Tuesday, July 02, 2019

2nd July ,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

UMN study finds climate change is helping some crops, but hurting more
It’s likely that climate change already is affecting world crop production — hurting it in some areas, helping it in others, but on balance pushing it lower, according to a new University of Minnesota-led study.
“There are winners and losers, and some countries that are already food insecure fare worse,” said lead author Deepak Ray of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment.
The study, conducted with researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Copenhagen, used weather and reported crop data to evaluate the potential impact of observed climate change on 10 crops: barley, cassava, maize, oil palm, rapeseed, rice, sorghum, soybean, sugarcane and wheat. The 10 accounted for a combined 83% of all calories produced on cropland.
The study was published in the Public Library of Science journal, PLOS One. The peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal covers primary research in any branch of science and medicine.
A key finding of the study is that the effect of climate changes varies among the 10 top crops. They range from a drop of 13.4% for oil palm to an increase of 3.5% for soybean.
Overall, there’s an average reduction of about 1% of consumable food calories from the 10 top crops, with an average reduction of about 0.5% for all consumable food calories, according to the report.
Other findings of the study include:
·       Climate change generally is hurting food production in Europe, Southern Africa and Australia, generally helping it in Latin America. Results are mixed in Asia, North America and Central America.
·       Half of all “food-insecure countries” have experienced declines in crop production because of climate change, as have some affluent countries in Western Europe.
·       Climate change has increased yields of some crops and cut into yields of some crops in parts of the Upper Midwest.
·       Overall, U.S. barley, rice and wheat yields fell, while maize, sorghum, soybean and sugar cane yield rose, according to the report.
·       The report noted that “crop yields and production are not only impacted from climate change, but also drive climate change.”

Here is how millets can make India’s food basket climate-resilient
Dinesh C Sharma  New Delhi | Updated on July 01, 2019  Published on July 01, 2019

Description: https://bl.thgim.com/incoming/lbjh4a/article26342908.ece/alternates/WIDE_435/milletsjpg
File photo
Increasing temperatures, changing monsoon and more frequent extreme climate events are posing a threat to food security in India. A new study has found that while almost all grain crops are sensitive to these changes, adding more coarse grains or millets in crop production mix may help make food supply withstand vagaries of climate change.
In the past 45 years, the overall monsoon rainfall has decreased, there is greater variability in daily rainfall, temperatures have risen, extreme events have gone up and so has frequency of droughts. The study quantified the impact of all these changes on crop yields all over the country during this period (1966 – 2011).
The analysis revealed that compared to rice, alternative grains (finger millet, maize, pearl millet and sorghum) are significantly less sensitive to climate variability and generally experienced smaller decline in yields under climate extremes. All these are mostly rain dependent crops and grown during the kharif season. Wheat, grown in the rabi season, was not included in the analysis.
In general, the yields of alternative grains are lower than rice, but in certain districts, coarse grains performed better than rice under rainfed conditions. For example, pearl millet and sorghum in central India and maize in many parts of the country. This means there is already an opportunity to increase climate resilience and grain production both by increasing crop area for these grains.
Since rice yields, compared to all the coarse grains, are more sensitive to fluctuations in rainfall in both irrigated and rainfed areas, replacing it with coarse grains will help stabilize grain production across a range of climatic conditions, the study has said. This, along with other strategies like building buffer stock to absorb climate shock, developing drought-tolerant varieties and boosting irrigation could help meet the climate challenge.
At present, rice accounts for 44 percent of annual grain production and 73 percent of grain production during the kharif season. The rest 27 percent of grain production during kharif comes from maize (15%), pearl millet (8%), sorghum (2.5%) and finger millet (1.5%).  The study examined how far these coarse grains and rice are climate resilient.
District-level crop production and climate data was taken from various sources and database such as the ICRISAT Village Dynamics South Asia and the India Meteorological Department. Climate sensitivity of the five crops for each district was then determined through modelling. The study findings have been published in journal Environmental Research Letters.
“This study shows that yields from grains like millet, sorghum and maize are more resilient to extreme events like droughts. Their yields vary significantly less due to year-to-year changes in climate and generally experience smaller declines during droughts. But yields from rice, India’s main crop, experience larger declines during extreme weather conditions. This means reliance on a single crop – rice – during kharif makes India’s food supply potentially vulnerable to the effects of varying climate,” explained Kyle Frankel Davis of Columbia University, who led the study, while speaking to India Science Wire.
However, replacing rice with millets is not going to be an easy affair. “Agriculture is intimately linked with socio-economic factors and market forces, all of which affect crop choice. If poorer and subsistence farmers are choosing alternative crops more than rice farmers, then how can mixing crops to increase stability at a national level affect crop choices? A better option would be to incentivise poor farmers to increase their crop diversity to reduce the sensitivity of rice to rainfall variability,” commented Raghu Murtugudde, visiting professor of earth system science at IIT Bombay. He is not connected with the study.
Health and nutrition benefits of millets could be an additional advantage, according to researchers. Davis said “our study provides evidence that these crops can offer benefits to the food system beyond nutrition. In addition, increasing production of alternative grains helps save water, reduces energy demand and greenhouse emissions from agriculture. This study shows that diversifying crops that a country grows can be an effective way to adapt its food production systems to the growing influence of climate change.”
The research team included Kyle Frankel Davis (Data Science Institute, Columbia University); Ashwini Chhatre (Indian School of Business, Hyderabad); Narasimha D Rao (Yale University); Deepti Singh (Washington State University, Vancouver); and Ruth DeFries (Columbia University).
(India Science Wire)
Twitter handle: @dineshcsharma

BUSINESS

Description: https://www.agweek.com/sites/default/files/styles/16x9_860/public/1us6EL6a8UB5sPB27JKM4Uqj_dRCtGYYR.jpg?itok=CF-MwZNp
Photo by Nick Nelson / Agweek.

Study: Climate change affecting crop production

 
10
It's likely that climate change already is affecting world crop production — hurting it in some areas, helping it in others but on balance pushing it lower, according to a new University of Minnesota-led study.
"There are winners and losers, and some countries that are already food insecure fare worse," said lead author Deepak Ray of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment.
The study, conducted with researchers from the University of Oxford and the University of Copenhagen, used weather and reported crop data to evaluate the potential impact of observed climate change on 10 crops: barley, cassava, maize, oil palm, rapeseed, rice, sorghum, soybean, sugarcane and wheat. The 10 accounted for a combined 83% of all calories produced on cropland.
The study was published in the Public Library of Science (PLOS) journal, PLOS One. The peer-reviewed open access scientific journal covers primary research in any branch of science and medicine.
A key finding of the study is that the effect of climate changes varies among the 10 top crops. They range from a drop of 13.4% for oil palm to an increase of 3.5% for soybean.
Overall, there's an average reduction of about 1% of consumable food calories from the 10 top crops, with an average reduction of about 0.5% for all consumable food calories, according to the report.
Other findings of the study include:
• Climate change generally is hurting food production in Europe, Southern Africa and Australia, generally helping it in Latin America. Results are mixed in Asia, North America and Central America.
• Half of all "food-insecure countries" have experienced declines in crop production because of climate change, as have some affluent countries in Western Europe.
• Climate change has increased yields of some crops and cut into yields of some crops in parts of the Upper Midwest.
• Overall, U.S. barley, rice and wheat yields fell, while maize, sorghum, soybean and sugar cane yield rose, according to the report.
The report noted that "crop yields and production are not only impacted from climate change, but also drive climate change."

Low selling cereals is actually exporting water

KV Kurmanath  Hyderabad | Updated on June 30, 2019  Published on June 30, 2019
Description: https://bl.thgim.com/economy/agri-business/usadpd/article28235760.ece/alternates/WIDE_435/BL01STATESPADDYFIELD
The study observed that increased focus on maize, sorghum and millets would help ease pressure on groundwater   -  The Hindu

Shift of focus to maize, sorghum, millets would help: Research

Excessive focus on cereal production and the resulting pressure on groundwater in some States is no news. But this, a UK-based researcher contends, means that some States are actually ‘exporting’ their scarce groundwater when they market the cereals.
A study by a group of researchers from academic and research institutes from the UK, Germany and India has suggested a shift to maize, millet and sorghum will help the country reduce its scarce groundwater consumption.
They gathered data of production and water-use for five cereal crops (rice, wheat, maize, millet and sorghum), from publicly available sources from 2005 to 2014, to understand the phenomenon.
“The States that are producing and exporting (to other parts of the country) dominant cereals such as paddy and wheat are, in fact, technically ‘exporting’ their scarce groundwater to other States,” Francesca Harris, a researcher with Epidemiology and Population Health of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told BusinessLine.
She said Punjab and Haryana are among the top States that overexploited groundwater to produce cereals.
Francesca Harris was here to address the Annual Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health (ANH) Academy Week.
The group published a report ‘More crop per drop - Exploring India’s cereal water use since 2005’. India’s cereal production went up by 26.4 per cent to 238 million tonnes from 188 mt during the period without additional water or land use, thanks to higher yields for most crops.
Wheat and rice consumed a lion’s share, 80.6 per cent of total water used. While Uttar Pradesh accounted for 20 per cent of the country’s total water consumption, Punjab and Rajasthan consumed 8.4 per cent each.
The researchers found that the cereal area is being shifted to rabi season. The increase in cereal production was marked by increase in rice production in kharif and wheat in rabi.

Increased yields

The study found that there is a drop in cereal water footprint, thanks to improved yields. In the north, yields went up in sorghum and millets and in rice, maize and wheat in the central part.
Increase in irrigated area and use of fertilisers and pesticides might also have contributed for higher yields during the period.

Suggestions

The study observed that increased focus on maize, sorghum and millets would help ease pressure on ground water. “Increase in maize production will help to sustain cereal production, while minimising water use,” it said.
“On the other hand, sorghum and millets can help reduce the dependency on freshwater. However, it calls for investments to improve yields to maintain production levels,” it said.

FY 2018-19: Nepal Rice Imports on the Rise Despite Bumper Harvest

The country Nepal imported rice worth NPR 278 million within the first 10 months of the current fiscal compared to NPR 241 in FY 2017-18 
 In the recent update on Nepal’s paddy production, the country has recorded the highest paddy production of 5.6 million tons this fiscal year 2018-19.
However, Nepal’s rice import continues to be steadily on the rise, despite bumper paddy production throughout the last three years.
The country imported rice worth NPR 278 million within the first 10 months of the current fiscal compared to NPR 241 in FY 2017-18. Similarly, in 2016-17 Nepal’s rice imports were worth NPR 202 million.
According to Nepal Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD) Ministry, changing habits of consumers were responsible for the increasing rice imports in the country. Most Nepalis prefer white rice or refined rice imported from India.
Despite the country’s ability to meet the rising demand, consumers’ varying taste have forced Nepal to import rice said MoALD.
According to MoALD, Nepal’s current market demand for rice stands at around 4 million tons at the moment and its local production meets only close to 3.4 million tons.

Nepal’s Paddy Production 2016-19

This current fiscal 2018-19, Nepal registered a paddy/rice increase by 9.8 percent compared to 5.1 million tons in the previous fiscal.
Similarly, the country’s paddy productivity reached 3.8 tons per hectare in the current fiscal, an increase of 8.6 percent compared to FY 2017-18.
The International Rice Research Institute  – Nepal’s (IRRI-Nepal) five-year work plan along with a few other places and programs are responsible for the success of Nepal’s increased paddy productivity, said MoALD Spokesperson Tej Bahadur Subedi.
However, increased productivity and production have not been able to override Nepal’s increasing rice imports.
This is a matter of concern as rice contributes to 20 percent of Nepal’s agriculture sector, which has a 27 percent in Nepal’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Meanwhile on June 30, 2019, Nepal marked the beginning of the crop plantation season with Ropain – the rice planting festival.

Here is how millets can make India’s food basket climate-resilient

Too much dependence on rice can make India vulnerable
By Dinesh C Sharma
Last Updated: Monday 01 July 2019
Increasing temperatures, changing monsoon and more frequent extreme climate events are posing a threat to food security in India. A new study has found that while almost all grain crops are sensitive to these changes, adding more coarse grains or millets in crop production mix may help make food supply withstand vagaries of climate change.
In the past 45 years, the overall monsoon rainfall has decreased, there is greater variability in daily rainfall, temperatures have risen, extreme events have gone up and so has frequency of droughts. The study quantified the impact of all these changes on crop yields all over the country during this period (1966-2011).
The analysis revealed that compared to rice, alternative grains (finger millet, maize, pearl millet and sorghum) are significantly less sensitive to climate variability and generally experienced smaller decline in yields under climate extremes. All these are mostly rain dependent crops and grown during the kharif season. Wheat, grown in the rabi season, was not included in the analysis.
In general, the yields of alternative grains are lower than rice, but in certain districts, coarse grains performed better than rice under rainfed conditions. For example, pearl millet and sorghum in central India and maize in many parts of the country. This means there is already an opportunity to increase climate resilience and grain production both by increasing crop area for these grains.
Since rice yields, compared to all the coarse grains, are more sensitive to fluctuations in rainfall in both irrigated and rainfed areas, replacing it with coarse grains will help stabilize grain production across a range of climatic conditions, the study has said. This, along with other strategies like building buffer stock to absorb climate shock, developing drought-tolerant varieties and boosting irrigation could help meet the climate challenge.
At present, rice accounts for 44 per cent of annual grain production and 73 per cent of grain production during the kharif season. The rest 27 per cent of grain production during kharif comes from maize (15 per cent), pearl millet (8 per cent), sorghum (2.5 per cent) and finger millet (1.5 per cent). The study examined how far these coarse grains and rice are climate resilient.
District-level crop production and climate data was taken from various sources and database such as the ICRISAT Village Dynamics South Asia and the India Meteorological Department. Climate sensitivity of the five crops for each district was then determined through modelling. The study findings have been published in journal Environmental Research Letters.
“This study shows that yields from grains like millet, sorghum and maize are more resilient to extreme events like droughts. Their yields vary significantly less due to year-to-year changes in climate and generally experience smaller declines during droughts. But yields from rice, India’s main crop, experience larger declines during extreme weather conditions. This means reliance on a single crop – rice – during kharif makes India’s food supply potentially vulnerable to the effects of varying climate,” explained Kyle Frankel Davis of Columbia University, who led the study, while speaking to India Science Wire.
However, replacing rice with millets is not going to be an easy affair. “Agriculture is intimately linked with socio-economic factors and market forces, all of which affect crop choice. If poorer and subsistence farmers are choosing alternative crops more than rice farmers, then how can mixing crops to increase stability at a national level affect crop choices? A better option would be to incentivise poor farmers to increase their crop diversity to reduce the sensitivity of rice to rainfall variability,” said Raghu Murtugudde, visiting professor of earth system science at IIT Bombay. He is not connected with the study.
Health and nutrition benefits of millets could be an additional advantage, according to researchers. “Our study provides evidence that these crops can offer benefits to the food system beyond nutrition. In addition, increasing production of alternative grains helps save water, reduces energy demand and greenhouse emissions from agriculture. This study shows that diversifying crops that a country grows can be an effective way to adapt its food production systems to the growing influence of climate change,” Davis said.
The research team included Davis (Data Science Institute, Columbia University); Ashwini Chhatre (Indian School of Business, Hyderabad); Narasimha D Rao (Yale University); Deepti Singh (Washington State University, Vancouver); and Ruth DeFries (Columbia University). (India Science Wire)






Source: Xinhua| 2019-07-01 20:03:43|Editor: ZX
KUNMING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Tao Guangfa, a 67-year-old Chinese villager, still remembers how people used to be afraid to eat corn, rice and other crops in the fields and along a waterway around a local arsenic mine.
Tao's hometown, the city of Wenshan in southwest China's Yunnan Province, ranked first in China in terms of arsenic production for many years from the 1950s to the 1990s.
For some time, people even avoided herding around the arsenic mines as the grass for the cattle was poisoned due to soil pollution. Such concerns that once surrounded Tao and his fellow villagers are now expected to be reduced with the latest technology.
Chinese research institutions and enterprises have jointly developed a new technology that aims at restoring arsenic-contaminated soils.
In the smelting process of nonferrous metals, heavy metals including lead, zinc, cadmium and arsenic may be left in various types of solid waste without proper treatment.
In recent years, local arsenic manufacturers have all been shut down, but the waste arsenic residues still existed in mountainsides, mountaintops and gullies, affecting the environment and posing a threat to the health of local residents.
The new technology on the remediation of arsenic contaminated sites on the plateau has recently passed expert evaluation.
Led and developed by the Yunnan Institute of Environmental Science, Kunming University of Science and Technology and Yunnan Investment Ecology, the technology improves the technical system for the collaborative disposal of arsenic-containing waste in cement kilns.
The researchers developed an effective curing and stabilizing repair agent and intelligent remediation equipment, which provides key support for solving the problem of arsenic pollution.
Based on preliminary research, Wenshan started a project on the disposal of eight arsenic slag sites, with a total area of 6,130 cubic meters in May 2018, and has completed its landfill work on May 20.
The project is currently in the final stage of ecological restoration, the local government said, adding that the contaminated soil is undergoing post-restoration treatment and is expected to be completed in early July.
"Now, there's no need for us to worry about arsenic-contaminated soil," said Tao

Citizen scientists collect vital microplastics data—from their yachts

Description: Citizen scientists collect vital microplastics data -- from their yachts
Mark Bond and Tony Gilbert preparing a S.A.R.A.H. net Credit: Florida International University
The world's oceans are under invasion by a virtually indestructible enemy—plastic. Florida International University (FIU) and the International SeaKeepers Society have joined forces to combat this plastic problem.

As part of a new collaborative project, dubbed the S.A.R.A.H. initiative, privately owned yachts become platforms for FIU scientists to conduct field research. Special nets are towed behind the vessels to gather samples of plastic debris in the water. They are designed to collect even the tiniest bits of plastic—that can be smaller than a grain of rice—known as microplastics.

The first expedition to Cuba recently concluded. The samples were full of microplastics and preliminary analysis revealed that the overwhelming majority were polyethelene (used to make plastic grocery bags) and polypropylene (bottle caps and rope).
"Our relationship with SeaKeepers opens up access to areas of the ocean our researchers wouldn't normally have access to because of the cost," said Mark Bond, an FIU marine scientist and lead on the SeaKeepers partnership. "This means we can spread our research dollars further and get more data to better map the type and scale of contamination."
Every year, an estimated 8 to 12 million tons of plastic makes its way into the sea. From coastlines to the middle of the sea—floating along the tops of waves and hidden deep beneath the surface—it's there in its many forms.
S.A.R.A.H. isn't just a name. It's also an acronym for the process to end this epidemic—sample, aggregate, return, analyze, help. Understanding what types of plastics are in the ocean is key to keeping those plastics out of the ocean.
Because it never decomposes, plastic tends to become a shape-shifter. Tossed around in the ocean or exposed to the elements, larger pieces break down into microplastics. These little pieces pose a huge problem. Often mistaken for food, they are regularly consumed by marine life. Studies have discovered that fish, seabirds and sea turtles all ingest plastic.
Whether they began as a plastic bag or bottle, these plastics cannot hide their original forms from the researchers. All plastic is made up of hydrocarbon polymers. These polymers and an assortment of added chemicals are combined in countless ways to create variations of plastic—from polyester clothing to acrylic paints and water bottles. Back in the lab, the samples are tested to pinpoint the type of plastics that are plaguing our oceans and then archived in an online database.
Plastic may be forever, but it doesn't have to be forever in the ocean. Data can be the foundation for future policy decisions that can ensure the ocean is home to more marine life and less plastic.
"If we can paint a picture of what kind of plastics are being found throughout the world's oceans, we can help in the regulation of certain industries," said Tony Gilbert, program director of SeaKeepers. "This has already happened with sunscreen. Some states have banned the sale of sunscreens with chemicals that are bleaching and killing our coral reefs."
Founded more than two decades ago by a small group of yacht owners, SeaKeepers supports oceanographic research and conservation by inviting scientists to conduct research and education from the yachts. Currently, M/Y Archimedes is participating in the S.A.R.A.H. initiative, collecting samples for FIU researchers as it crosses the Atlantic and passes through the Mediterranean.
In the coming months, the S.A.R.A.H. team anticipates support from the global yachting community to help expand this initiative.

Punjab defies country-wide trend, kharif crop sowing up by 20 per cent in June
The data sourced from the Punjab Agriculture Department, till June 24, Punjab had completed Kharif sowing on 18.68 lakh hectares, which is nearly 52 per cent of the total sowing, against the 11.50 lakh hectares on the same date last year which was around 32 per cent of the total kharif crop sowing.
Written by Anju Agnihotri Chaba | Jalandhar |
Published: July 1, 2019 8:05:19 am



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Agriculture department had targeted sowing 36 lakh hectares area under kharif crop. (Express)
Against the country-wide trend of 25 per cent less kharif sowing due to dry June month, Punjab state has shown opposite trend and has already completed the 52 per cent sowing of Kharif season crops, which is 20 per cent more compared to the last season. Thanks to over 15 lakh tubewells in Punjab and availability of canal water mainly in Malwa region.

Punjab Agriculture Department had targeted to sow 36 lakh hectares area under Kharif crops which included sowing of rice on 29 lakh hectares, including six lakh hectares Basmati rice and 23 lakh hectares paddy, four lakh hectares under cotton, 1.60 lakh hectare under maize, one lakh hectare under sugarcane, and around 40,000 under pulses, ground nut and sesamum.

The data sourced from the Punjab Agriculture Department, till June 24, Punjab had completed Kharif sowing on 18.68 lakh hectares, which is nearly 52 per cent of the total sowing, against the 11.50 lakh hectares on the same date last year which was around 32 per cent of the total kharif crop sowing. Mainly Paddy, pulses (moong, mash and arhar), maize, sugarcane, cotton, groundnut and sesamum crops are sown during kharif season.

Till June 24, the transplantation of paddy was completed on 12.87 lakh hectares, which is a way higher the 6.87 lakh hectares sown during this period in 2018. It also implies that Punjab has already completed paddy sowing on 56 per cent of the targeted area.

“We have completed paddy sowing at least four lakh hectares more between June 25 to June 29 and now only 25 per cent sowing of paddy is left,” said a senior Agriculture Department officer.

The cultivation time of Basmati would start from the second week of the July month.

Among other kharif crops sugarcane too had shown upward trend as 95,002 hectares had been sowing against 95,000 last year, pulses too had recorded over 5000 hectares sowing against 4000 hectares last year.

Cotton too has recorded sowing on over four lakh hectares against 2.67 lakh hectares last year. Only maize has show little downward sowing with trend at 67,000 hectares against 84,000 hectare last year.

As far as paddy sowing goes, Sangrur district topped with 1.91 lakh hectares sowing till June 24. Patiala is at the second place with 1.39 lakh hectares, while Ferozepur is third with 90,000 hectares.

Only Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Mohali and Ropar districts have been doing slow transplanting and covered the area close to its last year’s corresponding figures which is good for state.

Rest all districts have achieved double the area putting huge pressure on the ground water as paddy sowing needs stagnate water up to two to three inches for over six weeks continuously.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department, Chandigarh office, Punjab has received 50 per cent less rain during June. Only Fathegarh Sahib for 46 per cent surplus rain in June, while Ludhiana and Bathinda got Normal rain. All other districts are facing deficit rain.

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Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) officials said that due to heavy sowing of paddy in June month the toll on ground water is too big.
“No doubt that canal water is available in the Malwa region, but most of the farmers in Punjab prefer tubewell water because power supply to run over 14 lakh electrical tubewells is free to them,” said another PAU officials, adding that they had already suggested to extend the date of paddy sowing till June 25 but government instead had advanced it by one week this year which is not a wise decision. Running of 15 lakh tubewells on a single day would extract 4.80 lakh million liter in a day.

Agriculture Director, Punjab, Dr Sutantra Airy said that though there are several short paddy varieties available now in the state which can be sown in the month of July, but still farmers prefer varieties that require early sowing.
Big Picture Economics on Tap at the USA Rice Outlook Conference

ARLINGTON, VA -- The good news is the overall U.S. economy is booming; the bad news is the U.S. agricultural economy is not.  U.S. ag continues to struggle amid falling farm income and deteriorating agricultural credit conditions.  

During this prolonged downturn for the ag sector, separating fact from fiction has become increasingly critical, and focusing on the big picture, AKA macroeconomics, is key.  

Veronica Nigh, international trade and resource issue economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), will be on hand at the 2019 Outlook Conference to talk about the macroeconomic outlook for U.S. agriculture-specifically digging into the drivers of the U.S. economy, farm economy, farm debt and financial indicators, interest rates, cash rents and farmland values, and trade.

"While we wait for farm income to stabilize, growing inventories, trade uncertainty, and signs of a global economic slowdown remain key risks," said Betsy Ward, president & CEO of USA Rice.  "Hearing from an expert economist steeped in ag research and analysis who can answer questions will help us all make decisions and plan ahead not only for individual operations but for the industry as a whole."  

Nigh grew up on a small, diversified livestock operation in Savannah, Missouri.  Prior to joining AFBF, she worked for the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service in the Office of Negotiations and Agreements, and also served as an international marketing specialist at the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

The USA Rice Outlook Conference is the largest rice specific event in North America.  The 2019 Conference will take place from December 8-10 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Check 
here for updates.


USA RiceDaily

Chatham-Kent home to Canada's first commercial rice crop

Agricultural history is quietly being made on a farm west of Chatham where a one-hectare (2.5 acre) crop of rice is growing.
Published on: June 28, 2019 | Last Updated: June 28, 2019 5:49 PM EDT

Wendy Zhang, project and farm manager with Ontario FangZheng Agriculture Enterprises Inc. is seen here Friday in front of a one hectare trial crop of rice planted west of Chatham, Ont. (Ellwood Shreve/Chatham Daily News) 
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Agricultural history is quietly being made on a farm west of Chatham where a one-hectare (2.5-acre) crop of rice is growing.
“This is the first Canadian commercial rice production,” said Wendy Zhang, the project and farm manager with Ontario FangZheng Agriculture Enterprises Inc., which planted the crop.
She said initially the company was allowed to grow a research trial crop, based on regulations set out by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Zhang said they have now received CFIA approval to expand next year.
The plan is to plant rice on the entire 30-hectare (74-acre) farm where the first crop is currently growing and find other land to plant up to 202 hectares (500 acres) next year.
Growing rice in Chatham-Kent is more a relief than anything, Zhang said. The process began in 2016, she said, with an expert rice production team from China coming to the municipality to inspect the soil, the water, the weather and what kind of machinery could be used.
When it comes to growing rice, Zhang said the first thing you need is flat land and, secondly, a good source of water.
“It’s just so flat and so good (in Chatham-Kent), and we got two lakes here as well.”
While this year’s cool, wet spring has caused tremendous problems for other farmers, Zhang said her rice crop benefited from the rain. The enterprise has saved a lot of money by not having to operate a pump to irrigate the crop.
Many people may envision rice crops being surrounded by a large amount of water, but Zhang said a new technique was developed in recent years.
“We don’t need that much water,” she said. “All we need to do is cover the soil surface.”
Zhang said the canopy will soon fill in on the crop, so the water on the field won’t be visible.
She began preparing the crop in early March by soaking the seed inside.
xx  Description: https://nexus.prod.postmedia.digital/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/CD.0629-CD-RiceField.jpg
A one-hectare rice trial crop is growing west of Chatham, Ont. (Ellwood Shreve/Chatham Daily News) ELLWOOD SHREVE / ELLWOOD SHREVE/THE DAILY NEWS
“It has to be a closed environment and monitored every day,” she said.

From there, the plants were moved to a greenhouse in April before being transplanted in May.
The crop will be harvested in late September or early October, depending on the weather, Zhang said.
Ontario FangZheng Agriculture Enterprises has been working with the Ridgetown Campus of the University of Guelph, which did a successful greenhouse study on rice. This resulted in the experimental field of rice being planted by Zhang.
She told those attending a news conference on Friday the one-hectare plot will be used to record plant growth and development, evaluate pest pressure and control, determine yield potential, and other production factors under Ontario growing conditions.
Chatham-Kent has a climate similar to northern China, where rice production has expanded to grow crops that can withstand cooler temperatures.
Zhang has been working with Curtis Peltier, an agricultural consultant with Thompsons.
“It’s been quite interesting,” Peltier said. “Definitely a lot to learn.”
He noted the fertilizers and other inputs to grow rice are similar to planting wheat.
“So we’re kind of basing and comparing everything to the wheat crops around here.”
Peltier said his company would be “definitely” interested in growing rice “if we can find a market for it.”
Mayor Darrin Canniff, who attended the Friday press conference, said a positive he sees with rice being grown here is “diversification for our economy and a new opportunity for our agri-business sector.”
If things work out, the trial crop could expand into thousands of acres being planted across Chatham-Kent, he said.
Zhang said the commercial rice crop started with one acre in the U.S., “and we started with one hectare.”
She said the company would welcome working with other growers to expand the amount of rice grown in Chatham-Kent.


USA Rice Outlook Conference & Trade Show

December 8–10, 2019  | Little Rock, AR

This year’s Outlook Conference is going to be the biggest and best conference yet featuring exciting speakers, outstanding learning sessions, and a trade show bringing the newest and most promising innovations to attendees. 

Session topics will include robotics and artificial intelligence on the farm, breaking into or expanding your e-commerce platform, best conservation practices, food and farm trends, farm safety, data management, managing stress, and much much more. 

Mark your calendar and watch for announcements in the USA Rice Daily, on this website, and on our social media channels. 

For information on exhibiting or sponsoring, email Jeanette Davis.

Less rainfall to affect paddy plantation

Published: July 01, 2019 1:00 pm On: Business
   
HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
Kathmandu, June 30
The late monsoon coupled with inadequate rainfall is likely to affect paddy plantation this year.
Farmers are in a hurry to begin paddy plantation, however due to lack of enough rainfall only 11.64 per cent of paddy plantation has been completed so far.
Meanwhile, by this time last year around 15 per cent paddy plantation had been done across the country. This may have an effect on paddy plantation that will ultimately affect the annual production capacity of paddy, said Yubak Dhoj GC, secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
While addressing the 16th National Paddy Day celebration today, Secretary GC said that the late monsoon is going to affect paddy plantation this year. “Most of the fields in some of the areas are still dry.
In some regions neither has there been rainfall nor do farmers have access to irrigation facility,” he said. “In such a situation it is obvious that there will be less plantation.” He, meanwhile, said this situation has arisen as the country is yet to implement disaster management system.
According to GC, during the dry season dry seeded rice can be planted. “Dry rice plantation is one of the solutions during the dry season. However, there is less practice of planting dry seeded paddy in our country,” he added. GC further said that either farmers are not aware of it or they do not have access to dry seeded rice.
Thus, there is a need to promote and expand the practice of planting dry seeded paddy, he added.
Amidst this the ministry has set a target to produce seven million tonnes of paddy in the next fiscal year. The target, however, seems a bit far-fetched. Secretary GC further claimed that the ministry is doing its best to increase the production and productivity of paddy to replace rice import.
“The agriculture ministry alone will not be able to do enough on this front. The ministry wants support from all the stakeholders,” he added during the event organised by Nepal Agricultural Research Council to mark 16th National Paddy Day.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Chakrapani Khanal celebrated the National Paddy Day in Rajapur Municipality of Bardiya district this year. The main motto of this year’s National Paddy Day is the promotion of technology and machinery to reduce rice import.

A version of this article appears in print on July 01, 2019 of The Himalayan Times.

Optimistic rice outlook

News & Politics
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Australia's biggest rice producer is confident it has a positive outlook, despite posting a 32 million dollar loss in the past 12 months.


Sun Rice has battled drought across southern New South Wales, and has had negative foreign exchange impacts.


Rural reporter Eddie Summerfield spoke with Chairman Laurie Arthur:


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Odisha’s rice yield lower than other States

 |  | BHUBANESWAR
Food grain production declined from 117.82 lakh metric tonnes (MT) in 2016-17 to 84.82 lakh MT in 2017-18 due to deficient rainfall and severe pest attack of 2017-18. Production of rice, which had almost half the share of gross cropped area (GCA) and is a highly water-incentive crop, witnessed a decline of over 33 per cent, pulling down food grains and total crop production in the State, pointed out the latest Economic Survey presented in the State Assembly recently.
It, however, revealed that pulses were the only crop group, which witnessed a significant growth in production. The production of pulses during 2017-18 stood at 10.76 lakh MT, sugarcane at 19.9 lakh MT and cotton at 4.1 lakh bales.
The rice yield rate has been low in Odisha compared to other States due to high dependence on rainwater for irrigation, stated the report. Yields of oilseeds and sugarcane witnessed marginal decrease. 
The report remarked that the State can diversify its agriculture base as cotton and pulses displayed an increase in yield in 201-18.
Despite the drought situation in the past year, which caused a decline in production and productivity of productivity of food grains, horticulture sector was relatively less affected.
This underscores the augment to incentivize famers to increase horticulture production, said the report.
Top three vegetables with the highest production recorded in 2017-18 where brijnal (20.1 lakh MT), tomato (13.1 lakh MT) and cabbage (10.6 lakh MT). On the other hand, mango (8.2 lakh MT) and banana (4.7 lakh MT)had the highest production among fruits.
 The highest yield was seen in cabbage (280.5 quintal/ha) and bringal (170.5 quintal/ha), while among fruits, banana and papaya were the high yielding fruits.
Apart from fruits and vegetables in horticulture, Odisha is diversifying its crop production and area into spices. The GCA under spices has increased from 1.54 lakh hectares in 2011-12 to 1.61 lakh hectares in 2017-18 (an increase of 4.5 per cent). Production has increased more than proportionately in the same period, by 16.8 per cent (from 4.77 lakh
 MT to 5.57 lakh MT). This can be attributes to more spice being produced in the State (tamarind) and an increase in yield, mentioned the report.
Tamarind and ginger occupy the majority share in production of spices (73.1 per cent). Over the past year (since 2016-17), the yield rates for most spices has been maintained with the highest growth observed in the major spice like turmeric.
This shows that Odisha has good potential to further increase its crop base to include spices.   

Planned rice research center in Poinsett County hires first director

The planned Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center has hired Tim Burcham as its first director.
Burcham was previously dean of the Agriculture College at Arkansas State University and held a joint appointment with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. ASU in Jonesboro is one of the campuses that works with the Division of Agriculture to provide publicly funded education, extension and research all across Arkansas.
The center, being created by the Division of Agriculture in partnership with the Arkansas Rice Research and  Promotion Board, will be built in Poinsett County — the heart of Arkansas’ northern rice-growing region.
Burcham’s appointment is effective Aug. 1.
“I am humbled and honored to be entrusted with a leadership role in the establishment of the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center located near Jonesboro,” Burcham said. “The opportunity to establish a world-class rice research facility that seeks to optimize rice production and producer profitability utilizing the latest technological advances excites me about the future of rice production in Arkansas.”
Burcham anticipates the combined research and outreach strengths of the Division of Agriculture and ASU will provide a “multiplier effect with the potential to improve every aspect of rice production in Arkansas.”
“Rice is such an important crop for farmers in northeast Arkansas and it is a major economic driver for our region and the state,” Burcham said. “I look forward to working with Division of Agriculture leadership and members of the Arkansas Rice and Research Promotion Board to shape the future of this new center; a future that will play a vital role in the success of Arkansas rice producers, processors and consumers. It’s the leadership opportunity of a lifetime.”
As the director, Burcham will develop a master plan for the center, which will include research in the area’s unique soils, as well as a general education component. Burcham will also oversee construction of the facility. In addition to using Rice Promotion Board funds, Burcham also will work on developing other funding sources to support a world-class agricultural education center.
Over the past decade and a half, rice production in Arkansas has spread from south to north. The Division of Agriculture has a Rice Research and Extension Center at Stuttgart and also conducts rice research at its Northeast Research and Extension Center at Keiser in Mississippi County. The Poinsett County location will enable rice research in the area’s mixed soil types.
Burcham is a registered professional engineer in Arkansas and Mississippi and has been involved in consulting activities associated with irrigation design, livestock waste management, onsite wastewater remediation, water quality, biofuels and computer software design. He is active in the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and has held numerous leadership positions including serving on the Board of Agricultural Assembly’s Policy Board of Directors.

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