As Philippine rice stock depletes, Duterte places NFA under his
office
Audrey Morallo (philstar.com) - April 6,
2018 - 4:34pm
"The president expressed his intent to place the National Food Authority (NFA) under the Office of the President," Harry Roque, a president's spokesman, said in a statement.
The presidential spokesman said that the Philippine leader was also considering centralizing the approval of rice importation under Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, an undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture, subject to the review of the Office of the Executive Secretary.
Roque said that Duterte also pledged to give at least 700,000 sacks of rice to replenish the stocks of the NFA sold at P38 per kilo to be sold at P39.
Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino, a member of the Senate's minority caucus, meanwhile slammed the announced abolition of the NFA Council and aid that Duterte's decision just removed that safeguards against corruption and abuse in the NFA.
Without the NFA Council, the orchestrators of this rice crisis will continue to make questionable decisions with impunity, he said in a statement following Duterte's decision.
Aquino and Sen. Grace Poe of the Senate majority caucus, both called for the resignation of NFA Administrator Jason Aquino for his failure to ensure the right amount of stock of NFA rice which resulted in higher prices of commercial rice.
The government said that its rice buffer stock was good for less than a day, way below of the required 15-day supply for non-lean months.
According to Piñol, Duterte made the decision to abolish the NFA council in a meeting with rice traders at the presidential palace Thursday.
He said that Duterte would like to have only one focal person for each concern.
Duterte's decision to abolish the NFA Council is a big blow to Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., the head of the body.
Evasco and NFA's Aquino are at odds over the country's rice importation policy as the Cabinet secretary is in favor of letting private rice traders doing much of the purchase of rice from foreign markets.
NFA's Aquino, meanwhile, favors government-to-government procurement which he claims is faster but is sure to add to the agency's debt.
It is not clear yet if Duterte has already issued a repealing order as the NFA Council was created by a presidential decree.
Sen. Ralph Recto, meanwhile, urged the government to adopt a long-term strategy for its rice policy as the Philippine population is expected to balloon further in the coming years.
"Thus, whatever rice policy the government adopts, whatever agency it disbands or creates, whatever strategy it pursues, must take a long-term view, one that is cost-effective, pro-consumer and farmer-empowering," Recto said.
He stressed the need to have good policies on rice production and rice tarrification.
According to Recto, the country's population will grow by 16.43 million by 2028. He said that this number of Filipinos would need an increase of 1.772 million tons in the country's domestic rice stock.
"One study says the country should develop 1.496 million hectares of 'rrigable'farmland by 2028 to meet our food security requirements. Estimated cost is P524 billion," he said.
Boro rice: Govt to pay Tk 2 more to farmers, Tk 4 more to
millers
Senior Correspondent,
Published: 2018-04-08 15:39:59.0 BdST Updated: 2018-04-08
16:02:48.0 BdST
·
The government will procure Boro
rice paddy at Tk 26 per kg and rice at Tk 38 per kg during this year’s Boro
season.By this measure
Boro farmers will receive Tk 2 per kg more than they did last year, while
millers will receive Tk 4 more per kg.
Food Minister Md Qamrul Islam said that the government would buy
rice and paddy between May 2 and Aug 31 this year.
The government has set a collection target of 1 million metric
tonnes of Boro rice and paddies due to the bumper crop this year, Islam said at
a press briefing following a meeting of the Food Planning and Monitoring Unit
at the Secretariat on Sunday.
The government will procure 800,000 metric tonnes of parboiled
rice, 100,000 metric tonnes of Atap rice and 150,000 metric tonnes Boro rice
paddies (which would produce 100,000 tonnes of rice).
The production cost of Boro rice was Tk 36 per kg this year and
so the government would buy it at Tk 38 per kg, the food minister said. Atap
rice will be bought at Tk 37 per kg and Boro rice paddy at Tk 26 per kg.
Last year the government bought 700,000 tonnes of rice paddies
at Tk 24 per kg and 800,000 tonnes of rice at Tk 34 per kg. Due to sufficient
food reserves the government has reduced its domestic procurement target this
year.
Heavy rains, mountain run-off and three rounds of floods
devastated last year’s Boro crop and forced the government to lower tariffs and
import a substantial amount of rice to stabilise the market.
According to the food ministry, the government has 969,000
metric tonnes of rice and 362,000 metric tonnes of wheat in its reserves.
The government will not procure wheat this year due to this
year’s limited production, the food minister said.
Bangladesh has produced a total of 1.3 million tonnes of wheat
this year, he said.
Rice Prices
as on :
10-04-2018 10:40:04 AM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in
Rs/quintal in domestic market.
|
Arrivals
|
Price
|
|||||
|
Current
|
%
change |
Season
cumulative |
Modal
|
Prev.
Modal |
Prev.Yr
%change |
|
|
Rice
|
||||||
|
Lakhimpur(UP)
|
20.00
|
-9.09
|
938.00
|
2230
|
2220
|
3.24
|
|
Deogarh(Ori)
|
9.00
|
NC
|
186.00
|
2500
|
2500
|
NC
|
|
Khurja(UP)
|
7.50
|
-37.5
|
455.00
|
2600
|
2600
|
-
|
|
Mirzapur(UP)
|
6.00
|
20
|
322.50
|
2170
|
2180
|
-
|
|
Chhibramau(Kannuj)(UP)
|
4.00
|
-20
|
210.50
|
2230
|
2240
|
-0.45
|
|
Tileibani(Ori)
|
3.00
|
20
|
23.50
|
2500
|
2500
|
NC
|
|
Bonai(Bonai)(Ori)
|
2.50
|
66.67
|
278.40
|
2800
|
2800
|
12.00
|
|
Shahganj(UP)
|
1.00
|
-81.82
|
28.50
|
2100
|
2100
|
NC
|
|
Jagnair(UP)
|
0.80
|
33.33
|
47.70
|
2520
|
2520
|
-0.79
|
|
Khairagarh(UP)
|
0.80
|
-42.86
|
55.20
|
2530
|
2520
|
0.40
|
Published
on April
10, 2018
Iran Bans Rice
Cultivation in Dry Provinces
“This is a policy adopted by one of the Iranian ministries,” he
noted, perhaps referring to the Ministry of Agriculture which has long been
opposed to cultivation of high-water-consuming plants in dry and semi-dry
areas.
While the decision might outrage rice farmers across the
country, experts believe such a ban seems necessary given the serious crisis in
the country’s water resources.
No Need for Import of Drinking Water despite
Serious Drought
Meanwhile, an Iranian lawmaker quoted Ardakanian as saying that
the country doesn’t yet need to import drinking water in the current Iranian
calendar year.Seyyed Hossein Naqavi Hosseini quoted Ardakanian as saying,
“Though Iran is facing the problem of water shortage, the plight of drought in
the country is temporary.”“The minister also noted that over the last 50 years,
we have witnessed a one-millimetre decrease in the precipitation level each
year and a two-grade increase in the weather temperature of Iran each ten
years.”
This shows that we face the problem of water shortage but not
necessarily a dire drought and the current drought is temporary,” Naqavi
Hosseini quoted him as saying, according a Farsi report by ISNA.He added that the government
has already established a working group including representatives from all
relevant organizations to cope with the ongoing water shortage.The Iranian
lawmaker said exploring the issue of water shortage in Isfahan and Khuzestan
provinces is at the top of the working group’s agenda.
He underlined that Iran doesn’t need to import drinking water
from neighbouring states. “We are serious and resolute when it comes to the
issue of water shortage.”Naqavi Hosseini also said the issue of water shortage
can be resolved only through managing both sides of the supply and demand
chain.
During the meeting, three deputies from the energy ministry read
out separate reports on the water resources across Iran including the dams’
water. They unanimously warned about the low level of water behind the dams.They
also warned that there would be a 5,000 megawatt of power shortage in the
current Iranian calendar year because of the upcoming water shortage. The
officials also called on the lawmakers to play a role in handling the problem.During
the meeting, the participants also discussed the urgency of managing the water
distribution systems as well as the required reforms to make to the water
consumption in Iran.
Iraq in talks to buy at least 30,000 tonnes U.S. rice- trade
Image used for illustrative purposes. rice with green peas.
Getty Images/ Burcu
Atalay Tankut
The talks involved U.S. long grain white rice, traders said.
Iraq’s state grains board has said it plans a combination of
formal international tenders and non-tender negotiations to meet its import
needs.
The last round of non-tender talks in March about buying
U.S.-origin rice and wheat ended without purchases.
(Reporting by Michael Hogan) ((michael.j.hogan@thomsonreuters.com;
+49 40 419 03 4275; ReutersMessaging: michael.hogan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
https://www.zawya.com/mena/en/story/Iraq_in_talks_to_buy_at_least_30000_tonnes_US_rice_trade-TR20180406nL5N1RJ14QX2/
PH to import 500,000 MT of rice this year
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:30 AM April 07,
2018
The country’s state-run grains agency will
now proceed with the importation of rice to augment the supply of subsidized
rice in the market after earlier being delayed by its policy-making body.The
NFA Council, an 18-member body that consists of representatives from financial
institutions and other related agencies, has the power to approve or reject
proposals coming from the NFA management.
NFA Administrator Jason Aquino has ordered
the importation of 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice under the
government-to-government (G2G) scheme. While the G2G scheme is believed to be
more prone to corruption and less transparent since it does not require the
disclosure of the bidding’s base price, its procurement process is considered
the fastest.
The agency will purchase rice from the
governments of Vietnam and Thailand where the country has an existing
memorandum of understanding (MOU). The initial shipments are expected to arrive
by the end of May through the ports in Cebu, Davao and Manila.
Another 250,000 MT will be purchased by the
NFA in the latter part of the year through the government-to-private (G2P)
scheme. This is in preparation for the lean months.
The NFA Council originally planned to
import rice through the open tender scheme, wherein the government would
transact with the private sector, but this was sidelined since its lengthy
process for procurement was seen to delay the arrival of rice to June or July.
During a meeting with industry stakeholders
on Thursday, President Duterte asked retailers, wholesalers, and traders to
provide a consistent supply of an affordable rice variant until the arrival of
the imported rice.
This is to alleviate the plight of poor
Filipino consumers who rely on NFA rice that was being sold at P27 a kilogram
(kg).
James Magbanua, national president of the
Grains Retailers Confederation of the Philippines (Grecon), said stakeholders
came to an agreement to provide regular-milled rice to the market at P39 a kg.
At present, prices of regular-milled rice are now at P42 a kg.
“This is an initiative of the private
sector,” said Magbanua. “That price range will not change until the arrival of
the rice imports, or even when prices of well-milled rice and premium rice
continue to rise.”
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said
in a radio interview that consumers could expect cheaper commercial rice in the
market by next week.
Private groups have committed to giving at
least 700,000 bags of rice to the government to replenish NFA’s stocks.
Piñol explained that the increase in the
prices of rice was brought by the increase in the farm-gate prices of unmilled
rice (palay).
Data from the Philippine Statistics
Authority showed that farm-gate prices of palay were now at P21 to P23 a kg.
The rule of thumb for setting the retail price of rice was “double the
farm-gate price,” which would translate to prices at P46 to P50 a kg.
Industry group Samahang Industriya ng
Agrikultura chair Rosendo So said the private sector’s move was already
“overdue,” adding that “consumers must also benefit from the industry’s value
chain.”
“If the private sector has the capacity to
lower their retail prices, why did they have to wait for the President’s
order?” he said.
“In a period of relatively stable supply,
rice prices were abnormally high in recent weeks—so it is only normal that
prices be reduced,” he added.
http://business.inquirer.net/248752/ph-import-500000-mt-rice-year#ixzz5CGPYff8j
http://business.inquirer.net/248752/ph-import-500000-mt-rice-year#ixzz5CGPYff8j
Duterte to
NFA: Ignore council, import rice
By Chad de Guzman, CNN Philippines
Updated 10:38 AM PHT Sat, April
7, 2018
1.2K7
President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday met with primary rice traders in
Malacañang.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines,
April 7) — President Rodrigo
Duterte on Thursday ordered the National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator
Jason Aquino to ignore their agency's policy-making body and push through with
the rice importation.
"Sinabi ko na sa kanya [I told
him], 'Ignore the Rice Council which is mandated by law, go ahead and make the
importations,'" he said in a speech during a dinner concert in Pasay City.
Duterte on Thursday also met with
primary rice traders in Malacañang. After this, Presidential Spokesperson Harry
Roque said Duterte wanted to
transfer the NFA under the Office of the President.
The President added recent
warnings of an NFA rice shortage "put people on a very unsettling
environment."
News of the shortage first
erupted in February when the NFA said it would temporarily stop issuing NFA
rice to accredited retailers due to low supply.
The NFA Council is led by Cabinet
Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., who has
been in conflict with Aquino over the rice importations.
Evasco earlier said 250,000
metric tons of NFA rice are set to arrive by June, "so there is nothing to
worry (about)."
NFA rice is at ₱27 to ₱32 a kilo,
while commercial rice costs ₱36 to ₱65 a kilo.
The NFA caters to 10 percent of
the total rice consumption of the country. It serves Classes D and E, or around
8 to 10 million Filipinos.
Duterte to NFA: Ignore council,
import rice
By Chad de Guzman, CNN Philippines
Updated 10:38 AM PHT Sat, April
7, 2018
1.2K7
President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday met with primary rice traders in
Malacañang.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 7) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday ordered the
National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Jason Aquino to ignore their agency's
policy-making body and push through with the rice importation.
"Sinabi ko na sa kanya [I told
him], 'Ignore the Rice Council which is mandated by law, go ahead and make the
importations,'" he said in a speech during a dinner concert in Pasay City.
Duterte on Thursday also met with primary rice traders in
Malacañang. After this, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte wanted to transfer the NFA
under the Office of the President.
The President added recent warnings of an NFA rice shortage
"put people on a very unsettling environment."
News of the shortage first erupted in February when the NFA said
it would temporarily stop issuing NFA rice to accredited retailers due to low
supply.
The NFA Council is led by Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr.,
who has been in conflict
with Aquino over the
rice importations.
Evasco earlier said 250,000 metric tons of NFA rice are set to
arrive by June, "so there is nothing to worry (about)."
NFA rice is at ₱27 to ₱32 a kilo, while commercial rice costs
₱36 to ₱65 a kilo.
The NFA caters to 10 percent of the total rice consumption of
the country. It serves Classes D and E, or around 8 to 10 million Filipinos.
Philippines plans to import 250,000 tonnes rice via open tender
A worker carries a sack of rice inside a National Food Authority
(NFA) warehouse in Taguig city, south of Manila, August 25, 2015. The
Philippines aims to increase rice production by as much as 6.5 percent next
year after an expected fall in this year's output, with state spending to boost
crop yields helping to offset possible losses from the El Nino dry weather
condition, a senior official said on Tuesday.
REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
MANILA - The Philippines'
food security agency plans to buy 250,000 tonnes of rice in a
government-to-government deal with Vietnam or Thailand to beef up depleted
buffer stock, a spokesman said on Sunday.
The purchase is on top of
the importation of 250,000 tonnes in an open international tender that has
already been approved, Rex Estoperez, spokesman of the state-run National Food
Authority (NFA), told Reuters.
The Philippines,
a frequent rice importer, saw domestic prices of the staple grain increase
by 3-4 percent in late January and rise further in the succeeding weeks, as
state stockpiles dropped to their lowest in more than two decades.
Higher rice prices added pressure
to Philippine inflation, which hit an annual pace of 4.3 percent in March, the
fastest in five years.
Rice imports
will boost the buffer stock of the NFA, which supplies cheaper rice to the
local market and helps stabilise domestic prices.
Asked if the emergency purchase
needed NFA Council approval, Estoperez said President Rodrigo Duterte had already authorised NFA
Administrator Jason Aquino to proceed with theimportation.
The council, composed of
government economic managers, earlier approved the purchase of 250,000 tonnes
via a tender open to international traders and suppliers, for delivery starting
May, ahead of the lean domestic harvest season from July.
The council prefers an open
tender, which makes pricing transparent and less prone to corruption, over a
government-to-government deal.
(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz;
Editing by Michael Perry)
Edd Gumban
Rice prices up for 3rd month
Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine
Star) - April 9, 2018 - 12:00am
Rice prices have been increasing since the start of
the year, following the lack of supply of cheaper rice from the National Food
Authority (NFA).
MANILA, Philippines — The farm gate price of
paddy rice continued its upward trend for the third consecutive month after it
posted an increment of 10 percent by end-March, the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA) said.
Rice prices have been increasing
since the start of the year, following the lack of supply of cheaper rice from
the National Food Authority (NFA).
Under the law, the NFA is tasked
to buy the palay produce of local farmers as buffer stock for calamities and as
a stabilizer in the market to avoid jacking up prices of commercial rice.
In its regular update on palay,
rice and corn prices, the PSA said the average price of palay went up to P20.46
per kilogram from P18.60 per kg last year. Week-on-week, prices were also up by
less than one percent.
The average wholesale price of
well-milled rice rose six percent to P40.69 per kg year-on-year, but
week-on-week prices started to decrease by 0.05 percent.
The average retail price of
well-milled rice increased to P43.46 per kg, up by five percent year-on-year.
The wholesale price of
regular-milled rice was P37.13 per kg, seven percent higher than the previous
year. Its average retail price also increased seven percent to P39.74 per kg.
Earlier, the PSA said the
country’s rice inventory remained on a low note this year as it went down by 22
percent to 1.8 million metric tons (MT) as of February.
The PSA reported total rice
inventory as of end-February was lower than the 2.3 million MT recorded in 2017
and was 22 percent lower than the 2.29 million MT recorded in the previous
month.
Duterte to decide on NFA status
Aside from the depletion of NFA
rice stocks, the grain agency’s status is hanging. The NFA, Department of
Agriculture (DA), and even Malacañang are all in confusion and disagreement as
to where the grain agency will really fal
l under.Agriculture Secretary
Emmanuel Piñol earlier said President Duterte ordered NFA’s return to the DA
but presidential spokesman Harry Roque countered by saying NFA will remain
under the Office of the President.Duterte is expected to decide on the fate of
the NFA after his official trip to China this week.
“Final word in the setup will be
announced by the President when he comes back from China,” Piñol told The STAR.An
industry source said the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and
Controlled Corporation (GCG) will study plans to scrap the functions of the
interagency NFA Council.The source said the GCG, which is under the Office of
the President, is looking at the plans to have the NFA Council reconstituted,
or even abolished.
“The GCG will study
recommendation of dissolution or abolition of NFA Council. It will recommend
reconstitution of the Council,” the source said.The source added that no
timeline has been set as to when it will start and will be finished but noted
that “soon is desirable.”
Immediate importation
While the status of NFA remains
hanging, the grain agency is focusing first on the immediate importation of the
250,000 MT of rice via the government-to-government scheme as approved by the
President, NFA spokesman Rex Estoperez said.
NFA stocks have been depleted
since last week. Duterte ordered the immediate replenishment of the government
buffer stock to stabilize prices in the market.
The NFA is preparing the terms of
reference for the importation from Vietnam and Thailand, which will likely
arrive by end of May through the ports of Cebu, Davao and Manila.
Estoperez said the terms of
reference “may be available anytime this week.”
The NFA Council is not in favor
of the government-to-government scheme as this is more prone to corruption, but
the mode is the easiest way to immediately replenish stocks.
Piñol also confirmed the
emergency importation, saying this is the best thing to be done right now as
NFA stocks have been depleted.
DA to help NFA
The DA will also help NFA boost
its palay procurement to fill its depleted buffer stock inventory.
Piñol said he reached an
agreement with NFA administrator Jason Aquino for an interagency cooperation on
NFA’s palay buying nationwide.
Under the agreement, which will
be formally signed this week, DA will identify areas where buying prices of
palay are considerably lower and controlled by traders and middlemen.
“The NFA will focus its
palay-buying operations in the areas identified by us and they will provide a
space, or an area, in its buying stations so that the DA could establish drying
facilities, which farmers could use for free provided they sell their produce
to the NFA,” Piñol explained.
He also said that should farmers
want to avail themselves of DA’s flagship loan program, the department will
offer incentives and prioritize those who will sell their produce to the NFA.
“The DA will also provide an
additional incentive of farm machinery grant like tractors and harvesters to
farmers groups who will be able to deliver to the NFA a certain volume of their
palay produce,” Piñol said.
The NFA is having a hard time
buying locally as the grain agency could not match the buying price offered by
private traders.
The agency buys palay at P17 per
kilogram while traders buy at a high of P22 per kilogram.
This year, NFA is allocating P5.1
billion for its palay-buying program nationwide to boost buffer stock and rice
distribution requirements as it targets to buy six million bags of palay,
double the three million procurement target last year.
Incentives are also being offered
to individual farmers and farmer cooperatives nationwide, including delivery
incentive of P0.20 to P0.50 per kilogram, P0.20 per kg drying incentive, and
P0.30/kg Cooperative Development Incentive Fee.
A farmer who wishes to sell
produce to the NFA only needs to secure a passbook to prove that he is a
legitimate farmer, submit an information sheet, and secure a certification from
a municipal agriculturist where the farm is located.
For farmers’ organizations, a
master passbook must be secured by submitting their certificate of
registration, assembly resolution, and master list of members.
NFA starts buying during the
summer harvest season, but bulk of the target volume is expected to be bought
starting October until December as the main harvest season contributes 70
percent to the country’s total annual harvest.
NFA’s P172-B debt
Meanwhile, Senate President Pro
Tempore Ralph Recto called on the government to make sure its efforts
to satisfy the rice needs of 106.5 million Filipinos will not further bloat the
P172-billion liabilities of the NFA.
“Imports should pay duties, and
should have an arrival time that will not compete with local palay harvest, and
must not dampen palay gate prices,” he said.
Recto noted that a large chunk
of NFA’s debt could have been used to boost local production instead of
subsidizing foreign rice growers because of importations.
“The debt needle of
the NFA should not move upward,” he added. “We should resist any
notion, especially the one couched in populist terms, that we use borrowed
money in buying rice from abroad.”
The audited financial report of
the NFA for 2016 shows an agency deep in the red.
Recto said the NFA had
non-current domestic loans of P82.1 billion and P2.2 billion in interests
payable, and P13.9 billion in maturing debts. For its notes payable in 2016,
P21 billion was owed to the Development Bank of the Philippines, and P15
billion to the Land Bank of the Philippines.
Recto said “rice security”
can be achieved in the long run by boosting production, “by investing in
irrigation and in cutting postharvest losses, which wastes 17 percent of palay
harvest.”
“If, for example, we have P5
billion, we can use it to buy palay or increase by 40 times the government’s
current budget for postharvest facilities,” he added.
He pointed out that 2.5 million
metric tons of rice a year are spoiled due to lack of or poor postharvest
facilities. The wasted rice is enough to meet the annual rice needs of 14 million
people, or more than the population of Metro Manila. – With
Paolo Romero
Government Affairs Team Adds New Staff
By Deborah Willenborg
ARLINGTON, VA -- Jamison Cruce joined USA Rice today as a Manager in the Government Affairs Department. Jamison comes to USA Rice from the American Farm Bureau Federation where he managed two national programs, Promotion & Education and Women's Leadership, to increase grassroots engagement and advocacy opportunities for Farm Bureau members.
The Georgia native earned his B.S. in Agriculture at the University of Georgia, and worked for the Georgia Peanut Commission before moving to Washington, DC, two and a half years ago. He is an American history buff so stays busy during off hours visiting the countless historic monuments, museums, and battlefields in Washington and the surrounding countryside.
ARLINGTON, VA -- Jamison Cruce joined USA Rice today as a Manager in the Government Affairs Department. Jamison comes to USA Rice from the American Farm Bureau Federation where he managed two national programs, Promotion & Education and Women's Leadership, to increase grassroots engagement and advocacy opportunities for Farm Bureau members.
The Georgia native earned his B.S. in Agriculture at the University of Georgia, and worked for the Georgia Peanut Commission before moving to Washington, DC, two and a half years ago. He is an American history buff so stays busy during off hours visiting the countless historic monuments, museums, and battlefields in Washington and the surrounding countryside.
USA Rice Welcomes New Member
Red
Top Rice Growers
USA
Rice welcomes Red Top Rice Growers, headquartered in Biggs, California, as a
Federation Industry Partner. Founded in
1958, the company specializes in rice drying services."Everyone knows
there's strength in numbers so every additional USA Rice member increases the
influence we have advocating on behalf of the U.S. rice industry," said
USA Rice Chairman Brian King. "We
are thrilled to have Red Top Rice Growers join their voice with ours so that
together we can make a positive impact for the entire industry."
USA
Rice invites producer, mill, merchant, and industry partners who support the
rice industry and the mission and goals of the organization as members. Benefits of membership range from
communications to educational conferences to providing strategic direction to
USA Rice through participation on boards and committees. For more information on membership
opportunities with USA Rice, please contact Jeanette Davis at (703) 236-1447.
USA Rice Daily
IT BECAME KNOWN AS THE BODY CAN HARM
CEREALS
| April 9, 2018 |
The consumption of cereals is useful in all cases.
Porridge is often mentioned as a fine example of a healthy
Breakfast – but is it really? Scientists said: in a number of diseases can be
by no means unsafe food from semolina, white rice and buckwheat, according to
the Chronicle.info with reference to Healthy Living.
In particular, specialists explained than can harm the body.
semolina. It is believed that this children’s dish, but scientists have
concluded: semolina contains a complex polymer is a mucopolysaccharide that
children’s digestive system to break down not. The result is reduced activity
in intestine: the villi on its inner surface stick together, which slows the
absorption of minerals from food – for example, the body ceases to calcium, an
essential mineral for physical growth and development.
Rice porridge cooked from white polished grains, has a high
glycemic index. It should be used with caution or not to exclude from the diet
of people suffering from hypertension, atherosclerosis and kidney stone
disease. Unwanted is such a mess and food for the people, who are prone to
constipation.
In addition, white rice is contraindicated for diabetics – its
use could trigger a sharp jump in blood glucose. With increased blood sugar
there can be porridge of brown rice which has more fiber, preventing the
transition of carbohydrates into glucose and helps to stabilize sugar levels.
But such a mess you need to eat no more than 100-150 grams per day.
It would seem, than can hurt buckwheat? But doctors say it can
be an unwanted dish in the diet of people with sick kidneys and those who are
prone to hypotension, constantly low blood pressure.
Is it possible to lose weight with the help of kas? In fact,
nutritionists are skeptical about the methods of losing weight. As a means to
diversify the diet of porridge in the absence of individual contraindications
perfect. But it is foolish to count on losing weight constantly eating cereal.
According to doctors, the majority of cereals are cereal-based,
containing much starch. In the body starch is converted into glucose, the
excess of which is stored as fat. If the person is not an athlete and his life
is present quite a moderate physical activity, on cereals it is more likely to
gain weight.
In particular, this applies to cereals with a high glycemic
index – rice, semolina, corn, millet, oats (cereal). Low glycemic index have a
barley and pea porridge.
Doctors are advised to give preference to cereals, which are
prepared from whole grains and without high-calorie supplements in the form of
honey, condensed milk, sugar.
‘Sea
Rice’ Trial Could Expand to 20 Million Hectares
Apr 09, 2018
Hybrid
grain guarantees food security by increasing arable land and crop output.A type
of rice that grows in diluted salt water could be planted across 20 million
hectares of agricultural wasteland, state broadcaster China Central Television
(CCTV) reported Sunday.According
to CCTV, 176 alkali-tolerant rice varieties bred by Chinese scientists will be
trial-planted to find the best strain for future consumption.
The
Chinese government invested in research of high-yield hybrid grains during the
population boom of the 1970s. The development of salt-resistant grains began in
1986 with researcher Chen Risheng, who is known as the “Father of Sea Rice.”
Almost
30 years later, agricultural scientist Yuan Longping established the Qingdao
Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center in 2014, aiming to
increase yields and the amount of arable land available. Sea rice first
became available commercially in
2017, when the center partnered with a startup to sell the grain online.
The
center’s deputy director, Zhang Guodong, said that out of approximately 100
million hectares of saline and alkaline land around the nation, researchers had
identified about 20 million hectares that could be planted with sea rice.
Suitable sites include areas of the Yellow River Delta, Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region, and northeastern China.
Yet the
breakthrough comes at a time when China has a surplus of rice.
Earlier this year, the government announced a shift in focus from increasing
and stabilizing rice production to reducing a growing mountain of unsold stock.
New
foods can also cause contention among consumers and regulators: Though hybrid
varieties like sea rice are well-supported in China, genetically modified rice
is less welcome.
Editor:
Qian Jinghua.
(Header
image: An aerial view of ‘sea rice’ fields in Nantong, Jiangsu province, Dec.
1, 2017. Zhu Haochen/VCG)
Indian food eatery to open express
outpost in Midtown
Gabi Porter
Inday, the Nomad-based Indian hotspot, is opening an express
outpost called Inday Go Go.The spinoff, which is getting launched in
collaboration with Akhtar Nawab at the new Urbanspace at 570 Lex this week,
serves up a “superfood” Roti exclusive to this location along with new
signature bowls.Inday also just last week opened its third location, a 22-seat
spot at 708 Third Ave. at 44th Street. Designed by Alexia Sheinman and
Architecture Outfit, the space uses lots of bamboo, dekton and teak. This
branch and all upcoming ones will be using “friendly greeters with iPads”
instead of cashiers.
The concept, which features “mindfully sourced” rice bowls,
salads, wraps and non rice bowl options (with shaved Brussels sprout and
cauliflower instead), comes from former finance guy Basu Ratnam, who first
learned about the healing qualities of foods while helping his mom pick
vegetables and herbs from their Oyster Bay garden.
The eatery is backed by superstar Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s
business partner (and Tony Award winning “Kinky Boots” producer) Phil Suarez.
It also comes with its own culture: healthy mindfulness.
“Every morning, Inday employees begin with a daily practice of
breathing exercises, setting their intentions for the day,” a spokeswoman says,
adding that there are “weekly deep dive” sessions on topics like “physical
health [and] the power of specific ingredients.”
That means dishes with lots of turmeric, charcoal, and grass-fed
ghee. The menu is also gluten-free, with sustainably raised and antibiotic-free
proteins and no refined sugar.
Inday offers 7 main protein-driven dishes, like a 7-spice
grilled chicken, 8-hour braised lamb in Masala spices, tropical tamarind-glazed
salmon and seared green pea and spinach kebabs. Dishes can be in long grain
basmati rice bowls, their signature cauliflower rice, ancient grains or
seasonal greens. There’s also a “Dum Lunch,” of chicken biryani with tomatoes,
mint onions and lemon yogurt.
Drink options include homemade Chaga mushroom bone broth, and
cold bottled options like Charcoal Chai (masala chai, almond milk, activated
charcoal and dandelion root) and Turmeric Tonic Shooter (almond milk, ginger,
turmeric, chlorophyll, lemon, honey and cardamom.) Desserts feature seasonal
yogurt with tahini and Avo Cocoa (dark chocolate, coconut milk and avocado.)
https://nypost.com/2018/04/08/indian-food-eatery-to-open-express-outpost-in-midtown/
Rice exporters pin high hopes on Iran visit
Delegation will
conclude meetings with Ministry of Health regarding GMP issues, Ministry of
Commerce, GTC for buying Pakistani rice through government tenders. The
delegation will be also participating in lunch arranged by Irani Rice Importers
Association.
The deliberations are aimed at increasing bilateral
trade and investment between the two friendly countries. The chairman said the
REAP would discuss the issues related to the resumption of rice exports, which
nosedived after sanctions, from Pakistan, implementation of currency swap
agreement and the condition of good manufacturing practices (GMP) certification
with Iranian authorities. He said that Iran used to be 800,000 tons basmati
rice market until sanctions were imposed in 2010 and exports have drastically
reduced to barely 60,000 tons only. REAP considers unavailability of banking
channel the only barrier for drop in trade, he added. These dialogues between
the leading businessmen and industrialists are meant to inspire the Iranian
importers as well as investors to explore the healthy business opportunities in
Pakistan, and foster new profitable ventures.
The REAP members will invite the Iranians to visit
Pakistan, where Association could arrange fruitful B2B meetings with
progressive business groups, to seek fresh collaborative ventures. The Pakistan
exporters’ team will also hold meetings with Government Trading Corporation
(GTC) of Iran, besides meeting with Health Ministry to raise the issue of GMP
certification for Pakistani rice exporters, which presently has become a major
hurdle in the way of rice export to Iran. The Iranian health ministry has set
health standards for the rice import and only those who are registered under
its GMP certification programme can export rice to the country.
REAP chairman,
talking to The Nation, said that Pakistan team will also convince the GTC to
announce tenders for super basmati and long grain 386 rice so that REAP members
could avail the facility to book export orders for Iran. With a view to enhance
liaison between the businessmen of two countries, the REAP members’ group will
hold B2B meetings with Rice Importers Association of Iran. The REAP chairman will
also call on the Pakistan commercial counsel in Mashhad. REAP chairman hoped
that visit of the delegation will not only bring Pakistani and Iranian
businessmen closer but would also open doors for boosting the rice export to
Iran which is going to be a great market for Pakistan.
“I hope that the
country would regain its share in the Iranian market, which can become the good
destination for their basmati exports,” he said. “Iran is one of the largest
rice importers and purchases rice worth $2 billion every year. However,
Pakistan’s rice accounts for nearly an eight percent of Iran’s market,” he
said.
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