Monday, December 23, 2019

23rd December,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter


Fruitful year for wheat, maize varieties
Amin AhmedDecember 23, 2019
Description: https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/12/5dffe1741b511.jpg
IT has been a successful year for grain crops in Pakistan, as the country has released 20 new high-yielding, disease-resistant and climate change–resilient wheat and maize varieties during the year so far.
The achievement came mainly on the back of a partnership between the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) with support from the US development agency USAID.
Being the apex federal institution, PARC approved 10 new varieties of wheat for commercial cultivation, while provincial the provincial seed councils of Punjab and Balochistan approved four and six new open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) of maize.
These OPVs have been developed mainly for small-scale farmers to reduce the cost of seed without compromising the average yield. For the first time, the seed council of Balochistan approved any maize variety in the province.
According to the CIMMYT’s representative in Pakistan, Dr Muhammad Imtiaz, all the approved wheat and maize varieties have been tested vigorously by federal and provincial research organisations.
The production of high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties has come at a time when the government has launched the agriculture emergency programme
Initially, the introduced germplasm was distributed to research institutes across the country for performance evaluation and screening against diseases and climate challenges.
After the initial testing, the selected candidate lines were evaluated through National Uniform Yield Trial for two more years across Pakistan. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four new wheat varieties were developed by Cereal Crops Research Institute, Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture and Barani Agricultural Research Stations of Kohat.
The Wheat Research Institute of Faisalabad, Arid Zone Research Institute of Bhakkar, and Regional Research Institute of Bahawalpur have released three new wheat varieties for Punjab farmers.
Additionally, the National Agriculture Research Centre has released one wheat variety for rain-fed areas of Punjab. Furthermore, the Maize and Millets Research Institute in Sahiwal came up with four new maize OPVs for resource-limited, small-scale farmers in the maize-growing regions of Pakistan.
In Balochistan, the Agriculture Research Institute of Quetta has released two wheat and six maize varieties, which are more yielding and resistant to droughts. All these varieties can produce ten to 20 per cent more yield and would be instrumental for food security.
PARC Chairman Dr Muhammad Azeem said the varietal diversity has enhanced the crop productivity and saved wheat and maize crops from rust. The last year’s crop debacle though resulted in grain loss, but the effects of rust were minimised.
The production of high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties has come at a time when the government has launched the agriculture emergency programme. Public-Private participation now needs to be strengthened for the availability of certified seeds to farmers, he said.
Dr Imtiaz of the CIMMYT said that the research partnership between Pakistan, the United States, and the CIMMYT has played a vital role in improving food security in the country. More than 70pc of current wheat varieties grown in Pakistan come either directly from CIMMYT selections or Pakistani cross-breeding programmes and at least 50pc of improved maize varieties are derived from joint research from the CIMMYT and Pakistan.
In Pakistan, about 65pc population depends on agriculture, and the sector makes up 24pc of GDP. Among major crops, wheat, rice and maize are the three most important cereal crops and contribute 63pc share in value-added agriculture. Developing genetically improved and stress-tolerant crop varieties ensures sustainability and food and nutritional security.
The USAID-funded Agricultural Innovation Programme has also helped Pakistan’s national partners to have access to improved rice and vegetable varieties. More than 1,172 advanced rice lines having various traits were introduced and distributed to 11 institutions throughout the country in public and private sectors for evaluation against important rice disease like bacterial blight and abiotic stresses (such as submergence, drought, salinity, low and high temperatures), tolerance, yield potential and grain quality.
Of these germplasm, four bacterial leaf blight–resistant basmati varieties have been approved by the provincial seed council and the variety evaluation committee of PARC.
Bacterial blight disease–resistant super basmati, BR1 and BR2 were selected and developed by the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering in Faisalabad while varieties Super Basmati 2019 and Super Gold were selected and developed by the Rice Research Institute in Kala Shah Kaku.
All advanced super basmati rice varieties are resistant to bacterial blight disease, a major yield-limiting factor of basmati in Punjab, and producing 10pc to 12pc higher yields and better grain quality than traditional super basmati. Besides, super gold variety is also tolerant to flooding.
Similarly, the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) of Faisalabad has released two tomato hybrids, namely Niab Gohar and Niab Jauher, for commercial cultivation. All these and many other innovations like Zero-Till Happy Seeder and the Direct Seed Rice technology would only become possible due to close partnership between national and international stakeholders.
The CIMMYT is one of the 15 non-profit, research and training institutions affiliated with the CGIAR, a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research for a food-secured future. In addition to Pakistan, it has a strong presence in South and West Asian countries like Afghanistan, India, China, Turkey, Bangladesh and Nepal. Some of these countries provided support from their own resources while others are helped with donor support.
Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, December 23rd, 2019


Non-textile exports show marginal growth
Mubarak Zeb KhanDecember 22, 2019
Description: foreign sales of footballs, one of the leading export items of the country, grew by 15 per cent during 5MFY20.
foreign sales of footballs, one of the leading export items of the country, grew by 15 per cent during 5MFY20.
ISLAMABAD: Exports of non-textile products went up nearly five per cent year-on-year to $3.781 billion during July-November in FY20 owing to cash support to various sectors and currency depreciation.
The persistent increase shows exports of non-textile products have rebounded in the ongoing fiscal year reversing the declining trend seen during last few years. The trend indicates a natural diversification of the export base owing to highest-ever depreciation of the rupee, which was highly concentrated in few textile-based products.
Under various subsidies sch¬em¬es, the government had extended cash support to leather manufacturers, footwear, sports goods, surgical, engineering goods, furniture, meat and meat products, fish products and cutlery manufacturers in a bid to increase non-textile exports.
The data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed carpet and rug exports increased by 4.44pc during the first five months of current fiscal year from a year ago. The slight increase shows that depreciation of rupee has helped Pakistani exporters to get market access and compete with Chinese and Indian exporters.
However, sports goods’ exports went down slightly by 2.01pc and foreign sales of footballs were up by 14.73pc.
Tanned leather exports witnessed a negative growth of 18.78pc in July-Nov from a year ago.
Data showed a year-on-year decline of 35.52pc in exports of petroleum products. Petroleum products, crude and naphtha contributed in overall decline in the sector’s exports.
After a long time, exports of leather products rebounded jumping by 11.21pc during this period. This was mainly led by sales of leather garment, leather gloves, followed by other leather products.
Footwear exports went up by 22.72pc on back of leather footwear and others, surgical goods and medical instruments by 10.94pc. However, engineering goods dipped by 2.13pc during the year under review.
Year-on-year exports of gems surged 62.73pc. However, export of molasses dropped by 97.8pc, and jewellery 8.79pc, while those of cement and furniture fell by 5.27pc and 19.6pc respectively.
In the food basket, exports of rice witnessed a robust rise of 38.58pc in the five months of current fiscal year from a year ago. The growth was witnessed in both basmati and non-basmati rice. This will be the highest export proceeds of rice from Pakistan in five months owing to shortage of the commodity in the major rice producing countries.
Exports of sugar, meat and tobacco are the other three major commodities which recorded an impressive growth. Furthermore, exports of fish, vegetables, and fruits also increased.
Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2019

Cloud computing to help PHL rice sector
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December 22, 2019
LOS BAÑOS, Laguna—The agriculture and science community in the Philippines celebrated the launch of  Asi@Connect  Ricestats Database: Leveraging the Cloud for Rice Statistics and Analytics.
Ricestats Database, led by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), intends to create a reference resource by using an ontology to combine data into a one-stop accessible database with a displayable dashboard for rice statistics.
The platform runs on Amazon Web Services, such as AWS Glue, Athena and S3 for data extraction, transformation and loading, while the transformed data is stored in AWS cloud warehouse Redshift.
The database will contain data from existing household surveys conducted by IRRI globally, and will include data from national bureaus and international organizations.
Currently, such a consolidated database with disaggregated data, such as production by season and gender of household head up to the barangay level, does not exist for rice in Asia.
In his keynote address, Academician Dr. William Padolina said, “Without new knowledge, especially in science and technology, without the new knowledge that will be generated, it will be difficult to make good decisions on conservation and resource use, something that is vital to the success of rice production.”
The launch was hosted by IRRI, the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), and AWS last month at a hotel in Manila.
DOST-ASTI Director Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano Jr. emphasized the importance of this collaboration with IRRI and DOST-ASTI’s long-standing partnership.
“The DOST-ASTI and IRRI, over the years, have established a good working relationship through our partnership in the areas of research networking, high-performance computing, and cloud computing. IRRI is connected to the Philippine Research, Education, and Government Information Network (Preginet), which is being managed by the DOST-ASTI,” Marciano said.
Preginet is the Philippines’s only National Research and Education Network (NREN) that is connected to a global REN, of which  Asi@Connect  is the Asia-Europe connection.
IRRI Agri-Food Policy Platform Leader Dr. Jean Balié said: “IRRI believes that the Asi@Connect  project can help fulfill a number of Sustainable Development Goals through improved access to education and research resources across the Asia-Pacific.”
“Ricestats Database will enable the dissemination of comprehensive rice socioeconomic data through an easily accessible database interface on a wider scale. The project will provide a unique resource for agricultural and social science researchers, academia, policy-makers, donors and investors in the rice sector and beyond,” added IRRI Representative for the Philippines Dr. Romeo Recide.
Asi@Connect empowers Asian countries by enabling them to participate in collaborative programs, like Ricestats Database. They also bridge the digital divide that exists within the global communities of research, education, and health.
“The main objective of  Asi@Connect, as successor to the TEIN [Trans-Eurasia Information Network] program, is to provide and further develop a dedicated regional high-capacity, high-quality Internet connectivity network for research and higher education, also leveraging the e-infrastructure developed for public service projects, such as food security, health, ocean observation related to natural disasters, e-government, education and training, and cultural heritage with emphasis on applications of broad societal benefit,” said TEIN Cooperation Center CEO Dr. Kim Byung-kyu.
The launch was attended by partners from agriculture and science organizations, officials from national government agencies, and members of the academe in the Philippines.

SUKHERA URGED TO SET UP MUCH NEEDED SME GALLERY FOR SME WARES


Description: https://www.google.com/s2/u/0/photos/public/AIbEiAIAAABECObqnvOmud6cmwEiC3ZjYXJkX3Bob3RvKig0Nzc2MzY4ODlhNzVjZmNkOTQ1MzliMzFlY2QxZTFkYjZmNDFiMDcwMAHxkenEMtw3VfliQ36FBBGJp7YeQg?sz=80The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera federal secretary, ministry of commerce (Mincom) to set up SME export gallery and strategically increase exports by encouraging and giving incentives to exporters.President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver said all our commercial attaches all over the globe need to do more and increase our exports of our traditional and non traditional goods to traditional and also non traditional markets.
Secondly he urged the federal secretary Mincom to without any loss of time set up the promised  SME gallery and provide global marketing support to the exporters. 
Thaver said he fails to understand that when the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) had prepared feasibility of the SME gallery and had agreed and accepted to set up the much needed SME gallery to exhibit the wares of the SMEs under the name and style of SME Export House , then why it was shelved. He said they had formed a steering committee and had planned the entire strategy to promote exports of SME wares and items of geographical indications (GI) aggressively. The GI items are in demand by Pakistanis settled abroad and simply love our GI items like basmati rice, spices, sweet preparations and clothings. 
The SME Export House would display the goods of the SMEs itemise, areawise and promote online business as well. 
Thirdly he emphasised on the need to educate the SMEs on adding value to our produce.
Fourthly he said the sector needs to focus on productivity and basically to become competitive by saving energy, wastage , maintaining benchmark, improving packing and increasing shelf life of our products.
He said that we need to become competitive to meet the challenges. The sector also needs the facility of Merchant Accounts for E-Commerce and payment gateway. Thaver said the federal secretary Mincom  has vast experience and as a past CEO of SMEDA he knows the potentiality of the sector.
He also requested Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera to co-ordinate with the ministry of industries and impress upon  Abdul Razzak Dawood , the adviser of prime minister for commerce, production and industries as well to get the SME policy approved promptly and begin its implementation for increasing exports and for stimulation of the economy through the SME sector.
UNISAME

Sri Lanka needs agriculture policy change to up farmer incomes, productivity

 

LOW PRODUCTIVITY: Agriculture employs a quarter of Sri Lanka’s workforce and generates 7 percent of gross domestic product.
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s subsidy based agriculture policies are not helping to boost productivity and take farmers out of poverty or deploy land for the most suitable crops or activities, requiring a re-orientation of focus, a researcher has found.
“There’s a lot of government spending on production of rice and other crops, but its competitiveness and the profitability even for the farmers and food security is very questionable,” Manoj Thibbotuwawa from the Institute of Policy Studies, a Colombo-based think tank, who is studying agro-economics said.
The findings are from an ongoing study into the agriculture sector.
The research into paddy farming in the study is completed, and an analysis into field crops and vegetables is ongoing.
Policies of self-sufficiency in some crops may have resulted in people eating less vegetables or proteins.
A quarter of Sri Lanka’s workforce is engaged in agriculture, generating 7 percent of gross dmestic product.
No Profits
Thibbotuwawa said research at state agencies into profits from the agriculture sector ignore the country’s social costs of water, seed and fertilizer subsidies and the costs of irrigation infrastructure.
“So, we estimated the opportunity cost of these factors, and then calculated social profits,” he said.
“Social profits are actually negative, as we are spending a lot on an unprofitable venture. Even the farmers get small profits which are not enough to take them out of poverty.”

If comparable grades of rice are imported tax free, Sri Lankans could enjoy a 30 percent fall in rice prices in the local market, the economist said.
Currently, most rice varieties, excluding specialties such as basmati required for hotels and restaurants are not imported.
“We are not saying to import totally, because we haven’t done a calculation based on different agro-ecological zones. If we disaggregate the local sown extent into the dry, wet and different agro-ecological zones, there may be areas where farming is profitable,” Thibbotuwawa said.
Sri Lanka has 46 different agro-ecological zones with differing profiles based on elevation, precipitation and soil fertility.
“So, the policies to propose would be to evaluate the profitability of different regions and invest only in areas where we have a comparative advantage in producing locally,” he said.
“Land in other areas should be diverted to competitive, high-value, diversified crops.”
Subsidized Errors
Sri Lanka’s rice yield levels are low compared to other Asian countries, Thibbotuwawa said.
Even Bangladesh has higher yields than Sri Lanka, while in China and Japan, yields are twice as much as those locally, he said.
“This is because the main focus in the agriculture sector is on giving subsidies.”
A key learning in economics is that long-term subsidies and protection for mature industries reduces their competitiveness, as locals lose touch with the reality of market forces.
Sri Lanka started the fertilizer subsidy in 1962, with the ‘green revolution’ to increase rice yields with newer rice strains which required fertilizer, compared to the traditional varieties which did not.
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DAILY BRIEF

 “Then, fertilizer use was very low, and the government wanted to improve usage. With higher fertilizer, yield levels went drastically up to 4 metric tonnes per hectare. But now we are using more than the recommended level of fertilizer,” Thibbotuwawa said.
In Sri Lanka, farmers always believe that more fertilizer is better.
Thibbotuwawa said that over-use of fertilizer is reducing soil fertility.
“Most recent yield levels indicate that yield levels have flattened from the earlier growth and is now around 3.5 metric tonnes per hectare.”
“We have also not invested much into research into agriculture technology until recently.”
Smallholder cultivation, with each farm smaller than 1 hectare does not encourage economies of scale, and too many middlemen in the supply chains also hampers the sector’s development through rent seeking, and market signals such as quality requirements not passing through to smallholders, he said.
Even if Sri Lanka generates a bumper harvest, the rice cannot be exported, as other countries consume higher quality long grain rice at lower prices, he said.
Misguided Food Security
Sri Lanka’s early agriculture policies following independence was self-sufficiency in rice as a part of food security, and the policy has now become ingrained, Thibbotuwawa said.
However, the self-sufficiency policy had resulted in Sri Lanka not diversifying its crop mix, said.
“Because there is no diversification, around 40 percent of energy and 30 percent of protein requirements of Sri Lankans are fulfilled by rice.”
“Why do we need to consume that much of rice? Even our food security is also not that high.”
“Food security doesn’t mean we have to get all of our nutrient requirements from rice.”
“That’s a wrong impression most Sri Lankans have, and that’s why we are investing more on growing rice.”
“Although there has been some diversification recently, we are still not consuming high protein foods like meat or enough fruits and vegetables, and nearly 30 percent of fruit and vegetable crops are wasted.”
Sri Lanka is the 66th most food secure country in the world, while Singapore, which imports all food, is ranked first.
Land Trouble
Although the way forward is to grow rice only in highly fertile land which derives profits for farmers, the small farm sizes, and legal difficulties in transferring agriculture land will hold the sector back, Thibbotuwawa said.
“So, people who are inefficient producers can’t sell their land, and good entrepreneurs cannot buy land and increase their land extent for mechanization or diversification.”
“That is what the MCC agreement attempted to address, but the main concern was that if you give the land ownership to smallholders, since they are always in distress, they will sell their land to companies and fall into greater poverty.”
However, if the government takes short-term action to protect the farmers and allows the release of land for profitable, efficient investments, the farmers would benefit circularly through the creation of jobs, Thibbotuwawa said. (Colombo/Dec21/2019)

Believe it or not! Your smartphone can spot fake rice - Power of Artificial Intelligence!

Believe it or not but your smartphone can spot fake rice!


Written By: Prashant Singh
Updated: Sat, Dec 21, 2019
05:40 pm
ZeeBiz WebDesk
Believe it or not but your smartphone can spot fake rice! Yes...you read it right because the photo taken from your smartphone can detect whether the rice you are paying for is genuine and of high-quality or not.  A simple photograph taken with a mobile phone is able to detect irregularities in the labelling of rice, according to an investigation conducted by the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and the Scintillon Institute of San Diego (USA), as per a report in IANS.
Artificial Intelligence
The scientists develop an algorithm based on deep learning - a field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) -- that is able to determine whether that rice is really the one described with the images taken with the smartphone.
"What we contribute compared to other detection methods is simplicity and we show the consumer that you do not need large sums of money to verify whether a certain type of rice is the one mentioned on the label," said Jose Santiago Torrecilla, Professor and researcher from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials at the UCM.
To carry out the study, the researchers used five types of rice that were ground "in order to distinguish the type of rice not only when it is in grain form but also when it is ground into flour".
With all this information, algorithms based on neural networks were designed and optimized to process the information contained in the images for classification based on the type of rice, obtaining final precision models between 93 per cent and 99 per cent.
"It should be noted that rice is just one example of cereal and, therefore, this technology could be extrapolated to other types of cereals or food," said the UCM chemist, leaving the door open for future applications in the food industry.

Customs raid Mubi market, seize foreign rice a day ago 5567 views by  Nnenna Ibeh - Personnel of the Nigerian Customs Service on Friday, December 20, raided a market in Mubi - The NCS went on the operation with some officers of the Nigeria Police - The team seized many bags of foreign rice and arrested three suspects believed to be involved in the smuggling of goods The Nigerian Customs Service on Friday, December 20, raided Mubi town market for foreign rice and other contraband goods. The raid which was carried out by officers of the Adamawa/Taraba state command of the NCS was led by the Comptroller, Kamardeen Olumoh. It was gathered that the team seized many bags of foreign rice and arrested three suspects believed to be involved in the smuggling of goods.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the officers who teamed up with Police personnel stormed the commercial border town main market around 11 am and raided many shops and stores. The command comptroller said the raid was in compliance with a directive from the comptroller-general of the service in Abuja. The team seized many bags of foreign rice and arrested three suspects believed to be involved in the smuggling of goods Source
app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that an aide to the president on social media, Lauretta Onochie, has said that the price of rice in Nigeria will soon crash. Onochie urged Nigerians should expect a crash in the commodity's price to about N9,000 per 50kg. NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better Customs Seize N1bn Worth of Codeine: Importation of Fairly-Used Bags, Shoes Banned | Legit TV Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1286505-customs-raid-mubi-market-seize-foreign-rice.html

Customs arrest 47 smugglers, seizes 28,180 bags of rice


Published

 
By
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command has arrested 47 smugglers in connection with various offences at the border. Also, the command said 28,180 bags of foreign rice; parboiled rice, were impounded from smugglers in the last 11 months.
The service attributed the shortfalls in its revenue generation to the border closure which started four months ago.In a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Hussaini Abdullahi Onawo, the border drill exercise that was initiated by Federal Government commenced on August 20 this year had placed temporary embargo on movement of goods through the land borders nationwide. He explained that the command collected the sum of N494 billion between January till date, representing 76 per cent of its annual allotted target of N6. 50billion.
 However, Hussaini explained that the amount was lower than the N5.07million recorded in same period in 2018.Also, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba, noted that the command seized some 1,302 contraband valued at N1.57billion from smugglers around the borders. Garba attributed the seizures in the last 11 months to the strategic policy measures put in place to tackle the menace of smuggling, irregular migrations and other trans-border crimes.

He listed the seizures to include 28,180 bags of foreign parboiled rice with Duty Paid Value (DPV) and levy of N777.73 million; 140x50kilogrammes of sugar with DPV N588, 000; 62 used vehicles valued at N220.

43 million; 1,100 bales of used clothing and 101 sacks of used clothing with DPV N70.17million; 185 sacks of shoes, bags, belt, slippers both new and used with DPV N27. 6million; 1,539 x 6yards, 30 x 7yards, 16x6yards of textile materials and wrappers valued at N10.52million and 5,489 cartons of frozen poultry products with DPV N49.4million.

Others are 397x25liters of vegetable oil, 9x10liters and 37x5liters of vegetable oil with DPV of N138. 62million; 2,109x25liters of premium motor spirit (PMS) with DPV of N7.69 million; 14, 955 general merchandise items with DPV of N234.39million and 1, 992 parcels of hard drugs / narcotics with DPV N37.8million.

Brown Rice Lowers Diabetes and Cholesterol Levels: Why Eat Local Rice?
Description: Dr-Nyakotey.jpg
Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, PhD
 Description: Ghana Rie
Ghana is currently promoting local rice consumption by kind courtesy of Citi FM strong advocacy.  What do we really know based on scientific studies on rice?  The truth is that, there are more than 40,000 types of rice, including white, brown, black and wild varieties. Each has its own nutritional profile, benefits and points that invite discussion relating to how they’re grown, processed, and prepared.
Wild rice is perhaps one of the good options. It’s more nutrient-concentrated, has fewer calories and carbohydrates than white rice, and may aid in promoting satiety and weight loss
Studies show brown rice positively affects the cardiovascular, brain and nervous systems, and contains powerful antioxidants to help alleviate ailments ranging from hypertension to obesity
Rice, in one form or another, is one of the most important staple foods in the world and has been for possibly thousands of years.     According to the Cornel Research, rice supplies around 20 percent of the world’s food energy,with the Asia-Pacific region producing and consuming 90 percent of the rice on the planet according to M.k. papademetrio study titled ‘rice production in the Asia-pacific region: issues and perspectives’
Basmati rice from India, jasmine from Thailand and Arborio from Italy are growing in popularity among the more than 40,000 types, including long-, medium- and short-grain white, as well as brown, yellow, purple, red, black and other shades in between, each with subtle textures and flavor variations according to a 2017 article by Juliette Steen titled  The Difference Between White, Brown And Red Rice’ and another by the Rice Association’
These aromatic varieties can cost twice as much as plain white rice according to one report titled Survey of Recent Innovations in Aromatic Rice,” 2012. Eating rice may be good for your health according Medical News Today 2017, but there are better varieties. Technically, that’s true, but if you want to ensure that your chosen rice is good for you, check how it’s grown. It’s extremely important to keep abreast of new information and know the path foods have taken on the way to your table.

Is rice healthy?
Description: rice
The answer is not always according to Annie Price 2017. She argued that Refined carbohydrates like white rice are basically fake foods and do nothing to promote the health of your body. ‘So is white rice good for you? No, it’s stripped of its nutrients, leaving pretty much nothing but carbohydrates that enter the bloodstream like an injection of sugar’.
However, Brown rice nutrition, is loaded with vitamins and minerals as well as fiber and protein to balance the carbs in brown rice. Scientific studies has even shown that brown rice nutrition can reduce the risk of developing diabetes as well as heart problems. It’s also a safe choice for anyone following a gluten-free diet.

Studies on Brown Rice Nutrition
Description: Rice1
1.     Boost Heart Health
In a 2012 article by  Jessie Szalay – Live Science Contributor ,Brown rice has a large amount of plant lignans, which help form plant cell walls. These lignans are also believed to protect humans against various diseases, including heart disease
Brown rice is also loaded with Magnesium. This mineral is absolutely vital to heart health, and magnesium deficiency can be dangerous  depending on the degree. As we do know,  magnesium helps maintain normal heart rhythm, and scientific studies show that heart health in both men and women is significantly improved with an increased dietary intake of magnesium. Studies also reveal that getting magnesium from our diet rather than supplements is likely preferable, especially for people who have already suffered heart attacks in the past according to University of Maryland.
In generality, both animal and human studies have demonstrated that brown rice can reduce cardiovascular risk factors and has cardio-protective effects,  Kazemzadeh et al 2014 titled ‘Effect of Brown Rice Consumption on Inflammatory Marker and Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Overweight and Obese Non-menopausal Female Adults’ published in International Journal of Preventive  Medicine and Kim et al 2006 titled ‘The effects of a mixture of brown and black rice on lipid profiles and antioxidant status in rats’ published in the journal Annals of Nutrition Metabolism..  Brown rice is also high in selenium, another major heart-boosting nutrient.
2.     Rich in Manganese
One significant attributes of brown rice nutrition is its tremendously high manganese content per serving. A cup of cooked brown rice fulfills almost all of our daily manganese needs at 88 percent. Manganese has been neglected in health promotion, but it’s tremendously important to optimal health.
A significant  trace mineral needed for many vital functions, including nutrient absorption, production of digestive enzymes, bone development, formation of blood-clotting factors and immune system defenses.  Avoiding enough manganese in  diet,  can put you at risk for a lot of unwanted health problems, including weakness, infertility, bone malformation and seizures. This nutrient found abundantly in brown rice also helps the body regulate blood sugar, absorb calcium properly and metabolize carbohydrates. In a nutshell having manganese in brown rice actually helps  to metabolize it better according to University of Maryland
3.     Decreases Cholesterol Levels
Whole grain foods like brown rice contain both fiber and bran. This is why brown rice offers so many more health benefits than white rice -it still has its bran content.
Studies have shown that the rice bran and fiber contained in brown rice may be able to lower unhealthy cholesterol levels, particularly LDL cholesterol. The fiber in brown rice naturally aids in lowering cholesterol levels in the body by binding to cholesterol in the digestive system, which causes it to be excreted by the body according to University of Mary land.

4.     Lowers Diabetes Risk
Scientific research has shown that opting for brown rice instead of white rice may actually decrease your risk of developing diabetes. Refined carbs like white rice are not a friend of diabetics (or of anyone really) because they raise blood sugar so quickly and easily.
A 2010 study out of Harvard School of Public Health revealed that if you consume a little over two servings of white rice (about 12 ounces) per week, making the switch to brown rice could decrease type 2 diabetes risk by an estimated 16 percent. This makes sense since white rice has a significantly higher glycemic index compared to brown rice. The researchers also pointed out that brown rice eaters tended to be healthier overall, eating more whole grains in general and exercising more frequently. Brown rice lovers were also less likely to smoke cigarettes or have diabetes running in their families according to Denise Mann 2010 article published by CNN.
This not to say that white rice causes diabetes, but brown rice definitely appears to lower the risk of developing diabetes, thus making it a better choice for anyone following a diabetic diet plan.
5.     Safe for Gluten-Free Diets
Brown rice is often a go-to carb for many gluten-free eaters. Similar to oatmeal, brown rice is a naturally gluten-free food as long as it’s not contaminated by gluten-containing substances according to Gluten free living website. Many people who avoid gluten in their diets can easily fall short on fiber and the beneficial B vitamins found in whole grains. The good news here is that brown rice provides lots of fiber and B vitamins minus the gluten.
What Is Brown Rice? 
Rice is an edible, starchy cereal grain that’s naturally gluten-free. The scientific name for rice is Oryza sativa. Brown rice nutrition facts are quite impressive and definitely beat white rice nutrition any day. During harvesting, rice kernels are enclosed in their outmost layer known as the hull or husk. Brown rice only has the hull of the rice kernel removed so it maintains the grand majority of its inherent nutritional value. When brown rice is further processed to remove the bran as well, then it becomes white rice and loses most of its nutrients as a result of this processing.
Rice Cultivation  is said to have begun about 6,000 years ago in China, while archeologists have found rice seeds about 9,000 years old. Rice has its longest history in Asia where it still continues to be a staple to this day according to The World’s Healthiest food website. Fast-forward to modern times, rice has become most sought after around the world and has a place in such a large variety of foods from Asian to Mexican to Indian, and many more.

Brown Rice Nutrition Facts
According to Self-Nutrition data,  A cup (8 ounces) of cooked brown rice contains about:
216 calories
44.8 grams carbohydrates
5 grams protein
1.8 grams fat
3.5 grams fiber
1.8 milligrams manganese (88 percent)
19.1 micrograms selenium (27 percent)
83.9 milligrams magnesium (21 percent)
162 milligrams phosphorus (16 percent)
3 milligrams niacin (15 percent)
0.3 milligram vitamin B6 (14 percent)
0.2 milligram thiamine (12 perecent)
0.2 miligram copper (10 percent)
1.2 milligrams zinc (8 percent)
0.6 milligrams pantothenic acid (6 percent)
0.8 milligram iron (5 percent)
7.9 micrograms folate (2 percent)
19.5 milligrams calcium (2 percent)
83.9 milligrams potassium (2 percent)

Brown Rice vs. Black Rice vs. White Rice 
Description: Types of Rice
In Ghana, there are many brown rice available. Brown rice nutrition definitely overpowers white rice. According to the encyclopedia Britannica, Brown rice gets polished (stripped of its nutrients) to become white rice. Unless white rice is enriched, it really doesn’t offer the consumer much of anything in terms of nutrients so white rice nutrition is basically nonexistent. Interesting, the hidden  black rice aka “forbidden rice” is actually even more impressive than brown rice nutrition, but it does contain a lot more calories for the same serving.
Comparison of the different types of Rice:
In comparing a 100-gram cooking serving of each kind:
Brown rice: 111 calories, 3 grams protein, 2 grams fiber, 0.4 milligrams iron
White rice: 130 calories, 2 grams protein, 0 grams fiber, o.2 milligrams iron
Black rice: 356 calories,  8.9 grams protein, 2.2 grams fiber, 2.4 milligrams iron
All rice is naturally gluten-free, but brown and black rice as well as wild and red rice are also considered to be whole grains. These whole grain rices are naturally high in B vitamins and other nutrients. White rice, however, has to have B vitamins added into it in order to provide any white rice nutrition according to Think Rice.com.
Description: Kinds of Rices
Cooking  Brown Rice
Before one starts cooking brown rice, be sure to rinse it and remove any debris. It is also highly advisable to soak and sprout  your  before cooking it, which has been found to decreases allergens and phytic acid content while increasing the absorption of nutrients.  Soak brown rice for about 12 hours and let it sprout for no more than one to two days.
Brown rice generally needs more cooking time than white rice. It’s best to cook brown rice like pasta. Instead of following cooking instructions on rice packages, cook it by adding much more water. Scientists proved this method could reduce arsenic levels, especially inorganic arsenic, in rice by up to 40 percent. It could, however, also lower levels of some rice nutrients too according to Raab et al 2009. Researchers from the U.K. found that cooking rice in a coffee pot reduced arsenic by up to 85 percent(Emily Sohn 2005)
Description: Bag of RIce

Negative Aspect of Brown Rice
According to WebMed.com, Brown rice is considered safe for the majority of people in normal food amounts. It is advisable not to go overboard in your brown rice consumption because arsenic in rice is a valid concern. Unfortunately, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations warns that, “Rice in particular can take up more arsenic than other foods and due to its high consumption can contribute significantly to arsenic exposure.”
Consumer Reports study revealed that there were measurable amounts of arsenic in virtually every one of the 60 varieties of rice it tested. It also found that rice cereal and rice pasta can have much more inorganic arsenic so it’s important to limit rice product intake in children, especially since rice cereals are commonly fed to young children.
Since rice is one of the most popular gluten-free alternatives on the market today, this finding is definitely concerning. notwithstanding, Consumer Reports advises shoppers to choose brown rice from California, India or Pakistan because brown rice from these areas tends to have about a third less inorganic arsenic than other brown rices.  However, it is best to choose locally produce rice in Ghana.
The Food and Drug Administration has yet to set set a federal limit for arsenic in rice and rice products. According to the FDA, buying organic brown rice doesn’t equate to lower arsenic levels since arsenic is absorbed by plants regardless of growing methods. It is adviseable to opt for organic brown rice if possible or procure local rice.
It is also  possible to have a brown rice allergy. If you have any food allergy symptoms after consuming brown rice, discontinue consumption
Description: Varieties of Rice
Take home
1.     Time to develop locally made rice
2.     In moderation, brown rice can be a healthy, nutrient-rich addition to the diet.
·       It’s frustrating that brown rice contains arsenic, but thankfully there are ways to reduce arsenic in rice, like cooking rice in a lot of water.
1.     You should also try to purchase organic brown rice grown in areas that have been found to produce rice with less arsenic like California, India or Pakistan. The best is to procure locally made rice.
2.     Soaking and sprouting brown rice can get rid of unhealthy elements while increasing its nutrient availability.
3.     It’s inexpensive to buy brown rice, and it is extremely easy to use.
·       Brown rice nutrition is very impressive and offers many health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Disclaimer: As pertains to all my previous articles, they are for educational purposes and not to be use as substitute to medical advice.
Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, PhD, Is an honorary Professor of Naturopathic Medicine with research interest in Naturopathic & Holistic Urology, Vinnytsia State Pedagogical University, Ukraine. President of Nyarkotey College of Holistic Medicine- Formulated of FDA approved Men’s Formula for Prostate Health, Women’s Formula for wellness &Nyarkotey Tea for cardiovascular Health. 0241083423 or 0541234556

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What prisoners at HMP Garth will be served on Christmas Day

The festive menu caters for vegetarian, vegan and halal diets
Chantelle HeedsLive News Reporter
·       07:00, 22 DEC 2019
Description: https://s3.mirror.co.uk/emerging-products/in-your-area/logo-InYourArea-dark.svgDescription: https://i2-prod.lancs.live/incoming/article16646794.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/0_JGP_MSM_140417GVproject_03JPG.jpgHM Prison Garth in Leyland (Image: MSM)
We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see ourPrivacy Noticefor details of your data protection rights
This is a rundown of the meals prisoners at HMP Garth will be tucking into this Christmas.
Amongst other dishes, inmates can look forward to a sliced roast turkey dinner served with all the trimmings - including a chipolata sausage.
LancsLive were provided with the festive menu planned for December 25 at the Leyland prison after submitting an Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Justice.
There are a variety dishes on offer to cater for vegan, vegetarian and halal diets at HMP Garth.

Christmas breakfast

All inmates will be served Weetabix and a carton of milk.
Soya milk will be given as an alternative to those who are Vegan or lactose intolerant.
Sausage breakfast barms are also on offer for prisoners. With Halal and vegetable alternatives also available.

Christmas lunch

Traditional roast turkey with trimmings (Image: scu)
On the menu for Christmas dinner is sliced roast turkey with a chipolata sausage, stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy.
Pan fried tuna loin topped with lemon and herb butter and a vegan wellington with cranberry sauce and gravy are also on offer.
Each of the above meals is served accompanied with brussels spouts, sliced carrots, boiled potatoes and roast potatoes.
For those with halal dietary requirements, chicken breast bhuna with chick peas, basmati rice and mixed salad will be served.
Christmas dessert
For dessert, prisoners will be served Christmas pudding and vanilla sauce.
An apple, sultana and cinnamon tart will be served with soya milk vanilla sauce as a vegan alternative.

UA scientists address armyworm control in rice

   
Extension entomologists are developing a new percentage-based threshold for insect defoliation of rice that can help eliminate unnecessary applications of pesticides.
Severe defoliation in rice from a large flight of fall armyworms in 2016 led researchers with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture to develop a new defoliation threshold, Nick Bateman, assistant professor and crop entomologist, said in a news release.
It is common to see fall armyworms, a defoliating caterpillar pest, in pastures and fields, Bateman said.
Defoliation is the removal of leaves caused by insects feeding on them. It can cause both yield loss and heading delays, Bateman said.
The defoliation threshold that triggered pesticide application in 2016 was adopted from wheat in the mid-1990s and was based on the number of larvae per square foot.
After seeing the defoliation of rice that year, Bateman said, “We knew we needed to go to work.”
Researchers manually defoliated test plots of rice plants to determine at what level of defoliation and during which stage of plant growth significant yield reduction results, Bateman said.
The research determines the economic threshold — the point where a consultant or grower decides they are going to make an application of a pesticide to halt defoliation before significant yield loss occurs, Bateman said.
“What that is going to do is save that grower from the point where he is going to be impacted economically,” Bateman said. “We are also hoping to show how much defoliation rice plants can tolerate.”
If a producer is going to make an application for fall armyworms, researchers recommend spraying a lambda-cyhalothrin. But pesticide applications come at the risk of removing beneficial insects, Bateman said.
“When rice can be taken back 100 percent down to the soil or water line at those early growth stages — two to three-leaf — with no impact on yield, there is no reason for us to make those early applications,” Bateman said.
The threshold indicates whether growers need to spray, and helps eliminate unnecessary applications, Bateman said.
“From a yield loss standpoint what we see is, unless we are getting over 50 percent defoliation at the late tiller stage, we are not seeing yield loss,” Bateman said.
If the defoliation is over that threshold there can be an almost two-week delay in heading.
This delay can push producers out of their optimal heading window and lead to some quality issues as well as drag out the harvest, Bateman said.
“The delay in heading is almost more concerning than the yield loss,” Bateman said.
The new threshold recommendations have been established for conventional rice varieties, Bateman said. They are also investigating how thresholds may need to be adjusted for hybrid rice.
“We have only done one year of work on this but it looks like conventional varieties can tolerate a little more defoliation than hybrids,” Bateman said. “The yield loss in conventional varieties doesn’t seem to be as severe as in hybrid varieties, but we are doing more work to establish final thresholds for both conventional and hybrid varieties.”
They are currently working on fact sheets and will be presenting the new thresholds at grower meetings this winter, Bateman said.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow the agency on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and Instagram at ArkAgResearch.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without discrimination.
— Abbi Ross is with the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

UA scientists address armyworm control in rice

   Extension entomologists are developing a new percentage-based threshold for insect defoliation of rice that can help eliminate unnecessary applications of pesticides.
Severe defoliation in rice from a large flight of fall armyworms in 2016 led researchers with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture to develop a new defoliation threshold, Nick Bateman, assistant professor and crop entomologist, said in a news release.
It is common to see fall armyworms, a defoliating caterpillar pest, in pastures and fields, Bateman said.
Defoliation is the removal of leaves caused by insects feeding on them. It can cause both yield loss and heading delays, Bateman said.
The defoliation threshold that triggered pesticide application in 2016 was adopted from wheat in the mid-1990s and was based on the number of larvae per square foot.
After seeing the defoliation of rice that year, Bateman said, “We knew we needed to go to work.”
Researchers manually defoliated test plots of rice plants to determine at what level of defoliation and during which stage of plant growth significant yield reduction results, Bateman said.
The research determines the economic threshold — the point where a consultant or grower decides they are going to make an application of a pesticide to halt defoliation before significant yield loss occurs, Bateman said.
“What that is going to do is save that grower from the point where he is going to be impacted economically,” Bateman said. “We are also hoping to show how much defoliation rice plants can tolerate.”
If a producer is going to make an application for fall armyworms, researchers recommend spraying a lambda-cyhalothrin. But pesticide applications come at the risk of removing beneficial insects, Bateman said.
“When rice can be taken back 100 percent down to the soil or water line at those early growth stages — two to three-leaf — with no impact on yield, there is no reason for us to make those early applications,” Bateman said.
The threshold indicates whether growers need to spray, and helps eliminate unnecessary applications, Bateman said.
“From a yield loss standpoint what we see is, unless we are getting over 50 percent defoliation at the late tiller stage, we are not seeing yield loss,” Bateman said.
If the defoliation is over that threshold there can be an almost two-week delay in heading.
This delay can push producers out of their optimal heading window and lead to some quality issues as well as drag out the harvest, Bateman said.
“The delay in heading is almost more concerning than the yield loss,” Bateman said.
The new threshold recommendations have been established for conventional rice varieties, Bateman said. They are also investigating how thresholds may need to be adjusted for hybrid rice.
“We have only done one year of work on this but it looks like conventional varieties can tolerate a little more defoliation than hybrids,” Bateman said. “The yield loss in conventional varieties doesn’t seem to be as severe as in hybrid varieties, but we are doing more work to establish final thresholds for both conventional and hybrid varieties.”
They are currently working on fact sheets and will be presenting the new thresholds at grower meetings this winter, Bateman said.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow the agency on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and Instagram at ArkAgResearch.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without discrimination.
— Abbi Ross is with the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

What prisoners at HMP Garth will be served on Christmas Day

The festive menu caters for vegetarian, vegan and halal diets
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Chantelle HeedsLive News Reporter
·       07:00, 22 DEC 2019
Description: https://i2-prod.lancs.live/incoming/article16646794.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/0_JGP_MSM_140417GVproject_03JPG.jpgHM Prison Garth in Leyland (Image: MSM)
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We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see ourPrivacy Noticefor details of your data protection rights
This is a rundown of the meals prisoners at HMP Garth will be tucking into this Christmas.
Amongst other dishes, inmates can look forward to a sliced roast turkey dinner served with all the trimmings - including a chipolata sausage.
LancsLive were provided with the festive menu planned for December 25 at the Leyland prison after submitting an Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Justice.
There are a variety dishes on offer to cater for vegan, vegetarian and halal diets at HMP Garth.

Christmas breakfast

All inmates will be served Weetabix and a carton of milk.
Soya milk will be given as an alternative to those who are Vegan or lactose intolerant.
Sausage breakfast barms are also on offer for prisoners. With Halal and vegetable alternatives also available.

Christmas lunch

Description: https://i2-prod.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/incoming/article17441303.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_Traditional-Roast-Turkey-with-Trimmings.jpg
Traditional roast turkey with trimmings (Image: scu)
On the menu for Christmas dinner is sliced roast turkey with a chipolata sausage, stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy.
Pan fried tuna loin topped with lemon and herb butter and a vegan wellington with cranberry sauce and gravy are also on offer.
Each of the above meals is served accompanied with brussels spouts, sliced carrots, boiled potatoes and roast potatoes.
For those with halal dietary requirements, chicken breast bhuna with chick peas, basmati rice and mixed salad will be served.
RELATED ARTICLES

Christmas dessert

For dessert, prisoners will be served Christmas pudding and vanilla sauce.
An apple, sultana and cinnamon tart will be served with soya milk vanilla sauce as a vegan alternative.
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RRI-KSK claims to havedeveloped new Basmati variety
Rice Research Institute Kala Shah Kaku (RRI-KSK) has claimed to develop a new Basmati variety called ‘Super Basmati 2019' having over 10 per cent more per acre yield against the existing varieties and Average Grain Length (AGL) of 7.6 mm. RRI Kala Shah Kaku officials shared this with stakeholders of Rice value chain at the 14th meeting of the Rice Research & Development Board held at its facility the other day with the Board Chairman Sarfraz Ahmed Khan in the chair, sources privy to the meeting told Business Recorder here on Saturday. Director RRI-KSK Dr Muhammad Sabar while sharing various activities of the facility disclosed that two new basmati varieties – ‘Super Basmati 2019 and Basmati Gold' – developed by the institute have got approval while three spot lines are under pipeline for approval. He also shared the samples of Super Basmati 2019 with the participants for tests & trials. Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) Chairman Shahjahan Malik shared the international rice trade statistics with the participants of the meeting. He said that the rice export is showing upward trend during last two years and informed the meeting that basmati export quantity wise registered 28 per cent increase during the year 2018-19 as compared to corresponding period and hoped that it will go further up in the current year. The agenda of the meeting was to discuss the current scenario of rice crop and Director Rice RRI-KSK Muhammad Sabar informed the house that according to the Crop Reporting data, area under rice cultivation was even higher than the projected target. Area under rice in 2019-20 remained 5,014 thousand acres, which is about 9 per cent higher than the set target of 4,618 thousand acres. He further briefed the house that rice crop particularly in Sindh and Southern Punjab is affected due to the climate change and increase in day/ night temperature at flowering stage this year, which caused sterility/low grain formation in rice. He also disclosed that research and development activities regarding heat stress resilient varieties development is already in the progress. However, he said that high temperature affect spikelet fertility at the time of anthesis which also deteriorates quality of the grain. To combat this issue, farmers are advised to follow variety specific sowing time and avoid early sowing, because it has been observed in early sown varieties which flower before 20th September show more sterility due to higher temperature than timely shown varieties. The meeting also discussed stubble management of rice crop through mechanization i.e., rice harvester, paddy straw chopper and happy seeder. While Seed Association of Pakistan (SAP) representative

shared that aflatoxin issue arises when crop is harvested with combine harvester and moisture level is also high. The meeting noticed that no serious threat and issues were pointed out this year as far as pest and disease situation of rice crop is concerned.

Customs Tasks Exporters On Minimum Standard To Stem Rejection
Description: https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fbabe890e7fe36071c9cd5490960c440?s=90&d=blank&r=gBy Shulammite 'FoyekuDec 23, 2019
Description: Apapa Customs generates N170.4bn in 5 months
Comptroller Mohammed Abba-Kura

Controller, Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller Muhammed Abba-Kura, has appealed to exporters using the Apapa port to always ensure that minimum international standards are met before exporting their consignment to avoid the recurrent incidences of returning consignments after export.
Speaking at a media briefing last weekend on the activities of the command so far this year, Abba- Kura said Nigeria’s agricultural produce has suffered in the last few years from rejection in the international markets due to poor adherence to standards and maintenance of required quality.
He said some containers of agricultural produce meant for export were recently rejected from the Apapa port.
He, however, noted that some exporters have been compliant on export declaration, as the command recorded a total volume of 262,095.09 metric tons of exported goods with Free on Board (FOB) value of $132.76 million within the review period.
On revenue performance, he said the command generated N414 billion from January to December 19th 2019 as against N404 billion generated between January and December 2018, which translates to about 111 per cent of its 2019 annual revenue target.
He said the command had the highest revenue figure of N42.73 billion in October.
The high revenue collection, according to him, is part of the gains recorded as a result of the nation’s land border closure to import and export as shippers now import cargoes through the seaports.
He said the border closure policy has reduced incidences of smuggling through the land border and increased legitimate imports through the seaports.
On anti-smuggling, he said within the period under review, the command seized a total of 112 containers of various items that flouted import procedures with a Duty Paid Value of N12.8 billion.
Among the seized items are containers of empty sacks of rice falsely declared as cotton waste and pharmaceutical products, which include tramadol that were imported without necessary approval from regulatory agencies.
Other items include 18 containers of tomato paste, vegetable oil, ladies and girls fashion wears, three containers of expired rice, alcoholic drinks, armoured glasses without End User Certificate (EUC) and drilling pipes labelled in foreign language, among others.
“The empty sacks of rice were imported from Thailand and they were meant for re-bagging of local or expired foreign rice to deceive members of the public. The importer of these empty sacks of rice is an unpatriotic Nigeria because we have local industries that produce this kind of bags, so why should he even bring them in?
“It is pertinent to emphasise here that virtually all these seized items are in gross violation of our extant laws and import guidelines. The duty paid value for these seizures stood at N12.8 billion,” he said.
The Customs boss also appealed to importers of pharmaceutical products to respect and comply with the country’s guidelines on importation to rid the nation of counterfeited and prohibited medicaments.
Typhoon, imports take toll on PH palay yield
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Updated December 23, 2019, 11:02 AM
By Madelaine B. Miraflor
Typhoon “Tisoy,” the strongest storm to hit the country this year, and some farmers’ decision to abandon rice farming amid declining palay prices are taking a toll on the country’s year-end palay output.
An overall outlook by the United States of Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) showed a higher rice importation for the Philippines this year.
In addition, the USDA’s Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report prepared by US Embassy’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) here specified that the outlook for the country’s rice production has been “revised downward due to damages from Typhoon Kammuri,” locally known as Typhoon Tisoy.
“Rice imports during the year, on the other hand, will increase 200,000 metric tons (MT) as a result of lower production, enhanced by some shifting away from rice cultivation due to low paddy prices,” the GAIN report said.
Typhoon Kammuri caused an estimated ₱3.7 billion in damage to the Philippines’ farm sector when it passed through seven regions earlier this month.
Tisoy particularly wiped out as much as 195,046 MT of farm output, mainly rice, and had left 132,166 hectares of farm land in Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Ilocos Region, Eastern Visayas destroyed.
The GAIN report estimated that for rice alone, Typhoon Kammuri destroyed 105,000 MT of paddies in 78,000 hectares of rice farms.
For the entire 2019, the Department of Agriculture (DA) expects total paddy output to reach 18.48 million MT, 3 percent lower than last year’s 19.06 million MT output.
“The downward revisions are steeper as a result of the continued decline in paddy prices, which will force some farmers to shift away from rice cultivation in MY [Market Year] 2019/2020. According to a rice miller, farmers will wait for one or two more rice crops before deciding to shift to other crops or pursue another livelihood,” the report said.
From July to September 2019, the average farmgate price of palay was ₱16.11 per kilo (/kg), 27 percent lower than the ₱21.92/kg average price during the same period in 2018.
For the month of September alone, paddy rice prices were at ₱14.76/kg, down 9 percent from ₱16.2 per kilo the previous month, and 16 percent lower than ₱17.5/kg in March when the Rice Tarrification Law (RTL) was implemented.
“Paddy prices are expected to remain subdued as the main harvest is underway,” the GAIN report further said.
It then said that “mainly due to the expected decline in local rice production, rice imports were raised 200,000 MT to 2.9 million MT in MY 2019/2020.”
To recall, the Philippines had recently beaten China and is now the world’s biggest rice importer.
As part of the measures to ease farmers’ suffering from the impact of RTL, which allowed unlimited rice importation in the country, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the government will be providing ₱5,000 one-time cash assistance to some rice farmers.
The distribution will start today (Monday), Dar said.

A smartphone photo can spot fake rice at your grocery store
December 22, 2019 6:19 pm
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LONDON: Next time you go to the neighbourhood grocery store, take your smartphone as a photo taken from your phone can detect whether the rice you are paying for is genuine and of high-quality or not.
A simple photograph taken with a mobile phone is able to detect irregularities in the labelling of rice, according to an investigation conducted by the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and the Scintillon Institute of San Diego (USA).
The scientists develop an algorithm based on deep learning — a field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) — that is able to determine whether that rice is really the one described with the images taken with the smartphone.
“What we contribute compared to other detection methods is simplicity and we show the consumer that you do not need large sums of money to verify whether a certain type of rice is the one mentioned on the label,” said Jose Santiago Torrecilla, Professor and researcher from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials at the UCM.
To carry out the study, the researchers used five types of rice that were ground “in order to distinguish the type of rice not only when it is in grain form but also when it is ground into flour”.
With all this information, algorithms based on neural networks were designed and optimized to process the information contained in the images for classification based on the type of rice, obtaining final precision models between 93 per cent and 99 per cent.
“It should be noted that rice is just one example of cereal and, therefore, this technology could be extrapolated to other types of cereals or food,” said the UCM chemist, leaving the door open for future applications in the food industry. (IANS)
Tell It to SunStar: ‘Golden rice’ is irresponsible
December 22, 2019
By Greenpeace Southeast Asia-Philippines

WE DENOUNCE the Bureau of Plant Industry’s (BPI) rubber stamp approval of genetically modified “golden rice” (GR) and called on the government agency to immediately reverse the faulty decision, which the environment group maintains is based on insufficient data.

The BPI’s approval of so-called “golden rice” is extremely irresponsible and completely misguided. We condemn the BPI’s systematic disregard of the precautionary principle and of robust data that clearly show that the safety assessments submitted by GR proponents are flawed. Rice is the Philippines’ primary staple; this is a foolish decision that will have far-reaching negative impacts on food and agriculture in the country.

Together with other environmental, farmer, consumer and scientist groups, we contend that the approval is invalid. Aside from the lack of transparency and adequate public participation that hounded the approval process, scientists contest that the submissions by GR proponents did not provide sufficient and convincing data on the safety of GR for human consumption and for the environment. However, despite these clear shortcomings and numerous responses from concerned citizens’ groups that disputed the incomplete data in the application, the BPI approved GR for release as food, feed and for processing on Dec. 10.

The approval process also failed to take into account the potential socio-economic impacts to farmers and indigenous peoples, as well as to local culture, ethics and risks to social cohesion. Filipino rice farmers are already reeling from a series of crop failures due to typhoons and droughts, as well as the impacts of the Rice Tarification Law, which has seen local rice prices plummet against the influx of imports. Yet, the assessment did not cover what the impact of GR will be on further loss of markets for farmers due to crop contamination from genetically modified species. Farmers, indigenous peoples, religious groups, youth, mothers and consumers have been opposing GR because of impacts on cultural and socio-economic stability, but these concerns were not put on the table.

The approval process for genetically modified organisms in the Philippines should provide standards for safety and security of our citizens and the food we grow and consume. But instead, the process discounts a lot of potential threats and is geared towards approval instead of safety.

Genetically modified “golden rice” neither addresses hunger nor malnutrition. At a time of climate emergency, the solution is resilient food and farm systems--diverse grains, fruits and vegetables for diverse diets and for food and nutrition security. Governments and philanthropists should be promoting programs that empower people to have access to and grow diverse fruit and vegetables, instead of listening to a few giant biotech corporations pushing unproven expensive techno-fixes and experimenting on the lives and livelihood of farmers, mothers and children.


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Customs raid Mubi market for foreign rice

 December 23, 2019
Customs officials
Hindi Livinus, Yola
Officers and men of the Adamawa/Taraba Command of the Nigeria Customs Service on Friday raided Mubi town market for foreign rice and other contraband.
The raid, led by the Comptroller, Kamardeen Olumoh, resulted in the seizure of many bags of foreign rice and the arrest of three suspects.
The customs personnel, with reinforcement from the police, stormed the commercial border town main market around 11am and raided many shops and stores.
Speaking on the development, the Comptroller said the raid was in compliance with a directive from the Comptroller-General of the service in Abuja.
He said, “The menace of smuggling around this axis has been alarming for quite some time. The Comptroller-General of Customs ordered that the operations be carried out, that Mubi market must be mopped up of all smuggled items, especially foreign rice.
Olumoh said, “Today, we are in the market and we are able to evacuate large quantity of rice and this is a clear signal to smugglers.
“We are backed by the law. Section 147 of Customs and Excise Management Act has given us the power to enter or search premises day or night, to break and enter, make arrest; in fact, without warrant and that is exactly what we did today.”
There was, however, mixed reactions over the raid in Mubi.
Most traders spoken to after the raid condemned the action of the customs, as they counted their losses.

Navy arrests 24 persons with 1,831 bags of smuggled rice in Akwa Ibom
By Inemesit Akpan-Nsoh, Uyo
23 December 2019   |   3:39 am
The Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating Base (FOB), Ibaka, Mbo Council Area of Akwa Ibom State has said it arrested 24 persons and seized 1,831 bags of smuggled rice from them.
Commanding Officer of FOB, Captain Peter Yilme, disclosed this at the weekend in Ibaka, while handing over the suspects, saying they used five wooden boats in smuggling the 50kg bags of rice from Cameroon.
He said the Naval officers and men made the arrests in four different operations during routine patrol in their gunboats.
Yilme explained that on November 27, 2019 four suspects were arrested with 294 bags of rice in a boat and on December 5, 2019, eight suspects were arrested in a boat with 87 bags of rice.
He added that between December 7 and 11, 2019 seven suspects were arrested in two boats with 1,270 bags of rice, while eight suspects were arrested in a boat with 172 bags.
While handing over the suspects and items to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Yilme, who was represented by the Base Operations Officer, Lieutenant Commander Kabiru Yusuf, said the command would remain steadfast in fighting illegalities on the waterways in line with directive of the Chief of Naval Staff.
“On behalf of the Commanding Officer, I Captain Peter Yilme, handed over 1,831 bags of rice and 24 suspects to the Superintendent of Customs, Dawuda A. Garuba,” he said.
Receiving the 24 suspects and the items from the Nigerian Navy, Garuba said, “On behalf of the border drill team, I, Dawuda A. Garba do hereby take over as stipulated in the handover notes.”
Two of the suspects who were drivers of the boats said they were not told that they were to carry rice from Cameroon to Nigeria.
One of the suspects, Etim Edet, a boat worker from Adadia in Uruan Council Area of Akwa Ibom State, said he was told that he would bring in fish from Cameroon.
Edet explained that he only realised he would be carrying rice at the point they were being loaded into the boat as against fish as he was earlier told.
“I am a boat driver and I didn’t know that bringing in rice from Cameroon was wrong. This is my first time. I ply my trade in Esio, Adadia.
“I was told that I will be carrying fish but when I went, I saw them loading rice into the boat. Since I am not the owner of the boat, I didn’t know that they planned to carry rice with it. The owner of the boat knows that I have been arrested,” he said.
Another suspect, Felicity Omojoakinjere said, “I was arrested because I went to Cameroon to carry rice, but the rice is not mine. I am a boat worker and I have not carried rice before. I use to carry provisions. It was not until the rice was loaded into the boat that I knew I was to carry rice.”

Low quality drives export paddy price down
Description: https://elevenmyanmar.com/sites/news-eleven.com/files/styles/news_detail_image/public/news-images/80264333_2469833526447193_7667846783321505792_o_0.jpg?itok=Y5QkfgsV
PUBLISHED 23 DECEMBER 2019
 Export paddy fetched a poor price this year as the quality of newly harvested paddy is low, said Lu Maw Myint Maung, General Secretary of Myanmar Rice Federation. 
On the morning of December 19, the MRF held the formation of a regional committee in Pyay, Bago Region. The ceremony was attended by farmers, rice millers and traders from six Pyay districts. 
“Farmers did not get sufficient water for paddy growing. This year, the quality of paddy is a bit low due to the difficulty in the availability of paddy seeds. As the quality of paddy seeds is low, we cannot get high-quality paddy even if we use the advanced rice grinding machines. That’s why paddy doesn’t get a good price. The farmers are in the cycle,” he added. 
The formation of the regional committee by the MRF aims to solve other difficulties in addition to the current problems, said officials of the MRF. 
“The MRF is seeking the best ways to solve this problem. Farmers need to immediately inform our regional committee and township committee about the difficulties in the availability of paddy strains, water supply, and other difficulties. We will make cooperate with relevant regional governments if we are unable to solve the problem at the township level. If it is not ok, we have to report it to the Union government as a next step. We aim to solve it swiftly and effectively,” he continued. 
Farmers staged protests this year as they did not get the floor price fixed for the monsoon paddy. Farmers experienced losses due to the low paddy harvest.  

No negative impact on banking sector - Cabraal
Monday, December 23, 2019 - 01:00
Description: http://www.dailynews.lk/sites/default/files/news/2019/12/22/FIN-pi-No.jpg
The Government decision to suspend recovery of loans obtained by the SME sector, not exceeding Rs 300 million for each entity through a directive to revive SMEs in the country, would not have a negative impact for the banking sector, Senior Advisor on Economic Affairs to the Prime Minister, Ajith Nivard Cabraal said.
He said that Banks will freeze the capital for one year while the interest component would still be paid. “Hence there would not be any negative impact or additional financial pressure for the banks who were lenders.”
The Government has also directed the Banks to resort to this plan as they will benefit with the exemption of a whole package of tax exemptions which the Banks are now not required to pay to the Government as well. This in turn, should be a huge saving for the banks too.
On December 20, the Government suspended recovery of loans obtained by the SME sector, not exceeding Rs 300 million for each entity through a directive to revive SMEs in the country. “The recently announced tax reform initiatives provide substantial savings to all banks including the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The Government expects the banks to use part of such savings to revive the SME sector on a priority basis. This concessionary action will be followed by a comprehensive package coupled with already announced tax concessions designed by the Ministry of Finance, economy and Policy development and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka which will support both the lender and the borrowers especially the SME sector” the Treasury said.
The exemption of the capital repayment plans SME defaulters will also enable them to maintain their capital bases for expansion and recovery plans as well, they said.
Now with the announcement of this new package, the SME entrepreneurs will not have to divest their mortgage assets to the banks as would have otherwise happened.
This proposal comes in the wake of the Government making a valiant effort of its desire to revamp the SME sector which constitutes the backbone of the economy.
Particular focus has been laid on the rice millers as well as they are running into operational hazards during the 2019/2020 Maha season as well

UA scientists address armyworm control in rice
By Abbi Ross Special to The Commercial
Posted Dec 21, 2019 at 11:23 AMUpdated Dec 21, 2019 at 11:33 AM
   
Extension entomologists are developing a new percentage-based threshold for insect defoliation of rice that can help eliminate unnecessary applications of pesticides.
Severe defoliation in rice from a large flight of fall armyworms in 2016 led researchers with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture to develop a new defoliation threshold, Nick Bateman, assistant professor and crop entomologist, said in a news release.
It is common to see fall armyworms, a defoliating caterpillar pest, in pastures and fields, Bateman said.
Defoliation is the removal of leaves caused by insects feeding on them. It can cause both yield loss and heading delays, Bateman said.
The defoliation threshold that triggered pesticide application in 2016 was adopted from wheat in the mid-1990s and was based on the number of larvae per square foot.
After seeing the defoliation of rice that year, Bateman said, “We knew we needed to go to work.”
Researchers manually defoliated test plots of rice plants to determine at what level of defoliation and during which stage of plant growth significant yield reduction results, Bateman said.
The research determines the economic threshold — the point where a consultant or grower decides they are going to make an application of a pesticide to halt defoliation before significant yield loss occurs, Bateman said.
“What that is going to do is save that grower from the point where he is going to be impacted economically,” Bateman said. “We are also hoping to show how much defoliation rice plants can tolerate.”
If a producer is going to make an application for fall armyworms, researchers recommend spraying a lambda-cyhalothrin. But pesticide applications come at the risk of removing beneficial insects, Bateman said.
“When rice can be taken back 100 percent down to the soil or water line at those early growth stages — two to three-leaf — with no impact on yield, there is no reason for us to make those early applications,” Bateman said.
The threshold indicates whether growers need to spray, and helps eliminate unnecessary applications, Bateman said.
“From a yield loss standpoint what we see is, unless we are getting over 50 percent defoliation at the late tiller stage, we are not seeing yield loss,” Bateman said.
If the defoliation is over that threshold there can be an almost two-week delay in heading.
This delay can push producers out of their optimal heading window and lead to some quality issues as well as drag out the harvest, Bateman said.
“The delay in heading is almost more concerning than the yield loss,” Bateman said.
The new threshold recommendations have been established for conventional rice varieties, Bateman said. They are also investigating how thresholds may need to be adjusted for hybrid rice.
“We have only done one year of work on this but it looks like conventional varieties can tolerate a little more defoliation than hybrids,” Bateman said. “The yield loss in conventional varieties doesn’t seem to be as severe as in hybrid varieties, but we are doing more work to establish final thresholds for both conventional and hybrid varieties.”
They are currently working on fact sheets and will be presenting the new thresholds at grower meetings this winter, Bateman said.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow the agency on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and Instagram at ArkAgResearch.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without discrimination.

Smartphone pictures to be able to detect rice quality
IANS

London: Next time you go to the neighbourhood grocery store, take your smartphone as a photo taken from your phone can detect whether the rice you are paying for is genuine and of high-quality or not.
A simple photograph taken with a mobile phone is able to detect irregularities in the labelling of rice, according to an investigation conducted by the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and the Scintillon Institute of San Diego (USA).
The scientists develop an algorithm based on deep learning – a field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) — that is able to determine whether that rice is really the one described with the images taken with the smartphone.
“What we contribute compared to other detection methods is simplicity and we show the consumer that you do not need large sums of money to verify whether a certain type of rice is the one mentioned on the label,” said Jose Santiago Torrecilla, Professor and researcher from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials at the UCM.
To carry out the study, the researchers used five types of rice that were ground “in order to distinguish the type of rice not only when it is in grain form but also when it is ground into flour”.
With all this information, algorithms based on neural networks were designed and optimized to process the information contained in the images for classification based on the type of rice, obtaining final precision models between 93 per cent and 99 per cent.
“It should be noted that rice is just one example of cereal and, therefore, this technology could be extrapolated to other types of cereals or food,” said the UCM chemist, leaving the door open for future applications in the food industry.
(IANS)

Small businesses to get money, mentoring, and more to help India’s hinterland go green and clean

By: FE Online | 
Published: December 23, 2019 3:11:05 PM

Credit and Finance for MSMEs: Villgro Innovation Foundation and Council on Energy, Environment and Water will be supporting at least five small enterprises deploying livelihood appliances powered by clean energy in rural areas.

Description: The National Agriculture Policy (2000) has also advocated encouraging farm forestry, block forest, village wood lots and others, but the current share of agroforestry system stands at 3.39% of the geographical area. (Illustration: rohnit phore)

‘Climate resilience’ is turning into a major sustainability problem for SMEs and small enterprises in rural industries. (Illustration: rohnit phore)
Credit and Finance for MSMEs: Villgro Innovation Foundation, which is among the earliest incubators for businesses focusing on social sectors, and research institution Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) will be supporting at least five small enterprises deploying livelihood appliances powered by clean energy. Businesses would be offered funding along with technical and sectoral support to help them with large-scale commercial operations in the coming three years. The support initiative is named Powering Livelihoods to work in rural areas and bolster them with clean energy products.
“India alone has more than $50 billion worth of market for clean energy solutions for rural livelihoods,” said Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, CEEW. Over 4 million rural micro-businesses in the recent past have said unavailability of the reliable power supply is the top challenge for them, said a statement by Villgro and CEEW. Thus, helping such enterprises with electricity not just creates new livelihood opportunities but also improves productivity, product value, and incomes. ‘Climate resilience’ is turning into a major sustainability problem for SMEs and small enterprises in rural industries. Fluctuations in energy cost, extreme weather conditions etc impact business of these enterprises, the statement added citing a recent Yes Bank report.
The programme by Villgro and CEEW will be “highly significant in terms of capital, capacity building, and ecosystem support to help local enterprises in this domain survive and thrive while escaping the ‘commercial valley of death’,” Ghosh added. The programme will provide a grant of up to $250,000 to each enterprise for the commercial deployment of their product. Also based on the need, businesses will be given support services up to $100,000 via strategic tie-ups including mentoring, financial planning, compliance assistance, legal issues etc.
The core products in focus would be businesses deploying appliances such as clean energy-powered and/or energy-efficient cold storage, commercial food processors, juicers, dryers, milk chillers, flour mills, milking machines, rice hullers, and oil expellers, solar charkhas, sewing machines, paddle loom, jute machinery, and silk reelers. The applications for the programme are open until January 5, 2020.
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