The Rice That Can Help You Sleep Better
January 1, 2015
Here is some good news: A powerful
natural aid to better sleep could be just a supermarket shelf away. The next
time you go shopping, pop a packet of jasmine rice into your cart, and eat it
about four hours before bedtime—a 2007 research
study conducted at the University of
Sydney says it helps you sleep better.
This is how:
A Thai favorite that has a lovely
nutty flavor and emits a delicate fragrance, jasmine rice has a high glycemic
index, which means it quickly raises blood sugar. This, says Dr. Chow, the lead
researcher, may boost tryptophan and serotonin, the two brain chemicals
responsible for sleep.During the research, scientists compared the effect of jasmine
rice and long-grain rice on sleep. Two groups of healthy men with no sleep
problems were served rice with vegetables and tomato puree.
They found that the group served
jasmine rice fell asleep within an average of 9 minutes, while the long-grain
rice eaters took more than 15 minutes to doze off.The research team also
altered the time gap between serving the rice and going to bed. The results
indicated that four hours was the ideal time period for the sleep-friendly
effects of jasmine rice.Here is a healthy and delicious recipe for cooking with
jasmine rice, ideal for warming you up on a cold winter night. I hope it helps
you get the sleep of your dreams, too!
Source with thanks:http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-rice-that-can-help-you-sleep-better.html#ixzz3NhvflWVY
KBP seeks immediate compensation
for basmati growers
December 31, 2014
Kisan Board Pakistan (KBP) has urged the Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif to ensure immediate implementation on a relief package announced by him
to compensate the rice growers at the rate of Rs 5,000 per acres. KBP Central
President Sadiq Khan Khakwani made this demand during a meeting of a delegation
of Basmati growers here on Tuesday. The growers expressed their reservations
over government attitude and non-implementation of the premier's announcement.
KBP Chief demanded that the farmers who suffered losses because of
recent floods should be compensated at the earliest. He said that unrest is
being found amongst basmati growers due to non-implementation of the package.
He said in response to a countrywide protest staged by the rice growers, the
Prime Minister had directed the Federal Finance Minister and Minister for Food
Security to compensate growers and approved necessary funds. However, KBP Chief
regretted, no method has been evolved in this regard which is a question mark
on functioning of these departments. He reiterated that the government should
take immediate steps to resolve the issues and compensate the loss suffered by
Basmati growers.
Source with thanks:Business
Recorder Pakistan
Rice
industry stakeholders lament over import allocations, Say scheme will derail
self-sufficiency efforts
Wednesday,
31 December 2014 21:17
Written by EDITOR
RICE industry stakeholders have cried out to the Federal
Government asking that the recent wave of rice import licenses be cancelled
outright before investments made by them in the last four years go down the
drain. In a protest letter written to the government through the ministers
of Finance and Trade and Investments, the stakeholders drew attention to what
they called “the recent indiscriminate and wrongful award of import licenses as
well as concessions to dubious businessmen with absolutely no investments in
the rice sector who are now making millions and billions of naira selling those
licenses to importers in the market” They warned that the current
development in which new comers without experience were favored over and above
operators who are at present investing billions in line with the Agricultural
Transformation Agenda (ATA) threatens their investments.
The allocations, the petitioners said, “provide a free ride
for smugglers, thereby derailing the objectives on rice self-sufficiency. The
country according to reports also stands to lose in excess of N 40 billion
through smuggling and loss of customs revenues.” The Federal Ministry of
Finance stipulated revised lower tariffs for rice imports vide Ministry of
Finance Circular BD/FP/TT/50/I/99 dated July 8th 2014 (entitled 2014-2017
Fiscal Policy Measures On Rice). According to this circular, bonafide
“investors with rice milling capacities and verifiable backward integration
programme” are entitled to import rice at the revised tariffs of 10% duty rate
and 20% levy.
As per the same circular, the pure rice traders (with no existing
capacities/programme) were to pay a duty of 10% and a levy of 60%.
However, the allocations released by the Ministry of Agriculture include
several beneficiaries who do not meet the stipulated criteria issued by the
Ministry of Finance in July 2014.
Genuine bonafide investors and industry players in
the rice value chain are seeking immediate corrective action from the Ministry
of Agriculture through cancellation of allocations and revisions to be effected
based on FG’s circular in July 2014. Industry observers feel the Honorable
Minister of Agriculture may have been misadvised on the track record and
qualification of the beneficiaries, leading to flawed assessment of
eligibilities.
Source with thanks:http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news/national-news/192283-rice-industry-stakeholders-lament-over-import-allocations-say-scheme-will-derail-self-sufficiency-efforts
State budget policy limits research work of geneticists
VietNamNet Bridge – Some scientists
carry out research to create new varieties with the state’s money, but then
sell their results to businesses for money, according to Dr. Duong Van Chin, an
agronomist.
Chin made the statement when asked
about the quality of plant varieties and what the state should do to retain
greatest geneticists. Dr. Chin was a “state employee”, holding the post of the
deputy head of the Mekong River Delta Rice Institute. But after retirement,
Chin became the director of the Dinh Thanh Agriculture Research Center, a
cooperation project between the An Giang Plant Protection JSC and Syngenta, a
multinational group on biotechnology and plant varieties.In other words, Chin
was once a hired state employee in the past and he is a businessman at this
moment.
Analysts noted that when scientists
work for state’s institutes and agencies, they cannot create good plant
varieties, but when they shift to work for private businesses, they gain many achievements.
Do scientists receive better pay
when they work for businesses?
Chin said that most of the rice
varieties in the Mekong River Delta are products created by scientists at the
state-owned Mekong River Delta Rice Institute.However, in some cases, there are
also people who carry out research with the state’s money but later sell the
best varieties they create to private businesses.Chin said the current
management policy prompts scientists to do this.
In general, scientists have three
to five years to carry out their research works, and after that period, they
must submit one or several varieties. If they cannot, they must return the
state funding.With such a policy, scientists have to create new varieties, at
any cost, and have the varieties recognized by watchdog agencies.“They
(scientists) do not care if the varieties they create have high quality and fit
the consumers’ taste,” Chin said.
Funding disbursement
Why do scientists prefer working
for businesses to state research institutes?
An official of the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said the ministry budgets VND700
billion a year for scientific research. Of this, VND500 billion is paid to
researchers, while the remaining VND200 billion is given for project
implementation.“The modest sum of money is obviously not enough for all fields
of agriculture production,” he noted.
Chin noted that it takes scientists
five to seven years to create a new plant variety, but Vietnamese scientists
are not given enough time to adequately complete their research works.
Dat Viet
Tags:geneticists,research
work of geneticists,scientific research in vietnam,
Source with thanks: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/special-reports/118979/state-budget-policy-limits-research-work-of-geneticists.html
JCR-VIS reaffirms entity ratings of Matco Rice Processing at
A-/A-2
December
31, 2014
JCR-VIS Credit Rating Company Limited (JCR-VIS) has reaffirmed the
entity ratings of Pakistan's largest basmati rice exporter, Matco Rice
Processing (Pvt) Limited, at "A-/A-2" (Single A-Minus/ A-Two) with
stable outlook. Despite being a highly competitive market with numerous
international rice brands, rice exports from Pakistan increased by 3.3 percent
in FY14 to US 1.9 billion dollars. Matco
was able to capture a larger share of the same as the company's exports
increased by 25 percent in FY14. Growth in exports has been achieved due to
increased sale of basmati rice which fetched a better price in the
international market compared to IRRI.
Sharing his thought on the rating, Chairman Matco Rice, Jawed Ali
Ghori said, "This rating is yet another testament of our market leading
product quality and reflects upon the trust of our valued customers. Our
management has projected increased margins and overall profitability in the
long-run and relishes the current entity rating of A-/A-2 by JCR-VIS with an
aim to further enhance it in the years to come."
He further added that "Matco Rice is constantly striving to increase the quality of products by applying international standards and strengthening rice procurement procedures.-PR
He further added that "Matco Rice is constantly striving to increase the quality of products by applying international standards and strengthening rice procurement procedures.-PR
Source
with thanks:Business Recorder Pakistan
New
Group Set Up for More Sustainable Rice
31
December 2014
GLOBAL
- The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform’s new Sustainable Rice
Project Group aims to speed up the implementation of sustainable rice growing
practices.There are already several existing initiatives out there promoting
aspects of sustainable rice growing, such as the Sustainable Rice Platform,
International Rice Research Institute, and Keystone’s Fieldprint Calculator.
SAI Platform’s Rice Project Group, recognising that each of these initiatives
plays a role, will build on existing work and focus on speeding up the
practical implementation of sustainable practices based on a common industry
standard. The members agreed to collaborate in a variety of rice growing area
such as Spain, Italy, US, South East Asia and India.
Richard
Burkinshaw, Kellogg’s Rice Sustainability manager and SAI Platform member,
said: "SAI Platform membership has grown so fast recently that there is
now a critical mass of members eager to collaborate to enable faster deployment
of sustainable rice agriculture practices in their value chains."The
project group recognizes that these practices improving quality and yields,
whilst reducing water use and greenhouse gas emissions are well known and
tested. For example alternative water management strategies, integrated pest
management, managing resource efficiency all have a potential role to play in
the challenging flooded environment that rice needs .
"The
group recogniss that to see large scale adoption, engagement has to be
practical, simple and have win-win scenarios for farmers, customers and the
environment. Our aim is to make sustainable rice growing transparent and
accessible, helping more to gain as a result."The new group’s mission is
to identify and develop a pragmatic, globally applicable Sustainable Rice
Practices Standard based on SAI Platform’s easy to use Farm Sustainability
Assessment, and to then test and implement it, and feedback any learnings to
the Sustainable Rice Platform.
Members
have committed to test the resulting standard in their respective supply chains
and fund the costs of this joined effort. Local pilots will be executed by the
Group’s members. SAI Platform’s secretariat will take care of the overall
coordination.The project is planned initially for a year. If successful, the
group could decide on follow-up steps like scaling-up, agreeing on metrics and
indicators.
TheCropSite
News Desk
Source with thanks: http://www.thecropsite.com/news/17186/new-group-set-up-for-more-sustainable-rice#sthash.O6DxcEmy.dpuf
Corporate corner
January
01, 2015
Wedding
ceremony of Tanvir Zahoor’s daughter
LAHORE (PR): The marriage ceremony of Kiran Tanvir, daughter of well-known poet and writer Tanvir Zahoor was held the other day. British Empire member Malik Ghulam Rabbani, Aman and Insaneyat Forum president Rana Ihtisham, Punjab PML-N president Syed Naseeb Gerdezi, M Ilyas Moghal Adovocate, Short story writer Tariq Balooch Sehrai and other relatives participate the marriage ceremony.
LAHORE (PR): The marriage ceremony of Kiran Tanvir, daughter of well-known poet and writer Tanvir Zahoor was held the other day. British Empire member Malik Ghulam Rabbani, Aman and Insaneyat Forum president Rana Ihtisham, Punjab PML-N president Syed Naseeb Gerdezi, M Ilyas Moghal Adovocate, Short story writer Tariq Balooch Sehrai and other relatives participate the marriage ceremony.
The
personalities who congratulated the Tanvir Zahoor were; Federal Finance
Minister Ishaq Dar, MPA Dr Shehzad Qaser, Tariq Aziz from London and M Anwar
Qadri, Faisal Nawas From Norway, Dr Khalid Kamal from USA, Justice Syed Afzal
Haider, MNA Rai Mansib, APAT president Khalid Pervaiz, Own Shahid from Japan,
Iftikhar Malik, Manu Bhai, Khalid Choudhri, Begum Naheed Munir Niazi,Haji Inam
Ilahi and others.JCR-VIS Reaffirms Ratings of Matco Rice Processing Ltd
KARACHI (PR): JCR-VIS Credit Rating Company Limited (JCR-VIS) has reaffirmed the entity ratings of Pakistan’s largest basmati rice exporter, Matco Rice Processing (Pvt.) Limited (Matco), at ‘A-/A-2’ (Single A-Minus/ A-Two) with stable outlook.
Despite being a highly competitive market with numerous international rice brands, rice exports from Pakistan increased by 3.3% in FY14 to USD 1.9b. Matco was able to capture a larger share of the same as the company’s exports increased by 25% in FY14. Growth in exports has been achieved due to increased sale of basmati rice which fetched a better price in the international market compared to International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).Meezan Bank, Pak Kuwait
Takaful
sign agreement
Karachi
(PR): Meezan Bank and Pak Kuwait Takaful Co Ltd have entered into an
agreement whereby Pak Kuwait Takaful will provide Takaful (Islamic Insurance)
coverage for the properties financed by Meezan Bank through its housing finance
product ‘Easy Home’. At the
memorandum of understanding signing ceremony, Mr. Muhammad Raza, Group Head Consumer
Banking & Marketing at Meezan Bank said that “Meezan Bank is committed to
providing a completely Shariah-compliant and comprehensive product menu”.
Microsoft
nurtures entrepreneurship
ISLAMABAD
(PR): As a global leader in technologies, Microsoft pursues a mission to
provide a level-playing field for aspiring entrepreneurs, who want to build
something to make the world a better place. With this dignified pursuit of
nurturing the culture of Entrepreneurship, by supporting the Startup companies,
Microsoft has now announced the beginning of “MIC Pre-Accelerator” program in
Pakistan (Register before 29th December, 2014), designed to empower the
progressive entrepreneurs.
The MIC
Pre-Accelerator is a 12-week intensive program designed by Microsoft Innovation
Center (MIC) in Miami, U.S.A., to provide mentorship and training to the
startup ventures, who seek more insight to take their ideas to market. The
program comprises of workshops and coaching from Microsoft and its curriculum
partners.
JS Bank
to conduct due diligence of KASB Bank
KARACHI (PR): State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has granted permission to JS Bank to conduct due diligence of KASB Bank for its proposed acquisition. JS Bank has shown interest to carry out due diligence of KASB Bank as part of its long term vision.
KARACHI (PR): State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has granted permission to JS Bank to conduct due diligence of KASB Bank for its proposed acquisition. JS Bank has shown interest to carry out due diligence of KASB Bank as part of its long term vision.
JS Bank
is one of the fastest growing banks in the country. The Pakistan Credit Rating
Agency (PACRA) has maintained the long-term rating of JS Bank at “A+” (A Plus)
and Short term at A1 (A One) respectively, which further indicates the
financial health of the bank and the trust reposed in it by the country’s
premier credit rating agency.
LTE
handset offer with Bank Alfalah at 0% mark-up
LAHORE (PR): Warid Telecom brings yet another exciting offer in collaboration with Bank Alfalah Limited. The Warid customers using Bank Alfalah Credit Cards can now get LTE handsets on easy installment plans of 6 to 12 months with free LTE Mobile Internet Bundle at absolutely 0% mark-up.
LAHORE (PR): Warid Telecom brings yet another exciting offer in collaboration with Bank Alfalah Limited. The Warid customers using Bank Alfalah Credit Cards can now get LTE handsets on easy installment plans of 6 to 12 months with free LTE Mobile Internet Bundle at absolutely 0% mark-up.
This
offer includes latest Samsung, Sony, Nokia and Huawei LTE devices. With 8GB
monthly mobile internet bucket, Warid subscribers can enjoy absolutely free
high-speed internet either for up to 12 months, depending on their installment
plan.Commenting on the launch of this new offer, Mr. Asim Ali, Commercial
Director, Warid Telecom said, “Having earned a great brand repute over the
years for itself, Warid has always initiated the most affordable and
exceptional services for its valued customers.
Source with thanks: http://nation.com.pk/business/01-Jan-2015/corporate-corner
Rice
Importers To Pay 60% Levy In 2015 – FG
— Dec 31, 2014
The minister said, “The new policy has an inbuilt tariff/levy
differential deliberately skewed in favour of investors with verifiable BIP.
These investors are allowed to temporarily import brown or finished rice to
bridge the present gap in supply and demand and enjoy 10 per cent tariff and 20
per cent levy. On the other hand, mere rice traders will import at 10 per cent
tariff and 60 per cent levy.”
The Nigerian local rice industry was, hitherto, comprised of
entirely small-scale mills until 2008 when the first large integrated mill
commenced operation.“By 2010 the small millers were producing about 60 per cent
of parboiled milled rice in Nigeria, estimated at about 3-3.5 million metric
tonnes with an estimated total consumption of about 5.5 million metric tonnes,”
said the minister.He noted that initially the small mills could not generate
products that could match the quality of imported rice because their products
were deficient in critical quality attributes, including a lack of uniformity,
flavour, odour, high content of broken grains, presence of stones and other
extraneous materials, which limited consumer acceptance of lo cally processed rice.
However, the situation, he emphasised, has changed as clusters
of small mills have acquired destoners and polishers, and have greatly improved
the quality of their product.Speaking on the rice productions trends in
Nigerian, Adesina said, “Nigeria rice sector had struggled to keep pace with
post-civil war rising demands and driven by the oil boom of the early 1970s,
the doors were left open for free import of rice. There was a positive reversal
of the negative rice productions trends.”He added that Nigerian farmers have
shown positive responsiveness to favourable government policy initiated by the
current administration.
Source with thanks: http://leadership.ng/business/398912/rice-importers-pay-60-levy-2015-fg
Rice industry stakeholders lament over import
allocations, Say scheme will derail self-sufficiency efforts
Wednesday,
31 December 2014 21:17 Written by EDITOR
RICE industry stakeholders have cried out to the Federal
Government asking that the recent wave of rice import licenses be cancelled
outright before investments made by them in the last four years go down the
drain. In a protest letter written to the government through the ministers
of Finance and Trade and Investments, the stakeholders drew attention to what
they called “the recent indiscriminate and wrongful award of import licenses as
well as concessions to dubious businessmen with absolutely no investments in
the rice sector who are now making millions and billions of naira selling those
licenses to importers in the market”
They warned that the current development in which new comers
without experience were favored over and above operators who are at present
investing billions in line with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA)
threatens their investments. The allocations, the petitioners said,
“provide a free ride for smugglers, thereby derailing the objectives on rice
self-sufficiency. The country according to reports also stands to lose in
excess of N 40 billion through smuggling and loss of customs revenues.”
The Federal Ministry of Finance stipulated revised lower
tariffs for rice imports vide Ministry of Finance Circular BD/FP/TT/50/I/99 dated
July 8th 2014 (entitled 2014-2017 Fiscal Policy Measures On Rice).
According to this circular, bonafide “investors with rice milling capacities
and verifiable backward integration programme” are entitled to import rice at
the revised tariffs of 10% duty rate and 20% levy. As per the same circular,
the pure rice traders (with no existing capacities/programme) were to pay a
duty of 10% and a levy of 60%.
However, the allocations released by the Ministry of Agriculture
include several beneficiaries who do not meet the stipulated criteria issued by
the Ministry of Finance in July 2014. A study of the list of beneficiaries of
the preferential import quotas, reveals that of the 28 companies, only 16 have
mills, while the remaining 12 have no milling capacities but regrettably
account for higher imports than the qualified millers.
Investigations also reveal that many of the companies without any
proven capacities have already started selling off the quotas to pure importers
for a handsome margin, leading to huge loss of customs revenue and defeating
the basic purpose of the allocations. Genuine bonafide investors
and industry players in the rice value chain are seeking immediate corrective
action from the Ministry of Agriculture through cancellation of allocations and
revisions to be effected based on FG’s circular in July 2014. Industry
observers feel the Honorable Minister of Agriculture may have been misadvised
on the track record and qualification of the beneficiaries, leading to flawed
assessment of eligibilities.
Source with
thanks: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news/national-news/192283-rice-industry-stakeholders-lament-over-import-allocations-say-scheme-will-derail-self-sufficiency-efforts
Pakistani kebabs big hit at
Kolkata fair
Pakistani kebabs big hit at Kolkata fair
Grilled marinated chicken tikkas
and smoking seekh kebabs from Pakistan and rice dishes from Bangladesh with
Ilish (hilsa fish) are not only tasty but healthy too, according to chefs from
the two countries who are here for a fair.
Two stalls from the neighbouring countries are not
only rustling up delicacies at the ongoing 27th Industrial India Trade Fair
here, but also dispelling myths about traditional foods. Be it the warm
platters of aromatic Sindhi Dum Biriyani, or the slow cooked chicken or mutton
Nahari stew, the 15 dishes served at the kiosk of Pakistan's Warsi chain of
restaurants are much in demand. Despite
the rich creamy texture, the items are surprisingly high on nutrition, said
chef Md. Arif of the Warsi restaurant that has outlets in Karachi, Lahore and
Faizabad. "The cooking
techniques that we use across the border, such as grilling and slow cooking,
ensure that the nutritive properties of poultry and vegetables are
retained," Arif, a resident of Karachi, told the media here.
Arif also swears by the combination of spices used. "The garam masala that we use is very different from the Indian version. When mixed in proper proportions with powdered dry fruit, it doesn't heat up the body too much." "In fact, in the chilly winter, spices and dry fruits are necessary. Our families have been surviving on this for generations without any side-effects," the 49-year-old Arif said about his family's secret spice mix. At the other end, the smell of oil squeezed out from the prized Hilsa fish has been a big draw.
From Ilish biriyani to Ilish pulao and Ilish khichdi,
the fish reigns supreme at the Bangladeshi food outlet. "We use all parts of the fish in
our cooking. While the khichdi and pulao have boneless fish pieces, the
biriyani has pieces with bones but no eggs. The oil that is used is also
derived from the fish," said Atanu Pandit of the Bangladeshi food stall. This ensures no extra oil is needed
during the cooking, and the fish in itself is nutritious due to the presence of
Omega-3 fatty acids.
"Ilish is very good for the brain and nervous
system. The fusion of rice and fish is healthy. For the set-up here, we have
used the Ilish caught in Bangladesh rivers," said Pandit.
Source with thanks: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life
-style/food/food-festivals/Pakistani-kebabs-big-hit-at-Kolkata-fair/articleshow/45702880.cms
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1stJanuary,2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter By Riceplus Magazine
