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Vietnam Exports About 356,012 Tons Rice During
January 1 – February 25, 2015
Feb 27, 2015
Vietnam exported about 356,012
tons of rice in January 1 - February 25, 2015, down about 44% from about
637,756 million tons of rice exported in in first two months of 2014, according
to data from the Vietnam Food Association (VFA). Average rice export price so
far in this year stands at about $446 per ton (FOB), up about 3.7% per ton from
same time last year.During February 1- 25, 2015, Vietnam exported about 135,623
tons of rice, down about 59% from about 330,501 tons rice exported in full
month of February 2014, and down about 38% from about 220,388 tons rice
exported in full month of January 2015. Average export prices so far in
February stand at about $441 per ton, down about 1% from a year ago, and down
about 2% per ton from a month ago.
Thailand
Plans to Allocate $200 Million to Support Rice Farmers' Cooperatives
Feb 27, 2015
Thailand's Ministry of
Agriculture and Cooperatives is planning to allocate about 6.5 billion baht
(around $200 million) to support rice farmers' cooperatives to improve their
business capabilities, according to local sources.The Ministry sources noted that
the new fund would be used to support rice growers' cooperatives in 19
provinces and help them collect and process more paddy. The Agriculture
Minister was quoted as saying that the Ministry aims to help rice growers'
cooperative increase their individual paddy collection capabilities to around
948,000 tons by 2019, more than double of about 450,000 tons in 2014, and help
them increase their rice processing capabilities by two-and-half times to
around 134,000 tons during the same period.
The Minister noted that last
year, members of rice farmers' cooperatives across the country grew rice in
about 4.16 million hectares of land accounting for about 48% of the total paddy
acreage in the country. They contributed to about 11.3 million tons of paddy,
about 39% of the national output.The current plan is understood to be part of
the government’s idea to improve the Thai rice sector and help it regain
its lost charm in the international arena. Its "rice strategy" is
aimed at improving production, marketing and quality of Thai rice with very
less market intervention.
Vietnam
Rice Quotes Up; Other Asia Rice Quotes Unchanged Today
Feb 27, 2015
Vietnam rice sellers increased
most of their quotes by about $5 - $15 per ton today. Other Asia rice sellers
kept their quotes mostly unchanged.
5% Broken Rice
Thailand 5% rice is quoted at
around $405 - $415 per ton, about $40 per ton premium on Vietnam 5% rice shown
at around $365 - $375 per ton, up about $5 per ton from yesterday. India 5%
rice is quoted at around $390 - $400 per ton, about $55 per ton premium on
Pakistan 5% rice quoted at around $335 - $345 per ton.
25% Broken Rice
Thailand 25% rice is quoted at
around $365 - $375 per ton, about $25 per ton premium on Vietnam 25% rice shown
at around $340- $350 per ton, up about $5per ton from yesterday. India 25% rice
is quoted at around $355 - $365, about $50 per ton premium on Pakistan 25% rice
quoted at around $305 - $315 per ton.
Parboiled Rice
Thailand parboiled rice is quoted
at around $405 - $415 per ton. India parboiled rice is quoted at around $385 -
$395 per ton, on par with Pakistan parboiled rice quoted at around $385 - $395
per ton.
100% Broken Rice
Thailand broken rice, A1 Super,
is quoted at around $320 - $330 per ton, about $10 per ton premium on Vietnam
100% broken rice shown at around $310 - $320 per ton, up about $5 per ton from
yesterday. India's 100% broken rice is shown at around $280 - $290 per
ton, about $5 per ton premium on Pakistan broken sortexed rice quoted at
around $275 - $285 per ton.
TREA
Official Foresees Poor Response for March 5 Auction
Feb 27, 2015
Thailand's upcoming auction for
about one million tons of rice on March 5 is likely to receive a poor response
amid greater supply and price competition, according to the Honorary President
of the Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA).Local sources quoted him as
saying that with Vietnamese rice prices ruling about 13% below the Thai rice
prices, they are expecting most of the rice importers to adopt a wait and watch
policy and thereby delay their purchases. Currently, export prices of Thai 5%
rice stand at around $405 per ton compared to the Viet 5% rice quoted at around
$360 per ton.
He noted that the government may
not be able to sell more than 400,000 tons of rice of about 1,008,837 tons to
be auctioned next week.According to the Director-General of the Foreign Trade
Department, the government plans to auction about 762,700 tons of 5% white rice
and about 246,137 tons of 10% white rice, 15% white rice, 25% white rice and 10%
white glutinous rice. The auctions would be taking place at 124 state
warehouses in 33 provinces and names of the qualified bidders are expected to
be announced on next Friday.The government sold about 500,000 tons of rice of
the one million tons auctioned on January 29, 2015.The Thai government is
poised to sell about 10 million tons of the stockpiled rice this year and about
7 million tons next year. This year's sales are understood to consist of
premium-grade (60%) and sub-standard rice (40%).
Weekly Recap:
Oryza White Rice Index Dragged Lower amid Weaker Quotes in the U.S., India, and
Pakistan
Feb 27, 2015
The Oryza White Rice Index (WRI),
a weighted average of global white rice export quotes, ended the week at about
$419 per ton, down about $1 per ton from a week ago, down about $4 per ton from
a month ago and down about $42 per ton from a year ago.
Thailand
Thailand 5% broken rice is today
shown at about $405 per ton, unchanged from a week and a month ago and down
about $25 per ton from a year ago.
The government plans to auction
one million tons of rice on March 6, but officials from the Thailand Exporters
Association (TREA) are pessimistic about the upcoming auction, pointing out
that lower prices in Vietnam are causing Thailand rice exporters to be cautious
about buying more rice at uncompetitive levels. Currently, Vietnam rice is
quoted around $30 less per ton than Thailand rice.
The Thai Finance Ministry estimates that total losses from rice
subsidy schemes in the period 2004-2014 are about 700 billion baht (about $21.5
billion).
Thailand’s Ministry of
Agriculture and Cooperatives plans to allocate about 6.5 billion baht (about
$200 million) to support rice farmer’s cooperatives improve their business
capabilities.
The Philippines will import 500,000 tons of rice from Thailand
and Vietnam based on the results of a tender that closed on February
27.
Vietnam
Vietnam 5% broken rice is today
shown at about $370 per ton, up about $10 per ton from a week ago, up about $5
per ton from a month ago and down about $30 per ton from a year ago.
Vietnam exported about 356,012
tons of rice during the period January 1-February 25, a decrease of about 44%
from the first two months of 2014. The average rice export price so far
this year is about $446 per ton, up about 3.7% from the same time last year.
India
India 5% broken rice is today
shown at about $395 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, down about $5 per ton
from a month ago and down about $25 per ton from a year ago.
Despite an increase in January
(after two consecutive months of declining prices), average wholesale rice
prices in India have once again declined in February, due to increased supplies
and declining export demand.
The government may consider
changing the food subsidy program in the 2014-15 budget, in efforts to curb
losses in the public distribution system and switch to cash transfers to
beneficiaries in lieu of subsidized grains. Meanwhile, the government of India
plans to end the levy rice procurement system starting in the 2015-16 (October-September)
marketing season in an effort to improve prices for farmers. Recently
about 5 million tons of milled rice were procured annually under the program
but local sources say farmers did not sufficiently benefit from these purchases
and the program was besotted by waste and mismanagement. Major rice producing
states such as Punjab and Haryana had abolished the levy rice system two years
back but it still exists in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Andhra
Pradesh, Telangana and West Bengal.
The government of India stated
that it will not consider recommendations of the National Commission on Farmers
to increase the minimum support price (MSP) on rice and wheat to at least 50%
more than the weighted average cost of production.
Rice farmers in the state of
Punjab are being encouraged to switch to crops other than paddy, following
warnings by analysts that continuous planting of paddy is leading to faster
depletion of groundwater and decreased soil quality.
India has been seeking legal
protection for its basmati rice, but may face a delay since the Intellectual
Property Appellate Board (IPAB) has accepted the petition from Pakistan’s
Basmati Grower’s Association (BGA), which opposes granting a Geographical
Indications tag for India’s basmati rice.
The UN’s Food and Agricultural
Organization has forecasted India’s 2015 rice exports will decline about 20%
from 2014 to 8.8 million tons, mostly due to a lower harvest from the 2014
Kharif rice crop and decreased demand from Iran, a main basmati importer.
Pakistan
Pakistan 5% broken rice is today
shown at about $340 per ton, down about $10 per ton from a week ago, down about
$25 per ton from a month ago and down about $60 per ton from a year ago.
Paddy rice production in FY
2014-15 (July-June) is expected to decline about 19% from last year to about
8.437 million tons, due to floods.
Rice exporters in the country
have urged the government to negotiate with the government of Malaysia in order to remove quota restrictions on rice imports from
Pakistan.
Central & South America
Brazil 5% broken rice is today shown at
about $550 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, up about $10 per ton from a
month ago and down about $115 per ton from a year ago.
The Brazilian paddy rice index
maintained by the Center for Advanced Studies on Applied Economics (CEPEA)
reached around 36.78 real per 50 kilograms as of February 23, 2015, down about
2% from around 37.49 real per 50 kilograms recorded on February 17, 2015.
In terms of USD per ton, the index reached around $255.4 per ton on February
23, 2015, down about 3.6% from around $255.4 per ton recorded on February 17,
2015.
The government of Guyana is trying to find lucrative markets for its rice but is facing
challenges in doing so, according to the country’s President.
U.S.
U.S. 4% broken rice is today
shown at about $480 per ton, down about $20 per ton from a week ago and a month
ago and down about $100 per ton from a year ago.
Rice producers in Missouri have
acquired permission from the U.S. Department of Commerce to ship one container
of sample rice to Cuba, following the lift of the 50-year long trade embargo
with the Caribbean nation. The state plans to send 40,000 pounds of rough
rice in this container, and they hope to get approval to send a second
40,000-pound container shortly.
After a month-long slowdown, U.S.
West Coast ports are resuming work as problems between dock workers and
terminal operators seems to be over with the signing of a new contract earlier
this week. The slowdown has negatively affected California’s agriculture
sector, including the rice sector, which lost about half the regular volume of
exports in December and January according to the President and CEO of the
California Rice Commission.
Chicago rough rice futures for
March delivery dropped this week, opening at the week-high of $10.790 per cwt
(about $238 per ton) before dropping steadily throughout the week. The
low this week was on Wednesday, when futures dropped to $10.265 per cwt (about
$226 per ton) before closing slightly up on Friday at $10.480 per cwt (about
$231 per ton).
The U.S. cash market was softer
this week, falling in line with the futures market. Buyer and seller
price ideas continue to be about $0.50-$1.00 per cwt (about $11-$22 per ton)
apart.
Other Markets
Indonesia plans to replace subsidized rice for the poor with e-money, and
the Bank of Indonesia has criticized the change. Elevated rice prices in
Indonesia are creating concerns. The government is investigating whether
illegal stockpiling and reselling are key reasons for the significant rice
price hikes in the country .The President of the country, Joko Widodo, has
formally begun operations for distributing Bulog rice in the market, with plans
to distribute over 300,000 tons of rice across the country.
Cambodia 5% broken rice is today
shown at about $435 per ton, unchanged from a week ago, down about $5 per ton
from a month ago and down about $20 per ton from a year ago.
The Myanmar Rice Federation has signed a contract with China’s state-run
China National Cereals, Oils, and Foodstuffs Corporation agreeing to export
100,000 tons of rice to China in separate monthly shipments.
In 2014, China imported about 2.56 million tons of rice, an increase of about
13% from 2013, according to the China Customs General Administration.
South Korea’s government has announced that it will escalate efforts to
increase rice exports as the country anticipates an oversupply of rice due to
its own production and mandatory imports under WTO regulations. Efforts
will develop and protect the local industry and improve farmers’ lifestyles.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s state-run Agro Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation
has purchased 44,000 tons of brown rice of the U.S. and Chinese origins for
delivery by May 31.
Milled rice production in Nigeria reached about 2.9 million tons in 2014, an increase of about 52%
from 2013, according to the country’s Agriculture Minister.
The European
Union has imported around 442,433 tons
of milled rice from non-EU nations during the period from September 1, 2014 to
February 17, 2015, an increase of about 2% from the same period last year.
The UnitedKingdom has called for new regulations
from the EU which will allow the country to conduct trials and grow Genetically
Modified crops.
In Italy, two new rice varieties have been enlisted after the decree
signed by the government on January 23: they are CL15 and Risrus, bringing the
total of approved varieties in Italy to more than 150.
The government of Lao
Peoples Democratic Republic (PDR) plans to strengthen
sanitary and phytosanitary measures as part of its efforts to boost rice
exports.
Philippines
Embarks on Green Rice Mechanization
Feb 27, 2015
Bio fuel made from sugar molasses
and sweet sorghum can serve as a good source of energy to run rice farming
machinery such as threshers, dryers as well as small rice mills, according to a
notice on the Philippines government website.The Philippines is planning to set
up a bio ethanol distillation facility in Infanta, Quezon to fill the energy
demand in rice-based communities, according to the notice. The facility is said
to produce energy without negatively impacting the environment as it would use
eco-friendly inputs. It can produce hydrous bio ethanol (95% alcohol) that can
be used to run small farm machines, according to the lead inventor of the
technology.
He noted that rice production can
be increased with improved mechanization in various processes right from land
preparation to post-harvest. The bio ethanol produced from the new facility can
produce desired results in an eco-friendly manner as well as at less cost.The
former PhilRice Executive Director, who launched the technology said, "“We
are aware of the pressing need for alternative fuel to run farm engines and we
want to manufacture machines for farming that do not depend on fossil
fuel."Three bio ethanol facilities are planned over the next three years
after identifying the appropriate model that can produce bio fuel at competitive
prices. A pilot testing of the facility is expected to be conducted this year
on pumps, transport vehicles, tricycles and micro mills.The project is jointly
implemented by the Mariano Marcos State University, Philippine Rice Research
Institute, the local government unit of UP Los Baños.
South
Korea Buys 44,000 Tons of Rice from U.S. and China in Tender
Feb 27, 2015
South Korea's state run Agro
Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (KAFTC) has purchased 44,000 tons of
brown rice of the U.S. and Chinese origins for delivery by May 31, 2015,
according to a statement on its website.KAFTC purchased 22,000 tons of brown
rice of U.S. origin for about $856 per ton and 22,000 of brown rice of Chinese
origin for about $870 per ton.The international tender for the above qualities
of rice closed on February 25, 2015 and electronic bidding for the same took
place on February 26, 2015.KAFTC bought 35,000 tons of non-glutinous rice from
Vietnam and the U.S. in tenders on February 10, 2015.
Philippines
Decides to Import 500,000 Tons of Rice from Thailand and Vietnam
Feb 27, 2015
The government of the Philippines
accepted bids from Thailand and Vietnam for the import of 500,000 tons as the
prices offered by both the nations were lower than the price of $434 per ton
specified by the National Food Authority (NFA), according to Bloomberg.While
Thailand offered to supply a 100,000 tons of rice at about $441 per tons and
another 100,000 tons at about $421 per ton, Vietnam offered to supply 250,000
tons at $442 per ton and another 250,000 tons at $424.5 per ton. However, since
Vietnam agreed to supply rice at Thailand's quote, the NFA allowed Vietnam to
supply the remaining quantity of rice (300,000 tons).
Cambodia, which was also eligible
to participate in the bidding reportedly didn't submit any bids.
The Philippine
government allotted around $217.2 million for total 500,000 tons import, which
are meant to boost stocks ahead of the lean season (July - September) as well
as curb price hikes
Government
of India May Consider Change of Food Subsidy Program in 2014-15 Budget
Feb 27, 2015
The government of India is likely
to change the food subsidy regime to curb losses in the public distribution of
main dietary staples rice and wheat to the poor under the National Food
Security Law, according to a key economic report released by the Ministry of
Finance.The Economic Survey estimates the government's food subsidy bill to
more than double to around Rs.1.15 trillion (around $18.6 billion) in the
fiscal year 2014-15 (April - March) from around Rs.584 billion (around $9.5
billion) in 2009-10.
The government's food security program aims to
provide subsidized rice and wheat to around 65 million poor families through a
network of 450,000 ration shops.However, the government has been entailing an
annual loss of about Rs.184 billion ($2.98 billion) from the program due to
mismanagement, loss of grains or mishandling of the grains by intermediaries.
Therefore, a High Level Committee for Restructuring of Food Corporation of
India (FCI) recommended several measures including cash transfers to beneficiaries
of the in lieu of subsidized grains to stop leakages of grains to a major
extent.
The government is expected to
take a decision on this issue.However, experts opine that implementing direct
cash transfers may not be so easy as many of families still do not maintain
bank accounts in India.The government is also expected to review the grain
procurement policies of some states, which have been paying prices over and
above the minimum support price (MSP) for garnering grains for their PDS, but
have been imposing high levies on the sales. The government is also expected to
review stocking and distribution policies of food grains in accordance with the
recommendations of the Committee for FCI Restructuring.
Oryza
Afternoon Recap - Chicago Rough Rice Futures Make Last Minute Surge on Support
from Rallying Wheat and Corn
Feb 27, 2015
Chicago rough rice futures for
May delivery settled 9 cents per cwt (about $2 per ton) higher at $10.745 per
cwt (about $237 per ton). The other grains closed higher led by a sharp
recovery in wheat; Soybeans closed about 0.5% higher at $10.3175 per bushel;
wheat finished about 2.5% higher at $5.1300 per bushel, and corn finished the
day about 1.2% higher at $3.9325 per bushel.U.S. stocks traded mildly lower on
Friday, February's last trading day, amid domestic economic reports and slight
oil gains.
The S&P 500 attempted to hold
higher, with consumer staples and telecommunications leading advancers and
health care the greatest decliner. Friday is the last trading day of February, during
which stocks performed much better than in January. Both the S&P 500 and
Dow Jones industrial average hit new records for the first time in 2015 in
February and the major indices are up about 2 percent or more for the year.
Fourth-quarter GDP was revised to show growth of 2.2%. Analysts polled by
Reuters expect GDP growth of 2.1%, after a final reading of 5.0% in the third
quarter. The Chicago Purchasing Managers Index came in at posted 45.8, the
lowest since July 2009. Which has been partly attributed the contraction level,
not seen since April 2013, to the West Coast port strike. Consumer sentiment
came in at 95.4 for February, beating expectations but down from January's
98.1. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded down 32 points, or 0.18%, to 18,181.
The S&P 500 traded down 1.5 points, or 0.07%, to 2,109, with consumer
staples leading three sectors higher and health care the greatest laggard. The
Nasdaq traded down about 16 points, or 0.33%, to 4,971. Gold is trading about
0.3% higher, crude oil is seen trading about 2% higher, and the U.S. dollar is
seen trading about 0.1% lower at about 1:00pm Chicago time.Thursday,
there were 1,908 contracts traded, down from 2,098 contracts traded on
Wednesday. Open interest – the number of contracts outstanding – on Thursday
increased by 87 contracts to 9,208.
Oryza
U.S. Rough Rice Recap - Unchanged Prices as Winter Weather Hampers Movement
Feb 27, 2015
The U.S. cash market was
unchanged today with little trade activity to report and buyer and seller
prices ideas remain at odds. Sellers continue to wait, hoping for prices
to recover while most buyers sit on the sidelines only buying when they
absolutely have to.Meanwhile, winter weather continues to hamper the
movement of rice in the U.S. mid-South which is only helping to quiet a market
that is nearly dead.
FAO
Forecasts India 2015 Rice Exports to Decline 20% y/y to 8.8 Million Tons
Feb 27, 2015
The UN's Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) has forecasted India's 2015 rice exports to decline about 20%
to around 8.8 million tons from around 10.9 million tons exported in 2014 due
to an estimated lower harvest from the 2014 Kharif rice crop (June - December)
as well as a reduction in demand from its main basmati rice importer Iran,
which temporarily banned rice imports citing excess stocks as a reason.
The FAO estimates the total paddy
rice production for 2014-15 (including that from Kharif and ongoing Rabi
seasons) at around 154.6 million tons (around 103.6 million tons, basis
milled), down about 3% from last year's record output of about 160 million tons
(around 102 million tons, basis milled). It forecasts 2014 Kharif paddy rice
production at around 134.3 million tons (around 90 million tons, basis milled),
down about 2% from last year's record 137 million tons (around 93 million tons,
basis milled).rvesting for the 2014 main Kharif rice crop was completed in
January and planting for secondary Rabi season rice crop (October - May) was
completed in December.
Reduced water levels in major reservoirs due to weak
monsoons coupled with below-average rains in October and November over most of
the country delayed planting for winter rice crop.Rice prices in January
remained stable in most markets as downward pressure from low trade activity
had been offset by the ongoing government's procurement program. The government
aims to procure around 30.05 of rice in the 2014-15 marketing season (October -
September).
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Saturday, February 28, 2015- Lahore—The All PakistanBusiness ForumExecutive Committee, which
met Friday with its President Mr. Ibrahim Qureshi inthe chair, raising serious concern,
observed that the FTAs signed with Malaysia, Sri Lanka and China without taking
the realstakeholdersonboard is damagingthe localindustry. As the country’s
economic managers are engaged in fresh rounds of talks with anumberof countries onFree TradeAgreements, the APBF
Executive Committee cautioned the government to take business community onboard
while finalizingtrade dealswith other countries.
APBF President Ibrahim Qureshi, addressing the
meeting, saidthe
business communityis the realstakeholderswhich should be consulted in preparing
policies to enhance exports so that fast widening trade deficit could be
diminished, which is prerequisite for economic growth. The APBF has been
receiving complaints from its members about the dumping of Chinese products.
Ibrahim Qureshi remarked that dumping is the main concern of local industries,
particularly of steel products, polyester staple fiber and many other products,
he said.At present, the balance of trade is in favour of China as against
exports of $2.5 billion, Pakistan imported products of $7.5 billion from China.
He added that Pakistan had been continuously suffering a loss of Rs.22 billion
on account of tax exemptions granted toimports
from China.Free tradeaccess to China could not be fully
utilized in favor of Pakistan, because Beijing did not reduce duties on
products where Pakistani sectors enjoyed a competitive advantage.
Moreover,
the margin of preference over other countries that Pakistan should have enjoyed
effectively turned to be fruitless when China inked similarfree tradeaccords with other countries,
particularly with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).An
executive committee member pointed out that the leather industry is still
paying around 9% import duty on its export goods to China owing to
non-implementation of zero-duty under FTA regime. He said that in second phase
of FTA 9% duty was to be reduced to zero, which is not being implemented so far
because Pakistani government is not supporting its industry to pursue the case
for the last two years, he complained. APBF President also criticizedFree TradeAgreement with Malaysia, failing to
provide a level-playing field astrade
balanceremained in Favour of
Malaysia from day one. During first quarter of last fiscal, Pakistan’s exports
stood at mere $0.2 billion against imports of $1.75 billion, implying thattrade balancewas $1.55 billion in favor of
Malaysia.Mr. Ibrahim Qureshi,
quoting statistics said that in April 2014, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)announcedtariff concessions on the
import of 993 items from Sri Lanka under aFree
TradeAgreement (FTA).
Pakistan’s
exports to Sri Lanka dropped from $347.7 million to $300 million during last
couple of years. Sri Lanka allocated Pakistan a duty-free quota of 6,000 metric
ton of basmati rice and 1, 000 metric tons potatoes per annum.However, Sri Lanka continued to create
hurdles on our exports on the excuse of low quality of Pakistani basmati rice.
Pakistan’s major exports to Sri Lanka include woven cotton fabrics, cement,
sugar, wheat, medicament mixtures, tubes and pipes of iron and steel, potatoes,
rice, cotton yarn, and onions etc. The APBF Executive body agreed that
international image building is the need of the hour with complete overhauling
of TDAP, besides formation of new trade specific export promotion agencies
having independent budgets and policies.
State Bank allows
export refinance for broken rice
February 28, 2015
RECORDER REPORT
In order to facilitate rice
trade, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has allowed Export Refinance Facility
for broken rice and withdrew Letter of Credit (LC) condition for financing of
brown rice. Sources said on the request of rice exporters, the SBP has relaxed
Export Refinance Scheme (ERS) requirements for rice - one of the largest
exported commodity, which is generating over $1 billion foreign exchange
annually for the country.The
State Bank, through its IH&SMEFD Circular Letter No 02 of 2015, issued on
February 26, 2015 has made some changes in the negative list of EFS.
Previously, export refinance facility was allowed for packeted Irri, Basmati,
Parboiled, White and Brown rice in retail packets of 1-50 kgs. Broken rice was
not eligible for the said facility. However, now the SBP has excluded broken
rice from the negative list of EFS, after which exporters can also avail export
refinance facility for broken rice in retail packets of 1-50 kgs.
Moreover, as per amendment, traders/exporters can get cheap
financing for the export of Brown rice without Letter of Credit. Earlier,
refinance facility for the export of Brown rice in bulk or lose was only for
European Countries under EFS Part-I against Letter of Credit (LC). However, now
banks have been asked to provide such facility for Brown Rice without LC
condition and limitation of countries.A
para: (Excluding Packeted Irri/Basmati/Parboiled/White/Brown Rice in retail
packets of 1-50 kgs. Moreover, the export of brown rice in bulk/loose is
eligible to European countries under EFS Part-I against LCs only) for
description of point No 8 of negative list for ERS has been replaced with:
"Excluding Packeted Irri/Basmati/Parboiled/ White/Broken Rice in retail
packets of 1-50 Kgs.
Moreover, the export of
Brown Rice in bulk/loose packing is also eligible under EFS."Meanwhile, Rafique Suleman, Chairman
Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has appreciated the SBP's
decision saying this move will help enhance the country's rice export. "We
are expecting some 20-25 percent increase in rice exports during next fiscal
year as LC requirement was a major hurdle in getting EFS for brown rice,"
he said. Presently, Pakistan's total rice exports stood at 3.8 million tons
including 0.3 million tons of broken rice and some 0.1 million tons of brown
rice, he added.
UN official says
questions remain on GMO health impact, business practices
A UNITED Nations (UN)
representative undertaking a weeklong visit to the Philippines expressed her
opposition to the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) as she concluded
her mission to evaluate the country’s food problems.
At
a news conference at the Holiday Inn and Suites in Makati, UN Special
Rapporteur on the Right to Food Hilal Elver said a number of questions remain
unanswered about the GMO approach, including long-term health effects and the
business models practiced by multinational seed companies.“GMOs are a huge
thing and there is a huge discussion on it. I am against GMOs for several
reasons… We don’t know the health impacts of GMO in the long term,” Ms. Elver
told reporters.She added that the aggressive defense of seed patents by
multinationals has led to small farmers being accused of infringing on their
intellectual property.“They take away the farmers’ seeds from them and the
corporations make a business from it,” she said.For these reasons, “the use of
GMOs should be carefully studied, and, I’m not sure if it should be accepted,”
she said.
The
UN representative, who is part of the largest body of independent experts in
the UN Human Rights system, launched her visit on Feb. 20. The final report of
her findings, Ms. Elver said, will be sent to the UN Human Rights Council in
March 2016.The UN representative’s remarks come as the Philippines struggles to
achieve self-sufficiency in rice, and triggered a response from stakeholders
who defended genetic modification methods.The International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), the Los Baños-based non-profit research body, said that some
crops -- particularly rice -- do not have sufficient nutritional value in their
unmodified form, making it necessary to fortify these staples.“The unique
advantage of genetic modification lies in its ability to incorporate novel
genes with useful traits into new rice varieties.
These
include genes from plants and organisms unrelated to rice that could not be
transferred using other breeding methods,” the IRRI said in a statement emailed
toBusinessWorldby its Head of Communication, Antonio
G. Lambino II.For his part, Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines
(BCP)Executive Secretary Abraham J. Manalo said that GMO technology has been
certified as safe reputable global and national institutions.“All internationally-recognized
science organizations have declared that food from modern biotechnology is as
safe as their non-biotech or traditional counterparts,” he said.
These include the World Health Organization,
the Food and Agriculture Organization, the American Medical Association, the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, the U.S. National Academy
of Science, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand, the French Academy of
Science, the UK Royal Society of Medicine, the Union of German Academics of
Sciences and Humanities, and our very own (Philippine) National Academy of
Science and Technology (NAST) and (Philippine) Food and Drugs Administration,”
Mr. Manalo said in a statement emailed toBusinessWorld.“It is important
that farmers be given the choice as to the seed type and variety they want to
plant and harvest. In the Philippines, more than 300 thousand corn farmers have
decided to use biotech seeds for their corn fields,” he added.
LOW PRODUCTION: Experts say
rice-cropping systems suffer from significant production losses due to low
levels of production technologies, disease outbreaks, prolonged dry spells due
to climate change.
KAMPALA, Uganda - Reliance on imported rice and limited efforts
in increasing domestic production is costing sub-Saharan Africa $5 billion
annually, Dr. Harold Roy-Macauley said recently.
“Africa is losing about five billion dollars in the consumption
of imported rice due to the high demand for the produce. However, even with the
limited supply regionally, there are high chances for African countries to
close that gap if the crop is given a lot of priority by the governments and
scientists who play big roles in developing solutions for the challenges hindering
massive rice production in Africa.”Newly appointed to the position of Director
General of the Africa Rice Centre, Dr. Roy-Macauley said Africa’s rice
growing countries must invest more resources to support more production of the
cereal crop.
The regional contributions to
rice production are: West Africa (42 per cent), North Africa (32 per cent);
East Africa (23.8 per cent), Central Africa (1.2 per cent); and Southern Africa
(1 per cent).He told representatives from 25 countries who are members of the African
Rice Centre that if production is increased, billions of dollars being spent on
imported rice will be saved by the consuming countries.He said this will also a
have positive impact on fighting food insecurity and poverty especially among
the rural women. Africa produces an average of 14.6 million tonnes of rice
per year on 7.3 million hectares, which is equivalent to 2.6 and 4.6 per cent
of the world’s total production and area under rice, respectively. West Africa
has the largest area planted with rice in Africa (56.5 per cent) that is about
3.7 million hectares.
The Africa Rice Centre has 25
members, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Central African Republic,
Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,
Madagascar, Mali and Mauritania.Others are: Senegal, Togo, Nigeria, Liberia,
Ghana, Sierra Leone, Egypt, Rwanda and Uganda.The outgoing Director General at
the African Rice center Dr. Papa Seck called for more investment in new
technologies that can support improved production. He said growing
rice locally will not yield any positive results because the continent is
currently facing many challenges such as outbreaks of disease, prolonged dry
spells due to climate change and high population rates in rice growing
countries.
“When scientists are
supported to engage in research, it will help them to come up with new rice
varieties that are resistant to challenges related to drought conditions, pests
and diseases out brake,” he told the Council of Minister from the rice growing
countries in Africa. As a way of improving rice production in fragile
climatic conditions cereal crop scientist have been compelled to develop hybrid
rice varieties that are both resistant to drought conditions and also resistant
to various pests and disease. Uganda is among those countries that are
embracing the new technologies in rice production is Uganda
According to the Acting Director
General of National Agriculture research organization (NARO) Dr. Ambrose Agona,
NARO through its National Crops Resources Research Institute (NACRRI) the
institute under the Cereals Research program has managed to develop more than
five new varieties of rice that are resistant to droughts, pests and diseases.
These varieties also mature in a short time period. Some of the varieties
that have been developed at the center include NERICA-6, Agora and Komboka
WITA9, among other varieties. According to Dr. Jimmy Lamo the principal
rice breeder at NACCRI some of the varieties were developed as a result of
partnerships with Africa Rice center and the International Rice Research Institute.
According to Dr. Lamo, Nerica6 is
highly tolerant to the yellow mottle virus. It was developed as an upland
variety but it also does well in lowland areas because one of its parents is a
lowland variety. WITA9 Performs well in most lowland area’s and agoro is high
yielding and early maturing while the Okile rice variety on the other hand is
high yielding and also has good grain characteristics.Dr. Lamo is also
optimistic that if farmers get access to seeds of the improved varieties from
seed producing companies rice production will be spurred in the country.The
average grain yield (2.1 kilogrammes per hectare) is 49 per cent below the
world average (of 3.4 kilogrammes per hectare).
This low grain yield is caused by
several factors, including the low levels of production technologies and the
dominance of the upland ecology in Africa. Only 11 per cent of the rice
area is irrigated compared with 53 per cent worldwide. The average grain yield
in Africa shows very little improvement over time.Uganda’s minister for
Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries Tracy Buchanayandi is optimistic that
rice production in Uganda is weel on course although the crop is facing
challenges such as low technological adaptation by rice farmers, prolonged
drought and disease outbreaks.“In Uganda we are not doing badly in rice
production and our figures indicate an upward production and this started in
2001 when the country was producing about 1,100 metric tons.
We have witnessing the production
level moving upwards amd that is why prices for rice on the market has not sky
rocked like other crops because the volume of imported rice into the country
has gone down,” the minister explained. According to reports from the
Directorate of crop resources at Uganda’s agriculture ministry, the country’s
rice production has gone up by 9% in the financial year 2013/2014. The
reports indicate that in the year of review the country produced 250,000
metric tons of rice in 2013/2014 as compare to the 230,000 metric tone’s
produced in 2012/2013.
Rice Exporters Association of
Pakistan (REAP) has warned the government against involving itself in rice
business in future as procuring the commodity from farmers at a high rate tends
to destabilise the rice market. — Reuters/file
The Pakistan Agriculture Storage
and Services Corporation still finds itself trapped in a Catch-22 situation
over the disposal of piled-up rice stock it procured seven years ago to
stabilise the market.Despite repeated issue of the tender, the latest being the
fourth, no one is coming forward to buy the commodity. The corporation is
desperate to wriggle out of this predicament and is now willing to sell the
stock at a lower price, having purchased it at Rs75 per kg.In November Passco
was approached by a traders group with an offer to lift the stock at the rate
of Rs50 per kg but with a condition to take delivery spread over a six-month
period.
The bid was rejected by the
corporation, which then thought of offering the leftover rice to its own
employees at the reduced rate. But they also showed reluctance to avail the
offer.The Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) had
procured 200,000 tonnes of rice in 2008 on the directive of the federal
government to help maintain the support price of paddy crop in the open market
and protect the farmers from losses.About half of the stock was sold in 2009-10
at the rate of Rs75 per kg.
In the past seven years, the losses the
corporation suffered reportedly come to Rs24bn. The tenders being issued these
days relate to disposal of 1,648.75 tonnes of rice. The unsold stock is stored
at a rice mill.It was in the context of this episode that the Rice Exporters
Association of Pakistan (REAP) has warned the government against involving
itself in rice business in future as procuring the commodity from farmers at a
high rate tends to destabilise the rice market. If the government intends to
help or support the farmers, it should give them direct subsidy. The private
sector, it asserted, has invested billions of rupees in building an
infrastructure and it should not be tampered with by the government.
The falling
trend of commodity prices in the global market has created difficulties for
Pakistani exporters
Once again, there is a glut of
major commodities such as wheat, rice and sugar in the country. On the one
hand, lower international prices are discouraging their exports and, on the
other, there has been no disposal of stock of the previous crop while the new
crop is about to arrive. In case of sugar cane crop, it is more than three
months that the ‘formal’ cane crushing has yet begun owing to dispute over cane
price.The downward trend in rates of most of the rice varieties has, meanwhile,
caused a rift among exporters in Sindh.
The office-bearers of Sindh
Balochistan Rice Millers and Traders Association have suspended members
belonging to Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) for ‘creating
hindrances in the export of rice’. Similarly the latter group has expelled the
members of the former group for damaging the Reap’s cause.As the infighting
rages, huge stocks of Irri-6 lying unprotected at many rice mills in lower
Sindh carry the risk of becoming unusable if not exported on time. The Irri-6
rate had come down from Rs3,400 to Rs2,700 per 100kg in the global markets. The
basmati variety is currently being traded at around Rs3,000 per maund, against
Rs4,500 last year. The exporters have been given at least least $50 per tonne
subsidy on rice export.
The current glut of basmati rice
is believed to be about 1m tonnes. Normally, the country produces about 2m
tonnes of basmati rice. Of this, half amount caters to the domestic market
while the remaining half is exported. But since 2011, the exports are in decline.The
Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has allowed Punjab and
Sindh to export 800,000 and 400,000 tonnes of wheat respectively.
Since domestic prices are higher than the ones
in international market, the federal government has also announced a rebate of
$55 per tonne for Punjab and $45 per tonne for Sindh. Similarly, the ECC has
allowed export of 650,000 tonnes of sugar but not later than May 15, 2015.
There will be a 20pc regulatory duty on the import of raw and beet sugar.The exporters
will get an inland freight subsidy of Rs2 per kg and cash subsidy of Rs8 per
kg. The total cost of the subsidy which comes to Rs6.5bn is to be borne by both
the federal and provincial governments on equal basis.
But it is worrisome that despite
rebate incentives, the wheat export policy has failed yet to attract the
exporters. So far, only one deal has been signed for a quantity of 3,000
tonnes, although Punjab and Sindh food departments have received a number of
queries regarding purchase of wheat for export purposes. The falling trend of
commodity prices in the global market has created difficulties for Pakistani
exporters.
Published in Dawn, Economic &
Business, March 2nd , 2015
Many people are
concerned about GMOs. The fact of the matter is that they should be, but that’s
not the whole story. GMOs have been around for a very long time and, in many
cases, they can be quite beneficial. While studies might suggest that they can
have potential long term risks, they can also have immense short term
benefits.Reducing the cost of a large crop which could feed an entire third
world village is a noble desire. Does the risk benefit ratio matter so much
when the people consuming the food might die of starvation, dehydration, or
disease tomorrow?
But, I digress, some concerns about GMOs actually have nothing to
do with food. For example, aggressive defense of seed patents from by
multinational organizations has resulted in small farmers being accused of
infringing on intellectual property.They barely even own any physical property
to grow their few acres of food or livestock and here they are accused of
stealing millions of dollars-worth of someone else’s idea?
So why should anyone support GMOs, then?
“The unique advantage of genetic modification lies in its ability
to incorporate novel genes with useful traits into new rice varieties. These
include genes from plants and organisms unrelated to rice that could not be
transferred using other breeding methods,” study researchers from the
International Rice Research Institute in a statement.Biotechnology Coalition of
the Philippines (BCP)Executive Secretary Abraham J. Manalo also reminds that
GMO technology has been certified as safe by [some] reputable global and
national institutions.
He contends, “All internationally-recognized science organizations
have declared that food from modern biotechnology is as safe as their
non-biotech or traditional counterparts,” citing several organizations: The
World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the U.S. National
Academy of Science, the UK Royal Society of Medicine,the Food and Agriculture
Organization, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and
more.
There was a news item in the media in 2008 which stated that BRRI
had developed a variety of rice called Banglamoti --one that is similar to
Bashmoti rice of Pakistan and India -- but its yield per hector is likely to be
double. Banglamoti rice was cultivated in different regions in Bangladesh
experimentally and the result was very encouraging. It was mentioned in the
news item that Banglamoti could be produced in both Aman and Aush seasons. It
was further stated that within ten years, half of the land dedicated to rice
production in Bangladesh would be brought under Banglamoti cultivation. By now,
12 seasons have passed but the Banglamoti rice is not seen in the wholesale
market in Dhaka.
A consumer intending to have Bashmoti rice has to buy the same from
the market. Most people cannot have the taste of Bashmoti rice as it is costly.
We hoped that as the Banglamoti yield is expected to be double that of
Bashmoti, the price of locally produced Banglamoti will be within the reach of
the common people in Bangladesh.It is learnt that the long Banglamoti paddy
could not be husked in the existing rice mills in the country now. Only a few
mills in Gazipur can do that. Farmers are not interested to cultivate
Banglamoti paddy mainly due to husking problem.
The government can provide necessary administrative and financial
support to the private millers to set up suitable rice mills needed for husking
the Banglamoti paddy. Machinery can be imported from India for the purpose.I
would like to urge upon the government to take appropriate steps to popularise
the cultivation of Banglamoti rice among farmers of every upazilla of the
country. An awareness development project can be launched to encourage them and
the financial institutions may be advised to extend financial assistance to the
intending entrepreneurs to set up husking mills for Banglamoti paddy.
NEW DELHI: In its bid to push state governments to set up
procurement mechanism for paddy and to ensure farmers get the minimum support
price (MSP), the Centre has stopped the decades-old practice of "levy
rice" from October this year.Levy
rice is a mandatory system under which millers also undertake rice procurement
for the public distribution system (PDS) by buying paddy directly from farmers
like Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government agencies. At present,
in different states, it's compulsory for millers to supply up to 25% of their
annual produce for public distribution system at a rate fixed by the government.
Sources said there were two reasons for doing away with this
practice. First, there is no effective system in place to supervise whether
millers are paying MSP to farmers while buying paddy and, two, there are
chances of millers diverting better quality rice to the open market.They added that the millers in many
cases supplied inferior quality rice for the public distribution system."With a view to ensure payment of
remunerative prices to farmers at MSP or above and to improve outreach of
procurement system to the farmgate for their better coverage, it has been
decided now that state governments should not impose any levy on rice from
millers from October 1," a recent notification issued by the food ministry
said.
Punjab and
Haryana are among the major rice-producing states that have already abolished
the levy rice system. However, it is still prevalent in Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and West Bengal.Since the NDA government came to
power, there has been greater focus on expanding the government system for
procurement of both paddy and wheat in states where such mechanism is either
missing or inadequate.Recently,
the PM-appointed high level committee on restructuring FCI had recommended that
the agency should outsource all procurement operations to states that have
gained sufficient experience such as Punjab and Haryana. It had urged FCI to
move to other states where farmers may be resorting to distress sales, such as
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam.Stay updated on the go with
Times of India News App. Clickhereto download it for your device.
Azeem Samar Friday, February 27, 2015 From Print Edition
KARACHI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that Karachi will be
made a haven of peace by the year 2018 when the ongoing targeted operation
against criminals will reach its logical conclusion.
The prime minister stated this on
Thursday speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the 9th Expo
Pakistan 2015 - the country’s largest trade fair being organised by the Trade
Development Authority of Pakistan at the Expo Centre, Karachi.
The PM said the country had no room for organisations spreading
discord in the society and committing terrorism. He said the government would
not tolerate possession of illegal arms by any one and from now onwards arms
would only be possessed by law-enforcement agencies.
He said the government had the longstanding dream of making
Pakistan peaceful and progressing as the government had been striving to
achieve this desire. The PM said that Karachi had remained a peaceful city but
its peace had become a victim of someone’s ill-wills. He said the city should
not witness crimes and kidnappings for ransom.He said efforts should have been
taken five years earlier for restoration of peace in Karachi but his government
on assuming power launched the operation for improvement of law and order
situation in the city.He said that it was the vision of his government to make
Karachi a peaceful city as economy would flourish with persistence of peace.
He said Karachi bore the prime importance due to value of the
metropolis in business matters.Nawaz Sharif said that economic situation in the
country had been improving due to right policies of the government. The prime
minister said that he would assure international investors to invest in
different sectors as Pakistan had been offering best possible facilities of
foreign investment. He said his government would provide maximum assistance and
protection for prospective investors coming to the country.He said attendance
of large number of prospective foreign investors in Expo Pakistan had proved
well that the latest trade fair had become more successful than any of such
previous business fairs. He said it also proved that foreign investors had
interest to invest in different business sectors of the country.
He said the present government, instead of relying on aid, had
been furthering the policy of increasing volume of international trade as
Pakistan-made products should get access to international markets.He said that
his government had attached the foremost priority to peace and economy. Nawaz
said another priority of his government would be to resolve persisting energy
crisis as several major steps were being taken to overcome energy shortfall.He
said that holding Expo Pakistan would be highly helpful in winning a place for
Pakistani products in international market as volume of exports from Pakistan
would be increased to $50 billion in next three years.Nawaz said his government
had devised a new policy for promotion of exports of textile products for which
a target of $39 billion had been set to chase till 2019.
He said implementation was in progress on South Asia Free Trade
Agreement while awards of GPS-Plus (Generalised System of Preferences-Plus)
status on Pakistan by European Union (EU) had become a very suitable move for
Pakistani exports.He said Pakistani rice, textile, and other products had great
international demand and value. Nawaz appealed to business and industrial
community to make investment for increasing volume of products being
manufactured in Pakistan.The prime minister broke good news for business
community that process of payment of taxes by businessmen was being simplified
so that business people should not face any hardship in paying their taxes.
He greeted the Ministry of Commerce and Trade Development
Authority for successfully organising the Expo Pakistan.Federal Commerce
Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan said successful holding of Expo Pakistan would
convey the message to global audiences that Pakistan was the most successful
country in terms of trade with vibrant opportunities of investment.The commerce
minister said the government had the intention to introduce maximum number of
Pakistani products in international market as it would give way to installation
of new industries and opportunities of employment.Also present on the occasion
were Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah,
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, TDAP chief SM Muneer.
The Expo Pakistan, which would continue till March 01, is being
attended by some 1,000 delegates of over 65 countries while the expo has the
active participation from 17 countries including India. In six halls of Expo
Centre, a total of 525 stalls have been set up for the trade fair.Later, Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif accompanied by Sindh governor and chief minister, visited
the Clifton residence of late Justice (R) Rana Bhagwandas, who passed away on
February 23, and condoled with the bereaved family members. The PM on the
occasion praised the services of the late former acting chief justice of
Supreme Court for ensuring rule of law and provision of justice to deprived
Pakistanis.
Rice Leadership
Program Class of 2013-15 graduates
The class is made up of five
rice producers: John Compton, Jennings, Louisiana; Seth Fiack, Glenn, California;
Mark Isbell, North Little Rock, North Carolina; Steven Schuler, Woodland,
California; and Joel Stevens, Monticello; and two industry representatives:
Robb Dedman with Pro Ag Consulting, Rison; and Wes Long with RiceTec, Benton.
By USA Rice Federation
Posted Feb. 28, 2015 at 4:00 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
The Rice
Leadership Development Program's Class of 2013-2015 graduated from the
prestigious program during a special ceremony at the USA Rice Federation's 2015
Government Affairs Conference this week. Rice Foundation Chairman Todd Burich
and USA Rice Chairman Dow Brantley presided over the ceremony, congratulating
the graduates and thanking program sponsors, John Deere, RiceTec Inc. and
American Commodity Company.The class is made up of five rice producers: John
Compton, Jennings, Louisiana; Seth Fiack, Glenn, California; Mark Isbell, North
Little Rock, North Carolina; Steven Schuler, Woodland, California; and Joel
Stevens, Monticello; and two industry representatives: Robb Dedman with Pro Ag
Consulting, Rison; and Wes Long with RiceTec, Benton.
The class was
immediately put to work representing the rice industry during the conference,
participating in multiple meetings with members of Congress, staff from key
Congressional Committees and agency representatives. A highlight of the
Washington session was the tour of the USDA's satellite weather center.The
group also met with Deputy Chief of the Cuban Interest Section Juan Lamiguerio
and his staff to discuss the potential for rice trade between the two
countries.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Agriculture observer Khudori
said recent hikes in rice prices were mostly triggered by climate changes that
caused a delay in harvesting."We should have experienced grand harvests
beginning this February until next May. However, because of the late arrival of
the rainy season, rice planting and harvesting were delayed by about 1.5
months. This has resulted in a longer period of rice scarcity," Khudori
told a press conference here on Saturday.He noted that as a result of rice scarcity
caused by delayed harvest season, the price of the commodity has inevitably
increased.
"What is regrettable is the governments slow action. It has not taken
anticipatory steps to avoid price rise," he remarked.Following monitoring,
it was known that the volume of rice entering Jakartas Cipinang wholesale rice
market was only 1,500 tons per day; the normal volume was 3,000 tons per
day."The decline in the production is extraordinary. So, based the
principle of supply and demand, the rice price automatically increases,"
he noted.Furthermore, the governments statement on the replacement of the rice
for poor (Raskin) program with an e-money scheme will also have an impact on
rice prices.
"The Raskin program supports some 15.5 million
poor people. If the program is no longer available, they will look for rice in
markets. This will lead to an escalation in rice prices," Khudori
noted.Earlier, Herman Khaeron, the deputy chairman of Commission IV on
agriculture affairs of the House of Representatives said the plan to drop the
rice for poor (Raskin) program will affect rice price
stability."Withdrawing the Raskin incentive will have negative impacts
because rice is a sensitive commodity in Indonesia," he remarked.
Khaeron pointed out that in response to the governments
statement on its plan to drop the Raskin program, businesses will withhold
their rice stocks until Raskin rice, which is relatively cheaper, completely
disappears from the market. Businesses will then release their stocks for
higher prices.Therefore, the
legislator advised, the government should make public this policy matter
because it will have implications on many sectors. And it will be the people
who will mostly bear its effects.(*)
We will pay more attention to rice value chain" – Minister
Government would pay more attention to the development of the rice
value chain for mass production of rice to reduce its imports, according to Mr.
Fiifi Kwetey, Minister of Food and Agriculture.He said the Ministry of Food and
Agriculture was fully behind initiatives that aimed at developing the rice
value chain and assured that all investors and communities involved in
developing rice fields, especially the Nasia-Nabogo valley, would be given a
fair deal.Mr Kwetey said this in a speech read on his behalf during the Ghana
Commercial Agriculture Project (GCAP) Investor Conference in Tamale.
The
Investor Conference organized by the GCAP was meant to introduce to
participants, the Nasia-Nabogo valley rain-fed rice production and
opportunities available to whet investor interest in the project.The government
of Ghana secured a $100 million credit from the World Bank and a grant of $45
million from the USAID to implement the GCAP projects mainly in the Accra
Plains and the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) zones for crop
production scheduled to be completed over a five-year period.Mr Kwetey said the
investor conference marked a milestone in the work of GCAP, which had the
opportunity to outdoor an innovative approach by establishing an Agricultural Growth
Pole (AGP) in the SADA zone.He said adoption of the growth pole strategy had
the potential for accelerating economic growth and support social progress
through efficient utilization of natural and agricultural resources in line
with the potentials of SADA.
He
said now that GCAP had selected one of the agricultural growth poles for
attention there was the need for government to support to ensure that it served
as development corridor that remained focused for developing the rice value
chain.Mr Alabi Bortey, the Project Co-ordinator of GCAP said, GCAP was
currently seeking investors to invest in commercial agriculture business in
rice production on the 10,000 hectare arable land at the Nasia-Nabogo valley in
the Savelugu/Nanton Municipality of the Northern Region.He said strong emphasis
would be on the involvement of farmers from neighbouring communities within the
Nasia-Nabogo valley and assured investors who wish to cultivate rice within the
GCAP demarcated area in the Nasia-Nabogo valley area of support through a
matching grant scheme based on eligibility criteria.
Mr
Bortey said GCAP would support investors with the construction of water
retention structures to ensure availability of water throughout the cropping
season and that the investors would be expected to integrate smallholder
farmers into the inputs, outputs and farm equipment services on a continual
basis for at least five years.He announced that the project was also inviting
contractors wishing to bid for the design and construction of the irrigation
infrastructure to be constructed and called on all to support the project to
succeed, saying, “Let us together create an environment that would increase
rice production and productivity”.
Indian rice exports to plunge as Thailand offloads stocks
Mon Mar 2, 2015 6:35am GMT
* India 2015 rice exports could drop a fifth to 8 mln T –industry
* Non-basmati shipments could fall a quarter to 5 mln T
* India, Thailand competition is good news for African buyers
By Rajendra Jadhav and Kaweewit Kaewjinda
MUMBAI/BANGKOK, March 2 (Reuters) - India's
rice exports will struggle to compete with cheaper cargoes from No.1 seller
Thailand in 2015 as Bangkok looks to offload grain from its huge state
stockpiles, industry officials and traders said.B.V. Krishna Rao, managing
director of leading Indian rice shipper Pattabhi Agro Foods Pvt Ltd, said the
country's exports could plunge by a fifth this year to 8 million tonnes, with
some other industry officials in the country making similar warnings.Lower
exports will leave more rice in Indian hands, piling pressure on
already-bulging storage and raising the spectre of grain getting damaged in
temporary silos.But competition among the world's top two exporters will drag
further on prices that have fallen 5 percent since the start of October.
That's good news for African nations like
Nigeria and Senegal that are typically major buyers of Asian rice."The
Thai government's efforts to sell rice from its own warehouses has been putting
pressure on global prices and limiting Indian exports," said Rao.Thailand
will open a tender to sell around 1 million tonnes of rice in March, as it
tries to shift over 17 million tonnes of rice built up under a controversial subsidy
scheme. It aims to sell 10 million tonnes in 2015 and 7 million next
year.Indian exporters can compete with private Thai traders, but not with the
government as it can cut prices to generate demand for old stock, said M.
Adishankar, executive director at Sri Lalitha, a major rice exporter in
southern India.In the latest tender, Thailand sold 5-percent broken rice from
old stocks for $236 to $378 per tonne, although the market price for new crops
was around $415.
India has recently offered the same grade at
around $400."The government's rice is old and has been stored for a long
time so its value depreciates accordingly ... there is always a price gap
between new rice and old rice," said an official at the Thai Rice
Exporters Association, who declined to be identified.India, which lost the top
rice exporter spot in 2014, could see its shipments of non-basmati or common
grade rice fall by nearly a quarter to 5 million tonnes in 2015, while exports
of aromatic basmati could drop over 14 percent to 3 million tonnes, Rao
said.Basmati sales have also been hit after top buyer Iran suspended imports
late last year to support local farmers, although one exporter expected
shipments to restart in April.Rice inventories at India's state-run agencies
had jumped to around 25 million tonnes by Feb. 1, nearly double the targeted
level, government data shows.
Thomson Reuters
Decision for Zarb-e-Azb should have
taken much earlier: Nawaz Sharif
27 February, 2015
KARACHI: The prime minister said that Zarb-e-Azb operation being
successfully carried out in North Waziristan, and said the decision for this
operation should have been taken much earlier.Addressing the inauguration
ceremony of Ninth Expo Pakistan here, the prime minister said that the peace in
the country would guarantee economic revival and prosperity. To the foreign
investors attending the Expo Pakistan, Sharif said Pakistan was successfully
encountering the spillover security challenges. Pakistan is swiftly been
brought back to normalcy,” Sharif said and urged the businessmen to set up
industrial units in Pakistan and benefit from the investment-friendly
environment.
The
Prime Minister said Pakistan would overcome its energy crisis by the end of
2017.Prime Minister further said on Thursday 26,February,2015 that armed
militias in Karachi are not acceptable.He said the ongoing operation in the
port city would not be left half way and would continue till its logical
end. the government was firm in
eradicating militancy and had decided to take solid steps to ensure peace in
the country. The prime minister said the decisive moment had come to bring
Karachi’s peace back and make the city free from the hold of militants. “We are
determined that the power of gun would rest with the government, not with the militants,”
he said. He vowed that Karachi would soon be rid of major crimes including
kidnapping for ransom.
Nawaz
Sharif Thursday said his government was committed to make Pakistan the
preferred destination for business and hoped in next three years the country’s
exports would rise to US 50 billion. Addressing the launch of Expo Pakistan,
country’s biggest trade fair, showcasing largest collection of Pakistan’s
export merchandise and services, he said that Pakistan was a land of business
opportunities. “We offer our foreign buyers a very competitive sourcing option.
The captains of our industry have carved out their niche in the world market
due to their production efficiencies and business ethics.
”The
Prime Minister said his government was dedicated and committed to economic
development of Pakistan. “I and my team are actively engaged to bring in long
term reforms in socio-economic sectors of Pakistan. We are well aware of the
aspirations of the people of Pakistan and will do our utmost to vindicate the trust
reposed in us,” the Prime Minister said. He said owing to consistent efforts,
his government has succeeded in enhancing Pakistan’s exports to its highest
ever turnover of over US $ 25 billion during the fiscal year 2013-14.
“I am sure our entrepreneurs will maintain and
further accelerate this growth momentum to achieve export level of US$ 50
billion within three years,” the Prime Minister said.The Prime Minister said
that the government recently approved its Textile Policy, aimed at doubling
exports of textiles and clothing sector from existing US$ 13 billion to US$ 26
billion by the year 2019. He said that Asia was gradually emerging as the new
global economic hub and Pakistan was fortunate to be located in the high
economic growth neighbourhood. He said that Pakistan was currently not part of
this highly competitive economic growth activity but was fully resolved to
achieve a similar target.
The
prime minister particularly highlighted the performance of Pakistani textile
and apparel industry and said it was considered amongst the world’s leaders.The
bed sheets, quilt covers, T-shirts and jeans produced in Pakistan were sold at
international leading chain stores from discounters to upscale outlets and
under leading brand names. Prime Minister said that Pakistan has modern rice
milling and processing industry and its exotic Basmati rice has made its mark
in the world market. All these production advantages offer “unlimited business
opportunities” that has been aptly chosen as the slogan of EXPO Pakistan.
He said as an incentive to adding
profitability to business ventures, Pakistan has effectively negotiated the
bilateral, multilateral and pluri-lateral trading arrangements with many
regions and countries in the world enabling its products to enter the foreign
markets at lower tariffs. In this regard he mentioned the South Asian Free
Trade Agreement (SAFTA) that was in operation and aimed at liberalizing trade
with its South Asian neighbours.
Courstesy:PakTribune
World's Fair' takes North Plainfield
students around the planet
Agnes
Arakelian talks to students inside of an igloo as they visit the Artic during
the school's event. The Sundance School's 'The World's Fair' takes students on
an amazing journey around the world as part of the schools multi-cultural
lessons being taught to students over the course of the year. The theme for
this year, 'It's a Small World' teaches students about world literature and
geography, multicultural music, arts world languages, governments and more.
NORTH
PLAINFIELD — The auditorium at the Sundance School in North Plainfield has been
transformed into an interactive, multi-sensory, wonderland for all students,
preschool through 5th grade. This week 175 students took a trip around the
world as they participated in "The World's Fair" one of four annual
themes the school incorporates into interactive learning.The two-week events
called "happenings" have been held at the private school for over 30
years. The school is closed for one week as a crew of volunteers, both parents and
teachers decorate the displays and create exhibits. The following week students
visit the various exhibits which represent different countries.
There
are 12 exhibits in this year's "World's Fair," India, China, Kenya,
Brazil, England, France, Mexico and several other locations. At each exhibit,
students learn about the traditions and customs of various countries, including
language, literature, food, clothing, art, music and folk dances.The happenings
foster a love of learning and knowledge, and a sense of wonder, and
joy."In the India exhibit, the children enjoyed dressing in traditional
clothing and then joining in a group dance.
They
were also served basmati rice.Other exhibits include a trek through South
America, a safari in the African Serengeti, a ride through the Arctic region,
and other fun-filled destinations.These events serve as the springboard for
monthly and weekly themes throughout the year, according to Sundance director,
Laura Romito. Two of the annual themes are geared to broad social studies
topics, Westward Ho and the World's Fair and two others are science oriented,
Science City and The Earth is Good to Me. "To see the wonder in the eyes
of the children as they hear, smell, feel, and even taste a new world come to
life through their imaginations is truly rewarding for all concerned."
Romito said. "The happenings foster a love of learning and knowledge, and
a sense of wonder, and joy."The Sundance School is located in the back of
the Trinity Reformed Church. "The World's Fair" will continue until
Tuesday, March 3rd,2015.
Amira Nature Foods Ltd (ANFI) Showcases New Organic Range at Natural
Products Expo West
Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:40pm EST
*Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press
release.
Amira Nature Foods Ltd (ANFI) Showcases New
Organic Range at Natural Products Expo West
Amira Nature Foods Ltd will participate in the
largest tradeshow and conference for the natural, organic and healthy lifestyle
marketplace; more than 60,000 are expected to attend
Amira Nature Foods Ltd (NYSE: ANFI), a leading
global provider of branded packaged Indian specialty rice, will be showcasing a
new organic range of rice at the Natural Products Expo West on March 6-8thin the United States, presented
alongside a variety of flagship Amira products.Amira will have their new
organic and natural dry rice range products on display at booth #5005 in Hall E
of the Anaheim Convention Center. Amira will also have a variety of rice dishes
to sample, as well as celebrity chef guest appearances at their booth to create
an authentic Amira experience.Celebrity Chef Daniel Shemtob, founder of the
Lime Truck and winner of the Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race, will
make guest appearances at Amira’s booth to share his tricks of the trade and
culinary advice on creating inventive ready-to-eat dishes using Amira products.
About Amira Nature Foods Ltd
Founded in 1915, Amira has evolved into a leading
global provider of branded packaged Indian specialty rice and other products,
with sales in over 60 countries today. The Company primarily sells Basmati
rice, which is a premium long-grain rice grown only in certain regions of the
Indian sub-continent, under its flagship Amira brand as well as under other
third party brands. Amira sells its products through a broad distribution
network in both the developed and emerging markets. The Company’s global
headquarters are in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and it also has offices in
India, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Amira Nature Foods Ltd is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under
the ticker symbol “ANFI.”
This press release contains statements of a
forward-looking nature. These statements are made under the “safe harbor”
provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You
can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as
“may,” “will,” “except,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,”
“believe,” “is/are likely to,” “future” or other similar expressions.
We have
based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and
projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect
our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial
needs. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: our
goals and strategies; our expansion plans; and our future business development.
We would like to caution you not to place undue
reliance on forward-looking statements and you should read these statements in
conjunction with the risk factors disclosed in “Risk Factors” appearing in our
Annual Report on Form 20-F as well as other public filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission.
Those risks are not exhaustive and reflect our
expectations as of the date of this press release. We operate in a rapidly
evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is
impossible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess
the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or
combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained
in any forward-looking statement. We do not undertake any obligation to update
or revise the forward-looking statements except as required under applicable
law.
For Investor
Inquiries:
Amira Nature Foods Ltd
Bruce Wacha, 201-960-0745
Chief Financial Officer bruce.wacha@theamiragroup.com
or For Press Inquiries:
Curzon PR
Angela Petersen, 631-830-3305 angela@curzonpr.com
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On-Line the above News in pdf format,just click the following link
Vietnam Exports About 356,012 Tons Rice During
January 1 – February 25, 2015 
Feb 27, 2015 
Feb 27, 2015 
The Thai Finance Ministry estimates that total losses from rice
subsidy schemes in the period 2004-2014 are about 700 billion baht (about $21.5
billion).
The government of the Philippines
accepted bids from Thailand and Vietnam for the import of 500,000 tons as the
prices offered by both the nations were lower than the price of $434 per ton
specified by the National Food Authority (NFA), according to Bloomberg.While
Thailand offered to supply a 100,000 tons of rice at about $441 per tons and
another 100,000 tons at about $421 per ton, Vietnam offered to supply 250,000
tons at $442 per ton and another 250,000 tons at $424.5 per ton. However, since
Vietnam agreed to supply rice at Thailand's quote, the NFA allowed Vietnam to
supply the remaining quantity of rice (300,000 tons).
Feb 27, 2015 
The UN's Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) has forecasted India's 2015 rice exports to decline about 20%
to around 8.8 million tons from around 10.9 million tons exported in 2014 due
to an estimated lower harvest from the 2014 Kharif rice crop (June - December)
as well as a reduction in demand from its main basmati rice importer Iran,
which temporarily banned rice imports citing excess stocks as a reason.
The prime minister stated this on
Thursday speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the 9th Expo
Pakistan 2015 - the country’s largest trade fair being organised by the Trade
Development Authority of Pakistan at the Expo Centre, Karachi.