History on India's Side, Not Pakistan, on Basmati
GI Tag'
By
Published: 05th January 2016 04:46 AM
Last Updated: 05th January 2016 04:46 AM
NEW DELHI:With a tussle over getting a Geographical Indication
tag for Basmati rice on, as Pakistan had laid claims over the origins of the
variety of rice grown here, an RSS mouthpiece article termed the neighbouring
country’s “illegible claim” as one of the unfinished agendas of partition.An
article in Organiser last week, said Basmati Growers Association (BGA), Lahore
had claimed and registered a case that Basmati Rice is owned only by Pakistan,
and India does not ‘own or have rights’.
Hitting out at Pakistan’s attempt to lay sole claim over the
origin of Basmati rice, the article added, “Basmati rice is one of the
testimonies for Bharat’s deep-rooted history, culture and civilisation, where
Basmati Rice has a relationship with the ‘Kuru Vamsa’ of Mahabharat... Contrary
to the claim of BGA, Lahore, there are a number of facts to prove that Bharat
owns (exclusively) Basmati but it never claimed so.”Talking about the legal
issues starting from the partition, the article said, “The Partition Proceedings
never mentions that basmati rice is to be shared with Pakistan by United Bharat
or Bharat.
Further, an agreement
between Pakistan and Bharat on certain outstanding financial issues dated June
12, 1955 at Karachi does not capture in the list of issues provided by India as
well as Pakistan anything relating to sharing of Intellectual Property Rights
on Basmati,” the article added.Going on to the history of rice growing, it said
“The Royal Commission on Indian Agriculture in 1926 and its subsequent development
of Rice Research Stations including Doiwala, Dehradun and Kala Shah Kaku,
Pakistan under the charge of Late Sardar Mohammed Khan, who had special
training in rice breeding in Madras, provides facts about the real geographical
origin of basmati rice.
The phenomenon of commercial basmati rice production in
Pakistan’s Punjab was merely from the year 1933...a lack of history on basmati
production in Pakistan’s Punjab underlines the fact that Basmati Rice’s
Geographical Indication is exclusively owned by India.”The article added, ‘The
legal and historical facts provide ability to register Basmati Rice as an
exclusive GI of India.” It said, India could thus claim penalty or royalty from
Pakistan, which could run into several billion dollars of compensation.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/History-on-Indias-Side-Not-Pakistan-on-Basmati-GI-Tag/2016/01/05/article3212459.ece
RSS Mouthpiece Hits Out at Pakistan's
'Illegible Claim' on Basmati Rice
By
Published: 04th January 2016 09:08 PM
Last Updated: 04th January 2016 09:09 PM
NEW DELHI: With tussle over getting a geographical indication
tag for Basmati rice on, as Pakistan had laid claims over the origins of the
variety of rice grown here, a RSS mouthpiece termed the neighbouring country’s
“illegible claim” as one of the unfinished agendas of partition.An article in
the RSS magazine - Organiser – last week, said Basmati Growers
Association (BGA), Lahore,has claimed and registered a case that Basmati Rice
is owned only by Pakistan but India does not ‘own or have rights’.Hitting out
at the Pakistan’s attempt to lay sole claim over the origin on basmati rice,
the article added, “Basmati rice is one of the testimonies for Bharat’s
deep-rooted history, culture and civilisation, where Basmati Rice has
relationship with ‘Kuru Vamsa’ of Mahabharat.
A detailed legal and
cultural history of Basmati Rice is not available... Contrary to the claim of
Basmati Growers Association Lahore, there are number of facts to prove that
Bharat owns (exclusively) Basmati but it never claimed so. “Talking about
the legal issues starting from the partition, the article said, “The Partition
Proceedings never mentions basmati rice to be shared with Pakistan by United
Bharat or Bharat. Further, an agreement between Pakistan and Bharat on certain
outstanding financial issues dated of June 12, 1955 at Karachi does not capture
in the list of issues provided by India as well as Pakistan anything relating
to sharing of Intellectual Property Rights or Basmati,” the article added.Going
in to the history of rice growing, it said “The Royal Commission on Indian
Agriculture in 1926 and its subsequent development of Rice Research Stations
including Doiwala, Dehradun and Kala Shah Kaku, Pakistan under the charge of
Late Sardar Mohammed Khan, who had special training in rice breeding in Madras,
provides fact about real geographical origin of basmati rice.
The phenomenon of commercial basmati rice production in Pakistan
Punjab was merely from the year 1933...a lack of history on basmati production
in Pakistan Punjab underlines the fact that Basmati Rice Geographical
Indication is exclusively owned by India.”Suggesting that India solely owns the
rights over basmati, the Organiser article added, ‘The legal and historical
facts provide ability to register Basmati Rice as an exclusive GI of India.
Such exclusive ownership position of Bharat has authority to claim penalty or
royalty on infringement of use of word “Basmati Rice” by Pakistan in International
Court or WTO, which could run several billion dollars compensation to Bharat.”
The Indian express
Pakistan, Sri Lanka include services and investments in FTA
“We discussed the issues relating
to the implementation of Pakistan, Sri Lanka FTA. The two countries have agreed
on the inclusion of services and investments chapters in the bilateral FTA.”
Pakistan PM said.Pakistan Prime Minister was speaking at an event held at
Presidential Secretariat to sign 8 bilateral agreements which includes the
fields of hydro power, cement, fishing and navel.
“This would enable our companies
to form joint ventures for exports for third countries. Sri Lanka enjoys
exceptional position of being the first country with which Pakistan entered
into a FTA,”“The present volume of trade does not reflect the true potential.
We have agreed to re-liberate our efforts to realize the goal of achieving one
billion dollars bilateral trade target at the earliest.” the Pakistani PM said.Through
the FTA signed in 2005 Sri Lanka was able to enjoy duty free market access on
206 products in the Pakistani market including tea, rubber and coconut.Pakistan,
in return, has gained duty free access on 102 products in the Sri Lankan
market. These products include oranges, basmati rice and engineering goods.
Pakistan Premier invited Sri
Lankan President to visit Pakistan soon.
Full Statement by the Pakistan
Prime Minister:
President Maithripala Sirisena!
On behalf of myself and my
delegation, I would like to thank you for the warm hospitality accorded to me
and my delegation. My visit, which comes eight months after Your Excellency’s
visit to Pakistan in April last year, is a testimony to strong bonds of
friendship between our two countries. Pakistan and Sri Lanka enjoy excellent
relations, based on mutual respect and shared interests. They are marked by
cordiality and commonality of views on major regional and global issues and
close cooperation in the multilateral forums.
Both sides wish to further deepen
and broaden these ties through regular high level contacts and exchange of
visits.Today, we comprehensively reviewed the whole range of our multifaceted
bilateral relationship, in the fields of political interactions, trade and
commerce, defence, education, science and technology, culture and agriculture
etc.
The talks were held in a warm
friendly and cordial atmosphere and were marked by full trust and complete
understanding. Both sides reached broad consensus on ways and means to further
strengthen our bilateral cooperation in a comprehensive manner. We have agreed
to hold frequent summit level meetings, promote parliamentary exchanges and
enhance the process of consultations, cooperation and coordination between our
respective institutions.We also discussed the issues related to the
implementation of the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. The two
countries have agreed on the inclusion of Services and Investments chapters in
the bilateral FTA. This would enable our companies to form joint ventures for
export to third countries. Sri Lanka enjoys exceptional position of being the
first country with which Pakistan entered into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The present volume of trade
(approx. US $325 million) does not reflect true potential. We have agreed to
re-invigorate our efforts to realize the goal of achieving US $1 billion
bilateral trade target at the earliest. I re-iterated Pakistan’s offer to setup
Cement and Sugar Plants in Sri Lanka, on mutually agreed terms, for the long
term benefit of Sri Lankan economy. We have also conveyed our readiness to
welcome Sri Lankan investment in Pakistan. We have also expressed satisfaction
on the work of Pakistan-Sri Lanka Joint Economic Commission in promoting
bilateral trade.Both sides expressed their satisfaction at the existing
bilateral cooperation in the field of Defence.
I appreciated the participation of the Sri
Lankan Navy in the annual AMAN exercise of the Pakistan Navy. I also conveyed
our desire for more frequent port calls, participation in military exercises
and fence seminars and training of military personnel.Both sides also agreed to
give further impetus of their cooperation in the fields of education, science
and technology, healthcare, agriculture, tourism, sporting contacts, cultural
exchanges and people to people contacts. They also agreed to prioritize
Cooperation in the Field of Gems and Jewelllery.
We have also signed a number of
Agreements and MoUs today, which would help promote cooperation between our two
countries in the fields Trade promotion, Culture, Health, Gem and Jewellery,
Science & Technology and Combating Money Laundering and Terror Financing.Sri
Lanka has been a strong and steadfast friend of Pakistan. It has stood by us in
our most difficult moments. We remain eternally grateful to the people and
government of this beautiful Island State.We now look forward to welcoming
President Sirisena to Pakistan, at an early date, so that the relations of
mutual trust and confidence can be further enhanced.
Colombo, 05 January 2016
Lanka business online
Plant Engineering
to Improve Thermotolerance in Rice and Tomatoes
Paper Reviewed
Shen, H., Zhong, X., Zhao, F., Wang, Y., Yan, B., Li, Q., Chen, G., Mao, B., Wang, J., Li, Y., Xiao, G., He, Y., Xiao, H., Li, J. and He, Z. 2015. Overexpression of receptor-like kinase ERECTA improves thermo-tolerance in rice and tomato.Nature Biotechnology 33: 996-1003.Concerned about the possibility that the detrimental effects of predicted global warming on crop productivity "threaten to reduce the world's food supply," Shen et al. (2015) also worried about the fact that the genetic modification of crops to improve thermo-tolerance had demonstrated what they describe as "little success to date." And, therefore, they decided to see if they could discover something that would have success in this regard.Focusing on three transgenic lines of the Arabidopsis thaliana (mouse-ear cress) receptor-like kinase ERECTA (ER), the 15 Chinese scientists conducted field experiments on rice and tomato plants over the course of three summers (2012, 2013 and 2014) in Shanghai, Wuhan and Hainan, China.
And this work
revealed, as they discovered, that "transgenic tomato and rice lines
overexpressing Arabidopsis ER showed improved heat tolerance
in greenhouse and field tests." In addition, they discovered that
"ER-overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis, tomato and rice
plants had increased biomass."And the take-home message of their findings?
Shen et al. say that they open the door, so to speak,
"to engineering or breeding thermo-tolerant crops with no growth
penalty." And, as they also add, with considerably-enhanced water
use efficiency. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26280413
Supreme Court
refuses claim of rice importer, Jack Charles
05 January 2016— by Rowland A. Parks
Upon exiting the court, attorney Eamon Courtenay, SC, who was
attempting to join the case on behalf of the local rice producers, told
reporters that they did not have to present any arguments, since the case was
speedily turned down by the court.“The court looked at the application that was
filed, and it was not properly done, and so [the judge] said that it does not
affect our client, so we weren’t called upon to make any submissions,”
Courtenay explained.“Essentially, what the government argued, quite rightly in
their submissions, was that basically the issue that is before the court is an
importer who says, ‘I need a license; I applied for it.I didn’t get it.’ Then
they come to court and say, ‘I don’t have the permit, and I want the court to
order the importation of a product that requires a license.
’ In effect, asking the court to assist him to break the law.
The court was very clear that the court is not here to assist anyone in
breaking the law; and therefore, a person who does not have the necessary
import permit for the importation of rice will not be allowed to use the court
as a basis to get some sort of relief,” Courtenay elaborated.Courtenay said
Charles’ action was as described by the CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture in
his affidavit, as being done in defiance of the law.“Mr. Charles obviously
believes that by bringing the product here, he will be able to get what he
wants—notwithstanding what the law says,” Courtenay said.Courtenay said that
the Customs Department had given Charles the option of sending back the rice,
before it is destroyed.“We do not want rice that has not been subject to a test
to be brought into Belize. It constitutes a risk, not only to the agricultural
sector but also to food security and safety,” Courtenay said.
Courtenay said that a news report was cited which alleged that
rice had been exported from Guyana to Chile and it was later found that the
rice was contaminated and it had to be returned.“We are not advocating that
Belize should bear that risk. That rice has not been tested by Belizean
authorities; it should leave Belize, the quicker the better,” Courtenay urged.
“Customs is bending over backwards to Charles; they are giving
him an opportunity to take it out the country”, Courtenay said.
Jack Charles’ attorney, Leroy Banner, told reporters that the
judge has found that his client was in violation of Section 27 of the BAHA Act.“Without
the import permit, you cannot import the goods into Belize,” Banner conceded.
“According to the judge, Section 27 is so clear; I do not think there is any
merit in appealing this ruling,” he said.Asked if the matter ends there, Banner
said that he would have to take direction from his client.Banner added that the
issue of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) law has been raised, as thought is being
given to whether or not this matter should be put before the Caribbean Court of
Justice.Jack Charles declined to speak to reporters when he exited the
courtroom with Banner.
Guyanese Rice
Rejected
posted (January 4, 2016)
posted (January 4, 2016)
The hearing was done in chambers, and in the absence of the press.
It was expected to be a hotly contested legal battle, but the attorneys exited
about 20 minutes after the hearing started. They told us that Justice Young was
very clear to Charles that he is trying to use the court to legitimize his
illegal action when he imported the rice into Belize without a permit.
Here's our conversation with both sides outside of court:
Leeroy Banner - Attorney for Jack Charles
Eamon Courtenay, SC - Attorney for Local Rice Producers
"The rice producers who I represent didn't even have to make any argument to the court. The court looked at the application that was filed and it was not properly done and so she said that looking at it, it doesn't even affect our clients even if she were to give permission. So we weren't called upon to make any submissions. Essentially what the government argued, quite rightly in their submissions was that basically the issue that is before the court is an importer who says, "I need a license, I applied for it and didn't get it, I don't care, I'm bringing in my goods notwithstanding the fact that I have not obtained the necessary permit." Then come to court and say I don't have the permit and I want the court to order the importation of a product that requires a license. In effect asking the court to assist him to break the law. The court was very clear that the court is not here to assist anyone in breaking the law and therefore a person who does not have the necessary import permit for the importation of rice will not be allowed to use the court as a basis on which to get some sort of relief."
Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, so would you describe his actions as sort of bullish to just force his way in as best he can?"
Eamon Courtenay, SC - Attorney for Local Rice Producers
"Well I would use the language of the C.E.O. in the Ministry of Agriculture in his affidavit that it was done in defiance of the law. Mr. Charles obviously believes that simply by bringing the product here he would be able to get what he wants, notwithstanding what the law says. I think the big issue here, insofar as my clients are concerned is the decision that the Customs has now taken which is that the product must leave Belize. They are giving them a chance to have the product leave Belize and if they don't do that then the product has to be destroyed."
Daniel Ortiz
"What is the deadline that they've been given to remove this rice?"
"Well as I understand the letter to Mr. Charles, the primary position is that it is to be confiscated and destroyed. They are giving him an opportunity and this was from the 23rd December to take it out and attempt to do something with it. So, Customs once again is bending over backward saying to him listen, you brought this thing in illegally, take it out, we are not going to destroy it. I would think that a week has passed and he has done nothing - I would urge Customs to a dispatch at this stage and I hope that they do."
As you've heard, Charles has been denied in this instance by the
Supreme Court. So then, is this outcome simply an affirmation of the
Government's protection of the Local Rice producers to the detriment of you,
the consumer? We put that question to the attorney for the Local Rice
Producers, and here's how he answered it:
Daniel Ortiz
"His idea was or his pitch was "better rice for a cheaper price.""
Eamon Courtenay, SC - Attorney for Local Rice Producers
"Right, and more profits for Jack Charles. Why he didn't finish the sentence? How can somebody in good conscience promote the importation of rice to benefit the rice farmers of Guyana, to make a profit for himself and himself alone, one person and say to hell with the domestic producers of rice. To hell with all the people who are planting, who are milling, who are distributing, all the people who have jobs in the fields, all the people who have jobs in the mills, all the people in the distribution sector, to hell with them. Listen, one has to be honest when one is attempting to be charitable. Mr. Charles wants the people of Belize to believe that he loves them so much that he is going to bring in rice into Belize for sixty-nine cents. Listen, fool di talk but dah noh fool di listen. After he brings in the first few containers for sixty-nine cents, what stops Mr. Charles from taking it up to eighty-nine cents and ninety cents? There is no alternative, right?
Mr. Charles says that he is going to bring in rice for twenty
percent of the market, what stops him from going to twenty-five? What stops him
from going to thirty? Listen, there is nothing charitable about what he was
doing. He does not have the interest of the Belizean consumers, he has his
pocket as his primary interest. Nobody could quarrel with him with that except
that we live in a country where you have a government that has taken a decision
with respect to the rice industry, that it is going to safeguard the rice
industry as an important contributor to development, to gross domestic product
and also to employment."
We spoke with Charles this evening, and he told us that he isn't
giving up. As you heard, the rice producers attorney, Eamon Courtenay asserted
that Charles has been warned that he must remove the rice, or it will be
destroyed. Well, Charles commented on that saying that his letter from BAHA
does not make any such order for removal by the Government Agencies. He's
offered to send us a copy of that letter as proof, but he was unable to do so
this evening because he was away from his office.
He told us that he is not giving up, and he and advisors are
reviewing his options
Association of Rice Millers and Importers decry activities of
illegal importers
Jan 5 2016 - 5:37pm
Funsho Balogun
The National President of the association, Tunji Owoeye, stated at
a stakeholders forum on Monday that the illegal dealers who have flooded the
market with their commodity which has passed through the porous land borders
are now even emboldened to the extent of brandishing documents of duties paid
which are usually doctored and duplicated to cover several transactions instead
of one. ‘’These die hard dealers go to the market to flag duties of what they
have paid, which is duplicated four or five times as evidence to cover their
illegal imports,’’ Owoeye stated.Last month, it was reported that hundreds of
trucks laden with bags of rice from Thailand had found their way into Nigeria
through Cotonou.
The RIMIDAN made it known
to the Nigerian Customs Service that the commodity arrives in big trailers with
1200-1500 numbers of 50kg bags and that there is substantial under declaration
and non-payment aspects in the massive shipments, making it non-viable for
legal importers and local producers to compete with these shipments.Based on
the influx of the commodity into the country, the miffed RIMIDAN, through a
letter to the Customs Comptroller General, Hameed Ali, complained about high
level corruption, involving Customs officials and importers at the various land
borders across the country.
The association alleged that under declaration is now the new name
of the game which was hitherto outright smuggling at most of the porous land
borders.Industry sources gathered that smugglers are currently having a field
day through under declaration by paying only 50 per cent of whatever volume of
cargo that is passed. On his part, Owoeye claims that a truck of 60 metric tons
passes through after it officially pays for only 30 metric tons. The illegal
process, as claimed by RIMIDAN, defeats the purpose of the NCS of allowing the
passage of rice through land borders which is to attract appropriate import
duty towards upping revenue generation.
The NCS had earlier claimed that lifting the ban on passage of
rice through land borders was for Customs to reorganize its anti-smuggling
operations in these areas while ensuring that all importers through the borders
bring their rice through approved routes, after paying the extant duty.Nigeria
spends over 1 billion dollars on rice importation annually, and rice duty
charges currently account for about 50 per cent of the entire revenue generated
by the Nigerian Customs Service.
thenewsnigeria.com.ng/.../association-of-rice-millers-and-importers-decr
Low methane rice research wins accolades but could take decades
for regulatory approval as genetically modified food
A new genetically modified rice
plant that produces virtually no greenhouse gas while it grows, has been recognised as one of the
top scientific projects for 2015.
In warm, waterlogged soil of the rice paddies, bacteria fed by
the exudates of rice roots produces tonnes of a heavy greenhouse gas a year.
"Around 100 million tonnes of methane comes from rice
paddies, 15 per cent of the total anthropogenic emissions of methane,"
biochemist Dr Christer Jansson, of the US Department of Energy, Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory said.Dr Jansson and a team of researchers across
three continents produced a rice plant that generates almost no methane, and
yields more rice.
Media player: "Space"
to play, "M" to mute, "left" and "right" to seek.
00:00
00:00
They spliced a barley gene that changes the way rice uses
carbon.Less carbon goes to the roots where in conventional rice it feeds
bacteria that generates methane; instead the carbon goes to the stem and grain."The
carbon in this that comes into the plant is mainly allocated to aboveground
biomass, and very little, less to the below ground biomass," Dr Jansson
said."In mature plants, methane production is reduced to almost nothing."It's
very dramatic."
Dr Jansson said extended field trials were needed to test if the
results were reproducible."But after two years of field experiments, and
one in the laboratory, we can drastically reduce, to almost zero, methane in
mature rice plants," he said."That's important as the world needs
more food in the future, and the warmer it gets, the more methane that will be
produced."The research by Dr Jansson in the United States, and Chuanxin
Sun of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and China's Fujian
Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Hunan Agricultural University, published
their research in the journal
Nature in 2015.
It has also won the Best of What's New award for 2015 by the
magazine Popular Science.Dr Jansson hoped recognition would mean a greater
consumer awareness of genetically engineered rice as it went through the
regulatory process."Based on previous GMO crops intended for food, it will
probably take 10 to 20 years," he said."That's disappointing."We
hope that given this is improving not only food production but also greenhouse
gas mitigation we hope the public acceptance would be improved by this specific
low methane rice."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-05/low-methane-rice-wins-popular-science-reward/7067984
Seaweed extract may boost rice production
Speed read
·
Seaweed extract increased rice output by over
30 per cent
·
The process and product is safe,
environment-friendly and inexpensive
·
It is also effective on vegetables such as
cabbage and mungbean
“Using
gamma radiation, we were able to cut up the polymer into oligomers without
using chemicals or complicated and expensive processes.”
By Lucille Abad, PNRI
Scientists at the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) have developed the carrageenan plant food supplementor (CPFS), which is derived from carrageenan extracted from red edible seaweeds. Carageenan is widely used for its gelling, thickening and stabilising properties in the food industry and as a binder in toothpaste and shampoo. In a study published in Radiation Physics and Chemistry this January, the PNRI scientists showed that carrageenan-derived polysaccharide, a carbohydrate, enhances rice growth when degraded through a “very small dose” of gamma radiation.
Plant food supplements are substances that improve the overall health, growth and development of plants, says lead researcher Lucille Abad, chief of PNRI’s chemistry research section.
The agricultural benefits of carrageenan are achieved from its building blocks: the long-chain carrageenan polymer that can be broken down into shorter chain fragments known as oligomers (“oligo” for few), Abad explains. These oligomers are readily absorbed by the plant to help their growth and development and also improve their resistance to diseases. “Using gamma radiation, we were able to cut up the polymer into oligomers without using chemicals or complicated and expensive processes,” she says. “CPFS can be made with nothing more than the organic carrageenan andwater processed by gamma radiation. The product that is formed is not and can never be radioactive. It is a clean and additive-free method that is safe, non-toxic, environment friendly and, most of all, effe
http://www.scidev.net/asia-pacific/innovation/news/seaweed-extract-may-boost-rice-production.html
Members of the 114 th Congress Return to
Washington Today
By Peter Bachmann
WASHINGTON, DC -- Later today, Members of the
U.S. House of Representatives will be returning to the Capitol to officially
kick off the Second Session of the 114th Congress. The Senate is scheduled to
return to Washington next Monday.Congress may be getting started for the year
but they're not expected to spend much time in action during 2016. The Senate
has tentatively scheduled 149 work days from their Washington offices and the
House just 111 days, and, because it's an election year, it may be an even
slimmer schedule.
There's a hefty pile of legislative items to be
addressed in 2016, several with importance to agriculture. Issues such as biotech food labeling, Waters
of the U.S. regulations, the Trans Pacific Partnership deal, welfare reform,
and immigration reform, among the annual items like budget and appropriations
all need to be debated. A high priority
item that USA Rice would like to see addressed would be the lifting of the
Cuban trade embargo.USA Rice will continue to follow Congress' agenda and rice
industry members will be visiting with Members of Congress on priority issues
next month during the Government Affairs Conference. Please stay tuned for conference details.
Colombia to Import 200,000 New Metric Tons of
Rice...But From Where?
By Sarah Moran
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA -- Nearly one-third of
Colombia's provinces are in a state of emergency due to extreme drought caused
by El Niño, prompting the Colombian government to allow additional rice imports
to maintain adequate inventory.
On December 22, 2015, Colombia's Ministry of
Agriculture published a decree stating that 200,000 MT of rice imported in 2016
would be from the Andean community and third countries, under existing
tariffs. This decree proposes to bring
in tonnage above the United States' 2016 TRQ allotment of 94,209 MT; however,
these additional imports would be subject to the relevant duty (56 percent duty
for Paraguay, 64 percent duty for Mercosur and 80 percent for the U.S.,
Thailand, and others). The 80 percent
duty for U.S. rice, coupled with the strength of the U.S. dollar, may create an
opening for Thai rice in the near term to fill the Colombian short fall.
"Colombia is our third largest market and
with ample rice supplies in the current U.S. market, the U.S. is in a position
to provide this additional rice to Colombia," said Jim Guinn, USA Rice
vice president of international promotion.
"Imports of the Andean Community have historically been assigned to
mills according to domestic harvest purchases; USA Rice is investigating
whether this would occur with this allotment of 200,000 MT."
Guinn continued, "In addition, USA Rice is
in regular dialog with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign
Agricultural Service in Bogotá as well as Fedearroz (Federation of Colombian
Rice Producers) and Induarroz (Colombian Rice Industry) to make the strong case
to buy U.S.-grown rice which has the quality and reliability they are
seeking."
01/05/2016 Farm
Bureau Market Report
Rice
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High
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Low
|
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Long Grain Cash Bids
|
- - -
|
- - -
|
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Long Grain New Crop
|
- - -
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- - -
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Futures:
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Rice Comment
Rice futures were higher across the board
today. March charted a bullish key reversal today, and is potentially working
on charting a bull flag, which would suggest the potential of adding an
additional 70 cents to the market from the breakout point if the chart pattern
holds. There is also a chart gap between $12.31 and $12.41 that could be an
upside target for bulls. The market is finding support from tightening world
stocks and concerns about the current El Nino weather pattern impacting
production.
700,000 tons of rice is wasted annually
According to the World Food Program, some 795 million people in
the world — about one in nine people on earth — do not have enough food to lead
a healthy active life. (AFP)
ARAB NEWS
Published — Tuesday 5 January 2016
ARAB NEWS
Published — Tuesday 5 January 2016
Last update 5 January 2016 12:34 am
JEDDAH: Around 700,000 tons of rice worth over SR2 billion is
wasted per year in Saudi Arabia and putting a control on this will help the
economy in a big way, say experts.Rice in particular amounts to huge wasted
quantities because of banquets, celebrations and social occasions involving providing
food for guests, of which 40 percent ends up in the garbage, local media has
reported.
Outside East Asian countries, Saudi Arabia is the largest rice
consumer in the world with an annual consumption of 1.4 million tons, worth
about SR5 billion.India tops the countries in the world in exporting rice to
the Kingdom, with imports accounting for about 68 percent of the total imports
by Kingdom. During the current
year, rice prices recorded an increase by 5 percent, equivalent to 31 halala
per kilo, although prices of the commodity in India decreased last year.Nasser
Al-Tuwaim, former chairman of the Saudi Consumer Protection Association (CPA),
was quoted as saying that several parties and factors are responsible for the
increase the prices of rice.
"Unscrupulous merchants, extravagant consumers,
monopolization practices and alluding to a limited number of importers are the
main reasons for such price hikes during past years." Economist Osama Filali said that the
excessive wastage of food items have negative impacts on citizens and the
national economy. “The wastage
and extravagance we witness during banquets and celebrations need a firm and
serious stand from authorities to oblige kitchen owners not to respond to the
demands of people who order unneeded and unjustified quantities of food,” he
said. Hasan Ahmad, head of the
Bussma youth volunteer group, said the group has established a project to stop
abundant food leftovers during social occasions.
“The project started with the idea to put a curb on food wastage
and extravagance, and encourage people to rationalize in consumption,
especially leftover food which is usually thrown into the garbage bins despite
there being poor people who badly need it. Since that moment, the group adopted
the project as one of its activities and put in place mechanisms on how to work
out the tasks and achieve the objectives of the project,” he added.He explained
that the youths coordinate with halls and lounges where a wedding or a social
occasion is held, and they collect food leftovers, wrap it in clean plastic
containers and then distribute it among the needy, cleaners in particular.
Economist Farouk Al-Khatib said consumer behavior represents the main reason for the high demand for rice, which is the main meal for Saudi families. “It is a known economic fact that when demand is high, prices increase. The solution in this case is to rationalize consumption by raising awareness among people on the importance of saving and rationalyzing in consumption,” he said. Meanwhile, Jeddah Municipality Spokesman Mohammad Al-Bugamy said the general directorate for hygiene distributed about 900 containers for saving bakery products with nine contracts for cleaning companies in Jeddah, including 14 sub-municipalities.He added that the daily volume of waste and garbage stands at 6,000 tons, of which wasted food accounts for 60 percent. He called on residents in Jeddah to cooperate with the municipality to reduce such food waste by redistributing it to the needy instead of throwing it in the garbage
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/860406
Black rice is the latest
superfood. Here's why!
Known with
varied names like magic rice and forbidden rice, black rice has always seemed
exotic.
A rarity in the food world, those fascinated with it after knowing its health benefits, now have an option to eat it at a restaurant or just grab a packet from a gourmet supermarket and cook it at home.
A great health choice
It is the only rice to contain the antioxidant
known as anthocyanins, which is found in dark-hued fruits and vegetables like
blueberries, blackberries, dark grapes, dark cherries, purple brinjals, purple
cabbage and purple corn amongst others. Nutritionist Dhvani Shah says,
"Black rice contains high amounts of antioxidants, dietary fibre, minerals
and other anti-inflammatory nutrients. It is the richest source of the
antioxidant, anthocyanin, which is known to be cancer fighting, beneficial for
heart health and imflammatory conditions."
Has export potential
Slightly tricky to grow in terms of yield, it is harvested only in India and China. In India, it is mainly grown and consumed in Manipur where it is known as Chakhao. It has cultural and traditional significance to the people of Manipur and other parts of Northeast India where no celebration is complete without a delicious serving of black rice. On the occasion of the World Food Day in October, the Indian government also put an action plan in place to promote unique varieties of rice with a prominent status for black rice. As people discover the numerous health benefits that whole grain black rice has to offer and with it being touted as the new cancer fighting super food, which can also prevent heart disease, black rice has a good market potential, especially in the overseas markets, as the demand for the same is growing in the USA, Australia and Europe.
Winner amongst the variety of rice
White rice, red rice and brown rice have been around for long but amongst these, black rice might emerge as the clear winner in nutritional and health benefits. Says clinical nutritionist Kanchan Patwardhan, "While polishing white rice, vitamins and minerals especially Vitamin B2, B6 and B12 in large amounts are lost whereas black rice comes packed with micro nutrients. As compared to other varieties of rice, the glycemic index of black rice is 42, which is a very good score for weight watchers and diabetics."
Pleasant nutty flavour makes it popular
The texture of black rice is a bit heavier as compared to other varieties of rice but its natural flavour is rich and sweet. It has a pleasant, nutty flavour, best enjoyed with coconut milk and in sweetened desserts, particularly rice puddings. Black in colour when harvested, once cooked it turns deep purple. Popular in cuisines in Kerala and North Bengal, it is also a good option to make European salads or Italian dishes like risotto. Currently available at high-end restaurants, it seems to be steadily gathering support. "I had the black sticky rice soup with palm sugar at one of the restaurants in town. It was purple in colour and had the texture of kheer but the taste was completely different. After knowing the properties, I am going to try and make it at home too soon," says homemaker Shanti Sen.
Tips to cook black rice
- Black rice takes longer to cook than white rice so to cut down on cooking time, soak it overnight or much before you start cooking.
-You can cook a batch in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for several days and then use it in varied dishes over the week.
-Remember, the darker the rice, the better it is but the black colour can stain your clothes while cooking.
-Select the right variety of rice for the recipe you choose since there are several varieties of black rice, including long jasmine, glutinous Thai and the short-grained version. The long-grain rice is the true 'forbidden rice' and is good for salads, while the short-grained rice created as a hybrid can be adapted to European recipes. The glutinous Thai rice cooks up much like glutinous white rice, making it great to make sushi and rice pudding.
- If you find the taste a bit too earthy, blend the rice kernels into a powder and sprinkle on salads, fish and meat dishes or add dry spices to the powder to make dry chutney.
- To start with, begin by making it in smaller portions and introduce it during regular meals till you adjust to the taste.
A rarity in the food world, those fascinated with it after knowing its health benefits, now have an option to eat it at a restaurant or just grab a packet from a gourmet supermarket and cook it at home.
A great health choice
Has export potential
Slightly tricky to grow in terms of yield, it is harvested only in India and China. In India, it is mainly grown and consumed in Manipur where it is known as Chakhao. It has cultural and traditional significance to the people of Manipur and other parts of Northeast India where no celebration is complete without a delicious serving of black rice. On the occasion of the World Food Day in October, the Indian government also put an action plan in place to promote unique varieties of rice with a prominent status for black rice. As people discover the numerous health benefits that whole grain black rice has to offer and with it being touted as the new cancer fighting super food, which can also prevent heart disease, black rice has a good market potential, especially in the overseas markets, as the demand for the same is growing in the USA, Australia and Europe.
Winner amongst the variety of rice
White rice, red rice and brown rice have been around for long but amongst these, black rice might emerge as the clear winner in nutritional and health benefits. Says clinical nutritionist Kanchan Patwardhan, "While polishing white rice, vitamins and minerals especially Vitamin B2, B6 and B12 in large amounts are lost whereas black rice comes packed with micro nutrients. As compared to other varieties of rice, the glycemic index of black rice is 42, which is a very good score for weight watchers and diabetics."
Pleasant nutty flavour makes it popular
The texture of black rice is a bit heavier as compared to other varieties of rice but its natural flavour is rich and sweet. It has a pleasant, nutty flavour, best enjoyed with coconut milk and in sweetened desserts, particularly rice puddings. Black in colour when harvested, once cooked it turns deep purple. Popular in cuisines in Kerala and North Bengal, it is also a good option to make European salads or Italian dishes like risotto. Currently available at high-end restaurants, it seems to be steadily gathering support. "I had the black sticky rice soup with palm sugar at one of the restaurants in town. It was purple in colour and had the texture of kheer but the taste was completely different. After knowing the properties, I am going to try and make it at home too soon," says homemaker Shanti Sen.
Tips to cook black rice
- Black rice takes longer to cook than white rice so to cut down on cooking time, soak it overnight or much before you start cooking.
-You can cook a batch in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for several days and then use it in varied dishes over the week.
-Remember, the darker the rice, the better it is but the black colour can stain your clothes while cooking.
-Select the right variety of rice for the recipe you choose since there are several varieties of black rice, including long jasmine, glutinous Thai and the short-grained version. The long-grain rice is the true 'forbidden rice' and is good for salads, while the short-grained rice created as a hybrid can be adapted to European recipes. The glutinous Thai rice cooks up much like glutinous white rice, making it great to make sushi and rice pudding.
- If you find the taste a bit too earthy, blend the rice kernels into a powder and sprinkle on salads, fish and meat dishes or add dry spices to the powder to make dry chutney.
- To start with, begin by making it in smaller portions and introduce it during regular meals till you adjust to the taste.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/Black-rice-is-the-latest-superfood-Heres-why/articleshow/50439583.cms
Rice price to be main driver of poverty in 2016
Anton Hermansyah, thejakartapost.com, Jakarta | National | Tue,
January 05 2016, 8:45 AM
Late season: A farmer ploughs his rice field
in Wongkaditi, Gorontalo, on Wednesday. Due to the late arrival of the rainy
season, farmers in Gorontalo have only just begun to plant rice in their
fields. Earlier in 2015, farmers suffered through a long drought. (JP/Syamsul
Huda M. Suhari)
The price of rice, one of the
nation’s staple foods--especially for the poor, continued to rise in 2015
according to Central Statistics Agency (BPS) statistics.The latest BPS data
shows that the rice price rose 7.2 percent in 2015, continuing the upward trend
in 2014 of 12 percent.Quoting the latest results of the National Social Economy
Survey (Susenas), BPS Head Suryamin said that 22.1 percent of rice in urban
areas and 28.74 percent in rural areas was consumed by the poor. However, the purchasing power of farmers remained relatively unchanged.
Based on BPS data, the farmer's exchange rate only rose 1.5 percent, from
101.32 in 2014 to 102.83 in 2015, far below the rice price increase of 7.21
percent.
Economist Faisal Basri in an
online analysis warned about the risk of an increasing amount of people living
in poverty as the rice price had soared above the rate of inflation while the
international price was down. "Such a rise would hit the
poor as one third of their outcome is spent on rice," he said.According to
World Bank data, as of November 2015 the global rice price decreased by 5.7
percent year-on-year compared to Nov. 2014, continuing the previous decline of
1.96 percent compared to November 2013. In November 2015, Thai white rice stood at Rp 4,897,433 per
metric ton, while Indonesian white rice, considered to be of a similar quality,
was priced at Rp 9,564,26, almost two times higher.
Cigarettes
Ironically, cigarettes were the second-highest consumption item among the poor.The 2015 Susenas showed that cigarette consumption among the poor stood at 8.1 percent in urban areas and 7.68 percent in rural areas.Suryamin expressed his regrets that the poor were spending such a large amount of money on an item that did not provide sustenance.The BPS statistics showed that the rate of poverty in the nation has not been significantly reduced in recent years, with the percent of the population classified as “poor” remaining at 11 percent over the last three years. (ags)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/01/05/rice-price-be-main-driver-poverty-2016.html#sthash.9qj
NFA plans to
import rice from Vietnam, Thailand
The top NFA official was on a three-day swing of the Caraga region
that ends today, including on-the-ground inspection of all the agency’s
warehouses spread all over the region.
The NFA administrator will also scrutinize the quality of rice
being sold public markets, as well as the prevailing prices for the basic
commodity.Dalisay assured the public that NFA rice remains at P27 and P32 per
kilo.He also made sure that rice stocks in NFA were properly secured and would
not be vulnerable to isolation in case of untoward incidents.He also conducted
meetings with the agency’s regional, provincial and city officials and
employees.In a meeting, he directed officials of the NFA in Caraga region to
complete minor repairs of some warehouses that were damaged by the series of
typhoons since 2013
image: A worker stands on a pile of
rice sacks at the National Food Authority’s warehouse in Quezon City. (MB file
photo)
Soaring food prices lead to increase in poverty
Arya Dipa, Apriadi Gunawan and Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post,
Bandung/Medan | Archipelago | Tue, January 05 2016, 3:05 PM
Due to the increase in staple food
prices, the number of underprivileged people, especially in urban areas, has
increased, especially in West Java and North Sumatra.The number of
poverty-stricken people in West Java, the most populated among the country’s 34
provinces, increased to 4.48 million people as of September 2015, according to
the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), compared to 4.43 million people in March
last year, a rise of 9.57 percent of the total population, in a province of 45
million people.The BPS West Java chapter’s statistics affairs head, Dyah
Anugrah Kuswardani, said that the increase in the number of underprivileed
people, as shown in the agency’s September survey, was due to the soaring
prices of staple foods.
“The dominant factor affecting
the poverty line is food commodity. People in the lower economic class spend
more on food than housing, clothes, education and health,” Dyah said on Monday. The survey also recorded a higher number of underprivileged
people were found in West Java’s urban areas, she added, saying that
poverty had affected 2.7 million people in urban areas and 1.77 million in
rural areas. The number of underprivileged people increased by 68,137 people,
while in rural areas the figure had decreased by 18,182 people, she added.Nationally,
the number of poverty-stricken people in West Java ranked 19, better than
Central Java, which ranked 13, Yogyakarta 14 and East Java 15. “Jakarta is the last, Banten province ranked 30, that’s better
than West Java,” Dyah said.Meanwhile, in 2014, the number of underprivileged
people in North Sumatra stood at around 1,360,000 people, or 9.85 percent of
its population.
The figure rose further in March 2015 to
1,463,670 people and increased again in September to 1,508,140 people, or 10.79
percent of the total population of the province.North Sumatra BPS head Wien
Kusdiatmono said the increase in the number of underprivileged people in the
province had been heavier in urban, rather than rural areas. In the period between March and September 2015, the number of
underprivileged people in urban areas had increased from 699,000 to 727,760
people, a rise of 28,460 percent, Wien added.In rural areas, according to Wien,
the growth in the number of underprivileged people had been lower, from 764,370
people in March 2015, to 780,380 people in September 2015.He added that in
urban areas, an underprivileged person was likely to earn an average monthly
income of Rp 369,878 (US$26), compared to Rp 352,637 in rural areas. He said the rise in the number of underprivileged people in
North Sumatra had been caused by various factors, including the 1.43 percent
inflation rate rise.Meanwhile, the BPS office in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB)
recorded 802,290 underprivileged people as of September 2015, 16.54 percent of
NTB’s total population of 4.85 million.
“The number of underprivileged
people in September 2015 dropped by 21,600 people, 0.56 percent, compared to
the March 2015 figure of 823,890 people,” said NTB BPS head Wahyudin at his
office in Mataram on Monday.The decrease in poor people in the province had
been due to lower inflation caused by a decrease in the price of rice,
explained Wahyudin.
According to BPS, the number of poverty-stricken people across the country had reached 28.59 million by March 2015, 11.22 percent of the total population of 255 million, an increase from the previous survey figure of 27.73 million.
According to BPS, the number of poverty-stricken people across the country had reached 28.59 million by March 2015, 11.22 percent of the total population of 255 million, an increase from the previous survey figure of 27.73 million.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/01/05/soaring-food-prices-lead-increase-poverty.html#sthash.FrLqr4ZV.dpuf
Full-year inflation in check in 2015
Tassia Sipahutar, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Business | Tue,
January 05 2016, 5:20 PM
Overall prices of goods and services
remained in check last year as the annual rate fell below the official target,
the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced on Monday.Data from the BPS
showed that inflation throughout 2015 reached 3.35 percent, with December
inflation standing at 0.96 percent.The result was below the government’s
expectation of 5 percent, but slightly higher than the 3 percent estimated by
Bank Indonesia (BI).All cities surveyed by the BPS reported inflation in
December, with Merauke in Papua posting the highest rate at 2.87 percent and
Cirebon in West Java province posting the lowest at 0.27 percent.Food and
ingredients were two of the biggest contributors to inflation last year,
according to the data.
Rice, for example, topped the
list as it contributed 0.31 percent to the total inflation figure, followed by
shallots in third position, broiler chicken in fourth and fresh fish in fifth.
Cigarettes, meanwhile, were second on the list.BPS head Suryamin lauded the
government and central bank’s efforts to control inflation, saying the rate was
the lowest posted in the past five years.“Last year’s core inflation rate of
3.95 percent was also the lowest since 2011. It meant that prices did not get
out of control, even though some upticks were recorded,” he said.BI Governor
Agus Martowardojo acknowledged that there were pressures approaching year-end. “We saw rising prices of shallots, chillies, chicken and eggs.
We have met with the government, especially
ministries under the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister, to better
prepare for inflation in the future,” Agus said.In a separate meeting held last
week, Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said he was prepared to
import several commodities to control inflation, such as rice, cattle, sugar,
corn and soybeans.At least 460,000 tons of rice will be imported in January to
ensure 1.35 million tons of rice stocks by the end of March.“We need to import
rice in January because we are planning to conduct market operations between
January and February to provide rice for the people,” he said.“This is
important because we are anticipating a possible shortage due to a shift in the
harvest season from the El Niño [weather phenomenon].
”Darmin added that the government
expected the country to pass the lean season and domestic production to return
to normal by April.Meanwhile, OCBC Bank economist Wellian Wiranto wrote in a
research note that the inflation result came above market expectations, but
“nonetheless represents the lowest year-on-year price increase that the economy
has seen since early 2000”.Wellian added that even though December inflation
was higher than expected, “it is still keeping the real rate so lofty that it
would not tie Bank Indonesia’s hands in cutting rates this month”.
Glenn Maguire, ANZ chief
economist for South Asia, ASEAN and the Pacific, questioned whether BI would
use what could be a three-to-four month window of pronounced disinflation to
cut interest rates.“We increasingly suspect the answer to that question is
yes,” Maguire said, adding that ANZ had penciled in a rate cut of 50 basis
points in the first half.
According to ANZ, an annual disinflation impulse was likely to occur, especially as the government plans to slash the prices of Premium, Pertamax and Pertalite gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas on Tuesday.
According to ANZ, an annual disinflation impulse was likely to occur, especially as the government plans to slash the prices of Premium, Pertamax and Pertalite gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas on Tuesday.
Rice warehouses are put back on the table in talks with China
Tue, 5 January 2016
“The three companies have come together and proposed a plan for
warehousing,” Ratha said.Construction on the three facilities is planned for
2016, but Ratha said the firms need to confirm a start date after looking into
the logistics of the plan.The Cambodian government last year had drafted a
memorandum of understanding asking the Chinese government for a $300 million
loan to build 10 warehouses across the country, capable of storing 1.2 million
tonnes of paddy. As of July last year, the two sides were still negotiating the
conditions and requirements of the agreement.The recent visit of the Chinese
delegation was linked to the Cambodian government’s proposal last year and was
“under the same package”, with negotiations still under way on the working
capital of the rice sector, according to Mey Kalyan, project leader and senior
adviser to the Supreme National Economic Council.
“[The agreement] is a work in progress,” he said. “There are
many players and interests to consider before finalising this.”According to
Kalyan, multiple interests had to be considered before going forward with the
plan, given that the building of the warehouse will be a public project, but
utilisation will be by the private sector.“We have to know what we want do and
do it correctly,” Kalyan said. “We will resolve it as soon as possible and move
forward carefully.”Given that Battambang, and other neighbouring provinces like
Pursat and Banteay Meanchey account for a third of the country’s paddy output,
the new warehouses were welcomed by Kann Kunthy, CEO of rice miller Brico.However,
Kunthy said it would be more useful if the warehouse were equipped with drying
facilities, which would mean that fresh paddy could be dried and stored for a
long period of time.
“The big harvest is in November and December, which means you
must have a huge warehouse with first-class drying facility to be used during
these two months and then the paddy can be used for milling for the next 10
months.”While currently millers and exporters have limited storage facilities,
which means they are only able to buy a limited amount of fresh paddy and sell
it, a warehouse with dried paddy stock would help increase exports across
different markets, Kunthy added.“Milled rice from fresh crop, within three
months of harvesting, is for markets like Malaysia, China and certain parts of
Europe where Southeast Asian people live,” he said. “They prefer more aromatic
and soft rice.”“The second market is Singapore, Europe and the US, which prefer
older paddy because the rice is not as sticky.”
Contact author: Ananth
Baliga
A worker counts sacks of rice at
a grain warehouse in Phnom Penh yesterday. Yesterday the Ministry of Commerce
announced that it was considering proposals from China for a
multimillion-dollar rice warehousing project. Hong Menea
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/rice-warehouses-are-put-back-table-talks-china
Climate-friendly rice growing method yields more
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:09 AM January 6th, 2016
LA UNION farmer Federico Rullamas has a lot
to smile about. His second season crop of high-value organic red rice not only
fetched him a very good price in the market, his yield of 170 cavans per
hectare also won him the “Highest Yielder for Naturally Grown Organic Rice
Farming” award in 2015.Rullamas used a new method of growing rice called the
system of rice intensification (SRI), which involves a simple set of rice
management practices that farmers can easily learn in one season. He also
supplemented SRI with composted chicken manure plus home-made organic sprays
which he learned from SRI Pilipinas trainer Venancio Garde Jr.
Garde calls
his original formulation the “soil nutrient enhancer” but adds that this is no
secret and that it can be learned for free via text to SRI Pilipinas Hotline
(0939-1178999).Rullamas learned the new method from training that was jointly
sponsored by the local government of Aringay, La Union, and SRI Pilipinas.
Through the efforts of agriculture committee
chair Ramsey Mangaoang and the full support of town Mayor Eric Sibuma and Vice
Mayor Charlie Juloya, the Aringay Sangguaniang Bayan has allotted P300,000
yearly for the conduct of SRI training among Aringay’s rice farmers every
planting season. More than 100 Aringay farmers graduated from the training last
November.Following the method, Rullamas planted very young 12-day old rice
seedlings singly, at a distance of 12 inches (30 cm). He practiced alternate
wetting-and-drying and used a mechanical weeder to control weeds.
For his efforts, Rullamas was rewarded
amply. He got an average of 26 tillers per plant (more than double the typical
number) and 41 cavans from his 2,400-square meter field—an impressive yield of
about 8.5 tons or 170 cavans per hectare, compared to the national average of
about 80 cavans.Rullamas’ growing method is considered very climate-friendly,
because it minimizes carbon dioxide emissions by avoiding fossil-based chemical
fertilizers and reduces methane emission by drying the rice field regularly.SRI
is also considered climate-resilient, because the resulting rice plants are
also sturdier, deeper-rooted, and therefore less vulnerable to droughts, floods
and high winds.For farmers like 47-year-old Rullamas who are threatened with
increasingly more extreme weather events due to climate change, that is a lot
of benefit, considering that the method is also less costly than its
conventional counterpart.
(For details, contact Mr. Mangaoang at
0920-8788979 or Roberto Verzola, 0917-8117747)
INQUIRER.net
NFA plans to import rice from Vietnam,
Thailand
January 5, 2016
Butuan City – The National Food Authority (NFA) is planning to
import more rice from Vietnam and Thailand in an ensure ample supply of rice
throughout the country this year.Despite the bumper rice stocks that are
currently deposited in various areas of the country and this region (Caraga),
the NFA said it has keen on implementing the plan so that there would be enough
supply of rice in times of calamity and disaster in 2016.
According to NFA Administrator Renan B. Dalisay, the agency was
planning to import at least 50,000 tons of rice from Vietnam and Thailand.“(This
is to) see to it that we have enough rice in time of calamities that can
immediately be dispatched to various disaster councils and local government
units,” the NFA official said.The top NFA official was on a three-day swing of
the Caraga region that ends today, including
on-the-ground inspection of all the agency’s warehouses spread all over
the region.The NFA administrator will also scrutinize the quality of rice being
sold public markets, as well as the prevailing prices for the basic commodity.Dalisay
assured the public that NFA rice remains at P27 and P32 per kilo.
He also made sure that rice stocks in NFA were properly secured
and would not be vulnerable to isolation in case of untoward incidents.He also
conducted meetings with the agency’s regional, provincial and city officials
and employees.In a meeting, he directed officials of the NFA in Caraga region
to complete minor repairs of some warehouses that were damaged by the series of
typhoons since 2013. Rice being sold at markets at the quoted P27-P32 by NFA is not the
imported variety from Vietnam or Thailand but in fact poorly processed local
rice. Most of the imported rice becomes re packed and sold at very expensive
prices. The imported rice complies with international rice standards whereas
the local ones don’t as long as the NFA officials are making their “cut” from
both sides.
http://www.mb.com.ph/nfa-plans-to-import-rice-from-vietnam-thailand/#yCpt0I7Py9AVi2Fz.99
