Corn, rice self-sufficiency
campaign distorting Indonesia's market
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. – Indonesia’s self-sufficiency campaign for rice and corn is causing market distortions and raising domestic prices well above international levels, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The self-sufficiency campaign
includes “clumsy market interventions, import restrictions and overly
optimistic domestic production forecasts,” the USDA said.
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA)
is not allowing feed corn imports and will not issue import recommendations for
substitutes such as feed grade wheat, barley or sorghum. This has resulted in
high corn prices of $311 per tonne, compared to the government reference price
of $296 per tonne.
Wheat has become highly competitive
as a feed ingredient. Feed mills have been buying imported wheat from flour
mills. In October, the ministry said it would allow 200,000 tonnes of feed
wheat imports as a complementary ingredient for feed production.
“Local feed millers purchased the
full quantity, mostly of Black Sea origin, and the imported wheat arrived in
late October through early November,” the USDA said. “However, alarmed about
the potential for more imported wheat to enter feed channels, which would be
counter to MOA’s corn self-sufficiency drive, reportedly MOA is seeking
measures to further clamp down on feed wheat imports next year.”
As a result, the 2017-18 wheat
import forecast remains unchanged at 10.5 million tonnes. Wheat flour imports
in the first part of 2017 decreased 74% because of an additional 5% duty.
Corn
consumption in 2017-18 is slightly increased due to growing demand from wet
mills. A new corn starch wet mill in East Java started production in April and
is running at full capacity of 600 tonnes of corn per day. It produces corn
gluten meal and corn gluten feed in addition to starch. The facility uses only
imported corn because of its better quality and higher protein.
“To obtain approval to import corn
for wet milling, mills must declare that the imported corn will only be used
for industrial food use and will not be used as a feed ingredient,” the USDA
said.
The Indonesian Bureau of Logistics
(BULOG) is struggling to meet its target for rice procurement. Prices are well
above the government purchasing price, and competition with private rice
millers for domestic supplies is hurting BULOG’s efforts.
As a result, BULOG lowered its
procurement target to 2.5 million tonnes from 3.7 million tonnes. It is
required to maintain a minimum year-end stock level of 2 million tonnes.
“BULOG’s stocks were 1.2 tonnes at
the end of November 2017,” the USDA said. “However, MOA maintains its steadfast
stance that imports won’t be allowed, even for BULOG to rebuild stocks and
stabilize climbing prices.”
Asia Rice: India Prices Rise as Demand From Bangladesh Offsets High
Supply
Farmers plant rice saplings in a field in Shamli, in the
northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh July 19, 2014. (Reuters Photo/Anindito
Mukherjee)
India's 5 percent broken
parboiled rice prices rose by $4 per tonne to $406-$409.
"Bangladeshi demand has
improved sentiment. That is nullifying the impact of higher supplies from the
new crop," an exporter based in Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra
Pradesh said.
Bangladesh, which has emerged as a major importer this year
after floods hit its crops, will import 150,000 tonnes of rice from India in a
state deal priced at $440 a tonne, two food ministry officials said on
Wednesday (06/12).
India's state-run National
Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) will supply the rice
within 60 days after signing the deal, which will take place soon, the
officials said.
Bangladesh has tried to secure
supplies through India's state-run trading houses, which have floated tenders
in the local market for procurement, the Kakinada-based exporter said.
The country had already sealed a
deal with another state agency in India, PEC, to import 100,000 tonnes at $455
a tonne.
Meanwhile, Thailand's benchmark 5
percent broken rice was quoted at $401-405 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB)
Bangkok, up from $395-$400 last week.
Demand remained relatively quiet
in the world's second-biggest rice exporter as supply remains more or less
constant despite some losses due to floods, traders said.
"I don't think prices of
rice will rise any more substantially before the end of the year. Next year,
however, we might see some government intervention," said a Bangkok-based
trader.
The Ministry of Commerce has a
target to export 11 million tonnes by the end of the year, and traders are
optimistic the target could be reached within a plus-minus five percent range.
Thailand's Ministry of
Agriculture and Cooperatives and other agencies will hold the Thai Rice
Festival 2017 in Bangkok from Dec. 15-20. Traders expect this to have a
positive effect on demand.
In Vietnam, the rice market
continued to be quiet even as stocks remained low.
The country's 5 percent broken
rice traded at $395 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Saigon, mostly unchanged from
last week's $395-$398 range.
"We sold (5 percent broken
rice) at $395 a tonne in a new private contract," a trader in Ho Chi Minh
city said, but did not specify the buyer.
Traders were unsure when there
would be new government-to-government deals, but the delivery of previous state
contracts brought Vietnam's rice shipments closer to the target of 5.6 million
tonnes in 2017.
Arsenic in infant rice cereals compared with
lead exposure
To view a larger version of the graphic, please
click on the image.
Infant rice cereals are popular with parents
because they are affordable, easy to digest, and unlikely to cause allergic
reactions. Infants typically begin eating cereals when they are between 4
and 6 months old.
But, rice absorbs more arsenic from soil and
water than other grains used for infant cereals; about 10 times more.
Consequently, the level of arsenic in infant rice cereals is an ongoing concern
among researchers and some public health advocates. Some are comparing the
danger from arsenic with the dangers of children’s exposure to lead.
A new
report by activist health researchers credits cereal makers for
limiting arsenic levels in infant rice cereals since the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration’s most recent study, which was for 2013-14.
Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF), an
alliance of scientists, nonprofits and donors, published the report. It
found 85 ppb (parts per billion) of arsenic, on average in rice cereals tested
in 2016-17. That’s about a 21 percent improvement over FDA’s 2013-14 average of
103 ppb.
But HBBF says arsenic in nine favorite brands
of infant rice cereal is still too high in light of “growing science on
arsenic’ toxicity at low levels…” Arsenic toxicity, according to the new
report, causes lung, bladder and skin cancer. It also retards neurodevelopment
of children exposed in utero or during the first few years of life.
The findings include an analysis by Abt
Associates, an economic and toxicology research group, that shows rice-based
foods are resulting in a loss of 9.2 million IQ points among 0- to 6-year-old
children. Lower IQs will decrease lifetime wages for those children when
they are adults, costing the United States an estimated $12 billion to $18
billion annually, according to the report.
The FDA should have already taken high-arsenic
cereals off store shelves, according to HBBF.
“It hasn’t happened,” the report says. “FDA is,
in a word, stalled. More than a year after issuing its 2016 draft guidance to
cereal makers — the culmination of four years of assessment — FDA is falling
short of protecting infants.”
HBBF says FDA has neither set a final limit for
arsenic in rice cereal nor finalized the cap proposed in the draft guidance.
Arsenic levels in drinking water are strictly
regulated, but there are no limits for infant rice cereal.
The new report is described as
“parent-friendly” because it reviews 105 kinds of infant cereal showing
non-rice and multi-grain cereals that contain as much as 84 percent less
arsenic than leading brands of infant rice cereals. It says these alternatives
are “reliable and affordable.”
Source: Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF)
While calling upon FDA to “act immediately to
set an enforceable, health-based limit for arsenic in infant rice cereal and
other rice-based foods, the report also called upon cereal makers to implement
changes.
“We found no evidence to suggest that any brand
has reduced arsenic levels in rice cereal to amounts comparable to those found
in other types of cereal, despite at least five years of significant public
attention to the issue that has included widespread consumer alerts and
proposed federal action level,” according to the report.
The study — funded by the Forsythia and
Passport Foundations and The John Merck Fund — warns parents to avoid rice-only
infant cereals entirely. “Non-rice and multi-grain alternatives have lower
arsenic contamination, and are a healthier choice,” the nonprofit organization
recommends.
Additional information
about arsenic is available at FDA’s main arsenic page and at Arsenic in Rice and Rice Products.
“Rice has higher levels of inorganic arsenic
than other foods, in part because as rice plants grow, the plant and grain tend
to absorb arsenic more readily than other food crops,” according to the FDA
website.
“In April 2016, the FDA proposed an action
level, or limit, of 100 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in infant
rice cereal. This level, which is based on the FDA’s assessment of a large body
of scientific information, seeks to reduce infant exposure to inorganic
arsenic. The agency also has developed advice on rice consumption for pregnant
women and the caregivers of infants,” according to the FDA website.
(To sign
up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)
ASU research offers hydropower dam energy solution without
sacrificing Mekong food supply
December
7, 2017
The Mekong River is an economic
engine for fishermen and a food source for millions of people
worldwide. Nearly 100 hydropower dams are planned for construction along
tributaries off the river’s 2,700-mile stretch, which flows through Burma,
China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia.
But while the dams are expected to provide clean energy to the
region, if not managed properly, they also have the potential to offset natural
river patterns, which would damage food production, supply and business.
A boat in Cambodia's Tonle Sap
Fishing Village. Photo by John Sabo/Arizona State University.Download Full Image
Arizona State University professor John Sabo and
collaborators have proposed a solution in the Dec. 8 issue of Science magazine that
allows dam operators to generate power in ways that also protect — and
possibly improve — food supplies and businesses throughout the Mekong
river basin.
“We have figured out the
relationship between river flows and fish catch, and we have developed an
algorithm for dam operators to use that will increase fish harvests and still
generate power,” Sabo said. “Dams are going to be built no matter how much fuss
we make; our research shows how we can be more strategic about the buildout and
operations of these dams in the Mekong.”
The proposed solution, the first
of its kind for this problem, can be applied to other large river systems
around the world facing similar tradeoffs.
The Mekong river floods annually,
and it is known that those floods are important for fisheries, Sabo said. New
in this research is the recognition that seasonal droughts are equally
important. Long droughts combined with short floods may create the ideal
conditions for terrestrial nutrients to be entrained into the freshwater
system.
With that in mind, the algorithm
presented by Sabo et al. in Science recommends long low-flow periods punctuated
by pulses of flooding, which will allow dam operators to co-manage their power
generation priorities, while protecting livelihoods for fisheries downstream.
Fish from the Henicorynchus group are vital for food security in
Cambodia. The whole fish, including brains and eyeballs, which are rich in
vitamin A and omegas, is ground up and used as a paste in a soup with rice
noodles and vegetables.
Photo Courtesy John Sabo/Arizona State University
Sabo worked with other ASU
researchers on the project, as well as researchers from the University of
Washington, University of Maryland, Conservation International, the University
of South Florida, the Mekong River Commission and Aalto University.
“We have taken this conversation
around fisheries and dams in the Mekong from a yes-or-no conversation, from a
good idea-bad idea conversation, and we have come up with an alternative, a
mathematical formula that has the possibility to achieve dam operator goals and
protect fisheries,” said Gordon
Holtgrieve, an assistant professor at the University of Washington.
With recent funding from
the National Science Foundation, Sabo, Holtgrieve and a
team of researchers will expand the project to better understand how dam
operators can balance power generation needs with other factors, including rice
production, food nutritional quality and ecological goals.
https://asunow.asu.edu/20171207-solutions-hydropower-dam-research-mekong-asu-john-sabo
Phoenix Looks
to India to Feed Africa as Part of Rice Expansion
By Supunnabul
Suwannakij
December 8, 2017, 6:54 AM GMT+5
Company aims to boost rice trading volume to 2.2 million tons
Plans to spend $300 million over 5 years to expand
processing
Food and resources company Phoenix Commodities Ltd. will buy
more rice from India as it expands its business in Africa to meet increasing
demand.
The company wants to boost its rice trading volumes to between 2
million metric tons and 2.2 million metric tons over the next three to four
years, Chairman Gaurav Dhawan said in a phone interview. That compares with 1.5
million tons this year. The company says it is already one of the top three
rice traders globally.
Increasing incomes and changing food habits in Africa have
created an opportunity for the company to increase sales of its flagship Happy
Family brand rice, Dhawan said. Much of the planned increase in Phoenix’s
supply will come from India, the world’s biggest exporter, he said. It will be
supplemented by rice from Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam.
While global rice trading is
dwarfed by corn and wheat, it is a staple
food for more than half the world’s population. Worldwide
exports in 2018 will hold near this year’s record 45.7 million tons, on
expanding consumption in Africa and the Middle East, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture estimated in
November. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for about 30 percent of global imports.
Phoenix, which began as a rice trader
in 2000, expects to generate $1.3 billion in annual rice sales over the next
three to five years, Dhawan said. That compares with projected total revenue of
$4 billion. It recently secured a S$275 million ($203 million) borrowing
facility that will give it more flexibility to buy rice in Asia and distribute
it in Africa.
The company plans to spend $300 million over the next five
years, mostly on increasing processing and production, as well as expanding
into farming in Africa, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, Dhawan said. Phoenix operates
in 22 countries in 10 businesses including grains, sugar and coal with total supply
chain volume of 11 million tons.
Louis Dreyfus Co. is estimated to
be the world’s largest rice trader with volumes of about 2.6 million tons a
year and Olam International Ltd. is
estimated to sell about 1.7 million tons, according to California-based
researcher the Rice Trader.
Foreign rice in Nigeria smuggled, some poisonous – FG
Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali
(retd)
Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja
The Federal Government on Thursday declared
that all foreign brands of rice in the country at the moment were smuggled,
adding that some of them were poisonous.
According to the government, recent tests
conducted by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development showed
that most imported rice and poultry products were poisonous, as the commodities
had been stored for several months before being shipped to Nigeria and
neighbouring countries.
It also stated that the different varieties
of rice currently consumed in Nigeria were smuggled based on submissions by the
Consumer Protection Council that it had not seen any ‘Form M’ for rice
importation since the beginning of this year.
An ‘e-Form M’, as it is popularly called, is
a mandatory documentation process put in place by the Federal Government
through the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria to
monitor goods that are imported into the country as well as enable collection
of import duties where applicable.
Speaking in Abuja at a stakeholders’
engagement programme on how to stop the importation and smuggling of frozen
poultry and rice into the country, the Minister of State for Agriculture and
Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, noted that it was the duty of
the government to protect citizens against any form of harm.
He stated, “For imported rice, we don’t know
how long it had been in their (exporters) silos. Recently, one country decided
to bring in a shipload of rice into Nigeria so that we can use it to support
the IDPs (Internationally Displaced Persons) in the North-East, but when we
subjected the rice to a test, we discovered that the rice was actually
poisonous.
“This means that most imported rice have
been in silos for 10 to 15 years and have no nutritional value. So what we have
told them is that anybody who wants to support the IDPs or any other person in
Nigeria should please use our local rice. The argument is that local rice is
more expensive, but we say even if it means buying half bags, do it.
“It is better for us to eat a smaller
quantity of nutritious rice than for us to take poisonous shiploads of rice.
Also, we discovered that chemicals used for smuggled poultry products are the
ones used for embalming corpses. So what we want Nigerians to know is that
anybody who eats smuggled poultry products is actually embalming himself while
still alive.”
Lokpobiri told participants at the event,
including operators of superstores and international hotels, among others, that
enforcement officers from agencies of the Federal Government would start
visiting their outlets to ensure that smuggled and illegally imported products
were not sold to Nigerians.
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All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Ogun Customs intercept truck
loaded with 600 bags of smuggled rice
The Comptroller of Customs in the State Sani Madugu made this
known in Abeokuta while speaking with journalists about the achievements of the
command in the last 14 days.
He confirmed that they have been seizing goods especially rice
and vegetable oil every hours along the bush path.Magudu noted that aside from
cars used by smugglers which has been forfeited to the federal Government, the
smugglers also brought in shoes in large quantity.
On auction of vehicle, the comptroller said E-auction is ongoing
and some vehicles have been taken from the command to Abuja. He appealed to
people not to patronise touts as customs has eliminated man to man contact in
auction of vehicles.
Rice exporters
urge Punjab governor to mediate between ministry, REAP
The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has called
upon the Punjab Governor Rafique Rajwana to play a mediator's role between the
provincial agriculture ministry and the REAP for implementation of
phytosanitary standards at farm level and development of high yielding seed
varieties. REAP Chairman Samee Ullah Naeem made this demand during a meeting
with the Governor Punjab at the Governor's House here on Tuesday. He was
leading a delegation of the rice exporters which also included Pir Nazim Ali
Shah and executive committee members of the Association.
Samee raised the issue of disconnect between the agriculture policy being a provincial subject and rice exports being a federal subject. He said 70 percent of the Pakistani rice production is exported but this second biggest sector is being neglected.
He requested the Governor to mediate a dialogue between the Punjab Ministry for Agriculture and the REAP for implementation of phytosanitary standards at farm level, development of high yielding seed varieties and inclusion of NIBGE (National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering) in Rice Research Board Punjab and recognition of new high yielding varieties like 1121 of Pakistan.
While speaking on the occasion, Rajwana assured the rice exporters of his full support in resolving the issues faced by their sector. He said he would raise voice in their favour both at the federal and provincial levels to boost rice exports from Pakistan.
Meanwhile, REAP Chairman Samee Ullah Naeem expressed his displeasure that despite repeated attempts, representatives of the Association are not being heard by the Secretary Agriculture. He said they are trying for the last one month to get an appointment from the Secretary but to no avail.
Samee raised the issue of disconnect between the agriculture policy being a provincial subject and rice exports being a federal subject. He said 70 percent of the Pakistani rice production is exported but this second biggest sector is being neglected.
He requested the Governor to mediate a dialogue between the Punjab Ministry for Agriculture and the REAP for implementation of phytosanitary standards at farm level, development of high yielding seed varieties and inclusion of NIBGE (National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering) in Rice Research Board Punjab and recognition of new high yielding varieties like 1121 of Pakistan.
While speaking on the occasion, Rajwana assured the rice exporters of his full support in resolving the issues faced by their sector. He said he would raise voice in their favour both at the federal and provincial levels to boost rice exports from Pakistan.
Meanwhile, REAP Chairman Samee Ullah Naeem expressed his displeasure that despite repeated attempts, representatives of the Association are not being heard by the Secretary Agriculture. He said they are trying for the last one month to get an appointment from the Secretary but to no avail.
Tunisia, Nepal
stress enhanced trade co-op
December
07, 2017
Gujranwala-Tunisia
Ambassador Adil-al-Arabi said that there are a lot of opportunities for
Pakistani business community to investment in various sectors of Tunisia .
He said businessmen of both the countries should increase their exports and imports through mutual cooperation, and Tunisia Embassy in Pakistan would provide all the facilities for the business community in this regard. He expressed this while addressing the members of Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce after his visit to Gujranwala exhibition held in Business Center Gujranwala.
GCCI President Mian Amir Aziz, senior vice president Noshad Ahmed, vice president Irfan Yaqub Butt, chairman GBC Khawaja Zrar Kaleem, Noman Salah ud Din and others were also present.
Later, Nepal Ambassador Siva Tamaal Adhikari also visited the Gujranwal a Expo, and said that there are a lot of chances for Pakistani businessmen to invest in Hydraulic power in Nepal . He said that Pakistani rice is also a major demand in Nepal .
The exchange of information between the trade delegations could be helpful to businessmen of both the countries. He said that the Confederation of Nepali Chamber of Commerce in Nepal has signed an MoU with Islamabad, Karachi and Sialkot. “I hope that the Gujranwala Chamber will also joined the Nepali Confederation Chamber by signing the MOU.
He said businessmen of both the countries should increase their exports and imports through mutual cooperation, and Tunisia Embassy in Pakistan would provide all the facilities for the business community in this regard. He expressed this while addressing the members of Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce after his visit to Gujranwala exhibition held in Business Center Gujranwala.
GCCI President Mian Amir Aziz, senior vice president Noshad Ahmed, vice president Irfan Yaqub Butt, chairman GBC Khawaja Zrar Kaleem, Noman Salah ud Din and others were also present.
Later, Nepal Ambassador Siva Tamaal Adhikari also visited the Gujranwal a Expo, and said that there are a lot of chances for Pakistani businessmen to invest in Hydraulic power in Nepal . He said that Pakistani rice is also a major demand in Nepal .
The exchange of information between the trade delegations could be helpful to businessmen of both the countries. He said that the Confederation of Nepali Chamber of Commerce in Nepal has signed an MoU with Islamabad, Karachi and Sialkot. “I hope that the Gujranwala Chamber will also joined the Nepali Confederation Chamber by signing the MOU.
Basmati rice perks up Greek pilaf
By
Sara Moulton, Associated Press
December 5, 2017
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Greek-style rice pilaf served
with chicken, from a recipe by Sara Moulton.
With the exception of ooey-gooey potato concoctions, side dishes
rarely get any respect. Here, however, is a pilaf fully capable of stealing the
limelight.
It’s basmati rice that makes Greek Style Rice Pilaf so special.
An especially aromatic grain used for centuries in India and Pakistan, basmati
doesn’t usually show up in a Greek-styled pilaf. But I prefer its naturally
nutty taste to the blandness of the usual varieties of long-grain rice. The
seasonings, of course, are also key: sauteed spinach spiked with red pepper
flakes, feta cheese, olives and dill.
Cooking the rice requires some care. It needs to be tightly
sealed and cooked at a bare simmer to achieve the right texture. Place a wet
paper towel under the lid to ensure that no liquid can escape. And of course,
wait 10 minutes after it’s cooked before opening the lid.
If you’re no fan of feta, swap in ricotta salata, a kind of aged
ricotta. You’re also welcome to lose the dill in favor of oregano, basil or
mint. And if you don’t like olives, leave them out.
Born as a side dish, Greek Style Rice Pilaf easily converts to
main-dish status. Just top it off with a little sauteed shrimp or chicken and
call it a meal.
GREEK-STYLE RICE PILAF
·
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
·
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil,
divided
·
1 cup basmati rice, washed
·
1 teaspoon minced garlic
·
1 teaspoon lemon zest
·
1-2/3 cups low-sodium chicken
broth
·
8 ounces baby spinach
·
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
·
2 ounces finely crumbled feta
cheese (about 1/2 cup)
·
1/4 cup chopped Mediterranean
olives
·
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
In a medium pan over medium heat, cook onion in 2 tablespoons
oil, stirring occasionally until golden, about 8 minutes. Add rice and garlic;
cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add lemon zest and chicken broth and bring to a
boil. Turn down heat to medium-low, adjusting temperature to make sure broth
maintains a bare simmer. Cover top of pot with wet paper towel and
tight-fitting lid and cook, without stirring, for 17 minutes. Remove from heat
and let stand 10 minutes.
While the rice is simmering, cook spinach. In large skillet,
heat 1 tablespoon oil over high, add half the spinach and cook, stirring until
wilted, then add half the pepper flakes. Stir and transfer to bowl. Repeat with
remaining oil, spinach and pepper flakes. Set aside.
When the rice is ready, add the spinach mixture, feta, olives
and dill, then fluff rice with fork to separate the grains. Serve immediately.
Serves 6.
———
Approximate nutritional
information, per serving: 259 calories, 12 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 8 mg
cholesterol, 211 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 6 g
protein
http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/12/05/food/basmati-rice-perks-up-greek-pilaf/
Arsenic in infant rice cereals compared with
lead exposure
To view a larger version of the graphic, please
click on the image.
Infant rice cereals are popular with parents
because they are affordable, easy to digest, and unlikely to cause allergic
reactions. Infants typically begin eating cereals when they are between 4
and 6 months old.
But, rice absorbs more arsenic from soil and
water than other grains used for infant cereals; about 10 times more.
Consequently, the level of arsenic in infant rice cereals is an ongoing concern
among researchers and some public health advocates. Some are comparing the
danger from arsenic with the dangers of children’s exposure to lead.
A new
report by activist health researchers credits cereal makers for
limiting arsenic levels in infant rice cereals since the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration’s most recent study, which was for 2013-14.
Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF), an alliance
of scientists, nonprofits and donors, published the report. It found 85
ppb (parts per billion) of arsenic, on average in rice cereals tested in
2016-17. That’s about a 21 percent improvement over FDA’s 2013-14 average of
103 ppb.
But HBBF says arsenic in nine favorite brands
of infant rice cereal is still too high in light of “growing science on
arsenic’ toxicity at low levels…” Arsenic toxicity, according to the new
report, causes lung, bladder and skin cancer. It also retards neurodevelopment of
children exposed in utero or during the first few years of life.
The findings include an analysis by Abt
Associates, an economic and toxicology research group, that shows rice-based
foods are resulting in a loss of 9.2 million IQ points among 0- to 6-year-old
children. Lower IQs will decrease lifetime wages for those children when
they are adults, costing the United States an estimated $12 billion to $18
billion annually, according to the report.
The FDA should have already taken high-arsenic
cereals off store shelves, according to HBBF.
“It hasn’t happened,” the report says. “FDA is,
in a word, stalled. More than a year after issuing its 2016 draft guidance to
cereal makers — the culmination of four years of assessment — FDA is falling
short of protecting infants.”
HBBF says FDA has neither set a final limit for
arsenic in rice cereal nor finalized the cap proposed in the draft guidance.
Arsenic levels in drinking water are strictly
regulated, but there are no limits for infant rice cereal.
The new report is described as
“parent-friendly” because it reviews 105 kinds of infant cereal showing
non-rice and multi-grain cereals that contain as much as 84 percent less
arsenic than leading brands of infant rice cereals. It says these alternatives
are “reliable and affordable.”
Source: Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF)
While calling upon FDA to “act immediately to
set an enforceable, health-based limit for arsenic in infant rice cereal and
other rice-based foods, the report also called upon cereal makers to implement
changes.
“We found no evidence to suggest that any brand
has reduced arsenic levels in rice cereal to amounts comparable to those found
in other types of cereal, despite at least five years of significant public
attention to the issue that has included widespread consumer alerts and
proposed federal action level,” according to the report.
The study — funded by the Forsythia and
Passport Foundations and The John Merck Fund — warns parents to avoid rice-only
infant cereals entirely. “Non-rice and multi-grain alternatives have lower
arsenic contamination, and are a healthier choice,” the nonprofit organization
recommends.
Additional information
about arsenic is available at FDA’s main arsenic page and at Arsenic in Rice and Rice Products.
“Rice has higher levels of inorganic arsenic
than other foods, in part because as rice plants grow, the plant and grain tend
to absorb arsenic more readily than other food crops,” according to the FDA
website.
“In April 2016, the FDA proposed an action
level, or limit, of 100 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in infant
rice cereal. This level, which is based on the FDA’s assessment of a large body
of scientific information, seeks to reduce infant exposure to inorganic
arsenic. The agency also has developed advice on rice consumption for pregnant
women and the caregivers of infants,” according to the FDA website.
(To sign
up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)
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Rwanda to stop
rice imports to boost local production
By CNBC Africa
-
December 7, 2017
Watch
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvjcX0eQHI4
For years, Rwanda has been
spending on rice imports to satisfy the growing demand for this convenience
food especially in urban areas. However the country plans to stop importing
rice by 2018 to help reduce the trade deficit, to achieve this particular
target, access to farm inputs has been made easy for the crop growers in
efforts to boost local production.
https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2017/12/07/rwanda-to-stop-rice-imports-to-boost-local-production/
EU countries move to limit rice
imports from Cambodia
Cheng Sokhorng | Publication date 08 December 2017
| 08:31 ICT
A farmer harvests his rice crop at a paddy in Phnom Penh’s Russey
Keo district in 2015. Vireak Mai
Italy, along with six other European Union countries, has filed
a fresh request to European Commission to limit the volume of rice imported
from the Kingdom by activating a “safeguard clause” that allows EU member
states to impose barriers to protect against trade imbalances.
The Italian government submitted an official request to the
European Commission on November 20 calling for restrictions on the amount of
imported rice entering the European market from Cambodia, according to a report
yesterday by Euractiv news.
While the report called the request “trailblazing” and a more
concerted effort compared to a similar submission to the commission in 2016,
local industry insiders said that Italy’s statements usually fall on deaf ears
and are an annual protectionist complaint.
Cambodian rice exports to Europe have more than doubled in the
past five years, creating a trade imbalance that totalled $4.6 billion by the
end of last year, according to the report.
The Italian Ministry of Agriculture urged that its request was
reasonable because the flood of Cambodian long grain rice into Europe, which
registers at a third of the price of domestic rice, has led to a sharp drop in
prices and overproduction.
Under the Everything But Arms (EBA) program, Cambodia does not
pay any tax on its rice exports to EU member states.
Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodian Rice Federation, said
this was not the first time that Italy had tried to raise import limitations
against Cambodian rice to the European Commission.
“EU member countries, especially Italy, always raise the same
complaints about Cambodian imports every year, but this will not impact us
because we offer types of rice that are different to anything that is grown in
Europe,” he said. “We only export long grain fragrant rice to Europe, which is
different than the short grains grown in Italy.”
He added that Cambodia’s long grain rice was popular among Asian
consumers living in Europe.
“European delegates should be more concerned about how to
maintain the quality of their rice in the long term,” he said. “We are now in a
free market, so delegates should not be concerned.”
He added that he had met with a European delegate recently, but
had been assured that Cambodia’s high volume of rice exports was not a highly
contentious issue despite perceived concerns by the EU over the Kingdom’s political
deterioration.
“Political issues are separate and will not impact our rice
industry,” he insisted.
Chan Sokheang, executive director of HCC group Co Ltd, was
similarly optimistic that the political environment in Cambodia would not cause
the commission to seriously consider Italy’s request.
“It is the right of the European Commission to decide to limit
rice exports to the European market in light of Italy’s request and current
political tensions in Europe,” he said. “Even so, a limit on our exports will
not impact our rice industry, because we have a lot of deals with China.”
Long Kemvichet, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said he
was not worried about Italy’s recent request to limit rice exports, because the
commission had never responded to such requests in the past.
“This issue has been raised several times already, but the
commission never reacted positively to a request like this,” he said. “But we
have other markets for export as well.
This is about an issue in the European market, it is not an
issue for us.”
Contact author: Cheng
Sokhorng
Kanayama rice terraces ‘an impressive feat of human ingenuity’
BY OEYSTEIN SOLLESNES
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
DEC
7, 2017
113.48 The Kanayama rice terraces come
alive with color each autumn just before harvest season begins in late
September. | COURTESY OF ICHINOSEKI CITY
In late September, the trees have only just begun changing their
colors but the fields of gold swaying in the cool autumn winds are a sure sign
that it won’t be long before the rest of the leaves also radiate autumn colors.
With remnants of rice fields as far back as 2,000 years ago, Iwate is still
today known for its organic agriculture and the country’s iconic terraced rice
fields, tanada. In the mountains straddling
the city of Ichinoseki is one unlike any other.
Kanayama Tanada, named after its
owner, is more than 100 years old. Everything from planting to harvesting is
done by hand, according to tradition. The blood and sweat of generations have
carved out the mountainside and covered it with roughly 100 puddles of
carefully planted rice plants. Still a hidden gem, it is slowly drawing more
tourists from both near and afar.
Walking up the mountain to the
observation post at the top, one begins to notice the small things around: a
frog jumping from the paddies; that earthy smell you only find in wet forests;
deer tracks; small birds darting through green felicity. Urbanites spend so
much time removed from nature that encountering it becomes almost an experience
in itself.
Reaching the top, the path opens
up to a clear view of the tanada, flanked on both the sides by Japanese cedar
and cypress trees. The horizon is beautifully layered with dense green
mountains, interrupted only by the golden terraces themselves. Ears of rice are
hung up to dry, but in late September harvesting has only just begun.
Rice terraces are an impressive
feat of human ingenuity. Lacking access to rivers, Kanayama Tanada utilizes an
irrigation system that dates back to the late Edo Period. At the top is a
pond-like reservoir giving easy access to ground water and rainwater. This
water is released into waterways going down the terraces, allowing a stable
flow that would otherwise be difficult to achieve in the mountains.
As modern agricultural machinery
began to take over the country’s rice production in the 1960s, the cumbersome
terraced landscape lost its utility as farmers adjusted to a more competitive,
efficiency-driven industry, and many fell into disrepair. However, terraced
rice fields do more than just grow rice.
In periods of intense rainfalls,
tanada helps prevent flooding and landslides by retaining rainwater and letting
it seep steadily into the soil. Each terrace is a small watery garden, housing
and nurturing thousands of species, including frogs, insects, snakes and, in
some cases, even fish. Now it also harbors a peek into bygone times.
Here in Ichinoseki, every person
greets you with a smile and a thick accent. Not many people live here, and even
fewer visit. The exception is spring and fall, when tourists come in from the
big cities to experience a traditional, “rustic” Japan, one that is harder to
find even in the remote Tohoku. In recent years, this trend is seen in tanada
around the country, leading some to embark on a “Tanada tour,” in which visits
include well-known tanada in Niigata, Ishikawa, Nagano and Nagasaki
prefectures.
“I’m happy people come to visit,”
says Yoshiharu Yoshida, a 64-year-old farmer busy harvesting in a neighboring
field. “But it won’t matter if no one stays.”
Walking around you’d be lucky to encounter someone who stayed
after graduating high school. A regional specialty is mochi,
a glutinous rice cake made from repeatedly pounding rice with a gigantic
hammer. Community mochi-making events are held in winter, but some now worry
how long there will be enough able men to wield the hammer. Tourists are more
than welcome to try.
After all, tourists bring in
revenue and vitality, and events and festivals connect generations of people to
the community. Some hope that tourism will strengthen community ties, and bring
jobs and opportunities back to the region, giving the young reason to stay.
In the wake of the 2011 Great
East Japan Earthquake that devastated the prefecture’s coastal side, locals
banded together to form the Kanayama Tanada Protection Association. With the
city’s support for rural revitalization, the association works to preserve the
tanada, along with its culture and traditions. For a small fee, anyone can step
back in time and partake in planting and harvesting rice the way it’s been done
for centuries.
Getting to Kanayama Tanada: Take the shinkansen from Tokyo to Ichinoseki Station, a two-hour
ride. From there you can take a 20-minute taxi ride (0191-23-1111) or a bus to
Maikawa Post Office. Leaving the vehicle, turn right at the intersection and
follow route 261 for 10 minutes until you reach a sign indicating that Kanayama
Tanada is 900 meters down a small road on the right. Oeystein Sollesnes is a
graduate student at Akita International University, Japan. This article is part
of his course work in journalism at the Graduate School of Global Communication
Practices
Very educational harvest festival at Atisco Farm
December 6, 2017, 10:00 PM
By Zac B. Sarian
The visitors to the three-day
Atisco Harvest Festival at the Atisco Farm in Tanauan City were amply rewarded
with the doable ideas they were able to witness at the farm.One idea is the
intercropping of ginger between coconut trees intended for harvesting for palm
heart (ubod) when they will be three years old. The showcase dramatically
demonstrates how production in a unit area in a farm can be maximized. The
ginger plants are very robust and are expected to produce a high yield.
ASPIRING LADY FARMER AT THE
HARVEST FEST – Mary Ann Roque, a travel agency manager who has started her own
farm, was one of the early visitors at the Atisco Harvest Festival in Tanauan
City on November 30 to December 2, 2017. She attended the harvest festival in
the hope of getting practical ideas that she could adopt in her two-hectare
farm in Altura Matanda, Tanauan City. She already has 1,000 posts of dragon fruit
for a start.
She hopes to develop her farm
into an agritourist destination. Photo shows her posing with a fruitful
Diamante Max tomato showcased by East-West Seed at the Atisco farm.At present,
ginger is a hot commodity that fetches a high price in the market. During
certain times of the year, the going price could go as high as P150 per kilo or
more. Aside from the ordinary ginger, there are a few plantings of
langkawas which is prized for its medicinal attributes.One showcase that also
attracted a lot of visitors was the showcase of grafted ampalaya by East-West
Seed. The plants that are grafted on patola rootstocks have developed big vines
that enable the plants to live longer than the non-grafted varieties so that
they can produce higher yields. Instead of producing only 18 harvests in the
case of the non-grafted ampalaya during its lifetime, the grafted varieties can
produce six to 10 more harvests.
Aside from grafed ampalaya, East-West
showcased its best-selling varieties like Diamante Max tomato, Django finger
pepper (pangsigang), Fortuner eggplant, Mestiza ampalaya, and new watermelon
varieties like Orange Delight, Yellow Delight and Red Delight. BLACK SESAME –
Dante Delima, Atisco operations manager, said they have also showcased black
sesame in their farm to convince people that there is a market and money to be
made by growing the black sesame. Because there is no commercial supply of this
crop locally, most of the local requirements are imported from other countries
like Vietnam.ADLAI FROM MINDANA0
– Another new crop that was showcased at the
Atisco farm was the adlai variety that is grown by Indigenous People in the
mountains in Mindanao. This is a variety that yields grains for human
consumption as rice substitute. The variety is ideal for growing in the
unirrigated highlands because it is resistant to drought.LADY FARMERS – Many of
the festival attendees were ladies who are into their own brand of farming. One
of them is Mary Ann Roque, a travel agency manager who is developing a
two-hectare farm in Brgy. Altura Matanda in Tanauan City. So far she has
planted a thousand hills of dragon fruit. She attended the harvest festival
hoping to pick up new ideas that she culd adopt in her farm. Her dream is to
eventually develop an agritourism destination.SOLAR-POWERED WATER PUMP –
Something new was also showcased
by Agri Component Corporation of Cauayan City in Isabela. This is the
solar-powered water pump that can draw three cubic meters of water per hour. It
is environment-friendly beause it does not produce any pollution. The pump is a
two-HP machine from Italy called Uflo.NEW PLAYER IN VEGGIES – Bayer CropScience
is preparing itself for its entry into the lucrative vegetable seed business by
showcasing three vegetables of its own. Next year, it will be launching in the
local market its own varieties of tomato, ampalaya and upo. The company is
better known in the past years as the supplier of crop protection products and
rice seeds.
KOREAN MACHINERY – Fitcorea
Marketing Phils. which represents the Korea Agricultural Machinery Industry
Cooperative (KAMICO), displayed in last year’s Atisco harvest festival the big
Korean machinery like Branson tractors and various equipment. This year, it
concentrated in showcasing the small machines like the tillers manufactured by
Asia Tech. These small machines are efficient in land preparation, making
planting beds, constructing drainage canals, installing plastic mulch and other
functions.Overall, the Atisco harvest festival was most educational.
https://newsbits.mb.com.ph/2017/12/06/very-educational-harvest-festival-at-atisco-farm/
Commodities
Buzz: Pakistan Rice Exports Increase By 16 percent During July To October 2017
capital market | Mumbai | December 06, 2017
14:43 IST
Commodities Buzz: Pakistan
Rice Exports Increase By 16 percent During July To October 2017
Rice export
from the country during first 4 months (July-October) of current fiscal year
increased by 16.87 per cent as compared to same period of last year.The rice
export during the period under review rose to $457.66 million from $391.595
million during July-October 2016-17, according to latest data released by
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
On month-on-month basis,
the rice export also increased to $137.423 million in October 2017 from $96.306
million in September 2017, showing an increase of 42.69 per cent.
CARI Sensitises Nigerian Students To Benefits
Of Local Rice
By Kudirat Musa
Abuja – Competitive
African Rice Initiative (CARI) has started sensitising school children across
the country to the benefits of locally produced rice in terms of its quality
and availability.
Mr Kojo Sagoe, Policy Advisor for CARI, made this known on
Thursday in Abuja at the celebration of Nigerian rice and cultural day of
Asokoro Community Staff Secondary School.
He said that the Policy Advocacy Unit of CARI just developed the
initiative to convey the message on local rice to the parents through their
children.
“The programme entails identifying one or two schools that would
organise end-of-the-year party for students, while finding out the quantity
rice they would need to feed the students and supplying it free of charge.
“CARI aims to significantly improve the livelihoods of rice
farmers in selected African countries by increasing the competitiveness of
domestic rice supply to meet the demand.
“It is also to announce the accessibility and availability of
locally produced rice in the country, while promoting made-in-Nigeria rice, in
line with the Federal Government’s policy,’’ he said.
Also speaking, Mr Micheal Ahmed, Agricultural Officer, Federal
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that Federal Government had
been promoting the acceptance of locally produced rice via different
strategies.
“One of the strategies put in place is the distribution of over
100 units of rice milling machines to rice farmers and millers. Besides, farm
inputs like chemicals, fertilisers and seeds were also distributed as
subsidised rates.
“All these were put in place to ensure we attain
self-sufficiency in rice production and the Federal Government has been
collaborating with different organisations to train rice millers and farmers to
improve the standard of their production,’’ he said.
Earlier, Mr Seidu Ahmed, the Principal of the school, said that
the cultural day of the school was also aimed at promoting the acceptability of
local rice.
“We appreciate CARI for the initiative because our culture is
highly represented, as some of the major indices of culture are food, dressing,
greeting and music.
“We showcase Nigerian cuisines and we selected some ethnic
groups to cook rice in their local ways to enrich our cultural day,’’ he said.
Miss Bolutife Omowumi, Social Prefect of the school, said that
the annual cultural day celebration was all about promoting the diverse
cultures of Nigeria.
“Basically, the event is to create and foster the awareness of
different cultures of the students of our school.
“The event will also enrich the people’s acceptance of local
rice; Nigerian rice has very unique taste, compared to foreign rice, and it
also contains basic nutrients which the body needs.
“We appreciate what the Federal Government is doing to promote
local rice in schools; it is a very good initiative that will encourage more
Nigerians to consume local rice, while improving oosting our economy,’’ she
said. (NAN)
Global Organic Rice Flour Market- Rice Flour,
Brown Rice Flour, Glutinous Rice Flour
AuthorPublished onDecember 6, 2017Leave a commenton Global
Organic Rice Flour Market- Rice Flour, Brown Rice Flour, Glutinous Rice Flour
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Along with developments of key Organic Rice Flour industry players, key market segments, and key regional segments charted through detailed historical statistics, the Organic Rice Flour industry research report also presents insightful projections about market’s future growth prospects.
BASF
Philippines opens Rice Knowledge Center in Laguna
December 6, 2017
Chemical firm BASF Philippines
Inc. (BASF) would leverage its P5-million Rice Knowledge Center (RKC) in Laguna
to boost the sales of its crop-protection products in the Philippines.Dion
Banaay, BASF’s head of RKC, said the establishment of the center would allow
the company to source vital and pertinent information on rice production and
formulate chemical solutions accordingly.
“Right now in Asia Pacific, the
business of BASF in rice is very low, [it is only] around 3 percent of the
market share of the whole Asia Pacific. We want to build the rice business in
the region,” Banaay told the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of the
inauguration of the BASF’s RKC in Bay, Laguna, on December 5. “We really have
to improve our knowledge on rice. Knowing rice more [would allow] us to
position our products also,” Banaay added.
Banaay said the RKC would serve
as a product-launching platform for their pesticide products for rice. He added
that they are currently selling two herbicide and two insectice products for
rice in the local market.Through the RKC, the BASF said it would collect and
manage technical information and data in regards to crop-protection solutions
and bet practices for rice cultivation.
The RKC would also serve as a
knowledge hub for the latest information, publications and training materials
pertaining to rice cultivation to all BASF crop-protection staff across the
region and around the globe, according to the company. Banaay said they are
initially partnering with the Philippine Rice Research Institute and the
International Rice Research Institute for the information on rice cultivation,
including data on pests, planting methods and crop varieties.
BASF said the RKC would also
serve as a venue for the conduct of hands-on technical trainings to develop and
strengthen the technical expertise among the company’s research and
development, technical support, marketing and sales teams.
Banaay added the RKC was
conceptualized by BASF three years ago and expected to undergo three phases of
development.
The first phase involves the
establishment of the center and a digital library, which would contain
information on BASF’s crop-protection solutions.The second phase, which is eyed
to be completed by 2019-2020, involves the creation of farm-demonstration
trials to help “rice champions” promote the company’s products. The third and
final phase, which is expected to run from 2021 to 2022, seeks to open the RKC
to the public and share the knowledge the hub has collected and gathered for
the past years to rice farmers.For next year, BASF plans to invest some
€100,000 (almost P6 million) for the development of the next phases of the RKC,
according to Banaay.
Rice basmati looks up on buying
PTI | Dec 7, 2017, 14:12 IST
New Delhi, Dec 7 () Rice basmati prices rose by Rs 100 per
quintal at the wholesale grains market today on emergence of stockists buying
against restricted supplies from producing belts.
However, wheat remained weak on ample stocks position.Traders
said stockists buying against restricted arrivals from producing regions mainly
led to rise in rice basmati prices.Some enquiries from rice mills also
supported the upmove,they said.
In the national capital, rice basmati common and Pusa-1121
variety edged up by Rs 100 each to Rs 7,800-7,900 and Rs 6,300-6,400 per
quintal respectively.
On the other hand, wheat dara (for mills) shed another Rs 10 to
Rs 1,800-1,805 per quintal. Atta chakki delivery followed suit and traded lower
by a similar margin to Rs 1,805-1,810 per 90 kg.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,100-2,300, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs
1,800-1,805, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,805-1,810, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs
260-300, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 255-290, Roller flour mill Rs
980-990 (50 kg), Maida Rs 1,020-1,030 (50 kg)and Sooji Rs 1,050-1,060 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs
11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,800, Basmati common new Rs 7,800-7,900,
Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 6,300-6,400, Permal raw Rs
2,325-2375, Permal wand Rs 2,375-2,425, Sela Rs 2,700-2,900 and Rice IR-8 Rs
1,950-2,000, Bajra Rs 1,215-1,220, Jowar yellow Rs 1,375-1,425, white Rs
2,750-2,850, Maize Rs 1,300- 1,305, Barley Rs 1,480-1,490. SUN KPS ADI MKJ
Starch,
Rice, and Sugar – New Procurement Research Reports Now Available From SpendEdge
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SpendEdge, a
global procurement intelligence advisory firm, has launched three procurement
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Growth of the starch market can be attributed to the rise in
demand for native and modified starch
Global Starch Category -
Procurement Market Intelligence Report:
The growth of the starch market
can be attributed to the rise in demand for native and modified starch from
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Starch – Procurement Challenges:
·
The fluctuations in
raw material prices.
·
The challenges that
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To overcome the above-mentioned
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Global Rice Category -
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The growth of the rice market can
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from end-use segments. There is a higher demand for nutritious varieties of
rice, such as brown rice, from the rice consumers primarily from key rice
consuming countries in APAC. Moreover, the rise in demand for RHA as a
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·
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·
Hefty penalties and
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fines and loss of brand reputation. Moreover, the buyers prefer to partner with
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Procurement Market Intelligence Report:
The growth of the sugar market
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fruits. The rapid growth in population is expected to increase sugar
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engage with suppliers that help them plan and control the design and
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http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171206005672/en/Starch-Rice-Sugar-–-New-Procurement-Research
ASIA
RICE-INDIA PRICES RISE AS DEMAND FROM BANGLADESH OFFSETS HIGH SUPPLY
12/7/2017
By Koustav Samanta
BENGALURU, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Rice prices in India climbedthis week
as strong demand from neighbouring Bangladeshcounteracted fresh supplies from a
new season crop in the
world's top exporter.India's 5 percent broken parboiled rice prices<RI-INBKN5-P1> rose by $4 per tonne to $406-$409.
world's top exporter.India's 5 percent broken parboiled rice prices<RI-INBKN5-P1> rose by $4 per tonne to $406-$409.
"Bangladeshi demand has
improved sentiment. That is nullifying
the impact of higher supplies from the new crop," anexporter based in
Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra
Pradesh said. Bangladesh, which has emerged as a major importer this yearafter floods hit its crops, will import 150,000 tonnes of ricefrom India in a state deal priced at $440 a tonne, two foodministry officials said on Wednesday.
Pradesh said. Bangladesh, which has emerged as a major importer this yearafter floods hit its crops, will import 150,000 tonnes of ricefrom India in a state deal priced at $440 a tonne, two foodministry officials said on Wednesday.
India's state-run National Agricultural CooperativeMarketing
Federation (NAFED) will supply the rice within 60 daysafter signing the deal,
which will take place soon, theofficials said.
Bangladesh has tried to secure
supplies through India's state-run
trading houses, which have floated tenders in thelocal market for procurement,
the Kakinada-based exporter said.The country had already sealed a deal with
another stateagency in India, PEC, to import 100,000 tonnes at $455 a tonne. Meanwhile,
Thailand's benchmark 5 percent broken rice was
quoted at $401-405 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Bangkok, up from$395-$400 last week.
quoted at $401-405 a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Bangkok, up from$395-$400 last week.
Demand remained relatively quiet in
the world's second-biggest
rice exporter as supply remains more or lessconstant despite some losses due to
floods, traders said."I don't think prices of rice will rise any moresubstantially
before the end of the year. Next year, however, we
might see some government intervention," said a Bangkok-basedtrader.
might see some government intervention," said a Bangkok-basedtrader.
The Ministry of Commerce has a target to export 11 milliontonnes
by the end of the year, and traders are optimistic thetarget could be reached
within a plus-minus five percent range.Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and
Cooperatives andother agencies will hold the Thai Rice Festival 2017 in Bangkokfrom
Dec. 15-20. Traders expect this to have a positive effect
on demand.In Vietnam, the rice market continued to be quiet even asstocks remained low.
on demand.In Vietnam, the rice market continued to be quiet even asstocks remained low.
The country's 5 percent broken rice
<RI-VNBKN5-P1> traded at $395
a tonne, free-on-board (FOB) Saigon, mostly unchanged fromlast week's $395-$398
range."We sold (5 percent broken rice) at $395 a tonne in a newprivate
contract," a trader in Ho Chi Minh city said, but did
not specify the buyer.
not specify the buyer.
Traders were unsure when there would be new government-to-government
deals, but the delivery of previousstate contracts brought Vietnam's rice
shipments closer to the
target of 5.6 million tonnes in 2017.(Reporting by Mi Nguyen in Hanoi, Suphanida Thakral in Bangkok,Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai and Ruma Paul in Dhaka, editing by
David Evans)
target of 5.6 million tonnes in 2017.(Reporting by Mi Nguyen in Hanoi, Suphanida Thakral in Bangkok,Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai and Ruma Paul in Dhaka, editing by
David Evans)
Bulog: Rice
Stock Adequate Up to April 2018
Thursday, 07 December 2017 | 23:39 WIB
JAKARTA, NNC – People are asked not to worry about basic needs such as
rice due to the Ministry of Agriculture warranty if the stock is enough until
the end of this year.Logistics Agency (Bulog) data said if the current rice
stock reaches more than 1 million tons.
"In the present meeting, God willing it’s alright, rice
stock is quite big until today about 1.1 million tons of rice," explained
Director of Human Resources and General Bulog, Febriyanto, at the Ministry of
Agriculture on Thursday (7/12/2017).
According to Febriyanto, the stock can meet the needs of 4
months ahead or until April 2018.Meanwhile, for the procurement of rice at the
end of the year still runs between 1,500-2,000 tons. Procurement of this rice
will increase in January 2018 later due to enter the harvest period.
"God willing, January increase because there are more
harvest, because some areas have more harvest," explained Febriyanto.
In addition, Bulog secures the supply of meat for Christmas to
New Year's. One of them by preparing stock of frozen buffalo meat"Then the
stock of buffalo meat is 18,000 tons.Japan Insya Allah will get additional
import permit through Rakortas 31.000 tons if talking of availability or meat
stock even Eid al-Fitr is not Christmas and new year," said Febri.
Nagpur
Foodgrain Prices Open- December 8, 2017
(Dec 08, 2017 14:10)
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices -
APMC/Open Market-December 8 Nagpur, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Gram prices shot up in
Nagpur Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) on increased demand from
local millers amid weak supply from producing regions. Healthy rise in Madhya
Pradesh gram prices, upward trend on NCDEX and repeated demand from South-based
millers also helped to push up prices. About 250 bags of gram reported for
auctions in Nagpur APMC, according to sources.
FOODGRAINS & PULSES
GRAM
* Gram varieties ruled steady in
open market here but demand was poor.
TUAR
* Tuar gavarani reported down in
open market on poor demand from local traders.
* Batri dal firmed up in open
market here on increased seasonal demand
from local traders amid weak
arrival from producing regions.
* In Akola, Tuar New -
4,000-4,150, Tuar dal (clean) - 5,700-5,800, Udid Mogar (clean)
- 8,200-9,000, Moong Mogar
(clean) 7,000-7,300, Gram - 4,525-4,675, Gram Super best
- 7,300-7,500
* Wheat, other varieties of rice
and other foodgrain items moved in a narrow range in
scattered deals and settled at
last levels in weak trading activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC
auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100 kg
FOODGRAINS
Available prices
Previous close
Gram Auction
4,174-4,325
3,900-4,200
Gram Pink Auction
n.a.
2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction
n.a.
3,400-3,880
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
1,600-1,690
1,600-1,698
Gram Super Best Bold
7,000-7,500
7,000-7,500
Gram Super Best
n.a.
n.a.
Gram Medium Best
6,000-6,400
6,000-6,400
Gram Dal Medium
n.a.
n.a
Gram Mill Quality
4,550-4,600
4,550-4,600
Desi gram Raw
4,600-4,900
4,600-4,900
Gram Kabuli
12,400-13,000
12,400-13,000
Tuar Fataka Best-New
6,200-6,400
6,200-6,400
Tuar Fataka Medium-New
5,900-6,100
5,900-6,100
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New
5,400-5,600
5,400-5,600
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New
5,100-5,300
5,100-5,300
Tuar Gavarani New
4,100-4,200
4,100-4,200
Tuar Karnataka
4,650-4,900
4,650-4,900
Masoor dal best
5,000-5,400
5,000-5,400
Masoor dal medium
4,700-4,900
4,600-4,800
Masoor
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New)
7,200-7,600
7,200-7,600
Moong Mogar Medium
6,600-6,900
6,600-6,900
Moong dal Chilka
5,600-6,500
5,600-6,500
Moong Mill quality
n.a.
n.a.
Moong Chamki best
7,500-8,000
7,500-8,000
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG)
(New) 8,500-9,500
8,500-9,500
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG)
6,000-7,500
6,000-7,500
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG)
5,600-6,800
5,600-6,800
Batri dal (100 INR/KG)
5,300-5,500
5,200-5,500
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg)
2,850-2,950
2,850-2,950
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG)
3,100-3,200
2,900-3,000
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG)
3,400-3,800
3,400-3,800
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG)
1,900-2,000
1,900-2,000
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG)
1,750-1,850
1,750-1,850
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG)
2,100-2,300
2,100-2,300
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)
2,300-2,700
2,300-2,700
Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG)
3,000-3,500
3,000-3,500
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG)
2,800-2,900
2,800-2,900
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG)
2,200-2,400
2,200-2,400
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG)
2,500-2,600
2,500-2,600
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG)
2,300-2,400
2,300-2,400
Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG)
3,600-4,000
3,600-4,000
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG)
3,250-3,600
3,250-3,600
Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG)
4,900-5,200
4,900-5,200
Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG)
4,500-4,700
4,500-4,700
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG)
10,200-14,000
10,200-14,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG)
5,200-7,500
5,300-7,500
Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG)
5,800-6,000
5,800-6,000
Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG)
5,200-5,500
5,200-5,500
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG)
2,000-2,200
2,000-2,100
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG)
1,800-2,000
1,700-2,000 WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 30.5 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 16.0 degree Celsius Rainfall :
Nil FORECAST: Mainly clear sky. Maximum and minimum temperature would be around
and 31 and 16 degree Celsius respectively. Note: n.a.--not available (For oils,
transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in market
prices)
Infant Rice
Cereal Has Worrying Levels of Arsenic, New Study Shows
Cereals made from
other grains may be a safer choice for babies
By Jesse
Hirsch
Infant rice cereal contains an average of six times the level
of arsenic as other grain cereals on the market, according to a new study
conducted by Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF), a national alliance of
scientists and child health advocacy organizations.
The findings affirm the results of Consumer Reports’ own testing in 2012 and 2014,
which revealed high levels of arsenic in rice and rice products, including
infant rice cereals.
“For years, rice cereal has been recommended as a baby’s first
food,” says Jane Houlihan, research director at HBBF. “But until arsenic levels
are significantly reduced across the board, we do not think it’s a safe
choice.”
“Even exposure to low levels of 'inorganic' arsenic—the most toxic
type of arsenic—in infant rice cereal can
have a damaging effect on a baby’s developing IQ and neurodevelopmental
system,” adds James Rogers, Ph.D., director of food safety and research at
Consumer Reports.
Arsenic has also been proven to increase one’s risk of developing
bladder, lung, and skin cancers, as well as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
To conduct the study, HBBF purchased 105 infant cereal samples (45
products) from nine brands at different retailers across the country. In
addition to rice and brown rice cereals, the samples included cereals made from
11 other grains such as corn, oatmeal, and wheat, and multigrain cereals, some
of which contained rice. On average, the non-rice and multigrain cereals had 84
percent less arsenic than the cereals made with just rice.
“Rice plants absorb more arsenic than others in part because
they’re grown in water-flooded conditions,” says Rogers. “This means that the
plants take up arsenic that would otherwise be stuck in the soil.”
How Much Arsenic Is in Baby Rice
Cereal?
Averaging all the samples together in the HBBF report, the rice
cereals contained 85 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic, but there were several
rice cereal samples that had 90 ppb or higher; 90 ppb is the maximum allowable
level of arsenic Consumer Reports recommends an infant rice cereal should have.
"No amount of arsenic can be considered completely
safe," says Rogers. "But there are levels below which risks are
fairly low.”
Of the 45 individual containers of infant rice cereal the group
tested—which included products from Beechnut, BioKinetics, Earth’s Best,
Gerber, HappyBABY, and Healthy Time—one third contained levels of 90 ppb or
higher. BioKinetics’ Brown Rice Sprouted Baby Cereal contained the most arsenic
in the testing, with samples ranging from 128 ppb to 235 ppb.
MORE ABOUT ARSENIC
BioKinetics president Robert DenHoed said he was surprised by
HBBF's results.
“We test samples ourselves and send some to an offsite lab in
Toronto, and our readings are typically less than 10 ppb,” DenHoed said,
adding that his company does not intend to make any changes.
Consumer Reports’ 2012 and 2014 tests of
rice and rice products reported alarmingly high levels of arsenic—and also
found this toxic heavy metal in both apple and grape juice.
At that time, CR recommended limiting the consumption of these foods, including
no more than a quarter cup of infant rice cereal per day, and asked the FDA to
set tough arsenic limits for manufacturers to meet. While the amount of arsenic
in rice cereals in the HBBF study is, on average, below what CR’s previous
testing found, it is still concerning, says CR’s Rogers.
Guidelines on Arsenic in Rice Are
Needed
The only FDA restrictions regarding arsenic are on bottled water,
with a limit of 10 ppb, the same as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
limit on drinking water. The agency issued draft guidance to
manufacturers in 2013 and 2016 proposing a limit of 10 ppb for apple juice and
100 ppb for infant rice cereal, respectively. The next step would be finalizing
these “best practice” arsenic guidelines for juice and cereal manufacturers.
The FDA still hasn’t issued final guidance. When asked about the
delay, FDA spokesman Peter Cassell said in an email to Consumer Reports: “FDA
testing of infant rice cereals in the marketplace—including as recently as this
summer—has found most of the products to be below the agency’s proposed action
level. In these samples, the agency has observed a decline in the overall
levels of inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal since the proposed limit was
issued. The FDA continues to advise
consumers to feed infants and toddlers a variety of fortified
infant cereals, rather than relying solely on infant rice cereal.”
But even if these guidances were finalized, manufacturers would not be required to follow them, says Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization division of Consumer Reports.
But even if these guidances were finalized, manufacturers would not be required to follow them, says Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization division of Consumer Reports.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) wants the FDA to go even further:
She's asking for mandatory limits on the amount of inorganic arsenic contained
in rice and rice-based foods. DeLauro announced Thursday that she has
reintroduced a bill to do just that, known as R.I.C.E
(Reducing food-based Inorganic Compounds Exposure) Act.
“The federal government has long known about the dangers of
arsenic in our food supply,” said DeLauro in a written statement to Consumer
Reports. “Yet high levels of inorganic arsenic—a known carcinogen—are still
present in rice, rice-based cereal, and other foods many adults, children, and
infants eat every day. ... That is why Congress must take up the R.I.C.E. Act
to protect all Americans health and well-being.”
Consumers Union has endorsed the R.I.C.E. Act as an important step
forward for public health, and is urging all members of Congress to support it.
CR’s Halloran says that while passing the R.I.C.E. legislation
would be the best ultimate outcome, the FDA can act right away to finalize its
draft guidance.
“It is essential that manufacturers have a clear standard for how
much arsenic is permissible in infant rice cereal—a food widely consumed by one
of our most vulnerable populations," she says. "There is no excuse
for delay—FDA should finalize its proposed guidance of
100 ppb for infant rice cereal immediately."
Although not as low as the majority of nonrice and multigrain
cereals, some of the containers of different rice cereal products in the HBBF
study did have arsenic levels below 90 ppb.
“This shows that it is possible to reduce the arsenic content of
rice cereals,” says Halloran.
In response to the HBBF study, the major rice trade association,
USA Rice Federation, said in a statement to Consumer Reports: “The U.S. rice
industry is dedicated to understanding and addressing the issue of arsenic in
rice, and are pleased to be able to say that according to the WHO and UN-FAO,
the levels in U.S. rice are the lowest in the world.”
What Parents Can Do Now
Because of the potential risks to babies of eating rice cereal
with high levels of arsenic, HBBF is encouraging parents to stop feeding their
children rice cereal altogether. Instead, the group suggests parents stick with
iron-fortified grain cereals such as barley, oat, and multigrain—which share
rice cereal’s nutritional benefits without the arsenic risk.
Consumer Reports’ guidance does not yet rule out all rice cereal
in a baby’s diet: Our
experts suggested that parents feed babies no more than a quarter cup of rice
cereal daily. In light of this new research, however, CR’s Rogers says:
“Consumer Reports will review the HBBF data and recommendations in conjunction
with our own ongoing research.”
In the meantime, Consumer Reports recommends varying the types of
cereal parents feed their babies, in addition to limiting the quantity of rice
cereal.
“While parents often give babies rice cereal as their first food,
other infant cereals, such as oatmeal and barley-based cereal, offer similar
nutritional benefits,” says Rogers.
Additional guidance for adults on how much rice is safe to eat can
be found in this Consumer Reports article from
2014.
Should You Be Worried About the Arsenic in Your
Baby Food?
The new report comes from Healthy Babies Bright Futures, an alliance of
scientists, nonprofit groups and private donors that aims to reduce children’s
exposures to chemicals that may harm developing brains. One step parents can
take immediately to reduce children’s exposure to arsenic is to feed infants
cereals made with other grains, the group suggests.
“Parents have a lot of easy ways to reduce their babies’
exposure now because there are so many new cereal options on the market, many
are fortified with iron that babies need, and many are just as affordable as
rice cereal,” said Jane Houlihan, research director for Healthy Babies Bright
Futures. The group also notes that many snacks contain rice.
Arsenic is ubiquitous in the environment and found in many
foods, but rice plants are particularly efficient at drawing it in from the
surrounding soil and water, experts say. High levels have been tied to cancers
of the skin, liver, bladder and lungs. Newer research has linked long-term
low-level exposures to cognitive and behavioral problems in children, though
most babies currently eating rice cereals and rice foods do not show adverse
effects.
“Infants are especially
vulnerable because their bodies are so small, and on a per-pound basis, they’re
getting much higher exposure than anyone else in the population,” Ms. Houlihan
said. “They’re also vulnerable because it is a neurotoxic compound, and their
brain is developing.”
to introduce
babies to a wide variety of grains in order to minimize exposure to arsenic.
The Food and Drug Administration has proposed limits for the amount of
inorganic arsenic allowed in infant baby cereals, but the agency has yet to
finalize regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency limits inorganic arsenic in public drinking water,
and the federal government also sets maximum permissible levels for eggs and
some chicken, turkey and pork products.
The Healthy Babies Bright Futures alliance commissioned Brooks Applied Labs in Bothell, Wash., to test more
than 100 samples of infant cereals, including 45 unique products made by nine
different companies. The alliance’s report has not been published in a journal
and has not been peer-reviewed, but is posted on its website.
The report found that over all, oatmeal, barley, buckwheat,
organic quinoa, wheat and rice-free multigrain baby cereals contained much
lower amounts of inorganic arsenic than rice cereals. In the six barley and
buckwheat cereals tested, inorganic arsenic was present in such small amounts
that it was either undetectable or the level had to be estimated, the report
said. Some of the highest levels of inorganic arsenic were found in products
made with brown rice, which tends to absorb more inorganic arsenic from the
environment, experts say, though many nutritionists recommend adults choose
brown rice over white because it is higher in fiber.
The new report notes that cereal makers have made progress at
reducing inorganic arsenic in baby food products in recent years. The average
level of arsenic in the rice cereals tested recently was 85 parts per billion,
down from an average level of 103 parts per billion found by the F.D.A. when it
tested baby cereals in 2013 and 2014, according to the new report.
Several manufacturers said they
have taken steps to find sources of rice that are low in arsenic, and some
companies said they had discontinued items that did not adhere to the F.D.A.’s
proposed safety standards.Infant rice cereal accounts for 55 percent of a
baby’s total dietary exposure to arsenic, one study found. But some experts
caution the less, the better.
“It’s just like lead: we don’t think there is a safe level,”
said Margaret R. Karagas, an epidemiologist at the Geisel School of Medicine at
Dartmouth who has studied arsenic. “It’s not an essential nutrient like zinc
and selenium, which you need but can be toxic if you take too much — there’s no
known benefit to arsenic exposure.”“While waiting for the F.D.A. to set
standards for arsenic,” which may take a while, “it makes sense not to eat too
much of it, meaning not much, not often,” said Marion Nestle, a professor of
nutrition and food studies at New York University and book author. “What this
comes down to, I think, is the most fundamental principle of good nutrition:
eat a variety of foods, not too much of any one thing.”
To reduce your family’s exposure
to arsenic, the report suggests choosing a variety of grains including those
low in arsenic. If a family member has celiac disease and must avoid gluten,
read the ingredient labels carefully — rice flour is a common ingredient in
gluten-free foods.
BASF
Philippines opens Rice Knowledge Center in Laguna
07.12.2017
Chemical firm BASF Philippines Inc. (BASF) would leverage its
P5-million Rice Knowledge Center (RKC) in Laguna to boost the sales of its
crop-protection products in the Philippines.
Dion Banaay, BASF’s head of RKC, said the establishment of the center would allow the company to source vital and pertinent information on rice production and formulate chemical solutions accordingly.
“Right now in Asia Pacific, the business of BASF in rice is very low, [it is only] around 3 percent of the market share of the whole Asia Pacific. We want to build the rice business in the region,” anaay told the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of the inauguration of the BASF’s RKC in Bay, Laguna, on December 5.“We really have to improve our knowledge on rice. Knowing rice more [would allow] us to position our products also,” Banaay added.Banaay said the RKC would serve as a product-launching platform for their pesticide products for rice. He added that they are currently selling two herbicide and two insectice products for rice in the local market.
Dion Banaay, BASF’s head of RKC, said the establishment of the center would allow the company to source vital and pertinent information on rice production and formulate chemical solutions accordingly.
“Right now in Asia Pacific, the business of BASF in rice is very low, [it is only] around 3 percent of the market share of the whole Asia Pacific. We want to build the rice business in the region,” anaay told the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of the inauguration of the BASF’s RKC in Bay, Laguna, on December 5.“We really have to improve our knowledge on rice. Knowing rice more [would allow] us to position our products also,” Banaay added.Banaay said the RKC would serve as a product-launching platform for their pesticide products for rice. He added that they are currently selling two herbicide and two insectice products for rice in the local market.
Through the RKC, the BASF said it would collect and manage technical information and data in regards to crop-protection solutions and bet practices for rice cultivation.The RKC would also serve as a knowledge hub for the latest information, publications and training materials pertaining to rice cultivation to all BASF crop-protection staff across the region and around the globe, according to the company.Banaay said they are initially partnering with the Philippine Rice Research Institute and the International Rice Research Institute for the information on rice cultivation, including data on pests, planting methods and crop varieties.
BASF said the RKC would also serve as a venue for the conduct of hands-on technical trainings to develop and strengthen the technical expertise among the company’s research and development, technical support, marketing and sales teams.Banaay added the RKC was conceptualized by BASF three years ago and expected to undergo three phases of development.The first phase involves the establishment of the center and a digital library, which would contain information on BASF’s crop-protection solutions.
The second phase, which is eyed to be completed by 2019-2020, involves the creation of farm-demonstration trials to help “rice champions” promote the company’s products. The third and final phase, which is expected to run from 2021 to 2022, seeks to open the RKC to the public and share the knowledge the hub has collected and gathered for the past years to rice farmers.For next year, BASF plans to invest some €100,000 (almost P6 million) for the development of the next phases of the RKC, according to Banaay.
Innovation makes poor land green
2017-12-08 09:06China DailyEditor: Wang
Zihao
'Father of
hybrid rice' grows crops in barren saline-alkaline areas
A new technological breakthrough
proposed by China's "father of hybrid rice" Yuan Longping has
increased rice yields by nearly 20 percent on land considered too saline and
alkaline to be useful for crops.
The techniques are expected to be
used domestically and abroad, officials said on Thursday. The aim is to improve saline-alkaline land so
that it can be used to grow more rice, said Zhang Guodong, executive director
of Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center in
Shandong province.The center has started building four demonstration centers,
in the north and south of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in Daqing in
Heilongjiang province and in Qingdao, each with over 66 hectares of
experimental paddies. They would be used to determine the best ways to
cultivate saline-alkali land, increase yields and reduce planting costs.
In September, the Qingdao
demonstration center harvested four types saline-alkali resistant rice, with
the highest yield reaching 9.3 metric tons per hectare, much higher than
expected."One of the key steps to make it commercially viable is to
cultivate highly resistant rice adapted to the environments of different
saline-alkaline wastelands," Zhang said.Zhang said the research center is
likely to build five to 10 more demonstration bases over the next two to three
years across China to develop the best way to promote the technology."The
Qingdao R&D center also plans to use the new technology in countries of
Southeast Asia and the Middle East," said Zhang, who added he could not
provide details because negotiations are underway.
Yuan's new breakthrough, called the
Four-Dimensional Optimizing Method, is designed to tailor-make different
solutions for different soils, according to the 87-year-old scientist."One
of difficulties is to get rid of salinity in the soil," Yuan said at the
second session of International Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Forum in Qingdao on
Thursday.
The forum attracted more than 300
experts, scholars and entrepreneurs from home and abroad to discuss
saline-alkali tolerant rice.Yuan said the only two solutions for boosting
productivity are increasing the yield and expanding the planting area."Now
it seems the latter is a more effective way because there are hundreds of
millions of hectares of saline-alkali land in the world," he said."China
alone has about 100 million hectares of saline-alkali soil, and that area is
still increasing year by year. Rice is the first choice of crop for improving
the soil," Yuan said.
He said he hopes global crop
security issues can be effectively dealt with through further development of
salinealkali tolerant rice."Rice itself has the biological function of
reducing salt and is the preferred food crop for improving saline-alkali
soil," said Ai Jichang, a government relations officer with the World Food
Programme China Office.
"At present, more than half of
the world's population lives on rice as a staple food. The comprehensive
improvement technology for saline-alkali soil proposed by Yuan Longping's team
is of great strategic significance for promoting integrated research and the
commercial extension of rice improvement in saline-alkali soil, ensuring
national food security," Ai said.
CRI, Chinese centre sign agreement on rice
research
Prof. Yuan Longping (middle) with Dr Stella Ennin (3rd left) and some of the women entrepreneurs of the First Lady's
entourage
Under the agreement, the HHRRC will provide technical support
for the CRI to grow high-yielding hybrid rice.
The HHRRC is a specialised institution for
hybrid rice research and technology transfer in China.
The centre engages in applied and academic
research activities on the development and application of rice hybrids with
stronger heterosis, multiple resistances and improved grain and seed quality.
The Director of the CRI, Dr Stella Ennin,
signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on behalf of the institute when
the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, visited China with women entrepreneurs
to look for investment opportunities.
The Director, International Division, China National
Hybrid R&D Centre (HHRRC), Dr Cao Nengliang, signed on behalf of the
centre.
During the trip, the women entrepreneurs, who
included contractors, hoteliers and other business owners, met with investors
in their areas of business.
MoU
In an interview, Dr Ennin said the MoU, which
was an Agriculture Cooperation Project, would enable scientists from Ghana to
under-study their counterparts at the HHRRC to acquire the technology.
That, she said, would help the country increase
its rice yield, as well as improve on its quality.
She explained that rice was a self-pollinated
crop and, therefore, did not produce high-yielding seedlings.
However, she explained, a Chinese scientist,
Professor Yuan Longping, considered the father of hybrid rice, found a male
sterility of rice which he used as an initial breeding material of male sterile
lines to produce hybrid rice.
She said although scientists in Ghana had
developed varieties of rice, they had not been able to develop hybrid rice,
saying the agreement with the HHRRC would be a big boost for the country’s rice
production.
Dr Ennin, who was full of joy to meet the
‘Father of Hybrid Rice’ at the HHRRC when the First Lady and her entourage
toured the facility, said the meeting was an opportunity which her institute
had always been looking forward to and expressed gratitude for the opportunity.
Hybrid
rice
Prof. Longping is the Director-General of the
HHRRC and he initiated hybrid rice research in China in 1964. He was awarded
China’s first special class National Invention Prize in 1981.
The HHRRC has been involved in China’s
South-South Cooperation (SSC) programme, particularly with the Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Writer's email-rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh
