Preserving a rare medicinal rice
variety
K. A. SHAJI
It was only last week
Palakkad-based marketing executive-turned farmer P. Narayanan Unni was invited
to present a paper on how he conserved Kerala’s nearly extinct medicinal rice
variety, Navara, in an organic way at a global conference on best practices in
agri-food innovation.
It was followed by his attendance at the first International
Agro-Biodiversity Congress held in New Delhi where delegates from across the
world listened to the efforts for many years in protecting and promoting the
red rice variety.
Chairman of Chittur-based Navara Foundation and the largest
cultivator of Navara rice in the State, Mr. Unni feels it would be vital for
any modern society to focus more on protecting and promoting traditional rice
varieties to face the challenges of growing food insecurity.
His 12-acre Navara Eco farm is located on the banks of the
Shokanashini river here.
“The cultivation of this medicinal rice variety was almost
extinct when I took it up as a mission. Non-availability of pure seeds, low
yield and high production cost were cited as reasons for the lack of popularity
of this rice variety among farmers. It was my determination to keep the farm
completely organic,” said Mr. Unni, in an interaction with The Hindu . He has been running the farm successfully for the last 20
years.
Unlike other rice varieties, which are white in colour, Navara
is deep red and has been cultivated in the Palakkad region for more than 2,000
years. But it was totally wiped out during the last four decades when several
new hybrid rice varieties were introduced.
“In the initial years, I had to struggle hard to collect and
segregate enough seeds. Sourcing pure seeds was indeed a challenge.Many of my
friends warned that it may be a sheer wastage of time and energy,” he recalled.“In
most parts of Palakkad, the rice variety was contaminated by hybrid varieties.
In addition to the low yield, about 200 kg from an acre made the cultivation
commercially unviable,” he said. For pest control, he grew tulsi and marigold
on the field bunds.
“Since it is a medicinal rice variety for consumption we decided
to adopt only organic methods. We did not want chemical residues in the
harvested grains,” explained Mr. Unni.Taking inspiration from Mr. Unni, many
farmers in Chittur taluk are now cultivating Navara organically.
It was only two years ago the Protection of Plant Varieties and
Farmers’ Rights Authority had conferred the second annual Plant Genome Saviour
community recognition award on him.
Because of his intervention, Navara has also received
Geographical Indication (GI) status.
Navara is used traditionally to treat rheumatic patients. Navara
rice is in high demand during the Malayalam month of Karkidakam for Ayurvedic
rejuvenation treatments.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/preserving-a-rare-medicinal-rice-variety/article9359625.ece
11/18/16 Farm Bureau Market Report
Rice
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Rice Comment
Rice futures ended the day higher, but were unable to recover
all of the losses posted early in the week. Weekly exports of 77,400 tons
weren't enough to inspire buying interest. January is building support at Tuesday's low of $9.30
Sustainable Agriculture Summit Serves Up Challenges and
Opportunities
ATLANTA, GA -- The annual Sustainable Agriculture
Summit held here this week, in combination with Field to Market's fall meetings
brought together more than 500 attendees from across the U.S. agricultural
supply chain. Participants ranged from farmers, to input manufacturers
and suppliers, to processors and retailers. The livestock, row crop, and
specialty crop sectors were all represented among the Summit's various panels
and breakout sessions where talk of partnerships, success stories, innovations,
and new research studies contributed to the excitement that ran throughout the
conference.
USA Rice members
and partners ADM, BASF, Bunge, California Rice Commission, Ducks Unlimited, Dow
AgroSciences, John Deere, Kellogg, Mars, PepsiCo, Riceland Foods, RiceTec,
Syngenta, Mosaic, and Unilever all participated in the two-day event.
Arkansas rice
farmer and USA Rice Sustainability Committee Chair Jennifer James, who also
serves as USA Rice's Field to Market voting member, left the Summit feeling
confident about the rice industry's sustainability work. James said,
"Based on the work the Sustainability Committee has lined up for 2017, we
could return to this Summit next year and bring rice into the spotlight as a
real power player in the ag industry. We're really ramping up our
representation in this arena and folks are starting to notice. Since this
meeting last fall, rice has tripled its representation and we're going to
continue to grow as the Sustainability Committee works through our
Sustainability Plan."
James added,
"One thing I've learned through our work with other agriculture commodities
is that we still have a ways to go as we focus on continuous improvement within
the industry. Results from our recent sustainability survey showed that
most of us want to learn more about sustainability because we realize that it's
not going away anytime soon. The concept of farmers being stewards of
their land is no longer a fad, it's now an expectation when we take our crop to
market, and we have to embrace that."
The in
Memphis next month will focus on the rice industry's involvement and success in
the evolving conservation and sustainability arena with a series of panels,
dialogues, and updates on the USA Rice Sustainability Plan
Thai junta fines ex-PM for
last rice subsidy, funds another
Todd Pitman and Natnicha Chuwiruch
Associated
Press
Bangkok | Fri,
November 18, 2016 | 04:48
pm
The $1.5 billion effort, which helps struggling rice farmers in part by guaranteeing prices well above market rates, is ironic given its similarities to the larger subsidy program for which the junta has castigated ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra.
But the current government may have had little choice but to act. Global prices for the grain have plummeted to their lowest in nearly a decade, severely weakening an industry crucial to Thailand's economic well-being.
Some analysts say the about-face is also intended to stave off potential unrest during the sensitive, year-long mourning period following the death last month of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and to win over some of the politically powerful farmers who make up 40 percent of the population. The rice-growing north is a traditional stronghold of Yingluck and her allies.
The junta has begun to realize "they simply cannot ignore the plight of the farmers anymore, especially [if] they wish to be in power for the long term," said Puangthong R. Pawakapan, an associate professor at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the former army chief who spearheaded the coup two years ago, has vowed to restore civilian rule through elections in late 2017. There is speculation he could stay on as premier, and in any case, the nation's new constitution guarantees the military a strong hand in politics for years to come.
The putsch was the culmination of a decade of political turmoil that boiled over after the army ousted Yingluck's brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, in a 2006 coup. The conflict, in broad terms, is part of a societal schism that pits the majority rural poor against an urban-based elite establishment supported by the army and staunch royalists who see Yingluck's family as a corrupt threat to the traditional structures of power.
In 2011, Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party won elections in part by promising to pay farmers nearly double the price that rice then fetched on the world market, a move critics equated to vote-buying.
The hope was that by stockpiling rice, the government could drive up world prices. But producers such as Vietnam took up the slack, bumping Thailand from its spot as the world's leading rice exporter. The government lost billions of dollars and about 8 million tons of the rice it purchased sits unsold in warehouses.
Yingluck told The Associated Press that "in principle, there is no difference" between the junta's effort and that of her government, an assessment some analysts agree with.
The junta's plan is similar to Yingluck's in that it is offering artificially high prices for rice, dispersing large sums to farmers and encouraging them to keep the grain off market in hopes of stimulating prices. But Jitti Mongkolnchaiarunya, dean of Thammasat University's School of Development Studies, said the latest plan is less risky because its scope is smaller, its price ceilings lower, and rice farmers — not the government — will be responsible for storage.
Yingluck's administration, for example, offered 15,000 to 20,000 baht ($421 to $561) per ton of rice, compared to 10,500 to 13,000 ($294 to $365) offered by Prayuth's government.
None of that, though, guarantees the effort will be a success, Jitti said, because global supply and demand cannot be controlled. Prayuth has said he wants to wean farmers off populist policies and has warned government aid is "not limitless."
"The government must have ... the courage to deal with these issues," Jitti said, "because it's all related to politics. Everything is politics."
Indeed, shortly after Prayuth's government announced its plans, Yingluck bought 10 tons of rice from farmers and made a public show of helping to sell it — at cost — outside a Bangkok mall. Last week, she did it again at another mall just southeast of Bangkok in Samut Prakan.
It was a brazen move for Yingluck, who could be sentenced to 10 years in prison if convicted of criminal negligence charges related to her government's rice subsidy. But in a country where free speech is suppressed and bans on large political gatherings have almost completely silenced the opposition, helping farmers sell rice offered a rare means of speaking out.
"I think she intended to challenge the junta," Puangthong said.
Prayuth and his supporters have condemned such moves as publicity stunts, though Yingluck claims she was only doing it to help farmers.
One person who showed up to buy rice in Samut Prakan, Samruey Thappan, said she was doing it not only "to help farmers, but to help Yingluck because she's a good person who is being harassed."
Farmers say they need assistance, no matter who's offering it.
Political fights "have no relevance to us," said Weerachai Wongbut, a 59-year-old who traveled to Bangkok from the northern province of Uttaradit to sell rice at a market stall this month. "We just need help
http://www.thejakartapost.com/seasia/2016/11/18/thai-junta-fines-ex-pm-for-last-rice-subsidy-funds-another-.html
Govt to help rice farmers tap online channels
November 18, 2016 01:00
By THE NATION
By THE NATION
THE COMMERCE Ministry will help
farmers sell their rice directly to consumers in Thailand and abroad via social
media and other online as well as offline channels. This is part of a bid to
reduce dependence on middlemen as domestic paddy prices hit a 10-year low.
Banjongjitt
Angsusingh, director-general of the Department of Business Development, said
the agency will work with the Thai retailers’ association to market milled rice
using e-commerce websites and social media such as Facebook and Instagram to
tap Thai and foreign buyers. Domestic paddy prices have dropped to the lowest
level in about a decade, averaging at Bt5,000 to 6,000 per tonne, which is too
low for farmers to make a profit. As for social media and online channels, she
said, the agency will use its own website, ThaiCommerceStore.com, as the main
platform featuring special banners advertising Thai milled rice and other rice
and related products.
Those farmers who have their own website can add their link to this platform so visitors from across the world can reach the farmers’ sites. Farmers who do not have their own website, but use social media such as Facebook and Instagram can have their own social media links on the ThaiCommerceStore.com website.
As for farmers who have neither a website or a social media link, they can leave information on their rice products as well as their contact numbers at the ThaiCommerceStore.com, so visitors can reach the sellers directly if they are interested in the products.
In addition, she said, the department has initiated the setting up of a prototype of a retail outlet as an offline sales and marketing channel for rice farmers. The farmers will be able to use this space to sell packaged rice and other products directly.
Those who have the potential to tap the foreign market, another Commerce Ministry website called Thaitrade.com will serve as a platform for social organisations and business associations etc to help farmers sell their products online.
Former premier Yingluck Shina-watra has been using her social media fanpage to promote the sale of rice as well as cooking events where rice and related products are used as key ingredients. Her menus include popular dishes from the North and Northeast.
Meanwhile, police are on the hunt for Nopjorn Panni-yom, who has been accused by actress Akumsiri “Juk-Jun” Suwansuk of allegedly luring many people, including the actress’s fans, to buy rice via Instagram. Akumsiri claims the suspect did not deliver the goods once the payment was made
Those farmers who have their own website can add their link to this platform so visitors from across the world can reach the farmers’ sites. Farmers who do not have their own website, but use social media such as Facebook and Instagram can have their own social media links on the ThaiCommerceStore.com website.
As for farmers who have neither a website or a social media link, they can leave information on their rice products as well as their contact numbers at the ThaiCommerceStore.com, so visitors can reach the sellers directly if they are interested in the products.
In addition, she said, the department has initiated the setting up of a prototype of a retail outlet as an offline sales and marketing channel for rice farmers. The farmers will be able to use this space to sell packaged rice and other products directly.
Those who have the potential to tap the foreign market, another Commerce Ministry website called Thaitrade.com will serve as a platform for social organisations and business associations etc to help farmers sell their products online.
Former premier Yingluck Shina-watra has been using her social media fanpage to promote the sale of rice as well as cooking events where rice and related products are used as key ingredients. Her menus include popular dishes from the North and Northeast.
Meanwhile, police are on the hunt for Nopjorn Panni-yom, who has been accused by actress Akumsiri “Juk-Jun” Suwansuk of allegedly luring many people, including the actress’s fans, to buy rice via Instagram. Akumsiri claims the suspect did not deliver the goods once the payment was made
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30300239
Thanksgiving — an American feast
Martha Beltran with her own
recipe of pan de jamon, a Venezuelan holiday bread studded with ham, olives and
raisins. — Picture courtesy of Leslye Davis/The New York Times
NEW YORK, Nov 18 — The Times asked 15 families
from across the country to tell us about the dishes on their Thanksgiving
tables that speak most eloquently about their heritage and traditions, about
who they are.
‘The food that sustained our ancestors.’
As it has for Native Americans, Thanksgiving has always been a
complicated holiday for African-American families. In the era of slavery and
Jim Crow, it was often celebrated on another day because African-Americans had
to serve other people their Thanksgiving meal. Sometimes it was celebrated in
January to mark the day in 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln signed the
Emancipation Proclamation, the same year he made Thanksgiving an official
national holiday.
But always, it was used as a day to bring together communities
and to eat.
Erika Council, a software engineer in Atlanta who is also a
professional cook and a food writer, grew up with a special reverence for
Thanksgiving. Her parents were divorced. Some years she ate the meal as
interpreted by her paternal grandmother, Mildred Council, better known as Mama
Dip, who opened a popular restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and went
on to write two cookbooks.
But more often, she sat at the table with her mother’s family,
where her maternal grandmother, Geraldine Gavin Dortch of Goldsboro, North
Carolina, made sure everyone gave proper thanks for the sacrifices of their
enslaved ancestors and their elders who had battled for civil rights. Without
their struggle, the bountiful meal on the table would not exist.
“We always had to get dressed up and read a little speech at
Thanksgiving,” said Council, 35. “My grandmother was very steadfast in making
sure not just me, but all the kids knew what we as African-Americans should be
thankful for, because she knew they were not teaching that side of the story in
school.”
To drive home the point, there would always be one or two simple
dishes that reflected the kind of food cooked in the kitchens of enslaved
Africans. Neck bones was one of them, served alongside more elegant
Thanksgiving dishes as a reminder.
The dish, built from pork neck bones and elbow macaroni, is
delicious in its simplicity. The bones and onions are simmered in water well
seasoned with red pepper flakes, ground black pepper and salt until the mixture
becomes fragrant and the gelatin from the bones has given body to the broth.
The macaroni goes in next, absorbing flavor as it cooks.
“That water and neck bones could make this rich broth that would
give them enough strength to get through the day is kind of a miracle,” Council
said
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/eat-drink/article/thanksgiving-an-american-feast#sthash.JaxVhANb.dpuf
Multiple rice exporters at risk of closing down
VietNamNet
Bridge – A lot of struggling rice exporters could go out of business if a
Government decree on rice export conditions is upgraded into law.
Rice is
uploaded onto a boat for export in this file photo. A lot of struggling rice
exporters could go out of business if a Government decree on rice export
conditions is upgraded into a law.The rice export conditions provided by Decree
109/2010/ND-CP dated November 4, 2010 are so strict that many businesses cannot
meet. They include at least one storehouse having a minimum capacity of 5,000
tons of paddy and meeting Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
standards, and a rice mill with a minimum capacity of 10 tons an hour.
The
decree has effectively driven many local firms out of the rice export sector.
Certain enterprises such as Co May Trading & Services Co Ltd in Dong Thap
Province and Vien Phu Production and Trading Joint Stock Company in Ca Mau
Province have come to Singapore to do rice export business.
This is
in stark contrast with the situation in Cambodia and Laos where enterprises can
easily export rice to Vietnam and other countries thanks to great support from
their governments.
Life
would become harder for local rice exporters as the decree has been added to
the draft amendments to Appendix 4 of the Investment Law governing conditional
business sectors.
Article
7 of the Investment Law states: “Conditional business and investment fields are
where business and investment activities must meet certain conditions for
reasons related to national defense, national security, social safety, social
ethics and community health.”
One
might wonder whether or not rice export activity has anything to do with
national security, which warrants the addition of rice to the list of
conditional business sectors. In wartime, this might be true but now Vietnam is
one of the world’s leading rice exporters, so food security is not a concern
under the current circumstances.
According
to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), rice exportation and
other business activities should be taken out of the list of conditional
sectors
http:/ Payment tardy for farmers as paddy yet
to be lifted/english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/167217/multiple-rice-exporters-at-risk-of-closing-down.html
Payment tardy for farmers
as-paddy yet to be lifted
Farmers wait for their paddy to be procured at a grain market in Bathinda on Thursday. Tribune photo: Pawan sharma
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, November 17
Farmers,
who are waiting for the procurement of their paddy at grain markets, have been
left in the lurch as they have not received payment for their paddy due to
demonetisation of Rs 500 and 1,000 notes. The farmers are getting payment
through arhtiyas or commission agents at a snail’s pace due to the same. The
payment for the procured paddy has also not reached the District Food and
Supply Controller (DFSC) department. Of the total Rs 1846.23 crores, an amount
of Rs 1019.44 crore is yet to be disbursed by the DFSC department. The
department claims that as soon the payment will be released by the RBI, the
same would be further disbursed to the farmers. The delay in the lifting and
payment of paddy had further led to the delay in wheat sowing.
The
procurement of paddy was promised within 48 hours of its arrival by the
district administration, but the farmers have been waiting for their paddy to
be procured and lifted for the past many days. They will get their payment only
after the procurement of their paddy.
Jugraj
Singh, a farmer of Chatthewala village, said, “I have been sitting here in the
grain market of Bathinda for the past five days, but my paddy has not been
procured yet. The officials concerned say the procurement of paddy is getting
delayed due to the high moisture content. But when paddy is lying in the open
for the whole night, the moisture content will automatically rise. We brought
dry paddy in grain markets, but now it is gaining moisture.”
Kuldip
Singh Brar, District Mandi Board Officer, said, “The procurement process is
going on at a good pace and we have procured about 11.98 lakh metric tonnes of
paddy, of which 11.75 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been lifted. Today about
5,686 metric tonnes arrived, of which we have procured 3,613 metric tonnes of
paddy. At some grain markets, especially at the Talwandi Sabo grain markets,
the problem has been witnessed but this is for a short term. The whole paddy
will be procured very soon.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/cities/bathinda/payment-tardy-for-farmers-as-paddy-yet-to-be-lifted/324724.html
Comment: Thailand remembers the
'Rice King'
As Thailand
mourns the loss of its longest reigning monarch, delegates at this year’s World
Rice Conference honour and commend him for what he contributed to the country’s
rice industry.
By Sandra Boga,
Chiang Mai
Published: 18
November 2016 09:22 AM
Holding an event within a month
of King Bhumibol’s death,the world's longest-serving head of state and reigning
monarch in Thai historywould inevitably set the tone for this year’s
conference. For those attendingfrom outside of Thailand, it could be
...
If you are not a subscriber, you can sign
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https://www.agra-net.com/agra/public-ledger/commodities/grains/rice/comment-thailand-remembers-the-rice-king-533217.htm
https://www.agra-net.com/agra/public-ledger/commodities/grains/rice/comment-thailand-remembers-the-rice-king-533217.htm
Payment tardy for farmers as-paddy yet to be
lifted
Soil bacteria
helps protect rice plants from arsenic and fungus
'Cocktail’ of soil bacteria can protect rice plants from deadly
forces
Date:November 18, 2016
Source:University of Delaware
Summary:
Recently, the UD team found that when rice plants are subjected
to multiple threats -- including increasing concentrations of poisonous arsenic
in water and soil, an urgent concern in Southeast Asia, plus a fungal disease
called rice blast -- the plants aren't necessarily goners.
Rather, the UD researchers have shown for the first time that a
combination of beneficial soil microbes can be applied to the infected plants
to boost their natural defenses, combating both problems.
The findings, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, provide new evidence about the
potential benefit of "biostacking" -- putting multiple microbes
together to protect plants from stress. The research also lends further support
for a natural, chemical-free approach to protecting a crop that over half the
world's population depends on for food.
A 'health cocktail' for rice plants
"We wanted to see if we could use a combinatorial approach
-- a 'cocktail' of organisms -- that would help rice plants with two
simultaneous stresses attacking them," Bais said, from his laboratory at
the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.
In addition to Bais and Cottone, the team included Venkatachalam
Lakshmanan, a former postdoctoral researcher at UD who is now working at the
Oklahoma-based Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.
Previously, the UD team identified two species of bacteria that
come to the rescue of rice plants when the plants are under attack. The two
microbes naturally inhabit the rhizosphere, the soil around the plant roots.
Pseudomonas chlororaphis EA105 can trigger a system-wide defense
against the rice blast fungus, which destroys enough rice to feed an estimated
60 million people each year.
EA105 inhibits formation of the fungus's attack machinery, the
appressoria, which acts like a battering ram, putting pressure on a plant leaf
until it is punctured.
A second microbe, EA106, mobilizes an iron plaque, or shield, to
begin accumulating on the roots of rice plants when arsenic is present,
effectively blocking uptake of the poison.
"What's happening in Southeast Asia from high levels of
arsenic in water and soil has been called the largest mass poisoning in
history," Bais said. "The EA106 microbe has multiple benefits. The
iron shield it deploys blocks the arsenic. This iron, absorbed into the rice
grain, could help address another big health problem in many developing
countries -- iron deficiency."
In their laboratory studies with hydroponically grown rice
plants, the UD team treated plants with arsenic, then treated them with EA105
and EA106. Seven days later, they infected the same plants with blast disease.
Along the way, they examined the overall genetic responses when arsenic,
beneficial bacteria, and fungal disease were incorporated. The resulting data
clearly showed that the microbial cocktail could bolster plant defenses against
both arsenic and rice blast disease.
But there were some surprises. For example, the researchers
thought if arsenic was taken up by rice plants, that poison might be
detrimental to the blast fungus. But that was not the case.The ability of the
blast fungus to tolerate arsenic is a direct story of evolution, according to
Bais.The fungus has become more and more resistant to arsenic over time.
"To prevent arsenic toxicity, we think the fungus put the
arsenic in 'a safehouse' -- storing it in its vacuole -- before the toxin gets
loaded to the grain," explained Bais.
Protecting a staple crop
So how could beneficial microbes such as EA105 and EA106 be
applied to protect rice plants? A seed treatment, or microbial coating, would
be the most practical route in formulating an economical, effective product,
Bais said.
Next semester, Bais will travel home to India while on
sabbatical leave to give talks at universities, collaborate on research and
meet with people who do work in the field.
"A real opportunity for India's next generation of
sustainable agriculture will be this area of plant probiotics, using microbes
that naturally occur in the soil to help plants," Bais said.Meanwhile,
Cottone, who recently was named a DENIN Environmental Scholar at UD, will
continue his research in the Bais lab, skyping with Bais while he is away.
Ironically, Cottone didn't know a lot about plants until he took
Bais's introductory botany course last year. Then a whole new world opened up
to him, and he's now decided to pursue a double major in plant science and
animal science.
"This work has a huge humanitarian bent in that the
majority of countries affected by arsenic poisoning are developing
countries," Cottone said. "So this work could really help a lot of
people who really are not in a position to help themselves."
"Jonathon is doing a fantastic job," Bais said. "He
puts in long hours. He's mastered how to grow rice and manages the entire
greenhouse now. He's already co-authored a scientific paper as an
undergrad."
And he's got lots of room to flex his research muscles. The
complex relationships between plants and the microorganisms living with them,
their "microbiome," provide countless avenues to explore in the quest
to improve plant health.
"Plants are exposed to multiple stresses these days, many
driven by changing climate. Plants are just confused. They don't know what to
do," Bais said. "We're trying to help them cope."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161118130421.htm
Thailand to export at least 9 mln tonnes of rice in 2017 - commerce
ministry
17.11.2016
Thailand expects to export at least 9 million tonnes of rice in
2017, the commerce ministry said on Thursday."For 2017, we expect
initially that our rice exports will be no less than 9 million tonnes,"
Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general of the Foreign Trade Department at the
Commerce Ministry, told Reuters, adding that the figure was not yet an official
target.Duangporn said Thailand would achieve its 2016 rice export target of 9.5
million tonnes
http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/thailand-to-export-at-least-9-mln-tonnes-of-rice-in-2017-commerce-ministry
No to rice politicisation
19 Nov 2016 NEWSPAPER SECTION: NEWS
The political bickering over how to help
farmers suffering from low rice prices does not serve any purpose except
exacerbating their hardship.Without a sincere halt to politicising rice prices,
it is the rice farmers -- the very people everyone agrees deserve assistance --
who are destined to suffer the most.The words from Prime Minister Gen Prayut
Chan-o-cha may sound harsh, that eventually Thailand will have to reduce its
rice-growing areas while increasing productivity and efficiency to stay
profitable, but they are true.
The reality is that rice is a commodity traded
in the world market. As other rice-growing countries, namely Vietnam and
Cambodia, manage to increase their yields per rai each year and sell rice at
markedly lower prices, Thai farmers will have no choice but to stay
competitive.
There seems to be no shortage of what people
think the country's rice farming sector should be like in the next five to 20
years and what will it take for us to get there. Academic think-tanks and rice
researchers agree the future lies in improving the quality of Thai rice while
using technology and innovation to increase productivity.
State subsidies may be necessary in the short
and medium term as rice farmers try to make the necessary transition but the
consensus is there that the help is not sustainable. In the long run, rice
farmers must be able to stand on their own feet and earn a profit from their
grain by themselves.
Unfortunately, the long-term goals and efforts
that should be expended to realise them as quickly and painlessly for all
involved as possible are lost in the ongoing political squabbling.It is sad to
see political conflicts that have dogged the country for decades prevailing
over rice policies and development as well. Even now that all sides should have
joined hands to help rice farmers suffering from low grain prices, jostling for
political gain remains the name of the game.Former prime minister Yingluck
Shinawatra's initiative to buy rice directly from farmers and resell it to
urban consumers at cost is not a bad idea. It is based on the same principle as
other attempts to help farmers by providing them free space to sell their
produce or creating online channels to link them directly to consumers while
circumventing middlemen who may try to unfairly suppress prices.
It must be remembered that for rice farmers any
help in releasing their stocks now would be better than a long-term dream. It
is thus very sad that instead of inspiring others to help farmers go through
short-term hardship, the former premier and her party seem to be more bent on
using the attempt as a publicity stunt.Her latest campaign, organising an event
at her home to promote a variety of rice dishes supposedly to boost domestic
consumption and by extension push up rice prices, appears too ineffectual to be
taken seriously. The truth remains that it is Ms Yingluck's government that
launched the massive rice subsidy scheme that not only caused huge financial
losses but set unrealistic expectations among rice farmers that the government
could bail them out whenever they run into financial constraints.
The current government can use input from rice
farmers and researchers as well about its plan to introduce crop substitutes in
areas deemed inappropriate for rice farming. Maize, the government's preferred
choice for farmers in 35 central provinces instead of rice, is widely viewed as
impracticable because the crop would not grow well in areas that used to be
paddy fields.It is clear that solving the immediate problems for rice farmers
and ensuring that there is a profitable and sustainable future ahead of them
require all sides to cooperate. The politicisation must stop first.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1139101/no-to-rice-politicisation
Yingluck starts drive to shore up rice prices
18 Nov 2016
EWSPAPER SECTION: NEWS | WRITER: AEKARACH
SATTABURUTH
Ms Yingluck shows off a 'cake' dessert made
from rice during Thursday's event at her home. (AFP photo)
Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has
launched a new campaign to promote the consumption of a variety of rice
products as a way to drive up paddy prices.This follows her direct rice sales
which have drawn criticism after claims she is undercutting rice prices.
Ms Yingluck launched the latest campaign,
entitled "Help farmers, create Thai value-added rice and boost rice
consumption", at her Bung Kum home Thursday.More than 50 dishes made from
rice products were displayed at the event, including kanom jeen nam ya, kao
tang, khao kriap pak maw, rice pizza and pudding.The campaign seeks to promote
a wide range of rice dishes which could help reduce the domestic rice supply
and push up prices.
Yoon Kaewhom, a Surin farmer, said rice growers
lack the knowledge needed to help themselves amid falling prices.Many farmers
are dependent on the government's loan scheme and spend money from rice sales
to pay off loans they took to grow the rice. They then have to borrow again for
the next crop, and the cycle continues.Thanittha Janthanaruek, a member of a
Thai rice consumer network, called on the government to help develop rice
quality, which should help boost customer confidence in the product.She said
law enforcement must be stringent in curbing the use of chemicals in rice
cultivation.Farmers should come together and form a network or cooperative.
Help is needed so the farmers can adjust themselves to the market and reduce
production costs, she added.Meanwhile, rice farmers in Chai Nat are working
fast to harvest paddy to sell to millers after rice prices improved over the
past week.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1137937/yingluck-starts-drive-to-shore-up-rice-prices
Chinese
Astronauts are Growing Rice on the Tiangong Space Station
By Jamie Ayque
Nov 18, 2016 06:51 AM EST
Chinese
astronauts at the Tiangong-2 space station are growing rice and edible weed in
microgravity. The experiments could pave way for development of food sources
for astronauts in the future.
(Photo : Jes Aznar/Getty Images)
(Photo : Jes Aznar/Getty Images)
The Chinese space station is now a mini garden of rice and
edible weed.Astronauts at China's Tiangong-2 space station are growing rice and
thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) - a kind of edible weed - in microgravity.
According to Chinese new sources, the rice plants have grown 10 centimeters
tall and the cress plants have already flowered.
The purpose of the experiment is to find out whether plants
in space still grow according to an Earth-based cycle and yield the same seeds."We
want to study the growth rhythm and the flowering of plants in micro-gravity
conditions," Zheng Huiqiong, chief scientist for plant research on
Tiangong-2 and a researcher at the Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology of
the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences under the Chinese Academy of
Sciences (CAS), told Chinese media outfit Xinhua."So
far the plants on Tiangong-2 have been growing well. Some Arabidopsis thaliana
are blooming, and the rice is about 10 centimeters tall," Zheng added.
Chinese taikonauts Jung Haipeng and Chen Dong launched
aboard the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft and successfully docked to the experimental space
lab on Oct. 18. Both will complete a 30-day mission - the longest Chinese
mission in space. When the two astronauts return to Earth in November, they
will be bringing back samples of the thale cress grown in the lab, which is
expected to yield seeds in space.The rice experiment will continue on
Tiangong-2 for about half a year - the longest Chinese space-based
plant-growing experiment. According to Zhang Tao, a researcher at the CAS
Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, a special incubator was designed for
Tiangong-2 so scientists on Earth could "remotely control the lighting,
temperature, humidity and volume of the nutrient solution during the
experiment."
An experiment involving six silkworms is also aboard the
space station. According to a report by New Scientist,
the silkworm experiment - designed by middle school students in Hong Kong -
could be protein sources for long space journeys.While the Tiangong-2
experiment is the first to use a remotely controlled incubator environment, it
was not the first time food was grown in microgravity. Astronauts aboard the
International Space Station (ISS) had grown and eaten the first on-orbit lettuce.
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/32264/20161118/chinese-astronauts-growing-rice-tiangong-space-station.htm
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