://images.newindianexpress.com/images/FrontEnd/images/social-article/flip.pngDescription: https://images.newindianexpress.com/images/FrontEnd/images/social-article/fb.pngDescription: https://images.newindianexpress.com/images/FrontEnd/images/social-article/twitter.png
Published: 11th January 2020 06:13 AM  |   Last Updated: 11th January 2020 06:13 AM  |  
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy (File | PTI)
Express News Service
PUDUCHERRY: The turf war in Puducherry has intensified, with the Chief Minister, V Narayanasamy moving the Madras High Court challenging the order of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and Lt Governor Kiran Bedi on distribution of cash in lieu of free rice. The High Court has agreed to hear the writ plea next week.
After assuming power in 2016, the Congress government decided to provide free rice as per its poll promises. Addressing a press conference on Friday, the CM said that the decision was taken after the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution accepted the government’s plan to distribute of free rice to the UT residents. He also said that the Ministry assured him that if he sends the proposal in this regard, the ministry would “grant approval” immediately.
When the file with regard to this was sent to the L-G, Bedi refused to accept the proposal and insisted cash should be directly credited to the account of the beneficiary, said the CM. But when the government insisted, the L-G forwarded the file to the MHA and the ministry passed an order contradictory to the Union Food and Public Distribution ministry.
Narayanasamy said that it is the “prerogative” of the elected government to decide the welfare schemes for its people. He further said that if there is any “irregularities in the procurement of rice” and “lack of quality”, then the action should be taken against the officials responsible for the procurement.
He said that the neighbouring States like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka were providing free rice and the MHA has not been apprised properly the L-G in this regard.
What Petition says?

According to petitioner, in furtherance of its poll promises during 2016 Assembly elections, the government had passed a resolution on June 7, 2019 to continue the welfare scheme of providing the items in kind and referred the same to Union Home Ministry on September 5. However, the ministry differed and advised the government to continue the scheme with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) (cash) scheme in lieu of distribution of free rice. Not stopping with this, the Administrator (Bedi) also passed an interim order that rice will not be supplied in kind, but the benefit will only be by DBT mode. Accordingly, cash is being credited. Finally in December, the Union Home Affairs Ministry passed an order, answering the reference, by issuing an advisory to the Union Territory to continue with DBT (cash) scheme in lieu of distribution of free rice under Puducherry State Free Rice Scheme.
Stay up to date on all the latest Tamil Nadu news with The New Indian Express