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September 24, 2020 at 2pm EDT | 1pm CDT | 11am PDT
Event Overview
In Part 2 of Nutritional Outlook’s “COVID‐19 and the Dietary Supplement Supply Chain” webcast series, we discuss how leading companies have had to respond to rapidly fluctuating demand cycles in recent months‐and how they’ve adjusted their supply chain operations to accommodate those changes. We also take a look at what supply chain shifts companies are preparing for in the long term and what best practices they are adopting to navigate future change.
Back in April, Nutritional Outlook hosted Part 1 of this series during which global industry experts and suppliers updated the audience on the immediate supply chain impacts they experienced at the start of worldwide lockdowns due to the COVID‐19 pandemic.
LAKE
CHARLES, LA -- The effects on the rice industry following Hurricane Laura
continue to be felt across the mid-South, and particularly in southwest
Louisiana where some harvesting has resumed, and yields there are telling a
before and after story.
With most of the rice crop in Louisiana's southern region harvested at the
time the storm hit on August 27, concerns here immediately switched to
getting power to drying facilities to maintain the crop for quality.
Some isolated areas are still on generator power, but until things return to
a more "normal" state, concerns in the region continue to evolve
through the transition from pre-storm to post-storm.
Lake Charles, ground zero for Laura's landfall, plays an integral role in the
processing and exportation of rice throughout the globe, and the Port of Lake
Charles facilitates vessels of milled and paddy rice for exporting
year-round.
"The Port of Lake Charles is open for business," said Therrance
Chretien, director of cargo and trade development for the Port of Lake
Charles. "Fortunately, our automated terminal warehouse which is
primarily used for handling bagged goods and commercial rice survived Laura
with minimal damage. The Port, in the next few days, will be receiving
rice and other cargo for a food aid shipment destined for Africa. We
plan to accommodate any and all future rice shipments to support the local
rice community during this recovery."
More damage in Lake Charles
Farmers
Rice Mill, which has operated for more than 100 years just east of Lake
Charles, sustained damages from Hurricane Laura, and they are working to
repair the mill as quickly as possible to resume operations.
"We're still digging ourselves out in many ways," said Philip
Bertrand, general manager of Farmers Rice Mill. "We've got crews
working on just about every aspect of the facility, alongside our engineers
and specialists who are evaluating the damages for both temporary and
permanent repairs depending on priority."
With power still out around Lake Charles, in Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes,
and not expected to be restored until at least the end of the month, it's
difficult to know the timeframe for Farmers Rice Mill to be back in full
operation. The next step in recovery for everyone in this area is
rebuilding, and materials and supplies will become the next challenge to keep
things moving forward.
"We're committed to supporting our customers and the farmers of
southwest Louisiana, and will continue to do so through all this," said
Bertrand. "The outreach and support from the U.S. rice industry
has been overwhelmingly positive and greatly appreciated over these past few
weeks. Like so many in this area, we've got a lot of work to do, but
you start seeing a little progress every day."
Mills in Crowley and Mer Rouge experienced some interruptions, but because
they were not in Laura's direct path, they are further along in resuming
normal operations.
"Crowley was about 15 to 20 miles east of the devastating winds of the
storm and I consider us very lucky," said Robbie Trahan of Falcon Rice
Mill. "Our facility here did not sustain any major damage and we
were back up and running in two days."
"We sustained some damage here in the Crowley area, but thankfully it
was minimal," said Bobby Hanks, CEO of Supreme Rice. "Prior
to the storm, we were moving combines to many growers in the southwest region
to get the crop out of harm's way. After the storm, our efforts have
focused on helping those in need to move and dry rice that was
harvested. In anticipation of losing power we secured 13 large
generators to assist in moving and drying rice. They came in handy as
we had to deploy many of those generators to farmers and driers across the
state who lost power. A lot of storage bins were compromised and
without power, with rice that needed to have air moving on it, so we've been
working with farmers to save as much of the crop as we can."
Lodged rice in Morehouse
Parish (Jason Waller photo)
According
to Meryl Kennedy, president of Kennedy Rice Mill, located in the northeast
corner of the state, their facility was "thankfully largely unaffected
considering the extensive damage that many of our employees, family, and
friends suffered in our area. Because of the hurricane-force winds, we
believe there was severe damage to approximately 2-3,000 acres that were at a
peak point of pollination at the time of the storm. Our hearts and
prayers go out to our friends in south Louisiana, particularly in the Lake
Charles area."
In the field, harvest is getting underway in northeast Louisiana and
Arkansas, where damage to downed and wind-battered rice from Laura's
persistent hurricane-force blasts are still being determined.
"The high winds have blown corn, soybeans, and rice on the ground in
most of the fields here in Morehouse Parish causing a lot slower
harvest," said Jason Waller, a rice farmer from Mer Rouge.
"The harvest is just more expensive when you have to pick it up off the
ground!"
Time will tell the full extent of damage to the 2020 rice crop. It will
be months before the full calculation of how much, and what impact each
aspect of the industry sustained.
Riceland Foods to reduce water usage by 250 billion
gallons by 2025
Riceland Foods announced Thursday
(Sept. 17) that it would work with its farmer members to reduce water usage in
rice production by 250 billion gallons by 2025 across its grower footprint in
Arkansas and Missouri.
As the world’s largest
farmer-owned rice milling and marketing cooperative, Riceland Foods and its
members plan to achieve this sustainability goal through the promotion,
adoption and implementation of efficient irrigation tools and techniques.
“Our rice farmers depend on
water. We, as a cooperative, depend on large volumes of rice. We see this as an
opportunity to work with our members, not only to achieve our collective goal,
but to work with our valued customers to help them achieve their goals, too,”
said Ben Noble, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “Setting
a water utilization reduction goal offers the unique ability to impact multiple
sustainability metrics through various management practices including
greenhouse gas emissions, land usage, biodiversity, and more.”
Water usage efficiency has been a
focal point of the U.S. rice industry for years. According to the USA Rice
Federation’s sustainability report, U.S. rice farmers were able to reduce their
irrigation water utilization by 52% from 1980 to 2015.
With Arkansas and Missouri
accounting for over half of the U.S. rice crop, Riceland members played a
significant role in these reductions. With the data and technology available
today, Riceland members will be able to take irrigation efficiency to a whole
new level.
In January 2020, Riceland
announced Irrigation Water Management as its inaugural sustainability theme.
Over the past eight months, Riceland has partnered with the University of
Arkansas, Arkansas Natural Resources Conservation Service and Delta Plastics to
promote sustainable irrigation water management throughout the cooperative’s
membership, as well as the supply chain.
“Arkansas’ rice community is
committed to exploring and implementing practices from the farm to the table
that are more efficient and sustainable. Reducing water usage by over 50% in
the past few years is just one example of that ongoing commitment, and we are
proud of the role Riceland and other members are playing to continue that
progress,” said Kelly Robbins, executive director of Arkansas Rice, which
promotes the state’s rice industry and checkoff program.
Dancing
With Rice: A Meditative Pas de Deux at the Met
The Taiwanese artist Lee
Mingwei’s “Our Labyrinth” comes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a New
York touch from the choreographer Bill T. Jones.
Lee Mingwei and Bill T. Jones
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Of the meditative installation, “Our
Laybrinth,” Mr. Lee says: “The rice should be dancing with you. You’re doing a
tango.”Credit...Nathan Bajar for The New York Times
When performers
take turns sweeping a pile of rice across the floor of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art, it might look like just that: People, one by one, sweeping a pile of
rice across a floor. But if you look more deeply, this task — a soulful,
spiritual journey tracing a labyrinthine path — means something more.
For Lee
Mingwei, the Taiwanese-American artist who created “Our Labyrinth,” a performance
installation, it is a meditation — a space to clear the mind and
body. It’s also a dance.
“I ask the
performers to please focus on the rice, and the rice will tell you what your
next move is,” Mr. Lee said. “So you’re literally having a conversation with
the rice. Beside that, the most important part is to not over shine your
ability over the rice. The rice should be dancing with you. You’re doing a tango.”
Mr. Lee has
presented this installation before, at the Pompidou Center in Paris and at the Taipei Fine
Arts Museum. But at the Met, the setup will be different. Because of the
coronavirus pandemic, the performances will be
livestreamed over three Wednesdays in September — when the
museum is closed to the general public — beginning Sept. 16, each program with
a new cast of three performers.
And “Our
Labyrinth” is now a collaboration between Mr. Lee and the choreographer Bill T.
Jones. That idea came from Limor Tomer, the general manager of Live Arts at the
Met, who said, “I knew Bill would bring a richness and depth and nuance to this
that we absolutely had to have in this moment in New York City.”
Nayaa
Opong, left, and Huiwang Zhang, members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane
Company, rehearsing “Our Labyrinth.”Credit...Stephanie Berger
The present
moment is clearly on the mind of Mr. Jones, who isn’t changing Mr. Lee’s work,
he said, so much as “infecting” it. Most importantly, his contribution came
down to a question.
“What would
make it New York?” Mr. Jones said he asked himself. “And New York raised all
the questions about what was going on in the street with the protests. As if
the Covid wasn’t enough, suddenly there’s this other horror that everyone’s
aware of, and people are putting on their masks and going to demonstrations.
There was a lot of anger. I thought, what does it mean to do this serene piece
in New York?”
The setting
itself — the museum, one of the most established institutions in the city —
also weighed on Mr. Jones. He focused on the cast with Janet Wong, who is the
associate artistic director of New York Live Arts, the performing arts space
led by Mr. Jones, and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. What if the
performers reflected the dance community as a whole and, with that, our current
time?
He cited “Creating New Futures: Working
Guidelines for Ethics & Equity in Presenting Dance & Performance,”
a collaboratively written and evolving text that calls for an overhaul in the
field. “People are feeling that they are outside of the meat of the chain of
influence, which is headed up by money,” he said. “The conversations are so
heated now in our community that we want to see if we could actually represent,
on a small scale, what the New York performance community could look like.”
That means
inclusivity is key. “Black people, brown people,” Mr. Jones said. “Of course,
women always. And there are trans people and there are gay people. Who are
people who have been through our space, or who do we love?”
Mr.
Jones wondered, “What does it mean to do this serene piece in New York?”Credit...Stephanie Berger
The cast, which
features three dance artists per program — each sweeps a mound of rice for 90
minutes before the next takes over — includes David Thomson, the veteran
contemporary dancer and choreographer; Linda LaBeija, the transgender artist
and activist; Nayaa Opong and Huiwang Zhang, both members of Mr. Jones’s
company; the drag artist Ragamuffin, or Jesse White; and the New York City
Ballet principal Sara Mearns.
At first, Ms.
LaBeija said, she was conflicted about whether to participate; she has always
wanted to work with Mr. Jones, but the invitation came the day before her
grandfather died. But, in an email interview, she said that the rice reminded
her of life and that Mr. Lee “reminded me that taking our time is an act of
self care and can provide the energy necessary to finish.”
How can we help you lead a better, more
fulfilling life at home during the pandemic?
She said she
hopes her presence encourages other artists who identify as transgender and
gender nonconforming to “take time so as to take up space and to relish in the
beauty of existence.”
Another part of
Mr. Jones’s inflection is to add a sound element to each session: The
experimental musicians Holland Andrews, Justin Hicks and Alicia Hall Moran will
provide sonic landscapes.
What surrounds
the performers, who will wear ankle bells and a sarong designed by Mr. Lee, is
important too. (Each program takes place in a different gallery.) “They also
have to know that they are dancing for all the artwork and the spirit that
exists in the Metropolitan Museum,” Mr. Lee said. “Also, they are dancing for
themselves because they are a part of the art — they are an artwork. You bring out all the grace and
poetry that you have for yourself and for the art that exists in this space and
time.”
Ms.
Opong. Credit...Stephanie Berger
Mr. Lee was
originally compelled to create “Our Labyrinth” after
a trip to Myanmar, where he was asked to take off his shoes before walking down
a path to enter a temple. “I was very moved to see and feel how clean the whole
path was,” he said. “It was such a sacred process.”
Through the
temple keeper, he learned that volunteers cleaned the path daily. “He asked me
if I would like to do it the next day,” Mr. Lee said. “So I went at five
o’clock in the morning and did it with the others, and it was just such a
beautiful experience. When I came back to Taipei, I wanted to bring that sense
of cleaning your spirit and cleaning a path.”
After his first
rehearsal, Mr. Thomson realized that sweeping the rice for 90 minutes was like
any meditative practice. “You’ve got to realize where you are, and then let
that go and be with it,” he said. “You’re just with yourself and with the rice
and it’s not about making beautiful floor designs. I wasn’t even aware of what
the designs I was making. I was just dealing with moving the rice and my body
in relationship to it.”
The strange
part was how that relationship changed. “There was one moment, which was deeply
moving, where I was gently moving this rice,” he said. “I saw all of these
grains, and they became people.”
In considering
the act of sweeping the rice, Mr. Jones quoted the ancient sage Rabbi Tarfon: “It is not your duty to
finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.”
Mr. Jones
continued: “Some people look at our lives in the arts as futile. Others see it
as something as profound and inevitable as pushing rice around and an
ever-evolving calligraphy that means nothing, but in the moment means
everything. That’s one thing.”
And for Mr.
Jones, there’s another important aspect: The notion of democracy as it relates
to the dance world. He described the way, on the final program, Ms. Mearns will
hand off the space to Ms. LaBeija, who will then hand off to D’Angelo
Blanchard, “a big bear of a man — dancer, choreographer educator,” Mr. Jones said.
“That to me is almost like an ideal.”
Rice Traders Organizes Training
Workshop For Rice Value Chain
21 hours ago Thu 17th September 2020 |
02:11 PM
The rice traders organized safety
and capacity building training workshop for rice millers and other agriculture
sector stakeholders in rice value chain, especially to protect the work place
rights of woman rice transplanter
ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Sep, 2020
) :The rice traders organized safety and capacity building training workshop
for rice millers and other agriculture sector stakeholders in rice value
chain, especially to protect the work place rights of woman rice transplanter.
The Rice Partners Pvt Ltd (RPL) one of the top rice exporter of Pakistan in collaboration of Helvetas Pakistan and Swiss Solidarity piloted another
Phase-III training workshop�to train the agri-workers
associated with rice value chain to create awareness of field work for women agri-workers,said a press release issued
here on Thursday.
The development sector organizations also involved in the training
process to sensitize the agriculturewomen workers about fundamental rights of the
children of female agriculture workers,especially the rice
transplanters.
The Rice Partners Pvt Ltd (RPL) one of the top rice exporter of Pakistan in collaboration of Helvetas Pakistan and Swiss Solidarity piloted a training
workshop�to train the rice millers, development sector organizations to
sensitize them about fundamental rights of the children of female agriculture workers,� especially the rice transplanters,
said a press release issued here on Thursday.
More than 40 rice mills including organizations from development sectors, academia and media personnel participated in the event.
Manager Sustainability RPL, Zafar Iqbal while giving the opening remarks
highlighted the initiatives of RPL to promote and ensure decent working
conditions in rice value chain of Pakistan.� He said that RPL started its philanthropic work from the development of farmers and now it has
expanded to the labourers of agriculture sector.
Zafar said that RPL has trained more than 2,8000 farmers on
sustainable rice production and also provided them the facility of land laser
leveling on 50% cost sharing basis..
Manager Sustainability RPL also narrated that RPL is also working for welfare of agriculture labor. RPL established Community Mother Centers at
multiple villages of district Sheikhupura in which decent environment was
provided to the children of agriculturelabour particularly female rice transplanters.
He added that Free Medical Camps were also organized to provide
free medication to the rice transplanters at their working places throughout
the rice transplanting season.�He said that around 15,000 families
engage in rice transplanting every year only from district�Sheikhupura and more than
100,000 fromall over the Punjab.� A common practice is that�all members from a family take part in transplanting work and
children from those families also accompanied their
parents.
Renowned Senior Child rights�activist and consultant Ms Sadia Hussain said that physical,
emotional�and psychological health of children belonging to agriculture labour�must be considered for a conducive
working environment in the rice�value chain.
She said that the protection of children and vulnerable adults is
a�collective societal responsibility.� She said that we must protect the
fundamental rights of children particularly right to name, education, health, safety, security;�freedom of expression, freedom of association without any
discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender, religion, caste and creed.
She further added that children particularly children of agriculture sector labour must be protected against abuses, violence,
forced labor and any physical or emotional torture.
Senior Corporate and Development sector Consultant, Annan Waffi�Qureshi on the occasion said that juvenile rights should be
prioritized�in every sector including the agriculture sector.� He highlighted the mode of
communication to create the awareness for�children's rights and their
protection, especially who belongs to the�families working in the rice value
chain.� He said that to engage the children in labour work whether forcefully or voluntarily is
now a crime in Pakistan and everyone who is present here must
raise his/her voice against this crime. He also highlighted the referral
mechanism to report the cases of violation of rights of children. He further
added that there are a number of government and non-government organizations that
are working for protection of rights of children.
Child Protection and Welfare Bureau and Search for Justice are the
prominent institutes which are particularly working for protection of children
and stopping violations of their rights.
Field Manager, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Mr. Zahid�Rehman also addressed the participants on the occasion.
He said that working conditions of the farms were highly�hazardous and exposed children to several risks of insect bites,�injuries and infections, exposure to extreme heat and pesticides�without any shelter.
Rehman added that keeping in view the hazardous conditions of
farms Helvetas and RPL provided moveable�backpack canopies covered fromall sides to the children of rice transplanters to
avoid the insects and�provision of shelters along with
the dry food, repellents, and water�coolers in rice cultivation region of the Punjab.�He further added that�similarly, for the larger group of families working jointly at
farmlevel, a bigger shelter tent along with solar plates, fans, air�cooler, water cooler and first aid boxes were provided to
keep the�children in a healthy and safe environment at farm level.
The government recognises 34
Indian rice varieties, both traditional and evolved, as basmati while Pakistan
has also a few more.
Considering the past instances
of attempts to sell aromatic rice of other countries under basmati,
registration under GI will help India to protect the name legally.
(Representative image)
The
European Commission has sought public comments on India’s plea to register the
name ‘Basmati’ under geographical indication (GI). The GI application was filed
by India in 2018. Similar applications have also been filed by
Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda)
to register the aromatic rice variety under GI in Thailand and Malaysia.
Considering
the past instances of attempts to sell aromatic rice of other countries under
basmati, registration under GI will help India to protect the name legally.
Apeda has also sought registration of ‘Basmati’ under copyright law in some
15-16 countries where there is no concept of GI, officials said. Basmati rice
is grown below the foothills of the Himalayas in the Indo-Gangetic plains,
which include some areas in Pakistan also. However, the application by India
does not mention Pakistan.
The
government recognises 34 Indian rice varieties, both traditional and evolved,
as basmati while Pakistan has also a few more. The European Union, a major
market for traditional varieties of basmati, has also been buying a large
quantity of evolved varieties since last one decade. India’s basmati exports to
EU countries dropped 9% to $207 million during FY20 and was $63.7 million in
the first two months of the current fiscal. The EU had a share of about 8% in
India’s total basmati rice exports of $787 million during April-May.
“Being
an important application in international registration of Basmati rice, this
will undergo a detailed scrutiny and interpretation in the context of western,
Asian and Bharatiya values. This will present opportunities and challenges in
the context of ‘construct of product’ and current geopolitical environment to
set the future history,” said S Chandrasekaran, a trade policy analyst and
author of a book on Basmati GI. He also wondered if the move to register in the
EU would help India thwart the claim of Pakistan using this current matrix.
After
a long battle, Apeda was able to get GI tag for basmati in 2018, when the GI
regsitry dismissed Madhya Pradesh’s plea for its inclusion in the growing
region of the aromatic rice variety saying there was no “corroborative
evidence” to suggest that the variety was grown in the state. The Chennai-based
Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) in February 2016 had directed the GI
Registry to issue a certificate of registration to Apeda and reconsider afresh
the plea of inclusion of 13 districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Apeda,
which had applied for the GI tag for basmati rice in 2008 and got the
registration after seven years of legal battle, had moved the Intellectual
Property Appellate Board in 2014 challenging GI Registrar’s first decision (in
December 2013) that directed it to file an amended GI application by all areas
where basmati rice is cultivated, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and
Bihar. While other states stayed away from the legal battle, MP’s chief
minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made it a political issue by raising it during
assembly election and has since been pursuing it.
Last
month, Chouhan had wrote letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi objecting to Punjab chief
minister’s views on basmati GI. “A big question emerges that if this
registration happens in European Union, will it permanently shut the door for
Madhya Pradesh in basmati rice,” Chandrasekaran said.
If you’ve ever wondered what 10,000 ducks overtaking a rice
field in Thailand looks like then today’s your lucky day because this drone
footage shows exactly that. Just ten thousand ducks ‘cleaning’ the rice paddies
in place of pesticide where the eager ducks seek out snails, other pests, and
roots to guard the fields and act as a natural replacement for pesticide.
If you happen to suffer from ornithophobia then this is quite
possibly your worst nightmare. Drone footage of 10,000 ducks moving in unison,
almost like a river of ducks overtaking the land or a ‘Running of the Bulls’
but with ducks. However, if you’re not freaked out by birds then you’ll likely find
this pretty awesome.
I happen to think this footage is spectacular enough to share
with you gentlemen today but I know there are some weak ones out there who have
a crippling fear of birds. And it seems like most of the normal world, the
world where people aren’t afraid of birds, also love this footage because it’s
gone viral over the past few days.
Is there anything ducks can’t do when it comes to controlling
pest populations? China has used armies of ducks to destroy locust swarms.
Earlier this year, they were going to send 100,000 ducks to
Pakistan amidst the worst outbreak of locusts in generations.
I’ve seen some interesting comments on Twitter about these
ducks. One person states ‘I keep some in my garden. They’re great. Very tasty
eggs, too.’ which seems nice and all but I have to wonder how the ducks feel
about their caretakers stealing their eggs every time they lay eggs. There are
a surprising amount of people responding to the CBS and Reuters tweets with
stories about how their families or neighbors used ducks to get rid of snails
and I’m kind of wondering where in the world the snail populations have gotten
so out of control people are using ducks? I’ve never reached such a dire
situation with snails around that I’ve considered doing anything to get rid of
them.
Considering
the past instances of attempts to sell aromatic rice of other countries under
basmati, registration under GI will help India to protect the name legally. (Representative
image)
The
European Commission has sought public comments on India’s plea to register the
name ‘Basmati’ under geographical indication (GI). The GI application was filed
by India in 2018. Similar applications have also been filed by
Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda)
to register the aromatic rice variety under GI in Thailand and Malaysia.
Considering
the past instances of attempts to sell aromatic rice of other countries under
basmati, registration under GI will help India to protect the name legally.
Apeda has also sought registration of ‘Basmati’ under copyright law in some
15-16 countries where there is no concept of GI, officials said. Basmati rice
is grown below the foothills of the Himalayas in the Indo-Gangetic plains,
which include some areas in Pakistan also. However, the application by India
does not mention Pakistan.
The
government recognises 34 Indian rice varieties, both traditional and evolved,
as basmati while Pakistan has also a few more. The European Union, a major
market for traditional varieties of basmati, has also been buying a large
quantity of evolved varieties since last one decade. India’s basmati exports to
EU countries dropped 9% to $207 million during FY20 and was $63.7 million in
the first two months of the current fiscal. The EU had a share of about 8% in
India’s total basmati rice exports of $787 million during April-May.
“Being
an important application in international registration of Basmati rice, this
will undergo a detailed scrutiny and interpretation in the context of western,
Asian and Bharatiya values. This will present opportunities and challenges in
the context of ‘construct of product’ and current geopolitical environment to
set the future history,” said S Chandrasekaran, a trade policy analyst and
author of a book on Basmati GI. He also wondered if the move to register in the
EU would help India thwart the claim of Pakistan using this current matrix.
After
a long battle, Apeda was able to get GI tag for basmati in 2018, when the GI
regsitry dismissed Madhya Pradesh’s plea for its inclusion in the growing
region of the aromatic rice variety saying there was no “corroborative
evidence” to suggest that the variety was grown in the state. The Chennai-based
Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) in February 2016 had directed the GI
Registry to issue a certificate of registration to Apeda and reconsider afresh
the plea of inclusion of 13 districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Apeda,
which had applied for the GI tag for basmati rice in 2008 and got the
registration after seven years of legal battle, had moved the Intellectual
Property Appellate Board in 2014 challenging GI Registrar’s first decision (in
December 2013) that directed it to file an amended GI application by all areas
where basmati rice is cultivated, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and
Bihar. While other states stayed away from the legal battle, MP’s chief
minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made it a political issue by raising it during
assembly election and has since been pursuing it.
Last
month, Chouhan had wrote letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi objecting
to Punjab chief minister’s views on basmati GI. “A big question emerges that if
this registration happens in European Union, will it permanently shut the door
for Madhya Pradesh in basmati rice,” Chandrasekaran said.
Iloilo FCAs
get P89.12-M farm mechanization support
By
Perla Lena September
17, 2020, 5:27 pm
FARM
MECHANIZATION. Representatives
of farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) in Western Visayas receive
their farm machinery and equipment during a turnover ceremony at the Western
Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center in Iloilo City on Wednesday
(Sept. 16, 2020). FCAs from Iloilo got the biggest chunk of the machinery
support amounting to PHP89.12 million. (PNA photo courtesy of Myleen S.
Subang/DA-RAFIS 6)
ILOILO
CITY –
Iloilo province got the biggest chunk of the PHP193.7 million worth of farm
machinery and equipment that were turned over during a ceremony held Wednesday
at the Western Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (WESVIARC) in
Jaro district here.
From
among the 38 farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) identified as pilot
beneficiaries of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Modernization
Program, 18 were from Iloilo.
The
groups from Iloilo received 16 four-wheel tractors, 23 hand tractors, 30
floating tillers, seven precision seeders, two walk-behind transplanters, seven
riding type transplanters, 18 combine harvesters, and one rice mill amounting
to PHP89.12 million.
Helen
Bolivar, president of Badiangan Farmers’ Association of Mina, Iloilo, said the
mechanization support is a “great help” especially as it serves 548 hectares of
rice area that are into synchronous planting.
Their
association received PHP5.25 million worth of farm machinery.
The
fund for the farm machinery was part of the PHP650-million 2019 budget for the
Farm Mechanization Program of RCEF for Western Visayas.
In
his message during the turnover, Department of Agriculture-Philippine Center
for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech) executive director
Baldwin Jallorina said the fund came from the proceeds of the Rice
Tariffication Law (RTL) with an annual allocation of PHP10 billion.
Fifty
percent of the annual PHP10-billion rice fund for the next six years is
allocated for the farm mechanization program to help farmers reduce their production
cost and postharvest losses, thereby increasing their income and productivity.
Apart
from Iloilo, other recipients were eight FCAs from Negros Occidental with
PHP41.76 million worth of farm machineries; five FCAs in Aklan with PHP26.26
million farm equipment; four associations in Antique with PHP20.91 million farm
equipment; and three FCAs in Capiz that received PHP15.73 million worth of farm
machinery.
As
a whole, DA-PhilMech turned over 35 four-wheel tractors, 49 hand tractors, 80
floating tillers, 10 precision seeders, seven walk-behind type transplanters,
four reapers, 37 rice combine harvesters, six mini threshers, and three rice
mills.
Jallorina
said another PHP600-million machinery support will be provided to the farming
sector in the region this year. (PNA)
Nigeria takes drastic measures to ensure
local rice production
By Estelle Maussion
Posted on Wednesday, 16 September 2020 18:53
Bags
of Nigerian-grown rice seen at Wurukum Rice Mill in Makurdi, Nigeria December
2, 2019. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
Nigeria has taken drastic measures to develop its local rice
production, riding on the coattails of Mali, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire.
Some 300bn CFA francs for Côte d’Ivoire, around 190bn for
Senegal and about 163bn for Cameroon: these are the amounts the three countries
spend annually on rice imports to make up for their production shortfall.
In recent years, however, they have undertaken (like
every state in the region, beginning with Nigeria) to attain self-sufficiency
as rapidly as possible. In Dakar, this goal was slated to be reached in 2017,
but ultimately Senegal came up short. Abuja is aiming for 2022, Niamey 2021 and
Abidjan has set 2025 as its target date. Governments are grappling with food
security and national sovereignty questions.
In West Africa, rice, more than any other grain, is strategic. Due
to the convergence of multiple factors, including demographic growth,
urbanisation and increased individual needs, rice consumption has quadrupled in
30 years, according to the French Agricultural Research Centre for
International Development (CIRAD).
COVID-19 raises the stakes of food self-sufficiency
As a result, the region’s rice imports – primarily
coming from Asia – have skyrocketed, tripling between 1990
and 2018 to represent around one-fourth of the world’s rice imports, according
to CIRAD.
Although countries made efforts to counter this trend by aiding
production and imposing import barriers, the 2008 financial crisis broke their
momentum: faced with surging rice prices, they abandoned protectionist measures
in an effort to prevent shortages and rioting.
Since that time, public and private initiatives have been
multiplying as the COVID-19 pandemic brings back the risk of supply problems
and raises the stakes of food self-sufficiency.
Drastic measures in Nigeria
In the race to attain self-sufficiency, Nigeria stands apart. Since 2015, under the leadership of President Muhammadu
Buhari, the country has taken significant steps to reduce its reliance on food
imports, with a focus on rice.
Farmers
are seen working at a rice nursery on a farm in Dabua, Bauchi, Nigeria March 2,
2017. Picture taken March 2, 2017. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
After implementing a steep tax increase on imported grains,
Buhari blocked food importers’ requests for foreign currency to prevent them
from being able to pay for imports. Later, in August 2019, he decided to close
his nation’s borders to prevent rice from being smuggled into the country, most
of which comes from Benin.
The controversial policy seems to be paying off: Nigeria is the only country out of three African nations
ranked amongst the top 20 rice producers in the world (alongside Côte d’Ivoire
and Senegal) to have reduced its imports between 2013 and 2019, according to
the Geneva-based trader Alliance Commodities, even though prices ended up
spiking as a result of the measure.
In parallel, Abuja has provided support to the private sector
through a series of measures (a guaranteed minimum price, input supply, farm
loans, tax exemptions for rice plants, etc.). Such measures have
helped to boost the productivity of small-scale farmers (who
make up 80% of the sector) and encourage large companies (which account for
just 20% of producers) to make investments, including domestic leaders such as
Dangote, Coscharis and BUA, as well as foreign players like Olam and Stallion
(a conglomerate owned by the Indian national Sunil Vaswani and headquartered in
Dubai).
Singapore’s Olam also has plans to produce 240,000 metric tons
of rice in the upcoming farming season, while Aliko
Dangote’s company invested $1bn in 2017 to increase cultivation of rice to
150,000 hectares and set up 10 plants with the ambition of reaching an annual 1
million metric tons by 2022.
Mali, virtually autonomous
In the French-speaking world, although results have been modest, three
players stand out from the pack. Mali, a landlocked
country with a longstanding tradition of rice farming, constitutes a historical
exception since it has largely been able to maintain its self-sufficiency (it
produced more than 3 million metric tons of rice in 2018, according to the
United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO]).
“Mali has enough rice to export to neighbouring countries,” says Pierre Ricau, a market
analyst at Nitidæ. More recently, Senegal, in 2010, and Côte d’Ivoire, in 2012,
developed a national rice strategy.
In Senegal, the government expansively
subsidised inputs to boost production (in the Senegal River Valley and in
Casamance) and also benefitted from €13.3m in aid from the French Development
Agency (AFD) between 2010 and 2015. The initiative paid off: the country’s
import/domestic production ratio went from 80%-20% to a more balanced 55%-45%
in 2018. However, the COVID-19 crisis has put the financing of such
policies in jeopardy.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the Rice Sector Development Agency
(ADERIZ) has focused on industrialisation. In 2018, Eximbank of India granted
the agency a $30m loan to build 30 processing facilities in the country’s 10
most high-potential rice growing regions.
The project, carried out by the Indian company Lucky
Exports, has nevertheless experienced major delays (the
plants were slated to be completed at the end of 2018), while domestic
production has been slow to rise, forcing the country to maintain a significant
volume of imports (2.1 million metric tons produced and 1.5 million metric tons
imported in 2018).
Asia, the impossible competitor
Indeed, many obstacles remain. Besides climatic changes and
limited agricultural research, which impedes the ability to improve rice
varieties, countries are faced with the impossible task
of keeping pace with rising consumption. This is the case
for Nigeria: although its production increased by 41% between 2013 and 2018,
according to FAO, it continues to be outpaced by demand (6 million metric tons
produced, compared to 7 million metric tons consumed in 2018) and, above all,
consumption is growing at a faster rate than supply. This observation is also
true of the country’s neighbours.
Aside from these data, there is another hurdle: West
African rice is unable to compete with Asian rice which,
mass produced and processed, is imported on the continent at an unbeatable
price. “While prices on the global market have been low for the past five
years, Asian rice is sold at between $350 and $400 per metric tonne, when it
should be sold for at least $500 per metric tonne to give African producers a
fair chance,” says Ricau.
Women buy rice
at Wurukum Rice Mill in Makurdi, Nigeria December 2, 2019. Picture taken
December 2, 2019. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
Ricau also thinks that the sector’s development raises a
conundrum more political in nature: countries have no other
choice but to arbitrate between the aspirations of rural
regions looking to sell their rice at a decent price and urban consumers
seeking the cheapest rice possible. The latter category generally wins out,
allowing importers to take advantage of the situation.
The necessity of regional solutions
Several potential solutions to these problems have been put
forward. “Not only is more investment necessary, but it also needs to be better
coordinated across the entire value chain to bring down the cost of producing West
African rice,” says Kathiresan Arumugam, a consultant for the Alliance for a
Green Revolution in Africa.
Ricau suggests maintaining the price of imported rice high by
imposing taxes, which would provide a means
for West African governments to recover funds to finance local production:
“What it comes down to is that the West African rice problem will not be solved
without a regional solution.”
Global Rice Cookers Market Insights and Precise Sales &
Growth Rate Evaluation 2020
September 16, 2020
The Global Rice Cookers Market research report 2015-2025 provides
detailed information about the industry based on the revenue (USD MN) and Volume
(Units) for the forecast period 2020-2025. The Research Report provides the
updated business information and industry future trends, that allow you to spot
the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profit. Furthermore, the
Rice Cookers market report quantifies the market share held by the significant
players of the industry and gives an in-depth view of the competitive
landscape. This market is classified into different segments with a
comprehensive analysis of each with respect to geography for the research
period 2015-2020.
The major players covered in Rice
Cookers Market Study:
Tiger Corporation
Panasonic
Aroma Housewares
Black & Decker
TOSHIBA
Oster
BLACK+DECKER
SUPOR
Joyoung
Midea
Zojirushi
Cuisinart
Hamilton Beach
Crystaline Technologies LTD
T-fal
Proctor Silex Commercial
Lotus Foods
Cuisinart
Sanyo
Westinghouse
Beaba Babycook
Cuckoo
IMUSA
VitaClay
Tatung
Elite+ Philips
Breville
Proctor Silex
AUX
ZOJIRUSHI
Peskoe
Royalstar
GREE
Galanz
FTIANSHU
For instance, a mixture of primary and secondary research has
been used to define Rice Cookers market estimates and forecasts. Sources used
for secondary research contain (but not limited to) Paid Data Sources,
Technology Journals of 2015-2020, SEC Filings Company Websites, Annual Reports,
and various other Rice Cookers industry publications. Specific details on the
methodology used for Rice Cookers market report can be provided on demand.
In addition, It highlights the ability to increase possibilities
in the coming years by 2025, also reviewing the marketplace drivers,
constraints and restraints, growth signs, challenges, market dynamics. Global
Rice Cookers Market gives a region-wise analysis like growth aspects,
and revenue, Past, present and future forecast trends, Analysis of emerging
market sectors and development opportunities in Rice Cookers will forecast the
market growth.
Global Rice Cookers Market:
Regional Segment Analysis
USA
Europe
Japan
China
India
South East Asia
Global Rice Cookers Market:
Product Segment Analysis
1 ≤3L
2 4L
3 5L
4 ‚â•6L
Normal Pressure
High Pressure
Global Rice Cookers Market:
Application Segment Analysis
The content of the study
subjects, includes a total of 10 chapters:
About the Rice Cookers Industry (Industry
Definition, Types, Main Market Activities)
World Market Competition Landscape
(Markets by regions, market revenue (M USD), market sales and growth rate
2015-2020, major players revenue by regions )
World Rice Cookers Market share
(Production and revenue market share by regions and players)
Supply Chain (Raw material analysis, raw
material market analysis, production cost, manufacturing equipments and
end user analysis)
Company Profiles (Company details, product
information, revenue, profit analysis)
Distributors and Customers (Major
distributors and customers information by regions)
Import, Export, Consumption and
Consumption Value by Major Countries
World Rice Cookers Market Forecast through
2025 (Demand, price revenue Regions, Types, Applications )
Key success factors and Market Overview
Key questions answered in this
report
What will the market size be in 2025 and
what will the growth rate be ?
What are the key market trends ?
What is driving this market?
What are the challenges to Rice Cookers
market growth ?
Who are the key vendors in this market
space ?
What are the Rice Cookers market
opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors ?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of
the key vendors ?
Important facts about this Report
Analyzing outlook of the Rice Cookers
market with the recent trends and Porters five forces analysis
Market dynamics which essentially consider
the factors, which are impelling the present market scenario, along with
growth opportunities of the market in the years to come
Market segmentation analysis, including
qualitative and quantitative research incorporating the impact of economic
and non-economic aspects
Regional and country level analysis
integrating the demand and supply forces that are influencing the growth
of the Rice Cookers market
Competitive landscape involving the market
share of major players, along with the key strategies adopted for
development in the past five years
Comprehensive company profiles covering
the product offerings, key financial information,
Customization of the Report:
This report can be customized to meet the clients requirements. Please connect
with our sales team (sales@pixionmarketresearch.com), who will
ensure that you get a report that suits your needs.
FBI
said to examine research station deal in east ArkansasState senator notes agents’ scrutiny in proposed sale
of UA System landby Stephen Steed | September 17, 2020 at
7:23 a.m.
Pengyin Chen holds up a new variety of soybeans at
the Pine Tree Research Station near Colt in this 2013 file photo. Chen was the
director of the soybean breeding program at the University of Arkansas System’s
Division of Agriculture at the time the photo was taken. - Photo by Special to
the Democrat-Gazette / UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
The FBI is looking into the
University of Arkansas System's proposed $16.5 million sale of 6,300 acres at
its research station in St. Francis County, a state senator said Wednesday.
Sen. Ron Caldwell, R-Wynne, whose
district includes the UA System's Pine Tree Research Station, said he met with
FBI agents in early August. Caldwell declined to characterize the FBI's
interest in the matter or to specify how long the interview lasted. He said he
wasn't the source of any information that attracted the FBI's attention.
Connor Hagan, spokesman for the
FBI in Little Rock, said: "It's a long-standing policy of the Department
of Justice that we can neither confirm nor deny an investigation. That's all I
can say on the matter."
The UA System board of trustees
approved the sale to a private entity, Lobo Farms LLC, on March 11. The system
said the sale was subject to the approval of Congress, which deeded 11,850
acres to the university in 1960. The acreage became known as the Pine Tree
Research Station, near the Colt community in St. Francis County.
Lobo Farms LLC is based in Fisher
in Poinsett County. Its registered agent is Mark Saalfield Norris Jr., a
financial adviser for Raymond James & Associates in Memphis. Lobo Farms
made the only bid for the property.
While Norris, who goes by the
name "Field," didn't return a telephone call Wednesday to his office
in Memphis, an attorney working with the buyers' group responded by email.
(Norris is a son of U.S. District Judge Mark Saalfield Norris Sr., a longtime
Tennessee state senator who was appointed to the federal bench by President
Donald Trump in 2018.)
Justin T. Allen of the Little
Rock firm of Wright Lindsey Jennings wrote, in part, "Nobody associated
with the buying group has had contact with the FBI."
Allen also wrote: "At the
outset, the buying group wants to make clear that there is no intention to
engage in an adversarial process with the State, or anyone else, as it relates
to the purchase of the property. Many assume that this transaction will be to
the detriment of the public and the surrounding community. For several reasons,
some outlined below, that doesn't have to be the case. This can and will be a
true win-win for everyone concerned with the property, the community and
hunting and conservation in Arkansas."
Selling the land was the idea of
the UA System's Agriculture Division, which said it could use the proceeds to
help pay for a rice research station now under construction near Jonesboro and
for other agriculture and timber research projects. A spokeswoman for the
Agriculture Division said a series of questions from the Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette, including whether the FBI has contacted system officials,
would be answered today.
According to the UA System, the
6,300 acres are wooded and wet, unsuitable for row-crop research. It has been
open to the public for hunting, fishing and other activities under a 1999
management agreement with the state Game and Fish Commission.
Those hunters have been upset
about the proposed sale for weeks and, according to some of their posts on
social media, have contacted state and federal lawmakers.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon,
the office of U.S. Sen. John Boozman said, "While I believe that a rice
research center in this part of the state would be beneficial to our farmers, I
have also heard from many concerned constituents who fear the loss of
publicly-accessible land for recreational purposes.
"I strongly urge all of the
state entities involved to reach a solution that preserves publicly-accessible
land and also provides funding for a rice research center. There are many ways
both of these goals can be achieved, and I stand ready to work with
stakeholders when an agreement is reached," Boozman said.
Boozman made similar comments
during a recent visit to the Pine Tree Research Station, according to the
newspapers in Wynne, Forrest City and Marianna.
U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford of
Jonesboro, whose district includes the research station, told KAIT in Jonesboro
on July 23 that he was concerned about the sale, how it was handled and whether
the UA System could have gotten more money. His office said Wednesday evening
that it had nothing more to add beyond the television interview.
The office of U.S. Rep. French
Hill of Little Rock said he was withholding judgment because the research
station isn't in his district, adding that he would await the advice of his
Arkansas colleagues.
Caldwell, the state senator from
Wynne who said he met with the FBI, also said he and many other state
legislators want the land to remain in public hands.
Caldwell said he didn't know of
the proposed sale until late July.
In a question-and-answer document
devised by the UA System Agriculture Division in July, officials made several
points, including that:
• The property sale wasn't
subject to bids and that an agent, Lile Real Estate in Little Rock and Memphis,
was hired to market the property only after other public and nonprofit entities
declined to buy the land.
• Neither state nor federal law
requires public hearings or notices before selling UA System real estate.
• The proposal was on public documents
and voted on in public.
No news organization apparently
reported on the land sale when the vote was taken on March 11 or on March
18-19, when the board of trustees held a special meeting to adopt the minutes
of the March 11 meeting and to conduct other business. Both meetings were held
online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The statement from Allen, the
attorney for the Lobo group, also said: "The buying group became aware of
the property's availability in late 2019 through contact with a broker working
on behalf of the UA. The initial discussions surrounded a possible grant to the
UA or the State designed to maintain public ownership."
Besides the purchase price
approved by the UA System board, Lobo was contributing another $1 million to an
endowment in waterfowl and wetlands conservation programs.
Allen said he couldn't yet name
other investors behind Lobo Farms but, in his statement, he wrote that the
group "has a proven track record of conservation, habitat restoration,
land stewardship, and community outreach."
"The buying group is acutely
aware of opposition to the transaction," said Allen's statement. "It
is understandable that some members of the public are concerned about losing
access to what has long been public land. ... However, the buyers believe that
much of the concern will be allayed once there is a true understanding of the
plans for the property."
Because of the concerns, Allen
wrote, the buyers "continue to express a willingness to consider putting
the transaction on hold" to give the state time, including during the 2021
legislative session, to decide whether other state agencies want to buy the
land.
Type 2 diabetes: The popular food linked to higher risk of
developing the condition
TYPE 2 diabetes is often linked to being inactive or overweight,
so to prevent the condition, a healthy diet and regular exercise is
recommended. But when it comes to what to eat, a new study has linked a popular
food to increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
The study involved more than 1.3 million people from 21
countries across nearly 10 years.
While the risk of type 2 diabetes differed from country to
country with the research team saying there was no substantial increase in
Singapore, type 2 diabetes figures were found to be prevalent in South Asian
countries.
Researcher Dr Gowri Kulkarni from Benhaluru said: “South Asians
are genetically more predisposed to get diabetes, so there are both lifestyle
as well as biological reasons for the high diabetes incidence.
“Indians in general have poor protein intake in diet, and this
has to do with available resources and choices. Most calories are from
carbohydrates as they are cheap.”
Type
2 diabetes: A popular food has been linked to the chronic condition (Image: GETTY)
✕
Skip
in 5
For the duration of the study, 6,129 developed diabetes.
The participants were asked to note down how much rice they
consumed.
Those from South Asia were found to eat the most, consuming 630g
a day,
But overall, the average white rice consumption among study
participants was 128g a day.
The researchers also found high amounts of white rice decreased
the amount people ate of other foods like fibre, red meat and dairy.
They are now urging people from countries where large quantities
of white rice are consumed to alternate forms of rice or introduce legumes or
pulses to their diet.
Previous studies have also linked white rice consumption to type
2 diabetes.
A study published in the British Medical Journal found people
who eat high levels of white rice may have an increased risk of developing type
2 diabetes.
Type
2 diabetes: Large consumption of white rice could lead to the condition (Image: GETTY)
READ MORE
Healthline advises: “This means that if you have prediabetes,
you should be especially conscientious about your rice intake.
“If you’ve already been diagnosed with diabetes, it’s generally
safe for you to enjoy rice in moderation.
“Make sure you’re aware of the carbohydrate count and GI score
for the type of rice you wish to eat.
“You should aim to eat between 45 and 60 grams of carbohydrates
per meal. Some varieties of rice have a lower GI score than others.”
When
consumed raw, these vegetables have the highest total phenolic content that
fight off cancer and other diseases.
Vegetables commonly eaten in the Philippines vary widely in
terms of phenolic content and antioxidant capacities. This simply means that
the nutritional or health value of vegetables, when subjected to chemical
reaction or process, can either increase, decrease or remain the same.
A team of researchers from the Philippine Rice Research Institute
(PRRI) agree to what elderlies say not to overcook the veggies because boiling
can significantly affect the phenolic content and antioxidant capacities of up
to 92 percent and 88 percent, respectively. In effect suggesting that
vegetables, particularly the green leafy ones, must be subjected to minimal
heating to prevent the loss of antioxidants.
The research team headed by Rosaly Manaois evaluated the total
phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity of 47 locally cultivated
vegetables, both in raw form and in a state that they are usually consumed.
Phenolic compounds are water-soluble antioxidants from plants
that are important because of their potential to prevent and treat cancer as
well as atherosclerosis, heart failure, neurodegenerative disorders, aging,
diabetes mellitus and other diseases.
Results of the study show that when consumed raw, the vegetables
that have the highest TPC are turmeric (luyang dilaw), red coral lettuce, sweet
potato tops (talbos ng kamote), chili leaves (talbos ng sili), jute (saluyot),
lowland water spinach (kangkong), green eggplant (talong na bilog), and purple
eggplant (talong na haba).
Still exhibiting the highest TPC after boiling are turmeric,
chili leaves, kangkong and purple eggplant.
The other members of the research team are John Edward Zapater,
and Amelia Morales from the Rice Chemistry and Food Science Division of PRRI.
Golam Mostafa Jibon: Finally, the government has become failure to achieve the
paddy and rice procurement target fixed for the current Boro season.
A total of 9,43,902 metric tons of rice and paddy were procured by the
concerned department till September 15, while it has fixed a target of 19.5
metric tons.
In this situation, there is a shortage of 10,6094 metric tons, which may fall a
negative impact on the country’s food safety measure, experts said.
Though, the concerned officials of the government claimed that there is no
possibility of creating food crisis in the country even after failure of
achieving the procurement target as there is a stock of around 14.5 lakh metric
tons of rice, the specialists claimed it may create a food deficiency along
with price hike.
In the first phase, the government fixed the procurement deadline on August 31
starting from April 26.
Surprisingly, the concerned department could not procure half of the target by
the deadline, which created frustration to the elites.
Finding no way, the government increased the time until September 15 with a
view to achieve the goal. However, the target has remained unfulfilled due to
massive negligence, irregularities and mismanagement by the concerned
authorities, locals complained.
There is a complaint that, farmers could not directly provide paddy or rice to
the food department due to political and bureaucratic complexities. Though,
(See Page-2)
(From Page-1)
the government took some innovative initiative to avert corruption and
anomalies as well as ensure direct communication between the government
officials and farmers of the rural areas to avert middlemen, the unscrupulous
officials of the respective food department carried procurement drives in
collaboration with their recruited agents staying away from all processes of online.
In addition, they claimed that, incessant rains, long-term floods and corona
pandemic were the main reasons behind the failure of achieving procurement
target.
According to the Food Department sources, the government fixed the procurement
target of rice and paddy at 19.5 lakh metric tons for the current season. With
the aim, the drive for Boro paddy procurement was started on April 26 and rice
on May 7.
At last, the time was extended to September 15 as they failed to achieve the
goal.
As per the contract, there was a procurement target for paddy at 8 lakh metric
tons. But, the procurement amount was only 2.17 lakh metric tons until the last
date of the scheduled period.
The target of boiled rice procurement was fixed at 10 lakh metric tons, while
the target for Ataap rice was fixed at 1.50 lakh metric tons. But, the
concerned authorities have become able to procure 6,32,537 metric tons of
boiled rice against the target at 10 lakh.
Similarly, the Ataap rice was procured at 94,347 metric tons against the target
of 1.50 lakh metric tons.
It is learned that the government collects rice from local millers at fixed
rate every year during the Aman and Boro season for emergency storage. However,
this time the government has given more importance to the procurement drives in
the current Boro season due to the corona epidemic.
Therefore, this time the target of paddy and rice procurement has been set
higher than previous period keeping the matter of pandemic on head. But the
concerned officials spent around one and half month for execution of the
lottery.
Taking the advantage, the hoarders have accumulated the paddy from the hands of
farmers depriving of the government within the time. Therefore, the government
faced scarcity.
It is to be mentioned that, the government fixed the procurement price of rice
at Tk 36 per Kg. But, the same rice was sold between Tk 40 and Tk 42 at
different markets.
“It was not possible to supply rice to the government with the low price after
collecting of paddy from farmers with high rate,” said millers.
While talking, some officials of the Food Department said, food controllers of
10 districts including Mymensingh, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Gazipur, Bhola,
Shariatpur and Kishorganj, some officers of district food controller offices
and Officer-in-Charges of different LSD godowns were transferred to other
places during the procurement drives. It has also caused of a negative impact
on the officers as they can’t develop good communication and relationship with
locals in a short time. It has hampered the drive.
Food Secretary Dr Mst Nazmanara Khanum said, “The procurement drive was not a
satisfactory level. Farmers have sold their paddy to the millers earlier due to
getting good prices. This is why, the target was not achieved.
Sarwar Mahmu
d, Director General of Food
Department said, “We can’t fulfill the target as the target amount was high
this year. Besides, unfavorable weather and impact of corona pandemic were main
hindrance of the failure.”
Golam Mostafa Jibon: Finally, the government has become failure to achieve the
paddy and rice procurement target fixed for the current Boro season.
A total of 9,43,902 metric tons of rice and paddy were procured by the
concerned department till September 15, while it has fixed a target of 19.5
metric tons.
In this situation, there is a shortage of 10,6094 metric tons, which may fall a
negative impact on the country’s food safety measure, experts said.
Though, the concerned officials of the government claimed that there is no
possibility of creating food crisis in the country even after failure of
achieving the procurement target as there is a stock of around 14.5 lakh metric
tons of rice, the specialists claimed it may create a food deficiency along
with price hike.
In the first phase, the government fixed the procurement deadline on August 31
starting from April 26.
Surprisingly, the concerned department could not procure half of the target by
the deadline, which created frustration to the elites.
Finding no way, the government increased the time until September 15 with a
view to achieve the goal. However, the target has remained unfulfilled due to
massive negligence, irregularities and mismanagement by the concerned
authorities, locals complained.
There is a complaint that, farmers could not directly provide paddy or rice to
the food department due to political and bureaucratic complexities. Though,
(See Page-2)
(From Page-1)
the government took some innovative initiative to avert corruption and
anomalies as well as ensure direct communication between the government
officials and farmers of the rural areas to avert middlemen, the unscrupulous
officials of the respective food department carried procurement drives in
collaboration with their recruited agents staying away from all processes of
online.
In addition, they claimed that, incessant rains, long-term floods and corona
pandemic were the main reasons behind the failure of achieving procurement
target.
According to the Food Department sources, the government fixed the procurement
target of rice and paddy at 19.5 lakh metric tons for the current season. With
the aim, the drive for Boro paddy procurement was started on April 26 and rice
on May 7.
At last, the time was extended to September 15 as they failed to achieve the
goal.
As per the contract, there was a procurement target for paddy at 8 lakh metric
tons. But, the procurement amount was only 2.17 lakh metric tons until the last
date of the scheduled period.
The target of boiled rice procurement was fixed at 10 lakh metric tons, while
the target for Ataap rice was fixed at 1.50 lakh metric tons. But, the
concerned authorities have become able to procure 6,32,537 metric tons of
boiled rice against the target at 10 lakh.
Similarly, the Ataap rice was procured at 94,347 metric tons against the target
of 1.50 lakh metric tons.
It is learned that the government collects rice from local millers at fixed
rate every year during the Aman and Boro season for emergency storage. However,
this time the government has given more importance to the procurement drives in
the current Boro season due to the corona epidemic.
Therefore, this time the target of paddy and rice procurement has been set
higher than previous period keeping the matter of pandemic on head. But the
concerned officials spent around one and half month for execution of the
lottery.
Taking the advantage, the hoarders have accumulated the paddy from the hands of
farmers depriving of the government within the time. Therefore, the government
faced scarcity.
It is to be mentioned that, the government fixed the procurement price of rice
at Tk 36 per Kg. But, the same rice was sold between Tk 40 and Tk 42 at different
markets.
“It was not possible to supply rice to the government with the low price after
collecting of paddy from farmers with high rate,” said millers.
While talking, some officials of the Food Department said, food controllers of
10 districts including Mymensingh, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Gazipur, Bhola,
Shariatpur and Kishorganj, some officers of district food controller offices
and Officer-in-Charges of different LSD godowns were transferred to other
places during the procurement drives. It has also caused of a negative impact
on the officers as they can’t develop good communication and relationship with
locals in a short time. It has hampered the drive.
Food Secretary Dr Mst Nazmanara Khanum said, “The procurement drive was not a
satisfactory level. Farmers have sold their paddy to the millers earlier due to
getting good prices. This is why, the target was not achieved.
Sarwar Mahmud, Director General of Food Department said, “We can’t fulfill the
target as the target amount was high this year. Besides, unfavorable weather
and impact of corona pandemic were main hindrance of the failure.”
The rice
traders organized safety and capacity building training workshop for rice
millers and other agriculture sector stakeholders in rice value chain,
especially to protect the work place rights of woman rice transplanter.
The Rice
Partners Pvt Ltd (RPL) one of the top rice exporter of Pakistan in
collaboration of Helvetas Pakistan and Swiss Solidarity piloted another
Phase-III training workshop to train the agri-workers associated with rice
value chain to create awareness of field work for women agri-workers,said a
press release issued here on Thursday.
The
development sector organizations also involved in the training process to
sensitize the agriculture women workers about fundamental rights of the
children of female agriculture workers,especially the rice transplanters.
The Rice
Partners Pvt Ltd (RPL) one of the top rice exporter of Pakistan in
collaboration of Helvetas Pakistan and Swiss Solidarity piloted a training
workshop to train the rice millers, development sector organizations to
sensitize them about fundamental rights of the children of female agriculture
workers, especially the rice transplanters, said a press release issued
here on Thursday.
More than 40 rice mills including organizations
from development sectors, academia and media personnel participated in the
event.
Manager
Sustainability RPL, Zafar Iqbal while giving the opening remarks highlighted
the initiatives of RPL to promote and ensure decent working conditions in rice
value chain of Pakistan.
He said
that RPL started its philanthropic work from the development of farmers and now
it has expanded to the labourers of agriculture sector.
Zafar
said that RPL has trained more than 2,8000 farmers on sustainable rice
production and also provided them the facility of land laser leveling on 50%
cost sharing basis.
Manager
Sustainability RPL also narrated that RPL is also working for welfare of
agriculture labor. RPL established Community Mother Centers at multiple
villages of district Sheikhupura in which decent environment was provided to
the children of agriculture labour particularly female rice transplanters.
He added
that Free Medical Camps were also organized to provide free medication to the
rice transplanters at their working places throughout the rice transplanting
season.
He said
that around 15,000 families engage in rice transplanting every year only from
district Sheikhupura and more than 100,000 from all over the Punjab.
A common
practice is that all members from a family take part in transplanting work and
children from those families also accompanied their parents.
Renowned
Senior Child rights activist and consultant Ms Sadia Hussain said that
physical, emotional and psychological health of children belonging to
agriculture labour must be considered for a conducive working environment in
the rice value chain.
She said
that the protection of children and vulnerable adults is a collective societal
responsibility.
She said
that we must protect the fundamental rights of children particularly right to
name, education, health, safety, security; freedom of expression, freedom of
association without any discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender,
religion, caste and creed.
She
further added that children particularly children of agriculture sector labour
must be protected against abuses, violence, forced labor and any physical or
emotional torture.
Senior
Corporate and Development sector Consultant, Annan Waffi Qureshi on the
occasion said that juvenile rights should be prioritized in every sector
including the agriculture sector.
He
highlighted the mode of communication to create the awareness for children’s
rights and their protection, especially who belongs to the families working in
the rice value chain.
He said
that to engage the children in labour work whether forcefully or voluntarily is
now a crime in Pakistan and everyone who is present here must raise his/her
voice against this crime.
He also
highlighted the referral mechanism to report the cases of violation of rights
of children. He further added that there are a number of government and
non-government organizations that are working for protection of rights of
children.
Child
Protection and Welfare Bureau and Search for Justice are the prominent
institutes which are particularly working for protection of children and
stopping violations of their rights.
Field
Manager, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Mr. Zahid Rehman also addressed the
participants on the occasion.
He said
that working conditions of the farms were highly hazardous and exposed children
to several risks of insect bites, injuries and infections, exposure to extreme
heat and pesticides without any shelter.
Rehman
added that keeping in view the hazardous conditions of farms Helvetas and RPL
provided moveable backpack canopies covered from all sides to the children of
rice transplanters to avoid the insects and provision of shelters along with
the dry food, repellents, and water coolers in rice cultivation region of the
Punjab.
He
further added that similarly, for the larger group of families working jointly
at farm
level, a
bigger shelter tent along with solar plates, fans, air cooler, water cooler and
first aid boxes were provided to keep the children in a healthy and safe
environment at farm level.
ISLAMABAD:While Pakistan is yet
to implement the Geographical Indications (GI) law promulgated in March this
year, India has applied for an exclusive GI tag to Basmati rice in the European
Union (EU).
The EU has subsequently published
the application of India in its official journal on September 11, 2020, showing
Basmati rice as an Indian origin product, despite the fact that similar rice is
widely produced in Pakistan.
Interestingly, officials of the Ministry
of Commerce, when contacted, were unaware of this major development which could
ultimately damage Pakistan’s exports, such as the aromatic rice, to European
countries.
Earlier last month, Adviser to
the Prime Minister (PM ) on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood had directed the
officials to implement the GI since it was promulgated as a law over five
months ago.
It may be mentioned here
Pakistan, after a delay of almost 18 years, had enacted Geographical
Indications (Registration and Protection) Act in March this year.
According to EU’s official
journal, any country can oppose the application for registration of a name
pursuant to Article 50(2) (a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European
Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and
foodstuffs within three months from the date of publication.
As per the Indian application,
basmati is special long grain aromatic rice grown and produced in a particular
geographical region of the Indian sub-continent. In India, this region is a
part of northern India, below the foothills of the Himalayas forming part of
the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). The special characteristics of basmati are its
long slender kernels with a high length to breadth ratio, an exquisite aroma,
sweet taste, soft texture, delicate curvature, intermediate amylose content,
high integrity of grain on cooking, and linear kernel elongation with least
breadth-wise swelling on cooking.
Further, India has claimed that
basmati is grown and produced in all districts of the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, as well as in specific districts of western
Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
Interestingly, to support its
claim, India has also referred various dictionaries such as Oxford Dictionary which
defines basmati as ‘a kind of long-grain Indian rice with a delicate
fragrance’, the French dictionary, Larousse, which defines basmati as an
‘Indian, long grain rice, very appreciated’ and the Cassell food dictionary
which defines it as ‘a superior type of Indian white rice which is long grained
and slender’.
India has also referred other
reports to show that the basmati rice is of Indian origin without mentioning
that the same is produced in Pakistan.
Leading rice exporter and former
office bearer of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) Taufiq Ahmed
says that the Indian application at EU must be opposed immediately as it would
badly damage Pakistani products’ exports to European countries.
He said that despite repeated
requests and reminders, concerned authorities in Pakistan have been ignoring
this serious issue for years and now if the problem is not handled swiftly then
we would be left with no option but to sell basmati rice with an Indian
name/brand.
“Apart from opposing the GI tag
from the EU, Pakistan must also consult international dictionaries to rectify
the definition as the same rice is largely produced in Pakistan. Unfortunately,
India is also registering Himalayan salt and Multani Matti with Indian names in
the international market,” he said.
According to an official at
Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO), an attached department of the
Ministry of Commerce which drafted the GI law, the Indian application would
definitely be opposed in the EU.
He said that since the GI law has
been promulgated, Pakistan would take up the issue of all GI products of
Pakistani origin with the EU.
According to officials, Basmati
was already recognised as a product of both India and Pakistan in the European
Rice Regime and its Duty-Free Regime, making it illegal for India to claim exclusive rights of Basmati in the
EU.
“The Cambridge dictionary and
Wikipedia also show the product as originating from Pakistan and India,” he
added.
It may be recalled here both
India and Pakistan have approved the GI law which includes basmati as a product
of their respective origin. The protection of geographical indications is aimed
at boosting exports, helping support rural development in the country, and
enhancing the livelihood of agriculture producers and skilled craftsmen.
Furthermore, the marketing of GI
products also enhances secondary economic activities and boost regional
economic development in various regions boosting economic development. GI law
protects local products such as the Peshawari chappals, Multani blue pottery,
Hunza apricots, Hala ajrak, Kasuri methi, Chaman grapes, Turbat dates etc.
Member countries of the World
Trade Organisation (WTO) need to give protection to GIs under Article 22-24 of
the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) agreement.
Unless Pakistan provides GI protection, it cannot obtain the same for its own
goods in other countries that have the GI law. The GI law covers a wide variety
of industrial, agricultural, and horticultural products among others.
Rice traders organizes training workshop for rice value chain
Rice traders organizes training workshop for rice value chain
ISLAMABAD, Sep 17 (APP): The rice traders organized safety and
capacity building training workshop for rice millers and other agriculture
sector stakeholders in rice value chain, especially to protect the work place
rights of woman rice transplanter.
The Rice Partners Pvt Ltd (RPL) one of the top rice exporter of
Pakistan in collaboration of Helvetas Pakistan and Swiss Solidarity piloted
another Phase-III training workshop to train the agri-workers associated
with rice value chain to create awareness of field work for women
agri-workers,said a press release issued here on Thursday.
The development sector organizations also involved in the
training process to sensitize the agriculture women workers about fundamental rights of the children of female
agriculture workers,especially the rice transplanters.
The Rice Partners Pvt Ltd (RPL) one of the top rice exporter of
Pakistan in collaboration of Helvetas Pakistan and Swiss Solidarity piloted a
training workshop to train the rice millers, development sector organizations
to sensitize them about fundamental rights of the children of female
agriculture workers, especially the rice transplanters, said a press
release issued here on Thursday.
More than 40 rice mills including organizations from development
sectors, academia and media personnel participated in the event.
Manager Sustainability RPL, Zafar Iqbal while giving the opening
remarks highlighted the initiatives of RPL to promote and ensure decent working
conditions in rice value chain of Pakistan.
He said that RPL started its philanthropic work from the
development of farmers and now it has expanded to the labourers of agriculture
sector.
Zafar said that RPL has trained more than 2,8000 farmers on
sustainable rice production and also provided them the facility of land laser
leveling on 50% cost sharing basis.
Manager Sustainability RPL also narrated that RPL is also
working for welfare of agriculture labor. RPL established Community Mother
Centers at multiple villages of district Sheikhupura in which decent environment
was provided to the children of agriculture labour particularly female rice
transplanters.
He added that Free Medical Camps were also organized to provide
free medication to the rice transplanters at their working places throughout
the rice transplanting season.
He said that around 15,000 families engage in rice transplanting
every year only from district Sheikhupura and more than 100,000 from all
over the Punjab.
A common practice is that all members from a family take
part in transplanting work and children from those families also accompanied
their parents.
Renowned Senior Child rights activist and consultant Ms
Sadia Hussain said that physical, emotional and psychological health of
children belonging to agriculture labour must be considered for a
conducive working environment in the rice value chain.
She said that the protection of children and vulnerable adults
is a collective societal responsibility.
She said that we must protect the fundamental rights of children
particularly right to name, education, health, safety, security; freedom
of expression, freedom of association without any discrimination on the basis
of race, colour, gender, religion, caste and creed.
She further added that children particularly children of
agriculture sector labour must be protected against abuses, violence, forced
labor and any physical or emotional torture.
Senior Corporate and Development sector Consultant, Annan
Waffi Qureshi on the occasion said that juvenile rights should be
prioritized in every sector including the agriculture sector.
He highlighted the mode of communication to create the awareness
for children’s rights and their protection, especially who belongs to the families
working in the rice value chain.
He said that to engage the children in labour work whether
forcefully or voluntarily is now a crime in Pakistan and everyone who is
present here must raise his/her voice against this crime.
He also highlighted the referral mechanism to report the cases
of violation of rights of children. He further added that there are a number of
government and non-government organizations that are working for protection of
rights of children.
Child Protection and Welfare Bureau and Search for Justice are
the prominent institutes which are particularly working for protection of
children and stopping violations of their rights.
Field Manager, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Mr.
Zahid Rehman also addressed the participants on the occasion.
He said that working conditions of the farms were
highly hazardous and exposed children to several risks of insect
bites, injuries and infections, exposure to extreme heat and
pesticides without any shelter.
Rehman added that keeping in view the hazardous conditions of
farms Helvetas and RPL provided moveable backpack canopies covered from
all sides to the children of rice transplanters to avoid the insects
and provision of shelters along with the dry food, repellents, and
water coolers in rice cultivation region of the Punjab.
He further added that similarly, for the larger group of
families working jointly at farm
level, a bigger shelter tent along with solar plates, fans, air cooler,
water cooler and first aid boxes were provided to keep the children in a
healthy and safe environment at farm level.
The government recognises 34
Indian rice varieties, both traditional and evolved, as basmati while Pakistan
has also a few more.
Considering the past instances
of attempts to sell aromatic rice of other countries under basmati,
registration under GI will help India to protect the name legally.
(Representative image)
The
European Commission has sought public comments on India’s plea to register the
name ‘Basmati’ under geographical indication (GI). The GI application was filed
by India in 2018. Similar applications have also been filed by
Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda)
to register the aromatic rice variety under GI in Thailand and Malaysia.
Considering
the past instances of attempts to sell aromatic rice of other countries under
basmati, registration under GI will help India to protect the name legally.
Apeda has also sought registration of ‘Basmati’ under copyright law in some
15-16 countries where there is no concept of GI, officials said. Basmati rice
is grown below the foothills of the Himalayas in the Indo-Gangetic plains,
which include some areas in Pakistan also. However, the application by India
does not mention Pakistan.
The
government recognises 34 Indian rice varieties, both traditional and evolved,
as basmati while Pakistan has also a few more. The European Union, a major
market for traditional varieties of basmati, has also been buying a large
quantity of evolved varieties since last one decade. India’s basmati exports to
EU countries dropped 9% to $207 million during FY20 and was $63.7 million in
the first two months of the current fiscal. The EU had a share of about 8% in
India’s total basmati rice exports of $787 million during April-May.
“Being
an important application in international registration of Basmati rice, this
will undergo a detailed scrutiny and interpretation in the context of western,
Asian and Bharatiya values. This will present opportunities and challenges in
the context of ‘construct of product’ and current geopolitical environment to
set the future history,” said S Chandrasekaran, a trade policy analyst and
author of a book on Basmati GI. He also wondered if the move to register in the
EU would help India thwart the claim of Pakistan using this current matrix.
After
a long battle, Apeda was able to get GI tag for basmati in 2018, when the GI
regsitry dismissed Madhya Pradesh’s plea for its inclusion in the growing
region of the aromatic rice variety saying there was no “corroborative
evidence” to suggest that the variety was grown in the state. The Chennai-based
Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) in February 2016 had directed the
GI Registry to issue a certificate of registration to Apeda and reconsider
afresh the plea of inclusion of 13 districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Apeda,
which had applied for the GI tag for basmati rice in 2008 and got the
registration after seven years of legal battle, had moved the Intellectual
Property Appellate Board in 2014 challenging GI Registrar’s first decision (in
December 2013) that directed it to file an amended GI application by all areas where
basmati rice is cultivated, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar.
While other states stayed away from the legal battle, MP’s chief minister
Shivraj Singh Chouhan made it a political issue by raising it during assembly
election and has since been pursuing it.
Last
month, Chouhan had wrote letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi objecting to Punjab chief
minister’s views on basmati GI. “A big question emerges that if this
registration happens in European Union, will it permanently shut the door for
Madhya Pradesh in basmati rice,” Chandrasekaran said.
The amount of collected food grains is enough for the
government reserve, the minister says
Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder on Thursday said
that the market price of rice is affordable and stable amid the coronavirus
pandemic as the government’s paddy and rice collection aim has been fulfilled.
“Although the government’s paddy and rice collection
target remained unfulfilled, its aim has been achieved successfully in the
recently concluded Boro season,” he said.
The minister came up with the remarks at a programme in
Niamatpur upazila of Naogaon in the afternoon.
He said the amount of collected food grains is enough for
the government reserve.
The country is not facing any food scarcity amid natural
disaster like flood and coronavirus pandemic due to proper decision and
prudence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the minister said.
Responding to a question regarding rice import, he said:
“We’re examining the reserve of rice across the country. If necessary, rice
will be imported to keep the market price stable.”
* New supplies weigh on prices in
Vietnam - traders
Sept 17 (Reuters) - Demand for
rice from Asian export hubs waned this week, with Bangladesh holding off with
imports even as its drive to shore up supplies fell short of targets after
floods destroyed crops.
Prices for top exporter India's
5% broken parboiled variety RI-INBKN5-P1 were unchanged at $387-$394
per tonne.
Demand has been softening as key
buyers already stocked up significant volumes in the past few weeks, said an
exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
Indian farmers planted rice on
40.2 million hectares (99.3 million acres) until last week, up 7.6% from a year
ago.
In neighboring Bangladesh, which
has been grappling with dwindling supplies and a spike in domestic prices in
the wake of the floods and amid the coronavirus pandemic, a local rice
procurement drive fell nearly 1 million tonnes short of the 1.95 million tonne
target.
The world’s third biggest rice
producer often relies on imports to cope with shortages caused by floods and
droughts, and such procurement drives are crucial for the scope of those
imports.
But Food Secretary Mosammat
Nazmanara Khanum said a decision on imports was still pending.
“It would be good if we could
achieve the (procurement) target. But we have enough stock in the reserves at
present. We have 1.2 million tonnes in warehouses.”
Prices for benchmark 5% broken
rice RI-THBKN5-P1 from Thailand fell for a third straight week, to
$480-$504 per tonne from $487-510 last week.
Prices could slide to as low as
$450 since demand has not picked up for weeks, traders in Bangkok said.
In Vietnam, rates for 5% broken
rice RI-VNBKN5-P1 eased to $485-$490 a tonne from $490-$495.
“Demand is weak, while the
autumn-winter harvest has started in some areas in the Mekong Delta, putting
more downward pressure,” a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said.
However, rice exports in August
rose 26.3% to 605,566 tonnes from July. (Reporting by Arundhati Sarkar in
Bengaluru, Ruma Paul in Dhaka, Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Patpicha Tanakasempipat in
Bangkok and Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai; editing by Arpan Varghese and Tomasz
Janowski)
NA Standing
Committee approves 274 billion VND to supplement rice reserves
VietReader
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
The volume of rice will be
purchased to supplement the reserves after 23,000 tonnes were taken from the
stockpiles during the period from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020 to be given to
people in localities hit by natural disasters and epidemics, and the poor in
between-crops periods. Part of the rice was also sent to Cuba as aid.
The committee also adopted another
resolution on adding medical materials and supplies to the list of goods in the
national reserves.
Participants proposed that the
Government stipulate in detail the types of medical supplies to be included in
the national reserves, and the tasks, authority and responsibilities of
ministries and agencies in charge of those goods./.
Arkansas rice industry to make large donation for
hungry Arkansans
September
17, 2020
National
Rice Month will be celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 22, as the Arkansas rice
industry makes a large donation to help feed families, children, and
seniors all across the state.
The
event will take place at the Arkansas Foodbank, 4301 W. 65th Street in
Little Rock, at 10 a.m. Wes Ward, Secretary of the Arkansas Agriculture
Department, Dow Brantley, President of the Arkansas Rice Council, and Rhonda
Sanders, CEO of Arkansas Foodbank will participate in the presentation. The
total donation amount will be announced at the event. All attendees will be
required to wear a mask.
Participating
rice mills are Windmill Rice Company of Jonesboro, Riceland Foods, Inc. of
Stuttgart, Producers Rice Mill of Stuttgart, Riviana Foods of Carlisle, Anheuser
Busch of Jonesboro, Ralston Family Farms of Atkins and Specialty Rice Inc. of
Brinkley.
The
rice will be distributed across the state to the five Feeding America food
banks: River Valley Regional Food Bank in Ft Smith; Food Bank of Northeast
Arkansas in Jonesboro; Harvest Regional Food Bank in Texarkana; Arkansas
Foodbank in Little Rock; and Northwest Arkansas Food Bank in Springdale.
September
is also Hunger Action Month. More than 549,000 Arkansans struggle
with hunger and may not know where they’ll find their next meal. That number
includes one in FOUR children who may not have enough to eat. This
rice donation will go in to weekend backpacks for children, food boxes for
home-bound seniors and will fill the shelves at food pantries for families in
need.
Arkansas
Foodbank,
the largest hunger relief organization in Arkansas, is a member of Feeding
America and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. The Foodbank offers innovative
programming focused on serving hungry Arkansans with more healthy and
nutritious food. Programs like Food For Kids, Food For Families, and Food For
Seniors provide food and other resources for more than 420 food pantries, soup
kitchens, schools, colleges, shelters, senior centers, and other agencies that
provide aid directly to hungry Arkansans. For information on how you can fight
hunger, visit www.arkansasfoodbank.org.
Arkansas
Rice Federation represents
all aspects of the rice industry and is comprised of the Arkansas Rice Farmers,
Arkansas Rice Council, Arkansas Rice Merchants and Millers. Arkansas
is the largest rice-growing state in the nation, producing around 50% of the US
crop. The Arkansas rice industry contributes over $6 billion each year to the
state’s economy and employs nearly 25,000 Arkansans. Additional information
about September activities and promotions can be found by visiting and
following Arkansas Rice on
social media.
FBI scrutinizing Northeast
Arkansas land deal
0:03
3:42
FBI
scrutinizing U of A land deal in NEA
By Region 8
Newsdesk|September
17, 2020 at 11:14 AM CDT - Updated September 17 at 7:50 PM
COLT, Ark. (KAIT) - An Arkansas state senator from Wynne says
the Federal Bureau of Investigation is taking a closer look at a proposed sale
of prime hunting property.
On Thursday, Republican Sen. Ron Caldwell of Wynne said the FBI
is looking into the proposed $16.5 million sale, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, after he met with agents in
early August.
Caldwell did not specify how long that meeting lasted or explain
why the FBI was interested in the matter.
He told the paper he was not the source of any information that
may have attracted the bureau’s attention.
A spokesperson for the FBI in Little Rock was quoted as saying,
“It’s a long-standing policy of the Department of Justice that we can neither
confirm nor deny an investigation. That’s all I can say on the matter.”
In March, the UA System board of trustees approved selling the
6,300-acre property to Lobo Farms LLC, which is based in the Poinsett County
town of Fisher.
According to the UA System’s Agriculture Division, the land was
“wooded and wet, unsuitable for row-crop research.”
Proceeds from its sale, they said, would be used to help finance
a rice research station currently under construction near Jonesboro, and for
other research projects.
“It seems like we’re still focused on the $17 million
transaction when we could have at least $20 million and retain public hunting,”
Crawford said at the time. “So, that has brought up some questions.”
Sen. Caldwell said he was not aware of the sale until late July.
Pengyin Chen holds up a new
variety of soybeans at the Pine Tree Research Station near Colt in this 2013
file photo. Chen was the director of the soybean breeding program at the
University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture at the time the photo
was taken. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette / UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS )
The
FBI is looking into the University of Arkansas System's proposed $16.5 million
sale of 6,300 acres at its research station in St. Francis County, a state
senator said Wednesday.
Sen.
Ron Caldwell, R-Wynne, whose district includes the UA System's Pine Tree
Research Station, said he met with FBI agents in early August. Caldwell
declined to characterize the FBI's interest in the matter or to specify how
long the interview lasted. He said he wasn't the source of any information that
attracted the FBI's attention.
Connor
Hagan, spokesman for the FBI in Little Rock, said: "It's a long-standing
policy of the Department of Justice that we can neither confirm nor deny an
investigation. That's all I can say on the matter."
The
UA System board of trustees approved the sale to a private entity, Lobo Farms
LLC, on March 11. The system said the sale was subject to the approval of
Congress, which deeded 11,850 acres to the university in 1960. The acreage
became known as the Pine Tree Research Station, near the Colt community in St.
Francis County.
Lobo
Farms LLC is based in Fisher in Poinsett County. Its registered agent is Mark
Saalfield Norris Jr., a financial adviser for Raymond James & Associates in
Memphis. Lobo Farms made the only bid for the property.
While
Norris, who goes by the name "Field," didn't return a telephone call
Wednesday to his office in Memphis, an attorney working with the buyers' group
responded by email. (Norris is a son of U.S. District Judge Mark Saalfield
Norris Sr., a longtime Tennessee state senator who was appointed to the federal
bench by President Donald Trump in 2018.)
Justin
T. Allen of the Little Rock firm of Wright Lindsey Jennings wrote, in part,
"Nobody associated with the buying group has had contact with the
FBI."
Allen
also wrote: "At the outset, the buying group wants to make clear that
there is no intention to engage in an adversarial process with the State, or
anyone else, as it relates to the purchase of the property. Many assume that
this transaction will be to the detriment of the public and the surrounding
community. For several reasons, some outlined below, that doesn't have to be
the case. This can and will be a true win-win for everyone concerned with the
property, the community and hunting and conservation in Arkansas."
Selling
the land was the idea of the UA System's Agriculture Division, which said it
could use the proceeds to help pay for a rice research station now under
construction near Jonesboro and for other agriculture and timber research
projects. A spokeswoman for the Agriculture Division said a series of questions
from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, including whether the FBI has contacted
system officials, would be answered today.
According
to the UA System, the 6,300 acres are wooded and wet, unsuitable for row-crop
research. It has been open to the public for hunting, fishing and other
activities under a 1999 management agreement with the state Game and Fish
Commission.
Those
hunters have been upset about the proposed sale for weeks and, according to
some of their posts on social media, have contacted state and federal
lawmakers.
In
a statement Wednesday afternoon, the office of U.S. Sen. John Boozman said,
"While I believe that a rice research center in this part of the state
would be beneficial to our farmers, I have also heard from many concerned
constituents who fear the loss of publicly-accessible land for recreational
purposes.
"I
strongly urge all of the state entities involved to reach a solution that preserves
publicly-accessible land and also provides funding for a rice research center.
There are many ways both of these goals can be achieved, and I stand ready to
work with stakeholders when an agreement is reached," Boozman said.
Boozman
made similar comments during a recent visit to the Pine Tree Research Station,
according to the newspapers in Wynne, Forrest City and Marianna.
U.S.
Rep. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro, whose district includes the research station,
told KAIT in Jonesboro on July 23 that he was concerned about the sale, how it
was handled and whether the UA System could have gotten more money. His office
said Wednesday evening that it had nothing more to add beyond the television
interview.
The
office of U.S. Rep. French Hill of Little Rock said he was withholding judgment
because the research station isn't in his district, adding that he would await
the advice of his Arkansas colleagues.
Caldwell,
the state senator from Wynne who said he met with the FBI, also said he and
many other state legislators want the land to remain in public hands.
Caldwell
said he didn't know of the proposed sale until late July.
In
a question-and-answer document devised by the UA System Agriculture Division in
July, officials made several points, including that:
•
The property sale wasn't subject to bids and that an agent, Lile Real Estate in
Little Rock and Memphis, was hired to market the property only after other
public and nonprofit entities declined to buy the land.
•
Neither state nor federal law requires public hearings or notices before
selling UA System real estate.
•
The proposal was on public documents and voted on in public.
No
news organization apparently reported on the land sale when the vote was taken
on March 11 or on March 18-19, when the board of trustees held a special
meeting to adopt the minutes of the March 11 meeting and to conduct other
business. Both meetings were held online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The
statement from Allen, the attorney for the Lobo group, also said: "The
buying group became aware of the property's availability in late 2019 through
contact with a broker working on behalf of the UA. The initial discussions
surrounded a possible grant to the UA or the State designed to maintain public
ownership."
Besides
the purchase price approved by the UA System board, Lobo was contributing
another $1 million to an endowment in waterfowl and wetlands conservation
programs.
Allen
said he couldn't yet name other investors behind Lobo Farms but, in his
statement, he wrote that the group "has a proven track record of
conservation, habitat restoration, land stewardship, and community
outreach."
"The
buying group is acutely aware of opposition to the transaction," said
Allen's statement. "It is understandable that some members of the public
are concerned about losing access to what has long been public land. ...
However, the buyers believe that much of the concern will be allayed once there
is a true understanding of the plans for the property."
Because
of the concerns, Allen wrote, the buyers "continue to express a
willingness to consider putting the transaction on hold" to give the state
time, including during the 2021 legislative session, to decide whether other
state agencies want to buy the land.
A new study, published in the American journal 'Diabetes Care',
confirms the link between the intake of white rice and a high incidence of Type
2 diabetes.
As many as 1,32,373 participants from 21 countries took part in
the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, conducted by the
Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), in Toronto, Canada. It is
"the largest study on white rice intake and incident diabetes ever done
and also one of the first to be done across different countries," said Dr.
Bhavadharini Balaji, the first author of the paper.
“The highest risk of Type 2 diabetes was seen in South Asia with
almost 60 per cent excess risk of developing new-onset of type 2 diabetes,’’
said Dr V. Mohan, the second author of the study.
“South Asian countries, including India, consume the largest
amount of white rice in the world. The mean intake of cooked white rice is 630
grams per day in South Asia, followed by 239 grams in South East Asian
countries and 200 grams in China. The intake of rice in the rest of the world
is much lower,’’ Dr. Mohan, who is also the chairman and chief diabetologist,
Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialty Centre, Chennai told THE WEEK.
How does white rice increase the diabetes risk? “In olden days,
people ate healthy varieties of rice which were hand-pounded and unpolished.
Today, with excessive polishing, the white rice is deprived of a lot of its
nutrients, including the fiber and some of the vitamins. It has a high glycemic
index and excess consumption of this leads to a greater glycemic load. This
places a demand on the pancreas to secrete more insulin. Over a period of time,
the insulin in the pancreas gets depleted, leading to diabetes,’’ explained Dr.
Mohan.
So does that mean one should stop eating rice completely? “Not
really. Try and reduce the quantity of white rice. Also include pulses and dals
in your daily diet. Green gram, black gram and rajma are good sources of
protein. This, combined with increased physical activity, can help reduce the
risk of Type 2 diabetes in South Asia in general and India in particular where
Type 2 diabetes has now reached epidemic proportions.’’
Commenting on the results, Dr. Balaji said, “It confirms that
white rice intake is one of the contributors to the diabetes epidemic in South
Asia”.
Representatives
of the Punjab Basmati Rice Millers and Exporters’ Association met with Cabinet
Ministers Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Bharat Bhushan Ashu.
It
was reportedly decided that exporters would pay just 0.5 per cent as a market
fee and 0.5 per cent as rural development fee.
Grain growers are getting further boost as
the National Food Authority (NFA) and the Philippine Association of Feed
Millers (Pafmi) are revving up their procurement of rice and corn even as the
domestic economy continues to feel the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar in a
statement said the NFA would also “go the extra mile” by picking up palay right
at barangay centers instead of expecting farmers to bring the grains to NFA
stations.
“We will continue to buy palay as high as
P19 per kilo, at 14 percent moisture content, from farmers to assure them of
bigger earnings, and if need be, pick up their produce at a designated area in
their barangay,” Dar said.
“We have instructed NFA offices nationwide,
through Administrator Judy Dansal, to offer transport services for farmers who
cannot deliver their produce to the agency’s warehouses, and likewise avail of
its drying facilities,” the agriculture chief added.
Further, to optimize the NFA’s palay
procurement fund, the NFA was instructed to immediately mill the palay that was
bought, and then sell the rice to local government units (LGUs) or offices of
the Department of Social Welfare and Development.Dar said that this way, the
NFA can immediately roll over its funds to be able to buy more palay.
Also, Dar reiterated his call for governors
of top 12 rice-producing provinces to help NFA buy palay directly from their
farmer-constituents, and thus stabilize prices.
These provinces include Nueva Ecija,
Isabela, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Iloilo, Camarines Sur, Tarlac, Negros Occidental,
Maguindanao, Bukidnon, North Cotabato and Leyte.
Last year, the 10 provinces produced a
total of at least 9.74 million metric tons (MMT) of palay, which represented
more than half of the country’s total harvest of 18.8 MMT.
Separately, Pafmi president Nicole Sarmiento
Garcia said the group was buying more local corn as reports of bumper crop from
the ongoing harvest boosted the feed millers’ confidence in the availability of
yellow corn. The grain accounts for more than half of the local feed
formulation.Similar to palay, the Department of Agriculture is encouraging LGUs
to help corn farmers in selling their produce either by linking the growers to
direct buyers like the feed millers, or brokering the purchase deals. In light
of this, Pafmi is drawing a memorandum of understanding with the provincial
council of Isabela, through which harvest will be offered to millers and
delivered to mills in Bulacan and Batangas.
Traders organize training workshop for rice value chain
18 September,2020 10:20 am
More than 40 rice mills participated in the event.
ISLAMABAD (APP) – The rice
traders organized safety and capacity building training workshop for rice
millers and other agriculture sector stakeholders in rice value chain,
especially to protect the work place rights of woman rice transplanter.
The Rice Partners Pvt Ltd (RPL)
one of the top rice exporter of Pakistan in collaboration of Helvetas Pakistan
and Swiss Solidarity piloted another Phase-III training workshop to train the
agri-workers associated with rice value chain to create awareness of field work
for women agri-workers, said a press release issued here.
The development sector
organizations also involved in the training process to sensitize the
agriculture women workers about fundamental rights of the children of female
agriculture workers, especially the rice transplanters.
The Rice Partners Pvt Ltd (RPL)
one of the top rice exporter of Pakistan in collaboration of Helvetas Pakistan
and Swiss Solidarity piloted a training workshop to train the rice millers,
development sector organizations to sensitize them about fundamental rights of
the children of female agriculture workers, especially the rice transplanters,
said a press release issued here.
More than 40 rice mills including
organizations from development sectors, academia and media personnel participated
in the event.
Manager Sustainability RPL, Zafar
Iqbal while giving the opening remarks highlighted the initiatives of RPL to
promote and ensure decent working conditions in rice value chain of Pakistan.
He said that RPL started its
philanthropic work from the development of farmers and now it has expanded to
the labourers of agriculture sector.
Zafar said that RPL has trained
more than 2,8000 farmers on sustainable rice production and also provided them
the facility of land laser leveling on 50% cost sharing basis.
Manager Sustainability RPL also
narrated that RPL is also working for welfare of agriculture labor. RPL
established Community Mother Centers at multiple villages of district
Sheikhupura in which decent environment was provided to the children of
agriculture labour particularly female rice transplanters.
He added that Free Medical Camps
were also organized to provide free medication to the rice transplanters at
their working places throughout the rice transplanting season.
He said that around 15,000
families engage in rice transplanting every year only from district Sheikhupura
and more than 100,000 from all over the Punjab.
A common practice is that all
members from a family take part in transplanting work and children from those
families also accompanied their parents.
Renowned Senior Child rights
activist and consultant Ms Sadia Hussain said that physical, emotional and
psychological health of children belonging to agriculture labour must be
considered for a conducive working environment in the rice value chain.
She said that the protection of
children and vulnerable adults is a collective societal responsibility.
She said that we must protect the
fundamental rights of children particularly right to name, education, health,
safety, security; freedom of expression, freedom of association without any
discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender, religion, caste and creed.
She further added that children
particularly children of agriculture sector labour must be protected against
abuses, violence, forced labor and any physical or emotional torture.
Senior Corporate and Development
sector Consultant, Annan Waffi Qureshi on the occasion said that juvenile
rights should be prioritized in every sector including the agriculture sector.
He highlighted the mode of
communication to create the awareness for children’s rights and their
protection, especially who belongs to the families working in the rice value
chain.
He said that to engage the
children in labour work whether forcefully or voluntarily is now a crime in
Pakistan and everyone who is present here must raise his/her voice against this
crime.
He also highlighted the referral
mechanism to report the cases of violation of rights of children. He further
added that there are a number of government and non-government organizations
that are working for protection of rights of children.
Child Protection and Welfare
Bureau and Search for Justice are the prominent institutes which are
particularly working for protection of children and stopping violations of
their rights.
Field Manager, Helvetas Swiss
Intercooperation, Mr. Zahid Rehman also addressed the participants on the
occasion.
He said that working conditions
of the farms were highly hazardous and exposed children to several risks of
insect bites, injuries and infections, exposure to extreme heat and pesticides
without any shelter.
Rehman added that keeping in view
the hazardous conditions of farms Helvetas and RPL provided moveable backpack
canopies covered from all sides to the children of rice transplanters to avoid
the insects and provision of shelters along with the dry food, repellents, and
water coolers in rice cultivation region of the Punjab.
He further added that similarly,
for the larger group of families working jointly at farm level, a bigger
shelter tent along with solar plates, fans, air cooler, water cooler and first
aid boxes were provided to keep the children in a healthy and safe environment
at farm level.
The rice
traders organized safety and capacity building training workshop for rice
millers and other agriculture sector stakeholders in rice value chain,
especially to protect the work place rights of woman rice transplanter.
The Rice
Partners Pvt Ltd (RPL) one of the top rice exporter of Pakistan in
collaboration of Helvetas Pakistan and Swiss Solidarity piloted another
Phase-III training workshop to train the agri-workers associated with rice
value chain to create awareness of field work for women agri-workers,said a
press release issued here on Thursday.
The
development sector organizations also involved in the training process to
sensitize the agriculture women workers about fundamental rights of the
children of female agriculture workers,especially the rice transplanters.
The Rice
Partners Pvt Ltd (RPL) one of the top rice exporter of Pakistan in
collaboration of Helvetas Pakistan and Swiss Solidarity piloted a training
workshop to train the rice millers, development sector organizations to
sensitize them about fundamental rights of the children of female agriculture
workers, especially the rice transplanters, said a press release issued
here on Thursday.
More than 40 rice mills including organizations
from development sectors, academia and media personnel participated in the
event.
Manager
Sustainability RPL, Zafar Iqbal while giving the opening remarks highlighted
the initiatives of RPL to promote and ensure decent working conditions in rice
value chain of Pakistan.
He said
that RPL started its philanthropic work from the development of farmers and now
it has expanded to the labourers of agriculture sector.
Zafar
said that RPL has trained more than 2,8000 farmers on sustainable rice
production and also provided them the facility of land laser leveling on 50%
cost sharing basis.
Manager
Sustainability RPL also narrated that RPL is also working for welfare of agriculture
labor. RPL established Community Mother Centers at multiple villages of
district Sheikhupura in which decent environment was provided to the children
of agriculture labour particularly female rice transplanters.
He added
that Free Medical Camps were also organized to provide free medication to the
rice transplanters at their working places throughout the rice transplanting
season.
He said that around 15,000 families engage in
rice transplanting every year only from district Sheikhupura and more than
100,000 from all over the Punjab.
A common
practice is that all members from a family take part in transplanting work and
children from those families also accompanied their parents.
Renowned
Senior Child rights activist and consultant Ms Sadia Hussain said that
physical, emotional and psychological health of children belonging to
agriculture labour must be considered for a conducive working environment in
the rice value chain.
She said
that the protection of children and vulnerable adults is a collective societal
responsibility.
She said
that we must protect the fundamental rights of children particularly right to
name, education, health, safety, security; freedom of expression, freedom of
association without any discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender,
religion, caste and creed.
She further
added that children particularly children of agriculture sector labour must be
protected against abuses, violence, forced labor and any physical or emotional
torture.
Senior
Corporate and Development sector Consultant, Annan Waffi Qureshi on the
occasion said that juvenile rights should be prioritized in every sector
including the agriculture sector.
He
highlighted the mode of communication to create the awareness for children’s
rights and their protection, especially who belongs to the families working in
the rice value chain.
He said
that to engage the children in labour work whether forcefully or voluntarily is
now a crime in Pakistan and everyone who is present here must raise his/her
voice against this crime.
He also
highlighted the referral mechanism to report the cases of violation of rights
of children. He further added that there are a number of government and
non-government organizations that are working for protection of rights of
children.
Child
Protection and Welfare Bureau and Search for Justice are the prominent
institutes which are particularly working for protection of children and
stopping violations of their rights.
Field
Manager, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Mr. Zahid Rehman also addressed the
participants on the occasion.
He said
that working conditions of the farms were highly hazardous and exposed children
to several risks of insect bites, injuries and infections, exposure to extreme
heat and pesticides without any shelter.
Rehman
added that keeping in view the hazardous conditions of farms Helvetas and RPL
provided moveable backpack canopies covered from all sides to the children of
rice transplanters to avoid the insects and provision of shelters along with
the dry food, repellents, and water coolers in rice cultivation region of the
Punjab.
He
further added that similarly, for the larger group of families working jointly
at farm
level, a
bigger shelter tent along with solar plates, fans, air cooler, water cooler and
first aid boxes were provided to keep the children in a healthy and safe
environment at farm level.
Arkansas rice industry to make large donation for
hungry Arkansans
September 17, 2020
·
National
Rice Month will be celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 22, as the Arkansas rice
industry makes a large donation to help feed families, children, and
seniors all across the state.
The
event will take place at the Arkansas Foodbank, 4301 W. 65th Street in
Little Rock, at 10 a.m. Wes Ward, Secretary of the Arkansas Agriculture Department,
Dow Brantley, President of the Arkansas Rice Council, and Rhonda
Sanders, CEO of Arkansas Foodbank will participate in the presentation.
The total donation amount will be announced at the event. All attendees will be
required to wear a mask.
Participating
rice mills are Windmill Rice Company of Jonesboro, Riceland Foods, Inc. of
Stuttgart, Producers Rice Mill of Stuttgart, Riviana Foods of Carlisle,
Anheuser Busch of Jonesboro, Ralston Family Farms of Atkins and Specialty Rice
Inc. of Brinkley.
The
rice will be distributed across the state to the five Feeding America food
banks: River Valley Regional Food Bank in Ft Smith; Food Bank of Northeast
Arkansas in Jonesboro; Harvest Regional Food Bank in Texarkana; Arkansas
Foodbank in Little Rock; and Northwest Arkansas Food Bank in Springdale.
September
is also Hunger Action Month. More than 549,000 Arkansans struggle
with hunger and may not know where they’ll find their next meal. That number
includes one in FOUR children who may not have enough to eat. This
rice donation will go in to weekend backpacks for children, food boxes for
home-bound seniors and will fill the shelves at food pantries for families in
need.
Arkansas
Foodbank,
the largest hunger relief organization in Arkansas, is a member of Feeding
America and the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. The Foodbank offers innovative
programming focused on serving hungry Arkansans with more healthy and
nutritious food. Programs like Food For Kids, Food For Families, and Food For
Seniors provide food and other resources for more than 420 food pantries, soup
kitchens, schools, colleges, shelters, senior centers, and other agencies that
provide aid directly to hungry Arkansans. For information on how you can fight
hunger, visit www.arkansasfoodbank.org.
Arkansas Rice Federation represents all aspects of
the rice industry and is comprised of the Arkansas Rice Farmers, Arkansas
Rice Council, Arkansas Rice Merchants and Millers. Arkansas is the
largest rice-growing state in the nation, producing around 50% of the US crop.
The Arkansas rice industry contributes over $6 billion each year to the state’s
economy and employs nearly 25,000 Arkansans. Additional information
about September activities and promotions can be found by visiting and
following Arkansas Rice on
social media.
Iran has began putting orders
with Pakistan for basmati rice, elevating considerations of Indian basmati rice
exporters who’ve stalled exports to the Gulf nation attributable to non-payment
of their dues price Rs 1,700 crore. However, exporters see this merely as a
brief blip.
“Yes, we have heard that Iran has
placed some order with Pakistan recently. It is nothing unusual. However,
Pakistan exports 6 lakh tonnes of basmati rice in the world markets whereas
India’s exports stands at 4.4 – 4.5 millon tonnes,” stated Vinod Kaul,
government director, All India Rice Exporters’ Association (AIREA).
Kaul stated that it’s a momentary
phenomenon and as soon as Iran clears its dues, India will once more begin
exporting to the nation. Iran accounts for 34% of India’s basmati exports to
the abroad markets.
Kaul stated exporters are anxious
about once they get their a refund.
“They are extremely worried.
Also, if Pakistan gradually increases its presence in Iran, then may be in the
long term, it may create some problems for Indian exporters,” he stated.
A Crisil examine has said that
Iran, which imports round 1.three million tonne of basmati rice yearly, is
predicted to register 20 per cent decrease quantity from India as
payment-related points proceed from final fiscal due to US sanctions.
India and Iran have been
discussing the barter buying and selling system for practically a yr now, ever
because the Trump administration started imposing robust financial sanctions on
Tehran. Iran has stated it would purchase basmati rice, sugar and medicines
from India in lieu of fertilisers. A last determination is but to be taken.
Exports with Iran must be resumed
quickly as basmati manufacturing is predicted to be greater this yr. In the
final kharif season, India produced 7.5 million tonnes of basmati rice. “This
year, the acreage has increased and we are expecting 8 million tonnes of rice,”
stated AIREA’s Kaul.
Gurnam Arora, joint managing
director, Kohinoor Foods stated Pakistan has been sending basmati rice to Iran
by way of some convoluted enterprise route. “The payment was being made in
cash. But with India, Iran has a transparent business model. The buyers may
have placed some order with Pakistan to meet temporary demand. This will no way
impact Indian exports going ahead.”
Arora added that Iran’s personal
crop will begin coming by October after which the nation won’t require imported
basmati. “Moreover, Indian basmati is superior than basmati from our neighbouring
nation,” he added.
Sierra Leone’s chief minister in the Bio-led government has turned
his hands to rice farming, combining his newfound vocation with national
politics, responsible for coordinating and overseeing the performance of all
government ministries.
After making a bumpy transition from a classroom professor at
Bradford university in the UK to become one of the most powerful figures and
trusted allies of the president, Dr. David Francis is now running a lucrative
rice farm. He names his brand of rice – ‘ECO Rice’.
Professor David John Francis says
that his 444 acres of farmland which is about the size of 220 football pitches
in his hometown – Kenema, is his response to president Bio’s call for public
officials to embark on agriculture to help the government meets its national
food self-sufficiency agenda.
Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite
the abundance of natural resources and fertile land for farming.
According to latest data, over 70% of people in Sierra Leone go
hungry as the economy contracts due to the coronavirus pandemic and rising
costs of imported foods.
Over $200 million is spent on importing rice which is the
country’s staple food. But this could change, if politicians across the country
and government officials – many of whom are regarded as corrupt, decide to
invest in farming and food production.
Chief Minister Dr David Francis has become a trailblazer and an
exemplar for politicians in sierra Leone, whose dependency on corrupt party
politics and abuse of power for amassing personal wealth is costing the nation
over Five Hundred Million Dollars every year.
A green revolution could take millions of Sierra Leoneans out of
poverty in just three years, and Sierra Leone could earn at least $250 million
on farming exports every year.
So how profitable is rice
farming for Chief minister David Francis?
According to reports, Dr David Francis visited his Eco rice farm
recently to start his first harvesting of what is referred to as a
‘three-months rapid yield hybrid nutritious rice variety’ that is now selling
in markets at Le 200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Leones) for a 50kg bag, which is
slightly below the average market price.
ECO Rice is said to be the cheapest, high-quality and nutritious
rice in the country, and professor Francis is set to make millions of dollars
in annual profits.
Speaking at his farm, Professor David Francis is reported to call
on farmers to take agriculture production seriously, and appealed to his fellow
politicians to join him in making farming a successful vocation that could feed
the nation.
He told farmers that his government is ready to support them in
making sure rice is affordable in the country, and help reduce the $200 million
spent on importing rice to Sera Leone annually – which is a big factor
affecting the value of the national currency – the Leone.
Cultivating and harvesting a rice farm about the size of 220
football pitches does not come easy, without the use of modern technology.
Although many would argue that lack of mechanisation is an
opportunity for millions of unskilled youths to be employed in farming, the
impact on productivity and production yield is huge and chief minister Francis
knows that.
He said that because of the size of his farm, harvesting which is
done manually by hundreds of local people – especially women, will continue
until February 2021.
Professor Francis’ ambition is to establish ECO Rice retail
outlets across all districts of Sierra Leone, starting with his hometown
Kenema, which will be the national headquarters of his ECO Rice Production
Company.
Will other government ministers
and politicians follow the chief minister’s entrepreneural example?
In
Benin, the Gbenondjou Cassava Production and Commercialization Expansion
Project saw the development of the Ajahonmè's Manioc Transformation
Cooperative, a project which aims to feed the population of West Africa.
18 SEPTEMBER 2020
By Bacary Dabo and Andre van Wyk
Dakar
and Cape Town — The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) is
celebrating a decade of its Feed the Future campaign, which enables partner
organisations to target the root causes of poverty and hunger. Projects in
Burkina Faso and Benin have produced expertise and economic stability for local
agricultural producers.
Growing
rice in Burkina Faso
In
Burkina Faso, the Cooperative Mitiiri Rice Production and Marketing Project led
local rice producers to grow an increasingly sustainable supply of the grain
while lowering dependence on imports from China.
Established
in 2009, Mitiri - then named Association of Young Dynamics for the Development
of Bagre - faced financial difficulties. Help from the USADF helped it to
secure production equipment, storage and and funds to buy rice.
One of
the challenge of rice agriculture in the country is the lack of productive
investments and adequate training, and the USADF worked to provide working
capital, capacity building and business advisory assistance to modernize,
provide training to members on post-harvest techniques, and improve business
operations.
As a
result, young farmers in the cooperative are seeing higher domestic sales and
revenues and contribute to youth employment.
One of
the biggest challenges is insufficient production due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
"We have noticed that with the pandemic, the demand for rice at the local
level increased, and rice production to be adjusted. The shift in the training
schedule on agricultural entrepreneurship did not benefit producers. There was
also an absence of manpower the work in the fields," Daouda said.
But the
travel restrictions brought by the pandemic also meant that SCOOPS Mitiiri sold
more products. "The reduction in rice imports from China had a great
impact in the sale of local rice. it must be said that we no longer have the
difficulties as before in selling our products," Daouda said.
The
majority of the 25-member co-op are women - 21 of them in fact - and they
produce a variety of gari or cassava used in many dishes in West Africa.
The
co-operative aims to continue making gains in improving agricultural technique
and providing employment in the coming years, believing that this path to
success is something achievable for the entire continent.
"We
believe that Africa as a whole will be able to produce rice without importing
because it is not the land that is lacking but rather the technical and financial
means. At the rate things are going, with the interest of our governors in
agriculture and the support of projects and NGOs etc., agricultural yields are
improving and we are sure that Africa will meet these challenges."
"USADFs
contribution has helped make us a leader among the co-operatives in our
area.".
Between
1 October 2010 and March 31, 2020, USADF invested more than $10 million in
Burkina Faso, producing 157 enterprises and entrepreneurs.
Women
of Benin at Forefront of Gari Production
In
Benin, the Gbenondjou Cassava Production and Commercialization Expansion
Project saw the development of the Ajahonmè's Manioc Transformation
Cooperative, a project which aims to feed the population of West Africa.
The
majority of the 25-member co-op are women - 21 of them in fact - and they
produce a variety of gari or cassava used in many dishes in West Africa.
The goal
of economic empowerment of women is a cornerstone of the Cooperative. While a
challenge, Gbezounke Sylvie, president of the Adjahonmey "Gbenondjou"
Cassava Transformation cooperative, believes this is achievable.
The
goal of economic empowerment of women is a cornerstone of the Cooperative.
While a challenge, Gbezounke Sylvie, president of the Adjahonmey
"Gbenondjou" Cassava Transformation cooperative, believes this is
achievable.
The
organisation's efforts secured them a three-year deal to deliver gari to their
newest client, in Senegal. Sylvie confirms that a first delivery was already
made from Cotonou to Dakar, the Senegalese capital.
According
to Sylvie, this new dynamic was boosted thanks to the support of the USADF,
which granted Gbenondjou much-needed funds between 2017 and 2019.
The
Gbenondjou Cooperative used these grants to build production capacity and
purchase equipment to process cassava into gari while also investing in
training its members in financial management, marketing, improved production
techniques and hygiene practices. and sanitation for production. This, says
Sylvie, made it possible to strengthen the competitiveness and professionalism
of the co-op and contribute to food security, advancing the economic status of
the rural women and improve their quality of life.
From
Producers to Successful Women Entrepreneurs
The
lives of the women involved in the co-op are certainly improved.
A
transformation that its president links to the impact of American support on
their activities and their daily lives. For Sylvie, the support of the USADF
has completely changed their lives and the co-op. "It is thanks to the
USADF that our members have started to organize their activities well and
managed to double their production.
"This
support has enabled them to make their products competitive while respecting
the health and commercial standards required on the market. "In the
market, our products are sold first because they are now better
presented," Sylvie says proudly.
Profits
made have enabled the co-op to acquire its own land and expand cassava farming
areas which, over time, will help boost the level of yield and production.
"Since
this new situation, the women members of the cooperative have spent less time
in the fields and find time to take care of their household and their
children."
RPT-ASIA
RICE-WEAK DEMAND HITS TOP EXPORT HUBS; BANGLADESH STRUGGLES TO STOCK UP
9/17/2020
(Repeats
with no changes to text)
* Prices for Thai, Vietnamese rice
ease
* India prices unchanged amid
softer demand
* New supplies weigh on prices in
Vietnam - traders
By Arundhati Sarkar
Sept 17 (Reuters) - Demand for rice
from Asian export hubs waned this week, with Bangladesh holding off with
imports even as its drive to shore up supplies fell short of targets after
floods destroyed crops.
Prices for top exporter India's 5%
broken parboiled variety <RI-INBKN5-P1> were unchanged at $387-$394 per
tonne.
Demand has been softening as key
buyers already stocked up significant volumes in the past few weeks, said an
exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
Indian farmers planted rice on 40.2
million hectares (99.3 million acres) until last week, up 7.6% from a year ago.
In neighboring Bangladesh, which
has been grappling with dwindling supplies and a spike in domestic prices in
the wake of the floods and amid the coronavirus pandemic, a local rice
procurement drive fell nearly 1 million tonnes short of the 1.95 million tonne
target.
The world's third biggest rice
producer often relies on imports to cope with shortages caused by floods and
droughts, and such procurement drives are crucial for the scope of those
imports.
But Food Secretary Mosammat
Nazmanara Khanum said a decision on imports was still pending.
"It would be good if we could
achieve the (procurement) target. But we have enough stock in the reserves at
present. We have 1.2 million tonnes in warehouses."
Prices for benchmark 5% broken rice
<RI-THBKN5-P1> from Thailand fell for a third straight week, to $480-$504
per tonne from $487-510 last week.
Prices could slide to as low as
$450 since demand has not picked up for weeks, traders in Bangkok said.
In Vietnam, rates for 5% broken
rice <RI-VNBKN5-P1> eased to $485-$490 a tonne from $490-$495.
"Demand is weak, while the
autumn-winter harvest has started in some areas in the Mekong Delta, putting
more downward pressure," a Ho Chi Minh City-based trader said.
However, rice exports in August
rose 26.3% to 605,566 tonnes from July. (Reporting by Arundhati Sarkar in
Bengaluru, Ruma Paul in Dhaka, Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Patpicha Tanakasempipat in
Bangkok and Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai; editing by Arpan Varghese and Tomasz
Janowski)
F&B Industry (6): Production Methods Changing: Automation and
Mechanization
·By Cho
Mi-jin, Jack Baek & Kang Kyeong-keun
· September
18, 2020, 13:47
The authors are analysts of NH Investment &
Securities. They can be reached at mj27@nhqv.com, jack.baek@nhqv.com and
kyeongkeun.kang@nhqv.com, respectively. – Ed.
Present: Introduction of process automation
Amidst ongoing social structural changes, including
shrinking working-age population numbers and rising labor costs, domestic
F&B companies have introduced process automation to their plants, and
agricultural and livestock companies have pushed for mechanization of farming
in order to secure production competitiveness and improve efficiency. Factory
automation entails putting in place unmanned production systems that use
computers and robots. In other words, robots are replacing humans at automated
factories. This move towards process automation has brought about the benefits
of smooth interconnection of all manufacturing processes (encompassing
production, quality control/inspection, and logistics) as well as enabling
companies to establish company-wide return systems.
We note that compared to other industries, the portion of
manual works remains still high at the F&B sector, especially for quality
control and packaging processes. But, as process automation has been
pre-emptively introduced to large-scale F&B facilities, significant
progress has been made, especially with regard to food safety inspection,
product quality control, and product history tracking. And, sensor-using
automation systems have first been appearing in the packaging, food safety, and
quality control areas.
Present: Mechanization of farming
Korea has long been pursuing mechanization/automation of
farming, aiming to counter growing challenges at domestic farms such as a
declining rural population size, rural population aging, a shrinking grain
self-sufficiency rate, stagnated income growth for farmers, and global climate
changes. The mechanization movement first started in early-1960s in line with
penetration of power tillers across Korea’s rural areas, and the initiative
took off in earnest upon the announcement of a 5-yr agriculture mechanization
plan under the directive of the President in the 1970s.
Thanks to well-coordinated efforts of the public agencies
and farmers, Korea has achieved almost 100% mechanization for rice farming. By
end-1970, Korea completed localization of power tillers, and by end-1990s, most
of rice farming processes were carried out with machines. The annual number of
man-hours required for a 1ha rice paddy stood at 1,700 hours in 1971, but the
figure gradually declined to 928 in 1981, to 162 in 2008, and to 10.8 in 2015.
Over this period, the mechanization of farm works has helped to overcome the
sharp decline of Korea’s farmer population—as early ago as only 1970, Korea’s farm
population represented 44.7% (14.42mn) of the overall domestic population, but
the portion has since plunged, standing at merely 5.1% (2.57mn) as of end-2015.
With the penetration of agricultural machinery rising, the total number of
major agricultural machines (cultivator, tractor, rice-planting machine, and
harvester) rose to 1,337,000 units nationwide (1.1 per farm).
The collaboration revealed that
the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi provides nitrates to
plants, which could lead to reduced fertilizer use.
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FULL
STORY
When
most people think of fungi, the thoughts are usually not good, turning to
something that does damage more than those that are actually helpful.
Yet,
fungi play a critical role in the growth and development of plant life and have
for millions of years. Scientists have known for a long time that arbuscular
mycorrhizal (AM) fungi that live in harmony with about 90% of land plants and
play a key role in their root systems, are responsible for carrying needed
phosphate to plants to help growth.
Now,
however, thanks to a discovery by a team of scientists from Texas Tech
University's Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance (IGCAST)
in the Department of Plaint and Soil Science, and the Nanjing Agricultural
University's State Key Laboratory of crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement,
that symbiotic role may go even further.
That
research team, which included professor Guohua Xu, Prof. Aiqun Chen and Dr.
Huimin Feng from Nanjing Agricultural University and, Luis Herrera-Estrella,
the President's Distinguished Professor of Plant Genomics and director of
IGCAST, and assistant professor Damar López-Arredondo, discovered that AM fungi
also acted as a supplier of nitrogen to the plant, the protein (NPF4.5)
responsible for transporting nitrates from the fungi to the plant, and that
this symbiotic nitrate pathway and the function of the protein are present in
crops such as rice, and probably most other plant species.
The
results from the paper, "Functional analysis of the OsNPF4.5 nitrate
transporter reveals a conserved mycorrhizal pathway of nitrogen acquisition in
plants," were recently published by Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences (PNAS) of the U.S.
Xu
highlighted their finding that the fungi colonization efficiency, promotion of
plant growth and nutrient uptake were maintained and even enhanced at high
nitrogen supply levels, which is opposite to the high phosphate suppressed
colonization, indicating the general contribution of mycorrhizal route to
improving N use efficiency at varied N presence.
This
discovery could lead to groundbreaking agricultural practices that allow for a
reduction in the amount of nitrogen fertilizer required for crop production,
which will help reduce production costs and benefit the environment by reducing
agrochemical use.
"In
our study, we showed the nitrate transporter is contained in many plant species
and that it is activated by the mycorrhizal association in maize, sorghum and
several other plant species," Herrera-Estrella said. "Based on our
data, we propose that nitrate transport takes place in many if not most plant
species, and that the protein plays a key role in the process."
Hundreds
of millions of years ago, when plants moved from aquatic origins and began
taking over land masses, their lack of a strong root system became a hinderance
in obtaining water and nutrients. Herrera-Estrella said fossilized evidence
showed that, early in in the evolutionary process, land plants developed the
relationship with mycorrhizal fungi, which helped improve the fitness of host
plants by facilitating mineral nutrition and water absorption and by increasing
tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Herrera-Estrella
pointed out, though, that past research has discovered that the symbiotic
relationship between plants and AM fungi is most active in soil with low
phosphate availability and suppressed in soil with high levels of available
nutrients. That means cultivated crops that are highly fertilized see a
severely reduced or completely suppressed impact from mycorrhiza.
The
goal of the research was to determine whether mycorrhiza could provide other
nutrients such as nitrogen to the plant. Indirect evidence has shown the fungi
could supply the plant with ammonium (NH4+) as a nitrogen source, but that it
is quickly converted into nitrate (NO3-) by the microbes in the aerobic soil.
That means that under most soil conditions, nitrate is the dominant form of N
supplied to the plant.
In
order to test for nitrate transfer ability, the researchers used nitrogen
isotopes to determine the capacity of the fungi to take nitrate ad deliver it
to the plant for intake. Researchers also identified the gene (NPF4.5)
specifically activated in rice roots when joined by mycorrhizal fungi and were
able to identify the role of this gene in nitrate delivery by producing rice
mutants that did not have this transporting gene.
"We
found that when the gene is inactivated, the amount of nitrate that the plant
can get from the fungi is drastically reduced," Dr. Chen said. "Thus,
we functionally confirmed that NPF4.5 was the important protein in the
transport of nitrogen from the fungi to the plant. We also used plant
transformation to generate the rice plants that enrich NPF4.5 proteins in the
absence of the mycorrhiza. We found that these transgenic plants can produce
more biomass and show higher nitrogen uptake efficiency than normal plants when
grown in nitrate contained medium, which has a great potential for use in
agriculture."
Researchers
estimate that rice containing the mycorrhizal relationship between plant and
fungi could receive more than 40% of its nitrogen due to the mycorrhizal
pathway and that the specific nitrate transporter gene, NPF4.5, accounted for
approximately 45% of the mycorrhizal nitrate uptake.
López-Arredondo
said the next steps in the project will be to test the transgenic plants under
field conditions and deeply understand the mechanisms that specifically
activate the NPF4.5 nitrate transporter gene when the plant joins with the
fungi, as well as discovering the chemical signals the fungi send to the plant
to specifically activate this and other nutrient transporter genes probably
required for this interaction.
Herrera-Estrella,
an Emeritus Professor of Cinvestav in Mexico and member of the US National
Academy of Sciences stated "This is an interesting and productive
collaboration between Texas Tech and the Nanjing Agricultural University,"
"This type of international collaboration can rally boost the advancement
of science."
Story
Source:
Materials provided by Texas Tech University. Original written by George
Watson. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal
Reference:
1.Shuangshuang Wang, Aiqun Chen,
Kun Xie, Xiaofeng Yang, Zhenzhen Luo, Jiadong Chen, Dechao Zeng, Yuhan Ren,
Congfan Yang, Lingxiao Wang, Huimin Feng, Damar Lizbeth López-Arredondo, Luis
Rafael Herrera-Estrella, Guohua Xu. Functional analysis of the OsNPF4.5
nitrate transporter reveals a conserved mycorrhizal pathway of nitrogen
acquisition in plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, 2020; 117 (28): 16649 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2000926117
Professor David John Francis says
that his 444 acres of farmland which is about the size of 220 football pitches
in his hometown – Kenema, is his response to president Bio’s call for public
officials to embark on agriculture to help the government meets its national
food self-sufficiency agenda.
