National Rice Conference 2016

BACKGROUND
The rice sector of Suriname is under pressure for quite some time now. The steady worsening of the competitive position of Surinamese rice exporters on the traditional export markets led in the second crop of 2015 to extremely low paddy prices between SRD 28 and SRD 40 per bag of 79 kg wet paddy. This corresponds to a price of between US$ 105 and 151 per ton wet paddy. Export prices for white rice with a brokens percentage of 25% to 10% decreased to between US$ 310 and US$ 360 per ton. These developments led to a drastic drop in profitability for both producers and processors, which seriously threathens the survival of the sector.

The poor economic situation of the country at the moment restricts the ability of the Government, without internationale donor financing, to reverse this negatieve trend.

The decreasing competitiveness of the Surinamese rice products on the traditional export market led to a reduce field production and underutilization of productive farm lands and a decreasing export surplus. This also led to decreasing margins for processors and reduced efficiency of the mills, and also to a reduction in farmer income and a further increase of the debt position of paddy farmers.

One of the problems is that stakeholders in the sector on several levels (individual, organizational, governmental) have perceived conflicting interests. How do we address these potential conflicts? Furthermore, how to strengthen the “common interest” feeling. One of the major sources of stagnation is the poor coördination, communication and cooperation in de sector and between the actors in the value chains. Poor horizontal and vertical cooperation exists (farmers organizations, processors organizations, government departments, research institutes) in all segments of the chain.

One of the key challenges is the structuring and coördination of sector development by the major players (exporters, millers, farmers) with the policymakers. Public-private partnerships in water management, infrastructure, processing and logistics have not been materialized. Furthermore there is a lack of professional policy and management capacity in the Ministries and key institutes involved (MoA, MT&I, MRD, MPW, MFin, ADRON and OW-MCP) together with a weak cooperation between them.

There is also insufficient market orientation throughout the value chain and knowledge of changes in consumer preferences and market requirements on the export markets in the EU and the Caribbean. There is insufficient innovative capacity in the whole chain to absorb and adopt relevant modern methods and technology. As a result the actors cannot cope adequately with international developments in the fields of standardisation of quality, traceability systems, markt oriented research, value adding for products (for niche markets like organic, fair-trade and aromatic rice), by-products and residues (chaff and hay), leading to a low gross revenues of our rice.

These are all reasons for the initiators to conclude that a national sector wide effort is neccessary to stop this negative trend, whereby good use can be made from experiences of other major rice exporting countries.

A national rice conference will lead to practical broadly supported proposals for improvement and short and long term actions in order to, with all stakeholders and experts, reverse the tide into a booming rice sector.

1. OBJECTIVES OF THE CONFERENCE

The objectives of the conference are:

1. To formulate and quantify, with assistance of national and interational expertise, areas of improvements and points of Action for each of the jointly identified bottle-necks and to document these in an official publication; and

2. To create broad committment for a Development Board (Productschap) for the rice sector, a public law authority, where Government, paddy producers, millers, semi-Government institutes (ADRON, OW-MCP), input suppliers and financial institutes participate.

2. PARTICIPANTS
National: The Surinamese government (Ministries of Agriculture, Trade&Industries, Public Works, Regional Development, Spatial Planning and Land and Forest management and Finance), Bureau of standards (SBS), Rice Research institute (ADRON), the overarching waterboard (OW-MCP) and other waterboards, CELOS, Anton de Kom University of Suriname (ADEKUS) , Industrial Development Centre Suriname (IDCS), individual experts and researchers, financial institutes (National Development Bank, Agriculture Credit Fund, Central Bank of Suriname, commercial banks), farmers organizations and individuals, millers organizations and individuals, input suppliers, Standing Committee for Agriculture of Parliament, political parties etc.

International: Rice experts and policymakers from Vietnam, Guyana, Uruguay and international organizations (FAO, IICA).

3. CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS

For a provocative but constructive dialogue international experience is included in the Conference program as “mirror and feedback” for the Surinamese participants. Their contribution (Vietnam, Uruguay, Guyana) will show us that an unorganized rice sector will not survive on the international market.

All these countries are monitoring consumer preferences to trace the neccessary innovations needed and adjust the supply-chain by organizing farmers in production units (for inputs, extension, water) to deliver a quality product at low cost prices. The lessons learned (both positive and negative) out of these “best practices” will be presented in the conference to inspire the Surinamese stakeholders with alternative knowledge and practical experience.

4. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CONFERENCE

• Promotors and main sponsors: The National Development Bank (NOB) in collaboration with the Surinaamse PostSpaarbank (SPSB)

• Secretariat: Suriname Business Forum/Center (SBC)

• Other national sponsors: Rice millers, commercial banks, service providers, input suppliers & traders

• Organization committee: 1) Arthur Zalmijn, 2) Winston Ramautarsing, 3) Robert Elmont, 4) Rabin Soechit (representatives of Private sector

5. TENTATIVE PROGRAMME
 

The national rice conference is split into 2 parts and is composed as follows:

Part 1. The National Rice Conference is held on the 15th of April 2016 in the Lala Rookh Center

Part 2: The 1st workshop will be held on the 18th of April in Nieuw Nickerie

 
Programme National Rice Conference

Lala Rookh Ballroom

Friday 15 April 2016

07.30 uur: Registration participants/coffee

08.00 uur: Word of welcome by conference chairman Ir. Iwan Poerschke 08.10 uur: Opening speech by Minister of Agriculture Ir. Suresh Algoe 08.20 uur: Presentation Arthur Zalmijn MSc: Conditions for breakthrough of stagnation in rice sector 08.50 uur: Presentation Mr. Nguyen Luong Nhan MSc, Lessons from Vietnam on Rice Policy Development 09.20 uur: Presentation Ir. Robert Elmont: Adaption to changing consumer preferences and market conditions; the necessity of a market targeting value chain

09.40 uur: Coffee break

10.00 uur: Presentation General Manager GRDB GuyanaNizam Hassan MBA: Conditions for Successful Rice Sector Development in Guyana 10.30 uur: Presentation Ir. Winston Ramautarsing: Sector organization and cooperation; to a Development Board (Productschap) Rice 10.50 uur – 12.00 uur: Plenary Panel discussion

12.00 Lunch Break

13.00 Instructions for the discussion groups regarding improvements of value chain Item 1. Seeds (v.d. Kooije) Item 2. Irrigation water(Small/MCP) Item 3. Crop management and mechanisation (Gajadin/ Kartosoewito) Item 4. Improving efficiency and reduction of processing costs (R.Soechit) Item 5. Quality, food security, innovation and added-value products (Kross/ Ong A Kwie) Item 6. Decreasing financing costs (Poerschke) Item 7. Sector burden reduction (Ramautarsing)

13.45 uur- 15.30 uur: Discussion in 4 discussion groups to formulate improvement points

15.30-15.50 Reports of work groups

15.50-16.35 uur: Plenary discussion/ additions to group reports and recommendations for follow-up

16.35 – 16.50uur: Summary conference chairman

16.50-17.00 uur: End speech Minister of Trade & Industry

17.00 uur: Closing

Procedure discussion groups:

1. Organisations will be asked to spread their representatives as much as possible across the 4 discussion groups.

1. The various themes will be introduced in 5 minutes maximum by experts.

1. Prior to the discussion, 4 chairmans and 4 reporters will be assigned to the 4 groups, who will be instructed before hand.

1. Each discussion group will indicate which follow-up workshop (1. Seeds; 2. Crop management; 3. Processing and marketing; 4. Export logistics etc.) are a preference and priority for them.

Programme Workshop 1. Organisation of the Value Chain

Date: Monday 18 April 2016

Location: BIC, Nw.Nickerie

Time	Items
07.30-08.00	Registration participants
08.00-08.05	Opening workshop
08.05-08.15	Day Chairman Ir. Iwan Poerschke: Presentations, recommendations and conclusions National Rice Conference 15 april 2016
08.15-08.45	Presentation Mr. Nguyen Luong Nhan, MSc: Guidelines for the development of a National Rice Sector Strategy and Organization based on the experiences of Vietnam.
08.45-09.05	Presentation Ir. Jan van Huis: Governance of the Rice chain through strengthening horizontal and vertical cooperation
09.05-09.25	Presentation Arthur Zalmijn MSc: Necessity of development board (productschap)
09.25-09.45	Presentation Ir. Winston Ramautarsing: Legal, organizational and budgetary aspects of Productschap Rice
09.45-10.05	Coffee break
10.05-10.20	Vision government on conditions for Productschap Rice
10.20-10.35	Vision farmers on conditions for Productschap Rice
10.35- 10.50	Vision processors on conditions for Productschap Rice
10.50-11.00	Vision other stakeholders on conditions for Productschap Rice
11.00-12.20	Plenary discussions
12.20-13.20	Lunch
13.20-13.30	Final conclusions and recommendations for follow-up workshops by Conference Chairman
13.30	Closing

Activities

 

The activity planning is subdivided in 3 phases:

Phase 1: The Preparation (September 2015 – Mid April 2016)

Phase 2: The Conference (15 & 18 April 2016)

Phase 3: The Follow-up, including publication (19 April – 1 Juni 2016).

*The presenters are not confirmed yet.