Multi-institutional
biomedical informatics training grant wins 6th competitive renewal
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By Kendall Schoemann | November 28, 2017
Training more students and
fellows to conduct research that has the potential to benefit personalized
medicine and improve the understanding of health and disease has been made
possible with funding from the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
The NLM Training Program (NLMTP)
in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science was awarded a $3.1 million renewal
following a competitive review process by the NLM. The multidisciplinary and
multi-institutional grant will support seven predoctoral students and four
postdoctoral fellows each year for five years.
The Gulf Coast Consortia (GCC)
and its training arm, the Keck Center, manage the training program, which
includes faculty from Rice, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Houston,
the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, MD Anderson Cancer
Center and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB). The
NLMTP is the largest of five competitively funded training programs overseen by
the Keck Center.
“We aspire to train a generation
of scientists who are comfortable crossing traditional boundaries and who can
find bold solutions to biomedical problems,” said Lydia Kavraki, principal
investigator and program director of the NLMTP. She is the Noah Harding
Professor of Computer Science, professor of bioengineering and professor of
electrical and computer engineering.
Program trainees are selected
through a competitive application process and are co-mentored by two faculty
members with complementary expertise. Trainees and their dual mentors are drawn
from across the six NLMTP institutions.
“This novel mentoring
arrangement, in which a computational faculty member and a biomedical sciences
faculty member or a clinical investigator jointly mentor a trainee, has been
instrumental in the success of the NLMTP since its inception,” Kavraki said.
For the program’s sixth
consecutive renewal, 40 core faculty have been assembled who collectively have
more than $104 million in federal funding. The NLMTP faculty are currently
mentoring 167 predoctoral students and 93 postdoctoral fellows.
“Our greatest strengths are our
mentoring structure as well as our flexibility and willingness to help each trainee
on an individual basis,” Kavraki said. “These combined with our strong academic
programs, our extensive research activities, our well-equipped laboratories and
our incredible faculty and students provide an unparalleled training
environment.”
Building internationally
pre-eminent graduate and Ph.D. programs and enhancing research achievement and
reputation are goals of Rice’s Vision for the Second Century, part two.
The NLMTP has evolved over its 25
years. Initially the program was conceived as training in computational biology
and was led by Tony Gorry, who was Rice’s Friedkin Chair in Management and
professor of computer science. The new grant is focused on biomedical
informatics and data science.
“Biomedical informatics broadly
encompasses the design and implementation of novel methodologies and
technologies to solve challenging problems across the entire spectrum of
biology and medicine,” Kavraki said. “Our training program puts emphasis on
quantitative methods and data science. I cannot imagine dealing with biomedical
problems in the future without strong foundations in computer science,
statistics and data science.”
The new NLMTP program will
support research in translational bioinformatics, clinical informatics and
clinical research informatics. Collectively these areas advance personalized
medicine and connect data and knowledge to health and disease.
The program has had many
successes in the last five years. Among recent trainees, Christine Peterson is
currently an assistant professor at MD Anderson; Kevin Liu is an assistant
professor of computer science and engineering at Michigan State University;
Risa Myers is a lecturer in computer science at Rice University; and Raphael
Rosengarten has started his own biomedical informatics company. Others are
continuing their studies or have taken positions in academia or industry.
“I am most proud of our
trainees,” Kavraki said. “They have assimilated and combined elements from our
rich environment and their individual training and have produced truly
exceptional work.”
The NLMTP trainees travel to the
yearly NLM conference, where they have the opportunity to present their
research. Over the last five years, they have consistently returned with
multiple awards presented to them by their peers and the NLM leadership.
The training program also
received a supplemental award for developing a graduate course on data science.
The goal is to create a course that will teach data science principles with
emphasis on the systems that are needed for the analysis of biomedical data.
“There is a growing need for
investigators trained at the intersection of computer, statistical and
information sciences with one or more biomedical application domains,” said B.
Montgomery (Monte) Pettitt, the director of the Sealy Center for Structural
Biology and Molecular Biophysics, the Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair of
Chemistry and professor of pharmacology and toxicology and of biochemistry and
molecular biology at UTMB. Pettitt is also a founder of the Keck Center and a
member of the steering committee of the NLMTP. “The NLMTP fills a critical
need,” he said. “Our NLMTP is a proof of the strength of our combined
community.”
Kavraki echoed similar thoughts. “The NLMTP would not have been
possible without the combined forces of Rice, Baylor College of Medicine,
University of Houston, the University of Texas Health Science Center at
Houston, MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas Medical Branch
at Galveston under the collaborative environment fostered by the Keck Center
and the GCC,” she said.
http://www.tmc.edu/news/2017/11/multi-institutional-biomedical-informatics-training-grant-wins-6th-competitive-renewal/
·
NATIONAL
·
ENERGY
·
ECONOMY
·
PEOPLE
Minister Calls for Reinstating Rice Import Ban
1.
Economy
Minister Calls for Reinstating Rice Import Ban
In a letter to the Minister of Industries, Mining and Trade
Mohammad Shariatmadari, Agriculture Minister Mahmoud Hojjati has called for
reinstating the ban on rice imports until further notice due to excessive
imports.
More than 1.06 million tons of
rice worth over $1 billion were imported during the seven months to Oct. 22,
indicating a 40% rise in weight compared with last year’s similar period, which
exceed domestic demand when added to the annual local production, Mehr News
Agency reported on Monday.
Every year, during the rice
harvest season, the government bans rice imports to support local farmers and
production. Import tariffs have increased from 22% four years ago to 40% at
present for the same reason.
The temporary ban was lifted last
Tuesday as per a directive by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade and
was supposed to last until July 22, 2018.
“We need imports, but imports
that are limited and controlled,” Hojjati said earlier.
Iranians consume 3 million tons
of rice a year while domestic production stands at 2.2 million tons. Therefore,
there is a need for around 800,000 tons of imports every year.
According to the Central and West
Asia Rice Center, with around 54% of Central and West Asia’s paddy fields
located in Iran, the country accounts for 61% of the regions’ combined rice
production.
The two northern provinces of
Gilan and Mazandaran are home to a majority of Iran’s paddy fields.
Soon-to-be partnership to expand
rice exports
Sok
Chan / Khmer Times Share:
Australia-based rice exporter SunRice is negotiating an
agreement with local conglomerate Soma Group to export Cambodian rice to
Australia, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further
negotiations between the companies was already signed last week in Australia,
presided by Cambodian Minister of Agriculture Veng Sakhon.
Hean Vanhan, director-general of agriculture at MAFF, told Khmer
Times yesterday that the ministry is acting as facilitator during the talks.“The
result of the meeting between SunRice and Soma is positive. Sun Rice is
interested in Soma, and they will do further discussion,” Mr Vanhan said.
Talks are now focused on whether Soma Group will sell its
produce directly to the Australian agricultural giant, or whether SunRice will
partner up with the Cambodian company to invest in the local agriculture sector
and export Cambodian rice under its own brand, Mr Vanhan revealed.
“If Soma and SunRice bring milled rice from Cambodia to process
it in Australia their market will be much bigger,” Mr Vanhan said. “Soma will
send a sample of rice to Australia for analysis to check whether or not this is
possible,” he said.
SunRice supplies about 720,000 tonnes of milled rice per year to
50 different countries. However, the company is only capable of producing
600,000 tonnes, so they are seeking new partnerships to meet demand for their
products, Mr Vanhan explained.He said that SunRise is looking for partners that
have quality products and are able to maintain a stable supply, adding that it
is a great opportunity as Cambodia had a 5-million ton rice surplus last year.
Mr Vanhan pointed out that SunRice is Australia’s biggest rice
exporting company and has one of the most recognisable brands of the Oceanian
nation.
From January to September 2017, Cambodia exported nearly 422,000
tonnes of milled rice, an increase of more than 16.5 percent compared with the
same period last year, according to the latest report from the secretariat of
the One Window Service for Rice Export Formality.
The report finds that nearly 70 countries have been importing
Cambodian rice, with China being the largest buyer, importing more than 120,000
tonnes of Cambodian rice, followed by France, with over 50,000 tonnes, and
Poland, who buys around 35,000 tonnes.
Domoguen: DA
Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol supports the Golden Rice Project
Tuesday,
November 28, 2017
By
ROBERT L. DOMOGUEN MOUNTAIN LIGHT I WAs unable to talk to Agriculture Secretary
Emmanuel F. Piñol on the joint Golden Rice (GR) project of the International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Philippine Rice Research Institute
(Philrice) on those occasions I was in Metro Manila earlier this quarter of the
year.
To
put this matter into perspective, I have been writing a series of articles last
October, this year, about Golden Rice, with information inputs from Dr. Roel
Suralta, team leader of the GR Project at Philrice. I wanted our good Secretary
to personally share his views on the merits of this special rice crop and the
joint GR Project in the Philippines through our Mountain Light column at Sun
Star Baguio. Golden Rice is a genetically engineered crop created by borrowing
the carotene-making gene from corn and placing that gene into rice. Carotene is
an important plant ingredient that our bodies convert into vitamin A.
The
nutrient is essential to the development of bones and eyesight. The Filipino
diet has highlighted to policymakers and rice scientists the importance of the
GR Project. We eat rice three times a day for our energy needs. Vitamin A can
be had from vegetables and fruits. It is argued that VAD can be addressed with
proper education and fortification programs. After decades of government and
private sponsored vitamin A fortification and nutrition education, even in
areas with ample supply of vegetables and fruits, one might believe that VAD
should not be an issue in the Philippines. However, research studies show
otherwise. The results of a food and nutrition survey among pre-school children
revealed VAD increased from 15.2 percent in 2008 to 20.4 percent in 2013.
These figures translate to about 2.1 million
Filipino kids who are at very high risk of becoming blind or even dying due to
preventable infections. Experts say VAD increases vulnerability to illnesses
including measles, respiratory infections, and diarrhea, which are the leading
causes of death among children in developing countries. It is not only the
proponents of the GR Project who are advocating for Golden Rice. The cream of
the world’s science community, particularly Nobel Laureates (more than 100 of
them), including a former Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore, are supporting
both the science and merits of golden rice in addressing VAD.
Upon
assumption to office, former Secretary of the DA, Proceso J. Alcala, once an
ardent proponent of organic farming in the Philippines, warned that GMO crops
are not safe for consumption. However, I was informed by a staff at PhilRice
that he (Secretary Alcala) supported the GR Project. When Secretary Piñol came
over to the Cordillera last week for the conduct of the 6th National Congress
on Goats and Sheep, I wanted so much to get his statement on the GR Project
that I have been waiting for. When we met in La Trinidad, Benguet,
I
kept silent. I did not plunge into the interview I wanted to have. Everybody
wanted to have a brief chat with their photos taken with him. I simply followed
where he went, cautious not to intrude in his thoughts, time and priorities
while he was around. As a guest of honor and speaker during the occasion, he
shared his thoughts as a goat raiser. “I love goats, I know goats,” he said.
That is true. When we visited Cotabato way back when he was yet governor of the
province, we toured his goat farm. “I was a breeder of goats,” he added.
Indeed, he had the best goats I ever saw at that time in the Philippines.
When
he shifted his talk to hybridization and its benefits, my mind was imagining
almost every living creature on the planet that could be genetically improved
through the process are actually hybridized throughout time. For several
centuries, human beings have been intermarrying with each other. Wherever
people went, they also brought with them livestock and crops that were used to
improve the native stock. Unexpectedly, on my part, Secretary Piñol took this
public occasion to express his support to the GR Project in the Philippines,
“notwithstanding the opposition of Greenpeace and non-government organizations
(NGOs).”
Golden rice is natural rice. The genetic
alteration done in the intervention is to introduce a critical natural and
helpful ingredient in the crop for the benefit of farmers and consumers of rice
over the long term, Secretary Piñol said. Last February 28, 2017, the IRRI and
Philrice submitted an application for a biosafety permit with the Bureau of
Plant Industry (BPI). Approval of the permit will bring Golden Rice – the
vitamin A-enriched rice variety that can help combat vitamin A deficiency one
step closer to consumers. The permit will allow “direct use of Golden Rice
(GR2E) as food and feed or for processing.”
In a
previous email from Dr. Suralta, he said that “PhilRice and IRRI are working
together in the Philippines to develop Golden Rice as a potential new
food-based approach to improve vitamin A status.” He said that completion of
the biosafety assessment is a prerequisite for the conduct of human nutrition
studies of Golden Rice. The human nutrition studies are an important component
in demonstrating the value of Golden Rice in complementing other approaches to
mitigate vitamin A deficiency. After a dinner meeting with several guests at
the DA Regional Office Conference Hall, which I waited on, I finally told
Secretary Piñol my appreciation of his speech earlier in the day.
“Specifically, your
statement of support to golden rice was something I waited on for quite some
time,” I said. Reading my account on FB about this encounter, Dr. Roel Suralta
immediately thanked me, saying that the good Secretary simply reiterated his
kind support to the GR Project. On that day, we are both grateful souls on
behalf of the nation’s farmers۔
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/opinion/2017/11/28/domoguen-da-secretary-emmanuel-f-pinol-supports-golden-rice-project-577140
Rice Webinar: Thursday,
November 30
Tune in Thursday, November 30, at 10:00 a.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. Arkansas' Senior Rice Plant Breeder Dr. Karen Moldenhauer will discuss her rice plant breeding program and provide insight into International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) rice breeding efforts.
Go here to register for the webinar.
International Rice Leadership Class Travels to Nicaragua and
Colombia
NICARAGUA & COLOMBIA -- Earlier this month, the 2017
International Rice Leadership Class visited several rice production operations,
processing facilities, and public and private research stations in both
countries. During the week-long trip,
class members also met with senior officials from Proarroz, the national rice
organization in Nicaragua, and Fedearroz, the national rice organization in
Colombia.
Members of this year's class are alumni from previous Rice
Leadership Development classes and include:
Jonathan Hobbs, New Orleans, LA; Mike Martin, Bernie, MO; Christian
Richard, Kaplan, LA; Tim Walker, Memphis, TN; and Fred Zaunbrecher, Duson, LA.
The first stop was in Nicaragua where we visited two large, private
rice farms, both working through their second harvest of the year. Tropical climates in this region allow
planting of back-to-back successive rice crops, although the two full-term growing
seasons differ greatly in sunlight and rainfall, making it challenging for
local farmers to breed and plant varieties that flourish in both environments.
"The farms we toured in Nicaragua were amazingly
self-sufficient," said Mike Martin.
"They did their own research on varieties, fertilization, and
chemicals. Also, due to the fact that
labor is economical and plentiful, production practices there included
utilization of many small machines and manual labor for much of the cultivation
and harvesting of the crop."
The quality of rice produced in Nicaragua is very important to
consumers there who demand low chalk and high amylose. At one time, Nicaragua was a 100,000 MT
market for the U.S. industry, but due to quality and preference concerns, demand
diminished to zero and has slowly climbed back to 4,000 MT.
After a tour of Agricorp, a modern dryer/mill facility in
Chinandega, the class had dinner with the company's CEO, Amilcar Ybarra-Rojas,
and talked about the quality of imported rice from the United States. Ybarra-Rojas said he hoped to buy more rice
from the U.S., but that it needed to meet the same low chalk standards of his
brand varieties.
"It was heartening to hear that Nicaragua has not completely
abandoned the possibility of buying U.S.-grown rice," said Tim
Walker. "Approximately 5,000 tons
of identity preserved, pure-line rice was shipped to Agricorp in the winter of
2017 and a minimum of 10,000 tons of the same will be sent within a month or
so. Mr. Ybarra-Rojas told our group he
hopes the day is soon where he buys 150,000 tons of rice produced in the United
States."
Fedearroz mill built with TRQ funds
Colombia's rice farms are situated in fertile valleys at
1,500-2,000 feet above sea level. Much
like Nicaragua, Colombia's climate and environmental conditions allow for
agricultural diversity including grains, fruits, coffee, and cattle. And also like Nicaragua, their roads make it
arduous for farmers to get their crops to market.
"What caught my attention right away was the system the
farmers there used to irrigate their crops," said Christian Richard. "Most of the water used to flood the
fields comes down from the mountains through man-made canals using
gravity. The idea of capturing this
water, holding it, and using it on fields further downstream was very
important, so much so that the first farm we saw had just constructed an
on-farm reservoir to hold rain water and runoff as a source of water for future
rice crops."
In Colombia, the group also toured newly constructed research and
processing facilities and an irrigation project, all funded with TRQ funds made
available by the U.S. Colombian Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Innovative use of these funds for research,
production, processing, and marketing, has allowed them to develop and expand
the rice market extensively.
As Fred Zaunbrecher explains, "Nearly 60 million dollars has
been recognized by each partner in the Colombia FTA. The United States has dedicated their share
to an investment in research and Colombia has elected to use theirs for
improvement to their rice industry infrastructure."
Fedearroz, a private company made up of 700 employees, hosted a
tour of their rice seed farm, their rice seed processing plant near
Villavicencio, and their rice mill located in Casanare. Like Agricorp in Nicaragua, Fedearroz is
vertically integrated, taking rice from the seed, farm, and mill, to their own
stores for retail sales.
"Fedearroz does everything -- rice research, breeding, seed
production and distribution, member-farming-incentivizing, drying, milling, and
retail marketing," said Jonathan Hobbs.
"Their research and breeding center was new and impressive, as was
their seed production plant. Their new
mill was not huge, but it was by far the nicest and most modern mill I have
ever seen."
The class met a local husband/wife team who farmed about forty five
minutes from the mill and they asked many questions about U.S. government
lending programs, subsidy programs, and even import taxes on equipment. As Richard said, "Even though we work a
couple thousand miles apart, our day to day struggles were very similar."
"I was very impressed by how warmly we were welcomed, and the
hospitality and openness extended by the people of Nicaragua and
Colombia," said Martin.
"Programs like this help keep the channels of communication open
for progress in the future. The contacts
that were made on this trip, and the relationships built in a short amount of
time, makes me hopeful that our countries will continue to work together for
the mutual benefit of the entire rice industry."
The Rice Leadership Development Program is sponsored by John Deere
Company, American Commodity Company, and RiceTec, Inc. through a grant to The
Rice Foundation and is managed by USA Rice.
On the loading dock at the Agricorp mill near Managua, Nicaragua
Domoguen: DA
Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol supports the Golden Rice Project
Tuesday,
November 28, 2017 By ROBERT L. DOMOGUEN MOUNTAIN LIGHT I WAs unable to talk to
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol on the joint Golden Rice (GR) project
of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Philippine Rice
Research Institute (Philrice) on those occasions I was in Metro Manila earlier
this quarter of the year. To put this matter into perspective, I have been
writing a series of articles last October, this year, about Golden Rice, with
information inputs from Dr. Roel Suralta, team leader of the GR Project at
Philrice.
I wanted our good Secretary to personally
share his views on the merits of this special rice crop and the joint GR
Project in the Philippines through our Mountain Light column at Sun Star
Baguio. Golden Rice is a genetically engineered crop created by borrowing the
carotene-making gene from corn and placing that gene into rice. Carotene is an
important plant ingredient that our bodies convert into vitamin A. The nutrient
is essential to the development of bones and eyesight. The Filipino diet has
highlighted to policymakers and rice scientists the importance of the GR
Project. We eat rice three times a day for our energy needs.
Vitamin A can be had from vegetables and
fruits. It is argued that VAD can be addressed with proper education and
fortification programs. After decades of government and private sponsored
vitamin A fortification and nutrition education, even in areas with ample
supply of vegetables and fruits, one might believe that VAD should not be an
issue in the Philippines. However, research studies show otherwise. The results
of a food and nutrition survey among pre-school children revealed VAD increased
from 15.2 percent in 2008 to 20.4 percent in 2013. These figures translate to
about 2.1 million Filipino kids who are at very high risk of becoming blind or
even dying due to preventable infections.
Experts
say VAD increases vulnerability to illnesses including measles, respiratory
infections, and diarrhea, which are the leading causes of death among children
in developing countries. It is not only the proponents of the GR Project who
are advocating for Golden Rice. The cream of the world’s science community,
particularly Nobel Laureates (more than 100 of them), including a former
Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore, are supporting both the science and merits
of golden rice in addressing VAD. Upon assumption to office, former Secretary
of the DA, Proceso J. Alcala, once an ardent proponent of organic farming in
the Philippines, warned that GMO crops are not safe for consumption.
However,
I was informed by a staff at PhilRice that he (Secretary Alcala) supported the
GR Project. When Secretary Piñol came over to the Cordillera last week for the
conduct of the 6th National Congress on Goats and Sheep, I wanted so much to
get his statement on the GR Project that I have been waiting for.
When
we met in La Trinidad, Benguet, I kept silent. I did not plunge into the
interview I wanted to have. Everybody wanted to have a brief chat with their
photos taken with him. I simply followed where he went, cautious not to intrude
in his thoughts, time and priorities while he was around. As a guest of honor
and speaker during the occasion, he shared his thoughts as a goat raiser. “I
love goats, I know goats,” he said. That is true. When we visited Cotabato way
back when he was yet governor of the province, we toured his goat farm. “I was
a breeder of goats,” he added. Indeed, he had the best goats I ever saw at that
time in the Philippines.
When
he shifted his talk to hybridization and its benefits, my mind was imagining
almost every living creature on the planet that could be genetically improved
through the process are actually hybridized throughout time. For several
centuries, human beings have been intermarrying with each other. Wherever
people went, they also brought with them livestock and crops that were used to
improve the native stock. Unexpectedly, on my part, Secretary Piñol took this
public occasion to express his support to the GR Project in the Philippines,
“notwithstanding the opposition of Greenpeace and non-government organizations
(NGOs).”
Golden rice is natural rice. The genetic
alteration done in the intervention is to introduce a critical natural and
helpful ingredient in the crop for the benefit of farmers and consumers of rice
over the long term, Secretary Piñol said. Last February 28, 2017, the IRRI and
Philrice submitted an application for a biosafety permit with the Bureau of
Plant Industry (BPI). Approval of the permit will bring Golden Rice – the
vitamin A-enriched rice variety that can help combat vitamin A deficiency one
step closer to consumers. The permit will allow “direct use of Golden Rice
(GR2E) as food and feed or for processing.”
In a previous email from Dr. Suralta, he said
that “PhilRice and IRRI are working together in the Philippines to develop
Golden Rice as a potential new food-based approach to improve vitamin A
status.” He said that completion of the biosafety assessment is a prerequisite
for the conduct of human nutrition studies of Golden Rice. The human nutrition
studies are an important component in demonstrating the value of Golden Rice in
complementing other approaches to mitigate vitamin A deficiency. After a dinner
meeting with several guests at the DA Regional Office Conference Hall, which I
waited on, I finally told Secretary Piñol my appreciation of his speech earlier
in the day. “Specifically, your statement of support to golden rice was
something I waited on for quite some time,” I said.
Reading my account on FB about this encounter,
Dr. Roel Suralta immediately thanked me, saying that the good Secretary simply
reiterated his kind support to the GR Project. On that day, we are both
grateful souls on behalf of the nation’s farmers.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/opinion/2017/11/28/domoguen-da-secretary-emmanuel-f-pinol-supports-golden-rice-project-577140
Senate OKs Balik Scientist Bill
on final reading
Rappler.com
Published 10:17 AM, November 28, 2017
Updated 10:17 AM, November 28, 2017
PINOY SCIENTIST AT
WORK. In this photograph taken on October 10, 2015, gene bank manager Flora de
Guzman checks rice samples at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
in Laguna, south of Manila. Noel Celis/AFP
MANILA, Philippines – A proposed
measure to help attract Filipino scientists and experts back home has hurdled
the third and final reading at the Senate.The Senate passed Senate Bill No 1533
or the Balik Scientist Bill on third and final reading with a vote of 13-0. It
aims to provide incentives and benefits for Filipino scientists based overseas
who decide to return home to help in the country's research and development
sector. It aims to help address the shortage of scientists, engineers, and
experts in the Philippines, who are lured by other countries with better pay
and working conditions and facilities.
SB 1533 aims to institutionalize
the Balik Scientist Program, a program of the Department of Science and
Technology (DOST) that gives incentives and benefits to Filipino scientists who
return to work the country.
The DOST defines "balik
scientists" as Filipino citizens, former Filipino citizens, or foreigners
of Filipino descent who live abroad and are contracted by the government to
work in the Philippines for a certain period of time.
At present, the Philippines only
has 189 scientists per million people, which Senator Paolo Benigno
"Bam" Aquino IV said is a far cry from the UNESCO standard of 380
scientists per million.
This figure pales in comparison
to South Korea (5,300), United States (3,500), Malaysia (2,100), Singapore
(6,700), and Israel (8,300), which leads the world in the statistic."This
is a step towards improving the country’s research and development sector. We
must support more initiatives to empower our scientists and researchers,"
Aquino said in a statement on Monday, November 27.The DOST previously said that
the Balik Scientist Law will significantly increase funding for the Balik
Scientist Program.
The 2017 budget for the program
was at P25 million.The late strongman Ferdinand Marcos established the Balik
Scientist Program through Presidential Decree No. 819 in 1975, and was
implemented until 1986. President Fidel V. Ramos revived the program through
Executive Order No. 130 in 1993, placing it under the DOST. – Rappler.com
https://www.rappler.com/science-nature/society-culture/189726-balik-scientist-bill-passes-senate-final-reading
Wheat recovers on increased offtake by flour
mills
PTI | Nov 28, 2017,
14:57 IST
However, rice basmati ended lower on easing demand.
Traders said increased offtake by flour mills amid pause in
supplies from producing regions mainly attributed the rise in wheat prices.
In the national capital, wheat dara (for mills) rose by Rs 15 to
Rs 1,835-1,840 per quintal. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and traded
higher by a similar margin to Rs 1,840-1,845 per 90 kg.
On the other hand, rice basmati common and Pusa-1121 variety
fell by Rs 200 each to Rs 7,700-7,800 and Rs 6,200- 6,300 per quintal
respectively.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,125-2,325, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs
1,835-1,840, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,840-1,845, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs
260-300, Shakti Bhog (10
kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs 990-1,000 (50 kg), Maida
Rs 1,030-1,040 (50 kg)and Sooji
Rs 1,060-1,070 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal
Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs
9,800, Basmati common new Rs 7,700-7,800, Rice Pusa (1121)
Rs 6,200-6,300, Permal raw Rs 2,300-2350, Permal wand Rs 2,350-2,400, Sela Rs
2,600-2,800 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,950-1,975, Bajra Rs 1,200-1,205, Jowar yellow Rs
1,350-1,400, white Rs 2,700-2,800, Maize Rs 1,320- 1,325, Barley Rs
1,480-1,490. SUN KPS ADI MKJ
RiceBran
Technologies (RIBT) Receives Hold Rating from Maxim Group
Separately, ValuEngine upgraded
shares of RiceBran Technologies from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating
in a research note on Friday, September 15th.Shares of RiceBran Technologies (NASDAQ RIBT) remained
flat at $$1.24 during mid-day trading on Friday. 12,100 shares of the company’s
stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 45,781.
RiceBran Technologies has a
52-week low of $0.69 and a 52-week high of $1.40.
A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in RiceBran
Technologies stock. First Eagle Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake
in RiceBran Technologies (NASDAQ:RIBT) during the 3rd quarter, according to its
most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The institutional investor acquired 199,978 shares of the company’s stock,
valued at approximately $256,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned
1.19% of RiceBran Technologies at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.49% of the company’s stock.
About RiceBran Technologies
RiceBran Technologies is a human
food ingredient, functional food ingredient, packaged functional food and
animal nutrition company. The Company is focused on processing and marketing of
nutrient dense products derived from raw rice, an underutilized by-product of
the rice milling industry. The Company has two operating segments
https://weekherald.com/2017/11/28/ricebran-technologies-ribt-hold-rating-reiterated-at-maxim-group.html
Over 68 lakh tonnes paddy arrives in Haryana
Chandigarh, Nov 28 More than
68.57 lakh tonnes of paddy had arrived in the 'mandis' of Haryana until
yesterday as compared to over 69.56 lakh tonnes during the corresponding period
that arrived during the last year.Out of the total arrival of paddy until
yesterday during the current procurement season which began last month,
government agencies had procured over 58.71 lakh tonnes of paddy whereas the
remaining over 9.85 lakh tonnes was procured by the millers.
More than 27.36 lakh tonnes of
paddy has been purchased by the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs
Department, over 19.18 lakh tonnes by Hafed, over 6.40 lakh tonnes by the
Haryana Warehousing Corporation, over 5.56 lakh tonnes by the Haryana
Agro-industries Corporation and 19,667 tonnes by the Food Corporation of India,
an official release said here.
Giving details of paddy arrival
in different districts, it said that maximum quantity of paddy has arrived in
Karnal which is over 14.47 lakh tonnes followed by Kurukshetra at over 12.12
lakh tonnes.
https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/over-68-lakh-tonnes-paddy-arrives-in-haryana/1198014
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices Open- November 29, 2017
NEWSNOVEMBER 29, 2017 / 1:22 PM
Nagpur, Nov 29 (Reuters) – Gram prices reported strong in Nagpur
Agriculture Produce Marketing
Committee (APMC) on increased demand from local millers amid weak
supply from producing regions.
Fresh rise in Madhya Pradesh gram pries and reported demand from
South-based millers also pushed
up prices, according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Desi gram raw recovered
in open market on renewed buying support from local traders.
TUAR
* Tuar Karnataka firmed up
in open market on good demand from local traders amid tight
supply from producing
regions.
* Moong Chamki moved down
in open market on lack of demand from local traders.
* In Akola, Tuar New –
4,000-4,150, Tuar dal (clean) – 5,700-5,800, Udid Mogar (clean)
– 8,000-8,500, Moong
Mogar (clean) 7,000-7,300, Gram – 4,525-4,675, 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 4,200-4,400 3,800-4,400
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction n.a. 3,822-3,927
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 1,600-1,680 1,600-1,696
Gram Super Best
Bold 7,000-7,800 7,000-7,800
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 4,700-4,800 4,700-4,800
Desi gram Raw 4,950-5,050 4,900-5,000
Gram Kabuli 12,400-13,000 12,400-13,000
Tuar Fataka
Best-New 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400
Tuar Fataka
Medium-New 5,900-6,100 5,900-6,000
Tuar Dal Best
Phod-New 5,400-5,700 5,400-5,700
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 5,100-5,350 5,100-5,350
Tuar Gavarani New 4,050-4,150 4,000-4,100
Tuar Karnataka 4,550-4,850 4,400-4,700
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 7,100-7,600
Udid Mogar best (100
INR/KG) (New) 8,500-9,000
8,500-9,000
Udid Mogar Medium (100
INR/KG) 5,800-7,000 5,800-7,000
Udid Dal Black (100
INR/KG) 5,300-6,400 5,300-6,400
Batri dal (100
INR/KG) 5,100-5,200 5,100-5,200
Lakhodi dal (100
INR/kg) 3,000-3,100 2,850-3,000
Watana Dal (100
INR/KG) 3,100-3,200 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) 1,850-1,950 1,850-1,950
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) 10,200-14,000 10,200-14,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100
INR/KG) 5,200-7,500 5,300-7,500
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. 31.5 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 11.6 degree
Celsius
Rainfall : Nil
FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would
be around and 31 and 12 degree
Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices,
but included in market prices)
FG supports local farmers with rice milling equipment
November 28, 2017
The Minister also noted that according to reports from Thai Rice
Exporters Association, the volume of rice importation has dropped from a
whopping 644,000 tons to 20,000 tons from 2015 till date.Earlier, Dr. Mrs. Nike
Akande (NBGN) called for the support of the Ministry in the organization of the
4th Nigeria Rice Investment Forum scheduled for 2018 and moreover assured the
Minister of the continuous collaboration and support of the NBGN in the bid to
grow the agriculture sector.
Dr. Mrs. Nike Akande seized the opportunity to present a plaque to
the Honourable Minister of Agriculture for his efforts in driving the agriculture
sector forward.NEPAD was inaugurated in 2004 by former President Olusegun
Obasanjo with the sole objective of job and wealth creation for poverty
alleviation in the African continent
FG supports local farmers with rice milling equipment
November 28, 2017
The Federal Government has promised to support local farmers
across the country with rice milling equipment such as destoners and threshers.
The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, made this known
during a courtesy call on him by the Chairman of NEPAD Business Group Nigeria
(NBGN) Mrs. Nike Akande (CON).
He noted that with this support, it will further assist the
farmers to reduce the cost of production and consequently the local price of
rice will drop tremendously.
The Minister also noted that according to reports from Thai Rice
Exporters Association, the volume of rice importation has dropped from a
whopping 644,000 tons to 20,000 tons from 2015 till date.
Earlier, Dr. Mrs. Nike Akande (NBGN) called for the support of the
Ministry in the organization of the 4th Nigeria Rice Investment Forum scheduled
for 2018 and moreover assured the Minister of the continuous collaboration and
support of the NBGN in the bid to grow the agriculture sector.
Dr. Mrs. Nike Akande seized the opportunity to present a plaque to
the Honourable Minister of Agriculture for his efforts in driving the agriculture
sector forward.
NEPAD was inaugurated in 2004 by former President Olusegun
Obasanjo with the sole objective of job and wealth creation for poverty
alleviation in the African continent
http://www.tribuneonlineng.com/fg-supports-local-farmers-rice-milling-equipment/
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