Wednesday, July 12, 2017

12th July,2017 daily global,regional local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine

 


Pakistan agrees to provide 25,000 MT to Sri lanka ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has agreed to initially providing 25,000 matric ton non basmati rice to Sri Lanka on urgent basis, that would be procured on government to government basis. A delegation of Sri Lanka arrived here on Monday (July 10) to negotiate with the Pakistani team to finalize the issue of exporting 300,000 tons rice to Sri Lanka.
A high level Sri Lankan delegation led by Secretary Ministry of Commerce and industry, Chinthaka S. Lokuhetti started bilateral negotiations for reaching the final agreements to export non-basmati rice to Sri Lanka, Senior official of ministry of commerce told APP here on Tuesday.
A meeting in this regard held here in ministry of Commerce headed by Secretary Commerce Younas Dhaga in which the two side also discussed about signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Trade Corporation of Pakistan and Cooperative Wholesal Establishment(CWE) of Sri Lanka for sullying commodities. The Chairman TCP, Mushtaq Ahmed Sheikh and representatives of local rice association also participated in negotiation.
He said that domestic production of rice in Sri Lanka was low and they are willing to import non Basmati rice from Pakistan. It may be mentioned here that Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was operational from 2005. He said under the FTA, both of the country have already agreed to offer preferential market access to each others’ exports by way of granting tariff concessions.
Additionally, he said according to FTA, Sri Lanka would be able to enjoy duty free market access on 206 products in the Pakistani market including tea, rubber and coconut. Pakistan, in return, would gain duty free access on 102 products in the Sri Lankan market,including oranges, basmati/non basmati rice and engineering goods

http://nation.com.pk/business/11-Jul-2017/pakistan-agrees-to-provide-25-000-mt-to-sri-lanka

Cabinet approves establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South Asia Regional Center (ISARC) at campus of National Seed Research and Training Center (NSRTC) in Varanasi

 

Delhi 
1

Cabinet approves establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South Asia Regional Center (ISARC) at campus of National Seed Research and Training Center (NSRTC) in Varanasi 

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South Asia Regional Center (ISARC) at campus of National Seed Research and Training Center (NSRTC) in Varanasi. 

Under the proposal, a Centre of Excellence in Rice Value Addition (CERVA) will be set up in Varanasi. This will include a modern and sophisticated laboratory with capacity to determine quality and status of heavy metals in grain and straw. The Centre will also undertake capacity building exercises for stakeholders across the rice value chain. 

This Center will be the first international Center in the eastern India and it will play a major role in harnessing and sustaining rice production in the region. It is expected to be a boon for food production and skill development in the eastern India and similar ecologies in other South Asian and African countries. 

Benefits from ISARC 

The Centre will help in utilizing the rich biodiversity of India to develop special rice varieties. This will help India to achieve higher per hectare yields and improved nutritional contents. India's food and nutritional security issues will also be addressed. The Centre will support in adopting value chain based production system in the country. This will reduce wastage, add value and generate higher income for the farmers. The farmers in Eastern India will benefit in particular, besides those in South Asian and African countries. 

Management of ISARC 

ISARC will operate under the governance of the IRRI Board of Trustees who will appoint an appropriate IRRI staff member as Director. A Coordination Committee will be headed by Director General, IRRI as Chair and Secretary, Government of India, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DACFW) as Co-Chair. The other members of Coordination Committee are Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences), ICAR; Director, NSRTC; IRRI representative in India, representative of Government of UP and representatives of Governments of Nepal & Bangladesh and Private Sector. 

For setting up of the Centre, A Memorandum of Agreement, will be signed between DAC&FW and IRRI, Philippines. The Department of DAC&FW will provide physical space for laboratories, offices, training classes, etc. with associated infrastructure and land at NSRTC, Varanasi. The Centre will be commissioned within six months.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/government-press-release/cabinet-approves-establishment-of-the-international-rice-research-institute-irri-south-117071200746_1.html

BRIEF-Yuan Longping High-tech Agriculture plans south

 japonica rice research institute with partners

July 12 (Reuters) - Yuan Longping High-tech Agriculture Co Ltd :

* Says it plans to invest 25.5 million yuan to set up a Nanjing-based south japonica rice research institute with partners

* Says the institute is capitalized at 50 million yuan and the company will hold a 51 percent stake in it

http://www.reuters.com/article/brief-yuan-longping-high-tech-agricultur-idUSL4N1K33HB

Vietnam to attend Philippine rice tender
Vietnam will join a tender to supply 250,000 tons of rice for the Philippines, said Huynh The Nang, chairman of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).


Farmers harvest paddy (unhusked rice) in the Mekong Delta. Vietnam will join a tender to supply 250,000 tons of rice for the Philippines


The National Food Authority (NFA) of the Philippines last week announced a decision to call for bids for supply of 250,000 tons of 25% broken rice. The deadline for submission of bids is 10 a.m. on July 25.Winning bidders will have to deliver rice to the Philippines in August and September, which coincides with the lean season.

The Philippines is expected to spend 5.6 billion pesos to buy this volume of rice under a government-to-private (G2P) contract to guarantee competition and prevent corruption, instead of government-to-government as previously.At a recent conference on rice trade in Can Tho City, VFA chairman Nang said Vietnam might be selected to provide rice for the Philippines as the current rice stocks of Thailand, the major rival of Vietnam, total only 160,000 tons.In addition, Thai rice prices are higher than Vietnam’s, so chances are Vietnam can win the tender.Rice stocks in the Philippines, one of the world’s largest rice importers, have dipped to the lowest level in three years, and are enough to meet the demand in just six days.This will be the first Philippine rice tender this year.

 

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/181924/vietnam-to-attend-philippine-rice-tender.html

Lankan delegation in Pakistan to finalise export of 300,000MT of rice

 10 July 2017

A Sri Lankan delegation has arrived in Pakistan to  finalize the issue of exporting 300,000 tons rice to Sri Lanka.
A high level Sri Lankan delegation has started bilateral negotiations for reaching the final agreements to export non-basmati rice to Sri Lanka, Senior official of ministry of commerce told the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) on Monday.

A meeting in this regard would be held here Monday headed by Secretary Commerce Younas Dhaga in which the two side would discuss the modus operandi and procedure for exporting non-Basmati rice to Sri Lanka, he said.
Pakistan produces roughly 700,000 tons of rice annually, and is leading the regional countries in production of Basmati and non Basmati rice,official said.
He said the government would support the Sri Lankan delegation for talks at government to government, and government to business level.
The official said that Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and representative of local rice association were also participating in negotiation.
He said that domestic production of rice in Sri Lanka was low and they are willing to import non Basmati rice from Pakistan. It may be mentioned here that Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was operational from 2005.
He said under the FTA, both of the country have already agreed to offer preferential market access to each others’ exports by way of granting tariff concessions.
Additionally, he said according to FTA, Sri Lanka would be able to enjoy duty free market access on 206 products in the Pakistani market including tea, rubber and coconut. Pakistan, in return, would gain duty free access on 102
products in the Sri Lankan market,including oranges, basmati/non basmati rice and engineering goods
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/article/1027397/lankan-delegation-in-pakistan-to-finalise-export-of-300000mt-of-rice

Sri Lanka to purchase 25,000 tonnes of rice

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday agreed to export 25,000 tonnes of rice on an urgent basis to Sri Lanka which aims to meet its domestic shortfall due to drought.
The understanding was reached in a meeting bet­ween Secretary Commerce Younus Dhaga and his Sri Lankan counterpart Chint­haka S Lokuhetti.
An official statement issued after the meeting said Sri Lanka had requested to procure 300,000 tonnes rice from Pakistan on government-to-government basis.
Mr Dhaga informed the Sri Lankan delegation that Pakistan will initially provide at least 25,000 tonnes.
“We cannot meet the whole demand in one go due to the end of season,” Mr Dhaga commented.
For the remaining quantities, the trading arms of two countries – Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) in Sri Lanka – will discuss procurement schedule and price in Sept/Oct on the advent of new crop.
The two sides also discussed about signing a memorandum of understanding between TCP and CWE for supply of other commodities including sugar.
Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2017

 Sri Lanka to procure 300,000MT rice from Pakistan
ISLAMABAD - Sri Lanka has shown interest in procuring about 300,000 metric tons rice from Pakistan to meet its domestic shortfall because of drought in the country.
A high-level Sri Lankan delegation, led by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry Secretary Chinthaka S Lokuhetti, showed interest during a meeting with Commerce Secretary Mohammad Younus Dhaga. Sri Lankan side is looking to procure rice on government-to-government basis because of drought in Sri Lanka.
Dhaga informed his counterpart that considering it is the end of season, Pakistan will initially provide at least 25,000 MT rice to Sri Lanka on urgent basis. For the remaining quantities the trading arms of two countries ie Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) in Sri Lanka will discuss procurement schedule and price in September/October on the advent of new crop.
Both sides also discussed about signing a Memorandum of Understanding between TCP and CWE - Sri Lanka counterpart in Sri Lanka for supply of other commodities as well such as sugar. The meeting was also attended by TCP Chairman Mushtaq Ahmed Sheikh.

http://nation.com.pk/business/11-Jul-2017/sri-lanka-to-procure-300-000mt-rice-from-pakistan

PAK-LANKA
Sri Lanka will procure three hundred thousand metric ton rice from Pakistan to meet the domestic shortfall because of drought in the country.

This was discussed during a meeting between a high level Sri Lankan delegation led by Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry Chinthaka Lokuhetti and Secretary Commerce Mohammad Younus Dhagato in Islamabad on Monday.

Secretary Commerce informed that Pakistan will initially provide at least twenty five thousand metric ton of rice on urgent basis.

Both sides also discussed about signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries for supply of other commodities.               
http://www.radio.gov.pk/10-Jul-2017/text-bulletin-2000-hrs
USA Rice Daily, Tuesday, July 11, 2017
           
            Good influence
USA Rice Instagram Campaign Generates 6.3M Impressions  
By Cameron Jacobs
 ARLINGTON, VA -- As readers may recall, back in May, USA Rice teamed up with 14 Instagram influencers known for their work in the gluten-free and parenting/lifestyle sphere to bring attention to U.S.-grown rice as the go-to grain for gluten-free diets.  This strategy used visual storytelling via Instagram to raise awareness during May's Celiac Awareness Month and the impressive power of exponential message growth was on display.
Each influencer created two unique Instagram posts that highlighted rice recipes and took readers on a step-by-step cooking journey through both a creative recipe post and an engaging hands-on video.  The posts also were pushed out via each influencer's additional social channels including Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.  To further increase exposure, high-quality content from two of the influencers, @nobread and @glutenfree.followme, was amplified by USA Rice with additional paid support on Facebook and Instagram.

The campaign concluded with 84 original posts that included recipe postings and quick recipe videos that all featured U.S.-grown rice messaging.  Collectively, the recipe posts and videos generated more than 6.3 million impressions and 505,668 interactions resulting in an engagement rate of 8 percent - 6 percent higher than Instagram's average engagement rate.  In addition to the immediate impact of the campaign, USA Rice retained all of the influencers' videos and photos to use across social media channels.
"We are very pleased with the results from this campaign, but there is still work to be done in broadening USA Rice's audience and continuing to raise awareness of U.S.-grown rice," said Katie Maher, USA Rice director for domestic promotions.  "Continue to stay tuned and follow #ThinkRice across our social media channels to stay up to date with our efforts.  And if you have a social media account, be sure to share and repost to help spread the U.S. rice messages!"

 

New Rice Varieties Offer More Options to Combat Herbicide Resist Weeds

JULY 11, 2017 02:21 PM
 

By Ashley Davenport
Farm Journal Broadcast
Multimedia Editor
As weeds become more resistant to herbicides, plant breeders are faced with the challenge of developing new varieties that are resistant to new or older herbicides. A new rice variety being released by rice researchers at the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter is showing promise.
For more than 15 years, farmers have been growing Clearfield rice varieties, a line that is resistant to the herbicide, Newpath. Clearfield varieties were crucial in overcoming red rice and other weedy rices that are very similar genetically to commercial rice.
Over time, weeds have been showing resistance to Newpath, forcing plant breeders to develop a new line.
Scientists at the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research station are introducing the Provisia line of rice they believe will complement Clearfield lines well.
“The line has good yield potential, and I’m going to say exceptional grain quality,” said Steve Linscombe, a rice breeder with the LSU AgCenter. “It has very little chalk and has a very long average grain length.”
Linscombe expects the Provisia line to be available to growers next year on a limited basis. Having another option for fighting weeds will give farmers the opportunity to alternate between Provisia and Clearfield lines, giving them another tool to combat weeds.
“Having another system, an herbicide-resistant crop that will allow us to take those weedy systems out, while at the same time having the Clearfield system, what it will do is extend the life of both technologies,” said Eric Webster, a weed scientist with the LSU AgCenter.
Louisiana has roughly 400,000 acres of rice planted this year, a decrease of more than 8 percent. The crop suffered limited damage from Tropical Storm Cindy.
“It really dinged up a lot of our rice, and it blanketed a lot of that rice,” said Dustin Harrell, a rice specialist with the LSU AgCenter. “We have a lot of rice that has a distinct brown color to it.”
He added the significance of damage will not be known until harvest

https://www.agweb.com/article/new-rice-varieties-offer-more-options-to-combat-herbicide-resist-weeds-naa-ashley-davenport/

Did India’s Green Revolution Strategy Take Into Account Research on Traditional Varieties of Rice?

Scientist R.H. Richharia’s research showed that several indigenous rice varieties gave high yields without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.


A rice field in South India. Credit: Wikimedia
This is the second article in a two-part series on sustainable farming methods. Read the first part here.
One of the little known aspects of India’s green revolution is that one of the country’s senior-most scientists, a Cambridge doctorate academic, was firmly opposed to it.
This scientist, R.H. Richharia, was the director of the Central Rice Research Institute in Cuttack at the time of the revolution. Richharia, an expert on the most important Indian food crop at the time, firmly opposed the exotic high yielding variety (HYV) seeds. Instead, he repeatedly pleaded for an alternative farm strategy based on traditional rice varieties. He remained committed to his ideas till he was removed from his position – although he was later recalled by the Madhya Pradesh government to head the state’s rice research institute.
In Madhya Pradesh, which at that time included Chattisgarh, Richharia’s research showed that several indigenous rice varieties gave high yields without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. This information is provided in the table below.
High yielding varieties of Indian rices with special reference to Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh
Original Rice Variety
Improved Version Number
Paddy (kg/Ha)
Rice Grade
Maturity
Lalloo
Bd. 12
7024
Medium Fine
Early
Dhour
Bd. 23
6136
Medium Fine
Early
Koyalari
Bd. 811
7350
Coarse
Early
Nungi
Bd. 813
7623
Coarse
Early
Cross 116
Bd. 30
4000
Coarse
Medium
Kalam
Bd. 368
5510
Medium Fine
Medium
Beni Kath
Bd. 452
4080
Short Fine
Medium
Tedhi Banko
Bd. 207
6290
Long Fine
Late
Kala Mali
Bd. 108
7600
Coarse
Late
Safri
Bd. 200
5520
Medium
Late
Dubraj
Bd. 153
4958
Medium Fine
Late
Tedhi Banko
Bd. 207
6250
Long Fine
Late
Kariya Chini
Bd. 366
5550
Medium Fine
Late
Unfortunately, these traditional HYVs were not given official recognition. As Richharia noted at the time: “In fact in every rice growing locality, the growers themselves tell us which of their own varieties are high yielding to which they stick. But under the extension services, the definition of high yielding rice variety is different which necessarily involves a dwarfing gene and, therefore, growers’ own high yielding varieties are not recognised which are estimated to be 8 or 9% in MP”.
Writing in the specific context of rice, India’s most important food crop, the senior scientist said that the importance of traditional wisdom of farmers is tied up with the fact that different varieties are needed for different conditions. He wrote, “If we were to think of a single characteristic feature of the rice crop which yields food for millions, it cannot be anything else unless it be its variability in the form of thousands of its cultivars, spread in India and in other rice growing belts of the world.”
An important publication – written by Richharia in 1977 and which is well worth reproducing in part here – was titled A strategy for rice production to ensure sustained growth in Madhya Pradesh. The most crucial aspect of this publication is how it documents that there was a ready availability of several indigenous HYVs with yields that were comparable to exotic HYV but obtained at much smaller price tag. Richharia notes:
“During 1975, nucleus seeds of 967 improved cultures under BD (Baronda) series were sent out to different locations (government seed multiplication farms and farmers’ holdings) in 17 different districts, mostly tested under normal fertility with no plant protection measures applied. The result, obtained from eleven districts, only are presented in Appendices 1 to 5 of ARRC Note No. 9. The average of 121 entries works out to be 3984 kg/ha of paddy grain or 2669 kg/ha of rice. In terms of the definition of a high yielding variety in respect of yield 3705 kg/ha, as accepted by the MP agriculture department, the improved material recommended here can be accepted as high yielding.”
Comparative high yields observed in some trials are also detailed in his publication including some extremely high yields.
“There are many good cultures tested at Seoni Malwa during 1978 which can be quoted to establish that very productive germ-plasm exists in different parts of Madhya Pradesh which can be utilised in increasing rice yields.”
This document, therefore, offers “direct proof to establish that the selected material in the form of Bd: series possesses superior yield potential which can form the basis to increase rice production in immediate future with added advantage that they are palatable and they show resistance to pest and to periodical drought to some extent”.
The publication also sounds a note of caution: “They have been bred under no plant protection umbrella. This production potential must be tapped and antagonism against indigenous types has to disappear.”
Then this document goes on to separately describe the already identified indigenous high yielding varieties, early-maturing varieties, drought-resistant varieties, scented varieties, special flavour varieties and the like.
“The surveys carried out so far have disclosed the existence of over 237 scented varieties, maintained by the growers in the state. Such scented varieties are Chinnor of Balaghat (village Kaidi), Dubraj of Sehawa Nagri and Kali Muchh of Dabra (Gwalior) are well known.”
Very long grain varieties such as Dokra Dekri, Raja Bangla and so on were found especially useful for preparing murra.
Another research document – prepared by Richharia and his staff at the Adaptive Rice Research Center, which was set up near Baronda, in Raipur – is equally illuminating. This document, drafted in 1974 and titled Adaptive Rice Research Note No. 5 – our strategy on the rice production front makes several important observations and records experiments that show how some indigenous varieties can perform better than exotic HYVs such as Ratna and Sona.
“In an experiment carried out at the centre (Baroda), evidence was available to conclude that under identical conditions, the two indigenous varieties, Surmatia and Baikoni at 40 kgN/Ha with cultural manipulations (Phaltai system) out performed or remained at par with HYVs Ratna and Sona (fertilized at 100 kg/N/Ha) under Biyasi system with no plant protection adopted. This indicates a value of far reaching significance and has a relevance to the existing situation when Biyasi is practised in 92% of the area in Chattisgarh, and fertilisers and plant protection chemicals are in short supply.
This indicates that (1) the dwarfs are not suited to the Biyasi system and that (2) they stand to lose considerably in the absence of plant protection measures (3) with lower doses of fertilizers and without plant protection measures the adapted indigenous varieties yield better or remain at par with the dwarfs, grown with high doses of fertilizers and without plant protection measures. (4) For the dwarfs, the two inputs are most essential viz the fertilizers and the plant protection chemicals. In the absence of any one, they suffer heavily and therefore the selected tall varieties are to be preferred.”
Richharia also placed a great deal of emphasis on the wisdom of local farmers when it came to the diverse rice varieties that should be utilised in the quest to improve rice cultivation.
“A special advantage associated with indigenous high yielding rice germplasm identified for different tracts and situations, is that it possesses a good level of resistance to environmental stress and common diseases and pests, coupled with local preference for palatability.”

Rice grains. Credit: Wikimedia
Richharia wrote, “It may be of interest to record that during our survey in the Chhattisgarh area we came across rice growers in the remote area, maintaining a large collection of rice varieties, year after year, associated with local customs. This also explains how thousands of varieties are being descended down for centuries. Naturally such collections served as ‘Local treasuries’, but in the absence of an organisation to encourage such private endeavours, the valuable rices are fast disappearing, due to deliberate attempts.”
Thus, it becomes clear that the debate on high-yield agriculture has ignored to a certain extent the fact that traditional varieties and methods – which were low-cost – were deliberately pushed aside while more expensive methods requiring cash-purchased chemical fertilisers and pesticides were promoted.
The promotion of high-cost methods and neglect of low or zero-cost traditional methods was a troubling component of India’s green revolution strategy. It has also, in part, contributed to the cyclical debt woes that Indian farmers face.
Bharat Dogra is a freelance journalist who has been involved with several social movements and initiatives.
https://thewire.in/156550/india-green-revolution-varieties-rice/

Slash rice tariffs to cut poverty in Asean–OECD

The Philippines and other Asean countries would be able to cut poverty faster if they would cut tariffs on rice and eliminate trade barriers, according to the latest  study released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and  Development (OECD).
In its recent study, titled “OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026”, the OECD said an Asean integrated rice market, where tariffs are scrapped and nontariff barriers are reduced, would ensure food security among developing countries in Southeast Asia.
“The development of the Asean Economic Community [AEC] extends well beyond agriculture and aims to allow for the free flow of goods, services, investment and skilled labor across the region, along with the free flow of capital,” the study read.
“As such, it has the potential to significantly impact growth opportunities in the region, agricultural competiveness [within countries and for the region globally], along with important policy focuses, such as food security,” it added.
In this kind of trade environment—where free flow of commodities are assured within the regional bloc—the 10 member-countries will ensure that they will be food secure in the
mid- to long-term run, according to the OECD.
“Free trade in rice and maize, enhanced by improved trade-facilitation measures and the harmonization of food regulations, could improve food security for each of the 10 Asean members,” the study read.
However, the OECD noted that the benefits of such free trade will vary depending on the development of the Asean member-nation. Countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, which depend on imports to plug the shortfall in domestic production, would benefit the most.
The OECD said its recent analysis supports findings on the potential positive links between regional rice market integration and food security. This analysis, however, took note of tariff reduction and trade reforms across the Asean member-nations.
“The analysis shows that there is much to be gained—in terms of managing risk and improving food security—from moving toward regionally integrated rice markets,” the study read.
One of the findings of the analysis showed that once the integrated regional rice market is achieved in 2025, it would increase the “total welfare” of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam by around $2.8 billion, according to the OECD.
“Of this, $1 billion accrues to the Philippines, with the remaining gains spread more evenly across countries,” the OECD added. The OECD analysis also showed that an integrated regional rice market would bring down the domestic price of rice in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines by 25 percent to 45 percent.
For the Philippines alone, the OECD projected that the domestic price of rice would go down by 45 percent due to the influx of the staple from the region.
The OECD added the reduction in the local price would make the staple affordable to the poor Filipinos, and result in a 5-percent reduction in the number of undernourished people.
“The 5-percent fall in undernourishment accounts for both the benefits from price falls in some countries and costs from price rises in others. Of these five countries, undernourishment in two rice-importing countries—Indonesia and the Philippines—would fall the most due to the resulting decreases in domestic prices,” the study read.
Cutting tariffs and knocking down trade barriers would cause rice prices in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to decline by 39 percent, 26 percent and 45 percent, respectively. The OECD added that, due to the increased consumer access to cheaper rice, countries like Indonesia and the Philippines could “offset” the impact of climate change, particularly El Niño, on crop production.
“While the regional El Niño scenario increases the undernourished population in five Asean member-states by 49 percent under the current rice-trade regime, integrating the regional rice market could mitigate the impact to an 11-percent increase,” the study read.
However, the OECD warned that rice-importing countries in Asean should put in place safety nets to help rice farmers cope with the influx of cheaper rice.
The OECD projected that the total volume of rice traded in Asean would increase to 10 million metric tons once the integrated rice market is realized by 2025. Of this volume, about half would come from a diversion of rice exports that would have gone to the rest of the world. The expected increase in the volume of rice traded in Asean would result in higher prices in the world market.
“Reduced supply to the world market would cause international prices to rise by approximately 8 percent, thus ,impacting on food security in countries outside the region,” the study read.
However, the OECD noted that an integrated regional rice market would only materalize if the 10 member-nations would move toward reducing tariff and removing trade-disrupting measures.
“It is noted, however, moves to integration are best realized through shared actions over time. In this way, the disruptions to world markets are minimized and time is allowed for adjustments in both exporting and importing countries, avoiding pressures on world markets,” the OECD said. In order to facilitate freer trade of rice, the OECD recommended that both exporting and importing Asean member-countries should reduce government intervention and increase private-sector involvement in the regional market.
“In addition, greater involvement of the private sector in regional rice trade could help to facilitate the necessary market integration, as well as providing benefits in terms of greater efficiency, reduced distortions and greater potential for growth,” the study read.
“Vietnam could, for example, allow its private exporters to play a greater role in the export market, while in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, the role of state agencies in imports could be restricted to the neutral management of emergency stocks to enable the greater involvement of private traders,” it added.
Earlier, economists and analysts told the BusinessMirror that Asean should leverage its well-deserved reputation of being the “food bowl of the world” to cut poverty incidence in the region and wipe out hunger.
In the Philippines alone, inflation in the past five years has been benign. The highest average inflation experienced by the country was in 2014, at 4.1 percent, while the lowest was in 2015, at 1.4 percent.
In the region, based on the 2016 Asean Community in Figures, inflation was
highest in Indonesia, at 3.4 percent in 2015; and lowest in Thailand, where deflation reached 0.9 percent.
Despite this, data from the International Food Policy Research Institute (Ifpri) showed that some 84.1 million people are considered hungry in Southeast Asia and the Pacific in 2010.
In 2010 Ifpri said there were 32.4 million people who were considered hungry in Indonesia; some 12.9 million in Vietnam; 12.1 million in the Philippines; 10.5 million in Myanmar; 6.2 million in Thailand; and 900,000 in Malaysia.
Data from the Asian Development Bank also showed that, apart from Brunei
Darussalam, Singapore and Timor-Leste, which had no available poverty data, the highest poverty incidence was in Myanmar at 25.6 percent, and the Philippines at 25.2 percent.   This was followed by the poverty incidence in Lao PDR at 23.2 percent; 13.5 percent in Cambodia; 11.2 percent in Indonesia; 10.9 percent in Thailand; 8.4 percent in Vietnam; and 0.6 percent in Malaysia.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/slash-rice-tariffs-to-cut-poverty-in-asean-oecd/


Bangladesh inflation cools in FY 2016/17, food inflation climbs


DHAKA: Bangladesh's annual inflation eased to 5.44 percent in the financial year that ended in June, the planning minister said on Tuesday, as non-food prices rose at a slower pace but food prices climbed to a two-year high. Food inflation in the financial year hit 6.01 percent, up from 4.9 percent in the previous year, Mustafa Kamal told a news conference. In contrast, non-food inflation eased to 4.61 percent from 7.43 percent.

Rising food prices pushed up annual inflation in the April-June quarter to 5.72 percent from 5.28 percent in January-March quarter. Food inflation has accelerated mainly due to a surge in the price of rice, the staple food for the population of 160 million. Higher prices of meat, edible oil, milk and other items also contributed.

"Steps are being taken to contain rice prices," Kamal said. The government has started to import rice for the first time since 2011 to combat record prices after flash floods in April hit domestic output amid dwindling state reserves. It has also cut the import duty on rice imports and the central bank has ordered banks to allow traders to import rice without any deposit against letters of credit.

But domestic prices hardly budged, which is a major concern for the government as a general election is due next year. In January, the central bank kept its key policy interest rates unchanged, citing overall macroeconomic stability and a steady inflation outlook.

In January 2016, the central bank cut its key interest rate by half a percentage point for the first time in nearly three years as easing inflation gave it room to help spur economic growth
http://www.brecorder.com/2017/07/11/358605/bangladesh-inflation-cools-in-fy-201617-food-inflation-climbs/

GST HITS SALE OF REGISTERED BRANDED RICE IN CITY

Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Updated: Jul 12, 2017, 04.00 AM IST
By Gururaj B R

Sale of registered branded rice ( RBR) has drastically come down in Bengaluru after the implementation of Goods and Service Tax (GST) on July 1. The union government has imposed five per cent GST on the registered branded rice.

According to rice wholesalers at Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) in Yeshwantpur, supply of the registered branded rice has stopped after the implementation of the GST. GTS Bullet, Kesar Kali, Chudi and Mother India are some of the registered branded rice available in the market.

PS Balakrishna Shetty, honourary secretary, Grain Merchants’ Association, told Bangalore Mirror that imposition of five per cent GST on registered branded rice has severely hit the rice market at the APMC yard.

“Earlier, five to six trucks of GTS Bullet rice would arrive at the market each day. A truck will have 17 tonnes of rice. After the GST implementation, not a single load has arrived.

The situation with Mother India rice is the same. Bengaluru city needs about 30,000 bags of rice (each bag containing 25 kg) every day,” Shetty explained.

Udayakumar, a partner at Sri Sai Foods, said the registered branded rice has not been in much demand in the market as retailors are demanding unregistered brands of rice. “We will give quality rice instead of the registered branded one. After the implementation of GST, the mills will stop supplying the rice under the registered brand name and will instead supply it under other names which are not registered,” Udayakumar said. Welcoming the implementation of the GST, owner of Sai Ram Enterprisers, T Sambashiva Rao said that not only registered branded rice but the rice business in general has plummeted. It was severely hit for
three months after demonetisation and, this time, it is been hit again by the imposition of GST. N Srinivasa Rao, General Secretary, Karnataka State Rice Millers’
Association, said that millers have stopped supplying registered branded rice after the five per cent GST was imposed. Most of the millers have decided to surrender their brand registry or registered trademark as they are unable to sell the registered branded rice after July 1. The government has also increased GST on machinery,
spare parts and other materials from 5.5 per cent to 18 or 28 per cent. Name of the brand establishes “trust” between customer and millers. Since the mplementation of GST, the price of registered branded has gone up and it is only natural for the consumer to go for unregistered rice. There are around 2,000 rice mills across the state and most of them are afraid they won’t be able to sell the registered branded rice to wholesalers, Rao explained. “Currently, wholesalers are clearing old stocks of registered branded rice but once the stocks run out, the sale will come to a grinding halt in the absence of new supply,” explained
M Raghavendra, proprietor of Sai Ram enterprisers.


No GST on food distributed at religious centres: Centre


The central government on Tuesday clarified that GST was not applicable on food supplied for free at ‘anna kshetras’ run by religious institutions. The centre’s release said that food or prasadam supplied at religious places like temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras, dargahs, etc. will not attract CGST, SGST or IGST, as the case may be. Officials from the ministry of finance said that there were media reports suggesting that GST applies on free food supplied in anna kshetras
run by religious institutions. 

However, some of the ingredients and services required would still be subject to GST. These include sugar, vegetable edible oils, ghee, butter, transportation costs, etc. Most of these have multiple uses. GST being a multi-stage tax, end use-based exemptions will be difficult to administer
http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/GST-hits-sale-of-registered-branded-rice-in-city/articleshow/59552877.cms

NCS Marine Command intercepts N15.3m contraband

The Western Marine Command, WMC, of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Lagos, has intercepted contraband consisting of rice, clothes and frozen chicken valued N15.37 million.
The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Sarkin Kebbi, made this disclosure to newsmen in Lagos, yesterday.The contraband are 400 bags of rice, 138 bales of clothes and 474 cartons of frozen chicken.
The seized poultry products were burnt and buried, while the remaining contraband were taken to the Command’s warehouse.
Kebbi said the Com-mand’s officers  would continue to make life unbearable for smugglers.
He expressed regret that no arrest was made, pointing out that the smugglers disappeared into the waters on sighting the officers.
His words: “The seizures were made at two different places. The bales of clothes, rubber sandals and frozen chicken were seized at Ilufe Ojo Alaba by the joint patrol team officers on Thursday, July 6.
“For the rice, the seizure took place at Tungeji Ijofin Creek along Nigeria-Republic of Benin axis on Tuesday July 11.”
According to him, the Command was able to achieve the feat with the support extended to it by the Comptroller-General of Customs,Hameed Ali’s management team.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/ncs-marine-command-intercepts-n15-3m-contraband/

Bihar police seek 1 year to probe paddy scam cases

TNN | Updated: Jul 12, 2017, 02.14 PM IST
PATNA: The Bihar police HQhas sought more time from the Supreme Court to complete its investigation into the paddy scam which took place in 2013-14.

The state police HQ has pleaded that they be given at least one year to complete the investigation into the 1,202 cases pertaining to the scam.

A division bench of Justice A K Goel and Justice U U Lalit of the apex court had on February 28 this year refused to interfere with the Patna high court's order to grant anticipatory and regular bail to several accused millers.
The apex court had also ordered the state police to complete the investigation into the scam cases within three months. Further, the apex court said, the trial should be concluded within next six months through special courts.
The scam led to an estimated loss of Rs 1,573 crore to the state exchequer as the rice millers in connivance with government officials allegedly did not return the rice after milling to the state government. Instead, they allegedly sold the stocks in open market and made huge profits.


"We have moved the court as the number of cases is high," said Bihar ADG (CID) Binay Kumar who is heading the SIT formed on the Patna high court's order to probe the scam.Kumar said their plea was yet to come for hearing in the apex court.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/bihar-police-seek-1-year-to-probe-paddy-scam-cases/articleshow/59550543.cms?

Did India’s Green Revolution Strategy Take Into Account Research on Traditional Varieties of Rice?


Scientist R.H. Richharia’s research showed that several indigenous rice varieties gave high yields without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.


A rice field in South India. Credit: Wikimedia
This is the second article in a two-part series on sustainable farming methods. Read the first part here.
One of the little known aspects of India’s green revolution is that one of the country’s senior-most scientists, a Cambridge doctorate academic, was firmly opposed to it.
This scientist, R.H. Richharia, was the director of the Central Rice Research Institute in Cuttack at the time of the revolution. Richharia, an expert on the most important Indian food crop at the time, firmly opposed the exotic high yielding variety (HYV) seeds. Instead, he repeatedly pleaded for an alternative farm strategy based on traditional rice varieties. He remained committed to his ideas till he was removed from his position – although he was later recalled by the Madhya Pradesh government to head the state’s rice research institute.
In Madhya Pradesh, which at that time included Chattisgarh, Richharia’s research showed that several indigenous rice varieties gave high yields without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. This information is provided in the table below.
High yielding varieties of Indian rices with special reference to Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh
Original Rice Variety
Improved Version Number
Paddy (kg/Ha)
Rice Grade
Maturity
Lalloo
Bd. 12
7024
Medium Fine
Early
Dhour
Bd. 23
6136
Medium Fine
Early
Koyalari
Bd. 811
7350
Coarse
Early
Nungi
Bd. 813
7623
Coarse
Early
Cross 116
Bd. 30
4000
Coarse
Medium
Kalam
Bd. 368
5510
Medium Fine
Medium
Beni Kath
Bd. 452
4080
Short Fine
Medium
Tedhi Banko
Bd. 207
6290
Long Fine
Late
Kala Mali
Bd. 108
7600
Coarse
Late
Safri
Bd. 200
5520
Medium
Late
Dubraj
Bd. 153
4958
Medium Fine
Late
Tedhi Banko
Bd. 207
6250
Long Fine
Late
Kariya Chini
Bd. 366
5550
Medium Fine
Late
Unfortunately, these traditional HYVs were not given official recognition. As Richharia noted at the time: “In fact in every rice growing locality, the growers themselves tell us which of their own varieties are high yielding to which they stick. But under the extension services, the definition of high yielding rice variety is different which necessarily involves a dwarfing gene and, therefore, growers’ own high yielding varieties are not recognised which are estimated to be 8 or 9% in MP”.
Writing in the specific context of rice, India’s most important food crop, the senior scientist said that the importance of traditional wisdom of farmers is tied up with the fact that different varieties are needed for different conditions. He wrote, “If we were to think of a single characteristic feature of the rice crop which yields food for millions, it cannot be anything else unless it be its variability in the form of thousands of its cultivars, spread in India and in other rice growing belts of the world.”
An important publication – written by Richharia in 1977 and which is well worth reproducing in part here – was titled A strategy for rice production to ensure sustained growth in Madhya Pradesh. The most crucial aspect of this publication is how it documents that there was a ready availability of several indigenous HYVs with yields that were comparable to exotic HYV but obtained at much smaller price tag. Richharia notes:
“During 1975, nucleus seeds of 967 improved cultures under BD (Baronda) series were sent out to different locations (government seed multiplication farms and farmers’ holdings) in 17 different districts, mostly tested under normal fertility with no plant protection measures applied. The result, obtained from eleven districts, only are presented in Appendices 1 to 5 of ARRC Note No. 9. The average of 121 entries works out to be 3984 kg/ha of paddy grain or 2669 kg/ha of rice. In terms of the definition of a high yielding variety in respect of yield 3705 kg/ha, as accepted by the MP agriculture department, the improved material recommended here can be accepted as high yielding.”
Comparative high yields observed in some trials are also detailed in his publication including some extremely high yields.
“There are many good cultures tested at Seoni Malwa during 1978 which can be quoted to establish that very productive germ-plasm exists in different parts of Madhya Pradesh which can be utilised in increasing rice yields.”
This document, therefore, offers “direct proof to establish that the selected material in the form of Bd: series possesses superior yield potential which can form the basis to increase rice production in immediate future with added advantage that they are palatable and they show resistance to pest and to periodical drought to some extent”.
The publication also sounds a note of caution: “They have been bred under no plant protection umbrella. This production potential must be tapped and antagonism against indigenous types has to disappear.”
Then this document goes on to separately describe the already identified indigenous high yielding varieties, early-maturing varieties, drought-resistant varieties, scented varieties, special flavour varieties and the like.
“The surveys carried out so far have disclosed the existence of over 237 scented varieties, maintained by the growers in the state. Such scented varieties are Chinnor of Balaghat (village Kaidi), Dubraj of Sehawa Nagri and Kali Muchh of Dabra (Gwalior) are well known.”
Very long grain varieties such as Dokra Dekri, Raja Bangla and so on were found especially useful for preparing murra.
Another research document – prepared by Richharia and his staff at the Adaptive Rice Research Center, which was set up near Baronda, in Raipur – is equally illuminating. This document, drafted in 1974 and titled Adaptive Rice Research Note No. 5 – our strategy on the rice production front makes several important observations and records experiments that show how some indigenous varieties can perform better than exotic HYVs such as Ratna and Sona.
“In an experiment carried out at the centre (Baroda), evidence was available to conclude that under identical conditions, the two indigenous varieties, Surmatia and Baikoni at 40 kgN/Ha with cultural manipulations (Phaltai system) out performed or remained at par with HYVs Ratna and Sona (fertilized at 100 kg/N/Ha) under Biyasi system with no plant protection adopted. This indicates a value of far reaching significance and has a relevance to the existing situation when Biyasi is practised in 92% of the area in Chattisgarh, and fertilisers and plant protection chemicals are in short supply.
This indicates that (1) the dwarfs are not suited to the Biyasi system and that (2) they stand to lose considerably in the absence of plant protection measures (3) with lower doses of fertilizers and without plant protection measures the adapted indigenous varieties yield better or remain at par with the dwarfs, grown with high doses of fertilizers and without plant protection measures. (4) For the dwarfs, the two inputs are most essential viz the fertilizers and the plant protection chemicals. In the absence of any one, they suffer heavily and therefore the selected tall varieties are to be preferred.”
Richharia also placed a great deal of emphasis on the wisdom of local farmers when it came to the diverse rice varieties that should be utilised in the quest to improve rice cultivation.
“A special advantage associated with indigenous high yielding rice germplasm identified for different tracts and situations, is that it possesses a good level of resistance to environmental stress and common diseases and pests, coupled with local preference for palatability.”

Rice grains. Credit: Wikimedia
Richharia wrote, “It may be of interest to record that during our survey in the Chhattisgarh area we came across rice growers in the remote area, maintaining a large collection of rice varieties, year after year, associated with local customs. This also explains how thousands of varieties are being descended down for centuries. Naturally such collections served as ‘Local treasuries’, but in the absence of an organisation to encourage such private endeavours, the valuable rices are fast disappearing, due to deliberate attempts.”
Thus, it becomes clear that the debate on high-yield agriculture has ignored to a certain extent the fact that traditional varieties and methods – which were low-cost – were deliberately pushed aside while more expensive methods requiring cash-purchased chemical fertilisers and pesticides were promoted.
The promotion of high-cost methods and neglect of low or zero-cost traditional methods was a troubling component of India’s green revolution strategy. It has also, in part, contributed to the cyclical debt woes that Indian farmers face.
Bharat Dogra is a freelance journalist who has been involved with several social movements and initiatives
https://thewire.in/156550/india-green-revolution-varieties-rice/

Use local rice for school feeding programme – Group

Wednesday 12th July , 2017 6:00 am
The Ghana Rice Inter-Professional Body (GRIB), has called on government to procure made in Ghana rice for government agencies and institutions such as Ghana prisons and schools on government’s school feeding programme.According to them, government must set the pace by buying locally grown rice for the ordinary Ghanaian to follow.Speaking at a National Rice Standards and Certification Workshop, the president for GRIB, Imoro Amoro, said the sector could employ many Ghanaians if made in Ghana rice is highly patronized.

“We want to appeal to the government to use its purchasing power to procure made in Ghana rice for all government agencies especially the prisons and schools benefiting from the school feeding programme. This will create jobs and strengthen the country’s economy by saving over five hundred million dollars used in importing rice annually.”Mr. Imoro urged stakeholders to cash in as the local rice business expands.“There is the need for stakeholders to take advantage of the huge potentials available in the rice value chain. Intensification of production through transplanting (SRI) and the use of good quality seed hold the potential for -increased incomes for farmers. Ensuring good processing methods such as cleaning and de-stoning must be adhered to for good quality rice to be produced and well packaged to meet standards and be competitive with the imported rice.”

He also praised Citi FM for its tremendous input in promoting made in Ghana rice, saying “we also want to commend the media especially Citi FM for always supporting the agenda of Eat Ghana Rice and patronage of our local products. I will also take the opportunity to seek for sponsorship from our partners, rice producers and marketers, the corporate body for “Eat Ghana Rice Campaign and this year’s Ghana Rice Festival in November.”
Philip Nii Lartey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
China’s appetite driving rice export growth as demand continues
China’s appetite driving rice export growth as demand continues to outstrip supply
Cambodian rice exports increased marginally during the first half of the year as export companies push to fulfil higher quotas destined for China. Rice exports totalled 288,562 tonnes in the first six months of the year, an increase of 7.6 percent compared to the same time last year, according to the latest data published by the Secretariat of One Window Service for Rice Export Formality. Exports to China accounted for 94,000 tonnes compared to France’s 37,000 tonnes and Poland’s 25,000 tonnes. Despite the uptick in growth, Hean Vanhan, undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture, admitted that the figures showed a slow growth trend.
He urged the private sector to increase capacity and secure more international orders to strengthen export potential. “Even though the numbers for the first six months are positive, it is still a small amount and unless the private sector can secure more large-scale contracts, this trend could continue until the end of the year,” he said.
 He projected that at the current pace Cambodia could at best send out 600,000 tonnes of rice in 2017 – falling once again far short of its target of 1 million tonnes. Despite Cambodia obtaining a 200,000 tonnes quota for 2017 from China, which will be bumped up to 300,000 tonnes next year, Vanhan said demand still greatly outstripped domestic supply, with industry projected to produce 5 million tonnes of paddy rice this year. “While we gained the quota from China, the demand still falls short of our supply,” he said. “We should not only depend on the Chinese market because it has a lot of export barriers.
” Moul Sarith, secretary-general of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), doubted that exports would reach 600,000 tonnes this year. He said this was due to a lack of bilateral agreements that would spur trade in the sector. “In order to gain new quotas for expanding rice exports, we need the government to help the rice sector by trying to get better government-to-government deals,” he said. “[The CRF] always stands behind the sector to speed up production and promote exports.
” Nevertheless, Sarith added that international prices were starting to look favourable, with fragrant rice increasing to $690 per tonne compared to $630 per tonne last year, while white rice was valued at about $450 per tonne, a $30 increase. “This year our rice industry is in a better situation than it was last year,” he said. “However, we still are not as competitive compared to the neighbouring countries.”
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/chinas-appetite-driving-rice-export-growth-demand-continues-outstrip-supply

China ships troops to its first overseas base in Africa

04:40 PM July 12, 2017
Ships carrying Chinese military personnel depart Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong Province, July 11, 2017XINHUA

Home to only around 800,000 people, Djibouti also hosts troops from France and Japan

China has deployed troops to its first overseas naval base in Djibouti, a major step forward for the country’s expansion of its military presence abroad.Chinese sailors sailed out of a naval base in Zhanjiang in the southern province of Guangdong on Tuesday and towards the Horn of Africa nation, according to a statement posted on the defence ministry’s website.

The logistics base is the first of its kind for China, which will use it to support “naval escorts in Africa and southwest Asia, (UN) peacekeeping and for humanitarian support,” the statement said.It will also allow China to evacuate its nationals in a crisis, support anti-piracy activities off Somalia and work with other nations to “jointly defend the security of strategic passages.”
The Chinese navy has long assisted in anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden, as well as UN peacekeeping efforts throughout Africa, but the base will be the country’s first naval base abroad.
China started building the base in February 2016 in the entrepot on the Horn of Africa, where it will be stationed just a few miles from Camp Lemonnier, the United States’ only permanent base in Africa.
Home to only around 800,000 people, Djibouti also hosts troops from France and Japan.
Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Wednesday that the base is “primarily used for the better fulfilment of international obligations.”
“China is committed to peaceful development. China’s defence policy is defensive in nature. This has not changed.”
In a June report, the US Department of Defence said the strategically-situated camp, “along with regular naval vessel visits to foreign ports, both reflects and amplifies China’s growing influence, extending the reach of its armed forces”.
In response, the Chinese defence ministry rejected the assessment, saying “China is not doing any military expansion and does not seek a sphere of influence.”
Beijing has made extensive infrastructure investments throughout the African continent as it seeks to gain access to natural resources and open new markets.
Chinese banks have been major funders of at least 14 such projects in Djibouti, valued at 14.4 billion dollars in total, including a railway line that will halve transit times from Djibouti to Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa.
As part of its investment strategy, it has also pursued civilian port projects in countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka that can accommodate Chinese naval vessels, projects some analysts believe is intended to strengthen China’s strategic presence in the region.
Beijing has rejected those concerns.
In a Wednesday editorial welcoming the PLA’s announcement, China’s state-controlled tabloid the Global Times made no bones about the base’s purpose.
“It is certainly the PLA’s first foreign naval base,” it said. “It is not a supply point for commercial use.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/2017/07/12/china-ships-troops-first-overseas-base-africa/

Vietnamese gov't approves rice export strategy

Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 12:28:34|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

HANOI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese government has approved a national strategy to gradually lower volumes of rice for export but increase its value in the 2017-2020 period.
According to the strategy, Vietnam will annually export 4.5-5 million tons of rice worth 2.2-2.3 billion U.S. dollars from now to 2020, and 4 million tons worth 2.3-2.5 billion U.S. dollars between 2020 and 2030, the country's Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Tuesday.
Among types of rice for export from 2017 to 2020, some 45 percent will be white rice, 30 percent fragrant, special and Japonica rice, 20 percent sticky rice, and 5 percent value-added rice such as nutrient-enriched rice and organic rice.
Regarding markets, in the 2017-2020 period, 60 percent of Vietnamese rice for export will go to Asia, 22 percent to Africa, 8 percent to America, 5 percent to Europe, 2 percent to the Middle East and 3 percent to Oceania.
Vietnam shipped abroad nearly 3 million tons of rice totaling over 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in the first six months of this year, seeing respective year-on-year rises of 13.5 percent and 11.9 percent, said the country's General Statistics Office
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-07/11/c_136434696.htm

New compound could extend the life of urea fertilizers in rice

New NBPT compound could help rice producers get more out of fertilizer nitrogen.
Forrest Laws | Jul 11, 2017
Rice producers in Louisiana and other Mid-South states frequently split their nitrogen fertilizer applications between one made just prior to permanent flood establish and another at mid-season or when the rice reaches the green ring stage.
Of the two, the first is most important because typically two-thirds of the nitrogen is applied at that time, according to Dustin Harrell, agronomy project leader at the LSU AgCenter’s H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station.
Over the years researchers have found that applying a compound called NBPT on the urea fertilizer recommended by the LSU AgCenter for application in rice will help prevent the urea from turning into ammonia gas and “simply float off the field if it is left exposed on the soil surface for an extended period of time.”
Dr. Harrell told visitors to the Rice Research Station’s annual field day on June 28 he had begun to believe he would never see a compound that worked better in rice than those containing NBPT, but he “had about decided to change his mind after working with a new product.”
The new material, which doesn’t have a name yet, could be introduced by Koch Agronomic Services in 2018 if it receives approval from EPA in time for the 2018 use season.
10 days to flood
“Unfortunately, in commercial rice production in Louisiana, it may take 10 or more days for a flood to be established on some of the larger fields,” says Dr. Harrell. “In these situations, a urease inhibitor containing NBPT is recommended.”
Research at the H. Rouse Caffey Station has shown that farmers can lose 17 to 30 percent of the soil-applied urea when it is left on the field for 10 days before permanent flood. That’s a potential for 30 percent of a rice producer’s fertilizer dollar to be lost before he ever gets water on the field.
“The urease inhibitor, N (n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide, basically slows down the breakdown of urea to the ammonium-N form, which is available to plants,” he said. “Because it temporarily delays the breakdown of the urea, it also temporarily delays the potential for ammonia volatilization losses.
“We recommend that when we apply this preflood fertilizer that we apply it on dry ground, and that we get the flood on that field as soon as possible,” said Harrell. “The reason we recommend that is that the longer that urea sits on the soil surface the more losses you’re going to have through ammonia volatilization.”
If the grower applies the nitrogen on moist or damp ground, the urea will break down faster and more ammonia volatilization can occur, said Dr. Harrell, who also serves as Louisiana’s Extension rice specialist.
Experimental compound tested
“Last year, in 2016, I had the opportunity to look at an experimental urease inhibitor,” he said. “This experimental compound was created by scientists with Koch Agronomic Services. Koch is the company that bought the rights to Agrotain, one of the original urease inhibitors with NBPT in it.”
The scientists have taken NBPT and formaldehyde and put them together under certain conditions to create a new molecule that works better than NBPT alone under certain situations.
“The situation where it really excels is on acid soils,” said Dr. Harrell. “One of the things we know about NBPT is that it can break down a little faster on acid soils. So this is where this new urease inhibitor really has an advantage.”
In a greenhouse study, which allowed him to control the environmental factors, Harrell said plots not treated with NBPT or the new compound lost about 32 percent of the nitrogen applied in the test. With Agrotain Ultra, an older product with NBPT, the researchers lost about 15 percent of their nitrogen. Plots treated with the new Koch experimental compound only lost about 11 percent of their nitrogen.
“So this new molecule basically has about a 26-percent advantage over the original NBPT treatment at least on this acid soil,” he said. “This soil has a pH of about 5.5.”
Koch has filed for a patent for the new molecule and has asked EPA to register the product. They hope to have the label approved in time for the 2018 season.
http://www.deltafarmpress.com/rice/new-compound-could-extend-life-urea-fertilizers-rice



Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- JUL 12, 2017



Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-July 12
 
Nagpur, July 12 (Reuters) – Gram prices recovered in Nagpur Agriculture Produce and Marketing
Committee (APMC) on good seasonal demand from local millers amid thin supply from producing
belts. Reports about weak monsoon in the region, upward trend in Madhya Pradesh pulses gram
prices and reported from South-based millers also boosted prices. 
About 1,600 of gram and 1,100 bags of tuar were available for auctions, according to sources. 
 
    FOODGRAINS & PULSES
     
   GRAM
   * Gram varieties ruled steady in open market here but demand was poor.
   
   TUAR
      
   * Tuar gavarani and tuar Karnataka reported higher in open market on renewed buying 
     support from local traders.
 
   * Batri dal, Lakhodi dal and watana dal showed weak tendency in open market amid 
     good supply from producing belts. 
                                               
   * In Akola, Tuar New – 3,900-4,000, Tuar dal (clean) – 5,500-5,700, Udid Mogar (clean)
    – 7,200-8,200, Moong Mogar (clean) 6,300-7,000, Gram – 5,100-5,350, Gram Super best 
    – 7,200-8,000
 
   * Wheat, rice and other commodities moved in a narrow range in 
     scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading activity. 
       
 Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
    
     FOODGRAINS                 Available prices     Previous close   
     Gram Auction                  4,600-5,050         4,500-5,000
     Gram Pink Auction            n.a.           2,100-2,600
     Tuar Auction                3,500-3,825         3,500-3,825
     Moong Auction                n.a.                3,900-4,200
     Udid Auction                n.a.           4,300-4,500
     Masoor Auction                n.a.              2,600-2,800
     Wheat Mill quality Auction        1,550-1,653         1,550-1,650
     Gram Super Best Bold            7,600-8,100        7,600-8,100
     Gram Super Best            n.a.            n.a.
     Gram Medium Best            6,700-7,100        6,700-7,100
     Gram Dal Medium            n.a.            n.a
     Gram Mill Quality            5,100-5,200        5,100-5,200
     Desi gram Raw                5,500-5,600         5,500-5,600
     Gram Yellow                 7,100-8,100        7,100-8,100
     Gram Kabuli                12,300-13,400        12,300-13,400
     Tuar Fataka Best-New             5,800-6,000        5,800-6,000
     Tuar Fataka Medium-New        5,400-5,600        5,400-5,600
     Tuar Dal Best Phod-New        5,200-5,400        5,200-5,400
     Tuar Dal Medium phod-New        4,800-5,000        4,800-5,000
     Tuar Gavarani New             3,950-4,050        3,900-4,000
     Tuar Karnataka             4,050-4,150        4,000-4,100
     Masoor dal best            5,000-5,200        5,000-5,200
     Masoor dal medium            4,600-4,900        4,700-4,900
     Masoor                    n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Mogar bold (New)        6,500-7,000         6,500-7,000
     Moong Mogar Medium            6,000-6,500        6,000-6,500
     Moong dal Chilka            5,000-5,900        5,000-5,900
     Moong Mill quality            n.a.            n.a.
     Moong Chamki best            6,500-7,500        6,500-7,500
     Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,500-8,500       7,500-8,500 
     Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)    6,800-7,200        6,800-7,200    
     Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)        4,400-4,900        4,400-4,900     
     Batri dal (100 INR/KG)        4,500-5,000        4,700-5,200
     Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)          2,850-3,000         2,950-3,150
     Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)            2,800-2,900        2,900-3,000
     Watana White (100 INR/KG)           3,500-3,700           3,500-3,700
     Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)    4,100-4,600        4,100-4,600   
     Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)        1,950-2,050        1,950-2,050
     Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG)    1,750-1,850        1,750-1,850   
     Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)         2,150-2,350           2,150-2,350         
     Wheat Lokwan new (100 INR/KG)    1,900-2,100        1,900-2,100
     Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG)    2,200-2,400        2,200-2,400    
     Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG)   1,900-2,100        1,900-2,100
     Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG)    n.a.            n.a.
     MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG)    3,100-3,600        3,100-3,600    
     MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG)    2,200-2,700        2,200-2,700           
     Rice BPT new (100 INR/KG)        2,800-3,400        2,800-3,400
     Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG)        3,500-4,000        3,500-4,000    
     Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG)        3,000-3,200        3,000-3,200    
     Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG)         2,500-2,800        2,500-2,800
     Rice Swarna new (100 INR/KG)       2,300-2,500        2,300-2,500   
     Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG)      2,600-2,800        2,600-2,800   
     Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG)      2,400-2,500        2,400-2,500   
     Rice HMT New (100 INR/KG)        3,600-4,000        3,600-4,000
     Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG)           4,500-5,000        4,500-5,000    
     Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG)        4,100-4,300        4,100-4,300    
     Rice Shriram New(100 INR/KG)           4,800-5,200        4,800-5,200
     Rice Shriram best 100 INR/KG)    6,500-6,800        6,500-6,800 
     Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG)    5,800-6,200        5,800-6,200   
     Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)    9,500-13,500        9,500-13,500     
     Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)    5,000-7,500        5,000-7,500    
     Rice Chinnor New(100 INR/KG)        4,600-5,000        4,600-5,000
     Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG)    5,800-6,000        5,800-6,000    
     Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG)    5,400-5,600        5,400-5,600   
     Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)        1,900-2,200        1,900-2,200    
     Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)         1,800-1,900        1,800-1,900
 
WEATHER (NAGPUR)  
Maximum temp. 29.0 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 25.1 degree Celsius 
Rainfall : 12.5 mm
FORECAST: Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rains or thunder-showers. Maximum and
minimum temperature would be around and 29 and 24 degree Celsius respectively.
 
Note: n.a.--not available
(For oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but
included in market prices)
http://in.reuters.com/article/antarctica-iceberg-idINKBN19X1A6

Egypt sees rice paddy production jumping to 6.5 mln tonnes

July 11, 2017, 07:46:00 AM EDT By Reuters

Reuters
(Adds comments, background)
    CAIRO, July 11 (Reuters) - Egypt expects to produce about 6.5 million tonnes of rice paddy this season, the supply ministry said on Tuesday, a jump from the roughly 5.1 millionproduced last year, according to the United States Department ofAgriculture.    Egypt this year planted a total area of rice of about 1.8
million feddans (1.87 million acres), which Supply Ministry AliMoselhy said he hopes will enable Egypt to double its riceproduction.    Supply Ministry spokesman Mohamed Sweed said the plantedarea will yield about 4 million tonnes of white rice,consumption of which is expected at 3.3 million tonnes, allowingfor a 700,000 tonne surplus.    Sweed said Egypt does not intend to import additionalquantities from abroad, which it did last year despite a surplusafter farmers refused to sell to the government because of adispute over the local buying price. [nL5N1GJ426]    This week Egypt said it would keep in place an export ban onrice, a policy it has intermittently imposed since 2008 in orderto discourage over-cultivation of the water-intensive crop andto push down prices in the local market.    Egypt's strategic rice reserves are set to rise to about 12months worth within 10 days from a current level of four months'supply, said Sweed.
 (Writing by Lisa Barrington and Eric Knecht; editing by Jason
Neely and Louise Heavens)
 ((lisa.barrington@thomsonreuters.com; +961)(0)(1954456;))
 
Keywords: EGYPT RICE/ (UPDATE 1)

UPDATE 1-Egypt will continue export ban on rice during coming season

Monday, 10 Jul 2017 | 12:29 PM ET
(Adds quote, statement details)
CAIRO, July 10 (Reuters) - Egypt will keep in place a ban on the export of rice during the coming harvest, the supply ministry said on Monday.Egypt has intermittently banned the export of rice since 2008 in order to preserve stocks for the local market and to discourage growing of the crop to save water.
"The government is interested in securing the needs of local consumers and building strategic reserves of domestic rice," the supply ministry said in a statement.
The statement added that market forces would determine local prices for buying rice from farmers. (Reporting by Maha El Dahan, editing by David Evans and Susan Fenton)
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/10/reuters-america-update-1-egypt-will-continue-export-ban-on-rice-during-coming-season.html

Govt to provide rice at concessionary rate: President

Author LBO
Posted on July 11, 2017 | Agriculture
July 11, 2017 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena says the government will provide rice at a concessionary rate to the public by importing it from other countries, if the price goes up in the local market further.Paddy production in the island decreased due to the recent drought he said, while addressing a ceremony held in the Polonnaruwa district on Monday.The President said that as a leader who came from an ordinary family, and who knows the suffering of the people, he will always act according to these experiences and won’t let people in the country starve.There is a transformational change taking place in many fields in the country, including social, economic and political spheres under the present Government and the President emphasized that whatever challenges he has to face he will take forward this procedure with commitment.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce said Sri Lanka has decided to take a closer look at four international rice suppliers to meet market needs.“A team of technical officials including officials and food technologists from Sri Lanka are to visit these countries and test rice samples,” Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen said.
“We have decided to test rice samples of Indonesia, Myanmar and Pakistan.”A team of technical officials including officials and food technologists from Sri Lanka will visit these countries and test rice samples after which the final supplier will be decided from Colombo.The island is also looking to bring in 100,000 MT par-boiled (Nadu) and Samba from the chosen supplier


Developing world drought threat to EU rice and cotton intensifies research efforts

July 12, 2017 by Ben Deighton, From Horizon Magazine


Common crops are under threat from water scarcity and drought in the developing world. Credit: ‘Drought affected area in Karnataka, India, 2012’ by Pushkarv is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
A Europe-wide research effort is ramping up efforts to understand the risk to EU food supplies from climate change, after a report revealed that common staples are under threat from water scarcity and drought in the developing world.
The report, entitled Vulnerabilities of Europe's economy to global water scarcity and drought revealed that supplies of animal feed, rice, cotton, grapes and even pistachios could be impacted in the near future as they come from regions that have a shortage of water.
In fact, over a third of Europe's water needs come from other parts of the world, due to imported crops.
'Right now it is more like an alert,' said Professor Bart van den Hurk, who coordinates the EU-funded IMPREX project, which produced the report as part of its efforts to analyse the links between climate change and water.
'The next step is really to look at climate change sentinels (indicators) in the areas of exposure … and see whether you can actually translate climate change effects in those areas to European sensitivities,' said Prof. van den Hurk, who works for The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, the Dutch national weather service.
According to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the frequency and intensity of heatwaves and droughts will rise over the coming years as man-made climate change takes hold.
The EU imports crops from all over the world with some of them facing drought and water scarcity. Credit: Horizon magazine
Shocking
Dr Ertug Ercin, the lead author of the report, said that they were surprised when they realised just how vulnerable some of Europe's food products were.
'Can you imagine the chocolate industry without cocoa,' said Dr Ercin, from the Water Footprint Network, a Dutch non-governmental organisation which is part of the IMPREX project. 'These (industries) are so vulnerable, and that is shocking.'
The project worked out Europe's water vulnerability by looking at trade flows into and out of Europe, and then examining the water situation in countries from where the food originates.
'We always look at the supply side of the water issue,' said said Dr Ercin. 'But looking from the demand perspective and understanding the issues from the demand perspective is not well understood.'
Analysing water demand is part of a broader effort by the IMPREX project to encourage public officials and businesses to take climate change forecasts into account when making decisions by predicting how global warming will lead to extreme weather in Europe.
It's in part driven by a personal commitment by Prof. van den Hurk to help people make better use of climate forecasts, where computer models can use satellite and ground measurements to extrapolate how climate change will affect us.
'I'm really on a mission to embed this physical climate science further down the chain,' he said.
 https://phys.org/news/2017-07-world-drought-threat-eu-rice.html

New compound could extend the life of urea fertilizers in rice


New NBPT compound could help rice producers get more out of fertilizer nitrogen.
Rice producers in Louisiana and other Mid-South states frequently split their nitrogen fertilizer applications between one made just prior to permanent flood establish and another at mid-season or when the rice reaches the green ring stage.
Of the two, the first is most important because typically two-thirds of the nitrogen is applied at that time, according to Dustin Harrell, agronomy project leader at the LSU AgCenter’s H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station.
Over the years researchers have found that applying a compound called NBPT on the urea fertilizer recommended by the LSU AgCenter for application in rice will help prevent the urea from turning into ammonia gas and “simply float off the field if it is left exposed on the soil surface for an extended period of time.”
Dr. Harrell told visitors to the Rice Research Station’s annual field day on June 28 he had begun to believe he would never see a compound that worked better in rice than those containing NBPT, but he “had about decided to change his mind after working with a new product.”
The new material, which doesn’t have a name yet, could be introduced by Koch Agronomic Services in 2018 if it receives approval from EPA in time for the 2018 use season.
10 days to flood
“Unfortunately, in commercial rice production in Louisiana, it may take 10 or more days for a flood to be established on some of the larger fields,” says Dr. Harrell. “In these situations, a urease inhibitor containing NBPT is recommended.”
Research at the H. Rouse Caffey Station has shown that farmers can lose 17 to 30 percent of the soil-applied urea when it is left on the field for 10 days before permanent flood. That’s a potential for 30 percent of a rice producer’s fertilizer dollar to be lost before he ever gets water on the field.
“The urease inhibitor, N (n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide, basically slows down the breakdown of urea to the ammonium-N form, which is available to plants,” he said. “Because it temporarily delays the breakdown of the urea, it also temporarily delays the potential for ammonia volatilization losses.
“We recommend that when we apply this preflood fertilizer that we apply it on dry ground, and that we get the flood on that field as soon as possible,” said Harrell. “The reason we recommend that is that the longer that urea sits on the soil surface the more losses you’re going to have through ammonia volatilization.”
If the grower applies the nitrogen on moist or damp ground, the urea will break down faster and more ammonia volatilization can occur, said Dr. Harrell, who also serves as Louisiana’s Extension rice specialist.
Experimental compound tested
“Last year, in 2016, I had the opportunity to look at an experimental urease inhibitor,” he said. “This experimental compound was created by scientists with Koch Agronomic Services. Koch is the company that bought the rights to Agrotain, one of the original urease inhibitors with NBPT in it.”
The scientists have taken NBPT and formaldehyde and put them together under certain conditions to create a new molecule that works better than NBPT alone under certain situations.
“The situation where it really excels is on acid soils,” said Dr. Harrell. “One of the things we know about NBPT is that it can break down a little faster on acid soils. So this is where this new urease inhibitor really has an advantage.”
In a greenhouse study, which allowed him to control the environmental factors, Harrell said plots not treated with NBPT or the new compound lost about 32 percent of the nitrogen applied in the test. With Agrotain Ultra, an older product with NBPT, the researchers lost about 15 percent of their nitrogen. Plots treated with the new Koch experimental compound only lost about 11 percent of their nitrogen.
“So this new molecule basically has about a 26-percent advantage over the original NBPT treatment at least on this acid soil,” he said. “This soil has a pH of about 5.5.”
Koch has filed for a patent for the new molecule and has asked EPA to register the product. They hope to have the label approved in time for the 2018 season
http://www.deltafarmpress.com/rice/new-compound-could-extend-life-urea-fertilizers-rice

GST HITS SALE OF REGISTERED BRANDED RICE IN CITY

Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Updated: Jul 12, 2017, 04.00 AM IST

By Gururaj B R


Sale of registered branded rice ( RBR) has drastically come down in Bengaluru after the implementation of Goods and Service Tax (GST) on July 1. The union government has imposed five per cent GST on the registered branded rice. According to rice wholesalers at Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) in Yeshwantpur, supply of the registered branded rice has stopped after the implementation of the GST. GTS Bullet, Kesar Kali, Chudi and Mother India are some of the registered branded rice available in the market.


PS Balakrishna Shetty, honourary secretary, Grain Merchants’ Association, told Bangalore Mirror that imposition of five per cent GST on registered branded rice has severely hit the rice market at the APMC yard. 

“Earlier, five to six trucks of GTS Bullet rice would arrive at the market each day. A truck will have 17 tonnes of rice. After the GST implementation, not a single load has arrived. The situation with Mother India rice is the same. Bengaluru city needs about 30,000 bags of rice (each bag containing 25 kg) every day,” Shetty explained.


Udayakumar, a partner at Sri Sai Foods, said the registered branded rice has not been in much demand in the market as retailors are demanding unregistered brands of rice. “We will give quality rice instead of the registered branded one. After the implementation of GST, the mills will stop supplying the rice under the registered brand name and will instead supply it under other names which are not registered,” Udayakumar said. Welcoming the implementation of the GST, owner of Sai Ram Enterprisers, T Sambashiva Rao said that not only registered branded rice but the rice business in general has plummeted. It was severely hit for
three months after demonetisation and, this time, it is been hit again by the imposition of GST. N Srinivasa Rao, General Secretary, Karnataka State Rice Millers’
Association, said that millers have stopped supplying registered branded rice after the five per cent GST was imposed. Most of the millers have decided to surrender their brand registry or registered trademark as they are unable to sell the registered branded rice after July 1.
The government has also increased GST on machinery,
spare parts and other materials from 5.5 per cent to 18 or 28 per cent. Name of the brand establishes “trust” between customer and millers. Since the mplementation of GST, the price of registered branded has gone up and it is only natural for the consumer to go for unregistered rice. There are around 2,000 rice mills across the state and most of them are afraid they won’t be able to sell the registered branded rice to wholesalers, Rao explained. “Currently, wholesalers are clearing old stocks of registered branded rice but once the stocks run out, the sale will come to a grinding halt in the absence of new supply,” explained
M Raghavendra, proprietor of Sai Ram enterprisers.


No GST on food distributed at religious centres: Centre

The central government on Tuesday clarified that GST was not applicable on food supplied for free at ‘anna kshetras’ run by religious institutions. The centre’s release said that food or prasadam supplied at religious places like temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras, dargahs, etc. will not attract CGST, SGST or IGST, as the case may be. Officials from the ministry of finance said that there were media reports suggesting that GST applies on free food supplied in anna kshetras

run by religious institutions. 


However, some of the ingredients and services required would still be subject to GST. These include sugar, vegetable edible oils, ghee, butter, transportation costs, etc. Most of these have multiple uses. GST being a multi-stage tax, end use-based exemptions will be difficult to administer.
http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/gst-hits-sale-of-registered-branded-rice-in-city/articleshow/59552877.cms

جڑی بوٹیاں فصلوں کی فی ایکٹر پید ا وار میں 45 فی صدتک کمی کا باعث بنتی ہیں


لاہور  (صباح نیوز) ترجمان محکمہ زراعت نے کہا ہے کہ فصلوں کی منافع بخش کاشت میں سب سے زیادہ خطرہ جڑی بوٹیوں سے ہے ۔ ایک محتاط اندازے کے مطابق کیڑے مکوڑے 30 فیصد، بیماریاں 20 فیصد، متفرق 5فیصد اور جڑی بوٹیاں فصلوں کی فی ایکٹر پیدا وار میں 45 فیصدتک کمی کا باعث بنتی ہیں۔ایوب زرعی تحقیقاتی ادارہ فیصل آباد میں جڑی بوٹیوں پر کی گئی تحقیق کے نتائج کے مطابق جڑی بوٹیاں گندم کی فی ایکڑ پیداوار8 1 تا 30 فیصد، کپاس 3 تا 41 فیصد ،دھان17 تا39 فیصد ، گنا 10 تا 35 فیصد ،مکئی 24تا47 فیصد، دالیں25تا 55 فیصد ،تیلدار اجناس 21 تا 45 فیصد اور سبزیات39تا 89 فیصد کم کر دیتی ہیں۔جڑی بوٹیاں قیمتی زرعی وسائل کے لیے بہت بڑ ا خطرہ بن کر سامنے آئی ہیں ۔ زرعی وسائل جن کو جڑی بوٹیاں بہت زیادہ نقصان پہنچاتی ہیں ۔ان میں پانی ،خوراک ،روشنی اور جگہ بہت اہم ہیں۔فصلوں کی منافع بخش کاشت کے لیے پانی بہت ضروری ہے ۔ جڑی بوٹیاں زمین میں پہلے سے موجود پانی اور آبپاشی کی صورت میں دیا جانے والا قیمتی اور تیزی سے نایاب ہوتا ہوا پانی اپنی نشوونما کے لیے استعمال کر کے ضائع کر دیتی جڑی بوٹیاں فصلوں کے مقابلہ میں تیزی اور زیادہ گہرائی سے پانی حاصل کرتی ہیں۔ اس لئے ان کا فوری تدارک کریں
Daily Pakistan