ECC approves Rs 1.5b for Ramadan
package
Finance
Minister says govt has allowed special price relaxation.
30th April, 2015 Last updated at 20:04 PST
The Economic Coordination Committee
(ECC) of the Cabinet has approved 1.5 billion rupees Ramadan package as
compared to the 1.4 billion rupees last year.Its meeting held in Islamabad
on
Thursday was chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.Dar said the government has
allowed the special price relaxation despite already dropping prices owing to
low level of inflation.Finance Division would provide upfront payment of one
billion rupees to the Utility Stores Corporation to buy the items before
Ramadan.
These include flour, sugar,
ghee/oil, pulses, baisen, dates, basmati rice, sella rice, broken rice,
squashes and syrups, black tea, milk and spices. The ECC allowed levy of 2%
regulatory duty on petroleum crude oil, motor spirit oil and furnace
oil.Approval was also accorded for imposition of 2.5 % regulatory duty on high
speed diesel.Both regulatory duties would be levied with effect from first of
June this year. The step is aimed to recoup some of the revenue losses due to
persistent fall in petroleum products in the current financial year.The meeting
also gave approval for the balance amount of 35.96 million dikkar for induction
of 15 aircrafts on dry lease in the PIA fleet.
http://www.radio.gov.pk/newsdetail/76167/1
Foundation seed facility close to reality in Arkansas
The promised $2 million is only the latest
contribution to the facility construction from the ARRPB. According to a report
by KATV television, the $2 million for the new facility will come through
tariff rate quota funds generated for domestic rice research from the
U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, which established an annual tariff
rate quota for U.S. rice exported to Colombia. The funds are reserved only for
research efforts and are allocated by the ARRPB.The facility will contain both
seed cleaning and storage capabilities along with the ability to clean seeds to
Plant Board specifications.
The facility will be able to handle both
genetically modified and non-genetically modified seeds. Cold storage will be
available for long-term seed storage.As noted, the facility will be for rice,
soybeans and wheat seed. Contributions for the facility have come from other
commodity organizations other than the rice industry.The new facility will
continue cooperative research efforts between the promotion board and the
Division of Agriculture, which has resulted in the development of new rice
varieties and new technologies related to fertility, pest control, irrigation,
and weed control.The ARRPB was formed in 1985 by the General Assembly to administer
the rice check-off program.
The ARRPB consists of nine rice producers
nominated by industry organizations and appointed by the governor.As explained
in media news, under the program, rice farmers contribute 1.35 cents per bushel
for rice research and the first buyer of rice contributes 1.35 cents per bushel
for promotion and market development efforts. The program provides
approximately $2.5 million to $3 million annually for research efforts
conducted by the University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture.
http://www.agprofessional.com/news/foundation-seed-facility-close-reality-arkansas
PhilRice Agusan holds Palayabangan:
The 10-5 Challenge
April 30, 2015
BUTUAN
CITY, April 30 (PIA) – The Philippine Rice Research Institute Agusan Experiment
Station (PhilRice Agusan) held the Annual Palayabangan: The 10-5 Challenge
Field Day and Farmer’s Forum on Thursday, April 29 at Brgy. Basilisa, RT
Romualdez, Agusan del Norte. The 10-5 Challenge aims to raise the rice
production standard to 10 tons per hectare yield at P5.00 input cost for every
kilogram of Palay produced. The current average yield in the country is about 4
tons/ha while input cost is about P11.00/kg of Palay.“As conceptualized by the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Integration to promote free
trade between country members, the initiative also aims to provide
opportunities for all players in the rice sector to show what they can do to
improve the yield and production cost,” said Dr. Corsennie A.
Mabayag, Senior Science Research Specialist of
PhilRice Agusan. “Palayabangan: The 10-5 Challenge supports the goal of the
Food Staple Sufficiency Program of the country and the advocacies of the
National Year of Rice to help increase the farmer’s productivity, make them
globally competitive, and boost their morale,” Dr. Mabayag added.
The
4th Palayabangan Challenge reached its largest number of participants this
year, as it is joined by nine agriculture-based establishments, namely: Bayer
CropScience Inc., Agusan Greenfields Resources and Agrotech Corp., FMC
Agricultural Solutions, NextGen Global Alliance Corp., Jeels Masagana Farm
Supply, Texicon Agriventures Corp., Global Green Organic Fert. Inc., Syngenta
Philippines, and SL Agritech Corporation. All participants were given opportunity
to demonstrate products and technologies to the farmers.“On 2014, participants
of Palayabangan: The 10-5 Challenge reached the average yield of 6.9 tons/ha
and an input cost of PhP 15.00-19.00. We are expecting improvement this year,
with the mechanization of their farming methods, “ Dr. Mabayag said. (Lacheln
O. Rafallo, PIA-Caraga)
Graduate Students Meet Lawmakers in Sacramento
UC Riverside’s Jessica Diaz and Vicente Nunez took part in
Graduate Research Advocacy Day 2015
UC Riverside's Vicente Nunez (left) and Jessica Diaz (right) are
seen here with California Assemblymember Jose Medina at Graduate Research
Advocacy Day.PHOTO
CREDIT: UC OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT.
UC Riverside’s Vicente Nunez (left) and Jessica
Diaz (right) are seen here with UC President Janet Napolitano at Graduate
Research Advocacy Day.
PHOTO CREDIT: UC OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT.
PHOTO CREDIT: UC OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT.
Diaz
expects to graduate from UC Riverside this summer. She received her bachelor’s
degree in biotechnology with a minor in chemistry from California State
University, Northridge in 2009, after which she joined UCR. Her research
focuses on molecular biology and genetics in plant developmental biology.
Her goal is to understand the molecular events that regulate the development of
the above ground organs of plants.
She is
the recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, a
National Science Foundation ChemGen Integrative Graduate Education Research
Trainee (IGERT) Fellowship, and a National Institutes of Health Minority Access
to Research Careers (MARC) U-Star Fellowship. Her work in plant biology
has taken her across the globe with fully funded travel grants to present her
graduate and undergraduate research at annual meetings of the American Society
of Plant Biologists as well as the International Conference on Arabidopsis
Research.
Seen in this photo, from left to right, are
California Assemblymember Jose Medina, UCR Graduate Division Dean Joseph
Childers, Vicente Nunez, Jessica Diaz and UCR Assistant Vice Chancellor for
Governmental and Community Relations Susan McKee.PHOTO CREDIT: UC OFFICE OF THE
PRESIDENT.
Nunez received his Ph.D. inbioengineering in March 2015. In Sacramento, he
presented research titled “Bioinspired Engineering for Microbial Diagnostics
and Biomimetic Nanotechnology: The Development of Rapid Bacterial Sensing
Methodologies Based on Fluorescence Enhancement and Targeted Nanotransducers
for Near Infrared Imaging.”
This
research focused on the development of methods for rapid diagnostics of
bacterial pathogens and on the development of biologically inspired
nanotechnologies for imaging and treatment of ovarian cancer.
Currently,
he is a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Research Fellow at
Harvard University where he has joined the Neurobiology Department with the
pursuit of developing high resolution microscopy technologies for investigating
blood-brain barrier integrity and to develop novel drug delivery approaches for
neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Nunez
was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and is a first generation immigrant. He
was raised in Palm Springs, Calif. He started his college education at the
College of the Desert in Palm Desert, Calif., where he was inspired to pursue
an engineering degree with an emphasis on the biological and biomedical fields.
He transferred to UC Riverside as a bioengineering major and became a National
Science Foundation funded undergraduate researcher under the California
Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) program. His experiences as an
undergraduate researcher in the field of biomolecular engineering further
convinced him of pursuing a graduate degree in order to continue to develop his
scientific research abilities.
Upon
receiving his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering at UC Riverside, Nunez
pursued a doctoral degree at his alma mater. He is a recipient of a National
Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and is an integral contributor
to several peer-reviewed articles and a patent application.
MEDIA CONTACT
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS
RELATED LINKS
http://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/28909
Punjab Rice
Millers Association send food to Nepal
|
·
Updated: Apr 30, 2015 22:13 IST
The
Punjab Rice Millers Association on Thursday dispatched three trucks of rice to
Nepal to help the people affected by the ravaging quake.The association members
handed over the relief material to Punjab food and civil supplies minister
Adesh Partap Singh Kairon.A member of the association led by president Tarsem
Saini also met Kairon and assured him to provide all possible help.Tarsem Saini
also appealed to all rice millers of the state to contribute maximum relief
material for the Nepal quake victims.He said for the time being three trucks of
rice have been handed over to the government, which will be dispatched by air
on Saturday.http://www.hindustantimes.com/patiala/punjab-rice-millers-association-send-food-to-nepal/article1-1342683.aspx
New saline-tolerant hybrid rice variety developed
Updated: April 30, 2015 05:43 IST
Rice cultivators in the brackish
water paddy tracts of the northern districts of the State, especially
Kattampally here, can now cultivate a new saline-tolerant hybrid organic rice
variety developed as part of the organic plant breeding programme of the
Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) at Pilikkode in Kasaragod. The
new rice variety, named Ezhome-4, was released exclusively for cultivation in
the brackish water (‘kaipad’ in local parlance) ecosystem which is being
revived in different parts of the northern region, especially in the
Kattampally region here.This was one of the two new hybrid organic varieties
commercially released by the RARS under the Kerala Agricultural University
(KAU) recently.
According to RARS researchers,
Ezhome-4 is the result of the series of hybridisation programmes conducted in
2002. “The new variety is equally suited for saline-prone naturally organic
Kaipad paddy tracts and non-saline flooded tracts during first crop season and
also for ordinary wetlands,” T. Vanaja, Principal Breeder and Investigator
under the programme told The
Hindu .“It gives high yield
in traditional kaipad tracts as well as in newly rejuvenated Kattampally
tracts,” she added. It gives an average yield of 5.1 tonne/hectare in the
medium saline organic kaipad ecosystem with an average straw yield of 10
tonne/ha, Dr. Vanaja said. The other new organic rice variety, ‘Jaiva’ is for
ordinary non-saline wetland tracts.
Dr. Vanaja said that the organic
rice variety was first put forward in an international conference on organic
agriculture system when a paper on it was presented. She said that the paper
was also published in the international Journal of Organic Farming in 2013.
‘Jaiva’ is also the result of the hybridisation programme conducted 13 years
ago, she said adding that the variety was successful in experimental trials in
farmers’ fields. Its average grain yield is 5.2 tonne/ha and straw yield is
nine tonnes/ha under organic management. The research on the two new varieties
spanning over a period of 13 years had been carried out at the RARS and in the
Pepper Research Station at Panniyur here.
Ezhome-4 released for cultivation in the brackish water
ecosystem.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/new-salinetolerant-hybrid-rice-variety-developed/article7156617.ece
VCU Rice Rivers Center
receives $2.3 million gift from Inger Rice
ALEXA WELCH EDLUND/TIMES-DISPATCH
VCU students and faculty arrived
May 25, 2014, at the Rice Rivers Center, a mostly wild tract along the James
River in Charles City County, as part of a month-long course in biology and
history.Posted: Wednesday, April 29, 2015 2:31 pm.
In 2000, Rice gave 342 acres of
land along the lower James River to VCU as a location for the university to
build an environmental research and education center. In the subsequent 15
years, Rice has continued to financially support the center.In 2007, she
donated $2 million for construction of the 4,900-square-foot Walter L. Rice
Education Building, which is the first LEED platinum-certified building in
Virginia.In 2009, Rice donated $1.2 million in recognition of the beginning of the
tenure of VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., at the university and to establish
the Inger Rice Endowment Fund, which supports maintenance of the center’s
grounds and the education building.
Current research at the center
includes highly recognized programs focused on analyzing water quality in the
James River and helping to restore the federally endangered Atlantic Sturgeon
in the river. The VCU Rice Rivers Center is also home to one of the most
significant wetland restoration projects on the East Coast. The center stands
as a leader in river ecosystem science, addressing pressing water resource
issues vital to society and the natural environment
http://www.richmond.com/outdoors/article_faa0872e-ee9d-11e4-b02b-cb4579d5fd1a.html
Fusión Revolution
Posted on April 29, 2015 06:51:00
PM
By Pola Esguerra del Monte, High Life staff writer
A SQUAB LIES in
the middle of the plate, its stiffened neck and dried-out eyelids a portrait of
death. In place of the young pigeon’s heart is head of garlic, standing on a
pitch-black streak of charred eggplant puree. Skull and bones are scattered on
a beetroot gastrique where the “innards” are dispelled: morsels of latik and cashew. The
dish harks, in a gustatory manner, to the colonial Spaniards’ execution of
national hero José Rizal.
“Noli Me Tangere,” a dish by The Goose Station’s chef
Rob Pengson, was flashed on a screen in front of Spaniards and Filipinos who
sat side-by-side, wetting their lips. In another lifetime, friars would have
flinched.But the year is 2015. A century has passed since the American ships’
guns fired upon Spanish ships in Manila Bay, and today the bright orange sun
warms the calm waters. On April 24, Pasay’s coconut trees, skyscrapers, and
ubiquitous coffee shops were the backdrop to a new revolution in Manila, the
city where 350 delegates to the three-day Madrid Fusión Manila listened as 20
chefs from la madre patria and the former colony discussed the
future. More specifically, the future of food.
NEW CUISINE
There is much to learn from Spain in terms of
gastronomy. Spain is one of the countries at the center of the world of
gastronomy, teeming with Michelin-starred chefs. Meanwhile, the Philippines,
whose dishes are infused with traditional Spanish elements inherited from 300
years as Spain’s colony, has yet to discover how to move on from morcon to degustacion.
One of the most influential chefs in Spain, Andoni Luis Aduriz, who gave a talk entitled “Open Creativity,” defined the “new” as criticism. Sitting down with BusinessWorld before the congress began, the chef of Mugaritz said: “We think about how we can do what we do now in another way. An innovative way.
One of the most influential chefs in Spain, Andoni Luis Aduriz, who gave a talk entitled “Open Creativity,” defined the “new” as criticism. Sitting down with BusinessWorld before the congress began, the chef of Mugaritz said: “We think about how we can do what we do now in another way. An innovative way.
Gastronomy derives meaning within a context, but the
context is changing.”The chef has followed in what seems to be a tradition of
creativity in modern Spanish restaurants. He learned this from Ferran Adrià ,
considered one of the best chefs in the world, who put Mr. Aduriz in elBulli’s
“creativity area” for three years. When the apprentice left his master, Mr.
Adrià ’s parting words were: “You have a gift in creativity. It has to be a
center of your work.”
At his two-Michelin starred restaurant Mugaritz, the top floor is dedicated to creativity. There’s a special kitchen where a team of seven people -- two chefs, a chemist, and four people doing research on gastronomy -- work on different projects all year, all-day long.Francis Paniego of the two-starred Echaurren has a similar system. For two months, four people convene in a special kitchen to contemplate trends for the next year. Speaking onstage at Madrid Fusión Manila, he likened the creative process to a mother delivering a child. “I don’t know how that feels but it must be painful. Creating has to be painful. It has to stress you. But then suddenly, eureka! It’s 2 a.m. and we’re working,” he breathed. “It’s amazing.”
At his two-Michelin starred restaurant Mugaritz, the top floor is dedicated to creativity. There’s a special kitchen where a team of seven people -- two chefs, a chemist, and four people doing research on gastronomy -- work on different projects all year, all-day long.Francis Paniego of the two-starred Echaurren has a similar system. For two months, four people convene in a special kitchen to contemplate trends for the next year. Speaking onstage at Madrid Fusión Manila, he likened the creative process to a mother delivering a child. “I don’t know how that feels but it must be painful. Creating has to be painful. It has to stress you. But then suddenly, eureka! It’s 2 a.m. and we’re working,” he breathed. “It’s amazing.”
Mario Sandoval, who holds the record as the youngest chef to be given a Michelin star, seconds this. “It’s very difficult to create new things,” he said. “New items are few. There’s a lot of copying. To create new avenues is difficult.” The key, according to him: “You have to be intelligent.”For celebrated pastry chef Paco Torreblanca, “Art has to be provocative but if you don’t have the knowledge, it’s useless.” However, he considers the new as simply a reimagining of the past. In his lecture “Sweet World, Happy Ending,” he sculpted isomalt, a sugar substitute, into futuristic cylinders for dessert. Garnering a standing ovation, he said that what has been done doesn’t interest him anymore. Before turning his back on the crowd, he said firmly, “We have to move on, move on, move on.”
NEW FILIPINIANA
There was a recurring theme among the Filipino chefs’
lectures at the conference, peppered with references to the Philippine
revolution against Spain. Paintings of yesteryears’ battles were flashed on the
screen, followed by anecdotes on moving forward. It was in stark contrast to
the Spanish chefs, who, if they ever even mentioned our shared history, would
refer to the those 300 years as a “fraternity.”Mr. Pengson, who crafted a
tasting menu that retells the story of the national hero, is perhaps one of the
more provocative Filipino chefs. Sticking to his belief that Filipinos should
rediscover history through food -- a movement he calls New Filipiniana -- he
dedicated his hour to talking about creating food around Rizal’s execution.
On the other hand, another Filipino restaurateur
Margarita Forés, the lady behind Lusso and Cibo, raised the country’s flag by
presenting uniquely Filipino food ingredients. Her philosophy, using the best
local ingredients and putting them beside the best in the world, was reflected
in her dishes which featured balut (fertilized duck eggs) and sperm bags
from local tuna.Claude Tayag of Bale Dutung discussed Philippine adobo, differentiating it from
Spanish or Mexican adobo,
and emphasizing that adobo is not so much a dish but a cooking
technique that has been around even before the Spaniards arrived. That the
technique persists today and creates versions as varied as the number of
households in the country -- or even more -- signifies resilience.
NEW REVOLUTION
NEW REVOLUTION
As the chefs discussed their theories at the
congress, next door was the trade exhibition, a festival of sorts. Booths
overflowed with their respective products -- chili ice cream, nachos,caldereta,
bread, wine, olive oil, rice, chocolate, liquor, blenders, candies, wine
refrigerators, etc. The companies had all placed their bets on the
gastronomical revolution that Madrid Fusión Manila was about to spark.
The International Rice Research Institute’s (IRRI)
Casiana Vera Cruz, the head of the Heirloom Rice project of the Los Baños-based
organization, has high hopes that interest in gastronomy would influence
consumers to patronize heirloom rice. Heirloom rice -- black, brown, red, and
varying in texture and flavor -- are varieties handed down through generations
of small landholders, mostly in the Cordilleras.
Currently, there’s a niche that patronizes heirloom
rice, which costs at least three times the price of regular white rice. Chefs
like Chele Gonzales of VASK and Robby Goco of Cyma have picked up the grains
due to their rarity and uniqueness that makes them perfect for degustation
menus. “They are the local champions,” Dr. Vera Cruz declared. The chefs are
the influencers who will open doors for consumers to partake of the previously
unknown varieties. The future of
the heirloom rice varieties is shaky. With changing times and more
opportunities, farmers’ children are less willing to take up the family
business. The lack of understanding on how to make an enterprise out of
heirloom rice, which traditionally is grown by farmers to feed themselves and
not sold commercially, also poses a risk in the continuity of the varieties.
IRRI is thus
working to provide assistance to farmers so they can create a market for
heirloom rice, and eventually learn to thrive on its business.The future of
Philippine gastronomy is also shared by the Spanish food industry. On the
occasion of Madrid Fusión Manila, Jose M. Ferrer, chief executive officer of
Wingara Wine Group and maker of Freixenet Cava, is releasing the fruity
sparkling wine produced in Catalonia. With more sophisticated palates for food,
more sophisticated palates for wine are expected to develop.Meanwhile, Spanish capa blanca, or white pork, is
also expected to enjoy continued patronage. According to the Interprofessional
Organization for Capa Blanca Pork, meat comprises a dominant section of the
Spanish food and drink industry and around a million tons of pork, worth about
€2.3 billion, is currently being exported.
To promote white pork, the group invited Kisko Garcia of Michelin-starred restaurant Choco to cook a pork dish. While there is nothing new about cooking pork, Mr. Garcia, like the other chefs at the congress, sought to inspire. He cautioned, however, that inspiration barely means anything.“Today it’s with you. Tomorrow it’s gone,” he said of inspiration. To him, innovation is simply two things -- knowledge of the product and mastery of technique -- but “it takes a long time to become what one will become.”The long-term effect of Madrid Fusión Manila rests in the hands and minds of the youth.
To promote white pork, the group invited Kisko Garcia of Michelin-starred restaurant Choco to cook a pork dish. While there is nothing new about cooking pork, Mr. Garcia, like the other chefs at the congress, sought to inspire. He cautioned, however, that inspiration barely means anything.“Today it’s with you. Tomorrow it’s gone,” he said of inspiration. To him, innovation is simply two things -- knowledge of the product and mastery of technique -- but “it takes a long time to become what one will become.”The long-term effect of Madrid Fusión Manila rests in the hands and minds of the youth.
On the sidelines of the event, students from the
Magsaysay Center of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Enderun Colleges, and other
culinary schools were scanning IDs, ushering delegates, and from time to time,
asking for photographs with the stellar foreign chefs who may only pass this
way once. “This is heaven,” remarked one of them, as she followed the path of
her culinary gods.It’s a far cry from what Rizal might have imagined the future
to be when he stood in front of the firing squad. Yet isn’t this what modernity
is supposed to be? “Move on, move on, move on,” Mr. Torreblanca urged. But the
revolution continues, the lives of squabs being sacrificed as a reminder that
we are still the same nation the heroes left behind.
Budget Conference Report Reveals
No Farm Bill Cuts
|
||
WASHINGTON,
D.C.-The House and Senate Agriculture Chairmen received welcome, but not
entirely unexpected news when they reviewed the 2016 budget conference
report. The report stated that neither the House nor the Senate Agriculture
Committees are required to trim money from the Farm Bill. "The
conference report as it relates to agriculture is a clear indication that
Congress recognizes that the Agriculture Committees stepped up to the plate
by reducing spending through the Farm Bill signed into law last year,"
said USA Rice's vice president of Government Affairs Ben Mosely.
According to reports, even though the no-cut decision was anticipated,
it was still appreciated. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), a Senate Budget
conferee and ranking Democrat on Senate Agriculture, credits the backing of
400 different groups for their efforts in keeping House reconciliation
directions for cuts to agriculture out of the budget conference reports.
|
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USA
Rice Promotions: A Hit in Haiti
|
||
December
2012, the Government of Haiti signed an agreement with the government
of Vietnam allowing the purchase of 300,000 MT of milled long
grain rice; at that time, the U.S. had a 97 percent market share in
Haiti.
In
2013, a total of 66,000 MT of Viet rice was imported to Haiti, displacing
U.S. rice and reducing our market share to 78 percent. During the
summer of 2013, USA Rice commenced a promotions program here with the goal of
returning U.S. rice exports to their prior level. While there is a price
differential between Vietnamese and U.S. rice (typically $3-$5 per 25kg bag),
Haitians have shown their desire for good quality rice.
"Viet
rice, while cheaper, has a bad image - if it is not consumed right after it's
cooked, then it becomes very hard and difficult to eat. American rice does
not have that reputation," says Ives-Marie Channel, USA Rice's marketing
representation in Haiti. "USA Rice promotions in Haiti stress the high
quality, reliability and excellent cooking characteristics of U.S. rice, or
as many Haitians know it, Miami rice."After compiling an extensive
list of the rice trade in Haiti and consulting with the major players, USA
Rice began conducting 1,000 radio promotions and four 15-minute radio
programs which discussed rice in depth.
The
most visible activity last year were TV and radio spots broadcast during the
World Cup. USA Rice broadcast 5,166 spots on 10 radio stations and 1,760
commercials were broadcasted on 6 television stations. In 2014,
Haiti brought in less than 20,000 MT of Viet rice and the U.S. market share
rose back up to 96 percent. There have not been any reports of Viet rice
imports into Haiti in 2015 thus far. USA Rice is continuing its
successful promotions in 2015, including sponsoring a local soccer team which
will place U.S. rice posters in their stadiums, strengthening the positive
image of U.S. rice, encouraging continued consumption, and protecting U.S.
market share. Haiti consistently ranks among the top three markets for
U.S. rice and the largest market for milled rice. Haiti was the second
largest single destination for U.S. rice last year (361,578 MT) and the third
largest value market ($185 million).
|
||
Weekly Rice Sales, Exports Reported
|
||
WASHINGTON,
DC --Net rice sales of 112,800 MT for 2014/2015 were up 72 percent from the
previous week and up noticeably from the prior four-week average, according
to today's Export
Sales Highlights. Increases were reported for Libya (22,000 MT),
Haiti (20,500 MT), South Korea (17,000 MT), Colombia (14,900 MT), and Mexico
(12,100 MT).
Exports of 58,100 MT were down 25 percent from the previous week and 18 percent from the prior four-week average. The primary destinations were Colombia (34,800 MT), Haiti (10,000 MT), Mexico (3,600 MT), Canada (2,700 MT), and Jordan (1,700 MT).
This
summary is based on reports from exporters from the period April 17-23.
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CME Group/Closing Rough Rice
Futures
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Japanese leader says trade deal 'near,' pledges
farm policy reform
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2015 -
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in an historic address to a joint meeting
of Congress, assured lawmakers he was ready to remove protections for his
country's farmers and was close to finalizing a trade deal with the United
States.The U.S. demand that Japan end its stiff tariffs on rice and other
agricultural commodities is one of the major hangups to concluding the 12-nation Trans-Pacific
Partnership agreement.“The goal is near,” Abe said of the U.S.-Japan talks,
speaking in halting English. “Let us bring the TPP (to) successful conclusion
through our joint leadership.”Abe didn't talk at all about the specifics of the
negotiations, and White House officials said ahead of his visit that the
negotiations wouldn't be finished this week.But Abe told the lawmakers he had
reversed the thinking he had 20 years ago when he joined a farmer rally to
protest lowering protections to Japanese agriculture.
“I was much younger and like a ball
of fire and opposed to opening Japan's agricultural market,” he said.Since
then, Japanese agriculture “has gone into decline” with the average age of
farmers now 66, he said. “In order for it to survive,” Japanese agriculture
“has to change now.”He said Japan was pursuing “sweeping reform” to its farm
policy, which is one of the most lucrative for producers in the world. More than 45 percent of the value
of Japan's agricultural production comes from trade barriers or subsidies. Commodities such as rice and
dairy products are protected through quotes and prohibitively high tariffs, and
there are duties on beef, vegetable oil and oranges. Pork is protected through
a minimum import price, or “gate price.”
Earlier the year, Abe moved to overhaul the Japan
Agricultural Cooperatives, a giant entity that controls distribution of farm
commodities. After Abe's speech, Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., said he
senses “momentum” in the TPP negotiations. “I see him in a good position
to get some reforms done. It's vital to the success of the TPP. “Abe's speech
came as the House and Senate are preparing to debate fast-track bills that
would ensure that the TPP agreement would receive an up-or-down vote in
Congress with no chance of amendment. The legislation could be on the Senate
floor as early as next week.
The administration said the
legislation is critical to getting Japan and Canada to make their final
concessions in the TPP talks. The United States is demanding that Canada remove
barriers on dairy and poultry products.Abe also sought to make a case to the
lawmakers for the TPP, which he said was important both for security of the two
nations as well as to increase economic growth. “We must take the lead to build
a market, pure dynamic, sustainable, and (that) is also free from the …
arbitrary intentions of any nation,” he said.
Opponents of the fast-track
legislation seized on the lack of a U.S.-Japan deal this week as evidence that
it was premature for Congress to pass the measure.“The failure to reach a final
accord during Prime Minister Abe's visit is another reminder about the key
sticking points that remain before TPP can be finished - and why ‘fast
tracking' this underlying agreement before it's finished and we can see the
text is a bad idea,” according to a statement by the Coalition to Stop Fast Track,
which is backed by labor unions and environmental groups.
Eating rice with
chopsticks lowers one's blood sugar level: Local study
PUBLISHED ON MAR 5, 2015 3:18 PM
If you want to control your blood sugar levels, one
effective way could be to eat rice with chopsticks, say local nutrition
experts. -- ST PHOTO: JAMIE KOH
BY LEE XIN EN
SINGAPORE - If you want to control your blood sugar levels, one
effective way could be to eat rice with chopsticks, say local nutrition
experts.According to Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, a local study jointly
carried out by the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, the National
University of Singapore and the Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC)
investigated the eating habits of 11 people, studying the differences between
those who use chopsticks, spoons and hands to eat.They found that those who use
chopsticks to eat white rice experienced significantly lower glucose response,
meaning that they had lower rates of increase in their blood sugar levels,
compared to those who used spoons and hands.CNRC director Jeyakumar Henry said
he was inspired to carry out the study while sitting in kopitiams.
He said: "I lived in England for more than 30 years, and
everyone used spoons to eat, but in my three years in Singapore, I realised
that the multi-ethnic population here had their own unique ways of eating. This
made me think about whether the way we eat affects our glucose
response.""I'm pleased that our survey showed that eating rice with
chopsticks results in a lower glucose response. I think it's because when one
uses chopsticks, the amount of rice grains picked up is smaller than if one
uses his hands or a spoon. As a result, one eats less in a mouthful, and
increases the time it takes to eat."
He further explained that when people eat less and chew less,
slowly-eaten or incompletely digested carbohydrate particles are larger and
take longer to digest, which result in a lower increase in blood sugar after
eating.
"For example, you take about 43 mouthfuls to finish a bowl of
rice if you're using a pair of chopsticks," he added. "If you use a
spoon or your hands, you can finish the equivalent in between 17 and 20
mouthfuls. When you take a longer time to finish eating, it's effective in
lowering your glucose response."He emphasised that a slower rate of
glucose response was more effective in reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
The study was published last December in the journal, Physiology
and Behaviour. Dr Henry also clarified that international research standards
relating to glucose response require only between nine and 12 participants for
the results to be significant.For those who do not have a habit of using
chopsticks, Mr Henry said that the message for them is to "enjoy their
food slowly, and to eat less in each mouthful".He highlighted that the
result of the study is based on those who use chopsticks to pick up their rice
by the mouthful, and is not applicable to those who bring their rice bowls
close to their mouths while using chopsticks to 'shovel' the food into their
mouths.Dr Henry also suggested other ways of lowering glucose response, such as
eating foods which are low in glycemic index (GI), such as basmatic rice. GI
refers to the extent to which a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood
glucose.
He also recommended eating rice as
part of a meal that includes meat and vegetables, which he said will result in
a lower glycemic response compared to consuming white rice on its own. Waiting
for hot rice to cool slightly before eating, could also help with lowering
glucose response, he added.
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/health/story/eating-rice-chopsticks-lowers-ones-blood-sugar-level-local-study-2015030#sthash.KcLkk6ip.dpuf
Paddy price fall worries Patuakhali farmers
They suffer loss as per maund of boro sells at Tk 400-450 in local
market
Harvested boro paddy lies stacked
beside a field of Pakhimara village in Kalapara upazila under Patuakhali
district that sees good yield of the crop this season.
Boro farmers in the district are unhappy
because of the low price of the paddy even though there has been a bumper
production this year.Paddy is selling at only Tk 400 to Tk 450 per maund in the
local market, while the price was Tk 600 to Tk 700 last year. Because of this,
farmers are reluctant to reap the paddy as they have to suffer loss.Farmers of
different areas under Kalapara upazila, which saw the highest boro production
in the district this year, had to spend about Tk 7,000 per bigha of land to
cultivate boro paddy, but the produce, 15 to 16 maunds of paddy, sells for Tk
6,000 to Tk 6,400."We have to suffer loss as the price of boro paddy in
the local market is very low this year," said Masum Chowdhury, a boro
farmer of Kumirmara village under Kalapara upazila. He cultivated boro on two
acres of land.
"We had to preserve sweet
water in canals, ditches and others water bodies by building dams on voluntary
basis to save the land from saline water to cultivate boro paddy," said Md
Sultan Gazi, chairman of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Club, a social unit
of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) of Nilganj union under
the same upazila. "Boro seedlings were planted in January or early
February, and over 200 acres of land in Nilgonj union were brought under its
cultivation," he said.
"The government is not buying
boro paddy from local market, so local buyers fix the rate in different haats
and bazaars in the areas. Farmers will be encouraged to cultivate boro paddy if
the government ensures good market price and subsidy for fertilisers and other
relevant inputs, otherwise they will lose interest in farming the paddy,"
said farmer Dulal Chowdhury.
When contacted, Md Moshiur Rahman,
Kalapara upazila agriculture officer, said about 1,000 acres of land in the
upazila were brought under boro cultivation this year. Farmers got bumper
production due to favourable weather and timely rainfall.Patuakhali district
DAE office sources said over 5,000 acres of land were brought under boro
cultivation this year in five of the eight upazilas under the district.
http://www.thedailystar.net/country/paddy-price-fall-worries-patuakhali-farmers-79998
Bangladesh, India to cooperate on high-yielding rice seeds
Seed
bodies of India and Bangladesh yesterday formalised a move to cooperate on
expediting trade of high-yielding varieties (HYV) of rice seeds for the benefit
of the farmers of the two countries, and help boost food security.Syed AKM
Asadul Amin Dadan, general secretary of the Bangladesh Seeds Association (BSA),
and Kalyan Goswami, executive director of the National Seed Association of
India (NSAI), signed a memorandum of understanding at a meeting organised by
CUTS International, at the conclusion of a two-year research and advocacy
project.
The
memorandum aims to aid traders, exporters and importers of both the countries
to initiate cross-border trade in HYV rice seeds, as well as enable a
favourable environment for knowledge-sharing in HYV rice seeds production and
trade, CUTS International said in a statement.It will also catalyse closer ties
between the two South Asian nations, particularly between Bangladesh and the
eastern states of India, and help boost food security in the region.The
Addressing Barriers to Rice Seeds Trade between India and Bangladesh project
was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.“Due to non-existence of
formal trade of HYV of rice seed, steps can be taken to formalise rice seeds
trade and knowledge-sharing which will ensure greater cooperation in
agriculture between Bangladesh and India,'' said Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury,
Bangladesh's deputy high commissioner in India.
Many
new and promising rice varieties have been developed in India and Bangladesh,
and farmers in the region can benefit if varieties released in one country can
be cultivated quickly in neighbouring countries with similar agro-climatic
conditions, said Rajesh Kumar Singh, joint secretary (seeds) of the Indian
agriculture ministry. In Bangladesh and India, serious problems with
making a variety of rice seeds available and accessible to farmers prevail as a
significant gap exists between demand and supplies of most desired and
adaptable varieties, said Bipul Chatterjee, deputy executive director of CUTS
International.
The
demand-supply gap often results in the use of regenerated rice seeds for
several years, compromising rice yield and productivity and leads to informal
rice seeds trade, he said. “Increased cooperation between the two
countries can significantly improve the situation,” he added.The countries now
need to map the processes of releasing one country's rice varieties in others,
so that formal trade and cooperation can be realised efficiently, a point
demonstrated by Suresh P Singh, policy analyst CUTS International, and Mahfuz
Kabir, senior research fellow of Bangladesh Institute of International and
Strategic Studies, at the meeting.
http://www.thedailystar.net/business/bangladesh-india-cooperate-high-yielding-rice-seeds-80013
More fallowing expected as rice planting gets underway
By Ching Lee, California Farm Bureau Federation
POSTED: 04/29/15, 5:18 PM PDT |
California rice
farmers say deeper water cutbacks this year will not only force many of them to
fallow more ground, but there will be less water available to transfer to other
farmers and areas facing shortages.Helped by storms in December and February,
water supplies in the Sacramento Valley are in better shape than other parts of
the state, said David Guy, president of the Northern California Water
Association. But every part of the region will still see water reductions this
year, he added, ranging from 25 percent to 100 percent.
“Everyone is
going to suffer in some fashion,” Guy said.As rice planting begins in the
Sacramento Valley, farmers with senior water rights along the Sacramento River
received final word that they will have 75 percent of their supply for the
second year in a row. Those who divert from the Feather River will have their
water cut by 50 percent. Farmers on the east side of the valley will face cuts
from 30 percent to 60 percent, while those who buy water from the federal
Central Valley Project will get no water for a second straight year.
At a media
briefing recently to discuss impacts of the four-year drought on rice growers,
the California Rice Commission said it expects more land will be idled this
year, but exactly how much won’t be known until later this spring. Growers
planted 23 percent less rice acreage in 2014 than in 2013, according to the
commission.About 200,000 acre-feet of water from the Sacramento River will be
available this year to transfer to water-short districts north and south of the
delta, at a price ranging from $400 to $665 per acre-foot.
Water sales
have gone down significantly since the early 1990s, when transfers were in the
magnitude of about a million acre-feet compared to this year’s 200,000
acre-feet, Guy said.Today, more of that water is kept in the region for farming
and environmental requirements. State regulations restrict how many contiguous
acres can be fallowed, to protect habitat for the giant garter snake that lives
and hunts in rice fields and adjacent ditches, according to the Rice
Commission.With supplies to Feather River settlement contractors being cut 50
percent, Bryce Lundberg, vice president of agriculture at Lundberg Family
Farms, said his farm will grow as much rice as it needs to meet customer
expectations and then fallow the rest.
http://www.chicoer.com/general-news/20150429/more-fallowing-expected-as-rice-planting-gets-underway
Rice prices down by P2/kilo
By Carlo S. Lorenciana (The Freeman) | Updated May 1, 2015 - 12:00am
CEBU, Philippines - Prices of commercial rice in public markets
are down by at least P2 per kilo while costs of other basic consumer goods are
stable as of this time.In a market inspection on Wednesday afternoon, rice
sellers at the Carbon Public Market, the biggest public market in Cebu City,
told The FREEMAN that the decrease in rice prices has prevailed for a week
already. For instance, Ganador is currently sold at P52 per kilo from P54
before, Lion Ivory is selling at P48 a kilo from P50 and Champion is now at P44
per kilo from P46. Prices of other rice varieties are also down by at
least P1 to P2.
However, rice traders said
the slight decrease might just be temporary as rice production is entering the
lean months. According to the National Food Authority (NFA), the lean
period for rice production starts in May to July while the harvest season is
expected in August. By then, rice prices are also expected to go down.Freeman ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch:The
government is selling cheaper rice called the NFA rice at P27 for regular
milled rice and P32 for well milled rice.
Chicken prices
On the other hand, current
chicken prices in the public market are lower compared before after the
government imposed a suggested retail price (SRP) for chicken. The SRP for
chicken just returned to P135 a kilo this week after the Department of
Agriculture cancelled its initial suggestion to lower chicken price to P110 per
kilo due to abundant supply. As of Wednesday, The FREEMAN learned
that whole dressed chicken is selling at P110 in Carbon Market while choice
cuts of chicken could range from P125 to P135 per kilo. “Daghan mang
supply sa manok unya nius-os sab ang farm gate price,” retailer Marlou Hegera
said. Pork prices are also ranging from P170 to P195, depending on the
cuts. As of this time egg costs are stable, ranging from P3.50 for
the smallest and P6 for the largest. (FREEMAN)
http://www.philstar.com/cebu-business/2015/05/01/1449931/rice-prices-down-p2/kilo
Local rice production to increase
Apr
30, 2015 at 3:44pm
About
800 metric tons of rice seeds have been produced across the Rice Sector Support
Programme (RSSP) regions for planting in the 2015 farming season, Dr Wilson
Dogbe, Research Coordinator of RSSP has announced.He said the available 800
metric tons of rice seeds would cover 16,000 hectares of rice fields, which
would increase domestic rice production to meet the rising demand for rice in
the country.Dr Dogbe announced this at the 2015 Annual Rice Seed Stakeholders
Meeting organised by the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute of the Council
for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR – SARI) at Nyankpala in the
Northern Region.
The
meeting brought together stakeholders from Ministry of Food and Agriculture
(MoFA), development partners including United States Agency for International
Development, rice seed companies, input dealers, seed producers, researchers,
rice related projects among others.It was to take stock of the rice seed
situation in the four RSSP regions for this year, which included Volta,
Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, and to plan the seed needs for
2016, as well as to identify the roles of the various actors on the rice seed
value chain.
The
RSSP is an initiative of MoFA to amongst others, support lowland rice
production to improve livelihood of poor farmers in the targeted regions
through the development of a sustainable economic activity based on the natural
potential of the regions.Dr Dogbe, who is also Principal Research Scientist at
SARI, said there are challenges of seed quality in terms of red rice, which
must be addressed to improve the quality of the crop produced.
He
mentioned some of the measures taken to reduce red rice levels in the seeds
produced, which included reducing acreages to manageable levels, moving away
from broadcasting of rice seed farms, and bonding of fields.Dr Dogbe gave the
assurance that rice produced by local farmers is of high quality and therefore
urged consumers to purchase and consume locally produced rice.Mr Raphael Dinku,
Field Officer of GANORMAH, an input dealer, expressed the need for quality
seeds to attract farmers to purchase them and to increase domestic rice
production. http://www.gbcghana.com/1.3358884
Kharif 2015-16: Seven
million tons of sugarcane, 0.7 million tons of rice output proposed
April 30, 2015
The government has proposed to set sugarcane production target at
7 million tons and rice 0.7 million tons for Kharif 2015-16, it is learnt.
According to an official document of Ministry of National Food Security and
Research (MNFS&R), the MNFS&R in consultation with all the provincial
agriculture departments has proposed 7 million tons sugarcane, 0.7 million tons
rice, 371000 tons Maize and 100,000 tons of chillies production target for
Kharif 2015-16. The meeting of Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) which
will be held today (Thursday) will give final approval to proposed production
targets of major Kharif crops, an official said.
He said that federal minister for National Food Security and
Research Sikandar Hayat Bosan will preside over the meeting. Provincial
ministers for secretaries, federal secretaries, representatives from federal
and provincial agriculture departments, Indus River System Authority (IRSA),
Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Pakistan Agriculture Storage and
Services Corporation (PASSCO) and State Bank of Pakistan SBP will also attended
the meeting. The document further said that according to the provincial data
sugarcane area, yield and production during 2014-15 decreased by (-4.1,-1.1 and
-5.2 percent) against 2013-14. Country's sugarcane growers and sugar
industrialists have conflicting interests.
Sugarcane grower consider that price of sugarcane is low while
sugar industry feels price is high and writ petitions are launched by a number
of sugar mills against the indicative price announced by the provincial
government. It said that due to persistent shortage of electricity tube wells
water use has considerably reduced due to which sugarcane cultivation is
shrinking and the area is diverting to maize crops. It needs to be considered
that demand for sugar in comparison with maize is more strong and if sugarcane
crop have so much difficulties for maize it seems hard to sustain after a
couple of years, it said.
The problems like under wieghment, quality deduction and
exploitative role of the middlemen are inherent to sugarcane crop. Rice
position as second amongst the staple food grain crops in Pakistan and it has
been leading source of foreign exchange earning in the recent years. According
to the second estimates provided by the respective provincial agriculture
departments rice production at national level is estimated at 6.9 million tons
in 2014-15, higher 1.5 percent than last years production of 6.8 million tons.
The increase in production has mainly resulted in by increase in area by 2.1
percent seeing that yield has decreased rather by 0.5 percent, it said. The official said that FCA would also review the Rabi crop
production position of wheat, gram, lentil, potatoes and onion. The committee
would also review the overall position of agriculture input for Kharif crops
2015-2016 including seeds, fertilisers, irrigation water and agriculture
credit, he said.
http://www.brecorder.com/agriculture-a-allied/183/1181554/
New targets set for
rice, sugarcane crops
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Committee on Agriculture
(FCA) on Thursday set the fresh production targets for sugarcane and rice
crops.The target for sugarcane was fixed at 68 million tonnes from an area of
1.40m hectares as compared to last year’s production of 63.9m tonnes.The target
for rice is 7m tonnes from an area of 2.8m hectares, whereas for the maize
crop, the target is 4.6m tonnes.The representatives of provincial agricultural
departments urged the federal government to ensure adequate supply of urea and
phosphate fertilisers during the season.
Speaking at a news conference after the FCA
meeting, Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan
Bosan stated that production of main crops, including rice, cotton, sugarcane
and potatoes had increased. It had helped the government stabilise prices of
essential commodities. He was of the view that farmers took a hit due to
falling global prices of rice and cotton.As far as irrigation water is
concerned, the meeting was informed that availability of water would be
satisfactory except for some areas of Sindh.The Met Office reported the IRSA
data that water levels in the reservoirs were better as compared to last year.
Additionally, the Met Office was optimistic about prospects of rains in all
parts of the country.
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30th April,2015 Daily Global Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus
Magazine
