Friday, May 25, 2018

25th May,2018 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter

25^th May,2018 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

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NARC starts research on developing aromatic rice

May 24, 2018 14:34 PM

LALITPUR, May 24: Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) has started research on developing aromatic rice species after the demand rise. The Agricultural Science Division under NARC has so far not recommended any seed of aromatic paddy species for farmers in the hilly region.

Atit Parajuli, an agricultural scientist who works at the Rice Section under the Division, said that the demand for aromatic rice grains has grown in recent years for use in feasts on the occasion of wedding, bratabandha (the sacred thread ceremony), gatherings, meetings and get-together.

"Aromatic rice has not been produced in the hilly areas so far," he said. NARC has been till now recommending the seeds of coarse grain and fine grain paddy.

He added that they were conducting research regarding how the production of aromatic species of paddy would fare in the soil and climatic condition of the hilly region.

The National Rice Research Programme at Hardinath of Janakpur has already recommended the seeds of aromatic paddy species fit for growing in the Tarai region.

At present aromatic rice is imported from India to meet the market demand. RSS

http://www.myrepublica.com/news/narc-starts-research-on-developing-aromatic-rice/

Global Basmati Rice Market 2018 | 2023 Business Development and Growth

May 23, 2018 - by Frank Beck

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1 Industry Overview of Basmati Rice
2 Global Basmati Rice Competition Analysis by Players
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4 Global Basmati Rice Market Size by Type and Application (2018-2023)
5 United States Basmati Rice Development Status and Outlook
6 EU Basmati Rice Development Status and Outlook
7 Japan Basmati Rice Development Status and Outlook
8 China Basmati Rice Development Status and Outlook
9 India Basmati Rice Development Status and Outlook
10 Southeast Asia Basmati Rice Development Status and Outlook
11 Market Forecast by Regions, Type, and Application (2018-2023)
12 Basmati Rice Market Dynamics
13 Market Effect Factors Analysis
14 Research Finding/Conclusion
15 Appendix

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https://businessservices24.com/1067626/global-b

Talking rice

event May 24, 2018 16:00

By The Nation

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on Wednesday presided over the opening ceremony of ”the 5th National Rice Academic Conference 2018” at Wayupak Convention Centre.

The conference “Thai Rice Researches Move Towards Thailand 4.0” presented the research and innovations used in Thai rice development to improve productivity and rice processing at all stages.

It was organised by the Agricultural Research Development Agency in collaboration with the Thai Rice Foundation under Royal Patronage, the National Science and Technology Development Agency, the National Research Council of Thailand, the Rice Department, Kasetsart University, the Thailand Research Fund, the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, and the Office of the Vocational Education Commission.

Agriculture Minister Krisada Boonraj thanked the agencies for their work in organising the event, saying: “The aim is to present rice research and knowledge by government and private agencies, as well as local communities from around the country, while also help researchers network and research. The event includes many activities including academic symposia on such topics as ‘The Future of Thai Rice’, ‘Rice in Thailand 4.0’, ‘Direction of Thai Rice Research’ and ‘Rice Market in the Future”, and a seminar on ‘Rice Innovation’.”

Rice research agencies from around the Kingdom also gave presentations on five topics: “Breeding development”, “Rice Production Technology”, “Post-harvest Technology”, “Value-added Innovation and Processing”, and “Social Economy, Marketing and Group Promotion, Production and Technology Transfer”.

Two exhibitions were held in parallel with the conference to honour the Royal Institute and commemorate His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The display, “Thai Rice Research Move Towards Thailand 4.0”, presented research and innovation in growing and processing rice and showed how research outputs can be used effectively.

Phanpimol Chanyanuwat, director of the Agricultural Research Development Agency, said that work was proceeding in line with the government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives’ policies to improve the quality of life of Thai rice farmers and ensure they earned a stable income. She added that the agency was ready to work with researchers and other agencies involved in rice to create knowledge, enhance Thai rice competitiveness through technology and innovation, while also helping Thai farmers reduce production costs, and produce quality crops. Thai farmers should not only be able to sell their paddy rice or milled rice, but also process rice for other high value-added products.

Meanwhile, it was important that farmers grow rice without destroying the environment so that producers and consumers have high quality lives, while helping Thailand maintain its position as the world’s major rice exporter.

asmati-rice-market-2018-2023-business-development-and-growth/

Talking rice

event May 24, 2018 16:00

By The Nation

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on Wednesday presided over the opening ceremony of ”the 5th National Rice Academic Conference 2018” at Wayupak Convention Centre.

The conference “Thai Rice Researches Move Towards Thailand 4.0” presented the research and innovations used in Thai rice development to improve productivity and rice processing at all stages.

The display, “Thai Rice Research Move Towards Thailand 4.0”, presented research and innovation in growing and processing rice and showed how research outputs can be used effectively.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/event/30346193

Labor tells government to address unintended outcomes of CTRP

By Samuel P. Medenilla

May 23, 2018

In Photo: Workers at a construction site on Ayala Avenue, Makati City.

The country’s largest labor group on Wednesday said the government should first address the so-called unintended consequences of the implementation of Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) on inflation before pushing for its Package 2.

At a news conference, Trade Union of Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Vice President Luis Manual Corral said the economic managers were unprepared for the full impact of the TRAIN, which has boosted inflation to 4.5 percent in April or higher than the 2-percent to 4-percent inflation target for 2018.

“The economic managers [of the administration] should take a step back because we are telling them they creating a social problem. They are adding to the economic hardship of our people,” Corral said.

He said this could have been prevented had authorities first implemented the so-called tarrification of rice.

“The No. 1 increment for inflation for families in the D and E segments of the population is rice. About 20 percent of their income goes to rice,” Corral said, citing figures from the Philippines Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

Based on its market monitoring, the TUCP said the different varieties of rice have already increased by 7 percent.

Under their proposed tariff measure, importation would no longer be under a government-to-government arrangement, but would instead be based on the initiative of the private sector.

“Some may criticize us why we are looking at market mechanisms. [That’s] simply because it is rational and will bring down the cost of rice to allow the private sector to import rice,” Corral said. The TUCP said the decline in rice prices would “induce a positive shock on the disposable income of the poor.”

Corral said the government could generate P28 billion from rice tariffs.

He said the amount could be used to establish a Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund and boost the competitiveness of 1.3 million local farmers by providing technical support to move to high-value crop or to provide them with mechanized implements.

“The key here is that the process should be participatory because we believe that it is the farmer themselves who can identify the best use of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund,” Corral said.

To further arrest the rising inflation, Corral said the government should reduce electricity charges and provide subsidies to more workers affected by the CTRP.

“If they are able to address the issues on rice and electricity in the coming weeks, they could see its impact on the people by the next quarter,” Corral said.

Maintaining the status quo

THE TUCP made the statement amid the ongoing deliberation in Congress for Package 2 of the CTRP, particularly on lowering the corporate-income tax, from 30 percent to 25 percent, but removing the various tax subsidies and incentives on selected industries.

Corral said they oppose the measure because this might lead to a mass displacement of workers.

“We fear that radical change in the tax regime at this time may also cause locators currently operating in economic zones to look for better tax shelter arrangements in the Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations]. If these locators move, there is this real fear that jobs will be lost,” Corral said.

The TUCP said they expect the removal of tax incentives would mostly affect companies in the export sector.

The National Economic Development Authority (Neda), however, gave assurance on Tuesday the tax incentives should lead to minimal displacement, since only 4,000 companies avail themselves of it nationwide.

Pro-labor incentives

Instead of removing the tax incentives, Corral said the government could recast the requirements to include pro-labor policies like full employment and trade-union rights.

“The reality is, in these ecozones there, is so much violation of trade-union rights. There have been so many case of union busting, and if you are giving incentives to corporations, they have to give full employment and trade-union rights as well,” Corral said.

He said the conditions should include the number of their direct employees, contractual workers, presence of a productivity-incentive scheme, or a stock-dispersal policy.

“We are pushing for labor representation in the fiscal incentives review boards, which will be in charge of the kind of incentives that will remain for these industries,” Corral said. He said associating the tax incentives with labor-friendly companies is also in compliance to conditions set in the existing free-trade agreements with Europe and the United States.

“The continuation of our exporting of our goods to the United States and Europe is precisely tied with respect for these trade-union and labor rights,” Corral said.

The Neda earlier said it is already considering such reforms under the “rationalization” of the tax incentives

https://businessmirror.com.ph/labor-tells-government-to-address-unintended-outcomes-of-ctrp/

Previously Unknown Rice Blast Resistance Isolated

By Sharon Durham
May 23, 2018

Testing for rice blast resistance in genetically engineered rice plants is done in various countries. ARS plant pathologist Yulin Jia samples a field in Colombia for the disease. Photo by Fernando Correa. Click the image for more information about it.

A never-before-described gene that gives rice resistance to a disease that has been costing about $66 billion a year in global damage has been isolated by a team of scientists led by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant pathologist Yulin Jia.

Rice blast, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, results in annual yield losses large enough to have fed 60 billion people each year, according to the team’s paper just published in the journal Nature Communications.

In the United States’ mid-south rice-growing region, the cost of mitigating rice blast infection with fungicide applications can reach almost $20 per acre; plus, the fungus may still cause significant yield loss depending on the susceptibility of each rice variety and the degree of infection at the time of fungicide application, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA)Economic Research Service.

Amazingly, Ptr, the disease resistance gene Jia and his team found, has a structure that has not been seen in plants before. It has been previously deployed unknowingly in blast-resistant rice cultivars because it has been tightly linked to another disease resistance gene, Pi-ta, which has a genetic structure that is well-described in scientific literature.

Ptr has essentially been living in the shadow of Pi-ta. “Our research was able to separate the two genes and demonstrate that Ptr is independently responsible for its own broad-spectrum blast resistance without Pi-ta,” says Jia. “This will provide a new strategy for developing blast-resistant rice cultivars.” The full genomic sequence of the Ptr gene was put into GenBank for use by public researchers worldwide.

Jia, along with his colleagues Haijun Zhao, Melissa H. Jia and Jeremy D. Edwards, is with the ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Arkansas. Other contributors include Xueyan Wang and Yeshi Wamishe at the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center (Stuttgart, Arkansas); Bastian Minkenberg, Matthew Wheatly and Yinong Yang at the Pennsylvania State University (University Park, Pennsylvania); Jiangbo Fan and Guo-Liang Wang at the Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio); Adam Famoso at Louisiana State University (Rayne, Louisiana); and Barbara Valent at Kansas State University (Manhattan, Kansas).

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2018/previously-unknown-rice-blast-resistance-isolated/

How More Carbon Dioxide Can Make Food Less Nutritious

Carbon dioxide helps plants grow. But a new study shows that rice grown in higher levels of carbon dioxide has lower amounts of several important nutrients.

By Brad Plumer

· May 23, 2018

Rice farmers in southeastern China. More than 2 billion people worldwide rely on rice as a primary food source.CreditBryan Denton for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — When scientists want to figure out how climate change might disrupt the world’s food supplies, they often explore how rising temperatures could shift growing seasons or how more frequent droughts could damage harvests.

In recent years, though, researchers have begun to realize that the extra carbon dioxide that humanity is pumping into the atmosphere isn’t just warming the planet, it’s also making some of our most important crops less nutritious by changing their chemical makeup and diluting vitamins and minerals.

Now, a new study has found that rice exposed to elevated levels of carbon dioxide contains lower amounts of several important nutrients.

The potential health consequences are large, given that there are already billions of people around the world who don’t get enough protein, vitamins or other nutrients in their daily diet.

“When we study food security, we’ve often focused on how climate change might affect the production of crops,” said Lewis H. Ziska, a plant physiologist at the United States Department of Agriculture and a co-author of the new study. “But the quality of those crops and their nutritional content can be just as important, and that hasn’t always gotten the close scrutiny it deserves.”

In the study, published Wednesday in Science Advances, Dr. Ziska and his colleagues exposed experimental rice fields in China and Japan to the same elevated levels of carbon dioxide that are expected to occur worldwide later this century as a result of fossil-fuel burning and other human activities.

Most of the 18 varieties of rice that were grown and harvested contained significantly less protein, iron and zinc than rice that is grown today. All of the rice varieties saw dramatic declines in vitamins B1, B2, B5 and B9, though they contained higher levels of vitamin E.

The researchers focused on rice because more than 2 billion people worldwide rely on it as a primary food source.

For people in wealthy countries who enjoy a diverse, healthy diet, it may not matter much if rice becomes less nutritious in the years ahead. “But in a country like Bangladesh, rice provides 70 percent of the calories and there aren’t a lot of other opportunities to get those nutrients,” said Kristie L. Ebi, a professor of public health at the University of Washington and a co-author of the study.

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This newest paper builds on a major study published in Nature in 2014, finding that elevated levels of carbon dioxide reduced the amount of zinc and iron found in wheat, rice, field peas and soybeans. In both studies, researchers installed pipes that emitted carbon dioxide onto small open-air plots — rather than simply testing crops in enclosed greenhouses — to simulate future real-world conditions.

The finding that extra carbon dioxide can make crops less nutritious may sound counterintuitive. Plants, after all, rely on carbon dioxide as an ingredient for photosynthesis, so it seems like more CO2 should be beneficial, helping them grow. But what scientists have also found is that the chemical composition of a plant depends on the balance of the carbon dioxide it takes in from the air and the nutrients it absorbs from the soil. Upset this balance, and the plant can change in unexpected ways.

In plants like rice and wheat that undergo what is known as C3 photosynthesis, higher levels of carbon dioxide may spur plants to produce more carbohydrates, which dilute some of the more nutritious components. But scientists are still trying to understand exactly why some compounds, like vitamin B, get diluted and others don’t, or why some varieties of rice see sharper declines in vitamin B than others.

With further research, scientists might try to breed or genetically engineer new crop varieties that preserve much of their nutritional value in the face of rising carbon dioxide. But this could prove challenging, Dr. Ziska said, given that all of the tested rice lines in their study showed significant declines in vitamin B.

“We still don’t understand why some plant genotypes show a bigger response to higher levels of carbon dioxide,” said Andrew Leakey, a crop biologist at the University of Illinois who was not involved in the latest study. “And that’s important if we want to move from understanding the problem to solving it.”

Image

A member of Andrew Leakey’s team on a test farm near Champaign, Ill. Dr. Leaky was one of the authors of the original 2014 study in Nature. CreditBeth Rooney for The New York Times

If crop scientists can’t solve the problem, larger changes may be needed to blunt the negative effect on nutrition worldwide. “The bottom line is that people will need more diverse diets with a range of quality food sources,” Dr. Ebi said. “That’s already a major challenge.”

Another possible solution would be to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that humanity emits. Currently, levels of CO2 in the atmosphere average around 410 parts per million, up from 350 parts per million in the 1980s, largely from the burning of fossil fuels. In the rice study, the researchers looked at how crops responded to levels of around 580 parts per million, which could prove tough to avoid this century without drastic changes.

Samuel S. Myers, a research scientist at the Harvard University Center for the Environment who worked on the 2014 Nature study, said that this latest paper underscored the need for more research on how our changing atmosphere will affect the wide variety of plants we rely on to feed ourselves.

There has been no work done to date, for instance, on how crops planted in impoverished soils in Africa might respond to rising CO2 levels. And studies to date have focused on staple crops such as wheat and rice rather than fruits or vegetables. And, while Dr. Ziska has published a paper on how changes in plant protein content might affect bee colonies, little is known about how other parts of the food chain might be affected.

“The idea that food might become less nutritious was a surprise, it’s not intuitive,” said Dr. Myers. “But I think we should continue to expect surprises. We are completely altering the biophysical conditions that underpin our food system, and we still have very little understanding of how those disruptions will ripple through ecosystems and affect human health.”

Brad Plumer is a reporter covering climate change, energy policy and other environmental issues for The Times's climate team. @bradplumer

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/climat e/rice-global-warming.html

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Latest research aims to strengthen Thai reputation as world rice leader

national May 24, 2018 15:55

By The Nation

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on Wednesday presided over the opening ceremony of the Fifth National Rice Academic Conference 2018 which was held in Bangkok under the banner of “Thai Rice Research Moves Towards Thailand 4.0”.

Presenters from government and private agencies discussed their research and shared new knowledge, joined by specialists in local communities throughout the Kingdom, said Agriculture Minister Krisada Boonraj.

The agency was ready to work with research agencies, and other agencies, to create knowledge, enhance Thai rice competitiveness through technology and innovation, while also helping Thai farmers reduce production cost, and ensure quality production, she added.

Thai farmers should not only be able to sell their paddy rice or milled rice, but also process rice into other high value-added products and create more effective distribution channels for farmers, Phanpimol said.

Farmers should be able to grow rice without destroying the environment, so that producers and consumers have high quality lives, while also helping Thailand maintain its position as the world’s major exporter of sustainably harvested rice, she added.

The May 23-24 conference also featured two major exhibitions at a hotel in the government complex, in Chaengwattana, Bangkok. The first exhibition honoured the Royal Institute to commemorate the resolutions of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The second exhibition featured the nine allied agencies under the major theme of presenting research and innovation on rice. It highlighted research that was consistent with goals of national development.

TagsThai Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Fifth National Rice Academic Conference 2018 Rice Thai Rice Research Moves Towards Thailand 4.

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As CO2 Levels Rise, Rice Becomes Less Nutritious

New findings raise public health concerns in poorer nations where rice is a major dietary staple

By Chelsea Harvey, E&E News on May 24, 2018

Credit: Nancy Brown Getty Images

One of the world’s most important food crops may be declining in quality due to greenhouse gas emissions.

The results of a major study, published yesterday in Science Advances, suggest that rice—a crucial food source for billions of people—is less nutritious when grown under higher carbon dioxide concentrations. Its stores of protein, iron, zinc and some important B vitamins all decline.

That’s a potential concern for public health, the authors say, particularly in poorer nations where rice makes up a large proportion of people’s diet.

“These results indicate that the role of rising CO2 on reducing rice quality may represent a fundamental, but underappreciated, human health effect associated with anthropogenic climate change,” the authors, led by Chunwu Zhu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, wrote in the paper.

The findings challenge a common argument floated among doubters of accepted climate science—that rising CO2 concentrations are a net positive for global vegetation, including crops.

Rep. Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican who leads the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, is one outspoken proponent of the idea. In an essay published last summer in The Daily Signal, he argued that more carbon dioxide will lead to increased plant growth, spurring “a greater volume of food production and better quality food.”

But the new research—and other studies published before it—discredit those claims.

“We have some rice varieties that show a stronger response to CO2 and they are able to convert more of that CO2 into seed, which can be good,” said senior study author Lewis Ziska, a scientist with the Department of Agriculture. “On the other side of that coin is the quality of that seed also being diminished in response to CO2.”

The new study evaluated 18 types of commonly grown rice to see how they would respond to elevated levels of carbon dioxide. In the experiments, the researchers increased ambient carbon dioxide levels to concentrations between 568 and 590 parts per million. Currently, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations hover around 410 ppm—but at the rate they’re currently rising, they could reach the high levels used in the study by the end of the century, if action isn’t taken to curb them.

Compared with current concentrations, the rice crops’ nutrient contents all suffered under higher carbon dioxide levels. On average, protein levels declined by about 10 percent, iron by 8 percent and zinc by 5 percent. The researchers also found that certain B vitamins declined significantly, some by up to 30 percent. Vitamin E was the only nutrient found to increase under higher CO2.

The research “corroborates previous work that we’ve done, showing that elevated CO2 alters the protein, iron and zinc content of rice—and, in the case of our work, in other staple food crops, as well,” said Samuel Myers, a Harvard University expert on climate change and human health.

Myers, who was not involved in yesterday’s research, has co-authored previous studies that came to similar conclusions—elevated carbon dioxide concentrations cause nutrients to decline in globally important crops, including rice, wheat, barley and soy. While his work has mainly focused on protein, zinc and iron, the new study is among the first of its kind to evaluate the impact of carbon dioxide on vitamins—and it seems that for some of them, the outcomes may be similar.

Altogether, the growing body of research on crops and carbon dioxide levels indicates the future isn’t nearly as rosy as Smith and others might suggest. While more carbon dioxide can increase growth and production in some plants—all other conditions held equal—it seems that there are trade-offs after all. Bigger crops aren’t necessarily useful to human societies if they’re less nutritious.

Additionally, some recent research suggests that the growth spurred by higher carbon dioxide levels could plateau after a certain point, Myers noted. And there are myriad other climate-related factors, such as rising temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns—all spurred by greenhouse gas emissions—that may harm agriculture, as well.

The idea that rising carbon dioxide levels are nothing but a positive for global crops is “pure nonsense,” Myers said.

The declines in nutrition raise an obvious concern for public health, especially when observed in global staple crops like rice. Scientists are still evaluating exactly how much of a problem these nutrient declines might turn out to be.

In previous studies, Myers and his colleagues have used models to simulate the diets of people around the world, the nutrients they receive from those foods and the declines in nutritiousness if CO2 levels rise. Some populations could experience nutrient deficiencies in the future, some studies found. One high-profile 2015 study in The Lancet suggested that 140 million more people worldwide may suffer from zinc deficiency by 2050.

The new study took a more economic approach. Focusing on the top 10 highest rice-consuming nations in the world, it compared rice consumption—and the nutrient losses under higher CO2—with each country’s gross domestic product per capita. They found that people in countries with lower GDP per capita, where rice may make up a greater proportion of their daily diet, are likely to be hit hardest.

Still, “what the nature of that impact is in terms of nutritional effects and health effects” remains to be seen, Ziska noted.

Myers cautioned that a more detailed modeling study—which examines exactly how much of each nutrient a person derives from rice, as opposed to other food sources—would be needed to fully evaluate the public health concerns raised by the new research.

In the meantime, Ziska hopes to investigate how crop nutrient contents may have already changed in previous decades, in response to historical greenhouse gases emissions. He says it may yield further insights into how crops react to future carbon emissions.

“Trying to understand those complexities and trying to understand those interactions is one of the things we think is very important,” he said.

Reprinted from Climatewire with permission from E&E News. E&E provides daily coverage of essential energy and environmental news at www.eenews.net.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/as-co2-levels-rise-rice-becomes-less-nutritious/

The carbon dioxide we pump into the atmosphere is making our food less nutritious

A less nutritious rice. (Reuters/Kham)

WRITTEN BY

Chase Purdy

May 24, 2018

The carbon dioxide humans pump into Earth’s atmosphere is doing more damage to the global food system than once thought. Beyond physically changing weather conditions and the land on which farmers grow crops, new evidence shows excess carbon dioxide is deteriorating the nutritional quality of some food plants.

A study published this week in the journal Science Advances specifically focuses on rice, which under higher carbon dioxide concentrations experiences a reduction in iron, zinc, protein, and vitamins B1, B2, B5, and B9.

There isn’t a deep body of evidence yet on the topic of how carbon dioxide changes nutritional profiles, even though the effects of such a phenomenon could dramatically impact the lives of hundreds of millions—particularly those in less developed countries that rely on grains as a major source for calories. As part of their research, the scientists specifically focused on countries where more than half of the average person’s calories come from rice. The rate of impact is still unclear.

“It’s something that we need to be aware of and it’s something that we need to evaluate,” says Lewis Ziska, a US Department of Agriculture plant physiologist who is on the research team. “The risk is going to be especially egregious for the poorest people in the world.”

In wealthier societies with access to more diverse diets, people are less likely to feel the impact as acutely. Still, Ziska cautions that every living thing has the potential of being affected. More research needs to take place, but Ziska wonders how the plant-nutrition effects of rising carbon dioxide levels might impact bees, or species that already have a limited number of food sources. Pandas, for instance, eat only bamboo, and koala bears munch mostly on eucalyptus tree leaves.

As part of their research, the scientists grew 18 varieties of rice at sites in China and Japan. At each site the y also built a 17-meter-wide (56 feet) plastic piping system placed about 30 centimeters (1 foot) above the tops of the plants. The pipes would release carbon dioxide into the environment, which was measured by a network of sensors and monitors.

“This technique allows us to test the effects of higher carbon dioxide concentrations on plants growing in the same conditions that farmers really will grow them some decades later in this century,” says Kazuhiko Kobayashi, a co-author of the study from the University of Tokyo, in a press release.

The study made a point to specifically mention the more than 600 million people living in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Madagascar as being particularly at the greatest risk if the quality of their primary food plummets.

https://qz.com/1288303/climate-change-is-making-plants-like-rice-less-nutritious/

Previously unknown rice blast resistance isolated

May 24, 2018 by Sharon Durham, Agricultural Research Service

Rice blast, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, results in annual yield losses large enough to have fed 60 billion people each year, according to the team's paper just published in the journal Nature Communications.

In the United States' mid-south rice-growing region, the cost of mitigating rice blast infection with fungicide applications can reach almost $20 per acre; plus, the fungus may still cause significant yield loss depending on the susceptibility of each rice variety and the degree of infection at the time of fungicide application, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Economic Research Service.

Amazingly, Ptr, the disease resistance gene Jia and his team found, has a structure that has not been seen in plants before. It has been previously deployed unknowingly in blast-resistant rice cultivars because it has been tightly linked to another disease resistance gene, Pi-ta, which has a genetic structure that is well-described in scientific literature.

Ptr has essentially been living in the shadow of Pi-ta. "Our research was able to separate the two genes and demonstrate that Ptr is independently responsible for its own broad-spectrum blast resistance without Pi-ta," says Jia. "This will provide a new strategy for developing blast-resistant rice cultivars." The full genomic sequence of the Ptr gene was put into GenBank for use by public researchers worldwide.

https://phys.org/news/2018-05-previously-unknown-rice-blast-resistance.html

Higher CO2 levels may lead to decreased nutrients in rice

VIEW SLIDESHOW

According to new research from an international team of scientists, the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may cause a decrease in the nutritional value of rice. Published in the journal Science Advances, the study concludes that rice contains lower levels of four essential B vitamins when grown under atmospheric conditions similar to those expected by the end of the 21st century. This aligns with similar studies that found that higher levels of carbon dioxide can result in reduced amounts of protein, iron and zinc in rice.

The scientists conducted the study using 18 common strains of rice grown in fields in Chinaand Japan. For the first time, research reveals that vitamins B1, B2, B5 and B9, all of which are important to the body’s ability to turn food into energy, decrease in rice as carbon dioxide levels increased. “This is an underappreciated risk of burning of fossil fuels and deforestation,” study co-author and director of the University of Washington Center for Health and the Global Environment Kristie Ebi said in a statement.

The adverse effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide reflect the unanticipated consequences of climate change. “People say more CO2 is plant food, and it is. But how plants respond to that sudden increase in food will impact human health as well, from nutritional deficits, to ethno-pharmacology, to seasonal pollen allergies — in ways that we don’t yet understand,” study co-author Lewis Ziska said.

The conclusion that rice will become less nutritional as climate change continues carries significant consequences for more than two billion people who depend on the grain as their primary food source. “Rice has been a dietary staple for thousands of years for many populations in Asia and is the fastest growing food staple in Africa,” Ebi said. “Reductions in the nutritional quality of rice could affect maternal and child health for millions of people.”

Via University of Washington School of Public Health

Images via University of Washington School of Public Health and Depositphotos

41 Nutrient-packed Superfoods Ranked in New Study

ENVIRONMENT

§ 06/21/2014

§ under Environment, News, Sustainable Food

by Colin Payne

VIEW SLIDESHOW

Who’d have thought it? An unassuming leafy green often used as decorative garnish might just be the healthiest food you can eat. Researchers at William Paterson University put watercress at the top of a list of 41 “powerhouse fruits and vegetables” that contain 17 nutrients critical for human health. The study, recently published in the CDC journal Preventing Chronic Disease, gives watercress a score of 100 out of 100 for nutrient contents because it contains large amounts of fiber, potassium, protein, calcium, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin d, and other important building blocks for the human body.

According to the study, watercress’ closest competitor for nutrient content is Chinese cabbage, which got a score of 91.99 in the study; followed by chard (89.27), beet greens (87.08), spinach (86.43), and chicory (73.36). Leafy greens won the day, as colored fruits and vegetables came in significantly lower on the score sheet. Red pepper scored the highest amongst them, at 41.26; followed by pumpkin (32.23), tomato (20.37) and lemon (18.72). And believe it or not, raspberries, cranberries and blueberries scored so poorly they didn’t even make the list.

Lead researcher, Jennifer Di Noia told the Washington Post that though they contain plenty of phytochemicals that help prevent disease, little data actually exists on the nutrient content of these berries. “(T)there are no uniform data on food phytochemicals and . . . recommended intake amounts for these compounds are lacking,” she explained. “So the scores are based on nutrients only.”

Before you head out to the market and start cramming your cart full of watercress, keep in mind that no single food can you everything you need. Di Noia notes: “Consistent with a whole-diet approach . . . [Consumption of] all the items should be encouraged. The rankings may help consumers make nutrient-dense selections within the powerhouse group.”

Via Washington Post

Images via thaumatr0pe and Preventing Chronic Diseas

https://inhabitat.com/higher-co2-levels-may-lead-to-decreased-nutrients-in-rice/

Basmati Rice Market- increasing demand with Industry Professionals: KRBL Limited, Amira Nature Foods, LT Foods

May 24, 2018 - by info@htfmarketreport.com

HTF MI recently introduced new title on “Global Basmati Rice Market Research Report 2018” from its database. The report provides study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2025. The Report gives you competition analysis of top manufacturer with sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share, the top players including KRBL Limited, Amira Nature Foods, LT Foods, Best Foods, Kohinoor Rice, Aeroplane Rice, Tilda Basmati Rice, Matco Foods, Amar Singh Chawal Wala, Hanuman Rice Mills, Adani Wilmar, HAS Rice Pakistan, Galaxy Rice Mill, Dunar Foods & Sungold

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In this report Global Basmati Rice market classified on the basis of product, end-user, and geographical regions. The report includes in-depth data related to revenue generation region wise and major market players in the Basmati Rice market.

In order to get a deeper view of Global Basmati Rice market is valued at USD XX million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2017 and 2025.

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Prominent top manufacturers Included In Global Basmati Rice Market with sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including KRBL Limited, Amira Nature Foods, LT Foods, Best Foods, Kohinoor Rice, Aeroplane Rice, Tilda Basmati Rice, Matco Foods, Amar Singh Chawal Wala, Hanuman Rice Mills, Adani Wilmar, HAS Rice Pakistan, Galaxy Rice Mill, Dunar Foods & Sungold

The Global Basmati Rice Market Is Classified On The Basis Of User/Application: Direct Edible & Deep Processing

The Global Basmati Rice Market Is Classified On The Basis Of Product Type: Indian Basmati Rice, Pakistani Basmati Rice, Kenya Basmati Rice & Other

The Global Basmati Rice is classified on The basis Of Region such as: North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia & India

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports. Enquire for customization or Global version of this report with geographical classification such as
• North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)
• Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Spain and Benelux)
• Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia and Australia)
• Latin America (Brazil, Argentina and Colombia)
• Middle East and Africa

Key questions answered in this comprehensive study – Global Basmati Rice Market Research Report 2018

• What will the market size be in 2023 and what will the growth rate be?
• What are the key market trends?
• What is driving Global Basmati Rice Market?
• What are the challenges to market growth?
• Who are the key vendors in Basmati Rice Market space?
• What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the Basmati Rice Market?
• What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the Basmati Rice Market?
• What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the Basmati Rice market? Get in-depth details about factors influencing the market?

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Table of Contents
• Introduction of Global Basmati Rice
• Product Overview and Scope of Basmati Rice
• Classification of Basmati Rice by Product Category
• Global Basmati Rice Market by Application/End Users
• Global Basmati Rice Market by Region
• Global Basmati Rice Market Competition by Players/Suppliers
• Global Basmati Rice Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)
• Global Basmati Rice Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type [Indian Basmati Rice, Pakistani Basmati Rice, Kenya Basmati Rice & Other] (Product Category) (2013-2018)
• Global Basmati Rice Sales (Volume) by Application i.e. Direct Edible & Deep Processing (2013-2018)
• Global Basmati Rice Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data
• Basmati Rice Manufacturing Cost Analysis
• Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers
• Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders
• Market Effect Factors Analysis
• Market Size (Value and Volume) Forecast (2018-2025)
• Research Findings and Conclusion
• Appendix

Complete report on Basmati Rice market report spread across 100+ pages, list of tables & figures, profiling 10+ companies. Enquire more @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/999030-global-basmati-rice-market-3

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https://thetechnicalprogress.com/2018/05/basmati-rice-market-increasing-demand-with-industry-professionals-krbl-limited-amira-nature-foods-lt-foods/

Pakistan, Russia keen on enhancing banking channels

By Our Correspondent

Published: May 24, 2018

PHOTO: EXPRESS

KARACHI: The national chambers of Pakistan and Russia have emphasised the need to enhance banking channels between both countries to increase existing trade volumes as well as explore untapped avenues and potential.

Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Senior Vice President Syed Mazhar Ali Nasir and his counterpart Russian Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Sergey N Katyrin recently met in Moscow to discuss bilateral trade.

“It was also agreed in the meeting that the existing trade relations are not up to the desired level mainly due to lack of interaction of the business communities of both countries,” Nasir said.

Russia has a rich experience in the field of industrial infrastructure, said the FPCCI official, adding that it can provide its expertise to Pakistan for improvement of various sectors.

“Russia can also supply heavy electrical equipment and assembly of sub power stations to Pakistan,” he remarked. The official was of the view that Pakistan can meet consumer demand by providing products like fabrics, rice, garments, pharmaceuticals, leather and leather goods which are in high demand.

“Russia has already contributed a lot for the establishment of Pakistan Steel Mills and can again help the country in its revival,” he added. Nasir also stressed that frequent flights are needed to facilitate the traders and their cargoes.

Russia firms taking keen interest in Pakistan

During the meeting, various issues that are impeding bilateral trade relations of Pakistan and Russia were also discussed. Both sides agreed to resolve customs issues to facilitate traders of both countries. They further agreed to implement the MoU signed a few years ago and formation of joint business council between the two counterparts. Discussions were also held on ways to enhance cooperation in the field of information sharing, exchange of trade delegations and visa issues.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2018.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1717571/2-pakistan-russia-keen-enhancing-banking-channels/

Transplanting Machines Market Overview, Growth Challenges Survey & Forecast to 2022

May 23, 2018 - by info@htfmarketreport.com

HTF MI recently introduced Global Transplanting Machines Market study with in-depth overview, describing about the Product / Industry Scope and elaborates market outlook and status to 2023. At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players from the complete study are John Deere, Great Plains, Kubota, Mechanical Transplanter, Ackerman, Holland Transplanter, Kennco Manufacturing, Big John Manufacturing, Whitfield Forestry Equipment, Yanmar, Checchi & Magli, Kukje Machinery, Egedal & Zhongji Southern Machinery etc. The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization.

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This report studies the Global Transplanting Machines market size, industry status and forecast, competition landscape and growth opportunity. This research report categorizes the Global Transplanting Machines market by companies, region, type and end-use industry.

Browse 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and in-depth TOC on ” Transplanting Machines Market by Type (Riding Type, Walking Type & Tractor Mounted), by End-Users/Application (Rice Transplant, Vegetable Transplant, Tree Transplant, Tobacco Transplant & Fruit Transplant), Organization Size, Industry, and Region – Forecast to 2023″. Early buyers will receive 10% customization on comprehensive study.

In order to get a deeper view of Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2013-2018), Revenue Market Share (%) by Players (2013-2018) and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product/service differences, new entrants and the technological trends in future.

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Competitive Analysis:
The key players are highly focusing innovation in production technologies to improve efficiency and shelf life. The best long-term growth opportunities for this sector can be captured by ensuring ongoing process improvements and financial flexibility to invest in the optimal strategies. Company profile section of players such as John Deere, Great Plains, Kubota, Mechanical Transplanter, Ackerman, Holland Transplanter, Kennco Manufacturing, Big John Manufacturing, Whitfield Forestry Equipment, Yanmar, Checchi & Magli, Kukje Machinery, Egedal & Zhongji Southern Machinery includes its basic information like legal name, website, headquarters, its market position, historical background and top 5 closest competitors by Market capitalization / revenue along with contact information. Each player/ manufacturer revenue figures, growth rate and gross profit margin is provided in easy to understand tabular format for past 5 years and a separate section on recent development like mergers, acquisition or any new product/service launch etc.

Market Segments:
The Global Transplanting Machines Market has been divided into type, application, and region.
On The Basis Of Type: Riding Type, Walking Type & Tractor Mounted.
On The Basis Of Application: Rice Transplant, Vegetable Transplant, Tree Transplant, Tobacco Transplant & Fruit Transplant
On The Basis Of Region, this report is segmented into following key geographies, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), and market share, growth rate of Transplanting Machines in these regions, from 2013 to 2023 (forecast), covering
• North America (U.S. & Canada) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis}
• Latin America (Brazil, Mexico & Rest of Latin America) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis}
• Europe (The U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden & RoE) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis}
• Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis}
• Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa, North Africa, RoMEA) {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Share (%) and Opportunity Analysis}
• Rest of World {Market Revenue (USD Billion), Growth Analysis (%) and Opportunity Analysis}

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Have a look at some extracts from Table of Content

Introduction about Global Transplanting Machines
• Global Transplanting Machines Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2017
• Transplanting Machines Market by Application/End Users
• Global Transplanting Machines Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications
• (2013-2023) table defined for each application/end-users like [Rice Transplant, Vegetable Transplant, Tree Transplant, Tobacco Transplant & Fruit Transplant]
• Global Transplanting Machines Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2023)
• Transplanting Machines Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application
• Transplanting Machines (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.
• Global Transplanting Machines Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data
Additionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturers

• Market Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018) table for each product type which include Riding Type, Walking Type & Tractor Mounted
• Transplanting Machines Manufacturing Cost Analysis
• Transplanting Machines Key Raw Materials Analysis
• Transplanting Machines Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers, Industrial Chain Analysis
• Market Forecast (2018-2023)
• ……..and more in complete table of Contents

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https://thetechnicalprogress.com/2018/05/transplanting-machines-market-overview-growth-challenges-survey-forecast-to-2022/

USA Rice Welcomes Summer Intern

By Deborah Willenborg

ARLINGTON, VA -- Josie McLaurin joined USA Rice this week as an intern with the Government Affairs team and will be working out of the Arlington office through August 10.

A Tennessee native, Josie is a current student at Mississippi State University (MSU) working towards a B.S. in Ag Business Policy and Law, and also serves as president of the MSU Agricultural Economics Club.

While in Washington this summer, Josie is participating in the William A. Demmer Scholars Program where students have the opportunity to earn credit hours while interning, taking classes, and attending weekly Saturday field trips around the city. Through this program and her USA Rice internship, Josie hopes to learn her way around the D.C. Metro system, gain more knowledge about the ag policy sector, and hopefully see a Farm Bill get passed!

USA Rice Welcomes Summer Intern

By Deborah Willenborg

ARLINGTON, VA -- Josie McLaurin joined USA Rice this week as an intern with the Government Affairs team and will be working out of the Arlington office through August 10.

A Tennessee native, Josie is a current student at Mississippi State University (MSU) working towards a B.S. in Ag Business Policy and Law, and also serves as president of the MSU Agricultural Economics Club.

While in Washington this summer, Josie is participating in the William A. Demmer Scholars Program where students have the opportunity to earn credit hours while interning, taking classes, and attending weekly Saturday field trips around the city. Through this program and her USA Rice internship, Josie hopes to learn her way around the D.C. Metro system, gain more knowledge about the ag policy sector, and hopefully see a Farm Bill get passed!

Inside the Sun Valley Rice Mill

USA Rice Farm & Mill Tour Receives Professional Accreditation

By Deborah Willenborg

ARLINGTON, VA -- This month USA Rice's Foodservice Farm & Mill Tour program received official accreditation by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, the credentialing agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. With this accreditation, the annual tour is recognized as a continuing professional education program where registered dietitians can earn up to 10 credits.

"This accreditation is a significant mark of achievement for the Farm & Mill Tour program," said Cameron Jacobs, USA Rice manager of domestic promotion. "The goal of these tours has always been to educate influencers in the foodservice marketplace about the farm to table story of U.S.-grown rice and by targeting dietitians through their required continuing learning credits, we will gain another champion in the kitchen to encourage operators to start innovating with U.S grown rice." Transplanting Machines Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application

• Transplanting Machines (Volume, Value and Sales Price) table defined for each geographic region defined.
• Global Transplanting Machines Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data
Additionally Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors list is being provided for each listed manufacturers

Browse for Full Report at: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/892452-global-transplanting-machines-market-3

Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.

https://thetechnicalprogress.com/2018/05/transplanting-machines-market-overview-growth-challenges-survey-forecast-to-2022/

USA Rice Welcomes Summer Intern

By Deborah Willenborg

USA Rice Welcomes Summer Intern

By Deborah Willenborg

ARLINGTON, VA -- Josie McLaurin joined USA Rice this week as an intern with the Government Affairs team and will be working out of the Arlington office through August 10.

Inside the Sun Valley Rice Mill

USA Rice Farm & Mill Tour Receives Professional Accreditation

By Deborah Willenborg

The accreditation comes at an opportune time for USA Rice. With new menu labeling laws going into effect this month, many national chains and contract management companies are depending on dietitians to help them meet these regulations as well as address the changing consumer demand for better-for-you offerings.

"Accreditation gives our already outstanding Farm & Mill Tour a significant advantage when recruiting high profile decision-making attendees," said USA Rice Vice President of Domestic Promotion Michael Klein. "We will be covering food trends and nutrition and consumer data in much greater detail now, in addition to showing attendees how rice is grown and milled, and if the weather cooperates, they will get to see firsthand the 2018 U.S. jasmine crop that we believe will be a game changer for the foodservice industry."

The 2018 Foodservice Farm & Mill tour will take place in Crowley, Louisiana during the second week of August.

Boots on the ground in a rice field

USA Rice

Latest research aims to strengthen Thai reputation as world rice leader

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on Wednesday presided over the opening ceremony of the Fifth National Rice Academic Conference 2018 which was held in Bangkok under the banner of “Thai Rice Research Moves Towards Thailand 4.0”.

Nine agencies involved in studying rice collaborated on the conference themes focused on strengthening the rice sector in Thailand, by improving productivity and processing from upstream to downstream to add value to the nation’s foremost crop and its position as the world’s foremost rice trader.Presenters from government and private agencies discussed their research and shared new knowledge, joined by specialists in local communities throughout the Kingdom, said Agriculture Minister Krisada Boonraj.

The Agricultural Research Development Agency (ARDA) was this year’s major conference host, and its director, Phanpimol Chanyanuwat explained the agricultural research funding agency’s role, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives – improving the quality of life of farmers, especially Thai rice farmers, through earning a stable income. The agency was ready to work with research agencies, and other agencies, to create knowledge, enhance Thai rice competitiveness through technology and innovation, while also helping Thai farmers reduce production cost, and ensure quality production, she added. Thai farmers should not only be able to sell their paddy rice or milled rice, but also process rice into other high value-added products and create more effective distribution channels for farmers, Phanpimol said. Farmers should be able to grow rice without destroying the environment, so that producers and consumers have high quality lives, while also helping Thailand maintain its position as the world’s major exporter of sustainably harvested rice, she added. The May 23-24 conference also featured two major exhibitions at a hotel in the government complex, in Chaengwattana, Bangkok. The first exhibition honoured the Royal Institute to commemorate the resolutions of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The second exhibition featured the nine allied agencies under the major theme of presenting research and innovation on rice. It highlighted research that was consistent with goals of national development.

Author Name: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30346191

Date: 24-May-2018

Indian rice prices ease to lowest in a year as rupee slides

Swati Verma

3 MIN READ

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice prices in India fell for the third straight week to their lowest level in a year as the rupee slipped to a 16-month low, while markets in other top exporters remained relatively muted.

A woman spreads paddy crop for drying at a rice mill on the occasion of International Women's Day, on the outskirts of Agartala, March 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jayanta Dey/Files

Rates for India’s 5 percent broken parboiled variety dropped by $10 to $394-$398 per tonne.

“Indian rice is very competitive compared to supplies from Thailand and Vietnam. Export orders have improved as in dollar terms Indian prices have been falling,” said an exporter based at Pune in the western state of Maharashtra.

The rupee has fallen nearly 7 percent so far in 2018, increasing exporters’ margins from overseas sales.

Meanwhile, summer rice output in neighbouring Bangladesh is likely to hit 19.7 million tonnes, exceeding the target of 19 million tonnes, as farmers raised acreage to cash in on higher prices, a government official said on Thursday.

Rice prices in the country, which emerged as a major importer in 2017 after floods damaged its crops, jumped around 40 percent last year due to depleting stocks, forcing the government to seek supplies from Asian countries like India, Thailand and Vietnam.

Thailand’s benchmark 5 percent broken rice narrowed slightly this week to $435-$438 per tonnes, free on board (FOB) Bangkok, as against $435-$440 last week.

The country has sold rice to the Philippines in an international tender this week, a Bangkok-based rice trader said.

“The market has been relatively quiet apart from the deal with the Philippines in which we managed to sell about 200,000 tonnes of rice,” he said.

A weaker baht has also kept prices largely unchanged from last week, according to another Thai rice trader.

“The rice price should be slightly higher but the baht has weakened against the dollar,” he said, adding that low prices have attracted enquiries from some potential buyers.

“There have been some interest from markets such as Iraq and Malaysia... But, so far there’s no fresh deal on the horizon.”

In Vietnam, prices of 5 percent broken rice were unchanged from last week’s $460-$465 a tonne range, the strongest levels since August 2014.

The country is seeking to increase its rice shipments to new markets, especially to countries with which it has signed free trade agreements, such as South Korea and Australia, the General Department of Customs said, citing the Vietnam Food Association on Thursday.

The department said prices of Vietnamese rice have risen significantly of late, thanks to the country’s efforts to switch to higher quality rice varieties.

In addition, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said this week the country has been expanding its farming area of fragrant rice and sticky rice strains, which are of better quality and sold at higher prices.

Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai and Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

https://in.reuters.com/article/india-fuel-graphic/graphic-indias-petrol-diesel-prices-surge-to-record-idINKCN1IP1J5

Farmers advised to sow certified varieties of paddy

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May 23, 2018

ISLAMABAD - Punjab agriculture department has advised the farmers to sow certified varieties of paddy for getting maximum yield.

The spokesman of the department Najaf Abbas said that the certified varieties of paddy include KS-282, ARI 9, ARI 6, and Nayyab 2013 while Basmati varieties include Super basmati, Basmati 515, Chenab basmati, Nayyab basmati 2016 and Noor basmati. He said that hybrid varieties include Y-26, Pride-1, Shehan Shah-2 and PHB-71, Radio Pakistan reported.

The spokesman said that unsuitable varieties include Super fine, Kashmira, Malta and Hero. The farmers should not sow unsuitable varieties at all because rice produced through these varieties is not of good quality, he added.

https://nation.com.pk/23-May-2018/farmers-advised-to-sow-certified-varieties-of-paddy

UPDATE 1-Bangladesh says summer rice crop may hit 19.7 mln T, above target

Reuters Staff

3 MIN READ

* Farmers boost acreage to chase rising prices

* Bangladesh was aiming for summer crop of 19 mln T

* Crop accounts for more than half of annual output (Adds quotes, background)

By Ruma Paul

DHAKA, May 24 (Reuters) - Bangladesh’s rice output from the summer crop is likely to hit 19.7 million tonnes, exceeding the target of 19 million tonnes, as farmers raised acreage to cash in on higher prices, a government official said on Thursday.

The South Asian country emerged as a major rice importer in 2017 after floods damaged its crops, sending domestic prices to record highs.

Despite some losses due to heavy pre-monsoon rains, the summer crop will surpass the target, based on information from the fields, Mohammad Mohsin, director general of Department of Agriculture Extension, told Reuters.

The summer-sown crop, also known as ‘Boro’, usually contributes more than half of Bangladesh’s typical annual rice production of around 35 million tonnes.

Rice prices in Bangladesh jumped around 40 percent last year due to depleting inventory, forcing the government to seek supplies from Asian countries like India, Thailand and Vietnam.

The price increase prompted farmers to expand areas under Boro to more than 4.9 million hectares, exceeding the target of 4.7 million hectares, Mohsin said.

“Farmers didn’t leave any land unplanted this season due to higher prices,” he added.

Last year, the country’s Boro rice crop fell about 5 percent from a year earlier to 18 million tonnes, the lowest in seven years.

Rice is a staple food for Bangladesh’s 160 million people and high prices pose a problem for the government which faces a national election this year.

In April, industry officials said Bangladesh’s rice imports could plunge 66 percent from a year ago to 1.2 million tonnes in 2018/19 on expectations of a bigger summer crop.

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

Bangladesh imported a record of more than 3.7 million tonnes of rice in the July-April period, data from the country’s food ministry showed. (Reporting by Ruma Paul Editing by Manolo Serapio Jr.)

https://in.reuters.com/article/bangladesh-rice/update-1-bangladesh-says-summer-rice-crop-may-hit-197-mln-t-above-target-idINL3N1SV3KG

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5 Facts about Solo: A Star Wars Story Film

Hawaii Helicopter Evacuation Readied as Lava Stream Hits Ocean

Foreign Minister Retno Granted with The Sun of Peru Award

Surabaya Bombing; East Java`s Sleeper Cells Attacks

Data for Govt`s Decree on Rice Import Not Accurate, says CIPS

Jokowi: Special Terrorist Cell Construction Soon to be Completed

Mount Merapi Column Eruption Reaches 6,000 Meters

Police Deny Bomb Attacks as Diversion Issue

Preacher List, Maruarar Deems Religious Minister has Failed

Istiqlal Mosque: Anies Baswedan Not Suggested to be Preacher

Setya Novanto Says PDIP Politician Receives e-KTP Money

Mount Merapi on Alert, 3 Km Radius Area Emptied

· Indonesian Shark Catfish Production Skyrockets

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FRIDAY, 25 MAY 2018 | 14:40

Aman Abdurrahman Comments on Surabaya Bombing

The defendant of terrorism case Aman Abdurrahman aka Oman
Rochman alias Abu Sulaiman delivered a shocking statement
about the terror bombing in Surabaya

FRIDAY, 25 MAY 2018 | 14:28

Pertamina`s Tanker Burned, Fuel Supply in Banjarmasin Safe

Earlier today, Pertamina`s ship of Self Propelled Oil Barge
(SPOB) Srikandi was burned at around 2 a.m. local time.

· Transportation Ministry Discusses Online Taxi Regulation Today

· Tokopedia Presents Ramadan Extra, All Items Sold at Rp25,000

· Police Find Source of Explosion at Aman Abdurrahman Trial

· 5 Facts about Solo: A Star Wars Story Film

· Terrorism Bill Ratified, TNI Listed in Presidential Regulation

Rice. TEMPO/Eko Siswono Toyudho

HOMEECONOMY & BUSINESS

THURSDAY, 24 MAY, 2018 | 08:58 WIB

Data for Govt`s Decree on Rice Import Not Accurate, says CIPS

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government’s plan to import 500,000 tons of rice sparked debates among the public. Agriculture Ministry said the import was not necessary considering the rice stock was at 1.2 million tons and sufficient until Eid al-Fitr (Lebaran).

In fact, the rice price increased in the market from Rp9,450 to Rp11,700 per kilogram. Head of Research Center of Indonesia Policy Studies (CIPS) Hizkia Respatiadi argued the import restriction on rice is not followed by the management of distribution chain and the synchronization of food data.

"The distribution chain greatly affects the price of medium rice," said Hizki in a written statement on Wednesday, May 22. He considered the long-way distribution likely boost the rice prices and detrimental for several parties including farmers and retailers.

Hizki explained the rice must go through four to six distribution points before reaching the distribution hand. "In every point, the middlemen, rice millers, or wholesalers got the biggest profit margin," he added.

Thus, CIPS considered the policy on the Highest Retail Price (HET) is not effective as it forced the retailers reducing the selling price.

He further suggested that the food data should be collected from one reliable source and updated regularly. Hizki asserted the food data is very important to be used by the government in determining the policy. The food data also aimed at measuring food productivity and identifying regions as the commodity producers and knowing the condition of farmers.

"If the government only rely on data to issue an import decree on rice, thus logically it has failed because the data is not accurate," Hizki noted.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2018/05/24/

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Philippine Grains Agency Needs Extra Rice Imports This Year for Lean Months

The Philippines' state grains agency needs to import rice again this year to continue rebuilding its depleted buffer stock, a spokesman said on Tuesday (22/05), as it sought offers in an open tender for an additional 250,000 tons. (Reuters Photo/Janis Alano)

By : Enrico dela Cruz | on 9:00 PM May 23, 2018
Category : International, SE Asia

Manila. The Philippines' state grains agency needs to import rice again this year to continue rebuilding its depleted buffer stock, a spokesman said on Tuesday (22/05), as it sought offers in an open tender for an additional 250,000 tons.

There is no final volume and timing yet for additional rice purchases by the National Food Authority (NFA), which need approval by its council, said the spokesman, Rex Estoperez.

"We need to import more this year for the lean months," he told reporters, referring to the July to September period when the domestic harvest is very low or almost none. "It needs planning and the budget."

The NFA this month accepted supply offers from Vietnam and Thailand for a total volume of 250,000 tons in government-to-government deals, before Tuesday's second tender.

The Philippines, a frequent rice buyer, may import as much as 1.4 million tons of the staple this year, among the largest rice purchases expected, based on a projection by the United States Department of Agriculture.

President Rodrigo Duterte wants the NFA to build up its rice buffer stock to the equivalent of 60 days of national consumption, or as much as 1.92 million tons, from less than 2 days of consumption in March.

The NFA sought supply of 25 percent broken rice variety at the open tender, with 13 suppliers and traders, mostly from Thailand and Vietnam, making valid offers, the NFA said.

Bids ranged from $461.75 to $465.04 per ton, below the agency's budget of $498.25 per ton.

Delivery of the additional 250,000 tons should be completed before September, while shipments of the first 250,000 tons are expected to arrive from next week and should help ease upward pressure on domestic prices, Estoperez said.

The dwindling supply of cheap NFA rice, partly caused by delays in import approvals, spurred spikes in domestic prices. That fed into inflation, which accelerated at its fastest pace in at least five years in April.

056918707/Data-for-Govts-Decree-on-Rice-Import-Not-Accurate-says-CIPS

http://jakartaglobe.id/international/philippine-grains-agency-needs-extra-rice-imports-year-lean-months/

Thailand to supply bulk of next rice imports

64SHARES100

Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star) - May 24, 2018 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Thailand will likely supply the bulk of the 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice as part of the open tender importation scheme to boost the country’s depleted buffer stock, with government saving about P500 million in the process.

During the bidding Tuesday, state-run National Food Authority (NFA) announced that four companies from Thailand and one from Singapore had the lowest bids for the procurement of the 250,000 MT out of the 13 companies that passed the eligibility to bid.

There were 21 companies that actually bought bid documents, but only 17 submitted their offers during the bidding process while four failed due to lack of specific documents.

The rice imports at 25 percent brokens, well-milled long grains white rice were divided into seven lots where a bidder can bid the maximum volume per lot.

Reference price for the importation was set at $498.25 per MT based on the foreign exchange rate of P52.2 per dollar.

“We are satisfied because there are a lot who participated and we had different prices. We believe that this bidding is successful,” Committee on Government-to-Private Procurement chairperson and NFA deputy administrator Judy Carol Dansal said.

Current global market trend showed that prices in Thailand have decreased, while those in Vietnam are on an upward trend, which explained the lower bid offers from Thailand.

For the first lot of 37,500 MT in La Union and Batangas ports, Singaporean company Olam International Ltd. had the lowest offer of $463.10 per MT for a total of $17.36 million.

Thai company Asia Golden Rice Co. Ltd. bid and had the lowest offer for lots 2 and 3 at $461.75 per MT and $465.04 per MT, respectively.

Lot 2 is in Subic with 25,000 MT, while lot 3 is in Tabaco, Iloilo and Bacolod for a total of 33,500 MT.

Another Thai company, Ponglarp Co. Ltd., submitted the lowest bid for 36,000 MT lot 4 in Cebu and Tacloban at a price of $463.50 per MT.

For lots 5 and 6, Thailand-based Capital Cereals Co. Ltd. offered the lowest price at $464.50 per MT and $463.45 per MT, respectively.

Lot 5 has a volume of 18,000 MT to be discharged in Zamboanga City, Cagayan de Oro, and Surigao, while lot 6 is in Gen. Santos and Davao for 25,000 MT.

Thai Hua Co. Ltd., meanwhile, submitted the lowest for lot 7 in Manila at $463.10 per MT for a total of 75,000 MT.

The total amount of all bidders reached P$115.85 million or P6.04 billion, saving the government around P500 million.

The NFA has allotted a total of P6.5 billion for the procurement.

“The savings will go back to the funds of the NFA to be used for our local palay procurement,” Dansal said.

With regards to the failed bidding of Meskay & Femtee Trading Co. Ltd., Orion Pinkl Pte. Ltd. and ADM Asia Pacific Trading Pte. Ltd., Dansal said the companies would be given three days to submit their justification but it would not affect the calendar of activities.

NFA said winning bidders shall still be subjected to post-qualification evaluation in the next few days, while of notice of award and notice to proceed shall be issued until next week.

The imported volume is expected to arrive not later than July 31 for the first 200,000 MT and not later than Aug. 31 for the remaining 50,000 MT.

The 250,000 MT can cover seven days of buffer stock.

NFA said the rice must be shipped in break bulk where packing shall be in 50 kilograms net each in woven polypropylene bags suitable for rice export with NFA markings, designs, and specifications.

Winning bidders shall deliver the goods free of obligations and expenses of NFA up to NFA’s designated warehouses, which are within the 30-kilometer radius from the intended port of discharge.

https://www.philstar.com/business/2018/05/24/1817962/thailand-supply-bulk-next-rice-imports

NFA says rice prices seen to decline in June

ALWEN SALIRING

18 hours ago

PRICES of commercial rice may eventually drop once the government-procured imported rice will arrive next month, an official of the National Food Authority (NFA)-Northern Mindanao said Thursday, May 24.

NFA-Northern Mindanao assistant regional chief Gil Tabor said they will then resume supplying government-subsidized rice once the 250,000 metric tons of imported rice will arrive in the second week of June.

The NFA rice reserve was depleted and the supply to its retailers ran out for the last two months.

Only government agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and some local government units were able to receive the supply as part of the NFA's mandate.

"Naa nay moabot karong mga 2nd week sa June nga 250,000 metric tons gikan sa (250,000 metric tons of rice will arrive in the second week of June from) Vietnam and Thailand. Ang Cagayan de Oro is one of the load port," Tabor said.

He said the allocation for Northern Mindanao is about 300,000 bags including the allocation for the war-stricken Marawi City.

The allocation will be divided among the five provinces in the region. Cagayan de Oro will receive a share of some 100,000 bags which will also be distributed to their accredited retailers especially in remote communities.

Tabor said once the new NFA rice stocks arrive, prices of commercial rice will eventually go down.

This after the NFA-Northern Mindanao confirms that traders imposed an increase of about P3 to P4 in commercial rice.

"For the last 2 months nga nag-declare ang NFA nga depleted na gyud didto nagsugod og taas. Ang increase is naa sa P2 to P3 the most is P4 depende sa variety (since NFA declared the depletion of NFA rice, that’s when the price increase started. It increased for about P2 to P3, the most is P4, it depends on the variety)," Tabor said.

Tabor said while the incoming NFA rice reserves are sufficient to serve the public, he also assured that they are of the best quality.

The NFA-Northern Mindanao official reiterated that only government-subsidized rice had gotten scarce but the rice supply as a whole remains stable.

"There was no rice crisis, the only crisis and problem was the price not the supply. Kay kung walay NFA rice merkado motaas ang presyo sa commercial rice (If there are no NFA rice in the market, the price of the commercial rice will increase)," Tabor said.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1744763/Cagayan-De-Oro/Local-News/NFA-says-rice-prices-seen-to-decline-in-June

Bangladesh’s summer rice output may hit 19.7mt

Reuters . Dhaka | Update: 12:29, May 25, 2018

Bangladesh’s rice output from the summer crop is likely to hit 19.7 million tonnes, exceeding the target of 19 million tonnes, as farmers raised acreage to cash in on higher prices, a government official said on Thursday.

The South Asian country emerged as a major rice importer in 2017 after floods damaged its crops, sending domestic prices to record highs.

The summer-sown crop, also known as ‘Boro’, usually contributes more than half of Bangladesh’s typical annual rice production of around 35 million tonnes.

Rice prices in Bangladesh jumped around 40 per cent last year due to depleting inventory, forcing the government to seek supplies from Asian countries like India, Thailand and Vietnam.

The price increase prompted farmers to expand areas under Boro to more than 4.9 million hectares, exceeding the target of 4.7 million hectares, Mohsin said.

“Farmers didn’t leave any land unplanted this season due to higher prices,” he added.

Last year, the country’s Boro rice crop fell about 5 per cent from a year earlier to 18 million tonnes, the lowest in seven years.

Rice is a staple food for Bangladesh’s 160 million people and high prices pose a problem for the government which faces a national election this year.

In April, industry officials said Bangladesh’s rice imports could plunge 66 percent from a year ago to 1.2 million tonnes in 2018/19 on expectations of a bigger summer crop.

Bangladesh imported a record of more than 3.7 million tonnes of rice in the July-April period, data from the country’s food ministry showed.

http://en.prothomalo.com/economy/news/176266/Bangladesh’s-summer-rice-output-may-hit-19.7mt

Imports stand at $43bn

Ariful Islam

The country’s imports stood at $42.91 billion in first ten months of 2017-18 fiscal.
The amount is more than 16 percent higher over the same period of the previous fiscal year.
This is because of higher imports of accessories for readymade garments and petroleum products.
According to Bangladesh Bank latest data, the figure was $36.97 billion in first ten months in fiscal year 2016-2017.
On the other hand, the overall imports went up by 42.35 percent to $5.05 billion in April in current year from $3.55 billion in the same period of the previous year.
The actual import was $4.19 billion in March, $4.02 in February and $4.0 billion in January 2018.
A central bank senior official said spending on imports has also sharply risen in recent months because of payment related to ongoing development work.
On the other hand, higher import of accessories for readymade garments ahead of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr pushed the import payment up, he added.
He hopes the higher trend of import to come down after Eid al-Fitr.
However, the rice imports fell by almost 15.51 percent in April 2018 over the previous month.
The figures were $120.61 million in April and 136.12 million in March 2018.
However, import of ready-made garment (RMG) accessories went up to $639.16 million in April 2018, a 5.07 percent higher over $608.29 million in the previous month.
Meanwhile, wheat import declined by 5.70 percent to $96.07 in April 2018 from $101.88 million in March 2018.
Besides, import of capital machinery decreased by 12.41 percent to $310.30 million in April, 2018 as against $354.25 million in March 2018.
On the other hand, the spending on import of petroleum products went up by almost $68.63 million in April 2018 over that in the previous months.

The figures were $317.12 million in April 2018 and $248.49 million in March 2018.

Md. Adel Haque, former joint director of central bank, told Bangladesh Post, “The overall import payment increased in recent months due mainly to higher import of RMG accessories side by side higher import of Petroleum products.

He said the imports usually rise ahead of Ramadan and Eid festival to meet higher customers demand, especially for readymade garments.

http://www.thebangladeshpost.com/national/29147

The weird power of rising carbon dioxide to make rice less nutritious

Higher levels of CO2 are lowering amounts of protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins in rice.

By Umair Irfan May 24, 2018, 9:10am EDT

Cooking fried rice in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Rice is Indonesia’s most important staple food, and rising CO2 levels are changing its nutrient content. Leisa Tyler/LightRocket/Getty Images

The carbon dioxide humans are pumping into the atmosphere at a rate of 2.4 million pounds per second is sapping the nutrients in a major food source for 2 billion people, a big study published Wednesday found. It’s the latest sign that we’re not just changing the climate by burning fossil fuels; we’re also changing the food we eat.

Essential nutrients found in rice, including protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins, are all poised to drop, according to the study in Science Advances. And that could be dangerous for people who count on the grain as their main source of nourishment.

Levels of CO2 in the atmosphere keep climbing — the monthly average for global CO2 concentration topped 410 parts per million in April, a new record high. And scientists are finding that while CO2, a greenhouse gas, helps plants grow, it can also radically alter the nutrient content in food crops.

Earlier studies have found that staples like barley and potatoes have seen their carbohydrate levels go up and protein content go down as CO2 levels have ticked upward. And experiments show that as CO2 emissions continue to rise, critical nutrients will decline further, even as we harvest more beans, grains, and seeds.

Rice, rice, baby. Reuters/Erik De Castro/Grist
Already about 1 billion people in the world are deemed food-insecure and 795 millionare undernourished. If staple foods like rice fail to provide critical vitamins and minerals, illnesses like anemia and beriberi will rise, stalling progress in the climb out of poverty.

In the new study, researchers showed how rising CO2 levels would impact nutrition in the 10 countries that eat the most rice as a proportion of their daily diets, suggesting that a dire future may be in store. Let’s walk through the details.

Rice is delicious but becoming less nutritious

From the stubby round grains of Japonica to the long fluffy grains of Indica, rice is the culinary bedrock for much of the world, providing 25 percent of the total calories consumed globally. But it’s especially critical in developing countries like Myanmar, Madagascar, and Cambodia, where more than 600 million people rely on rice for more than half of their daily energy and protein.

“It is the primary food available for the poorest people in the world, particularly for those in Asia,” said Lewis Ziska, a research plant physiologist at the US Department of Agriculture and a co-author of the new study.

Consequently, the people who eat the most rice stand to suffer the worst health problems as the crop becomes less nutritious.

Ziska and his colleagues studied 18 rice strains grown around the world using a technique called free-air CO2 enrichment at sites in Japan and China. This involved building an octagon of tubing around a section of a rice paddy and injecting CO2 while still using the standard commercial applications of fertilizer and pesticides to simulate real-world growth.

An experimental rice field near Tsukuba, Japan, testing the effects of increased carbon dioxide exposure. Toshihiro Hasegawa/National Agriculture and Food Research Organization of Japan
They then exposed the rice to CO2 concentrations between 568 parts per million and 590 parts per million to see what might happen to rice nutrition in the future. They chose those levels because climate models suggest that CO2 concentrations will likely top 570 parts per million by 2100 and children born today will likely eat rice grown in 550 parts per million CO2 levels within their lifetimes.

After harvesting the rice, researchers found an average of 10.3 percent reduction in protein across all the tested varieties, with one tested cultivar showing a 20 percent drop in protein. Iron content fell by an average of 8 percent and dropped by as much as 20 percent, while the average decline in zinc was 5.1 percent, though some strains experienced an almost 15 percent fall.

B vitamin concentrations also fell as CO2 levels rose. B5 levels dipped by 12.7 percent on average while B9 plummeted 30 percent on average.

This is a worrying development because rice is going to remain a staple crop for the foreseeable future, and countries like Guinea and Senegal are becoming increasingly reliant on it. Declining nutrition from rice is likely to increase the burden of disease, hitting the poorest the hardest.

Scientists don’t know why CO2 reduces plant nutrients, but they have some theories

Despite the scale of the threat, it’s been hard for scientists to figure out exactly why CO2 hurts crop nutrients.

“We have a firm possibility of a definite maybe of several things,” Ziska said. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all explanation.”

It could be that if plants can draw on more carbon dioxide, they need less of other nutrients. It could also be that as crops produce more grains, the nutrients are diluted. Carbon dioxide also causes stomates, pores in plant leaves, to close. This in turn changes the flow of water through the plant, which may affect how water-soluble nutrients accumulate.

Though the mechanism remains a mystery, there are some potential solutions, ranging from varying diets to engineering crops to soil enrichment.

But picking a different dinner staple won’t be easy for the world’s poorest; countries that have shifted away from rice, like Japan, did so because they became wealthier. In 1959, Japan received 62 percent of its calories from rice. It fell to 40 percent in 1976, and now rice provides less than 20 percent of calories to Japan.

“As you increase your overall GDP, you also tend to increase your diversity of diet, and that in turn is going to affect whether you’re impacted by these changes in rice,” Ziska said.

Countries may also have to breed or genetically engineer varieties of rice that remain nutritious at higher carbon dioxide levels. The most famous example is golden rice, which was genetically modified to produce more vitamin A. This a tremendously time-consuming and expensive option, and right now we don’t have a rice cultivar that compensates for all the nutrients lost due to increasing CO2.

Another approach may be to fortify soils with the requisite nutrients, but that also adds to costs and demands energy, forcing farmers over time to invest more to get the same or less from their food.

And more CO2 may not always benefit crops. For plants cultivated in poor soils or in water-stressed regions, extra CO2 won’t do much to help them grow.

All the while, the other major consequence of rising carbon dioxide levels — climate change — remains a threat to crops. Increased global temperatures could cut rice yields by 20 to 40 percent by 2100, and higher temperatures alone can reduce protein content in crops. That’s before factoring in crop failures from more severe storms and droughts.

The global population is still growing too, so more people are going to have fewer crops to eat, and the food itself will provide less nourishment. So while some climate change skeptics argue CO2 is plant food and that more of it means a greener earth, the science points to a scenario where food insecurity and malnutrition increase in the coming decades even as crop yields go up, and the world’s poorest will once again face the harshest repercussions.

https://www.vox.com/2018/5/24/17384110/rice-vitamin-nutrition-food-security-co2

Sukushima Radioactive Particle Release Was Significant Says New Research

Thu, 05/24/2018 - 2:28pm1 Comment

by University of Manchester

This is research student Mr. Ryohei Ikehara conducting environmental monitoring in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear exclusion zone

Scientists say there was a significant release of radioactive particles during the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident.

The researchers identified the contamination using a new method and say if the particles are inhaled they could pose long-term health risks to humans.

The new method allows scientists to quickly count the number of caesium-rich micro-particles in Fukushima soils and quantify the amount of radioactivity associated with these particles.

The research, which was carried out by scientists from Kyushu University, Japan, and The University of Manchester, UK, was published in Environmental Science and Technology.

In the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, it was thought that only volatile, gaseous radionuclides, such as caesium and iodine, were released from the damaged reactors. However, in recent years it has become apparent that small radioactive particles, termed caesium-rich micro-particles, were also released.

Scientists have shown that these particl es are mainly made of glass, and that they contain significant amounts of radioactive caesium, as well as smaller amounts of other radioisotopes, such as uranium and technetium.

The abundance of these micro-particles in Japanese soils and sediments, and their environmental impact is poorly understood. But the particles are very small and do not dissolve easily, meaning they could pose long-term health risks to humans if inhaled.

Therefore, scientists need to understand how many of the micro-particles are present in Fukushima soils and how much of the soil radioactivity can be attributed to the particles. Until recently, these measurements have proven challenging.

The new method makes use of a technique that is readily available in most Radiochemistry Laboratories called Autoradiography. In the method, an imaging plate is placed over contaminated soil samples covered with a plastic wrap, and the radioactive decay from the soil is recorded as an image on the plate. The image from plate is then read onto a computer.

The scientists say radioactive decay from the caesium-rich micro particles can be differentiated from other forms of caesium contamination in the soil.

The scientists tested the new method on rice paddy soil samples retrieved from different locations within the Fukushima prefecture. The samples were taken close to (4 km) and far away (40 km) from the damaged nuclear reactors. The new method found caesium-rich micro-particles in all of the samples and showed that the amount of caesium associated with the micro-particles in the soil was much larger than expected.

Dr Satoshi Utsunomiya, Associate Professor at Kyushu University, Japan, and the lead author of the study says "when we first started to find caesium-rich micro-particles in Fukushima soil samples, we thought they would turn out to be relatively rare. Now, using this method, we find there are lots of caesium-rich microparticles in exclusion zone soils and also in the soils collected from outside of the exclusion zone".

Dr Gareth Law, Senior Lecturer in Analytical Radiochemistry at the University of Manchester and an author on the paper, adds: "Our research indicates that significant amounts of caesium were released from the Fukushima Daiichi reactors in particle form.

"This particle form of caesium behaves differently to the other, more soluble forms of caesium in the environment. We now need to push forward and better understand if caesium micro-particles are abundant throughout not only the exclusion zone, but also elsewhere in the Fukushima prefecture; then we can start to gauge their impact".

The new method can be easily used by other research teams investigating the environmental impact of the Fukushima Daiichi accident.

Dr Utsunomiya adds: "we hope that our method will allow scientists to quickly measure the abundance of caesium-rich micro-particles at other locations and estimate the amount of caesium radioactivity associated with the particles. This information can then inform cost effective, safe management and clean-up of soils contaminated by the nuclear accident".

https://www.rdmag.com/news/2018/05/fukushima-radioactive-particle-release-was-significant-says-new-research

Researchers Find the Solution to Fighting Pre-harvest Sprouting in Rice

May 24, 2018

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS), physiologically mature grains germinating in spikes prior to harvest, is a major natural problem in cereal crops such as rice, wheat, barley, and maize, which causes significant loss in grain yield, grain quality, and seed viability.

To illustrate the mechanism underling the rice PHS, scientists from CHU Chengcai's group at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made a large scale screening of phs mutants from their T-DNA mutant population.

They reported that the mutations in the abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthetic genes could lead to pre-harvest sprouting (phs1 to phs7).

Very recently, they characterized the phs8 mutant, which has a sugar-type endosperm. PHS8 encodes a starch-debranching enzyme, named isoamylase 1 (ISA1). Mutation of PHS8 causes sugar accumulation in the endosperm, which in turn suppressed the expression of two major transcription factors in ABA signaling OsABI3 and OsABI5, resulting in pre-harvest sprouting in rice.

In addition, overexpression of OsABI3 and ABI5 could partially rescue the PHS phenotype of phs8.

"PHS8/ISA1 is located in one QTL region which controls seed dormancy and pre-harvest sprouting in rice, and population genetic analysis with 1529 rice varieties also showed that the PHS8/ISA1 site was strongly selected in indica varieties, suggesting that PHS8/ISA1 could play an important role in the improvement of rice PHS tolerance" said Dr. XU Fan, one of team members of CHU's group.

The work was published online in The Plant Journal in a paper entitled "Endosperm sugar accumulation caused by mutation of PHS8/ISA1 leads to pre‐harvest sprouting in rice".

This work was supported by the grant from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Left, pre-harvest sprouting phenotype of phs8. Right, the molecular mechanism of ISA1 influence on pre-harvest sprouting. (Image by IGDB)

http://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/201805/t20180524_192801.shtml

School feeding: Vendors steal 200 crates of eggs, yam, rice

May 25, 2018

By Dan Atori

A desk officer has been caught with 200 crates of eggs stolen from the store of food meant for pupils in the home grown feeding of primary school pupils in Niger State. While responding to questions yesterday at a post-executive briefing, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Amina Musa, disclosed that the person involved had been reported to the Department of State Services (DSS) for further action. Musa, however, said that over 560,499 pupils benefited from the programme in the state while 4,929 food vendors had been engaged.

She said: “My ministry has organised stakeholders’ meeting to ensure elimination of challenges and I have also warned vendors to desist from stealing food and other condiments. “We also gathered that some tubers of yam and rice were stolen thereby reducing the ration for schools.

Luckily, we eventually discovered and recovered the items.” The commissioner added that N392,300,000 was allocated to the state by the presidency for a period of 10 days. Musa also disclosed that the free feeding programme had led to increase in school enrolment of pupils in the state.

https://newtelegraphonline.com/2018/05/school-feeding-vendors-steal-200-crates-of-eggs-yam-rice/

IFC to step-up sustainable agriculture in Cambodia

May Kunmakara / Khmer Times

Cambodian rice is considered one of the best in the world. KT/Chor Sokunthea

A new partnership between the International Financial Corporation, London-based Mars Food and local company Battambang Rice Investment Co., Ltd, seeks to boost sustainable farming practices in the Kingdom.

Under the agreement, Battambang Rice Investment will supply milled rice to Mars Food, while the three entities will work together to aid farmers in the adoption of sustainable agricultural standards and practices, as well as advanced agricultural technology.

The project further seeks to improve farmers’ adoption of climate smart agriculture including planting seeds, technologies, and services. It will build a sustainable rice supply chain, adopt better pesticide and fertilizer practices, and employ better post-harvest methods.

According to the official press release, the project is expected to result in a 20 percent increase in yield and a 25 percent increase in income by 2025. Over the next three years, about 9,000 smallholder farmers will benefit from exposure to sustainable farming practices, climate smart agriculture technologies and financial literacy training disseminated by the project.

Luc Beerens, global sustainable sourcing director at Mars Food, said initiatives like this that seek to advance sustainability in Cambodia’s rice sector, particularly among smallholder farmers, will help make the country’s rice more attractive to international rice buyers like his company.

“This partnership with IFC, and Mars’ commitment to sustainable sourcing, is a key part of Mars’ ‘Sustainable in a Generation Plan.’ We strive for all of our high-quality rice to be sourced from farmers working toward the Sustainable Rice Platform standard. IFC’s global supply chain expertise make them a natural partner for us,” said Mr Beerens.

Kyle Kelhofer, IFC’s country manager for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, said the aim of the agreement is to integrate small farmers and SMEs into a more effective rice value chain by providing them with better access to improved inputs, technology, knowledge and markets, better firm linkages and training.

“Building on our earlier support to Cambodia’s rice sector, this project will further help the industry achieve its full potential by boosting its export of traceable, sustainable, and high-quality rice products,” said Mr Kelhofer.

Battambang Rice Investment is one of the biggest rice millers in the country, while Mars Food owns one of the world’s largest rice brands, Uncle Ben’s.

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50493519/ifc-to-step-up-sustainable-agriculture-in-cambodia/

AMRU RICE: BE SUSTAINABLE & RESPONSIBLE AND LEAD THE CHANGE

Khmer Times

AMRU Rice Co., Ltd. continues to grow continuously and exponentially. The company doubles the amount of organic rice it produces yearly and sustained until 2020. AMRU remains Cambodia’s top rice exporter and maintained #2 of accumulated export volume of 232,244 metric tons milled rice from 2013 to 2017 which is equivalent to 9.3% of total accumulated- export figure. For the first 4 months of 2018, AMRU has exported more than 14,000 metric tons and still sitting on the top spot; and we are expecting to export at least 65,000 metric tons for 2018. More importantly, AMRU is the largest organic and SRP rice producer, millers and exporter and continue to strengthen our position by working with farmers, agricultural cooperative, NGOs, development partners, relevant government authorities and ministries as well as importer, buyer and end consumer.

AMRU’s partnership for certified organic rice works with 27 agricultural cooperatives in Preah Vihear to benefit 5,000 farmers through assisted quality production up to EcoCert organic standards through farming contracts that assure them of sure market and a premium price 30 percent or more higher than prevalent commercial paddy prices.

AMRU partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) that promotes sustainable, traceable and climate-smart food production. This innovative practice helps increase farmers’ incomes, reduce harmful environmental impacts from through less chemical fertilizers and pesticides reduce seed and water needs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Four Agricultural Cooperatives with 2,500 of farmers are engaged to produce around 30,000 tons of rice that are compliant to SRP rice standards.

For traceability of products across the value chain, from producer to end-market, AmruRice is currently partnering to the BlocRice project along with SanoRice and Oxfam-Cambodia to move organic food and agriculture to the forefront of transparency and integrity. It has also engaged farmers who were beneficiaries of the Social Land Concession as suppliers of organic products, in partnership with GIZ (Germany).

To ramp up efficiency of its processes and to meet consumer demand, AmruRice is investing $8 million until 2019 to improve mass storage for agricultural products as well as drying, milling and processing facilities near the farms funded by Rural Development Bank and responsAbility. In partnering with SNV, AmruRice won the Initiative Against Poverty (IAP) to set up the first community drying and warehousing system under framework of the Public Private Producers Partnership invested around USD 600,000 by AmruRice and 27 Agriculture Cooperatives. The company is also entering in the baby-food products market in Europe, USA, and the Asia, besides its current certification for BCSI, ISO22000:2005, GMP/HACCP, and ESR/IMO, issued by Intertek, SGS, TUV, and Fair Trade and its organic rice certification by EcoCert SA, France. The company is working tirelessly toward higher food safety certification such as BRC, FSSC 22,000 and others.

AMRU’s chief executive, Song Saran, says “I am really proud of how we put small farmers and our consumers at the center of everything we do. Our ambitious strategy is focused on driving transparency, efficient management and innovation across every product we sell. Our farmer suppliers and consumer trust us to help them discover better food choices for them and their families”.

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50493094/amru-rice-be-sustainable-responsible-and-lead-the-change/

Boro rice procurement continues in Rangpur

Rangpur Correspondent

The Boro rice procurement has begun in Rangpur with a fixed target of purchasing 18,912 tonnes of boiled rice and 53 tonnes of ‘Atap’ rice from 874 millers during the current season. The procurement drive would continue till August 31 in the district as elsewhere in the country. Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur Enamul Habib formally inaugurated the procurement drive at a function on Wednesday. Department of Food organized the function on Sadar Upazila Food Godown premises in the city.
District Food Controller Md Shajahan Bhuiyan chaired the function, president of city Awami League Shafiar Rahman Shafi, Sadar Upazila Controller of Food Roich Uddin and officer-in-charge of Local Supply Depot Abdullah Arefin attended it, among others.
DC Enamul Habib in his speech called upon the officials and authorities concerned to maintain a complete transparency in the Boro rice procurement process.
In his welcome speech, Shajahan Bhuiyan said that the government is purchasing boiled Boro rice at Tk 38 per kg and ‘Atap’ rice at Tk 37 per kg. The government has fixed a target of procuring 18,912 tonnes of Boro rice and 53 tonnes of ‘Atap’ rice from all eight upazilas in the district this season, he added.
Of them, 4,350 tonnes of boiled Boro rice and five tonnes of ‘Atap’ rice will be procured from Rangpur Sadar upazila, while 1,649 tonnes of boiled Boro rice and 8.5 tonnes of 'Atap' rice from Badarganj upazila, 2,451 tonnes of boiled Boro rice from Mithapukur upazila and 4,369 tonnes of boiled Boro rice and 39.50 tonnes of 'Atap' rice from Pirganj upazila.
Besides, 2,496 tonnes of boiled rice will be procured from Taraganj upazila, 525 tones of boiled Boro rice from Gangachara upazila, 1,346 tonnes of boiled Boro rice from Kawnia upazila and 1,726 tonnes of boiled Boro rice from Pirgachha upazila.

http://www.thebangladeshpost.com/national/29107

Bangladesh says summer rice crop may hit 19.7 million tonnes, above target

2018-05-24 21:58:56.0 BdST Updated: 2018-05-24 21:58:56.0 BdST

Farmers are busy harvesting paddy in Manikganj's Singair on