Indonesia to cut commodity imports: Indonesia's newly-appointed agriculture minister pledged to boost the production of several important commodities, including rice, corn and soybeans to cut back on imports, the Jakarta Post newspaper reported last week. The paper quoted Justika Syarifudin Baharsyah as saying that increasing output of such commodities would be given top priority despite a decrease in the amount of cultivable land and unfavourable weather conditions. "It is a tough job because the agriculture sector very much depends on the weather and the climate. Besides, we are facing decreasing land allocation for agriculture," Justika said after being installed as the new minister, replacing her husband Syarifudin Baharsyah.IMC pegs US soya acreage at 73 m: IMC Global Inc said last week that it expects the US farmers to plant a record 73 million acres of soyabeans and 81 million acres of corn this spring. The crop nutrient manufacturer said its annual survey of Midwest farmersindicated soyabean acreage would increase by three per cent over 1997, and corn plantings would be the highest in 13 years. "The widely held expectations for increased corn plantingsin 1998 clearly have materialised," Robert Fowler, president and chief executive of IMC Global, said in a statement. "The surprise in the survey's results is the significant increase in soyabean acreage, primarily among Eastern Corn Belt farmers. In the Western Corn Belt, farmers told us they intend to increase plantings of both corn and soybeans while reducing wheat acreage." The US Agriculture Department has estimated US corn plantings at 81.5 million acres, and soyabean seedings at 71.5 million acres.
Turkey plans barley exports: Turkey's state grain board (TMO) is planning to export 280,000 tonnes of barley to use up its stocks through a tender to be announced soon, a senior agriculture ministry official said last week. "We will hold a tender to export 280,000 tonnes of barley," said the official, who asked foranonymity. "We have prepared the proposal and sent it to agriculture minister Mustafa Tasar, who has the final say about the tender," he told Reuters. "We have to get rid of this barley as livestock will begin pasture-feeding and barley will not be needed until next winter," he said. He said the TMO had about one million tonnes of barley in stock. Tasar said earlier this month that Turkey had an exportable stock of three million tonnes of wheat and one million tonnes of barley.
Bulgarian sugar-beet areas: Bulgaria plans to sow 7,000 hectares of sugar beet this year, twice as much as in 1997, agriculture minister Ventsislav Varbanov said last week. "We expect a big rise in areas planted with sugar beet this year as producers will receive significant funding from the state farming fund," Varbanov told a news conference. The farming fund said last week it would pay a bonus of 8,000 levs per tonne of sugar beet this year under a government subsidy scheme aimed at boosting local production. Sugar beetsowing deadline for Bulgaria is end-May. Varbanov said areas planted with sugar beet last year were 3,500 hectares instead of the previously reported figure of 5,000 hectares. The figure was revised after compiling the data provided by the ministry's regional offices. Total sugar beet production was 53,500 tonnes last year.
Russian sunseed exports down: Russian sunflowerseed exports continued to decline in January. Total sunseed exports from October 1997 through January 1998 were 684,100 tonnes. Total sunseed exports during the 1997-98 (October-September) trade year were likely to fall to 1.0 million tonnes, against 1.2 million tonnes last season. The 1997-98 trade year so far has seen a decline in deliveries from the North Caucasus region, particularly from the key Krasnodar and Stavropol grain centres, coupled with an increase in deliveries from the Volga river basin, especially from Samara region. Rostov continued to lead the regional ranking of Russian suppliers, accounting for about 48 per centof sunseeds sold for export in October-January. Samara region was next with 12 percent of the total. Krasnodar shipments fell sharply this season, and the region accounted for just four per cent of sunseed export deliveries in October-January.
China's summer rapeseed output up: China's output of summer rapeseed was expected to rise sharply in 1998 due to an expansion of planting area, traders said last week. "The output of the rapeseed will increase if we have no big natural disasters this year," said an official with a grain and oil company. China's summer rapeseed harvest hit 9.37 million tonnes in 1997, up 1.8 per cent or 170,000 tonnes from 1996, state media have said. Acreage planted in rapeseed rose by about 10 per cent this year compared with 1997. However, the rising output would cause a decline in prices of rapeseed and could even influence prices of fish meal and rapeseed oil. Rapeseed oil in March was about 7,643 yuan ($920.0) per tonne, said an official of the Zhengzhou CommodityExchange. Ample stockpiles from last year also partly resulted in declining prices, said an official with the China Vegetable Oil Company.
EU proposes reforms for olive oil: The European Commission proposed interim reforms to the olive oil sector, temporarily increasing the ceiling on the total amount allowed to be grown. The measures would apply from November 1998 through to November 2001, when they will be replaced by a definitive new regime. The Commission said it had to take immediate measures to reduce difficulties facing producers because of recent cuts in aid levels sparked by over-production. It said aid levels in 1997/98 may be reduced by 27 per cent as a result of production exceeding the maximum guaranteed quantity (MGQ). "The major deficiencies must be addressed immediately while awaiting a detailed factual analysis of the sector, otherwise many producers are in danger of being forced out of business," European Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler said.
S Africa maize output estimateraised: South Africa's official maize crop estimate for the new season beginning on May 1 is expected to be raised to above 7.0 million tonnes, boosted by recent good rains, industry analysts said last week. The National Crop Estimates Committee will release its second production estimate for the country's most important agricultural crop, which is revised monthly along with acreage data. The committee last month forecast an above-consumption crop of 6.858 million tonnes, made up of 4.057 million tonnes of white maize, a staple in Africa, and 2.801 million tonnes of yellow. "We believe that they will come up with a figure of just over seven million tonnes," said Leon du Plessis, a senior manager at agri-firm Roach AG Marketing.
Philippines flour millers' woe: Philippine flour millers, pinched by rising costs, may find it hard to compete with cheap imports this year if the government rejects an appeal to cut a tariff on wheat, an industry body said last week. Manila cut the import duty on flour to10 per cent from 20 per cent at the start of the year in line with a commitment to the World Trade Organisation. But the tariff on wheat, the raw material used in making flour, remained at 10 per cent. Wheat imports have grown expensive in recent months with the peso's depreciation. "Some mills are already retrenching because of the lower demand. This will be further aggravated by this (tariff cut on flour)," Philippine Association of Flour Millers Inc (PAFMIL) president Felix Maramba Jr said.
EU reforms farm policy: The European Union Commissioners are due to adopt plans for the most far-reaching reforms of EU farm policy yet attempted, reshaping Europen agriculture for a more competitive future. The US has been driven to reform by the prospects of enlargement to the east and the approach of the new world trade talks to follow the 1994 Uruguay Round global subsidy reduction pact. Even before enlargement, the EU is spending close to $50 billion a year half its total expenditure, on the CommonAgricultural Policy.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
