Monday, May 23, 2016

23rd May,2016 daily global regional and local rice enewsletter by riceplus magazine

Satake to exhibit at FOOMA Japan 2016

May 20, 2016 - by World Grain Staff

Duterte urged: Remove NFA monopoly in rice trade

A GROUP of prominent economists has called on incoming President Rodrigo R. Duterte to scrap the present policy of allowing the National Food Authority (NFA) to monopolize the importation of rice, urging instead the liberalization of the process as a means of making food more affordable to the poor. The Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF), an organization advocating market-friendly reforms, good governance, and economic and political liberty, called on the incoming administration to drop such “discredited policy” of allowing the NFA to monopolize rice importation and subjecting rice imports to quantitative restrictions.
At the same time, FEF said giving out import permits to favored importers had only resulted in “rampant corruption” in the Department of Agriculture, high rice prices for consumers, “unabated smuggling” due to the price discrepancy between local rice and landed imported rice, and “palpable inability” of the government to quickly respond to supply and demand factors for riceIf change was coming to the past and present policies, the incoming Duterte administration should remove the present NFA monopoly on rice importation, liberalize rice importation, and instead impose tariffs on rice imports to generate revenue that can be channeled directly to rice farmers,” FEF said.
The economists argued liberalizing rice importation would enhance food security, rather than diminish it.
FEF noted Malaysia was allowing up to 30 percent of its needs met by rice imports. Singapore, which has no agricultural sector and relies on international trade, was rated as the second most food-secure nation in the world after the United States by the Economist Intelligence Unit, it added.
“By liberalizing rice trade, the incoming Duterte administration could prevent the huge losses of the NFA and make rice affordable to the masses. In fact, most poor rice farmers were net consumers of rice, as the Kidapawan, North Cotabato farmers have shown in their recent protest,” FEF said.
“Liberalizing rice importation would definitely benefit the poor. Our country cannot bear rice to become more unaffordable especially at a time of supply uncertainty due to severe drought conditions.”
FEF also noted changing the present rice policy would not only unburden taxpayers with billions of annual subsidies to the NFA, but prevent any further increase in the national government’s guaranteed debt, presently more than P150 billion.
Citing World Bank estimates, FEF said for every P5 of spending for NFA, P4 represented “wasted leakages” that provided no public benefit. “Such funds may be better used to support agriculture infrastructure, research and extension services, and to develop other neglected but promising crops like coconut, coffee, and cocoa, as well as aquaculture in the Philippines.”

FEF is chaired by former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo. Its vice chair is Romeo Bernardo, while president is Calixto Chikiamco. Its senior advisers are former Prime Minister/Finance Minister Cesar Virata and UP Economics professor emeritus and former Economic Planning Minister Gerardo Sicat. Board members include Anthony Abad, Art Corpuz, Eduardo Gana, Felipe Medalla, Vaughn Montes, Simon Paterno, Perry Pe and Gloria Tan-Climaco

http://business.inquirer.net/210484/duterte-urged-remove-nfa-monopoly-rice-trade#ixzz49TUJJCnk

Indonesia-Vietnam Agree to Increase Trade by 100 Percent in 3 Years

“In 2015, our (Indonesia-Vietnam) trade was $5.59 billion, increasing 6.47 percent over the past three years.

A bilateral meeting between President Widodo and Vietnam PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Sochi, Russia, Thursday (19/5) Biro Pers Sekretariat Kepresidenan

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, on the sidelines of the Russia-ASEAN Summit 2016 at Hotel Radisson Blu in Sochi, Russia, Thursday (19/5).

Jokowi said Vietnam is an important partner to Indonesia in Southeast Asia, particularly for rice. Indonesia has long been importing rice from Vietnam to meet domestic demand.

Central Statistics Agency data show that Indonesia imported 171,286 tons of rice from Vietnam in 2013, rising to 306,418 tons in 2014. Last year, rice imports from the Southeast Asian country increased again, with Jokowi’s approval, to one million tons.

This strategic partnership between Indonesia and Vietnam was established in 2013. That year, trade between the two nations exceeded the target of US$5 billion. However, this figure has not grown significantly since.

“In 2015, our (Indonesia-Vietnam) trade was $5.59 billion, increasing 6.47 percent over the past three years,” said Jokowi in an official release distributed after the meeting on Thursday (19/5). (Read: Four Major Russian Companies Seek to Invest in Indonesia )

Indonesia and Vietnam now intend to intensify their trade partnership. At the bilateral meeting, Jokowi and Nguyen Xuan Phuc agreed to increase trade between the two nations to $10 billion in 2018.

The two government heads also welcomed the outcome of their eight technical meeting on the delimitation of Exclusive Economic Zones held in Jakarta on 22 – 24 March 2016, at which two countries agreed to move forward with negotiations on the Indonesian-Vietnamese maritime border.

This was Jokowi’s first meeting with Phuc since he was inaugurated as Vietnam’s prime minister in April 2016. At the end of the meeting, Jokowi invited Phuc to visit Indonesia in hopes of strengthening bilateral ties. (Read: Jokowi Inks Business Deals Worth IDR 270 T during Visit to Europe)

Before meeting with the Vietnamese PM, Jokowi had a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladmir Putin at Bocharov Ruchei, the presidential residence in Sochi, on Wednesday night. At the meeting, the leaders discussed possible partnership opportunities between the two countries, including increasing palm oil exports from Indonesia, and partnerships in the defence and security, energy and tourism sectors.

Jokowi said talks over the defence and security sector covered weaponry, trade of intelligence information on terrorism, and transfer of knowledge on weaponry technology.

Considering Russia a close partner of Indonesia, Jokowi also extended an invitation to Putin to visit Jakarta. (Read: Korean Entrepreneurs Meet Jokowi, Convey Readiness to Invest IDR 250t)

http://en.katadata.co.id/news/2016/05/23/indonesia-vietnam-agree-to-increase-trade-by-100-percent-in-3-years

Under-reported Pakistan — Agriculture, national interest & malnutrition

TNS Editor May 22, 2016

Identifying the missing stories in Pakistani media

Graphic by Naseem ur Rehman

Agriculture — What about the hinterland
Stories from rural areas — about agriculture and rural life — find little time on TV channels and short space in the print media. Only big crime stories from rural areas make it to small headlines in newspapers. After reading a national newspaper, one wonders if all the issues related to health, education and sanitation have been resolved in the rural areas.
In fact, the mainstream urban media has little time for covering rural problems. A few days ago, there was a report in a newspaper saying that agriculture scientists have introduced two new sugarcane varieties for commercial cultivation in Sindh, which possess high cane yield and sugar recovery potential.
This single column report leaves many readers and farmers wondering what impact this scientific development will have on the lives of farmers and consumers. Has the government educated the sugarcane growers about these new varieties? Are these new varieties more cost-effective and less water-consuming? What impact will it have on the market and sugar industry?
Some reports in the local Sindhi press say that at least 22 camels have so far died in different villages in Kachho and other areas. (Money Matters The News, May 16, 2016). Dr Pershotam Khatri, Associate Professor and Chairman Department of Animal Reproduction at Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, confirmed that in Kachho and other districts of Sindh, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), commonly known as camel flu, has been reported.
Again, this report should have sent the officials concerned running on toes to save the livestock and the community dependent on camels. The media should have followed the story extensively to find the causes of and remedy for this disaster. Stories like these galore in remote areas, but find no place in the media. Why?
Climate change has forced the governments the world over to find new ways to cope with erratic weather and introduce new technologies to bring about sustainable shift in cropping patterns. Why a country like Pakistan is forced to import raw cotton? Why has it failed to meet the mango export targets despite producing the world’s sweetest mango? Why is it lagging behind in race to capture the rice market despite having the best rice to sell? These questions need answers.
In an agricultural country like Pakistan, the media cannot afford to ignore the issues facing farmers and new scientific research in the field of agriculture.

— Mazhar Khan Jadoon

National interest — Rather unreported
When some Pakistani journalists tried to establish Ajmal Kasab as a Pakistani in 2008 after the Mumbai attacks people came out on the streets and demanded registration of treason cases against journalists. The journalists claimed they had done nothing wrong.
Though the government eventually confirmed that Kasab belonged to a village Faridkot near Okara, the ‘adventurism’ of these journalists was perceived as an act against the national interest. They were accused of “increasing” tensions between the two rival countries.
There are either editorial policies that limit the coverage of these issues or journalists resort to self-censorship and avoid writing about them. Even if they do that, the message is delivered in a subtle way to avoid backlash.
Topics such as security of nuclear assets, escalation in defence budget, military operations, forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, alleged involvement of some Muslim countries in terrorist funding, conflicts involving Pakistan’s friendly nations, etc, are tricky ones. Most journalists refrain from writing critically on these national interest subjects.
One can recall how Gen (retd) Musharraf criticised the media for writing the term ‘national interest’ in inverted commas. Of late, Pemra has started directly intervening. It did ask media houses to avoid reporting on the Mina accident and accusing Saudi Arabia of mismanagement, be cautious while covering Yemen crises, and not take sides while covering the Saudi Arabia-Iran conflict.

— Shahzada Irfan Ahmed

Malnutrition — Hungry for attention
Malnutrition is the cause of more than one third of all child deaths in the world. Sadly, in Pakistan, malnutrition is reported only when children die of starvation in Thar. It is reported or talked about in the media only when something terrible happens.
Lack of access to nutritious foods, especially in the present context of rising food prices, is a common cause of malnutrition.
Nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 are attributable to under-nutrition in the world, according to a Unicef report. This translates into loss of about 3 million young lives a year.
Under-reporting on malnutrition also puts children at a greater risk of dying from common infections, increases the frequency and severity of such infections, and contributes to delayed recovery. In addition, the interaction between malnutrition and infection can create a potentially lethal cycle of worsening illness and deteriorating nutritional status.
There are hardly any stories in our media which highlight that poor nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life can also lead to stunted growth, which is irreversible and associated with impaired cognitive ability and reduced school and work performance. 37 per cent of children in the urban population and 46 per cent in rural population of Pakistan have stunted growth, according to Unicef. Stunting is slightly higher in male children (48 pc).
The situation calls for highlighting these issues in the media. It is evident that the percentage of stunting is much higher among children whose mothers are illiterate versus those whose mothers have completed at least 10 years of education. This has a big impact in Pakistan, where the proportion of illiterate mothers is almost double in rural areas than urban areas (36.6 per cent in urban and 69.4 per cent in rural respectively).

— Saadia Salahuddin

http://tns.thenews.com.pk/under-reported-pakistan-2/#.V0LeMeTfVAF

Lakshmi Manchu is a farmer in Basmati Blues

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | ANUPAMA SUBRAMANIAN

Published May 21, 2016, 12:15 am IST

Updated May 21, 2016, 12:15 am IST

The actress is eagerly waiting for the cross-cultural Hollywood film.

Lakshmi Manchu

Lakshmi Manchu is excited about her role in the upcoming Hollywood film Basmati Blues, directed by Dan Baron.

Lakshmi, who has worked in TV series like Las Vegas, Boston Legal etc., started working for Basmati Blues in 2014. She says, “It is a cross-cultural musical romantic comedy, which has both Indian and Hollywood actors. I play a principle role, Sita. My portions were shot in Kerala. I play a farmer in Basmati Blues, which is something new for me.”

Reportedly, she plays the hero’s sister. She adds, “I was in the US recently and completed my dubbing. I am really looking forward to its release announcement as the distribution for the movie is all set.”

Lakshmi, apparently, shares screen space with actors like Brie Larson, Donald Suther-land and Scott Bakula. The plot revolves around a scientist who creates genetically modified rice with her father, and their boss sends them to India to sell it to rural farmers. The film was largely shot in Kerala.

Review: A Persian Renaissance at Shiraz Kitchen in Elmsford

By EMILY DeNITTOMAY 20, 2016

Shiraz Kitchen occupies a basic rectangular space on a busy street, but feels like a sanctuary.

Sit down at Shiraz Kitchen in Elmsford and you’ll know you’re in a different kind of restaurant.

On the table, right next to the salt and pepper, is a large shaker of sumac.

The spice’s tart, dusky flavor is just one of many Persian tastes to enjoy at this 7-year-old Iranian restaurant, which is experiencing a renaissance since its new owner, Reza Parhizkaran, took the reins a little over a year ago. By substantially expanding the menu, tweaking recipes and adding events around Persian holidays, Mr. Parhizkaran has created a place for the area’s Iranian Americans to find familiar food, and for those who don’t know the cuisine to get an introduction.

Photo

The falafel salad features lightly fried chickpea balls, a terrific tahini dip and pickled gherkins.

If you’ve never had tadig, that appetizer is a good place to start. The dish — squares of rice cut from the bottom of a pot — comes with one of two beef stews spooned on top: ghormeh sabzi, made with chunks of beef and kidney beans, or gheimeh bademjan, made with beef, split yellow peas, tomato, fried eggplant and potato. I like my rice squares even crustier than those I tried at Shiraz Kitchen, but on a recent evening they were full of flavor, with a pleasant sour note that characterized many of the restaurant’s offerings.

Ghormeh sabzi and gheimeh bademjan are also available on a separate list of stews that includes a celery stew and fesenjan, made with toasted walnuts and meatballs in a pomegranate paste. All are served with a subtle saffron basmati rice, but it’s worth exploring the rice options for a substitute or a side dish. They include sour cherry and pistachio; fava bean and dill; and orange zest, barberry, pistachio and almond versions. The dried barberry and pistachio rice was beautiful, the bright red berries and gray-green nuts marking the stark white rice, and even better to eat: light and sweet, but with a tart edge.

The restaurant, a basic rectangular space on a busy street, feels like a sanctuary. Soft instrumental music plays at just the right volume. The staff is attentive without being intrusive. More defined spots have been carved out of the layout; a roomy round table near the sunny window in front, an alcove toward the back that can accommodate a bigger party, or several smaller ones. They help make meals feel private, even as Mr. Parhizkaran wends his way around chatting with guests.

Photo

Chicken chops kebab with saffron basmati rice and roasted tomato.

That warm but respectful attitude emanates from the kitchen as well. The food is not overspiced.

A broiled branzino let the flavor of the fish come through, intensified by a squeeze of lemon and the accompanying mild saffron rice. Many of the entrees are straightforward kebabs, like five different lamb versions and the “king” kebab platter for two, which includes beef filet, chicken chunks and koobideh, made of ground beef with onion and parsley. All are simply marinated and grilled, served with roasted tomato and onion. A Cornish hen kebab stood out for its fresh lime flavor and tender meat.

Several Mediterranean-style dishes are winners. The falafel salad features lightly fried chickpea balls, a terrific tahini dip and pickled gherkins. An appetizer of mixed pickles includes carrots, olives, cauliflower and kirby dills. The hummus — all the spreads and dressings are house-made — is creamy and rich. And the restaurant’s bread, somewhere between an Indian naan and pita, provides a light and delicious foil to anything you might order.

Desserts continue the same themes. There is honey-covered baklava, several cakes (coconut was a favorite) and an evocative saffron and rose water ice cream. Perhaps the most intriguing offering is faloodeh, frozen rice noodles with rose water and cardamom. Sour cherry syrup and a piece of lemon are served on the side, so diners can adjust the level of sweetness and create the desired flavor balance.

Mr. Parhizkaran has brought wine and beer to the previously B.Y.O.B. spot, and the tight lineup pairs nicely with the food. A variety of juices and Abali, a sour-salty carbonated yogurt drink, are also on the menu. At the end of the meal, the best choices are strong Persian tea or Turkish coffee. But don’t expect to have either American-style. One thing the restaurant won’t put on the table is milk.

Egg and salmon Japanese rice bowl with soy

Japanese rice (or use brown rice if in a rush) teamed with tenderly cooked salmon, and eggs with sake Credit: Haarala Hamilton

Diana Henry, Cookery Journalist of the Year

21 May 2016 • 8:00am

Donburi is a Japanese 'rice bowl’, usually made up of a simple braise and the rice. I’ve taken this particular idea from the Japanese restaurant Nobu and adapted it. I sometimes use basmati and even brown rice when time is tight. It works with tuna as well as salmon.

SERVES

INGREDIENTS

225g Japanese sushi rice
150g salmon fillet, skinned
2 tsp flavourless oil
2 tbsp very finely chopped onion
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp sake or dry sherry
2 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tbsp finely chopped avocado tossed with a little lemon juice
Sesame seeds, black or white
1 sheet of toasted nori (optional)
Pickled ginger
Wasabi
More soy sauce to serve

METHOD

If you are using sushi rice wash it thoroughly in a sieve. Drain and place in a pan with 250ml water. Leave to stand for at least 30 minutes.
Bring the rice to the boil, put the lid on and simmer for eight to nine minutes.
Turn the heat off and let it stand with the lid on for a further 15 minutes without opening the lid. You should have grains that are sticky but not watery.
To cook the salmon, put about 5cm water in a small pan and, when it’s at gentle simmer, add the fish.
Cover and poach over a very low heat for about 2 minutes. You want it raw in the middle but cooked round the outside (cook it right through if you prefer).
Remove from the heat but keep it warm by covering with a lid.
Heat the oil in a small frying pan and gently sauté the onion until soft but not coloured.
Mix the eggs with the sake or sherry, add to the pan and cook very gently, stirring, until you have a creamy mixture like very soft scrambled eggs.
Flake the warm fish and mix it with the soy sauce.
Divide the rice between two bowls. Top each with half the egg, the fish, avocado and sesame seeds, then crumble on the nori, if using.
Serve immediately with pickled ginger, wasabi and more soy.

More spectacular soy recipes

Hong shao rou (Red cooked pork)

Sweet and salty pork cooked in a slick sauce until tender - a classic Chinese dish that's worth the effort Credit: Haarala Hamilton Pacific lime chicken

This incredibly simple dish is a hit with everyone. A marinade of soy, lime, honey and thyme renders the chicken thighs intensely moreish Credit: Haarala Hamilton Diana Henry: it's time to dig out the soy sauce for these umami-ish dishes

It’s been lurking in our cupboards since the ’70s, so dig out that bottle of soy sauce and make some of Diana Henry’s tastebud-teasing dishes Credit: Haarala Hamilton

Experts urge FG to explore rice value chain

The Regional Representative and Coordinator, AfricaRice-Nigeria Station, Dr. Francis Nwilene, has urged the Federal Government to take advantage of the value chain in rice processing to provide employment opportunities for Nigerians as well as earn foreign exchange.
Nwilene said this while addressing rice scientists, experts, small-scale rice millers and stakeholders during a seminar held at the African Rice Centre, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan.
According to him, rice production can create income for a lot of people if its lengthy value chain process is independently developed and strengthened.
The rice expert said with the current support from the government, AfricanRice and other international donor agencies, Nigeria would attain self-sufficiency in rice production in three years.
He said, “Rice is a staple food but the value chain of rice is so wide. The value chain is basically about independent business units; some set of people will do it from one stage and another set takes it up from there, even starting with the seed. The seed is there for people to make money from; the processing is there and even value addition. So, it is wide enough to create more jobs.”

Nwilene, who further explained that the IITA, with the support of donor-partners, was training youths under its agric-preneur initiative to develop seeds and markets same, said the agricultural institute also helped beneficiaries by linking them with markets where they would sell their produce.

Addressing participants at the seminar, Rice Value Chain and Post Harvest Specialist, AfricaRice, Dr. Chijioke Osuji, said small-scale rice millers produced about 70 per cent of rice consumed locally in Nigeria.

Osuji, who is also the National President, Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology, commended the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development for making it a part of its duties to train small-scale rice millers and link them to donor partners

https://www.today.ng/business/125521/experts-urge-explore-rice-chain

State exempts market fee on rice

Hindu
Hyderabad
Sat,21 May 2016

Summary: The Telangana Government on Friday issued orders exempting market fee on rice being sold by rice millers to dealers with the State and also on cotton seed. The decisions were taken based on the report submitted by a committee appointed by the Agricultural Marketing Department to examine the issue of exempting market fee on rice. However, it has increased the market fee on paddy and cotton from the existing 1 per cent to 1.5 per cent to compensate the loss to marketing department, at least to some extent. The report stated that market fee estimated on rice during 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 was Rs.37.43 crore, Rs.56.4 crore and Rs.37.57 crore based on production and the collection was around 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the target.

The Telangana Government on Friday issued orders exempting market fee on rice being sold by rice millers to dealers with the State and also on cotton seed. However, it has increased the market fee on paddy and cotton from the existing 1 per cent to 1.5 per cent to compensate the loss to marketing department, at least to some extent. The decisions were taken based on the report submitted by a committee appointed by the Agricultural Marketing Department to examine the issue of exempting market fee on rice. The report stated that market fee estimated on rice during 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 was Rs.37.43 crore, Rs.56.4 crore and Rs.37.57 crore based on production and the collection was around 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the target.. .

. . .

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/state-exempts-market-fee-on-rice/article8628267.ece

http://www.nyoooz.com/hyderabad/474509/state-exempts-market-fee-on-rice

Red gram, fine rice to be sold at subsidised price

THE HANS INDIA | May 21,2016 , 04:00 AM IST

Hyderabad: Minister for a Civil Supplies Paritala Sunitha said that a decision would be taken soon to open counters to sell red gram and fine rice at subsidised prices.

After a review meeting with the millers from the State here on Thursday, the Minister said that the meeting has been convened, following reports of red gram and fine rice being sold at Rs 180 kg, Rs 50 per kg, respectively in open market.

The millers pointed out that unlike shopping malls, they were selling red gram at Rs 120 in the retail and other general stores in rural and quasi-urban areas across the State.

“Besides, special counters were opened at the mills, to sell red gram at reasonable price,” they added. When the Minister asked them to provide fine rice at Rs 30 per kg as it was done last year, the millers suggested that the price should be fixed in the range of Rs 35 to Rs 40, considering hike in various charges.

Taking into account the constraints and the suggestions of the millers, Sunitha said that she would be visiting shops and general stores in Krishna and Guntur districts to take stock of the sale prices of the two essential commodities.

She added that another meeting would be convened after the district collectors’ conference scheduled to be held next week at Vijayawada.

“We will be taking a decision on opening counters to sell Bengal gram and fine rice at subsidised price. The price for these essential commodities would be fixed taking into view of poor and BPL families,” the Minister informed.

http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Andhra-Pradesh/2016-05-21/Red-gram-fine-rice-to-be-sold-at-subsidised-price/229440

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