Friday, July 26, 2019

26th July,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter


Scientists Can Now Edit Mitochondrial DNA In Plants
 Researchers in Japan have devised a tool to edit plant mitochondrial DNA and develop new strains of crop plants.
AsianScientist (July 25, 2019)
Researchers in Japan have edited plant mitochondrial DNA for the first time, which could lead to a more secure food supply. They published their findings in Nature Plants. Nuclear DNA was first edited in the early 1970s, chloroplast DNA was first edited in 1988, and animal mitochondrial DNA was edited in 2008. However, successfully editing plant mitochondrial DNA has remained extremely challenging, and only now have researchers devised a suitable molecular tool. In the present study, scientists led by Associate Professor Shin-ichi Arimura of the University of Tokyo, Japan, found a way to manipulate the complex plant mitochondrial genome. The team adapted a technique that had previously edited mitochondrial genomes of animal cells that were grown in a dish. The technique, called mitoTALENs, uses a single protein to locate the mitochondrial genome, cut the DNA at the desired gene and delete it. They used the mitoTALENs system to delete the cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) gene which is found inside the mitochondria of plant cells. “Without the CMS gene, plants are fertile again,” said Arimura. Hence, the researchers were able to create four new and fully fertile lines of rice, as well as three new lines of rapeseed (canola). “We knew we were successful when we saw that the rice plant was more polite—it bowed deeply,” said Arimura, joking about how a fertile rice plant bends under the weight of heavy seeds.
His team hopes to use the technique to address the current lack of mitochondrial genetic diversity in crops, a potentially devastating weak point in our food supply. For example, in 1970, a fungal infection that took hold in Texas corn farms was exacerbated by a gene in the corn’s mitochondria. All corn on the farms had the same gene, so none were resistant to the infection. Fifteen percent of the entire American corn crop was killed that year. Corn with that specific mitochondrial gene has not been planted since. “This is an important first step for plant mitochondrial research,” Arimura concluded. The researchers plan to study the mitochondrial genes responsible for plant male infertility in more detail and identify potential mutations that could add much-needed diversity.
 The article can be found at: Kazama et al. (2019) Curing Cytoplasmic Male Sterility via TALEN-mediated Mitochondrial Genome Editing. ——— Source: University of Tokyo; Photo: Tomohiko Kazama/Shin-ichi Arimura. Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff. Read more from Asian Scientist Magazine at: https://www.asianscientist.com/2019/07/in-the-lab/plant-mitochondrial-dna-editing-mitotalens/ https://www.asianscientist.com/2019/07/in-the-lab/plant-mitochondrial-dna-editing-mitotalens/
Indian farmers shocked as suspected meteorite crashes into rice field
Football-sized object landed in paddy in Bihar state after ‘fireball’ came down from sky
Thu 25 Jul 2019 14.51 BSTLast modified on Thu 25 Jul 2019 23.42 BS
 The object was spotted ‘coming down from the sky’ and then excavated from a 150cm-deep hole by residents of Mahadeva village. Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images
A suspected meteorite crashed into the middle of a rice field in eastern India, authorities say.The object the size of a football landed with a thud in a paddy field in Madhubani district in Bihar state on Monday, startling farmers and sending up clouds of smoke.
Kapil Ashok, the magistrate for Madhubani, told the Times of India that labourers reported seeing “a fireball-like object coming down from the sky”. Residents of Mahadeva village later dug up the object from a 150cm-deep (5ft) deep hole.
The object was described as light brown in colour with some shine, and weighing about 15kg (33lb). It was reported to have strong magnetic properties.
Ashok told the Press Trust of India it looked like a rock “but its glitter is much more than that of an unpolished stone”.
 A villager holds the suspected meteorite. Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images
The object will initially be kept at the Bihar Museum but will be transferred to the Shrikrishna science centre in the city of Patna where it will be studied by experts.
Meteors are particles of dust and rock that usually burn up as they pass through Earth’s atmosphere. Meteorites – meteors that survive the fall to earth – offer clues about the history of the solar system.
In 2016 authorities in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state said a meteorite killed a bus driver and injured three others. While Indian scientists backed the claim of the regional authorities, it was disputed by Nasa scientists.
In 2013 almost 1,100 people were injured after a meteorite flared in the skies above the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. The meteor broke up before it hit the ground, but an airburst caused damage to buildings and hurled people across rooms.
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UC Davis plant nematologist Shahid Siddique says plant-parasitic nematodes are one of the most destructive agricultural pests. Kathy Keatley Garvey/Courtesy photo

Scientists say plant-parasitic nematodes cause great harm to crops

If you like to eat a variety of foods and if you like to wear cotton, you ought to be concerned about plant-parasitic nematodes.
Plant-parasitic nematodes are microscopic worms that extract water and nutrients from such host plants as wheat, soybeans, sugar beets, citrus, coconut, corn, peanuts, potato, rice, cotton and bananas, says Shahid Masood Siddique, a new member of the UC Davis department of entomology and nematology faculty.
“They’re one of the most destructive agricultural pests,” says Siddique, an assistant professor who joined the department in March. “The agricultural losses due to plant-parasitic nematodes reach an estimated $80 billion. The high impact of plant-parasitic nematodes in economically important crops is not only due to the direct damage but also because of the role of some species as virus vectors.
“In fact, a recent expert-based assessment of crop health lists nematodes among the most damaging pests and pathogens in different crops. In particular for soybeans, nematodes are the most damaging pests in the United States and around the world.”
Siddique, who served as a research group leader for several years at the University of Bonn, Germany, before joining the UC Davis faculty, says nematodes are troubling in other ways as well.
“Although nematode-resistance varieties are available for various crops, there is an emergence of a resistant-breaking population throughout the world. An example is the recent arrival of the peach root-knot nematode in California, which has the potential to seriously harm many of region’s important crops, including almonds, peaches, eggplants, sugar beets and cucumber.”
Siddique was among a team of scientists from University of Bonn and University of Missouri who demonstrated the ability of parasitic nematodes to synthesize and secrete a functional plant hormone to manipulate the host system and establish a long-term parasitic interaction. PNAS published the research in August 2015.
In a subsequent article headlined “Researchers Discover Key Link in Understanding Billion-Dollar Pests in Agriculture,” Science Daily called nematodes “a huge threat to agriculture, causing billions in crop losses every year …The discovery will help to develop crop plants that feature enhanced protection against this type of parasites.”
Born and reared in Multan, Pakistan, Siddique received two degrees in Multan: his bachelor’s degree from the Government College Bosan Road in 2001 and his master’s degree in botany from the Bahauddin Zakariya University in 2004. Then it was off to Vienna, Austria, to receive his doctorate in 2009 in agriculture and biotechnology from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences.
While studying for his masters, he developed a keen interest in molecular biology and biotechnology. For his doctorate, he sought a lab where “I could do my Ph.D. and learn more about cell and molecular biology.” He found that opportunity with Florian Grundler, a professor at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, Austria.
“His group was working on understanding the molecular aspects of plant-nematode interaction,” Siddique recalls. “In particular, they were using microarrays to study the changes in gene expression in plants upon nematode infection. I found the work very interesting and joined his lab.”
Nematodes did not immediately trigger his interest. “They have a complicated life cycle and infection pattern,” he points out. “Also, it is not yet possible to genetically transform plant-parasitic nematodes. So, I was mostly focusing on plants, which are more amenable to genetic manipulations. Then I gradually started to realize how fascinating it is to work with nematodes, how they have mastered the ability to manipulate the defense and developmental pathways of their host.”
By the time he completed his doctorate, “I was completely infected by nematodes.” He still is.
Siddique was drawn to UC Davis for its reputation in the field of agriculture and California’s ethnic diversity and liberal culture.
“For the next six months, I will be focusing on establishing a state-of-the-art nematology lab here at UC Davis. This includes buying equipment, hiring the staff, establishing the protocol, and multiplying the nematode culture,” he says.
“In terms of research, my midterm goal is understanding the plant immune responses to nematode infections.” His long-term goal is to produce durable and broad-spectrum resistance in crops.
“Another area where I will be focusing is development of molecular diagnostic tools for plant-parasitic nematodes from soil,” Siddique says. “I will be particularly focusing on nematodes that are relevant to California agriculture. Lastly, I am highly interested in understanding the mechanism of biocontrol of plant-parasitic nematodes. I expect that this will help in understanding why the application of microbial biocontrol is so inconsistent.”
Siddique describes himself as “a result-oriented person and I am comfortable leading a large research team. At the same time, I like to delegate the responsibilities. My working style is collaborative and I believe in open and frank communication.”
In his leisure time, he enjoys cooking, outdoor adventures and watching documentaries.
What would people be surprised to know about him? “I am an introvert,” he says. “A couple of other things: I like super spicy food and my favorite game is cricket. And oh, yes, I don’t like ice-cold water.”
Siddique is currently seeking “undergraduate and graduate students to work on a number of exciting projects.”
“California is a beautiful place to live,” Siddique says, “and Davis is a perfect place to work on nematodes. So, for those interested in working with nematodes, drop me an email at ssiddique@ucdavis.edu.”
China's Import Tariff Quotas For Agricultural Products, 2019-2023 - America News Hour
7/26/2019 3:20:00 AM

(MENAFN - America News Hour) kenneth Research has published a detailed report on Market which has been categorized by market size, growth indicators and encompasses detailed market analysis on macro trends and region-wise growth in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa region. The report also includes the challenges that are affecting the growth of the industry and offers strategic evaluation that is required to boost the growth of the market over the forecast period .
The Interim Measures for Administration of Import Tariff Quotas for Agricultural Products (hereinafter referred to as the Interim Measures) was a government document formulated by China's National Development and Reform Commission and put into force on Feb. 5, 2002. The Interim Measures determines the annual import tariff quotas for agricultural products according to China's schedule of concessions on goods in the accession to the WTO. Agricultural imports in quota are subject to low tariff rates while those out of quota are subject to high tariff rates.
According to CRI's analysis, by May 2019, the Interim Measures applies to agricultural products including wheat, corn, rice, sugar, cotton, wool and wool top. The import tariff quotas for wheat, corn, rice, sugar and cotton are classified into the quotas to state trading enterprises and the quotas to non-state trading enterprises to give priority to state-owned enterprises. The import of wool and wool top is exclusive to designated companies.
CRI believes that China's tariff rate quota administration for agricultural products has both advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, it protects domestic agricultural product market from the impact of large quantities of low-price agricultural imports. Low in-quota tariff rates ensure low-cost raw materials to the agricultural product processing enterprises in China. On the other hand, the tariff rate quota administration triggers international trade disputes. For example, in Dec. 2016, the United States filed a lawsuit with the WTO against China's administration of the import tariff quotas for wheat, rice and corn. In Apr. 2019, the United States won WTO ruling against China's use of tariff-rate quotas for rice, wheat and corn, which it successfully argued limited market access for U.S. grain exports. Besides, some applicants to the import tariff quotas are not agricultural product processing enterprises but trade companies. They resell agricultural products in quota to agricultural product processing enterprises with price markups. Consequently, agricultural product processing enterprises have to pay more for agricultural imports.
According to CRI, the annual import tariff quotas for some agricultural products cannot be used up. For example, in 2018, China's corn imports totaled 3.52 million tons, accounting for only 48.90% of the quota quantity of 7.20 million tons; the wheat imports totaled about 3.10 million tons, accounting for only 32.20% of the quota quantity of 9,636,000 tons. Such surpluses are caused by the strict eligibility criteria. Many downstream enterprises (such as feed processing enterprises and food processing enterprises) that fail to obtain the import tariff quotas purchase raw materials from other sources or even purchase agricultural products smuggled into China.
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CRI expects that the import tariff quotas for agricultural products will go out of date as China's foreign trade develops and China's economy becomes more global. However, most of these quotas will continue to exist from 2019 to 2023 because Chinese government needs to protect the domestic agricultural product market and some state-owned enterprises can make profits from reselling tariff quotas.
Topics Covered:
– Introduction to China's import tariff quotas for agricultural products
– Analysis on advantages and disadvantages of China's import tariff quotas for agricultural products
– China's import of agricultural products subject to tariff rate quota administration
– Major enterprises granted with China's import tariff quotas for agricultural products
– Forecast on development of China's import tariff quotas for agricultural products
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Duterte to suspend rice importation during farmers’ harvest season

Updated July 26, 2019, 3:46 PM
By Genalyn Kabiling
President Duterte has offered a “happy compromise” to suspend rice importation during the country’s harvest season to boost the income of local farmers.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the inauguration of the Candon City Bypass Road in Ilocos Sur on July 25, 2019. (ARMAN BAYLON / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
During his visit to Ilocos Sur Thursday, the President affirmed that the purchase of the rice being harvested by farmers should be given a priority over the importation of rice even if the government will be on the losing end.
“I can assure you, I will create a happy compromise between the farmers at ‘yung [and] importation. You can be sure that during your harvest no importation will be allowed. Ayaw ko. That’s what I said,” he said during the inauguration of the Candon City bypass road project in Ilocos Sur.
Duterte, who has pushed for the liberalization of rice trading, sought to protect local farmers in allowing rice imports only after the harvest season.
“Ubusin mo muna bilhin, kung mahal magpalugi na lang tayo kaysa magbili tayo. Then we — ang tradeoff niyan, ang drawback is mag — magsama ang loob ng mga farmers. Hindi lang dito, both Visayas and Mindanao [Buy all the stocks even if it is expensive before importing. The tradeoff, the drawback is the farmers will feel bad not just here but both in Visayas and Mindanao],” he said.
 “So there has to be a compromise there that during the harvest season or the coming of the harvest season, your reserve will be used then you start to buy. Pagka mahal, bilhin mo na [Even if it is expensive, buy it],” he added.He claimed that it was better to spend on farmers’ harvest than see them join the Communist insurgency.“Kay kung mag-NPA ‘yan mas malaki ang gastos natin. Anak ng pa… Buhay na pati bala. Common sense, bilhin mo. Bahala na malugi tayo [If they join the New People’s Army, we will have bigger expenses — life and bullets. It’s common sense. Buy the rice even if we lose in the deal],” he said.
The President made the remarks after farmers’ groups reportedly complained about the decline in the prices of palay, supposedly triggered by the alleged loopholes in the new Rice Tariffication Law.
The average farm gate prices of paddy rice have reportedly dropped to P12 per kilogram to P14 per kilogram in many parts of the country from P20 per kilogram price early this year.
Republic Act No. 11203, signed by the President last February, imposes tariffs on rice in lieu of import limits. The government earlier said the law is expected to result in lower rice prices and help cushion the impact of inflation for the benefit of the consumers.
In his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), the President said he would ensure the full implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law, including the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.
“This will safeguard the livelihood of small farmers through the provisions of modern farm equipment and machineries, seeds and credit, and extension services,” he said.
“We shall continue to invest in the countryside through agricultural programs that will increase the productivity and income of our small farmers and fisherfolk,” he added.
GIEWS Country Brief: Gambia 25-July-2019
REPORT
Published on 25 Jul 2019 View Original

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
·       Late onset of rains delayed planting operations of 2019 crops
·       Well below-average cereal production gathered in 2018
·       Continued assistance needed for vulnerable people
Late onset of rains delayed planting operations of 2019 crops
The 2019 cropping season has been marked by a late start of the ongoing rainy season. This has delayed planting operations of millet, rice, maize and sorghum crops, to be harvested from October. The low cumulative rainfall amounts since June resulted in poor crop germination rates and some replanting may be required.
Land preparation and planting operations for groundnuts, the major cash crop produced in the country, are ongoing and the harvest will start in November.
Well below-average harvest gathered in 2018
The 2018 agricultural season was characterized by late onsets of rains across all regions, prolonged and abnormal cessation of rains (three to four weeks) and outbreaks of Fall Armyworms. This has resulted in delayed planting or germination failure of crops that were often needed to be replanted with consequent extra costs for farmers. The 2018 national cereal production was estimated at 93 000 tonnes, about 50 percent below the average of the previous five years and 24 percent below the previous year’s output. Groundnuts, the main cash crop, also declined by 54 percent compared to 2017 and 66 percent compared to the five-year average. Major declines were also observed in maize and millet production.
Imports account for over half of the national cereal utilization in the country. Rice accounts for about 70 percent of overall cereal import requirements, followed by wheat, which accounts for about 20 percent. Import requirements for the 2018/19 (November/October) marketing year are forecast at an above-average level of 250 000 tonnes. Following last year’s production decline, the country built up substantial level of stocks with a record of rice imports. Consequently, imports in 2018/19 are expected to fall slightly compared to last year’s record, as stocks will be drawn down to meet national food requirement.
Humanitarian assistance needed for most vulnerable people
Despite adequate availabilities of grains on markets, most households do not have enough access to food as prices of most staple foods are above average and households’ purchasing power declined due to the drop in 2018 production of groundnuts, the major cash crop. In addition, some vulnerable households still depend on external food assistance to satisfy their food consumption. According to the March 2019 “Cadre Harmonisé” analysis, about 46 000 people were estimated to be in need of food assistance from March to May 2019, with a slight increase from the 45 000 people estimated in March to May 2018. This number is expected to increase to over 89 000 people during the lean season (June to August 2019) if no mitigation actions are taken.

Thai rice exporters cut target to 9 million tons


 
By
BANGKOK, 25th July 2019 (NNT) – The problem of the baht’s appreciation by five percent since the beginning of the year has affected the export of Thai products especially the price of rice which is higher than that of the country’s rivals. In the first half of this year, Thailand exported 4.36 million tons of rice, down by 19 percent year-on-year.
Thai Rice Exporters Association President, Police Lieutenant Charoen Laothammathas, has reported on the situation of Thai rice exports in the first half of the year.
It was found that the Thai rice exports are still affected by the value of the baht which is higher than the currency of a major rival like India.
The Indian rupee has depreciated while the Vietnamese dong remains stable causing the prices of white rice produced by Thailand to be higher than those of competing countries especially Thai Jasmine rice with an export price as high as 1,050 US dollars per ton while the average price of Vietnamese jasmine rice is only 550 US dollars per ton.
Meanwhile, Thai white rice is from 395 – 400 US dollars per ton but Vietnamese white rice is only 345 US dollars per ton.
China has a large amount of rice in stock, causing the demand for rice to decrease. Soft rice is popular among rice importers but Thailand still lacks this type of rice. In June, Thailand could only export 570,000 tons of rice, down by 37.7 percent or the lowest since 2011.
In the first half of this year, Thailand exported 4.36 million tons of rice, down by 19.6 percent year-on-year, worth 2.28 billion US dollars, down 17.5 percent.
However, the second half of the year is still causing concern because certain factors are still affecting Thai rice exports, causing the market to slow down. The baht appreciation and drought problems may cause the volume of rice to decrease and rice prices to increase further. Major rice importing countries have also reduced the volume of their rice imports. Therefore, Thai rice exporters lowered the target for the year from 9.5 million tons to 9 million, worth about 4.7 billion US dollars.
The private sector still believes that the work of the new government especially the Minister of Commerce and the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives who are from the same party, will be in a consistent 

Estimated 89000 Gambians In Need Of Food Assistance

July 26, 2019
The 2019 panting season is hit by delays
An estimated 89000 people in the Gambia will be in need of food assistance between this June and August due to the drop in 2018 production of groundnuts, the major cash crop, a regional study has revealed.
According to The Cadre Harmonisé (CH), a current regional framework aimed to prevent food crisis by quickly identifying affected populations and proffering appropriate measures to improve their food and nutrition security, about 46 000 people were estimated to be in need of food assistance from March to May 2019, with a slight increase from the 45 000 people estimated in March to May 2018.
It said the number is expected to increase to over 89 000 people during the lean season (June to August 2019) if no mitigation actions are taken.
The report said despite adequate availabilities of grains on markets, most households do not have enough access to food as prices of most staple foods are above average and households’ purchasing power declined due to the drop in 2018 production of groundnuts, the major cash crop.
It added that, some vulnerable households still depend on external food assistance to satisfy their food consumption.
The report said the country’s farming season is already hit by a delays in planting operations of millet, rice, maize and sorghum crops, to be harvested from October due to late start of the ongoing rainy season.
It added that the low cumulative rainfall amounts since June resulted in poor crop germination rates and some replanting may be required.
Well below-average
The report said the country’s 2018 agricultural season was characterised by late onsets of rains across all regions, prolonged and abnormal cessation of rains (three to four weeks) and outbreaks of Fall Armyworms.
“This has resulted in delayed planting or germination failure of crops that were often needed to be replanted with consequent extra costs for farmers,” it stated.
“The 2018 national cereal production was estimated at 93 000 tonnes, about 50 percent below the average of the previous five years and 24 percent below the previous year’s output. Groundnuts, the main cash crop, also declined by 54 percent compared to 2017 and 66 percent compared to the five-year average. Major declines were also observed in maize and millet production.”
The report said the Gambia is currently importing more than over half of the national cereal utilisation in the country.
It said rice accounts for about 70 percent of overall cereal import requirements in the Gambia, followed by wheat, which accounts for about 20 percent.
It added: “Import requirements for the 2018/19 (November/October) marketing year are forecast at an above-average level of 250 000 tonnes. Following last year’s production decline, the country built up substantial level of stocks with a record of rice imports. Consequently, imports in 2018/19 are expected to fall slightly compared to last year’s record, as stocks will be drawn down to meet national food requirement.”

Newly identified rice gene confers multiple-herbicide resistance

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE
 A rice gene that renders the crop resistant to several widely used beta-triketone herbicides has been identified, researchers report, revealing the genetic cause of herbicide susceptibility that has been identified in some important rice varieties. The newly discovered gene may be useful in breeding new herbicide-resistant crops. Rice is a staple food for more than 3.5 billion people and is among the world's most important crops.
To meet the demands of the global food supply, the use of herbicides for controlling weeds is required for efficient crop production. While a useful herbicide is toxic to unwanted plants but harmless to the crop of interest, overuse of individual herbicides can lead to the emergence of weeds resistant to their once-deadly effects. Benzobicyclon (BBC), a beta-triketone herbicide developed for use in rice paddy fields, is effective against paddy weeds resistant to other herbicidal agents. However, BBC is also toxic to several high-yield rice varieties, according to the authors. To identify the gene responsible for BBC resistance or sensitivity, Hideo Maeda and colleagues performed map-based cloning on BBC-resistant and BBC-sensitive rice varieties, and they identified HIS1, a gene that confers resistance to BBC and other beta-triketone herbicides. According to Maeda et al., HIS1 encodes an oxidase that catalyzes and detoxifies BBC compounds. However, susceptible rice varieties inherited a dysfunctional his1 allele and harbor genetic mutations that disable expression of HIS1. What's more, similar functioning genes appear to be widely conserved in other important crop species, suggesting their potential value in breeding new herbicide-resistant crops.
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Worm pheromones protect major crops

JULY 25, 2019
Soybean plants treated with ascr#18 (right) were healthier and had higher survival rates compared with untreated seeds (left) when infected with Phytophthora sojae. Credit: Aardra Kachroo, University of Kentucky
Protecting crops from pests and pathogens without using toxic pesticides has been a longtime goal of farmers. Researchers at Boyce Thompson Institute have found that compounds from an unlikely source—microscopic soil roundworms—could achieve this aim.
As described in research published in the May 2019 issue of Journal of Phytopathology, these compounds helped protect major crops from various pathogens, and thus have potential to save billions of dollars and increase agricultural sustainability around the world.
Led by BTI Senior Research Associate Murli Manohar, a team around Professors Daniel Klessig and Frank Schroeder investigated the effects of a roundworm metabolite called ascr#18 on plant health.
Ascr#18 is a member of the ascaroside family of pheromones, which are produced by many soil-dwelling species of roundworms for chemical communication.
The researchers treated soybean (Glycine max), rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum) and maize (Zea maysplants with small amounts of ascr#18, and then infected the plants with a virus, bacteria, fungus or oocmycete.
When examined several days later, the ascr#18-treated plants were significantly more resistant to the pathogens compared with untreated plants.
"Plant roots are constantly exposed to roundworms in the soil, so it makes sense that plants have evolved to sense the pest and prime their immune systems in anticipation of being attacked," says Schroeder.
Because they boost plants' immune systems instead of killing pests and pathogens, ascarosides are not pesticides. As a result, they are likely to be much safer than many current means of pest and pathogen control.
"Ascarosides are natural compounds that appear to be safe to plants, animals, humans and the environment," says Klessig. "I believe they could thus provide plants more environmentally friendly protection against pests and pathogens."
In previous work, Klessig and Schroeder demonstrated that ascr#18 and other ascarosides increased resistance against pest and pathogens in tomato, potato, barley and Arabidopsis.
"By expanding the work to major crops, and concentrating on their most significant pathogens, this study establishes the potential for ascarosides to enhance agriculture production worldwide," says Klessig.
Indeed, rice is the world's most important staple food for nearly half of the global population. Ascr#18 provided protection against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, a bacterium that causes yield losses of 10-50% in Asian countries.
Wheat is close behind rice in importance as a food staple, and ascr#18 protected it against Zymoseptoria tritici, a fungus that is one of the most severe foliar diseases of the crop.
Maize is the most widely grown grain crop throughout the Americas with great importance for food, biofuel and animal feed. Ascr#18 provided protection against Cochliobolus heterostrophus, a fungal pathogen that causes southern corn leaf blight.
Soybean is a major high-protein, oil-rich seed crop used as a food source for humans and animals. Ascr#18 protected soybeans against Phytophthora sojae, an oomycete that can kill infected plants in days, as well as the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv glycineaand Soybean Mosaic Virus.
Extremely small concentrations of ascarosides are sufficient to provide plants with resistance against pathogens. Interestingly, the optimal concentration appears to be dependent on the plant species and not the pathogen.
The researchers believe the reason that different plant species have different optimal dosages is likely related to the plant cell's receptors for ascr#18. Different plant species may express different amounts of ascr#18 receptors, and receptors may have varying affinities for ascarosides. Such differences would affect the amount of ascr#18 needed to trigger the plant's immune systems.
The group is now working to determine the molecular mechanisms of how ascarosides prime the plant's immune systems.
These discoveries are being commercialized by a BTI and Cornell-based startup company, Ascribe Bioscience, as a family of crop protection products named PhytalixTM.
"This work is a great example of how the Institute is leveraging our technology through new start-up ventures, an important strategic initiative at BTI," says Paul Debbie, BTI's Director of New Business Development. "The Institute is proud of the opportunity to develop innovative technology in partnership with a new company that is having a positive economic impact here in our local community and for New York State."

USDA Aid Package Details Released 


WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released additional details for the $16 billion aid package for farmers that was initially announced in May.  The three-tier package designed as relief for farmers suffering from retaliatory tariffs as a result of the ongoing trade disputes includes direct payments to farmers through the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), international promotion funding through the Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) program, and commodity purchases under the Food Purchase and Distribution Program (FPDP).  Rice was included in both the MFP and ATP program this year.

The MFP will be based on single county payments rates ranging from $15 to $150 per acre.  USDA published each county rate 
here, based on "the impact of unjustified trade retaliation in that county."  The payment a farmer can expect to receive will be determined by multiplying the county payment rate and a farm's total 2019 planting of eligible commodities, not to exceed 2018 total plantings. 

MFP payments will be made in up to three tranches, the first of which can be expected as early as mid-August and will be 50 percent of the total payment or $15, whichever is higher.  Farmers who filed a prevented planting claim and then planted an FSA-certified cover crop with the potential to be harvested will be eligible for a $15 per acre payment.

The payment limitation for MFP is $250,000 for non-specialty crops per person or legal entity. Livestock and specialty crop producers each have an additional and separate $250,000 payment limitation.  No person or entity can receive more than $500,000.  Farmers will be able to sign up at their local FSA office beginning on Monday, July 29.  The last day to sign up is Friday, December 6, 2019.  

More information on MFP is available at 
www.farmers.gov/mfp

"It's been a tough couple of years in rice country with low prices, uncertainty in some of our top export markets, and extreme weather conditions," said Joe Mencer, an Arkansas rice farmer and chair of the USA Rice Farmers.  "We appreciate USDA including rice as an eligible commodity for the Market Facilitation Program.  While these payments won't make us whole, they will provide some much needed relief financially for rice producers across the country.

USA RICE
Bombay Breakdown Alums Open Brick-and-Mortar Restaurant
The Logan Square venture is the result of five years of collaboration between chefs Yoshi Yamada and Zeeshan Shah.
BY ANTHONY TODD
PUBLISHED WEDNESDAY AT 1:07 P.M.
Kaju hummus and naan   PHOTO: BELEN AQUINO
Listening to Yoshi Yamada and Zeeshan Shah talk about how they came up with Superkhana International’s menu can be overwhelming. The two chefs volley ideas, memories, and sudden realizations back and forth, all flooding out in a passionate torrent.
They have plenty to be excited about: The friends, who previously worked on the Bombay Breakdown pop-up, have just opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Logan Square (3059 W. Diversey Ave.). The new project is inspired by the flavors of India, plus the flavors of just about everywhere else.
Shah spent years at Old Town Social and The Bristol honing his contemporary American cooking skills, but has been fascinated by Indian cuisine since childhood — his father is from India, and Shah grew up going to Devon Avenue to eat and hang out with his dad’s friends.
“Once I grew up and went to culinary school, I kept going back to homestyle cooking,” Shah says.
Like Shah, Yamada cut his teeth at non-Indian restaurants like Lula Café and Blackbird, but he has a deep love of the cuisine, going back to when he studied and cooked in Mumbai on a Fulbright for 18 months. His interest was piqued when he first visited India at 19 and ate chicken masala in a tiny seven-seat shop.
“I came back to the US looking for this food, and of course it turns out there are 10,000 versions of chicken masala,” Yamada says, laughing.
Chana chaat, a salad with chickpeas, tamarind, sev, yogurt, and fresh herbs PHOTO: BELEN AQUINO
Superkhana International (whose name plays on the word khana, which means “food” in Hindi and Urdu) stems from a moment of serendipity. Both Yamada and Shah were thinking of opening an Indian-inspired restaurant; a mutual friend, knowing about their shared aspirations, introduced them to one another. Rather than competing, they went into business together. After five years of pop-up dinners and farmer’s markets, Superkhana International was born, thanks in part to support from Lula Café and Marisol chef Jason Hammel, whom Shah describes as their “producer.”
So far, Superkhana International’s most popular dish is the butter chicken calzone. Yamada and Shah stuff a calzone with classic butter chicken, bake it, and then brush it with ghee and maldon salt.
“The way that we cook is that we look for connections between ingredients, cultures and techniques. When we find them, we work with them in a sort of cross-cultural conversation,” Yamada says. “[This dish] has a very simple premise, which is that butter chicken is great with bread.”
Another example of their process is a dish from their pop-up: basmati rice congee made with coconut water and topped with braised brisket, coconut milk, and turmeric. The dish was inspired by an epiphany Shah experienced during another meal: Once, while eating dim sum, he ordered congee and dipped a short rib into it.
As Yamada explains, the dish crosses cultures — congee is a staple in many Asian cuisines, the beef and coconut is inspired by dishes from Kerala, and both are paired with a French-style pickle and northern Indian fried shallots. Together, the far-flung ingredients make for a rich, satisfying combination.
“A friend described it as a hug for your heart,” Shah says.But Yamada and Shah say that no matter how widely their creativity roves, Superkhana International will always center the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent.
“We love cooking Indian food,” Yamada says. “We are culinary wanderers by nature, but we want to root what we do in a celebration of Indian cooking, because it’s such a huge tradition.”

Pyongyang launches two missiles and rejects rice offered by South

The decisions are in response to the upcoming joint US-South Korea military exercises. The launches took place this morning. It is not known whether the missiles are ballistic or not. Rejected - for now - 50 thousand tons of rice. 40% of the population of the North suffers from malnutrition. North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong-ho will not attend Asean summit in Thailand.
Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - North Korea launched two short-range missiles this morning, which fell in the Sea of ​​Japan, over 400 km away.Yesterday Pyongyang refused 50 thousand tons of rice offered by Seoul. Both facts are motivated by the wrath of the North towards the upcoming joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, which should take place in early August.
According to the Seoul armed forces, the missiles were launched this morning at 5.34am and 5.57am from the Hodo peninsula, near the coastal city of Wonsan. It is not yet clear whether the missiles are ballistic or not. In the first case, Pyongyang violated a UN resolution that forbids it from launching any type of ballistic missile.
The launches took place after some progress on the possible resumption of the dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington. Last June, presidents Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, meeting at the border between North and South promised to return to dialogue. But Pyongyang had also asked for the cancelation of the joint military exercises in August, warning that they could have effects on the dialogues.
The same reasoning -  opposition to the joint military exercises - was expressed yesterday during a meeting with the World Food Program (WFP), through which Seoul intends to donate 50 thousand tons of rice. It is not clear whether the refusal is Pyongyang's final decision.
South Korea decided last month to help the North address food shortages in the country. According to WFP and FAO, last year's harvests in North Korea were the poorest since 2008. It is estimated that at least 10 million people, about 40% of the population, suffer from malnutrition.
Confirming a rejection of the dialogue, the North Korean Foreign Minister, Ri Yong-ho has not yet  confirmed his participation in the Asean Regional Forum, to be held in Thailand next month. Since 2003, the Northern Foreign Minister had so far always participated in the annual meeting.

Rice farmers in dire need of government aid–Piñol

 

A farmer holds rice stalks.
THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) should immediately release the P10 billion for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to help farmers affected by the influx of cheap imports, according to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol.
Piñol told members of the RCEF program steering committee (PSC) on July 22 that time is running out for the government to roll out the necessary interventions for farmers now reeling from the steep drop in the price of unhusked rice.
The PSC, chaired by Piñol, also includes the National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Finance, Land Bank of the Philippines, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority as members.
“The spirit of the law is to assist rice farmers in increasing their productivity. The farmers are expecting the interventions, and we must deliver and so you have to work fast on this,” Piñol said.
The agriculture chief made the statement after rice farmers in Luzon reported to him that the farm-gate price of palay plunged to P12 per kilogram recently due to the influx of cheap rice from other countries.
The latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) indicated that the average farm-gate price of unhusked rice in end-June declined by 16.4 percent to P17.88 per kilogram, from last year’s P21.39/kg.
“The situation could worsen if we don’t deliver our commitment. For now, there is so much unrest among farmers especially in Luzon so we cannot afford not to deliver [interventions],” Piñol said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Farmers’ groups, including the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF), have been urging the government, particularly the DBM, to release the RCEF as farmers have already started planting for the wet season.
Economic managers announced earlier that money for the RCEF could be released as early as the third quarter of the year.
The DBM maintained that it will release only P5 billion and not P10 billion, as it had already released P5 billion for the RCEF last year.
The set up of the P10-billion RCEF is mandated by Republic Act (RA) 11203 to improve farmers’ productivity and cushion the adverse effects of the rice trade liberalization law.
Under RA 11203, P5 billion of the RCEF is allocated for farm mechanization, P3 billion is for the distribution of inbred rice seeds and P1 billion is for credit assistance and farmers’ training.
FFF National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said his group will said pursue the filing of a case against the DBM before the Ombudsman if it will not release P10 billion for the RCEF this year.
He said his group will make good of its threat to file legal charges against the DBM for “willful violation of RA 11203, or the rice trade liberalization law.”
“We may file the case next year because the DBM has until the end of the year to release the full P10 billion for 2019,” Montemayor told the BusinessMirror.

A PIZZA DELIVERY GUY EARNS Rs. 5,000,000 IN A MONTH

Dhule Bhaumik, born in Kolkata, could buy 2 houses within a month, Volkswagen and paid all his debts. But previously, he worked with salary under the minimum wage. So, how could he earn so much money only in a month? He tells us his story."I worked at pizza delivery service for a year. I was prior a collage student and did a part time job in a restaurant. I did it to support my study. In the second year of study I was close to be expelled since I could not pay the tuition. At the time, I had to take a loan. I could finally paid my tuition, but I had no money to pay the monthly installments to the bank. Honestly, studying and working all at once was beyond my endurance, and eventually, I was expelled from campus a week before the end of school year. That was the beginning of the darkest days of my life. My father lost his job and my family didn't know how to survive. Could you imagine how hopeless I felt? I had no decent work and no education, and my father lost his job. I could do nothing to help them.
One night, I was delivering a pizza to the last location. A guy opened the door. He was with his friends, and while he was paying the pizza, I heard their discussion about where would they invest Rs. 2,000,000 they earned 10 minutes ago. I just made a glance and saw a sort of graph and figures on the laptop screen. The guy opening the door gave me Rs. 1000 but the price was only Rs. 600 He told me to keep the change.
I was absolutely surprised and after I got back home, I took my laptop and tried to recall about their discussion. After 5 minutes, I remembered that they told about binary options. On the Olymp Trade website I found the graphs and figures I saw at the guy's laptop.
After reading all information about the broker and watching tutorial videos, I opened a demo account where I got virtual money. I quickly understood what I had to do, it was very easy. I earned some money after my very first transaction. Then I thought... I did not lose anything, so I decided to open a real account and deposited my last money there. At the morning, I woke up and saw that I earned Rs. 30,654 over that night. After 2 weeks I could paid my debts off, bought a car, and I could help my father while he was searching for a new job and pay his expenses for the next few months. 2 weeks later, I already had 2 houses in the suburb. And all I did without leaving my home and getting higher education.
That's my luck. It would never happen if I did not meet the rich guy while delivering the pizza. I know there are a lot of people having not good times like me, that's why I tell you: if you want to live without any problem, I can tell you how to earn money with Olymp Trade. It is very easy if you would try it.

So what do you need to do to start earning money?

·       First, open an account with a broker by clicking here (you’ll need to enter your name, email address, phone number, password, choose the account currency and tick to show your agreement; click Register).
·       Step-by-step you’ll be shown 7 tips describing what’s displayed on your account. Look through all the material by pressing «NEXT STEP» after every description.
Now for the interesting part! A strategy for making a profit!
Now that you have an account with a broker, you need a 100%-profitable strategy. It’s recommended to start with the “up-down” strategy – it’s so simple, anyone can understand it and use it!
1.     First, you need to pick a currency pair: EUR / USD works well here.
2.     Get ready for your first trade: set a time of 1 minute and an amount of $1.
3.     Now start trading. You have to forecast whether the exchange rate will go UP or DOWN within a minute after you opened the trade.
With this strategy, you can make any forecast when you start. It doesn’t matter whether you choose UP or DOWN..
4.     Let’s say you pick UP. Remember that it doesn’t matter what you pick. The strategy works 100% in any case.
5.     If in reality the chart goes up, as you predicted, you’ll get $1.92 back in your account (instead of your initial one dollar!). Now you have to make your next trade, but this time you should choose the opposite value: DOWN (the amount and time don't change; keep them at $1 and 1 minute).
6.     So let’s say the chart goes the other way and your trade isn’t successful. That means you need to raise the next trade to $3 and change the direction of the chart again (i.e. If your last choice was DOWN, now you have to choose UP);
7.     The chart once again doesn’t go the way you wanted, and you lose this trade too. This is nothing to worry about (remember, with this strategy you always make back your losses!). In order to recoup your losses and make a profit now, you have to increase the trade to $8 (don't change the time of the trade). Then choose DOWN (as we chose UP the last time).
8.     Great! That time you chose the right direction and got $15.36 (you made up for your losses and earned more money!). Now go back to trading at $1 and start over again. This time you have to choose UP. That’s why it’s called the “up-down” strategy.
Remember!
Always change the direction (UP, DOWN, UP, DOWN), regardless of whether your bet is successful or not. Your first trade should always be $1. If you lose, increase the amount to $3. If you lose again, change it to $8. If it happens again, raise it to $18 (personally, I’ve never had to do this despite the fact that I trade every day) As soon as a trade is successful, go back to the original amount of $1 and start over again.

RPT-Asia Rice-Thai drought raises supply fears, Bangladesh reels under floods
Eileen Soreng
LY 26, 2019 / 6:33 AM
(Repeats with no changes)

* Jump in local paddy rates drive up Indian export prices

* Vietnamese rice shipments likely to fall in July - traders

* Demand for Thai rice flat- traders

By Eileen Soreng

BENGALURU, July 25 (Reuters) - Drought conditions in Thailand stoked concerns of a drop in supply even as a strong baht kept export prices for the Thai variety higher than Asian competitors this week, while floods wreaked havoc on crops in Bangladesh.

While prices for Thailand’s 5% broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 eased to $390-$395 a tonne free-on-board Bangkok on Thursday from last week’s $401-$402, they were still more expensive than rates in other hubs.

Demand for Thai rice remained flat, traders said.

Meanwhile, a drought in more than a dozen provinces has stoked worries over supply, with the Meteorological Department reporting rainfall in the main rice-growing regions was the lowest in 10 years.

“The drought situation is raising market concern over supply,” a Bangkok-based trader said, adding: “but there is not yet a shortage in actual supply so far.”

The Thai government asked farmers in drought-hit areas to delay rice planting as pumping of water from reservoirs for irrigation threatens household supplies.

Thailand’s rice exporters lowered their target for annual exports to 9 million tonnes from 9.5 million, after a sharp fall in the first half.

In Bangladesh, floods have submerged more than 50,000 hectares of paddy fields, as per a preliminary assessment by the agriculture ministry.

“We will get a clear picture of the extent of the damage once the water recedes,” a senior official said.

This could be a major blow to the country at a time when farmers are unable to secure fair prices for produce, with no fresh overseas deals in sight.

In top exporter India, 5% broken parboiled variety RI-INBKN5-P1 rose to $381-$384 per tonne from last week’s $374-$377 as paddy prices jumped even though demand from buyers in Asia and Africa was muted.

Exports of white rice have almost stopped, while shipments of the parboiled variety have dropped sharply due to higher paddy prices, said an exporter based in Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, below average monsoon rains have raised concerns over output of summer-sown crops.In Vietnam, 5% broken rice rates RI-VNBKN5-P1 were unchanged at $350 per tonne.

“Demand for Vietnamese rice remains moderate with most of the new orders coming from Philippines and Malaysia,” a trader in Ho Chi Minh City said.

Traders said shipments from Vietnam in July could fall significantly. Preliminary data showed 194,400 tonnes will be loaded at Ho Chi Minh City ports in July, versus 311,700 tonnes in June.

“While prices of the regular 5% broken rice stayed flat, prices of jasmine rice have climbed to $500-$505 per tonne from $490 last week due to tight supplies,” another trader said. (Reporting by Ruma Paul in Dhaka, Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok; editing by David Evans)


Bengal farmers struggle to cope with extreme weather
Shobha Roy  Recently in Burdwan | Updated on July 25, 2019  Published onJuly 24, 2019

Delayed rains and a dry spell in parts of West Bengal have resulted in problems for paddy farmers here, many of whom have made additional arrangements at an extra cost to water their fields.
Lack of rain in southern areas forces rice growers to delay paddy transplantation
Sixty-year-old Sajed Moulik, a farmer from Jaugram village in Burdwan district, about 100 km from Kolkata, has spent 2,000 in less than two days to hire an irrigation pump for his paddy field. Though he had done sowing by early June and the seedlings are now ready for transplantion, he is unable to do it because of water scarcity.
Scanty rainfall
Many farmers in the region are worried over scanty rainfall during the paddy sowing and transplantation period. Monsoon rain usually arrives in Bengal by mid-June and continues till mid-September. But, this year, South Bengal districts of Hooghly, Burdwan, Midnapore, Bankura and other rice growing areas are facing a dry spell. Farmers fear that if monsoon does not set in over the next 2-3 days, they will be in trouble. Sowing and transplantation of kharif paddy should be completed by the end of July for harvest in November-December.
“Sowing usually starts by end-May and goes on till early June. After 20-25 days, when the seedlings grow up to a certain height, we start transplanting them into fields submerged in water. But this time, I was unable to do so and some of my seedlings wilted due to lack of water,” Moulik told BusinessLine.
West Bengal produces about 20-25 million tonnes of paddy each year in three seasons – aus, aman and boro. The kharif paddy (aus and aman) output accounts for about 70 per cent of total production.
‘No need to panic’
According to PK Majumdar, Advisor to West Bengal Chief Minister on Agriculture, monsoons are expected to set in parts of South Bengal in a day or two. Even if it were to be slightly delayed and arrive only by the first week of August, the situation can be managed by doing the transplantation with machines.
“Transplantation can be done any time before mid-August. If it is delayed beyond that, then we have other alternatives such as going in for cultivation of short-duration variety,” he said on the sidelines of a rice conclave organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Farmers usually draw canal water using irrigation pumps when monsoons are delayed. But this year, water levels in canals are abysmally low, the farmers said. It has forced them to hire pumps for longer periods, pushing up the costs.
According to Sahu Sufi Mondal, another farmer in the Jaugram village, his overall expenses on 2.8 acres of land have increased by around 1,500-2,000, this year.
A farmer typically spends around 10,000 -12,000 per 0.4 acre of land that can grow around 600 kg of rice. Against this, a farmer earns around 1,300 for 100 kg (or 7,800 for 600 kg). Most of the sale starts in November.
The minimum support price (MSP) for paddy during current marketing season was 1,750 per 100 kg, while market prices have been ruling lower at around 1,300-1,400 per 100 kg.
The West Bengal government has set a paddy procurement target of around 56 lakh tonne this marketing season in FY20. However, this procurement target which is basically not more than 25 per cent of the total production in the state. As market prices continue to rule below MSP, most farmers are forced to sell at unremunerative prices.
According to Suraj Agarwal, CEO Tirupati Agri Trade, paddy prices are ruling almost 20 per cent lower this year as compared to last year, due to poor demand primarily from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh had slapped an import duty of around 28 per cent on rice in 2018. Bengal, which had exported around 17 lakh tonne of rice to Bangladesh valued at close to 4,500 crore in 2017-18, saw exports dropping to around 4.1 lakh tonne (estimated at 1,050 crore). The State has managed to export only around 52,000 tonne of rice so far this fiscal.
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- JULY 26, 2019

JULY 26, 2019 / 1:25 PM
* * * * * *
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-July 26, 2018 Nagpur, July 26 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices reported strong in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) on good seasonal demand from local millers amid weak supply from producing regions because of heavy rains. Good recovery on NCDEX in gram, fresh hike in Madhya Pradesh pulses and reported demand from South-based millers also pushed up prices. About 800 bags of gram and 200 bags of tuar reported for auction, according to sources.

GRAM
* Desi gram raw recovered in open market on renewed demand from local traders.

TUAR
* Tuar Karnataka reported higher in open market here on increased demand from

local traders amid weak supply from producing regions.

* Rice BPT firmed up in open market here on good demand from local traders amid weak

arrival from producing belts.

* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,600-6,000, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,300-8,500, Udid Mogar (clean)

– 6,800-7,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,500-8,500, Gram – 4,400-4,500, Gram Super best

– 6,200-6,400 * Wheat, other varieties of rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in

scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg

FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close

Gram Auction 3,890-4,170 3,850-4,170

Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600

Tuar Auction 5,200-5,875 5,100-5,700

Moong Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200

Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500

Masoor Auction n.a. 2,200-2,500

Wheat Lokwan Auction 1,975-2,088 2,000-2,110

Wheat Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000

Gram Super Best Bold 6,300-6,500 6,300-6,500

Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.

Gram Medium Best 5,900-6,100 5,900-6,100

Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a

Gram Mill Quality 4,500-4,600 4,500-4,600

Desi gram Raw 4,500-4,600 4,450-4,550

Gram Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000

Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,600-8,800 8,600-8,800

Tuar Fataka Medium-New 8,200-8,400 8,200-8,400

Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,900-8,200 7,900-8,200

Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 7,200-7,700 7,200-7,700

Tuar Gavarani New 5,950-6,150 5,950-6,150

Tuar Karnataka 6,300-6,500 6,200-6,600

Masoor dal best 5,500-5,600 5,400-5,500

Masoor dal medium 5,200-5,400 5,100-5,300

Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold (New) 8,200-9,000 8,200-9,000

Moong Mogar Medium 6,000-7,000 6,000-7,000

Moong dal Chilka New 6,800-7,800 6,800-7,800

Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 8,300-8,800 8,300-8,800

Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,000-8,500 7,000-8,500

Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,800-6,500 5,800-6,500

Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500

Mot (100 INR/KG) 5,200-6,500 5,200-6,500

Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,800-4,900 4,800-4,900

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,700 5,600-5,700

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 6,900-7,300 6,900-7,300

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200

Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,000-2,100 2,000-2,100

Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600

Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,600 2,400-2,600

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300

Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800

MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,000 2,700-3,000

Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300

Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,000-3,500

Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,100 2,500-3,000

Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000

Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,750 2,600-2,750

Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,500 2,200-2,500

Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,400 3,800-4,400

Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,600

Rice HMT new (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200

Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,500-5,800 5,500-5,800

Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,800 4,500-4,800

Rice Shriram new (100 INR/KG) 4,400-5,000 4,400-5,000

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-13,500 8,500-13,500

Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,000 5,000-7,000

Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,500-7,200 6,500-7,200

Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,200-6,400 6,200-6,400

Rice Chinnor new (100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,800 5,200-5,800

Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550

Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 34.5 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 21.9 degree Celsius Rainfall : 108.4 mm FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain or thunder-showers. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 29 degree Celsius and 22 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices)


Govt asks neighbours for water
published : 25 Jul 2019 at 04:00
newspaper section: News
writer: Wassana Nanuam
The government has asked China, Laos and Myanmar to release more water into rivers to help relieve worsening drought conditions in Thailand, and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says they are cooperating.
Talks were held with China, Laos and Myanmar, in which they were asked to release more water so it could reach downstream regions, Gen Prayut said yesterday.
They were cooperating, although they have limited water in reserve. The Foreign Ministry and the Office of National Water Resources would continue talking with them, the premier said.
Gen Prayut expressed concern about farmers' livelihoods, saying only 40% of farmland was irrigated.
"I am worried about farmers because they have invested a lot but there is a water shortage. Irrigation must be limited to maintain tap water production and protect consumers. The government will offer assistance to ease the damage," he said. Prasong Prapaitrakul, director-general of the Rice Department, said lack of rainfall had affected about 10 million rai of rice paddy in 20 provinces in the North, Northeast and Central Plains.
The Thai Rice Exporters Association warned that unless it rains early next month, the water shortage would cut rice production and rice prices would rise in the second half of the year.
Meanwhile, opposition whips yesterday began a visit to provinces affected by the drought.
Led by Pheu Thai spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard, the group visited Kalasin and Khon Kaen to speak and listen to affected villagers and local Royal Irrigation Department officials.
Mr Anusorn, who also serves as vice president and spokesman for the opposition whips, urged the government to set up a war room to fight the drought crisis, speed up aid to drought-affected areas and pay compensation to affected people, and put in place a long-term water management plan.
Prachachat Party spokesman, Supoj Arwat, said the Agriculture and Cooperatives and Natural Resources and Environment ministries should have short- and long-term plans to relieve drought, especially in the Northeast.           Bangkok Post
Low rainfall dries up rice exports
Lowest shipment volume in 7 years
published : 25 Jul 2019 at 05:28
newspaper section: Business
Rice fields in Nakhon Ratchasima have been damaged by the drought. This has been a tough year for the rice industry because of prolonged low rain levels in the Northeast and the stronger baht. (Photo by Prasit Tangprasert)
Low rainfall, if it extends until August, will possibly lower rice exports to 8.5 million tonnes this year, the lowest volume in seven years, according to shippers.
Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said this is a tough year for the rice industry because of prolonged low rain levels in the Northeast and the stronger baht.He estimated the impact of the baht's gain to an average 30.8 baht per US dollar now from 32 baht early in the year had already cost Thailand's overall rice export income about 20 billion baht.
"We need to wait and see if the rain will fall in August. If it does not come by August, the worst-case scenario is a severe impact, cutting hom mali paddy rice production in the Northeast by around 40-50% to 4-4.5 million tonnes from normal production of 8.5-9 million tonnes," said Mr Chookiat.
He said milled Thai hom mali rice supply is expected to fall accordingly to only 2 million tonnes from 4 million, leading Thailand without premium rice for export.Domestic consumption of hom mali rice is normally about 2 million tonnes a year.
"The long drought is likely to drive the prices of Thai hom mali paddy to surge to 25,000 baht per tonne from 16,000 baht per tonne, with the prices of domestic milled hom mali rice rising to 36,000 baht per tonne from 25,000 baht per tonne," said Mr Chookiat.
He said if the rainfall comes earlier, Thailand still has a chance to export 1 million tonnes of hom mali rice, with its price increasing to perhaps US$1,500 per tonne from $1,100 last year."The low rainfall is historically prolonged this year, and the association has scheduled a visit to the Northeast in August to evaluate how the drought is affecting the region's rice production," said Mr Chookiat.Charoen Laothamatas, president of the association, said Thailand's rice shipments hit the lowest rate in June at only 578,000 tonnes, compared with an average of 720,000 tonnes in previous months this year.
The drop caused Thailand's rice exports in the first six months of the year to fall by 19.6% from the same period last year to only 4.36 million tonnes.The new target is about 20% less than the 11.23 million tonnes the country shipped in 2018.This year's volume is expected to be worth about $4.7 billion, down 17% from 2018.
Regarding the sharp fall in first-half shipments, the association on Wednesday lowered its target for annual exports to 9 million tonnes from 9.5 million.
Of the total, white rice will account for 3.9 million tonnes, followed by parboiled rice 2.8 million tonnes, hom mali rice 1.3 million tonnes, Thai aromatic rice 600,000 tones and glutinous rice 400,000 tonnes.
Mr Charoen said key threats to Thailand's rice exports include the comparatively strong baht and lower purchase demand from China, which holds hefty rice stocks.
Key rice-importing countries have also changed their rice purchase policies.For instance, the Philippines has allowed its private sector to play a greater role in rice imports, making competition in the domestic market stiffer.The drought will cut the country's overall rice production and may result in higher rice prices, he said.
Bangkok Post

Arkansas State University College of Agriculture appoints interim dean

Arkansas State University Provost Alan Utter appointed veteran College of Agriculture administrator Donald “Bud” Kennedy the college’s interim dean.
“It is with great pleasure that I can announce that Dr. Kennedy has graciously accepted the duty of guiding the college through the next academic year,” Utter said in a statement. “I have great confidence in his knowledge of our students and faculty, and know that he will do a magnificent job as our interim dean.”
Kennedy takes over for Tim Burcham, who resigned earlier this month to accept a position as the inaugural director of the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center for the University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture.
Utter also announced a plan for a national search committee to locate a permanent dean. Carl Cates, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication, will lead the group.
“Our desire is to have a new dean in place by this time next year to begin the 2020-21 academic year,” Utter said.  “I want to thank Dr. Cates in advance for his service in leading the search committee.”
Kennedy has served as the associate dean for the ASU College of Agriculture for the past six years. He was also the interim dean in 2013 prior to Burcham’s appointment.
A graduate of Sam Houston State in Texas, Kennedy earned his Ph.D. in animal science at Louisiana State University in 1991 and worked for three years at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., as an assistant professor.  He joined Arkansas State in 1993, and is currently a full professor of animal science and is a registered professional animal scientist. Kennedy’s research specialty area is livestock nutrition.
Kennedy has been the adviser for the student Delta Tau Alpha agriculture honor society since he arrived in 1993. He was selected for the organization’s national teacher adviser award in 2016.  Among other service projects, he is a liaison to the Eastern District Future Farmers of America for the college and served on the A-State Instructional Farm’s oversight committee.
Animal science and Arkansas State run deep in the Kennedy family. His wife is a retired companion animal veterinarian in the region and one of his daughters is an ASU alumna.

More Than Rice: The Future of Food Security in Vietnam

BY JACQUELYN TURNER|JULY 25, 20193
Bristol Powell and Audrey Vadillo of IRI examine details of a sustainable development plan with staff from the General Statistics Office and Agriculture for Nutrition and Health. Photo: Jacquelyn Turner/IRI
When many people envision food security in Vietnam, they think of rice. More than seven million tons of it are harvested each year, making Vietnam the third largest exporter of the crop. What isn’t exported feeds the Vietnamese population; rice provides 65 percent of people’s daily calories on average, making it a vital piece of both food and financial security.
However, many of those working in agriculture in Vietnam believe rice may not be the future of food security for the country going forward. Cash crops such as coffee, cashews and fruit may provide more stability and better value, allowing small-scale farmers to start to pull themselves out of poverty and to access higher nutrition foods. Regardless of the crop, the uncertainties of a variable climate pose a challenge to farmers’ success.
These are the kinds of ideas that teams from Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) and the Center for International Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) heard at a policy workshop in March in Vietnam, as part of Adapting Agriculture to Climate Today, for Tomorrow (ACToday), the first Columbia World Project. The workshop, supported by ACToday and by a CIAT-implemented project known as DeRISK, convened representatives from government agencies and farmers’ groups to discuss what climate information is currently being generated and used for agriculture and where the process can be improved for more effective decision making.
The IRI and CIAT organizers asked officials from the National Center for Hydrological and Meteorological Forecasting, the Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Institute of Nutrition to work together on their approaches to food security and nutrition. Each of the agencies presented their mission and objectives and explained their role in helping Vietnam achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 2: ending hunger and malnutrition, achieving food security, and promoting sustainable agriculture.
Columbia World Projects‘ first project, Adapting Agriculture to Climate Today, for Tomorrow (ACToday), aims to combat hunger and improve food security by increasing climate knowledge in six countries that are particularly dependent on agriculture and vulnerable to the effects of climate change and fluctuations ⁠—Ethiopia, Senegal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Colombia, and Guatemala. The project is led by the International Research Institute for Climate and Society.

BUD KENNEDY NAMED INTERIM DEAN, COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE


07/25/2019
JONESBORO – Veteran College of Agriculture administrator Dr. Donald (Bud) Kennedy has been appointed the interim dean of the college by Arkansas State University, Provost Alan Utter announced this week.
“It is with great pleasure that I can announce that Dr. Kennedy has graciously accepted the duty of guiding the college through the next academic year,” Utter said.  “I have great confidence in his knowledge of our students and faculty, and know that he will do a magnificent job as our interim dean.”
Kennedy takes over for Dr. Tim Burcham, who resigned earlier this month to accept a position as the inaugural director of the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center for the University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture.
Utter also announced the plan for a national search committee to be chaired by Dr. Carl Cates, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication, to locate a new permanent dean.
“Our desire is to have a new dean in place by this time next year to begin the 2020-21 academic year,” Utter said.  “I want to thank Dr. Cates in advance for his service in leading the search committee.”
Kennedy has served as the associate dean for the A-State College of Agriculture for the past six years, and during the college’s last transition prior to Burcham’s appointment was the interim dean in 2013.
A graduate of Sam Houston State, Kennedy earned his Ph.D. in animal science at Louisiana State University in 1991 and worked for three years at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., as an assistant professor.  He joined Arkansas State in 1993, and is currently a full professor of animal science who is a registered professional animal scientist.  His research specialty area is livestock nutrition. 
The adviser for the student Delta Tau Alpha agriculture honor society since he arrived in 1993, Kennedy was selected for the organization’s national teacher adviser award in 2016.  Among other service projects, he is a liaison to the Eastern District Future Farmers of America for the college and served on the A-State Instructional Farm’s oversight committee.
Animal science and Arkansas State run deep in the Kennedy family as his wife is a retired companion animal veterinarian in the area and one of his daughters is an A-State alumna.

INDIA RICE EXPORTS COULD HIT 7-YEAR LOW ON WEAK DEMAND, HIGHER PRICES -INDUSTRY

7/26/2019
* Exports could fall to 10-11 mln T from 12 mln T -Olam exec
* Indian rice expensive due to higher paddy prices
* White rice exports nearly halt, parboiled falling
By Rajendra Jadhav
MUMBAI, July 26 (Reuters) - India's rice exports are likely to fall to their lowest level in seven years, industry officials say, as weak demand from African countries weighs and shippers absorb the absence of government incentives that supported previous sales.
Lower shipments from India will help rivals such as Vietnam and Myanmar in raising their exports, according to Indian exporters, but could also force Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to increase buying from farmers, even as it struggles to liquidate last year's stocks.
"Inventories have been piled up in Africa," said Nitin Gupta, vice president for Olam India's rice business. "A lot of Indian demand has been diverted to Myanmar and China as Indian prices are out of parity."
The south Asian country could export 10 to 11 million tonnes of rice in the fiscal year 2019/20 that started on April 1, Gupta said.
India exported 11.95 million tonnes of rice in 2018/19 through March 31, down 7.2% from the previous 12 months, even though the country provided incentives for exports of non-basmati rice for four months.
The country exports non-basmati rice to mainly Bangladesh, Nepal, Benin and Senegal, and premier basmati rice to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. In basmati rice exports, India competes with Pakistan, while in non-basmati rice exports rivals are Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.
The government incentives for exports were temporary and discontinued on March 25, said B V Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association (REA). "The incentive needs to be restored quickly," he said, "otherwise there could be huge drop in the exports this year."
India's rice exports in April-May fell 30% from a year ago to 1.58 million tonnes as shipments of non-basmati rice fell more than 50% to 711,837 tonnes, according to data compiled by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority.
Shipments of white rice from India have nearly stopped altogether as Vietnam and Myanmar are offering more than $30 per tonne discount over Indian prices, said Gupta.
In parboiled rice, India has been trying to compete with Thailand but couldn't reduce export prices due to higher paddy, or unhusked rice, prices, said Himanshu Agarwal, executive director at Satyam Balajee, India's biggest rice exporter.
Paddy buying by central and state governments have lifted prices in the open market, making it difficult for exporters to compete profitably in the world market, said Agarwal.
The central state of Chhattisgarh, a leading rice producer, raised the minimum paddy buying price to 2,500 rupees ($36.20) per 100 kg in 2018, from 1,750 rupees - a 43% jump.Indian exporters said the aggressive liquidation of old stocks by China, the world's biggest rice producer, has also hit Indian exports."China is exporting a huge amount of old rice to African markets. Africa being a major client, volumes have significantly dropped from India," said Agarwal.
($1 = 69.0550 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)

In pursuit of exports

 

BR ResearchJuly 26, 2019
Resolution of Pakistan’s perennial macroeconomic woes depends on growing exports and sustaining them on a high level. Almost everyone in the policymaking community recognizes that. The business community is also seen harping on the need to multiply exports and for incentives required thereof. Yet, several inter-linked factors continue to exist and hamper the objective of growing exports. It is time to have a holistic discussion on this issue and address the inter-dependent variables across the economy.
Firstly, Pakistan’s economic governance still favours tax collection over business outcomes. This behaviour gains intensity during economic stabilization, such as the current era. When import tariffs are revised every year with a view to increase tax collection rather than ensure lower input prices for importers-cum-exporters, it leaves little room for value addition. Then there are unintended consequences; for instance, the July 2018 ban on advance payments for imports has apparently affected exporters more than the current account deficit. The now-qualified ban doesn’t seem to address genuine exporters’ concerns.
Secondly, policy coordination has been missing. But don’t blame it on exports being cross-cutting in nature. Several economy-facing ministries – such as Commerce & Textile, Industries & Production, Planning & Development, Power & Petroleum, Water, Science & Technology, Food Security, Maritime Affairs, etc – develop their own policies that affect exports but they don’t necessarily coordinate with each other. An Export Coordination Council is badly needed, with federal and provincial ministries on board.
Thirdly, public and private stakeholders still fail to demonstrate a reasonable appreciation of the central role that a country’s “quality infrastructure” can play in enhancing the scale and scope of exports. The Ministry of Science & Technology, under which three national bodies relating to quality standards, accreditation and calibration have been operating for decades, does not seem to have an influence with other economic ministries to the extent that it can affect export-related policies.
Meanwhile, in a serious conflict of interest, the public sector is running its own production certification programs, testing labs and inspection facilities. These facilities suffer from technical and human capacity issues; therefore, it is no surprise that many countries demand Pakistani exporters to secure quality-related compliance from overseas labs. Then there are exporters who treat “quality” as a cost rather than an investment, resenting compliance-related procedures, fees and delays.
Fourthly, despite Pakistan’s inherent comparative advantage lying in agriculture, the federal and provincial governments have yet to take steps that help realize some of that potential. With policy focus skewed towards major crops, what has been repeatedly ignored is raising the capacity and productivity of small-scale players in fruits, vegetables and fisheries sectors. Donors can give advisories on value-chain development, but it is the government’s job to implement targeted horizontal and vertical interventions.
Even within major crops, promising sectors have been ignored. Rice, which is Pakistan’s largest export commodity outside of textile, has repeatedly suffered from policy indifference. As a result, share of high-value basmati rice has been on a consistent decline over the past decade, while others such as wheat and sugar have increasingly become subsidy-dependent due to perverse politico-economic incentives.
And lastly, little if any discussion happens of inherent weaknesses in the existing export-oriented businesses. One aspect is that sectors like garments fail to attract top marketing talent from top business schools. This is primarily a function of cost-thrift attitudes of seth-led firms; but it reflects itself in poor ability of garment exporters to compete in developed markets. And the other aspect is the relative attractiveness of domestic consumer market for the textile bigwigs, resulting in a loss of export focus.In conclusion, the next time a minister, economist or chamber president starts ranting on the need for raising exports, perhaps they should be reminded that exports is a complex phenomenon, not a linear equation with two variables and a constant.

Committed to address all outstanding issues with Pakistan bilaterally: Govt

V Muraleedharan in this file picture (Source: Twitter)
The Government Wednesday said it wants normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan and was committed to addressing all outstanding issues bilaterally as it asserted that the onus is on Islamabad for creating a terror-free environment for a meaningful dialogue.
In written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said India has asked Pakistan to take “credible and irreversible” steps to end cross-border militancy and dismantle militant infrastructure in territory under its control.

10 Best Sweet Dishes and Food of Pakistan

When it comes to food, sweet dishes are arguably the most enjoyable as they are a fitting end to a meal. We look 10 of the most enjoyed in Pakistan.
 July 25, 2019

By Z. F. HASSAN

Nothing beats a dessert and in Pakistan, there are a plethora of delicious sweet dishes to choose from and to enjoy.
They provide a fitting end to a meal. This is particularly true if you have had too much spicy food as they usually will cool you down.
When it comes to sweet dishes in Pakistan, there are a variety of options. They may not prepare pies, puddings and cakes but their choice is worth a try.
Not only are they enjoyed in Pakistan, but they are also eaten in India. Some have even gained popularity in Western countries.
The most popular dishes incorporate a range of flavours and textures in order to appeal to different preferences. All are bound to entice the tastebuds.
We explore the most popular sweet dishes that are found in Pakistan.

Halwa

Halwa can be commonly found in South Asia and the Middle East. Not only is it easy to make but it is easily available.
The best part about halwa is that it can be made at home with a very minimal approach. All one needs is semolina, sugar, oil and a little bit of patience.
But this is the recipe for the simplest halwa that there is. In Pakistan, it is commonly referred to as Suji ka halwa.
You’ll be mistaken to think that there is only one kind. Suji ka halwa is readily available for breakfast with puri and naan.
Other variations tend to be more expensive and are more time-consuming.
Gajjar ka halwa (Carrot halwa) takes patience, skill, and lots of milk and carrots. It is often consumed in the winter and served to guests.
Even though suji ka halwa is available all across Pakistan, nothing beats the Multani Sohan halwa.
While it is mostly produced in Multan, it is also available across Pakistan. This popular halwa is filled with almonds, pistachios and cashews.
No matter the variant, halwa is a very popular sweet dish in Pakistan.

Barfi

No moment of joy and happiness can be celebrated without barfi. It is absurd to think that any special event can be celebrated without its presence.
There are numerous recipes but all are known for their hint of sweetness.
One of the most commonly available barfis is of the milk powder which also includes almonds and pistachios but it does not stop there.
There are ones made with chocolate, coconut and semolina.
It is interesting to point out that when being cooked, it looks white until it turns into a solid mixture.
If you’re in Pakistan, barfi can be found in any bakery and sweet shop. The bakeries in Pakistan tend to specialise in other sweet dishes as well as barfi.

Gulab Jamun

Gulab jamun is one of the most popular sweet dishes in all of South Asia, not just Pakistan.
It is made from milk solids, usually from Khoya and created into soft balls. They are then deep-fried before they are dipped in a sticky, sweet syrup.
Gulab jamun is a dish which needs lots of attention.
They need to be fried at an optimum temperature for a specific duration so that they do not become too hard or too soft.
The right amount of softness is needed for the perfect taste.
This dessert is simply irresistible. The spongy texture melts in the mouth and the syrup gives it a rich sweetness.
Some enjoy it warm while others prefer it cold, either way, the delicious taste remains the same.

Ras Malai

Ras Malai is always in demand regardless of the time of the year.
While desserts do vary in Pakistan based on the season, the dessert can be enjoyed all year round.
The ingredients can be easily found but it is the cooking technique which can make or break the dish. Not only it is filled with technicalities but it is temperature sensitive, to say the least.
One needs to form cheese curd balls out of milk, prepare the sweet syrup with milk and lots of sugar, and to prepare pistachios and almonds for the topping.
The cooking process requires lots of attention. This is especially true for the preparation of the cheese curd balls, also known as chhana.
Once made, they are then chilled in a refrigerator while the other elements are prepared.
Ras malai is found in milk shops and bakeries all around Pakistan. In fact, in Lahore, this dish can be easily found on most streets.
It is fair to say that most food outlets in Pakistan offer ras malai as a dessert.

Falooda

Falooda is a drink but it is also a dessert and it is one of the most popular sweet dishes available. It is also enjoyed in Western countries like the UK.
There are a variety of recipes for falooda but all of them use milk, vermicelli, ice-cream and chia seeds.
The milk is the main ingredient and is usually is the main ingredient in many South Asian desserts.
For a basic falooda, the milk needs to be sweetened. It is boiled and simmered before it is chilled. Once removed, it is combined with the other ingredients.
Meanwhile, the chia seeds soften by leaving them to soak. The vermicelli is boiled, drained and left to cool.
All come together to create a simple falooda but other ingredients are added to create different variations.
Rose syrup can be one addition and it introduces a very sweet taste and scent to the drink.
The sweet drink is usually topped with chopped nuts. Furthermore, ice-cream added to the cool drink to make the whole experience as sweet as it can be.

Cake Rusk


Cake rusk is a must-have in every Pakistani household and it goes perfectly with tea.
The dish is a combination of cake and rusk. Rusk is a dry biscuit or a bread which has been baked twice.
The same process is involved with plain cakes and they’re a delight to have. Cake rusk has a different dough to regular rusk as it includes sugar for added sweetness.
Tea servings in Pakistan are incomplete without any complimentary snack. While there are snacks available, nothing beats cake rusk.
They are often dipped in tea to soak up the flavour and eaten. It soon becomes a soft and sweet teatime snack.

Vermicelli


On its own vermicelli does not provide much taste but when it is blended with milk, it transforms into milk seviyan which is a creamy and luxurious sweet dish.
Milk Seviyan can easily be made at home. All you have to do is to cook the vermicelli in milk with the required amount of sugar until the mixture has thickened.
The finished dish is then usually topped with chopped almonds and dried fruits.
This dessert tends to be served during dinners and special occasions.
Vermicelli is one of the most enjoyed sweet dishes in Pakistan due to its simplicity and availability.
Food colouring can be added to vermicelli for a unique twist on the dish.

Kheer

Kheer is one of the most common sweet dishes in Pakistan. Ready-made kheer can be found in any food shop in the country.
Like most Desi sweet dishes, it requires a lot of milk, however, that is not the complete picture.
It also needs rice and sugar but the cooking temperature and time are what helps achieve a creamy taste.
The rice needs to be boiled until it becomes soft. The milk needs to be boiled and simmered. Once done, cardamom seeds are added to the milk.
The rice and sugar are incorporated into the milk where it gently cooks for around two hours.
During this time, the mixture must be stirred every once in a while. If not, the mixture will start to stick at the bottom and can cause it to burn.
In order to ensure it does not happen, the flame needs to be set as low as possible while also keeping an eye on it.
After immense efforts and full attention, pistachios and almonds make up the final touches. It tastes great when warm but it can also be enjoyed cold.

Zarda

If you want to have something really sweet for dessert, zarda is just the dish to have.
It is very easy to make. All one needs is sugar, cardamom, lots of rice, and water.
The recipe involves boiling the rice with the cardamom, sugar and adding food colourings to create a vibrant dish.
Sliced coconut, cashews, almonds, pistachios and raisins are usually added to the rice and that is it.
There are many variations of zarda. One of the most well-known ones involves steaming the boiled rice with raw sugar, therefore creating Gur walay chawal (Raw sugar rice).
With lots of colours, it has a vibrant appearance and its contrasting textures is what makes it a popular choice at weddings.

Jalebi

Jalebi is one of the best sweet dishes in Pakistan but it actually originated in ancient Persia.
Apart from India and Pakistan, jalebi is enjoyed in other countries where it is known by other names.
All it takes is a mixture of white flour, cornflour, baking soda, and ghee.
The mixture needs to be left aside for 8-10 hours. The sugary touch comes from the sugar syrup which is mixed later.
The whole mixture is contained in a cloth with a small hole. The oil is preheated on a medium to high heat.
Once the oil is hot, the cloth is squeezed and the jalebi mixture comes out. Each one is usually shaped into spirals by moving the cloth as the mixture drops into the oil.
After being fried, the result is a delicious orange jalebi which has a slight crunch to it but each mouthful is filled with a sweet flavour.
When it comes t0 sweet dishes in Pakistan, these 10 are some of the best.
No matter if you are on a diet or calorie-conscious, each dessert is a wonderful experience to enjoy.
All have a wide variety of tastes and textures which are guaranteed to please various preferences.
Whether you are in cities like Lahore and Karachi or in the more remote areas of Pakistan, you are bound to come across one of these authentic desserts and you will grow to love it.


ndia rice exports could hit 7-year low on weak demand, higher prices -industry
India rice exports could hit 7-year low on weak demand, higher prices -industryMUMBAI: India’s rice exports are likely to fall to their lowest level in  seven years, industry officials say, as weak demand from African countries weighs and shippers absorb the absence of government incentives that supported previous sales. Lower shipments from India will help rivals such as Vietnam and Myanmar in raising their exports, according to Indian exporters, but could also force Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to increase buying from farmers, even as it struggles to liquidate last year’s stocks. “Inventories have been piled up in Africa,” said Nitin Gupta, vice president for Olam India’s rice business. “A lot of Indian demand has been diverted to Myanmar and China as Indian prices are out of parity.” The south Asian country could export 10 to 11 million tonnes of rice in the fiscal year 2019/20 that started on April 1, Gupta said. India exported 11.95 million tonnes of rice in 2018/19 through March 31, down 7.2% from the previous 12 months, even though the country provided incentives for exports of non-basmati rice for four months. The country exports non-basmati rice to mainly Bangladesh, Nepal, Benin and Senegal, and premier basmati rice to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. In basmati rice exports, India competes with Pakistan, while in non-basmati rice exports rivals are Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. The government incentives for exports were temporary and discontinued on March 25, said B V Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters Association (REA). “The incentive needs to be restored quickly,” he said, “otherwise there could be huge drop in the exports this year.” India’s rice exports in April-May fell 30% from a year ago to 1.58 million tonnes as shipments of non-basmati rice fell more than 50% to 711,837 tonnes, according to data compiled by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority. Shipments of white rice from India have nearly stopped altogether as Vietnam and Myanmar are offering more than $30 per tonne discount over Indian prices, said Gupta. In parboiled rice, India has been trying to compete with Thailand but couldn’t reduce export prices due to higher paddy, or unhusked rice, prices, said Himanshu Agarwal, executive director at Satyam Balajee, India’s biggest rice exporter. Paddy buying by central and state governments have lifted prices in the open market, making it difficult for exporters to compete profitably in the world market, said Agarwal. The central state of Chhattisgarh, a leading rice producer, raised the minimum paddy buying price to 2,500 rupees ($36.20) per 100 kg in 2018, from 1,750 rupees – a 43% jump. Indian exporters said the aggressive liquidation of old stocks by China, the world’s biggest rice producer, has also hit Indian exports. “China is exporting a huge amount of old rice to African markets. Africa being a major client, volumes have significantly dropped from India,” said Agarwal.
Date: 26-Jul-2019

Thai drought raises rice supply fears, Bangladesh reels under floods
Cows graze on what was previously a rice field in Suphan Buri’s U Thong district. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)BENGALURU, India: Drought conditions in Thailand stoked concerns of a drop in supply even as a strong baht kept export prices for the Thai variety higher than Asian competitors this week, while floods wreaked havoc on crops in Bangladesh. While prices for Thailand's 5% broken rice eased to US$390-$395 a tonne free-on-board Bangkok on Thursday from last week's $401-$402, they were still more expensive than rates in other hubs. Demand for Thai rice remained flat, traders said. Meanwhile, a drought in more than a dozen provinces has stoked worries over supply, with the Meteorological Department reporting rainfall in the main rice-growing regions was the lowest in 10 years. "The drought situation is raising market concern over supply," a Bangkok-based trader said, adding: "but there is not yet a shortage in actual supply so far."
 
The government asked farmers in drought-hit areas to delay rice planting as pumping of water from reservoirs for irrigation threatens household supplies. Thailand's rice exporters lowered their target for annual exports to 9 million tonnes from 9.5 million, after a sharp fall in the first half. In Bangladesh, floods have submerged more than 50,000 hectares of paddy fields, as per a preliminary assessment by the agriculture ministry. "We will get a clear picture of the extent of the damage once the water recedes," a senior official said. This could be a major blow to the country at a time when farmers are unable to secure fair prices for produce, with no fresh overseas deals in sight. In top exporter India, 5% broken parboiled variety rose to $381-$384 per tonne from last week's $374-$377 as paddy prices jumped even though demand from buyers in Asia and Africa was muted. Exports of white rice have almost stopped, while shipments of the parboiled variety have dropped sharply due to higher paddy prices, said an exporter based in Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, below average monsoon rains have raised concerns over output of summer-sown crops. In Vietnam, 5% broken rice rates were unchanged at $350 per tonne. "Demand for Vietnamese rice remains moderate with most of the new orders coming from Philippines and Malaysia," a trader in Ho Chi Minh City said. Traders said shipments from Vietnam in July could fall significantly. Preliminary data showed 194,400 tonnes will be loaded at Ho Chi Minh City ports in July, versus 311,700 tonnes in June. "While prices of the regular 5% broken rice stayed flat, prices of jasmine rice have climbed to $500-$505 per tonne from $490 last week due to tight supplies," another trader said.

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