10th May,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Traditional rice shows good promise

 

BY CONRAD M. CARIÑO

MAY 09, 2019

TRADITIONAL RICE SHOWS GOOD PROMISE

A project being undertaken by the Ilocos Norte Research and Experiment Center (Inrec), hosted by the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Ilocos Region office, showed a number of traditional rice varieties have a better nutritional profile than modern varieties and respectable yields.

Funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research, the project “Collection, Characterization, and Seed Multiplication of Traditional Rice Varieties in Region 1” aims to collect, characterize and evaluate traditional varieties to mass produce them so quality seeds can be provided to stakeholders such as rice growers and scientists.

“Studies showed that traditional rice varieties contain less fat versuss hybrid rice, making them an excellent source of minerals and vitamins such as niacin, thiamine, iron, riboflavin, vitamin D. It is also known to possess high amounts of fiber and lesser sugar,” DA-Ilocos Region said in a statement.

Photo shows a farm planted to a traditional rice variety in the Ilocos Region, where a project to identify varieties that can provide good yields and better nutrition in currently being undertaken. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

It added that traditional rice varieties carried exceptional characteristics like resistance to pests and diseases, and high-yielding capabilities. There are also traditional ride varieties that building blocks to develop new varieties through genetic engineering.

Project leader and Inrec Center chief Wilma Ibea said that the conservation and profiling of traditional varieties also reinforced genetic improvement, leading to the development of new and better varieties.

Under the project, 71 traditional rice varieties were collected from different municipalities of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan, and planted in the experimental farm at Inrec in Batac, Ilocos Norte, during the wet season of cropping years from 2014 to 2017.

Growth cycle traits, vegetative properties and reproductive traits before and after harvest were the primary data gathered during characterization following the “Descriptors for Wild and Cultivated Rice” by Bioversity International, International Rice Research Institute, and The Africa Rice Center.

However, out of the 71 varieties, only 53 survived and were categorized because some did not adapt locally. Some were prone to the rice blast disease.

Promising varieties

The isik pugot came out to be the most promising traditional rice variety, producing the most number of productive tillers resulting in a yield of 4.3 tons per hectare.

Ibea said isik pugot could be recommended to farmers, especially those in rainfed and lowland areas.

Other promising traditional varieties include kamurus, gal-ong, makandaras and black rice, which are all drought-tolerant and need lesser amount of fertilizers. They also provide good eating qualities and nutritional content.

To date, there are nine farmers and 12 local government units who have adopted and are continuously planting traditional rice varieties that came out of the project. Each farmer-participant was given 40 kilograms of seeds while 350 kilograms were provided to LGUs.

https://www.manilatimes.net/traditional-rice-shows-good-promise/551697/

Mekong Delta prepares for summer-autumn rice crop

HCM CITY – Authorities in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta have warned farmers to sow the Summer-Autumn rice crop on schedule to ensure water for irrigation and avoid diseases. In areas where there is a water shortage, rice farmers have been encouraged to switch to grow drought-resistant crops. With assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s plant cultivation department, the southern region is scheduled to sow the rice between April and June. The delta, the country’s rice granary, plans to grow a total of 1.6 million hectares of rice. Of the figure, farmers have sowed nearly 857,000ha so far, according to the Southern Plant Protection Centre. 

image: http://image.vietnamnews.vn/uploadvnnews/Article/2019/5/8/9440_02-Thuyloi1.jpg

A sluice gate to keep out saltwater in the Mekong Delta province of Hậu Giang – VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Thái

The delta suffers from saltwater intrusion in coastal areas and a shortage of water in many other areas since it is the fag end of the dry season. The delta’s provinces and Cần Thơ City have taken measures to combat the drought and saltwater intrusion.    In Trà Vinh Province, the Irrigation Work Exploitation and Management One Member Limited Company has been closing sluice gates to prevent saltwater intrusion when the salinity rate is high and opening them to let freshwater into channels in rice fields since the beginning of the crop. Đỗ Trưng, director of the company, said drought and saltwater intrusion have damaged the crop in recent years. This year the province upgraded irrigation works in rice farming areas by March to ensure irrigation canals have a water level of 60 – 180 cm to provide sufficient water for rice cultivation. Trần Văn Hồng, who grows rice in Tân An Commune in Trà Vinh’s Càng Long District, said unlike previous years water is abundant this year in irrigation canals in rice farming areas. Farmers did not lack water early last month when they began sowing the crop according to schedule, he said. In Trà Vinh, farmers were instructed to sow between April 15 and 30 in areas with freshwater, between May 5 and 25 in saltwater intrusion-prone areas and between June 5 and 10 in other areas. They have so far sowed more than 30,000ha of the province’s 77,000ha. The crop is developing well because there is enough irrigation water, according to the province’s Plant Protection and Cultivation Sub-department. In Bạc Liêu Province, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is working with people’s committees in districts and towns and Bạc Liêu city to dredge irrigation canals and ditches in rice fields. It has asked localities to regularly inspect sluice gates and dams to ensure enough water is available for agriculture. If Bạc Liêu faces a water shortage, it will ask the neighbouring province of Sóc Trăng to open some sluice gates and release freshwater, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Bạc Liêu has encouraged farmers to pump freshwater into ditches and ponds to store for irrigation and invest in pumps. – VNS

Read more at http://vietnamnews.vn/society/519584/mekong-delta-prepares-for-summer-autumn-rice-crop.html#lmqaRlch4vpLFslX.99

Will the food of the future be genetically engineered or organic? How about both?

Feeding the planet — now and tomorrow — is no small task. Plant biologist Pamela Ronald says sustainability means using every tool in the toolbox.

By Rachel Ehrenberg 05.09.2019

Plant biologist Pamela Ronald is concerned with the pressing problem of feeding the world without destroying it. The question of how to grow enough food for an expanding global population has grown more urgent in the face of climate change. And it’s only made harder, she says, by the push-back against the use of the genetic tools now at scientists’ disposal.

Ronald’s views have emerged from nearly 30 years of research on how plants resist disease and tolerate stress, work that is ongoing in her lab at the University of California, Davis. Much of that work has focused on rice, a staple crop that feeds nearly half the globe. While she’s an outspoken advocate for using genetic engineering to modify crops — her TED Talk The Case for Engineering Our Foodhas been translated into 26 languages and watched more than 1.7 million times — she’s also married to an organic farmer, Raoul Adamchak. Together, they wrote the book Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food , exploring how the best of both approaches might be needed for long-term sustainability.

CREDIT: JAMES PROVOST (CC BY-ND)

Plant biologist Pamela Ronald

University of California, Davis

We spoke with Ronald about her research and her views on genetic modification and its place in the sustainable agriculture toolbox. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

How do genetically modified crops fit into the sustainable agriculture landscape?

Sustainable agriculture has three pillars: social, economic and environmental. It creates food that’s nutritious, it allows farmers to reduce the amount of land and water they use, to foster soil fertility and genetic diversity, and to reduce toxic inputs. And it enhances food security for the very poorest farmers and families in the world. So, for example, if you can breed resistance into a plant, whether through conventional or genetic engineering, and that means you can reduce the amount of sprayed chemicals you use, that’s part of sustainable agriculture.

Any type of agriculture is pretty challenging. Most farmers are trying to move their farm toward more sustainable approaches. Unfortunately, there’s no magic bullet because farmers in different regions of the world face different challenges, grow different crops and have different markets.

The book you and your husband cowrote is titled Tomorrow’s Table. What does tomorrow’s table look like to you?

In the book, we describe what’s on our table and explain how the foods were developed — the kinds of genetic techniques and organic farming techniques used to produce that food. We try to give the reader an idea of what geneticists do and what organic farmers do. We have a number of recipes.

But the book isn’t about nutrition, it’s about: How do we produce and provide that nutritious food with minimal environmental impacts? How do we ensure that farmers and rural communities can afford the food? How do we address this critical challenge of our time: to produce sufficient, nourishing food without further devastating the environment? There are a lot of issues, a lot of people on the globe right now, and even more in the future. They all need to eat.

Sticky “mutant” rice, included in this recipe from the book Pamela Ronald and her husband wrote, came into being more than a thousand years ago. The stickiness arose thanks to a spontaneous genetic mutation that disrupted the gene for making the starch amylose, which helps make non-sticky rice fluffy. The recipe juxtaposes that ancient genetic modification with a more modern one: genetically engineered papaya, which farmers began planting in the late 1990s after papaya ringspot virus decimated orchards.

Does your husband have a different view of the future of food?

It’s a shared view. We both think people should focus on the challenges and not get distracted by the concept of genes in our food. We really want to use all the tools that are available and use scientific-based farming practices, such as those that minimize pests and disease. There are many organic farming practices that are very useful, such as crop rotation.

It’s the combination of farming strategies and genetic strategies that are going to continue to be quite important for producing our food and moving forward to a sustainable farming future. Farming is destructive. But, as my husband says, we farm because we have to eat. Some people say, well, let’s change our diets, or reduce waste. Those are both important, but we still need technological change. All these aspects are even more critical as the population continues to grow.

A lot of your research has focused on rice, a hugely important staple crop. Did you always want to work on rice?

I was working on peppers and tomatoes as a graduate student at UC Berkeley and as I was making the transition to a postdoc, I thought, what do I want to do, because this may last my whole career. And I decided to work on rice because it feeds half the world’s people. It’s also a very good genetic system; it’s easy to do genetic analysis of rice. So I thought if we can make any kind of incremental advance we could potentially help millions of people.

One of those advances has been the development of flood-resistant rice. I’ve seen so many photos of rice paddies flooded with water, doesn’t rice tolerate flooding?

The rice plants that many of us are familiar with grow well in standing water. But most rice plants will die if they are completely submerged for more than three days. When the leaves are submerged, they can’t carry out photosynthesis. My UC Davis colleague David Mackill was working with this ancient variety of rice, discovered at the International Rice Research Institute, that could be completely submerged in water for two weeks, and then can start to grow again when the water is removed. So this was very, very exciting.

Breeders then tried to use conventional breeding to introduce this trait from the ancient variety into varieties grown by farmers. But when you cross-pollinate with another variety, even though it has a nice trait, you can bring a lot of other traits you don’t want. So, the result from conventional breeding were rice varieties that were rejected by farmers because they had traits that the farmers did not want such as reduced yield, or a change in the texture of the rice grain.

How did you tackle the problem?

First, we carried out the initial work of isolating the flood-tolerance gene, called Sub1a, from the ancient variety. Then we introduced the gene into a model rice plant using genetic engineering. We then grew up those plants and submerged them, in large tanks in our greenhouses for two weeks.

The plants that carried the Sub1a gene were very robust; you could see the difference right away. Plants without Sub1a turned yellow, had very long leaves and soon died. This is because when the leaves try to grow out of the water, they deplete their chlorophyll content and energy reserves. But the plants that carry the Sub1a gene just stay kind of metabolically inert — they don’t grow very fast, they just kind of wait out the flood. And when the flood’s gone, they start to regrow. The Sub1 plants remained green and healthy, indicating we had indeed isolated the correct gene.

Is Sub1 rice now being grown by farmers?

Yes. As I described we used genetic engineering tools to isolate and validate the submergence-tolerance gene in the greenhouse. That genetic knowledge was then used to develop a flood-tolerant variety through a different approach called marker-assisted breeding. That work was done by the International Rice Research Institute. The ancient, flood-tolerant variety was cross-pollinated with a modern variety that farmers like because of its flavor and high yields. Seeds derived from those hybrids were planted, and tested for the preferred genetic fingerprint that included Sub1a but did not carry genes from the ancient variety that affected traits important to the farmers.

Rice bred to contain the Sub1a gene can survive even when completely submerged for 17 days. This flood-tolerant rice yielded 3.8 tons per hectare (pile on left), compared with 1.4 tons per hectare for the same variety lacking the flood-tolerant gene (pile on right).

CREDIT: INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (IRRI)

Marker-assisted breeding is very focused, you don’t drag in genes that you don’t want, you can just drag in a very small region of a chromosome. And because the genetic fingerprint can be determined at the seedling stage, it saves a lot of time and labor that would normally be spent on submerging hundreds of plants.

Farmers have now been growing Sub1 varieties for several years. In 2017, more than 5 million farmers grew it. Sub1 rice is disproportionately benefiting the poorest farmers in the world, who often have the most flood-prone land. Compared with conventional rice varieties, farmers growing Sub1 rice are able to harvest three- to fivefold more grain after floods. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that flooding will become more frequent and last longer as the climate changes.

These various breeding approaches underscore the difficulty in defining “genetically modified” crops. How do you define them?

The term “genetically modified” is scientifically meaningless, and so it’s not useful. The FDA does not use the term.

With Sub1 rice, for example, scientists can introduce the Sub1a gene with either genetic engineering or marker-assisted breeding. In each of these cases, the genetic region that’s introduced is smaller than the huge number of genes that you bring in with conventional breeding, in which you are mixing two genomes together.

Grafting is another kind of conventional breeding that mixes two genomes. There are a lot of grafted varieties on farms in California. The walnuts harvested in California are actually a graft of two different species where the rootstock is a different species than the top part of the plant. Then there are foods that we eat that have been developed through radiation and chemical mutagenesis, like grapefruit. Those approaches create many random uncharacterized changes in the genome and are not regulated. They can also be sold as “certified organic.”

What do you think most consumers mean when they say genetically modified organism or GMO?

I think some consumers are concerned only about plants engineered to contain genes from another species, like the bacterial Bt gene. It sounds a little strange to put bacterial genes into a plant, but it is important to consider the risks versus the benefits. Organic farmers spray Bt to prevent insect damage to their crops. It is safe to use. But spraying Bt is not always effective. In Bangladesh, for example, there is an insect that can destroy an entire eggplant crop and spraying doesn’t keep the insect from getting into the plant. And the Bt sprays are expensive and difficult to get. So Bangladeshi and Cornell scientists engineered eggplants with the bacterial gene so that the plants produce the Bt organic insecticide in the crop. And it’s been tremendously successful over the last five years, allowing farmers to reduce their insecticide sprays dramatically.

Among the challenges to feeding the world’s growing population is crops lost to disease. Developing rice strains that can resist infection by the extremely destructive rice blast fungus (spores shown) is an active area of research.

CREDIT: DONALD GROTH, USDA FOREST SERVICE

One reason that the FDA and many scientists don’t find the term “GMO” useful is because it means different things to different people. You can’t really compare an eggplant engineered for farmers in Bangladesh that has allowed them to reduce insecticide use to, say, the “Golden Rice” plants engineered to have higher amounts of provitamin A to help save the lives of children in developing countries, or herbicide-tolerant canola grown in developed countries. These are different traits, different crops, and different people benefit.

Why do you think there is so much distrust of modern genetic approaches?

I think part of the issue is that less than 2 percent of people in the US are farmers and are somewhat removed from food production. Many people aren’t familiar with the challenges faced by farmers and may not understand that Bt crops have massively reduced the use of insecticides in the US and globally. The World Health Organization estimates that 200,000 people die every year from misuse or overuse of insecticides, primarily in less developed countries.

The use of genetic technologies has become very politicized like several other issues in science — vaccines, climate change. The major scientific organizations have concluded that the climate is changing, that vaccines can save lives, and that genetically engineered crops are safe to eat and safe for the environment.

I think most of us know someone who has been very sick and we would do anything to help them. Often that means using a genetically engineered drug. Or maybe we know someone with diabetes who uses genetically engineered insulin. We accept that use of the technology, most consumers accept it, because they have some understanding of it in their own world. But I think very few Americans have seen a malnourished Bangladeshi kid, so it’s not in their world. It’s not that they aren’t compassionate, it’s that at some level they don’t understand or see it. They don’t really understand why farmers need genetically improved crops.

I think people understand with computer technology that there are different applications of that single technology. People wouldn’t say “computers are bad.” But somehow it gets confusing to people when it comes to agriculture, maybe because so many of us are so removed from actual farming. 

ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY

Plant Innate Immunity: Perception of Conserved Microbial Signatures

This review discusses how plants detect microbial pathogens, the cellular players involved and how understanding these players and mechanisms might help breeders develop infection-resistant crops.

ANNUAL REVIEW OF NUTRITION

An Overview of Attitudes Toward Genetically Engineered Food

An exploration of the reasons behind the strong support for — and opposition against — genetically engineered foods.

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https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/sustainability/2019/will-food-future-be-genetically-engineered-or-organic-how-about-both

Sharing the Sustainability Story Far and Wide  

By Lesley Dixon

ARLINGTON, VA -- As you know, the U.S. Rice Industry Sustainability Report is live and available to the public after two long years of research, collaboration, and boots-on-the-ground work from farmers and millers across the country and USA Rice's sustainability team.  But the effort is far from over, and now it's time to take the report on the road for its grand tour to get the message out. 

During the last several weeks, USA Rice has sat down with leadership at the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to lay out the many accomplishments delineated in the report, speaking with Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey, NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr, and Kevin Norton, NRCS acting associate chief for conservation who was instrumental in bringing the report to fruition. 

The game plan is to talk about the report as often as possible, in as many places as possible.  More meetings are planned for the Washington, DC, area with leadership of organizations allied to the rice industry, and plans are in motion to speak with end users and stakeholders across the country.

In addition, the USA Rice sustainability team is putting together a webinar on the report so that anyone, whether it be retailers or policymakers, can learn what the report has to offer and how the rice industry is leading the way on sustainability and agriculture. 

"These in-person meetings and the webinar are the next crucial step in our long-term sustainability strategy," said USA Rice CEO Betsy Ward.  "Progress depends on education and knowing what options are out there, and the more aware everyone in the industry -- or adjacent to the industry -- is about the report, the more positive advancements we're going to see.  We're getting out there to tell rice's sustainability story, and the report is now the foundation of that conversation." 

The webinar will be available on the USA Rice website in the near future, and if your organization or business is interested in a one-on-one meeting to discuss rice sustainability, please contact Lydia Holmes.  Our team is ready to spread the good news. 

USA Rice Daily

Vietnam, China look to increase rice trade cooperation

VNA THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019 - 20:53:00 PRINT

A paddy field in the Mekong Delta (Photo: VNA)

An Giang (VNA) – A conference to seek methods towards boosting rice trade cooperation between Vietnam and China was held in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on May 9.

China is one of the biggest rice producers and rice import markets in the world, according to Phan Loi, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade.

An Giang exports over 400,000 tonnes of rice annually, he said, adding that the province is leading the country in building large-scale paddy fields and material areas.

It is able to meet the import criteria of countries, including China, he said.

With the assistance of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the opportunity for An Giang rice to penetrate into the Chinese market is absolutely feasible.

The locality has big ambitions to export more rice to China and aims to ship more products besides rice to the market.

Liu Ying, Vice Chairman of Shanxi province’s food association and head of the Chinese business delegation, expressed high regard for the quality and price of rice in the Mekong Delta.

He advised Vietnamese exporters to obey China’s regulations on quarantines and design, and participate more in brand promotion as China has limited imports through unofficial channels while imposing stricter requirements for imports.

China’s modern population is increasingly busy, with little time to travel to markets to buy rice. Vietnamese businesses should pay attention to the production of suitably weighted rice bags for sale online to serve this segment, he recommended.

Tran Quoc Toan, deputy head of the Department of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said businesses participating in the conference are potential customers from the Shanxi food association.

These firms have been allowed by the Chinese Government to import 180,000 tonnes of rice, accounting for about 10 percent of Vietnam’s total rice exports to China.

The event also creates an opportunity for Chinese rice importers to study Vietnam’s rice production development plans and orientations to seek cooperation contracts with Vietnamese partners.

On this occasion, the An Giang Department of Industry and Trade and the Shanxi food association signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on bilateral trade cooperation.

Two local businesses inked five MoUs on trade cooperation with Chinese firms. –VNA 

https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnam-china-look-to-increase-rice-trade-cooperation/152347.vnp

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/468934-three-people-killed-due-to-wall-collapse-in-golarchi

Ploughing Ahead: Sacred Oxen Predict 'abundant' Thai Harvest

 Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88)  23 hours ago  Thu 09th May 2019 | 01:16 PM

Thai astrologers on Thursday predicted an "abundant" harvest after a pair of sacred white oxen munched on grass and rice, and slurped up water in an annual ritual watched by newly crowned King Maha Vajiralongkorn

Bangkok, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 9th May, 2019 ) :Thai astrologers on Thursday predicted an "abundant" harvest after a pair of sacred white oxen munched on grass and rice, and slurped up water in an annual ritual watched by newly crowned King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The monarch, seated next to his new Queen Suthida, observed the "royal ploughing ceremony" symbolising Thailand's fortunes.

The colourful procession, led by two Hindu Brahmin priests, saw two white oxen walk a field to the sound of blaring trumpets.

Women, dressed in traditional Thai clothing and carrying trays of jasmine flowers, trailed behind the bulls to the sound of red-clad musicians beating drums.

The ceremony, which dates to the 13th century, marks the start of the growing season for Thailand, one of the world's top rice exporters.

Royal soothsayers base their predictions on which foods the animals choose to eat after the ploughing.

The oxen are offered banana leaf-wrapped bowls of rice, maize, green beans, sesame, liquor, water, and grass.

This year, the animals "chose to eat rice, grass, and water among the seven offers," said Meesak Pakdeekong, of the Ministry of Agricultureand Cooperatives to the king and queen.

"The rainfall would be just enough and ... the royal astrologer predicts rice, grain, fruit and food would be abundant," he added.

Following tradition crowds rushed into the field, after the departure of the king, to pick out auspicious rice grains scattered during the ploughing.

The annual ceremony comes just days after the end of King Vajiralongkorn's weekend coronation, a ritual-laden event rich with Buddhist and Hindu influences.

Thailand -- second in rice exports after India -- shipped out more than 11 million tons of rice worth over $5.6 billion in 2018.

But the Thai Rice Exporters Association predicts a slowdown this year to 9.5 million tons due to fierce competition from India and Vietnam.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/ploughing-ahead-sacred-oxen-predict-abundan-617155.html

Kyle McCann Named Louisiana Farm Bureau assistant to the president

·       ADVOCATE STAFF REPORT

MAY 8, 2019 - 2:30 PM

BATON ROUGE — Kyle L. McCann has been named the assistant to the president for the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, the top staff position for the volunteer organization.

McCann joined the Louisiana Farm Bureau staff in June 1988 in the commodity department. Before the assistant to the president position, he served as associate commodity director and director of national affairs. McCann coordinated grassroots lobbying efforts on national issues and served as secretary with commodity groups, including the Louisiana Rice Research Board and the Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board.

“You would have a hard time finding someone as knowledgeable and approachable as Kyle when it comes to agricultural issues,” said Louisiana Farm Bureau President Ronnie Anderson. “Kyle knows the policy issues as well as folks working in Washington think tanks and is able to boil those complex issues down into terms you and I and every other farmer can understand. Those are very important qualities that make Kyle perfect to be my right-hand man.”

McCann fills the position vacated by Jim Monroe upon his retirement following 47 years of service to the Louisiana Farm Bureau.

McCann holds a Master of Science in agricultural economics from LSU and a Bachelor of Science in agricultural business from Louisiana Tech.

A a child, McCann worked on his family’s rice and soybean farm and was involved in other agricultural enterprises. He lives in Zachary with his wife, Daphane, and their son, James.

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/zachary/article_bf906650-6cf1-11e9-8379-bb69be953171.html

Wheat varieties susceptible to new strains of yellow rust fungus: study

This infection is capable of causing up to 70 per cent decline in wheat yields

By Aditi Jain

Last Updated: Wednesday 08 May 2019

Agriculture scientists have cautioned about the likely spread of extremely virulent strains of fungus that causes yellow rust in wheat, to which currently used wheat cultivars show high susceptibility. The situation is particularly grim as the bread wheat cultivar, HD267, that currently occupies 10 to 12 million hectare (ha) area is susceptible to these new strains.

Yellow rust disease of wheat, also known as stripe rust of wheat, is a disease caused by fungus Puccinia — frequently found in cold wheat growing regions such as North Western Plains Zone and Northern Hills Zone.

This infection, which causes reduction of kernel numbers per spike and decreases the weight of wheat kernels, is capable of causing up to 70 per cent decline in wheat yields.

Currently used wheat cultivars in India have a part of rye chromosome which confers resistance to yellow rust and powdery mildew disease. Over the years, the strains of fungus which can infect these resistant cultivars have become prominent and are spreading.

Although fungicides such as propiconazole, tebuconazole and triadimefon are being used to combat yellow rust of wheat, the imparting genetic resistance to plants is preferred as it is cheap, effective and eco-friendly way of fighting plant diseases.

Scientists from Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) at Shimla and Karnal have identified three new extremely virulent strains of this fungus capable of causing severe loss to wheat productivity in India.

First detected in India during 2013-2014, these three strains (110S119, 238S119 and 110S84) are now aggressively growing in numbers.

To better understand evolution of this resistance, scientists have studied composition of a part of their genomes to understand their relationship with other fungal strains. Sucha genetic cataloguing  of pathogens also aids in keeping a track of spread and damage caused by a particular strains.

Further, scientists tested 56 newly released varieties of wheat for resistance against these new strains. For this, the seeds of these varieties were grown and the seedlings were infected with these strains. To their dismay, none of the newly released variety was found to be resistant to all resistant strains.

Scientists also screened 64 new advanced lines of wheat for resistance and found that 11 of them were resistant to these newly emerged resistant fungal strains. Deployment of these advance lines can help to fight these newly emerged pathogens. 

“To combat these new strains, we are ready with the resistance sources and at the same time regularly screening ‘advance varietal trial’ material. Our regional station keeps a watch on the occurrence of new races and are designing strategies for management of new virulent strains,” said Subhash Chander Bhardwaj, member of  the research team and a scientist at IIWBR- Shimla.

The study has been published in Journal of Plant Pathology. The research team from Shimla included Om Prakash Gangwar, Subodh Kumar, Pramod Prasad and Subhash Chander Bhardwaj; and Prem Lal Kashyap and Hanif Khan from Karnal. (India Science Wire)

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/wheat-varieties-susceptible-to-new-strains-of-yellow-rust-fungus-study-64420

Rice husks can remove microcystin toxins from water

Another potential -- and renewable -- tool to fight harmful algal blooms

09-May-2019

Dan Miller / The University of Toledo

Researchers at The University of Toledo have found that rice husks like these can be treated to effectively remove microcystin toxins from water.

Scientists at The University of Toledo have discovered that rice husks can effectively remove microcystin from water, a finding that could have far-reaching implications for communities along the Great Lakes and across the developing world.

An abundant and inexpensive agricultural byproduct, rice husks have been investigated as a water purification solution in the past. However, this is the first time they have been shown to remove microcystin, the toxin released by harmful algal blooms.

"Delivering safe water is critical, and finding an economically viable solution to deliver safe water to people all over the world is going to be really important. The ability of this simple material to be powerful enough to address this issue is impressive," said Dr. Jon Kirchhoff, Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department.

The research, led by Kirchhoff and Dr. Dragan Isailovic, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, used organic rice husks that were treated with hydrochloric acid and heated to 250 degrees Celsius.

The rice husks were then dispersed in a series of water samples collected from Lake Erie during the 2017 harmful algal bloom to measure how much of the toxin they could absorb.

Researchers found the rice husks removed more than 95 percent of microcystin MC-LR -- the most common type found in Lake Erie -- in concentrations of up to 596 parts-per-billion (ppb). Even in concentrations approaching 3,000 ppb, more than 70 percent of the MC-LR was removed, and other types of MCs were removed as well.

"We looked at the removal of microcystins from real environmental samples and the material has performed really well," Isailovic said. "We are talking about extremely high concentrations of microcystins originating from cyanobacterial cells. Normally during summer, we have much, much lower concentrations in Lake Erie."

The United States Environmental Protection Agency recommends a 10-day drinking water guideline that young children not drink water containing more than a total of 0.3 ppb of microcystin and school-age children and adults not drink water containing more than a total of 1.6 ppb of microcystin.

Beyond their effectiveness, rice husks have a number of other appealing attributes. They're cheap -- researchers paid $14.50 for half a cubic foot and buying in bulk would bring that price down significantly -- and they're able to be repurposed.

Heating microcystin-laden rice husks to 560 degrees Celsius destroys the toxins and produces silica particles, which can be used in other applications.

The researchers are hopeful their discovery could be scaled up beyond the lab to develop a more environmentally friendly method for treating water that has been contaminated by harmful algal blooms or cheap but effective filtration systems for the developing world.

"We could potentially use this readily available material to purify water before it even gets into Lake Erie," Isailovic said. "There are engineering solutions that need to be done, but one of our dreams is to apply what we develop in our labs to provide safe drinking water."

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/1160936/rice-husks-can-remove-microcystin-toxins-from-water.html

Cereal import bill hits record high despite bumper harvests

- SANGAM PRASAIN, Kathmandu

Workers unload sacks of onion at a market in Kapilvastu. Vegetable imports jumped 32.38 percent to Rs22.48 billion in the review period.Post File Photo

May 9, 2019-

Nepal’s cereal import bill hit a new record high in the third quarter despite recording the largest paddy and wheat harvest in history. Based on current trends, the total bill for this fiscal year ending mid-July is expected to exceed Rs50 billion.

The revelation set off alarm bells that Nepal was rapidly becoming dependent on imported foods despite pouring billions into the agriculture sector annually, mainly on subsidising fertiliser.

According to the Department of Customs, Nepal imported rice, paddy, maize and wheat worth Rs40.21 billion in the first nine months of 2018-19, up 23.10 percent year-on-year. The top contributors are rice and maize. Rice imports hit 384,956 tonnes valued at Rs19.32 billion. The country imported 201,620 tonnes of paddy worth Rs5.60 billion and 302,382 tonnes of maize worth Rs8.72 billion.

Analysts say the steep rise in cereal imports is largely due to soaring demand for fine rice and maize used as animal feed. Cereal imports have swelled when harvests of key food grains are projected to reach all-time highs this fiscal year.

Nepal’s paddy harvest hit a record high of 5.61 million tonnes this fiscal year, according to the Ministry of Agricultural Development. The bumper crop is a 9 percent increase from the previous year, ministry officials said.

Similarly, Nepal’s wheat harvest has been projected to exceed 2 million tonnes, up 7 percent this fiscal year and set a new record. The all-time high wheat crop follows a bumper paddy harvest last summer. Wheat is the country’s third most common cereal crop after paddy and maize.

The statistics show that among imported farm products, vegetable imports are growing at a faster rate. Vegetable imports jumped 32.38 percent to Rs22.48 billion in the review period.

Ram Krishna Regmi, chief statistician at the Agriculture Ministry, said that Nepal produces small quantities of fine rice like basmati and imports are used to fill the supply gap. Due to the high value of fine rice, the import bill is also high although the quantity has not increased significantly, Regmi added.

According to Regmi, an expanding poultry industry has been driving up maize imports. “These two food grains—rice and maize—are the key contributors to ballooning cereal imports.”

Imports are swelling each passing year which shows that the government’s strategy to boost output has failed, said analysts. In 2015, the government unveiled plans to bring down the country’s rice import bill from Rs14 billion in 2014-15 to Rs6 billion in 2015-16 and then Rs2 billion in 2016-17.

It created an ambitious plan to export paddy worth Rs3 billion by 2017-18. But in an absurd turn of events, the cereal import bills have been increasing out of control.

According to Regmi, commercial vegetable farming has boomed in the country, but they don’t know the reason behind the sharp rise in imports. Customs Department statistics show that Nepal imported 125,647 tonnes of onion worth Rs3.96 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year. In the same period, potato imports amounted to 223,667 tonnes worth Rs4.76 billion.

Published: 09-05-2019 08:06

https://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2019-05-09/cereal-import-bill-hits-record-high-despite-bumper-harvests.html

Worldwide, obesity rising faster in rural areas

A new study found that obesity worldwide is increasing more quickly in rural areas than in cities. (Tsuji/Istock.com)

AFP
Published Wednesday, May 8, 2019 3:22PM EDT 

Obesity worldwide is increasing more quickly in rural areas than in cities, a study reported Wednesday, challenging a long-held assumption that the global epidemic of excess weight is mainly an urban problem.

Data covering 200 countries and territories compiled by more than 1,000 researchers showed an average gain of roughly five to six kilos per woman and man living in the countryside from 1985 to 2017.

City-dwelling women and men, however, put on 38 and 24 per cent less, respectively, than their rural counterparts over the same period, according to the findings, published in Nature.

·        

·       Meatsplainer: How new plant-based burgers compare to beef

·       Four in 10 cancer cases could be prevented through positive lifestyle choices: researchers

"The results of this massive global study overturn commonly held perceptions that more people living in cities is the main cause of the global rise in obesity," said senior author Majid Ezzati, a professor at Imperial College London's School of Public Health.

"This means that we need to rethink how we tackle this global health problem."

The main exception to the trend was sub-Saharan Africa, where women gained weight more rapidly in cities.

Obesity has emerged as a global health epidemic, driving rising rates of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and a host of cancers.

The annual cost of treating related health impacts could top a trillion dollars by 2025, the World Obesity Federation estimated in 2017.

To date, most national and international policies to curb excess body weight have focused on cities, including public messaging, the redesign of urban spaces to encourage walking, and subsidised sports facilities.

BODY-MASS INDEX

To factor health status into the comparison across nations, the researchers used a standard measure known as the "body-mass index", or BMI, based on height and weight.

A person with a BMI of 25 or more is considered overweight, while 30 or higher is obese. A healthy BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9.

Approximately two billion adults in the world are overweight, nearly a third of them obese. The number of obese people has tripled since 1975.

The study revealed important differences between countries depending on income level.

In high-income nations, for example, the study found that rural BMI were generally already higher in 1985, especially for women.

Lower income and education levels, the high cost and limited availability of healthy foods, dependence on vehicles, the phasing out of manual labour -- all of these factors likely contributed to progressive weight gain.

Conversely, urban areas "provide a wealth of opportunities for better nutrition, more physical exercise and recreation, and overall improved health," Ezzati said.

Around 55 per cent of the world's population live in cities or satellite communities, with that figure set to rise to 68 per cent by mid-century, according to the United Nations.

'ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS'

The most urbanised regions in the world are North America (82 per cent), Latin America and the Caribbean (81 per cent) and Europe (74 per cent).

More recently, the proportion of overweight and obese adults in the rural parts of many low- and middle-income countries is also rising more quickly than in cites.

"Rural areas in these countries have begun to resemble urban areas," Barry Popkin, an expert on global public health at the University of North Carolina, said in a comment, also in Nature.

"Modern food supply is now available in combination with cheap mechanised devices for farming and transport," he added. "Ultra-processed foods are also becoming part of the diets of poor people."

At a country level, several findings stand out.

Some of the largest BMI increases from 1985 to 2017 among men were in China, the United States, Bahrain, Peru and the Dominican Republic, adding an average of 8-9 kilos per adult.

Women in Egypt and Honduras added -- on average, across urban and rural areas -- even more.

Rural women in Bangladesh, and men living in rural Ethiopia, had the lowest average BMI in 1985, at 17.7 and 18.4 respectively, just under the threshold of healthy weight. Both cohorts were well above that threshold by 2017.

The populations -- both men and women -- in small South Pacific island nations have among the highest BMI levels in the world, often well above 30.

"The NDC Risk Factor Collaboration challenges us to create programmes and policies that are rurally focused to prevent weight gain", Popkin said.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/worldwide-obesity-rising-faster-in-rural-areas-1.4414004

Can You Really Lose Weight By Eating More Rice? We Ask A Dietitian

Summary: it's complicated.

·       By: SUGANYA

·       YESTERDAY

·       SHARE:

Recently, a group of researchers revealed in a study that eating more rice could help reduce global obesity rate, which you can read about here.

Since we kena bash by some of our readers for that article (yes, we heard you loud and clear) and we’re no experts, we got an actual dietitian -- Nur Hafizah Mahamd Sobri -- to help us make sense of the admittedly confusing study.

So, can eating rice really help reduce obesity?

According to Nur Hafizah, it really depends on how you consume rice.

“First of all, we have to understand what causes excessive weight gain that leads to obesity.

“The concept is simple. If there is an imbalance in the intake of energy (what we call calories) as opposed to the amount of energy burned through physical activity and exercise, then this will cause weight gain,” she said.


Basically, if you gorge on food but don’t exercise, you put on weight and can become obese.

Nur Hafizah also stressed that calories don’t only come from carbohydrates. You have to take into consideration everything else you eat with or without the carb.

The protein and fats you take also contribute to your calorie intake. In fact, even ‘healthy’ stuff like salads and cooked vegetables can be unhealthy if you drown it in rich, creamy dressing or deep fry, she said.

“The study states that intake of 50g of rice a day can reduce obesity but did you know one scoop (senduk) of rice is already 50g?

"We are not taking 50g per day. We are taking an average of 150g (three scoops) of rice per serving!” she said.


She added that if you consume rice with healthy sides cooked in a healthy way - soups, steamed or roasted - it will help with cutting out those unwanted extra calories but at the same time, you don't feel hungry so fast as well.

“So, my answer to this is rice is not the culprit. We must not only look into the amount but also the side dishes as well if we want to reduce obesity,” she said.

Are all rice created equal?

PIC: HUFFINGTON POST

#RiceIsLife

According to Nur Hafizah, when dietitians speak about making healthier choices, they refer to the amount of fiber found in each serving.

“The higher the amount of fiber, the slower the digestion, therefore it will help you feel fuller for a longer period of time. We will also need a smaller amount to feel content or stuffed,” she said.

Examples of higher fiber content include brown rice, mixed grain rice and many others.

Hmm… sounds to us like rice is pretty healthy if you eat them right, so what is this whole fad of no-carb or low-carb diet?

Is carb our enemy?

Carbohydrate is one of the main macronutrients, and countless high-rating studies show that carbohydrate is needed as the main source of energy.

"In local recommendations, about half of our calories should be from carbohydrate, therefore cutting out carbohydrates or taking way below the recommendations will have disastrous effect on your health.” Nur Hafizah said.

What are these disastrous effects? In the short term; extreme fatigues, bloating, nausea and dizziness.


In the long run, it will result in kidney damage, cardiac problems and many more unwanted side effects.

Erk…that sounds really dangerous.

“The culprit of weight increase is the total calorie intake, and low energy output,” Nurhafizah said.

She added that if you find it too difficult to refer to the Recommended Nutrient Intake Malaysia 2017 (RNI 2017) food pyramid to make better choices, you could always refer to Healthy Plate Malaysia to ensure that your intake is healthy, balanced and calorie intake can be controlled.

Your guide to a better health

Whoa…what are those?

RNI 2017 is an extensive recommendation of nutritional intake designed for Malaysians based on local consumption.

Healthy Plate, on the other hand, is a much simpler guide where you’re encouraged to fill a quarter of your plate with carb, a quarter with protein and half of it with fruits and vegetables.

Nur Hafizah also cautioned people against cutting down on any food groups, unless specifically recommended by experts.


“Please do not follow extreme recommendations such as fad diets for your weight loss,” she said, adding that you should always consult a dietitian if you want a personalised recommendation.

There you have it guys. Whether rice is your friend or enemy depends entirely on you.

Just because it’s good on your tongue and good for you doesn’t mean that you can hentam three plates and not gain weight.

Moderation is the key here, guys!

Check out plane dropping rice seed in flooded field in Sacramento Valley

 May 9, 2019 

In shallow-flooded fields north of Sacramento, planes flying at 100 mph are dropping rice seed as another growing season begins. It takes 150 pounds of seed to plant once acre, … Click to Continue »
Source: Local News from the Fresno Bee | Check out plane dropping rice seed in flooded field in Sacramento Valley

http://www.venturabroadcasting.com/check-out-plane-dropping-rice-seed-in-flooded-field-in-sacramento-valley

RPT-Asia Rice-India rates extend slide; Vietnam eyes China, Egypt deals

Swati Verma

·       MAY 10, 2019 / 7:59 AM

·        

(Repeats earlier story for wider readership with no changes to text)

* Cyclone Fani partially damages Bangladesh harvest

* High prices keep sales low for Vietnamese variety

* Thai traders fear possible drought effect on output, quality

By Swati Verma

BENGALURU, May 9 (Reuters) - Rice export prices in top exporter India fell for a fifth consecutive week on low demand and domestic currency weakness, while traders in Vietnam looked for prospective deals from China and Egypt.

India’s 5 percent broken parboiled variety RI-INBKN5-P1 was quoted around $371-$374 per tonne this week, down from last week’s $373-$376.

“As prices are falling every week, buyers are delaying purchases expecting further drops,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

The aggressive selling of old inventories by China to African buyers was also weighing on prices, exporters said.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has postponed a decision on lifting its long-standing ban on rice exports until the completion of the summer rice harvest. Cyclone Fani partially damaged the harvest of the summer-sown crop, also known as Boro, on 55,600 hectares of land, Mir Nurul Alam, head of the country’s Department of Agriculture Extension, told Reuters.

Farmers in Bangladesh’s coastal areas had been instructed to harvest their paddy fields before the cyclone made landfall so that helped to minimise the losses, he said.

After battering India, Fani barrelled into neighbouring Bangladesh on Saturday as a much weaker storm.

In Vietnam, rates for 5 percent broken rice RI-VNBKN5-P1 were at $365 on Thursday, unchanged from last week.

“Sales are still slow this week as Vietnamese prices remain relatively high, but we hope sales to China may increase later this year,” a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said.

“A delegation of Chinese rice importers are touring the Mekong Delta provinces to explore possible deals.”

Egypt is also seeking to buy at least 20,000 tonnes of 10-12 percent broken rice for delivery between July 25 and Aug. 20, a source with Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade said.

Customs data released on Thursday showed Vietnam’s rice exports in April were unchanged from March at 693,000 tonnes. Rice shipments in the first four months of this year fell 5.1 percent from a year earlier to 2.1 million tonnes.

Vietnam’s rice supplies are expected to increase when the early harvest of the summer-autumn crop begins late this month, traders said.

Thailand’s benchmark 5-percent broken rice RI-THBKN5-P1 prices were largely unchanged at $385-$400 a tonne on Thursday, free on board Bangkok, compared with $385-$402 quoted last week.

While demand has remained flat, traders said the prices could rise due to an anticipated drought as the world’s second-largest exporter heads into a new growing season this month.

“Rain is coming late this year, so maybe drought can be anticipated, which will affect output, quality and volume,” a Bangkok-based trader said.

Thailand also held an annual ploughing ceremony on Thursday, with a pair of royal oxen predicting good harvest this year. (Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat in Bangkok, Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka. Editing by Jane Merriman)

https://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3N22M0ZX

Vietnam, China look to increase rice trade cooperation

VNA THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2019 - 20:53:00 PRINT

MAY 10, 2019 / 7:59 AM  A paddy field in the Mekong Delta (Photo: VNA)

An Giang (VNA) – A conference to seek methods towards boosting rice trade cooperation between Vietnam and China was held in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on May 9.

China is one of the biggest rice producers and rice import markets in the world, according to Phan Loi, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade.

An Giang exports over 400,000 tonnes of rice annually, he said, adding that the province is leading the country in building large-scale paddy fields and material areas.

It is able to meet the import criteria of countries, including China, he said.

With the assistance of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the opportunity for An Giang rice to penetrate into the Chinese market is absolutely feasible.

The locality has big ambitions to export more rice to China and aims to ship more products besides rice to the market.

Liu Ying, Vice Chairman of Shanxi province’s food association and head of the Chinese business delegation, expressed high regard for the quality and price of rice in the Mekong Delta.

He advised Vietnamese exporters to obey China’s regulations on quarantines and design, and participate more in brand promotion as China has limited imports through unofficial channels while imposing stricter requirements for imports.

China’s modern population is increasingly busy, with little time to travel to markets to buy rice. Vietnamese businesses should pay attention to the production of suitably weighted rice bags for sale online to serve this segment, he recommended.

Tran Quoc Toan, deputy head of the Department of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said businesses participating in the conference are potential customers from the Shanxi food association.

These firms have been allowed by the Chinese Government to import 180,000 tonnes of rice, accounting for about 10 percent of Vietnam’s total rice exports to China.

The event also creates an opportunity for Chinese rice importers to study Vietnam’s rice production development plans and orientations to seek cooperation contracts with Vietnamese partners.

On this occasion, the An Giang Department of Industry and Trade and the Shanxi food association signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on bilateral trade cooperation.

Two local businesses inked five MoUs on trade cooperation with Chinese firms. –VNA 

https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnam-china-look-to-increase-rice-trade-cooperation/152347.vnp

Rice exports decline 7.2% to 11.95 MT in FY19: APEDA

Commodity Online | May 09 2019
UPDATED 12:32:47 IST

India's rice exports during 2018-19 financial year dropped 7.2% to 11.95 million tonnes, according to latest data from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

The drop was mainly due to poor demand for non-basmati rice from Bangladesh and African countries, it said, adding exports of non-basmati rice fell 14.5 percent from a year ago to 7.53 million tonnes.

The country's non-basmati rice exports stood at 8.81 million tonnes in FY 2017-18.

Exports of basmati rice, however, rose 8.8% to 4.41 million tonnes during FY 2018-19 from 4.05 million tonnes a year earlier.

https://www.commodityonline.com/commodity-news/rice-exports-decline-72-to-1195-mt-in-fy19-apeda/news-now/25528

Voracious pest threatens China's crops and could boost need for imports

• A crop-eating pest first detected in China about five months ago is spreading rapidly and could hurt production of key crops critical to the populous nation's food supply, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Damage from the so-called fall armyworm, which gorges on corn, soybeans, cotton, rice, and dozens of other crops, could force China to import more corn, rice or soy to makeup for the shortfall.
• China is already dealing with a livestock crisis involving pork, one of its primary protein sources, putting Beijing is under greater pressure to respond to the armyworm.
• There are currently tariffs of 25% assessed on some key U.S. crops entering China, including soybeans.

Jeff Daniels | @jeffdanielsca

Published 3:31 PM ET Wed, 8 May 2019 Updated 6:21 PM ET Wed, 8 May 2019 CNBC.com

Elaine Kurtenbach | AP

The fall armyworm in Tha Muang, Thailand.

A crop-eating pest first detected in China about five months ago is spreading rapidly and could hurt production of key crops critical to the populous nation's food supply, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Damage from the so-called fall armyworm, which gorges on corn, soybeans, cotton, rice, and dozens of other crops, could force China to import more corn, rice or soy to makeup for the shortfall. Before the U.S.-China trade war, China was importing about

The problem comes at a time when Chinese authorities have been trying to boost soybean production to reduce the need for imports. China now ranks as the world's largest importer of soybeans.
China produces about 16 million tons of soybeans annually, but it imports more than 80 million tons each year of the commodity used commonly for animal feed and oils.
The insect is now found in at least six provinces in China and the risk of it spreading is seen as high.
"Private and government-affiliated crop protection experts in China report that FAW has spread much faster than they expected," USDA said in a report posted this week.
USDA said most farmers in China lack the training and financial resources to manage against the armyworm effectively. It added "there is a high probability that the pest will spread across all of China's grain production area within the next 12 months."
"It's going to be very severe initially until management programs are in place," said Allen Knutson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist in Dallas.
China is already dealing with a livestock crisis involving pork, one of its primary protein sources, putting Beijing is under greater pressure to respond to the armyworm. China has seen at least 129 cases of the African swine fever since August. Rabobank estimates up to 200 million animals could be affected and production could decline by 30%.
As a result of the swine fever, China may need to increase the production of other proteins, including chicken. Also, the Asian country may be forced to boost imports of pork, including from the U.S. despite stiff retaliatory tariffs imposed by Beijing.
Similarly, any major crop losses from the armyworm could force China in the coming years to look to imports for more of its corn, soybean, rice and other vital commodities. There are currently tariffs of 25% assessed on some key U.S. crops entering China, including soybeans.
Beijing's current retaliatory tariffs on hundreds of U.S.-produced agricultural products already have led the Chinese to seek out other crop suppliers, including South America and European countries. And President Donald Trump's plan to boost tariffs against nearly all of China's imports could lead Beijing to respond with additional duties on U.S. agricultural products.
China isn't the only country dealing with the armyworm. Knutsen, the entomologist, noted that voracious insect already is in other parts of the world, including North America and Africa.
If Africa is any indication, the armyworm could become costly for China. The USDA said that since 2016 the pest "has caused extensive economic damage across Africa."
In the U.S. and Mexico, meantime, the pest has been controlled mainly with chemical pesticides, although the bugs in some regions have developed a resistance to many insecticides. Also, the destructive insect is controlled in corn and cotton in the U.S. to some degree with genetically modified crops.
"Officially, Chinese authorities have employed an emergency action plan to monitor and respond to the pest," USDA said in a recent report. It said the armyworm "has no natural predators in China and its presence may result in lower production and crop quality of corn, rice, wheat, sorghum, sugarcane, cotton, soybean, and peanuts among other cash crops."
The armyworm was first detected in January in China and confirmed later that month by the ministry of agriculture, which said it was found in Yunnan province. USDA said it believes the armyworm entered China from neighboring Myanmar. The pest was found in India last year and then is believed to have spread to Bangladesh and Myanmar.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/08/voracious-pest-threatens-chinas-crops-could-boost-need-for-imports.html

Rice Prices

as on : 09-05-2019 11:12:39 AM

Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.

	Arrivals			Price
	Current	% change	Season cumulative	Modal	Prev. Modal	Prev.Yr %change
Rice
Lakhimpur(UP)	32.00	-8.57	1216.50	2320	2300	6.18
Soharatgarh(UP)	14.50	NC	354.50	2420	2400	17.48
Nautnava(UP)	2.50	66.67	226.40	2230	2200	-
Jambusar(Kaavi)(Guj)	1.00	NC	40.00	3200	3000	-

Published on May 09, 2019

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/rice-prices/article27077020.ece

India seeks greater access for agricultural, milk products, bovine meat in Chinese market

Necessary documents for bovine meat, milk and milk products have been submitted to China's General Administration of Customs of China (GACC).

PTI|

May 09, 2019, 09.54 PM IST

0Comments

Getty Images

NEW DELHI: India has sought greater access for agricultural and animal husbandry products in Chinese market to boost exports and bridge trade deficit with the neighbouring country, an official said.

Necessary documents for bovine meat, milk and milk products have been submitted to China's General Administration of Customs of China (GACC).

China does not permit imports of Indian bovine meat due to fears over foot-and-mouth disease.

The issues were raised during a meeting between Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan and GACC Vice Minister Li Guo here Thursday.

India informed the Chinese side that it is exporting de-glanded and de-boned frozen meat to as many as 70 countries since several years.

"China has stated that they would look into the issue," the official said.

In the meeting, China sought greater market access for its dairy products such as chocolates and candies; and apple, pear and marigold seeds.

India has banned import of chocolates, chocolate products, candies/ confectionary/ food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient from China since September 2008.

The ban was imposed on apprehensions of melamine presence in some some milk consignments from China. Melamine is a toxic chemical used for making plastics and fertilisers.

India is the world's largest producer and consumer of milk. It produces around 150 million tonne milk annually.

On this, the Indian side suggested for permitting trade of bovine meat and dairy products on a reciprocal basis.

Further, the official said in the agriculture sector, India wants greater market access for soyameal, pomegranate, sapota (chiku), banana, papaya, pineapple, maize, okra, and coconut.

The Chinese side stated that they want to import high quality agricultural products from India and they are working on it.

Regarding exports of apple, pear and marigold seeds to India, China suggested Indian side to send a delegation to look at orchards there.

India also want a greater market access for pharmaceuticals as the domestic industries face complicated regulatory processes in China.

Increasing exports of these products will help India narrow the widening trade deficit with China, which stood at USD 50.12 billion during April-February 2018-19.

Commenting on India-China trade, Mohit Singla, chairman of Trade Promotion Council of India, said that India will see enhanced trade in non-basmati rice, mango pulp, sesame seed and tea along with soybean, rapeseed and fish oil owing to strong government intervention and strategic efforts.

"The industry is eagerly awaiting the market access to meat sector and enhanced cooperation in the marine products," he added.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/india-seeks-greater-access-for-agricultural-milk-products-bovine-meat-in-chinese-market/articleshow/69256563.cms