ICRISAT study links
millets to child growth
Findings in
Karnataka suggest millet-based mid-day meals can boost growth of adolescent
shoolchildren by 50% in three months
Sangareddy: Findings from a recently published feeding study with 1,500
children in Karnataka suggest that millet-based mid-day meals can boost the
growth of children by 50 per cent in just three months. Children rated the
meals, which were designed by scientists and chefs and included little millet
as a rice substitute, over 4.5 on 5 for taste.
The findings of the study were
released jointly by Prof Ramesh Chand, member, NITI Aayog, and Dr Ashok Dalwai,
chair, Empowered Body, Doubling Farmers’ Income, Government of India, in New
Delhi on Wednesday. The results were presented at the Tasting India Symposium
later in the day.
“This is an example of not only a
science-backed nutrition solution but also a link between agriculture and
nutrition. It is important now that we achieve mainstream consumption of
millets and that they are not just for the elite,” said Prof Ramesh Chand.
Dr Ashok Dalwai emphasised, “Making
it profitable for farmers to grow nutritious foods like millets has to be a key
part of the Doubling Farmers’ Income vision and millets are important in the
rain-fed areas for farmers to cope with climate change and water scarcity.”
This Smart Food study, ‘Acceptance
and impact of millet based mid-day meal on nutritional status of adolescent
school-going children in a peri-urban region of Karnataka State in India
published in the journal Nutrients, was undertaken by The Akshaya Patra
Foundation and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
(ICRISAT). Early adolescent school children in four villages—Thathaguni,
Kagallipura, Allahali and Chensandra which are located around Bengaluru—
participated in the study. Growth was assessed using anthropometry
measurements, while sensory evaluations were made to determine acceptability.
“It is not good enough just to say
we are going to add millets into the meal,” said Dr S Anitha, a nutritionist at
ICRISAT and the study’s corresponding author. “The type of millet, its variety,
how it is cooked and the foods it is combined with are some of the key elements
that can make a difference in nutrition. For instance, the amount of iron
available in a meal can be doubled by selecting the right variety of millet.
This is the first known scientific study of millet based meals in a school
feeding programme.”
The researchers gave the study
group children meals including idli, khichdi, upma and bisibella bath in which
rice was replaced by pearl millet (bajra), ragi (finger millet) or little
millet (kutki). The anthropometric measurements at the end of the feeding
programme were compared with that of control group children who consumed
fortified rice with sambar.
“Akshaya Patra is always looking
for ways to improve nutrition in mid-day meals. The millet meals were exceptionally
successful and were really liked by the children. We appreciate the Karnataka
State government’s support, and with this positive result, we now hope this
will garner the support needed to make nutritious millet-based meals available
to our future generations,” added Ajay Kavishwar, Head of Research at The
Akshaya Patra Foundation.
“This initiative also included
developing guidelines on how to introduce millets into menus to maximise the
nutrition benefits and likability. This is pertinent now given the renewed
interest in millets,” said Ashok Jalagam, Smart Food Coordinator for Asia
Pacific.
Call to policymakers
The study’s authors have called for
policymakers to follow the lessons learnt on how to include millets into meals.
They have asked to create a level playing field for the pricing and
availability of millets (through Minimum Support Price (MSP), Public
Distribution Scheme (PDS) and feeding programmes (MDMs, ICDS) that will benefit
from not only including millets, but also from the approach taken to introduce
them. “Going one step further and select millets by varieties in programmes,
ensuring maximum nutritional value and impact and promote millets in positive
fun ways, they said.
This is highly relevant now as
millets have gained attention for their nutritional value and resilience in the
face of water scarcity and climate change, making them a viable option for
struggling farmers if markets can be further developed. The Government of India
and various States like Karnataka and Odisha have led the cause to make millets
a popular food choice. The government of India designated 2018 as ‘National
Year of Millets’ and initiated a millet mission. NITI Aayog recently announced
a pilot to include millets in the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
and MDM schemes.
“These results and guidelines
developed from the study are equally important for any scheme addressing
malnutrition or general health diets–whether that of governments, NGOs or
private sector processors or caterers,” noted Joanna Kane-Potaka, Executive
Director of Smart Food and Assistant Director General of ICRISAT.
“ICRISAT holds the world’s largest
collections of millet genetic material and works closely with Indian Institute
of Millets Research and other partners to improve millets by developing
varieties having higher nutrient levels as well as the more conventional traits
like yield and resilience,” commented Dr Peter Carberry, Director-General,
ICRISAT.
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Will rice survive
climate change?
John Munson/Cornell University
The
challenge for rice farmers is how to meet demand for an inexpensive food source
when Mother Nature has other ideas—and when the crop itself contributes to the
emissions that are making it harder to grow in traditional locations.
Mark Isbell is a commodity rice farmer in England, Arkansas
whose 3,000-acre Isbell Farms supplies large buyers like Knorr, a Unilever
company. The Isbell family has grown rice for more than a century; Mark, a
fourth-generation farmer in his late forties, works alongside his father,
mother, brother-in-law, and cousin.
The challenge, for farmers, is how to meet
demand for an inexpensive food source when Mother Nature has other ideas.
The work is getting harder. While overall rainfall amounts
remain relatively stable, weather patterns have become more erratic, making it
tough to gauge yield in a given year. Short, intense periods of rain can make
farming difficult.
Although rice consumption is up, rice production is down in
commodity rice-growing regions that are becoming prone to inconsistent weather
patterns. The challenge, for farmers, is how to meet demand for an inexpensive
food source when Mother Nature has other ideas—and when the crop itself
contributes to the emissions that are making it harder to grow in traditional locations.
A rice farmer in California says
it may be time for state growers to consider different varieties of rice, like
Japanese long grain, ones that require less water
Annual rice production has shrunk since the 2010 record of 243.1
million hundredweight (100-pound units, or cwt for short), with production down
20 percent in 2017, to 178 million cwt, according to reports from the Economic
Research Center of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The four
regions where 85 percent of the nation’s crop is grown—the Arkansas Grand
Prairie, the Mississippi Delta, the Gulf Coast, and California’s Sacramento
Valley—have seen rising temperatures and heavy periods of rainfall like the
ones Isbell has noted.
The U.S. will lose its place among
the top five rice-exporting countries because of growers’ inability to
profitably expand acreage.
The USDA’s 10-year baseline rice projections in 2028 show a
slight decline in planted area, modest growth in consumption, a decrease in
exports, and A slow increase in farm prices. According to this report, the U.S. will
lose its place among the top five rice-exporting countries because of growers’
inability to profitably expand acreage.
Weather changes introduce two obstacles to rice production: an
increase in diseases like bacterial panicle blight (BPB), and unpredictable
rain patterns that make crops more vulnerable than in the past. In Arkansas,
blight caused historical losses of 50 percent in 2010, according to research
done by the University of Arkansas. In 2017, flooding eroded and destroyed
levees, causing damage to over 100,000 acres of the state’s more than 1.55
million acres of rice.
Commodity rice farming provides
the bulk of the U.S. production, with over 100 varieties in primarily six
states
Dr. Anna McClung, of Arkansas’ Dale Bumpers National Rice
Research Center, heads a research team currently trying to identify genes that
make rice plants more resilient to heat stress. They also hope to learn what traits
are most sensitive to environmental stress, and to identify natural genetic
variables that might improve the rice plant’s ability to flourish.
According to the National
Climatic Data Center, Arkansas
experienced one of the hottest summers on record in 2010, with average
temperatures in August of 85.8 degrees, compared to the past average, 80.7
degrees. Arkansas State University researchers studying how high
temperatures affect rice have found a five-degree increase in nighttime
temperatures over the past 40 years.
Rice farming both contributes to and suffers from climate changes.
McClung says that this increase hampers the plants’ ability to
photosynthesize, to harness energy from sunlight by forming carbohydrates and
releasing carbon dioxide. Higher temperatures disrupt the process and lead to
decreased yield—chalkier kernels, and fewer of them.
Heat also has a negative effect on pollination. “In essence, the
pollen doesn’t fly around as it should,” says McClung. “Water as a liquid
rather than a vapor causes pollen to rupture. Approximately 97 percent of
rice plants are self-pollinated, depending on conditions, so heavy and uniform
pollination can be a necessity at times.”
Erika Styger, associate director for climate-resilient farming
systems at Cornell University, points out that rice farming both contributes to
and suffers from climate
changes: It produces methane and nitrous oxide emissions, and then is strained
by the droughts and floods that are the consequence of those increased
emissions.
“Unless we have water resources,
we won’t be able to grow rice like it has been grown conventionally.”
There are government-led initiatives to lower greenhouse gas
emissions, such as the purchase of carbon credits in California and the
Mid-South, as well as private buy-ups by a diverse group that includes
Microsoft, the Environmental Defense Fund, and a private investor, Terra
Global. Farmers reduce carbon emissions as well as water and energy use with
methods that include alternate wetting and drying, and early drainage of the
fields, which can reduce water consumption by millions of gallons. The carbon
credits are then sold on the carbon market, where the current price is $7 per
ton.
McClung feels that the very future of the rice crop is at stake,
unless growers adapt to a new climate normal. “Unless we have water resources,
we won’t be able to grow rice like it has been grown conventionally. There will
need to be an adaptation of how we grow rice globally,” she says. “The aquifers
are being depleted faster than they are being recharged.”
Some farmers build reservoirs on their land to capture rainfall,
and reuse drainage water, which helps keep pesticides out of public waterways.
Intermittent flooding is another option: farmers let water
levels subside until the soil becomes mud and then floods the fields. McClung
says there is no indication that the practice has a negative impact on yield.
“Realistically, is rice something that is
going to be practical with climate change?”
But in the past year, conflicting studies have linked intermittent flooding to large emissions
of nitrous oxide, 30 to 40 times higher than the amount of methane, another
greenhouse gas, reported for continuous flooding. This issue is hotly debated: the International Rice Research Institute, based in
the Philippines, claims the study is flawed. Within their research facilities,
they house over 135,000 varieties of rice and have secured permanent funding by
the Crop Trust, a partnership between the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization and the Consultative Group for International Agricultural
Research.
Some growers and researchers are looking north, where it’s
cooler—where the weather looks the way the weather used to look farther south:
higher temperatures, shorter winters. According to data gathered by the
Northeast Regional Climate Center in Rosendale, New York, there was an average
of 9.1 more inches of rain in 2010 than in 1957.
Cornell University’s Climate-Resilient Farming Systems has a
program that provides resources for some small rice farmers looking to venture
up north. In 2019, they gave Nfamara Badjie, a Gambian rice farmer, a grant to
help improve his harvest. At his six-acre farm in the Hudson Valley, Badjie
starts plants directly in the soil, on raised beds. But the timing is
essential. If the seedlings are planted too early or too late, the grains will
not be ready for harvest.
John Munson/Cornell
University
Left to right, Nfamara Badjie and
Moustapha Diedhiou weed the fields at the Badjies’ rice farm in Ulster Park,
N.Y.
Erik Andrus started farming six acres at his Boundbrook Farm, in
Vermont, in 2016, but has had trouble finding information on best practices. He
relies on a loose network of experimental growers sharing notes where they can.
“Occasionally, we will get some help from Arkansas research, but Northeastern
rice is a different animal than rice in the South,” he says, complaining that
California commodity growers do not share information about growing practices.
The California Rice Commission did not respond to a request for
comment.
Robin Koda, a second-generation rice farmer at Koda Farms, in
California’s San Joaquin Valley, has been a grower long enough to appreciate
the threat climate change represents.
“Realistically, is rice something that is going to be practical
with climate change?” Koda asks, rhetorically, unable to provide a reassuring
answer. Koda knows growers in the Southeast who have already fled bad weather.
“They have noticed where they have grown rice has become impacted by
hurricanes. So, they are moving more inland into other states that have no
previous history of this crop,” she says. As for California, Koda says that it
may be time for state growers to consider different varieties of rice, like
Japanese long grain, ones that require less water.
“Some people think large farmers
are the most productive, but that is not really true. They simplify and reduce
the diversity of rice varieties.”
This isn’t the first time rice growers have tried to escape the
weather. The first records of rice farming are from Charleston, South Carolina,
in 1685, where swamps provided an ideal environment, and, by 1720, a commercial
crop. By 1880, farms had started to move inland, to states along the
Mississippi River, and eroding levees and floods caused more expansion, to
Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and eventually California.
Two kinds of farms developed: the small grower, like Styger,
Andrus and Koda, and the big commodity farm that contracts with smaller farmers
to grow rice to a price. Commodity rice farming provides the bulk of the U.S.
production with over 100 varieties in primarily six states.
But commodity rice farming is not without risk. “Commodity
farming is not a very healthy choice. Some people think large farmers are the
most productive, but that is not really true. They simplify and reduce the
diversity of rice varieties,” says Styger, which can increase risk if a single
variety fails to thrive in a given climate. Smaller farmers, who often grow
more than one variety, make themselves less vulnerable to the weather.
John Munson/Cornell
University
Nfamara Badjie holds a rice plant
on his farm in Ulster Park, N.Y.
“Rice is not a commodity in the Northeast,” says Styger, “it is
a boutique crop.” The retail price of small-farm rice can go up to $8 or $10 a
pound, while most commodity rice sells at less than $2 per pound.
Although sustainability is often touted in smaller farms, Isbell
Farms’ commodity crop is considered sustainable under the Farmer Sustainability
Assessment run by an international auditing company that Nestle, Unilever, and
Danone created to “support the development and implementation of sustainable
agriculture.” Isbell grows long grain Japanese rice and sake rice, which he
says he can grow with a 50 percent reduction of water and 50 percent methane reduction.
Isbell employs ‘zero-ground’ technology, farming on a perfectly
level field, which supports controlled water levels, reduced water consumption,
little soil erosion and a natural decrease in carbon emissions. He also focuses
on not tilling the soil, as well as alternate wetting and drying the fields,
all of which reduces usage.
“We are not just the victim in the weather changing patterns,”
says Isbell. “We can be part of the positive effects to help mitigate that.”
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Ghana rice to have special
identification stickers – Rice millers
File photo
Moves are being initiated by rice millers in the country to get
special identification stickers to differentiate Ghana rice from those
imported.
The Convener of the Rice Millers Association, Yaw Adu Poku, who made this known to Citi News said the move is also to check unwholesome or fake Ghana rice that may be on the market.
Yaw Adu Poku, in a Citi News interview, said the Association is collaborating with the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to possibly roll out this initiative as the campaign for the consumption of local rice intensifies.
“We have agreed in principle through our umbrella organization, Ghana Rice Inter-professional Bodies together with Food & Beverage Association of Ghana (FABAG) to officially write to the GSA that a stamp or some identification should be given to rice in the system and even those that have been imported into the country so that when you go to the market you can see the stamp. This will immediately differentiate between the rice produced internally and those that come in through the main ports,” he said.
The CEO of Citi FM and Citi TV, Samuel Attah-Mensah, after visiting some rice farms in Northern Ghana about a month ago found out that locally produced rice was stuck at farm gates due to the lack of buyers.
He subsequently appointed himself Ambassador for the promotion of Ghana Rice and began a campaign to drive the consumption of Ghana rice.
This campaign has caught on with many Ghanaians and received widespread endorsements.
The Convener of the Rice Millers Association, Yaw Adu Poku, who made this known to Citi News said the move is also to check unwholesome or fake Ghana rice that may be on the market.
Yaw Adu Poku, in a Citi News interview, said the Association is collaborating with the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to possibly roll out this initiative as the campaign for the consumption of local rice intensifies.
“We have agreed in principle through our umbrella organization, Ghana Rice Inter-professional Bodies together with Food & Beverage Association of Ghana (FABAG) to officially write to the GSA that a stamp or some identification should be given to rice in the system and even those that have been imported into the country so that when you go to the market you can see the stamp. This will immediately differentiate between the rice produced internally and those that come in through the main ports,” he said.
The CEO of Citi FM and Citi TV, Samuel Attah-Mensah, after visiting some rice farms in Northern Ghana about a month ago found out that locally produced rice was stuck at farm gates due to the lack of buyers.
He subsequently appointed himself Ambassador for the promotion of Ghana Rice and began a campaign to drive the consumption of Ghana rice.
This campaign has caught on with many Ghanaians and received widespread endorsements.
Government and financial institutions have stepped in
and made commitments to assist those in the local rice production value chain.
The government has also announced a plan to ban rice importation by 2022.
For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Ministry met with 20 major rice importers and urged them to consider sourcing locally produced rice.
Recently, President Akufo-Addo during an encounter with the media at the Jubilee house called on Ghanaians to consume local rice.
He also announced that all government institutions have been directed to start using local rice for all public programmes and initiatives from January 2020.
The government has also announced a plan to ban rice importation by 2022.
For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Ministry met with 20 major rice importers and urged them to consider sourcing locally produced rice.
Recently, President Akufo-Addo during an encounter with the media at the Jubilee house called on Ghanaians to consume local rice.
He also announced that all government institutions have been directed to start using local rice for all public programmes and initiatives from January 2020.
President's
directive on Ghana rice to save billions
19h
ago | Source: BusinessGhana
The John A. Kufuor Foundation
(JAK Foundation) together with the Ghana Rice Inter-professional Body (GRIB),
the Millers's Association of Ghana and Hopeline Institute, have expressed
gratitude to the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his
directive asking state institutions to procure Ghana Rice. Since the
announcement which is expected to take effect from January 2020, there has been
a reported shortage of the product on the Ghanaian market.
Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, Chief Executive Officer of the JAK Foundation who spoke to the media said that the foundation and its partners had been working to promote procurement and consumption of Ghana rice to reduce the country's dependence on imported rice for several years.
This move is expected to save Ghana about USD1.3 billion annually.
Professor Agyeman-Duah noted that the directive had come at a time when government and importers were working on modalities for import stabilization in the rice sector.
He pledged their support to ensure the directive took effect by working out strategies and monitoring mechanisms to improve service delivery and adherence , engaging with state institutions to develop measures that will encourage nationwide adoption of Ghana rice as well as support value chain actors in order for them to address the challenges in the rice sector.
Nana Ama Aning Oppong-Duah, Policy adviser at the JAK Foundation said that they were looking at forming alliances with agencies such as the Ghana Revenue Authority(GRA), Ministry of Food and Agriculture(MoFA) and other institutions to ensure the directive is well implemented.
She noted that they would engage in advocacy to encourage more consumption of the product.
They would also work with the GRA she added, to procure stamps that will help differentiate Ghana rice from imported ones as well as check for smuggled and re-bagged ones.
The President of GRIB, Nana Agyei Ayeh II , pointed out that with government projects such as the School Feeding program, Free Senior High School Education and the presence of state institutions such as the security services there would always be a ready market to implement the directive and prevent post harvest losses.
He also urged for a liaison between farmers and financial institutions to promote this initiative along the value chain.
Mr Yaw Adu-Poku, the Convener, Rice Millers Association noted the relevance of collective effort in dispelling the fear that the directive may not work citing the shortage of the Ghana rice product on the market as a positive sign.
They pledged to monitor the Ghana Procurement Authority as the bulk buyer and the relevant state institutions to ensure adherence.
The Ghana rice directive covers any brand of locally grown rice seed.
Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, Chief Executive Officer of the JAK Foundation who spoke to the media said that the foundation and its partners had been working to promote procurement and consumption of Ghana rice to reduce the country's dependence on imported rice for several years.
This move is expected to save Ghana about USD1.3 billion annually.
Professor Agyeman-Duah noted that the directive had come at a time when government and importers were working on modalities for import stabilization in the rice sector.
He pledged their support to ensure the directive took effect by working out strategies and monitoring mechanisms to improve service delivery and adherence , engaging with state institutions to develop measures that will encourage nationwide adoption of Ghana rice as well as support value chain actors in order for them to address the challenges in the rice sector.
Nana Ama Aning Oppong-Duah, Policy adviser at the JAK Foundation said that they were looking at forming alliances with agencies such as the Ghana Revenue Authority(GRA), Ministry of Food and Agriculture(MoFA) and other institutions to ensure the directive is well implemented.
She noted that they would engage in advocacy to encourage more consumption of the product.
They would also work with the GRA she added, to procure stamps that will help differentiate Ghana rice from imported ones as well as check for smuggled and re-bagged ones.
The President of GRIB, Nana Agyei Ayeh II , pointed out that with government projects such as the School Feeding program, Free Senior High School Education and the presence of state institutions such as the security services there would always be a ready market to implement the directive and prevent post harvest losses.
He also urged for a liaison between farmers and financial institutions to promote this initiative along the value chain.
Mr Yaw Adu-Poku, the Convener, Rice Millers Association noted the relevance of collective effort in dispelling the fear that the directive may not work citing the shortage of the Ghana rice product on the market as a positive sign.
They pledged to monitor the Ghana Procurement Authority as the bulk buyer and the relevant state institutions to ensure adherence.
The Ghana rice directive covers any brand of locally grown rice seed.
Farmer-scientist group on GMO rice:
Unnecessary, unwanted
By: Renzo Acosta - @inquirerdotnet
INQUIRER.net / 08:32 PM December 19, 2019
MANILA,
Philippines–The Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura
(MASIPAG) condemned Thursday the approval of the genetically-modified crop
“golden rice” (GR2E) as food and poultry feed for processing by the
Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI).
In a
statement, Elpidio Paglumotan of MASIPAG said: “We are appalled that the
approval has pushed through despite the numerous unresolved issues that MASIPAG
and many other organizations are raising regarding GR2E, mainly on its safety
and long-term effects on children, women and other consumers.”
According to
MASIPAG, they sent a letter to DA-BPI on October 26 to discuss the consolidated
risk assessment report and comments from respected scientists regarding the
safety of GR2E. This, they said, is yet to be addressed.
The GR2E, which began as an initiative by
the Rockefeller Foundation, is a genetically-modified rice containing
beta-carotene (provitamin A), which is then converted into Vitamin A.
Proponents say it will help address the Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in the
country. MASIPAG, however, disagrees.
Aside from
safety concerns, MASIPAG said the approval of GR2E will also threaten “the
future of rice production and farmers’ control of seeds.”
“By harking
on the humanitarian packaging of the golden rice, and marketing it as
‘healthier rice,’ proponents are deceiving and blinding the people from the
ulterior intention of golden rice which is to usher in more genetically
modified food,” said MASIPAG.
The DA-BPI,
together with the International Rice Research Institute and Philippine Rice
Research Institute, granted a biosafety approval for GR2E after it was found to
be “as safe as conventional rice.”
Cris Panerio
of MASIPAG said: “They hide behind the supposed ‘rigorous biosafety
assessments’ and the debatable safety clearances from the US, Canada, Australia
and New Zealand.”
MASIPAG is
now calling on DA Secretary William DAR “to put the welfare of the
Filipino people instead of the corporate-influenced research institutions.”
First millet-meals scientific study in schools
shows millets boost child growth by 50%
%
REPORT
Published
on 18
Dec 2019
New Delhi, 18 December: Findings from a recently
published three-month feeding study with 1,500 children in Karnataka suggest
that millet-based mid-day meals can increase relative growth by 50%. Children
rated the meals, which were designed by scientists and chefs and included
little millet as a rice substitute, over 4.5 on 5 for taste. The findings of the study were
released jointly by Prof Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog, and Dr Ashok Dalwai,
Chair, Empowered Body, Doubling Farmers’ Income, Government of India, in New
Delhi on Wednesday. The results were presented at the Tasting India Symposium
later in the day.
“This is an example of not only a
science-backed nutrition solution, but also a link between agriculture and
nutrition. It is important now that we achieve mainstream consumption of
millets and that they are not just for the elite,” said Prof Ramesh Chand.
Dr Ashok Dalwai emphasized,
“Making it profitable for farmers to grow nutritious foods like millet has to
be a key part of the Doubling Farmers’ Income vision and millets are important
in the rainfed areas for farmers to cope with climate change and water
scarcity.”
This Smart Food study,
‘Acceptance and impact of millet based mid-day meal on nutritional status of
adolescent school going children in a peri-urban region of Karnataka state in
India,’ published in the journal Nutrients, was undertaken by The Akshaya Patra
Founda.on and the Interna.onal Crops Research Ins.tute for the Semi-Arid
Tropics (ICRISAT). Early adolescent school children in four
villages—Thathaguni, Kagallipura, Allahali and Chensandra which are located
around Bengaluru— participated in the study. Growth was assessed using
anthropometry measurements-height and weight, along with age, while sensory
evaluations were made to determine acceptability.
The researchers found that
children feed millets had a 1.5% increase in height on average in three months
while children in the control group registered a one percent increase in height
during the same period. In effect, the study group children grew 50% taller
than the height increase of control group children. Similarly, the study group
children registered a five percent increase in weight on average, while three
percent average weight increase was registered in the control group during the
study period. Thus, the weight increase of the study group children was over 50
percent higher than that of the control group.
“It is not good enough just to
say we are going to add millets into the meal,” said Dr S Anitha, a
nutritionist at ICRISAT and the study’s corresponding author. “The type of
millet, its variety, how it is cooked and the foods it is combined with are
some of the key elements that can make a difference in nutrition. For instance,
the amount of iron available in a meal can be doubled by selecting the right
variety of millet. This is the first known scientific study of millet based
meals in a school feeding program.”
The researchers gave the study
group children meals including idli, khichdi, upma and bisibella bath in which
rice was replaced by pearl millet (bajra), ragi (finger millet) or little
millet (kutki). The anthropometric measurements at the end of the feeding
program were compared with that of control group children who consumed
fortified rice with sambar.
“Akshaya Patra is always looking
for ways to improve nutrition in mid-day meals. The millet meals were
exceptionally successful and were really liked by the children. We appreciate
the Karnataka state government’s support, and with this positive result, we now
hope this will garner the support needed to make nutritious millet based meals
available to our future generations,” added Ajay Kavishwar, Head of Research at
The Akshaya Patra Foundation. “This initiative also included developing
guidelines on how to introduce millets into menus to maximize the nutrition
benefits and likability. This is pertinent now given the renewed interest in
millets,” said Ashok Jalagam, Smart Food Coordinator for Asia Pacific and one
of the study’s authors.
Call to policy makers
The study’s authors have called
for policies that (1) Follow the lessons learnt on how to include millets into
meals; (2) Create a level playing field for the pricing and availability of
millets (through Minimum Support Price (MSP), Public Distribution Scheme (PDS)
and feeding programs (MDMs, ICDS) that will benefit from not only including
millets, but also from the approach taken to introduce them; (3) Go one step
further and select millets by varieties in programs, ensuring maximum
nutritional value and impact and (4) Promote millets in positive fun ways.
This is highly relevant now as
millets have gained attention for their nutritional value and resilience in the
face of water scarcity and climate change, making them a viable option for
struggling farmers if markets can be further developed. The Government of India
and various states like Karnataka and Odisha have led the cause to make millets
a popular food choice. The Government of India designated 2018 as ‘National
Year of Millets’ and initiated a millet mission. NITI Aayog recently announced
a pilot to include millets in the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
and MDM schemes.
“These results and guidelines
developed from the study are equally important for any scheme addressing
malnutrition or general health diets–whether that of governments, NGOs or
private sector processors or caterers,” noted Joanna Kane-Potaka, Executive
Director of Smart Food and Assistant Director General of ICRISAT. Ms
Kane-Potaka outlined plans for clinical testing to determine bioavailability of
millets and the role of gut-microbiome, besides research to see how different
forms of processing and cooking can affect nutritional composition of millet
meals.
“ICRISAT holds the world’s
largest collections of millet genetic material and works closely with Indian
Institute of Millets Research and other partners to improve millets by
developing varieties having higher nutrient levels as well as the more
conventional traits like yield and resilience,” commented Dr Peter Carberry,
Director General, ICRISAT.
India's Intense Agri Drive After 1947
Didn't Stop Crop Diversification: Study
As northwest India focused
increasingly on rice and wheat, the country's southwest offset this by
replacing sorghum and millet with oilseeds and horticultural crops.
Groundwater has played a vital role
in irrigating water-hungry crops such as rice to feed India. Photo: Reuters
Despite
strong agricultural intensification in India after 1960, the overall average
crop diversity did not decline at the national level, a new study has found.
The primary reason is neutralising effects, whereby a decline in diversity in
one region was offset by an increase in another.
The average
crop species diversity at the district level has been stable but increased at
the country-level, the peer-reviewed study, published on December 11, said.
“While there
was a decline in diversity in the major rice and wheat producing regions of
north-western India, associated with intensification of the production of these
crops, diversity in western and southern India, increased due to expansion of
oilseeds and horticultural crops that replaced millet and sorghum,” the authors
wrote in their paper.
A decrease
in diversity associated with crop intensification and specialisation in one
area may be associated with increased diversity elsewhere.
The
scientists attempted to address the “substantial gaps” in the understanding of
how different levels of agricultural biodiversity change over space and time,
what drives these changes, and the impact of these changes at scales larger
than individual farms.
There is
considerable debate over the exact extent of loss of genetic diversity in crop
plants, more so because good baseline data and surveys are few or absent,
according to the scientists.
There is
also lack of clarity on whether, how and to what extent agricultural
intensification, including increased mechanisation, crop specialisation and
increase in farm plot sizes have impacted diversity, and how these impacts work
out at the national level.
The authors
cite the example of the US, where species-level crop diversity actually
increased between 1870 and 1950 at both the state- and country-levels, in the
period in which industrialised agriculture practices were being widely adopted.
Similarly,
in the southern Quebec region in Canada, the biodiversity of agricultural crop
species was stable between 1911 and 1960 and increased thereafter.
The
scientists chose India for analysis as it is a large and diverse country whose
agricultural sector has changed drastically since its independence in 1947.
After 1960, the country’s ‘green revolution’, which used more fertilisers and
other agrochemical inputs together with short-straw varieties to intensify rice
and wheat production in many parts of the country, particularly in the
northwest.
In the past
couple decades, production of maize for animal feed and of oilseed crops and
high-value horticultural crops for domestic and export markets has increased.
For the
India study, the scientists analysed change in crop diversity at the district,
state and national level between 1947 and 2014. The country-level data covered
31 crops from 1947 to 1961 and 80 crops from 1961 to 2014, using 1966 state
boundaries as the baseline. The district-level data covered 20 crops from 1956
to 1987 from India Agricultural and Climate dataset and 24 crops from 1966 to
2011 from the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics,
Hyderabad.
The analysis
shows that country-level crop diversity in India increased after the green
revolution took off in the early 1960s. This national trend is actually the
aggregate of opposing trends at the sub-national level.
For example,
while farmers in the Indo-Gangetic plains focused on wheat and rice, its
diversity also decreased. “This region is of fundamental importance for food
security in India and a loss of diversity could make agriculture more sensitive
to shocks such as the outbreak of a new disease,” the study notes.
There were
also significant environmental problems in the region, notably groundwater
depletion, but that these concerns are a result of intensification and not of
low diversity per se.
In southwest
India, crop diversity increased as sorghum and millet were partly replaced with
oilseeds and horticultural crops. In these regions, where crop production is
predominantly rainfed, cropping systems have remained less intense, and crop
diversity increased, driving an overall increase in country-level diversity
from the 1960s.
“These
changes, at least in part a response to the specialisation and intensification
in the north, have contributed to somewhat higher national-level crop diversity
and provide the supply for more diverse diets,” the study says.
“We show
that while it is true that crop diversity declines in the Indo-Gangetic plains,
as a result of the ‘green revolution’ rice-wheat intensification and
specialisation,” Robert Hijmans, one of the study authors from the University
of California, Davis, told The Wire. “We emphasise that in other areas of
India, agriculture diversified. We suggest that this was related to the
specialisation in the Indo-Gangatic plains, as agriculture there provides cheap
grain.”
According to
Hijmans, while it is good that agriculture in India is increasingly productive
and diverse, which suggests people can improve their diets and farmers find new
opportunities, there is a strong dependency on intensive production of rice and
wheat, which in turn are linked to groundwater depletion. Thus, India’s
R&D policy needs to focus on keeping rice and wheat productivity high while
diminishing their environmental footprint.
The country
should also provide support to further develop fruit and vegetable, sorghum,
millet and beans crop production.
Rai S. Rana,
a former director of the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi,
and a former member of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), said that
while the study is largely useful, there are still some issues with it.
For example,
he said, it hasn’t addressed the impact of agricultural intensification upon
crucial components of agrobiodiversity: the genetic diversity within crop
plants varieties, and the relationship between agricultural intensification and
crop diversity.
Rana is also
cautious because the study banks on data available in various surveys conducted
by several agencies – “but such survey datasets have their own limitations for
drawing inferences depending on their objectives, assumptions and designs.”
The authors
developed ways to suitably aggregate the available data at district, state and
country levels to check for any relationships between the level of agricultural
intensification and crop diversity (as reflected by area under a crop and its
total production) on the other. “Changes in crop area and production are largely
affected by several socio-economic considerations, among many other factors,
and establishing cause and effect relationship is risky,” Rana said.
Instead, he
suggested a better way to aggregate the data would have been at the
“agro-ecological zone level rather than at the levels of administrative
boundaries (such as district and states), but such data is not available.”
The results
show that agricultural intensification, measured by relative, was associated
with increased specialisation in rice and wheat production (particularly in
Indo-Gangetic plains), resulting in an overall decline in crop diversity.
Government policies, including input subsidies, price controls and creation of
improved grain distribution networks, also contributed to this process.
T.V. Padma is a freelance science journalist.
Veggies suffer with WORSE hangovers than meat
eaters, scientists discover
· 19
Dec 2019,
· Updated:
19 Dec 2019,
WITH the festive season in full flow and New
Year's Eve just round the corner - a hangover or two are inevitable.
But it
turns out that eating meat before a big boozy night out, might actually help.Vegetarians and vegans may experience hangovers more
severely than meat-eaters doCredit: Getty - Contributor
It comes
as scientists discover that veggies and vegans suffer more severe hangovers.
A team
at Utrecht University in the Netherlands analysed the after-effects of drinking
alcohol in 13 social drinkers.
Twenty-three
familiar hangover symptoms were monitored for, on a
control night and after a night out drinking.
They
included headaches, nausea, heart palpitations, vomiting, dizziness, sweating,
sensitivity to light and sound and thirst.
Throughout
the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, participants recorded
everything they ate.
More severe symptoms
And the
analysis discovered that those with less nicotinic acid, otherwise known as
vitamin B3, and zinc in their diets suffered more severe hangovers.
Low zinc
intake, in particular, was “significantly associated” with vomiting, and low
nicotinic acid created more severe hangover symptoms, the study showed.
Zinc is
most commonly found in meat, shellfish and legumes.
Vitamin
B3 is prevalent in animal products like meat, poultry and fish, as well as in
whole grains, peanuts, avocados and mushrooms.
Low alcohol tolerance
Dr Rabia
De LaTour, a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Health, says that vegans having
low alcohol tolerance is something she hears anecdotally from patients, but
lacks serious scientific backup.
“Nicotinic
acid and zinc are required to break ethanol, which is alcohol, down into
acetaldehyde,” she told The Post.
"You
need these two nutrients to digest alcohol.
"It
makes sense that if you’re lacking in it, you would experience a worse
hangover."
However,
taking in a lot of zinc of B3 isn’t a sure-fire way to cure a Saturday night on
the town.
Genetic
makeup, total food intake and other factors can determine how a person
experiences a hangover, she says.
NHS tips to avoid a hangover
· Don't drink more than you know your body can cope with. If
you're not sure how much that is, be careful.
· Don't drink on an empty stomach. Before you go out, have a meal that
includes carbohydrates (such as pasta or rice) or fats. The food will help slow
down the body's absorption of alcohol.
· Don't drink dark-coloured drinks if you've found you're sensitive
to them. They contain natural chemicals called congeners, which irritate blood
vessels and tissue in the brain and can make a hangover worse.
· Drink water or non-fizzy soft drinks in between each alcoholic
drink. Carbonated (fizzy) drinks speed up the absorption of alcohol into your
system.
· Drink a pint or so of water before you go to sleep. Keep a glass of
water by the bed to sip if you wake up during the night. Comments are subject to our community guidelines, which can be
viewed here.
Rice to feed the
world
19.12.2019
Researchers from the Potsdam Max Planck Institute of Molecular
Plant Physiology, as part of the international C4 Rice Project, have just been
re-funded by a grant to the University of Oxford from the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation worth $15 million.
Phase IV of the international C4 Rice Project has received the
green light for the next 5 years. During this time an international team of
scientists* want to develop a rice variety that will deliver up to 50% more
yield and withstand harsher environmental conditions.
Rice field in the Philippines.
© U. Glaubitz, MPI-MP
At present, more than 3 billion people in Asia and Africa rely
on rice to survive. With current rice yields, 1 hectare of land is sufficient
to feed 27 people.
Due to the predicted population growth and the trend towards
urbanization, this area will have to feed around 43 people by 2050. This means
that the yield per hectare must be increased by at least 50%. One way to
increase rice yields is to make photosynthesis more effective.
... more about:
»C4 plants »Molecular Plant Physiology »Photosynthesis »photosynthetic »photosynthetic pathway
»C4 plants »Molecular Plant Physiology »Photosynthesis »photosynthetic »photosynthetic pathway
Improvement of the photosynthesis by process optimizing
Rice uses the so-called C3 photosynthetic pathway, which fixes
CO2 into an initial product with three C atoms. The enzyme Rubisco
(ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate-carboxylase / -oxygenase), which is responsible for
CO2 fixation, can bind oxygen instead of CO2 in a side reaction.
The high concentration of oxygen in our atmosphere, which has
evolved over 2 billion years, impairs the efficiency of the photosynthesis,
especially at higher temperatures when the plant closes its stomata to save
water so less CO2 gets inside the leaf. For this reason, C3 photosynthesis is
less effective as temperatures increase and water becomes more limiting.
The plant then produces less sugar for growth and its yields are
lower. In C3 plants, the synthesis of sugar and the binding of CO2 take place
in one and the same cell type – the mesophyll cells. In contrast, these
processes are spatially separated from each other in C4 plants.
These “turbo-charged” plants use a "biochemical" pump
to actively concentrate CO2 in specialized bundle sheath cells. CO2 is first
incorporated in the mesophyll cells into an intermediate with four carbon
atoms. This C4 compound migrates into the bundle sheath cells where the Rubisco
sits. Here, CO2 is released from the C4 compound.
A high concentration of CO2 is created around the Rubisco and so
the side reaction with oxygen is suppressed. Thus, photosynthesis can still
operate even at higher temperatures and when the stomata are partially closed
to conserve water. Several of the globally most important and productive crop
species are C4 plants, including maize, sugar cane, millet and sorghum.
The C4 photosynthetic pathway has evolved over 60 times
independently in different families of plants around the world, accounting for
about a quarter of the planet's primary terrestrial production, even though it
is only used by 3% of the species.
Challenges and goals of the project
One of the major challenges of the C4 Rice Project, is the
modification of rice leaf anatomy to have bundle sheath cells and mesophyll
cells arranged in concentric circles around the leaf veins, as they are in C4
plants. Progress has already been made in the previous phase of the project by
harnessing a synthetic approach towards engineering the photosynthetic pathway.
Working out which genes need to be modified to achieve this
switch will be a major focus of the team’s research over the next five years.
Professor Jane Langdale of Oxford University, who leads the consortium, said:
"This is an extremely challenging long-term project and we are grateful to
the foundation for backing the team for a further five years.
The continuation of the project will get us closer to the goal
of breeding rice lines that will have positive and real impact for the
smallholder farmers". The continuation of the project makes the C4 rice
project one of the longest running projects in the foundation's agricultural
portfolio.
Professor Julian Hibberd from the University of Cambridge, who
is a member of the consortium, said: "We are excited to be able to build
on the significant progress made so far, and move closer to our ultimate goal
of generating a higher yielding rice."
The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology was
already a partner in the previous phase of the project, but will play a much
greater role in the newly funded phase IV, helping to identify which of the rice
plants are fixing CO2 by the C4 pathway. Prof. Dr. Mark Stitt and Dr. John
Lunn, together with their international colleagues from the consortium, hope
that experimental field trials can be conducted in Taiwan by the end of the
next phase of research in 2024. By 2039 the rice could be in farmer’s fields.
Professor Langdale emphasized: "This is about being custodians of
something that’s bigger than our individual scientific interests."
A condition of Gates Foundation funding for the project is a
Global Access Commitment to ensure that the knowledge and advancements made
will be made available and accessible at an affordable price to people most in
need in developing countries.
*The C4 Rice Project is an international collaboration between
10 Research Groups, from 7 Institutions in 5 Countries:
• Professor Robert Furbank, Professor Susanne von Caemmerer
& Dr Caitlin Byrt; Australian National University, Canberra
• Professor Julian Hibberd; University of Cambridge
• Dr Steve Kelly & Professor Jane Langdale; University of Oxford
• Professor Asaph Cousins & Professor Gerry Edwards; Washington State University, Pullman
• Professor Su-May Yu; Academia Sinica Institute of Molecular Biology, Taipei
• Professor Alain Tissier; Leibniz Institute of Biochemistry, Halle
• Dr John Lunn & Professor Mark Stitt; Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm;
• Professor Julian Hibberd; University of Cambridge
• Dr Steve Kelly & Professor Jane Langdale; University of Oxford
• Professor Asaph Cousins & Professor Gerry Edwards; Washington State University, Pullman
• Professor Su-May Yu; Academia Sinica Institute of Molecular Biology, Taipei
• Professor Alain Tissier; Leibniz Institute of Biochemistry, Halle
• Dr John Lunn & Professor Mark Stitt; Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm;
Wissenschaftliche
Ansprechpartner:
Prof. Dr. Mark Stitt
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology
Tel. 0331/567 8100
mstitt@mpimp-golm.mpg.de
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology
Tel. 0331/567 8100
mstitt@mpimp-golm.mpg.de
Dr. John Lunn
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology
Tel. 0331/567-8171
lunn@mpimp-golm.mpg.de
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology
Tel. 0331/567-8171
lunn@mpimp-golm.mpg.de
Ursula Ross-Stitt
Head of Public Relations
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology
Tel. 0331/567 8310
Ross-stitt@mpimp-golm.mpg.de
Head of Public Relations
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology
Tel. 0331/567 8310
Ross-stitt@mpimp-golm.mpg.de
Weitere
Informationen:
Agriculture
Ministry Rejects Criticism Over Low Rice Prices
20
December 2019
·
VOA Khmer
A Cambodian vendor cleans her rice as she prepares it
to sell at a rice store in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, April 27, 2019.
PHNOM PENH —
The Cambodian Agriculture
Ministry rejected criticism circulating on social media about farmers getting
low prices for their rice in the paddy-producing provinces of Battambang,
Pursat and Banteay Meanchey.
The ministry released a statement on Tuesday claiming
that farmers receiving low rice prices were selling poor quality rice and that
prices were still within an acceptable range. Ministry officials were also
working with rice mills to procure as much rice as possible from farmers.
The claims of low prices, the
ministry said, were “far from the truth” and that the ministry was ensuring
that farmers’ paddy was purchased and at fair prices.
“Actually, the ministry has been
taking continuous action [on the issue], but some Facebook users published the
old information, which is why the ministry had to issue a statement to inform
the public,” said Chan Heng, the ministry’s deputy cabinet director.
Following the wet season, farmers
have complained about low rice prices and have even been asked to not plant a
dry season crop on account of very low water levels across the country.
Chan Sokheang, deputy director of
Cambodia Rice Federation, said that prices were still within reasonable levels.
“The price for [certain] quality
of rice is different from last year…but the price is not different [for all
rice] compared to last year,” Chan Sokheang said.
However, Yaing Saing Koma, an
agricultural expert, said that rice prices were low mainly because rice export
to European Union is declining.
The rice export to the EU has
dropped from around 170,000 tons in 2018 to 120,000 tons in 2019 for the first
eight months, according to representatives of rice millers. The rice sector was
also hit with tariffs for exports to the European Union earlier this year,
after Italy triggered safeguard mechanisms.
“The rice exports to the EU are
dropping badly so it affects the profit of the rice milling companies. They are
afraid to stock a lot of rice for export,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Cambodia Rice Federation said it needed
$200 million in working capital to buy rice from the farmers on account of
shrinking loans available in the financial sector, with government allocating
only $50 million of the required capital.
Here is how rice
millers in Ghana intend to differentiate local rice from imported ones
Yesterday
at 3:30 PM
The Convener of the Rice Millers Association, Yaw Adu Poku, has
said that rice millers in Ghana are working to get special identification stickers
to differentiate Ghanaian produced rice from imported produce.
How rice
How rice
millers in Ghana intend to
differentiate local rice from imported ones
In an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, Mr Adu Poku said this
is an effort to check substandard and fake Ghana rice that may be on the
market.
He added that the Association is collaborating with stakeholders
including the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG) and the Ghana
Standards Authority (GSA) to roll out this initiative as the campaign for the
consumption of local rice intensifies.
“We have agreed in principle through our umbrella organization,
Ghana Rice Inter-professional Bodies together with Food & Beverage
Association of Ghana (FABAG) to officially write to the GSA that a stamp or
some identification should be given to rice in the system and even those that
have been imported into the country so that when you go to the market you can
see the stamp. This will immediately differentiate between the rice produced
internally and those that come in through the main ports.”
Ghanaians in recent times are being encouraged to consume more
locally produced rice to help boost the sector. Currently, local rice
production stands at 460,000 metric tonnes with 640,000 metric tonnes imported
annually.
The Fumbisi Rice Valleys, for example, has the capacity to
produce 4,500 metric tonnes but is currently producing just 1,000. The Agric
Ministry had assured that the capacity will be expanded.
The National Food Buffer Stock is also to intensify the issuance
of license and purchasing of both paddy and milled rice from local producers.
Meanwhile, 10 major rice millers have agreed to buy locally
grown rice for processing at 60% capacity which translates to 300,000 metric
tonnes annually. This will produce over 23 million bags of home-grown rice.
The government has also announced a plan to ban rice importation
by 2022.
At a media encounter recently, President Akufo-Addo called on
Ghanaians to consume local rice.
He also announced that all government institutions have been
directed to start using local rice for all public programmes and initiatives
from January 2020.
Andhra traders cash in on procurement delay
t News Network
Updated: December 20th, 2019, 08:54 IST
Hatiota: As procurement of paddy got delayed in Polsara block of
Ganjam district, farmers resorted to distress sale of paddy. Taking advantage
of the delay, traders from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh are on a buying spree,
while the administration has not taken steps to stop distress sell of paddy.
The weather being cloudy for last few days, farmers are a
panicky lot. Possibility of rain has left them worried and they hurriedly sell
their paddy to middlemen and traders at whatever prices the latter are ready to
offer. They do not feel it safe to wait for the mandis to open in the district
as there are chances of rain getting their paddy soaked.
Delayed procurement in Gamjam district has sent farmers into a
rage. There are scores of mandis across the district but procurement of paddy
has not started in several parts of the district. As a result, farmers are
forced to sell their produce to traders from Andhra Pradesh, a report said.
In the first phase, the district administration decided to
procure 89,000 quintal paddy from farmers of Polsara block. 16 co-operative
societies and two SHGs were assigned to mandis in the block to manage
procurement of paddy in the block.
But these co-operative societies and SHGs have not started their
work yet, as they are waiting for mandis to be opened.
When the secretary of a co-operative society was asked in this
regard, he said though they were assigned with the procurement work, things
have been delayed due to a dispute between the administration and rice millers.
Sources said, the millers have not deposited their security money yet at the
block office.
When Polsara block civil supplies officer Hemanta Kumar Pradhan
was asked in this regard, he said we will start procurement of paddy in the
block after receiving security deposits from millers. He clarified that farmers
who are selling their produce to Andhra traders are not registered farmers.
Price of paddy rice ‘acceptable’, CRF
says
Chea Vannak / Khmer Times
The Cambodia Rice Federation
(CRF) has fought back against claims that the current price of paddy is too low
to sustain farmers’ livelihoods.
“Despite what people are saying
on social media, the price of paddy has not decreased below market price. The
current price is acceptable for farmers,” said CRF president Song Saran.
CRF comments follow viral posts
on social media platforms claiming the current price level is insufficient to
make a living.
At a press conference held at the
Council of Ministers yesterday, Mr Saran acknowledged that the price of paddy
rice has decreased, but said it is not as bad as portrayed on some social media
posts, which he labelled fake news.
According to Mr Saran, fragrant
paddy rice sells above 1,000 riel ($0.25) per kilogram, which represents a 10
percent decrease compared with the prices during the previous harvest.
He said the depreciation is
linked to a downward trend in the price of milled rice in international
markets.
“It is lower than last year, but
it is not a big fall and farmers can survive,” Mr Saran said.
He also suggested that the drop
in the price of paddy may be the result of farmers planting lower quality
varieties. He called on farmers to focus on “purer” rice types.
Mr Saran highlighted a government
initiative to stabilise the price of rice. Through the state-owned Rural
Development Bank (RDB), the government is disbursing “emergency” loans to help
rice millers purchase and store paddy during harvest season.
The initiative, Mr Saran argued,
has kept rice in the hands of millers and away from middlemen who would have
sold it to neighbouring countries.
RDB director-general Kao Thach
also praised the scheme.
“With warehouses and silos build
with loans from the government, millers have money to buy rice from farmers and
can store it for longer periods,” Mr Thach said.
Cambodia exported 457,940 tonnes
of rice during the first 10 months of 2019. Of this, 184,844 tonnes were sent
to China.
Kufuor Foundation, Rice
Millers Hail Prez Akufo Addo
19-Dec-2019
The
John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation, the Ghana Rice Interprofessional Body (GRIB)
and other stakeholders have lauded President Akufo-Addo for directing all state
institutions to procure Ghana rice.
During his recent media encounter, the President announced that from January 2020, all state institutions, agencies and departments should consume made-in-Ghana rice.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation, Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah, at a press conference in Accra yesterday, said, “The President’s directive comes at a very opportune time when local producers, together with government and importers, are working out modalities for import substitution in the rice sector.”
Prof. Agyeman-Duah added that “we are unreservedly happy by the President’s directive that all state institutions should procure Ghana rice.”
He said the directive would go a long way to revitalize the Ghanaian rice industry “which has been blighted by decline.”
He reiterated the commitment of stakeholders in the sector to create a viable domestic rice industry, with the aim of making Ghana self-sufficient.
“We believe that the government’s target of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production by 2023 is achievable and we will work to support this goal,” he added.
Measures
Outlining measures to support the realization of the President’s vision, he noted that “the foundation and its partners shall, as a matter of urgency, work out strategies for improving service delivery by developing a monitoring mechanism to ensure that public institutions adhere to the directive of the President.”
He added that the foundation shall in partnership with other stakeholders evolve effective and institutionalized monitoring and evaluation frameworks/strategies for monitoring and or evaluating the compliance with the directive.
Furthermore, the CEO noted that the foundation shall support the value chain actors to forge closer ties to address the challenges of the rice sector and create the most conducive environment.
According to him, the interest of the Kufuor Foundation is to ensure that Ghana becomes self-sufficient in terms of rice production and by so doing save the country an amount of $1.3 billion that is used to import rice annually.https://www.peacefmonline.com/pages/local/news/201912/397729.php
During his recent media encounter, the President announced that from January 2020, all state institutions, agencies and departments should consume made-in-Ghana rice.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation, Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah, at a press conference in Accra yesterday, said, “The President’s directive comes at a very opportune time when local producers, together with government and importers, are working out modalities for import substitution in the rice sector.”
Prof. Agyeman-Duah added that “we are unreservedly happy by the President’s directive that all state institutions should procure Ghana rice.”
He said the directive would go a long way to revitalize the Ghanaian rice industry “which has been blighted by decline.”
He reiterated the commitment of stakeholders in the sector to create a viable domestic rice industry, with the aim of making Ghana self-sufficient.
“We believe that the government’s target of achieving self-sufficiency in rice production by 2023 is achievable and we will work to support this goal,” he added.
Measures
Outlining measures to support the realization of the President’s vision, he noted that “the foundation and its partners shall, as a matter of urgency, work out strategies for improving service delivery by developing a monitoring mechanism to ensure that public institutions adhere to the directive of the President.”
He added that the foundation shall in partnership with other stakeholders evolve effective and institutionalized monitoring and evaluation frameworks/strategies for monitoring and or evaluating the compliance with the directive.
Furthermore, the CEO noted that the foundation shall support the value chain actors to forge closer ties to address the challenges of the rice sector and create the most conducive environment.
According to him, the interest of the Kufuor Foundation is to ensure that Ghana becomes self-sufficient in terms of rice production and by so doing save the country an amount of $1.3 billion that is used to import rice annually.https://www.peacefmonline.com/pages/local/news/201912/397729.php
Ghana rice to have special
identification stickers
Business News of Friday, 20 December 2019
Rice
production in Ghana
Rice millers in the country have
hinted that moves are being initiated to get special identification stickers to
differentiate Ghana rice from those imported. 
The Convener of the Rice Millers Association, Yaw Adu Poku, who made this known to Citi News said the move is also to check unwholesome or fake Ghana rice that may be on the market.
Yaw Adu Poku in a Citi News interview said the Association is collaborating with the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to possibly roll out this initiative as the campaign for the consumption of local rice intensifies.
“We have agreed in principle through our umbrella organization, Ghana Rice Inter-professional Bodies together with Food & Beverage Association of Ghana (FABAG) to officially write to the GSA that a stamp or some identification should be given to rice in the system and even those that have been imported into the country so that when you go to the market you can see the stamp. This will immediately differentiate between the rice produced internally and those that come in through the main ports,” he said.
The CEO of Citi FM and Citi TV, Samuel Attah-Mensah, after visiting some rice farms in Northern Ghana about a month ago found out that locally produced rice was stuck at farm gates due to the lack of buyers.
He subsequently appointed himself Ambassador for the promotion of Ghana Rice and began a campaign to drive the consumption of Ghana rice.
This campaign has caught on with many Ghanaians and received widespread endorsements.
Government and financial institutions have stepped in and made commitments to assist those in the local rice production value chain.
The government has also announced a plan to ban rice importation by 2022.
For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Ministry met with 20 major rice importers and urged them to consider sourcing locally produced rice.
Recently, President Akufo-Addo during an encounter with the media at the Jubilee House called on Ghanaians to consume local rice.
He also announced that all government institutions have been directed to start using local rice for all public programmes and initiatives from January 2020.
The Convener of the Rice Millers Association, Yaw Adu Poku, who made this known to Citi News said the move is also to check unwholesome or fake Ghana rice that may be on the market.
Yaw Adu Poku in a Citi News interview said the Association is collaborating with the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) to possibly roll out this initiative as the campaign for the consumption of local rice intensifies.
“We have agreed in principle through our umbrella organization, Ghana Rice Inter-professional Bodies together with Food & Beverage Association of Ghana (FABAG) to officially write to the GSA that a stamp or some identification should be given to rice in the system and even those that have been imported into the country so that when you go to the market you can see the stamp. This will immediately differentiate between the rice produced internally and those that come in through the main ports,” he said.
The CEO of Citi FM and Citi TV, Samuel Attah-Mensah, after visiting some rice farms in Northern Ghana about a month ago found out that locally produced rice was stuck at farm gates due to the lack of buyers.
He subsequently appointed himself Ambassador for the promotion of Ghana Rice and began a campaign to drive the consumption of Ghana rice.
This campaign has caught on with many Ghanaians and received widespread endorsements.
Government and financial institutions have stepped in and made commitments to assist those in the local rice production value chain.
The government has also announced a plan to ban rice importation by 2022.
For this reason, the Food and Agriculture Ministry met with 20 major rice importers and urged them to consider sourcing locally produced rice.
Recently, President Akufo-Addo during an encounter with the media at the Jubilee House called on Ghanaians to consume local rice.
He also announced that all government institutions have been directed to start using local rice for all public programmes and initiatives from January 2020.
President firm on
enforcement of MRP on rice, other gazetted essential items
Friday, 20 December 2019 00:00
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has
directed the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) that immediate steps be taken to
enforce the declared Maximum Retail Prices (MRPs) and ensure uninterrupted
market supply of essential goods during this festive season, at which times
consumers are vulnerable to market manipulation.
Recently, the CAA has gazetted a MRP on rice at Rs. 98/kg. This decision was arrived at by the Cabinet of Ministers, having consulted the major suppliers and verified stock positions in the country.
Major millers agreed that they will mark this price at their rice packets, and ensure their retail distribution network will sell such rice at this price. However, there are complaints that this is not complied with in several places. Therefore, the CAA is instructed to check the market supply situation to deploy a team to check the stock and daily releases at rice milling supply stations. The CAA should also initiate immediate actions to check the rice suppliers at Pettah and other major markets.
Further, rice millers and traders should appreciate that the Government is making its best endeavours to develop the rice industry, and it is the responsibility of the millers and traders to ensure supply conditions in the market, without compelling undue import of rice or other form of Government interventions to the market operations. Since 2019-2020 Maha cultivation season has begun, and the harvest is expected from late January 2020, the farmers must be given maximum comfort to expand their cultivation, while consumers are given the opportunity to have affordable prices at this festive season. There is no reason to fear supply shortages.
The Government has also relaxed the restriction on the import of wheat flour with a view to promote market competition and availability of wheat flour at affordable prices, particularly in support of urban and plantation working community during this season.
The Government has already reduced VAT rate from 15% to 8%, removed 2% NBT and several other indirect taxes, with a view to reduce the high cost-of-living on the one hand, and to create a business-friendly environment to promote supply activities in the country on the other. Rice millers and traders will also benefit from the removal of Economic Service Charge (ESC), and concessions announced by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
However, observations have been made that prices of some commodities have not come down satisfactorily. Prices of all food items, cosmetics, building materials and many other items must reflect corresponding price reduction. Therefore, CAA have been instructed to summon all sector groups involving supplying such commodities, and request them to pass down this benefit to the consumers and also to communicate to the market effectively on a regular basis.
Recently, the CAA has gazetted a MRP on rice at Rs. 98/kg. This decision was arrived at by the Cabinet of Ministers, having consulted the major suppliers and verified stock positions in the country.
Major millers agreed that they will mark this price at their rice packets, and ensure their retail distribution network will sell such rice at this price. However, there are complaints that this is not complied with in several places. Therefore, the CAA is instructed to check the market supply situation to deploy a team to check the stock and daily releases at rice milling supply stations. The CAA should also initiate immediate actions to check the rice suppliers at Pettah and other major markets.
Further, rice millers and traders should appreciate that the Government is making its best endeavours to develop the rice industry, and it is the responsibility of the millers and traders to ensure supply conditions in the market, without compelling undue import of rice or other form of Government interventions to the market operations. Since 2019-2020 Maha cultivation season has begun, and the harvest is expected from late January 2020, the farmers must be given maximum comfort to expand their cultivation, while consumers are given the opportunity to have affordable prices at this festive season. There is no reason to fear supply shortages.
The Government has also relaxed the restriction on the import of wheat flour with a view to promote market competition and availability of wheat flour at affordable prices, particularly in support of urban and plantation working community during this season.
The Government has already reduced VAT rate from 15% to 8%, removed 2% NBT and several other indirect taxes, with a view to reduce the high cost-of-living on the one hand, and to create a business-friendly environment to promote supply activities in the country on the other. Rice millers and traders will also benefit from the removal of Economic Service Charge (ESC), and concessions announced by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
However, observations have been made that prices of some commodities have not come down satisfactorily. Prices of all food items, cosmetics, building materials and many other items must reflect corresponding price reduction. Therefore, CAA have been instructed to summon all sector groups involving supplying such commodities, and request them to pass down this benefit to the consumers and also to communicate to the market effectively on a regular basis.
President orders CAA to take
immediate action
against price manipulation of rice
Thursday, December 19, 2019 - 15:50
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has
directed the Consumer Affairs Authority to take immediate steps to enforce the
declared Maximum Retail Prices (MRPs) and ensure uninterrupted market supply of
essential goods during this festive season which consumers are vulnerable to
market manipulation.
Recently, the Authority has gazetted a MRP on rice at Rs. 98/kg. This decision was arrived at by the Cabinet of Ministers having consulted the major suppliers and verified stock positions in the country.
Major millers agreed that they will mark this price at their rice packets and ensure their retail distribution network will sell such rice at this price. However, there are complaints that this is not complied with in several places. Therefore, the CAA is instructed to check the market supply situation to deploy a team to check the stock and daily releases at rice milling supply stations. The CAA should also initiate immediate actions to check the rice suppliers at Pettah and other major markets.
Further, rice millers and traders should appreciate that the government is making its best endeavors to develop the rice industry and it is the responsibility of the millers and traders to ensure supply conditions in the market without compelling undue import of rice or other form of government interventions to the market operations. Since 2019-2020 Maha cultivation Season has begun and the harvest is expected from late January 2020, the farmers must be given maximum comfort to expand their cultivation while consumers are given the opportunity to have affordable prices at this festive season. There is no reason to fear supply shortages.
The government has also relaxed the restriction on import of wheat flour with a view to promote market competition and availability of wheat flour at affordable prices particularly in support of urban and plantation working community during this season.
The government has already reduced VAT rate from 15 percent to 8 percent, removed 2 percent NBT and several other indirect taxes with a view to reduce the high cost-of-living on the one hand and to create business friendly environment to promote supply activities in the country on the other. Rice millers and traders will also benefit from the removal of Economic Service Charge (ESC) and concessions announced by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
However, observations have been made that prices of some commodities have not come down satisfactorily. Prices of all food items, cosmetics, building materials and many other items must reflect corresponding price reduction. Therefore, CAA have been instructed to summon all sector groups involving supplying such commodities and request them to pass down this benefit to the consumers and also to communicate to the market effectively on a regular basis
Recently, the Authority has gazetted a MRP on rice at Rs. 98/kg. This decision was arrived at by the Cabinet of Ministers having consulted the major suppliers and verified stock positions in the country.
Major millers agreed that they will mark this price at their rice packets and ensure their retail distribution network will sell such rice at this price. However, there are complaints that this is not complied with in several places. Therefore, the CAA is instructed to check the market supply situation to deploy a team to check the stock and daily releases at rice milling supply stations. The CAA should also initiate immediate actions to check the rice suppliers at Pettah and other major markets.
Further, rice millers and traders should appreciate that the government is making its best endeavors to develop the rice industry and it is the responsibility of the millers and traders to ensure supply conditions in the market without compelling undue import of rice or other form of government interventions to the market operations. Since 2019-2020 Maha cultivation Season has begun and the harvest is expected from late January 2020, the farmers must be given maximum comfort to expand their cultivation while consumers are given the opportunity to have affordable prices at this festive season. There is no reason to fear supply shortages.
The government has also relaxed the restriction on import of wheat flour with a view to promote market competition and availability of wheat flour at affordable prices particularly in support of urban and plantation working community during this season.
The government has already reduced VAT rate from 15 percent to 8 percent, removed 2 percent NBT and several other indirect taxes with a view to reduce the high cost-of-living on the one hand and to create business friendly environment to promote supply activities in the country on the other. Rice millers and traders will also benefit from the removal of Economic Service Charge (ESC) and concessions announced by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
However, observations have been made that prices of some commodities have not come down satisfactorily. Prices of all food items, cosmetics, building materials and many other items must reflect corresponding price reduction. Therefore, CAA have been instructed to summon all sector groups involving supplying such commodities and request them to pass down this benefit to the consumers and also to communicate to the market effectively on a regular basis
Grain Traits Discovered in "Dark
Genome" of Rice
NEWS Dec 19, 2019
| Original story from
Washington University
Credit: Pixabay
Read Time: 3 min
Domesticated rice has fatter seed
grains with higher starch content than its wild rice relatives — the result of
many generations of preferential seed sorting and sowing. But even though rice
was the first crop to be fully sequenced, scientists have only documented a few
of the genetic changes that made rice into a staple food for more than half the
world’s population.
New research now finds that a sizeable amount of domestication-related changes in rice reflects selection on traits that are determined by a portion of the genome that does not transcribe proteins.
Noncoding RNAs are suspected to play very important roles in regulating growth and development, but they’re only beginning to be characterized.
“Despite almost 20 years of genomics and genome-enabled studies of crop domestication, we still know remarkably little about the genetic basis of most domestication traits in most crop species,” said Kenneth Olsen, communicating author.
“Early studies tended to go for “low-hanging fruit” — simple traits that were controlled by just one or two genes with easily identifiable mutations,” Olsen said. “Far more difficult is figuring out the more subtle developmental changes that were critical for a lot of the changes during crop domestication.
“This study offers a step in that direction, by examining one regulatory mechanism that has been critical for modulating domestication-associated changes in rice grain development.”
Diversity of traits
A large proportion of the DNA in the chromosomes of many plants and animals comprises genes that do not encode instructions for making proteins — up to 98% of the genome for any given species. But this genetic information is poorly understood. Some scientists have called this stuff the “dark matter” of the genome, or even dismissed it as “junk DNA” — but it appears to have played an outsized role in rice development.
In this study, researchers found that key changes that occurred during rice domestication more than 9,000 years ago could be tied back to molecules called long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a class of RNA molecules with a length of more than 200 nucleotides.
About 36% of the genetic information recorded in the rice genome can be tracked back to noncoding regions, but more than 50% of the diversity of traits important to agriculture is linked to these same areas, the researchers found.
“For the first time, the lncRNAs in noncoding region of cultivated rice and wild rice was deeply annotated and described,” said Xiaoming Zheng, first author.
“Our transgenic experiments and population genetic analysis convincingly demonstrate that selection on lncRNAs contributed to changes in domesticated rice grain quality by altering the expression of genes that function in starch synthesis and grain pigmentation,” she said.
Working with several hundred rice samples and more than 260 Gbs of sequence, the researchers employed sensitive detection techniques to quantify and robustly track lncRNA transcription in rice. The new study validates some previously identified lncRNAs and also provides new information on previously undescribed molecules.
This new study adds fuel to speculation by some researchers that most adaptive differences between groups of plants or animals are due to changes in gene regulation, and not protein evolution.
“Based on our findings, we propose that selection on lncRNAs could prove to be a broader mechanism by which genome-wide patterns of gene expression can evolve in many species,” Zheng said.
This rice study also opens eyes and possibly new doors for producing new crops and grains through precision breeding.
Reference
Zheng et al. (2019) Genome-wide analyses reveal the role of noncoding variation in complex traits during rice domestication. Science Advances. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax3619
This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.
New research now finds that a sizeable amount of domestication-related changes in rice reflects selection on traits that are determined by a portion of the genome that does not transcribe proteins.
Noncoding RNAs are suspected to play very important roles in regulating growth and development, but they’re only beginning to be characterized.
“Despite almost 20 years of genomics and genome-enabled studies of crop domestication, we still know remarkably little about the genetic basis of most domestication traits in most crop species,” said Kenneth Olsen, communicating author.
“Early studies tended to go for “low-hanging fruit” — simple traits that were controlled by just one or two genes with easily identifiable mutations,” Olsen said. “Far more difficult is figuring out the more subtle developmental changes that were critical for a lot of the changes during crop domestication.
“This study offers a step in that direction, by examining one regulatory mechanism that has been critical for modulating domestication-associated changes in rice grain development.”
Diversity of traits
A large proportion of the DNA in the chromosomes of many plants and animals comprises genes that do not encode instructions for making proteins — up to 98% of the genome for any given species. But this genetic information is poorly understood. Some scientists have called this stuff the “dark matter” of the genome, or even dismissed it as “junk DNA” — but it appears to have played an outsized role in rice development.
In this study, researchers found that key changes that occurred during rice domestication more than 9,000 years ago could be tied back to molecules called long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a class of RNA molecules with a length of more than 200 nucleotides.
About 36% of the genetic information recorded in the rice genome can be tracked back to noncoding regions, but more than 50% of the diversity of traits important to agriculture is linked to these same areas, the researchers found.
“For the first time, the lncRNAs in noncoding region of cultivated rice and wild rice was deeply annotated and described,” said Xiaoming Zheng, first author.
“Our transgenic experiments and population genetic analysis convincingly demonstrate that selection on lncRNAs contributed to changes in domesticated rice grain quality by altering the expression of genes that function in starch synthesis and grain pigmentation,” she said.
Working with several hundred rice samples and more than 260 Gbs of sequence, the researchers employed sensitive detection techniques to quantify and robustly track lncRNA transcription in rice. The new study validates some previously identified lncRNAs and also provides new information on previously undescribed molecules.
This new study adds fuel to speculation by some researchers that most adaptive differences between groups of plants or animals are due to changes in gene regulation, and not protein evolution.
“Based on our findings, we propose that selection on lncRNAs could prove to be a broader mechanism by which genome-wide patterns of gene expression can evolve in many species,” Zheng said.
This rice study also opens eyes and possibly new doors for producing new crops and grains through precision breeding.
Reference
Zheng et al. (2019) Genome-wide analyses reveal the role of noncoding variation in complex traits during rice domestication. Science Advances. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax3619
This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.
Philippines Approves GMO Rice to
Fight Malnutrition
By Steve Baragona
December 19, 2019
03:55 PM
A breed of rice genetically
engineered to combat vitamin A deficiency has received approval from regulators
in the Philippines.
Supporters say "Golden Rice" could remedy a condition
that kills up to 250,000 children each year worldwide and blinds twice that
number, according to the World Health Organization.It's the first genetically modified organism (GMO) designed to fight a public health issue to get a green light from food safety officials in the developing world.
Golden Rice has faced vigorous opposition from GMO opponents throughout its development, citing safety concerns and other issues. Protesters destroyed test fields in the Philippines in 2013.
The Philippine Department of Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry announced Wednesday that Golden Rice is as safe as conventional rice. Regulators in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have also cleared the grain of safety issues.
After 20 years of development, "it feels absolutely tremendous" to reach this stage, said Adrian Dubock, Executive Secretary of the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board, the nonprofit working to take the crop from the lab to the field.
Two added genes turn rice golden, one from maize and one from a soil bacterium. Under their direction, rice grains produce beta carotene, the vitamin A precursor that makes carrots and sweet potatoes orange. A third bacterial gene serves as a traceable marker.
In the Philippines, vitamin A deficiency among children has increased from 15.2% in 2008 to 20.4% in 2013, despite a national supplement program, according to the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute, which is developing the crop.
Golden Rice could provide up to half of a young child's daily needs, IRRI says.
FILE - Different
varieties of rice are seen for sale at a food market in Paranaque, Metro
Manila, Philippines, Aug. 31, 2018.
Controversial cropBiotech boosters have presented Golden Rice as one of the best examples of what biotechnology can do, producing plants and animals that benefit humanity faster than conventional breeding can.
Opponents have said the crops raise unknown risks, though the scientific consensus is that GMO varieties on the market today are safe, including Golden Rice.
GMO critics are also wary that the for-profit corporations that have developed GMOs will have undue influence over the seed supply.
Agricultural biotech company Syngenta previously owned key patents for Golden Rice but has donated them to the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board. Dubock said Golden Rice strains are for use only by public and nonprofit crop breeding programs and would not cost farmers any more than conventional rice.
Dietary solution
Critics say the considerable time, effort and money spent on developing Golden Rice would have been better spent pursuing efforts to diversify the diets of the people who suffer from malnutrition.
"There are very limited funds available for development in third-world countries. It really matters which route you choose to go, where you choose to put your funds," said Bill Freese, science policy analyst at the Center for Food Safety.
Programs that get more fruits and vegetables into the diets of low-income people would help alleviate several chronic ailments, not just vitamin A deficiency, he noted.
Dubock agrees that "a diversified diet is the best solution," he said. But he added that Golden Rice is a tool that works with how people are already eating.
It's not clear when Philippine farmers will be able to grow Golden Rice. Regulators still have to certify that the crop won't cause problems in farmers' fields. IRRI says it will submit its application early next year.
Golden Rice gets biosafety approval
as food, feed
By Filane Mikee Cervantes, Philippine News Agency on December 18,
2019
The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) announced the FFP approval on
Wednesday, citing that the Golden Rice “has been found to be as safe as
conventional rice” after rigorous biosafety assessment. (File Photo: Golden
Rice Project/Facebook)
MANILA – The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry
has granted a biosafety permit for the direct use of the vitamin A-enriched
rice variety, Golden Rice, as food and feed or for processing (FFP).
The Philippine Rice Research
Institute (PhilRice) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) announced
the FFP approval on Wednesday, citing that the Golden Rice “has been found to
be as safe as conventional rice” after rigorous biosafety assessment.
PhilRice executive director Dr.
John de Leon welcomed the regulatory decision as the rice variety could be seen
as a complementary intervention to address the health problems associated with
vitamin A deficiency (VAD).
“With this FFP approval, we bring
forward a very accessible solution to our country’s problem on Vitamin A
deficiency that’s affecting many of our pre-school children and pregnant
women,” de Leon said.
Golden Rice is a new type of rice
that contains beta-carotene (provitamin A), which is converted into vitamin A
as needed by the body and gives the grain its golden color. It is developed
through genetic engineering and produces two new enzymes that complete the
beta-carotene expression in the rice grain.
IRRI Director General Matthew
Morrel said the beta-carotene content of Golden Rice aims to provide 30 to 50
percent of the estimated average requirement (EAR) of vitamin A for pregnant
women and young children.
“IRRI is pleased to partner with
PhilRice to develop this nutrition-sensitive agricultural solution to address
hidden hunger. This is the core of IRRI’s purpose: to tailor global solutions
to local needs,” Morrel said.
“The Philippines has long
recognized the potential to harness biotechnology to help address food and
nutrition security, environmental safety, as well as improve the livelihoods of
farmers,” Morrel added.
To complete the Philippine
biosafety regulatory process, Golden Rice will require approval for commercial
propagation before it can be made available to the public.
Farmer-scientist group on GMO rice: Unnecessary,
unwanted
By: Renzo Acosta - @inquirerdotnet
INQUIRER.net / 08:32 PM December 19, 2019
MANILA,
Philippines–The Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura
(MASIPAG) condemned Thursday the approval of the genetically-modified crop
“golden rice” (GR2E) as food and poultry feed for processing by the Department
of Agriculture’s Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI).
In a
statement, Elpidio Paglumotan of MASIPAG said: “We are appalled that the
approval has pushed through despite the numerous unresolved issues that MASIPAG
and many other organizations are raising regarding GR2E, mainly on its safety
and long-term effects on children, women and other consumers.”
According to
MASIPAG, they sent a letter to DA-BPI on October 26 to discuss the consolidated
risk assessment report and comments from respected scientists regarding the
safety of GR2E. This, they said, is yet to be addressed.
The GR2E, which began as an initiative by
the Rockefeller Foundation, is a genetically-modified rice containing
beta-carotene (provitamin A), which is then converted into Vitamin A. Proponents
say it will help address the Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in the country.
MASIPAG, however, disagrees.
Aside from
safety concerns, MASIPAG said the approval of GR2E will also threaten “the
future of rice production and farmers’ control of seeds.”
“By harking
on the humanitarian packaging of the golden rice, and marketing it as ‘healthier
rice,’ proponents are deceiving and blinding the people from the ulterior
intention of golden rice which is to usher in more genetically modified
food,” said MASIPAG.
The DA-BPI,
together with the International Rice Research Institute and Philippine Rice
Research Institute, granted a biosafety approval for GR2E after it was found to
be “as safe as conventional rice.”
Cris Panerio
of MASIPAG said: “They hide behind the supposed ‘rigorous biosafety
assessments’ and the debatable safety clearances from the US, Canada, Australia
and New Zealand.”
MASIPAG is
now calling on DA Secretary William DAR “to put the welfare of the
Filipino people instead of the corporate-influenced research institutions.”
Nationwide round-up
December 19, 2019 | 8:06 pm
Group denounce Golden Rice approval
IRRI
A GROUP of farmers and scientists
expressed disappointment over the approval of the biosafety permit of Golden
Rice despite health issues related to its consumption. “We are appalled that
the approval has pushed through despite the numerous unresolved issues that
MASIPAG and many other organizations are raising regarding Golden Rice, mainly
on its safety and long-term effects on children, women and other consumers,” Magsasaka
at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG) Chairman of the Board
Elpidio E. Paglumotan said in a statement on Thursday. MASIPAG is a farmer-led
group of people’s organizations, non-government organizations, and scientists,
which promotes the welfare of the country’s farmers.
The Department of Agriculture
(DA), through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), has approved the commercial
use of Golden Rice as food, feed, or for processing (FFP). Golden rice, a
variety produced through genetic engineering, aims to provide 30%–50% of the
estimated average requirement of Vitamin A of the body.
“With this FFP approval, we bring forward a
very accessible solution to our country’s problem on Vitamin A deficiency
that’s affecting many of our pre-school children and pregnant women,”
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Executive Director Dr. John C. de
Leon said in a statement on Wednesday. PhilRice, which applied for the permit
in 2017 to be able to conduct field trials, and the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) have been pushing for the commercial use of Golden Rice.
However, groups protesting against the variety have noted that beta-carotene,
which is contained by the rice variant and is being converted to Vitamin A by
the human body, degrades fast after harvesting and processing.
A study by the Indian government
showed that 84% of the beta-carotene in Golden Rice can be lost unless
vacuum-packed and refrigerated. High temperature and humidity also leads to
degradation of the antioxidant, while cooking will lead to a 25% loss of
beta-carotene. “Proponents have failed to address concerns on the Golden Rice’s
negligible beta-carotene content, its fast degradation and the possible
toxicity associated with the beta-carotene degradation,” MASIPAG National
Coordinator Cris Panerio said. The group also said that the lack of
transparency and speed of approval of its permit shows the “desperation” of the
concerned agencies to bring in
the rice variety. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang
CRISPR immunizes rice against
multiple diseases, preserving crop yields and biodiversity
ISAAA | December 19, 2019
Rice farmers
Scientists from China National
Rice Research Institute used CRISPR-Cas9 to
edit Semi-Dwarf1 (SD1) in elite Chinese rice varieties, which
has several desired agronomic traits. The results are published in Scientific Reports.
Expanding genetic diversity among rice varieties
is vital to prevent genetic erosion or loss of genetic variation in a crop.
Thus, the researchers edited SD1 in the elite landraces
Kasalath and TeTePu, which contain many desired agronomic traits such as
tolerance to low phosphorous and broad-spectrum resistance to several diseases
and insects. Mutations of SD1 led to shorter plant height for
better resistance to lodging. Field trials showed that the yield of the mutant
lines was improved compared to the wild-type progenitors, while maintaining the
desirable agronomic characteristics.
Based on the findings, the researchers concluded that breeding
using available landraces together with genome editing techniques
can prevent genetic erosion in modern rice varieties.
Read full, original article: Crop Biotech Update December
18, 2019
Tell it to
SunStar: Scrap Golden Rice approval
-
December 19, 2019
IN A sly move that is characteristic of the GM
(geneticall-modified) rice proponents including the various agencies in the
Joint Department Circular (JDC), the direct use for food, feed and processing
of the GM Golden Rice has been approved on Dec. 10 despite the staunch
opposition from farmers and consumers in the Philippines.
We condemn the Golden Rice approval and the collusion among the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice) and the Deptartment of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI).
This gravely threatens not only the health of the people and the environment, but also the future of rice production and farmers’ control of seeds.
Farmers and consumers in the Philippines and in other countries as well remain adamant that Golden Rice will not address the Vitamin A Deficiency among vulnerable sectors in developing countries, but is in fact a tool of the increasing corporate control over agriculture.
By harking on the humanitarian packaging of the Golden Rice, and marketing it as “healthier rice,” proponents are deceiving and blinding the people from the ulterior intention of Golden Rice, which is to usher in more GM food, such as soybean, cotton, potato and more varieties of GM corn.
According to IRRI’s website, research is also being conducted on high-iron and zinc rice in response to iron-deficiency anemia and stunting.
We are appalled that the approval has pushed through despite the numerous unresolved issues that we and many other organizations are raising regarding Golden Rice, mainly on its safety and long-term effects on children, women and other consumers.
We, along with other farmers’ groups, wrote the DA-BPI on Oct. 16 to discuss the consolidated risk assessment report and the comments from respected scientists including Dr. Chito Medina, Dr. David Schubert and Dr. Michael Antoniou, contesting the proponents’ claim on the safety of Golden Rice.
Up to now, proponents have failed to address concerns on the Golden Rice’s negligible beta-carotene content, its fast degradation and the possible toxicity associated with the beta-carotene degradation.
Instead, they hide behind the supposed “rigorous biosafety assessments” and the debatable safety clearances from the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The lack of transparency and speed of approval of Golden Rice reeks of the desperation of IRRI, Philrice and DA-BPI to bring in the GM rice which has been gaining greater opposition because it is unnecessary and unwanted.
Such acts are in dissonance to the spirit of the JDC on transparency and public consultation. (Magsasaka at Siyentipiko Para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura)
We condemn the Golden Rice approval and the collusion among the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice) and the Deptartment of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI).
This gravely threatens not only the health of the people and the environment, but also the future of rice production and farmers’ control of seeds.
Farmers and consumers in the Philippines and in other countries as well remain adamant that Golden Rice will not address the Vitamin A Deficiency among vulnerable sectors in developing countries, but is in fact a tool of the increasing corporate control over agriculture.
By harking on the humanitarian packaging of the Golden Rice, and marketing it as “healthier rice,” proponents are deceiving and blinding the people from the ulterior intention of Golden Rice, which is to usher in more GM food, such as soybean, cotton, potato and more varieties of GM corn.
According to IRRI’s website, research is also being conducted on high-iron and zinc rice in response to iron-deficiency anemia and stunting.
We are appalled that the approval has pushed through despite the numerous unresolved issues that we and many other organizations are raising regarding Golden Rice, mainly on its safety and long-term effects on children, women and other consumers.
We, along with other farmers’ groups, wrote the DA-BPI on Oct. 16 to discuss the consolidated risk assessment report and the comments from respected scientists including Dr. Chito Medina, Dr. David Schubert and Dr. Michael Antoniou, contesting the proponents’ claim on the safety of Golden Rice.
Up to now, proponents have failed to address concerns on the Golden Rice’s negligible beta-carotene content, its fast degradation and the possible toxicity associated with the beta-carotene degradation.
Instead, they hide behind the supposed “rigorous biosafety assessments” and the debatable safety clearances from the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The lack of transparency and speed of approval of Golden Rice reeks of the desperation of IRRI, Philrice and DA-BPI to bring in the GM rice which has been gaining greater opposition because it is unnecessary and unwanted.
Such acts are in dissonance to the spirit of the JDC on transparency and public consultation. (Magsasaka at Siyentipiko Para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura)
Will Golden Rice
help us climb the PISA ladder?
December 20, 2019
IN October, United Nations
Children’s Fund warned in a global report that “Filipino children are
increasingly suffering from poor diets, inadequate nutrition and food systems
that are failing them.” Unicef’s flagship report—“The State of the World’s
Children”—examines for the first time in 20 years the issue of children, food
and nutrition around the world. Here’s the alarming part of the report: One in
3 Filipino children under five years old are stunted, which means they are too
short for their age, while roughly 7 percent of children are too thin for their
height.
“The undernutrition facts in the
Philippines are disturbing—one in three 12 to 23-month-old children suffer from
anemia while 1 in 3 children are irreversibly stunted by the age of two. On the
other hand, 1 in 10 adolescents are obese from wrong eating habits,” said Oyun
Dendevnorov, Unicef Philippines representative. She added: “The triple burden
of undernutrition, hidden hunger and overweight poses serious threats to child
health, therefore, Unicef is supporting the Philippine government in
implementing the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition. Under the leadership
of the government, working together with private sector, civil society and all
stakeholders, we must address the causes of unhealthy
eating in all its forms.”
eating in all its forms.”
Given this background, there’s a
need to look at the relationship between nutritional status and educational
performance among school-age children. Remember the 2018 PISA results,
where the country’s 15-year-old students were randomly tested as a group in
Reading literacy and came up last among the 79 countries tested? Surely, food
and academic performance are closely intertwined: If we properly feed our
children, then they will do well in school. It’s hard to focus on any lesson
when you are hungry.
Here’s good news for people who
can’t get over the PISA results: On Wednesday, the Bureau of Plant Industry
(BPI) declared that Golden Rice, after rigorous biosafety assessments, has been
found to be as safe as conventional rice. The verdict, addressed to the
Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice)
and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), details the approval of GR2E
Golden Rice for direct use as food and feed, or for processing.
This is a welcome development in
a country where many children are still suffering from vitamin A deficiency.
Despite the success of public-health interventions like oral supplementation
and complementary feeding in public schools, vitamin A deficiency among
Filipino children aged six months to five years alarmingly increased to 20.4
percent in 2013, from 15.2 percent in 2008. The beta-carotene content of Golden
Rice aims to provide 30 percent to 50 percent of the estimated average
requirement of vitamin A for young children and pregnant women.
With the BPI approval, the
DA-PhilRice and IRRI will now proceed with sensory evaluations and finally
answer the question that many Filipinos want to know: “What does Golden
Rice taste like?”To complete the Philippine biosafety regulatory process,
Golden Rice will require approval for commercial propagation before it can be
made available to the public. We hope that this provitamin-A biofortified rice
variety will be available in the market soon, and hopefully, it will help
improve our PISA results in the near future.
A panel discussion on row rice at the 2019 USA Rice Outlook
Conference included Elliott Maschmann, left, district sales manager, RiceTech,
Inc., Sydney Robnett, Triple D Farms, Stuttgart, Ark., Jarrod Hardke, Extension
rice agronomist, University of Arkansas, and Jeff Rutledge, Rutledge &
Rutledge Ag Commodity Producers, Newport, Ark.
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