Wednesday, July 15, 2015

9th July(Thursday),2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

Taste, cost and climate change prompt return of folk rice

By PTI | 8 Jul, 2015, 10.23AM IST
 Description: The yield per hectare was lower in traditional varieties, but it was offset by the lower cost of production and the higher price it fetches in the market.
The yield per hectare was lower in traditional varieties, but it was offset by the lower cost of production and the higher price it fetches in the market.
KOLKATA: Having lost the race to high- yielding varieties after the green revolution, a number of indigenous varieties of rice are now making a comeback due to their aromatic taste, low input cost and resilience to climate change.

"More and more consumers are asking for the folk varieties these days as the taste is better. Farmers are also showing lot of interest in these varieties, which they had once forgotten," M C Dhara, joint director of agriculture, rice research station, Chinsurah, told PTI.

The yield per hectare was lower in traditional varieties, but it was offset by the lower cost of production and the higher price it fetches in the market.

Experts say hundreds of farmers in rice growing areas of Burdwan, South and North 24 Parganas, Midnapore, Nadia, Howrah etc have now left the modern high-yielding varieties, which were popularised during the 1960s and 70s.

Among the folk varieties, premium variety of aromatic rice Gobindobhog is the most popular and is now grown over 30,000 hectares in Burdwan district, the rice bowl of West Bengal.

"The cost of production is lesser than the modern varieties as it requires less fertiliser and pesticide," said Anupam Paul, Assistant Director of Agriculture.

At the Agriculture Training Centre in Nadia district's Fulia, he has around 300 such folk varieties of rice in his collection, out of which 51 were aromatic.

They have been trying to popularise indigenous varieties since the last few years before the seeds get lost forever. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/taste-cost-and-climate-change-prompt-return-of-folk-rice/articleshow/47983094.cms



Probiotics—for plants: Helpful bacteria promote growth, less fertilizer on crops

July 8, 2015


Comparison of rice plants grown without the endophyte (E-) and with the endophyte (E+). Credit: Hyungmin
July 8, 2015- Recent research (and commercials) tell us probiotic products are good for our health, with benefits ranging from improved digestion to managing allergies and colds, Just as humans can benefit from the good bacteria of probiotics, plants can benefit from certain microbes. And that benefit is also good for the environment.

In plants, beneficial bacteria and fungi are endophytes. Scientists have known for decades that plants like legumes (peas, beans, and lentils) have beneficial bacteria in nodules attached to their roots. These bacteria "fix" vital nitrogen, turning it into a form the plant can easily use. However, researchers have recently found some nitrogen-fixing bacteria actually live inside plant tissue—in the leaves, stems, and roots—with impressive results.  
Sharon Doty, an associate professor at the University of Washington, was one of the first to discover these bacteria, and their successful transfer between plants.
Doty and her team isolated endophytes from poplar and willow trees. These trees thrived despite a rocky, forbidding surround. "All I have to do is look at these trees in their native habitat to see that we are clearly on the right path; simple nitrogen use efficiency cannot explain the continued biomass accumulation of these amazing trees," Doty says.
Doty then transferred the endophytes to rice plants. The result? Larger and taller plants with fuller root systems—despite limited nitrogen conditions in the greenhouse.
Poplars growing along the Snoqualmie River in western Washington state. Endophytes were isolated from these trees. Credit: Sharon Doty
This endophyte-plant relationship is partly a matter of speed in adaptation. "Plants have a limited ability to genetically adapt to rapid environmental changes (heat, drought, toxins, or limited nutrients) and so they may use microbes that do have this capacity to rapidly evolve due to their vastly shorter life cycles," she explained. "By having the right microbes for the conditions, the plants are healthier. That is how it is similar to humans taking probiotics to improve their health."
And the environmental payoff? Thanks to these bacteria fixing nitrogen for the plant, farmers could use less chemical fertilizers to give plants the nitrogen they need. Because runoff from these fertilizers can be harmful to surrounding ecosystems, being able to use less is great news and can even decrease greenhouse gas emissions, added Doty. "This research offers the potential alternative for chemical fertilizers in crop production, thus aiding sustainable agriculture with minimum impacts on the environment."
This benefit is not limited to rice. "Research on endophytic nitrogen-fixation has enormous potential benefits since endophytes have a very broad host range," she said. "Unlike root nodules that are limited to [just a few plants], endophytic nitrogen-fixation could be used for any plant species."
The endophytes of poplar and willow can also provide growth benefits for such diverse species as corn, rice, ryegrasses, tomato, pepper, squash, Douglas fir, and western red cedar. "This suggests that the plant-microbe communication is ancient," Doty noted.
The way these bacteria get inside the plant and then live there is still being studied. It most likely differs by the type of bacteria, Doty said. Some may transfer through seeds and others through the environment. Once inside a plant, the bacteria can migrate throughout—unlike those found in root nodules—and are often found in the spaces between plant cells and in areas that transport water or sugars.
Doty's work is also a study in long-term commitment. "When I began as an assistant professor in 2003, I always had side projects on nitrogen-fixation but it was impossible to get funding to study it since [this idea] goes against the established dogma that symbiotic nitrogen-fixation can only occur in root nodules," she said. "I continue to fight that battle even now, over a dozen years later."
Other researchers may study how the endophytes interact with the soil, but Doty's research centers on the internal interactions. This, in turn, has external results. "Many of the endophytes produce plant hormones that (help them grow more roots), so they are impacting how the plants interact with soil in that way as well," she added. "It is essential to find environmentally sustainable crop production methods that reduce the demand for nitrogen fertilizers in cultivation."
The next steps in this work have practical applications. Doty's lab is collaborating with an agricultural company to take advantage of these bacteria on a large scale. This could include seed coating or spraying.
Doty's research, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (NIFA grant # 2012-00931), was published in Crop Science.
 Explore further: Invasive plant wins competition against its native cousin
More information: Crop Science, dx.doi.org/doi:10.2135/cropsci2014.08.0570 Provided by: American Society of Agronomy
http://phys.org/news/2015-07-probioticsfor-bacteria-growth-fertilizer-crops.html



Thai govt urged to sue over losses from rice scheme

BY EDITORON 2015-07-09THAILAND
Govt urged to sue over losses from rice scheme
THE NATION
BANGKOK: — FORMER Democrat MP Warong Dechgitvigrom yesterday urged Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam to file a civil suit over the Bt600-billion damage incurred from the rice pledging scheme.
He dismissed Wissanu’s reason – that the court fees for this case would amount to billions of baht – as unjustified.
Warong said nobody would take Wissanu to task for filing the civil suit because it would set the norm for future governments with policies that cause damage to taxpayers. Warong also responded to Pheu Thai Party deputy spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard’s comment that 5.8 million tonnes of degraded rice stored under the rice-pledging scheme should be made into noodle flour and not ethanol.
He said the politician did not realise that degraded rice was not edible as it could make people ill.
He said the government must be decisive in tackling the price of rice, because the storage of so much rice has caused the price to hover at Bt8,400-Bt8,500 per tonne not higher.
“If the government does not manage this rice in a timely manner, the rice market will be destroyed,” he warned.
“This degraded rice must not reach the hands of rice millers. If the government cannot control the stockpiles, it should allow bidding for all business operators to auction the degraded rice and let the market mechanism work.”
Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Govt-urged-to-sue-over-losses-from-rice-scheme-30264072.html


1.148 million tons of stockpiled rice sold 4th govt auction this year

Thursday, 09 July 2015By  NNT
 1  0  0  0
BANGKOK, 8 July 2015, Private companies bidded on 1.148 million tons of rice during the fourth rice auction of 2015, the highest amount sold in an auction since the current government took office.
This bidding round aimed at selling 1.3 million tons of rice. 55 private entities submitted bids for 1.148 million tons of rice, but only 33 offers satisfied the minimum bid. The amount of rice sold was worth at least 10 billion baht.
Department of Foreign Trade Director General Duangporn Rodphaya revealed that rice supplies in the market have reduced, due to the severe drought conditions in the country. The higher demand allowed the government to sell the most rice in a single auction.
Global prices have also increased by 500 baht, presenting a good opportunity for the government to sell its stockpile. Including this bidding round, the total number of rice sold is 3.8 million tons, valued at more than 40 billion baht.
There are 14 million tons of stockpiled rice remained in the government’s warehouse.
- See more at: http://www.pattayamail.com/business/1-148-million-tons-of-stockpiled-rice-sold-4th-govt-auction-this-year-48833#sthash.whHej1Ua.dpuf
Rice stocks from subsidy scheme must be liquidated soon
SASITHORN ONGDEE
sasithorn@nationgroup.com July 10, 2015 1:00 am
THE VALUE of the overflowing state rice stockpiles of around 16 million tonnes, a legacy of the previous government's flagship subsidy scheme, was recently estimated at only Bt200 billion - if they are sold.

"We expect to receive around Bt200 billion from releasing 16 million tonnes of rice in the state's stockpile, compared with the cost of Bt600 billion," Chutima Bunyapraphasara, permanent secretary at the Commerce Ministry, said earlier.

But the figure is far from what has been spent on it.

As is widely known, past governments have spent many billions of baht on 15 rice-subsidy projects over the past decade. More than a half of that happened under the administration of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Unfortunately, people pay too little attention to the massive losses suffered by the country through the rice-subsidy schemes launched by many governments, who used them as a populist policy to gain votes, and seem to care more for news like 14 students being arrested or the break-ups of movie and pop stars.

The National Rice Policy Committee, chaired by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, at its meeting on July 1 agreed to release all the state's leftover rice stock of 15.46 tonnes, as of the end of June, through bidding.

The rice stockpile was divided into three main groups.

Group 1 represents A and B grade rice, totalling 9.7 million tonnes, and will be open for bidding for packing in 2-kilogram bags for local markets and export.

Group 2, categorised as C grade or sub-quality rice, is unfit for eating. This group has about 4.6 million tonnes for auctioning, for use as a raw material in ethanol production.

Group 3, which is classified as rotten rice and unfit for use as material for ethanol production, totals 1.29 million tonnes, and will be open for bidding for use as fuel in biomass power plants to generate electricity.

There is scepticism whether the rice classified as "sub-quality" is really what it is. Who are the ethanol producers who will take part in the bidding for "sub-quality" rice? Will there be any kind of collusion or corruption in the bidding process?

Rice typically gives ethanol output greater than other materials used for production. According to one estimate, about 1.3 million tonnes of rice will yield around 400 million litres of ethanol.

The committee meeting on July 1 instructed completion of bidding this month for some portion of the C grade rice in Group 2, and all of the decomposed rice in Group 3, before the new crop enters the stockpile.

More than that, the government needs to speed up inviting bids for "sub-quality" rice and the rotten rice, at least to ensure that it would not hurt the country's reputation as one of the world's quality rice producers.

Of course, the rice in groups 2 and 3 must be ridden with weevils, which is the main factor that makes rice stocked in the state's granaries rotten and decomposed. Instead of burning such bad-quality rice, it would be more useful to send it to the ethanol plants and biomass power plants to be converted into fuel and electricity.

Apart from that, it will also save the government's spending on the rice inventory under the pledging scheme, which costs about Bt46 million per day.

What if the new lots of rice from the harvest season that enter the state's granaries are contaminated with weevils from the old rotten stock?

This would certainly be a worrying factor and could hurt exports, as Thai rice may lose its reputation, and this could depress the selling price.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Rice-stocks-from-subsidy-scheme-must-be-liquidated-30264140.html

Bryant celebrates retirement from Stuttgart's rice research center

·         Bryant was honored at a potluck reception on Monday, June 29 where former and current co-workers and friends gathered to wish him well in his retirement.

·          
·         By Dawn Teer 
dteer@stuttgartdailyleader.com

Posted Jul. 8, 2015 at 4:59 PM 

STUTTGART —
Dr. Rolfe Bryant, research chemist, retired from the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart on June 30 after 19 years of service with the USDA-ARS.
Bryant was honored at a potluck reception on Monday, June 29 where former and current co-workers and friends gathered to wish him well in his retirement.
Bryant started his career with ARS as a post-doc in 1996 with the Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he conducted research on food processing technology. In 1998, he joined the DBNRRC as a research chemist and was responsible for leading the rice grain quality research program. In 2010, he accepted the additional responsibility of evaluating elite breeding lines from the Uniform Regional Rice Nursery and USA rice breeding programs for grain quality traits.
During his career with ARS, Bryant has published 40 peer reviewed journal articles and participated in the release of 35 rice cultivars and germplasm lines. He has conducted extensive research on rice functionality in response to cultural and environmental factors as well as studies on rice genetic diversity for grain cooking and processing quality, grain chalk, protein content, volatile compounds and hull silica content. He has been an active participant in the Rice Technical Working Group meeting and the American Association of Cereal Chemists, and for the latter he has served in several technical leadership positions. His research and service to the rice research community has helped to sustain and enhance grain quality for the US rice industry.
In addition, Bryant has been a dedicated mentor for minority college students through the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program and a mentor to primary school teachers and students through the Arkansas STRIVE (Science Teachers Research Involvement for Vital Education) program and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff NSF-STEM Scholars Academy.
Bryant sat down with the Stuttgart Daily Leader to reflect on his time with the DBNRRC.
Q: When did you know you wanted to be a scientist?
A: When I was in high school.

Q: What are some of the key discoveries you have seen since working with USDA-ARS?  
A: The use of genetic markers to identify and follow grain quality in rice.

Q: What changes have you seen since you first came to DBNRRC?
A: The development of a genetic lab.

Q: What would you like to be remembered for at DBNRRC, your legacy, so to speak?
A: My role in helping to improve and maintain the quality of US rice.
Q: What will you miss at DBNRRC? Why?  
A: Interacting with our stakeholders because they are the ones that makes the rice industry what it is today and will be tomorrow.
·         Page 2 of 2 - Q: What are some things you would like to do in your retirement?
A: Hunt, fish, fly, travel.



Tsipras Faces Mutiny After Capitulating to Demands

July 13, 2015 — 5:03 AM PDTUpdated on July 13, 2015 — 7:42 PM PDT

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras returned to face a mutiny within his coalition after he surrendered to European demands for action to qualify for as much as 86 billion euros ($95 billion) of aid Greece needs to stay in the euro.
With two factions in his government already saying they won’t support the deal, Tsipras met with his closest aides as he tries to stop the revolt from spreading before a vote in parliament Wednesday. Creditors’ demands include an overhaul of sales tax, a broadening of the tax base and a clampdown on pension costs.
Tsipras would “have to change his administration and clear out hardliners and radicals from his party,” as well as rely on opposition support to pass the necessary measures, said Eurasia Group analysts Mujtaba Rahman and Federico Santi. “But it is a tough call to determine how Tsipras will go about doing this.”
Attention is shifting to the parliamentary hurdles before Greece can even begin negotiations with creditors to access a third international bailout in five years.
Description: http://assets.bwbx.io/images/io2TKrimTJGs/v1/-1x-1.jpg
The euro was little changed at 1.1004 in Hong Kong at 10:14 a.m. It sank 1.4 percent Monday amid speculation the deal would produce enough calm for the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year. U.S. stocks advanced and European equities capped their biggest rally since 2011. Asian stocks rose for a fourth day.

Default Averted

“There’s a vista of division within the party, part of Syriza officials and lawmakers do not accept the tactics followed by our prime minister,” Yanis Balafas, a Syriza lawmaker close to Tsipras, said in an interview. “What matters now is that the worst-case scenario of a default has been averted.”
Discontent brewed as Tsipras arrived back in the Greek capital. Left Platform, a faction within Syriza, and his coalition partners, the Independent Greeks party, both signaled they won’t be able to support the deal. That opposition alone would wipe out Tsipras’s 12-seat majority in parliament, forcing him to rely on opposition votes to carry the day.
The Greek parliament has until Wednesday to pass into law key creditor demands
“Over the next three years, things are going to just get worse,” said Yanis, a 23-year-old law student who joined a protest of a few hundred people outside the parliament building at the top of Syntagma Square on Monday evening. He declined to give his last name. “Maybe then people will think again about what kind of society they want to live in.”

17 Hours

After a six-month offensive against German-inspired austerity succeeded only in deepening his country’s economic mess and antagonizing his European counterparts, there was little for Tsipras to tout as evidence of a face-saving compromise following a rancorous summit in Brussels that ran for more than 17 hours.
Shah Sees Risk That Greek Parliament Will Reject Deal
The conditions that Tsipras swallowed comprised a laundry list of unfinished business from Greece’s two previous bailouts and a new demand for the government to transfer 50 billion euros of state assets to a holding company that will seek to either sell or generate cash from them.
Tsipras hailed the fact the fund would be based in Greece, not Luxembourg as had been suggested. He also latched onto the prospect of debt relief, albeit distant, after creditors rejected his pleas for a cut in the face value of Greek debt of about 310 billion euros. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said interest-payment grace periods and longer maturities will “be discussed once there is a successful evaluation of the new Greek program.”

Tougher Austerity

While the summit agreement averted a worst-case outcome for Greece, it only established the basis for negotiations on an aid package, which would also include 25 billion euros to recapitalize its weakened financial system.
The terms are significantly tougher than those Tsipras labeled “blackmail” when he persuaded Greek voters to reject them in a referendum a week ago. In addition to requirements on pensions and sales taxes, measures that Tsipras accepted last week, the leaders demanded that creditor representatives return to Athens with full access to ministers and a veto over relevant legislation, intrusions that he has long rejected.
With the banks closed at least through July 15, the European Central Bank’s Governing Council kept the cap on Emergency Liquidity Assistance unchanged, signaling a desire to wait for Greek lawmakers to approve reforms first.

‘Hard Fight’

Tsipras said that the deal had prevented the banking system from collapsing but will inevitably harm the economy.
“We put up a hard fight for the past six months and we fought to the end in order to get the best out of it, to get a deal which will allow the country to stand on its feet and the Greek people to keep fighting,” Tsipras said in Brussels.
The pact was called an “important step forward” by U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew, who added in an e-mailed statement Monday that “these pledges will require difficult steps by all of the parties and substantial work remains to be done.”
Mayor of Athens: Greece Has Done What is Should Have
Although the agreement has reduced the prospect of a Greek exit from the euro to about 30 percent, from between 45 percent and 50 percent, it hasn’t been eliminated, UBS AG analysts Reinhard Cluse and Gyorgy Kovacs wrote in a note to clients.
“Given the risk of weak reform implementation, serious disagreement between the Greek government and its creditors might flare up again around future program reviews and raise fresh doubts about Greece’s future in the monetary union,” the analysts wrote.

For more, read this next:

·         QuickTake: Greece’s Economy

APEDA India News


International Benchmark Price
Price on: 07-07-2015
Product
Benchmark Indicators Name
Price
Garlic
1
Chinese first grade granules, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
2100
2
Chinese Grade A dehydrated flakes, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
2000
3
Chinese powdered, CFR NW Europe (USD/t)
1800
Ginger
1
Chinese sliced, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
4600
2
Chinese whole, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
5100
3
Indian Cochin, CIF NW Europe (USD/t)
3000
Guar Gum Powder
1
Indian 100 mesh 3500 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
4560 
2
Indian 200 mesh 3500 cps basis, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
1980
3
Indian 200 mesh 5000 cps, FOB Kandla (USD/t)
3080
Source:agra-net
For more info
Market Watch
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 08-07-2015
Domestic Prices
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
Product
Market Center
Variety
Min Price
Max Price
Barley (Jau)
1
Dahod (Gujarat)
Other
1200
1250
2
Deoli (Rajasthan)
Other
1080
1110
3
Satna (Madhya Pradesh)
Other
1045
1175
Maize
1
Dehgam (Gujarat)
Other
1125
1300
2
Bellary (Karnataka)
Local
1204
1204
3
Koraput (Orissa)
Other
1310
1330
Mango
1
Harippad (Kerala)
Other
2500
3000
2
Bonai (Orissa)
Other
2000
3000
3
Gajol (West Bengal)
Other
1100
1300
Cucumbar
1
Aroor (Kerala)
Other
2000
2200
2
Bonai (Orissa)
Other
2000
3000
3
Ateli (Haryana)
Other
900
1250
Source:agra-net
For more info
Egg
Rs per 100 No
Price on 08-07-2015
Product
Market Center
Price
1
Ahmedabad
356
2
Nagapur
315
3
Namakkal
350
Source: e2necc.com
Other International Prices
Unit Price : US$ per package
Price on 08-07-2015
Product
Market Center
Origin
Variety
Low
High
Potatoes
Package: 50 lb cartons
1
Baltimore
Idaho
Russet
24
27
2
Dallas
Nevada
Russet
23.50
23.50
3
Detroit
Wisconsin
Russet
19
19.50
Carrots
Package: 30 1-lb film bags
1
Baltimore
California
Baby Peeled
24
24
2
Chicago
California
Baby Peeled
22
23.50
3
Miami
California
Baby Peeled
26
29
Apples
Package:  cartons tray pack
1
Baltimore
Washington
Red Delicious
26
26
2
Dallas
Washington 
Red Delicious
18
18
3
Miami
Washington
Red Delicious
28
28
Source:USDA

Chinese scientists identify gene GL7 that makes rice attractive and tasty

·         By Jayalakshmi K
July 8, 2015 11:09 BST
Description: RICE GRAINThe gene, known as both GL7 and GW7, work to produce long grains by promoting longitudinal cell division over transverse cell division(Xiangdong Fu)
Chinese molecular geneticists have identified a gene that makes rice grains long and thin and gives it a pleasing texture without sacrificing the yield.
"This shape is associated with quality," says Xiangdong Fu, a geneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and the senior author of one of the studies.
In Southeast Asia, around 76% of caloric intake in one's diet comes from rice. And quality rice has long and slender grains that are transparent. While, opaque grains give the rice a chalky taste.
Often, the aesthetic aspects of the rice come at the cost of yield. The Indian variety "Basmati" is long and comes with a desirable aroma, but sees a 14% decline in yield and Chinese farmers give more preference to yield.
Meanwhile, two separate papers published in Nature Genetics identify a gene that is associated both with long, slender shape and reduced chalkiness.
The gene, known as both GL7 and GW7, works to produce long grains by promoting longitudinal cell division over transverse cell division.
The more copies of a particular version of the gene that a variety has, the longer is the grain.
A neighbouring gene represses the effect but can be disabled.
Being a dominant gene it is useful for creating hybrid varieties, reports Nature.
The gene is already expressed in two US varieties, as well as in a new Chinese line called TaifengA, thanks to breeders who reached there before the geneticists.
But having identified the gene that confers the shape and quality, researchers now can manipulate it and introduce it into other varieties that come with other desired traits, says Guosheng Xiong at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Shenzhen and an author of one of the papers.
According to Susan McCouch, a rice geneticist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, the findings have major implications for a country where many eat rice three meals a day. The yield aspect aside, it will bring "pleasure to some of the world's poorest people".
Crop scientists around the world are working to develop varieties with increased tolerance to drought conditions and water use efficiency.
In India, crop physiologists who calculated that 5000 litres of water is used up in producing 1kg of rice have managed to reduce water consumption by experimental rice crops by 50%.
Using molecular breeding techniques they have crossed the varieties with a high yield mega variety of rice called IR64.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/chinese-scientists-identify-gene-gl7-that-makes-rice-attractive-tasty-1509869






Fake' NFA administrator extorts from rice traders

NFA administrator Renan Dalisay says 10 incidents of an impostor administrator calling NFA contractors have been reported to him
him
Description: http://assets.rappler.com/98BCF3B34C9D4DB8B58A466B4746C906/img/9C5122A8806F413FAFA2FB4093AC9F02/pia-ranada-80x80.png
Pia Ranada
Published 4:33 PM, July 09, 2015
Updated 4:50 PM, July 09, 2015





Description:
MANILA, Philippines – The National Food Authority (NFA) is once again on guard against an alleged fake NFA administrator.
In the latest incident, a fake administrator was reportedly spreading the word among private rice importers that he was selling import permits. The incident was reported to real NFA administrator Renan Dalisay on Thursday, July 8.
Import permits are highly-valued since they are only given to a few private rice importers who pass the requirements for NFA accreditation. Only these companies are allowed to import until the collective maximum volume of 20,000 metric tons of rice for private rice importation.
The application period for import permits began last July 1 and will end on July 30.
More than 10 incidents of a fake administrator have been reported to Dalisay since he was appointed to his position in November 2014.
“We’ve been trying to catch this guy. The incidents began two weeks into my appointment. It’s on and off. He would be quiet for a while and then he would call up again,” Dalisay told Rappler in a mix of English and Filipino.
Dalisay has reported the fake administrator to the National Bureau of Investigation. He has also sent a memo to NFA provincial offices to be wary of calls from people claiming to be the NFA administrator.
Modus operandi
The impostor’s modus operandi is to call NFA contractors and ask them for money in exchange for ensuring their contract goes smoothly, said Dalisay.
He would get the cellular phone numbers of the contractors by first calling the NFA provincial offices by landline.
“I’ve told the provincial managers that I don’t call by landline,” said Dalisay.
The bogus administrator has called up trucking contractors and warehouse contractors, asking for money and their silence.
Rappler was able to obtain a recording of one such phone call that took place last January. The phone conversation was recorded by Bernard Gonzales, an NFA trucking contractor operating in Zamboanga.
Listen to the phone call below:
In the 7-minute long conversation, the fake NFA administrator asks Gonzales for “help with his vacation expenses (tulong sa aking pambakasyon)” in the form of P50,000.
He also asks Gonzales to deposit the amount to his “secretary’s account” or to meet with him at the NFA central office when Gonzales goes to Metro Manila.
The alleged impostor also instructs Gonzales to keep the conversation between themselves.
Wala kang ibang kakausapin kundi ako lang. 'Yung regional director ay kaya naman nating utusan 'yan. Basta hindi mo sila kakausapin. 'Yung pag-uusap natin ay very confidential.
(You won’t talk to anyone else but me. The regional director can be ordered around. Just don’t talk to them. Our conversation is very confidential.)
The recording was given to Dalisay.
Brazen
James Magbanua, national president of the National Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines (GRECON), confirmed to Rappler that he was also called two or 3 times by a man posing as the NFA administrator.
This happened during the time of Arthur Juan, the NFA administrator before Dalisay. Juan resigned barely 3 months into the job after accusations of extortion by a rice trader which Juan has denied.
A 35-year-old national organization, GRECON is an accredited retailer of NFA rice.
The fake administrator would usually text him first and ask him to call, Magbanua told Rappler by phone on Thursday, July 9.
One time, the fake administrator asked Magbanua to donate for an NFA “feeding program” for street kids in Manila. He even said the program was supported by Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Francis Pangilinan and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II.
“‘P'wede bang kalahating milyon?’ sabi niya. Sabi ko hindi po kaya. ‘P100,000?’ Kaya ko. Tanong niya, ‘Can you send it today? I need the money now,’” said Magbanua.
(‘Can you give half a million?’ he asked me. I said I don’t have the money. ‘P100,000?’ I said, I can. He asked, ‘Can you send it today? I need the money now.’)
After the conversation, Magbanua called the NFA central office to confirm if Juan had indeed called him. The staff at the central office denied it.
Magbanua was asked to listen to the more recent phone conversation with Gonzales.
“It was the same voice who called me up before,” he said.
Dalisay said it’s likely the impostor had gotten away with extortion or bribery in the past, explaining his brazenness.
It’s also possible that there may be more than one impostor.
A man with a fake NFA administrator ID and bogus NFA documents was arrested in Isabela in July 2014, as reported by Manila Bulletin. – Rappler.com
http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/247-agriculture/98856-fake-nfa-administrator-extortion





Saraki Orders CBN to Regain N30b Waiver Granted to Rice Importers by Jonathan's Govt

1.      Nigeria - The Senate has directed the CBN governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele to collaborate with the Nigeria Customs Services and ensure the recovery of an estimated sum of N30billion waiver given to companies for the purchase of rice by former administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“Our policy is that, after listening to you, believe that they are steps taken in the right direction to try to help our economy in the area of import and export substitution.

“But one of the observations we also made was that the CBN alone cannot make it all work in this area.

Description: bukola saraki senate president.jpg 

“We must also show big signals in things that we bring out the success of this policy, for example, you brought to our notice, the issue of the waivers on taxes and duties especially on rice which is about N30bn that were granted to certain companies, this money must be paid back to the federal government”.

Continuing Saraki said, “We have told the governor of central bank that, he should also go and collaborate with customs to ensure that this N30bn come back to the government coffers, so that we will be seen to be doing things to make this policy successful.

“The issue of smuggling is the second thing, because no matter how good this policy on import substitution looks, if smuggling can still be going on the way it is now, this policy will not be successful. That area as well, especially the big smugglers that are well known, it is time action is taken to stop it”.


Source; Daily Independent
http://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/saraki-orders-cbn-to-regain-n30b-waiver-granted-to-rice-importers-by-jonathans-govt.114268/




UP Scientist: ‘Let Them Eat Fake Rice’
by JF BALAGOSA on JULY 9, 2015


While Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte firmly said that he will let the seller of fake rice eat the product, a food scientist said “let them eat the fake rice.”

According to a University of the Philippines food scientist, the so called fake rice is not really bad for consumers.

Ma. Concepcion Lizada, a Ph.D and professor emeritus of Food Science in UP Dilimin, even said the fake rice might be better than ordinary rice because it has lower glucose content adding that the controversy about rice was giving “fabricated rice” a bad reputation.

“I would rather call it fabricated rice. It’s giving fabricated rice a very bad reputation,” Lizada spoke during an open forum at the two-day 37th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) of the National Academy of Science and Technology at the Manila Hotel yesterday.

“We actually have a commercial product now that is available widely in the market. They call it corned rice. In fact, there was a media blitz about the corned rice. It’s good. I tasted it myself,” Lizada said.

Lizada said there was even claim that the fabricated rice was better than ordinary rice.



“They claim that it’s glycaemic index,” Lizada said.

She added that the fabricate rice was a product of food extrusion technology to fortify food staples.

“It’s available. It’s a good technology. The issue is just, why go through the backdoor rather than it being sold as grains rather than rice, grains made from different starch sources,” Lizada said.

National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) president William Padolina urged government to improve their regulatory laboratories amid the spread of fake or synthetic rice.

“They should be able to analyze many samples at the shortest possible time,” Padolina saidhttp://philippines.shafaqna.com/EN/PH/7040





Now, Patiala body enters Basmati tag dispute

In a new twist to the legal wranglings over geographical indication (GI) tag for Basmati rice grown in the country, the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) on Wednesday allowed a new party — the Basmati Growers' Association from Patiala in Punjab — to implead in the case.

By: Sajan C Kumar | July 9, 2015 12:48 am
In a new twist to the legal wranglings over geographical indication (GI) tag for Basmati rice grown in the country, the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) on Wednesday allowed a new party — the Basmati Growers’ Association from Patiala in Punjab — to implead in the case.
The fresh turn of event emerged when the IPAB had almost heard the pleadings of the respondents and was heading for final hearing. With the new party getting into the picture, the IPAB has now fixed November 3 as the date for kick-starting the process of final hearing.
The IPAB had in February this year allowed the Madhya Pradesh farmers’ body, New Darpan Social Welfare Society, that sought inclusion of the state in the geographical area where Basmati rice was traditionally grown, to implead itself in the legal proceedings arising out of an appeal against the GI Registry’s order to re-study the area of cultivation of Basmati rice in order to grant GI tag to the ‘slim and aromatic rice’ in the country.
The patent, trademark and GI tribunal also allowed Pakistan’s Basmati Growers’ Association (BGA) appeal that has opposed the inclusion of Madhya Pradesh in the scheme of things while objecting in totality to the granting of GI tag for Basmati rice in India.
When the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, IPAB bench was informed about the new miscellaneous petition (MP) by Basmati Growers’ Association, Patiala, seeking to implead in the proceedings. The bench comprising Justice KN Basha, chairman, and Sanjeev Kumar Chaswal, technical member-trademarks, allowed the MP, with rider that it should not repeat what other respondent parties already stated in the earlier pleadings.
“As we don’t want to close door to anyone, we are allowing the plea and making Basmati Growers’ Association, Patiala, as the respondent. Since the counsel for association has asserted that he will not repeat what was already in the document and will only submit fresh insights into the case, we are directing him to submit his written submission in another four weeks time,” the IPAB bench said.
However, the bench made it clear that it will not allow any further request from any third parties to implead in the case as it will protract the whole process.
Following the Madhya Pradesh government’s intervention seeking inclusion of some areas of the state, the registrar of GI had asked Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda) to amend the application of GI tag. The Pakistan-based BGA’s appeal was among the slew of opposition before the IPAB after Apeda approached the tribunal opposing the proceeding arising out of the order of registrar of GI.
PV Yogeswaran, counsel for Basmati Growers’ Association, Patiala, submitted that while the association objects to the inclusion of Madhya Pradesh in the geographical areas where Basmati rice has been grown, it argued that the producers of Basmati rice are traditionally cultivating the rice in the area specified within the boundary of East-Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand), West Firozpur (Punjab), North, Chamba (Himachal Pradesh) and South Auraiya (Uttar Pradesh)



Rice in the news

Rice is so much a part of the Filipino way of life that any shortage, any price increase, any report at all on this national food staple is a matter of great concern to us all.

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) announced  they have now tested 766 varieties in a search for rice which have higher yield, are more climate-resilient,  are more resistant to pests and diseases, and are more  resistant to drought, floods, and other hostile environments. Of the total varieties tested, 206 were bred  by Philrice and  488 by IRRI. The goal is to find rice varieties which can best withstand multiple stresses  in the Philippines for planting by our farmers.   
But the rice news in  the country this week was dominated by the more distressing finding that fake or synthetic rice has been discovered in Philippine markets, possibly imported or smuggled from China or Singapore, or maybe even produced right here in this country.
The fake rice is reportedly made from potatoes and camote, mixed with raw material used in making plastic products, then shaped to look like rice grains. The plastic resin will ultimately affect the human digestive system; some reports from some Asian countries cited cases of gastritis and other diseases. The fake rice is said to be mixed with real rice so it is difficult to detect.
  
Sen. Francis Escudero has proposed  the immediate convening of the Food Safety Regulation Coordinating Board  to act on the danger posed by synthetic rice. The board is charged with implementing Republic Act  10611, the Food Safety Act  of 2013. Is a system in place that will detect dirty food anywhere in the country?, he asked. Is there a way to stop such food from entering the country through  our ports?
Fake rice will have a market in our country if we don’t have enough supply  of the real thing. We have the resources to be self-sufficient in rice – we have the land, weather, and now new high-yielding, and drought, flood, and disease-resistant rice varieties from Philrice and IRRI.
Our immediate problem of food safety because of the presence of synthetic rice must be acted upon swiftly before many of our people fall ill. But ultimately, we must look at the bigger problem of rice production in our country. If Vietnam and Thailand can produce so much for massive exports, we should be able to  produce enough for our own people’s consumption.
http://www.tempo.com.ph/2015/07/10/rice-in-the-news/#.VZ-n2PlViko


U.S. Rice Heading to Iraq Again       

Back in Iraq
DALLAS, TEXAS -- After being excluded from several recent bids for rice, U.S-grown rice is once again heading to Iraq.

USA Rice is reporting that the United States has been awarded a contract for 60,000 metric tons of white rice to be shipped during August.

"Finally winning another sale here is quite gratifying for all the work we've put in on this," said Betsy Ward, President & CEO of USA Rice.  "After being passed over several times, despite competitive bids, we raised concerns and objections to the highest levels in the U.S. State Department and with the Iraqi government.  We appreciate the hard work put in by the State Department and others on behalf of the U.S. industry."

Contact:  Michael Klein (703) 236-1458



Tops on Your Summer Reading List:  USA Rice's Whole Grain       
Description: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgLxRZPED1Hqb1IOCMrbVm3ooX0Yj4oDPMxwByU02EOryKiXcqovkQpFdnxbdtutZCatVPGHTUL4NTlAuAOZXUpWAud8LfvnYpUp96hoooDlnaRPNIC5aBXMjJOHW2A2xDTWuK3N5VWX6VGnbWCk9vYe2E-pKREACIWE-eBqGpYMjQ=s0-d-e1-ft
Kickin' it in Texas 
DALLAS, TEXAS -- The next issue of USA Rice's award winning Whole Grain tabloid newspaper has been distributed here at USA Rice's annual business meetings and will be in your mailbox at home soon -- just in time to be packed into a beach bag or picnic basket.

Conceived last year as a replacement for USA Rice's annual report, the Whole Grain has quickly grown in scope and reach.  The summer issue includes stories on consumer research, free trade with Cuba, USA Rice's domestic promotion programs, and an interview with Missouri Senator Roy Blunt.

More than 23,000 copies of the tabloid have been mailed out to rice farmers, landowners, mills, and others in all six rice-producing states.  Please let us know if you would like extra copies to distribute in your area.

To learn about advertising opportunities, email USA Rice's communications team.



Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported        
WASHINGTON, DC -- Net rice sales of 69,200 MT for 2014/2015 were down 47 percent from the previous week, but up 18 percent from the prior four-week average, according to today's Export Sales Highlights report.  Increases were reported for Mexico (45,700 MT), South Korea (7,500 MT), Costa Rica (7,400 MT), Jordan (4,000 MT), and Canada (1,900 MT).  Net sales of 13,000 MT for 2015/2016 were reported for South Korea (9,000 MT), Canada (3,200 MT), and unknown destinations (800 MT). 

Exports of 50,800 MT were down 25 percent from the previous week and 28 percent from the prior four-week average. The primary destinations were Japan (10,000 MT), Haiti (10,000 MT), Honduras (7,800 MT), Costa Rica (6,500 MT), and Mexico (5,700 MT).

This summary is based on reports from exporters from the period June 26-July 2, 2015. 


CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures   
CME Group (Prelim):  Closing Rough Rice Futures for July 9
Month
Price
Net Change

July 2015
$10.815
+ $0.050
September 2015
$11.050
+ $0.040
November 2015
$11.320
+ $0.040
January 2016
$11.585
+ $0.035
March 2016
$11.745
+ $0.040
May 2016
$11.915
+ $0.205
July 2016
$11.915
+ $0.205

How to get the most from rice fungicides

Jul 8, 2015Yeshi Wamishe, Arkansas Extension Rice Plant Pathologist | Delta Farm Press

Description: Rice field Mississippi June
Fungicides work best in well-managed fields and in less susceptible varieties.
RELATED MEDIA
Description: http://deltafarmpress.com/site-files/deltafarmpress.com/files/imagecache/thumb_img/processed_video/DSC_1788.jpg

Integrated disease management is the best approach to keep major rice diseases under control, i.e., varietal resistance, best cultural practices and chemical products.
Varietal resistance is the best and most user friendly disease control measure. However, host resistance is not always available to all diseases.
Cultural management strategies are beneficial to reduce some rice diseases. However, at times yield potential may be compromised.
Routine fungicide application may be practiced, but it increases the likelihood of fungicide resistance and is rarely economically feasible. Besides, the available fungicides do not fully suppress/control the most prevalent diseases of rice.
Therefore, the integrated approach is inevitable. Fungicides work best in well-managed fields and in less susceptible varieties.
Tips to benefit the most from fungicide applications
• Fungicides applied at recommended timing and rate work best and maximize their benefit.
• Well-managed fields benefit better from fungicide application.
• Fungicides mixed in adequate volume of water provide better coverage, particularly to fungicides applied on foliage.
• If tank-mixing is required, check for the compatibility of the chemistries.
• To target more than one disease that require protective products, combination fungicides (Triazole + Strobi) work better (for instance, kernel smut, false smut and neck blast).
• To reduce resistance to fungicides, rotate chemistries with different modes of action.
• To cut expenses and also reduce resistance to fungicides, avoid automatic application. Apply fungicides when and where needed (scouting, previous knowledge of field history and variety resistance help to make the right decisions).
• To reduce fungicide cost, products with different modes of action can be tank-mixed by adjusting rates as required.
• To get maximum performance from fungicides, higher rates are usually preferred.
• Scouting for sheath blight in particular can help determine fungicide rate, timing and necessity.
Research by Dr. Rick Cartwright includes: Stratego at 16 oz provided 14-17 days control, whereas the 19 oz for 21-24 days. Quadris at 6.4 oz provided 10-14 days control while 9 oz for about 21 days. But the full rate 12.5 oz provided 28 days of control. Moreover, his research indicated Azoxystrobin (Quadris) to be somewhat more effective on sheath blight than Trifloxystrobin (GEM)–but the difference was just slight.
• To suppress minor leaf and sheath diseases, fungicide application may not be warranted. Broad spectrum fungicides such as strobilurins, if applied for major diseases such as sheath blight and blast, should provide control for minor diseases.
http://deltafarmpress.com/rice/how-get-most-rice-fungicides?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+July+9%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email


Venezuela to stop buying rice from Guyana amid dispute


Jul. 9, 2015 5:52 PM EDT


GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Venezuela has decided to stop buying much of Guyana's rice crop amid an escalating border dispute between the South American neighbors, the Guyanese finance minister said Thursday.
Finance Minister Winston Jordan said Venezuelan officials informed him during a visit to Caracas that they will be acquiring rice from other suppliers, including Suriname, by the end of the year.
Venezuela has in the past four years purchased about 40 percent of Guyana's rice production, or about 200,000 tons, paying for it with oil that amounts to about half of Guyana's daily supply needs.
"It will be a significant blow to us," said Peter DeGroot, president of the Rice Millers Association.
The exchange of rice for oil was done under the Petrocaribe program, a Venezuelan initiative that provides fuel at generous financial terms to Caribbean and Central American countries. Guyana remains a member of Petrocaribe and will continue to buy oil from Venezuela, Jordan said.
Jordan said Venezuela did not disclose the reason for its decision, but the long-running border dispute has been heating up following the recent disclosure of a major oil discovery off Guyana in waters that Venezuela also claims. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced Monday that he was recalling his ambassador in Guyana for consultations and would review relations between the countries.
Venezuela has long refused to recognize a boundary drawn in 1899 and it claims about two-thirds of Guyana's territory as its own. Venezuela published a new map in May that expanded its maritime territory to essentially leave Guyana landlocked.
Guyana Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said the timing of the rice announcement made it at least appear that it is connected to the border fight.
"It will have to be considered whether Venezuela's position of the non-renewal of the Petrocaribe barter agreement is indeed an act of economic sanction against Guyana," he said in a statement.
President David Granger told Parliament on Thursday that Guyana does not have the military capacity to challenge Venezuela and his government would seek an international judicial settlement over the border issue.
"Guyana has never used aggression against any state," said Granger, a retired army general. "In as much as we are a peace loving state we will not allow our territorial integrity to be violated and threatened."
The finance minister said Venezuela did not rule out future purchases of rice. He also said that Venezuela had previously informed Guyanese officials of the plans to discontinue the bulk purchase of rice but the government of President Donald Ramotar, which lost May elections, did not disclose the information.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/13bedf482ec444fab4c846db3d8dabad/venezuela-stop-buying-rice-guyana-amid-dispute

Rice farmers learn global advantages at annual "Field Day"

Posted: Jul 09, 2015 7:23 PM PDT
Rice farmers are constantly searching for a cheaper and more effective ways of harvesting their crops, while staying ahead of the "agricultural curve".Description: http://kbmt.images.worldnow.com/images/8277119_G.jpg50 percent of the rice grown in the U.S. is exported, which is why local rice farmers, like Alan Gaulding of Gaulding Farms, comes to the annual "Field Day" program to help get a leg up on agricultural trends and information.
Gaulding Farms, located off I-10 near Taylor's Bayou, has been loyal participants of the Texas A&M Agrilife Research Center's "Field Day" research program for generations, which is where they gain a fraction of their information on rice farming trends.
Field Day began in 1947 as a way for the Texas A&M Agrilife Research Center to share its scientific research, and assist in rice production.
Dr. Ted Wilson, director of the Agrilife program, said that the point of the program is to give rice farmers a broader view of the market, production, and trends.
"We give them a full picture of the different aspects of rice production management research that we have going on the in the state of Texas," Wilson said.Wilson brings rice farming experts, like Dwight Roberts, president of the U.S. Rice Producers Association, to the area to provide a global perspective on the market."We're fortunate to have our next door neighbor as our biggest buyer," Roberts said. "The U.S. ships 800,000 tons a year to Mexico."Researchers credit American farmers for separating the "types of rice" more effectively than farmers in other nations across the world, which is a demand expected to grow.
"As global growth occur, particularly in areas that have a higher population growth rate than ours, we're going to see demand by these countries," Wilson said.

Information on the possibility of more demand for products keeps both Roberts and Alan Gaulding, of Gaulding Farms, smiling."Hopefully the future of agriculture is long term profitable and we get to continue to do what we love to due."
Download/View On-Line the above News in pdf format,just click the following link

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