Sindh agriculture growth project
A World Bank mission recently held meetings with agricultural
officers and farmers to review the progress on the Sindh agriculture growth
project (SGAP), which entered the implementation phase in October last year.
The mission visited different
areas where project is to be executed in agriculture and livestock sectors.
Tendering process is being undertaken by the provincial government for
implements and machinery — for use by the growers.This project is designed to
support small and medium size growers in eight selected districts, more
districts will be gradually covered by the programme. It will focus on minor
crops like onion, chillies, rice and dates and help farmers and agriculture
officers become used to better farm practices, minimise crop losses and fetch
better price of their produces.
The project
aims to stem 30-40pc losses in the rice crop on account of processing practices
The value addition is the main
objective. A funding formula of 70-30pc debt equity ratio has been worked out
for purchase of implements and other farm inputs. The WB mission met onion and
chilli growers in Umerkot and Tando Allahyar to see how they are working,
shared project’s objectives with them and discussed how they have to
proceed.The Sindh government, says Director General Agriculture Extension Sindh
Hidayatullah Chhajro, intends to ensure that the gap in per acre yields is
minimised and growers derive maximum benefits of increased per acre
productivity with improved farm practices. Not only farmers but agriculture
officers are to be trained under SGAP over a period of five years. “It will be
our effort that value addition is done and farmers come up with quality produce
in the market which is at par with other competitors,” says the DG.
Mahmood Nawaz Shah, who is a
member of the SGAP’s provincial steering committee and vice president of Sindh
Abadgar Board (SAB) feels that so far needed substantive consultation or
engagement of stakeholders has not yet taken place. “I have been telling the
department that if they start procuring technology or equipments or anything
else that does not suit our environment, it will be pretty useless and wastage
of money,” he stressed. For instance, he adds, sprouting issue in onion is a
big problem hampering its export but no one knows how this is going to be
tackled.
An officer connected with the
SGAP, while requesting not to be named, points out that Sindh agriculture department
is a bit slow, considering the fact that agreement was signed last year in
October. “You are aware of working style and culture of Sindh government
officers; they are still sitting in offices and haven’t approached the
growers,” he says, and adds that transparency should be ensured through regular
coordination so that farmers make the maximum gains.The WB mission visited
Kunri’s chilli market, and according to a noted chilli grower Mian Saleem was
disappointed to see existing market conditions and those of research station.
Mian Saleem shared his experience with them as to how afflatoxin issue is
controlled. He was of the view that a plant breeder, plant pathologist, quality
seed and afflatoxin kits are needed to increase productivity of chilli and
check the disease.
The mission hinted at improving
trading platforms in the Kunri market under public private partnership.Sindh
government had initiated SGAP in 2014-15 budget; it’s modalities were being
worked out for improving productivity and market accessibility. The value
addition in livestock sector would be separately and independently dealt with
by SGAP having an allocation of Rs2,630m. A project director has been
appointed. Capacity building, dairy value chain, rehabilitation of veterinary
hospitals and dispensaries and establishment of artificial insemination (AI)
training centre are major features of the project.An implementation unit has
been set up for Tharparkar district — currently under grip of severe drought
for the third straight year — to cover Mirpurkhas district also.
According to a livestock officer 150,000
litres of milk per day is still obtained in the desert in these harsh
conditions from cows alone. “Chilling plants will be set up with the private
sector’s participation to collect and process available milk”, says Abdul Qadir
Junejo, project director for livestock component. The market price of milk
would be ensured for the livestock breeders. Livestock related officers note
that Sindh contributes 30pc of Pakistan’s milk production but its yields are
still on the lower side as compared to many countries.The project aims to stem
30-40pc losses in rice crop on account of processing practices.
It would finance threshers for the use of
farmers and paddy dryers for the use of small mill operators besides soil and
moisture testing kits, conductivity meters, etc on cost sharing basis to
modernise Sindh’s rice management and increase productivity by an estimated
20pc.In case of date crop, focus will be on tissue culture’s promotion and on disease-free
dates plant. Laboratory working in Khairpur is to be upgraded. An Agriculture
Research Development Fund headed by Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tandojam
will look into financing research on minor crops and livestock, and come up
with workable proposals.
Published in Dawn, Economic &
Business, February 23rd, 2015
Need for a new fertiliser policy
PAKISTAN’S demand for main plant nutrients — nitrogen, phosphate
and potash — is rising, but the government lacks an effective fertiliser policy
to spur agricultural growth.
The country’s per acre yield of
wheat, rice and other grains and cereals needs to increase, and according to
the just-published FAO report ‘World Fertiliser Outlook,’ the demand for
nitrogen fertiliser in Pakistan is expected to rise by 4pc by 2018, while its
demand is projected to rise by 18pc in China and 17pc in India. In the case of
phosphate, the demand will increase by 3pc in Pakistan against 27pc in India
and 10pc in China.Domestic fertiliser production has been hit by natural gas
shortages, and the demand is being met through imports.
After the success of the
fertiliser policy in 1989, which assured reasonable prices of fertiliser to
farmers (below the import price) and brought substantive investment to enhance
domestic production, the government launched another policy in 2001, mainly to
attract investment in the industry.That policy has lost its relevance due to
the shortage of natural gas, as the government has not revised it even after a
span of 14 years despite the fact that the country’s agricultural productivity
is much below its potential and it is losing its share in foreign markets,
particularly for rice and wheat, whose domestic prices are higher than those in
the international market.The National Fertiliser Development Centre is quietly
functioning in the planning commission, whose project director, Jalil Marwat,
feels the need for a new fertiliser policy. He says that with alternative
sources of energy like LNG coming up, the domestic fertiliser industry is
expected to be revived.
The National
Fertiliser Development Centre’s project director, Jalil Marwat, says that with
alternative sources of energy like LNG coming up, the domestic fertiliser
industry is expected to be revived
However, an assessment of the
fertiliser development centre indicates that the application of fertilisers
during 2014-15 is likely to fall to an estimated 4m tonnes, against the sale of
4.1m tonnes during 2013-14. The main reasons for the decline are attributed to
less investment by farmers owing to low market prices of sugarcane, rice and
cotton.Pakistan’s domestic fertiliser production is 3.1m tonnes, against the
average demand of 4m tonnes. The gap of 0.9m tonnes is met through imports. The
urea production capacity has been estimated at 6.3m tonnes, and if the full
supply of natural gas is ensured, the country can produce at least 5m tonnes,
according to the NFDC.Out of 20 urea plants, 18 are operating below their
capacity, while two units have been closed for the past one year due to gas
shortages.
According to the NFDC, gas supply
to fertiliser plants has started to improve lately.According to the FAO report
‘World fertiliser trends and outlook to 2018,’ “the global capacity of
fertiliser products, intermediates and raw materials will increase further”.As
the potential to produce fertiliser will outpace its use, the global potential
balance — the amount available over actual demand — will grow for nitrogen,
phosphate and potash, the main three soil fertilisers.Global use of nitrogen,
by far the largest fertiliser base, is projected to rise 1.4pc each year through
2018, while phosphate use will increase 2.2pc and potash 2.6pc. In comparison,
the supply of those three critical farm inputs is expected to grow by 3.7pc,
2.7pc and 4.2pc per annum, respectively.The report does not forecast future
price trends, but notes that fertiliser prices, after surging in 2011, were
broadly lower in mid-2014 than in 2010.Published in Dawn, Economic &
Business, February 23rd , 2015
http://www.dawn.com/news/1165212/need-for-a-new-fertiliser-policy
Unsold commodity: Stocked rice could cause a loss of millions to
PASSCO
By Anwer Sumra
Published: February 21, 2015
The corporation would face a huge
financial loss if it succeeds in selling the rice at Rs50 per kg in response to
the fourth tender, an official close to the development said. CREATIVE COMMONS
LAHORE: In an effort to sell the piled-up stock, the
Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) has issued
tenders for the fourth time to dispose of 1,648.75 tons of rice procured in
2008-09.
This came as a result of poor response
from its own employees to purchase the quantity at Rs50 per kg, The Express Tribune has learnt.The corporation would
face a huge financial loss if it succeeds in selling the rice at Rs50 per kg in
response to the fourth tender, an official close to the development said.This
year, the price of paddy crop in the open market was very low and it was
expected that bidders would offer a lower price for the stocked crop as
compared to last year, he said. In the tender that was floated in November-December last year,
Passco received the bid of Rs50 per kg with the condition of six-month time to
lift the stock.
This offer was rejected by the
management, who then gave its employees the offer to purchase the leftover rice
at the same price. However, the response was very poor, the official said.Rice
was procured on the direction of the federal government at the rate of Rs75 per
kg to help maintain the support price of paddy crop in the open market and
protect the farmers from losses, the official said.According to details, Passco
procured 4 million kg of rice from the open market on the instructions of the
federal government to bring stability in paddy prices and facilitate the
growers.
Out of the total procured
quantity, the corporation sold about half in 2009-10 to the bidders at Rs75 per
kg. The remaining was stocked at Hadi Rice Mill.The mill owners submitted a
claim of dues regarding the cost of keeping the quantity, but the corporation
failed to make these payments, the official said.In response to the
deteriorating condition of the stock, the federal government appointed a new
managing director of Passco, Capt (Retd) Tariq Masood, in April last year,
giving him the task to dispose of the stock on a priority basis.The new MD
negotiated with the mill owners and lifted the stocked rice and shifted it to
the corporation’s warehouse at Manga Mandi in the last week of April.
As a result of keeping the stock,
Passco lost millions as the rice that was procured at Rs75 per kg was now being
sold at Rs45 per kg, he added.
Published in The Express
Tribune, February 21st, 2015.
Western Port Slowdown Appears to Be Over
WASHINGTON, DC -- Media are reporting that an agreement has been
reached between dockworkers and employers to bring an end to the work slowdown
that has reduced trade in and out of 29 western ports to a slow drip.
The
slowdown was particularly troublesome to the California rice industry that
exports about half of its crop each year.After nine months of squabbling
between the parties, President Obama dispatched U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas E.
Perez to the area to help end the conflict.
While 
that seems to have worked, it will take some time for operations to
return to normal at the ports. And
consumer confidence has been impacted as well.
Perez told the Los Angeles Times "[t]hey understand that they not
only have to restore service, they have to restore confidence.""The
USA Rice Federation had joined with more than 90 ag and trade groups urging a
quick resolution to the dispute that was causing the work slowdown," said
USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward.
"These delays have had a direct effect on export sales for rice and
we're hopeful this settlement is a permanent solution that allows everyone to
get back to work."
that seems to have worked, it will take some time for operations to
return to normal at the ports. And
consumer confidence has been impacted as well.
Perez told the Los Angeles Times "[t]hey understand that they not
only have to restore service, they have to restore confidence.""The
USA Rice Federation had joined with more than 90 ag and trade groups urging a
quick resolution to the dispute that was causing the work slowdown," said
USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward.
"These delays have had a direct effect on export sales for rice and
we're hopeful this settlement is a permanent solution that allows everyone to
get back to work."
Contact: Michael Klein (703) 236-1458
Image: Ready to ship
Courtesy: USA Rice Federation
2015 Dietary Guidelines Stresses Sustainability and Shift to
Plant-Based Diet, Rice Well-Positioned
From left:
Katie Maher, Fred Zaunbrecher, and Bryon Holmes
WASHINGTON, DC -- Last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Advisory Report of the
2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) for public comment and rice
remains well-positioned thanks to the industry's sustainability record and the
committee's grains recommendation. The DGAC develops influential nutrition
recommendations designed to reduce the risk of chronic disease while meeting
nutrient requirements and promoting health of the U.S. population.
The
2015 Advisory Report identifies that a healthy dietary pattern is higher in
vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, seafood, legumes, and
nuts; lower in red and processed meats; and low in sugar-sweetened foods and
drinks, as well as sodium, saturated fat, and refined grains - especially when
refined grains are combined with added sugar, solid fat, and sodium."This
report emphasizes increasing whole grain consumption, which is not new advice,
but is good for rice," said Byron Holmes, an Arkansas rice grower and
chairman of the USA Rice Nutrition Subcommittee.
"In fact, the 2015 report, in many ways,
is similar to the 2010 guidelines that recommend half of American's grain
intake should come from whole grains and recognizes the important nutrient
contribution of enriched, fortified grains to the diet." "The panel
also supports a shift to a more plant-based diet and considered the composition
of dietary patterns that were linked to health outcomes, such as the
Mediterranean and vegetarian patterns," said Fred Zaunbrecher, a Louisiana
rice producer and chairman of the USA Rice Domestic Promotion Committee. "And this is beneficial for both whole
grain rice and enriched white rice because they are a great base for the foods
the DGAC recommends.
"New
this year, the Advisory Report references the sustainability of foods and cites
it as one of the benefits of a plant-based diet, saying Americans should take
the sustainability of food production into consideration when making food
choices."The U.S. rice industry's nutrition and sustainability studies we
provided to the DGAC, demonstrated both the nutritional benefits of rice and
positive scientific data showing that rice farmers are producing more rice with
less resources and that rice growing has a unique relationship to wetlands,
habitat, and wildlife," said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward.USA
Rice will submit comments to the Advisory Report through the Grain Industry and
Grocery Manufacturers Association coalitions. Following the comment period and a
public meeting next month, USDA and HHS will finalize the Dietary Guidelines
for Americans, 2015 for release later this year.
Contact: Katie Maher (703) 236-1453
Sushi proposal leaves health
department cold
Ken Dixon
Published
8:11 pm, Sunday, February 22, 2015
HARTFORD -- A proposal to use
vinegar instead of refrigeration to preserve rice at sushi restaurants has
drawn snickers in the Capitol and started a food fight between small businesses
and the state Department of Public Health.Stuck in the middle is state
Sen. Rob Kane, R-Watertown, whose attempt to
help a constituent in his town of 22,400 has turned him into the target of
sushi jokes in the General Assembly session.Kane's bill, called
"An Act Concerning Sushi Rice," brought some comedy last week in an
exchange between Kane, whose district includes Oxford and part of Seymour, and
Rep. Matthew Ritter, D-Hartford, co-chairman of the Public Health Committee.
During a public hearing before
the committee,Cynthia Tun, owner of Endo Sushi Express in
the Oakville section of Watertown, said that the so-called acidification of
sushi rice is an industry standard and a better choice than refrigeration
during meal service.Under current law, the Department of Public Health and
local health departments are not required to allow acidification of sushi rice
as an alternative to refrigeration.Kane contends that the simple change in
state law would not impact public health, while allowing small businesses to
flourish. Various health districts around the state look at sushi rice in
different ways. Some allow the acidification process to substitute for
refrigeration, while others don't."The title of this bill has certainly
been the butt of many jokes around this building," Kane, a committee
member, said during the hearing.Tun and Kane first talked about the issue
at a Watertown coffee shop."Is it a big deal, this change of policy
that you're looking for?" he asked Tun. "And if not, then how will it
help your business grow?"
"This would not only be
helpful for our business, but for other sushi businesses as well, because there
would be consistency," Tun said of the differing opinions among health
inspectors. "Number two, it would take the focus off the issue of time and
temperature, which is really not important when we consider the manufacture of
sushi rice."The state Department of Public Health submitted testimony
in opposition to the bill, saying that the current four-hour window allowed
before rice must be refrigerated is safer for consumers than the complicated
process of acidification.If passed, the bill would require the state's
more than 400 food inspectors to receive more training, said Dr. Jewell Mullen, commissioner of Public Health,
adding that if the bill passes, it should require restaurants to meet federal
standards.
Massachusetts, Ohio and Kentucky
are among the states that have accepted the federal guidelines."I
doubt most health inspectors have really taken the time to read the FDA study
on sushi rice," Tun said. "If we think about it, the Japanese created
this acidified rice centuries ago and it's a really simple idea. If we think
about any kind of pickle, it's the same thing. All sushi is made this way,
across the world. It's just an understood principle
of sushi.""It is important for a small business like hers and
others that we provide consistency in the regulations," Kane said. "I
was hoping you'd bring some samples today, because Chairman Ritter wanted to
try it. He has yet to try sushi, he said to me earlier.""Let the
record reflect," Ritter said, "it is true I don't eat sushi. I eat
rice, so I get half of you. My wife puts up with my eating habits, which are
very limited, unfortunately."
kdixon@ctpost.com; 860-549-4670; twitter.com/KenDixonCT;
facebook.com/kendixonct.hearst; blog.ctnews.com/dixon
CME
Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
|
Robotics and automation take off for farmers - research
Tuesday,
24 February, 2015 - 15:16
Orange harvester.
New research released last week by The Boston Consulting Group
(BCG) is predicting that advanced robotics will boost productivity by up to 30%
in many industries by 2025. Robotics will also lower total labour costs by 18%
or more in countries like USA, Japan, China, South Korea and Germany.Although
industrial robots have been used in factories for decades, the use of advanced
robots and automation is now reshaping how we grow and harvest the world’s food
and fibre.
Boning in meatworks has already
been automated. Robotic milking systems are growing in popularity, easing staff
workloads and lifting milk production. Robots are increasingly being used for
tasks like weed management, fertilising and seeding. It seems now that the use
of multiple cooperative highly-autonomous farm vehicles could lead to the next
step in agricultural automation.Robotic technology is about to transform the way
we produce food.Unmanned tractors, an on-farm version of Google's driverless
car, is now been trialled in Australia. The tractor is guided by GPS signals
and trials by Rice Research Australia, and their Japanese partners, have been
successful in keeping the tractor to within 3cm accuracy. The specialised
satellite system also provides useful data like engine temperature and fuel
usage to the operator.
In New Zealand, Auckland
University and RoboticsPlus are developing an ‘Autonomous Multipurpose Mobile Platform’
(AMMP) modular robot to operate autonomously in orchards. Whether it is
precision spraying kiwifruit or picking apples, modules like vision sensors,
arms and grippers will be designed to be added or removed from the unit
depending on the application.US based Boston Dynamics, who was acquired by
Google in 2013, has been at the leading edge of engineering and robotics design
for some time now. Boston Dynamics are developing quadrupedal robots that look
and walk like cheetahs and dogs. Originally developed for the US Military,
these four-legged robots are redefining how machinery can move across rugged
terrain. While wheeled and tracked vehicles still have a strong future, it’s
not hard to see how this technology will be used by farmers in the future.
Boston Dynamics, Rice Research
Australia and Auckland University will all be presenting at the upcoming
MobileTECH 2015 event series. This series will profile advances in robotics,
automation and the increasing use of UAVs or remotely piloted aircraft. MobileTECH
2015 is running for this regions primary industries on 21-22 April in the Gold
Coast, Australia and again on 29-30 April in Auckland, New Zealand."The
objective of this event series is to profile innovative new technology,
demonstrate how it’s being used and discuss operationally and financially just
what it has meant to the early adopters," says Programme Manager for
Connex: Event Innovators, Ken Wilson.Other key presenters within the series
include companies like; X-craft Enterprises, Aeronavics, Australian UAV,
Unmanned Systems Australia, Pastoral Robotics, Ravensdown, KanDO4U, Australian
Centre for Field Robotics, University of Sydney, MasTec and Scion.
"The technologies been
applied in manufacturing or operationally within the agricultural, horticultural,
forestry, fisheries or grain industries more often than not are able to be
replicated across the primary sector. MobileTECH 2015 is one of few technology
events where the developers, researchers and end-users can come together to
discuss new innovations, opportunities for collaboration and the real results
from early adoption," says Mr Wilson.Registrations are now open and
further information on this event can be found at www.mobiletech.events
Local farmers to add 2.9m MT to
Nigeria’s rice stock
About 2.9 million metric tonnes of
high quality milled rice from Nigerian producers will be available from the
2014 season, according to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development (FMARD).The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, gave
this assurance while inspecting a 420-hectare rice farm and mill belonging to
Olam Nigeria in Rukubi, near Doma, Nasarawa State.
He said, “this would bring Nigeria
closer to being self-sufficient in rice production and a potential exporter of
milled rice.”According to him, 1.9 million metric tonnes of the commodity were
produced in the 2013 dry and wet seasons, contributing N320 billion to the GDP
and creating 670,000 jobs in the process.“The Ministry’s “rice revolution” is
gaining momentum with a projected 2.9 million metric tonnes of rice in 2014,”
he said. The Minister stated that with importation at about 1.9 to 2.0 million
metric tonnes per annum, Nigeria was now at the exit door of importation. “We
are going to be Thailand of Africa in terms of rice production and export,”
Adesina said.
Nigeria has also seen other prime
players investing in the rice value chain as multinational conglomerate,
Stallion Group, has established fully integrated agricultural operations
including world-class rice mills at strategic locations to promote milling and
paddy cultivation in the captive areas. The group has fully backward integrated
its rice value chain namely production, procurement through collection centre,
association with co-operatives and farmers, logistic and post-harvest services,
marketing and acting as a catalyst toward sustainable growth.Stallion now
operates a fully integrated state-of-the-art rice mill in the country with an
aggregate capacity of 360,000 metric tonnes per annum and is producing premium
varieties of rice from local paddy being marketed under the names, “Royal
Stallion Shinkafa” and “Super Champion’’ which are now very popular in the
country.
The Minister added that the Federal
Government was putting in place the enabling environment for production of rice
on small, medium and large-scale, through its Growth Enhancement Support (GES)
scheme for the rice value chain under the Agriculture Transformation Agenda
(ATA) launched in 2011.He further disclosed that these new varieties have
revolutionised rice production in Nigeria, as the ministry through seed
companies, has consistently multiplied and distributed seeds to farmers for cultivation
since 2011 when the implementation of GES commenced.In addition to seed and
extension support to farmers, the Minister listed the development and
strengthening of other elements of the rice value chain, including subsidised
inputs, mechanisation services through Agricultural Equipment Hiring Service
(AEHS) for which financing support is accessible through the Bank of
Agriculture (BoA) and Bank of Industry (BoI).
The Minister, who was impressed
with the wide hectarages under cultivation, the growing stockpile of mill-ready
paddy rice, mechanised planting and harvesting operations and land preparation
for new planting, going on simultaneously with the installation of the 600
metric tonnes capacity mill, stated that all factors favourable for growing and
processing large quantities of rice are not only in place in the country but
effectively working also.Adesina disclosed that prior to the launch of the ATA
in 2011, only one integrated rice mill was in place but that in addition to 12
others, the 60,000 tonnes Olam Farm mill expected to commence milling in June
brings the number of mills in the country to 13 within three years.
Other than these, he said the small mills,
which, according to him, are now 4,350 in number and growing at an annual rate
of 40 per cent, are the major rice milling drivers.The Minister equally
disclosed that paddy bulking and aggregation centres, a bridge between rice
farmers and millers, would be set up to effectively address the problems of
stock supply security identified by investors in a commissioned study as a
concern along with poor infrastructure and access to credit.The paddy bulking
and aggregation centres will stock, assess and grade paddy sourced from growers
with a view to creating easy access to millers that may have neither farms nor
paddy supply from farmers.
These facilities, Adesina said,
will further bolster Nigeria’s rice production capacity along with 15 rice and
other Staple Crop Processing Zone (SCPZ) to be set up at various locations in
the country, with a projected contribution of addition of $9.0 billion to the
GDP.Earlier, while briefing the Minister and his entourage, who visited the
Olam Farm for progress assessment, the Country Head of the farm, Mukul Mathur
and the Rukubi Farm Manager, Regi George, explained that Olam Farm is a
subsidiary of Kewalrams Group, which has been in Nigeria for about 150 years
and in different sectors of agriculture for 25 years.The company’s foray into
rice farming began four years ago with the Rukubi rice farm and mill being its
biggest commitment with $72 million.The company disclosed that currently, the
farm has a target of putting 4,600 hectares under cultivation with 3,000
hectares already cultivated in both dry and wet seasons.
Gulfood – Halal food goes
global
02/22/15 11:28 pm
BY ELISABETH
LANG, SPECIAL TO ETN
Amazing Dubai. It is difficult to imagine that only 20 years ago
there was only a two-lane road leading to the World Trade Center Dubai, and
besides that, nothing but sand. After a seemingly long drive from Deira, all of
a sudden the World Trade Center appeared like a Fata Mogana.Today, 20 years
later, the Metro, which is more a Skytrain, arrives silently in front of the
World Trade Center, where luxurious hotels like the Fairmont, the Conrad, and
the Radisson Blu are lining up, while on the other end of the exhibition halls,
IBIS and Novotel are waiting for travelers with smaller budgets.Dubai has
become a big hub for the entire Gulf region and makes Manhattan with its tall
skyscrapers seem outdated. Dubai is a city of superlatives, with the world’s
biggest shopping mall, the world’s most expensive mall (under construction),
the world’s tallest buildings, and is a city that sees more than 3 million
people in a single day. The estimated total of 3,023,426 people includes
tourists and people who work in the emirate but live outside of it.
Last
week, the Dubai World Trade Fair halls hosted over 4,800 international food
companies. There were 80,000 visitors who came together at the 20th edition of
– what else – the world’s biggest annual food and hospitality trade show. The
Gulfood event was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance.“We have seen Gulfood
grow from humble beginnings to what we have now – more than 120,000 square
meters of exhibition space with 4,800 companies taking part. Gulfood is
creating a benchmark for the industry, and it is a win-win for everybody.
Gulfood raises its standard every year and also develops the regional food
industry across many categories,” said HE Essa Al Ghurair, Chairman, Al Ghurair
Resources LLC. His company received the Gulfood industry’s Outstanding
Achievement Award, in recognition of the company’s outstanding commitment and
achievement within the Middle East food and beverage industry.At The World
Security Summit held at the Conrad hotel, securing the Gulf Cooperation
Council’s (GCC’S) future supply and building coherent global governance for
food security was discussed by experts. Other issues looked into how the global
food system can be made more resilient to extreme weather shocks.More than
1,000 industry professionals attended the three-day conference at the Conrad
hotel addressing global food security action plans and policies. A part of the
summit included the Halal Investment Conference and the Food Franchising Forum,
one of the fastest-growing segments of the worldwide food industry, currently
worth US$ 1.1 trillion globally. The international Halal food market occupied
an integral part of Gulfood 2015, with key Halal industry players and senior
government decision-makers discussing commercial and business opportunities
presented by the $1.1 trillion global Halal food market.Among the speakers was
His Excellency Nabil Molla, CEO of the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO),
underling to the UAE’s leading role in Halal standardization and certification
agenda. More transparency was urged for Halal imports, as products sold in some
Arab nations do not comply with Sharia, the moral and religious code of Islamic
law. 
Under the new UAE Halal scheme, Halal
compliance is checked thoroughly through the entire process of production,
distribution, and storage according to Farah Ali Al Zarouni, Director of the
Standards Department at THE Emirates Authority for Standardization and
Metrology (Esma) of the government of Dubai.With the fast majority of the
world’s major Halal-certified beef and mutton producers coming from South
America, the Institute for Promotion of Investments and Exports revealed that
Uruguay is currently the world’s sixth largest exporter of beef, and the Middle
East accounts for 95 percent of the total Uruguayan export to the region this
year, marking an increase of 77 percent since 2010.Among the big players, and
present with huge stands at Gulfood, was Brazil and Argentina as well as
multiple companies that export Halal-certified beef to countries including
Russia, China, Canada, the USA, Kuwait, and more. It was a surprise to learn
that Northern Thailand has over 4,000 Halal-certified companies selling over
125,000 items globally. India is also a major exporter to the UAE, with $1.9
million worth of annual exports, including Basmati rice, spices, processed food
preparations, and more.
The
war in Syria has wrecked the country’s economy, and Syrian companies are eyeing
the F&B (food and beverage) market in the Gulf as a mean to cope with
disruptions to operations in their country. Syria was known for excellent
agricultural products and was once the farmhouse for neighboring countries.
However, now most of the companies have been clashed, and land has been
destroyed. Eibo, a company that exports confectionary products, used to produce
30 tons a day, but sadly, now it doesn’t even reach one ton day said its Export
Manager.Gulfood is held annually, and it has positioned itself as a big name
player in the world market food fair arena, reaching out to main markets such
as Asia (China + India) and Africa, with a total participation of 156
countries. The mother of invention - ANUGA (Cologne, Germany), the world’s
largest food and beverage fair – is held every 5 years, and will be back this
year from October 10-15, 2015. In 2010, the event welcomed 6,777 exhibitors and
over 150,000 trade visitors from 96 nations.
PhilRice News
Science
community marks good harvest
Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija – The
science community here celebrated the county’s sustained good harvest in an
exhibit dubbed as “Bountiful Harvest,” at the Rice Science Museum, Feb. 23.
Early this month, Sec. Proceso J. Alcala of the Department of Agriculture
announced that the Philippine agriculture in 2014 has achieved growth despite
“strong typhoons that battered some key production areas.
” Palay output reached 19 million metric tons
or 2.87 percent more than last year’s harvest.Located at the Philippine Rice
Research Institute (PhilRice), the museum showcased farm implements from the
colonial to modern era of Nueva Ecija, one of the country’s top producing rice
provinces. A gallery on women’s contributions to good harvest was also
displayed.“One of the sections here features traditional postharvest materials
from the farmers of Nueva Ecija that the Central Luzon State University
collected. By viewing these artifacts, the visitor is given a glimpse of the
past, when technology was simple and life was different,” Diadem Esmero, museum
curator said.Visitors from the science community such as the Philippine Center
for Postharvest Development and Mechanization and the Philippine Carabao Center
learned more about the intricacies of farm implements including rakem, lingkaw,
and bangkang pangpinawa.
“Photographs on the ‘Woman of Rice’ also humble
us with the strength and sacrifice that women give to agriculture,” she said.In
a study by Maria Daryl Leyesa in 2008, she found that women in agriculture
spend as long as 11 hours of daily work during the planting and harvesting
seasons. Women also spent 2.33 more days in harvesting than men and 2.75 more
days in drying rice. Moreover, their top farm activities were planting,
harvesting, weeding, and accessing production capital.Traditional and modern
rice varieties across the country were also displayed.
Renewable
energy facility in Calabarzon
An
alternative source that does not rely on fossil fuels was established in
Infanta, Quezon to help supply the energy demand in rice and rice-based communities,
Jan. 29. Located in Brgy. Binonoan, the bioethanol distillation facility
produces energy without negative impact on environment as nipa sap is processed
into biofuel for spark-ignition engines that farmers commonly use.Nipa is an
indigenous product of Infanta.“This facility built basically produces hydrous
bioethanol (95% alcohol) fuel to be used for small farm machines,” Engr. Alexis
T. Belonio, lead inventor of the technology, said.
According to Belonio, hydrous bioethanol, which
can be produced from the farm like nipa sap, sugar molasses, and sweet sorghum,
is a good alternative for fueling pumps, threshers, dryers and small rice
mills.“We need to increase rice production. One way to do this is to improve
[farm practices from land preparation to post-harvest], and by [doing this], we
need mechanization. In mechanization, we need fuel, so what is mechanization
without the gasoline? [With this facility], we have an option [on what energy
type to use],” said Belonio, the first Filipino to win the Rolex Award for
Enterprise in 2008 for his breakthrough creation of a simple rice hull-powered
stove.
“We are aware of the pressing need for
alternative fuel to run farm engines. We want to manufacture machines for
farming that do not depend on fossil fuel,” former PhilRice Executive Director
Eufemio Rasco Jr. said during the launching.Three bioethanol facilities will be
set-up in three years to discover the appropriate model that is competitive for
farming.“With our depleting fossil fuel supply, the bioethanol technology is a
cost-efficient system because we can now produce and use clean energy at the
least cost,” Belonio said.
Belonio, however, said that the technology is
being modified to minimize corrosion of engine parts, particularly the fuel
tank and carburetor.“We are retrofitting the engine so that the feeding of fuel
bypasses the fuel tank and the carburetor. Then, the hydrous bioethanol may be
ready to use,” Belonio said.Belonio is optimistic on the future of rice farming
with less, if not without, use of fossil energy.“If we are talking about the
future of this technology, it is unlimited. We may also study coconuts, water
lilies as sources; there are a lot of options as long as there are sources of
sugar,” Belonio added.A pilot testing of the machine is expected to be
conducted this year on pumps, transport vehicles like tricycles and motors,
micromill and bangka if possible.The project is jointly implemented by the
Mariano Marcos State University, Philippine Rice Research Institute, UP Los
Baños, and the local government unit.
DA official up
to steer PhilRice
Edilberto
M. De Luna, assistant secretary of the Department of Agriculture accepts the
challenge of leading PhilRice as he was designated officer-in-charge of the
institute upon the retirement of former Executive Director Eufemio T. Rasco
Jr., Feb. 3. Rasco turned 65 on Feb. 3. The search for the new executive
director is ongoing.“I accept the challenge being assigned as OIC of PhilRice
until a new executive director is selected. There is a need to continue what
you have achieved,” de Luna, also the DA National Rice and Corn Program
coordinator, said.
During the turnover ceremony of PhilRice
leadership, De Luna thanked Rasco for his service to the Filipino people and
praised the institute for having the “best human resource.”“Let us work
together because whatever success PhilRice has, we are all part of it,” he
added.De Luna rose from the ranks from Agriculturist I in 1987, Division Chief
in 1999, to Regional Manager in 2005, all in the Philippine Coconut Authority.
Pres. Benigno Aquino III appointed him in 2010 as DA Assistant Secretary for
Field Operations and concurrently serves as the director of the National Rice
and Corn Programs.
He also chair working committees in DA
including the Special Bids and Awards, Gawad Saka, Community-based Employment,
NGOs/POs Accreditation, and Transition Investment Support for the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao.
De Luna is also an alternate representative of
the Secretary of Agriculture to the Human Development and Poverty Reduction
Cabinet Cluster and a permanent representative to the Joint Government of the
Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Sajahatra Bangsamoro Development
Program. He is also part of the Advisory Board of the National Youth Commission.He
is an agriculture graduate of the Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation in
Lucena City, Quezon and has a master’s degree in business administration from
the same university.
Courtesy:
PhilRice News
SunRice outlines capital
restructure
ANDREW MARSHALL
23 Feb, 2015 08:40 AM
RICE farmers and other shareholders will get their first look at
SunRice's much-anticipated capital restructure plans at a series of meetings in
the Riverina starting next week.The meetings in the first two weeks of March
will provide an update on the grower-owned marketing and processing company's
ownership structure, and a glimpse at the sort of model proposed.The SunRice
restructure proposal, developed by the Macquarie banking and investment group,
is aiming to give outside investors a chance to contribute to the company's
capital pool without letting control of the business slip away from growers.
The company wants "adequate capital backing to
underpin SunRice's growth", while also preserving the rights of A Class
(grower) shareholders and enhancing the value of B Class shares owned by
growers, their families and some and industry-related individuals.SunRice
currently has a dual share co-operative style ownership structure, with its B
Class shares on the National Stock Exchange, currently trading about $3.30
each.Next week's shareholder updates will coincide with tours of SunRice's
operations at Leeton and Deniliquin, including inspecting a $9.8 million
capital upgrade at the Leeton microwave rice packing plant.
Another key meeting will be at a Jerilderie rice
field day next week, while growers, shareholders, their accountants and
financial advisors have been also invited to discuss the technical details of
the potential structure at a Jerilderie workshop on March 6.A series of smaller
district "shed" meetings on farms and at community halls will be held
across the Murray and Murrumbidgee valleys the following week.SunRice chairman
Mr Laurie Arthur has urged all growers and shareholders to provide feedback to
help determine the next steps taken in the capital structure review."We've
always said we would only come back to shareholders when we had a model that
could deliver on the review's objectives," he said."We remain
non-negotiable around preserving A Class shareholder or grower shareholder
control on an ongoing basis.
Officials ousted for fraud over govt rice deals
PETCHANET
PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION
February 23, 2015 1:00 am
THE Commerce Ministry has dismissed two top
officials for alleged involvement in fraudulent
"government-to-government" rice deals.The decision to remove the
Foreign Trade Department officials followed a committee ruling by the
ministry's Office of the Civil Service Commission, and came after a National
Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) investigation.A source from the ministry said
the two civil servants had to be dismissed after the NACC found they had
committed fraud.The officials can, however, appeal the committee's decision
through the Merit System Protection Commission within 30 days.
It is the first time something like this has
happened at the ministry.The two officials were involved in four alleged
"government-to-government" rice deals led by former prime minister
Yingluck Shinawatra and ex-commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom.Other
politicians and individuals, including a retired civil servant and the two
aforementioned officials were also reported to have been involved.The NACC
filed a petition alleging corruption in the deals and has called on those
involved to compensate the country over the huge financial loss.There has also
been a development in a separate case centred on high-level officials at
state-owned Public Warehouse Organisation (PWO) who were corrupted over the
packed-rice scheme, with two officials provisionally discharged from the
government service pending the result of an inquiry.
PWO chairman Jintana Chaiyawonnagal said the
organisation had set up a committee to investigate the matter and would
estimate the losses from the corruption and call on the ex-executives to pay
compensation.The scrapped rice-pledging scheme aimed to support poor farmers
and produce cheap rice for sale to the public.However, the PWO also found that
a large quantity of rice disappeared from its stocks, while |the quality of
much rice also |suffered.
Rice Prices Stable Despite Holidays
Kang Mi Jin | 2015-02-23 11:45
Sources
in North Korea report that despite last year’s disappointing rice harvest, the
market price of rice has continued to remain stable. Unlike previous years,
where prices of items such as rice spiked just before the holidays, cost of the
staple food saw minor fluctuations around the 5,000 KPW [0.63 USD] mark but
were overall stable across the country right up to the 2015 Lunar New
Year.Analysis of source reports revealed that although most families purchase
goods in the months leading up to and after January 1st and February 16th [Kim
Jong Il’s birthday], costs have remained relatively unwavering. Notwithstanding
marginal differences that emerged regionally, overall market prices have been
keeping with normal levels.
In
particular, despite curtailed market activity due to the mobilization of
residents for compost collection, the state’s "first call to battle"
in 2015, there have been little to no changes in market prices. Sources
determined that the galvanization and expansion of market activity compared to
years prior has seen prices no longer affected by short-term
constraints. “It was normal for the cost of rice to increase every year
just before the holidays from 500 KPW [0.06 USD] to even 1000 KPW [0.13 USD],”
a source in Yangkang Province told the Daily NK. “Despite the recent
back-to-back occurrence of Kim Jong Il's birthday and the Lunar New Year, the
cost of rice has hovered at 5,000 KPW per kilogram with no noticeable
fluctuations in the price of other goods.”
According
to the source, since the end of last year to the present, the cost of 1kg of
rice has risen or dropped approximately 500 KPW at times, but has shown no
trends of instability, such as increases due to approaching national holidays
or decreases due to distribution of rations. “It’s common for the cost of
rice to start increasing from the end of December, when parties for the end the
of the year occur all over the country. This generally continues through the
Solar New Year [January 1st], February 16th [Kim Jong Il’s birthday], and the
Lunar New Year, but it didn’t this year," he said, adding that even sharp
jumps in prices typically emerging a day or two ahead of the holidays in the
past have been absent this year.
He
offered two theories to explain the stable rice prices. “Despite the drought
last year, crop harvests in beolbangs [towns with expansive fields and rice
paddies] were relatively good,” he said, outlining his first hypothesis. He
asserted the other contributing factor to be the 50,000 tons of food aid in
rice provided from Russia last year. According to Daily NK's sources
within the North, supply routes for goods in North Korean markets such as rice,
industrial products, and side dishes have diversified compared to years past.
This surge in the quantity of goods has made stable market distribution and
consistent prices possible. In fact, not only have distribution systems
expanded beyond the high dependence on Chinese imports and smuggling, market
distribution is smoothly extending to other means, namely an autonomous national
cottage industry and a growing manufacturing sector run by the emerging wealth
class.
The
state's role in dispensing of rations has also contributed significantly to the
stability of market prices. North Korea has commenced the allotment of regular
rations for Pyongyang residents, and last March and April potato rations were
distributed in Yangkang Province. In addition, rations released to the
Musan and Hyesan mines are also likely playing a part in the overall stability
of rice prices. Still, some predict that the rice prices may increase in
early April, the start of the “farming hardship period.” Many speculate that
the cost will be heavily affected if demand for rice increases before and after
the hardship season and the state fails to continue with the relatively stable
distribution of rations to the aforementioned areas.
Clear
challenge ahead for Punjab to reduce paddy acreage
CHANDIGARH: With the focus on crop diversification in
Punjab, challenges before the state government, agriculture department, farm
scientists and farmers are quite clear. While the first three have to ideate,
plan and implement policies to bring the change in cropping patterns in the
state, farmers have to execute the same for a tangible effect on the ground.
Task for the farm officials is cut out as they work to reduce the area under water-intensive paddy crop and make farmers shift to maize, cotton and sugarcane in the 2015 kharif season, planning for which has already been started by the agriculture department. But their efforts face a big stumbling block in the farmers' reluctance to switch to other crops from paddy, which offers them good returns due to assured marketing by the state-run procurement agencies, especially the Food Corporation of India (FCI) that buys from Punjab for the central food grain buffer stock.
However, the Centre has been telling the Punjab government to encourage its farmers to shift to other crops from paddy as other states, which had lower output of rice earlier, have started achieving higher production. In few years, paddy production in such states, especially in eastern India, will go substantially up, thus decreasing the dependence surplus rice-producing states like Punjab and Haryana - both are biggest contributors to the central rice kitty.
Task for the farm officials is cut out as they work to reduce the area under water-intensive paddy crop and make farmers shift to maize, cotton and sugarcane in the 2015 kharif season, planning for which has already been started by the agriculture department. But their efforts face a big stumbling block in the farmers' reluctance to switch to other crops from paddy, which offers them good returns due to assured marketing by the state-run procurement agencies, especially the Food Corporation of India (FCI) that buys from Punjab for the central food grain buffer stock.
However, the Centre has been telling the Punjab government to encourage its farmers to shift to other crops from paddy as other states, which had lower output of rice earlier, have started achieving higher production. In few years, paddy production in such states, especially in eastern India, will go substantially up, thus decreasing the dependence surplus rice-producing states like Punjab and Haryana - both are biggest contributors to the central rice kitty.
Courtesy: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Clear-challenge-ahead-for-Punjab-to-reduce-paddy-acreage/articleshow/46337323.cms
China invites more rice
exporters
Published on Monday, 23 February 2015 09:10
The Myanmar Rice Federation
(MRF) announced it has invited more firms to export rice to China in addition
to the original nine companies.
The MRF originally sent a list of more than 100 companies to
China for scrutiny checks but the Chinese replied that it was difficult to
scrutinise so many firms.The federation then chose nine companies: MAPCO, FRP,
Myanmar Rice Mill, Golden Land East Asia, Bayintnaung Business Group, MRDC,
Shan (north) SPRDC, Ayeyar Pathein, Rakhine Rice and Paddy.
The exporters will have to pay the costs to return rice that
fails to meet the designated marks.“China has asked for additional rice
exporters. Companies can register at the MRF. The rice quality ordered by China
is 25 mark, 35 mark and broken rice,” said Dr Soe Tun, secretary general of the
MRF.China allows Myanmar to export 1 million tonnes of rice a year.
Courtesy: http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9104:china-invites-more-rice-exporters&catid=44:national&
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