Ministries debate rice stockpiling plan
Ministries of
Agriculture and Rural Development, Industry and Trade, and Finance; the State
Bank of Vietnam; and Vietnam Food Association met to discuss rice stockpiling
plan for winter spring crop this year in the Mekong Delta.Farmers harvest rice
with combine harvester in Vinh Long Province (Photo: SGGP)
According to
the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), rice export contracts have reached only one
million tons including 504,000 tons left from contracts signed last
year.Vietnamese rice has faced severe competition from Thai and Indian rice
especially in low and medium segments in China, Malaysia, Mexico and
Indonesia.Abundant supply source might impact winter spring rice consumption
and prices in the Mekong Delta, it said.
The Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural Development said that rice supply in the winter spring
crop had surged in the Mekong Delta. Rice output has increased to 3.65 million
tons in February and March while the number of export contracts has decreased
in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.Deputy Minister Vu
Van Tam proposed the Government to stockpile about one million tons of winter
spring rice from March 1 to April 15.VFA will work with provincial people’s
committees in the Mekong Delta on rice purchase volume in each province, which
will depend on local commercial output. Rice produced under large scale paddy
fields will receive priority in consumption.
Agreeing with
the plan, Ministry of Industry and Trade said that trade promotion activities
will be stepped up after Tet to sign more export contracts with the
Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. The ministry will seek to regain the
market share in Africa and Hong Kong (China).The ministry will mobilize and
negotiate about rice export with China, prepare to open the rice market to the
US, Japan, Mexico and Chile after the Trans-Pacific Partnership is signed this
year.
www.vietnambreakingnews.com/.../ministries-debate-rice-stockpiling-pla
Harold Roy-Macauley appointed Director
General of AfricaRice
Monday 16 February 2015.
Dr Harold Roy-Macauley (photo), a Sierra Leonean national, was
appointed as the new Director General of the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) at
an Extraordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of AfricaRice held on 6
February 2015, in Kampala, Uganda.The announcement was made by the Honorable
Cabinet Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Republic of
Uganda, Tress Bucyanayandi, in his capacity as the Chair of the AfricaRice
Council of Ministers, which is the Center’s highest oversight body.
The current Chairmanship is held by Uganda.Dr Roy-Macauley has
nearly 30 years of experience in agricultural research with extensive
leadership and management expertise. He is currently the Executive Director of
the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development
(CORAF/WECARD) – a leading sub-regional organization, which coordinates and
facilitates agricultural R&D activities in 22 countries in West and Central
Africa.Dr Roy-Macauley is no stranger to CGIAR, having served previously as the
Regional Director for the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in West and Central
Africa.
He has consulted for numerous international and bilateral
organizations on biosafety and biotechnology and was the Managing Director for
the Regional Center for Improving Adaptation to Drought (CERAAS) in Senegal, a
research and training center of CORAF/WECARD.Dr Roy-Macauley is fluently
bilingual in English and French. He obtained his PhD degree in tropical plant
biology in 1993 from the Université Denis Diderot, France, his MSc in tropical
plant biology in 1988 from the Université de Pierre et Marie Curie, France, and
his BSc with Honors in Botany in 1982 from the University of Sierra Leone.
During the Extraordinary Session, the National Experts Committee
(NEC), under the chairmanship of Dr Ambrose Agona, Acting Director General of
the Uganda National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), carefully
examined the Board’s report on the selection process and recommended to the
Council of Ministers that Dr Roy-Macauley be appointed.
The NEC comprises the Directors General of the national
agricultural research institutions of AfricaRice member countries and serves as
the technical arm of the AfricaRice Council of Ministers.“We are pleased with
the transparent and rigorous selection process adopted by the AfricaRice Board
of Trustees,” stated Hon. Tress Bucyanayandi, thanking the Board Chair DrPeter
Matlon. “We have full confidence that Dr Roy-Macauley has the leadership
experience, skills and vision needed to advance the noble mission of
AfricaRice.”Thanking the Council of Ministers and the Board, Dr Roy-Macauley said,
“I am honored to accept this very important challenge with a great sense of
responsibility.
” He added that his vision for the Center is to help position
rice, which he referred to as ‘the next gold’, as key in driving the economies
of rice-producing countries in Africa and contributing to industrial
development and livelihood changes of rural producers, especially women,
involved in rice production.As part of his mandate at AfricaRice, he underlined
the importance of “introducing more high-end life science and socioeconomic
applications in the Rice Sector Development Hubs, convened by AfricaRice, to
help consolidate the already profound and significant changes the rice value
chain is undergoing in Africa.”He also conveyed his commitment to engage with national
and regional agricultural research and innovation systems, governments of
member States of AfricaRice, regional economic communities, the African Union,
and international partners in order to efficiently and effectively respond to
and influence national, regional, and continental rice policies.
Paying homage to former Directors General of AfricaRice, Dr
Roy-Macauley said that he would further build on the legacies and achievements
forged by his predecessors. He highlighted particularly his admiration for the
“great dynamism of excellence in AfricaRice,” promoted by Dr Papa Abdoulaye
Seck, former Director General of AfricaRice and current Minister of Agriculture
and Rural Equipment of Senegal.
The Council of Ministers, the National Experts Committee and the
Board took the opportunity to highlight the exceptional contributions made by
Dr Seck, which have transformed AfricaRice and taken it to new levels of
excellence.They also conveyed their deep appreciation to the Interim Director
General, Dr. Adama Traoré, for steering the Center over the past 18 months with
great steadiness, integrity and effectiveness. “We are sure that we can
continue to rely on his strong support during the leadership transition.”Dr
Roy-Macauley will assume his post at AfricaRice on 9 March 2015.
Credit: APO.
Editor’s Note: Here is Harold
Roy-Macauley at a panel discussion in Dakar, Senegal, 2013:
New paddy
variety fetches good returns
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: ‘TNAU Rice TRY 3,’ a new variety of paddy,
kept on the grounds of a temple at Poongudi near Tiruchi.— Photo: A.
Muralitharan
About 10 acres
of land brought under the variety, suitable for ‘idly’ flour
A group of farmers of Poongudi
village near here have been awaiting the procurement of ‘TNAU Rice TRY 3’
variety introduced by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University – Anbil
Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute here. The rice
variety, suitable for ‘idly’ flour, was popularised by the college at Poongudi
and about 30 farmers have raised this crop.
Thanks to the crop protection
technique and close follow-up by the college scientists, farmers could harvest
an average 30 bags of paddy (60 kg per bag). S.
Narayanasamy, organiser of the People’s Welfare Committee, says 30 farmers, who
were conventionally cultivating ‘BPT 5204’ variety till 2013 had switched over
to this ‘idly’ variety in September-October 2014.About 10 acres was brought
under the variety and farmers had registered an average 1.5 tonnes an acre.
About 15 tonnes had been stocked
in the village, he said.With paddy suitable for “idly,” a large number of
traders had been making a beeline to the village to purchase the price. But,
the farmers said that the price offered by traders was not attractive.“We have
planned to market the paddy at Rs. 900 a bag of 60 kg.; but the traders offered
just Rs.800,” says Mr. Narayansamy.
P. Pandiyarajan, Dean of the
college, said the institute, as part of popularising the variety, was taking
steps to popularise the rice which has a milling percentage of 71.30 and head
rice recovery of 66 per cent. The variety was resistant to diseases, including
leaf folder, stem borer, brown spot, sheath rot, and sheath blight, Mr.
Pandiyarajan said.G. Chitrarasu, Senior Regional Manager, Tamil Nadu Civil
Supplies Corporation, said that he would ascertain the quality of paddy before
making arrangements for the procurement of the cro
Farmers who had harvested the
paddy said that it was a tough task for them to protect the stock. Mustaffa
(43), another farmer, said that he had shifted his harvested produce by tractor
from Poongudi to Navalur Kuttapattu, about 2 km away, where he had a threshing
floor.For dearth of space, a few other farmers had stocked the paddy on the
grounds of Sri Varasidhi Vinayagar temple in the village.
30 farmers in the
village switched over to new variety under TNAU guidance
The new variety
is said to be resistant to many diseases
Civil case on rice scheme unfair: ex-PM's lawyer
THE SUNDAY NATION February 15, 2015
1:00 am
FORMER
PRIME minister Yingluck Shinawatra's legal team will appeal if the Finance
Ministry files a civil case seeking compensation from her for alleged damages
resulting from her government's rice-pledging scheme.Norawich Lalaeng, a
Yingluck lawyer, said yesterday that it would be unfair to the former PM if a
civil case was filed as the Criminal Court was yet to hear a separate case in
which she has been accuse stricted by martial law and she was
unable to comment publicly about political issues. d of negligence of duty
leading to corruption in the scheme, now scrapped.
"The
legal team has discussed this matter and we agree that as soon as the NACC
submits its request to the Finance Ministry, we will appeal against the
move," he said.The lawyer noted that the ministry was involved in
implementing the rice scheme under the Yingluck government, and questioned
whether it was sensible for the ministry to act as the damaged party now.On
Friday, NACC president Panthep Klanarongran said the agency had sent a written
request to the Finance Ministry asking it to consider filing a civil case
against Yingluck, her former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom and other
officials in a bid to receive compensation over the alleged
government-to-government deal to sell rice to China.Norawich said Yingluck's
rights were being re However, he said that certain groups seemed to be
commenting negatively about the ex-PM regarding the ongoing legal cases against
her.
The
lawyer urged Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha not to allow any?one to attempt
to influence those cases.Meanwhile, Pheu Thai politician Somkid Chueakong said
it was not proper for Prayut to have disclosed that he had expressed concern to
Yingluck about problems stemming from the rice scheme while she was prime
minister.
Rice dealers call for
auditing in rice imports in Ghana
Feb 16, 2015
The Small Scale Rice Dealers Association of Ghana
(SSRIDA), has called for forensic auditing of all rice imports, which were
cleared under warehousing.
rice importation
The association said this is important to ensure transparency
and accountability in the rice industry, which members believe is embroiled in
a lot of irregularities.Mr Yaw Korang, National Coordinator of SSRIDA made the
call in a statement issued in Accra at the weekend and copied to Ghana News
Agency.It said on January 28, 2014, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) received a report from the Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority, about rice imports through the Western Frontier-Sunyani Collection.
The statement said the report, which was addressed to
the Chief Director at the ministry was headlined: “Authenticating copies of SAD
forms and assessing impact of rice imports through the Western Frontier-Sunyani
Collection”.It claimed that the exercise, which targeted SSRIDA members took
the team members to Gonokrom, Kofi Badukrom, Nkrakwanta and Osei Kojokrom.“All
copies of entry forms submitted by the MOTI for verification were genuine and
originated from the stations indicated; all relevant taxes were paid; values
applied conformed to values given by Commissioner per memorandum of August 3, 2013,
and revenue from rice imports is a major source of tax for the Sunyani
Collection,” the statement said.
It said despite these findings the Deputy Minister of
MOTI, Mr Murtala Mohammed Ibrahim was quoted in a media report that SSRIDA
members do not honour their tax obligations, and this was part of the reasons
why inland importation of rice was banned by the ministry.It said SSRIDA is
calling for forensic auditing of rice importation because the major players in
the industry who are large scale rice dealers bring their goods and store them
at bonded warehouses.
SSRIDA noted that on October 24, 2013 there was a
media report that more than 280 private and public companies have been cited
for allegedly evading the payment of taxes amounting to 367 million dollars
over a seven-year period.These anomalies, which happened at bonded warehouses
was uncovered by a presidential taskforce.The statement asked that two years
down the lane what due dilligence have been performed to ensure that the
situation has been streamlined?
“Since November 1, 2013, small scale rice dealers have been denied the right to do business, but what shows that those allowed to do so are serving the national interest?”
The statement said members are of the view that proper consultation was not done before they were asked not to continue with their trade hence the need for forensic auditing of rice importation for the public to judge whether the move was of national importance.
“Since November 1, 2013, small scale rice dealers have been denied the right to do business, but what shows that those allowed to do so are serving the national interest?”
The statement said members are of the view that proper consultation was not done before they were asked not to continue with their trade hence the need for forensic auditing of rice importation for the public to judge whether the move was of national importance.
TAGS:2013,NATIONAL,COORDINATOR OF
SSRIDA,OCTOBER 24,
SMALL
21 targeted in NACC's G2G rice probe
Published: 16 Feb 2015 at 20.01
Online news: Politics
Writer: King-oua Laohong
The anti-graft agency on Monday
submitted a 67,000-page investigative report on the allegedly corrupt
government-to-government rice deals made by the Yingluck Shinawatra
administration. (Post Today photos)
Former commerce
minister Boonsong Teriyapirom is among 21 people targeted in an investigative
report forwarded to prosecutors by the National Anti-Corruption Commission over
allegedly corrupt government-to-government rice deals consummated by the
Yingluck Shinawatra government. The dossier containing 67,000 pages was brought
in 60 boxes to the Office of the Attorney-General by NACC assistant
secretary-general Sakchai Methineepisarnku.
Mr
Sakchai said the NACC is still investigating more than 100 rice-trading
companies involved in the government sales, but added it should not take long
to wrap up work.Chutichai Sakhakorn, chief of the OAG's special-litigation
department, who received the case file, said a working panel would be set up in
the next few days to review the documents.If the report included all needed
evidence, he said, the OAG could indict the 21 individuals in the Supreme
Court's Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders in about a month
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/476606/21-targeted-in-nacc-g2g-rice-probe
Cambodia
to double organic rice exports
Published: 15
Feb 2015 at 16.57
Online news: News
Writer: Online
Reporters
A farmer walks in a rice paddy field in Kandal
province on Feb 11, 2015. Cambodian exporters planned to export more organic
rice this year. (Reuters photo)
Cambodia aims to sell more organic rice to
international customers after exports of the grain rose over the past
year. The Cambodian Centre for Study and Development in Agriculture
(Cedac), one of the country's two organic rice exporters, sold 540 tonnes of
fragant organic rice last year, a 20% increase from 2013, and plans to double
the figure this year.''We are aiming to export 1,000 tonnes this year to fill
the demand that we see in the international market,” Cedac official Sou Sarorn
was quoted as saying in the Phnom Penh Post.
Its main buyers were Europe, the United States
and Hong Kong and Mr Sarorn said Middle East countries could be a new target.“The
price of organic rice is higher and also more stable than non-organic rice in
the marketplace,” Mr Sarorn said.AMRU Rice, the other exporting firm on organic
rice, was moving in the same direction, according to its CEO Song Saran, as the
company has set an export target of 1,500 tonnes this year and 2,500 tonnes
next year.Cambodia exported 380,000 tonnes of rice last year, mostly
non-organic rice. Main destinations for Cambodian regular rice was European
countries, China and Malaysia.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/475585/cambodia-to-double-organic-rice-exports
Half a million tonnes of rice sold
Published: 16
Feb 2015 at 18.10
Online news: News
Writer: Online
Reporters
Samples of rice put on the auction was shown at
Commerce Ministry in December 2014. (Bangkok Post file photo)
The Commerce Ministry has approved the sale of
496,000 tonnes of rice, just under half the total offered for auction late last
month. Around 100 bidders participated in the auction for the 999,000
tonnes of grain.Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya said the rice was sold to
38 bidders for a total 7.85 billion baht. The amount sold was 49.64% of the
total on offer. The ministry refused to sell the remaining rice to disqualified
bidders and will put it on sale later this month.Gen Chatchai said China
expressed interest in buying two million tonnes of rice and 200,000 tonnes of
rubber for delivery in two years. Ministry officials returned from a visit to
China over the weekend.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/476581/half-a-million-tonnes-of-rice-sold
State
readies follow-up rice auction
Published: 16
Feb 2015 at 07.54
Newspaper section: Business
Writer: Phusadee Arunmas
The government plans to call a second auction
for an additional 1 million tonnes of state-held rice later this month after
the year's first auction in January drew 100 bidders. According to a
Commerce Ministry source, the government expects to have sold about 60% of the
1 million tonnes put up for sale at the first auction.Official figures will be
available after the ministry submits them for approval this week to the meeting
of the National Rice Policy Committee chaired by Prime Minister Prayut
Chan-o-cha.
The source said the first auction's outcome
would have been announced earlier, but authorities took time to investigate the
shareholding structure of one qualified bidder, Empire Development Co, which
offered to buy more than 400,000 tonnes of rice at 47 warehouses.Officials
feared that Empire Development might have links to Siam Indica Co, as the two
share the same address and Empire's authorised director was formerly
a Siam Indica director and shareholder.Siam Indica had been barred by
authorities from joining the bidding after its indictment by the National
Anti-Corruption Commission for graft related to the rice-pledging
scheme.But the source said authorities would still present the purchase
proposal by the company for the National Rice Policy Committee's consideration.
The government fetched selling prices
relatively higher than floor prices at the first auction, the source said, adding
that sales of more than 60% would be deemed satisfactory.The floor price for
white rice was set at eight to 10 baht a kilogramme, while the market
price is now 13 baht. The floor price for Hom Mali fragrant rice was set
at 25 baht a kg against a market price of 31-33 baht.The rice put up
for auction included 850,000 tonnes of 5% white rice and 150,000
tonnes of Hom Mali rice.Authorities estimate the cost of the rice put on
sale at 11.7 billion baht.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/475985/state-readies-follow-up-rice-auction
APEDA Market & Commodity News
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Tanzania: Court Orders Rice Case Judgment
After 15 Years
Published on Monday, 16 February 2015 01:56
Written by FAUSTINE KAPAMA
THE Court of Appeal has directed the High Court’s Commercial Division
to pronounce judgment on the 15bn/- demand in rotten rice case, which has
remained undelivered for 15 years now.
Justices Engela Kileo, Salum
Massati and Batuel Mmilla reached such a decision last week, after revising
proceedings given by High Court Judge Amir Mruma, who had refused, as a
successor judge, to deliver the judgment, on claims that he had an option of
doing so or otherwise.Records show that the judgment in the case was written,
dated and signed by trial Judge Nathalia Kimaro in 2005 before being appointed
justice to the Court of Appeal. “We find there is good cause to revise the proceedings of
(Judge) Mruma in so far as he purported to have discretion to pronounce or not
to pronounce his predecessor’s judgment.
We accordingly quash and set aside those proceedings,” the
justices ruled. They went on, “We hereby further direct that the records of the
High Court be remitted to the trial court with directions that the judgment
written by (Judge) Kimaro, as she then was, be pronounced by a successor judge
or other judicial officer of competent jurisdiction.”
The High Court judge had relied under Rule 2 Order XX of the
Civil Procedure Code to decline to deliver the judgment in question. Such
provision reads, “A judge or magistrate may pronounce a judgment written but
not pronounced by his predecessor.”
But in their ruling, the justices of the appeals court since a
duty was cast on the judge to pronounce judgment in the interest of litigant
public and in the main to save judicial time, the word ‘may’ used in the Rule
has a compulsory force and the succeeding judge was under obligation to deliver
the judgment.The parties to the case are VIP Engineering and Marketing Limited,
as plaintiff, who is demanding payment of over 15bn/- from two companies, Societe
Generale De Survellance (S.A) and SGS (Tanzania) Limited, as defendants.
Such refusal by the High Court judge had attracted a heated
debate from the parties during hearing of the case before the appeals court, as
it had made the litigation the longest in the High Court’s Commercial
Division.Advocate Michael Ngalo, for VIP Engineering Company, had told the
panel that instead of reading the judgment, as required by the law, Judge
Mruma, who was assigned as successor judge proceeded to entertain extraneous
matters, including some applications filed by the two foreign companies.
Mr Ngalo, assisted by Counsel Didace Respicius, had argued that
the High Court failed to discharge its duty considering the fact that
pronouncement of judgment, whether the parties like or not, was mandatory.He
said that when the case is heard, the judgment must be delivered to end the
litigation. On the other hand, advocate Mustafa Chando, for the respondents,
had asked the panel to reject the submissions and prayers by advocates for VIP
Engineering Company, on grounds that there was no legal judgment, which is to
be delivered by the Commercial Division of the High Court.
He submitted that the judgment, having been signed by the trial
judge, was delivered by the registrar and was later declared invalid by the
Court of Appeal because the registrar had no such powers. As from the date of
decision of the Court of Appeal, he alleged, there was no judgment in the
case.In January 1998, VIP ordered for purchase of 3,000 metric tonnes of rice
(Pakistan long rice, 15-20 per cent broken) from M/S Orco International (S) Pte
Lilited of Singapore under a Warehousing Management and Sales Contracts at a
price of 267.50 US dollars per metric tonne thus making the total 802,500 US
dollars.
At the time the sales contract was negotiated, VIP the buyer was
in Dar es Salaam, while the seller in Singapore and the rice was in possession
of a third party, M/S MAHMOOD PLC of Karachi in Pakistan. The respondent
companies (SGS) came into the scene because of pre-shipment inspection of the
rice.In the period 1998, SGS (S.A) was the sole appointee of Tanzania Revenue
Authority (TRA) for conducting pre-shipment inspection of the imports destined
to Tanzania.This appointment was done through a Pre-shipment Inspection
Contract executed between them. TRA, being Government Agency, with public
duties for supervision of imports into the United Republic of Tanzania for
purposes of revenue collection, opted to have SGS (S.A) as its appointee in
conducting pre-shipment inspection on goods destined for Tanzania for an agreed
fees arrangements.
In the transaction, VIP anticipated that, SGS (S.A) to carry out
their obligation with all due care, diligence and efficiency in accordance with
generally accepted techniques and inspection agency profession in compliance
with the World Customs Organisation (WHO) and World Trade Organisation
standards.VIP made the required payment for the consignment and the same
arrived in Dar es Salaam in March 1998 on board MV RUAHA.It was at the time of
discharge that the plaintiff noted that the rice was of poor quality and less
quantity contrary to SGS (S.A) and SGS (Tanzania) reports on quality.
Upon noting the discrepancy in the quality, VIP requested the
respondents to carry out post shipment inspection and survey of the rice for a
dup purpose, including ascertain the difference in quality and quantity for
establishing the exact extent of loss and work together to mitigate further
loss.VIP sued the respondents, demanding, among others, specific damages
suffered of 656,359.08 US dollars, general damages for consequential loss of
profit and economic loss occasioned by the respondent’s negligence and or
fraudulent breach of the duty of care at the rate of 2,000,000 US dollars per
year.
Image: MS Benedicta Rugemalira,
Executive Chairperson of VIP Engineering and Marketing Limited. (File photo)
http://allafrica.com/stories/201502161993.html
Still no payment
for rice farmers for last crop
FEBRUARY 16, 2015 · BY
Dear Editor,
It is evident that in the face of the tremendous
challenges ahead, and continuous protest from the rice farmers, the government
needs to work for more national cohesion and national unity. On Friday, once
again rice farmers on the Essequibo Coast took to the road in protest for paddy
payment for the last crop. Hundreds of farmers and their families demanded that
the government fulfil its promises and see that millers pay them urgently, as
they cannot live on promises.The reality is that rough times are ahead;
harvesting of the new Spring crop will begin within two weeks and the farmers
are asking what has become of the millions of dollars which were loaned to the
millers to pay them off some months ago. Many farmers who have grown rice their
entire lives, find themselves in an unprecedented financial situation. Farmers
know that politics is not the answer to their problem.
Over the years, there has been a general reluctance by millers
to pay farmers promptly for their produce. Government has claimed that there is
a large export market for farmers’ paddy and our rice, but the big question is,
why are the farmers not being paid crop after crop, when they have delivered
their paddy to the millers? Rice-farming in general employs nearly half of the
Essequibo Coast’s total workforce and is an integral part of Guyana’s economy,
culture and history.
Mismanagement of the rice industry has shaken confidence in rice
farmers; the current problem of payment has had more consequences for the rice
farmers than the millers. The problem faced by rice farmers has been compounded
by the current government and millers’ ill-conceived prompt payment scheme,
which has failed. Farmers are facing increasing hardship that began long before
the increasing monopolies held by big millers who have set about miring farmers
in a web of debt by not paying them.
The nightmare farmers now face is growing debt, while trying to
cover daily expenses. They are clinging to the false hope offered by an
incompetent Ministry of Agriculture and the Guyana Rice Development Board which
have neither the intent nor the ability to oversee their payment. Their
children will be pulled from school, medical expenses skipped, belts tightened
around the dinner table and any possible investment to improve their lives
abandoned.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
Fermenting Rice For Biofuel & Feed Read more from
Asian Scientist
Magazine
Fermenting
Rice For Biofuel & Feed Scientists have developed a method to process rice
plants into both biofuel and animal fodder that does not require special
equipment. Asian Scientist Newsroom | February 17, 2015 | Editorials
AsianScientist (Feb. 17, 2015)
- By Aamna Mohdin - A technology to create
biofuel and animal feed at the same time without any off-site processing has
been developed by Japanese researchers. The solid-state fermentation (SSF)
system involves wrapping rice plants grown to feed livestock along with yeast,
enzymes and bacteria into a bale covered with a plastic film, and capturing the
ethanol produced by the resulting fermentation. This technology builds on
traditional processes used by farmers around the world to create silage to feed
livestock such as cattle, goats and sheep, according to a report published in
the journal Biotechnology for Biofuels.
“Our
SSF system does not require special equipment and large facilities,” says
Mitsuo Horita, a researcher at the National Institute for Agro-Environmental
Sciences who is the project’s lead researcher. “Harvested materials are
immediately packed into a round bale in the field, which is similar to a
conventional silo used for silage fermentation. No extra energy needs to be
supplied to the system.” Horita says the system produces high yields of ethanol
and silage, without any plant waste. By processing plants destined for animal
feed, it also avoids competing with food crops, he says.
As a
result, the technology could help address criticism of biofuels, which at
present are mostly created from crops such as rice and maize. These
first-generation biofuels have come under fire for driving up food prices as
their production competes with the farming of crops to feed people.
Conventional biofuel manufacture also requires energy for transport and to run
industrial processing plants. But Jahi Chappell, director of agriculture policy
at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, an NGO that promotes
sustainable farming, says the SSF system may fail to solve the biofuels
conundrum. “Competition that lowers food security could still happen if this
process led to conversion of lands suitable for other agricultural activities
into land used for biofuel and feed production,” he says.
According to Horita, the biggest challenge to implementing SSF on a
larger scale is the cost of rolling out the technology. Researchers would have
to present the advantages of using the system to farmers, who would also need
access to power stations that can buy and use the resulting ethanol, he says.
But Siwa Msangi, a researcher at the US-based International Food Policy
Research Institute, says the technology is a welcome addition to global biofuel
options, despite concerns about its shortcomings. “We shouldn’t stop seeking
ways to make better biofuels as we will need to add them to the portfolio of
renewable energy sources that are necessary to offset future climate change,”
he says.
The article can be found at: Horita et al. (2015) On-farm Solid
State Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Whole Crop Forage Rice
in Wrapped Round Bale for Ethanol Production. ----- Source: SciDev.Net.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of
AsianScientist or its staff. Tags: Biofuel, Japan, National Institute for
Agro-Environmental Sciences, Renewable Energy, Rice Read more from Asian
Scientist Magazine
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Feb 16, 2015
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