Brown Rice Variety Packs
Antioxidant Punch
By Jan Suszkiw
January 28, 2020
January 28, 2020
New
specialty uses could be in store for GEDrew, a variety of "giant
embryo" brown rice whose bran is packed with antioxidants and vitamin E
forms.
STUTTGART, Arkansas, Jan. 28,
2020—GEDrew
is a brown rice with an odd kernel trait that sidelined its commercial
prospects. Now, Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
scientists' re-examination of the trait and its link to increased antioxidant
levels could give the rice variety a new commercial lease on life.
GEDrew is the result of a
mutagenesis rice breeding program conducted more than a decade ago by rice
geneticist Neil Rutger (retired) at the ARS Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in
Stuttgart, Arkansas. The variety, a genetic mutant, didn't make the cut,
however, and Rutger placed it in storage in the USDA-ARS World Rice Collection, a repository of more
than 19,000 accessions and 12 species representing the genus Oryza.
And there GEDrew might have
remained today, were it not for the follow-up investigations of ARS
chemist Ming-Hsuan Chen and the center's current
director, Anna McClung. In 2007, they began
re-evaluating the collection's specialty rice accessions for traits that could
contribute to improved grain yield or nutritional content. Such collections,
popularly known as gene banks, serve as a critical source of diversity in the
face of emerging pest and disease threats, environmental change, market demands
and other events.
Their investigation of GEDrew
focused on a single gene mutation that results in kernels with enlarged, or
"giant," embryos. In addition to a higher proportion of bran to
whole-kernel weight, the researchers observed, the giant embryo trait also correlated
to a three-fold increase in alpha-tocopherol and a 20- and 29-percent increase
in total tocotrienols and gamma-oryzanol, respectively.
Tocopherols and tocotrienols are
forms of vitamin E with important biological activity in the human body. These
may include helping prevent unstable molecules called free radicals from
causing cellular damage and other associated harm, Chen said. Gamma-oryzanol, a
mixture of antioxidant compounds in the bran's oil fraction, is thought to play
role in reducing blood cholesterol levels, among other health-promoting
benefits, she added.
Grain yield evaluations showed
that GEDrew compared well to Drew and Cocodrie, two commercial varieties the
researchers used for comparison in Texas and Arkansas trials. Even though
GEDrew produced slightly smaller grains, it was unmatched in terms of its yield
of bran, lipids and the three antioxidants. All are high-value ingredients for
specialty uses ranging from edible oil for cooking and salad dressings, to
breakfast cereals, nutrition bars, beverages and skin-care products, according
to McClung.
She credits the rice mutation
breeding efforts of Rutger, a 2009 ARS Hall of Fame inductee, with setting the
stage for their finding that the giant embryo trait leads to whole grain with
increased gamma-oryzanol levels and vitamin E—especially alpha-tocopherol (the
only form listed on the nutrition facts of food packaging labels).
At the time, "Rutger was
looking for any agronomically useful traits in his mutation breeding program,
like earlier flowering, male sterility, elongated internode and apomixis but
had the most success with semi-dwarfism," McClung noted. "The giant
embryo and a low phytic-acid mutant were examples of mutations that resulted in
a change in grain traits."
In the case of GEDrew, additional
laboratory and field work revealed value in what initially appeared to be a
genetic kernel oddity.
"This is the only study on a
giant embryo rice mutant in the United States and one that's a tropical
japonica-type rice adapted to the U.S. growing conditions," noted Chen,
who co-authored a paper on the finding in the November 2019 issue of Cereal
Chemistry together with McClung, Casey Grimm at the ARS Southern Regional Research Center in New
Orleans, Louisiana, and Christine Bergman (formerly with ARS) at the University
of Nevada in Las Vegas.
McClung said their research has a
two-fold purpose: to broaden the market opportunities for U.S. growers and to
enhance the nutritional value of rice, a staple food for more than half the
world's population. In its whole-grain (unrefined) form, rice can provide a key
source of not only protein, vitamins and minerals, but also insoluble fiber,
essential fatty acids and bioactive compounds thought to contribute to dietary
health.
The Agricultural
Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief
scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to
agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural
research results in $20 of economic impact.
Senate body approves Geographical Indications Bill after 18 years
BY GHULAM ABBAS
–GI law needed to protect
commercial heritage of goods produced in country
–India claims GI on 361 products
having similarity with Pakistani products
ISLAMABAD: In a major development on Tuesday, a parliamentary
committee approved the much-awaited Geographical Indications (GI) Bill, 2019,
to protect the commercial heritage of goods produced in the country.
The legislation has remained
pending for over 18 years.
According to details, the
Senate’s Standing Committee on Commerce and Textile approved the GI Bill, which
will now be presented before the upper house of parliament for its consent. The
bill will then be forwarded to the National Assembly (NA) for deliberations.
The bill’s draft was earlier
approved by the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC).
Once the bill is passed, Pakistan
will be able to claim and use GI for goods such as Basmati Rice, Sargodha
Kinnow, Peshawari Chappal, Hunza apricot and many other products.
Geographical indication is a
broad term which includes indications of source and appellations of origin. An
indication of source means any expression or sign used to indicate that a
product or service originates in a country, region or location where the
product originated, e.g. made in Pakistan. It may be noted here that
around 121 countries have approved their GI law.
During the committee meeting,
which was chaired by Senator Mirza Muhamamd Afridi, Intellectual Property
Organisation (IPO) Chairman Pakistan Mujeeb Ahmed Khan informed that India,
which approved the GI law back in 1999, is claiming ownership of at least 361
products. Since the majority of the goods being produced in India and Pakistan
are the same, the neighbouring country’s exporters claim that the product
is of Indian origin and indication causes damage to Pakistan internationally.
“We have studied the GI bill in
detail. We expect that after the law’s approval from parliament, the
legislation will benefit not only exporters and traders but also the growers
of the country,” he added.
Members of the committee also
suggested that the IPO and Commerce Ministry add protection of products under
the GI law while keeping climate change in mind.
In the absence of GI legislation,
international brands continue selling Pakistan-origin goods such as Paul
Smith’s Peshawari chappal, Morrocan ajrak and California basmati, depriving the
country of getting premium on its GIs in the international market as member
countries of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are required to protect GIs
under Article 22-24 of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
Rights agreement.
The GI bill entails that once a GI is registered, an
infringement action can be initiated both by the registrant and authorised
users.
The proposed bill also provides
for both civil and criminal remedies in cases of infringement. Civil remedies
include imposition of fines, forfeiture to the government of all goods and
things, means of which the offence had been committed, damages, an account of
profit, together with or without any order for delivery of the infringing label
and indications for destruction or erasure while criminal remedies include
imposition of fine or imprisonment or both.
All suits for infringement shall
be filed before the Intellectual Property Tribunal (IPT) whereas appeal against
the decision of the registrar shall lie before the high court.
Ghulam Abbas
The
writer is a member of the staff at the Islamabad Bureau. He can be reached
at abbasskd5@gmail.com
Paul Flynn: Rice and lentil dishes for all seasons
I love all
rice dishes and lentils are a great match for almost every main course
Sat, Jan 25, 2020, 06:20
Chicken pilaff
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The best rice dish I ever ate was a welcome dinner in France with the Scouts when I was 14. It
was chicken a la crème, generously flecked with tarragon, nestling on buttery
rice. I lapped it up like a happy little hound. The other boys were bewildered
and disdainful and worried that this was the sort of food they we going to be
forced to eat for the rest of the trip. I however, was hopeful that this would
be the case. More for me.
That was without doubt a lightbulb moment in my life, although I
didn’t know it at the time. It started a curiosity about food that only three
years later found me happily ensconced in the kitchen of a local restaurant,
with a life of cooking ahead of me.
I pity the blinkered cook and eater. Curiosity and appetite are
such happy bedfellows. They make life so much richer.
Rice dishes are numerous and diverse and I love them all. Rice
carries spice in a warm comforting embrace. From a saffron-hued paella to a
crisp bottomed Iranian tahdig, there is so much variety. A comforting risotto
or just a simple rice pudding . . . there are so many rice dishes, all of them
wonderful.
I use a rice cooker for this chicken pilaff. Of course I’m not
presuming you all have rice cookers, but you can follow the same timings if you
cook it in a pot.
The salad is a mushroomy winter version of that Italian staple,
panzanella. We have it with steak. The bread carries all the flavours of
everything else in the dish. The Italians never throw anything out.
The lentils are a Tannery staple in the winter months. They go
with practically every main course but sometimes I like to warm them gently and
serve them with soft creamy goat’s cheese, for an earthy nutritious, delight.
A brilliant shortcut for lentils and one I employ when I am
feeling lazy at home is to take a tin of lentils and warm them through with a
clove of crushed garlic, a little balsamic vinegar and a touch of olive oil,
salt and pepper. It is almost instantaneously delicious.
CHICKEN PILAFF
Serves four
Ingredients
1 large knob of butter
3 chicken breasts cut into 2cm chunks
125g smoked bacon lardons
1 large leek, cut in half lengthways , washed and shredded
350g basmati rice
A pinch of cinnamon
700ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper
200ml tub of sour cream
1 tbsp spicy mango chutney
1 large knob of butter
3 chicken breasts cut into 2cm chunks
125g smoked bacon lardons
1 large leek, cut in half lengthways , washed and shredded
350g basmati rice
A pinch of cinnamon
700ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper
200ml tub of sour cream
1 tbsp spicy mango chutney
Method
1 Preheat an oven to 170 degrees or equivalent. Put your butter in a largish, oven-proof pot, over a medium heat. When it is foaming, add the chicken and brown it gently for a couple of minutes.
1 Preheat an oven to 170 degrees or equivalent. Put your butter in a largish, oven-proof pot, over a medium heat. When it is foaming, add the chicken and brown it gently for a couple of minutes.
Teresa Kok: Malaysia hopes to do
more business with India
27 JAN 2020 / 15:53 H.
Primary Industries
Minister Teresa Kok Suh Sim Teresa Kok Suh Sim welcomes children to the Chinese
New Year celebrations at Scott Garden in Jalan Kelang Lama today. Also present
was Decathlon general manager Yee Jia Cheng (L). - Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok Suh Sim has expressed
hope that there would be more business coming from India and for Malaysian
business to go to India.
She was responding to a recent
report by Reuters saying the country’s top sugar producer MSM
Malaysia, a subsidiary of palm oil plantation firm FGV Holdings Bhd, would step
up its purchase of raw sugar from India. Unnamed sources quoted by the report
described the move as part of efforts to placate New Delhi amid an ongoing spat
over palm oil imports.
“Yes, I’ve read the article. It is
one of the subsidiaries of FGV Holdings that wants to buy more sugar from
India. I’m glad that the private sector under FGV is willing to do so.
“In my last visit to India, (during
a) meeting with their minister of commerce, their main complaint was, since
India buys so much palm oil from us, we should also consume more of their
products which include sugar, basmati rice and many more,” she told reporters
after the Scott Garden Joint Management Committee (JMC) Chinese New Year 2020
Lion Dance Performance event, here today.
Earlier this month, India curbed
Malaysian palm oil imports in a move seen as a retaliation to Prime Minister
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s criticism of New Delhi’s policy towards Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the 2020 Chinese New
Year today was celebrated in the neighbourhood around Scott Garden in Jalan
Kelang Lama, with a healthy crowd of families and children gathered to witness
an acrobatic lion dance performance by 10 lions at the event organised by one
of its main tenants, Decathlon. - Bernama
Programme to increase rice yield
SIALKOT: A five-year programme costing Rs 6.63 billion has been
launched under Agriculture Emergency a National Programme for enhancing
profitability through increasing rice yield in 15 rice growing districts of
Punjab.
Agriculture Department sources told on Sunday that under the
programme, special attention would be focused on the promotion of mechanized
farming in these districts. Under the programme, efforts would be made for
timely sowing of identified ecological best verities through the promotion of
direct seedling of rice drill in these districts. The mechanized transplanting
of rice nurseries would replace the outdated manual transplanting. The project
was being carried out in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Okara, Hafizabad,
Nankana Sahib, Bahawalnager, Jhang, Narowal, Kasur, Mandi Bahauddin, Chiniot,
Gujrat, Lahore and Faisalabad districts where area under rice both Basmati and
course verities would be brought under cultivation on 70,000 acres land.
Five-year programme
launched to increase rice yield in 15 districts
SIALKOT: A five-year programme
costing Rs 6.63 billion has been launched under Agriculture Emergency a
National Programme for enhancing profitability through increasing rice yield in
15 rice growing districts of Punjab.Agriculture Department sources told on
Sunday that under the programme, special attention would be focused on the
promotion of mechanized farming in these districts. Under the programme,
efforts would be made for timely sowing of identified ecological best verities
through the promotion of direct seedling of rice drill in these districts. The
mechanized transplanting of rice nurseries would replace the outdated manual
transplanting. The project was being carried out in Sialkot, Gujranwala,
Sheikhupura, Okara, Hafizabad, Nankana Sahib, Bahawalnager, Jhang, Narowal,
Kasur, Mandi Bahauddin, Chiniot, Gujrat, Lahore and Faisalabad districts where
area under rice both Basmati and course verities would be brought under
cultivation on 70,000 acres of land in these areas. Under the programme, the
government would provide riding type rice transplanter, walk-after typerice
transplanter, nursery raising machine, direct seedling drill, rice straw
chopper, water tight rotavator and knapsack power sprayer. The government would
also provide subsidy to the rice growers for purchasing tested paddy seeds and
pesticides. The government would also provide subsidy amounting Rs 1,500 per
acres to growers for encouraging combined harvesting.
Rice,
Economic Development, and Mardi Gras in DC
WASHINGTON, DC -- The nation's capital takes on a
decidedly Cajun flair this time of year when thousands of Pelican State
residents flock to the city and join Louisiana expats to spread the Mardi Gras
spirit and celebrate all things Louisiana.
On Friday, the rich culinary heritage of Louisiana and the entrepreneurial spirit were on display at "Bites on the Bayou," the Louisiana Economic Development Luncheon, hosted by Congressman Clay Higgins, sponsored by C100 The Louisiana Business Roundtable, and featuring a panel discussion with a Louisiana rice company, a pecan business, and a rum distiller.
The lively discussion took place before more than 640 attendees including Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards; Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser; Congressmen Steve Scalise, Cedric Richmond, Mike Johnson, Garret Graves, and Higgins; as well as other state and local officials, and tackled several issues including government regulation and the importance of economic development at home.
Robbie Trahan, co-owner of Falcon Rice Mill in Crowley, Louisiana, talked about his decision to return to Louisiana from a career in Texas to help preserve a way of life in his hometown that he saw under threat.
"There used to be 13 rice mills up and down Mill Street in Crowley, and now there's only two of us," he said. "As an employer in a small town, it's important for me to be able to remain competitive and reinvest in my business, so I look to government to provide opportunities for me to do that and level the playing field when we're up against trading partners who aren't playing by the rules."
Jeff Murphy, master distiller for Bayou Rum in Lacassine, shared his frustration with Prohibition-era regulations and tax policies that hamper the ability for his business to grow and compete.
Jady Regard, chief nut officer for Cane River Pecan Company in New Iberia and the panel's moderator, talked about how the trade war with China affected his business by driving up packaging prices. "As primarily a corporate gift company, boxes and packaging are very important to us," he said. "A 30 percent spike in prices as a result of tariffs was just not a cost we felt we could pass on to our customers."
Trahan agreed and said the rice industry was similarly impacted by trade uncertainties.
"Around the world rice markets are so manipulated," he said. "We are dealing with countries that are subsidizing their rice production, making it really difficult for us to compete, and even dumping rice in what are traditionally our markets."
The three business leaders spoke positively about government policies and local initiatives that allow them to reinvest in their local communities, and Congressman Higgins summed up the afternoon when he said it was obvious to him that "government needs to be a partner, not a predator."
On Friday, the rich culinary heritage of Louisiana and the entrepreneurial spirit were on display at "Bites on the Bayou," the Louisiana Economic Development Luncheon, hosted by Congressman Clay Higgins, sponsored by C100 The Louisiana Business Roundtable, and featuring a panel discussion with a Louisiana rice company, a pecan business, and a rum distiller.
The lively discussion took place before more than 640 attendees including Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards; Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser; Congressmen Steve Scalise, Cedric Richmond, Mike Johnson, Garret Graves, and Higgins; as well as other state and local officials, and tackled several issues including government regulation and the importance of economic development at home.
Robbie Trahan, co-owner of Falcon Rice Mill in Crowley, Louisiana, talked about his decision to return to Louisiana from a career in Texas to help preserve a way of life in his hometown that he saw under threat.
"There used to be 13 rice mills up and down Mill Street in Crowley, and now there's only two of us," he said. "As an employer in a small town, it's important for me to be able to remain competitive and reinvest in my business, so I look to government to provide opportunities for me to do that and level the playing field when we're up against trading partners who aren't playing by the rules."
Jeff Murphy, master distiller for Bayou Rum in Lacassine, shared his frustration with Prohibition-era regulations and tax policies that hamper the ability for his business to grow and compete.
Jady Regard, chief nut officer for Cane River Pecan Company in New Iberia and the panel's moderator, talked about how the trade war with China affected his business by driving up packaging prices. "As primarily a corporate gift company, boxes and packaging are very important to us," he said. "A 30 percent spike in prices as a result of tariffs was just not a cost we felt we could pass on to our customers."
Trahan agreed and said the rice industry was similarly impacted by trade uncertainties.
"Around the world rice markets are so manipulated," he said. "We are dealing with countries that are subsidizing their rice production, making it really difficult for us to compete, and even dumping rice in what are traditionally our markets."
The three business leaders spoke positively about government policies and local initiatives that allow them to reinvest in their local communities, and Congressman Higgins summed up the afternoon when he said it was obvious to him that "government needs to be a partner, not a predator."
‘Nigeria on track to commence
rice exportation by 2022’
By Joke
Falaju, Abuja
29 January 2020
| 4:20 am
Unsold bags of rice on display after the Yuletide period in
Lagos. PHOTO:FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI
Increased
production and capacity utilisation by rice millers across the country, may
have boosted Nigeria’s quest to commence exportation of Rice by 2022.
The
development comes against the backdrop of the land border closure, which
gingered many rice milling factories to increase local rice production to meet
rising demand for the staple food.
The
border closure also attracted new entrants into the rice value chain, and
encouraged by backward integration, which enhance their income from the sale of
the product.
The
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, during a working
visit to Nestle Nigeria PLC’s Office in Lagos, yesterday, noted that the
country’s land border closure has resulted in increased outputs by many rice
milling plants, which were hitherto operating below capacity.
He said:
“Before the closure of our land border, most of these rice milling plants were
partially operating, but now, they not only operate in full capacity, but are
also expanding. If we maintain the momentum in the next two years, we may export
rice to other countries.”
Nigeria
had for a long time struggled to meet domestic demand for rice, while also
earning some income from the produce through export in line with the
government’s economic diversification efforts through agriculture.
But
offshore trade in the produce according to report from the World Data Atlas,
has been on a nose-dive since 2006, when the country earned its highest income
of $838,000, and continued southward until nothing in 2012, before it picked up
again in 2013 with $89,000, and rose tremendously by about 408 per cent to
$452,000, 2014.
However,
the downturn continued again, as income fell by about 16 per cent to $380,000
in 2015, and plummeted by a whopping 93.16 per cent to a mere $26,000 in 2016,
with a further crash to just $10,000 in 2017, despite the launch of the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) by President
Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015.
Efforts
were thereafter intensified through the ABP and many other intervention
policies that raised the hope for future export of Nigerian rice, including the
border closure to check the smuggling of rice to neighbouring countries without
deriving the requisite accruable incomes.
To
underscore his optimism Nanono noted that he was initially worried that there
was not enough paddy production, but later discovered that most producers had
stocked rice for the next six months, signifying that farmers are prepared for
all year round farming.
He
explained that it is only in three months from November to January, that rice
is not being grown in Nigeria, because “We cultivate rice in a nine-month
cycle; probably as we move on the cycle will widen, so we do not have a problem
with rice processing.
Nanono
disclosed that there has been expansion in the local rice value chain as
well as the creation of many jobs due to increase in rice production.
“As at
today, we have 11 rice milling plants with the capacity to produce from 180
tonnes to 350 tonnes of rice per day. In a few months, another mill with a
capacity to produce 400 tonnes of rice per day is going to be opened, with
another upcoming 34 smaller mills; then, we have clusters in different areas,”
he informed.
The
Minister lauded Nestle Nigeria for its role in assisting local farmers and
creating jobs for Nigerians.
Earlier
in his welcome remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer,
Nestle Nigeria, Mauricio Alarcon, thanked the
Minister and his delegation for the visit, and called for stronger and robust working relationship with the Ministry.
Minister and his delegation for the visit, and called for stronger and robust working relationship with the Ministry.
He also
said that there were many opportunities for collaboration in Nigeria, saying:
“We source 80% of our products locally. We source 100% of Maize for Golden
Morn, locally; soya, millet, sugar, salt and cocoa are also locally-sourced.
Government to establish hybrid rice cluster farms
By
January 29, 2020
The Department of Agriculture
(DA) will spend P90 million for setting up clustered hybrid rice farms as part
of government’s efforts to expand areas planted with the variety to hike
production.
DA Technical Adviser for Hybrid Rice
Program Frisco M. Malabanan said the agency will establish the three pilot
hybrid rice farm clusters in Regions 3, 6 and 11 where the government will
extend subsidies amounting to P30 million.
The interventions would include
free hybrid rice seeds, machines for planting to drying, fertilizer, and other
required inputs, according to Malabanan.
Each cluster will consist of 100
hectares and would be managed by farmers’ cooperatives to realize the DA’s
vision of turning planters into agripreneurs, he added.
“We want to show that they should
not be just producers. They should be transformed into agri-preneurs wherein
the income [from that clustered farm] would go to every member of the
cooperative,” Malabanan told reporters in an interview on Tuesday.
Malabanan said he is proposing to
the DA to convert all farms in the country into clusters to achieve economies
of scale, and ensure that interventions will enhance efficiency.
“[The DA] chose these regions
because these are already top rice producing regions and have areas that are
planted with hybrid. Of course, we will start organizing clusters this year,
hoping that by 2021, if we are given a higher budget for hybrid rice, we will
expand these areas,” he said.
Malabanan disclosed that at
present the DA is only able to provide interventions to 320,000 hectares for
hybrid rice production.
He added that the DA is targeting
to expand areas planted with hybrid rice in the country to 1.5 million hectares
by 2024, to prop up the supply of the Filipinos’ staple food.
Citing latest available DA
figures, Malabanan said about 577,000 hectares of land in 2018 were planted
with hybrid rice.
In an interview in November,
Malabanan said the Philippines could stop depending on rice imports if it steps
up investments in hybrid rice production.
Data from the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA)showed that the Philippines’s rice imports in
2019 rose to an all-time high of 3.2 million metric tons (MMT), making the
country the top buyer of imported rice last year.
In its first monthly forecast
report, the USDA revealed that the Philippines has “soared to become the top
global importer” of rice as its total purchases last year surpassed China’s 2.4
MMT. China has been the world’s top rice importer since 2013.
Malabanan, senior technical
consultant at SL Agritech Corp., said the estimated 7 percent to 10 percent
shortfall in local palay output could be wiped out if hybrid rice is planted in
1.5 million hectares. This, he said, should be coupled with support, such as
fertilizer and irrigation.
Price of Rice to Increase If…
By
January 29, 2020
Some
of the rice and assorted item donated in Mont. County.
As gasoline shortage outpaces the
money crisis that confronted Liberians over the recent festive season,
resulting into skyrocketing transportation fares, sources at the Liberia
Revenue Authority (LRA) have hinted this paper that there is a strong
possibility of experiencing high price of rice shortly if President George Weah
does not renew Executive Order 93 that suspends tariff on the importation of
rice in the country.
Rice is considered a ‘political
commodity’ in Liberia. As Liberia’s staple food, rice is imported every year
for consumption due to poor agricultural activities despite Liberia’s fertile
soil and favorable climatic conditions for Agriculture.
In Executive Order 93, which has
elapsed a year and has since expired, President George Weah acknowledged that
the government was committed to ensuring that prices of certain basic
commodities on the Liberian market are affordable so that the citizens will not
undergo undue suffering.
The Executive Order, issued last
year, states: “Now, therefore, the Government of Liberia in its desire to
continue to bring relief to the public, hereby issues Executive Order N. 93,
suspending the import tariff on rice as classified under tariff Nos. 1006.30.00
(in packing of more than 5kg or in bulk); 1006.30.00 (in packing of at least
5kg); and 1006.40.00 (broken rice) under the Revenue Code of Liberia Act 2000
with immediate effect.”
According to LRA insiders, as the
Executive Order has expired without renewal, there is a high possibility that
the price of rice will increase because in the absence of the Executive Order,
LRA has no option but to levy tariff on the importation of rice.
“It is the Executive Order that
stops LRA from levying tariff on this sensitive commodity. If there is no
renewal and importers begin importing, it means there will be tariff levied
which will consequently affect the price of rice on the market for the ordinary
buyers,” an LRA source indicated.
Currently a 25-kg bag of rice is
sold on the local market for L$2,600 and sellers are of the view that there may
be possible increase in the existing price due to the exchange rate between the
Liberian Dollar and the United States Dollar. The rate currently stands
at L$198 to US$1. As of yesterday January 27, the buying rate for the Central
Bank of Liberia (CBL) was L$193.5072 to $1.00 USD.
Liberia is a heavy importer of
rice, and the commodity comes from India, Thailand and China. Farming is
done at a low scale in Liberia, such that what is produced has barely elevated
from the subsistence level.
INSECT INVASION
Entomologist
lists top invasive insects to watch in Missouri crops
·
Corn injury from Japanese beetle feeding. Photo by Keith Glewen,
University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
1
From insects, pests and diseases,
crop producers face a growing number of challenges. At the Barton County Soils
and Crops Conference held earlier this month in Lamar, Missouri, a University
of Missouri expert gave his advice on what to watch for in the coming growing
season.
“We’re talking about a lot of new
invasive insects that are coming to the United States,” said Kevin Rice, MU
Extension state entomologist. “Missouri is not immune to that… I’m talking
about the ones that are right on our doorstep or that have a high dispersal
tendency that are likely to be established here.”
Invasive species are a common
problem around the globe, he continued. “They usually have higher populations
in introduced range so these are being transported across the globe at an
increasing rate,” Rice explained, adding trade and global travel are fueling
the problem.
“It used to be 100 years ago, if
a bug hitchhiked on a ship, it would have to last weeks and weeks and weeks
across the Atlantic without a food source, and it probably wasn’t going to
survive,” Rice said. “Now, we’re flying things from Asia and they land here 12
hours later, and if you have a pregnant female that gets loose, that’s all you
need for an explosive population.”
When the pest arrives in the
introduced range, it is often an “enemy-free space” where its natural enemies
do not have an established population, allowing the pest to establish higher
populations and cause higher levels of damage, he explained.
Dectes Stem Borer
Though Dectes stem borer is not
an invasive species because it’s a native pest, Rice said it is becoming an issue.
“It’s been an increasing problem
in some areas of the state in the last few years,” he explained. “The
populations have been growing — we’re not really sure why… The problem is these
are very sporadic pests, but once you have them, they usually occur in the same
area.”
Rice told conference attendees
about his research using sunflowers as a trap crop to manage the pest. “The
idea for my study is that Dectes stem borer will always prefer sunflowers over
soybeans, so we’re going to do the simple trap-cropping method where we do two
to four rows of sunflowers around a field and then monitor the damage.”
Japanese Beetle
The Japanese beetle is another
issue in Missouri, despite seeing lower populations last year.
“We are sort of on the western
front of Japanese beetle expansion,” Rice said.
“This previous year, we had a
major reduction in Japanese beetles,” he continued. “That wasn’t due to
flooding. That was mostly due to drought the previous year because the larvae
feed on roots, and when they dried up in 2018, that lowered the population.
“We do expect them to recover and
be at a higher population again this coming year,” the entomologist warned.
The damage from Japanese beetles
comes from defoliation. In corn, they feed on the silks but do not cause a problem
if the ear is already filled and pollinated. It also feeds on soybeans. Rice
recommended spraying at a threshold of 20 to 30 percent defoliation.
Research is currently being done
at the University of Missouri investigating an attract-and-kill strategy for
Japanese beetles to get away from repeated insecticide sprays to manage the
pest, which kills beneficial insects and also may lead to resistance.
“It’s very similar to your ant or
your roach motels where you’re bringing in these insects to one area and
poisoning them instead of spraying throughout the entire system,” Rice
explained. The study uses insecticidal nets impregnated with pyrethroids along
the outside border of the field crop.
“They last throughout the entire
season so you can put them up and you can basically forget about them,” Rice
said, adding they’re also better than bucket traps because they have a higher
killing surface area and don’t have to be emptied. The nets use the same
pheromone lures as the bucket traps.
“We found that if an adult
Japanese beetle lands on that net for 3 seconds, it picks up a toxic dose and
dies,” he continued. Preliminary results showed the nets provided equivalent
protection to two insecticidal sprays and also resulted in less seed damage,
but research is still ongoing.
Soybean Gall Midge
The soybean gall midge was first
detected in Nebraska in 2011 and had explosive populations from 2016 to 2019.
Symptoms look like a fungal pathogen on soybean and the last few inches of the
stalks are black around a field’s edge.
“If you peel the bark back,
basically, you can see these orange maggots in there feeding underneath the
stems,” Rice said.
All soybean varieties appear to
be susceptible, and the pest targets the edges of fields. Later planting,
however, may help reduce damage.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have any
current management options for this pest,” Rice said. Because the larvae feed
internally and there are multiple generations per year, there is no good timing
for insecticide sprays.
“We do know that the seed treatments
are not effective against this because, by the time that the adults are laying
eggs in these soybeans, that systemic insecticide is already gone,” Rice said.
Last year, the pest was found
Missouri’s Atchison County and could be slowly spreading to other parts of the
state.
“It’s related to the Hessian fly
so it’s a very weak flyer,” Rice said. “It’s not a strong thing that can
disperse, but it’s something to be aware of.”
Researchers have not yet
identified where the pest overwinters.
“It’s probably going to be some
sort of weed or something,” Rice said. “If you can eliminate those weeds around
your specific farmscape, that may help reduce infestations.”
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Another recent invader in
Missouri is the brown marmorated stink bug, which differs from native species
with a white band on its antennae.
“It is an extreme generalist so
it feeds on anything,” Rice said, adding it can feed on hundreds of host plant
species and cause a lot of damage.
Brown marmorated stink bug. Photo credit: Michigan State
University.
“It has a high dispersal capacity
so females can fly up to 80 kilometers in one night,” he continued. The
invasive pest is also an edge species so its damage will primarily be on the
outer borders of fields but can cause poor seed quality and secondary fungal
outbreaks.
“In soybeans, it reduces seed
quality but it also has this ‘stay green’ syndrome,” Rice said. This causes an
issue at harvest when the edges of fields appear to be failing to senesce.
Because the pest has been studied
intensively, scientists have figured out how to control it fairly well, Rice
said. At a threshold of 36 bugs per 100 sweeps, he recommended producers do a
border spray to take the pest out for the entire season. Because the pest
overwinters in wooded areas, he suggested early scouting along the wooded edges
of fields.
“It does cause damage if it gets
away from you, so scouting and looking for it early and waiting ‘til you get to
that threshold is very important,” he emphasized.
Spotted Lanternfly
The spotted lanternfly, a species
native to Asia, feeds on grapes as well as corn, soybeans and alfalfa and is
said to have came from its native continent with cargo to Pennsylvania.
“The female lays its eggs on any
flat surface,” Rice said, adding eggs have been found in the U.S. on railroad
cars and semi tractor-trailers.
“The likelihood for this to
explode across the entire continent is very, very high,” he warned.
“The good news is… field crop
growers are noticing this bug feeding on the crop but they are not reporting
any economic damage,” the entomologist continued. However, it can be extremely
devastating to vineyards, a potential threat to Missouri’s wine industry.
Rice said the spotted lanternfly
does not look like our native insects and recommended collecting it and sending
it to MU for a positive identification so they can mount a rapid reaction to
the invasive pest.
“In a small population, you can
sometimes come in and knock it down before it spreads too far,” he said.
Home / LATEST NEWS / 275 Bags Of Rice, Tramadol,
Others Worth N24.1m Intercepted By Seme Customs Command.
275 Bags Of
Rice, Tramadol, Others Worth N24.1m Intercepted By Seme Customs Command.
LAGOS – The Seme Area Command of the Nigerian
Customs Service said it has intercepted 782 packets and 630 cards of tramadol
all of 50grms, equivalent to 409,000grms and 9,400ml of Amphytamine syrup with
duty paid value (DPV) of N 4.74 million.
The command in a statement on Monday also said
it seized 275 50kg bags of rice, 9,225 litres of fuel, 11 jerry cans of
vegetable oil (25 litres each), 132 Cartons of frozen poultry products, textile
materials and other prohibited items with DPV of N19.4 million.
According to Hussaini Abdullahi, spokesman of
the command, the seizures were done within the last three weeks as the new year
began.
Abdullahi in the statement said, the seizures
were as a result of strategic efforts “to suppress the activities of daredevil
smugglers to the barest minimum,” noting that the command had intensified its
anti-smuggling activities.
He said, “The anti-smuggling unit of Seme Area
Command under the leadership of Chedi Dalha Wada, acting Customs area
controller, has in the last three weeks recorded tremendous achievements.
This is coming at the heels of the arrest of
782 packets and 630 cards of tramadol all of 50grms, equivalent to 409, 000grms
of tramadol, and also nine, 400ml of Amphytamine syrup with DPV of N 4,740,
132.00 intercepted along elejah – mowo axis of the Command.
“In the same vein, a total DPV of N19,418, 806
was realised during the period under review from the following seizures: 275
bags of rice (50Kg each); 9, 225 litres of Premuim Motor Spirit (PMS); 11 Jerry
cans of Vegetable Oil (25 litres each); 132 Cartons of frozen poultry products;
105 Textile materials (six yards each); 12 Sacks of used Clothings; and one
sack of used shoes.
Others items are three sacks of used ladies
hand bags; 326pcs of cream; 10 sacks of Egusi; one sack of stock fish and 30
cartons of choko drink.
“To this end, The acting Customs area
controller, reiterated that the aforementioned seizures is a strong message to
smugglers and their accomplices.
He further promised to sustain the current
tempo of suppression of smuggling for social and conomic well been of Nigeria.”
East Africa: EAC Seeks to Boost
Domestic Rice Production
28 JANUARY 2020
By Deus Ngowi in Arusha
EAST African bigwigs Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda are set to
benefit from an initiative that seeks to enable domestically produced rice to
competitively substitute the current over US dollars 300m worth of rice imports
to the regional Common Market.
The three East African Community (EAC) member countries will get
funded under a three-year East African Rice Initiative (EARI) with an overall
goal to contribute to inclusive transformation of the rice sector.
EARI targets East Africa for sustainable increase in incomes of
220,000 women, men and young people employed in the value chain of locally
produced rice in the project that runs through 2022.
It will be implemented by Kilimo Trust (KT) in partnership with
the EAC Secretariat, commissioned by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) through the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
(AGRA).
A statement made available to the 'Daily News' from KT, EARI and
EAC revealed one of specific objectives is to increase productivity,
commercialisation, profitability and resilience for enterprises of smallholder.
Others are to strengthen and expand access and competitiveness
in the national and regional markets for locally produced rice as well as
strengthen local, national and regional enabling policy and institutional
environment for optimal commercialisation of the rice sector.
The trio said the objectives are pursued through delivery of
results such as a 50 per cent increase in net incomes for paddy farmers; at
least 75 per cent of smallholder farming households using structured markets in
input and output and a 50 per cent increase in average yield (MT/ha) of rice.
Also on the cards is a 20 per cent increase in volumes of rice
sold by households through structured trade in household commercialisation
level; 500,000MT of paddy sold through structured markets valued at
111,500,000$, at least 50 per cent increase in the number of farming households
using post-harvest technologies and facilities.
The project is to realise at least 30 per cent increase in
adoption rate of target improved productivity technologies or management
practices at farmer level, at least three climate smart technologies and/or
management practices introduced to paddy farmers.
Major envisaged outcome is that the supported SMEs processors
will increase efficiency in local sourcing of paddy from smallholder farmers
including quantity, quality and consistency in supply through village-based
aggregation supported by contract farming model that will contribute to
reducing transaction costs of the millers and increase the profitability of
SHFs' enterprises, facilitate sustainability beyond the current funding.
Close
Implementation approach of EARI project is to build strong and
sustainable business trading consortia led by processors and millers as anchor
partner linked to farmers business organisations, such as cooperatives and
input agro-dealers such as suppliers of agricultural production enhancing
technologies like seeds, fertilisers, agrochemicals and post-harvest handling
technologies and business development service providers.
KT is a not-for-profit organisation working in agriculture for
development across the EAC. It has increasingly become the go to partner
organisation for market-led agricultural value chain development in the region.
It envisions sustained and equitable wealth creation, food and
nutrition security for smallholder farmers.
WTO upholds S. Korea's 513 pct
rice tariff on imported rice
FONT
SIZE
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Yonhap) -- The
World Trade Organization (WTO) has approved South Korea's current 513 percent
tariff rate on imported rice, Seoul's agriculture ministry said Tuesday.
The WTO has issued a certificate
two months after Seoul reached deals with five rice exporters -- the United
States, China, Australia, Thailand and Vietnam -- over South Korea's high
tariff on imported rice, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and
Rural Affairs.
The five countries, which had taken
issue with South Korea's high tariff in 2014, have sent letters to the global
trade body to inform it that the issue has been resolved.
South Korea has been imposing the
high tariff on imported rice since 2015.
Under the measure, South Korea will
be able to keep the tariff on imported rice for quantities exceeding the quota
of 408,700 tons of annual rice imports.
China accounts for 157,195 tons of
the quota, followed by the U.S. with 132,304 tons, Vietnam with 55,112 tons,
Thailand with 28,494 tons and Australia with 15,595 tons.
Rice is a key staple food for
Koreans, but its consumption has been on a steady decline in recent decades due
mainly to changes in diet and eating habits, making it especially important for
South Korea to protect the segment.
colin@yna.co.kr
(END)
(END)
DA: Rice prices drop to 6-year
low due to Rice Tarrification law
Published January 28, 2020 6:27pm
By TED CORDERO, GMA News
The retail prices of rice has
dropped to its lowest level in six years in light of the impact of the Rice
Tarrification law, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Tuesday.
“Consumers are now reaping the
benefits of a lower price of rice, which is the heart and soul of the rice
tarrification law or RTL,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.
Citing data from the Philippine
Statistics Authority (PSA), the DA said the average retail price of
regular-milled rice dropped to P36.53 per kilogram in the first week of January
2020, down 12.3% from P41.63/kg in the same week of December 2019.
"It was the lowest average
price of regular-milled rice since six years ago, on the third week of January
2014, at P36.46/kg, as per PSA," Dar said.
The average price of well-milled
rice, on the other hand, was cheaper by 11% at P37.24/kg in the first week of January
2020, compared to P41.82/kg during the same period in January 2019.
"Kumpara noong mga nakaraang taon na mahigit P40 kada kilo
ang presyo ng bigas, ngayon marami na ang pagpipilian. May NFA at regular na
bigas sa P27 hanggang P32 kada kilo, well-milled rice na P35 to P38, at sa mga
espesyal na bigas, may P40 kada kilo at higit pa," Dar said.
As consumers enjoy affordable rice, the Agriculture chief
assured both consumers and farmers that the DA will all the more pursue the
efficient implementation of the four component programs of the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) under the RTL.
"We are pleased to hear the PSA report on the declining
rice prices, benefiting millions of our countrymen. From hereon, we will even
work harder to sustain reasonable rice prices, coupled with efforts to empower
our farmers by providing them quality seeds, needed farm machinery, credit,
modern technology and training," Dar said.
"We assure the public and our farmers that we will not rest
on initial laurels, but we rather continue to move on and attain our vision of
a rice-secure and food-secure nation with prosperous farmers and fishers,"
he said.
He said that the four RCEF major
components are in full swing, which include the provision of farm machinery,
quality seeds, credit, package of technology and training--backed up by an
assured funding of P10 billion yearly for the next six years.
The DA's Philippine Rice Research
Institute (DA-PhilRice) has to date obligated a total of P2.56 billion for
seeds, and distributed P552.6-million worth (893,433 bags) to thousands of
farmers in 557 out of 798 municipalities nationwide.
Under the mechanization
component, identification, evaluation and field validation of farmers'
cooperatives are ongoing. They will be granted with P3-billion worth of various
farm machinery starting first semester of 2020.
For the training and extension
component, a total P878 million has been allocated, of which, P284.4M has been
disbursed for trainings, communication materials, accreditation programs, and
scholarships.
For credit, the Land Bank of the Philippines
has disbursed a total of P358.2 million and the Development Bank of the
Philippines has released P283.5 million to hundreds of accredited farmers and
farmers’ cooperatives nationwide.
"We aim that on the next six
years as a result of RCEF, we will effectively reduce the average production
cost of palay by P4/kg, from the current P12/kg, increase the average yield by
at least two tons per hectare from the current four metric tons per hectare,
and double the income of rice farmers," Dar said.
In addition to RCEF, the DA has
also rolled out the P2.5- billion SURE Aid program that offers P15,000- loan at
zero interest payable in eight years to thousands of farmers nationwide tilling
one hectare and below, and the P3-billion Rice Farmer Financial Assistance
program that provides unconditional P5,000 cash assistance to farmers with
one-half to two hectares of rice land. — RSJ, GMA News
Price of rice
down by 12% in first week of January
January 28, 2020 at 08:40 pm by Othel V. CamposThe
price of regular-milled rice fell 12.3 percent in the first week of January to
P36.53 per kilogram to P41.63/kg in the same week of December, according to the
Philippine Statistics Authority.
The Agriculture Department noted the price was the
lowest in a six-year period since the third week of January 2014 when it
declined to P36.46/kg.
“Consumers are now reaping the benefits of a lower
price of rice, which is the heart and soul of the rice tariffication law,” said
Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
The average price of well-milled rice was cheaper by
11 percent at P37.24/kg in the first week of January compared with P41.82/kg
during the same period in January 2019.
Dar assured consumers and farmers that the Department
would pursue the efficient implementation of the four component programs of the
Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund as called for under the RTL.
“We are pleased to hear the PSA report on the
declining rice prices, benefiting millions of our countrymen. From here on, we
will even work harder to sustain reasonable rice prices, coupled with efforts
to empower our farmers by providing them quality seeds, needed farm machinery,
credit, modern technology, and training,” he said.
He added the major components of the rice fund were
in full swing. They include the provision of farm machinery, quality seeds,
credit, package of technology and training, backed up by assured funding of P10
billion yearly for the next six years.
The Department’s Philippine Rice Research Institute
has to date obligated a total of P2.56 billion for seeds and distributed P552.6
million worth or around 893,433 bags to thousands of farmers in 557 out of 798
municipalities nationwide.
Under the mechanization component, identification,
evaluation, and field validation of farmers’ cooperatives are ongoing. They
will be granted with P3 billion worth of various farm machinery starting the
first semester of 2020.
8 million tons
of wet season rice production reported in 2019
Khmer Times
Some 7.9 million tons of wet season paddy rice
were harvested in 2019 while the milled rice export was reported at 620,106
tons, registering a year-on-year decrease of about 1 percent.
Reports the from Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry, and Fisheries revealed that as of December last year, paddy rice was
cultivated on an area of 2.5 million hectares with an average yield of 3.1 tons
per hectare.
Cambodia’s milled rice were shipped to 59
countries by 89 rice-exporting companies last year.
China is the Kingdom’s biggest rice market
purchasing 248,105 tons, followed by France and Gabon with 81,905 tons and
36,663 tons, respectively. Though the quota to China is 400,000 tons for
2019, exports fell way below target for the second consecutive year.
The dry season rice production, the report
stated, were achieved at 528,136 hectares, equal to 114 percent of the yearly
target.
Cambodia produced 7.4 million tonnes of paddy
rice in 2018, a 3.5 percent increase. Total production in 2018 was only 88.47
percent of what the government expected, adding that 2.4 million hectares were
harvested out of 2.7 million hectares of available agricultural land.
On average,
each hectare produced 3.07 tonnes of rice, the report says, noting that in 2006
the average yield was only 2.6 tonnes.
Nagpur Foodgrain
Prices Open- January 28, 2020
JANUARY 28, 2020 /
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-January 28, 2020 Nagpur,
Jan 28 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices reported higher in Nagpur Agriculture
Produce and Marketing Company (APMC) auctions here on increased demand from local
millers amid tight supply from producing region because of unseasonal rains.
Fresh hike on NCDEX in gram, good rise in Madhya Pradesh pulses and enquiries
from South-based millers also helped to push up prices. About 100 bags of gram
and 200 bags of tuar reported for auction, according to sources.
GRAM
* Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was
poor.
TUAR * Tuar Karnataka reported down in open market here on poor
demand from
local traders.
* Rice Chinnor varieties firmed up in open market here on good
buying support
from local traders.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,200-5,400, Tuar dal (clean) – 8,100-8,300,
Udid Mogar (clean)
– 9,900-11,000, Moong Mogar (clean) 9,300-10,200, Gram –
4,400-4,500, Gram Super best
– 5,500-5,700 * Wheat, other varieties of rice and other foodgrain
items moved in a narrow range in
scattered deals and settled at last levels in weak trading
activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100
kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 3,600-3,900 3,550-3,830
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 4,230-4,730 4,200-4,700
Moong Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,200-2,500
Wheat Lokwan Auction 2,000-2,170 2,000-2,150
Wheat Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000
Gram Super Best Bold 5,700-6,000 5,700-6,000
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 5,100-5,400 5,100-5,300
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 4,300-4,400 4,300-4,400
Desi gram Raw 4,300-4,400 4,300-4,400
Gram Kabuli 8,500-10,000 8,500-10,000
Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,000-8,200 8,000-8,200
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 7,500-7,800 7,500-7,800
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,000-7,300 7,000-7,300
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 6,300-6,800 6,300-6,800
Tuar Gavarani New 5,000-5,150 5,000-5,150
Tuar Karnataka 5,350-5,450 5,400-5,500
Masoor dal best 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200
Masoor dal medium 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 9,800-10,500 9,800-10,500
Moong Mogar Medium 8,500-9,500 8,500-9,500
Moong dal Chilka New 8,150-9,150 8,150-9,050
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 8,700-9,500 8,500-9,500
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 10,000-11,500 10,000-11,500
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 8,500-9,200 8,500-9,300
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 7,200-7,700 7,200-7,700
Mot (100 INR/KG) 6,200-7,400 6,000-7,400
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,900-5,300 4,900-5,300
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 6,500-6,600 6,500-6,600
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 11,700-12,000 11,700-12,000
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,450 2,350-2,450
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,800 2,700-2,800
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,700-2,850 2,700-2,850
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,200 3,600-4,200
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,700 2,600-2,700
Rice BPT best new (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800
Rice BPT medium new(100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,100 2,900-3,100
Rice BPT New (100INR/KG) 2,700-3,300 2,700-3,300
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,300 3,200-3,300
Rice Swarna best new (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,000 2,800-3,000
Rice Swarna medium new (100 INR/KG)2,500-2,700 2,500-2,700
Rice Swarna New (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,700 2,400-2,700
Rice HMT best new (100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500
Rice HMT medium new (100 INR/KG) 4,100-4,200 4,100-4,200
Rice Shriram best new(100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,700 5,200-5,700
Rice Shriram med new (100 INR/KG) 4,700-5,100 4,700-5,100
Rice Shriram New (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,300 4,000-4,300
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,500-13,000 8,500-13,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor best new 100 INR/KG) 5,900-6,300 5,800-6,200
Rice Chinnor medium new(100 INR/KG)5,600-5,800 5,500-5,700
Rice Chinnor New (100 INR/KG) 4,500-4,700 4,400-4,600
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 32.0 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 17.0 degree Celsius Rainfall :
Nil FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or
thunder-showers. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 32 degree
Celsius and 17 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils,
transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market
prices)
Exclusive: India's rice exports fall sharply as sanctions delay
payments from Iran
CommoditiesJan 24, 2020 08:41AM ET
By Mayank Bhardwaj and Neha
Dasgupta
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Reluctance
among Indian traders to ship premium basmati rice to Iran as U.S. sanctions
hobble its ability to pay has contributed to a sharp drop in overall exports
from the world's biggest supplier of the grain, trade and government sources
said.
Rice shipments from India slipped
by more than a quarter to 5.5 million tonnes between April and November 2019 --
the first eight months of the fiscal year -- from 7.5 million tonnes in the
year-ago period, the sources said. In terms of value, exports dropped 19% to
$3.8 billion from $4.7 billion.
The grain is India's biggest
foreign exchange earning farm commodity, with shipments worth $7.75 billion in
the 2018/19 fiscal year.
Basmati rice exports to Iran, New
Delhi's top buyer of the aromatic grain, dropped to 600,000 tonnes in the eight
months from 900,000 tonnes a year earlier, but traders, worried about delayed
payments, have not signed any new contracts with Tehran in the past five days,
the sources said.
Shipments are not expected to
significantly pick up, with buyers in Iran owing a record 20 billion rupees
($281.41 million) to India as U.S.- imposed sanctions make it hard to pay for
imported commodities, they added.
"We are in a precarious
situation," Nathi Ram Gupta, president of the All India Rice Exporters
Association, told Reuters. "We have urged the Indian government to step in
to ensure that our dues are cleared by Iran."
Reuters was unable to contact
traders in Iran for comment.
Iranian buyers paid some of the
money they owed in November, the sources said, encouraging Indian traders to
sign new contracts and ultimately pushing dues to an all-time high.
Of the 4.4 million tonnes of
basmati rice shipped by India in the 2018/19 fiscal year, Iran accounted for
1.4 million tonnes.
"Our exports to Iran will
definitely fall this year and that is going to drag down both the country's
basmati and non-basmati rice exports. We're worried on two counts of India's
falling rice exports and our mounting dues," said Vijay Setia, former
president of the All India Rice Exporters Association.
Beside the drop in exports to
Iran, non-basmati rice exports to Europe have also fallen, with trade and
industry officials citing higher pesticide residues in shipments from India as
a factor behind reduced purchases from the European Union.
Higher benchmark prices in
Thailand, the world's second-biggest rice exporter, have however prompted some
buyers to opt for Indian rice, pushing rates for the Indian variety to their
highest in nearly three months despite the fall in exports.
India's 5% broken parboiled
variety rose to around $366-$371 per tonne from last week's $364-$368, the
highest since Oct. 31.
Domestic prices have also risen
on fresh orders from Africa, traders said.
Price of rice
down by 12% in first week of January
·
·
·
·
The price of regular-milled rice fell 12.3 percent in
the first week of January to P36.53 per kilogram to P41.63/kg in the same week
of December, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The Agriculture Department noted the price was the
lowest in a six-year period since the third week of January 2014 when it
declined to P36.46/kg.
“Consumers are now reaping the benefits of a lower
price of rice, which is the heart and soul of the rice tariffication law,” said
Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
The average price of well-milled rice was cheaper by
11 percent at P37.24/kg in the first week of January compared with P41.82/kg
during the same period in January 2019.
Dar assured consumers and farmers that the Department
would pursue the efficient implementation of the four component programs of the
Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund as called for under the RTL.
“We are pleased to hear the PSA report on the
declining rice prices, benefiting millions of our countrymen. From here on, we
will even work harder to sustain reasonable rice prices, coupled with efforts
to empower our farmers by providing them quality seeds, needed farm machinery,
credit, modern technology, and training,” he said.
He added the major components of the rice fund were
in full swing. They include the provision of farm machinery, quality seeds,
credit, package of technology and training, backed up by assured funding of P10
billion yearly for the next six years.
The Department’s Philippine Rice Research Institute
has to date obligated a total of P2.56 billion for seeds and distributed P552.6
million worth or around 893,433 bags to thousands of farmers in 557 out of 798
municipalities nationwide.
Under the mechanization component, identification,
evaluation, and field validation of farmers’ cooperatives are ongoing. They
will be granted with P3 billion worth of various farm machinery starting the
first semester of 2020.
DA: Rice prices drop to 6-year
low due to Rice Tarrification law
January 28, 2020 6:27pm
By TED CORDERO, GMA News
The retail prices of rice has dropped to its lowest level in six years in light
of the impact of the Rice Tarrification law, the Department of Agriculture (DA)
said Tuesday.
“Consumers are now reaping the benefits of a lower price of
rice, which is the heart and soul of the rice tarrification law or RTL,”
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said.
Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the
DA said the average retail price of regular-milled rice dropped to P36.53 per
kilogram in the first week of January 2020, down 12.3% from P41.63/kg in the
same week of December 2019.
"It was the lowest average price of regular-milled rice
since six years ago, on the third week of January 2014, at P36.46/kg, as per
PSA," Dar said.
The average price of well-milled rice, on the other hand, was
cheaper by 11% at P37.24/kg in the first week of January 2020, compared to
P41.82/kg during the same period in January 2019.
"Kumpara noong mga nakaraang taon na mahigit P40 kada kilo
ang presyo ng bigas, ngayon marami na ang pagpipilian. May NFA at regular na
bigas sa P27 hanggang P32 kada kilo, well-milled rice na P35 to P38, at sa mga
espesyal na bigas, may P40 kada kilo at higit pa," Dar said.
As consumers enjoy affordable rice, the Agriculture chief
assured both consumers and farmers that the DA will all the more pursue the
efficient implementation of the four component programs of the Rice
Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) under the RTL.
"We are pleased to hear the PSA report on the declining
rice prices, benefiting millions of our countrymen. From hereon, we will even
work harder to sustain reasonable rice prices, coupled with efforts to empower
our farmers by providing them quality seeds, needed farm machinery, credit,
modern technology and training," Dar said.
"We assure the public and our farmers that we will not rest
on initial laurels, but we rather continue to move on and attain our vision of
a rice-secure and food-secure nation with prosperous farmers and fishers,"
he said.
He said that the four RCEF major components are in full swing,
which include the provision of farm machinery, quality seeds, credit, package
of technology and training--backed up by an assured funding of P10 billion
yearly for the next six years.
The DA's Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) has to
date obligated a total of P2.56 billion for seeds, and distributed
P552.6-million worth (893,433 bags) to thousands of farmers in 557 out of 798
municipalities nationwide.
Under the mechanization component, identification, evaluation
and field validation of farmers' cooperatives are ongoing. They will be granted
with P3-billion worth of various farm machinery starting first semester of 2020.
For the training and extension component, a total P878 million
has been allocated, of which, P284.4M has been disbursed for trainings,
communication materials, accreditation programs, and scholarships.
For credit, the Land Bank of the Philippines has disbursed a
total of P358.2 million and the Development Bank of the Philippines has
released P283.5 million to hundreds of accredited farmers and farmers’
cooperatives nationwide.
"We aim that on the next six years as a result of RCEF, we
will effectively reduce the average production cost of palay by P4/kg, from the
current P12/kg, increase the average yield by at least two tons per hectare
from the current four metric tons per hectare, and double the income of rice
farmers," Dar said.
In addition to RCEF, the DA has also rolled out the P2.5-
billion SURE Aid program that offers P15,000- loan at zero interest payable in
eight years to thousands of farmers nationwide tilling one hectare and below,
and the P3-billion Rice Farmer Financial Assistance program that provides
unconditional P5,000 cash assistance to farmers with one-half to two hectares
of rice land. — RSJ,
GMA News
Villar group
helps farmers in Iloilo increase their rice yield and income
To help farmers increase their yield and income
through modern farming techniques, the Villar SIPAG established its first farm
school in Iloilo, which is among the Top 5 rice producing provinces in the
country.
Senator Cynthia Villar, director of Villar SIPAG,
hopes participants in the trainings being offered for free by the farm school
can help improve production in rice farms.
She also, said the participants could pass on the
knowledge they could acquire from the trainings to their respective
communities, cooperatives and farm schools, among others.
“That is our goal, why we prioritize trainers like
yourselves, so you can pass on your learnings,” Villar said.
The chairman of the Senate committee on agriculture
and food welcomed the farmers from Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, and Negros
provinces who were participants to the training program on Production of
High-Quality Inbred Rice and Seeds and Farm Mechanization sponsored by Villar
SIPAG and the Agricultural Training Institute Regional Training VI.
Farmer-trainers will be trained to operate and
maintain farm equipment and machinery which will help bring down the cost
of production.
They will also learn from the experts in producing
high-quality inbred seeds which will increase their yield by 50 percent.
“Inspired by the success of our training initiatives
in our farm schools in Las Pinas and in Bulacan, we are now building more farm
schools in the Visayas and Mindanao to replicate this feat and to bring these
free training programs closer to the communities,” Villar said.
Villar cited the need to “invest in our people
through free and extensive training programs,” which is mandated under Republic
Act 11203 or the law creating the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.
The two-week training program is held also in
partnership with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PHILRICE), the
Philippine Center for Post-Harvest Development and Mechanization (PHILMECH),
and the Technical Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Price of rice
down by 12% in first week of January
The
price of regular-milled rice fell 12.3 percent in the first week of January to
P36.53 per kilogram to P41.63/kg in the same week of December, according to the
Philippine Statistics Authority.
The
Agriculture Department noted the price was the lowest in a six-year period
since the third week of January 2014 when it declined to P36.46/kg.
“Consumers
are now reaping the benefits of a lower price of rice, which is the heart and
soul of the rice tariffication law,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
The
average price of well-milled rice was cheaper by 11 percent at P37.24/kg in the
first week of January compared with P41.82/kg during the same period in January
2019.
Dar
assured consumers and farmers that the Department would pursue the efficient
implementation of the four component programs of the Rice Competitiveness
Enhancement Fund as called for under the RTL.
“We
are pleased to hear the PSA report on the declining rice prices, benefiting
millions of our countrymen. From here on, we will even work harder to sustain
reasonable rice prices, coupled with efforts to empower our farmers by
providing them quality seeds, needed farm machinery, credit, modern technology,
and training,” he said.
He
added the major components of the rice fund were in full swing. They include
the provision of farm machinery, quality seeds, credit, package of technology
and training, backed up by assured funding of P10 billion yearly for the next
six years.
The
Department’s Philippine Rice Research Institute has to date obligated a total
of P2.56 billion for seeds and distributed P552.6 million worth or around
893,433 bags to thousands of farmers in 557 out of 798 municipalities
nationwide.
Under
the mechanization component, identification, evaluation, and field validation
of farmers’ cooperatives are ongoing. They will be granted with P3 billion
worth of various farm machinery starting the first semester of 2020.
Haryana:
Five partners of rice mill booked for fraud worth Rs 3.85 crore
Jaskaran Singh | TNN | Updated: Jan 27, 2020, 19:40 IST
This is a second case related to rice millers committing fraud in supplying rice to the central pool. Earlier on January 22, another case was registered against five rice miller partners at Barara police station.
On January 27, Vikas Papneja, inspector, Ambala City, FCS lodged a complaint against Anil Kumar Jain, Dharampal Jain, Mahinder Kumar Jain - all residents of Sector 7 - and guarantors Manju Vats of M/S Sammukh Enterprises, New Grain Market, Naneola, Ambala and Ankur Jain of M/S Gian Chand and Sons, New Grain Market, Ambala at Ambala Sadar police station (PS).
“We have registered a case under sections 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and further investigation will be conducted after obtaining all the concerned record in this matter,” said station house officer of Ambala Sadar police station sub-inspector Suresh Kumar.
Record grain output in 2020; horticulture to grow too
Wheat production in the
2019-20 rabi season is estimated to be 6.27% higher than last year’s output,
the NCML estimates showed. The output of rice is estimated to go up 5% from
last year. Total foodgrain production is expected to increase 6.19% to 152.7 million
tonnes. Horticulture output will also be more, according to the government’s
first estimate.
ET Bureau|
Last
Updated: Jan 28, 2020, 08.50 AM IST|Original: Jan
28, 2020, 08.50 AM IST
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Getty Images
New Delhi: India is poised
for a record foodgrain
production this year following a surge in the output of wheat and rice, the two
major crops of rabi or
winter sowing season, according to the first estimates released by the National
Collateral Management Services (NCML),
a leading post-harvest management company.
Horticulture output will also be more, including tomato, potato and onion, according to the government’s first estimate. The output is estimated to go up to 313.35 million tonnes (mt) in 2019-20 from actual output of 310.74 mt last year.
Wheat production in the 2019-20 rabi season is estimated to be 109 mt, 6.27% higher than last year’s output of 102.1 mt, the NCML estimates showed. The output of rice is estimated to go up 5% from last year to around 15 mt. As a result, total foodgrain production is expected to increase 6.19% to 152.7 million tonnes.
However, the NCML has estimated that production of pulses may dip 2% while the output of oilseeds is likely to decline more than 2.6%.
“Bountiful rains during monsoon season have boosted the prospects of crop production in the ensuing rabi season. This year is likely to see a record foodgrain production, led by the wheat crop along with corn and jowar. Oilseeds and pulses may end up lower than in the previous year,” said Siraj Chaudhry, managing director, NCML.
According to a report released by the company on Monday, excess production of wheat and rice will build on the existing surplus and stimulate additional market distortions. “Record domestic supplies will add to procurement and subsidy load. There is an imperative need to align the production basket to consumption needs so demand generating from growing population and changing lifestyles can be met domestically,” it said.
Meanwhile, overall onion production is estimated to increase 7% to 24.45 mt in 2019-20 crop year, in relief to consumers from high prices seen in the past few months. Production of potato is estimated to go up to 51.94 mt this year.
Horticulture output will also be more, including tomato, potato and onion, according to the government’s first estimate. The output is estimated to go up to 313.35 million tonnes (mt) in 2019-20 from actual output of 310.74 mt last year.
Wheat production in the 2019-20 rabi season is estimated to be 109 mt, 6.27% higher than last year’s output of 102.1 mt, the NCML estimates showed. The output of rice is estimated to go up 5% from last year to around 15 mt. As a result, total foodgrain production is expected to increase 6.19% to 152.7 million tonnes.
However, the NCML has estimated that production of pulses may dip 2% while the output of oilseeds is likely to decline more than 2.6%.
“Bountiful rains during monsoon season have boosted the prospects of crop production in the ensuing rabi season. This year is likely to see a record foodgrain production, led by the wheat crop along with corn and jowar. Oilseeds and pulses may end up lower than in the previous year,” said Siraj Chaudhry, managing director, NCML.
According to a report released by the company on Monday, excess production of wheat and rice will build on the existing surplus and stimulate additional market distortions. “Record domestic supplies will add to procurement and subsidy load. There is an imperative need to align the production basket to consumption needs so demand generating from growing population and changing lifestyles can be met domestically,” it said.
Meanwhile, overall onion production is estimated to increase 7% to 24.45 mt in 2019-20 crop year, in relief to consumers from high prices seen in the past few months. Production of potato is estimated to go up to 51.94 mt this year.
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