17th March,2017 daily globa,regional and local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine

Ag Groups Request Additional Funding for 2018 Farm Bill 

By William Mencer

 WASHINGTON DC -- USA Rice joined 16 other agriculture groups in a letter to Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Committees on Budget and Appropriations yesterday to express their concerns over budget cuts to the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the need for more resources to help farmers throughout America. 

The letter explains how many farmers across the country - young farmers in particular - are feeling the pains and anxieties brought on by low prices and high costs of production.  Net farm incomes are down 50 percent from where they were four years ago, leaving producers no choice but to dip into capital reserves.  This poses a major obstacle for young farmers who have not had the luxury of time to build sustainable reserves.  On top of domestic issues, a strong U.S. dollar and discouraging trade rhetoric has decreased export potential, making hard times even harder. 

"The average age of the American farmer, currently 58 years old, should be of major concern to this Administration, equal to concern over the country's aging infrastructure," said Blake Gerard, Missouri rice farmer and chairman of both USA Rice Farmers and the USA Rice Government Affairs Committee.  "Without needed funding during difficult times, the future of the next generation of farmers is uncertain." 

The letter was sent to Congress hours before the administration released their "skinny" budget proposal which calls for steep cuts to discretionary spending at USDA.  President Trump is proposing a 21 percent cut to USDA, primarily in the form of reduced staffing in USDA's local service centers.  Also concerning is the call to eliminate the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program, which often sources U.S. rice to be used for international food aid efforts. 
 
Since FY 2016, the share of U.S.-grown rice shipped through international food aid programs has increased substantially.  The budget proposal threatens to reduce many years of progress and investment in developing a highly nutritious fortified rice, recently approved for use in food aid.  

"The letter we sent urges those on the Budget and Appropriations Committees to consider the 2018 Farm Bill as an opportunity to respond to the troubling condition of the current agricultural economy by providing safety nets to ensure a sustainable future for agriculture in America," said Ben Mosely, vice president of government affairs for USA Rice.  "However, this cannot be done without providing additional funding to current Farm Bill resources."

Mexico Imports Thai Rice

Thursday, 16 March 2017 14:49

BANGKOK -- Mexico will import 150,000 tonnes of Thai long grain rice with a tariff-free import deal, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said Wednesday that Thai rice exporters would be granted the tariff-free export to Mexico until Dec 31 this year.

Exporters can each ship 10,000 tonnes of rice to Mexico under the agreement without having to pay 20 per cent tariff.Earlier this year, COSTCO-MEXICO superstore imported 112 tonnes of Thai rice for distribution to its 32 branches in 18 Mexican states.It is a part of coordination between the Thai Trade Centre in Mexico and Otis McAllister Co Ltd – a US-based importer of Thai rice – to promote the product.

According to Apiradi, Costco is also willing to join the Thai Trade Centre to organise marketing campaigns for Thai rice to expand its market share in Mexico.
The ministry had positioned Mexico as the base to distribute Thai rice in Central America, especially Panama and Cuba.

BERNAMA

http://www.malaysiandigest.com/business/663862-mexico-imports-thai-rice.html

The 10 Best Houston Restaurants for Vegetarians

THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017 AT 6 A.M.

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Being a vegetarian doesn't just mean eating salad all the time—but when you do at Local Foods, it's always exciting. Photo by Erika Kwee

Certainly no one would ever dub Houston the vegetarian capital of the U.S., yet there is a surprising number of ways to eat creative, meatless meals thanks to the diverse restaurant options in Houston. The following restaurants not only offer quality vegan and vegetarian options, but they often offer dishes that capture the spirit of the cuisine without making anyone feel deprived by a lack of meat.

Vegan taco meat made from quinoa tops one of the inventive salads at Local Foods. Photo by Erika Kwee

Local Foods: The fact that Local Foods is a hotspot for healthy salads, sandwiches and veg-happy sides may be old news, but don't let that discount the fact that the four (yes, four) locations in Houston offer some of the most inventive vegan and vegetarian sandwiches and salads in town. Try the veggie bacon sandwich at the Tanglewood location, dressed with marinated tempeh, vegan aioli and avocado on wheat bread, the vegan power bowl (available at most locations), stuffed with kidney beans, kale, curried tofu, quinoa and almonds or the vegan "meat" ball sandwich—with meatballs composed of mushrooms and pecans—at the Kirby location. The nut-based vegan Caesar salad sprinkled with crispy sweet potato bits, crunchy pecans and cheesy-tasting nutritional yeast at the Kirby location is the best vegan imitation of cheese you'll find this side of Westheimer.

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The buffet at Govinda's is entirely vegan on Sundays. Photo by Erika Kwee

Govinda's: This all-vegetarian haven is tucked away just off 610 in the Greater Heights next to the gorgeous Hare Krishna Temple & Cultural Center temple. Serving a wide and varied buffet daily, Govinda's offers rotating Indian classics in its daily buffet like saag paneer, mixed vegetable curry, aromatic basmati rice, papadum, samosas and roti alongside an extensive salad bar and the occasional off-the-beaten-path protein-forward item like hearty BBQ tofu. The chefs avoid using onions, garlic, mushrooms, eggs, or chocolate in the dishes and the buffet is entirely vegan on Sundays. The lunch buffet is served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner buffet is served from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily

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The vegetable queso, available off the vegetarian menu at Caraol, is a bronzed wonderland of stretchy cheese over caramelized vegetables. Photo by Erika Kwee

Caracol: While Caracol is known for its excellent seafood dishes, ask for the vegetarian menu and you'll gain access to a long list of intriguing-sounding starters, hot plates and sides. Starters vary from the mushroom, pepper and caramelized onion-studded white queso served with tortillas to a large masa pancake topped with beans, mushrooms and cheese, to a salad with a pumpkin seed Caesar dressing. For your entree, try a rare version of vegetarian mole (composed of a yellow mole over wild mushrooms and roasted cauliflower), vegetable enchiladas, fried avocado tostadas, or a rice dish studded with baby carrots, butternut squash, asparagus, cherry tomatoes and corn. For a similar option closer to Montrose, Hugo's also offers a slightly more abbreviated vegetarian menu

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The Avila arepa at Gusto Gourmet is packed with a generous filling of scrambled eggs, tomato, onions and white cheese. Photo by Erika Kwee

Gusto Gourmet: While it's not the best option for cheese-shunning vegans, this compact Venezuelan shop is actually great for vegetarians. The menu is heavy on a variety of Venezuelan cheeses, plantains and beans. Pretty much anywhere you might otherwise eat meat, you can often sub black beans—try the breakfast combo of scrambled eggs with sauteed onions, tomato, black beans, Venezuelan white cheese and 3 arepas for $8.50. For lunch or dinner, you can start with a variety of cheese sticks, yucca fritters, a sweet and savory mandoca (cornmeal mixed with mashed plantains, sugar and cheese), grilled white cheese or an eggplant antipasto. Then move onto one of the many gluten-free arepas, which is like a thick corn-based tortilla stuffed with fillings—sample the Gusto (white cheese with eggplant antipasto tomato and balsamic glaze) to the Domino (black beans and salty white cheese) to the vegan (eggplant antipasto, avocado, tomato and balsamic glaze). Falafel, eggplant lasagna, or a Mediterranean veggie burger are also on offer.

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San San Tofu imitates crab in the traditional bun rieu soup with puffy clumps of tofu in an aromatic broth. Photo by Erika Kwee

San San Tofu: This vegetarian spot in Chinatown serves up house made tofu that's silky and uber-fresh. Come here for the extremely cheap combo lunches (three items, noodles and soup for $6) or for a variety of hot vegan and vegetarian dim sum dishes available daily between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. You won't find MSG, garlic, leeks or eggs in any of the vegetarian dishes and both iced and hot tea are available for free (though you should shell out a couple bucks to try the smooth, freshly made soy milk). Try the bun rieu, which is a traditional Vietnamese vermicelli soup typically topped with crab—but San San uses cloud-shaped clumps of tofu instead. Customers can also buy the bulky fried blocks of housemade tofu in larger packages to cook at home (throwing strips of the tofu in homemade pad thai is highly recommended).

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Fajitas a Go Go offers menu items for everyone, including an exotic mix of vegetables for vegetarians searching for a good fajita. Photo by Erika Kwee

Fajitas A Go Go: Fajitas A Go Go stands out for its inventive mixes of seasonal grilled vegetables that you'll find in the vegetable fajita meals. You might find oyster mushrooms, asparagus, seasonal squash or scallions alongside the expected onions and peppers. The delicious vegetable mix can also be found tucked into a quesadilla made with hand-made flour tortillas, or you can give the grilled vegetable taco salad or cheese enchiladas a try. The green crack salsa and guacamole are solid vegetarian options that you can definitely indulge in.

Saag paneer on pizza at Bombay Pizza: what more could you ask for?

Photo by Troy Fields

Bombay Pizza Co.: These days, you don't have to look far to find a good vegetable-driven pizza— but at Bombay Pizza, they've been serving up a menu of wafer-thin crust pizzas, almost half of which are vegetarian options, for years. The concept of Indian food on top of pizza is never more tasty than when indulging in the rich saag paneeraccompanied by more mozzarella, fontina and goat cheese. For a lighter option, the Munshi is a medley of grilled vegetables on a mozzarella and fontina base. The Sonu's Rita departs from your typical Margherita pizza with a sweet-leaning pizza sauce base simmered with strawberries. For other vegetarian options, you can try the spinach, chickpea and spinach or Indian-spiced potato wrap, or a duo of veggie sliders with outstanding sweet potato fries.

The vegan ricotta on the butternut squash pizza at True Food Kitchen is worth trying. Photo by True Food Kitchen

True Food Kitchen: TFK wins the prize for having the best-labeled menu—vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menu items are specially denoted. It has perhaps one of the widest selections for vegetarians—you can choose from veggie sides like the Chioggia Beet Bruschetta made with vegan almond ricotta and pomegranate molasses, starters like edamame dumplings, a brussels sprout and wild mushroom pizza, a variety of vegetable-packed salads, a vegan tempeh sandwich or a spaghetti squash casserole with caramelized onion and fresh mozzarella. Even better, the selection of bowls are all vegan or vegetarian, with flavors ranging from spicy panang curry to teriyaki to red chili noodles.

Feast on vegetarian dips, salads, vegetables and more at Aladdin.

Photo by Nikki Metzgar

Aladdin: While vegetarians will often make out at most Mediterranean restaurants with falafel, hummus, tabouli and pita bread, Aladdin multiplies these typical offerings with more than 30 side options that can be combined from a cafeteria-style display for one of its veggie plates (3 veggie sides for $9.49 or 4 for $10.99). Start with a dip or two—traditional, spicy, spinach or caramelized onion hummus, baba ghanoush, tzatziki or more—then one of the many vibrant, herb-filled salads, some grilled vegetables, deeply roasted cauliflower or potatoes, a mashed potato ball or pomegranate eggplant or saffron rice.

Huynh: While Cafe TH has long been recognized by Houston Press and remains a fantastic vegetarian spot, Huynh is another restaurant to add to your vegetarian Rolodex. The official vegetarian section of Huynh's menu is 8 items deep, though you can bulk it up with an order of the vegetarian spring rolls to start. The Banh Cuon Tranh Tri, or fried onions enveloped in fresh, thick rice paper noodles, is a treat when doused in soy sauce, and the Dau Hu Xao Lan, tofu stir-fried in a coconut curry and topped with peanuts, is one of the most flavor-packed tofu dishes in Houston

Erika is a freelance food writer, photographer and contributor to the Houston Press who particularly enjoys exploring the many unique sweet spots around Houston. She is constantly on the hunt for exceptional pad thai, vegetarian dumplings and pancakes

http://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/houstons-best-vegetarian-and-vegan-restaurants-9269604

Rice output seen hitting 4.44 MMT in Q1, up 13%

By Jasper Y. Arcalas

MARCH 16, 2017

In Photo: Farmers perform the traditional backbreaking manual labor of transferring pregerminated rice seedlings to a wet field in Tabuk, Kalinga.

Philippine rice output in the first quarter could expand by nearly 13 percent to 4.44 million metric tons (MMT), from 3.93 MMT recorded a year ago, according to the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The latest rice production estimate, however, is 2.1 percent lower than the 4.53 MMT initially projected by the PSA in January, as some palay-producing areas is expected to record slight declines in output.

In the January round of its survey, titled “Rice and Corn Situation Outlook”, the PSA said the probable increase in first quarter rice output is due to the expansion in harvest area. The availability of irrigation water and the use of high-yielding rice varieties would also boost production.

“Probable increments in production are foreseen in all regions, except Calabarzon,” the report read.However, the latest data in the agency’s report titled, “Updates on Palay and Corn Forecasts”, indicated that typhoons and pests would cut rice harvest in some areas.“In Iloilo the probable decrease in palay production may be attributed to lower yield as a result of incidence of bacterial leaf blight, rice blast and weeds,” the data read.

“Reports of rat infestation, rice black bug, plant hoppers and stem borer in Sultan Kudarat, Leyte, South Cotabato, Cavite, Guimaras, Misamis Occidental and Sarangani may also contribute to lower palay production,” it added.The PSA noted that continuous and heavy rainfall and strong winds affected the vegetative and reproductive stages of the crop and resulted in the decline in the rice production of Capiz, Leyte, Compostela Valley, Bohol, Aurora, Aklan and Negros Oriental.The PSA said harvest area in the January-to-March period may contract to 1.15 million hectares, from 1.16 million hectares, or by 0.3 percent. Also, yield per hectare may decline to 3.85 metric tons (MT), from 3.92 MT.

“Probable decreases in area and yield in Davao, North Cotabato, Surigao del Sur, Negros Occidental, Zamboanga Norte, Surigao del Norte, Misamis Occidental may be due to floods caused by tropical depression Auring and low pressure area,” the PSA report read.The report noted that about 226,380 hectares of the updated standing crop have been harvested. Also, the PSA said almost 678,160 hectares, or 73.8 percent, of the planting intentions for the April to June crop have been realized.

“Of the 1.6 million hectares standing palay crop, 48.6 percent were at vegetative stage; 30.5 percent, at reproductive stage and 20.9 percent, at maturing stage,” the PSA report read. The PSA also revised its forecast for corn output in the first quarter to 2.38 MMT, 0.7 percent lower than its earlier projection of 2.40 MMT. However, the figure is still higher than last year’s level of 1.92 MMT, or by 24.1 percent.“Harvest area may contract to 698,400 hectares from 700,700 hectares. Yield may decrease to 3.41 MT per hectare, from 3.42 MT per hectare,” the report read.

The PSA said the probable decrease in output could be traced to the adverse effects of flashfloods in North Cotabato, Cagayan, Davao, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental and Misamis Occidental.

“Reports of rat infestations in South Cotabato, Sarangani, Capiz and Sultan Kudarat and crop damage brought about by green and brown plant hoppers in Sultan Kudarat may cause yield reduction,” the PSA report read.

It also noted that about 171,640 hectares of the updated standing crop have been harvested and that around 205,520 hectares, or 52.4 percent, of the planting intentions for the April to June 2017 harvests have materialized.Earlier Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said agriculture production in the first three months of the year could grow by 2 percent, as favorable weather encouraged farmers to plant more crops.

Piñol said the crops subsector would still be the main driver of the farm sector’s growth during the January-to-March period, particularly rice and corn.The Department of Agriculture (DA) is eyeing a total palay production of 18.57 million metric tons (MMT), 5.33 percent higher than last year’s output of 17.63 MMT.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/rice-output-seen-hitting-4-44-mmt-in-q1-up-13/

Mekong Delta’s rice yield rises in winter-spring crop

Localities in the Mekong Delta region recorded high rice output for their winter-spring rice crop in 2016-2017 despite a decrease in cultivation area and the spread of diseases, heard a conference in An Giang province on March 15.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the region has harvested 10,259 million tonnes of rice in the crop, up 188,375 tonnes from the same period in 2015-2016.The region planted more than 1.5 million ha of rice in the crop, down 22,630 ha against the previous winter-spring crop, with an average yield of 6.7 tonnes a hectare.

The ministry said in the rest of 2017, drastic measures will be put forth to deal with poor weather and the impacts of climate change such as drought and saline intrusion.The region will plant over 1.6 million ha of rice in the 2017 summer-autumn crop, hoping to reach an estimated output of 9.45 million tonnes, up nearly 437,000 tonnes against the 2016 summer-autumn crop.

Meanwhile, the area of the autumn-winter crop is set to decline more than 10,443 ha compared to the same crop of 2016, aiming for a yield of nearly 4.56 million tonnes, more than 126,000 tonnes higher than the 2016 autumn-winter crop. Rice varieties resistant to drought and salt water such as OM 6976, OM 2517, OM 5629, among others, will be used for the crops.

According to MARD Deputy Minister Le Quoc Doanh, over 800,000 ha of the 2016-2017 winter-spring crop has not yet been harvested, so regional localities need to take measures to achieve maximum output. He also suggested regional farmers plant high-quality rice varieties.

Agencies under the MARD and localities in the region were asked to pay attention to fighting plant-diseases, especially in the context of unfavourable weather at present.

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/174615/mekong-delta-s-rice-yield-rises-in-winter-spring-crop.html

Rice prices fall in India; stable in Vietnam, Thailand

16 March, 2017

    

Pulses are kept on display for sale in a shop at a market in Ahmedabad, India, June 20, 2015. REUTERS/Amit Dave/Files

Reuters/Amit Dave/Files

By My Pham, Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Rajendra Jadhav 

HANOI/BANGKOK/MUMBAI, March 16 (Reuters) - Rice prices in India and Vietnam advanced while Thai prices dropped due to a weaker baht, traders said on Thursday. India's 5 percent broken parboiled rice prices fell by $3 per tonne to $372 to $377 per tonne on weak demand, even as rupee appreciation was hitting exporters' margins. 

"Thai rice is much more competitive than Indian supplies. African and other buyers are switching to Thailand and Vietnam," said M. Adishankar, executive director at Sri Lalitha, a leading rice exporter based in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. 

Indian exporters could not lower prices as the rupee appreciated to the highest level in nearly 17 months, trimming exporters' returns, he said. 

The country's rice production in 2016/17 is likely to rise by 4.3 percent to a record high 108.86 million tonnes. India, the world's biggest rice exporter, mainly exports non-basmati rice to African countries and premier basmati rice to the Middle East. 

"Due to government buying, paddy prices could not fall below a certain level. So exporters have no room to cut rice prices," said a Mumbai based dealer with a global trading firm. The government agencies buy paddy from farmers for its public distribution system. 

Meanwhile, prices in Thailand and Vietnam stayed unchanged in a quiet market. Thai benchmark 5-percent broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 stayed put at $350-$355 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Bangkok, the same as last week. 

Traders said the market remained quiet ahead of an off-season harvest expected in April, so buyers are not in a hurry to buy rice. "The market outlook seems stable but on the weaker side for the next month," a trader in Bangkok said. 

The Thai government will hold an auction for spoiled rice for industrial use on March 23, but it does not affect rice exports, another Bangkok-based trader added. 

In Vietnam, the world's third largest rice exporter, 5-percent broken rice prices remained stable at $355-$360 a tonne following high local prices. 

"This is the main season so local demand is high. Therefore, though there was more supply, local prices are still at a high level," said a Ho Chi Minh-based trader. Foreign importers were not keen to buy as Vietnamese prices were less competitive than Thai, traders said. 

(Reporting by My Pham in Hanoi, Patpicha Tanakasempipiat in Bangkok, and Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

https://www.zawya.com/mena/en/story/Rice_prices_fall_in_India_stable_in_Vietnam_Thailand-TR20170316nL3N1GT4E7X2/

Mexico offers zero tariff for rice import

16 Mar 2017 at 04:00

NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: PHUSADEE ARUNMAS

 Thai rice on sale at a department store in Bangkok. Mexico offers tariff-free quota for long-grain white rice until end of the year to lower its food costs. Wichan Charoenkiatpakul

Thailand is expected to export 10,000 tonnes of long-grain white rice to Mexico soon after receiving a free import tariff quota from the Mexican government, says Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn.

Mrs Apiradi said Mexico recently allowed zero tariff for 150,000 tonnes of imported long-grain white rice from March 2 to Dec 31 this year, as its government seeks to lower the country's food costs and meet higher demand.

Apart from Thailand, the Mexico has also granted the zero tariff for long-grain white rice to Argentina, India, Italy, Uruguay, Vietnam and the US. The country's import tariff for rice is normally set at 20%.

Under the combined 150,000 tonnes this year, the Mexican government has set a maximum 10,000 tonnes per company to get free import tariff.

Mexico's Ministry of Economy announced the quota for these countries on the Official Gazette recently, said Mrs Apiradi."The quota allocation will be done on first-come first-serve basis so Thai companies should moves fast to ensure they benefit from the quota," said Mrs Apiradi.

Exporters can ask to ship rice under the quota at the National Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety and Quality Service (Senasica), which is the food and drugs authority of Mexico.The quota accounts for 13% of total Mexican demand for rice in 2016 of 1.12 million tonnes.Mexico relies heavily on imported rice. In 2016, its demand for imported rice rose by 7% from 2015 to almost a million tonnes, or 83% of total rice consumption last year.The Mexican government has attempted to cope with the high demand over the past five years by promoting domestic rice plantation. Since then rice output per year has only risen by 8.5%.In 2016, Thailand was the fourth largest long-grain white rice supplier to Mexico, with a 3% market share, following the US, Uruguay and Argentina.The US share was as high as 45%, Uruguay 40% and Argentina 7.7% .

Last year, Thailand shipped a total of 7,690 tonnes of long-grain white rice to Mexico worth US$ 3.3 million, which was about 50% lower than 2015, both in terms of volume and value.The decrease of Thai rice exports in Mexico was mainly due to higher logistics costs than its rival countries.Mrs Apiradi said that the ministry has planned to promote Thai rice more aggressively through Mexican rice importers and retailers such as Costco Department Store which operates 37 branches in Mexico, and Walmart."Through these retailers, we hope to increase the presence of Thai rice among Latin American countries," said Mrs Apiradi.

The Commerce Ministry anticipates Thai milled rice exports to reach 10 million tonnes this year, of which 5.2 million are expected to be sold in Africa, 2.2 million tonnes in Asia, 600,000 tonnes to the US, 400,000 tonnes to the euro zone, 360,000 tonnes to the Middle East and 210,000 tonnes to Oceania.

Rice sales through government- to-government deals (G2G) comprise deals with China, under which Thailand has agreed to deliver 100,000 tonnes per month this year. Further G2G deals are under discussions with Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Egypt.

Duangporn Rodphaya, director-general the Foreign Trade Department said the Commerce Ministry will lead the Thai delegation to Japan to meet rice exporters there in March 7-10.

She added that the Thai delegation hopes to discuss the opportunities to export short-grain white rice to Japan before Japan's Crop Production Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries begins its annual rice import auction for 2017 in April until March 2018.

Thai rice shipments to Japan average more than 300,000 tonnes per year.In 2016, Japan imported 325,436 tonnes from Thailand, an increase of 15% from the year before.For the first month of this year, Japan has imported almost 46,000 tonnes of Thai rice, an increase of 37% from last year.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1215397/mexico-offers-zero-tariff-for-rice-import

Rice research: Top breeder sees potential in aerobic system

EMMA FIELD, The Weekly Times

March 16, 2017 6:00pm

THE most exciting development in Australia’s rice industry is an opportunity to grow an aerobic rice culture, which allows more flexibility for rice production.

NSW Department of Primary Industries rice breeder Peter Snell told last week’s International Temperate Rice Conference, in Griffith, of the development.

Dr Snell, who is based at Yanco, NSW, said aerobic or non-flooded rice cultures were an exciting step.

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International Rice Res­earch Institute defines aerobic rice production when rice is grown in well-drained, non-puddled and non-saturated soils. Dr Snell said using an aerobic rice system would mean growers could use a paddock that was not graded into a rice bay and could be planted on an area used for irrigated cereal crops or row crops, such as ­cotton.

“It’s like any other irrigated cereal, there is no paddy set up ... it is similar to any row crop, but can also be under a pivot or a lateral irrigator,” he said.

He said besides using less water, this system would make it easier for growers to include rice in their rotation, as it fitted well with winter cropping as the rice was planted later.

Despite promising trials in Queensland, Dr Snell said there were still a few issues to overcome in the NSW Riverina because of the cooler ­temperatures.

“We are not quite there with aerobic rice, because the water does provide a buffering for cool temperatures,” he said.

Deep water is effective at protecting the rice at the early pollen microspore stage, from cool temperatures, which can cause sterility and devastate yield.

“We still advocate deep water in late January and early February to protect the microspore and the developing pollen,” Dr Snell said.

He said one way to solve this issue was to develop varieties that had a shorter growing season and could tolerate the cold better to pave the way for adapting a system that was closer to an aerobic system.

SunRice’s research arm, Rice Research Australia, is conducting the first field trials of the late-sowing varieties YRM70 and YRK5 at its Old Coree farm near Jerilderie, NSW.

Dr Snell said YRM70 was a big medium-grain variety, and a potential replacement for reiziq and could also be used to oversow reiziq if seed was lost to pest such as ducks.

Meanwhile YRK5 was a short-grain rice suitable for sushi, which could be grown in areas that experience cooler night temperatures such as the western Murray Valley.

Dr Snell said other trials at Old Coree used delayed permanent water, which was the “closest we have to an aerobic rice system, we still have standing water in that critical period”.

“Our vision is to remove the need for a ponded system and have intermittent irrigation or saturated soil,” he said.

“It’s never having a standard volume of water that could be lost to evaporation or is ­deeper than it needs to be.

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/agribusiness/cropping/rice-research-top-breeder-sees-potential-in-aerobic-system/news-story/7c506b766c0d6b709d807d214ec3d5c4