10th November 2014 Daily Global Rice E-Newsleter

Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine
www.ricepluss.com
Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter
10th November, 2014
Todays News Headlines

1. VIETNAM OFFERS GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO
PAKISTANI PRODUCTS
2. Quota limit restricting rice export potential to China
3. HIGH RICES EXPORT PRICES ERODING
COMPETITIVENESS IN INTL MARKET
4. Indian subsidy on rice export affects export of Pakistan
5. Calls for govt to prop up failing rice market
6. Rice exporters ask TDAP for higher China quota from 0.5m to
0.75m tonnes
7. Farmers concerned over fall in basmati price
8. FPCCI advises rice exporters to seek zero-rated tax status
9. Central Luzon palay production hits 1.3 million MT
10. Joint rice panel hits stalemate
11. Prosecutors, anti-graft agency still at odds over Yingluck case
12. Slow processing delays rice farm aid
13. Five-step verification delays payments to small rice farmers
14. Rice output on the rise but consumption dips
15. India's grains stock substantially higher than targets
16. UPDATE 2-China, South Korea sign 'substantial conclusion' of
free trade deal
17. GOP Power Could Mean Trouble For Japan
18. Green Revolution, Eco Park and Coffee
19. SA Rice Presses Obama Administration on Iraq
20. USA Rice Briefs New ATO on Successful Mexican Program
21. Govt urged to set Rs 3,000 per 40 kg for paddy
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News Detail.
VIETNAM OFFERS GREAT
OPPORTUNITIES TO
PAKISTANI PRODUCTS
Staff Reporter
Sunday, November 09, 2014 - Karachi
Vu Viet Dzung Second Secretary, Head of
Vietnam Trade Mission in Pakistan has said
that Vietnam offer great opportunities to
Pakistani products. During a visit to FPCCI
he proposed that FPCCI should sign MoU
with Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce
and Industry VCCI to establish JBC. He also
proposed to include fishery sector in the
FPCCI trade delegation to Vietnam. He also
offered visa to the participants of delegation
at the earliest. He lauded FPCCI for
choosing Vietnam as priority country to visit
Pakistan and Vietnam provide Hugh
consumer market due to growing population
stated by Mr. Zakaria Usman President
FPCCI while meeting with Mr. Vu Viet
Dzung Second Secretary, Head of Vietnam
Trade Mission in Pakistan who visited
Federation House on Thursday, 6th
November 2014.
The meeting between FPCCI and Vietnam
Trade Mission in KARACHI was held in
connection with the FPCCI trade delegation.
A delegation of the Federation of Pakistan
Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FPCCI), which will be led by President
FPCCI, Zakaria Usman will be visiting to
Hanoi, Vietnam from 2nd to 7th November
2014. The delegation, consisting of
members of Pakistan Vietnam Business
Council of FPCCI will be the first ever visit

of the private sector toVietnam, which is
being planned, with the close coordination
of the Head of Trade Mission of Vietnam.
The purpose of the delegation is to promote
bilateral trade and economic relations
between
the
two
countries.
Mr. Zakaria Usman also said that
Vietnamese market is our target. Pakistani
products, Textile, Chemical, Rice Leather,
sports goods and surgical instrument are in
great demand in Vietnam.
He informed that the potential areas
identified by our research, include
pharmaceutical, surgical items, textile,
cotton and yarn, small engineering goods,
plastic manufacturing, agricultural products,
oil seeds and grains, etc. while importable
items from Vietnam to Pakistan include iron
&
steel,
organic
chemicals,
telecommunication & electrical equipment,
spices, etc. The meeting conculed with the
presentation of FPCCI creat to Mr. Vu Viet
Dzung Second Secretary, Head of Vietnam
Trade Mission in Pakistan.
Quota limit restricting rice

export potential to China
| Exporters ask embassy in Beijing to take
issue of raising rice import quota for
Pakistan from 0.5m tons to 0.75m tons
November 10, 2014

Salman Abduhu
LAHORE - Although there is lot of potential

to increase the export of rice from Pakistan
to China, yet it is presently limited due to
quota restrictions in China. This was stated
in a letter written by the rice exporters
simultaneously to Trade Development
Authority of Pakistan and Pakistan embassy
in Beijing. The letter laid emphasis on more
export of rice from Pakistan to China and
requested the Pakistan envoy to raise the
issue of enhancing rice import limit from
Pakistan during the visit of Prime Minister
Nawaz
Sharif
to
Beijing.
Pakistani basmati rice is in great demand in
China and Chinese exporters are willing to
import more basmati rice from Pakistan,
said a rice exporter. He said that the
exporters have dispatched request to Trade
Development Authority of Pakistan and
Pakistani envoy in Beijing to take the issue
of enhancing quota limit for Pakistan from
0.5 million tons to 0.75 million tons for
basmati rice. He underlined the need for
initiating efforts to get enhanced quota from
China to enhance export of basmati rice.
Pakistan has exploited fully its 500,000
matric tons rice export quota to China,
earning around $200 million and if this limit
is exceeded to 750,000 tons the country can
fetch more foreign exchange to narrow trade
deficit, the exporters said. The Beijing has
recently inked an agreement to import
around 1 million ton rice from Thailand
paying $30 per ton additional cost. If
Pakistan
convinces
govt
the
Chinese
authorities
to
raise rice import
limit for Pakistan
the Chinese buyers will also benefit, as their
cost will be reduced significantly. Rice
exporters noted that the balance of trade
between Pakistan and Malaysia is tilted in
favour of China for a long time and in order
to narrow down the trade deficit, there is
dire need for increasing export of nontraditional items as well as the existing items
being exported to China. The response of
Chinese importers for Pakistani rice is
overwhelming as compared to rice imported
from Thailand and Vietnam.
Our rice industry is not showing its full
potential due to some internal barriers
related to planning and strategic
implementations. Viewing the current
scenario, rice exporters deserve the
patronage of government at par with textile
industry to develop rice export as one of the
major foreign-exchange- earning sector. The
embassy in Beijing should launch a concrete
drive to market Pakistani rice in China by
creating a personalized demand among
Chinese people.
The rice exporters are already exploring new
techniques with China to improve the
quality of rice. Chinese buyers prefer to buy

the rice with good milling quality. Hence,
the rice exporters want TDAP and
commercial counselor in Beijing to manage
match making of the Chinese and Pakistani
entrepreneurs in this sector to increase the
demand of Pakistani rice in China.
Meanwhile, the Rice Exporters Association
central chairman Rafique Suleman said that
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs visit to
China would help Pakistan to bring Chinese
investment worth billions of dollars in
different sectors which would help
strengthen
the
national
economy.
He said that China, in response to current
visit of Prime Minister, has announced
substantial investment in Pakistan for further
improving economic ties between the
private sectors of the two countries besides
enhancing volume of trade.
He said that Pakistan with Chinese
investment would achieve sustained growth
in key sectors, including increase in per
capita income and improvement in microeconomic in the years to come.
HIGH RICES EXPORT PRICES

ERODING
COMPETITIVENESS IN INTL
MARKET
Amanullah Khan
Friday, November 07, 2014 - Karachi
High cost of export of rice and erosion of its
competitive edge in global market such as

non-availability of sound containers
especially for rice; ever increasing container
terminal charges viz-a-viz poor services;
inordinate delay in refund claims on Sale
Tax paid by the rice exporters on their
electricity
bills;
Development
of
infrastructure from Export Development
Fund (EDF) for uninterrupted power supply;
passing of trickledown effect to industry in
fuel adjustment charges due to reduction in
POL prices in international market etc,
This was highlighted by the rice exports
while discussing the problems faced in the
process of rice export with President FPCCI
Zakariya Usman at FPCCI today. The
delegation of Rice Exporters Association of
Pakistan (REAP) led by its Chairman
Rafique Suleman held a meeting with its
President, Mr. Zakaria Usman and
highlighted various problems responsible for
Khurram Sayeed and Ismail Suttar, Vice
Presidents of FPCCI, Saquib Fayyaz
Magoon, Chairman FPCCI Standing
Committee on Customs and others were also
present on the occasion.
The FPCCI Chief, Zakaria Usman
responding to the poor services extended by
the container terminal operators (CTOs)
during examination of goods by Anti
Narcotic Force (ANF) at ports informed that
FPCCI had recently organized two joint
meetings of all the stakeholders involved in
these processes at ports viz Traders;
Regional Directorate of ANF; Port
Operating Companies (KICT, PICT and
QICT); KPT; PQA, SBP etc., wherein it was
mutually decided that CTOs would either
hire sufficient trained and skilled manpower

for improvement in their services or
outsource it to a third party having
professional expertise in re-packing of
goods and re-stuffing in containers.
Regarding problems related to export
proceeds and charging of different freight
rates at different rupee-dollar parity rates by
each shipping company due to non
monitoring of Foreign Exchange Policy by
the State Bank of Pakistan, the FPCCI
President invited the REAP delegation to
prepare its proposals and take them-up in the
meeting with the Governor SBP who is
scheduled to visit FPCCI shortly.
He also urged the shipping companies to
reduce the containers charges for rice as it is
a low value and high volume item as
compared to other value added goods like
textile etc.
In response to charging GST on electricity

bills of rice exporters, Zakaria Usman
advised the REAP members to prepare a
comprehensive proposal for including rice
as a traditional item in zero rated sales tax
regime like textile, leather, surgical goods,
sports goods and carpet industrial subsectors. The FPCCI President further asked
the delegation to prepare its proposal for
seeking financial assistance from EDF for
the development of dedicated line from KElectric feeder to their cluster area to ensure
smooth supply of power.
Indian subsidy on rice

export affects export of
Pakistan
Staff Report
November 09, 2014

KARACHI: Rice export of Pakistan is
facing declining trend on cutthroat
competition in international market,
exporters said. Pakistan is fourth largest
producer after China, India and Indonesia
and brings more than $2 billion foreign
exchange every year.
President Federation of Pakistan Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Zakaria
Usman showing concern said the subsidy
from Indian government to rice exporters
has seriously affected the rice export of
Pakistan. The international prices of
agricultural products were declining, and the
export of rice from Pakistan has been
decreasing in term of quantity for the last
three months.
Pakistans rice export volume has declined
inJuly to September from $363 million
compared to the last year same period of
$404 million. FPCCI repeatedly informed
the government and stakeholders about the
subsidy on rice by Indian government in the
name of food security. We have highlighted
the consequences of Indian policy and its
impact on Pakistans exports. FPCCI has
informed Ministry of Commerce, Ministry
of Finance and stakeholders through various
letters and press releases, but no
action/reaction was seen from concerned
departments as well as ministries.
The Indian step is currently hurting directly
millions of Pakistani farmers who are
already facing various challenges due to past
two consecutive floods in Pakistan. This
may create serious food insecurity for
Pakistan in future. He urged government to
oppose demand of subsidy by India from
World Trade Organisation (WTO), which
was highly trade distorting step. Being
member of WTO, Pakistan always supports
free trade, liberalisation and market

competition. Pakistani export will not be in
a position to compete Indian exporters
because government of Pakistan cannot
provide subsidies to the producers on back
of
International
Monetary
Funds
conditionalities.
of general sales tax to control inflationary

trends in Pakistan.
He demanded zero rated facility and other

fiscal and administrative measures in favour
of rice exporters. In May 2014, FPCCI has
released a report on Political Economy of
Subsides where early warning has been
issued about the declining trends in exports.
This report was sent to policymakers and all
concerned
departments.He
indicated
policymakers should understand the
economic wisdom behind the suggestions
and recommendations of FPCCI.
By Zaw Htike | Monday, 10 November

2014
In recent past FPCCI has recommended

several policy measures regarding economic
vision 2025, infrastructure development,
foreign investment and fiscal policy. FPCCI
shadow budget indicates government has
recognised it estimates. It is notable current
expenditures estimated by FPCCI were Rs
3.1 trillion and it is almost same in budget
announcement by federal government.
Expenditures
for
Defense
services
recommended by FPCCI was Rs 702 billion,
government has also announced Rs 700
billion in this head (almost same). FPCCI
recommended Rs 370 billion for grants and
transfer payments, government estimates
indicates Rs 371 (almost same) in this head.
Expenditures running civil government were
estimated Rs 290 billion by FPCCI and it is
Rs 291 (almost same) announced by the
government. Provision for pay and pension
was estimated by FPCCI at Rs 27 billion,
government estimates are almost same (Rs
25 billion). Despite all these facts it is
surprising government has not incorporated
the FPCCI suggestions regarding subsidies
on agricultural products and the reduced rate
Calls for govt to prop up

failing rice market
The government is contemplating
stepping in to the rice market to prevent
too much drop in price for the staple
crop.
Rice prices have declined about 20 percent
so far this year on international markets, but
the local situation has been exasperated as
China, Myanmars largest rice export
market, began preventing its important
bilateral rice trade with Myanmar in late
September.
Although the main harvest is still about a
month away from beginning, farmers are
worried they will face much lower prices
than anticipated months ago when they
planted the rice. Many invested in inputs
like fertiliser and equipment anticipating a
higher price than what the market currently
commands.
The Myanmar Farmers Association said the
government is planning to use a body called
the National Rice Reserve Supervisory
Committee to step in and buy stock in an
attempt to maintain prices.The committee is
composed of officials from the Ministry of
Commerce, the Myanmar Rice Federation
and Central Cooperative Association, with
support from the Myanmar Agri-business
Public Company, according to a Myanmar
Farmers Association press release issued
November 3.
U Maung Aung, an adviser to the commerce
ministry, said the committee was formed
prior to the Farmers Interests Promotions

Bill, which passed on October 12, 2013.
We will buy rice through the National Rice
Reserves Supervisory Committee. It will
start soon and it will buy a lot of rice, he
said. The farmers interest bill allows for
another method that could be used to
purchase rice paddy, but it cannot be
actively used until after a set of follow-up
bylaws are issued, he added.Farmers are
keen to receive government support to halt
the rice price plunge.The MFA says the
committee will buy rice at K350,000 per 100
baskets (about 2.05 tonnes), calculated to be
just above the break-even point for many
farmers.
However, farmers say rises in labour costs
over the past year have squeezed margins
and pushed production costs to just about
that level, meaning farmers will barely be
covering expenses at that price.U Thein
Aung, the chair of the Freedom Farmers
League, said, The cost of harvesting alone
is about K70,000, about double last year.
Then we paid our workers K3500, and now
its K5000 per day.
The current market price of paddy is about
K300,000 per 100 baskets, down from well
over K400,000 per 100 baskets it fetched
before the Chinese crackdown.Chinese
buyers, particularly in remote Yunnan
Province, had been offering aboveinternational market prices given the
logistical challenge of shipping there. While
most of Myanmars exports had gone to
Africa and the Middle East, over the last two
years China had emerged as the largest
export
market.
However,
Chinese
authorities, which considers the trade to be
illegal but had been allowing the trade,
began seizing shipments in late September,
putting a halt to the trade, even as progress
was being made to negotiated the necessary
agreements to legalise the trade.
Farmers woes have been compounded by

heavy unseasonable rain, the result of a
cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. Many acres
of paddy fields have been flooded. This year
is a terribly hard time for farmers, said U
Thein Aung.
Although rice insiders say it is important
that prices are supported, some say it would
be better to proceed with the bylaws already
passed.Myanmar Rice Federation executive
member U Myo Thura Aye said he supports
efforts to prop up rice prices, adding it
would be better to wait for the Farmers
Interest Promotion Bill bylaws to be
circulated first.
Rice exporters ask TDAP for

higher China quota from 0.5m
to 0.75m tonnes
Reported by: `Customs Today Report
November 10, 2014
LAHORE:
The export of
Pakistani rice
to China is
limited due
to
quota
restrictions in
China. It should be enhanced for Pakistan
from 0.5 million tons to 0.75 million tons for
basmati rice.This was stated in a letter
written by the rice exporters simultaneously
to Trade Development Authority of Pakistan
and Pakistan embassy in Beijing.
The letter laid emphasis on more export of
rice from Pakistan to China.Pakistani
basmati rice is in great demand in China and
Chinese exporters are willing to import more
basmati rice from Pakistan, said a rice

exporter. He said that the exporters have
dispatched request to Trade Development
Authority of Pakistan and Pakistani envoy in
Beijing to take the issue of enhancing quota
limit for Pakistan from 0.5 million tons to
0.75 million tons for basmati rice. He
underlined the need for initiating efforts to
get enhanced quota from China to enhance
export of basmati rice. Pakistan has
exploited fully its 500,000 matric tons rice
export quota to China, earning around $200
million and if this limit is exceeded to
750,000 tons the country can fetch more foreign
exchange to narrow trade deficit, the exporters said.
The Beijing has recently inked an agreement

to import around 1 million ton rice from
Thailand paying $30 per ton additional cost.
If Pakistan govt convinces the Chinese
authorities to raise rice import limit for
Pakistan the Chinese buyers will also
benefit, as their cost will be reduced
significantly. Rice exporters noted that the
balance of trade between Pakistan and
Malaysia is tilted in favour of China for a
long time and in order to narrow down the
trade deficit, there is dire need for increasing
export of non-traditional items as well as the
existing items being exported to China. The
response of Chinese importers for Pakistani
rice is overwhelming as compared to rice
imported from Thailand and Vietnam.
The rice exporters are already exploring new
techniques with China to improve the
quality of rice. Chinese buyers prefer to buy
the rice with good milling quality. Hence,
the rice exporters want TDAP and
commercial counselor in Beijing to manage
match making of the Chinese and Pakistani
entrepreneurs in this sector to increase the
demand
of
Pakistani
rice
in
China.Meanwhile, the Rice Exporters
Association central chairman Rafique
Suleman said that China, in response to
current visit of Prime Minister, has
announced substantial investment in
Pakistan for further improving economic ties
between the private sectors of the two
countries besides enhancing volume of
trade.He said that Pakistan with Chinese
investment would achieve sustained growth
in key sectors, including increase in per
capita income and improvement in microeconomic in the years to come.
Farmers concerned over fall in

basmati price
our correspondent
Saturday, November 08, 2014
From Print Edition
LAHORE: Representatives of farming

community on Thursday lamented what
they call abysmally low prices of basmati
rice this buying season.
Market activity started following initiation
of harvesting during the last few days, with
opening of trade of paddy at as low as
Rs1,400-1,500 per 40kg against last years
prices of Rs2,000-2,200 per 40kg recorded
during corresponding period, said Basmati
Growers Association (BGA) President
Hamid Malhi. Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP)
expressed similar resentment over the issue.
The basmati paddy price plunged to one of
the lowest levels despite the fact that the
expected crop size is the same if compared
with last years harvest, Malhi said.

However, he conceded that surplus crop
largely available from last years output
could be the reason for the downward trend
in paddy prices. Still, he observed, the very
low prices of paddy are against the interest
of farmers, who are being forced to sell the
commodity at throwaway prices.The cost of
production of farmers is much lower than
the present selling price of basmati paddy in
the market, he lamented.He was of the view
that government should not sit idle in this
situation and must take steps for supporting
dwindling paddy prices.
The main problem is being seen in the faulty
marketing of basmati rice in the
international market, he said, adding, steps
should be taken to accelerate export of
premium quality basmati, which will
ultimately help stabilise prices.Keeping in
mind the experience of rice buying by the
government agency in the past, nothing has
been done to benefit the farmers, the BGA
leader said.The intervention is in favour of
middlemen and not for arresting steep fall in
prices of basmati, he added.He also blamed
what he called a cartel of big buyers, who
intentionally delayed buying paddy with the
aim of lower prices in the market. He said
government departments should take
punitive action against such big buyers.
Instead, Malhi said, the government should
give some sort of incentives to rice exporters
in order to encourage export of basmati from
Pakistan. Such arrangements should be
made in a transparent manner, aiming at
giving benefit to exporters solely on the
basis of their respective performance in the
last marketing year, he said.The BGA
president said that the government should
immediately announce its intention of
supporting paddy price, which would help a
lot in stabilising the paddy price in the
market.
Kissan Board Pakistan President Sardar

Zafar Hussain said government should not
leave paddy farmers in these challenging
times, saying Basmati paddy prices should
not be reduced below Rs3,000 per 40kg.
The cost of paddy has increased manifold
mainly due to the rising cost of power tariff
and diesel, he said, adding Rs1,300-1,400
per 40kg was peanuts.
He demanded of the government to fix the
minimum price for basmati at Rs3,000 per
40kg and take steps for ensuring due return
to farmers.Chaudhry Zahid Imran, a basmati
grower hailing from Narang Mandi said one
of the best rice varieties were being bought
at one of the lowest prices, terming it a sheer
injustice to hardworking farmers. He said
that the prevailing prices of paddy were
unacceptable and should be increased
significantly.
FPCCI advises rice exporters to

seek zero-rated tax status
our correspondent
Friday, November 07, 2014
From Print Edition
KARACHI: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of

Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Thursday advised
the rice exporters to prepare proposals for the
government to clinch zero-rated tax status.
President FPCCI Zakaria Usman, in a

meeting with a delegation of Rice Exporters
Association of Pakistan (Reap), discussed
various problems, which are causing high
cost to rice exports, eroding the competitive
edge in the global market. Usman suggested
the exporters to submit proposals for the
government to include rice in the list of
sectors operating under zero-rated sales tax
regime, such as textile, leather, surgical
goods, exportable goods and carpet

industries. He further advised the delegation
to prepare proposals to seek export
development fund (EDF) for the installation
of a dedicated line from K-Electric feeder to
their cluster area to ensure smooth supply of
power.
Reap members, led by its Chairman Rafique
Suleman, were asked to get land from its
own resources and then apply for EDF for
the
construction
of
building
and
procurement of equipment and machinery
for the development of rice research
institutes.Exporters highlighted issues, such
as non-availability of containers especially
for rice, ever-increasing container terminal
charges, inordinate delay in refund claims
on sale tax paid by the rice exporters on
their electricity bills, transfer of fuel
adjustment charges to the industry, etc.
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of
Commerce and Industry chief deplored the
poor services of container terminal operators
(CTOs) during the examination of goods by
anti narcotic force at ports.He told the
delegation that a meeting with government
officials and other stakeholders had decided
CTOs would either hire skilled manpower to
improve services or take assistance of a third
party with professional expertise in repacking of goods and re-stuffing
containers.The Reap members also pointed
out problems related to export proceeds and
charges of different freight rates at variable
rupee-dollar parity rates by shipping
companies.They blamed non-monitoring of
foreign exchange policy by the State Bank
of Pakistan for this disparity.
Usman urged the shipping companies to
reduce the charges for rice as it is a low
value and high volume item as compared to
other value-added goods like textile etc. He
said that he would take up the foreign
exchange
issue
with
the
SBPs
governor.Khurram Sayeed and Ismail Suttar,

vice presidents of Federation of Pakistan
Chambers of Commerce and Industry,
Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, chairman of FPCCI
Standing Committee on Customs and others
were also present.
Central Luzon palay

production hits 1.3 million MT
By Ian Ocampo Flora
Sunday, November 9, 2014
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO--Provinces in
Central Luzon have registered a combined
harvest of 1, 322, 628 metric tons of palay
for the wet cropping season, marking a
relative stability in the region's output, the
Department of Agriculture (DA) said.
DA regional director Andrew Villacorta said
the production report covers the period
March 16 to September 15 of this year. The
report said that 441, 193 hectares have been
planted during the period with only 262, 498
hectares harvested so far.The department is
expecting the statistics to go up upon the
completion of the harvest season.Villacorta
said Central Luzon farmers are set to
produce 3,524,558 million metric tons of
palay (unmilled rice) in 2014, five percent
higher compared to the 2013 total
production of 3,409,468 million metric tons.
From January to June this year, farmers
produced 1,780,548 million metric tons,
higher than 1,691,044 million metric tons in
the same period in 2013.He said Central
Luzon is the top producer of the Filipino
staple last year, making up at least 18
percent of the country's total annual

production.For the wet cropping period
alone, the average yield per hectare in the
province is at 5.04 metric tons. The DA said
that it is hoping for favorable weather for
better yield in the last cropping season of the
year.
Joint rice panel hits stalemate

Published: 8 Nov 2014 at 06.00
Newspaper section: News
Writer: King-oua Laohong & Aekarach
Sattaburuth
A joint panel of public prosecutors and antigraft officials yesterday failed to reach a
conclusion on a criminal case against former
prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in
connection
with
the
rice-pledging
scheme. After a three-hour meeting
yesterday,
deputy
attorneygeneral Wutthipong Wibulpong said both
sides only agreed on certain points.Mr
Wutthipong, who leads a team of public
prosecutors working on the case with the
National
Anti-Corruption
Commission
(NACC), said the NACC agreed it will
question some more of the witnesses
suggested by the public prosecutors.The
witnesses include those who the NACC
already talked to and those suggested by Ms
Yingluck but rejected by the NACC
previously.
More than 10 of these witnesses will be
questioned, after which the case will be
presented to the attorney-general to
determine whether there is enough evidence
to pursue the case, Mr Wutthipong said.Mr
Wutthipong said the anti-graft body could
not file the charge with the Supreme Court's
Criminal Division for Holders of Political
Positions without the endorsement of the
prosecutors at this stage.The NACC must
wait until the prosecutors on the joint panel

report the results of the meeting to the
attorney-general first.
The attorney-general might share the same
view as the NACC or the attorney-general
might call for more witnesses or further
discussions on certain points, Mr
Wutthipong said."The NACC has agreed to
question some witnesses but we want them
to talk to all of them. So no conclusion has
been reached," Mr Wutthipong said.NACC
secretary-general Sansern Poljiak said there
was no agreement because the NACC could
not comply with all of the prosecutors'
requests as the two sides still have differing
views on certain legal issues.
"On certain things, we insist they're not our
duty but the prosecutors say they are," the
secretary-general said."It's true when the
deputy
attorney-general
said
we're
unyielding. We couldn't cave in because we
have to stick to the law. We believe the
evidence and witnesses at hand are enough
to prosecute."We agreed to hear more
witnesses but insist we couldn't do so for the
rest of them [witnesses]," he said.On Sept 4,
the Office of the Attorney-General refused
to accept a recommendation by the NACC
to indict Ms Yingluck in the Supreme Court
for dereliction of duty for her handling of
the rice-pledging scheme.
The public prosecutors argued that the
NACC's probe was incomplete, saying more
evidence and witnesses were needed if the
case was to proceed. The two agencies then
set up a joint panel to re-investigate the case.
On July 17, the NACC ruled that there was
sufficient grounds to the allegations that Ms
Yingluck was negligent in failing to scrap
the scheme despite knowing it was plagued
with corruption and huge losses.
Prosecutors, anti-graft
agency still at odds over
Yingluck case
Some issues agreed upon; NACC, OAG
lawyers differ on interrogating more
witnesses
The anti-graft agency
and public prosecutors
failed for a third time
yesterday
to
reach
agreement on whether a
criminal case should be
filed against former
prime
minister Yingluck Shinawatra in relation to
her government's controversial rice-pledging
scheme. This repeated failure has prompted
speculation that the National AntiCorruption Commission (NACC) might
decide to take a case against Yingluck itself
to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division
for Political Office Holders.
An NACC source said that without a clear
conclusion from the meeting between senior
prosecutors from the Office of the AttorneyGeneral (OAG) and NACC officials, it was
likely that the anti-graft agency would take
the case to court if the prosecutors continue
to
refuse
to
do
so.
The NACC has previously taken criminal
cases against political-office holders to court
without the Attorney General's consent,
including the one against Yingluck's older
brother, former PM Thaksin.The anti-graft
agency has called on the National
Legislative
Assembly
(NLA)
to
impeach Yingluck for dereliction of duty for
allegedly failing to end the corruptionplagued rice-pledging scheme, which is
estimated to have cost the state at least
Bt600 billion. Both sides met for about three
hours yesterday at the NACC headquarters

in Nonthaburi to discuss the case. After
yesterday's meeting, Deputy Attorney
General Vudhibhongse Vibulyawongse said
no conclusion had been reached, though
both sides could agree on certain issues. For
instance, he said, the NACC had agreed to
question some more defence witnesses as
requested
by
the
prosecutors.
Vudhibhongse
explained
that
the
prosecutors wanted the NACC to interrogate
more than 10 new witnesses, but
theNACC had only agreed to question some
of them. "We want all witnesses to be
interrogated," he said.The Deputy Attorney
General
said
he
did
not
think
the NACC could take the case to court right
now, as the Attorney General's Office had
still not made a decision on the case. He said
the NACC should wait for a decision first.
NACC secretary-general Sansern Poljieak,
who also attended yesterday's meeting, said
later the anti-graft agency could not agree to
all the prosecutors' requests due to certain
legal limitations. He explained that the
prosecutors did not agree with the NACC's
argument and it appeared that both sides had
different views about the same law. "We
must have another meeting. Now it seems
like we're going around in circles and
getting nowhere," Sansern said. He added
that the NACC was confident that it had
sufficient evidence and grounds to impeach
Yingluck, though a further meeting on the
case had yet to be scheduled.
NACC president Panthep Klanarongran said
the anti-graft agency would give prosecutors
additional documents, but it would not
interrogate
more
witnesses
as
requested. "There is sufficient information
from
the
existing
witnesses,"
he
said. Meanwhile, in response to whether
taking
criminal
action
against Yingluck would revive political

conflicts, Army chief General Udomdej
Sitabutr said yesterday that the rule of law
should be respected and he believed
righteousness would prevail in the end.
He said he believed the government would
try to please all sides involved and did not
think the premier would condone the
persecution of anybody.
Slow processing delays rice

farm aid
Five-step verification delays payments to
small rice farmers
Published: 10 Nov 2014 Online news: General
Writer: Online Reporters
Finance Minister Sommai Phasee has

ordered a faster process in giving financial
aid to rice growers nationwide as careful
checks to verify recipients' eligibility are
of 1,000 baht per rai (1,600 square metres)

to a maximum of 15 rai per rice-grower
family
were
being
affected.The
cash assistance for the 2014/2015 crop
covers 3.49 million farmer families, with a
total budgeted cost of 40 billion baht.The
minister said all payments could not be
completed by the end of November as
planned.
He had given instructions that the process
should be hurried up.Supat Eauchai,
executive vice president of the Bank for
Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives
(BAAC), said the verification process for
rice growers applying for the assistance had
to be approved in five stages: by district
agricultural chiefs, committees at subdistrict, district and provincial levels, and
the
Department
of
Agricultural
Extension.From Oct 20 to Nov 7, the BAAC
paid only 2.75 billion baht in total assistance
to 229,216 farm families in 60 provinces.
Mr Supat said the verification was slow
because some applicants were new clients
not previously registered for projects
handled by his bank.
He said that by the end of November 80% of
the assistance fund would be paid out, and
the rest would reach recipients in December.
His staff would help applicants prepare their
documents to speed up the process, Mr
Supat said.
Rice output on the rise but

consumption
dips
delaying payments.
Rice growers receive government cash
assistance at a branch of the Bank for
Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in
Lop Buri province in October. (Photo by
Thiti Wannamontha)
The
minister
the government's
said payments
under
assistance
package
MANILA, PhilippinesWhile domestic

production of rice has been going up,
Filipinos appear to be consuming less of the
staple grain, according to the Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA).The PSA said in
its latest Food Consumption and Nutrition
report that per capita production of rice rose

over to 123.9 kilos in 2013 from 115.2 kilos
in 2006.During the same seven-year period,
the average consumption of rice went down
to 319.1 grams per person a day (or 116.5
kilos a year) in 2013, from 325.2 grams
daily (or 120 kilos a year) in 2006.
Rice production in 2013 posted an index of
107.48 percent based on 2006 levels, the
PSA said. This means that rice per capita
production in 2013 was 7.5 percentage
points higher than the base year record, the
agency explained.
The index on per capita production measures
aiming for self-sufficiency in the production

of the staple grain and hopes to increase
output to about 59.7 million tons in the three
years to 2016. This puts annual harvests at
close to 20 million tons, topping the all-time
high of 18.44 million tons set in 2013.This
may translate to a rice self-sufficiency rate
of 96 percent.
Tags:grains,Philippines,rice,rice
consumption,Rice output
Image: A rice field in Bicol. RICK
ALBERTO/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
India's grains stock

substantially higher than
targets
Reuters Nov 10, 2014, 05.43PM IST
(India's milled rice inventory)
the capacity of the Philippine agriculture

sector to produce food along with the
growth of the population.Among all
agricultural commodities that are produced
in the countryincluding other crops as
well as livestock, fisheries and aquatic
resourcesrice accounted for 1.14 kilos of
calories daily per Filipino in 2013.Rice also
accounted for 23.9 grams of protein and 5.7
grams of fats, making it the most important
food item for Filipinos.In comparison, the
next-best source of calories was corn, with
188.4 grams. In terms of protein and fats,
the next best sources were chicken meat
with 9.7 grams and chicken egg with 4.6
grams.The Department of Agriculture is
NEW DELHI: India had 30.1 million tonnes

of wheat in government warehouses as of
Nov. 1, government officials said on
Monday, more than double the official target
which raises the prospect of overseas
shipm
ents
from
the
world'
s
second
largest
produc
er.Bumper harvests since 2007 have led to
huge stockpiles of rice and wheat with the
government, which buys from farmers to
meet emergencies and for welfare
programmes providing subsidised food to
the poor.

ndia's milled rice inventory at the beginning
of November was 13.7 million tonnes
against a target of 7.2 million, the officials
said on condition of anonymity.The stock
positions have helped cushion the blow of a
weak start to the four-month annual
monsoon rains in June and curb food
inflation that plummeted to a near three-year
low of 3.52 percent in September.India in
2011 lifted a four-year-old ban on wheat and
non-basmati rice exports to offload the
grains from its bulging bins. The country has
shipped out nearly 7 million tonnes of wheat
from its warehouses in the past few
years.Since 2009, the government has kept
an additional 3 million tonnes of wheat and
2 million tonnes of rice as strategic reserves
in addition to the monthly stocks.
the deal, which the neighbours negotiated

for more than two years, will help its small
and medium-sized producers of clothing,
leisure goods and high-end electronics
become competitive in China, thanks to the
slashing of Beijing's import tariffs.China is
the world's largest exporter and South Korea
ranks seventh.Chinese President Xi Jinping
and South Korean President Park Geun-hye
signed the deal, which cleared all the
bilateral trade issues and now faces legal
and parliament reviews in the two countries.
UPDATE 2-China, South

Korea sign 'substantial
conclusion' of free trade deal
Woo Tae-hee, South Korea's assistant

minister for trade and chief free trade
agreement (FTA) negotiator, said Seoul
focused on small and medium-sized
business opportunities in China instead of
matured markets such as for steel and
petrochemicals.Lee Hang-koo, a senior
researcher at state-funded Korea Institute for
Industrial Economics & Trade, said the
exclusion of cars is welcome news for
country's car and auto-parts makers.
ll issues cleared; legal, parliament reviews

left
* Agreement excludes rice, automobiles S.Korean govt
* S.Korea farmers group oppose FTA as a
"nuclear bomb"
* Deal covers 17 areas including ecommerce - Xinhua
* Chinese, S.Korean presidents sign deal in
Beijing (Updates with details from South
Korea's government briefing)
By Megha Rajagopalan and Meeyoung Cho
BEIJING/SEOUL, Nov 10 (Reuters) Chinese and South Korean leaders on
Monday signed a "substantial conclusion" of
a free trade agreement that will sharply
reduce barriers to commerce between the
two trading giants, but leaves in place those
on rice and automobiles.South Korea says
China's Xinhua news agency said the

agreement covers 17 areas including online
commerce and government purchasing.
"They were concerned about the potential

flooding of Chinese-made products into the
country for the long term," he said.Even
though the bilateral agreement also excludes
rice - in line with Seoul's insistence on
protecting its domestic industry - there are
doubts that South Korea's parliament will
swiftly approve the pact.Many South Korean

farmers' groups oppose the deal. The Korean
Peasants League on Monday likened it to a
"nuclear bomb" for the industry.
BILATERAL TRADE BOOM
In 2013, South Korea had a $3.8 billion
deficit in its agriculture, forestry and
livestock trade with China, according to
government data.This deal comes as South
Korea has yet to decide whether to join the
United
States-initiated
Trans-Pacific
Partnership pact, aimed at slashing trade
barriers between a dozen countries.The
agreement with South Korea will be China's
ninth bilateral FTA. It hopes to also sign one
with Australia before the end of this year.
China and South Korea normalised
diplomatic relations in 1992 and bilateral
trade grew 36-fold to $228.92 billion in
2013 from $6.38 billion in 1992, South
Korea's data shows. South Korea has been
running a trade surplus with China since
1993. In 2013, the surplus was $62.8
billion.Analysts in Seoul have said the deal
would have only a limited direct boost to
bilateral trade or economic growth but
would help South Korea strengthen ties with
China, the sole major ally of North
Korea.The two Koreas remain technically at
war after their 1950-53 war ended in a truce
and China is the host of six-party talks
aimed
at
diffusing
tensions
over
Pyongyang's nuclear development ambition.
The talks, which involve the United States,
Russia and Japan, have been stalled for
years. (Reporting by Meeyoung Cho

and Choonsik Yoo in SEOUL and Megha
Rajagopalan
and Ben
Blanchard in
BEIJING; Additional reporting by Jack
Kim, Hyunjoo Jin and Brian Kim in
SEOUL; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
GOP Power Could Mean

Trouble For Japan
William Pesek
For Bloomberg News
Monday,
November
10,
2014
(Published in print: Monday, November 10,
2014)
Perhaps no one in Asia is happier than
Shinzo Abe and his ruling Liberal
Democratic Party to see Republicans take
over control of the U.S. Congress.Japans
conservatives tend to prefer their American
counterparts, who favor national security
and nuclear power not to mention a
strong stance against China. For Prime
Minister Abe, the prospect of Mitch
McConnell running the Senate must seem
like great news for U.S.-Japan relations and
his own standing.
Not exactly. There are at least two snags
awaiting
Abes
administration
as
Republicans measure drapes on Capitol Hill:
a plummeting currency and the TransPacific Partnership trade deal, which has
stalled in large measure because of Japans
reluctance to open up its agricultural and
automotive sectors.The recent dramatic
move by Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko
Kuroda to increase the central banks
already massive bond purchases has driven
down the yen to a seven-year low.
While thats good news for Japanese
exporters, it also threatens to touch off a

fresh currency war in Asia. Chinas Xi
Jinping is sure to bring up Japans beggarthy-neighbor policies when wooing other
Asian leaders at this weeks Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing.
The move could also cause friction with
Washington. Kurodas Halloween surprise
smacks of currency manipulation, and the
GOP has a track record of not taking kindly
to competitive devaluations, says Jeff
Kingston, head of Asian studies at the
Tokyo campus of Temple University.
At the least, Congress is going to have a
harder time browbeating China to boost its
exchange rate when Japan is allowed to do
precisely the opposite.TPP puts Abe in a
tough corner, too. Theres rising optimism
that Republicans will give Obama the fasttrack authority he needs to ratify the 12member trade deal, which excludes China.
The catch, though, is conservatives in
Washington may demand that Japan go allin.
Thus far Abes negotiators have been able to
stall even on what might be called TPP-lite,
involving only modest concessions on autos
and agriculture, because it didnt look like
Obama would be able to clinch a deal in
Washington. Republicans could remove that
excuse and might resist giving Japan
special treatment. TPP-lite could well be off
the table soon.
Problem is, Kingston says, this impinges
on powerful vested interests that are well
represented in Abes own party, so he will
be on the hot seat on trade, while hes also
trying to finesse structural reforms such as
loosening labor markets, pulling more
women into the work force and
strengthening Japans corporate governance.
Played right, pressure from the U.S. could

be great news for Abe, who advisers say
views TPP as a Trojan horse of sorts. Once
bound by a signed agreement, Japan will in
theory be forced to shake up inefficient
sectors that have long been coddled by
political patrons in the LDP. As Nicholas
Smith, a strategist at CLSA in Tokyo, puts
it, the trade pact represents potentially a big
step for a nation where rice farmers and
other groups have long blocked efforts to
lower import barriers. Smith believes Abes
ministers are keen to get TPP done, and
regard this as their chance.
The question is whether the prime ministers
own party, which has long been financed by
the farm lobby, will go along. Parliament
members facing elections next spring will no
doubt have misgivings. Theres also a view
in Tokyo that Abe never really expected
TPP to get through the U.S. Congress, and
that hes merely been feigning support to
bolster his reformist bona fides. If thats
true, hell have a hard time keeping up the
charade if the Republicans lift obstacles to a
deal in Washington.
Abe would be wise to take on Japans sacred
cows while he still has the approval ratings
to do so. It would be an important down
payment
on
boosting
Japans
competitiveness and keeping Japans
erstwhile friends in Congress happy,
too.William Pesek, a Bloomberg View
columnist based in Tokyo, writes on
economics, markets and politics throughout
the Asia-Pacific region.
Green Revolution, Eco Park

and Coffee
By Art Tibaldo
Consumer Atbp.
Monday, November 10, 2014

WE WERE probably still wiping our noses
with our elbows when the concept of green
revolution was thought of by the originators
of this different kind of Battle. The term
"Green Revolution" accordingly, was first
used in 1968 by former United States
Agency for International Development
(USAID) director William Gaud, when he
noted the spread of the new technologies
and developments in the field of agriculture
that embodied the makings of a new
revolution.This of course meant an
industrialized, chemical agriculture as
defined by some authors.
Records also show that in the 1960s, the
Government of the Republic of the
Philippines with Ford and Rockefeller
Foundations established the International
Rice Research Institute and the end result
made the Philippines a rice exporter for the
first time in the 20th century. As far as I can
remember, farmers were enticed to adopt a
program called Masagana 99 and even my
farming mother was convinced and even
dreamt of buying a Kubota hand tractor. I
remember too that before we had the
nutrition program of the First Lady Imelda
Marcos called nutribun in the mid 70s, we
indulged in the Green Revolution programs
of the Marcoses led be either Imelda or
daughter Imee.
Small villages we knew as barrio was
renamed into Barangay and the Kabataan or
youth movement was also made into a small
political system that further supported RPs
own green revolution then. The Agoho and
Pine trees that we planted as youngsters in
Holy Ghost Proper Barangay grew tall and
robust until finally it has to be cut to give
way to a Barangay alley. There were stories
even saying that some students saw a white
lady or ghost apparition in the Agoho that I

planted but all these all are now part of my
memories of that green revolution.
Having been engaged with the Alay sa
Kalinisan
and
Baguio
Regreening
Movement that addresses the pollution,
cleanliness and water problems of Baguio, I
saw and observed how the city transformed
from an earthquake devastated tourism
capital into a highly urbanized city. Urban
growth definitely is unstoppable and so are
the problems that goes with it like the
erosion of the Irisan dump site and flooding
at the City Camp Lagoon.
My recent visit to Irisan Barangay to check
on our property near the dumpsite where we
once had a junk shop, I noticed that trucks
for garbage collections and eco-aides doing
the sorting of recyclables are still very much
engaged in the recycling activity which is
also a good income generating activity.
I asked permission from the guard to check
on the activities inside the Eco-Park and
how the Environmental Recycling System of
Baguio is doing with its Protech composting
machine, I noticed that weeds are now
starting to grow in the soil covered dump
area. The fuming dark compost material that
is churned out from the machine is being
mechanically scooped by a wheeled vehicle
into the open dumping area. If I am not
mistaken, these compost materials can be
bought as alternative to chemical fertilizers
especially to non food plants.
As I consolidate my plans to enter the
specialty coffee industry and finalize my
design concept of a coffee roaster for
industrial small businesses, It came to mind

that I might as well convert our rented
junkyard into a facility that can be used for
roasting and packaging coffee by coffee
growers who want their green beans
processed. Well, this will definitely entail
some start up budget but I guess a little loan
will eventually pay-off a debt once it is
already operating as envisioned.
It is projected that by 2016, the Cordillera
coffee industry would be sustainable and
viable if more coffee especially the Arabica
variety would be planted in the uplands. I
am collaborating with my brothers who are
mechanical engineers and TESDA for the
development of my prototype coffee roaster.
I see bright prospect for this industry
especially that it is one of the flagship
industries of the Cordillera Region.
I also look forward to convince the city
government of Baguio that the Eco-Park can
be jointly stewarded with the Society of
Outstanding Citizens of Baguio for its
environmental component and the Baguio
Arts Guild for its art or park component.
Personally, I am also thinking of planting
coffee at the slopes of the soil covered
dumpsite but this of course needs research
and scientific intervention considering that
the area was once dreaded as a dumpsite and
smokey mountain.
Comments to this article can
mailedtocnatelevision@gmail.com.
be
SA Rice Presses Obama

Administration on Iraq
Foreign Agricultural Services (FFAS)

Alexis Taylor to discuss what the
organization calls "the alarming situation
with Iraqi rice tenders," among other
issues.In Taylor's new position, she will
have a major role in implementing
international trade policy and export
assistance
programs such as
the
Foreign
Market
Development and
Market Access
Programs, both
of which are
important to the
rice industry that
exports about half of its crop each year.
"We wanted to update the Secretary on
some of our successful priority programs in
key markets, but we also needed to call her
attention to the Iraq situation," said Ben
Mosely, USA Rice's vice president of
government affairs who attended the
meeting.
"Competitive bids from the U.S. are being
ignored by the Iraqi Ministry of Trade, and
we don't know why," said USA Rice's Chief
Operating Officer Bob Cummings who also
attended. "We asked the Secretary to help us
get to the bottom of the issue before the next
tender.
"Cummings said there is a tender going on
right now that closes this weekend."It was a
productive
meeting,"
said
Mosely.
"Secretary
Taylor
brings
extensive
experience and valuable insight to the
agency and we look forward to working
closely with her on this and other issues in
the future."
Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 2361446
Secretary Alexis Taylor
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The USA Rice

Federation met today with newly installed
Deputy Undersecretary for Farm and
USA Rice Briefs New ATO on

Successful Mexican Program

APO:Show and tell in Mexico City!
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO -- Last week, the

U.S. Department of Agriculture's new
Director of the Agricultural Trade Office
(ATO) in Mexico, Joseph Lopez, and
Agricultural Marketing Specialist Vanessa
Salcido were invited for a briefing and lunch
at the office of MexPromos, the USA Rice
Federation's Mexico representatives.
The briefing highlighted the current market

conditions in Mexico and USA Rice's
promotions programs which aim to increase
rice consumption as well as defend and
expand U.S. rice market share.
"As I become familiar with cooperator
activities in Mexico, the USA Rice program
is one of the best I've seen," said Lopez. "It
is a thorough and well thought out
promotions campaign, which correctly and
creatively targets the key consumer and
foodservice groups in Mexico. I am
impressed by the logo and your creative use
of social media and wish you great success.
I stand ready to help support this program in
every way."
milled, parboiled, long grain, medium grain

- of U.S. grown rice.
Contact: Marvin Lehrer (210) 663-0360
Govt urged to set Rs 3,000 per

40 kg for paddy
Reported by: `M. Imran Mehar November 9,
2014
LAHORE: The Pakistan Kisan Board urged
the government to set minimum paddy price
at Rs 3000 per 40 kg.Pakistan Kisan Board
Secretary General Malik Ramzan Rohari
said the helping price of the paddy rice was
too small for the farmers. Pakistani farmers
are already in a poor condition due to costly
electricity,
expensive
seed
and
fertilisers.Due to floods this year, more than
260 hundred thousand acres of standing
crops have been destroyed. Farmers are in a
miserable condition and this is high time
that the government compensate their huge
losses.
He demanded that the government should
announce a special package for farmers. He
added that Rs 1,400 per 40 kg was not
acceptable for the farmers as their
production cost was more than Rs
1,500.Pakistan is an agricultural country and
70 percent of its population lives in rural
areas. Their source of income is agriculture
so the government should take steps to
improve their life standards by providing
them good rates.
USA Rice conducts a fully integrated

promotions campaign in Mexico to help
increase demand for all forms - paddy,

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