november 2016 rice news

Innovation in rice

AMIN AHMED — PUBLISHED 

A low-cost, direct dry rice cultivation technology has been developed that will not only save nearly 35pc of irrigation water but also reduce the cost and enhance rice production by 25pc.

Developed at the Plant Sciences division of the National Agricultural Research Centre in Islamabad, the new technology will enable growers to timely sow and therefore harvest their rice crop 20 to 25 days earlier. This will create a cycle of punctual planting of subsequent crops due to an early harvest.Paddy nurseries will not be required any more under the new technology. Whereas the traditional paddy system requires fields with standing water, the DDSR cultivation system requires field with ‘wattar’ (wet) conditions.

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Paddy nurseries will not be required any more under the new technology

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The new technology will also enable farmers to drill seeding and ensure an optimum plant population with less labour and reduced costs. Growers using the new technology can save fuel or energy by up to 30pc.

An interesting feature of this technology is that it will eliminate ‘puddling’ creating fine seedbeds for the wheat crop in the rabi season and improve wheat yields by almost 50pc.While the old system produces green-house gases, the DDSR system will ensure an environmentally friendly paddy crop.In Pakistan, there is immense pressure on natural resources due to rapid groundwater depletion, watersheds degradation, desertification, deforestation and rangelands deterioration.

Published in Dawn, Business & Finance weekly, November 14th, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1296077/innovation-in-rice

11/14/2016 Farm Bureau Market Report

Rice

	High	Low
Long Grain Cash Bids	- - -	- - -
Long Grain New Crop	- - -	- - -

Futures:

ROUGH RICE High Low Last Change Nov '16 912.5 -36.0 Jan '17 978.5 932.0 939.5 -31.5 Mar '17 995.0 958.0 965.0 -31.5 May '17 989.0 -32.0 Jul '17 1007.0 -32.0 Sep '17 1016.5 -32.0 Nov '17 1016.5 -32.0 Jan '18 1016.5

Rice Comment

Rice futures posted sharp losses, spiking to new contract lows. USDA's November production estimate was 234.8 million cwt, down 1.2 million cwt from the October report, due to a decrease in the yield forecast of 39 pounds per acre. The production decrease carried over into the ending stocks column as well, as usage remained steady. However, exports have been slow to materialize, and there is currently a lot of rice to move.

NRCS Hits 'Go' on Revamped Conservation Stewardship Program 

By Peter Bachmann

WASHINGTON, DC -- The USDA's largest conservation program, the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) has been "under construction" since the 2014 Farm Bill was signed into law nearly three years ago until the new version was released earlier today. 
The CSP provides landowners the opportunity to build on existing conservation efforts while strengthening their operation overall.  CSP helps landowners meet their environmental goals by addressing specific priority concerns within the span of the five-year contract.  Successful contracts are eligible to be renewed for an additional five years following their completion to maximize the environmental benefits to the land.  The CSP is made up of a combination of conservation practices and enhancements that go above and beyond the minimum standards and help to elevate the level of effectiveness. The 2014 Farm Bill instructed USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to revamp the CSP, particularly removing the complexity that made applying, rewarding, and maintaining contracts difficult for staff and landowners.  After collecting industry comments on the CSP draft rule, NRCS returned to the drawing board to develop and pilot test the new program until receiving the green light to begin training field staff this summer.  According to NRCS Chief Jason Weller, "[The new CSP] provides even more opportunities for conservation and greater flexibility at the local level to prioritize resource concerns and conservation approaches.  State and locally customized CSP tools will improve the customer experience during application evaluations."

In conjunction with the national roll-out of the revamped CSP, the USA Rice-Ducks Unlimited's Rice Stewardship Partnership is beginning the second phase of the National Rice Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project.  Earlier this year, the Partnership organized the signing of more than 200 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contracts for rice growers across the six rice-growing states.  The second portion of the project entails enrolling 120,000 acres of ricelands under the CSP in the same six states. 

Partnership co-chair and Louisiana rice farmer Jeff Durand said, "CSP contracts have historically been sought after by rice growers as astute stewards of their land but we've had a difficult time understanding the application process and what we as farmers get out of the enhancements we've selected to implement." 

Durand added, "It's exciting for rice farmers to not only have a clearer understanding of how applications are prioritized to be funded but also to have funds set-aside specifically for ricelands to help provide growers an opportunity to implement some of the more costly enhancements."
Applications will be accepted beginning today through December 30, 2016 at your local NRCS offices.  More information can be found here. 

Rice QR expiry to hike price of hot dogs’

By        Cai Ordinario

NOVEMBER 14, 2016

Lifting the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice next year could increase the prices of some processed -meat products, particularly those that make use of imported poultry meat, according to an expert.Dr. Rolando Dy, executive director of the University of Asia and the Pacific’s (UA&P) Center for Food and Agri Business, said poultry-meat imports would become more expensive if the government allows the QR to expire next year.

“Some processed-meat products, like hot dogs, could become more expensive if the QR is removed,” Dy told the BusinessMirror.“But other poultry products, such as chicken-leg quarters, would not become expensive, as these are heavily discounted [by the US],” he added.

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture noted in its latest report that tariff rates for mechanically separated meat (MSM) of poultry and dairy products would revert back to their previous, higher levels if the rice QR is lifted.The government had issued executive orders, that granted tariff concessions to poultry products, such as mechanically deboned meat (MDM) of chicken.

“Since 2007, Philippine imports of chicken MDM have skyrocketed from 18,000 MT in 2007 to almost 158,000 MT in 2015, the majority of which were used in meat processing, e.g., hot dogs, sausages and dumplings,” the FAS report read. In 2015 the FAS noted that the top three sources of chicken MDM by volume were the US, Brazil and the Netherlands.

The report also noted that the 10-percent tariff for frozen potatoes, which currently enjoy zero duty, would be reinstated if the rice QR is removed.

The National Economic and Development Authority had announced that the Philippines will not seek the extension of the QR on rice. The Department of Agriculture, however, said it would pursue a two-year extension to prepare farmers to compete with their Asean counterparts.

In 1995 the Philippines, upon its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), was allowed to implement a rice QR for 10 years. Under the QR, rice imports within the minimum access volume (MAV) of 805,200 MT were slapped with an in-quota tariff of 35 percent, while all imports in excess of the MAV were assessed with a higher 50-percent tariff.

In 2004 Manila applied for a seven-year extension of the QR, lasting until 2012. In December 2006 the request was approved by the WTO, subject to tariff concessions on certain agricultural products for member-countries. Among those concessions was a reduction in tariffs for MDM and MSM of poultry.

In 2012 the Philippines secured another five-year extension of the QR, granting both an extension of prior concessions in addition to new ones. The new concessions included a reduction in tariffs for dairy products, oilseed meals and frozen potatoes. The tariff reductions are in effect until June 30, 2017.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/rice-qr-expiry-to-hike-price-of-hot-dogs/

Lifting of rice import quota: How beneficial will it be?

Published November 14, 2016, 10:00 PM

By Atty. Joey D. Lina

Former Senator

The country’s economic managers appear bent on removing next year the quantitative restrictions (QR) on rice importation to comply with the commitment of the Philippines to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and to pave the way for lowering the price of our staple food.

In 2014, the WTO had allowed the Philippines to extend its QR on rice until June 30, 2017, to enable our country to buy more time to prepare local farmers for free trade and enable them to be more competitive with other rice producers. Earlier in 1995, the WTO permitted the Philippines to impose a 10-year rice QR system which was extended in 2004. When the QR lapsed in 2012, it was renewed in 2014 for three more years.

“It’s not good to extend it for the fourth time, it doesn’t make us look good that we keep on extending it,” Socio-economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said as he stressed scrapping the QR would lead to lower prices.

Other economic experts agree that increased rice supply from more imports will lower prices because even with a proposed tariff rate of 35%, cheap rice from Thailand and Vietnam can still be sold at prices lower than that of locally-produced rice.

“It’s going to be better for consumers and it’s going to exert pressure on farmers and to others involved in the industry to not get into a vicious cycle where nothing gets done,” Pernia said. “The competition is always good for people to get their acts together and deliver results.”

But Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol is opposed to Pernia’s position, saying the removal of QR will be disastrous to local farmers who are still not prepared to compete with imported cheap rice.

Pinol’s stand is supported by two of his predecessors at the helm of the Department of Agriculture, Leonardo Montemayor and William Dar, who warned that rice trade deregulation will cause severe cuts in income of some 1.5 million farmers whose production costs exceed that of their Vietnamese and Thai counterparts.

“For the 550,000 who are expected to be displaced altogether, they will find the cheap imported rice unaffordable. At present, it remains unclear what realistic support/adjustment measures will be extended by the current administration to affected farmers and other stakeholders in the rice industry,” they lamented.

Dar and Montemayor, who were recent guests in my DZMM Teleradyo program Sagot Ko ‘Yan (8 to 9 a.m. Sundays), said lifting the QR will lead to a drop in farmer’s income and undermine President Duterte’s campaign promise of achieving self-sufficiency in domestic rice production within two years.

They also warned that the advantages for consumers “may turn out to be temporary, minimal and unsustainable.” Citing studies of the Philippine Institute of Development Studies, and independent economists like Manuel Montes, they said that “with the financial incentives of bringing in cheap rice and the resultant reduced production of the staple locally, Philippine rice imports may balloon to 4-5 million metric tons annually.”

Dar and Montemayor explained that with our country’s limited port, storage, shipping, and transportation facilities, it is doubtful if we can handle importations double the magnitude of 2 million tons, historically the Philippines’ largest import volume in a single year.

In a position paper they co-wrote with Trade Union Congress of the Philippines President and former Labor Secretary Ruben Torres, Dar and Montemayor also warned that amid the extremely limited amount of rice traded globally, “Filipino consumers will be at the mercy of the profit-maximizing speculators” here and abroad.

They recalled that in 2007-2008, the international price of rice skyrocketed from $300 to $1,200 per metric ton, with domestic prices jumping almost 100%, “due to shortfall in supply, market speculations, panic-buying by importing countries and import restrictions imposed by major exporters like India, Vietnam, and Thailand which wanted to secure adequate supplies for their local populations first.”

They said reliance on importation should take into account adverse effects of climate change which, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, could lead to the following: rice prices will increase by 32 to 37%, rice yield losses will be 10-15%, and 20 million hectares of rice areas will be at risk, particularly in major exporters to the Philippines like India and Vietnam.

“A ‘win-win’ outcome to the challenge of security in food in general and rice in particular will demand well thought out, comprehensive and dynamic solutions that go beyond mere textbook application of theories of ‘comparative advantage’ and free trade,” they concluded in their position paper.

Clearly, there is need to achieve balance between the need for cheap and readily available rice to benefit consumers, and to ensure sustainable livelihood and decent income for local farmers that ought to lead to self-sufficiency.

I support their call for concerned sectors to “immediately implement the necessary policies and programs (on technologies, practices, markets) that will improve the productivity and competitiveness of our rice farmers and their industry.”

Thai junta tries its hand in the rice market

MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR, Asia regional correspondent

A fresh crop of paddy being checked at the Chai Nat Agriculture Cooperative Miller (Photo by Marwaan Macan-Markar)

BAAN AO SAWAI, Thailand -- A freshly harvested golden brown paddy field encircles the home of Narong Tapluang, a weather-beaten rice farmer in the rice growing Thai village of Baan Ao Sawai. Beyond his house are fields of new paddy shoots, dull green under the grey monsoon sky.
This patchwork of brown and green, spread across the flat plains of Chai Nat, a central province in Thailand's agricultural heartland, should signal a rewarding period for the local farmers. This year, however, they are anything but happy, amid a glut in the rice market and plummeting prices.
Narong epitomizes the stress that grips Baan Ao Sawai, where 30 of the 70 households till the land for a living. He has had to settle for 6,000 baht ($169) per ton of unmilled white rice for his 50-ton harvest, which barely covered the cost of growing the crop."This lower price makes life harder; I owe other people money and cannot pay it back," the 55-year old said in a soft voice, comparing this year's monsoon crop with last year, when he got 7,000 baht per ton from a local miller. "We did not expect the rice price to drop so low," he said.

Rice farmer Narong Tapluang (Photo by Marwaan Macan-Markar)

Narong's plight is shared by farmers across Thailand's rice bowl, which is expected to produce 27.7 million tons of rice in 2016, of which 24 million tons will be harvested during the current monsoon, according to official estimates. In parts of the north and northeast, where premium priced fragrant jasmine rice is grown, the harvested grain is fetching only 5,000 baht per ton, down from nearly 10,000 baht per ton last year.

Out of desperation, some farmers in Ubon Ratchathani province set up roadside stands to sell the long, tapering grain directly to consumers. Another farmer made a direct appeal to Thailand's ruling junta for help via a social media video clip. Jasmine rice accounts for nearly 10.7 million tons of the annual rice crop in the world's second largest exporter of the grain.
The military-led regime of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is scrambling to keep Thailand's largest constituency in check, mindful that it accounts for 40% of the country's nearly 40 million workers. On Nov. 7 the junta approved an 18 billion baht package to help farmers who grow white rice, largely in the central provinces. A week earlier it approved 36 billion baht in funds to help jasmine rice farmers in the north and northeast.
Both schemes provide soft loans to help farmers keep their stocks in barns at home instead of releasing their harvested crops into the oversupplied market. The regime is banking on this intervention in the rice market to dig the country out of the price slump.
"Short term solutions can allow farmers to carry on with their lives and build stability step by step," Prayuth, a former army chief who led the 2014 coup that installed his government, said during an address to the nation. "The government has emphasized the importance of the price of rice, as the cabinet has recently approved measures to stabilize rice prices for the fiscal year 2017."
However, while the junta may contain spreading rural discontent through short-term measures, the international rice picture is likely to keep the generals on edge. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that global rice production for the 2016-17 season is at a record high.

http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Policy-Politics/Thai-junta-tries-its-hand-in-the-rice-market

Thailand farmers open free community rice mill to cut expenses

 

 

November 13, 2016

It’s harvest time in the rice fields of Thailand. But this year the crop is bringing not joy, but gloom. The price farmers are being paid is the lowest in 10 years.CCTV’s Martin Lowe reports from Phitsanulok, Thailand.

Thailand farmers open free community rice mill to cut expenses

Thailand farmers open free community rice mill to cut expenses

This year’s rice crop in Thailand is brining gloom. The price farmers are being paid is the lowest in 10 years. But one group of farmers in central Thailand believes it has the answer. With a state grant, they've opened their own community mill.

Farmers sell their crop to private mills, which dry the rice and remove a husk from the grains. But it’s claimed some mills are offering less than it costs to grow. Thailand’s military government has sent soldiers to mills to ask why the price is so low.
Millers insist it’s because of a global surplus.
But one group of farmers in central Thailand believes it has the answer. With a state grant, they’ve opened their own community mill.
Rice is milled for free – with the mill selling the by-product. They say it’s the only way they can make their crop pay.
Currently, private mills are offering as little as $142 per tonne of rice. Some farmers say it costs at least $171 to produce. By milling the rice themselves they hope to earn $420. But that’s still less than half the 2008 peak of 1,080 dollars a tonne.
“Prices are low this year but by bringing their rice to the community mill, the farmers can earn more. They can also choose a wider range of customers to sell to,” said Wiruch Thongdonyod of the Bo Thong Community Mill.Thailand’s prime minister Prayuth Chan-o-Cha has authorized the payment of a one and a half billion dollar subsidy, in the form of loans and top-up payments. “Today it’s just about solving the problem. I understand that we have to act legally and not affect any market mechanism,” Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O-Cha said.
He’s choosing his words carefully. As the former army chief, Prayuth took power after removing the previous government, in part claiming they paid too much to farmers.The prime minister he displaced, Yingluck Shinawatra, says the new subsidy is little different from her own. She’s facing a one billion dollar compensation claim and possible prison over her scheme’s losses. The people who dictate the price of rice here in Thailand are the millers, the buyers, the exporters and the market speculators. Those who usually don’t have a say … are the ones who grow it.
It’s one reason why Thailand is one of the world’s top-two rice exporters, but its farmers remain in poverty. Farmers here, hope owning their own mill can be a first step in bringing change

http://www.cctv-america.com/2016/11/13/thailand-farmers-open-free-community-rice-mill-to-cut-expenses

Nigeria: Plateau Will Harvest 1million Tonnes of Rice This Season - Rifan Chairman

Photo: AfDB

Rice (file photo).

Rice farmers in Plateau are optimistic of a bumper harvest this year with their chairman, Mr Joshua Bitrus, boasting that members would garner " at least one million tonnes"."This year's harvest is plentiful; from what we have seen on ground, we expect nothing less than one million tonnes of rice in Plateau," Bitrus, Chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RiFAN), Plateau chapter, said in Jos on Sunday.He spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).The RiFAN Chairman attributed the feat to personal efforts of the farmers and the support from the state government.

He commended the Federal Government's efforts towards boosting rice production, and declared that rice production would tripple in Plateau, when the Anchor Borrowers Scheme takes off. "I must commend government for the Anchor Borrowers Scheme, initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which will be test-run in Plateau during the dry season farming.

"We have identified 1,065 hectares of land across the state; the areas are close to water because water is crucial to rice farming."The planting will commence in the first week of December, while harvest starts by March next year."

According to him, the success of the pilot scheme will boost farmers' morale and shore up interest in the scheme.Bitrus also commended the ban on the importation of rice, noting that it had encouraged local farmers.He opined that with the quantity of rice being harvested in many parts of the country, the pains rice consumers went through when the price rose up, would reduce as the prices would drop considerably.The chairman disclosed that a 50kg bag of rice sold at N23,000 in the southern part of Plateau last month, curently sells at between N12,000 and N15,000.

He expressed hope that the price would remain at that level so that farmers could get "something reasonable for their efforts and be encouraged to cultivate more in coming years".Bitrus, however, expresed the fear that middlemen might invade Plateau and mop up the rice at very cheap rates."We have reported our fears to the state Ministry of Agriculture who briefed the governor and encouraged him to approve some measures."It is a bit late but not too late because we have barns and silos in local governments. The state government can buy, store and re-sale the rice to citizens in times of food shortage or scarcity," he added.

He noted that rice could be kept for more than five years if properly stored, and advised farmers against hurried sales that could only perpetuate the circle of hardship and poverty that had been their lot over the years

http://allafrica.com/stories/201611130015.html

NFA intensifies palay, corn buying to stabilize farmgate prices

November 12, 2016

QUEZON CITY, Nov. 12 -- To assure local producers of a ready market at reasonable prices, the National Food Authority (NFA) continues to buy corn, aside from palay, from local farmers.The actual on-field price monitoring by NFA personnel shows that the price of palay was still above the government support price of P17 per kilogram, at an average of P18.35/kg while corn prices averaged at P11.94/kg for the white variety and P11.06 for the yellow variety. NFA buys yellow corn at P12.30/kg and white corn at P13.00/kg.For both palay and corn, the NFA also provides drying, delivery and cooperative incentives amounting to P0.70/kg.

“Because the country produces corn mainly for feed processors, the NFA has devised a scheme that will directly link the corn producers with buyers through our Enhanced Electronic Trading System,” Office-In-Charge Tomas R. Escarez said. This way, the stocks go directly from the farms to processors eliminating another layer or a middleman between them.

“Reports saying that the average palay farm-gate price of palay is at P17.11/kg means the farmers are still enjoying a good price for their harvest,” Escarez explained. The P17/kg government support price had been pegged to ensure that farmers get reasonable returns on their investment, he added.Since the start of the harvest season this month, the NFA had already procured a total of 1,616,658 bags of palay and 12,409 bags of corn. (NFA

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2131478883612/nfa-intensifies-palay-corn-buying-to-stabilize-farmgate-prices

Kharif paddy procurement to begin from Nov 15: Minister

Odishatv Bureau -

Bhubaneswar: Amidst the stalemate over procurement of Kharif paddy from mandis (procurement centre) with the talks between All Odisha Rice Millers’ Association and the Food Supply and Consumer Welfare department failing yesterday, the Odisha government today said the procurement will begin in the state from November 15.Briefing media persons here, Food Supply and Consumer Welfare minister Sanjay Dasburma said the procurement would begin in Atabira, Godabhaga and Kolapani blocks in Bargarh district while procurement committee in the remaining districts will decide on the date for procurement.
Stating that 16 rice millers have been registered for Kharif paddy procurement in Bargarh district, the minister said his department is currently reviewing the issues of the rice millers. “If necessary, there will be another round of meeting with them,” he added.
Talking to media persons after a meeting with the managing director of Odisha State Civil Supply Corporation Ltd (OSCSCL) yesterday, chairman of All Odisha Rice Millers’ Association (AORMA), Santosh Agrawal, hoped that the concerned minister and department would convene another meeting to fulfil the justified demands of the Association.
“We are ready to run our mill. What we want to say is that if the state government is unable to pay money to us on various heads, it should work under the guidelines on the responsibilities of the rice millers. The responsibility of the millers is to return the rice to the government after milling the paddy. But the other works bestowed on us like transportation, mandi handling and supply of sacks for purchase of paddy are not the responsibilities of the rice millers. We demand that we will not take these extra responsibilities. Let the government pay us the money for the work we will do and assign the other works to some agencies or organisations,” AORMA general secretary Santosh Sonthalia said.
Asked about the matter, the minister said his department will have a meeting with the rice millers to discuss about their issues.
“I would seek cooperation from all to streamline the process for paddy procurement to ensure that the farmers, who are the major stake holders, will be entitled to get the minimum support price (MSP). Since the rice millers have a major role in this process, the procurement programme cannot be successful without them,” he pointed out.

odishatv.in/odisha/body-slider/kharif-paddy-procurement-to-begin-from-nov-15-miniter-176029/

PACC sets up panels to probe 515 rice-scheme cases

By The Nation

The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) has appointed sub-committees to investigate 515 cases, out of nearly 1,000, in relation to alleged irregularities stemming from the previous government’s rice pledging scheme.

PACC secretary general Prayong Priyachit said Saturday he remained confident the investigation of all cases would be completed within six months.
Prayong said he would head a meeting next week of all investigators to give instructions on how the inspection should be carried out. The PACC was also considering doing a guidebook on how to investigate cases tied to mortgages of agricultural products for officials who have to examine and collecting evidence, he said.
The 986 cases the PACC is probing for malfeasance relate to state officials who worked on the rice-pledging scheme. They were said to be liable for 80 per cent of state funds lost under the scheme. The other 20 per cent of losses were blamed on former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:dYeT5UfWfb4J:www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30299849+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk

MRF allows 3 months of rice exports

Submitted by Eleven on Sun, 11/13/2016 - 15:58

Writer: Nilar

The Myanmar Rice Federation says it will export 300,000 tonnes of rice from now until January, in cooperation with its members. The move would encourage domestic rice demand, stimulate the market and bring great benefits to everyone in the supply chain, it said. 

The country would earn around US$90 million from 300,000 tonnes of rice, the trade body said.  

The MRF said it would not support exports that would harm small- and medium-sized rice millers at a time when the country should lay down a clear-cut policy for long-term development. 

Entrepreneurs should think about exports only after getting the nod from the government. 

According to state-owned newspapers, Dr Than Myint, union commerce minister, said the ministry would allow entrepreneurs to export rice in November temporarily to help farmers cover their production costs. 

The commerce ministry held talks with rice organisations and export companies on declining prices. The ministry decided to allow rice exports for a limited time and tonnage.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OCuqc3GmOecJ:elevenmyanmar.com/business/6586+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk

Rice Prices

as on : 14-11-2016 08:10:20 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

	Arrivals			Price
	Current	% change	Season cumulative	Modal	Prev. Modal	Prev.Yr %change
Rice
Sainthia(WB)	163.00	-8.94	4146.50	1930	1900	-
Birbhum(WB)	160.00	-7.51	5196.40	1950	1920	6.56
Kaliaganj(WB)	13.00	18.18	1181.00	2550	2675	-5.56
Islampur(WB)	10.00	-16.67	498.90	2400	2450	17.07
Chandoli(UP)	6.00	20	271.50	2145	2145	14.10
Mirzapur(UP)	6.00	-20	1826.10	2170	2165	9.32
Baruipur(Canning)(WB)	5.50	44.74	132.50	2800	2800	NC

Thai exporters sign MoUs to sell rice, tapioca

Competitive prices help buoy exports

• 15 Nov 2016
• NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS | WRITER: POST REPORTERS

Workers unload milled rice at Or Tor Kor market in Bangkok. The Commerce Ministry is speeding up sales of rice abroad in a bid to drive up domestic prices. SEKSAN ROJJANAMETAKUN

Thai exporters yesterday signed five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for a combined 11,000 tonnes of rice and 800,000 tonnes of tapioca chips with Hong Kong buyers at a business matching event organised by the Commerce Ministry.Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn said of the five, CEC International Holding Ltd, which runs 759 supermarkets in Hong Kong, would buy 10,000 tonnes of Thai hom mali rice from Siam Diamond Export Rice Co.Kui Fat Yuen Ltd would buy 100 tonnes of gaba rice from Bangsue Chia Meng Rice Mill Co.

Dah Chong Hong Ltd, one of Hong Kong's leading hom mali and glutinous rice importers, would buy 600 tonnes of high-value riceberry, while Kwong Sun Hong Ltd is set to buy 400 tonnes of riceberry from Thai Standard Rice Co.Values of the rice deals were not disclosed.Yesterday, Fu Lai Chun Group also signed a MoU to buy 800,000 tonnes of tapioca chips from PR Intertrade Ltd for US$156 million (5.5 billion baht).

According to Mrs Apiradi, apart from the five MoUs, the three-day business matching event, which attracted 300 traders from 41 countries and 100 local traders of rice, tapioca and their by-products, is expected to generate 63 billion baht worth of combined purchase orders for related products."We hope the event will help rev up the disposal of our farm products in the remaining months of the year, which would help drive up domestic prices accordingly," he said. "We expect rice prices to improve once we are able to export more."Sanya Kasetchareonkij, managing director of Siam Diamond Export Rice Co, said the prospects of Thai rice exports remain promising thanks to competitive prices, particularly against grain from Vietnam.

He also expects domestic rice prices to recover sometime soon after the government introduced myriad measures to shore up prices and teamed up with the private sector to promote sales.The cabinet last Tuesday approved a fresh rice subsidy programme worth 18 billion baht for farmers who grow white rice and Pathum Thani fragrant paddy and store it in barns for a designated period of time.Under the programme, 7,000 baht per tonne will be paid to white rice paddy growers and 7,800 baht to those who grow Pathum Thani fragrant rice.

Growers of both rice varieties will also receive 1,500 baht for storage costs and 2,000 baht for harvesting and quality improvement.Most of the farmers who grow these two kinds of rice are in the Central Plains.As for those who do not have barns, the government will encourage growers in the Central Plains to contact agriculture cooperatives in their areas for ways to store rice.Unlike farmers in the Northeast, most of the rice farmers in the Central Plains have no barns for storing rice because they usually sell it immediately after harvest.The government earlier launched a subsidy scheme worth more than 20 billion baht to help hom mali farmers suffering from falling rice prices in the North and Northeast, sparking anger among farmers from other parts of the country who grow different strains and want equal treatment.For the first nine months, Thailand has shipped a total of 6.85 million tonnes, up 3.7% from the same period last year, worth $3.08 billion, down 4.4%. Key markets include Benin, China, the US, South Africa and Ivory Coast.

http://www.bangkokpost.com

Rice stocks hampering new harvest

Government urged to take old grain

• 13 Nov 2016
• NEWSPAPER SECTION: NEWS | WRITER: POST REPORTERS

Dry run: A farmer spreads out rice to dry on a road in Surin's Chom Phra district. Farmers want the government to help deplete paddy to make room for the new harvest.

Rice farmers have begged the government for help as their stockpiles, which were not bought last year because of oversupply, are backing up and leaving no room for this year's looming harvest.

The problem is particularly bad in Surin where farmers are racing against time to harvest Hom Mali paddy from fields that have been hard hit by floods from swollen waterways.
Paddy that has already been harvested is being laid out on village roads in a desperate attempt to dry it.
Nga Sukjit, 57, of tambon Muang Leang in Chom Phra district, said harvesting was underway, but barns were still full from last year. The grain was withheld from the market under the storage-pledging programme.
Mr Nga urged the government to find ways to help farmers release their stockpiles so they can free-up space for this year's harvest.
In tambon Muang Leang, 73 of 157 households joined the storage-pledging scheme for the 2015 harvesting season carried out by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives.
Only five households have discharged their stocks.
In the past two weeks, the government has rolled out new subsidy schemes to help farmers who grow Hom Mali, white rice and Pathum Thani fragrant paddy and store it in barns for a designated period. This has upset growers who do not have their own storage.
In Pathum Thani, Kingkan Thongkaew, 31, of Thanyaburi district, complained she had no barns to store rice and needed to sell her output directly to buyers.
Ms Kingkan said the price for her Pathum Thani fragrant paddy had dropped from above 10,000 baht a tonne to between 5,000 and 6,000 baht. She needed to sell her harvest quickly to pay for other expenses, including debts.
Praphai Thongkaew, a 60-year-old farmer in Lam Luk Ka district, said rice prices were too low and it was up to the government to find ways to push up the prices to at least 8,000-9,000 baht a tonne.
In Phitsanulok's Muang district, local authorities allowed farmers to sell their produce in front of the provincial hall yesterday in a bid to help growers suffering from low prices. However, only a handful of the buyers turned up.
Supannika Onsri, head of a rice quality improvement group in Phrom Phiram district, said members needed to sell their grain as many still had 10 tonnes of rice stockpiled.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, space at the iconic Thao Suranari Monument was set aside for rice sales yesterday to help farmers. Rice was priced between 25 and 30 baht per kilogramme.
The event in Muang Nakhon Ratchasima municipality drew a huge response from buyers.
At least 10 tonnes of rice was expected to be sold by the end of today.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the Prayut administration supported the grouping of farmers into cooperatives as part of sustainable measures to tackle falling crop prices.
He said the groups would help farmers to have more bargaining power and get access to help provided by the authorities.
The government has set up 107 distribution centres for cooperatives' products and more are likely, Lt Gen Sansern said. Total sales through the centres registered more than 6.3 billion baht in revenue in the first six months since the centres were formed in October last year.
The administration has also increased sale channels for farmers to customers worldwide through www.co-opclick.com.
"The state-sponsored online market would help farmers and cooperatives reduce expenses and cost," Lt Gen Sansern said.
Meanwhile, about one quarter of people in northeastern provinces believe the recent fall in rice prices was caused by a lack of preparation, according to E-Saan Poll.

Just over 17% blamed middlemen and rice mills, and 16% believe the government had failed to cut back on paddy fields.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1133897/rice-stocks-hampering-new-harvest

Old rice stocks: Farmers ask govt to take old grain

13/11/2016
Post Reporters
Farmer stockpiles not bought last year because of an oversupply of rice are backing up and leaving no room for this year's looming harvest.
Rice farmers have begged the government for help and to buy their old grain. 
The problem is particularly bad in Surin where farmers are racing against time to harvest Hom Mali paddy from fields that have been hard hit by floods from swollen waterways.
BARN FULL OF GRAIN WITHHELD FROM MARKET UNDER GOVT PROGRAMME 
Nga Sukjit, 57, of tambon Muang Leang in Chom Phra district, said harvesting was underway, but barns were still full from last year.
The grain was withheld from the market under the government rice scheme, now known as the storage pledging programme.

Mr Nga urged the government to find ways to help farmers release their stockpiles so they can free-up space for this year's harvest.
ONLY 5 OF 73 HOUSEHOLDS HAVE DISCHARGED THEIR STOCKS IN ONE TAMBON
In tambon Muang Leang, 73 of 157 households joined the storage pledging scheme for the 2015 harvest season.
The scheme was carried out by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC).

Only five households have discharged their stocks.
FARMERS WITHOUT BARNS UPSET
In the past two weeks, the government has rolled out new subsidy schemes to help farmers who grow Hom Mali, white rice and Pathum Thani fragrant paddy and store it in barns for a designated period.
This has upset growers who do not have their own storage.

In Pathum Thani, Kingkan Thongkaew, 31, of Thanyaburi district, complained she had no barns to store rice and needed to sell her output directly to buyers.
WITH PRICE DROPPING QUICKLY NEED TO SELL RICE QUICKLY
Ms Kingkan said the price for her Pathum Thani fragrant paddy had dropped from above 10,000 baht a tonne to between 5,000 and 6,000 baht.
She needed to sell her harvest quickly to pay for other expenses, including debts.

Praphai Thongkaew, a 60-year-old farmer in Lam Luk Ka district, said rice prices were too low and it was up to the government to find ways to push up the prices to at least 8,000-9,000 baht a tonne.
GOVT-SPONSORED FARMERS' MARKETS

In Phitsanulok's Muang district, local authorities allowed farmers to sell their produce in front of the provincial hall yesterday in a bid to help growers suffering from low prices.
However, only a handful of the buyers turned up.

Supannika Onsri, head of a rice quality improvement group in Phrom Phiram district, said members needed to sell their grain as many still had 10 tonnes of rice stockpiled.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, space at the iconic Thao Suranari Monument was set aside for rice sales yesterday to help farmers.
Rice was priced between 25 and 30 baht per kilogramme.

The event in Muang Nakhon Ratchasima municipality drew a huge response from buyers.

At least 10 tonnes of rice was expected to be sold by the end of today.
FARMER COOPERATIVES TO GIVE FARMERS MORE BARGAINNING POWER 

Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the Prayut administration supported the grouping of farmers into cooperatives as part of sustainable measures to tackle falling crop prices.

He said the groups would help farmers to have more bargaining power and TO get access to help provided by authorities.

The government has set up 107 distribution centres for cooperatives' products and more are likely, Lt Gen Sansern said.
Total sales through the centres registered more than 6.3 billion baht in revenue in the first six months since the centres were formed in October last year.

GOVT-SPONSORED ONLINE RICE MARKET

The administration has also increased sale channels for farmers to customers worldwide through www.co-opclick.com (see here).

"The state-sponsored online market would help farmers and cooperatives reduce expenses and cost," Lt Gen Sansern said.

Meanwhile, about one quarter of THE people in northeastern provinces believe the recent fall in rice prices was caused by a lack of preparation, according to E-Saan Poll.

Just over 17% blamed middlemen and rice mills, and 16% believe the government had failed to cut back on paddy fields

http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/advanced/1134428/old-rice-stocks-farmers-ask-govt-to-take-old-grain

Mendocino Co. is part of Lundberg Family Farms' quinoa diversification

JAMES DUNN

NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL TECHNOLOGY EDITOR | November 14, 2016, 7:01AM

Lundberg rice dominance

Bulk: 9 bins Lundberg organic rice, $1.89 to $3.99 a pound

Packages: 16 stock-keeping units Lundberg rice, $3-$4 a pound

Rice cakes: 12 Lundberg SKUs, $3.99 for 8.5 ounces

Sweet Dreams rice syrup, $6.29 per 21 oz. jar

Source: Community Market, Santa Rosa

Quinoa competition

Lundberg tri-color quinoa, $7.99 for 1 pound

Cadia quinoa, $7.99 for 1 pound

Ancient Harvest quinoa, $7.89 for 12 oz.

TruRoots quinoa, $8.49 for 12 oz.

Bob’s Red Mill quinoa, $14.49 for 26 oz.

Bulk organic quinoa, recently lowered price, $3.29 a pound

Bulk red quinoa, $4.99 a pound

Source: Community Market, Santa Rosa

---

Arsenic in wallpaper, pesticides, chemical weapons

Arsenic was used liberally in herbicides, pesticides, glass manufacturing, and in the copper chromated arsenate preservative for the pressure-treated wood used for fence posts and decks.

In technology, gallium arsenide is used to make lasers, light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic cells, semiconductors and discrete microwave devices. The poison is also used in ant killers and animal dips as insecticides. Additives in the feed for chickens, used to increase weight and control parasites, contained arsenic.

In the 1920s, chlorovinyl dichloroarsine was developed as a vesicant — causing severe skin burns and blistering — for chemical warfare then declared obsolete about 30 years later; U.S. stockpiles were neutralized. In the 1800s, arsenic was a component of paint and dyes for clothing, paper and wallpaper.

The United States halted production of arsenic. China, Chile and Peru continue to use it in various products.

---

Lundberg Family Farms overview

Grant Lundberg presentation at the North Coast Specialty Food & Ag Conference in Santa Rosa on Nov. 8.

After 75 years in the rice business, Lundberg Family Farms found itself in 2012 confronted with a crisis it did not cause. Rice grown on most farms in California and other states absorbs inorganic arsenic, a toxin that can cause cancer.

The crisis has slipped out of the headlines, but the issue arose again in April when the Food and Drug Administration set arsenic guidelines of 100 parts per billion for rice eaten by infants. There is no current FDA standard for arsenic in rice eaten by adults. Lundberg rice tests at an average of 93 parts per billion.

In a “Letter from the CEO” published on the Lundberg website on April 21, CEO Grant Lundberg said, “We support consumers’ right to know about the food they are eating, and remain committed to transparency on all issues.”

Enter quinoa, a tiny seed consumed like a grain, that has surged into the American natural foods market. Quinoa had been mostly imported from Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina. Now, Lundberg Family Farms aims to become the king of domestic quinoa. Lundberg has acquired land to grow quinoa in cool growing zones nearby, particularly in Humboldt County.

“We want to become the leading organic quinoa supplier in the U.S.,” CEO Lundberg said. “We have some learning to do. It could be a little bloody on the startup (he lost a couple of crops due to storage mistakes) At the end, we think there’s value there. We will figure it out.”

Lundberg headquarters are located about 17 miles south of Chico. The company, with 369 employees, has estimated annual revenue of $120 million, mostly from rice or rice products. Lundberg has 16,384 acres under rice cultivation and expects a 2016 crop at 100 million pounds. Rice from Lundberg sells in half the roughly 38,000 supermarkets in the United States, according to Lundberg, the company’s CEO since 1998.

The market for quinoa is expanding fast, and Lundberg’s timing is good. Unlike rice, quinoa does not absorb much arsenic. “It doesn’t have the same plant biology,” said Lundberg.

“When it originally hit,” Lundberg said of the arsenic issue, “that Dartmouth study” and there was “another shaking of the trees about a year later, we really saw impact on our sales.”

Quinoa is actually a goosefoot seed that absorbs very little arsenic. That fact, plus the explosion of quinoa’s popularity as a food in the past few years due in part to its high content of complete protein, could play an increasing role in Lundberg’s future. Packaged quinoa sells for nearly twice the price of packaged organic rice. Quinoa has more and higher quality protein than rice, and cooks in 15 minutes, compared to 45 minutes for long-grain brown rice.

Starting in 2013, a year after the arsenic issue, the multi-generation family owned company began to look into quinoa. “In a few years, imports grew by 300 percent,” Lundberg said. “We had a number of retailers come to us” and ask for domestic production of quinoa. “We got our directors to approve a strategy. We don’t expect to make a return for at least a couple of years. This built on our strengths. We have farming operations, a nursery, seed development for rice and other crops, storage systems, milling systems.”

QUINOA PREFERS COOL

Lundberg Family Farms already cultivates 800 acres of quinoa and seeks to expand production. But quinoa prefers cool, dry growing conditions. If temperatures rise above 95, common during August in Butte County near Chico, quinoa crops fail. Most land under production for rice by Lundberg is unsuitable for quinoa.

Washington State University researches quinoa, which grows well in the western part of the state. “We joined with them and invested in some of their programs,” Lundberg said. “We set up plots all over the West,” including the Olympic peninsula down to the Imperial Valley in southeastern California. He looked for climate zones where quinoa might thrive.

“We found a few growers” who were succeeding with quinoa, including Blake Richard, who dry-farms quinoa in Ferndale, 20 miles south of Eureka in Humboldt County, and sells it to Veritable Vegetables, an organic-produce distributor based in San Francisco. In 2015, Richard began selling quinoa under contract to Lundberg Family Farms.

Lundberg has 567 acres under quinoa cultivation in Humboldt County, 85 acres in Mendocino County, 20 acres near Smith River in Del Norte Co., 35 acres in San Mateo Co. and 31 acres on the Olympic Peninsula.

RAW EDGE OF FAILURE

Foggy, coastal climates work well for quinoa. “We had to earn some credibility to grow this,” Lundberg said. The company bought about 50 acres near Loleta, 13 miles south of Eureka. “We’re learning everything, from seed varietals, how to purify the lines, understand processing, removing the saponin layer. This is the first year we have done large bulk storage” of quinoa, he said. “We are out there on the raw edge of failure and success based on this gamble,” he said. “It’s a great food. The opportunity to grow it here is beneficial to our local community. We can add a stability in supply and quality that we think is very competitive to the market.”

Domestic production could also allow lower prices. Quinoa typically sells for more than twice the price of rice, at nearly $8 or more a pound in Lundberg packages.

“We want to build a stable price. Growers can depend on certain economics, and that builds the crop’s value and local community,” Lundberg said.

Lundberg Family Farms is experimenting with a reasonable level of production for quinoa from an acre of farmland. “We thought it was around 1,000 pounds,” he said. “Now we’re seeing it might be double that. You want crops that have a good gross and net.”

This year Lundberg’s quinoa yield was about 1.5 million pounds off nearly 800 acres, producing an estimated $5 million in revenue.

LUNDBERG DOMINATES RICE

Starting in 1969, Lundberg made its name as a producer of top-quality organic brown rice, a staple in the health-food industry and the macrobiotic diet. The company dominates the market for organic rice, used in many gluten-free products.

In 2015, United States consumers ate nearly 4 million metric tons of rice. People in China, the biggest rice market in the world, consumed close to 150 million metric tons. India devoured nearly 100 metric tons. Those two countries combined account for half the global consumption of rice, which delivers some 20 percent of total calorie input for more than half the world’s population, especially poor people. For nearly half a billion impoverished people in Asia, rice provides half their calories. In Latin America, annual average rice consumption is about 100 pounds.

Lundberg isn’t giving up on rice. Though Lundberg Family Farms has sold rice since 1937 and organic brown rice for some 47 years, there’s plenty of room to expand even if consumers limit their intake of rice in a balanced diet. There are roughly 110 million households in the United States. “We’re in about 4 million,” Lundberg said. “From that point of view, we’ve got market growth. Just add new households.”

Lundberg Family Farms sells its products in half the grocery stores in the U.S. There are about 38,000 supermarkets in the country with gross sales above $2 million a year. The company’s first packaged tri-color quinoa went into Whole Foods stores starting more than a year ago.

“Perception is changing, and we need to stay up with trends,” Lundberg said about his company’s move into quinoa. “Just like with organic brown rice, we were one of the first in 1969. That got us that heritage label that is so valuable. This is another piece of that opportunity. We could be the first.”

Global Organic Rice Market Research Report 2016

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1.2.2 Type I

1.2.3 Type II

1.2.4 Type III

1.3 Organic Rice Segment by Application

1.3.1 Organic Rice Consumption Market Share by Application in 2015

1.3.2 Application 1

1.3.3 Application 2

1.3.4 Application 3

1.4 Organic Rice Market by Region

1.4.1 North America Status and Prospect (2011-2021)

1.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2011-2021)

1.4.3 China Status and Prospect (2011-2021)

1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2011-2021)

1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2011-2021)

1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2011-2021)

1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Organic Rice (2011-2021)

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2.1 Global Organic Rice Production and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)

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More Chinese experts coming to Namibia to teach farming technologies Source: Xinhua | 2016-11-14 19:07:53 | Editor: huaxia

Photo taken on May 5, 2016 shows Chinese agriculture expert Liao Zuoquan checked rice plant in Kalimbeza Rice Research and Production Station in north-eastern Namibia. In April, 2015, 15 Chinese agricultural experts and technicians arrived in Namibia to conduct a two-year program of technology transfer and guidance. Tasked to help support the Southern African nation's agricultural development, they were separated into four regions to work with their Namibian counterparts in the fields of rice, gardening and husbandry. (Xinhua/Wu Changwei)

WINDHOEK, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- More Chinese experts are coming to Namibia to help farmers in the African country master better farming technologies.Earlier last week, 30 local farmers attended a two-day training workshop on vegetable production, which was conducted by the Chinese experts in Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region.Lynnety Sinalumbu, a farmer from Bukalo, situated about 40 kilometres southeast of Katima Mulilo, is one of the participants of the training sessions."I learnt a lot of Chinese technologies on horticulture production. Sometimes it seems like it's hard to grow vegetables, but simple solutions to problems can easily be implemented," she told Xinhua.For instance, the Chinese experts illustrated how simple nets could be used as pest control mechanisms, which she said are easy to apply, Sinalumbu said.Agricultural connexions volunteer Courtney Mbanga, also from Katima Mulilo, said the training was interesting as she grasped more about backyard gardening."The training which focused on vegetable production was really interesting and informative.

The experts also touched on rice production, which was equally interesting," she added.Photo taken on May 5, 2016 shows Chinese agriculture expert Yin Zaizhong in the vegetable garden in Kalimbeza Rice Research and Production Station in north-eastern Namibia. In April, 2015, 15 Chinese agricultural experts and technicians arrived in Namibia to conduct a two-year program of technology transfer and guidance. Tasked to help support the Southern African nation's agricultural development, they were separated into four regions to work with their Namibian counterparts in the fields of rice, gardening and husbandry. (Xinhua/Wu Changwei)

Mbanga also expressed wishes for the Chinese experts to go into fields to better train the farmers."A practical touch is needed for the trainings that we get. A hands-on approach in the form of farm demo and trials, is needed, so that we also can be able to teach other members of the community," she said.Calling for more of such training sessions, Mushabati, director of the Directorate of Agriculture Production, Extension and Engineering Services in the Zambezi Region, described the training as an eye opener."I encourage similar training to take place in future to improve food security in the Region," he added.The 1.5 million-U.S.-dollars SSC agreement signed by Namibia, China and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will run for two years and hopes have run high for more benefits to be delivered

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-11/14/c_135828607.htm

Brown rice promotion gets boost

Published November 14, 2016, 10:00 PM

By Nestor L. Abrematea

Tabontabon, Leyte – A group of rice retailers in Eastern Visayas vowed support for the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in promoting the eating brown rice, known for its numerous health benefits.

Brown rice (Image courtesy of livescience.com)

Federico Dy, Eastern Visayas director of the Grain Retailers Confederation of the Philippines (Grecon) told Manila Bulletin the group made the vow during its national convention last month in Bicol.“Brown rice has been sold in Eastern Visayas for a long time,” Dy said. Among its benefits are it is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and good for persons with diabetes,. Brown rice is especially popular among the well-to-do, he said.Dy explained that brown rice is not another variety of rice and the only difference with white rice is that it is not fully polished during milling.He said before cooking brown rice, it first has to be soaked in water 20 or 30 minutes.Dy appealed to parents to encourage their children to eat brown rice. It is mostly senior citizens who consume brown rice because they believe it is good for their health.

Tags: Brown rice promotion gets boost, diabetes, health benefits, Manila Bulletin, mb.com.ph, rice, senior 

http://news.mb.com.ph/2016/11/14/brown-rice-promotion-gets-boost/

Local scientist brings in rice knowledge from Egypt

Sammy Sadaka, PE. 

Monday

Posted Nov 14, 2016 at 2:08 PM

  

By Dawn Teer / Stuttgart Daily Leader

Editor's Note: This is the eighth in a series of question and answer articles on scientists at Stuttgart's University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center (UARREC).

Name: Sammy Sadaka, PE.

Education: I obtained my bachelor and master degrees from Ag. Eng. Department, Alexandria University Egypt. Additionally, I obtained my Ph. D. through a joint program between Ag. Eng. Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and Ag. Eng. Department, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. In 2015, I obtained anther master credential in grain operations management from Grain Elevator and Processing Society and Kansas State University.

Field of study or expertise: Grain operations management and renewable energy

Hometown: Little Rock

Family: Wife, Heba Sadaka, RN, MSN, nursing instructor; daughter, Monica Sadaka; and son, Kyrilos Sadaka.

When did you become interested in rice research?

Rice is a major crop is Egypt, where I was born. Therefore, I become interested in overcoming the challenges related to rice production. While working in the field of bioenergy, I developed a technique to convert rice hulls and rice straw to biochar, a soil amendment product. Biochar has the potential to increase the water holding capacity in soil. During the last few years, my focus on developing extension tools that could help rice producers increased tremendously. These tools cover rice drying and storage as well as farm safety. They include on-line courses, fact sheets and smart phone apps that can help rice producers to receive answers on their smart phones. These tools are available on the University of Arkansas-Cooperative Extension Service website.

What courses did you take that steered you into the field that became your career?

In addition to my three degrees, I obtained a master credential degree in grain management as was mentioned earlier. During this program, I studied 18 courses covering almost all aspects related to grain drying, storage, handling and food safety.

What do you do at UARREC?

I succeeded to establish bioenergy labs, where I developed tools to instruct county extension agents, producers and high school students on the techniques of how to produce biodiesel as well as how to conserve energy on the farm. I also developed some grain-drying tools such as a fluidized bed dryer that I believe it might help in expediting the on-farm rice drying process as well as it might save some energy.

What are you currently working on or developing? And why?

During the last few years, I developed a simple technique to measure rice or corn respiration rate. Currently, I am working with several colleagues from University of Arkansas at Fayetteville campus to explore any correlation between rice respiration, dry matter loss and rice discoloration. It is known that one of the reasons of rice yellowing or stackburn is elevated respiration rates caused by storage at either high moisture content or temperature. Obtaining such a correlation could help us obtain the values of the parameters that lead to rice discoloration and may be helping us to overcome this challenge during rice storage. 

http://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/news/20161114/local-scientist-brings-in-rice-knowledge-from-egypt