Rice News Headlines...
ü Rice exporting companies rally as Iran opens up market
for India
ü Drought hits Indonesia's rice farmers
ü Govt eyes Rp 130 trillion investment in border areas
ü Guyana and Mexico looking to cement rice agreement
ü India Rice Shares Rise After Iran’s GTC Says Import Ban
Ended
ü Upliftment of Iran's rice ban to boost Indian exports:
KRBL
ü Aman output to be lower this time
ü Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
ü Farm Bureau Market Report-11/03/2015
ü California Calrose Wins "World's Best
Rice"
ü Yellow Rails & Rice Festival - A Festival Like No
Other
ü Information interchange
ü CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
ü Replace costlier dals with soya products for protein:
Agri-economist Ashok Gulati
ü Three Origins for Rice?
ü CRRI to launch climate-resilient varieties of paddy in
two years
ü U.S. Ambassador Visits International Rice Research
Institute
ü Celebrate, use science’s progress, researcher says
ü Commodity Report-November 3
ü Basmati growers blame cartels for low prices
ü PhilRice celebrates 30th anniversary
News Detail...
Rice exporting companies rally as Iran opens up market for India
Dilip Kumar
Jha |
Mumbai November 3, 2015 Last Updated at 22:33 IST
Lifting of Iran sanctions boon for basmatiBasmati
rice exporters in a fix over falling pricesExporters expect Iran to issue fresh
Basmati rice permits by DecBasmati exporters' realisations down 18%Kohinoor
Foods appeals against KFL to the regulator.The share price of companies engaged
in basmati ricerose 18 per cent on Tuesday, following the news that Iranhas
lifted the ban on import of Basmati from India. Iran contributes one-third of
India's overall basmati exports.Kohinoor Foods' shares jumped 17.75 per cent to
close at Rs 51.40 apiece on Tuesday on the BSE. LT Foods and KRBL reported
13.12 per cent and eight per cent increase, respectively, to close at Rs 260.30
and Rs 224.7 a share, respectively.
Iran
had invoked self-declared restriction on import of basmati rice from India
following high imports in the past few years. The Iran government had stopped
issuing rice import permits from India. While Indian exporters continued to
execute past orders, new orders dried up, resulting in sharp decline in India's
rice exports to Iran."It is a very good development as India would again
see a sharp increase in basmati rice exports to Iran, the world's largest
importer for aromatic rice," said Gurnam Arora, joint managing director of
Kohinoor Foods, the producer and exporter of Kohinoor brand basmati rice.Data
compiled by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development
Authority showed India's exports of basmati rice to Iran declined to 940,000
tonnes in 2014-15 from 1.44 million tonnes (mt) in the previous financial year.
Trade
sources attribute the decline in Iran's rice import from India to bitter
political relations between the two countries. Last year, Iran had turned to
Pakistan for import of basmati rice. Iran's comeback to Indian market would
boost India's basmati rice exports," said Rajan Sundareshan, executive
director, All India Rice Exporters' Association.Reports said Iran faced one of
the worst droughts in the last monsoon season, resulting in estimates of lower
rice production. According to Food and Agricultural Organization data Iran's
total rice output in 2015 rose to 1.7 mt, from 1.6 mt in the previous
year.Iran's rice import is forecast to increase to 1.3 mt in 2015 versus 1.2 mt
in 2014. But, with the drought estimated to damage standing crop, Iran's import
of rice could increase proportionately this year.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/markets/rice-exporting-companies-rally-as-iran-opens-up-market-for-india-115110301699_1.html
Drought hits
Indonesia's rice farmers
2 November 2015 Last updated at 23:47 GMT
Indonesia's most
important rice growing region is suffering from a severe drought.The situation
is putting a lot of strain on Indonesia's poorest farmers, many of whom live
off the land.Even those who don't farm could suffer as the World Bank says that
the price of rice could rise by 10% due to failed crops.
Rebecca Henschke reports.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34705608
Govt
eyes Rp 130 trillion investment in border areas
Marguerite Afra Sapiie, thejakartapost.com, Jakarta | Business |
Tue, November 03 2015, 6:37 PM
Illustration. (Tribun Jateng/ Fajar Eko
Nugroho)
The government plans to attract investments
worth Rp 130 trillion (US$9.6 billion) to border areas in the next five years
to help propel development there.“We will work hard to attract investment to
border areas as they are the gates of international trade, the main routes for
cross-border transportation and central to economic development,” said
Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Marwan Jafar on
Tuesday.According to Marwan, special regulation was key, especially for easing
the process of attaining permits. Although the regulation could be issued as a
ministerial regulation or presidential instruction, Marwan said he would prefer
a separate law.“We can draft a law on disadvantaged-regions development and add
a special investment regulation for border areas as part of it,” Marwan told
thejakartapost.com.
He also said that regional governments in
border areas were all in support of his plan. They enthusiastically welcomed
the development plans he said, agreeing that investment would indeed benefit
them."Three governors and 12 regents from Kalimantan and Riau Islands have
signed a memorandum of understanding with the ministry," said Marwan.The
ministry has started developing infrastructure in border areas this year,
including comprehensive integrated transmigration to border areas. In the near
future, it plans to develop integrated plantations and livestock farms to boost
regional economic growth.
“One of our programs is the planting of 1
million hectares of rice paddies near Papua’s border. We've currently completed
30,000 hectares,” said Marwan, adding that the ministry also planned to develop
plantations in Kalimantan. (kes)(+)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/11/03/govt-eyes-rp-130-trillion-investment-border-areas.html#sthash.QZukzpVE.dpuf
Guyana
and Mexico looking to cement rice agreement
GEORGETOWN,
Guyana, Nov 3, CMC – The Guyana government says Mexico has indicated a
willingness to fast track an agreement to purchase paddy rice from the
Caribbean country.A statement released by the Office of Prime Minister Moses
Nagamootoo said that Mexico’s Agriculture Minister Jose Calzada has given the
assurance that he would fast track arrangements to buy Guyana’s paddy.The
statement quoted him as saying that he would also seek to encourage the private
sector to enter into contracts with Guyanese millers.Last month, Nagamootoo met
with Calzada whilst attending the Open Governance Summit in Mexico City.
The
David Granger administration has been seeking new markets after with the
country recording increased production and a decision by Venezuela not to renew
an agreement under which the rice was exported to that country in exchange for
energy products.A government statement here noted that Guyana’s production in
the first half of 2015 was 359,960 tonnes, 15.3 per cent more than last year’s
record high, first-half production of 312,283 tonnes.Meanwhile, the Guyana
Rice Development Board (GRDB) is conducting an investigation into media reports
that ‘fake’ seed paddy were being distributed to farmers.
Technical
advisers within the GRDB say the inferior quality may be as a result from bad
storage.
http://antiguaobserver.com/guyana-and-mexico-looking-to-cement-rice-agreement/
India
Rice Shares Rise After Iran’s GTC Says Import Ban Ended
Claudia Carpenter and Pratik Parija
November 3, 2015 —
4:56 PM PKT
Indian rice shippers rallied after the head of
Iran’s grain buyer said its rice import ban ended.The import ban was lifted as
of November, Ali Ghanbari, chief executive officer of Iran’s Government Trading
Corp., said in an interview in Dubai. The government imposed the ban to protect
domestic farmers during their harvest, he said.KRBL Ltd. climbed as much as
11.5 percent, Kohinoor Foods surged as much as 20.5 percent and LT Foods
increased as much as 19.5 percent in Mumbai trading.Iran will probably issue
new import licenses in December or January, according to R. Sundaresan,
executive director of the All India Rice Exporters Association
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-03/india-rice-shares-rise-after-iran-s-gtc-says-import-ban-ended
Upliftment of Iran's rice ban to boost
Indian exports: KRBL
Nov 03, 2015, 03.49 PM | Source:
CNBC-TV18 Upliftment of Iran's rice ban to boost
Indian exports: KRBL Anil Mittal, CMD of KRBL said the rice industry had been
badly impacted due to the ban as Iran used to import nearly 1.2 million tonnes
of rice from the Indian rice manufacturers. Comments (1) Closing Bell 02:30 pm
Iran government today lifted ban on import of rice. Speaking to CNBC-TV18,
Anil Mittal, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of KRBL said that the
lift in ban by Iran is a positive for the rice industry and will boost rice
exports. Due to availability of excess rice stocks, Iranian authorities had
suspended imports of rice from the rest of the world in October 2014. Mittal
said the rice industry had been badly impacted due to the ban as Iran used to
import nearly 1.2 million tonnes of rice from the Indian rice manufacturers.
He expects 800 to a million tonne rice export to Iran post
the upliftment of ban at the ongoing international prices. KRBL currently has
5-7 percent exposure to Iran, which contributes 5 to 6 percent to the company’s
turnover. The company will work on increasing its exposure to Iran with
the removal of import ban, he said. Below is the transcript of Anil Mittal’s
interview with CNBC-TV18's Sonia Shenoy and Anuj Singhal. Sonia: How much of a
positive would it be for companies like yours? A: It is a very positive news.
The whole rice industry will have a very big boost. Actually, rice industry was
into difficulties because of Iran since Iran used to import around 1.2 million
tonnes. So, this news will boost the industry itself, the total industry will
be really quite happy to have this news.
Anuj: So, if you could give us some numbers. Now that this ban is
lifted what kind of export numbers will we see from India to Iran and what
realisations would they have and how would they compare to the other exporting
regions? A: Since it has been recently opened it is a free market. This ban
will definitely - the export numbers will be as per the international prices
only. There will not be any special numbers for Iran but definitely the market
which has practically been slowed down that will boost the export and we feel
that 1 million tonne or 0.8 to 1 million tonne will definitely be exported to
Iran. Sonia: So, what is your own exposure to Iran, how much does KRBL export
to Iran before the ban?
A: KRBL's exposure to Iran
is comparatively very less, maybe total 5-6 percent. So, we are not very active
in Iran but it will definitely help us for the other destinations because of
the slowdown of Iran other countries were also slowed down but with this news
other countries also may pick up. Anuj: So, going forward how much do you hope
to export to Iran and how much would that result in increased revenues and
profitability? If you could give us some ball park numbers. A: As far as KRBL
is concerned,, our total exposure to Iran is 5-7 percent and definitely that
will help the company to increase its turnover by 5-7 percent but with this
news we will start trying now to promote our rice to Iran as well. So, let us
see.
It will be too premature to comment on anything, but it is a good
news. It is an excellent news for the rice industry. KRBL stock price On
November 04, 2015, KRBL closed at Rs 222.10, down Rs 2.6, or 1.16 percent. The
52-week high of the share was Rs 231.00 and the 52-week low was Rs 88.70. The
company's trailing 12-month (TTM) EPS was at Rs 13.94 per share as per the
quarter ended September 2015. The stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was
15.93. The latest book value of the company is Rs 53.49 per share. At current
value, the price-to-book value of the company is 4.15.
http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/upliftmentirans-rice-ban-to-boost-indian-exports-krbl_3949521.html?utm_source=ref_article
http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/upliftmentirans-rice-ban-to-boost-indian-exports-krbl_3949521.html?utm_source=ref_article
Aman output to be lower this time
Paddy output in the current aman season is likely to be lower for
flood-induced crop damage and area contraction for low domestic price,
according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation.During the
aman season, rice (paddy) production would be about 19.6 million tonnes (13
million tonnes in husked rice), down 1 percent year-on-year, the FAO said in
its food and agriculture country brief on Bangladesh last week.
While widespread abundant rains during the harvesting season were
beneficial to crop development, the passage of cyclone Komen on July 30
triggered some localised floods across southeastern parts of the country,
causing minor damage to crops, it said.Furthermore, flood from monsoon rains
towards the end of August also damaged crops, mainly aman, in 29 districts, according
to a previous estimate by the Department of Agricultural Extension.The FAO said
increased yields are expected to partially offset a 2 percent contraction in
acreage in response to low domestic prices at sowing time. It, however, did not
state this season's plantation area.The UN agency's forecast comes as farmers
are set to start harvesting paddy from the current aman season, which accounts
for nearly 38 percent of the total annual rice production of 34.7 million
tonnes.
However, the DAE estimates that production will rise if farmers
can bag safe harvest without facing any natural calamity this month and the
next, according to its Director General Md Hamidur Rahman.
This
year, aman has been planted on 5.36 million hectares of land, up from the DAE's
target of 5.26 million hectares, according to data from the agriculture
ministry.“We expect production to rise, because acreage of high-yielding and
hybrid varieties of rice has increased this season,” Rahman said.In 2014,
Bangladesh bagged 13.19 million tonnes of husked aman rice from 5.53 million
hectares, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.Despite the
possibility of a drop in aman output, total rice (paddy) production is likely
to be 51.9 million tonnes, which is close to 2014's record level, because of
higher boro output, the FAO said.
http://www.thedailystar.net/business/aman-output-be-lower-time-166483
Arkansas
Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
Rice
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High
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Long Grain Cash Bids
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Long Grain New Crop
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Rice
Comment
Rice futures charted an inside day after
gapping higher on Monday. Global production problems have helped support the
market since the summer. Traders will begin rolling out of November contracts
soon to avoid delivery as the contract expires. January completed a 62%
retracement on Thursday to $11.55 and has bounced off support at that level.
http://www.arfb.com/ag-markets-statistics/report/
Farm
Bureau Market Report-11/03/2015
Rice
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High
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Low
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Rice Comment
Rice futures charted an inside day after
gapping higher on
Monday. Global production problems have helped support the market since
the summer. Traders will begin rolling out of November contracts soon to avoid
delivery as the contract expires. January completed a 62% retracement on Thursday to $11.55 and has bounced off support
at that level.
California
Calrose Wins "World's Best Rice"
King
of the world
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA -- Last week, hundreds of delegates
from more than 30 countries gathered here for the 7th Annual TRT World Rice
Conference, where it was announced that California Calrose rice was the
recipient of the highly-coveted "World's Best Rice" award.A panel of
culinary experts and prominent international chefs chose Calrose rice as the
"World's Best Rice" from an assortment of 25 entries submitted by
delegates across the globe. California
Calrose beat out Cambodia/Thai Fragment Jasmine rice, the reigning
"World's Best Rice" winner for the past three years.Jeremy Zwinger,
chairman and host of the conference, presented the award to Greg Van Dyke, a
producer from Pleasant Grove, California, and member of the California Rice
Commission."I'm deeply humbled and honored to receive this historic award
on behalf of the California rice industry, home of world renowned Calrose
Premium Rice," said Van Dyke.
"For more than a century, multi-generational California rice
farmers have self-funded cutting edge research in natural line, non-GMO,
premium japonica varietal development.
As a fifth generation California farmer, I am insanely proud to grow
Calrose Premium Rice...the best rice in the world!"
Contact: Colleen Klemczewski (703) 236-1446
Yellow Rails & Rice Festival - A Festival Like No
Other
Photo credit: John Schwarz 
JENNINGS,
LA -- One hundred and forty-five bird enthusiasts from 27 states and Canada
gathered here Wednesday through Sunday for the seventh annual Yellow Rails and
Rice Festival (YR&R). The festival
brings birders together with rice farmers to highlight the role of Louisiana's
working wetlands in bird conservation while providing participants a unique
venue to view the Yellow Rail.Although the Yellow Rail is fairly widespread it
is rarely seen so bird enthusiasts welcome the opportunity to catch sight of
the migrating Rails as they arrive in southern Louisiana at the same time the
ratoon rice crop is being harvested.Donna Dittman, a founder of YR&R, said,
"Although we designed this festival with fun in mind, its primary goal is
to bring birders and farmers together to emphasize the value our area's working
wetlands have for wildlife."USA Rice is one of 50 organizations that
sponsor the festival. The Louisiana Rice
Growers Association and Hoppe Farms provided gift bags of Louisiana-grown rice
to festival participants.
Contact: Randy Jemison (337) 738-7009
USA Rice Hosts Chinese
Delegation
Information
interchange
ARLINGTON,
VA -- A twenty-member delegation headed by China's State Administration of
Grain visited USA Rice yesterday for an in-depth discussion of USA Rice's
mission and promotion activities, and the U.S. rice industry. Representatives from the national government
based in Beijing as well as members of provincial and local grain
administration groups made up the group. USA Rice COO Bob Cummings and Jim
Guinn, vice president of international promotion, provided information on USA
Rice's structure, membership, and collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture
in the international promotion of U.S. rice.
"Yesterday's
meeting was a useful exchange of information about the rice sectors in both
countries and provided a good opportunity to educate the Chinese about the
market-driven nature of the U.S. rice industry," said Cummings. "We
made sure the delegation was aware of our industry's focus on providing China's
consumers with high quality U.S. rice once the market is open to U.S.
exports," concluded Guinn.
Contact: Kristen Dayton (703) 236-1464
|
CME Group/Closing Rough Rice Futures
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Replace costlier dals with soya
products for protein: Agri-economist Ashok Gulati
By
PTI | 2 Nov, 2015, 03.20PM IST
Amid
skyrocketing pulses prices hurting common man's budget, agri-economist Ashok
Gulati today suggested that consumers should replace costlier dals with soya products
for high protein.EW DELHI: Amid skyrocketing pulses prices hurting
common man's budget, agri-economist Ashok Gulati today suggested that
consumers should replace costlier dals with soya products for high protein.
"There is a lot of pulses problem these days. We cannot produce much of
tur dal, but we have
a huge soya crop. We take pulses for protein. Why don't we go for soya
products like soya milk, tofu and reconstituted soya dals," Gulati said
at an event organised by National Skills Foundation of India. Soya has 40 per
cent protein, while pulses have only 20 per cent protein, he said while
emphasising the need to treat soya as protein crop and
innovation in food-processing. At present, soya crop in the country is grown
as an oilseed crop, he added. Gulati, former Chairman of Commission for
Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and a Padma Shri awardee, was speaking
on Technologies and innovation in agriculture: pushing the frontiers.
Pulses prices have risen unabated due to fall in domestic production by two million tonnes in 2014-15 crop year (July-June) due to poor rains. Retail prices of tur and urad are ruling up to Rs 190-200 per kg. CACP Chairman Ashok Vishandaas said retail prices of pulses have gone up to Rs 220 per kg, but farmers are still suffering as they are not getting the right price. The pulses problem has aggravated because of increased focus on rice and wheat production, he added. Emphasising the need to raise productivity of farm labourers, Vishandaas said that around 50 per cent of the population depends on agriculture, contributing only 13.8 per cent to the country's GDP. "This means, we are under-utilising our labourers. Can we move them out of agriculture and equip them with other skills?" he said. Echoing similar views, UN body FAO India representative Shyam Khadka said only 2.3 per cent of the country's farmers are professionally trained, as against 96 per cent in Korea, 75 per cent in Germany and 53 per cent in the US. More skills are required to be taught to farmers, especially in the area of post-harvesting, food processing and animal husbandry, among others, he said. Gulati also talked about innovation in agriculture sector that is competitive, inclusive, sustainable and scalable, while citing examples of the success of Bt cotton, maize and Pusa basmati rice. Stating that new farm technologies in future are going to come more from private sector, Gulati said the sector will not bring in technology for free and diffusion of these technologies in India would be difficult if intellectual property right is not protected. PTI |
Three Origins for Rice?
Rice was domesticated three
separate times across Asia, a new study suggests.
| November
3, 2015
The newly
unraveled origins of domesticated rice tell the story of early farming in Asia.
A study led by researchers from the University of Manchester, U.K., suggests
that rice was domesticated in three different regions of Asia, leading to the
four main varieties available today. The results were published yesterday
(November 2) in Nature Plants.The primary varieties of domestic rice are indica,japonica, aus, and aromatic,
selected for various traits that make cultivation easier—for instance, rice
that grows vertically and stays on the stalk when ripe.
To trace their roots, geneticist Peter Civán and
colleagues focused on the genomic regions corresponding to these traits. Using
data from a 2012 Nature paper,
they re-analyzed DNA from 1,083 varieties of modern rice and 446 samples of
wild rice.Previous work suggested that the traits unique to domesticated rice
originated with a single group of ancestors in southern China, where japonica was first cultivated. Civán’s team instead found that
early farmers selected for similar traits in three different places—a
convergent domestication process that resulted in indica, japonica, and aus rice. “Aromatic varieties, like basmati, arose out
of hybrids betweenjaponica and aus rice,”
Civán told New Scientist.Some
experts have voiced skepticism about the study.
The new paper is “definitely wrong with the data
analysis,” Bin Han, a geneticist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and senior
author of the 2012 paper proposing one origin for domestic rice, told Science in an
email. Michael Purugganan, a plant geneticist at New York University who also
proposed a single domestication event in 2011, told New
Scientist that the research “shows that the question of the domestication
history of rice remains open, with different approaches reaching different
conclusions.”Other researchers have been more supportive. Civán and his
colleagues “clearly demonstrate that the most parsimonious and coherent
interpretation for the data is that there were at least three independent
domestications of [rice] from well differentiated ancestral populations in
Asia,” Susan McCouch, a rice geneticist at Cornell University who was not
involved with the study, told Science
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/44404/title/Three-Origins-for-Rice-/
CRRI to launch
climate-resilient varieties of paddy in two years
In what may come as a boon for paddy-dependent states like
Odisha, scientists at the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Cuttack are
on the brink of coming...
In what may come as a boon for paddy-dependent states
like Odisha, scientists at the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Cuttack
are on the brink of coming out with a climate resilient variety of paddy that
will singularly be capable of defying both flood and drought.A senior scientist
of CRRI said: “The CRRI has reached an advanced stage of developing a series of
what it terms ‘Climate Smart’ variety of paddy with multi-trait gene packaging.
These have progressed beyond lab-and-field stages and been tried out in the
farm land across 10 centres in Odisha.” This is a major breakthrough as
scientists have been able to agglomerate genes that are resilient to opposite
extremes of climatic conditions as flood and drought to design a single paddy
variety that would not only absorb the stress but also give high yield in such
conditions, he added.
CRRI director O N Singh said: “With the launching of the
‘Climate Smart’ paddy, farmers in areas facing extreme climatic conditions
would be benefited a lot.Around six varieties of ‘Climate Smart’ paddy have
been nominated to the Centre and the field trials are on in several states,
encompassing different climatic and land conditions. The first of the ‘Climate
Smart’ series is likely to be released within two years.Odisha recently tied up
with International Rice Research Institute, Manila to promote climate-resilient
varieties in rain-fed areas. An MoU has also been signed to develop high-yield,
stress tolerant paddy to overcome impact of climate change. The partnership
will also focus on formulating strategies for effective extension of
technologies to field of the farmer at the farthest point.
http://www.financialexpress.com/article/markets/commodities/crri-to-launch-climate-resilient-varieties-of-paddy-in-two-years/160767/
U.S. Ambassador Visits
International Rice Research Institute
Ambassador Goldberg
examines rice test plots with an International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
scientist.
Ambassador Goldberg receives an overview of IRRI’s research agenda
from Director General Dr. Robert Zeigler.
Manila, November 3, 2015 —U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg visited the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños on October 28, hosted by IRRI Director
General Dr. Robert Zeigler. The visit underlined the importance of the United
States’ continued support for scientific work that improves the lives of people
around the world. Ambassador Goldberg and Dr. Zeigler discussed IRRI’s work to
reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers,
and ensure the environmental sustainability of rice farming. Ambassador
Goldberg was also eager to discuss the impact Typhoon Lando had on rice
production about IRRI’s research to mitigate the damage caused by the
typhoon.
During the tour, Ambassador
Goldberg visited the International Rice Genebank that currently holds over
100,000 rice varieties, which are maintained for the global good and available
for research. He also visited IRRI laboratories where scientists gave an
overview of current research projects aimed at increasing rice yields in areas
prone to environmental stresses (e.g. flood and drought). One
research project of note is the C4 Project, headed by Dr. Paul Quick. The
C4 Project’s focus is to enhance the photosynthetic process of rice, increasing
the amount of energy a rice plant can use to grow grain.
This effort could potentially double average rice
yields. The Rockefeller and Ford Foundations initiated
funding for IRRI in 1960, to cover the first years of the Institute’s
operations and capital costs. The U.S. government became a donor to IRRI
when the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided a grant in
1965. USAID has since been a major supporter of IRRI’s work in developing
agriculture equipment suited for Asia’s small-scale rice farms.
Total U.S. government funding through USAID and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture has exceeded USD 229 million as of 2014. For more information
about IRRI research and development please visit their website at: http://irri.org/
http://manila.usembassy.gov/press-photo-releases-2015/ambassador-goldberg-irri.html
Celebrate, use science’s progress,
researcher says
|
Tom Doran, Field
Editor
|
Tuesday, November 03,
2015 2:00 PM
Maize
has tremendous genetic diversity. The nested association mapping population is
beginning to tap into some of this diversity to help improve corn.BLOOMINGTON,
Ill. — A plant geneticist’s biggest fear is the impact the anti-GMO movement
will have on the globe’s poorest people by denying them access to the
technology.Pamela Ronald, professor and director of the Laboratory for Crop
Genetic Innovation at University of California-Davis, noted this concern in her
keynote address at the International Biotechnology Symposium presented by the
Illinois Soybean Association.Her friends and family have expressed anxieties
over genetically engineered products and ask her if they are safe to
consume.“The process of moving genes between species is not a new technology.
After 40 years of
commercial use in medicine, cheeses, wines and plants, there has not been a
single instance of harm to human health or the environment,” Ronald said.What I
say is I’m not asking you to believe me. Science is not a belief system. My opinion
doesn’t matter. Let’s look at the evidence.“After over 20 years of careful
study and rigorous peer review by thousands of independent scientists, every
major science organization in the world has concluded that the genetically
engineered crops currently on the market are safe to use and that the process
of genetic engineering is no more risky than older methods of genetic
modification.“These are precisely the same organizations that most of us trust
when it comes to other important scientific issues such as global climate
change and the safety of vaccines.”
Organic Partner
Ronald’s husband, Raoul Adamchak, is an organic farmer, and they
co-authored Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of
Food.“Imagine some of the reactions that we get. An organic farmer and a plant
geneticist? Can you agree on anything? Well, we can, and it’s not difficult
because we have the same goals,” Ronald said.“We want to help nourish the
growing population without further destroying the environment, and I believe
this is the greatest challenge of our time.“Genetic improvement is not new.
Almost every food that we eat today has been genetically improved using some
types of genetic method.“Raoul and I believe that instead of worrying about the
genes in our food, we must focus on how we can help children grow up healthy,
we must ask if farmers and rural communities can thrive and be sure that
everyone can afford the food and, finally, we must minimize environmental
degradation.”
Rice Advancements
Ronald’s work focuses on improving rice varieties through
genetic engineering, and she offered two examples of how farmers have
benefited.Rice is the staple food for more than one-half of the world’s
population, and each year 40 percent of the crop is lost to pests and diseases.
To minimize loss, farmers in Asia, as farmers do here, rely on varieties that
carry resistant genes, an approach first demonstrated in England more than 100
years ago.Ronald helped isolate the XA21 gene that makes rice resistant to
bacterial infection and engineered it into plants.She later was approached by a
colleague, Dave Mackill, who was working on rice that would be more resilient
during flooding.
“David said flooding is a big problem for 70 million rice
farmers that live on less than $2 a day. That’s because although rice does well
in standing water, most rice varieties will die if they are submerged for more
than three days. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that
floods will increase as the climate changes, and indeed we’ve seen increased
flooding each of the last five years,” she
said. Ronald, Mackill and graduate student Xenong
Xu worked over the next decade to identify and isolate a gene that may help.
That gene, Sub1, was discovered, and the variety containing the gene was
produced by the International Rice Institute. The variety produces three times
more grain than a conventional variety after a 17-day flood.Last year, with the
support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 3.5 million farmers grew Sub1
rice.
Safe Technology
“A lot of people don’t mind genetic modification when it
involves taking a rice gene from one plant even though it’s a wild species and
moving it into a modern plant,” Ronald said.“Many people don’t even mind
radiation breeding and they don’t mind breeding two different species together
using graphs, but when it comes to inserting genes from viruses and bacteria
into plants, some people ask why scientists would do that. Because it’s the safest
most effective and cheapest technology to advance sustainable agriculture and
enhance food security.”She also gave examples of how genetically engineered
papaya, eggplants, golden rice and other crops have benefited production and
consumers.
“What scares me most about the loud arguments on plant genetics
and the thread of misinformation is that the poorest people who most need the
technology may be denied access because of the vague fears and prejudices of
those who have enough to eat,” she said.“We have a huge challenge in front of
us. Let’s celebrate science’s progress and use it. It’s our responsibility to
do everything we can to alleviate human suffering and safeguard the
environment.”
Tom C. Doran can be
reached at 815-780-7894 or tdoran@agrinews-pubs.com. Follow him on Twitter at:
@AgNews_Doran.
http://agrinews-pubs.com/Content/News/MoneyNews/Article/Celebrate-use-science-s-progress-researcher-says-/8/27/13498
Commodity Report-November 3
Published November 3, 2015
In today’s commodity report we have the CDFA Monthly Beet Curly Top Virus Report, the Weekly Rice Summary, the California F.O.B. Price for Extra Grade and Grade A Nonfat Dry Milk, the California Shell Eggs: Daily Egg Report and other commodity end of the day market numbers.
Weekly Rice Summary
In California, medium grain milled rice prices mostly
steady. Second heads and Brewers rice prices mostly steady. Rice by-products:
Rice Bran prices mostly steady; ground hull prices not well tested. As rice
stocks rise, market prices continue to remain weak for new milling season.
According to NASS as of Oct 1, Rough Rice stocks totaled 8.31 million CWT and
Milled Rice stocks totaled 3 million CWT which was 10% and 170% respectively
above a year ago.
California F.O.B. Price
for Extra Grade and Grade A Nonfat Dry Milk
|
Week Ending
|
Avg. Price($/lb.)
|
Total Sales (lb.)
|
|
October 30, 2015
|
$0.8416
|
8,933,046
|
|
October 23, 2015
|
$0.8814
|
9,725,038
|
California Shell Eggs:
Daily Egg Report
Prices
are steady. The undertone is sharply higher. Retail and food service demand is
moderate to fairly good. Warehouse buying interest is usually on an as needed
basis. Offerings and supplies are moderate. Market activity is moderate.
Monday’s shell egg inventories declined 4.2% in the Southwest and 7.2% in the
Northwest.
Shell
egg marketer’s benchmark price for negotiated egg sales of USDA Grade AA and
Grade AA in cartons, cents per dozen. This price does not reflect discounts or
other contract terms.
|
RANGE
|
|
|
JUMBO
|
253
|
|
EXTRA
LARGE
|
253
|
|
LARGE
|
247
|
|
MEDIUM
|
233
|
Now Tuesday’s Commodity
Market ending market numbers for other commodities:
Corn
December Corn ended at $3.80 1/2 up 4 cents, March ended at $3.88 3/4 increasing 3 1/2 cents.
Soybeans
January Soybeans ended at 8.79 up 1/4 cent, March ended at $8.81 1/4 losing 1/4 cent.
Wheat
December Wheat ended at $5.16 1/2 up 8 1/2 cents, March ended at $5.19 1/2, increasing 7 1/2 cents.
Rough Rice
January Rough Rice ended at 12.175 up 0.005 cent, March ended at 12.435 gaining 0.005 cent.
Live Cattle
December Live Cattle ended at $140.225 decreasing $1.45 and February ended at $142.65 losing $1.05 and April ended at $141.45 off $0.825.
Feeder Cattle
November Feeder Cattle ended at $190.65 losing $1.625 and January ended at $182.175 decreasing $1.05 and March ended at $178.775 down $0.75.
Lean Hogs
December Lean Hogs ended at $58.225 unchanged and February ended at $61.075 down $0.90
Class III Milk
October Class III Milk ended at $15.43 increasing $0.01 and November ended at $15.26 down $0.04 and December ended at $15.15 losing $0.11.
#2 Cotton
December #2 cotton ended at 62.57 down 0.72, March ending at 62.44 dropping 0.69.
Sugar #11
March sugar #11 ended at 15.49 up 0.38 and May ended at 15.05 increasing 0.34.
Orange Juice
January Orange Juice ended at 134.65 up 1.80, March ending at 134.20 gaining $1.70.
Gold
December gold ending at $1114.10 decreasing $21.80 a troy ounce, February at $1115.00 losing $21.80 and April gold ending at $1115.70 down $21.80.
Crude Oil WTI
December Crude Oil WTI ended at $47.90 gaining $1.76 and January ended at $48.80 increasing $1.76 and February ended at $49.62 up $1.75.
Brent Crude
December Crude Oil Brent ended at $50.54 up $1.75, January ended at $51.34 increasing $1.73 and February ended at $52.15 gaining $1.70.
December Corn ended at $3.80 1/2 up 4 cents, March ended at $3.88 3/4 increasing 3 1/2 cents.
Soybeans
January Soybeans ended at 8.79 up 1/4 cent, March ended at $8.81 1/4 losing 1/4 cent.
Wheat
December Wheat ended at $5.16 1/2 up 8 1/2 cents, March ended at $5.19 1/2, increasing 7 1/2 cents.
Rough Rice
January Rough Rice ended at 12.175 up 0.005 cent, March ended at 12.435 gaining 0.005 cent.
Live Cattle
December Live Cattle ended at $140.225 decreasing $1.45 and February ended at $142.65 losing $1.05 and April ended at $141.45 off $0.825.
Feeder Cattle
November Feeder Cattle ended at $190.65 losing $1.625 and January ended at $182.175 decreasing $1.05 and March ended at $178.775 down $0.75.
Lean Hogs
December Lean Hogs ended at $58.225 unchanged and February ended at $61.075 down $0.90
Class III Milk
October Class III Milk ended at $15.43 increasing $0.01 and November ended at $15.26 down $0.04 and December ended at $15.15 losing $0.11.
#2 Cotton
December #2 cotton ended at 62.57 down 0.72, March ending at 62.44 dropping 0.69.
Sugar #11
March sugar #11 ended at 15.49 up 0.38 and May ended at 15.05 increasing 0.34.
Orange Juice
January Orange Juice ended at 134.65 up 1.80, March ending at 134.20 gaining $1.70.
Gold
December gold ending at $1114.10 decreasing $21.80 a troy ounce, February at $1115.00 losing $21.80 and April gold ending at $1115.70 down $21.80.
Crude Oil WTI
December Crude Oil WTI ended at $47.90 gaining $1.76 and January ended at $48.80 increasing $1.76 and February ended at $49.62 up $1.75.
Brent Crude
December Crude Oil Brent ended at $50.54 up $1.75, January ended at $51.34 increasing $1.73 and February ended at $52.15 gaining $1.70.
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Basmati growers blame cartels for low
prices
“They
are feeling cheated by the State government”
After cotton farmers, basmati
growers in Punjab and Haryana are in for a shock as popular aromatic rice
varieties like PUSA 1121 are fetching “far lower” prices than what they got
last season.While growers accuse rice exporters of indulging in cartelisation
for distress sales, exporters blame weak global demand and oversupply for the
“basmati crisis”.Disappointed with “low” prices for their crop, farmers’ unions
have now decided to launch an agitation against the government which encouraged
growers to switch over to premium varieties but failed to ensure profitable
prices.Popular basmati variety PUSA 1121, which has started arriving in mandis
of Punjab and Haryana, is priced in the range of Rs 1,300 to 1,800 per quintal
against Rs 3,000 per quintal last season, traders said.
Similarly, another variety PUSA
1509 is hovering around Rs 1,200-1,300 per quintal.However, after the
intervention of Punjab and Haryana governments, this variety is now being
purchased at MSP rate.“First cotton farmers faced heavy losses because of crop
damage. Now rice farmers are in problem as they are unable in getting good
price for their crop which they had sown under the crop diversification
programme. They are feeling cheated by the state government,” Bhartiya Kisan
Union (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri said on Sunday.
Stir planned
Mr Kokri said as many as 12
outfits, including four farm labour organisations, will launch a three-day
sit-in starting November 4 at Moga and Amritsar, which are in the basmati
growing belts of Punjab.“We demand Rs 5,000 per quintal for PUSA 1121 and Rs
4,500 per quintal for PUSA 1509 variety,” Mr Kokri said.Rice growers accused
exporters of making “high profits” by way of forming a “cartel”, thereby
forcing them to sell crop at lower rates.“If prices of basmati paddy have come
down from Rs 40 per kg to Rs 18 per kg then why retail price of basmati rice
could not drop in the same way? Consumers are still purchasing basmati rice at
same rate of Rs 80-100 per kg,” said Puneet Singh Thind, convener of Rashtriya
Kisan Sangathan.
With basmati not turning out to
be profitable, farmers will again switch to water-consuming normal varieties of
paddy which at least ensures minimum support price.“With the kind of rates
farmers are getting for their basmati crop, they will stop growing it and shift
to ordinary varieties,” said an official of Punjab agriculture department in
Amritsar.Amritsar district is one of the leading producers of basmati in Punjab.
Out of the total area of 1.80 lakh hectares under paddy in Amritsar, basmati is
sown under 1.36 lakh hectares this year.
‘Weak demand’
Rice exporters ascribed low rate
of basmati to weak global demand and heavy inventory of crop.
“There is weak demand for basmati
in overseas markets at present. For example, Iran has not yet started placing
orders.Basmati market in countries like Iraq and Yemen has shrunk which also
led to dip in demand for Indian basmati,” said Kohinoor Foods Joint MD Gurnam
Arora.“Heavy inventory is lying with exporters,” Mr Arora said, adding that
prices of all commodities in international markets were down.Total basmati area
in Punjab and Haryana is about 8 lakh hectares and 6 lakh hectares
respectively. – PTI
“With the kind of rates farmers are
getting for their basmati crop, they will stop growing it and shift to ordinary
varieties”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/basmati-growers-blame-cartels-for-low-prices/article7831116.ece?ref=tpnews
PhilRice
celebrates 30th anniversary
With 70 varieties bred, 24 rice
machines developed, 23 patents applied for, and innumerable achievements in
rice R&D, PhilRice will celebrate its 30th anniversary on 5-6
November.Since 1985, the Institute with its Central Experiment Station within
the Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija, has been leading efforts on rice
R&D. PhilRice has provided cost-reducing and yield-enhancing technologies
on rice.The Science City of Muñoz has since witnessed several developments in
relation to its rice industry.
Muñoz is now heralded as among
the major rice seeds hub in the country. “Muñoz is privileged to host PhilRice.
Along the national highway, one cannot notice the proliferation of rice seed centers,
making the Science City a major rice seeds hub in the Philippines. This
certainly creates a domino effect in terms of livelihood creation from people
manning the rice fields, sales agents, to the many of input dealers in the
City,” said Mayor Nestor L. Alvarez of the Science City of Muñoz. From Nueva
Ecija, PhilRice radiates its impacts through its branch stations located in
Batac City, Ilocos Norte; San Mateo, Isabela; Los Baños, Laguna; Ligao City,
Albay; Murcia, Negros Occidental; RTRomualdez, Agusan del Norte; Central
Mindanao State University, Bukidon; and Midsayap, North Cotabato.“We are eager
to do more so our research outputs will reach more farmers, particularly the
resource-poor farmer,” said Dr. Calixto M. Protacio, PhilRice executive director.
PhilRice’s Dr. Eduardo Jimmy P.
Quilang, deputy executive director for development, noted that the Institute
has managed to increase its visibility recently through national campaigns such
as the Be Riceponsible Campaign. Said initiative has managed to convince local
governments to issue ordinances on half-cup serving of rice on major food
establishments to arrest the issue on rice wastage. “We are all united to help
reduce rice wastage in the Philippines,” Quilang said. Meanwhile, PhilRice’s
Eden Gagelonia of the Rice Engineering and Mechanization Division (REMD) noted
the massive efforts of the Institute to mechanize rice industry.“We have
developed quite a number of machines to help reduce drudgery in farming. A
number of these machines, such as the drumseeder, were developed for women,”
Gagelonia said.In 2015, Philrice received the
Anak ni Juan Award from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines
(IPOPhl). It recognizes PhilRice as the agency with the most number of patents
applied.
“It is a great privilege to have
been awarded as the top institute, which explored its creativity and
innovativeness. The award is a testament to the intensive knowledge production
going on in the Institute,” said Jerry Serapion, PhilRice’s Intellectual Property
Management-ITSO manager.As a research Institution, a key task of PhilRice is to
advance various frontiers of rice science. As of 2015, more than 25 scientific
publications have been produced by the Institute’s researchers and scientists.
These were published in some of the most reputable journals in the world such
as the Journal of Food Agriculture and
Environment, International Journal of Ecology and Conservation, Philippine
Journal of Crop Science, and the
Philippine Agricultural Scientist. Meanwhile, past executive directors of
PhilRice have advised that the Institute should be able to properly position
itself in the light of climate change and other threats to rice food production.“PhilRice
should focus its programs, harness its networks and partners, and think outside
the box in developing, together with our farmers and concerned stakeholders,
options for a competitive, sustainable, and climate-smart agriculture,” said
Dr. Leocadio S. Sebastian, PhilRice executive director from 2000-2008. Thirty years
of dedicated and focused work on rice research and development. With few hits
and misses, PhilRice has reached its 30th anniversary. On 5-6
November, many activities are lined up to celebrate the milestones in the life
of the country’s lead agency on rice research and development. Philrice news
