Taste, cost and climate
change prompt return of folk rice
By PTI | 8 Jul, 2015, 10.23AM IST
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
"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
Govt urged to sue over losses
from rice scheme
THE NATION
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 2015
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
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.
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:
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Chinese scientists identify gene GL7 that
makes rice attractive and tasty
July 8, 2015 11:09 BST
The 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
Pia Ranada
Published 4:33 PM, July 09, 2015
Updated 4:50 PM, July 09, 2015
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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.
“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
“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.
“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.
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?
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
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Tops on Your Summer Reading List: USA Rice's Whole Grain
|
||
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. |
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CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
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How to get the most from rice fungicides
Jul 8, 2015 | Delta Farm Press
Fungicides
work best in well-managed fields and in less susceptible varieties.
RELATED MEDIA
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".
50
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.
50
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."
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