Doane College
professor part of $5 million effort to improve rice crops
POSTED: MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015 1:00
AM
By Kate Howard /
World-Herald staff writer
A Doane College biology professor and her
students are taking part in a $5.5 million research project to improve rice
crops.In the four-year project, led by Cornell University and funded by a
National Science Foundation grant, Erin Doyle and undergraduate Doane biology
students will contribute to the investigation of genome editing.In addition to
the specific research done by Doyle and her students, she also will develop
undergraduate education opportunities by incorporating aspects of this research
into projects for other classes, according to a Doane press release.Researchers
from Colorado State University and the University of Minnesota also will
participate in the study.
Three new student trustees appointed to
college board
Gov. Pete Ricketts named three students to
the Nebraska State College System board of trustees.
The students, who will serve during the
2015-16 academic year, are Mikayla Gallagher of Spearfish, South Dakota, who
will represent Chadron State College; Millie Anderson of Elmwood, Nebraska, who
will represent Peru State College; and Matthew Mullins of Falls City, Nebraska,
who will represent Wayne State College.
Metro earns designation for manufacturing
teaching
Metropolitan Community College has become
an M-List institution.
The Manufacturing Institute confers the
M-List designation to high schools, community colleges and universities that
are teaching industry standards to manufacturing students.
Students enrolled in the certified
production technician and certified logistics technician courses will now be
eligible to receive certification from the Manufacturing Skill Standards
Council, as well as receive college credits, according to Metro.
UNO student wins entrepreneurial award
The University of Nebraska named a
graduating senior at the University of Nebraska at Omaha as its 2015 winner in
student entrepreneurship.
Rachel Ostrander, who received a
bachelor’s degree in IT innovation, won the Peter Kiewit Student
Entrepreneurial Award for her work in creating an agricultural software
company. Ostrander is founder, CEO and programmer of MooManager, which provides
ranch management software to cattle ranchers.
The Peter Kiewit award recognizes NU
students who have directed their energies, ideas and talents toward community
and business improvements with the creative and innovative use of information
technology. The award is accompanied by a $2,500 prize.
Peru State names VP for academic affairs
Peru State College has named a new vice
president for academic affairs: Tim Borchers, a native of Sidney, Nebraska.
He most recently was dean of the College
of Arts, Media and Communication at Minnesota State University in Moorhead.
http://www.omaha.com/news/education/doane-college-professor-part-of-million-effort-to-improve-rice/article_ee270101-f53b-5552-8971-4fdb3467409b.html
FG Unveils Quota for 2015 Rice Import
Allocation
11 May 2015
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr.
Akinwumi Adesina
By Crusoe Osagie

By Crusoe Osagie

The controversy that has trailed the rice import allocations for 2014 notwithstanding, the federal government at the weekend went ahead to review downwards, its import target for the commodity to 1.3 million metric tonnes (MT). According to a letter signed by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, addressed to the Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a domestic supply gap of 1.3 million MT was determined for the 2015, down from 1.5 million in 2014.Meanwhile, one million MT of this quota has been set aside asallocations to existing rice millers, importers and new investors with approved Domestic Rice Production Plans (DRPP), at a preferential levy of 20 per cent and duty of 10 per cent.
This year’s supply gap was fixed at 200,000 MT lower
than that of 2014, as rice importers with no DRPP will probably account
for the remaining 300,000 MT at the higher levy of 60 per cent and duty of 10
per cent.In 2014, rice importers and new investors were required to post a
Domestic Rice Production Performance Bond from a qualifying bank to clearly
demonstrate their commitment to domestic investment plans in rice production
and processing.
Under this year’s import quota, the Federal Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development has identified 22 companies that will
receive quota allocations for 2015 out of the number that was approved last
year.In the letter titled “Approved List of Companies Allocated Rice Import quota
for April 2015- March 2016 period”, it was explicitly made clear that certain
criteria informed the trimming down of the number of companies from last year’s
figure.The letter to the Coordinating Minister of the Economy read in part: “In
line with the federal government’s policy (“the Policy”) to ensure
self-sufficiency in rice by 2014, domestic rice production and milling
operations continue to rise, which has resulted in a reduction in rice
requirements of the country.
”As was the practice in 2014 and in line with the policy,
the allocation of import quotas continues to be made along the explicit
criteria set for encouraging domestic production and domestic milling of rice,
to lead to self-sufficiency. These criteria are based on the extent of existing
domestic milling capacity as well as along four specific items that assess each
company’s ongoing investment outlay into domestic rice production and
milling.“These include the following: Domestic Rice Production Plan (DRPP):
demonstrate evidence of current or planned investment in domestic rice
production over a 3-year period, size of Investment, proof of land acquisition
and establishment of rice fields and paddy production, Paddy purchase outlook
from Paddy Aggregation Centres (PAC): Demonstrate a clear plan of purchase of
paddy from PACs, should include location of PACs, volumes of paddy to be
purchased among others.
Paddy purchase outlook from outgrower farmers and farmer
cooperatives: should include location of farms, volumes of paddy to be purchased,
among others.Ownership of Integrated Rice Milling Facility (with par boilers
and dehuskers): size of planned installed capacity (score relative to the
largest sized facility, evidence of acquisition of integrated rice milling
equipment, amongst others.“In addition to existing millers and new investors,
only the re-applying companies who submitted bonds in 2014 were allocated
quotas in the current 2015-2016 round. Companies that failed to present the
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with a bond have not been
given quotas for the full year April 2015 to March 2016. Consequently, import
quota allocations to 22 approved companies with a total allocation of 961,000
MT were issued.
Already, the Ministry has sent letters to all the 22
approved companies and copied Dr. Okonjo-Iweala as well as the
Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service.The letter extensively informed
the companies of their approved quotas, which qualified for 10 per cent duty or
20 per cent levy as the case might be, the Comptroller General of Customs was
mandated to facilitate enforcement of the approved allocations.
Meanwhile, members of the Nigeria Rice Investors Group have since thrown their
weight behind the Minister over the current furore on allocations of import
quotas for rice importers.
The officials of the group indicated that they are
working in tandem with the federal government in order to improve and boost
domestic and local rice production in the country. It could be recalled
that the House of Representatives had summoned the Minister of Agriculture, Dr
Akinwumi Adesina to appear before its Ad hoc Committee over alleged evasion of
payment of rice import duties and levies by importers and
investors.
Similarly,
the Chairman, Rice Processors Association of Nigeria, (RPAN), Muhammed
Abubakar, said rice importers who were fighting hard to remain in business had
severally attempted to frustrate Nigeria’s fortune in rice
production. He explained further: “Processing cost is high, there
is no electricity and cost of transportation makes our production cost a little
bit higher, however, the goods that you see in the market, especially the rice
that you feel is cheaper than ours, I assure you they are smuggled rice bags
that come through Cotonou, but if they bring the commodity through the proper
channel and pay the normal duty, it cannot be cheaper than local production,
maybe they will be at par.
“Without this minister, all these developments wouldn’t
have been possible, whatever we are able to achieve in Rice production in the
country even in the next 50 years, Adesina initiated it and we will be grateful
to him, the process put in place by the federal ministry of agriculture should
be continued,” he said.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-unveils-quota-for-2015-rice-import-allocation/208995/
10% duty imposed on rice import to ensure fair price for Bangladeshi
farmers
Staff Correspondent,
Published: 2015-05-10 19:30:18.0 BdST Updated: 2015-05-10 20:40:48.0 BdSTThe government has imposed 10 percent duty on import of
rice to ensure that farmers in Bangladesh get fair price for the rice they
cultivate.The duty is effective from Sunday,
according to Finance Minister AMA Muhith.He told a pre-budget discussion of the
chiefs of the parliamentary standingcommittees on Sunday that the decision
aimed at ensuring fair price of rice during the current Boro season.On Saturday
evening, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury said in a BBC programme that the
government had taken the decision to restrict rice import.
She said Bangladesh was self-sufficient in rice cultivation,
obviating the need to import.The government had not imported rice in the past
three years but importers seized the opportunity in the absence of any duty on
food imports.Farmers had been protesting against the imports, saying they were
unable to recover cultivation costs because of imports from India at cheaper
rates.It has been alleged that Bangladeshi farmers are not getting remunerative
prices because of imports from India and boost in indigenous cultivation.
The agriculture minister said India dumped rice preserved in warehouses for
over two years.“Many dishonest businessmen in Bangladesh took the chance to
import rice,” she alleged.According to Bangladesh Bank’s analysis of import
data, Letters of Credit (LC) worth $ 476.4 million were opened in the first
nine months (July-March) of the 2014-15 fiscal year.The amount was 66 percent
higher than that of the same period last year.Importers had opened LC worth $
430 million in that period.
Govt to reduce rice import in 2015
By Femi Adekoya on
May 11, 2015
This year’s supply gap is 200,000 MT lower
than 2014, as rice importers with no DRPP will account for the remaining 0.3
million MT at the higher levy of 60% and duty of 10%.In 2014, rice importers
and new investors were required to post a Domestic Rice Production Performance Bond
from a qualifying bank to clearly demonstrate their commitment to domestic
investment plans in production and processing.Under this year’s import quota,
the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has identified 22
companies that will receive quota allocations out of the number that was
approved last year.In the letter titled “Approved List of Companies Allocated
Rice Import quota for April 2015- March 2016 period”, it was explicitly made
clear that certain criteria informed the trimming down of the number of
companies from last year’s figure to what obtains this year.The letter to the
Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy reads in part: “In line with the Federal
Government’s policy (“the Policy”) to ensure self-sufficiency in rice by 2014, domestic
rice production and milling operations continue to rise, which has resulted in
a reduction in rice requirements of the country”.
As was the practice in 2014 and in line
with the Policy, the allocation of import quotas continues to be made along the
explicit criteria set for encouraging domestic production and domestic milling
of rice, to lead to self-sufficiency.These criteria are based on the extent of
existing domestic milling capacity as well as along four specific items that
assess each company’s ongoing investment outlay into domestic rice production
and milling.“These include the following: Domestic Rice Production Plan (DRPP):
demonstrate evidence of current or planned investment in domestic rice
production over a three -year period, size of investment, proof of land
acquisition and establishment of rice fields and paddy production, Paddy
purchase outlook from Paddy Aggregation Centres (PAC): Demonstrate a clear plan
of purchase of paddy from PACs, should include location of PACs, volumes of paddy
to be purchased among others.Paddy purchase outlook from out grower farmers and
farmer cooperatives: should include location of farms, volumes of paddy to be
purchased, among others.
Ownership of Integrated Rice Milling
Facility (with par boilers and dehuskers): size of planned installed capacity
(score relative to the largest sized facility, evidence of acquisition of
integrated rice milling equipment, e.t.c “In addition to existing millers and
new investors, only the re-applying companies who submitted bonds in 2014 were
allocated quotas in the current 2015-2016 round.
Companies that failed to present the
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with a Bond have not been
given quotas for the full year April 2015 to March 2016.Consequently, import
quota allocations to 22 approved companies with a total allocation of 961,000
MT were issued.Already, the Ministry has sent letters to all the 22 approved
companies and copied Dr. Okonjo-Iweala as well as the Comptroller-General of
Nigeria Customs Service.The letter extensively informed the companies of their
approved quotas which qualified for 10% duty or 20% levy as the case might be
the Comptroller General of Customs was mandated to facilitate enforcement of
the approved allocations.
WESTERN FOREST PRODUCTS
ANNOUNCES ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
/EINPresswire.com/ -- VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
-- (Marketwired) -- 05/08/15 -- Western Forest Products Inc.
("Western" or the "Company") (TSX: WEF) announced today its
voting results in respect of the election of all director nominees at its
Annual General and Special Meeting (the "Meeting") held today as
follows:
Votes
Nominee Votes For % For Withheld % Withheld
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
James Arthurs 225,653,406 96.21% 8,883,201 3.79%
Don Demens 229,450,296 97.83% 5,086,311 2.17%
Lee Doney 169,363,036 72.21% 65,173,571 27.79%
Daniel Nocente 172,868,817 73.71% 61,667,790 26.29%
Barrie Shineton 229,748,784 97.96% 4,787,823 2.04%
Michael T. Waites 229,652,804 97.92% 4,883,803 2.08%
The total number of shares represented by shareholders in
person and by proxy at the meeting was 235,666,949, representing 59.65% of the
Corporation's outstanding shares.
The Company has also filed a report of voting results on
all resolutions voted on at the Meeting on www.sedar.com.
About Western Forest Products Inc.
Western is an integrated Canadian forest products company
and is the largest coastal British Columbia woodland operator and lumber producer.
The Company has an annual available harvest of approximately 6.4 million cubic
metres of timber, of which approximately 6.2 million cubic metres is from Crown
lands. Western has a lumber capacity in excess of 1.1 billion board feet from
seven sawmills and two remanufacturing plants. Principal activities conducted
by the Company include timber harvesting, reforestation, sawmilling logs into
lumber and wood chips, and value-added remanufacturing. Substantially all of
Western's operations, employees and corporate facilities are located in the
coastal region of British Columbia, while its products are sold in over 25
countries worldwide.
Contacts:
Western Forest Products Inc.
Western Forest Products Inc.
Stephen Williams
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
& Corporate Secretary
(604) 648-4572
MALDIVES TRAVEL
AWARDS HOSTED IN DUBAI CONCLUDES
Launched in 2012, 2015 marks the 4th edition of the travel awards, and also marks a milestone, as the awards is hosted abroad for the first time. During the past four years, Maldives Travel Awards has grown successfully grown in popularity and in number of categories and nominations. This year, more than 110 nominees are competing in 33 categories, covering wide spectrum of the service sector. Guest houses, Hotels, Resorts, Airlines and service providers like dive schools are represented in the Travel Awards. In 2015, 10 new categories were introduced to complement with the changing landscape of the industry, and to accommodate the emerging service sectors, like guest houses and community tourism.
Speaking at the function, the President of MATATO Mr. Abdulla Ghiyas reiterated on the success of the awards and assured that MATATO will continue its efforts to collaborate with the key stakeholders of the industry to take Maldives travel awards progressively forward.
In addition, MATATO also presented awards of Special recognition, to ClubMed Finolhuvillas (Gasfinolhu) and Mr. Faisal Naseem, for outstanding achievement in design and innovation. CLubMed Finolhu Villas was awarded for the innovative development of the island as the first fully solar powered resort in the Maldives, making this property 100 percent carbon neutral. MP Faisal Naseem was recognized for his continued service in the tourism sector, especially for outstanding achievements, in architecture and design.
Winners of the remaining categories of Maldives Travel Awards will be announced in September 2015, at the grand Award Night to be hosted by COCO Boduhithi.
Winners- MATATO Maldives Travel Awards 2015 - Dubai Edition :
1 Leading International Airline
-
Srilankan Airlines
Srilankan Airlines
2 Leading Low Cost Carrier -
Fly Dubai
3 Leading Travel Technology Partner -
Viewtual
4 Leading Human Resource Management -
Sun Island Resort and Spa
5 Leading Private Island -
Coco Prive' Kuda Hithi
6 Leading Meeting and Conference Resort -
Bandos Maldives
7 Leading Eco Resort -
Sonevafushi
8 Leading Airport/City Hotel -
Hulhule' Island Hotel
9 Leading International Hotel/Resort Brand -
Anantara Hotels and Resorts
10 Leading Guest House -
Arena Beach Maldives
Ibrahim Munaz
MATATO
+9603344929
MATATO
+9603344929
BioLife Solutions' (BLFS) CEO Michael
Rice on Q1 2015 Results - Earnings Call Transcript
Operator
Good day, ladies and gentlemen and
welcome to the BioLife Solutions Q1 2015 Earnings Conference Call. At this time
all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later we will conduct a
question-and-answer session and instructions will follow at that time.
[Operator Instruction]. As a reminder this conference call is being recorded.I
would now like to introduce your host for today’s conference, BioLife
Solutions' Chief Financial Officer, Daphne Taylor. Ms. Taylor you may begin.
Thank you, operator and
good afternoon everyone. Thank you for joining us this afternoon for the
BioLife Solutions conference call and webcast. During this call we will discuss
our financial results and operational highlights for the first quarter of
2015.Today we issued a press release and filed our Form 10-Q quarterly report
containing detailed results for the quarter. This release is available on the
Investor Relations page of our website at biolifesolutions.com as well as
various financial websites.
As a reminder this call is
being recorded and also broadcast live on our website. A replay of the webcast
will be available through the same link for 90 days.Before we get started, let
me remind you that during the course of this conference call, we will make
projections and other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the
future financial performance of the company. These statements are subject to
many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from expectations or detailed discussion of the risks and
uncertainties that affect the company’s business and that qualify to be
forward-looking statements made on this call, I refer you to our periodic and
other public filings with the SEC.
Company projections and
forward-looking statements are based on factors that are subject to change and
therefore these statements speak only as of the date they are given. The
company assumes no obligation to update any projections or forward-looking
statements except as required by law.Now I would like to turn the call over to
Mike Rice, President and CEO of BioLife.Thank you Daphne and thanks everyone
for joining the call. Following our business update we'll be glad to take your
questions.
I want to start off with a
recap for the regenerative medicine market and our place in the supply chain as
a critical tools provider and I’ll share some data to help you understand why
this is a very strategic market for BioLife. The regen medicine industry is
comprised of clinical centers and private and public companies, commercializing
cellular and gene therapies and engineered tissue products, intended to treat,
and in some cases cure the leading causes of disability and death throughout
the world.
Yesterday the Alliance for
Regenerative Medicine or ARM as the entity is known published their quarterly
data report for the first quarter of 2015. According to ARM there are 580
regenerative medicine companies worldwide and investor interest in this space
is very strong. In the first quarter of 2015, ARM reports that total amount of
funds raised by these companies was $2.7 billion, an increase of 135% from the
same quarter last year.
A major focus of
regenerative medicine clinical trials is the use of cellular immunotherapies,
such as CAR-T cells and other types of T cells in various cancer indications.
This is great news for patients and also for BioLife, as many of our customers
are in the cell immunotherapy space and they have raised significant amounts of
cash to support the clinical trials or our products are used to preserve
starting biologic material such as peripheral blood or bone marrow and also the
manufactured cell products that are administered to patients.
GenSan joins
'half-rice' campaign
The online news portal of TV5
She said the move is in line with the national government’s
“Be RICEponsible” campaign that calls for responsible rice consumption.“Our
main goal is to help reduce rice wastage at the consumer level in the city,”
said Nograles, author of the proposed ordinance.Under measure, all food service
establishments in the city are required to include and display the half-cup
rice serving in their regular menus, with the price set at exactly half of the
regular one cup serving.
A half-cup rice serving refers to one-half cup of the
regular serving of cooked rice or not more than 80 grams.It specifically covers
businesses and institutions in the city that are engaged in the preparation of
plated, packed, or combo meals for a fee.These include restaurants; school,
office and hospital cafeterias; catering establishments; canteens, eateries, fast-food
chains, and other similar establishments.“Food establishments are mandated to
make the one-half cup of rice as the default serving for packed and combo meals
as well as plated caterings,” it said.
Nograles said the proposed ordinance included penalties for
establishments that would fail to implement its provisions.She said a fine of
P1,000 was set for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense, and P3,000
and cancellation of business permit for the third and succeeding offenses.In
2008, several fast food chains started offering “half-rice” serving in response
to the national government’s call then to conserve rice.Studies made by the
Philippine Rice Research Institute showed that Filipinos waste an average of
two tablespoons of cooked rice or 9 grams of uncooked rice on a daily basis.The
Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and
Technology also said each Filipino reportedly waste an average of 3.29 kilos of
rice every year.Such wastage reaches around 296,869 metric tons worth around P8
billion.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/110275/gensan-joins-half-rice-campaign
Foreign Rice
Importers: Game To Return Nigeria As Dumping Ground
By Fabian Odum on May 10, 2015
In the rash of misinformation being peddled in
the media, it has become necessary to separate the wheat from the chaff, as
some entrenched interests seem bent on truncating the genuine strides made so
far by the President Jonathan Administration to make the nation self-sufficient
in rice production.The rice industry was characterised by opacity and
confusion, and importers, particularly a few foreigners, dominated
transactions.
It was this Administration of Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan that initiated a rice revolution that ushered in massive production of
rice within the country, with the ambitious plan of gradually phasing out
importation by 2017 when Nigeria is expected to have become self-sufficient in
rice production.It needs to be emphasised that, under President Jonathan’s
watch, and with his active support, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi
Adesina, designed the policy framework that gave local producers an opportunity
to be competitive in the first instance. The idea of differential duty and
levy, which was introduced, was meant to encourage investment in the Nigerian
rice industry, to expand production, increasing milling capacity and creating employment
along the rice value chain.
In a release by the Federal Ministry of
Agriculture, the new rice policy driven by the Minister succeeded and
galvanised $2.6 billion in investment commitments into commercial rice
cultivation and establishment of integrated rice mills.It is surprising that
the same Minister, who has worked so hard in ensuring that sanity is brought
into the rice industry, would be maligned by some for sticking to his gun that
those, who owe government should pay their duties and levies. The Minister
never gave waivers.These Asian rice importers, who believe they are above the
law in Nigeria, for decades, have frustrated every effort and policy to reverse
the trend of massive food imports by Nigeria, did not envisage that one day an
astute and incorruptible technocrat with a passion for change like Dr. Adesina,
would emerge.
Before the Agricultural Transformation Agenda
(ATA), Nigeria was enormously short-changed and there was no level playing
field to encourage local production, to the extent the nation spent N356
billion annually on rice importation, thus bleeding the nation’s economy.Under
the ATA, the Federal Ministry Of Agriculture And Rural Development embarked on
innovative interventions through the rice policy and set up its implementation
plan.On May 26th, 2014, a new rice policy was approved by President Jonathan to
encourage investments in local rice milling and production through the
introduction of an import duty differential on rice (brown or polished)
imported by investors in the rice sector compared to rice traders. The policy
thrust was meant to turn importers into investors to commence local production
and become part of the drivers of the local content in the rice industry.
This is to contribute in part to the expectation
of increased rice paddy production, leading to the achievement of rice
self-sufficiency.The policy has been very successful under the passionate drive
of Dr. Adesina, who said that Nigeria must become self sufficient in rice
production within four years.Dr. Adesina drove a massive innovation, which
delivered free high-yielding rice varieties and subsidised fertilisers to six
million rice farmers within three years.In the period 2012 to 2014 paddy rice
production in the country grew from 4.5 million MT in 2012 to 7.89 million
(metric tons) MT in 2013, and 10.7 million MT in 2014. Never has Nigeria
seen such rapid growth of in paddy rice production. The capacity for integrated
rice milling for the production of import-grade rice has also risen from
70,000MT in 2011 to over 800,000MT in 2014. The number of integrated rice mills
increased from only one in 2011 to over 24 by 2014. Nigeria’s self-sufficiency
in producing paddy rice rose from about 45 per cent in 2011 to 85 per cent by
2014.
Adesina’s drive for rice self sufficiency is
well on course. Nigeria’s food import bill declined from N 3.1 trillion in 2011
to N635 billion by 2014 according to data from the Nigerian Bureau of
Statistics.To encourage greater domestic investments in rice, the rice policy
was designed to encourage expanded cultivation of commercial rice farms and
establishment of new integrated rice mills. To ensure this, existing rice
millers and new investors in rice milling and paddy production with verified
Domestic Rice Production Plans (DRPP) will enjoy an import duty of 10 per cent
and levy 20 per cent, while pure traders will pay a higher import duty of 10
per cent and levy 60 per cent.The new rice policy also stated that importation
of brown or polished rice should be limited to the national supply gap for
import-grade rice. Rice import quotas at the preferential rate of 10 per cent
duty and 20 per cent levy will be will be issued to existing and new rice
millers/producers based on the national supply gap.
Working with rice experts from the Africa Rice
Centre, USAID, and from FMARD’s rice value chain, a methodology to determine
the national supply gap and allocation of quotas to qualifying rice investors
was developed.Criteria for quota allocation was based on weighted parameters
of: existing milling capacity, a Domestic Rice Production Plan (DRPP) that
assessed size of new investments in rice production and milling, purchase of
paddy locally from farmers and from the Paddy Aggregation Centers (PACs), and
size of new proposed mills. A report on the methodology was presented to
the Inter-Ministerial Committee through a memo sent out from the office of the
Minister on October 4th, 2014.
Following feedback on the methodology from
members of the Committee, a meeting was held on November 10th, 2014 with
representatives of the Federal Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry,
rice sector stakeholders, and rice experts to deliberate on the report.
The supply gap of import-grade rice was determined to be 1.5 million MT
for 2014. The meeting also agreed that 1.3 million MT should be allocated
to existing rice millers and importers with approved Domestic Rice Production
Plans (DRPP), at a preferential levy of 20 per cent and duty of 10 per cent,
while 0.2million MT is allocated to other rice importers at the normal levy of
60 per cent and duty of 10 per cent.Subsequently, a letter was sent to existing
rice millers and new investors, to submit a DRPP, and based on their
submissions a total of 1.3 million MT of rice import quotas was issued to 25
qualifying millers at the preferential levy of 20 per cent and duty of 10 per
cent. The remainder 0.2 million MT of rice imports will be at the higher
levy of 60 per cent and duty of 10 per cent for other rice importers.
Based on methodology for allocating quotas and
DRPPs submitted by existing rice millers and new investors, the Minister
allocated quotas to an approved list of 25 qualifying rice investors (with
DRPPs) on November 29th, 2014. A performance bond to be paid by importers
with DRPPs was introduced to ensure compliance with milestones of their
investment plans.It was clearly stated that any beneficiary, who has already
imported rice above these approved quantities would have to pay to treasury the
higher levy of 60 per cent and duty of 10 per cent for the excess
amount.Without waiting for determination of supply gap by the inter-ministerial
committees or issuance of quotas, two Asian companies, Popular Farms and Mills
– owned by Stallion Group, and Olam, had each imported 390,145.53MT and
244,126.63MT respectively of polished rice as at December 3rd, 2014. These two
companies together imported a total of 634,270.16MT of finished rice or 56 per
cent of the total imported finished rice under the new policy as at December
3rd, 2014.
Their approved quotas for 2014, however were
89,939MT for Popular Farms and Mills and 133,963MT for Olam. By December
4, 2014, both companies had imported a total of 410,368.16 MT in excess of
their approved quotas.The Minister of Agriculture blew the whistle that this
was totally unacceptable. He wrote to the President that the Nigerian Customs
must enforce the quota ceiling and ensure that any company, which imported
above their allocated ceiling must pay the Treasury at the applicable higher
tariff of 10 per cent duty and 60 per cent levy. Accordingly, Popular Farms and
Mills owe the Treasury N19.379billion in unpaid levies, while Olam owes the
Treasury N9.02billion.
The companies cannot claim ignorance. According
to Nigerian Customs, the importers agreed with the Customs to pay any duty and
levy differential if their eventual quota allocation turned out to be lower
than what they have imported. Rather than pay the levies owed, the two
companies wrote letters to the Minister asking for a revision of their rice
import quotas. Olam asked for 400,000MT rice import quota, to cover the
quantities of rice that they had gone ahead to import (or still desire to
import) without any approved quotas or DRPP as required, but a mere agreement
with Nigerian Customs that they would pay the duties due once the quota
allocations are out.Both companies pleaded with the Minister to no avail. He
insisted everyone must follow the transparent and rigorous methodology on
issuance of quotas.
He noted that the Nigerian Customs Service has
permitted the importation of 852,400.89MT of polished by traders at the lower
tariff of 10 per cent duty and 20 per cent levy over and beyond approved rice
import quotas in total disregard to directives on the rice policy.The Minister
raised the alarm that two companies had imported 410,368.16 MT above approved
quotas and will crowd out local millers from the milled rice market, who will
be unable to buy from local rice farmers. The indiscriminate importation
of rice by these foreign companies will undo the rapid progress made in the
last three years on Nigeria’s drive to self-sufficiency in rice productionIn
response to spurious allegations by a faceless group known as ‘Stakeholders in
the Rice Industry’ on the alleged indiscriminate granting of waivers and
issuance of rice import quotas to investors who have no investments in the
industry, either in form of paddy production or rice milling, and the loss of
N40 billion in Government revenue, the Minister held a press conference on
January 12th to address issues raised by the group.
At the press conference, the Minister described
the transparent methodology with which the rice import quota allocation was
done and revealed that foreign companies who had imported 410,368.16MT beyond
their quotas were the ones owing government N36billion.The Minister made a
strong statement on implementation of the rice policy that “Every Company must
follow the rules and there are no sacred cows. The days are gone when they can
bribe to get what they want. I will not allow them to scuttle our
self-sufficiency drive in rice production. I cannot be bought or bribed. These
two companies, Olam and Popular Farms and Mills, owe government and they must
pay for the excess rice they imported above their allowed quota at preferential
rate.”Several leading legitimate investors in the rice sector and farmers rose
up in support of the Minister.
A former Attorney General of the Federation, Mr.
Aondoakaa, a rice processor, said “in all my several years in government, I
have never seen a process so transparent and a Minister who fights always for
public interest with such integrity and passion.”The claims of preferential
waivers are simply not true. The Minister of Agriculture gave no waivers. Only
the President can give waivers. The Nigerian Customs Tariffs Act makes it
mandatory for Customs to collect all duties and levies due to government before
imported goods can be released to importers. It is the duty of the Nigerian
Customs and Excise to enforce the Act. Anyone who owes government duties and
levies and rice should go and pay; there will be no sacred cows.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/05/foreign-rice-importers-game-to-return-nigeria-as-dumping-ground/
U.S., JORDAN SIGN AGREEMENT
TO PROMOTE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRADE, SUPPORT HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
Release No. 0134.15 Contact: Office of
Communications (202) 720-4623
U.S., Jordan Sign Agreement to Promote Agricultural
Development and Trade, Support Humanitarian Assistance
Amman, JORDAN, May 10, 2015 - U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and Jordan Minister of
Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury, today signed an agreement
to support agricultural development and trade in Jordan."Jordan is one of
our most effective, capable and steadfast partners not only in the Middle East,
but around the world," Vilsack said. "USDA's food assistance will be
used to relieve some of the economic burden that Jordan is facing as a result
of the hundreds of thousands of Syrians who've been displaced because of the
Syrian civil war.
"Through the Food for
Progress Program, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service will provide the
government of Jordan with 100,000 metric tons of U.S. wheat, valued at
approximately $25 million. The Jordanian government will use proceeds from the
sale of the commodities to implement projects aimed at improving agricultural
productivity and stimulating economic growth."The Obama administration
remains committed to investing in the creation of economic stability and
opportunity in the Middle East," Vilsack said. "As we have done in
the past with Jordan and around the world, U.S. produced commodities will not
only feed people but enhance agricultural productivity and trade."The Food
for Progress Program is a cornerstone in USDA's efforts to support sustainable
agricultural production in developing nations and promote agricultural trade.
The program helps developing countries and emerging democracies modernize and
strengthen their agricultural sectors.
USDA's food aid programs
contribute to the goals of President Obama's global hunger and food security
initiative, Feed the Future. In fiscal year 2014, nearly 223,337 individuals in
the Feed the Future countries and regions received USDA's agricultural
productivity or food security training.USDA is an equal opportunity provider
and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence
Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer
Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice
users).
HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND
INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY GLOBAL REPORT 2015 - RELEASED BY THE BUSINESS RESEARCH COMPANY
The Business Research Company’s Heavy Equipment and
Industrial Machinery Global Report contains market size of heavy equipment and
industrial machinery.CANARY WHARF, LONDON,
ENGLAND, February 22, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Business Research Company’s(TBRC) Heavy Equipment
and Industrial Machinery Global Report contains market size of heavy equipment and industrial
machinery, profiles of top companies including each company’s overview,
revenue, geographies in which the companies are operating, company sales and
distribution structure, service offering, parts availability, rental and
leasing options and financing facilities as well as company’s latest
distribution news (as available).
The report covers construction, agricultural and forestry
equipment. The market sizing information covers agriculture and construction
equipment only as data for the forestry equipment market was not available.
Construction equipment falls into four main categories: earthmoving, material
handling, heavy construction vehicles, and other heavy construction equipment.
Earthmoving machinery typically includes excavators, loaders, bulldozers,
crawler dozers, scrappers, and shovels.
Scope
• Market size historic and forecast, market shares and regional splits.• The report contains profiles of the top 15 construction equipment companies, and top 5 agricultural equipment companies and top 5 forestry equipment companies. Profiles contain business operations, distribution strategies, maintenance and service levels, prospects and latest distribution news (as available).
Methodology
The Business Research Company reports utilize a wide range of secondary sources, including company websites, trade magazines, and market intelligence reports, which are analyzed and presented in a consistent and easily accessible format.
The Business Research Company strictly follows a standardized research methodology to ensure high levels of data quality and these characteristics guarantee a unique report.
Key findings of the report include:
"The global heavy equipment & industrial machinery market grew from $ 187 billion in 2010 to $ 271 billion in 2014, a CAGR of 9.7. Data covers construction and agricultural equipment. Demand for both construction and agricultural equipment has been increasing due to a growth in global population..
Countries covered in the report include: North America, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe
Products mentioned include: Construction, agricultural and forestry equipment. Construction equipment includes earthmoving, material handling, heavy construction vehicles, and other heavy construction equipment. Earthmoving machinery typically includes excavators, loaders, bulldozers, crawler dozers, scrappers, and shovels.
Companies mentioned include:
Caterpillar
Komatsu
Volvo Constructions
Komatsu
Volvo Constructions
Hitachi Sumitomo
Heavy Industries Construction Crane
Leibherr Group
Terex
Zoomlion
Sany Heavy Industry
Zoomlion
Sany Heavy Industry
John Deere
Doosan Industrial
Vehicle Co., Ltd
XCMG
JCB Service
JCB Service
CNH Global NV
Atlas Copco
Escorts Limited
Price: $1000.00 (e.g. PDF) Single User (If applicable) $USD
Visit TheBusinessResearchCompany.com or call +447443439350 for more information on this and many other titles. The Business Research Company is a market research and intelligence company which excels in company, market and consumer research. It has research professionals at its offices in the UK, India and the US as well a network of trained researchers globally. It has specialist consultants in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, healthcare, financial services and technology.
The Business Research Company's management have more than 20 years of varied business research experience. They have delivered hundreds of research projects to the senior management of some of the world's largest organizations.The Business Research Company's Consultants have masters qualifications from top institutes and include MBAs, MSCs, CFAs and CAs. The Business Research Company's Consultants gain training and qualifications from the Market Research Society and are trained in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics.
Oliver Guirdham
The Business Research Company
+44 2071935037
"GOOD THINGS COME IN
LITTLE PACKAGES" -- LITTLE GOODIES SET TO BREAK GROUND ON NEW MMJ
CULTIVATION SITE IN ARIZONA
/EINPresswire.com/ -- PHOENIX, AZ -- (Marketwired) -- 05/08/15 -- Little
Goodies (http://www.littlegoodiesinc.com), Arizona's soon to be premier
source for ultra-premium, medical-grade cannabis flowers and edibles, is
pleased to announce that they will be breaking ground on a state-of-the-art
cultivation facility in 2015.Since it was legalized in Arizona in 2010, medical
marijuana has helped thousands of patients suffering from debilitating diseases
find comfort and solace through natural medicine. Concurrent and ongoing
studies have shown that some of the most painful and wasting syndromes respond
better to the main active chemicals in cannabis, THC, CBD, and CBN, than they
do to conventional prescription drugs.Some recent studies have even found
cancer-fighting properties in CBD that are being further explored as
prospective constituents for a potential future treatment. By and far, the
medical community is in agreement that medical cannabis is an effective and
safer treatment for pain management than conventional prescribed painkillers
are.
CBD Content
All cannabis contains these three
common cannabinoids: THC, CBD and CBN. Each strain has a different ratio of
them, and this ratio is what comprises the strain's "chem-type."While
most current commercial strains of cannabis have a much higher proportion of
THC (15%-25%), and very low proportion of CBD (usually less than 1%), high CBD
strains contain an impressive 10%-20% CBD.Little Goodies will offer some whole
flowers that contain high CBD amounts, in addition to value added products
(edibles, oils, etc.) that also have a high CBD content.Little Goodies will be
constructing a large-scale, state-of-the-art cultivation site that will provide
Arizona medical marijuana patients with ultra-premium, connoisseur-grade
flowers of unparalleled taste and aroma.
"The quality of flowers and
the large scale at which we are about to produce is what is most unique about
the current project, and will revolutionize the Arizona market,"
explained, Lee Komer, CEO of Little Goodies. "Our cannabis will be at an
entirely different caliber. We will be bringing the first truly
connoisseur-grade flowers to Arizona's patients. We will maintain our
exclusive, top-shelf MMJ products by never cutting corners, and will always
provide patients with quality over quantity."Little Goodies mission is
about providing a high-quality experience for the Arizonan medical marijuana
patient. The grower only uses organic methods and the best ingredients to
create cannabis products that not only help to treat medical conditions and
soothe symptoms, but to also please the senses.
Farmers plant rice seedlings in a paddy field in the city of
Narita in Chiba Prefecture at the end of April. | BLOOMBERG
Rice farmers scrap seedlings to sow directly in cost-cutting push
JIJI
MAY 10, 2015
The method saves farmers the trouble of growing and
planting seedlings.Due to the weight of the iron powder, the seed rice sinks
into the soil of the paddy field instead of floating in water in the fields.
The iron powder coating is thin enough to give the seed rice access to water
and oxygen, and the rice sprouts by breaking through the coating.Yamaha Motor
released the latest model of an industrial-use unmanned helicopter in 2013. The
drone, with a price tag of ¥13 million, is used primarily to spray agricultural
chemicals but has found additional applications in sowing seed rice, beginning
with rice for feed and now including rice for human consumption as well.Instead
of buying an unmanned helicopter, farmers can outsource the aerial spraying of
seed rice to business operators.Yasuyoshi Kasama, a 36-year-old farmer in
Otawara, Tochigi Prefecture, recently used an unmanned helicopter to spray
seeds of Tochigi no Hoshi (Star of Tochigi) rice on a 2.2-hectare field.
“My parents are old, so we’re short-staffed, but spraying
the seed rice by helicopter can raise work efficiency and make up for the labor
shortage,” Kasama said.The roots of seed rice sown by aerial spraying tend to
be unstable, however. Strong winds can blow weakly rooted seedlings over,
resulting in rice yields about 10 percent lower than from conventional
planting.But spraying seed rice by helicopter on a one-hectare field takes only
10 to 15 minutes, compared with 90 minutes to two hours for planting by
conventional machines.A spokesman for Yamaha Motor expressed hopes that the use
of unmanned helicopters will help the entry of private businesses into
agriculture and promote large-scale farming.“(Aerial spraying) can reduce
production costs by 20 to 40 percent, depending on region,” the spokesman said.
The labor-saving results and stylish designs of the
helicopters “will hopefully encourage young people to take up farming,” a sales
representative of the company said.Kubota’s specialized sowing machine is able
to sow seed rice at equal intervals, just like conventional planting vehicles
do, although it is no match for an unmanned helicopter in terms of work
time.Rice plants from seeds transplanted by machine can withstand strong winds,
while the drop in yields can be curbed, a Kubota spokesman said. The machine
can also help to maintain the unspoiled Japanese landscapes of rice plants
standing straight at even intervals.With rice imports expected to expand if the
Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal becomes reality, cutting production
costs will be an urgent task for Japanese rice growers who wish to remain
competitive. The direct sowing of seed rice is viewed as a promising means of
achieving cost reductions
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/05/10/business/rice-farmers-scrap-seedlings-sow-directly-cost-cutting-push/#.VVE6C_lVikp
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in pdf format,just click the following link
