On a recent highly listen worthy eatthispodcast (Jan 21), there's an interview with longtime Lao agro expert Michael Victor:
'Most recently, he’s been working with The Agro-biodiversity Initiative, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The idea is to make use of agricultural biodiversity in a sustainable way to reduce poverty and improve the livelihoods of people in upland regions. One thing the project has done is to collect all the information it can about agricultural biodiversity and make it available online'.
With
sticky rice as the country's main stay both from the view of production and
consumption, Michael explains how conserving past knowledge of the agro-forest livelihoods can help new
generations become aware of their traditional foods and food habits
which can assist in playing a major role in the conservation of Laos' forest lands.
The website of the project is Pha Khao Lao, well worth a visit.
The website of the project is Pha Khao Lao, well worth a visit.
Raw
Cambodia's rice news still revolves around the tariffs imposed by the EU.
The Khmer Times (Feb. 13):
'Rice exports in January saw a small decline that exporters have blamed on the European Union’s decision last month to impose tariffs on local rice.Last month, Cambodia exported 59,625 tonnes of rice to international markets, a 5 percent drop compared to January 2018, according to a report issued yesterday by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality'.
'After the EU decided to impose tariffs on Cambodia’s rice exports from January, Vietnam agreed this week to expand its import quota for the Kingdom’s rice to 300,000 tonnes.Vietnam’s actions come as the Chinese government late last night agreed to increase its import quota for the Kingdom’s rice to 400,000 tonnes this year from the previous year’s 300,000 tonnes....Amru Rice (Cambodia) Co Ltd chairman and CEO Song Saran on Thursday said Vietnam is generally buying raw products such as paddy, rather than milled, rice.However, he said the quota would encourage more Vietnamese to import the Kingdom’s rice, despite needing time to reach the 300,000-tonne quota.“We expected more demand to come from Vietnam in the incoming years. It will take time to convince Vietnamese consumers and traders to import rice."“It is also possible that in the long term, more Vietnamese consumers will be interested in high-quality rice since the Vietnam middle classes have grown a lot in recent years.”Having higher quotas from China and Vietnam is helpful to the marketing of Cambodian rice. But, Chinese and Vietnamese buyers in the past did not buy as much as they agreed to. The reason, according to industry insiders, is because buyers offer lower prices'.
Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 20) repeats the above but with more detail:
'The Kingdom’s rice exports saw little change during the last three years to 2018 as the sector appears to face new challenges requiring the government and private sector to work harder to keep the industry healthy.The challenges are centred around the EU market as the bloc imposes tariffs on Cambodia’s rice, added on to existing issues such as higher production costs and a lack of infrastructure.However, industry insiders said the volume of this year’s rice exports will remain steady due to a new quota from China and Vietnam.Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries figures show that the Kingdom exported 626,225 tonnes of rice last year, decreasing 1.5 per cent from 635,679 tonnes in 2017.The figures show that the main destinations were the EU with a total of 269,127 tonnes and China with 170,154 tonnes....Centre for Policy Studies director Chan Sophal said that while the country has missed its target export of one million tonnes since 2015, its rice exports stand at around 600,000 tonnes. He said the higher production costs and the lack of the sector’s infrastructure are limiting competition.“For this year’s exports, [I] predict that they may not increase because tax needs to be paid to export Cambodia’s fragrant rice to the EU market,” he said.Sophal said that while the government is trying to boost the sector by cutting production costs to improve its competitiveness, it needs to improve infrastructure – roads and irrigation systems.Faced with the EU’s decision to impose import tariffs, Cambodia’s rice could face a much more serious issue if the EU’s preferential Everything But Arms agreement is withdrawn.Sophal said it is preferable if the Kingdom diversifies its export destinations, rather than rely on any one market'.
'Prime Minister Hun Sen said the government will take more action to raise the Kingdom’s rice exports, including reducing production costs and boosting market competitiveness'.
Measures include:
'“We will set up a new policy to reduce production cost such as connecting electricity supply to regions with water access, by replacing diesel machines with electric ones,” he said.Hun Sen also encouraged studying domestic fertiliser production to produce cheaper options for the rice industry and reduce production costs.Relevant ministers, including those leading the Commerce and Agriculture, and Forestry and Fisheries departments, need to expand and seek new markets as Cambodia has world-famous, high-quality rice, he said'.
The Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 23) reports on more possible potential lifelines for the rice sector:
'Four days after the EU imposed tariffs on rice imported from Cambodia, China agreed on Monday to increase its import quota for Cambodian rice to 400,000 tonnes this year from the previous 300,000 tonnes.If Cambodia can supply the quantity under the new Chinese quota, then that market alone would effectively absorb 63 per cent of Cambodian rice sold abroad based on last year’s export of 626,225 tonnes...The Chinese market is the largest for Cambodian rice in terms of individual countries, and it is the second-largest buyer after the European bloc. Last year, China bought 170,154 tonnes of rice from Cambodia or equal to 56 per cent of the latest quota.Centre for Policy Studies director Chan Sophal said that having a higher quota from China will be helpful to the marketing of Cambodian rice, but in the past, Chinese buyers found rice in Vietnam and Thailand more competitively priced and did not buy as much as they agreed'.
Backnews. The Phnom Penh Post (Mar. 1) reports:
'The state-owned Rural Development Bank (RDB) distributed $50 million in loans to private rice millers last year to sustain the paddy market for farmers, according to RDB CEO Kao Thach.Thach told The Post on Thursday that despite many provinces in the Kingdom facing drought, the demand for loans remains high'.
Sought
Beyond the Khmer border, rice related news; as usual mostly from Thailand. The Bangkok Post (Feb. 19) kicks off this section with a docile bit:
'The cabinet has approved a rice insurance scheme for the 2019 season worth 1.74 billion baht, aiming to cover 30 million rai of farmland....Participating farmers will be charged an insurance premium of 59 baht per rai, with the government paying 35.40 baht per rai as a subsidy, and farmers paying 23.60 baht per rai'.
Bangkok Post (Mar. 8) curiously sees farmers looking east:
'Farmers in Nakhon Sawa insist they will continue growing Vietnamese fragrant rice, an unregistered variety they say is disease resistant, amid rumours the government is trying to dissuade them by forcing the price down.Suthep Khongmak, chairman of the Thai Rice Growers Association, said on Friday that he had recently visited Nakhon Sawan and talked with farmers who were planting Vietnamese fragrant rice variety Jasmine 85, known locally as Hom Phuang rice.Rumours had it that the Rice Department had sent a letter seeking cooperation from rice mills to force the price down as the variety was not a native grain and not registered in the country, Mr Suthep said....Farmers said it was easily grown, disease resistant and in high market demand. Of course they preferred it'.
'The Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce this week requested China to consider a rice im-port quota of 50,000 tonnes along with accepting other industrial goods as part of efforts to bol-ster bilateral trade.
...The call for the increased rice quota comes after 20,000 tonnes were shipped to the northern neighbour in 2017 by China’s Xuanye (Lao) Co., Ltd following approval from China’s NDRC'.
None lesser than the Guardian (Jan. 30) hails SRI (System of Rice Intensification) techniques in the region:
'Jesuit priest Henri de Lalanié working in the highlands observed that by planting far fewer seeds than usual, using organic matter as a fertiliser and keeping the rice plants alternately wet and dry rather than flooded, resulted in yields that were increased by between 20 and 200%, while water use was halved. Giving plants more oxygen, minimising the competition between them and strictly controlling the water they receive is thought to make them stronger and more resilient to flood and drought....Academic criticism has since all but disappeared and the SRI system of farming has been validated in hundreds of scientific papers and adopted by up to 20 million farmers in 61 countries, according to the SRI information centre in Cornell University.“The results consistently cite yield increases, decreased use of seed, water and chemicals, and increased income,” says Norman Uphoff, professor of global agriculture at Cornell....But what is now exciting some of the world’s largest food corporations and governments is that growing rice along SRI principles also greatly reduces emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, which escapes when rice, or any other crop, lies waterlogged for weeks at a time.....[Sunny Verghese, CEO of Singapore-based Olam]:“But reducing emissions from rice cannot be a trade-off that hurts farmers and communities who depend on it for their income and sustenance. We have to measure the true cost of food and dismantle the subsidy system.”Working with German development agency GIZ and south-east Asian governments, Olam now plan to roll out SRP rice to 100,000 farmers in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and India within five years, increasing yields and incomes, and reducing methane emissions by 50%'.
Fight
The Thai junta has been trying to push through new legislation in a bid to control rice production in Thailand. The press has not been ummm ... impressed. Bangkok Post opinion (Feb. 17):
'The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) made the right decision in backing down on the Rice Bill fight, removing controversial content which drew hefty criticism. It agreed to take out a contentious section that prohibits the trade of rice seeds which are not approved under requirements set by the bill. This positive response is good but is not enough....Despite its good intentions, the bill seems to be riddled with several shortcomings. To start with, it gives too much power to the government. The rice board, in accordance with Section 6, shows an imbalanced structure with state officials, at 20, outnumbering those from farmers and rice mill groups which are to have five members each while there are three seats for experts....Critics are of the opinion that the mandatory registration of rice varieties, as mentioned in Section 27, will do more harm than good to the country's rice development...."If this draft was issued and became effective before 1957, Thailand would have possibly missed high-value rice varieties such as Khao Dawk Mali 105 rice, Khao Tah Haeng 17, Riceberry, Sangyod Rice and Tubtim Chumphae Rice," said Nipon Poapongsakorn, distinguished fellow at Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI)....Despite the aim to improve farmers and the country's rice production, critics are of the opinion that the bill, if it becomes law, will deal a heavy blow to farmers and harm the country's rice industry.On top of that, the bill, which was drafted in haste, has drawn criticism for the lack of participation from major stakeholders, in particular farmers. No public hearings were held, nor consultation with the farmers'.
The Nation (Feb. 25) reports:
'Thirty-two civil networks advocating alternative farming and community rights yesterday issued an open letter calling on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to halt the controversial rice bill and other legislation before the National Legislative Assembly, citing a lack of checks and balances.They threatened to mobilise opponents if their demands were not met....They said parts of the legislation had merit, but there were also several flaws.The main concern is a perceived limitation on farmers’ rights to use rice varieties that are available in their own localities. There are also restrictions on their production and a compulsion to yield to a new management system that could be disadvantageous to them.As well, the letter’s authors said, the bill would give the Rice Department too much power without adequate checks and balances, while likely facilitating a monopoly on production by private firms'.
The Nation (Feb. 26) continues:
'Ad hoc panel says concerns addressed but NGO maintains it fails to protect farmers’ rights....The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) will today consider a draft law that could impact millions of rice farmers across the country.The Rice Bill, which was abruptly withdrawn from an NLA meeting last week in the face of stiff opposition from farmers and academic networks, is scheduled for its second and third readings by the NLA today.
...Last week, farmers and academics alike had raised concerns about the proposed jail term of up to one year and/or a fine of up to Bt100,000 under the Rice Bill for those distributing uncertified rice seeds, including farmers....BioThai Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, yesterday acknowledged the removal of clauses that could have adversely affected farmers. But added on Facebook: “It remains clear that this draft law ignores farmers’ rights.”According to BioThai, exchange of rice seeds among farmers currently accounts for 21 per cent of rice-seed trade in the country. This is the biggest percentage in the sector – even higher than seeds sold by private firms, rice centres or the Rice Department'.
The Bangkok Post (Feb. 26) notes that the proposed bill has been shelved, waiting for more opportune times ahead?
'The National Legislative Assembly president on Tuesday ordered the withdrawal of the controversial rice bill from the NLA’s business agenda'.
Comments on this article btw were scathing.
The Nation (Feb. 27) hasn't finished:
'The country's leading alternative farm advocacy group yesterday suggested that future parliamentarians retain the best parts of the scrapped Rice Bill while improving regulations that would otherwise give an advantage to big agro firms.The latest version of the bill, as updated on Monday, contained some good points after amendments to the previous version, said Witoon Lianchamroon, director of the Biodiversity-Sustainable Agriculture-Sovereignty Action Thailand (BioThai Foundation)'.9
Comment from the South China Morning Post (Mar. 6):
“It has been a miscalculation of the timing and the political consequences,” said Thanapan Laiprakobsup, a researcher on rice policies in Thailand at Chulalongkorn University, who noted farmers, millers and exporters found rare common cause in opposing the bill.“[The military junta] didn’t think there would be such a big opposition … but this time all the stakeholders [except the big corporations] agreed in opposing. The rice industry wants assistance but not direct intervention.”
Short
'Till as late as 1985, Nepal used to be a net exporter of rice, and during the 1960s the country was exporting up to $45 million worth of rice to India every year. How the tables have turned, in 2015 Nepal has to import 531,000 tons of rice worth $210 million from India....As our reportage in this edition (page 8-9) shows, a healthy monsoon allowed paddy harvests to increase by 9% up from the previous year, reaching 5.6 million tons....The long and short of it is that Nepal’s rice economy is rain dependent, the government cannot take credit for the increased paddy harvests. There is precious little successive governments in the past 50 years have done to invest on improving yield, and finding a stable price for produce'.
Also in the same edition:
'Despite the fact that educated youth, and children of farmers are either migrating or moving away from the land, agriculture is still the mainstay of Nepal’s economy. Farming is also becoming increasingly feminised as most men are away in the cities or abroad for work. Which is why the increase in rice production is in one sense encouraging.Not as encouraging, however, is that productivity is still sluggish. Paddy yield has gone up from 2.4 tons per hectare 30 years ago to only 3.6 tons today, whereas productivity is 4.1 tons in Bhutan, 6.6 in Japan, and 7.0 in South Korea. Productivity of other crops has also not gone up by much. The reason is that nearly 70% of agriculture is still rain-fed. Cheap imports of rice from India as well as the disappearance of traditional rice varieties suited to Nepal’s micro-climates have also impacted production....The main reason why Nepal imports so much rice despite rising production is because our farmers are not growing the right type of rice, and the government’s efforts are not directed towards helping them grow the varieties that Nepali consumers prefer. For example, the Masuli variety of rice was common throughout eastern Nepal, and two thirds of the farmers in this region grew that variety.Today, consumer demand has shifted to Jira Masinu variety, yet half the farmers are growing Rajit and Swarnal, which are not in high demand. This shows that our promotion and policies are running counter to consumer preference. The result is that Nepal imports Indian paddy (which is not cheaper than Nepali rice) at a time when domestic paddy floods the market, and it is also the reason why rice imports are not decreasing'.
Though it's encouraging to see a major local publisher looking into the country's main crop (rather than power politics and city affairs), a distinct failure to understand the basics of rice economics seems to have hindered drawing more logical conclusions.
Imports / exports are very much dependent on demand. Nepal has seen a wicked growth in population which hasn't been met with any substantial expansion in cropping area: with the exception of some expansive flat lands along the border with India, most rice tilling takes place on small fields which do not favour modern tilling methods.
The growth in population in the mountains has actually meant that field sizes are at best staying minimal, simply meaning that more persons are dependent on the production of these small fields. Self-sufficiency hardly results in agro innovation / investment, so it's no wonder productivity has not grown.
Control
'Consumer protection activists voiced firm objection to Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Grisada Boonrach’s proposal to ban the use of paraquat chemical in three years instead of one year.The Hazardous Substance Committee is scheduled to hold a meeting tomorrow to reconsider the banning of three controversial agricultural chemicals – paraquat, glyphosate, and chlorpyrifos.However, the BioThai Foundation yesterday disclosed the minister’s text message to his ministry’s senior officials, ordering that the ban on paraquat be implemented on a step-by-step basis so farmers have time to seek an alternative weed-controlling option....Thailand Pesticide Alert Network coordinator Prokchol Ousap said Grisada’s proposal was unacceptable, as it went directly against the Public Health Ministry, Office of the Ombudsman and the National Human Rights Commission’s decision to not just ban paraquat, but also glyphosate and chlorpyrifos, by the end of 2019'.
The Nation (Feb. 15):
'Paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos are still allowed for use in Thailand for at least another two years, after the Hazardous Substance Committee yesterday reaffirmed its previous decision not to ban the three controversial agrochemicals'.
Bangkok Post adds with an opinion piece (Feb. 18):
'Big business won. Again. We should not be surprised nor disappointed at the government's decision to support the weed killer paraquat which poisons the environment and makes us sick. We should be angry.
We should not be angry at only the decision by the Industry Ministry's Hazardous Substance Committee to allow the use of this toxic farm chemical, which has already been banned in 53 countries around around the globe. This shameful decision is only a symptom. We should target the illness itself -- the closed, top-down officialdom which is not transparent nor accountable to anyone but the mandarins' own bank accounts....Biothai, the main civic group campaigning for a ban on paraquat, demanded to know the committee members' voting decisions. The answer is a big "no", because such demands attack the heart of the power of a centralised bureaucratic system'.
While on the subject of weeds and killers, Mongabay has an article (Mar. 5) on Monsanto's glyphosphate and winning awards:
'Science advances by debate. Unlike in politics, scientific arguments need to be backed by evidence and scientific reasoning.These concerns surfaced again with the recent decision by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to award, and then suspend its 2019 Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award.On Feb. 4, the AAAS announced that “two public health researchers who battled powerful corporate interests to uncover the deadly effects of industrial herbicides, solving a medical mystery and protecting the health of farming communities across the world” were the latest winners of the award....Two days later, the AAAS changed its mind: “We are taking steps to reassess the 2019 Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, after concerns were voiced by scientists and members....On Feb. 28, Mongabay reported that the AAAS had appointed a panel of experts to evaluate the scientific findings underlying the awards selection.Though the science involved could be questioned, there are other opinions which try to lay a relation between agribusiness and the AAAS.
Odd business.
Talking of odd business, the Khmer Times (KT, Feb. 18) sat down with
'Martin Wolf, BASF’s business director for Asean, to discuss the company’s short and long-term plans in Cambodia as well as the industry’s current situation and outlook'.
Nothing controversial of course.
'KT: What local agricultural products will you be focusing on first?Mr Wolf: First, we are targeting the rice sector. We want to help farmers manage their fields, improve seeds and control pests'.
(Alarm bells ringing)
Understanding
The Khmer Times (Feb. 25) has an article on another project upstart (read: rehash of same old song) by the ADB this time:
'The bank added that the programme will help reduce the proportion of raw products that are exported, particularly for cassava, paddy rice, mango and cashew nuts.Takeshi Ueda, ADB agricultural economist, told Khmer Times that most exported Cambodian agricultural products leave the country in raw form'.
Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 22) takes a peek at cashew economics:
'Cashew nut prices saw a five per cent drop compared to last year due to more supply than demand at the beginning of the harvest season in Kampong Thom province – the Kingdom’s largest regional producer of the nut – according to provincial authorities....Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture and the Vietnamese Cashew Association (Vinacas) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last year to increase Cambodia’s cashew nut exports to one million tonnes by 2028....However, no official deal has been made with Vietnamese companies through the MoU, according to Suy Kokthean, vice-president of the Cashew Nut Association of Kampong Thom province.“We have not heard anything about any official deal or technical assistance from Vietnamese firms,” he said.
'The cassava yield in the provinces bordering Thailand saw a decrease in the 2018-2019 season, with a slight fluctuation in prices, said provincial agricultural authorities.Battambang provincial Department of Commerce director Kim Hout said the decline in cultivation was due to a large number of farmers shifting to other crops, such as corn to adjust to market trends'.
The Khmer Times (Feb. 19) notes a lesser known rice alternative:
'With the country’s first-ever harvest of organic cassava having recently come to an end, farmers say they are happy with the price the crop is fetching, with some earning as much as $2,350 per hectare.Un Sokun, the leader of an agricultural community in Kampong Thom province, told Khmer Times that cassava farmers in her community are earning more this season after having gone organic.She said farmers in her community are being paid $94 per tonne of high-quality organic cassava, with lower quality organic cassava selling for $89. Non-organic cassava, by contrast, generally fetches just $77 per tonne, she said....“Our fresh organic cassava is sent to Vietnam for processing but soon we will be able to process in Cambodia as a new plant is opening in Oddar Meanchey,” he [Kunthy Kann, Cambodian Agriculture Cooperative Cooperation managing director] said'.
Stress
The Khmer Times (Mar. 7) mentions that:
'The Ministry of Agriculture will focus on diversifying agricultural production across the country to meet rising demand for vegetables and fruits from locals and visitors.The goal of diversifying and expanding agricultural output was announced yesterday by Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon during a meeting with Jiangfeng Zhang, director of the Asian Development Bank’s environment, natural resources and agriculture division.Mr Sakhon stressed the need to focus on products other than rice, a crop that has been prioritised in the last few years'.
Phnom Penh Post (Mar. 8) on fruits, mango:
'Mango production is expected to decrease this year as climate change severely impacts yields, according to a mango association in Kampong Speu province – the Kingdom’s largest regional producer of the fruit.Kampong Speu Mangoes Association president In Chayvan said the impact of climate change could reduce yields by around 50 per cent this year.“Mango production this year will not be as good as last year as effects of climate change – too much rain and too much drought – will reduce yields this year,” he said, adding that the main yearly harvest will begin next month....The installation of a Hyundai-owned fruit treatment facility in Kampong Speu province was completed this month, with mangoes set for export to South Korea. The company plans to export 1,700 tonnes in its first year of operation.Kim La, a Kampong Speu province mango farmer and an association members, said her 5ha mango farm yielded 60 tonnes in last season’s harvest.However, she said yields will not increase this harvest season – starting from March – as the weather is currently too hot.“I am now concerned about the coming season, as the weather is really hot and dry. I am afraid my mango trees cannot yield big fruit,” she said'.
Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 12) on Pailin longans:
'The trend of longan cultivation in Pailin Province continues to expand as farmers see the fruit as more and more profitable, according to provincial Department of Agriculture deputy director Im Sophoeun.He said longan is regarded as the main agricultural product of the province.Provincial Department of Agriculture figures show that farmers expanded longan cultivation to 3,983.5ha last year, a 24.4 per cent increase from 3,201ha in 2017.The report shows that last year, total yield reached 3,997 tonnes, with a market price of $1 per kg'.
'Yields of Kampot pepper, which was awarded geographical indication (GI) status in 2016, are projected to increase in the upcoming harvest season despite forecasts of heavy drought, the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA) said on Sunday.Association president Ngoun Lay said that even after the government announced predictions of drought for this year, the next harvest season is expected to produce better yields.“Our next harvesting season will reach 90 tonnes of Kampot pepper as farmers are more experienced with drought conditions and have a better understanding of water management.
