Protest: REAP urges govt
attention towards NARC issue
Published: July 7, 2015
NARC is the prime research centre
of the country with state-of-the-art conventional and genome research facilities.
PHOTO: APP
KARACHI: The
Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) on Monday urged the federal
government to immediately take notice of the proposed closure of National
Agriculture Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad and turn it into a housing
scheme.
“It has come to our notice that the
government authorities have decided to close NARC and use all of its land for a
proposed housing scheme. This has to be stopped at all cost,” a REAP release
said.NARC is the prime research centre of the country with state-of-the-art
conventional and genome research facilities. It also houses hundreds of
international research institutes within the campus.
The centre has strong coordination with
provincial research institutes and provides a backbone support to national
agriculture.“Closing down the centre will be detrimental for national
agriculture, it will put back the country many decades and affect not
only our productivity but also exports,” added the release.“If we do not
protest on this wrongdoing now, tomorrow our government will start turning our
universities and other institutes into housing colonies as most of these are
also located in prime lands in different cities,” it stressed.“We humbly appeal
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to keep in view national interest and importance of
food security.”
NARC was established in 1984 and is the
largest research centre of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC).
NARC has a total land of approximately 1,400 acres and it is located near Rawal
Lake, six kilometres south-east of Islamabad. Physical facilities in term of
experimental fields, laboratories, green houses, gene bank,
library/documentation, auditorium, machinery and lab equipment repair
workshops, stores, hostels, cafeteria, audio visual studios, are also available
at NARC.
Published in The Express
Tribune, July 7th, 2015.
Rice
Farmers Frustrated As Drought Grips Thailand
Published July 06, 2015
A severe drought in Thailand is limiting the growing season of the
country’s important rice crop. Farmers are blaming the government for not doing
more to protect a key export. Steve Sandford reports from Chiang Mai, Thailand.
http://www.voanews.com/media/video/rice-farmers-frustrated-as-drought-grips-thialand/2850828.html
Land
mafia and irrigation official sell precious land and parks of canal sides by
fake documentation
LARKANA: July 6, 2015. (Nazir Siyal) Hundreds acre of irrigation
land, parks property and bungalows have been allegedly sold out by the
concerned officials in collusion land mafia throughout the province. In Larkana
and other parts of region the of irrigation officials particularly Rice Canal
Division allegedly sold out hundreds of acres land on both sides of the canal
and all its parks and other property. This correspondent reliably learnt that
the both sides of Rice canal bank including Ghar Wah and Abro minor have been
occupied with fake documents and illegal lease.
The gardener of Ghar Wah of Rice Canal division for a decade
protesting against such illegal occupations and illegal allotments by the
concerned officials in the irrigation department Sindh but the authorities are
turned deaf ears. He appealed civil society and higher authorities to save
public parks both sides of Rice Canal, Ghar Wah and Aabro minor, the Land mafia
very active to engulf these public properties in Larkana right besides the Commissioner
office and other important government offices.
Talking to media men, poor gardener Imdad Jagirani informed that
land mafia in collusion with irrigation officials have sold out precious land
with bungalows, plots of irrigation and parks on heavy bribe by fake documents
adding that despite of threats and pressure he has been struggling to save five
historical gardens at Lahori regulator, where the District Government announced
Green parks on both sides of canal, were established since the British rule.
He further told that due to apathy of concerned irrigation XEN and
other officials, these beautiful gardens have been ruined and large parts of
gardens and the banks have been occupied by the Land grabbers with the
collusions of Irrigation official among Canal Assistant in the irrigation.He
said further told that he was also attacked by the land grabbers and severely
injured, but instead of helping poor employee, the concerned XEN, SDO and Canal
Assistant supported land mafia they are involve in making fake allotment and
issued for occupation he told.On the occasion, when this scribe investigated in
the name of Ali Nawaz son Shadan Chandio No GC/G-148/3976 date 08- 12/ 1987 in
previous date by Executive Engineer Rice Canal Division also made fake and
illegal documents.
Besides hundreds fake allotments of lease were issued to land
grabbers by the concerned officials to occupy further rest of parks and
properties on both sides of banks of canals. According to the reports, Chief
engineer Sukkur barrage Right Bank Larkana Region few months back took notice
of matter of illegal allotments and occupation on irrigation properties and
issued a letter No. WB, 11/RBR/WSC/2013/4, W1, 888 to Superintendent Engineer
Western Sindh Circle Larkana to probe into the matter but yet no move told the
sources.
When this scribe asked for the issue Chief Engineer right bank
Sukkur at Larkana Nazir Mahar told that he has directed S.E Northern Circle
Amjad Pervaiz Dawach and concerned Executive Engineers particularly Rice Canal
Division Larkana to probe into the occupation and lease of irrigation
properties, he said the stern action will be taken against the involved people
and concerned.Assistant Executive Engineer Ghaar sub division Larkana Hazoor
Bux had confirmed that he received a letter from Chief Engineer to investigate
the matter adding that there was no record of such allotments in his office and
all the documents were fake and fabricated.
He said that it was responsibility of district administration
Larkana to remove such illegal occupations on government properties; however
departmental action will be taken, if any person is found behind the matter he
said. On the occasion, the representatives of civil society and citizens of
Larkana have appealed Chief Justice of Pakistan, National Accountability Bureau
(NAB) and other agencies to investigate the matter and save historical parks on
both sides of canal and irrigation properties all over the districts.
http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=5451
Calif. field crop acreages shrinking amid drought
Published:July
6, 2015 1:29PM
TIM HEARDEN/CAPITAL PRESS
A field near Willows, Calif., is prepared for rice planting this
spring. Rice acreage in California is down considerably this summer because of
a lack of available water.
The drought's continued impacts are causing field crop acreage in
California to dip lower than expected this year. according to an acreage update
from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Capital Press
SACRAMENTO — A continued lack of water availability is causing
field crop acreages in California to dip even lower than expected, government
and industry representatives say.Rice acreage in California is now expected to
top out at 385,000, a steep drop from the 431,000 acres of rice harvested last
year, according to a USDA field crop report.The actual acreage may end up being
lower, cautions Charley Mathews, a Marysville, Calif., grower and member of the
USA Rice Federation’s executive committee.“The industry number we’ve been using
is between 350,000 and 375,000,” Mathews said. “I think they (the USDA) started
off kind of high.
”Early this spring, farmers told the National Agricultural
Statistics Service they intended to seed rice on 408,000 acres, or 6 percent
below the acreage seeded in 2014. However, NASS now expects medium- and
short-grain rice acreage in California to decrease by 11 percent and 9 percent,
respectively, from 2014, its updated field crop report states.Nationwide, areas
planted to rice in 2015 are estimated at 2.77 million acres, down 6 percent
from last year, because of lower price expectations this year, according to
NASS.Water uncertainties amid a fourth straight year of drought have continued
to fluster growers, particularly along the Sacramento River in Northern
California. With regulators wanting to keep enough water in the river for
migrating fish, many growers had to wait for deliveries before they could start
planting in late April.
Recently, the federal government’s need to keep cold water in Shasta
Lake for fish has further complicated the timing and quantity of remaining
deliveries to settlement contractors along the river.“There’s kind of a worry
that it’ll decrease their diversions,” Mathews said.Rice is one of several
field crops in California showing sharp acreage declines this year, according
to the report. Among others:
• Corn acreage in the Golden State is estimated at 430,000 acres,
down from 520,000 acres a year ago. Corn planted nationwide totals 88.9 million
acres, down 2 percent from last year.
• California’s 51,000 acres of cotton are down from the 56,000
acres harvested in the state last year.
• Growers have planted 35,000 acres of sunflower in California
this year, down from 44,000 acres last year.
The declines come as growers with limited water have sacrificed
some annual plantings to concentrate on perennial crops, such as nut orchards,
they have said.For the area survey, NASS officials visited randomly selected
tracts of land and interviewed growers in early June, according to a news
release.
http://www.capitalpress.com/California/20150706/calif-field-crop-acreages-shrinking-amid-drought
Rice prices poised to climb as
drought deepens
A
boy catches fish in a dried-up pond near the banks of the Ganges River in
Allahabad, India, on June 4. The government says the country is headed for its
first drought in six years
BANGKOK - It is baking hot in the mid-afternoon just
outside Laos' capital, Vientiane. Won, a local rice farmer, looks up at the
cloudless sky. It should be humid and raining, but so far in June, this area
close to the Mekong River, which separates Laos from Thailand, has only seen
desultory showers every few days. Won has already planted rice on her 6
hectares of paddies, but just down the road other fields lay fallow, waiting
for regular downpours that the rice crops need.
"We have some irrigation water but the water
levels are much lower than last year, when the rain started earlier," she
told the Nikkei Asian Review. "If rain doesn't come in July, I will let
the rice die." Won said that the irrigation water will only last for a few
weeks.It is the same story in Fang, hundreds of kilometers away in Thailand's
far north, near the border with Myanmar. Farmer Panbunta Kantapan said the
situation is already desperate. "If the rain does not come soon there will
be no point planting at all," he said, adding that he was considering
planting a less water-intensive crop, such as corn.
El Nino is back
Heat waves and drought have gripped nations across
South and Southeast Asia as El Nino has taken hold for the first time since
2009. It has brought heavier rainfall to the Americas and a hotter and drier
summer to Asia. 
That is bleak news for rice production and exports as
the three nations suffering the effects of the drought -- India, Vietnam and
Thailand -- are also the world's leading exporters. The grain is the world's
third-biggest crop after sugar cane and corn, according to the United Nations.
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/rice-prices-poised-climb-drought-deepens#sthash.tkO7be7v.
Commodities Buzz: Thai Rice Output To Drop To
A Decade Low
capital market
| Mumbai | July 07, 2015 11:23 IST
Thailand, the world's biggest
rice exporter, is feared to witness its weakest harvestin more than a decade
following a second year of below-average rains. The US Department ofAgriculture
bureau in Bangkok slashed its estimate for Thai rice production in 2015-16
bynearly 2 million (m) tonnes to 18 m tonnes, on a milled basis, according to
media reports.The downgrade put Thailand on course for its smallest harvest
since 2004-05, and showing asecond successive year of production for the first
time since the early 1990s. Rainfall upto the end of June was, at an average of
366mm nationwide, recorded a slide of 27% belowthe average for the 30 years to
2010, after coming in 23% below the mean in the first halfof 2014.
Powered by Commodity Insights
http://www.indiainfoline.com/article/capital-market-commodity-futures-mid-session-commentary/commodities-buzz-thai-rice-output-to-drop-to-a-decade-low-115070700331_1.html
Scientists Have Developed a Gene
for Better Rice Varieties
AFP, Modified: July 07, 2015 17:16
IST
Scientists said they had pinpointed variants of a
gene to improve the quality and yield of rice, a staple starch for billions of
people. Working in two separate groups, researchers from China discovered that
mutations in a specific gene resulted in longer, more slender grains with less
chalkiness, and better harvests. Breeders can now combine versions of the
gene with others known to affect quality to breed better and more productive
strains, they said."Rice is the key source of dietary calories for over
half the world's population and a substantial improvement of yield potential
will be required to feed a growing human population," Fu Xiangdong of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences, a co-author of one of the studies said.
Fu
said rice breeders have found it challenging to simultaneously improve grain
yield and quality. There is a genetic tradeoff in plant breeding, meaning
that it is hard to make gains in both areas at the same time.Fu and a team
crossed two rice varieties -- one a widely-grown but mediocre hybrid variety
and the other a better but less prolific type, to locate the genetic variant
responsible for the difference in quality. They then used this to develop
experimental high-yield, better rice strains. A separate team used similar
methods to pinpoint variants of the same gene, called LOC_Os07g41200. The
two papers were published Monday in the journal Nature Genetics."Both
studies demonstrated that other gene variants known to improve yield or other
traits affecting quality could be combined with the high quality LOC_Os07g41200
variant to produce new elite varieties of rice," said a Nature press
release. The research is the latest in a host of better-rice gene
discoveries. They include variants which help the plants cope better with
drought or inhospitable soil, offering a potential boon to farmers at a time of
worsening climate change.
Monsoon boost
for kharif crops
CHANDIGARH: With the arrival of monsoon in Haryana,
officials of the agriculture department expect better yield of paddy and cotton
crops. A spokesperson of the agriculture department said that the rains would
led to increase in the area of paddy sowing.He said that the department had set
a target of 11.50 lakh hectares for paddy cultivation out of which
transplanting had been done over about six lakh hectares. He said that rains
would also increase moisture in less irrigated areas like Bhiwani,
Mahendergarh, Rewari, Gurgaon and Mewat. Farmers would be able to undertake
sowing of maize and other crops in rain-fed areas.
Irrigation cost for paddy-growing farmers would also decrease in districts of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat and Yamunanagar. With the early arrival of monsoon, the state's farmers would not be burdened with expenditure of irrigation through pumping sets.Total 71mm of rainfall was recorded in Ambala on Sunday night and 52mm at Yamunanagar and 11mm at Panchkula. The department spokesperson said that the sowing of cotton had been completed and rains would be beneficial for it. Monsoon's arrival would also increase the area under millet.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Monsoon-boost-for-kharif-crops/articleshow/47966380.cms
SA Rice Organizes
American Independence-themed Cook-Off in Mexico
Here the white is U.S. rice
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO -- Last Friday, July 3rd, USA Rice conducted a
special "4th of July" themed rice cook-off with several church groups
here. The USA Rice chefs taught more
than 100 women and their families how to cook classic American recipes using
American rice as the main ingredient.
The recipes included Jambalaya, a signature dish from Louisiana,
Texas Chili with Rice, and a New York Rice Cheesecake, that participants
decorated to look like the American flag with blueberries, strawberries, and
cooked coconut rice. Attendees were delighted to learn new rice recipes and
particularly valued the participation of professional USA Rice chefs.The chefs
explained the nutritional benefits of rice, proper cooking techniques, and
conducted an interactive question and answer session. They stressed the importance of selecting
rice of U.S. origin to ensure the ultimate quality and food safety, and
introduced the American rice logo to the attendees and organizers of the church
groups.
All attendees received educational brochures, USA Rice cookbooks,
and promotional materials, and were encouraged to engage with USA Rice via the
many social media opportunities available.Events similar to this one have
demonstrable impact with attendees reporting monthly rice use doubling as a
result of exposure to new recipes, information, and cooking techniques.
Contact: Sarah Moran (703) 236-1457
CME
Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
|
Mechanization Brings Quick Change To
Borneo Region Known For 'Slow Rice'
JULY
06, 2015 2:14
PM ET
JULY 06, 2015 2:14
PM ET
KAREN COATES
Bario and its rice paddies in the Kelabit Highlands of Malaysia.
Jerry Redfern for NPR
Change typically doesn't come
fast or often in the Kelabit Highlands in the interior of Malaysian Borneo.
"Go slowly" is both a motto and a way of life here. For centuries,even millennia, locals have gathered and grown
their own foods in the dense tropical jungle. Rice is a staple for the Kelabit
people who inhabit this land, and this region is renowned for a slow-growing
variety that shares a name with the area's biggest town:Bario.This Bario rice, grown in cool weather at high elevations, has
always been planted and harvested by hand — until now.
In the last few years, a
Malaysian agricultural company called Ceria has introduced mechanized farming to the Kelabit Highlands
through a joint venture with the local community and the
state government, signed in 2011. Bario rice— a medium-sized grain noted for
its sweetness — historically yields just one harvest a year, but Ceria has said
the modernization of production here will dramatically increase yields.
Unraveling
The Mystery Of A Rice Revolution
Ironically this change is partially driven by elders who hope
modernization might help save their rice-based heritage. The majority of Bario
youngsters leave for higher education and jobs in cities across Malaysia—or
beyond. Many of their parents prefer to stay behind. But the rigors of rice
farming become too difficult in older age. Aging Kelabits say Ceria offers them
the chance to remain in their homeland, eat home-grown rice, and avoid the strenuous
labor. But scientists also see deeper implications for Kelabit culture, which
is changing more quickly than ever before.
Sina Rang Lemulun, a widow in her 70s who runs a homestay in
Bario, says her children are scattered from the Borneo coast to Australia.
"They will never, ever come and jump in the mud, and start to plant
rice," Lemulun says. She doesn't want to leave home — but farming is too
taxing for her to handle alone. So she signed a deal with Ceria. Company
workers will prepare, plant and harvest her fields, and will take 70 percent of
the yield. She'll maintain her longhouse home and eat her traditional meals —
minus the back-bending work. "With Ceria, I have very high hopes," my
quality of life will endure, she says.
Workers with Ceria wait for a pipe-welding machine to finish
connecting two sections of plastic irrigation pipe in Bario, Malaysia. The
company has brought mechanized farming to the Kelabit Highlands.
Jerry Redfern for NPR
In recent years, many families have abandoned their rice fields,
according to Lian Tarawe, a local guesthouse owner and tour guide. "The
elderly farmer is getting older and cannot till the land," Tarawe says,
pointing to neglected paddies filled with weeds. "The land is going back
into jungle." Part of Ceria's strategy for boosting production is to plant
these unused fields, and Tarawe and other proponents of the change say they're
glad the paddies will be productive again.
The Ceria project includes
several miles of irrigation pipes connected to seven dams; new
facilities for drying, milling and storing rice; and a network of farm roads
capable of handling tractors, bulldozers and excavators. All this — in an area
that had few motorized vehicles until just a few years ago. Before that,
turboprop plane and days-long treks through thick jungle were the only means of
transport to and from Bario. "The Kelabit Highlands have experienced
perhaps the most rapid period of change over the last 10 years," says
archaeologist Lindsay Lloyd-Smith with the Cultured Rainforest Project (CRF), a research project on the interactions between people and
the rainforest in the Kelabit Highlands.
A woman replants paddy rice by
hand in Bario, in the Kelabit Highlands of Malaysia. A logging road has brought
many changes to the Kelabit people of the interior highlands of Sarawak in
Malaysia, including more mechanized ways of growing rice.Jerry Redfern for NPR
But not everyone welcomes this transformation. "We used to
do — and live on — traditional farming," but now the government wants
mass-produced rice, says local elder Jenette Ulun, whose family has run a
seed-saving project to promote traditional cultivation. Hand-planted Bario rice
is "the best," Ulun says.Italy-based Slow Food International thought so, too. In 2002, it established a Bario rice project
under its Presidia program, aimed at saving economically
viable traditional foods from the threat of extinction. But the project ended
in 2011, around the same time Ceria began its work in the Highlands.
Yet some scientists think the very notion of
"traditional" Bario rice is a bit misleading. The
"traditional" wet rice fields of pre-Ceria Bario "were
themselves a very recent development," Lloyd-Smith writes in an email. The
Kelabit first constructed permanent paddies in the 1950s and 60s. Before that,
rice was grown in smaller plots "that were made each year, and continually
changed and remade ... What looks and feels 'traditional' is often very
young."
Lloyd-Smith thinks mechanized farming "is simply the latest
part of an ever-changing story of people's relationship with the land." In
his mind, "the underlying concern is not who does the work, but rather who
has control ... This situation is now completely changing." For the first
time, an outside company will at least in part own and control local rice and
the various stages of production.
The company's involvement in
farming could alter villagers' connection to their land. And that connection is
a longstanding component of Kelabit culture, according to CRF anthropologist
Monica Janowski, who has studied the tribe for decades. "Mechanized
farming will create a greater physical, psychological and spiritual distance
between the Kelabit and the land they work," she writes in an email.
"I regard this as unfortunate, as the bonds with the land and the
environment are, I think, very important."
Commoditizing rice also changes the culture. "Rice had a
profound social and spiritual significance for the Kelabit, and was the basis
for their sense of community," says Janowski. "It is regarded as
essential to human life, and eating it together as essential to human
community."
In the past, Kelabit villagers could gain status by owning rice
and feeding others. Today, status is "less about food" and
"focused on simple cash," says Lloyd-Smith. "Status is still
achieved through economic means," but what people value in Kelabit society
is changing, he says. "In a way, this sums up what the mechanization is
all about: money."
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/06/420504909/mechanization-brings-quick-change-to-borneo-region-known-for-slow-rice?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+July+7%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email
APEDA India (News)
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VN
seeks stronger Guangdong ties
|
Workers
load rice bags at a processing facility belonging to the HCM City Food
Company in Binh Chanh District. Guangdong Province is a large market for Viet
Nam's rice and agricultural products. — VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Hue
|
HA NOI (VNS) — Deputy Industry and Trade Minister
Tran Tuan Anh highlighted the importance of Guangdong Province as a large
market for Viet Nam's rice and agricultural products as well as exports.He said
the province consumed 11.5 per cent of Viet Nam's total rice and grain exports
to China.He was speaking at a conference on Viet Nam-China rice and farm
produce trade in Guangzhou City in China's Guangdong Province last week. 
Anh said there should be closer co-operation between
his ministry and Guangdong's government as well as food associations and
businesses of both sides, in order to boost trade between Viet Nam and
Guangdong, especially in rice and agricultural products.
Anh said there should be closer co-operation between
his ministry and Guangdong's government as well as food associations and
businesses of both sides, in order to boost trade between Viet Nam and
Guangdong, especially in rice and agricultural products.
Meanwhile, Guangdong Vice-Governor Zhao Yufang said
there was room for co-operation between Viet Nam, a country with great
advantages in agricultural production, and the more than 100-million-strong
Guangdong Province, especially in rice trade.She said the provincial government
would continue to collaborate with Viet Nam's ministries of industry and trade,
and agriculture and rural development in creating new playgrounds for business
communities of both sides and enhancing bilateral trade ties. During the conference, leaders of the Viet Nam
Food Association briefed more than 100 leading Chinese agricultural firms about
Viet Nam's rice production and export as well as competitiveness.
On his part, the head of the Guangdong Food Association
spoke about the province's need for agricultural products, especially rice, and
expressed willingness to set up an affiliation mechanism between the two
associations and act as a bridge for business circles of both sides.Earlier,
Deputy Minister Anh had a working session with Guangdong Vice-Governor Zhao
Yufang on measures to foster economic and trade partnership between Viet Nam
and Guangdong.Anh and the Vietnamese delegation also visited a number of major
rice and agricultural product distribution facilities, storages and processing
factories in Guangdong.According to statistics from the Viet Nam General
Department of Customs, last year, trade between Viet Nam and China reached
US$58.7 billion, up 17.05 per cent over the previous year. As of May this year,
the figure was $26 billion, a rise of 14.7 per cent over that of 2014.At the
same time, Guangzhou Customs' statistics show that in the first four months of
this year, trade between Viet Nam and Guangdong hit $4.44 billion, an increase
of 10.6 per cent year on year. — VNS
http://vietnamnews.vn/economy/272685/vn-seeks-stronger-guangdong-ties.html
Joint European and Indian team launches new app for crop protection
The
Federation of European Rice Millers (FERM) partnered with the All India Rise
Exporters Association (AIREA) to launch a novel web-based app called Appryza,
which is designed to support the trade of rice between Europe and India. Unfortunately,
crop-protection products are not standard around the world, and export market
regulatory requirements can be difficult to meet. “Given
the complexity of today’s rules, we believe we must work increasingly closely
with partners around the world to guarantee safe, high-quality rice,” FERM
Secretary General Chris Downes said.
“A global coordinated approach of this issue by both the rice
sector and the manufacturers of plant protection products is now essential to
the future trade of rice. Appryza is an important first step in meeting today’s
challenges.” Appryza
seeks to solve this dilemma by offering crop protection strategies for safe,
sustainable rice production in India. The app is dedicated to four major export
markets: the U.S., EU, Iran and Saudi Arabia. “Making
use of modern technology, Appryza brings complex regulatory information in a
simple, user-friendly way to all of us in the rice chain, from Indian farmers
to EU importers,” Hank Verschoor, head of the federation’s technical work,
said. “Within seconds, we can identify solutions for the global market.”
http://cropprotectionnews.com/stories/510625560-joint-european-and-indian-team-launches-new-app-for-crop-protection#sthash.H6NwzJrt.dpuf
DOJ, NBI urged to probe importers
of synthetic rice
Video grab from ANC shows the styrofoam-like appearance of the
synthetic rice, which is reportedly made from potatoes, sweet potatoes and
resin.
MANILA, Philippines - Efforts to
stop the proliferation of suspected synthetic rice should involve other
government agencies, a lawmaker said yesterday.Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo
said the Department of Justice (DOJ) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
should investigate and file charges against the importers of fake rice and the
people responsible for their proliferation.Castelo said the Bureau of Customs
(BOC) and National Food Authority (NFA) should prevent the entry of fake rice
in the country while the Department of Health should launch an information
campaign to educate the public on how to determine rice laced with
plasticizers.He urged the DOJ and NBI to look into the modus operandi of the
fake rice importers and identify their cohorts in the BOC and private sector.
“It is endangering public health
since fake rice has been described as dangerous to the digestive tract,”
Castelo said.He said the BOC and NFA should identify the cohorts of the fake
rice syndicates within their agencies and file criminal charges against
them.“These are criminals masquerading as public servants. They should not stay
a minute longer in government,” Castelo said.
Bulacan rice mill
Meanwnhile, the NFA in Region 4-A
denied that suspected synthetic rice sold in Tanuan City in Batangas over the
weekend came from a rice mill in Bulacan.Serafin Manalili, NFA-Bu- lacan chief,
told The STAR that NFA Region 4-A director Thomas Escares informed him and
Central Luzon NFA director Amadeo de Guzman not to believe a post on Facebook
hat fake rice from Bulacan has found its way to rice stalls in Tanauan
City.Rice traders in Intercity Industrial Estate in Balagtas, Bulacan –
considered a major rice trading center of the country – are concerned about the
report.Manalili said there are about 140 rice mills operating in the trading
center.Members of the rice mill association in Intercity Industrial City
assured the NFA that they would not resort to any malpratice.
Tanauan City Mayor Thony Halili
expressed alarm over a Facebook post of one of his constituents that adulterated
rice caused his child to get sick.The owner of JM Lucky Ricemill, which was
identified as the alleged source of fake rice, yesterday sought the help of the
NFA to inspect and classify its rice stocks to dispel the report.Dave Ramos,
legal counsel for JM Lucky Ricemill, said his client wants concerned government
agencies to coordinate with the city government of Tanauan to investigate the
source of the alleged fake rice.“There is still no concrete proof that points
to the rice mill as the source of the alleged fake rice and we want a proper
investigation about the allegation since it is very impossible for rice millers
in Intercity to process fake rice, since equipment in the trading center are
mainly for milling palay grains into rice,” Ramos said.A team headed by
Emiliano Santos, quality control officer of NFA-Bulacan,told The STAR that an
ocular inspection of the samples of the rice stocks in the rice mill shows
nothing irregular, but samples were sent to a laboratory for analysis.The other
rice mills in Intercity Industrial Estate were also inspected.
Cosmetics, toys
A group promoting human and
ecological health said the chemical contaminant found in samples of fake rice
from Davao City is also prohibited in cosmetics and toys.The EcoWaste Coalition
said the discovery of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) in fake rice by the NFA-Food
Development Center is a cause for alarm.“We are very concerned and worried by
the discovery of toxic DBP in synthetic rice that has report- edly penetrated
the local market, particularly in the south,” stated Sonia Mendoza, a retired
chemist and president of EcoWaste Coalition.“The government
should get to the bottom of this trade in hazardous rice laced with a chemical
that is banned in the production of cosmetics and toys,” Mendoza said.The use
of DBP, a chemical additive to adhesives and plastics, in concentration above
0.1 percent is prohibited in children’s toys under the Department of Health’s
Administrative Order 2009-0005- A as amended in December 2011. – With Ramon Efren Lazaro, Rhodina Villanueva
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/07/07/1474150/doj-nbi-urged-probe-importers-synthetic-rice
How to avoid buying
synthetic rice
July 07, 2015 By Venus G. Villanueva
Facebook Google + Tweet Email
KALIBO, Aklan, July 6 (PIA6) -- The National Food Authority (NFA) recently
came out with five (tips) to consumers on how to avoid buying fake or synthetic
rice in public markets. This is in the wake of reports that a rice sample from
Davao had been found to be positive of plastic chemicals.In a recent radio
program here attended by NFA-Aklan, Provincial Manager Martina Lodero
enumerated the 5 tips for the benefit of Aklanons when buying rice at public
markets:
First, the consumer must
ensure that he/she is buying rice from an accredited or licensed NFA outlet.
Lodero said an outlet is accredited if it has a sign with the full name of the
retailer and his accreditation number. Second, the consumer must always
remember that rice imported by the NFA and its licensed importers, be it regular
or well-milled – is white and long-grained.Third, the consumer must look
closely if the rice he is buying is not so white, round, shiny and the sizes
are all the same. If the grains look the
same in sizes, these might be produced by machines, according to Lodero.
Fourth, the public must
ensure that the rice being bought does not smell of plastic, and
Fifth, the public must not buy rice that is lighter than the usual
weight. Rice grains should not also be very hard and difficult to break. When
cooked, Lodero said the public should see to it that the rice does not smell of
plastic and one must look closely if there is a layer of plastic forming at the
upper portion of the rice.
Lodero assured Aklanons that
the NFA is now strictly going around the province inspecting public markets and
other outlets to ensure that no fake rice enters the province. She also
reminded Aklanons that should they find their purchased rice doubtful, they
should bring a sample to NFA – preferable weighing a kilo so that ample investigation
could be conducted.
She also called on the people involved in trading rice like rice
retailers, millers, truckers, warehousemen and ambulant millers to apply or
renew their licenses at the NFA.
Lodero said this is one way of identifying sources of rice in the
province and at the same time ensure that rice sold or stored from these
outlets and organizations are authentic.
(JCM/VGV PIA6 Aklan)
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/961436171701/how-to-avoid-buying-synthetic-rice#sthash.zDMeFkep.dpuf
Scientists pinpoint gene for better rice
July 6, 2015 12:07 PM
Paris (AFP) - Scientists said Monday they had pinpointed variants
of a gene to improve the quality and yield of rice, a staple starch for
billions of people.Working in two separate groups, researchers from China
discovered that mutations in a specific gene resulted in longer, more slender
grains with less chalkiness, and better harvests.Breeders can now combine
versions of the gene with others known to affect quality to breed better and
more productive strains, they said."Rice is the key source of dietary calories
for over half the world's population and a substantial improvement of yield
potential will be required to feed a growing human population," Fu
Xiangdong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a co-author of one of the
studies, told AFP by email.Fu said rice breeders have found it challenging to
simultaneously improve grain yield and quality.There is a genetic tradeoff in
plant breeding, meaning that it is hard to make gains in both areas at the same
time.
Workers plant rice in a paddy field at a farm in the New
Territories in Hong Kong on August 6, 2014 …
Fu and a team crossed two rice varieties -- one a widely-grown but
mediocre hybrid variety and the other a better but less prolific type, to
locate the genetic variant responsible for the difference in quality.They then
used this to develop experimental high-yield, better rice strains.A separate
team used similar methods to pinpoint variants of the same gene, called
LOC_Os07g41200.The two papers were published Monday in the journal Nature
Genetics."Both studies demonstrated that other gene variants known to
improve yield or other traits affecting quality could be combined with the high
quality LOC_Os07g41200 variant to produce new elite varieties of rice,"
said a Nature press release.The research is the latest in a host of better-rice
gene discoveries.They include variants which help the plants cope better with
drought or inhospitable soil, offering a potential boon to farmers at a time of
worsening climate change
http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-pinpoint-gene-better-rice-160725110.html
Chinese
scientists discover a gene for better rice
July 7, 2015 2:05am
PARIS, France - Scientists said Monday they had pinpointed variants
of a gene to improve the quality and yield of rice, a staple starch for
billions of people.Working in two separate groups, researchers from China
discovered that mutations in a specific gene resulted in longer, more slender
grains with less chalkiness, and better harvests.Breeders can now combine
versions of the gene with others known to affect quality to breed better and
more productive strains, they said."Rice is the key source of dietary
calories for over half the world's population and a substantial improvement of
yield potential will be required to feed a growing human population," Fu
Xiangdong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a co-author of one of the
studies, told AFP by email.
Fu said rice breeders have found it challenging to simultaneously
improve grain yield and quality.There is a genetic tradeoff in plant breeding,
meaning that it is hard to make gains in both areas at the same time.Fu and a
team crossed two rice varieties -- one a widely-grown but mediocre hybrid
variety and the other a better but less prolific type, to locate the genetic
variant responsible for the difference in quality.They then used this to
develop experimental high-yield, better rice strains.
A separate team used similar methods to pinpoint variants of the
same gene, called LOC_Os07g41200.The two papers were published Monday in the
journal Nature Genetics."Both studies demonstrated that other gene
variants known to improve yield or other traits affecting quality could be
combined with the high quality LOC_Os07g41200 variant to produce new elite
varieties of rice," said a Nature press release.The research is the latest
in a host of better-rice gene discoveries.They include variants which help the
plants cope better with drought or inhospitable soil, offering a potential boon
to farmers at a time of worsening climate change. — Agence France-Presse
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/517206/scitech/technology/chinese-scientists-discover-a-gene-for-better-rice
Scientists
think a GMO version of one crop might be the key to feeding 3.5 billion people
LYDIA RAMSEY0JUL 7, 2015, 02.44 AM
Nguyen
Huy Kham/Reuters
A
farmer carries rice outside Hanoi, Vietnam on June 2. New mutations in a gene
could lead to longer and better quality rice production.In
addition to being the key ingredient in any stir-fry, rice is a staple in the
diets of more than 3.5 billion people.Because so many people depend on rice,
maintaining a steady supply of the crop is a necessary task. But it's a
challenging one too.Everything from flooding and drought to poor crop quality
can make it difficult to ensure farmers meet the global demand.
Finally,
researchers think they may have a solution: GMO
rice that's been modified to have longer, hardier grains that cook faster and
taste better.This isn't the first time scientists have tried to create
the perfect rice by tweaking its genes. In 2000, a team of Swiss and German scientists created golden rice, a healthier, Vitamin-A-rich
version of plain old rice that was designed to help people in the world's
poorest countries.
But
in two new studies, both of which were published Monday, June 6 in the journal Nature Genomics, researchers
identified a single gene that they can tweak to improve rice's quality without sacrificing the amount that farmers get from each
crop. Up
until now, attempting to grow higher quality rice using genetic hybrids and
mutations was only possible so long as farmers sacrificed the amount of rice
they ended up with. Both studies looked at a gene that goes by the complex
label LOC_ Os07g41200. The first
team of researchers found that by replacing that gene with a variant
which they called GW7, the rice became longer. Thesecond
team of researchers then found that when they added yet another gene
variant from another type of rice (called GL7) the harvested crop wasn't just
better quality - there was more of it as well.Here's how the genetically
modified grain looks (right) next to its original (left):
Yuexing Wang
Fu said the next step for his research is to take it out into
the fields to see how the gene mutation holds up when exposed to the elements.
The hope is to find a way to make the gene mutation even more prevalent so the
positive traits can pass along to future generations.
The Trouble With Using Synthetic Rhino Horn
to Stop Poaching
Last Updated: July 6, 2015 5:45 pm
Will synthetic rhino horns
decrease demand or aid law enforcement? (Valentina Storti/CC BY-NC 2.0)
In 2014, one rhino was killed every eight hours. That was in
South Africa alone, where most of the world’s rhinos live. At this rate, rhino
deaths may overtake births by 2016-2018, making the concept of the rhino’s
extinction very real.Spurred by this grim prospect, governments, businesses and
governmental organizations have discussed a wide range of solutions to stop
rhino poaching, the key driver of rhino mortality.One proposal that recently
generated a lot of interest is the manufacturing of synthetic rhino horn. The
concept first reached the media limelight in 2012 when the company Rhinoceros
Horn LLC launched a crowdfunding campaign to get the
idea off the ground.
While that campaign failed, the
idea has recently been rekindled by Pembient, a US-based company thatdescribes itself as “the De Beers of
synthetic wildlife products.”This bioengineering start-up plans to flood the market
with synthetic 3D-printed rhino horns. The company hopes this will help save
rhinos by making synthetic horns cheaper to purchase than the real
thing.Pembient is looking to develop synthetic rhino horns that not only are
genetically similar but feel and smell like the real thing, so much so that
consumers wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. To achieve this, the company has
recently embarked on a crowdfunding effort to
sequence the genome of the black rhino. Pembient hopes the first synthetic
horns will hit the market about a year from now.
The question, though, remains: will it work? An examination of
both consumer motivations and business models behind these types of ventures
exposes some pitfalls.
Bear Bile and
Cubic Zirconia
The best available consumer research tells us that demand for rhino horn stems largely from the social
status this perceived luxury product gives to its users, tied to the
(erroneous) beliefs of its medical properties. How would synthetic rhino horn
fit into this picture?
In terms of its luxury status, it is the rarity and high price of
rhino horn that give it its allure. As such, it is unlikely that current
consumers will turn to cheaper and commonly available options no matter how
indistinguishable they may be to a lay audience, much the same way that the
availability and lower price of cubic zirconia has not led to a crash of the
diamond trade. Diamonds carry a social value that while arbitrary keeps
consumers willing to pay large premiums. Thus it seems unlikely that a cheaper
synthetic alternative may replace the original product in the minds of the
wealthy consumers driving the demand for rhino horn.
Demand for rhino horn is driven by
the mistaken belief that it has medicinal properties. (animalrescueblog/CC
BY-NC 2.0)
As far as traditional medicine
goes, the push for alternative products has been tried before. Take bear bile,
for example. Used in Asia for centuries as a part of traditional medicine, the
trade in bear bile flourished in the 1970s with the advent of “bear farming,”
in which bile is obtained from live bears.
The number of bears required to
fill these farms became a threat to Asian bear populations. As a result
governments, NGOs and businesses have worked for decades to promote a wide
range of plant, animal and synthetic substitutes. Yet, there is little sign of
the practice disappearing, with a minimum of 12,000 bears still being kept in legal and illegal bear farms in
Southeast Asia. Several reasons have been put forward for this, from the
preference of consumers for wild products to the reluctance of practitioners to
prescribe alternatives.
Biopiracy
Taking all this into account, it seems unlikely that this
synthetic rhino horn will have an impact on the demand for the real deal.
However, the circulation of a synthetic product that so closely resembles the
real product could easily become the worst nightmare of enforcement agencies
worldwide, as authorities will have a hard time distinguishing between
synthetic and illegally obtained rhino horn.
Another related issue is that by making synthetic rhino horn
widely available, Pembient faces some perverse incentives to perpetuate the
idea that it has indeed some medical properties. After all, the company’s
bottom line depends on there being demand for rhino horn. This can undermine
the work of conservation NGOs, traditional medicine practitioners and even
governments, who have spent decades trying to break the link between rhino horn
and traditional medicine.
If a Western company commercializes
a product from sequencing the DNA of the black rhino, does the country of
origin, which pays for conservation, benefit as well? (whatsthepointsa/CC BY-NC
2.0)
Beyond any potential impact this initiative may or may not have,
the entire business case for this enterprise is underlined by a broader moral
issue. Is it ethical for a US-based company to profit from a product based on
genetic material coming from several developing countries, without a clear form
of compensation?
History is riddled with cases of
fortunes being made by companies in the West that have developed commercial
ventures based on plants or animals from some of the world’s poorest corners
without any compensation, in what has become known as biopiracy. The rosy periwinkle, for example,
a plant native only to Madagascar, was found to contain a chemical compound
that is effective in treating several forms of cancer. Millions of dollars were
made from the two drugs subsequently developed, yet no compensation was ever
given to Madagascar. The list of similar cases goes on and includes the Neem tree, turmeric, basmati
rice, Ayahuasca, Rooibos Tea, Quinine and Quinoa.
Cost of
Conservation
Rhino conservation is costly, with countries having to invest
heavily in management and anti-poaching efforts. Yet rhinos are distributed
across a number of developing countries with pressing needs around food
security, health and education. It would be hypocritical for the international
community to ban the trade in rhino horn, thus denying rhino range countries a
source of revenue, while allowing private companies from elsewhere to profit
from the trade in a product based on the rhino’s genetic material.
It is clear that conservation is much in need of entrepreneurship
and people willing to think outside of the box – just the kind of thinking that
the people behind efforts to make synthetic rhino horn have demonstrated. Yet,
the context around the trade in rhino horn is very complex and simple solutions
that sound too good to be true often are.
Shoring
Up Revenue Collection From Rice Import Policy
—
Jul 7, 2015 4:15 am
The decision by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop
importers of rice and other products from accessing foreign exchange (FOREX)
from the CBN, banks and bureaux de change for such importation is one that
would go a long way in helping to revive local rice production in the country.
Concerns have been raised about large-scale investments made in
the farming and milling industries by private businesses being in jeopardy due
to the importation of rice.The CBN governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, while making
the decision known, stated that the measure would also prevent further
depletion of the country’s foreign reserve.He said that the country was
spending huge amount to import things that could be produced locally, like
rice, adding that the apex bank would not continue to support the importation
of such items with the hard earned FOREX.
Some other products in this category include margarine, palm
kernel, palm oil products, meat and processed meat products, vegetables, tinned
fish, galvanised steel sheet, roofing sheet and furniture.Emefiele stated that
“importers who may want to continue importing these goods would have to sort
their foreign exchange from their own private sources. The CBN will continue to
be vigilant around this policy, keep reviewing the list of items as it becomes
comfortable that these items can be produced locally if we apply ourselves sufficiently.
This policy change is in line with the belief that Nigeria cannot attain its
true potential by simply importing everything into the country. We have to
decide what we really want for our country and I believe that the time is now
for that deep and honest conversation.”He said that in spite of the relative
positive gross domestic product (GDP) growth over the past seven years, there
was no corresponding reduction in unemployment and poverty.
He said the Apex bank’s
analysis of the situation had compelled it to stop FOREX access to some of
these goods to encourage local production and consumption for economic
development. He also disclosed that the federal government was spending about
N1.3 trillion on the average annually to import rice, fish, sugar and wheat,
items that could be locally produced and which could form a strong employment
base for Nigerians.The issue with the importation of rice is one that has been
in the front burner of discourse for a long time. The federal government’s
policy on rice importation, which was intended to help boost local production
of rice, led to the past government of former President Goodluck Jonathan
giving concession to some importers to import rice at a reduced duty rate of 30
per cent as against the 70 per cent import duty on rice.
It was later discovered
that such benefiting importers totally abused the concession and imported rice
far in excess of their quota.The former minister of finance and coordinating
minister of the economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had, before the end of the
administration she served, stated that government was working to recover all
such revenue, if investigations launched into the matter proves anyone guilty.
Speaking at the customs headquarters in Abuja, after a board meeting, the minister
assured that government would recover all such revenue once investigations into
the matter was complete.“We discussed that issue at the customs board meeting
and what we asked for as a board is to get updated report on who are those
importers? By how much have they exceeded? And what do they owe government?
Once these information is put together, we will consult with the minister of
agriculture and rural development, and then take a look at it and if they owe
us money we will ask for it back,” the former minister had said.
Similarly, the House of Representatives which launched an
enquiry into the matter also called on the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to recover all outstanding
money in import duties owed the federal government by rice importers in the
country. The lawmakers also urged the customs service to, henceforth, implement
only the Pure Rice Traders Policy in respect to the duties and levies in rice
importation. The House resolution at plenary, which was before the end of the
7th National Assembly, followed the consideration of the report of an Ad-hoc
Committee on the Evasion of Payment of Import Duty on Imported Rice earlier set
up by the House.
The lawmakers also added that the warehouses of the erring
import companies must be closed until they settle all their outstanding import
duties due to the federal government. The ad-hoc committee headed by the former
deputy house leader, Leo Ogor, also recommended the immediate cancellation of
the entire rice import quota system and suspension of the 2015 quota
allocation. Calling on the NCS to “recover every outstanding monies and seal up
all their warehouses and other businesses until the very last kobo is recovered
and restored to the government coffers in line with the Customs Act,” the House
also asked the EFCC to assist in prompt recovery of all outstanding monies owed
the federal government by the companies.
Meanwhile, investigations by the customs service has found that
the importers imported in excess of their quota and evaded duty payment of
about N21.314 billion. For this, the service has said it will prosecute the
seven importers involved in the matter if they failed to pay their respective
amounts within a specified period. The federal government, through the Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural Development, had approved the waiver for the
importers.As part of efforts to help boost local rice production, the customs
service intensified the war against rice smuggling, a development that led to the
ban of rice import through all land borders. The development followed concerns
raised by rice growers and other stakeholders about the activities of rice
smugglers who they alleged come mainly through the land borders.
The rice growers had expressed worry that incessant rice
smuggling through the land borders have thrown the rice industry into turmoil
with severe consequences for government revenues, the economy and future plans
for rice self-sufficiency.But the service has continued to pledge its support
to all local manufacturers and businesses, assuring them of all necessary
support capable of boosting their business and discouraging importation of
items that can be locally produced. The agency has continued acquire patrol
vehicles, including boats that can go to the high sea and combat smugglers,
with a view to checking the menace of smuggling. While calling for more
collaboration from Nigerians and stakeholders in the fight against smuggling,
the service has continued to make remarkable seizures, arrests and prosecution
of smugglers.
http://leadership.ng/blogposts/445210/shoring-up-revenue-collection-from-rice-import-policy
Punjab to promote organic basmati rice
By PTI | 7 Jul, 2015, 05.48PM IST
The state is committed to encouraging farmers for organic farming.
And for this the government is establishing an 'Organic Farming
Board'.CHANDIGARH: Punjab
government today said it will now start promoting cultivation of organic basmati rice in the
state. "After the tremendous success of organic wheat, Punjab Agro
is all set for organic basmati in the state," K S Pannu, Managing
Director, Punjab Agro Industrial Corporation said here. After a favourable
response from farmers, now basmati would be cultivated in Organic farms of
various districts, he said. The state government is committed to encouraging
farmers for organic farming. And for this
purpose, the government is going to establish an 'Organic Farming Board'. He
further said about 1,000 farmers are associated with Punjab Agro for organic
farming. Shops will be allotted in cities and towns to sell organic produce
along with milk and milk products, he informed.
Nitrogen-use
efficiency: Transport solution in rice variations
Over-application of nitrogen fertilizer leads to environmental
problems in modern agricultural systems. The mining of favourable gene variants
for nitrogen-use efficiency is a fundamental way to tackle these dangers.
http://www.nature.com/articles/nplants201596
Africa: Scientists Meet in Paris
for Climate Change Talks
By Michel Nkurunziza
The largest international scientific conference on climate
change will kick off today in Paris, France, and it is expected to shape the
roadmap for the much-awaited global climate talks also scheduled for Paris in
December.More than 2,500 scientists from across the world are congregating in
the French capital to discuss solutions for both mitigation and adaptation
issues on climate change. They will present updated scientific data as well as
reinforcing dialogue between science and civil society stakeholders.The summit,
hosted at the UNESCO headquarters, will prepare the pathway for negotiations
that will build a new binding legal global agreement to enter into effect in
2020, said Jean-Pierre Poncet, Second Counsellor for France's Permanent
Delegation to UNESCO.
"It is important that the scientists prepare ground for
negotiators and diplomats to take decisions that lead to legal binding
agenda," he said.Poncet was addressing African journalists and bloggers
from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Madagascar at the UNESCO offices.Building on
the results of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment
Report (AR5), the conference will address key issues concerning climate change
and use the opportunity to discuss solutions. Mitigation mechanisms, the
reduction of green house gases and adaptation solutions are the cardinal
concepts that will form the criteria for discussions.
The report stresses new and bolder solutions for climate change.
Critical issues such as the contentious climate financing are expected to also
feature prominently at the conference.Rwandan scientists and researchers will
also make presentations on agricultural vulnerability and climate
change."Understanding the Vulnerability to Climate Change Effects in East
Africa" is a scientific research paper that will be presented by Gaspard
Rwanyiziri, a researcher from the University of Rwanda.He is an expert in
geography and environmental management. "The Case Study of Rice Farmers in
Bugesera District, Rwanda" will form the core of Rwanyiziri's presentation.
Rwanda has been faced with unusual irregularities in climate
patterns, including extreme temperatures, variability in rainfall frequencies
and intensity over the last 30 years.In fact, the analysis to be presented at
the summit indicates that rainfall patterns in the country show that it
(rainfall) has been declining since 1992, resulting into serious floods in
1997-1998 and a prolonged drought in 1999-2000.According to the results, the
rise in temperature and changes in the amount of rainfall and its distribution
have altered the availability of water resources, consequently affecting rice
production.Other topics to be covered by the conference include ocean
acidification, water scarcity and rise in sea-level, pollution, forests and
desertification.The world is in battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
agreeing that future global warming should be limited to below 2.0 °C.The COP21
aims at achieving a legally binding and universal agreement on climate from all
the nations of the world.
NFA, BOC seize
1,561 kilos of rice smuggled from China
By Mary Grace Padin
THE National Food Authority (NFA) and the Bureau of Customs
(BOC) on Tuesday seized 1,561 kilograms of rice, suspected to be smuggled from
China, being sold in three business establishments in Manila.NFA Administrator
Renan Dalisay said he and BOC Deputy Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno found three
grocery stores selling rice smuggled from China after conducting a “surprise”
inspection of Manila stores.Two supermarkets selling mostly imported goods, Hua
Chong Mart and Mandarin Supermarket in Ongpin, Binondo, and Forwarders Food
Mart and Grocery in Arranque Market in Santa Cruz, Manila, were found to be
selling smuggled rice from China. The NFA has not issued any permits for the
importation of rice from China in the last two minimum access volume (MAV)
importation in 2014.The inspection teams confiscated a total of nine 25-kilo
bags, 105 10-kilo bags, 50 5-kilo bags and 18 2-kilo packs from the three
establishments.
Aside from selling smuggled rice, the two supermarkets lacked a
necessary permit from the NFA, while the store in Arranque Market was found to
be operating with an expired license.The NFA summoned the owners of the three
stores for violations under Presidential Decree 4 and NFA Revised Rules on
Grains Business, and have until July 10 to report to the NFA to give their
statements.The BOC seized the smuggled rice from these establishments and will
conduct separate proceedings under the anti-smuggling law. The confiscated rice
will be temporarily stored in the NFA’s Visayas Warehouse in Quezon
City.Dalisay said the NFA will help in determining if the seized rice may be
part of the 8,000-bag batch auctioned in October 2014 by the BOC. The NFA has
the capability to check the age of the rice through chemical analysis.The NFA
started its daily inspection of public markets nationwide on Monday following
reports that fake rice is being sold in Davao City.
Meanwhile, Rep. Winston Castelo, of the Second District of
Quezon City, urged the NFA and the BOC to ensure that rice imported from
Vietnam and Thailand is free from contaminants, such as industrial
plastics.Castelo also asked the Department of Health to launch an information
campaign to enable people to identify rice laced with contaminants.“The
Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation should look into
the modus operandi of fake rice importers and identify their cohorts in the BOC
and private sector,” Castelo said in a statement.He said unscrupulous traders
who brought in rice containing dibutyl phthalate, a chemical compound commonly
used as a binder, must face criminal charges as their act constitutes economic
sabotage.
“Moreover, it is endangering public health since fake rice has
been described as dangerous to the digestive tract of every person,” Castelo
said.The lawmaker also asked the BOC and the NFA to investigate and identify
the cohorts of fake-rice syndicates within the agencies and file criminal
charges against them.“These are criminals masquerading as public servants. They
should not stay a minute longer in the government,” he said.Earlier the NFA
launched an investigation into the presence of fake rice in Davao City after a
consumer complained to local media that a canteen served cooked rice that had
the texture of Styrofoam. The food agency tested samples of the fake rice
provided by concerned Davao City residents.
Previous media reports published in other Asian countries had
earlier quoted experts as saying that fake rice is difficult to detect when it
is mixed with normal rice.The Philippines usually imports rice from Vietnam and
Thailand to beef up the buffer stock of the NFA and plug the shortfall in production.
This year Manila had already contracted to buy a total of 750,000 metric tons
(MT) of rice from Vietnam and Thailand under a government-to-government
deal.The government also allows the private sector to bring in rice from
various countries, including China, under the so-called MAV scheme of the World
Trade Organization. Last year China has been given a country-specific quota of
25,000 MT; India 25,000 MT; and Australia 15,000 MT.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/nfa-boc-seize-1561-kilos-of-rice-smuggled-from-china/
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