September 26 ,2018 Vol 9 ,Issue 9
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Deadline for 2019 Rice Leadership Development Program Approaches By Steve Linscombe
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MOUNTAIN HOME, TX -- The deadline for applications to the 2019 Rice Leadership Development Program are due October 5. Rice producers or industry-related professionals between the ages of 25 and 45 are eligible to apply.
The Rice Leadership Development Program provides a comprehensive understanding of the rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication skills. During a twoyear period, class members attend four one-week sessions designed to strengthen leadership skills through studies of all aspects of the rice industry.
Of the Leadership Program, recent grad Sunny Bottoms, of Horizon Ag, said, "This has truly been a wonderful experience. Not only do I have a much better understanding of our industry as a whole, but I have made lifelong friends in the process."
"There will always be growers that just farm rice and that is the extent of their contributions to the industry," said Hudgens Jeter, an Arkansas rice farmer who graduated from the program in 2017. "[The Leadership Program] experience has opened my eyes to the fact that, for me at least, this is not going to be enough. There is far more than just growing rice that can drive the rice industry forward, and I need to be involved in any way that I can."
The class is comprised of five rice producers and two industry-related professionals chosen by a committee of rice industry leaders. The committee evaluates the applications of all candidates, reviews letters of recommendation, and conducts personal interviews with the finalists. Interviews will be conducted at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in San Diego, California, in December. The program is sponsored by John Deere Company, RiceTec, Inc., and American Commodity Company through The Rice Foundation and managed by USA Rice. Additional information on the Rice Leadership Development Program and an application form can be found on the USA Rice website.
Rice Webinar: Thursday September 27 Tune in Thursday, September 27 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time, for a new rice webinar hosted by Dr.
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Bobby Coats, with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Nathan Childs, an agricultural economist with USDA's Economic Research Service, will analyze the most current USDA forecasts for both the U.S. and global rice markets, and will discuss larger supplies, more competitive prices, and record global trade projected to
boost U.S. rice exports in 2018/19. Go here to register for the webinar
"Think Rice" Road Trip kicks off in Crowley By: Sylvia Masters Posted: Sep 24, 2018 06:31 PM CDT Updated: Sep 24, 2018 06:31 PM CDT 20 Crowley, La. (KLFY) -
Representatives from USA Rice and the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board kicked off the "Think Rice Road Trip" in Crowley today. September is National Rice Month and leaders from Louisiana's rice industry presented the Louisiana Food Bank Association with a rice donation in recognition. Michael Klein, Vice President of Domestic Promotion for USA Rice, says, "The other thing was that we're actually kicking off our Ride With Rice Road Trip. We're taking 3000 rice cookers and 3000 pounds of rice that's been donated by the mills around the country and we're driving around the country giving it out to people encouraging them to get creative with rice." Rice farmers and millers made a donation, almost 100,000 pounds of Louisiana grown rice to those in need here in the community.
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"The Louisiana rice industry has a dynamic impact in Southwest Louisiana and myself and other producers are really keen on trying to share that awareness and grow throughout different organizations,‖ Richard Fontenot, producer and rice farmer from Ville Platte. This "Think Rice" tour is a way to make consumers who may not be familiar with rice more aware of what rice actually is and where it's grown in the United States. Fred Zaunbrecher, producer from Acadia Parish, adds, "Our goal is to make people aware of rice, to make them accept the product, and then to eventually use the product." according to Kane Webb, Director of Field Services for the USA Rice Federation, this year in total, Louisiana rice industry and its mills and rice growers have donated many pounds of rice to food banks in Louisiana. "It's donated by the mills in South Louisiana: Falcon Rice Mill, Supreme Rice Mill, Farmers Rice Mill, and Planters Rice Mill,‖ explains Webb. Another goal of this "Think Rice" tour is to teach consumers the benefits of USA grown rice. The "Think Rice" tour's next stop is in West Monroe.
https://www.klfy.com/news/local/-think-rice-road-trip-kicks-off-in-crowley/1472360233
Madagascar agriculture records best rice output in 15 years ANTANANARIVO Madagascar (Xinhua) -- Madagascar recorded its best rice output in 15 years, a government official said here Thursday. ―Madagascar recorded its best rice production in 2018 compared to the last 15 years,‖ Minister of Agriculture and Livestocks Harrisson Randriarimanana told the opening of an international agricultural fair in the capital. ―Madagascar harvested 4.3 million tons of rice in 2018, up from 3.1 million tons in 2017,‖ Randriarimanana said. The minister attributed the bumper yield to better weather.However, he said Madagascar needs better farming infrastructure such as dams and channels, and adequate supply of quality seeds, farming equipment and fertilizers. Rice is the staple food of the country. http://www.coastweek.com/4138-Madagascar-agriculture-records-best-rice-output-in-15-years.htm
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New decree removes barriers for rice exporters 11:40 | 25/09/2018According to a new governmental decree, rice-exporting businesses will no longer be required to own rice storage, paddy milling and grinding facilities with processing capacities of 5,000 tonnes of rice and 10 tonnes of paddy per hour, respectively.
Rice bags for exports (Source: cafef.vn) Instead, they now can rent such facilities from other agencies and organisations. The capacity volume requirements are also removed. The change comes thanks to a new Decree 107/2018/ND-CP that will replace the Decree 109/2010/ND-CP aiming to remove difficulties and legal barriers for rice businesses to expand into foreign markets. It will come into effect on October 1 this year. According to Tran Van Cong, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development‘s (MARD) Agro Processing and Market Development Authority, the new decree will help rice traders cut costs significantly. Cong said the conditions in old Decree 109 had hampered the businesses‘ rice exports as it required the rice traders to own at least one rice store and one rice husking and grinding facility with fixed capacity. ―Businesses have lost a lot of opportunities to export rice due to the above conditions. They produced high-quality rice, which could compete with other producers in the world, but they lack capital to build such facilities. Therefore, they failed to export rice and develop foreign markets,‖ said Cong.
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As for the traders exporting organic rice, parboiling rice and multi-micronutrient fortified rice, the new decree allows businesses to export these types of rice without a certificate of eligibility for rice export business. It also states that the rice traders will not have to reserve product for circulation but will still be responsible for reporting on their activities in accordance with regulations. When carrying out customs procedures, traders exporting rice, organic rice, parboiling rice and multi-micronutrient fortified rice only need to submit to the customs authority the original or a written copy with confirmation authenticated by relevant agencies that the rice exports are in conformity with criteria issued by MARD and the Ministry of Health. Nguyen Minh Thien, Managing Director of Co May Group in the southern province of Dong Thap, told Vietnam News that the new decree was a good decision by the Government. It proved that the Government had listened, understood and resolved problems of business community in general and rice traders in particular. ―Although the decree is issued late, it will help businesses, like my company, have the opportunity to develop new markets,‖ Thien said. Thien recalled that he had participated in an expo in Thailand last year, not for seeking opportunities to export but to learn the marketing methods of foreign businesses and evaluate his rice product‘s quality in the market. ―We cooked rice and invited visitors to enjoy it. Our rice attracted a lot of customers because of its fragrance and good quality. Many businesses wanted to import our rice but I had to ignore them. I couldn‘t explain to them that my company did not meet the Vietnamese Government‘s conditions on rice exports, although I can affirm that my rice products can directly compete with Thailand‘s rice both in quality and price. I don‘t dare to offer big contracts of rice exports. I lost the opportunity to directly export my rice product,‖ said Thien. With this new decree, Thien said his company had set up a long-term plan to develop foreign markets. It will first focus on Singapore and then the US. The Co May Group is currently exporting rice to Singapore via an entrusted import company at a moderate quantity of about 70 tonnes of rice per month, supplying retail supermarkets with the brand name Co May. ―With the new decree, now that we don‘t need a certificate of export, we will offer big contracts. The most important factor is that good products and reasonable prices will attract customers,‖ said Thien. In addition, Cong said this decree would greatly reduce costs for businesses as it cuts administrative procedures and conditions related to storage and rice processing facilities. ―I believe that the new decree will effectively support the consumption of rice products. With such advantages, I expect an increase in the number of enterprises involved in rice export, helping Vietnamese rice reach far into new markets,‖ said Cong.In the first seven months of this year, Vietnam‘s rice exports reached 3.93 million tonnes with turnover of nearly 2 billion USD, up 12.8 percent in volume and 32 percent in value over the same period last year. From late 2017 until now, the prices of Vietnamese rice have risen continuously. Currently, the price is higher than that of competitors such as Thailand, India and Pakistan by up to $100 per tonne. The demand for quality rice in the world has increased; meanwhile the country‘s restructuring of rice production has helped raise the volume of quality rice, significantly contributing to increasing the rice exports of Vietnam.-VNS https://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/209034/new-decree-removes-barriers-for-rice-exporters.html
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Agriculture ministry guarantees surplus rice stock The Jakarta Post Jakarta | Tue, September 25, 2018 | 03:09 pm
A worker carries a sack of rice at the Cipinang Rice Market in East Jakarta. (Antara/Makna Zaezar)
The Agriculture Ministry has underlined that the country does not need to import rice, because the warehouses of state-owned logistics firm Bulog are fully stocked with rice. ―Bulog has an actual rice stock of 2.6 million tons today. In September, we will produce 3.2 million tons, 2.8 million tons in October and 2.8 million tons in November,‖ the ministry‘s Food Resilience Agency (BKP) head, Agung Hendriadi, said in Jakarta on Monday as quoted by kompas.com. The volume of rice stock would continue to increase through the yearend or early 2019 from large harvests expected in December 2018 and January 2019, said Agung. He added that monthly rice consumption was around 2.5 million tons. Agung said that last year's surplus rice production of 13 million tons were stored at Bulog‘s warehouses as well as at rice mills and at warehouses belonging to farmers and traders. He said that about 1.4 million tons of rice was stored at rice mills.
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In April, the government planned to import 2 million tons of rice this year, but Coordinating Economy Minister Darmin Nasution said that it had cancelled plans to import 600,000 tons of rice because the exporting countries could not meet the government's schedule. The rice import issue prompted a dispute between Bulog president director Budi Waseso and Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita after Budi criticized the rice import policy, arguing that local farmers had produced enough rice to meet the demand. (bbn) http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/09/25/agriculture-ministry-guarantees-surplus-ricestock.html
Palace to NFA: Release rice stocks to markets Updated September 26, 2018, 12:11 AM
By Genalyn Kabiling
MalacaĂąang on Tuesday issued Memorandum Order No. 28 directing the National Food Authority (NFA) to immediately release existing rice stocks in its warehouses to boost rice supply in the market and protect consumers from profiteers and hoarders.
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Workers unload sacks of NFA rice at the NFA Warehouse in Visayas Ave, Quezon City, June 26 2018. (Mark Balmores / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) In the order, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea directed the NFA to ―immediately release to markets approximately 230,000 metric tons of rice currently in stock in the warehouses across the country.‖ Aside from this, the food agency has also been ordered ―to release 100,000 metric tons of rice previously contracted to be delivered before the end of September.‖ ―Subject to applicable laws and issuances, the NFA is further directed to adopt measures to ensure access by consumers to regular milled and well-milled rice,‖ the order read. It noted that certain administrative constraints and fees unduly add to the costs of importation of basic agricultural commodities and contribute to price increases. ―There is a need to promulgate measures to stabilize the prices of basic agricultural commodities at reasonable levels, to maintain their sufficient supply in the domestic market and to provide effective and sufficient protection to consumers against hoarding, profiteering, and cartels with respect to the supply, distribution, marketing and pricing of said goods,‖ the memorandum read. Seamless delivery Malacañang likewise issued two other directives to ensure efficient delivery of imported agriculture products to the markets. In Memorandum Order No. 27, the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine National Police (PNP) and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) have been directed to adopt measures to ensure the efficient and seamless delivery of imported agriculture and fishery products from the ports to markets. The concerned agencies have been authorized to issue ―food lane passes for truckers and suppliers carrying agricultural products.‖ Memorandum Order No. 26, on the other hand, directed the DAand DTI to adopt measures to reduce the gap between farm gate prices and retail prices of agricultural products. Among the measures include establishment of public outlets and cold storages where producers of agricultural commodities as well as poultry producers can directly sell to consumers. The concerned agencies have been directed to submit to the Office of the Executive Secretary a progress report within a month. The three memorandum orders, signed by Medialdea by the authority of President Duterte last September 21,are effective immediately. Incentives
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Meanwhile, the NFA Council, the highest policy-making body of National Food Authority (NFA), said it is planning to give incentives to farmers who will sell rice at government‘s buying price of P17 per kilo. This was revealed by Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel PiĂąol, who now chairs the NFA Council. The NFA has been using the low buying price of palay as an excuse not to procure palay from local farmers and instead relied on the importation of rice from other countries to boost its stock. The agency claimed that local farmers prefer selling their produce to private traders at P20 per kilo or more. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released this month showed that the average farmgate price of palay has reached P23.66 per kilogram nationwide. The highest farmgate prices of palay were reported at P29.00/kg in Lanao del Norte and P28.00/kg. in Pangasinan and Laguna. (With a report from Madelaine B. Miraflor) https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/09/25/palace-to-nfa-release-rice-stocks-to-markets/
Palace to NFA: Release rice stocks to markets Updated September 26, 2018, 12:11 AM By Genalyn Kabiling
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Malacañang on Tuesday issued Memorandum Order No. 28 directing the National Food Authority (NFA) to immediately release existing rice stocks in its warehouses to boost rice supply in the market and protect consumers from profiteers and hoarders. Workers unload sacks of NFA rice at the NFA Warehouse in Visayas Ave, Quezon City, June 26 2018. (Mark Balmores / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) In the order, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea directed the NFA to ―immediately release to markets approximately 230,000 metric tons of rice currently in stock in the warehouses across the country.‖ Aside from this, the food agency has also been ordered ―to release 100,000 metric tons of rice previously contracted to be delivered before the end of September.‖ ―Subject to applicable laws and issuances, the NFA is further directed to adopt measures to ensure access by consumers to regular milled and well-milled rice,‖ the order read. It noted that certain administrative constraints and fees unduly add to the costs of importation of basic agricultural commodities and contribute to price increases. ―There is a need to promulgate measures to stabilize the prices of basic agricultural commodities at reasonable levels, to maintain their sufficient supply in the domestic market and to provide
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effective and sufficient protection to consumers against hoarding, profiteering, and cartels with respect to the supply, distribution, marketing and pricing of said goods,‖ the memorandum read. Seamless delivery Malacañang likewise issued two other directives to ensure efficient delivery of imported agriculture products to the markets. In Memorandum Order No. 27, the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine National Police (PNP) and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) have been directed to adopt measures to ensure the efficient and seamless delivery of imported agriculture and fishery products from the ports to markets. The concerned agencies have been authorized to issue ―food lane passes for truckers and suppliers carrying agricultural products.‖ Memorandum Order No. 26, on the other hand, directed the DAand DTI to adopt measures to reduce the gap between farm gate prices and retail prices of agricultural products. Among the measures include establishment of public outlets and cold storages where producers of agricultural commodities as well as poultry producers can directly sell to consumers. The concerned agencies have been directed to submit to the Office of the Executive Secretary a progress report within a month. The three memorandum orders, signed by Medialdea by the authority of President Duterte last September 21,are effective immediately. Incentives Meanwhile, the NFA Council, the highest policy-making body of National Food Authority (NFA), said it is planning to give incentives to farmers who will sell rice at government‘s buying price of P17 per kilo. This was revealed by Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, who now chairs the NFA Council. The NFA has been using the low buying price of palay as an excuse not to procure palay from local farmers and instead relied on the importation of rice from other countries to boost its stock. The agency claimed that local farmers prefer selling their produce to private traders at P20 per kilo or more. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released this month showed that the average farmgate price of palay has reached P23.66 per kilogram nationwide. The highest farmgate prices of palay were reported at P29.00/kg in Lanao del Norte and P28.00/kg. in Pangasinan and Laguna. (With a report from Madelaine B. Miraflor) https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/09/25/palace-to-nfa-release-rice-stocks-to-markets/
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PhilRice's Lakbay Palay showcases wet season technologies
About 1, 500 participants composed of farmers, students, extension workers, and researchers from Luzon regions will participate in this year‘s Lakbay Palay Wet Season (WS) at PhilRice Central Experiment Station in Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, September 26- 27.Lakbay Palay is a field day held by PhilRice twice a year (during the dry and wet seasons) to showcase its rice and rice-based farming technologies to a wide range of rice stakeholders. With the theme ―Sa tag-ulan, I am ready”, the event focuses on the promotion of tips and technologies that help minimize and manage crop losses during the wet season. Activities for this season‘s event include farm visits, distribution of seeds and rice knowledge products, exhibits, and onsite expert dialogue/consultation. Lakbay Palay WS 2018 will also include field tour featuring four main stations: FutureRice Farm, Palayamanan Plus, breeder seed production, and the newly- launched Rice Science Museum that offers revolutionary ―phygital‖ (physical- digital) experience on rice-farming.Experts will elaborate on the topics of managing some common pests and diseases during wet season (brown planthopper, rice black bug, and bacterial leaf blight), crop insurance, and agricultural credit. The event will also highlight the advantages of using the five nationally recommended inbred varieties, namely NSIC Rc 222, Rc 216, Rc 160, Rc 300, and Rc 238.For actual activities, follow us on Facebook (rice.matters) with a hashtag #PhilRiceLakbayPalayWS2018.
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24 Larger Supplies, More Competitive Prices, and Record
Global Trade Are Projected to Boost U.S. Rice Exports SEP in 2018/19 2018Author: Bobby Coats, Professor of Economics By Bobby Coats, Agricultural Economist
Join us on September 27 at 3 p.m. for the next Food and Agribusiness Webinar. Dr. Nathan Childs will analyze the most current USDA forecasts for both the U.S. and global rice markets. For the U.S., a substantial increase in supplies, more competitive prices, and record global import demand are expected to boost U.S. rice exports 13 percent. Despite larger exports, U.S. ending stocks are projected to increase 53 percent. In the world market, smaller crops in India and China are projected to pull global production down 1 percent from the 2017/18 record. World rice trade is projected to again reach a new record, led by increased demand from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, as well as by continued strong purchases by China. Nathan Childs is an agricultural economist with USDA‘s Economic Research Service. His current activities include managing ERS‘ contribution to the rice situation and outlook program and supporting the Department‘s annual Baseline forecasting activities. Nathan joined ERS in 1987. During his career, he has worked on a variety of topics including U.S. rice consumption patterns, global trade liberalization, farm program analysis, and supported emerging market projects to Taiwan, China, Vietnam, and Haiti. In the early 1990s, Nathan was editor of USDA‘s weekly Agricultural Outlook magazine. Register here: https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PdtBcm9ZQGSeSHrPwz-CXg http://www.arkansas-crops.com/2018/09/24/supplies-competitive-projected/
Pakistan Market Price Bulletin, September 2018 from
World Food Programme
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Download PDF (1.25 MB) Highlights In August 2018, the price of wheat increased by 0.9% and the price of wheat flour decreased by 0.1%, over July 2018; the prices of rice Irri-6 and rice Basmati increased by 2.4% and 0.5%, respectively, in August 2018 when compared to the previous month;
Headline inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
increased in August 2018 by 0.21% over July 2018 and increased by 5.84% over August 2017;
The prices of staple cereals and most of non-cereal food commodities in August 2018 experienced negligible to slight fluctuations when compared to the previous month‘s prices;
In August 2018, the average ToT negligibly increased by 0.1% from previous month;
In August 2018, the total global wheat production for 2018/19 is projected at 733 million MT, showing an increase of 3.37 million MT compared to the projection made last month.
Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Relations in the Khan Era Naya Pakistan and Saudi Arabia: Old wine in a new bottle? By Arhama Siddiqa
September 25, 2018 ―Saudi Arabia has always stood with Pakistan in difficult times and the Pakistani government and its people highly acknowledge it,‖ Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on September 23, Saudi National Day.
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A month after he was sworn in as prime minister, on September 18, 2018 Khan embarked on his first official visit to Saudi Arabia. He was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood. The visit came days after the Saudi information minister visited Pakistan and met with Khan and other top civil and military officials. Khan‘s choice of Saudi Arabia for his first official visit, concurrent with comments from his finance minister, led to much conjecture that the trip was actually a cover for a larger purpose — to seek a significant loan to avoid a complete IMF bailout. In his first speech as prime minister, Khan bemoaned Pakistan‘s financial situation, saying ―never in Pakistan‘s history have we faced such difficult economic circumstances.‖ The country‘s fiscal deficit inflated to 6.6 percent of gross domestic product in the 2017-2018 financial year. The idea that Islamabad would turn to Riyadh was very much predicted. After all, back in 2014, Saudi Arabia had loaned Pakistan $1.5 billion just six months after Islamabad‘s last bailout from the IMF. It seems the trip was very much successful. Although details were scant, the very fact that Saudi Arabia assured ―their maximum assistance‖ to the new prime minister suggested that the two sides had reached some kind of understanding. Khan noted that a new chapter of bilateral cooperation had been opened — one that would benefit the entire region. Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on September 20 that Saudi Arabia is the first country that Pakistan has invited to become a third partner in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and the projects that Saudi Arabia will be investing in will be worked out during the Saudi delegation‘s visit, scheduled for the first week of October. No formal statements have been made from either Saudi Arabia or China in this regard. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have always enjoyed close relations, primarily because of religious ties. Both countries are affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). During his tenure, Pakistan‘s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had established favorable relations with senior members of the Saudi royal family. The Saudis have been very generous when it comes to providing aid to Pakistan. For example, when a devastating earthquake hit Balochistan in 2005, Saudi Arabia supported Pakistan with $10 million in humanitarian aid. Moreover, when floods swept across Pakistan in 2010 and 2011, Saudi Arabia granted Pakistan $170 million for relief operations and reconstruction activities in the affected areas. It is also important to note that currently an estimated 1.9 million Pakistanis reside in Saudi Arabia. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE are major providers of jobs for Pakistanis abroad – remittance payments being a key source of foreign currency for the Pakistani treasury. On the trade front, many efforts have been made. Pakistan‘s main imports from Saudi Arabia consists of crude oil and oil-based products. In return, Pakistan‘s export include rice, meat products, spices, textiles, chemicals, footwear, and leather goods. The total value of bilateral trade is around $2.5 billion. In January 2018, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan pledged to strengthen their economic ties
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with a preferential trade agreement that would fit in with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman‘s Vision 2030. This is not to say that there haven‘t been hiccups along the road. One such bump was in 2015 when, due to domestic constraints, Pakistan did not send its troops to fight in the Yemen war. Despite this, Pakistan participated in exercise North Thunder, which took place in northern Saudi Arabia, along with 20 other Arab and Muslim countries in March 2016. Moreover, General Raheel Sharif, the former chief of army staff of the Pakistan Army, was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Military Alliance — an announcement which raised many eyebrows and debate within and outside the country. In February 2018, the Pakistan army sent a contingent of troops to help secure the borders of Saudi Arabia. Despite Khan‘s party being a key reason why troops were not sent to Yemen in 2015, he has followed the official Pakistani narrative and spoken out against the Houthis, stating that Pakistan ―always stands by Saudi Arabia.‖ The Saudi-Pakistani relationship has not always been even-handed — the tilt being in favor of the Saudis, which is understandable when one party is on the receiving end of aid. The Saudis have always treated Pakistan with an air of contempt. This can be showcased in the statement made by the current Saudi Foreign Minister Adel el Jubeir, when he stated that that Saudi Arabia is not just an observer but an actual participant in Pakistani affairs. Can Khan can do anything different from his predecessors? First, it would be good for Khan to focus on alleviating the sufferings of the Pakistani expat community in Saudi Arabia. Except for addressing workers in Jeddah during this trip, no mention of this issue was made during any of the meetings. However, on the same day, almost 100 Pakistani men were deported from Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the question of indiscriminate beheadings by Saudi Arabia also needs to be addressed. Second, despite all the bold statements in favor of Iran, Khan has still managed to keep up the ―Saudi First‖ approach of his predecessors. Thus, he is in a good position to convince Riyadh that it does not have to be an ―either/or‖ relationship with Iran. What will Khan do and where will Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relations go from here? Only time will tell. The issues remain the same. The question is whether the new government will be able to put these issues on the table and whether on at least humanitarian grounds Khan will be able to deliver. Arhama Siddiqa is a research fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad, Pakistan. https://thediplomat.com/2018/09/pakistan-saudi-arabia-relations-in-the-khan-era/
No rice shipment held at Kenya port By News Desk
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Published: September 25, 2018
No rice shipment held at Kenya port
No rice shipment held at Kenya airport. PHOTO:FILE The Ministry of Commerce and Textile (Commerce Division), while clarifying a news story titled ‗600 rice containers from Pakistan held up at Kenyan port‘, has said that the quality of Pakistani rice is world acclaimed and the country supplies more than 4 million tons to nearly 100 countries. Pakistan has a state-of-the-art rice milling and processing industry which meets health and safety requirements of even the most stringent markets like Europe and the US, it said. ―It is true that the clearance of shipments of many food products eg sugar, edible oil and rice at Kenyan ports have recently slowed down, after a few shipments from other countries did not meet the health and safety standards. Therefore, the clearance of shipments at Kenyan ports has been made stringent and additional sampling/testing is being done irrespective of the country of origin,‖ it said. The ministry denied any shipment from Pakistan had been held at the port for failing to meet the food safety standards of Kenya. https://tribune.com.pk/story/1810634/2-no-rice-shipment-held-kenya-port/
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