23rd november ,2018 daily global regional local rice e newlsetter

1 | w w w . r i c e p l u s m a g a z i n e . b l o g s p o t . c o m ,
m u j a h i d . r i c e p l u s @ g m a i l . c o m
November 23 ,2018
Vol 9 ,Issue 11

Government allows more traders to import rice
Manila will allow rice imports beyond the country‘s minimum access volume (MAV) after the
National Food Authority Council (NFAC) approved the out-quota guidelines on Wednesday to
further boost the Philippines‘s stockpile. Agriculture Secretary and NFAC Chairman Emmanuel
F. Piñol said interested traders may start applying for permits to import rice at the NFA on
November 22.
―The purpose of the importation is to bring down the prices of rice,‖ Piñol told reporters in an
interview after the NFAC meeting on Wednesday. Rice imports within the MAV of the World
Trade Organization are slapped a tariff of 35 percent, while those bought into the country outside
of the quota are levied a tariff of 50 percent. The NFAC‘s move comes ahead of the expected
passage of a measure that would lift the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice and replace it with
tariffs. Piñol said the NFAC has decided to allow out-quota importation to ensure that the retail
price of rice would remain affordable to Filipino consumers.
―Why would I wait for [the rice tariffication]? What if it would take longer? Then consumers
would complain that rice prices are increasing,‖ he said. According to Piñol, interested traders
need to meet only three requirements approved by the NFAC—show proof of financial capacity,

warehouse capability and retail capability. ―These will effectively weed out fly-by-night
importers who just apply for import permit and sell them afterward,‖ he said.
―The feeling of the council is that the old system employed did not effectively reduce the price
of rice because some import permits of farmers cooperatives are sold at about P100 per bag. And
that effectively increases the price of rice by P2 per kilogram,‖ he added. Piñol brushed aside
fears that the NFAC decision to further open up the Philippine rice market would cause an influx
in cheap imports and hurt local farmers. ―When importers feel that there‘s so much rice stocks in
the market, prices could go down and they will not make money,‖ he said. ―It would be the
market that will set the cap.
The absorbtive capacity of the market would dictate it. No businessman in his right mind will
import rice if he would not earn.‖ The NFAC did not specify an end-date for the out-quota
importation, so traders may import rice provided that they meet the requirements of the council
and pay the tariffs. Piñol said the Philippines will start 2019 with a buffer stock equivalent to 134
days of national consumption. He said his estimate does not include yet rice that will be brought
into the country by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
‘Enough rice’
The National Food Authority (NFA) on Wednesday said its warehouses in areas hit by Typhoon
Samuel have enough rice. NFA OIC-Administrator Tomas Escarez said he has already instructed
the agency‘s regional offices in the Visayas, Bicol region, Southern Luzon and Northern
Mindanao to secure their stocks ―in anticipation for rice distribution and relief operations during
and after the storm.
‖ ―NFA has at least 1.4 million bags of rice strategically stored in its different warehouses in
Regions 4-8, Region 10 and Caraga. These regions are projected to be hit by Typhoon Samuel,‖
Escarez said in a statement on Wednesday. ―Our stocks will be available to local government
units [LGUs] and other agencies for their relief operations during calamities,‖ he added. The
NFA said its concerned field offices have already activated their operation centers that would be
open for 24 hours in preparation for the typhoon.
―The NFA has standing memorandum of agreements with relief agencies like the Department of
Social Welfare and Development, Office of Civil Defense, as well as LGUs allowing them to
withdraw rice on credit from the food agency for their relief operation anytime
during calamitiesand emergencies,‖ Escarez said.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/government-allows-more-traders-to-import-rice/
Searca, IFS gather scientists, experts vs climate change
BY CONRAD M. CARIÑO

NOVEMBER 23, 2018
SEARCA, IFS GATHER SCIENTISTS, EXPERTS VS CLIMATE CHANGE
LOS BAÑOS, Laguna: Twenty-seven young scientists and 10 experts serving as mentors from
eight Southeast Asian countries met on Tuesday and Wednesday here for a two-day workshop to
enhance ongoing collaborative research on climate change adaptation and mitigation in the
agriculture sector.
The workshop, titled ―IFS-SEARCA Mentoring Workshop on Collaborative Research in Climate
Change Adaptation and Mitigation,‖ was organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for
Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) and the International Foundation for
Science (IFS) based in Sweden. It was held at the Searca headquarters here.
The 27 participants, 15 of whom were female, composed the 12 collaborative research teams
from various government, research, academic and private institutions in Southeast Asia that
received a research grant financed by the Carolina MacGillavry endowment and Searca.
The
Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture and the
International Foundation for Science based in Sweden recently gathered 27 young scientists and
10 experts from eight Southeast Asian countries to enhance ongoing collaborative research on
climate change adaptation and mitigation in the agriculture sector. SEARCA PHOTO
―This workshop is part of the memorandum of agreement for an IFS-Searca Collaborative
Research Grants Pilot. This is the third batch of grantees facilitated by IFS but the first one in
Asia. The first and second pilots were implemented in Africa in 2013 and 2014,‖ Searca said in a
statement.

In the workshop orientation, Maria Celeste Cadiz, PhD, a technical advisor of Searca, said the
mentoring process is expected to help the researchers in strengthening their processes, ensuring
that their projects are of high quality and producing useful results. The grants commenced in
2017 and are expected to be completed by December 2020. Thus, the workshop was timed while
the researchers were in the midst of analyzing their research and writing their reports.
During the first day of the workshop, participants identified the following areas of their
mentoring needs and concerns: research methods and data analysis; project-
specific technical concerns; collaborative scientific report writing; journal article writing and
other means of communicating research results; intellectual ownership/property rights; and
future grant opportunities and additional budget.
The teams were able to report their research progress and get feedback from their mentors in a
one-on-one setting for project-specific questions and in a plenary for cross-cutting concerns.
―The mentors are volunteers identified by Searca and IFS from a pool of established regional and
international scientists from esteemed research and academic institutions including the Central
Luzon State University in the Philippines, International Rice Research Institute, Katsetsart
University in Thailand, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, University of the
Philippines Los Baños, and University of the Philippines Visayas,‖ Searca said.
Aside from their mentors, the research teams were also able to get inputs from resource persons
from IFS and Searca, while Nighisty Ghezae, PhD, IFS director, presented the challenges and
lessons learned from the first and second pilot grantees. Bessie Burgos, PhD, technical advisor
for Searca research and development, presented the mid-term report of the current batch of
researchers.
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https://www.manilatimes.net/searca-ifs-gather-scientists-experts-vs-climate-change/471865/
Odisha Civil supply department verifies capacity of Kalahandi
mills
The investigation teams of Civil Supply Department are verifying capacity of the driers, boilers
in the mills besides their milling capacity.

Published: 22nd November 2018 10:27 AM | Last Updated: 22nd November 2018 10:27
AM |
By Express News Service
BHAWANIPATNA: Milling capacity of rice mills that will participate in the Kharif paddy
procurement in Kalahandi is being verified by the Civil Supply Department following a directive
of the district administration. The move comes in the wake of allegations from some quarters that
mills are manipulating their milling capacity records without enhancing drying and boiler
capacity, to get more paddy stock.
The investigation teams of Civil Supply Department are verifying the capacity of the driers,
boilers in the mills besides their milling capacity. Verification started from Tuesday and two
teams have been formed, one for Dharamgarh and another for Bhawanipatna sub-division, to
check the mills.
District Civil Supply Officer Shiva Prasad Dora said verification of milling capacity of rice mills
is on and it will be completed by November 26. The department officials are also verifying
storage capacity of tagged rice mills.
Dora said 74 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies will open 172 paddy purchase centres in
the district to procure Kharif paddy and 75 millers have entered into an agreement to lift paddy
from the purchase centres and mill rice from the paddy. Although procurement was supposed to
begin from November 1, it is yet to start due to the ongoing agitation by millers.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2018/nov/22/odisha-civil-supply-department-verifies-
capacity-of-kalahandi-mills-1901710.html
Rice farmers, Thailand to partner on local rice production,
processing
November 22, 2018 - by News Agency Of Nigeria
The Thailand Business Group and Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) will soon sign
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on local rice production and processing for local and

international markets.
Speaking at a meeting between rice farmers and Thailand Group in Abuja on Thursday, Alhaji
Aminu Goronyo, the National President, RIFAN, said that the partnership would lead to
production and milling of rice locally.
Goronyo said the MoU would also facilitate improved access to rice technologies and help
increase rice production for local consumption and exports.
According to him, the partnership will come with rice seeds that will give rice farmers higher
yields.
‗‗Before 2015, our yield per hectare was not more than two to three tones, but from 2015 when
this rice revolution in Nigeria started, today, we have varieties that give us five to 10 tonnes per
hectare.
‗‗In Thailand, it is 15 to 17 tonnes per hectare and that is what they want to bring to Nigeria.
‗‗They were in our office to request for partnership to enable them come to Nigeria and establish
businesses since they are no longer making money from importing rice into this country.
‗‗They want to come to Nigeria to partner with us, to see how we can do this business with them.
‗‗We are happy that they came because Nigeria is no more buying from them and the business
their is no more booming as before.

‗‗You are welcome to Nigeria. We can partner with you but virtually to manufacture, produce
and mill rice locally.
‗‗Thailand started this rice business about 150 years ago and they have knowledge about seeds;
scientifically, technologically, they are among the best in the world.
‗‗It will take us time before we become like Thailand in terms of technology and getting farming
so easy and cheap, and that is why we have agreed to partner with them,‘‘ he said.
He disclosed that the country had achieved 95 per cent self-sufficiency in rice production, adding
that in the next eight months, the country would begin exportation of parboiled rice to
neighbouring African countries.
‗‗We hope that in the next two production cycles, which will be between seven to eight months,
we will be able to export the rice we produce in Nigeria to neighbouring African countries.
‗‗They should come to Nigeria and do this business because even other African countries will
not go to Thailand again to import rice because.
― We will be feeding Africa from here, because we have the capacity.‘‘
Dr Shah Siraji, the International Team Leader of the group, commended the rice initiative and
revolution of the Federal Government.
Siraji said the partnership would help rice stakeholders to learn from Thailand‘s experiences and
domesticate them to increase local rice production.
‗‗Nigeria‘s initiative in rice is excellent, the country needs to be self-sufficient, but there are
steps to be taken, that is where we come in.
‗‗Thailand is number one in rice production so they have the understanding of how to do rice
milling, processing.
‗‗Nigeria needs to learn from them in joint collaboration , understand and implement that on a
Nigerian context and style.
‗‗My philosophy is to utilise the local expertise, raw materials and train the local farmers and
others on how to run the industry and manage it,‘‘ he said.
Dr Bawa Garba, a rice investor and middleman with Thailand Group, said the partnership would
enable farmers to travel to Thailand and understudy rice farmers there, to get the secret of their
success.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the group is made up of rice millers, manufacturers of
the rice milling and processing machines, experts in financing businesses, solar-powered water
pumps manufacturers,among others.
https://www.worldstagegroup.com/rice-farmers-thailand-to-partner-on-local-rice-production-processing/
Our rice program with Papua New Guinea
November 22, 2018 | Filed under: Editorial,Opinion | Posted by: Tempo Desk
PAPUA New Guinea (PNG) was in the news this week as the site of this year‘s Asia Pacific
Economic Conference (APEC) meeting, with the leaders of 21 member economies in the region
in attendance. For the first time in its 25-year history, it ended Sunday without issuing a formal
statement, as its two biggest members – the United States and China – were unable to reach
agreement on trade.
President Duterte led the Philippine delegation to the conference held at Port Moresby, capital of
Papua New Guinea. While the APEC ended on such a negative note, our own officials were there
not just for APEC but also for a bilateral program with that country southeast of the Philippines,
just north of Australia. That program is for the production of rice by Filipino farmers on 50,000
hectares of land in East Sepik province.
Secretary of Agriculture Emmanuel Piñol said at Port Moresby that Filipino farmers now have a
rice demonstration farm there which, he said, is doing very well because of the fertile soil. Its
first harvest is expected in the last week of December.
While rice production costs in the Philippines amount to P12 per kilo, compared to Vietnam‘s R7
per kilo, Secretary Piñol said Filipino farmers can match Vietnam‘s low production cost with
rice farms in Papua New Guinea because of the fertility of the land and the abundance of water.
The East Sepik River is said to be one of the largest rivers in the world.
The plan is to develop first 100,000 hectares to produce some 400,000 metric tons of rice to meet
the needs of Papua New Guinea‘s population of 8 million people. Piñol said he hopes some 1
million hectares of PNG‘s 46 million hectares of fertile land will eventually be made available
for the Philippine rice program. In five years, we should be able to ship the first rice from PNG
to the Philippines, he said.
Philippine rice production today is held back by several factors, including our limited arable land
area of just over 9 million hectares which is steadily decreasing due to urban development to
meet the needs of our 107 million people. We also have limited water supply which is important
in rice farming. But we have new high-yielding and disease-resistant rice varieties developed by
our scientists over the years.
The idea of reaching out to largely underdeveloped Papua New Guinea was an inspired idea that
should reap benefits for both our countries. This neighbor of ours in the South Pacific may well
serve, in the words of Secretary Piñol, as the Philippines‘ food security insurance.
http://tempo.com.ph/2018/11/22/our-rice-program-with-papua-new-guinea/

DTI private rice import program only partly awarded
November 22, 2018 | 9:51 pm
PHILSTAR
ONLY 15,000 metric tons (MT) of rice has been awarded out of a total of 350,000 MT private-
sector import volume allocated to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Agriculture
Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said.
In a news conference on Wednesday, Mr. Piñol said: ―We have the DTI 350,000 MT, of which
only 15,000 has been awarded… The problem is that they did not know that the NFA (National
Food Authority) has a requirement that the importer needs to have a warehouse.‖
Mr. Piñol said that DTI has so far only endorsed Puregold as an importer to the National Food
Authority (NFA) which is in charge of granting import permits to approved companies.
At the height of the rice crisis the DTI offered its self as a channel for private rice imports, in the
hope that it could directly course large volumes to the retailers and food companies which it
regulates.―The DTI arrangement is one-time only, with no deadline,‖ Mr. Piñol. He added that

Robinsons Supermarket, through its parent Universal Robina Corp. (URC) chairman Lance Y.
Gokongwei, has expressed interest to take part in the DTI‘s importation program.
―I think Robinsons is interested. I spoke to Lance Gokongwei, who is interested, not only in rice
importation but also in linking up with our farmers for the production of good-quality rice. I
would like to commend Robinsons for being the first to signify its intention to link up with
farmers,‖ Mr. Piñol said.
It can be recalled that URC has earlier donated P5 million worth of table potato seeds from
Canada to the DA for distribution to farmers in Benguet, Mountain Province, Bukidnon and
Davao del Sur.
Meanwhile, the NFA Council has approved the out-of-quota importation of rice, with
participants required to demonstrate financial, warehousing and retailing capability.
Asked whether the out-of-quota imports will clash with the DTI program, Mr. Piñol said: ―The
DTI came first. It was a program presented to us. This was approved long before we decided on
the out-of-quota program.‖ — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio
https://www.bworldonline.com/dti-private-rice-import-program-only-partly-awarded/
Piñol: Puregold gets government nod to import rice
By Jasper Y. Arcalas
November 23, 2018
The National Food Authority Council (NFAC) said it has approved only 15,000 metric tons out
of the 300,000 MT it has allowed to be shipped into the country under the Department of Trade
and Industry‘s (DTI) importation scheme.
NFAC Chairman and Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said traders who wanted to
participate in the program lacked the necessary requirements. So far, Piñol said only Puregold
has been given the go signal to import rice under the DTI‘s out-quota rice importation program.

―The problem was that they did know that the National Food Authority requires rice importers to
have a warehouse,‖ Piñol told reporters in a recent interview.
The warehouses, according to Piñol, should be adequate enough to store rice that traders would
import.
The NFAC has relaxed the requirements for importers to bring in rice into the country. These
requirements relate to financial capacity, warehouse capability and retailing capability.
Despite the failure of interested traders to meet the government‘s requirements, the NFAC has no
plans to abolish the importation program, which has no deadline, according to Piñol.
Under the DTI‘s rice importation program, interested parties could ship the staple into the
country on the condition that they would sell it at P38 per kilogram.―This was approved long
before we have decided on the out-quota program. Since it has been approved, why would we
retract it?‖ Piñol said. ―We will allow the DTI to use that program. The purpose of the program
is good if implemented properly.‖

Piñol said Robinsons Supermarket has signified interest to participate in the DTI‘s rice
importation program.
The DTI‘s rice importation program is in line with President Duterte‘s Administrative Order 13
that seeks to make available affordable farm goods at the retail level.
In October Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said the agency‘s rice importation program would
be implemented on a staggered basis, with 100,000 MT arriving before November.
Lopez disclosed that four groups have signified interest to partake in the DTI‘s rice importation
program. Some of the groups include Philippine Consumer Centric Traders Association,
Robinson Supermarket and Puregold.
The NFAC approved last month the importation of 350,000 MT of rice by the private sector
under the DTI‘s program.
Dubbed as ―Presyong Risonable Dapat‖ or PRD, the DTI would endorse to the NFA the
importer-participants under the program.
The DTI will submit names of their partners and they will be in charged for the selection of their
partners,T Piñol said. The NFA will be issuing permits to whoever will be recommended by the
DTI to participate in this program.‖
https://businessmirror.com.ph/pinol-puregold-gets-government-nod-to-import-rice/
Rice, coconut levy trust fund bills hurdle bicam
November 22, 2018 | 9:51 pm
PHILSTAR
THE RICE TARIFFICATION bill, the coconut levy trust fund bill, and the bill reorganizing the
Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) made it through the bicameral conference committee on
Thursday, Senator Cynthia A. Villar said.

The rice tariffication bill seeks to amend Republic No. 8178 or the Agricultural Tariffication Act
in order to implement a system of rice tariffs in exchange for a more liberal import regime. It
imposes a 35% duty on rice imports on shipments from member-states of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), while a 50% rate will apply to imports from non-ASEAN
countries.
The bill reduces the functions of the National Food Authority (NFA) to maintaining a rice buffer
stock. Ms. Villar said the bicameral conference committee agreed to specify that the buffer
stocking will be sourced from Filipino farmers.
The collections from the rice tariffs will create a Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund
(RCEF) that will improve the competitiveness of the domestic rice industry. Under the bill, a P10
billion fixed appropriation for the RCEF will be used for farmer mechanization programs, the
development of rice seed, credit facilities and training for farmers.
The coconut levy fund bill seeks to put the P100 billion coconut levy assets into a trust fund to
be utilized by coconut farmers. Its complementary bill reorganizes the PCA, which will be tasked
to manage the trust fund.

Under the bill, P5 billion from the fund will be spent on scholarship programs, empowerment of
coconut farmer organizations, and farm improvement, among others. Another P10 billion
sourced from the General Appropriations Act will be appropriated as the budget of the PCA for
the development of the coconut industry.
The bicameral conference committee has also reconciled provisions on the composition of the
PCA. The coconut levy fund bill was recalled from Malacañang last October after Cabinet
Secretaries indicated their opposition to a majority of the PCA board consisting of private
individuals.
Ms. Villar said the PCA would now be composed of eight representatives from the government
— including the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Finance (DoF), Department of
Budget and Management (DBM), the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Science and Technology (DoST),
the Landbank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) — plus six
representatives from the farmers, and one representative from the private sector.
The bicameral conference committee has also agreed to review the RCEF and the coconut levy
trust fund after six years.
https://www.bworldonline.com/rice-coconut-levy-trust-fund-bills-hurdle-bicam/
A rice revolution is underway in Asia
Major yet quiet breakthroughs in genetically modified rice have made crops more resilient to
rising climate change challenges like monsoon floods and rising seas
By JOHN MCBETH JAKARTA, NOVEMBER 23, 2018 4:20 PM (UTC+8)
A rice paddy field in rural Karnataka, India.In advances reminiscent of the ―Green Revolution‖
of four decades ago, agricultural scientists have quietly made important breakthroughs in the
cultivation of Asia‘s prime staple food, developing so-called ―scuba rice‖ that survives long
periods of flooding and an alkaline-resistant ―sea rice‖ farmers are already growing along

China‘s northern coast.
With an eye to an uncertain future, the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute‘s
(IRRI) last month sealed a deal with the Global Crop Diversity Trust to provide permanent
funding for the conservation and sharing of 136,000 varieties of a grain that currently feeds more
than 3.5 billion people a day.
IRRI director general Matthew Morell says the institute‘s invaluable gene bank has become a
fundamental part of global efforts to make rice more resilient, sustainable and equitable at a time
when the impact of climate change far outweighs the positive effects of CO2 fertilization.
In China‘s coastal Shandong province, north of Shanghai, scientists are claiming initial success
in an ambitious plan to grow rice on 20 million hectares of tidal flats and saline-alkali soil,
especially in the Yellow River Delta, which they believe could ultimately feed an additional 80
million people.That‘s about 80% of the Shandong populace, or 10% of the 840 million Chinese
who depend on rice as their staple – a figure that is unlikely to grow beyond 2030 when the
emerging super power‘s population is expected to peak at about 1.45 billion.

Avoiding the controversy associated with genetically modified rice, scientists have been trying to
grow the grain in brackish water since the 1970s. But it is only now they have come up with
varieties that yield a commercially viable four and a half to nine tons a hectare.
A mill worker in Thailand holds harvested rice grains. Photo: Reuters / Jorge Silva
China has strived for self-sufficiency in rice, wheat and corn since the late 1960s, but still falls
short of satisfying an appetite for rice which rose from 125 million tons in 1975 to 261 million
tons in 2016, in line with a population increase of 484 million.
Last year, China was the world‘s biggest rice importer with 5.1 million tons, ahead of Nigeria
(3.3 million), the Philippines (1.9 million), Iran and Indonesia (1.7 million). India, by
comparison, was the biggest rice exporter, followed by Thailand, the United States, Pakistan and
Vietnam.
Self-sufficiency is a key objective of most other Asian governments, but with widely varying
degrees of success determined not so much by yields per hectare as water supply and flat land,
particularly in countries with large river deltas like Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar.
In Indonesia, importing rice is always a hot political issue, largely because its people believe the
country is self-sufficient. It did in fact achieve that goal between 1984-86, but rarely since then

with per capita consumption at 148 kilograms a year – fourth behind Myanmar, Vietnam and
Bangladesh.
IRRI‘s high-tech facility in Los Baños, southeast of Manila, has developed improved rice
varieties that withstand flooding and drought, and at the same time help keep pace with a
growing world population and changing consumer preferences.
By 2050, Asia‘s estimated 5.2 billion population will eat about 90% of annual global rice
production, which according to most current estimates will have increased from the current 450
million tons to a staggering 525 million tons.
Men load rice bags to a ship for export at a rice processing factory in Vietnam‘s southern
Mekong delta, July 6, 2017. Photo: Reuters/Kham
IRRI scientists have used its gene bank to achieve genetic breakthroughs tailored to worldwide
climate extremes that already threaten production in key rice-producing regions, including
China, India and Indonesia – the three largest producers and consumers.Scuba rice will
eventually benefit farmers tending 20 million hectares of rice-land across Asia hit by regular
monsoonal flooding, which last year killed more than 1,200 people in South Asia alone and
raised fears of long-term food insecurity.

While the staple normally dies within days of being submerged, ―scuba rice‖ can withstand
flooding for up to two weeks or more and is now being grown by five million farmers in India,
Bangladesh, the Philippines and Indonesia, with Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia as future
targets.
Through collaborative research, scientists from the IRRI and the University of California have
spent the past four decades isolating and transferring the water-tolerant Submarino-1 (sub-1)
gene from India‘s Orissa variety into other popular rice types, using a technique known as
marker-assisted backcrossing.
The gene is only activated when it is under water, effectively placing the plant in a dormant state
and allowing it to conserve energy until the floodwaters slowly recede. Normally, rice stems
grow quickly to get the leaves out of water, which exhausts the plant‘s energy reserves.
Rice farmers in Thailand working in their fields. Photo: AFP

Scuba rice is now grown over 600,000 hectares in India and Bangladesh, where flooding causes
annual paddy losses of four million tons, enough to feed 30 million people. The funding has
largely come from the foundation created by US billionaire Bill Gates, which focuses on
alleviating the impact of climate change on the world‘s poor.
Currently, the so-called Swarna Sub-1 variety is planted across 367,000 ha of eastern India, with
the rest grown by about 40% of the farmers in the northwest of typhoon-battered Bangladesh,
now the world‘s sixth largest producer.
In Indonesia, scuba rice covers more than 430,000 ha of such flood-prone areas as Palembang in
South Sumatra and Bandung in West Java, where the Ciherang sub-1 – one of seven different
flood-resistant varieties in Asia — was first released in 2012.
Under normal conditions, the average yield of most varieties of scuba rice is about 4.5 to 6.5 tons
per hectare. During periods of flooding, say IRRI scientists, Ciherang sub-1 still yields 3-4 tons,
even after two weeks of complete submergence.
While limited so far, production in the Philippines is concentrated in low-lying regions like
Nueva Ecija in central Luzon, North Cotabato in Mindanao, and Bohol and Samar in the central
and eastern Visayas where farmers report an average yield of 4.5 tons a hectare.
More than 20 tropical cyclones wreak havoc in the central and northern Philippines each year.
One of the most destructive was Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, which killed 4,460 people,
destroyed 2,000 hectares of paddy fields and caused US$225 million in agricultural damage
across Leyte and eastern Visayas.
A Cambodian farmer cuts rice in a field in Cambodia‘s Kampong Speu province. Photo:
AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy
Only last September, Typhoon Mangkhut caused paddy losses of 275,000 tons in northern
Luzon, forcing the Philippine government to add 420,000 tons to the one million tons of rice
imports ordered earlier in the year to make up for a perennial shortfall.

Conserved in the IRRI gene bank are improvements to its IR8, the high-yielding ―miracle rice‖
which brought Asia back from the brink of famine during the so-called Green Revolution in the
1960s and 70s, when new innovations transformed agriculture across Southeast Asia.
The collection also includes wild rice species, which have been used to develop varieties that
tolerate heat and drought and resist pests and diseases. Some have also been modified to resist
iron toxicity, a common problem that affects mostly lowland rice in Africa.
The landmark agreement on conserving IRRI‘s gene bank encompasses what Crop Trust
executive director Marie Haga calls ―20 years of work and 50 years of thinking‖ on how the
international community can safeguard crops used for food and agriculture.
The IRRI is one of 11 gene banks belonging to the Consultative Group for International
Agriculture Research (CGIAR), a global research partnership working to reducing poverty,

China faces an economic balancing act amid US trade war
Weaker retail sales overshadow stronger industrial output and fixed-asset investment
growth
By GORDON WATTS NOVEMBER 14, 2018 6:56 PM (UTC+8)
China's middle class is a key driver of growth in the world's second-largest economy. Photo: AFP
Sifting through China‘s economic data has become an art form. On Wednesday, another
batch of numbers was rolled out, illustrating the flashpoints of cooling demand and
Beijing‘s efforts to stem the tide.
The numbers for industrial output and investment grew faster than expected last month
but this was probably due to a raft of government measures to stimulate growth.
As for the closely anticipated figures for the retail sales sector, they failed to match
expectations as shoppers reined in spending amid a credit squeeze, a slowing economy
and the trade war with the United States.

―There are myriad reasons for this step-down in consumer spending: the increase in
mortgage debt is eating into disposable income, investment returns are falling and the
closure of many online lenders is cutting off a key source of consumer
finance,‖ Everbright Sun Hung Kai, a leading regional financial firm, said in a note.
A glance at the figures showed that retail sales increased by 8.6% last month from a year
earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics reported, which was the slowest pace of
expansion since May and a significant dip from September‘s 9.2%.
Moreover, this comes at a time when car sales are stalling with analysts predicting the
first annual contraction since 1990, while the property market is suffering stress fractures
with home sales falling again in October.
‘We expect the effect of the personal income tax cut will start to be felt in
November when retail sales may gain some traction’
―Almost all categories in retail sales disappointed in October,‖ Iris Pang, the Greater
China economist at ING bank in Hong Kong, told Reuters. ―We think the government‘s
fiscal stimulus came in too late, and people now tend to save more and spend less.
―We expect the effect of the personal income tax cut will start to be felt in November
when retail sales may gain some traction,‖ she added.
Yet the statistics highlight the dilemma Beijing is facing as it realigns the economy from
export-fueled, mid-range manufacturing to high-tech production and rising domestic
demand.
Still, at least industrial output edged higher to 5.9% last month from 5.8% in September,
according to the NBS. Fixed-asset investment growth also increased to 5.7% between
January to October.
Naturally, infrastructure spending played a key role, rising to 3.7% in the first 10 months
compared with 3.3% during the same period in 2017.
But then, Beijing has loosened the purse strings to start major road and rail building
projects.
―Fiscal stimulus money is finally being spent on infrastructure, which pushed up fixed-
asset investment growth,‖ Pang at ING Bank said. ―Front-loading of exports [to the US

before tariffs kick in] supports manufacturing, which explains higher industrial
production growth.‖
So far, President Xi Jinping‘s policymakers have managed to walk an economic tightrope
without falling off which is an art in itself.
But how long they can maintain this balancing act, with a trade war elephant tiptoeing
across at the other end, is the key question.
http://www.atimes.com/article/a-rice-revolution-is-underway-in-asia/
Indian rice samples fail test for Egypt’s rice import tender
THU, NOV 22, 2018 - 11:00 PMn
[DUBAI] The Indian rice samples offered in Egypt's first rice purchasing tender for 2018 have
all failed a cooking test required for approval for purchase, three trade sources with direct
knowledge said on Thursday. All Chinese rice samples were accepted while one Vietnamese rice
sample was accepted and the other rejected, they said.Egypt, which has turned from a rice
exporter to an importer because of water shortages, has in the past purchased rice from India.The
samples are being tested by a research centre at before approval of offers.
REUTERS
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/energy-commodities/indian-rice-samples-fail-test-for-
egypt%E2%80%99s-rice-import-tender

Rice tariffs to solve consumer woes, boost productivity:
NEDA
November 23, 2018
By NEDA PR/PNA
MANILA — The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on Friday welcomed
the passage of the rice tariffication bill in the bicameral conference committee, which said this
bill — once signed into law and enforced — will solve food supply issues and improve the
country‘s agricultural productivity.
The two chambers of Congress have approved the passage of the rice tariffication bill, which
amends Republic Act (RA) No. 8178, otherwise known as the Agricultural Tariffication Act of
1996. This will replace quantitative restrictions (QR) on rice imports with tariffs and remove
unnecessary government intervention in the rice market.
―We view this as a positive development as the administration‘s economic team exhausts all
efforts to tame increases in the prices of goods. With only the President‘s signature before rice
tariffication becomes a law, we are making a big step in the realization of our agricultural reform
agenda,‖ Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said.
Pernia said the Bicam-approved bill addresses not only the tariffication of rice in compliance
with the Philippines‘ obligation to the World Trade Organization (WTO), but it also addresses
food security by increasing the availability and accessibility of cheaper rice to the consuming
population.
―The economic team has always been mindful that food remains to be the major contributor to
inflation. Efforts to address food supply concerns, especially rice, will definitely help bring down
consumer prices,‖ he added.
According to NEDA‘s preliminary estimate, headline inflation rate would be reduced by 1
percentage point if rice prices will be reduced to the level of imported rice. Even with just a
PHP1.00 per kilo reduction in the wholesale price of rice, headline inflation rate would also be
reduced by 0.3 percentage points.
Rice tariffication also helps improve the productivity of farmers and, as a result, enables them to
increase their incomes.
The bill provides for the establishment of a rice competitiveness enhancement fund (RCEF) from
an annual appropriation of PHP 10 billion for the next 6 years.
If the tariff revenues exceed PHP10 billion in any given year, the excess revenue will still be
plowed back to RCEF to support rice farmers.

―The RCEF will be used to provide key interventions to support our farmers and enhance their
competitiveness, including farm machinery and equipment to improve farm mechanization, rice
seed development, propagation and promotion, expanded rice credit, and extension services,‖
Pernia said.
A portion of the rice tariff revenues in excess of PHP10 billion shall also be used to provide
direct financial assistance to rice farmers adversely affected by the removal of the quantitative
restriction.
https://ptvnews.ph/rice-tariffs-to-solve-consumer-woes-boost-productivity-neda/
Fact Check: USDA got it wrong with Nigeria’s, other
countries’ rice imports
by CALEB OJEWALE
November 23, 2018 | 10:05 am
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report which asserted that Nigeria will be
the second-largest importer of rice in 2019 has been found to be grossly inaccurate, according to

BusinessDay‘s analysis of export data involving over 150 countries. Findings show that not only
did the USDA make inaccurate assertions in its estimation of Nigeria‘s…
Siah Hwee Ang with the latest happenings across the Asia-Pacific, including the new NAFTA,
the CPTPP, getting back the basics, ASEAN on the rise, India's widening trade deficit, China
wants more imports and more
Posted in Opinion November 23, 2018 - 10:00am, Siah Hwee Ang
Today's Top 10 is a guest post from Professor Siah Hwee Ang, the BNZ chair in business in
Asia who also chairs the enabling our Asia-Pacific trading nation distinctiveness theme at
Victoria University.
As always, we welcome your additions in the comments below or via email to
david.chaston@interest.co.nz.
And if you're interested in contributing the occasional Top 10 yourself, contact
gareth.vaughan@interest.co.nz.
The new NAFTA, called the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was concluded at the
end of September 2018.
For a while, it was thought the deal might not happen. But it did.
The article clearly states that if one Party wishes to commence free trade agreement negotiations
with a non-market country, the other parties need to be informed; and that no later than 30 days
before the date of signature, that Party shall provide the other Parties with an opportunity to
review the full text of the agreement.
More importantly, ―Entry by any Party into a free trade agreement with a non-market country,
shall allow the other Parties to terminate this Agreement on six-month notice and replace this
Agreement with an agreement as between them (bilateral agreement).‖
This Article will restrict the ability of all three parties to negotiate with non-market countries
without the potential intervention of the others, as the threat of terminating the USMCA is there.
For one, there may be implications for Canada’s negotiations with China over a FTA, which
has been discussed since 2016.
Keep watching this space to see how the Article 32.10 unfolds.
2. The CPTPP is on

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership was triggered on
31 October 2018 when Australia became the sixth country to ratify the Agreement.
The agreement will officially start on 30 December 2018.
Not to be left behind, Vietnam also ratified the Agreement two weeks later.
The CPTPP countries have a combined GDP of US$13.9 trillion, around 14 percent of the global
economy.
There are signs of relief following on from the US exit from the TPP, which left the remaining
countries pondering the value of the Agreement.
Talks around who else should be invited into the CPTPP are already on the agenda.
The UK and Thailand, and potentially Indonesia are all on the radar. These are by no means
small economies and will clearly enlarge the scope of the Agreement.
Only time will tell if the CPTPP will realise its full potential, but for smaller economies benefits
will surely be a given.
3. Commodities can become a challenge
In some countries, it‘s taken for granted that food is in abundance. Yet, in other parts of the
world, even basic commodities have become a scarcity.
This scarcity, in certain cases, is due to trade challenges.
Southeast Asia provides us with a couple of good examples.
The Philippines is the 9th largest rice producer in the world, accounting for 2.8% of global rice
production. It was also the world‘s largest rice importer back in 2010.
Recognising the importance of rice to the country, it imposed restrictions on rice imports,
believing that local production would be sufficient to serve the demand.
Yet, supply did not match demand, making rice inaccessible.
A new rice policy will see tariffs replacing current import restrictions. A 35 percent duty will be
levied on rice from other ASEAN members, and a 180% rate will be applied to rice imports from
outside the ASEAN bloc.
Elsewhere, Cambodia and Myanmar are facing a different challenge on rice exports, due to
import restrictions and tariffs by the EU and other countries.

The Philippines represents a potential avenue for these ASEAN neighbours, but it will be good to
see if the tariff imposed by the Philippines will cause another issue of accessibility—
affordability.
4. Indonesia ready to go ahead with FTAs, but one is on hold
Indonesian President Jokowi has ratified seven bilateral and multilateral trade agreements by
signing a presidential regulation.
The ratified agreements include the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA),
ASEAN-India FTA (AITISA), ASEAN-Korea FTA, ASEAN-China FTA, ASEAN agreement on
medical device directive, the ninth protocol of the ASEAN framework agreement on services,
and the Indonesia-Pakistan preferential trade agreement (IP-PTA).
Under law, the President is authorized to ratify an agreement if the House of Representatives
fails to make a decision within 60 working days after the agreements are signed.
That period lapsed on all of the abovementioned agreements.
At the same time, however, Indonesia has decided to put a hold on signing the FTA with
Australia.
A key reason for that surrounds Australia‘s decision to relocate its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv
to Jerusalem. Indonesia is the world‘s largest Muslim nation with close links to Palestine.
According to Indonesia, this will become a talking point during the 2019 elections.
Australia will respond by the end of the year.
5. ASEAN
In recent months, the ASEAN region has been on the rise on several fronts.
With a population of around 630 million and an average annual GDP growth rate of 5.1 percent
in the last 6 years, it is already the 6th largest economy in the world.
It is set to become the fourth largest behind the US, China and EU by 2030, overtaking Japan and
Germany.
At the recent ASEAN Summit in Singapore, the baton was passed on to Thailand to resume
ASEAN Chairmanship.
The relationships between ASEAN and India, ASEAN and China, and within ASEAN has also
deepened in these recent meetings in Singapore.

The most recent world competitiveness rankings saw four ASEAN countries reach the Top 50,
with Singapore ranked 2nd, Malaysia 25th, Thailand 38th and Indonesia 45th.
ASEAN countries also signed an agreement to facilitate cross-border ecommerce transactions at
the 17th ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Council Meeting in Singapore last week.
More than half of ASEAN‘s population are Internet users, and its Internet economy is forecast to
quadruple from last year‘s value to US$200 billion by 2025.
6. India’s trade deficit widens
The latest statistics show that India‘s product exports rose by 17.86 percent to US$27 billion
while imports grew by 17.62 percent to US$44 billion.
This means that India’s product trade deficit has further widened by another US$17 billion.
Exports experienced significant growth in industries such as petroleum (49%), chemicals (34%)
and pharma (13%).
For India, it seems that trade deficits can only be balanced with services exports.
Services exports by India in the current fiscal year from April-September stood at US$101
billion while services imports figures were only US$63 billion.
During the April-October period, total product imports stood at US$302 billion, with a total trade
deficit of $111 billion.
For the time being, the product trade deficit will not go away as India needs to increase the
quality of its goods.
But it is clear that there is a need for further thinking around optimizing the product-services mix
when it comes to achieving a trade balance.
7. RCEP is delayed …. again
As India is still grappling with its trade deficit challenges, it is not difficult to see why the
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has been further delayed.
In the 2nd RCEP Summit that took place in Singapore last week, it was confirmed that
the RCEP would need further conversations in 2019 to achieve an end result.
It is not surprising to see delays in negotiations given the size of the deal, which includes 16
countries that account for almost half of the world‘s population, a third of world‘s GDP and 40
percent of global trade.

Nonetheless, the RCEP has done well to conclude another five chapters in 2018, bringing the
total number of chapters to seven. But the key ones around a rules-based multilateral trading
system and market access remain incomplete.
Elections in India, Thailand and Indonesia in 2019, and the challenges for India as it
contemplates opening up its market to China are just some of the key areas to look out for in
2019 as the RCEP negotiations continue.
8. China wants more imports
As though in response to the US‘s claims around its trade imbalances, China is announcing to the
world it wants to import more.
But one can also see that it makes sense for China to import more for another good reason—to
unleash consumption.
Indices around both retail sales of consumer goods and online retail sales have shown growth
rates of 9.3% and 27.0% respectively in the latest statistics.
The trend is there, and there is no harm in bringing in more quality imports for that matter.
Around 3,600 companies from over 172 countries and regions took part in China’s first
International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai two weeks ago.
Around 200 of these companies are Fortune 500 companies.
China‘s President Xi promised to step up efforts to stimulate imports and lower tariffs at the
opening ceremony of the Expo.
China estimates that the country will purchase US$24 trillion worth of goods during the CIIE
and over the next 15 years.
And even though the trade battles continue between China and the US, nearly 180 US companies
attended the CIIE.
Opening up its market will only strengthen China further. The fact that many companies
continue to swarm around this opportunity suggests that the market remains lucrative for
businesses, if they can get it right.
What will the US’ next response be?.
9. Singapore takes a step forward on an FTA upgrade with China

Singapore and China have signed a protocol to upgrade their FTA.
The China-Singapore FTA, the first such FTA between China and an ASEAN country, came into
effect in January 2009.
The two countries began negotiations on the FTA upgrade in November 2015, and completed the
process earlier this month on the sidelines of the CIIE in Shanghai after eight rounds of
discussions were held.
In the last five years, China was Singapore‘s largest trading partner.
The FTA will come into effect once it is ratified by both sides.
The latest deal will see Singapore firms having better access to the legal, maritime and
construction sectors in China, amongst other market access.
On its end, Singapore will liberalise its air transport, courier and environment sectors for greater
participation for Chinese firms.
Alongside this FTA, China and Singapore also signed a series of MOUs on cooperation,
including knowledge sharing, connectivity, single-window trade system, fintech, cultural
exchange, urban planning, environmental development, and one belt one road financing.
10. Yet another concept – say hello to the Indo-Pacific
Indonesia has invited China to come on board to work closer with the ASEAN region through
the Indo-Pacific concept, and wishes to see ASEAN taking a central role in this.
Indonesia President Jokowi expressed his wish at the ASEAN-China Summit last week, saying
―I hope China can become an ASEAN partner in maritime sector cooperation under the Indo-
Pacific region, including in overcoming maritime security issues in the Pacific and Indian
oceans, overcoming maritime pollution, and developing search and rescue capacity at sea.‖
Indonesia‘s Indo-Pacific concept is one which will be based on ASEAN centrality, and has
received general support from other ASEAN countries.
This may lead to further Indo-Pacific discussions within ASEAN in 2019.
At the same time, the Quad (US, Japan, India and Australia), who first proposed Indo-Pacific
engagements, have also come together to recognise the need to consider ASEAN centrality in
the mix.
It will be interesting to see how this evolves in the new year. But as usual, ASEAN looks to be
the centre of attention in any significant events in the Asia-Pacific (or Indo-Pacific) region.
https://www.businessdayonline.com/.../fact-check-usda-got-it-wrong-with-nigerias-oth..

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