7th december,2015 daily global regional,local rice e_newsletter by riceplus magazine

8/20/2019 7th December,2015 Daily Global Regional,Local Rice E_Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

1 | w w w . r i c e p l u s s . c o m , w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o s g s p o t . c o m

December 07, 2015 Vol 5 Iss

www.ricepluss.com [email protected] 92 321 36


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Rice News Headlines...

Slump in Basmati Rice Exports Causing Problems for Pakistan

Mandatory use of jute bags — making the law effective

WTO Authorizes Retaliation Amounts in COOL Dispute

New Orleans Restaurants Proudly Serve U.S.-Grown Rice; Welcome USA Rice OutlookAttendees

APEDA Commodity Rice NewsCME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures

Do We Really Want GMO Salmon Swimming into the Food Chain? 12/07/2015 Farm Bureau Market Report

The path to rice perfection begins when you start paying attention

Indonesia launches trade, business fair Rice import policy: Appraising the implications for a groaning economy Rice, wheat seized in raids

Rice Exports to Face Rising Competition

Rice farmers fighting debt and loss of land again, group says

News Detail...

Slump in Basmati Rice Exports Causing Problems for

Pakistan

NA DIR CHEEM A 12.07.15

Tearfund

A slump in the export of basmati rice is having a damaging effect on the Pakistani economy. Ithas exacerbated rural poverty with often catastrophic consequences for small farmers. Thecauses of the slump are complex and both national and provincial governments are facingcriticism for a failure to act.Pakistan’s exports of basmati rice have declined by 40% in the pastfour years, from 1.1mn tons in 2011 to 676,630 tons in 2015. As a consequence, the domesticmarket has been overwhelmed by an unmanageable glut, with an accumulated surplus of 1mntons. This has driven down the domestic price of rice by 50%, from Rs4500 per maund (ameasure equal to 40 kilos) in 2012 to Rs2200 per maund in 2015. If the surplus is not reduced,there are fears of a further collapse in domestic prices, which would deter farmers from growing basmati.

In Pakistan basmati has traditionally been an export crop. In recent times, 60% of the total annual production of 2mn tons produce has been sold abroad, generating around $2bn for the nationaleconomy, boosting foreign currency reserves and contributing a healthy balance of payment(BoP). The basmati trade has played a major role in the alleviation of rural poverty, so much sothat the rice crop is seen as too important to be left to the mercy of market forces.In previousyears, the Pakistani government gave the task of removing the glut from the domestic market tothe Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Supplies Corporation (Passco) and to the Trading

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Corporation of Pakistan (TCP). It seems, however, that neither organization is now fulfilling thisrole, and the national government has been accused of neglecting its duty to regulate the market, both in terms of inputs and export of the produce. The responsible departments of the federalgovernment, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Ministry ofCommerce, have failed to act, as has the provincial government agriculture department of

Punjab, to which responsibility for agriculture was devolved under the 18th constitutionalamendment.

In the same period that Pakistani basmati exports declined by 40%, Indian exports increased by50%. The export figures for India rose from 2.37mn tons in 2011 to 3.45mn tons in 2013, anincrease of 1.2mn tons that is estimated to include 400,000 tons of exports won from Pakistanthrough competitive advantage. The fact that India added a further 800,000 to its exports clearlydisproves any argument that basmati is losing its appeal in the international market.

One of the main reasons for Pakistan’s loss of international competitiveness is the low yieldrates, which have been stagnant at 25-30 maunds per acre. The variety of seed used in Pakistanwas developed in the mid-1990s and is now susceptible to pests and diseases that decrease theyield. This has reduced economies of scale, pushed up production costs and made the export of

Pakistani basmati uncompetitive. The research institutes (Pakistan Agriculture ResearchCorporation, National Agriculture Research Corporation and Rice Research Institute) have so farfailed to develop a new variety of seed that would increase yields.

Electricity shortages have also increased the cost of production because some rice mills areoperating at only half their capacity, and gas shortages make the drying process longer. Thedeterioration in law and order in Karachi, the major port city, has increased the cost of shipping


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and hindered exports. Transporters have been targeted by criminal gangs who demand protectionmoney for every container and sometimes hijack transport vehicles.

The Rice Export Association of Pakistan (REAP) is seen as focusing on maximizing short-term profits, rather than investing in the development of exports. The Indian private sector, by

contrast, has made long-term investments not only in retail brand development, with aggressivemarketing for exports, but also in research and development of new seed. Two of its recentlydeveloped seed varieties, which have increased production and exports, were produced by theindustry. In contrast, Pakistan’s exporters are more interested in maximizing short-term profitsand one way of doing this has been to dump basmati rice in countries at the lower end of themarket. The rice is then often snapped up at a low cost by other nations, particularly India, thusstrengthening their retail brand.

Farmer displaced by flooding in Jacobabad, Pakistan. (Russell Watkins)

Dumping rice in the international market results in a low price for exports, while the domestic price of rice is high because of the high cost of production and low yields. Exporters anddomestic traders have been accused of ensuring cheap supplies for export by manipulating themarket and engineering a domestic market crash. In 2008 the government tried to impose aminimum export price (MEP), but within four months it had bowed to pressure from theexporters and abolished the MEP. India, by contrast, has kept its MEP and has seen exportsdouble between 2007-2010, from 1.2mn to 2.4mn tons.


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http://www.internationalpolicydigest.org/2015/12/07/slump-in-basmati-rice-exports-causing-problems-

for-pakistan/

Mandatory use of jute bags — making the law effective

Syed Jamaluddin

Published : 07 Dec 2015, 22:21:28

A law was passed long ago making use of jute bags compulsory. It was also amended later. The

government has recently taken a firm decision to implement the law. It has banned export of raw

jute. Use of jute bags for paddy, rice, wheat, maize, fertiliser and sugar have been made binding.

Licenses of those who are not following the government instructions will be cancelled. They will

also not be given bank loans. Mobile courts have been activated from November 30. Publicity

campaigns have been geared up. Businessmen and entrepreneurs have been alarmed because of

the government's decisions.The law was passed in 2010 to compel businessmen to use jute bags.This law was partly amended in 2013. But its implementation did not proceed due to various

reasons. A number of ministries recently held consultations to decide the course of action for

effective implementation of the law.

The government has taken a number of decisions in this regard. The decisions include ban on

production of plastic bags for packaging of the selected items, imposition of a condition for using

jute bags for rice and husking mills at the time of giving licence and mandatory use of jute bags

by producers and suppliers of six items at the time of giving bank loans and so on.Several

ministries will work together for making the campaign successful. The ministry of commerce has

informed that licences of the organisations under their control will be cancelled if they do not use jute bags for packaging of their products. Letters of credit of those who will import and export

six products but will not use jute bags will be cancelled. Plastic product manufacturers will have

to give an undertaking to the department of environment that they will not produce plastic bags.

Instructions have been issued to rice mill owners and aratdars (stockists) under the ministry of

food in this regard. The ministry of shipping will provide assistance for implementation of the

law in respect of river and land ports and ferry ghats while loading and unloading the products.

The Bangladesh Bank has issued a circular that businessmen dealing with the six products will

not be given loans unless they use jute bags for packaging.

It has been ascertained from businessmen that they spend Tk18/22 for buying a plastic bag.Private sector entrepreneurs offer jute bags at Tk 50 per unit. But they will have to pay Tk 70 per

bag if they procure this from the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC). This will increase

cost for the users. As a result, prices of the six products will increase and the burden will fall on

the consumers.The state minister for textiles and jute has said the government has taken the

initiative in the interest of public health for using jute bags as well as for stopping the use of

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plastic bags which is not environment-friendly. All public sector jute mills are now busy in

producing jute bags. Price of such bags has been reduced by 10 per cent.

This year alone 500 million bags will be needed. But the 22 public sector mills have the capacity

to produce 250 million bags. These jute mills are producing 5,00,000 bags per day, If the jute

bags are successfully used for six products, more products may be brought under the schemegradually.Jute ministry officials are facing obstacles in implementing the Mandatory Packaging

Act. Sixty-two mobile courts are in operation throughout the country. But the six products are

still found in plastic bags in many shops. These are also found in godowns and showcases.

Doubts have been expressed about the effectiveness of the campaign.

Hartals are being observed in many places for stopping the mobile courts in case of jute

packaging for fertiliser transport. The agriculture minister has written a letter to the jute minister

for relaxing the use of jute bags for fertiliser. But the jute minister has said that the Jute

Packaging Act will be implemented at any cost.

The government has now put a ban on export of raw jute for an indefinite period with a view to

ensuring adequate supply of the fibre to local mills for making bags for packaging. The decision

has been taken in the wake of the shortage of jute bags. Most of the rice millers, businessmen

and traders did not use jute bags for packaging essential commodities like paddy, rice, wheat,

maize, fertiliser and sugar on the plea of high prices and non-availability of jute bags.

According to the department of jute, a total of 724 cases were filed by 329 mobile courts

between November 30 and December 01 and Tk 3.39 million was realised as fines during the

period. The millers were in trouble as the government was conducting the drive without ensuring

supply of adequate jute bags. The government should immediately appoint agents in all districtsfor smooth supply of jute bags as the private jute mills are not supplying jute bags at all.

The writer is an economist and columnist.

[email protected]

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2015/12/07/4484

WTO Authorizes Retaliation Amounts in COOL Dispute

WTO Building

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND -- The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced today that

Canada and Mexico can move forward with a combined $1.01 billion in retaliatory tariffs in

response to U.S. noncompliance on Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for muscle cuts of beef

and pork. A WTO arbitration panel said the two countries' previous requests for a combined


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$3.2 billion were too high and instead authorized Canada and Mexico to increase duties on

imports from the United States by $781.77 million and $227.76 million, respectively. Canada

has U.S. rice on its retaliation list; Mexico has not yet published a list.

"The remaining option is to repeal the COOL rule or face retaliation in the form of duties on

U.S. rice exports to Canada and Mexico," said USA Rice COO Bob Cummings. "USA Ricecalls on Congress to repeal the noncompliant provisions of COOL."

Cummings said the U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved repeal of

COOL but the effort has bogged down in the Senate where some favor a voluntary labeling rule,

which both Mexico and Canada have rejected.

Canada's government issued a statement today which said, in part, "If the U.S. Senate does not

take immediate action to repeal COOL for beef and pork, Canada will quickly take steps to

retaliate."The United States has lost several cases over the COOL rule in the WTO's Dispute

Settlement Body (DSB), which has found that COOL discriminates against imports from Canada

and Mexico. The United States has exhausted its WTO appeals. The DSB is expected formally

to authorize Canada and Mexico to retaliate on December 18.

According to Cummings, USA Rice will continue to press for repeal as part of The COOL

Reform Coalition, representing more than 140 companies and associations from a broad

spectrum of industries. The group will also monitor closely actions by Canada and Mexico andwork with importers in those countries so as to minimize any retaliation on rice. Exports to

Mexico ($325 million) and Canada ($185 million) accounted for just over one-quarter of all rice

exports in 2014.


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Contact: Kristen Dayton (703) 236-1464

New Orleans Restaurants Proudly Serve U.S.-Grown Rice;

Welcome USA Rice Outlook Attendees

U.S. Grown Rice Label

NEW ORLEANS, LA- Each year, USA Rice

teams up with restaurants in the host city of the

USA Rice Outlook Conference to promote local

eating establishments that serve U.S.-grown rice.

This year, members can again look forward to an

expansive selection of highly-rated restaurants that

will satisfy every palate and price point. The

seventeen restaurants participating in this year's promotion will display "We Proudly Serve U.S.-

Grown Rice" emblems provided by USA Rice

(pictured). Many restaurants expressed a desire to

keep the emblem up year-round to support U.S.

rice farmers."Our customers appreciate that we use

locally-sourced ingredients," said Robert Gurvich,

a chef at Palace Café that is across the street from the Outlook headquarters hotel.

"Ninety percent of what we use comes from Louisiana and the surrounding states and definitely

the Gulf of Mexico. We have customers who ask where we get our ingredients, and we are proudto tell them about our local ingredients like rice. Ninety percent of the rice we serve here is

popcorn rice and I would say the other t1- percent is Jazzman, a hybrid rice that is produced at

LSU." "It's great to see so many restaurants committed to using locally-sourced ingredients like

rice," said Katie Maher, USA Rice's director of domestic promotion. "We hope that those

attending the USA Rice Outlook Conference will visit these restaurants that are actively

supporting the U.S. rice industry."

Recognized globally for its distinctive cuisine, New Orleans is the hub of the Creole and Cajun

food scene providing patrons with specialty dishes that move rice from a side item to the center

of the plate. Members can look forward to New Orleans classics like jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee, and many more dishes that feature rice as a central

ingredient.For a list of this year's participating restaurants with contact information, meeting

attendees can check their conference guide, or

Contact: Colleen Klemczeski (703) 236-1446


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APEDA Commodity Rice News

International Benchmark PricePrice on: 07-12-2015

Product Benchmark Indicators Name Price

Apricots

1 Turkish No. 2 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t) 4875

2 Turkish No. 4 whole pitted, CIF UK (USD/t) 4375

3 Turkish size 8, CIF UK (USD/t) 3625

Garlic

1 Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 2100

2 Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 2000

3 Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t) 1800

Ginger

1 Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 4600

2 Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 5100

3 Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t) 3000

Source:agra-net For more info

Market Watch

Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 02-12-2015

Domestic Prices Unit Price : Rs per Qty


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Product Market Center Variety Min Price Max Price

Rice

1 Manjeri (Kerala) Other 2800 3800

2 Dhekiajuli (Assam) Fine 2200 2600

3 Samsi (West Bengal) Fine 2790 2820

Wheat

1 Gangavathi (Karnataka) Local 1700 1750

2 Rajkot (Gujarat) Other 1725 2215

3 Katol (Maharashtra) Other 1512 1557

Papaya

1 Aroor (Kerala) Other 2200 2400

2 Muktsar (Punjab) Other 1200 1500

3 Solan (Himachal Pradesh) Other 2500 3000

Brinjal

1 Palayam (Kerala) Other 2500 2900

2 Nagpur (Maharashtra) Other 800 1200

3 Koraput (Orissa) Other 1200 1400

Source:agmarknet.nic.in For more info

Egg Rs per 100 No

Price on 08-12-2015

Product Market Center Price

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1 Pune 412

2 Chittoor 383

3 Hyderabad 374

Source: e2necc.com

Other International PricesUnit Price : US$ per

package

Price on 07-12-2015

Product Market Center Origin Variety Low High

Onions Dry Package: 40 lb cartons

1 Atlanta Peru Yellow 24 26

2 Chicago Nevada Yellow 22 25

3 Dallas California Yellow 22.50 22.50

Cucumbers Package: cartons film wrapped

1 Atlanta Honduras Long Seedless 14 14

2 Dallas California Long Seedless 15.50 16.50

3 Miami Canada Long Seedless 10.50 11

Apples Package: cartons tray pack

1 Atlanta VirginiaRed

Delicious27 28

2 Dallas WashingtonRed

Delicious24 24

3 Philadelphia WashingtonRed

Delicious18 20

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Golden Rice was initially developed by aresearch team led by two scientists, IngoPotrykus and Peter Beyer, of the Swiss FederalInstitute of Technology and Germany’s

University of Freiburg, respectively. Their new

GE rice variety, deep yellow with beta-carotene, an essential vitamin A precursor,represented a significant advance in bioengineering when introduced to the world in2000. The genes necessary for the completesynthesis of a required human nutrient had been inserted into the rice genome, so that this

nutrient was newly available in the edible part of the rice, the endosperm. Golden Rice wasintended to improve human nutrition on a global scale by enhancing a widely used staple crop ofsubsistence with the vitamin A precursor necessary to prevent childhood blindness, one of manynutritional deficiencies still affecting people on our planet. (WHO publishes a Vitamin A

deficiencymap and there are plenty of hunger statistics.)

In April 2015, Potrykus and Beyer received the Patents for Humanity Award from the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office. They had released their intellectual property rights in Golden Ricefor the common good, without profit. Their groundbreaking, bioengineered design of anenhanced staple food used around the world was genuinely humanitarian.

However, from its introduction and to this day, there has been a rejection of Golden Rice at the populace level, a social and cultural pushback: many people of rice-based cultures in Asia do notwant to eat yellow-colored, foreign rice. White is an ancient, traditional rice color thathistorically carries religious significance. For thousands of years rice has fed the many and is

culturally powerful, an inborn meme. In 2013, the destruction of a plot at the International RiceResearch Institute (IRRI) field trial of Golden Rice in the Philippines, by a group of anti-GMOactivists, made headline news. The field ruin was hotly criticized, with many contentions that theanti-GMO side just does not understand the science.

True, not every member of the general public understands and knows how to interpret GMOdata. Yet people in the Philippines also share the belief that one must never destroy a green(growing) rice plant. Some reporters made the point that many native farmers held back from therice field “massacre” and were horrified at the sight. But the farmers’ response to the massacrewas not because Golden Rice in an IRRI field was being destroyed; it was because rice plantswere being decimated, the symbol of life itself.

There was cultural horror in the crowd. Rice is sometimes the only food there is to eat for themillions who live in poverty on our planet, the people for whom Golden Rice was developed. Aconflict of choices remains.For now, I am anti-GMO, even though all food, when properlydigested, is reduced into its components. Proteins become amino acids, long chain carbohydrates become short chain sugars, and precursors like beta-carotene are processed in the human gut to become vitamin A, no matter what the source. I can see why scientists in academia, government

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/132/3/506S.full.pdf+htmlhttp://jn.nutrition.org/content/132/3/506S.full.pdf+htmlhttp://jn.nutrition.org/content/132/3/506S.full.pdf+htmlhttp://www.who.int/vmnis/vitamina/prevalence/mn_vitamina_map_1995.pdf?ua=1,http://www.who.int/vmnis/vitamina/prevalence/mn_vitamina_map_1995.pdf?ua=1,http://www.who.int/vmnis/vitamina/prevalence/mn_vitamina_map_1995.pdf?ua=1,https://www.wfp.org/hunger/statshttps://www.wfp.org/hunger/statshttps://www.wfp.org/hunger/statshttp://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/patents-humanity/2015-award-recipients)http://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/patents-humanity/2015-award-recipients)http://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/patents-humanity/2015-award-recipients)http://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/patents-humanity/2015-award-recipients)http://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/patents-humanity/2015-award-recipients)http://www.uspto.gov/patent/initiatives/patents-humanity/2015-award-recipients)https://www.wfp.org/hunger/statshttp://www.who.int/vmnis/vitamina/prevalence/mn_vitamina_map_1995.pdf?ua=1,http://jn.nutrition.org/content/132/3/506S.full.pdf+html


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and industry may state that GMOs are safe for human consumption. What harm could possiblycome from eating a GMO, when everything we consume is digested? We eat DNA every day,from every once living organism in our diets, from rice to caviar.

The introduction of food allergens is one example of a potential problem with GMO

consumption. Soybeans that have been genetically engineered to contain Brazil nut proteins dotrigger allergic reactions in people with Brazil nut allergies, which is a good reason for labelingGE foods. Do we know what other proteins made from lab-engineered genes may causeallergenic problems, now or in the future? How stable are the genes of GMOs, and what are theirmutation rates, if any? What happens when they get into the wild and cross-breed? Are these possibilities long shots, only remotely possible?

There are a number of other pressing issues around the industrial production of GMOs, yet myintent is not to review all of them, and I direct readershere for more information. One issue I dowish to hone is the potential for gene flow, from engineered to wild, a literal geneticcontamination of the wild genomes of the species from which GMOs are derived, if mating

occurs of any kind between them. Farm-raised Atlantic GMO salmon continue to escape into theocean, and upstream into reproductive proximity of their native, original species. Such gene flowis a form of pollution and must not be allowed. That is because gene pollution will alter ourremaining wild diversity, and we cannot afford to lose any more.

Wild biodiversity cannot be created in a lab. Furthermore, there is not survival withoutit. Ireland’s potato famine is a prime example of the demise of an organism that occurred due togenetic paucity; insufficient gene diversity to code for any effective plant biochemical or otherdefense of the field pathogen. Potato blight killed one million people through starvation anddisease and displaced another million more, all because just one or two potato plants were usedto propagate the whole of Ireland’s crop. That “founder effect,” the propagation of many from a

genetically limited few, put all of the potato plants into a survival bottleneck, a limited gene pool.

There are now only three white rhinos left in the world — this is genetic paucity. Genetic paucityeasily leads to extinction.On planet Earth, in our current era, there is no longer any other way ofconserving biodiversity in all of its forms, genetic, organismal, species, wild population, andespecially human and cultural, without first conserving the diversity and ecology of all habitatsand inhabitants still alive. This means we must stop the loss of wild diversity in nature, in all ofits forms, and prevent further environmental contamination of any kind, not just chemical, butalso genetic. Is this stance idealistic and untenable?

I believe that for all of what we do as individuals, we who live with comfort among the nations,there must now be global thinking in our decisions; we must remember our inextricableconnections to other life on this planet as we make our way in our individual lives. Kofi Ananrecently tweeted: “We are rapidly approaching the tipping point beyond which climate changemay become irreversible."Climate is an integral sustainer of biodiversity. We are at a tipping point. We can’t afford to fail,for we cannot survive without our planet’s climate, or without its biodiversity. There are new

http://web.mit.edu/demoscience/Monsanto/index.html%20fhttp://web.mit.edu/demoscience/Monsanto/index.html%20fhttp://www.livescience.com/52889-nola-northern-white-rhino-dies.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/52889-nola-northern-white-rhino-dies.htmlhttp://www.livescience.com/52889-nola-northern-white-rhino-dies.htmlhttps://twitter.com/KofiAnnan/status/668776031864537088https://twitter.com/KofiAnnan/status/668776031864537088https://twitter.com/KofiAnnan/status/668776031864537088https://twitter.com/KofiAnnan/status/668776031864537088http://www.livescience.com/52889-nola-northern-white-rhino-dies.htmlhttp://web.mit.edu/demoscience/Monsanto/index.html%20f


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voices rising from the general public against GE salmon. Reviewing some of the scientificrebuttal to prior anti-GMO free speech, I have to wonder why so many critics assume anti-GMOscientists are not looking at the data, the statistics, and asking good questions. The new GEsalmon is a “triploid.” Triploid often means an organism has three full sets of chromosomes,

instead of the normal two sets, which is termed “diploid.

” Humans ar e diploid, with 46 total chromosomes, having two complementary sets of 23chromosomes each. Triploid for humans would mean 69 chromosomes total, a genetic disaster.“Polyploidy,” this trait of multiplied sets of chromosomes, is rarely found in animals, althoughthere are a few known species of beetles in which it occurs. The more widespread rule foranimals is that multiples over normal numbers of chromosomes lead to serious problems. Inhumans, to make another comparison, even a single excess chromosome or portion thereof cancause anomalies, like “trisomy 21,” which is the term for three copies of chromosome 21, and

the genetic cause of Down syndrome.

The commercial GE salmon now approved is likely to be triploid only in its X chromosome,

rather than its full genome. This triple X genetic trait, which confers sterility, has beencommonly reported in the scientific literature. Obviously, the details may be proprietary; notethat sterility of this nature may not be absolute.Under the conditions of modern ocean farming, where brood eggs are allowed to age after killingthe females, diploid Atlantic salmon can undergo the spontaneous development of triploidy. Thishas been scientifically studied and is thought to be caused by the unnatural aging of the eggsunder farming conditions. Triploid salmon also suffer from skeletal abnormalities, so they arefed a diet high in phosphorous to compensate for this lack of fitness.

Thousands of these fish escape from their pens into the sea every year, and scientistsacknowledge that they can interbreed with their wild relatives. What is the rate of wild diploid

Atlantic male salmon fertilization of GMO triploid eggs in Norway? Has this instance ofinterbreeding of GMO and wild been fully evaluated as a reference point? Wild salmon genomeshave been infiltrated with traits from an unfit, triple X organism. Diploids and triploids can mateunder some conditions; mis-division in meiosis could yield another diploid from a triploid, andvice versa, by random mutation.These considerations are apart from other environmental issues of aquaculture, which includeantibiotic resistance, pollution and the exploitation of wild, lower trophic fish for feeding.One suggestion I came across in my research surprised me: the idea that developing countriescould farm low trophic fish, to be used to feed their citizens and to sell, as an income stream, to“more wealthy countries.” These countries, in turn, would use that fish, not for human food, but

as feed for farmed, high trophic fish, so that the wealthy citizens could continue their more

desirable farmed fish diet. Trophic refers to food chain position in the web of life. Chinooksalmon and cod are high trophic; sardines and anchovies are low trophic.

In summation, we know that ocean-farmed Atlantic triploid salmon have congenital skeletalabnormalities, can and do escape their pens, and can breed with their wild relatives. The newFDA-approved GE salmon is an Atlantic triploid with a punch: it also carries an extra gene for


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high trophic, Chinook salmon growth hormone. That growth hormone gene is not authentic tothe original species from which the GMO was derived.

Given the public refusal to accept bovine growth hormone in cow milk, how will (Pacific)Chinook growth hormone in Atlantic salmon be received? And what happens when a land-

locked aquaculture system, as proposed to contain all of the fish and eggs of this big and fastgrowing triploid, fails by any error? We need to understand what set of criteria have been usedfor the decision that GE salmon is safe from a long-term ecological perspective.

For all of the reasons that the industry gives in defense of GE salmon, I see reasons for corporate profit: less cost to feed the fish, quicker growth, and lower shipping expenses. We are being soldthe line that these make the process environmentally friendly. This is a foreign fish with at leastone extra complement of the X chromosome, and which is, truthfully speaking, “Franken." There

is an alteration in the ploidy level which makes triploid salmon essentially a new species, ifreproductive barrier is the touted rule. In addition to malformed skeletons, what other mutationaleffects are there in GE salmon that we will not see in our filets? I am sorry to guess that that

information may be proprietary. And I wonder if the lower farming costs of GE-salmon will be passed on as savings to consumers.In addition to the possibility of contamination in the wild, we already have problems with manyinvasive species, like the damaging Asian carp predators of the Great Lakes, and now, theEurasian ruffle, a small perch and a new, European sourced, fish invader. Perhaps thoseexamples are different and I don’t understand, although I do think that the manner in which anyforeign fish is accidentally introduced into native environments is not the question. What thesefish do in overtaking native species’ habitats, and the potential for damage to diversity of wild

genomes, whether by genetic bottleneck due to habitat loss, population demise or byhybridization, is a conservation problem that was not fully addressed by the FDA decision.

However, the FDA may not be the proper jurisdictional body for considering the long-termgenetic impacts of non-native, engineered food organisms released into our environment. As aconservationist, I ask, who gets fed? I stopped eating salmon a few years ago, when I learned thatfarm-raised fish swim in dirty water and antibiotics.

I also decided not to eat the wild-caught alternative because there are no longer enough wildsalmon to feed the world. Salmon is a very good human food; I have enjoyed it, yet will livewithout for as long as it takes to get fish and fisheries and the humans who rely upon them backinto balance again. I am a fortunate consumer with food on my table, able to choose, hopefullyso that there is more food for everyone, and so that habitats can be conserved, one less fishdinner at a time. It is not a sacrifice for me, but it would be for the indigenous peoples of the

world, whose ties to salmon and sustainable fishing are culturally ingrained, not just a means forliteral survival. Food is a part of culture, a part of diversity, like white rice and its many nativevarieties, preferred by people whose survival has long depended upon it, where it has beencultivated in cross pockets of humanity for thousands of years.

GMO critics abound and I am one of them, but I think we also must provide alternative andsustainable solutions for feeding the masses of people now living on our planet. Everyone should


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be able to eat and to eat with choice. One method to bring balanced diets to the people ofdeveloping countries, a method which has been used successfully in Africa, is agroecology. Thisis an approach to food and farming which balances agriculture with ecological preservation. Theflexibility of agroecology, which allows a custom fit to micro-cultural farming practices, is oneof its great benefits.

(The author Colin Todhunter has more information on this practice.) I live in a rural area of theU.S. where “locally grown” is both a major lifestyle and an economic movement. Sustainablealternatives are out there, and I am fortunately living with some of them.The advent of genetically engineered salmon with fish growth hormone is upon us. Who does notknow that the fishing industry is in trouble? If we all want a plate of salmon for dinner, we reallydo have to farm it. We now produce enough salmon to bag and can for our pets. The new GMOhas been approved and will be disseminated commercially, ever so carefully, to give consumerstime to accept what it is.

Finally, I wonder about the food hopefully being shipped to South Sudan, where a famine is

currently unfolding, and if GE salmon will ever make its way to the overpopulated andunderdeveloped countries in need of essential subsistence. Who will be enjoying GE salmon witha delicate rice pilaf and a lovely glass of wine, while watching world events unfold ontelevision? What is at risk as we feed the few? What is a fair trade?

Part of the “inconvenient truth” is that while comfortable lives have been sustained, too many ofthe people on our planet have lived in stark poverty. We have all seen the photos of childrencollecting water in South America where oil exploration and drilling have ravaged and pollutedtheir indigenous lands, in Africa amidst runoff from gold mines, children who are hungry in somany countries: what are they eating? Is the U.N. there to help? Can I buy my “Holland OrangeBell” pepper, and walk away from the electrically cooled and misted vegetable counter,

assuming the global hunger problem will be solved?

Who gets fed? Many women still carry their cooking water in earthen pots upon their heads. Willthey be offered, for their children’s hunger, salmon over rice? Golden Rice may be an emergency

answer for developing countries, one that was clearly conceived for overall good, yet clashedwith culture. GE salmon, I think, is a wealthy class, fish-for-profit story. Kathy McKeown is a scientist, scholar and writer who specializes in genetics, agriculture,

biodiversity and conservation.http://www.alternet.org/food/do-we-really-want-gmo-salmon-swimming-food-chain

12/07/2015 Farm Bureau Market Report

Rice

High Low

Long Grain Cash Bids - - - - - -

http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2986355/the_tremendous_success_of_agroecology_in_africa.htmlhttp://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2986355/the_tremendous_success_of_agroecology_in_africa.htmlhttp://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2986355/the_tremendous_success_of_agroecology_in_africa.htmlhttp://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2986355/the_tremendous_success_of_agroecology_in_africa.html


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Long Grain New Crop - - - - - -

Futures:ROUGH RICE

High Low Last Change

Jan '16 1120.5 1084.0 1087.5 -30.5

Mar '16 1147.5 1110.5 1114.0 -30.5

May '16 1140.0 1140.0 1143.5 -30.5

Jul '16 1169.0 -31.5

Sep '16 1163.0 -31.5

Nov '16 1164.5 -31.5

Jan '17 1164.5 -31.5

Rice Comment

Rice futures were lower across the board following other commodities lower. The crude oil crash

is impacting commodities across the board. Today's losses in rice open the possibility for another

leg down. There is little support seen for January above the $10.50 level.

The path to rice perfection begins when you start paying

attention

By Joe Yonan Food and Dining Editor December 7 at 7:00 AM

Persian Rice With Black-Eyed Peas and Dill, served with the all-important crusted rice from the bottom of the pot. (Deb Lindsey For The Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/joe-yonanhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/people/joe-yonanhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/people/joe-yonanhttp://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG0B25QDIOZhttp://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG4Q64QSM8dhttp://click.aristotle.net/click.aspx?lid=CG4A64USI9dhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/people/joe-yonan


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When is the last time you thought that much about rice? Sure, you like eating it — who doesn’t?But did you pay a lot of attention to how you cooked it?

“I love rice,” says chef Michael Solomonov. “But when you learn how to cook in fine [Western]restaurants, nobody gives a [expletive] about the rice. Oh, sure, we would cook risotto withtruffles, or whatever, but nobody cared about the basic pot of steamed rice.”Joe Yonan is theFood and Dining editor of The Washington Post and the author of "Eat Your Vegetables: BoldRecipes for the Single Cook." He writes the Food section's Weeknight Vegetarian column.

That changed for Solomonov when he started paying attention to the foods of the Middle East.He was born south of Tel Aviv but has lived in Israel for just a few years; he grew up inPittsburgh. Now, at his acclaimed Philadelphia restaurant Zahav, “we regard the rice as sospecial that we serve it with our Mesibah (party) menu, to give you an idea of just how cool itis,” he writes in his new cookbook, “Zahav.”In Persian cooking, rice is treated with the utmostcare. Solomonov writes about his half-brother-in-law Avi Mor, who grew up in Iran (where “riceis the bright center of the universe”) and began helping his mother cook at age 10. The boy

wasn’t allowed to touch the rice until five years later, once he had proved himself worthy.

“Rice is [expletive] hard, dude,” Solomonov told me on a recent morning in my kitchen as he

showed me two of his favorite ways to prepare it. “It’s 50-50 whether this even comes out,” hesaid, and I couldn’t quite tell if — or how much — he was joking. The way he put it in “Zahav”is this: “Cooking rice is easy. Cooking it perfectly is incredibly difficult.” He considers himself,like Avi, to be on a never-ending quest for perfection.

Chef Michael Solomonov: “The feeling of exhilaration when I nail a batch of rice rivals almostany feeling of satisfaction I have ever had in the kitchen, and many outside of it.” (Steve Legato)


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“Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking,” is the Philadelphia chef’s first cookbook. (Houghton

Mifflin Harcourt) The difficulty is that cooking rice is subject to so many variables — including, much like dried beans, the age of the grain itself.

“We just have no idea how long most rice has been sitting around,”Solomonov says. “And since in [American] culture we don’t gothrough nearly as much as others — in Iran they eat a kilo of rice aday! — we don’t always have the best sources for it.”

The Persian method allows for more interaction and adjustment than does the typical steaming.The rice is first soaked to reduce some of its starch, to help keep the grains fluffy and separaterather than sticky. Next it’s boiled until al dente, a process that offers the cook chances to sample

and stop the cooking when the rice reaches the right stage, then is drained and gently fluffed.Only then is it combined with a little more water, closed up and slowly cooked. There’straditionally turmeric and oil on the bottom of the skillet, and a dish towel tied around the lid to

absorb any extra moisture as the rice cooks.

Even with all his practice, Solomonov writes, “If I cooked rice every day for the rest of my life, Iwould never outgrow the anxiety in that moment just before lifting the lid off the pot. The feelingof exhilaration when I nail a batch of rice rivals almost any feeling of satisfaction I have ever hadin the kitchen, and many outside of it.”

Carrot Rice Pilaf. (Deb Lindsey For The Washington Post) [Make the recipe: Pilaf With Carrots ]

I had bought Thailand-grown jasmine rice from a little Asian market that has a high turnover,

hoping that would help eliminate the age issue. And I had soaked it, too — for about eight hours.Half of it went into the chef’s Persian Rice With Black-Eyed Peas and Dill and the other halfinto Pilaf With Carrots, which, in pilaf tradition, is baked.

For the Persian rice, Solomonov thought the initial blanching went a little long, and the rice asmidge past al dente, so for its second round of slow cooking, in the pot, he held back some ofthe liquid. And he touched and listened and smelled and looked, finally opening the pot afterabout a half-hour to check for the all-important crust on the bottom. Not quite there, so hecontinued cooking it for another 20 minutes or so.

Then it rested while we finished making the pilaf, toasting the soaked rice briefly with cooked

carrot, onion and garlic, then baking it in an aromatic mix of carrot juice, saffron and cayenne.“There’s something about this combination that tastes like shellfish, even though it’s completelyvegetarian,” Solomonov said.The moments of truth arrived. Solomonov folded fresh dill into thePersian rice, then inverted it onto a plate, lifted the pot and unmolded it. Some pieces of the crust — a delicacy much in the same vein as the socarrat at the bottom of a well-made Spanish paella — clung to the pot, but it wasn’t anything that a little pulling with a fork couldn’t remedy. Heextracted it and set it on top of the domed rice.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/pilaf-carrots/15028/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/pilaf-carrots/15028/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/pilaf-carrots/15028/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/persian-rice-black-eyed-peas-and-dill/15027/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/persian-rice-black-eyed-peas-and-dill/15027/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/persian-rice-black-eyed-peas-and-dill/15027/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/pilaf-carrots/15028/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/pilaf-carrots/15028/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/pilaf-carrots/15028/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/pilaf-carrots/15028/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/persian-rice-black-eyed-peas-and-dill/15027/https://www.washingtonpost.com/pb/recipes/pilaf-carrots/15028/


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Solomonov thought the rice was slightly overcooked; he’s still going for perfection, after all, andthis wasn’t quite there. But when I tasted it, I thought it might be the best I had ever had. And

then I tasted the pilaf, which was even better. If this wasn’t perfect rice, then I can’t wait to get back into the kitchen.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/.../the-path-to-rice-perfection-begins

Indonesia launches trade, business fair

December, 07 2015 08:20:00HA NOI (VNS) —

Indonesia plans to

import one million

tonnes of rice from Viet

Nam to meet the

country's high demand,

according to Indonesian

Ambassador to Viet

Nam Mayerfas. He made

the statement at a press

briefing in Ha Noi on

Friday to introduce an

Indonesia trade fair and

an Indonesia-Viet Nam

business forum, to be held from December 10 to 12, at the Ha Noi International Centre for

Exhibition (ICE).

The ambassador told the press that Indonesia has the highest consumption rate in the world forrice. Some 250 million people in Indonesia eat rice three times a day. Indonesia also importssteel, iron and cement from Viet Nam.Indonesia also has great demand for Vietnamese coffee,the ambassador said, adding that the country imported US$40-50 million worth of thecommodity in 2014 and the figure is expected to increase.He affirmed that the trade fair and business forum, as part of the activities to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties between Viet Nam and Indonesia, will be a valuable opportunity for both nations' enterprises to set up businesslinks.Trinh Xuan Tuan, vice director of the Viet Nam National Trade Fair and AdvertisingCompany (Vinexad) said within the framework of the events, some 100 Indonesian enterpriseswill showcase their high-quality products at the fair, including automobiles and spare parts, pharmaceutical and medical equipment, food and beverages, among others. — VNS

The ambassador told the press that Indonesia has the highest consumption rate in the world forrice. Some 250 million people in Indonesia eat rice three times a day. Indonesia also importssteel, iron and cement from Viet Nam. — File Photo


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http://vietnamnews.vn/economy/279491/indonesia-launches-trade-business-fair.html

Rice import policy: Appraising the implications for a

groaning economy

Posted By: TOLA AKINMUTIMIon: December 08, 2015In: Business & FinanceNo Comments For a country like Nigeria with huge natural and human resource endowments needed to produce agricultural commodities and feed her citizens, the raging controversies on whether to

ban or not to ban rice importation again reflect one of sordid features of national development

plans. In this analysis, TOLA AKINMUTIMI appraises the issues from stakeholders’ viewpointsand the implications for the economy in the long term.

It is indeed an irony that a country that in the early 60s prided itself as one of the agro-basedflourishing countries with prospect to become a leading world power if her potential inagricultural sector is fully explored is today sourcing over 70 per cent of her food needs throughimportation at huge costs to its foreign reserves, other national savings, sustainable growth and

socio-economic well being of the people.This is even more worrisome when the nation’sinability to feed itself is analysed within the context of the fact that the just publishedUnemployment and Underemployment Watch report by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS,indicated that the economically active population or working age population (persons within ages

15‐ 64) increased from 102.8 million in the first quarter of this year to 104.3 million by the thirdquarter.A cursory appraisal of Nigeria’s import bills over the past years indicated that substantial part ofthe country’s foreign exchange earnings was spent on importation of food items, which in mostcases, as analyses by medical experts confirmed, are harmful to consumers. The latest officialfigures showed that about N356 billion is spent yearly on rice importation.The World Bankreport on the country’s merchandise trade volume for the period 2011-2013 showed that in 2011,

food imports accounted for 31 per cent of the country’s import component of the merchandisetrade while in 2012 the figures dropped to 23 per cent. In 2013, food imports cost the country 18 per cent of the year’s im port bill.

Although the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, reported that the nation’s food imports

declined from N 1.1 trillion ($6.7 billion) in 2009 to N684 billion ($4.35 billion) in 2013 while12 million metric tonnes (MT) of food were added to the domestic food basket last year as aresult of the successes recorded under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), the truthis that Nigeria cannot still feed her population through domestic farming programmes.

As it is with other issues affecting sustainable national development policy thrusts, analysts have

blamed the failure to explore abundant country’s agro ecological opportunities in the country,including very rich arable land across the geopolitical zones, fauna-friendly weather and climateas well as huge labour population, to the fullest to policy reversals in the agricultural sector.Forinstance, in 2013 fiscal year, government raised the import duty on rice to 100 per cent with anadditional levy of 10 per cent based on its believe that such a fiscal regime would discourageimport and encourage local production capacity in furtherance of the ATA agenda. A yearearlier, import duty on the commodity was 50 per cent and 10 per cent levy bringing total tariff

http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/author/webmaster/http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/category/business/business-finance/http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/category/business/business-finance/http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/category/business/business-finance/http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/author/webmaster/


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on its import to 60 per cent.The immediate fiscal and economic fallouts of the implementation ofthe policy were that smuggling of the commodity increased, causing substantial revenue to theeconomy and economic losses to importers and other stakeholders engaging in rice business.Forinstance, at the ENL Consortium terminal at the Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Apapa, where atleast 60 per cent of rice imported into the country is discharged, available statistics indicated that

the port recorded nearzero import of the commodity in 2013.

The Chairman, SeaportTerminal OperatorsAssociation of Nigeria(STOAN), Princess VickyHaastrup, estimated the totalrevenue loss by the rice dutyhike in 2013 at about N300 billion, noting that in thefirst quarter of this year N80

billion was lost as over600,000 metric tons of ricewere diverted to BeninRepublic, Cameroon, Ghanaand Togo.She lamented:“This is becoming ratherunfortunate. Our economy is

bleeding seriously because of this policy.The loss to other countries, as a result of the high tariff on rice was over N300 billion last yearwhile in the first quarter of this year alone, both government and private operators have lost aleast N80 billion. Haastrup, who is also the Executive Vice Chairman, ENL Consortium Limited,

listed the revenue losses associated with the 110 per cent rice policy to those that should haveaccrued to the Nigeria Customs Service, terminal operators, dockworkers and the Nigerian PortsAuthority (NPA).

While absolving the Customs from blames connected with the huge revenue losses to thecountry, the industry player explained that there was a lot of pressure on Customs because thequantity of rice produced locally can only satisfy 30 per cent of local demand.Apparentlyworried by the negative impact of the policy on the economy, especially revenue losses, theformer Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at the occasion of the Centenary Award held in Abuja, hinted of plans by government torevise the policy in the 2014 budget.

She said: “We increased the tariff to110 per cent, and it encouraged some people to go and growrice and we grew 1.1 million metric tons of the product. But it also encouraged smuggling byneighbouring countries because they immediately dropped their own tariffs to 10 per cent. Forrice, we decided to bring it down because we see that it is not working”, she said.To prove her point, available revenue collections on imported items by the Customs of which rice importsremained substantial showed that in first quarter 2014, Customs import duty collections dipped


25/30


26/30



Committee recommended that the Senate ask the Federal Government to suspend the policy onthe grounds that it would escalate rice smuggling into the country.

The Committee noted that the Customs lacked “the capacity to monitor and control the flow of

goods through the land borders”. Convinced of the logic in the Committee’s stance, the Senate

adopted the recommendation calling on the government to suspend the policy.As expected, the proposal by the Customs and the subsequent recommendations of the Senate have opened a new phase in the unending controversies surrounding the importation of rice such that except thegovernment fully appraised the implications of the planned fiscal regime on rice imports in the2016 budget, the country may be the ultimate loser in the medium and long terms.

In what seems a dir ect reaction to the USDA’s stance but more particularly to his conviction that Nigeria can do without massive importation of rice, the Vice President of the NigerianAssociation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), MrDele Oye, advised the Federal Government to implement the proposed 2015 deadline for the banon rice importation.

He pointed out that Nigeria cannot be threatened by food insecurity in any form given , the widevariety of food crops that are cultivated in the various agro ecological zones of the country.According to him, even if there is any shortfall in polished rice and supply comes short ofdemand, Nigerians have alternatives in other food sources with high carbohydrates nutrients suchas garri, yam, foo-foo and plantain, among others.The Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has also rued the increasing rate at which rice was beingsmuggled into the country and urged the National Assembly to help in curbing it menace Hedescribed the smuggling of 300 trailers of rice through the Seme boarder as unacceptable andcalled for strong measures to tackle the menace.

The Minister, during an interactive session with members of the House of RepresentativesCommittee on Agriculture last Tuesday, cautioned that “if we carry on like this for the next fivemonths, the economy of Nigeria would collapse” and solicited the support of the lawmakers in

protecting the citizens.Ogbeh expressed his desire to deal with import substitution in which he said $15 billion could besaved if the country explored the rice and wheat export potential to other West African countries,hence the need to develop the small scale industries to create jobs for the rural poor and developthe cotton industry.

In the final analysis and based on stakeholders’ perspectives it is only logical to feel that outright ban on the importation of rice for now may be counter-productive for the economy while

prolonged delay in building the much talked-about local production capacity will only exposegovernment’s insincerity to take the destiny of the nation in its hand by anchoring thediversification the economy on agricultural sector.

http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/rice-import-policy-appraising-the-implications-for-a-groaning-

economy/


27/30



Rice, wheat seized in raids

A huge quantity of rice and wheat meant to be distributed under Public Distribution System(PDS) was seized following raids at several godowns by city police.Acting on a tip off, theCommissioner’s Task Force (West) raided two godowns at Kishanbagh and Mangalhat area in

the old city and seized nearly 120 quintals of rice and wheat.The accused Syed Feroz (25),Mohd. Imran Khan (22), P. Om Prakash (30), Mohd. Abbu Almas (24) Munawar (40) andFareed (38) supplied the grains to different towns in Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat at a lower price.The accused persons purchased the rice from ration shops and kirana stores and supplied itto rice mills.

The millers then polished the PDS rice and wheat and sold it to wholesalers. “At every level themiddlemen and agents made a profit of Rs. 2 to Rs. 3 per kg and it results in heavy loss togovernment,” DCP (Task Force) B. Limba Reddy said.One of the accused, Om Prakash, runs afair price shop at Mangalhat and directly bought the rice and wheat from the beneficiaries, theofficial added.The police also seized a four-wheeler from the accused persons.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/rice-wheat-seized-in-raids/article7960027.ece

Rice Exports to Face Rising Competition Khmer Times/Sum Manet

Monday, 07 December 2015

Officials at the Industry Ministry say they are striving to make Cambodian rice more competitive by improving its quality as well as farm productivity, as rising supply is expected from newentrants to the market, like Myanmar, and leading exporters like Thailand and India are fightingto regain market share. Sat Samy, a secretary of state at the ministry, said the private and publicsectors have to work together to ensure rice exports can compete.Myanmar will become a riceexporting country within five years and its prices will be as low as those charged by Cambodianexporters, he said, adding that like Cambodia it will enjoy duty-free access to markets like theEuropean Union.

Rising production prices cannot be prevented, Mr. Samy said. This will also be occurring at atime when competition with Thailand for fragrant rice exports and with Vietnam for white riceexports will intensify. Moreover, India and Thailand are expected to export more rice, which willsee prices decline. Exports of Cambodian rice to the EU have already reached their peak soCambodia must increase its supply of quality rice for export to expand to other markets, Mr.Samy said.

Ouk Maraka, a researcher at the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute,


28/30



said it was introducing higher-quality seeks for farmers to improve the quality of riceexports. “We introduced farmers to the best seeds in order to reduce losses in production,” hesaid. These seeds include phka romdul, phka rumdeng, phka rumcheck, phka romeat, anddamnoeb sbai mongkul.

More research in seeds that are most suitable for Cambodian farmers will pay off in the long

term, Mr. Maraka said. Even small amounts of investment in such research can produce results,he added, noting that this is in line with the government’s policy to encourage farmers to

increase productivity and quality of rice for export. Mr. Samy said the emergence of the ASEANEconomic Community at the end of this year will create a single market of 630 million people.The Industry Ministry is planning a national conference on productivity and competitiveness inthe rice sector, he said, adding that the conference will have two specific goals. These are todiscuss the current status of the industry and to ensure a smooth flow of information, knowledgeand technology to farmers.

Chea Sivithyea, director of Kim Se Rice Mill, said it is necessary to have help at the nationallevel to ensure Cambodian exporters can compete with neighboring countries.

“Cambodia produces less rice than neighboring countries and the production cost is high, so wehave difficulty competing,” Mr. Sivithyea said. “However, our strength is that we have betterseeds than neighboring countries... We need help from policymakers at all levels in order to becompetitive,” he added. Exports of milled rice in the first nine months of this year, totaled369,105 tons, up 37 per cent over the same period last year, according to data from theAgriculture Ministry. Rice exports reached about 370,000 tons for all of last year, worth $247million in total, according to official figures.


29/30



http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/18433/rice-exports-to-face-rising-competition/

Rice farmers fighting debt and loss of land again, group

says PIYAPORN WONGRUANG

THE NATION December 7, 2015 1:00 am

MANY rice farmers are facing the old problems of indebtedness and loss of farm owner-|ship

despite short-term gains from the former government's rice-pledging scheme, accord-ing to

research by a non-government organisation.Pongtip Samranjit, executive director of Local

Action Links, a non-profit think tank researching government policies and farmers' problems,

said farmers' quality of life has plunged following the end of the rice-pledging scheme.Increased

indebtedness has led to the loss of farm ownership. Pongtip cited statistics collected by theorganisation over the past 10 years that the number of farmers who hold less than six rai have

increased, while those having to rent farmland have also risen in the past few years.


30/30



Pongtip said past and present government rice price intervention programmes, including the last

rice-pledging scheme, offered farmers quick benefits as money would directly go to their

pockets. But these were temporary, and never tackled the roots of farmers' problems, namely

accumulated debts and loss of farmland.Besides land and equipment, farmers need to invest in

pesticide and chemical fertiliser to keep their crop safe from pest attacks.During the rice-

pledging scheme, farmers enjoyed a high guarantee price of up to Bt15,000 per tonne, but their

costs also rose, leaving them a smaller margin of profit."The rice price now stands at around

Bt7,000 per tonne while farmers' costs are up to Bt5,000 to Bt6,000 per rai (one rai generally

yields around one tonne of rice). So, how can they survive?"

"In other words, they are being left to face the same old problems of indebtedness and they have

to help themselves survive," she said.Pongtip said the current government had apparently taken

the right approach to tackle farmers' deep-rooted problems by cutting farming costs, but she has

not seen any concrete actions yet.Son Sukcharaen, a 66-year-old farmer from Khao Poon village

in Ratchaburi's Photharam district, recalled the time when he narrowly obtained money from rice

sold under the pledging scheme for the second and last time last year. He had to go to the district

police to file a complaint about the delay in payment and it was the military government that

cleared the money for farmers like him.

Son immediately used the funds to clear his debts and withdraw an amount to invest in another

crop. But this time, he no longer has any price guarantee, and has to bet on the market, with the

price currently offered at Bt7,000 per tonne.Son said he could not do anything except try to

reduce costs as much as possible. But as he has to rent 20 rai of land and to pay off debts, he

rushed to invest more in fertiliser. He hoped his rice yield would be higher so he can earn more.

"What I can do now is to keep doing it because if I don't do it, somebody else will take over therented farmland and leave me with nothing to do or to eat. Can farmers without education, like

me, have a choice?" Son asked.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Rice-farmers-fighting-debt-and-loss-of-land-again--

30274442.html

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