2nd may,2017 daily global,regional,local rice e newsletter

1 Daily Rice e-Newsletter Global,Regional & Local Rice News

Daily Rice E-Newsletter Global,Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

April 11,2016

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May 02,2017 Vol 8 , Issuu Vol 7,Issue IV V

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Rice News Headlines...  ‫اثلے چبولوں کب ایک پیبلہ کوکبکوال کی کتنی ثوتلوں کے ثراثر ہوتب ہے؟ جواة جبن‬ ‫کر آپ کے واقعی ہوظ اُڑ جبئیں گے‬  Dartmouth scientists launch website to educate about arsenic  Government to cut rice production cost by 41%  Rice price situation  Agriculture ministry to create 80,000 hectares of new rice fields  Strengthen local rice production  Export Summary-South Korea buys corn, Taiwan tenders for corn  Once an International Aid Recipient, South Korea Becomes Rice Donor  Forces against Nigeria’s rice revolution  Farmers told to stop drying crops on roads  How to curry flavour! Pilau rice  Millers shun rice crisis loan fund

News Detail... ‫اثلے چبولوں کب ایک پیبلہ کوکبکوال کی کتنی ثوتلوں کے‬ ‫ثراثر ہوتب ہے؟ جواة جبن کر آپ کے واقعی ہوظ اُڑ جبئیں‬ ‫گے‬ 30 02:71( 7102 ‫)اپریل‬

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‫‪3 Daily Rice e-Newsletter‬‬ ‫‪Global,Regional & Local Rice News‬‬

‫اگر آپ چبول کھبنے کے شوقین ہیں تو آپ کے لئے ثری خجر یہ ہے کہ اش کی وجہ )لندن(نیوزڈیسک‬ ‫ضے آپ کے جطم کو ثہت زیبدہ نشبضتے کی مقدار مل رہی ہے جو کہ آپ کے لئے خطرنبک ہے۔‬

‫ایشیبئی ثبشندوں کے ثبرے میں کہبجبتب ہے کہ ان میں ذیبثیطص کی شرح زیبدہ ہے جص‬ ‫کی وجہ جہبں دیگر عبدات ہیں وہیں چبول کھبنب ثھی ہے۔ مبہرین صحت کب کہنب ہے کہ‬ ‫چبول انطبن کے لئے اش قدر خطرنبک ہیں کہ ان کی وجہ ضے انطبن کب شوگر لیول اش‬ ‫قدر ثڑھ جبتب ہے کہ اضے ذیبثیطص ثھی الحق ہوضکتی ہے۔‬ ‫ہیلتھ پروڈکشن ثورڈ کے چیف ایگسیکٹیو زی یونگ کینگ کب کہنب ہے کہ اگر روزانہ چبول‬ ‫کھبئے جبئیں توذیبثیطص ہونے کب امکبن‪11‬فیصد ثڑھ جبتب ہے۔ہبورڈ ضکول آف پجلک ہیلتھ‬ ‫کی جبنت ضے کی گئی تحقیق میں ثتبیب گیب ہے کہ چبولوں کے ثبرے میں خیبل کیب جبتب ہے‬ ‫کہ یہ زیبدہ نقصبن دہ نہیں‪،‬حبالنکہ یہ ثہت ہی خطرنبک ہوتے ہیں۔ تحقیق میں یہ ثتبیب گیب‬ ‫ہے کہ ایک چبولوں کے پیبلے میں اتنی کبرثوہبئیڈریٹص ہوتی ہے جتنی کوکبکوال کے ایک‬ ‫کین میں۔جت یہ کبرثس چینی میں تجدیل ہوتی ہیں تویہ فوری خون میں شبمل ہوکرجطم میں‬ ‫‪www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com‬‬ ‫‪0321 3692 874‬‬

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‫داخل ہوجبتی ہے۔اش کی وجہ ضے جطم میں چینی کی مقدار نبرمل حد ضے زیبدہ ہوجبتی‬ ‫ہے ۔روزانہ چبول کھبنے ضے گردوں کونقصبن پہنچتب ہے اور یہبں ضے ذیبثیطص الحق‬ ‫ہونے کب آغبز ہوتب ہے۔ اگر آپ ذیبثیطص کے خطرے ضے ثچنب چبہتے ہیں تو چبولوں کی‬ ‫مقدار کم کردیں اور روزانہ کی ثجبئے ہفتے میں ایک ثبر چبول کھبئیں۔‬ http://dailypakistan.com.pk/education-and-health/01-May-2017/569165

Dartmouth scientists launch website to educate about arsenic

By MEGHAN PIERCE Union Leader Correspondent

HANOVER — A Dartmouth College research program wants to get the word out about arsenic.

The Dartmouth Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program is celebrating the launch of its new website focused on arsenic.

The website provides comprehensive information for the public about arsenic in water and in food, as well as from other sources such as pressure-treated wood and smoking.

“We just wanted to have a central clearinghouse for that information,” Celia Chen, one of the researchers in the program, said Tuesday.

The website is the fruit of years of talks with New Hampshire and New England stakeholders all working to reduce arsenic exposure and consumption.

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has been a big partner in this work, Chen said.

The Dartmouth scientists have been working on the issue of arsenic for 22 years, Chen said.

“We’ve been working on arsenic as an area of research and outreach for that long,” Chen said.

Arsenic in New Hampshire soil and water and exposure through New Hampshire drilled wells was the genesis of the program’s research, she said.

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“People have been very much aware of the water sources, but now it’s becoming broader than that,” Chen said.

Arsenic found in rice has been a growing concern especially in the wake of so many people adopting gluten-free or low-fat diets that increase rice consumption.

While growing, rice takes in arsenic from the soil and water.

The Dartmouth website has a breakdown of the levels of arsenic found in rice based on the brand and where it is grown.

Rice grown in the South for instance tends to have higher levels of arsenic, Chen said, because a pesticide once used on cotton fields had arsenic in it.

The arsenic in New Hampshire soil that affects well water is naturally occurring, she said.

The website also has a map of New Hampshire showing where arsenic levels are higher, but the website was created to be a resource for people across the country, Chen said.

The new website can be found at www.dartmouth.edu/~arsenicandyou/index.html. mpierce@newstote.com

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20170501/NEWS12/170509981/1/mobile?template=mobileart

Government to cut rice production cost by 41%

By Jasper Y. Arcalas MAY 1, 2017

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In Photo: A farmer in Palawan cultivates his rice farm with the help of his carabao.The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is targeting to reduce the cost producing paddy rice in the country by 41 percent to P7 per kilogram by 2022, from the current P12 per kg.

Under its recently approved 2017-2022 Strategic Plan, PhilRice Acting Executive Director Sailila Abdula said the attached agency of the Department of Agriculture will capitalize on research and development (R&D) to cut production cost.

“PhilRice believes that the most sustainable pathway to realizing rice security is to domestically produce sufficient rice at a competitive cost,” Abdula said in a statement.

To bring down the cost of the country’s staple, PhilRice said it will use technologies that would lower labor intensity, investments costs, accessibility and efficiency of inputs used by farmers.

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PhilRice added that it will also address water scarcity in rice farms and will develop “user” and “environment-friendly” tools and programs that would teach farmers on management of pests, fertilizer and soil.

“There is an urgent need to improve the competitiveness of Filipino farmers by boosting their productivity and reducing costs to pre-Asean integration levels,” said Flordeliza H. Bordey, PhilRice acting deputy executive director for development.

PhilRice said it is also eyeing to increase average rice yield per hectare by 1 metric ton (MT) for irrigated lands and a minimum of 0.5 MT for rainfed areas through the development of new high-yielding rice seed varieties.

“It will narrow the gap between experimental and on-farm yields by increasing the attainable yields of varieties with improved resistance to many stresses. The institute will particularly support varietal improvement through the acquisition, preservation, characterization, evaluation, documentation and distribution of genetic resources,” the agency said.

PhilRice said it will conduct research on how to reduce the post-production losses of farmers to 10 percent, from the current 16 percent in six years.

“Efficient postproduction, better product quality, and reliable supply and distribution system will optimize rice trade.”

“The institute will help reduce postproduction losses incurred in harvesting, piling, hauling, threshing, drying and milling from 16 percent to 10 percent. It will work harder to increase milling recovery to the ideal 65 [percent] to 70 percent through improved milling machines,” the agency added.

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PhilRice said it will promote the use of machines to reduce labor cost, which accounts for 35 percent to 40 percent of expenses incurred by rice farmers.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that Filipino rice farmers spend at least P47,470 per hectare to produce the staple. Planting capital paid with cash accounted for 44.5 percent of the farmer’s expenditure.

Farmers’ cash cost is pegged at P21,167 with labor costs accounting for at least 40 percent of the total financial expenditure. A Filipino rice farmer spends at least P8,632 for hired labor.PSA data also showed that the current average palay yield is at 4 MT/hectare. http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/government-to-cut-rice-production-cost-by-41/

Rice price situation The increase in duty on rice import was put into effect with the objective of helping the farmers who did not get fair price for their produce in recent years. But allegation has it the duty hike has proved to be a boon, not to the farmers to any substantial extent but considerably much to the unscrupulous section of rice millers.

The rice price situation that has entered an uncomfortable zone lately, after about a decade, calls for some policy intervention on the part of the government. The prices of the main staple have been in an upward curve for the last couple of months, notwithstanding the fact that the last Aman output was quite satisfactory and the international prices of rice have relatively been stable at a low level. At the very onset of Boro harvest, a couple of unsavoury developments are now being witnessed in the rice market; one is the unabated rise in rice prices---the rice price, on an average, has recorded 24 per cent increase over a period of one year--- and the other is wholesalers' stocks are now largely depleted because of low level of replenishment.

Boro output has already overtaken that of Aman, making available the largest quantity to the country's food stock. Barring the production affected by flash floods in haor areas, the overall production of Boro this year is expected to be satisfactory. Yet the increase in rice prices at this point of time does point to something ominous. The price of coarse varieties ranges now between Tk. 42 and Tk. 43 a kilogramme while that of fine variety between Tk.54 and Tk 60 a kg. The price increase of rice, as part of the money spent on daily necessities, does not mean that much for the middle and upper class people. But it really hurts the poor and lower-income groups since rice constitutes the major part of their daily food basket.

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The decision to double the duty on import of rice in the budget for the current fiscal year (FY) is thought to be largely responsible for the current instability in the market. Private import of the main staple declined notably following the duty hike. However, the allegation of market manipulation by a section of rice millers cannot be dismissed outright. The increase in duty on rice import was put into effect with the objective of helping the farmers who did not get fair price for their produce in recent years. But allegation has it the duty hike has proved to be a boon, not to the farmers to any substantial extent but considerably much to the unscrupulous section of rice millers.

The government's market intervention mechanism needs to be strengthened under the prevailing circumstances. The open market sale (OMS) of rice and 'atta' has been going on for many months in some cities and towns. But, OMS shops/trucks have lately been failing to deliver rice to the poor people in right quantities for reasons best known to the authorities. The government's food stock at the moment is reported to be not sufficient enough to meet any major demand-supply gap. The stock position is unlikely to improve much either by the procurement of Boro because of gross mismatch between the price set by the government and the market-driven one. The policymakers should now think of lowering the duty on rice to help encourage its import by both private and public agencies. This is necessary to cool off an otherwise-over-heated domestic rice market http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2017/04/29/68548/Rice-price-situation

Agriculture ministry to create 80,000 hectares of new rice fields News Desk The Jakarta Post Jakarta | Fri, April 28, 2017 | 07:00 am Farmers plant rice in Jatiluwih, Tabanan, Bali. (JP/Agung Parameswara ) The Agriculture Ministry has expressed its optimism that it is able to create some 80,000 hectares of new rice fields this year as targeted by the government as part of the country’s food security program.The Ministry’s agricultural infrastructure director general Pending Dadih Permana said the new rice fields would be created outside Java.

“Many plots of land have not been developed [by the owners]. We will help them convert the land into rice fields. We will prioritize owners who are ready to cultivate their land,” said Pending during a hearing with members of the House of Representatives’ Commission IV overseeing agriculture affairs.

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Last year, the ministry created 129, 096 hectares of new rice fields in 27 provinces, slightly lower than the target of 132,167 hectares.

Those rice fields were created in West Kalimantan (16,905 hectares), Central Kalimantan (16,550 hectares), Lampung (11,874 hectares), West Nusa Tenggara (11,537 hectares) and South Sumatra (11.475 hectares).

Before the rice fields are created, initial work, including investigations and design surveys, will be carried out in the areas to be used.

Additional work includes the flattening of land and the construction of rice field paths, as well as the development of roads and irrigation infrastructure.

Rice field construction has also required the involvement of Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel. (bbn) http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/04/28/agriculture-ministry-to-create-80000-hectaresof-new-rice-fields.html

Strengthen local rice production 12:04 AM May 01, 2017 The article “Duterte: I have final say on rice imports” (News, 4/11/17) reported that the President fired Agriculture Undersecretary Maia Chiara Valdez who approved the order to extend rice importation without the authority to do such thing.Mr. Duterte’s firm action signals that he is

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serious in promoting domestic rice production instead of relying on importation which only benefits businessmen.

For an agricultural country like the Philippines, the need to import rice underscores a fundamental problem—a rice crisis fueled by various factors such as landlessness, high cost of inputs, lack of support services, land-use conversion, and liberalization of the agriculture sector.

Mr. Duterte should not only sack corrupt officials; he should also implement a genuine Rice SelfSufficiency Program (RSSP) so that there would be no need to import rice from other countries. In order to implement a genuine RSSP, the Philippine Network of Food Security Programmes (PNFSP) recommends that the President veer away from policies that promote the use of petrochemical farm inputs and high-yielding seed varieties, such as his earlier plan to revive Ferdinand Marcos’ Masagana 99 does.

Instead, the government must implement pro-farmer policies such as sustainable agriculture that eliminates dependence on expensive chemical pesticides and fertilizers that destroy the soil’s fertility. And appropriate technology for pre- and post-harvest facilities must be made accessible to the rural communities in order to improve and increase the country’s total rice production.

Also, the conversion of agricultural lands into commercial uses must be immediately stopped.

PNFSP urges the President to immediately sign an executive order imposing a two-year moratorium on land-use conversion.

In addition, the Quantitative Restrictions on Rice which expires on June 30, 2017, should be extended. Without it, the local market will be flooded with cheaper imported rice and essentially destroy the livelihood of Filipino farmers. Although proponents of free trade argue that consumers will benefit from the reduced rice prices, in the long run the country’s food insecurity will worsen especially if, for example, the exporting countries suddenly decide to stop their exportation during times of natural calamities.

Lastly, the National Food Authority must be empowered into doing its mandate of palay procurement from farmers to ensure availability of affordable rice for the poor without having to rely on cheap imported rice.

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PNFSP hopes that the President will remain sincere about protecting the local farmers and the agriculture sector to ensure a strong and stable domestic rice production, so that there would be no more need to import rice.

SHARLENE LOPEZ, executive director, Philippine Network of Food Security Programmes

https://opinion.inquirer.net/103611/strengthen-local-rice-production

Export Summary-South Korea buys corn, Taiwan tenders for corn Reuters | Apr 25, 2017, 02.51 AM IST April 24 (Reuters) - Snapshot of the global export markets for grains, oilseeds and edible oils as reported by government and private sources as of end of business on Monday: CORN PURCHASE: South Korea's Feed Leaders Committee (FLC) purchased about 65,000 tonnes of corn to be sourced from optional origins in a deal late last week, European traders said.

FEED WHEAT PURCHASE: Malaysian interests have in past days purchased an unknown volume of feed wheat from Moldova in east Europe for May shipment in containers, European traders said on Monday.

CORN TENDER: Taiwan's MFIG purchasing group has issued an international tender to buy 40,000 to 65,000 tonnes of corn which can be sourced from the United States, Argentina, Brazil or South Africa, European traders said. The tender closes on April 26, they said. Shipment is sought in July.

DURUM TENDER: Algeria's state grains agency OAIC has issued an international tender to purchase a nominal 50,000 tonnes of durum wheat, European traders said. The tender closes on April 26, they said. Shipment was sought in the first and second half of June. Volumes in Algeria's tenders are nominal and the country frequently purchases more than the volumes initially sought.

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FEED GRAIN TENDER: A group of Israeli private buyers has issued international tenders to purchase up to 100,000 tonnes of corn, 45,000 tonnes of feed wheat and 30,000 tonnes of feed barley all to be sourced from optional origins, European traders said. The tenders close on April 26, traders said.

PENDING TENDERS: WHEAT TENDER UPDATE: The lowest price offer in a tender from Iraq's state grains board for at least 50,000 tonnes of hard wheat was from Russia, an origin not permitted under the tender terms, European traders said. The tender had requested wheat sourced only from the United States, Canada or Australia, they said. No purchase was believed to have been made and negotiations continue.

RICE TENDER: Iran's state grains buyer GTC issued tenders to buy at least 65,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand and India, signaling a return to seeking international bids after the easing of sanctions, European traders said. Traders said Iran had largely purchased rice through lengthy direct negotiations before the relaxation of Western sanctions, which were imposed over the nation's nuclear program. The new tenders, with a closing date of April 18, sought 50,000 tonnes from Thailand and 15,000 tonnes from India for May shipment.

CORN TENDER: Turkey's state grain agency TMO has issued an international tender to purchase and import up to 44,000 tonnes of animal feed corn to be sourced from the European Union and Moldova. The tender closes on April 25, with offers having to remain valid until April 26.

WHEAT AND CORN TENDER UPDATE: A Libyan state grain buying agency again delayed the offer deadline in an international tender to purchase 100,000 tonnes of milling wheat, 50,000 tonnes of durum wheat and 75,000 tonnes of yellow corn, this time until May 9, European traders said. The tenders were originally issued in February but have been repeatedly postponed.

Shipment of the grains was originally sought in April and May. (Compiled by Karl Plume in Chicago) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/export-summary-south-koreabuys-corn-taiwan-tenders-for-corn/articleshow/58352010.cms

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Once an International Aid Recipient, South Korea Becomes Rice Donor

By Jim Guinn

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA -- For the first time in history, South Korean rice will be sent to Southeast Asian developing countries through an international food aid program. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, it is the first time any of the government-run rice stockpile will have been donated to a third country through an international framework.

South Korea is the only country in the world to have become a donor country after being a recipient of United Nations aid in half a century.

Last month a panel of the ASEAN+3 Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) approved South Korea's plan to offer 750 tons of rice to the food aid program. Launched in 2013 by 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), plus South Korea, Japan, and China, APTERR is aimed at safeguarding the region's food security in case of emergencies.

Out of the 750 tons of donated South Korean rice, 500 tons will go to Myanmar and 250 tons to Cambodia sometime this month. Both Myanmar and Cambodia are net exporters of rice, mostly

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long grain and jasmine rice.

The APTERR participation is also part of the Seoul government's plan to deal with a chronic oversupply of rice in the country stemming from a sharp drop in rice consumption. Some 300,000 tons of rice remained in excess last year, as the 4.2 million ton supply outpaced the 3.9 million tons consumed, and the oversupply situation will likely remain at 200,000 tons in 2017.

"Under the terms of accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), South Korea is required to import 408,700 metric tons of rice annually and imports from the U.S. have averaged around 46.5 percent of this total in the last five years," said Hugh Maginnis, USA Rice vice president of international. "The South Korean government has taken a number of measures in recent years in an attempt to reduce rice production, increase rice consumption, and bring supply and demand into better balance. This food aid initiative is just the latest effort in this regard."

USA Rice

Forces against Nigeria’s rice revolution Posted By: DANIEL ESSIET On: May 1, 2017 In: Issues

Despite consuming about seven million metric tons (MT) of rice yearly, Nigeria produces a

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meagre 2.7 million MT. This leaves a supply gap of 4.3 million MT to imports, which cost the Federal Government an estimated N360 billion yearly. This figure is expected to rise as consumption is projected to hit 35 million MT due to population growth. Sadly, Nigeria’s quest for self-sufficiency in rice production has continued to be hampered by issues around quality, price instability, and harvesting/processing challenges, among others. DANIEL ESSIET examines the forces against Nigeria’s rice revolution.

With 45, 000 hectares of rice farm, the Chief Executive, T.W. Heritage, owners of Kereksuk Rice Farm in Nassarawa State, Mr. Rotimi Williams, is contributing his quota to the Federal Government’s target of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production and consumption. His farm produces about 8, 000 metric tonnes of rice paddy yearly, which he sells to major milling firms across the country.

However, Williams’ investment and his inroad into the rice sector are still considered a drop in the ocean in Nigeria’s quest for self-sufficiency in rice. This is not his making, but the barrage of unresolved issues and challenges facing him and indeed, other local investors in the rice value chain, which has continued to hamper the nation’s target of self-sufficiency in rice.

Nigeria consumes about seven million Metric Tons (MT) of rice yearly. The country produces 2.7 million MT, leaving a supply gap of 4.3 million MT to imports, which cost the Federal Government an estimated N360 billion yearly.

Experts fear that this figure will rise as rice consumption is projected to hit 35 million MT by 2050, due to population growth. This was why the government came up with the target to achieve self-sufficiency in rice by 2017. However, five months into the target year to end rice importation, there are no visible signs on the horizon that this will be achieved.

Williams and other operators in the rice sub-sector, who spoke with The Nation said issues around quality, price instability, and harvesting/processing challenges, among others, remain the

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clog in the wheel. They argued that until and unless these issues are resolved Nigeria’s dream of achieving the feat will not be realised.

Williams put the problems in perspective when he lamented that local rice production remained uncompetitive because of rising cost of input. He said for instance, rice farmers and investors are bugged down by rising cost of inputs such as seed, irrigation water, fertilisers and other assorted chemicals and pesticides, among others.

According to him, rice farmers are contending with high electricity bills and other inputs, which have pushed up cost of domestic rice prices. He said prices of domestic rice have doubled in the last two years despite the ban on rice importation. At present, the price of local rice is higher than imported one. A module of 1.4 Kilogramme (kg) of local rice cost N300, while imported one is N200.

“The quality of our seeds is a contributory factor in the high cost of our locally produced rice.

The resulting yield from these seeds means that the cost at which millers purchase paddy is high, with varying quality and subsequently, the rice recovered after milling is below the global average of 62 per cent,” Williams explained.

Aside poor quality of seed and disincentive to local rice farmers, there are others like land preparation process and inputs for rice farming, which are lot more demanding than most crops.

He pointed out that majority of the rice paddy available for sale to millers are grown by subsistence farmers.

“It is obvious that yields will be a lot less in comparison to the likes of Thailand and India that use full mechanisation process for land preparation. They also use high quality inputs such as fertiliser and high-yielding seeds. We are still playing catch-up with leading rice-producing countries, which makes our produce less competitive,” Williams lamented.

Indeed, experts in the rice sub-sector have said Nigeria lagged far behind other rice-producing

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countries in seed development and per acre yield. They also believed that lack of strict quality control was a major reason why Nigerian rice did not get much positive response in the market as imported ones.

Funding, according to them, constitute an issue. It was learnt that most banks in the country would rather fund acquisition of machinery than rice production. Coupled with the fact that cost of funds are in double digits, most farmers have no access to such funds and those that have struggled to pay up and this, by extension, reflected in the price of rice.

“Given the high cost associated with the actual production of paddy, there is no subsidisation on the cost of paddy to millers, as we see in Thailand. Therefore, this cost is passed on to the final consumer,” Williams said.

Nigeria’s huge infrastructure deficit has not helped matter either. Lack of access roads, which increased transportation cost, has continued to frustrate rice farmers. Also, the nation’s perennial inadequate power supply means that rice millers have to run on diesel-powered generators at huge cost.

The Chairman, Kebbi State Rice Farmers Association, Alhaji Sahabi Augie, lamented that farmers are still battling with high costs of inputs, including seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and diesel, used for running milling machines. He said the situation was responsible for rice not being produced cheaply.

Augie said, for instance, that fuel is sold for N180 per litre around Kebbi State, and he needs to buy it daily to operate irrigation pumps. The same applies to all farmers because they use fuel for irrigation water. He, however, expressed happiness that the price of fertiliser has gone down to N5000 a bag.

At the trading and processing ends of the value chain, The Nation reliably learnt from industry operators that sharp practices capable of undermining government’s set target for rice have been

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going on. For instance, many traders resort to blending and mixing high-quality varieties with low-quality ones in a bid to compete with imported brands.

Some processors are also fingered as being culpable. Some of them in a bid to make quick profits at the detriment of Nigeria’s long-term commercial interest, allegedly process and polish lowquality varieties in a way that makes it difficult for one to differentiate them from the highquality varieties.

Nigeria insignificant in global chart Last year, the global production of paddy rice was estimated at 749.8 million MT, translating to about 499.9 million MT of milled rice, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). This volume was produced mostly in the Asian countries.

Nigeria is the largest consumer and producer of rice in Africa. According to Rice Authority, a Philippine online platform for global rice importers and exporters, Nigeria imports about 1.4 million tonnes (4.8 per cent of global rice imports).

Between 2012 and 2015, Nigeria spent over N474 billion on rice importation, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Right now, major states producing Nigerian local rice include Kebbi, Sokoto, Ondo, Abia, Delta, Kogi, Benue, Kano, Niger, Kaduna, Taraba, Adamawa, Kwara, Ebonyi, Cross River, Bayelsa, Borno, Enugu, Ekiti and Ogun.

Experts said Nigeria has high potential for irrigated rice development with vast but untapped potentials in the flood planes of river Niger, Benue, Cross River, Kaduna-Karadawa SokotoRiver, Gongola, Chad Basin, Ogun, Osun, Imo, Anambra and Benin-Owena River Basins, totaling about 1.4 million hectares.

They note that maintaining a favourable rice supply-demand balance in the future depends

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largely on the exploitation of the production capacity of the rainfed systems in the Southern part of the country.

Government’s interventions When President Muhammadu Buhari launched the pilot phase of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) in late 2015, it was seen by many operators and stakeholders as an indication that the government was determined to turn things around in the rice sub-sector.

The programme, which mainly targets small-holder subsistence farmers with a view to helping them scale their businesses to commercial level, encourages farmers across the country to become rice growers on at least one hectare of land each. It also targets millers with the aim of increasing their capacity utilisation.

At the launch of ABP, President Buhari said Nigeria was spending not less than one trillion naira on the importation of food items that could have been produced locally, a situation the CBN said was contributing “greatly to the depletion of the nation’s foreign reserves, especially in the face of low oil revenue resulting from falling oil prices.”

This was why the CBN said it had decided to shift from merely concentrating on price, monetary, and financial system stability to acting as a financial catalyst in specific sectors of the economy, particularly agriculture, in an effort to create jobs on a mass scale, improve local food production and conserve scarce foreign reserves through the ABP. The implementation of the programme involves the CBN, Bank of Agriculture, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation, State Governments, integrated millers and farmers.

The Nation learnt that the programme may have started yielding result. For instance, President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Alhaji Aminu Goronyo, said the price of rice may drop to N6, 000 in the next six months, following the ABP intervention.

He told The Nation that in some northern states, paddies now go for as low as N10, 000.

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Goronyo said the demand and consumption of locally produced rice has increased tremendously in recent time, just as farmers are smiling to the bank as a result of the patronage they are enjoying.

According to him, there has been increased productivity in the north as more farmers have keyed into the CBN’s Anchor Borrowers Programme. He also said his association was mobilising rice farmers to take advantage of the CBN window nationwide to get involved in rice production. “We are going to assist the Federal Government to produce more than enough rice. It is part of the plan to bring down the price of rice. There are several efforts that we are making to see that in no distant time, the price of rice will come down for Nigerians to have access to affordable milled rice,� Goronyo assured.

The ABP strategy, according to him, entails expansion of areas under rain fed farming and irrigation, reduction of post-harvest losses through mechanisation, improved seed production systems and market development improvement, among others.

Goronyo expressed optimism that price of rice will continue to drop as prices of inputs fall. He said the Association had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with some farm input suppliers in the country to ensure prompt supply of cheap fertilisers and pesticides to boost production.

RIFAN President also pointed out that local rice is now well-processed and cheaper than imported ones, resulting in increased demand.

Augie agreed with Goronyo that the price of rice will crash soon, adding that this will be possible if the government works with the private sector to reduce the cost of production.

Private sector operators wade in The Federal Government through the CBN is not alone in the current efforts to reposition the sector and achieve set target. For instance, Coscharis Farms, which is a 2, 600 hectares rice

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plantation, funded through the ABP, is aimed at boosting food production in the country, especially rice.

The CBN granted Coscharis Farms a N2 billion Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme (CACS) to boost its capacity to produce rice all-year round, which is three harvests in a year.

Coscharis Group Chairman , Mr. Cosmas Maduka, said Coscharis Farms Limited will provide full time employment for about 3, 000 people as well as drive ancillary industrial growth in the state when all the phases of the investment are completed.

He said the farm phase of the business employs over 250 people, adding that the rice mill and irrigation components of the investment for which the CBN has given approval in principle to finance, will significantly enhance the capacity of the business to create more jobs and boost economic activities.

Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) has also thrown its hat in the rice cultivation ring. The indigenous conglomerate has since signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) to invest $1billion (N306 billion) on the establishment of full integrated rice production and processing operations across Nigeria.

Farmland in Edo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, and Niger states, totalling 150,000 hectares, have been penciled down for commercial production of paddy rice. Dangote inaugurated its 8,000-hectare rice out-growers’ scheme in Hadejia, Jigawa State early this year when he distributed rice seedlings to farmers.

The scheme was said to have helped reduce the level of Nigeria’s imports while potentially providing direct and indirect jobs to about 10, 000 Nigerians.

An agri-business Specialist with Agribusiness Supplier Development Programme (ASDP) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Dr. Nelson Abila, said his organisation was working with some development partners to build the capacity of rice stakeholders throughout

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the value chain, from farmers to millers and parboilers.

By helping actors along the value chain add value to rice, Abila said the project is helping raise income, improve rice quality, and expand the market for locally produced rice.

According to him, Nigeria has the potential to become a big rice granary in Africa with advantages of having ample suitable lands and water resources, and good climate.

Similarly, Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) and AfricaRice, in partnership with McGill University, are spearheading an ambitious project on food security in Africa, with a focus on rice post-harvest handling and marketing.

The project involves Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. It seeks to introduce improved harvesting and post-harvest practices and equipment throughout the value chain to achieve high-quality grain.

Most smallholder farmers and processors in Africa’s rice sector are women, who often have fewer rights than their male counterparts to access the vital resources they need to farm, process, and sell. The project, therefore, hopes to ensure that women farmers obtain their fair share of attention in rice Research & Development (R&D).

The project also aims to develop new rice-based products, explore innovative uses of husks and straw, improve the policy environment, and build the capacity of rice stakeholders.

The project envisages that by 2020, post-harvest losses will decline by 10 per cent and this will help increase farmers’ nominal annual income in the eight project countries by about $32 million.

Fertiliser racketeering, subsidy are pains Despite moves to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production, many farmers complain of endemic corruption in the sale and distribution of fertilisers, a critical input for rice farming. This has prevented fertiliser from getting to the right people. Some of the people, who got fertilisers were

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said not to be farmers, but racketeers, who sell them to real farmers at a premium.

Williams was emphatic that “Except farmers get fertiliser at reduced cost, and tractors free of charge, the situation may not change”. He also said it costs so much to produce a bag of rice to make profit when the government floods the market with subsided Lake Rice.

While lamenting, for instance, that he could not sell his rice after the government had flooded the market with lake rice at subsided price of N13, 000, he said it was challenging for him to cultivate over 4, 000 acres of rice farm without the government support.

Williams argued that government’s continued intervention by way of subsidies to bring down the price of rice would not help private investors, who are spending so much to stay in business.

“We are likely to face a major problem if the issue of government intervention to force down the price of rice is not urgently addressed because farmers need to sell the produce, which they have heavily invested in,” he said.

According to him, rice farmers depend on income from their produce to take care of their families and repay the loans they took from financial institutions.

He advised the government to provide subsidies that are rationalised, adding that interventions that are against market competition will not allow dynamism and equitable participation of industry players.

Post-harvest challenges Although rice, according to experts, grows well in all the six geo-political zones of Nigeria, the demand for polished long grain, stone free and odourless rice by urban dwellers is the reason Nigerians demand imported rice. They noted that at present, locally produced is uncompetitive in the market because it is fraught with stones.

Some foreign large mills, taking advantage of this, would always request for brown rice rather than buy and encourage paddy production by local farmers.

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Nigerian growers also struggled to meet quality standards set by foreign agri-businesses, with consumers complaining of having to extract grit from rice. Local rice, according to consumers, is good, but, the problem is the stones in it. This is why they prefer foreign ones that have no stones.

According to experts, the quantity and quality of locally produced rice have been the areas of concern, especially during post-harvest operations, which usually resulted in huge loses. The qualitative losses come mainly as a result of poor handling after harvesting and poor processing techniques.

Farmers, again, have had thousands of bags of rice locked up in warehouses due to the unavailability of mills to process the commodity, a situation that compelled them to manually process the rice, which invariably do not meet market standards.

Aside denying farmers their primary source of livelihood, the situation is seen as an impediment to government’s quest to motivate rice farmers into boosting local production of the commodity to achieve food security and meet the target.

The Country Manager, Harvest Plus Nigeria, Dr. Paul Ilona, told The Nation that rice production suffered from lack of investment in irrigation development and research. This, he said, had slowed the adoption of high- yielding varieties and improved crop management techniques.

Ilona noted that the quality of the local rice had been a major concern to the future of the rice sector.

Way forward The consensus of rice farmers is that there is the need to mechanise rice farming in the rural areas to increase productivity. Some of them, who spoke with The Nation, said mechanisation remained the key driver for change in the rice sub-sector, as this will not only benefit farmers, but make quality local rice available in the market.

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To Williams, Nigeria will not achieve self -sufficiency in rice in the near future unless the government makes the required huge investment in key areas of the rice value chain. He, therefore, advised the government to prioritise the value chain and place more emphasis on quality seed and actual production than milling.

He said this is because the big millers are more concerned with imports than backward integration. According to him, the quality of rice produce by smallholder farmers still falls below the standard and must be strengthened with quality inputs if government is serious about closing the import gap. http://thenationonlineng.net/forces-nigerias-rice-revolution/

Farmers told to stop drying crops on roads by: Leilani Junio-Philippine News Agency | 28/04/2017

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LAOAG CITY — Despite warning from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), some residents who live near national and village roads still dry their palay or corn crops on the highway.

This harvest season, drying palay and corn along the highway is a common sight in Ilocos province and its neighboring provinces of Ilocos Sur, Cagayan and Isabela.

In the absence of communal solar dryers, some farmers take advantage of the weather to dry their crops along the road.

According to farmers, it is more practical to dry their crops on public roads and sell it right away to passing traders once the crops are dried up.

To avoid road accidents, DPWH officials has reiterated to farmers and traders that they should refrain from drying palay or corn along the highway.

The DPWH has widened a number of major arterial roads nationwide to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic and not to be used as solar dryers for agricultural crops.

For humanitarian reasons, drying of palay or corn during the harvest season has been allowed in previous years, said District Engineer Mathias Malenab of the Ilocos Norte Engineering District II, but such practice is now being discouraged as it poses danger to motorists.

In some parts of the province, farmers and traders even put on barricades on the highways to protect their palay or corn from being overrun by passing vehicles. Leilanie Adriano/PNAnorthboundasia.com

http://northboundasia.com/2017/04/28/farmers-told-stop-drying-crops-roads/#.WQhZqPmGMdU

How to curry flavour! Pilau rice

By Dan Toombs For Weekend

Wouldn't it be great if you could cook the dishes you love at your local Indian restaurant in your own kitchen? Well now you can, with these recipes from The Curry Guy Dan Toombs Pilau rice is one of those dishes I insist on cooking with ghee Pilau rice is one of those dishes I insist on cooking with ghee. I also prefer to steam it, as the flavour of the spices infuses better with the rice.

Serves 4 

370g (13oz) basmati rice



3tbsp whole milk

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

A pinch of saffron threads

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3tbsp ghee

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6 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed

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5cm (2in) piece of cinnamon stick

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1tsp cumin seeds

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1 onion, finely chopped

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1 garlic clove, smashed http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-4455586/How-curry-flavour-Pilaurice.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

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Millers shun rice crisis loan fund Rice millers are giving the government’s emergency fund a miss. KT/Chor Sokunthea

Rice millers have taken up less than a quarter of a $27 million emergency loan fund to stabilise prices of the grain, blaming late disbursement for the poor take up.Following a price crash last year, the government told the Rural Development Bank (RDB) to disburse the loans to millers to buy paddy rice from farmers at 840 riel ($0.21) per kg. The rice was to be stored in warehouses and processed for export.But Kao Thach, chief executive of RDB, said few millers applied for the loans.“Five rice millers asked for loans totalling nearly $5 million,” Mr. Thach said.

He said a drop in world rice prices could have put millers off buying rice, despite having sufficient capital.“Some rice millers didn’t want to take the risk of buying rice for stocks,” he said.

Of the five millers who borrowed money, all but one has repaid the RDB. The annual interest rate is 7 percent.Mr. Thach said he was unsure if the loans would continue to be available.

“It depends on the government,” he said. “If the government allows us, we could broaden the use of the fund to address other problems.However, there has not been any decision yet. It was designated as an emergency loan for the rice crisis at that time.”Last June, the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) announced that the government had agreed to the $27 million fund to help rice millers purchase paddy from farmers.

Loans were to be made to CRF through the RDB, with the foundation acting as guarantor.The CRF in turn would screen applicants and hand money to deserving rice millers, who were reeling after a severe drought and facing stiff competition from low-grade rice flowing into the country from Vietnam.Cambodia’s milled rice exports only grew by 0.7 percent last year compared with 2015 http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/37927/millers-shun-rice-crisis-loan-fund/

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