15th January 2022 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter 15 January ,2022 Vol 7 Issue 1

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www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com mujahid.riceplus@gmail.com 92 321 3692874

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter Editorial Board Chief Editor  Hamlik Managing Editor  Abdul Sattar Shah  Rahmat Ullah  Rozeen Shaukat English Editor  Maryam Editor  Legal Advisor  Advocate Zaheer Minhas Editorial Associates  Admiral (R) Hamid Khalid  Javed Islam Agha  Zahid Baig(Business Recorder)  Dr.Akhtar Hussain  Dr.Fayyaz Ahmad Siddiqui  Dr.Abdul Rasheed (UAF)  Islam Akhtar Khan Editorial Advisory Board  Dr.Malik Mohammad Hashim Assistant Professor, Gomal University DIK  Dr.Hasina Gul Assistant Director, Agriculture KPK  Dr.Hidayat Ullah Assistant Professor, University of Swabi  Dr.Abdul Basir Assistant Professor, University of Swabi  Zahid Mehmood PSO,NIFA Peshawar  Falak Naz Shah Head Food Science & Technology ART, Peshawar

Rice News Headlines…  Biotech boosts food security  Bird Droppings Carry Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Cause Food Poisoning  Procurement row forgotten, paddy cultivation picks pace in Telangana  AED TO PKR and other currency rates in Pakistan on, 13th January 2022  India's Rice and Wheat Subsidies Draw Ire from House Members, Swift Action Urged  Pakistan’s food basket South Punjab making agriculture profitable by low cost new ideas  Asia Rice: Strong rupee, tight supplies lift India rates to over 6-month peak  Scientists: Cannabis Can Prevent COVID-19 Infection  Australian Town Hits Record High Temperature Of 50.7C  Over 1K rice farmers in southern Negros get cash aid  Rice stocks fall 23.4% in November  Rice Millers Association wants reversal of benchmark value reduction policy  The future of rice farming in Ghana  EU remains highly potential importer of Vietnamese rice  Port helps local rice producers deliver to international markets

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

Biotech boosts food security By Iain Robertson on 14th January 2022

Photo by PhotographyCourse on Unsplash A new multi-million dollar Cornell University-led project aims to improve food security in Bangladesh and the Philippines by producing insect-resistant eggplant crops using pioneering biotechnology.

Thanks to a $10 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) the Feed the Future Insect-Resistant Eggplant Partnership initiative will develop genetically engineered (GE) eggplant varieties capable of resisting insect infestations, reducing the reliance of harmful pesticides. ―Crop pests and pathogens are a threat to food security and the environmental sustainability of food systems globally,‖ said Maricelis Acevedo, research professor of global development.

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter ―Sustainable agricultural practices are essential to food production, and scientists and local regulatory agencies must work in tandem to produce food crops that are better and safer for the environment and people.‖ The project will support scientists in Bangladesh and Philippines develop local varieties of eggplant, one of the most popular vegetables, especially in Bangladesh.

In 2014 Bt eggplant became the first GE food crop to be approved for use in South Asia, with subsequent studies indicating yield increases of 51%, net revenue rises of 128%, and a 38% drop in pesticide costs.

There is still controversy associated with these technologies, despite the success, but the hope is that with scientists, farmers and policymakers working together this project can continue to make a positive impact. ―Farmers are demanding more resilient crops that are higher yielding and safer for them to farm and consume,‖ added Acevedo. ―Bt eggplant delivers on all these fronts.‖

GOLDEN RICE The story will make some think of the seemingly never ending and deadly Golden Rice (GR) debacle that has prevented the roll out of genetically-modified GR rice that has been designed to save lives by tackling Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD). Which has caused millions of children in developing countries to lose their sight and die prematurely.

As author Anthony Warner points out in his book, Ending Hunger, ―It is up to those whose bellies are full to fight for the hungry‖. So when science offers the tools to help in this fight it is critical that every effort is made to make them available where they are needed most.

A seminal 2016 study ‗found no substantiated evidence of a difference in risks to human health between current commercially available genetically engineered (GE) crops and conventionally bred crops‘.

Surely then with science and guiding principles of empathy, it is time for the world to look again at utilising these solutions that already exist, by exploring the use of GE crops that have proved as safe as non GE crops, and backing scientists with the funds they need to break new ground on these technologies. https://www.innovatorsmag.com/biotech-boosts-food-security/

Bird Droppings Carry Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Cause Food Poisoning July 16, 2020 by News Desk

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

Whenever there is a food poisoning outbreak linked to produce, we have told you that one source of the pathogen may be bird droppings. A new study conducted at Rice University and published in Elsevier journal Environmental Pollution states that bird droppings carry antibiotic resistant bacteria and may "harbor abundant" numbers of the pathogen along with resistance genes. The study was conducted by environmental engineers and led by postdoctoral research associate Pingfeng Yu of Rice's Brown School of Engineering and co-author Pedro Alvarez. Earlier studies showed that bird-borne antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) and bacteria can be transferred to humans through these vectors: swimming, contact with bird feces or contaminated soil, and inhaling aerosolized fecal …\ https://foodpoisoningbulletin.com/tag/birds/

Procurement row forgotten, paddy cultivation picks pace in Telangana Agriculture department officials estimate farmers are cultivating paddy in 4,53,970 acres in Telangana as of January 12.

Bottom of Form

Published: 15th January 2022 03:27 AM | Last Updated: 15th January 2022 03:27 AM

By Vivek Bhoomi Express News Service HYDERABAD: Notwithstanding the controversy over its procurement, paddy cultivation has picked up for Rabi, especially during the past 10 days. Even by a conservative assessment by the agriculture department, paddy was being cultivated in 4,53,970 acres as of Wednesday, a huge jump from 2,30,516 acres on January 5.

Though the accuracy of this data is debatable, an overall observation on the ground shows that farmers with lands under canal irrigation are all going for paddy once again. As per the data furnished by the department, as of January 5, paddy was being cultivated only in 9 acres across Wanaparthy district. This extent rose to 119 acres as of Wednesday. Quite a few farmers have actively been sowing paddy in their fields and more plan to do so after the Sankranti festival.

According to A Venkateswarlu Goud, a rice miller from Wanaparthy, though there has been a decrease in paddy cultivation as compared to last Rabi, farmers are still cultivating the crop on a large scale. In his native village Gopanpet in Atmakur mandal, paddy was being grown in 600 acres.

He told Express that paddy (RNR variety fine-grain rice) grown in Atmakur, Makthal, Gadwal, Alampur, Wanaparthy, Narayanpet and other areas, is bought by traders who transport it to Karnataka for milling, from where it goes to Tamil Nadu, to be exported. When asked why it couldn‘t be exported from Telangana, Goud said that most Telangana rice mills do not have Sortex machines that have the best milling capabilities.

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter ADVERTISEMENT Even in Kharif, of the 50,000 bags of paddy produced in his village, only 14,000 bags went to procurement centres and the rest were sent to Karnataka for milling, said Goud. He, however, said that the price per quintal could go down by Rs 100-Rs 150 as compared to the minimum support price of Rs 1,960 for fine-grain paddy, if harvested in April and could further go down if harvested in May, when splitting of grains during the milling would be more.

Meanwhile, millers claim that ever since fine rice was introduced in the public distribution system, demand for rice in the State has gone down. Though the price of Telangana Sona in the retail market is Rs 34-Rs 35 (for new yield) and Rs 40 (for old yield), the volume of sales has come down, said Ramesh Shetty, president of Wanaparthy Rice Millers Association.

Shetty said that there was no problem with farmers selling paddy in the open market. It may be mentioned here that the State government has left it to the discretion of the farmers to cultivate paddy after the row with the Union government.

Choice left to them, farmers have a field day The State government has left it to the discretion of the farmers to cultivate paddy. Even in north Telangana, paddy is being cultivated across Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal and other districts this Rabi. https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/telangana/2022/jan/15/procurement-row-forgottenpaddy-cultivation-picks-pace-in-telangana-2406989.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk

AED TO PKR and other currency rates in Pakistan on, 13th January 2022 KARACHI: The buying rate of 1 UAE Dirham to PKR was Rs 47.50 and selling rate of 1 AED to PKR was Rs 48.010 in the open market on January 13, 2022.

Meanwhile, the following are the rates of the US Dollar, Saudi Riyal, UK Pound, UAE Dirham, and other foreign currencies in the open market today.

The information has been obtained from the Forex Association of Pakistan.

AED to PKR and other currency rates in Pakistan AED 1 AED

PAKISTAN RUPEE (PKR) 48.010 PKR

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter CURRENCY

BUYING TT CLEAN

SELLING TT & OD

127.120

127.340

140.290

140.530

27.460

27.910

26.910

26.960

200.330

200.670

22.580

22.620

1.530

1.530

46.910

46.990

130.340

130.560

AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR

CANADIAN DOLLAR

CHINESE YUAN

DANISH KRONE

EURO

HONG KONG DOLLAR

JAPANESE YEN

SAUDI RIYAL

SINGAPORE DOLLAR

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter CURRENCY

BUYING TT CLEAN

SELLING TT & OD

19.510

19.540

190.720

191.050

5.270

5.280

47.930

48.010

240.210

240.620

176.000

176.500

SWEDISH KRONA

SWISS FRANC

THAI BHAT

U.A.E Dirham

UK Pound Sterling

US Dollar

https://www.bolnews.com/business/2022/01/aed-to-pkr-and-other-currency-rates-in-pakistan-on-13thjanuary-2022/

India's Rice and Wheat Subsidies Draw Ire from House Members, Swift Action Urged

By Peter Bachmann WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, 26 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed onto a letter led by rice and wheat state Members Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Tracey Mann (R-KS) to U.S. Trade 8|www.ricepluss.com , www.riceplusmagazine.blosgspot.com

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack expressing support for a dispute settlement case at the World Trade Organization (WTO) against India‘s domestic supports for rice and wheat production.

The unchecked Indian rice export market threatens producers throughout the world The plea to the Biden Administration runs parallel to the effort undertaken in the Senate. Last month, 18 U.S. Senators sent a similar letter (see USA Rice Daily, December 16, 2021) to Tai and Vilsack.

―This significant showing of bicameral support for the Administration to initiate a WTO case against India has been years in the making,‖ said Betsy Ward, president & CEO of USA Rice. ―If left unchecked, the Indian export market will continue to grow at an uncontrollable rate and threaten the viability of rice and wheat producers throughout the world.‖ Ward added: ―Something is glaringly wrong if Indian rice, produced on the other side of the world, can be hauled hundreds of miles from inland to Indian ports, with gas prices equivalent to about $1.50 per gallon higher than ours, then shipped more than 7,000 nautical miles by boat to the U.S., and still manage to undercut our domestic prices.‖ The letter states: ―Trade distorting domestic support has always been a major challenge for farmers, and WTO rules were created to limit these practices. For the most part, the system has been successful, but there are repeat offenders, like China and India, where enforcement is necessary. Your teams have continually pressed India at the WTO to reform its price support program, but to no avail.‖ The letter went on to say, ―Considering India‘s activity, we encourage you to initiate the WTO litigation process through a request for consultations.‖ USA Rice Daily

Pakistan‘s food basket South Punjab making agriculture profitable by low cost new ideas APP January 14, 2022

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter MULTAN - Pakistan‘s food basket, South Punjab, has witnessed exceptional growth in the outgoing year 2021 by virtue of low cost new ideas that are still on the play making agriculture profitable for farming community for food security and re-energizing cotton economy with the vigor it had once enjoyed.

Cotton farmers earning soared from losses to almost 69 per cent as they earned Rs 1.69 for every rupee they invested, deputy secretary south Punjab agriculture Asif Raza said on Thursday.

Being home to important crops like cotton, wheat, sugarcane, maize besides a variety of orchards, the importance of country‘s food basket was well gauged by Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar who allocated a huge sum of Rs 11 billion only for agriculture development for the first time in history, Raza said.

Listed among the top five cotton producing countries, Pakistan‘s silver fiber started witnessing decline after 2014-15 and touched its lowest ebb in 2020, once recorded in 1984, breaking the 36 year old record.

Resultantly, farmers slipped to alternate options like maize, pulses, and rice reducing cotton area by 20 per cent in 2021.

Around 2.9 million acre area was cultivated with cotton in South Punjab and less than 200,000 acres in rest of the province in 2021. Cotton economy was in dejected mode when south Punjab secretariat was established and the new set up had to brainstorm new ideas to jump start growth.

Secretary agriculture south Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel, backed by additional chief secretary Captain (retired) Saqib Zafar, enforced country‘s first modified Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan without seeking extra support from Punjab government.

Exactly 120 cotton demonstration plots were developed in 41 Tehsils of 11 south Punjab districts where IPM model was implemented and advisories were made accessible for farmers. Raza said IPM model worked and Pakistan witnessed over nine million bales cotton production with south Punjab contributing 56 per cent of it. Cotton witnessed growth rate 49 per cent above the last year with average production touching 729 kilogram per hectare, a new record since 2014, and 64 per cent above the last year‘s figure.

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter Cotton farmers earned Rs 1.69 on investment of Rs 1.00 this year, Asif Raza said adding that average production from model plots was recorded 34 Maunds per acre that yielded Rs 3.63 income on investment of one Rupee.

The IPM model cut pesticides application by 57 per cent saving Rs 40 billion investment of cotton farmers.

South Punjab had produced 9.168 million ton wheat from 6.786 million acres in 2019-20 with an average production of 33.78 Maunds per acre. The production and area increased to 9.239 million ton from 6.794 million acres in 2020-21 averaging 34 Maunds per acre.

Rice recorded 1.061 million ton production from 1.184 million acre area in 2020-21 averaging 22.40 Maunds per acre but rose to 1.411 million ton from 1.433 million acre area in 2021-22 averaging 24.62 Maunds per acre.

Sugarcane production was recorded at 27.81 million ton from 0.894 million acres in 2020-21 averaging 778 Maunds per acre that rose to 31.38 million ton from 1.006 million acres averaging 780 Maunds per acre.

South Punjab produced 0.873 million ton maize from 0.361 million acre area in 2019-20 averaging 60.42 Maunds per acre. However, in 2020-21, 1.613 million ton production was recorded from 0.519 million acre area averaging 77.74 Maunds per acre.

Record increase was witnessed in fruit production. Mango production recorded at 1.291 million ton from 0.238 million acres averaging 135.60 Maunds peracre in 2020-21.

However, in 2021-22, production rose to 1.541 million ton from same area averaging 162 Maunds per acre. Citrus production stood at 0.330 million ton from 0.059 million acre area in 2019-20

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter averaging 150.78 Maunds per acre which rose to 0.414 million ton in 2020-21 averaging 189.46 Maunds per acre.

South Punjab also witnessed surge in production of tomatoes, onion, Okra and others, the official said. He disclosed that experimental spray of Moringa extract on wheat, maize and other crops as fertilizers stimulant was in progress to improve food quality while magnetic technology was being employed on saline land to make it cultivable. Over 1200 acres barren land was made cultivable by drip irrigation system.

He said farmers could earn Rs 800,000 to a million by inter-cropping of vegetables and fruit.

Asif Raza said deployment of new cost effective techniques besides modern technologies through subsidized schemes coupled with strong contacts with farmers has started paying dividends on way to strengthening agriculture sector. https://nation.com.pk/14-Jan-2022/pakistan-s-food-basket-south-punjab-making-agriculture-profitableby-low-cost-new-ideas

Asia Rice: Strong rupee, tight supplies lift India rates to over 6-month peak Reuters 13 Jan, 2022

Rice export prices in top exporter India this week touched their highest levels since last June, supported by tight supplies and a stronger rupee, while an uptick in demand buoyed rates in nearby Thailand to their highest since mid-July last year.

India's 5% broken parboiled variety was quoted at $367-$375 per tonne, a peak since the week of June 24 last year, up from last week's $359-$363.

"Mills are mainly focusing on milling white rice. Parboiled supplies are very limited, and that's why prices are moving higher," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter Prices are also firming because of an appreciation in the rupee, he said, which trims traders' margins from overseas sales.

Asia Rice: Vietnam rates hit over 3-month low, prices steady in other hubs Thailand's 5% broken rice prices rose to their highest since mid-July 2021 at $404-$405 per tonne from $390-$402 last week.

Bangkok-based traders said an uptick in demand among exporters who had to fulfil orders made before the New Year's holidays raised prices slightly.

Thailand exported 5.39 million tonnes of rice between January and November 2021, up 2.6% from the same period a year earlier, according to the country's commerce ministry.

Vietnam's 5% broken rice was offered at $395-$405 per tonne, widening from a range of $395$400 a week ago.

"Sales are slow, and local traders have scaled down their purchases from farmers," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.

Government customs data released on Thursday showed Vietnam's rice exports in 2021 fell 0.2% to 6.24 million tonnes.Exports in December fell 13.4% from November to 490,219 tonnes.

Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, domestic rice prices went up again this week despite good crops and huge imports, traders said.Bangladesh, the world's third-biggest rice producer, imported nearly 1.36 million tonnes in the previous year that ended in June. https://www.brecorder.com/news/40146956/asia-rice-strong-rupee-tight-supplies-lift-india-ratesto-over-6-month-peak

Scientists: Cannabis Can Prevent COVID-19 Infection Acids extracted from cannabis plants blocked COVID-19 infection in human cells in lab tests, a new peer-reviewed study shows. That one friend who insists weed has health benefits for everything under sun...

Read more on vice.com https://flipboard.com/topic/asiacoronavirus/scientists-cannabis-can-prevent-covid-19-infection/a8KJyQviWTAejWeEOvykyTw%3Aa%3A41549217-dc87899c7f%2Fvice.com 13 | 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

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

Australian Town Hits Record High Temperature Of 50.7C Muhammad Irfan Published January 14, 2022 | 09:10 AM

Sydney, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Jan, 2022 ) :A remote town in Western Australia has equalled the country's hottest day on record, reporting a scorching 50.7 degrees Celsius (123.26 degrees Fahrenheit), the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Such temperatures could become commonplace in Australia due to global warming, the country's Climate Council warned.

The coastal town of Onslow hit the blistering high on Thursday afternoon.

"NEW Western Australian maximum temperature record and equal National temperature record!" the state's Bureau of Meteorology posted on Twitter.

"Onslow reached an unprecedented - 50.7C which is a WA record and equals Australia's hottest day set 62 years ago in Oodnadatta SA." The country last recorded a temperature of 50.7C on January 2, 1960 at South Australia's Oodnadatta Airport, according to the bureau's website.

Climate Council research director Dr Martin Rice said the record was "part of a long-term warming trend driven by the burning of coal, oil and gas".

He said extreme temperatures were already having "deadly catastrophic consequences" in Australia.

"Heatwaves are the silent killer in Australia, they cause more deaths than any other extreme weather events," he said.Australia has experienced a summer with bushfires in the country's west and deadly flooding on its eastern coast.

Rice said that, without a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, such record temperatures could become commonplace in Australia.

"In Sydney and Melbourne, we will see 50-degree summer days by 2030," he said.

The Bureau of Meteorology is expected to confirm the record officially on Friday afternoon after quality control checks are completed. https://www.urdupoint.com/en/miscellaneous/australian-town-hits-record-high-temperature-1447868.html 14 | 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

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

Over 1K rice farmers in southern Negros get cash aid 2022-01-14 Posted By: PNA Manila, Jan. 14 -- Some 1,041 farmers in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental have received financial assistance totaling PHP5.2 million from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Each farmer-beneficiary received PHP5,000 during the distribution led by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and DA-Western Visayas Regional Executive Director Remelyn Recoter at the town's Barangay Payao covered court on Thursday afternoon.

In his message, Lacson acknowledged the efforts of Negrense rice farmers on agricultural productivity amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. "[You are the] key players in ensuring food security in the province," he said.

Through the ... https://www.htsyndication.com/philippines-news-agency/article/over-1k-rice-farmers-insouthern-negros-get-cash-aid/57547213

Rice stocks fall 23.4% in November

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By Eireene Jairee Gomez January 14, 2022

THE country's rice stocks inventory continued its downtrend as of the start of November, posting a decline of 23.4 percent to reach 2.418.43 million metric tons (MT) as compared to 3.158.54 million MT in the same period in 2020.

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter In its monthly rice stocks inventory report, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the latest figure was however higher by 23.7 percent from the previous month's level of 1.954.71 million MT.

Decreases in rice stocks were noted in all sectors year on year, PSA said. Total stocks in households and commercial warehouses went down by 26.4 percent to 1.332.36 million MT and 12.6 percent to 841,740 MT, respectively. Inventory in NFA depositories also fell by 36.6 percent to 244,320 MT from the previous year's 385,620 MT.

On a monthly basis, rice stocks inventory level improved by 25.7 percent in the households, 15.5 percent in the commercial warehouses/wholesalers/retailers, and 46.9 percent in the NFA depositories.

"Of the November 2021 total rice stocks inventory, 55.1 percent were from the households, 34.8 percent were from the commercial warehouses/wholesalers/retailers, and 10.1 percent were from the NFA depositories," PSA said. https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/01/14/business/top-business/rice-stocks-fall-234-innovember/1829249

Rice Millers Association wants reversal of benchmark value reduction policy 2021-09-04 12:06:43 / UPDATED /

By Eunice Hilda Ampomah

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Accra, Sept 4, GNA - Rice Millers Association of Ghana (RMAG) is calling for a reversal of the benchmark value reduction policy, which enables the customs to determine values of imports for duties at the country‘s ports.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, and signed by its Convener, Mr Yaw Adu-Poku, said the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) in recent weeks called for the benchmark discount policy to be maintained by government citing the possible increase in the prices of 16 | 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

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter imported goods as their reason.

In spite of the arguments by GUTA, RMAG maintained that the policy over the two years made negative impact on the Ghana rice industry as most rice mills were currently shutdown and workers laid off.

This is as a result of the high cost of local production while the imported substitutes enjoyed a 50 per cent reduction in customs benchmark values making imported rice prices lower and rendering local alternatives uncompetitive on the market.

The statement bemoaned that farmers in the countries of origin of imported rice enjoyed support and subsidies in their production whereas farmers in Ghana had little or no subsidies for rice production. ―We believe that this policy is only beneficial to a select few traders particularly big importers of rice and other commodities, while the entire rice value chain in Ghana suffers. The consuming public has not benefitted from this reduction in benchmark values because prices of products have not gone down as expected over the past two years since the inception of the policy.‖

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter The rice value chain in Ghana provided income to an estimated 500,000 persons in household engaged in various activities in the value chain, the statement said, and many of the people were going through tough times because of unfavourable market conditions occasioned by the policy. ―Whereas government has set a target of making Ghana self-sufficient in rice production by 2022, major rice mills are shut down. The RMAG as a key player in helping the government achieve this target remains sceptical about Ghana‘s prospects of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production. Till this day, 90 percent of rice brands are imported. ―It is unfortunate that GUTA appears to be threatening government not to review the policy after two years of its implementation. The government has learnt practically (after two years) that traffic to our ports have not increased as anticipated and prospects of increased revenue that was to be a result of the policy has remained elusive; this policy only enriches a few importers and not the general population of traders in Ghana as the GUTA seeks to portray.‖

The Association, therefore called on government to review the policy in light of the lessons learnt overtime to save the local rice industry.

It said RMAG and many Ghanaian workers who lost their jobs and livelihood due to the policy are with the government should be bold with its intentions to review the policy to support key targeted sectors to create jobs to achieve its agenda for industrialization. https://www.gna.org.gh/1.21180659

The future of rice farming in Ghana Rice is a major priority crop in West Africa. Nearly 16 million tons are consumed annually. The region wants to become independent of rice imports, but many farmers lack the right tools to achieve that goal.

It is harvest time at Ibrahim's rice farm. The Ghanaian has spent the last four days harvesting one acre.

The only tool he has is a sickle.

Smallholder farmers make up 70% of 7.3 million farmers in Ghana. Most of them have no access to proper farming equipment. There's more demand than supply for such heavy machinery. Only few can afford tractors and other machines.

Rice consumption is expected to grow to around 24 million by 2025 in West Africa. But 60% of rice consumed are imported. Smallholder farmers are crucial to become independent from imports. https://www.dw.com/en/the-future-of-rice-farming-in-ghana/av-60359770 18 | 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

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

EU remains highly potential importer of Vietnamese rice With stable and high demand for specialty rice from Asia, the European Union (EU) remains a highly potential market for rice exporters of Vietnam, the Dau tu (Vietnam Investment Review) reported.

VNA Friday, January 14, 2022 10:40

Vietnam earned 41 million USD from exporting about 60,000 tonnes of rice to the EU in 2021. (Photo:

Hanoi (VNA) – With stable and high demand for specialty rice from Asia, the European Union (EU) remains a highly potential market for rice exporters of Vietnam, the Dau tu (Vietnam Investment Review) reported.

In 2021, Vietnam shipped about 60,000 tonnes of rice worth 41 million USD to the EU, rising nearly 1 percent in volume and over 20 percent in value from the previous year. That included some 40,000 tonnes of fragrant rice worth almost 30 million USD, up over 9 percent in volume and nearly 30 percent in value.

The EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), coming into force on August 1, 2020, has 19 | 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

Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter helped raise prices of the Vietnamese grain by 10 - 20 USD per tonne, partly making up for the modest increase in volume due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the EU statistical office Eurostat, among the 10 largest rice suppliers for the bloc, rice from Vietnam saw the strongest price growth, 20.3 percent, to an average of 781 USD per tonne.

The Foreign Trade Agency under Vietnam‘s Ministry of Industry and Trade attributed those outcomes to businesses‘ capitalisation of advantages created by the EVFTA. Besides, they are also stepping up the production of high-quality rice such as fragrant, long-grain, and specialty varieties to enter demanding markets.

For example, fragrant rice accounted for 70 percent of the country‘s total rice exports to the EU, compared to 64 percent in the previous year.

Workers prepare rice for transportation (Photo: VNA)

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter With 27 member states, a population of about 516 million, and annual per capita GDP of over 35,000 USD, the EU has great demand for imported goods, especially agricultural products (more than 160 billion USD each year), from around the world.

To Vietnam, the EU is its third largest importer of agricultural products, about 5.5 billion USD per year. However, farm produce from the Southeast Asian nation has made up just 4 percent of the bloc‘s imports of these commodities. In particular, Vietnamese rice only has a market share of merely over 1 percent.

The Vietnam Food Association predicted rice exports to the EU will continue growing well in 2022. Notably, the improved quality of fragrant rice has met European consumers‘ demand.

The optimisation of the EVFTA to export rice at zero-percent tariffs is being promoted by the enterprises with large material production zones such as Loc Troi, Tan Long, and Trung An. Pham Thai Binh, General Director of the Trung An Hi-Tech Farming JSC, said the EVFTA is bringing about greater opportunities for agricultural products of Vietnam, including rice. The firm has made use of the agreement to sell thousands of tonnes of rice to such markets as Switzerland, France, and Germany.

Meanwhile, Loc Troi was the first to export 126 tonnes of fragrant rice to the EU under the EVFTA, in September 2020. It is currently accounting for nearly 70 percent of Vietnam‘s rice exports to this bloc./. https://en.vietnamplus.vn/eu-remains-highly-potential-importer-of-vietnamese-rice/220708.vnp

Port helps local rice producers deliver to international markets Published 7:14 pm Thursday, January 13, 2022

By American Press Staff Rice has a special place when it comes to the hearts and dinner tables of Southwest Louisiana.

It‘s also a staple in the area‘s economy, courtesy of area rice producers.

Local rice producers have shipped milled rice to overseas markets through the Port of Lake Charles for nearly a century. More recently, they have sought new markets for ―rough rice,‖ or unmilled rice, and have—since 2015—exported 543,000 short tons of rough rice from the bulk grain terminal facility on Port property.

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter

One of those local rice producers is Carl J. Krielow, president of the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District‘s Board of Commissioners. He‘s also a member of the Louisiana Independent Rice Producers Association and the U.S. Rice Producers Association. ―Rice is more than a legacy cargo at the Port of Lake Charles,‖ Krielow said. ―It‘s a commodity with growing foreign demand. A growing local sector is rough rice, and the Port is a pathway for local producers to get rice to more markets, at a better price.‖ For more than a decade, producers have had another nearby option for moving out rough rice: the South Louisiana Rail Facility in Lacassine.

The rail loading facility operates on behalf of more than 200 area rice producers and business people. It is owned by the Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury and located on land owned by the Louisiana Agricultural Finance Authority.

The facility has gone from loading its first railroad car, in 2012, to loading ships at the Port of Lake Charles. ―We started with the idea of creating additional marketing options for our group,‖ said Mark Pousson, the facility‘s manager. ―We loaded the very first vessel at the new terminal (at the Port) in 2015, as a group of producers, to a Mexican rice buyer,‖ he said.

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Daily Global, Regional & Local Rice E-Newsletter Since then, 24 more vessels have transported rough rice from the Port, according to TherranceChretien, the Port‘s director of cargo and trade development.

Krielow said the Port‘s partnership with rice producers is an economic win-win.

Meanwhile, the rail facility is adding a $21 million rice milling facility near its Lacassine loading terminal. It‘s a five-story, 15,000-square-foot structure that is expected to be ready by the next harvest. ―This is an opportunity to add even more value — to produce and ship rice across the world.

This will bring economic benefits for generations to come,‖ said Gov. John Bel Edwards at last year‘s groundbreaking ceremony. ―It also provides more options for our rice producers. We can produce rice in the form our customers want, whether it‘s milled or rough.‖ Economic opportunities such as rough rice exports go hand-in-hand with the Port‘s own mission. ―We‘re energized to be part of efforts like these that serve and build the Southwest Louisiana economy,‖ said Port Executive Director Richert L. Self.

Rice is part of the total marine cargo activity along the Calcasieu Ship Channel that supported $39 billion of total economic value to the U.S. economy last year, according to Self. That also represented more than $12 billion of economic value locally — or about 67 percent of the Lake Charles area‘s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020.

Krielow said the Port is a vital component in supporting local agriculture. ―The Port serves the world,‖ he said. ―We‘re seeing local rice farmers reaching more markets in Mexico and other parts of the world, and at better prices — and the Port continues to offer a dependable pathway for them.‖ https://www.americanpress.com/2022/01/13/port-helps-local-rice-producers-deliver-tointernational-markets/

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