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BATON ROUGE – Rice is a big part of Louisiana’s culture, and the state grows more than almost every other state in the country.
Now, state leaders are hoping to expand the industry even more, by trading with Cuba.
Just west of Baton Rouge, rice farms are working diligently providing the food we all know and love. This year, rice industry leaders have their eye on Cuba, a nation that imports about the same amount of rice that Louisiana grows.
But exporting that rice to Cuba has been impossible for the last fifty years.
“The US is not allowed to sell rice to Cuba,” Jim Guinn said. “If we were able to, it’s one of the largest markets in the western hemisphere for rice.”
Now that diplomatic relations are slowly starting to thaw, local products may soon leave our ports headed straight to the island.
Louisiana exports about half of the rice it produces, and because of its location, experts say trading to Cuba is a no brainer. It could also provide a much needed economic boost to local farmers.
Farmers like Kevin Berkin are struggling to make ends meet. That’s why he supports the state’s efforts to branch out and explore new markets.
State leaders, local farmers and businessmen are planning to take a trip to Cuba in July to discuss new moves for trade, tourism and economic development.
THE country’s rice inventory increased by 40.3 percent to 2.133 million metric
tons (MT) as of August 1, compared to its level a year ago, the Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
In its monthly inventory report,
PSA said the figure, however, was 18.7 percent lower from 2.625 million MT a
month earlier.
PSA said stocks in National Food
Authority (NFA) depositories rose by 355.8 percent to 461.03 million MT
year-on-year. Likewise, stocks in the households and commercial warehouses were
up by 6.2 percent to 792.66 million MT and 30.7 percent to 880.15 million MT,
respectively.
A seller fixes his rice display in his store at the Quinta
Market in Quiapo, Manila. PHOTO BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
On a monthly basis, stocks from all sectors posted significant
decreases. Total stocks from households went down by 21.4 percent while that
from commercial warehouses and NFA depositories fell by 20.0 percent and 10.8
percent, respectively.
Of the total rice inventories,
41.2 percent were from commercial warehouses, 37.1 percent from the households,
and 21.6 percent from NFA depositories.
The country’s rice stocks rose
with the implementation of Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law,
which opened up the market to the unimpeded flow of cheap imported rice.
The Philippines is seen to become
the second largest importer in the world this year, according to the US
Department of Agriculture. Philippine rice imports are expected to reach an
all-time high of 3 million MT, just 500,000 MT short of China’s rice importation
requirement.
In the same report, PSA said
total corn stocks declined by 40.7 percent to 724,080 MT as of August 1 from
last year’s 1.221 million MT. The figure was also fell by 12 percent from
822,700 MT in July.
Corn stocks inventory from
households grew by 32.9 percent to 93,300 MT while it decreased by 45.2 percent
to 630,780 in commercial warehouses year-on-year. Meanwhile, there were no corn
stocks in NFA depositories during the period.
Compared to their levels a month
earlier, total corn stock in the households went up by 52.5 percent while those
from commercial warehouses fell by 17.2 percent.
Some 87.1 percent of the total
corn inventory was held by commercial warehouses while the remaining 12.9
percent consisted of inventory held by households.
MANILA, Philippines — Calls are mounting at the House of Representatives for
the amendment or the downright repeal of the law that liberalized rice
importation, which has been blamed for the plummeting prices of palay or
unhusked rice to the detriment of local farmers.
Occidental
Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato and Quezon City Rep. Jose Christopher
Belmonte expressed their intent to file a joint resolution to amend Republic
Act No. 11203, or the rice tariffication law, which led to the unimpeded
importation of rice with corresponding tariffs.
“We need to
move quickly to help our farmers who are in a dire situation,” Sato said in a
statement.
‘Worst harvest season’
“They are
gearing up for the worst harvest season in the history of palay production this
September and October and we should be able to assist them in their most
difficult time,” she added.
Belmonte
said he and his colleagues in the Liberal Party would push for the measure to
help the executive department explore more sources of funding for direct cash
transfers for farmers to “help save them.”
The
Makabayan bloc, on the other hand, said the plight of local farmers
necessitated more drastic action, particularly the repeal of the law.
“The signs
of the times reaffirm the need to repeal a measure that has ensured immense
profit for rice traders, has starved our farmers and their families, and has
wreaked havoc to our local rice industry,” the group said.
The
Makabayan bloc includes Representatives Ferdinand Gaite, Carlos Zarate, Eufemia
Cullamat, Arlene Brosas, France Castro and Sarah Elago.
Prices of palay plummet
The rice
tariffication law was one of the measures eyed by the country’s economic
managers to help address soaring inflation by allowing the public access to
cheap rice.
To protect
the agricultural sector, the bill created the P10-billion Rice Competitive
Enhancement Fund to help local farmers improve their productivity and
competitiveness.
Critics,
however, said the law had failed to address the sudden and sharp plunge in the
price of palay in many parts of the country.
Sato
confirmed reports that the prices of palay had plummeted to P7 to P8.
On Thursday,
Sen. Francis Pangilinan filed a joint resolution in the Senate to amend the
rice tariffication law and to grant P13 billion in immediate cash assistance to
rice farmers.
The
Makabayan lawmakers said rice liberalization had visibly produced “disastrous
impacts” on farmers, millers and consumers.
“As of the
second week of August, retail prices of regular and well-milled rice remain
high at P38.38 per kilo and P42.71 per kilo, respectively, despite massive
importation of cheap rice,” the group said.
·LAWS, WHETHER GOOD OR BAD, ARE MANIPULATED BY CROOKS
MARLEN
V. RONQUILLO
THE
Republic Act (RA) 10592, or Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law, if
implemented according to its lofty ideals, would give a second lease on life to
convicted criminals — except those who committed heinous crimes — who have
behaved well in prison and with the real intent of going back to the mainstream
as reformed men and women.
The
impact of the law on the broader society, again if implemented based on its
lofty ideals, would be immense. The crowded jails would be decongested. The
budgetary allocation for the correctional system would ease up. The
ex-criminals who return to the mainstream with the best of intentions will take
on any job just to prove their worth, and this would fill up jobs that very few
and only the desperate would take.
The
current knee-jerk reactions to the GCTA, which came in the wake of the Sanchez
release fiasco, are totally unnecessary. What the law probably needs is an
iron-clad provision that states that the dregs like Sanchez are not covered.
The
truth is the GCTA is a policy reform of the prison system that is tempered and
moderate, once viewed in the context of what developed economies have been
doing. If you are observant enough, you will be electrified by what is going on
in San Francisco, one of the world’s wealthiest and most liberal cities, in
relation to the upcoming election of its new district attorney or DA.
One
of the candidates is Chesa Boudin, a Yale-trained lawyer. Both his parents,
members of the radical group called Weather Underground (many men of my age are
familiar with the actions of this group and that was during general period of
the First Quarter Storm), started their long prison sentences when Chesa was
just 14 months old. The dad is still in prison and a parole consideration will
only come upon reaching 112 years old. His mother, released earlier, has earned
her PhD.
This
sums up the campaign philosophy of Boudin and what he stands against: “Money
bail instead of equal justice. Solitary confinement instead of meaningful
treatment. Building prisons instead of funding education.”
Boudin
also promises to close down most of San Francisco jails under a sweeping
criminal justice and prison reform plank.
The
GCTA, or what comes close to our own version of a well-intended prison reform
program, is the most talked-about law in the country right now because the
usual suspects have taken advantage of the law to make money illegally. Around
1,900 convicts jailed for heinous crimes, including the killers of the Chiong
sisters of Cebu City, have been freed under the GCTA.
The
GCTA Law excludes those who were jailed for heinous crimes, and the mass
release from jail of 1,900 convicts could have only been fast-tracked by money
changing hands. The Ombudsman is now looking into the culpability of past and
present Bureau of Correction (BuCor) officials. Senate President Vicente “Tito”
Sotto 3rd said he had received reliable information that, indeed, there is a
“freedom for sale” racket going on at the National Bilibid Prisons.
Some
of the 1,900 may be already out of the authorities’ reach as they may have
slipped out of the country. Of course, they will be treated as “fugitives”
after the presidential deadline on their surrender lapses. The problem is that
those capable of committing heinous crimes are not easily threatened. What if
they have now assumed new identifies?
If
they can pay for their release, they can also pay to acquire new identities.
RA
11203, or the “Rice Tariffication Law,” is definitely a bad law — a very, very
bad law. When a law literally sentences three million small rice farmers with
the death penalty — and invents token amelioration such as pledging tariff
collections from unlimited rice imports to supposedly ease the rice farmers’
misery — that is, at best, a brutal practice of social darwinism. The state is
parent to all its citizens and this doctrine was established early on by the
English in the grand state concept of parens patriae.
The
state, through the laws it passes, does not choose winners and losers, which it
precisely did when it passed the Rice Tariffication Law. The law has condemned
small rice farmers, all three million of them, into a life of hell. Right now,
palay prices hover between P8 to P10 per kilogram, a price that does not fully
cover the cost of seeds, fertilizers and diesel for the shallow tube wells.
The
rock-bottom palay prices could have been cushioned by real subsidies and
support from the collected rice tariffs. But then again, here is the rub.
A
farmers group, the Federation of Free Farmers, has been tracking the volume of
rice imports post-tariffication. This has been the gist of its work. The rice
imports reported at the customs zone have been massively underpriced, precisely
to lower the tax payments. The lower payments naturally depress the volume of
tariff collections, the money pool that would go the amelioration program for
rice farmers.
Put
simply, this is the reality. Farmers are dying and rice importers are
deliberately depressing the rice tariffs via undervaluation of rice imports to
inflict a second death sentence on the small farmers.
Senators,
like Caligulas playing the flute as the nation burns, are still extolling the
“virtues” of the Rice Tariffication Law.What a country. What a people
Palay
procurement, tariff hike set to help rice farmers: agri chief
Michelle Ong, ABS-CBN News
Sep 11 2019 10:31 AM | Updated as of Sep 11 2019 11:33 AM
MANILA -- The National Food Authority will buy rough rice from
farmers at a higher price while tariffs on further imports this year could be
increased to help local producers of the staple grain cope with falling prices,
an official said Wednesday.
The NFA will buy palay with 14 percent moisture content at P19
per kilo, compared to the so-called "farm gate" price of P17.62 in
the second week of August, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.
The rice tariff rate could also be raised to 47 percent from 35
percent since total imports from March reached 2.4 million metric tons compared
to the 2 million requirement for the period. This resulted in a surplus of
400,000 metric tons, he told ANC's Early Edition.
"We are serious in projecting a higher level of income for
the farmers," Dar said.
Rice farmers have been complaining that the new tariff-based
regime on imports of the staple grain caused prices to go down, hurting their
income.
The government pushed for tariffs in place of import quotas
under the Rice Tariffication Law to bring down prices as the cost of the staple
pushed inflation to near 10-year highs in 2018.
The provinces of Isabela and Nueva Ecija will also buy wet palay
at P15 per kilo, Dar said.
The NFA has roughly P7 billion per year to buy rice from
farmers. Under Rice Tariffication, its functions were limited to buffer
stocking.
Dar said the DA was also rolling out the P10 billion annual fund
to help farmers cope with the tariff system. Half of the amount for 2019 has
been allocated since its release last December.
PACT ON AGRI COOPERATION. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape and Philippine
Ambassador to PNG Bienvenido Tejano witnessing the signing of an MOU on
agricultural cooperation between Central Province Governor Robert Agarobe and
Mindanao rice farmers, represented by MinDA Chairman Emmanuel Piñol, last
week. (MinDA
chairman Emmanuel Piñol's Facebook photo)
DAVAO CITY – Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) chair Emmanuel
Piñol on Tuesday defended his move to make agriculture one of his focuses, even
as critics were saying he was no longer the agriculture secretary.
“While Agriculture in Mindanao is
only one of the concerns of MinDA, it is now focusing on the basic issues of
giving fruit, coconut and rice farmers access to the market. Failure on the
part of the government to address this basic issue could lead to economic woes,
which could result in security problems in Mindanao,” Piñol said.
Criticisms were hurled against
Piñol following MinDA's fruits festivals in Luzon and his recent trip to Papua
New Guinea, where he forged an agreement with Central Province Governor Robert
Agarobe for the export of Mindanao rice to the Pacific nation. Under the
agreement, PNG's Central Province Government will become the importer of
Mindanao rice.
“Not a few called the idea of
exporting "dumb" because they could not seem to understand why
Mindanao would export its rice while the rest of the Philippines is importing.
The recent implementation of the Rice Liberalization Law, which resulted in the
flooding of the local market with imported rice, has brought down the farm gate
price of locally produced paddy rice to as low as P10 to P12 in many parts of
Mindanao,” he said.
He said farmers also experienced
being turned away by traders because it was more profitable to just import from
either Thailand or Vietnam.
Piñol said the loan support, free
seeds and implements and commitment by the local government units to buy
farmers' produce “do not address the problem of market denial.”
He said the export opportunities
now being offered has opened the door for Mindanao farmers, especially when
they started shifting to the production of premium rice varieties such as
Dinorado, RC160, RC218 or Double Diamond, 7-Tonner or Banaybanay Rice, which
command higher prices.
“This could (also) be the start of
the shift to Organic Rice farming to serve the needs of a niche market of
health-conscious consumers who prefer chemical-free rice,” he added.
Piñol said what he was doing at
MinDA is plain and simple logical.
“MinDA will help Mindanao Rice
farmers gain access to foreign markets with large Filipino communities with a
marketing pitch, which would emphasize that by buying Mindanao Rice, they not
only get a quality product but they will also help Filipino farmers survive the
onslaught of unimpeded entry of imported rice. So, to those asking why Mindanao
will export while the rest of the country imports, the answer is simple:
Traders are importing a commodity while Mindanao is exporting a special
product,” he added.
Piñol said the marketing strategy
was to present Mindanao's Premium Rice “as a special product to enable it to command
a better price and ensure farmers a decent income.” (PNA)
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda. INQUIRER FILE
PHOTO / REM ZAMORA
MANILA,
Philippines — Criminal cases should be filed against rice traders who are
taking advantage of the rice tariffication law and manipulating the farmgate
prices of rice for their own benefit, a lawmaker urged Wednesday.
Albay 2nd
District Rep. Joey Salceda, chair of the House ways and means committee, said
rice traders could be liable for unjust enrichment, economic sabotage, price
manipulation resulting in loss of welfare among others.
“We can go
after them in terms of damages, we can go after them in terms of economic
sabotage, because it is national in character,” Salceda told reporters in an
interview.
“There are
enough laws to penalize them. This constitutes very well [to] economic sabotage
especially of that new law. Sinisimulan pa nga lang ‘yung batas, nabastos na
kaagad,” he added.
The lawmaker
was pertaining to the rice tariffication law, which will effectively open the
country’s doors to unimpeded importation of rice and provide an annual subsidy
of P10 billion for the development of the rice industry. The law was intended
to stabilize the rice supply in the country by liberalizing the rice industry.
However, the
law, instead, strengthened the bargaining position of rice traders, enabling
them to take hostage ordinary farmers.
Farmgate
prices reportedly dropped to as low as P7 per kilo in Nueva Ecija due to
increased local harvest and huge volume of imports following the implementation
of the rice tarrification law.
“In other
words, price manipulation, restraint of trade… There is a single buyer, ‘if
hindi mo binenta sakin ng onse ‘yan, magi-import ako,’ ‘yun ang epekto ng rice
tariffication law sa rice farmers,” Salceda explained.
In an aide
memoire (diplomatic message) addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte, House
Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, Salceda
suggested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) should investigate and “study [the] filing cases of economic
sabotage, profiteering, and price manipulation against abusive traders.”
He said the
DTI could invoke Executive Order No. 913 which grants it “adjudicatory powers
to protect consumers from profiteering and price manipulation.”
“The mere
intensification of efforts to investigate profiteering should itself be a
deterrent to abusive farmgate pricing,” Salceda’s letter read. /jpv
KAWASAKI & SHINMISATO, JAPAN -- Earlier this
month, 20 of the 26 Costco outlets in Japan hosted in-store demonstrations
featuring U.S. medium grain rice designed to highlight and promote the
first-ever U.S. rice milled and packaged for retail sale here.
"I visited two Costco outlets near Toyko to
observe the demos and it appeared that consumers there were very interested in
U.S. rice," said Yumi Kojima, the USA Rice contractor who manages
promotions in Japan. "Quite a few of the shoppers knew about
California rice and, when offered a taste test of the U.S. medium grain, were
impressed by the quality, flavor, and texture."
The demonstrations targeted individual consumers
as well as small "mom and pop" restauranteurs who shop at volume
sellers like Costco.
"Local foodservice rice users are
frustrated with the government policy toward rice which incentivizes production
of 'premium' varieties and rice for animal feed, but has left foodservice
establishments clamoring for access to more reasonably priced rice," said
Kojima. "Fortunately, U.S. medium grain fits their needs very well,
not only in terms of price but also quality."
Additional demonstrations at other retail chains
featuring U.S. rice are planned for later this year.
Japan is the second largest market for U.S. rice
based on value ($270 million in 2018), trailing only Mexico.
Celebrate
September's National Rice Month With Grains That Do a Body Good
TORRANCE, Calif. - September 10,
2019 - ( Newswire.com )
September is National Rice
Month and Zojirushi is a sponsor of the LUCKYRICE Paddy in New York City
and has also teamed up with USA Rice Federation to support their current rice
promotion initiatives. Zojirushi has been producing rice cookers for over
45 years, and making technological advancements all the while. From short grain
to long grain, brown rice to sushi rice and even quinoa, Zojirushi rice cookers
are versatile and the perfect kitchen companion. Studies show that most
Americans are eating less than the recommended allowance of healthy
grains and with a Zojirushi rice cooker, it’s easy to cook great grains.
One of Zojirushi’s main goals is
to educate the consumer about rice cooking techniques, such as choosing the
right grain and properly rinsing rice before cooking. On Sept. 26, Zojirushi is
hosting a media-only rice education seminar and sushi class with award-winning
chef and author Hiroko Shimbo. This media event will allow attendees to
have an interactive experience learning how to make sushi and other rice
cooking techniques. The night’s festivities also include the LUCKYRICE Feast, a
night market where partnering chefs will honor the culinary diaspora of rice
dishes, which is open to the public.
In addition to the celebration,
Zojirushi has partnered with USA Rice in providing rice cooker prizes for
several of their promotions in September. From gifting commercial rice
cookers to the winning chefs at an annual food & wine festival
competition to providing cookers to the chefs on the USA Rice food service
tour to participating in a month-long social media campaign giveaway, the
Zojirushi and USA Rice partnership is a natural and mutually beneficial
alliance.
About LUCKYRICE
LUCKYRICE is a lifestyle brand
that celebrates Asian culture through the lens of food. LUCKY CHOW is a
501(c)(3) not-for-profit, multimedia organization that explores and celebrates
Asian cuisine while building greater awareness and understanding of Asian
culture.
About USA RICE
USA Rice Federation (USA Rice) is
the global advocate for all segments of the U.S. rice industry. Our mission is
to ensure the health and vitality of a unified U.S. rice industry by advocating
on behalf of farmers, millers, merchants, and allied businesses. Through USA
Rice, the U.S. rice industry has strong representation to ensure its voice is
heard when and where it counts.
About Zojirushi
Zojirushi was established in
1918 as a producer of hand-blown vacuum bottles and has been a world leader in
thermal products ever since. The Zojirushi line was expanded to include a wide
range of stainless steel vacuum bottles, rice cookers, breadmakers, Air Pot ®
beverage dispensers, thermal serving carafes, specialty cookware, small
electrics, restaurant equipment, and other products.
Five Tonnes Of Ration Rice Seized
From TDP Leader Srinivasulu Naidu’s Mill In Nellore
ANDHRA PRADESH Yesterday, 11:58 am Updated: Yesterday, 1:48 pm
Police seized Five-and-half tonnes of ration rice meant for public
distribution from a rice mill belonging to TDP leader Srinivasulu Naidu on Monday. 5
tons of ration rice was brought in on a lorry. While the ration rice was being
examined by the Civil Affairs Department and the police, another auto with no
number plate reached the mill with ration rice. Srinivasan Naidu's brother
tries to hint the auto driver to secretly escape from there, However, Kavali
Rural CI Murali Krishna, SI Aruna kumari and ASP Thirumala Reddy caught the
Auto driver.
According to the reports, some of the dealers around Nellore and
Prakasam districts are making profits by collecting ration rice from various
sources and are selling them in the open market for a higher price. Even though
police officers are taking strict actions against such millers there is no
change in them.
Extensive networks have been set up to collect ration rice from
Nellore and Prakasam zones. They are paying about Rs 15 per kg of ration rice.
Ration rice after procurement is being transported to the mills in old urea
bags. Here they are stored in mills and transported to the market. Civil
Authority officers who got Information about the ration rice transportation at
TDP leader Srinivasulu Naidu’s mill reached there and caught them on the spot.
Police registered a case over the Issue and started their Inquiry
into the case.
Federation of Seed Industry of
India (FSII) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organized a seminar on
'Seed Technology Innovation for Sustainable Rice Production' in New Delhi
today.
The objective of the seminar was to
discuss ways to enhance rice productivity sustainably and improve farmers'
profitability in India. Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer's
Welfare, Kailash Choudhary was present at the event.
Other eminent guests present at the
event were Dr Prem Kumar, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Bihar, Dr SK
Malhotra, Agriculture Commissioner, Government of India and VK Gaur, Chairman
and Managing Director, National Seed Corporation. Other participants at the
event were senior government officials, farmer organizations scientists and
industry representatives.
Rice is one of the primary crops of
India and is therefore critical to increase its productivity. Among the
rice-growing countries in the world, India has the largest area under paddy -
43.86 million hectares and ranks second by producing 163 MT (million tonnes)
just next to China which holds the first position and produces 203 MT.
In India, up to 25 per cent of
yield losses in rice crop are due to the disease and insect pest infestation.
Further, low planting density, poor agronomic practices, and weed management,
low seed replacement rate etc are also leading to low rice productivity.
The major challenge is however
posed by its production; one kg of rice requires 2000-3000 litres of water.
Therefore, average water inputs for India's rice production of 163 MT stands at
327 thousand billion litres. Since 90 per cent of the cultivated land in India
belongs to marginal, small and medium farmers, it is essential for the country
to make effective technologies and processes available to them.
Deliberations at the seminar
brought forward the need for long-term research investments in bringing more
productive hybrids with improved grain characters, strengthen seed production
systems by geographic diversification and take up more intensive promotion of
hybrid in new areas through PPP mode. Further, the State Government's support
is also essential to increase acreage under hybrid rice in all states.
"Government is always thinking
about finding ways to increase the income of farmers, as they do not get the
requisite timely profits due to multiple issues. Farmer awareness regarding new
technology and techniques is essential to realize the benefits in this sector.
We also need to work together to change the perception of the farming
profession. Farming needs to be branded in a way that more youngsters are
interested in taking up agriculture as a profession", said Kailash
Choudhary.
"Growing rice is very
expensive in India and we have not been able to reach our full potential due to
several limitations. Support through policies will facilitate the adoption of
technologies and sustainable practices to achieve our goal of doubling farmer's
income", said Dr M Ramasami, Chairman, FSII.
"Hybrid rice is one of the
most feasible and practically adaptable approaches for the farmers as it gives
20-35 per cent additional yield and is environmentally sustainable. It requires
less water and nitrogen as they grow in short duration, are stress-tolerant and
are better adapted in rainfed conditions. Hybrids have been key in increasing
productivity of maize and cotton in India but not in rice so far", said
Ram Kaundinya, Director General, FSII.
"Technologies like Direct
Seeded Rice (DSR) also hold tremendous benefits. It can cultivate rice in a
sustainable manner by reducing water inputs, labour costs and can increase
yields. For example, farmers use on an average 50 litres/acre of diesel for
transplanting rice in the northern region. DSR gives an opportunity to save
approximately 15 litres/ha of diesel consumption by eliminating puddling
operations in the northern region alone", said Dr Shivendra Bajaj,
Executive Director, FSII.
India's agricultural exports have
increased from Rs 2,15,396 crores in 2015-16 to Rs 2,50,273 crores in the
financial year 2017-18 registering a growth of nearly 16.19 per cent. This success
can be primarily attributed to the higher exports of rice (both basmati and
non-basmati) followed by raw cotton, oil meals, castor oil, etc. To surpass
these records while growing rice sustainably, farmers will have to adopt and
given access to new technologies and advancements in the field.
This story is provided by NewsVoir.
ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.
(This story has not been edited by
Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Have helped overcome water
shortfall, aided in good rice yield. PHOTO: REUTERS
KARACHI: The recent monsoon rains have helped
overcome the water shortfall for summer crops, aiding farmers in ensuring a
good rice yield and preparing land for potato, gram and canola in Pakistan.
“The raining
has proved to be a blessing upon us (farmers),” Sindh Abadgar Board President
Abdul Majeed Nizamani said while talking to The Express Tribune.
“We could not
sow the crop,” he said.
“Had it not
rained for 15-20 days in the recent past, farmers would have missed the season
to sow rice in over 30-35% targeted land in Sindh,” he said.
The farmers
required full supply of water in April-May for the rice crop. However, the
acute water shortfall had not allowed a large number of farmers to sow the crop
on time. “The 15-20 days raining has overcome the shortfall for the crop,” he
said.
Farmers sow
rice on over 1.8-2.2 million acre land in the province. The average production
stands at 40-46 maund (37.32 kilogram) per acre, he added
Rice is
produced in both upper and lower Sindh. The land around the Kotri barrage
remains rich for rice crop.
Farmers are
still sowing rice in some of the areas in the province. It is a heavy
water-consuming crop and takes around 90 days to be harvested from the time of
sowing, he said.
Pakistan Agri
Forum Chairman Ibrahim Mughal said the timing of the rain proved to be perfect.
“Rains saved farmers Rs4-5 billion,” he estimated.
Had it not
rained farmers would have to spend the amount on fuels to water the standing
summer crops (cotton, pulses, rice, sugarcane and maize) through tube wells, he
said.
The heavy
monsoon spells also helped prepare the land and sowing oilseeds rape, mustard
and canola on time in September throughout Pakistan.
Besides, it
also allowed farmers to sow potato and gram on time in September in the Punjab
province. “The gram is sown especially in four districts of the province,
including Layyah, Bhakkar, Mianwali and Khushab,” he said.
It slightly
causes a delay in picking cotton crop, but helped taking phutti (cotton-flower)
price up to Rs4,100 per maund from Rs3,700 before the rain.
The country
is estimated to produce 10.5 million bales of 170 kilogram each this year
against the set target of 11 million bales.
He said the
PTI government has allocated Rs30 billion to introduce technology-driven
solutions in agriculture sector and help farmers in taking high production of
crops including sugarcane, sunflower, rice and wheat.
“However, it
did not allocate a single penny for cotton, which remains the bread and butter
for a large number of farmers nationwide,” he said.
Agriculture
remains one of the strong pillars of the domestic economy, as its share stands
around one-fifth of gross domestic product (GDP).
"While the law certainly has birth pangs, it would help
farmers become more competitive over time and also lower inflation rates."
Should
the six-month-old Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) be given the chance to work to
address rice supply issues in the country?
Yes,
according to our economic managers and lawmakers who crafted the law.
The
law provides for the establishment of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund
(RCEF), which will funnel P10 billion annually to the rice sector in the next
six years. The RCEF is allocated for the procurement of farm machinery and
equipment; rice development, propagation and promotion; and expanded rice
credit and extension services.
The
law also aims to protect local farmers from the entry of more imported rice
into the country through the imposition of a 35-percent tariff on rice coming
from member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
such as Thailand and Vietnam.
“Under
the law, the mandatory review of P10-billion rice competitiveness enhancement
funds would only be conducted by both Congress on the sixth year or year 2025,”
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said, brushing aside the
suggestions of food security advocates and consumers groups to repeal the law.
As
a safety net, the law also grants the President the power to increase, reduce,
revise or adjust existing tariff rates to protect Filipino farmers.
Review
of the RTL is not needed at this point, according to Finance Secretary Carlos
Dominguez III, who noted the significant improvement in rice prices in the
market since it came into effect.
“We
should let the rice liberalization law, which is three decades late, do its
work and give the economy time to adjust for the further easing of rice prices
for more than 100 million Filipinos,” Dominguez said. He cited the law as one
of the most important legislative achievements of the 17th Congress and the
Duterte administration. Agriculture Secretary William Dar conceded that
although the RTL had “birth pangs,” he believes it would help farmers become
more competitive over time and also lower inflation rates.
Dar
explained that prices had already been dropping even before Duterte signed the
RTL on Feb. 14 this year. He also admitted that the assistance from RCEF has
yet to benefit local farmers since the money had just been collected by the BOC
last month.
Farmers’
groups had lamented that rice tariffication has been disadvantageous to them
because retailers chose to purchase cheaper rice imports instead of rice from
local producers.
However,
Senator Cynthia Villar, the principal author of RA 11203, disputed their claim,
pointing out that the law serves as the final compliance by the Philippines
with its commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Philippine
membership in WTO in the past 24 years aimed to counter the impact of the
expected influx of cheap rice imports.
Under
RA 11203 which amends RA 8178 or the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996,
rice imports will be charged corresponding tariffs instead of limiting the
amount of rice that enter the country,.
The
law was crafted to provide for a more focused function for the National Food
Authority (NFA), which is to buy palay from local farmers only.
The
senator also lamented the attempts by certain quarters to discredit the rice
tariffication law. “It is unfortunate that some groups are claiming that the
rice tariffication bill which we have scrutinized and carefully studied in the
Senate will not be beneficial to farmers. On the contrary, it includes a
package of support programs that will help farmers adjust to competition under
a tariffied regime,” she said.
“As
Filipinos continue to struggle with inflation, the government has found ways to
temper rising inflation and one of this is the full implementation of RTL for
the next six years,” Villar said.
She
added that these agriculture stakeholders and farmers cooperatives should
coordinate with her office and assist them in asking the Department of Budget
and Management to immediately release the P10-billion RCEF allocations intended
for government agencies implementing the law.
As
of July 15, the Bureau of Customs had already collected P6.5 billion in duties
from rice imports by private traders following the implementation of RTL in
March this year. However, for unknown reasons, the DBM has refused to remit the
amount.
Camarines
Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte, a co-author of the rice bill, said the RTL will not
only liberalize imports of the staple but also benefit consumers as it will
broaden access of Filipinos to cheap rice. This, he said, would “prevent a
repeat of the 2018 inflation surge brought in large part by the supply
shortfall and the subsequent increase in retail prices of rice.” We agree
completely.
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s imports of
Thai rice can be easily met by alternative sources, said the Ministry of Trade
and Industry (MTI) in response to CNA queries about recent reports of severe
droughts in Thailand that had affected rice production there.
“Singapore’s demand for rice is
very small compared to total global rice production. For example, we account
for only 1.2 per cent, 1.2 per cent and 0.6 per cent of Thailand, Vietnam and
India’s total rice exports in 2018 respectively,” an MTI spokesman told
CNA.
“Over the years, we have been
deliberate in our diversification strategy. Besides Thailand, Vietnam and
India, we also import rice from Myanmar, Cambodia, Japan and the US. Some of these
source countries, such as the US, are less affected by domestic shortages and
will alleviate any shortages from other source countries.”
According to MTI, the Rice
Stockpile Scheme (RSS) ensures an adequate supply of rice in the market during
supply disruption, and all white rice, basmati rice, ponni rice and parboiled
rice are classified as stockpile-grade rice.
“Importers are required to store
two months’ worth of imports in government-designated warehouses,” said the
spokesman.
An NTUC FairPrice spokesman told
CNA that socio-economic factors and unfavourable weather conditions have
affected supply and prices of rice from Thailand over the past year.
The spokesman said FairPrice has
limited the price increase over the past year to about 5 per cent on average,
across its range of housebrand rice from Thailand.
“This is due to various
strategies such as stockpiling and forward buying to protect consumers from
supply and price fluctuations.”
NTUC FairPrice also imports rice
from Vietnam, India, Australia, USA, Pakistan, Japan and Cambodia,
said the spokesman.
The supermarket chain has seen
“growing acceptance” from its customers for rice from countries other than
Thailand.
“For example, the sales mix for
Thai rice had decreased from about 90 per cent 10 years ago compared to about
75 per cent today. Concurrently, we have seen increased popularity of rice from
Vietnam, which makes up about 15 per cent of our rice sales today,” the
spokesman added.
For now, consumers in Singapore
can still cope with some price increases because of the
country's relatively higher household incomes compared to most other
countries, said Professor Paul Teng, adjunct senior fellow of food security in
the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological
University.
But the big threat to Singapore’s
food security comes when large importing countries like China and Indonesia
also suffer shortages in their food (rice) production, he added.
“They will be in the market then
to import huge volumes of rice and take up almost all that is available in the
marketplace.”
Only a small amount of rice, or 7
to 10 per cent of total global production, is traded, so any natural or
man-made phenomenon that reduces rice production in main rice exporting countries
like India, Vietnam and Thailand has implications, said Prof Teng.
“Importing countries like
Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia will all be competing for the reduced
amount of rice. The problem is exacerbated if rice crops in the big importing
countries like Indonesia and the Philippines are also affected by climate
change and production in those countries are also reduced,” he added.
FOOD SECURITY VULNERABLE TO CLIMATE CHANGE
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA)
noted that the country's food security is vulnerable to global driving forces
and trends, such as population growth, rising urbanisation and incomes, disease
outbreaks, resource scarcity and increasingly, climate change.
“Singapore imports over 90 per
cent of our food. We are exposed to global price and supply fluctuations as
well as threats of food supply disruption and food contamination
internationally,” said an SFA spokesman.
“These vulnerabilities will
become more acute overtime; as global crop and fishery yields are estimated to
decline with the changing climate.”
Citing January 2018 when
Malaysia’s leafy vegetable production was affected by a monsoon, the spokesman
said Singapore’s supply of vegetables from Malaysia decreased by about 20 per
cent as compared to the same period the year before. According to the SFA,
Malaysia supplied about 70 per cent of Singapore’s total leafy vegetable import
in 2017.
“Nevertheless, there was no
significant impact to Singapore as importers have alternative sources like
Thailand and China that were not affected by the monsoon to meet local demand
and stabilise supply,” said the SFA spokesman.
Aside from diversification, the
spokesman said SFA also focuses on growing local produce as well as
overseas.
“Local production will help
mitigate our reliance on imports and serve as a buffer during supply
disruptions to import sources. Our agri-food industry needs to transform into
one that is highly productive and employs climate-resilient and sustainable
technologies,” said the spokesman.
“We envisage farming to become
more like manufacturing – where production takes place within a controlled
environment with a defined input. The result is an assured and consistent
output, and a predictable way to address the effects of climate change and
extreme weather.”
Venturing overseas also opens up
new markets and helps local farms overcome land constraints, said the SFA
spokesman.
“Produce from local farms, which
are established overseas could also be exported back to Singapore, contributing
to our food security.”
Prof Teng said “time-tested
actions” like building stockpiles, diversification, farming overseas and
technology-enabled indoor farming of selected food types in Singapore could
boost food security.
He noted that the government could
put early warning systems for food insecurity based on monitoring and computer
modeling, to give Singapore a head start on sourcing for supplies.
“It is also imaginable that
indoor farms to enable more community-based farming be supported by the government
so that more citizens take ownership of their food security for some food
items,” he added.
Prof Teng noted that in the
longer term, climate change will affect the types of crops and animals that
Singapore’s traditional food sources can grow, as well as the nutritive value
of the exported food.
As for rice, he believes the real
problem will surface when total global rice production has decreased due to
climate change, but rice consumption continues to increase due to population
growth and more people switching to eating rice, away from their traditional
foods like taro, maize and plantain.
For alternatives, Prof Teng said
wheat and potato are better for the environment as they require less water to
produce the same amount, compared to rice.
“In the longer term, while rice remains the preferred staple
food for most Singaporeans, it may behoove us to consider reducing our per
capita consumption of rice and replace it with more wheat and potato.”
Top agricultural scientists body
rejects zero budget natural farming
This comes even as Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, addressing the 14th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention
to Combat Desertification on Monday, mentioned that “we are focusing on ZBNF”.
Written by Harish Damodaran,
Parthasarathi Biswas |New Delhi, Pune |Updated: September 10, 2019 11:10:17 am
Top agricultural scientists have hit
out at ZBNF, calling it an “unproven” technology. (Express)
India’s premier academic body of
agricultural scientists has hit out at Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF),
terming it as an “unproven” technology bringing no incremental value gain to
either farmers or consumers.
“The government should not
needlessly invest capital and human resources towards promoting ZBNF. We have
given our recommendations in writing to the Prime Minister and it reflects the
view held by the scientific community,” said Panjab Singh, president of the
National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS).
This comes even as Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, addressing the 14th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention
to Combat Desertification on Monday, mentioned that “we are focusing on ZBNF”.
The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Union Budget speech, too, had talked
of the need to “go back to basics” and “replicate this innovative model (that)
can help in doubling our farmers’ income”.
The New Delhi-based NAAS – a farm
scientists’ think tank with over 650 fellows and 15 regional chapters across
India – had organised a day-long “brainstorming session” on ZBNF last month. It
was attended, among others, by the Director-General of the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) Trilochan Mohapatra and NITI Aayog member Ramesh
Chand.
“In all, there were about 75 experts
that included scientists, policymakers, progressive farmers, NGOs and
fertiliser, seed and crop protection chemical industry representatives. We
reviewed the protocols and claims of ZBNF and concluded that there is no
verifiable data or authenticated results from any experiment for it to be
considered a feasible technological option. We had invited Subhash Palekar (the
man behind ZBNF) as well, but he did not come,” claimed Singh, who is also a
former ICAR Director-General.
ZBNF’s basic concept is that over 98
per cent of the nutrients required by crops for photosynthesis – carbon
dioxide, nitrogen, water and solar energy – are already supplied “free” from
the air, rains and sun. Only the remaining 1.5-2 per cent nutrients need to be
taken from the soil and converted from “non-available” to “available” form (for
intake by the roots) through the action of microorganisms.
To enable the microorganisms do
their jobs, farmers must apply ‘Jiwamrita’ (microbial culture) and ‘Bijamrita’
(seed treatment solution), besides ‘Mulching’ (covering plants with a layer of
dried straw or fallen leaves) and ‘Waaphasa’ (giving water outside the plant’s
canopy) to maintain the right soil temperature-moisture-air balance. For insect
and pest management, ZBNF recommends use of ‘Agniastra’, ‘Brahmastra’ and
‘Neemastra’, which, like ‘Jiwamrita’ and ‘Bijamrita’, are concoctions based
mainly on urine and dung from desi cows. Since these also do not have to be
purchased, it makes farming practically “zero-budget”.
Chidambaram moves Delhi High Court
for bail in INX Media case
Critics, however, note that plant
growth and crop yields require nitrogen, which is also a major component of
amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins. “78 per cent of air is
nitrogen, but it is not freely available to plants. Being non-reactive,
atmospheric nitrogen has to be fixed into a plant-usable form such as ammonia
or urea. He (Palekar) is further saying that ZBNF is effective only if dung and
urine from black-coloured Kapila cows is used and farmers sow traditional
varieties/landraces. It means that all the high-yielding varieties and hybrids
developed by us, which have trebled India’s rice production to 116 million
tonnes (mt) and increased it more than eight times to 102 mt for wheat in the
last 50 years, are useless,” remarked a top ICAR scientist, who didn’t wish to
be identified.
But according to Palekar, ZBNF is
“seed-agnostic” and can be used for desi, hybrid or even genetically modified
crops. “NAAS has no expertise to validate my method of farming. They have
neither spoken to me nor the farmers who are practicing it. The academy should
also have taken into consideration my schedule before calling me. Farmers
organise workshops that I cannot cancel them just to attend this (NAAS)
meeting,” he added.
Meanwhile, the ICAR has appointed a
committee under Praveen Rao Velchala, vice chancellor of the Professor
Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University to study ZBNF’s viability.
“We are examining if there is any science behind it and its strengths and
weaknesses, including vis-Ã -vis normal organic farming. Currently, experiments
in growing crops using ZBNF are taking place in five research station locations
and we are also going to the fields of farmers who have supposedly adopted this
technique. All this can be confirmed through analysis of soil data and
fertility status,” Velchala told The Indian Express.
The committee, constituted in May,
has had two meetings so far, while the five trial locations are Modipuram
(Uttar Pradesh), Pantnagar (Uttarakhand), Kurukshetra (Haryana), Ludhiana
(Punjab) and Palampur (Himachal Pradesh). At the Indian Institute of Farming
Systems Research in Modipuram, ZBNF experiments have already been conducted for
2017-18 (wheat crop) and 2018-19 (paddy and wheat). “We are now doing our
second season for paddy. Nothing conclusive has emerged, but meeting crop
nutrient demand through this technique seems an issue,” stated N. Ravisankar,
principal scientist at the ICAR institute.
FSII urges adoption of hybrid
rice to increase rice productivity
ANI
10th September 2019, 18:27 GMT+10
New Delhi [India] September 10
(ANI/NewsVoir): Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) and Confederation
of Indian Industry (CII) organized a seminar on 'Seed Technology Innovation for
Sustainable Rice Production' in New Delhi today.
The objective of the seminar was
to discuss ways to enhance rice productivity sustainably and improve farmers'
profitability in India. Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmer's
Welfare, Kailash Choudhary was present at the event.
Other eminent guests present at
the event were Dr Prem Kumar, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Bihar, Dr
SK Malhotra, Agriculture Commissioner, Government of India and VK Gaur,
Chairman and Managing Director, National Seed Corporation. Other participants
at the event were senior government officials, farmer organizations scientists
and industry representatives.
Rice is one of the primary crops
of India and is therefore critical to increase its productivity. Among the
rice-growing countries in the world, India has the largest area under paddy -
43.86 million hectares and ranks second by producing 163 MT (million tonnes)
just next to China which holds the first position and produces 203 MT.
In India, up to 25 per cent of
yield losses in rice crop are due to the disease and insect pest infestation.
Further, low planting density, poor agronomic practices, and weed management,
low seed replacement rate etc are also leading to low rice productivity.
The major challenge is however
posed by its production; one kg of rice requires 2000-3000 litres of water.
Therefore, average water inputs for India's rice production of 163 MT stands at
327 thousand billion litres. Since 90 per cent of the cultivated land in India
belongs to marginal, small and medium farmers, it is essential for the country
to make effective technologies and processes available to them.
Deliberations at the seminar
brought forward the need for long-term research investments in bringing more
productive hybrids with improved grain characters, strengthen seed production
systems by geographic diversification and take up more intensive promotion of
hybrid in new areas through PPP mode. Further, the State Government's support
is also essential to increase acreage under hybrid rice in all states.
"Government is always thinking
about finding ways to increase the income of farmers, as they do not get the
requisite timely profits due to multiple issues. Farmer awareness regarding new
technology and techniques is essential to realize the benefits in this sector.
We also need to work together to change the perception of the farming
profession. Farming needs to be branded in a way that more youngsters are
interested in taking up agriculture as a profession", said Kailash
Choudhary.
"Growing rice is very
expensive in India and we have not been able to reach our full potential due to
several limitations. Support through policies will facilitate the adoption of
technologies and sustainable practices to achieve our goal of doubling farmer's
income", said Dr M Ramasami, Chairman, FSII.
"Hybrid rice is one of the
most feasible and practically adaptable approaches for the farmers as it gives
20-35 per cent additional yield and is environmentally sustainable. It requires
less water and nitrogen as they grow in short duration, are stress-tolerant and
are better adapted in rainfed conditions. Hybrids have been key in increasing
productivity of maize and cotton in India but not in rice so far", said
Ram Kaundinya, Director General, FSII.
"Technologies like Direct
Seeded Rice (DSR) also hold tremendous benefits. It can cultivate rice in a
sustainable manner by reducing water inputs, labour costs and can increase
yields. For example, farmers use on an average 50 litres/acre of diesel for
transplanting rice in the northern region. DSR gives an opportunity to save
approximately 15 litres/ha of diesel consumption by eliminating puddling
operations in the northern region alone", said Dr Shivendra Bajaj,
Executive Director, FSII.
India's agricultural exports have
increased from Rs 2,15,396 crores in 2015-16 to Rs 2,50,273 crores in the
financial year 2017-18 registering a growth of nearly 16.19 per cent. This
success can be primarily attributed to the higher exports of rice (both basmati
and non-basmati) followed by raw cotton, oil meals, castor oil, etc. To surpass
these records while growing rice sustainably, farmers will have to adopt and
given access to new technologies and advancements in the field.
This story is provided by
NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.
(ANI/NewsVoir)
Rice was domesticated thousands
of years ago and since then has become one of the most important crops in the
world.
September 10, 2019 by
—
Rice was domesticated thousands of years ago and since then has become one of
the most important crops in the world. This grain is grown all over the world,
but primarily in South, Southeast and East Asia. Rice is the second largest
cultivated crop worldwide. The growing of rice is typically labor-intensive and
consumes large amounts of water. With water becoming increasingly scarce for
agricultural uses, alternative ways to grow rice are being explored to farm
this staple food more sustainably. One of these methods being looked into is
dry rice cultivation.
Relationships to Needs
Rice is a widely used grain that
is a staple food for many populations, especially in Asia. This food contributes to a significant portion of
these people’s diets making it vital to their nutrition, and therefore their
physical health.
Most rice farmers come from
families that have made an occupation of cultivating this crop for many
generations. Because of this, many farmers feel a sense of spiritual connection
to their work.
Dry rice farming is a particular
form of cultivation that farmers have practiced for centuries. This type of
labor fulfills a meaningful livelihood for many rice producers.
The income received from this work gives economic stability to the farmers,
providing the farm families a sense of security.
Participating in economic and political
decision-making is important for rice farmers to preserve the economic, social
and political conditions that allow them to successfully pursue their farming
livelihoods.
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It is particularly vital for dry
rice farmers to always be actively searching for opportunities to learn. This will allow improvements
to make this form of farming successful.
Relationships to Organizational
Forms
Dry rice cultivation is primarily
a form of natural resource
management. This includes the conservation of the biological
environment and resources such as water on the controlled land.
Much of the rice the farmers
produce is sold. Some farmers use individual sales,
adhering to singular customers; others engage in committed sales or services where
the rice is sold to service providers with a long-term contract. Most farmers
partake in self-provisioning,
which entails the farmers growing the rice to consume themselves.
Relationships to Resources
The dry cultivation of rice
involves agricultural practices to utilize and grow living things. This
includes the crop being farmed and any animals used in the process. Air and atmosphere, water, and land are all resources affected by this form of
cultivation. These resources affected must be conserved in order for these
agricultural methods to be sustainable in the long run.
Physical, human-made assets are
any equipment or machinery that is used in producing rice. The most common of
this is equipment that uses animal power as a form of energy to prepare the
land for sowing. Human energy is
expended in the form of manual labor through preparing the land and weeding
among other things.Increasingly, machinery powered by fossil fuels is being
used as well in rice fields.
Understanding patterns of
abundance and scarcity
In rice production, water is one
of the most important components for growth. The availability of water is
becoming scarce, leading to questions of how long the current rate of water
usage can sustain current agricultural production levels. Increased competition
for water usage, decreasing levels of groundwater, pollution and salinization
of water, and faulty irrigation systems are all contributing factors to this
problem.
Ways to cultivate rice without
the large amounts of water needed are becoming more prevalent, but there are
still downsides to many of these systems. Many of these water saving systems
have lower crop yields, which is why many farmers are hesitant to switch to
these processes. Although several of these methods can competitively produce
yields comparable to those of the flooded rice fields, many farmers see no
reason to change their ways while there is still water available. Lowland
farmers in particular have the greatest access to water, giving them no incentive
to amend the way they have been farming for generations. Another weakness is
that many of the lowland farmers use cultivars of rice that would do very
poorly in dry cultivation practices. While many upland rice cultivars are
better suited to these water management methods, the problem of getting these
cultivars of rice to the lowland farmers arises. These difficulties as well as
various other obstacles still plague the path toward more sustainable practices
of rice cultivation.
Water Saving Systems
Cultivation with Mulching
One system that looks to be
promising is the non-flooded mulching cultivation of rice. Much of the time
farmers burn the crop residue, releasing air pollution, but using it as straw
to mulch can be beneficial to the crops and soil. This technique can increase
the organic matter within the uppermost top soil, enriching it over time with
carbon and nitrogen as it slowly decomposes. Not only can it improve soil
fertility, but also help prevent erosion. By preventing erosion, mulching can help
retain higher levels of water. With this efficient water usage and other
benefits of mulching, high yields are obtainable. This method of rice
cultivation is an ecological alternative to traditional flooding practices.
Advanced Irrigation Systems
Alternate Wetting and Drying
Irrigation
One of the most successful
water-saving irrigation systems has used alternating between wetting and drying
the fields. In this process, the field is supplied with water, then let
completely dry before the next watering. Not only does this cut down on water
usage, but it also minimizes the methane gas that is produced due to anaerobic
decomposition of organic matter in flooded fields. It also helps support the
growth of the rice because it allows for more rigorous root growth and a
healthier abundance of aerobic organisms in the soil that help plant growth.
Pressurized Water Application
Methods
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Using pressurized technology,
such as sprinklers is a water conserving technique that is already practiced in
other agricultural industries in the world. These technologies can give more
precision with how much water is being applied to crops leading to less waste.
Some of this technology can measure how wet or dry the soil is and
automatically supply the fields with how ever much water is needed. These
advancements may not be available, however, to the mass majority of farmers who
have smaller operations and cannot afford such systems.
Upland Cultivars of Rice
One of the most important
resources needed for dry rice farming is cultivars of rice that are suited to
grow in drier climates. These water saving techniques will be unsuccessful if
breeds of rice accustomed to flooded conditions are grown without the amounts
of water needed. Many of these cultivars of rice that are adapted to growing
with vast amounts of water are lowland breeds. This is because the lowlands
have the most readily available access to water. Many upland areas do not have
as easy access to usable water leading to breeds becoming naturally more
resistant to drought like conditions. Using these cultivars is important to
growing productive rice.
A climate-resilient rice seed is
being propagated in South Central Mindanao to address the need to reduce water
requirements in growing rice.
The regional office of the
Department of Agriculture in the region has partnered with the SeedWorks
Philippines Inc. in establishing a 60-hectare demonstration farm for the
propagation of Tatag Hybrid (TH) 82 hybrid rice variety which is expected to
help farmers reduce their farm inputs, particularly water requirements.
The regional office, headed by
Engr. Milagros Casis, has established the demonstration farm in Lambayong,
Sultan Kudarat to test the productivity of the variety, which uses the Climate
Smart Agriculture Technology through dry-seeding, in its pursuit of helping
farmers earn more from their rice farms.
The seed is a product of an
extensive research of Seedworks, a homegrown company which is among the few
crop science companies that are members of the International Rice Research
Institute’s (IRRI) Hybrid Rice Development Consortium. Many of the companies
are multinational.
Remus S. Morandante, SeedWorks vice
president for Sales and Public Affairs, explained that dry-seeding is rice
farming technology that uses dry land preparation to improve productivity of
rice fields that are located in tail-end of irrigation supplies as well those
that rely main on rains and the upland areas.
In rice farming, in-bred rice varieties about half of their water requirements
during land preparation.
Morandante said that with
dry-seeding, these farms which are only planted once a year, can be planted
twice a year with the use of Climate Smart Agriculture technology.
“The challenge before was the
absence of appropriate rice varieties that could withstand the pressure of dry
culture,” said Morandante, adding that with the TH82, the farm requires about
30 kilograms of seeds a hectare.
One of the first few users of the
variety, Rene Guevarra of San Agustin, Digos City, Davao del Sur testified that
the rice variety has allowed him to harvest about 11 metric tons a hectare. The
average rice production rate is about four metric tons a hectare.
Another farmer, Baltazar Funa of
Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat, also confirmed the resistance of the variety to dry
spell over in-bred varieties.
“Dry-seeding is not actually new,”
said Morandante, explaining that the Philippine government has promoted the
technology in 1997 as way of preparing mitigating the impact of the El Nino
phenomenon the following year to “save and conserve irrigation and rainfall
water.”
The country is among the advocates
of the technology, together with Australia and the US.
The early implementation of the
technology was in the 1980s in the farms in Eastern Visayas, through the
Kasaganaan saTigang na Lupa. In Bulacan, the similar project was named “Aerobic
Rice Production”.
“A few months ago, many rice
experts and even some farmers were laughing at us, saying that dry-seeding was
not possible,” he said. “Now it is as clear as the sun rises in the East that
Tatag Hybrid TH82 is the only variety for dry-seeding and rainfed areas. With
minimal fertilization and chemical spraying, TATAG HYBRID TH82 stood by its
purpose… matatag (sturdy) hybrid!”
The propagation will help farmers
mitigate the impact of the Rice Tariffication Law as this will help them
increase production and become more globally competitive, he added, as the
country is expected to face a huge entry of imported rice.
PRICES. Filipino farmers
earn very little, based on data from the government. Photo by Mau Victa/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – On average,
farmers are selling palay just a little above production cost, according to
data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The production cost of palay in
the country is usually around P12 per kilo. The average farmgate price of palay
is at P17.62, as of the 2nd week of August.
This means that farmers on
average earn just P5.62 per kilo of palay sold.
If a farmer produces 4,000 kilos,
it would mean earnings of P22,480 for that harvest period.
If the farmer's rice variety can
grow in around 4 months, it means that a farmer earns just P5,620 per month.
However, Rappler found that
Cavite's palay farmgate price is at exactly P12 per kilo. Assuming farmers
there produce palay at P12 per kilo, this means that they sell it at break-even
point. The PSA did not provide the production cost per region.
The highest palay farmgate price
was recorded in Sorsogon at P22 per kilo.
However, it must be noted that
these numbers provided by the PSA are provincial averages, which are prone to
distortions if there are extreme values.
Farmers in Nueva Ecija have complained that farmgate prices
can go as low as P7 to P8 per kilo. Some farmers said the selling price is at
P12.
However, numbers from the PSA
showed that the average farmgate price there is at P18.
As for retail prices, most regions reported that rice prices are still above
P30 per kilo.
Regular milled rice is sold at
P35.09 per kilo on average, while well milled rice is sold at P39.10.
Metro Manila enjoys the cheapest
prices, with regular milled rice at P28 per kilo and well milled rice at
P33.60.
Sulu, one of the poorest
provinces in the country, has the most expensive rice prices. Regular milled
rice there is sold at P44 per kilo, while well milled rice is at P49.
In Nueva Ecija, the country's top
rice producer, regular milled rice retails at P38 per kilo, while well milled
rice is at P42.
Per region, data showed that Central Visayas registered the highest farmgate
prices at P20.14 per kilo.
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao registered
the highest retail prices at an average of P39.17, even though its palay
farmgate price is among the lowest in the country at P16 per kilo.
The PSA gathered information from farmers who sold their palay and traders who
bought palay during the reference period. Samples were chosen purposively
within the areas. – Rappler.com
Rice inventory up over 40% year-on-year ahead of harvest
THE national rice inventory was
estimated at 2.133 million metric tons (MMT) as of Aug. 1, up 40.3% from a year
earlier, but down 18.7% month-on-month, the Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA) said.
The estimate was contained in the
PSA’s Rice and Corn Stocks Inventory report. The rice inventory is considered
sufficient for about 67 days’ consumption based on an average daily rate of
32,000 MT.
Some 37.1% of the rice inventory
was held by households, 41.2% by commercial warehouses, and 21.6% by the
National Food Authority (NFA). The PSA gave no breakdown of domestically grown
against imported rice.
Holdings of all categories
increased compared to a year earlier. Household inventory increased 6.2%, rice
held by commercial warehouses was up 30.7% year-on-year, and NFA stocks rose
355.8% from a year earlier.
On a month-on-month basis, stocks
held by the three sectors fell. Household inventory declined 21.4%, rice held
in commercial warehouses fell 20%, and NFA inventory was down 10.8%.
This month’s rice harvest runs
until October, though unsold inventory bought at high prices has been lingering
in traders’ warehouses, limiting their ability to purchase from domestic
farmers and softening the market for palay, or unmilled rice, the form in which
farmers sell their crop.
The Department of Agriculture
(DA) is pushing local government units to embark on rice purchasing at “fair”
prices. It is also encouraging them to mill and store rice, for later sale to
other local governments. The measures are intended to support palay prices,
which have dropped to as low as P7 in some areas, according to reports.
The inventory of corn, a key
animal feed, was 724,080 MT, down 40.7% year-on-year and down 12% from a month
earlier.Corn held in commercial warehouses accounted for 87.1% of the total,
while households held 12.9% and the NFA zero.
Year-on-year, households raised
their holdings 32.9%, while commercial warehouse inventory fell 45.2%.Month-on-month,
household inventory rose 52.5%, while holdings of commercial warehouses fell
17.2%. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang
The Cambodia
Rice Federation is confident the Kingdom will reach its milled rice export
quota in the Chinese market, with the association emboldened by last week’s
visit of China’s largest food processor, COFCO. .
The Kingdom was
unable to meet the quota last year, shipping just 170,000 tonnes out of the
300,000 allowed.
This year,
however, things will be different, argued Lun Yeng, CRF secretary-general. Mr
Yeng said that a delegation from Chinese firm COFCO arrived in Cambodia last
week to “understand the situation” of rice production in Cambodia.
“During the
meeting, we talked about the milled rice quota because Cambodia was unable to
export all 300,000 tonnes allowed last year,” Mr Yeng said, adding that, “This
year, we will increase exports and reach 300,000 tonnes.”
In January last
year, Cambodia and China signed an agreement expanding the amount of Cambodian
milled rice that Chinese firms can purchase to 300,000 tonnes.
Mr Yeng told
Khmer Times that that quota will soon be raised. “After reaching 300,000 tonnes
in exports, we will begin working towards the new target for next year: 400,000
tonnes.”
CRF president
Song Saran told Khmer Times recently that the association is now focusing on
expanding exports to China and other countries in the region to reduce reliance
on the European Union.
In the first
half of 2019, Cambodia’s milled rice exports rose by 3.7 percent to 281,538
tonnes. Shipments to China represented 42 percent of all exports, about 118,400
tonnes.
However, during
the same six months, Cambodia’s milled rice exports to the EU fell by almost 50
percent, according to CRF. The drop was the result of the tariffs the bloc
imposed on Cambodian rice earlier this year.
Sanjay Dutt
lambasts Kiran Bedi, BJP over free rice scheme
Puducherry, Sep 9 (UNI) Lambasting
Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and Bharatiya Janata Party on the free rice
scheme, All India Congress Committee, secretary in-charge for the Union
Territory Sanjay Dutt on Monday said Ms Bedi and BJP by making false allegation
were enacting a drama as they knew that public mood has turned against them,
following the adoption of a resolution by the Assembly on distribution of free
rice.
Addressing a press conference here, Mr Dutt
said the government had already clarified that the entire rice procurement was
transparent and open for any scrutiny. The assembly resolution reiterating the right
of an elected government to distribute rice in kind and not crediting the
amount meant for rice in the bank account of beneficiaries had rattled Ms Bedi
and BJP. “The filing of petition by BJP seeking a probe
is a stage managed affair. They will fall into their own trap,” he said.
In a democracy the will of people mattered than
anything else. The free rice distribution was an election promise of the
Congress party and after coming to power it was the responsibility of the
government to deliver on its promises. Moreover, the entire elected supported
the government resolution on free rice distribution, he said.
Stating that BJP has double standards when it
comes to distribution of free rice, Mr Dutt said the Saffron party had never
questioned the free rice distribution scheme in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. “Since AIADMK is an ally of BJP, they are not
questioning the decision. Here, they are opposing because it is a Congress
government. The Raj Nivas has turned to a BJP headquarters in the last three and
a half years,” he said. Questioning the arrest of former finance
minister P. Chidamabaram, the AICC leader said the National Democratic Alliance
government has taken a vindictive stand as Mr Chidambaram had exposed its
policy failures. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr
Chidambaram have correctly predicted the impact on economy due to
demonetisation and flawed implementation of GST, he said.
BATON ROUGE – Rice is a big part of Louisiana’s culture, and the state grows more than almost every other state in the country.
