11/4/2016 Farm
Bureau Market Report
Rice
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High
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Low
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Long Grain Cash Bids
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- - -
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- - -
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Long Grain New Crop
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- - -
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- - -
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Futures:
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Rice Comment
Rice futures
were higher again today. January has found support at the contract low of $9.60
for the time being. USDA announced this week the final marketing year average
price of $11.10/cwt for long grain rice, meaning rice farmers will receive a
PLC payment of $2.90/cwt on their rice. The southern medium/short grain rice
marketing year average price was set at $11.20/cwt, resulting in a $2.80/cwt
payment for eligible medium/short grain acreage.
Pyay rice
farmers crushed by falling prices
Eleven on Fri,
11/04/2016 - 17:11
Wai Lin (Pyi)
Farmers are harvesting the monsoon paddy in Pyi Township
Farmers in Pyay District of
west Bago Region say that they cannot afford to pay off the government's
agricultural loans because of falling rice prices and low demand. Despite the start
of monsoon paddy harvest, the farmers are facing difficulties such as significantly
falling paddy prices, low market demand and difficult harvesting and the drying of the
harvested paddy due to untimely
rainfall. They said current
paddy prices could not cover expenses for agricultural inputs so they would
find it difficult to repay the loans.
"What is worst is that the
same time last year, we got a price of Ks500,000 to Ks600,000 for 100 baskets
of paddy and
then the prices gradually decreased to Ks450,000 at the lowest level. We have
to spend about Ks400,000 growing about 100 baskets of paddy. But now, the
price is just
Ks300,000. So
we are making a loss. We need more money to grow further crops. If that price
remains, we
won't be able to grow rice in the coming years," said farmer Ohn Myint from Zitaw
village. Other farmers said the price was
around Ks350,000 per 100 baskets. Currently, China is
suspending purchase
of rice while exporting low quality rice to Myanmar. Rice millers in
Pyay District called on the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and
Industry to act, as it had in previous years.
http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/local/6454
Anand warns
Civil Supplies staff to shun malpractices or face axe
The Civil Supplies Commissioner C V Anand has warned the staff,
who was addicted to corruption, that consequences would be very serious if
employees failed to restrain from malpractices. Speaking at a meeting held in Corporation office here on Friday
with district managers and technical staff, Anand announced that four employees
MSA Saleem (Karimnagar), J Bhasker Reddy (Nalgonda), V Venkat Ramana (Khammam)
and A Balreddy working in Quality Control wing on temporary basis, were removed
from services on the charges of corruption. He warned that stringent action,
including removal from service, would be initiated against those who do not
change their attitude. He had a detailed discussion at the meeting over the
purchase of paddy.
Informing that he was having the entire list of those who were
resorting to malpractices and joining hands with some rice millers, the Commissioner
said the government would not hesitate to sack corrupt staff whoever they may
be. He regretted to have not observed any change in the attitude of employees,
including district managers even after two months after his taking charge as
Commissioner. He said he was satisfied with the results after series of
meetings with rice millers. Stating that he was aware of the percentage
collections of technical staff and was having the reports from Vigilance and
Intelligence officers, he asked them to restrain from malpractices at least
from now onwards.
Stressing the need of bringing a radical change in the department,
the Commissioner reminded that Civil Supplies Corporation was playing a key
role in the government. “Past is past. I will not allow any action that brings
bad name to the government. Do not try to kill the department, I will not spare
anyone whoever they may be, and whatever rank they hold”, he said in metallic
tone.
Anand, mentioning that farmers were unhappy over the payments to
their produce, asked the staff to take all possible steps to help the farmers
in paddy purchasing centers, including early payments. He asked them to bring
the reasons for delay in online payments to the notice of head office
immediately to set right. Assuring to solve the shortage of staff problem, he
said technical and accounting staff would be recruited through outsourcing at
the earliest. He also said he would consider paying additional allowance to
those who were holding responsibilities of two districts. (NSS)
http://www.siasat.com/news/anand-warns-civil-supplies-staff-shun-malpractices-face-axe-1057847/
Fighting for food
self-sufficiency
Jumat, 4 November 2016 15:42 WIB | 471 Views
Pewarta: Andi Abdussalam
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi,
right) chat with the Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman (center) and
Minister for Rural Development Lagging and Transmigration Eko Putro Sandjojo
(left) to commemorate World Food Day in area under rice cultivation in
Tanjungsari, Banyudono, Boyolali, Central Java, on Saturday (Oct. 29, 2016).
(ANTARA/Aloysius Jarot Nugroho)
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - As an
agriculture country, Indonesia was once self-sufficient in the production of
rice, the staple food for its people of 250 million, but now it is importing
some of the commodity and is struggling to regain its past glory in rice
production.Through the Ministry of Agriculture, the government has continued to
improve regulations deemed to have been impeding Indonesias efforts to regain
its self-sufficiency in rice production.
"We are improving all regulations, which are seen to be hindering the pace towards achieving self-sufficiency in food production," Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said on the sidelines of a function held to observe the 36th World Food Day in Boyolali, Central Java, on Friday last week (Oct. 28).So far, all procurements such as the procurement of high-bred seeds and fertilizers should be carried out through tenders so that efforts to increase food production are often made late.
According to the Agriculture Minister, Indonesia has been hit by the El Nino and La Nina weather phenomenon for two consecutive years. The challenges faced in 2015 were extraordinary and the heaviest ones along the history of Indonesia with an intensity of 2.44 percent.The same phenomenon also affected the country in the 1997-1998 with an intensity of only 1.9 percent at the time, but Indonesia was forced to import 12 million tons of rice.
"With hard work, we have been able to pass the heaviest season over the past two years and imported only 1.9 million tons of rice. We hope will no longer face the same problem in 2017," said Minister Amran.Even, now the government has two million tons of rice stock, which is adequate to meet the need for the commodity up to May next year. Moreover, in March, the rice harvest season will begin so that rice stocks are adequate.
In addition, all regional governments across the country have been asked to increase their regions rice production with assistance provided by the central government. If they fail to increase production, the assistance will not be provided in the following year.In order to regain the countrys glorious food production, the government has overhauled various regulations in the food sector and repaired damaged rice infrastructure, which reached three million hectares. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has asked the minister to finish the job in three years but the Minister of Agriculture said his side has been trying to accomplish it in one year.
The government is also improving the distribution of fertilizers and has taken action against those who distribute fake or mixed fertilizers, which disadvantage farmers."Self-sufficiency in food can be achieved through efforts to modernize agriculture, while in parallel we improve regulations and infrastructure. We have to work hard to boost production and control export and imports. Organic agriculture is very attractive and prices could increase ten times and that could improve the welfare of the farmers," he said.
The government has also distributed some 160 thousand units of agricultural machine tools to the regions. This is intended to cut production costs from Rp2 million per hectare to Rp1 million.This year, Indonesia has planned to open up 200 thousand hectares of new rice fields. The plan to increase the acreage under rice farms in the country by 200 thousand hectares is expected to help the government achieve its target of unhusked rice production of Rp76 million tons.
By increasing the acreage of the countrys rice fields by 200 thousand hectares, the rice farms in Indonesia will cover about 9.0 million hectares.As a country where rice is a staple food, Indonesia must always have adequate rice stocks, particularly in the face of two extreme dry and rainy seasons. During the rainy season, thousands of hectares of rice could be damaged while during the drought, thousands of hectares of paddy fields could also fail to produce any harvest.
On an average, the domestic need for rice in Indonesia is predicted to reach about 30 million tons per annum.President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said Indonesia should be able to compete with other countries in the food, energy and water sectors."I should say that the competition among countries today has become really tough," Jokowi stated on the sidelines of the 36th World Food Day (HPS) 2016 celebrations at the Office Complex Square of the Boyolali Regional Government last weekend.
According to the President Jokowi, Indonesia, with its 17 thousand islands and fertile soil, should start preparing, planning for and anticipating the development in food sector. If the people worked hard to improve production, Indonesia will no longer have to import food commodities.
Jokowi believed that with a consistent approach, the country would no longer have to import foods such as maize by 2018.Despite the fact that Indonesia is a big country with fertile lands, it has not been able to become self-sufficient in food. That means something is wrong. "Clearly, if such is the scenario, we need to improve. We are confident that Indonesia can be self-reliant in food in the future," the president underlined.As of now, the government has assured that it would not import rice until the end of 2016 as there was sufficient supply of rice."I can assure there will be no rice imports until the end of this year. I said last year that supply during the September-October period was only 1.030 million tons but now it has reached 1.980 million tons," Jokowi disclosed while inspecting the rice harvest in the village of Trayu in Boyolali, Central Java.
"We are improving all regulations, which are seen to be hindering the pace towards achieving self-sufficiency in food production," Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman said on the sidelines of a function held to observe the 36th World Food Day in Boyolali, Central Java, on Friday last week (Oct. 28).So far, all procurements such as the procurement of high-bred seeds and fertilizers should be carried out through tenders so that efforts to increase food production are often made late.
According to the Agriculture Minister, Indonesia has been hit by the El Nino and La Nina weather phenomenon for two consecutive years. The challenges faced in 2015 were extraordinary and the heaviest ones along the history of Indonesia with an intensity of 2.44 percent.The same phenomenon also affected the country in the 1997-1998 with an intensity of only 1.9 percent at the time, but Indonesia was forced to import 12 million tons of rice.
"With hard work, we have been able to pass the heaviest season over the past two years and imported only 1.9 million tons of rice. We hope will no longer face the same problem in 2017," said Minister Amran.Even, now the government has two million tons of rice stock, which is adequate to meet the need for the commodity up to May next year. Moreover, in March, the rice harvest season will begin so that rice stocks are adequate.
In addition, all regional governments across the country have been asked to increase their regions rice production with assistance provided by the central government. If they fail to increase production, the assistance will not be provided in the following year.In order to regain the countrys glorious food production, the government has overhauled various regulations in the food sector and repaired damaged rice infrastructure, which reached three million hectares. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has asked the minister to finish the job in three years but the Minister of Agriculture said his side has been trying to accomplish it in one year.
The government is also improving the distribution of fertilizers and has taken action against those who distribute fake or mixed fertilizers, which disadvantage farmers."Self-sufficiency in food can be achieved through efforts to modernize agriculture, while in parallel we improve regulations and infrastructure. We have to work hard to boost production and control export and imports. Organic agriculture is very attractive and prices could increase ten times and that could improve the welfare of the farmers," he said.
The government has also distributed some 160 thousand units of agricultural machine tools to the regions. This is intended to cut production costs from Rp2 million per hectare to Rp1 million.This year, Indonesia has planned to open up 200 thousand hectares of new rice fields. The plan to increase the acreage under rice farms in the country by 200 thousand hectares is expected to help the government achieve its target of unhusked rice production of Rp76 million tons.
By increasing the acreage of the countrys rice fields by 200 thousand hectares, the rice farms in Indonesia will cover about 9.0 million hectares.As a country where rice is a staple food, Indonesia must always have adequate rice stocks, particularly in the face of two extreme dry and rainy seasons. During the rainy season, thousands of hectares of rice could be damaged while during the drought, thousands of hectares of paddy fields could also fail to produce any harvest.
On an average, the domestic need for rice in Indonesia is predicted to reach about 30 million tons per annum.President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said Indonesia should be able to compete with other countries in the food, energy and water sectors."I should say that the competition among countries today has become really tough," Jokowi stated on the sidelines of the 36th World Food Day (HPS) 2016 celebrations at the Office Complex Square of the Boyolali Regional Government last weekend.
According to the President Jokowi, Indonesia, with its 17 thousand islands and fertile soil, should start preparing, planning for and anticipating the development in food sector. If the people worked hard to improve production, Indonesia will no longer have to import food commodities.
Jokowi believed that with a consistent approach, the country would no longer have to import foods such as maize by 2018.Despite the fact that Indonesia is a big country with fertile lands, it has not been able to become self-sufficient in food. That means something is wrong. "Clearly, if such is the scenario, we need to improve. We are confident that Indonesia can be self-reliant in food in the future," the president underlined.As of now, the government has assured that it would not import rice until the end of 2016 as there was sufficient supply of rice."I can assure there will be no rice imports until the end of this year. I said last year that supply during the September-October period was only 1.030 million tons but now it has reached 1.980 million tons," Jokowi disclosed while inspecting the rice harvest in the village of Trayu in Boyolali, Central Java.
Calculations made by the Ministry of Agriculture had found that the per capita consumption of rice in Indonesia is 124 kilograms per annum. So the government based its rice production target on the basis of a per capita consumption of 124 kilograms.With a population of 250 million, the domestic need of the people for rice reaches some 31 million tons.However, following a joint assessment conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) and the Ministry of Trade some time ago, it was found that Indonesias per capita consumption of rice is only 114 kilograms per annum.So, based on this figure of 114 kilograms, the domestic need is pegged at only about 28.5 million tons.Thus, if the target of 76 million tons of unhusked rice production is achieved this year, Indonesia will be able to become self-sufficient in rice production.
(T.A014/INE/KR-BSR)
http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/107575/fighting-for-food-self-sufficiency
The Rice Debate: Why Nigeria Can’t Meet Local Rice
Production Demand
By Stanley Nkwazema
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Since the rice and cement Armada of the early
80s when the late Alhaji Umaru Dikko was Minister under the regime of Alhaji
Shehu Usman Shagari democratically elected government which encouraged importation of several shiploads of rice from
the United States and Brazil, to meet the short fall, there have been several
claims and counter claims on the quantity of rice consumed by Nigerians, the
quantity imported and the quantity produced locally by the established farms
and subsistent farmers in the country.
The claims are however getting more interesting
following inconsistencies and policy reversal
on the duties to be paid on the imported ones and incentives thereafter
for the local producers. In this case the subsistent, semi and well established
farms.While many – from different strata of the society have fallen in love
with the local brand of rice to the extent of patronising it as a staple food,
others will never have anything to do with the home grown species and qualities
for several reasons. They will rather prefer the foreign brands for its
peculiar taste and fine grain, others just love it for the status associated
with consuming the foreign brands. They have now graduated to the basmati brand
which is believed to be better for people diagnosed with sugar problems as it
is believed to be low in carbohydrate. Rice is one of the staples in the
country and could be found in the homes of the higher class, the middle-income
earner and the downtrodden. This is basically why every policy or decision taken
by government on the importation or tax on rice affects all homes.
Interestingly, Nigeria is the world’s second
and Africa’s largest importer of rice and over the years, the country has
depended so much on imports to fill the local supply gap which arose due to
inability of local producers to meet demand. Though rice is a staple food for
Nigerians, transitional government policies on importation and high processing
costs due to infrastructure challenges have failed to foster a condusive
environment for local rice production to thrive.The consumption of rice in
Nigeria has grown rapidly over the past decade and is currently at an all-time
high of 7 million Metric Tonnes. More so, only 2.7 million MT is produced by
the farmers in Nigeria, which presently leaves a gap of 4.3 million MT to be
cushioned by importing it into the country. This clearly means that we have
only 49 per cent self sufficiency ratio.
At this rate, there is a per capita consumption
rate of 27 kilogrammes at $460 per metric tonne.Rice represents that staple
food which falls on the same level of carbohydrate in the class of Garri, corn,
yam, across all social strata of the Nigerian society. The Preferred variety is
parboiled which is mostly sourced from imports. Rice consumption forecast to grow
at minimum of 5% per annum.According to available industry reports, local
production of the commodity fluctuated between 2,400 to 3,600 in the last five
years, while imports have grown from 4,800 to 5,850, within the same period ,in
geometric projections.
However, since 2011, without capturing informal
estimates of cross border trade on the same product from Benin Republic and in
some cases Togo, imports have exceeded local production making up over 50% of
consumption..Out of the 36 Nigerian states plus the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT), only about eight states , Benue,
Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Nassarawa and Anambra farm heavily on the
product. Since 2011, imports have exceeded local production making up over 50%
of consumption. Informal cross border imports from Benin Republic not captured
in formal imports estimates.Within local production, eight of 36 Nigerian
states contribute over 50% of the local production: Benue, Kaduna, Kano,
Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba. Nasarawa, Anambra and Taraba states produce over 50%
of the product it claims.
Even as Olam Intergrated $120million
rice farm and Mill in Ondorie, Nasarawa State is the acclaimed leader in
the production of rice in Nigeria with over 10,000 hectares fully irrigated
farm, Anambra State claims that the large industrial farms in the state have
pushed local rice production within its territory from 90,000 metric tons to
210,000 metric tons. At this rate, we shall soon surpass the 320,000 metric
tons we consume in Anambra State per annum. This could be verified by the
authorities as a landmark achievement.Conversely, Nigeria imports mostly from
Brazil, Thailand, India, Vietnam and USA to meet the 4.3 million metric tonnes
shortfall valued at over N365 billion to meet the annual demand which stands at
7 million MT.
The Vice President and Head of Government
Relations in Olam, Ade Adefeko, who in a chat, gave a candid insight into the
rice palaver after a chat with THISDAY, explained that there were no shortcuts
to solve the problem.Adefeko, who is also the Chairman of the Export Group of
Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry NACCIMA, noted that
the rice industry was huge but bedevilled with several challenges which was
surmountable.On the issue of value chain of processing, production and end use,
he stated that inadequate irrigation leads to highly volatile productivity
levels while low levels of farming technologies – mostly rudimentary for
subsistence farming, hamper yields due to the inability of farmers to mitigate impact of weeds, insects
and birds.
With the aforementioned , Adefeko disclosed
that limited processing capacity would actually
exist, with mill processors generating substandard output due to poor
quality control practices, poor drying and sorting techniques and power failures which lead to high cost of
production.For the end-users, the cost is now passed through several middlemen,
squeezing margins for retailers, and perceived high quality of imports leads
consumers to shun local produce while the Open market is mostly dominated by
the retail channel.Interestingly, Olam located 265 km south east of Abuja on
the banks of the River Niger, commenced business in 2011, with an initial
investment of N25 billion. The company presently cultivates 4,450 out of 9,479
hectares, employing 1,044 regular and 450 seasonal farmers out of which 959 are
from the local communities. The farm is expected to yield 10 MT per hectare
(over two annual crop cycles), based on four varieties of high-yield rice
tested with the West African Rice Development Association. With 4,040 hectares
already under cultivation, a further 3,000 hectares on target for 2016/17, up
to 1,000 workers are employed on the farm depending on seasonality
About 4,000 farmers including 500 women are
currently engaged in the programme, with a target of 16,000 by 2018, ultimately
supplying 30-40% of the mill’s capacity. In 2014, the company introduced seed
of high yield variety and evenly distributed to 888 farmers involving 990 Ha.
Olam collects rice in four warehouses, controls quality and hires transport to
factory.In the current farming season, 4,000 farmers have been mobilised to
produce one of the best qualities of rice that can compete with imported
products in the domestic market – creating high-end rice from Nigeria, and for
Nigerians
Scalability of the nucleus model is
significant, and it is hoped that other players will replicate the success of
Olam’s rice farm to further enhance Nigerian food securityAgain, in other to help farming communities thrive
and commit to the next generation through, the company is providing school
buildings, materials and scholarships for students and connecting communities
through development of 54km of roads between surrounding villages. It also
ensures access to clean water and electricity through provision of boreholes
and solar lamps.
Unarguably, the biggest player for now, many
believe that Nigeria will need more companies in the mould of Olam to achieve
local production needs and sustainability. After a recent observation of the
Olam trend, which typically has embodied the traditional inclusion and bettered
itAdefeko, who spoke with THISDAY in Abuja, is however advising against taking
a hasty decision on the issue without commensurate plans to bridge the wide
gap. “Government wants to ban rice importation by 2017 and wheat by 2018. How
do they want to take care of the gap that has been in existence and will
further widen? You do not take care of
policy issues by political fiat or by electoral cycles of four years. It might
cause a major food crisis. There must be a rethink on this issue if we want to
avoid serious problems because rice is a staple food consumed by all.
He warned that the ban could be detrimental to
the nation’s economy as smugglers will feed fat on the porosity of the nation’s
borders and enrich their pockets. “The truth is that there will be plenty sides
to the ban. The revenue will drop. Few will benefit by smuggling in the product
because of the porosity of our borders.”
Again “before we can do that we need to
stimulate the local production and marketing of the product. Many still feel
imported rice is still the best. But our soil is better conditioned to produce
nutritious rice. Our mills are also improving. But you don’t encourage them by
an outriht ban.
To the NACCIMA export group head, four years
are just too short. “it will be near impossible to sail”.A case in point, Paddy
Costs is currently about N175,000 per
tonne , up from N120,000. This will translate to rice being produced and sold
at round N14,500 to N15,500.However,
the Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonanya Onu, while confirming
that the country spends over N365 billion annually on the importation of rice
,reiterated Federal Government’s focus on food security, saying Nigeria had no
business importing food. ”It is
lamentable that, the country is spending over N1 billion daily, on importing
rice, for instance. Its time every Nigerian takes agriculture more seriously,
adding that Nigeria must feed Nigerians. There is no reason Nigerians will go
to bed at night on an empty stomach,” he insisted while pleading that more
needed to be done to realise the lofty dreams for a stable and prosperous
nation in food self sufficiency.
Onu said “even as many believe that before we
talk of banning rice importation, we must increase our local rice productivity
level to avoid food scarcity in the future. All hands must be on deck to
support PMB’s economy diversification to agriculture, because this will create
jobs and food sufficiency.Although it seems the Federal Government has already
concluded plans to suspend importation of the country by 2017. But in conflict
with the plan for 2017 that the policy would not be enforced until it has
developed local industries to produce maximally for local consumption
The Zamfara State Governor and Chairman of
Nigerian Governors Forum, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, had recently after a joint
meeting with the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, the Governor, Central Bank of
Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele and permanent secretaries of federal
ministries stated that with the emerging political will power of the present
government and the availability of arable land, Nigeria can sustain itself with
rice production.
“The meeting was on the new policy on
agriculture and food sustainability. We discussed how we can boost rice
production in Nigeria and start thinking about how we are going to put policy
in place on how rice importation will be banned in the country. We have the
potential. We have the human resources. We have the arable land to grow rice.
In the next two years, we will not need to bring rice from outside Nigeria. We
are going to ban it. It is only in Nigeria, a country of millions of people,
that there is no food security. We discussed the policy with the relevant
permanent secretaries and CBN governor.
“The policy is going to be in place and we gave
our commitment that we are ready to support the government policy in ensuring
that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in food production in the next two years.
Nigeria is currently a major importer of rice. Now, the political will is in
place to stop it. We in about nine states are going to be seriously engaged in
massive rice production. We are hoping that in the next two years, rice
importation into Nigeria will be banned. We are committed and the political
will is in place,” Yari said.
It would be recalled that the Bank of Industry
(BOI) had shortly before the present administration came into office disclosed
that it is working with the Ministry of Agriculture on a N13 billion Rice
Intervention Fund for the establishment of 10 integrated rice mills and six
cassava mills across the country. The Bank explained that the objective of the
Federal Government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda is not only to increase
crop production, but also to create value-added food processing industries as a
means of reducing food imports. But that project we gathered may have gone the
way of others and yet the problem lingers.The truth, however, is that having
rice mills all over the the country without the concomitant rice farms is like
to putting the cart before the horse
http://www.nigeriatoday.ng/2016/11/the-rice-debate-why-nigeria-cant-meet-local-rice-production-demand/
APEDA AgriExchange Newsletter - Volume 1591
|
Market Watch
|
||||
|
Commodity-wise, Market-wise Daily Price on 01-11-2016
|
||||
|
Domestic Prices
|
Unit Price : Rs per Qty
|
|||
|
Product
|
Market Center
|
Variety
|
Min Price
|
Max Price
|
|
Rice
|
||||
|
1
|
Dibrugarh (Assam)
|
Common
|
2200
|
2300
|
|
2
|
Manjeri (Kerala)
|
Other
|
3000
|
3900
|
|
3
|
Bonai (Orissa)
|
Other
|
2200
|
2500
|
|
Wheat
|
||||
|
1
|
Bonai (Orissa)
|
Other
|
1525
|
1800
|
|
2
|
Umarkhed (Maharashtra)
|
Other
|
1500
|
1600
|
|
3
|
Dibrugarh (Assam)
|
Other
|
2350
|
2450
|
|
Guava
|
||||
|
1
|
Bariwala (Punjab)
|
Other
|
1700
|
1700
|
|
2
|
Shillong (Meghalaya)
|
Other
|
2800
|
3200
|
|
3
|
Pune (Maharashtra)
|
Other
|
2000
|
3000
|
|
Cauliflower
|
||||
|
1
|
Koraput (Orissa)
|
Other
|
1600
|
1800
|
|
2
|
Chittorgarh (Rajasthan)
|
Other
|
2500
|
3000
|
|
3
|
Barnala (Punjab)
|
Other
|
2000
|
2500
|
|
Source:agmarknet.nic.in
|
||||
USA Rice Once Again Participates in the Havana
International Fair (FIHAV)
By Sarah Moran
HAVANA, CUBA - This week, USA Rice exhibited at
the 34th annual Havana International Fair (FIHAV). The USA Rice delegation was led by Ernesto
Baron and Ana Vettorazzi, USA Rice representatives for the region, and Dr.
Michael (MO) Way from Texas A&M. In
addition to meeting with several hundred attendees, USA Rice also held meetings
with delegates from ALIMPORT (the Cuban Import Company), the National Institute
of Agricultural Sciences, and from Grupo Empresarial Agricola-GAD (Agriculture
Enterprise Group).
ALIMPORT informed USA Rice that they have
always had a good impression of U.S. origin rice quality and would like to once
again be able to import from the United States, but that the main barrier to
trade remains the lack of ability to negotiate credit terms/financing with U.S.
companies. Currently Cuba imports around 80 percent of their rice from Vietnam,
Brazil, and Uruguay. These purchases
enjoy 100 percent credit with terms averaging 120-180 days.
National Institute of Agricultural Sciences
representatives discussed current rice production challenges in Cuba and
opportunities, and said they are looking forward to developing research and
educational programs with U.S. research institutions for the benefit of rice
industries in both countries. Top among the research opportunities they
identified were chemical and biological pest/disease management practices and
water use.
Discussions with the Agriculture Enterprise
Group centered on USA Rice's proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). They expressed great interest in the MOU and
delivered a counter proposal for USA Rice to consider. "We are excited to
be a part of the positive steps between Cuba and the U.S.," said USA Rice
President & CEO Betsy Ward. "We
look forward to working with our colleagues Ambassador Cabañas RodrÃguez and
Minister Counselor Ruben Ramos Arrieta at the Cuban Embassy to develop a meaningful
and helpful MOU for our rice industries."
USA Rice Identifies Trade Obstacles for USTR
By Kristen Dayton
ARLINGTON, VA -- Last week, USA Rice submitted
its comments for the 2017 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade
Barriers (NTE), an annual report issued by the Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative (USTR). Published in the
first quarter of each year, the NTE is a summary of significant foreign trade
barriers facing U.S. exports and is instrumental in USTR's negotiations to
eliminate such barriers.
Obstacles abound
The USA Rice submission identified the EU's
tariff regime and biotechnology regulation; phytosanitary issues in Colombia
and Turkey; domestic price supports in India and Thailand; and various import
policies in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan as significant obstacles for the U.S. rice
industry.
"Given the recent action the
Administration took with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against domestic
price supports in China, it is crucial to continue beating the drum on unfair
trade practices," said USA Rice COO Bob Cummings. "Many other countries have policies
which ignore their WTO violations, thus distorting global trade, and the U.S.
rice industry is suffering for it. Our
submission makes it clear where we are facing the most egregious barriers to
trade."
USA Rice's NTE comments were issued in response
to a notice in the Federal Register.
Ousted Thai Leader Likens Failed Rice-Subsidy
Program to Junta’s Current Policy
Yingluck Shinawatra says there is little difference between her plan
and the government’s policy
By WILAWAN WATCHARASAKWET
NOPPARAT
CHAICHALEARMMONGKOL
BANGKOK—Thailand’s former Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said Friday that she sees little differ
http://www.wsj.com/articles/ousted-thai-leader-yingluck-shinawatra-likens-her-failed-rice-subsidy-program-to-governments-policy-1478245363
3 secrets to perfectly cooked
sticky rice
Use this
foolproof technique and this fragrant staple side dish will be perfect, every
time.
Kristen
Eppich
Rice
(Photo, iStock.)
Cooking rice properly is a learned skill. You
may think you have it down, but perfectly cooked rice is something that
requires technique — and believe me, you’ll notice the difference.I learned how
to cook different types of rice from friends and cooking school. By trial and
error, the only consistent thing about my results was a total lack of
consistency. Short-grain rice is more challenging to cook as it is more
glutinous than other varieties of rice (like long-grain and basmati) giving
them a ‘sticky rice’ texture that’s perfect in Asian dishes such as Japanese
sushi and Korean bibimbap. Cook it too long, and it gets mushy;
not long enough, and it gets stuck in your teeth. As such, it requires some
skill to get it just right.
After attending a cooking class hosted by
Chef Sang Kim (formerly of Wind Up Bird Café and Yakatori Bar), I’ve made this
rice four times and it has worked every time.
Here are some of his pro tips. (Note: Chef Kim also recommends investing in a
rice cooker, which is inexpensive and reliable.)
1. Measure the amount of short grain rice you
would like to cook. Wash the rice 3 to 4 times. Cover the rice by 1
inch of water and let it soak for 10 minutes (precisely).
2. Drain
and transfer the soaked rice to a pot with a good pinch of salt. Add enough
water that when you place your hand flat on the surface of the rice, the water
covers your fingers and stops at your knuckles. (If you are using a rice
cooker, set the cooker and you’re done here. When it’s done, unplug the
appliance and leave covered until you’re ready to use it.)
3. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low.
Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat.
Fluff with a fork and let sit in the pot, covered, until ready to use.
Originally
published May 2nd, 2014. Updated November 2016
Thailand's junta and ousted
PM Yingluck seek rice farmers' support ahead of 2017 election
"The military government's latest rice measures are no different from the rice pledging policy (of my government)," Yingluck told reporters outside a Bangkok court on Friday.The military overthrew Yingluck in 2014, charging her government with corruption. She is currently in court fighting charges of criminal negligence over her government's rice subsidy scheme which paid farmers above-market rates rice.Critics say the scheme, which helped sweep her to power in 2011, hemorrhaged billions of dollars. Last month authorities fined Yingluck 35 billion baht ($1.00 billion) over her government's rice scheme.
Thailand is the world's second-largest rice exporter.Yingluck cannot run in the 2017 election because the junta banned her from politics for five years but that hasn't stopped her from making a series of cross-country trips that her team says are aimed at keeping her in the public eye.For more than a decade, Thailand has been rocked by clashes between supporters of Yingluck and her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, and those who back the royalist-military establishment.
On Thursday, Yingluck visited rice farmers in the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani. Thailand's rice farmers have traditionally supported the Shinawatra family."Low rice prices are a truth and a burden for the people which should be a burden for, and the responsibility of, every government," Chayika Wongnapachant, Yingluck's niece and aide, wrote on Twitter, along with photographs of a tearful Yingluck next to farmers in Ubon Ratchathani.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd warned the former premier not to use farmers for political gain. "I believe people will be uncomfortable with the fact farmers' problems are being used as a political tool," Sansern said.
Manas Kitprasert, head of the Thai Rice Millers Association, resigned on Thursday after Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said this week that rice millers and politicians were colluding to drive down rice prices for political reasons.Manas denied the accusations.(Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Aukkarapon Niyomyat; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Michael Perry)
Myanmar Rice Exports
Decrease
HANOI, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- Myanmar exported over
559,649 tonnes of rice in the first seven months of the 2016-2017 fiscal year
(from April 2016 to March 2017), a reduction of 200,000 tonnes year-on-year,
according to the country's Ministry of Commerce.Vietnam News Agency (VNA)
reports that about 80 per cent of Myanmar's rice exports went to China, mostly
through the trade border.
Meanwhile, rice price is descending in the domestic market as the harvesting season comes.Myanmar can compete with other regional countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, India and Pakistan in rice exports despite lack of technology.At present, the Myanmar government is encouraging farmers to raise productivity and boost rice export.Myanmar shipped 767,753 tonnes of rice in the 2015-2016 fiscal year.
-- BERNAMA
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/wn/newsworld.php?id=1298923
BJP MLC urges State to bring
down rice price
The paddy procurement system should be improved making it a win-win situation
to farmers and consumers, BJP national executive member and MLC Somu Veerraju
has demanded.While the minimum support price for coarse and fine varieties of
paddy was Rs. 950 and Rs. 1100 respectively, consumers were buying a kg at
Rs.40 and Rs.50, he said.Instead farmers should be paid Rs.1200 and Rs.1500 for
the varieties and after de-husking paddy, rice should be sold by the government
directly to consumers at Rs.30 and Rs.35, he said.
This
would result in farmers getting a better price and also prevent lakhs of
families spending more on rice, the staple diet in the State, Mr. Veerraju
said. The Civil Supplies, Marketing and Vigilance wings should be utilised to
achieve the goal, he said. Rather than input subsidy, paying higher price would
benefit farmers, he said.He also took exception to liquor being sold at higher
rates. Besides, timings of opening and closing of shops was not followed. On
liquor a higher price of up to Rs.30 was being collected and the poor were
ending up spending more money, he said.
BJP MLC urges State to bring down rice price
The paddy procurement system should be improved making it a win-win situation
to farmers and consumers, BJP national executive member and MLC Somu Veerraju
has demanded.While the minimum support price for coarse and fine varieties of
paddy was Rs. 950 and Rs. 1100 respectively, consumers were buying a kg at
Rs.40 and Rs.50, he said.Instead farmers should be paid Rs.1200 and Rs.1500 for
the varieties and after de-husking paddy, rice should be sold by the government
directly to consumers at Rs.30 and Rs.35, he said.
This
would result in farmers getting a better price and also prevent lakhs of
families spending more on rice, the staple diet in the State, Mr. Veerraju
said. The Civil Supplies, Marketing and Vigilance wings should be utilised to
achieve the goal, he said. Rather than input subsidy, paying higher price would
benefit farmers, he said.He also took exception to liquor being sold at higher
rates. Besides, timings of opening and closing of shops was not followed. On
liquor a higher price of up to Rs.30 was being collected and the poor were
ending up spending more money, he said.
Nigeria’s rice policy crashes
global exports – Minister
- In NIGERIA
- Christabel Japheth-Gyang
Audu Ogbeh
The event was jointly organised by the ministry,
the United Nations Development Programme and the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk
Sharing for Agricultural Lending in Minna, Niger State.Ogbe said government was
ready to maintain a stable policy in rice business in order to reduce
post-harvest losses in the country’s production.He said: “We are now rice
sufficient in the country. By 2017, Nigeria will be self-sufficient in rice
production. We are getting close, as there is improvement on what we have been
getting before. This will boost our economy.
“The ban on rice importation by the Federal
Government remains as there is currently surplus across the country.“This means
there is result and it shows that the farmers and all government’s policies are
aiding agriculture produce.”The agric minister further disclosed that the bulk
of the rice consumed in the country was imported and had over the years exerted
undue pressure on the country’s scarce foreign exchange. He said:
“This, of course, was the result of our inability to produce sufficient paddy
rice to meet the demand of processors.
“But the strategic implementation of the
programme would lead to an increased availability of domestic agroinputs
supply, enhance production and reduce post-harvest losses, support the private
sector and create market linkages.”
Reports showed that farmers in Chai National
province in Thailand have started putting up “for sale” signs on their farmland
amid plummeting rice prices. The decisions came after they could no longer
shoulder losses and needed cash to repay bank loans.Also, exports to many
markets have dropped as rice exports fell 21.2 per cent in quantity and 16.9
per cent in value compared to the previous year.However, average rice exports
in the first nine months of the year managed to fetch $449/ton, up 4.8 per cent
yearon- year.
The decline in consumption can be traced back
to a decrease in imports from many markets.China, Vietnam’s biggest customer,
only imported 1.35 million tons (equal to $613.8 million), down 23 per cent in
quantity and 13.9 per cent in value year-on-year.Vietnam also suffered from a
drop in rice export values from other countries such as the Philippines (47.8
per cent), Malaysia (47.4 per cent), Singapore (34.6 per cent), the U.S. (32
per cent), the Ivory Coast (25.2 per cent) and Hong Kong (11.4 per cent).
https://www.today.ng/news/nigeria/209477/nigerias-rice-policy-crashes-global-exports-minister
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open-
Nov 04
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices - Open Market-November 4
Nagpur, Nov 4 Desi gram raw prices showed weak tendency in open market on lack of
demand from local traders amid high moisture content arrival. Release of stock from stockists
and easy condition in Madhya Pradesh gram prices also affected sentiment, according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand from local traders
amid ample stock in ready position.
* Moong varieties declined in open market here on poor demand from local traders
amid increased arrival from producing belt.
* In Akola, Tuar New - 6,300-6,400, Tuar dal (clean) - 10,800-11,700, Udid -
9,700-10,000, Udid Mogar (clean) - 11,400-11,700, Moong -
6,100-6,300, Moong Mogar (clean) 6,800-7,200, Gram - 9,000-9,500,
Gram Super best bold - 12,400-12,700 for 100 kg.
* Wheat, rice and other commodities moved in a narrow range in scattered deals,
settled at last levels.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction n.a. 6,000-8,600
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction n.a. 5,400-6,000
Moong Auction n.a. 6,400-6,600
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,600-2,800
Gram Super Best Bold 12,600-13,100 12,600-13,100
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 11,900-12,200 11,900-12,200
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 10,300-10,600 10,300-10,600
Desi gram Raw 9,900-10,100 10,000-10,200
Gram Yellow 13,400-13,800 13,400-13,800
Gram Kabuli 13,800-15,100 13,800-15,100
Gram Pink 13,100-13,600 13,100-13,600
Tuar Fataka Best-New 11,500-12,000 11,500-12,000
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 10,900-11,200 10,900-11,200
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 9,500-10,200 9,500-10,200
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 8,500-9,000 8,500-9,000
Tuar Gavarani New 6,700-6,800 6,700-6,800
Tuar Karnataka 6,800-6,950 6,800-6,950
Tuar Black 11,900-12,400 11,900-12,400
Masoor dal best 6,400-6,500 6,400-6,500
Masoor dal medium 6,000-6,200 6,000-6,200
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 6,600-7,000 6,700-7,100
Moong Mogar Medium 6,100-6,400 6,200-6,500
Moong dal Chilka 6,000-6,200 6,100-6,300
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 6,400-7,000 6,400-7,000
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 11,000-12,100 11,000-12,100
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 9,500-10,500 9,500-10,500
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 7,300-7,600 7,300-7,600
Batri dal (100 INR/KG) 6,300-6,700 6,300-6,700
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,700-4,900 4,600-4,800
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 2,800-2,900 2,800-2,900
Watana White (100 INR/KG) 3,400-3,600 3,400-3,600
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 4,000-4,500 4,000-4,500
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,050 1,950-2,050
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 1,750-1,950 1,750-1,950
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,250-2,450 2,250-2,450
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 1,950-2,250 1,950-2,250
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-4,000 3,300-4,000
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-3,000 2,400-3,000
Rice BPT best New(100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,250 2,800-3,250
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,300-2,650 2,300-2,650
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,500 2,200-2,500
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,450 2,100-2,450
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 1,800-2,000 1,800-2,000
Rice HMT best New (100 INR/KG) 3,450-3,800 3,450-3,800
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,600-3,000 2,600-3,000
Rice Shriram best New(100 INR/KG) 4,200-4,500 4,200-4,500
Rice Shriram med New(100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,100 3,800-4,100
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 8,700-13,300 9,000-13,500
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,300-7,800 6,500-8,000
Rice Chinnor best New(100 INR/KG) 5,300-5,600 5,300-5,600
Rice Chinnor med. New (100 INR/KG) 4,900-5,100 4,900-5,100
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,200 1,900-2,200
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 1,700-1,850 1,700-1,850
WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 32.0 degree Celsius (89.6 degree Fahrenheit), minimum temp.
15.6 degree Celsius (60.1 degree Fahrenheit)
Humidity: Highest - n.a., lowest - n.a.
Rainfall : Nil
FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around and 32 and 16
degree Celsius respectively.
Note: n.a.--not available (For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, butincluded in market prices
http://in.reuters.com/article/nagpur-foodgrain-idINL4N1D5313
Prayut
slams rice-buying publicity stunts
Grower found
hanged as price pressure rises
- 5 Nov 2016 at 08:20 0 viewed14 comments
- NEWSPAPER
SECTION: NEWS
| WRITER: POST
REPORTERS
- +
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha
has warned politicians against exploiting the slump in rice prices for
political gain, by buying grain from farmers and publicising it.
The warning came after former prime minister
Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday visited the northeastern provinces of Ubon
Ratchathani and Surin, where she bought rice from farmers despairing over
falling prices.Ms Yingluck on Friday invited people via her Facebook postings to buy the grain she had bought in front of Fashion Island Shopping Mall on Ram Intra Road at 4pm today.
The rice will be sold at 20 baht a kilo, the same price at which she bought it from the growers.
Meanwhile, the price slump has taken its toll on farmers, with one grower from Phichit, 43-year-old Supakit Panplaek, found dead hanging from a tree. His relatives believe he committed suicide because of stress over falling paddy prices.
One of his relatives, Nithat Panplaek, said the slump in rice prices and a huge debt of almost one million baht were the possible reasons for Mr Supakit taking his own life.
Gen Prayut said politicians can buy rice from farmers, but "they must really intend to do so, not only to try to boost their image".
The government has rolled out a rice-subsidy scheme of 13,000 baht per tonne for Hom Mali paddy to help farmers suffering from the price slump.
Of the 13,000 baht, 9,500 baht will be paid to farmers to store their paddy, while the rest covers other costs, including maintenance and storage.
It is intended that farmers redeem their rice within five months of joining the scheme
The prime minister said the government's subsidy programme will not be detrimental to the market rice mechanism, adding the media should not distort the facts.
He said the government is looking for ways to fix the rice trade.
Some 30 executive committee members of the Thai Rice Millers Association, including the organisation's president, Manas Kitprasert, stepped down on Thursday following criticism that millers were behind the recent drop in rice prices.
This came after Gen Prayut earlier blamed rice mill operators and some local politicians for manipulating rice prices and causing the price plunge.
Gen Prayut said he did not want the executives to step down because it would take time to appoint new ones.
The government sometimes obtains information and needs the association to explain the facts, the premier added.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Ms Yingluck's buying rice from farmers in the Northeast would be accepted by society if she was willing to help farmers without a hidden agenda and was not attempting to seek a political boost.
If the former prime minister wanted to seek headlines or tried to cover up her alleged wrongdoings and charges in relation to her rice-pledging scheme, members of the public may feel unease that politicians were using farmers' woes to seek political benefits, he said.
Responding to scepticism over her recent northeastern visits to buy rice from farmers, Ms Yingluck said yesterday she did so as a Thai citizen who feels sympathy for growers, insisting her visits were not politically motivated.
Referring to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon's call for her to buy all grain from farmers to help them, the former premier said: "If I was in office, I would do so. But I am now only an ordinary person so I will do as much as I can."
Ms Yingluck was speaking as she arrived at the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders, where she was due to attend a hearing on the dereliction of duty charges against her in connection with her government's rice scheme, which was said to have incurred more than 500 billion baht in losses.
Meanwhile, a group of farmers who travelled in three coaches from Ubon Ratchathani yesterday went to the court to give moral support to Ms Yingluck.
Yingluck
tries to figure out rice policy differences
- 4 Nov 2016 at 17:43 8,699 viewed21 comments
- WRITER:
ONLINE REPORTERS
- +
As Yingluck Shinawatra is
battling in court over the debt-ridden rice-pledging scheme, the former prime
minister is pondering the differences between what the government is doing and
what her administration has done.
Ms Yingluck said on Friday that the storage pledging
scheme carried out by the government was based on the same principle as her
party's policy when she was in power.Both were aimed at helping farmers with no hidden agenda to reap benefits from rice growers, she said before entering the Supreme Court to fight a negligence charge over the rice scheme.
Ms Yingluck has been fighting the charge in the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions. The Office of the Attorney General indicted her for causing damage estimated at 536 billion baht to the country after she ignored warnings from several state agencies.
As rice prices are plunging, the Prayut Chan-o-cha government on Tuesday introduced a storage pledging scheme to help farmers. In addition to price pledging, the policy covers financial aid on harvesting, crop improvements and storage costs.
Ms Yingluck was again in social media limelight on Thursday after pictures of her in tears while buying rice from farmers during her visit to Ubon Ratchathani made the round.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon sarcastically reacted on the same day, suggesting her to buy rice from farmers all over the country if she really wanted to help them.
The former PM on Friday cautiously averted a war of words. "If I were in the government, I would do that. But since I'm only an ordinary citizen now, I'll do the best I can to help them."
The former prime minister denied the entire scene was staged to drum up public sympathy at a time when she is fighting to clear her name in court.
"I was touched by the spirits of the farmers. They got nothing to eat nor money to spend. Yet they came forward to show me their support," she said, when asked whether her crying in Ubon Ratchathani was a "drama".
Farmers from the northeastern province underlined their support for her on Friday by coming to Bangkok in three busloads to greet her at the courthouse.
After hearing prosecution witnesses, the court has been hearing defence witnesses for six weeks on Friday, when former deputy prime minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong was scheduled to take the stand.
But Mr Kittiratt, also a former finance minister, asked the nine-judge panel through his lawyer for a deferral as his mother was seriously ill.
The court approved his request and will later set the date to hear Mr Kittiratt.
On Nov 18, former cabinet secretary-general Ampon Kittiampon and former deputy finance minister Thanusak Lek-uthai are scheduled to take the stand.
Seawater rice expected to boost China's grain harvest in 5
years
11/4/2016
Asia News Network (ANN)
Asia News Network (ANN)
Yuan, best known as the country's "father of hybrid rice", has
set his eye on his next trophy — a seawater rice for full commercial production
in five years.
By that time, a rice strain grown by his research team is expected to
yield up to 4.5 metric tons per hectare — around 60 percent of the yield from
regular paddies, Yuan said.
If the potential is fully utilized, Yuan said, China can reap an
additional 50 million metric tons of grain per year, enough to feed 200 million
people.
Although wild rice that is potentially resistant to diseases and does
not need fertilizer is known to grow in briny swamps, such rice has never been
turned into a commercial crop.
China has plenty of saline-alkaline wasteland that could be put to use
when the country's arable land is sparse, Yuan said. More than 13 million
hectares of such wasteland in the country is suitable for seawater rice
farming, he added.
Under Yuan's direction, a sea rice research center will be built in
Licang district of Qingdao, Shandong province, where his team will use
molecular breeding technologies to develop a sea rice strain with high
photosynthetic efficiency and yield.
With funding of 100 million yuan ($14.79 million), scientists will start
their experiments on 2 hectares of saline-alkaline marshland north of Jiaozhou
Bay in April, and they expect their first harvest next autumn.
Once the 2 billion yuan research and development center is completed,
Yuan's team will start planting a sea rice species in 1.33 million hectares of
saline-alkaline soil along the coast.
Seawater rice seeds and planting techniques could also be exported,
such as to countries in Southeast Asia, which has a total of 20 million
hectares of saline-alkaline soil, Yuan said.
"Our Qingdao center is likely to help Southeast Asia raise its
yearly rice production by 20 million tons," he said.
Zhang Guodong, general manager of Yuance Biotech, a partner in Yuan's
project, said this marks the first time a rice strain that can thrive on
seawater as well as yield a high output has been reported.
Although there are overseas institutions reportedly trying to develop
seawater rice using genetic technology, they seem to remain lab attempts so
far, Zhang said.
http://www.world-grain.com/news/news%20home/LexisNexisArticle.aspx?articleid=2673365715
to
chinadaily.com.cn
86-year-old
scientist aims to revolutionize rice planting
November 03, 2016 22:19
Developing
a new strain of crop is time-consuming. But that doesn't worry 86-year-old Yuan
Longping, China's renowned rice scientist.
Yuan has set his sight on next trophy, a seawater rice for full
commercial production in five years.According to Yuan, it takes time for this
kind of revolutionary development of new agricultural species to become
full-fledged. It will take three years to develop a breed that has commercial
value, and would take five years for it to be mass marketed. And to make it
popular in China's tidal-flat areas and saline-alkali lands, it would take
about 10 years.
He told China Daily in a written reply that by that time, a rice strain grown by his research team will yield up to 4.5 metric ton per hectare, around 60 percent of the yield from the regular paddy fields. And the increment of rise output will be enough to feed 200 million people.
Now and then, here and there across Asia, small news items appear about discovery of some wild rice grown in briny swamps, potentially resistant to diseases and with no need for fertilizer.
He told China Daily in a written reply that by that time, a rice strain grown by his research team will yield up to 4.5 metric ton per hectare, around 60 percent of the yield from the regular paddy fields. And the increment of rise output will be enough to feed 200 million people.
Now and then, here and there across Asia, small news items appear about discovery of some wild rice grown in briny swamps, potentially resistant to diseases and with no need for fertilizer.
A sea-rice
research center in Dongying, Shandong province. Photo provided to
chinadaily.com.cn
But successful development of the discovery into a commercial
crop has never hit the headline. So, for Yuan, it's never too late to start his
own quest for the glory.China has plenty of saline-alkaline wasteland and can
be put into use when the country's arable land is sparse, Yuan said, adding
that more than 13 million hectares of such wasteland could potentially be used
for sea-rice farming.If fully utilized, Yuan said, China can reap an additional
50 million tons of grain.
Under Yuan's directorship, a sea-rice research center will be built in Licang district of Qingdao, Shandong province, where his team will use molecular breeding technologies to develop a sea-rice strain with high photosynthetic efficiency and yield.With a seed fund of 100 million yuan ($14.77 million), scientists will begin experiments on two hectares of saline-alkaline marshland just north of Jiaozhou Bay in next April, and expect to reap their first harvest in the autumn.
Under Yuan's directorship, a sea-rice research center will be built in Licang district of Qingdao, Shandong province, where his team will use molecular breeding technologies to develop a sea-rice strain with high photosynthetic efficiency and yield.With a seed fund of 100 million yuan ($14.77 million), scientists will begin experiments on two hectares of saline-alkaline marshland just north of Jiaozhou Bay in next April, and expect to reap their first harvest in the autumn.
A sea-rice
research center in Dongying, Shandong province. Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn
Once the two-billion-yuan R&D center is fully built, Yuan's
team will start planting a sea-rice species in 1.33 million hectares of
saline-alkaline soil along the coast.Seawater rice seeds and planting
techniques could also be exported to countries in Southeast Asia, which has a
total of 20 million hectares of saline-alkaline soil, Yuan said. "Our
Qingdao center is likely to help Southeast Asia raise its yearly rice
production by 20 million tons," he said.According to Zhang Guodong,
general manager of Yuance Biotech, a partner in Yuan's project, a rice strain
that can both thrive on seawater and yield a high output has not yet been
reported.There are overseas institutions reportedly trying to develop seawater
rice using genetic technology. But all seem to remain lab attempts thus far,
Zhang said
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