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PhilRICE
Lucy Torres-Gomez is new rice ambassadress
Rep. Lucy
Torres-Gomez was named as new Rice Ambassadress in a recent meeting at the
House of Representatives, Quezon City.As rice ambassadress, Gomez will promote
non-wastage of rice and the consumption of brown rice and rice mixed with corn
or other staples.
A multi-awarded
television host, Gomez agreed to appear in videos and photos promoting the Be
RICEponsible advocacy to be shown in television, radio, billboards, and social
media.
As public
servant, she is a member of the 16th Congress and Assistant Majority Leader,
representing Leyte’s fourth district. Her priorities as legislator include
public order and safety, women, children, health, and education.
She had
sponsored an amendment to the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009,
which revises the provisions on breastfeeding babies during work hours, and had
pledged “no classroom shortage by 2015” in her district.
Hazel V.
Antonio, director of the Be RICEponsible campaign, said Gomez was chosen
because of her ideal image as a mother and her excellent track record as a
public servant.
“Lucy is
well-loved by many Filipinos and we believe that her influence as a
policy-maker and as a TV personality can inspire the millions of people to be
part of this nationwide advocacy,” Antonio said.
The Be
RICEponsible is an advocacy campaign that aims to promote the RICEponsibility
of every Filipino to their bodies and to our country.
In most households
and restaurants, rice leftovers typically get spoiled and thrown out.
Dr. Riza G.
Abilgos-Ramos of the Rice Chemistry and Food Science Division (RCFSD) at
PhilRice recommends that to prevent spoilage, we should cook rice in smaller
quantities at several times of the day to reduce storage.
According to
Dr. Alonzo A. Gabriel, a professor and food science expert at UP Diliman, a
bacterium called Bacillus cereus that causes food poisoning is present when
cooking rice.
“Foodborne
diseases and outbreaks start at home due to insufficient knowledge of
households in proper food handling,” said Gabriel who gave a lecture titled
Food Security and Protection: Updates on Quality, Safety, and Defense organized
by RCFSD, 29 July.
Gabriel
explained that the bacterium can survive heat while boiling and is most capable
of germination and outgrowth after the rice is cooked.
In preventing
the said bacterium, Abilgos-Ramos suggested that after cooking, “it is best
that rice should either be kept hot (> 63°C) or cooled quickly then
transferred to a refrigerator within two hours.”
She added that
boiled or fried rice must be stored outside the temperature range of 15-50°C
and not under warm conditions.
The seminar was
part of the Nutrition Month celebration at PhilRice. Other events conducted in
this month-long celebration include a feeding program for elementary students
and an institute-wide Zumba competition.
PhilRice shares tips for the rainy days
Science City of
Muñoz – PhilRice experts advise farmers to practice synchronized community
planting, and to mechanize the harvesting and drying processes to cope with the
rainy season. PhilRice-rainy season.
“Under rainfed
conditions, our farmers need to practice synchronized planting in their
communities. Dry land preparation is desired, as when the rain comes, they can
do direct-seeding. With this technique, the seeds will start to germinate
within five days,” said Dr. Norvie L. Manigbas, PhilRice’s head of the Plant
Breeding and Biotechnology Division.
Synchronized
planting reduces incidence of pests and diseases in a specific area, thus
minimizing yield loss.
He also
explained that under irrigated lowland conditions, land preparation should be
done at the onset of heavy rains so that fields are well-soaked in water.
Levees and dikes should be repaired to avoid water loss.
Farmers can use
the wet bed or dapog method for seed establishment depending on field
conditions.
PhilRice also
suggests proper drainage to avoid flooding, use of machines during land
preparation, harvesting, threshing, and drying to save time and labor.
“Time is vital
during the wet season especially during harvest. As the rain usually comes in
the afternoon, we suggest the use of combine harvester to hasten harvesting
operations. If it is unavailable, farmers can use reaper and collect the straws
for threshing,” Manigbas explained.
“It is
important to finish these field operations in the shortest possible time to
prevent yield loss,” he added.
PhilRice
recommends drying of palay in flatbed dryers and on nylon nets or canvas for
easier turnover when the rain comes.
“The general
rule is to harvest and thresh the crop within a short period of time and dry
the seeds to a desired moisture content (usually 14%),” Manigbas concluded.
For more rice
farming strategies, please contact the PhilRice Text Center at 09209111398.
Century-Old
Rice Blight Finally Toppled? Key to Immunity Discovered
Aug
03, 2015 03:55 AM EDT
Rice crops have been battling a deadly bacterial blight for over a
century - one that decimates crops and can leave entire farms in ruin. Now
researchers think that affected regions may finally stand a chance after
discovering a rare mechanism that leave some lucky plants resistant to
infection.That's at least according to a study recently published in the
journalScience
Advances, which details how an
international team of researcher finally uncovered the key to Xoo immunity.Xanthomonas
oryzaepv.oryzae, or Xoo, is traditionally characterized by a discoloration on
the leaves of young rice plants. It quickly escalates from there, turning the leaves
brittle and grey, and rendering them useless in photosynthesis. Starved for
energy, affected plants quickly die, sometimes devastating up to 80 percent of
a single season's crop. In Japan alone, annual losses are estimated to be
between 22,000 and 110,000 tons.What's worse, this pathogen affects rice in a unique way, rendering industry
standards for combating bacterial infection, such as the application of copper
compounds or antibiotics, largely ineffective.That's why researchers have
turned to closely analyzing those few plants that were lucky enough - in the
wacky roulette of genetics - to wind up with strong resistances to Xoo. (Scroll to read on...)
(Photo : Neil Palmer (CIAT))
Only six year ago, modern research practices revealed that immune
responses in rice are triggered to battle the blight when a Xoo protein dubbed
Ax21 binds to the plants' cellular receptor XA21.
"We were ecstatic with our results in 2009 because
identifying the molecule that XA21 recognizes provides an important piece to
the puzzle of how the rice plant is able to respond to infection," Pamela
Ronald, a plant geneticist for both JBEI and UC Davis, explained in a statement.
It was theorized that once understood. experts could craft a crop
(via genetic editing) that could easily shrug off Xoo. However, after a century
of researching the blight (historically starting in 1901) could it be that easy? The
answer was no.
As it turned out, Ax21 wasn't the savior Ronald and her colleagues
thought it was. In fact, it was more like the housemate of the protein they
needed. In other words, when Batman was the hero Gotham deserved, the
researchers wound up with his butler, Alfred. (Come on guys, nerd out with me
for a moment. We're talking about rice pathogens after all).
"We hypothesized that the activator of XA21 might be encoded
in the proximity of the molecular machinery that we already knew was
involved," added Rory Pruitt, a member of Ronald's research group.
So the researchers kept looking. Now, six years later, they've
announced that this time for sure, they have their hero. (Scroll to read on...)
(Photo : Roy Kaltschmidt, Berkeley Lab)
"Our results show that RaxX, a small, previously undescribed
bacterial protein, is required for... immunity to Xoo," Ronald happily
reported. "XA21 can detect RaxX and quickly mobilize its defenses to mount
a potent immune response."The researchers added that even if the ultimate
goal of their work - the development of a fully-immune rice crop - is still a
ways away from being realized, the results can still be immediately useful for
rice farmers.During their numerous tests, the team also determined which
strains of Xoo are heartier than others, even when running up against plants
with the XA21 response.
"Like prescribing the best vaccination for the flu each
season by monitoring which flu strains are going to be the most prevalent, it
should be possible to screen wild Xoo populations in the rice-growing regions
of Asia and Africa for whether they encode RaxX alleles that are recognized by
XA21," Schwessinger explained. "We can then inform farmers which rice
varieties will be resistant to those bacterial populations."
For more great nature science stories and general news, please
visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/15926/20150803/century-old-rice-blight-finally-toppled-key-immunity-discovered.htmNigeria
imports rice worth over 2 billion USD since 2012: official
LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- Nigerian central bank said Tuesday the Africa's
most populous country has spent 2.41 billion U.S. dollars on rice importation
between January 2012 and May 2015.The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN), Godwin Emefiele made this known at an investors meeting in Abuja,
Nigeria's capital city. He said the bank's decision to ban foreign exchange for
importation of rice, fish and other items would not be reversed.According to
him, the apex bank has no plans to reverse the ban, adding that the reason for
inclusion of rice in the exclusion list was not far-fetched.
"Unfortunately, this trend has resulted in huge unsold stock
of paddy rice cultivated by our farmers and low operating capacities of many
integrated rice mills in Nigeria," he added.
The apex bank chief told his audience that the CBN in collaboration
with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development would come up with a
comprehensive financing model to support rice millers and other investors in
the sector.He said the bank's decided to intervene in the sector through
funding and other packages because the country would not achieve its true
potentials if it imported everything it could produce locally.
The bank will make funds more accessible to farmers through some of
its funding program such as the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme and the
over one billion U.S. dollars Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Development
fund, he added.Emefiele said those that defaulted in the payment of customs
duty after bringing in excess quotas of rice into the country at concessionary
rates would be penalized.He said the CBN would take up the issue to the highest
level in government to ensure that the money was paid.The governor also assured
rice producers that the bank would work closely with the Nigerian Customs
Service to address the issue of smuggling.
http://www.coastweek.com/3831-agriculture-05.htm
Wanted: Proposals for sustainable
rice production
July 31, 2015 11:28 pm
The Philippines and the United Kingdom have joined forces to support research
projects that will boost resilience and sustainability of rice production in
Southeast Asia.In a statement, the UK Embassy on Friday said “food security is
one of the greatest global challenges we currently face.”To address this, the
UK collaborated with four countries in Asia–China, the Philippines, Thailand
and Vietnam.“In a country where rice is a main part of almost every meal,
enhancing rice production is a major priority.
The headlines report that El Niño
may be the most intense the country has experienced in recent years. Studies
have shown that climate change will have a devastating effect on food security
if it is not addressed now,” British Ambassador Asif Ahmad said.“Unli
[unlimited] rice may no longer be a promo offer. This project will help farmer
productivity and enhance trading in rice, when necessary. We encourage all
researchers who are working toward the adequate supply of this staple food to
submit their applications to the Newton Fund,” he added.
The British Embassy in Manila has been calling for proposals on
collaborative inter-disciplinary research that will focus on long-term
sustainable production of rice, as well as utilizing combined strengths of
academic research groups within China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and
the UK.This initiative is supported by the UK Government’s Newton Fund, which
helps build science and innovation partnerships with key emerging economies.
The UK Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research Council (UK BBSRC) and the UK Natural Environment Research
Council, in collaboration with Philippine Partners Department of Science and
Technology Philippine Council for Agriculture Aquatic and Natural Resources
Research & Development (DOST-PCAARD) and the Department of Agriculture
Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) are calling for submissions of
research proposals that will address the following challenges in the Philippine
context: greater resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses; improved resource
use efficiency (including Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Water); improved quality of
rice (including nutritional enhancement and grain quality); utilization of rice
by-products; novel research tool and technology development supporting the
above areas (including systems biology, bioinformatics, screening and
characterization of germplasm for gene and trait discovery).
These priority areas in sustainable rice research have been
agreed though a regional workshop in Bangkok in April, which brought together
relevant funding agencies, key research organizations and leading academics
from China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and the UK.The proposed projects
should be up to a maximum duration of three years and will requirea UK Principal
Investigator as well as a Philippine Principal Investigator with the options of
additional Principal Investigators from other partner countries.
The deadline for submission of applications is on August 13,
2015.For more information on this opportunity, the embassy invites researchers
to visit the UK BBSRC website at
http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/opportunities/2015/newton-fund-joint-call-in-rice-research.
http://www.manilatimes.net/wanted-proposals-for-sustainable-rice-production/205365/
Special rice for the diabetics identified by
Indian Institute of Rice Research
Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) under the aegis of
Indian Council of Agricultural Research has identified three rice varieties
with low glycemic index values which are considered suitable for diabetic
patients, Minister of State for Agriculture, Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said in Rajya
Sabha on Friday."According to the IIRR Hyderabad, Lalat (GIS.17), BPT 5204
(GIQ.42) and Sampada (GIQ) are considered suitable for diabetic patients. Any
variety of rice with glycemic index less than or equal to 55 is considered
diabetic-friendly," he said."Presently, these varieties are under cultivation in different states of India," he added.
http://www.iamin.in/en/west-delhi/news/special-rice-diabetics-identified-indian-institute-rice-research-65990
Newton
Fund seeks PH researchers for food self-sufficiency
06:30 AM August 1st, 2015
06:30 AM August 1st, 2015
The British Embassy Manila
recently sounded the call for new tie-ups for food security studies, especially
rice resilience, production and sustainability, between Filipino researchers
and their counterparts in the United Kingdom.Through its Newton Fund, the UK
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the UK Natural
Environment Research Council, in collaboration with the Department of Science and
Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture Aquatic and Natural Resources
Research and Development, and the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice
Research Institute, are calling for research proposals dealing with greater
resilience, improved resource use, improved quality, utilization of byproducts,
and novel research tool and technology development for rice.
Farmer productivity
“In a country where rice is a main part of almost every meal,
enhancing rice production is a major priority,” British Ambassador Asif Ahmad
said. “Studies have shown that climate change will have a devastating effect of
food security if it is not addressed now. This project will help farmer
productivity and enhance trading in rice, when necessary.”Proposed projects
should be up to a maximum duration of three years and will require a
counterpart British principal investigator, with the options of additional
principal investigators from other partner-countries.
An initiative by the UK government, the Fund aims to strengthen
research and innovation partnerships with emerging economies such as the
Philippines. Launched in 2014, the Fund is to be shared across 15
partner-countries in the course of five years for joint research on development
topics, capacity-building projects, student and researcher fellowships and
other partnerships.
Covering three broad activities, the Fund focuses on:
People by improving science and innovation expertise
(capacity-building), student and researcher fellowships, mobility schemes and
joint centers;
Research, through collaborations on development topics;
How to apply them in actual practice.
The call adds more opportunities to the Fund, which had already
been looking for health research collaborations between the country and the
United Kingdom. It has also paved the way for PhD programs and travel grants
for individual researchers and institutional links for academic institutions.
Workshops to allow Filipino researchers to connect with their international
counterparts are also being offered.
The deadline for submission of applications is on Aug. 13, 2015.
For more information on this opportunity, please visit the UK BBSRC website:
http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/opportunities/2015/newton-fund-joint-call-in-rice-research.
http://business.inquirer.net/196301/newton-fund-seeks-ph-researchers-for-food-self-sufficiency#ixzz3hbb4Mrk1
InterContinental Hotel Lagos,
Refutes Claims of Closure by Customs
03 Aug 2015
InterContinental Hotel,
Lagos
Demola Ojo

The InterContinental Hotel, Lagos
has clarified reports that it could be closed down. This was against the
backdrop of reports by some media last week that the Nigerian Customs
Service (NCS) was moving against the parent company of the hotel over
non-payment of duties on rice imports.However, in a statement by Milan
Industries, which was made available to THISDAY on Sunday, the hotel said it
has no relationship with rice whatsoever. “We Milan Industries
Limited are the owners of InterContinental Hotel Lagos.
We write this re-joinder to clarify and
correct the misinformation being disseminated in the media concerning our
refusal to pay import duty on rice and the decision of the Nigeria Customs
Service to shut down InterContinental Hotel.“We are not in the business of
importing rice and are a limited liability company; we cannot be held
responsible for the alleged indebtedness of another company,” the statement
said.It said that, “the general public should disregard various media reports
that InterContinental Hotel is to be shut down because of our indebtedness to
Nigeria Customs Service.
”In a related development, the
NCS has also found it necessary to clarify its position on its on-going battle
to compel defaulting rice importers pay outstanding duties owed the federal
government.According to the Public Relations Officer of the NCS, “The confusion
was created in view of the association of its owners, Milan Nigeria Limited
with one of the defaulting importers. Our records have shown that
Intercontinental Hotel is not indebted to the Nigeria Customs Service, and will
therefore not be shut down as insinuated.“It is also necessary to clarify that
the defaulting importers targeted for sanctions, Conti Agro Nigeria Limited, is
a separate legal entity from Milan Nigeria Limited, owners of Intercontinental
Hotel,” the statement stated.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/intercontinental-hotel-lagos-refutes-claims-of-closure-by-customs/216435/
NARS,
ICAR Develop Flood Tolerant Crops
By
Published: 03rd August 2015
03:44 AM
Last Updated: 03rd August 2015
03:44 AM
BHUBANESWAR: The National Agricultural Research System (NARS) in collaboration
with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State agriculture
universities have developed flood and drought tolerant crop varieties for
different regions of the country including Odisha.The rice varieties of Swarna
Sub-1, Sambha Mahsuri Sub-1, Varshadhan, Gayatri, Sarla, Pooja, Prateeksha,
Durga, JalaMani, CR Dhan 505, CR Dhan 502, Jalnidhi, Neerja, Jaladhi-1,
Jaladhi-2, Hemavathi will be made available to farmers facing water logging problems
for longer period.
Swarna Sub-1 is bred from a
popular Indian variety of rice Swarna by upgrading it with Sub-1, the gene for
flood tolerance. Swarna was developed by Andhra Pradesh Agriculture University.The
new variety can withstand floods for two weeks unlike existing varieties which
would wilt if it remains under water even for a few days resulting in economic
loss to farmers. However, Swarna Sub-1 can rise back to life after having
submerged for two weeks.
As the demand for this variety is
increasing, the Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack is ready to provide
the breeder seeds to the States affected by frequent floods including Assam,
West Bengal, Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Odhisa and Andhra Pradesh.
Similarly, drought tolerant
varieties like Sahabhagi Dhan, Vandana, Anjali, Satyabhama, DRR Dhan 42 (IR64
Drt 1), DRR Dhan 43, Birsa Vikas Dhan 203, Birsa Vikas Dhan 111, Rajendra
Bhagwati, Jaldi Dhan 6 are made available to the farmers.
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