Metro Manila has sufficient rice supply, says NFA
ABS-CBN News
Posted at Mar 11 2020 07:59 PM |
Updated as of Mar 11 2020 08:06 PM
MANILA
- Metro Manila has sufficient rice supply in case the capital region is placed
under lockdown to prevent a possible widespread of the coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19), the National Food Authority (NFA) said Wednesday.
“There
are still rice stocks in the households and the commercial sector, which
comprise the great portion of rice stocks in the market,” NFA Administrator
Judy Carol Dansal said in a statement.
Dansal
said the capital has at least 455,000 bags of rice, "good for 40
days," at 10 percent market participation.
The
country's grains procurement agency said the transfer to Metro Manila of more
than 2,000,000 bags of rice from nearby provinces is being fast tracked to
ensure supply sufficiency for the region.
"[Metro
Manila] will receive 311,920 bags from Region 1; 1,000,000 bags from Region 02;
and 912,200 bags from Region 03," said NFA.
As
of now, the total government rice inventory is 9.636 million bags, according to
the NFA. This is equivalent to 14.5-day rice consumption requirement of the
whole country at 661,930 bags.
Under
Republic Act No. 11203, the NFA is mandated to maintain a sufficient level of
rice supply for emergency or calamity situations. The agency will sell rice
through government agencies and other concerned parties.
There
is no official order on a Metro Manila lockdown despite the rising number of
COVID-19 cases. President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said it was too early to
declare a lockdown as the country has “not reached that kind of contamination.”
Japanese Govt. donates
N26m rice mill project to Edo ON MARCH 11, 202012:20 PMIN NEWS Japanese
Government has donated a rice mill worth over N26 million to Edo Government as
part of efforts to facilitate rice production and improve livelihood in the
state. Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yutaka Kikuta, said this while
addressing journalists in Benin after a courtesy visit to the Secretary to Edo
Government, Mr Osarodion Ogie, at Government House in Benin on Tuesday. Kikuta
commended the achievements of Obaseki-led administration in the agriculture
sector, saying the visit was to inform the governor of the commissioning and
hand over of the Japanese project to the state. He said the Japanese Government
Rice Mill project was constructed at Ugbekpe-Ekperi Community of Etsako Central
Local Government Area of the state. ALSO READ: Anti-CDA law: Edo govt
arrests, charges land grabber to court He said that the project would enhance
farmers’ income and foster socio-economic development of communities in the
state. He said the project, worth over N26 million included the provision of
rice parboiling building, parboiling equipment, hauler, husker, soaking tanks,
steaming tanks, a generator, and bagging machine, among others. He said the
gesture was among the Japanese Embassy’s grassroots grant assistance to improve
the quality of rice production in Edo State. He added that the Japanese
Government had also signed exchange of note for the project to increase the
diagnostic capacity of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to fight
against infectious diseases.
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/03/japanese-govt-donates-n26m-rice-mill-project-to-edo/
Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/03/japanese-govt-donates-n26m-rice-mill-project-to-edo/
Indian Consulate cautions traders after rice scam in Dubai
Advisory comes after
first arrest in Dh15.38 million scam uncovered by Gulf News
Dubai: The
Indian Consulate in Dubai has urged Indian traders, particularly those dealing
in rice to do their due diligence so that they don’t end up falling victim to
scams. The warning comes a day after Gulf News reported about the first arrest
in the Dh15.38 million rice export scam which the newspaper uncovered in July
2019.
Sharing
the Gulf News report on twitter, the Indian consulate said: “This was a big
scam. Indian traders especially those in rice should take due precautions on
terms and mode of payment to avoid such situations.”
This was a big scam.
Indian traders especially those in rice should take due precautions specially
on terms and mode of payment to avoid such situations.
Gulf News: Dubai Police make first arrest in Dh15 million rice scamhttps://gn24.ae/988332cc8e5f000
Gulf News: Dubai Police make first arrest in Dh15 million rice scamhttps://gn24.ae/988332cc8e5f000
Dubai Police make first arrest in
Dh15 million rice scam
Scores of
mill-owners from India were left baffled and devastated after 6,000 tonnes of
rice shipped by them to Dubai in 250 containers vanished without a trace
between March and April last year.
Last
Friday, Dubai police arrested a 52-year-old Indian suspect for his alleged
involvement in the crime.
One of the
victims, Vipin Goel, who air-dashed to Dubai on Monday said he has recorded his
statement with the police.
“I also
met officials at the Indian consulate and apprised them of the devlopments.
They have assured all help,” said Goel.
https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/indian-consulate-cautions-traders-after-rice-scam-in-dubai-1.70310708
Rice
inventory increases 10.9% in February
March 11,
2020 | 10:08 pm
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THE NATIONAL rice inventory rose 10.9% year-on-year to 2.375
million metric tons (MT) in February, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
said, following a substantial increase in holdings by the National Food
Authority (NFA).
In its Rice and Corn Stocks Inventory report, the PSA said rice
held by households rose 1.3% to 1.045 million MT while those of commercial
warehouses rose 3.7% to 841.15 thousand MT.
NFA inventories rose 64.2% to 488.68 thousand MT.
On a month-on-month basis, the national rice inventory was down
11.2%, with household stocks falling 12.7%, those of commercial warehouses down
11.6%, and NFA stocks declining 6.9%.
Meanwhile, corn inventories in February fell 16.3% year-on-year
to 654.52 thousand MT.
Stocks of corn held by households rose 4.9% year-on-year to
153.10 thousand MT, while commercial warehouses held 501.42 thousand MT, down
21.1%.
The NFA has not stocked corn in the past two years.
Month-on-month, the household corn inventory declined 27.1%
while commercial stocks fell 16.7%.
Separately, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
said the Philippines’ milled rice production is projected to be stable at 12
million metric tons (MT) in March.
In its Grain: World Markets and Trade report, the USDA added
that rice imports for the month will also be steady at 2.5 million MT, as will
estimated consumption at 14.4 million MT.
Vietnam overtakes Thailand in rice exports
11/03/2020 13:19
GMT+7
TREA’s president Chookiat Ophaswongse said Thailand may fall
into the third position, while Vietnam would jump into the second position.
Vietnam hasn't had production cost problems and therefore, its
rice price would be more competitive.
Vietnam may outstrip Thailand to become the second biggest rice exporter, but that is not a priority for exporters.
Duong Van Chin, director of Dinh Thanh Agriculture Research Center, an arm of Loc Troi Group, said the time for Vietnam to try to increase export volume is over.
“Vietnam doesn’t need the first or second position. We’d rather be in the fourth or fifth position, and sell high-quality products at good prices,” Chin said.
Vietnam has two major export groups of products – white long-grain rice and white fragrant rice. The former is sold at $350-400 per ton, which can compete with Thailand, India and Pakistan.
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TREA, the association of Thai
rice exporters, on February 12 said Thailand may lose its position as the
second largest rice exporter when setting up the goal of exporting 7.5
million tons this year, a 7-year low.
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Meanwhile, its white fragrant rice is now t as good as the
products from other countries. Vietnam’s white fragrant rice is sold at $600
per ton, while Thailand’s is at $1,000 and India $1,200.
Chin thinks that Vietnam needs to improve the quality of fragrant rice by growing special varieties such as Loc Troi 28 and ST25.
The varieties have been recognized as the most delicious in the world. However, many things still need to be done to organize large-scale production and find markets.
First of all, the varieties need to be recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) as official varieties. After that, the creators of the varieties need to cooperate with enterprises to multiply seeds and produce tens of thousand of tons of certified rice. About 1,000 enterprises with 3,000-4,000 hectares of material growing areas for each are needed.
Previously, export companies collected rice from different sources and the rice was cultivated in different fields. The quality of the rice and pesticide residues differed.
This needs to be changed. Enterprises have to control the farmers’ cultivation process to provide high-quality rice for domestic market and export.
Regarding market development, Chin said Vietnamese enterprises should not focus on exporting products to China, because the market is unpredictable.
“There are nearly 200 countries in the world that can consume Vietnam’s tropical farm produce,” he said.
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Rice exporters told
to keep 5% of stock for local market
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Wednesday, 3/11/2020, 20:14
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The Saigon Times Daily
HCMC - The Ministry
of Industry and Trade's Import-Export Department has requested rice exporters
to set aside a volume of rice equivalent to at least 5% of their rice
shipments from the previous six months to meet the rising demand on the local
market.
Traders are told to improve their distribution
systems in such a way that allow them to supply rice to the market at the
instruction of competent State agencies so as to help stabilize the market in
the midst of coronavirus fears. The past few days have seen consumers boost
purchase of rice and other necessities due to virus fears.
In fact, local supply is guaranteed due to
high output and stagnant rice exports over the past months.
Since early this year, developments on the
global market have significantly affected Vietnam’s rice exports.
Specifically, other countries have boosted their rice volumes, while the
demand for rice in Vietnam’s traditional markets, such as China, Indonesia
and Malaysia, has dropped, the Government news website reported.
Further, the Philippines as a key buyer of
Vietnam's rice has enhanced its control over rice imports.
To meet the rice export target assigned by the
prime minister and effectively deploy Decree 107/2018/ND-CP on rice exports,
the Import-Export Department has also required the Departments of Industry
and Trade of localities and the Vietnam Food Association to encourage rice
exporters to continue improving their infrastructure and increasing the added
value of their products, contributing to building the Vietnamese rice brand.
They should closely monitor rice prices in
their localities and report any volatility to the departments as well as
coordinate with the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development in their
localities to instruct cooperatives and farmers to apply new production
processes to ensure the quality of rice for export.
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Rice
farmers struggle during drought season
Pech Sotheary
/ Khmer Times
For more than four months, people living in some rural
areas in the provinces of Pursat and Battambang have been suffering from water
shortages. Canals, streams and ponds have dried due to high temperatures during
this year’s dry season. Khmer Times reporter Pech Sotheary spoke to affected
farmers to highlight their plight and local government officials to find out
what solutions are in the pipeline for people who rely on crop cultivation for
a living.
Pursat and Battambang provinces – Phay Seap is grinding chilli in front of her house
in Pursat’s Boeng Khna commune in Bakan district as she tells a story on how
much hotter the weather has been this year.
“We cannot cultivate dry-season rice
this year because our ponds, streams and canals have almost completely dried
up,” the 53-year-old farmer says.
“The situation this year is different
than in previous years – we were able to cultivate rice at least twice per year
then. The drought period this year has lasted for too long,” Ms Seap adds.
She says that today many farmers in
her area have not experienced rainfall since November.
“When water sources dried, we had
many difficulties irrigating crops,” Ms Seap says. “Some villagers even lack
water to drink – they have had to buy water for 35,000 riels [about $8.50] per
container.”
“The water from the container would
only last for up to 10 days,” she adds.
Dok Chanry, 38, from the same
commune, says one of her brothers had to migrate to Thailand to work as a
construction worker for extra income because her family is lacking food due to
the drought.
“There is a shortage of water for
daily use and dry-season rice cultivation this year,” Ms Chanry says. “Some
villagers moved to Phnom Penh, Preah Sihanouk province and Thailand.”
“If there were canals with sufficient
water stored, we would be able to stay home and cultivate rice two to three
times per year,” she adds. “We would be able to have enough to eat and sell. We
were able to grow chillies, cucumbers and cabbage.”
Agriculture is a driving factor for
the Kingdom’s economy, but despite having land and natural water sources,
irrigation system development is lacking.
In 2016, the Japan International
Cooperation Agency granted concessional loans worth $60 million to rehabilitate
and restore West Tonle Sap irrigation systems.
The restoration project targets six
areas in the provinces of Kampong Chhnang, Pursat and Battambang, where about
8,500 families on more than 13,000 hectares will benefit.
The project is currently at 90
percent completion.
Phal Phally, a resident living near a
canal being revitalised by JICA in Sampov Meas district, says he hopes the
project in his area will be completed soon.
“The drought this year has lasted
long due to natural factors and climate change,” Mr Phally says. “We do not
have enough water to cultivate dry-season rice twice per year like before.”
Farmers in Battambang province’s
Moung Russei district are also speaking up over the shortage of water this
year.
Moul Moeun, head of the Chrey farming
community in the district, says JICA helped form the community in 2010 through
education.
Mr Moeun says JICA taught farmers
cultivation techniques and rice grains reproduction.
He says community farmers benefited
greatly from JICA’s education initiatives as many of them were able to
consistently cultivate rice.
“We were able to cultivate 198 tonnes
of rice last year [during dry and rainy seasons], but because of the drought
this year, we have only been able to harvest 98 tonnes [during the last rainy
season].”
In Sovanmony, a deputy director of
the Battambang agriculture department, says some of the 360,000 hectares of
land used to cultivate rice in the province are affected by drought.
“Since the end of the rainy season in
September, we have had no rain at all,” Mr Sovanmony said. “In November, water
started drying up, which created a difficult situation for farmers. We need
water sources so farmers can harvest.”
“For the dry season, the government
has issued a sub-decree advising farmers against cultivating rice twice,” he
adds. “Farmers would lose money if they try to plant crops during the drought.”
“Some farmers are not following this
sub-decree and still choose to cultivate rice twice [during the dry season],”
Mr Sovanmony says.
So Sahong, Kravanh district governor
in Pursat, says farmers in his area have not been following government
instructions.
“In terms of daily food consumption,
there has been no shortage,” he says. “However, the farmers need more income so
they have been trying to cultivate dry-season rice.”
He says some people in his district
migrated to other provinces and even abroad to generate income for their
families.
Prime Minister Hun Sen in November
issued a directive calling on farmers to limit their harvest due to water
shortages.
The Water Resources Ministry on Monday reported
23,000 hectares of rice land in Pursat and more than 18,035 hectares in
Battambang were salvaged after the government deployed water pumps and trucks.
The ministry also reported farmlands
in 13 other provinces were saved.
Chan Youttha, a spokesman for the
ministry, says shortages of water in Pursat and Battambang are attributed to El
Nino and two other weather phenomena.
Mr Youttha says the authorities and
civil society groups are working to supply drinking water in needed farming
areas.
“The current water consumption issue
is not as serious as how it was in 2016,” he says.
Mr Youttha says the government is
working with the Asian Development Bank to construct a large-scale irrigation
system called Damnak Cher Krom in Pursat and the Doun Tey water reservoir in
Battambang.
He notes, once complete in 20 months,
Doun Tey will be able to store 163 million cubic metres of water.
“Once these infrastructures are done,
we will no longer face water shortages in any season,” Mr Youttha says.
He says the Kingdom’s current
infrastructures for irrigation can only supply water to 1.9 million hectares of
farmland out of 3.2 million hectares per year.
Mr Youttha notes the government is
working hard to develop the Kingdom’s irrigation systems to meet the needs of
Cambodians.
The issue of drought has also caught
the attention of the Mekong River Commission because water shortages are
happening across Indochina.
In November, the MRC approved a
drought management strategy allowing Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to
collectively address the issue.
The strategy is to jointly monitor
soil conditions and water flow while holding capacity building initiatives to
assess, plan, measure and share information about water shortages.
Lim Kean Hor, Minister of Water
Resources, says MRC members are assisting their neighbours to mitigate
transboundary impacts of high temperatures.
“As countries in the region gear up
for drought preparedness and mitigation, this strategy will help reduce the
vulnerability of people and water resource systems affected by droughts,
improve government adaptability and allow members to share information,” Mr
Kean Hor says.
Back in Pursat, Mr Phally, the
farmer, says he hopes plans in motion can address people’s agricultural needs.
“People need water the most – when
there is sufficient water to be used, people are happy,” he says. “As long as
farmers can cultivate rice two to three times per year during the dry season,
living conditions of families will improve.”
Vietnam enhances rice, pork price
stabilisation
11/03/2020 15:48 GMT+7
The ministry’s Import-Export Department said that unpredictable
developments in the global economy coupled with the declines in import demand
of Viet Nam’s traditional rice markets like China, Indonesia and Malaysia were
posing significant challenges to Viet Nam’s rice exports.
Rice traders must strictly comply with Decree No 107/2018/ND-CP
about rice reserves and price stabilisation, the ministry asked.
Accordingly, rice traders must consolidate their distribution
system in the domestic market and be ready to bring rice stocks into
circulation to stabilise the domestic market following the authorities’ orders.
Focus must also be placed on improving facilities and enhancing
awareness in production and processing to increase rice’s added value and build
a brand for Vietnamese rice, the ministry asked, adding that fluctuations of
paddy and rice prices must also be closely watched.
The ministry asked provincial departments of Agriculture and
Rural Development to enhance cooperation with traders, co-operatives and
farmers to ensure rice production to follow standards which would help Viet Nam
easily expand exports.
The ministry said that China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Affairs announced last week that this country could finish its goal of rice
output this year. In addition, import demand from Indonesia and Malaysia was
also low.
The Philippines also enhanced control over rice imports, with
the revision of the food safety management system on imported rice.
Viet Nam’s rice exports in the first two months of this year
reached 890,000 tonnes, worth US$410 million, up by nearly 6 per cent over the
same period last year.
Seeking
pork supply
The Import-Export Department also asked trade offices to work
with pork export associations and companies in foreign countries to seek
sources to import pork into Viet Nam.
Diversifying pork sources was important to stabilise the
domestic market due to the impacts of the recent African swine flu.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development predicted that
meat output would reach around 5.5 million tonnes this year, in which pork
would account for 64-67 per cent.
Pig raising was recovering in recent months, the ministry said.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last week asked ministries of
agriculture and rural development, industry and trade, and finance to ensure pork
supply and demand balance and control prices at reasonable levels.
According to statistics from the Animal Health Department, Viet
Nam imported more than 65,800 tonnes of meat as of the end of February, in
which pork accounted for 21 per cent, up by 150 per cent over the same period
last year. Pork was mainly imported from Canada (33.6 per cent), Germany (25.4
per cent), Brazil (16.1 per cent) and Poland (15.81 per cent). – VNS
Gov. Hutchinson: first ‘presumptive’ coronavirus case
confirmed in Arkansas
·
Tags:
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Arkansas has identified its first
“presumptive” COVID-19 case. The patient, a resident of Pine Bluff, is in
isolation and preliminary testing has been forwarded to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), where a second test will be conducted to confirm
or reject the first results.
Hutchinson said the potential coronavirus patient had traveled
to another state in the U.S. and was not an international traveler. The
governor made the disclosure at a cabinet meeting in Little Rock on Wednesday
(March 11).
Nate Smith, Secretary of the Health Department, said it was “not
unexpected” with surrounding states seeing patients with the virus.
“Although this is a presumptive result… we’re moving ahead to
gather more information,” Smith told reporters. He said there is no evidence
the coronavirus had spread elsewhere in the Pine Bluff community or other parts
of the state.
Hutchinson said he did not believe the one person identified as
“presumptive” should lead to any major changes in personal behavior. He did
offer some recommendations and said he planned to sign a declaration of
emergency later today with more guidance.
The state Department of Health and Department of Human Services
issued a directive earlier this week outlining procedures for health care
officials to take extraordinary precautions to protect elderly residents in
nursing homes and those with compromised immune systems in hospitals and other
facilities.
Hutchinson also revealed that he is restricting out of state
travel for state employees. He said during the cabinet meeting that he asked
his secretaries to sign off on any out of state travel.
“It’s not a complete travel ban,” he said, “Just a precaution.”
Hutchinson also warned Arkansans who may be traveling with the
upcoming Spring Break to “reconsider” their plans and to be careful with where
they are headed.
“We hope to mitigate the risks caused by coronavirus,” he said.
“We are as prepared as we can be for any upturn in an outbreak.”
UPDATE: Hutchinson signed the emergency order
proclamation on Wednesday afternoon. The proclamation provides that the
Secretary of Health may issue orders of isolation or quarantine “as necessary
and appropriate” to control the spread of the coronavirus. In consultation with
the governor, the secretary “shall have sole authority over all instances of
quarantine, isolation, and restrictions on commerce and travel throughout the
state.”
It also
outlines broad latitude for the Secretary of Health, in consultation with the
governor, to deal with matters of commerce, transportation, education and
emergency management.
Agriculture, Italian Style
By Jennifer James
Special to the USA Rice Daily
NEWPORT, AR - Last month, I traveled to Italy on a trip
sponsored by Bayer Crop Sciences with my agricultural peer group -- me and
seven other women farmers from across the United States that meet twice a
year. In the summer we gather on one of
our farms in Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, or Ohio, and
in the winter we usually meet at a neutral location within driving distance
from each farm. This year, however,
Bayer Crop Sciences offered to host us for an international excursion and we
jumped at the chance.
Our first stop was Rome and a visit with Ambassador Kip Tom,
United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food
and Agriculture. We learned all about
the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and its mission to "deliver
food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve
nutrition and build resilience."
The photographs and stories Ambassador Tom shared were heartwarming.
The United States is the largest contributor of funds and donations
of U.S.-grown and produced commodities, called "in-kind"
contributions, for the WFP. I was able
to share information about the food aid programs that USA Rice participates in
as well as industry investments in rice fortification research and technology
to produce a delivery mechanism for vital nutrients. Rice is such an important food throughout the
world, and provides comfort and nourishment to so many populations especially
those in need or after a disaster has ravaged an area.
Capurso Winery
During the eight-day trip, we visited a dairy operation, a
winery near Verona, and Bayer Italy HQ in Milan where we met with Bayer's crop
science team to discuss the variety of crops produced across the country -
corn, grapes, wheat, rice, olives, and many fruits and vegetables. The team talked about how Bayer is serving
farmers using digital technology, addressing climate change through
biotechnology, and utilizing the new European Green Deal and Farm to Fork programs.
The last day of the trip was spent touring Vercelli, the
rice capital of Italy! We met Alberto
Pistola, a tour guide for the Province of Vercelli and a member of the Vercelli
Quality Rice Road, an association of producers, local administrators, restaurants,
and cultural institutions that promote all aspects of the territory and
especially rice. Alberto explained that
the japonica type rice they grow for risotto is special to Italy, and the
variety Carnaroli is deemed the best because the starch stays firm in the
middle of the kernel and has a firm "bite" to it when cooked to
risotto perfection.
500+ years old and still got it
One of the most unique aspects of the Italian rice industry
is the irrigation system designed by Leonardo da Vinci over 500 years ago that
is still in use today. The system of
canals, hinged watertight gates, and flood gates used to control the amount of
water released is amazing. The rice
farmers must work together because everyone receives their allotted amount of
water through the canal system. They have
to coordinate and have their rice crop planted on time so that when the water
arrives at their fields, the rice is ready!
Alberto treated us to a traditional Vercelli lunch with two
types of risotto as the main entrées.
We were pretty adventurous and tried all the appetizers including veal,
pig lard, raw ground beef with truffles, and cow tongue. As expected, the risotto was delicious! We had the traditional version called panissa
with bolotti beans, tomatoes, and salami, but my personal favorite was risotto
cooked with robiola cheese.
Our group traveled over 600 miles in Italy by van and train,
and experienced a diverse group of farms and agriculture. Thanks to Bayer Crop Science, we got a
glimpse into the cultural differences that drive the food world and farming
operations in Italy and in Europe.
With Ambassador Kip Tom (seated) at
United Nations Agencies for Food & Agriculture in Rome
MAR 11, 2020
MAR 11, 2020
MAR 10, 2020
MAR 10, 2020
MAR 10, 2020
MAR 09, 2020
MAR 09, 2020
MAR 06, 2020
Will 2020 rice markets repeat 2019?
2019 rice prices fell in the spring and rebounded on
reports of shorter than expected crops in Brazil, India and the U.S.
The U.S. rice market could be setting itself up for a repeat of
2019 when prices fell in the spring and then rebounded on reports of shorter
than expected crops in Brazil, India and the U.S.
Brazil has been a force that had to be reckoned with in the
Western Hemisphere, exporting as much as 3 million metric tons of rice in
recent years. Now it’s looking at having to import rice because of smaller
crops and the weaker dollar.
“This tightness is going to catch them,” said Milo Hamilton,
co-founder and senior agricultural economist at Firstgrain, Inc. “I think the
market is going to bottom out in March. Last year, the market bottomed out in
April and then went higher. This year it could bottom out in March because they
just don’t have the rice.”
Hamilton, speaking at the Special Rice Marketing Educational
Seminar at the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show in Memphis, Tenn., said Brazil was
making major inroads in the rice trade in the Western Hemisphere,
exporting 1.5 million metric tons as recently as 2018.
“This isn’t lot of rice for the world, but it’s a big deal for
the Americas,” he said. “A million and a half tons is a lot of rice that’s not
going to be there in the coming year, and the deficit in Brazil is going to be
larger. I can’t tell you how much because I look at the market differently than
other people.”
Hamilton worked for two decades as a buyer for Uncle Ben’s Rice.
In 2000, he founded Firstgrain as a market advisory service for rice producers,
rice millers and rice marketers throughout the world. He says his service
benefits from having buyers and sellers of rice in its subscriber base.
11-year downtrend
line
“Right now, we have a breakout of an 11-year downtrend line,”
said Hamilton referring to terms used in technical analyses of rice futures
trading. “I tell people to watch it because there’s something going on, and
they say, ‘nothing’s going on.’
“That’s why I love having buyers and sellers taking my service
because they’re like devil’s advocates.”
The value of the real, the official currency of Brazil, has
reached new highs while the U.S. dollar has been getting weaker. That means
Brazilian rice, which is normally valued in dollars, is worth less than it was
and is a less attractive crop to Brazilian producers.
“In terms of dollars, this Brazilian market has gone nowhere,”
he said. “If the real had not gone through the roof like it has, then we would
have a very different ending for this particular model. Brazil has been like
the China of the Western world in how much it produces and consumes.
“Brazil did a huge amount of export business until 2018,” he
noted. “But it’s going down because they don’t have any rice. They’re going to
be net importers.”
By most estimates, the United States will have a large rice crop
this fall. “We’re going to grow a big crop; they’re all going to come here to
buy it; or they will buy it in Asia because there is no where else to go to get
the rice they need.”
Local bull market
The decrease in Brazilian production is creating a “local bull
market” in the Western Hemisphere because Asia is outside the traditional
marketing chain of countries in South America.
“What I’m seeing is the end product of a Western Hemisphere bull
market, which I also saw last April,” he said. “I said then that you should
sell rice slowly. The big change is that Brazil has become a net importer of
rice.”
Another wild card is the amount of rain that’s been falling in
the Delta region. Mid-South growers have had the third wettest winter since
1980, conjuring up thoughts of another round of delayed and prevented plantings
like the spring of 2019.
“If we get another spring like last year, it won’t be as bad
because we’ve had some dry periods, but it could be something that trims back
that acreage forecast for 2020,” he noted. “I think it’s going to be about 5
percent less than USDA’s February projection of 2.54 million acres.”
Hamilton believes rice prices will go down, possibly below $11
per hundredweight this spring, because of the likelihood Mid-South farmers will
plant more rice if weather conditions permit.
“But we’re not going to crater,” he noted. “By next fall we’ll
see the same thing we saw this year. With very heavy exports we’re going to
move prices higher as we get further into the year.”
Hamilton suggested farmers
price their rice in percentages. “You can’t buy $100 million worth of rice in a
week or two weeks or even four weeks. You need to spread out your sales. I had
four or five options for buying rice when I was a buyer because I had to keep a
low profile. If people figured out what I was doing the price went up on me.”
Genome Reading Technique Of Basmati
Rice Can Help Tackle World Hunger
As the most important food
crop on the planet, rice plays a critical role in global food security.
Following a breakthrough in genome sequencing, NYU scientists are now hopeful
that this vital crop can be made more resistant to drought and disease.
ABU
DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 10th Mar, 2020) As the most
important food crop on the
planet, rice plays a critical role in global food security. Following a
breakthrough in genome sequencing, NYU scientists are now hopeful that this
vital crop can be made more resistant to drought and disease.
The
research, partly supported by NYU Abu Dhabi’s Research Institute, was published
recently in Genome Biology details the breakthrough, which has been to innovate
a new ‘whole-genome’ approach that determines an organism’s complete DNA sequence.
In addition, through a collaboration with UK-based Oxford Nanopore
Technologies, a third-generation sequencing technology has been
developed, that allows long single molecules of DNA to be sequenced more
quickly, improving on the completeness and efficiency of the process.
These developments are a significant step
forward in the field. Previously, researchers were only able to assemble the
genome for basmati rice using ‘short-read’ sequencing. This ‘short-read’
approach, in which DNA is broken into tiny fragments and then reassembled,
leads to missing sequences and important gaps in the data.
NYU’s
researchers focused on two varieties. The first, Basmati 334 from Pakistan, is known to be
drought-tolerant and resistant to rice-killing bacterial blight.
The
second, Dom Sufid from Iran, is an aromatic
long-grain rice that is one of the most expensive on the market.
"This
process significantly improves our understanding of the genetics of an
organism," said Lead Scientist
and Silver Professor of
Biology at New York University, and
faculty investigator at NYU Abu Dhabi's Center for Genomics
and Systems Biology Michael Purugganan. "For a variety like Basmati 334,
which is highly resistant to drought and blight, it
means we can identify the genes responsible and work with rice breeders and
growers to strengthen these valuable traits. For such a critical global
commodity, even a tiny improvement in yields can impact our ability to feed
the world."
In
addition to Purugganan and postdoctoral scholar at NYU and the Genome Biology
study’s lead author Jae Young Choi, the study
authors are Zoe N. Lye and Simon C. Groen of NYU’s Center for Genomics and
Systems Biology; Xiaoguang Dai, Priyesh Rughani, Eoghan D. Harrington, and
Sissel Juul of Oxford Nanopore
Technologies, and Sophie Zaaijer of the New York Genome Center. The
work was supported by grants from the Zegar Family Foundation
(A16-0051), National Science Foundation Plant Genome Research Program
(IOS-1546218), Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF2550.06), and NYU Abu Dhabi Research
Institute.
What are the growing Rice Noodles market?
This report on the Rice Noodles market
highlights the market scenario of the global Rice Noodles sector, growth
prospects, emerging market areas, and leading players. The market study
segments the global Rice Noodles market based on the leading regions, along
with the major countries in the region. The historical analysis performed in
this study includes information collected from the years 2016 to 2019 and
predicts the market trends that could potentially affect the growth of the
market in the forecast duration from 2020 to 2027.
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insights to help the readers capitalize on the investment opportunities they
might encounter in the forecast years. Other market aspects such as drivers,
restraints, opportunities, and challenges have been widely explained in the
report to the readers with a holistic perspective of the market.
Company Profiles of
Manufacturers operating in the Global Rice Noodles Market:
Players included in the report are
investigated on the basis of SWOT, product range, production, value, pricing
structure, financial standing, among other essential factors.
Market segmentation by
Manufacturers, the report covers the following companies-
JFC International, American Roland Food
Corp., Eskal, Nan Shing Hsinchu, Cali Food, Nature soy, Mandarin Noodle
Manufacturing, Ying Yong Food Products, J.D. Food Products, Leong Guan Food
Manufacturer, Foodle Noodle, Lieng tong, L&W Food Corp., Thai Preserved
Food Factory, Thai Kitchen.
It includes the major manufacturers,
emerging players, historical growth, and major regions of the Global (North
America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa)
Rice Noodles market through the timeline of the research and in line with the
objectives of the study. The report categorizes the market on the basis of
product types, applications, end-uses, regions, and technological advancements.
Market segmentation by
Types of Rice Noodles, the report covers-
Thin Noodles
Wide Noodles
Wide Noodles
Market segmentation by
Applications of the Rice Noodles, the report covers the following uses-
Supermarkets/Hypermarkets
Food Service Outlets
Online Stores
Others
Food Service Outlets
Online Stores
Others
For Consumer-centric
research, our researchers can also include surveys in the report as part of
customization, which will take into account demographic factors such as age,
gender, occupation, and the levels of disposable income, while collecting data.
(If applicable)
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The Global (North America, Europe, Asia
Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa) Rice Noodles Market study
encompasses the current market scenario, market share held by leading regions,
projected market trends, growth rate, the outcomes of analytical tools such as
SWOT analysis, supply chain analysis, value chain assessment, and vendor
landscape to estimate the potential development of the industry in the forecast
duration from 2020 to 2027. The report also provides strategic recommendations
for the individuals and companies interested in the Market, by taking into
consideration the growth trends, leading companies, and growth opportunities in
the market growth.
Regional Analysis for the
Rice Noodles Market:
North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa
North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa
Consumer Traits (If
Applicable)
Purchasing trends
Preferences
Lifestyle
Expectations
Purchasing trends
Preferences
Lifestyle
Expectations
The Rice Noodles market
factors included in this report are:
Strategic Initiatives
undertaken by leading players in the Global (North America, Europe, Asia
Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa) Rice Noodles Market:
The research report analyzes prevalent
strategic activities such as research & development, mergers &
acquisitions, agreements, deals, product launches, collaborations,
partnerships, joint ventures, and regional growth of the key competitors
operating in the Market on both global and regional levels.
Key elements of the Global
(North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East &
Africa) Rice Noodles Market:
The report highlights significant Rice
Noodles market features, including gross revenue, weighted average regional
price, consumption rate, production rate, profit margin, import & export,
supply & demand, cost structure, market share, and CAGR.
If
you any specific requirements, please feel free to reach out to our expert
analysts
Table of Contents:
Global (North America,
Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa) Rice Noodles
Market geographical extent:
Global (North America,
Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa) Rice Noodles
Market Executive Summary:
The report gives a summary of the
overall research, underlining the growth rate, available opportunities,
competitive analysis, drivers, constraints, trends, issues, and both micro- and
macro-economic indicators seen in the Market.
Global Rice Noodles Market
Production by Region:
North America
Europe
Asia Pacific
Latin America
Middle East & Africa
Key Aspects Covered in the
Rice Noodles Market Report:
Rice Noodles Overview, Definition and Classification
Rice Noodles Market Drivers and Restraints
Rice Noodles Market Competitive Landscape by leading Manufacturers
Rice Noodles Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2020-2027)
Rice Noodles Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2020-2027)
Rice Noodles Market segmentation by Type {Shower Products, Liquid Rice Noodles, Bath Additives & Bar Soaps}
Rice Noodles Market segmentation by Application {Supermarkets and Hypermarkets, Specialist Stores, Drugstores & Others}
Rice Noodles Company Profiles
Rice Noodles Manufacturing Cost Analysis
Supply Chain Analysis, Vendor landscape, Raw Material Sourcing Strategy, and Downstream Buyers
Strategic initiatives by Key Manufacturers/Players, Connected Distributors/Traders
Regulatory framework
Value chain and growth trends
Market Analysis …………
Rice Noodles Overview, Definition and Classification
Rice Noodles Market Drivers and Restraints
Rice Noodles Market Competitive Landscape by leading Manufacturers
Rice Noodles Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2020-2027)
Rice Noodles Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2020-2027)
Rice Noodles Market segmentation by Type {Shower Products, Liquid Rice Noodles, Bath Additives & Bar Soaps}
Rice Noodles Market segmentation by Application {Supermarkets and Hypermarkets, Specialist Stores, Drugstores & Others}
Rice Noodles Company Profiles
Rice Noodles Manufacturing Cost Analysis
Supply Chain Analysis, Vendor landscape, Raw Material Sourcing Strategy, and Downstream Buyers
Strategic initiatives by Key Manufacturers/Players, Connected Distributors/Traders
Regulatory framework
Value chain and growth trends
Market Analysis …………
Get
FREE Sample Copy with TOC of the Report to understand the structure of the
complete report
In conclusion, the Global Rice Noodles
Market report gives a detailed study of the market by taking into consideration
the leading companies, current market status, and historical data to provide
accurate market estimations, which will serve as an industry-wide database for
both established players and newer entrants.
Thank you for reading this
article. You can also get chapter-wise sections or region-wise report coverage
for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East &
Africa.
Technological self-reliance only way forward
LAHORE: Transfer of technology enabled Pakistan to produce
hybrid rice seed, which is shielding rice farmers from the coronavirus impact,
while failure of solar and electronic sectors in acquiring transferable Chinese
technology will make them suffer along with many other industrial sectors.
Since the menace of coronavirus started spreading, all the
countries began calculating its impact. The OECD in its earlier estimates
calculated that it would eat up 1.1 percent of GDP growth in India, and 0.8
percent in Pakistan.
Some estimates say that it would cost $1 billion to the
Pakistani economy, but later estimates suggest the economic losses could exceed
$5 billion. This more than doubles the benefit of $2-$2.2 billion that Pakistan
would get if oil prices remained at the current level.
One wonders where would an economy go that some economists
say is already on a ventilator. A small silver lining in this regard is the
hybrid seed technology. This complicated technology required years of research
inside Pakistan with the assistance of Chinese scientists.
Guard Rice, a Pakistani firm not only acquired this
technology but established its own research facility to improve the yield of
non-basmati rice varieties. Pakistan has been exporting hybrid rice seed to
Philippines for the last three years. Manila, the capital of Philippines is the
headquarters of International Rice Research Institute.
There are some simple technologies that the private sector
in Pakistan could have acquired from China. These include the technology of
making solar panels that we mostly import from China. Many electronic products
that are assembled in Pakistan are made up of mostly imported components.
More than 70 percent of Pakistan’s rice exports come from
the non-basmati varieties. Almost 80 percent of the rice farmers in Sindh,
where non-basmati varieties are mostly produced use hybrid rice seed.
This includes both domestically produced hybrid seed and
seeds imported from China. The import of hybrid seed from China has been
impacted by Coronavirus based suspension of trade with China.
Only the seed that has already arrived in the country would
be available along with the local variety that incidentally is more popular and
gives highest yield of 120-130 maund per acre.
This is more than double the traditional IRRI varieties that
yield of 40-50 maund per acre. Local seed producer claims that high yield
hybrid rice seed has alleviated poverty among the rice farmers of Sindh. They
also assured that they have developed capability and capacity to provide for
total non-basmati seed requirements of Pakistani farmers and the coronavirus
impact would not affect the rice farmers of Sindh.
This was a rare example of transfer of technology where the
producers can survive without any import of inputs and it has paid high
dividends to the company that acquired the technology as well as the farmers.
Moreover, it has shielded the farmers from the disruption in
trade caused due to the spread of the coronavirus. In India, the hybrid and
biotech varieties of seeds were developed by the public sector after which the
private sector also pitched in.
In Pakistan, the lead was provided by many private sector
seed companies, while the public sector remained dormant despite employing
thousands of agricultural scientists (that get no funds for research as the
allocated budget hardly covers their salaries).
The private sector has not shown the foresight to go for
technology transfer of many products that they either import in finished form
or assemble in the country by importing the components.
This is despite the fact that the demand for those products
is increasing exponentially in the Pakistani market. For instance, there is
great demand both in the domestic and industrial sector for solar power, but
everything from solar panels to the solar modules have to be imported (mostly
from China where coronavirus problem is highest).
We may now see shortage of these panels or use of
substandard panels by unscrupulous elements that exist large in numbers. There
are many split air conditioner producing units that developed a local vending
base and usually import compressors only.
They would make good business in coming summer. Those
depending on imports for most components would have to halt production.
Others sectors that would suffer include pharmaceuticals. We
import most of the basic and intermediates that give medicines their
therapeutic value from China.
China is dominant in the battery supply chain and battery
manufacturers would suffer. Suspension of dyes and chemical imports from China
would increase their cost. The yarn and fabric exports would also suffer badly.
The spread of coronavirus has made experts realise the importance
of decentralisation and technological self-reliance, as all industries,
technologies, and supply chains are affected by the shutdown in China.
Tue
10-03-2020 20:41 PM
Genome reading technique of Basmati rice can
help tackle world hunger
ABU DHABI, 10th March, 2020 (WAM) -- As the most important food
crop on the planet, rice plays a critical role in global food security.
Following a breakthrough in genome sequencing, NYU scientists are now hopeful
that this vital crop can be made more resistant to drought and disease.
The research, partly supported by NYU Abu Dhabi’s Research
Institute, was published recently in Genome Biology details the breakthrough,
which has been to innovate a new ‘whole-genome’ approach that determines an
organism’s complete DNA sequence. In addition, through a collaboration with
UK-based Oxford Nanopore Technologies, a third-generation sequencing technology
has been developed, that allows long single molecules of DNA to be sequenced
more quickly, improving on the completeness and efficiency of the process.
These developments are a significant step forward in the field.
Previously, researchers were only able to assemble the genome for basmati rice
using ‘short-read’ sequencing. This ‘short-read’ approach, in which DNA is broken
into tiny fragments and then reassembled, leads to missing sequences and
important gaps in the data.
NYU’s researchers focused on two varieties. The first, Basmati
334 from Pakistan, is known to be drought-tolerant and resistant to
rice-killing bacterial blight. The second, Dom Sufid from Iran, is an aromatic
long-grain rice that is one of the most expensive on the market.
"This process significantly improves our understanding of
the genetics of an organism," said Lead Scientist and Silver Professor of
Biology at New York University, and faculty investigator at NYU Abu Dhabi's
Center for Genomics and Systems Biology Michael Purugganan. "For a variety
like Basmati 334, which is highly resistant to drought and blight, it means we
can identify the genes responsible and work with rice breeders and growers to
strengthen these valuable traits. For such a critical global commodity, even a
tiny improvement in yields can impact our ability to feed the world."
In addition to Purugganan and postdoctoral scholar at NYU and
the Genome Biology study’s lead author Jae Young Choi, the study authors are
Zoe N. Lye and Simon C. Groen of NYU’s Center for Genomics and Systems Biology;
Xiaoguang Dai, Priyesh Rughani, Eoghan D. Harrington, and Sissel Juul of Oxford
Nanopore Technologies, and Sophie Zaaijer of the New York Genome Center. The
work was supported by grants from the Zegar Family Foundation (A16-0051),
National Science Foundation Plant Genome Research Program (IOS-1546218), Gordon
and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF2550.06), and NYU Abu Dhabi Research Institute.
WAM/Tariq
alfaham/Hassan Bashir
Study finds
infant cereal consumption associated with nutrient intake
The study examined National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, a national survey of food intake,
from 2001 to 2014 to assess food intake in infants and toddlers from birth to
23 months.
An
investigation – supported by the Rice Foundation, the
research arm of the US rice industry – of infant feeding patterns found infants
and toddlers consuming baby cereal, such as rice cereal, had higher intakes of
key nutrients of concern, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and vitamin E.1
Baby
cereal consumers were also found to be less likely to have inadequate intakes
of iron, calcium and vitamin E – important nutrients for developing infants.
The study is said to illustrate the importance of rice baby cereal in the diets
of infants
and toddlers in achieving proper nutrition.
The study evaluated four age ranges – zero
to three months, four to six months, seven to 11 months and 12 to 23 months –
and the role of cereal consumption such as rice cereal. Researchers
investigated whether baby cereal consumption (e.g. rice cereal) was related to
different eating patterns, nutrient status and intakes of added sugars,
saturated fat and sodium, when compared to non-cereal consumers.
Webinar:
Application of Instrumental Texture Analysis Within The Food Industry
In this
AMETEK Brookfield webinar, hosted by New Food, Christopher Freeman will discuss
the application of instrumental texture analysis within the food industry and
its associated benefits for an organisation.
When introduced as early as four months,
baby cereal, including rice cereal, was associated with improved nutrient
status. From four to six months of age, babies who ate cereal took in more
calories, carbohydrates, whole grains and key nutrients, like vitamin B6,
calcium, iron and magnesium.
As
infants got older, the results remained similar. From seven to 11 months,
cereal consumers were found to have higher intakes of carbohydrates, vitamin E,
calcium, iron, zinc and magnesium. Beyond the first year of life, baby cereal consumption
continued to be associated with greater iron, zinc and vitamin E intake.1
“Based on the results, diet recommendations
for infants from birth to 23 months should include baby cereal – like rice
cereal – due to its role in maintaining nutrient status which supports growth
and development,” suggested study author, Theresa Nicklas, DrPH.
Overall,
the study is said to demonstrate that there is a strong public health benefit
to feeding infants ages four to 11 months infant baby cereal.1 Data
indicates that feeding cereal, such as rice cereal, as one of babies’ first
foods has a positive impact on nutrient status, the researchers claimed.
current edition:International edition
ShowMore
Nigel Slater’s recipe for spinach, coconut, tomato and brown
rice
Take comfort with this gently spiced and creamy vegan dinner
Tue 10 Mar 2020 12.00 GMT
Comfort
cooking: spinach, coconut, tomato and brown rice. Photograph: Jonathan
Lovekin/The Observer
The recipe
Peel
3 medium-sized onions, cut them in half from root end to tip, then slice each
half into 6. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a deep pan over a moderate heat. Add
the onions and let them cook, stirring regularly for 12-15 minutes, until they
start to soften.Peel 35g of ginger, slice lengthwise into thin pieces, then slice each into matchsticks. Add the ginger to the onions, then stir in 2 tsp each of ground cumin and turmeric, and continue cooking for a minute or so, then stir in 50ml of water. Finely chop a large, moderately hot red chilli. Halve 300g of cherry tomatoes and stir them and the chilli into the onions. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Stir in 200ml of thick coconut cream. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
Put 150g of brown basmati rice in a small pan covered by 3cm of water. Add 6 cardamom pods, 4 cloves, ½ tsp of salt and 6 black peppercorns and bring to the boil. As soon as the water starts to boil, cover tightly with a lid, turn the heat down to a simmer and leave to steam over a moderate heat for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave for 5 minutes before lifting the lid.
Wash 200g of young spinach leaves and stir them into the tomato sauce. Cover with a lid and leave for a couple of minutes, then turn them over in the sauce, cover again and leave to simmer for a further 2-3 minutes until the leaves have softened and relaxed. Divide the rice between 2 plates and spoon over the spinach and coconut sauce. Serves 2
The trick
Use
small, delicate spinach leaves and don’t be tempted to skip washing them. You
wouldn’t believe the amount of grit that can turn up in a bag of “washed”
spinach. Make the sauce first, then cook the rice. The sauce will stay warm in
its pan, covered by a lid. Give it a final blast of heat before serving, if
necessary.
The twist
You
could take advantage of the other greens around at the moment, using them to
replace the spinach. Purple kale, cavolo nero, spring cabbage or mustard
greens, should be lightly cooked before being drained and added to the tomato
sauce. Rather than basmati, you could use quinoa or couscous, the latter forked
through with chopped coriander.Follow Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater
You can’t make the news stop…
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that are steady and measured. We check the facts, explain the science and give
you the information you need to make the right choices about your life.
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reading and supporting our journalism, in more than 180 countries around the
world. And this is only possible because we made a different choice: to keep
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afford to pay.
We have upheld our editorial
independence in the face of the disintegration of traditional media – with
social platforms giving rise to misinformation, the seemingly unstoppable rise
of big tech and independent voices being squashed by commercial ownership. The
Guardian’s independence means we can set our own agenda and voice our own
opinions. Our journalism is free from commercial and political bias – never
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Intertwining
love and advocacy
There’s always a reason to
celebrate love for someone through gifts as a
way to express love for our family, friends, or special someone. Here at
PhilRice, we believe that the best way to do it is through rice. Because like
love, advocacy is also something that we should all fight for.
You no longer have to think so
hard and look so far to find the perfect gift. What we have here will surely
make your loved ones feel all-giddy inside.
So if you are hoping to find the
perfect gift without breaking the bank, read up.
1)
Brown Rice
Loving someone means wanting only
the best for that person. That means prioritizing his/ her safety, health, and
wellness. And while chocolates and sweets taste so fancy, they leave a certain
hint of guilt after eating them. Of course, we don’t want our loved ones to
feel guilty and anxious after having our gifts, right?
Instead of giving them food that
gives diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diseases, why don’t we give
them something that prevents these illnesses?
For just P60 a kilo, you can
already pamper your family and friends with antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins
that brown rice has!
Brown rice is scientifically known
to have more dietary fiber, polyphenols, and antioxidants particularly rice
oils.
By buying brown rice, you are not
just making your loved ones feel special, you also make them be healthier.
2)
Tapuy sakto (150ml)
Good times call for good wine.
Special occasions or quality time with family and friends don’t just deserve
delicious food but even special drinks, as well.
Try something new and feel the
unique yet classic flavor of rice wine.
A glass or two of this very
special wine will just make everything more memorable. You can also experiment
with different versions of this drink by exploring the award-winning cocktail
recipes from PhilRice Cookbook.
Not only that, you don’t have to worry about having way too
much wine because PhilRice now offers a smaller version of their famous rice
wine for only P99 per 150ml.
Now, you can have your fill of
Tapuy without having to fear about drinking too much, because like love and
other things in this world, Tapuy is best enjoyed in moderation.
3)
Travel pouch with dust bag and canvas tote
Students and rice science workers
are always on the go! That’s why, helping them get organized and on-track is
really an important gift. PhilRice has a new merchandize that’s perfect for
keeping stuff in order. With the PhilRice travel pouch, your loved ones can put
their everyday essentials in one place. For only P120, you can help them get
organized.
It’s very handy, so your loved ones
can bring it anywhere, even in their pockets. That way, it’s like you are
always with them all the time.
Plus, it comes with a dust bag so
they can always store it properly and keep it looking like brand new.
4)
Advocacy coffee mug
We can all agree that having that
perfect cup of coffee every morning is as good as hearing the words “I love
you”. Hence, a perfect gift of love is to be a constant part of this sacred
morning routine.
Let your loved ones think of you,
and even miss you, every time they drink a cup of coffee by giving them this
cute PhilRice advocacy coffee mugs.
Moreover, these aren’t just
ordinary coffee mugs. Whenever your loved ones use it, they won’t just be
reminded that you love them. They will also be reminded of our true purpose as
rice science workers and responsible rice consumers. Reminding and teaching
someone to be riceponsible is also an effective way of showing your love and
appreciation for more than 2M farmers in the Philippines.
It’s kind of overwhelming to think
of a grand gift or a gesture for somebody we love. But it’s actually simple.
The trick is just to remind them of the things that matter, of the things that
you are willing to fight for—your love and your advocacy. When these two ideals
intertwine, that’s when you will achieve a kind of commitment and purpose that
will surely last long.
High-quality
inbred varieties showcased
TechnoDemo sites
farmer-cooperators in Balungao, Pangasinan inspect their harvest using the
distributed certified inbred seeds under RCEF.
The Philippine Rice Research
Institute (PhilRice) showcases the performance of certified inbred seeds
through TechnoDemo sites established nationwide.
As of date, 40 TechnoDemo
(Mechanized Technology Demonstration of National and Regional Recommended
Inbred Rice Varieties) sites with 6-ha contiguous area each, have been selected
to promote the mechanized production of the select varieties.
To be managed by seven PhilRice
branches and the Central Experiment Station, TechnoDemo sites are located in Quezon,
Misamis Oriental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Pangasinan,
Zamboanga Sibugay, Pampanga, Ifugao, and Capiz.
Three national recommended inbred
rice varieties – NSIC Rc 222, Rc 216,
and Rc 160 will be promoted to farm communities. Two regional recommended
inbred rice varieties, one location-specific technology; and newly released
inbred rice varieties will also be shown to the farmers.
PhilRice will annually provide
P60,000, which will be divided for two cropping seasons, to farmer-cooperators
of TechnoDemo sites. This will cover supplies and materials including seeds,
fertilizers, pesticides, andlabor expenses such as land preparation and
transplanting, crop care and maintenance, pulling of seedlings, harvesting, and
other farm activities.
“A technology demonstration is not
only a validation of our seed’s competitive performance but also an affirmation
that our summative efforts have been fully-accepted by our farmers,” said Arc
Azuela, Bulacan provincial coordinator of Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund
(RCEF)-Seed Program.
To Mario Magpali, 57, of San
Joaquin, Balungao, Pangasinan, being selected as a TechnoDemo site
farmer-cooperator makes rice farming information at hand.
“Despite the problems in our
farms, we are assisted by technicians and RCEF coordinators. In that way, we
are guided with scientific knowledge in farming,” Magpali shared.
The TechnoDemo is under RCEF-Seed
Program, which generally aims to help the small-scale Filipino farmers amid the
new rice trade system.
This is also in line with the
“Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita” battle cry of the Department of Agriculture
that intends to provide high-quality seeds to Filipino farmers under RCEF.
Economic and
Political Challenges Limit Progress on Food and Water Security in Pakistan
Key Points
·
Pakistan
is a food surplus country but experiences high levels of food insecurity,
mainly due to poor access. Most Pakistani households are unable to afford
nutritious diets.
·
Rates
of malnutrition are alarmingly high. Close to half of Pakistani children are
stunted, rates of wasting exceed emergency levels and micronutrient
deficiencies are very common.
·
Water
sources are under significant strain as a result of an increasing population,
water-intensive agriculture and poor management. Climate change is likely to
create further difficulties over the next several decades.
·
Water
quality is also poor and the majority of the population does not have access to
clean drinking water. As a result, water-related illnesses are one of the
leading causes of disease and death.
Summary
Pakistan is one of the world’s biggest producers of wheat
and rice, as well as livestock and a number of other agricultural products. It
is a food surplus country with stable food availability. Food security is poor,
however, as access to food is limited by poverty and high levels of food
inflation. As a result, Pakistan has alarmingly high rates of malnutrition,
particularly among women and children. Nearly half of children experience
stunting and most suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Although the
Pakistani Government has taken some steps to reduce food insecurity, such
efforts are subject to political whims, economic realities or, in some cases,
are simply ineffective.
Pakistan’s water security is also under considerable
pressure. Most water sources are over-exploited, due to an increasing
population, agricultural practices and poor management. Pakistan’s extensive
irrigation system is also one of the least efficient in the world and loses up
to 60 per cent of the water it transports. Climate change is also predicted to
put pressure on water supplies. Although it is not projected to reduce inflow
into water bodies, it is likely to increase variability, leading to more severe
floods and droughts. Water quality is also poor and water supplies are often
tainted with faecal contamination, pesticides or industrial runoff. As a
result, water-borne illness is common and a leading cause of death.
Analysis
Pakistan is a lower-middle income country with a
population of around 204 million,
making it the sixth most populous
country in the world. Its population is expected to increase, to 244 million,
by 2030. Although it boasts significant natural resources, it is vulnerable to
environmental, economic and political shocks that undermine its food security.
The country is exposed to a number of environmental hazards, particularly
earthquakes, floods and droughts. It is among the most affected countries
by long-term climate risks.
Pakistan is among the world’s largest producers of food
in some categories. It is the eighth-largest wheat
producer, the tenth-largest rice producer and its climate makes it a leading
producer of a number of horticultural products. Rice accounts for 44 per cent
of its agricultural export earnings, while wheat yields are comparable to those
of other major wheat producing countries. The livestock sector is growing due
to increased demand from an increasingly urban population. Consequently, Pakistan
hosts the world’s third-largest livestock
herd and is the fifth-largest producer of milk.
Pakistan maintains a vast – though outdated and
not well maintained – irrigation system that covers 80 per cent of
its farmed land. As such, agriculture depends on water supplies that are not
always guaranteed. Agricultural growth was subdued in the 2018-19 period,
mostly due to insufficient water availability. As a result, the crop sector
experienced negative growth during this time and the production of most major
crops fell. Despite a fall in agricultural production, Pakistan is a food surplus country and
food availability is stable.
Access to food is often hindered by high rates of
poverty, however, and many of Pakistan’s poorest are unable to afford an
adequate diet. According to a survey by the World Food Programme,
67.6% of Pakistani households are unable to afford a staple adjusted nutritious
diet (a nutritious diet that includes a daily serving of the country’s main
staple. In Pakistan, this is wheat). This figure varies by province, with
Balochistan the province most unable to afford this diet (83.4% of households).
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has also found that 18.3% of Pakistani households
experience severe food insecurity. “Severe” hunger in this context is the
highest rating on the FAO’s Food Insecurity Experience Scale, where respondents
report experiencing hunger on a chronic basis. Across Pakistan, households
consume 13 per cent fewer
calories than is officially recommended, while the poorest households consume
23 per cent fewer calories than recommended.
Almost a quarter of
Pakistan’s population lives below the poverty line of 3030.30 Pakistani rupees
($30.24) a month. It is even higher in rural areas, at 30.7% of the population.
Low incomes are strongly correlated with under-nutrition and under-five
malnutrition rates significantly increase with lower incomes. High food prices
worsen the problem and poorer households are especially sensitive to
food price increases. Despite increasing household expenditure on food, calorie
consumption declined by nearly ten per cent between 2000 and 2014, driven by
declining consumption in rural households. Food price inflation has been high
in recent months and was 19.5% higher in
January 2019 than at the same time the year before. Inflation has been
especially acute in rural areas.
Pakistan has one of the world’s highest rates
of malnutrition among women and children. In South Asia, only Afghanistan has
performed more poorly than Pakistan at reducing its rate of under-nourishment.
About 18 per cent of
the population is undernourished and more than half of the country’s children
lack adequate nourishment. Across urban areas, 97 per cent of
children displayed at least one indicator of malnutrition in a 2016 survey.
While poor and rural Pakistanis bear the highest burden of malnutrition, rates
of under-nutrition among affluent children is between 33-53 per cent,
suggesting that the issue is widespread.
The rate of childhood stunting (low height for weight,
caused by chronic malnutrition) is an especially serious concern, with 43.7% of
children in Pakistan stunted. Additionally, 15.1% of children are wasted (low
weight for age, often caused by acute food shortages), a rate that exceeds the
emergency threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Micronutrient
deficiencies are also common, especially among women and children. Vitamin A
deficiency among children is as high as 56 per cent, which
is the leading cause of
preventable blindness and increases the risk of infections and death. Zinc and
iodine deficiencies are also fairly common in children, at a rate of 36.5% and
11.2%, respectively. Iron deficiency anaemia is also especially common in adult
women (50.5%) and children (62.1%) although adult men also experience it at
fairly high rates (21.2%). Iron deficiency anaemia in children can cause cognitive
and developmental delays.
In addition to the public health problems caused by
under-nutrition, poor food security has a number of economic consequences.
Childhood stunting is associated with poorer attainment in school, which may
ultimately lead to adult earnings losses of up to 19.8%. In
manual workers, it has also been found that productivity and earnings increase
with height. Furthermore, there is evidence that food insecurity may help drive
political unrest in Pakistan. Between 2005 and 2015, Pakistan experienced 19 serious episodes of
unrest (including riots, demonstrations or major protests) in which food prices
were a major (but by no means only) contributing factor. Pakistan came second
only to India in terms of such events. While this may not play a major role in
Pakistan’s security situation, food insecurity has been found to fuel senses
of marginalisation and deprivation in Balochistan, reinforcing militant
activity in that region.
The Pakistani Government has taken some steps to try and
reduce rates of food insecurity. In 2018, the Pakistani Government released
its National Food Security Policy, an ambitious document that provides a framework for
eradicating hunger and malnutrition, while promoting sustainable and
competitive food systems. The policy took years of drafting and involved
consultation with a number of stakeholders and was approved towards the end of
the previous government’s time in power. Although the policy addresses urgent
food security issues, little appears to have been done with the policy since
Imran Khan’s government came to power. That is possibly because of its
association with a past government, or because Pakistan’s ongoing economic crises make implementation difficult. In the meantime, a swarm of
locusts damaging crops, surging inflation, job losses, slow economic growth and
food shortages all threaten Pakistan’s
food security and measures taken to mitigate these problems have so far been
ineffective (for example, a subsidy of Rs2 billion ($19.7 million) for basic
commodities amounted to Rs9 ($0.09) a person, each month).
There is limited data concerning
Pakistan’s total water resources, meaning only approximate estimates are
available. What is known, however, is that the majority of its surface and
ground water is concentrated in the Indus Basin (there are three hydrologic features in Pakistan: the Kharan Desert System, the Makran
Coastal Drainage, as well as the Indus Basin). It is estimated that the
country’s total renewable resources are around 229 billion cubic metres, or
1,100 cubic metres per capita. Most of its water comes
from precipitation and river flows from glacial and snow melt, and surface
runoff. Water availability is highly variable:
most rain falls between July and September, and 92 per cent of the country is
classified as arid or semi-arid. Seasonal, annual and daily river flows are
also highly variable, depending on rainfall and glacial or snow melt. Pakistan
is considered to be both water scarce (low
water availability per capita) and water stressed (high water withdrawals,
relative to availability).
Many of Pakistan’s water resources are under significant
stress, due to an
increasing population, the production of water-intensive crops, water wastage
and pollution. Population growth and urbanisation pose a particular challenge –
due to sustained population growth, relative water availability is less than a quarter of
what it was 50 years ago and municipal and industrial water use is growing.
Although population growth is slowing, demand is still rising and is projected to reach 337
billion cubic metres by 2025, while availability is projected to remain
stagnant.
Groundwater supplies are also subject to pressure and
withdrawals are high. The amount of groundwater used is often quoted as being
78 per cent of the resource each year, although the World Bank contends that
this figure is probably much lower (closer to 59 per cent) due to a double
counting error. Nevertheless, groundwater depletion is a serious issue in parts
of Pakistan, particularly in parts of Punjab and Balochistan.
Agriculture has placed further stress on Pakistani water
supplies. The country uses 93 per cent of
its water for agriculture, compared to a global average of around 70 per cent. Four
major crops represent 80 per cent of
all water use (wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton) but only contribute five per
cent of GDP. Additionally, Pakistan’s irrigation system is among the most inefficient in
the world, losing over 60 per cent of the water it carries, mostly due to
seepage, leaks and poor irrigation methods (most Pakistani farmers rely on flood
irrigation, which is a highly inefficient way of irrigating crops).
The Pakistani water supply is particularly sensitive to
the effects of climate change. Climate projections indicate that temperatures
will continue to rise in
the Indus Basin over the next few decades, over both summer and winter.
Although it is difficult to know exactly how climate change will impact glacial
melt in the region, higher summer temperatures are correlated with increased
glacial melt and predictions suggest increased glacial runoff of 16-50 per cent.
Climate change is not predicted to lower the average amount of water Pakistan receives, but
inflows are likely to become more variable, increasing Pakistan’s vulnerability
to floods and droughts.
Pakistan’s water security issues are not just limited to
issues of scarcity and stress; poor water quality and sanitation also pose
issues. Water resources are heavily polluted and only 20 per cent of
Pakistanis have access to safe drinking water. The remaining 80 per cent of the
country must rely on water largely contaminated by sewage, as well as fertiliser,
pesticides and industrial runoff. It has been estimated that 30 per cent of
diseases and 40 per cent of deaths in Pakistan occur due to poor water quality,
especially faecal contamination. Water-related diseases account for GDP losses
of up to 1.44% annually.
Waste management is almost non-existent in
rural areas and for the urban poor. Similarly, there has been no investment in
the management of faecal sludge or wastewater. Drainage infrastructure is also
poor, allowing faecal waste to seep into ground and surface water. Only two
cities have biological treatment facilities, which are reported to be only
partly functional. Estimates suggest that if all treatment facilities were
operated at full capacity, they would be able to treat just eight per cent of
wastewater.
Furthermore, around 70 per cent of
drinking water is sourced from aquifers, which are also prone to contamination
by heavy metals at
rates exceeding the maximum permissible concentrations defined by the WHO.
These heavy metals include arsenic (which is found in especially high
concentrations in Punjab and Sindh), mercury and lead, among others.
Food and water security remains weak in Pakistan, mainly
due to the country’s political and economic challenges, which are proving
difficult to resolve. Without addressing the roots of Pakistan’s problems, the
country is likely to continue to face the same problems for the foreseeable
future.
Any opinions or views expressed in this paper
are those of the individual author, unless stated to be those of Future
Directions International.
Published by Future Directions International
Pty Ltd.
Suite 5, 202 Hampden Road, Nedlands WA 6009,
Australia.
Tel:+61 8 6389 0211
Economy of Pakistan after Coronavirus outbreak
MARCH
12, 2020
While Balance of Trade (BoT) is improving in right
direction, coronavirus (COVID-19) has become
threat to the pace of development. Asian Development Bank (ADB) stated in its
report that the virus outbreak could cost the Pakistan economy in the range of
$16.387 million to $4.95 billion, or 0.01 % to 1.57% of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP). United Nations (UN) estimates international tourism to drop 3% due to
virus resulting a loss up to $50 Billion globally, is another bad news for the
government which is committed to increase tourism exports.
International Monetary Funds (IMF) closely
monitoring the grim situation and announced $50 Billion program to fight the
aftermath of virus outbreak. It expects 2020 global growth rate will be below
the 2.9% rate for 2019.The US Federal Reserve announced a 50 basis point cut
recently followed by the Bank of Canada to ease out monetary policy for
supporting business activities halted by virus fear. Whatever the case may be,
Pakistan is determined towards improving economic situation of Pakistan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan recently advised the
related departments to control inflation, ease out interest rates and to
encourage business activities by focusing on ease of doing business. Apart from
clinical steps advised by PM, Pakistan is all set to get benefit from EU GSP
plus status specially in the field of Textile where the orders towards Pakistan
increasing while China is partially shut down. Here, a point should be noted
down that it is not merely the COVID-19 in China which isshedding orders in
favour of Pakistan but the consistent economic policies of government towards
export based economy starting from Financial Year 2019 (FY19) by introducing
free floating exchange rate and increasing discount rate to tackle ever
widening Current Account Deficit (CAD).
Besides GSP status from Europe after Brexit,
United Kingdom (UK) signalled to double its trade with Pakistan on back of
improved security situation of the country. Good news is that the virus impact
on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) activities will be negligible as
stated by Pakistan’s envoy to China.
The country’s 8 months balance of Trade i.e.
July to February 2019 – 2020 (8MFY20) has improved by 26% from $21.46 Billion
in 8MFY19 to $15.77 Billion as reported by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
Exports recorded a growth of 3.65% during the period i.e. increased from $15.1
Billion to $15.65 Billion whereas imports declined 14.06% i.e. from $36.56
Billion to $31.42 Billion during the period under discussion. Year on Year
(YoY) country’s exports registered a growth of 13.82% from $1.88 Billion to
$2.14 Billion in the month of February whereas imports showed a decline of
1.71% i.e. from $4.144 Billion to $4.073 Billion.
Apart from regular
international business activities Pakistan is also focusing on alternative ways
for International Trade with US sanctioned Iran
It means country’s BoT improved 14.61% i.e.
from $2.26 Billion to $1.93 Billion in the month of February. Month on Month
(MoM) BoT witnessed improvement of 10.43%i.e. from $2.16 billion in January
2020 to $1.93 billion in February 2020. In this regard PM stated that Pakistan
is moving on the road to development where stable rupee, 73% decrease in CAD,
growing exports and accelerated development spending leading the country to
right direction. PM Advisor for Commerce, Industry and Investment, Abdul Razzaq
Dawood stated that the rise in exports is another sign of improvement in
Economic activities.
He further stated that a comprehensive policy
is being formulated for sugar, cotton, agriculture products and exports where
it is focused to boost exports of value added products in the agriculture
sector. Advisor revealed that in addition to facilitating Textile industry for
encouraging exports Government is taking keen interest in the export of
information technology and software.
On the other hand outbreak of novel
Coronavirus is ready to affect government’s efforts towards increasing pace of
export based economic development including tourism exports. According to a UN
body International tourist arrivals to drop 3% due to the fear. This will lead
to an estimated loss of $30 – $50 Billion in international tourism receipts.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) released a study where it quantifies the impact of
COVID-19 on Asian trade with certain projected scenarios.
It studies the impact on various sectors of
the continent including but not limited to agriculture, mining and quarrying,
business, trade, public services, hotels and restaurants and other personal
services, light/heavy manufacturing utilities, and construction and transport
services. The range of scenarios determined in the analysis suggests a global
impact in the range of $77 billion to $347 billion, or 0.1 percent to 0.4
percent of GDP. In best case scenario, the impact on Pakistan would be limited
to a $ 16.4 Million.
However, if the outbreak in China is more
widespread and last longer, with travel bans and precautionary measures, the
impact on Pakistan would be around $4.95 Billion besides loss of 0.9 million
employment.
Despite of virus fear, government is
determined to increase business activities in the country. For said reason PM
ordered relevant departments to put all efforts for ease of doing business in
the country. In this regard Mr Asad Umer is given task to speed up
establishment of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and related laws to facilitate
business community with favourable environment to generate more economic
activity in the country. Resultantly, 7 SEZs to be established in Balochistan,
Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. The meeting was told that after
approval of law for the SEZs in 2012, only seven economic zones were set up in
the country till 2018, while the present government had notified six new
economic zones in one year (2019).
The prime minister stressed the relevant team
for utilizing the tourism potential of Gilgit Baltistan and the establishment
of special economic zones there.Further to such incentives PM has hinted business
community for decrease in interest rate which is the need of the day for
allowing businesses to borrow funds on lesser finance cost especially when the
virus fear has increased the input cost of supplies as China shut down.
On international side of economic situation,
luckily, price war sentiments within Oil Producing Countries (OEPC), making oil
prices trending downward which will benefit Pakistan. UK recently planned to
double the size of the British High Commission trade team and further support
economic development and technical expertise in Pakistan where bilateral trade
between the countries currently stands at £3.3 Billion in total i.e. $4.3
Billion. On the other side of BREXIT, Pakistan has been extended GSP status by
Europe according to Ministry of Commerce.
On the economic front, Pakistan remained a
significant beneficiary of the benefits availed by 9 GSP Plus beneficiary
countries. Out of total export of 6.739 Billion Euros of Pakistan to EU in
2018, our exports worth 5.885 Billion Euro availed tariff concessions. Since
the grant of GSP Plus in 2014, Pakistan’s exports to the European Union have
enhanced from 4.538 Billion Euros in 2013 to 7.492 Billion Euros in 2019,
registering an increase of 65% mostly in Textile sector. Apart from regular
international business activities Pakistan is also focusing on alternative ways
for International Trade with US sanctioned Iran. For this purpose Pakistan’s
embassy in Tehran has proposed some suggestions to the Ministry of Commerce as
to how trade relations with Iran can be possible.
This includes establishing credible banking
channel, free trade agreement and trade mechanism to settle outstanding
payments with the sale price of electricity being imported by Pakistan. Please
note that Iran is willing to import rice and other commodities from Pakistan
against cost of electricity being imported from Iran in Balochistan. Pakistan
is keenly looking into this side of untapped international trade and intends to
get one off waivers from USA to trade with Iran as other countries are doing,
especially when US-Pakistan bilateral relations are getting better.
The writer is Corporate Finance Specialist and a
Chartered Banker (UK)
·
Search →
Photosynthesis Differs in Rice Varieties — Natural Diversity
Could Boost Yields
§
§
§
Rice is a
direct source of calories for more people than any other and serves as the main
staple for some 560 million chronically hungry people in Asia. With over
120,000 varieties of cultivated rice (Oryza
sativa) across the globe, there is a wealth of natural diversity to
be mined by plant scientists to increase yields. A team from the University of Illinois and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
examined how 14 diverse varieties photosynthesize — the process by which all
crops convert sunlight energy into sugars that ultimately become our food.
Looking at a little-studied attribute of photosynthesis, they found small
differences in photosynthetic efficiency under constant conditions, but a 117
percent difference in fluctuating light, suggesting a new trait for breeder
selection.
“Photosynthesis
has traditionally been assessed under ‘constant conditions’ where plants are
exposed to constant, high levels of light, but field conditions are never
constant — especially considering the light that drives photosynthesis,” said
RIPE Director Stephen
Long, Ikenberry Endowed University Chair of Plant Biology and Crop
Sciences at Illinois’ Carl R.
Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. “We looked at 14 cultivars of
rice that represent much of the crop’s diversity and asked the question: could
there be variability in photosynthesis in fluctuating light that we might be
able to capitalize on?”
Published in New Phytologist, this
work is part of Realizing
Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international
research project that is developing staple food crops that turn the sun’s
energy into food more efficiently to increase global food production
sustainably with support from the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Foundation for Food and Agriculture
Research (FFAR), and the U.K. Government’s Department
for International Development (DFID).
“If you
look within the canopy of leaves of any crop, you will see that the light is
fluctuating by one or two orders of magnitude,” Long said. “A plant’s access to
light is not only impacted by clouds intermittently obscuring the sun but much
more commonly by its own leaves, or those of a neighboring plant as the sun’s
angle changes throughout the day. Calculations show that the photosynthetic
inefficiency imposed by these leaves slowly adjusting to each fluctuation in
light may cost crops 20 to 40 percent of their potential productivity.”
The
researchers compared results from constant and fluctuating conditions and found
no correlation, which supports findings from a 2019 study on cassava. In
other words, varieties that do well in fluctuating light might not do well in
constant light and vice-versa, suggesting that selection for these traits would
have to be conducted independently.
Liana Acevedo-Siaca measures the photosynthetic efficiency of a
rice plant. Credit: International Rice Research
Institute (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
“This
lack of correlation, which seems to be consistent across species, calls for us
to flip how we think about studying photosynthesis,” said first-author Liana
Acevedo-Siaca, a graduate student in the College of Agriculture, Consumer and
Environmental Sciences (ACES). “Moving forward, we need to
incorporate more dynamic measurements into the way that we understand
photosynthesis, especially in an agricultural setting because realistically
those plants are never in a steady-state.”
The team
also evaluated how these plants cope with fluctuations in light intensity
across the five major rice groups, sometimes considered to be subspecies. While
no group appeared better than the other overall, variation could still be
found in future research.
In this
study, three photosynthetic parameters were of particular interest: the speed
of induction (how quickly photosynthesis activates, or starts), speed of
assimilation (how quickly the plant physically fixes carbon), and how
efficiently these rice plants use water.
After
switching from low light to high light, one variety activated (or began
photosynthesizing) 117 percent faster than the slowest. In fluctuating light
conditions, another variety from the Indica group assimilated more than double
that of the “worst” variety (also an Indica), which was found to be the most
water-use efficient variety.
“Surprisingly,
after making a more detailed analysis of these accessions along with a
well-studied control called IR64 from the Philippines, we found that
biochemistry is the biggest limitation to efficiency as leaves transition from
shade to sun,” Long said. “Biochemistry is a different limitation altogether
than that found in a parallel study of cassava, illustrating the need to
fine-tune photosynthesis separately in different crop species — despite the
fact that the photosynthetic process is generally well-conserved and consistent
across most food crops.”
According
to Acevedo-Siaca, the next step is to identify how to breed for (or engineer)
rice with faster induction responses.
“At the
end of the day, the goal would be to have crops that can respond more quickly
to light fluctuations enabling them to be more productive,” said Acevedo-Siaca,
a 2016 recipient of the US
Borlaug Fellowship in Global Food Security that
supported her to conduct much of this research at IRRI. “I am interested in
ways that we can improve this process while preserving some of the germplasm we
have out there — there’s so much diversity with which we could work. I think it
would be a shame if we didn’t examine all of our options more deeply.”
Long also
published a landmark
study in Science that
showed plants are not fully adapted to deal with the dynamic light conditions
in fields—and helping them keep can increase crop productivity by as much as 20
percent. The RIPE project and its sponsors are committed to ensuring Global
Access and making the project’s technologies available to the
farmers who need them the most.
Realizing Increased Photosynthetic
Efficiency (RIPE) aims to improve photosynthesis to equip farmers
worldwide with higher-yielding crops to ensure everyone has enough food to lead
a healthy, productive life. This international research project is sponsored by
the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Foundation for Food and Agriculture
Research (FFAR), and the U.K. Government’s Department
for International Development (DFID).
RIPE is
led by the University
of Illinois in partnership with The Australian National University, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Lancaster University, Louisiana State University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Cambridge, University of Essex,
and U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
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UP engages global R&D major to
develop drought- and flood-resistant rice
Philippines-based Int'l Rice Research Institute to develop
the new strains for the state, will also fortify traditional varieties with
aroma and nutrients
Virendra Singh Rawat
| Lucknow Last Updated at March 11, 2020 15:52 IST
The process of
getting the required approval is on and the company is working closely with the
concerned departments under the agriculture ministry.
· ALSO READ
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crop last year
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flood-resistant rice in India
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exports, domestic prices fall
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Avazah over defaults
Govt may ask FCI to sell 1.5 MT broken rice for
grain-based biodiesel units
·
The Uttar
Pradesh government has roped in International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) to develop drought and flood resistant rice varieties
to insulate the state farmers’ income from these natural calamities.
The Philippines-based IRRI, which
has a campus in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency of
Varanasi, has also tasked with fortifying the state’s traditional paddy
varieties with aroma and nutrients.
In December 2018, Modi had
inaugurated the IRRI’s South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) campus in Varanasi,
which is touted as a hub for paddy research and training in South Asia.
“I recently held a meeting with a
team of senior IRRI officials in Lucknow, where I asked them to develop drought
and flood resistant paddy for the state, which is prone to these natural
calamities,” UP agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi told Business Standard.
He said that the IRRI field work
on these mandates was on and that they had so far collected nearly 200 state
paddy varieties for research.
“The IRRI is conducting field
trials on an area of about 15 hectares in the Varanasi region,” Shahi said
adding less than 5 per cent of the state’s total agricultural land was prone to
drought and floods.
Although the food grain
production in UP is robust, yet the state is now bracing up for the future
challenges brought about by the current and prospective shrinkage in the farm
land, impact of global warming, flooding etc.
In fact, German chemical and seed
company Bayer is also looking to launch a flood resistant rice variety
before the onset of the next monsoon season. While, the new variety has been
launched in Bangladesh, the company has applied for the necessary regulatory
approval in India.
The process of getting the
required approval is on and the company is working closely with the concerned
departments under the agriculture ministry. The mandatory three-year field
trials for the rice variety had been conducted in West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha
to be eligible to apply for the regulatory nod.
“Our flood resistant rice has
shown goods results in trials and we are confident of its success in India,” a
senior Bayer CropScience official had earlier told Business Standard.
UP has 17 million hectares (MH)
of cultivated area, thus constituting 70% of its total geographical spread. The
major crops of the state comprise paddy (rice), wheat, maize, sugarcane,
chickpea and pigeonpea. The food grain production constraints are declining
soil health due to multi-nutrient deficiencies, soil salinity/alkalinity and
low input use efficiency.
The state has 5.6 MH under rice
cultivation, which covers irrigated and rainfed areas. The major constraints in
paddy cultivation are low coverage by hybrids, soil salinity/alkalinity and
micro and secondary nutrient deficiency, decreasing organic carbon content in
soils, flash floods, submergence and drought in Eastern UP.
Natural bayou better when floods threaten Houston
One bayou meanders toward
downtown Houston. The other runs in parallel to the south, much of it through a
concrete channel.
Which
is better at preventing floods? Researchers at Rice University’s Brown School of Engineering give the
nod to nature.
In
studying the evolution of flood plains based on Houston’s Buffalo and Brays bayous, the researchers
associated with Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education & Evacuation from Disasters
Center determined Buffalo’s largely natural form has
proven better at absorbing floodwater and preventing it from spilling over into
heavily populated areas.
Buffalo
Bayou. Photo by Andrew Juan
An open-access paper in the Journal of Flood Risk Management details
Rice models that show how flood plains have evolved and will
evolve over a 70-year span, up to 2040.
The
team of Rice research scientist Andrew Juan, former graduate student Avantika
Gori and associate research scientist Antonia Sebastian found that while the
extent of the 10-year flood plain has remained relatively stable along both
bayous, the 100-year flood plain (areas with a 1-in-100
chance of flooding during any given year) shows stark differences.
While the 100-year flood plain
model along Buffalo Bayou remained mostly unchanged over the 70-year span, the
researchers show recent and potential development along the already densely
populated Brays has a significant impact on flooding.
Their
models show that urban development in the Brays’ watershed, which they expect to grow by
29% from the 1970s through 2040, increased the 100-year flood plain from 10.5
square kilometers in the 1970s to 46.1 square kilometers in 2011. They predict
it will rise to 73.3 kilometers in 2040.
“This is one of the major
observations,” Juan said. “Hydrologists like to talk about streamflow, runoff
volume and peak timing, but from a risk standpoint, flood plain extent is one
of the performance metrics we should really pay attention to. In this case, we
are seeing a huge difference in our model between the two neighboring
watersheds.”
Brays
Bayou. Image from Google Earth
To
some degree, he said, Buffalo Bayou’s relative superiority is due to
forward-thinking individuals who, starting in the 1960s, protested “channelizing” the bayou as had been done at
Brays. That has helped preserve the bayou’s natural drainage to contain
normally heavy rains that are slower to reach the bayou. Furthermore, banning
buildings from the designated setbacks close to the bayou has kept property
damage at bay, Juan said.
“It’s not just about natural
drainage,” he said. “It’s also about keeping the setbacks from being developed.
Removing people from flood-vulnerable areas is effective.”
The flood plains near Brays are
of an entirely different character and have changed more significantly since
1970 than those along the Buffalo, Juan said.
“When you look at the number of
residential parcels within the flood plains, the two are comparable in the
1970s,” he said. “However, you see a dramatic increase in 2011 for Brays, but
not so much for Buffalo.”
The
differences are evident at upstream and downstream watch points along Brays, to
the west and east of the flood-prone Meyerland neighborhood, according to
the study. Measurements at those points show both 10- and 100-year normalized
peak flows nearly doubled between the 1970s and 2011, with larger peak flows
occurring when heavy rains inundate the neighborhood.
The
study only looked at rainwater runoff into the bayous and its impact on
flooding. Minor contributions by underground pipelines, which are sufficient to
handle 2- to 5-year floods, and the impact of Barker and Addicks reservoirs that were opened
upstream of Buffalo Bayou in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, were not considered.
Juan said the researchers realize
moving structures away from Brays is highly unlikely, but reconfiguring
available open spaces and golf courses to serve as retention ponds when needed
could help areas at the epicenter of flooding over the past decade,
particularly Meyerland.
“The
heavily invested Project Brays includes a number of
channelization, detention and bridge modification projects,” he said. “It’s a
multimillion-dollar project and it definitely has benefited the watershed as a
whole. But on the flip side, it might have contributed to creating a false
sense of security. It was supposed to protect the entire watershed from a
100-year flood, but flood damages from recent major storms have shown that it
was insufficient.
“Maybe individual homeowners,
residents, planners and other stakeholders need to be more proactive in
exploring other mitigation strategies,” he said.
Sebastian is now an assistant
professor of geological sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. The study was supported by the Houston Endowment and the National Science
Foundation.
Tags:Buffalo, detention, education, Engineering, evacuation, Harvey, Hurricane, National Science Foundation, North Carolina, Professor, property, research, Rice University, security, university, University of North Carolina
Investing in Rice Production, Processing
Business
March 12, 2020
4:35 am
The federal government plans to make Nigeria self- sufficient in
rice production. That is highly commendable. From research it has been proven
that Nigeria rice is the best rice in the world as the taste and quality is far
better than the imported ones from other parts of the world.
In Nigeria today, some states produce paddy rice in abundance.
Some of these states are Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Kebbi, Imo, Kwara, Edo, Ogun,
Ondo, Cross River State and some Northern States such as Sokoto to mention but
few. Therefore, with serious efforts not only by Government but private
companies and individuals, the self-sufficient policy is achievable.
Rice is now a staple food in Nigeria. Every household both rich
and poor consumes a great quantity of rice every day. The demand for rice is
very high. The huge demand for rice is further accentuated by increasing and
expanding urbanization, endless social parties where rice is the main menu,
Nigerians eating habits (preference for foreign rice).
The preference for foreign rice should be stopped.
Of the total projected population figure of 200million, over 70% feed on rice.
Because of the demand, many Nigerians have embarked on importation of rice. This situation should not be allowed to continue forever. These importers must channel their huge resources to establishment of modern milling plants in Nigeria instead of fastening the growth of some foreign countries.
Of the total projected population figure of 200million, over 70% feed on rice.
Because of the demand, many Nigerians have embarked on importation of rice. This situation should not be allowed to continue forever. These importers must channel their huge resources to establishment of modern milling plants in Nigeria instead of fastening the growth of some foreign countries.
From publications made by the Bureau of Statistics and Federal
Ministry of Finance the importation figures of rice amounted to about N1
trillion as the end of 2012. This figure increased to over two (2) trillion
Naira in 2016 and about N3 trillion in 2018. The figure has always on an
increase. Rice importation has the greatest figure of over 60 per cent of total
import figures.
The federal government had total closure of the neighbouring borders and it became clear indication that large quantities of foreign rice come into the country through the neighbouring ports. It became clear that there was huge importation of rice through illegal means.
During this period of total ban and closure of borders, it became imperative that Nigerians can actually produce enough rice to sustain itself. Nigerians had survived and are gradually adapted to eating of local rice.
The federal government had total closure of the neighbouring borders and it became clear indication that large quantities of foreign rice come into the country through the neighbouring ports. It became clear that there was huge importation of rice through illegal means.
During this period of total ban and closure of borders, it became imperative that Nigerians can actually produce enough rice to sustain itself. Nigerians had survived and are gradually adapted to eating of local rice.
Famers were happier, local processors of rice came back to life
and they all make more money with less competition with imported products. However,
the prices of rice, the staple food in the country rose on top of the roof. A
common man can no longer afford the commodity, both locally produced and
imported. Currently a bag of imported rice is as high as between N28, 000 and
N30, 000 for a bag of 50kg; while the locally made rice is between N18, 000 and
N20, 000. Government must therefore have to sustain the tempo of not allowing
massive importation of rice into the country, but have a relaxed but full
control of rice imports.
It is not advisable to impose a total ban on importation of rice
without first assessing and establishing exactly what the country can afford to
produce; ensure that the country can produce at least 70 per cent of what is
needed in this country. There must be full record of what we can produce
internally with projection of what our farmers can produce at full capacity.
Generally, encouraging local production or manufacturing,
Agricultural production and processing is one of the good things that can
happen to this country because the policy will generate more employment
opportunities and put more foods in our tables.
The federal government has also concluded arrangements to roll out a new policy that will ensure that loans are available at single digit interest rate to farmers with effect from this year.
The federal government has also concluded arrangements to roll out a new policy that will ensure that loans are available at single digit interest rate to farmers with effect from this year.
Corporate organisations such as Coscharis Group have gone into
production, processing and bagging of rice.
More individuals are being encouraged by the Government to invest into this sector. Here we discussed on how you can invest into rice processing and packaging business.
More individuals are being encouraged by the Government to invest into this sector. Here we discussed on how you can invest into rice processing and packaging business.
Investors can invest in rice farming and rice processing or rice
milling plant. Rice milling project will best be sited in these areas where
rice is grown in order to reduce cost of transportation of the paddy. To set up
this project, a minimum space of a plot of land is required to dry paddy rice
after harvesting.
The components of machines required to set up this project are
cleaning facilities, Dehuller, Boiling tank, Polisher, Bagger and other
miscellaneous equipment such as wheel barrows, weighing scales.
These machines can be fabricated locally. They can also be
imported from Europe and some known Asian companies that specialize in the
area. Prospective investors would be given details on these machine produces
and specialists.
Also project vehicles and generating sets are essential for smooth running of this project.
Rice milling could be done on cottage, small, medium and large scale bases depending on availability of capital and the raw materials- paddy rice. Output could be from 2MT to 150MT per day.
Generally, one metric tonne of paddy rice yields about 60kg- 70kg of milled rice, depending on milling efficiency company management practice and the variety of rice purchased.
Also project vehicles and generating sets are essential for smooth running of this project.
Rice milling could be done on cottage, small, medium and large scale bases depending on availability of capital and the raw materials- paddy rice. Output could be from 2MT to 150MT per day.
Generally, one metric tonne of paddy rice yields about 60kg- 70kg of milled rice, depending on milling efficiency company management practice and the variety of rice purchased.
In the process of milling well parboiled rice free from sand,
stones, unpleasant ordour with fewer breakages, a whole rice, broken rice and
bran are obtained. Whole rice is packed and sold for human consumption. Broken
rice is further milled into ‘’Tuwo Shinkafa’’ (a flour meal) while bran is very
important input for manufacturing dietary products like rice bran bread which
has been acclaimed good for the decrease of blood cholesterol, rice bran oil
and livestock feeds. From rice you can also be obtained puffed rice, rice
cakes, rice pudding etc.
The husks are used for the production of potassium Hydroxide solution or as fuel for milling plants. It can be seen that virtually all parts of paddy rice is useful.
The husks are used for the production of potassium Hydroxide solution or as fuel for milling plants. It can be seen that virtually all parts of paddy rice is useful.
The likely cost of total project will not actually be stated
safely unless one knows the scope (whether cottage, small, medium or large
scale) proposed investors would like to embark upon. However, the cost ranges
from N550, 000 – N10.2million for cottage level to N57million for medium size
plant and over N500million for large scale. Basic factors to consider in
determining the initial cost includes the capacity to produce, the source(s) of
the machinery, whether to construct his own building or rent one, the location
etc.
Therefore, to embark upon this project, one needs a business plan (feasibility studies), with detailed costing for all the aspects of inputs, and before one can obtain the likely total estimated cost.
Therefore, to embark upon this project, one needs a business plan (feasibility studies), with detailed costing for all the aspects of inputs, and before one can obtain the likely total estimated cost.
In conclusion, rice milling; an agro-based business is very
profitable (45-55% return on investment), and sustainable. It has low capital
requirement; technical know-how is not complicated. The machinery and equipment
can be sourced locally. The project has a short pay–back period.
It is highly recommended for serious and aggressive promoters,
local and state Governments and private investors particularly those that are
thinking good for this country.
For details on comprehensive and bankable feasibility studies, investment Advisory services, funding arrangements, please contact the writer.
For details on comprehensive and bankable feasibility studies, investment Advisory services, funding arrangements, please contact the writer.
Uba can be reached via ubagodwin@yahoo.com
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