Dr Werner asks
rice exporters to keep eye on rapid alert system
December 08, 2016
Eurofins Global Control GMbH Head Dr Werner Nader has asked the
rice exporters of Pakistan to keep an eye on rapid alert system developed by
the European Union for food sector to maintain their inroads in that huge
market. He stressed the need for being vigilant on fertiliser and pesticides
residue level in their product and avoid contamination of genetically modified
rice in Basmati rice, metal contamination and authenticity dimension while
exporting it to Europe.
Dr Werner Nader, however, said the 2016 was a very good year for rice sector as there were very little incidents of complaints on those counts in exports from Pakistan. He said pesticide residue issues were on higher side as compared to Pakistan in rice exports.
Dr Werner was speaking at a seminar arranged by the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) former vice president Sami Ullah Naeem for capacity building of his fellow on "current topics in Basmati: rice, EU imports, RASFF, authenticity and new topics." Dr Werner, who is going to retire next year, also introduced Thomas to the rice exporters on this occasion who will be heading the inspection, auditing and analytical services of his organisation to serve the food sector in future.
Speaking on this occasion, Sami Ullah Naeem said rice was a very highly regulated sector of food sector. He said laws and regulations keep on changing in EU for food imports and Eurofins was working for the last five years with rice exporters. Senior Vice Chairman REAP Shahjahan Malik and Patron REAP Pir Nazim Hussain Shah also addressed the audience on this occasion.
Dr Werner Nader said his organisation was present in a number of countries including India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Europe and China to serve the food sector for number of services including inspection and analytical services. He said Netherland was the biggest importer of rice in Europe besides the UK. "Pakistan is doing good in exports of Basmati rice to Europe but it needs to be enhanced," he added. He said no GMO variety of rice was permitted to enter Europe but at the same time he expressed satisfaction that GM rice was not being sown in Pakistan.
However, he urged the rice exporters to study a new alert being discussed in Europe which is Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons (MOSH) and Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH). He said aromatic mineral oil could accumulate in the human body and lead to cancer. Its sources are being said to be packaging material which include cartons made of recycled newsprint and other recycle paper, board and jute bags. He said those could also migrate into rice products during the milling process.
http://www.brecorder.com/agriculture-a-allied/183/111088/
Pakistani firms want to invest in
PHL, says envoy
December 7, 2016 1:44pm
Pakistani companies are interest in investing in the Philippines
particularly in agriculture, defense, information technology (IT) and
pharmaceuticals, the Department of Finance said on Wednesday.In a meeting with
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on November 29, Pakistani Ambassador to
Manila Safdar Hayat said pharmaceutical firms in Pakistan want to invest in the
Philippines while other companies are interested in technology transfer in
fruit processing and IT where the Philippines has greater expertise, the DOF
said in a statement.
“My efforts from the very beginning have been to concentrate on enhancing trade between the two countries,” according to the Pakistani envoy.Pakistan is also interested in exporting rice along with weapons, tanks, aircraft and submarines to the Philippines."Pakistan could also export textiles to, and import chemicals and manufactured goods from, the Philippines," Hayat said.
Dominguez supposedly agreed with Hayat on the need to improve economic relations between their countries and raised the possibility of importing Basmati rice from Pakistan when the government lifts the quantitative restrictions on the grain next year.Dominguez and Hayat agreed that the first meeting of the Joint Economic Commission, tentatively set in April next year, would be a mutually beneficial "starting point" for improved trade relations between the two countries.
The governments of Pakistan and the Philippines have ratified the creation of a Joint Economic Commission on August 17, 2009 to promote trade and investment between the two countries.“We’ll certainly participate. That will be a good start,” Dominguez said when informed by Hayat about the joint commission meeting.Hayat also sought Dominguez’s support in inviting Philippine business leaders to the event as part of continuing efforts to improve bilateral trade and investment cooperation.
According to the DOF, bilateral trade between Islamabad and Manila has a narrow base with Philippine exports to Pakistan totaling $61.3 million and imports amounting to $55.7 million as of 2014.The top Philippine exports to Pakistan include corn, vehicles and vehicle parts, cigarette paper, malt extract and processed fruits and nuts.The Philippines, in turn, imports packaged medicaments, refined petroleum, alcohol, raw tobacco, non-retail pure cotton yarn and textiles from Pakistan.
Dominguez noted the Philippine Department of Defense is interested in importing weapons from Pakistan, which has a robust and advanced defense industry.“I spoke with the (Pakistani) Minister of Defense and my understanding is that the defense industry in Pakistan is very advanced, and that maybe we should look at purchasing military equipment from them and he said that he definitely would look at it,” the Cabinet official said.“I spoke right away with (Defense Secretary Delfin) Lorenzana. He says the equipment in the Pakistan Defense Ministry is very good,” he added. — Ted Cordero/VDS, GMA News
“My efforts from the very beginning have been to concentrate on enhancing trade between the two countries,” according to the Pakistani envoy.Pakistan is also interested in exporting rice along with weapons, tanks, aircraft and submarines to the Philippines."Pakistan could also export textiles to, and import chemicals and manufactured goods from, the Philippines," Hayat said.
Dominguez supposedly agreed with Hayat on the need to improve economic relations between their countries and raised the possibility of importing Basmati rice from Pakistan when the government lifts the quantitative restrictions on the grain next year.Dominguez and Hayat agreed that the first meeting of the Joint Economic Commission, tentatively set in April next year, would be a mutually beneficial "starting point" for improved trade relations between the two countries.
The governments of Pakistan and the Philippines have ratified the creation of a Joint Economic Commission on August 17, 2009 to promote trade and investment between the two countries.“We’ll certainly participate. That will be a good start,” Dominguez said when informed by Hayat about the joint commission meeting.Hayat also sought Dominguez’s support in inviting Philippine business leaders to the event as part of continuing efforts to improve bilateral trade and investment cooperation.
According to the DOF, bilateral trade between Islamabad and Manila has a narrow base with Philippine exports to Pakistan totaling $61.3 million and imports amounting to $55.7 million as of 2014.The top Philippine exports to Pakistan include corn, vehicles and vehicle parts, cigarette paper, malt extract and processed fruits and nuts.The Philippines, in turn, imports packaged medicaments, refined petroleum, alcohol, raw tobacco, non-retail pure cotton yarn and textiles from Pakistan.
Dominguez noted the Philippine Department of Defense is interested in importing weapons from Pakistan, which has a robust and advanced defense industry.“I spoke with the (Pakistani) Minister of Defense and my understanding is that the defense industry in Pakistan is very advanced, and that maybe we should look at purchasing military equipment from them and he said that he definitely would look at it,” the Cabinet official said.“I spoke right away with (Defense Secretary Delfin) Lorenzana. He says the equipment in the Pakistan Defense Ministry is very good,” he added. — Ted Cordero/VDS, GMA News
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/591554/money/companies/pakistani-firms-want-to-invest-in-phl-says-envoy#sthash.OVF1q1Fe.dpuf
Philippines mulls defense asset
imports from Pakistan
(philstar.com) | Updated December 7, 2016 - 5:06pm
Earlier, President Rodrigo
Duterte, upset of criticism from the United States on his war on drugs,
threatened to cut ties with the country's oldest ally that has been providing
military support, especially in Mindanao. File
MANILA, Philippines — After Russia and China, the Philippines is
now also looking at importing weapons and armory from Pakistan, further
diversifying the country's sources from the US, Finance Secretary Carlos
Dominguez said."I spoke with the (Pakistani) Minister of Defense and my
understanding is that the defense industry in Pakistan is very advanced, and
that maybe we should look at purchasing military equipment from them...,"
the Finance chief said."I spoke right away with (Defense Secretary Delfin)
Lorenzana. He says the equipment in the Pakistan Defense Ministry is very
good," he added. Dominguez mentioned this during his meeting with
Pakistani Ambassador Safdar Hayat recently. A statement about the meeting was
issued on Wednesday.
Pakistan is located in the Middle East and has been battling
terrorist groups such as the Al-Qaeda on its borders for years after the attack
in the US in September 2011.Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte, upset of
criticism from the United States on his war on drugs, threatened to cut
ties with the country's oldest ally that has been providing military support,
especially in Mindanao.He then said he could turn to Russia and China for
weapons, before backtracking and said training between US and Philippine forces
in the south will continue together with armament acquisitions.
There were also reports that the US Senate canceled a gun deal
with the Philippines because of the drug war's alleged human rights violations,
but these were not verified. Aside from military equipment, Dominguez said
Manila is also keen on importing rice from Islamabad once import restrictions
expire next year.The government said it will not renew the quantitative
restrictions on rice that had protected local farmers from cheaper rice
shipments for the past decade.
"My efforts from the very beginning have been to concentrate
on enhancing trade between the two countries," Hayat was quoted as telling
Dominguez.For his part, the Finance chief said he is looking forward to the
first meeting of the Pakistan-Philippines Joint Economic Commission in April
next year.
"We'll certainly participate. That will be a good
start," he said.Established in 2009, the commission aims to boost trade
and investments between the two countries. According to Department of
Finance data, bilateral trade between the two nations "remained at a
narrow base," amounting to $61.3 million in imports and $55.7 million in
exports in 2014.Among others, the country ships corn, vehicles and vehicle
parts, cigarette paper, processed fruits and nuts to Pakistan.
In turn, the Philippines receive mostly packaged medicaments,
refined petroleum, alcohol, raw tobacco, non-retail pure cotton yarn and
textiles from the Middle Eastern nation.Diplomatic relations between the two
countries were established on Sept. 8, 1949, with the Philippines opening a
consulate in Karachi.
Scientists develop 7 new varieties of paddy in Odisha
December 7, 2016
Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Dec 6:
Scientists of Central Rice Research
Institute (CRRI) at Bidyadharpur in Odisha’s Cuttack district have developed
seven varieties of paddy capable of withstanding floods and require a little
quantity of water to grow.
Among the seven varieties, which
will be made available for farmers very soon, one could be suitable for
biryani, fried-rice, flattened rice, puffed rice etc., informed a CRRI
official.The seven varieties are CR 207 (Shreemati), 209 (Priya), 409
(Pradhan), 507 (Prasant), CR 800, CR 910 and CR 311 (Mukul).CR 207 (Shreemati)
can grow with a little quantity of water reserving 30 percent water and can be
harvested in 110 days producing an average yield of 40 to 50 quintal of paddy
per hectare.CR 209 (Priya), the minimal water required variety of paddy
developed by CRRI scientists, can give an average yield of 40 to 50 quintal par
hectare and the rice size will be thin and long.
The CR 409 (Pradhan) can remain
submerged up to seven days preventing damage and suitable for water-rice,
biryani, fried-rice, flattened rice, puffed rice. It can be harvested in 160
days with an average yield of 50 to 75 quintal per hectare.
Similarly, CR 507 (Prasant) will
produce an average 47 to 56 quintal having pest resistance power and can be
harvested in 160 to 165 days.CR 800 having qualities of Swarna paddy won’t be
affected by leaf burning insects and can be harvested in 140 days with an
average 50 quintal yield per hectare.
CR 910 is small in size having
aroma and qualities of Basmati rice. It could be harvested 45 quintal per
hectare in 145 days.
CR 311 (Mukul) having 10 percent
protein and 21 ppm Zinc would be beneficial for economical backward classes.
While CR Shreemati, CR Priya, CR
Pradhan and CR Prasant have been developed by scientist Dr. Sarat Kumar
Pradhan, CR Mukul has been developed by Dr. Krishnendu Chattopadhyay.
Similarly, CR 910 by S S Chyau Patnaik, CR 800 jointly by Dr. Sarat Kumar
Pradhan and J N Reddy
https://odishasuntimes.com/2016/12/07/scientists-develop-7-new-varieties-of-paddy-in-odisha/
Asia Rice-Prices mostly soften on thin demand
12/7/2016
* India
rice prices extend falls* Thai 5-pct broken rice prices widen to $360-$365/T
* Vietnamese rice prices weaken as buyers absent
By Ho Binh Minh
HANOI, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Rice export prices in India andVietnam weakened this week on thin demand, but still failed toattract buyers, while prices widened in Thailand during aslowing harvest, traders said on Wednesday.India's 5-percent broken parboiled rice prices dropped $1this week to $347-$351 per tonne, free-on-board (FOB) basis, dueto sluggish demand from African buyers, though supplies werelimited due to a cash crunch, they said."We are not able to sign any big new deals. Prices are firmin the local market due to limited supply. At this level,finding buyers is difficult," said an exporter based inKakinada, a city in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
He said Thailand and Vietnam, which trail India in globalrice exports, were offering more competitive prices.India's summer-sown rice output is seen at a record 93.88million tonnes in the crop year to June 2017, a 2.81 percentrise from the year earlier, the farm ministry has said.Vietnamese rice prices also eased this week as buyers wereabsent, traders said.The 5-percent broken rice <RI-VNBKN5-P1> prices eased to
$335-$340 a tonne, FOB basis, from $340-$350 last Wednesday,traders said.
"Vietnam's competitiveness is lower than Thailand's now," atrader in Ho Chi Minh City said.Thai's benchmark 5-percent broken rice <RI-THBKN5-P1> priceswidened to $360-$365 a tonne on Wednesday, FOB basis, from $360last week, but a trader in Bangkok said prices would remainstable as harvest was slowing.Another trader said the gap in prices of Thai and Vietnameserice could be a disadvantage."It's quite a big gap," he said. "Vietnam could easilyattract buyers."
Thailand's rice exports are on track to meet the 2016target of 9.5 million tonnes, the commerce ministry has said.The average price of Thai 5-percent broken rice inJanuary-November of 2016 rose 2.5 percent from a year ago to$398/tonne, FOB basis, while that of Vietnamese 5-percent brokenrice edged down 0.8 percent in the same period to $349/tonne,the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said in its December
report.
(Reporting Ho Binh Minh in HANOI; Additional reporting by
Patpicha Tanakasempipat in BANGKOK and Rajendra Jadhav in
MUMBAI; Editing by Vyas Mohan)
Asian rice
merchants threaten CBN’s borrowers scheme
Bag of Rice
The aim is drive up the price of
locally parboiled rice and force the public to rise up against government’s
policy on rice importation.Under the programme, rice farmers who obtained
loans under the scheme will supply their produce to the anchor man, and the
money will be paid in 24 hours so that CBN can recover the loan. Under
the scheme, one ton of rice costs N65,000 but the Asians are going into Benue
farmlands to buy a ton of rice for N130,000. MIKAP Nig.Limited
which has a rice plant in Makurfdi told The Nation on phone that about 4,500
rice farmers under the scheme have sold their rice and disappeared.
“We don’t have a single paddy; the
Indians are buying it on cash and carry basis on the farms. Don’t forget we
guaranteed these loans for them to farm the rice and now we are being
shortchanged by these Asians. I think the federal and state government should
do some thing,” its Senior Manager,
Aondongusha Apine, said.The implication is that CBN may not be able to recovere
the loan to rice farmers while the scheme will collapse
http://thenationonlineng.net/asian-rice-merchants-threaten-cbns-borrowers-scheme/
Rice Industry Floods Ducks Unlimited Waterfowling Heritage
Center in Memphis
MEMPHIS, TN --
This week, members of the U.S. rice industry are poring over the exhibit cases
of the Ducks Unlimited Waterfowling Heritage Center in the BassPro Shops at the
Memphis Pyramid during the annual USA Rice Outlook Conference held here.
The special exhibit, dedicated to ricelands stewardship, opened to the public in September in conjunction with National Rice Month. The interactive exhibit space provides educational opportunities that explain the unique, synergistic relationship between rice and ducks. USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward said, "We're encouraging all of our attendees, while they're in town this week, to visit the Waterfowling Heritage Center to better appreciate the intrinsic link between waterfowl and working ricelands, and to see an example of the conservation story we should be telling again and again to our consumers."
Ward added, "This is a great opportunity for USA Rice to tout the success of the Rice Stewardship Partnership, the National Rice RCPP project, and other collaborations with an audience we may not typically be reaching through our regular communications channels."
The Heritage Center is a popular stop within the heavily-trafficked BassPro Shops with an annual attendance estimated at close to half a million visitors. And just an elevator ride away is The Lookout restaurant atop The Pyramid that proudly serves U.S.-grown rice!
The special exhibit, dedicated to ricelands stewardship, opened to the public in September in conjunction with National Rice Month. The interactive exhibit space provides educational opportunities that explain the unique, synergistic relationship between rice and ducks. USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward said, "We're encouraging all of our attendees, while they're in town this week, to visit the Waterfowling Heritage Center to better appreciate the intrinsic link between waterfowl and working ricelands, and to see an example of the conservation story we should be telling again and again to our consumers."
Ward added, "This is a great opportunity for USA Rice to tout the success of the Rice Stewardship Partnership, the National Rice RCPP project, and other collaborations with an audience we may not typically be reaching through our regular communications channels."
The Heritage Center is a popular stop within the heavily-trafficked BassPro Shops with an annual attendance estimated at close to half a million visitors. And just an elevator ride away is The Lookout restaurant atop The Pyramid that proudly serves U.S.-grown rice!
Abu Dhabi’s Al Dahra to boost food
security with Dh140 million rice plant in Kizad
December 6, 2016 Updated: December 7, 2016 01:14
PM
The UAE is one of the world’s largest consumers of rice per
capita, with consumption expected to hit 836,000 tonnes during 2016-2017. Jay
Directo / AFP
Abu Dhabi-based agriculture company
Al Dahra Holding has announced the launch of a rice-processing factory in the
capital’s Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad) as a means of boosting the country’s
food security.The Dh140 million plant, run by Al Dahra unit Al Dahra Kohinoor,
has 40 silos, each with a capacity of 750 tonnes, and will process up to
120,000 tonnes of rice per year, Al Dahra said in a statement on Tuesday.The
primary purpose of the plant, spanning 100,000 square metres, is to increase
the UAE’s food security by having major production facilities within the
country’s borders, according to an Al Dahra official who asked not to be named.
The Al Dahra Kohinoor plant will
handle the full production cycle of rice, sourced from India and Pakistan,
including milling, processing, storage, packaging as well as distribution
within the UAE, the company said.Al Dahra acquired a 20 per cent stake in
India’s Kohinoor Foods for US$18.8m in 2013.The same Al Dahra official said
that the plant was also a commercially viable enterprise, and that rice
produced would be exported to the wider GCC, East Asia and other global
markets."Al Dahra Kohinoor strategically supports the vision of our wise
leadership to achieve food security in Abu Dhabi, which reflects our commitment
to boosting the industrial sector in order to diversify the economy in line
with Abu Dhabi’s strategic plan for economic development," said Khadim Al
Darei, Al Dahra Holding’s vice chairman.The UAE is one of the world’s largest
consumers of rice per capita, with consumption expected to hit 836,000 tonnes
during 2016-17 marketing year, a year-on-year increase of 16 per cent,
according to the foreign agriculture service of the US department of
agriculture.
Al Dahra Holding, which has a
long-standing partnership with the Abu Dhabi Government on food security, said
that it aims to create a strategic rice reserve in Abu Dhabi of about 30,000
tonnes.The company owns forage cultivation lands, processing and baling
facilities in the United States, Spain, South Africa, Egypt and Pakistan and
operates a major forage sourcing, trading and distribution hub out of Italy.The
company last year signed an agreement with Jordan for the annual supply of
400,000 tonnes of wheat and 400,000 tonnes of barley, to improve the UAE’s food
security.
Follow The National’s Busin
Al Dahra opens rice factory at Kizad
ABU DHABI, 1 days ago
Al Dahra
Holding and Abu Dhabi Ports have launched the Gulf region’s largest and only
rice factory of its kind at Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad) in the UAE capital.Owned
by Al Dahra Kohinoor, a subsidiary of Al Dahra Holding, the factory spans a
total area of 100,106 sq m at Kizad and will be handling the full production
cycle of rice that includes milling, storage, packaging as well as distribution
within the UAE and exporting to foreign markets via the adjacent Khalifa Port.
The Dh140-million ($38 million) facility will produce up to 120,000 metric tonnes of rice per annum with 40 silos; each boasting a 750-ton capacity. It also features storage facilities with a capacity of 8,000 tonnes, a processing unit, in addition to administrative offices and support facilities. Moreover, the company aims to create a strategic rice reserve in Abu Dhabi of about 30,000 metric tonnes.
Khadim Abdulla Al Darei, vice chairman and managing director of Al Dahra Holding, said: “We are proud of launching Al Dahra Kohinoor’s factory today. Being the largest in the region and the only factory of its kind that utilises full automation of rice production, Al Dahra Kohinoor will benefit greatly from its strategic location at Kizad and proximity to Khalifa Port which will help it sustain the supply of high quality products to customers in affordable prices.
“Al
Dahra Kohinoor strategically supports the vision of our wise leadership to
achieve food security in Abu Dhabi, which reflects our commitment to boosting
the industrial sector in order to diversify the economy in line with Abu
Dhabi’s strategic plan for economic development."The factory will benefit
from a vertically integrated supply chain that guarantees the sourcing of the
finest quality Basmati and non-Basmati rice from India and Pakistan. –
TradeArabia
News Service
In Los Baños,
giant ‘buko’ pie steals Christmas show
By: Maricar Cinco -
Correspondent / @maricarcincoINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:03 AM December 07, 2016
HOLIDAY SWEETSThe Christmas display of Los
Baños town in Laguna province features replicas of “buko” pie and chocolate
cake, the town’s best-selling products. —CLIFFORD NUÑEZ
LOS BAÑOS,
Laguna—This university town in Laguna province skipped the lanterns and the
belen (nativity scene) and went instead for a giant buko pie and a chocolate
cake this holiday season.By nightfall, colorful lights come to life, setting
the replica of a large pie in a slow spin. Cars stop by as people take
snapshots by the Christmas display.
“This is
very nice. It’s the first time we’ve seen something like this here,” said a
resident of Calamba City as she stepped out of a car.It would be hard to miss
the town’s holiday display because it is along the national highway, in the
town’s boundary with Calamba.Made of plywood, the pie replica, with crust that
looked like it was slightly toasted, measured 2.43 m (8 feet) in diameter. It
rotated like a clock against a board that resembled a pizza box.
On the other
hand, the chocolate cake rose 7.92 m (26 feet) high with layers of fake flower
frosting and a Christmas star on top.Then there is still, of course, Santa
Claus on his sleigh and a holiday greeting for travelers in bold, colorful
letters.
Unique
“Christmas
is [celebrated] all over the world, so we thought—Why not make something catchy
and unique?” said Rommel Maningas, the town’s tourism officer.Maningas said the
local government spent around P200,000 and employed local artisans for the
Christmas display.
In the
coming weeks, he said they would put up makeshift tents for vendors of puto
bumbong and bibingka (rice cakes), which are traditional Filipino delicacies
during this season.In this town, buko pie has become a mainstay on Christmas
dinner tables, Maningas said.
‘Pasalubong’
The town’s
cottage industry started in the 1960s, making Los Baños known for the coconut
and custard-filled pastry.There are at least four brands of buko pie that can
only be found here. These are Lety’s, The Original, Sheila’s, and Nitz’s,
selling their pies for a standard price of P200 a box.Maningas said the stores
make a combined sale of at least 1,000 boxes a day. “It’s our number one
product,” he said.Aside from the buko pie, another pastry has made a name for
Los Baños.Mer-Nel’s, known for its soft cakes coated in generous amounts of
sweet chocolate frosting, has become a perfect pasalubong (gift) from this
town.
The cake is
produced by a bakeshop on Lopez Avenue. Couple Merle and Nelson Balicao opened
the shop in the late 1990s.Backdropped by Mt. Makiling and blessed with natural
hot springs, Los Baños draws about 200,000 visitors yearly. The town also hosts
a campus of the University of the Philippines, the International Rice Research
Institute and several research facilities, making Los Baños a Special Science
and Nature City in 2000.With Christmas more than two weeks away, Maningas said
the local government found the perfect way and season to promote its products
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/851347/in-los-banos-giant-buko-pie-steals-christmas-show
Arkansas Farm Bureau: Daily
Commodity Report
Market
Snapshot
|
Name
|
Contract
|
Last
|
Change
|
|
Dec 2016
|
351-6
|
+1-2
|
|
|
Mar 2017
|
358-4
|
+0-4
|
|
|
Jan 2017
|
1042-4
|
-6-4
|
|
|
Mar 2017
|
1053-2
|
-6-2
|
|
|
Dec 2016
|
386-2s
|
-3-2
|
|
|
Mar 2017
|
406-4
|
+5-4
|
|
|
Jan 2017
|
9.870
|
-0.060
|
|
|
Mar 2017
|
0.7105s
|
-0.0028
|
http://www.arfb.com/pages/market-data/
Expert urges sub-Saharan Africa to embrace tech to improve rice output
Dec 7, 2016
Sub-Saharan Africa countries should make
innovations accessible to rice farmers to help boost crop production, an expert
said Tuesday.Principal Scientist at the International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI), Abdelbagi Ismail, said the region has to continue crop improvement by
adopting high yielding climate resistance varieties.“By 2040 the world
population will require over 96 million tons of which 40 million tons will have
to come from Africa,” Ismail said during an international rice symposium in the
Kenyan capital, Nairobi.He said that with the persistence of drought, floods,
poor soils and climate change, the region requires new breeding scheme cycle to
help increase the breeding period.
According to Ismail, regional countries stand
to succeed once they adopt proper guidelines, polices and infrastructure for
quality seed production.“The countries also have to engage public, private and
development organizations partnerships to enable them establish own varieties,”
he added.Ismail revealed that IRRI researchers had developed a new scheme that
breeds hybrid seeds within a span of three years as opposed to the current
eight years which is common in most sub-Saharan Africa countries.The Director
General of the Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organization, Eliud
Kireger, said that Kenya produces 149,000 metric tons of rice annually while
consumption is over 540,000 metric tons.
“The domestic deficit between production and consumption
is met through imports which amount to 70 million U.S. dollars annually,” he
revealed.Kenya has currently implemented a policy aimed at doubling its rice
production; however, several impediments such as drought, cold temperatures at
high elevations, high salinity, low soil fertility, and rice blast disease,
need to be addressed. Enditem
Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh
Do you have more to share about this story -
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Students hear
about agriculture careers
By Olivia McClure | LSU AgCenter
Dec 6, 2016
Photo by Olivia McClure
Vermilion Parish county agent Andrew Granger, left, explains the
difference between monocot and diocot plants to Cheyanne Longrie, of Lafayette
Parish, during an agriculture career day held Dec. 1, 2016, at the LSU AgCenter
H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station in Crowley.
Checking back? Since you viewed this item
previously you can read it again.from southwest Louisiana schools got an
up-close look at careers in agriculture ranging from equipment sales to
entomology at an event held Dec. 1 at the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice
Research Station in Crowley.
About 80 students attended the third annual career day, during
which AgCenter researchers and extension agents explained their roles in the
agriculture industry and what kind of work they do day to day. They also heard
from LSU College of Agriculture recruiters and members of the Les Voyageurs
student ambassador organization about degree programs and the admission
process.“The goal is to expose high school students to career opportunities in
agriculture,” said Lanette Hebert, southwest regional 4-H coordinator. “There’s
a lot of misconceptions about what agriculture is, and this type of event helps
them to see all the possibilities, from ag engineering to ag communications to
plant science and animal science.”
Eric Webster, AgCenter weed scientist and assistant southwest
regional director, encouraged the students to consider attending college to
study agriculture.“There’s a wide area you’re qualified for. An ag degree
doesn’t lock you in,” he said, adding that some of his former weed science
students have gone on to become lawyers.
Vinton High School agriculture teacher Charlotte Trahan has
brought her class to previous AgCenter career days and returned this year. She
said many of her students participate in 4-H and have showed livestock but
usually are not aware of careers involving other aspects of agriculture.
The career day “makes them think, ‘I really like doing this. I
can go a whole other direction with this,’” Trahan said.Shelby Thibodeaux, of
St. Mary Parish, and Wyatt Kennedy, of Acadia Parish, said they learned more
about areas of agriculture they weren’t familiar with. Thibodeaux said she
wants to be a veterinarian but enjoyed hearing about ag business because the two
fields require some of the same skills.“You have to work and communicate with
people,” she said.
Kennedy said he liked attending a presentation led by AgCenter
communications specialists Tobie Blanchard and Randy LaBauve. Kennedy hopes to
one day be a spokesman for an agriculture company.“I don’t think people
understand how much agriculture truly affects everything we do,” he said.
“There’s agriculture in your clothing, there’s agriculture in your home – it’s
literally everywhere you go.”At the communications session, students heard
about the rewards of jobs that involve writing and speaking about agriculture,
including opportunities to work with many different people and learn about
science, technology and other topics. They filmed, edited and watched a mock TV
show called “Going Places,” in which students took on the roles of a host,
interviewees and studio audience members.
David Savoie and Patrick Hensgens, with the Sunshine Quality
Solutions equipment dealership, talked about the skills needed to work in the
business side of agriculture as well as the growing role of technology in the
industry. Hensgens showed students the JDLink computer program used to maintain
John Deere equipment and provide information such as a tractor’s fuel
consumption.AgCenter entomologist Mike Stout discussed his research on the rice
water weevil, which can cause major yield reductions, and how he helps farmers
develop pest control strategies. St. Martin Parish county agent Stuart Gauthier
told the students that entomology is a big part of his job because people often
consult him for help with managing insects they find on their plants.
AgCenter extension personnel – including county agents Andrew
Granger and Jeremy Hebert, 4-H agents Christina Hebert and Margo Castro, and southwest
regional family and consumer sciences coordinator Robin Landry – said their
jobs offer a lot of variety and allow them to meet many people.“What we do is
study the research being done at the university and extend it to the people,”
Granger said.Students also toured laboratories at the station, where rice
breeder Adam Famoso, researcher Ida Wenefrida and molecular biologist Herry
Utomo talked about biotechnology and careers in research.
http://www.hannapub.com/franklinsun/news/students-hear-about-agriculture-careers/article_1e95db16-bbd9-11e6-8bd8-c7647d31b591.html
Minister raises
concern as 571,000mt of rice arrives in Benin Republic
By Joke Falaju, Abuja
| 08 December 2016 | 2:47 am
Minister
of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Audu Ogbeh has expressed concerns over news that 571,000 tonnes of
parboiled rice shipped from Thailand had arrived at Benin Republic waiting to
be transported to Nigeria for the Christmas celebration.
The minister during an interview with
journalists in Abuja pointed out that the citizens of the Republic of Benin do
not eat parboiled rice but eat only white rice.The minister lamented that the
ECOWAS treaty that allows free trade within the region was being violated by
traders as they imports goods, station them at the borders and smuggle them
into Nigeria.
He said: “The ECOWAS treaty was for products
manufactured within the region, but some of our neighbours are not moving goods
produced in their country, they import goods, station themselves at our borders
and smuggle these items into our economy.”
Commending the Senator Hope Uzodima Committee on Customs for raising awareness on the need to restructure the treaty, he said Nigeria is at the loosing end. According to him: “Rice is not grown in the Republic of Benin, why should it come in to the country as goods produced in that country? Because the Nigerian market is so big they want to exploit it. I sympathise with the committee and fully endorse the plan.”
He added: “No economy should out of sympathy
damage our own and we should not allow anybody out of sentiment do to us things
that we can’t do. When Dangote was trying to ship his cement through the
Republic of Benin to Togo it took one year to persuade them. They said he could
not because they have a cement factory in Onibolo.”
The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria
(RIPAN) at a press conference last month disclosed that one million metric
tonnes of parboiled rice has arrived Republic of Benin.
They accused the country’s government of
providing smugglers with warehousing facilities, transport logistics to smuggle
rice into Nigeria because of import duties accruing to them.
Philab
working on 17 low-cost, self-test kits to detect diseases early
-
DECEMBER 6, 2016
By Efleda P. Campos / Senior
Editor
PHILAB Industries, operating
since 1959, is looking at making available to the public through the Department
of Health (DOH) 18 low-cost, self-test kits for the early detection of
diseases.Hector Thomas Navasero, Philab president and CEO, said this is to
continue the company’s mission of providing health-care, education and genomics
services to the country. The company was founded by his namesake father 57
years ago.
The company has already delivered
1 million dengue self-test kits to the regional offices of the DOH
nationwide. It is now developing other self-test kits for cardiovascular,
sexually transmitted and other diseases. The company wants to make the kits
very affordable (dengue kits are P88 per unit) to help the early detection and
prevention of diseases throughout the country.Philab was awarded DOH’s largest
order to date for dengue NS1 rapid diagnostic self-test kits. In the first
quarter of 2016, the company was awarded an initial P88.6-million test contract
for its new NS1 (nonbuffer) rapid-test kit. The company is currently developing
17 new rapid-diagnostic self-test kits for additional DOH requirements and
eventual entry into the B2C market under the LabIT brand. Its tie-up with the
DOH includes the distribution of 1,000 sterilization units or autoclaves for
clinics and hospitals nationwide.
Recently, Philab was acquired by
Alterra Capital Partners Inc., formerly iRipple Inc. Alterra acquired 361,390
shares, or 100 percent of Philab, for P500 million. The company plans to
expand its business to provide whole genomic sequencing and become the BPO hub
of genomic sequencing in the Philippines. To date, it has aggregate ongoing
P3.19-billion contracts with the Department of Education, the Department of
Health and the National Institutes of Health UP Manila through to 2018.Philab
has gained the reputation of being one of the country’s foremost providers of
laboratory equipment and the oldest business institution servicing the fields
of medical and scientific research in the Philippines.
The company’s first clients
included the renowned International Rice Research Institute and University of
the Philippines Los Baños Biotech institution. Since then, Philab has designed,
built and equipped laboratories across a diverse range of industry sectors in
the Philippines, such as, but not limited to, medical, scientific, academic,
food and beverage, pharmaceutical, semiconductors, mining and petroleum with
specialized focus on health-care, research and education sectors.
In 2012 it installed an Auger
Electron Spectrometer in the country for nanotechnology and advance
material science research for the Department of Science and Technology.It also
established the Genomic Institute of Asia, the Philippines’s first
privately owned next generation sequencing, and molecular diagnostics testing
facility. Anticipating the value of bringing advances in life sciences and
adapting them to the Philippine environment, the company has built around its
core heritage of science and technical supplies and services. Navasero’s legacy
to the scientific field ultimately saved the life of his mother, Sylvia A.
Navasero, from an aggressive form of breast cancer. Mrs. Navasero needed to
undergo genomic sequencing to avail of the clinical trial of a treatment that
ultimately saved her life.
GINA is the first
non-governmental, nonprofit service facility in the country to offer sequencing
services at an affordable price through the partnership with The Medical City
group
Epic Research
Daily Agri Commodity Report Of 08 December 2016
8 December 2016 -- Soybean futures traded marginally lower on NCDEX as traders trimmed their positions amid weakening demand in the spot market.
Commodity News
Soybean futures traded marginally lower on NCDEX as traders trimmed their positions amid weakening demand in the spot market.Soymeal demand from poultry feed manufacturer is reducing as the retail demand of broiler chicken declined has fallen by around 30-40 percent across the country. Furthermore, anticipation of increase in supplies in the current month, too added pressure on soyabean prices.Coriander futures edged higher on NCDEX as participants built fresh positions, tracking improved demand in the spot market. Besides, tight stock positions following restricted arrivals from major producing belts also fuelled the uptrend. The contract for December delivery was trading at Rs 7820.00, up by 0.84% or Rs 65.00 from its previous closing of Rs 7755.00.
Turmeric futures edged higher on NCDEX on receipt of some fresh export enquiry from upcountry buyers. Further, tight stocks position due to poor production in the recent years amid scanty rainfall in producing regions too fuelled the uptrend. The contract for December delivery was trading at Rs 7260, up by 0.08% or Rs 6 from its previous closing of Rs 7254.
Economic News
Post demonetisation, Manjit Singh, a farmer in Punjab, is grappling with a new financial reality — a queer mix of debit and credit in cashstarved villages where farmers are beginning to get some payments in cheques while their suppliers want currency notes. The vegetable and paddy farmer from Malerkotla is yet to receive Rs 35,000 from commission agents who took his produce. He has bought diesel and fertiliser on credit of Rs 20,000— half of it taken from somebody from whom he had never borrowed
before — a petrol pump owner. “I have to pay Rs 10,000 to the petrol pump owner for the diesel I bought, Rs 6,000 to the cooperative society and Rs 4,000 to the labourers.
The West Bengal government has decided to pay its rice farmers by directly transferring the amount to their bank accounts. The government,which is initiating such a move for the first time, hopes to start the process in all 330 blocks of the state from December 10. The state has earmarked Rs 8,000 crore to purchase 52 lakh metric tonnes of rice this year. “We will pay farmers Rs 1,490 for a quintal of rice. We will hold at least 70 camps to purchase rice in each of the 294 assembly constituencies,” Bengal Food and Civil Supplies Minister Jyotipriya Mallick said. “Instead of giving cheques, we have decided to transfer the money directly to their bank accounts.
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8 December 2016 -- Soybean futures traded marginally lower on NCDEX as traders trimmed their positions amid weakening demand in the spot market.
Commodity News
Soybean futures traded marginally lower on NCDEX as traders trimmed their positions amid weakening demand in the spot market.Soymeal demand from poultry feed manufacturer is reducing as the retail demand of broiler chicken declined has fallen by around 30-40 percent across the country. Furthermore, anticipation of increase in supplies in the current month, too added pressure on soyabean prices.Coriander futures edged higher on NCDEX as participants built fresh positions, tracking improved demand in the spot market. Besides, tight stock positions following restricted arrivals from major producing belts also fuelled the uptrend. The contract for December delivery was trading at Rs 7820.00, up by 0.84% or Rs 65.00 from its previous closing of Rs 7755.00.
Turmeric futures edged higher on NCDEX on receipt of some fresh export enquiry from upcountry buyers. Further, tight stocks position due to poor production in the recent years amid scanty rainfall in producing regions too fuelled the uptrend. The contract for December delivery was trading at Rs 7260, up by 0.08% or Rs 6 from its previous closing of Rs 7254.
Economic News
Post demonetisation, Manjit Singh, a farmer in Punjab, is grappling with a new financial reality — a queer mix of debit and credit in cashstarved villages where farmers are beginning to get some payments in cheques while their suppliers want currency notes. The vegetable and paddy farmer from Malerkotla is yet to receive Rs 35,000 from commission agents who took his produce. He has bought diesel and fertiliser on credit of Rs 20,000— half of it taken from somebody from whom he had never borrowed
before — a petrol pump owner. “I have to pay Rs 10,000 to the petrol pump owner for the diesel I bought, Rs 6,000 to the cooperative society and Rs 4,000 to the labourers.
The West Bengal government has decided to pay its rice farmers by directly transferring the amount to their bank accounts. The government,which is initiating such a move for the first time, hopes to start the process in all 330 blocks of the state from December 10. The state has earmarked Rs 8,000 crore to purchase 52 lakh metric tonnes of rice this year. “We will pay farmers Rs 1,490 for a quintal of rice. We will hold at least 70 camps to purchase rice in each of the 294 assembly constituencies,” Bengal Food and Civil Supplies Minister Jyotipriya Mallick said. “Instead of giving cheques, we have decided to transfer the money directly to their bank accounts.
Trading Recommendations
Epic Research Limited is a leading financial advisory services provider firm . We have a team of dedicated experts who are having good knowledge of share market. Our wide range of services includes : ncdex tips , stock tips, equity tips, forex tips and other stock market trading tips.To avail a quick free trial of our services call : +91 731 6642300. Also you can Whatsapp us at :7049084664
Our Office:411 Milinda Manor, 2 RNT Road, Indore 452001 .
For details of our services visit : http://www.epicresearch.co/ or mail us @ info@epicresearch.com
http://news.scoopasia.com/index.php/news/epic_research_daily_agri_commodity_report_of_08_december_2016
Asian rice merchants threaten CBN’s borrowers scheme
By The Nation
December 7,
2016
Unless the federal and state
governments act fast, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers Scheme
on rice may collapse.This is because some multinational companies see the
programme as a threat to their business of importing cheap and sub-standard
rice into the country.It was gathered that the multi-national companies and
their collaborators have sponsored by big time rice farmers and rice exporters
from Asian countries such as India, Indonesia and China to mop up paddy from
farmers and create scarcity in the local market
The aim is drive up the price of
locally parboiled rice and force the public to rise up against government’s
policy on rice importation.Under the programme, rice farmers who obtained
loans under the scheme will supply their produce to the anchor man, and the
money will be paid in 24 hours so that CBN can recover the loan. Under
the scheme, one ton of rice costs N65,000 but the Asians are going into Benue
farmlands to buy a ton of rice for N130,000.
MIKAP Nig.Limited which has a
rice plant in Makurfdi told The Nation on
phone that about 4,500 rice farmers under the scheme have sold their rice and
disappeared.“We don’t have a single paddy; the Indians are buying it on cash and
carry basis on the farms. Don’t forget we guaranteed these loans for them to
farm the rice and now we are being shortchanged by these Asians. I think the
federal and state government should do some thing,” its Senior Manager,
Aondongusha Apine, said.The implication is that CBN may not be able to recovere
the loan to rice farmers while the scheme will collapse.
http://www.yesafrica.biz/news/asian-rice-merchants-threaten-cbns-borrowers-scheme-87503
UAE’s Al Dahra Holding inaugurates rice factory
at Khalifa Industrial Zone
Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hazza Bin
Zayed Al Nahyan Al Dahra Kohinoor's factory set to produce up to 120,000 metric
tonnes of rice per annum The largest and only fully-automated rice factory of
its kind in the Gulf region
Owned by Al Dahra Kohinoor, a subsidiary of Al
Dahra Holding, the factory spans a total area of 100,106 square meters at KIZAD
and will be handling the full production cycle of rice that includes milling,
storage, packaging as well as distribution within the UAE and exporting to
foreign markets via the adjacent Khalifa Port.
The AED 140-million facility will produce up to 120,000 metric tonnes of
rice per annum with 40 silos; each boasting a 750-ton capacity. It also
features storage facilities with a capacity of 8,000 tonnes, a processing unit,
in addition to administrative offices and support facilities. Moreover, the
company aims to create a strategic rice reserve in Abu Dhabi of about 30,000
metric tonnes.
HE Khadim Abdulla Al Darei, Vice Chairman and
Managing Director of Al Dahra Holding, said: “We are proud of launching Al
Dahra Kohinoor’s factory today. Being the largest in the region and the only
factory of its kind that utilises full automation of rice production, Al Dahra
Kohinoor will benefit greatly from its strategic location at KIZAD and proximity
to Khalifa Port which will help it sustain the supply of high quality products
to customers in affordable prices. Al Dahra Kohinoor strategically supports the
vision of our wise leadership to achieve food security in Abu Dhabi, which
reflects our commitment to boosting the industrial sector in order to diversify
the economy in line with Abu Dhabi’s strategic plan for economic development.
"
On this occasion, Captain Al Shamisi commented: “Launching Al Dahra
Kohinoor’s factory at KIZAD today is a monumental achievement that
significantly contributes to the long-term vision of the Abu Dhabi Government
to achieve food supply security and sustainability. KIZAD plays a vital role in
the realisation of this vision and promoting local food produce as it offers a
purpose-built infrastructure that strategically connects businesses with
regional and international consumers through Khalifa Port and other major
transportation networks in Abu Dhabi,” “Within the food production industry,
KIZAD has achieved remarkable progress by attracting some of the biggest names
in the industry along Al Dahra Holding.
I would
like to congratulate Al Dahra Holding on their new milestone and look forward
to working together to encourage more local production of food,” he added. The
factory will benefit from a vertically integrated supply chain that guarantees
the sourcing of the finest quality Basmati and non-Basmati rice from India and
Pakistan. Al Dahra Holding is a prominent leader in agribusiness; specialising
in the cultivation, production and trading of animal feed and essential human
food commodities such as rice, flour, fruits and vegetables. The group owns and
operates a large asset base including a land bank of 200 thousand acres, 8
forage pressing and production plants, 4 rice milling plants and 2 flour
milling plants.
-Ends- About Al Dahra Holding Al Dahra Holding
is a prominent leader in the agribusiness sector, specializing in the
cultivation, production and trading of animal feed and essential human food
commodities. With an annual production capacity of 2 million metric tons, Al
Dahra Feed Division caters for the needs of the dairy industry and cattle
growers. The group owns and operates a large portfolio of forage cultivation
lands, processing and baling facilities in the United States, Spain, South
Africa, Egypt and Pakistan. It further operates a major forage sourcing,
trading and distribution hub out of Italy. Through diversified geographic
presence, Al Dahra continues to execute on its all-year supply strategy, offering
the highest quality feed to strategic markets such as Asia, the Middle East and
Africa. Al Dahra has made considerable investments in the production, packaging
and marketing of grains.
With a
stake in Kohinoor Foods, a leading rice producer in India and a fully owned
subsidiary in Pakistan, Al Dahra is a key player in the rice supply and trading
business with four rice mills and about 400,000 tons annual production
capacity. In addition, Al Dahra is a shareholder in Loulis Mills, an expert in
wheat milling and flour production based in Greece, producing more than 200,000
tons of flour annually. As part of its fruits and vegetables offering, Al Dahra
cultivates wheat, potatoes, corn and various citrus fruits in Egypt in addition
to dates in Namibia and the UAE and olives in Morocco. Al Dahra has also
entered into partnership with Rudnap group for apples cultivation in Serbia and
with Albert Bartlett group based in the United Kingdom for the cultivation of
potatoes. Moreover, Al Dahra is focused on diversifying its investment strategy
and has made strong alliances and partnerships within the logistics and supply
chain sector and the Chemicals sector.
Author Name: http://www.zawya.com/
Date: 06-Dec-2016
Production of organic Basmati in Haryana
By Govinda - December 7, 2016
Rice is the staple food for most of the people in the world. To
get more quantity of production, farmers are using chemicals and artificial
fertilizers, while ignoring the quality of the produce. They are forgetting
traditional ways of organic farming and are practicing unhealthy ways of
cultivation to get more yields. But exceptions are everywhere. Sunil Kumar, a
farmer of progressive thinking, of Salwan village, district Karnal in Haryana
state, took a bold experimental step in the field of paddy production. While
interacting with Riceoutlook (monthly magazine) he told that he had used
self-prepared organic pesticide made of butter milk, (lassi) and gaumutra
(Urine of Indian Cow). Sunil Kumar explained that a small brass utensil is
placed in a container with 5 kg lassi (butter milk) for 20 -25 days. After this
duration gaumutra (urine of Indian cow) is mixed in lassi and this mixture is
ready to be used as organic pesticide in fields, through spray pumps. This
homemade pesticide will produce organic Basmati rice which is free from
chemicals and full of nutrition.
Sunil Kumar told riceoutlook, a
monthly magazine exclusive on rice, that he has also prepared organic
fertilizer for cultivation by adding gaumutra (urine of Indian cow) to the
mixture of 5 kg stale butter milk (lassi), 5 kgs of cow dung, 1kg of old
chemical free soil, 1kg of stale Gur (made out of sugar cane juice) and 500
grams of wheat flour. All the 5 ingredients are mixed well to get the organic
fertilizer ready for use after mixing it with 50 kgs of kitchen ash. Sunil
Kumar further explained another type of pesticide made by bitter leaves of 6
different trees.
Dr Pardeep Meel, Deputy Director of Agriculture Department, told
to riceoutlook that the farmers should use organic fertilizers and organic
pesticides for the production of crops to save people from chronic ailments
such as cancer, respiratory problems and skin diseases. He explained that the
friendly organisms are present in the soil along with the harmful insects and
with the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers; the natural biological
control of soil is destroyed.Dr Sunil Bzad, S.D.A.O. of Agri. Dept.
Karnal, said that he had
observed and monitored the production with homegrown organic innovations which
improve the quality of microorganisms. He observed that there is a 10-20%
increase in the output with this method.
