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December 28,2015 Vol 5 Issue
XII
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www.ricepluss.com www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com
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Today Rice News Headlines...
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ü
Local Rice Miller Denies
Involvement in N117bn Rice Importation Scam
ü C’GARH FARMERS GREATEST AGRI SCIENTISTS,
CLAIMS CM
ü Eating fish and meat before rice can help
control blood sugar, researchers say
ü Govt tightens rules of jute packaging
ü Rice prices likely to skyrocket
ü Plant protection team visits blast-affected
paddy fields
ü APEDA Commodity News
ü Cambodia 2015 Paddy Rice Production
Declines
News Detail...
Local Rice
Miller Denies Involvement in N117bn Rice Importation Scam
28 Dec 2015
Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja
The Chairman of Umza International Farms Limited, Alhaji
Mohammed Abubakar Maifata, has denied the allegation that his company smuggled
rice into the country through land borders.Maifata, in his reaction to an
online report, with the headline, ‘Inside the massive fraud in Nigeria’s
N117 billion rice import quota scheme,’ said instead of smuggling, his
company had contributed immensely to Nigeria’s local rice production scheme
through its Kano plant.He alleged that the report was sponsored by some
foreign and local merchants who were disenchanted by the success being
recorded in the country’s local rice production and wanted to frustrate it.
“It
is most disheartening that Premium Times, an online newspaper, claimed to
have conducted an investigation into the alleged massive fraud in the
rice import quota and even went ahead to publish their falsehood without
even respecting the basic tenets of journalism of hearing from the other
side that were maligned by their malicious falsehood before publication,”
Maifata said in a statement in Abuja at the weekend.He said to underscore
his argument that the report was untrue, the milling capacity of his rice
plant is 72,000 metric tons per annum as against 30,000 metric tons
capacity as claimed in the report.“
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The truth of this matter is that Umza International Milling
Plant has a current milling capacity of 72,000 metric tons per annum and the
company is currently in the process of further increasing the milling capacity
to about 120,000 metric tons per annum.
“In this vein, we challenge Premium Times, its paymasters and
sponsors to a working tour of Umza International Rice Milling Plant in Kano at
our expense in the company of independent experts from any part of this world
to determine the true capacity of our mill,” Maifata added.According to him,
Umza Farms has been partnering the United States Agency for International
Department (USAID) in the last three years for the training and sponsorship of
over 10,000 rice farmers.He also said Umza Farms has been partnering local rice
production bodies as well in state such as Kebbi, adding that its success in
rice production recently earned it 11,000 hectares of land from Niger State
Government.
“Our partnership with Rice Farmers Association in Kebbi State is
another area where Umza Farms has proven its investments in rice value chain
where we are currently working with farmers especially from Suru Local
Government Area in the cultivation of paddy.“Umza International Farms has also
secured the approval from Niger State Government for 11,000 hectares of land in
Agaie Local Government Area of the state for its backward integration
programme,” he further said.Maifata described as laughable the claim in the
report that Umza has been importing rice into the country from Thailand, saying
it only imported rice when the Federal Ministry of Agriculture gave it the
mandate to do so.
“It’s also very important that we state at this juncture that
Umza Farms has only imported rice in occasions where the Federal Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development had genuine fears about the capacity of the
local millers to meet the local rice consumption/demand and had encouraged the
local rice millers to import rice in order to bridge the gap between what is
locally produced and what is consumed.“Outside these occasions where Umza Farms
is duly licenced to import rice for national interest, Umza Farms has not and
never imported rice as part of its core business plan. Umza Farms is strictly a
local rice milling plant and would never dabble into rice importation as its
ordinary business.
“It’s so unimaginable to think that Umza Farms could be waging a
war against its own business going by the falsehood perpetrated by Premium
Times when it maliciously and literally stated in the said online publication
that Umza Farms is involved in rice smuggling,” the statement added.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/local-rice-miller-denies-involvement-in-n117bn-rice-importation-scam/229000/
C’GARH
FARMERS GREATEST AGRI SCIENTISTS, CLAIMS CM
Sunday, 27 December 2015 | Staff Reporter | Raipur |
in Raipur
1
Chief Minister Raman Singh on
Saturday heaped praise on farmers of the State for combining traditional
methods and experience with modern technology for increasing agriculture
output.
“Chhattisgarh’s farmers are actually the greatest agriculture
scientists. It is because of their hard work that we have taken a leap from
only rice export to the export of fruits and vegetables along with rice,’’
Singh remarked while inaugurating a three-day National Agriculture Fair at village
Jora on the outskirts of capital Raipur.The fair has been organised by State
Government's Agriculture Department, in association with CII.
Chief Minister dedicated new species of paddy- ‘Chhattisgarh Zinc
Rice-1’, recently developed by Indira Gandhi Agriculture University Raipur, to
farmers. He distributed 1500 mini-kits of this new species of paddy. Chief
Minister also felicitated farmer Dushyant Singh of Janjgir-Champa district for
individually preserving an old species of paddy- ‘Ramjeera’ for past 50 years.Agriculture
and Water Resource Minister Brijmohan Agrawal presided over the inaugural
programme of Farmers Fair. In the programme, Raipur MP Ramesh Bais,
Parliamentary Secretary Tokhan Sahu, MLA Devji Bhai Patel, Apex Bank Chairman
Ashok Bajaj and Chairman of Raipur Milk Federation Rasik Parmar were also
present as special guests.
Chief Minister said in his speech that this national fair was one
great opportunity to learn about the progress of Chhattisgarh in agro-sector in
last 15 years. He said that with their perseverance and dedication, “our
farmers have brought a revolution in the field of agriculture. Various schemes
run by Agriculture Department in coordination with Indira Gandhi Agriculture
University have also accelerated growth of agro-sector”.Chief Minister further
added that agriculture and farmers are the strong pillars of our economy.
Development of agriculture sector is empowerment our economy and also an
important source of employment.
The credit of three Krishi Karman Awards conferred on Chhattisgarh
Government in past also goes to the farmers of State, said Singh.
In this national fair, all the modern methods of agriculture have
been put on display. State Government has organised this fair to educate
farmers about advancement in agriculture methods around the world and encourage
them to adopt the modern ways.Chief Minister informed that in this fair,
farmers will get to know about soil test and modern ways of cultivation.
Agriculture seminars will be organised in Agriculture Development Centres
outside capital city. They will also be informed about method of cultivation
with limited water supply during drought conditions.
Singh said that State Government is committed to bring practical
experiments of laboratories to the field, in larger interest of farmers. He
also talked about success in agriculture sector in remote areas of Bastar and
Surguja, and also cited achievements of Kondagaon and Dantewada districts in
organic farming.
While presiding over the programme, Agriculture Minister Brijmohan
Agrawal said that nearly 50,000 farmers will visit the fair in three days. It
is a great opportunity for farmers to learn and upgrade their ways of
cultivation, as per the advancement in global technology. He mentioned that
Chhattisgarh Government is the first Government to provide financial aid to
drought-hit farmers under RBC.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/cgarh-farmers-greatest-agri-scientists-claims-cm.html
Eating fish and
meat before rice can help control blood sugar, researchers say
DEC 26, 2015
OSAKA – Eating fish or meat ahead of rice can help curb spikes in
blood sugar by slowing down the stomach, a Japanese study has found.“Dietary
therapy focusing on the sequence of food intakes may lead to diabetes
prevention and treatment,” said Daisuke Yabe, deputy director-general of the
Kansai Electric Power Medical Research Institute.In a three-day research
project involving 12 patients with type 2 diabetes and 10 healthy people, the
group monitored changes in blood sugar levels four hours after the subjects had
meals in which rice was consumed either first or last.
When boiled mackerel and grilled beef were eaten 15 minutes before
rice, their sugar levels were about 30 percent and 40 percent lower,
respectively, compared with when they ate rice first.According to their
findings, eating fish and beef first promoted the secretion of incretin, a
gastrointestinal hormone, which slowed stomach motility and thus the rise in
blood sugar.This technique may become even more effective if vegetables are
eaten ahead of fish, meat and rice, the group said.http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/12/26/national/science-health/eating-fish-and-meat-before-rice-can-help-control-blood-sugar-researchers-say/#.VoEMAPl94dX
Govt tightens rules of jute packaging
The move came after millers started
selling rice in 19.5kg plastic bags or lower to circumvent the jute packaging
law, industry stakeholders said."We discovered the practice after starting
a drive to ensure compliance with the law,” said a senior official of the
Department of Jute. "So, the use of jute is now a must for any
quantity of these commodities.”The jute ministry has also formed a nine-member
panel to look into the production and use of plastic bags. The committee's
report, due by December 30, will be used to make recommendations for the
control of plastic bagsIn the face of continued non-compliance, the jute
ministry began a crackdown to enforce the law throughout Bangladesh.
In 2013, the government framed
rules to implement the law, stipulating that all traders as well as government
organisations must use jute bags to pack these commodities. It also asked all
rice millers and traders to clear their stock of plastic bags by December 31 of
the same year. However, private companies remained non-compliant, citing
reasons such as higher cost of jute sacks compared to plastic bags and problems
in branding.Millers said the added costs from compliance to the law will be
passed on to consumers, in the form of higher rice prices. They also blame a
lack of availability of jute sacks for non-compliance.Jute millers have claimed
to have adequate stocks to meet rice millers' demand.
http://www.thedailystar.net/business/govt-tightens-rules-jute-packaging-192946
Rice prices likely to skyrocket
December 27,2015, 12.40
AM IST | | THE HANS INDIA
Hyderabad: Though new rice crop has arrived in city markets, there
appears to be no relief for the consumer as the price of fine variety is sold
at Rs 40 a kg. Last year the same variety was Rs 30 a kg.According to the
Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy Rice Millers Association leader S Balaiah, this year
the demand for rice stocks has seen a new high, particularly from super markets
and retailers. There is near panic buying of rice in the backdrop of poor
kharif yield.
Balaiah said though at the
moment the price of fine variety of rice is around Rs 55 a kg, but when the
existing stocks were exhausted in next three months, the new stocks of rice
would go up to Rs 70 or more a kg. Last year, newly processed fine rice variety
was sold at the rate of Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,400 a quintal and tis time the price
went up to Rs 4,000 a quintal.
The second grade quality was
priced between Rs 3,500 and Rs 3,700 a quintal.
The officials of the State
Agriculture Department told The Hans India that low paddy production led to the
rice prices increasing abnormally. After
March, fine quality rice price may touch Rs 8,000 a quintal and the secondary
quality grains may witness 30 to 40 per cent increase from the present rate.The
officials said the total area under paddy cultivation was 6.15 lakh hectares
only during kharif, which was almost half of the total target of 11. 70 lakh
hectares
http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2015-12-27/Rice-prices-likely-to-skyrocket--195683
Plant protection team visits blast-affected
paddy fields
The team of scientists of Rice Research Station,
Ambasamudram, and Agriculture Department officials in a paddy field near
Vasudevanallur in Tirunelveli district recently.
Step taken on
Collector’s order following representations from farmers
The newly formed district-level
plant protection team, comprising scientists of Rice Research Station,
Ambasamudram, and officials of Agricultural Department, has started inspecting
blast-affected paddy fields in the district.After receiving representations
from agriculturists during the recent farmers’ grievances day meeting,
Collector M. Karunakaran ordered the officials to inspect the affected fields
in Vasudevanallur block and prescribe suitable remedial measures.Subsequently,
a district-level ‘Plant Protection Team’, headed by Joint Director of
Agriculture L. Perumal, was constituted. The team includes Professor and Head,
Rice Research Station, Ambasamudram, Arumugachamy, Professor of Entomology
M.A.K. Pillai, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology Rajini Mala and
block-level officials of Agricultural Department.
The team visited Viswanathaperi
village in Vasudevanallur block recently and inspected the blast-affected paddy
fields.“We found that the paddy fields have been affected by Neck Blast
Disease, which will manifest in grey colour dots in the neck of the panicle. It
will affect the ‘grain filling’ in the panicle to hit the yield,” Mr. Perumal
said.The blast disease first affected the weeds in the bunds and spread into
paddy fields. Hence farmers should keep the bunds clean, he added.“Nitrogenous
fertilizer should be applied in the affected field in split doses. Fungicides
can also be mixed and applied in affected field,” Mr. Perumal said.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/plant-protection-team-visits-blastaffected-paddy-fields/article8035797.ece
APEDA Commodity
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Cambodia 2015 Paddy Rice Production Declines
Slightly to 9.2 Million Tons, Says Agriculture Ministry
Dec 28, 2015
Cambodia's paddy rice
production has declined slightly to around 9.2 million tons in 2015 from around
9.3 million tons in 2014, Khmer Times quoted preliminary data from the Ministry
of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.The slight decline in production is
attributed to drought in some areas, according to the Deputy Director General
of Department of Agriculture. The official expressed confidence that the
decline would not impact exports or domestic supplies as the country has about
3 million tons of rice stocks.He also noted that the Ministry of Water
Resources has alerted farmers to use water sparingly as it is anticipating
lesser rains next year also. The Agriculture Ministry spokesman added that the
government is ensuring uninterrupted water supplies for farming in about
420,000 hectares across 14 provinces along the Mekong and Tonle Sap
rivers.
Some farmers told
reporters that they are continuing to grow rice during the 2015-16 dry season
(October - April) despite harvesting lesser rice in the main season (May -
February). They are however, concerned about the prices, which have declined to
around $250 per ton this year from around $300 per ton in 2014.USDA estimates
Cambodia to produce about 4.7 million tons of rice in MY 2014-15 (January -
December 2015), down from around 4.725 million tons in MY 2013-14. It estimates
Cambodia to export 1.1 million tons of rice (including official and unofficial
exports to Vietnam and Thailand through borders) in 2015, up from an estimated
1 million tons in 2014. Oryza.com
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