Wednesday, March 27, 2019

27th March,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter


Threat to PHL food security

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Nothing has changed nearly seven years after the government sounded the alarm that Filipino farmers are aging and the youth are not interested to go into agriculture. The current average age of Filipino farmers is 57 years old, prompting some lawmakers to call farming a “dying profession.” Who can blame those who are not keen on tilling the land? Farming in the Philippines is usually a backbreaking work that offers little reward.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority will attest to the difficulties faced by farmers. In a report released in June 2017, the PSA disclosed that the farming sector consistently topped the list with the highest poverty incidence. The poverty incidence among farmers in 2015 was at 34.3 percent. Prior to the release of the 2017 data, agriculture (next to fisheries) also posted the highest poverty incidence in 2006, 2009 and 2012.
Apart from the unwillingness of the young generation to go into farming, those who stayed are now being driven away from the sector by inadequate or bad government policies. Take the case of the tobacco farmers in the Ilocos region. While there is evidence that the increase in excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol (or “sin” taxes) slashed the cigarette consumption of Filipinos, it also caused 12,000 farmers to stop planting the crop (See, “‘Sin’ tax forces farmers to give up tobacco,” in the BusinessMirror, March 25, 2019).
Of the 12,000 farmers who stopped planting tobacco, industry data indicated that 2,300 planters left the agriculture sector for good. The data, however, did not indicate the alternative livelihood of these farmers. Some of those who stopped planting tobacco shifted to corn, which is more suitable for the Ilocos region. How long will they plant corn is anybody’s guess because the crop is not as profitable as tobacco.
This could also happen to sugar farmers if the government succeeds in further opening up the sector in its bid to rein in inflation. Thousands of small planters would stop planting sugarcane once the government allows the unimpeded entry of imported sugar (via tariff reduction or removal of nontariff barriers). Farm workers or sacadas are already leaving the sector in droves and are taking on construction jobs that pay higher. Unfortunately for sugarcane farmers, funds allocated by the government to improve their competitiveness are much smaller than those given to the tobacco sector.
If the government is not careful in implementing the rice trade liberalization law, planters may follow the lead of those who have left the tobacco sector. Republic Act 11203 calls for the establishment of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, which consist of tariffs collected from imports. The P10-billion RCEF would bankroll programs aimed at cushioning the impact of more rice imports. But the fund is an initiative that should have been put in place while Congress worked on amending RA 8148, or the Agricultural Tarrification Act.
The same goes for the rice industry road map, which details the strategies that would help ensure the sector’s survival in light of the expected influx of cheap imports. The rationale for the crafting of the road map only after the rice trade liberalization measure has been enacted remains unclear. It is akin to letting soldiers go to battle sans the necessary artillery and equipment.
Let’s hope that these lapses will not cause significant harm to the country’s food production. Even then, unless the government can find a way to produce crops and other foodstuff without human labor, the exodus of Filipino planters will remain a big threat to the country’s food security.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/03/27/threat-to-phl-food-security/

Malaysia grain imports seen on upswing

03.26.2019
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. — Malaysia is forecast to import more corn, wheat and rice in the 2019-20 marketing year, according to a March 20 Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
According to the USDA, Malaysia is forecast to import 4.15 million tonnes of corn in 2019-20, up from 4 million tonnes in 2018-19 and compared with 3.645 million tonnes in 2017-18. The USDA said the increase primarily reflects steadily growing demand for poultry feed.
Malaysia imports most of its corn from South America, with approximately 80% originating from Brazil and Argentina during the 2017-18 marketing year. But the USDA said that increasingly competitive U.S. Gulf prices in the first quarter of 2019 may boost interest for imports from the United States.
Wheat imports in Malaysia are forecast at 1.78 million tonnes in 2019-20, up from 1.75 million tonnes in 2018-19 and compared with 1.612 million tonnes in 2017-18. The USDA said the small increase reflects expectations that consumption will remain relatively flat during the year. Most of Malaysia’s wheat imports come from Australia, followed by Canada and the United States.
Rice imports also are forecast to increase in 2019-20, the USDA said, moving to 1.12 million tonnes from 1.05 million tonnes in 2018-19. The USDA attributed the projected increase in imports to rising consumption demands of the growing population. Thailand and Vietnam currently supply more than 80% of rice imported into Malaysia, the USDA noted.
Rice prices to fall as low as P30/kg — DTI
d to import the staple from various sources without permit from the National Food Authority provided they secure a sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance from the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture and pay the appropriate tariff. Under the Rice Tariffication Law which took effect last March 5, rice traders would be allowe


Louella Desiderio (The Philippine Star) - March 27, 2019 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Rice prices could go as low as P30 per kilo with the implementation of the rice tariffication law, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.
“I am not making any promises, but with more imports, we can see the price go down to P30 to P32 (per kilo),” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said.
He said the lower price could be seen in three weeks.
Under the Rice Tariffication Law which took effect last March 5, rice traders would be allowed to import the staple from various sources without permit from the National Food Authority provided they secure a sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance from the Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture and pay the appropriate tariff.
The law is intended to help ensure stable supply and address high rice prices seen last year.
Lopez said it takes about two weeks for imports to arrive in the country.
Consumers can already see the rice being sold for as low as P34 per kilo when they go to supermarkets.
He said the Presyong Risonable Dapat (PRD) program launched by the DTI last year to allow retailers to directly import rice and sell it at a fixed price of P38 per kilo and below, has also helped make the staple available at a more affordable cost.
To participate in the PRD, retailers need  to file applications with the DTI, and inform the agency of the volume of rice they want to import, as well as where the imports would be sold and where they would pay the tariff.
Apart from more imports, Lopez said the support being provided to local farmers should help bring down prices.
He said around P5 billion has been allocated this year to support rice farmers.
“So, we will see more of cheaper rice. That is what we are after,” he said.
Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture-Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS)  thinks the rice liberalization law will not have an immediate impact as earlier projected.
“Its effects are expected to be more pronounced in the next two to three years, and will largely depend on how the interventions are implemented and how efficiently the bureaucracy transitions to liberalized rice trade,” USDA said.
The Rice Tariffication Law includes a P10 billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund to make the local industry more competitive.
The RCEF is on top of the initial P5 billion budget already released and another P7 billion of  the regular funding programmed by the Department of Agriculture for the rice program.
“Actual rice consumption is expected to increase modestly in two to three years as effects of the liberalization of rice imports (increased imports resulting in falling rice prices) become more apparent,” it said.
Rice is a staple food in the country and the law is intended, in part, to spur imports to quell domestic unrest caused by inflation.
Economic managers earlier claimed that rice prices would start going down just a few months after the law’s signing.
USDA earlier reported that the Philippines  was already sourcing some 2.6 million metric tons of rice as additional imports are anticipated amid policy change removing quantitative restrictions on Filipinos’ basic commodity.
This makes the country the second-largest rice importer for 2019, next to China with an estimated 4.5 million MT of rice imports.
USDA said rice imports from ASEAN member countries would increase as a result of rice tariffication, benefiting from geographic proximity and lower tariffs.
Rice production for the year is forecast to rise to 19.4 MT or two percent higher than the previous year, boosted by government investments to make the local industry more competitive.     – With Louise Maureen Simeon


Funds for drought-resistant palay seeds eyed
posted March 26, 2019 at 11:20 pm by Maricel Cruz
A lawmaker on Tuesday said the release of P5 billion to farmers late last year will help them brace for an extended dry spell in at least 19 provinces this year.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said the funds were released ahead of the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 11203 or the rice tariffication law that mandates the government to provide a specific fund for agriculture development.
Under the rice tariffication law, the importation of rice was liberalized but the law mandates a creation of a fund to help farmers who will be adversely affected by the liberalization of rice importation.
He said the provincial government of CamSur declared a state of calamity as the latest dry spell has affected a critical portion of the province.
Villafuerte suggested that P1 billion to P2 billion of the P5-billion fund released by the DBM—ahead of the establishment of the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund under RA 11203—be used for the procurement of drought-tolerant rice seeds to help farmers tide over the projected El Niño spell in 2019.
“The DA can procure the drought-tolerant rice seed varieties in time for the succeeding cropping seasons to mitigate the effects of the dry spell on the farm sector,” Villafuerte, who is a co-author of RA 11203, said.
According to the International Rice Research Institute, there are eight drought-tolerant rice seed varieties available to farmers for highland and lowland planting.
Villafuerte, vice chairman of the House committee on appropriations, recalled that Budget department said it had released a Special Allotment Release Order to the DA amounting to P5 billion last December for the National Rice Program, which will complement the would-be RCEF, the funds of which are to be come from the upcoming rice import tariff collections. Maricel V. Cruz
On top of adjusting to a rice-tariffied regime, farmers also have to cope with this year’s El Nino phenomenon, with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) forecasting that drought to likely hit Metro Manila, Pangasinan, Bataan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Masbate, Rizal, Antique, Iloilo, Bataan, Northern and Western Samar and Dinagat Islands.
Earlier, Villafuerte said the RCEF’s allocation of P10 billion will help the agriculture sector modernize and gain access to lending facilities.
As provided under the bill, the RCEF will have a minimum annual allocation of P10 billion for six years, and tariff revenues from rice imports in excess of P10 billion shall be appropriated by the Congress for this sector, based on a menu of programs in the rice tariffication law.
Under the bill, the proposed fund will be allocated as follows: 50% for grants to farmers’ associations, registered rice cooperatives, and local government units in the form of rice equipment, to be implemented by the Philippine Center for Post-Harvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech); and 30% for the development, propagation and promotion of inbred rice seeds to rice farmers and organizations, to be implemented by the Philippine Rice Research Institution (PhilRice).
The 10 percent will be in the form of credit at preferential rates to rice farmers and cooperatives to be managed by the Land Bank (Landbank) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP); and the remaining 10% for extension services to teach rice farmers modern methods of farming, seed production, and farm mechanization, to be administered by PhilMech, PhilRice, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).  

Importers are Nigeria’s biggest enemies - Minister Audu Ogbeh reveals 3 hours ago 1200 views by  Eromosele Ebhomele - Minister Audu Ogbeh says importers are the real enemies of Nigeria as they wreck efforts to boost local production of goods - Ogbeh says toothpicks and tomato pastes are still being imported into Nigeria and costing the country huge sums - The minister explains how government is doing its best concerning the agricultural sector Nigeria’s agriculture minister, Audu Ogbeh, has accused importers of being the country’s biggest enemies as he says they are the ‘greatest wreckers’ of the economy and effort at locally produced goods. Ogbeh, according to Leadership, said this in Abuja when he appeared before the National Assembly joint committee on agriculture to defend the ministry’s budget. The minister argued that international merchants including importers of products like toothpick, sugar, vegetables, and pencils had frustrated the government’s efforts at ensuring the citizens bought made in Nigeria goods. READ ALSO: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda “We are a nation of importers. Toothpick every year costs us 18 million dollars, tomato paste costs us 400 million dollars. “Meanwhile, a basket of tomatoes is less than N2,000. The farmers are losing money because the processors do not have enough funds to set up factories. “Two factories have started off. I am sure by the end of next year we can comfortably tell the importers of tomato paste to stop. “Unfortunately, when you do you make enemies; even the importation of rice that we are trying to reduce is creating for us enemies, heavy enemies, people, who can kill if they have the opportunity because you are spoiling their business. “Nobody should take this lightly. These guys have hijacked the economy of this country. “They have taken it hostage and they have no intention of giving up. This regime is unpopular in part because it is trying to cut down imports and transfer the wealth to another thing. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app “I know what I am saying because I have been in this business for 41 years. We import sugar, handkerchief, toothpaste, even pencils. “I read in the newspapers recently that the Champagne Ambassador in Nigeria said Nigerians love life. We are the biggest consumers of champagne on planet earth,” he said. Legit.ng earlier reported that Audu Ogbeh said good access roads in the country can boost agricultural production, open up business opportunities and further unite the country. Ogbeh said this when he was addressing newsmen in Otukpo, Benue, after an inspection of federal roads. NAIJ.com (naija.ng).





Woman Wary of Prescription Drugs Gets Liver Damage From Supplement

Doctors determined red yeast rice supplement likely to blame

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 26, 2019 2:00 PM CDT
Description: http://img2-azrcdn.newser.com/image/1229671-11-20190326134618.jpeg
Description: http://img2-azrcdn.newser.com/image/982199-0-20190326140848.jpeg?width=55&height=55&crop=Y (NEWSER) – A woman who was wary of taking prescription statins to lower her cholesterol took red yeast rice supplements instead—and ended up with acute liver damage. After six weeks of using the over-the-counter supplements, which contain the same chemical that statins use to reduce cholesterol (monacolin K), the 64-year-old Michigan woman ended up in the hospital after developing a number of symptoms including fatigue, bloating, dark urine, light-colored stool, and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin). Tests showed a drug-induced liver injury, which doctors determined was likely caused by the supplements. The problem? Supplements aren't regulated by the FDA. "Often taking a supplement means taking an unknown dose of the active component," the lead researcher on the case says, per HealthDay News.
As researchers explain, it doesn't matter whether monacolin K is derived synthetically (as it is for statins) or naturally (as it is for red yeast rice supplements, which contain a mix of fermented steamed rice and food fungus), but too much of it can hurt the liver, and the concentration used in supplements "is not measured or regulated, and can vary widely," as tests have shown, the lead researcher says. Red yeast rice has been known to cause serious liver damage in the past, and it can take months to recover. In this woman's case, she also reported drinking two glasses of red wine nightly while taking the supplements; drinking alcohol can increase the risk of liver damage from the supplements, LiveScience reports. The woman received steroids and doctors asked her not to take the supplement again, according to the report of her case published this week in BMJ Case Reports. (Woman's turmeric supplement likely caused uncommon disease.)

Study: aquaculture increases greenhouse gas emissions

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) — An international study found that freshwater aquaculture in ponds converted from rice paddy fields may cause a significant rise in methane emissions, a major greenhouse gas responsible for global warming.
Aquaculture is one of the fast-growing segments of the food economy and exceeded capture fisheries due to the growing global demand for fish products.
In some countries, rice paddy fields have been and are being converted into aquaculture ponds. Previous studies found that rice paddies are a significant source of atmospheric methane. The greenhouse gas implications of the conversion have yet to be quantified.
Researchers from the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Britain’s Bangor University and Yonsei University in the Republic of Korea measured year-round methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions from paddy fields and the converted crab aquaculture ponds in China’s Taihu Lake near Shanghai.
Primarily due to increased methane emissions, about 28 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent are released from converted aquaculture ponds per acre every year, compared to 8.15 tonnes from traditional rice patty fields, they reported on the British journal Nature Climate Change.
Paddy fields produce a large amount of methane when decaying plant materials are broken down by microbes called methanogen in the oxygen-free waterlogged soils. In aquaculture ponds that are converted from paddy fields, the food added to feed the crabs and fish increases the amount of rotting material for methanogen to produce more methane.
The researchers then compiled a worldwide database of different freshwater aquaculture systems and found that most methane emitted originated in shallow earthen aquaculture systems and far lower emissions from intensified systems with continuous aeration.
They suggested that more aerated systems should be required to address the significant rise in methane emissions from the conversion of paddy fields to aquaculture, noting that the modification can eliminate methane before it reaches the atmosphere.
According to a report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, growth in the global supply of fish for human consumption has outpaced population growth in the past five decades. World per capita apparent fish consumption increased from an average of 9.9 kg in the 1960s to 14.4 kg in the 1990s and 20.4 kg in 2016.
Agriculture, directly affected by climate change, also affects the climate as it is responsible for about one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, a major cause of global warming. Most of the methane in the atmosphere comes from agricultural activities, such as livestock breeding, rice cultivation, and burning of plant materials.

Need to create awareness on IPR amongst MSMEs: Expert

Need to create awareness on IPR amongst MSMEs: Expert
Nagpur, Mar 27 (KNN) There is need to create awareness about on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) amongst Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
This was said by Dinesh Rai, Former Secretary of Ministry of MSME at the two day interactive workshop on ‘Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)’.
The workshop was organized by MSME-DI Nagpur in association with MIDC Industries Association, Ready-made Garment Cluster, Nagpur Rice Millers Association, Ramtek, Alliance for Indian MSME and Nagpur Agarbatti Cluster Association (NACA).
Speaking on the occasion, Dinesh Rai said, “There is need to organize programs on IPR to create awareness about IPR amongst MSMEs of Vidarbha.”
He stated “IP rights protect all the aspects of the business, its name and logo, designs, inventions, works of creative or intellectual effort or trademarks that distinguish the business.”
In addition he pointed out that IPRs were essentially recognized and accepted all over the world due to important reasons like to provide incentive to the individuals for new creations, providing due recognition to the creators and inventors, ensuring material reward for intellectual property and ensuring the availability of the genuine and original products.
Director of MSME-DI Nagpur, P M Parlewar said “An effective and enabling administrative and legal regime for IPR bestows confidence to the IP-owner and creator allowing them to manage and eventually create the crucial link between innovation and its economic applications.”
On the occasion, National President of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), B C Bhartia said Innovations are much needed and for this purpose there is a need to change the mindset. It will be better, if we first innovate in India and then manufacture in India. IPR protects the identity of products manufactured by MSMEs.”
In his address, Deputy Controller of Patent, Pankaj Borkar thanked MSME-DI Nagpur for organizing program on IPR which will definitely create awareness amongst the entrepreneurs and help in growth of MSMEs.
He gave power point presentation on topics like introduction to IPR, trademark, industrial design, copyright, geographical indication, trade secret, national and international IP laws, etc. (KNN/YV)

Worms destroying agriculture


Comments / Description: http://www.ft.lk/assets/images/v-icon4.png 39 Views / Wednesday, 27 March 2019 00:00
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The farmer is at the receiving end of climate, pests and worm attacks and worst are the political worms – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara
 By mid-March the majority of paddy farmers have completed harvesting their Maha crop; some with financial issues have already disposed their stocks to middlemen. Others are fighting to get a reasonable price for their stocks.

The Paddy Marketing Board announced that it has commenced purchasing paddy from farmers and by 11 March had purchased 400,000kg of paddy at a maximum of 2,000kg paddy per farmer, meaning PMB has purchased paddy from 200 farmers. The balance stocks need to be sold to rice millers or their agents who pay a lesser price than the PMB. Two weeks ago there were two ministerial committees arguing on the purchase price for paddy.

Daily Mirror on 2 March reported, ‘Unidentified pest causes havoc in paddy fields’. According to the report, an identified pest has caused extensive damage to paddy cultivation on the verge of harvest on the Polonnaruwa District, with over 10,000 acres of paddy cultivation already destroyed by the pest.

Farmers pointed out that the pest was spreading fast and they have used every pesticide recommended by the Department of Agriculture to no avail. Agricultural officials claim the prevailing weather in the area has worsened the situation. Meanwhile, Agricultural Instructor M.A.A.S. Swarnalatha said the paddy cultivations in the latter part of the Maha season had been affected by the pest.
Worms attack maize    
The country is facing the worst pest infestation in the history, being attacked by the Army-Worm (spodoptera frugiperda). According to Director General of Agriculture W.M.W. Weerakoon, the pest, first confirmed in October last year, has damaged half of the country’s 80,000 hectares of maize and it has also infected rice and vegetable crops, “We have never experienced this kind of damage in the past.”

The pest is the larvae of the Fall Army-Worm moth. It originated in America, perhaps from Chile, has spread to Africa, then India by 2018 and is now found in Sri Lanka.

The ‘Army-Worm’ attack on maize, paddy and other crops attracted heavy news coverage from media. But the damage is not bad as feared. In the 2017/18 Maha season, the maize harvest was 274,399 metric tons. The country is forecasted to produce 240,675 metric tons of maize in the Maha season, which is down 12.2% from a year earlier. But other forecasts predict lower figures. 
Reasons for pest attacks 
Wide-spread pest attacks on paddy and other plantations are mostly due to permitting their easy multiplication of their numbers. Farmers fail to cultivate together as a team, allowing the pest, worm-laying moths, to spread from one field to the other.

In the north-east dry-zone, Maha rains arrive normally around 20 September. Prior to rains fields are hard, but after the first few rains, the ground becomes softer, allowing farmers to repair their field bunds damaged during the previous harvesting season. When all openings are closed, with following rains water will get collected and ground would be soft, allowing field preparation by tractors. The procedure allows sowing of seed paddy by early or mid-October, when heavier rains arrive in November rice plants are sufficiently tall to withstand flooding. The process would allow mature paddy be ready for harvesting by mid-January, especially with rains ending with December and January being dry. 

If the same procedure is followed by all farmers, any delayed farmer could still cultivate a shorter maturing variety and all farms would mature roughly at the same time. Allowing for Yala cultivation by early March, leaving a gap of two months deprives moths of an opportunity to lay their eggs, thus controlling moths and worms. This is the very reason Agricultural Instructor M.A.A.S. Swarnalatha informed that “the paddy cultivations in the latter part of the Maha season had been affected by the pest”.
Ignorant executive staff
Decades ago, cultivation societies at village level used to meet and agree on the paddy cultivation days based on rains. Now, especially in regions with extensive irrigation facilities as Polonnaruwa, cultivation time is decided by the District Secretary at a meeting with agricultural officers. Their decision is based on the water availability in irrigation tanks to release water without considering rains. The procedure delays the cultivation and wastes valuable water that could have been saved for Yala cultivation.

This process has resulted in a number of issues. Some elderly farmers cultivate traditionally with the first rains, are least affected by pests and diseases, also their crop becomes mature with the dry period in January. Late cultivators face number of problems, as young rice plants get inundated under heavy rains, shortage of irrigation water at the latter period, as irrigation being curtailed for mature crops, thereby affecting plants still needing water. In addition, they would be subjected to high volumes of pest attacks.

The Daily Mirror news item showed a crop expecting harvesting by end-March. This paddy field would have been planted only in early December. This season most rains ended up early December. Farmers were lucky as Moragahakanda supplied water had filled all tanks in Polonnaruwa District without any shortages. But the pests and worms would multiply in numbers moving from one field to the other.

In addition, when early farmers engage in Yala cultivation in March, pests from late cultivators would be waiting. Resulting farmers needing to use heavy quantities of pesticides. 
Pesticide usage
Current cultivation practices necessitate usage of heavy quantities of pesticides and fertiliser by farmers. Currently, most farms are small, two-and-a-half acre plots allocated in farm settlements half a century ago, have got subdivided with increasing family numbers. Farmers tend to use the entire pesticide bottle, even when only a part is required and throw the empty bottle into the waterway.

This has resulted in excessive usage of pesticides, along with fertilisers. Most fields are laid in cascade fashion and excess water flows to the sown-stream paddy fields and back to irrigation canal. Canal waters are used by farmer families for day-to-day consumption. This intake of excessive chemicals is the primary reason for kidney disease prevailing in the north-central country.

Excessive usage of pesticides and fertiliser has polluted the streams carrying water from fields, small fish as handaya, kavaiya and pethiya, common decades ago, have all disappeared. In addition, unnoticed by most, birds and bees too have disappeared from the area. If the birds continued they would have consumed some of the worms and their spread would have been controlled.

Our agricultural officers complain B-onion seeds produced locally are poor in quality. In other countries beehives in boxes are placed among plantations, enhancing pollination. The writer has observed in North India beekeepers in small vans park their vehicle by the flowering plantations, possibly at the request of plantation owners, leaving bee-boxes on the ground. Meanwhile, keepers sell their bee honey.
Protesting paddy farmers
The biggest problem faced by the paddy farmers is the difficulty in disposing of their crop at a reasonable price. During the past few weeks, media has been reporting on farmer protests over difficulties faces due to absence of a proper buying price and demand a reasonable price.

A Cabinet Committee recently decided to pay Rs. 38 for a kilogram of Nadu (long grain rice) and Rs. 41 for a kilogram of Samba. Paddy Marketing Board Chairman Kasthuri Anuradhanayaka noted that these prices have considered farmers’ operational cost and the selling price to consumers. He noted PMB has opened all paddy stores and are ready to purchase paddy. But farmers claim they sold Nadu for Rs. 45 and Samba for Rs. 50 in 2015 and demand Rs. 55 for Samba and Rs. 50 for Nadu.
New rice price formula
Meanwhile media reported of a new rice formula arrived at a recent meeting between Agriculture Minister P. Harrison and representatives of mill owners and farmers associations. According to the agreed simple formula, when the purchase price of a kg of paddy is Rs. 10, the wholesale price of a kg of rice is to be Rs. 24 and to be retailed at Rs. 28.

Based on the above, if Nadu is purchased at Rs. 38 per kg, wholesale price would be Rs. 91.20 and the retail price Rs. 106.40, a price very much higher than the current market, meaning the Minister is looking after some other interests. 
PMB Paddy purchase prices
Purchase price of paddy by the Paddy Marketing Board has been changing over the years. Given below are prices paid by PMB for long grain paddy (Nadu) produced to their standard.

2012 to 2014: 32.00

2015: 45.00

2016: 45.00/38.00 see note

2017: 38.00

2018: 36.00

2019: 38.00

Note: After 2016 Budget PMB purchase price was revised to Rs. 38.00
Paddy purchase under Yahapalana Government
President Sirisena took oaths on 8 January 2015 and the Government took steps to increase salaries of Government servants by Rs. 10,000 a month and the increase with arrears was paid prior to Sinhala New Year, which created the need for infamous bonds.

President Sirisena addressing the public declared that although the public servants salaries were increased, he did not forget the paddy farmers and proposed to increase the minimum purchase price of paddy to Rs. 45 for Nadu rice.

Prior to the President’s announcement, white rice and Kekulu (lowest priced rice) were selling between Rs. 45 to 50 and Nadu around Rs. 52. Immediately after the announcement minimum price shot up to between Rs. 75 and 80 and Nadu still higher. 
Colombo Telegraph on paddy purchase
Colombo Telegraph on 2 March 2015 reported that on 12 February, the Minister had announced: “From now on we will not allocate money to the PMB to buy paddy since President Maithripala Sirisena has decided that the PMB has become corrupt.”

“The Minister is clearly trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the electorate! Even a second grader will understand that abolishing the paddy purchasing power of the PMB would only strengthen the hand of those who control the market at present even more.”
Manipulated paddy market
Harvesting of Maha season commences in mid-January and continue till March. With the President’s decree eliminating PMB from paddy purchase, private rice millers had a whale of a time. At the time PMB price was Rs. 32 per kg, but if farmers got Rs. 25 they would have been lucky. Although a large number of rice millers existed most were small and lacked finances to purchase paddy. 

Former Polonnaruwa District JVP MP S.K. Subasinghe complained: “Right at the beginning of harvesting, leading mill owners obtain loans from State banks without any hassle. Then, they buy and hoard stocks. When small-scale mill owners get loans after going through difficult formalities, there isn’t much paddy left to be procured from farmers. Leading mill owners also manipulate the prices by the use of devious methods.”

According to ASARC Working Paper 2016/041, ‘An Analysis of the Paddy/Rice Value Chains in Sri Lanka’, of the total paddy produced in the county PMB purchases only 10% of production and 90% is handled by the private sector. Farmers face problems in selling paddy to PMB due to long queues, inability to meet quality requirements and cumbersome procedures. The paper reports paddy purchases are concentrated with top four rice mills in Polonnaruwa collecting 37% showing concentrated milling industry in Polonnaruwa. 
Paddy purchase by millers
According to Department of Census and statistics 2014 Maha paddy season running from September to March 2015 harvest was 2.877 million tons. When the President announced enhanced purchase price of Rs. 45 for Nadu in mid-April, farmers had already sold their paddy to rice millers.

According to ASARC Working Paper – In July 2015 (Yala harvest) the farmers were compelled to sell paddy in the open market where prices ranged between Rs. 39 a kg for the round grain variety and Rs. 28.47 for long grain variety, both were much below the guaranteed prices of Rs. 50 a kg for round grain and Rs.45 for long grain. 
Enormous profits by rice millers
In January 2015, beginning of Maha harvest, white and Kekulu rice was priced at Rs. 45 to 50 and Nadu around Rs.52. With the President’s announcement white and Kekulu rose to Rs. 75 to 80 and Nadu to Rs.85.

Thus rice millers who purchased paddy prior to price increase would make an additional profit of Rs. 32 per kilo of rice. Paddy harvest in Maha was 2.877 million tons and the four top rice millers from Polonnaruwa would have purchased minimum 37%, or 1.065 million tons of paddy yielding 710,000kg of rice, resulting in four Polonnaruwa rice millers making an additional profit of Rs. 24.85 billion.

With PMB blacklisted by the President, rice millers would have paid farmers a still lower price, purchased a higher volume and made a much higher profit. As the JVP MP pointed out local banks have denied credit to small rice millers, but supported larger millers, raising their percentages in purchases and the profits.

This additional profit of minimum Rs. 24.85 billion made by the four large rice millers in Polonnaruwa is higher than the Rs. 20 billion worth bonds offered by the Central Bank in the infamous bond scam.

The Colombo Telegraph article on 12 March 2015 under ‘Is the rice monopoly exempted from Yahapalanaya?’ claims President Sirisena’s brother Dudley Sirisena of Araliya Rice, with another Deputy Minister of the Rajapaksa Government, Nipuna Gamlath, finally became a duopoly controlling paddy price to the detriment of farmers in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.

“These two mill owners achieved their dubious ‘success’ by somehow managing to obtain finances easily from the State banking sector during harvest times while starving the smaller millers who faced many obstacles in securing loans from the same banks.”
VIP mill owners default loans
Meanwhile, Daily Mirror on 8 March reported: “The Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has in its inquiries found that two politically influential mill owners in the Polonnaruwa District have defaulted on the repayment of loans amounting to Rs. 300 million borrowed from a State bank. The loans had been obtained to purchase paddy from farmers in the area. The bank had eventually written off this amount as bad debt.”
Araliya Green City Hotel
In August 2018, in a full page advertisement in local English newspapers Araliya Group announced its ‘Araliya Green City Hotel’ in Nuwara Eliya achieved five-star status, within one year of operation. News media also reported that the hotel owner Dudley Sirisena boasted that by end of 2019 he would have 1,500 hotel rooms under him, the highest hotel room ownership under a single owner.

But he seems to be a selfish person, as President Sirisena informed at a public meeting that “my brothers won’t give me even five rupees”.
Paddy cultivator’s plight
The paddy cultivators have made the country almost self-sufficient in rice, but are in a pathetic situation. They cultivate under difficult conditions with changing weather, with fertilisers not received on time, pests and marketing problems. Also the paddy farmer has become lazy, with field preparation and harvesting done with hired machinery. With more time on his hands his expenses have gone up, he also needs to pay for machine hire.

After harvesting the farmer needs sufficient storage space at home. For paddy to be acceptable to PMB, moisture content needs to be reduced to 14%, achieved generally by drying on the roadside. Finally, staying in line with paddy possibly over days on a hired vehicle. Once delivered payments may take weeks.

Meanwhile, middle-men purchase paddy off the harvesting machine and the payment is immediate, but at a much lower rate. The poor farmer already in debt without money to pay the harvester has no other alternative. The worst was in February 2015, at the peak paddy harvesting time, President Sirisena prevented PMB from entering the paddy purchase market, making way for large rice millers to purchase at a still lower price. The farmer is at the receiving end of climate, pests and worm attacks and worst are the political worms.
Create awareness about IPR amongst MSMEs, says Dinesh Rai



   Date :27-Mar-2019









Business Bureau, Description: https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2019/3/27/2_09_35_55_Create-awareness-about-IPR-amongst-MSMEs-says-Dinesh-Rai_1_H@@IGHT_541_W@@IDTH_970.jpg MSME-DI Nagpur in association with MIDC Industries Association, Ready-made Garment Cluster, Nagpur Rice Millers Association, Ramtek, Alliance for Indian MSME and Nagpur Agarbatti Cluster Association (NACA) recently organised two-day interactive workshop on ‘Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)’. Dinesh Rai, former Secretary, Government of India graced the occasion as chief guest. P M Parlewar, Director, MSME-DI, Nagpur, Sandip Bharne, President of Nagpur Agarbatti Cluster, B C Bhartia, National President of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), Capt. C M Randhir, President of MIA, Pankaj Borkar, Deputy Controller of Patent, V Shivaji, Director of Rice Mill Association, Ramtek were seated on the dais.

Speaking on the occasion, Dinesh Rai said, “There is need to organise programmes on IPR to create awareness about IPR amongst MSMEs of Vidarbha.” He said, “Nowadays patent/trademark is very valuable. Hence, IPR must figure high on India’s development agenda. In order to make Indian economy knowledge based and to build up India’s international competitiveness more on the basis of knowledge than on the basis of cheap labour and raw materials, it is imperative for Indian people to encourage and protect its IP.” He said, IP rights protect all the aspects of the business, its name and logo, designs, inventions, works of creative or intellectual effort or trademarks that distinguish the business.

The Intellectual Property Rights were essentially recognised and accepted all over the world due to important reasons like to provide incentive to the individuals for new creations, providing due recognition to the creators and inventors, ensuring material reward for intellectual property and ensuring the availability of the genuine and original products. He appealed to all the participants to avail maximum benefit from the programme. P M Parlewar said, an effective and enabling administrative and legal regime for IPR bestows confidence to the IP-owner and creator allowing them to manage and eventually create the crucial link between innovation and its economic applications.

B C Bhartia said, “The workshop is beneficial for the growth of MSMEs and it will promote prospective and existing entrepreneurs. Innovations are much needed and for this purpose there is a need to change the mindset. It will be better, if we first innovate in India and then manufacture in India. IPR protects the identity of products manufactured by MSMEs.”. Capt. C M Randhir said, “MSME is taking lead in arranging such workshops for MSEs which are very much needed. But there is lack of awareness in our country about patents and IPR and for this purpose investment in R&D is needed.” In his address, Pankaj Borkar thanked MSME-DI Nagpur for organising programme on IPR which will definitely create awareness amongst the entrepreneurs and help in growth of MSMEs. He gave power point presentation on topics like introduction to IPR, trademark, industrial design, copyright, geographical indication, trade secret, national and international IP laws, etc. The programme was co-ordinated by M V K Jha of MSME-DI Nagpur who also proposed vote of thanks.


VN sees rice export opportunity to Egypt

Update: March, 27/2019 - 09:00

Vietnamese rice shipments have stayed in good shape from the beginning of March thanks to the robust demand from Iraq, Malaysia, Cuba and China. — Photo vneconomy.vn
HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese enterprises see a chance to export 20,000 tonnes of rice to Egypt, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Import-Export Department.
The department said that it had received a tender notice from the Egyptian Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade. Under the tender notice, the minimum amount is 20,000 tonnes of rice (± 10 per cent). The type of rice required is short- and medium-grain white rice with 10-12 per cent broken rice.
The rice must be harvested in the last crop of 2018 and meet Egypt’s requirements. The volume of rice will be shipped to Egypt in two phases, from June 1-15 and from June 16-30, 2019.
The time for bidding is March 30 (before 12:00) and the offer is valid until April 30 (18:00 local time).The Import-Export Department said that this is a big opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises to boost rice export to this market. The department advised the businesses to pay attention to the quality of rice to create trust among customers.
On the management side, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will coordinate with ministries, branches and localities to focus on trade promotion and seeking new markets. 
According to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), Vietnamese rice shipments have remained in good shape from the beginning of March thanks to the robust demand from Iraq, Malaysia, Cuba and China.
Iraq has already signed a deal to purchase 120,000 tonnes of the grain from Việt Nam. Exporters expect to ship some 300,000 tonnes to the Middle Eastern country in 2019, equal to the same amount from the previous year.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s commodities procurement agency Bernas sealed an agreement with the Vietnam Northern Food Corporation (Vinafood 1) to buy 25,000 tonnes of five per cent broken rice. Bernas has requested express delivery for the order to ensure sufficient rice supply in the country.
Negotiations are underway with importers from the Philippines and China. In addition, the VFA is hoping for a rice export deal with the Republic of Korea via the Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs) system. Last year, Viet Nam supplied more than 113,000 tonnes for the East Asian market through the TRQs.
In late 2018, Egypt agreed to import one million tonnes of white rice from Việt Nam in the next three to four months after it reduced the area for the cultivation of the grain due to a lack of water. — VNS


Rice cultivation: Balance of phosphorus and nitrogen determines growth and yield

UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE
In the future, a newly discovered mechanism in control of plant nutrition could help to achieve higher harvests in a sustainable way. Scientists from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China) discovered this mechanism in their research on Asian rice in collaboration with Professor Dr Stanislav Kopriva from the University of Cologne's Botanical Institute and the Cluster of Excellence CEPLAS. The balance between nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) is decisive for crop yield. Both nutrients, which the plant absorbs from the soil through its roots, interact more strongly with each other than previously known. The study 'Nitrate-NRT1.1B-SPX4 cascade integrates nitrogen and phosphorus signalling networks in plants' has now appeared in the journal Nature Plants.
Kopriva said: 'For healthy and optimal growth, all living beings need a good balance of minerals. However, we know very little about how plants achieve this balance.' His colleagues in Beijing had observed that the addition of phosphate only had a positive effect on plant growth and yield if a sufficient amount of nitrogen was also available in the soil. 'Together, we have now discovered the mechanism by which nitrogen controls the absorption of phosphate', Kopriva remarked.
A detailed analysis at the molecular level revealed an entire signalling chain that the plant sets in motion - from the sensor that recognizes nitrate quantities to factors that enable the synthesis of the so-called transporters that carry the phosphate into the plant. Kopriva explained: 'Although most of the components were already known individually, it was only through this work that they were brought together into a signalling pathway. This gives us a completely new understanding of how to control plant nutrition. In addition, it enables specific manipulations to either couple the uptake of both nutrients more closely or to separate them from each other - depending on how nutrient-rich the soil on which the rice grows is.'
Professor Dr Stanislav Kopriva from the Botanical Institute of the University of Cologne is co-speaker of the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences CEPLAS at the Universities of Düsseldorf and Cologne, which is funded by the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal Government and the Laender. CEPLAS wants to develop basic knowledge about 'SMART Plants for Tomorrow's Needs'.

The Sense of Water—and Nitrogen: Studies Uncover Genome-Wide Responses that Limit Crop Growth in Nutrient-Poor Soils


Mar 26, 2019
New York City
A team of researchers has tested how each gene within the genome of rice—one of the world’s most important staple crops—senses and responds to combinations of water and nutrients.
A team of researchers has tested how each gene within the genome of rice—one of the world’s most important staple crops—senses and responds to combinations of water and nutrients. Photo credit: DigitalSoul/Getty Images
A team of researchers has tested how each gene within the genome of rice—one of the world’s most important staple crops—senses and responds to combinations of water and nutrients. Its findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, potentially point to ways to engineer crops in soils around the world that are currently too dry or lack the nutrients needed to sustain crop growth.
“Changes in nutrient dose have dramatic effects on gene expression and plant growth,” explains Joseph Swift, a doctoral candidate in New York University’s Department of Biology and the study’s lead author. “One outstanding question is whether organisms respond to changes in absolute nutrient amount versus its concentration in water. This question is particularly relevant to plants, as soil drying can alter nutrient concentration without changing its absolute amount.”
Since the nutrients that plants absorb from the soil are always dissolved in water, previous studies could not determine whether organisms sense the total amount of nutrient available or, rather, its relative amount dissolved in water.
In the Nature Communications study, the scientists, working in NYU’s Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, addressed this matter by exposing rice seedlings to an experimental matrix varying nitrogen and water conditions, which could parse out the different effects water and nitrogen—a key plant nutrient—have on rice growth. Through computational analysis of the responses of the more than 50,000 genes found in the rice genome, the team found that while some plant genes were controlled in response to either the amounts of nitrogen or water individually, others were specifically responsive to their combination.
The researchers then wanted to investigate if these findings, obtained in lab-grown rice seedlings, affect rice production in a real agricultural setting. To do so, the team went to the Philippines and collaborated with researchers at the International Rice Research Institute to conduct rice field trials over two growing seasons. In the field, they found that the genes responding to both nitrogen and water simultaneously were associated with the amount of grain produced by rice crop.
“These genes may assist in developing crops that require not only fewer nutrients to grow, but less water, too,” observes Gloria Coruzzi, a professor in NYU’s Center for Genomics and Systems Biology and the paper’s senior author. “This could potentially lead to allowing many marginal soils around the world—those that are too dry or nutrient poor for crop production—to be more agriculturally viable. Moreover, it is especially crucial to develop crops that produce grain yield in the face of global warming and climate change.”
The research was supported, in part, by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF-DBI-0445666, NSF-IOS-1840761) as well as by the Zegar Family Foundation and the Beachell-Borlaug International Scholars Program.

Press Contact

James Devitt
(212) 998-6808


USA Rice Demands End to False Labeling in Puerto Rico   

ARLINGTON, VA -- USA Rice sent a cease and desist letter yesterday to Pan American Grain demanding that the company stop its deceptive practices concerning the marking and sales of imported Chinese rice on the U.S. Commonwealth, an important market for U.S. medium grain.

"We understand that Pan American is packaging imported Chinese rice in violation of U.S. regulatory provisions - to wit, Pan American suggests on its packaging that the imported rice is from Puerto Rico, and Pan American is failing to mark clearly (and in a manner consistent with U.S. regulations) that the product actually originates in China.  In addition, at least a portion of the imported rice is short grain rice, but Pan American deceptively has been labeling the product as medium grain rice," wrote USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward.

Puerto Rico is a significant medium grain consumer, traditionally supplied from the mid-South.  Imports from China surged beginning in late 2017 and have continued at the expense of shipments of U.S.-grown rice from the mainland.  Puerto Rico consumed an average 217,674 cwt of rice in the 2016-2018 period. 

Yesterday's action is a follow-up to USA Rice's meeting with U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection (CBP) agents in San Juan in January to educate them about our concerns over false country of origin labeling on rice sold by Pan American Grain, and USA Rice continues to engage with CBP.  

USA Rice separately provided evidence this month to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of false and misleading labeling on the Arroz Rico brand sold by Pan American Grain for medium grain when the content is in fact short grain, in addition to the rice being sourced from China but marketed with a faulty country of origin claim.  We are asking for regulatory action from both agencies.

Earlier this month Puerto Rican media reported that the island's Department of Consumer Affairs fined Pan American Grain $10,000 for deceiving consumers by claiming place of origin on 20-pound bags of medium grain rice sold under various brands was the United States when the origin actually was China.


"The U.S. rice industry can't afford to lose any market in today's competitive environment," said Keith Gray, chair of the USA Rice Millers' Association and a Texas miller.  "We're seeing the first benefits of concerted industry action to preserve the critical market in Puerto Rico.  However, the Chinese rice at landed prices in Puerto Rico is well below internationally traded prices so we still have more work ahead of us."

Amira Nature Foods Ltd Announces Increase of Previously Announced $30 Million Contract with Repeat Customer to $42 Million

March 26, 2019 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amira Nature Foods Ltd (the "Company") (NYSE: ANFI), a global provider of packaged Indian specialty rice, today announced that its previously announced $30 million contract to supply third party branded basmati rice to a repeat customer in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”) region was increased to $42 million within the provisions of the contract. The Company expects to recognize the benefit of this contract in the 2020 fiscal year ending March 31, 2020.
“We are extremely pleased that our customer has increased its order and we look forward to continuing to grow all of our relationships in the EMEA region”
“We are extremely pleased that our customer has increased its order and we look forward to continuing to grow all of our relationships in the EMEA region,” stated Karan A. Chanana, Amira’s Chairman.
Further information on the Company, including an updated investor presentation and other information, can be found on the Company’s website at www.amira.net.
About Amira Nature Foods
Founded in 1915, Amira has evolved into a global provider of packaged specialty rice, with sales in over 40 countries today. Amira sells Basmati rice, premium long-grain rice grown only in certain regions of the Indian sub-continent, under their flagship Amira brand as well as under other third party brands. Amira sells its products primarily in emerging markets through a broad distribution network. Amira’s headquarters are in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and it also has offices in India, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases that we or our members of management use such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “foresee,” “forecast,” “estimate” or other words or phrases of similar import. Specifically, these statements include, among other things, statements that describe our expectations for the global rice market, the financial impact of new sales contracts on our revenue, our expectations regarding the successful efforts of our distribution partners, and other statements of management’s beliefs, intentions or goals. It is uncertain whether any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what impact they will have on our results of operations, financial condition, or the price of our ordinary shares. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to our ability to perform our agreements with customers; our ability to recognize revenue from our contracts as planned; continued competitive pressures in the marketplace; our reliance on a few customers and distribution partners for a substantial part of our revenue; our ability to implement our plans, forecasts and other expectations with respect to our business and realize additional opportunities for growth; and the other risks and important considerations contained and identified in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or to persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these risk factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking or other statements herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts

Wendy Eguez
The Amira Group
+447340071854
wendy.eguez@theamiragroup.com


Export prices take a dent
Pakistan’s exports at $15 billion, growing at 1.86 percent year-on-year in 8MFY19 must be a worry. Only that the massive slide in imports seems to have masked the minimal growth in exports. But imports can only be curtailed to a limit, and the limit appears to be here. Exports growth, on the other hand, will depend on a multitude of factors, mostly out of Pakistan’s control, unlike imports. Exports were never expected to rise immediately with the sharp currency correction. Prices were expected to slide with the dollar going dearer and that happened. Pakistan also made efforts on its part to provide the exporting sectors ground to play competitive through reduction in energy prices, issuing of promissory notes for clearing long pending dues of the textile sector, among other factors. But as luck would have it, the sharp slide in rupee and the resultant drop in unit prices almost across all major export product categories, coincided with a considerable drop in demand in the major exporting markets of Pakistan, such as Europe and the USA. Growth of textile and apparels in the European market has gone down from 4.1 percent in 1HFY18 to 1.4 percent in 1HFY19, according to SBP’s latest report on the state of the economy. That in the US almost doubled during the period, but Pakistan’s textile and related exports to the US grew by only 0.5 percent, down from 4.6 percent in 1HFY18. Apart from fruits with a total share of 2.25 percent in exports, all major export categories have either faced a drop in unit prices or quantity or both. Readymade garments, for instance, grew by a massive 27 percent year-on-year in terms of quantity, but the unit price slid to $4.43 a piece, by 19 percent, restricting the growth to under 3 percent year-on-year. Towels on the other hand, fetched 11 percent higher prices year-on-year, but the quantity dropped by the same magnitude, limiting the value growth. Basmati exports have shown resurgence with nearly 28 percent year-on-year growth in quantity. The unit prices dropped by 10 percent year-on-year, but the quantum growth were more than enough to keep the value growth well within double digits. But the story on no-Basmati rice is not as good, as the 10 percent drop in quantity, more than wiped off the Basmati gains. Most of the exporters’ concerns seem to have been addressed. Some are also reportedly in different phases of expansion. But, the SBP has rightly pointed out that the “support would not amount to much-desired forex earnings if the exporters continue to chase the same markets without making concerted efforts to improve their product quality and brand image”. There is a dire need for the exporters to tap new markets. Pakistan’s share in the Middle East textile and apparel market of over $5 billion is a mere 3 percent. This is simply not enough. Diversification has to happen, both in terms of product mix and markets, and soon.
Date: 27-Mar-2019


GI Rice Distinctively Unique
Thailand’s geographical features - soil, air and water - help cultivate produce with inherent characteristics. Thai rice with a geographic indication (GI) is unique in its flavour and other amazing attributes.
Description: https://static.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20190326/3142900.jpg
There are currently nine strains of Thai GI rice. 1. Kam Rice of Lanna Cancer-preventing, nutritious black-grain glutinous rice. 2. Luem Phua Rice of Phetchabun  Fragrant, tender, delicious and nutritious black-grain rice. 3. Jek Choei Rice of Sao Hai Fluffy, shape-retaining rice that doesn’t spoil easily 4. Pathiu Yellow Rice of Chumphon Quick to cook, fluffy and shape-retaining long-grain rice. Perfect for street food. 5. Sang Yod Rice of Phatthalung Red-tinted long-grain rice with a chewy texture and a mild fragrance. Rich in antioxidants. 6. Thung Kula Rong Hai Hom Mali Rice Thailand’s best Hom Mali long-grain white rice. Deliciously supple and aromatic. 7. Surin Hom Mali RiceLong-grain white rice with a glossy exterior. Pleasantly soft and moist when cooked. 8. Hang Hom Sakonthawapi Rice Slender-grain golden brown rice. Highly nutritious. 9. Khao Wong Glutinous Rice of Kalasin Soft but not mushy, this fragrant glutinous rice remains palatably tender for a long time. Think Rice , Think Thailand
Date: 27-Mar-2019


S.Korea's rice production costs increase in 2018
 26 Mar 2019
 Last Updated: 09:21 AM
Description: article
S
 production costs increase in 2018
Sejong, Mar. 26 (BNA): Rice production costs in South Korea rose 15.2 per cent in 2018 from a year earlier, government data showed Tuesday.

Farmers spent 796,000 won ($ 703) to grow rice on a 1,000-square meter paddy last year, compared with 691,000 won from 2017, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea.

The gross income of rice farmers came to 1.17 million won per 1,000-square meter paddy in 2018, compared with 974,500 won from a year earlier, South Korean News Agency (Yonhap) reported.

Rice is a key staple food for Koreans, but its consumption has been on a steady decline in recent decades due mainly to changes in diet and eating habits.

Per capita average annual rice consumption hit a record low of 61 kilogrammes in 2018, compared with 122.2 kilogrammes in 1988, according to official data.

F.K.N.

Indian rice export prices rise to seven-month highs
Rice export prices in India rose to their highest level in more than seven months as the rupee appreciated, denting demand, while trading companies in Vietnam increased domestic buying to fulfil new overseas deals. India's 5 percent broken parboiled variety was quoted around $392-$395 per tonne this week, up from $386-$389 last week. "Demand has been moderating due to the price rise. African buyers are not ready to pay higher prices," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The Indian rupee was trading near its highest level in seven months, trimming returns from overseas sales for traders in the world's largest rice exporter. In Vietnam, rates for 5 percent broken rice were in line with last week's $360 a tonne. "Demand for Vietnamese rice is seen rising, with key trading companies increasing their purchases from farmers for deals they have signed with customers from Malaysia, Philippines and Iraq," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said. Vietnam, the world's third largest rice exporter, has shipped more than 200,000 tonnes of rice to Malaysia so far this year, while clients from Iraq have placed orders for 120,000 tonnes, the trader said. A source with the Ministry of Industry and Trade said Egypt was seeking to buy 20,000 tonnes of 10-12 percent broken rice from Vietnam for delivery in June. Thai benchmark 5 percent broken rice prices were quoted at $390-$393, free on board Bangkok, on Thursday, up from $380-$385 last week. With demand little changed, traders attributed the price rise to fluctuations in the exchange rate between the baht and the US dollar. On Tuesday, the Thai cabinet agreed to extend a rice trading agreement with the Philippines which expired in December for another two years. The agreement allows Thailand, the world's second-largest rice exporter, to take part in tenders issued by the Philippines, stating that the two countries can trade up to 1 million tonnes of rice per year. Meanwhile, Bangladesh will give its farmers free fertiliser and seeds to boost cultivation of a type of rice that requires less irrigation, the country's agriculture minister said on Thursday. The stimulus package, worth nearly 402 million taka ($4.75 million), could help more than 459,000 farmers increase production of the Aus rice variety grown during the May-August season, Abdur Razzak, the minister, said. "We are encouraging farmers to grow more Aus rice as it matures during the monsoon. So it needs only a little irrigation to cultivate," Razzak told reporters. Bangladesh, usually the world's fourth biggest producer of rice, was forced to massively increase imports to shore up domestic reserves in 2017 after floods wrought havoc on local crops.


REAP delegation off to Saudi Arabia for rice promotion
A 17-member delegation of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) left for Saudi Arabia for promotion of Pakistani rice in the Kingdom. REAP senior vice chairman Ali Hussam Asghar is leading the delegation that will hold a number of events and business-to-business meetings (B2B) with rice importers during the 5-day visit to increase the share of Pakistani rice in that country. Saudi Arabia was one of the leading importing country of Pakistani rice; however, during the last few years, Pakistan's share in the Kingdom's rice market has drastically declined. Therefore, REAP has sent the delegation for promotion of Pakistani rice, which is much better than Indian rice. The delegation will visit several cities of Saudi Arabia, including Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah. A mega Biryani festival will be arranged in Jeddah where top rice importers have been invited to attend and taste some 15 different varieties of Biryani like Mutton Sindhi Biryani, Fish Bombay Biryani, Chicken Biryani, White Biryani, etc. REAP chairman Safder Hussain Mehkri informed that Pakistan's rice share in Saudi market declined to 20 percent and now REAP want to increase share up to 80 percent. The higher rice export will also help earn more foreign exchange for the country, which is facing a balance of payment crisis and need massive foreign inflows, he said, adding that currently, Pakistan's rice export are about $2 billion annually and REAP is closely working with the federal and provincial governments to increase rice exports to $5 billion by 2023. He said REAP has focused Research and Development (R&D) to get a better crop yield and as a part of these efforts, REAP organised a Rice Conference in Larkana, one of the major rice cultivation area, to discuss the issues being faced by farmers. Proposal and recommendation of this conference has already been sent to federal government for implementation, he said.



ESL develops two rice hybrids for resisting BLB, LB diseases
Emkay Seed Limited (ESL) has developed two rice hybrids having resistance against Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB) and Leaf Blast (LB), which are the main damaging factors in the rice production. "We are this year all set to launch multi-location testing of hybrids with BLB resistant parental material. Initially, we have planned to sow these seeds at three sites in Punjab and two sites in Sindh. In Punjab, we will be re-evaluating these seeds at Sheikhupura and Gujranwala and at one other place while in Sindh it will be tested in Larkana districts," said ESL CEO Sajjad Malik while talking to Business Recorder here on Saturday. The company was conducting research to develop hybrids having resistance against diseases and development of a hybrid of 'Super Basmati' at its Farooqabad research centre since May 2001. Both the varieties are ready to hit the market after re-evaluation through different tests to help rice farmers fight against these diseases and get maximum per acre yield adding to more surplus production for export or domestic usage. The company has developed 20 medium grain CMS lines, four Basmati Lines including the famous 'Super Basmati' having excellent eating and cooking quality have been converted into CMS lines, about 400 Restorer and Maintainer Lines. Moreover, two basmati hybrids have also been developed with yield potential of around 8 tons per hectare. Dr Mohammad Bashir Cheema, head of the research programme, started the research programme in collaboration with Chinese counterpart but continued to develop parental lines and hybrids after Chinese left in 2005. The new hybrids developed are the result of indigenous result carried out by the Pakistani scientists, said Sajjad Malik. Sajjad Malik and Dr Cheema in a recent visit of selected journalists to their Farooqabad Farm while talking to journalists said that a very big achievement at this research farm was the establishment of 'Shuttle Breeding Programme' at the research site for increasing the pace of development of rice hybrids and parental lines within the country. "This was the first rice shuttle breeding programme in Pakistan's plant breeding history and since then two generations of breeding material are being produced each year as opposed to normal breeding programmes wherein only a single generation is produced annually. Till date Emkay Agricultural Research Center is the only organisation in the country which has the expertise of this rice shuttle breeding either in the private or public sector," Dr Cheema proudly added. The research programme of Emkay, also, is unique in the manner that the foreign companies working in Pakistan with local partners do not provide with the complete three-line system of hybrid rice. So, a disturbing fact is that whenever the foreign companies want, they can effectively stop their Pakistani partners from hybrid rice seed production, Sajjad Malik concluded.



Business Performance and Opportunity Analysis of Rice Roll Processing Machine Market by 2025: Global Players Anko Food Machine, Zaccaria, MILLTEC Machinery and more..

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Description: Rice Roll Processing Machine
Global Rice Roll Processing Machine market witnessed a substantial growth rate and is expected to have an escalating growth rate over the forecast period. The Rice Roll Processing Machine market has been performing up to the mark for the last couple of decades and significantly contributing to the international revenue generation. Also, it is one of the most robust industries which have been heavily influencing the global economy.
The Rice Roll Processing Machine Market research report studies the historical, present, and future performance of the global market. The report further evaluates the present competitive landscape, prevalent business models, and the likely advancements in offerings by significant players in the coming years.
Top key players included in this report are: Anko Food Machine, Zaccaria, MILLTEC Machinery, Zhengzhou Yonghua Machinery Manufacturing, Lianyungang Huantai Machinery, .
The Global Rice Roll Processing Machine Market is highly fragmented and is based on new product launches and proven results of the latest products. Hence, the leading industry pioneers have made use of different approaches, including new product launches, market initiatives, high investments on R&D, agreements, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, collaborations, and others to expand their presence in this market.
The Global Rice Roll Processing Machine Market has been segmented as below:
By Product type Analysis: Fully Automated, Semi-Automated, Manual Processing, .
By End Users/Applications Analysis: Hotels, Households, Restaurant, .
The Global Rice Roll Processing Machine Market report additionally covers every one of the regions and nations of the world together with the development status, including market size, volume, and share, and in addition, value information, import and trade, and the regional forecast. The significant regions covered in the report are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa.
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The research document will answer following questions such as:
·       What are the cutting-edge technologies responsible for driving the growth of the market?
·       What are the main applications of the market? What are the growth prospects to the market applications into the market?
·       At what stage of development are the key market products?
·       What are the shortcomings that has to face to become commercially viable? Is their growth and commercialization dependent on cost declines or technological/application breakthroughs?
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Last, It offers in-depth information obtained through extensive primary and secondary research methods. The information has been further assessed using various effective analytical tools. Therefore, the report provides a 360-degree view of the market.
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Supermarkets to ensure availability of NFA rice

By Aerol John PatenaPhilippine News Agency on March 26, 2019

MANILA — The Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association (PAGASA) vowed that it will ensure that subsidized rice from the National Food Authority (NFA) will be made more available in supermarkets across the country.
This as PAGASA expressed confidence that the rice tariffication policy of the government will lead to lower rice prices in the market.
“We assure that cheap rice will be available in the market. Rice tariffication will also help achieve this,” PAGASA President Steven Cua said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday.
He urged the government to expedite the issuance of permits to supermarkets for them to sell the NFA rice to their customers.
“Some of our member supermarkets are not selling subsidized rice because they need a permit from the NFA,” according to Cua.
The PAGASA has signed a memorandum of agreement last September with the Department of Trade and Industry and NFA to allow the distribution and selling of subsidized rice in supermarkets nationwide.
Consumers may buy up to two bags or four kilograms of NFA rice in participating supermarkets for PHP 27 per kilogram.
Description: http://www.canadianinquirer.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Sack-of-rice-1024x683.jpg
Consumers may buy up to two bags or four kilograms of NFA rice in participating supermarkets for PHP 27 per kilogram. (File photoby Adam Cohn/FlickrCC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Furthermore, Cua said rice tariffication will help ensure wider availability of affordable rice in the market for consumers.
“The rice prices will depend on the quality of supply that will be imported in the country,” he said.
The National Economic and Development Authority has earlier assured that subsidized NFA rice will still be available in the market until the end of this year while consumers also benefit from cheaper imported rice with the passage of the rice tariffication law.
The NFA is mandated to ensure the sufficient supply of buffer stocks of rice in the country.
President Rodrigo Duterte has signed Republic Act No. 11203 last February which liberalized the importation of rice in the country through the lifting of quantitative restrictions and replacing them with tariffs

Dealing with El Niño

33,000 rice farmers in Iloilo affected by dry spell

ABOUT 30% of the 110,000 rice farmers in Iloilo province have been affected by the prevailing El Niño phenomenon, and the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) is already anticipating that it would not be able meet the one million metric ton (MT) target production this year. “With the present condition, Iloilo’s one million metric tons target harvest for rice may not be achieved. We are expecting that our rice production for this year will really be affected,” said Provincial Rice Report Officer Nancy C. Superal. The 33,000 affected farmers are those who planted during the second cropping season late last year. In 2018, Iloilo was the top rice producer in Western Visayas and the country’s fourth with an output of 939,332 MT, according to the Department of Agriculture–Region 6 (DA-6). Ms. Superal advised farmers to adopt technology and appropriate inputs once the next cropping season starts to recoup the losses caused by El Niño.
OTHER PROVINCES
In other parts of Western Visayas, about 547.52 hectares of rice areas have been affected in the municipalities of Patnongon and Culasi, with an estimated loss of over P10.4 million, based on DA-6 data. The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) also recently reported P6.11 million worth of damaged rice crops in Cauayan, Negros Occidental. Last Friday, the RDRRMC discussed the response plans of various agencies, such as cloud seeding, distribution of standby farm inputs and relief goods, among others. Based on the climate outlook of weather bureau PAGASA, 13 provinces in the Visayas will experience drought by the end of April. These are: Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern, and Western Samar. Three others — Bohol, Cebu, and Southern Leyte — will experience dry spell. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

Dry spell’s initial damage to Cebu agri sector estimated at P100M

Description: https://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Buhisan-dam-Freeman.jpgTHE FREEMAN
CEBU PROVINCE is now under a state of calamity due to the effects of a weak El Niño. The provincial board passed Monday afternoon a resolution making the declaration, which paves the way for the release of emergency funds to assist farmers, fisherfolk, and other affected communities. Board Member Thadeo Jovito Z. Ouano, author of the resolution, said the declaration is backed by the visible damage and losses that the El Niño has caused on crops, livestock, fishery products, and water supply. The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) also conducted an initial survey and assessment of the dry spell’s impact. PDRRMO head Baltazar S. Tribunalo Jr. said the initial damage estimate is P100 million. Mr. Tribunalo added that with the weak El Niño expected to persist until May or June, the number could increase, noting that the damage value recorded during the 2015-2016 El Niño episode in Cebu reached P215 million. Emily Lagrimas, PDRRMO Research and Planning Division head, said at least 27 local government units have declared damage and losses out of the 51 towns and component cities in the province. Mr. Tribunalo said the short-term assistance program include provision of water and cash-for-work for the affected farmers and fishermen. — The Freeman

Waiting for water

Description: https://www.bworldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/ZamboangaCity-water-problem-BClimacoFB.jpgMAYOR CLIMACO FB PAGE
Residents in various parts of Zamboanga City, where a state of calamity has already been declared, line up to get supply from water tankers deployed by the local government amid the dry spell. The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, meanwhile, has been ordered to draw up plans for the immediate construction of five small water impounding dams or weirs, with three in Pasonanca and two at the Saaz River in Patalon. Cloud seeding operations — with funding from the local government, Prime Water Infrastructure Corp. based inside the Zamboanga economic zone, and the Zamboanga City Water District — is also being scheduled to mitigate the impact of the prevailing El Niño phenomenon.

Seaweed-based fertilizer to increase rice yield


DAVAO. The Department of Agriculture (DA) Davao regional office targets to increase rice productivity in the region by 2020 through the Carrageenan Plant Growth Promoter (PGP). (Photo from the Philippine Rice Research Institute)
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March 25, 2019
THE Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office in Davao targets to increase rice productivity in the region by 2020 through the Carrageenan Plant Growth Promoter (PGP).

Carrageenan PGP is a fertilizer developed by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) and Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) under Department of Science and Technolog (DOST), funded by the DA. It was extracted from red edible seaweeds for enhanced growth and induced pest and disease resistance in rice.

DA-11 Research Division senior science research specialist Jose A. Villar II told SunStar Davao Monday, March 25, that there are seven pilot areas for the developing study, identified as Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Davao Region.

In Davao Region, the technology was tested in 2,500 hectares of rice growing areas and its initial findings showed there was an increase in rice yeilds.

“We are fortunate that Davao is one of the seven regions. The normal yield of farmers without CPGP is only around 4.3 tons. Those farmers who used CPGP reached around 4.7 tons per hectare,” Villar said.

“This [CPGP] is environmental-friendly so it will be good for those who are practicing organic farming. It will also enhance development of plants so that it will become resistant on pests and diseases that will result boost of rice production,” he said in vernacular.

Villar said PCGP will be commercialized tentatively by next year and its initial cost is P260 per liter which will be very affordable.

They already identified a private sector that bought its license.

“As a researcher, nakita namo na effective siya sa growth and yield ng rice (As a researcher, we have seen its effectivity in growth and yield of rice),” Villar said.

Southern provinces replace crops on ineffective rice growing area

SGGPTuesday, March 26, 2019 11:51
The Department of Cultivation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on March 25 announced that Southern provinces will grow other lucrative crops on around 126,333 hectares of ineffective rice growing area this year.
Description: Farmers in Vinh Long shift to grow fast growing crop for higher economic results. (Photo: SGGP)
Farmers in Vinh Long shift to grow fast growing crop for higher economic results. (Photo: SGGP)
Particularly, Southern provinces had switched to cultivate fast-growing crops, such as corns, peanuts, soy beans and vegetables, and fruit trees, including oranges, pomelos, mangoes, dragon fruits, longan fruits and durians, on an area of about 32,840 hectares in the winter-spring crop.
Statistics showed that most fast-growing crops and fruit trees gave higher economic results than rice. However, the winter-spring crop is not the main crop to change plant growing structure on rice cultivation area, especially at regions along the Tien and Hau rivers. Therefore, provinces will promote conversion of inefficient rice growing area in the summer-autumn and autumn-winter crops to help famers to increase their incomes.
According to the ministry, switching crops helps to diversify farm produce as well as to improve the growing soil, prevent pests and diseases and save water especially amid severe drought and salinity intrusion. However, there is no centralized planning for the converted growing area for farmers to build suitable irrigation system. As growing scale is still small and sparse, it is difficult to mechanize production, causing high cost of labor and input materials, raising cost prices. In addition, without cooperation of firms, consumption for farm produce grown on converted area has not been ensured.
Moreover, policy to encourage farmers to switch to other crops has not been strong enough. Farmers are still familiar with rice cultivation practices and there is a shortage in agricultural laborers. These shortcomings should be tackled soon in order for conversion of crops become highly effective.
Description: Southern provinces replace crops on ineffective rice growing area ảnh 1Dragon fruit is among plants that farmers choose to grow on unproductive rice growing area. (Photo: SGGP)
Description: Southern provinces replace crops on ineffective rice growing area ảnh 1Description: Southern provinces replace crops on ineffective rice growing area ảnh 2Switching to grow vegetables on ineffective rice growing area helps to save water amid severe drought and salinity intrusion in summer-autumn crop. (Photo: SGGP)

Description: Southern provinces replace crops on ineffective rice growing area ảnh 1Description: Southern provinces replace crops on ineffective rice growing area ảnh 3After harvesting the winter-spring rice crop, farmers in Mekong Delta provinces switch to grow other plants on inefficient area. (Photo: SGGP)
Rice traders ask govt to negotiate with Chinese traders
Description: Muse 105-mile border trade center (Photo-Tun Nay Hlaing)
Muse 105-mile border trade center (Photo-Tun Nay Hlaing)
PUBLISHED 26 MARCH 2019

NILAR
Rice traders from Myanmar requested the government to intervene in negotiations between them and Yunnan government as well as Chinese traders as about 50,000 tons of rice remains stuck in Muse to be exported to China, sources said.
“China granted permits for their companies to buy long grain rice, short grain rice and broken rice. Now, we have heard that the Chinese government will not grant permits for broken rice and long grain rice,” said a rice trader from Mandalay.
The rice trade came to a halt due to the rumours, resulting in about 50,000 tons in remaining in Muse.
Ye Min Aung, Chairman of Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) requested Vice President Myint Swe to negotiate with Yunnan Province government and buyers from the province in relation with the issue.
He urged the government to negotiate a good price for farmers, to have quota to export rice and broken rice to China and to sign MoU to export rice.
According to Ko Ko Kyi, border trade promotion committee member under the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), Myanmar is also facing market exploitation both economically and politically by China as Myanmar is exporting goods illegally to China except five kinds of goods registered in General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ).
Myanmar is exporting farm products, animal products, fishery products and industrialized products to China but only rice, mango, watermelon, cucumber and plum are exported to China officially, registered under AQSIQ.
Other products are all going to China illegally, he continued.
“Myanmar needs to register other goods and products while respective departments need to implement registration for some products from farming, livestock, fishery and industry sectors as quickly as possible”, he said.

Rice price up by 9 per cent in three months

TUESDAY MARCH 26 2019
    
Description: https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/image/view/-/5042476/highRes/2292476/-/maxw/600/-/kaagmp/-/RICE+PIC.jpg

By Halili Letea @hletea hletea@tz.nationmedia.com
Dar es Salaam. Rice prices increased by an average of nine per cent in the past three months, reports show.
Data by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment indicate that the wholesale price for a 100-kilo bag of rice ranged from Sh159,260.9 to Sh192,173.9 on March 22, up from Sh146,739.1 to Sh178,217.4 on December 22, 2018.
In Dar es Salaam, a 100-kilo bag was sold at between Sh150,000 and Sh205,000, depending on rice quality. A random survey by The Citizen has established that a kilo of rice was sold at between Sh1,900 and Sh2,500 in retail on Friday last week.
Rukwa and Shinyanga had the lowest wholesale price of Sh120,000 while Lindi had the highest: at between Sh190,000 and Sh200,000 for a 100-kilo bag.
Traders attribute the price increase to decreased supply.
The Temeke Grains Agency head, Peter Sospeter, told The Citizen at the weekend: “Farmers are using their crops frugally as drought bites. Some keep it in anticipation that prices will soar.” According to Tandika market chairman Mohamed Mwekya, rice supplies normally decrease in March.
Rice is widely consumed in Tanzania. The traditional method for cultivating rice is flooding the fields while, or after, planting seedlings. This simple method requires sound planning and servicing of water damming and channelling, but reduces the growth of less robust weeds and pest plants that have no submerged growth state, and deters vermin.
Nutritionists say health benefits of rice include its ability to provide instant energy, regulate and improve bowel movements, stabilise blood sugar levels, and slow down the ageing process.
It also plays a role in providing vitamin B1 to the human body.
Other benefits include its ability to aid in skin care, boost metabolism, regulate digestion, and reduce high blood pressure. It helps in weight loss, boosts the immune system, and provides protection against dysentery and chronic diseases.
    

In the headlines

Police continue to patrol venue of ACT-Wazalendo meeting

Description: https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/image/view/-/5044262/medRes/2293630/-/83okyhz/-/ACT+pic.jpg
Police have continued to patrol the areas around PR Stadium Hotel where ACT –Wazalendo were

 


Rice cultivation: Balance of phosphorus and nitrogen determines growth and yield

UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE
In the future, a newly discovered mechanism in control of plant nutrition could help to achieve higher harvests in a sustainable way. Scientists from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China) discovered this mechanism in their research on Asian rice in collaboration with Professor Dr Stanislav Kopriva from the University of Cologne's Botanical Institute and the Cluster of Excellence CEPLAS. The balance between nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) is decisive for crop yield. Both nutrients, which the plant absorbs from the soil through its roots, interact more strongly with each other than previously known. The study 'Nitrate-NRT1.1B-SPX4 cascade integrates nitrogen and phosphorus signalling networks in plants' has now appeared in the journal Nature Plants.
Kopriva said: 'For healthy and optimal growth, all living beings need a good balance of minerals. However, we know very little about how plants achieve this balance.' His colleagues in Beijing had observed that the addition of phosphate only had a positive effect on plant growth and yield if a sufficient amount of nitrogen was also available in the soil. 'Together, we have now discovered the mechanism by which nitrogen controls the absorption of phosphate', Kopriva remarked.
A detailed analysis at the molecular level revealed an entire signalling chain that the plant sets in motion - from the sensor that recognizes nitrate quantities to factors that enable the synthesis of the so-called transporters that carry the phosphate into the plant. Kopriva explained: 'Although most of the components were already known individually, it was only through this work that they were brought together into a signalling pathway. This gives us a completely new understanding of how to control plant nutrition. In addition, it enables specific manipulations to either couple the uptake of both nutrients more closely or to separate them from each other - depending on how nutrient-rich the soil on which the rice grows is.'
Professor Dr Stanislav Kopriva from the Botanical Institute of the University of Cologne is co-speaker of the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences CEPLAS at the Universities of Düsseldorf and Cologne, which is funded by the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal Government and the Laender. CEPLAS wants to develop basic knowledge about 'SMART Plants for Tomorrow's Needs'.

This week in weird Twitter food: Oreo rice?

Description: https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--1FuiJUvm--/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_80,q_80,w_80/psf89ok1lhinhjpw7lnb.jpg
Photo: Tracey Patterson (iStock), JacquesPALUT (iStock)
Feast your eyes:
Let’s move right past the Oreo dunked in Red Bull, because we can. We’re not here for whatever that mess might be. We’re here for Oreo rice. Twitter user @WahyuYordanposted the above photos late last week (if you click through and expand, you can see that the concoction has been heated on a stove, which makes it marginally more understandable), and the responses are a children’s treasury of memes that communicate “ugh” and “why” and “what’s wrong with you” in joke form. A personal favorite:
This rice prompted a fierce debate amongst the members of The Takeout staff. I’m essentially the cheese that stands alone, unsoaked in Oreos, in that I cannot imagine the Oreo rice being a particularly pleasurable experience. My cohorts Kate Bernot and Kevin Pang, on the other hand, were more open to the idea. They compared it to (potentially) rice pudding, cocoa rice, and “dessert risotto,” all of which make sense to me. Yes, there’s rice, milk, and sweets, that sounds like rice pudding. Yes, Oreos are chocolate cookies, and cocoa rice is good, ergo this should also be good. Yes, dessert risotto sounds cool as hell. So acknowledged.
Yet my gut reaction is the hardest of hard nos. (Maybe my response was tainted by the Red Bull picture.)
As it happens, this person didn’t invent “Oreo rice,” such as it is—or if he did, he’s not alone. Here’s the Tokyo-based SoraNews24, posting it as an original recipe experiment in 2012: “It’s a Far East spin on an American classic with a unique texture and fantastic taste that we guarantee your whole family will enjoy, even if it does look a bit like asphalt.” Emphasis mine.
Here’s BuzzFeed, whose writers “had to try it” back in 2015. There’s a chirpy little video version, too. Here’s a single-serving version using rice cups and “Oreo mush,” both heated separately. It’s a lot of places. And it squicks me out in all of them. Maybe I’m just not an Oreo person? I don’t know. I can’t deal.
But we are very curious to know if you can deal, so let us know below. Oreo rice: yea or nay?

Arkansas high school juniors can win up to $7,000 for their education

o     
Posted: Mar 25, 2019 08:10 PM CDT
Updated: Mar 25, 2019 08:10 PM CDT
Description: Arkansas high school juniors can win up to $7,000 for their education
LITTLE ROCK, Ar. (KARK) - (3/25/19) Scholarship money can sometimes be hard to find but a new opportunity in Arkansas is giving eligible high school juniors the chance to win up to $7,000 for their education. 
The five-month program sponsored by the Arkansas Rice Federation will help educate rising juniors heading into the senior year about the rice industry. 
Cade Bethea was once a former Arkansas Rice Federation intern and now serves as the Public Relations Coordinator for them.  Seeing first hand how the organization has developed his professional life, he says the new scholarship opportunity is just another way students can learn about the importance and economic impact rice has on the state.  
"We want to start them off in an early age and help them and equip them with the tools so they will be able to go on and use that further in their life," says Bethea. "And potentially in their career one day."
The program will run from May through September and students will have the opportunity to attend four different, on-site experiences during the program. 
Application deadline is April 1st. 
For more information on the scholarship or to apply, click here



NRRI develops nine new paddy varieties

The scientists of National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), here have developed nine new varieties of high yielding paddy suitable for farmers across the country.
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Published: 27th March 2019 06:28 AM  |   Last Updated: 27th March 2019 10:46
Description: http://images.newindianexpress.com/uploads/user/imagelibrary/2019/3/27/w900X450/NRRI.jpg
CR Dhan 802 (Subhas) at dough stage
By Express News Service
CUTTACK: The scientists of National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), here have developed nine new varieties of high yielding paddy suitable for farmers across the country.
Among these, two climate smart varieties CR Dhan 801 and CR Dhan 802 with in-built drought and submergence stresses tolerance are unique and first in rice research, said Dr SK Pradhan, Principal Scientist of the Institute. 
Submergence tolerance quantitative trait loci (QTL), Sub1 and drought yield QTLs, qDTY1.1, qDTY2.1, and qDTY3.1 are stacked in the background of Swarna variety through marker-assisted backcross breeding, said Dr Pradhan.
While CR Dhan 801 has been recommended for cultivation in Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, CR Dhan 802 has been recommended for the farmers of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
As per the suggestion of the last Standing Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, CR Dhan 802 has been christened ‘Subhas’ after Cuttack-born freedom fighter Subhas Bose.
With water becoming a scarce commodity, two other varieties of paddy have been released for water limiting areas. While CR Dhan 204 is for Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, CR Dhan 205 is for Odisha, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. These two varieties are early maturing type and require considerably less water than irrigated rice, said Dr Pradhan.
The Institute has developed three varieties for irrigated ecology. CR Dhan 306 matures in 130-135 days while CR Dhan 309 is a long slender grained type variety with maturity duration of 125 days. CR Dhan 311 is a specialty type of rice containing more protein and zinc in the grain. This variety matures in 125 days, he informed.
The other two newly developed varieties of paddy CR Dhan 510 and CR Dhan 511 which mature in 160 days have been recommended for water logged semi-deep water ecology of Odisha and West Bengal, the Principal Scientist said.

Indonesia Charts A New, Low-Carbon Development Path. Will Other Countries Follow Suit?



Description: https://cleantechnica.com/files/2019/03/indonesia-blog-01.jpgFarmers in Yogyakarta. Indonesia’s government is charting a new, low carbon path to development. Photo by the International Rice Research Institute.
Originally published on the WRI blog.
Indonesia’s recent socioeconomic performance has been impressive. Over the past two decades, the country has cut extreme poverty in half and doubled per capita income.
This economic growth has come at a steep cost, including slashing forests, spewing greenhouse gases, and burning enough coal that nearly 60 percent of Jakarta residents suffer from air pollution-related diseases. Indonesia’s future growth, though, could look very different.
new report from the Indonesian government’s Low Carbon Development Initiative found that less carbon-intensive, more efficient energy systems can deliver an average of 6 percent GDP growth per year until 2045—even more economic growth than the business-as-usual path, with continued gains in employment generation, increased incomes and poverty reduction. This strategy would cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions nearly 43 percent by 2030, exceeding Indonesia’s international climate target.
The government is now feeding findings from this new report directly into its next five-year development plan, which will cover 2020–2024. By doing so, Indonesia can upend the false choice between economic growth and sustainability, and show countries around the world that it is now entirely possible and profitable to tackle climate change economy-wide.
Description: <p>Low carbon development can reduce Jakarta’s air pollution while growing Indonesia’s economy. Photo by Aaron Minnick.</p> Low carbon development can reduce Jakarta’s air pollution while growing Indonesia’s economy. Photo by Aaron Minnick.

A Triple-Win for Economy, People, and Environment

So what would low-carbon growth actually look like for Indonesians?
The gains from low carbon development will consistently and increasingly yield more over the next decades, starting immediately. In 2045, Indonesia will have added $5.4 trillion to GDP, relative to business as usual.
Some of those gains in 2045 stem from: 15.3 million additional and good quality jobs, which are greener and better paid; extreme poverty halving again, to 4.2 percent of the population relative to 2018; about 40,000 lives saved every year from reduced air and water pollution; and the preservation of nearly 16 million hectares of forests that would otherwise have been cut down—an area of land larger than the size of England. Additionally, air quality and living conditions will have vastly improved, and the opportunity gap between women and men, and between provinces, will have diminished.
Description: https://cleantechnica.com/files/2019/03/19-blog-nce-indonesia-01.png
Importantly, this Indonesia of the future will offer better value to investors than an Indonesia that grows through extraction and fossil fuel use. With low-carbon development, each dollar added to the country’s GDP requires less up-front investment than it would with business-as-usual development, while also reducing the need for health expenditures associated with air and water pollution.

Getting There from Here

This vision of a clean and green Indonesia may appear far away. A wholesale economic shift will require a concerted policy effort, with full participation from the national government, local governments, the private sector, and civil society, as well as increased financing from international development finance institutions and private investment. But by setting strategic policies with clear incentives and signals for the private sector, Indonesia’s government has its future within reach. Required actions include:
1.     Moving away from coal and increasing renewable energy’s share of the power sector to at least 30 percent in 2045. Renewable energy is now cheaper than coal in Indonesia when considering the costs of air pollution;
2.     Reducing energy intensity (units of energy per unit of GDP) by 3.5 percent in 2030, and by 4.5 percent afterward;
3.     Fully enforcing moratoriums on forests, palm oil, mining, and peatland development;
4.     More than tripling targets for reforestation, reaching more than 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) per year by 2024;
5.     Meeting existing national and international targets for water, fisheries and biodiversity conservation; and
6.     Increasing land productivity by 4 percent each year, enabling Indonesia’s farmers to grow more food for more people using fewer resources.
Description: <p>A fisherman casts his net in Yogyakarta. Fisheries conservation is an important part of Indonesia’s vision for low carbon development. Photo by the International Rice Research Institute.</p> A fisherman casts his net in Yogyakarta. Fisheries conservation is an important part of Indonesia’s vision for low-carbon development. Photo by the International Rice Research Institute.
Crucially, Indonesia must ensure a just transition to a low-carbon economy. While better for the Indonesian economy and people as a whole, a small fraction of people and businesses— especially those that rely on high-carbon sectors and resource extraction—may be negatively impacted by Indonesia’s shift to a low-carbon economy. Low Carbon Development Initiative policies must support these people as they build new capabilities to participate in and benefit from the new low-carbon economy.
The report did consider even more ambitious policies and interventions, which would lead to even greater emissions reductions and better social and economic outcomes. This scenario, however, comes with implementation challenges. The government would need to further develop technical and institutional capabilities to move in this direction.

If Indonesia Can Do It, So Can Other Countries

Indonesia is the world’s 15th-largest economy and its fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter. Given the country’s outsized impact on the global climate, transitioning now to a low-carbon economy will be good not only for Indonesia, but for the whole world.
Perhaps just as important, other governments can learn from the country’s example. Indonesia’s new development plan is ambitious, yes, but it is also necessary, achievable and economically prudent. If Indonesia – an emerging economy with an imperative to improve its people’s standard of living – can pull off low-carbon development, then other countries can, too.



Africa: New Consortium to Reduce Environmental Footprint of Rice Production

Tagged:
A new global consortium, the Sustainable Rice Landscapes Initiative, will bring together expertise from international organizations, research institutions and business groups with significant market influence to tackle the enormous environmental footprint of rice production, members of the partnership announced today.
The new consortium will introduce sustainable approaches to farming practices, incentivise production and demand for sustainable rice with market-based instruments, deliver policy support to governments, and improve knowledge sharing and collaboration on sustainable rice solutions.
Rice is a leading cause, as well as a victim, of climate change, and its production impacts many natural systems. Rice is responsible for about the same greenhouse gas emissions as Germany, particularly from methane, which is emitted from rotting vegetation in inundated paddy fields.
At the same time, rice yields and nutritional values are significantly reduced by rising temperatures, and production must increase by 25% by 2050 to meet global demand.
Practices such as removing rice straw can reduce methane emissions by up to 70%, but farmers currently lack awareness, training, policy and market support.
The founding members of the Sustainable Rice Landscapes Initiative represent the range of partners needed to make these practices commonplace, namely UN Environment, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Sustainable Rice Platform, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the International Rice Research Institute and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
"UN Environment is proud to be a member of the Sustainable Rice Landscapes Consortium. Sustainable rice production is one remedy that can fix a host of issues," said Dechen Tsering, Regional Director of UN Environment's Asia and the Pacific Office. "It can help us fight climate change, protect biodiversity and restore landscapes and simultaneously safeguard rice farming communities and the billions of people that rely on them."
The Initiative is particularly targeting a number of Asian countries, where rice is one of the most important crops and the economic backbone for millions of farmers, and will seek changes in national policy, farming practices, and improvements in the supply chain. To achieve scale, the Initiative is calling upon governments and international funding bodies to support their efforts.
Quotes
"By working in partnership to apply scientific advances and best practices in rice landscapes the SRL consortium is a unique vehicle to deliver global benefits for the climate, land and water resources and biodiversity, while also ensuring the food security needs of billions of people in Asia and around the world." said Kundhavi Kadiresan, Food and Agriculture Organization Assistant Director General for Asia and the Pacific.
"The Sustainable Rice Landscapes Initiative demonstrates our commitment to transforming global food systems using market-based, climate smart solutions, for healthy people and a healthy planet." - Peter Bakker, President and CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
"SRP and its 100 institutional partners are fully committed to this Consortium, which will drive wide-scale adoption of climate-smart, sustainable rice production among rice smallholders, using the world's first Rice Sustainability Standard and Indicators." - Wyn Ellis, Coordinator of the Sustainable Rice Platform.
"Through the Consortium and the implementation of the world's first rice sustainability standard, we will not only strengthen environmental sustainability in rice production landscapes, but also help smallholder farmers to become more competitive, inclusive and resilient." - Dr. Matthias Bickel, GIZ Project Director of the Agriculture and Food Cluster in Thailand.
"The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) promotes improvements in the environmental footprint of rice farming. Solutions will come from the combined efforts of many partners. As part of the Sustainable Rice Landscapes Initiative, we will share our science, technologies, and expertise in rice research to help deliver environmental sustainability to farmers and other key actors in the rice sector." - Dr. Matthew Morell, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute.

Editorial: Supporting the sciences

March 26, 2019
SCIENCE is an integral part of how one community or civilization advances its self.

Sadly, for some reason, the scientific community in the Philippines is not getting the attention it should get. Because if it is getting the attention that it is supposed to get, we would be in a much more technologically and scientifically advanced society.

It is unfortunate that not many are aware of the technological and scientific milestones that came out of the different fields of science and research institutions in the country.

For instance, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the International Rice Research Institute have developed technologies and seeds that will help increase the yields of the farmers. They have also developed seeds that are resilient to climate change.

PhilRice developed rice varieties PSB Rc 10, NSIC Rc130, and NSIC Rc 134. These varieties are drought resistant and can be harvested within 104 to 110 days. With El Niño, these can be of help to rice farmers and securing our food security.

The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) also supported the development of Eco-Friendly Septic System (Eco-Sep).

Developed by Dr. Merlinda Palencia through the support of DOST-PCIEERD, the council said Eco-Sep “is a self-sustaining, portable, and movable wastewater treatment system that uses an innovative combination of bio-stimulation and filtration enhanced with organominerals.”

There is also the RxBox telehealth device, which allows medical consultations “even from geographically isolated and depressed areas of the country.” The device was conceptualized by the Philippine General Hospital while the prototype was developed by Dr. Alvin Marcelo, former UP National Telehealth Center (NTHC) director, and Dr. Luis Sison of the UP Diliman College of Engineering.

These are just among the technologies and innovations that were developed by Filipino scientists with the support of the government. Sadly, not many Filipinos know about them.

The proposed P19.8 billion budget for DOST and its attached agency may not be enough to further advance the scientific community here in the Philippines.

Hopefully, the government will increase its spending on research and development in the different fields in the coming years.

DOST might want to increase its spending on information and education on the advances in sciences in the country. As more people will know about the scientific community here, it might just get the attention and appreciation it needs.

The government and the general public must understand the importance of sciences in improving our country as a whole. It is through the sciences that we will be able to find ways to adapt to climate change and make our county more competitive.



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