Bangladeshi wild
variety rekindles hope for breakthrough in global rice yield boost
Reaz Ahmad
Published at 01:25 am April 27th,
2019
Bangladeshi scientists Md Sazzadur Rahman at
IRRI’s C4 Rice Project research facility in Los Banos, the Philippines Dhaka Tribune
IRRI-led multinational efforts on for 11 years
to engineer rice for 50% extra gain
For the past 11 years, scientists have been
trying to convert paddy into a photosynthesis-efficient plant, which would
produce up to 50% more grains using the sunlight, without requiring more land
and water.
The idea came from the concern that the
traditional research, which results in just 1% rise in the yearly yield, would
not be enough to meet the ever-growing demand.
The plan was to engineer paddy in a way that
its leaf anatomy permits greater efficiency in photosynthesis thereby,
dramatically boosting the yields in one of the world’s most consumed cereal.
Now a wild rice – Uri dhan (Porteresia
coarctata) – that grows in saline estuaries of Bangladesh rekindled hope for a
possible breakthrough in changing rice plant architecture.
Bangladeshi scientists have found elements of
greater photosynthesis efficiency in Uri dhan.
Scientists at the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, who are working in tandem with researchers
drawn from 12 institutions in eight countries on a 20-year ‘C4 Rice Project’
are now seeking to take the Uri dhan samples to Los Banos, the IRRI
headquarters, for a fusion.
“We’re working out an MTA (material transfer
agreement) to receive Uri dhan samples from Bangladesh,” Principal Scientist
and Head of the C4 Rice Project, William Paul Quick told the Dhaka Tribune
during this writer’s recent visit to the IRRI.
An MTA is a contract that governs the transfer
of tangible research materials between two organizations, when the recipient
intends to use it for research purposes.
Prof Zeba Islam Seraj, who teaches
biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Dhaka and has a long
experience of salt-tolerant rice breeding employing Uri dhan, told the Dhaka
Tribune that her lab is ready to provide the IRRI with the material.
During photosynthesis, plants take carbon
dioxide, water, and light, and turn them into sugar and oxygen. The sugar is
then used by the plants for food, and the oxygen is released into the
atmosphere.
Rice uses the C3 photosynthetic pathway, which
in hot and dry environments is much less efficient than the C4 pathway used by
other plants such as maize, sugarcane and sorghum. Scientists thought that if
rice could "switch" to use C4 photosynthesis, its productivity would
increase by 50 percent.
Prof Zeba Islam Seraj explained, "Maize,
sorghum and sugarcane are C4 photo-synthesisers, while rice is C3. The C4
photo-synthesisers are more efficient in energy uptake." She said C4
plants such as maize and sorghum are more efficient at carbon assimilation than
C3 species, and in addition they display greater water use efficiency, better
nitrogen use efficiency and higher-temperature tolerance.
The C4 Rice Project, often dubbed as
"grand challenge" of the 21st century, is an international
collaboration between 18 research groups, from 12 institutions in eight
countries. The institutions are: Australian National University (Australia),
University of Toronto (Canada), Chinese Academy of Sciences (China), Max Planck
Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology and Heinrich Heine University
(Germany), International Rice Research Institute(the Philippines), Academia
Sinica Institute of Molecular Biology (Taipei), University of Cambridge and
University of Oxford (UK), Donald Danforth Center, Washington State University,
and University of Minnesota (USA).
Over three billion people, including 160
million in Bangladesh, depend on rice for survival, and owing to predicted
population increases and a general trend towards urbanisation, land that
provided enough rice to feed 27 people in 2010 will need to support 43 by 2050.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, William Paul
Quick said, “Its well over 10 years now and we’re still studying how to
regulate the leaf anatomy (to make rice plant more efficient photo-
synthesizer). Zeba is working (on Uri dhan) in Bangladesh. We’re looking forward
to acquire the material.”
Dr Paul Quick, also a plant physiology
professor of the University of Sheffield, UK, said his team, where two
Bangladeshi rice scientists (Md Sazzadur Rahman and Dr Hisam Al Rabbi) are also
working now, has been screening as many as 4,500 rice accessions for this
photosynthesis trait.
“We’ve established joint lab in China and
works are going on in different locations,” said Dr Paul Quick adding that in
the process they’ve applied gene editing techniques and ended up getting some
water-efficient rice lines.
“If successes come our way we’ll have rice
varieties in the future requiring half the water they do require now. We’re now
examining the advanced lines to see whether there is ‘yield penalty’ – meaning
whether we’re getting less grains.”
The C4 Rice Project was first conceived by
John Sheehy, a plant physiologist who was the head of the Applied
Photosynthesis Group at the IRRI from 1995 to 2009. The costs of the project
were estimated to be about $5m per year. In October 2008, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation awarded IRRI a grant of $11.1 million to begin the
research. Currently the project is into its phase-III (2015-2019).
Experts noted that successful completion of
engineering rice into a C4 plant would be a "game-changer" since the
'60s of last century when scientists had first developed semi-dwarf rice
varieties heralding the famous "Green Revolution".
The coffee you buy could produce more
birds at your feeder
By
By FINN O’KEEFE
Capital News Service
Capital News Service
LANSING
— Blackpoll warblers are on a 12,400-mile trip to their breeding grounds in
Canada and Alaska from the Amazon Basin and northern South America — with tiny
backpacks.
What
sort of luggage did they take? Tiny backpacks with geolocators given to them by
researchers hoping to understand their migration paths and the pit stops they
make to refuel.
They’ll
be here in the Great Lakes Basin, a crucial stop, around mid-May, according to
a recent study, “A Boreal Songbird’s 20,000 km Migration across North
America and the Atlantic Ocean,” published March 19 in “Ecology.”
Michigan,
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Ontario are the only substantial stopover points
that blackpoll warblers make during their spring migration, according to
William DeLuca, one of the researchers on this study and an assistant professor
at the University of Massachusetts. The warbler stops here in early and mid-May
to indulge in insects before making the final push to Alaska and northern
Canada, DeLuca said.
If you
want to see them while they rest up around here, check out Shiawassee National
Wildlife Refuge in Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park, Magee Marsh in Ohio
and Thunder Cape Bird Observatory in Ontario.
But look
fast.
Until
recently the lives of blackpoll warblers have remained a mystery as they only
spend two to three months of the year in North America, DeLuca said. This lack
of knowledge made it difficult to conserve the bird, one of the fastest
declining songbird species in North America.
“Once we
understand where and what it is they’re doing then we can start to figure out
where those populations are limited,” DeLuca said. “Then you can start to
target your conservation efforts.”
DeLuca
suspects them to be most limited in South America. The birds are threatened
there because palm oil corporations destroy many ecosystems for their
plantations, he said. Palm oil is found in many processed foods.
If you
want to preserve birds, avoid palm oil, DeLuca said “It’s a direct connection
between the choices we make as consumers and what’s happening with our
biodiversity.”
Choosing
which coffee to drink also impacts many migratory bird species, DeLuca said. In
the 1960s during the Green Revolution many countries in South America began to
use chemicals in agricultural management and reducing shade trees on their
coffee farms.
The
removal of shade trees makes the farm less suitable for bird habitat, according
to Robert Rice, a researcher at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
Research
in Peru has demonstrated this. Coffee grown in the sun with very few or no
shade trees provides habitat for about 60 bird species, Rice said.
That may
sound like a lot, but many birders flock to Peru in pursuit of seeing more than
1,800 species that spend at least some of their lives there, according to Field
Guides.
Just a
small number of shade trees on coffee farms increases the number of bird
species present to 170, Rice said. But it’s when you put in a great number of
diverse trees that you start finding a lot of birds.
“When
you put in a diverse system that would qualify as bird friendly, you get
upwards of 240 species of birds,” Rice said.
Encouraging
coffee producers in South America to provide adequate shade and shade tree
diversity for bird habitat on their farms is the goal of the Bird Friendly® coffee certification created
by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.
Coffee
grown under that certification not only protects bird habitat but also allows
for the shade trees to sequester carbon and fight climate change, according to
the center.
Regardless
of other benefits, such as a certification increasing their profits by as much
as 50 cents per pound, it’s difficult to get larger coffee farms to manage for
bird habitat, Rice said.
The
trees on many larger farms are often only one to three species and uniform in
height, Rice said. Even if these trees provide a lot of shade they do not
provide good habitat for a diversity of birds and other wildlife.
“Some
birds like to hang out way up top, high in the canopy,” Rice said. “Others like
to run up and down the trunk. Others like to hang out closer to the ground.”
Different
species of trees will attract different types of insects and grow different
fruit that birds feed on.
“Any
given tree has its own little micro ecosystem,” Rice said.
Conserving
bird habitat in South America doesn’t mean we can ignore the land here. One way
homeowners can provide habitat for birds like the blackpoll warbler is by
planting native plants, DeLuca said. Much of what these birds prefer to eat can
be found on native plants, whether that be berries or insects.
“Insect
diversity and abundance is highest on native plants,” DeLuca said. “Those
native plants are also the ones providing food in the form of berries and fruit
in the fall.”
People
can also provide data to scientists by putting their observations oneBird. The
project headed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is currently looking forward
to the Global Big Day on May 4 when organizers hope to set a new record for the
number of bird species reported in one day. Last year, users of the site
reported 7,025 species. This count occurs within the range of dates when
blackpoll warblers could be making their stopovers across the Great Lakes
Basin.
This May
4 sitting back with a cup of environmentally minded coffee and watching the
birds flock around your bird feeder could be both the most relaxing and
scientifically significant thing you could do.
If
you’re lucky you might just see a warbler returning from South America with
some luggage.
Indonesia Steps Up Science Techno Park Initiative To Support Local
Innovators
Indonesia has announced the addition of three
more technoparks that should help support the work of local innovators. The
country already has 18 parks as part of the "Riset Pro" initiative.
According
to Antara News, Secretary General of Indonesia's Ministry
of Research, Technology, and Higher Education Ainun Naim revealed on Thursday that
the Research and Innovation in Science Project or Resit Pro will push through
this year with three more technoparks planned.
Originally, the government planned to establish
100 science technoparks. The scheme was labeled as a national program priority but
the inadequate number of scientists helping with the program stalled the
process.
To address the lack of scientists and tech
experts working on the program, the ministry tapped non-ministerial groups and
public universities to achieve this year's target. Among the agencies and
institutions involved is the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and the
National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN).
Naim explained that collaboration will pave the
way for innovative domestic products to penetrate the Indonesian market. The
list of products includes an electric scooter created by the Sepuluh Nopember
Institute of Technology (ITS) that will soon hit the market.
Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) already
has its own science technopark. It focuses on several segments including
bio-science, food production, and tropical agriculture. Products from the park
will be sold to the market with assistance from the Indonesian government.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian government continues
to encourage innovative projects and strategies in sectors across the country
and recently, a breakthrough in agriculture was achieved by scientists.
As part
of Indonesia's national scheme of promoting innovation in various sectors,
scientists worked together to develop new crops through the use of nuclear science.
Researchers used radiation mutation engineering to come up with improved seeds
that farmers can use.
The scientific research program has since bred
35 new crop varieties including rice and soybeans. The new varieties are said
to bring about higher yields, are resistant to strong climate changes, and also
less susceptible to diseases.
In other
industries, the Indonesian electric vehicle sector is preparing to accept
battery-grade nickel products from the country's first lithium battery manufacturing plant. While it may
take months before an environmental permit is released, EV firms are optimistic
about the project.
If all goes well with the GEM Co. Ltd. and
Tsingshan Group joint venture, the $700-million plant is expected to encourage
innovation in the EV industry. It is also expected to boost the sector's sales
and revenue.
Trade Mission to Taiwan as U.S. Brand Set to Debut in Retail Market
By Jim Guinn
TAIPEI,
TAIWAN -- USA Rice joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign
Agricultural Service's Administrator Ken Isley and more than 50 companies,
trade associations, and state departments of agriculture on a USDA-led trade mission
to Taiwan earlier this week. Additionally, USA Rice met with the four
largest U.S. rice importers there and reported that two identified U.S. rice
brands will soon be available in local retail markets.
"USA Rice's promotion program has traditionally focused on foodservice and rice processors so retail is an exciting new area for us to promote U.S. origin rice," said Sarah Moran, USA Rice vice president international, who was on the trip.
U.S. medium grain from the south and California is exported to this market as part of their World Trade Organization (WTO) commitment to import 64,634 MT annually from the U.S. It is imported in one of two ways: either through Taiwanese government purchases or through a Simultaneous Buy Sell (SBS) tender where private importers can bid on the ability to import a set amount of U.S. rice.
When purchased by the Taiwanese government, the rice goes into warehouses or rice stocks here, which include both domestic and imported rice. That total has reached more than 800,000 MT and thus the government is beginning to aggressively look to export it. Taiwan's rice exports increased 214 percent last year, with the majority of the rice headed to China.
"It's through SBS tenders that identified U.S. rice is more prevalent and shows up at the retail level, in restaurants, and as part of rice cakes and snacks," said Chris Crutchfield, chair of the Asia Promotion Subcommittee. "There is a demand for American rice here by both the importers and consumers, and we'd love to see that need met."
The itinerary also included briefings by the American Institute in Taiwan and meetings with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the China Grain Products Research and Development Institute, the most authoritative institution on rice research in Taiwan.
"USA Rice's promotion program has traditionally focused on foodservice and rice processors so retail is an exciting new area for us to promote U.S. origin rice," said Sarah Moran, USA Rice vice president international, who was on the trip.
U.S. medium grain from the south and California is exported to this market as part of their World Trade Organization (WTO) commitment to import 64,634 MT annually from the U.S. It is imported in one of two ways: either through Taiwanese government purchases or through a Simultaneous Buy Sell (SBS) tender where private importers can bid on the ability to import a set amount of U.S. rice.
When purchased by the Taiwanese government, the rice goes into warehouses or rice stocks here, which include both domestic and imported rice. That total has reached more than 800,000 MT and thus the government is beginning to aggressively look to export it. Taiwan's rice exports increased 214 percent last year, with the majority of the rice headed to China.
"It's through SBS tenders that identified U.S. rice is more prevalent and shows up at the retail level, in restaurants, and as part of rice cakes and snacks," said Chris Crutchfield, chair of the Asia Promotion Subcommittee. "There is a demand for American rice here by both the importers and consumers, and we'd love to see that need met."
The itinerary also included briefings by the American Institute in Taiwan and meetings with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the China Grain Products Research and Development Institute, the most authoritative institution on rice research in Taiwan.
USA Rice Daily
Prices of over 500 items reduced for
Ramadan
26 Apr 2019 - 7:00
The Peninsula
Giving good news to residents
preparing for the holy month of Ramadan, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
announced yesterday its discounted consumer goods initiative on more than 500
products.
The initiative, which is being
launched in cooperation with major shopping malls, came into effect from
yesterday and will remain applicable until the end of the holy month. According
to the list issued yesterday by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, 503
items will be sold at reduced prices across the country during Ramadan.
The initiative comes within the
framework of the ministry’s efforts over the past years to meet citizens and
residents’ needs of consumer goods at reduced prices during the holy month,
when spending on food commodities traditionally increases.
The initiative covers basic
commodities consumed during Ramadan, such as flour, sugar, rice, pasta, Harees,
oil, milk, and other food and non-food items whose consumption increases during
the holy month.
As per the list, Baladna UHT milk
full fat - 1 litre will be available at QR5, Al Waha fresh chicken - 800gm at
QR13.25, Doux frozen whole chicken – 1 kg at QR11 and Punjab Garden basmati
rice - 5kg pack will be sold at QR29. New prices of Yara Sunflower oil - 1.8
litre will be QR11.75 and QFM hareesh - 2kg will cost QR6.25 and QFM flour
number 1 - 5kg will be available at QR16.
Al Waha eggs 30pcs will be
available at QR13, Rayyan Water 6x1.5 litre at QR6.25, QFM Flour 5kg pack at
QR16 and Kuwait Flour for all purpose 5kg pack will cost at QR21. Kohinoor
everyday Basmati rice 5kg pack will cost QR29, Best Choice Tomato Ketchup 335gm
will be priced at QR2, Delicio Ketchup 500gm at QR6.25, Nezo salt 1kg pack at
QR2.25, Pearl Dishwash 1 liter bottle at QR7 and Al Douha salt 1kg pack will
cost QR1.5.
The Ministry has been communicating
and coordinating with suppliers to identify commodities that witness increased
demand during the holy month in a bid to offer these goods at the most
appropriate prices.
The list of discounted consumer
goods has been circulated to all major shopping malls in the country, and is
accessible to consumers through the Ministry’s website and social network
pages. The Ministry stressed that it will not tolerate any violations of the
Consumer Protection Law and its regulations, and will intensify its inspection
campaigns to crack down on violations. The Ministry said it will refer those
who violate laws and ministerial decrees to competent authorities, who will in
turn take appropriate action against perpetrators in order to protect consumer
rights.
The Ministry urged the public to
report any violation of the resolution’s provisions, and said it receives
complaints and suggestions through its various channels.
Prices of 500 plus consumer goods
slashed for Ramadan
25 Apr 2019 - 16:35
Customers shopping during a promotional event. (file
photo)
The Peninsula / QNA
Doha: The Ministry of Economy and
Industry issued Thursday a list comprising of more than 500 commodities that
will be sold at reduced prices on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
The initiative is done in
coordination with major supermarkets and will start from today until the end of
Ramadan. This comes in line with the Ministry's commitments that to initiatives
that help provide the needs of citizens and residents of consumer goods at
reduced prices during this holy month, where spending on these items typically
increases.
As per the list 503 items will be
available for reduced price.
Under the revised price list,
Baladna UHT milk full fat - 1 litre will be available at QR5, Al Waha fresh
chicken - 800G at QR13.25, Doux frozen whole chicken – 1 kg at QR11, Punjab
Garden basmati rice - 5kg at 29.
New prices of Yara Sunflower oil - 1.8 litre will be QR11.75 and
QFM hareesh - 2kg will cost QR6.25 and QFM flour number 1 - 5kg will be
available at QR16. (The full MEC Price list here)
This year's list includes all
essential consumer goods consumed during this holy month, such as flour, sugar,
rice, macaroni, rice, milk, and other commodities, food and non-food items that
are consumed in the holy month.
The Ministry said in a statement
today that it communicated with all suppliers and agreed with them on the types
of goods that see increase in demand in the holy month and provide them with
the best and most appropriate prices. It noted that the list was provided to
all major supermarkets in the State and posted on the ministry's website and
all its social networking sites.The ministry will hold intensive and surprise
inspection campaigns before and during Ramadan.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah Orders Enforcement Of Ban
On Rice Cultivation
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali
Shah has directed all divisional commissioners to ensure implementation of
complete ban on Rice Cultivation on perennial canals so that the area could be
saved from waterlogging, salinity and seepage
KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 26th
Apr, 2019 ) :Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has
directed all divisional
commissioners to ensure implementation of complete ban on Rice Cultivation on
perennial canals so that the area could be saved fromwaterlogging,
salinity and seepage.
This he said while presiding over a high-level meeting here at Chief Minister House,
said a statement on Friday.
The chief minister said
that the cultivation of rice on perennial canals such as Ghotki Feeder, Rohri Canal and Nara Canal was causing waterlogging, salinity, seepage and
damage to land. He said that a notification on this had already been issued.
He said that rice was a high delta crop with water requirement of 70-acres
inches compared to cotton and other Kharif crops.
He further said that water requirement for cotton crop was 36-acre inches
compared to cotton crop the
rice cultivation need about 94 percent more irrigation water for one acre.
It was pointed out in the meeting that North-Western canal and Dadu canal were designed for
dry crops but cultivation of rice had been allowed there for food security.
The chief minister directed
Commissioner Hyderabad Abbas
Baloch to talk to the growers of Dadu Canal and convince them
to switch over to low delta crops.
This is the time they have to switch over to low delta and high
yield crops due to water shortage and waterlogging
issue, he said.
It was pointed out that cotton sowing in Sindh starts in May and rice cultivation
starts in June, the chief minister directed
the Irrigation department to release water to the perennial canals
in May so that
they start sowing cotton.
If water supplies are delayed
then the growers would opt for rice, he added.
The chief minister constituted
a committee of Irrigation, Agriculture and Revenue
Departments' Secretaries to work out a detailed plan for release of
irrigational water and
launch a drive to convince growers to switch over to low delta crops.
Moreover, the Agriculture Department was
directed to guide and
facilitate the growers for switching over to other crops.
It may be noted
that rice is the second largest cereal crop of Sindh in terms of area and
production. Sindh contributes
23.6 percent in area and 38 percent in production of rice at national level.
The meeting was specially attended by MNA Khursheed Shah while Agriculture Minister Ismail
Rahu, Irrigation Minister Nasir Shah,Sepcial Assitant to
Chife Minister Ashfaq Memon, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Sajid
Jamal Abro, Secretary Irrigation Jamal Shah, Secretary Agriculture Special, Special
Secretary Irrigation Aslam Ansari and Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar
Shahlwani were also present.
Iran oil
sanctions may hit India’s basmati rice industry
Given the scale of basmati
rice exports to Iran, a disruption in sales to this market can have a severe
adverse impact on the basmati rice industry.
Apr 25,
2019, 05.59 PM IST
BSE
Kolkata: The recent
announcement of withdrawal of waiver, which allowed India to continue to import
crude oil from Iran despite imposition of trade sanctions on Iran, by the US
government in the first week of May has led to uncertainty over India importing
crude oil from Iran. This can in turn skittle the exports of commodities
including basmati rice. Given the scale of basmati rice exports to Iran, a disruption in sales to this
market can have a severe adverse impact on the basmati rice industry, observed ICRA
on Thursday. Deepak Jotwani, Assistant Vice President, ICRA said: “Iran has
remained a major export destination for Indian Basmati rice and the industry’s
concentration on Iran has only magnified in FY2019. Discontinuation of crude
oil imports from Iran can lead to issues on recovery of outstanding dues for
the Basmati rice shipments already made, hampering the financial position of
such exporters. Moreover, this issue can impact the industry as a whole and
even the players who do not export to Iran. Given the share of Basmati rice
exports to Iran, any moderation in sales to this market can have a depressing
impact on the Basmati rice prices globally. This can severely impact the
industry performance, especially considering that prices of the raw material
i.e. Basmati paddy have firmed up in recent times, resulting in industry
participants carrying high cost inventory. Additionally, the government’s
policy stance on trade with Iran, post withdrawal of the waiver, will have a
strong bearing on the prospects of the Basmati rice industry in the current
fiscal.”
Iran has remained the largest importer of basmati rice from India in recent years, accounting for 32% of the total basmati rice exports from India in 11 month of FY19. During this period, Iran has imported basmati rice worth Rs. 9,204 crore (12.7 lakh MT), significantly higher than Rs. 5,830 crore (8.8 lakh MT) during FY2019. This surge in demand from Iran is explained, to some extent, by pre-emptive buying by Iran due to the uncertainty over its global trade in light of the imposition of trade sanctions by United States in November 2018.
The US government had parallelly granted waivers to eight countries including India, allowing them to continue to import crude oil from Iran. The Indian government, in order to comply with the condition that forbids direct fund transfers to Iran, introduced the rupee payment mechanism and identified two banks – IDBI Bank and UCO Bank for the same.
Iran has remained the largest importer of basmati rice from India in recent years, accounting for 32% of the total basmati rice exports from India in 11 month of FY19. During this period, Iran has imported basmati rice worth Rs. 9,204 crore (12.7 lakh MT), significantly higher than Rs. 5,830 crore (8.8 lakh MT) during FY2019. This surge in demand from Iran is explained, to some extent, by pre-emptive buying by Iran due to the uncertainty over its global trade in light of the imposition of trade sanctions by United States in November 2018.
The US government had parallelly granted waivers to eight countries including India, allowing them to continue to import crude oil from Iran. The Indian government, in order to comply with the condition that forbids direct fund transfers to Iran, introduced the rupee payment mechanism and identified two banks – IDBI Bank and UCO Bank for the same.
Under this mechanism Indian refiners who
import crude oil from Iran, deposit the payment for the same in rupee terms in
escrow accounts held with these banks. The banks use these funds to release
payments to Indian exporters, which are exporting essential commodities such as
agro products, pharmaceuticals, etc. As a result,
uncertainty (specially related to payments) regarding trade between India and
Iran eased to some extent, leading to a surge in Basmati rice exports to Iran
from December 2018 onwards - Rs. 3,680 crore in three-month period
(December-February) as against Rs. 5,528 crore for eight-month period
(April-November) in FY2019.
However, the US government has recently announced that the waiver extended earlier will be withdrawn in the first week of May. India is trying to push for an extension of the waiver; however, in case the same does not materialize, it may discontinue import of crude oil from Iran. In absence of sufficient imports from Iran, payment recovery for exports of commodities like Basmati rice, faces high uncertainty. It may be noted that Indian crude oil imports from Iran were to the tune of Rs. 70,000 crore in FY2018 against which total exports were around Rs. 17,000 crore.
However, the US government has recently announced that the waiver extended earlier will be withdrawn in the first week of May. India is trying to push for an extension of the waiver; however, in case the same does not materialize, it may discontinue import of crude oil from Iran. In absence of sufficient imports from Iran, payment recovery for exports of commodities like Basmati rice, faces high uncertainty. It may be noted that Indian crude oil imports from Iran were to the tune of Rs. 70,000 crore in FY2018 against which total exports were around Rs. 17,000 crore.
Iran oil
sanctions may hit India’s basmati rice industry
Given the scale of basmati rice
exports to Iran, a disruption in sales to this market can have a severe adverse
impact on the basmati rice industry.
Kolkata: The recent announcement of withdrawal of waiver, which allowed
India to continue to import crude oil from Iran despite imposition of trade
sanctions on Iran, by the US government in the first week of May has led to
uncertainty over India importing crude oil from Iran. This can in turn skittle
the exports of commodities including basmati rice. Given the scale of basmati
rice exports to Iran, a disruption in sales to this market can have a severe
adverse impact on the basmati rice industr ..
Read more at:
//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/69043159.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
Agri chief reaffirms rice self-sufficiency goal
Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine
Star) - April 26, 2019 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Agriculture
Secretary Emmanuel Piñol has not given up on his dream of seeing the
Philippines achieve 100 percent rice self-sufficiency.
“I still believe and am deeply
convinced that we can still be able to achieve rice sufficiency,” Piñol said
during the Department of Agriculture (DA)’s second quarter national management
committee meeting.
“Our adoption rate of
hybrid at inbred seeds is only 60 percent, but we are already hitting 19
million metric tons,” he said.
Apart from this, Piñol is
optimistic the country will be able to produce enough rice because farmers are
provided with good seeds, irrigation and fertilizer.
It would be recalled in February,
Piñol conceded that the country would not achieve 100 percent rice
self-sufficiency rate during his term.
Based on latest government data,
the country’s rice self-sufficiency rate was 93.44 percent in 2017, while
import dependency ratio was 6.56 percent.
Piñol is banking on the annual
P10 billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) from the tariffication
system. It also gets P7 billion from the regular fund to achieve the
required sufficiency production volume of 21 million MT of palay.
The DA will utilize P3 billion of
the RCEF for the procurement of good seeds which will be given for free to the
farmers.
According to Piñol, 1.2 million
hectares of farmlands will be planted to good seeds, while an additional
600,000 hectares to hybrid rice.
Local rice production declined to
19.05 million MT last year due to the series of typhoons that hit the country.
Industry stakeholders warned that
with the liberalization of rice, import dependency may further spike to as much
as 20 percent in the long run.
China to sign MoU
on expanding Cambodian rice import quota
April
26, 2019
China will agree to buy 400,000
tonnes of Cambodian rice in a memorandum of understanding that will be signed
tomorrow in Beijing, according to the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce.
The agreement will be signed by
local company Green Trade, who will be representing the Cambodian Ministry of
Commerce, and COFCO, China’s largest food processor, during a forum on the Belt
and Road Initiative (BRI).
“Led by Prime Minister Hun Sen,
the two sides will sign a MoU at the second forum of the Belt and Road
Initiative to be held in Beijing on April 27,” the statement reads.
. .
According to the ministry’s
statement, China agreed to buy 400,000 tonnes of jasmine, fragrant, and white
rice from Cambodia from August 2019 to December 2020.
It adds that the memorandum will
become effective after the two parties implement a previous agreement, signed
on Jan 2018, to sell 300,000 tonnes of rice.
Hun Lak, vice president of the
Cambodia Rice Federation, said the agreement is great news for the sector.
“It will allow us to expand trade
with China,” he said.
“In 2018, we signed a similar MoU
with China to export 300,000 tonnes of rice,” he said, noting that Cambodia was
not able to fulfill that quota.
. .
“Because we exported to other
countries, we did not have enough rice to supply China to meet the quota,” he
said.
“This time, we will try to save
more rice to send to China so that we can meet that quota.”
The expansion of the import quota
for Cambodian rice was announced by Chinese president Xi Jinping during a
meeting with Mr Hun Sen in January.
The announcement came a few days
after the European Union imposed tariffs on Cambodian Indica rice.
Mr Xi also said China will strive
to boost trade with Cambodia to $10 billion by 2023. Bilateral trade is
currently at $5.6 billion.
. .
Cambodia exported 75,214 metric
tonnes of milled rice to China during the first quarter of 2019, a 59 percent
rise compared to the same period last year, according to the Secretariat of One
Window Service for Rice Export Formality.
From January to March, China was
the biggest buyer of Cambodian rice. It accounted for 44 percent of Cambodia’s
total rice exports.
Increased Chinese
rice exports MoU to be signed at 2nd BRF
Hin Pisei |
Publication date 26 April 2019 | 09:08 ICT
Prime Minister Hun Sen is greeted upon
arriving in Beijing, China on Thursday as he leads a delegation to attend the
2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. HUN SEN’S FACEBOOK
Prime Minister Hun Sen is set to
sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on increased rice quotas with China at
the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, according
to a statement on Wednesday from the Ministry of Commerce.
Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak,
through state-owned rice exporter Green Trade Company, discussed rice quotas
with Chinese firm China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation on
April 12, the statement said.
The purpose of the talks was to
promote Cambodian rice exports to the international market in line with
government policies and strengthen bilateral trade cooperation between Cambodia
and China.
The statement said the MoU,
scheduled to be signed on Saturday, is set to outline that China has agreed to
buy jasmine rice, fragrant rice, white rice and broken rice from the Kingdom at
a 400,000-tonne quota starting August 2019 until the end of December 2020.
The Kingdom’s previous quota of
300,000 tonnes of rice exports to China will be completed by the end of this
year, the statement added.
Cambodia Rice Federation
vice-president Hun Lak told The Post on Thursday that the MoU is good news for
the sector as Cambodian rice exports to the EU have become subject to tariffs
this year.
“The additional quota provided by
China will help balance Cambodian rice exports to the international market,” he
said.
A Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries report shows that the Kingdom’s rice exports in the
first quarter of this year was 170,821 tonnes, up six per cent compared to the
same period last year.
Lak expects rice exports this
year to be higher than last year due to two significant factors – the
additional quota from China and an undeterred export volume to the EU despite
the recently imposed taxes.
China has become a major market
for Cambodian rice, made only more significant with the Kingdom losing its
access to duty-free rice exports to the EU on January 17 for a three-year
period following complaints from Italian and Spanish rice producers.
Ministry of Commerce spokesman
Long Kemvichet said the new quota will only start once Cambodia has fulfilled
the old quota.
“If we complete the existing
[300,000-tonne quota] before schedule, the new [quota] will come into effect
immediately without having to wait until the end of the year,” he said.
According to Kemvichet, China is
currently the only country that the Kingdom can export rice to duty-free.
Cambodia only managed to export
170,154 tonnes of rice to China last year – just more than half of the
300,000-tonne quota – while it exported 269,127 tonnes to the EU.
The Kingdom’s total rice exports
last year amounted to 626,225 tonnes, a slight decrease from 2017’s 635,679
tonnes.
Contact author: Hin Pisei
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices Open- April 26, 2019
APRIL 26, 2019 / 12:52 PM * * * * * *
Nagpur Foodgrain Prices – APMC/Open Market-April 25, 2018 Nagpur,
April 25 (Reuters) – Gram and tuar prices reported higher in Nagpur Agriculture
Produce and Marketing Committee (APMC) on good demand from local millers amid
weak supply from producing regions. Fresh hike in Madhya Pradesh gram prices
and enquiries from South-based millers also helped to push up prices here.
About 2,800 bags of gram and 1,300 bags of tuar reported for auction, according
to sources.
GRAM
* Desi gram raw recovered in open market here on increased buying
support from local
traders.
TUAR
* Tuar varieties ruled steady in open market here on subdued demand
from local
traders amid ample stock in ready position.
* Moong Chamki firmed up in open market on good buying support
from local traders amid weak arrival from producing belts.
* In Akola, Tuar New – 5,300-5,450, Tuar dal (clean) – 7,800-8,100,
Udid Mogar (clean)
– 6,500-7,500, Moong Mogar (clean) 8,000-8,600, Gram – 4,400-4,550,
Gram Super best
– 5,600-5,900 * Wheat, rice and other foodgrain items moved in a
narrow range in
scattered deals and settled at last levels in thin trading
activity.
Nagpur foodgrains APMC auction/open-market prices in rupees for 100
kg
FOODGRAINS Available prices Previous close
Gram Auction 3,820-4,280 3,800-4,240
Gram Pink Auction n.a. 2,100-2,600
Tuar Auction 4,400-5,460 4,400-5,400
Moong Auction n.a. 3,950-4,200
Udid Auction n.a. 4,300-4,500
Masoor Auction n.a. 2,200-2,500
Wheat Lokwan Auction 1,750-1,876 1,700-1,870
Wheat Sharbati Auction n.a. 2,900-3,000
Gram Super Best Bold 5,800-6,200 5,800-6,200
Gram Super Best n.a. n.a.
Gram Medium Best 5,500-5,700 5,500-5,700
Gram Dal Medium n.a. n.a
Gram Mill Quality 4,500-4,600 4,500-4,600
Desi gram Raw 4,500-4,600 4,450-4,550
Gram Kabuli 8,300-10,000 8,300-10,000
Tuar Fataka Best-New 8,100-8,200 8,100-8,200
Tuar Fataka Medium-New 7,700-7,900 7,700-7,900
Tuar Dal Best Phod-New 7,500-7,700 7,500-7,700
Tuar Dal Medium phod-New 7,000-7,400 7,000-7,400
Tuar Gavarani New 5,700-5,800 5,700-5,800
Tuar Karnataka 5,800-5,950 5,800-5,950
Masoor dal best 5,500-5,600 5,500-5,600
Masoor dal medium 5,100-5,300 5,100-5,300
Masoor n.a. n.a.
Moong Mogar bold (New) 8,000-8,800 8,000-8,800
Moong Mogar Medium 6,800-7,500 6,800-7,500
Moong dal Chilka New 6,900-7,800 6,900-7,800
Moong Mill quality n.a. n.a.
Moong Chamki best 8,100-9,000 8,000-9,000
Udid Mogar best (100 INR/KG) (New) 7,500-8,500 7,500-8,500
Udid Mogar Medium (100 INR/KG) 6,000-7,000 6,000-7,000
Udid Dal Black (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,500 4,300-4,500
Mot (100 INR/KG) 5,550-7,050 5,550-7,050
Lakhodi dal (100 INR/kg) 4,800-5,000 4,800-5,000
Watana Dal (100 INR/KG) 5,600-5,800 5,600-5,800
Watana Green Best (100 INR/KG) 6,700-6,900 6,700-6,900
Wheat 308 (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Wheat Mill quality (100 INR/KG) 1,900-2,000 1,900-2,000
Wheat Filter (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Wheat Lokwan best (100 INR/KG) 2,500-2,600 2,500-2,600
Wheat Lokwan medium (100 INR/KG) 2,200-2,400 2,200-2,400
Lokwan Hath Binar (100 INR/KG) n.a. n.a.
MP Sharbati Best (100 INR/KG) 3,400-4,000 3,400-4,000
MP Sharbati Medium (100 INR/KG) 2,800-3,200 2,800-3,200
Rice Parmal (100 INR/KG) 2,100-2,200 2,100-2,200
Rice BPT best (100 INR/KG) 3,300-3,800 3,300-3,800
Rice BPT medium (100 INR/KG) 2,700-3,100 2,700-3,100
Rice BPT new (100 INR/KG) 3,000-3,300 3,000-3,300
Rice Luchai (100 INR/KG) 2,900-3,000 2,900-3,000
Rice Swarna best (100 INR/KG) 2,600-2,800 2,600-2,800
Rice Swarna medium (100 INR/KG) 2,400-2,500 2,400-2,500
Rice HMT best (100 INR/KG) 4,300-4,800 4,300-4,800
Rice HMT medium (100 INR/KG) 3,800-4,100 3,800-4,100
Rice HMT New (100 INR/KG) 3,600-3,800 3,600-3,800
Rice Shriram best(100 INR/KG) 5,500-5,800 5,500-5,800
Rice Shriram med (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,200 4,800-5,200
Rice Shriram New (100 INR/KG) 4,400-4,600 4,400-4,600
Rice Basmati best (100 INR/KG) 9,000-14,000 9,000-14,000
Rice Basmati Medium (100 INR/KG) 5,000-7,500 5,000-7,500
Rice Chinnor best 100 INR/KG) 6,600-7,500 6,500-7,200
Rice Chinnor medium (100 INR/KG) 6,400-6,600 6,200-6,400
Rice Chinnor New (100 INR/KG) 4,800-5,000 4,700-5,000
Jowar Gavarani (100 INR/KG) 2,350-2,550 2,350-2,550
Jowar CH-5 (100 INR/KG) 2,050-2,250 2,050-2,250 WEATHER (NAGPUR)
Maximum temp. 44.3 degree Celsius, minimum temp. 28.5 degree Celsius Rainfall :
Nil FORECAST: Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and minimum temperature likely to be
around 45 degree Celsius and 29 degree Celsius. Note: n.a.—not available (For
oils, transport costs are excluded from plant delivery prices, but included in
market prices)
Boro harvest begins amid falling rice price
12:00
AM, April 25, 2019 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:06 AM, April 25, 2019
Prices
have been falling for the last several months due to good harvests in the
previous three crop seasons. Star/file
The prices of rice have been
falling for the last several months owing to good harvests in the previous
three crop seasons.
On April 22, the wholesale price of
coarse grain of boro rice was Tk 26-Tk 28 per kg in Dhaka Sadar, down from Tk
27.50-Tk 29 a month earlier. Three months ago, it was selling for Tk 30-Tk 32,
according to the Department of Agricultural Marketing.
This time last year, the coarse
boro grain was selling at Tk 37-Tk 38 a kg at the wholesale level.
And millers say the prices are
likely to fall further once the freshly harvested rice is added to the existing
stock of 12.68 lakh tonnes.
“There is plenty of stock of rice
and appetite for the cereal from traders is low,” said Nirod Boron Saha, a rice
and paddy wholesaler and commission agent at Naogaon, a major rice trading hub
in the northwest.
Amid the scenario, farmers in
northeast Bangladesh, particularly those regions marked by backwater swamp,
have recently started harvesting paddy as a precautionary measure to sudden
onrushes of water, which is expected soon.
“The market is down and the
presence of buyers is still low,” said Jyotimohon Das, a farmer in Sunamganj,
located in northeast Bangladesh.
At present, the just-harvested
coarse paddy is selling for about Tk 500 per maund, which is less than last
year.
Take the case of Rajib Talukder, a
grower in Netrokona, who could bag only 16 maunds of paddy from nearly two
acres of land. He sold each maund of paddy for Tk 475, which is almost 21
percent lower than last year.
Farmers have planted paddy on 49.33
lakh hectares area in the current boro season, according to the Department of Agricultural
Extension.KM Layek Ali, general secretary of the Bangladesh Auto Major and
Husking Mills Association, expects the overall yield would be good this season
if there is no natural disaster.
In such a scenario, the prices of
paddy are unlikely to cross Tk 500 a maund, he said, while demanding the
government allow export of two lakh tonnes of fine rice.
“Otherwise, the government will
have to buy more rice to protect growers from losses this season,” he said.
The government earlier announced it
would purchase 12.50 lakh tonnes of rice during the current boro season.
However, Saha said the government
could export rice instead of allowing the private sector to do the job.https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/boro-harvest-begins-amid-falling-rice-price-1734352
Asia Rice-Vietnam rates gain on fears Mekong water woes may hurt
crops
“Demand is higher and exporters are rushing to buy rice from
farmers to fulfil the orders signed earlier this year,” a trader based in Ho
Chi Minh City said.
Prices also rose because the Mekong Delta provinces are facing
water shortages as farmers start sowing for the summer-autumn crop, another
trader said.
In India, the world’s leading exporter, the 5 percent broken
parboiled variety fell to around $375-$378 per tonne this week from last
week’s $377-$380 range.
“Demand is weak from African, as well as Asian buyers, even
after reducing prices,” said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern
state of Andhra Pradesh.
The aggressive selling of old inventories by China to African
buyers was also weighing on prices, exporters said. A dip in the rupee, which
fell to a seven-week low on Thursday, was another factor prompting exporters to
cut prices.
India’s rice exports for April-February dropped 9.4 percent from
a year earlier to 10.57 million tonnes, as leading buyer Bangladesh trimmed its
purchases due to a bumper local harvest, a government body said.
Meanwhile, faced with falling prices, officials in Bangladesh
reiterated that the country was considering a review of its long-standing ban
on rice exports.
“We need to protect farmers’ interests, at the same time we
can’t let the prices rise,” a senior official at the country’s food ministry
said.
Bangladesh, traditionally the world’s fourth biggest rice
producer, banned overseas shipments of some common rice varieties in May 2008
after a spike in domestic prices. It banned all rice exports a year later.
Thailand’s benchmark 5-percent broken rice prices were
quoted at $385-$388 a tonnes, free on board Bangkok, from $393-$411 last week,
mainly due to the weakening of the baht against the US dollar.
“Despite the drop in prices, Thai rice remains less competitive
compared with other exporters like India and Vietnam,” a Bangkok-based trader
said.
With the potential for a drought this year, supply remains a
concern for Thai rice traders.
