Govt plays down
fallout from El Niño
Ganug Nugroho Adi, The Jakarta Post, Boyolali/Jakarta
| National | Thu, August 20 2015, 2:50 PM
The government has said that the El Niño weather phenomenon
would not wreak havoc on the country’s agricultural sector and that harvest
failure would cause minimal damage.Inspector general of the Agriculture
Ministry Justan Riduan Siahaan said that only a small area of paddy would be
affected by El Niño.“I don’t have the exact figure, but the minister himself
has said the national figure [of paddy affected by El Niño] would be 17,000
hectares,” Justan said as quoted by Antara news agency.
He said that the extreme weather phenomenon would only affect
areas south of the equator and a small area of Java and West Nusa Tenggara.Climate
experts have warned that this year’s El Niño was likely to match the intensity
of the record-breaking weather phenomenon in 1997, which induced a prolonged
drought and widespread bush fires in the country. The Agency for Assessment and
Application of Technology said that Java had borne the brunt of the weather
phenomenon as indicated by the very low rainfall.The dry season in Java is
especially severe this year. Since June, rainfall in Java has amounted to less
than 60 millimeters per month, even less than the average set by the
[Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency] BMKG for the dry season, which
is at least 150 mm per month. It’s the same with what we had in 1997,” said Tri
Handoko Seto, the head of the center told a press briefing on Tuesday.
Although the BMKG said that El Niño had yet to reach its peak, a
number of regions have been affected by severe drought.In Boyolali, Central
Java, locals have resorted to consuming muddy water left at the bottom of creeks
in the areas that were almost dry.Some people have separated dirt from water by
distilling it in a container overnight.“We have no other option but to do this.
There’s no more running water as the rivers and creeks have ran dry. We’re
taking what’s left,” said Supardjo, one of the locals, on Wednesday.He said
that the local government had not provided enough emergency water supplies for
people in
the area.“There are more than 200 people here.
the area.“There are more than 200 people here.
The clean water the government sent was only enough for 50
people and the last distribution was two weeks ago,” he said.In Jambi,
meanwhile, local authorities said that they had experienced problems
extinguishing fires that razed forests in the area.Head of Jambi’s Disaster
Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Arif Munandar said that firefighters had trouble
finding water sources to put out the raging fire. He said that some regions, such as
East Tanjung Jabung regency, were completely dry, preventing firefighters from
working effectively.“We need a water bomber to drop water from the air,” Arif
said as quoted by Antara.
Government confident
of holding top position for rice exports
BANGKOK, 19 August 2015 - The
government is confident that Thailand will again be able to secure the position
of the world's leading rice producer.The Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA)
revealed that Thailand in the first half of 2015 exported 4.46 million tons of
rice valued at 72.1 billion baht, beating competitors in both volume and
revenue.The government is confident that export figures will improve in the
latter half of the year, due to trading partner's earlier concerns over the
country's drought situation and the weakening baht.
While Thailand has recently
suffered from an export contraction, the sector has shrunk at a minimal rate
compared to other countries. Furthermore, many export products continue to post
growth figures, such as electronics, cement, auto parts and cassava.
http://www.pattayamail.com/business/government-confident-of-holding-top-position-for-rice-exports-50441
Deficit monsoon,
uneven rains cast a cloud on farm output
For the second year in a row, deficit
rain will likely have a pronounced adverse effect on the country's farm output,
early reports from key crop-producing states indicate...
Using its Deficient Rainfall Impact Parameter, Crisil on
Wednesday virtually confirmed the precarious situation on the ground.
For the second year in a row,
deficit rain will likely have a pronounced adverse effect on the country’s farm
output, early reports from key crop-producing states indicate, belying the
government’s optimism in this regard.FE’s interactions over the past two weeks
with policymakers in several states prompted the conclusion that foodgrain
output, which declined 4.5% in the last crop year through June 2015, could
witness a fall in the current season as well unless the rabi season turns out
to be remarkably good.
Rice cultivation seems to have
taken a hit with the reduced sowing area in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and
West Bengal, even though the latest official estimate is that pan-India area
under this most important summer-sown crop rose 4.3% until Friday from a year
earlier. Not only rain deficit, uneven distribution of the showers have also
turned out to be an issue, as in West Bengal where floods affected sowing of
rice.Several other crops including jowar, soyabean, tur, maize, cotton and even
plantation crops like pepper, cardamom, rubber and tea have already felt the
impact of prolonged dry spells in the relevant geographies during the current
monsoon period, going by reports from the field.
Using its Deficient Rainfall
Impact Parameter, Crisil on Wednesday virtually confirmed the precarious
situation on the ground and said that four states (Bihar, Karnataka,
Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh) which make up for a third of the country’s grain
production and five crops (jowar, soyabean, tur, maize and cotton) have been
hurt the most by deficient rains.While a 12% monsoon deficit and the unseasonal
rains that ravaged winter cultivation brought down last year’s grain output by
nearly 5%, the water storage levels and groundwater levels currently are lower
than a year ago, implying that the adverse impact of the deficient rains could
be graver this year. The country is clearly bearing the brunt of having more
than half of its farmland rein-fed, despite some headway in extending the
irrigated area.
The India Meteorological
Department this month retained its earlier forecast of a deficient monsoon
season for 2015, with rainfall at 88% of the benchmark long-period average
(LPA) — the same as last year — as monsoon rains lost intensity since early
July. Worse, the weather office has now predicted rainfall to be 84% of the
benchmark average in the second half of the June-September season, far lower
than the actual showers of 95% of the LPA in the first two months of the
season.
It has also maintained its rain
forecast for August at 90% of the LPA, with a model error margin of 9%.Storage
across 91 water reservoirs touched 87.09 billion cubic metres (bcm) up to
Thursday, down 13.2% from 100.36 bcm a year earlier and even lower than the
normal 10-year average of 90.68 bcm.Paddy cultivation in Andhra Pradesh, one of
the largest rice-producing states in the country, is adversely impacted as
farmers in the state and adjoining Telangana are constrained by prolonged dry
spells and insufficient water levels in the states’ reservoirs. Of the total
1.2 lakh acres of total cropped area, paddy production is expected to be about
60 to 80 lakh tonnes.Karnataka too has seen below-normal sowing of kharif
crops. As many as 16 districts have witnessed 22% shortfall in rains this year.
The state government has already declared 98 taluks in 26 districts as
drought-hit and has released Rs 200 crore to supply drinking water and dig
borewells in villages.
In Maharashtra, state agricultural department officials
are pinning hopes on the rabi season, since it is too late to rescue the kharif
crop which has taken a hit because of dry spells. Although 87% of the sowing
have been completed across the state, officials say, the rabi season could see
a 20% increase during the year to 134 lakh hectares.Officials in Odisha, which
received 13% less rains during June and August, are preparing themselves to
face a drought-like situation. Six of the 30 districts saw the deficit widen to
40%.
In West Bengal, too much of rains
have in turn caused floods, damaging paddy crops. Twelve districts in India’s
biggest rice producing state have been declared as flood-hit by chief minister Mamata Banerjee. About
80% of the total 12 lakh hectares of area under cultivation for kharif rice,
have been damaged. Among them, officials say, widespread damage has been caused
to standing paddy crops in Bardhaman, Murshidabad, East and West Midnapore
districts.The state government is trying to minimise the damage caused by the excess
rains while at the same time trying to maintain grain output.
The state produced 159 lakh
tonnes of rice last year, with about 115 lakh tonnes produced during the kharif
season.Although Crisil listed UP among the worst affected states, officials in Lucknow
say the state is likely to report higher production and that the total area
under cultivation of various crops has increased during the current season. The
coverage of kharif crops such as moong, urad, arhar, peanut, soyabean, and til
has increased to 93.62 lakh hectares, higher than the 83.78 lakh hectares a
year earlier.Kerala, where the monsoon hits first and has traditionally seen
rains much higher than national average, has also witnessed a 30% rain deficit
this season. The state’s production of plantation crops such as pepper,
cardamom, rubber, tea, coffee and spices is directly related to the quantum and
timing of rains.
While too much rain damages most of the cash
crops, too short a monsoon also leads to lower crop production.But there are some
bright spots in the official estimates. Areas under pulses and coarse cereals
in the country surged 11.6% and 5.5%, respectively, up to Friday from a year
earlier, while those under oilseeds rose 1.8% over last year. Barring cotton,
which witnessed a 7% drop in acreage, planting of all other major crops
improved from a year before, maintains the union agriculture ministry.(Sandip
Das, Banikinkar Pattanayak, BV Mahalakshmi, Rajesh Ravi, Nanda Kasabe, Mithun
Dasgupta, Deepa Jainani and Mahesh Kulkarni contributed to this story. For
detailed state-wise stories on monsoon impact on crops visit www.financialexpress.com)
Land under paddy cultivation decreases in Udupi district
Small land holdings, high input costs, labour problem are some
of the problems for the decline in paddy cultivation in the district.— File
Photo
It has come
down by 20,046 hectares
Although paddy is the main
agricultural crop and boiled rice, the staple diet of Udupi district, the land
under paddy cultivation has been reducing over the years.According to the
Department of Agriculture, paddy was being cultivated in 69,594 hectares (ha)
in Udupi district in 1998-99. It came down to 62,290 ha in 2004-05. It slipped
to 57,509 ha in 2009-10. It was cultivated in 49,548 ha in 2014-15. Paddy
cultivation had declined by 20,046 ha in the district in the last 17 years.Scattered
and small land holdings, high input costs, labour problem, lack of remunerative
prices, absentee landlordism and attack by wild animals are responsible for
decline in paddy cultivation in the district.
The farmers in the district are
now mostly dependent on farm workers coming from other districts.Bhujanga
Poojary, a farmer in Perdoor village, who used to cultivate paddy in 12.5 acres
of land 20 years ago, now cultivates it only in two acres. “Paddy cultivation
is difficult as it requires 20 farm workers for transplanting and harvesting
work. We have to pay a minimum of Rs. 500 per day per worker. Still, we do not
get workers,” he said.This year, the government has announced a minimum support
price (MSP) of Rs. 1,410 per quintal of paddy. “This MSP is simply not enough
as the labour cost is too high,” Mr. Poojary said.The farmers have not taken
the crop to paddy procurement centres because of delayed payments.
The middlemen go right to the
doorsteps of the farmers and collect the paddy, while farmers have to bring it
to the centres. “The middlemen pay them on the spot, but the farmers have to
wait for a few days to get MSP,” said Anthony Maria Immanuel, Joint Director
for Agriculture.Ramakrishna Sharma, who cultivates paddy in two acres in
Bantakal village, said that cost of production per kg of paddy was Rs. 25. “The
MSP of Rs. 14 per kg is just not enough. Scattered land holdings increase input
costs significantly. The farm workers coming from other districts are not
skilled,” he said.In some places wild animals such as bison, deer, wild boars
and peacocks attack paddy fields adding to the woes of the farmers.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/land-under-paddy-cultivation-decreases-in-udupi-district/article7560154.ece?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication
RARS to be made Centre of Excellence
The centre will focus on efforts to increase rice
production in the State by providing timely and authentic expert guidance to
farmers.– Photo: K.K. Mustafah
In a bid to breathe new
life into the ailing paddy sector in the State, Kerala Agricultural University
(KAU) has approached the State government with a request to convert the
Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) at Pattambi, near here, as a
Centre of Excellence in rice research and seed generation activities.One of the
top rice research institutions in entire India, RARS has developed 13 paddy
varieties during its 88 years of existence, apart from preserving and
propagating 34 traditional rice varieties. According to university sources, the
government has in principle approved the proposal already and the Cabinet may
give the nod soon.
Once materialised, it
will be the first Centre of Excellence in agricultural research in the State.The
centre will focus on efforts to increase rice production in the State by
providing timely and authentic expert guidance to farmers. Paddy cultivation is
in a sharp decline all over the State and the traditional rice bowls of
Palakkad and Kuttanad are no exception.In the initial stage, the centre would
undertake projects worth Rs.9.17 crore. The university hopes that the proposed
centre can influence the rice policy at the national level in a significant
way. It aims at developing seeds that can generate 10 tonnes of rice in an acre
of land.
Most modern cultivation
equipment and seeds that can withstand challenges of climate change will also
get priority at the centre.Farmers will be trained in cost-effective rice
cultivation in eco-friendly and pesticide-free methods. As Kerala produces
hardly 14 per cent of its total requirement of rice, the research centre aims
at doubling the production. High yielding varieties will be propagated among
farmers.The RARS has agricultural activity only in 22 acres though it has 49
acres more in its possession. Under the new initiative, the whole area would
come under cultivation.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/rars-to-be-made-centre-of-excellence/article7559993.ece
USA Rice Attends Social
Media Summit
CHICAGO,
IL -- Communications professionals from across the country gathered here
earlier this month for a two-day Visual Communications and Infographics
Summit. USA Rice staff joined the more
than 75 representatives from a wide array of fields that were in attendance for
the interactive workshop that featured eleven speakers from well-known
organizations.The conference focused on the latest visual storytelling
techniques to boost engagement across various social media platforms.
Representatives
from non-profits, health care industries, digital creative agencies, and
corporate companies shared their strategies on how to create and distribute
branded content in an engaging way.A portion of the conference focused on
methods for creating quality videos, photography, and infographics."Social
media provides a free portal to directly communicate with consumers," said
Michael Klein, USA Rice's vice president of marketing and communications. "It gives USA Rice an opportunity to
deliver our key messages about the importance of the U.S. rice industry to a
wide audience of people encouraging them to think rice the next time they are
at the grocery store, dining out, or prepping meals in their family
kitchen."
Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446
Weekly Rice Sales,
Exports Reported
|
WASHINGTON, DC -- Net
rice sales of 35,000 MT for 2015/2016 were reported for Canada (12,800 MT),
Honduras (8,800 MT, including 4,700 MT switched from unknown destinations), Haiti
(7,100 MT), Jordan (3,200 MT), and Mexico (1,800 MT), according to
today's Export Sales Highlights report. Decreases were reported
for unknown destinations (2,500 MT).
Exports for 43,100 MT were reported to Mexico (25,300 MT), Haiti (7,100 MT), Honduras (4,800 MT), Canada (3,000 MT), and Saudi Arabia (600 MT).
This summary is based
on reports from exporters from the period August 7-13, 2015.
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APEDA
INDIA NEWS
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CME Group/Closing
Rough Rice Futures
|
August
19th, 2015 2:30 pm by COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR
Northeast, Tenn. ––Louisiana Rice Mill along with Food City are
partnering together to fight hunger in Northeast Tennessee with the donation of
a half a truckload (about 20,000 pounds) of rice. Louisiana Rice Mill will be
recognized for their donation during race night, August 20, 2015.“This donation
will help our friends at Second Harvest Food Bank build their food supply and
help feed thousands of individuals in our communities” said Steven C. Smith,
Food City President and Chief Executive Officer.Rhonda Chafin, Executive
Director of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee said, “This
generous donation will go a long way toward feeding the hungry in Northeast
Tennessee.
We sincerely appreciate Louisiana Rice Mill and Food City for
making this donation.”Supreme Rice is shelving four varieties of rice in retail
stores: white long grain, white medium grain, brown long grain and aromatic
Louisiana white jasmine rice. Each variety is the highest quality, having been
locally grown by Louisiana/US farmers. Supreme Rice CEO Bobby Hanks, said “We
are pleased to be working in partnership with Food City, to make this donation
of 20,000 pounds of rice to Second Harvest.”The need for food assistance in
Northeast Tennessee continues to grow.
Over 10 million pounds of food and grocery products were secured
and distributed by the Food Bank during fiscal year 2014 serving over 43,000
individuals per month through food bank agencies and programs. The Food Bank
encourages the community to get involved in helping feed the hungry in Northeast
Tennessee. Ways to help include making a monetary donation, becoming a Food
Bank agency, volunteering or holding a food drive to benefit Second Harvest
Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee. Visit the Food Bank’s website www.netfoodbank.org for
more information or call (423)279-0430.
About Louisiana Rice Mill
Louisiana Rice Mill has been a leader in rice production for
decades. Supreme Rice, located in Crowley, Louisiana, was founded in 1936, with
a long and successful tradition of rice production. Located in the heart of
southwest Louisiana Rice Region, Louisiana Rice Mill, LLC (LRM) is the premier
exporter of US milled rice on the Gulf Coast. The historic and well-respected
Supreme Rice brand of the Louisiana Rice Mill can be found in retail grocery
stores around the country. Several products on the shelves, many from Fortune
500 companies, use Supreme Rice in their products. Find out more at facebook.com/SupremeRice or
on www.supremericeUSA.com
About Food City and K-VA-T Food Stores
Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores operates
104 retail food outlets throughout the tri-state regions of Southeast Kentucky,
Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. They just recently announced the
acquisition of 29 BI-LO supermarkets in Chattanooga, Tennessee and north
Georgia.
About Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee
Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee has led the effort
to end hunger in Northeast Tennessee since 1986 and is the only food bank
serving the eight county region incorporating Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins,
Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties. The food bank’s mission is
to feed the hungry in Northeast Tennessee by securing and distributing food and
engaging the community in the fight to end hunger through regional
partnerships, programs, and education. The Food Bank is a 501 c3 non-profit
organization located in Kingsport, Tennessee and is a member of Feeding
America, the Nation’s largest Food Bank network.
RES Rice Field Day, Aug. 26, Biggs
Wednesday, August
26, 2015 • Biggs, CA
The 2015 Rice Experiment Station’s
(RES) Rice Field Day will be held Aug. 26 in Biggs, Calif.
The field day held at the RES will
provide rice growers and others in the industry with the latest information on
RES research.
Agenda:
7:30 a.m. – Registration, posters,
demonstrations, equipment, and displays
8:30 – California Cooperative Rice
Research Foundation (CCRRF) annual membership meeting, rice research trust
report, and California rice industry award presentation
9:30 – Field tours of rice
research including variety improvement, disease resistance, insects and
control, plus weeds and control
Noon – Lunch
Rice Field Day is sponsored by
CCRRF and the University of California.
Posters and demonstrations will be
in place during registration until after lunch.
The RES is located at 955 Butte
City Highway (Hwy. 162), approximately two- and one-half miles west of Highway
99, north of Biggs.
OAG
says graft in low-cost rice sales scheme cost state B3.8bn
20
Aug 2015 at 08:15
The Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) has found several
irregularities in the Public Warehouse Organisation's (PWO) implementation of
the low-cost rice sale programme under the Yingluck administration, saying
their misconduct cost the state about 3.8 billion baht in losses. A source
at the OAG said implementation of the project -- which aimed to distribute
low-priced rice to consumers -- was not in line with the project's objectives.The
prices at which the rice was sold to consumers were higher than the required
70-baht per bag stipulated by the rice-pledging scheme.
As part of the scheme, the PWO was allowed to purchase 503,518 tonnes of
rice at half the market price.Yingluck: Offered low-priced rice
The PWO then signed contracts with six companies
to distribute the bagged rice for sale, but none of the contracts with the
companies said the rice had to be resold at 70 baht per bag. The PWO also
failed to include in the agreements ways to ensure distribution of the rice
matched the goals of the government's rice-pledging scheme, according to the
OAG.The contracts should have stipulated that if a third party bought the rice
from the companies, the same 70-baht rule would apply for its resale. In its
absence, consumers could not reap economic benefits from the scheme.The OAG
investigation also found that only one of the six contracted companies had
experience as a rice retailer and some of the five other companies were related
to the first one, said the source.
Witnesses said the companies without experience
in selling rice had secured the contracts with the PWO through personal
connections, said the source. Worse still, the OAG's probe into the money trail
of the project showed the same person purchased cashier's cheques for all six
companies when they paid for the rice purchases from the PWO, said the source.Most
importantly, the OAG found the six companies had re-sold the bagged rice to
other rice retailers for between 72-75 baht a bag, higher than the project
requirements that the rice be sold for under 70 baht per bag, which marked up
the consumer cost even more.In addition, the rice was bought from farmers for
15,000 baht per tonne.
But an inspection of the rice warehouses in
October 2014 by the Prime Minister's Office found the rice was improperly
stored for too long a period of time and only 10% of the 18 million tonnes was
good quality and edible.The results of the OAG probe have been forwarded to the
National Anti-Corruption Commission, along with recommendations that the PWO
officials involved be prosecuted for causing damage to the state.The report
also recommends legal action against the companies for violating the 1999 State
Organisation Bidding Act.
Bangkok
Post e-newspaper.
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
A comprehensive daily commodity market
report for Arkansas agricultural commodities with cash markets, futures and
insightful analysis and commentary from Arkansas Farm Bureau commodity
analysts.
Noteworthy benchmark price levels
of interest to farmers and ranchers, as well as long-term commodity market
trends which are developing. Daily fundamental market influences and technical
factors are noted and discussed.
Soybeans
|
High
|
Low
|
|
|
Cash Bids
|
924
|
814
|
|
New Crop
|
914
|
829
|
|
|
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Riceland Foods
|
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||
|
Cash Bids
|
Stuttgart: - - -
|
Pendleton: - - -
|
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New Crop
|
Stuttgart: - - -
|
Pendleton: - - -
|
|
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|
Futures:
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Soybean Comment
Soybeans managed to close higher today after Illinois crop tour
showed pod counts lower than last year leading to some optimism production may
not reach the current USDA forecast. Prices managed to bounce off yesterday's
lows but will likely need to see a bullish crop report out of Iowa to keep this
support going. While exports were ok for this time of year turmoil in China and
slow sales for next year remain a concern for this market.
Wheat
|
High
|
Low
|
|
|
Cash Bids
|
455
|
444
|
|
New Crop
|
504
|
479
|
|
|
||
|
Futures:
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Wheat Comment
Wheat ended higher despite continue slow export demand. A
weakening dollar and support form outside markets continue to provide most of
the support for wheat as prices try and maintain support near $5.
Grain Sorghum
|
High
|
Low
|
|
|
Cash Bids
|
378
|
330
|
|
New Crop
|
378
|
344
|
|
|
||
Corn
|
High
|
Low
|
|
|
Cash Bids
|
387
|
314
|
|
New Crop
|
364
|
339
|
|
|
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|
Futures:
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Corn Comment
Corn
prices managed small gains again today. The market continues to be supported by
weaker yields from the crop tour compared to USDA August forecast. Prices
continue to try and move higher, but remain hesitant to make any type of major
move. Demand remains a negative as exports remain weak and new crop sales
continue to lag previous year levels.
Cotton
|
Futures:
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Cotton Comment
Cotton
turned higher today, with December finding resistance at 67 cents. Tightening
supplies in the U.S. are certainly supporting the market and a weaker dollar
today was also supportive. Huge world stocks, particularly in China, will limit
the upside potential.
Rice
|
High
|
Low
|
|
|
Long Grain Cash
Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
Long Grain New Crop
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
|
|
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|
Futures:
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Rice Comment
Rice
futures were sharply lower today. Weekly export sakes of only 35,000 metric
tons added to the negative undertone. The market has been attempting to
consolidate after failing at the recent highs of $12.07 for September and
$12.34 for November.
Cattle
|
Futures:
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Live Cattle:
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Feeders:
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Arkansas Prices
Charlotte Livestock Auction
Green Forest Livestock Auction
Ratcliff Livestock Auction
Oklahoma City
El Reno Livestock Market, El Reno, OK
Cattle Comment
Cattle
prices were able to recover some of yesterday's losses as the market makes a
slight correction. Prices continue to be supported by improving beef prices and
strong cash prices.
http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/
School Meals
Seasoned with Cultural Flavors
Posted by Dr. Katie Wilson, Deputy
Under Secretary, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, on August 19, 2015 at 2:00 PM
A students’ favorite: stir-fried ginger chicken with locally grown
kale.
The things that make our country so great and special can be
found in the diversity of the people, their ideas, and their culture. One of
the ways culture is expressed is through the foods we eat. Our nation’s school
meals should be no exception. More than 30 million children receive at least
one nutritious meal every school day through the USDA’s National School
Lunch and School Breakfast programs.
My commitment is to make sure these children have access to
healthy, nutritious meals while they learn. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids
Act (HHFKA) has helped raise the nutritional value of the
foods our children eat with meal standards that promote health during the years
most critical for growing kids. The meal standards have been developed to not
only offer healthy meal options, but to allow schools the flexibility to
prepare meals that are familiar to kids from culturally
diverse backgrounds.
Recently, I learned of several examples of this while
participating in one of the Team Up for School Nutrition Success workshops that USDA provides to assist school food authorities.
The goal of this training is to help schools find simple ways to meet the
updated meal standards while increasing the number of children enjoying healthy
and flavorful school meals. It’s no secret that children and adolescents can be
finicky eaters, but there are creative ways school nutrition professionals can
prepare meals to be tastier and more appealing for this tough audience.
For instance, I learned that in Puerto Rico it is common for
children to eat arroz con habichuelas y carne de cerdo (rice and beans with pork).
Schools are finding ways to prepare this same meal in a healthy way that
satisfies the palates of children who are used to eating it at home.
High school students enjoy their locally sourced chicken tacos.
In the same way, school children in the Southwest region of the
United States enjoy burritos and refried beans that are similar to what they
might have at home. In West Virginia, schools have found ways to offer healthy
versions of Southern-style cooking like sausage gravy and a long-time favorite
in the state—the pepperoni roll.
Our goal at USDA is to ensure children have access to nutritious
food that nourishes their growing bodies—all while embracing diverse cultural
customs and cuisines. I’m confident that through cultural inclusion and
nutritious choices, schools across America will pave the way for a healthier
next generation.
School chef preparing healthy and delicious chicken tacos.
Find new ways to make your favorite cultural dishes healthier
and don’t be afraid to get creative. Check out this video to learn how to make
delicious vegetable fried rice!
http://blogs.usda.gov/2015/08/19/school-meals-seasoned-with-cultural-flavors/#more-60162?utm_source=USA+Rice+Daily%2C+August+20%2C+2015&utm_campaign=Friday%2C+December+13%2C+2013&utm_medium=email
Kids
in the Kitchen: Broiled Fish With Chermoula
AUGUST 19, 2015 3:34 PM August 19, 2015 3:34 pm
Credit
The master plan? Raising children
who can be independent in the kitchen, able to prepare a few healthy meals and
snacks and with the confidence to tackle a new recipe or task. In our Kids in
the Kitchen series, Motherlode’s KJ Dell’Antonia and Cooking’s Margaux Laskey
move their very differently aged families toward that goal. Margaux finds ways
for her 3-year-old and toddler to help cook, while KJ stands back and coaches
her two 9-year-olds and her 11- and 14-year-olds in cooking on their own.
As I mentioned in one of my past
posts,
my 3-year-old daughter has become increasingly finicky when it comes to food,
fish in particular. I thought a flavorful sauce might help. Enter chermoula. It’s sort of a Moroccan pesto,
but instead of basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano and pine nuts, it’s made with
cilantro, parsley and a combination of Middle Eastern spices. It’s
traditionally served on
grilled fish, chicken and vegetables, but I can also imagine
it stirred into a bowl of chicken soup, a pot of couscous or a pile of soft
scrambled eggs. I hoped it would be a brilliant solution; my daughter likes
green, leafy vegetables (she happily eats arugula with her soft-boiled eggs and
toast in the mornings, and I can’t keep her from nibbling on the herbs
outside).
And we would get to pull out the mortar and
pestle — a kitchen tool my daughter has never used, but I knew she would enjoy.
It’s loud, and you get to smash things on purpose.I wanted to cook the
mahi-mahi the way the
recipe suggests.
I thought she might prefer a lighter-flavored fish over our usual salmon, but
all our market had was salmon. We would make do, and maybe the chermoula would
act like a green fairy dust. Poof! She would suddenly love salmon again.I
rinsed off the parsley and cilantro and dabbed them with paper towels, then
asked her to help me pluck off the leaves. She did so with about three stems
before she became bored.“Don’t you want to help anymore?
“Nooo.” (Lower lip protruding.)
“So you don’t want to bang the
mortar and pestle?”
(Big smile.) “Yes, yes, I do.”I
finished picking the herbs while she waited impatiently.
“When do I get to smash things?”
We then “chopped” the herbs using
(clean) scissors pointed down into a bowl. She used her kids’ Fiskars, and I
used my kitchen shears. She loved this task, and it worked surprising well. I
gave them one more pass under the chef’s knife for good measure, but it was
probably unnecessary.“It smells like lemon.” Indeed, the chopped cilantro and
parsley did.
Before setting her up at the
kitchen table with the mortar and pestle, I threatened that she was not, under
any circumstances, to try to lift the mortar off the table. It is incredibly
heavy, and if it fell on her, or her sister crawling around on the floor
beneath her, we would be taking a trip to the hospital. (Despite their weight,
mortars and pestles are pretty great kitchen tools for little children; they
need both hands to hold the pestle, so their own fingers can’t get in the way.
If you’re worried about them dropping it, put it and your child on the floor. I
would have, but I knew her little sister would not be able to resist meddling,
so I unleashed the threats.)
I tossed the garlic cloves into
the mortar, she sprinkled in the salt, then gleefully mashed away.I worked it a
bit more, then added a handful of herbs. She banged away while I added more
herbs. Once we had incorporated all of them, and it resembled a bright green
paste, she helped me measure out the paprika (“That’s like my teacher Miss
Matrika!”), coriander (ground because that’s what I had) and cumin seeds I had
toasted while she napped earlier. I skipped the cayenne because the girls are
not into spicy foods yet. She ground all of it together.She juiced a lemon
using our reamer. (“Owww! It got into my cut.”) Then she added the juice and
olive oil, and stirred to combine them.
“Can I taste it?”
“Yes.”
Then I couldn’t stop her from
doing this. “I could put it on your turkey sandwich for camp lunch tomorrow.”“Do
that.”So far, this seemed promising.For dinner, I slathered it on a slice of
salmon and then roasted it in a 450-degree oven for about 10 minutes. I served
it with a side of tiny orange tomatoes we had bought at the farmers’ market
earlier that day, and a pile of Basmati rice and chickpeas into which I’d
swirled a spoonful of chermoula.
I wish I could say she gobbled it
down, but the minute she put a piece of salmon into her mouth (I’ll give her
credit; she went for it), her face crumpled in tears, and she gagged. I just
have to accept that the girl doesn’t love salmon right now no matter how I
prepare it. I will try it with a mild white fish next time.The good news is
that my 1-year old loved the salmon, they both loved the chermoula rice, and
we’ve found a condiment to jazz up our meals (bonus points that it’s homemade
and green) that isn’t ketchup.
Photo
How Little Hands Can Help: Rinsing and plucking herbs; “chopping” herbs with scissors; sprinkling salt; juicing a lemon; mashing ingredients with the mortar and pestle; stirring.
Skills Learned/Practiced for
Older Children: They
could pretty much conquer this entire recipe on their own including the
handling and preparation of raw fish and roasting it.
Kids Cook Verdict: Two thumbs up for the
sauce, one thumb up and one thumb down for the salmon.
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