Sino-Pak hybrid rice research center opened in China
November 5,
2018
Observer
Report
Hangzhou
Pakistani
and Chinese authorities have recently inaugurated SINO-Pak Hybrid Rice Research
Center (SPHRRC) in Hangzhou – China for having quality research and development
on different kinds of crossbreed rice.
Senior professor of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi on Thursday said that Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, former chairman higher education commission and federal minister for science and technology, and Dr. Peisong Hu, Deputy Director General China National Rice Research Institute (CNNRI), inaugurated this ‘modern rice research center’ on the 30th October, 2018. The official said that ICCBS Director Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary and Ms. Lu Yexin, Director – Division of Asian, Americans and Multilateral Affairs, Department of International Cooperation also attended the inauguration ceremony.
Prof. Iqbal Choudhary pointed out that the rice research center had been established at the China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou – China in collaboration with ICCBS, University of Karachi.
It is pertinent to mention here that according to the bilateral agreement between the two countries a center was planned to be established with two branches, one in Pakistan and one in China. It is also worth mentioning here that the branch of the SPHRRC in Pakistan has already been opened at the ICCBS, University of Karachi last year.
The ICCBS official said that the center was the first hybrid rice research center of Pakistan established in collaboration with Chinese National Rice Research Center (CNNRI) Hangzhou – China with the objectives that CNRRI will provide suitable numbers of hybrid rice seeds varieties for testing at different locations in Sindh, and other climatic zones of Pakistan during the next two years to Pakistan. The center will also facilitate the field trials process of these verities of hybrid rice in Pakistan and train young Pakistani researchers in the field of agriculture so that they can effectively utilize the modern agriculture techniques to improve their local rice verities, he added.
Senior professor of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi on Thursday said that Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, former chairman higher education commission and federal minister for science and technology, and Dr. Peisong Hu, Deputy Director General China National Rice Research Institute (CNNRI), inaugurated this ‘modern rice research center’ on the 30th October, 2018. The official said that ICCBS Director Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary and Ms. Lu Yexin, Director – Division of Asian, Americans and Multilateral Affairs, Department of International Cooperation also attended the inauguration ceremony.
Prof. Iqbal Choudhary pointed out that the rice research center had been established at the China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou – China in collaboration with ICCBS, University of Karachi.
It is pertinent to mention here that according to the bilateral agreement between the two countries a center was planned to be established with two branches, one in Pakistan and one in China. It is also worth mentioning here that the branch of the SPHRRC in Pakistan has already been opened at the ICCBS, University of Karachi last year.
The ICCBS official said that the center was the first hybrid rice research center of Pakistan established in collaboration with Chinese National Rice Research Center (CNNRI) Hangzhou – China with the objectives that CNRRI will provide suitable numbers of hybrid rice seeds varieties for testing at different locations in Sindh, and other climatic zones of Pakistan during the next two years to Pakistan. The center will also facilitate the field trials process of these verities of hybrid rice in Pakistan and train young Pakistani researchers in the field of agriculture so that they can effectively utilize the modern agriculture techniques to improve their local rice verities, he added.
Why Niger is leading in rice production
| Published Date 
The
Niger State contingent to the just concluded national agricultural show has
explained why the state in the 2017 and 2018 farming seasons ranked first
according to the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services
(NAERLS) of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
Niger
State Project Coordinator of Fadama III (Additional Financing), Dr. Aliyu Usman
Kultigi, who led the state’s delegation to the show, said the state provided
all the necessary support to farmers to aid rice production.
ADVERTISEMENT
Dr.
Kultigi said under the Fadama III alone, 11,000 farmers in the state, each with
a hectare, had been given all the needed support leading to the cultivation of
11 thousand hectares.
He said
six irrigation structures had also been constructed for the dry season
cultivation, adding that this helped to scale up all-time rice production.
In
addition to this, he said 300 tube wells were sunk for the farmers where
irrigation systems were not available.
The
programme has also constructed 10 rice aggregation centres to help farmers sell
their rice in a more organised manner in the state.
The
coordinator, however, lamented that the recent flood washed away over 5,000
hectares of rice farms, the impact of which was huge on the farmers.
Again,
Kano shows dominance in agric show
A visit
to the Kano State arena in the ongoing National Agricultural Show has shown
that no state came near to in terms of appearance.
In its
usual tradition, the state came with all its 44 local governments to show what
they all produce.
Every
year, the state does not only come with crops, services or livestock, it also
comes with a zoo, where thousands of people, including school children, go to
see animals, some of which they never have the opportunity to see for the first
time.
Whatever
you wish to see, Kano has something that will interest you; whether you are a
dairy farmer, crop farmer or a mere spectator.
November Focus
on the Farmer Series Starts Today
By Deborah Willenborg
ARLINGTON, VA -- This month's
"Focus on the Farmer" Facebook series features Scott Savage, a fifth
generation farmer who works alongside his grandfather, father, and uncle, and
grows both conventional and organic rice at Triangle Farms, their operation in Bay
City, Texas.
"If consumers are driven to eat
organic, I support that," said Scott.
"I want consumers to have the choice of what to purchase and feed
their families."
Follow along with Scott all week, and look, "like," and,
most importantly, share the posts to help spread the U.S. rice story!
USA RICE DAILY
Conserve
habitat for the future
Duck Stamp Promotes Wildlife
Conservation
By Frank Leach
WASHINGTON, DC -- Last Thursday, USA
Rice and Ducks Unlimited co-hosted a Duck Stamp Reception on Capitol Hill to
showcase the strong partnership between rice and ducks, and to promote ongoing
conservation efforts to preserve wetlands and wildlife habitat.
Additional sponsors of the event
included Anheuser-Busch, the Agricultural Retailers Association, and The
Fertilizer Institute.
More than 100 attendees representing
congressional offices as well as agriculture industry allies attended. Beverages brewed with rice were served, and
everyone had an opportunity to purchase their 2018/19 Duck Stamps, a required
annual purchase for waterfowl hunters 16 and older.
"This reception was a great
opportunity for us to educate congressional staff on the strong partnership
between USA Rice and Ducks Unlimited, and our work together delivering
conservation programs for rice farms that also benefit waterfowl and other
wildlife," said Ben Mosely, USA Rice vice president of government affairs. "It's a fun way to remind people of the
great U.S. rice conservation story thanks to the unique relationship between
rice and ducks."
Proceeds from the sale of Federal
Duck Stamps go into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, which provides the
U.S. Department of the Interior with monies to acquire migratory bird habitat.
USA Rice daily
Alleging harassment, paddy farmers block
highway
Muktsar: Irate
over the alleged high-handedness of rice millers, farmers on Sunday blocked the
Muktsar-Kotkapura highway at Sarainaga village here. They alleged that
private millers had been harassing them in the name of high moisture content in
paddy. The protesters demanded immediate action against the erring millers. The
traffic on the Muktsar-Kotkapura stretch remained affected for several hours
following the protest. Later, after assurance of action in this regard, the
farmers lifted the blockade. TNS
Sugarcane
crushing season to begin on Thursday
Chandigarh:
Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said the sugarcane crushing work
in all mills of the state would commence from Thursday. He said the cooperative
as well as the private sugar mills would be issued directions by Sugarfed to
make proper arrangements during the fixed time-frame and start the crushing
work so that farmers should not face any difficulty. Meanwhile, the private
mills have still not cleared dues to farmers for cane crushed in 2017-18.
Together, these mills owe Rs 227.31 crore to the growers. TNS
The Ghan: Crocs and bushfires all part
of the experience
5 Nov, 2018 1:30pm
NZ Herald
Justine
Tyerman sees 'crocs' everywhere as she cruises up the Katherine River in
Australia's Northern Territory - and later tries to evacuate The Ghan
I came face-to-face with a 'rockodile' on day one of my train
journey from Darwin through the Red Centre of Australia to Adelaide on the
famous transcontinental Ghan Expedition.
Having left Darwin mid-morning, The Ghan pulled into the Northern
Territory town of Katherine early in the afternoon to be met by a fleet of
coaches waiting to take us on a variety of excursions. After much consultation
with Aaron, my hospitality attendant, I chose a cruise through two of the 13
gorges on the Katherine River in the magnificent 292,000-hectare Nitmiluk
National Park. The cruise also involved a hike, a token attempt at justifying
the consumption of alarming quantities of delicious food and beverages served
to passengers on the four-day, three-night Ghan Expedition.
We boarded barges and cruised slowly up the first of the
spectacular steep-sided sandstone gorges, carved by the Katherine River over
millions of years. The commentary of our skipper-guide Sam added wonderful
layers of meaning and history to the experience.
"Nitmiluk means 'cicada country' to the indigenous Jawoyn
people," she said.
"Listen and you'll hear the buzzing sound. It's especially
loud in the evenings."
The white sandy beaches alongside the river looked like idyllic
spots for picnics and swims until Sam drew our attention to the signs:
'Crocodile nesting area – do not enter.'
They're mainly freshwater crocs here not the monster 'salties' I'd
seen in Darwin but you still wouldn't want to get in their way. Thereafter I
imagined I saw many crocs submerged in the river, some right alongside the
barge near my dangling hand, but they were "probably rockodiles"
according to Sam. It was the word "probably" that had me worried.
The kayakers we passed on the river must have been incredibly brave or foolhardy – I couldn't decide which.
The kayakers we passed on the river must have been incredibly brave or foolhardy – I couldn't decide which.
But today the river was so low we had to hike over rocky terrain
between the two gorges, boarding another barge on the other side.
Immigrants Are the Best Tenants
I rent storefronts to
small businesses. Here’s what I learned from Dragana, Al and other
entrepreneurs.
By Bert Stratton
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
I own and rent out 25 mom-and-pop storefronts in Lakewood, Ohio,
an inner-ring suburb of Cleveland. About 20% of my tenants are immigrants. I
sell them the American dream—a chance to run their own business—and they sell
beer, cigarettes, used furniture, and services like dry cleaning and haircuts.
The stores are street-level with apartments above, like Disneyland’s Main
Street, except no Mickey. The mice are real.
I rarely hard-sell foreigners to rent. They’re gung-ho from the
get-go. American-born prospects, on the other hand, often need hand-holding. I
sit with potential American tenants in diner booths and deliver my mini-lecture
on happiness and business, mostly cribbed from Harvard psychologist Daniel
Gilbert.
In his 2006 book, “Stumbling on Happiness,” Mr. Gilbert writes:
“Indeed, in the long run, people of every age and in every walk of life seem to
regret not having done things much more than they regret things they did, which
is why the most popular regrets include not going to college, not grasping profitable
business opportunities, and not spending enough time with family and friends.”
I emphasize the “grasping profitable business opportunities” part.
If a store succeeds, it sticks around—10 years, sometimes 20
years. I’ve rented to a bar for 37 years. But there are many one-and-done
stores. Gone in a year.
Negros Occidental adopts new rice production tack
By
Maricor Zapata November
4, 2018, 7:10 pm
(Photo
from Manny Piñol's Facebook Page)
MANILA -- Agriculture Secretary
Emmanuel Piñol said Sunday Negros Occidental will be the first province in the
country to introduce a rice production strategy that focuses on planting at
most three rice varieties.
"The program for Negros
Occidental to focus on just three varieties will be the first to be implemented
nationwide, where farmers plant just about every known variety," Piñol
posted on Facebook.
"The program, which both Gov.
Alfredo Marañon and I agreed upon during my recent visit to the province will
be called 'Balik Binhi,' where the provincial government will develop a
50-hectare area to produce seeds of three inbred varieties developed by
PhilRice -- RC 222, RC 160, and RC 216," he explained.
The seed production program, he
said, will be funded by the provincial government of Negros Occidental.
Piñol said the board of trustees of
state research agency PhilRice had recently approved the program and committed
technical support to the province's initiative.
Piñol said Marañon plans to
distribute the seeds produced from the provincial seed farm to the farmers for
free.
The recipient farmers, in turn,
will be required to each "return" two bags of seeds to be distributed
again to other farmers, "who will also be asked to pay back two bags of
seeds each," the agriculture czar explained.
Piñol said provincial agriculturist
Japhet Masculino had picked the three PhilRice varieties for propagation in the
province because of their adaptability.
According to the Agriculture
Secretary, the multiple-variety farming system "has proven to be a bane of
the Philippine rice industry, where farm management, including the handling of
diseases, has largely been a problem."
He said the multiple-variety
farming system poses a problem to post-harvest operations, since farmers who
own small landholdings refuse to dry their palay in mechanical dryers with huge
capacity because they have different varieties.
"Milling is also a problem
because different varieties have different grain sizes and formation,"
Piñol added.
"Lessons learned from Vietnam
showed that the country focused on at least two major varieties, which were all
high-yielding and early maturing," he said.
Piñol said the Negros Occidental's
new rice program could serve as the blueprint for other provinces in the
future.
"Gov. Marañon said this
program will be started this coming planting season with the support of
PhilRice," he said.
Piñol's Facebook post carried the
hashtags #KungGustoMaramingParaan!, #ThinkThinkThinkWorkWorkWork!, and
#Changeishere! (PNA)
Philippine rice import dependency up
According to the PSA, the country’s Import dependency ratio
(IDR) of rice increased to 6.56 percent last year from 4.99 percent in 2016.
Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine
Star) - November 6, 2018 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The
country’s rice self-sufficiency level declined to 93.44 percent from 95.01 percent,
the Philippine Statistics Authority said.
According to the PSA, the
country’s Import dependency ratio (IDR) of rice increased to 6.56 percent last
year from 4.99 percent in 2016.
Rice imports went up by 39
percent to P18 billion in 2017.In terms of volume, shipments soared 46 percent
to 888,085 metric tons (MT).
The declining self-sufficiency of
rice was due to the reduced share of domestic production to the country’s
supply, while the share of rice imports increased.
The country’s rice import dependency
will further increase this year after the government approved the procurement
of 1.6 million MT of rice.
Palay (unhusked rice) production
is seen to reach 18.6 million MT this year, lower than last year’s 19.2 million
MT.
The projection is also below earlier
targets of 19.4 million MT following the damage brought about by Typhoon Ompong
last month.
Agricultural products that showed
high dependency on importation were garlic, peanut and mongo, with an IDR of 90
percent, 75 percent and 51 percent, respectively.
For the livestock sector, beef
continued to post a higher IDR of 36 percent, carabeef 33 percent and pork 13
percent.Meanwhile, importation was lesser for coffee, onion, potato and all
other fishery products except tuna.
www.philstar.com/business/2018/11/06/1866123/philippine-rice-import-dependency-up#Su7f7iLV3XvFhPgl.99
Vietnam gains more from rice export in 10
months
Source:
Xinhua| 2018-11-05 13:29:19|Editor: Yang Yi
HANOI, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam reaped over 2.6 billion U.S.
dollars from exporting over more than 5.2 million tons of rice in the first 10
months of this year, up 16.1 percent and 3.4 percent respectively against the
same period last year, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development on Monday.
Between January and October, China was Vietnam's largest rice
importer, but saw year-on-year decreases of 37.2 percent in volume and 27.7
percent in value, local VnEconomy daily newspaper quoted the ministry's
statistics as reporting on Monday.
Export price went up 13.7 percent on-year, reaching 503 U.S.
dollars on average thanks to improved quality and diversity.
Vietnam, which exported roughly 5.9 million tons of rice worth
nearly 2.7 billion U.S. dollars last year, mainly to China and the Philippines,
plans to ship abroad 6.5 million tons of rice this year, including higher
volumes of high-grade rice such as Japonica, fragrant rice and sticky rice,
according to the Vietnam Food Association.
Rice exports reach 5.2 million tonnes in ten months
|
|
Monday, 2018-11-05 16:26:17
|
|
|
 Vietnam exports 5.2 million tonnes of rice worth US$2.6 billion in the first ten months of this year. (Photo: VNA) |
|
NDO – Vietnam exported 264,000 tonnes of rice with a value of
US$136 million in October, thus bringing the total export volume of rice in
the first 10 months this year to US$5.2 million tonnes, worth U$$2.6 billion,
up 1.7% in volume and 14.1% in value over the same period in 2017.
|
|
According to the latest data from the Department of
Agro-Product Processing and Market Development (under the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development), China continues to rank first among
Vietnam’s rice export markets, accounting for nearly 24% of the market share.
Other markets also saw a sharp increase in importing Vietnamese rice,
including Indonesia, Iraq, the Philippines and Malaysia.
The average rice export value in the last nine months of this
year was at US$503 per tonne, up 13.7% over the same period last year. The
price of jasmine rice was at US$575 per tonne at its highest, followed by
Japonica rice at US$526 per tonne. The price for Vietnamese 5% broken rice in
the first half of last month was at US$410 per tonne, higher than India's at
US$372 per tonne and equivalent to Thailand's at US$411 per tonne.
The largest export market for Vietnamese jasmine rice is still
China, accounting for 25% of the total exports, followed by Ghana with 21%.
China continues to be the main market for Vietnamese sticky rice, accounting
for 80% of the total glutinous rice exports.
According to the Department, domestic rice prices are expected
to increase as enterprises buy more rice to serve export orders signed in
October and prepare for the next orders that can be reached in the year-end
biddings.
On October 18, the Philippines closed bids to buy 47,000
tonnes of rice, including 28,000 tonnes from Vietnam. Also on that day, Egypt
opened its first tender in 2018 for the import of 25,000 tonnes of rice. In
addition, during the 10th World Rice Conference in Hanoi last month, multiple
export orders were signed, in which the Hanoi Trade Joint Stock Corporation
(Hapro) reached orders with their US and Malaysian customers to export rice
worth US$ 2.5 million.
Currently, farmers have finished harvesting their
summer-autumn rice crop. Several localities also started harvesting their
autumn-winter crop. The price for autumn-winter rice in the Mekong Delta rose
slightly amidst a limited supply.
According to the local price supply system, in Vinh Long, the
price for the autumn-winter rice variety IR50404 increased by VND200 a kg to
reach VND5,300 per kg, while IR50404 dried rice is priced at VND5,900 per kg
and IR50404 husk-free rice is at VND10,000 per kg. In Bac Lieu, dried OM 5451
rice wholesale price sold by the Provincial Food Company is at VND6,200 -
6,300 per kg. Many other localities also reported stable or a slight increase
in rice prices.
|
Rice Prices
as on :
05-11-2018 12:16:58 PM
Arrivals in tonnes;prices in
Rs/quintal in domestic market.
|
Arrivals
|
Price
|
|||||
|
Current
|
%
change |
Season
cumulative |
Modal
|
Prev.
Modal |
Prev.Yr
%change |
|
|
Rice
|
||||||
|
Ghaziabad(UP)
|
70.00
|
40
|
4470.00
|
2725
|
2725
|
13.54
|
|
Sahiyapur(UP)
|
19.50
|
50
|
2368.50
|
2250
|
2235
|
-
|
|
Khurja(UP)
|
16.50
|
10
|
1047.00
|
2600
|
2615
|
-
|
|
Jafarganj(UP)
|
16.00
|
-46.67
|
92.00
|
2330
|
2340
|
-
|
|
Kannauj(UP)
|
7.50
|
7.14
|
212.40
|
2300
|
2350
|
4.55
|
|
Mirzapur(UP)
|
4.00
|
14.29
|
903.00
|
2240
|
2225
|
-
|
|
Sehjanwa(UP)
|
2.50
|
-16.67
|
188.50
|
2160
|
2160
|
-
|
|
Amroha(UP)
|
2.10
|
-4.55
|
59.02
|
2600
|
2600
|
5.26
|
|
Nautnava(UP)
|
1.00
|
NC
|
40.50
|
2200
|
2200
|
7.84
|
|
Jagnair(UP)
|
0.70
|
16.67
|
84.40
|
2550
|
2560
|
0.39
|
Published
on November
05, 2018
NegOcc to
pilot rice farming innovation in PH
BACOLOD. Agriculture Secretary
Emmanuel Piñol (left) with Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino(center)
and NFA-Negros Occidental Provincial Manager Frisco Canoy (right) in the Rice
Processing Complex in Barangay Tabunan, Bago City. (Photo by Richard Malihan)
+
AA
-
November
5, 2018
NEGROS Occidental will be the
first province in the Philippines to introduce an innovation in rice farming by
investing on provincial government-funded seed production program focusing only
on up to three rice varieties.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, in his Facebook post Sunday, November 4 said he and Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. agreed for the implementation of the program called "Balik Binhi" during his recent visit in the province recently.
Under the program, the Provincial Government will develop a 50-hectare area to produce seeds of three inbred varieties developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) such as RC 222, RC 160, and RC 216.
“In its recent board of trustees meeting, the PhilRice approved the program and has committed technical support to the Negros Occidental initiative,” Piñol said.
"Seeds produced from the provincial seed farm will be distributed to the farmers for free according to the governor," Piñol said, adding that recipient-farmers will, in turn, be required to "return" two bags of seeds.
“The seeds will be used by the Provincial Government for distribution to another batch of farmer-recipients. The same scheme applies,” Piñol added.
The three PhilRice varieties were selected for propagation in the province because of their adaptability.
Based on PhilRice's advisory, RC 216, also known as Tubigan 17, when transplanted has a maximum yield of 9.7 tons per hectare with a maturity of 112 days after sowing (DAS).
The variety is moderately resistant to brown planthoppers and green leafhoppers.
RC 160 has a maximum yield of 8.2 tons per hectare if direct-wet-seeded and matures in 107 DAS.
It has an intermediate reaction to blast, bacterial leaf blight and green leafhoppers, and is resistant to stem borer. This variety is also known for its good eating quality because of its low amylose content.
The other variety, meanwhile, RC 222 or Tubigan 18, has a maximum yield of 10 tons per hectare and matures in 114 DAS.
It is moderately resistant to brown planthoppers, green leafhoppers, and stem borers, the advisory further stated.
Moreover, the Agriculture chief pointed out that multiple-variety farming system, or the use of more than three varieties, has proven to be a bane of the country's rice industry.
“Farm management, including the handling of diseases, has largely been a problem,” Piñol said.
Piñol said that multiple-variety farming system also poses a problem to post-harvest operations where farmers who own small landholdings refuse to dry their “palay” (unhusked rice) in mechanical dryers with huge capacity because they have different varieties.
“Milling is also a problem because different varieties have different grain sizes and formation,” Piñol said.
"Lessons learned from Vietnam showed that the country focused on at least two major varieties which were all high-yielding and early maturing," he added.
Negros Occidental's three-in-one rice industry program is positioned to serve as a blueprint for other provinces in the future.
According to Marañon, the program will start this coming planting season with the support of the PhilRice.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, in his Facebook post Sunday, November 4 said he and Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. agreed for the implementation of the program called "Balik Binhi" during his recent visit in the province recently.
Under the program, the Provincial Government will develop a 50-hectare area to produce seeds of three inbred varieties developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) such as RC 222, RC 160, and RC 216.
“In its recent board of trustees meeting, the PhilRice approved the program and has committed technical support to the Negros Occidental initiative,” Piñol said.
"Seeds produced from the provincial seed farm will be distributed to the farmers for free according to the governor," Piñol said, adding that recipient-farmers will, in turn, be required to "return" two bags of seeds.
“The seeds will be used by the Provincial Government for distribution to another batch of farmer-recipients. The same scheme applies,” Piñol added.
The three PhilRice varieties were selected for propagation in the province because of their adaptability.
Based on PhilRice's advisory, RC 216, also known as Tubigan 17, when transplanted has a maximum yield of 9.7 tons per hectare with a maturity of 112 days after sowing (DAS).
The variety is moderately resistant to brown planthoppers and green leafhoppers.
RC 160 has a maximum yield of 8.2 tons per hectare if direct-wet-seeded and matures in 107 DAS.
It has an intermediate reaction to blast, bacterial leaf blight and green leafhoppers, and is resistant to stem borer. This variety is also known for its good eating quality because of its low amylose content.
The other variety, meanwhile, RC 222 or Tubigan 18, has a maximum yield of 10 tons per hectare and matures in 114 DAS.
It is moderately resistant to brown planthoppers, green leafhoppers, and stem borers, the advisory further stated.
Moreover, the Agriculture chief pointed out that multiple-variety farming system, or the use of more than three varieties, has proven to be a bane of the country's rice industry.
“Farm management, including the handling of diseases, has largely been a problem,” Piñol said.
Piñol said that multiple-variety farming system also poses a problem to post-harvest operations where farmers who own small landholdings refuse to dry their “palay” (unhusked rice) in mechanical dryers with huge capacity because they have different varieties.
“Milling is also a problem because different varieties have different grain sizes and formation,” Piñol said.
"Lessons learned from Vietnam showed that the country focused on at least two major varieties which were all high-yielding and early maturing," he added.
Negros Occidental's three-in-one rice industry program is positioned to serve as a blueprint for other provinces in the future.
According to Marañon, the program will start this coming planting season with the support of the PhilRice.
Arkansas congressional aides attend farm, research tour
As the No. 1 industry in
Arkansas, agriculture is often a top concern for the state’s legislators, both
within Arkansas borders and in the nation’s capitol, according to a news
release.
For more than 20 years, experts
with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture have been
working to help educate government leaders and their respective staff members
on the critical issues facing Arkansas producers.
Most recently, Division of
Agriculture administrators and researchers, along with several industry
leaders, hosted nine congressional aides for a tour of both research and
academic facilities, as well as working farms and production facilities, in
central and northwest Arkansas.
Lawmakers represented
Aides representing the offices of
U.S. Reps. Bruce Westerman, Steve Womack, Rick Crawford and French Hill, as
well as U.S. Sen. John Boozman, participated in the tour.
Chuck Culver, director of
external relations for the Division of Agriculture and a former congressional
aide himself, has coordinated the tours for several years. The tours occur at
least every other year, although the Division of Agriculture has hosted the
tour annually for several years now. Each tour focuses on specific aspects of
the state’s agriculture about which the state’s congressional delegation
expresses interest, as well as critical issues the division staff feel are
important to emphasize.
“We get house and senate
agricultural aides,” Culver said. “For this tour, the Arkansas Congressional
delegation wanted to concentrate on row crop and nutrition programs. If they’re
flying in from D.C., they’re here for about 72 hours. In that time span, we get
into all four congressional districts, and have a meaningful tour stop in each
one.”
The nine aides flew or drove to
Little Rock on Friday, Oct. 25, and drove the next morning to Newport, where
the owners and operators of the Hare Planting Co. Inc. farm, along with experts
from the Division of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service, spoke about conservation practices,
water management and duck habitats.
The group was given in-depth
explanations of the challenges facing row crop farmers regarding water use and
quality by Mike Hamilton, irrigation educator, and Mike Daniels, professor of
crop, soil and environmental sciences, both of the Division of Agriculture, and
others.
Newport, Mulberry sites
The tour then proceeded to the
Newport Extension Center, where Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist, and
Tom Barber, extension weed scientist, both of the Division of Agriculture,
spoke about issues facing soybean growers and other row crop farmers. Topics
included dicamba volatility and soybean injury, the prevalence of Palmer
amaranth —commonly known as pigweed — and the steep quality discounts facing
growers in the marketplace.
Barber, like many experts within
the Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service, has a joint
appointment with the division’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.
Woodruff County Cooperative
Extension Service Staff Chair Leigh Ann Bullington spoke on nutrition issues in
her county, and Debra Head, associate department head for Family and Consumer
Sciences spoke about efforts to implement nutrition programs, as well as opioid
abuse prevention programs.
“We don’t shy away from
controversial issues,” Culver said. “We tend to tackle them head-on, and
provide them with good, unbiased information and resources they can contact.
“We look for emerging issues, or
critical issues of the moment,” he said. “This tour was no different.”
The tour later continued on to
Mulberry, where the visiting aides toured facilities at American Soybean and
Edamame Inc., meeting with Ryan Castleberry, director of manufacturing, and
Nathan McKinney, assistant director for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment
Station. Saturday, the congressional aides joined presentations at the Arkansas
Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville on turf grass research, the Rice
Processing Research Program, the Arkansas Food Innovation Center and the
Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center.
Sunday, tour members learned
about current agricultural legal issues facing Arkansans from Harrison Pittman,
director of the National Agricultural Law Center, before departing.
“It is always good to see the
interest from our congressional offices in the exciting and challenging issues
that face Arkansas agriculture and our rural communities, especially from the
federal perspective,” said Mark Cochran, vice president for agriculture for the
University of Arkansas System.
Culver said that while the tours
serve primarily to familiarize congressional aides with agricultural issues in
the state, it also gives them the chance to get to know one another.
“You’d be surprised — even though
there are only four house members and two senators, the staffs sometimes just
don’t have the opportunity to get together,” he said.
To learn about agriculture in Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative
Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.
The University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all
eligible persons without discrimination.
— Ryan McGeeney of the U of A System Division of Agriculture.
Be
‘riceponsible,’ DA tells consumers
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
farmer harvests rice in Santa Barbara, Iloilo.
IAN PAUL CORDERO/PN
ILOILO City – How can the country attain rice sufficiency?
Rice must not only be produced, it should also be valued,
stressed the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6 – Philippine Rice Research
Institute (PhilRice).
Hence, the relationship between farmers as producers and
consumers as eaters should be nurtured, they stressed.
Yesterday DA-6 and PhilRice launched the 2018 National Rice
Awareness Month celebration at SM City Iloilo Northpoint Activity Center.
Rice security is a function of both production and consumption,
according to the two government agencies.
Making safe and nutritious rice affordable, accessible and
available at all times does not depend on farmers alone but also on the
consuming public at the receiving end, they stressed.
Rice must not be wasted, according to DA-PhilRice.Consumers were
challenged, too, to eat not only white rice but also brown rice and rice-corn
blend.
The 2018 National Rice Awareness Month celebration also aims to
inspire farmers to access rice information, use recommended technologies as
well as engage in “agri-preneurship.”
Other activities relative to the celebration of National Rice
Awareness Month are Brown Rice Feeding Program in an elementary school in
Iloilo City on Nov. 16 and the Run for Rice 3K Fun Run on Nov. 24 at SM City
Southpoint.
The fun run is free-admission and is open to everyone on first
come, first served basis. T-shirts, ballers, ballpens, water tumblers, mugs,
round hats, hand fans, snacks and other freebies will be given away./PN
Deal
with Philippines eyed for rice commercialisation
JEFFREY ELAPAThe signing of a memorandum-of-agreement (MoA) between Papua New Guinea and Philippines on Nov 16 will herald the beginning of rice commercialisation in PNG, both countries say.
Agriculture and Livestock Minister Benny Allan and Philippines Ambassador Bien V Tejano asserted this during a visit to the Pacific Adventist University rice model farm outside Port Moresby yesterday, which will have its first harvest next month.
The signing will be done between agriculture ministers of the two countries while Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and Prime Minister Peter O’Neill will witness at the PAU farm.
Duterte will be in PNG for the Apec leaders’ summit at that time.
Initial discussions were made by the leaders of the two countries during Apec 2017 in Vietnam, and a State visit by O’Neill to the Philippines this year.
After the initial discussion, 19 technical officers from department of agriculture of Philippines started an initial rice modelling research station at PAU, which will become a seed bank centre for rice in the region and the country.
Allan said four different types of rice varieties would be trialled at PAU and distributed throughout Central and PNG.
He said the centre would also be used to train rice farmers.
Allan said there were already investors from the Philippines ready to invest in rice farming in the country, with the agreement opening up the floodgates.
“This is a good project to set the tone for rice growing in PNG on a bigger economic scale to meet the local demand and even to export and supply the Philippines population of 150 million people,” he said.
“The MoA of Nov 16 will set that course for rice production, seen as a food security issue for this country.”
Tejano said the water, climate and soil was conducive for paddy rice farming in the country.
He said the project would expand throughout Central and the Southern Region.
Tejano said PNG imported 400 tonnes of rice annually at a cost of K500 million while the Philippines need eight million tonnes of rice to feed 150 million people.
He said most of that rice was imported from Thailand and Vietnam but that could change with PNG coming into the picture.
Tejano said the project could feed the people of PNG within three years as it only needed 18,000ha, with more land available.
He said rice production would reduce the price of rice, retain foreign currency, bring in more revenue, address food security and provide job employment opportunities.
Rice self-sufficiency down to
93.44%
By Karl R. Ocampo
Philippine Daily
Inquirer
November 6, 2018
at 5:04 am
The share of local rice production
to the total rice supply in the market may decline even further this year after
the government decided to lift the limit on rice imports that enter the
country.
A report by the Philippine
Statistics Authority showed that the country’s rice self-sufficiency ratio in
2017 declined to 93.44 percent from 95.01 percent in 2016.
During that period, the country’s
dependence on rice imports slightly went up to 6.56 percent from the 2016 level
of 4.99 percent.
That level is expected to rise
after President Duterte allowed the entry of more rice imports to tame soaring
prices.
Unabated increases in rice prices
were felt by consumers for the first 10 months of 2018, leading prices to
all-time highs.
In the island-provinces of Zamboanga,
Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, rice prices reached a high of P70 a kilo.
The price spike was caused by
rising global oil prices and the implementation of a new tax law that pushed
production costs up. This was aggravated by the National Food Authority’s delayed
distribution of cheap, subsidized rice, which caused panic among retailers and
consumers.
If all government-approved imports
push through this year, the country’s rice imports may reach about 2.5 million
tons—the highest since 2008.
Mr. Duterte had intended to push
for rice self-sufficiency within the first two years of his term, but later
admitted that it would be unlikely for the country to achieve that goal.
Nonetheless, the Department of
Agriculture continues to push for programs that will boost the country’s rice
supply.
The agency is hoping to increase
the farm sector’s average production to 6 metric tons (MT) per hectare (ha)
from the current level of 4.38 MT per ha before the end of Mr. Duterte’s term,
which, according to the Philippine Rice Research Institute, was enough to make
the country self-sufficient in the staple.
The country’s production cost for
rice is P12 a kilo. This is almost double the production cost in Vietnam at
P6.50 a kilo and Thailand at P9 a kilo, where most of the rice imports come
from.
According to a study made by the
Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the deregulation of rice imports
could reduce the country’s inflation rate by 0.4 percent and bring rice prices
down by P6 a kilo.
Read more: https://business.inquirer.net/260049/rice-self-sufficiency-down-to-93-44#ixzz5W4VeZONT
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Govt to
provide harvesting machines, expects record high rice prices
- 4 Nov 2018 at 13:30
- WRITER: ONLINE
REPORTERS
- +
The Commerce Ministry will help provide farmers
with sufficient harvest machines at a reasonable cost in November-December to
gather all rice crops in time. This year's rice prices are expected to set a
record , said acting government spokesman Buddhipongse Punnakanta on Sunday.
Mr
Buddhipongse said with the availability of harvesting machines, farmers will be
able to harvest crops in time to maintain high quality and command high prices."Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha believes this year's rice prices are likely to be higher than last year's. For example, the hom mali fragrant paddy is expected to fetch between 16,000-17,000 baht per tonne. The price may be as high as 18,000 baht per tonne in some areas," he said.
Mr Buddhipongse said prices of other kinds of
rice crops will also be high.
Private operators of harvesting machines will also be allowed to provide a
similar service at the lowest possible rate, he added."The prime minister has instructed all agencies concerned to provide knowledge and promote understanding among farmers about sustainable methods of cultivation in order to make a year-round income," Mr Buddhipongse said.
