1st March,2018
Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter
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Rice planting seen flat after output adjustment
8:25 pm, February 28, 2018
Jiji PressTOKYO (Jiji Press) — Rice
planting for harvest during 2018 is seen generally flat from the previous year
across the nation, following the end of the government’s production adjustment
policy this year, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday.
Planting of rice, excluding that for processed food and feed, is
projected to be flat in 36 of the 47 prefectures, reflecting concerns about a
fall in rice prices on a possible production increase without the adjustment
policy.
Rice planting is expected to expand in the northeastern
prefectures of Aomori, Iwate, Akita and Fukushima and the western prefectures
of Tottori and Yamaguchi, but shrink in the eastern prefecture of Chiba, the
western prefectures of Osaka, Wakayama and Kochi and the southwestern
prefecture of Kagoshima.
In many places across the country, rice will be planted around
the Golden Week holiday period in early May.
The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has decided to
scrap the output adjustment policy as part of its agricultural sector reform
initiative.
The central government will no longer get involved in output
planning by prefectural governments or pay subsidies to rice farmers for production
cuts.
Meanwhile, domestic rice consumption is declining at an annual
pace of 80,000 tons, in line with the Westernization of the diet in Japan.
Rice prices have still been on an
uptrend in recent years, thanks to the government’s production-capping policy.Speech
Anambra govt. targets 600,000 metric tons of rice in the year 2018
February 28, 2018
The state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, who spoke during the
inspection of the multi-million naira Center Pivot Irrigation Systemat Egwe
Agwa Ogbakuba in Ogbaru local government area, said the state would become a
net exporter of rice once the target was met as its local demand would have
been surpassed.According to the governor, the installation of the new
irrigation of the system in four locations in the state was to ensure all year
round rice production, with the attendant multiplier effect of empowering of
about 2500 farmers in the state.
He explained that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had agreed to
provide funds to Anambra State government to buy off all the paddy rice
produced in the state, while millers would buy all the paddy rice from
government, adding that by so doing, the issue of unsold rice produced by the
farmers would not arise.
He also said the state government would support the training of
youth farmers to update their knowledge in modern agriculture and commended the
people of the state for keying into the state government’s agricultural policy.
Obiano further said that Sorghum would be added among the crops to
be grown under the FADAMA 111 additional funding, stating that the Onitsha
–based Sabmiller Breweries was a ready market for the sorghum to be produced in
the state.The state coordinator of FADAMA 111additional financing, Mr Chukwuka
Egbueh said that as part of efforts to ensure increased rice output, 11 rural
roads leading to the rice production belts in the state were being constructed,
just as 18 youth and women groups had been assisted through the provision rice
mills, tricycles, threshers and de-stoners to ease their production activities.
He also said that FADAMA had built drying slabs at Umumbo, Ogbaru,
Amanuke and Ifite Ogwari to ensure faster drying of rice, adding that the
envisaged target would surely be met with the inputs by the state government.
Higher rice, pulse yields lift farm output to record 277.5 mt
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 27
Record production of rice, pulses and coarse cereals
coming in the wake of a good monsoon could push up total food crop output this
year to a new high of 277.5 million tonnes (mt), according to the Second Advance
Estimates of production of major crops released by the farm ministry on
Tuesday.
In comparison, the total
foodgrain output last year was 275 mt, which itself was a record then.
Rice output rises
For the first time, rice
production breached the 111 mt mark – which was about 2.5 mt more than the
target of 108.5 mt set for the year.
Much of the increase is expected
to come from the rabi season, which has seen a substantial increase in area
under rice cultivation. Last year, the total rice production was 109.7 mt.
Pulses, wheat gain
Similarly, pulse production would
surpass the target by a staggering 1 mt this year to touch 23.95 mt, making it
the second consecutive year of bountiful production. Total pulses output last
year 23.13 mt, according to the estimates.
Wheat output, on other hand, is
estimated to go up marginally to 96.48 mt (96.30 mt). The production of coarse
cereals too is projected to increase by 1.65 million tonnes to 45.42 mt mainly
on a boost in maize yield.
Oilseeds fail
However, a major setback is
expected on oilseeds segment, which is projected to fall below 30 mt, as
compared to 31.28 mt last year. The target for the year was set at 35.5 mt.
Much of the shortfall in oilseeds
was due to a slump in the production of soyabean and rapeseed/mustard which
came down drastically to 11.4 mt from 13.12 mt (2016-17) and to 7.54 mt from
7.92 mt respectively.
Groundnut output, on the other
hand, is estimated to go up to 8.22 mt from 7.5 mt last year.
Cash crops
Sugarcane output, as expected,
would go up to 353.2 mt (306 mt). Similarly, cotton production is projected to
be at 33.9 million bales of 170 kg, which is 4 per cent more than last year,
the data showed.
Published on February 27, 2018
Thailand
likely to export 9.5 million tonnes of rice this year
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2018 -
18:13:00
Bangkok (NNT/VNA) - President of the Rice
Exporters Association of Thailand Charoen Laothammatas expects that the
association will be able to export around 9.5 million tonnes of rice this
year. Laothammatas said 9.5 million tonnes is an appropriate quantity from
the country’s 30-million-rice production in 2018.
As
for this year’s jasmine rice production, the president said it decreased more
than the normal level due to rain and flooding. Rice farmers turned to other
crops instead of rice, resulting in the lower production, he added.
Laothammatas therefore forecast that the price of jasmine rice will be stable at 1,100 - 1,150 USD per ton until rice in the new season is harvested. Despite the baht's appreciation, the Thai rice price won't be lower than last year since old stock has been sold out, he said.-VNA
Laothammatas therefore forecast that the price of jasmine rice will be stable at 1,100 - 1,150 USD per ton until rice in the new season is harvested. Despite the baht's appreciation, the Thai rice price won't be lower than last year since old stock has been sold out, he said.-VNA
Vietnam Jan-Feb coffee exports estimated up 17.6 pct y/y, rice
up 14.6 pct
·
·
HANOI, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Vietnam’s coffee exports for
January-February rose an estimated 17.6 percent annually, while rice exports
grew an estimated 14.6 percent during the same period, government data on
Wednesday showed.
COFFEE
Coffee exports from Vietnam will rise an estimated
17.6 percent in January-February from a year ago to 336,000 tonnes, equal to
5.6 million 60-kg bags, the General Statistics Office said in a report on
Wednesday.
Coffee export revenue for Vietnam, the world’s second
biggest producer of the bean, edged up 0.8 percent annually to $652 million in
the two-month period, the report also said.
February coffee exports was estimated at 135,000
tonnes, worth $260 million, higher than traders’ estimates.
RICE
Rice exports in January-February from Vietnam were
forecast to rise 14.6 percent annually to 842,000 tonnes. Revenue from rice
exports in the period was seen leaping 32.1 percent year-on-year to $413
million.
February rice exports from Vietnam, the world’s
third-largest shipper of the grain, was recorded at 350,000 tonnes, worth $174
million.
ENERGY
Vietnam’s January-February crude oil exports fell 27
percent year-on-year to an estimated 766,000 tonnes, or 95,000 barrels per day
(bpd).
Crude oil export revenue in the first two months of
2018 fell 12.9 percent to $395 million.
Oil product imports in the two-month period increased
35 percent from the same time last year to an estimated 2.24 million tonnes,
while the value of the product imports rose 50.8 percent to $1.4 billion.
Vietnam’s January-February liquefied petroleum gas
imports increased 17.1 percent from a year earlier to 226,000 tonnes.
(Reporting by Mai Nguyen; Editing by Vyas Mohan)
New Consumer
Rice Recipes Don't Break the Bank
By Cameron Jacobs
ARLINGTON, VA -- USA Rice chefs have created five new rice recipes,
designed to be affordable to all, that cover multiple meals and incorporate
various varieties of U.S.-grown rice types.
The new recipes are designed to work for breakfast, appetizers, side
dishes, and main dishes.
"Consumers look for the best use of their money, and while
most are aware of the affordability of U.S.-grown rice, the next step to
encouraging rice usage for shoppers is to provide easy-to-prepare recipes that
emphasize the economics, " says Michael Klein, USA Rice vice president of
marketing and domestic promotion.
"I am excited to have USA Rice offer these recipes as resources for
cost-savings but for high-quality, nutritious food, too."
The new rice recipes include:
breakfast rice burritos, fast-fix meatloaf & roasted carrots, Cajun
sausage and rice, Mediterranean rice salad, and an Italian pepperoni rice
bake. The cost of each recipe ranges
from $6-$10 and yields four generous servings.
"While these recipes can be enjoyed by all, they're especially
suited for folks on a tight budget, namely students, millennials, and working
families," said Klein.The five new rice dishes are available to consumers
through the ThinkRice online consumer recipe database.
Matco
Foods participates in Gulfood
Pakistan's leading food processing and rice exporting company
Matco Foods participates in Gulfood 2018. Gulfood is one of leading exhibitions
of food products and held every year in Dubai. Earlier, Anuga Germany and Sial
Foods France were well-known food exhibitions in the world. However, after 9/11
incident and visas issues Gulfood Dubai attracted food companies of the world.
Fazain Ali Ghori Director Finance Matco Foods informed that in a very short span Gulfood became number one food exhibition which covers big region and thousands of foods companies participate in Gulfood every year. Gulfood began in 1987 and has become the most important food trade show of the year. He said the location of Gulfood was convenient as all buyers and sellers gather together in one place over a course of five days and they can meet under one roof to discuss their business deals. "Previously, Pakistani exporters were required to travel extensively over multiple countries to finalize the business deals, however now it is a matter of minutes", he added.
Fazain informed that this year Pakistan's prominent food brands set up their stall in Gulfood Matco Foods was among one of them. "Matco Foods had a terrific and very successful trade show in Gulfood and received a number of inquiries, especially since after the company IPO, under which some Rs 757 million has been raised for extension of Rice Glucose and Protein Plant up to 30,000 metric tons and 1,000 metric tons respectively," he added.
He said that mainly public companies are more trusting of companies and it definitely gave Matco an edge over the competition. Gulfood is a great hub for new ideas and products in the global food industry and is a must attend event in their annual calendar. Fazain said events like this will help Matco to update with current trends. This year 4,237 food companies from all over the world participated in Gulfood. From Pakistan 89, India 307, Bangladesh 43, China 207, US 163, UK 91, Sri Lanka 54 and Iran 58 participated in Gulfood respectively, he mentioned.
This year some stalls of non-traditional food items and frozen foods such as Ambala Sweets, Qasr-e-Shireenwere also seen. TDAP may enhance the volume of export if the subsidy be given on the participation fees of Gulfood so that upto 200 food companies from Pakistan could participate in next Gulfood.
Fazain Ali Ghori Director Finance Matco Foods informed that in a very short span Gulfood became number one food exhibition which covers big region and thousands of foods companies participate in Gulfood every year. Gulfood began in 1987 and has become the most important food trade show of the year. He said the location of Gulfood was convenient as all buyers and sellers gather together in one place over a course of five days and they can meet under one roof to discuss their business deals. "Previously, Pakistani exporters were required to travel extensively over multiple countries to finalize the business deals, however now it is a matter of minutes", he added.
Fazain informed that this year Pakistan's prominent food brands set up their stall in Gulfood Matco Foods was among one of them. "Matco Foods had a terrific and very successful trade show in Gulfood and received a number of inquiries, especially since after the company IPO, under which some Rs 757 million has been raised for extension of Rice Glucose and Protein Plant up to 30,000 metric tons and 1,000 metric tons respectively," he added.
He said that mainly public companies are more trusting of companies and it definitely gave Matco an edge over the competition. Gulfood is a great hub for new ideas and products in the global food industry and is a must attend event in their annual calendar. Fazain said events like this will help Matco to update with current trends. This year 4,237 food companies from all over the world participated in Gulfood. From Pakistan 89, India 307, Bangladesh 43, China 207, US 163, UK 91, Sri Lanka 54 and Iran 58 participated in Gulfood respectively, he mentioned.
This year some stalls of non-traditional food items and frozen foods such as Ambala Sweets, Qasr-e-Shireenwere also seen. TDAP may enhance the volume of export if the subsidy be given on the participation fees of Gulfood so that upto 200 food companies from Pakistan could participate in next Gulfood.
New Method to
Better Flowering in Rice
By Smita
Deshmukh -
February 27, 2018
It has been noticed that usage of nitrogen fertilizers results
in a delay in flowering, thus upping the chances of exposure of crops cold
weather in the end of the harvesting season. This can damage grain filling.
However, scientists may have the solution for it since in a recent study of
rice, which is a staple food for all of us, they uncovered a nitrate
transporter (NRT) which could help in early flowering. Their findings have been
published in The Plant Cell.
Process Uses NRTs
Various NRTs transport nitrogen from the soil to the roots and
also along the entire length of the plant. In fact, some NRTs can gauge the
level of nitrogen and respond accordingly. The study revealed that rice
OsNRT1.1A is capable of affecting flowering time as well as nitrogen use. Lines
which are mutant and do not have NRTs revealed lesser uptake of ammonium and
nitrate.
The mutants also revealed lesser induction of genes compared to
the absorption of ammonium and nitrate. This meant that the OsNRT1.1A functions
both as a nitrogen sensor and transporter in plants. The mutants resulted in
80.0% lesser grain compared by regular rice. They also flowered later.
The authors created rice lines that result in additional
OsNRT1.1A. This was done to see if the time to flowering and yield improved.
And it did. Plants grew taller and greener and had more biomass. The plants
also absorbed nitrate and ammonium from the medium in the hydroponics
experiments.
How Nigeria Can Develop Rice Varieties As Response To Large
Methane Emission
Published 1 day ago on February 28, 2018 By CHIKA
IZUORA A recent report by World Resources Institute (WRI) and Food and
Agricultural Organisation, (FAO) says that Green House Gas released by rice
farms alongside other agricultural practices are major environmental polluters.
In this piece, CHIKA IZUORA dissects experts’ opinions on a way out, as
Nigerian economy shifts to agriculture. When the administration of Muhammadu
Buhari took office in Nigeria in May 2015 against a backdrop of mounting
economic crises, it realized that in just one year earlier, Nigeria had
overtaken South Africa to become the continent’s biggest economy, but optimism
quickly faded as oil prices fell and production declined due to renewed
militant activities in the Niger Delta.
The resulting economic slowdown, which was confirmed as
a recession in the summer of 2016, focused minds on the long-neglected task of
reducing Nigeria’s reliance on the petroleum sector, which accounts for 11 percent
of GDP but 95 percent of the nation’s export revenue. Included in the election
manifesto that brought President Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC)
to power was a pledge to move the economy away from oil in part by reviving the
agriculture sector. Analysts believe there are good reasons for the
administration to focus on agriculture.
First, it is a sector with high growth prospects,
particularly if value chains can be developed that turn raw commodities into
processed goods for domestic consumption or export. Second, although
agriculture already employs more than 70 percent of the population, there are
opportunities to expand both the number and variety of jobs in the sector by
making it easier and more attractive to farm. In addition, by diversifying the
agriculture sector, it can be made more appealing to a vast youth population
that is turned off by farming but might be attracted to processing, marketing,
and other business opportunities along the value chain. When the opportunity
finally came, in June 2016, the government launched then Agriculture Promotion
Policy (APP) which emphasized the importance of continuing and building upon
the efforts of the previous administration. In the new agriculture policy
specific goal was set to exit rice import by 2018 which throws up more
activities in the area of rice cultivation. A confirmation of this came from
Lai Mohammed the minister of information who told the media last year that the
Nigerian government will soon attain its goal of self-sufficiency in rice
production for the country, come 2018. Mohammed, said this in a press
conference in Abuja while briefing journalists on the administration’s growing
achievements to revamp the economy and that Nigeria is inching closer to
self-sufficiency in rice production, due to the successes recorded in the local
production of rice. He cited a report by a Thai rice export association to
support his claim, saying “In fact, the Thailand Rice Exporters Association has
recently revealed that within a spate of just two years –
from September
2015 to September 2017 – Nigeria’s rice importation dropped from 644,131 Metric
Tonnes to just about 21,000MT. “There is more good news to report: As a result
of this administration’s success in local production, some investors from
Thailand have shown interest in establishing rice milling plants in Nigeria,
and this is sure to further boost rice production in Nigeria. “The increased
rice production has, in turn, led to the establishment of rice mills, including
the 120,000MT WACOT Mill in Kebbi and the 1,000,000MT Dangote Rice Mill,” Mr.
Mohammed said.
He added that Nigeria targets the production of seven
million metric tons of rice in 2018’. “So what does the increased production of
rice portend for the country? It means, as I said earlier, that Nigeria is very
close to achieving self-sufficiency in rice. By 2018, the administration
targets rice production of 7 million MT. As at 2015, rice demand in Nigeria
stood at 6.3 million MT,” he added. Agriculture As A Major Environmental
Polluter While Nigeria is focusing effort in this direction, a report points to
environmental challenges from the agriculture sector. It says that when people
think about threats to their environment, what comes to their mind is
industrial pollution and car emission, not the food they eat but the truth is
that, our efforts in poverty reduction and finding solution to end hunger, are
making agriculture a major ‘killer’ of the mother earth. Agriculture is posing
one of the biggest dangers to the planet with carbon dioxide emission the main
contributor to global warming.
An analysis by
the World Resources Institute, WRI, and the UN Food and Agricultural
Organization, UN FAO, estimated that between 14 and 18 percent of all man-made
emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are associated with the agricultural sector.
Even the lowest estimate (14 percent) is still equal with WRI’s estimated
emissions for the transportation sector (13.5 percent). This means that,
agriculture is among the greatest contributors to global warming, emitting more
greenhouse gases (GHG) than all our cars, trucks, trains, and airplanes
combined. The GHG in agricultural sector is largely from methane (CH4) released
by cattle and rice farms, nitrous oxide (N2O) from fertilized fields, and carbon
dioxide from the cutting of rain forests to grow crops or raise livestock.
So, are we being naïve to feed the rapidly growing
global population, and threaten our own existence. As in most other sectors,
agricultural carbon footprint is fast increasing, since farming is expanding to
produce more food for a growing world population. In fact, food production will
need to double from current levels if projections of more than 9 billion people
in 2050 prove correct. So meeting the growing demand for food by using more
land would have serious impacts on the environment and the climate. Remember
that areas that are most suitable for agriculture in most countries are already
cultivated to a large extent, making fertile agricultural land a limited
resource across the world.
The fact is that massive unguided farming is never the
solution to end poverty, because the more we engage in such activities, the
more climate change continue to affect the quality and quantity of food we
Production. The uplifted living standard and spread of prosperity across the
world, especially in the world’s most populated countries – China and India, is
driving an increased demand for balance diet such as meat, eggs, and dairy.
This has added pressure to cultivate more foods and engage in more animal
husbandry more livestock husbandry. Unfortunately, key resources such as land
and water needed to produce these foods are scarce globally.
While the
majority of global warming activities give off carbon dioxide – the main
contributor to global warming, but it is not the only greenhouse gas to worry
about, the next two most common GHG in the atmosphere are methane (CH4) and
nitrous oxide (N2O), primarily emitted by agricultural sector. Most of this
methane are emitted by cows, which also are more damaging to the environment.
For instance, ruminant animals (cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels)
produce methane as part of their normal digestion system – a process known as
enteric fermentation. In fact, according to the United States Environmental Protection
Agency, EPA, the CH4 produced from “enteric fermentation” (cows farting)
represents almost one-third of the emissions from the U.S. agricultural sector.
Also, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) report on
‘Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use Emissions by Sources and Removals by
Sinks’ shows that, around 40 per cent of agricultural emissions came from
methane produced by livestock between 2001 and 2011, not including emissions
from manure (25 per cent of agricultural emissions).
Together, these
gases plus CO2 make up about 99 percent of all GHG in the atmosphere. It is not
just the actual farming that makes agriculture so detrimental to the
environment. In almost every case, land use changes such as deforestation to
clear space for agriculture, is also a contributor to carbon emissions and land
degradation. Records indicate that 75 per cent of global deforestation comes
from agriculture. So when we clear areas of grassland and forest for farms, we
lose crucial habitats and make agriculture a major driver to the loss of
biodiversity. Similar to many other land-use changes, converting forest areas
into agricultural land is not the right solution to end hunger.
This process is a source of greenhouse-gas emissions
and undermines nature’s ability to cope with climate change impacts, such as
absorbing heavy rainfall, that threaten food security globally. For instance:
Solution for Sustainable Agriculture How can the rapid growing global
population be fed and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG)
to end poverty and hunger be met with minimal environmental footprints? The
answer lies in a sustainable agricultural system – a form of agricultural
technique that provides foods and industrial inputs to serve the needs of the
present generation without posing socio-environmental risks and compromising
the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. We can start to
tackle food waste in economically rich countries where food waste occurs in
homes, restaurants, or supermarkets, as well as in developing countries where
food is often lost between the farmer and the market due to unreliable storage
and transportation.
A shift to
increase yields on less productive farmlands, using high-tech, precision
farming systems, and organic farming would also be effective ways to reducing
agricultural footprints. Responding to this while speaking with our
Correspondent, Bekeme Masade-Olowola, a Harvard-trained social entrepreneur and
currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of CSR-in-Action, an
organisation dedicated to promoting the advancement and awareness of Corporate
Social Responsibility, good governance and sustainable development in Nigeria,
said government effort in protecting environment are very minimal. We tend to
be playing catch up on our previous environmental challenges and our leaders
are more interested in reeling out figures of growth without looking at the
long-term implications. It would be easier to feed the nation with
diversification to agriculture, if more of the crops we grow will end up in
human stomachs. Sometimes, some crops which should have been made available for
human consumption are diverted for feeding livestock or for industrial uses,
and only a fraction of the calories in feed given to livestock make their way
into the meat and milk that we consume.
According to her, many farmers have also gotten smarter
about water, replacing inefficient irrigation systems with more precise
methods, like subsurface drip irrigation. Advances in both conventional and
organic farming can give us more “crop per drop” from our water and nutrients.
On rice farm pollution, Masade-Olowola stated, “We could develop rice varieties
which emit less methane. Secondly, since irrigated rice farming is the other
main agricultural source of methane accounting for about a fifth of total
man-made emissions, switching to more heat-tolerant rice cultivars, management
of water, adjusting sowing dates, adaptations to drainage regimes and
mid-season drainage can help to reduce CH4 released by rice. In this way, yield
declines due to temperature increases can largely be prevented, thereby
reducing the effect of warming on CH4 emissions per yield. Whereas several
studies have focused on mid-season drainage (MD) to mitigate GHG emissions,
early-season drainage (ED), varying in timing and duration, has not been
extensively studied. However, such ED periods could potentially be very
effective since initial available C levels, and thereby the potential for
methanogenesis, can be very high in paddy systems with rice straw incorporation.
For instance, a study by some scholars of the Universities of Copenhagen,
Wageningen and International Rice Research Institute titled ‘The effective
mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from rice paddies without compromising
yield by early-season drainage’, tested the effectiveness of seven drainage
regimes varying in their timing and duration (combinations of ED and MD)
to mitigate CH4 and N2O emissions in a 101-day growth chamber experiment. It
showed that emissions were considerably reduced by early-season drainage
compared to both conventional continuous flooding (CF) and the MD drainage
regime. The results suggest that ED + MD drainage may have the potential to
reduce CH4 emissions and yield-scaled GWP by 85–90 per cent compared to CF and
by 75–77 per cent compared to
MD only. A combination
of (short or long) ED drainage and one MD drainage episode was found to be the
most effective in mitigating CH4 emissions without negatively affecting yield”.
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https://leadership.ng/2018/02/28/nigeria-can-develop-rice-varieties-response-large-methane-emission/
https://leadership.ng/2018/02/28/nigeria-can-develop-rice-varieties-response-large-methane-emission/
800 quintals of
PDS rice seized
HYDERABAD FEBRUARY 28, 2018 00:55 IST
UPDATED: FEBRUARY 28, 2018 00:57 IST
SHARE ARTICLE 3 PRINT A A A
A repeat offender accused of illegally selling PDS commodities was
arrested by Rachakonda police and provisions of Prevention of Black-marketing
and Maintenance of Supplies of the Essential Commodities Act, 1980, were
invoked against him. Policemen identified the accused as Enshetty Sudarshan,
57, who is a resident of Ramnagar. The accused is involved in as many as seven
cases of cheating and hoarding PDS rice. Mr. Sudershan was earlier detained
under the PD Act in May 2016.
Scientists and Yolo County
Farmers using Rice Fields to Grow Food for Endangered Salmon
The winter-run chinook salmon population continues to hover
around historic lows in the Sacramento River, but farmers in Yolo County are
working together with scientists to grow fish food on their rice fields in
hopes of reversing this troubling trend.The pilot project – Fish Food on
Floodplain Farm Fields – is a partnership between UC Davis Center for Watershed
Sciences, Cal Trout and California rice farmers. The group will use existing
fields to produce tons of bugs that fish like salmon love to devour.“We like to
think of these bugs in the water as floating fillet for the salmon,” said Cal
Trout Senior Scientist Jacob Katz. “The fatter these fish get from these bugs
produced on the rice fields, the better chance they have to survive the
treacherous journey to the ocean.”
Scientists from UC Davis and Cal Trout are proving that 1,500x
more fish food is produced on the flood plains (rice fields) versus canals or
the river. The project aims to get more of the food back in to the river
system.
Early tests by scientists in the pilot project are already yielding results that reveal great promise in producing the amount of bugs needed to make a significant impact.
“The amount of zooplankton and invertebrates (fish food) thriving on the rice fields have far exceeded our expectations,” said Carson Jeffres, a researcher with the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. “We have great hope that this project will serve as a model that can be implemented at a larger scale in the near future.”This is the latest effort tied to the Sacramento Valley Salmon Recovery Program, which aims to reverse the population decline of the winter run Chinook salmon.
Cal Trout’s Jacob Katz gathers
samples in a Yolo County rice field as part of a program to grow food for
endangered fish.
Recent
surveys are startling, revealing less than 2,000 fish are making the journey
each winter from the San Francisco Bay to the upper channels of the Sacramento
River. In the mid-1970s, those numbers totaled more than 25,000.
Farmers like Roger Cornwell of River Garden Farms in Knights Landing saw an explosion in the bird populations since the 1980s once fields were flooded to break down the rice crop in the winter months. Today, he and other farms are finding another use for their fields – feeding the salmon.
“By borrowing water from the river for a few weeks, and then returning it full of fish food, we can have a dramatic impact on the ecosystem,” Cornwell said.The water is pumped onto the fields and as the shallow water sits, it starts to breakdown the plants that grew during the previous summer. That carbon then creates algae, and the algae feeds the bugs that are vital for a salmon’s survival.
“We are getting more pop for each drop,” Cornwell said. “And it is supplying a water system that is starved for this type of energy activity.” This effort is crucial because the river is too swift and deep to create the type of food energy source that the salmon need for their arduous journey to the Pacific Ocean.
“Farmers are essentially reconnecting this historic floodplain that provides a great deal of energy to the river system. It’s a system that has been cut off for a century,” Katz said. “Without these collaborative efforts, the fish remain in danger and have little hope. This project creates a win-win for everyone. It means a healthy ecosystem for fish, birds and people.”The pilot project is in year two of a three-year experiment. Next winter, the focus will shift, uncovering the best delivery practices to ensure the largest number of bugs grown in the fields make it to the river.
The key to this project is the cooperation between farms, water districts, government agencies, conservation groups, and scientists.“This new way forward means we are all working together to use the water more efficiently, while making a difference for endangered salmon populations,” Cornwell said.State Water Contractors and San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority also helped contribute funding to the project.
Farmers like Roger Cornwell of River Garden Farms in Knights Landing saw an explosion in the bird populations since the 1980s once fields were flooded to break down the rice crop in the winter months. Today, he and other farms are finding another use for their fields – feeding the salmon.
“By borrowing water from the river for a few weeks, and then returning it full of fish food, we can have a dramatic impact on the ecosystem,” Cornwell said.The water is pumped onto the fields and as the shallow water sits, it starts to breakdown the plants that grew during the previous summer. That carbon then creates algae, and the algae feeds the bugs that are vital for a salmon’s survival.
“We are getting more pop for each drop,” Cornwell said. “And it is supplying a water system that is starved for this type of energy activity.” This effort is crucial because the river is too swift and deep to create the type of food energy source that the salmon need for their arduous journey to the Pacific Ocean.
“Farmers are essentially reconnecting this historic floodplain that provides a great deal of energy to the river system. It’s a system that has been cut off for a century,” Katz said. “Without these collaborative efforts, the fish remain in danger and have little hope. This project creates a win-win for everyone. It means a healthy ecosystem for fish, birds and people.”The pilot project is in year two of a three-year experiment. Next winter, the focus will shift, uncovering the best delivery practices to ensure the largest number of bugs grown in the fields make it to the river.
The key to this project is the cooperation between farms, water districts, government agencies, conservation groups, and scientists.“This new way forward means we are all working together to use the water more efficiently, while making a difference for endangered salmon populations,” Cornwell said.State Water Contractors and San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority also helped contribute funding to the project.
Does Arsenic in Rice Cause Fatty Liver
Disease?
February 28, 2018
In a recent US study, researchers
investigated how arsenic exposure from rice may put certain individuals at risk
of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common
fatty liver disorder in developed countries. In the US, approximately 30% of
adults suffer from NAFLD, which can progress to liver inflammation, fibrosis,
and liver cancer later in life. While NAFLD occurs primarily in those who are
obese, it is also thought to be influenced by genetics and exposure to
environmental pollutants.
Recent evidence has suggested that arsenic may be to blame.
Despite government regulations to control arsenic levels in public drinking
water, the heavy metal can accumulate in the soil, where its then absorbed by
certain plants. Rice, specifically, has been known to store excess arsenic in
the grain, which is then transferred to humans when consumed. In the U.S.,
every quarter cup per day increase in rice consumption raises arsenic levels in
the blood by 14%.
Arsenic Leads to Fatty Liver
Disease in Mice
To investigate a potential link between arsenic exposure and
increased risk of NAFLD, scientists first looked to mouse models. Researchers
found that mice exposed to arsenic experienced the highest degree of liver
damage and inflammation, even more so than those fed a high-fat diet.
To determine whether the same link could be observed in humans,
scientists surveyed 8,516 Americans of varying age, weight, sex, and ethnicity
between 2005 and 2014. To avoid performing liver biopsies on every participant,
NAFLD was assessed instead using blood alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, a
liver enzyme often elevated in patients with fatty liver diseases. Arsenic
exposure was assessed using urine samples, which reflects the patient’s average
arsenic uptake in the last three days. The results were recently published in Environmental
Health.
Certain Ethnic Groups More at
Risk
The researchers found that higher arsenic levels in the urine
did reflect an increased likelihood of NAFLD. This was true regardless of the
individual’s weight, meaning obesity didn’t seem to play as large a role as
previously thought. However, the researchers did find that being obese made
things worse, with obese patients exposed to arsenic having even higher ALT
levels.
The scientists also found that certain ethnic groups were more
likely to be exposed to arsenic than others. The most significant association
was found amongst Mexican Americans, with other Hispanics, African-Americans,
and Asian-Americans also at higher risk. The researchers believe that this may
be associated with variations in cultural diets. Those where rice was a staple
food were more likely to be exposed to higher levels of arsenic, however, the
scientists would have to determine each participant’s diet to be sure.
The research team is now looking to confirm this hypothesis by
surveying patients diagnosed with NAFLD. By understanding who might be at risk
of the disease, the team hopes to develop community programs to help those
affected early on, before severe liver damage and cancer can develop. This is the
first study to evaluate this association in humans and the researchers hope
that this study, along with future research, can help to identify the
biological mechanisms involved. They also hope this study will lead to more
strategies to prevent or reduce the effects of arsenic exposure.
Written by Calvin J. Chan, B.Sc.
Reference: Frediani, J.K., Naioti, E.A., Vos, M.B., Figueroa,
J., Marsit, C.J. and Welsh, J.A. (2018). Arsenic exposure and risk of
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among U.S. adolescents and adults: an
association modified by race/ethnicity, NHANES 2005-2014. Environmental
Health. 17:6.
Odisha Demands More PDS Rice From Centre
February 28,
2018
Bhubaneswar: As PDS beneficiaries prefer rice to
wheat across the state, the Odisha government has asked the Centre to allocate
rice as per the need of the state under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).Odisha
Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi has written a letter to Union Food and
Public Dstribution Secretary Ravikant in this regard.A P Padhi said that Odisha
should be given more rice to meet the demand of beneficiaries. He has mentioned
that Odisha is mainly a rice consuming state.
Since 2015 to 2017, the Union Government has been
making provisions for more wheat ignoring repeated requests by the state
government.Now, there is a shortfall of around one lakh tonne of rice, which is
posing a serious problem for the state government.
As the Centre has not taken a reasonable approach in
fixing incidental charges, the state government has not been able to pay such
charges to rice millers. The incidental charges fixed for Kharif Marketing
Season (KMS) 2017-18 is abnormally low and highly unfeasible, A P Padhis’s
letter complained.
A P Padhi pointed out that paddy procurement is in
full swing and the state has so far procured 32.5 lakh tonnes of paddy and 7.5
lakh tonnes of rice from the millers. But the millers are now reluctant to
participate in the paddy procurement for low incidental charges. For example,
rates of transportation charges for paddy have been fixed at Rs4.65 per quintal
for 2017-18 whereas during 2016-17 the rate was Rs 36.18 per quintal.
With costs increasing every year, practically it is
not possible to transport at this abnormally low rate fixed by Government of
India, Chief Secretary pointed out. Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Secretary
V V Yadav pointed out that while Odisha is preparing for procurement of Rabi
paddy in a few weeks’ times, it would be difficult for the state government to
convince millers to participate in procurement process without clearance of
pending dues and an increased incidental charge.
The Chief Secretary has also requested the Union
Secretary to finalise the accounts and fix reasonable incidental charges to
facilitate smooth paddy procurement and rice in the state.
Anambra
Targets Boost In Rice Production
February 28, 2018
The Anambra State government
is targeting a boost in rice production this year according to the state Governor
Chief Willie Obiano.This is as a result of irrigation technology in rice
production in the eight local government areas of the state where the crop was
grown in large quantity.
For this reason, the State
government said it is targeting to double the current production
of 345,000 metric tons to 600,000 metric tons.Governor Obiano, who spoke
during the inspection of the multi- million naira Center Pivot Irrigation
System at Egwe Agwa Ogbakuba in Ogbaru local government area, said the state
would become net exporter of rice once the target was met as its local demand
would have been surpassed.
According to Obiano the
installation of the new irrigation system in four locations in the state was to
ensure all year round rice production, with the attendant multiplier effect of
empowering of about 2,500 farmers in the state. He explained that the Central
Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had agreed to provide funds to Anambra State government
to buy off all the paddy rice produced in the state, while millers would buy
all the paddy rice from government, adding that by so doing, the issue of
unsold rice produced by the farmers would not arise.
He also said the state government
would support the training of youth farmers to update their knowledge in modern
agriculture and commended the people of the state for keying into the state
government’s agricultural policy.
According to him, Sorghum would
be added among the crops to be grown under the FADAMA III additional funding,
stating that the Onitsha –based Sabmiller Breweries was a ready market for the
sorghum to be produced in the state.
The state coordinator of FADAMA
III additional financing, Mr. Chukwuka Egbueh said that as part of efforts to
ensure increased rice output, 11 rural roads leading to the rice production
belts in the state were being constructed, just as 18 youth and women groups
had been assisted through the provision rice mills, tricycles, threshers and
de-stoners to ease their production activities.
He also said that FADAMA had
built drying slabs at Umumbo, Ogbaru, Amanuke and Ifite Ogwari to ensure faster
drying of rice, adding that the envisaged target would surely be met with the
inputs by the state government.
Jasmine rice shortage is hitting
home, while price rising
By Thai PBS
FEB 28, 2018 12:19 PM
Thailand is now running shortage of
jasmine rice as latest survey in 23 rice cultivation provinces in the Northeast
and Northeast showed rice production is over two million tons below target.The survey was conducted by the Department of Rice and the Thai
Rice Miller’s Association in 20 northeastern provinces and three northern
provinces since November last year.Rice millers association president Hasdin
Suwatanapongches disclosed yesterday that the survey showed jasmine rice
production fell to 7.1 million tons, or lower than what the Ministry of
Agriculture has earlier projected at 9.9 million tons.
Quit if job is too hard for you, Malacañang hints at NFA chief
By JOCELYN MONTEMA...
March 01, 2018
PRESIDENTIAL spokesman Harry Roque Jr. yesterday said appointees
of President Duterte may consider resigning should they find their jobs
difficult to handle. Roque made the statement during an interview over
radio dzMM after being asked about the results of the Senate hearing on the
National Food Authority’s rice supply and its declaration about a supposed rice
shortage that resulted in panic.He echoed the pronouncements of Sen. Cynthia
Villar that the NFA announcement was uncalled for especially since it is not
true.He added that it appears there is again some internal row among officials
of the NFA.Villar has said NFA Administrator Jason Aquino should not have
announced a shortage, and should just have acted on the problem.
“First of all, what they said that there is no rice supply is not true. The position of Senator Villar is also correct that they should not have said it and they should have not made such a declaration because it creates panic among the public,” Roque said.“Our call on those in government, especially the appointees of President Duterte is: you are there to serve the public and if you are having difficulties providing services, maybe you can consider finding another career in the private sector,” he added.Roque did not elaborate as to who he was referring to but said the NFA Council, headed by Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., has decided that the country would be importing 250,000 metric tons of rice to augment the buffer stock.
The NFA Council early in February announced that there is no rice shortage in the country, even if the buffer stock of the NFA is slowly being depleted. The 250,000 metric tons that will augment the buffer stock is expected to be delivered by June.Roque said the rice supply situation in the country may be among the issues that would be taken up during the next Cabinet meeting on March 5.Sen. Grace Poe joined the call for Aquino to resign for his failure to ensure sufficient supply of cheap rice for the Filipinos.Poe said the Aquino’s inefficiency has resulted in the shortage of rice in the market, causing its price to skyrocket beyond the reach of poor Filipinos.
She expressed hope the President would be able to find a capable replacement for Aquino.“So if he has delicadeza or a conscience, perhaps he should quit,” she added.Poe also questioned Aquino’s leadership and choice of personnel and his decision to remove personnel from the ports to check on the rice imports.Poe made the call a day after Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV asked Aquino to quit.“We are talking about food security for the poorest Filipino families. We need someone who can get the job done,” Aquino said.The NFA administrator admitted during the hearing that the agency has failed to comply with the 15-day buffer stock policy for almost a year. With no lower-priced rice available in the market, prices of rice skyrocketed, making the expensive variety the only available option for Filipinos.
The NFA administrator also admitted the country’s current buffer stock for NFA rice is just 1.7 days.
“First of all, what they said that there is no rice supply is not true. The position of Senator Villar is also correct that they should not have said it and they should have not made such a declaration because it creates panic among the public,” Roque said.“Our call on those in government, especially the appointees of President Duterte is: you are there to serve the public and if you are having difficulties providing services, maybe you can consider finding another career in the private sector,” he added.Roque did not elaborate as to who he was referring to but said the NFA Council, headed by Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., has decided that the country would be importing 250,000 metric tons of rice to augment the buffer stock.
The NFA Council early in February announced that there is no rice shortage in the country, even if the buffer stock of the NFA is slowly being depleted. The 250,000 metric tons that will augment the buffer stock is expected to be delivered by June.Roque said the rice supply situation in the country may be among the issues that would be taken up during the next Cabinet meeting on March 5.Sen. Grace Poe joined the call for Aquino to resign for his failure to ensure sufficient supply of cheap rice for the Filipinos.Poe said the Aquino’s inefficiency has resulted in the shortage of rice in the market, causing its price to skyrocket beyond the reach of poor Filipinos.
She expressed hope the President would be able to find a capable replacement for Aquino.“So if he has delicadeza or a conscience, perhaps he should quit,” she added.Poe also questioned Aquino’s leadership and choice of personnel and his decision to remove personnel from the ports to check on the rice imports.Poe made the call a day after Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV asked Aquino to quit.“We are talking about food security for the poorest Filipino families. We need someone who can get the job done,” Aquino said.The NFA administrator admitted during the hearing that the agency has failed to comply with the 15-day buffer stock policy for almost a year. With no lower-priced rice available in the market, prices of rice skyrocketed, making the expensive variety the only available option for Filipinos.
The NFA administrator also admitted the country’s current buffer stock for NFA rice is just 1.7 days.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/quit-if-job-too-hard-you-malacañang-hints-nfa-chief
NFA-La Union assures enough rice supply
SAN JUAN, La Union: The National Food Authority (NFA) here assured
the public that there are enough rice stocks in the province until the next
importation arrives in June.
Fortunato Bulao, NFA-La Union provincial manager, said there are
692,453 bags available in the province now, adding that they are expecting
production of 115,375 more bags this month.
About 250,000 metric tons or 400,000 bags of imported rice have
been allocated for Region 1 and expected to arrive in June.
As soon as the supply arrives, 75,000 bags will be set aside for
La Union.
Bulao said rice consumption of the province at present, according
to NFA figure, is 5,800 bags daily or 162,400 bags a month.
The available stocks are expected to last for less than four
months or until May this year.
In the NFA warehouse here, some 8,000 bags available, of which
2,000 bags are reserved for emergency relief operations, the reason why the
government’s only option was to import rice.
“We are anticipating that the rice importation will come just in
time, before the lean months,” Bulao said.
The average price of NFA rice in the market is P32 a kilo while
the commercial rice is P43.50 a kilo.
The buying price for palay (unhusked rice) is P17.70 a kilo.
Meanwhile, farmers in Northern Mindanao urged the national
government to stop the “cartelization” of rice supply in the country to
stabilize the prices of the prime commodity.
Ireneo Udarbe, regional secretary of the Kilusang Mabubukid sa
Pilipinas (KMP), said the prices of rice have gone up to more than P40 per kilo
in the market today – in contrast to the usual P30 per kilo last week.
Udarbe blamed the rising prices of rice in the local market on
private businessmen, particularly the Minimum Access Volume (MAV), a group of
big private rice traders, authorized by the government to import rice.
“The MAV is expected to deliver 350,000 metric tons of imported
rice any time in February or March this year, but whether the supply could pull
down the prices of the rice in the market remains to be seen,” Udarbe said.
He added that the government should be responsible for the
importation of rice so that prices could be effectively controlled and should
not be given to private importers who dictate the prices in the local market.
“Allowing the big-time private rice importers to control the
supply and prices of rice in the market simply means ‘cartelization’ of the
prime commodity,” he added.
In a dialogue with the farmers, NFA Regional Director Fernando Nuñez
said the 250,000 metric tons of imported rice from Vietnam and Thailand are
expected to arrive in the country in June this year.
Nuñez said the NFA has a buffer rice supply in its warehouses, but
is releasing the supply gradually until the imported rice arrives.
The KMP also urged the NFA to buy locally produced rice at
competitive prices.
The NFA is buying the locally produced rice at P 17.00 per kilo
while the local rice traders purchase it at P 22.00 per kilo, Udarbe said.
Nuñez said the NFA has also recommended to the NFA National
Council the increase in the NFA buying price of P 22 per kilo but the council
is yet to act on the request.
Rice Noodle Market Size, Share, Outlook and Forecast Report 2018
Rice noodles are
manufactured using rice and are typically popular in Eastern and Southeast
Asian cuisines due to their texture, which is slightly springy and chewy. They
have a delicate flavor that goes well with all kinds of sauces and seasonings.
This variety of noodles is available in fresh, dried, or frozen forms, as well
as in different shapes and thickness. The global noodles market is currently
growing at a steady rate owing to factors like increasing demand for regional
and ethnic flavors in noodles, increasing the popularity of Asian cuisines
across the globe, growth in the organized retail sector, and others.
This press release was
orginally distributed by SBWire
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Nutritious red rice developed for the U.S.
By Krishna
Ramanujan |
Susan
McCouch, professor of plant breeding and genetics, with grains of Scarlett, a
new red rice cultivar she co-developed with collaborator Anna McClung, a
researcher at the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
Jason Koski/University
Photography
Scarlett is a nutritious whole-grain rice with
a nutty, rich flavor.Researchers from Cornell and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service announced today they are
releasing a nutritious red rice cultivar that should appeal to people
interested in alternative grains.
The new
rice, called Scarlett, is whole-grain rice and has a nutty, rich flavor. It is
also packed with nutrients: The red bran on the rice has high levels of
antioxidants and flavonoids that are common in red-colored grains and fruits,
along with naturally produced vitamin E.
“If
people find brown rice nutritious and delicious, this rice is even better,”
said Susan McCouch, professor of plant breeding and genetics, who co-developed
Scarlett with collaborator Anna McClung, director and research leader at the
USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center
in Stuttgart, Arkansas.
McCouch
and her team did the back-crossing between the two parents and the genetic
analysis, while McClung did the phenotypic evaluation and made the final
breeding selection.
Field
trials showed that Scarlett rice is high-yielding and disease-resistant, and
also grows extremely well under organic conditions. It is being commercially
produced and will be available to the public later this year.
“We’re
working with chefs in South Carolina to come up with some new recipes that will
highlight the particular culinary opportunities that the new rice presents,”
McCouch said.
This is
the first time a cultivated rice variety with a red pericarp, the seed’s bran
layer, will be released in the United States. Most red rice in the United
States is considered a “noxious weed” because the genes that lead to red
pericarp are linked with such unfavorable “weedy” traits as seed dormancy and
shattering (where seeds fall easily from stalks), making it hard to get rid of
weedy red rice from the field. During the breeding of Scarlett, these linkages
were broken, so the red pericarp in the new variety is not accompanied by any
weedy characteristics.
Scarlett
is a cross between an elite U.S. long-grain tropical japonica variety called
“Jefferson” and a strain of Oryza rufipogon, the wild ancestor of Asian rice,
collected in Malaysia.
The
variety is the outcome of basic research in McCouch’s lab, investigating the
genetics of wild-rice species and exploring crosses between Jefferson and
strains of hardy but agronomically poor O. rufipogon. One of the offspring
proved to be resilient and high-yielding while retaining its red bran.
To get
rid of the weedy traits, researchers repeatedly back-crossed (bred favorable
offspring with the Jefferson parent) and selected until they had a variety with
long grain, high yield and disease resistance. Along with genetic testing, they
ran field trials in eight locations over the last six years to ensure that no
hidden wild traits would show up in different growing environments. Ming-Hsuan
Chen, chemist with USDA, determined that the red grain of Scarlett was unique
in that it has high levels of various anti-oxidant compounds that have been
associated with health benefits in other foods.
Scarlett
is adapted to subtropical climates of the southern United States, and similar
to growing environments found in Uruguay and Argentina, where it may also be
grown. The climates in parts of West Africa and Asia are also favorable, but
the grain quality may not be preferred in those cultures, McCouch said. Due in
part to the plant’s flowering time, it is not adapted to the northern United
States, but McCouch and McClung may look for lineages that flower earlier and
would be suitable for a northern climate.
Scarlett
is being released as a public variety with no intellectual property restrictions
and is royalty free.
http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2018/02/nutritious-red-rice-developed-us
Australia, New Zealand decision on Golden Rice sets tone for GM food approval
In December 2017, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) issued a directive allowing the commercial sale of food derived from genetically modified (GM) rice line known as GR2E. FSANZ said food derived from GR2E is considered to be safe for human consumption. It also requires manufacturers to label their products as “genetically modified,” in line with Australia and New Zealand’s guidelines on food labeling and to give consumers an informed choice.
So how does that a decision made in Canberra and Wellington affects us? It’s because GR2E—a rice variety that was genetically modified to produce beta-carotene in the endosperm of the rice grain—is the same variety that we know as “Golden Rice.” The field testing of this variety has garnered so much controversy that I think most people have forgotten that it was developed to solve a public health problem and has instead focused on the fact that it’s genetically modified. GM food is such a huge baggage that I think most consumers believe that it’s not safe. This, even if GM corn is already widely cultivated in the Philippines, although as far as I know this GM corn is used primarily consumed as an animal feed.
Unlike GM corn, Golden Rice is meant for human consumption. It has been genetically modified to produce the vitamin A precursor beta-carotene, which gives the rice its golden color. Golden Rice is meant to be a fortified food, especially in a developing country like the Philippines where rice is a staple food and vitamin A deficiency has killed thousands of children under the age of 5.
But it’s not Golden Rice’s nutritional value that attracted public interest but rather the stiff opposition against it. In 2013 the media reported about the hundreds of farmers and environmentalists who stormed a field site in Camarines Norte to uproot the Golden Rice being tested by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Department of Agriculture. The activists said they attacked the field site because Golden Rice threatens human health, local biodiversity and farmers’ livelihoods. Last year a group of Philippine legislators have filed a bill directing the House of Representatives’s Committee on Agriculture and Food to conduct an inquiry to determine Golden Rice’s impact on health, environment and farmers’ rights.
The IRRI and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) have also applied to the Bureau of Plant Industry for a biosafety permit for the direct use in food, feed or for processing of Golden Rice. The application was submitted in February 2017, but a year later, the IRRI and PhilRice are still waiting for BPI’s approval. That it’s taking local agricultural officials quite a while can be frustrating to those who advocate for Golden Rice’s cultivation. This is why FSANZ’s straightforward approval process is expected to serve as a role model not only to local policy-makers, but also to health and agriculture officials in other countries, such as the United States and Canada where the IRRI also has a pending application for Golden Rice.
According to Dr. Benigno Peczon, president of the Coalition for Agricultural Modernization of the Philippines, FSANZ “made a landmark decision, based on scientific data provided by IRRI.”
Peczon said FSANZ’s approval process, which ensures that the product meets public health and safety concerns, “provides a model for decision-making in all countries which see an advantage in using GR2E rice.”
“This would be of interest in places where the probability of blindness for lack of vitamin A is significant, particularly in places which perceive the advantage in preventive measures,” he told the BusinessMirror.
Indeed, FSANZ’s decision that was issued last December was accompanied by a comprehensive report that explains the reasons behind its decision, noted on the issues raised by other agencies, non-governmental organizations and individuals, and the process it followed to determine the safety of food derived from Golden Rice. FSANZ also conducted a nutrition-risk assessment—including a nutrition hazard assessment that considered potential adverse effects associated with beta-carotene intake; and a dietary intake assessment for beta-carotene that assumes all rice (including brown and milled rice, rice bran and rice bran oil that are consumed as is or in processed foods and mixed dishes) consumed in Australia and New Zealand are replaced with GR2E products.
But not everyone is convinced with FSANZ’s decision. The Munich-based Institute for Independent Impact Assessment of Biotechnology (Testbiotech), for one, questioned why FSANZ’s didn’t conduct a toxicology assessment.
“According to the IRRI, the consumption of this rice is especially beneficial to young children, as well as lactating and pregnant women. Nonetheless, it is self-evident that food products with no history of safe use must be subjected to the highest standards of risk assessment before the most vulnerable groups of the population are exposed to it. However, no toxicological studies were performed with the rice. Many more in-depth toxicological studies would be necessary before any conclusion can be drawn on food safety,” Testbiotech said.
So the FSANZ’s decision might be final, but still warrants further discussion. I’m on the fence when it comes to GM food and, as far as I’m concerned, the jury is still out as to whether GM crops contribute to sustainable farming and dining.
But this debate is something I welcome. In fact, while I have no formal background on environmental/health sciences, I support the current debate on Golden Rice as the arguments are based on science and not on emotions or hysteria. It’s verifiable data that will in the end decide on food and environmental safety and not pandering to populist but misguided views.
NSF
Awards Rice University $10 million for Bioimaging Project
by Heather
Landi
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $10 million to
a Rice University-led team that hopes to create wearable and point-of-care
microscopes that use on-chip illumination and sensing to non-invasively aid in
the diagnosis and monitoring of nearly 100 health conditions that today require
a biopsy or blood test.
“The project will produce a platform technology for in vivo, 3-D
tissue imaging, with the aim of being able to point a camera to a part of the
body and see live biology below the skin without making an incision or drawing
blood," Rice professor Ashutosh Sabharwal, the principal investigator on
the grant, said in a statement.
Sabharwal's team, which includes 11 co-investigators from Rice,
Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, MIT and Cornell, is one of three groups to win new
five-year grants today from the NSF's Expeditions in Computing program.
Expeditions is an interdisciplinary NSF effort that constitutes the agency's
largest single investment in computer and information science research. Since
2008, NSF has invested more than $200 million in Expeditions projects.
“Expeditions supports transformative research, and our goal is
to create miniaturized, light-based microscopes for use in wearables,
point-of-care, bedside diagnostics, ambulances, operating rooms and more,"
Sabharwal, professor of electrical and computer engineering, said.
Anyone who has pointed a flashlight at their palm to make their
hand glow knows that light can travel through the body. But visible light
scatters so much as it passes through soft tissue that it has not been useful
for medical imaging, according to the researchers.
Sabharwal's team will attempt to unravel this scattered light
puzzle with a technique called “computational scatterography.” They'll use a
combination of mathematical algorithms, camera design and imaging sensors to
reverse engineer the path of scattered light.
“Basically, we're trying to ‘de-scatter’ the light,”
computational imaging expert and Rice co-investigator Ashok Veeraraghavan,
associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, said in a
statement.
Sabharwal pointed to white blood cell count (WBC) tests as an
example of the project's potential impact. In the U.S., oncologists use
millions of WBC tests each week to monitor chemotherapy patients. WBC tests
require a finger prick or blood draw and a laboratory, which means they can be
performed only at hospitals and clinics.
“Imagine a wearable device no larger than a watch that uses
sensors to continuously measure white blood cell count and wirelessly
communicate with the oncologist's office,” Sabharwal said. “The patient could
go about their daily life. They'd only have to go to the hospital if there was
a problem.”
Sabharwal also said the platform technology will be able to
spinoff into many products that can be used in the care of nearly 100 health
conditions.
If
the rice industry is to be saved the GRDB must stop the exploitation
0 Comments
Dear Editor,
I
read your recent editorial on Agriculture in our country and the much needed
input from central government across the spectrum for safe and meaningful
development. I am very moved by your well-intentioned remarks and suggestions
on the best possible way forward and it has brought to the fore my very own
direct involvement in the rice industry where I have been a rice farmer for 60
years.
At
this point in time I feel very threatened with all the recent developments in
the rice industry.
There
are no definite plans for improvement and vision for expansion, although there is
an abundance of resources available. There has been no foresight for progress
and success. The rice industry is also in deep economic depression, and the
dynamics of the officials seem non-existent.
Leadership
skills have been in cold storage for too long. The Ministry of Agriculture has
not been pro-active enough to move the industry in the right and positive
direction and my greatest fear is that we are faced with the same very dilemma
as the sugar industry. In any sphere of activity where leadership is paramount,
success will be realized, and when good stewardship wanes, failure reigns.
The
Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) Directors need to revisit some of their
decisions on the general operations of the rice industry. What they say or do
affects the industry one way or the other. Their faults lie in putting the
wrong persons in important administrative positions. Allegiance and patriotism
are very important, but when this is done for ulterior motives this very act
can be a very destructive force. The very thought of removing a highly
efficient and brilliant official and replacing him/her with very, very junior
staff, is a certain formula for a high powered explosion within the super
structure of a system. Take for instance, a brilliant member of staff like Mrs
Peters, who was reassigned to the position of deputy general manager of GRDB.
Most rice millers have had to pull-up or slow-up, whenever she appears. Her
firm and resolute actions were very beneficial to the rice industry. She has
been a no-nonsense woman. She also treats rice farmers with respect.
Another
highly vindictive act of the Board of Directors was the refusal to renew the
contract of a veteran within the industry, Mr Kuldip Ragnauth, former Chief
Extension Officer of GRDB. This remarkable gentleman has given incomparable
service to the rice industry. He has served in this capacity with honour and
resolute conviction. He interacted with every rice farmer in a very
professional manner ever so often, and his organizational skills won the support
and admiration of rice farmers throughout the country. He has touched the
hearts of all of us and we are now left like unattended orphans, without proper
parental guidance. The so-called care givers are seldom seen by us and it hurts
deeply. Extension can never be the same again. What I know scientifically about
rice cultivation came through his inspiration and encouragement. What he was
paid to do, he selflessly delivered much, much more. His name is now etched in
the history of the rice industry as the number one trailblazer and the rice
farmer’s patron.
Mrs
Peters’ timely disclosure in the news media of a magnificent decision to
install a modem electronic seedling cleaner at Burma Rice Research Station, is
a laudable venture for quality seedling production. This development is in the
best interest of all stakeholders in the industry, as quality seedlings pave
the way for the best reproduction of a high standard quality of the product for
international markets. This has been a long overdue component for quality
control in paddy seedlings output.
Another
interesting intervention is that of the grading systems formulated by GRDB and
put into practice by the rice millers. This particular formula is a flawed
directive, and the rice farmers have been paying the price all along for such
imposition. The rice millers take advantage of the farmers by using the
repulsive instruments of authority from GRDB. I vehemently oppose this act of
treachery and the denial of the farmers’ rights. Let me relate what takes place
at the miller’s paddy hopper. A sampler is sent to take a sample for grading in
the process of offloading. As the dumping commences the sampler puts his sample
container on both sides of the truck’s tray and then in the middle. Shortly
after this is done, the paddy grains slide down into the hopper. In taking
samples this way, more wind pads get into the sample container than solid
grains. Hence the farmer pays a high penalty for dockage ‒ more than he should.
Another
raw deal that is handed down to the farmers is the formula used to award grades
to the poor producer. When penalties have been applied for every stipulated
grading factor, a percentage is used per bag to calculate each factor, which
manifests in pounds per bag of paddy as penalty deductions. When this exercise
is completed then the millers pay the farmers a stipulated price per grade
after all deductions are made. So the millers buy from the farmers, super
quality paddy. This being so, why can’t the miller pay one flat top quality
price to the farmer after being made to pay penalties twice? This is a
high-handed tactic to take from the farmer his hard-earned labour.
If
the rice industry is to be saved, the GRDB must stop such exploitation and
boost the farmers’ morale, or else we shall all go down the same dreary lane,
as GuySuCo. I shall bear the banner for betterment if it entails walking one
thousand miles!
If
the rice industry is to be saved the GRDB must stop the exploitation
0 Comments
Dear Editor,
I
read your recent editorial on Agriculture in our country and the much needed
input from central government across the spectrum for safe and meaningful
development. I am very moved by your well-intentioned remarks and suggestions
on the best possible way forward and it has brought to the fore my very own
direct involvement in the rice industry where I have been a rice farmer for 60
years.
At
this point in time I feel very threatened with all the recent developments in
the rice industry.
There
are no definite plans for improvement and vision for expansion, although there
is an abundance of resources available. There has been no foresight for
progress and success. The rice industry is also in deep economic depression,
and the dynamics of the officials seem non-existent.
Leadership
skills have been in cold storage for too long. The Ministry of Agriculture has
not been pro-active enough to move the industry in the right and positive
direction and my greatest fear is that we are faced with the same very dilemma
as the sugar industry. In any sphere of activity where leadership is paramount,
success will be realized, and when good stewardship wanes, failure reigns.
The
Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) Directors need to revisit some of their
decisions on the general operations of the rice industry. What they say or do
affects the industry one way or the other. Their faults lie in putting the
wrong persons in important administrative positions. Allegiance and patriotism
are very important, but when this is done for ulterior motives this very act
can be a very destructive force. The very thought of removing a highly
efficient and brilliant official and replacing him/her with very, very junior
staff, is a certain formula for a high powered explosion within the super
structure of a system. Take for instance, a brilliant member of staff like Mrs
Peters, who was reassigned to the position of deputy general manager of GRDB.
Most rice millers have had to pull-up or slow-up, whenever she appears. Her
firm and resolute actions were very beneficial to the rice industry. She has
been a no-nonsense woman. She also treats rice farmers with respect.
Another
highly vindictive act of the Board of Directors was the refusal to renew the contract
of a veteran within the industry, Mr Kuldip Ragnauth, former Chief Extension
Officer of GRDB. This remarkable gentleman has given incomparable service to
the rice industry. He has served in this capacity with honour and resolute
conviction. He interacted with every rice farmer in a very professional manner
ever so often, and his organizational skills won the support and admiration of
rice farmers throughout the country. He has touched the hearts of all of us and
we are now left like unattended orphans, without proper parental guidance. The
so-called care givers are seldom seen by us and it hurts deeply. Extension can
never be the same again. What I know scientifically about rice cultivation came
through his inspiration and encouragement. What he was paid to do, he
selflessly delivered much, much more. His name is now etched in the history of
the rice industry as the number one trailblazer and the rice farmer’s patron.
Mrs
Peters’ timely disclosure in the news media of a magnificent decision to
install a modem electronic seedling cleaner at Burma Rice Research Station, is
a laudable venture for quality seedling production. This development is in the
best interest of all stakeholders in the industry, as quality seedlings pave
the way for the best reproduction of a high standard quality of the product for
international markets. This has been a long overdue component for quality
control in paddy seedlings output.
Another
interesting intervention is that of the grading systems formulated by GRDB and
put into practice by the rice millers. This particular formula is a flawed
directive, and the rice farmers have been paying the price all along for such
imposition. The rice millers take advantage of the farmers by using the
repulsive instruments of authority from GRDB. I vehemently oppose this act of
treachery and the denial of the farmers’ rights. Let me relate what takes place
at the miller’s paddy hopper. A sampler is sent to take a sample for grading in
the process of offloading. As the dumping commences the sampler puts his sample
container on both sides of the truck’s tray and then in the middle. Shortly
after this is done, the paddy grains slide down into the hopper. In taking
samples this way, more wind pads get into the sample container than solid
grains. Hence the farmer pays a high penalty for dockage ‒ more than he should.
Another
raw deal that is handed down to the farmers is the formula used to award grades
to the poor producer. When penalties have been applied for every stipulated
grading factor, a percentage is used per bag to calculate each factor, which
manifests in pounds per bag of paddy as penalty deductions. When this exercise
is completed then the millers pay the farmers a stipulated price per grade
after all deductions are made. So the millers buy from the farmers, super
quality paddy. This being so, why can’t the miller pay one flat top quality
price to the farmer after being made to pay penalties twice? This is a
high-handed tactic to take from the farmer his hard-earned labour.
If
the rice industry is to be saved, the GRDB must stop such exploitation and
boost the farmers’ morale, or else we shall all go down the same dreary lane,
as GuySuCo. I shall bear the banner for betterment if it entails walking one
thousand miles!
Yours faithfully,
https://www.stabroeknews.com/2018/opinion/letters/03/01/if-the-rice-industry-is-to-be-saved-the-grdb-must-stop-the-exploitation/
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1st March,2018 daily global regional local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine
