Senate
committee to push for Mwea rice scheme title deeds
TUESDAY
APRIL 23 2019
Rice paddies at Mwea Irrigation
Scheme in Kirinyaga County. The Senate Committee on Lands has said it will
recommend that thousands of farmers who grow rice in the expansive scheme get
title deeds. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
In Summary
· The committee sought views from the farmers after Mr Kibiru
petitioned the Senate.
· Mr Githiomi said the farmers should get the documents so as to
access bank loans for development purposes.
· Farmers complained that they have been tenants since 1958 and that
they should now be issued with title deeds.
The Senate Committee on Lands,
Environment and Natural Resources has said it will recommend that thousands of
farmers who grow rice in the expansive Mwea Irrigation Scheme get title deeds.
The committee, sitting at the
Wangu’ru National Irrigation Board offices in Kirinyaga County on Tuesday,
noted that the farmers have been struggling to get the documents in order to
become legal land owners and they must be assisted to get them.
But the committee said the
farmers will get conditional title deeds so as to protect the giant scheme
which generate Sh8 billion every season from collapsing.
NO SUBDIVISION
"We want to ensure that once
the documents are issued, the scheme, which is Kenya’s rice granary, is not
subdivided into small uneconomical units," said Kirinyaga Senator Charles
Kibiru.
The committee sought views from
the farmers after Mr Kibiru petitioned the Senate seeking to have them given
title deeds so as to become legal owners of the rice fields.
Committee Chairman Mwangi
Githiomi said the farmers should get the documents so as to access bank loans
for development purposes.
"We shall recommend to the
Ministries of Land and Agriculture that there is urgent need for the farmers to
acquire the documents. Farmers have been facing hurdles when seeking loans from
banks. The documents, if issued, will be used as securities for growers seeking
loans," said Mr Githiomi.
TENANTS SINCE 1958
Farmers complained that they have
been tenants since 1958 and that they should now be issued with title deeds.
"It is the appropriate time
that we get the documents," said Ms Grace Wanyaga when giving her views to
the committee.
"As farmers we have been
living as tenants in our own country for more than fifty years after
independence and time has come to be freed from the chains of oppression,"
said another farmer, Amos Kareithi.
Farmers have been agitating for
the withdrawal of the board from the scheme so that they can be independent
rice growers.
20 YEARS
They said that when the
government took over the fields for rice farming and research from the
community, it promised to hand it back after 20 years.
The farmers said that twenty
years are now over yet the government is yet to move out of the scheme, which
is the largest in East and Central Africa.
In 1998, the farmers rebelled
against the scheme’s board, accusing it of exploitation and refusing to vacate
the land and attempted to take over the rice farms by force.
During the takeover attempts,
police shot dead two farmers were while scores were injured while property
worth millions of shillings was destroyed.
Earlier, the Senate committee
warned that those who may have grabbed land within the scheme will face the
law.
Your coffee choice could save a
blackpoll warbler
By | April 23, 2019
A male blackpoll warbler in breeding plumage with a geolocator
on its back. Image: Vermont Center for Ecostudies
By Finn O’Keefe
Blackpoll warblers are on a
12,400-mile trip from their breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska to the Amazon
Basin and northern South America.
What sort of luggage did they
take? Tiny backpacks with geolocators given to them by researchers hoping to
understand their migration paths and the pitstops they make on the way to
refuel.
They’ll soon be here in the Great
Lakes Basin, a crucial stop, around mid-May, according to a recent study, “A boreal songbird’s
20,000 km migration across North America and the Atlantic Ocean,” published
March 19 in Ecology.
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Michigan, and Ontario are the only substantial stopover points that blackpoll
warblers make during their spring migration, according to William DeLuca, one
of the researchers on this study and an assistant professor at the University
of Massachusetts. The warbler stops here in early and mid-May to indulge in
insects before making the final push to Alaska and northern Canada, DeLuca
said.
If you want to see them while
they rest up around here, check out Indiana Dunes National Park, Magee Marsh in
Ohio, Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Michigan and Thunder Cape Bird
Observatory in Ontario.
But look fast.
Until recently the lives of
blackpoll warblers have remained a mystery as they only spend two to three
months of the year in North America, DeLuca said. This lack of knowledge made
it difficult to conserve the bird, one of the fastest declining songbird
species in North America.
“Once we understand where and
what it is they’re doing then we can start to figure out where those
populations are limited,” DeLuca said. “Then you can start to target your
conservation efforts.”
DeLuca suspects them to be most
limited in South America. The birds are threatened there because palm oil
corporations destroy many ecosystems for their plantations, he said. Palm oil
is found in many processed foods.
If you want to preserve birds,
avoid palm oil, DeLuca said “It’s a direct connection between the choices we
make as consumers and what’s happening with our biodiversity.”
Choosing which coffee to drink
also impacts many migratory bird species, DeLuca said. In the 1960s during the
Green Revolution many countries in South America began to use chemicals in
agricultural management and reducing or removing shade trees from their coffee
farms. The removal of shade trees makes the farm less suitable for bird
habitat, according to Robert Rice a researcher at the Smithsonian Migratory
Bird Center.
Research in Peru has demonstrated
this. Coffee grown in the sun with very few or no shade trees provides habitat
for about 60 bird species, Rice said. That may sound like a lot, but many
birders flock to Peru in pursuit of seeing more than 1,800 species that spend
at least some of their lives there, according to Field Guides.
Just a small amount of shade
trees on coffee farms increases the number of bird species present to 170, Rice
said. But it’s when you put in a great number of diverse trees that you start
finding a lot of birds.
“When you put in a diverse system
that would qualify as bird friendly you get upwards of 240 species of birds,”
Rice said.
Encouraging coffee producers in
South America to provide adequate shade and shade tree diversity for bird
habitat on their farms is the goal of the Bird Friendly® coffee
certification created by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
Coffee grown under this certification not only protects bird habitat but also
allows for the shade trees to sequester carbon and fight climate change,
according to the center.
Regardless of other benefits,
such as a certification increasing their profits by as much as 50 cents per
pound, it is difficult to get larger coffee farms to manage for bird habitat,
Rice said.
The trees on many larger farms
are often only one to three species and uniform in height, Rice said. Even if
these trees provide a lot of shade they do not provide good habitat for a
diversity of birds and other wildlife.
“Some birds like to hang out way
up top, high in the canopy,” Rice said. “Others like to run up and down the
trunk. Others like to hang out closer to the ground.”
Different species of trees will
attract different types of insects and grow different fruit which birds feed
on.
“Any given tree has its own
little micro ecosystem,” Rice said.
Conserving bird habitat in South
America doesn’t mean we can ignore the land here. One way homeowners can
provide habitat for birds like the blackpoll warbler is by planting native
plants, DeLuca said. Much of what these birds prefer to eat can be found on
native plants, whether that be berries or insects.
“Insect diversity and abundance
is highest on native plants,” DeLuca said. “Those native plants are also the
ones providing food in the form of berries and fruit in the fall.”
People can also provide data to
scientists by putting their observations on eBird. The project headed by the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology is currently looking forward to the Global Big Day on May 4 when
organizers hope to set a new record for the number of bird species reported in
one day. Last year 7,025 species were reported by users of the site. This would
overlap with when blackpoll warblers could be making their stopovers across the
Great Lakes basin.
This May 4 sitting back with a
cup of environmentally minded coffee and watching the birds flock around your
birdfeeder could be both the most relaxing and scientifically significant thing
you could do.
If you’re lucky you might just
see a warbler returning from South America with some luggage.
Rice growers advised to avoid over-use of chemicals
OUR STAFF REPORT
April 24, 2019
LAHORE - Speakers at a seminar have
called upon the rice growers to avoid over-use of chemicals, especially
Tricyclazole and Buprofezin, to ensure safe and healthy basmati rice from farm
to fork.
The seminar ‘Khushal Kissan’ was organised by
the Pakistan Basmati Heritage Association (PBHA). Basmati growers from Narang
Mandi and members of the Association attended the meeting.
Office bearers of Rice Exporters Association of
Pakistan (REAP), Samiullah Naeem, Shahzad Chaudhry & Raja Arsalan attended
the event. PBHA has been formed for promotion and preservation of basmati rice
heritage of Pakistan.
Convener PBHA Shahid Tarar shared the vision of
the Association for meeting the challenges being faced in Basmati rice
production and export. He said the country was lagging behind other rice
producing countries in production of Basmati rice due to rising cost of inputs.
Director PBHA Sheikh Adnan assured providing
healthy and certified seed on subsidised rate during this season.
DG Pest Warning and Quality Control Zafar Yab
Haider Naqvi highlighted strategies of the Agriculture Department for
controlling insects and pests of rice. He appreciated the efforts of PBHA and
assured his full cooperation.
Zonal Manager Fuji Fertilizers Asif Hayat Khan
Niazi shared his views about importance of using potash, zinc and boron.
Regional Manager FFC Aftab Naseem emphasized on
balanced use of fertilizers especially urea and its impact in boosting rice
productivity, quality and profitability.
Director Rice Research Institute KSK Dr
Muhammad Sabir briefed the audience about research updates and development
projects. He highlighted new varietal development of Basmati rice especially
BLB resistant varieties.
Dr Tahir Hussain Awan shared his experience
about Direct Seeding Rice and new technology for weed management in DSR.
Dr Riaz stressed the need of responsible use of
pesticides for ensuring quality of Basmati rice.
Khalid Khan Kakar discussed measures for
boosting the rice yield and quality.
Imran Sheikh stressed the need of avoiding
overuse of chemicals especially tricyclazole and buprofezin.
Liberia: UCI,
Swat Clarify Media Report
Tagged:
The managements of the United Commodities Incorporated (UCI) and
the Supplying West Africa Trader (SWAT) have denied the April 17, 2019 edition
of the New Democrat newspaper, one of local dailies, labeling the two companies
as a "cartel" of rice importers.
Among other things, the newspaper insinuated that UCI and SWAT
are allegedly selling a 25 kilograms bag of rice on local market for US$20, and
that two rice importers have due advantage of the storage facilities at the
Free Port of Monrovia over the other rice importers in the country.
But the managements of UCI and SWAT in a joint press release
issued in Monrovia on Friday, April 19, 2019, described the newspaper's story
as "malicious and incorrect," saying it is intended to confuse the
general public, and also create a bewildering environment for the business
community and the consumers of the country's staple food, rice.
"The story was based on mere speculations intended to push
an agenda for some people, who are not serious. We would like to state that the
price of a 25kg bag of rice is sold by UCI and SWAT for US$13, and not US$20 as
reported by the newspaper. Secondly, to own a warehouse at the Free Port of
Monrovia, is not a condition for importing rice," the press release
clarified.
"When President George Weah came to power, the first thing
he did was to ask the rice importers to reduce the price of rice on the market.
That was done without hesitation, regardless of the losses the importers
sustained. And moreover, storage facilities at the Free Port of Monrovia are
leased by the relevant government agency. It is not restricted or reserved for
any special person or company. Whichever company or individual that affords the
lease price is given it," the press release further quoted the managements
of the two rice importers.
"Publishing or broadcasting unfounded information is
unethical, and also cast aspersion over the credibility of the media or journalist
involved in such unwarranted act. And furthermore, innuendos that are acrid of
yellow journalism, image tainting and blackmailing, does not only harm the
business entities or individuals, but also the Liberian nation and
people," the managements of the two rice importers said.
While expressing disdain and outrage over the newspaper report,
the managements of UCI and SWAT, however, encourage journalists and media
houses to always double check their information before reporting it.
"UCI and SWAT, which are considered the leading rice
importers in the country, are not only interested to make profits, but to also
ensure the availability of the nation's staple food on the local market as well
as to support the much publicized "Pro-poor" Agenda of President Weah,
the press release added.
Luzon quake
leaves P50-M damage on irrigation canals, dams
April 24, 2019
MANILA — At least PHP50 million worth of damage to irrigation
canals and dams was recorded after a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck parts of
Luzon earlier this week, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol said on Tuesday.
Piñol, however, assured that
agricultural production will not be affected following the quake.
“Sir, aside from 50 million pesos
worth of damage on irrigation canals and dams, there’s not much damage in
agriculture. Our production and our production targets will not be affected,”
Piñol told President Rodrigo Duterte during a situation briefing in San
Fernando, Pampanga on Tuesday.
The Agriculture chief also
assured the public that the agency has ready rice stocks available for families
affected by the quake.
Duterte, for his part, commended
Piñol for keeping rice stocks on standby.
“That’s one way of really
controlling. Mas mabuti ‘yang sobra ‘yung preparasyon natin.
(It’s better to prepare more than what is needed),” Duterte said.
The President recalled how the
country encountered the delayed arrival of imported rice, as well as the
temporary absence of National Food Authority (NFA) rice in the market.
“When I assumed office, I had in
mind na (that)
this thing about rice will not be a problem at all. And I must… You were there
and you delivered a long speech. I was quite confident. But really, to my
horror, it came. And so we had to import,” Duterte said.
On February this year, Duterte
signed the rice tariffication bill into law which amends the Agricultural Tariffication
Act of 1996 and replaces the quantitative restrictions (QR) on rice imports
with tariff.
Jobs for displaced workers
Meanwhile, the Department of
Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it will facilitate the reemployment of
employees working for Chuzon supermarket who will be affected by the suspension
of its business operations.
DOLE, which encouraged Chuzon
employees to attend an upcoming job fair on May 1, also vowed to provide
livelihood assistance for those who fail to get accepted.
Duterte ordered the suspension of
business operations of all Chuzon supermarkets after one of its buildings
collapsed in Porac town due to damage obtained from the quake.
“It would be good at this time to
just give them the advice to stop, cease and desist doing business until such
time that the clearance is given by the government,” Duterte said.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año
said his agency will soon be issuing a memorandum circular to temporarily
suspend all Chuzon supermarkets’ business permits until their buildings’
structural integrity have been re-assessed.
Kenya adopts
new strategies to improve green biz, country’s import-export gap widened
Devdiscourse
News Desk Nairobi Kenya
Updated: 23-04-2019 17:49 IST Created: 23-04-2019 17:49 IST
Kenya has recorded a substantial
dwindle in staple food production for multiple causes such as climate change
and pesticides. The East African country is
currently banking on inter-regional agro-based trade to address the outstanding
600,000 metric tons of rice, 2 million metric tons of wheat and around 500,000
metric ton of maize deficit.
The trade market in Kenya has confronted a radical
change in January and February of 2019 with Pakistan losing its position
as the country's top export market, which Japan went ahead to become the East
African country's second largest import market. Pakistan earlier emerged as
the top buyer of Kenyan tea but the current figure revealed by the Central Bank
of Kenya depicts
that the export to South Asian country has dwindled by 38.94 percent (around
Sh8.75 billion) in comparison to the first part of 2018.
However, as far as Kenya's
considerable fall in the production of staple food is concerned, inter-regional
trade in agricultural commodities will be the ultimate solution to cover the
deficit whilst boosting the food security agenda of the government in the next
three years, according to Margaret Mwakima,
Principal Secretary, East African Community and Regional Development.
Margaret Mwakima says that in
order to compete with the neighbouring nations in green business, the Kenyan
government has instituted a business environment program that will ensure
policies are streamlined. The council has formulated strategies to ensure
improvement in green business investment for the member stated so that the
burden of overdependence among member states gets eliminated, as reported by
KBC Channel.
Apart from production of staple
food, Kenya has
experienced a drop of export receipts in the first two months of this year by
5.88 percent (Sh104.21 billion), which is largely driven by a decline in
earning from tea. Alternatively, Kenya has witnessed a
considerable increase of food imports by 3.46 percent (Sh296.38 billion). Due
to a broadening of local supply deficit, Kenya's imports of rice, wheat and
corn are likely to increase in the coming fiscal year, as revealed by the US
Department of Agriculture Service. The data revealed by the Central Bank shows
that the gap between imports and exports for the first two months of current
year widened by 3.46 percent to Sh192.17 billion, The Star Kenya noted.
Increase indigenous ownership of
economy – Participants
A participant asking a question
during the meeting
Ghana needs to increase
indigenous ownership of the economy through structural changes that allow
citizens and domestic firms to export goods and repatriate more foreign
currencies into the country.That will help save the cedi from its perennial depreciation, speakers and participants in the GRAPHIC BUSINESS/Stanbic Bank Breakfast Meeting have unanimously observed.
They concurred yesterday that until the country produced more goods locally than it imported, the cedi would continue to lose value to major trading currencies, leading to serious inconveniences to businesses, high cost of living and continuous threat to macroeconomic stability.
The Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and guest speaker at the meeting, Dr Ernest Addison, the Ghana Union of Traders of Association (GUTA), contributors at the forum and almost everybody in the 300-seating capacity conference hall of the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra agreed that the cedi’s woes were traceable to the country’s strong appetite for imports and other foreign goods.
What they doubted, however, was the country’s ability to implement the needed reforms on a medium-to-long term basis to help shift the economy from an import-led to export-oriented one to help make the local currency stronger.
Breakfast Meeting
Yesterday’s breakfasting meeting was the first in the series for this year and was on the theme: “Achieving Sustainable Exchange Rate Stability: Our Options.”
The discussions were preceded by opening remarks by the Managing Directors of the Graphic Communications Group Limited and Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited, Messrs Ato Afful and Alhassan Andani,as well as a keynote address by the Governor.
The pressures
Dr Addison stated that the current structure of the economy, where consumable imports exceeded exports meant that “the currency will tend to depreciate.”
“That is the basic fundamental and so we need to change the narrative on the currency because so long as we remain import-dependent, you will have the cedi losing its value over time,” Dr Addison said, noting that other macroeconomic indicators such as fiscal deficit and inflation and the composition of the country’s debt holdings also contributed significantly to the fortunes of the local currency.
“So, we have to work on all fronts; we have to work to improve our export earnings, local content in the oil and mining sector and reduce our dependence on imports.
“If you look at the numbers for import of rice for example, you will be shocked at the amount that Ghanaians spend importing rice,” Dr Addison said.
It is estimated that the country spends about $500 million annually to import rice and $2.2 billion in total on food imports every year.
Policy reforms
Dr Addison observed that although the country was now enjoying a trade surplus on the basis of increased oil exports, the foreign dominance in the upstream petroleum sector meant that a chunk of the oil proceeds were repatriated.
That, he said, resulted in a current account deficit that contributed strongly to the cedi depreciation.
“Obviously, we need to improve the local content in some of our leading sectors, such as the oil and the mining, in order to improve the performance of the income and the services account,” he stressed.
The Governor also observed that the increasing exposure of the economy to foreign investors meant that “the country becomes susceptible to movements in global sentiments.”
Solutions
Proffering some solutions, the Governor said beyond increasing domestic production, the country must also improve upon its debt management strategy by reducing the over-reliance on foreign instruments.
On Eurobond sales, he said the country should be interested in applying them on productive ventures that would help increase the export capacity of the economy.
Senate
committee to push for Mwea rice scheme title deeds
TUESDAY
APRIL 23 2019
Rice paddies at Mwea Irrigation
Scheme in Kirinyaga County. The Senate Committee on Lands has said it will
recommend that thousands of farmers who grow rice in the expansive scheme get
title deeds. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
In Summary
· The committee sought views from the farmers after Mr Kibiru
petitioned the Senate.
· Mr Githiomi said the farmers should get the documents so as to
access bank loans for development purposes.
· Farmers complained that they have been tenants since 1958 and that
they should now be issued with title deeds.
Advertisement
The Senate Committee on Lands,
Environment and Natural Resources has said it will recommend that thousands of
farmers who grow rice in the expansive Mwea Irrigation Scheme get title deeds.
The committee, sitting at the
Wangu’ru National Irrigation Board offices in Kirinyaga County on Tuesday,
noted that the farmers have been struggling to get the documents in order to
become legal land owners and they must be assisted to get them.
But the committee said the
farmers will get conditional title deeds so as to protect the giant scheme
which generate Sh8 billion every season from collapsing.
NO SUBDIVISION
"We want to ensure that once
the documents are issued, the scheme, which is Kenya’s rice granary, is not
subdivided into small uneconomical units," said Kirinyaga Senator Charles
Kibiru.
The committee sought views from
the farmers after Mr Kibiru petitioned the Senate seeking to have them given
title deeds so as to become legal owners of the rice fields.
Committee Chairman Mwangi
Githiomi said the farmers should get the documents so as to access bank loans
for development purposes.
"We shall recommend to the
Ministries of Land and Agriculture that there is urgent need for the farmers to
acquire the documents. Farmers have been facing hurdles when seeking loans from
banks. The documents, if issued, will be used as securities for growers seeking
loans," said Mr Githiomi.
TENANTS SINCE 1958
Farmers complained that they have
been tenants since 1958 and that they should now be issued with title deeds.
"It is the appropriate time
that we get the documents," said Ms Grace Wanyaga when giving her views to
the committee.
"As farmers we have been
living as tenants in our own country for more than fifty years after
independence and time has come to be freed from the chains of oppression,"
said another farmer, Amos Kareithi.
Farmers have been agitating for
the withdrawal of the board from the scheme so that they can be independent
rice growers.
20 YEARS
They said that when the
government took over the fields for rice farming and research from the
community, it promised to hand it back after 20 years.
The farmers said that twenty
years are now over yet the government is yet to move out of the scheme, which
is the largest in East and Central Africa.
In 1998, the farmers rebelled
against the scheme’s board, accusing it of exploitation and refusing to vacate
the land and attempted to take over the rice farms by force.
During the takeover attempts,
police shot dead two farmers were while scores were injured while property
worth millions of shillings was destroyed.
Earlier, the Senate committee
warned that those who may have grabbed land within the scheme will face the
law.
New System Teaches Robots To Make Sushi?
Robots are very useful. They are used in industrial
applications, manufacturing, and assembly. Now, a new system will teach them to
do something more refined. Something like molding sticky rice into that edible
little thing called sushi.
A group of MIT researchers, namely Yunzhu Li, Jiajun Wu, Russ
Tedrake, Joshua B. Tenenbaum, and Antonio Torralba, have developed a system
that improves a robot’s ability to mold certain materials into a variety of
shapes, Engadget reported.
The system, known as “learning-based particle simulator,” allows
a robot to learn and predict how certain materials will respond when it
touches them. While this isn’t the first time researchers have tried enabling
robots to grab delicate objects, this is the first time researchers tried this
kind of approach.
Unlike previous learning systems that had robots relying heavily
on approximation techniques that usually fail in real-life applications, this
new system allows robots to learn how small portions of items — called
“particles” — respond when touched. This helps refine the robot’s control of
certain materials.
The group demonstrated how this system works using a two-finger
robot aptly named “RiceGrip.” The robot was tasked to mold deformable foam,
which served as proxy for sticky sushi rice, into different shapes.
Using a depth camera and object recognition, RiceGrip was able
to mold the foam accurately. It accurately predicted how the foam will respond,
and adjusted itself accordingly.
Although RiceGrip was successful in molding deformable foam, it
failed to mold real rice as the sticky material slipped in one of the attempts.
Still, it’s success in molding the foam material looks promising.
The researchers designed the system to allow robots to
manipulate items in a way similar to how human hands do. This system, group
member Jiajun Wu said in a press release, was inspired by a 5-month-old’s
ability to recognize the difference between solid and liquid materials. Wu’s
colleague agrees:
“Humans have an intuitive physics model in our heads, where we
can imagine how an object will behave if we push or squeeze it,” the group’s
first author, Yunzhu Li, said. “Based on this intuitive model, humans can
accomplish amazing manipulation tasks that are far beyond the reach of current
robots.”
“We want to build this type of intuitive model for robots to
enable them to do what humans can do,” Li added.
The system is still in its early days, and the researchers are
still working on a few things to improve how the system works. Their success
will lead to a breakthrough in the area of robotics. And although the future is
still far off, this system makes imagining a robot preparing a serving of sushi
a lot easier.
Navy Arrests
Seven Nigerian Rice Smugglers
April 24, 2019 3:49 am
Share
Okon Bassey in Uyo
Seven Nigerians arrested by the
Nigerian Navy of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Ibaka, Mbo Local
Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, were yesterday officially handed over to the
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for further investigation and prosecution.
The suspects were arrested in two
separate operations executed by the personnel of the Nigerian Navy stationed in
Ibaka community, seizing 470 bags of contraband rice from them.
While five of the suspects and
their wooden boat were intercepted by officials of the navy on retinue patrol
on April 22, 2019, and 308 bags of 50kg rice found with them, two other
suspects were intercepted on April 21, 2019, with 162 bags of 50kg rice,
reportedly brought in from Cameroon.
The Commanding Officer, FOB,
Captain Toritseju Vincent, at the public handing-over of the suspects and the
seized items to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), said the navy is committed
to ridding the area of illegal activities on the Nigeria waterways.
“On behalf of the Commanding
Officer of Eastern Naval Command, I hand over these five suspects who were
arrested on the April 22, 2019, with 308 bags of smuggled rice which we suspect
were smuggled in from Cameroon.
“I also hand over a medium sized
wooden boat laden with 162 bags of rice arrested near Mbo River by Oron,
Calabar channel to the NCS. The wooden boat along with its crew was arrested at
07:30 on April 21 during a routine patrol by the Navy gunboats,” he said.
Speaking while receiving the
suspects and bags of rice from the navy, the Zonal Commander of the Nigeria
Customs Service, Assistant Comptroller Kolade Iloyode, lauded the navy for the
support in checking smuggling into the state.
The zonal commander was represented
at the brief ceremony by Kabir Ogah, Deputy Superintendent of Customs,
Comptroller General of Customs Strike Force (CGC), Zone C, Akwa Ibom State.
According to him, “On behalf of
the Zonal Commander, Assistant Comptroller, Kolade Iloyode, and the NCS in
general, we wish to commend all your efforts in combating smuggling in our
waterways. Your actions have demonstrated your commitment to the Nigerian state
and the security of our water ways.
“This will encourage us on the
land to do more and we commemorate the efforts you have been putting up for us.
We thank you so much and we also urge you to continue with the good work for
nation building,” he said.
One of the suspects, Emmanuel
Bassey from Udung Uko Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, who regretted
involvement in smuggling of the contraband rice, said he joined the business
just to make a living.Bassey, who was in-charged of one of the seized wooden
boats, said he sawed wood in Cameroon for two years but had to return back home
to Nigeria because he was harassed by hoodlums while plying his trade in
Cameroon.
“I went to Cameroon to bring the
rice back to Nigeria, but on my way back, I was arrested by the navy. I used to
saw wood before now, and this is my first time in this trade. I was promised
N5, 000 but now, I regret my involvement in smuggling, and I promise not to do
it again,” he said.
Agriculture beyond rice
Philippine
Daily Inquirer / 09:05 AM April 23, 2019
Is a Philippine agricultural takeoff
finally in the offing? The much-debated rice tariffication law, the main effect
of which is to open our rice trade, heralds the possible unleashing of the
Philippines’ full agricultural potential, and make it the economic driver it
has been for our closest neighbors. For decades, agriculture has been the drag
on the Philippine economy, always lagging far behind growth in industry and
services—all because too many of us seemed to have the mindset that rice is
Philippine agriculture.
One would think that Vietnam, a major rice
exporter, would be dominantly focused on that commodity. But as rice area grew
by 20 percent in the 1990s, the area under industrial crops increased far more
rapidly at 83.4 percent. Like Vietnam, Thailand deliberately pursued
agricultural diversification, and while the world’s top exporter of rice has
also been a top exporter of rubber, sugar and cassava.
Here, attention and budget have been hogged
by rice—and have little to show for it. And so, while we earned only $5 billion
from agricultural exports last year, Thailand and Vietnam both got eight times
as much from theirs. Thailand’s exports of natural rubber alone already equal
the value of our total farm exports.
Many believe that agrarian reform stifled
Philippine agriculture, leading to small farmholdings that have deprived our
farm sector of the efficiency and productivity that come with economies of
scale. But small farmholdings have not stopped Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam
from achieving much more dynamic agricultural sectors than we have. It is not
farm ownership that matters, but farm organization, and our neighbors’ example
should guide us on how to proceed with an agriculture expansion push no longer
unduly fixated on rice, to the relative neglect of other crops.
It’s ironic that apart from us having
trained our neighbors’ agricultural scientists in decades past, key to our
neighbors’ agricultural dynamism has been something we actually pioneered in
the 1970s. It’s called contract farming, a scheme used by Arbor Acres for
poultry production in the United States. San Miguel Corp. applied it in its
poultry operations at around the same time agribusiness giant Charoen Pokphand
began adopting it in Thailand. In both the Philippines and Thailand, market
supply of chicken meat dramatically rose, sharply reducing its price. “For the
first time,” wrote Thai agricultural economist Nipon Poapongsakorn, “chicken
meat had become the important source of cheap protein for the poor and the
lower middle class.”
What is contract farming? The scheme
involves small farmers supplying agreed quantities of a crop or livestock
product to a large processing company, based on the latter’s quality standards.
The company pays a predetermined price, and supports the farmers with
assistance in land preparation and provision of inputs and production advice.
Coalition for Agri-Fisheries Modernization in the Philippines chair Dr. Emil
Javier recently wrote of its virtues: “For small farmers, the arrangement gives
them ready access to credit, inputs and modern technologies which they have
difficulty obtaining on their own… (and assurance) of market prices designed to
make them profitable. In study after study and country after country, contract
growers are known to be much better off than their independent, unorganized
counterparts.”
Thailand had since expanded contract farming
to many other products including pork, sugar, vegetables, pineapple, oil palm,
various fruits, potato, dairy, tilapia, shrimp and sea bass. It has been
credited for Thailand’s dynamic agricultural sector growth and exports. Vietnam
has also embraced the model for its rapid agricultural diversification and
growth.
In the Philippines, beyond poultry, we now
see it used in oil palm in Mindanao, and by Jollibee Foods to procure onions
and calamansi. The scope remains huge, and in an agricultural sector less
fixated on rice and targeted at wider diversification like in Thailand and
Vietnam, it should be our vehicle to propel Philippine agriculture from being a
drag to a driver of the economy—and uplift our farmers’ lives in the process.
Pakistan to export 200,000 tons of rice to
China by June: Dawood
PM's Advisor on Commerce, Textile and
Industry Razak Dawood. Photo: File
ISLAMABAD: Advisor to Prime Minister on
Commerce, Textile, and Industry Abdul Razak Dawood Tuesday informed that under
the duty-free incentive package of $1 billion offered by China, Pakistan has so
far exported 150,000 tons of sugar to China while the export of 200,000 tons of
rice would be completed by June this year.
Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on
Commerce and Textile here at the parliament house, Dawood said China had
extended a duty-free package for export of rice, sugar, and 350,000 tons of
cotton yarn to Pakistan.
Chairman of the committee Mirza Muhammad
Afridi was of the view that local textile industry would be affected with
exports of such a high amount of yarn as the price of the product would go high
as a result.
The Advisor said Pakistan produced a huge
amount of cotton yarn so there would not be any such issue adding that the
textile sector-related industries were now giving good results as even the
closed factories had now started production, so it is hoped that the textile
sector export would go up in the coming days.
Abdul Razak Dawood informed he was going to
China along with Prime Minister Imran Khan, where he would sign a Free Trade
Agreement (FTA) with China on April 28 under which Pakistan was going to get
the duty free market share equivalent to the share already enjoyed by the
countries of Association of East Asian Nations (ASEAN) from China.
"Although it took a long time to
finalize the second phase of FTA, I would like to appreciate the Chinese
government's support in this regard."
Senator Nauman Wazir pointed out that the
government should get assurance from the Chinese side that it would not impose
non-tariff barriers on imports from Pakistan.
Dawood said all such matters had already
been discussed with China and he would further talk to Chinese authorities to
get such assurance.
Talking about the performance of the
textile sector, Senator Shibli Faraz said the sector had become a spoiled child
by getting unnecessary subsidies.
He said the productivity, efficiency, and
quality of the textile was not up to the mark despite getting huge subsidies
and the average monthly textile export never exceeded $1.2 billion for the last
20 years.
Admitting Shibli Faraz's stance, the
Advisor said textile needed assistance around 15-20 years ago but now there was
no need to offer any subsidy to this sector.
However he was of the view that the garment
industry needed support owing to high prices of the land, therefore the
government was mulling over extending long term financing to the garment
manufacturers to purchase land and buildings to establish their industries.
Dawood informed that the government was
engaged with Japan for purchase of modern textile machinery, hoping that in six
months'' time, an agreement would be finalized in this regard.
Nauman Wazir suggested that the government
should conduct value chain analysis in this sector to find out reasons for the
decreasing trend of textile export.
He said the commercial councillors
appointed abroad should also be taken to the task and should be made bound to
give feedback from their respective countries to find out the potential markets
in various parts of the world.
Dawood said, "If we want to boost our
exports beyond $50 billion level, we must have to look areas other than
textile".
He said the engineering sector having a
market share of over $4 trillion across the globe can help Pakistan in
increasing its exports to the desired level.
Myanmar rice exports face backlash in African market
23 APR 2019
xv 
Officials
from the Myanmar Rice Federation hosted a press conference in Yangon yesterday.
Nyan Zay Htet/The Myanmar Times
The Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) guaranteed the quality of
Myanmar-produced rice after the Ivory Coast last week said it had destroyed
over 18,000 tonnes of rice originating from Myanmar, deeming the produce unfit
for human consumption.
Three Myanmar companies had sold over 20,000 tonnes of rice to
Singapore-headquartered Olam International Co Ltd. The cargo left Yangon port
in September 2018 and was shipped on board the bulk carrier MV Ocean Prince to
Guinea, West Africa, from which Olam would redistribute the rice across Africa,
according to the MRF and the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).
However, traders in Guinea claimed the rice from Myanmar weighed
only 45 kilograms per bag and not the standard 50kg in the market. As news
spread, other traders across Africa refrained from purchasing the rice,
according to the Myanmar authorities.
After a meeting in February with executives from Olam, the MOC
agreed to accept a return shipment of the unsold rice which never came, the
authorities said.
On April 17, the media reported that the Ivory Coast had
destroyed 18,000 tonnes of rice from Myanmar after health declared the crop
unfit for human consumption.
“This is an unusual case. One reason for this could be the long
period of time – seven months – the rice was being shipped on board but it is not
related to the original quality of Myanmar rice. We continue to export rice to
other countries without any issue,” MRF chair U Ye Min Aung said during a press
conference yesterday.
“We sold rice based on the freight on board system and the
inspection agency of the buyer checked the shipment and accepted it based on
the quality and weight. We sold over 20,000 tonnes of rice to Olam, 13,000
tonnes of which was shipped by the MV Ocean Prince and the remainder on board a
separate ship. Subsequently we exported rice on 17 other ships. The issues only
arose for the first shipment on the MV Ocean Prince,” said U Lu Maw Myint
Maung, managing director of Shwe Wah Yaung Company, one of the rice exporters
involved in selling rice to Olam.
U Aung Htoo, deputy minister of the MOC said the case had
damaged the reputation of Myanmar’s rice exports, but that it should also serve
as a wakeup call for the country’s traders. “We need the government and the
private sector to cooperate closely to develop the rice trading sector and
prevent such incidents from happening again,” he said.
Myanmar exported 2.3 million tonnes of rice from April 2018 to
March 2019, of which up to 40 percent was exported to the African market,
according to the MRF.
Arsenic consequences on human
health
April 23,
2019 2019-04-23T13:07:31+05:00Articles No
Comment
Human health affected by
arsenic: Rice (Oryza sativa) is an 2nd staple crop in Pakistan as
respect to wheat. It is consider the kharif crop of Pakistan. Rice is an important
source of carbohydrate.
100 gram of rice contain 28g carbohydrate and 2.7 g protein.1 cup
of white rice contain 45g of carbohydrate and 4.3g of protein. Rice account
2.7% of value added in agriculture and 0.7 % in GDP.
Rice provide 21% of global human per capita energy and 15% of per
capita protein. Rice is mainly grown in Punjab and Sindh where mostly farmer
rely on rice cultivation. Pakistan export rice to UAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia,
Kenya and Afghanistan.
Accumulation of Arsenic in Rice
Arsenic is a toxic element, two
type of compound are arsenic, first is organic arsenic and second is inorganic
arsenic. Organic arsenic
mainly found in plant and animal tissue while inorganic arsenic found in rock
or soil and dissolved in water.
Inorganic arsenic is a toxic compound as compared to organic
arsenic. Rice accumulate a significant amount of inorganic arsenic from the
environment. In fact, rice is the highest source of inorganic arsenic which is
toxic to human.
Inorganic arsenic in rice
product
High level of inorganic arsenic are found in many rice products,
such as;
- Rice milk
- Rice bran
- Rice-based breakfast cereals
- Rice cereal(baby rice)
- Rice crackers
- Brown rice syrup
Paddy rice is more accumulation of arsenic. Rice is a water loving
crop and it require high amount of water for proper growing and water contain
arsenic transfer to rice, which is dangerous to human health.
Effect of Arsenic on human
health
Due to inorganic arsenic
various problem are produced which concern human health such as; various type of
cancer, high blood pressure (hypertension), Narrowing or
blockage of blood vessels of human, heart disease problem and various type 2
diabetes are produced in human due to inorganic arsenic.
How to Mitigate Arsenic
There are several method to mitigate the arsenic from rice.
First of all, we shall washed and and cooked the rice content with clean water,
which cause low amount of arsenic in rice. We shall use plenty of water for
cooking of rice.
Washing of rice can decrease 10-28% of the arsenic. White rice are
good for cooking as compared to brown rice because high amount of arsenic in
brown rice. For this purpose, choose aromatic rice, such as basmati.
Conclusion
Adoption of all measures related to arsenic then we shall reduce
the arsenic concentration in rice.
Authors: Arslan Ali, Muhammad Maqsood Bajwa, Saddam Hussain, Usman
Zulifqar, Umair Rasool Azmi
Exports to Pakistan decline as Japan, UAE increase imports to
Kenya
In Summary
• Uganda was Kenya's top export market, purchasing goods worth
Sh10.71 billion.
• The gap between imports and exports for the first two months
of 2019 widened by 3.46 per cent to Sh192.17 billion
A worker picks tea at a plantation
FILE
FILE
Kenya’s trade market went through
a shake-up in the first two months of the year with Pakistan losing its
position as the country’s top export market while Japan grew to become Kenya’s
second largest import market.
While Pakistan is the top buyer
of Kenyan tea, Data by the Central Bank of Kenya show the value of exports to
the world’s sixth most populous country registered the largest drop of 38.94
per cent to Sh8.75 billion compared to the same period last year.
This ranked the Asian country
Kenya’s third largest exporter after Uganda at Sh10.71 billion and Netherlands
at Sh9.6 billion. The UK and US came in fourth and fifth place at Sh8.14
billion and sh7.91 billion respectively.
The data shows the value of
export receipts for the two months dropped 5.88 per cent to Sh104.21 billion
largely driven by a decline in earnings from tea.
During the period 45.35 per cent
of goods sold abroad were food and beverages while consumer goods and
industrial supplies accounted for 27.12 and 24.69 per cent of exports.
On the other hand, the value of
imports grew marginally by 3.46 per cent to Sh296.38 billion showing increased
appetite for foreign goods.
A report by United States
Department of Agriculture Service shows Kenya's food imports of corn, wheat,
and rice are expected to increase in the coming financial year due to a
widening local supply deficit.
“Corn and wheat production are
both expected to dip on account of the reduced planted area while rice
production is projected to stagnate, due to delays in anticipated
rehabilitation and expansion of the irrigation infrastructure,” the report
stated.
Japan was the biggest
gainer during the review period, more than doubling its earnings from imports
to Kenya to Sh29.64 billion compared to Sh14.53 billion over the same period
last year.
Japan is most recognised for its
used car imports to Kenya. This is because the Asian country has strict vehicle
inspections forcing cars out of circulation after just a few years.
The data shows Japan overtook
India to be Kenya’s second largest import market after China.
The value of imports from Saudi
Arabia and India decreased by 33.36 per cent and 28.61 per cent to Sh19.7
billion and Sh26.27 billion respectively.
The UAE registered a 60.29 per
cent increase in the value of goods purchased from Kenya to Sh24.59 billion.
The gap between imports and
exports for the first two months of 2019 widened by 3.46 per cent to Sh192.17
billion, data by the Central Bank showed.
In the 12 months to December, Kenya’s trade deficit grew to Sh1.145
trillion from Sh1.13 trillion over the same period in 2017.
Exports to Pakistan decline as
Japan, UAE increase imports to Kenya
In Summary
• Uganda was Kenya's top export market, purchasing goods worth
Sh10.71 billion.
• The gap between imports and exports for the first two months
of 2019 widened by 3.46 per cent to Sh192.17 billion
A worker picks tea at a plantation
FILE
FILE
Kenya’s trade market went through
a shake-up in the first two months of the year with Pakistan losing its position
as the country’s top export market while Japan grew to become Kenya’s second
largest import market.
While Pakistan is the top buyer
of Kenyan tea, Data by the Central Bank of Kenya show the value of exports to
the world’s sixth most populous country registered the largest drop of 38.94
per cent to Sh8.75 billion compared to the same period last year.
This ranked the Asian country
Kenya’s third largest exporter after Uganda at Sh10.71 billion and Netherlands
at Sh9.6 billion. The UK and US came in fourth and fifth place at Sh8.14
billion and sh7.91 billion respectively.
The data shows the value of
export receipts for the two months dropped 5.88 per cent to Sh104.21 billion
largely driven by a decline in earnings from tea.
During the period 45.35 per cent
of goods sold abroad were food and beverages while consumer goods and
industrial supplies accounted for 27.12 and 24.69 per cent of exports.
On the other hand, the value of
imports grew marginally by 3.46 per cent to Sh296.38 billion showing increased
appetite for foreign goods.
A report by United States
Department of Agriculture Service shows Kenya's food imports of corn, wheat,
and rice are expected to increase in the coming financial year due to a
widening local supply deficit.
“Corn and wheat production are
both expected to dip on account of the reduced planted area while rice
production is projected to stagnate, due to delays in anticipated
rehabilitation and expansion of the irrigation infrastructure,” the report
stated.
Japan was the biggest
gainer during the review period, more than doubling its earnings from imports
to Kenya to Sh29.64 billion compared to Sh14.53 billion over the same period
last year.
Japan is most recognised for its
used car imports to Kenya. This is because the Asian country has strict vehicle
inspections forcing cars out of circulation after just a few years.
The data shows Japan overtook
India to be Kenya’s second largest import market after China.
The value of imports from Saudi
Arabia and India decreased by 33.36 per cent and 28.61 per cent to Sh19.7
billion and Sh26.27 billion respectively.
The UAE registered a 60.29 per
cent increase in the value of goods purchased from Kenya to Sh24.59 billion.
The gap between imports and
exports for the first two months of 2019 widened by 3.46 per cent to Sh192.17
billion, data by the Central Bank showed.
In the 12 months to December, Kenya’s trade deficit grew to
Sh1.145 trillion from Sh1.13 trillion over the same period in 2017.
It’s time to find out ways to enhance Pak-Iran bilateral trade:
PM
ImaduddinApril 22, 2019
TEHRAN: Prime Minister Imran Khan
on Monday said it was time that both Pakistan and Iran should find out ways and
means to enhance their bilateral trade to exploit the existing potential.
Addressing the business community
of Pakistan and Iran here during his two-day official visit to Iran, the prime
minister said the countries, which had been doing well in the economic sector
like China, South East Asia and ASEAN nations, had a higher proportion of
bilateral trade with their neighbouring countries.
But unfortunately, Pakistan,
Iran, India and Afghanistan had a very low proportion of bilateral trade with
the neighboring countries, he added.
He said Iran being a nation of 80
million people and Pakistan with 210 million population should have been big
economies but due to variety of reasons the two countries had not been able to
exploit the trade potential.
Irrespective of the fact that
Iran had been facing sanctions and Pakistan was also going through difficult
period, the two countries should start developing bilateral trade, he added.
He told the business community
that only 10 percent of rice was exported directly from Pakistan and the rest
was done indirectly.
He said given the prevailing
situation, both the countries should start mulling to find out ways and means
to enhance the bilateral trade.
The prime minister also shared
his experience of visiting the shrine of Hazrat Imam Raza (AS) in Mashhad on
Sunday.
Later, the prime minister along
with the his economic team responded to the questions from the audience.
PM Imran seeks
stronger trade ties with Iran
ByAPP
April 22, 2019
🔊 Listen to Article
TEHRAN: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that it was time for
both Pakistan and Iran to chalk out ways to enhance their bilateral trade and
to exploit their existing potential.
Addressing the business community
of Pakistan and Iran during his two-day official visit to the latter, the prime
minister said the countries that have been doing well in the economic sector,
including China, South East Asia and ASEAN nations, had a higher proportion of
bilateral trade with their neighbouring countries.
“But unfortunately, Pakistan,
Iran, India and Afghanistan had a very low proportion of bilateral trade with
each other,” he deplored.
PM Imran Khan said that Iran,
being a nation of 80 million people, and Pakistan, with a population of 210 million,
should have been big economies by now, but due to a number of reasons, the two
countries had not been able to exploit their trade potential.
Irrespective of the fact that
Iran had been facing sanctions and Pakistan was also going through a difficult
period, the two countries should start developing healthy trade relations, he
added.
The PM noted that only 10 per
cent of rice was being exported directly from Pakistan while the rest was being
done through indirect channels.
He said given the prevailing
situation, both the countries should start mulling ways and means to enhance
the bilateral trade.
The prime minister also shared
his experience of visiting the shrine of Hazrat Imam Raza (AS) in Mashhad on
Sunday.
Later, PM Imran, along with his
economic team, responded to the questions of the audience.
Cambodia Says Meetings On For
Potential EU Rice Import Complaint
Rice Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce has just confirmed that the
government is currently discussing whether or not a complaint against the
European Union (EU) is reasonable following the bloc's tariffs on Cambodian
rice imports. According to the Khmer Times, Ministry spokesman Seang Thay
revealed that the ministry is in the process of collecting necessary data
before making a final decision on the potential complaint. "We are now at
the stage of collecting data and concrete information." While there were
earlier reports about the Cambodian government lodging a complaint with the
European Court of Justice, Thay said he cannot confirm the information.
Reuters reported that the Cambodian government decided to take the
EU rice tariffs to court but Thay said he is unaware of this information. He
added that there is no "specific timeframe" on the complaint's
submission since the panel is still reviewing information. On the other hand,
Thay said the complaint against the EU will push through if the panel and legal
experts conclude that Cambodia has a "good chance of winning." Thay's
comments came after the EU imposed tariffs on Cambodian rice earlier this year.
At that time, the European bloc said tariffs were imposed because increasing
imports from Cambodia and Burma are hurting local farmers in the eurozone. The
move did not sit well with Cambodian farmers and rice traders.
Late last month, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen unveiled a set of
schemes that he said could help curb potential losses from the rift with the
EU. At that time, Hun Sen said he is "done taking orders" from
western countries. Among Hun Sen's reforms as a means of offsetting negative
effects of losing trade deals with the EU include cutting down on
transportation fees, slashing "unofficial payments" in the
government, and reducing the official number of national holidays in the
country to spur efficiency and production. Amid a widening rift with the EU and
other western trade partners, Cambodia decided to embrace China's Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI) as part of its efforts in gaining independence from the west.
Over the past years, Cambodia and China's ties have deepened. Top Chinese
officials have signaled their desire to help improve the Cambodian economy. The
apparent mutual understanding of both sides led to Cambodia becoming one of the
57 founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
Economists noted that Cambodian leaders believe the BRI will help drive
economic growth in the country. The initiative has already helped address
infrastructure deficits. It has also helped provide access to rural
transportation.
Author Name: https://en.businesstimes.cn/articles/111068/20190422/cambodia-says-meetings-on-for-potential-eu-rice-import-complaint.htm
Rice and broken rice exports decline
by over 1.2 million tons
Myanmar earned about 780 million USD from exports of 2.4 tons of
rice and broken rice till the end of this fiscal year, according to a statement
by Myanmar Rice Federation.
In 2018-2018 fiscal year, exports of rice and broken rice have
declined by over 1.2 million tons compared with the same period last year.
Since 2018, Myanmar changed its fiscal year from April-March to
October-September. The current fiscal year is 2018-2019.
“Our fiscal year for rice export is based on crops. We calculate
the fiscal year based on the rice harvest season. It is nothing to do with the
government’s fiscal year. We have fixed one-year fiscal year for rice from
April 1 this year to March 31 next year,” said Aung Than Oo, President of
Myanmar Rice Federation.
From April 1, 2018 to March 29, 2019, Myanmar earned 778.768
million USD from exports of 2.381 million tons of rice and broken rice.
Thanks to the expansion of new markets in 2017-2018 FY, Myanmar
could export nearly 3.6 million tons of rice, which is the record-breaking
export within 50 years.
The country can export about 2.5 million tons of rice and broken
rice in 2019-2020 FY due to low demands from China and the EU, Aung Than Oo
added.
Thai exports drop 4.9% in March
Thailand’s exports were down 4.9% in March, leading to a
1.6-per-cent contraction in exports in the first quarter
April 23, 2019
By
x
Thailand’s exports in March were
down 4.88 per cent year on year (YoY), leading to a 1.6-per-cent contraction in
exports in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last
year.
The Commerce Ministry reported on
Monday Thailand’s customs-cleared exports fell to US$21.4 billion after a 5.9%
rise in February to $21.6 billion.
Slowdown in global trade and economies
Pimchanok Vonkorpon,
director-general of the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, said March’s
contraction was largely because of a slowdown in global trade and economies.
Shipments of manufacturing products
shrank 6 per cent, led by electronics items, computers and its
components and hard disk drives, while shipments of automobiles and auto
parts, motorcycle and parts and rubber products continued to expand.
Shipments
of automobiles and auto parts continued to expand.
Exports of agricultural and
agro-industrial products, meanwhile, rebounded from the previous month’s
contraction and registered growth of 3.2% from the same period last year, led
by fresh, frozen and processed fruits and vegetables (+30.0%), fresh, frozen
and processed chicken (+14.2%), rubber (+6.5%) and canned tuna (+6.4%).
However, some products declined such as sugar (-23.0%), rice (-7.7%) and
cassava products (-9.4%).
Uncertainty looms over basmati, tea exports after Iran sanctions
India annually exports 30 million kg of tea and one million tonnes
of basmati rice to Iran.
New Delhi | Kolkata: Uncertainty looms over tea and basmati rice
exports from India as the US intends to fully clamp down on Iran oil exports,
say companies and trade association. Industry is concerned as India is an
importer of crude oil from Iran and any sanction on Iran can impact trade of
other commodities India export. India annually exports 30 million kg of tea and
one million tonnes of basmati rice to Iran. Iranian demand for orthodox
Indian teas was very strong from the beginnin ..
Use of chemicals on rice crop
discussed
LAHORE: Speakers at a seminar called upon rice growers to avoid
over-use of chemicals to ensure safe and healthy basmati rice from farm to
fork. The seminar, Khushal Kissan, organised by the Pakistan Basmati Heritage
Association (PBHA), was attended by a large number of basmati growers from
Narang Mandi and District Sheikhupura. PBHA has been formed for promotion and preservation
of basmati rice heritage of Pakistan. Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan
(REAP) former chairman Samiullah Naeem, Shahzad Chaudhry and Raja Arsalan also
attended the event. PBHA Coordinator Imran Sheikh highlighted the mission of
PBHA and stressed on farmers to avoid overuse of chemicals, especially
tricyclazole and buprofezin in Basmati rice to ensure safe and healthy basmati
rice from farm to fork. PBHA Convener Shahid Tarar shared the challenges being
faced in Basmati rice production and export. He said Pakistan not only lagged
behind in productivity of Basmati rice, but also was less competitive than
other rice-producing countries due to the rising cost of production. PBHA
Director Sheikh Adnan shared the expectations of PBHA from Basmati rice farmers
and assured of providing healthy and certified seed on subsidised rate during
this season.
Louisiana Senate unanimously approves bill targeting veggie meat
and cauliflower rice
·
APR 22, 2019 - 4:57 PM
Sen. Francis Thompson, D-Delhi, right, talks with Rep. Tony
Bacala, R-Prairieville, left, while canvassing the House before SB1 concerning
the LSMSA name change came up for discussion and a vote during legislative
House action Monday June 5, 2017, in Baton Rouge, La.. The amended measure
passed 56-43.
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Sam Karlin
·
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The Louisiana Senate on Monday unanimously approved a bill that
would ban food sellers from labeling their products things like veggie
"meat" or "cauliflower rice," a proposal pushed by
agriculture interests.
State Sen. Francis Thompson, D-Delhi, filed Senate Bill 152 as a
"truth in labeling" measure that he says would stop companies from
"misrepresenting" their products.
"Far too long the issue has gone unchecked," he said.
"Broccoli is not rice. Cell cultures are not meat. And certainly tofu
burgers are not meat."
The bill has drawn opposition from the Plant Based Foods
Association, a trade group that called the proposal "a solution in search
of a problem." The group said companies that sell meat alternatives
already identify their products as vegetarian, and added the bill raises First
Amendment issues and would be unlikely to pass a court challenge.
In fact, a similar bill passed by Missouri lawmakers resulted in
a lawsuit from the Tofurky Company and the Good Food Institute Inc., a case
that is still ongoing.
Say goodbye to 'cauliflower
rice?' Bill takes aim at plant-based alternatives to meat and rice
“Consumers are not confused, they know exactly what they are
buying and are choosing plant-based alternatives for a variety of reasons:
health, environmental concerns, ethical reasons and taste," the Plant
Based Foods Association wrote in a letter to Thompson.
Thompson was backed by state Agriculture Commissioner Mike
Strain and representatives from the rice and cattle industries when he
introduced his bill in the committee he chairs last week.
He also has a bill on behalf of the dairy industry that would
target products like almond milk and soy milk, though the Plant Based Foods
Association said that bill would not have any practical impacts, as it relies
on the federal government to make changes.
Thompson said Monday while companies call their dairy
alternatives "milk," they're really "more like a
juice."
The bill moves to the House for consideration.
APRIL 24, 2019 / 1:04 PM / UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- April 24, 2019
6 MIN READ
* * * * * *
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-April 24, 2018 Nagpur, April 24 (Reuters) –
Gram and tuar prices firmed up again in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and
Marketing Committee (APMC) on increased demand from local millers amid weak
supply from producing regions. Fresh rise on NCDEX in gram, good recovery in
Madhya Pradesh pulses prices and enquiries from South-based millers also jacked
up prices. About 2,400 bags of gram and 1,300 bags of tuar reported for
auction, according to sources.
GRAM
*
Gram mill quality and desi gram recovered in open market on good festival
season
demand
from local traders.
TUAR
*
Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.
*
Moong dal Chilka reported higher in open market on increased buying support
from
local traders amid weak arrival from producing belts.
* In
Akola, Tuar New – 5,300-5,450, Tuar dal (clean) – 7,800-8,100, Udid Mogar
(clean)
–
6,500-7,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,000-8,600, Gram – 4,400-4,550, Gram Super
best
–
5,600-5,900 * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in
scattered
deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.
Nagpur
foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices Previous close
Gram
Auction 3,800-4,280 3,800-4,240
Gram
Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar
Auction 4,500-5,430 4,450-5,400
Moong
Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200
Udid
Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor
Auction n.a. 2,200-2,500
Wheat
Lokwan Auction 1,700-1,872 1,700-1,835
Wheat
Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000
Gram
Super Best Bold 5,800-6,200 5,800-6,200
Gram
Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram
Medium Best 5,500-5,700 5,500-5,700
Gram
Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram
Mill Quality 4,500-4,600 4,400-4,500
Desi
gram Raw 4,450-4,550 4,400-4,500
Gram
Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000
Tuar
Fataka Best-New 8,100-8,200 8,100-8,200
Tuar
Fataka Medium-New 7,700-7,900 7,700-7,900
Tuar
Dal Best Phod-New 7,500-7,700 7,500-7,700
Tuar
Dal Medium phod-New 7,000-7,400 7,000-7,400
Tuar
Gavarani New 5,700-5,800 5,700-5,800
Tuar
Karnataka 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Masoor
dal best 5,500-5,600 5,500-5,600
Masoor
dal medium 5,100-5,300 5,100-5,300
Masoor
n.a. n.a.
Moong
Mogar bold (New) 8,000-8,800 8,000-8,800
Moong
Mogar Medium 6,800-7,500 6,800-7,500
Moong
dal Chilka New 6,900-7,800 6,800-7,800
Moong
Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong
Chamki best 8,000-9,000 8,000-9,000
Udid
Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,500-8,500 7,500-8,500
Udid
Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,000 6,000-7,000
Udid
Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,500 4,300-4,500
Mot
(100 INR/KG) 5,500-7,000 5,500-7,000
Lakhodi
dal (100 INR/kg) 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000
Watana
Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Watana
Green Best (100 INR/KG) 6,700-6,900 6,700-6,900
Wheat
308 (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Wheat
Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000
Wheat
Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Wheat
Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Wheat
Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,200-2,400
Lokwan
Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP
Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-4,000 3,400-4,000
MP
Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200
Rice
Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Rice
BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,800 3,300-3,800
Rice
BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,100 2,700-3,100
Rice
BPT new (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,300 3,000-3,300
Rice
Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000
Rice
Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,800 2,600-2,800
Rice
Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500
Rice
HMT best (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,800 4,300-4,800
Rice
HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,100 3,800-4,100
Rice
HMT New (100 INR/KG) 3,600-3,800 3,600-3,800
Rice
Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,500-5,800 5,500-5,800
Rice
Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,200 4,800-5,200
Rice
Shriram New (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,600 4,400-4,600
Rice
Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 9,000-14,000 9,000-14,000
Rice
Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500
Rice
Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,600-7,500 6,500-7,200
Rice
Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,400-6,600 6,200-6,400
Rice
Chinnor New (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,000 4,700-5,000
Jowar
Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550
Jowar
CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 42.5
degree Celsius, minimum temp. 25.2 degree Celsius Rainfall : Nil FORECAST:
Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 43
degree Celsius and 26 degree Celsius. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils,
transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market
prices)
Pakistan Will Export 200,000 Tons
of Rice to China by June: Dawood
Posted 21
hours ago by
Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile, and Industry
Abdul Razak Dawood, on Tuesday, announced that under the $1 billion duty-free
incentive package offered by China, Pakistan has exported 150,000 tons of sugar
while the export of 200,000 tons of rice would be completed by June this year.
Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce and Textile
at the parliament house, Dawood said that China has extended a duty-free
package for the export of rice, sugar, and 350,000 tons of cotton yarn to
Pakistan.
Chairman of the committee, Mirza Muhammad Afridi, was of the
view that the local textile industry would be affected with exports of such a
high amount of yarn as the price of the product would increase.
The Advisor said that Pakistan produced a huge amount of cotton
yarn so there would no such issue adding that the textile sector-related
industries were now giving good results as even the closed factories had now
started production so hopefully the textile sector’s exports would also go up
in the coming days.
Abdul Razak Dawood said that he’s going to China along with the
Prime Minister where he would sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China on
April 28, which will allow Pakistan to get duty free market share equivalent to
the share already enjoyed by the countries of Association of East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) from China.
Although it took a long time to finalize the second phase of
FTA, but, I would like to appreciate the Chinese government’s support in this
regard.
Senator Nauman Wazir pointed out that the government should get
assurance from the Chinese side that it would not impose non-tariff barriers on
imports from Pakistan.
Dawood said that all such matters had already been discussed
with China and he would further talk with Chinese authorities to get an
assurance.
Talking about the performance of the textile sector, Senator
Shibli Faraz said the sector had become a spoiled child by getting unnecessary
subsidies.
He said the productivity, efficiency, and quality of the textile
was not up to the mark despite getting huge subsidies and the average monthly
textile export never exceeded $1.2 billion for the last 20 years.
Admitting Shibli Faraz’ stance, the Advisor said that the
textile industry needed assistance around 15-20 years ago but now there was no
need to offer any subsidy to this sector.
However, he was of the view that the garment industry needed
support owing to high prices of land, therefore the government was mulling over
extending long term financing to the garment manufacturers to purchase land and
buildings to establish their industries.
Dawood revealed that the government is engaged with Japan for
the purchase of modern textile machinery, hoping that in six months’ time, an
agreement would be finalized.
Nauman Wazir suggested that the government should conduct value
chain analysis in this sector to find out the reasons for the decreasing trend
of textile export.
He said the commercial councilors appointed abroad should also
be taken on board for the task and should be asked to give feedback from their
respective countries to discover potential markets in various parts of the
world.
Dawood said,
If we want to boost our exports beyond $50 billion level, we
must have to look areas other than textile.
He said the engineering sector has a market share of over $4
trillion across the globe and it can help Pakistan in increasing its exports to
the desired level.
https://propakistani.pk/2019/04/23/pakistan-will-export-200000-tons-of-rice-to-china-by-june-dawood/
MRF guarantees quality of home-grown rice
PUBLISHED 23 APRIL 2019
Local rice buyers and consumers should not worry about the quality
of local-grown rice, said President of Myanmar Rice Federation Ye Min Aung, at
a press conference at Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (UMFCCI) on April 22.
Local rice buyers and consumers worry after the destruction of
Myanmar rice by Ivory Coast citing that it is unfit for human consumption.
This problem is nothing to do with the quality of Myanmar rice.
Rice millers, merchants and exporters are working to export the
international-standard rice, he added.
“Myanmar exports high-quality rice to European countries, Japan
and other countries. Shwebo and Pawsanhmwe rice consumed in the country have
high-quality. The people don’t need to worry as local farmers don’t use too
much fertilizers,” he continued.
Rice is an important good for export as well as for the local
market. Eighty per cent of rice goes to local consumption and the rest to the
export.
MoU on rice exports signed with Yunnan govt
23 APR 2019
Rice
farmers harvest padi in Nay Pyi Taw. Photo: EPA
The Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and government of Yunnan
Province, China, signed a memorandum of understanding on the export of Myanmar
rice and other crops to China on April 21.
Under the agreement, Myanmar will be able to legally export
crops such as rice as well as fisheries to China via the Muse border trade
gate.
The MoU, which is a part of barter system, will see Myanmar
importing construction materials and farming machinery manufactured in Yunnan
Province in exchange for an equal amount in value of Myanmar-produced
agricultural products.
The Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery Development Committee
under the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(UMFCCI) will take charge of this agreement, which will take effect in May.
Exporting rice to China will be the government’s top priority.
The barter agreement comes after tonnes of Myanmar agricultural
products, including rice, sugar and maize, had accumulated at warehouses near
the border after China, in an attempt to crack down on illegal border trade,
temporarily banned all imports from Myanmar.
Since Chinese New Year in February, around one million bags of
rice and 5000 head of cattle have been stuck in transit at Muse.
As a result, rice prices have decreased by up to 20 yuan per
bag, while breeders were forced to sell their cattle at low prices. In total,
trade volumes have fallen by a value of US$650 million year-to-date in the
current fiscal year compared to the year before, according to the MOC.
China currently imports commodities based on a quota system.
Myanmar’s official export quota, set in 2016, is 100,000 tonnes of rice.
According to data from the MOC, over 50 percent of Myanmar-produced rice is
sold to China via the border. As such traders are lobbying for that quota to be
quadrupled, to 400,000 tonnes.
Traders have expressed skepticism at the agreement though. “The
MoU is just an initial phase,” said U Mike, a rice trader from Mandalay. He
pointed out that Myanmar had signed several MoUs on trade with China in the
past. Myanmar agricultural products, which up until now have been deemed
illegal by China, will be costly if they are made official so it might be not
profitable for traders and farmers in the early stages of the MoU, rice traders
said.
Although rice production in Myanmar hit its highest in 73 years
last year, production is expected to taper this year as a result of declining
demand in the Chinese market, which is the main buyer of Myanmar rice,
according to rice traders.
Rice is a main export of the country, generating over K5
trillion annually of which 40pc is generated by exports. As it plays a major
role in the country’s economy, it is very important for rice producers to
focus not only on the price but also on the quality, vice president U Henry Van
Thio said at the Seminar for Development of Myanmar Rice and General Assembly
and Annual General Meeting held by Myanmar Rice Federation on February 9.
Uncertainty looms over basmati, tea exports after Iran
sanctions
India annually
exports 30 million kg of tea and one million tonnes of basmati rice to Iran.
Sutanuka
Ghosal, ET Bureau|
Apr 24, 2019, 08.37 AM IST
Iranian demand
for orthodox Indian teas was very strong from the beginning of the new season
that kicks off in April.
New Delhi | Kolkata: Uncertainty looms over tea and
basmati rice exports from India
as the US intends to fully clamp down on Iran oil exports, say companies and
trade association. Industry is concerned as India is an importer of crude oil
from Iran and any sanction on Iran can impact trade of other commodities India
export. India annually exports 30 million kg of tea and one million tonnes of basmati rice to Iran.
Iranian demand for orthodox Indian teas was very strong from the beginning of the new season that kicks off in April. Similarly, basmati trading companies were sending shiploads of rice since December and were expecting a peak season till June.
Iranian demand for orthodox Indian teas was very strong from the beginning of the new season that kicks off in April. Similarly, basmati trading companies were sending shiploads of rice since December and were expecting a peak season till June.
“We will be completing the current orders for Iran and after that will wait for a government notification on the way ahead,” said Aman Gupta, MD, Shiv Shakti Inter Globe Export, one of the largest basmati rice exporters to Iran. Gupta said contracts have been signed with Iranian buyers but he was worried if he will get payments on time.
“Officials at UCO Bank have told us that they will entertain export documents and payments till May 4, which is the last date of exemptions for importing Iranian petroleum after US sanctions. Post that, there is no clarity,” added Gupta.
The All India Rice Exporters Association will be taking up the issue with the Ministry of Commerce and UCO Bank to seek clarity, said Vijay Setia, president of the association. “Iran is the largest buyer of Indian basmati rice. We export one million tonne out of our total four million tonne export of the basmati rice to Iran,” he said.
To support Indo-Iran bilateral trade, Indian oil refiners pay in rupees to UCO Bank for importing oil from Iran. The Kolkata-based lender, in turn, paid Iranian exporters for exporting goods to India and used the fund to export basmati rice, tea and drugs from India.
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