Monday, July 18, 2016

18th july,2016 daily global,regional and local rice e-newsletter by ricpelus magazine



EU: Seek Other Rice Markets

Cambodia’s rice industry has been advised by the European Union (EU) to seek other markets and not just concentrate its exports to Europe, as it moves from a low-income country in its least developed country (LDC) status to a lower-middle income nation, amid calls to cut its EU tariff-free export quotas.
 
The advice was given last week to the Kingdom’s Ministry of Commerce and the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) by visiting delegations from the Brussels-based European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and the Directorate-General for Trade.
 
An EU source who did not want to be named told Khmer Times the visiting delegations from Brussels hinted that the EU could limit rice imports from LDCs in the “Everything but Arms” (EBA) trade concessions to about 300,000 to 350,000 tons a year. Both Cambodia and Myanmar are the only LDCs recognized in the EBA trade concessions and rice exports from both countries enter the EU tariff-free.
 
Last year, the total amount of Cambodian milled rice exported reached some 538,396 tons, according to the Cambodian Rice Federation, with 43 percent exported to the EU.
 
“This means Cambodia would need to share these new EU quotas with Myanmar in the very near future,” said the source.
 
On July 1, the World Bank revised Cambodia’s gross national income (GNI) per capita from a low-income country to a lower-middle income status nation. This is based on Cambodia’s GNI per capita reaching $1,020 in 2014. It is expected that the country’s GNI will surpass the World Bank’s threshold of $1,025 for a low-income country this year.
 
According to the EU source, this World Bank revision of Cambodia’s status within the context of an LDC has also given grounds for EU member countries like Italy, Spain and Portugal to press for reducing rice imports from Cambodia.
 
According to Oryza, the daily online markets newsletter, Italy is pushing the EU to cut LDC rice imports from Asia to protect the Italian rice market that seems to be getting bigger.
 
The CRF in a statement said it took note of the suggestions from both European Commission directorate-generals.
 
The rice federation added it was committed to “better diversity Cambodia’s export market by opening new markets outside of the EU, for Cambodia’s rice industry”.
 
There are calls within the industry to diversify the market and concentrate on exports of jasmine and organic rice.
 
“Cambodia has to diversify its rice market and focus on its own niche and strengths which are based on demands for fragrant and jasmine rice varieties. We can also focus on organic rice and other kinds of rice marketed under the fair-trade label,” said an industry source.
 
There are higher profit margins in the export of organic rice, with prices more stable than non-organic rice in the marketplace. The average price per kilogram for organic rice is 1,650 riel ($0.41) which is 50 percent more than the 1,100 riel per kilogram for non-organic varieties.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/27318/eu--seek-other-rice-markets/




THAILAND REMAINS TOP RICE EXPORTER TO HK

July 18, 2016 1:00 am
Thailand is still the top rice exporter to Hong Kong after claiming a 59.5 per cent market share in the first four months of the year.
That was followed by followed by Vietnam with 27.7 per cent and China with 4.8 per cent, according to the latest report by the Commerce Ministry's Department of International Trade Promotion.

In April, Hong Kong imported 30,497 tonnes of rice globally, up 39 per cent on the same period last year. Fragrant rice imports amounted to 29,065 tonnes, up by 38.6 per cent, of which 17,196 tonnes was imported from Thailand, a 59 per cent increase on the 10,828 tonnes from the same period in 2015.

Thailand accounted for 59.6 per cent of Hong Kong's fragrant rice imports, followed by Vietnam at 28.5 per cent, Commerce Minister Apiradee Tantraporn said.

TOT expects Bt11.25 bn loss
TOT expects its revenue reach Bt51.5 billion this year for a loss of Bt11.25 billion, according to the management report presented to the board late last week.

TOT posted a loss of Bt6.572 billion during the first five months of the year, an increase of Bt212 million year on year, due to a decline in service revenue of 7 per cent year-on-year to Bt10.336 billion. During that period, its fixed telephone service made revenue of Bt923 million, while its international Internet gateway service made Bt119 million. Its mobile phone service suffered a loss of Bt3.64 billion and its Internet data centre and cloud service lost Bt129 million.

SCG AD CAMPAIGN

Siam Cement Group has launched a new communications campaign to outline the company's business journey in Myanmar and reaffirm its long-term commitment towards the country's development. The "Drawing the Future" campaign started with its first locally produced TV commercial which details the company's association with Myanmar since 1994.

Attapong Sathitmanotham, country director for SCG in Myanmar, said: "The campaign is a celebration of all we experienced alongside its people, and the bright future we see ahead.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/THAILAND-REMAINS-TOP-RICE-EXPORTER-TO-HK-30290825.html





BoI Seeks Commodity-based Industrialisation for Inclusive Growth

The Bank of Industry (BoI) has emphasised  the need for Nigeria to adopt a commodity based industrialisation strategy to achieve inclusive growth.
The development finance institution (DFI) noted that Nigeria must add value to its natural resource endowments, stating that according to the Raw Materials Research Development Council (RMRDC), the 774 local government areas in the country all have natural resource endowments begging to be utilised.
The Acting Managing Director, Mr. Waheed Olagunju, during BOI media parley tagged: ‘Sustaining Nigeria’s Industrial Sector Growth through Impactful Partnerships’, said the major difference between the rich and poor nations of the world is their level of industrialisation, saying that industrialisation is a multidisciplinary process where everybody has a role to play to achieve industrialisation.
He however, commended the present administration’s effort for adopting the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) and the Nigerian National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) established by the previous administration, maintaining that this move would go a long way to boost a commodity based industrialisation strategy for Nigeria.
“Nigeria must add value to its natural resource endowments. I want to say here that the huge unemployment rate in Nigeria is artificial. If we start adding value to our natural resources, we will not have enough manpower to operate in the Nigerian economy. The 774 local government areas have a natural resource endowments lying fallow. If we start adding value to them, we would stimulate primary production, processing, meet our local needs and even export. We will not be depending on oil prices which we have no control,” he said.He said: “We need to propagate commodity based industrialisation. We need to advocate it a lot. The present administration has also adopted the NIRP and NEDEP to boost commodity based industrialisation strategy by adding value to our natural resource endowments across the country. Unless Nigeria gets it right, Africa cannot make it. Every country is looking on Nigeria for Africa to make it and we must not disappoint ourselves, we must not disappoint Africa and we must not disappoint the black race.”

He added, “We do not need rocket science to transform our economy, other oil producing countries have diversified their economies. There is need to increase the contribution of the manufacturing sector to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to double digits. The media has a role to play in economic transformation because it is one of the biggest change agents in all societies. The media has to partner the BoI to achieve this. We need your partnerships, we need your collaborations. The only way we can achieve inclusive growth is if we embark on commodity based industrialisation strategy.”
He said BoI is also collaborating with developmental partners, while encouraging state governments to establish industrial parks to localise industrialisation in order to reduce the start and operating expenses for entrepreneurs.
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Director, Corporate Services and Commercials, Mr. Jonathan Tobe, said Africa currently spends $35.4billion annually on food imports where Nigeria accounts for about $11 billion of the staggering figure.
He said rice is a top commodity where Nigeria currently spends huge amount of its foreign exchange to import, saying that BOI has plans to work with the 14 rice producing states in the country to reduce the nation’s import bill for rice.
He stated the need to reverse the trend, commending the federal government’s Anchor Borrower Programme (ABP) aimed at linking small holders farmers to integrate rice millers in order to ramp up domestic rice production to replace imported rice.
He said about 78,000 farmers are being trained in Kebbi State by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), pointing out that key output from the initiative will bring about proper identification and organisation of farmers in groups, verification of farm holdings and training of farmers by Nigeria

http://www.financialwatchngr.com/2016/07/18/boi-seeks-commodity-based-industrialisation-inclusive-growth/




Pakistan’s trade deficit widens to 35-year high in FY16

* SBP states early revival in exports is difficult due to weak demand and subdued commodity prices in global markets
16-Jul-16
KARACHI: Despite continued low commodity prices in the global markets, Pakistan witnessed 35 years-high trade deficit as it surged by 8.14 percent to $23.96 billion during Fiscal Year 2015-16 (FY16) from $22.15 billion in the preceding fiscal year.
Pakistan's trade deficit continued to widen this year, as the decline in exports and a rise in non-oil imports have offset savings from the lower oil import bill.
According to the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the country's exports remained on lower trajectory, showing 12.1 percent yearly decline to $20.81 billion in FY16, as compared to $23.66 billion in FY15. However, against the anticipations, import bill dipped slightly by 2.32 percent owing to lower global commodity prices, as the total import receipts of the country settled at $44.76 billion in FY16 while it was $45.82 in previous fiscal.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said wbuhile Pakistan was already being affected by weak demand in major export markets, depressed unit prices, and high production costs, the decline in key crops this year (particularly cotton) has further steepened the export fall. This, together with a sharp increase in non-oil imports during the year, has entirely offset the gains from a decline in the oil import bill, it added.
In the month of June 2016, trade deficit surged by 10.04 percent to $2.81 billion as compared to the trade deficit of $2.55 billion in June 2015. The exports from the country to the world witnessed 8.73 percent decline in the month of June 2016 to $1.65 billion as against $1.8 billion of June 2015. Imports in to the country increased by 2.27 percent in June 2015 to $4.46 billion against $4.36 billion in corresponding month of preceding year. Exports have been witnessing a falling trend since July 2014. The government had projected a trade deficit target of $17.2 billion for the FY16.
"Undoubtedly, the continuous decline in exports is a big concern at the moment, which needed immediate attention. An early revival in exports is difficult due to weak demand and subdued commodity prices in the global markets. However, changing market dynamic, particularly the exit of China from textile exports due to rising labour costs, offers Pakistan an opportunity to increase its market share and integrate with global supply chains," the SBP said.
Pakistan's depressing export performance has been a cause of concern for quite some time now, the SBP said, adding that lower commodity prices, subdued demand from China, weak global recovery and high domestic production costs have contributed to this multi-year trend. An additional irritant that surfaced this year is the decline in production of key agriculture products like cotton, rice and sugarcane. Since Pakistan's exports are mainly concentrated in resource-based products, their decline in Jul-Mar FY16 has been much more severe.
In contrast, Pakistan's export of apparel and home textiles to the US and EU markets recovered noticeably, but the continuous drop in unit prices held back values. More specifically, Pakistan has been able to export larger volumes of readymade garments, towels, knitwear and bed wear in FY16 to the EU and the US markets, as the demand in these economies recovered
http://dailytimes.com.pk/business/16-Jul-16/pakistans-trade-deficit-widens-to-35-year-high-in-fy16


Making over the Department of Agriculture

by Dr. Emil Javier
July 16, 2016
I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?’ – Robert Kennedy
Poverty remains as our most urgent national concern. While our fellow members in the ASEAN against whom we usually bench mark ourselves are achieving remarkable progress in reducing poverty among their people, our poverty index has remained stuck at 26 percent.
image: http://www.mb.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/dalogo.jpg

(Photo courtesy of www.pcaf.da.gov.ph)
In comparison, in 2014, the poverty incidences of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia were 18 percent, 17 percent, 11 percent and one percent, respectively.A large part of that poverty is attributed to low farm productivity and lack of gainful employment in the countryside. Again the statistics show very clearly how far we lag behind our ASEAN neighbors.The incidence of rural poverty in the Philippines is at a staggering level of 40 percent. Our neighbors have looked after their rural populations much better than what we have: their comparable numbers are Vietnam, 17 percent; Thailand and Indonesia, 14 percent and Malaysia, eight percent.
Rightfully the Duterte Administration is according agriculture and rural development the highest priority together with eradicating graft in government, maintaining peace and order and eliminating the drug menace.
The mandate for steering and leading the agriculture sector lies heavily with the Department of Agriculture (DA). The agency, therefore, must be given all the means to succeed.
Except for a few outstanding, contentious issues for which we have yet to reach closure, the appropriate legislations, policy directions and budgetary appropriations are largely in place. Congress had dutifully passed the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), the Fisheries Code, the Forestry Code, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and the Local Government Code.
Since 2008, the budget of DA and its agencies has been raised from around P20 billion a year to close to P90 billion.
What’s missing are intelligent program planning and execution by the agencies responsible for agriculture, particularly the DA.
Our new secretary for agriculture, Manny Piñol, is off to a good start. His sincere attempt to reach out to the sector stakeholders, his hands-on experiences as governor of North Cotabato, and his closeness to the President auger well for the sector.
He is obviously very much in a hurry knowing he has only six years to make good on the President’s marching order to produce and provide affordable food to all Filipinos.
One of the biggest question marks is how well the DA and its many agencies can respond and keep up with the pace the new secretary has set for himself.

Time to Re-unify the DA and Create a Separate Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
To relieve an overburdened Secretary of Agriculture, at the middle of the previous administration, four major agencies were carved out of DA to constitute a cabinet-level Presidential Assistant for Agricultural Modernization.
But objectively, how can we hold the DA secretary accountable if the key agencies central to his mandate are beyond his supervision and control.
It is therefore time to return the National Food Authority (NFA), the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and the Fertilizer Pesticide Authority (FPA) to the Department where they properly belong.
Moreover, it is opportune to revisit the demand for a separate Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Fisheries has not received the attention it deserves and always had been in the back burner among the responsibilities of the DA Secretary.
The poorest among the poor in the countryside are the fishermen and the coastal communities. And yet, we have vast fisheries and aquatic resources, second only to Indonesia, which we have not sufficiently tapped.
In 2015, our fish and fish products exports amounted to only US$473 million. For the same year, the fish exports of Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand were USS$4.3 billion, $2.6 billion and $1.7 billion, respectively.
We should create a separate Department of Fisheries and Aquatic resources and set a modest target of $2.0 billion worth of fish exports before President Duterte’s term is over.
Reconfigure BPI, BAI and BSWM as Semi-autonomous Research Institutes
Generation of innovations and adoption of modern technologies are keys to productivity, competitiveness and sustainability. In the 1960s and 1970s, many of the country’s leading professionals in plant production, animal husbandry, veterinary medicine, soil sciences and agricultural economics were staff of the bureaus of the DA.
After the government reorganization of 1987 when the Bureaus for plants, animals and soils and water ceased to be line agencies with clear research and development functions, and were converted into staff bureaus, their competencies went into sharp decline.
With the loss of in-house capability, DA had to rely on the public universities, and to some extent to the private sector, for inspiration and direction.
The only exceptions were rice and carabao where new stand-alone semi-autonomous research institutes, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), were created by law. The two institutes were left very much on their own to establish their research agenda consistent with the priorities of the DA. They were provided generous operating as well as equipment support and, the Secretaries of Agriculture, to their credit, shielded the organizations from undue political influence in staff recruitment and promotion.
To date, PhilRice and PCC stand out among the best national research organizations for agriculture in the region.
We should do the same for the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM). We should re-configure them as semi-autonomous research units with PhilRice and PCC as institutional models.
Resurrect PHILCORIN, PHILSUGIN and the National Tobacco Research and Training Center
The other casualties in the series of government reorganizations of 1987, were the dissolution of the Philippine Coconut Research Institute (PHILCORIN), the Philippine Sugar Institute (PHILSUGIN) and the National Tobacco Research and Training Center and their incorporation into the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Sugar Regulatory Administration SRA) and the National Tobacco Administration (NTA).
What used to be robust scientific research units were drowned out by the more dominant regulatory and finance functions of the broader entities. Except for what remains of the research department in the PCA, sugar and tobacco at present have very little research support.
The old PHILCORIN, PHILSUGIN and the National Tobacco Research and Training Center should be resurrected into semi-autonomous research entities and together with PhilRice be accountable to the Secretary of Agriculture.
Massive Staff Recruitment, Retraining and Graduate Education
In the past, each year 2,000–3,000 DA personnel undergo in-service training and refresher courses in the crop sciences, animal husbandry and veterinary sciences, food sciences, irrigation and agricultural engineering, agricultural economics as well as rural extension and communication.
A good number enroll in graduate courses for master and doctoral degrees.
Unfortunately, for various reasons, these continuing education and graduate programs have practically been discontinued.
The DA underwent a reorganization program which took 12 years to complete. The original plan was to reduce the bureaucracy compatible with an operating budget of P20 billion. With a current annual appropriation of P90 billion, the DA and its agencies are grossly undermanned.
The DA should therefore seek new plantilla positions from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to recruit young blood to rebuild its organizational capacity to address the needs of the sector.
***
Dr. Emil Q. Javier is a Member of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and also Chair of the Coalition for Agriculture Modernization in the Philippines (CAMP).
For any feedback, email eqjavier@yahoo.com.
http://www.mb.com.ph/making-over-the-department-of-agriculture/

Avoid ‘miracle’ rice, just eat a carrot!


Golden rice is a false miracle. It is a disease of nutritionally empty monocultures offered as a cure for nutritional deficiency. In fact, golden rice, if successful, will be 400% less efficient in providing Vitamin A...
Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution, died on September 9, 2009. Alfred G. Gilman died on December 23, 2015. Both were Nobel laureates and now both dead. Gilman was a signatory to a recent letter condemning Greenpeace and its opposition to genetic engineering. How many Nobel laureates does it take to write a letter? Easily ascertained — the dead Gilman and 106 others were enlisted in “supporting GMOs and golden rice”. Correct answer — 107, dead or alive.The laureates were rounded up by Val Giddings (senior fellow, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation), Jon Entine (author of Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People) and Jay Byrne (former head of corporate communications, Monsanto). Real people don’t have the luxury of getting Nobel laureates to write 1/107th of a letter, “chosen” folk do. Evidently.
Cornell University is a “chosen” institution — central to genetically modified public relations. The Cornell Alliance of Science is funded by Bill Gates, just like the failed golden rice experiment.The Nobel laureates accuse Greenpeace of killing millions by delaying ghost rice — something the biotech industry accuses me of doing, for the same reason. Unlike golden rice — whose failure to launch is the industry’s own failure, the opposition to genetic engineering (and hence golden rice) is very real and successful. As Glenn Stone, a rice scientist at Washington University, states: “The simple fact is that after 24 years of research and breeding, golden rice is still years away from being ready for release.”
It is Borlaug’s Green Revolution monocultures that contributed to malnutrition by destroying biodiversity, which destroys the diversity of nutrients we need to be healthy. As Navdanya research has shown, biodiversity produces more food and nutrition per acre. Borlaug’s ghost is still shaping the industrial agriculture “miracles” based on monocultures of the mind and spin in place of science.
It is now more than 20 years since the “miracle” golden rice began to be promoted as the excuse to allow patents on life. The last time golden rice was resurrected when Patrick Moore of Allow Golden Rice Now was sent to Asia to push the failed promise. Women of the world organised and responded to Moore — Diverse Women for Diversity issued a declaration on International Women’s Day in 2015 titled Women and Biodiversity Feed the World, not Corporations and GMOs.
Golden rice is genetically engineered rice with two genes from a daffodil and one gene from a bacterium. The resulting GMO rice is said to have a yellow colouring, which is supposed to increase beta-carotene — a precursor of Vitamin A. It has been offered as a potential miracle cure for Vitamin A deficiency for 20 years.
But golden rice is a false miracle. It is a disease of nutritionally empty monocultures offered as a cure for nutritional deficiency. In fact, golden rice, if successful, will be 400 per cent less efficient in providing Vitamin A than the biodiversity alternatives that women have to offer. To get your daily requirement of Vitamin A, all you need to eat is one of the following:
Two tablespoons of spinach or cholai (amaranth) leaves or radish leaves
Four tablespoons of mustard or bathua leaves
One tablespoon of coriander chutney
One-and-a-half tablespoon of mint chutney
One carrot
One mango
So, if you want to be four times more efficient than 107 Nobel laureates, just eat a carrot!
Not only do these indigenous alternatives based on women’s knowledge provide more Vitamin A than golden rice ever will, and at a lower cost, but also provide multiple other nutrients. Our critique of golden rice is that even if it is developed, it will be inferior to the alternatives women have in their hands and minds. Women are being blocked from growing biodiversity and spreading their knowledge to address malnutrition, by rich and powerful men and their corporations who are blind to the richness of the earth and our cultures.
Through their monoculture of the mind, they keep imposing monocultures of failed technologies, blocking the potential of abundance and nourishment. As I wrote in 2000, blindness to biodiversity and women’s knowledge is a blind approach to blindness prevention.
Grain.org concluded in Grains of delusion: Golden rice seen from the ground, way back in 2001: “The best chance of success in fighting Vitamin A deficiency and malnutrition is to better use the inexpensive and nutritious foods already available, and in diversifying food production systems in the fields and in the household. The euphoria created by the Green Revolution greatly stifled research to develop and promote these efforts, and the introduction of golden rice will further compromise them. Golden rice is merely a marketing event. But international and national research agendas will be taken by it.”
The Giddings-Entine-Byrne Nobel PR stunt was timed to coincide with the US Senate vote on the Dark Act — the denial to Americans of the right to know what they eat. With two decades of the GMO experiment failing to control pests and weeds, creating super pests and super weeds instead, there is now an attempt to push through the “next generation” of GMOs — such as “gene drives” for exterminating nutrient-rich species like the amaranth. Amaranth, a weed to the 107 Nobel laureates, is a richer source of Vitamin A than golden rice has promised it will be, when it grows up. The laureates would have us round up all the Vitamin A we already have in abundance, create deficiencies by exterminating it with RoundUp, and provide golden rice to alleviate the absence of Vitamin A.
Mr Gates is also supporting this failed miracle, as well as the failed communication through the Cornell Alliance for Science. He also funds the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and Harvest Plus, the corporate alliance for biofortification.
The corporate-controlled World Food Prize for 2016 has been announced for “Biofortification”. Scientists funded by Mr Gates have been given the prize for inventing an orange sweet potato. But the Maori in New Zealand had developed kumara, orange (beauregard) sweet potato, centuries ago.
Mr Gates is also funding the biopiracy research of James Dale of Queensland, who took the Vitamin A-rich indigenous bananas of Micronesia and declared them to be his invention.
The biopiracy of people’s biodiversity and indigenous knowledge is what Mr Gates is funding. The Gates fortification or Nobel fortification, will not nourish people. Fraud is not food.
The writer is the executive director of the Navdanya Trust
http://www.asianage.com/columnists/avoid-miracle-rice-just-eat-carrot-216

OPA strengthens ‘check system’ to improve rice production

Saturday, July 16, 2016
THE Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) is currently working on strengthening the implementation of Palay Check System Production to help farmers increase rice output which will also contribute to the attainment of rice self-sufficient Negros Occidental.
Senior agriculturist Armando Abaño, crop protection coordinator of OPA, said Palay Check is a dynamic rice crop management system that provides key technology and management practices called “key checks” proven by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to have improved production.
Abaño said the approach is a means of learning, checking, and sharing best farming practice on preparation of land and planting materials, soil and nutrient management, and appropriate integrated pest and post-harvest management.
“Palay Check equips farmers across locations in the province with different agricultural conditions such as low-land irrigated and rain-fed,” he said, adding that the system is also aligned with the province’s agricultural food security and productivity program.
On Wednesday, the OPA and the Municipal Agriculture Office of Isabela launched the Season-Long Farmers Field School on Palay Check System Production at Barangay Mansablay in the said town.
About 30 rice farmers in the area will be trained by agricultural extension workers (AEWs) and local farmer technicians who are serving as DA’s extension arm.
After enhancing the capabilities of these farmers, OPA is planning to make their farms a learning field or framework to be replicated by those in nearby areas.
“Improving the technical capability of local farmers will pave the way to achieve 100 percent rice self-sufficiency rate in two years,” Abaño said.
Currently, OPA has already saturated almost all cities and municipalities in the province in terms of “key checks” implementation.
Abaño, however, pointed out that there are still areas implementing baseline farming practices, especially at community level where season-long trainings were not yet conducted.
“We will continue to conduct these trainings through our extension arms and we will eventually reach all rice production potential areas,” Abaño said.
Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on July 16, 2016.
Latest issues of Sun.Star Bacolod also available on your mobile phones, laptops, and tablets. Subscribe to our digital editions at epaper.sunstar.com.ph and get a free seven-day trial.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/business/2016/07/17/opa-strengthens-check-system-improve-rice-production-485645



Bioenergy Consumption Market Share and Key Players Analysis Research Report

ReportsWeb added report on "Global Bioenergy Consumption 2016 Market Research Report”, the report comprises of 151 pages and categorized under Energy
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Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. What's more, the Bioenergy industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed. Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered. In a word, the report provides major statistics on the state of the industry and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the market.

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Key Points from Table of Content

3 Global Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales and Sale Price Analysis of Bioenergy
3.1 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Bioenergy 2011-2016
3.2 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) of Bioenergy by Regions 2011-2016
3.3 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) of Bioenergy by Types 2011-2016
3.4 Global Market Size (Volume and Value) of Bioenergy by Applications 2011-2016
3.5 Global Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Bioenergy by Companies 2011-2016
3.6 Global Sale Price of Bioenergy by Regions 2011-2016
3.7 Global Sale Price of Bioenergy by Types 2011-2016
3.8 Global Sale Price of Bioenergy by Applications 2011-2016
3.9 Global Sale Price of Bioenergy by Companies 2011-2016

4 North America Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales, Sale Price and End Users Analysis of Bioenergy
4.1 North America Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Bioenergy 2011-2016
4.2 North America Market Size (Volume and Value) of Bioenergy by Types 2011-2016
4.3 North America Market Size (Volume and Value) of Bioenergy by Applications 2011-2016
4.4 North America Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Bioenergy by Companies 2011-2016
4.5 North America Sale Price of Bioenergy by Types 2011-2016
4.6 North America Sale Price of Bioenergy by Applications 2011-2016
4.7 North America Sale Price of Bioenergy by Companies 2011-2016
4.8 North America Regional Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of Bioenergy 2011-2016
4.9 North America End Users with Contact Information and Consumption Volume of Bioenergy by Applications

5 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales, Sale Price and End Users Analysis of Bioenergy
5.1 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Bioenergy 2011-2016
5.2 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value) of Bioenergy by Types 2011-2016
5.3 Europe Market Size (Volume and Value) of Bioenergy by Applications 2011-2016
5.4 Europe Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Bioenergy by Companies 2011-2016
5.5 Europe Sale Price of Bioenergy by Types 2011-2016
5.6 Europe Sale Price of Bioenergy by Applications 2011-2016
5.7 Europe Sale Price of Bioenergy by Companies 2011-2016
5.8 Europe Regional Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of Bioenergy 2011-2016
5.9 Europe End Users with Contact Information and Consumption Volume of Bioenergy by Applications

6 Japan Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales, Sale Price and End Users Analysis of Bioenergy
6.1 Japan Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Bioenergy 2011-2016
6.2 Japan Market Size (Volume and Value) of Bioenergy by Types 2011-2016
6.3 Japan Market Size (Volume and Value) of Bioenergy by Applications 2011-2016
6.4 Japan Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Bioenergy by Companies 2011-2016
6.5 Japan Sale Price of Bioenergy by Types 2011-2016
6.6 Japan Sale Price of Bioenergy by Applications 2011-2016
6.7 Japan Sale Price of Bioenergy by Companies 2011-2016
6.8 Japan Regional Supply, Import, Export and Consumption of Bioenergy 2011-2016
6.9 Japan End Users with Contact Information and Consumption Volume of Bioenergy by Applications

7 China Market Size (Volume and Value), Sales, Sale Price and End Users Analysis of Bioenergy
7.1 China Market Size (Volume and Value) and Growth Rate of Bioenergy 2011-2016
7.2 China Market Size (Volume and Value) of Bioenergy by Types 2011-2016
7.3 China Market Size (Volume and Value) of Bioenergy by Applications 2011-2016
7.4 China Sales Volume and Sales Revenue of Bioenergy by Companies 2011-2016
7.5 China Sale Price of Bioenergy by Types 2011-2016
7.6 China Sale Price of Bioenergy by Applications 2011-2016
7.7 China Sale Price of Bioenergy by Companies 2011-2016
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Scientists use Texas rivers for rice names

Published 11:56 am, Sunday, July 17, 2016

Photo: Guiseppe Barranco, Photo Editor
Farmers, investors and biologists tour fields during Rice Day at the Texas AgriLife Extension in Beaumont on Thursday. The annual event allows for industry workers from several countries to meet and share ... more
The green stalks all in a tidy row poked above irrigation water in the July heat, awaiting harvest.
The grains of rice inside, which are headed to seven unidentified millers for an opinion of their quality, are the culmination of more than six years of seed cultivation by Rodante Tadien, an assistant professor and rice breeder at the Texas A&M University Agri-Life Center on U.S. 90.
A plaque in front of the plot of rice is labeled "TXEL001."If the rice succeeds in its milling and is accepted, Tadien will have the honor of naming it.
It's been his practice to name a new rice variety for a river in Texas, though this one won't be revealed until the milling evaluation is done later this year.
There already is a "Neches," which was named by Anna McClung, a former A&M rice scientist who worked at the Beaumont station. She now leads a similar operation in Stuttgart, Arkansas, another major rice-growing area.
"Sabine" also is taken, as are "Brazos" and "Presidio" and "Jacinto," named for the San Jacinto River.
"We will not run out of names," Tadien said.
How about "Trinity?"
"It's on my list," he said.
A rice breeder deals in growing seasons, one after the other, to learn the traits of the seed he is trying to cultivate and to encourage the traits he wants. It's not for people seeking instant gratification.
By contrast, "the farmers are" impatient, said Mo Way, the Beaumont station's entomologist, who studies the pests that endanger crops.
"I wish I had a magic wand," Tadien said. "We're working for the farmers. We love our jobs."On Thursday, Tadien and Way sat in metal folding chairs waiting for tourists on trailers pulled by the station's pickup trucks.
As the trucks pulled up to each stop, the scientists explained what was in back of them.
Way spoke of a pest that migrated from Central and South America and attacked rice crops in the Texas southern rice belt around Brazoria County.
The pests didn't damage the main crop but infested the second, or ratoon, crop, which grows from the stubble of the first-cut harvest.
The pests might not have had enough mass to damage the main crop but wielded sufficient power to destroy 25 percent of the ratoon crop, Way said. The pest hasn't been spotted in Southeast Texas.
"I just want to alert, not alarm," Way told a trailer of tourists. "It was here for one or two years in the late 1950s, early 1960s and then disappeared."
Rice, like wheat, is not a grain crop that is typically genetically modified, mostly because of market resistance, Way said.
The rice breeders prefer "mutation" breeding to produce the results they want, which is a disease-resistant, high-yield grain that also defeats its relative weed known as red rice, which mimics a rice plant, but has no grain within the head of the plant.
Just down the way from Tadien's TXEL001 are stands of other named rices, like Jupiter, from Arkansas.
Louisiana breeders also contribute Cajun names to creations that emanate from research at Louisiana State University.
LSU created a variety called "Jazzman" because New Orleans is famous for jazz. The rice is an aromatic variety. Think "jasmine."
DWallach@BeaumontEnterprise.comTwitter.com/dwallach
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Scientists-use-Texas-rivers-for-rice-names-8383049.php

'Dum' it like awadhi royals

Published: 16th July 2016 06:00 AM
Last Updated: 16th July 2016 06:00 AM
BENGALURU: Biranj Food Fest, organised by My Fortune at its My Indian Oven restaurant, is catching the attention of many food lovers. One reason is that it’s a biriyani food festival.
Inspired by Mughlai, Awadhi and Hyderabadi traditions, this festival is a connoisseur’s delight. At the restaurant, near Hosmat Hospital, they serve from the traditional Indian cuisine along with contemporary dishes.
You can start with the masala pappad, from the starters section, served along with mint and tomato chutneys. Spice of the pappad goes perfectly with the tang of the tomato chutney. All the traditional biriyanis are cooked in ‘dum’ style, in a sealed vessel. Rice and the masala cook in the meat or vegetable juices.
Vegetarians should start with Nimona biriyani. In Nimona, for green peas, salan mirchi (large chillis) are stuffed with a  spicy green-peas mixture and then cooked with basmati rice in a dum. This is mildly spicy but all the flavours balance out, especially when had with the raitha. It is a must-try for all vegetarians.
For non-vegetarians, there is the Awadhi Murgh Biriyani. It is a princely dish, cooked the royal Awadhi style!
Prime cuts of chicken are cooked with basmati rice in a dum. This is a very aromatic biriyani from the Lucknow region of Uttar Pradesh. This tilts towards the bland though there is a mild sourness because curd is used for its preparation.
If you want to try something different, go for Kofteeh biriyani. Kofteeh or kofta are meat balls that originated in south Asian, middle-eastern and central Asian countries.
The deep-fried mutton kheema balls, with lamb that is spiced just-right, are cooked with aromatic basmati rice in a dum. These balls are made from minced mutton, so it’s not recommended for those who like to tear meat off its bones.
In Motia biriyani, motia (for small pearls or marbles) are made from mashed cottage cheese. Basmati rice is cooked with Indian cottage cheese, green peas and mushroom in a dum, and then garnished with motia. It is mild on the palate.
The food fest will conclude tonight but, fret not, all these biriyanis will now be on the restaurant’s regular menu.
Average cost per head is Rs 600 to 700
The انڈین ایکسپریس




Modern Rice Machine Unveiled in Bong

Created: Monday, 18 July 2016 00:30
Written by Papa Morris from Gbarnga, Bong County
Agriculture Minister Dr. Moses Zinnah has officially unveiled Liberia’s first modern rice threshers built in Gbarnga, Bong County. The Minister unveiled the threshers, constructed by about twenty local machine fabricators from across the country as they concluded twenty one days of workshop on agricultural machinery fabrication.
During the program, Dr. Zinnah commended partners of the government for making it possible, through their support, to ensure that such was achieved. He added that the production was a step to mechanized farming, stressing that all of these were not happening by chances, but due to the high importance President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has attached to agriculture.
Dr. Zinnah indicated that President Sirleaf has always maintained that no country can develop without an improved agricultural system, even when iron ores, diamonds and other natural resources are in the country, adding that it is difficult for any country to move ahead when it cannot handle its food situation.
Africa Rice Country Dr. Innousa Akintayo commended President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for visiting the trainees on two separate occasions,which according to him, was a huge motivation. Dr Akintayo said the absence of mechanization has affected and continue to affect agricultural production not just in Liberia, but the entire Africa.
According to the Africa Rice Country Representative, as part of an effort to alleviate such constraint, Africa Rice, in its new strategic plan, has put mechanization as its new priority, especially the fabrication of locally produced machines.
He said the production of local agricultural machinery has been successful in many Africa Rice Countries, including Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast Chad, etc. Dr. Akintayo added that the importation of machinery from western countries cannot solve the problems of mechanization considering the challenges in maintenance.
He said in the coming days, there will be another training conducted on other areas of agricultural machinery, including rice mill, cleaners and planters. The artisans, who were trained, are people who own workshops in their counties and in the production of machines.
Participants of the training called on the government and partners not to allow their efforts to be wasted, urging them for more support.
The training was initiated by Africa Rice. Many of the speakers at the gathering described the production of the machines as a giant step to gravitating to mechanized farming. The program was graced by several international guests from USAID, World Bank, World Food Program and high profile government officials from other ministries and agencies, as well as a representative from the National Legislature.
Citizens gathered in their numbers to see how the machine operates as it was switched on for testing while threshing rice.-Edited by George Barpeen
http://www.thenewdawnliberia.com/news/10964-modern-rice-machine-unveiled-in-bong


Farmers told to be role model

Published: 18 July 2016
LOCAL farmers who attended the week long Farm Mechanization Training (FMT) that ended over the weekend (Friday)  in Honiara are being encouraged to be role model and utilize the knowledge and skills acquired.
This was after about 13 local farmers from Isabel and Western Province undertook an intense training on FMT at the Taiwan Technical Mission, near King George, East Honiara under the project on enhancing productivity of land and labour through small scale mechanization for subsistence farmers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands.

Farm Mechanisation Training is aimed to equip rice farmers and other technical staff to appreciate the development and adoption of small-scale low cost and energy efficient machinery for use by subsistence farmers in PNG and Solomon Islands and also to equip local farmers with knowledge and skills on production of manual rice milling machine, solar grain drier and peanut shelling machine.

“I must encourage you farmers to utilize the ideas learned and seek assistance from the government or responsible authorities when necessary,” project engineer from NARI-PNG and the facilitator of the training told participants at the official closing of the programme at Jina’s Restaurant, Friday.

 Mr Joe Someng said, it is encouraging to see local farmers display much interest in such training which is good.

“I must encourage you to utilize the knowledge and seek responsible authorities (government) whenever you need support,” he said.

 He said that such training is important as it impart farmers with knowledge to improve their farming production thus improve livelihood of individual families.

Someng also used the occasion to thank the Solomon Islands government for its continuous support and commitment towards the project and appeal to responsible authorities to assist local farmers in order to excel in their agricultural development.

“This is a new area of development within the Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock (MAL) with the objective of this project to develop and adopt small-scale low cost energy efficient machines for use by subsistence farmers in PNG and SI.”

It is understood, the continuity and expansion of this project should enable MAL to produce efficient low cost subsistence small machines for our farmers in the rural areas.

The week long training has seen participants involved in production of manual rice milling machine and training on how to use the solar grain drier and peanut shelling machine.

FMT is jointly funded by the European Union and Solomon Islands government
http://www.solomonstarnews.com/news/national/11116-farmers-told-to-be-role-model

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