Wednesday, July 22, 2020

22nd July 2020 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Milling that extra mile: Kingdom on track to achieve rice export target

Harrison White / Khmer Times 

Prime Minister Hun Sen drives a rice harvester during a visit to farmers in Takeo province yesterday. KT/Khem Sovannara

 

Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday that new farming techniques being implemented in the Kingdom will help it to reach a major target of achieving one million tonnes of milled rice exports which was set five years ago.

 

Mr Hun Sen said this during a visit, along with Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon and Australian Ambassador Pablo Kang to see demonstrations of modern farming machinery and a signature irrigation scheme.

The visit was also to showcase the ongoing development of Cambodia’s agricultural sector now considered the major pillar of the country’s economic prospects during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ambassador Pablo Kang with Prime Minister Hun Sen in Takeo province. KT/Khem Sovannara

“These new farming techniques are much easier than before, as these farmers now have hydraulic systems and modern agriculture factories to help us achieve our goals. However, we do still have problems such as rice diseases, insufficient transportation and machinery needed to process and exports such large volumes,” Mr Hun Sen said.

He said the one-million tonne export milestone can be achieved through hard work and smart planning although there are some hurdles to overcome.

Speaking about his visit yesterday, Ambassador Kang said: “Agriculture has always been the backbone of the Cambodian economy and a safety net for the Cambodian people.”

“As a friend and neighbour, Australia is building on decades of support for Cambodian agriculture to respond to the impact of COVID-19. As many Cambodians face hardship and uncertainty at this time, Australia is proud to play a role in supporting Cambodia’s food security and its economic resilience,” he added.

The irrigation scheme inspected in Ta Soung is connected to the Prek Ambil river and uses a single pump station to transport water through almost 50 kilometres of canals and field channels directly into farmers’ fields.

Funding for the scheme came from one of Australia Aid’s signature funding initiatives called the Australia Agricultural Value Chain Program (CAVAC).

CAVAC’s stated goals are to increase productivity and incomes for smallholder farmers in Cambodia through working in partnerships with the government and private sector and using a market systems approach to spread knowledge about new agricultural techniques.

According to the Australian Embassy, before the scheme was built in 2017, most of the farming households in Ta Soung could only grow one rice crop each year, using the receding waters from the annual flood.

However, farmers are now able to produce two or three crops each year, more than doubling their agricultural income. While water costs have reduced almost threefold, and average rice yields have grown from 4 to 5.5 tonnes per hectare.

CAVAC has expanded construction to 10 schemes located in Takeo, Prey Veng, and Kandal provinces since 2016.

Collectively, the scheme is now able to irrigate 9,000 additional hectares each year and have doubled rice production, representing about $10 million of additional income for farmers annually.

CAVAC also works with Provincial Departments of Water Resources and Meteorology to establish and train Farmer Water User Communities (FWUCs) to take responsibility for managing the scheme when operations begin.

In addition to sustainable irrigation services, CAVAC is supporting agricultural mechanisation, encouraging the use of better-quality seed and appropriate inputs, and promoting investment in higher-value crops and agro-processing.

These strategies – implemented with both the government and the private sector – are key to the modernisation of Cambodian agriculture which will support economic resilience in the face of COVID-19 challenges.

Sakhon has previously stated that Cambodia is looking to reach one million tonnes of milled rice exports set in 2015 due to high demand from the international market during COVID-19.

He said according to the first-quarter results, which increased more than 40 percent compared with the same period last year, exports for 2020 could reach the goal as set by the government five years ago.

 

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50747086/milling-that-extra-mile-kingdom-on-track-to-achieve-rice-export-target/

 

Study calls for review of rice and sugar in food subsidy programme

 

LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

Description: IMAGE

 

IMAGE: THE RESEARCH TEAM SAW NO EVIDENCE OF IMPROVEMENTS WHEN CHILDREN RECEIVED SUBSIDIZED RICE AND SUGAR. view more 

CREDIT: LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

The nutritional benefit of rice and sugar distributed by a national food subsidy programme in India may be limited, says new research published today.

India's main food subsidy program, the Public Distribution System (PDS) provides sugar, rice, and wheat to households at reasonably low costs to improve their nutrition intake and attain food security.

Although the programme aims to improve nutritional outcomes through its subsidies, the research team saw no evidence of improvements when children received subsidized rice and sugar.

'Subsidising rice and sugar? The Public Distribution System and Nutritional Outcomes in Andhra Pradesh India', carried out by a research team from Oxford and Lancaster Universities, the BITS Pilani in India, and Bocconi University in Italy, is published in the Journal of Social Policy.

Today, one in every nine people in the world is hungry. In India, 38% of children under 5 experience long-term malnutrition that impact their growth, cognition and psycho-social development and perpetuate a cycle of intergenerational poverty. This already alarming situation is compounded by the Covid-19 outbreak and the measures to contain it.

Food subsidy programs are a key component of efforts to combat food insecurity and malnutrition around the globe, including in India.

Subsidy programs can offer important caloric and nutrient supplementation, and may also free up income for households to spend on other vital items. However, it is also possible that subsidizing items of limited nutritional value can promote unhealthy dietary patterns.

"Importantly, our findings suggest that nutritional outcomes and food subsidies need to be considered over time rather than as a snapshot. This is essential for understanding not just the short-term effects of subsidies, but also the association with long-term nutritional outcomes," said Dr Jasmine Fledderjohann, of Lancaster University.

"The subsidised foods available in the PDS may very well prevent severe malnutrition in the short-term by addressing caloric deficiencies, but rice and sugar subsidies appear not to improve longer-term nutritional outcomes," she explained.

"Our findings suggest the subsidies should be carefully reviewed. It is possible that other more nutrient-dense foods could offer greater benefits for improving nutrition," said Dr Sukumar Vellakkal of the BITS Pilani Goa campus.

The study also found that, particularly for wealthier households, the subsidies encouraged the consumption of less nutritious foods, with children in households receiving sugar subsidies snacking on sugary treats.

They also found that boys received more rice and sugar than girls, which is consistent with broader evidence of son preference in India.

A range of previous research has found no evidence of gender disparities in food consumption, but this body of research has generally focused on whether or not boys and girls consumed specific foods, and not on the quantity of those foods.

Findings in this report suggest that girls may receive the same food items as boys, but in more limited quantities.

Data on children's nutrition came from the longitudinal Young Lives Survey, conducted in Andhra Pradesh.

The study constitutes an important contribution to the evidence on food subsidy schemes and nutrition outcomes.

As countries around the globe struggle to feed their populations in the midst of record unemployment, food system disruptions, and social distancing associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, careful consideration of what items are included in food aid programs and what the long-term consequences of specific programs of food provision are is vital.

Findings from this study highlight that it is important from a long-term perspective to consider carefully the nutritional value of foods on offer through state provisioning. Addressing caloric shortfalls in the short-term may save lives, but subsidized food items of limited nutritional value may not improve longer-term problems.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-07/lu-scf_1072120.php

 

Karen Moldenhauer named interim director of the Rice Research Extension Center

AGRICULTURENEWS BRIEFS

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net

Description: https://talkbusiness.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ArkansasRice.jpg

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture will conduct a national search for a new Rice Research and Extension Center director. Until a director is hired, an interim director will be installed. Bob Scott, the current director, accepted the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service director’s position.

Scott has asked the recently retired Karen Moldenhauer, a professor and rice breeder for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture since 1982, to serve as interim director.

By the time Scott said, “’I want to talk to you about something,’ I’d already talked to my husband about it. I was prepared,” she said.

“I am very thankful to Dr. Moldenhauer for taking on this leadership role,” Jean-Francois Meullenet, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research component of the Division of Agriculture. “I know she will be an outstanding director while we conduct a national search.”

“Karen has been at the station for a long time and nobody is better positioned to assume this role,” Scott said. “I also appreciate her dedication as she has delayed her retirement for a few months while we search for a permanent replacement.”

It’s not the first time Moldenhauer was in this position, having served as interim director for the center in 2001-2002.

“It’ll give me a chance to finish out my work this season,” she said. “I’m looking at what lines to advance to the Arkansas Rice Performance Trials, lines we’d like to advance to the rest of the program, working on Provisia crosses, Clearfield material — the whole breeding program.”

Moldenhauer said her predecessor has not only made her job as interim easier, but also for whomever is appointed director.

“Bob has done a great job for this station,” she said. “I think it’s in a lot better shape with many infrastructure updates and improvements and administration has been very supportive of the work we’re doing.”

Moldenhauer received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Iowa State, followed by a masters in plant breeding and cytogenetics from North Carolina State. She returned to Iowa State for a Ph.D. in plant breeding.

During her 38-year tenure at the Division of Agriculture, 38 rice cultivars have been released to producers which have been grown on 21 million acres.

Moldenhauer’s primary research focuses on improving grain yield, cooking quality characteristics and disease resistance. Her releases Drew, Kaybonnet, and Katy were the first commercially available cultivars with resistance to all of the common blast races in the southern U.S. growing region. They have provided a source of rice blast resistance to the rice breeding groups in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Cultivars released under her direction helped state average rice yields to increase from 95 bushels per acre in 1982 to as high as 168 bushels per acre in 2013 and 2014. These varieties have averaged between 50 and 60 percent of the rice acreage in any given year from 1982 until 2009, when the hybrids became popular. Since then the Arkansas varieties have averaged between 20 and 30 percent of the Arkansas acreage. Her 2016 release, Diamond, was grown on 20 percent of the state’s rice acreage in 2018.

In 2002, Moldenhauer was named the first holder of the Rice Industry Chair for Variety Development in 2002, a position she still holds.

https://talkbusiness.net/2020/07/karen-moldenhauer-named-interim-director-of-the-rice-research-extension-center/

 

Top rice exporter gets more hi-tech

Sok Chan / Khmer Times 

Bloc2 enables the source of food to be found by reading the QR on its container. Supplied

 

Amru Rice (Cambodia), one of the country’s leading rice exporters, has scaled up its BlocRice technology project to 500 households in two communities in Preah Vihear province.

BlocRice project phase I had 50 household farmers in one agricultural community in Preah Vihear province. The project, a first in the Kingdom because of its usage of blockchain technology, was launched in April 2018 as a pilot programme that ended in March 2019. Its goal is to ensure farmers can sell their products at a higher price and it also enables the source of food to be identified.

The BlocRice pilot involved relevant actors in the rice supply chain with 50 farmers from the Reaksmei cooperative, rice exporter AmruRice, rice-cake producer SanoRice and Oxam Novib and Schullelaar & Partners.

After a successful pilot, demonstrating the use case and providing farmers with a digital identity, the partners decided to upscale the project to a commercially viable level, involving more farmers and providing a direct link with consumers.

The first phase was also involved in the research phase determining the living income benchmark and good agriculture practices plus technological needs. The project also monitors the progress of rice farmers towards a living income; improves farm income from rice and from other sources as a result of technical assistance and extension services; reduces operational costs through farmers’ cooperatives and gives farmers a digital identity and voice in the supply chain as well as increasing transparency in the supply chain. Retailers and consumers have real-time insight in the rice supply chain for enhanced social auditing.

“Let’s talk about agri-tech and how financial technology could be part of it. A lot of people are talking about Blockchain, big data, the internet of things (IOT), the Industrial Revolution 4.0, Smart Agriculture etc. Here we make things work by utilising Blockchain technology. It is called BlocRice phase II,” said Kann Kunthy, vice-president of Amru Rice (Cambodia).

BlocRice mainly focuses on trust, transparency and traceability. Kunthy added that in phase I, the team piloted with one agricultural cooperative (AC) with 50 households and now it is scaling up to two ACs with 500 households.

“Our goal is to utilise Blockchain technology for millions of households not only in rice but all agricultural crops. Local tech firms or individuals with block chain knowledge and expertise would be part of the future (localisation),” Kunthy said, adding that it is only possible if farmers and ACs are organised and integrated, turning them from seasonal farmers to commercial and professional farmers who are market-oriented.

“The digital infrastructure can only perform given that the physical infrastructure can support [be it logistics, transportation, post-harvest management, storage and delivery],” Kunthy added. “The ultimate goal is to train and educate ACs to become ‘agri-preneurs’.”

Prime Minister Hun Sen told farmers in Prey Kabbas district, Takeo province, yesterday that the agriculture sector must be aligned with the Industrial Development Policy 2015-2025 is to attract more foreign investment to work on processing in Cambodia.

He said that Cambodia has put a strong effort into the building of silos, warehouses and rice milling machinery. He added that Cambodia will take $400 million from China to build warehouses for paddy across the country. He is also considering lowering the electricity tariff for farmers and the agriculture sector in general and also building more physical infrastructure to support farmers.

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50747088/top-rice-exporter-gets-more-hi-tech/

Customs arrests 41 suspected smugglers with cannabis, rice

 JULY 21, 20206:52 PMIN NEWS Kindly

Nigeria Customs Service Ola Ajayi – Ibadan Nigeria Customs Service, Oyo/Osun Area Command, has made seizure of some contrabands worth N171,001,782. The smuggled items include Cannabis, bags if fertilizers, Premium Motor Spirit, bales of used dresses, used tyres and several bags of parboiled imported rice. This was disclosed by the Comptroller of Customs, Oyo/Osun Area Command, Mrs Helen Ngozi. According to her, the command was able to arrest 41 suspected smugglers. READ ALSO: Customs set ablaze N12m worth of contraband, expired goods in Kwara She said, “The cumulative DPV for January to July 20 is N483,191,238 representing 170 per cent increase compared with the total value in 2019 which was put at N178,698,340.39. “In comparison with Description: Customs arrests 41 suspected smugglers with cannabis, riceN20,946,359,729.50 revenue collected between January and June 2019, the command made 65.4 per cent increase with a total revenue collection of N32,020,103,911.90 from January to June 2020, out of the N62,848,518,366.93 allotted to the Area Command for 2020 fiscal year.” Mrs Ngozi further noted that between May 1 and July, the Oyo/Osun Area Command intercepted 500 drums of 100 litres each of PMS and 320 kegs of 25 litres each of PMS was seized within the period. “One truck-load containing 800 bags of NPK fertilizer with DPV of N18,702,000 without end-user certificate was also seized. READ ALSO: Customs rakes in #19.5 million in Ogun in three months “Other seizures made include 2,054 bags of 50 kilogrammes each of imported parboiled rice with DPV of N82,776,200; a total of 85 bales of second-hand clothing with DPV of N16,680,919; and 480 units of used tyres with DPV of N10,428,048” “The items were conveyed with a Mazda 323 valued at N1,158,790; a Volkswagen Passat with DPV of N724,238; Mitsubishi Lancer with DPV of N1,838,017; three units of used Volkswagen Golf with DPV N3,259,068; and one used Volvo car with DPV of N2,896,950. “Other items that were recovered are one Ford Galaxy (N3,621,188); used Bedford Pick Up with DPV N1,303,628, and one used DAF truck with DPV of N10,906,294.” Vanguard

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/07/customs-arrests-41-suspected-smugglers-with-cannabis-rice/

Nigeria: Customs Kwara Area Command Destroys 927 Bags of Poisonous Rice, Other Items

22 JULY 2020

Vanguard (Lagos)

 

By Demola Akinyemi

The Nigeria Customs Service, Kwara State Area Command Tuesday in Ilorin destroyed seized food items said to be dangerous for human and animal consumption.

Items that were set ablaze in the presence on newsmen included 927 bags of foreign rice, 123 bags of semolina of 10Kg each, 25 bags of semolina of 5kg each and 35 cartons of mamador vegetable oil.

Earlier, the Head of Kwara Area of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Hussaini Ahmed,

told journalists that the Area Command had between January and June 2020 generated the sum of N2,343,952.86 into the coffers of the federal government.

He said, "From January to June this year alone this zonal command has remitted the sum of Two billion, three hundred and forty-three million, nine hundred and fifty-two thousand, three hundred and twenty-two Naira eighty-six kobo (₦2,343,952,322.86)into the Federal Government account as revenue generated.

"It is no longer news that COVID- 19 has affected virtually every aspect not only the nation's economy but world at large. In the month of April 2020, the Command recorded zero revenue which is as a result of the lockdown. In May 2020, we were able to bounce back and surpassed what we generated in March 2020 with Two Hundred and Eighty-Seven Million Nine Thousand Four Hundred and Fifty-Six Thousand Forty-Eight Kobo (₦287, 009,456.48)"

"Today, I make bold to say that since my assumption of office in Kwara Area Command we have so far generated the sum of Four Billion Seven Hundred and Forty-Eight Million Two Hundred and Seventy Thousand Three Hundred and Sixty Five Naira Thirty Four Kobo (₦4, 748,270,365.34) and remit same to Federation account".

He said the Command has made an unprecedented number of seizures including 2,598 Bags of foreign rice, 34 kegs of vegetable oil of 25 liters each, 41 units of various types of used vehicles, 372 jerry cans of PMS of 25 liters each and 3,742 kg of Cannabis Sativa popularly known as marijuana.

Ahmed, who decried the activities of smugglers despite the closure of the nation's land borders warned them to steer clear of the Area Command or meet their waterloo.

https://allafrica.com/stories/202007220168.html

 

UA names interim head of Stuttgart rice station

   

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture named Karen Moldenhauer, Ph.D, interim director of the rice station at Stuttgart.

Moldenhauer had already announced her June 30 retirement when Bob Scott, director of the Rice Research and Extension, said he needed to visit with her.

A professor and rice breeder for the Division of Agriculture since 1982, Moldenhauer knew what was coming. After all, Scott had just accepted an offer to become director of Arkansas’ Cooperative Extension Service.

By the time Scott said, ”‘I want to talk to you about something,’ I’d already talked to my husband about it. I was prepared,” she said.

“I am very thankful to Dr. Moldenhauer for taking on this leadership role,” said Jean-Francois Meullenet, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research component of the Division of Agriculture. “I know she will be an outstanding director while we conduct a national search.”

“Karen has been at the station for a long time and nobody is better positioned to assume this role,” Scott said. “I also appreciate her dedication as she has delayed her retirement for a few months while we search for a permanent replacement.”

NOT HER FIRST RODEO

After all, it wasn’t the first time Moldenhauer was in this position, having served as interim director for the center in 2001-2002.

Putting off retirement plans is no small thing, but she was philosophical.

“It’ll give me a chance to finish out my work this season,” she said. “I’m looking at what lines to advance to the Arkansas Rice Performance Trials, lines we’d like to advance to the rest of the program, working on Provisia crosses, Clearfield material — the whole breeding program.”

Plus, the Moldenhauers were going to retire to a place in her native state of Iowa.

“They’re still working on renovations to the house,” she said.

Moldenhauer said her predecessor has not only made her job as interim easier, but also for whomever is appointed director.

“Bob has done a great job for this station,” she said. “I think it’s in a lot better shape with many infrastructure updates and improvements and administration has been very supportive of the work we’re doing.”

DEEP EXPERIENCE

Moldenhauer received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Iowa State, followed by a master’s in plant breeding and cytogenetics from North Carolina State. She returned to Iowa State for a Ph.D. in plant breeding.

During her 38-year tenure at the Division of Agriculture, 38 rice cultivars have been released to producers which have been grown on 21 million acres.

Moldenhauer’s primary research focuses on improving grain yield, cooking quality characteristics and disease resistance. Her releases Drew, Kaybonnet, and Katy were the first commercially available cultivars with resistance to all of the common blast races in the southern U.S. growing region. They have provided a source of rice blast resistance to the rice breeding groups in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Cultivars released under her direction helped state average rice yields to increase from 95 bushels per acre in 1982 to as high as 168 bushels per acre in 2013 and 2014. These varieties have averaged between 50 and 60 percent of the rice acreage in any given year from 1982 until 2009, when the hybrids became popular. Since then the Arkansas varieties have averaged between 20 and 30 percent of the Arkansas acreage. Her 2016 release, Diamond, was grown on 20 percent of the state’s rice acreage in 2018.

In 2002, Moldenhauer was named the first holder of the Rice Industry Chair for Variety Development in 2002, a position she still holds.

“She has nearly 40 years of experience and with that wealth of experience she brings to the table she’s a welcome addition in that role,” said Nathan Slaton, assistant director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.”

NATIONAL SEARCH

With the faculty and staff and slate of improvements at the center, Scott said he expects “that the position of director to be a very desirable job and I know our search will go well.”

The Division of Agriculture will hold a national search for a new Rice Research and Extension Center director. Details: https://division.uaex.edu/jobs/default.aspx or https://aaes.uark.edu/research-locations/rice-research-extension-center/.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without discrimination.

To learn more about extension and research programs in Arkansas, visit www.division.uaex.edu. Follow the agency on Twitter at @AgInArk@uaex_edu or @ArkAgResearch.

www.swtimes.com/news/20200721/u

 

Grocery prices are starting to rise

/

.

The inflation in prices of groceries seems to be accelerating the world towards recession. Popular variety of rices are seeing a price appreciation of about five rupees, per kilogram. Steamed rice, one of the most popular varieties of rice in the State, which was previously priced at Rs 38 per kg, is now costing close to Rs 45 per kg.

Similarly, raw rice has seen a price rise from Rs 54 to Rs 58, sugar from Rs 36 to Rs 39/40. Tur Dal, one of the key ingredients for sambar, has gone up from Rs 94 to Rs 99 per kilo. Oil prices too have seen a revision, with sunflower oil costing Rs 110, as opposed to Rs 95 per litre, groundnut oil going up from Rs 95 to Rs 110 per litre. Most of the millets which used to be sold for Rs 75 have almost touched RS 90 per kilo.

Haris S, who runs a retail shop said, “Labour shortage has restricted the movement of goods and is one of the key reasons for the price rise.” Sridhar S, a wholesale dealer at the APMC yard said, “The prices of bullet rice has gone up due to delay in paddy procurement. The bullet rice comes from Maharasthra and Andhra Pradesh while the idli rice is supplied from Tamil Nadu, getting anything from outside the State has become difficult.”

Karnataka State Millers’ Association has blamed the price revision due to low supply. Vagish Swamy, one of the rice mill owners and part of this association said, “The free rice scheme which has been launched by the government after the lockdown has caused a scarcity of the product.

 

Description: .

.


Additionally, a severe shortage of labourers has affected the harvest, leading to low supply and eventually price rise.”

Among vegetables, tomato prices have plunged, with it being sold anywhere between Rs 30 to Rs 50. Other vegetable prices have so far remained the same.



Kolar, which is considered Karnataka’s tomato basket is seeing a renewed activity. Sources said that the tomatoes from Kolar have got a lot of demand and are being supplied to northern states as well as being exported to countries like Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The tomato traders say that the prices of tomatoes are expected to remain high till August.

https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/grocery-prices-are-starting-to-rise/articleshow/77096081.cms


No comments:

Post a Comment