30
November 2017 daily rice news
Undedited
version
Demand of Pakistani rice
increased across world
30.11.2017
Demand of Pakistani rice
has increased due to its special fragrance, colour and quality across the
world.
A spokesman of Agriculture Department talking to Radio Pakistan said the
Agriculture Department launched a special campaign about poison free paddy
crops this year.
He said international rice export companies have lauded the initiative of the
agriculture
Pakistan produces world class rice and has a well developed rice processing
industry as proved by its exports to high-end and the most sensitive markets
around the world.
“We want to move towards value added products to increase exports,” he added.
A delegation
of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan will visit Sri Lanka next month to
explore new opportunities. A delegation of rice exporters led by Rafique
Suleman, Acting Chairman, Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) had a
meeting with G L Gnanatheva, Consul General of Sri Lanka, at Sri Lankan
Consulate, Karachi. Abdul Rahim Janoo Ex-Chairman REAP, Asif Polani Member
Managing Committee & Convener REAP's delegation committee, Altaf Hussain
Shaikh Secretary REAP and Arif Ali Khan Assistant Secretary REAP were also a
part of the delegation.
During the meeting, Rafique Suleman apprised Sri Lankan CG regarding a
communication received from Pakistani High Commission in Colombo, wherein it
was recommended to send a REAP delegation on an urgent basis, as Sri Lanka is
facing shortage of rice. He said Pakistan has a good quality crop of Basmati
and Irri-6 rice and can export good quantity of rice at competitive prices.
Therefore, it has decided to send a 15-member delegation to Sri Lanka in
December 2017 for the promotion and marketing of Pakistani rice, he added.
During the visit, the delegation will have meetings with President of Sri
Lanka, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ministers for Trade, Commerce, Transport,
etc, as well as officials of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce & National Chamber
of Commerce, Colombo and leading rice importers. "We will also discuss
increase in the Basmati rice quota which is stagnant at 6,000 MT for many
years," Suleman said.
Abdul Rahim Janoo said during the visit, REAP will also organize a Biryani
Festival in Colombo and the diplomatic officials of various countries deputed
at Colombo as well as officials of concerned ministries and chambers of
commerce and leading rice buyers will be invited to this festival. He said that
previously REAP has already organized such Festivals in many countries.
He also invited the Consul General of Sri Lanka to accompany REAP delegation
which he accepted. The Consul General assured his full support to make this
visit a great success. He was ready to send letters to Sri Lankan authorities
to fix meetings with REAP delegation. Rafique Suleman also extended his
gratitude to the Sri Lankan CG and hoped that after the successful visit of
this delegation, export of Pakistani Basmati and Irri-6 rice will get a
significant boost and fetch foreign exchange for the country.
Innovation on Display
at USA Rice Outlook Conference
SAN ANTONIO, TX -- They say
everything is bigger in Texas, and that goes for the 2017 USA Rice Outlook
Conference too! Valuable programming has been packed into each day with
exciting speakers, educational sessions, and a bustling exhibit hall featuring
The Rice Foundation Innovation Stage.
The Rice Foundation fosters innovation for the
industry, so it is fitting that this year's Innovation Stage was named for the
organization. Programming at The Rice Foundation Innovation Stage will
start each day at 7:45 a.m. The full schedule will be posted in the
Outlook Conference Exhibit Hall, but attendees won't want to miss presentations
on Monday, December 10, from BASF Corporation, CMC Industrial Electronics,
FrigorTec, Applied Digital, Inc. - Aquarius Farm Controls, Horizon Ag, CASEIH,
Gowan USA, and Real McCoy Enterprises.
Tuesday's schedule includes presenters from
John Deere Company, Ray-Mont Logistics, Creed Rice, Central Life Sciences, Mike
Harper, and IntelliFarms.
There will also be special short film screenings
and a cooking demonstration from the USA Rice Mexico team.
"Our conference sponsors and exhibitors
make this, the largest annual conference in North America dedicated to rice,
possible, but I especially appreciate the exhibitors who share the latest
innovations, technology, and services at The Rice Foundation Innovation Stage,"
said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. "These presentations
really make a difference to the bottom line for our members."
Rice Importation Drops By 95% – Ogbeh
By Suzan Nwachukwu, Abuja
The minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu
Ogbeh, yesterday disclosed that rice importation into the country has dropped
by 95 per cent in the last two years due to consistency in the federal
government’s efforts at drastically reducing importation of the food
product into the country.
Ogbeh also said the federal government has achieved this feat
despite the fact that some elements in the polity are bent on sabotaging the
efforts at drastically reducing importation.
The minister disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the second day
of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and
Agriculture (NACCIMA) and the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing system for Agricultural
Lending (NIRSAL) Agribusiness and Policy Linkage Conference, that hopes to see
the implementation of the Agriculture component of the Economic Recovery Growth
Plan (ERGP).
He decried heavy dependence on foreign products by the country
irrespective of the dangers they pose.
“This country by and large have been taken hostage, some persons
have refused to believe it but why are there no jobs, why so much poverty,
nobody want to buy local thing because the importers have connections. They
have ships, they have banking facilities and they persuade opinion makers that
it is better and cheaper to import.
“We pass through so much struggle to have a foothold in our own
market including rice and people think there is nothing wrong. They will tell
you they prefer foreign rice even though what we produce is better and safer
for them. The rice from Thailand has many challenges which they don’t care to
know, because if you grow rice for too long in a mashed land, there will be
high content of acid in it. There’s too much dependency on foreign goods just
because it is foreign,” he said.
However, he disclosed that despite the challenges, the country
has made a lot of success in terms of eradicating rice importation and this is
a plus to the country’s economy.
“One example of success is in rice. As at September, 2015, this
country was importing 644,131 tons of rice. Exactly two years later, that is
September 2017, rice importation drops to 20, 000 tons; that’s a 95 per cent
drop.
“There are 12.2 million people growing rice in the country,
producing paddy for the rice mills.
“In Kano alone, we have 1,421 rice mills. We have large fields
in Anambra, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Jigawa, kebbi and more are coming up, “he said.
Ogbeh also enumerated the challenges currently faced in
agribusiness exporting to include funding which is access to credit, high
interest rate agricultural mechanization, packaging, and quality. Other include
seed development, research development and marketing. He called for more
private partnership as according to him, ‘government is only steering the
wheel’.
The Managing Director of NIRSAL, Mr Aliyu Abdulhameed in an
interview with LEADERSHIP said as events are unfolding, the government is
laying down policy to ensure that the private sector succeed in Agribusiness.
“What you see today represent what the government is looking at,
how the private sector can lead and how the policies affect that leadership.
The good thing about investment is that ones you can be able to proof a risk
return profile and you can de-risk it, then investment will
“What you observed today is the mandate of NIRSAL as handed to
us by the CBN. How do you get actors from the value chain from primary
production all the way through processes, retailing, and domestic markets to
export?
Mrs Alaba Lawson, President, NACCIMA said all hands must be on
deck to achieve success and called on all to come on board.
https://niyitabiti.net/2017/12/rice-importation-drops-by-95-ogbeh/ $1.7 Million for
Climate-Resilient Agricultural ResearchFunds
Support Drought-Resistant Rice and Energy-Efficient Food-Drying Research
Pamela Ronald, distinguished professor in the Department of
Plant Pathology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and
her team will identify genes that alter root growth in rice. (Photo / Deanne
Fitzmaurice)
The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research has awarded
more than $1.7 million to University of California, Davis, researchers to
identify genes responsible for drought tolerance in rice and test a new
energy-efficient food-drying process.
Drought-resistant rice
A $1 million Seeding Solutions grant will go to a project to
study the genetics of rice plants. The research is being led by principal
investigator Pamela Ronald, distinguished professor in the Department of Plant
Pathology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the
Genome Center at UC Davis.
She and researchers at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, and collaborators, will develop and implement a chemistry-driven
gene discovery approach to identify rice genes that influence root growth. The
project targets protein kinases, enzymes that control diverse biological
process in plants, such as root architecture and drought response.
“Our aim is to identify genes that alter root growth in
rice, a staple food for half the world’s people. Because root systems play
an essential role in yield and drought tolerance, results of these studies
are relevant to agriculture,” said Ronald.
The FFAR grant has been matched with funding from the UC Davis
Innovation Institute for Food and Health, the Structural Genomics Consortium,
AgBiome and Promega for a total $2.3 million investment.
“This project is a prime example of how public-private
partnerships can advance our understanding of plant genetics to develop crops
resistant to drought and other climate extremes,” said Sally Rockey, executive
director of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.
Researchers on this project also include David Drewry,
co-principal investigator and professor at University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill; Aled Edwards, collaborator, professor at the University of
Toronto, and director of the Structural Genomics Consortium; and Rafael
Najmanovich, collaborator, professor at the University of Montreal.
Energy-efficient food processing
FFAR has also awarded $790,000 to UC Davis to test a new
technology to improve the drying methods used in food production. Moisture must
be removed from harvested agricultural products to safely preserve them prior
to processing into food products.
Principal investigator Irwin Donis-Gonzalez (left)
and assistant adjunct professor Kurt Kornbluth (right) in the
Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering will research new
advanced food-drying technology.
Researchers will test an innovative moisture-absorbing
technology called drying beads, instead of relying on heated air to
dehydrate foods such as grains, nuts, rice and seeds. The beads absorb water
without using heat, reducing the use of energy by up to 50 percent during the
drying process. The beads are reusable and can be reactivated, which would
reduce drying costs over time.
The research is being led by principal investigator Irwin R.
Donis-Gonzalez, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering in UC
Davis’ College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
“Drying agricultural produce is an energy-intensive process, and
it is imperative to find alternative means of drying for the enhancement of
food quality, safety, and economical operations, while reducing food losses and
waste,” said Donis-Gonzalez.
According to researchers, this technology could save more than
1.06 quadrillion kilojoules of energy annually in the U.S. This is about the
same amount of energy it takes to provide electricity to residents of New York,
California and Florida for one year.
The $790,000 FFAR grant has also been matched with funding from
the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health, and the College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences for a total $1.5 million investment.
“This project exemplifies how new innovations can help us
produce a safe, reliable food supply that uses resources more
efficiently,” Rockey said.
Researchers on this project include Kent J. Bradford,
co-principal investigator, distinguished professor at UC Davis; Kurt Kornbluth,
co-principal investigator, assistant adjunct professor at UC Davis; Edward
Spang, co-principal investigator, assistant professor at UC Davis; and Johan
Van Asbrouck, collaborator, CEO of Rhino Research, Bangkok, Thailand.
https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/17-million-climate-resilient-agricultural-research/
https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/17-million-climate-resilient-agricultural-research/ U.S. rice prices soar amid sharply lower production
Nov. 30, 2017 - by Ron Sterk
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U.S. rice production is
estimated down 20% from 2016.
KANSAS CITY — U.S. rice production is estimated down 20% from 2016
while nearby rough rice futures traded in Chicago were up nearly 30% from a
year ago in late November.
The drastic reduction largely was the result of reduced planted
and harvested area as rice (as well as corn and sorghum) lost acreage mainly to
soybeans and cotton due to relative prices when planting decisions were made
earlier in the year. Slightly better national average rice yield provided some
offset to lower acreage.
Rice prices were declining in March while soybean prices were
rising, Nathan Childs, Ph.D., an agricultural economist with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture said earlier in the year, and U.S. rice carryout for 2017 at the
time was forecast at more than a 30-year high.
The U.S.D.A. in its November Crop Production report estimated 2017
U.S. rice production at 178,382,000 cwts, down 5% from its initial forecast in
August, down 20% from 224,145,000 cwts in 2016, down 13% from the recent
five-year average and the lowest since 1996. A record crop of 243,104,000 cwts
was harvested in 2010. Harvested area was estimated at 2,391,000 acres, down 706,000
acres, or 23%, from 2016 and the lowest since 1987. Average yield based on Nov.
1 conditions was estimated at 7,461 lbs per acre, up 3% from last year.
Harvested area for rice, corn and sorghum declined a combined
2,103,000 acres in the six rice states of Arkansas, California, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Missouri and Texas, while harvested area for soybeans and cotton
increased a combined 2,015,000 acres, according to U.S.D.A. data.
Some rice acreage losses also resulted from heavy rains and
flooding related to Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. Although much of
the crop was harvested when the hurricane hit, there were significant losses to
the second harvest, known as the ratoon crop, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture said in its November Rice Outlook. Additional acreage was lost to
flooding earlier in the year in top-producing Arkansas, which accounted for
about 60% of the total reduced harvested area.
The nearby January rough rice future closed at $12.42 a cwt on
Nov. 24, up 29% from a year ago and up 20% from the first of the year but below
September highs above $13 a cwt. Rice futures last week neared $13 a cwt in the
July 2018 contract and didn’t drop below $12 until the new 2018 crop November
contract.
In its November World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates
report, the U.S.D.A. forecast the average farm price of all rice in 2017-18
(August-July) at $12.50 to $13.50 a cwt, with the midpoint up $2.60 a cwt, or
25%, from $10.40 a cwt a year earlier and compared with $12.20 a cwt in 2015-16.
The U.S.D.A. in its WASDE forecast carryover of rice on Aug. 1,
2018, at 29.9 million cwts, down 35% from 46 million cwts in 2017 and the
lowest since 2007-08.
Unlike wheat, corn and soybeans, the United States is not a major
producer of rice on the global stage, missing the top 10 by a couple of slots.
Still, the United States exports about 55% of its rice production (similar to
wheat and soybean export percentages). But the United States also imports a
substantially larger share of its rice supply (about 10% of total supply and
about 20% of domestic consumption) than the other commodities mainly due to the
classes of rice produced and the varieties desired by consumers. The U.S.D.A.
forecast U.S. rice imports in 2017-18 at a record 24.5 million cwts.
Despite the sharp decline in U.S. rice production, global supplies
are ample after record outturn of 486.57 million tonnes in 2016-17. Though
forecast production for the current year is down 1% from last year at 481.20
million tonnes, 2017-18 ending stocks at 141.51 million tonnes are the highest
since a record 146.7 million tonnes in 2000-01.
Looking ahead, the U.S.D.A. in its preliminary long-range
projections released last week, forecast 2018 U.S. rice planted area at
2,900,000 acres, up 17% from 2017, and harvested area at 2,878,000 acres, up
20%, though both still are below 2016 acreage. Production next year was
forecast at 220,200,000 cwts, up 23% from 2017. The average farm price was
forecast to decline 5% to $12.30 a cwt in 2018-19.
Comment
on this Article
Customs seizes truck
with 300 bags of foreign rice in Niger ON NOVEMBER 30, 20179:48 PMIN
BUSINESSCOMMENTS Minna – The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Niger Area Command,
has intercepted a truck loaded with 300 bags of foreign rice worth N5.1 million
along Kontagora road in Niger. Customs officers impounding smuggled rice. Mr
Benjamin Binga, Comptroller of Customs for Niger, Kwara and Kogi disclosed this
in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Thursday. He
said that the officers on patrol intercepted the Volvo truck with registration
number SUL 616 XA loaded with the prohibited items. The controller called on smugglers
to desist from their activities and embrace the agricultural policies of the
Federal Government aimed at revamping the economy. “The Federal Government is
trying to encourage local production of rice so that we can be self-sufficient
and conserve foreign exchange. “The command will continue to protect the
borders and thwart the illegal activities of smugglers. No hiding place for
smugglers in this command as all identified illegal routes have been blocked,’’
he said. The controller appealed to traditional and community leaders
especially in border communities to assist government in its efforts to curb
smuggling. “I am appealing to the citizens, especially residents of border
communities to assist us with require information on movement of smugglers,’’
he pleaded. (NAN) 
Read more at:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/11/customs-seizes-truck-300-bags-foreign-rice-niger/
vanguardngr
Angola depends on imports to
meet rice consumption needs
30 November
2017
·
·
·
·
·
·
Current Angolan rice production, of approximately 25,00o tons
per year, falls far short of the quantity that the country imports, or more
than 400,000 tons to meet the demands of domestic consumption, said on
Wednesday in Luanda the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Livestock,
Carlos Alberto Pinto.
The Secretary of State also said that in the 2015/2016
agricultural campaign the country had produced little more than 24,500 tons, of
which half was provided by the family-based agricultural enterprises and the
remaining half by agricultural businesses, according to Angolan state news
agency Angop.
“This means that Angola is largely dependent on imports to meet
national consumption of this product,” said the Secretary of State, who added
that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests was working toward producing seed
adapted to the conditions of the country, so that rice will again be produced
in the traditional regions of Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul, Moxico, Malanje and
Bié.
Pinto was speaking on Wednesday at the opening of the 4th
meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee of the project to develop rice
cultivation in Angola, which is funded by the Japanese International
Cooperation Agency.
The meeting, organised by the Institute of Agrarian Development
is to assess, among other issues, the 2016/2017 Progress Report , Presentation
of the Work Plan for the 2017/2018 agricultural campaign and the National
Strategy for the Development of Rice, centred on rural families.
Rice has been a major staple food of the Angolan population in
recent years, and is the most consumed product after cassava and maize.
(macauhub)
Grain council calls for policy review
to promote intra-regional rice trade
30.11.2017
There is
need for policies that will support cross-border trade in grains and cereals
and also eradicate barriers affecting the sector, the regional grain council
has said.
Gerald Makau Masila, the Eastern African Grain Council (EAGC) executive
director, said a supportive legal regime will spur cross-border trade of
commodities like rice and help reduce food imports into the Eastern Africa
region.
“Governments in the region should recognise the need to protect rice producers
and strengthen efforts aimed at making the region self-reliant in rice
production and consumption. This will also promote intra- regional trade in the
commodity,” he said.
“Rice should be classified as a ‘sensitive’ product whose imports from outside
the region should attract an ad-valomen common external tariff (CET) rate of 75
per cent,” Masila said.
Ad-valomen is a levy that should be in proportion to the value of products or
concerned transaction.
He was speaking during the regional grain trade business-to-business (B2B)
forum in Kigali on Tuesday. The meeting brought together over 100 grain traders
and farmers from Eastern Africa and Zambia to discuss policies affecting the
region’s grain sector.
The forum was organised by the EAGC in partnership with the East Africa
Exchange and the USAID private sector driven agricultural growth project.
Meanwhile, Masila said that cross-border trade in grains and cereals continues
to face a number of tariff and non-tariff barriers, saying they contravene the
spirit of the regional integration. Other challenges include informal trade,
poor quality, high rate imports from mainly Asian countries where over 500,000
tonnes are imported annually, and low output and insufficient trade volumes
resulting from small-scale and informal farming practices.
Masila also said the commodity is mainly traded at national level, noting that
minimal volumes of rice are traded between EAC and other regional countries.
Speaking at the event, Melanie Bittle, the chief of party of the USAID private
sector driven agricultural growth project, called for adoption of improved and
modern rice growing methods by smallholder farmers to boost output.
She also said promotion of large-scale farming and increased access to quality
inputs by farmers are critical to ensure high production. This will help reduce
rice imports and spur exports within the region and meet the growing rice
demand, the official said. Africa is expected to account for 40 per cent of the
additional 112 million tonnes of the global rice needs by 2040.
Rice processors speak out
Venuste Bakundukize, the executive director of Kinazi Rice Mill in Southern
Province, called on government to scrap value added tax (VAT) on milled rice,
saying other EAC countries have already removed the levy. He added that the low
production capacity in the province was affecting the miller.
“We have the capacity to process 5,000 tonnes annually, but due to low supply
we are producing 2,000 tonnes.
“Therefore, there is a need to support farmers and to promote large scale rice
growing to increase production to meet market needs,” he said.
He added that the firm is most time forced to source for rice from outside the
province due to low supply from area farmers.
Related Items
Grain council calls for policy review
to promote intra-regional rice trade
30.11.2017
There is
need for policies that will support cross-border trade in grains and cereals
and also eradicate barriers affecting the sector, the regional grain council
has said.
Gerald Makau Masila, the Eastern African Grain Council (EAGC) executive
director, said a supportive legal regime will spur cross-border trade of
commodities like rice and help reduce food imports into the Eastern Africa
region.
“Governments in the region should recognise the need to protect rice producers
and strengthen efforts aimed at making the region self-reliant in rice
production and consumption. This will also promote intra- regional trade in the
commodity,” he said.
“Rice should be classified as a ‘sensitive’ product whose imports from outside
the region should attract an ad-valomen common external tariff (CET) rate of 75
per cent,” Masila said.
Ad-valomen is a levy that should be in proportion to the value of products or
concerned transaction.
He was speaking during the regional grain trade business-to-business (B2B)
forum in Kigali on Tuesday. The meeting brought together over 100 grain traders
and farmers from Eastern Africa and Zambia to discuss policies affecting the
region’s grain sector.
The forum was organised by the EAGC in partnership with the East Africa
Exchange and the USAID private sector driven agricultural growth project.
Meanwhile, Masila said that cross-border trade in grains and cereals continues
to face a number of tariff and non-tariff barriers, saying they contravene the
spirit of the regional integration. Other challenges include informal trade,
poor quality, high rate imports from mainly Asian countries where over 500,000
tonnes are imported annually, and low output and insufficient trade volumes
resulting from small-scale and informal farming practices.
Masila also said the commodity is mainly traded at national level, noting that
minimal volumes of rice are traded between EAC and other regional countries.
Speaking at the event, Melanie Bittle, the chief of party of the USAID private
sector driven agricultural growth project, called for adoption of improved and
modern rice growing methods by smallholder farmers to boost output.
She also said promotion of large-scale farming and increased access to quality
inputs by farmers are critical to ensure high production. This will help reduce
rice imports and spur exports within the region and meet the growing rice
demand, the official said. Africa is expected to account for 40 per cent of the
additional 112 million tonnes of the global rice needs by 2040.
Rice processors speak out
Venuste Bakundukize, the executive director of Kinazi Rice Mill in Southern
Province, called on government to scrap value added tax (VAT) on milled rice,
saying other EAC countries have already removed the levy. He added that the low
production capacity in the province was affecting the miller.
“We have the capacity to process 5,000 tonnes annually, but due to low supply
we are producing 2,000 tonnes.
“Therefore, there is a need to support farmers and to promote large scale rice
growing to increase production to meet market needs,” he said.
He added that the firm is most time forced to source for rice from outside the
province due to low supply from area farmers.
Related Items
Grain council calls for policy review
to promote intra-regional rice trade
30.11.2017
There is
need for policies that will support cross-border trade in grains and cereals
and also eradicate barriers affecting the sector, the regional grain council
has said.
Gerald Makau Masila, the Eastern African Grain Council (EAGC) executive
director, said a supportive legal regime will spur cross-border trade of
commodities like rice and help reduce food imports into the Eastern Africa
region.
“Governments in the region should recognise the need to protect rice producers
and strengthen efforts aimed at making the region self-reliant in rice
production and consumption. This will also promote intra- regional trade in the
commodity,” he said.
“Rice should be classified as a ‘sensitive’ product whose imports from outside
the region should attract an ad-valomen common external tariff (CET) rate of 75
per cent,” Masila said.
Ad-valomen is a levy that should be in proportion to the value of products or
concerned transaction.
He was speaking during the regional grain trade business-to-business (B2B)
forum in Kigali on Tuesday. The meeting brought together over 100 grain traders
and farmers from Eastern Africa and Zambia to discuss policies affecting the
region’s grain sector.
The forum was organised by the EAGC in partnership with the East Africa
Exchange and the USAID private sector driven agricultural growth project.
Meanwhile, Masila said that cross-border trade in grains and cereals continues
to face a number of tariff and non-tariff barriers, saying they contravene the
spirit of the regional integration. Other challenges include informal trade,
poor quality, high rate imports from mainly Asian countries where over 500,000
tonnes are imported annually, and low output and insufficient trade volumes
resulting from small-scale and informal farming practices.
Masila also said the commodity is mainly traded at national level, noting that
minimal volumes of rice are traded between EAC and other regional countries.
Speaking at the event, Melanie Bittle, the chief of party of the USAID private
sector driven agricultural growth project, called for adoption of improved and
modern rice growing methods by smallholder farmers to boost output.
She also said promotion of large-scale farming and increased access to quality
inputs by farmers are critical to ensure high production. This will help reduce
rice imports and spur exports within the region and meet the growing rice
demand, the official said. Africa is expected to account for 40 per cent of the
additional 112 million tonnes of the global rice needs by 2040.
Rice processors speak out
Venuste Bakundukize, the executive director of Kinazi Rice Mill in Southern
Province, called on government to scrap value added tax (VAT) on milled rice,
saying other EAC countries have already removed the levy. He added that the low
production capacity in the province was affecting the miller.
“We have the capacity to process 5,000 tonnes annually, but due to low supply
we are producing 2,000 tonnes.
“Therefore, there is a need to support farmers and to promote large scale rice
growing to increase production to meet market needs,” he said.
He added that the firm is most time forced to source for rice from outside the
province due to low supply from area farmers.
Related Items
http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/grain-council-calls-for-policy-review-to-promote-intra-regional-rice-trade Rice prices to go down soon–NFA
By
-
November 30, 2017
·
·
Photo from
http://irri.org
The
retail and wholesale prices of rice would decline starting this month with the
arrival of imports bought by the private sector via the so-called minimum
access volume (MAV) scheme, according to the National Food Authority (NFA).
“The
NFA believes that rice prices will eventually settle down to its previous
levels when private-sector imports via MAV start arriving in December,” the
food agency said in statement released on November 29.
The NFA
said the increases in rice prices are not due to a supply shortfall but because
of the high farm-gate price of paddy.
“We
have adequate volume of industry-wide rice inventories at this time. The
country’s rice stocks, at 1.944 million metric tons, would last for 61 days
based on the average national daily requirement of 31,462 metric tons,” the NFA
said.
“The
rice varieties, whose prices were observed to have increased by P1 to P2 per
kilogram (kg), were of premium, special and aromatic rice, or those with
5-percent to 15-percent brokens, and not the regular- and well-milled varieties
traditionally consumed by the majority of consumers,” it added.
The
food agency said traders and retailers have started to mill and sell the
low-priced stocks they have accumulated.
“Traders
are now milling and starting to sell their newly harvested stocks bought at
higher ex-farm prices. This harvest season, for example, traders were buying
palay from P18 to P24 per kg. Thus, when processed into rice, the higher
wholesale and retail prices will be passed on to retailers and consumers,” the
NFA said.
Also,
the food agency said rice prices usually go up once the main harvest starts to
peak. “A review of the past three years showed that rice prices, indeed, tend
to register a slight increase at this period, although this year’s increase is
lower compared to those observed in previous years.”
“In
November 2014 the prices of regular-milled and well-milled rice were at P40.74
per kg and P43.63 per kg; in 2015 P38 per kg and P42 per kg; in 2016 P35.97 per
kg and P41.80 per kg. This month the average retail prices for regular and
well-milled varieties are at P37 per kg and P40 per kg,” it added.
In its
weekly monitoring report published on November 28, the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA) said the average farm-gate price of palay in the third week of
November inched up to P18.56 per kg, from the previous week’s quotation of
P18.47 per kg.
Increases
were also noted both in the prices of well-milled rice and regular-milled rice.
The wholesale price of regular-milled rice rose to P35.71 per kg, from the
previous week’s P35.64 per kg, while retail price went up to P38.02 per kg,
from last week’s P37.97 per kg.
“Quoted
at P39.21 per kg, the average wholesale price of well-milled rice inched up
from a-week-ago level by 0.15 percent. Compared to the previous year’s quotation
of P38.08 per kg, it was, likewise, expensive by 2.96 percent,” the PSA report
read.
“Similarly,
the average retail price of well-milled rice recorded growth of 0.02 percent
from previous week’s level. This week’s average retail price of P42.19 per kg was
also higher by 1.89 percent compared with the previous year’s level of P41.41
per kg,” it added.
Rice prices to go down soon–NFA
By
-
November 30, 2017
·
·
Photo from
http://irri.org
The
retail and wholesale prices of rice would decline starting this month with the
arrival of imports bought by the private sector via the so-called minimum
access volume (MAV) scheme, according to the National Food Authority (NFA).
“The
NFA believes that rice prices will eventually settle down to its previous
levels when private-sector imports via MAV start arriving in December,” the
food agency said in statement released on November 29.
The NFA
said the increases in rice prices are not due to a supply shortfall but because
of the high farm-gate price of paddy.
“We
have adequate volume of industry-wide rice inventories at this time. The
country’s rice stocks, at 1.944 million metric tons, would last for 61 days
based on the average national daily requirement of 31,462 metric tons,” the NFA
said.
“The
rice varieties, whose prices were observed to have increased by P1 to P2 per
kilogram (kg), were of premium, special and aromatic rice, or those with
5-percent to 15-percent brokens, and not the regular- and well-milled varieties
traditionally consumed by the majority of consumers,” it added.
The
food agency said traders and retailers have started to mill and sell the
low-priced stocks they have accumulated.
“Traders
are now milling and starting to sell their newly harvested stocks bought at
higher ex-farm prices. This harvest season, for example, traders were buying
palay from P18 to P24 per kg. Thus, when processed into rice, the higher
wholesale and retail prices will be passed on to retailers and consumers,” the
NFA said.
Also,
the food agency said rice prices usually go up once the main harvest starts to
peak. “A review of the past three years showed that rice prices, indeed, tend
to register a slight increase at this period, although this year’s increase is
lower compared to those observed in previous years.”
“In
November 2014 the prices of regular-milled and well-milled rice were at P40.74
per kg and P43.63 per kg; in 2015 P38 per kg and P42 per kg; in 2016 P35.97 per
kg and P41.80 per kg. This month the average retail prices for regular and
well-milled varieties are at P37 per kg and P40 per kg,” it added.
In its
weekly monitoring report published on November 28, the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA) said the average farm-gate price of palay in the third week of
November inched up to P18.56 per kg, from the previous week’s quotation of
P18.47 per kg.
Increases
were also noted both in the prices of well-milled rice and regular-milled rice.
The wholesale price of regular-milled rice rose to P35.71 per kg, from the
previous week’s P35.64 per kg, while retail price went up to P38.02 per kg,
from last week’s P37.97 per kg.
“Quoted
at P39.21 per kg, the average wholesale price of well-milled rice inched up
from a-week-ago level by 0.15 percent. Compared to the previous year’s
quotation of P38.08 per kg, it was, likewise, expensive by 2.96 percent,” the
PSA report read.
“Similarly,
the average retail price of well-milled rice recorded growth of 0.02 percent
from previous week’s level. This week’s average retail price of P42.19 per kg
was also higher by 1.89 percent compared with the previous year’s level of
P41.41 per kg,” it added
https://businessmirror.com.ph/rice-prices-to-go-down-soon-nfa/ Bangladesh
facing food crisis for first time in 20 years, says finance minister
Published: 2017-11-30
21:26:39.0 BdST Updated: 2017-11-30 21:58:33.0 BdST
·
Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said for the first time in nearly
two decades, Bangladesh is facing a 'food crisis', but the efforts are on to
bring down the rice prices.
“This is for the first time in
the last 15/20 years that we are facing this food crisis. Flash floods have
damaged crops, and thus prices of rice have gone up.
"But, we are trying to
bring it down to Tk 40 per kg,” said the minister.
He made the statement while
speaking as chief guest at a discussion on food security at Bangabandhu
International Conference Centre on Thursday.
“We took a policy to keep the
supply of goods flowing into local markets in 2009 when the recession walloped
the world economy. This policy brought us huge success,” he went on.
However, rice prices started
soaring in April this year followed by the flash floods in backswamps and other
parts of the country. The deluge hit hard the people in the days that followed
Eid-ul-Azha celebrations in September.
The retail price of fine
rice rose to Tk 70 per kg. Similar price hikes for coarse rice jerked the
market.
On Sept 19, ministers
held a meeting with rice mill owners, importers, and wholesalers to bring
a solution to the crisis. Mill owners agreed to reduce rice prices by Tk 2 to 3
per kg in exchange for the assurances from the government that their demands
would be met.
Import of rice from India,
Thailand, and Cambodia started after the government relaxed import duties and
other conditions. The initiatives curbed prices of coarse rice, but the prices
of fine variety of rice remained unchanged.
"The government is
handling the crisis with all seriousness," said Muhith, “Our measures to
import rice are helping bring down the prices.”
The minister addressed the
policy dialogue titled, ‘Achieving SDGs: Agriculture and Food Security in
Bangladesh,’ organised by the International Fund for Agricultural Development
or IFAD.
“Our GDP growth had been six
percent for a decade, but we could have achieved 7 percent GDP growth in the last
three years.”
He hoped that by 2030, no-one
in Bangladesh would live below the poverty line.
IFAD has invested $717 million
since 1978 in 32 projects in Bangladesh, according to the Economic Relations
Division of the ministry. The donations have served 10.7 million families
across the country.
IFAD is currently funding six
projects aimed at elevating income of poverty-hit population and create sources
of income for those coping with effects of climate change.
https://bdnews24.com/economy/2017/11/30/bangladesh-facing-food-crisis-for-first-time-in-20-years-says-finance-minister
https://bdnews24.com/economy/2017/11/30/bangladesh-facing-food-crisis-for-first-time-in-20-years-says-finance-minister $1.7 Million for
Climate-Resilient Agricultural ResearchFunds
Support Drought-Resistant Rice and Energy-Efficient Food-Drying Research
Pamela Ronald, distinguished professor in the Department of Plant
Pathology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and her
team will identify genes that alter root growth in rice. (Photo / Deanne
Fitzmaurice)
The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research has awarded
more than $1.7 million to University of California, Davis, researchers to
identify genes responsible for drought tolerance in rice and test a new
energy-efficient food-drying process.
Drought-resistant rice
A $1 million Seeding Solutions grant will go to a project to
study the genetics of rice plants. The research is being led by principal
investigator Pamela Ronald, distinguished professor in the Department of Plant
Pathology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the
Genome Center at UC Davis.
She and researchers at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, and collaborators, will develop and implement a chemistry-driven
gene discovery approach to identify rice genes that influence root growth. The
project targets protein kinases, enzymes that control diverse biological
process in plants, such as root architecture and drought response.
“Our aim is to identify genes that alter root growth in
rice, a staple food for half the world’s people. Because root systems play
an essential role in yield and drought tolerance, results of these studies
are relevant to agriculture,” said Ronald.
The FFAR grant has been matched with funding from the UC Davis
Innovation Institute for Food and Health, the Structural Genomics Consortium,
AgBiome and Promega for a total $2.3 million investment.
“This project is a prime example of how public-private
partnerships can advance our understanding of plant genetics to develop crops
resistant to drought and other climate extremes,” said Sally Rockey, executive
director of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.
Researchers on this project also include David Drewry,
co-principal investigator and professor at University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill; Aled Edwards, collaborator, professor at the University of
Toronto, and director of the Structural Genomics Consortium; and Rafael
Najmanovich, collaborator, professor at the University of Montreal.
Energy-efficient food processing
FFAR has also awarded $790,000 to UC Davis to test a new
technology to improve the drying methods used in food production. Moisture must
be removed from harvested agricultural products to safely preserve them prior
to processing into food products.
Principal investigator Irwin Donis-Gonzalez (left)
and assistant adjunct professor Kurt Kornbluth (right) in the
Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering will research new
advanced food-drying technology.
Researchers will test an innovative moisture-absorbing
technology called drying beads, instead of relying on heated air to
dehydrate foods such as grains, nuts, rice and seeds. The beads absorb water
without using heat, reducing the use of energy by up to 50 percent during the
drying process. The beads are reusable and can be reactivated, which would
reduce drying costs over time.
The research is being led by principal investigator Irwin R.
Donis-Gonzalez, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering in UC
Davis’ College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
“Drying agricultural produce is an energy-intensive process, and
it is imperative to find alternative means of drying for the enhancement of
food quality, safety, and economical operations, while reducing food losses and
waste,” said Donis-Gonzalez.
According to researchers, this technology could save more than
1.06 quadrillion kilojoules of energy annually in the U.S. This is about the
same amount of energy it takes to provide electricity to residents of New York,
California and Florida for one year.
The $790,000 FFAR grant has also been matched with funding from
the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health, and the College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences for a total $1.5 million investment.
“This project exemplifies how new innovations can help us
produce a safe, reliable food supply that uses resources more
efficiently,” Rockey said.
Researchers on this project include Kent J. Bradford,
co-principal investigator, distinguished professor at UC Davis; Kurt Kornbluth,
co-principal investigator, assistant adjunct professor at UC Davis; Edward
Spang, co-principal investigator, assistant professor at UC Davis; and Johan
Van Asbrouck, collaborator, CEO of Rhino Research, Bangkok, Thailand.
https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/17-million-climate-resilient-agricultural-research
https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/17-million-climate-resilient-agricultural-research Rice
importation has dropped by 95%- Ogbeh
Seized bags of rice
Ifeanyi Onuba, Abuja
The Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on Thursday said that the
importation of rice into the country has dropped by 95 per cent in the last two
years.
Ogbeh disclosed this
in Abuja at the first Annual NACCIMA-NIRSAL Agribusiness and Policy Linkage
Conference, which has “Implementing the Agriculture Component of the Economic
Recovery Growth Plan ’ as its theme.
The conference was
organised by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines
and Agriculture in collaboration with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing
system for Agricultural Lending.
The minister said
the country has made a lot of success in terms of stopping rice importation
adding that this had led to creation of more jobs for the people.
He said, “One
example of success is in rice. By September 2015, this country was importing
644,131 tons of rice. Exactly two years later that is September 2017, rice
importation drops to 20, 000 tons.
“That is drop for 95
per cent. However, smugglers have been busy trying to sabotage and compromise
the country’s effort to stop importation.
“There are 12.2
million people growing rice in the country, producing paddy for the rice mills.
“In Kano alone, we
have 1,421 rice mills. We have large fields in Anambra, Ebonyi, Nasarawa,
Jigawa, kebbi and more are coming up.”
He said that this
was achieved because of the federal government’s policy to stop importation.
(Visited
1,833 times, 1 visits today)
Rice importation has
dropped by 95%- Ogbeh
Seized bags of rice
Ifeanyi Onuba, Abuja
The Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on Thursday said that the
importation of rice into the country has dropped by 95 per cent in the last two
years.
Ogbeh disclosed this
in Abuja at the first Annual NACCIMA-NIRSAL Agribusiness and Policy Linkage
Conference, which has “Implementing the Agriculture Component of the Economic
Recovery Growth Plan ’ as its theme.
The conference was
organised by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines
and Agriculture in collaboration with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing
system for Agricultural Lending.
The minister said
the country has made a lot of success in terms of stopping rice importation
adding that this had led to creation of more jobs for the people.
He said, “One
example of success is in rice. By September 2015, this country was importing
644,131 tons of rice. Exactly two years later that is September 2017, rice
importation drops to 20, 000 tons.
“That is drop for 95
per cent. However, smugglers have been busy trying to sabotage and compromise
the country’s effort to stop importation.
“There are 12.2
million people growing rice in the country, producing paddy for the rice mills.
“In Kano alone, we
have 1,421 rice mills. We have large fields in Anambra, Ebonyi, Nasarawa,
Jigawa, kebbi and more are coming up.”
He said that this
was achieved because of the federal government’s policy to stop importation.
(Visited
1,833 times, 1 visits today)
Rice importation has
dropped by 95%- Ogbeh
Seized bags of rice
Ifeanyi Onuba, Abuja
The Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, on Thursday said that the
importation of rice into the country has dropped by 95 per cent in the last two
years.
Ogbeh disclosed this
in Abuja at the first Annual NACCIMA-NIRSAL Agribusiness and Policy Linkage
Conference, which has “Implementing the Agriculture Component of the Economic
Recovery Growth Plan ’ as its theme.
The conference was
organised by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines
and Agriculture in collaboration with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing
system for Agricultural Lending.
The minister said
the country has made a lot of success in terms of stopping rice importation
adding that this had led to creation of more jobs for the people.
He said, “One
example of success is in rice. By September 2015, this country was importing
644,131 tons of rice. Exactly two years later that is September 2017, rice
importation drops to 20, 000 tons.
“That is drop for 95
per cent. However, smugglers have been busy trying to sabotage and compromise
the country’s effort to stop importation.
“There are 12.2
million people growing rice in the country, producing paddy for the rice mills.
“In Kano alone, we
have 1,421 rice mills. We have large fields in Anambra, Ebonyi, Nasarawa,
Jigawa, kebbi and more are coming up.”
He said that this was
achieved because of the federal government’s policy to stop importation.
(Visited
1,833 times, 1 visits today)
http://punchng.com/rice-importation-has-dropped-by-95-ogbeh/
Farmer Wages May Offer Clues as Weak Demand Baffles
Indonesian Officials
Nov.
30, 2017, at 6:14 p.m.
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Farmer Wages May Offer Clues as Weak
Demand Baffles Indonesian Officials
·
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A woman worker stands at
rice fields at Cikawao village in Majalaya, Indonesia, October 11, 2017.
REUTERS/Beawiharta Reuters
By Gayatri Suroyo and Bernadette Christina
Munthe
JAKARTA (Reuters) - In trying to solve a major
economic headache, large fluctuations in food prices, Indonesia may have
unintentionally exacerbated another: domestic demand, the archipelago's main
economic engine, which remains stubbornly sluggish.
Consumer sentiment has been hitting record
highs this year in the country of 250 million, which economists and retail
experts have long touted as a future Mecca for consumer goods.
Yet growth in domestic demand has lingered at
rates below 5 percent, underperforming headline growth this year. Officials in
the government and at the central bank, which has surprised markets by cutting
interest rates twice in recent months, have said they were "baffled"
by how weak domestic demand was.
Economists and agricultural experts, however,
point to a steady, three-year drop in the average real incomes of Indonesia's
40 million farmers, who account for a third of the labor force. In an interview
with Reuters in November, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the
government needed to take a closer look at farmers' incomes, which are 3
percent lower in real terms than they were three years ago.
"We really need to watch what's behind
these statistics," the minister said.
Farming experts say falling rural incomes are
partly a side effect of recent government policies to stabilize food prices,
which account for 35 percent of the inflation basket.
RICE FLOOR PRICE
In 2015, the government set its floor price
for unhusked rice of 3,700 rupiah per kg and has not changed it since, while
consumer prices have risen 15 percent.
That helped stabilize food inflation below 1
percent. But production costs, which include machinery maintenance, pesticides
and fertilizers, have risen to 4,400 per kg of rice this year from 4,199 per kg
in 2016, according to Dwi Andreas Santosa, a professor at Bogor Agricultural
University.
In theory, the floor price should protect
farmers from sharp falls, while allowing them freedom to negotiate upwards.
In practice, however, most rice is sold at or
close to the floor price, because farmers rely on short-term loans to cover
their production costs. The loans usually need to be repaid shortly after the
harvest, leaving them little leeway.
That means at harvest time, a large supply of
rice hits the market over a short period of time, weighing down prices.
"Farming machinery from the government
doesn't work, fertilizer is expensive and we're being played around during
harvest, too," said Wignyo Sunarno, a 62-year-old farmer in Karanganyar,
Central Java, referring to having to quickly repay loans often taken from rice
traders rather than banks.
Finance Minister Indrawati said incomes will
only improve if productivity picks up and the government is trying to help by
investing in irrigation systems. Data from Indonesia's Planning Ministry shows
that Widodo's administration aims to build 1 million hectares of new irrigation
networks in 2015-2019.
That could solve some of the problems that
face farmers like 57-year-old Bibit in Klaten, in central Java province.
Because he depends on rain, he cannot grow rice in the dry season, when prices
are higher.
"I haven't planted rice because rain is
still rare," said Bibit, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.
"If my income came only from farming, it would not be enough," he
said, adding that his pension as an air force retiree fills the gap.
NO SMARTPHONES
Things might get even worse.
In August, the government introduced a cap on
retail prices for some types of rice, aiming to trim the margins traders and
middlemen get from rice trading.
But farming experts warn traders are exacting
lower prices from farmers, because living from one crop to another puts them in
a poor bargaining position.
"You shouldn't reduce farmers income to
provide good prices for consumers. This will only lead to an increase in the
poverty rate," said Santosa at the Bogor Agricultural University.
Lower farming incomes are a significant drag
on consumption as farmers, unlike urban workers, are more likely to spend than
save as they aspire to catch up with city lifestyles.
Entin, a farmer in Majalaya, in the province
of West Java, said the profit from her plot of land was falling, forcing her
husband to leave the area to find work. She also had to fend off requests from
her three children to buy smartphones she could not afford.
"Being a farmer is giving me
headaches," she said, sitting in the living room of the house she shares
with her husband's parents and siblings.
(Additional reporting by Hidayat Setiaji, Ed
Davies and Fransiska Nangoy; Writing by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Bill
Tarrant)
Angola relies on imports to
meet the demand for rice
November 30,
2017
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On Wednesday, Carlos Alberto Pinto, director of the Farm Animal
Husbandry Bureau, said in Luanda that the current Angolan rice production is
currently around 25,000 tons, much lower than the country's imports or an
increase of 400,000 tons for domestic demand.
According to AITO, the director also said that in the
agricultural campaign 2015/16, the country's production slightly exceeded
24,500 tons, half of which was provided by family-style farming and the other
half by agricultural enterprises.
The Director said: "This means that Angola relies heavily
on imports to meet the domestic demand for rice." He added that the
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is working to produce seeds suitable for
the country so that it can be re-opened in North Ronda and South Lunda ﹑ Moxico ﹑ Malay heat and other
traditional areas of Belgium planted rice.
Wednesday Pinto delivered a speech at the opening of the 4th
meeting of the Co-Coordinating Committee on Rice Cultivation in Angola, which
is funded by the Japan Agency for International Cooperation.
The meeting was hosted by the Rural Development Research
Institute to assess, inter alia, the progress report for 2016/17 on the work
plan for the agricultural campaign for 2017/18 and the national rice
development strategy, centered on rural families.
Rice has been the staple food of the Angolan population in
recent years, the most consumed food after cassava and maize. (macauhub)
https://macauhub.com.mo/zh/2017/11/30/pt-angola-depende-da-importacao-para-satisfazer-consumo-de-arroz/ Grain council calls for policy review to promote intra-regional rice
trade
By: DIANE
MUSHIMIYIMANA
·
PUBLISHED: November 30, 2017
More in Business
There is need for
policies that will support cross-border trade in grains and cereals and also
eradicate barriers affecting the sector, the regional grain council has said.
Gerald Makau Masila, the
Eastern African Grain Council (EAGC) executive director, said a supportive
legal regime will spur cross-border trade of commodities like rice and help
reduce food imports into the Eastern Africa region.
“Governments in the
region should recognise the need to protect rice producers and strengthen
efforts aimed at making the region self-reliant in rice production and
consumption. This will also promote intra- regional trade in the commodity,” he
said.
“Rice should be
classified as a ‘sensitive’ product whose imports from outside the region
should attract an ad-valomen common external tariff (CET) rate of 75 per cent,”
Masila said.
Ad-valomen is a levy
that should be in proportion to the value of products or concerned transaction.
He was speaking during
the regional grain trade business-to-business (B2B) forum in Kigali on Tuesday.
The meeting brought together over 100 grain traders and farmers from Eastern
Africa and Zambia to discuss policies affecting the region’s grain sector.
The forum was organised
by the EAGC in partnership with the East Africa Exchange and the USAID private
sector driven agricultural growth project.
Meanwhile, Masila said
that cross-border trade in grains and cereals continues to face a number of
tariff and non-tariff barriers, saying they contravene the spirit of the
regional integration. Other challenges include informal trade, poor quality,
high rate imports from mainly Asian countries where over 500,000 tonnes are
imported annually, and low output and insufficient trade volumes resulting from
small-scale and informal farming practices.
Masila also said the
commodity is mainly traded at national level, noting that minimal volumes of
rice are traded between EAC and other regional countries.
Speaking at the event,
Melanie Bittle, the chief of party of the USAID private sector driven
agricultural growth project, called for adoption of improved and modern rice
growing methods by smallholder farmers to boost output.
She also said promotion
of large-scale farming and increased access to quality inputs by farmers are
critical to ensure high production. This will help reduce rice imports and spur
exports within the region and meet the growing rice demand, the official said.
Africa is expected to account for 40 per cent of the additional 112 million
tonnes of the global rice needs by 2040.
Rice processors speak out
Venuste Bakundukize, the
executive director of Kinazi Rice Mill in Southern Province, called on
government to scrap value added tax (VAT) on milled rice, saying other EAC
countries have already removed the levy. He added that the low production
capacity in the province was affecting the miller.
“We have the capacity to
process 5,000 tonnes annually, but due to low supply we are producing 2,000
tonnes.
“Therefore, there is a
need to support farmers and to promote large scale rice growing to increase
production to meet market needs,” he said.
He added that the firm
is most time forced to source for rice from outside the province due to low
supply from area farmers.
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/224563/ Rice exporters to visit Sri Lanka
November 30, 2017
SHARE
:
ISLAMABAD
- A delegation of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), will
undertake a visit to Sri Lanka next
month to explore the possibility of expanding export of Pakistan’s rice to that
country.
REAP
said a three-member delegation of REAP, led by its acting chairman Rafique
Suleman, held a meeting with Consul General of Sri Lanka in
Karachi G L Gnanatheva to discuss the forthcoming visit of
the REAP delegation to Sri Lanka .
The
acting chairman REAP Rafique Suleman, while discussing the details of the visit of
the association to Sri Lank, told the Sri Lankan Consul General that the visit has
been arranged on the invitation from Pakistani High Commission in Colombo, who
had asked the REAP to send a delegation to Sri Lanka to
further promote trade ties between the two countries.
He
said presently Sri Lanka is facing shortage of rice and
interested to import rice from Pakistan due to its high standard and
international quality.
“This
year we are having a good quality crop of Basmati and Irri-6 rice and we can
export good quantity of rice with competitive prices to many countries
including Sri Lanka , “ said Rafique Suleman.
He
said a 15-members REAP’s trade delegation will visit to Sri Lanka in
next month.
During
the visit ,
this delegation will have meetings with President of Sri Lanka ,
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka , Ministers for Trade, Commerce, Transport
as well as officials of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce & National Chamber of
Commerce, Colombo and leading rice importers. “We will also discuss to increase
the Basmati rice quota which is stagnant to 6,000 metric tons
since many years,” he added.
http://nation.com.pk/30-Nov-2017/rice-exporters-to-visit-sri-lanka Harmonising the rice
sector
Sok Chan / Khmer
Times Share:
After almost two years in the making, the Ministry of
Agriculture has unveiled a new fragrant rice seedling that it plans to
distribute among farmers across the nation, according to the Cambodian
Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI)
Purified seedlings of the Sen Kro Ob variety, a type of fragrant
rice, will be available to farmers by the end of 2018, said Ouk Makara,
director of CARDI, the government agency that produced the seeds.
He said that CARDI, the Cambodia Agricultural Value Chain
Programme (CAVAC) and the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) were working with 30
agricultural communities across the country to test the new seedling in a pilot
programme designed to assess the quality and grain yield of the new seeds and
weigh them against other popular fragrant rice seedlings used by Cambodian
farmers.
The programme will start next month, with a second round
scheduled for April in which 20 additional agricultural communities will
participate.
“We have produced three samples of purified fragrant rice
seedlings which are expected to yield up to 8 tonnes of rice per hectare,” Mr
Makara explained.
He said there was a need to produce a new Sen Kro Ob seedling
because existing ones were not “pure” and their original source cannot be
traced back easily. Under current conditions, he explained, it was difficult
for the government to determine exactly what seedlings each farmer needs.
“By end of 2018 we will collect results from farmers. If
feedback is positive, we will establish it as the new official rice seedling
and distribute it to all farmers across the country,” Mr Makara said.
Seu Rany, CRF’s vice-president, said the new purified rice
seedling can help obtain higher quality produce as well as higher yields,
eventually helping the sector meet rising demand for Cambodian rice.
“International demand for fragrant rice is growing.
“The Sen Kro Ob rice variety has high quality and good yields.
It will boost living standards for farmers,” Mr Rany explained.
Than Leng, deputy director of Romdul Tean Kam, a community in
Banteay Meanchey participating in the pilot programme, said he was hopeful
about the new rice because it would improve farmers’ livelihoods.
He said the seedling can be harvested twice per year, with a
quality and grain yields comparable to those of other popular varieties.
“We grow Sen Kro Ob rice alongside our premium rice varieties –
Romdul, Romeat and Romdeng.
“We grow it twice a year. The rest of the year we harvest our
premium varieties,” Mr Leng said, adding that Sen Kro Ob could be harvested
within 120 days.
Yon Sovann, director of Bayon Cereal, one of the leading rice
exporting companies in Cambodia, said there is a huge international market for
Sen Kro Ob rice, but added that current production levels are insufficient to
meet that demand.
“I am very happy that the Ministry of Agriculture produced a
purified Sen Kro Ob rice seedling. It is a positive step to increase exports,”
Mr Sovann said. “Buyers from Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau and other countries
are always asking for our fragrant rice.”
Phka Rumduol, Phka Romeat and Phka Rumdeng are popular fragrant
rice varieties harvested during the wet season, while Sen Kro Ob and Sen Pidao
are grown during dry months.
From January to September 2017, Cambodia exported nearly 422,000
tonnes of milled rice, an increase of more than 16.5 percent compared with the
same period last year, according to the latest report from the secretariat of
the One Window Service for Rice Export Formality.
The report finds that nearly 70 countries have been importing
Cambodian rice, with China being the largest buyer, importing more than 120,000
tonnes of Cambodian rice, followed by France, with over 50,000 tonnes, and
Poland, who buys around 35,000 tonnes.
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NFA expects price of rice to go down upon arrival of imported
rice
7
National
Food Authority (NFA) assured consumers that once additional imported rice
arrives in the country starting next month, the price of rice will soon go
down.
“The NFA
believes that rice prices will eventually settle down to its previous levels
when private sector imports via the minimum access volume (MAV) quota start
arriving in December,” NFA said in a statement.
Under the
the private sector-led importation or MAV Program, the delivery period of
private sector led importation will arrive in tranches and at least 30 percent
of the volume of import quotas should arrive between August and September.
The
balance must arrive between December 2017 and February 2018.
NFA said
that a review of the past three-year period showed that rice prices indeed tend
to register slight increase at this period, although this year’s increase is
observed to be even lower than during the same period in previous years.
In
November 2014, the price of regular-milled and well-milled rice were at P40.74
and P43.63/kg.; in 2015 – P38 and P42/kg; in 2016 – P35.97 and P41.80. This
month, the average retail prices for regular and well-milled varieties are at
P37 and P40/kg.
Nevertheless,
NFA assures that the agency is doing its best to arrest any abrupt increase in
rice prices.
“We
continue to sell low-priced NFA rice at P27 and P32/kilogram through our
accredited retailers so that consumers will have an option to buy good quality
but lower-priced rice”, NFA said.
http://www.foodevolution.com.ph/2017/11/nfa-expects-price-rice-go-upon-arrival-imported-rice/
