9th January,2019 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

Think Rice Truck Keeps on Truckin' 

By Lesley Dixon

ARLINGTON, VA -- Michael Fruge wasn't expecting the call when he and his wife, Sarah, were stuck in traffic in Metairie, Louisiana.  It was December 7, the last day of the 2018 Outlook Conference, and they were on their way to watch the Louisiana state high school football championship game in New Orleans after leaving San Diego, the site of this year's conference, early.

When he realized it was A.J. Sabine on the other end of the line, and that he was on speakerphone with an auditorium full of his colleagues and friends in the rice industry, Fruge was at a loss for words. "I think all I said was 'wow,'" Fruge said, laughing as he remembered the moment he realized he had won the Ford F-150 in the Think Rice truck raffle.  "I wish I'd had something better to say than I did.  I was just shocked.  It was exciting."

After a historic tour of the continental United States and its debut at the Outlook Conference, the Think Rice truck has finally made its way to its forever home in Louisiana, where Fruge will keep it as his personal vehicle and, of course, put it to good use. "The only vehicle I have right now is a Horizon Ag company truck, so I'm going to hold on to the Think Rice truck and use it on the farm."

Fruge will remove the Think Rice graphic wrap eventually, but for now he's happy to keep the truck as is.  In the meantime, it's certainly a conversation starter. "We had a big Christmas party at our house so I parked it out in the yard, and when people drove up their response was:  'what the heck is that?'"

The Think Rice design will continue to garner attention as the truck makes appearances at upcoming rice industry events.  It's slated to appear tomorrow evening, Wednesday, January 9, at the Louisiana Rice Council and Louisiana Rice Growers Association joint meeting in Jennings.

In addition to the truck, Fruge received a suite of six rice cookers from Aroma as part of the raffle prize in sizes from 3 to 20 cups, so he'll be well prepared to cook as much rice as he can handle in the new year.

While the #RideWithRice crew will miss the Think Rice truck they're thrilled that it's gone to such a good home and excited to see it begin its civilian life.  It was an amazing experience to hand out 4,000 pounds of free rice and 3,000 rice cookers across the country, engage with the public at events, donate to food banks, and spread the word about U.S.-grown rice in such a unique way.

"It was really cool just having the opportunity to participate in this raffle," said Fruge.  "I really appreciate everything y'all do for us as rice farmers." After getting the news that they won the truck, Michael and Sarah brought their good luck to that football game, where Eunice High School (Sarah's alma mater) won the championship, rounding out a day of big wins for the Fruges.

Late-sown wheat variety will help farmers get high yield: Scientists

Late-sown variety of wheat (DBW173)

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 7

The agrarian crisis has remained the most unsolved issue in the country. Farmers say that nothing is left in farming now as there is no income and they are only suffering losses. But the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, working under the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), has come up with an idea to help farmers earn more by sowing various crops.

Institute experts said this during the five-day Indian Science Congress that concluded here today.

The institute has recently developed a late-sown variety of wheat (DBW173) which scientists claim that gives the highest yield within a period of 120 days only and is also disease-resistant.

As per information, the majority of the farmers complete the process of sowing of the wheat till November 15 and they avoid late-sown varieties due to less yields. But according to the institute experts, this variety would help them in sowing other crops too and provide good yield.

Dr Mangal Singh, Assistant Chief Technical Officer of the institute, said this variety had been released by the institute last month only.

He said the average yield of this variety was 47.2 quintal/ hectare and if grown in favourable conditions, it could give up to 57 quintals per hectare which was better than other varieties.

“Also, it gets matured in 120 days. We have tested and tried this crop near areas near Ludhiana,” said Singh.

As per information received from agriculture experts, the other late-sown varieties, which were recommended in the state, gives an average yield of around 36 quintals per hectare.

The agricultural experts said this variety would give enough space and time to the farmers and would boost the cropping pattern too.

“If this happens, then the farmers can sow any other crops after harvesting rice. Also, there is usually less time left for farmers to manage the rice stubble as there is a difference of only 15 days between the rice harvesting and sowing of the wheat as incorporating stubble in the field is a tough task to complete in 15 days. If a good late-sown variety is available, farmers would have sufficient time to manage the stubble and besides, they can take other short-duration crops such as vegetables, potatoes, sarson and pulses in the mean time,” said Naresh Gulati, agriculture officer.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jalandhar/late-sown-wheat-variety-will-help-farmers-get-high-yield-scientists/710217.html

DA expects to meet 2019 rice production goal

January 7, 2019 | 9:53 pm

PHILSTAR

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said that rice production target for 2019 is likely to be met as rice farmers are expected to recover from the agricultural damage brought by tropical depression Usman.

“The damage was to low-yielding varieties, and we will try to make up for it with high-yielding varieties. So whatever the target is, we might go higher,” DA Undersecretary Ariel T. Cayanan told BusinessWorld after a news conference on Monday, when asked about the expected output for rice this year.

Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said that damaged rice crops are at their vegetative stage, and that the DA was quick to intervene by providing farmers high-yielding variety seed.

The DA reported a total of P957.63 million agricultural damage from Usman, with 9,385 metric tons (MT) of lost volume over 47,529 hectares. The department estimates that the storm affected 42,683 farmers and fisherfolk.

Rice accounts for 88% of the total storm damage, with the value of lost production at P840.40 million on volume loss of 15,883 MT, affecting 41,143 hectares of land and 35,385 farmers.

Mr. Piñol said that he is expecting that the damage to eventually breach P1 billion.

“Our stocks in Bicol will last for about 40 days, that is the P27 National Food Authority (NFA) rice. Also, there is a prepositioned 5,000 bags of rice seed. We lack another 5,000 but we’ll be able to secure this hopefully this week,” Mr. Piñol said.

“I told the President during the briefing that while there is a huge damage to the rice crop as quantified today, that will not necessarily translate to losses because with the delivery of seed, the farmers will be able to recover because their plants are just in their vegetative stage. They will be able to replant,” Mr. Piñol added.

Mr. Piñol said that P175 million has been committed by DA for loans to farmers.

Meanwhile, the NFA said that it issued 13,730 bags of rice for Usman victims in Regions IV, V and VIII as of Monday.

A total of 8,343 bags were released to Region V which suffered the most.

“We will make sure that our accredited rice retailers will continue to sell NFA rice at P27 and P32 per kilogram in the areas affected by the typhoon. The availability of affordable and quality NFA rice will be a great help to all those affected by the calamity,” Tomas R. Escarez, NFA Officer-in-Charge Administrator, said in a statement. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

https://www.bworldonline.com/da-expects-to-meet-2019-rice-production-goal/

Breaking the rules

posted January 08, 2019 at 12:30 am by Ernesto M. Hilario

·       "Legal eagles strongly suspect something is amiss."

What do we have here?

Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission Commissioner Greco Belgica must be trying to send a strong message to the Office of the Ombudsman—the government’s anti-graft body—that he can use his clout even without the latter’s imprimatur.

His latest move was an entrapment operation against two ranking Bureau of Internal Revenue officials based in Manila whom he accused of extortion/direct bribery. 

Belgica claims that a taxpayer who refused to be identified told him that the BIR officials were asking for a P2-million bribe for settlement of the taxpayer’s tax liabilities.

Malacañang Executive Order No. 43 which established PACC in 2017 defined the agency’s jurisdiction and exercise of its powers upon complaint or motu proprio, and concurrently with the Office of the Ombudsman.

The Belgica-initiated operation left out the participation of the government’s anti-graft court. Operatives from the Camp Crame-based Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) were tapped to carry out the entrapment, after which the two suspects were booked and hauled for inquest at the City Prosecutor’s Office of Manila.

Legal eagles are likely to suspect something much amiss here since Belgica failed to follow PACC-prescribed rules. Among these is that respondents to a verified complaint should be provided formal summons, a copy of the complaint and attached supporting documents, and that a legitimate complainant must be identified rather than hidden under the cloak of anonymity. Belgica claims the complainant refused to be identified.

The PACC’s formal summons also asks the respondent to answer the complaint within seven days and file six hard copies of the answer plus additional copies to the complainant/s and co-respondents. Such rule of procedure would disallow a complainant to remain incognito.

But Belgica went full steam ahead, thus the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office during inquest of the suspects virtually castigated the PACC commissioner for his lapses in legally prescribed procedure, citing that:

a) Belgica failed to swear and subscribe before an authorized  administering officer his complaint which is part of the record;

b) Witnesses also failed to execute sworn statements  that they indeed participated in the entrapment operation; and

c) “The arresting officers.. themselves did not actually see  how the direct bribery was consummated.”

The City Prosecutor’s Office also noted that “there is no  sufficient evidence to substantiate that an agreement between the taxpayer and the two suspects had to perform an act in connection with the performance of their official duties in consideration of a gift of money.”

Senate versus DA

Senator Cynthia Villar has chided Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol for claiming that the National Food Authority will not be able to sell cheap rice to the public under the Rice Tariffication Bill, which has been passed by both chambers of Congress.

Senate Bill No. 1998 seeks to amend Republic Act No. 8178 or the Agricultural Tariffication Act of 1996 and replace the quantitative restriction on rice imports. The bill is among the measures pushed by the economic managers of the Duterte administration to address high rice prices.

Villar, the principal author of the Senate bill, told Piñol that “the NFA is not allowed anymore to import rice under the new law but only to buy from local farmers.” She pointed out that the lifting of the QR would also remove all “unnecessary intervention” of the government in the rice market.

Villar, chair of the committee on food and agriculture, also informed Piñol that the NFA would not be abolished with the implementation of the law. She said that only the regulatory and importation functions of the NFA will be removed, with the agency focusing on buffer-stocking with its inventory acquired from domestic farmers.

According to the senator, the budget for the NFA should be pegged at around P7 billion, strictly for the maintenance of a buffer stock to stabilize the rice supply and allow it to sell subsidized rice to the poor and to release emergency supplies during periods of calamity.

Contrary to misconceptions, she said, the bill includes a package of support programs that “will help farmers adjust to competition under a tariffied regime.”

The proceeds from the tariff will be given to the farmers in the amount of P10 billion a year for the next six years to make them competitive through mechanization, better seed production, cheaper credit from state-run banks, and various extension services, including teaching them skills on modern rice farming techniques.

For his part, Senator Joel Villanueva, a co-author of the bill, said it could curb rice smuggling, a long-standing problem in this country.

Under the act, Filipino farmers will have a fighting chance against farmers from neighboring ASEAN countries as cheaper rice will start flooding the market.

Earlier, President Duterte said that even with rice tariffication and liberalization of the rice industry, the NFA shall continue to provide the public, particularly the less fortunate, with rice that is affordable and safe.

ernhil@yahoo.com

http://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/about-town-by-ernesto-m-hilario/284786/breaking-the-rules.html

China inches towards allowing U.S. rice sales

AGRICULTURETALK POLITICS

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)  5 hours ago 26 views 

China customs has announced it will allow imports of U.S. rice and industry leaders are waiting for the first orders. The move is part of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Protocol signed between the United States and China from July 2017.

USA Rice CEO and President Betsy Ward told Talk Business & Politics the ongoing trade war has hampered efforts to open the Chinese market after the agreement was reached. Industry leaders hope that the Chinese will buy several hundred thousand metric tons of U.S. rice, Ward said.

Officials have spent 10 years working on a deal to sell rice in the world’s most populous country with China consuming as much rice as Arkansas produces every 13 days, according to estimates.

“We are fairly optimistic the Chinese will allow rice imports,” she said. “This is potentially a huge market for us.”

China will now need to post the list of approved U.S. export mills and facilities of milled rice developed in consultation between the U.S. rice industry, United States Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and China’s Agricultural Inspection Service, according to the Agriculture Council of Arkansas. In 2017, USA Rice worked with U.S. and Chinese government officials to facilitate Chinese inspections at 10 U.S. mills and facilities interested in exporting rice to China to demonstrate their compliance with the complex U.S.-China phytosanitary protocol.

“What is still not 100% clear is whether China has published the complete list of all the U.S. facilities approved to ship to China,” said Bobby Hanks, Chair of USA Rice’s International Trade Policy Committee and a Louisiana miller. “We will be looking in the days ahead to USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative for clarification to make sure that all approved U.S. facilities are eligible. We of course are looking for the first confirmed rice sale to China.”

China’s rice imports have grown in recent years and are hovering near 5 million metric-tons.

China has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 2001, but the U.S. has been barred from selling rice there because it lacked the phytosanitary standards required by the Chinese government. Seminars will be held in China and the U.S. to educate consumers about the different kinds of American rice. Demand for export rice will be highest in coastal areas, restaurants, hotels, and high income consumers.

Arkansas farmers were projected to grow 1.4 million rice acres during the 2018 season, an uptick from 2017 when about 1.161 million acres were planted. It was 47.1% of all rice acres planted in the U.S., according to the B.R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research study issued by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Those acres accounted for 82.6 million hundredweight of rice, and it represented 46.4% of the 178.2 million hundredweight produced in the country. During the last three years, Arkansas has accounted for more than 47% of the nation’s total rice production, the report found. Per acre, farmers had a yield of 164.4 bushels per acre or 7,400 pounds. It was the third highest yield on record in the state and a 570 pound per acre uptick from 2016.

Rice is grown in 40 of Arkansas’ 75 counties and is predominately grown in the eastern section of the state. The first rice crop was grown on a single acre in Lonoke County in 1902, although there are reports of the crop in the state before the Civil War, according to historians. Rice acres steadily grew from then and by 1955 the federal government initiated a set of controls capping the number of rice acres at 500,000. Controls were lifted in the 1970s, and the number of rice acres continued to grow. The state set its all-time rice acreage record in 2010 when farmers planted 1.785 million acres.

https://talkbusiness.net/2019/01/china-inches-towards-allowing-u-s-rice-sales/

Ayurvedic Foods to Add to Your Diet this Year, According to Your Body Type

·       By: Lia Ryerson

·       January 7, 2019

·       About Lia

·       Follow Lia at @liaryerson

Developed more than 5,000 years ago in India, Ayurvedic medicine (often just called “Ayurveda” for short) is widely considered one of the world’s oldest wellness and healing systems. In fact, its name literally translates to “the science of life” from Sanskrit.

Perhaps the most fundamental tenet of Ayurveda is that health and wellness are intricately linked to balance: the balance of our minds, bodies and spirits. One of the ways that individuals can cultivate this balance is through an Ayurvedic diet, which is perhaps why a key Ayurvedic proverb is: “When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use; when diet is correct, medicine is of no need.”

Here’s everything you need to know about how to follow an Ayurvedic diet specific to your body type this year.

FIND YOUR DOSHA

Ayurveda believes that every body has its own unique blend of mental, physical, and spiritual characteristics, and that the key to achieving the holistic Ayurvedic balance is to find out how to make all of these characteristics work harmoniously together.

If you’re ready to plunge into an Ayurvedic diet, the first step you’ll need to take is to determine your specific dosha.

Put simply, doshas are the three primary life forces or energies that combine to make up your body and control how you feel. The three doshas are:

·       Vata – air and ether/space

·       Pitta – fire and water

·       Kapha – water and earth

You can consult a certified Ayurveda specialist to help you determine your dosha or take one of the many different quizzes online, such as here and here, to get a better understanding. Your dosha type will help illuminate your dominant mind-body state.

Once you find your dominant dosha, you can begin seeking out foods and lifestyle practices that will help keep all three of your doshas in harmonious balance and you feeling healthy. The belief is that when your doshas are imbalanced, you’re more likely to notice adverse health effects, such as irritability, poor skin, poor digestion, insomnia, anxiety and more.

KEY AYURVEDIC FOODS, DEPENDING ON YOUR DOSHA

Vata Dosha

Vata dosha types should avoid, in general:

·       most dried fruits, such as cranberries, raisins, prunes, dates, and figs

·       unripe fruits that are too astringent

·       super color foods, such as crisp salads with raw veggies

·       iced drinks.

Vata types should seek to incorporate foods that have salty, sweet, or sour flavor profiles. Additionally, because the Vata dosha is a cold and dry dosha, people with this type should eat as many nourishing, warm and pleasing foods as possible to keep their bodies in balance. Think a bowl of oatmeal with nut butter, herbal teas, creamy soups, stick-to-your-ribs stew with chickpeas and well-ripened fruits like papaya, coconut, avocados, and berries.

Pitta Dosha

Pitta dosha types should avoid, in general:

·       super pungent veggies and sour fruits, such as radish, garlic, chilies, and sour plums

·       alcoholic and fermented foods, like pickles, coffee, and vinegar-based salad dressings

·       foods with extra dairy or fat

Because the Pitta dosha is fiery, the best foods for this dosha type are cool or warm—not too steaming hot—and tend toward sweet, bitter, and astringent flavor profiles. Stick to mostly plant-based foods, like Brussels sprouts, zucchini, broccoli, bananas, figs, mangoes, oats, basmati rice, red lentils and tofu.

Kapha Dosha

Kapha dosha types should avoid, in general:

·       super sweet veggies and fruits, like sweet potatoes, melons, bananas, dates, and taro root

·       sweet and heavy carbs, like pancakes and pasta

·       soy products, like tofu and soy cheeses

·       most heavy, oily nuts

·       deep-fried foods

The best foods for the Kapha dosha are warm, dry and light, to keep the grounded nature of the dosha in balance. Veggies and fruits like asparagus, spinach, apricots and prunes are great for Kapha types, as are grains, such as barley, millet, and buckwheat. All legumes and spices are advantageous for a Kapha dosha type.

https://www.care2.com/greenliving/ayurvedic-foods-to-add-to-your-diet-this-year-according-to-your-body-type.html

Flavorful, scratch-made pot pies worth seeking out in Hayward

 By Melati CitrawirejaJan. 7, 2019, 12 p.m.

Pot pies and deli sides at Pot Pie Paradise. Photo: Melati CitrawirejaPot Pie Paradise & Deli 
3522 Arden Rd., Hayward

It’s unlikely you’ll stumble upon Pot Pie Paradise. The deli is nestled in a forgettable corporate parking lot between a marsh and Highway 92 in Hayward. But those lucky enough to happen upon this little gem often return. Inside, the diminutive Theresia Gunawan serves pot pies made from scratch and filled with flavors from all corners of the world. These are pies worth seeking out.

Gunawan’s pie oeuvre spans from the classic chicken pot pie to ones filled with Hungarian beef goulash and spicy Javanese tempeh. 

Raised in Java, Indonesia, Gunawan went on to cook her way through medical school in Munich, Germany. After nearly two decades she moved to California in 1990, but her medical credentials didn’t carry over with her, so she stayed in the kitchen.

“I closed the book and said no more medical school. I loved cooking still,” she said.

 Theresia Gunawan, owner and chef of Pot Pie Paradise. Photo: Melati Citrawireja

One night, when Gunawan was working as a chef at Mills College in Oakland, something unexpected came to her that changed everything: a fever dream about making pies. She had these types of dreams periodically, but this one felt like a premonition worth paying attention to.

Not very familiar with pot pies, Gunawan began researching and experimenting with the dish. In 2006, she offered her first pot pies at the Temescal farmers market. They sold out on the first day, so she came back the next weekend and the one after that, eventually gaining enough momentum to open the brick-and-mortar restaurant in Hayward in 2007. The restaurant is only open on weekdays for lunch, mostly serving workers at nearby businesses.

When not at the deli, you’ll still find her at the Temescal farmers market on Sundays. She’s also at the Castro Valley farmers market on Saturdays. That means Gunawan slings pies seven days a week. She said she has customers from her early days who still come to her every weekend.

The Classic Free Range Chicken pot pie. Photo: Melati Citrawireja

Customers can choose from several freshly baked pot pies to eat right away, or frozen ones to heat up for a quick meal at home. The menu boasts 40 varieties, although Gunawan prepares a daily selection of these pies for dine-in customers. Five-inch pies range between $6.50 to $8 and 10-inch pies from $25 to $30.

There are several vegetarian and vegan options, including Roasted Butternut Squash, with potatoes, soybeans and roasted gouda; Piccata Mushroom, made with a medley of shiitake, oyster and portobello mushrooms, capers, orzo and fresh herbs; and Lime Garden Curry, that features vegetables, beans and coconut milk, as well as basmati rice.

Gunawan cuts into the Indo Lamb Curry pot pie. Photo: Melati Citrawireja

Sweets lovers can try her popular Bavarian Apple pie baked with sour cream, or the Rhubarb Strawberry Pie with orange liqueur. And those who aren’t down for pie at all can opt for deli sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads.

From prepping vegetables to simmering bones for gravy to making pie dough, the process of making a pie from start to finish takes four days, but Gunawan says the work isn’t monotonous because she’s always playing with new recipes. 

Gunawan came up with the idea of opening Pot Pie Paradise in a dream. Photo: Melati Citrawireja

“The ideas never stop. It’s never boring,” Gunawan said. “You listen to your customers’ suggestions and you say ‘Why not? This could be good to put in a pie.’”

Pot Pie Paradise & Deli is open 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can also find the Pot Pie Paradise stand 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays at the Castro Valley farmers market and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sundays at the Temescal farmers market in Oakland.

---

Feast Your Eyes is a photo-driven introduction to an East Bay restaurant that’s been open for at least one year. We hope these stories will inspire you to check out these eateries for the first time, or remind you to visit again. If you have a recommendation for a restaurant we should feature, email us at nosh@berkeleyside.com.

https://www.berkeleyside.com/2019/01/07/flavorful-scratch-made-pot-pies-worth-seeking-out-in-hayward

A Different Kind of Comfort Food for an Italian Chef

Nina Clemente cooks her own version of a hearty Indian dal — instead of pasta or pizza — when she’s feeling run down.Chef Nina Clemente in her Greenwich Village apartment.CreditPaul Quitoriano

Chef Nina Clemente in her Greenwich Village apartment.CreditCreditPaul Quitoriano

By Kari Molvar

·       Jan. 7, 2019

In “One Good Meal,” we ask cooking-inclined creative people to share the story behind a favorite dish they actually make and eat at home on a regular basis — and not just when they’re trying to impress.

The chef Nina Clemente spent much of her childhood in New York City and southern Italy, but some of her earliest memories are of Chennai, India, a bustling city on the Bay of Bengal. She and her family lived there for half a year while her father, the artist Francesco Clemente, worked in the area. “I remember an insane monsoon season,” says Clemente, who was 4 during their stay. “I woke up one night and my bed was floating in the center of the living room, and all the stray cats we had taken in were gone.”

This journey to a different world heightened Clemente’s senses and stimulated her palette. Her mother — the artist, actress and costume designer Alba Clemente — would often experiment with local ingredients as she cooked a red lentil dal. “To this day,” Clemente says, the traditional Indian dish “is one of my comfort foods.”

For a comfort food fix, Clemente puts her own spin on a traditional spiced red dal that her mother used to make for the family when they were living in Chennai, India. Her modern version includes Spanish onion, garlic, makrut lime leaves and goes “super heavy” on cumin and ginger.CreditPaul Quitoriano

For a comfort food fix, Clemente puts her own spin on a traditional spiced red dal that her mother used to make for the family when they were living in Chennai, India. Her modern version includes Spanish onion, garlic, makrut lime leaves and goes “super heavy” on cumin and ginger.CreditPaul Quitoriano

It’s one that Clemente, who runs her own catering business, turns to when she’s battling a cold or just feeling run down. While her mother “made a mellow version,” Clemente goes “super heavy on the fresh grated ginger and cumin” for an extra kick. She also adds in makrut lime leaf, which lends an aromatic, floral fragrance. She finishes it off with fresh cilantro and scallion, a dollop of goat’s milk yogurt and a spoonful of mango pickle, a condiment “that I wish I could claim I made myself,” she says, “but the bottled version is the same as my childhood.”

Since relocating from Los Angeles to New York City with her partner and their five-year-old daughter in 2017, Clemente has been preparing the hearty dal regularly. “I need energy for walking everywhere,” she explains. Every now and then, she makes the dish for her father, whom she describes as the easiest dinner guest — “I put greens in a bowl and he’s like, ‘This is the best salad I’ve had in my entire life!’”

Clemente finishes off her dal with a dollop of goat’s milk yogurt, mango pickle and cilantro.CreditPaul Quitoriano

Clemente finishes off her dal with a dollop of goat’s milk yogurt, mango pickle and cilantro.CreditPaul Quitoriano

Nina Clemente’s Hearty Red Lentil Dal

Serves 4

∙ 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

∙ ½ Spanish onion, peeled and finely chopped

∙ 3 garlic cloves, finely minced

∙ 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

∙ 1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground

∙ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder 

∙ 2 fresh makrut lime leaves

∙ 1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained

∙ 3 cups water 

∙ 1 cup basmati rice, cooked

Garnish:

∙ 1 scallion, thinly sliced and stored in ice water; pat dry before using

∙ ¼ bunch cilantro

∙ ½ cup goat’s milk yogurt

Editors’ Picks

Black Male Writers for Our Time

The Itsy-Bitsy, Teenie-Weenie, Very Litigious Bikini

Cancer Pushes New York’s ‘First Girlfriend,’ Sandra Lee, Onto Political Stage

∙ Mango pickle, such as Patak’s brand

1. Heat olive oil in a medium pot over low heat.  

2. Add onion, garlic, ginger, cumin and turmeric; sweat aromatics until just translucent (do not brown).

3. Add lentils and stir to incorporate quickly, then add water.

4. Bring to a boil, turn down flame to simmer.

5. Crack the makrut lime leaves in half, add to the pot and cover.

6. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender. 

7. Remove makrut lime leaf, season with salt to taste. Top with cilantro, scallion and a dollop each of goat’s milk yogurt and mango pickle.

8. Serve with basmati rice.

Sign up for the Open Thread Newsletter

A look from across the New York Times at the forces that shape the dress codes we share, with Vanessa Friedman as your personal shopper.

SIGN UP

Kari Molvar is a freelance writer specializing in beauty, wellness and lifestyle topics. She is the founder of Rutine Matters, a website inspired by an appreciation for simple beauty rituals. @Kari_Molvar

China inches towards allowing U.S. rice sales

AGRICULTURETALK POLITICS

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net

China customs has announced it will allow imports of U.S. rice and industry leaders are waiting for the first orders. The move is part of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Protocol signed between the United States and China from July 2017.

USA Rice CEO and President Betsy Ward told Talk Business & Politics the ongoing trade war has hampered efforts to open the Chinese market after the agreement was reached. Industry leaders hope that the Chinese will buy several hundred thousand metric tons of U.S. rice, Ward said.

Officials have spent 10 years working on a deal to sell rice in the world’s most populous country with China consuming as much rice as Arkansas produces every 13 days, according to estimates.

“We are fairly optimistic the Chinese will allow rice imports,” she said. “This is potentially a huge market for us.”

China will now need to post the list of approved U.S. export mills and facilities of milled rice developed in consultation between the U.S. rice industry, United States Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and China’s Agricultural Inspection Service, according to the Agriculture Council of Arkansas. In 2017, USA Rice worked with U.S. and Chinese government officials to facilitate Chinese inspections at 10 U.S. mills and facilities interested in exporting rice to China to demonstrate their compliance with the complex U.S.-China phytosanitary protocol.

“What is still not 100% clear is whether China has published the complete list of all the U.S. facilities approved to ship to China,” said Bobby Hanks, Chair of USA Rice’s International Trade Policy Committee and a Louisiana miller. “We will be looking in the days ahead to USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative for clarification to make sure that all approved U.S. facilities are eligible. We of course are looking for the first confirmed rice sale to China.”

China’s rice imports have grown in recent years and are hovering near 5 million metric-tons.

China has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 2001, but the U.S. has been barred from selling rice there because it lacked the phytosanitary standards required by the Chinese government. Seminars will be held in China and the U.S. to educate consumers about the different kinds of American rice. Demand for export rice will be highest in coastal areas, restaurants, hotels, and high income consumers.

Arkansas farmers were projected to grow 1.4 million rice acres during the 2018 season, an uptick from 2017 when about 1.161 million acres were planted. It was 47.1% of all rice acres planted in the U.S., according to the B.R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research study issued by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Those acres accounted for 82.6 million hundredweight of rice, and it represented 46.4% of the 178.2 million hundredweight produced in the country. During the last three years, Arkansas has accounted for more than 47% of the nation’s total rice production, the report found. Per acre, farmers had a yield of 164.4 bushels per acre or 7,400 pounds. It was the third highest yield on record in the state and a 570 pound per acre uptick from 2016.

Rice is grown in 40 of Arkansas’ 75 counties and is predominately grown in the eastern section of the state. The first rice crop was grown on a single acre in Lonoke County in 1902, although there are reports of the crop in the state before the Civil War, according to historians. Rice acres steadily grew from then and by 1955 the federal government initiated a set of controls capping the number of rice acres at 500,000. Controls were lifted in the 1970s, and the number of rice acres continued to grow. The state set its all-time rice acreage record in 2010 when farmers planted 1.785 million acres.

https://talkbusiness.net/2019/01/china-inches-towards-allowing-u-s-rice-sales/

In addressing climate change, rice production needs more attention and urgent action

Rice is a cornerstone of Asia’s food security, but simultaneously a huge emitter of methane. How can the world produce rice sustainably?

A rice farmer in Thailand. The Sustainable Rice Platform, of which Olam International is a founding member of, is the world's first sustainable rice programme that is economically empowering farmers in Asia through the production of a more environmentally-friendly rice crop. Image: Nikodemus Karlsson, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Paul Nicholson

Wednesday 9 January 2019

Between record-breaking heatwaves across the northern hemisphere last summer and the close of the UN climate talks in Poland, climate change is increasingly occupying the public consciousness, with many now wanting it prioritised as a top political issue.

Our attention naturally turns to the major contributors to global warming. For most of us, transport emissions, electricity production, and increasingly livestock production immediately spring to mind. But there is a lesser known player that should be added to this line-up: rice production.

FOOD & AGRICULTURE

Experts push for sustainable standards on rice

 Read now

Why? Because rice production is one of the leading man-made contributors of methane, contributing 10 per cent of total methane emissions, as vegetation rots in water-soaked paddy fields. That is nearly as much as from landfills (11 per cent) and well ahead of coal mining (6 per cent). Put another way, rice production—all 500 million metric tonnes a year—emits as much carbon dioxide through methane emissions as the whole of Germany. Furthermore, methane is 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

This is an uncomfortable reality given that rice is the daily staple for over half of humanity, and the financial backbone for millions of rice-farming families in Asia—the world’s rice bowl. For many in the region, ‘rice is life’, as the Thai saying goes. So entangled is rice in the culture that if you walk down a street in Thailand, you will likely be greeted with “Kin khao reu yang” or “Have you eaten rice yet?”, which incidentally, if you respond “no” to, doubles up as accepting an invitation to dinner.

So there is a paradox where rice is crucial to food security yet cultivated at such large volumes in a way that contributes to the global climate crisis—we need to tip the balance in favour of people and planet.

How? Not by stopping the growing or consumption rice, but rather making its production sustainable, and reducing emissions without hurting the farmers and communities who depend on it for income and sustenance.

Feeding the world and saving the planet have to become mutual goals if we are to meet the demands of a billion extra people by 2030, while keeping global warming below the 1.5°C critical risk threshold.

As one of the world’s largest rice traders, Olam has been working with like-minded partners to re-imagine the sustainable rice supply chain. We are a founding member of the first voluntary sustainable standard for rice—the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), co-convened by UN Environment and the International Rice Research Institute.

At the heart of the SRP framework is implementing effective, easily applicable climate-smart practices—after all, rice is grown under many disparate farming systems. Done right, SRP methods can reduce methane emissions by up to 70 per cent and improve farmer livelihoods at the same time.

Together with the Thai Rice Department and German development agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), we put the SRP standard to the test in 2015, piloting the world’s first fully verified sustainable rice programme with farmers in Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani.

For these farmers, implementing SRP meant a combination of simple agronomy practices including land levelling, better inputs—such as better quality seeds and tools—proper soil management and fertiliser application, and biomass removal. Together with our partners, we provided the farmers with training and advice on implementing the agronomic practices, and guaranteed a market for the rice they produced.

Fast forward three years, and 1,500 farmers are receiving more income from higher yields, better cost management of agri-inputs, and a quality crop that carries a lighter environmental footprint. One such farmer is Kriengkrai Chanpeng from the Warin Chamrap district, who has seen yields improve 55 per cent from his harvest this year compared to last. In the neighbouring Khok Sawang district, Duangchan Witchalin doubled her profit on this year’s grains compared to last.

Now that we have a definition and proven model for sustainable rice in SRP, we need to catalyse change on a greater scale. With our partners, Olam aims to reach 150,000 farmers by 2023 in Asia and Africa, but the rice produced will need take-up. This is where retailers, namely major supermarket chains, hold the power. By using SRP as a procurement standard and engaging with stakeholders like banks and insurers to incentivise farmers who produce rice sustainably, they can lead this change and in turn, help meet this growing demand for sustainable rice.

Feeding the world and saving the planet have to become mutual goals if we are to meet the demands of a billion extra people by 2030, while keeping global warming below the 1.5°C critical risk threshold. Opening up the market for sustainable rice would be a major step towards achieving this.

Paul Nicholson is the Vice President of Rice Research and Sustainability at Olam International. This article was written exclusively for Eco-Business.

Thanks for reading to the end of this story!

We would be grateful if you would consider joining as a member of The EB Circle. This helps to keep our stories and resources free for all, and it also supports independent journalism dedicated to sustainable development. It only costs as little as S$5 a month, and you would be helping to make a big difference.

https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/in-addressing-climate-change-rice-production-needs-more-attention-and-urgent-action/

120,000 Kano rice farmers to benefit from CBN’s Anchor Borrower programme

Yesterday at 2:01 PM

The state Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu disclosed this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Kano on Tuesday.
120,000 rice farmers in Kano to benefit from CBN’s Anchor Borrower programme

No fewer than 120, 000 rice farmers in Kano State would benefit from the Federal Government’s Anchor Borrower programme for this year’s dry season farming.

The state Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu disclosed this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Kano on Tuesday.

He said already the list of the registered farmers had been forwarded to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for verification and processing of the loan facility.

He disclosed that each farmer would receive a loan package of not less than N220,000 comprising inputs and certain amount of money for payment of labour.

“About 150, 000 rice farmers registered for the programme but the number had to be reduced to 120,000 due issue of BVN.

“The list of the successful farmers have been forwarded to the Central Bank of Nigeria for immediate processing as the dry season farming activities for the commodity will soon commence,“ he said.

He advised farmers who were not able to scale through due to the issue of the BVN to exercise patience, assuring that they would be given priority during the wet season programme.

Aliyu advised those selected to make best use of the loan facility to boost rice production in the state and the country at large.

“This is an opportunity for our members to improve their socio-economic status since the federal government is committed to supporting the sector for massive food production in the country”.

He urged farmers across the country to embrace rice production so as to end importation of the commodity.

NAN recalls that no fewer than 5, 000 hectares of rice farms were destroyed by flood in 10 local government areas of the state in 2018, with farmers under the programme said to have lost over N5 billion worth of the commodity in the state. 

https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/120000-rice-farmers-in-kano-to-benefit-from-cbns-anchor-borrower-programme/e84xkff

Google Assistant Can Now Cook Rice With Instant Pot Support

By Daniel FullerJanuary 08, 2019, 3:32am

SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

The days of being embarrassed of barking orders at every electronic object in your immediate vicinity seem to be long past, if the fact that the Instant Pot Wi-Fi Smart Pressure Cooker has picked up support for Google Assistant is any indication. The Instant Pot was already one of the most versatile and user-friendly pressure cookers out there, and now it's even more user-friendly. The big reveal came at CES 2019, where Instant Pot took to the showroom floor to announce that owners of the Wi-Fi ready model, which can already be controlled with a mobile app, can now use Google Assistant to operate the appliance without having to wash the raw potroast or sticky rice from their hands first.

Background: Instant Pot's capabilities are vast already, and everything that it can do, including telling you the status of the pot and some limited information about the meal inside it, can be controlled through a companion mobile app, as well as a control panel on the front of the device. With this new integration, all of those capabilities can be accessed through Google Assistant on any enabled device that's on the same Wi-Fi network. Whether you've got a Google Home with its ears open in the next room, a Home Hub or Home Mini in the kitchen for some music while you cook, or you've trained your phone to recognize the Hey Google and OK Google hotwords, you now have hands-free control of the Instant Pot. Commands take a pass-through form, where you first specify to Assistant that the command is meant for the Instant Pot, then say what that command is, similar to Skills in Amazon's Alexa ecosystem. For example, you could say, "Hey Google, have Instant Pot cook rice", and the program would automatically adjust to the preset for rice, then run the routine. All you would have to do is put the uncooked food into the Instant Pot, then say the word.

Impact: Add cooking to the long list of tasks being made easier by voice assistants and the AI that powers them. Home automation seems to be a big area of conquest for Google Assistant and its ilk this year, so smart home enthusiasts will have a lot to look forward to. While this particular piece of news only focuses on automating a single, small part of the cooking process, it's still a bit quicker and easier than doing things any other possible way. On top of that, it's a step in the direction of those cartoonish depictions of a voice-driven future where you can simply pick your groceries and pay online, then have them stocked and cooked for you on command. Between delivery services like Google Fresh and developments like the smart fridge, we're already most of the way there. The same can be said of a number of other household tasks and everyday chores, including cleaning the floor. The fully automated systems seen in The Jetsons and the subservient human androids seen in Detroit: Becoming Human are both extremely far off, but as home automation tech takes shape, it looks like we're more likely to get the former option first, if the latter ever actually comes.

https://www.androidheadlines.com/2019/01/instant-pot-smart-wifi-gets-google-assistant-support.html

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- JAN 09, 2019

January 9,2019

Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-January 9, 2019 Nagpur, Jan 9 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices recovered in Nagpur Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) on increased demand from local millers amid thin supply from producing regions. Good rise on NCDEX in gram, upward trend in Madhya Pradesh gram prices and reported demand South-based millers also jacked up prices. About 200 bags of gram and 300 bags of tuar reported for auctions in Nagpur APMC, according to sources.

GRAM

* Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.

TUAR

* Tuar gavarani firmed up again in open market on increased seasonal demand from

local traders.

* Moong dal Chilka reported higher in open market here on good demand from local

traders amid weak arrival from producing belts.

* In Akola, Tuar New – 4,500-4,700, Tuar dal (clean) – 7,000-7,200, Udid Mogar (clean)

– 6,500-7,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 7,700-8,200, Gram – 4,300-4,400, Gram Super best

– 6,600-6,800 * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in

scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity.

Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg

FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close

Gram Auction 3,800-4,375 3,800-4,300

Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600

Tuar Auction 4,300-4,800 4,200-4,800

Moong Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200

Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500

Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800

Wheat Mill quality Auction 1,950-2,062 1,950-2,062

Gram Super Best Bold 6,700-7,000 6,700-7,000

Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.

Gram Medium Best 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200

Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a

Gram Mill Quality 4,400-4,500 4,400-4,500

Desi gram Raw 4,400-4,500 4,400-4,500

Gram Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000

Tuar Fataka Best-New 7,300-7,500 7,300-7,500

Tuar Fataka Medium-New 7,100-7,200 7,100-7,200

Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 6,600-6,800 6,600-6,800

Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 5,900-6,200 5,900-6,200

Tuar Gavarani New 4,950-5,050 4,900-5,000

Tuar Karnataka 5,100-5,200 5,100-5,200

Masoor dal best 5,200-5,400 5,200-5,400

Masoor dal medium 4,700-4,900 4,700-4,900

Masoor n.a. n.a.

Moong Mogar bold (New) 8,000-8,500 8,000-8,500

Moong Mogar Medium 6,000-7,000 6,000-7,000

Moong dal Chilka New 6,550-7,550 6,500-7,500

Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.

Moong Chamki best 7,500-8,500 7,500-8,500

Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,000-8,000 7,000-8,000

Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,500-6,500 5,500-6,500

Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,200 3,800-4,200

Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 5,550-5,650 5,500-5,600

Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,900-5,000 4,900-5,000

Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,700 5,400-5,500

Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 6,600-6,800 6,600-6,800

Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,300 2,200-2,300

Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,150 2,050-2,150

Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600

Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,650 2,500-2,650

Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,400 2,300-2,400

Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.

MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,600-4,000 3,600-4,000

MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-3,000 2,600-3,000

Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200

Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,200-3,800 3,200-3,800

Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-3,000 2,600-3,000

Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000

Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,750 2,600-2,750

Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600

Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,400 4,000-4,400

Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,500-3,900 3,500-3,900

Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,200-5,500 5,200-5,500

Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000

Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 9,500-14,000 9,500-14,000

Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 4,800-7,000 4,800-7,000

Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,600-7,000 6,800-7,300

Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,200-6,500 6,500-6,700

Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550

Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR) Maximum temp. 26.7 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 7.1 degree Celsius Rainfall : Nil FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be around 27 degree Celsius and 8 degree Celsius. Note: n.a.—not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market prices)

https://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain/nagpur-foodgrain-prices-open-jan-09-2019-idINL3N1Z92MX

120,000 Kano rice farmers to benefit from CBN’s Anchor Borrower programme

Yesterday at 2:01 PM

The state Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu disclosed this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Kano on Tuesday.
120,000 rice farmers in Kano to benefit from CBN’s Anchor Borrower programme

No fewer than 120, 000 rice farmers in Kano State would benefit from the Federal Government’s Anchor Borrower programme for this year’s dry season farming.

The state Chairman of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu disclosed this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Kano on Tuesday.

He said already the list of the registered farmers had been forwarded to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for verification and processing of the loan facility.

He disclosed that each farmer would receive a loan package of not less than N220,000 comprising inputs and certain amount of money for payment of labour.

“About 150, 000 rice farmers registered for the programme but the number had to be reduced to 120,000 due issue of BVN.

“The list of the successful farmers have been forwarded to the Central Bank of Nigeria for immediate processing as the dry season farming activities for the commodity will soon commence,“ he said.

He advised farmers who were not able to scale through due to the issue of the BVN to exercise patience, assuring that they would be given priority during the wet season programme.

Aliyu advised those selected to make best use of the loan facility to boost rice production in the state and the country at large.

“This is an opportunity for our members to improve their socio-economic status since the federal government is committed to supporting the sector for massive food production in the country”.

He urged farmers across the country to embrace rice production so as to end importation of the commodity.

NAN recalls that no fewer than 5, 000 hectares of rice farms were destroyed by flood in 10 local government areas of the state in 2018, with farmers under the programme said to have lost over N5 billion worth of the commodity in the state. 

https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/120000-rice-farmers-in-kano-to-benefit-from-cbns-anchor-borrower-programme/e84xkff

Haiti - Taiwan : $22 million for increased rice seed production

08/01/2019 09:44:51

             

On Monday Jobert C. Angrand the Minister of Agriculture, Bocchit Edmond, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador Tsai-Chiu Hwang of Taiwan (Republic of China) signed a cooperation agreement for the execution of two projects aimed at increased supply of rice seeds in the Artibonite Valley and in the rice plains of the North and North-East departments.

This agreement, worthing more than 22 million US dollars (22,825,000), provides each department with a modern Rice Seed Treatment Center. The goal is to produce 20,000 tons of rice seed to increase this production in the country. The agreement stipulates that Taiwan will provide the Government of Haiti with technical assistance for the production of quality seeds, the management of the Quality Control Laboratory, the purchase of equipment and the construction and maintenance of these infrastructures. These two projects will increase the supply of quality seeds in the Artibonite Valley and in the North and Northeast Rice Plains over a three-year period starting this month.According to Minister Angrand, conditioning facilities are already under construction at Ferrier, Estère and Torbeck.

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26606-haiti-taiwan-$22-million-for-increased-rice-seed-production.html

Huawei denies rumors of cooperation on rice business

2019-01-09 09:08:09Global TimesEditor : Li Yan

Huawei Technologies Co on Tuesday denied media reports that the telecom giant had reached an agreement with a top scientist in China to develop "sea rice," saying it has never had any plans to grow rice.Huawei is "focused on developing [information and communications technologies] capabilities to enable clients to undertake digital transformation and won't enter into sectors which it's not good at and is not experienced in," the company said in a statement sent to the Global Times.

Earlier media reports had reported that Huawei had reached an agreement with renowned agriculturalist Yuan Longping, China's father of hybrid rice, to develop "sea rice" that can grow on saline-alkali soil.

A report on news website ifeng.com claimed that Huawei's technology is expected to help transform 1.5 billion mu (100 million hectares) of China's saline land into 100 million mu of arable farmland. The transformation could yield as much as 30 billion more kilograms of grains every year, it said.

The core technology of "sea rice" involves breeding new varieties of rice and adjusting soil and crops, Huawei's rotating chairman Ken Hu said, according to the report. The technology is based on a system of "internet of Things for elements" and is achieved through "digitalizing lands," the report said.

But Huawei said in its Tuesday statement that it has never released any information regarding such a deal, but it noted that it has contributed to "smart agriculture" using its technologies.

"Sea rice," which is developed by Yuan, refers to saline-alkali tolerant rice which can grow in saltwater and is also resistant to diseases and pests.

http://www.ecns.cn/business/2019-01-09/detail-ifzcitha9952692.shtml

Soon all Kisan Mandis to have machine to dry up moisture from rice remove dust

Kolkata: State Agriculture and Food and Supplies department have decided to install an advanced machine at all the Kisan Mandis run by the state government to dry up moisture in rice and remove the dust particles from the grains to save farmers from being hoodwinked by the rice mill owners. State Agriculture minister Asish Banerjee and Food and Supplies minister Jyotipriya Mallick will hold a high-level meeting with senior officials of their departments at Khadya Bhawan on January 10 to lay out a comprehensive strategy and roadmap to ensure that the paddy farmers get the price as fixed by the state government. It has been alleged that the go-down owners or Arotdars often force the farmers to believe that huge amounts of moisture and dust particles are found in the grains. This happens only because there is no proper machine that can dry up the moisture and separate the dust from rice and other food grains. This practice often leads to a huge loss for the cultivators. Keeping this in view, the Agriculture and Food and Supplies departments have come up with an idea of installing machines at Kisan Mandis so that the farmers get proper price for their produce.

 The new machines will be installed at the Kisan Mandis where the farmers can separate the moisture of rice, isolate the dust from grains and get adequate price for their produce. The machine will also help them to weigh their produce before selling them. It may be mentioned that both the departments have started distributing cheques among the farmers in all the districts and there has been a huge response so far.

Following the instructions of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, both the departments have already started a crackdown on the middlemen who have been causing difficulties in the procurement of paddy from the farmers. Banerjee expressed her concern over the middlemen menace during her recent meeting at Nabanna in December and issued necessary instructions in this regard. Both the Agriculture and Food and Supplies Department have started a massive crackdown on the middlemen in all the districts to iron out the earlier practice that had been prevailing in the state so far. The Chief Minister also reiterated the position of her government saying that they wanted to procure directly from the farmers thereby increasing the target of the overall paddy procurement in the state.

http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/soon-all-kisan-mandis-to-have-machine-to-dry-up-moisture-from-rice-remove-dust-335276

Crop Protection in Africa: BASF Investing in Emerging Markets

BASF is implementing an ambitious strategy in Africa, driven by local presence as it pursues growth in the continent.Apart from Tanzania, BASF has also opened offices in Zambia and Ivory Coast and also has a local presence in Ethiopia and Kenya.The latest moves have been the opening of a new office in Tanzania, a development that came just a few months after BASF commissioned a production plant in the country. Until recently the company that began doing business in Africa about 90 years ago — focusing on the key industries of construction, textiles, automotive, agriculture, plastics, and healthcare — had largely relied on local partners. “At BASF we have a strong belief in local presence.

Our investment in Tanzania is a clear signal that BASF is taking the East African region as a potential growth area,” Mats Idvall, BASF Tanzania’s Managing Director, says. He adds that BASF’s growth strategy in Africa will succeed through investment in local production and use of locally available resources to ensure sustainable growth. For BASF the decision to pursue a local presence strategy as opposed to regional clusters is strategic. With a portfolio that ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, and crop protection solutions to oil and gas, the company believes local presence will enable it to reach more customers.

Although Africa’s influence in the company’s overall performance is rather small, the continent forms an important component in its emerging market growth strategy, taking into account that emerging markets are expected to account for around 65% of global chemical production by 2025. “We aim to benefit from the above-average growth in these regions, which is why we have invested more than a quarter of our capital expenditures there in the past five years,” the company stated in its 2017 financial report.

 Considering that most African countries have put in place policies to accelerate growth of key sectors, such as agriculture, manufacturing, building, and construction, while in some countries oil, gas, and mining are emerging as a critical sector, BASF is investing in increasing its presence on the continent to serve its customers more efficiently and effectively. In Tanzania, BASF is already active in the agrichemicals and construction chemicals divisions. In the construction chemicals division it operates admixtures for a concrete plant, which is run through a tolling agreement with a local partner. The company intends to explore opportunities in areas like mining, industrial, and domestic cleaning, food fortification, insulation, human and animal nutrition, and fuel and lubricants. “The opening of an office in Tanzania is a clear signal that BASF understands that, to have long-term success, there is need for collaboration with

Tanzanians,” Idvall says.

 One area that BASF will be seeking to deepen collaboration is in agriculture, one of the strongest pillars of Tanzania’s economy. Currently, the company is engaged in the supply of agrichemicals products for farmers in the maize, cereals, soybean, rice, bean, and coffee sub-sectors through appointed distributors. In order to reach more farmers, BASF works with non-governmental organizations like Nafaka through their agro-dealer programs and also trains farmers on the safe use of pesticides. For instance, the company has participated in the spray service provider programs in which trained sprayer teams are engaged by farmers to do farm spraying on behalf of small holder farmers. Through these initiatives, that company wants to push growth of its crop protection solutions in a country where use of agrichemicals by farmers is among the lowest.

Although the agricultural sector in Tanzania accounts for about 30% of the gross domestic product, the majority of small-scale farmers are stuck in organic farming, which has limited the potential of the sector, which accounts for about 80% of export revenue. This is evident considering that in 2016 Tanzania tallied $640 million from horticulture exports compared to $990 million that Kenya generated. “BASF will continue to work with the various governments and industry stakeholders to enable us to respond to industry challenges,” Idvall says. He adds the company believes in partnerships that will help meet local demand and make customers more successful while it grows its business.

This will be achieved by replicating the Kenyan model launched in January in which BASF targeted more farmers with the opening of a new warehouse in Nairobi and the appointment of more distributors. The model, dubbed “Angaza,” which means “to light up” in Swahili, ensures that farmers have access to sustainable solutions for optimum yields as it enables BASF to expand its reach to even more small holder farmers and respond effectively to market demands at various touch points.

https://www.agribusinessglobal.com/markets/africa-middle-east/crop-protection-in-africa-basf-investing-in-emerging-markets/

Gov’t Shutdown Delays USDA Crop Reports

TOM1 day ago Comments Offon Gov’t Shutdown Delays USDA Crop Reports

 Statewide Iowa — Iowa farmers will NOT be seeing some USDA crop reports that would normally be released at this time of year.

USDA Chief Economist Rob Johansson says the reports that were set to be released on January 11th will be delayed because of the partial government shutdown.
Audio Player

The delayed documents include the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, or WASDE, crop production reports, grain stocks, and rice stocks. According to Johansson, it will take about a week to release the reports once funding resumes.
Audio Player

http://kiwaradio.com/local-news/govt-shutdown-delays-usda-crop-reports/

Soc Trang: Organic rice cultivation yields good results

VNA TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2019 - 16:40:00

 Farmers get higher profit when switching to organic rice cultivation. (Photo: VNA)

Soc Trang (VNA) – Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang have got higher profits since they switched to organic rice cultivation.

Lucrative ST24, one of the world’s top three varieties, has been chosen to be planted in a total area of 90 hectares in My Xuyen and Tran De districts and Nga Nam town.

Among farmers growing the organic rice variety in the locality, Nguyen Ngoc Trieu, in Ward 1, Nga Nam town, said that he grew two ST24 crops each year, and followed strict requirements of organic agriculture, including no use of chemicals, compound fertiliser and genetically modified breeding, careful tracking of the farming, and having organic cultivation certificate, among others.

His 1.5-hectare rice field yielded up to 5 tonnes per hectare, and Trieu pocketed more than 30 million VND (1,300 USD) each crop, doubling the amount he got when cultivating rice with traditional method.

Ho Quang Tri, a local entrepreneur, has developed an ST24 rice production area on more than 40 hectares in My Xuyen and Thanh Tri districts and Nga Nam town. Particularly, his farms are certified to meet US and European standards, and this is an important move for the province to form and branch out organic agriculture.

In 2018, Soc Trang province grew 351,800 hectares of rice, including 177,500 hectares of specialty rice, with an output of 1.05 million tonnes.In the context of global integration, organic rice production is an inevitable trend as food safety and hygiene is among the overriding priorities. Besides, organic cultivation helps promote sustainable agriculture while affirming the quality of Soc Trang rice in both domestic and foreign markets.-VNA

https://en.vietnamplus.vn/soc-trang-organic-rice-cultivation-yields-good-results/144805.vnp

2018: Vietnam’s agriculture growth hits record high in seven years

Tuesday, 2019-01-08 12:42:42

Vietnam earns approximately US$40.02 billion from agro-forestry and fishery exports in 2018.

NDO – The expanded export market, the export revenues hitting record high with US$40.02 billion, and the promotion of domestic consumption are the bright spots of Vietnam’s agricultural sector throughout 2018, which also witnessed the highest agricultural growth rate over the past seven years.

GDP of agriculture, forestry and fishery highest in seven years According to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the major aggregate targets of the agricultural sector in 2018 exceeded the whole-year plan and were higher than that of the previous year. Specifically, the gross domestic product (GDP) of agriculture, forestry and fishery expanded by 3.76% to reach the highest level in the last seven years, while the production value increased by 3.86%. Forest coverage hit 41.65%. The export revenues of the sector stood at US$40.02 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of US$8.72 billion. The 10 commodity groups with export turnover of over US$1 billion continued to be maintained, of which five items posted a revenue of more than US$3 billion, including wood and wood products (US$8.86 billion), shrimp (US$3.59 billion), fruit and vegetable (US$3.81 billion), coffee (US$3.46 billion) and cashew nuts (US$3.43 billion). The production structure continued to be adjusted in a more appropriate and effectively fashion, in association with the market demand. There appeared many models of vegetable, flower and fruit production applying high technology and organic technologies, bringing about an income five times higher than rice production. The value of crop production increased by 2.52%, higher than the set target (2.5%). In the field of animal husbandry, some livestock products were initially exported, such as frozen pork to Myanmar through official channels, and chicken meat to Japan. The livestock production value surged by 3.98%, higher than the set target (2.1%). The fisheries sector reaped continuous success in 2018, with the total output reaching 7.74 million tonnes, up 6.1%, of which the proportion of high value products increased sharply, with shrimp hitting approx. 800,000 tonnes, up 7.1%, and tra fish (pangasius) at around 1.426 million tonnes, up 11.1%. The forestry sector has cleared the international market for the exports of timber and forest products, as Vietnam and the European Union (EU) officially signed the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT). The value of forestry production expanded by 6.1%. The capabilities of the agriculture-forestry-fishery processing industry continued to be strengthened towards intensive processing. In 2018, there were 16 modern vegetable, pork, and poultry processing factories put into operation across the country with a total investment of about VND8.7 trillion (US$374.1 million). The consumption market for agricultural products was expanded, with the exports reaching a new record and the domestic consumption boosted. The sector paid due attention to removing difficulties and obstacles in terms of the market, especially the in major markets and regarding the products such as beef and milk into Malaysia; pork, chicken and eggs into Singapore; pork, milk, seafood and rice into China; chicken meat into Japan; frozen pork into Myanmar; star apple into the United States; rambutan into New Zealand; and lemons into the EU. Difficulties remain Addressing a recent conference to review the sector’s performance in 2018 and deploy tasks for 2019, MARD Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong stated that despite multiple bright spots in last year’s agriculture picture, there remain numerous challenges to Vietnam’s agricultural and rural area development. Specifically, the consumption market is increasingly fluctuating with potential risks, while the capabilities of forecasting supply and demand are still limited, with the “rescue” of pork being a profound lesson. The issue of removing the European Commission’s “yellow card” against Vietnam’s fishing has yet to be definitively addressed, alongside the other issues, including the adverse prices of industrial crops, the potential outbreak of epidemics on plants and animals, and food safety management. Proposing some directions for the new year 2019, Cuong said that the agricultural sector will strive to build smart agriculture with international integration and climate change adaptation, in addition to increasing the added value and facilitating sustainable development, associated with building prosperous and civilised new-style rural areas. Specifically, in 2019, the whole sector strives to achieve a GDP growth rate of over 3%, an increase of over 3.11% in the production value, an export turnover of about US$42-43 billion, and a forest coverage rate of over 41.85%. In order to achieve the set goals, MARD will continue to restructure the sector and boost production and processing, develop the consumption market for farm produce, and promote sustainable growth. Accordingly, the field of cultivation strives to achieve a production value growth of 1.75-1.78% and a minimal export revenue of US$20.5 billion. The livestock area strives to attain a production value increase of 3.95-4.15%. The fishery sector targets a 4.25-4.69% surge in production value and an export turnover of US$10.5 billion. The forestry sector targets forest coverage of over 41.85%, alongside a production value rise of more than 6% and an export turnover of US$10.5 billion. Furthermore, the ministry will develop the consumption market across the country as well as the export markets, actively implement trade promotion, effectively tap into the opportunities of free trade agreements (FTAs), improve the quality of market analysis and forecast, especially the key markets, and focus on negotiating and removing barriers to the exports of agricultural products. Efforts will also be made to boost consumption in the domestic market, while forecasting and developing plans to support the timely consumption of farm produce for the people. Agricultural sector must evoke national aspirations Speaking at the conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highly appreciated the efforts made by the entire agricultural sector. He asked the sector to evoke the aspirations of the nation and strive to enter the group of 15 largest agricultural nations in the world in ten years’ time. Vietnam must become a wood processing centre of the world and one of the top shrimp producers globally, he said, insisting that the agricultural growth in 2019 must reach at least 3%, while agricultural exports hit approximately US$43 billion. The Government leader asked for more drastic agricultural restructuring, including the national flagship products and local specialties, in addition to analysing and researching new markets, and building the Vietnamese brand from rice, shrimp, and fish. He also urged for strengthening the application of science and technology, artificial intelligence and Big Data in agricultural development, the processing industry and farm produce preservation, while carrying on with the building of new-style rural areas, with an emphasis put on the criteria of income and improving people’s lives.

http://en.nhandan.org.vn/business/item/7035502-2018-vietnam%E2%80%99s-agriculture-growth-hits-record-high-in-seven-years.html

Record rice procurement on the cards

By Parshant Krar, ET Bureau|

Jan 09, 2019, 08.43 AM IST

After a sluggish beginning, paddy procurement picked up in UP in the last few week.Chandigarh: Record procurement of rice is on the cards in India for the federal food security this season as arrivals have jumped in states where Assembly polls were held recently. While procurement has marginally trailed this year in traditional states like Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, the pre-poll announcement of bonus has bolstered arrival of paddy in Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

Rice procurement this season crossed 263 lakh tonnes as of Friday compared to 254 lakh tonnes in the last year till January 2018.

“Rice procurement is higher than last year so far and it may turn out to be a record high if the trend reflects in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal where procurement lasts till June,” SP Kar, adviser, Food Corporation of India told ET.

After a sluggish beginning, paddy procurement picked up in UP in the last few weeks as the state relaxed procurement norms. The state allowed up to 35 per cent of hybrid paddy in overall procurement.

“Procurement has picked as Uttar Pradesh government has announced various relaxations including 3 per cent higher Out Turn Ratio for hybrid paddy,” a senior official of Uttar Pradesh food and supplies department said.

Agencies could slap Official Secrets Act on Michel for leaking classified information

By Raghav Ohri, ET Bureau|

Jan 07, 2019, 07.32 AM IST

The agencies are also looking into the alleged involvement of the son of a senior Congress leader in “arranging” the flow of kickbacks for the chopper deal, ET has learnt.The agencies probing the VVIP helicopter scam are likely to slap charges under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) on the alleged middleman in the deal, Christian Michel, people with direct knowledge of the matter told ET. The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have gathered details of classified information that Michel had allegedly shared with executives of AgustaWestland and other foreign entities, to swing the deal in favour of the British helicopter manufacturer, they said. Michel, a UK national, has been in the custody of CBI and ED since he was brought to India from Dubai on December 4, until Saturday when he was remanded in judicial custody. During questioning, he was confronted with several hundreds of despatches allegedly by him to the then chief executive of AgustaWestland, Giuseppe Orsi, and others giving highly confidential information pertaining to internal Cabinet discussions, meetings of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and the movement of files related to the deal.

Michel has not disputed the authenticity of most of the despatches, the people told ET. However, in a bid to distance himself from the documents, on certain instances Michel claimed that he “merely authored” the posts and that the classified information was provided to him by a “team” employed by Agusta-Westland. He also tried to pin the blame on Guido Ralph Haschke, another alleged middleman and accomplice of Michel. However, the agencies have punctured the claims by confronting him with documents and details of the meetings he held with other co-accused to arrange kickbacks and fix the deal, the people added.

Having quizzed Michel for 28 days, CBI and Enforcement Directorate are finalising a list of “suspects” to be examined on the basis of his testimonies. Michel is claimed to have acknowledged the receipt of money from AgustaWestland by his two companies.

Also, Michel has admitted to “distributing” the money to several influential individuals to win the chopper deal in favour of Agusta-Westland, said the people.

However, Michel has not given details of all the beneficiaries who the agencies allege were given kickbacks to secure the deal. His lawyer had refused to comment on the case.

In what may spell further trouble for Michel, agencies claim to have detected inflow of large amounts of money into his companies located abroad. These were paid allegedly to fix other transactions — CBI and ED suspect that he acted as an agent for defence deals other than the VVIP chopper contract.

The agencies are also looking into the alleged involvement of the son of a senior Congress leader in “arranging” the flow of kickbacks for the chopper deal, ET has learnt.

During questioning, Michel was made to write his answers in his own handwriting with a footnote that he was making the statement without any duress. The list of his “contact persons” in India — allegedly passed on to him by his father Wolfgang in 1996, and which included the name ‘Mrs Gandhi’ — is written in Michel’s handwriting, said people cited above.

Alleged links of a basmati rice exporting company, KRBL, to the helicopter deal are also being pursued by the probe agencies. The company had denied the allegation.

A co-accused in the case, advocate Gautam Khaitan, was an independent director of the company from 2007 to 2013. As per ED, “proceeds of crime” were laundered through a former KRBL subsidiary, Rawasi Al Khaleej General Trading.

ED in its chargesheet, filed last June, said top executives of KRBL, discussed “the dealings of Gautam Khaitan with M/s KRBL” and disclosed “his offer for commission amounting to .`15 crore without providing any services”. Denying any wrongdoing, KRBL had said it had nothing to do with the chopper deal. The company, last June, said neither proceeds of crime were received by it nor were it laundered any money.

Rice exports hit target last year

• 8 Jan 2019 at 13:07
• WRITER: ONLINE REPORTERS

Thailand exported 11.13 million tonnes of rice worth US$5.62 billion in 2018, but exports will drop this year, according to the Foreign Trade Department.

Director-general Adul Chotinisakorn said on Tuesday that last year's rice exports were worth 180.41 billion baht, met the target and helped raise local paddy prices and farm incomes.
He expected exports would drop slightly this year. The department would try to increase the export value and encourage farmers to grow quality rice and high-demand rice.
The global economic slowdown could affect purchasing power and rice from other countries was cheaper than Thai rice, Mr Adul said. However, he believed that the quality of Thai rice and its price remained competitive in global markets.
This year, the department would launch marketing campaigns in major buying countries in Asia, particularly Hong Kong, Singapore, China, the Philippines and Indonesia, he said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1607478/rice-exports-hit-target-last-year

Wholesale prices of Oils, Sugar, Commodities in APMC

Bengaluru, Jan 7 (UNI) Following were the wholesale prices in the Bengaluru APMC
here on Monday.

OIL (per 10 kg) :
Groundnut 1250-1350
Coconut 3300-3500
Gingely 1500-1800
Castor 1100-1300
Sunflower 1250-1350
Butter 4500-5500
Ghee 4400-4800
SUGAR: (per quintal) Rs 3500-3800
COMMODITIES: (per quintal)
Rice Basumati 7300-14600
Sona Fine 5000-5600
Medium (Old) 4100-4500
(New) 3300-3400
Coarse 2400-2800
Ragi Fine 2800-3000
Medium 2300-2600
Jower 2200-2600
Wheat Bansi 2200-2600
Jower (Bijapur) 3400-4300
Wheat Atta 2100-2400
Maida 2250-2750
Soji (W) 2800-3000
Soji Bansi 2700-3000
Jaggery 4100-4200
Corriander 6500-12500
Chilly (Byadgi) 15000-18000
Guntur 10000-11500
Potato 1300-2000
Onion 800-1400
Tamarind 8500-12000
Garlic 2000-3200
Coconut (1000) 10000-25000
Horse Gram 3600-4000
Green Gram 6400-7600
Green Peas 6800-7000
Wheat 2400-3100
Turmeric 8400-13300
Soyabeans 4500-4700
Jeera 19000-24000
Poppy Seeds 42000-44000
Maize (Popcorn) 3500-4500
Ginger 3000-5500
Bengal Gram 5800-6400
Avare 4000-5000
Tur Dhal 6300-7800
Green Gram Dhal 7300-7700
Black Gram Dhal 5800-10000
Avare Dhal 5200-6000
Bengal Gram Dhal 5800-6500
Mustard 5200-5800
Gingly (White) 12000-15000
Gingly (Black) 10500-12500
Groundnut 5100-5200
Maize 1600-2000
Bajra 2000-2400
Groundnut Seed 9500-10000
Copra 15500-17000
Cowpea 4500-5000
Soapnut 4300-5500
Paddy 2700-2900
Cashewnut 80000-92000
Pepper 37000-42000
Areknut 35000-37000
Black Gram 5800-7200.

http://www.uniindia.com/wholesale-prices-of-oils-sugar-commodities-in-apmc/business-economy/news/1460341.html