Wednesday, October 25, 2017

25th October,2017 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine

Paddy growers demand increase in support price

OCTOBER 25, 2017

LARKANA: The paddy growers have threatened to stage a sit-in in front of the residence of Sindh Agriculture Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal and at Jinnah Bagh roundabout in Larkana on November 2, 2017 if paddy support price were not enhanced as crop is almost ready for harvesting.
At a press conference, Sindh Abadgar Hari Ittehad leaders Irfan Jatoi, Muhammad Ali Abro and others claimed that growers have suffered huge financial losses and demanded fixation rate of Rs 1,000 per 40 kgs. Simultaneously prices of sugarcane should also be fixed at Rs 200 per 40 kgs. They maintained that Sindh High Court had ordered in 2015 to fix paddy rate at Rs 900 per 40 kg but the order was not even implemented.
They alleged that since the last ten years no increase has been made in support price whereas every year rates of fertiliser, seed and pesticides increase, which showed that growers were being not only discouraged but they were given discriminated treatment.
Commenting on the issue, Sindh Chamber of Agriculture President Siraj Rashdi said that Rice Research Institute, Dokri director has determined cost of production per acre of rice for average growers in Sindh for 2016-17. According to which gross total of per acre cost of paddy comes Rs 44,563 whereas average yield per acre is about 45 maunds. In this way if paddy is sold at rate of Rs 990.28 then the tillers will be able to meet expenses only without making any profit. The cost include land preparation, seed sowing, irrigation, farm yard manure and fertiliser, weeding and plant protection, harvesting, thrashing, winnowing, transportation to market, management and labour charges, government taxes, land rent and banks’ markup.
He said rice millers and exporters monopoly should be abolished immediately for benefit of poor peasants and end users by establishing government procurement centres in province and fixing rates otherwise blackmailing of these businessmen would continue to harm the agriculture sector. Rashdi said that presently paddy was being procured at the rate of Rs 600 per 40 kg which was not only unbearable but also it amounted to ruining the entire agriculture sector which could not be accepted at all.

https://dailytimes.com.pk/129944/paddy-growers-demand-increase-support-price/

Pakistan’s food exports increase 17.52%

By DND
October 23, 2017

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan exported food commodities worth US$ 742.391 million during the period from July-September 2017-18, witnessing a 17.52 percent increase as compared to the corresponding period of last year.Last year, Pakistan had exported US$ 631.731 million food commodities during first quarter, according the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

The data revealed that during the first three months of current financial year, Pakistan’s rice exports grew by 31.91 percent and reached at 621,094 metric tons as compared the exports of 482,445 metric tons of the same period last year.During the period under review, rice worth US$ 320.242 million was exported as compared the exports of US$ 242.694 million of same period last year.

In first quarter of current financial year, the Country earned US$ 90.931 million by exporting about 86,672 metric tons of rice as compared to the exports of 88.772 million and 92,321 metric tons of same period last year.Exports of basmati rice grew by 2.43 percent and reached at 86,672 tons valuing of US$ 90.31 million in last three months as against 92,321 metric tons worth US$ 88.772 million tons of same period last year, the data said.
Meanwhile, about 534,442 metric tons of rice other than basmati worth US$ 299.321 million was exported during the period under review as against the exports of 390,124 metric tons valuing US$ 153,922 million of same period last year, showing an increase of 348.98 percent, it added.

Exports of fish and fish preparations grew by 17.64 percent and about 28,488 metric tons of fish and fish products valuing US$ 75.370 million were exported as compared to the exports of 21.959 metric tons worth of US$ 64.06 million of same period last year, it added.

During the period under review, wheat exports grew by 100 percent and about 1088 metric tons of wheat valuing US$ 344,000 was exported whereas 91,916 metric tons of sugar worth of US$ 41.99 million was exported which was also up by 100 percent as compared to the exports of same period last year, the data further revealed.
https://dnd.com.pk/pakistans-food-exports-increase-17-52/134701




PFC to hold its ninth mega exhibition ‘Interiors Pakistan’



By DND
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October 23, 2017
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) on Monday announced to hold three-day mega ninth Interiors Pakistan Expo-2017 to promote local furniture industry worldwide as well as enhancing the exports of the sector.
The expo would be held on December 15 at Expo Center in Islamabad where as many as 100 brands will exhibit their products.
The expo aimed at promoting and introducing Pakistani interiors, furniture and accessories in and outside Pakistan, said PFC Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq.
In past, PFC had successfully organized eight mega exhibitions and got amazing response from the public and private sector alike, he added.
China, Italy, United Kingdom, Turkey, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, Denmark, Thailand and, Bangkok have been invited for participation while delegations from other countries are too be expected, he added.
Members from diplomatic corps, leading businessmen, stakeholders of the furniture industry and foreign delegation would also attend the event, he maintained.
While more than 70 leading local companies and interior designers will display their products and as per previous trend nearly 250,000 to 300,000 people are likely to visit this mega exhibition.
‘This exhibition has now opened new vistas and venues to the amazing potential and caliber of Pakistani furniture, fixtures and respective furnishing goods that we produce with high quality,” he said.
The essence of this mega furniture exhibition is to promote the furniture and associated Pak made products at local and international level.
Visitors on the lookout for buying furniture will be able to enjoy special discount of up to 20 per cent on different items at the exhibition which will also provide the younger designers and architects to study the market trends and display their own work alongside that of more established professionals.


Mian Kashif urged the government to establish exclusive expo centres for furniture industry one each in Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Peshawar and Quetta, especially for Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Only 25 percent industrialists and traders of the country visit Karachi fairs and after the establishment of new expo centres with greater facilities more people would come to these cities to increase their trade with foreigners and local investors,” he hoped.
PFC Secretary Hamid Mahmood on this occasion said the objective of Interiors Pakistan was to give exposure to local entrepreneurs to the major markets in Pakistan. “This activity aims at uplifting socio-economic condition of the community and connect the entrepreneurs with direct buyers”, he added.
He said with a little innovation, investment and government support, furniture industry can generate even more employment and income from sustainable economy.
He said textiles and rice were currently the largest exports of Pakistan bringing in $14 billion and $2 billion of foreign exchange, respectively. Furniture exports on the other hand stand at a meager $51 million

https://dnd.com.pk/pfc-to-hold-its-ninth-mega-exhibition-interiors-pakistan/134708


                              

Sri Lanka to urgently import rice to prevent rice shortage

Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-23 19:06:22|Editor: liuxin

COLOMBO, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka on Monday launched an open international tender to import 200,000 metric tons of rice to prevent a severe rice shortage in the island country.The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in a statement said the tender was open to suppliers worldwide and would close on Oct 30.
"We are making every effort to ensure that there will be no shortage for our consumers," Commerce and Industry Minister Rishard Bathiudeen said in the statement.
Sri Lanka has launched the tender under the International Competitive Bidding Procedure, which means that any qualifying foreign government or a foreign private sector supplier is able to bid.
Sri Lankan rice importers too are eligible to take part in the latest bidding.
Of the 200,000 metric tons of rice called, Sri Lanka expects 100,000 metric tons to arrive in Colombo by the end of November while the remaining 100,000 metric tons is expected to arrive by end of December.
"Based on a recent assessment in the world market, the potential supply sources for the latest 200,000 metric tons of rice are India, Pakistan, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, though other destinations too could partner," the statement said.
Sri Lanka's domestic rice market failed to produce the necessary volumes due to a poor harvest since 2016.
Due to a severe drought and flash floods in 2016 and 2017, the production of rice in Sri Lanka fell by 50 percent, leading to the government urgently calling for tenders to import rice from foreign countries.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/23/c_136700192.htm





Customs seize smuggled petrol, tyres, rice, soap worth N15m

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The Nigeria Customs Service has seized goods estimated at N15m from smugglers along the Gbao, Yekeme and pasha creeks of Lagos and Otta axis.
The seizure, which included 43,750 litres of Petrol were estimated at N6.3m, 348 cartons and 25 sacks of assorted foreign soaps valued at N3.2m.
The seizure also included 438 used tyres valued at N2.1m and 300 bags of rice worth N2.1m
Speaking on Tuesday at a news conference in Lagos, Sarki Kebbi, the Area Controller of Western Marine Command, said the command was apt in the use of intelligence gathering.
“I have promised that under my watch as the CAC of the command, smugglers will not have their way to perpetuate their evil business.
“My men are highly motivated and I have ordered for a 24-hour patrol of the waterways and creeks and it is yielding positive result as you are aware.
“The NCS, in trying to curtail the activities of smugglers, has increased the manning of the high ways and some land border routes used for the smuggling.
“To this effect, smugglers have tended to fall into the waters, thinking that it will be easy for them. We are going to smoke them out of the waters. I have advised them to change business, otherwise they will have themselves to blame for their waterloo,’’ he said.
He said that the command’s operations would soon be boosted as the Comptroller General of the NCS, retired Col. Hameed Ali, had assured of the provision of two sea vessels.
He said that no suspect was arrested during the operation because the smugglers had mastered the terrain and were able to escape through the waters.
According to him, with the acquisition of the sea operational vessels, the officers and men will be able to make arrests.


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http://dailypost.ng/2017/10/24/customs-seize-smuggled-petrol-tyres-rice-soap-worth-n15m/Sri Lanka floats international tender for 200,000 MT of rice

24.10.2017

Sri Lanka has launched an open international tender to import a fresh tranche of rice– a first call in recent times to be issued to suppliers worldwide.

“We are making every effort to ensure that there will be no shortages for our consumers,” said Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen.

“Under the directions of the government’s Cost of Living Committee (CoLC) we announced on October 13 that we will import 500,000 MT of rice. The aim of CoLC is to support our consumers with lowest prices and give steady supplies,” he added.

The 500,000 MT announced previously on October 13 was mostly on government to government rice procurement basis.

However, the latest tender for 200, 000MT, which too is a part of this 500,000 MT tranche, enlists a far wider supplier base and is under the international competitive bidding procedure, meaning any qualifying foreign government or even a foreign private sector supplier is able to bid.

The breakdown of the 200,000 MT is: 90,000MT of parboiled nadu rice, 60,000MT of samba (parboiled) rice, and 50,000 MT of white raw rice. Sri Lankan rice importers too are eligible to take part in the latest bidding.

Of the 200,000 MT rice called for, Sri Lanka expect 100,000 MT to arrive in Colombo by end November 2017 and the other 100,000 MT to arrive by end of December 2017.
http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/sri-lanka-floats-international-tender-for-200-000-mt-of-rice




Feature: China helps Nepali farmers improve rice production, tackle food deficit

Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-25 01:26:06|Editor: yan
by Shristi Kafle
KATHMANDU, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Rice crop, as one of the staple foods in Nepal, spanned 1.553 million hectares of land in the Himalayan country although production was limited to only 5.23 million metric tons in fiscal year 2016-2017.
Nearly 70 percent of the Nepali population work in the agriculture sector which significantly contributes to national gross domestic product.
However, Nepal still struggles to produce an adequate supply of food, especially rice, hence imports from other South Asian countries are vital.
To help Nepal cope with its low production, which has resulted in a food deficit, the Chinese government has been helping Nepal to promote production through Chinese hybrid rice since 2016.
The Chinese and the Nepali governments signed an agreement on agricultural technical cooperation project in February 2016, which will last for three years.
During the first phase, China has been providing economic and technical assistance in the agricultural sector, especially for rice and maize production.
Yuan Longping High-tech Agriculture Co. Ltd, a Chinese implementing agency, is working in cooperation with the National Agricultural Research Council (NARC) of Nepal.
"We have been carrying out various comparative trials and high-yield demonstrations of Chinese hybrid rice in Nepal," Zhang Xiaohui, agronomist and team leader of the agricultural technical cooperation project, told Xinhua.
"We have already completed the trial of 67 varieties in five different locations covering mid hills to southern plains," Zhang said on Monday.
He explained that Chinese hybrid rice grows in a stable form with strong resistance, has long panicles and has a higher yield than the local varieties found in different parts of Nepal.
As part of the trial, Bhaktapur, which lies a few kilometers away from central Kathmandu, was selected for the plantation of Chinese hybrid rice this year.
Two varieties LPNBR 1628 and LPNBR 1632 were planted in around 10 ropanies of land, according to local measurement.
Fifty-year-old Bimala Shrestha has been producing a local variety of rice and seasonal vegetables in her field for over two decades. However, with the lowering yield, she always struggles to secure a decent income.
But to everyone's surprise, Shrestha has produced more than seven tons of rice this year, the highest yield in the last 18 years, thanks to the Chinese hybrid rice. She said that she had never imagined that the production would be this high.
"I cannot express how happy I am. Production is incredibly high this time compared to previous years," Shrestha told Xinhua
"Since we are still harvesting, it's hard to calculate but our estimation is between seven to nine tons per hectare. I am thankful to the Chinese for their assistance," she said, while working in her field.
The mother of four explained that her income has increased threefold compared to previous years, which will help her family to lead a more comfortable if not luxurious life.
A farmer from the neighboring district of Kavre, Rewati Prasad Timalsena, 59, was in attendance. Timalsena told Xinhua, "Production in my field increased by four times this year, so has the income. The Chinese rice variety has been a real boon."
According to government statistics, 38 out of 75 districts are thought to suffer from a food deficit in Nepal, which means half of the country is in a food crisis. Nepal usually imports rice from South Asian countries like India and Bangladesh.
As the Chinese rice is gradually getting popular, the government has been planning to register these rice varieties and self-produce the seed within a couple of years.
Experts said that if Chinese varieties will continue to be planted on a large scale, then the dependency of Nepal on other countries for rice imports will soon end.
Ananda Kumar Gautam, director at the National Agricultural Research Council, told Xinhua, "Under this project, we have been testing the Chinese hybrid rice and we found that its production capacity is much higher than our local variety. I think we can expand its plantation so that the government can reduce rice imports."
The Chinese government has also been assisting Nepal in training the manpower working in the agriculture sector.
They have also agreed to open a post-harvest support lab that will boast high-end Chinese machinery.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/25/c_136703261.htm




VFA hikes rice export target on strong demand

Update: October, 25/2017 - 09:00
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image: http://image.vietnamnews.vn//uploadvnnews/Article/2017/10/24/rice92042717PM.jpg
Loading rice for export at Sài Gòn Port in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Đình Huệ
HÀ NỘI — The Việt Nam Food Association (VFA) has decided to raise its rice export target from 5.2 million tonnes to 5.6 million tones, following an increase in rice contracts for the last months of the year.
Rice exports have rebounded with an increase in rice contracts since May. The country’s rice sector has already met 82 per cent of its target for the entire year.
VFA’s statistics showed that in the first nine months of the year, Việt Nam shipped around 4.57 million tonnes of rice worth US$2.02 billion, up 20.8 per cent in quantity and over 18.6 per cent in value from the same period last year. China was still the largest importer of Vietnamese rice.
August saw the strongest growth for rice exports this year so far with 70 per cent and 56.8 per cent increases in terms of quantity and value respectively.
The number of contracts registered for exports in August also rose to the record level of some 842,000 tonnes, increasing 207 per cent from the previous month and representing a 115 per cent year-on-year increase.
Most of the contracts were with importers in China, and Philippines and Africa.
The VFA attributed the boom to better export performance in traditional markets including China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Bangladesh. 
Specifically, Vietnamese rice exporters shipped 150,000 tonnes of rice to Malaysia; 250,000 tonnes to Bangladesh and 175,000 tonnes to the Philippines. New export markets such as Australia and West Asia also saw strong growth.
The association forecast that Việt Nam’s rice exports would continue to increase in the future as Bangladesh solicited bids from exporters for an order of 50,000 tonnes of non-basmati rice. If Việt Nam wins the bid, its rice market’s already good year would become even better.
In May, the Việt Nam and Bangladesh governments extended the memorandum of understanding on rice trading for five years, covering the period from 2017-22.
Under the MoU, Việt Nam will supply some 1 million tonnes of rice a year for Bangladesh. After the MoU signing, Bangladesh is expected to buy around 500,000 tonnes of Vietnamese rice till the end of this year.
In addition, the Philippines also opened a minimum access volume (MAV) mechanism in 2017-18. Accordingly, the country will import 293,100 tonnes of rice from Việt Nam.
China is forecast to continue to maintain strong imports of Vietnamese rice in the year-end months.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade recently announced Strategy on Việt Nam Rice Export Market Development for 2017-20 calls for gradually reducing rice export quantity but maintaining rice export value.
In addition, export and market structures will be adjusted. — VNS

Read more at http://vietnamnews.vn/economy/416179/vfa-hikes-rice-export-target-on-strong-demand.html#A5b6L8OlyLc5YEUp.99







           
A rice farmer in Kandal province during last year’s harvest season. Heng Chivoan

Millers start to make use of $50M emergency rice fund

Wed, 25 October 2017
The government has already provided $9 million from its emergency rice loan fund to the Kingdom’s rice millers since the harvest season began in September, nearly triple the amount it provided when it first launched the initiative last year when millers showed little appetite for state financing.
Kao Thach, CEO of the state-owned Rural Development Bank (RDB), said yesterday that the government had officially signed off on $9 million worth of loans out of a fund which has reserved $50 million in total an amount the government believes is sufficient to prop up the struggling rice sector.
“We already have given out $9 million to the rice millers and we expect that more millers will come apply for funding,” he said, adding that the RDB provides lower interest rates compared to commercial loans.
With an annual interest rate on loans set at 5 percent, the government beefed up the emergency package in early August after millers decried that they lacked the cash reserves to purchase unprocessed paddy from farmers and that this shortage of capital would destabilise prices.
While the emergency fund in 2016 only managed to lend $3.5 million despite the rice sector facing two consecutive years of drought and a vocal industry body claiming an imminent collapse, Vice President of the Cambodia Rice Federation Hun Lak admitted millers were better prepared this year to meet the state’s loan requirements.
“Our paddy rice market this year is good and stable and most of the millers have a better understanding about the loans and the application requirements and have better managed their own capital,” he said.
In addition to the emergency fund, the RDB has already provided a $30 million package to three select millers to construct rice storage and drying facilities in Kampong Thom, Prey Vang, Takeo and Battambang provinces which are set to be completed in the coming months.
Lak said that the construction of rice storage facilities was a much needed boost for millers who struggle to purchase rice from farmers as stockpiles stack up.
“There is a lot of relief in the sector this year for both farmers and millers, because when we lacked storage facilities we also lacked funds for purchasing paddy rice,” he said.
However, he was still sceptical if the loan would be sufficient, especially if overseas orders dramatically increase.
Song Saran, CEO of Amru Rice, who received $1.5 million from the RDB by using approximately 5,000 tonnes of rice as collateral, said the government should expand the programme beyond its current limitations which as yet only allow fragrant rice to be used as collateral.
“The RDB has a good strategy to ensure the prices for paddy rice, but it would be better if the government approved loans for all types of rice varieties to promote exports,” he said

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/millers-start-make-use-50m-emergency-rice-fundChinese scientists develop rice that can grow in seawater, potentially creating enough food for 200 million people

Grains being grown in salty water produced almost treble the expected amount of rice 
·         Ben Kentish 
·         @BenKentish 
·         19 hours ago
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Click to follow
The Independent Online
Scientists have been trying for decades to get rice to grow successfully in salty water VCG via Getty Images
Scientists in China have developed several types of rice that can be grown in seawater, potentially creating enough food for 200 million people.
Researchers have been trying to grow the grain in salty water for decades but have only now developed varieties that could be commercially viable.
The rice was grown in a field near the Yellow Sea coastal city of Qingdao in China’s eastern Shandong province. 200 different types of the grain were planted to investigate which would grow best in salty conditions. 

Tourists plant rice in famine stricken North Korea


Sea water was pumped into the fields, diluted and then channelled into the rice paddies.
The scientists expected to produce 4.5 tonnes of rice per hectare but the crops exceeded expectations, in one case delivering up to 9.3 tonnes per hectare.
"The test results greatly exceeded our expectations," Liu Shiping, a professor of agriculture at Yangzhou University who is involved in the project, told Xinhua.
There are one million square kilometres of land in China where crops do not grow because of high salinity. Scientists hope the development of the new rice will allow some of these areas to be used for agriculture.
If even a tenth of these areas were planted with rice, they could produce 50 million tonnes of food – enough to feed 200 million people and boost China’s rice production by 20 per cent.

World news in pictures

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The new type of rice was developed by a team led by 87-year-old Yuan Longping, who has spent decades trying to breed rice to grow in different conditions. The Chinese government has been investigating how to grow rice in salty waters since the 1970s.
Mr Yuan said: "If a farmer tries to grow some types of saline-tolerant rice now, they most likely will get 1,500 kilogrammes per hectare. That is just not profitable and not even worth the effort.

READ MORE

"Farmers will have an incentive to grow the rice if we can double the yield.”
The saltwater rice is currently on sale for around 50 yuan (£6) per kilogramme – around eight times more than ordinary rice. Despite the cost, six tons of the grain have already been sold, with consumers praising its flavour and texture.
The rice is also thought to have several health benefits, including being high in calcium. 
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COMMENTS

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/rice-seawater-chinese-scientists-food-200-million-a8017971.htmlGSI team finds dangerous levels of lead in raw food items in Kolkata markets

The team of scientists pinpointed exhausts from vehicles running on diesel as the principal source of lead.

KOLKATA Updated: Oct 25, 2017 14:19 IST
HT Correspondent
Hindustan Times
Food items sold in open roadside markets in Kolkata contain lead that cannot be removed even by washing them with water, GSI scientists have found out.(HT Photo)
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Raw food items such as rice, red lentil, chicken, fish, biscuits, spice sold in roadside markets of Kolkata contain high levels of lead, prolonged consumption of which can permanently damage kidneys, liver and the blood system, a recent study by Geological Survey of India (GSI) has found.
Lead is a highly toxic element that is especially harmful to children, who can even suffer reverses in brain growth on regular exposure to lead.
The findings of this rare study are alarming. While the acceptable levels of lead in blood are pegged at less than 0.05 mg/litre for children and less than 0.25 mg/litre for adults, the presence of the element varied from a minimum of 5 times (in fish) to 2,911 times (in vegetable) of that limit.
File picture. The presence of lead in samples of fish was found to vary approximately between 5 to 71 times higher than the permissible limits in adults and 26 to 356 times the limit suitable for children. (HT Photo)
The GSI team identified diesel exhausts of the city traffic and soil in the nearby areas where vegetable is grown as the major sources of excessive lead. “The lead has come from diesel exhausts. This type of study is rare in the world. A few have been conducted in the US and France. A new machine has helped us to pinpoint diesel as the chief source of lead and there is no ambiguity in the findings,” Dipayan Guha, director of geochronology and isotope geology division of GSI told HT.
The outcome of the study, conducted by project director Dipayan Guha and a team of six scientists, was published in Environmental Science and Technology and Environmental Science and Pollution Research. The studies began in 2014 and continued till March 2016.
In rice the presence of lead was a minimum of seven times (of the limits for adults) to a maximum of 30 times. It implied a level that is 36 times to 149 times of the safe limits for children. The presence of the element in chicken is as high as 38 times the permissible limit for adults and 191 times of that for kids.
Samples of rice were found to contain lead that was 58 times more than the permissible limit for adults and 287 times of the ceiling for children. (HT Photo)
“The maximum Pb concentration in rice was 14.39 mg/kg in the Khidirpur sample from west Kolkata…. Vegetables sold in the sampled markets had a Pb concentration ranged from a low of 3.28 mg/kg to a very high value of 145.47 mg/kg…,” read a GSI statement.
The GSI team collected samples of polished rice, red lentil (masoor dal), chicken, fish (without scales), spinach, biscuits, spices (cumin seeds) and tulsi from 12 roadside markets from north, south, east and west of Kolkata.
“Even if one washes the items in water, one can get rid of 50% of the lead,” said Guha.
The maximum concentration of lead was found in the soil at and near Dhapa, the city’s principal dumping ground.
The GSI team also found the lead content in the street dust alarming. “The mean concentration of Pb found in the 29 sites was 383.2 mg/kg with a range from 23.82 mg/kg to a very high value of 2,697.24 mg/kg at Amherst Street in north Kolkata,” a GSI release said.
The GSI spokesperson told HT that they chose samples from the roadside markets since common people buy from these.
“Since much of the contamination is caused by exposure to air, one can expect that packaged items sold in closed conditions will have less lead,” said the spokesperson.
Kalyan Rudra, chairman of the state Pollution Control Board, told HT there was no immediate relief in sight. “CNG is not available in Kolkata and is only expected to reach here in 2020. Even after it reached the city, it will take a lot of time for the commercial vehicles to switch from diesel to CNG. The autorickshaws, however, have already to LPG,” said Rudra
http://www.hindustantimes.com/kolkata/gsi-team-finds-dangerous-levels-of-lead-in-raw-food-items-in-kolkata-markets/story-TWznIXaecFjj30YqVdGEhP.html






Climate expert to speak at Jack Kilby Science Day



POSTED October 24, 2017 8:48 p.m.



Photo courtesy of Barton Community College

Climate expert to speak at Jack Kilby Science Day

A high school student participates in a science activity at last year’s Jack Kilby Science Day.








An expert on climate change will be the keynote speaker when Barton Community College hosts the 14th Annual Jack Kilby Science Day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 20.
High School juniors and seniors, students with appropriate Individual Educational Programs, high school science and technology instructors and appropriate administration are all invited to this free event.
The day will kick off with a presentation by Dr. Charles Rice, professor of soil microbiology in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University. Dr. Rice is a University Distinguished Professor and holds the Vanier University Professorship at KSU.
Internationally, he served on the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to author a report on Climate Change in 2007 and 2014 and was among scientists recognized when that work won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Dr. Rice’s keynote presentation is aptly titled “Climate Change: What it means for Kansas.”
Once the presentation has concluded, high school participants will be offered the opportunity to meet and visit with each other and to learn about the day’s expanded and updated activities. Students will then choose from several hands-on mini-sessions, demonstrations, competitions and experiments in various areas of science and technology.
The day will close with an academic carnival and a free lunch.
To register and for more information visit www.jackkilbyscienceday.com.


Rice Webinar:  Thursday, October 26

Tune in Thursday, October 26, at 3:00 p.m. Central Time, for a new rice webinar hosted by Dr. Bobby Coats, with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas.  Nathan Childs, agricultural economist with USDA's Economic Research Service, will explain the reasons behind and implications of the expected decline in U.S. rice supplies in 2017/18 on prices, trade, and use, based on updated forecasts from the October 12 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report.

Go here to register for the webinar
           

           
Nestle Purina Joins Partnership to Ensure Future of Working Ricelands
By Andi Cooper

Waiting on the call MEMPHIS, TN -- Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, a global leader in pet care, is the newest corporate sponsor of the USA Rice/Ducks Unlimited (DU) Rice Stewardship Partnership.  Through a $2 million commitment over four years, Nestlé Purina's investment will help keep working ricelands healthy, preserve wetlands, and create habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.

"Farmers, their dogs and waterfowl have long been part of our conservation heritage," said Dale Hall, Ducks Unlimited CEO.  "Purina is already a great partner of Ducks Unlimited, and we're proud that they are joining us in our rice industry support and conservation mission."

This commitment is part of Purina's long-term sustainability strategy to add value to the agricultural supply chain and ensure food for people and high-quality ingredients for pets are available well into the future.

"Supporting rice stewardship is consistent with Nestlé Purina's purpose and values," said Joe Sivewright, Nestlé Purina CEO.  "We exist as a company to create richer lives for pets and the people who love them, and this includes stewarding natural resources for future generations."

In addition to rice being a critical dietary staple upon which billions depend, working ricelands are also a critical habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.  Winter-flooded rice fields provide an average of 35 percent of the food available to dabbling ducks, like mallards, pintails and teal, in key wintering areas like the Gulf Coast, the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, and California's Central Valley.

Purina's investment will help fund strategies to protect working ricelands, including conservation planning, irrigation efficiencies, nutrient management and education of decision-makers on water, agriculture and wildlife and fisheries connections.  The project will also help to improve air quality, conserve energy, and support the rice producer's bottom line.

Purina's contribution will also support the next generation of rice farmers.  Currently, less than 10 percent of rice farm operators are under the age of 35.

"We know training and empowering the next generation of rice farmers is critical. With support from Nestlé Purina, we can take Rice Stewardship to a new, more impactful level with these young farmers," said Scott Manley, DU's director of conservation programs.

Purina joins other committed financial sponsors in support of the Rice Stewardship Program, including the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Walmart Foundation, the Mosaic Company Foundation, Chevron U.S.A., Freeport-McMoRan Foundation, Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation, RiceTec, BASF, American Rice, Inc. - Riviana Foods, Inc., Delta Plastics, Wells Fargo, Farmers Rice Milling Company, Horizon Ag, Turner's Creek & Bombay Hook Farms, MacDon Industries, Dow AgroSciences, and DU major sponsors.

·         "At Purina we believe that a healthy environment grows healthy ingredients for healthy pets," said Jack Scott, Head of Sustainability, Nestlé Purina.  "Rice is a natural grain that helps fuel energy and supports digestibility.  It's one of the key ingredients in a variety of our pet food recipes, so how it's grown is important to us." T & WILDLIFE

·         MANAGEMENT & SUPPLY

·         COMMUNITY

·         OP-EDS
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Floodplains Adjacent to the Sacramento River Should Be Nature’s Pantry

Rivers need to be reconnected with floodplains to provide essential nutrients for fish and needed habitat for birds, which will require targeted flows, says Dale Hall of Ducks Unlimited.
WRITTEN BYDale Hall
PUBLISHED ONs Oct. 24, 2017
READ TIMEApprox. 3 minutes
Fremont Weir in Knights Landing, Calif., is overtopping on January 13, 2017. Fremont Weir Wildlife Area is 1,461 acres at the north end of the Yolo Bypass floodway along the Sacramento River in Sutter County and Yolo County.Florence Low / California Department of Water Resources
ACROSS THE WORLD and throughout history, people have settled next to rivers to take advantage of their water for transportation, fish and wildlife productivity, and the naturally fertile soils of adjacent floodplains.
Floodplains should be thought of as nature’s pantry; they are among the most productive ecosystems in nature and provide the supply of nutrients and food resources necessary to keep rivers, and the many species dependent on them, healthy.
Changing with the seasons, floodplains serve as “cooking pots” for the complex food chains that rivers support. They hold concentrations of life that are found at no other time in the hydrologic cycle and act as a food supply for rivers, which need floodplain inputs to sustain the resident fish and wildlife populations until the cycle can be repeated the following year. However, rivers must have access to floodplains during the right times of year to receive these annual injections of beneficial nutrients.
In California’s Central Valley, the Sacramento River originally evolved with, and benefited from, annual flooding. But that natural cycle no longer functions due to the manmade levees and water-control structures that keep the river’s rising water from naturally entering the floodplain. Today, it takes the combination of flooded agricultural lands and managed wetlands to provide the food resources necessary to support the millions of waterfowl, shorebirds and other waterbirds that call California home for a significant portion of their life cycle. I was personally involved with this complex management system during my time with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and have seen how important these floodplain inputs are for wildlife.
Now that natural flooding no longer occurs and millions of acres of natural wetlands have been lost because of development and other impacts, seasonally flooded rice fields have become a critical resource for waterfowl and other wildlife species. The 300,000 acres of winter-flooded rice in the Sacramento Valley during a “normal” winter are needed to provide the food resources necessary to help support nearly 7 million waterfowl (60 percent of all waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway) and 300,000 shorebirds.
The Nigiri Project, which is a partnership of farmers and researchers, including California Trout, has shown that flooded rice fields benefit fish populations. In the winter, the project floods farmland used for crops during the summer, and creates a kind of “surrogate” floodplain for juvenile salmon. Results from the project have shown an increase in growth and health of salmon inside seasonally flooded rice fields, which dramatically demonstrates the need for more connectivity between the river and adjacent floodplains.
California’s Central Valley contains approximately 206,000 acres of managed wetlands, covering just 5 percent of the historic 4 million acres of wetlands that once existed in the region. These remaining managed wetlands need water, for both summer irrigation and winter flooding, to provide their maximum benefits to birds and other wildlife.
The provision of this water and the habitat values it provides is reliant upon the ability of Sacramento Valley water districts and companies to divert and deliver surface water resources year-round in accordance with their contracts and water rights.
Rice fields and wetlands provide the basis for nutrients and the ensuing explosion of life that still occurs, but these fields are largely disconnected from rivers and can’t currently provide nursery habitat for salmon and smelt. This impacts the food available for salmon and smelt, with the most concerning outcome being possible starvation. And it’s not just fish that are at risk.
During normal years in which wetlands are managed properly and typical rice acreage is winter-flooded, there is enough food to maintain waterfowl populations throughout the winter months. However, during times of drought, models predict that food resources may run short in the middle of winter right when bird numbers are at their peak and food demand is highest. This will likely result in substantial losses of birds that rely upon this Pacific Flyway habitat.
Ducks Unlimited and our partners are convinced this problem can be reversed and, if we desire to have healthy populations of salmon, smelt, waterfowl and the remainder of Sacramento River ecosystem constituents, it must be reversed. It is vitally important that we allow the food produced in the floodplain, along with the healthy growth of fish, to provide much-needed biological relief and support the sustainability of our rivers.
This can only occur by having water available for the floodplain and by encouraging water users and managers involved with the Central Valley’s water to provide functional and targeted flows that are directly tailored for specific purposes and benefits to “nature’s pantry.” Continuing to develop voluntary agreements, consistent with a functional flow approach, will ensure that this important work in the Sacramento Valley will benefit fish and wildlife.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Water Deeply.
https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2017/10/24/floodplains-adjacent-to-the-sacramento-river-should-be-natures-pantry


M ekong Delta: Adapt to saltwater intrusion by using aquaculture
VietNamNet Bridge - Instead of trying to prevent saltwater invasion and desalinizing, it would be better to adapt to the new circumstances and think of developing aquaculture in Mekong Delta, scientists say.



In the Mekong Delta, one of the largest key agriculture production zones in the country, alkaline soil accounts for 18.6 percent of total area, located along the East Coast belt and the Gulf of Thailand. In the context of climate change, desalinizing is an impossible mission, or will be too costly.

Meanwhile, alum land accounts for 40 percent of the zone’s total area, mostly located in depression areas, where it is very difficult to clear alum. Scientists have warned that saline intrusion would reach more deeply into the mainland in the future as a result of  climate change.

Le Quoc Anh, head of the team carrying out research on turning challenges in Mekong Delta into opportunities for development, pointed out that saline intrusion cannot be prevented, so the best solution is accelerating the salinization process to serve  aquaculture.

He emphasized that adjusting to environmental conditions is the most important aspect in agricultural production which helps improve productivity and ensures sustainable development.
Saline intrusion cannot be prevented, so the best solution is accelerating the salinization process to serve  aquaculture.
In fact, farmers also prefer hatching shrimp to growing rice because shrimp brings higher profits. Therefore, despite the ban by local authorities, farmers still deliberately let their fields get salty to farm shrimp in the fields.

A local newspaper reported that farmers have even sprayed salt into their fields and ponds to make the water salty for hatching shrimp.

However, Anh stressed that it still needs thorough consideration before accelerating the saltwater intrusion process and shifting the land use purpose from rice to shrimp farming.

In the alum infected land, it would be better to have one crop of rice and one crop of shrimp. Meanwhile, in the areas where alluvium soil accounts for 29.7 percent and grey soil amounts to 3.4 percent of total area, it would be necessary to preserve the land for rice and fruit farming to ensure food security.

In other words, Anh said, it is necessary to apply comprehensive measures to mitigate the influences of climate change and select best solutions specifically for different areas.

There is a problem that in the saltwater-stricken areas which have just shifted to aquaculture, the conditions are not favorable enough to farm shrimp. In the areas, the current is usually low and farmers still don’t have experience.

Therefore, if not applying reasonable scientific solutions, the water in shrimp ponds will get stuck and shrimp will lack oxygen, while the food leftover and waste will harm farming, thus causing losses to farmers.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/188817/mekong-delta--adapt-to-saltwater-intrusion-by-using-aquaculture.html





Sri Lanka floats international tender for 200,000 MT of rice

2017-10-24 00:40:58
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Sri Lanka has launched an open international tender to import a fresh tranche of rice– a first call in recent times to be issued to suppliers worldwide.

“We are making every effort to ensure that there will be no shortages for our consumers,” said Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen.

“Under the directions of the government’s Cost of Living Committee (CoLC) we announced on October 13 that we will import 500,000 MT of rice. The aim of CoLC is to support our consumers with lowest prices and give steady supplies,” he added.

The 500,000 MT announced previously on October 13 was mostly on government to government rice procurement basis.

However, the latest tender for 200, 000MT, which too is a part of this 500,000 MT tranche, enlists a far wider supplier base and is under the international competitive bidding procedure, meaning any qualifying foreign government or even a foreign private sector supplier is able to bid.
The breakdown of the 200,000 MT is: 90,000MT of parboiled nadu rice, 60,000MT of samba (parboiled) rice, and 50,000 MT of white raw rice. Sri Lankan rice importers too are eligible to take part in the latest bidding.
 Of the 200,000 MT rice called for, Sri Lanka expect 100,000 MT to arrive in Colombo by end November 2017 and the other 100,000 MT to arrive by end of December 2017.  

 The tender will close on October 30
http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Sri-Lanka-floats-international-tender-for-MT-of-rice-139047.html


Bangladesh approves purchase of 100,000t rice from India

23.10.2017

Bangladesh has approved the purchase of 100,000 tonnes of parboiled rice from India in a state-to-state deal at $455 a tonne, officials said on Sunday, as the government races to shore up depleted stocks and combat high prices.

Traditionally the world’s fourth-biggest rice producer, Bangladesh’s rice imports are set to hit their highest levels in a decade after floods hit its crops.

The price includes shipping, insurance and discharge costs.

The rice is to be shipped within 60 days after signing the deal, which will take place soon, a food ministry official said.

The approval followed the government’s approval of the purchase of 100,000 tonnes of white rice at $442 a tonne from Myanmar, putting aside worsening relations over the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Bangladesh is also set to import 150,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand at $465 per tonne. It has already secured deals with Vietnam and Cambodia as it looks to import a total of 1.5 million tonnes of rice in the year to June.

High prices of rice, a staple food for Bangladesh’s 160 million people, helped send the annual inflation rate in September to its highest level since October 2015, posing a problem for the government which faces an election next year.

Strong demand from Bangladesh could further lift Asian rice prices, which hit multi-year highs in recent months after Bangladesh and other countries in South Asia saw their worst monsoon floods in years.

Bangladesh imported more than 1 million tonnes of rice in the July-October period, food ministry data showed.

Despite bulk imports, domestic prices have not budged, with officials and traders expecting more imports of the staple grain in the coming months.

In August, the government cut a duty on rice imports for the second time in two months. The lower import duty has prompted purchases by private dealers, with most of the deals being struck with neighbouring India.

Bangladesh produces around 34 million tonnes of rice annually but uses almost all its production to feed its people. It often requires imports to cope with shortages caused by floods or droughts.
http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/bangladesh-approves-purchase-of-100-000t-rice-from-india


China grows rice in salt water to feed 200 million people

Published time: 24 Oct, 2017 13:28

Published time: 24 Oct, 2017 13:28
© SIPA Asia / Global Look Press
2K
Chinese scientists are claiming to have achieved a crucial agricultural breakthrough, growing high-yield rice in salt water.
The new strain has been previously tried and tested, but scientists from the Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center reportedly managed to nearly triple yields, to 4.5 metric tons per hectare, making it ready for commercialization.
#China step closer to creating world's biggest agrochemical firm https://on.rt.com/8as3 
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Saltwater cultivation may boost China’s rice production by nearly 20 percent and will be able to feed more than 200 million people, according to the research leader Yuan Longping, known as China’s ‘father of hybrid rice.’
The new type of hybrid rice has been grown among 200 varieties of rice in Qingdao, a coastal city in eastern China’s Shandong Province. The researchers pumped and diluted seawater from the Yellow Sea, and then channeled it into the rice paddy fields.
‘Guinea pig’ Canadians offered ‘world’s first’ #GMO salmon https://on.rt.com/8jz4 

‘Guinea pig’ Canadians offered ‘world’s first’ GMO salmon — RT America


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Diluted seawater rice has already gone on sale. However, at 50 yuan ($7.50) a kilo the new variety is eight times more expensive than traditional rice.
An online shop selling the rice was started in August by Yuan Ce Biological Technology, a Qingdao-based start-up and business partner of Yuan Longping’s research team.
The platform is selling rice harvested last year with this year's crop to enter the stores in November.
EPA joins FDA to approve 3 types of genetically modified potatoes https://on.rt.com/84eu 
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A thousand customers placed orders last month, and nearly six tons of the new variety have been sold since August, according to a sales manager. The firm expects to reach sales revenue of 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) by the end of the year.
The variety cannot be officially called sea rice, as it was grown in an area where fresh water mixes with sea water, according to the director of the Yunnan Institute of Ecological Agriculture Na Zhongyuan.
https://www.rt.com/business/407629-china-rice-grow-salt-water/



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Oct. 26 webinar addresses implications of decline in U.S. rice supplies

Webinar focuses on rice supplies, prices. Features Nathan Childs of USDA Economic Research Services
Mary Hightower | Oct 23, 2017
The U.S rice crop is expected to be the smallest since 1996-97, according to the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. The “why’s” and implications of that decline will be the topic of the Oct. 26 webinar being offered by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
The webinar will feature Nathan Childs, agricultural economist with the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service. The webinar is scheduled for 3 p.m. Central and there’s no cost to attend. To register, visit: http://bit.ly/uaex-rice-outlook-Oct26.
“Nathan will discuss the reasons behind and implications of the expected decline in U.S. rice supplies in 2017-18 on prices, trade, and use,” said Bobby Coats, professor-Extension economist for the Division of Agriculture. “He will also touch on major factors driving the global rice market and recent global price movements will be analyzed.”
Childs’ presentation will be based on updated forecasts from the Oct. 12 WASDE report (See: https://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde/latest.pdf), which said the rice ending stocks would be the lowest in 14 years.
The event is part of the ongoing Food & Agribusiness Webinar Series. Visit https://www.uaex.edu/farm-ranch/economics-marketing/food-agribusiness-webinars/ to learn more.









UofA to Host Webinar on Rice Market

 The University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture is hosting a new webinar to examine the rice market on October 26th.  The webinar will feature Nathan Childs, agricultural economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS). The webinar will be held at 3:00 p.m. on October 26th.
Details and registration link below:
Topic: U.S. Rice Market Faces Tighter Supplies and Higher Prices in 2017/18
Description: Nathan Childs will explain the reasons behind and implications of the expected decline in U.S. rice supplies in 2017/18 on prices, trade, and use. In addition, major factors driving the global rice market and recent global price movements will be analyzed. The presentation will be based on updated forecasts from the October 12 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report.
Presenter: Nathan Childs, Agricultural Economist with USDA’s Economic Research Service.
Time: Oct 26, 2017 3:00 PM in Central Standard Time (US and Canada)
http://agcouncil.net/2017/10/uofa-to-host-webinar-on-rice-market/




Welcome to Rice News Today
25 October,2017
Boro harvest drops 5pc to 1.8cr tonnes
 Boro production fell 5 percent year-on-year to 1.8 crore tonnes during the last harvest, the lowest since 2009-10, after floods wiped out crops in a huge number of paddy fields in the northeast. As a result, total rice output declined by 2 percent year-on-year to 3.38 crore tonnes in the last fiscal year, according to a preliminary estimate of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). Crops on an area of about 3 lakh hectares were damaged because of the floods, said a senior BBS official seeking anonymity. The floods, along with low stocks of foodgrains in public storages, fuelled a price hike of the staple food, causing it to reach a record high in mid-September. This led the government not only going for imports by itself but also to slash import duty to augment supply and stabilise the market. Though prices gradually declined in the last one month, it is still higher than that of the same period last year, according to figures from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh. The BBS, which awaits for approval from the higher authority for releasing the data, estimates that Boro paddy was harvested from about 44.5 lakh hectares, down from the usual acreage of 47-48 lakh hectares as recorded in the last couple of years. Boro accounts for 53 percent of total annual production of rice. The output estimate comes at a time when farmers are waiting to start harvesting of Aman paddy, the second biggest crop. Growers, after suffering from losses for the repeated foods during the plantation season, cultivated Aman paddy on 54 lakh hectares this season, down 2.32 percent from 55.83 lakh hectares the previous season, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and BBS data. “The condition of Aman crop is very good. We expect higher yield this year than the previous year,” said Alhaz Uddin Ahmed, additional director for monitoring and implementation at field services wing of the DAE. He said increased production of Aus and Aman can help recover 40 to 50 percent of the loss of rice from floods in haor areas. On recent heavy rainfall, Ahmed said the yield would not be affected because of the sunny weather in the last two days. Between July 1 and October 18, public and private sector import of rice stood at 12.96 lakh tonnes. The amount of rice imported in 2016-17 was 1.33 lakh tonnes.








OCTOBER 23, 2017 / 7:45 PM / 2 DAYS AGO

Egypt says wheat reserves sufficient for 4 months

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CAIRO, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Egypt’s supply minister said on Monday the country has wheat reserves sufficient for four months and sugar reserves for 5.2 months.
Egypt also has vegetable oils for the next 3.2 months and its rice reserves are sufficient for one month’s consumption, Supply Minister Ali Meselhi told a press conference on Monday.
The minister added that the two Romanian and French wheat cargoes that were held over containing poppy seeds have been released and will be added to strategic stocks. (Reporting by Moemen Abdelkhalek; Writing by Arwa Gaballa, editing by David Evans)
https://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFL4N1MY4O4





WSU researchers genetically alter rice plants

Affected plants could produce more food, potentially addressing world hunger problems
Surya Prakosa | Unsplash
By 2050, global food production will need to double to feed 9.1 billion people. Today, rice fields around the world such as this one in Lombok, Indonesia, produce rice that help feed half of the current population.
BAILEY CAMPBELL, Evergreen contributor
October 24, 2017

WSU researchers are participating in international research to improve photosynthetic efficiency in rice to help reduce world hunger.
Cousins Lab, one of 12 institutions working on the C4 Rice Project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is conducting the research. Eight countries around the world are collaborating using innovative scientific techniques to enhance rice crop yields.
“The objective is to supercharge photosynthesis in rice,” said Asaph Cousins, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences at WSU.
The world’s population will reach 9.1 billion by the year 2050, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations predicted. Nearly all of this population growth will occur in developing countries.
Rice feeds almost half of humanity. Global food production will need to increase by 50 percent to feed 2 billion more mouths, according to a report from the FAO.
Competition for land is a problem in regions like Asia because urbanization is decreasing available land for agriculture, said Rita Giuliani, post-doctoral scientist on the project.
Cousins said his aim is for developing countries to have higher crop yields without more land usage.
Introduction of the C4 photosynthetic pathway is predicted to increase rice crop yields by 50 percent and majorly decrease water usage. Rice farmers can have higher crop yields without needing more land while conserving water.
“It’s basically a triple hit,” said Jane Langdale, the current coordinator of the C4 Rice Project.
Rice is traditionally a C3 plant, along with wheat. Transition from a C3 photosynthetic pathway to C4 requires altering certain genes. Corn naturally has a C4 pathway that Cousins Lab is trying to mimic and introduce to rice. Using corn as a template, the hope is to make rice’s metabolic process extremely efficient.
“It’s very ambitious work, trying to change what nature did over the course of thousands of years in just 25,” Giuliani said.
Photosynthesis is a metabolic process through which plants convert energy from sunlight, CO2 and water into needed nutrients. C3 and C4 are two different photosynthetic pathways available in plants.
For example, there are two ways to pick grapes: Picking each individual grape versus the whole bunch. Picking the whole bunch is more efficient than picking individual grapes. C3 and C4 plants act in a similar way — C4 photosynthesis is more efficient than C3.
Labs across the nation send seed samples, with genetic alterations, to Cousins Lab for testing, Asaph said. Once the seed has grown and produces leaves, testing begins. The leaves are tested to see if the genetic alterations made earlier have worked or not.
Cousins acknowledged the ethical questions brought up when researchers genetically engineer plants. He said some parts of the public had responded to the project with skepticism and other researchers were doubtful that the team could accomplish such a large task. He also said they were excited by the possibilities it could create.
This would be a huge step for the science field if this project is successful, Cousins said.
https://dailyevergreen.com/19463/news/wsu-researchers-genetically-alter-rice-plants/





Country expects to export 5.6 million tons of rice in 2017

With positive signs like rice export contracts significantly increasing in the closing months of 2017, the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) raised its rice export target to 5.6 million tons instead of 5.2 million tons as set earlier.

Photo for illustration
Unlike the somber picture in 2016 and the first few months of 2017, from May to now, rice exports began to recover as the number of rice contracts rose significantly.
According to VFA, in the first nine months of the year, Vietnam shipped about 4.57 million tons of rice abroad, up 20.8% in volume and 18.6% in value (equivalent to USD2.02 billion) over a year earlier. China continued as the biggest importer of Vietnamese rice.
Specifically, August saw the strongest momentum with a 70% rise in volume and a 56.8% increase in FOB (Free on Board) value. The volume of rice contracts also witnessed a record growth with nearly 842,000 tons, up 207% compared to July 2017 and up nearly 115% compared to the same period last year.
Most of the contracts registered for shipping glutinous rice, white rice, fragrant rice and broken rice to China; 25% broken rice to the Philippines; fragrant rice to Africa and Japonica rice to Oceania.
VFA said that rice exports enjoyed increases in both volume and value in comparison to the same period of 2016 because of export growth in traditional markets such as China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Bangladesh. In addition, exports to potential markets like Australia and some markets in Western Asia also saw rapid growth.
Rice export turnover is expected to increase in the near future as Bangladesh’s Ministry of Food announced an invitation of tenders for purchasing non-basmati parboiled rice. If Vietnam wins the tenders, the country’s rice market will be improved.
Together with Bangladesh, the Philippines also opened its rice import quota under the MAV (Minimum Access Volume) mechanism in 2017-2018. Accordingly, the amount of rice imported from Vietnam under the mechanism is 293,100 tons, equivalent to that of Thailand.
China is also expected to continue importing rice from Vietnam in the last months of the year, with glutinous rice, white rice, fragrant rice, and broken rice to meet the demand in the period./.
http://en.dangcongsan.vn/economics/country-expects-to-export-5-6-million-tons-of-rice-in-2017-459066.html







Paddy growers demand increase in support price
LARKANA: The paddy growers have threatened to stage a sit-in in front of the residence of Sindh Agriculture Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal and at Jinnah Bagh roundabout in Larkana on November 2, 2017 if paddy support price were not enhanced as crop is almost ready for harvesting. At a press conference, Sindh Abadgar Hari Ittehad leaders Irfan Jatoi, Muhammad Ali Abro and others claimed that growers have suffered huge financial losses and demanded fixation rate of Rs 1,000 per 40 kgs. Simultaneously prices of sugarcane should also be fixed at Rs 200 per 40 kgs. They maintained that Sindh High Court had ordered in 2015 to fix paddy rate at Rs 900 per 40 kg but the order was not even implemented. They alleged that since the last ten years no increase has been made in support price whereas every year rates of fertiliser, seed and pesticides increase, which showed that growers were being not only discouraged but they were given discriminated treatment. Commenting on the issue, Sindh Chamber of Agriculture President Siraj Rashdi said that Rice Research Institute, Dokri director has determined cost of production per acre of rice for average growers in Sindh for 2016-17. According to which gross total of per acre cost of paddy comes Rs 44,563 whereas average yield per acre is about 45 maunds. In this way if paddy is sold at rate of Rs 990.28 then the tillers will be able to meet expenses only without making any profit. The cost include land preparation, seed sowing, irrigation, farm yard manure and fertiliser, weeding and plant protection, harvesting, thrashing, winnowing, transportation to market, management and labour charges, government taxes, land rent and banks’ markup. He said rice millers and exporters monopoly should be abolished immediately for benefit of poor peasants and end users by establishing government procurement centres in province and fixing rates otherwise blackmailing of these businessmen would continue to harm the agriculture sector. Rashdi said that presently paddy was being procured at the rate of Rs 600 per 40 kg which was not only unbearable but also it amounted to ruining the entire agriculture sector which could not be accepted at all.  






Farmers fear mobilization due to poor harvest

Kang Mi Jin  |  2017-10-24 12:26
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Residents weeding the fields near Hoeryong, North Hamgyong Province. Image: Daily NK

Some of North Korea’s farmers are reportedly stating their intention to refuse assistance in anticipation of future mobilization of citizens by the government. Although the authorities have yet to hand down any mobilization directives this year, many rural villagers believe they cannot accommodate the needs of the additional workers. 

A source in Ryanggang Province informed Daily NK on October 18 that "in a good harvest year, now would be the height of mobilization, but this year farmers are refusing to accept such help. They are afraid that there’s not enough food for all of the mobilized workers, especially considering the poor harvest."
  
Another source in Jagang Province confirmed this trend, stating, "Farmers are not as busy now compared to previous years, so the circumstances do not merit a need for more assistance."

"Many are relieved that they will not have to receive mobilized workers this year, but they are not openly saying this. They are all busy dealing with how to secure enough food for the coming year. Last year you could even see fallen stalks of rice discarded on the roadside or people picking over the fields following the harvest for remnants, but this year people are being much more careful with their inventory," the Jangang-based source explained.

International sanctions are reportedly taking their toll as well. The source stated that people in both the cities and the countryside are experiencing instability in market prices as a result, forcing some merchants to leave the cities in search of better opportunities.

"These days we are seeing a large number of city-based merchants setting up shop in the countryside. It used to be that the rural villages were quite hospitable, but current conditions dictate a more cautious reception this year," the Ryanggang source said.

She explained that limited yields also mean that people must forego special seasonal dishes, instead saving every last grain of rice just to survive. "People are accustomed to eating traditional dishes in the fall like tteok (rice cakes), bread, and potato noodle soup. But people will be much more frugal this year, preparing only the bare minimum, even on special occasions," she said.

"Focusing purely on calories, people are opting for simpler and cheaper foods. They are slaughtering their livestock in order to sell the meat and use the profits to purchase greater amounts of rice, corn, and other grains to store for the coming season."
Govt to buy 250,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand, local traders
The Food will submit two proposals in this regard to the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase today
The government is set to purchase 250,000 tonnes of parboiled rice from Thailand and local traders at a cost of Tk1017.14 crore in order to shore up Bangladesh’s depleted stock of the staple. The Food will submit two proposals in this regard to the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase today. Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, an official of the ministry said negotiations between Bangladesh and Thailand came to an end, with the Thai government agreeing to sell rice at $465 per tonne. They earlier demanded $516 per tonne under a G2G (government to government) deal. According to the ministry’s proposals, 150,000 tonnes of rice will be imported from Thailand at a cost of TK578.92 crore, while the remaining 100,000 tonnes will be supplied at Tk438.22 crore by local traders who import rice from India, Thailand, Pakistan and Vietnam. Earlier, the Prime Minister’s Office directed the ministry to import 1.15 million tonnes of rice under G2G agreements and also through international as well as domestic tenders within the next month. Last week, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved another proposal of the ministry to purchase 100,000 tonnes of rice from India at Tk377.65 crore, each tonne costing $455 (Tk37, 487). The rice will be imported under on a G2G basis. As of October 18, Bangladesh had 499,000 tonnes of grains in its stock, including 396,000 tonnes of rice.
Why farmers remain uninformed about pesticides and their use
Manufacturers and state governments have done little to inform farmers about approved uses of pesticides and hazards of using illegal ones
While applying pesticides, farmers do not use protective clothing such as face masks or gloves

The Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC), under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, provides information on approved uses of pesticides, dosages and waiting period of pesticides on its website. But a quick search shows that this list is not being followed. Even the National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), under the same ministry, does not adhere to CIBRC’s list of approved uses.
Consequences of unregulated use of pesticide have come to light recently, with 18 farmers reportedly dying due to pesticide poisoning in Maharashtra. The NIPHM, on its website, gives examples of Kisan Call Centre’s responses to questions regarding the pesticides to be used on particular crops to control particular pests. For instance, there is a recommendation to use Acephate for fruit borer on chilli, even though this is not a CIBRC-approved use; another one to use Acephate 75 SP and DDVP 76 EC for midge fly in chilli, whereas, according to CIBRC, Acephate 75 SP is approved only for cotton, safflower and rice; and Dichlorvos 76% EC is approved only for use on paddy, wheat, soybean, castor, groundnut, mustard, sunflower, cucurbit and cashew. There seems to be no scientific or governmental consensus at the national and state level on approved uses of pesticides. Misuse on the ground A study of pesticide use by 25 farmers and labourers in Ranchi’s Bero block, Jharkhand’s major vegetable growing belt, was undertaken in August-September 2017 by the Society for Promotion of Wastelands Development (SPWD), as part of a larger study being conducted in several Indian states by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) India. Bero has the longest experience of chemical-input farming in the state. The study’s findings indicate that farmers know little to nothing about the pesticides they use. They are solely reliant on information from input dealers. While preparing and applying pesticides on their crops, none of the farmers or labourers use protective clothing such as face masks or gloves. Several farmers and labourers said that they mix pesticides and water with their bare hands. Some also sustained injuries in the process. The 25 sampled farmers were found to have used 42 insecticides, eight herbicides and seven fungicides. Of these, 38 insecticides, 5 herbicides and 6 fungicides are being wrongly applied on crops, which means, their use was not approved by the CIBRC. Though cotton is not grown in Bero, insecticides approved for use only on cotton are sold to farmers by input dealers. Of the 38 insecticides illegally used, six are approved for use on cotton only: 
1.  Acephate 50% + Imidacloprid 1.8% SP, sold under the trade name Lancer Gold by United Phosphorus Limited (UPL), has been applied to chilli in Bero block by one of the farmers.
2.  Alphacypermethrin 10% EC, sold as Alpha Plus by Anu Products Ltd, has been used by two of the farmers on bodi (long beans), bottle gourd, chilli and mango trees.
3.  Chlorpyrifos 16% + Alphacypermethrin 1% EC manufactured by Ichiban Crop Science Ltd (trade name Dangal), and by Krishi Rasayan Exports Pvt. Ltd (Anth Super), was used by four of the farmers on cucumber, tomato, peas, capsicum, potato, cauliflower, paddy, brinjal and beans.
4.  Emamectin Benzoate 1.9% EC, manufactured under the trade name Billo by Crystal Crop Protection Ltd, was applied to brinjal by one farmer.
5.  Ethion 40% + Cypermethrin 5% EC, sold under the trade names Spider and Ananda, has been applied to lady’s finger, brinjal, tomato and cauliflower by two of the surveyed farmers.
6.  Profenofos 40% + Cypermethrin 4% EC was found at the homes of three of the 25 farmers. Sold under brand names License 99, Minister, Panther, Terror Super and Maxcron Super, it has been used by farmers on cabbage, cauliflower, beans and paddy.
The remaining 32 wrongly (illegally) applied insecticides include: 
1.  Monocrotophos 36% SL, banned for use on vegetables,[1] but used by two farmers on chilli, capsicum and cucumber (classified as highly hazardous, class 1b, banned in 60 countries)[2]
2.  Betacyfluthrin 8.5% + Imidacloprid 21%, applied by one farmer to a non-approved crop (Betacyfluthrin is a highly hazardous pesticide, class 1b)
3.  Methyl Parathion 2% DP, applied to a non-approved crop by one farmer (an extremely hazardous pesticide, class 1a, to be banned in 2018)
4.  Triazophos 40% EC, approved for use only on cotton, paddy and soybean, is being used on brinjal and other vegetables by four of the sampled farmers. Triazophos, classified a highly hazardous pesticide, class 1b, is set to be banned in India in 2021, though it is already banned in 40 countries.
According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)MonocrotophosAcephate and Profenofos are believed to be responsible for the deaths and hospitalisation of farmers in Maharashtra. All three are being misused by farmers in Jharkhand. Farmers uninformed The five input dealers interviewed during the study were all unaware (or feigned ignorance) of the approved uses and waiting periods of the various pesticides. One of the dealers has a diploma in Agricultural Extension Services for Input Dealers (DAESI)[3], yet he continued giving the wrong advice to farmers.   The block’s agriculture extension officer was unaware of the sale of certain popular pesticides. None of the interviewed farmers were trained or advised on pesticide use by the government. This year, block offices have distributed pesticides without giving any information on their approved uses to farmers. For instance, Bandra block office in Lohardaga distributed Azadirachtin 1% EC (with neem) approved for use on tea, and Mahuatanr block office in Latehar distributed Azadirachtin 0.15% W/W (with neem) approved for use on cotton and rice. Pesticide manufacturers are not acting responsibly Approved uses, correct doses and waiting periods are not mentioned on the labels of pesticides bottles or packets. The labels state that the leaflet given along with the pesticide must be consulted before use, however, the product is sold without it. Most of the manufacturers do not provide this vital information on their websites either. How to prevent misuse?
1.  The distribution and sale of insecticides approved for use on cotton only should be banned in states like Jharkhand where cotton is not grown.
2.  Licenses should only be issued to pesticide manufacturers by state governments if complete information (like approved use of pesticide, dose to be applied, waiting period) is given on the labels of bottles or packets in Hindi, English (and the regional language as appropriate).
3.  Proper coordination is required between the concerned agencies of state governments, including agricultural scientists, to ensure regulation of pesticide sale and use.
4.  All concerned officials at the state, district, block and village level should be informed about the dangerous and illegal misuse of pesticides.
5.  State governments should provide written information to all input dealers regarding approved uses, doses to be applied and waiting periods for all pesticides.
6.  State governments should supply good quality masks and gloves to input dealers, who should issue these to farmers for free on the sale of any pesticide.
7.  The DAESI course should cover pesticides extensively, and sensitise dealers about the illegality of non-approved pesticides sales.
8.  Information regarding the dangers and negative health effects of pesticides need to be provided to farmers. This can be disseminated by panchayat offices as well as input dealers.
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- October 24, 2017
Reuters Staff
6 MIN READ
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-October 24

Nagpur, Oct 24 (Reuters) – Tuar and gram varieties recovered in Nagpur Agriculture Produce
Marketing Committee (APMC) on increased demand from local millers amid tight supply from
producing regions. Fresh rise in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and reported demand from South-based
millers also helped to push up prices, according to sources. 

    FOODGRAINS & PULSES
    
   GRAM
   * Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.
  
   TUAR
     
   * Tuar gavarani declined further in open market here in absence of buyers amid good
     stock position.

   * Batri dal reported higher in open market on renewed seasonal demand from local
     traders.
                                                       
   * In Akola, Tuar New – 3,900-4,000, Tuar dal (clean) – 5,700-6,000, Udid Mogar (clean)
    – 7,800-8,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 6,900-7,200, Gram – 5,000-5,025, Gram Super best
    – 7,100-7,300

   * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in
     scattered deals and settled at last levels in weak deals.
      
 Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
   
     FOODGRAINS                 Available prices     Previous close  
     Gram Auction                  4,300-4,930         4,300-4,900
     Gram Pink Auction            n.a.           2,100-2,600
     Tuar Auction                3,600-3,950         3,500-3,900
     Moong Auction                n.a.                3,900-4,200
     Udid Auction                n.a.           4,300-4,500
     Masoor Auction                n.a.              2,600-2,800
     Wheat Mill quality Auction        1,592-1,782        1,586-1,664
     Gram Super Best Bold            7,000-7,500        7,000-7,500
     Gram Super Best            n.a.            n.a.
     Gram Medium Best            6,400-6,800        6,400-6,800
     Gram Dal Medium            n.a.            n.a
     Gram Mill Quality            5,100-5,200        5,100-5,200
     Desi gram Raw                4,950-5,050         4,950-5,050
     Gram Kabuli                12,500-13,200        12,500-13,200
     Tuar Fataka Best-New             6,000-6,200        6,000-6,200
     Tuar Fataka Medium-New        5,600-5,900        5,600-5,900
     Tuar Dal Best Phod-New        5,300-5,600        5,300-5,600
     Tuar Dal Medium phod-New        4,800-5,200        4,800-5,200
     Tuar Gavarani New             3,850-3,950        4,000-4,100
     Tuar Karnataka             4,200-4,500        4,200-4,500
     Masoor dal best            4,800-5,200        4,800-5,200
     Masoor dal medium            4,400-4,800        4,400-4,800
     Masoor                    n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Mogar bold (New)        6,800-7,200         6,800-7,200
     Moong Mogar Medium            6,200-6,600        6,200-6,600
     Moong dal Chilka            5,400-5,800        5,400-5,800
     Moong Mill quality            n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Chamki best            6,900-7,400        6,900-7,400
     Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 8,000-8,500       8,000-8,500
     Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)    6,200-7,200        6,200-7,200   
     Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)        5,200-6,200        5,200-6,200    
     Batri dal (100 INR/KG)        5,200-5,450        5,000-5,300
     Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)          2,800-3,000         2,800-3,000
     Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)            2,900-3,100        2,900-3,100
     Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)    3,800-4,400        3,800-4,400  
     Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)        1,900-2,000        1,900-2,000
     Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG)    1,700-1,850        1,700-1,850  
     Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)         2,100-2,300           2,100-2,300         
     Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)    2,200-2,400        2,200-2,400   
     Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG)   1,900-2,100        1,900-2,100
     Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)    n.a.            n.a.
     MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)    3,100-3,600        3,100-3,600   
     MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)    2,200-2,700        2,200-2,700          
     Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG)        3,000-3,500        3,000-3,500   
     Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG)        2,800-2,900        2,800-2,900    
     Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG)         2,200-2,400        2,200-2,400     
     Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG)      2,500-2,600        2,500-2,600  
     Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG)      2,300-2,400        2,300-2,400  
     Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG)        3,600-4,000        3,600-4,000    
     Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG)        3,250-3,600        3,250-3,600   
     Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG)      4,600-5,000        4,600-5,000
     Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG)    4,200-4,500        4,200-4,400  
     Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)    10,000-14,000        10,000-14,000    
     Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)    5,000-7,500        5,000-7,500   
     Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG)    4,700-4,900        4,700-4,900   
     Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG)    4,400-4,600        4,400-4,600  
     Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)        2,000-2,100        2,000-2,100   
     Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)         1,700-2,000        1,700-2,000

WEATHER (NAGPUR) 
Maximum temp. 34.6 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 15.8 degree Celsius
Rainfall : Nil
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 34 and 15
degree Celsius respectively.

Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but
included in market prices)
https://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-october-24-2017-idINL4N1MZ3CW





Ministry promises to reduce business barriers for rice exporters

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) had promised to reduce business preconditions to pave the way for more companies to export rice. However, businesses have complained that barriers to their market entry still exist.
Decree 109 on rice export management has been facing opposition from the business circle since the day it took effect six years ago.  The legal document is described as setting too many barriers that prevent businesses from exporting rice.  The requirements on having storehouses with a minimum capacity of 5,000 tons and having at least one husking workshop with the capacity of 10 tons per hour at minimum cannot be satisfied by many enterprises, especially small-scale ones with limited financial capability. MOIT, which is drafting a decree to replace Decree 109, has promised that it will remove the barriers by easing requirements on storehouse capacity and setting no requirements on the minimum capacity of husking workshops. 
The requirements on having storehouses with a minimum capacity of 5,000 tons and having at least one husking workshop with the capacity of 10 tons per hour at minimum cannot be satisfied by many enterprises, especially small-scale ones with limited financial capability.
Meanwhile, businesses will have the right to export special types of rice without having to meet business conditions and get certificates. MOIT believes that with the new regulations, more businesses will be able to join rice exporters, thus helping boost rice exports and push up rice consumption. The number of rice exporters is estimated to increase by 60-70 percent. The lower required rice amount for compulsory reserves (5 percent instead of 10 percent as currently applied) would help ease pressure on capital and reduce storage costs. Enterprises will no longer have to copy 6,000-8,000 export contracts (each contains 10-15 pages).  Pham Thai Binh, director of Trung An Hi-tech Agriculture JSC, noted that a number of barriers have been included in the draft decree, while the power of the Vietnam Food Association has been weakened. “One of the issues which needs to be clarified and put under strict management is the development of material growing areas. But the provisions in the draft decree are not clear,” he said. “Remember that this has been the weak point of state-owned enterprises for a long time and this is also why Vietnamese rice is not branded,” he added. Meanwhile, the director of a rice company, which is not eligible for exporting rice under Decree 109, said that he cannot see any major changes in the rice export management policy. He also noted that the annual rice export value is not high enough to import soybeans.  The draft decree does not mention the policies to be applied to investments in post-rice production.











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China just invented a rice that can grow in salt water and could feed millions

Posted a day ago by Greg Evans in news 
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Picture: GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
Scientists in China have managed to grow a yield of unique rice that could potentially feed over 200 million people. 
The research was conducted at the Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Centre in Qingdao, Shandong, where 6.5 to 9.3 tonnes of the food was grown in saltwater.
These results are better than expected as scientist initially only hoped to produce around 4.5 tonnes of the rice per hectare.
The rice, which has been named "Yuan Mi," was grown using seawater from The Yellow Sea, in north east China. This water was diluted and pumped into paddy's on a beach, rather than a field.
China has around one million square kilometres of waste land that is high in salinity and alkalinity levels. 
This breakthrough means the country could potentially use this waste land and produce 50 million tonnes of rice - which could feed 200 million people.
That stat comes from Yuan Longping, an Agricultural scientist who has earned the nickname "China's father of hybrid rice."
He believes that if a tenth of the areas with a similar type of soil were planted with this type of rice then China could increase its rice production by 20 per cent.
It even tastes good!
Ning Meng was presented with a bag of "Yuan Mi" by her boyfriend and told South China Morning Post:
I could tell one grain from the other in my mouth.
My boyfriend said it was like the braised rice he had back in his village. It is very good.
The rice could be rich in calcium and other micronutrients, which are common in saline water.
While the salt within its makeup could also indicate an ability to propel pathogenic bacteria.
This means sea water rice would be less exposed to bugs which in turn would discourage farmers from using pesticides.
There is a catch though. "Yuan Mi" comes with the hefty price tag of 50 yuan (£5.72) per kg, which is eight times the cost of regular rice and is sold in packs weighing 1kg, 2kg, 5kg and 10kg.
That hasn't completely deterred shoppers though as nearly 1,000 people ordered the rice just last month, with six tonnes being sold in August.
A sales manager from Yuan Ce, a startup working closely with Longping's team said:
Our sales revenue target is 10 million yuan by the end of this year.
https://www.indy100.com/article/china-invented-rice-grows-salt-water-feed-millions-science-research-yuan-mi-qingdao-8016946




New Super Strain of Rice Grown in Seawater Could Feed 200 Million People



  •  0

  • TUESDAY OCTOBER 24, 2017

Senior Editor
The new rice is a result of decades of research. Image: South China Morning Post


In the early ’70s, a guy named Yuan Longping developed a few different strains of hybrid rice and changed how the entire planet eats. You’ve probably never heard of him because rice isn’t exactly a hot-button topic, but Longping, fearing that the population of China was going to explode (how right he was!) and they’d face a food-shortage of epic proportions, decided he’d do something about it. He developed rice that grew faster and bigger, and now, according to IFLScience, something like 20 percent of the world’s rice is a species that he created. Well, he might’ve changed the way we eat rice again–and this time, on a much larger scale. Yuan Longping made rice that can grow in saltwater that could feed over 200 million people.
It’s called “sea-rice, and Longping (along with a team of scientists, of course), created it at the Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research And Development Center. Yes, there’s a center for that. Saline tolerant rice species are already around, but they sort of suck. “If a farmer tries to grow some types of saline-tolerant rice now, he or she most likely will get 1,500 kilograms per hectare,” Yuan said. “That is just not profitable and not even worth the effort.” While regular rice is grown in paddies with fresh water, this rice was grown on a salty beach the Yellow Sea.
The rice was grown on a salty beach in the Yellow Sea. Image: South China Morning Post
Yuan’s new rice doubles the previous strains of saline-tolerant rice, which surprised everyone–even Yuan. After they’d finished their small-scale trials–and the years and years of cross-breeding–researchers completed full-scale trials just a few months ago. Using diluted seawater from the Yellow Sea, they found that their newly developed rice strain was happy as a pig in shit. “The seawater rice developed by Yuan and other research teams is not irrigated by pure seawater,” the South China Morning Post explained, “but mixes it with fresh water to reduce the salt content to 6 grams per liter. The average liter of seawater contains five times as much salt.”
As it stands right now, vast tracts of land in China aren’t usable for growing most crops because the water supply is too saline. Another benefit? Since insects have a much harder time living in high-saline environments, the rice won’t need nearly as many pesticides. “China has one million square kilometers of wasteland, an area the size of Ethiopia, where plants struggle to grow because of high salinity or alkalinity levels in the soil,” wrote the South China Morning Post. “The seawater rice was grown on virgin land where no crops had been planted before.
http://www.theinertia.com/environment/new-super-strain-of-rice-grown-in-seawater-could-feed-200-million-people/




Rice worth US$ 320.242mn exported in first quarter

·       IMADUDDIN

·       OCT 25TH, 2017

·      0

·      VIEWS: 52
ISLAMABAD: Rice exports from the country during first three months of current financial year grew by 31.91 percent as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.
During the period from July-September, 2017-18 around 621,094 metric tons rice exported  as compared the exports of 482,445 metric tons of the same period last year,  according the data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
During the period under review, rice worth US$ 320.242 million exported as compared the exports of US$ 242.694 million of same period last year.
Meanwhile, exports of “Basmati” rice grew by 2.43 percent and reached at 86,672 tons valuing of US$ 90.31 million in last three months as against 92,321 metric tons worth US$ 88.772 million tons of same period last year, it added.
In first quarter of current financial year, about 534,442 metric tons of rice other then basmati worth US$ 299.321 million exported as against the exports of 390,124 metric tons valuing US$ 153,922 million of same period last year,
During the period under review, seafood exports from the country  registered an increase of 17.64 percent as about  28,488 metric tons of fish and fish products valuing US$ 75.370 million exported as compared the exports of 21,959 metric tons worth of US$ 64.06 million of same period last year.
However, the exports of fruit, vegetable reduced by 24.37 percent and 0.99 percent respectively during the period under review, where as no quantity of pulses exported in first quarter of current financial year, the data reveled.
It may be recalled that food group exports from the country during first quarter of current financial year increased by 17.52 percent as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.
Food commodities worth US$ 742.391 million were exported during the period from July-September, 2017-18 as compared the exports US$ 631.731 million of same period of last year.
Wheat exports grew by 100 percent and about 1088 metric tons of wheat valuing US$ 344,000 exported, where as 91,916 metric tons of sugar worth of US$ 41.99 million exported which was also up by 100 percent as compared the exports of same period last year, it added.
During the period under review, all other food commodities worth US$ 140.299 million exported as against the exports of US$ 132.216 million of same period last year, hence showing an increase of 16.11 percent.

Wednesday, 25 October 2017 01:13 GMT
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Sri Lanka launches international tender to import 200,000 MT of rice



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(MENAFN - NewsIn.Asia) Colombo, Oct 23 (newsin.asia) - Sri Lanka, on Monday launched an open international tender to import 200,000 metric tonnes of rice to prevent a severe rice shortage in the island country.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in a statement said the tender was open to suppliers worldwide and would close on Oct 30.
"We are making every effort to ensure that there will be no shortage for our consumers," Commerce and Industry Minister, Rishard Bathiudeen said in the statement.
Sri Lanka has launched the tender under the International Competitive Bidding Procedure, which means that any qualifying foreign government or a foreign private sector supplier is able to bid.
Sri Lankan rice importers too are eligible to take part in the latest bidding.
Of the 200,000 metric tonnes of rice called, Sri Lanka expects 100,000 metric tonnes to arrive in Colombo by the end of November while the remaining 100,000 metric tonnes is expected to arrive by end of December.
"Based on a recent assessment in the world market, the potential supply sources for the latest 200,000 metric tonnes of rice are India, Pakistan, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, though other destinations too could partner," the statement said.
Sri Lanka's domestic rice market failed to produce the necessary volumes due to a poor harvest since 2016.
Due to a severe drought and flash floods in 2016 and 2017, the production of rice in Sri Lanka fell by 50 percent leading to the government urgently calling for tenders to import rice from foreign countries.
MENAFN2310201701910000ID1095976515
http://menafn.com/1095976515/Sri-Lanka-launches-international-tender-to-import-200000-MT-of-rice




1.173 million Pakistanis deported from Gulf states in six months: Senate informed

·       RECORDER REPORT

·       OCT 25TH, 2017

·       ISLAMABAD
The Senate was informed on Tuesday that during the last six months, as many as 1.173 million Pakistanis were repatriated/deported from Gulf states, including 1.113 million from Saudi Arabia. Besides, Saudi Arabia, 2,840 were deported from United Arab Emirates, 1,088 from Oman, 83 from Kuwait, 75 from Qatar and 60 from Bahrain.

Sadaruddin Shah Rashidi, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development stated this while responding to a question asked by Senator Kalsoom Perveen of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). He said that the reasons for repatriation and deportation include overstay, expiry of iqama, absconder cases, border cases, illegal entrance and stay, absence of valid residence permit, deportation after completion of jail sentence, and change of employer without permission.

To another question by Senator Karim Ahmad Khawaja of PPP, he said that from 1971 to September 2017, 10.133 million Pakistanis had proceeded abroad for employment while during the last five years stood at 4.1871 million.

Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Bosan said that 26.38 million tons of wheat was produced in 2016-17 and 6.85 million tons of rice while per annum domestic consumption of what was 26.19 million tons and 3 million tons of rice. Minister for National Health Services, regulations and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar confirmed that there was a proposal to build 46 hospitals across Pakistan. She said that PC-II to conduct the feasibility study for the project - have already been undertaken and approved by CDWP on March 9.

She explained that a company was formed and Rs 131 million approved for the conduct of feasibility study while the government had already allocated Rs 8000 million for this mega project. She said there were some issues in a few provinces which included allocation of land for the proposed hospitals. She was responding to a question by PPP Senator Ahmed Hassan.

To a question by PTI's Azam Swati, the house was told that only one post of education attaché (BS-18/19) was available and recruitment was under process while the one in Birmingham was closed on the decision of the Foreign Office, which was created politically to appoint Malala Yousafzai's father - Ziauddin Yousafzai - as education attaché - who was not a government officer.

To a question by Senator Mian Ateeq Sheikh of MQM, Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Muhammad Balighur Rehman said that a total of 37 (21 public and 16 private sector) universities and degree-awarding institutes were conducting research and development activities in areas of Internet of Things (IOT) and Software Defined Network (SDN) in Pakistan. He added 718 public and private sector students were involved in these research activities.

The minister noted that Rs 57.98 million stipend and grants had been provided to these students, universities and institutes for conducting the research work.

Replying to a question by MQM's Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada informed the House that since Pakistan Football Federation had not been implementing national Sports Policy-2005 and SRO (1) 2014, June 11, 2014, due to which the government was not in a position to take any step for promotion and development of football in Pakistan. He added funds were not released to the federation since 2012 because it was non-compliant.

At the start of the question hour, the minister concerned was not present in the House, when the very first question was taken up regarding overseas Pakistanis. Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani regretted that there were 50 ministers while one minister had made this House hostage due to his absence. He hinted at adjourning the proceedings if the minister was not coming. However, by that time, minister of state Abdul Rehman Kanju stepped in.

Javed Hashmi, a disgruntled PML-N who had quit the party and joined PTI, which he also quit, witnessed house proceedings from the visitors' gallery. The chairman Senate welcomed him, and said Hashmi had fought a long battle against the military dictators.
https://fp.brecorder.com/2017/10/20171025229294/





Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Market Demand and Supply, Forecasts to 2022

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Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Market
Global Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Market Research Report 2017 to 2022presents an in-depth assessment of the Rice Transplanter Machines Sales including enabling technologies, key trends, market drivers, challenges, standardization, regulatory landscape, deployment models, operator case studies, opportunities, future roadmap, value chain, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also presents forecasts for Rice Transplanter Machines Sales investments from 2017 till 2022.
This study answers several questions for stakeholders, primarily which market segments they should focus upon during the next five years to prioritize their efforts and investments. These stakeholders include Yanmar, Iseki, Kubota, TYM, Jiangsu World Agriculture Machinery, CLAAS, Shandong Fuerwo Agricultural Equipment, Mitsubishi Mahindra Agricultural Machinery, Dongfeng Agricultural Machinery, Changfa Agricultural Equipment.
Primary sources are mainly industry experts from core and related industries, and suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, service providers, and organizations related to all segments of the industry’s supply chain. The bottom-up approach was used to estimate the global market size of Rice Transplanter Machines Sales based on end-use industry and region, in terms of value. With the data triangulation procedure and validation of data through primary interviews, the exact values of the overall parent market, and individual market sizes were determined and confirmed in this study.
 Global Rice Transplanter Machines Sales (K Units) and Revenue (Million USD) Market Split by Product Type
Market Segment by Type
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Mechanical
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
-Change (%)
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
Manual
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
-Change (%)
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
Total
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
-Change (%)
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%
xx%

Global Rice Transplanter Machines Sales (K Units) by Application (2016-2022)
Market Segment by Application
2012
2016
2022
Market Share (%)2022
CGAR (%)(2016-2022)
Commercial
xx
xx
xx
xx%
xx%
Household
xx
xx
xx
xx%
xx%
Total
xx
xx
xx
100%
xx%
This independent 106 page report guarantees you will remain better informed than your competition. With over 170 tables and figures examining the Rice Transplanter Machines Sales market, the report gives you a visual, one-stop breakdown of the leading products, submarkets and market leader’s market revenue forecasts as well as analysis to 2022.
Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share and growth rate of Immunotherapy Drugs in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), covering The United States, China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, India.
The report provides a basic overview of the Rice Transplanter Machines Sales industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. And development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. What’s more, the Rice Transplanter Machines Sales industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.
The research includes historic data from 2012 to 2016 and forecasts until 2022 which makes the reports an invaluable resource for industry executives, marketing, sales and product managers, consultants, analysts, and other people looking for key industry data in readily accessible documents with clearly presented tables and graphs. The report will make detailed analysis mainly on above questions and in-depth research on the development environment, market size, development trend, operation situation and future development trend of Rice Transplanter Machines Sales on the basis of stating current situation of the industry in 2017 so as to make comprehensive organization and judgment on the competition situation and development trend of Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Market and assist manufacturers and investment organization to better grasp the development course of Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Market.
There are 9 Chapters to deeply display the global Rice Transplanter Machines Sales market.
Chapter 1, to describe Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;
Chapter 2, to analyze the Industry Chain Structure of Rice Transplanter Machines Sales 2016 and 2017;
Chapter 3, Environmental Analysis, Policy, Economic, Technology, Market Entry 2016 and 2017;
Chapter 4, 5, and 6, Market Segmentation by Types, Application and by Regions from 2011, 2017 to 2022;
Chapter 7, and 8, to analyze the Major Vendor, with sales, Business Performance, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;
Chapter 9, to describe Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source;
Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Market Report includes detailed Overview of:
·         Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Market Overview, Specifications, Segment
·         Global Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Market Industry Chain Structure
·         Global Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Environmental Analysis, Policy, Economic
·         Global Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Segmentation, Size, Application
·         Global Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Segmentation by Application, by Region (2017 – 2022)
·         Global Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Market Competitive, Price & Factors
·         Global Rice Transplanter Machines Sales Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis, Business Performance
·         Research Findings and Conclusion Appendix – Methodology/Research Approach, Market Size Estimation, Data Source, Secondary Sources, Primary Sources and Disclaimer.
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