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Krishi
Vigyan Kendra conducted one-day training on Sali paddy under APART
9 July 2020 9:51 AM
A
Correspondent TEZPUR: A one-day training on Sali paddy under Assam
Agri-Business and Rural Transformation Project (APART) was organized by Krishi
Vigyan Kendra, Sonitpur in collaboration with International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI)at KVK campus. The Head, KVK, Sonitpur, Dr. Pramod Chandra
Deka, welcomed the farmers and dignitaries on the occasion. Addressing the
training programme, Dr. Deka emphasized proper rice growing and management
practices and also about safety measures to be taken during the current
pandemic situation. Vivek Kumar, Specialist, IRRI, was present as a resource
person who thoroughly discussed the APART project, its aims and objectives. He
elaborated about the modern rice management practices right from nursery bed
preparation to harvesting and storage. He also spoke about improved flood and
drought-tolerant rice varieties, various modern machineries related to rice
cultivation, proper timings and doses of fertilizer applications, proper weed
management practices and harvesting techniques. A short interactive session was
also held between the IRRI Scientist, APART staff and Scientists of KVK,
Sonitpur regarding different aspects of agriculture. After this some of the
farmers shared their experience on farming. Around 30 farmers participated in
the programme. Also watch: #NewsMakers: Dr Satyakam Phukan in conversation with
Oineetom Ojah
Study flags excess pesticide use by rice, cotton
growers in Punjab, Kashmir
SHARE
Posted:Jul 07, 2020 07:07 AM (IST)
Photo for representation only
Ruchika
M Khanna
Tribune
News Service
Chandigarh,
July 6
A
joint study, commissioned by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, has
raised concern about the high use of pesticides by rice and cotton growers in
Punjab. The study said the use of pesticides was maximum in the Kashmir valley
while Punjab ranked second in north India.
High Use Of Chemicals
·The study took into account the
use of pesticides and fungicides in Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Moga and Muktsar
·These areas were selected as
these account for 20 per cent of area under paddy cultivation in the state
·Paddy growers were using over 20
types of insecticides and nine herbicides
Rice
and cotton growers of Punjab, vegetable cultivators of Jammu and apple growers
of Kashmir were found to be exposed to health risks arising from the
application of high quantities of pesticides, said the study conducted by
scientists from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana; Amity University, UP;
and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu.
The study, published in ‘Environmental Management’, also revealed that the
official figures of pesticide use were largely under-reported.
The
study took into account the use of pesticides and fungicides by rice farmers in
Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Moga and Muktsar. These areas were selected as these
account for 20 per cent of area under paddy cultivation in the state. They
found that paddy cultivators applied 20 types of insecticides, five insecticide
cocktails and nine herbicides. Some of these have been categorised as hazardous
by the World Health Organisation.
Cultivation
of BT cotton in early 2000s had led to introduction of pesticides that are to
be given in low dosage. “Even low dose of pesticides is extremely potent as
their toxicity is greater than that of organochlorimates and carbonates used
earlier,” it pointed out.
For
cotton, Fazilka, Bathinda and Mansa districts were selected. In all these
places, integrated pest management programmes have been run for many years now,
but farmers continue to use 26 insecticides, three readymade cocktail insecticides,
nine fungicides, besides three fungicide cocktails, five herbicides and two
bio-pesticides. Pesticide use by weight in cotton crop was found to be 2.660 kg
per hectare. Pesticides belonging to WHO Hazard Category II were being used
here.
In
Kashmir, the gross misuse of pesticide was attributed to the lack of integrated
pest management. Though extremely hazardous and highly hazardous pesticides
were not used for apple, the probable and possible carcinogenic pesticide use
was 9.039 kg per hectare.
Principal
investigator of the study Rajinder Peshin told The Tribune that pesticide use
in farming had been declining in late 1990s and early 2000. “Since 2007, it
gained an upward trend. The study points out that apple is a pesticide guzzler
with 25.2 kg of active ingredient per hectare being used. This is followed by
cotton and rice areas of Punjab and vegetable cultivation in Jammu,” he said.
The
Joint Board Drill Team, Nigeria Customs Service, North Central Zone, Sector 3,
Ilorin has intercepted a tipper which concealed 140 bags of foreign rice in
sharp sand, even as the command said it has seized other goods worth N1.2
billion between May and July 2020.
The
Coordinator of the Joint Board Drill Operation, Comptroller Garba Mohammed,
disclosed this Wednesday while briefing Journalists in Ilorin on the activities
of the team comprising Kwara, Kogi, Niger and Benue states.
He said
that the sector during the period under review recorded 225 seizures with
no fewer than 53 suspected smugglers arrested through tracing number
plates and way bills.
“One of
the most exceptional seizures of interception of a Tipper with Reg. No. ZAR 803
XA Carefully concealed One Hundred and Forty (140) Bags of foreign Rice in
Sharp Sand which you’ve all seen in the course of taking you round the seized
goods. It is disturbing that some die hard smugglers have also resorted to
using Keke Napep to smuggle rice.
“Within
the period under review, a Patrol team comprising of Nigeria Customs Officers,
Nigeria Army, Nigeria Immigration Service, DSS, Nigeria Police Force and other
security agencies raided two warehouses at Abayawo and Ita-Merin areas, both in
Ilorin West Local Government of Kwara State, suspected to stockpile with
foreign par boiled Rice. The two stores were raided and a total of 450 and 224
Bags of foreign Parboiled Rice of 50kg each respectively were discovered to be
smuggled into the State.
“This is
evident in seizures recorded by border drill operation sector 3, Ilorin, Kwara
State between May this year till date” he said.
Other
seizures recorded according to Mohammed included 17,490 bags of foreign
parboiled rice (equivalent to 29 trailers of 600) bags each, 310 Kegs of
Vegetable oil, 1 locally made pistol with a live cartridge, 944 Drums of AGO
and 3,676 Jerry Cans of petroleum product of 25 liters each.
Others
are 355 bundles of textile materials, 28 bags of foreign fertilizer, 66 cartons
of different brand of beers, 67 units of vehicles, 78 motor cycles and one keke
Napep, 15 sacks of used shoes and 360 tubers of yam, all valued at
N1,207,223,380.00.
“It will
be recalled that late last month, the Patrol team covering the Babanna axis of
the Sector in Niger State, intercepted two Mitsubishi Canter with Reg. No
XA-241-WEL and XC-166-SUL respectively loaded with 54 drums of smuggled petrol
with a duty paid Value (DPV) 1.9 Million with two suspects,” he added.
Yasir
Wardad | Published: July
08, 2020 19:47:54 | Updated: July
09, 2020 09:26:57
The government's decision to reduce duty on
rice import could hurt Aman farmers during the harvesting time, said insiders.
They put emphasis on higher procurement from
domestic sources as well as limited import through government channel.
The food ministry on Tuesday revealed that it
would reduce rice import duty from the last week of this month.
The current duty on rice import is now nearly
65 per cent.
The decision came as millers were not
providing rice to government warehouses at fixed rate of Tk 35-36 a kg.
Food secretary Dr Mosammat Nazmanara Khanum,
said a decision has been taken to deduct rice import duty to bring rice from
external sources.
But we will observe the condition until the
last week of July whether government warehouses are getting rice from millers
or not, she said.
However, the Food Directorate (DGoF) have
procured 0.34 million tonnes of the staple till July 5.
The target is 19.5 million tonnes by August
31, according to the procurement division of the DGoF.
The government has a 0.9 million tonnes of
rice storage now which was 1.37 million tonnes in the corresponding period of
last year.
However, rice prices are static for last one
week but it has increased by Tk 2.0-3.0 a kg in a month.
Coarse rice was selling at Tk 42-45, medium
quality at Tk 48-54 and finer variety at Tk 55-65 a kg, according to the state
run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.
The current price of coarse rice is 16-18 per
cent higher now than that of last year, TCB records showed.
Agri economist and a value chain expert Prof
Golam Hafeez Kennedy, said farmers got some profits this Boro season after long
two years.
He said seasonal Brridhan-28 variety of paddy
started selling at Tk 750-780 a maund which is now minimum Tk 920 a maund.
He said despite having all odds and natural
calamities, farmers are now busy for Aman farming after getting handsome prices
in Boro.
The government should now provide all logical
supports and incentives to farmers to maintain a sound production of rice in
this Aman season, he said.
He said any kind of opening of market for
imported rice could discourage farmers in Aman cultivation.
He said if imports start incessantly from
August prices of the staple could drop severely during the Aman harvesting
season from November to January.
He said easy import could affect government's
ambitious target of 15.6 million tonnes of rice production in Aman season.
Import could only be permitted for now if
production drops in Boro season, he said.
But government is demanding that Boro
production was above 20.0 million tonnes, he said.
Prof Abdul Hameed, chairman of Agrarian
Research Foundation, Bangladesh (ARF), told the FE that withdrawal of import
duty hardly could help the government getting rice at cheaper rates.
He said global rice prices (parboiled) are
now hovering between $380-475 a tonne which is 18-20 per cent higher than a
year ago.
He said Indian Swarna-5 or Guti Swarna
varieties will cost minimum Tk 36-Tk 37 a kg if the existing 65 per cent duty
on rice import is withdrawn.
The price is higher than the current
mill-gate prices in Bangladesh, he said.
So, sourcing from the global sources is now
not a good solution, he said.
"Rather it could give the millers
opportunity to reduce prices of paddy drastically during harvesting
season", he said.
He said the government should develop a 5.0
million tonnes of strategic foodgrain bank following the pandemic to tackle any
odd condition.
Paddy should be purchased from farmers and
should be preserved at their home if government warehouses have shortage of
storage, he said.
"And in that way, there will be no
problem of high moisture on paddy", he said.
Bangladesh Auto Major Husking Mill Owners
Association secretary K M Layek Ali, said prices of paddy have surged notably
in last one and half months as many rich farmers and seasonal traders are
stockpiling paddy for more benefits.
He said they will be forced to release the
produce with beginning of Aus harvest next month which could help easing prices
of rice.
He said government should now import rice
only through government channel for the betterment of farmers.
Rice import was almost zero in the just ended
financial year (FY'20) which was 0.41 million tonnes in FY'19.
The country imports all time high 4.0 million
tonnes of rice in FY'18, mostly from India, according to the food ministry
July
8, 2020 | Filed under: News | Posted by: Tempo Desk
SENATOR
Cynthia Villar said the government will continue to fund its
assistance programs for local farmers amid the continued importation of rice
and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Villar,
in her statement on Monday, said there is no need for additional cash for
the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) since the Rice Tariffication
Act already guarantees an annual P10-billion budget.
The
chair of the Senate Agriculture and Food Committee was commenting on the
P8-billion fund requested by the Department of Agriculture (DA) for its Rice
Resiliency Project amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Department of Budget and
Management released to the DA last April the requested fund, which included an
allocation for “enhanced RCEF”.
“The
RCEF does not need any additional budget allocated from the COVID-19
prevention,” Villar said.
She
noted that the DA, aside from the RCEF, has a separate National Rice Program,
which has yearly a P7 billion budget for buying fertilizer and hybrid seeds.
The
Republic Act 11203, enacted last year, mandates the provision of an annual
P10-billion budget to the RCEF for six years from the tariffs collected from
rice imports.
The
RCEF shall be used to help farmers compete with imported rice, by giving them
farm equipment, inbred seeds, low-interest credit, and training. The RCEF is
expected to aid in lowering the cost of local rice.
“This cheaper supply of rice from
our own rice farmer helps lower rice prices for Filipino
consumers,” Villar said. (Vanne Terrazola)
Cambodian rice exports to the US
could face full tariffs after a lobby group called for the imposition of full
tariffs on the crop.
Currently, the Kingdom’s rice
enjoys some tax-protection under what is known as the Generalised System of
Preferences (GSP)-eligible commodities list.
However, lobbyists USA Rice last
month provided virtual testimony to the US International Trade Commission
(USITC) in support of removing Cambodian rice from the list.
It submitted a petition to the
Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in March advocating for the
removal of rice from the list of GSP-eligible commodities. The petition has
since moved forward into the formal review process, including a concurrent
analysis by the USITC.
USA Rice said most developing
countries are eligible for duty-free access for parboiled rice only. However,
all rice from the “least developed countries” such as Cambodia and Myanmar, is
eligible for duty-free access into the US.
Lun Yeng, secretary-general of
the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) said the move will not strongly affect
Cambodia rice because the country sends a tiny amount of rice to the US market.
When they remove rice from the
GSP-list, we will pay the full tax, but it will have a small impact on us
because we export only about 2,000 tonnes a year to the US market. That is a
small amount,” he said.
Yeng said for more than 10 years
so far, Cambodia rice exports to the US have not exceeded more than 2,000
tonnes a year.
“In our plan as a private sector
body, we are pushing rice exports to the US but it is still slow compared with
other markets because of the higher cost of transportation and we cannot
compete with Thai rice that has been in the market for a long time with exports
of about 500,000 tonnes per year to the US market,” he said.
The US has long provided GSP
benefits to developing countries, providing duty-free access for thousands of
imports to help them grow their economies. For Cambodia, only travel-related
products have been granted full duty-free status under the GSP.
Yeng said according to the World
Trade Organization (WTO) framework, tariffs on rice exports under the GSP in
some certain countries are between 85 percent and 180 percent, far higher than
garment and textile products. Without the GSP, the product could see tariffs
imposed up to 300 percent.
The GSP programme is set to
expire on Dec 31 unless it’s reauthorised by Congress.
Rice grower organisations
representing the six major rice-growing US states signed a joint letter with
their corresponding state farm bureau organisations lending their support to
the USA Rice petition.Cambodia’s rice sector officially lost its import duty
exemption granted by the EU in January 2019 after the bloc decided to impose
tariffs on imports from the Kingdom and Myanmar to protect European rice
farmers’ interests. That loss comes into effect on Aug 12.
Cambodia’s milled-rice exports
increased 42 percent to 397,660 tonnes, valued at $264.5 million, in the first
half of this year from the 281,538 tonnes inthe same period last year.
Rice exports to the EU increased
by more than 45 percent. To China they rose by 25.2 percent. Other Asean
members increased Cambodian rice imports by about 47.7 percent. Other market
destinations surged by 79.26 percent.
Cambodia expects to export
between 800,000 tonnes to 1 million tonnes of milled rice this year.
U.S. rice farmers are still
waiting for China to begin importing U.S. rice, and optimism is strong despite
years of disappointments.
The optimism comes primarily from
the fact that China pledged to buy U.S. rice when both countries signed the
U.S.-China Economic and Trade Agreement, but trepidation persists after years
of China backing away from actual trade and the rising political animosity
between the two countries over COVID-19 and Hong Kong.
Still, Beijing has so far been
following through with most of what the Chinese promised to do under the trade
pact — also known as “phase one” — and that is fueling the belief that in the
coming months China will actually become a buyer of U.S. rice.
China lifted trade restrictions
on U.S. beef and pork, removed bans on U.S. barley, blueberries and avocados,
and increased the pace of imports of soybeans, corn and wheat. These
actions all provide evidence that China is trying to make "phase
one" work.
On Thursday, Chinese importers
committed to buy 202,000 metric tons of U.S. corn and 126,000 tons of U.S.
soybeans for delivery in the 2020-21 marketing year. That same day, USDA’s
Foreign Agricultural Service released its latest weekly data for June 19-25,
showing physical exports of 144,300 tons of corn and 125,400 tons of sorghum to
China. Chinese importers also contracted to buy 76,800 tons of sorghum and
594,000 tons of soybeans.
On Tuesday, FAS reported export
sales of 264,000 metric tons of soybeans for delivery to China during the
2019/2020 marketing year and export sales of 204,000 metric tons of corn for
delivery to China during the 2020/2021 marketing year.
Related Articles
There were no net sales or
exports reported for rice, but those could come soon, said says Peter Bachmann,
vice president of international trade policy for the USA Rice Federation.
“In the ‘phase one’ agreement,
they committed to purchasing U.S. rice,” Bachmann told Agri-Pulse.
“They didn’t say whether that was going to be through state trading enterprises
or private importers, but we assume and hope that it will be a mix of both at some
point. We want to make sure they follow through on that commitment.”
Exactly how much rice China
committed to buy in the trade pact is unknown. Neither country has let slip the
amounts of any of the commodities that China has agreed to purchase under
“phase one.”
But before that happens, U.S.
rice farmers are looking for more signs that China is serious about its
commitments. The country has already lifted its ban on U.S. rice and approved
milling and storage facilities, technically throwing open its border to U.S.
rice, but the trade just isn’t happening.
The first sign U.S. rice farmers
are now waiting for is confirmation that China has scrapped its subsidies for
domestic rice and wheat farmers. That won’t make it easier to sell rice to
China, but it is expected to remove unfair Chinese competition from the
international and even domestic markets in the U.S.
China promised major reforms to
the WTO as well as the U.S. directly in “phase one,” but it’s still unclear if
that has happened. China presented its reforms to setting floor prices for
domestic producers to the WTO dispute panel on June 29 — the day before the
deadline. The U.S. has 20 days to verify China’s claims, and U.S. government
officials tell Agri-Pulse that review is
taking place.
“It’s distorting the world market
when they’re shipping rice so cheaply,” Bachmann said. “They’re only exporting
about 3 million metric tons right now, but it’s coming into the U.S. through
Puerto Rico. There’s roughly 65,000 tons of milled medium grain rice coming in
every year from China at much lower than market prices because of their
subsidies.”
China’s subsidies are just as
much of a concern to the U.S. wheat sector, says U.S. Wheat Associates
spokesman Steve Mercer.
The group “continues to watch for
changes to the Chinese government’s minimum wheat procurement prices,” Mercer
said. “We do not think that the policy changes they announced … put the
government in compliance with their WTO obligations yet, and the resulting
supply pressure on U.S. wheat prices continues to cost our farmers hundreds of
millions of dollars each year.”
The second big breakthrough U.S.
rice farmers are watching for is China to follow through with its promise to
transform its tariff rate quota process. The Chinese pledged nearly 20 years
ago as part of their deal to join the World Trade Organization to buy massive
amounts of foreign rice through TRQs, but the country has been manipulating the
opaque process for years.
China has until early October to
change the way it runs its rice TRQ by preventing big government-owned
companies from hoarding the quota allocations.
“If they don’t reallocate and let
the private guys bring in rice, then there’s very little opportunity,” Bachmann
said. “That’s how (China) has gotten around bringing in rice from a variety of
origins they don’t want to do business with.”
But China does import a lot of
rice, and the primary route of entry for U.S. rice is expected to be expensive
hotels and restaurants that cater to customers who are willing to pay more for
quality, according to an analysis by FAS officials in
Guangzhou.
The primary channel for selling
U.S. rice "is initially expected to be through medium- to high-end
restaurants, especially Japanese style restaurants and niche grocery retailers
looking to capitalize on the cachet of U.S. rice,” according to the FAS report.
“Pending a favorable consumer response, U.S. rice could expand its presence
into more mainstream retail and online platforms. Imports of U.S. rice are
expected to come packaged for both retail and (hotel, restaurant, and
institutional) use.”
Interested in more coverage
and insights? Receive a free month of Agri-Pulse or Agri-Pulse West by
clicking here.
But before that happens, private
Chinese rice buyers need be assured Beijing is OK with them buying from the
U.S. Possibly the best evidence of that is a sale last year that was paused
after political tensions flared up between the U.S. and China.
Ken LaGrande, Sun Valley Rice
The privately owned Chinese
company Shenzen Yintuo agreed last summer to buy medium-grain,
Calrose rice, from the California-based Sun Valley Rice, but the sale was
never finalized and the rice never sent.
“The sale was agreed upon,” Sun
Valley CEO and owner Ken LaGrande told Agri-Pulse, “but then it was
pending for import permission that never materialized. Technically, I guess you
could say we still have an order on the books, but I’m not holding my breath.”
It turned out that it was poor
timing for the sale. Just a month later, the trade talks between the U.S. and
China unraveled, followed by both sides hitting each other with new tariffs.
It’s been months since the U.S.
and China signed off on the “phase one” deal in January and implementation in
February, but there’s still no rice trade, and there likely won’t be until
Beijing gives the final nod.
“We could sell at any point,”
Bachmann said. “It’s really a matter of when the government makes the first
purchase. They’ve got to take the first step before private importers are going
to import rice. They’re probably waiting for our new crop rice to be available.
They want to see what pricing looks like this fall and hoping prices come down
from where they are right now.”
Eight Cambridge researchers join European molecular biology
pantheon
Eight Cambridge researchers – six from the University of Cambridge
and two from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology – are among 63 scientists
from around the world elected this year as members and associate members of the
European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO).
EMBO membership honours distinguished scientists who have made
outstanding contributions to the life sciences and the hall of fame includes 88
Nobel Laureates. It is an international organisation of life scientists, which
has more than 1800 members elected by peers.
Members can actively participate in EMBO’s initiatives by
serving on the organisation’s council, committees and editorial boards,
participating in the evaluation of applications for EMBO funding, acting as
mentors to young scientists in the EMBO community and advising on key
activities. EMBO’s administrative headquarters are in Heidelberg, Germany.
Here’s a rundown on the Cambridge eight:
Bertie Göttgens is Professor of Molecular Haematology, deputy
director of the Wellcome MRC Stem Cell Institute and a member of the Cancer
Research UK Cambridge Centre Haematological Malignancies Programme.
His research group studies how transcription factor networks control the
function of blood stem cells, and how mutations that perturb these networks
cause leukaemia.
Professor Kathryn Lilley is Director of the Cambridge Centre for
Proteomics, Department of Biochemistry, Milner Therapeutics Institute, and a
member of the CRUK Cambridge Centre Cell and Molecular Biology Programme. Her
research aims to interrogate how the functional proteome correlates with
complexity.
Dr Serena Nik-Zainal is a CRUK Advanced Clinician Scientist at
the University’s MRC Cancer Unit and honorary consultant in clinical genetics
at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Serena’s research combines computational and
experimental approaches to understand cellular changes and mutational processes
that lead to cancer and age-related disorders.
Giles Oldroyd is Russell R Geiger Professor of Crop Science at
the Sainsbury Laboratory and director of the Crop Science Centre. Giles is
leading an international programme of research that attempts to achieve more
equitable and sustainable agriculture through the enhanced use of beneficial
microbial associations.
Uta Paszkowski is Professor of Plant Molecular Genetics at the Department
of Plant Sciences. Uta leads the Cereal Symbiosis Group, which investigates the
molecular mechanisms underlying formation and functioning of arbuscular
mycorrhizal symbioses (beneficial interactions between roots of land plants and
soil fungi) in rice and maize.
Anna Philpott is head of the School of Biological Sciences,
Professor of Cancer and Developmental Biology, and member of the CRUK Cambridge
Centre Paediatric Cancer Programme. Her research group at the Wellcome-MRC
Cambridge Stem Cell Institute studies the balance between proliferation and
differentiation during development and cancer, using a range of models.
Dr Chris Tate is research leader at the MRC Laboratory of
Molecular Biology. The research in Chris’ lab focuses on understanding the
structure and function of the major cell-surface receptors in humans that are
targeted by 34 per cent of marketed small molecule drugs.
Dr Marta Zlatic is research leader at the MRC Laboratory of
Molecular Biology. Marta’s lab combines connectomics with physiology and
behavioural analysis, in the tractable Drosophila larval model system, to
discover the fundamental principles by which brains generate behaviour.
Milking algae mechanically: Progress to succeed petroleum derived
chemicals
SHINSHU UNIVERSITY
IMAGE: MICROGRAPH OF ALGAE
CREDIT: MASAKI IHARA PH.D., INTERDISCIPLINARY CLUSTER FOR
CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES, SHINSHU UNIVERSITY
Algae holds a lot of untapped potential
for use in industry. So far algae has provided invaluable nutrition in the
health food sector but has struggled to be competitive against
petroleum-derived chemical production. Algae is favorable to petroleum from an
environmental standpoint but the production cost of culturing, collecting,
extracting and refining adds up to make it too expensive for practical use.
There is a need to improve production efficiency to reduce the cost of algae
derived products in order for them to be a viable alternative to
petroleum-derived products.
A research team led by Alice Uchida and Masaki Ihara of Shinshu
University succeeded in developing a method of cultivating microalgae by
solving three issues of cultivation; collection/recovery of compounds and
extraction/purification of products with this new method. First, it was
necessary not to kill the algal cells during extraction. By preserving the
algae, there is no need to cultivate and multiply the algae. Secondly, the
algae they chose naturally gather together for ease of collection. Thirdly, the
compounds wanted for harvest; polysaccharides (carbohydrates) and
phycobiliproteins are released outside of the algae and bound to the cell
surface. There is no need for a solvent for extraction or purification,
dramatically simplifying and decreasing the cost of processing. This
non-destructive continuous milking system is a practical and effective method
of algae-derived chemical production.
In the beginning of the study, the researchers struggled to find
a type of algae that could withstand mechanical shearing. They were not sure
such an algae existed. However, after an extensive search, they were able to
find the Tolypothrix filamentous cyanobacteria and were able to cultivate it
continuously for 2 years with little cell damage despite mechanical shearing of
the compounds bound to the cell surface. They grew the algae in non-sterile
agricultural water and performed 87 day milking cycles which yielded 90 to 140
mg/L of extracellular carbohydrates every 3 weeks. Phycobiliproteins are
currently in demand for food additives and cosmetic applications.
The Ihara lab hopes to enable petroleum-based products to be
replaced by algae-derived products that inflict less strain on the environment.
In order to do so, algae production needs to happen on a much, much larger
scale. He continues to look for tough algae that can survive in a variety of
environments. He hopes to be able to collaborate with researchers from a
variety of fields including fermentation engineering, chemical engineering,
polymer chemistry- specifically algal biomass conversion technology,
environmental and forest conservation studies in order to study the effects of
large-scale algae culture on the environment.
The realization of a post-petroleum society would cause the
landscape to be altered, similar to how rice cultivation changed the landscape
of Japan through the introduction of rice paddy fields. Although the
researchers are optimistic about the future potential of algae, they proceed
with caution to consider all the potential effects of change
ADD FRUIT, VEGGIES AND GRAINS TO DIET TO REDUCE TYPE 2
DIABETES RISK BY 25%, STUDIES SAY
Adding about a third of a cup of fruit or
vegetables to your daily diet could cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes
by 25%, while higher consumptions o...
Posted: Jul 8, 2020 10:08 PM
Posted By: CNN
Adding
about a third of a cup of fruit or vegetables to your daily diet could cut your
risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 25%, while higher consumptions of whole
grains such as brown bread and oatmeal could cut the risk by 29%, according to
two new studies published Wednesday in the journal BMJ.
The
studies add to the growing database of literature that shows a healthier diet of whole grains, fruits and
veggies -- along with regular physical activity, no smoking and maintaining a
healthy weight -- can significantly impact your risk of developing the deadly
disease.
Diabetes
was the seventh leading cause of death in 2016, according to the World
Health Organization, and is a "major cause of blindness,
kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation."
Some 463
million adults between the ages of 20 and 79 years were living with diabetes in
2019, according to the International Diabetes Federation. That number is
expected to rise to 700 million by 2045.
Objective look at fruits and veggies
Most
studies use questionnaires to quiz study participants about what they ate and
when, which leaves most nutritional studies subject to the vagaries of human
recall.
But a
group of European researchers used an objective measurement -- a composite
score of blood biomarkers of vitamin C and carotenoids (the richly colored
pigments of yellow, red and green on fruits and vegetables) -- to measure the
amount of fruits and veggies eaten.
The
study compared nearly 10,000 adults with new-onset type 2 diabetes to a group
of nearly 14,000 adults who remained free of diabetes. All were participating
in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
(EPIC)-InterAct study that took place in eight European countries.
There
was a 25% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes for every 66 extra grams of
fruit and vegetables eaten each day, the study found.
That's
not much -- just over 1/3 cup of either fruits or veggies.
"The
public health implication of this observation is that the consumption of even a
moderately increased amount of fruit and vegetables among populations who
typically consume low levels could help to prevent type 2 diabetes," the
study said.
"It
should be noted that these findings and other available evidence suggest that
fruit and vegetable intake, rather than vitamin supplements, is potentially
beneficial for the prevention of type 2 diabetes."
Whole grains good, except popcorn
The second study used
questionnaires to measure the whole grain intake of more than 158,000 women and
nearly 37,000 men taking part in the Nurses' Health Study, Nurses' Health Study
II, and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. All three studies have been
following the health of Americans free from diabetes, heart disease and cancer
over long periods of time.
Foods
and ingredients considered whole grains were: whole wheat and whole wheat
flour, whole oats and whole oat flour, whole cornmeal and whole corn flour,
whole rye and whole rye flour, whole barley, bulgur, buckwheat, brown rice and
brown rice flour, popcorn, amaranth and psyllium.
Results
showed that eating two or more servings a week of oatmeal was associated with a
21% lower risk of diabetes, a 15% lower risk for added bran and a 12% lower
risk for brown rice and wheat germ, when compared to eating less than one
serving a month.
There
was a 19% lower risk of diabetes with eating one or more servings a day of
whole grain cold breakfast cereal and a 21% lower risk for the same amount of
dark bread, again compared to eating less than one serving a month.
These
statistics held true even after adjusting for body mass index and other
lifestyle and dietary risk factors for diabetes, the study said.
On
average, people who ate the most whole grains -- around four to six servings a
week -- had a 29% lower rate of type 2 diabetes than those who ate none or less
than one serving a month.
On a
daily basis, reductions in risk plateaued at about two servings a day for total
whole grain intake, and a half a serving a day for whole grain cold breakfast
cereal and dark bread.
One
grain, however, had a negative effect: popcorn. The study found an increased
rate of type 2 diabetes with eating one or more servings of popcorn a day. The
effect occurred only when a full serving of 1 cup or more was eaten.
While
popcorn, as a whole grain, has relatively high amounts of fiber and fills us
up, the researchers pointed out that Americans often eat their popcorn with
lots of salt and butter, and sometimes sugar or cheese, which can lessen its
healthy properties. In addition, most Americans don't pop from a whole grain
but purchase "ultraprocessed" versions that are microwaved, home
popped, or ready to eat.
Researchers have developed a genetically modified rice
to treat hypertension without the undesirable side effects of
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, a treatment commonly used for
people with hypertension.
Rice
High blood pressure is the most
common chronic disease in the US, affecting one in three adults. As the first
preventable cause of stroke, hypertension is characterized by abnormally high
blood pressure in the blood vessels and, when it occurs uncontrollably, is a
major cause of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative
complications (heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease…).
Commonly prescribed treatments for hypertension include
angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE), which dilate blood vessels and
lower blood pressure. However, there are many undesirable side effects
(headache, dry cough, dizziness, drowsiness, swelling of the face, mouth, and
throat, etc.).
A food for treating high blood
pressure without side effects
Researchers are now in the process of genetic modification of
rice, one of the most consumed foods in the world, to introduce several
Antihypertensive Peptides. Their work has been published in the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Specifically, they have introduced a gene
consisting of nine ACE inhibitory peptides and one vasodilator peptide into
rice plants.
By testing their innovation in
hypertensive rats for 5 weeks, researchers discovered that this genetically
modified rice significantly reduced hypertension without causing undesirable
side effects. “For a person weighing 68 kg, you would only need to eat half a
tablespoon of this rice a day to prevent and treat hypertension,” they wrote.
Although this discovery is spectacular, it requires further research,
especially into the human organism.
Age and lifestyle
Hypertension is a silent disease
that affects more people of advanced age: less than 10% of patients are between
18 and 34 years old, compared with more than 65% after the age of 65. It is
estimated that half of the people with hypertension would not know it.
According to the CDC, aging favors the loss of elasticity of the arteries, which is “the first unalterable risk factor.
But other risk factors are determined by habits or lifestyles that can be
modified: obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, high consumption of
salt, tobacco, and alcohol.
Pakistani
and Afghan truck drivers say that going through the Torkham border crossing
connecting northeastern Pakistan with eastern Afghanistan in the historic
Khyber Pass is now an obstacle course.
KHYBER
PASS, Pakistan – Truckers hauling cargo from Pakistan into Afghanistan though
the main border crossing between the two countries have complained of bribes,
long delays, and harassment by police and transport union officials.
In
interviews with Radio Mashaal, several Pakistani and Afghan truck drivers say
that going through the Torkham border crossing connecting northeastern Pakistan
with eastern Afghanistan in the historic Khyber Pass is now an obstacle course
that frequently results in stress and a loss of both business and time.
Muhammad
Iqbal Afridi is one among the hundreds of drivers who frequently cross at
Torkham as part of the more than 1,800-kilometer journey from the southern
Pakistani seaport city of Karachi to the Afghan capital, Kabul. He says they
are tormented by a recent government decision that forces truckers to make a
stop at a terminal in Bara, some 50 kilometers from Torkham. Bara and Torkham
are towns in the western Khyber district, which is named after the historic
Khyber Pass, a historic trade route and invasion path.
Afridi
has been waiting at Bara’s Akkakhel terminal for more than two weeks for the
authorities to allow him to take his haul of sugar, flour, and cement into
Afghanistan.
“Everyone
is forced to wait endlessly,” he told Radio Mashaal. “There is nowhere for us
to sleep or rest in the scorching heat. We are just forced to try to survive in
the shadow of our trucks.”
Muhammad
Gul, an Afghan trucker, has been waiting for three weeks. With his container
truck of rice, Gul reached Bara on June 18. He frequently wipes the sweat from
his face, visibly agitated about the delays in crossing into Afghanistan.
“How
can we protect ourselves from the coronavirus when we don’t have soap or water?
It is very difficult to stay away from others in this crammed space where we
stay for days or weeks,” he told Radio Mashaal. “Truckers who pay bribes are
allowed to go through. Our rights are being violated. Someone needs to sort
this mess out.”
Traders
in the region say cumbersome border protocols have reduced the number of trucks
crossing daily from 800 earlier this year to around 200. This has also resulted
in decreasing custom revenues for Islamabad, according to reports in the Pakistani media.
But
officials in Khyber district deny they are harassing truckers or forcing them
to make bribes. Mazhar Afridi, a senior police official in Khyber, says that
based on an understanding with Afghan officials they are allowing only 200
trucks to pass through Torkham daily.
“If
presented with evidence, we will prosecute any police officers, transport union
officials, or truckers who are involved in giving or taking bribes,” he told
Radio Mashaal, alluding to a recent directive by the head of police in Khyber
district.
Torkham
is the largest of several border crossings along the more than 2,500-kilometer
Durand Line, the 19th-century demarcation that forms the border between the two
restive neighbors. To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Islamabad closed
its border with Afghanistan in March. But by late June, Pakistani officials
said they had reopened three major border crossings with Afghanistan.
Meanwhile
in Chaman, a border crossing connecting Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan
Province with southern Afghanistan, traders and activists are protesting border
restrictions. Their monthlong sit-in protest demands the complete reopening of
the border to restore hassle-free trade with Afghanistan, which is the mainstay
of the economy in the arid region.
Abubakar
Siddique wrote this story based on Radio Mashaal correspondent Farhad
Shinwari’s reporting from Khyber, Pakistan.
LAKE CHARLES, LA -- Mid-summer for Louisiana rice
farmers has typically been marked by attending the annual Louisiana State
University (LSU) rice field day at the H. Rousse Caffey Rice Research Station
in Crowley, Louisiana. The Research Station also serves as the ideal
venue for both the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board's and Louisiana Rice Research
Board's members to conduct mid-year meetings to continue in their mission of
advancing the rice industry for Louisiana's rice farmers. Due to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19
pandemic, the annual Field Day event went virtual. To adhere to social distancing
guidelines, the state's Rice Promotion Board and Rice Research Board met on
different days in a larger venue at the Acadia Extension Office Research
Station with the option for members, guests, and presenters to participate
virtually. On June 26, the Promotion Board heard reports on
the success of the ongoing "Start with Rice" campaign, along with a
USA Rice update on domestic and international promotions. USA Rice staff
including President & CEO Betsy Ward; Michael Klein, vice president of communications
and domestic promotion; and Sarah Moran, vice president international, joined
the meeting virtually since making the trip to southwest Louisiana wasn't
possible this year. "We always appreciate the opportunity to
share results of the work we do on behalf of the country's rice farmers,"
said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward. "This year,
especially, when so much of the nation's economy has been slowed or even
shutdown, America's farmers never stopped. USA Rice followed that lead by
adapting our promotion and research activity funded, in part, by your
hard-earned check-off dollars."
The Board unanimously voted to renew its
contract with the USA Rice Council. On July 1, the Research Board met in the same
manner to hear updates on the Tariff Rate Quota program with Colombia, various
research committee assignments, reports from LSU Rice Research staff, and a
presentation by USA Rice's Dr. Steve Linscombe on the work being done by The
Rice Foundation and the Rice Leadership Class.
The Louisiana Research Board joined the
Arkansas, California, Mississippi, and Texas research boards in approving
funding for research being conducted at the station, including work done by Dr.
Adam Famoso and graduate student Raul Guerra to identify qualitative and
quantitative factors to facilitate breeding new rice varieties for important
Latin American markets. "Things were definitely different this
year," said Promotion Board Chair John Owen who farms near Rayville.
"We all look forward to getting together at the Research Station,
typically in large numbers, although the large number this year wasn't
quantity, but distance - six feet to be exact. The one thing that didn't
change, however, was the continued support and confidence in USA Rice by
Louisiana's rice farmers."
US rice waits its turn with China, while other commodities
benefit
California rice growers and
handlers are being asked to vote on an assessment hike to cover the growing
costs to the California Rice Commission of administering the waste discharge
requirements program as ordered by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality
Control Board.
California rice industry is
asking growers, handlers vote on an assessment hike to cover waste discharge
requirement costs administered by the California Rice Commission
A second round of ballots were
recently mailed to California rice growers by the state Department of Food and
Agriculture on an increased assessment cap. That vote is asking growers and
handlers to approve a requested hike from 15 to 20 cents per hundredweight in
the assessment cap and will be split evenly between handlers and growers.
Ballots must be returned to the
CDFA by Aug. 3.
The
industry must vote in sufficient numbers to qualify the initiative, or the
entire process will need to be repeated. This means at least 40 percent of
eligible handlers and producers representing at least half of California rice
acreage must cast a ballot. It also means that of those voting, at least 65
percent of those votes must be affirmative for the increase to take place.
The California Rice Commission
has told growers at various grower meetings that the increased cost of
administering the rice waste discharge requirements, and associated regulatory
costs necessitates the increased assessment.
All information provided in
the ballots is kept confidential.
Drought forces Australia to import rice or
risk empty shelves
Bloomberg | Updated on July
08, 2020 Published on July 08,
2020
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This season, like almost 90 per cent of Australian rice
growers, Rob Massina decided to skip planting the grain on his land near the
tiny town of Jerilderie, about four hours north of Melbourne.
For the president of the Australian Ricegrowers Association, low
water allocations and years of severe drought meant conditions were too dry to
sow the crop on his property at the southern end of the Murray-Darling Basin.
A lot of the towns in this part of the world have been built on
rice, said Massina. It’s a way of life for the southern Riverina and it has
currently got its challenges, he said, referring to the name of the local
region.
Australian rice planting and output have slumped more than 90
per cent since the 2017-18 season. Its national 2019-20 crop is expected to be
57,000 tonnes, the second-smallest output on record and the lowest since the
2007-08, according to a June report from government forecaster Abares.
Supply gap
Though Australia has always been reliant on imports for certain
varieties that can’t be grown locally, like Basmati,
its supermarkets may be entirely without local supplies by the end of 2020,
according to Rob Gordon, chief executive of SunRice, which buys about 98 per
cent of domestic output and supplies local and export markets. The company has
a global appetite for about 1.4 million tonnes a year, meaning Australian
production is meeting only a sliver of that demand.
We’re already supplementing from Thailand and Cambodia, Gordon
said, for fragrant and long grain rice. As we start running out of domestic
supply of our other varieties, we will start opening up supply chains from
elsewhere around the world. We are bringing in rice from Uruguay at the moment,
he said by phone.
Rice represents only a tiny fragment of Australia’s agriculture
industry, and the country is a small player in global trade. However, shrinking
supplies of locally grown rice were thrown into focus earlier this year when
Covid-19 panic buying saw shoppers strip grocery shelves of everything from
rice to flour and pasta.
The government has reassured residents that their food supply is
secure— the country of 25 million produces enough food for 75 million and
imports only 11 per cent of food and drink by value — but rice remains a gap in
domestic production.
That could create issues amid global food protectionism as
governments start trimming exports in order to shore up domestic supply, Gordon
said.
“I believe strongly in international trade but of course during
Covid, we saw in April the Vietnamese borders closed to rice exports and they
are about the third-largest exporter of rice in the world. We saw India not
shut its borders, but with a lockdown of its population they were unable to
export large volumes of rice, and they are the biggest exporter. And we saw
Cambodia and Myanmar follow Vietnam’s lead,” Gordon said. It just puts more risk
there.
Water Policies
Gordon and Massina cite government water allocation policies in
the Murray-Darling Basin as a key issue for the future security of production,
with rice often less profitable than other crops and therefore less likely to
be planted.
When water does become available, the first priority on his
mixed-enterprise farm has to be the livestock, said Massina. For other
producers, almonds and other horticultural products have taken priority over
rice.
Government forecaster Abares said in June water allocations vary
from year to year based on seasonal conditions and farmers can choose how to
use them.
In May, Abares described Australian rice production as highly
variable and opportunistic, based on agricultural prices and water
availability, and said international trade is a good way to meet consumer
preferences. Current low production is not a cause for food security concern,
as the world has ample supplies and any protectionism is likely to be
short-lived, it added.
Introducing domestic market interventions and failing to support
open trade would disadvantage consumers, and could prejudice Australia’s market
access negotiations for other agricultural products, Abares said.
With early rainfall, prospects are better for the next growing
season. Massina will later this year look at water availability and decide
whether to plant a rice crop. Overall, he said the future of the Australian
rice industry will depend on whether Australian consumers want Australian rice
on supermarket shelves.
We’re getting down to the bottom of the cupboard in terms of
Australian rice supplies, he said.
This season, like almost 90% of Australian rice growers, Rob
Massina decided to skip planting the grain on his land near the tiny town of
Jerilderie, about four hours north of Melbourne.
For the president of the Australian Ricegrowers’ Association, low
water allocations and years of severe drought meant conditions were too dry to
sow the crop on his property at the southern end of the Murray-Darling Basin.
“A lot of the towns in this part of the world have been built on
rice,” said Massina. “It’s a way of life for the southern Riverina and it’s
currently got its challenges,” he said, referring to the name of the local
region.
Australian rice planting and output
have slumped more than 90% since the 2017-18 season. Its national 2019-20 crop
is expected to be 57,000 tons, the second-smallest output on record and the
lowest since the 2007-08, according to a June report from
government forecaster Abares.
Though Australia has always been reliant on imports for certain
varieties that can’t be grown locally, like Basmati, its supermarkets may be
entirely without local supplies by the end of 2020, according to Rob Gordon,
chief executive of SunRice, which buys about 98% of domestic output and
supplies local and export markets. The company has a global appetite for about
1.4 million tons a year, meaning Australian production is meeting only a sliver
of that demand.
“We’re already supplementing from Thailand and Cambodia,” Gordon
said, for fragrant and long grain rice. “As we start running out of domestic
supply of our other varieties, we’ll start opening up supply chains from
elsewhere around the world. We’re bringing in rice from Uruguay at the moment,”
he said by phone.
Rice represents only a tiny fragment of Australia’s agriculture
industry, and the country is a small player in global trade. However, shrinking
supplies of locally grown rice were thrown into focus earlier this year when
Covid-19 panic buying saw shoppers strip grocery shelves of everything from
rice to flour and pasta.
Rice
Drought
Australian planting and production has slumped amid water
shortages
Source: Abares
^estimate
The government has reassured residents that their food
supply is secure -- the country of 25 million produces enough food for 75
million and imports only 11% of food and drink by value -- but rice remains a
gap in domestic production.
That could create issues amid global food protectionism as
governments start trimming exports in order to shore up domestic supply, Gordon
said.
“I believe strongly in international trade but of course during Covid,
we saw in April the Vietnamese borders closed to rice exports and they are
about the third-largest exporter of rice in the world. We saw India not shut
its borders, but with a lockdown of its population they were unable to export
large volumes of rice, and they are the biggest exporter. And we saw Cambodia
and Myanmar follow Vietnam’s lead,” Gordon said. “It just puts more risk
there.”
Water Policies
Gordon and Massina cite government water allocation policies in
the Murray-Darling Basin as a key issue for the future security of production,
with rice often less profitable than other crops and therefore less likely to
be planted.
When water does become available, the first priority on his
mixed-enterprise farm has to be the livestock, said Massina. For other
producers, almonds and other horticultural products have taken priority over
rice. “What the water-policy setting seems to be doing is favoring water going
to only the very highest return, which is almonds at the moment,” said Gordon.
Government forecaster Abares said in June water allocations vary
from year to year based on seasonal conditions and farmers can choose how to
use them.
In May, Abares described Australian rice production as
“highly variable and opportunistic,” based on agricultural prices and water
availability, and said international trade is a good way to meet consumer
preferences. Current low production is not a cause for food security concern,
as the world has ample supplies and any protectionism is likely to be short-lived,
it added.
“Introducing domestic market interventions and failing to support
open trade would disadvantage consumers, and could prejudice Australia’s market
access negotiations for other agricultural products,” Abares said.
With early rainfall, prospects are better for the next growing
season. Massina will later this year look at water availability and decide
whether to plant a rice crop. Overall, he said the future of the Australian
rice industry will depend “on whether Australian consumers want Australian rice
on supermarket shelves.”
“We’re getting down to the bottom of the cupboard in terms of
Australian rice supplies,” he said.
In
2018, the European Union slapped import
restrictions on Indian rice exports. It was due to the
traces of fungicide in the Basmati rice above the permitted limits. But this
year, export demand has increased despite the lockdown.
Increase
in Both Domestic and Overseas Demand
Trade
with Iran halted in 2018 because of US sanctions in the country. But Mr Gurnam
Arora the joint managing director of Kohinoor Foods Ltd, said that the new
markets in the far east and Saudi Arabia have compensated for the loss of trade
in Iran. The lack of demand has affected a lot of sectors during the pandemic.
But fortunately, the basmati rice industry has seen an increase in both the
overseas and domestic market. According to Mr Ashok Sethi, the
director of Basmati Exports Association, Punjab exports 20 lakh tonnes out of
India’s total 40 lakh tonnes of exports. He said that this would increase to
23-24 lakh tonnes.
Export Demand Spikes Basmati Rice
Market
Demand
Pushes Prices Up
High
demand, low carry overstocks and the weakened rupee have pushed up the prices
of Basmati rice by up to 10%. Mr Gurnam Arora also stated that the increase in
prices was due to the sudden emergence of demand from the domestic as well as
international market.
Increase
in Exports Despite Lockdown
There
has been a marked increase in export orders despite the lockdown when it comes
to this sector. Some attribute it to the slow resurgence in the restaurant
industry after the relaxation of the lockdown. Despite the increase in the
orders, the shortage of labour due to the pandemic has
slowed down exports.
Note that the increase in demand
and prices will benefit both farmers and exporters of Basmati rice in India.
An employee inspects a godown of Food Corporation of India (FCI)
where rice bags are being stored during the nationwide lockdown | PTI file photo
How did the Food Corporation of
India come about holding such massive stocks of rice and wheat? As of June
2020, the FCI had 832.69
lakh tonnes of rice and wheat in stock. This is
considerably more than what the FCI needs to maintain, as both
operational as well as strategic stock — 210.40 lakh tonnes as of 1 April
every year, which goes up to 411.20 lakh tonnes as of 1 July.
The current stock of rice and wheat is the
highest that the FCI has maintained since 2005. The
last time the stocks were near such high levels was in June
2012, when the total amount of rice and wheat in the godowns
of the FCI was 823.17 lakh tonnes.
Procurement of rice and wheat by the FCI and other
state agencies on behalf of the government has gone up over the years. In June
2016, the total stock of rice and wheat with the FCI stood at 534.29
lakh tonnes. This increased to 555.40 lakh tonnes in June 2017, 680.25 lakh
tonnes in June 2018, 741.41 lakh tonnes in June
2019, and now 832.69 lakh tonnes in June 2020.
The FCI and other state procurement agencies buy rice and
wheat directly from the farmers all over India at a minimum support
price (MSP) announced by the central government. While the government
announces an MSP for 23 different crops, it primarily buys rice and wheat.
It has started buying some pulses lately as well.
Rice and wheat are bought mainly to be
distributed at a highly subsidised price through the public distribution
system (PDS), more popularly known as ration shops, to meet the
requirements of food security.
A legacy of excess buying
Given the fact that stocks of rice and wheat have gone up over
the years, it is clear that the government has been buying
more from farmers than what it requires to meet the needs of
food security.
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This excess procurement is an excellent example
of bad economics that all Indian governments, and not just
the current one led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
have practised. However, the excess procurement has helped the
government distribute free rice, wheat and pulses in these tough times of
a pandemic. Recently, the Modi government extended the
free distribution of ration under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna
Yojana until November 2020.
Sceptics may see this as a move to influence the
voters in the Bihar state assembly election scheduled later this
year, and that might be the case, but distributing rice and wheat for free
in these tough times is a good idea.
So, does that mean that the government was right in all the
excess procurement over the past few years? Not really. In
economics, there are seen effects and then there are unseen
effects. The seen effect here is that the Modi government ended up
storing much more rice and wheat than what was required and then was
able to distribute those once the coronavirus pandemic struck.
The unseen effect here is that the government ended up spending
a lot of money in buying rice and wheat, which it couldn’t use elsewhere. That
money could have been easily spent on public health infrastructure, which
India so badly lacks.
Moreover, between April and November 2020, a total of 320 lakh
tonnes of rice and wheat will be distributed for free through the public
distribution system. Despite this, the FCI will continue to
have excess stock of rice and wheat. Hence, it makes sense to continue the
free distribution beyond November. The FCI typically tends to divert old stock
for other purposes such as ethanol production and feed. It is better to
distribute the excess stock among the people in need than
use it for other purposes.
Fix the lacunae
India’s excess procurement policy needs a relook. It
incentivises farmers to produce more rice and wheat than what the
country requires. As the Economic Survey of 2015-16 had pointed out:
“Public procurement at MSP has disproportionately focused on wheat, rice and…
perhaps even at the expense of other crops such as pulses and oilseeds. This
has resulted in buffer stocks of paddy and wheat to be above the required
norms, but also caused frequent price spikes in pulses and edible oils.”
Another thing the government must look into is
the disproportionate focus on certain states when it comes to excess
procurement. More than 95 per cent of paddy farmers In Punjab and
close to 70 per cent in Haryana are covered under procurement operations.
This encourages them to grow rice in what is largely a semi-arid
area, resulting in depletion of groundwater levels.
In comparison, only 3.6 per cent of paddy farmers in
Uttar Pradesh, 7.3 per cent in West Bengal and 1.7 per
cent in Bihar, the other major rice-producing states, are covered under
procurement operations. This is like the government promoting inequality across
different states and it needs to end. The procurement operations in
other states must improve.
But all these measures can be effective only under a robust
agricultural marketing system, which India currently lacks.
Vivek Kaul is the author of Bad Money. Views are
personal.
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Staff Reporter : Despite different initiatives taken by the
government, prices of all kinds of rice are still high across the country
adding to woes of the consumers during the Coronavirus pandemic. Vendors alleged that prices of the rice have
increased due to manipulation of the mill owners and the wholesalers. As part of the government's measures, Food
Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder held a meeting with the traders and mill
owners through video conference recently. After the meeting, the Minister
directed all the Divisional Commissioners to supervise the rice markets
closely. He has also directed the Director General of the
Food to catagorise rice mills as A, B and C to evaluate the millers. But no measures have yet brought any success to
control the rice markets. As a result, the government has decided to import
rice by reducing import duty to keep the rice price stable and to prevent price
manipulation. The Food Minister on Tuesday said that there has
been a bumper production of crops this year and farmers are getting fair
prices. "If the rice market is destabilised despite this and the millers
make delay in supplying rice to government warehouses defying deals with them,
the government will import rice, if necessary, by reducing import duty,"
Sadhan Chandra said, according to a ministry press release.http://m.thedailynewnation.com/news/257310/govt-to-import-rice-as-price-unchanged
MRF Steps into Rice Market to Stabilize Rice
Price
အောက်တွင်မြန်မာလိုဖတ်ရှုနိုင်ပါသည်
Myanmar Rice Federation will sell rice from the state rice reserve to retail
rice selling shops in an attempt to stabilize rice prices.
They will sell a rice variety called Lone Shae/Aemahta at the
price of K1000-1,100 per bushel. Currently, it is sold around K10,00-1,500 in
the market.
The federation will sell a 108 lb bag of rice at K22,800 to
retailers, who can buy up to 200 bags a time. Retailers who want to buy rice
will have to apply to the federation filling the forms it released. In addition
to retailers, factories with a large number of workers can also apply for it.
Consumer Departments will inspect the selling process to make
sure there is no monkey business.
The government and federation purchased 25 percent well-milled
and polished rice from rice exporters in late April and early May, to secure
food security of the country amid COVID-19.
Impact on
Kingdom’s rice unclear as US mulls tariffs
May
Kunmakara | Publication date 08 July 2020 | 23:00 ICT
A man stacks sacks of rice at a warehouse in Phnom Penh last year.
The US is deciding whether to remove rice from its Generalised System of
Preferences (GSP) programme as growth in imports is affecting US farmers. Hong
Menea
The US is deciding whether to remove rice from its Generalised
System of Preferences (GSP) programme as growth in imports is affecting US
farmers.
It is unclear at the moment how such a move would impact
Cambodia. Although the Kingdom is technically not a GSP recipient, it receives
duty-free access as a least-developed country (LDC).
USA Rice Federation (USA Rice), a global advocate for all
segments of the US rice industry, testified at the US International Trade
Commission (USITC) hearing late last month, supporting the removal of rice from
a list of eligible commodities under GSP.
USA Rice said the US has long provided GSP benefits to
developing countries, providing duty-free access, though it is only for
parboiled rice.
For LDCs like Cambodia and Myanmar, all rice is eligible for
duty-free access into the US.
USA Rice submitted a petition to the Office of the US Trade
Representative (USTR) in March, which has since moved forward into the formal
review process.
“US rice continues to face adversity in export markets where
domestic industries claim import-sensitivity and use tariffs and non-tariff
barriers to entry.
“It is time to acknowledge that US-grown rice is also
import-sensitive and therefore we respectfully request the removal of GSP
benefits for rice imports,” the petition said.
Information seen by The Post on Wednesday said as part of the
2020 Annual Review for modification of the GSP programme, the Trade Policy
Staff Committee (TPSC) has decided to accept certain product petitions for
review.
“USTR accepted the petition to remove rice products from GSP.
It’s under consideration. USITC held a hearing on whether rice should be
removed.
“USITC will submit a confidential report to USTR by August 31.
USTR is expected to issue a ruling on or before October 31, and becomes
effective on or before November 1,” the TPSC said.
It said the countries affected are Thailand, India, Pakistan,
Brazil, Vietnam, Argentina and Cambodia.
Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) president Song Saran said as an
emerging market for rice exports, he will organise a meeting to deal with the
issue.
“We will have a committee meeting on this. We have been
supplying mostly organic jasmine rice and special aromatic rice to Asian
communities in the US.
“It would surely have an impact on exports to the US considering
that we are an LDC country and our competitiveness is still low. I ask the US
to consider putting Cambodian rice in the GSP. It would be a boon for our small
farmers,” Saran said.
He said Cambodia exported around 2,000 tonnes of jasmine rice to
the US last year and 2,000 tonnes in the first six months of this year. “The
volume may be small but it has an impact for small farmers growing jasmine
rice,” he said.
Ministry of Commerce spokesman Seang Thay told The Post that
Cambodia has never received GSP from the US for rice. “Presently, we only get
GSP on travel goods which will expire by the end of this year,” he said.
Cambodia’s milled-rice exports gained 41 per cent to 397,660
tonnes in the first half of this year from the 281,538 tonnes shipped in the
same period last year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries said.
Rice quotas for Vietnam under the EVFTA are expected to push
Vietnam’s rice exports up from the second half of this year, according to the
Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).
Under the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) effective from
August 1, the EU pledges to provide an annual rice quota of 80,000 tonnes to
Vietnam and completely liberalise trade in broken rice. After three to five
years, tariffs on rice products will be slashed to zero per cent.
Tran Thanh Hai, deputy director of MoIT’s Import and Export
Department, said that in 2019, Vietnam had a modest value at $10.7 million from
rice exports to the EU because of high import tariffs in this market.
At present, the EU’s import tariffs for Vietnamese rice is 175
euros ($198) per tonne of milled rice, 65 euros per tonne of broken rice and
211 euros per tonne of paddy.
“The rice quotas of 80,000 tonnes to Vietnam according to the
commitments in the EVFTA is an opportunity for Vietnam to enhance its rice
exports to this market, which has annual demand of about 2.5 million tonnes of
rice,” Hai told the Hai quan (Customs) newspaper.
Meanwhile, the EU also sets a range of conditions for those quotas
such as origin certificates on Vietnamese rice. The rice exported to EU must
have authenticity certificates issued by Vietnamese authorities.
To take advantage, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development (MARD) and the MoIT are compiling a draft decree guiding the
registration process for certification of rice categories exported to the EU to
submit to the government for approval.
According to this draft, eligible rice varieties exported to the
EU must meet Vietnam’s technical standards and regulations on quality, region
cultivating rice varieties, and processes of harvesting, preserving, grinding,
milling and packaging rice.
Pham Thai Binh, general director of the Trung An High-tech
Agriculture Joint Stock Company in Can Tho City, said Vietnamese rice reaching
those requirements to enter the EU with low tariffs would help Vietnam increase
its rice exports in the future.
“When the tariff for Vietnamese rice is reduced to zero per cent,
it gives local rice products more advantages in competing with rice from Cambodia
and other countries in the EU market,” Binh said.
The agriculture sector expects to significantly increase exports
of many key products until 2025 thanks to the EVFTA, such as rice (up 65 per
cent), sugar (8 per cent), pork (4 per cent), forest products (3 per cent), and
cattle and poultry meat (4 per cent).
However, those products must overcome many trade barriers of the
EU, such as technical barriers on origin, product quality and intellectual
property protection.
Therefore, experts said that local farmers and businesses in the
agriculture sector have to improve production capacity and product quality,
find export markets and build brands for agricultural products.
In the long term, strict regulations on quality standards for
exported Vietnamese agricultural products, including rice, would force the
agriculture sector to undertake comprehensive restructuring in production and
business.
According to MARD, Vietnam earned $1.71 billion from exporting
nearly 3.5 million tonnes of rice in the first half of this year, up 17.9 per
cent in value and 4.4 per cent in volume year-on-year. In June alone, 409,000
tonnes of rice worth $207 million was shipped abroad.
The Philippines was the top buyer between January and May,
importing 1.3 million tonnes of Vietnamese rice worth $598.6 million, or 40 per
cent of total rice exports. They were up 23 per cent in volume and 42 per cent
in value from a year earlier.
During the first five months, markets to which the value of rice
exports enjoyed the strongest year-on-year growth were Senegal (18.3-fold),
Indonesia (2.9-fold), and China (2.3-fold).
Meanwhile, rice export prices increased 13 per cent from the same
period last year to average $485 per tonne
Export Demand Spikes Basmati Rice
Market
