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Food crisis adds 100M to ranks of hungry: experts
The Ottawa Citizen: The current food crisis has already added 100 million people to the ranks of the world's hungry and could worsen as more are affected by food shortages and soaring prices for staple crops, say two international experts. But the situation is far from hopeless. In fact, governments can restore an abundant supply of affordable food if they make the right choices, the experts said at a media briefing Tuesday. "We can deal with this crisis," Robert Zeigler, director general of the International Rice Research Institute, told journalists at the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa. "There is a great potential for increasing agricultural production to met the current demand," agreed Emile Frison, director general of Biodiversity International.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Experts Tackle the World Food Crisis
CNW Telbec: Two international experts on food and agriculture will be in Ottawa at IDRC on May 13 to discuss the factors driving escalating food prices. Leaders of Bioversity International (Emile Frison, Director General) and the International Rice Research Institute (Robert Zeigler, IRRI Director General) will address some of the forces behind the crisis including growing demand for biofuels, climate change, the energy crisis, population growth and changing consumption patterns. They will also offer concrete ways to curb rising food prices through innovations from agricultural research. Barry Wilson of the Western Producer will moderate the discussion, organized by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
California farmers sell rice ahead of harvesting
Commodity Online: Rice farmers of California are indeed making hay while the sun shines. They have already sold their crops even though harvests are months away and they have just begun planting. Rice farming which was not profitable in California due to lower prices, higher input costs had turned away many farmers to soybean and corn. For those who remained in rice farming, the new price rice has come as a boon. It is aerial seeding season for rice farmers in California, which produces about 20% of the crop grown in the U.S, according to the website appeal-democrat.com. California’s cooler weather produces mostly medium- and short-grain rice varieties, the moist, sticky kinds favored for sushi or risotto
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Philippines' farm output up in Q1, upbeat on rice
Reuters: Philippine farm output in the first quarter of the year rose 4.0 percent year-on-year and rice production was on course to reach a record 17.3 million tonnes in 2008, the government said on Tuesday. The farm sector, which accounts for around a fifth of economic output, grew 4.68 percent in 2007, while overall economic growth reached a 31-year high of 7.3 percent. The government will announce first quarter economic growth figures later this month. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the first quarter rice production figures meant the government did not need to hastily import more of the national staple.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Soaring rice prices a global danger, expert warns
Reuters via The Guardian: The current spike in world rice prices could be devastating, even if it only lasts for a few months, and will leave African nations vulnerable to unrest, a top expert said on Tuesday. Rice prices have tripled over the past year as stocks dwindle and major exporters curb shipments to keep domestic prices under control. The price of Thai 100 percent B grade white rice -- considered the world's benchmark -- was quoted at $920 a tonne on Monday, just under its recent peak of $1,000. "The impact of a spike in rice prices -- even let's say it only lasted a few months -- is something that could be devastating," said Robert Zeigler, director-general of the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute. "Let's not underestimate the gravity of this situation," he told an Ottawa conference on food prices.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Genetically modified crops: 'Monster food' or a big step to feeding the world's hungry?
Minnesota Post: While hungry people from Haiti to Somalia rioted this month over food shortages and price increases, South Koreans protested the arrival of 63,000 tons of grain at their ports. The grain was corn from the United States, likely grown in Minnesota or another Midwestern state. The objection was that it was genetically modified corn, something Korean processors had shunned throughout the decade-old controversy over fiddling with genes in food. Now the looming global food crisis has rekindled that debate. Protesting Koreans called GM crops "monster food." Many scientists, however, call them a partial solution to threatening hunger in poor countries. "It could get us a good part of the way if people would let us do it," said Ronald Phillips, a regents professor who holds the McKnight Presidential Chair in Genomics at the University of Minnesota...When Phillips isn't on the university's St. Paul campus, he is as often as not in the Philippines, where he is a program chairman for the International Rice Research Institute and also serves on the board of trustees.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
A Tale of Two Devastated Countries
Asia Sentinel: According to relief organizations, Burma will need as much as 500,000 tonnes of rice and perhaps as much as 2 million tonnes to meet subsistence levels for most of its population in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, which wiped out 65 percent of the rice-growing capability of the Irrawaddy Delta. The country had expected to export 600,000 tonnes in 2008. According to several estimates, Burma, once the biggest rice-exporting nation in Asia, will be forced to import to make up shortages for years to come. Satellite imagery showed that a 16-meter storm surge pushed salt water 40km inland in the delta. According to the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, it can take up to a year to leach out the salt, depending on the kind of soil, the amount of rainfall and whether farmers plant salt-resistant varieties of rice. The storm, unimpeded because protective mangrove forests had been destroyed for prawn farming and additional rice paddies, destroyed everything in its path, as well as drowning as many as 100,000 people.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Four ways to ease global food crisis over the nex year
Wall Street Journal: The price of rice has leapt about 85% since mid-March mostly due to panic buying and hoarding. Japan could do a lot to relieve the pressure. It has a stockpile of 1.5 million tons of rice, mostly imported from the U.S., which it keeps off the market to boost the income of local farmers. Some of the stored rice is several years old, and some of it is fed to animals, says a U.S. Agriculture Department report.
Monday, May 12, 2008
FAO says 2008 rice output to climb in Asia, Africa, Latin America
Channel News Asia: Rome - Rice production in Asia, Africa and Latin America is forecast to reach a new record level in 2008, but world rice prices could remain high in the short term, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Monday. However the destruction of Myanmar's food resources by a deadly cyclone could decrease national rice production and impair access to food, according to first FAO estimates. "World paddy production 2008 could grow by about 2.3 percent, reaching a new record level of 666 million tonnes, according to our preliminary forecasts," said FAO rice expert Concepcion Calpe.
Monday, May 12, 2008
We did it before, we can grow our way out of famine again
The National: In the early 1960s, parts of the world, particularly Asia, were affected by back-to-back droughts that led to massive starvation, famine and deaths. The pictures were revolting. The situation was so stark that, in 1967, the US President’s Science Advisory Committee concluded that “the scale, severity, and duration of the world food problem are so great that a massive, long-range, innovative effort unprecedented in human history will be required to master it.” Consequently, the US along with other governments and international institutions, gathered support for an international agricultural research system: the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) are constituents of the CGIAR, and have focused on improving productivity and the well-being of agrarian communities in the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America; the same countries currently facing food shortages and suffering from instability due to rising food prices. So it is ironic that, 40 years later, in the midst of a global food crisis, the directors of IRRI and CIMMYT jointly wrote to the President of the World Bank about the significant erosion of support for agricultural research. Over the past 15 years, there has been a 50 per cent decrease in real terms of the CGIAR budget. Can history be repeating itself?
Monday, May 12, 2008
Indonesian Govt Plans 1 Bln Hectares Of Rice Estates
Bernama: Kuala Lumpur - The Indonesian government plans to have one billion hectares of rice estates in the country to meet the demand for rice in Muslim countries, Agriculture Minister Dr Anton Apriyanto said Monday. "We have discussed it with Sheikh Saleh Kamel (World Halal Forum chairman). We will do feasibility studies of this programme and he will get investors to come to Indonesia," Anton said. "In Indonesia, we have land and farmers but we need investors. And I hope this programme will be running soon to meet the increasing demand for rice," he said at a media conference on the sidelines of World Halal Forum 2008 here.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Lawmakers seek cereals agency
Manila Standard Today: Three neophyte lawmakers have proposed the creation of a cereal institute to ensure the country’s food security through continuous research and development on prime agricultural products such as rice, corn and wheat. Negros Oriental Reps. Henry Pryde Teves (Third District) George Arnaiz (Second District) and Jocelyn Limkaichong (First District), in introducing House Bill 3737, agreed that only through the creation of a Philippine Cereals Research Development Extension Institute (PhilCereal) can the industry get the support it needs from the government. The three Ilonggo congressmen said the country has enough fertile land that can sufficiently produce agricultural crops for the country’s food supply. “Unfortunately, this expectation [has] not [been] realized. Our food security and supply of food products [is always in danger and] that necessitates us to import these from other countries,” Arnaiz said.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Without more agricultural investment, prices will rise
New Vision (Uganda): World agriculture is suddenly under great stress. Prices of basic commodities are soaring. Food riots have spread across countries one after the other, like falling dominoes, causing political tremours felt in the offices of presidents. The poor, though, have felt it the most. It is clear this historic 30-year global era of low food prices has come to a close; the numbers couldn’t be more clear: Wheat prices rose 120% last year, while rice rose to 75%. For poor families, it means the cost of a loaf of bread has almost doubled and a two-kilogram bag of rice may be half the money a family earns in a day in some parts of the world. We are entering a period when we can expect to see higher food prices and more food price volatility.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Nigeria: 'Rice Importation Dangerous'
All Africa.com: Chief Research Officer, National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI), Birnin Kebbi, Mr Ayodele Christopher Uwala, has said the Federal Government order of massive importation of rice is dangerous to the economy. Uwala said instead, both federal and state government should encourage massive production of rice by Nigerian farmers, to stop the current food crisis. He said imported rice are not fresh, because they are from the countries grains reserve, adding that they are not proteinous, because they are those that have been in the reserve for five to six years, before sending them to some African countries.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Nigeria Seeking Speedier Rice Shipments From Thailand, U.S.
Bloomberg: Nigeria, the world's second-largest rice importer, held talks with Thai and U.S. officials last week, seeking to accelerate shipments of the grain. Nigerian officials talked with their Thai counterparts ``to see how they can help our businessmen import their rice and Thais who want to sell to us,'' Yemi Nelson, a spokesman for the West African country's Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, said today by phone from the capital Abuja. Similar talks were held with U.S. officials, he said. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, is forecast to import 1.5 million metric tons this year, second only to the Philippines. That's equal to half of what the country is projected to produce itself. Nigeria is seeking 500,000 tons of rice from Thailand, Bhartendu Pandey, a trader at Thai Maparn Trading Co., said May 9.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Disaster in Burma Drives Rice Prices Even Higher
Salem-News.com: Rangoon, Myanmar - It is still unclear how much of Burma's production will be affected. The five hardest-hit Burmese states account for 65 percent of the country's rice output. Damage from Cyclone Nargis may spread beyond Burma in the form of higher food costs throughout Asia and the rest of the world, experts say. World rice prices, which have nearly tripled since the start of the year, could be pushed up further as aid agencies scramble for emergency supplies to replace Burma's lost crops. Industry analysts have suggested that the loss of Burma's rice exports from the world market is too small to make a major impact on prices, which have already hit record highs. Before the cyclone, Burma was expected to export only about 600,000 tons this year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
All eyes on price of rice
Toronto Star: Manila – The Philippines went to the international auction table like a high-stakes gambler, desperate to win rice for its 88 million people – lots of it, in fact 675,000 tonnes. But when regular supplier Vietnam upped the ante to something close to $1,200 per tonne, the Philippines held its cards and walked away. Gutsy? Or just plain foolish? "We're in a precarious situation," says Dr. Robert Zeigler, head of the International Rice Research Institute here. "Of course, if all goes well, we're fine. But if a few things go wrong, we're not so fine. And if more than a few things go wrong – well, then we're not very good at all." The Philippines is the world's single largest importer of rice. Some 35 million of its people teeter on the brink of survival, earning less than $2 per day. These poorest of the poor outnumber
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Rice prices growing (video clip)
Toronto Star: Rice and grain prices have soared around the world, creating shortages in some countries. In Toronto at the St. Lawrence Market, some rice and flour prices have risen by 25 per cent or more.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Gov’t to control rice supply
Philippine Daily Inquirer: Baguio City - Executive secretry Eduardo Ermita has assured the public that the country will not plunge into a crisis due to a rice shortage. But Ermita said the government would pursue some belt tightening on rice consumption and retail to ensure that the staple would be available through the lean months of July, August and September. “There is no rice shortage. All government is doing is to stock up on rice in preparation for the lean months,” Ermita said here on Saturday. He was guest during the launching of the centennial celebration of the Teachers’ Camp. “There is no shortage. We just need to control how we consume rice so that we won’t be caught flatfooted when the rainy season comes,” Ermita said.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
These Daredevils Don’t Dust the Crops. They Plant Them
The New York Times: Olivehurst, Calif. - As rice farmers in Northern California plant their flooded fields over the next couple of weeks, most will not head for a tractor or a tiller or any kind of seeder. With rice selling at record high prices and global demand rising, California’s farm belt and the airspace above are increasingly home to one of aviation’s, and agriculture’s, most heart-pounding stunts: aerial seeding. Using a fleet of single-engine planes and squads of modern-day barnstormers, California’s farmers are expected to plant more than 500,000 acres this spring, most of it laid by pilots like Danny Hawk.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Cause for optimism (8:11 video clip)
CNN International: CNN's Becky Anderson looks for an optimistic view on the earth's survival. Among those contributing to the discussion are Dr. Robert Zeigler, director general of the International Rice Research Insitute.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Cyclone heightens rice crisis
Vancouver Sun: Bangkok - When Cyclone Nargis swept through the Irrawaddy Delta, it shattered both Myanmar's famed rice bowl as well as any hope Asia's rice crisis might abate anytime soon. It's not that the isolated little state formerly known as Burma grows a significant amount of the world's rice. It's just that before the cyclone it was able to feed its own 47 million people and have enough left over to send a bit to the world market...But optimists are hard to find since Cyclone Nargis. "The international rice market is very thin," says Robert Zeigler, director general of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines. "Only seven per cent of the world's rice is traded internationally. The rest stays at home. So any shock to it can translate into wild fluctuations." Myanmar, which exported one to two per cent of its harvest in recent years, is just the kind of "shock" he was talking about. The "thin" world market is thinner still. Zeigler is now pinning his hopes on the year's major Asian harvests, this fall.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Rising rice prices yields grim realities
NBC Nightly News: This is a 2:23 video clip on the rice price crisis.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Combating climate change (7:24 video clip)
CNN International: CNN's Becky Anderson talks to Polar explorer Jan-Gunnar Winther and scientists at the International Rice Research Institute about facing climate change.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Behind the food riots: A debate on how best to farm
GMA News: "Rice fever" has led nations in Asia to restrict exports and subsidize locally grown rice. Some leaders in Latin America are subsidizing food or placing punitive export taxes on food commodities to control inflation. So how does the world get out of this mess? Thailand, the world's biggest rice exporter, has proposed a regional cartel modeled on OPEC. "We import expensive oil but sell rice very cheaply, and that's unfair to us," said Thai government spokesman Vichienchot Sukchokrat. But Robert Zeigler, who directs the International Rice Research Institute, calls the idea a fantasy, since oil is extracted by a few multinational companies and "rice is grown by millions of farmers on small plots.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Rice shortage Asia's 'silent tsunami'
The Ottawa Citizen: Bangkok - When Cyclone Nargis swept through the Irrawaddy Delta, it shattered both Burma's famed rice bowl as well as any hope Asia's rice crisis might abate anytime soon. It's not that the isolated little state grows a significant amount of the world's rice. It's just that before the cyclone it was able to feed its own 47 million people and have enough left over to send a bit to the world market. Across Asia and Latin America, in parts of Africa and the Middle East, rice is life. Measure it, boil it once in the morning and voila, more than half the people in the world have their staple food ready to eat all day long. "It tastes really good, it is easy to handle, you don't have to process it ... and it's very nutritious," Robert Zeigler expounds. "It fits into just about any food preference." The 60-kilometre drive up from Manila to the International Rice Research Institute where Mr. Zeigler is director-general is long and slow because of massive roadwork, bordered on both sides by construction of factories, housing developments and shopping malls. "When I first visited here in 1986," Mr. Zeigler says, "all that land was rice paddies. But now it has been converted to other uses." That's not necessarily a bad thing, he admits, "as long as you can maintain production so you can meet your staple food needs."
Saturday, May 10, 2008
DA buying more local rice
Manila Bulletin: The Department of Agriculture (DA) has vowed to buy more palay from local farmers for the remaining months of the year as it said the government will rely more on tougher, higher-yielding seeds developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The DA said that the procurement price of the National Food Authority (NFA) will be pegged at R17 per kilo until yearend, a development that has spurred buying by traders at higher prices. According to DA officials, the Arroyo government is bent on achieving 98 percent food sufficiency by 2010.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Agriculture Policies Worsen Food Shortages
Wall Street Journal: Bangkok, Thailand - Myanmar's badly conceived agricultural policies are compounding the country's already dire food situation. In recent years, Myanmar's reclusive military rulers have plowed large tracts of rice- and vegetable-growing land to plant jatropha -- an inedible plant used for making biodiesel. Soldiers in the country's 400,000-strong army are routinely instructed to be self-sufficient and do so by simply seizing food from farmers. And villagers in the highland regions are often given rice strains requiring expensive fertilizers that they can't afford, according to academic researchers and nongovernment organizations.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Traders stay away from rice tender
Reuters via ABS-CBN: Manila - Private Philippine traders mostly stayed away from a rice import tender on Friday, hoping supplies will increase and prices ease on international markets in coming months. The private traders and groups offered to buy only 21,560 tons out of a total of 163,000 tons on offer at the tender conducted by the state's National Food Authority (NFA). Traders and NFA officials said both the government and the private sector in the Philippines, the world's biggest importer of rice, would wait until prices soften before returning to market.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Global Food Crisis Has Many Causes, Experts Say
Voice of America: A variety of factors have come together to drive world food prices dramatically higher. The high cost of food is pushing many of the world's poorest people deeper into poverty. As we hear from VOA science reporter Art Chimes, experts say the causes include the high cost of oil and a growing middle class in some big countries. If you've been shopping for food lately, I don't have to tell you that prices are going through the roof. In some cases world prices have more than tripled in recent months, "going from, in December, a price of $300 a ton to just this week over $1,000 a ton." Robert Zeigler of the International Rice Research Institute is talking about rice, a basic staple food across Asia, of course. Prices surged dramatically after China, Vietnam, and India curbed exports to ensure they had enough supplies for their own people. Analysts like Robert Zeigler of the Rice Research Institute are starting to assess the damage. "Now what are the consequences of this? Well, there are some estimates that say that if present trends continue for very long, we can expect 100 million people to be pushed back into poverty."
Friday, May 09, 2008
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