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IRRI releases 44 new rice varieties resilient to climate change
Advice for growers
Japan, U.S. fail to make headway in Pacific trade pact talks
Lawyer of couple linked to rice smuggling hits Senate probe
With exports beating imports and global prices slumping, desi farming goes global
Rice production likely to reach 7mn tonnes this year
LSU AgCenter: Crawfish myths persist regarding purging, straight tails
Siam Kubota sees lower growth due to lower demand from rice farmers
Commerce Ministry is confident it would sell 1 million tons of rice monthly
De Lima urges new policy on rice importations
Research, legal wrangling reap wild rice protections
TABLE-India Grain Prices-Delhi- Feb 25
Stakeholders concerned over non-implementation of proposed rice tariff reduction
Rising against rice smuggling
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Feb 25
Why does everyone hate the rice scheme?
Thailand's Election Commission frees up some funds to pay rice farmers
Jordan and Rutgers ending post-scandal season
SC halts release of rice shipment linked to David Tan
FG to Slash Import Tariff on Rice, Says Okonjo-Iweala

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 NACC denies fast-tracking Yingluck rice probe
 EC approves B712m to pay farmers

News Detail….
IRRI releases 44 new rice varieties resilient to climate change
By: Lilybeth
G.
February 23, 2014 2:01 PM

Ison,

Philippines

News

Agency

FILE PHOTO BY BERNARD TESTA
InterAksyon.com means BUSINESS
MANILA -- The International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), which has its headquarters in
Los Banos, Laguna, has released 44 new and
improved rice varieties that are resilient to
climate change.Around half of the current
global population -- or about 3.5 billion
people -- rely on rice as their staple food and
livelihood.IRRI said the 44 new types of rice
released include nine salt-tolerant varieties in
the Philippines, three flood-tolerant varieties
in South Asia, and six in sub-Saharan Africa
"Overall, IRRI has released around a thousand improved rice varieties across 78 countries since its
establishment in 1960," said Eero Nissila, head of IRRI’s breeding division in a statement."These are
considered global public goods. Hence, our partners are free to release these for farmers’ use or for more
breeding work to suit local needs in their countries," he said.Of the 44 new and improved rice varieties released,
21 were in the Philippines, six in Bangladesh, five in Myanmar, three in Nigeria, two in Tanzania, two in India,
and one each in Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mozambique, and Rwanda."We are excited over these
varieties, especially those released in Nigeria. These are the fruits of many years of collaboration that I have
personally been a part of during my posting at the Africa Rice Center station in Nigeria," said Glenn Gregorio,
senior rice breeder at IRRI.
"IRRI worked hard and closely with national breeding programs, and we know that this will lead to more
collaboration a demand for rice increases in sub-Saharan Africa," he said.Aside from tolerance of stresses, IRRI
said quality of rice is always a pressing requirement in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA)."Releasing these rice
varieties in ESA, including the aromatic ones, is a step toward meeting the demand of the region," said IRRI
scientist RK Singh, who coordinated IRRI's regional plant breeding activities in ESA.In an earlier
InterAksyon.com article, IRRI officials revealed that development of the crown jewel of climate-resilient

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varieties, the so-called "3-in-1" that can survive drought, saltiness and floods, was already in advanced stage of
research. Climate change had spurred scientists to fast-track work on a climate-resilient variety that can tolerate
flooding while surviving in a prolonged dry season, and saltiness which is a common problem in farms near
coastal areas in the Philippines.
Windfall from research
An independent assessment by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) found
that Southeast Asian rice farmers in three countries are harvesting an extra US$ 1.46 billion worth of rice a year
as a result of the research work done by IRRI and its partners.A 13 percent boost in yield gave returns of US$
127 per hectare in southern Vietnam, US$ 76 per hectare in Indonesia, and US$ 52 per hectare in the
Philippines.Similarly, a study commissioned by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) on
the impact of investments in rice research suggested that a US$ 12 million investment in rice research has
returned more than US$ 70 million in benefits to rice farmers and national economies in four Asian countries -Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
More than 50 years ago, IRRI has developed the IR8 rice variety which was later dubbed as the "miracle rice."
This held back the tide of impending starvation and protected the world’s massive rice-eating populations in
Asia from the clutches of famine.With the ill effects of climate change to agriculture and with the growing
population, IRRI said its main focus is to develop rice varieties that are resilient to this weather disturbance to
help farmers produce more rice with the same, or declining, amount of resources.

Advice for growers
Feb. 25, 2014, midnight

NSW Department of Primary Industries has released a
new rice field guide to pests, diseases and weeds in
southern NSW, which was completed by Yanco-based
research and development officer David Troldahl.
RICE growers in the region will benefit from the
publication of a new field guide to pests, diseases and
weeds in southern NSW.
The guide has been issued by the Department of
Primary Industries (DPI).

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Yanco-based research and development officer David Troldahl said it covered a variety of topics and issues to
assist rice growers to achieve increased production and higher yields."The NSW rice industry leads the world in
terms of crop yield and the sustainable, efficient use of resources," Mr Troldahl said. "The guide is designed to
assist rice growers and advisors in south eastern Australia to identify and manage relevant pest, disease and
weed issues that are encountered in rice crops in the region. "Available in this quick guide are extensive
descriptions, photographs, references and information on the potential threats to the rice industry.
"To prevent crop damage it is important for growers to understand the life cycle and management of pests such
as bloodworms, water snails, leaf miners, locusts and grasshoppers."Water snails are a major pest of rice crops
in southern NSW."Damage typically starts to occur within three weeks of sowing in aerial sown crops or after
application of permanent water in drill sown crops," Mr Troldahl said."The guide will assist growers to
recognise and manage diseases such as damping off, stem rot and sheath spot. "Damping off diseases are the
most significant diseases to rice growers in south eastern Australia."These fungal diseases are present every
year and may cause seed and seedling losses.
"There are also weed management strategies outlined in the guide to prevent problem weed varieties from
impacting on rice crops. "Some exotic threats and noxious weeds are also displayed in the guide," Mr Troldahl
said.Copies of the Rice field guide to pests, diseases and weeds in southern NSW are available from Mr
Troldahl on 6951 2546 or can be downloaded from www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/broadacre/summercrops/rice/field-guide.

Japan, U.S. fail to make headway in Pacific trade pact talks
February 25, 2014

SINGAPORE--Bilateral talks between Japan and the United States held as part of negotiations on a Pacific
trade pact ended without an agreement on Feb. 24, with Japanese Economics Minister Akira Amari saying that
gaps still remained between the two sides.U.S. and Japanese differences over agricultural tariffs are one of the
major hurdles facing the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and time is running out to find a way
forward at the latest round of talks which wrap up in Singapore on Feb. 25.
"There are still considerable gaps between the positions of Japan and
the United States," Amari told reporters. "But discussions are
deepening," Amari said, adding that, the two sides agreed to continue
efforts at the working level to try to narrow the differences.Amari said
that at this stage, no minister-level talks between the United States
and Japan had been set for Feb. 25.Asked about the prospects for an
in-principle agreement on the overall TPP talks, Amari said the talks
had not yet reached a consensus.He added, however, that there were
some areas where there has been a convergence, adding that various
bilateral negotiations had also been moving forward.The TPP, which
will cover around 40 percent of the world's economy, aims to set

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common standards on a range of issues from regulation to labor and environmental protection.But trade officials
from the 12 nations involved in the talks have made it clear many of the final hurdles involve more concrete
trade barriers such as tariffs on imported goods and caps on imports of sensitive goods.Japan, which has tried to
protect its rice, wheat, beef and pork, dairy and sugar from outside competition, is in particular focus as farmers
in big agricultural exporting nations push for elimination of all tariffs.The Feb. 24 talks were the second set of
bilateral talks between Japan and the United States since the four-day TPP talks began in Singapore on Feb.
22.Negotiators are hoping that a draft deal can be ready by the time U.S. President Barack Obama visits the
region in April.

Lawyer of couple linked to rice smuggling hits Senate probe
By Tetch Torres-Tupas INQUIRER.net

11:05 pm | Monday, February 24th, 2014
MANILA, Philippines—The lawyer of the couple suspected of being involved in rice smuggling has tagged as
“witch-hunting” the investigation being conducted at the Senate.Lawyer Steve Mendoza, in a statement issued
Monday, said the hearing is “like a plane that does not want to land” because similar hearings have been
conducted during the last Congress.“They already know the modus operandi as adequately discussed and
detailed in the last congress, how come they are still at it,” he said. Mendoza is the counsel for couple David
and Judyline Lim of DGL Commodities Inc.Senator Cynthia Villar earlier cited Judyline Lim in contempt after
she denied using farmers’ cooperatives to import rice.Meanwhile, a local consumer group warned that a
worsening rice crisis looms even as grandstanding lawmakers are working for a slapdash investigation in its
witch hunt of rice importers.
In a statement issued Monday, the Coalition of Filipino Consumers through its secretary general Perfecto
Tagalog said consumers continue to suffer the effects of the rice crisis even as legitimate importers bear the
brunt of attacks in terms of financial losses.“What is truly alarming is that despite the grandstanding by
lawmakers, known big time rice smugglers go unscathed and are not even summoned . We are concerned on
whether our lawmakers have lost the point of the proceedings with is to aid in the crafting of relevant laws,”
Tagalog said.“The NFA system of joint venture importation by farmers cooperatives and and an investor who
enjoyed the patronage of officials had been in practice for at least 10 years yet it was only two years ago that
authorities insist that the system is illegal. It only shows the government’s neglect of rice farmers and the
country’s food supply,” Tagalog said.

With exports beating imports and global prices slumping, desi farming goes global
Feb 25, 2014, 05.35AM IST

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Tags:Wholesale price index|Wheat|Tender period|settlement option|productivity|open|net worth|mentoring|markets|Maize|Insurability|Inflation|current
account|Cotton|Comparative Advantage|Commission|Bill of Lading
(The Balassa index of Revealed…)

By: Ashok Gulati
Ten years ago, nobody could have imagined
that India would be the largest exporter of rice
and guar gum, and the second-largest exporter
of beef and cotton.In fact, in 2012-13, India
exported 22 million tonnes (mt) of cereals,
which it has never done in history. But India is
also one of the largest importers of edible oils,
importing more than 10 mt worth $11 billion in
2012-13, constituting about 55 per cent of
domestic consumption. India's farm exports in
2012-13 were more than $41 billion vis-a-vis
imports of $20 billion, a net surplus of more
than $21 billion.Similar, or even larger, surplus
in farm trade is expected in 2013-14.The
Balassa index of Revealed Comparative
Advantage for Indian agriculture is 1.68
compared to 0.98 for manufacturing in 2012-13,
indicating that Indian farming is more competitive than the manufacturing sector. How did India achieve this?
.One of the prime movers behind this is the globalisation of Indian farming. In 1990-91, India's agri-trade
(exports plus imports) was only 5 per cent of farm GDP, which rose to more than 18 per cent by 2012-13.The
sharp rise in global farm prices from 2007-08 helped India exploit several export opportunities: from guar gum
to grapes, cotton to cereals, and mango to fish.Better incentives for farmers induced them to adopt better
technologies and farming practices, invest more in agriculture — especially irrigation and farm machinery —
raising overall productivity and production. New production peaks are being scaled in 2013-14: grains 263 mt,
horticulture 269 mt, milk 139 mt and oilseeds 34 mt. Though other policies helped in achieving this, the trigger
came from global prices, which percolated to domestic markets.
Cereal Killer
The case of cereals is interesting. In 2006-07, India imported about 6 mt of wheat and its grain production stood
at 217 mt. We imposed a ban on export of wheat and common rice in September 2007, when global food prices
were erupting. However, it raised the minimum support prices (MSPs) of wheat and rice by more than 30 per
cent, to compensate farmers for the loss of global markets and incentivise production at home.The National
Food Security Mission was also launched in 2007, to increase grain production by 20 mt within five years. By
2011-12, actual grain production increased by 42 mt, touching 259 mt. Government stocks increased to an
unprecedented 80 mt on July 1, 2012. The government opened up exports of wheat and rice in September 2011,
and in 2012-13, we emerged as the largest exporter of rice, with more than 10 mt of exports.We also exported

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6.5 mt of wheat and 4.5 mt of maize, and little quantities of other cereals, all totalling 22 mt. In 2013-14, it
could be a little less, but over both 2012-13 and 2013-14, it seems that India is set to export about 40 mt of
cereals. If cereals export was banned, it would have led to a crash in domestic prices, or government stock
would have crossed 100-mt mark by now.
Globalisation of farming, with open export and import policies, has led to domestic prices aligning with global
prices with a little lag. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) food price index, based on five
commodity groups — cereals, edible oils, dairy, meat and sugar — stood at 210 in 2013. And India's wholesale
price index for food also stood at 210 in 2013.The correlation between FAO's food price index and India's WPI
of food for calendar years 1998-2013 is 0.91, for cereals 0.89, for vegetable oils and sugar 0.90 each, for meat
0.92 and dairy 0.85. So, Indian food prices cannot be divorced from global prices for long, even when export
controls are imposed. Domestic prices do catch up with global prices, may be with some time lag and through
various channels, including MSPs.
Price Overlap
This global alignment of domestic farm prices has its pros and cons. It has given incentive to domestic
producers and exporters, as is clearly revealed by rising production and exports.But it has also put pressure on
domestic food inflation, which has hovered around 10 per cent per annum since 2009. The good news is that the
FAO's food price index is on the decline for the last two years: after having touched 230 in 2011, it has rolled
down to 210 in 2013. That should ease the pressure on domestic prices if the rupee holds steady.
Liquidate Excess Stock
The high twin deficits, fiscal and current account, have put pressure on India's exchange rate and continuing
food inflation. But there is hope that as global food prices cool, Indian food prices will fall as well.Domestic
policies to contain fiscal deficits, liquidating excess grain stocks with government and building efficient supply
chains for perishables by changing APMC laws will help further in taming domestic food inflation and enhance
India's global competitiveness in agriculture. I hope our policymakers can take bold steps in that direction,
which will benefit millions of farmers.
The writer is chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices. Co-authored with Shweta Saini,
consultant, ICRIER. Views are personal

Rice production likely to reach 7mn tonnes this year
Tuesday, 25 February 2014 11:55
Posted by Parvez Jabri

ISLAMABAD: The SUPARCO says that rice production in Pakistan is likely to reach around 7 million tons in
2013-14 because of higher than expected rabi season rice production this year.Rice is grown in the Sindh,
Balochistan and Southern Punjab regions during the rabi season, The Technology Times Reported.The data

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shows the rice planting had started in November and
reached active vegetative growth stage at the end of
January. According to the SPOT VGT satellite data at the
end of January, the Normalized Differential Vegetative
Index profiles of all provinces started to reach their peak
stage due to active growth of different crops.SUPARCO
says that the current Rabi season received less rain than last
season and the Pakistan Meteorological Department
forecasts considerably less rains also in March based on
regional models, which is likely to help rice
harvest.Balochistan has received more cumulative rain among the rice growing areas.The relative humidity in
the current rabi season is about 20 per cent higher in the mornings and 10 per cent higher in the evenings
compared to relative humidity levels in the last rabi season.

LSU AgCenter: Crawfish myths persist regarding purging, straight tails
Published Feb 24, 2014 at 3:24 pm (Updated Feb 24, 2014)

With crawfish season just underway, the LSU AgCenter says
many myths about cooking the iconic south Louisiana
crustaceans still persist. Ray McClain, LSU AgCenter crawfish
researcher at the Rice Research Station near Crowley, says one
of the myths involves using salt to clean or purge crawfish
before boiling. "Research at the LSU AgCenter has shown that
the addition of salt to the wash water provides no significant
advantage in cleansing crawfish despite the numerous claims to
the contrary," he says. Washing crawfish for as little as 10
minutes in water helps remove mud and debris but does little to
eliminate intestinal wastes, he says, and salt appears to be of no
benefit.
"The only way to significantly reduce size and content of the intestinal tract is with a 12- to 24-hour freshwater
purge, which is difficult and impractical for homeowners to do," McClain says. Another widespread myth about
crawfish involves those that come out of the pot with a straight tail. Many people won't eat them, believing it
means the crawfish was dead before it was boiled. But McClain says this isn't necessarily so. Research by the
LSU AgCenter concluded that straight tails may have been the result of some physical explanation when boiling
occurred, such as putting too many crawfish in a pot. "While that study did not investigate safety or quality
issues, the results suggest that the age-old adage of avoiding straight-tailed crawfish at a crawfish boil, as a
means of ensuring safety and quality, may not be reliable and certainly has little to do with knowing the living
status of the animal at the time of cooking," McClain says.

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Siam Kubota sees lower growth due to lower demand from rice
farmers
Sucheera Pinijparakarn,The Nation February 25, 2014 1:00 am
Siam Kubota Corporation (SKC), a leading producer of agricultural machinery, and its leasing subsidiary Siam
Kubota Leasing (SKL) expect to see revenue growth held down by the lower purchasing power of farmers hit
by the long-delayed payments from the rice-pledging programme.Before the payment delays by the caretaker
government, SKC, a joint venture between Kubota Corp of Japan and Siam Cement Group, had expected sales
growth this year of not less than 15-20 per cent, said Opart Dhanvarjor, senior executive vice president of Siam
Kubota.
But SKC, which controls 70 per cent of the rice-tractor market, believes that the delayed payments are only a
short-term problem. Its Japanese major shareholder also believes that they will not result in long-term problems
for the company, he said.Normally, SKC enjoys annual sales growth of around 20 per cent, but the growth rate
this year could be half that because of reduced demand for new machinery by farmers.Last year, SKC earned
sales revenue of Bt50 billion.Opart said the agricultural-machinery market could resume when farmers finally
get their money from the rice-pledging scheme.
SKL has found that around 0.7 per cent of its total outstanding loans of Bt50 billion are held by farmers affected
by the rice-payment delays, said Suksri Punyakorn, managing director of the leasing subsidiary.She noted that
the problem of delayed payments was similar to the drought and flood problems in the past, which hit around
0.6 per cent of SKL's portfolio.Lending to rice harvesters including for tractor purchases accounts for 60 per
cent, for which customers are allowed to pay twice a year in line with the crop seasons.For rice tractors, SKL
offers loans with a six-year term and an interest rate of 7 per cent per annum.Suksri said some farmers had
asked for repayment-term extensions because they have been waiting for the payment from the government
under the rice-pledging scheme.
She said the company did not want to repossess vehicles from farmers because they are key tools for their
incomes. Therefore, SKL and SKC will cooperate to help the farmers in terms of knowledge-based marketing
and total process solutions. The repossession rate at SKL is less than 1 per cent.Opart said the group helped
farmers by focusing on production-cost efficiency.Meanwhile, the company will actively pursue sales for other
economic crops that still have demand for agricultural machinery, such as palm, sugar cane, rubber and
cassava."The sales ratio for rice and non-rice farming is 60:40, and we have attempted to drive the proportion of
sales for non-rice farming close to that of rice farming to diversify our portfolio," he said.He said SKC would
boost export sales to offset the risk in the domestic market, adding that currently exports represented of 20 per
cent the company's sales. Its main export markets are neighbouring countries, India, and North America.The
company will officially open business units in Cambodia on February 28 and in Laos on March 4, as both

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countries have good potential as export markets for SKC. However, the company will keep its production base
in Thailand because of its superior supply chain.Suksri said SKL was conducting a feasibility study in
Cambodia in preparation to support leasing of SKC products.

Siam Kubota sees lower growth due to lower demand from rice farmers
Sucheera Pinijparakarn
The Nation February 25, 2014 1:00 am

Siam Kubota Corporation (SKC), a leading producer of agricultural machinery, and its leasing subsidiary Siam
Kubota Leasing (SKL) expect to see revenue growth held down by the lower purchasing power of farmers hit
by the long-delayed payments from the rice-pledging programme.Before the payment delays by the caretaker
government, SKC, a joint venture between Kubota Corp of Japan and Siam Cement Group, had expected sales
growth this year of not less than 15-20 per cent, said Opart Dhanvarjor, senior executive vice president of Siam
Kubota. But SKC, which controls 70 per cent of the rice-tractor market, believes that the delayed payments are
only a short-term problem.
Its Japanese major shareholder also believes that they will not result in long-term problems for the company, he
said.Normally, SKC enjoys annual sales growth of around 20 per cent, but the growth rate this year could be
half that because of reduced demand for new machinery by farmers.Last year, SKC earned sales revenue of
Bt50 billion.Opart said the agricultural-machinery market could resume when farmers finally get their money
from the rice-pledging scheme. SKL has found that around 0.7 per cent of its total outstanding loans of Bt50
billion are held by farmers affected by the rice-payment delays, said Suksri Punyakorn, managing director of the
leasing subsidiary.She noted that the problem of delayed payments was similar to the drought and flood
problems in the past, which hit around 0.6 per cent of SKL's portfolio.Lending to rice harvesters including for
tractor purchases accounts for 60 per cent, for which customers are allowed to pay twice a year in line with the
crop seasons.
For rice tractors, SKL offers loans with a six-year term and an interest rate of 7 per cent per annum.Suksri said
some farmers had asked for repayment-term extensions because they have been waiting for the payment from
the government under the rice-pledging scheme.She said the company did not want to repossess vehicles from
farmers because they are key tools for their incomes. Therefore, SKL and SKC will cooperate to help the
farmers in terms of knowledge-based marketing and total process solutions. The repossession rate at SKL is less
than 1 per cent.Opart said the group helped farmers by focusing on production-cost efficiency.Meanwhile, the
company will actively pursue sales for other economic crops that still have demand for agricultural machinery,
such as palm, sugar cane, rubber and cassava.

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"The sales ratio for rice and non-rice farming is 60:40, and we have attempted to drive the proportion of sales
for non-rice farming close to that of rice farming to diversify our portfolio," he said.He said SKC would boost
export sales to offset the risk in the domestic market, adding that currently exports represented of 20 per cent
the company's sales. Its main export markets are neighbouring countries, India, and North America.The
company will officially open business units in Cambodia on February 28 and in Laos on March 4, as both
countries have good potential as export markets for SKC. However, the company will keep its production base
in Thailand because of its superior supply chain.Suksri said SKL was conducting a feasibility study in
Cambodia in preparation to support leasing of SKC products

Commerce Ministry is confident it would sell 1 million tons of rice
monthly
BANGKOK, 25 Feb 2014, According to the Director General of the Department of Foreign Trade (DFT)
Surasak Riengkrue, the Commerce Ministry is confident that it will be able to sell a million tons of rice
monthly and generate enough revenue to cover the pending rice support program money owed to
farmers.
Mr. Surasak claims that another batch of 800,000 tons of stockpiled rice will be sold between late February and
early March. Of that 300,000 tons will be auctioned in the first two weeks to local rice mills for domestic
consumption. He said another 300,000 tons would be sold to international trading partners, and the remaining
200,000 tons will be auctioned through the Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand (AFET).
Earlier authorities sold 600,000 tons of rice, netting a profit from the transactions in February of 20 billion baht.
Mr Surasak reassured rice farmers that his department would do its best to sell the rice stockpiles so that it can
obtain all the funds needed to pay out the government’s delayed rice mortgage scheme debt.

De Lima urges new policy on rice importations
By Tetch Torres-TupasINQUIRER.net
6:09 pm | Tuesday, February 25th, 2014
Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday urged the creation of a new policy on rice
importations to prevent local markets from being saturated by imported rice. De Lima told reporters that the
existing policy being implemented by the Department of Agriculture and the National Food Authority is the
continued imposition of quantitative restriction, or QR.QR allows member-countries of the World Trade
Organization to restrict the importation of sensitive agricultural products like rice.

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However, QR restrictions expired on June 30, 2012, which, importers argued, meant that import permits for
rice were no longer required. This is the reason courts are already issuing restraining orders against the Bureau
of Customs from seizing imported rice. De Lima said, however, that the issue of QR being extended is still
subject of discussion by WTO members. She also expressed hope that the Cabinet would take up the matter as
well as the creation of a new policy on rice importation. “There are economic implications beyond agriculture.
We want a clear policy guidance,’’ De Lima said. De Lima earlier admitted that the issue on the lifting of the
WTO-QR on the importation of rice has “hanging issues on interpretation” that needs immediate resolution.
De Lima’s admission came even as officials from both the Legislature and Executive had downplayed the issue
as nothing more than a “gray area” allegedly being used by traders to illegally import rice into the country. “The
international law was ratified by the President and concurred by the Senate, and has [since] become part of our
body of laws. Kailangang sagutin ang tanong, alin ba ang mag-pre-prevail, ang [We have to answer the
question, which should prevail, the] WTO Agreement or the domestic law,” de Lima said in an interview. In
two hearings of the Senate agriculture committee on rice smuggling, senators urged the Department of Justice to
issue a “definitive position” that would “plug loopholes” on the matter of whether the country could still limit
private-sector importation of rice despite expiration of the WTO-granted privilege in June 2012.
While there is already an initial position taken by the DoJ, De Lima refused to disclose the DoJ’s position on
whether the country was bound by its commitments to the WTO since the matter was pending in the courts.
“We are currently studying the matter and we are looking at varying interpretations. Now if we go by the strict
legal sense of the issue, I’m afraid we have some problem there. Because, as we very well know, the WTO, that
is a commitment. That forms part of the law, the maxim pacta sunt servanda [agreements must be kept],” de
Lima told the Senate panel.

Research, legal wrangling reap wild rice protections
Article by: JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY , Star Tribune
Updated: February 25, 2014 - 11:34 PM
More than half a century ago, a renowned biologist
discovered that wild rice doesn’t grow well in lakes that are
high in a type of mineral salt that comes pouring off
Minnesota’s Iron Range.Now, after three years of lawsuits,
legislative wrangling and one of the most comprehensive
scientific investigations ever conducted on behalf of a single
species, it turns out he was right.Next week, in a decision
with far-reaching implications for the state’s mining industry

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and the preservation of its most famous plant, state pollution officials are expected to announce their
recommendation for a “sulfate standard” — how much of that salt Minnesota industries can discharge into the
clear, calm waters across the state where wild rice likes to grow.If scientific findings are the guide, which has
been the one unifying principal among all the opposing interests, then hundreds of mines, wastewater treatment
plants and other facilities may have to come up with new and expensive ways to reduce a pollutant that was
long regarded as fairly benign.
“There will be a lot of screaming about this, I’m sure,” said Nancy Schuldt, a water quality expert with the Fond
du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, which has pushed the state for years to enforce its long-standing rule
to protect wild rice from the mineral salt called sulfate.Craig Pagel, president of the Iron Mining Association of
Minnesota, said the industry cannot estimate the costs of complying, but said: “I’m sure it would be extremely
costly. And not just for us.”It’s also clear, now, that it’s not just wild rice that suffers from too much sulfate.
The toxic reaction that occurs in the muck around the plant’s roots can affect virtually all types of aquatic flora,
or any type of living thing that relies on oxygen, scientists say.“It’s going to affect everything out there,” said
John Pastor, a biologist at the University of Minnesota Duluth, who ran one of the wild rice studies. “It’s going
to affect the whole food web.”The decision next week by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will
pertain only to wild rice, however, and will mark a turning point in what has been an unusually contentious
debate.The MPCA will recommend whether the state’s existing standard should remain where it is, or go up or
down, or even vary by season.
Next, the standard is likely to be reviewed by a scientific panel convened by the agency, according to Shannon
Lotthammer, an MPCA director — a step that industry groups said they applaud. The public will have a chance
to weigh in as well. A final decision will probably be made by the end of the year, she said.That may be just the
beginning. The rule will apply to waters where wild rice grows — or has grown, or could grow. In the land of
10,000 lakes, where wild rice used to be ubiquitous, determining the reach of the new standard is in many ways
a far more complicated question than the chemistry. A second process will determine which and how many
lakes, rivers and wetlands will be defined, and then protected, as a wild rice water.“And that,” said Schuldt, “Is
where the biggest battles over implementing this rule will fall.”
Pioneering science
In the 1930s and 1940s, state biologist John Moyle paddled through lakes and rivers across Minnesota, studying
the relationships between naturally occurring stands of wild rice and the concentration of sulfate. The plant
grows best in shallow, mucky water with a gentle flow, and it was once common throughout the marshy areas
of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario and beyond. Indian tribes say that historically it was instrumental
in their settlement around the region, and remains a foundation of their diet, culture and spirituality.Today most
of the wild rice grows in northeast Minnesota.Naturally occurring sulfate is not common in the region. In
northeast Minnesota, the primary source of sulfate is what leaches off piles of waste rock and tailings ponds
from a century of iron and taconite mining on the Range.

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Image: hide At the White Earth Land Recovery Project facility, brothers Wayne, seated, and Gordon Stevens
harvested wild rice on lower Rice Lake. Indian tribes consider wild rice an important part of their culture.
Photo: RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII • Star Tribune file,

TABLE-India Grain Prices-Delhi- Feb 25
Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:02pm IST
Rates by Asian News International, New Delhi
Tel: 011 2619 1464
Indicative
Previous
Grains
opening
close
(in rupees per 100 kg unless stated)
---------------------------------------------------------Wheat Desi
2,100-2,600
2,000-2,550.
Wheat Dara
1,800-1,900
1,800-1,900.
Atta Chakki (per 10 Kg)
210-215
210-215.
Roller Mill (per bag)
1,775-1,800
1,750-1,780.
Maida (per bag)
1,875-1,975
1,850-1,950.
Sooji (per bag)
1,950-2,000
1,950-2,000.
Rice Basmati(Sri Lal Mahal)
10,500
10,500.
Rice Basmati(Lal Quila)
10,200
10,200.
Rice Basmati(Common)
7,500-7,675
7,500-7,650.
Rice Permal
2,200-2,275
2,200-2,250.
Rice Sela
3,500-3,700
3,500-3,700.
I.R.-8
1,750-1,850
1,775-1,875.
Gram
3,480-4,150
3,470-4,100
Peas Green
2,700-2,800
2,700-2,800.
Peas White
2,850-3,075
2,850-3,075.
Bajra
1,375-1,650
1,375-1,650.
Jowar white
2,200-2,300
2,200-2,300.
Maize
1,300-1,650
1,300-1,650.
Barley
1,400-1,550
1,400-1,550.
Guwar
2,700-3,200
2,700-3,200.
Source: Delhi grain market traders.

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Stakeholders concerned over non-implementation of proposed rice tariff
reduction
February 26, 2014 | Filed under: Agricultural Business | Author: Osa Victor Obayagbona
The importance of rice to consumers on one hand and its economic viability to the nation on the other cannot be
overemphasised. Rice production and importation into Nigeria have been at the fore of the nation’s discourse,
especially against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s determination to boost agriculture, ensure food
security and encourage backward interpretation.However, one serious issue which stakeholders currently
believe is short-changing the potentials of the rice sub-sector is the non-implementation of the $190 per metric
tonne import tariff agreed by the government. This is a reduction from the current $570 per metric tonne.
According to Shaibu Mohammed, secretary general, Rice Millers, Importers and Distributors Association of
Nigeria (RiMIDAN), over 20 vessels conveying the product are trapped and stocked in Nigerian territorial
waters due to non-take off of the new tariff regime. The situation has resulted in massive loss of revenue both to
the government and importers, while consumers continue to groan over smuggled rice from mainly
neighbouring countries, particularly Republic of Benin. It is claimed that over 3 million tons of parboiled rice
were smuggled into Nigeria through Benin Republic last year. Over N300 billion revenue loss to the
government was incurred while Benin Republic and others allegedly gained over N200 billion via smuggling.
Most of the rice that come into the country illegally often pass through conditions that reduce their country,
according to industry watchers. Recently, the Federal Government through the Inter-ministerial Committee on
Dutiable Rate held a stakeholders meeting with the rice dealers in Abuja. The meeting was meant to quickly
arrest the rate of smuggled rice through the neighbouring countries like Republic of Benin.It was agreed that in
order to discourage the rate at which the commodity was smuggled into the country, a new duty tariff that was
almost import-friendly and commensurate with what obtained in the neighbouring countries was good enough,
hence the duty for legally imported rice was pegged at $190.
The stakeholders say it is regrettable, though that the government reviewed the dutiable price, the measure was
yet to be implemented leading to dislocations and unease within the rice industry in Nigeria. Stakeholders
lament that $570 remains the duty for rice in Nigeria despite international price crash and stiff competition from
the Benin Republic. The claim is that to further boost the volume ofNigeria-bound rice through its ports, Benin
Republic deliberately crashed dutiable rate to $200 per ton. This made the place a haven of sorts for smugglers
of the product into Nigeria.
The apparent inaction of the government has made it impossible to improve the value chain on rice, as less than
100,000 tons of rice was legally imported into Nigeria last year.Mohammed Abubakar, chairman, Rice Millers
Association of Nigeria, said continued inaction will create lack in the present administration, as “we all agreed

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at the meeting to introduce palliative duty and incentive in the sector to reduce smuggling of rice. Somewhere
along the line someone is holding the entire nation to ransom.“We urged Mr. President, as a listening leader to
intervene in the issue. Quote me any where, smuggling is not only affecting the farmer but it is rather killing
them.“The rice protectionist policy human face and Nigeria is losing.’’To Esther Olumilayo, chairperson, Rice
Dealers Association of Nigeria, this calls for urgent need to ensure the availability of the product in the country
if the government means well in its transformation agenda, especially as it affect the agricultural sector. One
major way to do this, is for the government to further reduce duty on rice or quickly implement the palliative
duty introduced in December last year.

Rising against rice smuggling
Written by Olayinka Olukoya
Tuesday, 25 February 2014 00:00
Smugglers are incredibly ingenious, always trying to
put law enforcement agencies at their wits’ end by
devising new ways to practise their prohibited
enterprise. However, going by the number of arrests
and seizures effected by the Ogun State Command of
the Nigeria Customs Service, the command seems
poised to run smugglers out of business. OLAYINKA
OLUKOYA reports.Just recently, the House of
Representatives disclosed that about three million
tonnes of parboiled rice were smuggled into the
country in 2013 through Benin Republic.
Consequently, the country lost over N200 billion in dutiable levy to Benin Republic.
Worried by this development the House called on the Federal Government to implement the new rice duty
regime as a way to checkmate importation of rice into the country and boost local production.It is worthy of
note that some of the routes used by smugglers to bring in contraband commodities into Nigeria are the border
areas in Ogun State linked to Benin Republic.Following the alarm raised by the lawmakers, Ogun State
command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) resolved to work round the clock to put smuggling activities
under control.At a press conference in Idi-Iroko, in Ipokia Local Government Area and a border town to Benin
Republic recently, the Comptroller, Alhaji Haruna Mamudu, lamented that the illicit business of smugglers was

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hampering government policy.Mamudu, who
described the development as alarming, pointed
out that the command between December 2013
and January 2014 had made seizure of 9,871
bags of rice, 5,431 cartons of frozen poultry
products with Duty Value Paid (DVP) put at
N59.2 million and N21.7 million respectively.
He said, “Immediately I took over, I hit the
ground running, the results are streaming in, and
this is what you are seeing today within this
short period of my assumption of office. I
personally coordinated a seizure of a truck-load
of 600 bags of rice.”He said that the
perpetrators of the illicit business, despite efforts to curb their activities, had devised other means of bringing in
the commodities into the country by using motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, and small vehicles to
transport rice through illegal routes.Mamudu said the motorcycles carry at least 10 bags each per trip while the
smaller vehicles carry at least 60 to 80 bags of rice at a go.The comptroller explained that the motorcycles and
vehicles loaded with rice moved in a convoy, and if not apprehended, the smugglers would have successfully
imported a truck load of rice. However, no fewer than 1,000 motorcycles and over 200 small vehicles loaded
with rice have been seized by Customs officials.
The command recorded revenue collection of N5.5 billion in 2013 as against N5.3 billion in 2012 with a
progressive collection of about N174 million.On the anti-smuggling efforts, the comptroller explained that the
command recorded 1,368 seizures with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1.314 billion as against 1,084 seizures with
DPV of N694.1 million recorded in 2012.

This, according to him, showed a progressive difference of 284 seizures with DPV of N619.886 million.For the
first month in 2014, the command said it recorded 83 seizures with DPV of N37.5 million as against 71 seizures
with DPV of N28.4 million recorded in the same period in 2013.He said, “The menace of motorcycle smugglers
of rice is worrisome. You can see the number of motorcycles we have seized. You can imagine what our
operatives go through to apprehend one motorcycle, because any mistake may result in death of the smuggler
with a consequent crisis.“

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The last time we held this press conference you saw trucks and trailers load of rice. What they use in this axis as
against trailer; they use these vehicles. Now, you can see how they arrange rice inside these vehicles. This is a
Volvo car, if you count all the bags of rice inside this car, you will get between 70 and 80 bags. A Starlet car
carries close to 40 bags of rice.
“Now, this is what they have resolved to doing and when they are attacked inside the bush or anything happens
the society will be made to believe that somebody was attacked because he carried 30 bags of rice. But, you can
imagine the number of vehicles that carry these 30 bags of rice a day. And that is why we want to make people
to see the menace of these vehicles. It is not only in trailer that they carry rice.“Just like we take you to where
they do it with motorcycles, it is the same thing that they are now doing here at this sector; Idi-Iroko sector.
Look at the quantity of rice on these motorcycles; by the time they make three trips, they are carrying three
trailer loads of rice,” he said.He said the host communities in the border area are not helping matter in the
command’s fight against smuggling.Mamudu explained that his men were being confronted with a lot of
difficulties in the course of discharging their duties.“These are all motorcycles arrested at different times with
bags of rice on them, different quantities of bags of rice. The motorcycles here are over 1, 000, we have some in
other places.“What the people are now saying is that we have sent them out of business; we have not sent them
out of business but they are the ones who have sent themselves out of business because their business is illegal,”
he said.The Customs boss explained that there are legitimate ways of doing businesses, saying that while rice
importation is not banned, rice is not allowed to be brought into the country through illegal routes.
“There are legitimate ways of doing business, there are a lot of items that can be carried across the border and
are not prohibited.“They don’t have to go through prohibition before they can survive. Some of them carry
frozen poultry products. It is a Federal Government policy, it is not Customs policy, we are here to execute
Federal Government policies but they see us as enemies. We are here only to enforce the law.“Rice is not
banned but rice is banned when it comes into the country through unapproved routes. The border stations are
unapproved routes for rice but you can make other importations. And this is why we try to encourage the
society here, across the border, their traditional rulers, the traditional council, traditional institutions to educate
their people so that they can engage themselves in lawful businesses,” he said.

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- Feb 25
Tue Feb 25, 2014 3:30pm IST
Nagpur, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Gram and tuar prices in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing
Committee (APMC) moved down here in absence of buyers amid poor quality arrival. Easy condition
in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and release of stock form stockists also pushed down prices,

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

according to sources.
*
*
*
*
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram varieties showed weak tendency in open market on lack of demand from local
traders amid increased supply from producing regions.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties reported down in open market poor buying support from local traders
amid increased overseas supply. Fresh fall in Madhya Pradesh tuar prices also
affected sentiment.
* Moong mogar bold and medium best shot up in open market on renewed festival season
demand from local traders amid thin arrival from producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar - 3,700-3,900, Tuar dal - 5,900-6,100, Udid at 6,000-6,300,
Udid Mogar (clean) - 7,000-6,200, Moong - 8,100-8,300, Moong Mogar
(clean) 9,500-9,700, Gram - 2,600-2,700, Gram Super best bold - 3,300-3,500
for 100 kg.
* Wheat, rice and other commodities remained steady in open market
in thin trading activity, according to sources.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction
2,500-2,800
2,500-2,920
Gram Pink Auction
n.a.
2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction
3,500-3,900
3,700-3,900
Moong Auction
n.a.
6,100-6,300
Udid Auction
n.a.
4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction
n.a.
2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold
3,750-3,900
3,800-4,000
Gram Super Best
n.a.
Gram Medium Best
3,200-3,400
3,400-3,600
Gram Dal Medium
n.a.
n.a.
Gram Mill Quality
3,200-3,250
3,300-3,400

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Desi gram Raw
2,800-2,850
2,900-2,950
Gram Filter new
3,000-3,500
3,200-3,500
Gram Kabuli
7,900-10,300
7,900-10,300
Gram Pink
7,700-8,100
7,700-8,100
Tuar Fataka Best
6,300-6,500
6,400-6,700
Tuar Fataka Medium
6,000-6,100
6,100-6,300
Tuar Dal Best Phod
5,800-6,000
6,000-6,150
Tuar Dal Medium phod
5,500-5,700
5,600-5,700
Tuar Gavarani
4,050-4,100
4,200-4,250
Tuar Karnataka
4,200-4,300
4,400-4,500
Tuar Black
7,200-7,400
7,200-7,400
Masoor dal best
5,400-5,500
5,400-5,500
Masoor dal medium
5,100-5,300
5,100-5,300
Masoor
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Mogar bold
9,700-9,950
9,600-9,950
Moong Mogar Medium best
9,300-9,500
9,200-9,400
Moong dal super best
8,500-8,800
8,500-8,800
Moong dal Chilka
7,900-8,200
7,900-8,200
Moong Mill quality
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Chamki best
8,200-8,700
8,200-8,700
Udid Mogar Super best (100 INR/KG) 7,400-7,600
7,400-7,600
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,600
5,800-6,600
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)
4,700-5,000
4,700-5,000
Batri dal (100 INR/KG)
4,000-5,000
4,000-5,000
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)
3,100-3,200
3,100-3,200
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)
3,300-3,400
3,300-3,400
Watana White (100 INR/KG)
3,300-3,400
3,300-3,400
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,600
4,300-4,600
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)
1,700-1,800
1,700-1,800
Wheat Mill quality(100 INR/KG) 1,840-1,890
1,840-1,890
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)
1,650-1,850
1,650-1,850
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500
2,400-2,500
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,200
2,050-2,200
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a.
n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,600
3,000-3,600
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,900
2,400-2,900
Wheat 147 (100 INR/KG)
1,600-1,700
1,600-1,700

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Wheat Best (100 INR/KG)
1,700-1,750
1,700-1,750
Rice BPT new(100 INR/KG)
2,600-2,950
2,600-2,950
Rice BPT old (100 INR/KG)
2,800-3,300
2,800-3,300
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG)
1,700-1,850
1,700-1,850
Rice Swarna old (100 INR/KG)
2,500-2,750
2,500-2,750
Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG)
2,300-2,450
2,300-2,450
Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG)
3,800-4,200
3,800-4,200
Rice HMT Shriram (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,200
4,700-5,200
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 11,000-13,500
11,000-13,500
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,300-7,600
6,300-7,600
Rice Chinnor (100 INR/KG)
5,500-6,000
5,500-6,000
Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,600
5,200-5,600
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)
1,400-1,600
1,400-1,600
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)
1,700-1,800
1,700-1,800
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 28.8 degree Celsius (83.8 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
19.1 degree Celsius (66.3 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : 1.7mm
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Rains or thunder shower likely to occur. Maximum and Minimum
temperature likely to be around 33 and 19 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but
included in market prices.)

Why does everyone hate the rice scheme?
Published: 25 Feb 2014 at 00.25
Newspaper section: Business

As farmers try to recover from the collapse of the government’s rice policy, academics, decision-makers and
voters should closely reflect and re-evaluate rice policy and its objectives. However the present-day political

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

impasse is resolved, the next administration will pursue a policy that affects Thailand’s 4 million farming
families and its 65 million consumers.Much has been written about the rice pledging subsidy and the alternative
of an income guarantee. But the discussion has been overly focused on the supply side. While this is important,
it is critical to examine how consumers are affected and to bring the group into the equation when designing
policy.The rice policy ultimately failed because the government was unable to increase rice prices enough and
sell its rice inventory.
Corruption and inefficiency are contributing factors. For a brief period in 2011, as the scheme commenced,
wholesale and export prices rose. But they declined after a huge surplus from India overwhelmed the market,
beginning in December 2011. Without this Indian factor, the discussion would have been very different.It is
important to note that retail prices remained more or less constant in the last three years, based on data from the
Internal Trade Department. While the wholesale price of white rice rose as paddy prices increased from 13.7
baht/kg in May 2011 to 18.38 baht/kg in November 2011, the retail price should have risen. But it remained at
28.67 baht/kg throughout the period.
Rice is one of 40 controlled products under the Price of Goods and Services Act. Each product has its specific
control measures: for example, the prices of vegetable oil and sugar are subject to an announced price (or
maximum price). Changing the prices requires approval from the Commerce Ministry. Although there is no
official announced retail price for rice, retailers are informed of the expected price ranges of various types of
rice, and this serves as the basis in determining actual prices.Given the government’s control of the stockpile of
rice and increased export prices, the state auctioned or sold rice to wholesalers and retailers at a loss to maintain
the low domestic price. This is a consumption subsidy. It may have been necessary to keep consumers
contented.
These low rice prices induce wasteful consumption, are biased against farmers and discourage proper
investment in the rice market. Furthermore, they benefit the rich and middle-income groups, who could afford
higher prices. This also has a regressive income distribution effect, as it imposes a greater burden on the poor
than the rich.
Taxing the rice farmer and subsidising rice consumers
Effectively, the rice pledging scheme is not a transfer of income to rice farmers. On the contrary, it is a
domestic consumption subsidy. The urban consumer is the biggest recipient of the subsidy, not the farmer.
Yingluck Shinawatra’s government and previous governments have been subsidising the consumer.Most
countries keep domestic prices low and subsidise the production of rice to compensate for a low output of price.
In other words, they tax the farmers to subsidise the consumer. This systematic behaviour depresses the price of
rice in the international market. Indeed, since the 1980s, the price index of rice has been the lowest when
compared with other staple food grains.While rice farmers are the biggest group of producers in the world, they
are also among the poorest in many countries. Like the Thai rice farmer, they have been bearing the burden of
biased policy.
Killing innovation in the rice market

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Keeping rice prices artificially low also discourages investment in research and development in the rice market.
This is evidenced by limited innovation in marketing, packaging and product differentiation.With higher rice
prices, we would see a new generation of rice farmers who specialise in high-end rice and related products. We
would see students aspire to become rice farmers.There are more efficient means of subsidising rural and urban
poor consumption, such as a rice voucher programme for lower-income families. This approach is more
efficient than keeping prices artificially low.
Going forward
The consumption subsidy should be phased out so that market mechanisms can prevail. This would result in a
more flexible, transparent and efficient rice market.In the short run, the government should reduce the rice
consumption subsidy by letting retail prices rise. It would be able to sell the rice in the domestic market at some
level of profit to generate revenue to pay farmers. A separate consumption subsidy programme can be
introduced to assist needy lower-income households.Thailand needs a clear long-term strategy. As the country
continues to develop, rising wages will raise the cost of production and affect competitiveness. The world rice
market will be changing rapidly in the next few years as China and India, the world’s two biggest rice
producers, increase their role in the international arena. Thailand should play to its strengths of quality rice,
advanced milling capability, good infrastructure and ideal geographical location while focusing on product
differentiation and innovation.Rice policy should not divide the country. A strategy for the future of Thai rice
will require resources and the minds of all parties, regardless of political affiliation.

Thailand's Election Commission frees up some funds to pay rice
farmers
The money will go a little way towards appeasing farmers protesting in Bangkok and their home provinces.

Thai farmers shout slogans as they protest the government's repeatedly delayed payments for rice submitted to
the pledging scheme at the government's temporary office in Bangkok on Feb. 17, 2014. (PORNCHAI
KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP/Getty Images
Thailand's Election Commission gave the government
approval on Tuesday to use a small sum from the
central budget — 712 million baht ($22 million) — to
pay rice farmers who have been waiting months for
payment from a state buying program.The money will
go a little way towards appeasing farmers protesting in
Bangkok and their home provinces, but it is only a
fraction of the 130 billion baht the government is
estimated to owe nearly a million growers.

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"The Election Commission has approved a 712 million baht fund to help farmers, as requested by the
government," Somchai Srisuthiyakorn, an election official, said in a message posted on his Facebook page.The
government is now looking for additional funds."The cabinet has approved 20 billion baht from the central
budget to help farmers under the rice scheme and we will send this to the election commission for approval
while the government waits for a large loan that the finance ministry is currently working on," Commerce
Minister Niwathamrong Boonsongpaisan told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra dissolved parliament in December and called an election for Feb. 2 but
polling was disrupted by anti-government protesters and is unlikely to be completed for many weeks.
In the meantime, Yingluck heads a caretaker government with limited borrowing and spending powers. Election
Commission approval is needed for certain spending and any new project that would bind the next full
government is prohibited.The government has found it hard to sell rice from stocks to replenish the buying fund
and it has struggled to raise cash from other sources recently.Niwathamrong also said China was still interested
in buying rice from the government."China's ambassador to Thailand came to meet me today ... China wants to
help Thailand and lessen the burden on Thai farmers. We believe the details of a deal for China to buy rice will
be clarified in the next week or two," he said.On Feb. 4 he said China had scrapped a deal to buy 400,000 tons
because of an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NAAC) into the transparency of
various rice deals between Thailand and China.
Yingluck is due to appear at the NAAC on Thursday to face charges of dereliction of duty relating to the
scheme.
($1 = 32.5550 Thai baht)
(Reporting by Pracha Hariraksapitak and Aukkarapon Niyomyat; Writing by Alan Raybould; Editing by
Michael Perry)

Jordan and Rutgers ending post-scandal season
Updated 11:28 am, Monday, February 24, 2014

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — When Eddie Jordan took over as Rutgers' basketball coach in April, he faced an
unenviable task — rebuilding a program in shambles following Mike Rice's ignominious departure.Six players
decided to leave the perennial also-ran in the Big East Conference, and the recruiting picture looked bleak in the
wake of revelations that Rice threw basketballs at his players and used homophobic slurs to express his
displeasure with them.Picked to finish last in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll, the Scarlet
Knights (10-17, 4-10 ACC) enter the last two weeks of the regular season with an outside shot at finishing sixth
in the 10-team league.

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

"That's a little bit of a carrot that we'd like to have," Jordan said. "And that allows us to not play the first night
of the tournament and allow us to be lumped with all the great teams in our conference."Scoring leader Eli
Carter, as well as Derrick Randall, Mike Poole and Vincent Garrett, all elected to leave the program after last
season.Jordan was able to round out the roster with freshman Junior Etou, transfers Kerwin Okor and J.J. Moore
and junior college transfers D'Vonn Campbell and Craig Brown."Yeah, there's some changes, but it's pretty
much basically the same," Jordan said. "It's the same fundamental concepts. It's the same sort of offensive flow.
Defensive principles are the same. You just have to keep a little more pace with a team that's new and we're
basically new."
And it wasn't just installing a new system and building a team. Jordan had to heal the wounds of the Rice
scandal."I think Eddie has done a tremendous job of installing a family atmosphere," Judge said. "We've had
ups and downs as we've seen from previous coaches and I think he brought the camaraderie back. It was hard
bringing in all these new guys with not a lot of returners, but he made everyone feel at home and we bought into
that and the record doesn't show how close we are as brothers.
"Jordan returned to his alma mater as a most welcome choice. He led Rutgers to an undefeated regular season in
1976 and the Scarlet Knights' only trip to the Final Four. He came in with instant respect after two decades in
the NBA.Jordan has begun to lay the foundation for the future of the program as it prepares to join the Big Ten
next season.The Scarlet Knights are two games behind sixth-place Houston (5-9). So they'd need help with four
games remaining. But catching the Cougars has become the main goal."I would say no one expected that from
us except for us, but once again, since there's a lot of basketball left," Jack said. "The season could go one or
two ways and I think we're trying to get it to go in a positive instead of a negative."

SC halts release of rice shipment linked to David Tan
By Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News
Posted at 02/25/2014 4:14 PM | Updated as of 02/25/2014 4:14 PM

MANILA - The Supreme Court (SC) issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the enforcement of a
Davao court's ruling ordering the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to release a controversial shipment of imported
rice from the ports of Thailand and Singapore last December consigned to a certain Joseph Ngo.SC Public
Information Office (PIO) chief Atty Theodore Te said the TRO prevents Davao City Regional Trial Court
(RTC) Branch 16 Presiding Judge Emmanuel Carpio, brother of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, from
enforcing a preliminary injunction on the BOC.The BOC held Ngo's shipment of 91,800 bags of rice. The
shipment was imported by controversial rice importer Starcraft Trading Corp. which entered into an agreement
with an NGO for the purchase of the shipment.Starcraft became controversial after being linked to businessman
Davidson Bangayan, allegedly the current rice smuggling king in the country today, also known as "David Tan.
"The subject shipment arrived in the Port of Davao in various dates in October and November 2013, and were
held by Customs in the absence of the required import permit from the National Food Authority.The NFA limits
the number of rice importations by implementing quantitative restriction, and allows only registered rice

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

importers to bring in foreign rice.Ngo sought permanent injunction from the Davao RTC Branch 16 with a
prayer for TRO, pointing out that quantitive restrictions on the importation of rice and securing a rice import
permit may no longer be imposed by government in view of the expiration last June 30, 2012 of the Special
Treatment (ST) for Rice Importation granted to the Philippines under the Agreement of the World Trade
Organization (WTO). The Philippines is now negotiating for an extension of the ST.Customs Commissioner
John Sevilla and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala went to the high court to question the trial court's
injunctive order.The high court gave Carpio and Ngo 10 days to comment on their petition.
SHIPMENT ALREADY RELEASED
The SC's TRO, however, is rendered useless as far as the release of the subject rice shipment is concerned since
the shipment was ordered released by Sevilla last Jan. 6 in compliance with the Davao RTC's injunction.In a
press statement issued last Jan. 16, Sevilla said he regretted that the BOC had no choice but to release the
shipment despite the fact that it was not supported by an import permit and Ngo is not a registered rice importer
with the NFA."The uncontrolled entry of rice into the Philippines will have a devastating effect on our farmers.
We will continue to vigorously challenge these court orders in the proper courts."In that endeavor, we hope to
have the support of farmers, the general public, and the rest of the government," Sevilla said.In his January 6
order for the release of Ngo's shipment, Sevilla stressed that the rice shipment should only be released after the
filing of proper import entries and full payment of import duties and taxes

FG to Slash Import Tariff on Rice, Says Okonjo-Iweala
25 Feb 2014

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Finance Minister
By Crusoe Osagie
The Coordinating Minister for the Economy
and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi OkonjoIweala, yesterday announced that consultations
are ongoing between President Goodluck
Jonathan, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina and her
ministry, over the review of the current rice
tariff policy in the country.
Okonjo-Iweala made the statement in Lagos at an interactive session with members of the Manufacturers
Association of Nigeria (MAN), which attracted all key manufacturing companies in the country.The minister
noted that it had become necessary to review the 100 per cent duty and 10 per cent levy on rice because it had
created significant challenges even though it had also led to a marked increase in rice output in the country and

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

created a significant number of jobs mostly in the northern part of the country.“The 100 per cent duty and 10
per cent levy on rice has led to an increase in the nation’s rice output especially in the North and it has created
jobs but it has also caused a significant reduction in customs revenue and has been largely hijacked by
smugglers and neighbouring countries,” she said.
“So we are reviewing the rice duties policy and we are discussing with the president and the minister of
agriculture,” she added.She also noted that it became necessary for the federal government to put the Export
Expansion Grant (EEG) on hold in order to enable it review the entire process and ascertain its sustainability
and effectiveness.The minister said while over N200 billion worth of Negotiable Duty Credit Certificate
(NDCC) had been honoured by the federal government in the past couple of years, around N82 billion was
outstanding.“We are restructuring the entire EEG process. It had become very unsustainable so we had to
reform it. While we find that it has increased export in the country, the employments it has generated and the
value addition it engendered could have been better,” she said.Okonjo-Iweala maintained that until the EEG
policy is completely reviewed and sent to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval, it would be kept
on hold.
“The scheme has not been scrapped by any means, but we will not move on with it until we see that its impact
on revenue flow is sustainable,” she stressed.She however pointed out that if the federal government is no
longer able to carry on with the EEG, it will ensure that reasonable notice is given to manufacturers before it is
effectively terminated.The finance minister expressed satisfaction over the successful implementation of the
sectoral waiver policy, which ensures that levy and duty waivers are not granted to companies on individual
basis, rather to manufacturing sectors across board.She said the sectoral waiver policy had helped to reduce the
pressure piled on government by various individuals for one incentive or the other to be granted specifically to
their companies.
The minister then called on the operators of the manufacturing sector to speak up in the defence of government
with respect to the impact that the numerous concessions from government has brought to their businesses in
terms of increase in capacity utilisation, increase in value addition and their ability to put more Nigerians to
work.“People who are not well informed are saying that these sectoral waivers and concessions are not making
any difference and that it they are hinged on corruption. So, I believe that you people who are beneficiaries,
whose businesses have been improved by these interventions should speak up and explain that the waivers are
helping you to create jobs and boost economic growth,” she said.She disclosed that the medium to long term
development finance institution being planned by the federal government had received a $500 million backing

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

from the World Bank and had also been supported by the French and Brazilian development finance
institutions.The minister also noted that the institution, which would provide medium and long term funds to
businesses at favourable interest rates is expected to start operating by the end of 2014 or the first quarter of
2015.The President, MAN, Chief Kola Jamodu, who also spoke at the event, said the main aim of the
interactive session was to provide a platform to brainstorm on the way forward for the manufacturing sector,
adding that the quest to transform the manufacturing sector is a joint responsibility, which requires a public
private partnership. He said the role of the manufacturing sector cannot be over-emphasised due to its ability to
provide technological acquisition, wealth creation and job opportunities in the country.
He added that 24 out of 100 people are out of job with age brackets of 20 ad 27 years, pointing out the need to
empower the manufacturing sector not only to boost the economy, but also to attract investment into the sector
and create job opportunities for the nation’s teeming unemployed youths.He pointed out that recent global
activities on the continent and the world over had made it imperative for Nigeria to adopt new survival
strategies to achieve and maintain its leadership role as the most industrialised nation in the continent.In his
words, “Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) countries are countries to watch out for
in terms of industrialisation.
We are satisfied with the level of growth of the sector despite daunting challenges but we are hopeful things can
only get better in the nearest future,” he said.According to him, the sector was beginning to show some signs of
improvement as macro economic variables are beginning to show positive results; inflation rates on the low
sides but not much to be said about interest rates.He noted that capacity utilisation had increased, pointing out
that, in 2012, capacity utilisation was around 47 percent as against 51 per cent in 2013.“Manufacturing
investment stood at about N556 billion in 2013, which was 50 per cent more than what was recorded in 2012.
There had also been improvement in the use of local raw materials from 47 per cent to 51 per cent in 2013.
Our members have started looking inward in utilising our local resources for manufacturing activities and
taking advantage of areas where the country has comparative advantage,” he added.He said the sector was still
faced with manifold challenges, stating the most recent of them to be the issue of delays at the nation’s sea
ports.He also lauded the government’s intention to boost non-oil exports but stated that the problem of utilising
the NDCC was still affecting manufacturers in the country.He commended the privatisation of the power sector,
maintaining that the association shares the concern of government in the successful improvement of the power
sector.
Tags: Business, Nigeria, Featured, Slash Import

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

NACC denies fast-tracking Yingluck rice probe
Online news: Local News

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has denied that its investigation into caretaker Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's handling of the rice scheme is being conducted at record speed, as claimed by
the premier.The NACC announced its decision to charge the premier for dereliction of duty on last Tuesday,
Feb 18. The commission said Ms Yingluck knew about alleged corruption in the rice scheme but failed to stop
it. She must answer the charge by Feb 27.Ms Yingluck last Thursday posted a message on her Facebook page
questioning the speed at which the NAAC is considering the case.
She alleged that the agency received a petition to examine her management of the pledging scheme and decided
to proceed with the case in a record 21 days.Commissioner Vicha Mahakhun hit back, also on Facebook, saying
that the investigation into the case had in fact started in December 2012, so had actually taken more than one
year to complete, not 21 days.He said the NACC had agreed to consider the case after the Democrat Party filed
a complaint with the House Speaker asking that Ms Yingluck be impeached for irregularities in the scheme.The
NACC decided to probe whether she should be charged with neglecting her duties after it found evidence that
she knew about corruption in the rice-pledging scheme but failed to stop it. He said the agency was already
investigating an earlier complaint regarding fake government-to-government (G2G) rice sales and warned the
government twice over problems with the scheme, to no avail.
Mr Vicha said the NACC’s investigation process would use government policy as a starting point to define the
scope of the rice-pledging programme. It will also seek academic opinions on the issue, while a sub-committee
appointed to examine the balance sheet of the initiative will attempt to calculate the actual damages incurred by
the scheme. The NACC will then probe G2G rice deals. The caretaker premier must meanwhile answer the
NACC's dereliction of duty charge by 2pm Thursday. She is accused of having breached Section 178 of the
Constitution and of violating Section 157 of the Criminal Code. It is expected that Ms Yingluck will send her
representatives to acknowledge the dereliction of duty charge on her behalf.The rice-pledging scheme has been
a flagship government policy since Ms Yingluck office in 2011. But the project has been marred by corruption
allegations, problems with huge unsold rice stockpiles and the government’s inability to pay farmers for
pledged rice since the House of Representatives was dissolved last year.
Protesting farmers and crowd control police face off outside the Royal Thai Air Force office. (Photos by
Pattanapong Hirunard)

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

The caretaker government currently owes around 130
billion baht to more than one million farmers nationwide.
It has been forced to seek approval from the Election
Commission (EC) in order to pay farmers to avoid
violating the Election Act.The EC on Tuesday approved
the caretaker government's request to use 712 million baht
from the Central Fund to pay farmers owed money under
the rice-pledging programme.Commissioner Somchai
Srisuthiyakorn said an EC meeting approved the request
by the caretaker government after the cabinet asked that
712 million baht be taken from the Central Fund to pay
3,971 farmers in Chachoengsao, Phetchabun, Prachin Buri, Uthai Thani and Ayutthaya province for the 201314 crop.The commissioner said that the government might seek the EC's approval for further payments, adding
that each request would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Caretaker Deputy Commerce Minister Yanyong
Puangraj said earlier that Tuesday's meeting of the
caretaker cabinet had approved in principle a 20
billion baht allocation from the Central Fund to
finance the rice-pledging scheme.Large crowds of
farmers have been staging protests at the
Commerce Ministry in Nonthaburi province to
pressure the government to quickly settle the late
payments.A group of the protesting farmers went
to the Royal Thai Air Force base on Tuesday
afternoon after learning that Ms Yingluck would
attend a cabinet meeting there, but they were
unable to meet any government representatives.A
minor clash between riot police and farmers ensued, prompting the growers to retreat to their main protest site
at the Commerce Ministry.

EC approves B712m to pay farmers
Money from Central Fund for farmers in 5 provinces

Cell # 92 321 369 2874

Online news: Politics

The Election Commission has approved the caretaker government's use of 712 million baht from the Central
Fund to pay farmers owed money under the rice pledging programme.This was announced by commissioner
Somchai Srisuthiyakorn on his Facebook page following today's meeting of the Election Commission.Mr
Somchai said the meeting approved a request by the caretaker government after the cabinet agreed it shoud use
712 million baht from the Central Fund to pay 3,971 farmers in Chachoengsao, Phetchabun, Prachin Buri, Uthai
Thani and Ayutthaya province for the 2013-2014 crop year.He wrote that the government might again seek the
EC's approval for payments, and each request would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Caretaker Deputy Commerce Minister Yanyong Puangraj said earlier that Tuesday's meeting of the caretaker
cabinet had approved a total 20 billion baht allocation from the Central Fund to finance the rice pledging
scheme.The budget was requested by the National Rice Policy Committee (NRPC) to be used to make long
overdue rice payments, he said.Mr Yanyong said his ministry would seek endorsement from the Election
Commission for the expenditure, as required of a caretaker government.The caretaker government has been
struggling to find ways to finance the scheme under which farmers have been delayed payments for their
pledged rice for about five months. They are owed more than 100 billion baht.Attempts to borrow the money
from financial institutions were opposed by anti-government protesters and rejected by the banks.

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