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بارشوں
اور سیلاب سے چاول کی ملکی برآمدات میں مزید کمی کا خدشہ
25
جولائی 2015 (15:54)
اسلام آباد (یو این پی)
حالیہ بارشوں اور سیلاب سے چاول کی ملکی برآمدات میں کمی کا خدشہ ہے۔ رائس
ایکسپورٹرز ایسوسی ایشن آف پاکستان ( ریپ) کے چیئرمین رفیق سلیمان نے کہا ہے کہ
چاول کی ملکی برآمدات 2 ارب ڈالر سالانہ سے کم ہو کر ایک ارب 85 کروڑ ڈالر ہوگئی
ہے جبکہ حالیہ بارشوں اور سیلاب سے اس کی ملکی برآمدات میں مزید کمی کا خدشہ ہے۔
رفیق سلیمان نے کہا ہے کہ شعبہ کی ترقی اور ملکی برآمدات کے فروغ کیلئے ریسرچ اینڈ
ڈویلپمنٹ کے شعبہ پر خصوصی توجہ کی ضرورت ہے انہوں نے اعلیٰ حکام سے درخواست کی کہ
شعبہ میں تحقیق اور ترقی کے لئے جامع حکمت عملی مرتبہ کی جائے تاکہ ملکی برآمدات
کے فروغ سے زرعی شعبہ کی ترقی کو یقینی بنایا جاسکے۔
HYDERABAD: Finance and Civil Supplies minister E Rajender warned
that the government would take stern action against officials, if they are
found colluding with the black-marketeers.At a review meeting on Thursday,
Rajender directed the officials to register cases under PD Act against those
who divert essential commodities intended to supply through public distribution
system. If any official is found colluding with the black-marketeers they would
have to face serious action, he said.
Officials informed the minister that they raided on several rice
mills in Warangal and seized 1,620 quintals of PDS rice from millers who wanted
to divert the same after re-cycling. The millers were found diverting PDS rice
to sell it for higher prices in the open market, the officials informed.
Japan,
U.S. eye compromise on rice ahead of TPP talks
12:38 am, July 24, 2015
The Yomiuri ShimbunNegotiations on raising the
ceiling for the volume of rice imported from the United States — the largest
remaining issue in Japan-U.S. talks on tariffs in connection with the Trans-Pacific
Partnership trade agreement — are approaching a settlement. As negotiations
enter the final phase, Japan and the United States are apparently showing their
willingness to compromise, from the perspective of aiming to achieve a
high-level TPP deal at the ministerial meeting to be held later this month.
Unprepared to leave the rice imports to transactions among
private companies, the United States is asking Japan to guarantee a volume of
U.S. rice imports, in an effort to ensure an increase in the amount. The two
countries will speed up the process of last-minute negotiations from now on.Based
on rules set by the World Trade Organization, Japan uses the so-called minimum
access rice system, under which the nation imports a total of 770,000 tons of
foreign rice per year, including 360,000 tons from the United States, without
applying a tariff. At present, the focus of negotiations is to set up a special
TPP quota, separate from the minimum access rice system, and determine the
amount by which the rice imports can be boosted.
For the special TPP quota, the United States is also seeking for
Japan to guarantee imports of U.S. rice as an obligation of the Japanese
government, in the same manner as the minimum access rice system.
Japan, however, has insisted on leaving the exact volume to be
determined by private companies’ transactions. Under the Japanese formula, for
example, it would be possible for the actual import volume to remain at 50,000
tons despite an agreed quota of 80,000 tons. Therefore, Washington is demanding
concessions from Tokyo.Behind this is the fact that differences in rice prices
between Japan and the United States have been reduced due to the yen’s
continuing depreciation, among other reasons. Therefore, U.S. rice is losing
its price-based appeal for the food service sector and other industries in
Japan.Meanwhile, if the Japanese government agrees to guarantee rice imports,
there is a possibility that the United States could make a concession to reduce
the volume of U.S. rice imports. Therefore, from now on, the Japanese
government is likely to explore measures that are advantageous for Japan.
Meeting in Maui
Chief negotiators from 12 countries involved in TPP negotiations
will hold a meeting on the island of Maui in Hawaii from Friday to Monday.
Ahead of the ministerial session starting from Tuesday, where participating
countries aim to strike a broad deal at the meeting, chief negotiators are
trying to narrow as much as possible any differences of opinion on intellectual
property rights protections and other matters.
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002307131
Ending Rice
Importation
24 Jul 2015
Farmers at a rice farm
With the World Bank’s support for
the FADAMA project to increase local capacity, the importation of rice, a
staple food in Nigeria may be a thing of the past. Solomon Elusoji writes
It was the immediate past Minister for Agriculture, who is now
the President, African Development Bank (ADB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who told
Nigerians that about N30 billion have been lost by Nigeria due to abuse and
lack of transparency in import waivers on rice importation. That naturally set
the ball rolling for a total revamp of that sector of the economy.The Senate
then followed up by asking the Central Bank of Nigeria to collaborate with the
Nigerian Customs Service to retrieve the N30 billion from the importers who are
said to have manipulated due process and evaded the payment of importation
duty.What led to the waiver scandal was the inability of Nigerian rice farmers
to meet local demand for the staple food. Rice could be said to be the most
consumed staple food in Nigeria today. It is estimated that about N1 billion
worth of rice is consumed daily in Nigeria, and a majority of that is derived
from imports.
The rice import bill for Nigeria, which was N123.61 million in
1980, rose to N9.72 billion in the year 2000. In 2002, Nigeria even ranked
among the top six largest world rice importers with total milled rice import
put at 1,251,718 tonnes.There is no doubt that such huge level of demand
provides immense opportunities for the production of rice and other activities
along its value chain. This was the opportunities that foreign countries
producing rice have seen and which informed the off-loading of rice from their
stores into the country, what Dr. Adesina described as “rice that has spent
decades in the strategic grain reserve of these countries and that is not even
fit for animal consumption.
”Adesina has been vociferous in his campaign that locally
produced rice is more nutritious.It was therefore a pleasant step in the right
direction when the World Bank, through FADAMA, identified rice as a priority
staple food for support under the $200 million FADAMA III Additional
Financing (AF), which is aimed, among others at ramping up production and
increasing income of farmers operating within the catchment of the selected
States and other production areas engaged in priority staple foods, namely
rice, cassava, sorghum, and horticulture in Kogi, Kano, Lagos, Niger, Enugu and
Anambra States.
The details of the implementation arrangement are outlined in
the amended Subsidiary Agreement of the Parent Project satisfactory in form and
substance to the Association. The amended Subsidiary Agreement has to be
executed on behalf of the Recipient and the Participating State concerned, as a
condition of disbursement of additional finance in respect of activities taking
place in that those State.Lagos State has been selected for rice production
under the current project because of the success stories of FADAMA parent
projects in the state.The cooperation of the state government in prompt payment
of its counterpart funding of the projects, and the establishment of Eko Rice
Mills by the state government at Imota-Ikorodu with a capacity of 20, 000
metric tons per annum made that happened.
For instance, about 400 farmers are presently being prepared for
the rice planting season in Lagos State under the FADAMA III Additional Finance
Project for which the Federal and Lagos State Governments recently signed a $25
million agreement.Lagos State has a huge market, not only because of its daily
increasing population, but also because the States of South West rely mainly on
the Lagos market for the sales and purchase of agricultural produce. It is
therefore the commendable foresight of the World Bank and the Federal
Government to have picked Lagos State for this special support.
A visit to the Imota factory of Eko Rice Mills, which is
producing unpolished rice revealed state-of-the-art equipment in a hygiene and
safety-conscious environment. The rice being produced is very nutritious and is
packed in bags of five, 25 and 50 killogrammes. The mill is presently sourcing
materials/paddy from two farm sites in Toga, Badagry and Itokin, all in Lagos
State.
The AF, apart from boosting production and raising income of
farmers, is also creating employment in Lagos and neighbouring States. For
example, a 10, 000 hectares of land has been acquired in Ogun State for rice
farming to feed the Eko Rice Mills.
The Lagos State Government has also introduced Rice-for-Job
Programme, which is a sort of empowerment programmes for youths who are
encouraged to go into rice farming.Every year, according to the Management
Information System Officer for State FADAMA Office in Lagos, Mr. Oladipo Azeez,
the youths are trained in rice production and at the end of the training they
are supported by FADAMA with technical and financial aids, and advisory
services to go into rice production and to start their own farm. About 3, 000
youths participate in the programme, while rice plantations have been
established in Itokin, Egua, Imota and Badagry on the basis of one hectare of
land per farmer.The Eko Rice Mills, manned by Nigerian Engineers, has been
enjoying the yearly patronage of the Lagos State Government, especially during
festive periods. The patronages from other individuals and organisations have
increased tremendously, as the people have been educated and informed that
locally produced rice is more nutritious, better and even cheaper than the
imported rice.
Mr. Azeez remarked: "we don’t even know how many years the
imported rice has spent in their stores and how many months on the sea before
getting to our markets and finally the consumers. Our own rice here is
farm-fresh. This is last year’s harvest.”
For example, the quality of a pack 500g of imported rice bought
from one of the stores, when tested, was below that of Eko Rice Mills, and
worse still, it was sold for N1, 500, whereas the 5kg pack of Eko Rice goes for
N1, 000. So, it does make a lot of economic sense to grow, patronize and
consume local rice, just as FADAMA III Additional Financing for Lagos rice
farmers makes a lot of development sense.On the success of FADAMA III, the
FADAMA state coordinator, Foluso Ajijola, noted that many projects were started
and completed.
“Farmers were supported in the acquisition of productive assets
and in their production lines. Equipment for fisheries, livestock, and crops
were purchased to increase farmers’ activities and income.“Furthermore, fishing
equipment, boats and engines were provided for fish farmers to be able to go to
high sea fir fishing, while many of the groups acquired cold rooms to store and
preserve their fishes. One of them is the five tons cold room of Agbelere FCA
in Eti Osa LG. We also have in Epe and other parts, while butchers have also
been assisted with cold rooms and market reconstruction,” he said.
Facing surplus rice stocks of close to 1 million ton due to
falling commodity prices in the international market, Pakistan has asked Kenya
to lower the import duty on Pakistani rice which is affecting rice exports.Finance
Minister Ishaq had a meeting with Kenyan High Commissioner Prof Julius Kibet
Bitok on Thursday. The minister highlighted the issue regarding enhancement in
import duty on Pakistani rice by Kenya and asked for a review of the matter.He
said that enhancement of the duty was affecting Pakistani rice exports to
Kenya. The matter regarding import of Kenyan tea in Pakistan was also discussed
with emphasis on efforts to ensure import through regular channels.It is
important to mention that Pakistani exporters use Kenya as a hub for exports to
the Africa region.
Pakistani exporters are facing stiff competition from Indian,
Thai and Vietnamese exporters. Pakistan, for the last two years, has not
managed to export its surplus rice and this year another bumper crop of 7
million tons is expected which is estimated to increase the exportable surplus
for current 0.6 million tons to over 1 million tons.The lowering international
commodity prices are impacting the farmer, whose cost of production is
estimated around Rs 70,000 per acre but in return they are getting Rs 36,000
per acre. The government is under pressure to buy the surplus stocks from the
rice mills and export them on government to government basis to protect the
farmers.
Aside from corn, rice might be the single most important staple
crop on Earth. According to the International Center for Tropical Agriculture,more than 3.5 billionpeople around the world depend on rice for at least 20 percent of
their daily caloric intake. But rice is also a major source of methane, a
potent greenhouse gas that’s more effective, at least in the short term, at
trapping heat than carbon dioxide.
Now, scientists at the Swedish
University of Agricultural Sciences think they’ve found a solution: a
high-yielding, low-methane type of rice that can cut methane emissions from rice
cultivation by up to 90 percent.To create the starchy, climate-friendly rice,
the scientists transferred a single gene from barley to rice that stimulates
the production of starch in grain and stems. According to the study, published
this week inNature, previous research has shown that rice plants with smaller
root systems tended to expel less methane than plants with larger roots, and
the scientists hoped that by emphasizing starch growth in the stems and grains,
the rice plants would naturally grow smaller root systems. Root systems in rice
secrete the carbohydrates created by photosynthesis — when rice paddies are flooded,
the oxygen-devoid environment provides the perfect breeding ground for
methane-producing bacteria that feed on these carbohydrates. By reducing the
size of the rice plants’ roots, the scientists hoped that they could curb the
amount of methane produced in the fields.
To test how the modified rice plants fared in the real world, the
scientists planted the rice in two different fields in China, alongside
conventional rice, which served as a benchmark. Over three years, they measured
the methane emitted by the plants in the fall and summer, near the end of the
growing season. They also took measurements of starch content in the plants’
stems, roots, and seeds.
They found the modified rice plants
extremely effective at producing starch and curbing methane emissions. In the
summer, when temperatures were highest, the modified rice cut methane emissions
to 0.3 percent of conventional rice. On average, the modified rice produced
less than 10 percent the methane of conventional rice, while providing 43
percent more grain per plant.Inan essayinNaturethat accompanied the study’s
publication, Paul Bodelier, a researcher at the Netherlands Institute of
Ecology who was not directly involved with the study, called the findings “a
tremendous opportunity for more-sustainable rice cultivation,” but cautioned
that large-scale trials are necessary before moving forward with full-scale commerical
use. Without more trials, Bodelier wrote, it’s difficult to know how the
genetic modification impacts the rice cultivar’s long-term chances for
survival. It’s also important to study how the plant’s root system impacts
microbes in the soil — microbes that themselves contribute to theproduction and consumption of
greenhouse gaseslike carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide,
and methane.
Inan interview with the Los
Angeles Times, Bruce Linquist, a plant
scientist at the University of California at Davis, echoed Bodelier’s
sentiment. The research is too preliminary to know for sure how the genetic
modification impacts methane production, Linquist said, and there is some
concern that smaller root systems might impact the plants’ ability to take up
nutrients.Even if further trials prove the efficacy of the modified rice, it
faces huge hurdles in order to become commercially viable. Largely in response
to public distrust of genetically modified foods, no genetically modified rice
has ever been successfully used in commercial production.Golden rice— a genetically modified strain of rice thatcontains beta caroteneto combat malnutrition in developing countries — was ready for
full-scale use in 2002, but hasfaced staunch oppositionthat has kept it from market for over a decade.
Despite public distrust — a January
poll conducted by Pew found that57 percent of Americansthink genetically modified foods are generally unsafe to
eat — nearly all scientific evidence suggests that genetically modified foodspose no threat to human health.There is some concern, however, about the environmental
impact of genetically modified foods. Crops like Roundup-resistant soy or corn
have led to a markedincrease in the use of
herbicidesin the United States, though some
studies have also shown that genetically modified crops have led to a decrease
in the use of some pesticides. Since the low-methane strain of rice isn’t bred
to be herbicide or pesticide resistant, this most likely won’t be an issue with
this particular strain — though the way that its root-system interacts with
microbes in the soil is something to watch.
The Food
and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has nominated
Brajendra, working with Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), as one of the
27 top global soil experts to the panel of UNFAO-GSP Intergovernmental
Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS).Project Director of ICAR-Indian Institute of
Rice Research, V. Ravindra Babu, said on Thursday that the third plenary
assembly held at FAO headquarters from June 22 to 24 has nominated Mr.
Brajendra here for a period of two years. The scientist has also been invited
by UNFAO from Asia to participate in the ITPS meeting to be held at Rome,
Italy, from September 14 to 18 this year for developing global soil
partnerships pillars of action.Working as a senior scientist with IIRR here, Mr.
Brajendra has more than 15 years experience in research, developing soil
technologies, soil extension and popularising the sciences among the masses and
making it accessible to the common people, Mr. Ravindra Babu stated.
Unlocking rice immune system will benefit
humanity: Scientists
Washington, July 25 (IANS): Rice is a staple
food for half of the world's population. To protect it against deadly
pathogens, a team of researchers has identified a bacterial signal that, when
recognised by rice plants, enables them resist a devastating blight disease.The
team discovered that a bacterial protein called “RaxX” activates a specific
rice immune receptor protein named “XA21”.This activation triggers an immune
response against Xanthomonas oryzaepv.oryzae (Xoo), a pathogen that causes
bacterial blight, a serious disease of rice crops.
"Our
results show that 'RaxX' - a small, previously undescribed bacterial protein -
is required for activation of immunity to Xoo,” said Pamela Ronald, plant
geneticist for the US Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute
(JBEI) and the University of California (UC) Davis.XA21 can detect RaxX and
quickly mobilise its defenses to mount a potent immune response against Xoo."Rice
plants that do not carry the XA21 immune receptor or other related immune
receptors are virtually defenseless against bacterial blight,” Ronald added in
a paper that appeared in the journal Science Advances.
Pathogens
of grass-type biofuel crops that would reduce the yield of fuel-producing
biomass likely use similar infection mechanisms to Xoo."Having identified
the activator of XA21, we will be able to study the rice immune system in far
greater detail than ever before. This might help in the future engineering of
more disease-resistant grass-type biofuel crops,” explained Benjamin
Schwessinger, a grass geneticist with JBEI.Most plants and many animals can
only defend themselves against a given disease if they carry specialised immune
receptors that sense the invading pathogen behind the disease.Rice is also a
model plant for perennial grasses which are prime feedstock candidates for the
production of clean, green and renewable cellulosic biofuels.
Just as
bacterial blight poses a major threat to rice crops, bacterial infections of
grass-type fuel plants could present major problems for the future production
of advanced biofuels.In addition to its implications for future grass-type
biofuel feedstocks, unlocking the rice immune system also holds important
implications for the worldwide supply of rice, the authors concluded.
When a
new variety of rice is announced, activists in Europe brace for a new fight
against Genetically Modified Foods and US manufacturers seek for a new market,
preferably in Asia and Africa. On Wednesday, the announcement was made in Paris
by a team of Chinese, Swedish and US scientists, and everyone was willing to
listen.Rice is a staple favored in some of the most demographically expanding
countries in the world. Billions of people eat rice, every day, thousands of
tons of it. This particular variety’s claim to fame is not merely that it
promises to feed more people, which it does.
This
rice is good for the environment. In fact, it may be the single most important
breakthrough in the fight against global warming made in years, if politics,
the ethical argument, and science will allow (in that order). This rice emits
less methane.The key arestarchier grainsthat on the one hand are more nutritious and,
on the other, they can curb global
warming. Rice emits methane, a gas that makes up 16%
of the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change. Unlike coal, methane
dies out faster once released to the atmosphere, but traps far more heat on the
Earth’s surface whilst up there.
Each year, rice paddies emit 25 to 100 million
tones of methane. And as human grow more and more of the staff each year, rice
is turning into a climate liability of unbelievable proportions.Since 2002, it
was noted that the bulkier the grain of the rice plant, the less methane
emitted. Apparently, that is because starchier rice grains mean allow for less carbon
to transferred to the soil, where it is turned into methane via decomposition.
Plants left to rot, stink. Rather than focusing on farming practices, the
scientists are now focusing on the rice itself. The key, apparently was the
addition of a barley gene, giving rise to a strain dubbed SUSIBA 2. Three year
of experimental cultivation in China indicates the strain emits significantly
less methane.As always, this “groundbreaking” discovery comes with ethical
issues to be addressed. It is as yet unknown how the spread of this seed could
affect rice plant survival and there is the perennial issue of how safe GM
crops are for human consumption. In addition, it is unknown whether lowering
the rate of carbon transferred to the ground by rice affects the ecosystem
otherwise.
Joint BioEnergy Institute study identifies bacterial protein
that is key to protecting rice against bacterial blight
DOE/LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL
LABORATORY
IMAGE: RICE IS A STAPLE FOR HALF THE
WORLD'S POPULATION AND THE MODEL PLANT FOR GRASS-TYPE BIOFUEL FEEDSTOCKS.
CREDIT: PHOTO BY ROY KALTSCHMIDT,
BERKELEY LAB
A bacterial signal that when recognized by rice plants enables
the plants to resist a devastating blight disease has been identified by a
multi-national team of researchers led by scientists with the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) and the University of
California (UC) Davis.The research team discovered that a tyrosine-sulfated
bacterial protein called "RaxX," activates the rice immune receptor
protein called "XA21." This activation triggers an immune response
against Xanthomonas oryzaepv.oryzae (Xoo), a pathogen that causes bacterial
blight, a serious disease of rice crops."Our results show that RaxX, a small,
previously undescribed bacterial protein, is required for activation of
XA21-mediated immunity to Xoo," says Pamela Ronald, a plant geneticist for
both JBEI and UC Davis who led this study.
"XA21 can detect RaxX and quickly mobilize its defenses to mount
a potent immune response against Xoo. Rice plants that do not carry the XA21
immune receptor or other related immune receptors are virtually defenseless
against bacterial blight."Ronald, who directs JBEI's grass genetics
program and is a professor in the UC Davis Department of Plant Pathology, is
one of two corresponding authors of a paper describing this research inScience Advances, along with Benjamin
Schwessinger, a grass geneticist with JBEI's Feedstocks Division at the time of
this study and now with the Australian National University. The paper is titled
"The rice immune receptor XA21 recognizes a tyrosine-sulfated protein from
a Gram-negative bacterium." (See end of story for a complete list of
authors.)
Rice is a staple food for half the world's population and a
model plant for perennial grasses, such as Miscanthus and switchgrass, which
are prime feedstock candidates for the production of clean, green and renewable
cellulosic biofuels. Just as bacterial blight poses a major threat to rice crops,
bacterial infections of grass-type fuel plants could present major problems for
the future production of advanced biofuels. However, the mechanisms by which
bacteria infect such grasses is poorly understood."Pathogens of grass-type
biofuel crops that would reduce the yield of fuel-producing biomass likely use
similar infection mechanisms to Xoo," says Schwessinger. "Having
identified the activator of XA21, we will be able to study the rice immune
system in far greater detail than ever before.
As rice is the model for
grass-type biofuel feedstocks, this might help in the future engineering of
more disease-resistant grass-type biofuel crops."Most plants and many
animals can only defend themselves against a given disease if they carry
specialized immune receptors that sense the invading pathogen behind the
disease. In 2009, Ronald and her group identified a small bacterial protein
they named "Ax21" as the molecular key that binds to the XA21
receptor to activate a rice plant's immune response. Diligent follow-up
research by her group led to Ronald retracting these results and continuing the
search for the true key.
"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," Ronald
says, "but then it was back to the drawing board. Now we have the real
XA21 activator."To uncover the true XA21 activator, Ronald and her
collaborators studied mutations around an operon known as "RaxSTAB."
Operons are small groups of genes with related functions that are
co-transcribed in a single strand of messenger RNA."We hypothesized that
the activator of XA21 might be encoded in the proximity of the molecular
machinery that we already knew was involved in production of the
activator," says Rory Pruitt, a member of Ronald's research group and a
co-lead author with Schwessinger of theScience Advancespaper.
"One of these
bacterial mutants had a deletion of a then unknown gene, now called raxX."Adds
Schwessinger, "When we looked more closely in this operon region we
identified raxX as a potentially expressed gene. This small gene stuck out as
it was very well conserved in other Xanthomonas that encode RaxSTAB but not
conserved in any other bacteria that miss this operon."In addition to its
implications for future grass-type biofuel feedstocks, the revelation of RaxX
as the bacterial molecule that triggers the XA21-mediated immune response also
holds important implications for the worldwide supply of rice. The research
team has shown that a number of strains of the blight bacteria can evade
XA21-mediated immunity because they encode a variant of raxX alleles.
"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," says Schwessinger. "We can then inform farmers which rice
varieties will be resistant to those bacterial populations."Schwessinger
also notes that several major human diseases involve tyrosine-sulfated
proteins, including HIV. However the precise role of tyrosine sulfation in
receptor binding and cell invasion is not understood."Understanding the
RaxX/XA21 ligand-receptor pair might help medical researchers better understand
the role of tyrosine sulfation for receptor binding in human disease,"
Schwessinger says. "This could lead to the development of novel components
that block the binding of specific tyrosine-sulfated proteins."
###
This research was supported by both the DOE Office of Science,
the National Institutes of Health, and the Human Frontier Science Program.In
addition to Ronald, Schwessinger and Pruitt, other co-authors of theScience Advancespaper were Anna Joe, Nicholas
Thomas, Furong Liu, Markus Albert, Michelle Robinson, Leanne Chan, Dee Dee Luu,
Huamin Chen, Ofir Bahar, Arsalan Daudi, David De Vleesschauwer, Daniel
Caddell,Weiguo Zhang, Xiuxiang Zhao, Xiang Li, Joshua Heazlewood, Deling Ruan,
Dipali Majumder, Mawsheng Chern, Hubert Kalbacher, Samriti Midha, Prabhu Patil,
Ramesh Sonti, Christopher Petzold, Chang Liu, Jennifer Brodbelt and Georg
Felix.Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent
scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health,
creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe.
Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized
with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the
U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visithttp://www.lbl.gov.DOE's
Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the
physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the
most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit the
Office of Science website atscience.energy.gov/.
Beating hunger: This Emirati farmer shows
how to grow rice in the desert
Using hydroponics, Emirati farmer unveils exciting solution to
curb hunger -- by growing rice, pineapple, papayas, nectarines, oranges, black
and blueberries and grapes without soil
Image Credit: WAM
Emirati Saleh Mohammad Yarouf Al Mansouri shows a rice variety
he is growing using hydroponics. He is one of exhibitors at the on-going Liwa
Dates Festival 2015, an agricultural event which ends on July 30.
PUBLISHED: 19:55 JULY 24, 2015
STAFF REPORTER
Western Region: Emirati Saleh Mohammad Yarouf Al Mansouri has
demonstrated his amazing green thumb by growing rice in the desert.On Friday,
he exhibited an exciting experiment that could potentially help beat hunger
especially in the world's arid regions. He is planting rice in his farm in
Liwa, an oasis in the UAE's south-western region.And his new experiment is
starting to bear fruit using a water-efficient farming method called
hydroponics.Al Mansouri has been growing vegetables and fruits too, which he
brought for everyone to see at the on-going Liwa Dates Festival 2015, an annual
event which ends on July 30.The Emirati farmer had been using hydroponics to
grow vegetables for years.Hydroponics is a branch of hydro-culture which
employs a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions directly in
water -- without soil, according to the official agency WAM.
Many commercial farms in the UAE had been using hydroponics for
decades now to grow everything from strawberries to celery for both local and
export markets.But Al Mansouri has now taken it to higher pitch -- by
demonstrating he can also grow and harvest rice too -- potentially helping
solve land and water scarcity for the cultivation of rice.The International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in Los Banos, Philippines, estimates that
up to 20 million hectares of irrigated rice fields may suffer from water
scarcity by 2025.Japanese researchersat the Chiba University estimate that
global production of rice, a staple for much of Asia, must increase by more
than 50 per cent before 2050 to satisty an expected spike in demand by the
world's growing population.
Experiment
The Emirati farmer said he started his experiments back in 2010
by planting various types of vegetables and other plants in his Liwa farm.As
the experiments proved to be a complete success, Al Mansouri decided to grow
the vegetables in commercial quantities.At the festival, Al Mansouri is
exhibiting other fruits which he grew using the same method -- such as
pineapples, papayas, nectarines, oranges, black and blue berries and grapes.
Then he started planting rice and is now exhibiting his hydroponic
rice product samples at the agro-industrial event.Al Mansouri's passion for
hydroponics makes him believe this modern food production method could be used
on a much larger scale over the coming years, through the use of a smart
irrigation system.He also urged other farmers to try and use it. "Some
farmers," Al Mansouri said, "believe this method is complicated and
costly ... and that is not true."Hay from rice could also potentially
boost local production of animal fodder, which could help the local dairy
industry.
A vendor sells varieties of rice at a retailer shop in Makati,
Metro Manila in the Philippines. The Philippines, one of the world’s biggest
rice importers, could ship in more to boost buffer stocks and keep local prices
stable because of an El Nino dry weather pattern now forecast to last until
next year, potentially hurting the local harvest.
10:37 PM 24 July2015
The Aquino administration has imported an alarming 2.1mn metric
tonnes (MT) of rice this year alone that would reduce prices of farm-gate palay
(unhusked rice) to the detriment of farmers, lawmakers said yesterday.Party-list
Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate made the warning in House
Resolution 2231, which calls on the House Committee on Agriculture and Food and
the Special House Committee on Food Security to conduct a joint inquiry, in aid
of legislation, into the excessive importation of rice by the National Food
Authority (NFA) Council.The 2.1mn MT of rice import for 2015 is broken down
into 500,000 MT procured by the NFA from Thailand and Vietnam through two
rounds of government-to-government transactions, 250,000 MT programmed for the
lean season, 250,000 MT reserve volume, 805,200 MT private sector imports from
the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) and 300,000 MT delivered this year from 2014
MAV.
The 805,200 MT private sector
imports from the MAV came from China, India, Pakistan, Australia, El Salvador,
Thailand and Vietnam, among others, with the biggest chunk of 293,000 MT
sourced from neighboring Thailand and Vietnam.“The 2.1mn MT in rice import for
2015 is highly irregular and doubtful. Excessive importation jeopardises the
livelihood of our farmers nationwide. In fact, even the NFA admitted that
importation would surely cause the farm-gate prices of palay to go down from
its current price pegged at P17 per kilo,” the resolution of the lawmakers from
Bayan Muna pointed out.Bayan Muna said the NFA made matters worse by merely
procuring 7,789 MT of palay for January-October 2014, a steep decline from the
365,582 MT palay procured in 2013.Director Edilberto de Luna of the Department
of Agriculture’s National Rice Programme said the NFA should at least buy 1mn
MT of palay from farmers to ensure the stability of farm-gate prices.“It is rather
incomprehensible that the NFA managed to [procure] excessive amounts of
imported rice while reasoning out that they are hampered from buying more palay
from farmers due to lack of funding,” Bayan Muna pointed out.
“The government did not even
assure farmers that they would take necessary measures to stabilise the prices
to ensure food security. Hence, should this excessive importation continue, the
public will be expecting another round of price hikes not only of rice, but
other commodities,” the lawmakers said.Moreover, Bayan Muna revealed that the
Aquino administration has been marred by low rice distribution based on NFA
records.From a total rice distribution of 1.7mn MT in 2010, the NFA only
distributed 1.9 MT in 2011, 766,000 MT in 2012, 758,000 MT in 2013 and 1.2 mn
MT in 2014.“Rice distribution is the capacity of the government to judiciously
disperse stocks, thereby ensuring sustainable rice inventories in critical
areas of the country.
This means that despite the
Aquino administration attaining record-setting importation volumes, the
consuming public did not benefit from the same,” Colmenares and Zarate said.“It
is the primordial duty of Congress to partake in measures or actions that would
ensure not only food security to the public but also their protection from
those who try to abuse our resources. President Benigno Aquino 3rd himself
questioned the excessive importation of rice during the Arroyo administration.
And yet, the situation worsened during his term,” the two lawmakers added.
ARLINGTON, VA -- In the weekly
sales report released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it was
announced that 60,000 MT of long grain rice was sold to Iran. The last
shipment of U.S. rice to Iran was in May 2013, a year in which the U.S.
exported 126,000 MT of rice to that country. U.S. sanctions toward
Iran, like in Cuba, has an exception for food, but requires licenses be
obtained from the Treasury Department Office of Foreign Asset Control to
complete sales.
This sale follows closely on the heels of a similar 60,000 MT
sale to Iraq, which was the result of significant efforts and engagement of
USA Rice with the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, and the
Foreign Agricultural Service."These sales could not have come at a
better time for rice farmers and the rice milling industry," said Betsy
Ward, USA Rice President & CEO. "With the current market
situation, any added demand is most welcome."
USA Rice
Meets with Taiwan Government Officials and USDA about Rice Imports
Michael Rue
TAIPEI,
TAIWAN -- Last week, Michael Rue, California rice producer and chairman of USA
Rice's Asia Trade Policy Subcommittee, and USA Rice COO Bob Cummings met with
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service employees
stationed in Taiwan and with officials from Taiwan's Agriculture and Food
Agency (AFA) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs to discuss ongoing concerns
about access for U.S. rice in Taiwan.When Taiwan joined the World Trade
Organization, officials agreed to import 64,634 MT (brown basis) of U.S. rice annually. Approximately 45 percent is imported directly
by AFA and the remainder is purchased under a Simultaneous Buy-Sell system
managed by AFA officials.
Import
tenders for U.S. and other origin rice often fail because the offered prices
exceed a price ceiling set by AFA. "We continued our discussion with AFA
about the non-transparent nature of the price ceiling mechanism and the
problems this causes Taiwan in fulfilling its WTO obligations," said
Michael Rue. Taiwan did agree to hold an annual rice technical meeting with USA
Rice members. Taiwan officials also
expressed interest in joining the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement
following completion of negotiations among the current 12 participants,
including the United States.
Contact:
Kristen Dayton (703) 236-1464
CME
Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
CME Group (Prelim): Closing Rough Rice Futures forJuly 24
Month
Price
Net Change
September 2015
$11.045
- $0.065
November 2015
$11.310
- $0.065
January 2016
$11.580
- $0.065
March 2016
$11.780
- $0.065
May 2016
$11.970
- $0.065
July 2016
$11.970
- $0.065
September 2016
$11.980
- $0.065
Researchers use test plots to adapt
recommendations
RAYVILLE –The differences in growing rice in north and south Louisiana
create the need for researchers to study how farmers can adapt their practices
to fit the varied environments, an LSU AgCenter expert said recently.Speaking
at the Northeast Louisiana rice field day, LSU AgCenter rice breeder Steve
Linscombe said test plots on farmers’ land help test potential rice varieties
to see how the perform in different settings with varying soil types and
climates.The field day was held at the Woodsland Plantation south of Rayville
where Linscombe has a series of test plots.Among the rice included in the test
plots are two lines that could become varieties this year, he said.The line
LA2134 has a yield potential similar or perhaps higher than CL151 with better
grain quality, better lodging resistance and more blast disease resistance, he
said.
A seed increase grown in Puerto Rico has been planted in a
20-acre field at the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station near Crowley.Also up
for consideration as a release is a medium-grain line, LA2008, he said.Blast is
a problem for some growers this year, although it is not as bad as in 2012,
Linscombe said. The severity may have been reduced this year because farmers
are using fungicides more effectively.Bacterial panicle blight has been found
in the varieties CL111 and Jazzman 2, Linscombe said. Sheath blight problems
are about average.Check-off funds paid by farmers are essential for rice
research and to buy equipment researchers need to do their work, Linscombe
said.
“These check-off funds are extremely valuable to bring new
technology to the station.”The new rice breeder at the station, Adam Famoso,
said he wants to use technology to screen new rice lines earlier in the
breeding process to obtain desired traits and to eliminate unwanted
characteristics.AgCenter rice specialist Dustin Harrell said this year’s
growing season will be remembered for heavy rainfall that kept soil wet and
interfered with fertilizer applications.“Pre-flood nitrogen has to go out on
dry ground, or you’re going to lose much of that nitrogen,” Harrell said.AgCenter
entomologist Sebe Brown said keeping levees clear of weeds can slow the
migration of stink bugs into a field.
Acephate cannot be used
legally for stink bugs, and traces of the pesticide found on rice can be
rejected by overseas buyers.Stink bugs probably will become resistant to
pyrethroids eventually, Brown said. “It’s not if, but when.”Rogers Leonard,
AgCenter program leader for plants and soils, said the recent legislative
session ended with a resolution of a potential funding crisis that could have
led to closures of AgCenter research stations and parish extension offices.Leonard
credited legislators for realizing the potential for disaster and voted for
items they disliked to prevent the drastic action. “We will try to thank them
as much as we can
The Aquino administration has
imported an alarming 2.1 million metric tons (MT) of rice this year alone that
would reduce prices of farm-gate palay (unhusked rice) to the detriment of
farmers, lawmakers said on Friday.Party-list Representatives Neri Colmenares
and Carlos Zarate made the warning in House Resolution 2231, which calls on the
House Committee on Agriculture and Food and the Special House Committee on Food
Security to conduct a joint inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the excessive
importation of rice by the National Food Authority (NFA) Council.
The 2.1 million MT of rice import for 2015 is broken down into
500,000 MT procured by the NFA from Thailand and Vietnam through two rounds of
government-to-government transactions, 250,000 MT programmed for the lean
season, 250,000 MT reserve volume, 805,200 MT private sector imports from the
Minimum Access Volume (MAV) and 300,000 MT delivered this year from 2014 MAV.The
805,200 MT private sector imports from the MAV came from China, India,
Pakistan, Australia, El Salvador, Thailand and Vietnam, among others, with the
biggest chunk of 293,000 MT sourced from neighboring Thailand and Vietnam.“The
2.1 million MT in rice import for 2015 is highly irregular and doubtful.
Excessive importation jeopardizes the livelihood of our farmers nationwide.
In fact, even the NFA admitted that importation would surely
cause the farm-gate prices of palay to go down from its current price pegged at
P17 per kilo,” the resolution of the lawmakers from Bayan Muna pointed out.Bayan
Muna said the NFA made matters worse by merely procuring 7,789 MT of palay for
January-October 2014, a steep decline from the 365,582 MT palay procured in
2013.Director Edilberto de Luna of the Department of Agriculture’s National
Rice Program said the NFA should at least buy one million MT of palay from
farmers to ensure the stability of farm-gate prices.“It is rather
incomprehensible that the NFA managed to [procure] excessive amounts of
imported rice while reasoning out that they are hampered from buying more palay
from farmers due to lack of funding,” Bayan Muna pointed out.
“The government did not even assure farmers that they would take
necessary measures to stabilize the pricesto ensure food security. Hence,
should this excessive importation continue, the public will be expecting
another round of price hikes not only of rice, but other commodities,” the
lawmakers said.Moreover, Bayan Muna revealed that the Aquino administration has
been marred by low rice distribution based on NFA records.From a total rice
distribution of 1.7 MT million in 2010, the NFA only distributed 1.9 MT in
2011, 766,000 MT in 2012, 758,000 MT in 2013 and 1.2 million MT in 2014.“Rice
distribution is the capacity of the government to judiciously disperse stocks,
thereby ensuring sustainable rice inventories in critical areas of the country.
This means that despite the Aquino administration attaining
record-setting importation volumes, the consuming public did not benefit from
the same,” Colmenares and Zarate said.“It is the primordial duty of Congress to
partake in measures or actions that would ensure not only food security to the
public but also their protection from those who try to abuse our resources.
President [Benigno] Aquino [3rd] himself questioned the excessive importation
of rice during the Arroyo administration. And yet, the situation worsened
during his term,” the two lawmakers added.
MANILA,
Philippines - The National Food Authority (NFA) it will continue to work with
groups that have been helping the agency monitor rice prices.“We are grateful
for the support of concerned groups and individuals who have partnered with us
to monitor rice prices. The tips we have received have helped us to identify
which areas require more supplies and which do not,” NFA administrator Renan
Dalisay said yesterday.Dalisay noted that rice prices have remained stable at
the onset of the lean season.Rice inflation has fallen to 2 percent from a high
of 14 percent in August 2014.
A kilo of regular milled rice now
retails for P37.30, P1.60 lower than the average prices in January.Dalisay said
an NFA project called “Bantay Bigas” has allowed the NFA to coordinate with all
the other stakeholders including, but not limited to, farmers, millers,
consumer groups, retailers, local government units and civil society.“The NFA
has personnel but like most government agencies, our resources are limited.
With volunteer groups like Kaya Natin, we’re able to cover more areas and have
more eyes and ears on the ground,” he said..The project has encouraged other
civil society groups, youth groups and local government units to participate in
efforts to ensure that rice remains affordable and accessible to every
Filipino.“Such programs are part of the NFA’s reform agenda, aptly named BIGAS,
which hopes to involve the community and other sectors in NFA’s various
activities,” Dalisay added.
A non-governmental organization (NGO) on Friday
warned the National Food Authority (NFA) against pushing through with its plans
to import more rice under the so-called minimum-access volume (MAV) scheme.The
Rice Watch and Action Network (R1) said allowing the private sector to bring in
an additional 805,200 metric tons (MT) of rice under MAV would be “disastrous”
for local rice farmers.“We all know that oversupply of imported rice will spell
the death of livelihood for our local rice farmers. The traders will exploit
this situation to drive the farm gate prices of palay at its lowest possible
rate,” Lead Convenor of R1 Aurora Regalado said in a statement.
The NFA has already imported a total of
750,000 MT of rice earlier this year. Including the
250,000 MT reserve volume on standby, the 805,200 MT private-sector importation
under the MAV scheme, and the 300,000 MT of rice imported under MAV in December
last year, this adds up to a total of 2.1 million MT of rice-importation plan
for 2015.Rice imports that fall within the MAV are slapped a lower tariff of 35
percent.NFA Administrator Renan B. Dalisay said the government has not yet
decided on putting on hold its purchase of an additional 250,000 MT of rice
from foreign sources. The government is also not suspending the
rice-importation scheme under MAV.
“As of now, the importation under MAV will push
through. Based on my own estimate, private traders have applied for permits to
bring in some 200,000 MT,” Dalisay said in a text message to BusinessMirror.Dalisay
said the NFA’s total rice inventory is currently at 773,038 MT, which is
sufficient for 25 days. He said this is below the 30-day buffer stock, which
the NFA must maintain during the lean months of July, August and September.For
the week ending July 17, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said prices
of regular-milled and well-milled rice remain stable.“Prices were generally
stable although movements in two trading centers were noted,” the
report read.
In Tacloban City, PSA data showed that the
price per kilo of well-milled and regular-milled rice dropped by P2 each. The
report also noted that the prices of special rice and premium rice declined by
P5 per kilo and P1 per kilo, respectively.
Ministry
postpones |the auction of rotten rice to next month
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION July 25, 2015 1:00 am
THE COMMERCE Ministry has postponed until next
month a planned auction of Grade C (rotten) rice for industrial use, to ensure
this lot has not been mixed up with good-quality rice that would demand a
better price.Commerce Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya said the ministry
would delay open bidding for 1.29 million tonnes of rotten rice in the
government stocks for a couple weeks.
However, the ministry will maintain its plan to
auction 450,000 tonnes of good-quality rice by late July to increase the market
supply as the drought cuts production.The ministry is cooperating with the
Thailand Development Research Institute, the National Farmers Council, and rice
surveyors to inspect the government's rice stocks.The ministry will set up a
team to ensure that no Grade C rice finds its way into batches meant for human
consumption.
Given the high demand for rice amid the
drought, the Commerce Ministry is confident that Thailand will be able to
export a total of 10 million tonnes this year as it expects rising demand in
many markets.In an upcoming trade mission to South Africa, the ministry will
witness the signing of a rice-purchase contract for the supply of about 700,000
tonnes from Thailand this year.
Thai
Commerce Ministry Set To Revise Exports Expectation
HANOI, July 24 (Bernama) -- The Thailand Ministry of Commerce is
set to adjust the 2015 exports projection due to the global economy's uncertain
recovery, and has ordered the Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) to communicate
with private companies on the release of in-stock rice, reports Vietnam News
Agency (VNA).The Minister of Commerce Gen Chatchai Sarikulya has revealed that
the Ministry will be revising this year's exports growth projection down from
previous forecast at 1.2 per cent, as Thai exports are still overshadowed by
the uncertainty of the global economy.
New projections will be concluded by next week.Regarding the
government's release of in-stock rice, the Commerce Minister has said that the
DFT has been ordered to communicate with the millers associations and exporters
to discuss the plan's scope, in order to push the total exports of Thai rice
this year over 10 million tonnes.The principles for the release of
400,000-500,000 tonnes of good quality rice will be announced next week, while
the ministry is also compiling the principles for the release of another 1.29
million tonnes of poor quality rice to the industrial sector.
Regarding claims by rice exporters stating that the purchasing
price of rice in the market that should be higher than the current price, the
Minister of Commerce has said that the DFT has been ordered to verify factual
information on this matter, but he believes that the current price of 9,000 THB
(US$285) per tonne is the proper price, in line with market mechanisms.He said
that the price of rice will continue to increase, but much of this depends on
the market's demand and supply.
Maximum temp. 29.4 degree Celsius (84.9 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
23.0 degree Celsius (73.4 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : 23.1 mm
FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky. Rains or thunder-showers likely. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 27 and 23 degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices.)
ISLAMABAD
- Pakistan on Thursday asked Kenya to review its decision of enhancing import
duty on rice, which is affecting the country’s commodity exports.Finance
Minister Ishaq Dar asked the Kenyan High Commissioner, Prof. Julius Kibet Bitok
to review the matter of increasing import duty on Pakistani rice by Kenya. The
matter regarding import of Kenyan tea in Pakistan was also discussed with
emphasis on efforts to ensure import through regular channels.
Both sides agreed that all matters relating to trade and business cooperation
could be taken up at the long awaited Pak-Kenya Joint Ministerial Commission
(JMC) meeting which is to be held in Pakistan.Finance Minister Dar asked Secretary Commerce
to finalise the schedule of the Pak-Kenya JMC in consultation with the Commerce
Minister and convey the decision to the Kenyan side through the Economic
Affairs Division on priority.
The
Kenyan High Commissioner requested Finance Minister for increasing number of
medical and engineering scholarships offered to Kenyan students by Pakistan. He
said given the high standard of education, a large number of Kenyan students
were eager to get enrolled in Pakistani educational institutions. The Minister
directed Secretary EAD to accord due consideration to this request. Both sides
agreed that exchange of high level visits was imperative for furthering
bilateral relations, particularly the economic cooperation.
Korea keen to set up SEZ
Ambassador of Korea in Pakistan Dr Dong Jonghwan said that Korean companies are
interested to establish a Pakistan-Korean special economic zone in Agriculture
farming and complete food processing in Punjab - Pakistan.He made these remarks
during his visit to Board of Investment where he met with Minister of
State/Chairman, Dr. Miftah Ismail and discussed and explore the key areas of
investment opportunities between Pakistan and Korea. Minister of
State/Chairman, Dr. Miftah Ismail highlighted the investment potential and
opportunities available for Korean investors / companies in Pakistan.Chairman BOI extended BOI’s full support to the
Korean companies for the establishment of SEZ in Pakistan.
The
Secretary, BOI informed Korean ambassador about his visit to Korea in the start
of this month. He said that during his two -day visit, had a series of meetings
with around 15 President & CEO’s of various Korean companies and Chamber of
Commerce & Industry of Korea. He briefed the Korean companies with detailed
discussions and induced them to make more investment in the potential areas of
Pakistan.He said that Korean investors were very much interested to invest in
Pakistan.At the end MOS/ Chairman, BOI thanked Dr. Dong
Jonghwan, Ambassador of Korea for visiting Board of Investment and appreciated
his efforts and intention to boost investment and economic relation between the
two friendly countries
