Toxic burning
of rice straw in Egypt down 13-15% in 2017: Minister
Ahram Online , Sunday 19 Nov 2017
The environment ministry's festival in Egypt's city of Obour,
celebrating the end of the rice harvest season. (Photo: Ahram Arabic website)
Egypt's environment minister Khaled Fahmy has said that the
toxic practice of burning rice straw at the end of the harvest season has
reduced this year by 13-15 percent, Ahram Al-Arabic news website reported.The
government has collected 79 percent of all rice straw from farmers after the
harvest in 2017, Fahmy said.
Complaints against farmers who
burn their rice straw has decreased from 12,040 last year to 10,070 this year,
Fahmy added.The minister's announcements came during the end-of-year conference
at the Ministry of Environment to discuss the ministry's efforts to counter
pollution.
Burning rice straw after harvest
season in the autumn results in the emission of toxic fumes that accumulate in
black clouds in the sky.The cloud remains in the atmosphere for two to three
months, potentially causing health complications for respiratory and heart
disease patients, and could also trigger allergies and autoimmune diseases.
Fahmy said that his ministry has
been able to raise awareness about the issue through workshops for farmers in
several governorates, and has used satellite technology to locate the sources
of fires.
The minister said that 2017 has
seen the most success in four years in combating black clouds.
The government is planning on
supplying farmers with equipment to help them recycle rice straw, converting it
into fertiliser and animal fodder to combat the rising costs of these goods,
the minister added.
On Friday, the ministry organised
a two-day festival in Obour City east of Cairo to mark the end of the rice
harvest season. The festival featured displays of animal dummies made of rice
straw, as well as other artistic performances.
Rice is one of the largest crops
grown by farmers in Egypt and is a key staple food for the vast majority of the
country's population.
The country's annual production
of rice is around 5.1 million tonnes, much higher than the annual consumption
estimated at about 3.95 million tonnes, according to a United States Department
of Agriculture report.
The land area used for rice
production in 2017 was 704,500 feddans.
The black cloud first appeared
over the Nile Delta and Cairo in 1997, but did not become visible to the naked
eye until two years later.
Experts and environmentalists
have blamed the cloud on straw burning during the rice harvest.
Egyptians are sometimes forced to
seek shelter indoors in the fall to hide from the negative health impact of
black clouds.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/281781/Egypt/Politics-/Toxic-burning-of-rice-straw-in-Egypt-down--in--Min.aspx
Shop Talk, Louisiana Style
By Kane Webb
VIDRINE, LOUISIANA - It has been quite some time since
a Louisiana Governor and a Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture toured the
state together. In fact, on Friday, Governor
John Bel Edwards told the crowd gathered at R&N Farms here that it hasn't
happened since the days of Earl K. Long when candidates ran as a ticket back in
the 1930s.
Richard and Neil Fontenot, with the help of their
family and friends, transformed their equipment shop into a 150 seat auditorium
for the event. This stop, part of the Governor and Commissioner's Agricultural
and Forestry Listening Tour, focused predominantly on rice and the rice
industry, and rice growers from across the state attended, offering input and
listening to the responses given by Edwards and Strain on questions covering a
wide variety of important issues.
Jackie Loewer, a rice grower from Acadia parish,
thanked both Edwards and Strain for their leadership and support on agriculture
issues, including the recent sale of rice to Iraq. Both expressed the key role
of Louisiana Congressman Ralph Abraham, and how important it will be for
everyone to work together, to continue promoting the state's agriculture
products.
"Of the $13 billion agriculture contributes to
Louisiana's annual economy, almost $9 billion is due to exports," said
Commissioner Strain. "That's a number that will continue to grow, as the
demand to feed the world is projected to increase over the next several
years."
Issues ranged from workforce program obstacles growers
face throughout the growing season to infrastructural improvements needed to
increase the efficiency of marketing opportunities. Discussions also included
exemptions that support the agriculture industry and specific instances related
to disadvantages faced by Louisiana farmers compared with farmers in other
states.
Christian Richard, a rice grower in Vermilion parish,
explained "it's frustrating to know we're faced with paying additional
costs on electricity for our drying operations, along with peak demand charges,
while growers in our neighboring states don't have these same
costs." Both Edwards and Strain committed to working with the
Louisiana Farm Bureau, and other organizations, in opening a dialogue with the
Public Service Commission for resolution options.
The morning session ended with Governor Edwards and
Commissioner Strain thanking everyone for taking the time to attend. "This
was something we had planned for last year, but the circumstances with flooding
disasters around the state had other plans," Strain explained. "If
possible, we would like to continue listening sessions like this to get
feedback in the future."
USA Rice Daily
Remote-sensing
technology mitigates risks in agricultural production
20/11/2017
VietNamNet
Bridge - Accurate forecasts about rice and crop yields, as well as better
monitoring of floods and natural calamities are needed to help policymakers
come up with good solutions for agricultural production.
The data provided to farmers, businesses, insurance companies, policy makers and specialists remain limited, leading to high risks in production. Remote sensing technology would help reduce the risks.
According to the National Institute of Agricultural Planning and Projection (NIAPP), remote sensing technology can replace the usual tools in monitoring agricultural production and give more reliable results.
In the past, Vietnam used statistical systems, which were time-consuming and led to big errors.
Remote sensing technology surveys larger areas, and gives results after shorter time and with higher accuracy. And the cost of using remote sensing technology is lower than traditional methods.
|
Remote sensing
technology surveys larger areas, and gives results after shorter time and with
higher accuracy. And the cost of using remote sensing technology is lower
than traditional methods.
|
Pham
Quang Ha from the Agriculture Planning Institute commented that remote sensing
technology, with accurate results, helps in monitoring rice production that
serves food production planning; assesses the damages caused by natural
calamities; and insures agriculture production to ease risks for farmers.
It is also helpful in statistical work, food storage planning, and scientific research and teaching, and adaptation to climate change.
The recent historic floods led to rice crop failure in the north. The damages caused by the flood were serious, but farmers needed to give figures to prove the damages.
In this case, remote sensing technology would help them measure damages in districts, communes and rice fields. The information would be referred to by insurers and the state to calculate compensation levels and necessary financial support to help ease farmers’ difficulties.
NIAPP’s director Nguyen Quang Dung said with remote sensing technology, scientists use signals provided by satellites in 6-day or 12-day periods to determine the time when crops begin, then calculate the expected rice yield. The calculation method gives high accuracy level at 90-92 percent.
Experts said remote sensing technology, together with simulation and mapping technology, can help give information to forecast risks, which can be used by state management agencies to consider giving support to help farmers fix damages and by insurers to compensate farmers.
Marcel Reymond recommends the use of remote sensing technology in agriculture production and agriculture insurance.
He said in the near future, all farm produce must be insured, because agricultural production faces risk from natural calamities. And remote sensing technology will be helpful to both insured farmers and insurers.
“This technology will help provide accurate, timely and objective data on losses to rice production,” he explained. “It will also help insurance companies tackle a big problem – the high transaction costs in insurance programs targeting small-scale farming.”
It is also helpful in statistical work, food storage planning, and scientific research and teaching, and adaptation to climate change.
The recent historic floods led to rice crop failure in the north. The damages caused by the flood were serious, but farmers needed to give figures to prove the damages.
In this case, remote sensing technology would help them measure damages in districts, communes and rice fields. The information would be referred to by insurers and the state to calculate compensation levels and necessary financial support to help ease farmers’ difficulties.
NIAPP’s director Nguyen Quang Dung said with remote sensing technology, scientists use signals provided by satellites in 6-day or 12-day periods to determine the time when crops begin, then calculate the expected rice yield. The calculation method gives high accuracy level at 90-92 percent.
Experts said remote sensing technology, together with simulation and mapping technology, can help give information to forecast risks, which can be used by state management agencies to consider giving support to help farmers fix damages and by insurers to compensate farmers.
Marcel Reymond recommends the use of remote sensing technology in agriculture production and agriculture insurance.
He said in the near future, all farm produce must be insured, because agricultural production faces risk from natural calamities. And remote sensing technology will be helpful to both insured farmers and insurers.
“This technology will help provide accurate, timely and objective data on losses to rice production,” he explained. “It will also help insurance companies tackle a big problem – the high transaction costs in insurance programs targeting small-scale farming.”
How do bacteria eat fungi?
Monday,
20 November 2017 (Research Matters)
Scientists from the National
Institute of Plant Genome Research have identified a protein that helps
bacteria consume fungi.Bacteria are single cellular life forms that have been
on the Earth for approximately 3.5 billion years. In all their time on Earth
they have adapted to different climates and region, interacting with all other
life forms that subsequently evolved on the planet.
Like all organisms, bacteria too
must compete with others sharing their environment, for sources of nutrition.
Hence many bacteria are observed to release antifungal metabolites and toxins,
to compete with fungi. Mycophagy is a process which takes this interaction a
step further. Through their various antibiotics, toxins and enzymes bacteria
can digest and consume fungi themselves.
In their recent study the
scientists have isolated the bacterium Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 from
rice seeds and studied its antifungal effect on Ralstonia solanacearum, a
fungal pathogen of rice plants. Through different confrontation assays
experiments, the bacteria were allowed to come in contact with the fungal
species.
The experiments showed that after
a week of exposure, the bacteria were seen growing on the fungus. Under normal
conditions the fungus is known to produce sclerotia, which are hard dormant
bodies which store nutrients for the fungi in extreme conditions. In the
presence of the bacteria only a few sclerotia were produced which were unable
to germinate.
To understand the mechanism
through which the bacteria were attacking the fungal cells, the scientists
genetically modified the bacteria to not express the type three secretion
system (T3SS). T3SS is a protein found in pathogenic bacteria. In the absence
of this system the bacterium lost the ability of mycophagy. Using online tools,
the scientists further identified that the protein Bg_9562 in the T3SS was
similar to proteins in viral tails. The purified protein Bg_9562 was also seen
to have a broad spectrum anti-fungal activity that could potentially be
harnessed against fungal agents that are pathogenic to crops.
CCMB-IIRR
tie-up for low GI rice
HYDERABAD , NOVEMBER
21, 2017 00:51 IST
New variety is considered suitable for those with diabetics
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in
association with the Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) has come out with
an Improved Samba Masuri (ISM) which is not only resistant to bacteria blight
but also has a low Glycemic Index (GI) considered suitable for those with
diabetes.
National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), a constituent of the
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has done extensive human trials on
the new variety and had come to the conclusion that ISM has low GI of 50.99
which is among the lowest value for several rice varieties tested and usually
in the range of 53 to 69, explained IIRR director P. Ananda Kumar and his
colleague R.M. Sundaram, CCMB’s Ramesh Sonti, Vishnupriya and others on Monday.
GI value of a food is determined by feeding 10 or more
healthy people a portion of the food containing 50 grams of digestible
(available) carbohydrate and then measuring the effect on their blood glucose
levels over the next two hours.Consumption of food with low GI results in slow
release of glucose into the bloodstream reducing the ill-effects of
diabetes.Plus, ISM also has desirable attributes like better yield and fine
grain type enhancing market potential and profit for farmers, they told a press
conference.
With financial support from National Agricultural
Technology Project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and
CSIR800 program of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) work
began in 1999 and completed in 2006, it was validated in 10 different locations
for two years across the country. It was released in 2008. “We did molecular
breeding in CCMB and actual traditional rice breeding at the rice research
institute. Its not a transgenic plant. It is already been grown in 1.50 lakh
hectares last year in seven rice breeding states including Telangana, Andhra
Pradesh, TS, TN, UP, etc.,” the scientists said. Farmers in several rice
growing States have testified to the improved yield of up to 40% because of
successful tackling of Bacteria Blight. In two/three years time, the scientists
are confident of coming out with a new variety of rice which can not only give
high yields but also be resistant to three different pests affecting rice crop
with field trials currently on.
CCMB Director Rakesh Kumar Misra said ISM development was
an excellent example of inter-institutional collaboration. Two firms have
expressed interest in commercial production of the seed and scientists expect
more farmers to take to it in the coming years.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/ccmb-iirr-tie-up-for-low-gi-rice/article20607229.ece
Indian American Sangeeta Mukhopadhyay Awarded
with Chemist Award
India-West Staff Reporter
University of Arkansas doctoral student Sangeeta Mukhopadhyay
wins second Cereal Chemists Award. (Fred Miller/UARK.edu photo)
Indian American doctoral student
at the University of Arkansas Sangeeta Mukhopadhyay was named the winner of the
student paper competition at the American Association of Cereal Chemists
International annual meeting in San Diego.
Mukhopadhyay, who studies food
science, won the 2017 Engineering and Processing Best Student Paper Award for
her entry, "Experimental Simulation of Cross-Flow Rice Drying: Effect of
Tempering Approaches on Milling Yields," according to a university news
release.
It’s the second time she has won
the award, doing so for her entry, “Impact of Rapid Moisture Adsorption on Rice
Milling Yields,” in 2014.
Mukhopadhyay's research focuses
on experimental simulation of cross-flow dryers, the most common rice dryers in
the U.S. rice industry, the university said.
For the 2017 paper, she and
Siebenmorgen simulated a cross-flow drying column with the goal of
understanding the effect of post-drying tempering approaches on rice milling
yields and the extent of fissure occurrence when rice from different dryer
cross-sections are tempered differently, it said.
They found the tempering approach
immediately after drying significantly affects head rice yields of rice
located at different dryer cross-sections during drying. This effect was more
prominent on rice located near the heated-air plenum during drying. These
results can be used to design better cross-flow rice dryers and improve the
drying process, according to the news release.
A native of Kolkata, Mukhopadhyay
earned her bachelor's degree in food technology from West Bengal University of
Technology in India and her master's degree in food and agricultural
engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. She joined the
University of Arkansas’ rice processing program as a graduate assistant in
2012.
AAACI is a global, nonprofit
association of more than 2,000 scientists and food industry professionals
focused on advancing the understanding and knowledge of cereal grain science
and its product development applications through research, leadership,
education, technical service and advocacy.
House panel
opts for lower rice tariff to avoid trade sanctions
November 20, 2017
The House of Representatives’
Committee on Agriculture and Food on Monday reduced the proposed bound tariff
rate for rice imports outside the minimum access volume (MAV) to 180 percent
from 400 percent.
The House panel, which is chaired
by Party-list Rep. Jose T. Panganiban Jr. of Anac-IP, decided to adopt a
proposal of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to set a lower bound tariff rate
so the government won’t have to extend trade concessions and to ensure that
rice prices would remain stable.
Agriculture Undersecretary
Segfredo R. Serrano said notifying the World Trade Organization (WTO) that
Manila would impose a 400-percent bound tariff rate on out-quota rice imports
may put the Philippines at the mercy of other member-countries of the WTO.
Serrano added other WTO member-countries may ask for concessions just to secure
their approval for the proposed bound tariff rate.
“They [WTO member-countries] know
that within the formula under the Agreement on Agriculture [AoA], the
Philippines has every legal right to inscribe its level of commitment. But they
can hit us if it is outside of the AOA,” he said during the committee hearing
held on Monday.
“They [WTO member-countries] might
ask something in exchange from us just to get their nod for a 400-percent bound
tariff rate.
“We would not advise risking
noncertification of our notification of tariffication at the WTO just because
of the issue with the numbers,” Serrano added.
The DA official disclosed that
under the formula provided by the AoA, the Philippines could impose a bound
tariff rate ranging from 150 percent to 179 percent on imported rice.
“In fact, what we proposed is
that we follow the computation. The problem with imposing 400 percent is how
are we going to explain that, what is our basis?” Serrano said.
Earlier, former President and now
Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Second District of Pampanga had wanted a
400-percent bound tariff rate on out-quota rice imports in the substitute bill
which would amend Republic Act (RA) 8178.
Arroyo, in proposing the figure,
argued that the Philippines should interpret international agreements to its
advantage and that a high bound tariff rate would afford the government trade
“flexibilities.” However, Serrano said WTO member-countries will not accept
such justifications, as the Philippines is expected to follow and respect the
provisions provided under the AoA in converting nontariff measures, such as
quantitative restrictions (QR).
Annex 5 of the AoA states that
the tariff equivalent of converting any nontariff measures shall be based on
the difference between the domestic price and international price (cost,
insurance and freight unit value, or CIF) of the commodity for 1986 to 1988.
Paragraph 10 of the Annex 5
states that the tariff equivalent coming from the formula “shall be bound in
the schedule of the member concerned.” Bound tariffs are maximum tariff rates
that a WTO member-country could impose on a certain commodity.
Serrano’s proposal was supported
by officials from the Tariff Commission, National Economic and Development
Authority (Neda), Department of Foreign Affairs, and was eventually approved by
the committee.
The Committee on Agriculture and
Food has approved on its first meeting the substitute bill that seeks to amend
RA 8178, which allowed the government to regulate the entry of imported rice
via the QR scheme.
Under the substitute bill, the
Philippines will impose a bound tariff rate of 35 percent for rice originating
from the Asean region, regardless of its volume. Manila would also impose a
40-percent bound tariff most-favored nation (MFN) rate for in-quota rice
imports from countries that do not belong to the Asean.
Once the substitute bill is
enacted into law, the country’s MAV for rice shall revert to its 2012 level at
350,000 metric tons (MT), from the current 805,000 MT.
Panganiban vowed to fast-track
the passage of the substitute bill that would allow the country to convert its
QR on rice into tariffs. He revealed that the lower chamber is planning to
approve the bill on third and final reading before the year ends.
“We will fast-track the approval
of this measure and approve it before our Christmas break on December 16,”
Panganiban told the BusinessMirror.
The passage of the law allowing
the tariffication of rice is included in the priority bills identified as
urgent by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council this year.
However, Panganiban said the bill
will be submitted first to the House Committee on Ways and Means for another
round of deliberations.
Under the rules of the lower
chamber, all matters directly and principally relating to the fiscal, monetary
and financial affairs of the national government, including tariff, taxation,
revenues, borrowing, credit and bonded indebtedness shall undergo deliberation
by the ways and means committee.
Earlier, Socioeconomic Planning
Secretary Ernesto M. Prenia told the BusinessMirror that the President’s
economic team would like Congress to pass the law scrapping the QR by the end
of the year so the country can start imposing rice tariffs by the first quarter
of 2018.
The authority to set bound
tariffs is vested in Congress. But, under the Customs Modernization and Tariff
Act, the President, upon the recommendation of the Neda, has the power to
modify the tariffs applied on Philippine imports.
The Philippines is under pressure
to convert its QR on rice into ordinary customs duties after its waiver on the
special treatment on rice expired on June 30. The WTO General Council approved
the waiver, which allowed Manila to keep its rice QR until June 30, on the
condition that the Philippines will subject its rice imports to ordinary custom
duties by July 1.
In March the Philippines informed
WTO members that it is facing delays in converting the QR because it has not
amended RA 8178, which imposed the import caps on rice indefinitely. As a sign
of “goodwill” to its trading partners, President Duterte signed Executive Order
23 in July to extend the concessions made by the Philippines in securing the
waiver in 2014.
Researchers pin down one source
of a potent greenhouse gas
Results suggest
more methane may be released into atmosphere than thought
Published on November 20, 2017
Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve. Photo by Jordan Angle, courtesy of The Ohio State University.
COLUMBUS, Ohio—A study of a Lake
Erie wetland suggests that scientists have vastly underestimated the number of
places methane-producing microbes can survive—and, as a result, today’s global
climate models may be misjudging the amount of methane being released into the
atmosphere.
In the journal Nature
Communications, researchers at The Ohio State University
and their colleagues describe the discovery of the first known methane-producing microbe that is active in
an oxygen-rich environment.
Oxygen is supposed to be toxic to
such microbes, called methanogens, but the newly named Candidatus Methanothrix
paradoxum thrives in it.
In fact, 80 percent of the
methane in the wetland under study came from oxygenated soils. The microbe’s
habitat extends from the deepest parts of a wetland, which are devoid of
oxygen, all the way to surface soils.
|
Kelly
Wrighton
|
“We’ve always assumed that oxygen
was toxic to all methanogens,” said Kelly
Wrighton, project leader and professor of microbiology at
Ohio State. “That assumption is so far entrenched in our thinking that global
climate models simply don’t allow for methane production in the presence of
oxygen. Our work shows that this way of thinking is outdated, and we may be
grossly under-accounting for methane in our existing climate models.”
More work needs to be done before
researchers can determine exactly how much more methane is out there, but the
microbe’s habitat appears to be global.
Searching publically available
databases, the researchers found traces of Candidatus Methanothrix
paradoxum in more than 100 sites across North America, South America, Europe
and Asia. The organism lives in rice paddies, wetlands and peatlands—even as
far north as the Arctic. It just hadn’t been cataloged before, and its unusual
metabolism hadn’t been discovered.
|
Jordan
Angle
|
In just the last decade, ocean
researchers have seen evidence of methane being produced in oxygenated water,
and dubbed the phenomenon the “methane paradox,” but no microorganism has been
found to be responsible.
The newly discovered wetland
microbe is the first such organism ever found. That’s why Wrighton and her team
named it CandidatusMethanothrix paradoxum.
The researchers weren’t expecting
to make that particular discovery in November 2014, when they collected soil
samples from sites around Old
Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve, a 573-acre
freshwater wetland on the southern point of Lake Erie near Huron, Ohio. Their
goal was to map the metabolism of the microbes that lived there, to better
understand how methane was being produced in general.
When doctoral student Jordan
Angle analyzed the samples, he found something strange: Soils
that were rich in oxygen contained more methane than soils that lacked oxygen.
“I didn’t believe it, and thought
he’d gotten the samples mixed up,” Wrighton said.
After Angle repeated the
experiment two more times and got the same results, the team returned to the
site over six months in 2015, April through October. They found that, in some
cases, oxygenated soils contained 10 times as much methane as nonoxygenated
soils.
Then researchers sequenced
microbe DNA from the soils and assembled genomes for the most plentiful
organism, which turned out to be the new methane producing microbe. These
methane producing microbes contribute to the fact that although wetlands cover
only 6 percent of the Earth’s surface, they account for about one-third of all
atmospheric methane, estimated at 160 million tons—at least, that
was the estimate before this discovery.
Wetlands are not the villains of
the story, though. They do a lot of good for the environment—from
filtering contaminants out of the water to providing a critical animal
habitat—and they store much more greenhouse gas than they emit. Globally,
wetlands sequester as much as 700 billion tons of carbonthat would otherwise
raise global temperatures, were it to enter the atmosphere.
“Since late 18th century, 90
percent of Ohio’s wetland resources have been destroyed or degraded through
draining, filling or other modifications,” Wrighton said. “It is imperative
especially for the natural wetlands like this one that we preserve and protect
these resources.”
Ohio State co-authors on the
paper include Gil Bohrer, associate professor of civil, environmental
and geodetic engineering, and his former and current doctoral students
Timothy Morin and Camilo Rey-Sanchez; and senior researcher Rebecca Daly and
doctoral students Lindsey Solden, Garrett Smith and Mikayla Borton, all of
microbiology. They partnered with Adrienne
Narrowe and Christopher Miller at the University of Colorado Denver, David Hoyt of Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory and William
Riley of Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory.
Their work was funded by
the Ohio Water Development Authority, the National Science
Foundationand the Department of Energy (DOE), including
Wrighton’s DOE Early Career Award. Old Woman Creek
National Estuarine Research Reserve is run by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administrationand the Ohio
Department of Natural Resources.
https://news.osu.edu/news/2017/11/20/paradoxum/
Thailand University Introduce Rice For Diabetes Patients
Monday, 20 November 2017 19:56
MAHA SARAKHAM -- Researchers at Mahasarakham University have introduced
the rice that slowly releases sugar into blood and is thus suitable for
diabetes patients, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.President of the university,
Prof Sampan Ritthidech said that researchers of the university processed rice
from the Thung Kula Ronghai area which could slowly release sugar during the
body’s digestive process.The processed rice was suitable for diabetes patients
who needed to control the sugar level of their blood, he said.A leading
researcher who developed the rice, Assoc Prof Siritorn Siri-amornpan of the
university’s Faculty of Technology said that normal white rice had the glycemic
index (GI) of about 90 but the processed rice’s GI was below 55.
GI indicates the speed of sugar transfers from carbohydrate and
sweet foods to blood circulation.
The processed rice was served to type 2 diabetes patients, who did
not depend on insulin, for three months and their accumulative blood sugar
dropped significantly. The effect was similar to that of diabetes drugs which
had side effects on kidneys after long use, she said.Assoc Prof Siritorn said
the processed rice was already commercially developed and available at health
product stores. Interested parties could inquire about the product and the
research from Mahasarakham University.
-- BERNAMA
http://malaysiandigest.com/world/708795-thailand-university-introduce-rice-for-diabetes-
Rice researchers demonstrate water desalination
technology in D.C.
RICE NEWS STAFF
(From left) Rice postdoctoral
research fellow Alessandro Alabastri, alumnus Andrew Treleaven ’13 and graduate
student Pratiksha Dongare attended the inaugural University Innovation and
Entrepreneurship Showcase in Washington, D.C., to demonstrate SNOWater, a solar
water desalination project they pioneered at Rice’s Nanotechnology-Enabled
Water Treatment Research Center. SNOWater converts high-salinity and polluted
water to freshwater and allows the use of solar energy for off-the-grid water
purification.
The Nov. 14 showcase highlighted
the role of federally funded university research in fueling entrepreneurship,
innovation and competitiveness across the country. The Association of Public
and Land-Grant Universities and the Association of American Universities in
partnership with the National Academy of Inventors and VentureWell hosted the
event. Below: Dongare explains the project to U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas.
(From left) Treleaven, Alabastri, U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, Dongare, U.S.
Rep. Pete Olson ’85, R-Texas, and Nathan Cook, Rice director of government
relations, gather in front of the SNOWater display. (Photos by Nathan Cook and
Gina Foote)
http://news.rice.edu/2017/11/16/rice-researchers-demonstrate-water-desalination-technology-in-d-c/
Phoenix Group to set up ₹325-cr rice mill in Andhra Pradesh
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER
20:
The Dubai headquartered Phoenix
Group, a global agricultural and food company, plans to set up a rice mill with
an investment of $50 million (₹325 crore) to process 250,000 of non-basmati rice per annum at
Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.The $2-billion agriculture-focussed company has also
sounded out banks to procure stressed asset in food processing and rice mills.
The company has raised $205 million (about ₹1,300 crore) through a consortium of seven banks led by Standard
Chartered Bank, Singapore. The company plans to invest the remaining amount to
boost its rice business in Mozambique, Benin and Ivory Coast as destinations,
and India as origin.
Supported by OFID (the OPEC Fund
for International Development), the loan facility was over-subscribed with
participation of BNP Paribas, RaboBank, First Abu Dhabi Bank, ICICI Bank and
Shinhan Bank.
Rice export
In India, the company logged in turnover of ₹1,500 crore through export of rice from India and import of pluses from Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and Australia.
In India, the company logged in turnover of ₹1,500 crore through export of rice from India and import of pluses from Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and Australia.
Gaurav Dhawan, Chairman, Phoenix
Group, told BusinessLine that the company has already
identified the land required for setting up the rice mill and is in talks with
the State government for completing the formality.
“We have also identified 20-40
acres in Uttar Pradesh for cultivating tomato for the export market. Our target
is to double revenue from India to ₹3,000 crore in the next four years,” he added.
Despite frequent changes in
government policies, Dhawan is confident of sustaining growth in agriculture
business in India by focusing on value added products and steering away from
baseline commodities that have an impact on inflation.
Though the government has set out
its vision to double Indian farmers’ income, he said there has been no
constructive policy measures to achieve it. All the government policies are
focused on food security and cost management by providing fertiliser at subsidised
rate and giving minimum support price to farmers rather than targeting the
export market with quality produce, said Dhawan.
If the Government provides the
basic road, the private sector will invest in agriculture infrastructure such
as putting up processing facility and cold storage to increase farmers’ income,
besides sharing the knowledge on crops selection.
In Ukraine, Phoenix is all set to
grow garlic on 1,000 hectares to challenge the dominance of China, which is
fast losing market share due to contamination issues, he added.
(This article was published on November 20, 2017)
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/phoenix-group-secures-205-mn-debt/article9967550.ece
Rice processing plant opened in Kazakhstan
20.11.2017
LLC Abai Daulett has put into operation a rice processing plant
in Kyzylorda region of Kazakhstan, informs UkrAgroConsult.
Reportedly, the plant currently
processes 7 MT of grain per hour using a waste-free production technology.
Kyzylorda rice growers have been
harvesting bumper crops since a few years ago. In particular, the 2017 rice
crop of over 500 KMT was the largest in the region’s history, reads the report.
In addition, an agreement has
been signed on supplying Kyzylorda rice varieties to the Republic of Iran. Now
the region’s rice producers expand foreign markets for their commodity.
http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/rice-processing-plant-opened-in-kazakhstan
Constant raids irk rice millers
Source: The Hitavada
Date: 21 Nov 2017 10:56:35
Staff Reporter,
RAIPUR,
Recent strings of raids on the rice mills have irked rice millers
of state. Millers termed the action inappropriate as they have always
cooperated in custom milling work. It’s notable that Government had begun paddy
procurement on November 15 and many rice millers had registered for custom
milling the paddy. Last year’s registration method has some new additions
related to electricity and industry, which has made it difficult for old
millers to register and the order to submit old gunny bags is also causing new
problems.
Chhattisgarh Pradesh Rice Millers Association President Yogesh
Agrawal stated that millers are ready to supply qualitative rice to people this
year, but some millers aren’t able to register despite many efforts and even
senior officials have been informed in this regard.
Millers complained that new arrangement of registration is being
used to put unnecessary pressure on them. Millers are facing difficulty in
fulfilling the old deals after prohibition on selling of rice extracted from
old paddy.
Agrawal said that Government need to stop raids and rollback the
actions taken on rice millers and hold discussion. Association never supports
unlawful act and is always ready to cooperate. Custom milling will run smoothly
only if the Government and Administration take the millers in confidence.
http://thehitavada.com/Encyc/2017/11/21/Constant-raids-irk-rice-millers.aspx
Koraput
millers seek rice delivery date extension
By Express News
Service | Published: 21st November 2017
Last Updated: 21st November 2017 07:20
AM
JEYPORE:
Millers of Koraput district have demanded extension of the deadline for
delivering custom milled rice of the last kharif season. As per reports, 50 per
cent of the millers have not met their target till November 15, the deadline
set by the State Government.The Civil Supply Corporation had procured about 21
lakh quintals of paddy in the last kharif season through PACs and distributed
those among 93 millers of the district for custom milling.
The millers
were given a target to deliver about 16 lakh quintals of rice to the Civil
Supply Corporation by November 15. However, about 14.5 quintals of custom
milled rice was delivered by the deadline and only 47 millers achieved the
target. The remaining 46 millers are yet to achieve their rice delivery target
and about 1.5 lakh quintals of rice stock is pending with them, sources said.
For quite some
time now, Koraput millers are complaining about shortage of godowns and
harassment by the officials concerned for which rice delivery process is slow
in the district. They said rice receiving centres in Jeypore, Koraput and
Dumuriput are packed to the full for which they are unable to deliver rice on
time.
Meanwhile,
representatives of Koraput Millers’ Association also discussed the issue with
State Civil Supply and Consumer Welfare Secretary VV Yadav and urged him to
extend the delivery date to December-end as they are facing storage crunch. The
Secretary reportedly assured the millers of looking into their problem.
Association
secretary Gopal Panda said the millers are facing difficulties in delivery of
rice without any fault of their own. The delay has happened due to absence of
proper storage facilities of the Civil Supply Corporation, he added.
Punjab, Haryana
procure 240 lakh tonnes paddy
SME Times News Bureau | 20 Nov, 2017
Agrarian states Punjab and Haryana have procured nearly 240 lakh
tonnes of paddy so far, Food and Supplies Department officials said here on
Sunday.Punjab has procured around 173 lakh tonnes and Haryana around 67 lakh
tonnes, heading towards a record paddy procurement this season.
Government agencies have procured 98.5 per cent of the paddy
arriving in the grain markets in Punjab and nearly 95 per cent in Haryana. The
remaining paddy has been procured by rice millers and private traders.Punjab is
expecting a record procurement of over 182 lakh tonnes of paddy this year
compared with over 168 lakh tonnes of the bumper crop last year.
Paddy arrival in Haryana is much higher than the over 62 lakh
tonnes that arrived in the state's grain markets in the corresponding period
last year.The procurement, which began in both states on October 1, will
continue till November end.The Reserve Bank of India has sanctioned over Rs
33,800 crore for paddy procurement in Punjab in this kharif season.
http://www.smetimes.in/smetimes/news/indian-economy-news/2017/Nov/20/punjab-haryana-procure-240-lakh-tonnes-paddy1636251.html
Zenith signs MOU with China’s
leading agriculture enterprises to diversify into rice cultivation
Engly Tuy (Sakura) / Khmer Times Share:
Zenith Agro Group (ZAG) has
signed a memorandum of understanding with Taifeihuayuan Agriculture Development
Co. and Yunnan Dongwei Agriculture Development Co to collaborate on rice
production and commercialisation. As part of the strategic cooperation,
Taifeihuayuan is keen to bring its proven technology in rice-planting into
Cambodia and assist ZAG in the area of technical know-how.
They will also bring a research
team from Nanjing that specialises in rice-planting in the southern part of
China. Previously, the agriculture
enterprise has achieved much success in Myanmar and is confident of providing
ZAG with a performance guarantee of a minimum production of 12 tonnes of rice
per hectare in two harvests yearly in Cambodia.
Rice Farming
Skills Enhanced
November 20, 2017
BY ISMAEL GWASO
DWU Journalism student.
Taiwan International Co-operation
and Development Funds (ICDF) is a major supplier of rice seeds in Papua New
Guinea and the Pacific.
ICDF technician, Eric Yi-Chung
Huang said they are supplying seeds to 252 farmers in Morobe Province and to
more than 500 in the country.
‘’We have varieties of rice but
what we are supplying is the TCS10 variety, which is adoptable to the PNG
weather,” Mr Yi-Chung said.
ICDF is harvesting rice from its
paddies located at the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), 10
Mile, Lae to be distributed to the farmers.
‘’Our mission is to deliver
training and knowledge to every small scale farmer. We provide seeds and
farming materials to improve small scale farming,’’ Mr Yi-Chung said.
He said farmers also receive
training on marketing their produce.
Mr Yi-Chung said the previous
harvest was one hectare which produced 3500kg.
He said this time they are
looking at harvesting a 1.5 hectare.
The rice stalks are first cut
followed by the removal of the grains from the stalk and then sun dried for
three days.
Casual workers from around the 10
Mile area are engaged to do this work and also during planting and the weeding
period.
ICDF provides hand tools and
training on how to use them and harvesting process.
“We can provide big machines, but
we prefer to use hand tools,’’ Mr Yi-Chung said.
ICDF waorks in partnership with
NARI. ICDF is looking forward to showcasing their work during its field days on
November 23 at the Zenag farm in Mumeng and at Erap farm on November 29.
The
BusinessMirror makes history in Bright Leaf Awards
November 20, 2017
THE BusinessMirror, the country’s
leading business newspaper, made history last Friday.
For the first time, the Bright
Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards honored a journalist in two of its national
categories.
It was also the first time for
the BusinessMirror and for one of its youngest reporters Jasper Emmanuel Y.
Arcalas. The 21-year-old Arcalas bagged the Best Agriculture Feature Story
(National) of the year and Best Agriculture News Story (National) of the year
at the 11th Bright Leaf Awards.
This is the first time the
Feature and News Stories of the Year were won by a single news outfit and a
reporter since Bright Leaf began in 2007.
The article that won Arcalas a
Best Agriculture News Story was his story, titled “PHL retraces journey toward
food security.”
The story unfolded in four parts
the country’s two-decade struggle to achieve rice self-sufficiency. The series
was published from January 16 to 19 this year.
Arcalas’s three-part story,
titled “Can 13-year-old manual save PHL from bird flu?” won for him the Best
Agriculture Feature Story this year.
The piece focused on the
country’s efforts to curb the bird-flu outbreak using its 13-year-old Avian
Influenza Protection Program Manual of Procedures.
Arcalas, who is assigned to cover
the agriculture beat, is also one of the youngest reporters to win at the Bright
Leaf Awards. He submitted his entries while en route to Brazil to cover the
Southern American country’s meat sector upon the invitation of its industry
association.
“This year, as a judge, one comes
away not only with an appreciation of the state of agriculture journalism in
our country but, as always, with fresh knowledge of current developments,”
literary writer and Philippine Star columnist Krip
Yuson said in his speech at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati City. Yuson is the
head of the panel of judges for this year’s Bright Leaf Awards.
“All this makes for fascinating
reading. And that is primarily what the Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism
Awards triumphs in: opening up many new doors to allow the bright light of
knowledge to shine through,” he added. Yuson and the judges also honored
BusinessMirror’s Tarlac-based photographer Laila Austria who won the Tobacco
Photo of the Year for her entry, titled “Drying Tobacco,” which was published
in May.
Three of her entries were
shortlisted in two categories, including Agriculture Photo of the
Year. This was the second year Austria joined the Bright Leaf Agriculture
Journalism Awards.
This year’s winners also included
Karren Montejo of ABS-CBN Davao for the Agriculture Story of the Year; Anselmo
Roque of Punto Central Luzon for Best Agriculture News Story (Regional); John
Glen Sarol of Philippine Rice Research Institute, Best Agriculture Feature
Story; and Erwin Mascarinas of SunStar Cagayan
de Oro, Agriculture Photo of the Year.
In broadcasting, Bright Leaf winners
this year included DWRW 95.1 FM Pampanga as Best Agriculture Radio
Program/Segment and ABS-CBN Regional as Best Agriculture TV Program/Segment.
“The importance of agriculture
appears to escape public attention beyond the fundamentals, which explains why
not too many regular publications allow for frequent space for agriculture
journalism,” Yuson said. “But certainly, a higher degree of attention to the
subject is mandatory for any modern nation that respects and fulfills its
responsibilities to its people.”
Member of the panel of judges
were Chito Lozada, deputy editor of The Daily Tribune; Albert Gamboa,
business columnist of BusinessWorld; Marie Aubrey J.
Villaceran, assistant professor of the University of the Philippines Diliman;
Mandy Navasero, founder and CEO of Mandy Navasero PhotoPRO Studio; Jose Pablo
Salud, editor in chief of the Philippines Graphic; and
Pennie de la Cruz, desk editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The list of judges also included
Dr. Elenia Pernia, dean of the University of the Philippines College of Mass
Communications; Jake Maderazo, station manager of DZIQ; Rina Jimenez- David,
columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer; Dr.
Roland Dy, executive director of the University of Asia and the Pacific Center
for Food and Agribusiness; and Remar Zamora, chief of the Photo Section of
the Philippine
Daily Inquirer.
The Bright Leaf Agriculture
Journalism Awards was launched by Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc.
(PMPMI). The awards is now being given by the PMFTC Inc., the company created
in 2010 through the merger of the PMPMI and Fortune Tobacco Corp.
Image Credits: Roy Domingo
https://businessmirror.com.ph/the-businessmirror-makes-history-in-bright-leaf-awards/
CCMB announces
bacteria-resistant rice variety in Hyderabad
FacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInWhatsAppMore
By Author | Published: 20th Nov 2017 5:17
pm Updated: 20th Nov 2017 9:05
pm
Hyderabad: The researchers from Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and
Molecular Biology (CCMB) on Monday have announced a new Improved Samba Masuri
(ISM) rice variety that has twin advantages of being resistant to Bacterial
Blight (BB) and at the same time also beneficial to the overall health of the
body. According to researchers, at present 40 per cent of the normal Samba Masuri
crop is being lost due to Bacterial Blight. However, the new ISM variety of
rice will significantly reduce this crop loss, which eventually would lead to
reduced prices of rice and increased profit margins for farmers and traders.
Chief Scientist, CCMB, Dr Ramesh V
Sonti said that the new ISM has the lowest Glycemic Index (GI) at 50.9 among
all major rice varieties, which is an improvement over the 52.9 GI of earlier
Samba Masuri variety. The traditional Samba Masuri rice is commonly called Sona
Masuri and Kurnool Masuri and has very low resistance to BB, a pest disease for
which there is no chemical solution yet. CCMB Director Dr Rakesh Kumar Mishra
congratulated all scientists involved in the research, which has been going for
nearly two decades. “The development of a rice variety which has high yield,
great taste, low GI and complete resistance to BB is an achievement to be proud
of ,” he said.
Director of Indian Institute of
Rice Research Dr. P Ananda Kumar further explained that the new rice variety
has been developed through traditional plant breeding and advanced
biotechnology tools. “The Improved Samba Masuri is not at all genetically
modified (GM),” he said. According to researchers, farmers have already
cultivated ISM in 1, 30, 000 hectares in 2016 and another 1 00,000 hectares in
2017 Kharif season, across seven States including TS and AP. The old Samba
Masuri rice is estimated to be cultivated over four million hectares across the
country, annually. The scientists expressed hope that both Central and State
governments would push for cultivation of ISM through subsidies to farmers.
GI Registry to decide Basmati claim of Madhya
Pradesh soon
HYDERABAD: After Rosagolla decision Geographical
Indication Registry at Chennai has decided to deliver a verdict in next 15 days
on Madhya Pradesh claim on the inclusion of
certain districts of State in the Basmati rice GI tag.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of Ministry of Commerce and Industry was given GI tag in 2016 with the geographic area of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Parts of Western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
Chinnaraj G Naidu head of GI Registry in Chennai told TOI, "We will decide on Madhya Pradesh's claim of inclusion in next two weeks regarding Basmati rice," APEDA applied in 2008 and GI registry decided in its favour in 2016 with the geographical distribution of seven states. State of Madhya Pradesh in July 2017 has filed submission stating that Basmati rice is cultivated widely. It argued that State of Punjab was allowed to intervene in a late stage before issuing GI tag in 2016. Madya Kshetra Basmati Growers Association also applied in favour of inclusion of Madhya Pradesh.
All India Rice Exporters Association in August 2017 has filed an intervener petition against State of Madhya Pradesh that the State should not be given any time for filing additional evidence in support of their claim.
State of Punjab has also objected strongly to claim for the inclusion of State of Madhya Pradesh district in GI Basmati. Dr Ranvir Singh Gill of Punjab Agricultural University was quoted in Punjab rebuttal saying,"MP has never had any scientific or historical reputation of cultivating of Basmati let alone commercial cultivation. Any dilution of India pride may not only lead to very adverse effects on the livelihood of Basmati growing community in Punjab and other GI areas but also will have serious implication on Indian Economy as it will open gates not only for other States but other countries too."
Pakistan has been fighting for owning up Basmati as it's own. The application of APEDA was then opposed by
Basmati Growers Association of Lahore in Pakistan. However, BGA did not file its evidence in GI Registry within the period prescribed under the GI rules. Basmati rice is exported worth thousands of crores of business. Andhra and Telangana grow in fewer areas when compared to other seven states. No attempts were made by the Telugu States for inclusion.Earlier in 2010, May 18 GI registry has rejected the application of The Heritage a society formed by farmers, traders, commission agents and millers of Karnal district of Haryana. GI registry then said Basmati rice being produced in at least six states of India and society apparently doesn't adequately represent the interest of all producers in other areas other than Karnal.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority of Ministry of Commerce and Industry was given GI tag in 2016 with the geographic area of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Parts of Western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
Chinnaraj G Naidu head of GI Registry in Chennai told TOI, "We will decide on Madhya Pradesh's claim of inclusion in next two weeks regarding Basmati rice," APEDA applied in 2008 and GI registry decided in its favour in 2016 with the geographical distribution of seven states. State of Madhya Pradesh in July 2017 has filed submission stating that Basmati rice is cultivated widely. It argued that State of Punjab was allowed to intervene in a late stage before issuing GI tag in 2016. Madya Kshetra Basmati Growers Association also applied in favour of inclusion of Madhya Pradesh.
All India Rice Exporters Association in August 2017 has filed an intervener petition against State of Madhya Pradesh that the State should not be given any time for filing additional evidence in support of their claim.
State of Punjab has also objected strongly to claim for the inclusion of State of Madhya Pradesh district in GI Basmati. Dr Ranvir Singh Gill of Punjab Agricultural University was quoted in Punjab rebuttal saying,"MP has never had any scientific or historical reputation of cultivating of Basmati let alone commercial cultivation. Any dilution of India pride may not only lead to very adverse effects on the livelihood of Basmati growing community in Punjab and other GI areas but also will have serious implication on Indian Economy as it will open gates not only for other States but other countries too."
Pakistan has been fighting for owning up Basmati as it's own. The application of APEDA was then opposed by
Basmati Growers Association of Lahore in Pakistan. However, BGA did not file its evidence in GI Registry within the period prescribed under the GI rules. Basmati rice is exported worth thousands of crores of business. Andhra and Telangana grow in fewer areas when compared to other seven states. No attempts were made by the Telugu States for inclusion.Earlier in 2010, May 18 GI registry has rejected the application of The Heritage a society formed by farmers, traders, commission agents and millers of Karnal district of Haryana. GI registry then said Basmati rice being produced in at least six states of India and society apparently doesn't adequately represent the interest of all producers in other areas other than Karnal.
According to APEDA India is the leading exporter of
the Basmati Rice to the global market. The country has exported 40,00,471.56 MT
of Basmati Rice to the world for the worth of Rs. 21,604.58 crores during the
year 2016-17.
Major Export Destinations for 2016-17 are Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Kuwait.The Basmati is cultivated in Kaikaluru, Kalidindi, Agiripalli, Bapulapadu and Nagayalanka of Krishna district.Andhra and Telangana did not claim significant cultivation of Pusa 1509 variety in Karimnagar, Warragal of Telangana and East and West Godavari and Krishna districts of Andhra Pradesh.
According to APEDA the total basmati growing area in seven States came down by 7.92 percent to 1.56 million hectares in the 2017 Kharif season as compared to 1.69 mh previous years.Basmati is predominantly grown in 81 districts in the country.
‘Rice revolution’ sparked in Leyte
By: Tina Arceo-Dumlao -
Business Features Editor / @tinaarceodumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:04 AM November 20,
2017
Trailblazing couple Patrick Renucci and Rachel
Renucci-Tan want to spark a “rice revolution” in Leyte. (Top) New tractors are
available to farmers who want to adopt more modern farming techniques.It has
been four years since Supertyphoon “Yolanda” barreled through central Philippines
and left a wide swath of destruction from which many are still struggling to
recover.
But in Alangalang, a second class municipality in Leyte
about 30 kilometers south of Tacloban City, a “rice revolution” is taking
place, one that promises to make the rice farmers here and in surrounding towns
earn even more than they did before “Yolanda” brought them to their knees.
Business model
Leading the charge is the husband-and-wife team of
French-Italian Patrick Francois Renucci and Filipino-Chinese Rachel Renucci-Tan,
the founders of Chen Yi Agventures, whose business model promises to be “the
national flagship for innovation in rice production.”
By filling a gap in the market —developing the most
technologically advanced post-harvest facilities—Chen Yi promises to be a major
producer that integrates seed growing, planting, farm management, harvesting
and rice production in the Visayas and Mindanao.
The couple first set foot in the town in 2015, driven by
their desire to contribute to the rebuilding of the province hit hard by
“Yolanda.”
And already, the literal and figurative seeds that they
planted have sprouted, encouraging the couple, who have been married for 10
years, to carry on their life’s work.
To think that practically everyone they knew and loved
thought they were crazy for even thinking about going back to the Philippines
to start a business, even more so when they said they were going to unknown
Alangalang.
Compelling reasons
Their well-meaning loved ones certainly had compelling
reasons to believe that they were not thinking straight.
ADVERTISEMENT
For one, the power couple gave up lucrative careers, a
comfortable life and all that came with it, such as an enviable apartment in
the City of Lights with its fine dining and haute couture.
In their former life, Renucci was at the helm of one of
France’s largest printing companies. Renucci-Tan, on the other hand, was
founder and CEO of Tan-EU EU Capital, a real estate investment management
company based in Hong Kong and London.At its peak, Tan-EU Capital was managing
over a billion US dollars, including a special situations real estate fund in
partnership with a leading real estate developer in China as well as a
distressed Chinese real estate fund that Tan-EU restructured to provide an exit
for its investors.
Defying convention, they cashed in most of their chips
and then reinvested heavily in Leyte.
And as they look at the 20-foot silos rising from the
patch of land in the municipality, and the increase in the incomes of the
farmers who early on bought into their grand vision of Leyte at least
reclaiming its rank as the fifth leading rice producer in the country, they
know for sure that they’ve made the right decision.
Tests of courage
Not to say that their faith in their vision had not been
tested, at some points so severe that they were left fretting over whether they
had made a gigantic—and extravagant—mistake.
Renucci-Tan tells SundayBiz in an interview that for one
thing, they were rejected by as many as 21 banks when they presented their idea
of investing in a state-of-the-art post-harvest processing facility in Leyte
with the farmers with small parcels of land as the production partners.
“Nobody believed in our project,” shares Tan, “We waited
for three years for it to get started.”
When they arrived in 2015, bringing with them their
expertise in spotting and capitalizing on opportunities, they started by first
understanding the state of rice production in the area.
“We made a survey of over 4,000 farmers to see what
exactly was the problem, why were they earning so little. We did not know
anything because we are not from here. Out of that survey, we came to
understand the main problems—lack of capital, lack of labor and the low yield.
Nobody is making enough money, which is not the case when you see the farms in
Europe,” says Renucci.
Pain points
From that research, they determined the pain points and
proceeded to find solutions, in the name of the farmers who were burdened by
earning as low as P19,000 a year.
This is due to a combination of factors such as the lack
of seeds, high labor cost due to antiquated production methods, lack of
post-harvest facilities that led to the decline in the quality of their
produce.
Their solution—their recipe for a social revolution— is
the Renucci partnership program, under which the farmers can get a sure market
for their produce and access to the proper seeds and technology.
“Revolution,” says Renucci-Tan, “is about a structural
change, a major disruption. We want to do that in rice.”
The perennial problem hounding rice farmers, Tan says,
was that they did not produce enough and they were buried in debt. This because
they lacked access or knowledge about proper farming techniques, the value of
mechanization, and access to affordable funds that they need to grow rice.
But from the start they saw the potential of Alangalang,
indeed the whole of Leyte, as it was the country’s fifth largest and second
largest rice producing area in the Visayas before “Yolanda” struck, and this
despite the very low level of farm mechanization, meaning that the farmers
still relied mainly on human and animal labor to grow their crop.
Renucci says that because of that potential, he believes
that through more modern techniques, such as using the right kind of seeds,
proper spacing of the plants and maintenance to prevent infestation, farmers
stand to easily double their yield while reducing their cost. The result? An
exponential increase in their income.
The proof is already there for skeptics to check.
Pilot area
From the pilot area of 50 hectares in Alangalang and
neighboring towns such as Sta. Fe, the partner-farmers who dedicated themselves
to learning the Renucci way of growing rice have seen an increase in their
output, from just 50 to 80 bags of rice per hectare to as much as 200 bags.
There was no magic involved, says Renucci, just the
introduction of more modern methods and materials.
“We are just helping farmers see what farming can really
be,” says Renucci.
Premium rice
What’s more, the farmers get to produce affordable
premium rice—half the cost of imported Japanese rice—that the market will
appreciate.
“We want to give Filipinos the top quality rice that they
can deserve. And we can produce beautiful rice from Leyte through technology,”
says Renucci-Tan.
The “rice revolution” of Chen Yi means fully mechanized
planting and harvesting of rice to increase the yield, quality of palay and
therefore the income of farmers. Production cost is lowered and therefore the
price to consumers of high quality premium rice.
“Chen Yi wants the ordinary Filipino to enjoy locally
produced premium rice of the same quality as Thai Jasmine, Basmati, Japanese
rice. Rice that Filipinos deserve; rice that can be produced in Leyte and not
imported,” Renucci-Tan says in a statement.
The couple wants to enable the farmers of Leyte to be as
competitive as their counterparts in Thailand and Vietnam while deploying
advanced rice processing technology to produce affordable ultrapremium rice.
“We own the first “Yolanda”-proof and earthquake
resistant rice processing center of this size in the Philippines and we are the
first to use technology to merge and level disparate land parcels in order to
create vast tracts of rice land found in Thailand, the United States and
Europe. These large consolidated rice parcels can optimize irrigation,
facilitate water management and ultimately reduce the cost of palay
production”, Renucci says in a statement.
Partnership program
Then through the Renucci Partnership program, Chen Yi
organizes the farmers by providing low interest loans in kind: Organic
fertilizers, pesticides, and one kind of high yielding inbred seed. Chen Yi
also extends high-tech planting and harvesting equipment to all farmer members
of the program, thereby increasing the quantity and the quality of their palay.
“Chen Yi is targeting no less than 3,500 farmers for
Phase I alone and aiming to increase their profits by 8-10x while being a
highly profitable private enterprise that delivers affordable ultra-premium
rice to the consumers,” Renucci-Tan says.
Recently, the company was able to secure the support of
the Land Bank of the Philippines.
With it, the couple hopes that the “rice revolution,”
where farmers are given the tools and opportunities they need to dramatically
improve their yield and income, will be replicated across the country.“Someday
soon, the Philippines will be self-sufficient and could even export rice,” they
say۔
https://business.inquirer.net/241062/rice-revolution-sparked-leyte
Vietnam revises up rice export target
Source:
Xinhua| 2017-11-20 18:40:03|Editor: liuxin
HANOI,
Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Seeing more contracts signed since June, the Vietnam Food
Association has revised its target of exporting rice this year by 400,000 tons
to 5.6 million tons.
Vietnamese
rice export will see encouraging signs from now till the end of this year and
even in the first quarter of next year, the association said on Monday, noting
that Bangladesh will have imported some 500,000 tons of Vietnamese rice from
May to December, and the Philippines is
expected to import more Vietnamese rice in the 2017-2018 period.
From
early January to mid-November, Vietnam exported roughly 5.3 million tons of
rice worth nearly 2.4 billion U.S. dollars, with nearly 40 percent of the
volume going to China, 10 percent to the Philippines, and 9 percent to
Malaysia, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
Last
year, Vietnam shipped abroad nearly 4.9 million tons of rice totaling nearly
2.2 billion U.S. dollars, down 26.5 percent in volume and down 22.4 percent in
value, said its Ministry of Industry and Trade.
According
to a national rice export strategy recently approved by the Vietnamese
government, among types of rice for export from 2017 to 2020, some 45 percent
will be white rice, 30 percent fragrant, special and Japonica rice, 20 percent
sticky rice, and 5 percent value-added rice such as nutrient-enriched rice and
organic rice, said the ministry.
Commerce Minister Tofail claims
rice prices now normal after market fluctuations
Senior Correspondent,
Published: 2017-11-20 00:36:46.0 BdST Updated: 2017-11-20 01:35:01.0
BdST
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has
said the rice market is now 'normal' though the prices fluctuate at times.He told
parliament on Sunday that the coarse rice in the market was being sold at Tk 40
per kg while the fine varieties, on average, cost Tk 56.The TCB price chart
showed that the rice prices at Dhaka market were between Tk 42 and Tk 65 - from
the coarse variety to fine variety.
The rice market witnessed an
upward trend in the middle of this year that made the government to cut the
duty on rice import. The measure stabilised the market to some extent.
The commerce minister explained reasons for the price hike and
the measures the government took to control.
"The market is now
normal," Tofail told the House adding "the import tax has been
reduced to 2 percent to bring the price under
control"."We have to increase the import tax after next harvest,
otherwise, the rice import will continue and the farmers will suffer," the
minister told MPs.He claimed that the government managed to keep the
price-gouging syndicate in check which was why the prices of commodities
remained at a reasonable level.
Tofail said the government has formed the competition commission
to monitor and dismantle business syndicate and ring.Food Minister Kamrul Islam
told parliament in the country has 577,000 tonnes in food reserves.
Long way to balance Indo-Bangla
trade: Minister
09:50 PM,
November 19, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 10:02 PM, November 19, 2017
Commerce
Minister Tofail Ahmed on September 17, 2017, says his government has instructed
law enforcement agencies across the country to take legal action against those
are creating artificial crisis of rice in the market to earn extra profit
illegally. File photo
It would take
Bangladesh nearly 24 years to balance the trade gap with India, Commerce
Minister Tofail Ahmed said at the parliament today.“Bringing trade balance between
Bangladesh and India is very slim,” the minister said in response to a
supplementary question of Jatiya Party MP Nurul Islam Milon.Minister Tofail
said Bangladesh will have to wait till 2041 to bring the trade balance between
the two countries.
Claiming the trade gap never causes
any harm to the trade, the commerce minister said Bangladesh has to import
goods from India for its own interest.
To justify his claim, Tofail
referred to the current standings with USA. Bangladesh exports $6 billion to
the US while imports less than $1 billion from the western country.
However, the USA has a big
investment in Bangladesh, the minister added.
Replying to lawmakers’ queries, he
said the price of rice and other essentials are normal and in stable state at
present as the government has dealt the dishonest businessmen and middlemen
with strong hands.
Responding to another
supplementary, Tofail said rice market is now “stable” following the drastic
cut on import duty on rice – which was brought down to 2 percent from 28
percent.
The step was taken for shortage of
rice production due to recent flash flood in haor and northern regions of the
country, he added. He said there was never an import duty on rice but it was
imposed for protecting the domestic products.He said time would again come when
duty on rice import would be imposed to protect the interest of farmers
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- November 20, 2017
NOVEMBER 20, 2017 / 1:40 PM
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-November
20
Nagpur, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Gram prices firmed up in
Nagpur Agriculture Produce MarketingCommittee (APMC) on good demand from local
millers amid weak supply from producing regions.
Sharp rise on NCDEX, upward trend in Madhya Pradesh
gram prices and reported demand fromSouth-based millers also pushed up prices,
according to sources.
FOODGRAINS
& PULSES
GRAM
* Gram
varieties firmed up in open market here good demand from local traders
amid weak supply from producing
belts.
TUAR
* Tuar
varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.
* Udid
varieties reported higher in open market on renewed demand from local traders.
* In Akola,
Tuar New – 4,000-4,100, Tuar dal (clean) – 5,700-5,800, Udid Mogar (clean)
–
8,000-8,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,000-7,300, Gram – 4,500-4,650, Gram Super
best
–
7,300-7,500
* Wheat,
rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in
scattered
deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.
Nagpur
foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices Previous
close
Gram
Auction 3,600-4,500 3,500-4,350
Gram Pink
Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 3,500-4,030 3,500-4,030
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 1,600-1,675 1,600-1,695
Gram Super
Best Bold 7,000-8,000 6,800-8,000
Gram Super
Best n.a. n.a.
Gram
Medium Best 6,500-7,000 6,400-6,800
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill
Quality 4,600-4,700 4,400-4,500
Desi gram
Raw 4,900-5,000 4,800-4,900
Gram
Kabuli 12,400-13,000 12,400-13,000
Tuar
Fataka Best-New
6,100-6,300 6,100-6,300
Tuar
Fataka Medium-New 5,800-6,000 5,800-6,000
Tuar Dal
Best Phod-New 5,700-5,900 5,700-5,900
Tuar Dal
Medium phod-New 5,000-5,500 5,000-5,500
Tuar
Gavarani New 4,100-4,200 4,100-4,200
Tuar
Karnataka 4,500-4,800 4,500-4,800
Masoor dal
best 5,000-5,200 5,000-5,200
Masoor dal
medium 4,600-4,800 4,600-4,800
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong
Mogar bold (New) 7,100-7,500 7,100-7,500
Moong
Mogar Medium 6,300-6,700 6,300-6,700
Moong dal
Chilka 5,200-6,000 5,200-6,000
Moong Mill
quality n.a. n.a.
Moong
Chamki best 7,000-7,500 7,000-7,500
Udid Mogar
best (100 INR/KG) (New) 8,500-9,500
8,200-9,200
Udid Mogar
Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,800-7,000 5,500-6,800
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 5,300-6,400 5,300-6,400
Batri dal
(100 INR/KG) 5,000-5,500 5,000-5,400
Lakhodi
dal (100 INR/kg)
2,750-2,850 2,750-2,850
Watana Dal
(100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000
Watana
Green Best (100 INR/KG)
3,400-3,800
3,400-3,800
Wheat 308
(100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000
Wheat Mill
quality (100 INR/KG) 1,750-1,900 1,750-1,900
Wheat
Filter (100 INR/KG)
2,100-2,300
2,100-2,300
Wheat
Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)
2,200-2,450
2,200-2,400
Wheat
Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG)
1,900-2,150 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)
2,300-2,700
2,300-2,700
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)
4,800-5,100 4,800-5,100
Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,600 4,400-4,600
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)
5,000-5,500
5,000-5,500
Rice
Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG)
4,700-5,000
4,700-5,000
Jowar
Gavarani (100 INR/KG)
2,000-2,200
2,000-2,100
Jowar CH-5
(100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,000 1,700-2,000
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 32.8 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 19.9
degree Celsius
Rainfall : Nil
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum
temperature would be around and 31 and 20
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/india-ongc-namibia/ongc-buys-15-percent-stake-in-namibia-offshore-block-from-tullow-idINKBN1DL0U6
South Korea buys about 118,900 tonnes rice in tender
Prices include delivery to South Korea, traders said.
Some 17,778 tonnes was purchased from the United States at $856.47 a tonne
delivered to Korea, 11,111 tonnes was bought from Vietnam at $695.00 a tonne
delivered Korea and 10,000 tonnes was bought from Australia at $778.00 a tonne
delivered to Korea. No purchase of Thai rice was immediately reported although
exporters in Thailand had been optimistic about winning part of the business.
Vietnam revises
up rice export target
HANOI, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Seeing more contracts signed since June,
the Vietnam Food Association has revised its target of exporting rice this year
by 400,000 tons to 5.6 million tons. Vietnamese rice export will see
encouraging signs from now till the end of this year and even in the first
quarter of next year, the association said on Monday, noting that Bangladesh
will have imported some 500,000 tons of Vietnamese rice from May to December,
and the Philippines is expected to import more Vietnamese rice in the 2017-2018
period.
From early January to mid-November, Vietnam exported roughly 5.3
million tons of rice worth nearly 2.4 billion U.S. dollars, with nearly 40
percent of the volume going to China, 10 percent to the Philippines, and 9
percent to Malaysia, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
Last year, Vietnam shipped abroad nearly 4.9 million tons of rice totaling
nearly 2.2 billion U.S. dollars, down 26.5 percent in volume and down 22.4
percent in value, said its Ministry of Industry and Trade. According to a
national rice export strategy recently approved by the Vietnamese government,
among types of rice for export from 2017 to 2020, some 45 percent will be white
rice, 30 percent fragrant, special and Japonica rice, 20 percent sticky rice,
and 5 percent value-added rice such as nutrient-enriched rice and organic rice,
said the ministry.
Indian rice
prices rise on improved demand
Rice prices in India climbed this week, buoyed by improved overseas
demand, but rising supplies from a new season crop capped gains for the staple
grain in the world's top exporter. India's 5 percent broken parboiled rice
prices rose by $2 per tonne to $399 to $402 per tonne. "There was an
improvement in demand from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. African buyers were also
making inquires," said an exporter based in Kakinada in the southern state
of Andhra Pradesh.
In
Thailand, benchmark 5-percent broken rice was quoted at $380-$387 a tonne,
free-on-board (FOB) Bangkok, compared with $375-$387 last week. Thai Hom Mali
rice won the title of "World's Best Rice" at this year's World Rice
Conference held in Macau last week and traders said this will have a positive
impact on global demand for Thai rice. "Due to floods in the northeast
(part of Thailand) this year, where Hom Mali rice is grown, output of the crop
has dropped, causing prices to rise. With this new development, I expect prices
to rise further," said a Bangkok-based trader. Traders were also
optimistic that South Korea's tender to buy 132,790 tonnes of rice for
December-March arrival may result in demand for Thai rice. Overall, however,
traders said demand was slow, and with new crops expected to enter the market
starting the end of this month, prices could drop.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh cancelled its first-ever
deal with Cambodia to import 250,000 tonnes of white rice over a delay in
shipments, officials said on Tuesday. The deal was signed in August at $453 a
tonne. The country has emerged as a major importer of the grain this year after
floods damaged its crops and, despite deals with several rice exporting
countries including Myanmar and Bangladesh, is still battling to build its
reserves. In Vietnam, the benchmark 5 percent broken rice was quoted at
$400-405 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Saigon, little changed from the high
levels last week due to continuous shortage of supply, traders said. "The
recent harvest mainly served domestic demand and didn't affect export price.
New crop yield was available, but prices stayed high," a trader in Ho Chi
Minh City said. "We won't have larger supply until the end of the
winter-spring crop season in March." Sowing for the winter-spring crops,
one of Vietnam's two major rice crop seasons, is expected to start only by late
November or December as flood waters in the rice-growing Mekong Delta have not
completely receded, the trader added.
Phoenix Group
to set up ₹325-cr
rice mill in Andhra Pradesh
MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 20: The
Dubai headquartered Phoenix Group, a global agricultural and food company,
plans to set up a rice mill with an investment of $50 million (₹325 crore) to process 250,000 of
non-basmati rice per annum at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.The $2-billion
agriculture-focussed company has also sounded out banks to procure stressed
asset in food processing and rice mills. The company has raised $205 million
(about ₹1,300 crore)
through a consortium of seven banks led by Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore.
The company plans to invest the remaining amount to boost its rice business in
Mozambique, Benin and Ivory Coast as destinations, and India as origin.
Supported by OFID (the OPEC Fund for International Development),
the loan facility was over-subscribed with participation of BNP Paribas,
RaboBank, First Abu Dhabi Bank, ICICI Bank and Shinhan Bank.Rice export In
India, the company logged in turnover of ₹1,500 crore
through export of rice from India and import of pluses from Ukraine, Russia,
Kazakhstan and Australia.
Gaurav Dhawan, Chairman, Phoenix Group, told BusinessLine that the
company has already identified the land required for setting up the rice mill
and is in talks with the State government for completing the formality.“We have
also identified 20-40 acres in Uttar Pradesh for cultivating tomato for the
export market. Our target is to double revenue from India to ₹3,000 crore in the next four years,” he added.
Despite frequent changes in government policies, Dhawan is
confident of sustaining growth in agriculture business in India by focusing on
value added products and steering away from baseline commodities that have an
impact on inflation.
Though the government has set out its vision to double Indian
farmers’ income, he said there has been no constructive policy measures to
achieve it. All the government policies are focused on food security and cost
management by providing fertiliser at subsidised rate and giving minimum
support price to farmers rather than targeting the export market with quality
produce, said Dhawan.
If the Government provides the basic road, the private sector will
invest in agriculture infrastructure such as putting up processing facility and
cold storage to increase farmers’ income, besides sharing the knowledge on
crops selection.
In Ukraine, Phoenix is all set to grow garlic on 1,000 hectares to
challenge the dominance of China, which is fast losing market share due to
contamination issues, he added.
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