The Rice Subsidy Programme in Malaysia

The Rice Subsidy Programme in Malaysia Rice is an important security crop which acts as a staple food in Malaysia. During the last 30 years, rice cultivation in Malaysia was converted from a subsistence farming crop, to a commercial crop which is highly controlled and subsidized by the Malaysian government. As rice is a major staple food in the country, a large range of protective policies has been introduced by the government to protect rice farmers’ incomes and to ensure the existence of sufficient rice supply in the nation due to the country’s interest in food security. Local rice farmers produce approximately 60-70% of the domestic rice supply in the nation, while imports fill up the remaining 30-40% of the rice supply. Another interesting aspect of the Malaysian rice market is that rice firm Malaysias Padiberas Nasional Bhd (BERNAS) acts as the sole importer for foreign rice. On top of that, BERNAS is also responsible for the distribution of paddy price subsidies to local rice farmers and acts as a last resort buyer at Guaranteed Minimum Price (GMP), fixed at RM550 per metric tonne. According to the Finance Ministry of Malaysia, the government allocated RM528 million as subsidy for approximately 700,000 metric tonne of rice as of 2013, under the nation’s Rice Subsidy Programme. The cheapest type of rice which is subsidized by the Malaysian government is the Super Tempatan 15%, priced at RM1.80 per kg. The Malaysian government aims to protect the interest of local farmers as well as low income earners via its Rice Subsidy Programme. One of the main reasons as to why the nation’s government should continue subsidizing rice is to increase the self-sufficiency level of the local rice market. According to BERNAS, the firm imports around 30% to 40% of Malaysias domestic rice demand to fulfil the nation’s rice requirement. This shows that the local rice market’s sufficiency level is only around 60% to 70%. Therefore, in order for Malaysia to achieve a 100% sufficiency level, rice production in the country must increase.   Ã‚   Diagram 1: Subsidy graph Referring to Diagram 1, S0 refers to the supply of rice that the local rice farmers can produce without subsidy. With the introduction of subsidy by the government, local rice farmers collect RM248.10 for every tonne of paddy that they harvested. This indirectly lowers the cost of paddy production for the farmers, which allows them to expand their production from S0 to S1. If the subsidy provided by the local government continues, it is possible to further increase the production rate of paddy in Malaysia and thus increasing the self-sufficiency level of the rice market. Furthermore, Malaysia will be less dependent on foreign rice to meet the nation’s rice requirement, and a self-sufficiency rice market will prepare the nation to face any food crisis similar to the rice crisis in 2008, which might occur in future. According to Christopher Teh Boon Sung who is a senior lecturer at Universiti Putra Malaysia, the nation would need to increase the rice yield per capita to a minimu m of 106 kg in order for Malaysia’s rice market to be 100% self-sufficient by 2015. Rice production in Malaysia is largely restricted by the fact that most local farmers do not have enough modal or funds to further expand their supply. Therefore, the nation’s Rice Subsidy Programme will provide the necessary benefits to assist the rice farmers to increase the nation’s rice supply. Besides being beneficial to the producers, the continuation of the Rice Subsidy Programme by the government of Malaysia will also help lower the cost of living for the low income earners. While the subsidies provided by the government are distributed to the rice producers only, it has a direct effect on consumers as well. Diagram 2: As shown in Diagram 2, the subsidy given to the producers shifts the supply curve to the right from S0 to S1, thus lowering the equilibrium price of rice from P2 to P1. This will benefit the low income earners as the reduction in price equilibrium of rice allows them to consume more rice at a lower price. Furthermore, producers will not suffer any loss from selling rice at a price lower than equilibrium as the amount subsidized by the government (P3-P1) covers the full market price. In other words, with the existence of the Rice Subsidy Programme, it assists both local rice farmers and low income earners to ease the burden of rising costs of living due to other developments in the nation. On top of that, the reduced prices of rice due to subsidy will also protect local rice companies against competition from imported foreign rice. Consumers will be more attracted by the cheaper prices of local rice, which will result in local rice being the preferred choice over the others. One of the main reasons why the Malaysian government should discontinue subsidizing essential goods such as rice is due to the fact that subsidies require massive amount of funding for it to be financed. While giving out subsidies to rice farmers has been a norm in the country for many years, the government of Malaysia should also consider the fact that it is very costly for the nation to continue funding them. According to the Finance Ministry of Malaysia, the government allocated a staggering RM528 million to fund subsidies for 700,000 metric tonne in 2013. Moreover, the rice subsidy provided by the government inevitably comes with an opportunity cost. As a large portion of government’s funds being allocated for the rice subsidy, the government is unable to increase the budget of other essential sectors in the nation such as education and infrastructure development. By discontinuing the subsidy for rice in the country, the government will obtain additional funds to increase its expenditure in other sectors which could reduce the burden of citizens even further. With that, the government is able to execute other essential policies such as free education. Besides that, the government should also take into account that the continuation of rice subsidy will lead to long-term environmental issues. As the government aims to protect local rice farmers and encouraging them to increase rice production in the nation via its subsidy programme, it might also encourage the rice farmers to use intensive farming methods in order to gain faster yields. Those intensive farming methods might be a huge threat to the sustainability of the country’s ecological resources. If that happens, concerned non-governmental organizations or angry citizens will possibly stage mass rallies and protests which could tarnish the nation’s image in the eyes of global investors. Moreover, With so much taxpayer’s money being allocated as subsidy for rice by the Malaysian government, there are surely questions on who benefits more from the subsidy. A suitable policy which could possibly satisfy all parties is that the government removes all trade barriers for the rice market in Malaysia. This policy has a slight similarity to the one executed by Thailands military government which dismissed all rice price-support scheme imposed by the former civilian government. In order to run free market policy for the rice industry, the policy will require BERNAS to be removed as a sole importer for rice, and the abolishment of the Rice Subsidy Programme in Malaysia. The objective of this policy is to allow the prices of rice to be set by the forces of supply and demand without government intervention. As a direct result of this policy, rice supply in the country is expected to decrease due to the fact that local rice farmers no longer have the aid to increase their production capacity. However, this will not be a major problem as the gap between production and consumption can now be filled up by rice vendors importing rice from foreign coun tries. As BERNAS no longer holds the rice import monopoly, rice imports are expected to increase as vendors face competition among one another. More importantly, the government will no longer have to fund over RM500 million each year and can allocate the extra funds to other sectors. One of the disadvantages of this policy is that the prices of rice are expected to rise slightly following the removal of subsidy. However, that will only affect consumers for a short term, as competition in the market will set a lower equilibrium price sooner or later. Also, removal of subsidy might cause dissatisfaction among farmers and low income earners who no longer have additional aids to bear the high costs of living. In conclusion, the Rice Subsidy Programme in Malaysia has its advantages and disadvantages.

Dysfunctional Families In Cana Essay -- essays research papers

Dysfunctional family relationships form the basis of many Canadian short stories. Often, tragedy is the end result of severe family breakdown. In other cases, personality defects are directly traceable to poor family dynamics. In the stories â€Å"Hurt†, â€Å"Fall of a City†, and â€Å"The Sound of Hollyhocks† there were very profound family problems. The difficulty in the father/son relationship in â€Å"Hurt† reflects a role reversal. Even though Stevie is only a young boy, he took care of himself and his father. Stevie made his own meals and when his father was inebriated, he â€Å"...went down to the store and got him a couple bottles of vanilla to sober up on.† (pg. 195) In a family situation a young child such as Stevie should not have the responsibility of taking care of his parent. Moreover, even when Stevie’s father was sober, Stevie could do whatever he liked without consequence. Skip described such a freedom when he said that â€Å"Stevie went to school when he wanted to go...† (pg. 193) This lack of rules or an authority figure demonstrates the dysfunctionality of this family. Also, Stevie’s father was a violent alcoholic. Skip observed that somedays Stevie’s father would be â€Å"...pounding on the walls with his fists and swearing and crying all at the same time...† (pg. 195) The parent/child role reversal , the lack of structure, discipline, and authority in the home and the violent episodes demonstrate the degree of dysfunction in this family. â€Å"Fall of a City† depicts the dysfunctional...

Financial Aid Appeal Letter

This is in response to the official letter that I received from your office regarding the suspension of my financial aid. I am writing to present a request to have the privilege of receiving financial aid again. During my last semester, year, including the months leading up to my suspension for credits at Howard posed a challenging point in my academic career. With the external pressures and stress conditions faced at the time prevented me from meeting my set goals for academic progress.The long strenuous hours at work, the displacement that my Mother and sister faced by moving to Boston from Miami, then back to Miami, then later to Pittsburgh and then now back to Miami. The worries of what I was going to have to sacrifice in order to send money to my immediate family, as well as other less fortunate family members in Haiti, all took an unbearably heavy toll on me thus spilling over and effecting both my attitude and efforts placed towards my classes. It forced me to readjust and rep rioritize things causing school and my studies to be placed on the back-burner.I found myself at work, working on days I had schedule classes. I wasn’t putting forth any real effort in any of my difficult classes primarily because I was so distracted with stresses outside of school. I was sort of just going through the motions. During that moment in my life I was fatigued end exhausted with school life. I had arrived at a point where I forgot why I initially came to Howard, which was to be the first person in my immediate family to attend college and earn a quality education. I came to Howard to earn a bachelors degree and work in a field, still to this day, I’m most passionate about.Without the required financial aid, it would be difficult for me to take the amount of courses I need to take in the next academic semester. I am aware that my performance during my last attendance at Howard University does not give any reason for faith in my abilities to do better but I a m in a position to ensure that I am going to take strict steps to ensure that my academic work will be more successful in the future. I have, for one, found a better stable job, working for a great security company, which allows me the flexibility to cut back on the number of work hours ensuring that I get more time to devote to my academics.I have made myself familiar with and established a network of tutors on and off campus that I will utilize for classes that I find most difficult. I also plan on establishing and maintaining close contact with my adviser in the School of Business, Accounting department, regarding measures I can take to stay ahead of the academic demands of college. Without financial aid this will be impossible. I am a good student as my records from earlier academic performances would show you and I intend to get back on track as my education is of prime importance to me.

Echinoderm Facts and Information

Echinoderm Facts and Information Echinoderms, or members of the phylum Echinodermata, are some of the most easily-recognized marine invertebrates. This phylum includes sea stars (starfish), sand dollars, and urchins, and they are identified by their radial body structure, often featuring five arms.  You can often see echinoderm species in a tidal pool or in the touch tank at your local aquarium. Most echinoderms are small, with an adult size of about 4 inches, but some can grow to as much as 6.5 feet in length. Different species may be found in a variety of bright colors, including purples, reds, and yellows.   Classes of Echinoderms The phylum Echinodermata contains five classes of marine life:  Asteroidea  (sea stars),  Ophiuroidea  (brittle stars and basket stars), Echinoidea (sea urchins and sand dollars), Holothuroidea (sea cucumbers), and Crinoidea (sea lilies and feather stars). They are a diverse group of organisms, containing about 7,000 species. The phylum is regarded as one of the oldest of all animal groups, thought to have appeared at the start of the Cambrian era, about 500 million years ago.   Etymology The word echinoderm means  comes from the Greek word ekhinos, meaning hedgehog or sea urchin, and the word  derma, meaning skin. Thus, they are spiny-skinned animals. The spines on some echinoderms are more obvious than others. They are very pronounced in  sea urchins, for example. If you run your finger over a sea star, youll likely feel small spines. The spines on sand dollars, on the other hand, are less pronounced.   Basic Body Plan Echinoderms have a unique body design. Many echinoderms exhibit  radial symmetry, which means that their components are arranged around a central axis in a symmetrical manner. This means that an echinoderm has no obvious left and right half, only a top side, and a bottom side. Many echinoderms exhibit pentaradial symmetry- a type of radial symmetry in which the body can be divided into five equally-sized slices organized around a central disk. Although echinoderms can be very diverse, they all have some similarities. These similarities can be found in their circulatory and reproductive systems. Water Vascular System Instead of blood, echinoderms have a water vascular system, which is used for movement and predation. The echinoderm pumps sea water into its body through a sieve plate or madreporite, and this water fills the echinoderms tube feet. The echinoderm moves about the sea floor or across rocks or reefs by filling its tube feet with water to extend them  and then using muscles within the tube feet to retract them. The tube feet also allows echinoderms to hold on to rocks and other substrates and to grip prey by suction. Sea stars have very strong suction in their tube feet that even allows them to pry open the two shells of a bivalve. Echinoderm Reproduction Most echinoderms reproduce sexually, although males and females are virtually indistinguishable from one another when viewed externally. During sexual reproduction, echinoderms release eggs or sperm into the water, which are fertilized in the water column by the male. The fertilized eggs hatch into free-swimming larvae that eventually settle to the ocean bottom. Echinoderms can also reproduce asexually by regenerating body parts, such as arms and spines. Sea stars are well-known for their ability to regenerate arms that are lost. In fact, even if the sea star has only a small part of its central disk left, it can grow an entirely new sea star.   Feeding Behavior Many echinoderms are omnivorous, feeding on a variety of living and dead plant and marine life. They serve an important function in digesting dead plant material on the ocean floor and thereby keeping waters clean. Plentiful echinoderm populations are essential to healthy coral reefs. The digestive system of echinoderms is relatively simple and primitive compared to other marine life; some species ingest and expel waste through the same orifice. Some species simply ingest sediments and filter out the organic material, while other species are capable of catching prey, usually plankton and small fish, with their arms.   Impact on Humans While not an important source of food for humans, some forms of sea urchin are regarded as a delicacy in some parts of the world, where they are used in soups. Some echinoderms produce a toxin which is fatal to fish, but which can be used to make a medicine used to treat human cancers.   Echinoderms are generally beneficial to ocean ecology, with a few exceptions. Starfish, which prey on oysters and other mollusks, have devastated some commercial enterprises. Off the coast of California, sea urchins have caused problems for commercial seaweed farms by eating young plants before they can become established.

Differences Between the Antifederalists and Federalists essays

Differences Between the Antifederalists and Federalists essays The Articles of Confederation stirred up many problems between the states. The antifederalists, or people who opposed a strong federal government, came into quarrel with the federalists, who favored a strong federal government. The federalists differ from the anti-federalists in terms of social, economic, and political expression. Many differences arose between the federalists and the antifederalists concerning social issues. First of all, the antifederalists were from the poorer classes, while the federalists were from higher, more aristocratic classes. Antifederalists mainly consisted of uneducated people who made up the working class. Federalists, however, were aristocratic people who were cultured and well educated. Also, many popular figures were in conflict with one another, due to their antifederalist or federalist beliefs. Patrick Henry, a famous patriot and lawyer, provided support for the antifederalists. Being from Virginia, the largest and most populous of the states, Patrick Henry was a powerful figure. On the other hand, George Washington, James Madison, and John Marshall were all in support of the federalist side. James Madison, along with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton, wrote The Federalist, a group of propaganda essays written for the New York newspapers. Besides social differences, economic differences also widened the gap between the antifederalists and the federalists. The poor antifederalists were in conflict with the rich federalists. Antifederalists, for instance, consisted of people who were in debt. The debtors feared a strong central government would make they pay off their debts. Also, antifederalists also did not want the states to establish laws regarding tariffs and navigation. Antifederalists were poor; therefore, they created worthless money to pay off their debts. On the other hand, the federalists were wealthy people who were of noble birth. They immensely disagreed with the antifederalist act...

SAP and Oracle difference Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SAP and Oracle difference - Essay Example This paper discusses the potential differences between Oracle and SAP though analysis of their prime features, usage and functionality. Integration into user’s model: Oracle develops such products that have the capacity to be integrated with any kind of model from any vendor. This enables the vendors to develop the best system through a combination of Oracle products and their own models. One potential drawback of SAP ERP systems in comparison to Oracle is that the customers of SAP vendors are compelled to alter their corporate culture as per the working of SAP software. Scalability: The enterprise system offered by Oracle can easily account for over 1000 users at one time unlike the SAP ERP system can accommodate between 25 and 1000 users (Muhammadiev). This scalability is the result of huge granularity found in the modules of SAP. The scalability of Oracle is larger than that of SAP. Suitability: The suitability of SAP or Oracle also varies with the abundance of resources in a company. A company that has limited resources and time should prefer SAP products over Oracle. Oracle suits more to companies that have distinguished values because the competitive advantage that offers helps in the development of a unique system.

Disparities and Sentencing of African Americans Research Paper

Disparities and Sentencing of African Americans - Research Paper Example Since it is a very much controversial issue, my primary objective will be exploring the all the aspect of so called disparities and sentencing of the African American clan in the white's land and also calculating possibility and to answer the hypothesis that amount of time that this clan get for the same crime as whites. Since this research problem needs an in depth study and it give rise to some insights to the magnitude of the racism I'll formulate such research questions which help me to lead exploring the reality of the problem and if so, to analyze the measurements taken by the authorities against this issue. The questions will be, 1. What is the magnitude of the disparities being faced by African Americans 2. How the sentencing system differs between the African Americans and Caucasians 3. Whether the government has taken any actions against such disparities and sentencing 4. If so, to what extent 5. For how long the African Americans undergo such disparities in future 6. Whether there is any possibility that an African American get same crime as Caucasians 2Chapter 1 Background Since it is highly necessary to gather accurate information for giving an ample scope to my research problem, I will approach autonomous and governmental bodies like Bureau of Justice...Since this research problem needs an in depth study and it give rise to some insights to the magnitude of the racism I'll formulate such research questions which help me to lead exploring the reality of the problem and if so, to analyze the measurements taken by the authorities against this issue. The questions will be, Since it is highly necessary to gather accurate information for giving an ample scope to my research problem, I will approach autonomous and governmental bodies like Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Justice References Services. Collecting data from such bodies will help me to compare sentencing system with regard to Caucasians and African Americans .Further it will help me to assess the magnitude of the disparities occurring against the African Americans. By resorting to all these data I will formulate a time frame to calculate the amount of time the blacks get same crime as Caucasians. If adequate data is not available from these bodies I will approach other governmental bodies such as Federal Justice Statistics. Since the periodicals, Journals, publications etc. enumerate accurate information I will choose best of them.