Regional Conservation Partnership Program: What's New for
Rice
Interview with USA Rice Stewardship Partnership
Coordinator Josh Hankins
USA Rice Daily: What's new
in the RCPP program?
Josh Hankins: The 2014 Farm Bill authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create the conservation program known as the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Since its inception, the RCPP has had four rounds of funding opportunities available for public and private entities. Acquiring this funding is a very competitive process, and to be successful requires a partnership willing to invest money, manpower, and materials in an innovative initiative to expand voluntary, private lands conservation.
USA Rice, through the USA Rice-Ducks Unlimited Rice Stewardship Partnership, had initial success with a 2015 RCPP project, Sustaining the Future of Rice, across all six major rice-growing states. The Partnership is in the process of completing that $10 million-project with hundreds of rice farmers expected to sign Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracts throughout the three-year life of its funding.
The most recent funding round brought in $15 million for two projects, one led by the Lower Colorado River Authority in Texas, and another led by USA Rice in the Mid-South. Both are incentivizing the implementation of working lands conservation programs targeting ricelands and neither would have been possible without the work of the Stewardship Partnership.
The USA Rice led program will have two application periods for funding across four states in the Mid-South. The first will be an EQIP offering, with the application process beginning later this year. The second will be a CSP offering, which will begin rolling out in 2018.
Daily: Can you share a success story or two?
JH: Our programs have three core areas of focus: water management, nutrient management, and winter habitat for wildlife. On the water management side, participants are encouraged to actively manage irrigation water, challenging them to rethink how they've irrigated in the past and facilitating the adoption of new techniques - something as simple as monitoring water depth on the fields with a float, recording pump duration and flow rates, and monitoring and recording rainfall during the irrigation season.
In most states participating in the program, we have implemented the program for one irrigation season. A rice farmer from Louisiana reports that the voluntary monitoring program allows him to take irrigation data he's never had before, compare it to fuel and energy costs for moving water, and have a benchmark to improve upon for this coming irrigation season to help save money, something that would not have occurred without the voluntary program.
On the wildlife habitat side, an Arkansas rice farmer captured rainfall on a field that has never been flooded during the winter months to provide migratory bird habitat, and recently sent photographs and video (above) of the field covered in ducks all thanks to RCPP.
Daily: Where will the next big farmer success story come from?
JH: The new irrigation technology being deployed can efficiently measure all inputs during the growing season, decrease the risk of mismanaging water and nutrients, and lower input costs and management time - but none of it has spent much time in rice fields. Our RCPP team of field staff is helping farmers navigate the implementation of this new technology, and as more farmers adopt it, more companies will begin manufacturing it, which will lead to lower prices and more options available. When that occurs we will start to see major changes across the Mid-South on how crops are irrigated. Our RCPP is a much needed shot in the arm to help expedite this process.
Daily: How can farmers learn about the different programs available to them?
JH: Your local Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) field offices are vital to the success of RCPP projects. My suggestion is get to know your local District Conservationist and the office staff; stop in and ask about their Conservation Planning services, that's a great place to start. They are often very familiar with the RCPP offerings in their areas, and can also help educate producers on other available programs. Our USA Rice and DU team is another great resource. We have worked hard to make these partnership programs a success, and that's something rice farmers can get excited about and participate in.
Josh Hankins: The 2014 Farm Bill authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create the conservation program known as the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Since its inception, the RCPP has had four rounds of funding opportunities available for public and private entities. Acquiring this funding is a very competitive process, and to be successful requires a partnership willing to invest money, manpower, and materials in an innovative initiative to expand voluntary, private lands conservation.
USA Rice, through the USA Rice-Ducks Unlimited Rice Stewardship Partnership, had initial success with a 2015 RCPP project, Sustaining the Future of Rice, across all six major rice-growing states. The Partnership is in the process of completing that $10 million-project with hundreds of rice farmers expected to sign Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracts throughout the three-year life of its funding.
The most recent funding round brought in $15 million for two projects, one led by the Lower Colorado River Authority in Texas, and another led by USA Rice in the Mid-South. Both are incentivizing the implementation of working lands conservation programs targeting ricelands and neither would have been possible without the work of the Stewardship Partnership.
The USA Rice led program will have two application periods for funding across four states in the Mid-South. The first will be an EQIP offering, with the application process beginning later this year. The second will be a CSP offering, which will begin rolling out in 2018.
Daily: Can you share a success story or two?
JH: Our programs have three core areas of focus: water management, nutrient management, and winter habitat for wildlife. On the water management side, participants are encouraged to actively manage irrigation water, challenging them to rethink how they've irrigated in the past and facilitating the adoption of new techniques - something as simple as monitoring water depth on the fields with a float, recording pump duration and flow rates, and monitoring and recording rainfall during the irrigation season.
In most states participating in the program, we have implemented the program for one irrigation season. A rice farmer from Louisiana reports that the voluntary monitoring program allows him to take irrigation data he's never had before, compare it to fuel and energy costs for moving water, and have a benchmark to improve upon for this coming irrigation season to help save money, something that would not have occurred without the voluntary program.
On the wildlife habitat side, an Arkansas rice farmer captured rainfall on a field that has never been flooded during the winter months to provide migratory bird habitat, and recently sent photographs and video (above) of the field covered in ducks all thanks to RCPP.
Daily: Where will the next big farmer success story come from?
JH: The new irrigation technology being deployed can efficiently measure all inputs during the growing season, decrease the risk of mismanaging water and nutrients, and lower input costs and management time - but none of it has spent much time in rice fields. Our RCPP team of field staff is helping farmers navigate the implementation of this new technology, and as more farmers adopt it, more companies will begin manufacturing it, which will lead to lower prices and more options available. When that occurs we will start to see major changes across the Mid-South on how crops are irrigated. Our RCPP is a much needed shot in the arm to help expedite this process.
Daily: How can farmers learn about the different programs available to them?
JH: Your local Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) field offices are vital to the success of RCPP projects. My suggestion is get to know your local District Conservationist and the office staff; stop in and ask about their Conservation Planning services, that's a great place to start. They are often very familiar with the RCPP offerings in their areas, and can also help educate producers on other available programs. Our USA Rice and DU team is another great resource. We have worked hard to make these partnership programs a success, and that's something rice farmers can get excited about and participate in.
Surface ozone pollution damages rice production in China
March 14, 2017 by
Pat Bailey
Credit: Earth100/Wikipeidia
High levels of surface ozone are
damaging rice yields at an alarming rate in China, the world's largest
agricultural producer and one of its most polluted nations, report researchers
at the University of California, Davis, and in China.
For the first time, the research
team identified a specific stage of the rice plant's development as being
vulnerable to ozone pollution, which they warn has the
potential to impact the international rice market and compromise global food
security.
"As ozone levels increase in
China, this form of pollution threatens to not only decrease the nation's rice
production but also
affect the broad, global rice market," said the study's lead author Colin
Carter, a professor of agricultural and resource economics at UC Davis.
"In order to better design
regulatory policies that help alleviate ozone pollution and protect China's rice crop,
it's essential to develop a better understanding of the complex relationship
between ozone and rice production," said Carter, whose research has for
many years focused on China's grain markets.
Findings from the new study are
reported today in Nature's Scientific Reports.
Rice production in China
Rice is China's most important
agricultural crop. In 2015, China's rice crop was 206.4 million metric tons, 30
percent of the global crop that year.
Although it is aiming to achieve 95
percent self-sufficiency in rice, China is now the world's largest rice
importer and is expected to continue in that position for the next decade.
Around the world, most rice is
consumed within the countries where it is grown, leaving only 8 percent of
global rice production to be traded internationally in an average year. This
causes the price of rice sold on the international market to be extremely
sensitive to small changes in production.
Ozone pollution and rice
productivity
Surface ozone refers to the ozone
found in the troposphere—Earth's lowest atmospheric layer extending about 20
kilometers, or nearly 12.5 miles, above sea level. This surface ozone lies
below "the ozone layer," which occurs in the Earth's stratosphere, or
upper atmosphere.
With China's rapid growth and
development in recent decades, more vehicles, power plants and refineries have
been emitting nitrogen oxides—the chemical building blocks for atmospheric
ozone.
For this study, the researchers
examined existing air quality data as well as rice yield statistics from the
2006, 2008 and 2010 growing seasons in five provinces of Southeast China.
The researchers designed their
model to take into account annual variations such as weather, fertilizer use
and natural disasters, which also could impact rice yield. They found that for
every additional day when the surface ozone level topped 120 parts per billion,
there was a 1.12 percent loss in rice yield, compared to every additional day
when surface ozone was less than 60 parts per billion.
"If this level of rice yield
reduction occurred throughout all of China, it would lead to the loss of about
2 million metric tons of rice annually, which equals about one-third of China's
current annual rice imports," Carter said.
Seasonal timing key to ozone's rice
crop damage
Interestingly, the researchers
discovered that the harmful effects of ozone
pollution were not the
same for every stage of the rice
plant's development. In fact, the increased levels of ozone only led
to rice yield reductions during the time when the rice plants were forming
their "panicles," the flowering spikes at the tip of the rice stalks,
where the grain eventually forms.
"This is important because it
indicates that regulatory policies can be most effective in protecting rice
yields if they address
the period of time when rice plants are in the panicle-formation
stage of growth," Carter said.
More information: Colin A. Carter et al. Stage-specific, Nonlinear Surface Ozone
Damage to Rice Production in China, Scientific
Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1038/srep44224
Piñol urges North Cotabato
farmers to plant hybrid rice
MARCH 14, 2017
The Department of Agriculture
(DA) urged farmers in North Cotabato to use hybrid seeds to increase their
paddy-rice production and help the government attain its sufficiency goal by
2020.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F.
Piñol recently visited North Cotabato to attend the fourth National Rice
Technology Forum held in M’lang. Piñol was joined by rice experts who helped
him promote the use of hybrid seeds.
The promotion of hybrid rice
seeds is one of the strategies being pursued by the DA to increase paddy rice
output, Piñol told participants during the opening program.
Aside from the use of hybrid-rice
seeds, Piñol said the government would implement three other strategies: access
to credit/loans; access to right marketing; and the provision of postharvest
facilities.“To determine which [hybrid-rice] variety produces more yield per
hectare, the DA will launch a rice derby contenst,” he said.
The result, Piñol said, would
serve as the government’s guide as to what variety to distribute to farmers. In
line with this initiative, he said the DA has forged partnership with private
seed companies to assist in technology transfer.
To provide easy access to credit
and financial assistance, he said the DA has proposed to Congress the enactment
of a Quick Credit Facility (QCF) that will help both farmers and fishermen.
Under the QCF, farmers and fishermen may avail a P25,000 per hectare financial
assistance.“The DA, through the Agricultural Credit and Policy Council, has
also launched the Survival and Recovery [SURE] Assistance Program for
calamity-stricken farmers and fishermen. SURE does not require collateral, has
zero interest, and is payable in three years,” Piñol said.
He said the DA will also organize
rice farmers into “highly functioning organizations” and assist them in
setting-up farmer-owned rice outlets in key areas. “Through this strategy, the
DA aims to eliminate unnecessary layers in the market system.”
In his message, Piñol said “the
government will not give equipment which does not work and which you [farmers]
do not need.”
As such, the DA will prioritize
the distribution of “useful and efficient” postharvest facilities.
Aside from distributing
agriculture machinery, the DA is seeking a P20-billion budget next year for the
distribution of solar irrigation system, which forms part of the rice expansion
program for 2017.
“The DA has to irrigate 80,000
hectares every year to be able to feed the growing number of Filipinos,” Piñol
said.
An additional 20,000 hectare to
30,000 hectare expansion program is targeted for 2018
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/pinol-urges-n-cotabato-farmers-to-plant-hybrid-rice/
S.Korea buys 100,000 T of rice for May-June
arrival
Reuters | Mar 14, 2017, 02.35 PM IST
SEOUL, March 14 (Reuters) - South Korea bought a total of 100,000 tonnes of non-glutinous rice for
arrival between May and June, according to state-run Agro-Fisheries & Food
Trade Corp website on Tuesday (http://www.at.or.kr). The state-run agency
purchased the rice products via a tender that closed on March 7.
Details of the purchase are as follows: TONNES(M/T) GRAIN TYPE
SUPPLIER PRICE/T 10,000 Brown Short THE GROUND KOREA $820.90 20,000 Brown Short THE
GROUND KOREA $827.90 10,000 Brown Long Posco Daewoo Corp $418.88 22,222 Brown Medium Philasun Co Ltd $636.52 15,556 Brown Medium Philasun Co Ltd $642.30 11,111 Brown Medium Posco Daewoo Corp $605.60 11,111 Brown Medium Sinsong Food Corp $594.33 *Note: The state-run agency bought the brown medium rice
products from the U.S., the brown short rice from Vietnam and the brown long rice from Thailand. (Reporting by Jane Chung; Editing by
Sunil Nair)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/s-korea-buys-100000-t-of-rice-for-may-june-arrival/articleshow/57629226.cms As Drought Slashes Rice Harvest, 900,000 Face Hunger in Sri Lanka
March 13, 2017 9:43 PM
FILE - A laborer tries to open a
door at a store room as he carries sacks of rice near a main market in Colombo,
Sri Lanka, Feb. 21, 2017.
COLOMBO —
The worst drought in five years
has pushed 900,000 people in Sri Lanka into acute food insecurity, the World
Food Program (WFP) says.
An unpublished survey conducted
by government agencies and relief organizations in February found that both
food insecurity and debt were rising sharply among families hit by drought, the
WFP office in Sri Lanka confirmed to Reuters.
The country's rice harvest could
be the worst in 40 years, charity Save the Children predicted. The
just-completed harvest was 63 percent below normal, it said.
The survey found that over
one-third of the drought-affected households had seen their income drop by half
since September, and 60 percent of the households surveyed were in debt.
The average amount of debt was
about 180,000 Sri Lankan rupees, or $1,200, WFP said.
The survey findings are expected
to be formally released later this month.
Sri Lanka's government said over
1.2 million people have been affected by the country's current drought, which
began last November and continues despite some occasional rainfall over the
last two months.
Save the Children estimates that
over 600,000 of those affected — two-thirds of the total — are children.
The Western and Northern
Provinces have been worst hit, with over 400,000 people struggling with drought
in each province.
Rice harvest halved
Government and WFP assessments
suggest Sri Lanka's 2017 rice harvest could be less than half the 3 million
metric tons recorded last year.The government has already taken steps to
increase rice imports to stave off shortages, Disaster Management Minister
Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said.
"We have a shortfall in the
rice harvest. We have been taking action to prevent any shortfalls and will
allow for tax-free rice imports until the harvest recovers," he said.
Worst-affected by the drought
have been farmers and those relying on agricultural work for income. The joint
WFP and government survey indicated that one out of five farmers and one out of
four farm laborers is now classified as food insecure in the drought region.
Preliminary data in the survey
also indicated that female-headed households in drought areas were faring worse
than others, with almost 20 percent reporting "poor" to
"borderline" ability to access enough food as a result of the
drought.
Yapa said that the government was
devising a plan to help those affected and "we will begin cash assistance
very soon."
The initial plan is to provide
500,000 persons with cash assistance, he said. The government has so far set
aside 8 billion rupees ($52 million) for cash-for-work programs in drought-hit
areas.
Over 50 million rupees ($300,000)
has been allocated to distribute water to affected populations in 22 of the
island's 25 districts, he said.
The drought is expected to
continue into April, according to seasonal forecasting by the Meteorological
Department.
"The big rains will come with the next monsoon," which
is expected to arrive in late May, said Lalith Chandrapala, director general of
the Meteorological Department
http://www.voanews.com/a/drought-slashes-rice-harvest-nine-hundred-thousand-people-face-hunger-sri-lanka/3764774.html
UN Pushes
'Smart Crops' as Rice Alternative to Tackle Hunger in Asia
March 14, 2017 10:40 PM
FILE - A worker carries a bale of dry millet at a field on the
outskirts of the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, Nov. 17, 2011.
JAKARTA —
Asia needs to make extra efforts
to defeat hunger after progress has slowed in the last five years, including
promoting so-called "smart crops" as an alternative to rice, the head
of the U.N. food agency in the region said.
Kundhavi Kadiresan,
representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Asia, said the
region needs to focus on reaching the most marginalized people, such as the
very poor or those living in mountainous areas.
The Asia-Pacific region halved
the number of hungry people from 1990 to 2015 but the rate of progress slowed
in many countries - such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Cambodia - in
the last five years, according to a December FAO report.
"The last mile is always
difficult.. so extra efforts, extra resources and more targeted interventions
are needed," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on the sidelines of a
business forum on food security in Jakarta on Tuesday.
She said government and
businesses needed to develop policies to help make food more affordable, while
changing Asians' diets that rely heavily on rice.
"We have focused so much on
rice that we haven't really looked at some of those crops like millets, sorghum
and beans," she said.
A campaign is underway to promote
these alternatives as "smart crops" to make them more attractive,
Kadiresan said.
"We are calling them smart
crops to get people not to think about them as poor people's food but smart
people's food," she said, adding that they are not only nutritious but
also more adaptable to climate change.
Soaring rice prices, slowing
economic expansion and poorer growth in agricultural productivity have been
blamed for the slowdown in efforts to tackle hunger.
More than 60 percent of the
world's hungry are in Asia-Pacific, while nearly one out of three children in
the region suffers from stunting, according to the FAO.
Achieving zero hunger by 2030 is one of the U.N.'s Sustainable
Development Goals adopted by member states in 2015
Checks for
rice exporters
More than 40 rice millers have
applied for quality checks to allow for export to China but most have not yet
reached a high enough standard, the Agriculture Ministry said.
Applications were received in a
second call for expressions of interest after 28 millers gained certification
in the first round.Hean Vanhan, director-general of the ministry’s general
directorate of agriculture, said most of the millers have not done enough
preparation for the quality checks.
“The Agriculture Ministry will
conduct a workshop this month to help them learn about the policies and
preparation for the checks,” he said.“We want to help them pass the inspections
for quality checks made by our officials and Chinese experts.”He added that the
ministry will send officials to check rice millers’ quality three weeks after
the workshop.
Mr. Vanhan said he was not sure
how long the quality checks by local officials and Chinese experts would take,
but said millers which passed in the second round will join the other 28 in
shipping 200,000 metric tons a year to China.He also said that millers who
failed in the first round are among the 40.
The ministry started their
inspection of 60 millers in October, and in November, a group of Chinese
experts inspected the quality and safety of the 28 successful rice mills during
a week-long visit in Cambodia. All of them passed.But only 18 of them were
given priority to export rice to China due to their experience of Chinese
markets, according to Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF).
“After a discussion between the
Chinese company COFCO, CRF, and Green Trade from December, in Beijing, three
parties agreed to allow the first 18 local rice mills to start fulfilling the
export quota as most of these companies have experience exporting rice to China
in the past,” Hun Lak, CRF vice president said previously.
China tops the biggest markets
for Cambodia’s milled rice last year, with the country’s total 542,144 metric
tons, 127,000 metric tons of which were shipped to China.Cambodian milled rice
exports reached 109,000 metric tons in the first two months this year, up 14
percent over a year before, according to the ministry’s month report. Of this,
46,000 metric tons were sent to China.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/36362/checks-for-rice-exporters/
Venezuelan
rice ship sinking offshore Essequibo
The coast guard and other relevant authorities are still
investigating the matter of a ship that began sinking a few miles off the
Essequibo Coast around Wednesday of last week.
The ship is currently going down approximately two miles off the
shore of the Devonshire Castle Hampton Court area on the Essequibo
Coast.Investigations revealed that the vessel of Venezuelan origin was
transporting rice back to that country at the time of the incident. According
to local fishermen, the stern of the vessel is currently under water whilst the
bow remains afloat. It is believed that the ship sprang a leak whilst out on
the ocean. Due to high tides and enormous waves, the vessel was washed closer
to shore. The crew on board the vessel (all Venezuelan nationals) was rescued
without any serious casualties. Though a huge quantity of the rice was
destroyed by salt water, it was reported that those rescuing the crew were also
helping themselves to the rice on board.
Since the new administration took office in 2015 the Oil for Rice agreement between Guyana and Venezuela came reached its conclusion. Though the leaders of these two countries refuse to renew the agreement, the citizens of both Venezuela and Guyana continue to collaborate behind the scenes. In secrecy Guyanese continue to provide food for Venezuelans, and Venezuelans continue to provide fuel for Guyanese.
However these recent mishaps do not appear to be a coincidence. Just last month another vessel smuggling fuel to Guyana was confiscated.
http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2017/03/14/venezuelan-ship-sinking-offshore-essequibo/
Sunken vessel had been reported in distress
earlier this month- MARAD official
The wreckage of a vessel which sank last week off the Essequibo
Coast reportedly laden with rice for Venezuela.
A Venezuela-flagged vessel
had been seen listing offshore Essequibo since earlier this month, but
apparently it had not been located by Guyanese officials
Director General of the Maritime Administration, Claudette
Rogers told Demerara Waves Online News that her entity was notified on March 9
that the MV Dona Marta was listing (leaning) and contact was made with the
Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard.
Sources said the Venezuelan crew members are all safe.
Based on preliminary information gleaned, the vessel did not
report its arrival or departure from Guyanese waters , and only sounded a
distress call when it was sinking.All vessels entering and leaving Guyana’s
waters are required to report to the Lighthouse.Rogers stressed that the focus
now is to establish the coordinates of the wreck, located off Walton Hall/
Devonshire Castle villages, and dispatch a notice to all mariners for safety
reasons.
One of the rice exporters, Wazeer Hussain, told Demerara Waves
Online News that more than one rice exporters’ cargo was aboard the MV Dona
Marta. Hussein said he had about 100 tons of grain aboard the vessel. Hussain
said he was told that Venezuelan officials are expected to visit the partly
submerged vessel.The MV Dona Marta was shipping rice from Guyana to
Venezuela under a private arrangement, although the bilateral rice-fuel barter
between the two countries was scrapped in 2015 at the height of a row over that
Spanish-speaking neighbour’s claim to Essequibo and the Atlantic sea off that
region
https://demerarawaves.com/2017/03/14/sunken-vessel-had-been-reported-in-distress-earlier-this-month-marad-official/
Average Price of 1kg of Rice Increased by 68% YoY in February
2017
Tuesday,
March 14, 2017 10:03 AM/NBS
Selected food price watch data for February 2016 reflected that the average price of 1 dozen of Agric eggs medium size increased year-on-year by 53.33% and month-on-month by 1.40% to N520.16 in February 2017 from N512.99 in January 2017 while the average price of piece of Agric eggs medium size increased year-on-year by 43.03% and decreased month-on-month by 9.52% to N42.90 in February 2017 from N47.42 in January 2017.
The average price of 1kg of tomato increased year-on-year by 13.13% and decreased month-on-month by 4.41% to N236.62 in February 2017 from N247.55 in January 2017.
The average price of 1kg of rice (imported high quality sold loose) increased year-on-year by 68.10% and month-on-month by 2.13% to N410.58 in February 2017 from N402.01 in January 2017.
Similarly, the average price of 1kg of yam tuber increased year-on-year by 43.92% and month-on-month by 2.36% to N215.55 in February 2017 from N210.58 in January 2017
https://www.proshareng.com/news/Agriculture/Average-Price-of-1kg-of-Rice-Increased-by-68Percent-YoY-in-February-2017/34023
Iraqi Experiences Increased Production of Rice and Sunflower
production in 2016
In a report, the rice production for 2016 reached 181.3 thousand
tons, while the sunflower production reached to 0.9 thousand tons.
Baghdad/ Iraq TradeLink: Iraqi
Statistics Department announced the increase in rice and sunflower
production for 2016.
production for 2016.
In a
report, the rice production for 2016 reached 181.3 thousand tons, while the
sunflower production reached to 0.9 thousand tons.In 2008, Iraq initiated the
Agricultural initiative to develop agriculture in the country with a time limit
of 10 years to reach self-sufficiency in the strategic products
In a report, the rice production for 2016
reached 181.3 thousand tons, while the sunflower production reached to 0.9
thousand tons.Baghdad/ Iraq TradeLink: Iraqi Statistics Department announced
the increase in rice and sunflower
production for 2016.
In a report, the rice production for 2016
reached 181.3 thousand tons, while the sunflower production reached to 0.9
thousand tons.In 2008, Iraq initiated the Agricultural initiative to develop
agriculture in the country with a time limit of 10 years to reach
self-sufficiency in the strategic products
http://www.rebuildingiraq.net/news/view/36799-Iraqi-Experiences-Increased-Production-of-Rice-and-Sunflower-production-in-2016
Boiling down
the basics of rice
Gholam Rahman
Bought in big bags from Costco, we use basmati rice
for our daily use – plain rice or pilaf.Photo by GHOLAM RAHMAN
In many aspects of life, as well
as in cooking, it often happens that what we nonchalantly take to be a simple
and everyday job turns out in reality to be not so simple at all, that is if
you want to do it well. There is actually a phrase in my dual mother tongues of
Urdu and Bengali for such a sans-souci stance – “Daal-Bhaat,” which means
cooking lentils and rice, what people in my erstwhile home in the eastern part
of the Indian subcontinent do every day, almost by rote.
It is the rice half that I am
really talking about today, an item that Americans also are embracing more and
more. You would think what could be simpler than boiling a pot of rice? But to
do it well, so that the grains stand separate while cooked fully, it takes a
bit of know-how and patience. Mind you I am not talking about sticky rice,
which by its very name is intended to turn lumpy, but about the Indian aromatic
and long-grain basmati, billed as the Champagne of rices. Or even even American
long-grain rices for that matter.
There are two basic ways of
cooking rice: the first, the absorption method, in which all the liquid gets
absorbed into the grains by the time they are cooked; the second, the
lots-of-water method, in which you cook with the pot filled with water and when
the grains test done, the excess water is fully drained – somewhat like cooking
pasta.
We always do it the second way,
not just because it is easier and more foolproof, but because it helps minimize
the arsenic residue that is found in almost all raw rice, although basmati from
the Indian subcontinent has much lesser amount of arsenic as compared with most
American rice. This chemical’s presence actually comes from the soil’s natural
characteristics rather than any chicanery by the growers or sellers.
We eat rice perhaps four to five
days a week, on the average, but only for lunch, mostly plain boiled rice with
vegetables, daal, chicken, fish and beef – probably in that order – curried in
various ways. But the rice is always basmati, a bit more expensive perhaps. To
cut cost, we buy the 20-pound bag from Costco. Here is how we cook it – mostly
my wife Kaisari, one of the long list of graduates from my sainted Mom’s
“cooking school.”
—-
FOOLPROOF COOKED RICE
1½ to 2 cups basmati rice
About 10 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1. Soak the rice in large bowl with enough water to cover by a
couple of inches for 30 to 60 minutes. With both hands, swish and scrub the
rice, then wash it in several changes of water until the water runs clear.
Drain and put the rice in a large heavy nonstick or stainless-steel pot over
medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and oil. Add the water and stir.
2. Raise heat and bring the pot to a rolling boil. Reduce heat,
give the pot a stir to set the grains in a circular swirl and let the rice cook
at a smart simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes, giving it a circular stir a couple
of times.
3. Test a few rice grains every 20 to 30 seconds after the first 6
minutes; the rice is done when the grains offer just a bit of resistance to the
teeth but have no gritty feel at the core. Drain in a large wire strainer or
colander with small holes. Serve hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
If you use rice often – even
though not as frequently as we do – I wouldn’t advise you to use the absorption
method to avoid arsenic. Of course an exception is the pilaf, which is always
cooked by the absorption method; but then who eats pilaf so often?
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/lifestyles/food--cooking/boiling-down-the-basics-rice/usLzvqc3hOrWFfdg83bqKN/
Problems
continuing with Burma seed paddy
By STAFF WRITER March 14, 2017
Dear Editor,
I hope this letter can reach the eyes of the Government, the
Minister of Agriculture and the Chairman and Board of Directors of the Guyana
Rice Development Board (GRDB).
Farmers continue to face grave problems with the seed paddy
purchased from the GRDB, Burma Rice Research Station over the past year.
On numerous occasions several hundred bags of seed paddy purchased
from the GRDB, Burma Rice Research Station did not germinate or if it
germinated the % germination was far below the requisite levels. When this
happens the farmers suffer the losses or the board suffers the loss in revenue.
It is alleged that in the seed production, standard operating
procedures were not adhered to resulting in either the seeds not being
harvested at the correct time from the fields, at the correct moisture content,
or dried and stored properly leading to damage of the embryo in the seed.
Further, the required labels on the bags to tell the quality of
seed paddy and % germination of the seed lot were totally absent. So farmers do
not have an option but to accept what was in the bag. Fortunately I had a close
examination of the poor germinating seed paddy and saw evidence of a large
amount of shelled grains, broken grains, pieces of clay soil and discoloured
grains present in the bags of seed paddy sold as C1 and C11 grade.
The time has come for the Government, the Minister of Agriculture,
Hon. Noel Holder, the Chairman and Board of Directors of GRDB to get involved
and seriously look into this present situation and stop taking these lame
excuses as to why the seed paddy quality provided to farmers is not up to
standard from the Burma Rice Research Station since the board is spending large
sums of money om seed paddy production every year.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address supplied)
https://www.stabroeknews.com/2017/opinion/letters/03/14/problems-continuing-burma-seed-paddy/
Rice Research To Production
Course 2017!
An amazing opportunity to learn
all aspects of rice production at the International Rice Research Institute.Stay tuned here
for updates and deadlines to apply: https://ricediversity.org/outreach/course/
http://leachlab.agsci.colostate.edu/2017/03/14/rice-research-to-production-course-2017/
USA Rice presents to research
board
Tuesday
Ward provided the board with the financial report and results of
the audits for all five organizations overseen by USA Rice, and also gave an
update on opportunities and challenges the U.S. rice industry faces, including
the impact of priorities coming out of the Trump Administration on trade, food
aid and the upcoming Farm Bill.
USA staff Betsy
Ward, Michael Klein,and Hugh Maginnis presented the annual USA Rice Council
report to the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board (ARRPB) last week.
Ward provided
the board with the financial report and results of the audits for all five
organizations overseen by USA Rice, and also gave an update on opportunities
and challenges the U.S. rice industry faces, including the impact of priorities
coming out of the Trump Administration on trade, food aid and the upcoming Farm
Bill. Klein shared highlights of recent domestic promotion activities,
including chef farm and mill tours that have resulted in U.S.-grown rice being
called out on restaurant menus, while Maginnis reported on international
markets and programs, including an active tender in Iraq and increasing market
access in markets such as Colombia and Haiti.
The ARRPB is
made up of nine rice producers who are nominated by industry organizations and
appointed to two-year terms by the governor. The board is responsible for
allocating Arkansas rice promotion and research check-off funds annually, and
for the past 30 plus years, the ARRPB has awarded promotion funds to the USA
Rice Council in recognition of the exemplary work performed by the Council on
behalf of Arkansas rice farmers.
"I
appreciated the opportunity to report on work made possible by the financial resources
entrusted to us by Arkansas," Ward said. "On behalf of USA Rice, I
also want to thank the Arkansas rice farmers and industry members who serve on
the USA Rice Council board and on USA Rice domestic and international promotion
committees. Their participation is vital to USA Rice's member-driven process
for program development and implementation."
After the presentations on
promotion results and USA Rice financials, the ARRPB approved the USA Rice
Council's request for funding in the fiscal year Aug. 1, 2017 to July 31, 2018.
http://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/news/20170314/usa-rice-presents-to-research-board
Innovation on show at
rice research event
+5
LEARNING ALL ABOUT IT: Participants at the recent
Rice Field Day in Jerilderie were able to gain plenty from the experience.
Photo: Contributed
INNOVATION within the rice industry was on show at the industry’s premier
research showcase event. A rice field day at “Old Coree” in Jerilderie was
held last week, with more than 350 rice growers and agribusiness
professionals attending.
The theme for 2017 was
“Tradition, Technology, Productivity – A Balancing Act”.
Participants said the event was beneficial
to their business and reflected the importance of continual innovation in the
rice industry.The event is held annually and is designed to showcase the latest
in rice research and technological advancements in rice growing. For the second consecutive year it
also included a business and innovation forum.
Rice Research and
Development Committee chairman Ian Mason said the event was structured to
reflect the importance maintaining and increasing grower profitability.
“Some of the highlights this year
at the field day included the latest information on rice R&D, innovation,
new perspectives on agriculture and a SunRice grower update,” he said.
“R&D topics such as the
evolution to aerobic rice and remote sensing for nitrogen management were covered
throughout the morning’s field visits and proved to be of interest to growers
who attended.“This is a very important date for rice growers every year and
this year we had a fantastic range of speakers to assist Australian rice
growers to be smarter farmers and better equipped to make decisions, both in
the paddock and the office.”One of the day’s presenters, Brian Dunn, spoke of
remote sensing for nitrogen management.
“The day was a great opportunity
to interact with growers and discuss some of the innovative uses growers can
use drones for,” he said.
“The use of drones and remote
sensing in agriculture is promising many benefits, but it is important that
their use can provide increased productivity and profitability in the rice
industry.”A cooking demonstration of a simple, healthy and quick Mediterranean
chicken with rice and quinoa by television cook, Zoe Bingley-Pullin was also
enjoyed.
http://www.therural.com.au/story/4530965/innovation-on-show-at-rice-research-event/
